Friends

God created Eve for Adam why? Well, so they could procreate, but I think it's also because He knew the importance of having a good friend.

Sometimes I forgot how important it is to get your butt kicked by a good friend.

Two weeks ago, Amy, Jack and I packed our bags and drove up to Tahoe. We spent the weekend with my dear friends Rachael, Tucker, Dan, Amanda and Grylls. It was amazing. We were able to spend a couple of days snowboarding with Tucker.  Beautiful views, great snow, perfect company... a perfect weekend getaway. While we were there, Amy agreed to go on a run with me; unfortunately, she had forgotten her running shoes. I had my big, clunky snow boots, so I let her wear my WaveRiders and I took the boots for a spin. I had thrown my tailbone off our first day boarding and I could feel my butt sting with every clunk of my boots on the icy road. My legs were heavy and it was difficult to get a high turnover rate. My right leg began giving me grief and I could feel a hole beginning to form on my medial malleolus. Ouch! Amy was kind enough to switch shoes with me at our turn around point, but the damage was done. Injured coccyx, scared malleolus, but a happy heart. (Awww, how cheesy am I?)

in his element

this is what happiness looks like

first time ever throwing darts... maybe I'm a little proud.

When I returned, my training volume picked up. It felt like all I was ever doing was working and training. The only time I was seeing my friends was when we walked past each other in the parking lot or when they would come into the shop to get their gait analyzed. I finally figured out that I could find other ways to see them: Invite them to train with me!

Last Wednesday morning, Sarah met up with me bright and early to do some swimming. Jameisha was lifeguarding and when I finished my second set of 14:00 for distance, Sarah and Jameisha told me how good my form looked. YAY! I've been working hard at fixing my form and I think it is finally showing in my final numbers. I flow well in the water and I can feel my lats really pulling against the water. After the swim, we made our way over to Whole Foods and grabbed breakfast together. The perfect end to a great swim and the perfect beginning to a great day!

Thursday night after work, Jameisha and I made plans to swim. Walking to the pool, I passed Kristine and invited her to join us. We all met in the pool for a speed session. Jameisha and I pushed really hard as we raced each other and the clock. We started with a 300 yard warm-up,6x50yd fast with :45 RI, 200 easy followed by 12x75 fast with :20 RI and a 400 CD. It hurt so badly and there were lots of times where I did not want to finish. On the 9th round of 75's, I was strong and I could feel Jameisha slowing. She fooled me though. The tables were turned on the tenth round. Jameisha finished strong as I painfully gasped for air. Whoops of pain and accomplishment escaped my lips as I reached the wall. Two more rounds to go. Only two more. One, two. Six touches of the wall. Time for some whooping.

Last Sunday, I decided to go at it all on my own. It was warm out when I started my trail run. I discovered a new trail and followed it uphill... then up some more... then a little bit more. I had told my mom where I would be running and promised to let her know when I finished. Unfortunately, my memory is not so good. When I finished my run, I scurried to work, did a 2,000 yard swim then went home and made dinner. I left my phone n the kitchen, ringer off. Three hours later, I logged onto the internet and got a message from my mom. "Call me right away". ...oops. I found my phone, multiple missed calls and several unread texts greeting me on the lock screen. Amy was out on the trails looking for me and my parents were wracking their brain over how to find me (it didn't help that someone died on the same trail the weekend prior).

Monday was a long cycle day, so I did an hour and a half on the stationary bike then met up with Kristine to bike on the beach for another 90 minutes. Even though it was a slower, easy ride, Kristine and I had a great time together.

Tuesday morning, I forced myself out of bed to jog over to the track for whatever Rusty had in store for me. When I got to the track, I did an extra 800 warm-up then hopped in with my original group for 800 at a 7:50/mile pace. Wow... that was easy. We finished the 800 and, while the rest of my group put their hands on their knees and keeled over, I did a recovery jog down the lane. When I returned, Rusty surprised me by telling me to move up a group with Truli, Jim and Stuart. I hung onto Truli's shoulder for the 800 as well as the next mile at 7:15. Truli and Jim told me to join them for a recovery lap before the next 800. I think it was that lap that did me in. The following two 800's were painful (aka filled with pain). By the second 800, my pace had slowed way the h-e-double hockey sticks down. I could not hold on to the men's shoulders. I debated what quitting would look like. Probably not pretty. Probably lots of disappointed eyes would fall my way... or eyes of understanding ("I've been there")...  I would not be that girl. I finished 100 meters behind Jim and Stuart. Hey, let's do another mile! I tried to get my hips in front of my toes. "Fall forward". It still hurt. I sprinted the last 100 meters and finished :10 behind the gentlemen. Jim and I faced another 2 sets of 400 meters. 1:37? Man... that lady doing it in :50 makes me look like goldfish food. George joined me for a mile cool-down around the track then I jogged back home to shower off and lay motionless in bed before trying to do a bike ride.

That evening, Kristine and I braved the cold and swam outdoors. A couple thousand meters later, I went home and got a good night's sleep before waking up early the next morning and biking to the gym to swim all over again. My body felt worn from the day before. I thought maybe I would turn the bike, swim, bike into a triathlon and finish my run then, but I had no energy. Instead, I saved the run for later that evening before teaching my plyometrics class.

Training with friends? It helps. I definitely feel like I've been getting my butt kicked. A girl with a good training plan and great friends is a happy girl.