Last week's totals

Totals from last week:
Swim: 5,250 yds
Bike: 65 (hilly) miles
Run: 56.77 miles

Three cheers for me, I finally got in a bike ride!! Feeling good about my totals for last week, particularly my running, as I've posted solid workouts back to back to back. Saturday was the Rip Roarin' Ride that started at Liberty Hill High School. I had planned to ride the 79 mile route, until I found out this ride was the same route as the Spokes & Spurs ride I did last March (meaning: HILLY) and decided no thank you, I'll just do the 65 mile route. Averaged 16 mph for the 65 miles, and I was happy with that. I rode at a comfortable pace for the first 50 miles and pushed it the last 15. When I as done I felt as if I could have kept going, so that's good right? I have some work to do on the bike - I've noticed on hilly courses like that my cadence is really inconsistent going up the hills, so I really need to work on not losing momentum when I'm climbing.

Sunday was one of my fav races, the Silicon Marathon relays and also the kickoff for the Austin Distance Challenge. I ran the first leg, a 12K (7.4 miles) and wasn't sure how well I would run since my quads were on fire from Saturday's ride. I really pushed myself and focused on negative splits (ended up passing several people the last few miles). My legs had that "heavy" feeling throughout the race and never really loosened up, but I ended up running a 52:25, good for a 7:02 pace!! YEAH!!

Yesterday was a much needed rest day, followed by an 8 mile run this morning.

Less than 2 weeks til Baltimore. Show me what you got Maryland!!!

Last long run!

This morning I got up at 4:30 am (yes, 4:30!) to get in my last long run before the Baltimore Marathon. Knocked out 15.4 miles at an 8:07 clip and felt great! I felt the pace was probably an 3/5 effort, so I am HOPING that means I'll be able to hit the 3:30 mark in Baltimore, no problem.... :)

Busy training/racing weekend ahead with the Liberty Hill Rip Roarin' Ride tomorrow and the Silicon Marathon Relays on Sunday morning. I'm planning to ride the 79 mile distance at tomorrow's ride. Hopefully I won't wimp out and do the 65 mile route. I've heard it's hilly and 65 miles is the longest I've ever ridden, so we'll see...

Sunday is one of my favorite races that I have done for the past few years. It's a 5 person relay with distances that add up to a marathon: 12K, 2 10k's and 2 5k's. I'm running the 12K leg for my team. Not too concerned about pace or my time, mostly just looking forward to the camaraderie and hanging out with other runners I haven't seen in awhile! This race is also the kickoff to the Austin Distance Challenge which is one of my favorite things about Austin!!

Happy Friday!

Happy Hump Day!

I saw this on another blog and thought that it was too funny not to share....

SO excited to report that my brother has signed up for the 5K associated with the Baltimore marathon, so we'll both be running that day (as well as my uncle & cousin)!!! I'm thrilled that he's taken an interest in running and already secretly plotting in my head how to convince him to take on a 10k next!!

Baltimore marathon is in t-minus 2.5 weeks, and I'm feeling good about it. My running (knock on wood) is going really well right now, and I think I can run a solid 3:30 on the hilly Baltimore course....

It will be fun for my fabulous spectators, Mom & Pops Shackelford - they can watch me take off at 8 am, my brother and Lexi start their race at 8:30 am, then my uncle start the half-marathon at 9:45 am. I really like how the race director has staggered the start of the races, it will be nice for my parents get to see everyone start their respective races.

Anyhow, happy Wednesday! Half-way to the WEEKEND!

60 miles!

I hit 60 miles last week for total running miles. Had some great workouts, plus a really good 18.5 miler on Saturday! I feel confident and ready for the Baltimore Marathon in two weeks.

Didn't have a great run this morning though. Didn't sleep well or much at all, so woke up feeling pooped. I went ahead with my scheduled 12-miler (well, 11.77 miles to be exact) but it felt like a hard effort the entire time even though my pace was quite a bit slower than usual.

My goal this week is to get on my bike AT LEAST 3 times, if not 4...

How to Brag re: Ironman

how to brag re: Ironman ^{1, 2}

[I found this online and thought it was too hilarious not to share]

Before I started to train an Ironman, I bought a training plan; I read books on hydration and fuel replacement, I listened to endless hours of advice from elite and pro triathletes. This information did help me finish, but it did not teach me how to correctly brag about being an Ironman.

My friends and I came up with a six phase program which will aid you in bragging about your Ironman . Use this plan from the moment you register until well after the race is complete for the most bang for your bragging buck.

Sign Up Phase: For most Ironman events, you have to register up to one year in advance. This gives you plenty of time to brag about doing an Ironman. During this phase, you must let all of your non-Ironman friends know you can't hang out with them anymore, because you just signed up for an Ironman. If you don't have any Ironman friends, then go to a place where runners or bikers hang out. Look for the Ironman symbol (M Dot) on their training clothes. An Ironman would never be caught running or biking without their Ironman stuff.

Training Phase: Training for an Ironman can be compared to having a part time job. You must let everyone you meet know this. This can be accomplished by sighing loudly at work, mumbling how tired you are because you just biked 100 miles, because you are in training for an Ironman. You can also skillfully steer the conversation with your neighbors and co-workers to your Ironman training. Here is an example:

Neighbor: "Did you hear what President Bush said this week?" Lee: "Were you aware that President Bush is a biker? I just biked 100 miles today. I am training for an Ironman."

Co worker: Lee, are you working late tonight? Lee: No, I have to get up early to do a 20 mile run.

I even once rang my neighbor's door and when he answered, I said "Sorry Bob, can't talk to you now, I am training for an Ironman."

One Week before the Race Phase: You need to let your neighbors and co-workers know you will be gone for a little while, competing in an Ironman. Once again, you can steer the conversation to your Ironman race.

Neighbor: "Wow Lee your lawn looks great!" Lee: "My lawn is going to look bad this next week; I will be competing in an Ironman."

Race Expo Phase: You must buy as much Ironman merchandise as possible. For years we saved our money to send both of my boys to private college, but sacrifices must be made. Both Derick and Ty will be going to junior college now. You must buy enough Ironman clothes to cover every day at work and training. You must also buy plenty of shirts for your spouse and children. They will also spread the word that you just finished an Ironman.

The Race Phase: At http://www.ironmanlive.com you can setup automatic emails and cell phone message notifications of your Ironman timing splits. You can use all of the entries in your email and cell phone address book. Include everyone regardless of whether they remember you are or not. It just does not matter, because you are an Ironman.

Post Race Phase: The finisher medal can be worn for one day per the number of miles raced and everyone knows that an Ironman is 140.6 miles. So wear that medal for 141 days (always round up as opposed to rounding down your finishing time). Your children must be trained to say, "My daddy is an Ironman. He gave me this shirt. He's an Ironman." This must be emphasized over and over with your children. I did not do this after I ran the Boston marathon, and Derick, my oldest boy, told everyone at his day care that his grandma ran the marathon. Your spouse must memorize all of your splits (swim, bike and run). You must also include both transition splits as well. Instead of wearing a shirt which states, "I am with Dummy", your spouse will wear a shirt which says, "I am with a stud Ironman". All conversations must be steered to your Ironman race.

Co-Worker: "Did you hear about the new work policy?" Lee: "Nope, I did not; I was racing in an Ironman."

For at least one month you can say, "Well, I 'm only going to run easy today, I just did an Ironman." When someone brings up a subject of hardships suffered, you need to remind them that you also have suffered through hardships while training and racing in your Ironman.
You can also use these ideas to brag about other races, but please only brag about races which are longer than 13.1 miles.

1. it's a joke, folks.

2. kind of.

Riding in the RAIN!

Happy Monday! So, I had a moment in my training this weekend when I realized that I'm crazy. Yes, certifiably looney people. I was signed up to ride the Tour De Florence ride on Saturday, and was really excited to finally get some miles in on the bike.

Friday it started to pour. All.day.long. I checked the weather and there was a 90% chance that it was going to do the same thing all day on Saturday. I emailed the ride director to check on the status of the ride, and she told me the ride was on rain or shine. After hemming and hawing, I decided that I would wait and see what it was doing Sat. morning and then make my decision. I got up at 7 am on Saturday (ride started at 9 am) and it was raining lightly. I gave a thought to going back to bed, but decided to go ahead, suck it up, and ride.

Fast forward to 9 am - ride start time. Still raining lightly and wind was starting to pick up. There were about 20 crazies total who showed up (and about 200 packets lying there for people who didn't show up). I rode the first 8 miles with another triathlete I knew from Georgetown. The routes were either 15 mile, 35, 45 or 65 miles. At mile 8 it started to rain pretty hard and so several people turned and opted for the 15 mile option, including the guy I was riding with. I thought, 15, miles, PHMPH, I'm already out here, I'm going to keep riding. Then it starts to pour. AND POUR. AND POUR. Rain was falling so hard it hurt and it was blowing sideways. I'll skip the details and just say it was plain miserable. Big trucks would drive by, dosing me with water and they flew through the big puddles on the road. This is the point where I realized I am absolutely nuts for doing this.

I ended up riding 56 miles overall (*a few of us ended up taking an extra 11 mile detour because the cop who was supposed to be directing us to turn was sitting in the car because he didn't want to get wet. WTF?!). It was the fastest I've ever biked that distance. Honestly, I was peddling lights out, balls to the wall so I could get my butt back to the start and out of the monsoon. I got back to the start only to realize that I did not have a change of clothes, so I got in my car and rode the 20 miles back home drenched to the bone. Now my car smells like mildew.

Overall, I'm glad I went. Had I known the weather was going to be like that, I never would have gone, but I am happy to have gotten the miles in. The things I do for training...

Sunday morning I got up early and headed over to Ironman Shawn's neighborhood for a 15 mile run. We knocked out 15 hilly miles at an 8:15 pace, and I actually felt great. It was nice to have the company and a change of scenery. Plus, he gave me lots of helpful Ironman advice.

Totals for the week:
Run: 44.4 miles
Bike: 81 miles
Swim: 5,190.42 yards

This upcoming weekend, I'm doing a sprint tri in Burnet. It's a small race that not many people know about, so I am looking forward to it.

:)

Roooooffff!

I've been slacking on my blogging. We bought a dog people. And, he is keeping us buuuusy. I finally found someone who has more energy than I do!! But, he's a sweetie. I already spoil him and treat him like he's a child. Dan gets mad because I talk to him in baby talk. BTW, his name is Flash and he's a Basset Hound.Anyway, last week's totals...
Run: 58.2 miles
Bike: 0
Swim: 7,000 yds

I raced the Austin Olympic Distance Triathlon yesterday. Despite feeling unmotivated, I had a good race (*expect for a bad swim) and beat my overall time from last year by 6 minutes! :)

Stats:
1500m swim: 39:29 (2:38/100m pace) *my goggles fogged, we swam into the sun, I couldn't see crap and swam into a kayak. ARGH!
Transition 1: 3:51
25 mile bike: 1:19:34 (18.7 mph)
Transition 2: 2:10
6.2 mile run: 44:20 (7:09 pace)
Total Time: 2:49:26

This weekend is the Tour De Florence 65 mile ride. Pumped to get some miles in on the bike!!

Last week's totals

This will be short and sweet. Life's been crazy with the move and work.

Last week's totals:
Run: 55.30 miles
Swim: 7,050 yards
Bike: 0 miles

I was pretty happy with this volume considering how busy we've been...

Looking forward to the Austin triathlon on Monday (Labor Day) and then a month packed full of racing and organized bike rides (so I will get my bike mileage in, dang it!).

My Sept. racing schedule is below. Thank goodness it's full, I need structure people!
Sept 7: Austin Olympic Distance Triathlon
Sept. 12: Tour De Florence 65-mile bike ride
Sept. 20: Burnet Sprint Distance Triathlon
Sept. 26: Liberty Hill Rip & Roar 73-mile ride
Sept. 27: Silicon Relays (12K leg)

Happy September!