Finishing 2015, and the start of 2016. Racing & Other Things.

Hello hello hello.

It’s been a long time. And a lot has occurred. (Be forewarned, semi-long post ahead.) 

Part of me cannot believe that my last post was all about my Lake Placid Ironman experience. (And another part of me knows EXACTLY why my last post was about IMLP.)

But anyways… what has been going on since IMLP? Well, there was a  (short) period of recovery where I also interviewed for a new job and decided to leap from my career of nearly 10 years into something new that would allow me to move back near my hometown permanently.

The goal was to spend more time with family and friends from home. I have always felt a strong tie to the Saratoga region and after 10 years of being away for my job, plus the 4 years of college, I decided it was time to make the move back.

Starting the new job, meeting new coworkers, learning all about the products my company carried, going through formal and informal training and getting out to meet my customers all across New England kept me pretty busy…

Also, I kept training. I ran the inaugural Old Forge Half Marathon trail run with a couple friends then I ran in the ADK Ragnar Relay on an Ultra team (we took 2nd place for ultra teams – pretty awesome!) and finally participated in a fundraising ride in October.

In November, I was accepted back onto Team Betty for 2016, which was so amazing because I love my Betty Squad!! The women around the world that make up Team Betty are amazing and an inspiration. They were also a major reason for my return to racing in 2016!

After my three Fall events, I took about a month off from training before jumping back into training for the Walt Disney World half that I ran with my sister and my mom in January – we ran as a team and stuck together, it was so much fun! It was my sister’s first half marathon and she did awesome, I am so proud of her!  (BTW, I am now fully convinced that Disney World IS the happiest place on earth, even if you are a 30-something adult without children….) It was an amazing trip with the family. I wish we could get away more together. It was great to see my parents  and my sister and her husband relax and enjoy!

After Disney, I rushed out to San Diego for work. While most of the time I was in San Diego, I was stuck inside of a hotel – I did get out one afternoon and rode a Segway. This was my first time on a Segway, it was so fun once you got the hang of it!

After returning to home mid-January, I knew it was time to decide what I was going to do with 2016. Honestly, I was feeling pretty burned out from training in 2015 but I knew I also didn’t want to sit around and go from 100% crazy in 2015 to 100% idle in 2016. So, with this in mind, and knowing I needed to change some things up, I hired a new coach for 2016 to see what new workout strategies I could learn with some new direction. I also decided to sign up for Tupper Lake Tinman, a 70.3 distance race, for 2016.

I was thinking 70.3 would be cake easier less intense after last year racing 140.6. Now, in early April as I encroach upon closing month #3 of training for this 70.3, I have been fully reminded that a 70.3 is just as intense as ever and still a lot of work! I am certain I should have stepped back into sprints and oly’s for this year since I am still definitely feeling a bit burned out, but I am lucky because I do have a new coach who IS teaching me new strategies and ways to train for distance racing and I am definitely seeing improvements in my swimming and running. I am not a quitter. I will see this 4th 70.3 distance race through to the end.

My swimming has been exciting, I’ve not made it to the pool as often as my coach would request, but I’ve seen improvements and PRs when I am swimming.

My biking is also coming along, although a bit slower than I had hoped – I’m praying that once I finally get outside (this spring has been much colder, much longer than one would hope) that I will see the work put in the last 90 days has paid off. My biking is almost build back up to where it was in late 2014 – last year, Ironman training had the effect of actually weakening my bike leg. I was able to put in the distance but lost some of the power I had when biking shorter distances. I’m excited to build in this region again.

Finally, my running is starting to speed up again (whoop!). I have been doing a bit of strength training and yoga along with my swimming, biking and running and it is definitely paying off. My legs feel better than they have in the past 2 years and I am currently closing in on my paces that I used to run in 2013. I’m cautiously excited about this – I know I have to keep a close watch on my strength, my flexibility, and my prior injury tendencies as I continue to try and push my speed back up into the sub 9s and possibly sub 8s at times.

All this improvement is coming despite trying to juggle quite a bit of traveling with the new job, and the realization that the first career move made after 10 years with my prior company has not been the best fit for my professional life. (Cue changes ahead.) The past few months have been interesting, I have learned quite a bit, but I am ready to embrace yet another chapter of my life in the very near future. (Stay tuned.)

For racing in 2016, I just ran the Bacon Hill Bonanza 10K last weekend at an 8:17 pace (not so bad after about 18 months stuck in the 10-min pace range!), and I am looking forward to racing a couple sprint tri’s (especially Pumpkinman in Maine with my Betty Squad!). I can’t wait to see how my fourth 70.3 in Tupper Lake comes together this year and I have another Ragnar Relay trail race on the calendar which I am super stoked for (they’re so FUN!)!

On the non-racing front, I am excited for the next transition in my professional life and a couple of non-work trips. One is coming up here in a couple weeks and another at the end of June. I’ll definitely be sharing pictures and reflections on my adventures!!

Photos//

Old Forge Half Marathon Trail Run

At the start line of ADK Ragnar Relay – Ultra Team!

OktoberBreast 50 Mile Bike Start Line!

Team Betty 2016!

The family in Disney! Post Half-Marathon Breakfast. (Jackson couldn’t take his eyes off the characters!)

Half-pint motivator. 🙂

Segways in San Diego!

Running is hard.

Running is hard.

I always forget how difficult building mileage can be until I am working on building up miles again. I’ve decided that I must block out much of the struggle and difficulty it takes to reach each milestone after each milestone is actually reached. Well, as I typed that I might want to retract it. The first time I trained for and ran a half marathon, I hated it. And I remembered it.Then, a couple years later, as I ramped up to run a half marathon alongside biking 56 miles and swimming 1.2 for my first 70.3, I actually didn’t hate running 13.1 as much, but I would say the long runs were still not my favorite. Then something happened this year, while training for my second 70.3, I started to LOVE my long runs, especially the 12, 13 and 14 milers. And it was awesome!

So, with the love of my 12 to 14 mile runs in my mind, I decided to sign up for a marathon. I then had the pleasure of allowing myself to simply forget about the fact that I had signed up for said marathon until after the 70.3 in late June. But I did continue to enjoy running – the long runs, the short runs, the speed workouts, and the base workouts… And then it started. Starting mid-July the long runs started getting longer, and that final mile or two of each run has gotten a little more and more difficult. 

Oh, hi running. I forgot about all the fun that comes along with the next mile. While the satisfaction of each long run finished is an amazing feeling, those miles of 15, 16, 17 have been a little more painful than the first 13 to 14 miles… and I’ve started to recognize the need for things like ice baths and other recovery mechanisms. Seriously, I have been questioning my own sanity, especially on the mornings that I am staring down a 2.5+ hour run. Then I remember that training for the ADK marathon is just the tip of the iceberg since I am going to be tackling Ironman Lake Placid next year.

Welcome to running. Just when you think you have it down, it reminds you that there is a reason that many don’t run. Why? Because it’s hard. There is no denying it, no hiding it. Or I guess you could hide it and pretend that all your runs are easy and amazing, but seriously, whoever claims that is lying. I don’t care who you are. 

Hopefully having this marathon under my belt will make the training this winter and spring all the easier. Also, I keep reminding myself that I am running difficult (hilly) courses for the training since I’ve managed to select a very difficult course (some have told me one of the more difficult marathons in the Northeast) for my first marathon. Again, not sure what I was thinking… ok I do know, I was thinking it would be beautiful (ADK mountains, peak leaf season) and that the medal looked cool (Yes, I picked based on the medal – there is always a first for everything).  

The one thing I’ve had to realize is that a sub-4 hour marathon, which I should absolutely be able to achieve on a flatter course, likely will not be in the cards at this event. At this point, I’ll be happy to just build up my mileage without injury. Adding in the speed, plus the miles, plus the hills likely won’t come together by September 28th. So I guess a sub-4 hour marathon will just have to be on the bucket list for the future if I ever decide that I have the need to run another marathon after this one, and after IMLP. After all, the things that I hate about running are also the reasons that I love running.

Running is hard. And that’s why I love it.

There are good days and bad, easier runs and more difficult runs. 

And there is a challenge for everyone.

There is always a different distance to try, a faster pace to achieve, or a new challenge to tackle.

And you have to work to achieve each milestone. No matter who you are. 

Running is hard. 

 

Weekly Workouts//  

Well, this marked another week of very limited workouts. Finally finally finally felt better this weekend – hoping I have this cold behind me! 

• Monday – 30 Minute Run – Testing the waters to see how I felt… 
• Tuesday –Recovery Ride – Rest Day – Cancelled Workout
• Wednesday – 1 Hour 15 Minute Bike 30/30s – Rest Day – Cancelled Workout
• Thursday – 50 Minute Run – 6 Miles
• Friday – 1800 yd Swim Rest Day – Cancelled Workout
• Saturday – Brick – Lake George Tri Course – 1 Hr, 25 Bike (25 Miles) & 32 Minute Run (4 Miles)
• Sunday – Endurance Run – 17 Miles – 2 Hours, 40 Minutes 

Weekly Totals//

• Swim – None
• Bike – 24.5 Miles, 1 Hour, 25 Minutes
• Run –  27 Miles, 4 Hours, 40 minutes
• Total Time – 6 Hours, 5 minutes

Weekly Photo Recap//

Went to KC for some training this week and saw an old brochure from an event… I swear this is Rox! 

Love wrapping gifts! (And giving them!)

Time on the couch due to sickness = new project complete! A little hard to tell, but finally used my ribbon yarn to make an infinity scarf!

New Passport! Getting ready for my trip to Africa this winter! 

Family baby shower – my Aunt did a crazy good job on this fruit basket! 

What I woke up to on Saturday morning. Apparently someone was ready for me to get up! 

Serious number of steps in the directions on this course! 

Beautiful morning in Lake George!

Friends made along the way… these two have been watching me run since April, finally came up to the fence to say hi! 

View after my 17 mile run. Love this. 

Irongirl to Ironman… Volunteering & Cheering!

Due to lack of internet connection in our house in Lake Placid, and the fact that I spent most of my time swimming, biking, running and cheering – I opted out of last Monday’s post. So THIS week, I’m posting double the fun!!

Yes, last week I finally went to go watch (and volunteer at) my first ever full Ironman event. As promised, just being around the event was so inspiring and moving – and even more so due to the crazy weather that hit Lake Placid on Sunday morning! Lake Placid Ironman has been running for 16 consecutive years, and this was the first year that lightning interfered with the race!

The day started out well enough, there was a beautiful sunrise over Mirror Lake, and the athletes were assembling on the beach – it was so great to hang at the T2 team tent for a bit and wish everyone good luck, emotions were running high! The race started with the pro men, pro female and then the rolling start for the age groupers! After watching all the athletes get in the water and the pros start their second loop of the course, we moved down to watch the athletes run to T1. That’s about when all the fun started. We heard the thunder rolling in and shortly after, there was some serious lightning! Being away from the beach, we couldn’t see what was happening but figured there must be a halt to the swim based on the order the athletes were running through. As the storm kept growing in strength and the lightning became more severe, my friends and I went for a bit of cover. There was rumor the race was being stopped, we were soaked, and since the storm didn’t seem to be letting up we headed toward our house.

The house we rented was located 2 blocks off from where the bike course leaves the oval circle and heads down hill to exit Lake Placid and head to Keene. At this point, we realized the race was still going as bikes were heading out midst all the thunder, lightning and POURING rain – however since their was so much chaos and the athletes had a few hours until they would be back we decided to go grab breakfast and dry clothes.

Fast forward to about 10:30 am – I was back out on the course with my T2 group just in time to cheer on my teammates as they finished loop 1 of the bike! Luckily the rain had passed through and the sun was back out. Athletes were smiling and excited to have Loop #1 behind them. After cheering for a while, it was time to head to transition to volunteer! I was in the gear bag area where athletes grab their gear for running, head to the changing tent, and then we rehang their bags with the bike gear while the athletes start their run. This ended up being a great volunteer spot as I was able to see, cheer and encourage all the various Syracuse athletes that I knew before they headed out for their marathon!

My shift ended around 4 – it was back to the house to change to dry clothes again (it rained on and off during the early afternoon) and grab a little dinner – then my friend and I headed back out to cheer for everyone as they finished the marathon. Luckily I got back to the course just in time to see the T2 crew each rock their finishes! After watching everyone finish, my friend C and I decided to head out to the pub to watch and cheer the athletes that were still working on their run segments (and grab a quick drink in the process!). To me, these people that are out there, trying to beat the midnight deadline are the most inspiring – as the last hour approached, we headed back to the finish line for the party as all the spectators cheer in the final athletes. I swear, as an athlete, it would almost be more fun to be one of the final finishers as SO MANY people are cheering them on (although, running out on the course in the dark with limited lighting would not be so fun… I can’t imagine the mind games you must have to play as the sun sets and you know it’s time to just keep pushing to finish!)!

All in all, it was completely inspiring to be at the event (as expected), and I completed my mission for the weekend. I went, I trained, I cheered, I volunteered, and yes… I signed up for next year! I am pumped even though I know this is crazy to give up my next year to prepare for this. Luckily the true training won’t start until January, but I know I just signed up for a huge challenge that will be SO rewarding to finish and yet SO overwhelming to tackle. Luckily, I have built a great support network over the course of these last 6-8 months in Syracuse. Having a coach that I work well with, a team to train with, and other friends and family behind me, rooting me on, means the world! I finally have my bike set, a gym and a schedule I am used to, and I’m ready to go to work!

~~~~

Ok, now fast forward through the week, I returned to Syracuse and worked to continue with the training (despite having a bit of a workout hang-over from Lake Placid) and worked to settle back into reality of going to work every day (as compared to my life of just working out and doing whatever I wanted for the past week… I wish life could be like this all the time!!).

Saturday I had a brick on the Caz Tri course – I signed up for the Olympic Triathlon next weekend through the urging of some of my T2 teammates. Saturday was my first time on the Caz course, and this course is hilly! Chard Rd and a few of the other hills really are challenging on the course. Sunday should be interesting to say the least. I’m not really sure how I am going to do since I’m definitely feeling a little burned out, but hopefully I can recover a bit with my mini taper this week!

Finally, on Sunday, the Irongirl event ran in Syracuse for the 6th year straight. This was the event that brought me into the world of triathlon in 2009. So while I have never returned to the IG course to compete, it holds a special place in my heart. I love the fact that the venue gives women a chance to  tackle something that most didn’t know they were capable of! Every year I have had the chance to go back and watch friends take on, and complete their first ever triathlon. It’s amazing to watch the pure joy, cheer, and smiles on everyone’s faces throughout the day.

Volunteering this year as kayak support was especially fun as the swim is the part of triathlon that tends to scare people away from the sport. It was just amazing to see so many women overcoming the fear that they couldn’t complete the swim and making their way to the bike and run! I think that everyone managed to complete the swim, despite a few people being seriously scared and panicked during it! I am just so proud of each and every person that takes on the challenge, overcomes their fears, and accomplishes more than they thought possible!

~~~

It was a great couple of weeks – I’ve really been living triathlon every day – and I feel like my post above barely scratches the surface of everything that happened! I didn’t even get a chance to talk about paddle boarding, blueberry picking, and a whole host of other random happenings – but I guess I’ll have to let the photos below try to fill in some of the things I didn’t talk about above!

 

Week 1

Weekly Workouts//

• Monday – Yoga – 60 Minutes
• Tuesday – Endurance Run – 2 hour, 25 minutes – 16 miles
• Wednesday – 2,000 yard Swim – 400’s
• Thursday – AM – Bike 1 Hour – 2×10’s – 21 Miles
• Thursday – PM – Paddle boarding on Saratoga Lake!
• Friday – AM – 40 minute Base Run – 4.6 Miles
• Friday – PM – Swim in Mirror Lake – 1.35 Miles
• Saturday – AM – Bike 1 Loop of the Ironman LP Course – 56 Miles
• Saturday – PM – Swim in Mirror Lake – 1.2 Miles
• Sunday – Volunteer & Spectate at Ironman Lake Placid!

Weekly Totals//

• Swim – 6,000 yards – 1 Hour, 50 Minutes
• Bike – 76.5 Miles – 4 Hours, 30 Minutes
• Run – 20.5 Miles – 3 Hours, 10 Minutes
• Total Time –  9 hours, 30 minutes (plus 3 Hours of Paddle Boarding, and 18 Hours of Spectating and Cheering at IMLP!!)

Week 2

Weekly Workouts// (Recovery Week)

• Monday – 60 Minute Run – 7 miles in the POURING Rain (so therefore it counts as a swim too?? I skipped my OWS in Mirror Lake)
• Tuesday –  Bike to Wilmington & Back – 30 Miles – (this is the back climbing section that brings you back into Lake Placid on the IMLP Course!)
• Wednesday – 50 Minute Base Run – 5.7 Miles
• Thursday – REST DAY
• Friday – Power Test – This was just as awful as everyone said it would be….
• Saturday – Caz Course Brick 2 Hours, 20 Minutes – 30 mile bike, 3.5 mile run
• Sunday – AM – Kayak volunteer for Irongirl!
• Sunday – 45 minute trainer ride with intervals

Weekly Totals//

• Swim – None! (I missed my Mirror Lake Swim)
• Bike – 46.5 Miles (plus 2 Trainer Rides) – 3 Hours
• Run – 12.7 Miles – 1 Hour, 50 Minutes
• Brick – 33.5 Miles – 2 Hours, 20 Minutes
• Total Time –  7 hours, 10 minutes (plus 4 Hours of Irongirl volunteering action!

Weekly Photo Recap//

My post 16 mile run treat from Rochella! (Bacon maple cupcake – YUM!!!)

Um, I’m still not very good at packing. Especially when I will be swimming, biking and running… 

My baby has new shoes!! First set of race wheels ready to roll! 

Finally, finally, finally got to go paddle boarding! Sister Fun-day part 1… (For anyone in the Saratoga area, hit up the Fish Creek Marina!)

Paddling back down the creek after hitting up Saratoga Lake! 

Blueberry picking! (Sister fun day part 2) Fresh blueberries – getting ready to be frozen for future use! 

Never tire of this view! I was so lucky to grow up here…

Country roads, can’t beat them for a run! 

Ahh! Mirror Lake, I’ve missed you!

Friday night sunset swim in Mirror Lake (not the best photo, I think the camera lens was fogged up!) 

Saturday morning in LP – heading out for a loop of the course! 

The porch of the rental house – I’ve rented the same house for next year – just 3/4th a mile off from the Olympic circle, close, convenient and SUPER nice! 

The view behind our rental house in LP. 

The calm before the storm… transition the night before the race. All the bikes are racked and ready! 

A few beverages with a few people from the CNY crew at the Lake Placid Pub the night prior to the race!

Our awesome house! Beers and s’mores the night before Ironman (next year, my night prior will definitely NOT be this much fun…)

Tanya rocking her first loop – and a crazy exposure on my picture! 

A view from near the Olympic Circle… so beautiful!! 

Gear Bags… so MANY gear bags! (Glad I volunteered here to see the chaos and so I know what to expect next year – transition is SO different than a “normal” triathlon…) 

Heather getting ready to enter the Olympic oval to finish! 

Ice cream while spectating…. another thing I won’t be enjoying next year! 

Tanya finishing up!! 

The finish line in LP – nearing the midnight hour! 

Eek! Here we go….! 

In the convention center… love this giant mobile! 

As seen on my ride Tuesday morning when I biked the back half of the course. I have a whole year of believing ahead!

Yeah…. so the race calendar just got more interesting. Nothing like signing up for a Full and a Half in the same week!

Nuun Energy, please work some magic! 

Bro, do you even workout? … Just hanging at Middle Ages Brewing.

My view at Irongirl Sunday morning from the kayak.

Post-race, finally was able to plant my garden… since the garage was finally painted last week – not too optimistic that I’ll actually get much from these plants, but I did have 3 tomatoes and there are a handful of cucumbers and peppers growing!

 

 

Blisters, Oreos, and Beer.

 

 

 

Did I get your attention? 

Did you know that all of these items – blisters, oreos and beer – go hand and hand with triathlon?

I was well educated on this today. Well, actually blisters, black/dead toenails, calluses, etc. have been the popular topic of discussion (including some N.A.S.T.Y. photographic evidence – I’ll spare you all…) on my team’s list-serve this week. Why? Well, Ironman Lake Placid (IMLP) is in 2 weeks, and the final ailments and nerves are starting to set in – everyone is looking for advice on how to fix their feet before completing 140.6 miles of swimming, biking and running in just 14 days!! 

While the serious discussion about pros and cons of pedicures, various foot treatments, and the like was fully vetted, finally someone in the group pipped up with: “Do you know what does not cause blisters? Oreos, beer and sprint triathlons” and I couldn’t help but join in at this point, agree with the Oreos, beer and sprint tri statement – and then subsequently let my team know they were making me question my mission to sign up for IMLP next year! 

The response from the team? “Just dip the Oreos in Beer and then sign up!!! And don’t tell your coach you’re eating Oreos, best some things she doesn’t know!”

Finally followed with my coach chiming in with: “WHAT?? WHO is eating Oreos????” 

Silence ensued on the list-serve… 

Ok, so I’m sure not as funny when you’re not part of the group convo… but I enjoyed the banter back and forth this afternoon. Especially given the fact that I struggled with my long run today and was already questioning my true desire to pursue this goal. — But no worries, I’m sticking with it! 

Anyhow, a few other random thoughts – the past two weeks have been good. In the post-70.3 race life, I’m still working out a bunch, but it’s more to maintain a base volume. It’s nice, because while I still have a plan for working out, the pressure is off. The rest of my races for this year are purely for fun, so if I miss a workout here or there, I know it’s not the end of the world! PLUS I still have the daily schedule and can see my progress in swimming, biking and running continue! 

The side benefit of post-70.3, I have spent more time with friends – a 4th of July gathering where I had the opportunity to catch up with old friends, meet some new friends and meet one of my fellow CNY bloggers!! It was a great holiday! 

This past week brought some crazy weather, some crazy work volume, travel to Pennsylvania, I finished the book The Goldfinch (which I struggled with for a bit, but really enjoyed it by the end!), swam and hung out with friends Thursday night, went for a ride with a friend on Friday, and completed a brick session with a friend on Saturday! Loving that I can incorporate some more social fun back into my life. — Balance is key! It’s something I strive for, but admittedly miss the mark on at times… 

With that, it seems fitting to cue up my workouts and the photos of the week! 😉 

Weekly Workouts//

 

• Monday – Swim 1600 – Decending 100’s / Splits 1:22-1:26
• Tuesday – 1:30 Bike Trainer/Speed Workout – due to multiple interruptions and unplanned events (i.e. my fence blowing over in the storm and work events) this ended up being only 40 minutes long
• Wednesday – Track Workout – Yasso 800’s!/7 miles
• Thursday – Swim 2200 – 100’s with short recoveries
• Friday – 1:30 Relaxed Bike Ride – 25 Miles
• Saturday – 1:45 Short Brick – 25 Mile Bike/2.5 Mile Run
• Sunday – 2:15 Run- 14.2 Miles

 

Weekly Totals//

 

• Swim – 60 minutes – 3800 yards
• Bike – 2 Hours, 10 Minutes – 35 Miles
• Run – 3 hours, 15 minutes – 21.2 miles
• Brick – 1 hours, 45 minutes – 25 miles Bike/2.5 miles Run
• Total Time – 8 hours, 30 minutes 

 

Weekly Photo Recap//

Monday’s Dinner – Chicken Tacos! – I cooked the chicken in the slow cooker for the afternoon so it had a pulled pork like consistency – so good! 

Fun, fun – working on Monday night… also the reason last week’s blog post never was fully completed…

Tuesday evening – Fence festivities thanks to some severe storm weather (luckily the trees are holding it up a bit…)

Second go round with Stich Fix. Not my favorite service, I already had similar jeans in my closet and the tanks were too expensive (in my opinion)…  I think I’ll just stick to shopping for myself. 

 

Yasso 800’s at the track – loved this workout but had some trouble pacing and ended up running them slightly faster than planned. I was consistent and held a 3:55 for all 6, but need to learn to slow it up slightly! 

Ah, biking! Good way to wind down the week. 

Riding past my friend Sam’s farm! 

Hot and humid weekend = fruit smoothie creation time. 

Finally, finally, finally got around to assembling all the pieces of my chalkboard/corkboard cabinet that I dreamed up last November… had painted and stained all the parts in January, it just took me 6 months to take the plunge to assemble! 

Pretty pumped with how it turned out! 

Next, just to hang it up and start using it! (I promise, I’ll get around to that before another 6 months pass…) 

My favorite banana bread recipe ever! Coconut Banana Bread – I think I’ve made this about once a month since I discovered it! (Of course, I use actual dairy milk when I make it…) 

Trying to figure out how to make my bike stand out more in transition next weekend… Don’t want to lose it again! (Yes, I realize I probably need something a little more than just these small pieces of tape.) 

As of this morning, my long runs have now started to spread beyond the half-marathon mark. I must admit, I just wasn’t mentally into it today – and really started to question my choice to run a marathon when I saw the paddle boarders at Green Lakes this morning… wished I could trade places!!!

(P.S. Mom, I partially took this pic for you –> Yoga on paddle boards – I told you it was a thing!)

Green Lakes trail shot – so beautiful here! 

Start of project #3 for the weekend. A plan for LP cheering!  (Also, you may be wondering where project #2 came from, or is shown. I’ll tell you this, #2 is almost done, but I’m keeping it under wraps for now – hope to be sharing it next week!)

And just for good measure – a pic of Rox and her secret toy for when Bronco is outside! 

Well, that’s it – hope you all had a fantastic week!

Tell me, did you go on any adventures?

Have you ever paddle boarded? Done yoga on a paddle board?

I want to try paddle boarding… minus the yoga… anyone want to go?!

 

It’s Taper Time!

For those of you unfamiliar with a Taper:

Per Wikipedia (the always correct, all knowing website):

Tapering: In the context of sports, tapering refers to the practice of reducing exercise in the days just before an important competition.^[1]Tapering is customary in many endurance sports, such as the marathon, athletics and swimming. For many athletes, a significant period of tapering is essential for optimal performance. The tapering period frequently lasts as much as a week or more.

Per my own definition:

Tapering: A week where….  one must try to stay off his/her feet to rest (harder than it sounds), and try not to go stir crazy in anticipation of the race ahead.

Which probably means…

• Catch up on all the movies and TV that I’ve wanted to watch.  (Why hello, Orange is the New Black, Season 2!…(small confession, I may or may not have jumped the gun on this over the weekend… so if anyone has any recommendations, I’ll probably need a new show by Wednesday).
• Catch up on my running and triathlon magazines I haven’t yet read.
• Start a new book.
• Cook & bake a bunch of food.
• Knit something.

It’s kind of like being sick and stuck on the couch without actually being sick – you’re just stuck trying to rest and relax – which is more difficult for someone who is used to being on the go all the time than it should be.

Unfortunately, due to all the house work, yard work, and other things I want to be doing – I will be struggling with the goal of staying off my feet.

However, despite of the pending to-do list, I am going to do my best to embrace this week and the opportunity to kick back and relax (as much as I can manage).

Yes, it’s finally here. Race Week. Minimal workouts, excitement as the course sets up at Jamesville Beach, and waiting for the fun to begin on Sunday morning.

I’m so excited for this race, it’s not even funny. And even with my love-hate relationship with tapering, I’m so excited for this week!

But first, let’s recap last week:

Weekly Workouts//

• Monday – Rest Day & Girls Night Out!
• Tuesday – 2050 yard swim – 50 Yard Sprints – Hit some new records!
• Wednesday – Brick – 1:30 Bike with Hill Repeats, 15 minute Run
• Thursday – AM – 1 Mile Open Water Swim
• Thursday – PM – Ragnar Fun Run at Fleet Feet – 45 minutes, 5 miles- ran with and met some amazing people!
• Friday – 2000 yard swim – 300 repeats
• Saturday – Brick – 2:30 Bike for 40 Miles, 30 Minute Run for 3.5 Miles on the 70.3 Course
• Sunday – Long Run – 1:30 for 10 Miles on 70.3 Course

Weekly Totals//

• Swim – 1 hour, 40 minutes – 5810 yards/3.3 Miles
• Bike –  Included in my Brick Sessions this week…
• Run – 2 hours, 15 minutes – 15 miles
• Brick – 4 hours, 45 minutes – 60 miles Biking/5.25 miles Running
• Total Time – 8 hours, 20 minutes

Weekly Photo Recap//

Tuesday morning, back at the office… apparently avoiding the office for a big birthday the weekend prior does not work. Glitter everywhere. Seriously, I think I’ll be finding it for the entire year to come!

Peonies, my favorite! So excited for this bouquet!!

The feeding trough. You’ve got to hand it to our office, we know how to do food courts and birthday tables well…

I love frosting. And sugar cookies. Healthy eating was totally blown out the door for the day, but totally ok with it.

My swim times from Tuesday AM… considering I started in January at a 1:51/100yd pace, I’m blown away. Of course my times won’t be this good during the race (sprints are waaaaayy different from a long swim), but it’s exciting to see this type of progress!

Spotted on Wednesday, the trucks are here!

Miss Roxie at the vet. Not sure if she loves or hates coming here… I think she loves to antagonize other dogs and cats, hates the actual doctor part.

Word. (Or, should I say words?)

If you haven’t caught on, I love different quotes and sayings. The world can do with more thinking. Less Lemmings. (Although I do like Lemurs, especially the Disney-fied, errr DreamWorks ones.)

Random Dinner Dish. (aka, Throw all the things together and hope for the best. Continue to modify until you like said dinner.)

Bronco helped with the cooking Saturday morning. And by help, I mean cleaned out the left over peanut butter from the jar. 

Last bike ride on the course before race day. Didn’t expect nor dress for the 50 degree weather – it took 20 minutes into my run before I could feel my feet again!

Birthday gift from a friend! 

Post my final long brick session of this training cycle.

Sweaty, tired, happy. 

It’s race week, automatic must – teal nail polish for race day. Love me some triathlon tradition. 

Since I can’t plant my garden, due to the lack of progress on the garage painting front, I embraced container gardening in full force this weekend!

The pups are so helpful with gardening…

Tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers… and happy to report we have veggies already, despite the fact they’ve been hanging out in their tiny little seed trays for weeks. 

Also, a little update from garden #1… we have broccoli!! 

Finally, Sunday had a number of different conflicts that delayed my run until pretty late in the evening. However, due to those delays I had an amazing start to my run – I was set to run out on the 70.3 course, which for those who are not familiar, contains some pretty serious hills. Needless to say, this course has never been a running destination that I seek out for fun. I was not particularly looking forward to my final long run (even though it was my last long run before the 70.3…) but I had an awesome surprise – as I started to run, I realized a couple of hot air balloons were launching for an evening flight.

And then I realized they were tracking along the valley that the run course crosses…

And they just kind of hung around…

And I discovered that I can run faster than they can travel…

I had some good company along my first 3 miles headed out…

Can’t complain about this experience to close out this training cycle! 

So, there you have it! The final intense week of training in the books. I’ll probably check back in later this week for the final taper week check-in, pre-race thoughts, musings, and pictures – then it’ll be go time!

Here’s to looking forward to a week of forced relaxation, I hope you all had a great weekend and have a fantastic week!

Cheers!