I run because...

Although I call myself a triathlete, running is still my sport of choice. It's what I do to clear my mind, to feel healthy, strong and alive. In a race, I can't wait for the moment when I'm done with the stress of open water swims and the adrenaline of bike racing, I can drop all the equipment, all the worry, and just do what I do best. Nothing to get in my way, and nothing to think about but staying relaxed and keeping my feet moving fast. People have been running since they stood on two legs. It's primitive, it's free, and it's something I'm so glad to have discovered a passion for. Three runs over the holiday break reminded me why I do this sport, and I've been wanting to write about them ever since.

#1: Annapolis, MD. From my house, over the Naval Academy bridge, past my elementary school and down to Greenbury Point, a beautiful set of trails right by the Severn River that I need to explore more often. It was late afternoon, the sun hitting the leaves and water in that perfect way. I wanted to know where every trail led, and I ended up running for much longer than I had planned. Back over the bridge just as sunset was approaching, and home again with the ever-addicting mix of exhaustion and exhilaration.  

#2: St. George Island, FL. On a family vacation, staying at a beach house just behind the dunes. It was morning, and heavy fog made visibility impossible beyond about 10 ft. I ran down a road parallel to the beach for about 20 minutes, then turned toward the sand to head back. I ran home on the beach, right on the edge where the sand was still hard-packed from the waves. It was the most surreal run of my life. It was as if this stretch of silent beach, the seagulls and pelicans that occasionally flew by, and I were the only things left in the world. Unable to see even to where the beach houses began, I took a guess about 40 minutes in and headed up to the dunes, fortunately finding my street right away. It was perfect.

#3: St. George Island, FL. Another beach run, but this one completely different. It was about 4:30 in the afternoon, and I wanted to try my first barefoot beach run ever. It felt summer warm, so all I needed was a pair of shorts and a sports bra. This time I walked right out to the beach so I could do my entire run on the sand. With slow sitar music playing on my iPod, my bare feet splashing in the waves as they hit the shore, I just kept going. All I could think about was how much beauty was surrounding me. I  ran as the sun set, not wanting to stop even as I could feel blisters forming on my toes. When I was finally spent, I collapsed in the sand and just stared at they sky turning to dusk. After a final soak of my feet in the water, I hobbled back to the beach house, not realizing how long I'd actually been gone. My parents were ready to come searching for me — (sorry for the stress, mom and dad.)

And Boulder, while it doesn't have rivers or oceans, is beautiful in its own way. Here, I get to run through the mountains, watch the sun setting behind the Flatirons, catch a view of the whole city from up on Flagstaff. I run because for me, there's no better way to feel like a part of my surroundings and appreciate what the world has to offer. I hope I'll be able to run until I'm old, because few things make me more content.

A sampling of perfect beach-at-sunset run music:

Maharaj Pariksit

Give and take.

Caryn

A New Set of Priorities

I'm home! Here I am in Annapolis, Maryland, sitting at a table outside the City Dock Cafe in 70 degree sunny weather. It actually feels like summer here-- shorts and flip flops, ice cream outings, and that beautiful Chesapeake Bay. At the Naval Academy, the freshmen-to-be will be starting Plebe Summer soon (I'll feel sorry for them the next time I'm running on the Navy track in a tanktop and they jog by wearing camo and backpacks, but I admire what they go through.) Best of all, Annapolis is hosting a triathlon this Saturday! At the Tri-Rock sprint triathlon, athletes swim in the Chesapeake, bike by the Naval Academy, and run through historic colonial downtown. Live music all through the course! The race directors were in desperate need of lifeguards, and since Oscar is officially sold to my roomie and I'm therefore bike-less, I'll be seeing the race from a perspective other than a competitor this time. I'll most likely be on a float or boat out in the water looking out for tired swimmers-- and meanwhile, I'll get a chance to check out people's open water swimming techniques and maybe get some tips. :)

I'll only be here for ten more days, though. On May 23, my mom and I fly to Paris. We'll spend a few days in France visiting my other mother, Moe Delaitre, at her farm in Ussy. After that, my dad and grandmother will fly out to meet us and we'll tour Italy for a week or so-- my grandmother is especially excited to see Bari, the southern Italian town where her family grew up but which she has never visited. On June 10, my family heads home and I meet my group in Urbino, Italy, where I'll spend four weeks doing a study abroad in magazine production and international reporting. :) The University of Urbino is one of the oldest colleges in the world, founded in 1506. It's in central Italy near the Adriatic coast. We'll spend our mornings taking Italian language classes, have a break from 1 to 3 according to Italian custom, and do reporting, interviewing, seminars, or one-on-one coaching in the afternoon. Our end goal is to create an English-speaking magazine called "Urbino Now" about the community, its culture and customs.

Our course description tells us that the magazine "will be a reflection of your explorations and discoveries in this beautiful rural region of ancient fests, traditional crafts, slow food, and slower living." It sounds like the perfect summer to me. One thing I'll have to make peace with, though, is that I won't be training a whole lot. I won't have a bike, so riding won't be possible. I'll spend some time in a pool if there's one nearby, but I'm not going to spend hours a day in a place that's probably just the same as any in the U.S. I have been thinking over the possibility of some open water swimming in the Adriatic, but we'll see if that's realistic. I'm definitely going to try and run, but I've heard that if you run in Italy, people thing you're running from the cops or something, so I'll just have to see how it goes. These six weeks will be a chance for me to enjoy the "slower living" described above. My priorities will be learning as much as I can about writing and reporting, stepping outside of my comfort zone, exploring new places, meeting new people, and taking the time to savor Italian meals of pasta and red wine. I'll have all the time in the world to get moving again once I get back to Annapolis, but in Italy, I'll go slow.

Dare e prendere.
Caryn

Team

I've been home in Maryland for almost three weeks now. I think I can actually hear Boulder calling my name. I fly back out west tomorrow, and I couldn't be more ready. After finals week, all I wanted to do was come home, relax in my own bed, and work out on my own time. Now, though, I miss having a schedule, being busy, and most of all, training with my team. I have some of the best teammates in the world. They keep me motivated and accountable, and they give me a positive boost when I'm having an off-day. It's much easier to get through the last yards of a swim workout while listening to Rihanna's pep talks than it is to do it alone. It's a lot more fun to run 12 hilly miles while Bobka is by your side saying ridiculous things like, "I just love working hard on a beautiful day!" And it's 10 times more enjoyable to ride bikes outside with Morgan and talk about boys than it is to suffer through a spin class that starts before the sun is up.

Triathlon is not usually a team sport, but those of us on the CU Tri Team know how great it is to have a group of people to practice with and someone to race for other than yourself. Even if we only saw each other at practice, we would be spending an average of 1-4 hours together every day. But that's usually not enough for us. We have team potlucks every week, we hang out together on the weekends, some of us even live together. We see each other at our absolute best and absolute worst, when we feel triumphant after doing well in a race or when we want to die in the middle of a hard workout. My teammate Morgan, who's also part of a sorority, told me her brother bet her once that she was closer with her teammates than with her sorority sisters. When she asked why, he said that the kind of person who can be this dedicated to a sport must be a dedicated friend. I think that's true, and it describes people on our team really well. It takes a certain kind of commitment (and, okay, insanity) to be a triathlete, and that quality also makes us close with each other as friends. That helps explain why I train and race so much better when I'm with my team than when I'm alone.

So, bottom line, I've had enough of this training alone thing. I miss my motivators and friends. And after a well-deserved and fully enjoyed rest, I'm ready to get back to the grind with my team as we start the countdown to Havasu. See ya later, Annapolis!

Give and take.
Caryn