detox.needed.now

this week has ended up being all about a break for me...from some things that is...like my nutrition plan...lots of beer, pizza and mexican food...a break from training...no rides this week, only swam twice and ran three times...no said exercise yesterday or today...

today i just felt weird...like some one else entirely...i don't think my body likes not working out...and it's a good thing because tomorrow I will get my butt in gear again...goodbye beer and queso, see ya later...

detox...here we come

and please don't give me any even if i beg ;)

Blah

Today I feel like a fatty fatty 2x4. The after effects of the large quantity of pizza I ate last night are in full force and I can already feel the extra junk in the trunk. Okay, maybe I am exaggerating a little bit, but I did stuff my face last night and on top of that, Dan and I missed the Run Tex workout this morning, making me feel even more like a lazy ass.

Today, I'll cross train at lunch on the elliptical. I'm feeling pretty beat up today after logging some longer runs this week and very sore from a core/weight workout yesterday at lunch.

I am hoping, planning, praying that I get in a 16-18 mile run followed by a long swim on Saturday and a 50-mile ride on Sunday. Hopefully the temptation of the parties that Dan is trying to lure me too this weekend will not get in my way of my best laid plans.

That is all. Carry on.

Longhorn 70.3

I just signed up for Longhorn Half-Ironman. Hoping to redeem myself after my poor performance at Buffalo Springs. Longhorn was my first 70.3 race ever last October, and I really enjoyed the race. It will be a good way to end this year's tri season and also a good warm up for C'ouer D'Alene. Race date is Sunday, October 25. Yeaaaah!

Tri Waco

Dan and I raced the Waco Olympic Distance Triathlon yesterday...yes, you heard me correctly, DAN and I both competed. Long story short, Dan filled in at the last moment for a co-worker of mine who was supposed to race but got hurt. He had never done an Olympic distance race before, and I kind of volunteered him to take my friend's place, giving him less than 24 hours notice after he had just run 7 miles on Saturday morning....great wife, aren't I. BUT, he did freakin' awesome and I am so proud of him!! Seriously, he was AMAZING.

I had a strong race as well, for me anyways, and was especially pleased with my performance considering I worked out long and hard back-to-back on Friday & Saturday. My swim time was the only thing I wasn't stoked about ... it was way slower than expected, but it appears that everyone's was, and that the course was at least 200m LONG, although the ego-centric race director swears up and down it was accurate. Who knows! The run course was long as well - 6.5 miles as opposed to 6.2, but that extra .3 makes a damn difference on that course! But, on the map it had the run course marked as 6.5 miles, so I guess the race director doesn't know the correct distance of a 10K even though he claimed in his LENGTHY pre-race meeting that he knew all. Anyway, I digress...

I enjoyed this race for the most part (minus the race director and his long-winded and extremely annoying 35 min speech that delayed the race). The bike course was great, and the run course was beautiful and extremely challenging (read: hilly) and definitely the hardest 10k course I've raced in a triathlon. I felt much better in this race than I did in Cap Tex which was the last Olympic Race I did, so I feel like I'm making progress.

Sunday ended about 6-7 weeks continuous racing for me, and I am taking a much needed break for racing until Labor Day. My focus now will be to start focusing on the longer weekend runs for the Baltimore Marathon, and longer weekend rides for the Longhorn 70.3.

Waco Stats:
Swim: 39:50 - 2:3p/100m

Bike: 1:22:31 - 18.4 mph

Run: 47:04 - 7:35 min/mi
Total Time: 2:54:14

Today's Workout:

AM: 5 mile eaaasy run

Lunch: 1700 yd swim

No more workouts for me tonight. Have to watch the season finale of the Bachelorette tonight!!

Insert Creative Title Here

• I took a vacation day today to catch up on my training, particularly the biking that has not happened. WTF? I am not normal. But, I did get in a 40 mile ride and a 7 mile run, so my crazy mind is at peace.
• Also, I slept 12 hours last night which was simply glorious.
  
• Yesterday was a rest day, and I needed it. About 1 year ago, I started to literally have a pain in my butt. I self diagnosed myself with pifirmosis syndrome. It got better for awhile, just a nagging pain in the ass. Well, now it's back in full force like it was a yr ago. I think the cause might be from doing more speed work than I had been used to doing. The worst thing about it that is really starts to hurt after sitting long periods of time. So, an eight hour day of sitting at my desk at work does wonders.
• Tomorrow, I'm planning on doing an eeeaaaasssy long run with RunTex + a swim at the Rec. Then we head to Waco to spend the night for Sunday's race.
• Oh yeah, that nutrition plan I talked about earlier in the week....well, I hit a little bit of a stumbling block yesterday. Pretty sure range rattlers + beer at Saltgrass did not provide my body with any nutritional value, but oh well...
• Now that I've finished my workouts, I am supposed to be packing/cleaning. But, I'm too tired from the workout, so maybe a nap is in order...

Happy weekend!

Wednesday Tidbits

• Although I had a crappy day yesterday at work, the day ended up finishing on a good note. Dan and I went to Austin for Jack & Adam's monthly Splash & Dash (750m open water swim, followed by a 3km run). Jack & Adams puts on these great chip timed (and cheap) races once a month. Not only did I post my fastest swim time EVER at the Splash & Dash, I also improved my overall time from the past two montly races! Dan only beat me by 25 seconds in the swim this time. It's nice to see improvements, especially since I didn't feel like I had a good swim.
• Yesterday's workout stats: AM: 6 mile run ; Lunch: 1800 yd easy swim ; PM: 750 m open water swim; 3 km run.
• After eating not-so-great the past few weeks, I've started a new eating "plan", if you will. Not a diet, but I'm cutting out junk - basically anything that does not provide nutritional value. With as much as I work out, I feel like I really need to be feeding my body the right foods. I've been replacing snacks like ice cream, candy, crackers, Starbucks frappacino's with fruit and veggies. I'm also trying to eat more natural foods and less processed foods. I was very pleased with my fruit intake yesterday: 3 bananas, an apple & a nectarine.
• This new eating plan has, however, left me craving ice cream. Monday night I woke up and all I could think about was how much I wanted ice cream. This continued all day yesterday but I ignored it. And then when I woke up this morning I was still craving it. WTF body? And, no, I'm not preggo!!!
• Ran 8 miles easy with Francie this morning...although it felt hard to me because my body is sore all over. I was hoping to bike tonight, but I think I am going to swim at lunch and call it a day. My body needs rest. I'll try the biking tomorrow night.
• Dan and I are signed up to run Houston in January!!! I'm doing the full, he's doing the half. I'm totally pumped to do this race, and glad we got a spot....it sold out in less than 2 days. Crazy.
• I'm getting my hair cut today, and can't wait. Just FYI.
• My kink in the neck is gone.

Crappy Tuesday

Today was a horrible day at work. And, I slept wrong so I have a kink in my neck. Should make swimming in tonight's Splash & Dash fun. Oh well. Toughen up cupcake!

Howdy Du Race Report

Had a good race this morning at the Howdy Du Duathlon in Georgetown. Enjoyed racing locally, and I must say I like duathlons a lot more than triathlons. I would much rather run twice than swim anyway (probably because I suck at swimming). Too bad there aren't more duathlons in the area. Another thing I really appreciate about duathlons is that the entry fees are much cheaper. I paid $35 for this race, as opposed to the $70+ I usually pay for triathlons.

Total time was 1:41:37, good for 2nd in my age group (picture of me with my award to the left) and 7th female overall. I was very pleased with the consistent pace of both runs (each 5k was 21:27 - weird!). I was worried I might bonk on my second run, but I actually felt really good. I averaged 17.9 mph for the 17 mile bike, which for me, is good. The race was very well run and this is one I'll do again.

Next weekend I'm racing an Olympic Triathlon in Waco, then I'm taking about a month off from racing and focusing on longer training running and biking. I've raced a lot in June & July, which makes it hard to get in a lot of distance training during the week because I don't want to over work my body too much before the race on the weekend.

Anyway, I'm beat, it's nap time!

Feeling a little blah...

I can't believe it's Friday already! This week has really flown by. It's been an average week for workouts. It's been so stinkin' hot, that it's made working out miserable. I actually had a dream last night about cooler weather. It's unseasonably hot this summer. Definitely the hottest summer since I've been living in Texas.

I woke up this morning feeling not so hot for some reason. Dan and I went up to Run Tex for the 5:45 am run/core workout. I didn't feel great for the beginning, but was feeling better by the end of the workout. I got in 4 miles + the core workout. Planned to do 5 miles, but oh well. At lunch, I got in 1750 yards in the pool. I'm racing on Sunday (duathlon), so I'm still feeling sluggish in the morning, I will cut way back on my planned workouts for Fri/Sat.


Oh yeah - apparently, a cold front is coming through on Sunday. It's only supposed to be 97 degrees instead of 105. Relief? I think not.

Tuesday's workouts.....check!

Goal accomplished today. Got in all three workouts. Here's the stats:

Morning: 10 mile run
Lunch: 1800 yd swim
Evening: 29 mile bike

I will sleep like a baby tonight.

Couples Triathlon

Dan and I had a good race at the Couples Triathlon yesterday! Both of us improved on our times from last year, and my swim time was about 10 second/100m faster than usual! Despite the heat (it was almost 10 am by the time we started the run), we had a great time. It's a really well-done event, and it is something nice that we can do together.

Overall, it was a good training weekend for us. Saturday morning we got up early and did a long run with RunTex, then I got in a 2,900 yard swim at the Rec Center. Today is just an easy workout day for me - 4 mile run at lunch.

Tomorrow, I run 10 miles in the morning, swim at lunch, and then bike in the evening. Woooohooo!

TGIF

I've been neglecting my blog as of late. I am sorry my dear friendly readers. Work is super busy, people are super annoying and I am just super. (ha, I kid, I kid).

I've followed my Ironman routine for the most part this week (although I deemed today a "rest day") and have learned a few important things so far. I'm quickly learning that part of the training is adjusting to operating in a physically fatigued state, and by operate I don't just mean make it through the day, I mean make it through the day and get solid workouts in as well. I also think I was a bit of an overachiever in my planning: working out three times a day is way to freaking much. I'm too old for that. Twice a day, with the occasional three-a-day workout, will have to suffice.

After chatting with a friend who has done many Ironmans, I've decided that a 12 month training plan for an Ironman will lead to burnout and is just plain insanity. He assures me that I just need to maintain my current base and go with a 20 week Ironman training plan. So, this weekend I am going to re-evaluate my plans.

I'm also quickly learning how expensive this damn sport is. For training purposes, I'm going to need to race another half-ironman this summer. Luckily, there's Longhorn 70.3 which is local but still boasts a hefty $250 entry fee. I better wait to tell the Hubbs about this one.

Since my lazy butt did not get out of bed for my scheduled 12 miler this morning, I will be doing it bright and early tomorrow with RunTex. Afterwards, I'll head to the Rec for a longer swim. Sunday is Couples Triathlon, and my only goal is not to let Dan beat me (although I'll be behind from the start because he's a much faster swimmer).

That's all. Have a great weekend!

Iroman CdA Training - Week 1

I begin my training for Ironman Couer D'Alene on Monday! Here is the training schedule I created for the week, hopefully I can stick to it pretty closely if not exactly.

Monday:
(AM): Monday Morning Girl Run Group (Steady State Workout)
(Lunch): Easy 30 min run on treadmill (if I have time)
(PM): Swim with Master's Swim Team

Tuesday:
(AM): 6 mile easy run
(Lunch): Swim at Rec
(PM): Bike with Cyclopaths

Wednesday:
(AM): 8 mile run
(Lunch): Core work
(PM): Swim with Master's Team

Thursday:
(AM): Run with RunTex
(Lunch): Spin bike workout
(PM): Swim with Master's Team

Friday:
(AM): 10-12 mile easy run
(Lunch): easy swim

Saturday:
(AM): Bike with Cyclopaths

Sunday:
Couples Triathlon

Have a great week!

4th of July 5k

This morning Dan and I were signed up to run a 4th of July 5k in Georgetown. Honestly, when the alarm went off this morning, I did not want to get up. I laid in bed for 15 before hesitantly rolling out of bed. Good thing I did because....I won!! I was the first female overall in 20:44! A nice surprise and definitely made it worth getting out of bed for. :) Dan did awesome as well, finishing in just over 24 min (although he swore he was just trying to break 27 min). Proud of us both! Happy 4th of July!

Chasing Iron

I've had several people ask me why I decided to sign up for an Ironman, and how I feel now that I have signed up.

Okay, now the reality of signing up for an Ironman has hit me. I am reading the race reports and thinking I don't know how much fuel I need, I have no idea how to change a flat tire and I am feeling very overwhelmed and the training hasn't even begun. But, I am going to take a deep breath and get through it.

As to why did I do it? Well, this quote sums it all up: "If there were ever a time to dare, to make a difference, to embark on something worth doing, it is now. Not for any grand cause, necessarily, but for something that tugs at your heart, something that's your aspiration, something that's your dream. You owe it to yourself to make your days here count. Have fun. Dig deep. Stretch. Dream big."

Peace.

Busy July!

Here are a few pictures from the race in Buffalo Springs!

I can't believe it is July already. Crazy how time flies. I'm working my way towards recovery from Buffalo Springs. Was back running on Tuesday and mixed in a swim as well yesterday. Legs still feel a little heavy, but I'm hoping to get back into full training after the holiday weekend.

July is a busy month for me race-wise, which I look forward too because racing always gets me excited and keeps me focused.

Here is what July looks like for me:

Saturday, July 4: Nelsen Scholarship 5K

Sunday, July 12: Couples Triathlon
Sunday, July 19: Darnst Du (Duathlon, 3mi run/18 mi bike/3mi run)

Sunday, July 26: Waco Olympic Triathlon

Over the next few months, I am really going to focus on more time in the saddle, and mixing up my swim routine (more interval work, less just swimming laps). I debating joining the local master's swim team. I know it would be good for me, but I'm intimidated because of my slowness in the water.

I hope everyone has a safe & happy holiday weekend!