Well, my last paper has been submitted, and my final exam complete. For better or worse, finals are over and I no longer have an excuse to put off my training. My brain is still feeling a little fried, though, and I'm honestly at a complete loss as to where to even begin. Every time I see Pikes Peak, I get this rush of excitement for the Ascent, but it's always followed by a millisecond of feeling sheer terror in the pit of my stomach.

Right now, though, I’m more nervous for the Garden of the Gods 10-miler. We’re just about 3 weeks out, and I’m nowhere near “in shape”. I blame Professor Nancy Huang and 8^th block Genetics. Of course, genetics is what got me into this mess in the first place. I cling to this notion that, because my mother is an incredible runner, I must be too – It’s in my genes, right? I tend to forget about all the hard work she puts into her training, and I end up thinking that just by signing up I’ll start winning races too.

After going on my first “long” run in about a month yesterday, I was quickly disillusioned. I’m not going to make it through the Garden or up the Peak by just strapping on my running shoes and heading out the door. Real training starts today – a couple of months late, and sorely needed.

         With all of that said, I hope I don’t come off as too cynical or disheartened. I am absolutely thrilled to start kicking my butt for these Triple Crown races, and I feel so honored to be chosen for the PikesPeakSports.us Triple Crown team (Thanks Tim, Ron Ilgen, and Mike Mazzola)! Summer is here, and I cannot wait to get back into my long runs, and to discover new trails and areas around town. Of course, it’s not helping that it’s 55 and rainy out right now…. Regardless, it feels great to have the time to run all I want again!

I am so looking forward to getting into a nice training routine. Running, hiking, biking, yoga, maybe even some swimming ( I probably need to learn a couple of strokes other than doggy-paddling first…). I really want to push myself this summer, and I sort of have to if I plan on surviving the Ascent… Over the past year I’ve fluctuated quite a bit in my fitness (I got into running last summer, then lost it as school took over my life, trained again a bit in January and February for the Winter Series, then stopped after the Super half-marathon), and I just feel so much better when I’m in shape. I think it’s a combination of getting outside more, feeling healthier, and being physically capable of doing just about whatever I want to (hiking and camping in awesome places).

These next few months are certainly going to be a challenge for me -  a fun, exciting, wonderful challenge.