Allright, where were we?

First, a few reflections on the Boston Marathon. I'm really, really satisfied. The whole experience more than lived up to the hype, and we had a super fun time there. I'm proud of my race. It was harder than I anticipated- those hills were tough! The cold weather and wind probably did have an effect on my pace, even though I was oblivious at the time. But I had a great time, I high-fived probably over a hundred people, and I screamed and yelled WHILE running. I pumped my fist and raised my arms as I crossed the finish line. I have no regrets.

But, I know the whole affair is finally nearing its end. The stories have been told, the pictures shown, the MarathonFoto prints ordered, the receipts added up (ouch!), the laundry done, and the souvenir magnet placed on the refrigerator. My legs aren't even sore any more. I'll admit I'm really sad to see it end. I'm familiar with this post-marathon lull, the period after the big exciting event and the before the commitment to a new goal, but this time it's even harder. I'm really done recovering, and now it's on to rebuilding. I have some goals, but man, Boston is going to be hard to follow.

I've promised myself that I'll take two full weeks off from running after Boston. So, I won't be doing any running for a few more days. My legs feel great though. I've started cross training again though- Sunday I did 500 easy meters in the pool. Monday I did the elliptical for 30 minutes, and this morning I swam 1000 meters in 25 minutes- a BIG improvement in my time! I haven't made it in to the gym for weight training yet, but that's coming. I'm looking forward to getting back into a routine but keeping the variety- running, swimming, weights... and I'm definitely going to get a bike! I'll probably go with an inexpensive hybrid bike, so I can use it to commute to work and for fun rides on weekends, and to try my first triathlon (or two!). I can always get a nice road bike later on if I decide I like it.

So, in an effort to stay positive, I'm going to throw out some goals:

1- Carneros Wine Country Half Marathon- July 15th - I'm already registered for this race and SO is Zach!! His first half! :) I'll go for a PR, which currently stands at about 1:45.

2- Work on my swimming. Try some open-water swimming and maybe get some instruction. I've really come to love swimming and would like to improve.

3- Triathlon... no exact event picked yet, but there's a great "Try the Tri" series in my area that I'd love to do. It's really focused on beginners and it's in a local lake (pond, really) so no scary open ocean swimming. Then I think we'll go down and do the Mission Bay Tri with my mother-in-law Melanie, in San Diego. She's been into tris for a few years now and is my inspiration for doing a triathlon!

4- Marathon... I haven't picked one or really decided for sure, but I can see myself trying for a marathon PR this fall. Maybe at CIM again? Not sure. But I'm thinking 3:35.


Thank you again to everyone who reads my blog and has offered me support and encouragement! It really means a lot to me. :)