After completing the Atlanta Half Marathon at the end of February, I took it easy for a week and then had some missed/slower workouts after first COVID vaccine. I don’t care; even being halfway vaccinated makes me so happy. Adam and I will be fully locked and loaded by mid-April in time for some in-person bike events, possible graduation (a year late) at Kennesaw State in May, and planned summer travel. That said, we’ll be wearing masks in public places for the forseeable future due to 1) lack of herd immunity, 2) COVID isn’t just going away – it will most likely continue to circulate like the other coronavirus strains, flu, and other respiratory diseases, 3) people suck and are gross, and 4) it’s not fucking hard.

The slow start to the month, hitting the 1 year post-COVID mark, and taking on new challenges at work had me feeling kind of mentally exhausted at first. Having the goal of training for Grandma’s Marathon with a PR goal in mind was really essential to keep me motivated. On the worst days, getting on my awesome Peloton Tread, pounding my brains out, and sweating like a beast was incredibly cathartic. I’m so grateful I’m able to have such an amazing tool in my house that has really helped me improve my fitness and well-being. Peloton is inspiring, empowering, but also an incredible privilege.

Me, Adam, and a small group of our cycling COVID pod tackled the Fried Clay gravel grind last weekend. It was a really fun, and challenging 200k (135 m) event, which we tackled by riding the first 80 miles, camping, and then completing the final 60 on Sunday. The 80 mile day included 10 miles of single track/horse trails, and was overall probably the most difficult 80 miles I’ve completed on a bike. The Whistestop Cafe, made famous in the movie Fried Green Tomatoes, was around mile 50 and we had the goal to get there before it closed at 4. Seems like it should have been a piece of cake, but I was bonking hard and mashing like a fiend in the 40-50 mile section to make it there finally…at 3:45. #WorthIt

By the end of the month it was time for the BibRave Summit with this year’s theme, BibRave Proud #BRProudSummit . This was the 3rd official summit and the 2nd virtual. I’ve had the amazing opportunity to meet with other BibRave Pros IRL at two previous events, The Running Event conference and the 2019 BibRave Summit in Chicago. Team BibRave has done an awesome job at creating high-value, community centered events even during this time of virtual everything. This year they used platform Hopin, which I’ve used for several virtual professional conferences this year, and it was a great way to engage with other Pros, watch informative content, meet and network with many new folks, and have a lot of fun during the process. We may all be a bit “zoomed-out”, but the BibRave Proud Summit was still a great opportunity to connect with a community that spends most of its time in the virtual/social media space anyway. Even though I’ve never met most of these cool folks, I feel their positive energy in my life on a daily basis. Seeing them virtually just got me even more antsy and excited for the, hopefully near, future where we can all meet IRL again. Thanks so much to sponsors Knockaround and Science in Sport for supporting the summit and sending some great products.

Interested in becoming a BibRave Pro? Applications open up periodically, so I’ll be sure to share info on social media when applications open! Learn more here. You can also learn more about the Summit and the awesome BibRave community on the latest episode of The BibRave Podcast, and you can check out what it was like by searching the hashtag #BRProudSummit.

After the vaccine, and Fried Clay, and improvements in the weather, I found myself feeling much sunnier by the end of the month. Through the highs and the lows of the month, Grandmas Marathon training was there through it all. Marathon training is a steady friend, and dispenser of tough love, exactly when you need it.

ONWARD.

Stats:

• Running miles : 140.42; year-to-date : 379.92
• Cycling miles: 155.3; year-to-date : 341.5 –> I’ll be focused on running miles through Grandma’s marathon in June, but March weather had me motivated to get back out on bike more. We also rode an epic 200k (135 mile) gravel event called “Fried Clay”. Spinning my legs is definitely great cross training.
• Crossfit workouts: 14 year-to-date: 51 -> travel the first weekend, Fried Clay bike event, and reaction after first COVID vaccine had me missing a few workouts. Good news though: I’m doing kipping pull ups with just the smallest band assistance. Very close to consistently getting RX pull-ups.

Goals for April:

• Running miles : 175 miles
• Cycling miles: 100
• Crossfit workouts: 18
• Yoga: 1 x / week

Current 2021 Goals:

• Running miles : Still on track for “running the year”. Yay!
• Crossfit: unassisted pull-ups/kipping pull-ups in all workouts by the end of the year, double unders

Let me know how you’re staying motivated, if you’re training for anything, or if you just need a kick in the butt. I’m here for it all. 😀