My New Enemy

Since I have been an athlete I have been pretty much injury free. (right now I am knocking on lots of wood!) The extent of my injuries have either been a muscle tear in the quad or an agitation in my Achilles. Not to bad right? Since the Louisville Ironman, I have been fighting a bad blister on my left pinkie toe. It has now turned into a small island on my foot, that like a mood ring changes with heat! It is painful to the touch, burns and itches at times. It is no longer a blister, and really not sure what it is. The good news is, my new little enemy is not alone, it has a friend now and it's called my right pinkie toe! AWESOME. And then a third friend came to my big toe, and I'm not really sure what it is. At this point it is painful to run because of the friction, so for the first mile, I have to run through the pain until the pain numbs away. I can't wear any of my cute high heels because the toe box is too narrow, so instead I wear a very fashionable pair of sequin slippers...to work! (they sound ghetto but they are so cute, I didn't even know they were slippers!) I think it is time to go see a doctor and probably get a new pair of shoes. Yeah:(

On a happy note, John and I have found a house that we really like. Without getting into details of offers and inspections and stuff like that because I don't want to jinx anything, I can tell you a few things. One of my most favorite things about the house is the fact that it is 2 minutes away from Tyler State Park, my most favorite park. This is the park that I do my training in and take Jordan and Puma to. We can walk to the park from the house!! In addition to the park, it's also in an amazing cycling area, great climbs and no traffic. The school district is ranked in the top 20 in the state of PA and it's close to great grocery stores and sushi!! What more could I need....maybe new floors. We are so excited about this house and I will keep you posted.

My training has been coming along rather well. It's so crazy how I'm not as stressed about single digit weather and inches of snow on the ground and how it effects my training. Instead, I adapt and change things around. I know what I'm capable of and what I can do, which is making this go around more enjoyable.

I am on a recovery week this week, but since the weather was not kosher this past weekend, I will only take the end half of the week easy. We are supposed to get more snow on Wed, so I have sucked it up and decided to start taking spin classes at the gym. Not thrilled about being in a small stinky room with loud techno music and cheering people, but it beats riding alone in my house.

Hope everyone has a great week.

Snow, Sewing, Houses and More

Training in the cold north has not been what it has in the past. I have really been enjoying it. Part of that is because I have a great group of people to run with. Last sat a group of us headed out in the snowy, cold weather. By the end of my 17 mile run, icicles had formed on my eyebrows and lashes. It was pretty amazing!

I am 10 weeks away from the National Marathon. I have been feeling pretty good on my long runs and have been running faster then what I should be. I'm really excited to see what time I will run.

My Chesapeakman training has also started. Last week marked the beginning of it. I will say last week was pretty tiring, but I know it's a matter of time before I get used to it again.

In addition to the training, John and I have been house hunting. We have been looking for our first home. It has been fun, exciting and stressful all at the same time. We have to be out of our apt by the end of April, so keep your fingers crossed!

I will have more to write soon, just wanted to check in while my head was above water. Hope everyone has a good week.

Marathon Training Has begun

The winter is here, and my body is still not happy!
This will be my 5th winter in the northeast, and i'm still not sure how I feel about the weather.

Yesterday started my first official day of my training program for the National Marathon. March 26th is the race down and will be held in Washington D.C. I have trained for marathons before in the winter, but i usually didn't start my program until late February, but for this one, I will be running through the whole winter. In addition to the cold and the wind, there also isn't any light. Visibility is kinda important when running, especially if I want to avoid a sprained ankle. Since I want to avoid running on the treadmill as much as possible, I will be borrowing a head lamp from my cousin to use when running. It kinda looks like the ones miners wear, but not as bulky. I also wear reflective bands on my arms and ankles so cars can see me and not run me over. I know I will be looking forward to my weekend runs, even though they are the longest runs, I will at least have daylight!

The goals I have set for myself for the National Marathon are within reach, but still will push me in my training. I want to run a 3:20:00, that will give me a PR by 6 minutes and also a qualifying time for the New York Marathon. It's important for me to have a successful marathon, as it will help set me up for success at the Chesapeakeman Ultra Distance Tri.

My training for this week:

Mon- Off
Tue- Easy 6mi @ 8:38pace
Wed- XT/rest
Thur- Tempo Run 5mi with 3 mile@ 7:12pace
Fri- 45min Swim
Sat- 1hr Bike
Sun- 10mile run @ 8:38pace

I hope the snow stays away for as long as it can, I'm not ready for that yet:(

Have a great week everyone!

Ironman Vs. Ultra Distance Triathlon

 It wasn't until recent that I found out that there was a difference between an Ironman and an Ultra Distance Triathlon. When you look at the distance for each component they are the same and when you look at time to complete by, they are the same, and they both follow USAT sanctioned rules, so why the big difference. It's a little thing called Trademarking!

The Ultra Distance Tri I am doing in September is just that. It's not a part of the Ford "Ironman" Series. When I cross that finish line after 11+ hours, the announcer will not say, "Megan Howe, you are an IRONMAN!!" Is there a benefit of one over the other. Why will some people only do "Ironman" events and non other.

I think the thought that some people have, is that it's not an Ironman. Even though it's the same distance, same pain, same time training, because it's not called one, then it must not be as hard. Well according to Triathlete Magazine, the Chesapeakman Ultra Distance Tri, is listed as one of the top 10 hardest/best ultra distance events. There were only a few "Ford IM" events listed on there, so maybe there should be so much hype over a trademark.

Don't get me wrong though, I am not knocking that series by any means. My first IM was a Ford series event, and I did it because I wanted all the lights, and more so to hear the announcer say in front of everyone that I was an Ironman. But now that I have done that, experienced that, I have new priorities. I want to cross that finish line and have my family see me do that. So I picked a race not only for it's logistical location, but also because it is such a well run and organized event. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter if there is a TM next to the them, you are still swimming 2.4 miles, biking 112 miles and running 26.2 miles. That in itself is awesome.

Yesterday I registered for the National Marathon in Washington DC. I wanted to do a few races this year before the big one, and I also needed extra motivation have a successful winter training as well. The marathon is at the end of March, so that will leave my training for some nice snowy days! There are a few things I will need to invest in for the marathon training. Winter running shoes, head lamp for running in the dark, and blinky reflective arm and ankle bands so cars don't run me over! I really don't want to spend all my training in the gym, that would be terrible. My official start date for the Marathon training is December 6th and the UDT (ultra distance tri) will be January 3. I have already written my marathon program out and have started to write the UDT program. John and I will be traveling to Florida in May to ride the MS150 Charity bike ride for Multiple Sclerosis with my dad. More about that later!

On a final note, I am so happy, excited, proud, oh and excited that I will have a training partner and a day of-suffer through the pain partner at the UDT. My cousin Marita is doing Chesapeakman. You will be hearing a lot about her, because we will be training a lot together.

I hope everyone has a happy and safe Thanksgiving holiday. My family will be celebrating our Thanksmas holiday (not sure if i ever explained that). Can't wait to see the family.

All the Peas are married!!

This weekend I not only got to see my friend Crista get married, but I was her "day-of-coordinator." I got to help run the show, which was so much fun. I love being in control and telling people what to do...

anyways, back to Crista. Crista was the last, but not least Pea to get married. What is a Pea?

The "Peas" are a group of friends who will grow old together and their kids will become great friends. The Pea's started with my sister Michele and her best friend Cara. They went to High school together and didn't like eachother, but once in college at the University of South Florida they became best friends, eventually moving to Washington DC, to join the other half of the Peas, Crista and Kate. Crista and Kate were also college best friends at Stetson University in Florida. The four of those girls created this bond that was unbreakable, regardless of the different guys or friends that came and went and some that stayed, there friendship lasted.

As an outsider to the group, we wondered what would happen when the Peas would marry off and start to have children. My sister Michele was the first to get married, and the Peas still stood by. Then Cara got married followed by Kate with Crista closing up the deal. The friendships are still just as strong as in the beginning and they have even added a new member, my sister-in-law Alycia. They recently performed Mambo Italiano for Crista and Firoz at the wedding, and it was a smash.

I guess where I was going with this the importance of friends and support. And to cherish those friendships and treat them kind. At some point during my training, each one of those Peas's helped and supported me, and I am so lucky to have them.


Aside from the awesome wedding, the rest of the weekend was filled with awesome food and hanging out with family and the babies. Oh how I love the babies.

Thanksgiving is almost here, and for our family that means we will have our "Thanksmas" so I have a lot to get done. I am looking for a turkey trot to do on thanksgiving day as well.

Gobble Gobble.

The Winter is approaching

(costume I made for Crista's 80's theme bachelorette party)

The winter is hitting us early here in Philly and I am not very excited about that. With day light savings in effect, I can already feel the on-set of my winter depression beginning. This will be my 4th winter in the north and I am still not used to it or even close to embracing it. Thank god for training and UV lights, otherwise I would be 15 pounds heavier, paler and severely depressed.

I am still at the same place with my "limbo training" as I call it. I run when I can and want and occasionally lift, but more for the joy and not for specific reasons... well... and so I can still eat the same amount as before without the weight gain and the guilty feelings!!

I am starting to narrow some things down I want to do with my program next year and have been looking into new programs and training tips. I have even had some dreams about the open water swim in the ocean... it's always a good sign that your heads in the game when you start dreaming about the training, especially for it has even started!

I will come out now and admit that I am very nervous about the ocean swim at Chesapeakman. When John and I were on our honeymoon, I did some swimming in the ocean and I didn't really enjoy it. I felt dehydrated very fast. Not because I was drinking the water, but water does get in over time and it dries you out. Also I have heard the currents are very strong in the bay, so that concerns me too. The only positive thing, is that the swim portion is two loops, so you actually exit the water then have to re-enter. I will have to make sure to get several ocean swims into my training.

John and I are approaching our 6month anniversary of being married (don't get nervous we don't really celebrate) and it's crazy how time has really flown by. Married life is good, not really any different than before except all the name change and the financial. You can't just go spend like you did before because it's mutual money. That has been an adjustment... more for me than John!!

This weekend, we are heading back down to D.C. to watch our friend Crista get married to Firoz. I am excited to be her go-to-girl for the day, making sure everything is in the right place looking perfect. I also get to see the babies and steal them from there parents!!!

Have an awesome week!!

What to do with all this time?

(pictures from the Nations Triathlon - Took 5th in age group out of 300+)

50 days have passed since the Ironman but it seems like a year. With all of this extra time on my hands what am I supposed to do?

I have heard that brides go through a small depression/post-wedding blues phase after the honeymoon. I did not experience that because I had my training to keep me busy. I didn't go through the post-IM blues either because I had an Olympic Distance Triathlon only 2 weeks after the IM. But I will say I am going through some blues right now... and it's awful.

I know all the pro's to taking a break from training and resting. I understand the mental and physical benefits of it all. I know with the break it will allow John and I to enjoy being Newlyweds and for me to get to crafting jobs I've had on my list to do. But at the end of the day I miss the training and having that goal to keep me focused. I feel like I've gotten really lazy in many aspects of my day-to-day life and I'm not happy about that at all. I know when I start my official training in Jan I will be happy that I took it easy, but right now I can't appreciate it.

I think what I need to do is set some short term goals for myself, but not make it too crazy that I am tired before my training starts.

Here are a few things I want to do before Jan:

1. Re-Design my training plan for Chesapeakman.
2. Pick 2-3 smaller races to do throughout my training
3. Do 1 running race before Jan (maybe a turkey trot)
4. Workout 3-4 days a week for FUN!
5. Make tons of cute things for my Niece and Nephew!!

I know that Jan will be here before I know it and I just have to be patient. Luck for me, John has started his CycloCross season, so our weekends will be spent at the races which is nice. Only if I could find a cross bike small enough for me to borrow, I would love to give it a go!