Thursday, February 24, 2011

Halt!

Yesterday for my long run from the house I took a can of Halt! Dog spray. It is basically mace for dogs. Since the pit bull incident I have not run much in my own neighborhood. I usually drive to the YMCA and run from there. I am glad I have that as an option but it’s not always convenient. When I got to the Y the girls want to go and checking them in and out of childcare adds a good 20 minutes.

Over the weekend we were at Bike Barn, I saw a can of Halt and thought this just might be what I need to feel more comfortable on my runs. I took it with me for the first time yesterday. I have this awesome Zoot running skirt that has pockets on the sides of the shorts, a perfect spot to keep my Halt handy. I wasn’t expecting to use it and hope I never have to but I have to say it made me more comfortable while running past the homes I know have large dogs. I don’t run by the house anymore where the dog that approached me lives but I do run down a street where another pit bull lives and is usually in the back yard. I have only seen this dog on one occasion when it was in the front of his home. When I run down the street behind the home the dog always barks. Hearing him always send my heart rate up and I slow down looking behind me after I have passed. Yesterday while passing the back of his home I actually had the Halt in my hand for added piece of mind.

I had a very good run. I felt less anxious having the Halt with me so I would say it was well worth the $5.99!

Monday, February 21, 2011

Cliche'

Consistency is key. We all know it and yet it remains elusive when we are not ready to commit 100%.
I get asked often how I have time to train for triathlon with 5 kids. The answer is I have to make time. Nobody is going to hand me a pretty wrapped box full of time. When I let things happen rather than make things happen my training gets spotty. February is not pretty. Of the first 20 days in February I have completed 15 workouts. For most folks that would be great but if you are a triathlete you know I have missed workouts.
I could give you a long list of the things that have gotten in my way but that doesn’t serve a purpose other than me trying to justify and make excuses. Yes, there were days workouts were not possible but there were also days I could have made something happen and didn’t.
I am also realizing fear is a great motivating factor. When I was training for the half ironman distance there was a good amount of fear motivating me. My next race is a repeat, I have an idea what to expect, I have completed all the distances so I know I can do it. The motivation has to be improving on what I have already done and trust me there is plenty of room for improvement. I want to be prepared for the distances and conquer them rather than feel conquered by them. I have done too many races where I felt the race chewed me up and spit me out. I need to be consistent if I want to feel good during and after the race.
Time to make it happen and get ‘let’ out of my vocabulary.