P-A-C-I-N-G

Never in a million, billion, trillion years did I ever think that I would need to tell myself to slow down. I was always been the kid who ran pretty slowly. I usually cannot talk when running or working out in general. Why? Well, I'm too busy gasping for breath. Over the last few weeks, I have been forced to realize that if I just slow down my pace a little, in both running and swimming, I can go farther and for longer, and manage to talk while running.

Pacing is a lesson that I think I missed in junior high gym class. Maybe instead of spending so much time insisting that we all shower after class or getting us excited to do butt slides, those teachers could have given us some lessons in how to appreciate running. It wasn't until after college that I started to see running as a fun activity. In my mind, running was something to be dreaded, especially in the spring when we had to run a mile.

Not that I can entirely blame the gym teachers of my childhood. I have never been an athlete, but I have discovered that I'm pretty good at working out. Really, what is a triathlon except one really, really long workout? As long as I can keep moving in a forward direction for 3-4 hours, without injuring myself, I will finish and after all, that is the main point for me. Although, I also am raising money for a great cause too!

Thus far, the training has only been okay. Between work and trying to maintain a social life, it's hard to find the time everyday to put in the miles. Also, since it is clearly summer in the fair District of Columbia, any outdoor activities need to be done at sunrise or after sunset. Even this morning's 8:30 AM run should have been done a good hour beforehand and I know that I'll be paying for it with a mild headache all day.

Besides the obvious training that I need to focus on, I really must start putting efforts into my fundraising. For over a month, I have been at 10% to my fundraising goal...which is great and I'm so appreciate to everyone who has donated thus far! But, $2400 is still a long way off and this is an effort I'm not willing to quit.

So, since it is the end of June, I'm committing (or re-committing?) myself to both my training and fundraising efforts. The race date of September 12th seems so far off, but time moves quickly and I know it will be here in no time!