R- Week 3 Day 1

Ah, another Monday morning in the pool.  I really look forward to diving in first thing in the morning and feeling strong and fast (ok, ok, not so fast...let me dream, please!)  This morning was no different than the rest.  I was the first one in the pool and had already swam 500 yards when dolphin man and his mother jumped in the lane beside me!  The workout felt really good this morning.  I'm really working on slowing down and extending my stroke.  My catch is getting better as I can feel the resistance on my hand as I follow through.  Now to get that timing down so my body doesn't slow too much.  I'm also working on my lean with each stroke.  Getting it right is kinda hard!  Just keep swimming, swimming....right?

Long Ride

Met up with Ryan, Camilla, and Dad for our long ride on Saturday!  It was great to get together.  I rode with Camilla most of the way out and we just chatted the whole time.  She's awesome!  I was really annoyed (ok, angry) when I got ANOTHER flat tire!  Ugh!  I was ready to give up biking then and there.  Four flats in the last four rides does not equal happiness. :(  Sorry you had to see my grumpiness, family.  After fixing the tire, we took off again and enjoyed the rest of the ride.
    After Camilla turned around, I sped up to catch Ryan and he pushed me for a while as we rode together.  It was a really easy pace for him, but it was tough for me.  Being pushed was good for me, though.  My bike rides so smooth and fast!  The road was a fantastic training ride with very little traffic and an extremely smooth pavement.  90 minutes and about 25 miles.....half of what I'll do at the race!
    Thanks for the ride, guys!!

Feeling MUCH Better!

Last night after my piano recital, I took off on an evening run.  The night was perfect!  Travis outfitted me as this was my first run in the dark by myself.  See?

Travis says I look like a coal miner.  I had a flashing red light attached to the back of my vest, too. :)

Anyhow......my run was really fun!  I ran really fast the first mile which made my heart soar!  I love running fast!  My feet skip off the pavement, my knees stride out, and I feel like I'm flying!  Unfortunately, I couldn't keep that pace, so I had to slow it down.  I took it easy the next couple miles and just put in a good 30-minute run.

 This morning I was up at 4:30, ate my cereal, then headed to the pool.  Masters Class swimmers were there again so there were quite a few people in the pool.....about 20-25.  I joined another guy wearing fins and was excited when I started lapping him!  However, the lane next to me were the advanced swimmers in the Masters Class and there were five men in there just speeding through their workout!  They brought a wall of water with them every time we passed.  When I joked about it with them, they said it was to help me train for my open water swim.  One guy said he did the Boise Half two years ago.  When I asked him why not last year, he sniffed and said, "I don't do snow!"  Ha Ha!  I don't, either......yet.......

R Week 2 Day 5

I don't think I'll ever really get used  to hearing that alarm go off at 4:45!  I say that, but at the same time I really enjoy getting in the water early and feeling full of energy during and after the swim.  This is much better than being grossly overweight and almost hopeless.  This morning was a speed workout.  It called for a three hundred yard warm up following by a 10x100.  I decided that I would try and keep each 100 yards between 1:20 and 1:30 and rest until the top of each second minute.  If I remember my swimming terminology correctly that's 10x100 on two minutes?  Regardless, it felt pretty good.  I think next time I'll only rest 10-15 seconds between each set.  Life is good!  It's FRIDAY!!!  Tomorrow calls for a solid 90 minute ride.  Any takers to go with me?

R- week 2 day 4

Tonight's run was good.  I felt fairly strong the whole way through.  I did what I usually do.  I ran the first 5k really hard (23:07),  then slowed it waaaayyyyy down for five minutes.  At the 28 minute mark I settled into about an 8:34 pace (7.0 on the treadmill) and kept it there for the remainder of the hour.  Ok,ok I sped up for the last two minutes!  My left knee really tightened up right close to the end, but I was able to stretch good and it's feeling quite a bit better.

Back in the Saddle......Sort of

Well, folks, after my 5.5 mile run on Monday, I was stuck in bed for the next two days.  Travis and I both came down with a stomach bug and were home sick together for two days.  I didn't do anything on Tuesday (ok, I got up at 4:30, got dressed and left the house only to turn around because my stomach was hurting so bad), and Wednesday I was still not feeling great so I took another day of rest to get my energy back.

  This morning, I hit spin class and while it wasn't the hardest I've pushed, I still got a great workout and enjoyed the class.  I could tell I was drained, though because I couldn't push it nearly as hard as I wanted.  Weird moment after the class was over.  We were stretching and my heart suddenly misfired.....raced at 220 for about 1.5 minutes.  :(  Stupid thing......  Anyway, taking things a little at a time.  Hoping to get a run in tonight after my first piano recital.

R Week 2 Day 3

I had to do the 60 minutes on the bike from Tuesday's workout yesterday instead.  Camilla and I headed up to the spin bikes at the sports academy and spun for the hour while the kids were at gymnastics.  I always enjoy having Camilla W.  with me to work out.  She just makes me happy!