Labor Day Weekend

Another summer has come to an end.  Soon the local abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables will come to an end as we move into the season of apples and pumpkins. 

For our household, it has been a busy few months.  We have traveled a lot and completed several events.  Personally, I've enjoyed participating in races in Massachusetts, Florida, Central New York and Upstate New York.  As the cool weather settles in during the morning and evening hours, I am able to more comfortably train for my autumn events... the Rock & Roll Brooklyn Half Marathon and Ragnar Relay Napa Valley.  I am literally running coast to coast in October and November!

How do you stay motivated when the weather changes?  Let's face it... the darker mornings make it so tempting to pull up the covers and stay in bed!  How about making plans with friends?  In my neck of the woods, we have a small group who has started meeting for morning classes at a local gym.  For some, it's an opportunity to see friends on a regular basis, for others it is the motivation (and accountability) needed to get up and out and MOVING.  Let's face it --- getting up and ready for a 5:30 AM class isn't easy. It sure does lessen the sting when you laugh your way through with a few good friends.  All it takes is one person to start the group.  Invite one friend, have that friend invite another, and before you know it, you have your own #GymSquad!  Classes aren't your thing?  You can walk, or meet at someone's house and follow a video--- as long as you and your crew are moving.

Sometimes you win just by showing up!

This past weekend I traveled to Lowell, MA to participate in the Mill City Triathlon.  I registered in April to take advantage of the "early bird" pricing and decided that this event would be a nice overnight destination race.  The course looked flat and the entry fee was amazingly affordable.  As an added bonus, a friend who lives in Massachusetts decided to join me.  It's always nice to have a buddy at the start line.

Sometime in May, I wrote time goals on a post-it note and kept it at my desk.  They were as follows:
.9 Mile Swim - 40 minutes
22 Mile Bike - 1 hour 15 minutes (17.6 MPH)
6.2 Mile Run - 1 hour 10 minutes (11:15 minutes/mile)

Have to write it down

I didn't account for transitions with my total goal time of 3 hours and 5 minutes as I just wanted to focus on the discipline.  I also knew I wasn't in it to win it - coming back from injury means accepting what you can do now.  I was managing my expectations, yet setting myself up for a nudge out of my comfort zone.   

So what happened?

I. Hit. Each. Goal. 

Even accounting for actual distances being slightly under -- based on my pace, I still would have hit my goals! 

As I was running, every time I wanted to stop and walk I thought to myself "what if this walk break is the one that keeps me from hitting my goal?".  So I pushed on.



Garmin Summary Screen Shot

Here are the actual times and distances:
.9 mile swim - 37:34
21.3 mile bike - 1:10:41 (18.1 MPH)
6.0 mile run - 1:03:50 (10:40 minutes/mile)

Race finish time: 2:56:29!

There were only 67 people who came out and did this race and I certainly finished in the back of the pack.  I also won 3rd place in my age group!  (full disclosure - there were 3 people in my age group)

The bigger win is that I pushed...and crushed my goals!

In 2 weeks I will be participating in the DoubleMussel Challenge.  This is a sprint triathlon (.5 mile swim, 16 mile bike, 3.1 mile run) on Saturday followed by the half ironman (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run) on Sunday.  I have completed the MusselMan half ironman distance race several times - my best times have been around the 7 1/2 hour mark.  Maybe ... just maybe I can beat that in 2016.



Part of winning is showing up!
3rd Place Age Group

On the drive home we happened upon and stopped at The Friendly Farm --- 5 acres of interactive farm animals.  This little guy was my favorite. He's a chicken...with a HAIRDO!

Love your hair

Time Flies When You're Having Fun

How has it been 2 years since I last posted?  Time sure does fly!

It has been an exciting and emotional two years. 

Professionally, I finished graduate school!  I now have my Master of Science in Health and Human Performance with concentration in Health Promotion.  The first thing after completing my program in December was read a book that had nothing to do with health or human performance. 

Physically, I have been coming back from injury since April, 2014.  I ruptured the disc at L5/S1 (lower back) and it has been more challenging than coming back from childbirth.  When the disc ruptured, aside from being incredibly painful, it resulted in some nerve damage.  I've regained strength in the affected leg, but still have numbness.  The positive side of the numbness that I don't have sciatic pain that many people have. 

I'm back to being active!  I'm feeling good again!

Make it great, folks!

Whitmey M. Young, Jr. Heroes for Health 2015

Whitney M. Young Jr. Heroes for Health, 2015