I love training.

No, really. I DO! Because once you really get into it, YOU GET INTO IT! This week was so awesome; I did two workouts on Tuesday including some ab work, swam on Wednesday, and did a fantastic lactate-threshold treadmill workout this morning, followed by weight lifting.

Active.com really does provide some great pointers. Their latest newsletter featured 3 treadmill workouts to do once a week, written by Gale Bernhardt, the Olympic coach for the US Triathlon Team in 2004. Since the rain is here, I decided to take advantage of these to do some speed work, as this Emerald Nuts 5K run is coming up sooner than I've even begun to realize. I want to do well! 5K...I mean, it seems like such a little distance compared to everything else, but it IS 3.1 miles...not a sprint...though, when I think back to that sprint triathlon I did in 2005 in Pleasanton, I believe the distance was 4 miles and I paced at 7:28 or something...I honestly don't remember. Maybe it was more like 7:45. Treasure Island was 7:51. So...if I was able to run that fast in two triathlons...why couldn't I run faster in a 5K?

Anyway, it's great to have things to shoot for, and now I've got that kinda-sore/kinda-tired feeling that feels soooooooooooo good because you know you're working hard but you don't feel exhausted yet. I had a FANTASTIC swim practice last night - we did the Terrible Twos - 5 x 200 going as hard as you can on each one, on 3:30 - so theoretically you should be getting AT LEAST 40 seconds rest. I was coming in at 2:50 for the first 4, and with Kevin's encouragement (saying "SUMMON THE BEAST INSIDE YOU, SARAH! COME ON! BREAK 2:50!!! YOU CAN DO IT!"), I made the last one in 2:47. Sweeeeet. It feels so good to be building my swimming strength back the right way, as well as everything else.

I love training!