June in Review

Week of June 17:
53 miles
6 Days Running
Half Marathon Champs in 5th to last place, 1:20:04
1 Day Off

Week of June 24:
4.5 miles
6 Days off
2 Days in Quebec
Reunion with my husband

Week of July 1:
35 Miles
1 Day off
4 Days in Quebec
5k Race

This summer of racing has definitely had its share of highs and lows--starting first with an abysmal performance at the NC USATF 10k Champs in May, followed shortly thereafter with quite possibly my best 5k performance since my freshman year of college, culminating with the worst half performance I've had, ever.  I don't have any excuse about my performance in Duluth, but I do know that surely it is not any indicator of where my true fitness truly lies.  Sure, there were a couple of hiccups along the way, like a unexpected throbbing pain in my lower back the night before the race, so agonizing that I wasn't sure I could even start the race.  Fortunately, my back calmed down after I warmed up, so basically I just had a very bad day and shrugged the bad performance off about the same time that I saw Laurie coming in for the finish in her marathon.   Of course I wanted to run faster and prove that I could indeed run with some of the best female distance runners in the country, but I have plenty of opportunities ahead of me to do so, again and again.  I will continue to improve and every race, even the worst of them, are putting me one step closer to achieving my latest goals.

Most importantly, I took a step back and realized there are few things that I need to get in order--(1) get a coach and (2) execute the lifting plan Garrett made me last year.  I'm working on #1 and I haven't started on #2 because I'm just now finishing up my two weeks of rest!  Of course I'm dreading the three days a week that I will need to lift, but I'll get over it soon enough, so long as I stick to the plan.  My mini vacation to visit Garrett was a great way for me to reflect on my running and what I want to focus on next.  The perfect, dry air cool temperatures provided me great inspiration to get training again for what I know will be a terrific fall of racing.  

I'm looking forward to the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Half Marathon on October 6th.  Beyond that, I may be toying with the idea of a winter marathon with Meagan, Laurie and Sarah, but I'm not making any decisions until summer has past.  Fortunately, the fall is a long time away and I still have two more months of training through the North Carolina swamp.  I hope to get in some good base mileage over July and August before buckling down into longer interval and tempo training in preparations for a marathon!

Several people have asked about the Trials and what my goal may be there and, for purposes of full disclosure, I would indeed love to qualify for the Trials, but I also have hopes of starting a family around the same time that the Trials would be held.  My goal will be to qualify, but with the understanding and acceptance that family would trump athletic events.   Until then, every mile I run will be for achieving the Trials standard!

Week in Review

56 Miles
6 Runs
1 Day Off
4 Mile Tempo in 23:48
14 Mile Long Run

While I had hoped for more miles this week, around 65 instead of 55, I listened to my body instead.  My left glute/hamstring has been bothering me a little bit--nothing painful, but more of an annoyance.  I felt it during what was supposed to be a 5 mile tempo and cut it short at 4 miles and immediately made a massage appointment with Adrienne.  I'm not too worried about it, but it definitely is something I need to monitor.  Stuff like this makes me want to bang my head against the wall because I should have been doing the lifting routine that Garrett made for me specifically.  Alas, there is nothing I can do now except get my butt in gear for the next training cycle and actually stick to the weight plan!

There wasn't much else to report from this week.  I haven't seen Garrett in approximately 6 weeks, not that I'm counting or anything, but I am going to change that in just two weeks!  I found a really good flight deal to fly into Montreal, so I'm going from June 29-July 4 to visit him and see him pitch in a game! I typically only get to see Garrett pitch once a season, so I'm truly looking forward to see him in action on the mound.  One week until the half champs and two weeks until I see my husband!

Week in Review

70 Miles
8 Runs
1 Day Off
5k Race in 16:36 (PR)
17 mile long run

Coming off of huge PR in the 5k Friday night, I spent the rest of the weekend with my brother and sister-in-law.  It was a great way to start the week with a PR and then to finish it off with a long run at Latta Plantation, with blueberry pancakes and scrambled eggs waiting for me at home.  My brother cooked not only me breakfast, but also my long run buddies, Matt and Nick.  I took a much needed day off earlier this week and then had to put in one more double than I would have preferred because I really tapered for the race.  It all worked out in the end.  This 5k PR is a great way to lead into the half champs, going in with confidence that I can PR in just two weeks time.

Week in Review

65 Miles
0 Doubles
0 Days Off
10x1 Min Workout
17 mile Hard Progression Run
1 Lift Session

I'm behind on my blog that no one reads besides my dad, so I'm keeping this one short.  After a return trip from California, I struggled to adjust back to the east coast swing of things, which resulted in an abysmal start to the week. Fortunately, things began to look up further down the week, when I completed a solid long run with several miles at 5:55-6:15 pace.  We had a very large crew out at McAlpine on Saturday for this progression run and we all put in a good, hard effort  at 6:30 in the morning.  The rest of the weekend was spent taking naps, eating and hanging out at the pool with friends.  I worked hard to get rid of my tan line and definitely got a sunburn to prove it.   Just three weeks until the USA Half Marathon Championships at Grandma's in Duluth, MN and I am ready!

Week in Review

75 Miles
Down Ladder on the Track
16 mile Long run
0 Days Off
8 Runs

After a quick turnaround after my stellar track workout on Tuesday, I decided to get my long run out of the way on Thursday morning.  An evening flight to California made it necessary to get this run out of the way before I left for the office.  My long run went by fairly quickly with Laurie and there really isn't much to report from it.  My legs weren't too tired from the track workout, but they didn't feel nearly as sprightly as they have in the past couple of weeks.  After the long run, I went to the Elizabeth Family Practice to get some bloodwork done that Dr. Price had called in for me.  Given that I hadn't taken my iron pills in a while and my poor performance at the NC 10k Champs, I already kind of knew what the results would be.  Sure enough, Dr. Price let me know that my Ferritin level was a 13. This is a bad number for most people, but it's an okay number for me.  So long as I keep my runs, workouts, and races within 10 seconds of my target pace, I don't go into oxygen debt.  Basically, I just need to race really smart and I can still run well.  Oh, and I need to take my iron pills, which I have been doing; I even brought my pills with me to California!

Speaking of California...the trip was amazing.  The weather there truly is unbelievably perfect and every time I go I wish I lived there--that is, until I hop into a car and sit on the freeway for two hours to go two miles.  My college roommate, teammate, bridesmaid, and all around best friend, Merry, flew from Tucson to hang out with my sister and me and we took advantage of our time together.  Every night we went to bed before 9PM, woke up before 7AM to get out the door for a run by 730AM, and hung out the rest of the day.  Our interests are so similar and it worked out perfectly for all parties because when we ran, it gave our gracious host and my sister a chance to relax and get things done around her place. We got the full southern California tour this time around, with a 24 hour stop in San Diego, a shopping excursion in Orange County, and a night in Silver Lake, near where some celebrities live.  We ate so much very delicious food that it saddened me to come back to Charlotte's dismal selection of healthy and local eats.

Week in Review

75 Miles
0 Days Off
8 Runs
10x1 Min Workout
16 miles w/ 4 miles @ 553 pace

This week surprisingly did not start off with sore legs.  In fact, since I ran so slow at my race on Saturday, my legs felt rather spritely, so I decided to jump into a workout on Tuesday.  I didn't write a blog this week for my minuter workout because there really wasn't much to report besides the facts.  I ran with Caleb and Laurie in the morning, with no focus on the splits or the paces, and finished feeling like I got in some good speed.  After more runs with fellow CRCers, my week culminated with a 16 mile long run with some tempo miles at goal half marathon pace thrown in.  Brad and Laurie accompanied me on the faster part, and we shot off a little too quick, but ran 4 miles in 23:35, gradually dropping the pace.  I pulled away from Brad in the end (he has a marathon next week), feeling the strongest at the finish.

As Meagan noted to me on phone earlier this week, we've got five weeks to get into good enough shape to run enough consecutive miles at this same pace to earn a PR.  I'm encouraged that things are headed in the right direction, and I'm crossing my fingers that the air in Duluth will be much dryer than the air here in Charlotte.  Summer is coming on full force as the humidity levels are beginning to finally reach what's considered normal.

(Down) Week in Review

53 Miles
6 Runs
10k Race in 36:49
No Long Run

This was a planned down week for two reasons -- I raced and I had 4 solid weeks of training at 65-70 miles on average.  I was hoping that the down week would ensure that I would race really fast, but that didn't happen.  While the race was a huge disappointment, I enjoyed the rest of the weekend by hanging out in Raleigh with Thomas, Michelle, Matt and Nick.

I'm also adjusting to my new role at work, which is taking up more time that in previous roles.  Sometimes I have to stay past 7pm, which for some people may not be a big deal at all, but for me, since I go to bed around 930 every night, it feels like all I do is work and sleep.  Additionally, since I'm in meetings all day, I haven't been doing a good job of eating since I don't take the time to grab my snacks.  I really need to focus on changing this bad habit so that it doesn't affect my running going forward.

Week in Review

65 miles
Mile repeats in 5:30 average
16 mile long in 6:50 average
7 runs
2 lift sessions

After coming out of last week feeling a little tired, I opted to make this week a medium down week so that my legs could recover a bit from the past three solid weeks of training.  This week, I had 2 runs of 6 miles or less, which seems to be exactly what I needed to get some spring back into my step.   I felt much more energized in two solid workouts with Laurie as we continue to get into PR shape for the USA half champs. There's just 7 more weeks until the big June race, and I'm excited to increase my mileage a bit to get that strength and endurance up.

Next week, I'm hoping to take a nice down week, featuring a day off and a 10k race in Raleigh.  After that, it's basically smooth sailing to the half as I only have one more race - the China Grove 5k.  While I wish that I had been able to find a fast 5k course in early April to achieve a road PR, a 5k just two weeks before the half will have to suffice.  I trust that I'll still have enough speed within me to break the 17:00 mark for the first time since college.

Week in Review

70 Miles
4 mile tempo in 5:55 + 4x400m
5 Miler Race in 28:44, 2nd place, $400
13.5 mile long run for Boston
7 runs

This week marked my third week out of four in which I headed out of town for a race with prize money.  I did not taper for this race and hit my highest mileage for 2013 with 70 miles.  For that reason, I had a fairly easy workout on tap for Wednesday, which I ended up doing alone.  By race day, the effects of the workout still hadn't cleared my system or my legs were tired from 3 consecutive weeks around 70 miles.

I got out of my car in Columbia, SC for the Women's Heart and Sole 5 Miler with high expectations to win.  It was my fourth year in a row running here and each year seemed to get better.  In 2010, I got third behind stiff competition (Janet Bawcom), in 2011 I held hands across the finish line with Meagan, and in 2012, I ran my fastest time on that course by over 45 seconds.  Hoping to best my time from last year, I came expecting to win and to push myself alone on the course.  I was so wrong!

On my warmup, I scoped out my competition and found basically no one.  However, on the start line, literally like 3 minutes before the race, the same chick that raced with me for half a mile at the Burrito Dash popped out of nowhere.  Off to the side stood her trusty coach and I knew it was going to be a good competition.  At this point, I hadn't discounted myself out yet.  After the gun went off, Joan (Burrito girl) and I took off for the $500 win.  By 1 mile, after we went through in 5:40, I knew that I was going to be out of the game.  On the downhill in mile 2, Joan took off and literally left me in the dust even though I ran a 5:20.  The hilly third mile began as I watched her gap even more distance between us.  While she probably split a 5:40, I split a 5:56.  At this point in the race, I basically just gave up. I knew that she was going to win handily and I also knew that there was no competition anywhere near me, so I settled.  I hate that I did it, but I did.  I gave in to a mental weakness and let her go and didn't try nearly as hard to catch her.  My splits are a little slower than last year, when I ran basically the same time but completely solo.  The key takeaway with this comparison is that I was able to motivate myself to go faster in those final 2 miles alone last year better than I could this year because I was "losing."  In the end, I crossed the finish line in 28:44, just 1 second off last year's time.  Fortunately I still came away with $400, which was great.  In the end, I know that I can beat Joan, but I just didn't have the heart to go for it this time around.

Sunday was highlighted with the Run for Boston at McMullen.  It was great to see 200+ runners come out in the rain to support Nicole and Michael Gross as they recover from this tragedy.  We enjoyed some soggy miles, great company and delicious homemade food for a couple hours in the early morning hours and I wouldn't have changed it for anything else.

Now on to next week, where I'll focus on my prep for the USA Half Marathon Champs

Week in Review

69 Miles
8 Runs
5k Race with a Burrito
14 Mile Long Run
1 hour Bike Ride

While I continue to barely miss hitting 70 miles for the second week in a row, I'm really happy with where my training is at.  It is interesting to note that last year at this time I was running 75-90 miles a week and I was feeling tired on a lot of my workouts.  Now I feel much fresher!  So far, my lower mileage approach has been working well for me.  I feel fresh in my workouts and fast in my races.  I am excited to see where this takes me in June, when I toe the line at the USA Half Champs in Duluth, MN.  Most of all, I'm excited that Laurie and I are continuing to get closer on each of our runs.  It's really great for me because Laurie is really tough on the longer stuff, so she can really push me there, and then I'm really tough on the shorter stuff.  So we both are helping each other with the areas we may not be as strong.  It also helps that our personalities fit perfectly.

Week in Review

69 Miles
8 runs
1 Workout Fail
16 mile Long run w/ tempo
2 Light lift sessions
1 Massage

My goal this week was to run 70+ miles for the first time since October 2012, but I got sick last Sunday, which put a hamper on my plans.  Fortunately, my cold (or allergies?) is slowly leaving my system as of today, so I'm confident that a solid week of workouts will get back into full swing!  Midweek, I was a little bummed that my workout basically didn't happen, but I bounced back quickly on Saturday with a solid long run.  Running side by side with Laurie and David, we traversed the McAlpine trails in 645 pace, gradually dropping the pace down as each mile passed.  It helped that the short spell of summer weather had dissipated after a night rain washed away all of the pollen and blew the humidity into the ocean.  The weekend weather was the perfect crisp, cool spring weather that is just too short here in North Carolina, but savored nonetheless.

Next up, Laurie and I are headed to Columbia for the race of intestinal fortitude!

Week in Review

58 Miles
8k Race in 28:40 for 1st place
7 Runs, 0 Doubles
1 Massage

This was definitely a good week of training. with decreased mileage due to the first race in the NC USATF Endurance Series.  I enjoyed a mini vacation in Greensboro with Garrett, got to catch up with some old Wake Forest buddies, and, best yet, got a massage from Joel Tull!  While I am sad that I missed the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler, the opportunity at the Gate City 8k was much better and hard to pass up! Looking ahead, my goal next week is to hit over 70 miles for the first time since October 2012 and log some quality workouts before racing again the last two weekends in April.

Week in Review

67 Miles

7 Runs

16 Miles w/ 4 miles tempo

2 Lift Sessions

My spirits after setting a PR last weekend were immediately dashed after dealing with tight calves that resulted in a bagged workout on Wednesday and several shortened runs.  I maintained my composure and set my sights instead on a Saturday long run with a large group of people on the South Park Race Fest Half Marathon course.  I crossed my fingers that my calves would be recovered by then, and, sure enough, they were.  At 715AM, I set off on the hilly course with Caleb, Charlie, Aaron, Paul, David, Mike, Adam, Pete, Billy Adrienne, and several others.  After clicking off several miles around 6:45 pace, we stopped at the 6.5 mile mark on the course for some water before beginning an uptempo portion.  Unfortunately, we started the tempo at the bottom of a hill that climbs for over a mile.  My splits on the hilly parts were 6:08, 6:06, 6:08, 6:15.  I did only 3.5 miles of tempo, hence why the last mile split is slower.  Then I cooled down for 3 miles at 6:20 pace by myself as Charlie kept going further to catch Paul and David.  Overall, I was very pleased with this effort as we averaged about 6:46 for the entire run.  It was a great way to close off a week that had a very rocky start.  

The highlight of the week was getting a massage from Adrienne Anetrini at Carolina Sports Massage.  After 90 minutes of pain and sweat as she dug into my very, very tight legs, I finally felt normal again.  Easter Sunday was celebrated with a night at the Wicked musical, which lived up to my expectations!  It was a phenomenal show and I left feeling very cultured.  Looking forward to the NC USATF 8k Championships in Greensboro next weekend, 

Week in Review

54 miles
8k race in 27:45
7 Runs
2 Days with the in-laws!

From a work perspective, this was a very tiring week for me as I had three 8AM meetings that were in person.  For any normal person, this probably isn't a big deal, but trying to fit in runs and workouts before an early meeting is very difficult for me to handle, especially by the time that 3PM rolls around, when I really just want to take a long nap instead of continue to work.  Fortunately, the lack of sleep and increased work load didn't affect my race outcome on Saturday, as I walked away with my first PR as Caitlin Bullock.  Saturday continued to be a great day as I attended a fundraising event with the Bullocks, which really meant that I got to stuff my face with top notch food and cupcakes at the Hilton. While I would hope that my run today would have gone better, it didn't.  My left calf and arch were exceptionally tight and I'm pretty sure it's a sign that I need to use some of the prize money this weekend on a nice massage.  The tightness could be since I wore the Nike Flyknit racers for the first time in a race and my feet are unhappy with the change from the Nike Marathoners.  Who knows!

Enjoying the Fundraising Event!

Love my new Nike Flyknits!

My First Race as Caitlin Bullock

Week in Review

68 miles
7 Runs
2 Lift Sessions
15 Mile Long Run
1 Workout

Just one more week until I toe the line for my first serious race of 2013! I am looking forward to putting my fitness to the test in Kinston in just 6 days.  I feel fit, now I just need to validate it!  While I hit my mileage this week, my legs were fairly tired from probably not taking enough really easy days.  My long runs have all been serious quality, but I'm paying for it on all my other rest days.  The time change seemed to make me and everyone around me feel like a zombie, so I'm glad that were 7 days into finally adjusting to the darkness in the morning...again.

In other news, the big goal for the summer is the USA Half Championship.  Meagan and I decided on this race again because they do just such a darn good job of putting on a great race...And they offer people like me who haven't broken 1:17 pretty sweet packages like three nights of a paid hotel room.  You really can't beat something like that, and, let's be honest, it would be really hard to pass up an opportunity to snuggle with Meagan in a room overlooking Lake Superior.

Week in Review

67 Miles
7 Runs
15 Mile Long Run
Mile Repeats
Strides
2 Weight Sessions

Not much to report here except that I managed to run my target mileage even after getting assigned to a new team at the Bank.  My long run on Saturday with Caleb, Laurie and Aaron was especially enjoyable, at a should-be-expected faster than normal pace.   Laurie's little legs tend to shuffle very quickly and I merely follow in her lead.  None of my attention was focused on the pace, so it was a solid long run that went by without much thought.

On Saturday night,  the lights were off at our house at 8PM...no joke.  I welcomed the time change with 11+ hours of sleep.  Garrett and I ended our weekend by getting up early enough to enjoy a breakfast at Terrace Cafe in SouthPark, which definitely lives up to its award for Best Breakfast in the QC.  I enjoyed a lemon waffle with lemon drizzle and a YMCA-approved egg white veggie omelette.

Coming up next week, I've got another solid week of training around 65-70 miles and then an 8k in Kinston.  I'm hoping to improve upon the time that I ran 7 weeks ago at the CRC Winter Classic 8k.

(Down) Week in Review

53 Miles
6 Runs
1 Day Off
0 Lift Sessions
16 Mile Long Run w/ 4 mile Tempo

After 4 weeks at an average of 60 miles, it was time for a down week! It wasn't much of a down week (oops), but that is mainly due to the fact that I did a long run instead of running a race.  I took a day off because I worked 12 hours on Tuesday, so that helped keep my mileage low.  I'm following the philosophy of, if you feel like taking a day off, then take it off!  It's helping me maintain my mental sanity and also keeping my passion for running consistent.  We all know that it's easy to get caught up in overtraining, where running just takes over your life in a bad way, both physically and mentally. I think that this new philosophy will help me stay away from symptoms of overtraining!

Overall, I'm confident in where I'm at in my fitness and excited to start the racing season! I've got the Run for the River 8k on March 23 and then three different races in April.  I am really looking forward to the NC USATF 8k Championships located in Greensboro because they are giving Garrett and I a hotel room and Garrett gets a massage from our favorite Joel Tull!  I just need to put in a couple more weeks of solid training and I'll be poised to do well in the spring races.

Week in Review

64 Miles
15.5 Mile Long Run w/ 3 miles uptempo
2 Workouts
2 Yoga Sessions
1 Weight Session
3 Days with Meagan

When I found out that Meagan would be coming this week, I knew that it would be a week of great quality workouts.  Instead of doing one workout this week, I did 10x400m with Meagan in some of the most dismal conditions ever, but still hit times faster than normal.  I've only been doing workouts for about 5 weeks, but I've already seen marked improvements in my fitness.  It's been a really exciting last couple of weeks because it's very easy to see how quickly I'm improving as times are dropping quickly.

Today's long run was a success as I ran 3 solo miles around 6:00 pace in the middle of the long run.  The guys were trying to hit goal marathon pace, which was a tad slower than what I was trying to hit, so after about 800 meters with them, I dropped the hammer to hit 6:00s instead.  Considering that last fall I had trouble hitting these paces after a 2 mile warmup, I'm confident that running lower mileage right now is the best thing for me.  My race season begins in full force in March and then carries through April, with 4 races in 6 weeks.  I am still on the fence about the USA Half Champs because I want to run a race where I have men to push me, instead of being in no man's land.  Grandma's race committee knows how to put on a great race, however, so it will be a tough decision.

Week in Review

62 Miles
1 Workout
15 Mile Long Run
60 Min Deep Stretch
2 Days in NYC

I'm behind on my blog because I had too much fun in NYC with Jay, Aaron, and Lauren.  The first five days of the week were spent in Charlotte, where I crushed my first real speed workout back and knocked out a nice 15 miler on Friday morning before heading to work. Fortunately, Caleb and Charlie have become my reliable Tuesday workout partners in the early morning hours.  They have pushed me to run faster than I would have expected at this point in my comeback.  I had a slight scare on Thursday night because my oblique had been twitching for 24 hours.  About every 10 seconds, my oblique pulsated for a couple of seconds, before quieting down.  Garrett massaged it for me after we discovered that it was extremely tight.  It wasn't painful or anything, more just uncomfortable like strong hiccups.

On Saturday morning, I ran Denise's dog in the sleet/freezing rain before heading to the airport for NYC.  Some highlights from NYC include:

• Witnessing several American records get shattered at the Millrose Games
• Staying out until 4AM bar hopping from most likely one of three track & field bars in entire USA to an underground club, to a pub, to a speakeasy and finally to a pizza joint.
• Hanging out with Jay and Lauren in their awesome neighborhood, Chelsea, in Manhattan
• Seeing Nicole Schappert and Kelly Polisin, my old Wake teammates
• Eating delicious vegan food from Blossom, and eating unhealthy food from Jacques Torres chocolate
• Eating at the Grey Dog with Nicole and Heidi and Aaron - the food was delicious

On Sunday night, I closed the week by turning out the lights at 9PM while Jay worked until midnight.  I don't know how he runs so much and functions so well at work.  Either way, he was a great host and I'm very grateful to have him and Lauren as such gracious friends.

Week in Review

60 Miles
7 Runs
15 Mile Long Run
2 Workouts
2x lifting
60 Min Yoga

This week was a success in my book.  Although I decided not to the Cupid's Cup 5k due to a sore calf early in the week, I was able to still get in a solid 12x400m workout as well as a 15 mile long run with 3 miles at MP.  While Nemo found its way to Boston, Charlotte runners put on their sunglasses for Cupid's Revenge.  The Wilmore Running Club ran about 9-10 miles before catching up with the entire group.  Caleb, Phil, Pezz, Charlie, Thomas, Michelle, Summer, Matt, Danielle and a guy I can't remember his name all met at the finish of the race to run up to the Booty Loop to start our assault on Providence Road.  Originally Caleb was planning on running 615 pace, and I originally was planning on alternating between MP and slow miles.  Well both of us threw those plans out the window as we settled into a nice group with Phil, Charlie, new guy and me.  The first mile was flat/downhill and we came through right at 6:00.  The next one, we had to dodge some cars at the Sharon intersection in front of Flywheel and had to power up a hill for an entire mile, still keeping the pace honest at 6:07.  For the third, we ran 5:56.  It wasn't hard, but it wasn't easy. I felt like my legs were definitely lacking the strength to maintain a 5:50-ish pace for a long period of time.  However, for my "cool down" I ran 6:30 and 6:20 pace and that felt absolutely amazing, so I felt really good about the run overall.  Garrett picked me up at a gas station two miles earlier than the rest of the group, and we called it a day!

I am really excited about running at this point, which is really something that I haven't felt since summer. I'm already toying with the idea of a fall marathon and getting pumped about sharing in that experience potentially with other Charlotteans.  Looking forward to seeing my fitness continue to improve throughout my spring racing season!