Running, Swimming, Shoes and Conference

It has been settled. I'm going to do a half marathon and a triathlon! I'd never have imagined myself running let alone doing a triathlon a month ago.

The longest I've ran so far is 6miles. A half marathon is 13.2miles and people say that you run slower as you go along. But for me, I run faster with time (at least in a 6miles run). It's more the pain from the impact than being tired that is stopping me from going faster although I do sweat SO much! I'm currently doing just slightly above 10min/mile. I'd be satisfied to finish below 2hours. But very happy to do it in 1h40min. I set high reaching goals most of the time.

I went swimming in a lap pool for the first time in a long time. It's a drag that I could only swim breast stroke 'well'. So I have to refine my crude and almost non-existent freestyle techniques. I was uncomfortable in the pool and was conscious that I'd make a fool of myself but that was the last thing on my mind...I was doing several strokes before I'd take a breath, and when I did I discovered that I was out of air and then I'd start panicking and stop swimming. After awhile, I realized that it was because I didn't let go of the previous breath and so there was no room for more air - so stupid! It took me pretty much the whole swim to realize this so it wasn't a very productive session and I was quite disappointed in myself. Oh well, on the bright side I have another challenge that I will overcome!! :)

I'm wearing barefoot running shoes which scientifically is supposed to result in less running injuries, still my knee is giving me some problems and my shins feel stiff. I realized while running that if I bend my knees a bit when I land, then the landing is much softer and so much more comfortable. I want to use shoes that are good for me in the long term, even if it means pain now, it's better than running in the wrong form (landing on my heels) and have chronic problems later on. So I'll be patient. Right now I'm icing my left knee since it's swollen (again). I think I spend more time in recovering mode than in the minimal training that I do.

hehe I'm going to a conference in Berlin! So excited even though it's many months from now. Speaking of which, I should really do some German. At the end of the month, I'll go to a conference in Chicago. I'm happy that finally I'm going to conferences. It's going to be so awesome to present research that I've worked on for so long, meet new people, go to different places and in general just experience new things.