Oceanside 70.3 Week #8... half way...

Amen!

There were some big waves on Sunday... almost to the safe spot!

I could feel someone watching us swim! :-)  Jeff was on the pier and a guy
standing next to him said, "Are those people swimming down there?"  Jeff
replied, "Yes, that is my wife!" :-)

I just realized that I have reached the half way point in my training for Oceanside 70.3... hummmmm... this is an interesting place to be.  It feels as if I have been training for months (I guess, reality is that I've been training for five years to be strong/confident enough to train for a 70.3)... and it still seems like I have a long way to go.  Week #7 of training was AWESOME!  Last week I felt strong!  I ran 10 miles on Saturday at an 11:00 minute per mile average and was THRILLED!  That average included my running, walking, water breaks and energy (GU) breaks.   I know I'm going to be doing a bunch of walking during the half marathon (and will probably also be adding in a potty break), getting enough fluids and energy and as long as I average 13 minutes per mile during the race, I'll make the time cut off.  After the run, I came into the house and I was cheering and yelling... so much so that my son said, "Mom, I think you have a runner's high going on..."  I started giggling because that is EXACTLY how I felt! 



Swim in or try again... swim in or try again... I swam for it!

Sunday, Jeff and I joined the Tri-It Together group for a swim around the Oceanside pier (Jeff took the photos of the swim) and a 50 mile ride from the Oceanside pier to the San Clemente pier and back.  Special thanks to the Carlsbad Open Water Swimming Group and especially Kurt, who gave up his workout to guide we nervous swimmers around the pier!  It was a long weekend of training, but it felt SOOOO GOOD!  My goal for the bike part of the 70.3 is an average of 14 MPH.  I hit 13.9 during this ride...

I LOVE this Tri Group!  Too bad the views from this ride totally sucked... ;-)

... and I still have 8 more weeks to train. :-)

As long as God helps to keep me healthy and injury free, I... SO... TOTALLY... HAVE... THIS! (and mechanical free on race day... Amen!)

Oceanside Training Week #6...and am I really training enough?

I've taken all of my swim out of my training to add in my private weight
training.  I will add some back in before the day, but last year, I only swam
13 miles... all year... including races... and I continue to be at the front. 
Because of my weight training. 
I have not been in the waves since I was a teenager...
but there I am... in the blue cap. ;-)

5 weeks down and 11 to go...

Training has been going well... strong at first, tough to fit in during the holidays but made it work... 8 consecutive days of no cardio due to being sick... and back to training with Week #6 going to be the strongest yet!  I must admit that I am still trying to wrap my head around the training that I am doing and that it will prepare me to complete my first half Ironman.  I've been thinking... I am training (6) days a week, but only (2) days a week are long distance.  How (2) long distance trainings per week such as running (10) miles one day and cycling (40) miles the next will get me ready to do a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile (HILLY) bike and 13 mile run... my head keeps telling me that I need to do more... more distance... more bricks... what I am trying to accomplish is HUGE... it should require MORE!


 

1st run more than 7 miles in
15 YEARS!  Felt GREAT!

(Insert deep sigh...)  I was reminded yesterday that I have done crazy things like this before.  I have completed several half marathons and (2) full marathons (15+ years ago.)  I trained with a running group and thinking back on our training, we did smaller runs during the week, and only (1) long distance run each weekend... each weekend building in distance and I believe our longest distance, a few weeks before the actual marathon, was 21 miles.  My coach told me that I was preparing to complete a marathon, which after several months of training I would be able to do.  But that the magic of "race day" was THAT was the day you would reach 26.2 miles and cross the line.  Training is not about crossing the 26.2 mile line several times before the actual day, but preparing your body and brain to be ready to do it on "the day."

I have also completed a century (100 mile bike ride) and several metric centuries.  Again, training was not riding 70, 90, 100 miles leading up to the rides, but smaller rides leading up to the big day.

This past weekend (training week #5), I rode 35 miles (with 2,100 feet of climbing) at a pretty comfortable pace and was already at race day pace.  I also ran 9 miles in the rain (the longest run I have done in 15 years) and did it 1.5 minutes per mile faster than my planned race day pace...

... my brain is confused...

... my heart knows the training is working and that I'm KICKING MY OWN BUTT!

Time to trust the program!

And, can I just say that as much as it sucked to be doing a weight loss challenge during the holidays, I am happy to report that instead of gaining my usual 10 pounds from Halloween - New Years, I have LOST 6.6 POUNDS!  I am only 2 pounds away from "One-derland" and right now at a 16 pound advantage to where I would have been had I not done this challenge.

208.6

202.0

It is always amazing to see where and how your body loses weight.  Honestly, I don't care where it comes from as long as it goes away!  :-)  Can't wait to see what next week holds! ;-)

Happy New Year... Ironman Week #5...

HAPPY 2015!  The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of holidays, weight loss challenge, training, and... oh yeah... SICK!  Yes, we all had our flu shots, but our oldest daughter (now lives in LA) arrived at our house for Christmas... holding Purell and a box of Kleenex... needless to say, Anna, Mom, Dad, and I all were sick with a horrible cold within a few days.  Sick happens, and I would much rather know that I got sick from my daughter than the grocery store cart!  :-)

Ironman 70.3 Oceanside - Week #5 is about to start.  The first month of training went pretty darn well.  Usually, this is triathlon off season... my last race of the year is the Mission Bay Triathon at the start of October.  My first race each year is the Desert International Triathlon at the start of March.  Usually during the "off season," I slow down my training, let my body recover, sleep in a bit, and put on around 10 pounds from Thanksgiving through New Years.  This year, knowing that Oceanside is in March and doing the weight loss challenge with my tri group (Hi, Tri It Together!), I have actually lost about 3 pounds in the past month!  With the holidays and 8 consecutive missed cardio workouts due to the cold (can't breathe), I am THRILLED with the 3 pound weight loss... hold on 2015... here I come! :-)