sometimes days off pay off.

The past couple of weeks have been interesting because I've had SO much work at church, and two retreats where I was out of town. So obviously I missed some training. That was hard because for 5 weeks I didn't miss a day! During those weeks I probably trained a good 3 days/week. I was nervous about how I would perform after the breaks in my schedule, and it actually helped me! The rest helped my body recover and come back harder, faster, better, stronger (thank you, Kanye for the words when I need them).

I rode 20 miles on Monday. Every time I go out now I'm averaging 20-25 mph for my rides, which is a HUGE improvement for me. I've probably seen the biggest improvement on the bike, which is so fun because those are my favorite training days. I spend a lot of time praying and thinking when I'm riding outside. It's encouraging when you're covering a lot of ground and getting to see nice countryside at the same time. I love the wind on my face and the determination that I get when I see a large hill looming up ahead. I feel closer to God when I'm out there chasing the sunrise and enjoying the gifts and blessings that He has given me.

My swimming is smoother now, too. I'm focusing on rotating my body through the water with each stroke, and that cuts back on a lot of time and effort (I'm more thankful for less effort, honestly). I finished my workout this morning and felt like I could've gone much farther. You know what that means....tonight I'm headed out for a run. I'll spend today working up at the church, meeting with people, and eating! I crave protein and cheese! I think that's helped keep me going - high protein and carb diet.

I also got my hair cut this morning. If you're looking for a good place to go, I highly recommend Chrome. It's on University by Wings-n-More. Lindsay Jacobus referred me to Melody and she was great and so fun to talk to. If you go in off a referral you get 25% off! I didn't get anything drastic done, but my head definitely feels lighter. Hmm, I wonder how much faster my times will be...:)