Game On!

So I've been trying to get back in shape and get re-motivated and all that good stuff; well last night i think I took some great steps in getting there. For the next 89 days I'll be doing P90X while trying to prepare for a number of races as well. The P90X pretty much kicked my butt and I'm already really really sore 12 hours after the fact...not really looking forward to today's workout. I am really excited to see the results though and lose some weight and have to carry less during my races.
Speaking of races I'm thinking about doing 6 races this season. Last year I only got in 3 but it being my first year I think that was okay. I did the Stansberry Sprint, the Spudman, and the Telos Turkey Sprint. If you remember I also managed to get hurt last year and that really kind of screwed up my training. I'm hoping that P90X will get me strong enough and help me avoid injury this year. So the races that I'm thinking about doing are the Lake to Lake 50 mile relay run, Telos Timp Sprint, Cache Valley Classic Tri, Echo Tri, Spudman, Lotoja (bike race), and maybe the Provo Tri to replace anything if missed or in place of the Echo . I'm already registered for the Spudman but its a lottery so I'll have to wait and see, and I already have a team for the Lake to Lake relay.
Lake To Lake
Running through St. George I'll be doing a 50 mile running race with Janna, Blake and Aubree Vogt, and Brady Thomas. We all have 2 legs, each leg averaging about 5 miles. Race day is March 6th and I'm not going to be in peak shape yet. I know I can run 5 miles no problem but its going to be slow and I'm going to be dead after my second run. We just barely got our team together and are registering within the next couple of days, we're just gathering money now.
So there is my season outlook so far, good chance some of it will change...Lotoja is no walk in the park, I'll need to be ready to actually consider it but now I've got some serious motivation and races to actually train for...wish me luck.

I hate being sick...and out of shape

Yesterday since we did not have school I took it upon myself to get in a really good workout. I woke up feeling pretty sick and knew it was going to be a rough day, my head was pounding and my nose was totally plugged. After finding some way to motivate myself I went to the gym and got all warmed up and hopped in the pool for a workout I had made for myself. I wanted to know how I was doing as far as being ready for the swim portion of a sprint tri. I did an 800 meter time trial that in all reality kicked my trash. I know Stephanie would laugh but I went a 12:33. That's definitely not my best but I think its an ok start for the season. All together my workout was only 1750 m long, for me right now, this was sufficient to kick my butt and I was dead when I got home. I had told Janna that I would go running with her in the evening though and so I managed to gather some energy from somewhere to get out and run in the 36 degree weather. I was feeling horrible before we even started and after one mile of our four mile run I knew I was in trouble. I could hardly breathe due to all the crap in my lungs and I was so tired from swimming that Janna immediately left me in her dust. I finally caught her at just before three miles but right then we hit a hill and I was done for, she seriously took off and by the time we finished I could hardly even see her (the last mile is a straight stretch). With about a half mile to go I was doing the old man shuffle just kind of sliding my feet along the pavement and I was actually wheezing. I spent the rest of the night trying to recover and I haven't felt that crappy in a long time. I was able to take some comfort in the fact that my best time on that run did kick the crap out of Janna's time but it still sucked.

Motivation is Key

Without a doubt motivation is the number one force when it comes to getting anything done concerned with workouts. Unfortunately this is also probably my weakest link. I don't really have a problem with finishing workouts or even finding time to do them but its the lack of motivation or drive that really makes it hard for me, and I'd imagine for most runners too. Today I was searching for some motivation and instead came across this:
Running Rules of Thumb

1. If you see a porta potty with no line, use it. Even if you don't need to.
2. If you have to ask yourself, Does this driver see me? The answer is no.
3. If you have to ask yourself, Are these shorts too short? The answer is yes.
4. 1 glazed doughnut = 2 miles
5. You rarely regret the runs you do; you almost always regret the runs you skip.
6. Not everyone who looks fast really is, and not everyone who looks slow really is.
7. Nobody has ever watched Chariots of Fire from beginning to end. Not even the people who made it.
8. You can never have too many safety pins on your gym bag.
9. Running any given route in the rain makes you feel 50 percent more hard-core than covering the same route on a sunny day.
10. If you care even a little about being called a jogger versus a runner, you're a runner.
-taken from Runnersworld.com and an article by Mark Remy

Oddly enough this actually served as motivation for me; I remembered that I am some sort of runner and that this simple fact sets me apart from the rest and makes me better. How do those rules do that? I get them and laughed at them, so I can see that I'm not your average idiot who never runs or does workouts. In short I can draw motivation from that cause I realize that unless I get outside and actually do something I will become one of them.
Motivation can come from anything...we just have to think it through and get ourselves there.

New Start?

My training routine of late has been pathetic at best. I have managed to run and ride a couple of times throughout the last couple of months but overall my workouts have been weak and without a purpose. Janna and I are trying to figure out what races we want to do for 2010 but until we actually register for something I'll probably have problems finding drive to do anything. I did manage to get a mile swim in today. Its the first time I've been in the water in a long time. It felt really good but I'm obviously out of shape.
A couple races that we are thinking about doing this year are the Spudman Tri in Idaho, the Lake Powell Tri, and a 5 person 50 mile relay in St. George. Really though we need to get signed up for some of that stuff and make some commitments. I also plan on doing the Lotoja which is a one day bike race from Logan, UT to Jackson Hole, WY. Should be good if I can come up with the money for all that and actually manage to train. Another concern that I have is my body...I hope it holds up this year.
In short I just need to start over and rededicate myself to training. As of late I've just been packing on weight and losing any kind of athleticism that I may have had. Yep, its definitely time for a new start.