It's April! And racing season! And other odds and ends...

Happy tax day (tomorrow - and how is 'happy' a part of it, even if you do get a tax return?!).

Starting soon, I think that I need to have some sort of a 'regular' blog session, just so that I can post about my oh-so-exciting life.  I realize that many people in the digital age have moved on to Instagram and/or Twitter, but I'm not there yet.  In my defense, I still remember when I didn't even use email 20 years ago.

But, to at least give a monthly update...  Last year, I remember that February was such a challenging month, and this year, March certainly filled February's shoes, and more.  Now that April is upon us, and we have some certainty/clarity about life as we move forward, I feel lighter and much less stressed.  As I look back at March, I can't believe how much we weathered - figuring out job stuff for the short-term, dealing with a slight physical malaise (my back), and coming to terms with a death in the family.  It always amazes me, when I'm in the midst of a stressful situation, I tend to put blinders on and just push through, but once I have some distance, I can see how hard it was.  So, yes, March was a difficult month.

April, training-wise, has felt more focused, and I am looking forward to my first 2015 race this weekend!  TriEvents #2 is a local event in which I've participated without great success and, recently, I've come to know the race better as a volunteer.  This Sunday, however, I'll be donning my wetsuit for the first time since last summer and will force myself to remember how to transition.  I don't have high expectations - this race falls two weeks before St. George 70.3, which IS a 'big deal'.  Instead of racing, a part of me would rather have a big training weekend as a last-ditch effort to boost my strength/speed/endurance, but maybe this will boost my race confidence?  After all, I'm not sure how much "hay in the barn" I'd actually harvest at this point.  I do find it ironic that the more I train, the less I seem to race these days...

I don't have high hopes for TriEvents, but I'd love to put down a solid performance for me, swimming, biking (ha!) and running.  This is a tougher course than people give it credit, especially the bike, but I'd love to push HARD on the bike and see what that leaves me for the run.  I'm still not fast on the bike, even with the Bat, but I've felt so good transitioning bike-to-run, that I'm interested in seeing what my run will be.

And, despite my typical lackluster bike performance, I've had some good rides recently.  Well, some that left me scratching my head, like when I flatted BOTH tires at once.  It was the very end of a hilly ride and I just wasn't paying attention.  Fortunately, I was about 2 houses down from our house, so I just walked the bike home.  On the positive side, this past weekend, I rode what I remember from last year as a killer ride - GMR (Glendora Mountain Road loop), and while it was difficult, I enjoyed the ride SO MUCH!  I've been nervous about the St. George bike course, especially on the tri bike, but this gave me a sense that "Sí se puede".

(If I were a better blogger, I would actually have some photos, but I don't.  It was a gorgeous day to be out biking though and it's a great road to ride!)

Now, to end on a 'down' note.  While my back woes are definitely on the mend, to my immense relief, I feel that injury is something of a hydra for me.  Once I deal with a specific issue, another one (or two) raises its head.  I'm currently dealing with a bit of plantar fasciitis in my left foot/calf.  Ah, my old foe from 2012/13!  What is even more frustrating is that in other ways I feel that my running game is pretty strong right now, so I'd love to ignore this little niggle, but I know that I can't/shouldn't.  Last week, I pushed hard on the bike and then transitioned to a really fast run (this was probably the workout that tipped the scale to a full-blown flare-up of PF).  I'd love to see what I can do this weekend on the run, but I also don't want to sabotage St. George or, especially, Boulder.

There are a lot of 'lasts' that we are facing over the next two months.  Moving still feels a bit abstract, but I also know that this is the last local CA race that I'll do.  So, I want to have fun, enjoy the camaraderie on the course, and appreciate the overall experience.  It's also great to have a season 'launch' - to feel that I've built a solid base, worked towards this moment, and now I can take it in and see how I do.  Hopefully I'll have a bit of luck working in my favor too!