Fellow Blogger Giveaway and Training For This Week

First and foremost. Visit Fellow Blogger Yo Momma Runs, who is giving away a pair of Injinji Socks this week. Got to love giveaways.

Speaking of Giveaways, I won a cycling jersey from Epix Gear last week. Flipping Sweet!!!

Workout-wise, I haven't been able to lift as hard as possible as I have a tendon out of place on my shoulder. I get it reset about twice a week but it keeps popping out. Yes, Dr. Cindy, I will pick up Manganese this week to fix it.

That said, I've still been doing crossfit/strength and conditioning workouts 2 or 3 times a week plus my triathlon work. I've already knocked out 30 miles of running and cycling this week. Tomorrow is day of 12 miles of running and about 30 miles of cycling... brutal...

I've also made a pact with a fellow blogger to tighten up our diets... I'd like to see my waist down 2 inches by next month. Let's hope I can continue this. I know I'll perform better at around 190 lbs as opposed to 205 where I'm at now.

Chicago Get Lucky 7k Race Report

So, March 16 was the Get Lucky 7k. Last year, I ran the Half Marathon version, but due to injuries, I decided to just hit the 7k this year. HUGE difference in weather. Last year, it was 83 degrees. This year, about 33. The walk over from the train was awful... I could not get warm.

When I got to the gear check in, there was a major issue. A line about 300 yards long. TO CHECK IN A BAG! Come on Team Ortho. Get on that. Inexcusable, especially in the cold.

The ground was wet so there really wasn't anywhere to stretch that was off course. So before our race started, I walked down the first 300 feet or so and just sat down on the path and stretched. Got in my half mile warm-up as well.

Decided to start up front as I figured I would be one of the faster people (by comparison). My toes literally didn't warm up until we were a mile in. I felt pretty strong and I like running on the lakefront path, so it was all good in the first half. However, when we made the turn to come back, it was directly into a head wind. Ugh... Finished strong, though, with the last 1/4 mile under 7:00 pace. The course was supposed to be 4.35 miles by my calculation but actually ended up a tenth of a mile longer. (That's the second race I've been in that that's happened in. How do you miscalculate that as an event planner?)

All in all, it was fun. I finished 3/72 in my age group, which I was very pleased with.  My time was 34:44 which wasn't too bad. There were certainly some better runners in this race as opposed to last year, so the field was definitely stronger. Team Ortho gives out some really good swag and the hoodies look great, although I think I liked last years medals better.

I'll definitely be doing the Chicago Monster Dash in the Fall again. Color me excited... and green... :)

Winter blues

So, the past few months, I hadn't been really working out as hard as possible. I've been in the middle of the winter blues and the offseason of racing. I especially have issues when it comes to winter. Depression hits every year, the lack of sun really hits me hard. I eat more than I should (I'm a comfort food eater), I tend to gain weight and generally just walk around miserable. Not fun for me and not fun for my family either. Cabin fever doesn't help either.

I have had an issue with depression for the past 7 years or so. From what I've read on CTE's, there's a good chance that that's what I have going on in my brain from years of professional wrestling. For those of you unfamiliar with CTE's, CTE stands for Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy and it's a progressive degenerative disease in the brain. Stems from repeated head trauma and concussions and is seen a lot in boxers and pro football players. Symptoms include loss of memory, dementia, depression etc. Depression and memory loss... I definitely have those two locked up.

I have found solid exercise is one of the few things that can help me snap out of my funks. Having a race goal to look forward to helps me increase my training and keeps me focused on working out and keeps my mood up

Now, spring is around the corner. Daylight savings time is a couple weeks away and the first race is two weeks from tomorrow. So, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. That said, I jumped up my training big time recently.

I went from running 3 times a week and swimming twice a week to now doing 3-4 runs, 4 swims and 3 bikes. Add to that some intense strength and conditioning training 2-3 times a week and I can tell you there is a difference. This week alone, I shed about 8 pounds from just the increase of work. My mood is much improved, my confidence is better and I'm eating better. I found a new level of running speed this week and swimming is getting a bit easier. My energy levels feel better, I'm not snapping at everyone and I'm able to kind of roll with things better.

In conclusion, I have found that my training and workouts are my best defense against my depression. I'm looking better, feeling better, and just doing better in general. Go outside, get some work done and enjoy life... It's better than feeling bad sitting indoors...