Seattle Ironwoman

Week 13 started the REAL Ironman training. Everything else these last three months have just been building up to starting this phase of Ironman specific training. Intensity is higher. Workouts are longer. Lifting is heavier. This part of training is what I feel differentiates what I do from other athletes. This is what makes me an Ironman. I don't have anything motivating to share with you this post. I'm definitely tired, physically and mentally. Outside of training and work, I have little energy to do much else. I'm always proud of myself when, despite the fact that I feel sore most days like I got in a minor car accident, I still manage to hop on my bike or lace up my shoes and hit the pavement or throw on my suit and jump in the pool. I can't seem to get enough sleep. I think I could sleep for 13 hours if I had the time! Less than 70 days until Ironman Boulder. I feel like I'm getting closer to being ready - what I need is a couple 3hr+ runs and a century ride un...

accidental picture in the woods Officially at that midpoint of training. Three months behind me, a little less than three to go. Actually, the race was three months from last Saturday! Feels good to be getting closer to race day. Gives me more optimism towards training -  light at the end of the tunnel. I haven't missed any workouts, I'm feeling strong in all three sports - still the least strong on the bike but at least I have enjoyed training more with my gorgeous,comfortable and sleek Quintana Roo.  My confidence is high this time around about training and the race which is surprising - this time last year I was so scared. I feel like now I know what I'm doing. I know what I need in terms of nutrition, hydration, and that the training I'm doing will get me where I need to go. I still have a lot of building to do for a run distance - the most I've run in the last 3 months was 2 1/2 hours, we'll hit at least 3 hours by...

  Ran my first ever trail race this weekend! It was a half marathon at Tiger Mountain. It was challenging and was further than I was supposed to go for training, but I love adding in events to make training a little more interesting.  I know I'm behind on posting... a s training ramps up, I'm a little more strapped for time. Below are the boards from week 8, 7, and 6. As training continues to ramp, what changes the most are the weekends but our weekdays are getting a little longer too. It's been a struggle to fit in 2 hour workouts in the morning before work, but I'm managing and adjusting. I'm proud to say I haven't missed any workouts. Even if other things got in the way, I moved things around and still hit them later on in the week. Pretty proud of that. It's so easy to think about skipping a workout but if there's one thing I've learned - consistency is key, and when I approach that start line at altitude in a little less than 4 month...

Another build week. Hit all my workouts AND added an extra bike on Wednesday morning. I've been pretty busy this week, lots of nights where I'm not done working out until 8pm or getting home around that time. I have only been getting about 6 hours or so of sleep during the week so my energy wasn't super high. One good thing that starts to happen the better shape I get into as we build in this training plan - no matter how low I think my energy is, as soon as I start working out my body shifts into gear and seems to have limitless potential. I love that. It's just the mental battle to get started despite my muscle fatigue, mental fatigue, soreness... which luckily this week wasn't hard at all. I've hit that point where I don't think about wanting to workout or not - it's not an option, it's just what I do, "sometimes you just do things"... Feels good to be getting back into that mindset instead of dreading going to the pool or getting o...

Week 4 - TESTING WEEK! This week focused on determining target heart rate zones in each sport to be able to better push in future training. Last year I didn't do heart rate testing. Many Ironman athletes base their workouts and heart rate zones based on perceived effort which is how I trained last year. In an attempt to stick to my goal to improve on the bike, I knew that this year I needed to do the bike test and find my true target heart rates instead of just listening to my body. It was scary to do this test - because Isaac and I tested the same night, and it's a little embarrassing to see how weak I am at cycling compared to him. I hate being weaker and slower... For testing, you have to have someone there with you to write down your heart rate and perceived effort at each MPH increase. I'm hoping that having done this test and knowing my target heart rate zones moving forward, I will improve my bike time and skill. Also, Isaac ordered me a new tr...

Week 3: "Recovery" week. Workouts are either shorter, less intense, or some optional workouts aren't even an option this week. No 60-90 minute ride on Wednesday, no optional swim on Thursday, no transition run on Saturday or spin before the run on Sunday. Overall, a few hours less volume. Tuesday's trainer ride had a lot of fast spin - which is not something I'm great at. I can churn through tough gears all day, but to really increase my cadence takes a lot of effort and attention - if I'm not watching my cadence the entire interval, I always seem to sink below 100 RPM.  Wednesday's swim felt just as hard as a normal swim but was a lot easier than it usually is with a 90 minute morning ride.  My run on Thursday morning was in CRAZY wind. I got blown into a cement wall. It was not ideal weather conditions, but rain or shine or storm we run!  I took my rest day on Monday, so I was supposed to swim Friday, but I skipped the technique swim this ...

Week #2 training. Continuing to build. The 4000m key swim was KILLER. Swam the entire 2.4 mile Ironman distance my third time back in the pool. Turbo trainer ride this week also hurt. I have to keep reminding myself that the painful moments and hours are when I'm growing the most and gaining the strength and endurance I need. It's been a while since I've pushed through pain and fatigue like this! I got a new bike computer this week. I used it on my 3 hour trainer ride on Saturday, which allowed me to better see my stats as I rode. This made me push harder, and made my transition run hurt a LOT more.  It's been harder to start training again this year versus last year. Last year I knew I had no idea how it would feel, but this time around I thought I had it figured out. The mental shift to prioritize another thing in my life is something I forgot would be a strain. It's taking some adjusting, creating a bit of unnecessary stress, but I'm going to ...