Focusing on the Bad

I am good at a lot of things. I'm pretty good at math, taking care of kids, baking, making milkshakes, scrambling eggs, brewing strong coffee, coloring inside the lines, and online shopping.

Honestly, I could come up with a list in my head of all the things that I *think* I am good at. But there are SO many things I am bad at, really bad at. Most of the time, I try to ignore these things because let's be honest, it doesn't make you feel great when you admit to yourself that you can't do something or you don't do it well. Despite these negative feelings, it is quite necessary to face them in order to grow. Now that I really can't run (okay fine it has only been a week and I will probably be running in another 2...), this has been a great time to focus on the things I am not so great at.

 In no particular order:

1. My pull is WEAK SAUCE in the pool. Like seriously. I have always been a kick dominant swimmer. After my freshman year in high school, my coach came up to my mom and says, "It's a good think Courtney has a great kick, otherwise she would go nowhere in the water." That is why she suggested I try rowing, so I could build up some of that arm and back strength. Wouldn't you know that after my first season of rowing, I made State is swimming the following season. Since it is the off season, I have been doing some strength exercises to help build up some of that muscle. But even more importantly, I have needed to fix my stroke in the pool, especially the "catch" and "finish". My elbow tends to drop before I pull and I take my arm out of the water super early, thus a very short stroke. Since I am trying not to irritate my hip flexor, I have been sticking straight to pulling with and without paddles and maintaining high elbows and finishing strong. I hope that if I do it enough, it will transfer back over to my swim when I start putting in hard efforts in the water come January/February.

2. I am not a good bike mechanic. At all. I know that and do my best to avoid anything that may require me to tinker with my bike. I am so afraid I am going to break it or do something wrong and then die.. okay that was a little dramatic. Now that I have these new wheels and plan to use them for races, I have to learn how to do simple things like replacing brake pads and switching the cassette between wheels. Very basic, I know. I have been shown how to do it multiple times, so I attempted last night. Things started a little shaky: I got the screw off of the left shoe easily, then I tried to pull the cartridge out. Could not figure out why on earth it wasn't budging. Turns out, I had switched positions and I was trying to force the right one out with the screw still on. *BOP should've had a V8.* After that mishap, everything was going well until I tried to remove the cassette... then this happened.... tragic.

BLOOD!

After the small injury, everything went smoothly. Until I tried to work on the rear brakes. I literally had every.size. Allen wrench, EXCEPT for the one I needed. I needed the teeniest, tiniest one they make. So now, my bike is laying on my garage floor, since ya know, I don't have a bike stand. But don't worry, I have it on an old comforter component side up. I think we will be okay. This morning I went to work and I FOUND A WHOLE ALLEN WRENCH SET WITH THE SIZE I NEED. So it is on my desk to take home. Score. This grease monkey (as my Dad calls me) will be back in Courtney's Garage Bike shop tonight. I think I will have the confidence with a little more practice!

3. Strengthening and stretching. I hate it. Usually when I get back from a workout, I am pretty strapped for time and need to get going, so I rarely take the time to get a good stretch in or do a core workout. Since I have been dealing with this hip thing, I realize that it is really important to take that time. I got this strain from my lacking glute and hamstring strength in addition to my tight hip flexors. All I need is 5 minutes for a quick stretch when I am strapped for time. As for core, I have a new goal, wake up 15-20 minutes earlier and do a small core workout: bridge, planks, pushups, whatever.

4. Buying good, creative [Christmas] presents. I think I overcame that issue yesterday though. I came up with some darn good ideas and ordered them! Thank goodness they will be here the 24th! Procrastination at its finest.

5. Reading the Bible. I really don't do this enough or as often as I should. I am working on it though. No worries.

And that is my "Top Five Things I Am Bad At" list.  Hopefully I can continue to improve and embrace my challenges to become the best athlete and Christian possible.

Plus this hilarious picture I saw on Twitter last night...

And this one which is a little more serious and less hilarious:

Matthew 24:35-45

Coming up on 50...

Hi friends! How goes it? I am just sittin' here at work without much to do. I can't complain though, a job is a job these days. I promise I am not slackin' though, there are no projects for me to do! It is so great seeing everyone I worked with this summer. This is post 49 of my blog, 50 will be here before I know it!


First things first, my new wheels. OMGosh. I rode on Sunday. The weather was beautiful, chilly, but beautiful with very little wind. It was a perfect day to test out my new wheels. Before Sunday, I don't remember the last time I rode Tyrone. I know I did a few times on the trainer before I got sick, but other than that, nada. I was definitely a little shaky on the bike and throw a new set of wheels on, phew I was having a little bit of trouble. I am very comfortable on the road bike (Jamie), not so much on Tyrone right now (though I have a feeling that comfort will come back quickly)! Regardless of the nerves, I had a really great time and was happy to enjoy the weather outside!

On the the hip...
I think my hip is getting better! I ended up taking yesterday off so I could visit my cousins up in DC.

[They added a new one to the family the Monday of Thanksgiving week. Of course we had planned on visiting later that week, but since someone got mono, we decided it would be best if we waited until the sickness in the family was gone. So, I got to see my month old baby cousin, who is absolutely adorable.When I was talking to my parents on the way home, we thought it was funny that we completely forget about all of our other stressors and were just focused on the kids. It is stressful with all the commotion, but totally stress relieving from everything else we have to do].

Anyway, with the day off from any real hip flexor activity, I think it really started to improve. I could shift my weight on my right leg without much pain, it is such a relief. I was debating starting to use  crutches because my limp is/was pretty bad, especially in the morning. My Mom (and I) are a little bit afraid that if I keep limping, I will end up with a injury on my left side once my right hip is healed. That would be NO BUENO.

I have already been to the chiropractor twice since I have been home, and I think that is helping, too. Meghan also had this type of injury and recommended heat. I checked up online about it, and heat is said to significantly reduce recovery time. Don't worry though, I checked several different sources. So I am heating once in the morning and once at night. I also throw some ice on after I do any sort of cycling/swimming or rehab exercises.

In addition to the rehab exercises, the chiropractor and rest, the most important part of recovery is The Great Healer Himself. I am one of those who likes to have everything in control and planned out. However, I am slowly but surely learning that this is never going to happen. God is the one in control, not me. If whatever I am planning doesn't fit in with His master plan, it isn't going to fly. I have a few personal experiences that I think God had planted in my life to bring me closer to Him. They always seem to come at the times I am most confident in what I am doing, not what He is doing. I have begun to *almost* solely rely on Him in my recovery. Nothing I do on MY OWN will heal me, it has to be in conjunction with Him and His great plan. So my point, I am praying harder than I have ever prayed before and talking to God more than I ever have. He is bringing me closer, I am following, and I never want to change it. Thank God for mono and thank God for the hip flexor strain. I have never been more happy while sidelined, I just hope I am running again really, really soon! I have Nationals to train for!

I am lucky to be reading Jesus Calling by Sarah Young. Having this devotional in my life right now is  a huge blessing. I wanted to post this a few days ago when I read it because it is so relevant right now:
"Trust Me by relinquishing control into My hands, let go and recognize that I am God.  This is My world.  I made it and I control it." And the bible verse that went along with it:
He says, "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." Psalm 46:10

And this is my brother's bearded dragon, Reggie.

 I love him. So good to be home.

And I Ain't Got No Worries

So, that most recent post was out of frustration, anger and stress and the hip crisis is no longer a crisis. My grades will be fine, I just need to do some reviewing. And the mono, I will just continue to take advil for my throat!

The lesson is still there that I am not invincible and that I probably don't give true sleep and rest enough credit.

I just got back from the doctor here at school and it looks like my hip is nothing to be overly concerned about at this point. It appears to be a hip flexor strain and not a torn labrum or stress fracture. Of course we can't say absolutely not to either, but I will be getting some imaging done just to make sure. After a quick session, I already feel so much better and all signs point to hip flexor, caused by not engaging my core enough. So! I will be doing lots of stretching (but not over stretching) and strengthening. Hopefully I won't be out of [running] commission for too long!

And now I am off to study for Macro. I hope I don't fail.
"It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed." Deuteronomy 31:8

Too bad race season is still 4 months away...

Oh and here is a picture of my bike. I bought myself a niceeee set of of 2012 Mercury M9s. Merry Christmas to Me!!

Realizations

As this semester concludes, I am beginning to realize more and more that I am the opposite of invincible. I way overloaded myself and am beginning to see this.

1. My grades have been much better in the past. It isn't that they are necessarily bad grades, they just aren't as good. Some of this probably has to do with some combination of taking classes that aren't for my major and new teachers. But I also know that some of this is because I am SO busy. Sometimes I am scrambling last second to finish an assignment. I hate that feeling.

2. Mono got the best of me, not one strand but BOTH viruses that cause mono. Typical Courtney. It is so damn frustrating that I couldn't do anything for 2 weeks. Even more frustrating that today I feel terrible because my prescription for steroids ran out. I am so tired and my head and throat feel like they are 10x their usual size. Of course, this would happen the week finals start.

3. MY HIPS. My gosh darn hips stink so bad. I have no idea what's wrong. I am hoping that this is just a case of illiopsoas tendonitis or something soft tissue like that. I am icing and stretching and bridging and everything I should be doing. I thought it was better but apparently not. I am going to the doctor at home on Friday. I literally cannot walk comfortably and it is so frustrating. Luckily riding my bike doesn't hurt and I am going to swim and pool run in a little bit and see how that feels. I am just praying for good news at the doctor. I just don't know how I am going to handle ANOTHER injury that puts me out for months at a time this YEAR (AKA the femur fracture in January). I can handle a few weeks but not months. Please, not months. I feel like I deserve at least a year or two of pretty much pain free running after being off running from October 2011-March 2012.

And on that note, off to the gym. Prayers are totally appreciated.

Turned the Corner

It seems I have turned the corner with what has now been diagnosed as mono. I am so glad to finally be feeling a little bit better. I stayed awake all day yesterday AND rode the trainer for 30 minutes! This was a huge accomplishment at this point.

I went back to the doctor today to discuss test results and without going into ridiculously boring and unnecessary detail, I am finishing up the acute phase of Infectious mononucleosis. I was seriously bummed when the doctor told me it was definitely mono. I have heard so many horror stories about how it is the worst thing ever and that I should just go ahead and not even plan on Collegiate Nationals this year. There is no way I would be ready. So naturally, I burst into tears as soon as the doctor left the room...

When he came back, we discussed what mono would mean for my training (and going back to school, I guess that is pretty important, too). My doctor explained to me what mono exactly entailed. Mono does have the reputation of hanging around for what seems to be forever, however, it depends on the person. The fever usually goes away after about 10 days, though the swollen glands and lymphnodes may take up to 4 weeks to heal (ugh).

Mono is also thought to bring along fatigue that can last up to a few months. This is the part that concerned me the most, Courtney's irrational thought process: I DON'T HAVE TIME TO BE TIRED. I am a collegiate triathlete with a job and sorority. I don't have time during the day without taking naps, now that I have mono I will HAVE to take naps. The doctor put me at ease when he told me that this "fatigue" is often attributed to a depression that occurs with mono and this "fatigue" is mental! He explained that people are very exhausted with mono during the acute phase (generally first 2 weeks) but then it will go away as you heal.

The other part that had me worried about mono is the enlarged spleen/liver issue. I have been told that contact sports are pretty much out of the question when it comes to mono. My doctor initially cleared me to run and swim as my body let me and that I could pretty much return to normal training. However, they cautioned me about riding outside with the risk of damaging my spleen or liver in the event of a bike crash. Initially I was okay with this because most of my interval/strength training this winter is done on the trainer, but then I got to thinking, 3 days of riding the trainer for 60-90 minutes at a time just seems dreadful. It is especially dreadful since I live in an area where the weather is fairly mild in the winter. Of course there are a few days when riding outside is out of the question, but when its beautiful and sunny and like 55 degrees, being on the trainer is sad. All that being said, it looks like I am in good shape! There was no swelling that he could palpate. Also good news, my liver and spleen are apparently in an awesome position that if they were to swell, it wouldn't cause too much of a problem because I have extra room in my rib cage? So even if they did swell, they would still be protected.  You know, I was cursing my huge rib cage the other day because I couldn't fit into a dress I really wanted (don't even want to go there right now) but now I guess it isn't so bad! The doctor cleared me to ride outside, but just be careful. The only way I would really be in trouble is if I ended up jabbing the handle bars exactly up into my rib cage and spleen, but if the crash were that bad, it would be the least of my concerns.

So, as I sit here concluding this post and getting ready to watch Greys (yay). I just have to remember to be so thankful and gracious for everyday. Mono is such a benign issue when it comes to health. Rarely do people die from mono and I know I will be perfectly back to normal in, at the most, 6 months. I really can't complain. There are so many people who have it so much worse than me. I am lucky I am in good physical condition that my body can fight off infections like this. The worst case scenario from this, I just take extra good care of myself for the next few months: getting enough sleep, drinking water, eating right, and studying. I know that once I get it in my head that I will make it through this, I will! Don't worry, I will be at the start for Collegiate Nationals in a few months in the best shape of my life.

"Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might."
Ecclesiastes 9:10


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001617/

Triathlete Turned Couch Potato

We're on Day 9-10ish of the sickness from hell. No I did not go on the bike ride Wednesday morning like I had hoped. I ended up going to Minute Clinic at CVS because no one was home to drive me 20 minutes to the doctor. I felt that bad. I was diagnosed with an ear infection and put on antibiotics. I was in bed all day on Thanksgiving aside from a few bites of turkey and potatoes. 

Unfortunately, the antibiotics didn't do much and my throat (and now face) were still extremely swollen on Friday. My doctor prescribed me some steroids for the swelling which really seemed to help. Regardless, I am still really tired and have almost no appetite and have a pounding headache all the time.

 

I have never ever been one to sit around ALL DAY. Occasionally, I take a real recovery day after a hard, hard effort or race. However, I don't remember the last time I sat or laid down for 9 days straight! I am so miserable and SO bored. I try to do school work so I don't fall too far behind, but every time I try to do something productive, I fall asleep or can't seem to formulate any ideas that sound relatively educated much like this post. 

For now, it is just resting at home and taking my medicine. I got some bloodwork done today, so hopefully we will have an answer soon! None of the doctor's I have seen are jumping to the mono conclusion. Anyway, I'm hoping for the best and trying to remain positive. I am just starting to get really bummed :(

So much for break

So, you know how  I said I was really excited to be home for break? Well, I lied. This week has so far been just shy of miserable. I guess I am glad I'm not at school because I am not sick enough to skip class, but I am totally miserable and just want to get better! My mom thinks I am just totally exhausted and my body is shutting down since I don't actually have to do anything RIGHT NOW, like I am at school.

There have been a few family issues things that I would prefer not to share with the world.

However, I will say that I am feeling pretty crappy. First of all, I feel so sick. I have been on the couch since Sunday morning. Coffee does not sound delicious at all, the thought of eating vegetables makes me cringe, and my bike or going for a run does not appeal to me at all. What's wrong with me? The aches have started to subside luckily. I had grand plans to do my simulated hill climbs on the trainer today, but as of now, there's no way thats going to happen. Hopefully tomorrow will be different, I plan on riding with my neighbor in the morning.

And about that hip, it definitely isn't a bone issue! Such a relief. I got my saline shot to hopefully begin my hip's healing. My hip was really bad yesterday after the shot, I couldn't move my leg. I actually had to pick up my leg to move it. It is really bad when I stand up after sitting for awhile, so we think this is just some sort of tendinitis/muscle strain. It is actually feeling better today, there may even be a chance for me to run on Thursday. I was really looking forward to running a 5k with a bunch of my teammates from high school tomorrow, but I think I will just be spectating. I really don't want to tweak my hip anymore. Somehow, I've actually begun to realize that I would rather take a week or two off from running than not be able to run at all for 6 weeks.

But the good news is... I HAVE A NEW BABY COUSIN! Ahh I am so excited to meet Audrey Marie. The pictures are beautiful.

"He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions."- Psalm 107:20

Thanksgiving Break

Oh my gosh, it is so nice to be home for a week. I am beyond exhausted from this semester. As I have mentioned before, it has been nothing but busy, busy, busy. Thanksgiving Break is always a great time because at JMU, we receive a FULL week off from classes... not like most other schools where they only get Wednesday-Friday off. In addition, after I come back to school, I only have 2 weeks of classes + finals until the end of the semester! Praise the Lord!

I am also very excited because my best friend comes home from study abroad the first weekend of December! AHHH!!!  I have missed her SO much this semester. We met our freshman year and have been best friends ever since. We have never been in a fight even though we lived together last year!  She also is such a positive influence on me in developing my relationship with Christ. She has been there for me through everything. I will never forget how supportive she was when I had my stress fracture! And listening to me complain and be sad during that time.

Matching on accident! 

Lauren tags me in picture on Facebook when she sees "Trek" signs
while in Europe. I think she misses Tyrone more than me! 

I am also very excited to ride my bike while home this weekend. I actually just got my road bike all fixed up and fit so it will definitely be interesting to ride Jamie as opposed to Tyrone this winter. As far as winter training is going, I am having a good time but am very sore. I actually have a little niggle in my hip for lack of a better term. I am not too concerned yet, but I am being very cautious. I am actually icing the heck out of it right now. I am going to go to the doctor tomorrow to make sure it is nothing serious. I'd rather take time off right now than be taking time off in March! Advil (Aleve) + Ice= Triathlete's best friend! I did tell Connie that it was bothering me to which she replied, "If you don't have some occasional aches and pains I'd be worried!" Oh Connie, how I love being your athlete but hate it at the same time!

So far in this training block, I have seriously enjoyed running at night, just don't tell my dad please! I think he would have a heart attack if he knew I have been running in the dark! So far this semester, my choice for running is either at 5:30 am or 5:30 pm and its dark at both of those times. I used to really enjoy running in the morning, however, I have recently turned myself into an evening runner. I have coffee in my body and the blood has been flowing. I am so much more energized at night than in the morning now. Weird huh?

And on that note, I am going to go take a quick nap and get out for a bike ride and buy new shoes! Hopefully the shoes will help with the "niggle"!

Ephesians 4:2 "Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love."

Missing you!

Well, it has been a hot second since I last posted. I have been incredibly busy with school work,  catching up on sleep, and watching an embarrassingly ridiculous amount of Gossip Girl (Sorry I am SO not sorry). Confession: I like to pretend I am Serena and am living it up on the Upper East Side. I took about 4 weeks off from full on training after Half Full, it was so awesome and so necessary.

I fully enjoyed my few weekends as a "college" kid. I will always remember Hallohomecoming weekend of my junior year. A few pictures:

Meghan decided to be Courtney for Halloween and I was a
traffic cone! I am wearing a black skirt which makes it even
better! I am famous for my "duckface" and peace sign pictures
so I am trying to teach Meghan how to duckface... its a work in progress.

Just us being best friends! I <3 her! 

Oh! I forgot to add, we had a snow/hurricane day last Monday! We were right on the edge of a blizzard and a little bit of Hurricane Sandy. Thankfully, it wasn't nearly as bad as they thought it would be. And we got a day off! I slept for twelve hours that Sunday night! And my teachers didn't make the following Saturday a makeup day! Thank goodness!

Post-snow day mountain picture. I went on a ride specifically to
look at the mountains in West Virginia. I am so lucky to go to
school in an area that is so beautiful.

Needless to say, it was an incredible weekend and had an amazing time with my friends, but I am so ready to start training again! How I have missed working my butt off.

However, I am now back on that training grind. The focus of this winter is on strength. I actually typed up my goals and sent them to Connie. I have always been big into having goals, in case you couldn't tell, but I had never really taken the time to create SMART goals. It is SUPER cheesy, but I learned about SMART goals in my health and wellness class freshman year. SMART: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time-bound. The reason you use this method is to make sure you aren't setting yourself up for failure by either setting goals that are unattainable or setting goals that aren't challenging enough. In addition to sharing with my coach, I would like to post my goals on the blog. I will follow up at least once a week! I think sharing the goals will hold me accountable to post and actually doing what I need to do to get faster!

1. Get my running back to where I was freshman year. Confession: I was absolutely obsessed and in love with running my freshman year of college. I would just go out on these runs and be totally in love with the new terrain. Also, I had no idea how fast I was running or how far. I did a half marathon in March and ran 6:40 splits. I can do that again. I know I can. So, my goal for the upcoming season is to run low 43 off the bike.

2. The bike, now this is where its easy. My leg strength is what holds me back on the bike. My legs tire out way before my heart does. In regard to time goals, I don't have any. Time and paces are too hard to gauge with wind and terrain variances. So, its going to be allot of hill repeats and time spent on the bike... and trainer.... 

3. Swimming wise, my goal is to just be fast! I dropped a lot of time this summer in the pool. I would like to be able to really drop those times even more! I am also working on keeping a high elbow throughout the whole stroke. 

4. Nutrition and core are also going to be a huge focus this winter. I'm really going to try and go to yoga at least once a week. And if yoga isn't a possibility, being diligent about my functional strength training and stretching! 

I cannot wait to see where next season goes! I have a really good feeling about it, as long as I don't get myself injured! 

As always, thanks for reading and thank you so much for your support!! 

The Season Wrap Up

And a week later I am getting around to finally recapping Half Full Triathlon, the last triathlon of the season. So, lets get to it!

I had participated in the Half Full Half Ironman distance triathlon last year, it was cold, rainy, cold, cold, rainy, cold, and did I mention cold? I was far from prepared for that race. I brought gloves, socks, and arm warmers to the race with me, but that was it. I think the high was actually 40 something that day! It was miserable. In my race out of transition, I neglected to put on socks or gloves that day. One of the worst mistakes I had ever made. So, naturally, I figured that this race could not even come close to as miserable, I had already punched the "Cry during race because you are so cold and wet and tired card". Wrong.
The high for the day was 52 ad 80% chance of rain. I remembered to bring all of my cold weather gear and knew I HAD to wear it. I definitely learned my lesson last year.

SWIM
The water was a brisk 67 degrees, however, given the air temperature, it felt like I was getting into the bathtub! Luckily though, the rain had not yet started. I got through the swim feeling wonderful. I had a small stitch toward the end, but for the most part I knew I was rockin it. I believe I came 3rd out of the water. I was setting myself up in an awesome position. I was on top of the world at this point.

I got into transition and was very confused. For some reason I was reading "1s" as if they were "7s" and passed my bike about 3 times before I realized I was in the right area. Oyvey. I also was strugglin' hard to get my wetsuit off. I don't really know what the issue was, but for some reason it would just not.come.off. I was really flustered in transition and ended up just sitting down to get dressed. Oh, and it had started raining at this point. After like 3.5 minutes in transition getting dressed (leggings, socks, arm warmers, and vest) I got myself up and out the gate.

BIKE
I was very cautious on the bike. The ground was very slippery and I was not looking for a crash. The bike was a 32 mile bike, so definitely not a distance for me. I knew I had to just move forward and not burn out too quickly. I ended up not drinking as much on the bike as I probably should have. My stomach was a little iffy and I didn't want to risk it. I continued to take sips of Gatorade when I thought about it and ended up taking a gel around mile 23.
When I finally got to the turn into transition, I said a quick thank you that I didn't crash my bike and that  I could do this run thang. So, as I am turning in, I lost my back wheel from underneath me. I am not sure what happened exactly, but I fishtailed like crazy but ended up keeping my balance. It was so close that I had actually gone over the tuck and roll I would be completing  in my head. As you can imagine, my adrenaline was through the roof!

T2 was MUCH smoother. Thank goodness.

RUN
So, the run. was. great. Honestly. It hurt, but I was so happy to be off the bike. I was so much warmer during the run. It was the craziest sensation switching to the run, it felt like I was still wearing my bike shoes. I felt like I had peg legs because I was so numb! It was a very uncomfortable feeling. However, I  did negative split my run by a fair amount. I was very happy with it.


The triathlon season definitely ended on a good note. I walked during my first race this year, I ran very fast off the bike for my last race. So much improvement and learning this season. I could never have done it without my supportive family, friends, and especially my coach! I am now very much enjoying some time off for a few weeks. Catching up/getting ahead on school work, sorority things, volunteer hours, working, and SLEEPING! lots and lots of sleeping!

Next on the agenda is the Richmond Half Marathon on November 10! It will be my second half marathon, with the exception of the half iron. I am very excited to see what I can do with it!

Off to do some homework. And again, thanks for your support/reading, it means the world to me :)

And it ends....

Oh my gosh, I feel like I haven't been on here in so long! Things have gotten crazy busy around here, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I finished up the 2012 triathlon season this Sunday at Rev3 Half Full Triathlon (more on this soon! I PROMISE!) I am currently enjoying my week of rest and recovery, mostly rest as I have been pushing "workouts" until the afternoon and sleeping in:) I will be doing the Richmond Half Marathon in November. I am a little bit nervous, but I know I can do the mileage. I'm not ready to be done competing this year! Sometimes I wish I could race all year round, but at the same time, I REALLY love the excitement of the first race of the spring! 

I am getting ready to leave for class. Have a wonderful day everyone! 

Wilmington Race Recap and a Surprise!!!!!

I'm not sure how this week could have gotten any better. I am so happy and thrilled about how this week has turned out.

First of all, I had one of the most exciting races of my career on Saturday. I went down to Wilmington, NC for one of the collegiate series races. It was a sprint distance, but had a 1500m swim.

Swim:
The swim actually went with the current. I was pretty excited because I thought that would mean the swim would be very fast. I was wrong. My stupid goggles got really foggy so I had some trouble sighting. There were a few times toward the end of the race that I had to stop and lift my goggles up to see where the finish was. I wish the finish of the swim had been marked better. My time overall was 21:09.

T1 was a SUPER far run. I'd almost be willing to say about half a mile. It was pretty tough running that far barefoot and over the concrete. I actually got a rock stuck in my foot :( Shoutout to MEGAN B or taking that baby out that night! SAVED MY LIFE.

Bike:
The bike was super awesome. I was rocking a Reynolds disc wheel set courtesy of Cherie! (YOU ROCK!) This lady is actually so awesome that she is letting me borrow her 404s for Half Full! Such a sweetheart! Anyway, the bike course was very bumpy, but thats how a lot of the roads are in Wilmington. Also, we had to bike over a drawbridge, but they made it a "one lane no passing zone" for probably the first half (probably longer) mile of the bike and the last part. It was really annoying because I felt like I could only coast during that time. But, it was very flat!!!!
31:56

Run:
Only positive reviews on the run! I love this 5k course. I did a turkey trot a few years ago on this course. It is so pretty going over the channel on the way out and the way back. It is fairly flat but has a few bumps along the way.
20:38

I got 2nd overall and 1st in the collegiate category and my age group! Very exciting stuff. Overall time of 1:15:46
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Next awesome thing, I got a bid for the new Alpha Delta Pi chapter at JMU! I am literally beyond excited. I found out today and could not be happier. I know its going to be tough balancing training, job, school, AND a sorority... but this is exactly what I wanted... I just didn't realize it. My roommate and I actually both got bids. We have a retreat all day tomorrow starting at 10 until 6, so I'm going to need to get to sleepy sleepy since I'm going to be getting up early for a brick. I can't wait to meet all my new beautiful sisters. I love you all already :)

Me and the roommate with our doors signs!

WOO HOO! LAST HARD WEEKEND OF THE SEASON!

Then its just short but intense for this next week and then last race of the season on Sunday. I am definitely pretty sad to see the season wrap up. I feel like it went so fast. But I am ready to take a little bit of a break and go hiking and mountain biking! Definitely going to be doing a lot more trail running over the winter.


Anyway, its been quite a busy week and I am exhausted!

I am so happy to be where I am today and I know I couldn't do it without God. He's planned out this beautiful life for me and I couldn't be happier.

Picture time

I didn't realize it had been such a long time since I posted! So much has happened around here since last week. I guess school is super busy right now and trying to get in my last few weeks of training/racing before the season ends. And what better way to wrap up the season by throwing in one more spontaneous race in before regionals! I'm actually on my way to Wilmington, NC with my dad and friend from the tri team at school... shoutout to MEGAN! LOVE YOU.

Anywho, instead of trying to talk about all the awesome things that have happened since last week, I'm just going to add a ton of pictures!

First pumpkin spice latte of the season... from no other than Dunkin
on the way home from tutoring

Found a kitten! He's like center towards top. SO CUTE.

Had an awesome visit with my gorgeous, awesome, fun
lovely best friend.... little sis. Can't wait till she's at JMU next year!

Hill repeats in preparation for regionals!

Tyrone and Rover getting friendly in the back seat of my car.
Off to the races!

Or not a ton of pictures... but whatever. It's been a busy but way fun week. 

And now, we are almost to my Grannie and Papa's house! Courtney so hungry! WIll see you all after the race. Let's do this.

XOXO 

Race Recap- Patriot's Sprint

Well, I've known I needed to do a race recap of Patriot's. I was just kind of putting it off because I have been so busy with school and work and I know that school comes first.... I guess. So, I just got back to campus from tutoring and I have about an hour to kill before my macro class. I thought I was super prepared by packing my backpack last night before I went to sleep so I would be sure to have my computer and everything else I needed to work on some school work between my classes. I am all about making the most of my time these days! I sat down, opened my backpack, and the ONE book I need for my assignment isn't there! Ugh how frustrating. So I'm sitting down putsin around on facebook because I have nothing else to do, then I'm like brain blast! Blog post. And now that is what I am doing.

And for your reading pleasure, I give you, the story of Courtney and Patriot's Sprint Triathlon.

Many of you know that I am by no means a sprinter or short distance athlete. I guess a sprint triathlon is still considered by a lot of people to be an endurance event since it lasts about an hour. While most people are like Yes! Sprint Triathlon! I can do that, when I think sprint triathlon, I have very little desire to participate. For me a sprint triathlon is just pretty much going balls to the wall for an hour. I would so much rather put out a hard effort for 2.5 hours. Anyway, since Patriot's was part of the MACTC series, I knew I had to do it. Plus it was on the same course as Jamestown, and I loved that race!!!!!!!! 

Pre Race

I worked packet pickup on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning before the race. Since this race was a team race, I ended up traveling with my girl Erin (SHOUTOUT TO MY NAVIGATOR/DJ/BEST FRIEND) since she was racing too. We left on Saturday morning after a night full of sober driving, froyo, and Gossip Girl. We ended up hanging out at my house for a little bit before we had to drive to packet pickup. My mom needed us to clean out the fridge for her, NO PROBLEM! So we feasted. It was great. 

I actually didn't ride or spin or anything on Saturday, even though thats what I usually do before races. I just wasn't feeling it for some reason. I guess my legs were still a bit tired and I didn't want to push it too far. So we ended up spending the night at my house. We went to bed at 11 and had to get up at 3:30. UGH. Good thing I don't need sleep to function.

I got to the race in the morning, set up transition, and went on  a short warm up right before transition closed. I got super nervous because I did NOT feel good. My legs were heavy and I couldn't get my legs to turnover. Not the way I wanted to feel right before this race. But whatever, I couldn't get bad thoughts in my head. I had to do this and had to do it well.

SWIM

Oh my goodness. Now this was NOTHING like the Nationals swim, not crazy girls kicking me in the face. No punching. No wrestling. No 3 foot waves. But it was a tough swim. the current was really strong so I felt like I was constantly being pushed way off course. I was able to keep a pretty straight line... I think. I never looked up and thought "OH SHIT I'M SO OFF COURSE." The water was about 80 degrees and a lot of people were complaining about the water feeling like bath water. [Guess what guys, the water at the pool in the gym at school is like 83. EW! COOL THE POOL, COOL THE POOL!] Anyway, so it was a good swim overall. Just a little slow because of the current. I was so glad to hear that everyone else's swim was slow though. 

BIKE

So I come out of the water and I know there are a few girls in front of me. I am just not sure how many and how far. I passed a girl running up to transition and held her off. I knew I needed to catch some chicks on the bike and I didn't have a ton of time to do so. I also came out of the water with an guy from Georgetown. Long story short, we leap frogged like CRAZY the entire bike. I started to get a little frustrated/nervous about blocking/drafting. I didn't want to slow down. I had business to take care of and girls to catch.  My legs burned quite a bit for the first 3 miles or so. I just couldn't get to a place I felt comfortable, relatively speaking.  ****This is where the prayers kicked in, along the lines of, "God, please give me the strength to do this. My legs hurt. God why do my legs hurt so bad? Can you please just take away this pain?" And I'm telling you, God's the man. He takes care of me. He loves me! He wants me to be happy, but He also has a plan for me that I think is just amazing!***** Then I saw a girl, check. Then a little while later I passed 2 more girls. All I saw were boys in front of me! So then one of the guys from my team passes me right before the turn around. He tells me I have a Navy girl a minute back. Oh heck no. I am not backing down. I crushed it home. I knew I had to just go for it. Luckily my new saddle still rocks and I never want to get out of my TT position. I am extremely comfortable and happy with it (thanks Les and Connie for the recommendation!) One of my competitors from Tech passed me with about a mile to go. I know she's a faster cyclist than I am, but I'd say we could run about the same speed. So I saw her and someone yelled "you're the second woman!" Holy crap! No way. So I get this big stupid grin on my face and am like "Courtney, you have 25 minutes left. Leave it here." I promise myself I'm not going to let Tech out of my sight.

That's my "I'm on a mission" face.

RUN

I am in transition and the announcer is like "here comes Courtney! She is the 3rd woman. She's putting on her shoes, she's got her race belt, she's off!" I totally felt like a badass, but then I'm thinking crap, 3rd place. Not good enough. And now I have a terrible side stitch and I'm totally gonna puke. I have so many people yelling at me to go get these girls. My teammates, my mom, my friends. So, as soon as I saw Tech pass the girl that was in front, I knew I had a shot. I kicked it into gear and ran my heart out. I kept glancing down at my watch and I was in the 6:40ish pace. I can do this. I passed the girl that was now in 2nd with about a mile left. I was getting so nervous that someone was going to sneak up on me though. I am still lacking some confidence in my run. I'm definitely not as fast as I used to be. I just kept my focus in front of me, looking back doesn't help anything. I dropped my pace and went for it. Anyone can do anything for about 8 minutes. I saw my mom right near the finish line and ususally she tells me there's someone behind me and that I have to pick it up. She just said "Go Courtney!!" when she saw me. So in my mind I'm like holy shit there's no one behind me or holy shit there is someone there and she didn't want to freak me out. So then I started running even faster. Finally, I got to the finish line. I had come in 2nd! And I didn't puke!

This is me...leaving it on the course.

This race was a pretty big deal for me. This was the bestI have ever placed overall in a race. I am waiting for that 1st place overall finish. I know it's coming. But when? I know it takes time. Patience. I will get there some day. I have an amazing support group behind me. My mom, dad, sisters, doctor, coaches, and friends. Everyone is there one hundred percent. Even when I am a total jerk. So I thank you all for all that you do for me. I could not do it without you.

So where does this leave me with Collegiate Nationals? I just need to rack up as many points as I can. I will be doing a race in Wilmington, NC then the MACTC championship race. I am looking forward to my final 2 races of the season. I can't wait to go to Wilmington and stay with my grandparents! Definitely going to have to beach it up while I am there too! 

As always, thanks for reading and your support! It means the world to me:)

"And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." 

Colossians 3:17 

Happy Monday!

Today is a great day!

Why? BECAUSE 20 YEARS AGO TODAY THE WORLD WAS BLESSED WITH ME! Pretty epic birthday on a Monday. As one of my friends texted me this morning, "Happy birthday! Welcome to the longest year of your life!" Thanks Tyler. Anyway, so far today I woke up to a BEAUTIFUL promisingly sunshine-y sky (thats what happens when you're up for swim at 6:30am). It was so cold though riding my bike to the pool! It really feels like fall now. I went to class, enjoyed a nice warm bowl of oatmeal and coffee, went to class, and now I am home drinking a big ole birthday smoothie, yogurt, and some celery and peanut butter (aka the best snack ever) getting ready to tackle a stupid amount of homework and room cleaning with a nap in there somewhere.

Now you're probably thinking wait a second, why isn't she going on a bike ride or run? Isn't that her favorite thing in the whole world to do? And I would say, well I am taking a rest afternoon because I had a race yesterday! I did Patriot's race in Williamsburg, VA. I got my first ever 2nd place overall finish! I was SO ecstatic. Especially because it was a qualifying race for Nationals. So! I am pretty sure I qualified for Collegiate Nationals!

Pre race dancing! 

2nd place finish overall!!!

A race recap is definitely on the way, but right now I am going to finish some of this work and clean my room!

Peace and Blessins ya'll, PEACE AND BLESSINS.

Out of the Box

So I have been playing around with the idea of this blog post for a few days now, but I haven't actually gotten the chance to sit down and really concentrate on it. Why? Well because I have been watching a stupid amount of Weeds doing lots and lots of homework. 

"Thinking out of the box" is such a cliche phrase. I feel like it is a overused to enforce critical thinking. I hate critical thinking. Why can't everything just be black and white? Why do I have to know why something is true? Although this may be a cliche, annoying, overused phrase, it has so much relevance in life. I had a professor second semester freshman year for psychology that I got really close with. One of her big "things" was to have us think outside of the box. I am in a set of math classes for my major that are all about why math is the way it is. I am in the second of the series of three classes and I literally cannot stand the phrase, "Well why is that true, Courtney?"

I was on a bike ride the other day thinking about my comfort zone. I came up with a little analogy. Our comfort zone is much like said "box". We have this little area, physically or mentally, that make us happy and, well, comfortable. What defines the perimeter of this box is extremely personal, its as small or as large as you want to make it. But the bigger the box is, the more opportunities we have. The more we will grow. I say, the bigger the better!  

Many of you may know the bike is the most recent leg of triathlon that I picked up. I have only been seriously riding since last summer. I am still trying to get comfortable on the bike. Every time I get in the saddle I learn something new.  

In May, there was no way in hell you would catch me out on my bike if the ground was at all wet.  Monday I rode right after the storm ended. Was I uncomfortable? You better believe it. I was going over all the scenarios of what could happen with a wet road. However, it is so important to know how to ride on a wet road, what happens if it starts storming in the middle of a race and I haven't practiced riding in wet weather? What's my point? I pushed myself out of my comfort zone to grow a little bit. 

Today I again made my box a little bigger on the bike. I had a goal in my head. I wanted to beat my time trial time from last week. Last Wednesday I did a time trial on dry river (relatively flat, not busy road in the burg), I had another TT today. Last week, my time was 27:44. Side note: the first time I did a time trial on Dry River, February 2011, I did about 35 minutes!! Crazy! Well today, my legs felt tired just biking around campus so I knew I would have quite the challenge to beat my most recent time. But I threw my head down, dropped the hammer, and biked my heart out. I got my heart rate way up (though it was pretty humid, hot and I was tired... see Connie I remember your physiology lesson!) and my legs were on fire. I have never felt like this on the bike. I wanted to die. For real. Prayed for a car to hit me, okay no not really I wouldn't want that to happen at all, but you get the point. I was hurting. It paid off though. When I looked down at my stopped watch, I had managed to finish in 26:38. I took an entire minute off my time from last week! I was so happy, I think a f*** yeah! came out of my mouth. Oops. What else helped me drop time? I stayed in my aero bars and pedaled through all the "scary turns". Once again, I am really trying to get myself more comfortable on the bike. There is no way I can  pedal through a turn during a race if I don't practice! 

So where am I going with this? PUSH YOURSELF! Get out of that stupid comfort zone. Make that box a little bigger. I promise you won't be disappointed. I have a new goal, every workout, press that perimeter of that box just a bit bigger. It doesn't have to be a lot, every little bit counts. I'm not saying YOLO, but do something you think is scary. Do something that makes you uncomfortable. We grow from these experiences. Answer a question aloud in class, start a job that you never thought you could do (hello, me, a project engineer intern for a construction project? HAHA WHAT?! I'm an education major! I like kids not construction!), make your legs burn a little more than you're used to, whatever it is, learn from it! 

Anyway, enough motivation for now. I've gotta go shower and get ready for dinner/class. Have a great night everyone! Be on the lookout for a race post this weekend! I am racing Patriots Sprint on Sunday! 

 Here is a lovely picture from my bike ride today. The calm before the storm. Literally, started pouring as soon as I got home! 

Week 1 Round Up

Week 1 of Junior year is done! Man, it is going to be so, so busy, but I love it. Not only am I in school, still training hard, but I also got a job!

Reasons why this year is going to rock (in no particular order):

1. My classes are absolutely wonderful. I am so excited to finally be really getting into my major classes. However, 3 of my classes meet once a week for three hours, I'm not sure I like it those so much. Even though my teachers give us a small 10 minute break in the middle of class, but I still get ants in my pants! We made these in our "Children's Engineering" class on Wednesday night. They are name cards that have a picture of something we like to do. It had to stand up on its own and a part that moves. I hung a wheel on mine.

2. Living off campus. Though it has only been about 8 days of living in my apartment, I am so happy. My roommate and I get along swimmingly (SARAH! See what I did there??). We have so much fun together, probably too much fun... hopefully it stays this way. The best thing about the situation is that we pick up after each other. If one of us leaves something in the sink, the other will put it away and its sort of a rotation. For example: One day I made a huge batch of rice for us to share. I ended up leaving but I left the containers out on the counter, Sarah put them all away in individual serving sizes. It just works perfectly. I enjoy living off campus because it is nice to just get away from campus. It is nice to have somewhere to go home to. I never understood what upperclassmen meant by that until now. 

3. I will be working a few hours a week as the Project Engineering Intern for Skanska. Money in the bank! It appears that the job is going to be fun and good, hard work. 

4. MY NEW SADDLE!!!!! Nuff said. 

Cobb V-Flow Max. Not a great picture but its something.

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I am off to do a trainer ride here in a little bit. The plan was to ride long and run long this weekend, but unfortunately it is raining like crazy ALL day today. I am rather annoyed at the situation. 

Regardless though, I have a feeling that the rest of this weekend is going to be awesome and I can't wait.

I love crappy quality phone pictures

Also, shout out to Erin the Elf, because well, I love her.

First Weekend, Traffic, & Photo Dump

Well, I have survived the first 2 nights in the new apartment! It feels so great to be back at school. I am still missing a desk and dresser in my room, so I am currently living out of 4 different suitcases. However, I built the dresser drawers and the  actual dresser itself. Now I just have to put it together. I am quite proud of myself for building it all by myself and using a drill!! Though I'm sure I will put clothes in it and it will fall over, but I really hope that doesn't happen.

I got to ride Friday. I forgot how many hills were in Harrisonburg. My Garmin is dead... guess where my charger is. In my kitchen, with my delicious Penny Cluse granola. Not happy. So I just rode from noonish until 1:45. I'm not particularly sure how far I went, but my legs were definitely jello-like after. 

I ran 50 minutes on Saturday and felt like a boss. It started raining midways into my run which made it that much better. I definitely am ready for the final kick of the season. 

Today I did a long ride, about 2.5 hours out toward Reddish Knob. Definitely one of my favorite places to ride in Harrisonburg, though it is super sketchy. I hate going out there alone, I feel like I should be carrying a gun or pepper spray when I go out there. It started sprinkling a bit after I turned around. Then all of a sudden cop cars and firetrucks were flying past me toward the mountain. I have not a clue what was going on, but I was very happy to be going the opposite direction. I dropped the hammer and got myself to civilization quick.

Just got stuck in some church traffic while trying to add on.
I would so much rather run into these than the cars back at home.

OH! AND I QUALIFIED FOR WORLDS! Here are some more pics from Nationals from the race photographer.

Nationals Part 3- Race Recap

Hey there! Typing this up while I am sitting at my last day of work. Where the heck did this summer go? I can't believe I go back to school in 3 days!

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So on to Nationals! I woke up at 5:30am bright eyed and bushy tailed. I went to sleep with a positive attitude and it carried through the next morning. I got up brushed my teeth, grabbed my Gatorade(s) and headed on down to breakfast. I couldn't help but laugh when I was walking down the hall and it seemed like the entire hotel was  up with me heading down to breakfast. Luckily the hotel had stocked up on instant oatmeal and bananas, there was plenty left for me when I got downstairs.

We left around 6 to get to transition at 6:30 so I could set my stuff up and get a little warm up in. Apparently I missed the memo that we couldn't take our bikes out of transition that morning so we could have slept in another half hour....  After setting up transition, I met up with mom and Sue to drop off my transition bag. They were able to walk down to the dock with me and take some last minute pictures.

So excited to race!! In my AWESOME wetsuit!
Thanks Grannie and Papa... promise I'm gonna get the
"powered by G&P" tattoo... eventually...

SWIM

While looking out on the water and talking with some other athletes, I had determined that this swim was going to be rather difficult. The waves were huge-like 3-4 feet!!- (mind you we are in a LAKE) and the sun would be directly in our eyes after the turn around. What I did not expect though was how mean 24&under women could be! Holy cow, that swim start was the roughest I have ever been in. I'm lucky that I came out of the water with all my teeth and without a bloody nose! Oy vey. 

Other than that, the swim went pretty well. I just stayed focus on what I had to do and not worry about the other girls. I kept my strokes long and swam my heart out. The water was about 74 degrees, so borderline for a wetsuit in my book. By the time I had gotten about 1000m into the race, my legs were so hot and I was ready to be out of that water.

Not any good pictures from the swim...
so here we are leaving transition...off we go! 

Bike

The bike was so much fun!! Aside from the first part of the race being a steady climb, the bike was pretty easy and included some nice rollers. I actually did like having the men behind me because I would get passed by one and push it a little bit to catch up. The course was very well marked and the pavement was pretty close to perfect. The wind was the most obnoxious part of the whole race.  Once we made the turn around the wind definitely picked up. Since my suit was still wet, the wind was extra cold. However, I saw the wind as an opportunity to crank it out while everyone else was fighting to stay in the game. I knew I had strength there and it wouldn't burn me out for the run.

Hopefully better pictures to come. My mom didn't realize it was
 me biking toward her because she wasn't paying attention I was going so fast! 

Run

I am not sure how I feel about the run. It started with the HUGE hill right out of transition. A hill so treacherous that I probably would have been faster walking up the hill than running. I knew though that once I got to the top it would be all down hill... literally! It took me a little bit to get my pace down once I got to flat land! I saw my mom around this time which definitely made things a little easier. She was screaming out the window to stay strong. She also played my favorite workout song really loud and rolled down all the windows in the minivan, Dance (Ass, Ass, Ass). Side note: this song is awesome for training because it has such a fast beat that it matches my bike and run cadence! 

I just love this picture... obviously I am looking at my van blasting  music.
LOL WTF MOTHER?! 

I don't know how it happened, but I paced the run perfectly. Every time my watch vibrated to signify a mile, I looked down and noticed that it was between 7:10 and 7:17. Holy hell, I was staying consistent and keeping a quick pace! By the time I hit the turn around by the water, I knew it was time to kick. Kick I did. Everything hurt. My stomach, my chest, my hamstrings, my shoulders. I had between 18-22 minutes left. I can hurt for 20 minutes. Hint: to  make the time go by faster, find out how many water stations will be along the course beforehand. Then when you are running It was also helpful that there were some cyclists speaking a different language on the bike course that were cheering me on and rode down the road with us a bit. Also, people were playing music on the course, super motivating! 

Best part of the day. I LOVE RACING! 

POST RACE
I definitely pushed myself throughout that race. I stumbled across crossed the finish line with nothing left in the tank. My eyes went blurry and sort of blacked out. I was extremely nauseous and the smell of the Moe's post race food was awful (though I was eventually able to eat it). I got my bike as soon as transition opened and we went back to the hotel for a shower. However, we were not leaving the race site without ice cream! I ended up getting the chocolate milkshake I had been craving, though I wish it had been a little thicker. My favorite post workout drink is chocolate milk, therefore, a chocolate milkshake is like chocolate milk on steroids, right?! Chocolate milkshakes >> chocolate milk. 'Nuff said. 

We got back to the hotel, showered and packed up. We were trying to decide where we wanted to go get food before we hit the road. Obviously I suggested Penny Cluse, but figured it would probably be packed after the race. I called and they said the wait was only 15 minute! So you bet your bottom dollar we sped up the packing/showering process and made it down to there within 30 minutes. And how bout it that we walked in and there were 3 seats at the bar... AGAIN! We'll take it! This time I had a scrambled eggs with Vermont cheddar (delish), turkey sausage, and the granola. This time I got it with cold milk instead of hot. Luckily they served it with milk on the side... I couldn't eat it all so I took the rest home... and added it to the pound package I bought the day before! After we ate it was time to say goodbye to Vermont and an awesome race!

Overall, I had an AMAZING experience. I had so much fun with my mom and Sue. It was a nice little getaway before heading back to school. I wish I had been able to spend more time in Burlington after the race...especially if I were 21. I  hope I get another opportunity to compete at AGNC in the future. So many rumors going around that it will be somewhere in Colorado and San Diego next time! Going to have to start saving soon if I want to go!

Stats: