Happy National Running Day!

Today is Memorial Day in the US. I am learning to not confuse my holidays (I've only been here 15 years and should know by now.) This is the day to commemorate fallen soldiers who gave their lives in the line of duty. It is also a day that people have BBQs with lots of hot dogs and hamburgers, apparently. I think it's a way to kick off the summer.

Tomorrow WEDNESDAY though is National AND Global Running Day and I have pledged to run! (Edit: I don't count well, as you'll see in the post, so thank you to Lea at Running with Ollie for straightening that out for me!)

See? Although apparently that's for kids, but oh well.

I'm also joining up with Kristen at jonesinforarun.com She sent out a questionnaire that everyone linking up with her is answering. Click here if you would like to read her interview and see or join the linkup! So, on with the interview!

Why do you run?

It also just makes me feel good.

How do you plan to celebrate National Running Day?

By running on National Running Day!

And since I'm in LA, I'm pretty sure no one will bat an eye at my hat and maracas.

How many miles have you run so far this year? Do you have a mileage goal for the year?

Oh dear, math is not my strong suit.

165.26 miles!
No mileage goal; I tried that a couple of years ago with one of those "Run 2014 miles in the year 2014" but I didn't get anywhere close. It doesn't really do anything for me other than make me feel bad about an arbitrary goal, so it's clearly not my thing.

What big events do you have on the race calendar so far this year?

We Run the Grove 10k. It's "big" because it will be my first race in California, and it's in Beverly Hills!

But I think it's more of a run on some major streets, rather than a scenic route.

I'm hoping to find a half marathon or two to run this year as well.

Before I leave for a run I must have:

For runs under 8 or so miles:

Anything that requires on-the-go nutrition and hydration:

Do you track your runs? If so what do you use?

I use a Garmin watch.

It *is* normal to take pictures of your watch, right?

Also normal to stand around and wait for the satellites to come online.

Who is your favorite running partner?

I have had several running partners over the years.

Friends:

Ann Marie.                                                                                             Erika.

 

Christy.

I don't know why they were all blonde. 

Family:

My sister.                                                                                             My nephew.

I would have loved to have my dog be my running partner but, well, she's challenging.

So currently, my running buddy position is VACANT.

What races have you run so far this year?

But I have that 10k coming up in a couple of weeks and I hope to find a lot more races to run in my new town.

If you have to give someone one piece of advice about running, what would it be?

But it WILL get easier once you can build your endurance to a few miles.

I think if you are new to running you owe it to yourself to at least build up to 3 or 4 miles before deciding whether or not you like it. Most people I know, myself included, really struggled until hitting that 3 mile continuous run milestone.

Describe your relationship with running in one word:

I know it's cheesy, but it's true.

I started running at the age of 34 and it has taught me that I can do things I had told myself my whole life that I couldn't do. Sometimes I get frustrated with my speed (ok, often) but running has made me stronger and tougher, and has introduced me to so many people I would have never met otherwise.


So, will you be celebrating Running Day, and if so, how?



UPCOMING POSTS: CARDIO CAMP, WE RUN THE GROVE RECAP

So About this Triathlon Thing...

Ok here's the thing:

For those of you who don't know me very well (or at all) this might seem strange based on the evidence.

This last entailed moving from a house to an apartment, giving up my job and starting my own business. The second part was not in the plan when we moved, but California is a wacky place so getting a job as soon as I moved here just did not happen.

I only stewed and had tantrums for the first month.

But now I'm embracing it.

See?

ANYWAY, let's move on to the triathlon, which is why you're here.

If you read any of my early posts you'll see that I legitimately had to learn to ride a bike and to swim just a few years ago, when I decided that doing a triathlon was a good idea.

Most adults have a basic ability to ride and swim and I had managed to lose those skills.

As for running, I ran the 1500 for a couple of years in tweenhood and it never felt good so I quit.

Fast forward to today:

I have a very small comfort zone.

So here I am 3 months into living in a new place and this is my progress:

RUNNING
I started running pretty soon after I got here because it's easy to get out the door and run around my neighbourhood.  My big step was going to a running boot camp that's just a couple of blocks from home. It took me over a month to work up the nerve to go.

BIKING
I went for one ride last summer after my Oly tri and I fell. Again.

So not only am I scared of falling on my bike, but I don't know where to ride that is not in traffic or completely overrun by other cyclists, roller bladers, walkers, runners, and other modes of transportation.

I've never seen so many skateboards and hoverboards in my life and their riders are fearless.

(There is a group ride on Saturday mornings at 8am but I'm not motivated enough to get up that early to do something that makes me nervous.)

SWIMMING
I think I also swam just once after my race. I don't really have a good excuse for this one: I have a gym with a pool 3 miles away that I haven't ventured out to yet (comfort zone?) and an ocean within walking distance.

Definitely out of my comfort zone.

With all that in mind, I don't see a triathlon in my plans for this year.  But I'm going to keep going to Cardio Camp so you'll probably see more posts about running and fitness. For now I'll be TriGirl-on-Hiatus, slowly inching my way forward.

Brittney is a great coach!

And tomorrow I might even go for that swim!

Questions:

1. Do you struggle with acclimating to a new city or do you dive right in?

2. If you struggle, how long does it take you to feel like you're "home"?

UPCOMING POSTS: GLOBAL RUNNING DAY LINKUP, CARDIO RUN CAMP