Time to get back in the saddle!

Wow, this has been one ROUGH week!  I don't know why, but I've felt absolutely exhausted ALL WEEK LONG!  Last week was a bit tough, but this week has just kicked my buttooshki!  I'll get through it...I think. It must be a combination of working too hard for too long. I took yesterday off of working out and feel a little better today.  One thing I MUST start doing better is eating healthier.  That has been my achilles heel with regards to my fitness.  I'm not losing weight because I have absolutely ZERO will-power when it comes to eating the right things.  Grrr!!!!  The Icebreaker Triathlon is this Saturday and I'm very nervous that I won't even come close to my time from last year (1:09:00).  I think my swim will be quicker.  The bike will be close to the same, but the run might be really hard on me.  We'll see...Wish me luck?

10-Mile Race

I forgot about the 10-mile race we ran!  Holy HILLS!!  I was literally hiking at one point because it was so steep!  The race actually felt good and I was happy to accomplish that beast!  The best parts - running with Ryan and the first 5k.  The worst part - that last mile when they made us run past the finish line up a hill and another mile before we could finish.  Just plain cruel!!  

Here are the pics and videos:

Week 13 aka Recovery Week

I was happy to see the title for this week.  Recovery Week!  There were a lot of sessions we were supposed to complete, but they were small and low effort.  I was looking forward to it and knew it would be a challenge to complete because I was Great-Grandma-sitting.  Little did I know..........

Great-Grandma sitting turned into a nightmare and I completed little more than a 30-minute run on Wednesday, when I wasn't watching her. :(  Recovery week took on a whole new meaning.  Although I did have my heart pumping pretty hard one night........

Travis and I got away for the weekend and hiked about 9 miles in 6 hours with some great elevation changes down at Bryce Canyon.  It was so awesome!!

Week 15 and 14

Darn!  I haven't blogged in a while......and can't remember too much other than I know I've still been working at it.  Did a long ride with Ryan one Saturday and felt a little depressed by my lack of strength.  Oh, well.....it'll come......hopefully!  Did a bunch of spinning workouts, running workouts, and swim workouts.

Week 14 Coming Up!!!!!

Boy, time does NOT slow down!   It seems like just yesterday I was excited to get this twenty week program started.  We're now approaching the half way mark and I'm starting to get a little nervous about the whole situation.  This past week was a test of how creative I could be with my scheduling to get those long workouts in.  I managed to do everything except the Saturday half hour run after the two hour bike.  I can't feel too bad about that!  The workouts weren't done exactly as the program calls for but I got the mileage in!

As I reflect on where I'm at now regarding training versus last year at this time, I feel like I'm doing better.  My swim is a bit faster and I feel a lot stronger at the end of my long workouts in the pool.  I went out with Camilla J. on Saturday for the two hour ride and was pleasantly surprised at how good my legs felt.  We went at a comfortable, relaxed pace for the first hour on an out and back route.  On the way back I decided to push it a little.  I was excited that I could keep my pace around 21-22mph without any big issues.  After about 10 minutes of pushing I would stop, take my pulse and wait for Camilla (didn't want her getting flats and me be gone).  My heart rate never went past about 140 bpm.  I never felt out of breath, and my body had tons of energy.  That was very, very encouraging as in past years I felt like a slug on the bike after a winter of spinning indoors.  I can't WAIT for spring weather to get here so I can ride outside more often!

All in all, I'm nervous about the Half Ironman, but think I'll be ready.  I LOVE having a goal to work towards!  Thanks, Camilla for sharing this goal!  June 9th is going to be a day to remember!