3 races, 3 PR's in 2012!

2012 is starting off very well for me. I started it with a new focus on my training and I believe I am seeing the fruits of my labor, which helps me want to train even more. This has been evident in my race times so far this year, I have had 3 running races and I have set 3 PR's, and I can't think of a better way to start off the year.

Sunday I ran the last race of the Winter Cross Country Series here in Memphis. It was a 10K trail run around Shelby Farms. I did this race last year and I remember it being a tough run and a confusing run if you looked at the map! Take a look at this map.

Last year I ran this course in 56:58, but I remember having to walk a lot of it, so I was hopeful for a significant improvement over last year. I had my Garmin, my visor, my sunshades, my iPod and my new Target Tri jersey and I was ready to run. Before I knew it, they lined us up and we were ready to go. I actually prefer getting there and not standing around waiting for the race to start, but I rarely time it right.

So you can see where we start, but what you can't see is elevations on this map. I would say there were some rollers that were just hard enough to let you know you were going uphill, and then there were some downhills that I could feel me picking up speed.  The toughest part of the run was right there where it says amphitheater on the map. That little section caused a lot of walkers, but I knew if I made it through that part, then I could recover soon, so I really had to focus on the mental aspect of it and run through everything.

I know I mentioned I used my iPod on this race and I had some new headphones that were awesome! I used these headphones and loved them. They are called YurBuds. They also have an Ironman stamp on them, and I usually try to stay away from anything stamped Ironman until I complete an Ironman, but these things are so great! They are marketed for four reasons, 1. they fit securely in your ear and are guaranteed not to fall out. 2. They provide exceptional sound, which I agree with that statement. 3. Enhanced performance-I prefer to think all my hard work enhanced my performance. 4. Ultra soft comfort, I did actually forget I was wearing them. I would highly recommend these earphones.
And while on the subject of earphones, I put a song on my iPod the night before that turned out to be the most awesomest running song ever (for me at least) It is called Leaning on the Everlasting Arms by the David Crowder Band, check it out on the link. It had the perfect beat for me to run by and I could also kind of zone out and run to the beat which took my mind off my tiredness (sp?). I probably listened to that song 5 times during my race.

I finished my 6.2 mile trail run in 52:26, a new PR and almost beat last year's time by 5 minutes. I really thought I would be in the 54 minute range, so I was very happy and surprised to finish where I did. That time earned me the 13th spot out of 30 in my Age Groups and 107th out of 428 people Overall. Next up is a 5k on March 3.


Here I am rocking the new Target Tri Jersey!!



Recovery Weeks In The Dark With Indoor Tri's and 10K Trail Races!

I hate recovery weeks. I know they are needed, but I feel like I am just getting into a good swing of things, and then BOOM, time to recover. So it is very tough for me to get excited about a recover week. This is the time when I tend to start missing workouts cause I think I take the term to literal. So I hit up Google to find the common answer and I found that there is no common answer on the net.

A recovery week is basically a toned down souped up week of exercise. Yes your mileage may be smaller than normal, but I still go as hard as I would, but c'mon, a 1000 yard swim for a workout? Puh-leessse!! Now before you say anything, I know, that sounds really jerky for me to say, but when all the swim workouts have been 2300 yards or more, 1,000 isn't alot, and I think all those other swimmers are wondering why he only swam 20 minutes today??? Anyways, I use recovery weeks to ensure I am getting sleep and not over-training which could lead to other injuries, but by the time the end of the week is over, I am looking forward to hitting it again.

Topic Change:

I cannot tell you how many time I have walked through my house and turned off light switches. Now I am not some save the planet hippie that doesn't believe in 15 minutes hott shoers (I love (is there a stronger word than love?)15 minute hott showers). My wife claims that it is a dad thing, but I say No!  I say it is a pay the bills thing. It amazes me how almost every light in my house can be on and no one is even close to that room. The kitchen light, garage light, dining room light, living room light and the boys room light...all lights on! I can just picture that spinning thing on my electric meter spinning at a high rate of speed while the electric company sits and watches the dials and laughs and laughs at the Ford house!  Cha-ching!!!  Pet peeve of mine.

Topic Change:
My wife did an indoor triathlon this week. It was her first venture into the world of triathlon and she did great. She rocked the swim, did great on the bike and did better than she'll ever admit to on the run! It was my turn to be cheerleader while she raced and I am very proud of her!

Topic Change:
Tomorrow I am racing the last of the winter cross country series races. It is a 10K at Shelby Farms. I am strictly going to beat my time from last year. Last year I ran a 56:58 through the woods, so I am planning on beating that time this year. It should be perfect weather tomorrow. Forecast is calling for sunny and the high around 64 degrees, so it should be fun. I will post results on my Twitter for anyone that cares.

Thanks for reading!!!