Ramping back up from Surf City half

Yes, I've been woefully negligent on blogging! I took a new job in Berkeley -- it's currently on a contract basis, but I'm pretty sure I'll switch to full time. And when I do, that means no more flexibility to jump on my trainer at 2:00 in the afternoon. I've loved the flexibility of working from home, but I just haven't loved the loneliness of it. So I'll have to start bucking up and doing what most of you do: work out early or late.

Anwyay... I did my first stand-alone half marathon last weekend @ Surf City in Huntington Beach... A race report would be of no interest to anyone as my hip flexor/psoas pain (which usually crops up at mile 9) decided to make itself known at mile 2.5. Grrrr. I'd gone to my "magic man" a week prior to see what he could do about it, and I think that was just a really bad idea. Too close to race day.

So it was a looong morning, having to stop and stretch and massage this weird muscle knot every mile (sometimes twice a mile.) But hey, I was in SoCal with friends and the weather could not have been more perfect. So tempting to pack up and move down there! I won't. I love SF. But I think I need more frequent trips down south!)

There were some "interesting" people running the race. How'd you like to hula hoop for 13.1 miles?

Or balance a melon on your head? (Yes, he ran the entire race with a melon on his head.)

So while I'm not proud of my finishing time, I got one of these... and my next one should be a nice PR.

Next up is Oakland half in March, Wildflower Oly in May, and Napa to Sonoma half in July. Now that it's February I need to start kicking tri training into high gear. I've attempted a couple short swims and so far my shoulder has held up ok. Magic Man worked on my back muscles which haven't been firing properly (hence why my shoulders roll forward) so a couple more sessions there should do the trick.

Job #1 is to continue working on fixing my shoulder impingement and building strength in my legs to correct my muscle imbalances so I can actually RUN and finish a half without funky pain. Job #2 is to try to get close to last year's Wildflower time and ideally go < 3 hrs. But job #2 is dependent (of course) on job #1. I've decided I do need a coach... I just don't have the discipline yet to do this by myself!

 

Comments

[Molly]

You're on your way and kicking off the year with a 1/2 is nice! :) I hope all the strengthening work comes through and you feel good this year!

[Pam]

Good luck with your season and finding a coach who is a good match for you! The best thing I ever did for myself with regard to triathlon was getting a coach.