Tough Mudder | Jen Bendewish │Running Down a Dream

Mondays… Running & Raindrops

I love to run on Monday mornings. There is something cleansing about starting the week off with a Monday morning run that just puts my heart and head in the right place. Today was not one of those “soul cleansing” type of runs. I was almost hit by two distracted drivers, got way too close to a giant spider web and a spider the size of my palm (I don’t think they were Halloween decorations), and had to make two potty stops, all of which slowed down my run tremendously. All these things started to put me in a less than grateful mood.

Then, in my last half mile I began to feel raindrops, which led to a light rainfall. I could have gotten upset at the fact I would be soaking wet by the time I got home or that the rain was breaking in my new running shoes way faster than I had planned, but I could not help but smile and enjoy it. I could almost hear the Bambi song playing in my head…”drip, drip, drop, little April shower, beating a tune as you fall all around,”….. yes, I know how cheesy that sounds. I could not help but feel that the big guy above let those drops fall just for me and those drops fell on me to wash away the negativity that was just beginning to build from a less than pleasant run. I relished those last few minutes as I ran in the rain and was momentarily reminded of what it was like to be a kid playing in the rain. Several people drove past me and I cannot imagine what they might have been thinking.

When was the last time you had a moment where you smiled for no reason, where you just enjoyed the moment you were in, and couldn’t help but smile?

I hope you all have a beautiful Monday and a beautiful week!

Tri and Recover… & Recover Some More

Prior to March 31^st, I had no plans on racing in the Madison Sprint Triathlon on May 4^th. In fact, I had planned on going out to support my Tri club with a camera in hand. However, my dismal bike ride at Red Hills on March 31^st left me determined to prove to myself that I could ride faster than 11 mph, not that 11 mph is bad, I just knew I was capable of better.

So, after the Red Hills Triathlon on March 31^st, I signed up for the North Florida Sprint Triathlon in Madison, Fl. This race also offers an Olympic distance option. Part of me wanted to sign up for the Olympic distance, but the thought of swimming out twice as far, instead of swimming two short loops quickly helped me make up my mind about the Sprint distance.

I maintained the same training schedule that I had up to the Red Hills Triathlon so that I wouldn’t try and bike too much. I didn’t want to change my training much because I wanted to get a true gage of where my cycling actually is.

As race day neared, I realized that this race was going to be a little different from the previous triathlons I had done. For the previous three races all I had to worry about was getting me and my gear ready. For this one, I would be taking my little girls with me and they would be watched over by some amazing mom’s in our tri club. Still, I had to get their gear, diaper bag, snacks, and sleeping arrangements ready in the car.

RACE DAY

I was up at 4:00 a.m. and hoped I could make it out the door by 5:00 a.m. with gear, two little sleepy girls, and a cooler full of food. My 4 year-old was up at 4:30 a.m. and decided she needed to wait in the car while I finished getting everything ready. I sure do love that girl. We somehow managed to make it out the door by 5:00 a.m. and during the entire drive I kept thinking I forgot something (I didn’t forget anything and triple checked before leaving the house). When you do a race and take young kids with you, the amount of stuff you are accountable for is ridiculous and I think I had more anxiety about forgetting something than actually racing. Continue reading →