running...running...running

Yes, "running" three times over seemed like the appropriate title for today because as I was rolling my legs tonight (this is a cool thing us triathletes/athletes do to help prevent injuries...we grimace while we're doing it thinking that it's making us tougher to endure the pain! Truthfully, our muscles thank us when we do it!) this was the scene in my living room:Three pairs of the same model of Asics...all at some different stage of having been well-loved by their runner! Seriously though, the scene made me laugh. Partly because I'm not sure why I've decided to let my running shoes gather in front of my fireplace. (Maybe because it's 70 degrees here in Austin, Texas in the middle of January - no chance of my building a fire any time soon!) And partly because I know that my office/spare bedroom has also turned into a staging room for my workout gear. And my living room sort of has, too, when my bikes are in there. Pretty much, my condo is being taken over by workout gear. Everything from spandex in the closet to a bike trainer in my living room. The piles of magazines, subscriptions which I've put on hold at least through IM training because I can't keep up with them, have been replaced by TP massage kits and foam rollers. And the shelf above my oven which used to house only Pyrex dishes now holds all of my water bottles, too.
I'm thinking more about what I eat - in a good way - trying to make sure I'm refueling from the most recent workout and also fueling up enough for the next one. I structure some part of my weekend around when I have time to do laundry for the upcoming week. And none of that even takes into account the time we spend training itself! But I really love it. And we're in week #3 and I still love it. In fact, I told Chrissie today as I was mapping out my races for the season that the truth is that I don't love racing; I love training.
And I love days like today that start with a core workout (and some awesome 80s music complete with dance moves and singing from my teammates) that leaves your legs screaming all day...and end with a one of my favorite track workouts and a peaceful walk home from O'Henry on a really pretty night. Chilly enough to want the fleece after practice but warm enough to still be in shorts and not have to need a ride home (although my teammates and coach are always really nice about giving me one!).
So, it's Wednesday...and life is good. And I just had the best piece of toast with lemon-ginger marmalade...thanks, Jess!!! Feeling pretty darn lucky...again.