Friday Five - Things I'm Happy About

Another Friday, another week.  No major races, themes, or specific rants to write, so I'm jumping on the "Friday Five" blogging bandwagon and writing up my week in the form of five things I'm feeling really positive about this week.  (Yes, I'm still on my "against negativity" kick.  Get used to it).  Besides, who doesn't love a bullet-ed list?  Admit it - we are all list-makers.....

1.  Spring!!!

First ride outside on my husband's hybrid

It's finally been consistently in the 50s up here in New England.  We had a ton of rain earlier, but the last few days have been clear and dry.  We put up our birdhouses and are watching our bluebirds move in.  Our sprouts for the garden are coming up in their seed pots in our kitchen, crocus and daffodils are poking out in the yard.  My kids are able to play outside for hours, running and biking endless repeats up and down our driveway.

Mini birders in training

Most importantly for me, this marks the end of a tough season in terms of feeling down and anxious.  Winter is always the hardest part of the year for me, and this extended polar vortex did my mental health no favors this year.  Equally important is that with the weather clear and the roads dry (if a little sandy), I can ride my bike outside!  Which I did on Wednesday, for a glorious hour and 16 miles.  Biking is by far and away the sport I enjoy most - there's just nothing like a nice bike ride to fix anything that is wrong anywhere in life.  

2.  My new toy

Garmin Forerunner 310xt

I went to the TriMania Expo in Boston last weekend with a secret hope of getting a new training watch at a good price.  I've been harboring some serious hostility towards my previous GPS watch (a Timex) for utterly refusing to work properly in any race that I used it, and quitting or misrecording most of my training runs.  I've been using apps on my phone for most of my training, which is great except that when I also try to play music I invariably turn something off I didn't mean to.  Anyway, I have had my eye on the Garmin Forerunner 310xt for weeks.  Come to learn at the expo that it is being discontinued, so I ordered on Amazon and two days later it was at my door.  Not only does it beep and vibrate reassuringly when I turn it on (yes I am working!!) it also is easy to use for the watch-button-impaired, and also spits out tons of marvelous data for me and my coach to pour over.  Hello - my day job is a data analyst.  I like data.... even data I don't fully understand...

Fellow nerds can see all the pretty data at
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/472465642

3.  My support crew

I have really, truly great friends and family.  Needless to say (but should be said anyway), the Jedi is always a total rock of encouragement.  He never bats an eye about me skipping off for workouts and leaving him with the kids.  My kids are huge cheering crowd, telling me every. single. workout I do that I did great.  A big part of Siri's Lindley's talk at the expo was about how much her mom supports her.  My mom asks a lot of questions and I feel like she is behind me, which is huge since she's my best friend.  Gypsy and I have been training together a lot - her constant support and practical advice is awesome.  Hummingbird and I have done a few runs and swims together, but are practically joined at the IPhone with how often we text each other with training and cake questions for each other (she owns a cake business too).  

I can't go to the gym anymore without running into someone I know.  Ran into tons of friends at the expo.  I finally am starting to feel like part of the triathlon community.  I even have gotten a little recognition for this little blog, as last night Laura from A Fat Girl's Ironman Journey pulled me over in the pool to introduce me as "The Cupcake Blogger" to her friend that reads this.  Squee!

As always, my biggest cheerleader is my coach Sheriff.  He's starting to really get into his training for IM Lake Placid, so I get to see his workouts and push self accordingly.  He also is tireless in his encouragement to not skip workouts (unless I need to for health reasons, then he's the first to tell me to bag it.)  I had a tough day yesterday and wanted to punk off my evening workout in favor of drowning sorrows with some Pinot Noir.  Not only did he tell me not to, but followed it up with a pic of himself actually in the pool at the time doing his own workout.  Walking the walk.  Hard to argue with that.  

4.  VIP Portapotty status for my next half marathon.

This could be filed under "support crew", but really deserves its own bullet.  I swear this is a real thing.  For the Rock'n'Roll Half I'm doing next weekend in Raleigh, Rio and I got an email for VIP portapotty status if we bought something (Brooks maybe?) or shelled out some additional money.  Basically, they rented fancy clean portapotties in a designated area that only The Chosen can relieve themselves in.  As I already shelled out a race fee and plane ticket for this, it was a no for me.  I quipped something wistful to Rio via email, and a few hours later she signed up!!!  This also comes with some other things that she and her husband (who is also running) are psyched about like closer parking, some extra food or beer or similar, but for me, it's all about the pre-race poop.  I'm in heaven.  Thank you Rio this is true friendship!!!

5.  Working hard

Yes, confession.  I like Britney's music.  This song has been on repeat a lot this week - it's great for hill repeats and for speed intervals, both of which I've done this week.  (Side note, I'm pretty sure that the Jedi likes Britney too because "Oops I Did It Again" came on three times in a 30 minute car ride in his car.  He protests.  I think he's lying.....)

Dominatrix theme aside, I like the lyrics of the song.  "You want hot body, drive a mazaradi... you'd better work b**ch".  Stick with me Mom - I have a point.  Nothing in life comes free.  I've had to double down in the work (career) department lately for a number of reasons.  That's ok.  Ditto for athletics.  I'm working hard to get the results I want.  Working hard to carve out time to train and ditching the associated guilt.  Working physically hard (remember when I said hill repeats and speed work?  Ouch.  I was so tired after last night's run/swim brick I could barely move).  Working hard is good.  I'm grateful to have a job to work hard at, and a body that is capable of pushing through some of my recent workouts.  It's a good thing.

So there you have it.  My Friday Five Happy Things!  For good measure, here's my workout stats for the week:

• Tuesday: Hill repeats (5).  3.47 miles in 41:38.  That hill was hard!
• Wednesday: First outdoor bike ride of the spring!  15.3 blissful miles in 1:05:43
• Thursday: 25 min strength training hips/core in the morning.  Evening brick: 1 hour kid swim, 40 min speed intervals on treadmill, then 2000m swim
• Tomorrow (Saturday): 10 mile outdoor run with Gypsy
• Sunday: Spin class and another hour in the pool!

What are you feeling good about this Friday?