Kona obsession and a 5K PR

First of all, I have to get my Kona excitement out of the way! Kona was absolutely incredible this year!!! Holy cow! I spent the whole day with my computer hooked up to our TV, watching the event unfold. We went to a friend's house that night and I was worried about missing the finish, but luckily some of the other guests were as excited as I was and we got a computer hooked up in time to see Chrissie and Mirinda come across the line. It was so unbelievable. Crowie breaking the course record was great, but even more amazing was watching Chrissie Wellington come back form her less than stellar swim. It was a whole new side of her. Not only can she dominate from start to finish, but now we know she can come from behind and fight all the way till the end!

Ok, so now that that's over with, back to my training! Since my last race, I have been totally revamping my training. First I am training for this half marathon, but I am also working on my speed on the bike and run for the sprint relay in Bermuda with my mom. I'm having a lot of trouble getting back into the right kind of cycling shape. When I cut down on the amount of cycling I was doing, I lost a lot of the fitness I had. I'm trying to build back to short distance speed, but it's really tough.

I thought I was having a similar problem with my run training, however, and it turns out that my self assessment wasn't entirely accurate. This past weekend I ran the Great Pumpkin 5K and I got a new PR. 23:34! That's 7:35 min miles! For me, that's freakin' nuts. It was a perfect day on a rolling course, and my friend Jackie came to run too. She's been dealing with a leg injury and we didn't run together, but I was so excited she was there with me.

Speaking of injuries (ah the constant theme), I am still having issues with my right hip, as well as some lower leg pain on my left. The lower leg pain seems a bit similar to shin splints, but it's lower than normal and feels a little more muscular. I think I am going to tape it for my run today to see how that works out.

I've been out of the pool since my half-iron distance race. I just haven't felt like swimming since then and I am not training to swim for a while so I decided if my mind needed a break, it was time to give it one. I've been going to yoga and rock climbing with my wife instead for cross-training. Time to get ripped!! :)

Did anyone make my Moroccan Chicken Stew recipe yet? I am going to make it again today and I am really excited? Love love love it!

Alright, time to cook, have lunch, go to the doctor, and then get my run in!