Down Time

This week has been 'just a week'. Nothing too terribly exciting to report, I have been hitting up these 3x2k run workouts on the track and LOVING THEM. I do them on Tuesday mornings, after a long run on Sunday and an easy day on Monday, so despite being in a haze at 5:45 AM, once I get moving I usually feel pretty good. I have been coupleing a harder bike ride that afternoon as well, which works good, I am trying to find a balance of swimming and cycling but it not taking away from the run speed right now. I have also been keeping my long Sunday runs HILLY which too, I love. So, training is training right now. I plan to run the Daisy 5k tomorrow, put on by the Austin Runners Club. This is a boy-chase-girl format, so the women go off 3 minutes ahead of the guys. And, there is prize money! So in this kind of race, you really have to go all out after the gun goes off to hope you don't get caught. Should be a fun time, I passed up the Shamrock Half Marathon in Virginia Beach. I just felt the travel was costly and it was only 3-4 weeks after AT&T, didn't want to be stupid. A 5k outside my door sounds a bit more reasonable. I had a friend Noelle Wilhite come into town last weekend for 2 days, what fun we had! We hit up The Broken Spoke to see an awesome show, and a lot of kick-ass country dancers (2-steppers), and on Saturday we went to Barton Spring and swam for about an hour. She kicked my butt in Stacy Pool on Friday doing sprints (for fun) but I was able to 'pay back' Saturday doing 400's in Barton Springs. Noelle was a great sprinter and breaststroker in college, it was so much fun to swim together! She'd be a great swim buddy if she'd only move to Austin.... :)

Work is going well with the new job, it is nice to be in a very positive environment and be given 'tasks' and things to accomplish. As nice as it is to be a 'full-time athelte', I guess I have been there-done it and it is a sweet life but I find myself wanting something more, especially something more to show at the end of the day. And, I know that I do not spend my whole day training, either! So this is a great situation as I am utilizing my skills, being challenged and being proactive with a company that is really moving forward and wanting to make an impact. I like that. :)

Derick is at a wedding in Florida this weekend, so it is some good 'Kelly Time' (well, now Kelly-Shackleton time, our cat). I tend to savor it when I am alone, sure after awhile it may get lonely or quiet, but even with South by Southwest (SXSW) going on in Austin, I still tend to become a hermit when I am left alone. That can be good and it can be bad...but for what it's worth, I use it as time to catch up on things I never seem to find time to do. Clean up the house (it is always 'dirty'), read more, do more yoga, watch movies Derick would NEVER watch, and really just relax in general.

That is about it on my end! Things are moving along as usual here...if anything exciting an earth-shattering happens soon, I'll be sure to write about it. In the meantime, please be safe on the roads riding. Even though most people I know race bikes and know the risks they take, I am hearing more and more about road cyclists/triathletes getting tangled up with cars. Best rule of thumb, do NOT expect that cars will obey the traffic laws! And do NOT always expect that they can see you, either.

Thanks for reading!

*Picture is myself and Derick along with my good friend Laura Reid (Svhilik now) and her husband DJ, we were outside of a coffee shop in Nashville, Indiana over Thanksgiving. Thanks for the pic, Laura, I miss you!*