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The Triathlon Rx | June 8, 2011
9 comments

Minneapolis Heat

Hey chicos! Something janky happened with my comment system… and I’m no longer getting email notifications. So I tried responding to each comment individually via wordpress, but as you can see it just piled them all together and now it looks like I commented on my own post a bunch. Oops! I’ll get it figured out. In the mean time… someone who commented (Steve Q, Rose, Chelsea, DR, Maren, Suzanne, Jessica) would you let me know if you got an email from wordpress with my response?

ANYWHO.

It’s hot in Minneapolis right now .I love it. :D Except for the part about the power going out last night and melting stuff in the freezer. And I had just bought my favorite Ciao Bella too!! I have a serious uneven suntan from riding so much – my back is nice and bronzed, and my front… has been neglected. It’s like someone put a fish in a frying pan and only browned one side!

Yesterday hit 102° in Minneapolis, which was definitely a record. I’ve heard a lot of the “it’s too hot” line being tossed around, but in my mind… it’s just fine. Yeah, it’s kind of uncomfortable at times. But I would take this over 20° and cloudy any day. It’s currently 80° and sunny, and I’m sitting on my patio with iced coffee. Really can’t complain….

Update on the stress reaction: well, there is no real update. It feels OK – no hot spot on the bone or anything tender. But that is likely because I’ve been a good girl and followed directions.

And a little update on the MN racing scene…

Last weekend was the FANS 12 and 24 hour races at Lake Nokomis. Chris Rubesch, a buddy of mine put up an AMAZING effort taking 1st place in the 12 hour race. He got in 70.7 miles in 12 hours, and still had a smile on his face. I had the chance to do a couple laps with Chris during the afternoon, and I was amazed at all the runners with smiles still on their faces. It was a HOT day, and to all that participated, I just want to say everyone did a fantastic job! (The winner of the 24 hour race did 111 miles – beeeast!)

And with that, I am going to go jump on my bike, and then jump in the lake. I’m already sweating. Teaser for the next post….

Reader Qs:

How do you handle the heat? What is your ideal kind of weather? Have you ever run an ultra?? 70 miles… holy jeezz!

ADIOS.

-E

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The Triathlon Rx | April 22, 2011
10 comments

Friday Confessionals // April 22nd, 2011

¡Hola chiquititos!

No… this not an error with your Google Reader, or a black hole. I am posting twice in the same week. (Likely only because I’m writing this ahead of time, anticipating that I’ll either forget to publish or take way longer than necessary to write something relatively simple.) You already read the title of the post, so you know where this is going… I definitely think we’re I’m due.

While there’s probably a laundry list of things I could ‘fess up to, I’m going to give you just ONE, and one I’ve been needing to get off my chest for a while.

(If you’re new to Friday Confessionals, click here for the 101. Anything and everything goes.)

running.

After my last post, when I said “Running…? Not quite ready to comment on that one just yet.” … I got some inquisitive texts and emails saying essentially, Watchu talkin bout Willis?? So to avoid sugar coating it too much… I’ll just lay it out here: essentially, my body hates running. I still love it – don’t get me wrong – but it is definitely hating me. My last “long run” was OCTOBER 30th in the Monster Dash Half Marathon. I don’t think I’ve done any runs over 10 miles since then. In fact… my total MONTHLY milage averaged over the last 4 months is what my WEEKLY mileage was at this time last year. And running was my thing! DISTANCE running!!! What I want to do is something like this:

BUT. Because I am no longer 5, and at least feel semi-obligated to act my age, I’ll take a deep breath and count to 10. It will be OK.

Right…?

Truthfully, this is the first year that I have ever been NOT confident in my running abilities. Like super not confident. And the fact that racing season is coming at me fast is not helping in the least. You know that feeling you get when you know you’re going to have to face something super unpleasant? Kind of like you got punched in the gut? That’s how I feel when I think about racing right now.

So what exactly is making me feel like this? It essentially comes down to two:

1. LOOMING INJURY

I don’t think there’s actually anything “officially” injured at the current moment. I do know that when I was in Puerto Rico in March I ran a little too much given my current mileage. And I do know way better than that. And I also know exactly what a stress fracture feels like, and upon returning from that beautiful little island, was pretty damn sure I had one in my 5th metatarsal. So I pulled way back and re/pre habbed the heck out of it until it didn’t feel like a stress fracture anymore and I wasn’t scared to run on it. Which tells me it was probably a stress reaction (the precursor to a stress fracture) and I took the right steps to stop it from getting worse. But the fact that it was definitely about to be a real injury leaves me feeling like I’m running on egg shells. Like I can’t run hard or I’m going to break something. Like there’s always going to be an injury “looming” in the distance.

2. PAST INJURY HISTORY

There might have been a time when I had convinced myself I didn’t really get injured, but that time is long gone. I’m super injury prone, and I know it. Going from being a 70 mpw runner and decent marathoner, to a pool runner with a broken femoral neck and three screws holding it together, back to a 50 mpw runner, to a refractured hip, to 60 mpw and a tibial stress fracture, to 30 mpw and another tibial stress fracture and a cut [way] short racing season, to NOW, current time, when, again, nothing is “officially” injured but oh by the way my foot hurt, and then I thought I pulled my groin again doing some stupid plyometric drill at practice, and I’m scared as %&#$ to bring my miles back up.

Actually… let’s just get it all out. Full disclosure: I’m running 48 ± 2* miles per MONTH. And assuming that each month has 4.4 weeks, that equals 10.9 MILES PER WEEK.

To say that I’m mentally struggling with this is like saying Tiger Woods is kinda hot. IT’S A MAJOR FREAKING UNDERSTATEMENT!! But unlike the many ladies who can just throw themselves at Woods… I don’t really know what I can do about this predicament. Run more? Maybe take another injury and sit out the beginning of the season? Sit out all of the season? Don’t run any more than I am now and SUCK at running for a year??

Looking back on race reports like New Bri Tri 2010 (and pretty much any other tri), the run is where I excelled. That run at New Bri was a game of road kill, and this year I feel like I’m going to be annihilated.

……….

Oh yeah, I was counting to 10. Exhale.

I ran today (or yesterday by the time you’re reading this). Four. Flipping. Miles. It felt fine, but it was FOUR miles. That – in my mind – is still a warm-up. And that make me sad.**

Then I went to work*** and proceeded to do this:

And then I thanked the Lord for ice massage. And then I went online to finish this Friday Confessional which has now turned into a full out pitty party. And NOW I’m going to stop.

I apologize/am super impressed if you read through all of that.

READER Qs:

Have you ever gone through a big slump in your training? If so how did you get out of it? Are you “injury prone” or one of those people who somehow manages to stay injury free? (And by “somehow” … I think I mean “trains smartly” …) As always with EVERY Friday Confessional, feel free to “fess up” and get whatever you want off of your chest!

Happy WEEKEND chicos, and happy EASTER! I know not everyone celebrates, but it is hands down my favorite day of the year so I’M looking forward to Sunday for sure! I’ll see you back here with that giveaway!

-E

* All values are presented in mean ± SD. I know, I’ve been reading too much research.
** For the record, my total training VOLUME has not changed at all. But the percentage that is running is obviously way down. So either I better be much faster on the bike this year, or faster in the water. Or someone (probably just me) is gettin’ hurt.
*** It actually is a legit job, and yes, I actually DO do work. But while I’m not working on any of the other athletes, I can kinda work on myself. I’ll post more on my job later!

Category: Uncategorized |
The Triathlon Rx | April 19, 2011
9 comments

Sixteen days…

I just submitted a ten page research paper. In Spanish. Ay Dios mío…

But that does confirm that: yes, I am still here. Possibly buried under a stack of PubMed articles and lab reports, but here none the less. I have had pretty much zero guilt or shame in admitting that the blog has been at the very bottom of “the list” this semester… that is until my amiga Betsy over at Earning My M-Dot called me out in one of her posts for slacking. And then Susan, my long lost friend in NY emailed me saying she was coming to Minneapolis and where the truck was my blog?

Guilt is a powerful emotion. Guilt about skipping that long ride because you were SPENT from being at the office till way late the night before. Guilt about not being cleared to play in your stupid 1-credit tennis class, when your doctor is clearing you to run as much as you please. (You’re a LINEAR athlete!! Don’t risk it for something so small!) Guilt that the Twins just lost 10-5 and yes I did just snap on someone unintentionally. (Oh… guilt that this was written last week and never hit publish? Twins won their last two games BTW.) Guilt that yes, that is a Costco sized box of Starbursts in my drawer. (Cheap, long ride fuel?!) And then it crept in – guilt from blog neglect.

I’ve still been reading though – I know that Julia went on a sick training trip, Betsy is planning (are you serious??) a freaking amazing racing/spectating trip, Steve is an overunder pronator and yes damnit we will ride soon, my teammate Matt posted a SOLID  race at Oceanside 70.3. I haven’t been able to post, but I’m definitely still reading!

ANYWAYS. Long story short, this is my life right now:

[ETA: we're back to the current date - April 19th.) There are a total of 16 days until my last class of the semester, and then ONE WEEK of finals with my Ex Phys exam on the last possible day – Friday May 13th (we can’t all be lucky) – and then I’m donnnnnne!!

Or at least done for 9 days until my May term class starts. :) Don’t feel too sorry for me – it’s PE 1012: Beginning Running. And my LAST PE course ever of my Kinesiological education. ( <- That’s the outcome of my degree. “Kinesiological.” Really?) I will, however, accept condolences from July 4th through August 4th when I’m sitting through 4 hours a day / 4 days a week / for 4 weeks of intensive Physics. I think I just threw up in my mouth a little…

Training? It’s going. I had probably the slowest ride of my life yesterday, but I’ve also had lots of great rides so I’ll write that one off as “one of those days” and move on. I’ve also been swimming consistently – 95% of which is contributed to having someone to consistently swim with! Running…? Not quite ready to comment on that one just yet. The racing season will be here in a blink of an eye though, so I better own up and take whatever I’ve got!

If you guys can just hang with me for sixteen more days… I promise my life will be about 75% less packed and stressful, and we can hang out like we used to back in the old days. ;) In a shameless attempt to KEEP any readers that I may still have, I’m going to be posting a giveaway sometime this week, so make sure you check back! I have several to give away, and they rhyme with depression leaves. Only they have nothing to do with Prozac or botany. ;)

Reader Qs:

Can I get a quick collective rundown from the people who are still out there – how is training going? What races do you have coming up? (I know a lot of you have already started competing – how did the 1st of the year go?) Any big trips – racing or otherwise – to look forward to this summer?

Train hard, train smart, train often!

-E

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The Triathlon Rx | March 26, 2011
6 comments

The “Real Fish”

Anyone who’s clicking over from SlowTwitch should get that reference! For those of you needing clarification – the fish are the true swimmers. None of this huge triathlete kick or crappy rotation… the fish have perfected their swim to the point where you’d swear they have gills.

(Sorry if I just offended anyone – of course there are plenty of amazing triathletes who are also great swimmers. But in the scope of the whole triathlete pool, let’s face it… >75% are more like manatees.)

[(Bad example - while manatee's usually swim around 5mph (still fast!), they can hit up to 15 mph in short bursts. And swim on their own an hour after being born. Thanks National Geographic!)]

ANYWAYS. I have gotten the sweet opportunity to witness a lot of amazing swimming, and it’s only just getting started. The University of Minnesota has had the honor of hosting this year’s NCAA DI Men’s National Swimming & Diving Championships! Today (Saturday) is the LAST day of competition, with prelims starting at 12:00 and finals beginning again at 7:00. There are around 50 schools competing, and they all remembered to bring their game – I lost count of how many new records have been set, but I expect more to come today! There are several students who have competed in the Olympics (and will be returning for 2012), so the bars are set high!

If any of you are in the Twin Cities metro and interested in checking out the REAL fish I’d encourage you to head over to the U of MN and check out the LAST day of competition!! Today schedule is:

NOON – PRELIMS

  • 200-yard backstroke
  • 100-yard freestyle
  • 200-yard breaststroke
  • 200-yard butterfly
  • 400-yard freestyle relay
  • platform diving (trials start at 1:30)
  • 1,650-yard freestyle (all but last heat of time finals)

7:00 PM – FINALS

  • 1,650-yard freestyle (last heat of time finals)
  • 200-yard backstroke
  • 100-yard freestyle
  • 200-yard breaststroke
  • 200-yard butterfly
  • platform diving
  • 400-yard freestyle

I know what I’m the most excited for… but truthfully this is all amazing, fast swimming! This is also a great event to bring your kids and get them excited about the sport of swimming. I talked to a couple little tater-tots last night who were standing front row about their favorite strokes, and you could see the excitement in their eyes. So if your free and in the area, come on down!

READER Qs:

If you’re a triathlete – did you swim growing up or not until you picked up tri? What is your favorite stroke?

I swam on a club team from 5th-8th grade, and varsity in 9th grade. Took three years “off” (in my strictly-running days) until my hip surgery forced me back in the pool! I usually swam breast and back when I was on the team, and actually hated free until I started swimming with my tri team. (Once in 9th grade my coach put me in the 500 free, and like 300 yards in I said &#%@ this! and started swimming breast. Hahahha he was heated!)

GO GOPHERS!

-E

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The Triathlon Rx | March 4, 2011
3 comments

Be back soon!

So… I had a Tried it Tuesday review (yes Steve, the mittens!), and a Workout Wednesday. And I was about to post both of them together on [thoughts on a] Thursday. But then (the start of any good excuse) I had my last midterm on Thursday and thought I should study for that. And now here I am making excuses and  posting a picture of me and my dog and it’s only because it’s the only way I can get the image URL that facebook wont let me have and then I’m going to disappear like it never happened! ¡Adios!

(Sorry. I really will post both the review and the workout. AND I have Medical Monday. SHOOT I’m behind! But midterms are over and I’m about to have a lot of AIRPLANE time in the next couple weeks to stock pile posts. :D Catch ya later!)

-E

Category: Uncategorized |
The Triathlon Rx | February 25, 2011
No comments

Groucho Sports

Hey hey!

I said last time that I’d let you know when my guest post goes up on Groucho Sports. Today’s the day!

Check it out here!

Unfortunately, that’s about all I have time for right now. Other than to give a heads up that I’m joining my buddy Jaime (and his teammate Jessi) in a 100 day challenge… and I decided to add on my own additional twist. More on that soon!!

I tried to upload a video I made while on the trainer the other day… but apparently haven’t learned how to compress yet. (It’s only 30 seconds, and I shot it on a digital camera. How the duck is that 41.7 MB and how do I make it less than 8?)

¡Adios!

-E

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The Triathlon Rx | February 20, 2011
10 comments

You asked for it!

Chicos!! I hope everyone is doing well and has had a fabulous weekend so far! We had an early “spring break” here in Minnesota with temps hitting near 50°F and sunny, and you better believe I’ve been running in SHORTS and finally able to use my Green Silence outside. (LOVE those shoes btw, but the upper is about as thick/windproof as a the material for mesh basketball shorts…) The tropical conditions were short lived, however, because once again it’s cold and we’re supposedly getting 12+ inches of snow today. It’s past 7am though, and it hasn’t started snowing yet!! It would be awesome if the storm stayed south of us and just dumped all over Iowa. (Hahaha!! Sorry! No hate mail please.)

As goes the story of my life: I’ve been up to my neck in homework, labs, interviews, and preparing for another exam on Monday. BUT I have a new favorite study spot in Minneapolis, and yesterday while finishing a paper I got to enjoy a bottomless cup of coffee, soup, salad, a comfy couch, and best of all – the FIREPLACE. How can I complain? They’re starting to know me on a first name basis. :D

The title of this post does actually have a meaning: as a follow-up to a previous post. During the last giveaway, one of the optional entries was to comment with a post you’d like to see addressed here on Dr.TriRunner! I sorted through the comments and made a list of things mentioned:

  • School organization / study post
  • My madre & her running history
  • Fueling Friday
  • “A Day in the Life”
  • Workout Wednesday – bike workout
  • jumprope workouts
  • Common running injuries and injury prevention
  • Proper alignment and running form
  • Spinning

I’m going to assume the jumprope workouts comment wasn’t a joke (or supposed to be written in pink… +10 if you know the reference!!) and apologize because that’s one topic I have no $0.02 to contribute to. Not because I don’t care, but truthfully I  doubt I’ve jumproped since recess in like 6th grade. (True story: I used to be super intimidated because I felt like everyone and their mom (except me) could double dutch at my elementary school. So my neighbor and I made it our mission to learn, and sure enough – in a week we had it!)

This week, I’m honored to be in the lineup of guest posters over at the Groucho Sports blog! And actually, in my post I’m talking about a combination of the topics on the list above!! If you don’t know about Groucho Sports yet, they’re a local company that caters to the “human-powered sport enthusiast”. Right now their gear is only available online, but hopefully will be getting into stores soon! I’m not sure which day my post is going up (I’ll let you know when it does), but I’d love it if you guys would check it out!

Other than that – someone guessed it here: I’ve been trying out the Vibram Treksports! If you’re a retailer of a product, you need to actually know what you’re talking about and be educated about the items you’re selling. I’m not ready to do a review just yet, but like always, you can expect an honest opinion.

Reader Qs:

  • Are there any topics you want added to the list? You can either leave them in the comment section or email them to me (click on the envelope in the right sidebar for my email address)!
  • Who out there is using the Vibrams? What kind do you use and what do you think?
  • If you’re not using Vibrams but are interested in them, what sorts of questions do you have?

Once again, I broke my own rules about not posting on the weekend. Haha but if I stuck to the schedule, you might never see me! Happy Sunday everyone!! PRAY FOR NO SNOW!! ;)

-E

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The Triathlon Rx | February 11, 2011
10 comments

Friday Confessionals // Feb. 11th, 2011

¡Ay Díos mio! There is no flipping way it’s Friday already!! But the calendar is trying to prove me wrong, and at 5:05 in the morning, I’m not going to argue.

This will be somewhat of a catch-all Friday Confessional, taking care of business and getting those embarrassing/mean/etc. moments off the chest. If you’ve never participated in Friday Confessionals…. check it here. Not much to it. Here we go Friday!

[ETA: time lapse… now 11:30. When have I ever finished a post in one sitting?]

  1. Post spin this morning… I went to switch shirts and transition to the run. I definitely thought it wise to do a little spritz-spritz of the deodorant and freshen up a bit. It’s kind of nice that my gym provides complimentary ohmyGod-it-burns nice smelling deodorant, as well as hairspray in these little spray bottles. Identical spray bottles. I ran for an hour with very sticky armpits.
  2. I haven’t posted for a WEEK and the winner of the $30 CSN giveaway was supposed to be announced on Monday morning!! Don’t worry… I did pick a winner Monday morning. I ❤ Excel and it’s lovely little functions! (=RAND ( )*38) Winner = #32 = SHANNON!! Check your email chica – you’ve got a gift card waiting!
  3. This next one is a confession for some of YOU… not for me. I get that a giveaway is exciting, and dangit I just wanna win so don’t waste my time with all these rules, but I wrote: please do not post all of your entries in ONE comment, otherwise they will be counted as ONE entry! Given that practically half of you posted in that form anyways, I cut you some slack and counted the separate entries. Lassst time! :P
  4. That Mother’s Best Peanutbutter Puffs cereal or crack-in-a-box or whatever they’re calling it these days…? Never allowed in my kitchen cabinets again. PBnomnomnom: 1 // Erika: 0
  5. I have several applications for several positions (career related) in the works, and I have never been more anxious/nervous/excited/scared ishtless in my life. I’ve never lost this much sleep over a GUY, let alone a job. Believe me when I say I’m praying, diggin in the snow for that 4-leaf clover, (rabbit feet gross me out so let’s skip that one…) and rain dancing my butt off for good luck. Ahhhh!
  6. Skipped a swim workout on Wednesday. Felt MEGA guilty. :( Don’t know why, because I’ve had to forgo workouts or push them to a different day plenty of times before, no problemo. Oh, wait. I know why… it’s because I had all the time in the world on Wednesday and I just chose not to. Blaming the -25° windchill is a copout, because my pool is like swimming in a hot tub. >:( Ugh, I was doing so good with swimming!!
  7. Hahahah. Totally walked in on my best friend making out on the couch. It would have been better if I turned around and walked away, but I was already in the kitchen before my mind processed what was happening. And then I was stuck in the kitchen in this should I run? Should I cough so they know I’m here? Should I get down and crawl out to the hallway? All while biting my lips closed because I was trying SO hard not to crack up! He doesn’t know…. (well, I guess he doesn’t until I hit publish. Hi buddy!!) but I HAD to tell someone! Haha and now I told the whole world.

Wow… seven might be a Dr.TR record! OK Friday, now it’s your turn to fess up. Feel free to post anonymously. :D I promise – no judgments here!

And with that, I’ve gotta RUN! Not actually, as I already took care of that with sticky armpits this morning. But I’m off to the lab for some incomplete LACTATE clearance workouts. Excited!! <- science dork.

Adios chicos,
-E

Category: Uncategorized |
The Triathlon Rx | January 23, 2011
8 comments

I said I don’t post on Sundays, but…

… Holy moley!!! I get all up on my soap box about standards… and then I disappear for a week. (I do have responses to that post… just hang with me!)

However, it was a big week: the week school started back after a very nice and relaxing month off. The week of a big medical appointment. The week I went insane, in more ways than one. (More on that later…) The week my roommie and I decided, yeah, we’re gonna need something more than a Click-Clack couch in our living room. (We’d like some of this modern dining room furniture… I really want a high-top table!) The week we also decided, just because there is only two of us doesn’t mean we only need two plates. The week of the arctic rush – no, not that drink at Dairy Queen that looks like windshield wiper fluid – I mean the -25° temperatures. The week I FINALLY FOUND MITTENS THAT KEEP MY HANDS WARM!! (Product review coming!!!) This is also the week where various giveaways have moved from “pending” to “scheduled” so please stay tuned. :)

Just sayin, it’s been a big week.

But TODAY is a big day, and I’m hoping, praying, and rain-dancing my butt off that a certain yellow and green team will BEAR DOWN by the end of the night. So in that case mis amigos, have a lovely SUNDAY and I’ll catch you tomorrow!

-E

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The Triathlon Rx | December 31, 2010
9 comments

METAS PARA EL AÑO NUEVO

aka GOALS for the NEW YEAR!

Ohhh man, I don’t even know where to start. I opened up a fresh page (read: Word, Notebook view – my “real” notebooks are still packed in boxes from the move!) and started brainstorming. At first you’re like ugh… I don’t know what to put!? And then the pen hits the paper… and maybe it’s just me, but when it rains, it pours. My list went from 3 to 30 in no time. Granted not all of these will be official “new years resolutions” (oh wait, I mean “goals” ;) ) but definitely things I want to work on/do over the course of the year. I’ll call it a combination 2011 Goals/Bucket List…

So FIRST things first. This morning I ran a little APAS report… which, however it is/was called at your school, is essentially a “heads up” on where you’re at with your degree. (Classes taken, classes in progress, classes left, GPA, etc.) For some reason I was thinking I was a whole YEAR AND A HALF BEHIND because of the year and a half I spent in architecture. My APAS, however, told me I was WRONG. And I have never been more happy to be WRONG in my life! Yes, I’ll still be a SuperSenior next year, but only by one semester because I will be GRADUATING after fall 2011!!

Ha. Lle. Lujah!! But that will only be happening if I stay on top of my game! Meaning I will be taking a SUMMER class or two…. definitely PHYSICS and then one (or two) PE credits. Right now I’m registered for THREE PE classes this (spring) semester, but I will for sure be dropping one, if not two of them. I’m currently have 20 credits and I don’t think I need weight training to be the class that’s stressing me out.

My birdies wanted to say hi. :) THIS IS ALL I HAVE LEFT!! The one PE class I’m for sure keeping this spring is TENNIS, and I’m sure I’ll be bugging this lady/pro every other day to come play with me! So come December 2011, I will be walking with a B.S. in Kinesiology, a minor in Spanish, and hopefully, a 3.9. :D Briiiing. It.

So what about the goals? I cut down my list of 30… and although I’ll be working on all of these in due time, the highlighted FIVE are going to be the “official” goals for 2011. Here we go…

(I know… I highlighted 6 things. That was a) a mistake, and b) I had already screenshotted and saved, and didn’t bother to retake it. :) ) OK, so ignoring all the “extras”, I have:

  1. Explore new ways to deepen my faith. This will [hopefully] happen in many different ways this coming year, including going on a medical mission trip, working with the youth program at my church, volunteering, and going to…
  2. Bandshell mass this summer! It is super relaxed, kids dancing on picnic blankets, and just a nice change of pace. Music can be hit or miss sometimes… but it’s the thought that counts, right? ;) It is super convenient in terms of location, and it is late enough that I can get my LR in before the opening prayer. I also wouldn’t be the first one to run (or bike) there… and runs home. No excuses!
  3. Call/write/send something to both of my grandparents EVERY week. My last trip to see my grandma really cemented this one for me. I can not even imagine what it would be like to live in a nursing home with no one to visit… the only mail asking for donations for Alzheimer’s research… and the highlight of the week being the Tuesday hair appointment. I hope my weekly call/letter will be something my grandparents can look forward to, and I really hope that at that age I’ll be lucky enough to have someone do the same for me!
  4. Plan out training times at the beginning of the week. Between school, work, family, friends, church, etc. I definitely have to make a concerted effort to fit all the training in. When I plan out ahead of time the actual TIME of day that it will fit in for the whole week, I am 107% more successful. True fact.
  5. Don’t overschedule myself!! Somehow in the moment I think it’s a good idea to take on 12 different things.. only to end up stressed because I feel like I can’t give my best effort or have to half@ss something. I am sure this will be a work in progress, but it definitely won’t happen if I don’t even try!

Reader Qs: what are your goals for 2011? What do you think will be your biggest obstacles?

I am starting the new year off on the RIGHT foot, and bought a book of 40 “forever” stamps at the post office, as well as have a letter ready to send to to G-ma Rosa tomorrow! I also have some things I’m helping out with at church this month that I’ve never got to do before… AND, with a little help from the Lord (and maybe the smell of fresh-brewed coffee wafting my way from the kitchen) I will be back on schedule to the regular 6am practices this week! Damn… I gotta go learn how to program that Krupps…

And speaking of things I ‘gotta go’ do… I need to get myself going out the door! Depending on where you’re reading from… it might already be 2011! Happy NEW YEAR to everyone – stay safe, have fun, and start it off on a good note! Good night!

-E


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