Running in the Moment

I started writing a Chicago marathon race recap at the end of October but lost interest, and after that, I didn’t really have much to post about.  After the marathon I took time off from training and didn’t do much else other than eat what I wanted and be lazy.  Well, I took 2 spin classes, but other than that, nadda.  I also managed to gain 6 lbs from my IMWI weight (to be fair, I had gained 2lbs between IMWI and Chicago, so no, it wasn’t all 6 in one month).  Fun.  Even more fun is trying to work it back off!  That’s been a battle, but I’m slowly getting back to wearing non-stretchy pants.  The pizza and alllll the carbs were worth it though 🙂

I am addicted to Ruffles Potato Chips.

In November I started working with my coach again and got back on the training wagon. As much as I loved not having to worry about fitting in x workout after work or waking up early to hit the pool, I missed the structure, and honestly, I was starting to feel like a sloth.  I also have been working with a trainer to develop a strength training routine so I can stay off the injury bench and have a strong season in 2016 (and not have to spend so much $ on the chiropractor/sports massages!).  After my first session I was sore for a week.  A week!  What the heck!  Granted, it was on a Tuesday, and I did a 5k Turkey Trot that Thursday (and haven’t done much speedwork), so I’m sure that added to the soreness, but still, it made me feel like a wimp!  Fortunately the next two sessions I was only sore for a day or two.  Making progress 🙂 – more on that in an upcoming post.

Bosu Ball. One of the many contraptions that will become my new best strength training friend.

I haven’t signed up for any 2016 races, but the plan is to do the Go! Saint Louis Half Marathon in April, The Cutting Edge Classic Half Triathlon in June and Steelhead 70.3 in July.  The theme for 2016 is building a strong (injury free) base, shorter races and spending less $ on them!  My bank account needs a vacation from all of the races and travel this past year. However IMWI is on my radar for 2017….

Non-workout updates, I finally decorated our house for Christmas and put up Christmas lights outside.  I was pretty excited to actually be able to put up lights this year because when I lived in my Condo, I wasn’t able to put any up.  Side note: I had no idea Christmas lights were expensive?  Well, a strand of 100 is $12ish dollars, but that only covers one bush!  So I made several trips to the hardware store so more than three bushes were decorated.

We bought a tree (artificial)!  However it still needs to be decorated.

My mother-in-law is extremely crafty and talented and made Christmas pillows for everyone in the family this year.  It makes our couch look extra festive!

I am also starting to work on organizing the section of the basement with our bikes, trainers and my tri stuff (lots of it).  I still have to make a trip to Target for storage containers but I did manage to find a good spot for all of the ‘important’ race bibs that I’ve saved throughout the years: my first Marathon (Chicago 2006), my first Triathlon (New Town 2011), my first Half-Distance Triathlon (Redman 2012) and my first Full Distance Triathlon (IMLOU 2014), as well as a few others from memorable races throughout the years.  Now if we only didn’t have such ugly wood paneling, I think they would look much better 🙂  Regardless of the wall coloring/paneling, I do like looking up at them when riding my trainer as motivation.

Proof that I didn’t lose everything when moving!

Other than that, not too many other updates, just trying to get back into a training routine and getting geared up for the Holidays!

IMWI: The Bike

As I went under the arch to leave T2, I made note of the time on the clock,  8:33…not too shabby.  Off I went, full of adrenaline, ticking off some way too fast first miles….mile 1 8:30ish…mile 2 8:40ish (to be fair, it was downhill) and then finally got back into the 9’s.

After a few miles I was able to get an idea as to how my legs were feeling (They felt good! After how crappy they felt on the bike, I was worried), and then I started to try to do the math to figure out what pace I needed to run to break 13:07.  After such a lousy swim I thought my day was over, so I had ditched any time goals out the window five minutes into the swim.  However, after having a bike time similar to IMLOU’s and a speedy T2, I realized all was not lost.  4:33:xx.  that’s what marathon time I would need to run to break 13:07.  I had originally planned to run 10 minute miles, which would put me around a 4:22 marathon time, so if my legs could hold up, things were looking good.

I was glad I had also run the course when I came up during WIBA weekend, because it helped to know what was ahead.  The course is basically a 2 loops of a 6 mile out and back (not 100% out and back but pretty close), so I broke the run into four sections, the out, the back and repeat.  On I went, paying attention to my splits (trying to stay a tad under 10 min/miles), taking water and gatorade at the aid stations…and maybe passing a few men, which was the theme of the day.

As I ran up most of Observatory hill (the biggest hill on the run course) near mile 6, and walked the rest to keep my heart rate from going crazy, I noticed that my stomach was not a happy camper.  I was wondering if it would pass, since during the run at IMLOU it was angry the whole time, but multiple porta potty stops didn’t seem to help, or if I should stop.  Finally right before mile 6, I saw an empty porta potty at the aid station, and ran in.  That turned out to be a good decision.  Poor tummy.  As I left the aid station with a happier tummy, I grabbed a water and forced down a gel.  Sometimes they make my stomach angry so it was kind of risky, but I also needed the calories.  Fingers crossed.  I heard my watch beep and saw my last mile was a 12:4x split, but I knew the pit stop was needed, I still had some buffer time and that overall if I kept on pace I should be ok.  Down the out and back on State street the crowds were electrifying!  So many spectators were shouting my name (it was on my bib), which made me want to run even faster.

Then I was on the crushed trail the goes along lake Monona (we are spared going back up Observatory drive twice on one loop) and it was a bit more quiet. However my legs were still feeling great and I was in a good spot mentally.  As I approached the mile 8 aid station I about died –  it was a Halloween themed aid station!!! To those that don’t know me, I love Halloween.  It’s really my favorite holiday and you can think I’m crazy, but I ordered yard decorations for our house two months ago.  Yeah, I’m that lady.  Anyways, it gave me a huge boost and made the 1 mile out and back before I saw it again fly by.

Soon I saw the mile 10 marker, and on I went, but I was feeling a bit more tired so this time at the next aid station I started drinking coke.  I usually wait until the second half of a race to start drinking it, but decided, screw it, I need this stuff now! It worked.  I felt a bit more energy (sugar) and as I got closer to the crowded streets near the capitol and turn around the energy kept growing.  As I got closer, I saw JMR and Trish!!! I think I got teary-eyed when I saw them and gave Trish a high-five.

Finishing up loop #1, and feeling great!

Once I made it to the turn around, passed the finisher’s chute (so cruel) and was on my way back out, I felt a greater sense of determination rather than sadness after seeing the chute knowing I had another loop.  I wasn’t just trying to finish, I had a time to beat.  I spent many hours training…very early wakeup times, very early bedtimes…hours away from JMR…hours I should have spent cleaning or doing yardwork which JMR graciously did without complaining.  Lots of time AND money spent (training for an IM isn’t cheap).  And I wasn’t going to do another IM for a while so I had to make this one count.  I had a mission.

As I kept up with my planned pace, I just kept passing people (men) and the volunteers and spectators just kept cheering me on.  Once again, like Louisville, my legs were on crack.  It was like I couldn’t walk if I wanted to.  Granted I was drinking a lot of coke and made a point this race to actually take more than one gel on the run, so I was getting lots of suger and calories.  I also stayed on top of my eduralytes and took one and hour which seemed to keep any cramping at bay.  I did resort to chicken broth around mile 18 when my calf seemed to get really tight, but after that, no other cramping issues.

I’m not going to say the run felt ‘easy’….but I also wasn’t dying either.  My coach and I had worked really hard on maintaining a consistent pace during my long runs and so the marathon felt just like that, my long run, nothing crazy, nothing awful, just like my regular long run.  Although everything was a tad more sore and I was a tad more tired, but I had some serious adrenaline going on with the amazing crowd support.  As I ran along the crowded out and back along State street, around mile 19, I spotted Trish and JMR and gave them a huge smile and wave.  I must say, without Trish cheering, JMR would have been a silent Ninja taking pictures and I never would have spotted him!

Still feeling strong!

Throughout the run I had been checking my watch, looking at my splits to stay in between 9:30-10 minute miles, but I also was noticing that the 4 minute buffer I had created in the first few miles, from the original 4:22 goal time, was still was there with actually a little more buffer time.  Woah.  If I can keep it up… I could go sub 13.  I tried not to get too ahead of myself, but I was feeling good and felt confident that I could keep this pace up.  On I went, passing my oh-so-favorite Halloween aid station, then the short 1 mile out-and-back, and even managed to smile at the photographer the second time around.  He was playing hispanic music from his car and as I passed a guy, I said “now I want a margarita’ and he agreed.

Three miles to go and I was still feeling good. I was getting closer to the crowds downtown and couldn’t help but feed off of the energy.  I still took a water, coke and gatorade and walked through each of the aid stations along the way, but my pace managed to stay around a 9:30/45 minute mile.  The last mile, I’m not going to lie, I was tired.  My legs hurt and it took some effort to keep pushing.  But then I could see those final few turns and pushed (the end of the loop is uphill. no fun), and pushed….and passed another guy (ha), and then I saw it.  I saw the clock, I saw the finisher’s chute.  Holy Crap.  12:51:xx… I tried to take my time running down the chute and enjoying the finish but HOLY CRAP, SUB 13?!?!, I think I was running around 7 minute pace down the chute, whoops.  Unlike Louisville, this time I had tears while running under the chute.  I did not imagine to have a day like this, especially with the swim that I had, and almost deciding to call it a day 5 minutes in.  After I got my picture and the volunteers felt that I was in ok enough shape to send me on my way, I met up with Trish and JMR, and gave them both sweaty gross hugs.

Forgot to turn on the flash, but love this picture.

My amazing sherpas and cheerleaders!!!

After chatting for a while and taking pictures, we headed back to the hotel so I could shower and put on warm dry clothes (it was cold out!),  grabbed dinner nearby the finish line (beers and burgers!!) and met up with my buddy Ryan who also raced and watched the final finsihers come in.  After the final finisher came in (I wish I had done this at Louisville, I did at IMAZ too after volunteering and it was awesome) we headed back to the hotel to crash.  I have to thank JMR, my family, friends and coach for all of their patience and support, without them I wouldn’t have made it to the finish.  Next plans?  I’m taking 2016 ‘off’ and doing a couple of local half triathons, but nothing too crazy.  Relaxing and doing home projects are the main goals.  Well…after the Chicago Marathon that is, oh why did I sign up for that?!?!

Run Time: 4:18:04

Finish Time: 12:51:39

IMWI: The Swim

And we were off, slowly heading down the helix. I had heard that this is where some crashes can happen so I stayed to the right and took my time descending.  Next we rode on a narrow bike path for a couple of miles until we finally hit the main route, aka, real roads.  I kept fussing with my watch because it wasn’t in the right screen and finally I decided to just pull over rather than risk crashing while trying to get it figured out.  A quick stop, and after finally getting it to the right screen- the plan was to ride between 145-150 HR, so I needed to see that data on my screen- and I was back on the course.

The bike course is referred to as a lollipop, in that the first part of the bike course is the ‘stick’ which is 15ish miles going from Madison to Verona, and then you hit the ‘lollipop’ which is a 40ish mile loop that you ride twice before you head back down the ‘stick’ again towards Madison.  Thank goodness I rode the course during the summer because it’s a tough one.  Tougher (in my opinion) than Louisville, because the hills are pretty darn big (especially the ‘Three B*tches’, a name created for the three huuuge hills on the loop that you do twice) rather than the rolling ones in Louisville, where if you get enough momentum going down, you barely have to climb going back up.  You had to really climb these and at least three of them you are in your smallest ring huffing and puffing.

From the start my legs didn’t feel great, and my right hamstring was still tight, but not as tight as I feared and I could pedal without really noticing it.  I tried to just focus on my heart rate and my nutrition.  Just like Louisville, the plan was to drink water every 15 minutes, drink Infinit + water every 30 minutes, take an Enduralyte every hour and half of a Honeystinger waffle every 1.5 hours., which would roughly give me 300 calories an hour.  It also kept me busy/distracted which helped make the time go by faster.  As the miles ticked by I noticed that I was rarely passed by any women and I was passing a lot of men.  A lot.  Which made me nervous that I was biking too hard, but I was within my planned heart rate range so I went with it.

When I passed through Verona (one of the big areas to spectate, around the halfway mark) I could hear someone yelling my name.  I looked over and it was Trish and JMR!!  I waved to them as I rode by, so excited to have actually spotted them!  I was hoping JMR would do his long-ish run while I was on the bike since there were such few opportunities to spectate on the bike, but I guess they decided to try and see me 🙂

I did wave to them as I passed!

Several miles later I was at the halfway point and rolled up to special needs.  This year I decided to have a premixed bottle of Infinit and a bottle of water (both which I tried to freeze the night before but our little mini fridge just got them really cold) wrapped in foil instead of carrying a baggie of infinite and mixing at an aid station halfway through, which is what I did at Louisville.  This was a really good plan, even with a bathroom stop, it was still faster than my stop during Louisville.  Soon I was rolling out for loop #2. Here we go.

My legs were still feeling tight but surprisingly not any worse.  However, my calves were starting to join in on the fun and they felt really swollen, a feeling like I was retaining a ton of water in them.  Well this is all new.  I’ve never had this happen during training…oh boy, I was hoping the run wasn’t going to be a disaster.  On I went, passing more men (ha) and then I was back at the three b*tches.  The crowds weren’t as thick as they were the first time I went through, but there were definitely some very energetic people out cheering us on, which really helped climbing up those hills the second time.  After climbing the last hill I knew that was the last tough part of the course and soon I would be riding back into town.  I also looked at my watch and realized I was riding pretty darn close to the same time I rode at Louisville.  Woah.  That surprised me. I was tracking my pace throughout the bike, sticking to heart rate rather than pace and assumed the pace would eventually be 16mph or lower, but instead it was pretty close to 16.5.  That made me really happy after such a horrible swim.

I hit the stick and was ready to be done, my legs were really grumpy and I was tired of taking in nutrition.  I had one last Honeystinger waffle to eat and had to force myself to chew and eat the darn thing.  ‘It’s energy’ I kept telling myself and finally choked it down.  There was a big-ish hill around mile 100 (I lost track) that surprised me, but it still wasn’t as bad as the three big ones on the loop.  I passed two more men  (yes, I remembered…because I was amazed), and then I could finally see the helix.  Hooray!!  Up I went and I was at the dismount line.  The man catching my bike (I may have almost run into him because I was tired and didn’t stop quickly enough) had an AMAZING australian accent.  As I handed my bike to him I said “I love your accent!” (which I’m sure was dumb to say, but I think I was a little out of it after riding for almost 7 hours….aaaaand I really love australian accents 🙂  He humored me by being polite and saying ‘thank you’ (in a really nice accent) and off I went to Ballroom D to grab my run bag and then Ballroom A to change gear.

This time I actually got a volunteer!  And it wasn’t crazy crowded!  She helped me dump everything out of my bag, and got me water while I pulled off my shrug and changed socks.  My hands were so shaky, just like at IMLOU.  What is with that?  Nervous energy? I stuffed three gels in my pockets of my Coeur tri shorts (I LOVE these tri shorts- they are the best), threw on my hat and hustled out of the ballroom to get on that run course!  Well, I stopped again to pee, then I was on my way!

Ready to run.

Leaving transition.

Bike: 6:49:08

T2: 5:52

IMWI: The Run

IMWI: Pre-Race

Off I went, stroke, breathe, stroke, breathe…where the heck was I going?  There was a sea of people around me flailing, kicking, stroking,  but I had no idea where exactly the darn buoy line was.  Not scoping out the swim course before the swim that morning, or taking a look once I was in the water (granted I only had 30 seconds or so) was a big mistake.

Sigh.  I’ll just keep swimming.  Eventually my two-stroke (left,  right, then breathe)  combination was leaving me winded, as I’m used to swimming four strokes then breathing.  I just couldn’t get into a rhythm or feel comfortable enough to not sight every two strokes.  At this time I also noticed that my goggles were fogging up and I was having trouble even seeing.  Just keep swimming I told myself.  Several strokes later I started freaking out.  I stopped swimming and started treading water.  I felt a huge wave of panick come over me and started hyperventilating.  My wetsuit felt really tight and I wanted it off.  I wanted out of the water.  I was feeling claustrophobic.  I started crying.  I wanted to hang on to a kayak or a floaty lilly pad but both were really far away.  I tried to calm down and took my goggles off and spit in them (which helps with fogging).  I still stayed there, in the same spot treading water, feeling an urgent sense of panic. Son of a B this wasn’t how the swim was supposed to go.

Finally after several minutes I calmed down enough where I was able to try to swim again.  I just could not get into a rhythm and once again the two stroke/breath combination was wearing me out.  The wave of panic came over me again, but this time even worse.  Tears flowed again.  I really wanted to quit.  Would they see my hands up in the air all the way over here if I waived for a kayak?  Then I reflected on how my day would go if it ended it here.  Trish drove 7 hours to come support me….we spent $1000+ on a hotel room for this trip…JMR has put up with my training for 9 months and supported me the entire way.  I woke up early so many saturdays to ride, all of those hours in the stupid pool (I still dislike swimming)….all to DNF?  In the swim?  The first 5 or so minutes of my day? The thought of letting all of those things down made me REALLY sad.  Sad enough that I put my head back in the water and slowly (really slow), started swimming again.  I told myself to just make it to the next buoy.  And when I reached that buoy, the goal was to make it to the next one.  At IMWI, it is a tradition to ‘moo’ at the second turn buoy, however, I was just trying to survive, there was no moo’ing from me, but I did hear some moo’s.  I just kept moving forward, hating every minute of the swim.

Fortunately (or maybe unfortunately) because I had swam so slow, I wasn’t getting as much contact as I had in the beginning and was able to find clear-ish water.  I did have a few incidents with rough contact, but nothing like the start.  Soon I could see the final buoy before we turned to head back to the finish. Thank goodness.  I wanted to cry.  However once we turned it felt like forever before I even got close to the arches to exit the water.  I wish I had turned  my watch on (I decided not to, in fear of someone bumping into it) so I could have seen how far I actually swam….because I know with how far to the right I started, I swam way more than 2.4 miles.  Eventually I could feel the ground.  I really did almost cry, out of relief and out of shock/sadness as to how horrible my swim went.  I think I only missed three swims during this training cycle…I had really made a point to work on my swims and was sad it all went down the drain to a panic attack.  I saw 1:24:xx when I got out of the water and felt defeated.

The wetsuit stripper helped me out of my wetsuit and I started jogging towards the helix.  I forgot to mention, the IMWI swim to bike transition has you run up a three level parking garage into the convention center (transition), so it’s quite the hike.  As I was heading into the Helix I looked up and heard Trish cheering my name with JMR.  I smiled and waved and headed up the helix.

Running from the swim exit to the helix.

The three-story parking garage, aka, ‘helix’ I had to run up to get to T1.

When I found Trish and JMR, I hugged Trish (JMR was taking pictures) and then I had another wave of emotion and started crying saying ‘I had a panic attack’, Trish reassured me it would be ok, and then I headed back up the parking ramp…walking.  I just felt really defeated.  What is the rest of the day going to be like?

Running…err..walking up the helix fighting back tears.

When I got into Ballroom A, I grabbed my Bike bag and headed into the change area.  Of course, suddenly the lights went out.  Things are just going swell today.  After a minute or so they came back on and I started dumping everything out of my bag, since there weren’t any free volunteers to help.  I dried off my feet, put on my socks, got my shrug on for sun protection (I practiced putting this darn thing on multiple times as it took forever last year), put my helmet and sunglasses on and was headed to my bike.  I hopped into a porta potty on the way out, and after putting on my bike shoes once I got to my rack (it’s such a far walk/run, it’s recommended to just carry your bike shoes), Lola and I were ready to ride the IMWI bike course.

Swim Time: 1:24:49

T1: 13:45 (ouch, that hike up the helix was no joke!)

IMWI: The Bike

The taper has finally arrived!!  Hooray!  However I think after pushing through last week and getting in all of my workouts (especially the long ride in awful conditions), my mind and body were worn out.  I spent the week mostly in a tired fog, was in bed early every night and didn’t get up early to swim once.

Monday – Rest day, although my legs didn’t feel too terrible, but I was worn out.

Tuesday – I ran at lunch and once I fired up my Garmin it flashed ‘low battery’ and when I turned on my iPod, the little voiceover said ‘low battery’.  Seriously?  Usually I would just run 3 miles out and turn around, but I had a meeting at 1p (I left at noon) and couldn’t risk being late.  So, I ran little loops until my Garmin crapped out and called it a day.  30 minutes.  Those 30 minutes felt pretty awful too.  I was supposed to swim after work but could hardly keep my eyes open, so I hung out on the couch (really, it took an effort to keep my eyes open!), and went to bed at 8p.

Wednesday – I made up my missed swim at lunch, 2700 yards, and it was a struggle.  My arms and legs felt dead.  After work I had a planned 2 hour trainer ride followed by a 2 mile run.  I was dreading this workout, and had to drag myself downstairs to get on the trainer.  15 minutes in and I just wanted to lay my head on my aerobars and take a nap.  I told myself to just go for another 15 minutes and see how I felt.  30 minutes in…I was trying to trick myself into another 15 minutes, but the thought of any more time on the trainer sounded awful.  I called it quits after 30 minutes (this was starting to be a theme for the week), and headed upstairs.  Once again, I was in bed and asleep by 8p.

Thursday – I had a 45 min run on the schedule, but decided to do an hour to make up for the reallly short run on Tuesday.  This workout felt much better than the others had this week.  I was still tired but feeling a little more pep in my step.  Hooray.

Friday – 2500 yards after work.  This swim felt much better than the one on Wednesday. Still tired though and in bed by 9p.

Saturday – 2.5 hour ride, followed by a 30 min run.  I rode from our house and met up with my buddy Bob.  It was overcast and in the 70’s.  Perfect weather.  The ride went by quickly and was a pretty pleasant ride.  I’m sure that ‘only’ riding 45 miles also made it fly by, such a nice change!  When I got home, I switched into my running shoes and ran around the neighborhood.  I couldn’t believe the clock said 10:15a when I came inside.  Wow!  I wasn’t sure what to do with myself the rest of the day.

I ran a few errands, picked up around the house and took a short nap on the couch.  I can’t wait until I can do this every weekend!  That evening JMR and I had our first ‘date night’ since…well, I can’t even remember, and went to the Lantern Festival at the Botanical Gardens.  I even stayed up that night past 11p!  I took a ton of photos, but my iPhone doesn’t take the greatest pictures, so I’ll just share a few:

Flowery forest we walked under

Daffodils

I loved the cute pandas.

Sunday – 1:45 hr run (12-13 miles).  This seemed like a walk in the park compared to the 3 hour run last weekend.  The weather was once again nice and time flew by.  I was home by noon, showered and met up with some friends at the Festival of Nations.  I was good and didn’t eat a ton of food, but I tried a lot of different things!

I’m glad my energy returned by the end of the week (I was starting to get worried I was going to be tired for forever!) and I’m also looking forward to an even lighter week this coming week!

Total Training Hours: 8:47

Yeesh. 24 Weeks?  Honestly, I started ‘week 1’ to get my head in the game and get into a routine (aka, not skipping swims) for IMWI.  However, I don’t really feel like I’ve been training for 24 weeks… more like, hmm… since mid May?  Time really has flown!  I was reading another triathlete’s blog that I follow and she posted about the crazy things training for an Ironman does to your body….being tired all the time, being hungry all the time, randomly getting emotional (crying) for no reason…. and I guess to a degree I did experience those things, but waaay more when training for IMLOU.  I think planning for a wedding at the same time didn’t help either 🙂  Regardless, it made me pause and think…am I/have I trained enough?  Shouldn’t I be experiencing those things more often, especially during the past few weeks?

After doing some thinking and comparing last year to this year, there are some big differences which might explain why I’m just not feeling as drained as I was last year:

1. I am not planning a wedding 🙂
2. I can work from home 50% of the time, which means I don’t have to get up crazy early to get a swim in because I can come home with wet hair and in comfy clothes and work (seriously, it takes 30 minutes to get ready + 20 minute commute, working from home is a huge time saver).  Also it means that I can work out at lunch, hop in the shower and get back to work.
3. I took off work a couple of Friday’s to fit in long rides on weekends we went to the lake (which JMR thinks is ridiculous :)).

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Ok, so I started this post on Tuesday (8/18) and now I take everything I said back.  The last week of training was awful! Every workout was a challenge to get done and I was soooo tired.  By Friday I just wanted to sleep all day.  I was dreading my long ride on Saturday and it turns out, I had a reason to: it was awful.  Rain and unfun hills.  And blisters.  All I can say is *thankgoodness* that the taper has started because I don’t think I could manage another week with a heavy load.  My emotions were out of control over the weekend.  Poor JMR.  I’m also a walking disaster.  I am more accident prone that I think I’ve ever been (more on that later).

Monday – Rest Day.  This is when I felt a little fatigued from the run on Sunday but other than that, not too bad.

Tuesday – Started this blog post before work, feeling like this training cycle has just overall been easier than last year….but I found out as the week went by I was wrong, very wrong.  I ran an hour at lunch, followed by the longestswimoftheyear, 4100 yards.  Was tired but felt ok after!

Wednesday – 1:30 on the trainer, followed by a 2 mile run.  Afterwards I felt pretty spent.

Thursday – overslept and missed my swim, ran an hour after work.  Why does this feel so tough?

Friday – made up missed 2600 yard swim, followed by 1 hour on the trainer after work.  I was so tired alllll day. However, the kitchen/bar cart I had ordered had arrived, so I wanted to put it together before going to bed because I was having a few girls over sat night and wanted it assembled!  Well. Here, you decide if it was an easy assembly:

Just half of the bolts, screws, etc.

The finished product! 4 hours later….

Yeah. Four hours.  It took four hours AND I managed to drop a board on my foot (incident #1 of the week).

Saturday – Long ride, 101 miles followed by a 25 min run (it was supposed to be an hour but my wet socks were causing blisters).  This ride sucked.  My friend Ricky rode with me (thank goodness) and we were trying a new route for the first loop.  It included hills (yay, that was the goal!), but they were out and backs and honestly, really boring.  On top of that, the skies opened up on us and it poured during most of the ride.  Pleasant was not a way to describe the ride.  So instead of doing that route for two loops, we opted for my usual 53 mile loop that has hills as well but also loose gravel…I was going to risk loose gravel over the boring first loop route!

We made a pit stop to refill our water bottles at the grocery store where we parked and off we went.  The skies opened up a few more times but for some reason it was more tolerable.  Also, I think the rain helped clear up some of the gravel because it wasn’t as bad as I remembered it was on the ride two weekends ago.  We ended the ride with 101 miles..and I will say, we were tiiiired by the end.  I think we had headwind 75% of the ride.  So tiring!

Next we headed out for a one hour run, however 10ish minutes in, I noticed my feet were feeling weird… it occurred to me that running in wet socks might not have been a great idea.  I stopped and took my shoes and socks off, and sure enough, blisters were forming.  I put my shoes back on without the socks and we headed back to our cars.  25 minutes will have to do because blisters will not!

Sunday – The last long run.  18.6 miles (three hours).  This run was tough, as most of my long runs are, but because I wasn’t running at the hottest time of the day, it was much more bearable.  It was slightly overcast and honestly, kind of chilly! (I was not complaining).  JMR was also out running his first 20 miler for his Chicago Marathon training cycle, and I saw him around mile 10, gave him a quick sweaty kiss and it was back to business.  Oh, I also forgot to mention that I almost got hit by a car (incident #2 of the week).  The rest of the run was pretty uneventful.  I managed to keep a pretty even pace and ended with a 9:41 avg/mile.

That evening I went to the store to get dinner and managed to slip on a clear liquid in an aisle (incident #3 of the week).  There were two other people in the aisle that saw me fall and then pointed out the liquid.  I’m embarrassed they saw, but was also glad they noticed the liquid, otherwise I would have chalked it up my clumsiness of walking in flip flops.  The manager came over and other than a scrape on my foot from the basket, everything checked out ok.  Until I got home and sat down on the floor to pet Patrick…ouch!  I must have bruised my tailbone 😦  I decided that from then on, I will be wrapping myself up in bubble wrap.

Ok…..I am ready for the taper!

Total Training Hours: 17:02

This week was a step-back week, and it was really needed.  I was also on call for work so having fewer/shorter workouts was a relief!  Fortunately I only got calls during the workday (with the exception of one saturday afternoon, but it wasn’t an issue our team resolves), however it was still stressful carrying my phone, pen and paper everywhere I went!

Monday – Rest Day, and I needed it, my legs were dead from the long run the day before.

Tuesday – 1 hour run at lunch, 5.6 miles (ended up being 56 minute run).  My pool was closed this week and I had planned on getting up early and driving to a pool 15 minutes away, but sleep won.  Going after work stressed me out too much because I could still get calls until at least 9p.

Wednesday – 1:15 trainer ride, followed by a 2 mile run.  I quickly discovered after the ride that I forgot to use chamois cream 😦  Ouch.

Never forget to apply before a ride!!

Thursday – The downstairs issue was still not great, I attempted my 1 hour run, but five minutes in, I called it quits because the chaffing was so painful (never again forget chamois cream before a ride!)  I didn’t even attempt to go to the nearby pool that night, I was in a grumpy mood.  I did take an epsom salt bath in hopes to help soothe things a bit.

Friday  – 1:30 on the trainer, instead I did the 1 hour run I skipped yesterday before work.  The bath seemed to have helped things, hooray!  I had planned to swim after work but forgot we were doing a family dinner night – can you tell I was slightly mentally checked out?

Saturday – Since I was on call, no long ride outside 😦 I had debated taking the following monday off and getting in my long ride, but 3 hours on the trainer was manageable (but obviously not fun), and I wanted to start my last big training week with legs as fresh as possible.  So a 3 hour trainer ride it was, followed by a 30 min run.

Creepy headshot while riding the trainer. 2 hours down….1 to go.

Sunday – 14 mile long run near my house (in case I had to hop on my computer), which meant hills, hills and more hills.  I did a 4.5ish mile loop and it was tough!  I was spent by mile 14….and already dreading my 20 miler next sunday.   Sigh.

So, zero swims for the week, but I got in what workouts I could.  I still have a few more weeks to get in quality swims so I am not fretting.  One more big week to go and then the taper starts!

Total Training Time: 9:00 hours

Wow, I cannot believe it’s already August!  With training keeping me so busy, time really seems to fly, September will probably be here before I know it!

This was a big week, the biggest of the season and the most I’ve ever trained in a week (only by an extra 26 minutes though) and I’m guessing I will have one more week like this in my last build before I taper (the week of the 17th)…and I’m little scared just thinking about it!.  Ok, on to my training:

Monday: Rest Day, and it was really needed after spending the weekend in Madison. My legs were toast and my throat also felt scratchy…so lots of vitamin C and rest before it turned into something worse!

Tuesday: 1 hr aerobic run, 6.38 miles, at lunch followed by 3100 yards in the pool after work.

Wednesday: 2 hour trainer ride with some tempo efforts, followed by a 2 mile run.

Thursday: I overslept and missed my swim :(, but did my 1 hr tempo run after work, 7.04 miles, man was I moving!  The run felt great (in my new shoes!), but my legs were pretty tired after.

Asics Gel Kayano. Been rocking them since 2011.

Friday: I had a 7a meeting, so I did my 1:30 trainer ride reallllyyy early since I had to make up my missed swim after work.  So.  I was up and riding at 4:30a.  Yeah, I don’t think I ever want to do that again.  I finished and was at work by 6:50a.  That has to be a record for me.  I left work at 4p (and boy was I tired) and dragged myself to the pool.  Thank goodness I only had 2500 yard to swim.  I was in bed by 8:30 that night. 🙂

Saturday:  Long ride – 100+, and I was ready!  The plan was to ride my usual 53 mile route in Columbia and ride it twice.  I had one friend who was doing one loop with me, another doing both and another guy who is doing IMWI (that I hadn’t met yet) who was also planning on riding two loops.  Well…. things didn’t turn out as planned, the friend who was doing two loops with me completely overslept, so he was a no-show.  Bummer.  We did run into two other people in the tri club that were riding four hours, so we started with them.  Safety in numbers!

So back to things not turning out as planned… my lovely 13 miles of hills had gravel EVERYWHERE.  I think I was riding 13mph most of that route in fear of crashing.  Once we got through that section I thought that we were done with the gravel, but no, another 10 mile section had gravel.  Ugh.  Two loops wasn’t happening if I wanted to make sure I didn’t crash!  We ended up sticking with the group riding 4 hours (since one of my ‘loops’ was only three hours), and then dropped them and my friend off at the parking lot with only about 60 miles done.  Sigh.  So my new IMWI buddy and I headed out in the flats to ride 20 out and back. I was really sad to not be riding hills, especially after now knowing how hilly IMWI was, but safety trumps hills.

We chit-chatted about the race, work and other random triathlete things (how much laundry we have, the newest gear, race nutrition…you know, fun stuff like that) and before I knew it, we were already turning around.  The last 20 miles were a bit tough as I was tired, but we pushed through and got it done.  When I hit my watch after we got back to the parking lot, I saw it only read 99.5.  Grr!!  I thought about doing loops in the parking lot, but decided .5 miles short wasn’t THAT big of a deal. 🙂  I changed into my run gear, said goodbye to my new buddy, and headed out for a 5 mile run. I forgot my headphones, but the miles sort of flew by and my legs didn’t feel terrible either, just tired.  After the run I drank my recovery drink, got a coke and headed home.  I was tired!

Sunday: I was up early for my long run – 3 hours.  I was tired just thinking about it.  However I dragged myself to Forest Park and got moving.  The first 13 miles weren’t terrible but after that, I just mentally did NOT want to run 5ish more miles.  I stopped in the Visitor’s Center twice to refill my handheld during those last 5 miles… talk about procrastinating!  Before the run I had decided I really wanted to get in at least 19 miles, so I figured I would just run a few more minutes after hitting the 3 hour mark to make it an even 19.  Well… that didn’t happen.  I hit my watch after three hours and the distance was 18.51 and I was very ok with that.  Phew!  I was finally done with this training week and very excited to have the next day off 🙂  Once again, I was fast asleep by 9p that night.

Since my post only has one picture, here’s one of Patrick checking out the storm we had roll through Sunday evening.  He likes to be in on the action!

Patrick isn’t afraid of storms!

Total Training Hours: 17:26

Racine 70.3: The Bike

As I left transition my legs felt heavy, but the normal kind of heavy when I start my brick runs.  Off I went, my first mile around a 9:30 pace, the second was a bit slower and after that…I just had trouble keeping the pace up.  I don’t think my legs were dead, but I just felt zapped of energy.  Soon a little voice in my head started repeating ‘You overbiked!!  You overbiked!!’, which didn’t help my confidence and I started to wonder if those last 20 or so angry miles after the crash were a mistake.

Feeling fresh-ish…sorta

By mile 4 I started doing a walk/run combination until another club member caught up with me and then I started running with him.  Honestly, I think if I had been by myself, a LOT more walking would have happened.  We walked the aid stations and ran a couple of miles together and then I tried to pick up the pace and went a head of him.  That didn’t last long.  More walking/running.  I finally hit the turn-around and all I could think was ‘I seriously have another loop of this?’

Starting loop #2.

Yeah…the running didn’t last long.

I don’t know what the deal was, maybe I did overbike, but my legs didn’t feel terrible, I just felt tired and was ready to be done.  Usually the run is ‘my thing’ and where I get the most energy, like at Kanasas 70.3…I felt like my legs were on fire, in a good way, but today? My legs were in the mood to walk.  I decided it was time to start drinking coke, so at the next aid station I took a water, gatorade and a coke, did a little walking and soon I felt like my peppy energy and legs had decided to show up.  I started to run and my next mile I managed around a 10 minute mile.  Not great, but, better than walking.  The next 6 miles were kind of a blur.  More coke, some walking, some running….I think my pace was around a 10/10:30 min average.  I just couldn’t figure out why this run had become such a struggle, there was shade on the course, it really wasn’t very hot (mid 80’s?) and for crying out loud, I remembered my darn salt tabs on the bike and run!

Soon I had one mile to go, and honestly all I wanted to do was to take a nap!  I did a little more walking (I thought to myself: Really?!? .5 miles to go and you’re WALKING??) and finally ran it in.  Yet another race with a decent swim and bike, followed by a yucky run.  There has to be something going on with what I’m doing on the bike, because I’ve read you never have a good bike and a bad run, it’s more like you overdid it on the bike and had a bad run.  As I crossed the finish line I thought to myself ‘you’ve got some work to do before IMWI because I’m NOT having a run like this that day!’.  I hit the stop button on my watch and sure enough, (and I knew with my run this was the case) no PR.  Although 6:03 wasn’t terrible, and only 1:01 minutes off my PR.

This is my…’did I seriously walk so much during the run AGAIN’ face.

I found JMR after I got out of the finisher’s chute, grabbed a coke and proceeded to drink the whole darn thing.  I think I’m officially addicted to coke (the soda :)) when training.  After heading to the club tent and catching up with everyone to hear about their race, I took a wet-wipe bath in a nearby bathroom, changed and we were on our way back home.  Overall I was pretty happy with a swim PR and almost breaking 3hrs on the bike, but I still have to figure out what’s going on with my runs.  Next season I AM breaking 6 hours 🙂

Battle wound.

Oh and to add some humor, these are the two pictures that the race photography company put in their email to try to get me to buy their pictures.  It really did sum up how the day went: good bike, crappy run.

Run Time: 2:15:54

Finish Time: 6:03:00 (right on the nose!)