Through the Storms...

If you saw lightning this morning in downtown Austin, it wasn't the storm that rolled into town around 7am. It was the Gazelles whipping up 1000m repeats at Zilker Park and creating streaks of speed lightning all over the place! You know, all of this distance training has pretty much made me feel like a slug. Weird, I know. I very rarely push myself out of my comfort zone these days. (except for the whole 20 hours of training per week thing) With a constant level of fatigue, it's hard to find the spring in my step to run fast. Admittedly and dutifully so, the last few months have been about miles...and hours...and endurance. Today's workout was about speed. Originally, I thought we were doing Wilke hill repeats, but I was wrong and relieved when he said we were doing 1000s. The pain and searing lungs are intense, but you know it won't last long.

We did 6 repeats and they are some of the best I've turned out in a long time. I've restored faith that I actually could outrun someone if being chased instead of saying to the assailant, "Can you slow down a bit? I'm trying to keep my heart rate in Zone 3!"

#1 4:22 (7:01 pace) and that was our warm up

#2 4:02 (6:29)

#3 4:02 (6:29)

#4 4:01 (6:27)

#5 4:00 (6:26)

#6 3:53 (6:14)

We ended the workout in a virtual downpour with thunder and lightning. Still, I was running in shorts and a tank top, which is a far cry from how my Ohio friends and family have spent the last few days of their lives!!

Yep--Columbus, Ohio officially survived the "BLIZZARD of 2008!" Almost 2 feet of snow in 24 hours. Hey Mom and Dad, if you ever wonder why I don't move back home, now you know :-) I miss y'all, but Good Lord! And to think, I was bitchin' about having to do my outdoor swim on Sunday morning in Barton Springs!! Oh, woe is me!

I saw some great photos on Dispatch.com and had to laugh when I saw this picture. It's a picture taken from a city bus on High Street in the Short North area of Columbus

Nine months ago, Shawn and I were standing under that very arch in the middle of High Street in the Short North on our Wedding Day. Our reception was at the awesome wine bar called The Burgundy Room. (A wine bar??? Shocking, I know)

Also, in honor of our Ohio peeps, I made Cincinnati-style chili for dinner tonight (read: the antithesis of Texas Chili). It's spicy/cinamon spiced chili with ground meat served over pasta with some cheddar cheese. Not entirely appetizing to look at, but the taste is unforgettable (for better or worse!) Don't worry, I cooked it as healthy as possible using semolina pasta and very lean ground chuck. If you've ever had this style of chili, you'll also know that they usually pile so much cheese on top that you can't even see the pasta. I only used "a pinch" of cheddar.