Well it’s official - I signed up for my first full distance Ironman!
Come April 27, 2024 I will be attempting to swim, bike, and run a cumulative 140.6 miles under 17 hours. I fully expect to take nearly the entire allotted time 🤣
It’ll be a long road to get there but in really excited! Let’s get to it! 🏊🏻♀️ 🚴🏻♀️ 🏃🏻♀️ 🤠
I had a really good run on Sunday. But this is just a little snippet of my out door runs.
I’ve been sticking to run/walk intervals. Had been doing run2/walk1 and it’s been going well when my back feels good.
I tried run2:30/walk1 this morning and it was ok. It was so humid though so that may have been part of it. Or maybe cause my right hip felt a bit off. I’m not sure.
I haven’t rode outside yet. I went to look at possible carbon road bikes but apparently everything esp on a small size is on back order til 2023, so not helpful. So I’m gonna try a few other places and what not and see if I can get a roadie that’s a little lighter weight.
Swimming is swimming. I’m not sure but I feel like I’m so slow compared to how I was in Kentucky. Granted the extra 20lbs isn’t helping any of the disciplines.
Diet is shit as always. So that not going well as per usual. I know what I need to do but can never seem to get the ball fully rolling.
Work stuff is still stressful. Still not 100% on what I want to do but I’m leaning harder into the idea of small animal. I just know the switch is gonna be though and stressful. 🤷♀️
Training recap: April 27 - May 03, 2020
This was the 16th week of training for a 140.6. It was also the week where we confirmed our deferral of IMC to 2021, so the recap style will likely change going forward. It was a recovery week, so I mostly stuck to the plan while I contemplated how to structure my training for the next little while.
Swim: nope; pools have been closed for 7 weeks and counting. Who knows when they’ll open again.
Bike: a big week! I spent about 10 hours on the bike. There were two structured rides on TrainerRoad, one very easy ride alongside Dan as he ran his Alphabeti Spaghetti route, one tougher ride on a new route through the Escarpment, and an urban tour of the next couple of cities along the lake. I loved getting to spend time riding outside this weekend! Cheesy photographs at the bottom.
Run: I went Strava segment hunting on Tuesday. I got the segment and also recorded my fastest every kilometer and half mile. I also did my p.a.r.k.r.u.n. run and a slightly longer run. For the longer run, I ran a route I normally run in one direction, in the other direction. I think my regular way of doing it is the easier way!
Core: I got in my two sessions; one was joining an internet buddy who was running an IG live workout and one was a solid pre-run activation session.
Hi Tumblrs! I haven’t posted in about two months, but I’ve been trying to lurk and at least read up on what people are up to. Looks like lots of people are doing some cool relays, training, etc. this summer. 😊 I’m about 2.5 weeks out from Ironman Wisconsin, so taper starts next week!! Training has definitely pushed me to my limits not only physically, but also in terms of time management. Some days I feel like I’m killing it, and other days I feel like I’m just trying to keep my head above water (that last part is only metaphorical though, thank goodness 😂). Last week was the first week that the race didn’t feel too soon (in other words, my desire for the race to be over outweighed my concerns about not being prepared). There have been some really fun parts of training - hitting distance PRs on the bike, a 70.3 PR, a training weekend in Madison, a training 70.3 with teammates. There have been some low moments too: a failed century ride in southern Indiana where 1 person crashed, another broke her derailleur, and just about everyone dropped their chain multiple times. The person who crashed above crashed a second time, and has dropped out of the race. I also had a Friday where I worked from 8:30AM-4:30PM, then 6:30PM to 8:30AM Saturday, which basically ruined my training that weekend. Overall my training hasn’t been perfect, but as long as things go smoothly the next few weeks I feel pretty confident I can finish the race. I might try to post more specifics on my training at some point, but I wanted to get something up on here, even if it was pretty general. And post some training pictures too.
Another lost post….
I ran 4 miles in Dallas followed by an amazing breakfast. I love running. My body just hates it right now. I’m taking the Glucosamine. I’m buying DMSO tomorrow. It feels great after I warm up. Terrible after I’ve cooled down.
Spent some time with my daughter and had a little coffee/shopping date otherwise known as Starbucks and Academy. I went searching for a new pair of goggles for an out of town friend to borrow because mine are embarrassingly gunked up with mascara.
Came home and took the best Saturday nap. I fell asleep with my jacket on, shopping bag next to my face- guess I was tired. Met my Colorado friend for a swim and they ask me about the extra goggles. $&@?!$&?! I left them at home. So I hand over my goggles with an inch of mascara in them and go to the car to find the other pair that feel like they cut holes in my eye sockets. A little dramatic I know, but you get the idea. So I finally get in the pool and she’s started and I wait for her at the wall. FLIP TURNS. Of course. Meanwhille, I start my doggy paddle, just don’t drown splashing about. My pace is misleading. Even at an all out sprint, I might get a sub 2. For me to do a mile at that pace is short of a miracle. But I knew I was off when I stopped at the wall and it had a 25 instead of a 50 or 100. Somewhere In the very beginning I either lost or gained a lap which through my overall time off.
Speaking of watches, if you look closely, my wrist band broke in the Sauna post swim. I know they make replacements- but I’m not gonna tell anyone that. I think that means I need a new watch. That is what I’m going with.
Tomorrow, I’m watching the Super Bowl from my bike during a 3.5 hour spin class given by the Bike Whisperer. He has a workout planned based on what happens during the game. Like standing in the hardest gear for 6 minutes after a score etc. I’ll happily say- no Russian Pyramids. I really dislike those. REALLY.
I’m hungry. I’ve been hungry. I wrote this because I was trying to keep myself from French fries and a Coke. I re-wrote it. Still want them.
Ugghh.
RACE REPORT: Cedar Hill Triathlon! 🌳
TL;DR: it was hot and hard, but I DID IT
First of all… I FREAKING DID IT!!! This was my first Olympic distance race in preparation for #ironmanwaco703 and given the conditions today, I absolutely CRUSHED IT!! I’m so unbelievably proud of myself for completing such a tough course with a horrifying high temperature, at a distance that was double my previous efforts. Let’s dig in!
To get the obvious out of the way…it was HOT. When I woke up at 4:15am, my phone already showed that it was 85*. Lovely. I had been anxiously watching the weather all week, but today held firm: a high of 107. I knew from the start this was gonna be one tough day.
THE SWIM: Oh my gosh, the swim! My first goal for the day was to just get through the swim. I really struggle with open water still, and while I can do 1500 in a pool I could only go about 300y in open water before having to stop and rest and get my breathing under control. So I was nervous to say the least. The water was also WARM - 80*! But I stuck to my plan and put on my wetsuit, even though my friend and I were the only two people wearing wetsuits for the event. I nearly took it off, but I could practically hear another friend yelling at me from Fort Worth to race what I practiced, especially since my swim on Friday went sooo much better than the one Thursday. And I’m SO glad I kept it on! The race was delayed by an hour due to complications with road closures, and the wind had started to pick up. I started out on the swim, and felt good to start…until I turned and seemed to be making zero progress towards the far buoy. I kept on trying to swim, waves were crashing into me, and I had the thought of oh god, I’m being pulled to shore!
Turns out, the buoy was floating away from us due to the wind! Luckily a sprint athlete told me to turn and go to the next one; at that point I had already hit 500y. And that’s when it got REALLY tough - now waves were cresting over me, causing me to get really disoriented and have such a hard time fighting through. I definitely NEVER want to swim in an ocean after that! And it was mass chaos in the lake - people were DNFing left and right, I heard a lifeguard blow a whistle for help at one point, but I just kept on swimming. I actually heard that 10% of the athletes were pulled from the swim! I finally finished the turn to head back to the dock…but I still had one lap to go. And I had already hit 1000y! Thankfully the second half was much easier and I got into a good rhythm and got it done with 500 extra yards. Phew! I was so happy to make it out of the water!! I feel so incredibly accomplished and proud!! For fun, check out my gps of the swim - certainly is an interesting shape 😂
THE BIKE: Man they said there were hills, and they weren’t lying. A large hill right out of transition, and bonked pretty badly going up it. Ended up walking and feeling the brain fog, not good at all. But once at the top hopped back on my bike and off I went to begin the loops. A slow first half of the first loop, but I was trying really hard to focus on my nutrition to set me up for the run. Finally hit a nice downhill section and got to make up some time, and then at the last leg of the loop there was another large hill. I just didn’t have it in me, so walked my way up with some other athletes. It was HOT now. And I still had another loop! Similar to the first, I was slow the first half but made up time in the second. But right before I got to the big hill I dropped my bottle as I was getting it out of the cage! Luckily I had almost finished all my Gatorade at that point so I wasn’t too concerned, but was disappointed. Got to the last hill and began walking back up with a little trio - I think we may have been the last on the course. We were struggling to walk up with the heat, but then a wonderful volunteer drove up to us in a car and had water for us! AND he had grabbed my bottle that I dropped so I got it back!! Hooray!! Finished the bike strong and was ready to get off and get the run done. I’m really happy that I kept such a good schedule hydrating and getting my nutrition in!
THE RUN: one word: HOT. Like surface of the sun hot, felt like 104* hot, and I had to run 6 miles. But you know what? Even after a hard bike course my legs felt GREAT. When I started the run, I knew I was going to finish. I just had to take it nice and slow and try to thermoregulate as much as I could because my heart rate instantly spiked.
The volunteers are absolutely what saved the run course. They had additional aid stations with plenty of water and cold towels about every half mile or so, and I wouldn’t have made it as strongly as I did without them. There was one station that you hit 3 times in one loop of the run, and they had so much energy and were so helpful in dumping water all over me helping me to stay cool. By the second lap I had cooled my core down enough to run a little more than walk, and was feeling strong. I was able to finish with my head held high and still feeling great!!
This race was one heck of an experience, and without a doubt the hardest thing I have ever done. But I had SO MANY good things happen today, I wouldn’t change any of it! (Ok I’m kidding, less than 100* would be nice)
The tagline for Ironman triathlons is “anything is possible” and this race truly proved that phrase to be true. Anything is possible, and now I know I can do ANYTHING. Ironman Waco 70.3 here I come!!! 🏊🏻♀️ 🚴🏻♀️ 🏃🏻♀️
My Ironman Waco 70.3 race report!! Woohoo!!!!
