Good Ride, Good Brunch

Is there any other way to spend a Sunday morning?? I don't think so.

I met up with Brooke and Diane (formally known as D - but she said I could use her name). Nice and early at 7, but it was an amazingly beautiful morning. We get started, I look down to not hit a pot hole, but also ride over something that was dead. GROSS!! I make a squealing noise and Brooke and Diane weren't sure how to react. When I try to explain I rode over something dead, gray-ish and gross, they just kind of laugh at me, and thankful they didn't see it (but Brooke did on the way back). Anyway, it was a nice, easy casual ride. Since I am tapering, I didn't want to push to hard, or do too many hills. That's my reasoning anyway.

After we headed to brunch and I had the great french toast/egg debate. Eggs won. But it was nice to just enjoy the day (we sat on the outside patio) chat about non-tri stuff, and talk about the Ironman in 6 days. Just a really good morning.

Now I am off to pack. I am bringing a TON of stuff. Be prepared - I know how Wisconsin weather can change last minute, especially in September. Right now weather dot com says 72, partly cloudy and 20% chance of precipitation. Perfect - I really hope it stays that way!!

Typical August Day in DC

Today was a good day.

This morning started with a swim clinic. I figured some last minute pointers would do me some good before the 2.4 mile swim. It wasn't exactly what I was expecting, but I could see where it was beneficial for others. I think I have just been swimming for so long, when I hear things I shouldn't do, but they work for me (breathing out my nose vs. mouth) - I will just stick with what I know. I will take the fact that he didn't comment directly on my stroke - that I am perfect.

I got home, changed and headed out for a run. I saw Jess on the way and met up with Kristin and Lauren at the end. I remember back in the day were we would all run together and K would look for the most uncoordinated outfits - just to get me to blog about her. Anyway, we all headed to Dean and Deluca for lunch, took it to go and headed to a park by the Potomac.

What a perfect afternoon. 3 great friends, tasty lunch, beautiful day (in the shade where the heat/humidity didn't bother us too much), and 2 workouts. After about an hour, we were just laying in the grass watching the people and super cute puppies.

1975

My new lucky number!! I knew the numbers were being assigned today, but for some reason, that makes this all seem so real. I have been counting down for so long, 1 year, 6 month, 90 days, 15 days, 8 days. But when you get a number - it changes everything. This is actually happening. I am actually going to participate in an Ironman... Wow!

Today we also got a message from NA Sports - which had a lot of similar information as the athletes guide.My favorite line is in the running section
"No form of locomotion other than running, walking or crawling is allowed."
Good to know crawling is allowed.

It Must Be the Tan Lines

75 degree and cloudy is cold when swimming in a 50M outdoor pool. Really, it is.
But, I made kick butt time getting to the pool - still loving this August in DC, and there were 4 people lap swimming. 4!! I get to a lane and about to hop in and this guy looks at me a says "triathlon?" I say yes. I mean really, who else is going to be at a pool on a cloudy, drizzly Thursday evening if they weren't training for something. But then I look down at my legs and notice the blinding white that is my thighs - above my shorts line. After I got a great tip on sunblock, things were getting better - or so I thought. Oh well.

After my swim, I hopped on Blain for a quick ride. My body still isn't reacting great to chlorine, so I had some good snot rocket practice. But, it didn't go so well.

• First one - Somehow did this funky U turn up and I think onto my helmet.
• Second - Smack on my right shoulder
• Third - My chain fell off again (boo) so I took the non-wind opportunity. Smack on my left shin.
• Fourth - Good out of the right nostril
• Fifth - tried to stay in aero, which was successful. But, it landed on my arm, so not successful
  
• Sixth - On the back of my glove.

Stopped counting after this. 1 out of 7 was good enough.

But over all, it was a good 2 workouts. I am still not feeling that gloriously restfulness I was hoping for - but maybe in the next 9 days.

Ha! 9 days!!

I Am SO Lucky!

I don't know what to say, I don't know what I did in a previous life to deserve... well everything.

Tonight was a carbo loading pasta dinner put on by some amazing friends. Everyone came to support me and my goal that will be in 10 days. They are insanely supportive and so positive about what I am attempting to do. They have put up with me and constant Ironman talk for over a year, and still threw me a dinner!!

You may be wondering what is that yellow thing I am holding. And you may look at it and say "that looks like a cow bell. But I read Amanda's blog and know she H-A-T-E-S the cow bell."
Well, if that is what you thought, you are right. It is a cow bell. And I still despise the cow bell. BUT, Jess, Kristin, Lauren and Merissa (not pictured but there in spirit) took a cow bell (from when I did the Musselman half), spray painted it yellow - to match Blain, AND took out the clapper thing!! They also wrote notes on the sides, drew a picture of a toaster, and an "Oh Geeze!" is written on the inside. So great.

But, there is one more. I have been eyeing an item for close to 2 years. But, they didn't make it in my size and I figured there was little I could do. So, I posted about it, printed a picture and taped it in my cube. Little did I know that Jess called the designer, had one made in my size, and did a special order. I can't believe my friends did something this amazing for me.

Really, how did I get so incredibly lucky... I just don't know. I took about 27 pictures of the ring on my hand but couldn't the lighting/flash right so this will have to do.

It's Dark at 6:15 am

And how do I know... Because I actually rolled out of bed and got my self down to Hains Point to go biking. Yay me!! Right as I started, there were swarms of mosquitoes! Yuck! I haven't really noticed them too much out there. Not nearly as bad as they are in my Minnesota/Wisconsin days. But, they were still munching on my leg so that got me moving a bit quicker.

So I am biking around and I notice a sign "Wet ahead - National Park Service" - or something like that. Now I thought that was strange because on the news they were just saying we have only had a half inch of rain in the past month. So pedal pedal pedal and I see something up ahead... on no... a sprinkler. But not just one, they lined the entire side of the road. I spent the next 1.5 or so miles ducking, twisting, trying to maneuver around the water.

Good times. Not really... I didn't need more practice biking in wetness.

The morning finished with a 35 minute run. Remember the days when I complained about my high HR? Well, I could not get my HR up at all this morning. Biking, or running. I guess this just means my fitness level is so much better. Or I am not working hard enough...

Stupid Job!

Man, today was not what I expected. The alarm went off at 5:45. My quads were still tingly from the weekend and the L-A-S-T thing I wanted to do was sit on Blain. Even though I knew I should, sleep won, once again. But I know I have time to make it up later this week.

I go to work, typical morning. But I am 'acting' as my boss is out. Usually it only involves making sure everyone is in the office, and the occasional 'decision'. So when an issue arose around 10, and I was still in meetings, making calls, and researching the problem by 12:30, I was so happy to take a break and go for a run.

I come back, more issues. Around 4 someone came looking for me to solve another problem. At 5:30, another person had an issue that NEEDED TO BE SOLVED RIGHT NOW. Blah! I wanted to leave at 4:45 to hit the pool - which closes at 7 :-( So at 6:15, I walked out, not prepared for tomorrows meetings, not having that satisfied feeling. AND, no swim. Boo!

But the plus side is I made dinner - out of a box but it involved veggies. Will do my dishes (that haven't been done since last week...) fold laundry (won't say how long that has been lying around), hopefully finish my book (20-ish pages left) and go to bed early.

Tomorrow a brick.

Coach and I Have Different Views on Tapering

When I saw my workouts for the week from Coach, my first thought was "Wait, I thought I was tapering". Definitely different views...
For example on the tempo run. Normally it's 45 minutes with 6*5 minutes hard
Me, no tempo - Coach, 35 minutes with 3*5 minutes hard
Long run. Normally 4.5-6 hours
Me, 90 minutes - Coach, 3 hours
So, I still have 10 workouts to get in which include a 3 hour ride, 90 minute run, and a brick. And where am I supposed to fit more sleep in...

The good news is I went to Conte's tonight and once again - they proved to be the best. I walk in (with cookies of course) and had the co-owner (who I saw at the ride yesterday and wondered why I didn't say something about the falling chain there), manager and head mechanic all chatting with me about Blain within 5 minutes. He was swept up and being worked on before I could finish explaining the issues.
He seems much better and will do my best to crawl out of bed tomorrow and have a proper ride.

Oh, and I don't know when this happened, but the 2008 IM Moo Athlete's Guide is out. I don't know how they did it, but they made cows artsy and really cool looking!!

4655

First of all, don't tell Coach what I am about to write...

Today was the Reston Century Ride, a recreational tour of Virginia. I signed up for the century (104 mile) ride and had full intentions of doing the entire event. Coach had me just doing a 5-6 hour ride, yesterday (and we all know I can't do 104 miles in 6 hours. This is why you can't tell him!!). Rule number 1 was to never do more than he said...

So I pull into the parking lot, start getting Blain ready, and this guy starts talking to me. Now it's about 6:30, I have had zero coffee, about to do 104 miles and not feeling up to chatting. But he starts to comment on the amount of liquid I am taking (3 bottles of Accelerade and my aero drink filled with water). I explain that I am training for IM Moo and this is my last long ride so am treating it like I would the bike portion of the race. He goes off about how every 10 pounds adds 30 minutes to your bike time, I should have trained with the Gatorade they provide on the course, or I should just add protein powder and it's the same as Accelerade. HELLO!?!?! Why are you telling me about what to do on my Ironman that is 2 weeks away!!! I try to be polite and tell him I have a sensitive stomach, this is working for me, and I don't want to do anything new on race day. He proceeds to say I should just bring powder, mix it with water, and only carry 1 bottle - the time difference would be better that way.
Oh, and I was bringing too many Gu's.
And my Hammer electrolyte pills were a waste.
AND if I wanted real advice, I should talk to other tri clubs, not DC Tri because they are ALL nuwbies and I should look into his club. I am not a violent person but was SOOOO close to punching this very annoying guy, kicking his shins, poking him in the eye - even, dare I say, hurt his bike.

I mean really, just because you parked 2 spots way from me does not make us friends.

So, buy the time I got to the REALLY LONG registration line, I was fuming!! Poor Brooke had to calm me down, remind me it was just a relaxing ride, but I was just so mad. Ahh, annoying!

Anyway, Brooke, M, D, T (I didn't ask if I could use their names on the blog so initials it is) and I headed out - and we were hoping to see Rose on the course. Pretty soon it was Brooke, T and I, then T and I. After the first rest stop, my chain popped off (again!! Boo, taking it to Conte's tomorrow to hopefully get it checked out) I was on my own. Brooke waited up for me and when we got to the main rest stop T was there. T decided to try the 104 with me and we headed out. Unfortunately, we (I) missed a turn. When we saw M and D, I knew we (I) missed something. So we turned around and headed back. That loop was to be 28 miles, and we did 14, so close enough.

We headed out to the other loop and half way my right knee really started to hurt. After we got back to the rest stop, I was really happy we (I) missed the turn for the loop with the big hills.

On the way back, we were on a trail with ZERO shade and the sun was sucking the life out of me. The last 12 miles killed me! I understand the sun is good and all, but not this afternoon. I did luck out with little humidity and not too much wind... but still, 90 degrees at 2 in the afternoon is just hot.

But I finished a good ride for me. No falling, no broken chain (unlike Brooke), no broken water bottle cage (unlike D and M). Just some sore knees and a fat lip because I decided to drink from my aero water bottle just as I was going over a bump - oops.

As my last long ride, I am slightly concerned with my lack of hill training. But there is nothing I can do about it now. Who is to say if I would have done all hills, my knees would be working and I could still continue. There are more than a thousand possibilities, what if's, out there and I just have to be happy with what I have done and what is meant to be will be.

Oh, and the 4655 subject line - the number of calories I burned today according to my HRM. Cheese steak for dinner!

Good Brick!

If this is my last long brick before Madison, it was a good one to go out on.

Slept in a bit, good 2 hour bike, solid hour run. Hardly any knee pain, the hills didn't kill me, and my wrists finally don't hurt when I spend a lot of time in the aero position.

That's all I have today. Carbo loading dinner tonight with Brooke, Rose and a few others for tomorrows long ride.

Just a really good Saturday!

I had a hard time focusing today

It's time for another one of Amanda's random thoughts post...

It was too quiet in the office. Jess in vaca. Still getting used to Merissa being gone. Kristin moved offices, but is also gone on vaca. Many of my other co-workers left early. And it's Friday. WAY TOO MUCH TIME TO THINK - and of course very little about work.

Charles sent me this cartoon, along with the "Swim strong. Pedal hard. Run fast!" in the subject. He always tells me this, and I even had it on a post-it attached to my wallet before my half.Love it! I have to admit, I love when people send me articles, stories, pictures of anything Ironman. It just makes me realize that I have imposed myself and goal on everyone around me so much for the past year that when they see anything Ironman - they think of me. It makes me happy.

15 days. I started to think about what I was doing 15 days ago. I was in an all day long meeting and it does not feel like it was 15 days ago. That just reminds me that the next 15 days are going to fly by.

This weekend will be my last hard weekend of training before I start my taper. I am so tired. The bags under my eyes are huge. But it's all still worth it. When anyone asks me about my race, I get those excited butterflies.

I have about 7 THOUSAND lists going of stuff I need to bring, buy, pack. But I am making sure on all of them to put HAVE FUN. It's something I easily forget.

That's about it for tonight. Tomorrow brick, Sunday long ride.

I Wasn't Picked!

Woo-Hoo!! I went through 2 jury pool picks and made it out of both. This is the first time I haven't been put on the panel to 'interview' with the judge!

That meant that I got home at a reasonable hour, met up with Jen and Rachna for dinner and saw Disney's The Lion King at the Kennedy Center. I always like hanging out with them. We met training for the Marine Corps marathon so they 'get' what I am doing - well, as close as you can get.
Also not being on jury duty means I can do my workouts for the rest of the week.

Today's easy 35 minute run was good. But my legs are really REALLY feeling tired. I just keep thinking how little time I have left and how everything counts.

And I am starting my lists. Swim, swim to bike, bike, bike special needs, bike to run, run, run special needs... so much!

Sitting, Waiting, Wishing

I am sitting in the juror lounge, waiting to see if my number is called. I am really hoping it is not. Someday I wouldn't mind sitting on a jury, but not when I have 17 days until my race.

But, the good thing is I got a 2+ hour run in before I had to report. Because the sun did not raise until 6:27, I didn't feel like going any earlier, and this was about all the time I had to run, shower, and get to the building. Some people suggested I just show up smelling like "flowers" after my run to help guarantee not getting picked. It was tempting, but I showed anyway.

So now I am sitting, waiting and wishing I just get to spend the day reading and relaxing.

Ha, I just got scolded for being on my computer (blogging) and not paying attention to the orientation video. I have common sense; I know I need to report to work if I don't get picked for a jury and not to drink during my service.

I Had Something to Write About

I was biking this evening and came up with something to write about, but now I have no idea.

Today was another day that just flew by, and I didn't even have to work out at lunch. I left a tad early to head to Hains Point for the second day in a row, but this time for a ride.

Oh, that was it. August. It's so great here!! Not the weather (a code orange day today) but the traffic. It only took 25 minutes yesterday and today to get to Hains Point. Sometimes it can take almost an hour. Because your voting elected congress-people take the month off, everyone leaves the area. No staffer, interns, lobbyists, fewer people in general, so great!!! And I say your voting elected because DC only has a non-voting representative in Congress.

It's all I have for today. Tomorrow I must serve my civic duty by going to my jury summons. I should have enough time to get my 3 hour run in before. Here's hoping for not getting picked for a trial! That would really screw up the rest of my training!!!

A Monday

Today flew! Especially for a Monday. It was a pretty uneventful day. No comments on me smelling like flowers when I was on the treadmill - which totally kicked butt again!

Jess and I went to the pool after work and it was crowded, but the annoying people who don't know how to circle swim really didn't upset me like normal.

Just another day with 2 workouts. Good times.

But when I came home, I had a present from the parent who loves me more. HA! Just kidding, I know you both love me Mom and Dad, but Mom sends me presents. Love the shirt. Thank you.

But the best was the card they found. I love it. And I am excited to come home as well.

Can't wait!!

19 days!! Well, 15 days until I drive home :-)

Coach Makes Me Cry

I sent him a very dramatic e-mail yesterday morning at 6:30 asking if the fact I missed this weekend's long ride, would it ruin everything I have done. He responded with no, that 1 workout does not make or break an Ironman.

When I sent this weeks log, I apologized for the dramatics, I am not a good sick person - i.e. I cry. He called tonight to check in on me, talk about the upcoming week and he followed up with an e-mail about the workouts. The message started with
"Hey its the ironman there is no such thing as overly dramatic." Best quote for me EVER!

But what really got me was
"Your almost there, and whatever happens on race day, you've lived the lifestyle of an athlete and an Ironman and I am proud of you."

Yes I pay him, but he is NOT the type of guy to say something he doesn't mean. The fact that he is proud of me means so much. I mean my friend and family have to be proud - it's their job. But Coach, it's a different level.

Trying To Take It Easy

Does anyone else have this problem? You are sick/not feeling well/injured and H-A-T-E sitting on the couch even though you know it's the best for you??? Blah. I woke up this morning with a stuffy head, sore throat and just that meh feeling. So, instead of pushing my self to do the full 6 hours I should have done yesterday, I just did my brick - 2+ hours biking and about 45 minutes of running.

My goal was to not push, not worry about speed or distance. I went back to Beach Drive, but Brooke told me there was a hill worth trying. So, I kept going where I normally turn around and took this new route. It was pretty good! More stop lights that forced me to get my clip practice (no falling thank you very much) and rest a bit more. It felt okay, but I am definitely tired.

More importantly, when I am sick with a stuffy head, that means snot rocket practice!! Now what I discovered is there are 3 possible scenarios.

1. It's good one
2. It lands on a not good place - shoulder, forearm, or the face of your heart rate monitor
3. You have no idea where it went.

With 1 and 2, some good or some gross. But I had a lot of 3 today and that makes me a bit uncomfortable. Really, where did they go??? I have 20 days to get this down. And I kind of want one of my Ironman biking pictures to be me attempting to blow a snot rocket...

Nnooo!!!

It is going to be a perfect day and I have spent the last 2 hours in the bathroom with my head in the toilet. It was supposed to be my 6 hour ride.
No good. Not fair. Dang... I guess this is why I shouldn't cook.
I am going back to sleep and hoping this passes so I can do something this afternoon.

Pretty Drawings

My legs are getting tired! I know it's only 22 days left and of course I will power through, but that doesn't mean I can't make the statement that my legs are T-I-R-E-D!!

Today was a bit of a sad day as this was Merissia's last day at work. She is moving on to bigger and better things, in a city far far away. But she will be in Madison, one of my stops on my long road trip drive home, and always a phone call/e-mail away. It won't be the same because there were days when she and Jess would sit in my cube (while I worked) and did drawings on my white board like this.Good times.

Being Dizzy Isn't Normal, Is It???

First of all, I think my subconscious wanted me to sleep. I didn't have a very restful night, lots of tossing and turning, but I rolled over at 7:20 am, wondering what was going on. I should have been an hour into my ride. I set my alarm for 5:30 pm, not am... With a 10 o'clock meeting and the fact that I already called in once this week, no morning ride for me. But I think it's okay because the knees are starting to hurt again and I really want a good 6 hour ride Saturday.

But I still had to get a workout in, my temp run. After lunch, I noticed I was having trouble focusing on my computer screen and just had that general dizzy feeling. I got a snack in hopes it would help. Not so much. Mom advised me to drink water, didn't help. So I went to the gym for some treadmill time anyway, even though I couldn't really walk straight.

I felt fine. In fact the best I felt all day. I had a GREAT run and really wish I could transfer my 'speed' on the t-mill to outside. Anyway, when I was stretching, the dizziness came rushing back and I might have fallen over. But I was okay and don't think anyone noticed...

So what made it go away??? RESTAURANT WEEK! We just finished a great dinner at Agraria and half way through my NY Strip, I felt fine. Good food really does make everything better.

Do I Smell Like Flowers?

Today was my long run day. For some reason I had a momentary laps in judgment when it comes to heat. Just because there is low humidity doesn't mean that 80 degrees isn't warm. So I went out at 11:15... Oops. But, the run started great, and I managed to hold 4:1 for the entire 2.5 hours (even though the last 45 was really tough). Still not far/fast, but I kept moving, and right now that is all that matters.

And I wasn't sure what to write about today, which is what I was thinking about during the run. Lately it has been all beautiful day, blah blah blah, amazing friend and family support, blah blah blah, X number of days left (24), blah blah blah, excited/scared/nervous/anxious/happy/sad, blah blah blah, but nothing really funny has happened lately.

Well, as I was running, my left ear bud on headphone stopped working. No biggie, just keep moving. I was about 2 hours 15 minutes into the run and just made it up the side of the Capital (which is on a hill, hence the name Capital Hill). Now I mentioned it was a bit warm out today, said before I sweat, and I am sure that 2 hours and 15 minutes into the run I didn't smell very fresh. I was on my minute recovery and put my hands over my head – it helps drop the heart rate. As I pass two (overweight) guys I hear – because of my only 1 working ear bud "Ewww, did you catch a whiff of her?!?!" I almost D-I-E-D laughing.

So after a long run in the heat, I don't smell like flowers.

I Was Doing So Well

With sunburn.

I do have tan lines - a few of them. Up in New York Scott asked if I had tape around my knees, it was the tan line from my knee braces. I have one around my ankle from my socks/shoes, a few around my thighs from different bike/running shorts, on my back from the wet suit, wrist from my HRM, arm from shirts and sleeveless shirts - you get the idea.

Well today, a new one. I just got back from meeting with some friends and when I stood up, the back of my legs felt really warm. Sure enough, swimming from 2:30-3:40 pm will give you sunburn on the back of your legs. And yes, I did use sunblock - it just wasn't enough.

I hope it doesn't hurt to sit on Blain for my next ride Thursday.

Another Day...

I knew my schedule wasn't light as I would have hoped and I already made a few plans for the week. Between the extra workouts, not fully recovered from the weekend and I just needed sleep - again. So I talked to my boss and decided to take today off.

The plan was to get in 3 workouts, and do some work from home. But like all good plans, things never workout. I fell asleep watching the Olympics around 10 and I didn't set an alarm because I wake up at 5 every day. Well this morning, I work up at 8:30!! It felt so good!

After some dishes and folding laundry, I packed my bags, loaded up Marcus and headed out. Put the key in the ignition, turn, and nothing. Well, this dead animal sound came out, but Marcus wouldn't start. Some calls to Dad, Merissa, and AAA, I was hoping for the best - a dead battery. AAA was super fast and a little over an hour, I had a new battery. I am so lucky this happened now, not when I was Columbia, on the drive home, or after I got up at 5:30 am!!

So, I finally got to Hains Point and started my ride. 2 hours with some a set of sprints and it felt okay. I headed to the pool and did 3500 straight!! First time in awhile I have gone that far without drills. It took a while to settle in but felt pretty good.

Given the time, the heat, not enough calories, I decided to forgo the run and make it up sometime later in the week. I am happy with my 2 workouts and now off to meet with some friends who are moving to Phili - which yes is more important than my run :-)

It's Not Getting Old

Really, 70's, fluffy clouds, low humidity - it does not get old. I mean I am a fan of seasons, but I could get used to this for the majority of the time.

I hadn't hard from Coach about what to do for the week but couldn't let the day slip away. I decided to just do an easy run as my legs are starting to feel the past few hard weeks. Oh, it was soooooooo nice out!!

Turns out I should have done a tempo run. Oh well, it's another hard week and my legs needed a bit of a break. So I don't think I am going to get another light week until I taper. I understand, I am running out of time. Coach's advise "Keep getting your rest and lets see what you can do in terms of reducing the stressors in your life over the next few weeks". So true, so true

A co-work has this on his wall, but I don't think it would help.

AND it's so hard to get rest when I can watch the Olympics live!

I Take Back What I Said About Mother Nature

Is anyone getting sick of me saying how beautiful it has been??? I mean really, I have totally lucked out with weather - especially this weekend. Yes, there have been some bad days but the last 2 days totally makes up for everything. High 70's to low 80's, fluffy clouds, slight breeze, LOW humidity... So great.

So last night wasn't a stay at home night as planned, it turned into a dinner with Becky which was very wroth it. But when 6 am came calling, it was a bit too early for my liking. And when the hill at Old Anglers came, followed by the entrance in and out of Great Falls, I really wasn't happy. I knew I couldn't afford to have another poor ride but my legs weren't happy.

But, Brooke was waiting for me at my car, ready to join me for the rest of my ride. I haven't seen her since she kicked butt at Vineman. I don't know what it is about riding with her, but I do so much better. We caught up a little, but had to ride single file on the roads to start. She let me lead and I didn't want to embarrass my self, so I think I pushed a bit harder. We did a few rollers and then headed out to a few roads that were new to me. Rollers were an understatement...

We hit a good rhythm, I would pass her on the down hills, she would catch me on the ups. After we got back to the cars, I needed close to another hour. Brooke was great and headed back out with me - this was her first ride since Vineman.
I can not express how great it was to have her there. I take more chances on downhills (knowing if I fly over my handlebars, she is right there), push harder on the uphills to keep up, and feel smoother on the flats. It would be great if she could be in Madison - however there is that no pacing rule thing...

The best part, when we were done, I could have kept going. 74 miles, 5 hours 15 minute, 14 mph. Really, that is all I need to go for 112 miles.

4 weeks left and I am feeling good. Tired, but good - and will follow these life instructions.

I Bricked... And it was GOOD

No, not good, really good. I wouldn't say great, but it was really good.

I don't know if it was the tune up on Blain, the fact I haven't ridden Blain in almost a week, I started when it was 75 degrees, SUPER LOW humidity or what, but I started out feeling great. I finished feeling good and headed out on my run. The first 10 minutes were tough again, but I settled into a rhythm and could have easily kept going after my 45 minutes.

Not much else to say - just a good brick.

Just chilln' tonight watching the Olympics and preping for tomorrows 5+ hour ride.

It's Olympic Time!!

8-8-08 - what a great day to start the Olympics!!

After a long week, I headed to the pool for a long swim. I was surprised that there were so many people on a Friday night! I think everyone was inspired by the Olympics starting. I know I channelled my inner Kate Ziegler on my 4*500 and Dara Torres for my 20*50. That's right, 1000M of 'sprints'. But I got it all in, with a warm up and cool down, before I got kicked out by the masters team.

I headed straight to the opening ceremony gathering with Kristin, S and Lauren. Of course I had to leave early otherwise I would have fallen asleep on the couch.

Now I am needed to go to bed so I can be productive in my volunteering of tomorrow's last practice tri for the DC Tri club. And my brick - maybe I will trade in Blain for this one...

Can you Belive it's ONE Month Away???

30 days. That's it. 1 month.

Wow - I just can't believe there is only 1 month left.

I was still in an all day meeting today - which I was in charge of - and every once and awhile my mind would wander to "biking", "still biking", "yup, still biking" until someone would say my name and I would go back to focusing on work. Then it was "oh, I am running now", on the metro "still running" and as I write this "still running".

And I started to think about a year ago when I as training for my Iron Girl race and my Big Shoulders Swim, which both seemed difficult. And how I just decided on Coach, started training like an Ironman and worrying about getting into Ironman Moo.

Today when I was on the treadmill doing my tempo run, I had a hard time getting my HR to 180. I kept having to go faster, faster than I have ever run on a treadmill. As I was thinking about how in 1 month I will be "still biking" and I realized how far I have actually gone in terms of my fitness level. How just 9 months ago I was still having a hard time keeping my HR down.

Then I thought of a quote my mom told me recently "The will to win means nothing if you don't have the will to prepare". Now that I am so close, I realize how much I have been preparing. I did not make this choice lightly, everything has changed, and I truly feel I am a better person as a result.

No matter what happens, for some reason today it just hit me, I am really happy with journey. Thanks for being apart of this.

1 month to go!!

Blain is Home!!

After the longest day EVER at work (all day meeting, 10 hour day - you get the idea), I rush home, didn't even go into my apartment and headed over to Conte's. I had to pick up Blain before they closed, and before heading over to Jen's. Tonight was a very important night - the finals of So You Think You Can Dance - don't laugh, I love my reality tv dance shows!!

So I picked up Blain and he looked good. New (clean) chain, grips, tuned and ready to go. I thanked the guys and told them I hoped to NOT see them again until after Sept 7. They are worried about going through cookie withdrawal, but understood and wished me luck. I really am luck to have found such a great bike shop.

Hopefully tomorrow night I can head out - stupid all day work meetings and sunrise at 6:15!! Just not enough time to get in the ride in the morning as I would have liked.

And yes, I did manage to get my workout in today - a tempo run, at 12, in the 90 degree heat. Yup, that was smart.

I Ran Like the Wind

Jess often tells me to run like the wind when I am on my way out for a jog - and I just laugh in her face. We all know I don't run like the wind, I just move along like a slight breeze.

But this morning, after I crawled out of bed, I had such a great run. I think I was still on a high from last nights 2 and a half hours of straight Ironman talk. I felt so good. The first hour, I don't think it's right to sweat as much as I did - especially at 6:45 am. But it was beautiful out, a nice crisp morning. I easily held my 4:1 and kept my HR under 170 without any problems. It just felt really nice for the 2 hours and 15 minutes.

Now when I got back and map my run dot com'ed my route, I was a bit disappointed. I really thought I went further than I did and was improving. Boo!! However, this is the first time in awhile were I could have easily kept going. And I would have but
1. I ran out of water
2. I know better than to do more than Coach says. Over training = bad things
3. I had to get to work

So I will take this great run feeling, ignore my slowness, and enjoy my 'run like the wind' for the day.
And when I was looking for my picture go to with this post, I saw this one and thought it was pretty. Better than some skinny 'real' running person :-)

Such a Resource!!

Tonight was something I have been planning for awhile. I wanted to get together my friends Kristin, Ryan and Meaghan. Ryan has done IM Florida and IM Coeur d'Alene and Meaghan has been with him at both. So this was the perfect opportunity to talk Ironman, and Kristin and Meaghan to discuss watching Ironman.

Ryan had a lot of tips and he is just so excited about Ironman, I couldn't help but start to get excited again. As you may have been reading, my attitude hasn't been the best. I have been trying to snap out of it, get excited, appreciate the journey again - and this 2.5 hour chat helped a ton. Little things he said like "It's just one day and there is always another day" and "it's sounds silly, but HAVE FUN". In addition to tips (like take your time in T1 to make sure everything is on right. It's a L-O-N-G time on the bike) the general enthusiasm he has for the sport is nothing but contagious. Everyone has been so great, but for some reason, this is just wanted I needed.

So this was my workout of the day. I took the day off - my legs needed it and will start in tomorrow with a 2-2.5 hour run. I also dropped off Blain at Conte's for his final tune up before Madison.

I can't believe this all happening so fast!!!

Finally a Good Ride

I think Mother Nature was doing me a favor yesterday. This morning was perfect, started off with very low humidity, 72 degrees and sunny. So nice!!!

Rose and I started at Idylwood Park to hop on the WO&D trail. Even starting by 8:30, there were a lot of people out and I was a bit disappointed in my decision to do the trail. But after a few miles things cleared up a bit and things were going okay.

Now I have been doing a lot of loops lately so it's a slightly different mindset when doing an out and back. When I saw the Carmax were I bought Marcus, I realized how far out I was, and still had a long way to go. I am pedaling along and start to get a bit nauseous and feel like I am not going anywhere. It looks like the trail is flat, but given my speed, I am not that slow - it must be a slight incline. A guy passed me and said "when is this going to end?!?" After we chatted for a bit, we determined there must be an incline and kept going.

Once I hit the 2 hour 30 minute mark and I got to turn around, I automatically felt better. And I started to FLY back. Even with a stop to fill up water, slowed down to talk with a few other bikers, and having to stop at every light - I still was back 10 minutes faster than going out. It felt really good.

But I got back and there was no Rose. About 90 minutes in, we separated and said we would meet back at the cars. 15 minutes later, just as I was on my way out for my run, she came in. Apparently her back tire wasn't holding air and made a stop at a bike shop. But what was next to the bike shop, a Baja Fresh. So she stopped and had a fish taco and lemonade. I laughed so hard, really, a fish taco in the middle of your ride... She still kicked but with 57 miles!

We celebrated our ride with more Baja Fresh.

Mother Nature is NOT My Friend

After some snoozing, A.M. yoga, and dishes, the day turned out to be beautiful. But, I am still glad I made the decision to not go to Mt. Weather - even though the weather cleared up to be a nice day.

So I went to Beach Drive again to do my brick. The bike went okay, nothing to exciting there. When I tried to run, my legs were not having it. I really couldn't get them to go any fast than a walk. So instead of fighting it I just walked the 45 minutes.

But I did take the hiking trail on the way back and managed to get my HR up a bit more. It was pretty and definitely the correct decision.

Good Reason to Not Ride Up the Side of a Mountain

New route, side of a mountain, all this rain - not a good combination. I just can't do more riding in the rain.

Hopefully it will clear up by this afternoon for my brick and I can do my long ride tomorrow.

Stupid Mother Nature!!

Way Past My Bed Time

It's August first. That means I changed all my calendars from July to August. You know what that means, the next month is September. And we all know what happens in September... Where did the time go!?!?!

Tonight, I made the shocking decision to actually "go out" on a Friday night. I met up with Lauren, Kristin and Jason for dinner and a free outdoor movie. Totally worth it, for now.

Tomorrow... this....