For your consideration

I saw this quote this morning, and thought I'd share it.

"Spirit...has fifty times the strength and staying power of brawn and muscle."-Unknown

True life. How will you use spirit to get through your day, your workout, your classes, etc. today?

Really?! Interesting reading...

I saw this in my Facebook newsfeed last night. I'm still not sure what to think about it. What are your thoughts?

Exercise Doesn't Cut Down on Sedentary Time, Runner's World
http://news.runnersworld.com/2012/03/21/exercise-doesnt-cut-down-sedentary-time/

Pain in the back

Last fall I was struggling with a sore hamstring. I went to the health center and was refered to the physical therapists at the BSU Health Center. I remember walking in and the therapist took a look at me and said, "You're a mess." He spent the next thirty minutes or so pushing and pulling my back into alignment. He said that even though it was my hamstring that was bothering me, it was my lower back that was the problem. My lower back was completely out of alignment, which meant that everything time I took a stride, I was essentially pulling my hamstring, over and over again.

Flash forward six months, and I'm having similar symptoms. I think my lower back is not properly aligned again. I only have myself to blame, because I was suppose to be more proactive about keeping my core strong. Yet, the semester went from fall to spring and I started teaching and grading and writing papers for my own classes, and well you can guess what happened. I got lazy. As a result, my workouts from here on out my workout are going to be a pain in the back.

How do you keep going when your sore or injured?

Motivate Me

Need some motivation? Me too. I love Ellie Goulding and I love that she is a runner. This always gets me in the spirit!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=236C14UBvcU

Catch Up Week

I know for a lot of us out there spring break got the better of us. I thought that at the halfway point I'd be solid in a consistent routine, but the truth is I'm still scrapping by on squeezed workouts in when and where I can. I have been hanging tough with at least three workouts a week, but I'd like that to improve in the last two weeks of this project.

Today's work was a quick 10 minute warm-up bike, 12 minutes backwards on the treadmill, and a mile of sprint drills. In addition, I hit the weights and focused on my legs with lunges and swats. I have to admit, I was just going through the motions today. I just wasn't feeling it.

On a positive note, I ran 5.64 mi with a 9'15" pace Monday in the beautiful 74 degree weather That was wonderful. I'm confident that the run portion of the triathlon will not be a problem. It's the swimming that worries me. And the reality of it is that I just need to get my a$$ in the pool, right?

Song of the day: Call It What You Want, Foster the People

Remember What Nemo Says...

Last week, was mainly a running week. Being out of town and without access to a gym, running is the easiest part of the tri training to accomplish on the road. That being said, when my friend, Lisa, asked me to a swim date Monday, I jumped at the chance. I did a quick sprint workout on the treadmill, walked backwards for 10 minutes, and then I headed to Lewellen Pool. My goal was a 500 yard swim, which I did manage to accomplish using a mix of strokes, but my swim workout was far from smooth. I was self-conscious about my technique. I felt like I had an unfolded-lawn chair attached to me and I was dragging it through the water. After I was finished, Lisa asked how I felt.
"Horrible," I said.
"Well, remember what Nemo says, "Just keeps swimming, just keep swimming," Lisa reminded me.
That is what I intend to do, just keep swimming.

Let's Do This, Chicago!

Even though I love Chicago, and even though I love running in Chicago, I woke up yesterday morning not wanting to leave my toasty Congress Hotel room. I figured it was cold, and I hadn't slept well. I wanted to stay curled in my California king bed. Yet, to my lovely surprise when I checked the weather, it was a balmy 42 degrees outside. I decided I couldn't let an opportunity to run in my second-favorite city in the world (London is my first). Energized, I got up and suited up for a delightful jaunt to Navy Pier and back (roughly 2 miles). I started at Buckingham Fountain, hit play on my playlist and started my workout. Moral of the story: Don't let an opportunity pass you by.

Song of the day: "Naive" by The Kooks