By the Numbers

1. Now that I've been officially hired at my new job, I feel like I can finally share some details with you! I'm working at Fleet Feet Sports in Sacramento, a store geared toward all things running. Some of you may have a FF near you as they're scattered across the country and know about the amazing service they provide. I'm so excited to be a part of that! Plus, I get to talk about running stuff all day. Not bad for Rachel : ) Oh, and did I mention a little something called employee discount? So far I love it and I'm learning so much! The people are great and the whole atmosphere is just fun and welcoming. Right now I'm working on learning all about the FF fit process and trying to memorize every model of shoes!

2. Recovery from the marathon has been going well. My schedule only had one rest day planned for after, but I decided to take a few more, especially since I was also working those days and on my feet from 9-5pm. I was extremely sore for about 2 days following the race. Some of my coworkers worked on my legs with a trigger point which seemed to help, then yesterday I went in for a massage! As of yesterday my muscles feel back to normal, and I'm planning on testing them out tonight on an easy 4 miler. I've noticed, however, after a couple previous marathons that while my muscles feel better after a few days, I feel a bit fatigued for much longer. Since my next marathon is just a few weeks away I'll be jumping right back into training this weekend with an 11 mile long run, so we'll see how that goes. I'm planning on taking it easier than usual until I know how my body feels. But I've done it before and I'll do it again!

3. Yesterday I took the plunge and registered for my first triathlon! On September 19th I'll be completing a 400m swim, 24k bike, and 5k run at the Aflac Iron Girl Lake Tahoe Triathlon! I'm more than excited to take on this new challenge and switch things up from just straight running. I chose this particular tri for several reasons: it's an all-female race, it's in Lake Tahoe (hello, gorgeous!), the distances are doable for me without a ton of extra training, and you get a sweet medal (most short distance triathlons don't give out bling). I'm not going to start tackling the swim and bike stuff until mid-August (oh, right, I need to buy a bike first!), and will really focus on it once the E.T. Marathon is out of the way. I'm most nervous about the open water swim, but luckily I found a group in Sacramento that does practice swims at Folsom Lake, so I plan to drop in and get at least one open water swim under my belt before race day. Once I get my first paycheck I'll be investing in my first road bike - any suggestions or advice? I think I'm going to buy new since I haven't had any luck finding a good used bike in my size. I'm a little nervous about making such a big purchase but also super excited! Yay for triathlons!

4. Marathon number 6, the E.T. Full-Moon Midnight Marathon is now just a few weeks away! This will be my third marathon in three months, completing my trifecta challenge and qualifying me for the Maniacs. The race is held in Rachel, NV (I kid you not - this is partly why I wanted to do this race!), a couple hours outside of Las Vegas near Area 51 : ) My mom is coming with me and we're making a weekend out of it. We'll be staying at Bally's in Vegas and hitting up the Cirque du Soleil Beatle's inspired show,  LOVE while we're there! My mom will also be volunteering for the race so she'll be able to see me out on the course running in the middle of the night! Should be fun : ) I'm currently planning my alien-themed outfit, complete with plenty of reflective gear so I'll be all aglow in the desert.

5. Mid-week I'll be heading to Santa Cruz to meet up with my parents for our annual family vacation. I should be there Wednesday to Saturday and will be able to get in some great runs in a new, beautiful place!

6. The nail on my big toe finally fell off : /