I thought I was going to do a tri, but I am not

When I was hurt, I swam a lot. A lot. I mean, not Michael Phelps a lot, but coming from nothing it was a whole bunch. I got acceptably good at too. Again, not Michael Phelps good, but if you saw me when I started, you'd agree. I owe a bit of gratitude to the pool. It kept my aerobic capacity in decent shape and that made a world of difference when I started running again. But, for me it was a means to an end. I swam to keep myself in shape when I couldn't run. I can run now, so I don't need to swim. Not only that, I don't want to swim.

Ok, I miss it a little bit. I went from having a hate-hate relationship with it to a love-hate relationship with it. I admit, it can be really refreshing to get out of the pool after a 2,000 meter swim. Every muscle in your body feels like it got a workout. But, I don't miss it enough to justify adding it into a pretty crammed running routine. I know that my running and the maintenance I try to do to keep myself injury-free takes up a lot of my free time. and on top of a 40+ hour a week job, it leaves precious time for me to spend with the people I love and care about. And, I know that because of the 5:30am runs and the stressful workdays, I can be a little testy when the day finally ends.

I am passionate about running. If I can't do it, I am miserable. I will make sacrifices to run. It is my release. Swimming doesn't evoke the same kind of emotions or dedication. That is why it has never been a consistent part of my routine.

I guess it was a bit idealistic of me to sign up for Tri-Latta. It was February. I was hurt. I was swimming a lot and I thought that when I started running again, I'd keep up the swimming. And for a while, I did. When you run 30 or 40 miles a week, that's not too hard. When it increases to 60 or 70, for me, something's got to give. So, with less than a month until Tri-Latta, I have decided that is $70 that will be wasted.

I am racing that weekend. I have marked June 10th's China Grove Main Street Challenge as my first 5K. Paul told me on a tempo run this morning that four or five guys from Asheville are coming down. That means I'd better keep running.