20 MPH, Open Water Swimming, and Flats...Oh My!

I wish I could say that the 20 mph was my biking speed, but alas it was just the speed of the wind I dealt with during the Cider Mill Century ride a few weeks ago. 

Do you know what is more difficult than riding a bike up hill and into a 20 mph wind?  Being 4'10 and riding a bike up hill and into a 20 mph wind.  There was one moment where I really, really wanted to cry and call someone to come pick me up.  There is this little voice in the back of my head that would not let me and was calling me a big baby and a quitter, so I stuck it out.

I felt better when several of the male riders told me how much they were struggling in the wind too.  I guess misery truly does love company.

The best part was when I finally said screw this, and stopped to turn on my music from my phone (no headphones).  The first song that came on is one of the nastiest songs I have on my phone, Shake That, by Eminem.  I had the music on pretty loud and a group went by me just when I got on my bike again.  I am sure they were quite surprised by the super sweet girl in pink with vulgar lyrics blazing!

Needless to say, I was quite glad when the ride was finished.  :)

Now on to open water swimming.  Open water swimming has always been difficult for me, not so much physically but mentally.  I always start worrying about not being able to touch the bottom or see, when in reallity, I can swim so I do not need to touch the bottom! 

My last two open water swims I give all the credit to Snoop Dogg.  Apparently I still know all the words to a few of Snoop's songs from the 90's and they are quite easy to sing in my head while I swim.  Who knew? 

My last open water swim was last night, and I truly had no fear hopping right in and swimming away.  I swam 3000 meters and could have kept going.  I was brutally attacked by seaweed a few times, but kept  my composure!  KJ for the win!

Last OWS at Kill Creek, thank goodness!

Last time when I was training I did not have to change a flat tire.  Actually, I did not even have a clue how to change a flat tire.  I should really count my lucky stars every day that I did not get a flat during the actual Ironman.  I got my first flat tire at home and went to You Tube to learn how to change it.  Laugh all you want, it worked.

On Saturday Jennie and I were out riding and got 1.5 miles from our cars when she got a flat tire.  I told her I would take care of it.  And guess what, I totally did!  I was able to change a flat tire without even looking at the video! 

Less than two weeks to go!

In the Thick of it All...

Peak training time is here!  It is that time where I smell of chlorine, eat more than Ken, and am oh so exhausted.  My dirty workout clothes definitely out number my normal clothes.  My tan lines are also getting really bad.  As in so bad that Ken told me he is not taking me to Mexico in November unless I do something about them.  :)

As much as I enjoy the long training rides, swims, and runs, I am looking forward to them being over.  I cannot wait until my crotchal area no longer feels like someone has had their way with me.  Yep, I just said that.

I have a 104 mile bike ride scheduled and then another couple longer rides and this puppy is in the bank.  I did go and do my first open water swim of the year and let's just say that Kill Creek Lake is not any cleaner than it was in 2012.  I was brutally attacked by seaweed, yet somehow survived to tell about it.  I will go open water swimming a few more times because no matter how often I do it, my first instant is too panic and think I cannot do it.  If only the Ohio River would become crystal clear with a blue line painted down the center like the pool at Lifetime...

Here's to the next few busy weeks!

There is a First Time for Everything...

You know, that moment when you are riding along and crossing railroad tracks and the next thing you are laid out on the pavement.  

The scene of the accident

It was quite shockingly actually.  It was kind of like I blacked out for a half a second.  I ended up with a nasty scrape on my elbow and a few scrapes on my left ankle.  

Fortunately, I was with my friend Jennie.  She ended up running into my bike because she could not turn her tires on the tracks because she would have flipped over as well.  Did I mention that I flipped over my handle bars?  

We both ended up being fine and continued on with our ride.  I ended up with 50 miles that day and Jennie rode 40 of the with me.  The sad thing was that this was my first ever crash and my first ever ride with Jennie.  Fortunately, we have ridden many rides together since.

My lovely battle scar!

On top of my first wreck, I have also experienced my first flat tire.  Lucky for me, I was at home when it happened.  I did manage to get the tired changed after a little drama and the help of You Tube.  I was a dirty sweaty mess by the time it was over, but I managed.  

I really hope I got all of these firsts out of the way and all goes well in Ironman Louisville!

 



Ambitious...

The bike.

I do not want to say that I hate it, but I kind of do. 

Too bad the bike portion of the Ironman is the longest leg, coming in at a great 112 miles.

I vowed this training cycle to put on my big girl pants and ride my bike more. 

Yeah, so far the Kansas Spring/Winter has not allowed too much of that.

A few weeks ago we had a gorgeous 70 degree Saturday.  Ken and I loaded up the car with my bike and his kayak and took off to Shawnee Mission Park for separate outings.

I had planned on riding 30 miles in the park.

Notice I said planned.

I forgot that Shawnee Mission Park may as well be the Rocky Mountains for someone that has not ridden her bike outside since, I don't know, August 26, 2012.

That would be the date of Ironman Louisville.

Yeah, I had not taken Fern (that is my bike's name) outside since the Ironman.

Maybe it was that whole numb hoo, hoo incident or maybe I just could not handle throwing on the bike clothes.

At any rate, I have an Ironman that is less than five months away, so it had to happen sometime.

Back to my point, planning a bike ride of 30 miles for the first ride in over a year in the Kansas Rockies was not my smartest move.

We will just say that the thought was rather ambitious.

I am pretty sure I almost died.  It was awful.

My heart rate has not been that high before.  My life flashed before my eyes and I was wondering how I ever rode 112 miles in the Kentucky hills.

I made it 20 miles.  I considered this a victory.

I also have vowed to get back to the park more often and hopefully whip my sorry butt back in shape. 

Adventures in Swimming...

One thing that I learned when I decided to train for an Ironman is not to take myself too seriously and be able to joke and make fun of the fact that I am doing this for fun and I am not a professional.

I am the first person to be able to make fun of myself, especially when it comes to swimming.

Swimming is not something that I did a lot as a child, well unless you count doing handstands in the pool as swimming.  I have never had any formal training in the pool and pretty much taught myself how to swim freesytle. 

Yeah, scary. 

Basically, I am not a very graceful or fast swimmer.  Last time I checked, Michael Phelps has not done an Ironman.  (Neither has Chuck Norris for that matter).  With that being said, I take my wins in the pool when I can get them.

The other day, I came home from the pool beeming.  Of course Ken asked me why I was smiling and if I had past a 60 year old man in the pool again.  I of course respond with the fact that I was faster than a man in his 30's.

That's right, I was swimming faster than a man that was close to my own age.  Obviously, he had no clue that we were racing, but I totally whipped his butt.

Score one for me.

Obviously I should probably mention that I a group of 12 year olds that attend "swim team" on Tuesday nights pass me like I am not even moving.  I chose to over look this because they should be passing the girl in her 30's that has never taken swim lessons before.  Their parents have paid a lot of money for them to be good at swimming. 

Of course not all of the kids can swim faster than me.  There is one chubby girl that I totally fly past.  That's right, along with beating a 60 year old man, a man in his 30's, I can also swim faster than a chubby 12 year old.  Like I said, when it comes to swimming, I have to take my props when I can get them.

Ironman Training: Week 1...

I was bragging to Ken about how I completely nailed my first week of Ironman Training.  He laughed, it was only week one, so it was easy.

Once again, I am not really following a plan to a T.  Being married to a training schedule is not how I like to roll.  Instead, I like to use a few different plans as a guide for what I should be doing each week. 

Currently I am mainly using Be Iron Fit by Don Fink. 

Without further ado, the stats from the first week:

Monday:  Rest day

Tuesday:  5 mile run on a snow day

Wednesday:  30 minute spin in the morning; 1500 m swim in the evening

Thursday:  1 hour spin on the trainer

Friday:  1600 m swim

Saturday:  1:15 minutes on the trainer; 15 minute transition run; 4 mile hike with Ken and Kya

Sunday:  7 mile run

Our snow does not really look like it is going to be melting anytime soon, so I will be at the gym pretty much everyday for the next few weeks. 

The life of an Ironman.

One Year Ago...

I cannot believe it has been one year since Ironman Lousiville. 

One year.

So much about it feels like it was just yesterday, but yet at times, it feels like the entire thing was just a dream. 

I learned so much during the nine months of training and during the actual race itself.  I learned that I am far more stubborn than I ever thought I was.  My mom and Ken have always talked about my stubbornness, but now I fully know where they are coming from. 

I learned that so many people make excuses for any and everything that they think they cannot do.  If you really want to do something, you can find a way.  Trust me.  Why do you think I decided to finally go back to school?  Good old Ironman training made me realize that I have no excuse not to.  Thank you Ironman Louisville.  :)

I learned that it is okay to be scared to do something.  I was scared to death to train for something that I was unfamiliar with.  At the end of the day, I did not always want to wish I had done something.  It was up to me to make it happen.

I was terrified of swimming in the open water.  After a little bit of research, I realized that most of the people out there felt the same way as I did at one time or another.  I also knew I would never get over the fear if I did not make myself do it.  I am just glad I did not drown.  :)

There are a few things about August 26, 2012 that I will never forget.

I will never forget the way I felt when Ken hugged me and told me goodbye at the swim start.  I had tears in my eyes and started to cry.  I was absolutely terrified.

I will never forget the moment that I realized I was approaching the finish of the swim.  I was literally smiling under water and was so thrilled that I did not drown.  I came out of the water with the biggest smile ever.

I will never forget the lowest moment of the day when I had to give myself a pep talk on the bike around mile 45.  I had come so far but still had so far to go.

I will never forget coming up the hill into downtown La Grange, about 20 miles after my pitty party, and seeing a handsome, tall, blonde man waving his heart out and realizing that it was MY husband.  My husband that skipped going on an urban bourbon tour so that he could see me one more time on the bike.  That moment, completely made my day and made me cry.

I will never forget turning the corner and heading into 4th Street Live and hearing those wonderful words:  You are an Ironman!  I smiled the entire way there and it was worth every moment.

I will never forget the moment that I was reunited with Ken.  The moment where he picked me up and told me how proud he was of me and that it was the most amazing thing he had ever seen.  That moment was the best moment of my entire life.

I will never forget reading all of the texts, emails, and Facebook messages from all of my friends.  I have never felt so much love in my life.

There is one other thing that I will never forget.  The moment when Ken asked me if I wanted to walk or take the shuttle back to the car, which was less than a half mile away.  I told him that I really thought the walk would do me well and that we should walk.  He kept asking me if I was sure I could make the walk.  Finally, I asked him why he did not walk me to walk.  His response was that he was chaffed.  Chaffed from spectating.  I had completed an Ironman and my husband was chaffed while spectating.  In his defense it was 96 degrees out most of the day.

One thing you must know is he will never, ever live that one down.  

What is Next?

My life has been filled with questions like, "What is next?" or "How do you top an ironman?" or "Will you do it again?"  And you know what, I have no idea.  Normally I have something planned to do next, but at this time, I have no clue. 

I decided to do Ironman Louisville in December last year when Ken and I are were in between homes.  We were living in an apartment that we hated after we had just turned our lives upside down (it was all our choice, please know that!) and I thought it was the perfect time for me to focus on something that was a dream of mine.  Yes, we only lived in the apartment for one more month after I signed up for the race, but what can you do.  The only person besides Ken that knew I wanted to do an ironman was my friend Michelle.  I still think she was a little shocked when I actually pulled the trigger.  :)

So here I am, the first time since 2006 that I do not have some marathon or something planned.  I am not so sure that I like it either.  I mean, sure the freedom is nice, but I like having a goal to look forward to. 

I would love to run the Leadville 100, but I am not sure that I am ready to tackle 100 miles on foot.  I know, you are probably thinking that I signed up for an ironman without ever doing a triathlon before, but I think having never run more than 26.2 miles and trying to run 100 miles in the rockies is a little crazy.  So yes, that seems right up my alley. 

Will I do another ironman?  I do not know.  I had a fabulous experience in Louisville and I am not sure that anything will ever top that.  I also do not know if I will feel the same way about the race since my first ironman is out of the way.  I mean, I smiled the entire time and kept a great attitude.  Would I be able to do that again?  Of course there is this voice in my head that is screaming that I can beat the time I had in Louisville.  I have been shutting her up with Pumpkin Spice Lattes and brownies.  :)

Right now the only thing on my agenda is Lake Tahoe in a few weeks with my super supportive husband and then Cancun in November. 

Oh, but don't worry, I am almost sure that I will have my next endurance event lined up before the month is over.  I mean I work in an office for heaven's sake, I have time to stalk race websites.  And internet shop.  I swear I spend more money during my slow season at work, all thanks to the internet and free shipping offers. 

Happy Friday and Happy Birthday Jill!

Because the Outfit Matters Most...

When I first signed up for Ironman Kentucky on December 19, 2012, I knew without a doubt what I would be wearing for the bike and run portions of the race.  I mean, who does not plan this type of important detail nine months in advance? 

Drum roll please....

The Swim:

I know, I know, this is purple and not pink.  Sigh...Well, you remember when I mentioned that I had to get a new swimsuit due to my last one borderline being a complete peep show?  Well, they were out of pink in XS, so the only thing I could do is get purple.  Purple is still girly.

The Bike:

At first I thought that maybe this was too much pink, and then I realized, pink is like pumpkin, you can never have too much!  Of course my skirt has built in bike shorts to add some extra comfort while I am on the bike for seven hours.  Why am I wearing a skirt?  Because no one really looks that good in spandex shorts. 

The Run:

This is my favorite!  I wore this outfit when I hiked South to North in the Grand Canyon.  I wanted to make sure that it wore well during an extended period of time and it was just fabulous!  I was bummed that I could not find a pink visor, but was very happy with this sea foam green one that I found.  Yes, I just said sea foam green.  Look for me on the run portion in the pink skirt and sea foam green visor!  Could I be anymore of a girl!  I am also planning on rocking the pig tails, oh yeah!

 As I told Ken, my motto is:  If you cannot be fast, be cute!

Tapering is Good for the Soul...

With very few workouts on the schedule, I have been taking advantage of the one thing every endurance athlete knows about...THE TAPER.  Yes!  I have been waiting for this bad boy to get here since the beginning of July and when he showed up the first weekend of August, I welcomed him with open arms.

What have I been up to?  Oh you know, just the things non-ironman training people get to do all the time.  Thinks like going to dinner with Ken, walking to Starbucks with Ken and Kya, more walks with Ken and Kya, and going to dinner with friends.  Am I having those normal taper doubts?  Yes I am.  I have this horrible feeling that my bike time is going to suffer because I have been slacking on the bike.

I dropped my bike off last week for a tune up and pick it up tomorrow.  I plan on getting a little bit of a hilly bike ride in, but am really trying to keep things easy.  These last few weeks have been amazing and I am so excited for this weekend to get here!

I met Michelle and Jill for sushi this past week.  We laughed and laughed and enjoyed telling stories.

My fabulous friend Heather had a big birthday last week, so we celebrated with pedicures and lunch.  That Heather has such a special place in my heart.  There is no one else I know that shares my love for all things Fall and pumpkin.  She is also my only friend that starts listening to Christmas music the day after Halloween.    That is a sign of great character.  :)

Us girls at lunch.  The birthday girl is between Michelle and me.  She squatted to make me feel a little tall, Michelle was in heels, so I was left as the shortest.  :)

I am not the only one that has been spending time with my besties.  Kya was invited to spend the evening with Charlee and Boise last night.  She has so much fun with those two!  Here are Kya and Charlee lounging after playing in the backyard for a few hours.  

104 Miles on the Bike is a Long Way, Too Bad Ironman is 112...

Well, last weekend was a weekend of workouts.  It is safe to say that all of the big stuff is over.  I just have a semi long bike ride this weekend and a long run, and this bad boy is in books!

I started my weekend off by running 15 miles on Saturday.  It was humid.  My goodness was it humid.  The run was very uneventful except for the man that I saw on the Tomahawk Creek Trail.  He was wearing a bandana tied around his head, shorts pulled up to his navel, tube socks, and carrying a spear...In Leawood, KS.  I was not quite sure of him.  I wanted to take a picture, but I feared I might get impaled and that is not a story I would want to tell.  Hi, my name is Keri, and four weeks from my ironman I was impaled by a senior citizen on the Tomahawk Creek Trail.  Not the way this thing it going down.

This was also the weekend that I do the dreaded 100 mile bike ride.  Fortunately for me, the Louisburg Cider Mill Century ride was this past weekend.  As much as I dreaded seeing all of the spandex and polyster, I knew that this would be the best way for me to ride 100 miles.  I did not have to worry about fluids, and with Ken being out of town, I did not need to worry about who would come pick me up if something happened.  There was also very little fear of Chester the Molester pulling up in his rapist van and grabbing me.  Men are so lucky they do not have to worry about this!  Although, with the way I small during my long rides, I am sure I would be kicked out of the van quite quickly.

Anyway, back to the ride.  I had registered earlier this week, if I hadn't there is a good chance I would have just slept in and been stuck riding by myself.  I had to stop for gas on the way and for a bottle of water.  Some random man bought my water for me at QT.  I guess I look cute at 6:30 am with my pink skirt.  Score one for the wardrobe choice!

I pulled up to the Cider Mill and swear I have never seen so much spandex in my life.  Wow.  I unload my bike and take off.  There are so many cyclists around that are all "Tour de France" and I am just not that kind of cyclist.  I go at my own pace, by myself, and am totally fine with that. My goal was just to get the ride over so I could go home and eat some ice cream and a brownie. 

The good thing about this ride, the elevation profile is almost spot on for the elevation profile in Louisville.  I now have full confidence that I will be okay in Louisville, pink skirt and all. Toward the end of the ride, people were dropping like flies.  A group that had passed me early was on the side of the rode struggling.  Now, I am not one to judge, but one thing I am good at is pacing myself.  I am not one of those folks to blow past someone early on only to struggle later for them to pass me.  I am usually the person that holds on and can pass people.  We like to call that endurance.  I passed this people and never saw them again.  They were some of those "Tour de France" folks I was speaking of earlier.

One interesting thing that happened was a guy that decided to sag it in 8 miles from the finish.  8 miles from the finish.  Maybe he felt sick, I have no idea.  Maybe he is not training for an ironman.  There was no way that I was going to quit 8 miles from the end.  The best part is that I stopped four miles from the end to text Ken.  The guy that decided to sag it in stopped in the van to ask me if I was okay.  I politely thanked him and told him that I was fine, just texting my husband.  With a surprised look as his face he said, "You mean, you are going to finish, good for you."  Yeah douche bag, this little 4'10, blonde haired, pink skirt wearing, 100 pound girl just kicked your butt.  Have a good day.  Talk about a boost to my ego.  :)

I was about a mile from the finish when I saw one of the emergency response team people.  He gave me lots of encouragement and told me that the emergency folks were calling me pretty in pink.  I laughed and thanked him.  I may not be the fastest, but by golly, I will be one of the cutest and most color coordinated out there.  Score number two for the wardrobe choice.  :)

All in all, I was so happy that I was able to get this ride finished.  It ended up being 104 miles, which is just 8 miles short of the ironman distance.  I was just as scared to ride this ride as I was to swim in the open water, so I suppose I am starting to really get things accomplished.  I am now three short weeks away from Ironman Louisville, I am excited and scared to death all at the same time.  One thing I now for sure, I am certainly going to start the race looking as cute as possible.

First Open Water Swim...Ever

Well, since this Ironman Kentucky thing does not take place in the pool at my local gym, I decided that I better go out for an open water swim to see how this thing will play out.  This was to be my first open water swim.  By first, I do not mean first of the season or first in a long time, I mean my first open water swim, EVER.  Now, I have "swam" in the ocean before, you know sat in the water with a frozen drink in the Caribbean Ocean, but something tells me that the Ohio River is not going to look like the Caribbean and that I will not have an umbrella drink in my hand.

My super sweet husband volunteered to go out in the lake with me on his kayak.  We were not sure if there would be a lot of other people out during the open water swim or not, so we wanted to be fully prepared.  We were very surprised and happy when there were three life guards out on the course.

I first walked out into the lake, thinking this was not so bad.  I felt sand beneath my feet.  I then kept walking to get out onto the course and no longer felt sand.  I am not sure what it was but it was something that I did not like, it was probably grass or moss or something.  Yuck.  (In case you have not noticed, I am more of an indoor girl). 

I took off swimming and was completely overwhelmed by the fact that there was no red line on the bottom so I could see where I was going.  Ah, so this where that whole sighting thing people have talked about will come into play.  I kind of started to panic a little bit.  I saw Ken on his kayak very close by and decided that it was time to completely panic.  My heart rate went up, my breathing was labored and I very ungracefully made my way over to his kayak.  I told him that I could not see and that this was awful.  All I could think about while holding on to the kayak was in the move Titanic, "Rose I need you to swim!".

At this moment, I wanted to quit.  I wanted to straddle that kayak and get out of the lake.  I was convinced that there was no way I could even swim one loop, let alone swim 2.4 miles with 2000 other flailing bodies.  I composed myself and went on my way.  I started to panic again just before the first buoy when I saw the first life guard.  She talked to me for a second, and calmed me down.  I told her I was having a hard time seeing and she told me I would get the hang of it.  Ken talked to her for a moment and she thought it was so sweet that he was out there with me to support me.  One point for Ken! 

I leaned on the kayak thinking, wow, I have no idea how I will do this.  Then it hit me.  I have spent the last eight months swimming 2-3 days per week for at least an hour each time if not more.  I can do this.  I have not spent every Friday night at 68 Sports in the pool for nothing.  I have trained for this.  Get your butt out there KJ!!!  (I call myself KJ when I mean business).  Show your husband that you can swim and that you can do this!

So off I went.  Guess what, I was completely fine.  I just counted.  I counted like I do in the pool 1,2,3....1,2,3....I ended up swimming three loops, which was about 1500 yards.  I could have kept going, but Ken and I were both rather hungry. 

Ken told me that I just took off like a duck.  I was just swimming like a mad woman and would look up to make sure I was on course.  He said I was passing people.  Me, little Keri, that could not even swim 50 yards without stopping 12 months ago, was passing people! 

I was so proud of myself for not only making myself stick it out, but for even getting out there in the first place.  I am so not a fan of dirty water.  I guess I am a little tougher than I thought I was. 

Random Training Things...

With all of the training I have been doing lately, things are bound to go wrong, right?  I mean, I am so not a professional or even an experienced tri-athlete, so I am bound to do things that are silly.  I like to think of myself as the normal everyday tri-athlete.  I try not to take things too seriously, knowing full well that I am just rolling with the punches on this whole ironman thing.

• I have been wearing my swimcap backwards for oh, the last seven months.  Yep, that's right, I just noticed the other day that a lady in the gym was wearing the same pink cap as me and the speedo logo was on the front and not the back like I have been wearing it.  I took a good look at my swimcap and noticed that yes, the logo obviously goes in front.
• I also just realized on Friday the correct way my goggles go on.  In my defense, I have only had these specific goggles for about six weeks, but still.  I had zero goggle issues on my 2.4 mile swim on Friday and told myself that I needed to mark them as to which side is up.  Well guess what, there is a mark on both sides of the goggles that show which is the top side.  In my defense, the top and bottom look a lot alike.
• I finally had to buy a new swimsuit.  Mine went from okay to borderline peep show overnight.  My biggest fear is that my butt crack was showing because the bottoms were falling down.  That's right, I just typed butt crack.  Don't even ask about how the top was starting to fit.
• I think I finally have my breathing down to where I am not spitting on anyone when I breathe.  This is a step in the right direction.
• I had to share a lane with a guy at the pool the other day.  Guess what, I was faster than him.  I am sure he did not realize that it was a competition, but I totally kicked his butt. 
• I have encountered more dead animals on my bike rides than I can count.  I think this is the worst part about riding a bike.  You see and smell so many awful things.  On my 90 mile ride over the weekend, I saw a dead raccoon, dead skunk, and a dead deer.  I turned around when I saw the dead deer.  That was too much.  Plus, it was at the bottom of a big hill and I felt that the dead deer was a sign that I should turn around. 
• I passed someone on the bike on Saturday.  A man to be more exact.  Sure, he was like 60, but it still counts.  Seeing how I am so slow on the bike, this is a huge victory and I will take my props when I can get them.
• Speaking of being passed, there is this one hill on my route that is the death of me.  It is at 159th and Mission and it is not even the steepest hill I ride up.  It always comes about three miles from home at the end of the ride and is about a half mile long or so.  I hate this hill.  A few weeks ago, I was dying going up this sucker and out of nowhere comes a Lance Armstrong wannabe flying up the hill.  He turns around and asks me if I was okay.  I was not quite sure what made him thing I was struggling, my heavy panting or the fact that I was counting while I was going up the hill and every other word was an f-bomb?  I assured him I was fine and had already ridden 60 miles and that is why I was cursing so much.  That and my hoo hoo hurt.

Big Weekend...

This past weekend was a big training weekend.  I am happy to say that I survived.  I am not feeling to fabulous today, but what can I expect!

Friday - 2.4 mile swim, that's right, a 2.4 mile swim!  Oh and a two mile run.

Saturday - 90 mile bike ride in the 99 degree heat.  My hoo hoo will never be the same!

Sunday - 12 mile run. 

I ended up having to run on the treadmill on Sunday.  I just could not drag myself out of bed early enough to get outside.  I need my sleep!  I would have liked to have run 15 miles, but I was pressed for time. 

I ended up training for just short of 10 hours over the weekend.  The sad thing, I did not even have any ice cream to celebrate. 

We are officially on the countdown, less than 5 weeks to go!  I hope I am ready.  I have a 100 mile bike ride planned for this weekend.  Yikes!

Exhaustion...

Today marks two months from Ironman Kentucky and it is safe to say, I am flipping exhausted.  I am ready for this shindig to come and go.  I had to drag myself out of bed to come to work today.  Ken suggested I call in sick, but I am not a call in sick kind of girl.  I am the idiot one that signed up for this thing, I have to deal with it.  Although, calling in sick is sounding very wonderful now that I am in my office.  It is quite possible that I might cause physical harm to someone today.  Oh, who am I kidding, that would take way too much effort!

I started my long bike ride on Saturday at 1:30 in the afternoon.  It seemed like a good idea at the time, but that quickly faded when it turned to like 98 degrees and I was riding into the wind.  The wind.  I despise the wind.  That is my one hope for Kentucky, that there will be no wind.  There is nothing worse than being on a bike with the wind blowing what feels like 40 mph.  I also made a wrong turn at some point and ended up on a gravel road.  Fantastic.  As you can guess, a road bike does not do well on a gravel road.  I did what any self respecting, pink skirt wearing girl could do, I got off of my bike and walked him until I got to the pavement.  (I also squatted and peed on the gravel road, but that seems unlady like to mention.)  I finally made it home after 65 miles of hell.  Yes, I am well aware that I have 112 miles of hell to look forward to and 65 miles is only scratching the surface. 

I was disguisting, covered in salt and completely soaked with sweat.  All I wanted to do was lay in my chair and read my book, Fifty Shades Freed.  (That is a whole story within itself, damn you Michelle!)  I knew, I just knew that I would beat myself up if I did not at least go out for a small brick run.  So, I did what any self respsecting, pink skirt wearing girl would do, I grabbed my iPod and darted out the door.  I ran by one of my neighbors that gave me an odd look for looking so rough.  I swear, these people wonder if I ever wear any other clothes besides workout clothes.  I am surprised and how okay running feels after taking a beating on the bike.  I completed my mile and went inside to shower, plopped myself in my chair and started reading. 

Besides working, maintaining our house, and training for this Ironman, my friend Michelle insisted that I read the 50 Shades of Grey trilogy.  I fought it for as long as I could, but finally caved on our airport ride home from the Grand Canyon two weeks ago.  Um, yeah, I cannot stop reading!  Jeeze Louise, something has got to give, I am exhausted!  I cannot stay up late reading these things!  I am happy to say that I have less than 100 pages of the last book left.  Maybe I will catch up on my sleep since I will not be anxiously turning the page waiting on the next sexual scene. 

Oh and the Grand Canyon, yes we just returned from hiking Rim to Rim to Rim of that beautiful hole in the ground.  Gee, doesn't that sound like such a relaxing vacation?  Hopefully, I will find time to post a complete report one night this week. 

And one more thing, you know how you are not supposed to go to the grocery store hungry because you end up buying crap?  Well, I went to Target yesterday to pick up my birth control pills and I came out with this:

Yes, I solely intended on picking up just a $5 prescription that keeps me from having children and ended up with six bags of candy.  It started innocently enough, I was just going to buy some Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, but it kind of snowballed into buying all of this.  I have no shame.

I was so hungry, that I wanted Chipotle, but decided I just could not wait the extra 10 minutes it would take to get the Chipotle and get it home to start enhaling it.  So I went with Plan B, which was two bowls of cereal and butt load of candy.  Good choice Keri. 

Just in case you are concerned that I am not eating enough, I did out eat Ken on Sunday.  Yes, that is correct, this 4'10, 100 pound, self respecting, pink skirt wearing girl out ate her 6'4, 210 pound husband.  I will sign autographs later. 

Ironman Training Week 15 & 16...

I suppose it is bad whenever my husband sends me text to tell me how boring my blog has become and how I need to update.  Well, my response to him is that I will have to become a picture nazi to make things more interesting.  After my boring weekly update, see the following post for a post with pictures.

I have had to great weeks of training.  I had my two longest bike rides ever.  One of them was wonderful where I wanted to keep going and the other one, well, I rolled up into the garage afterwards and told the bike to eff off.  :)

Week 15

Monday
16 miles biking

Tuesday
4 mile run
1:20 minute hike with Ken

Wednesday
2500 yard swim

Thursday
Rest

Friday
3000 yard swim

Saturday
35 mile bike ride
15 minute transition run with Kya

Sunday
8 mile run
1250 yard swim


Week 16

Monday
Rest

Tuesday
6.2 mile run

Wednesday
3300 yard swim - which is two miles for those of you counting

Thursday
1:20 bike
4 mile transition run with Kya

Friday
3500 yard swim

Saturday
11 mile run

Sunday
38 mile bike ride
15 minute transition run with Kya

Overall, two very solid weeks.  I still love swimming and think I am getting just a little faster every month.  And to think this time last year I could not swim a full lap without stopping or feelling like I was going to die.

Ironman Training...Week 14

I set a swim PR this week!  I swam 3000 yards!  It was quite exciting as you can imagine.  I realize I have about 1200 more yards to go, but I am really enjoying swimming and think it is my second favorie.  Of course, nothing can compare to running.

Biking.  Ugh, I am not a huge fan right now.  It is just so hard.  Plus, I have always disliked bicycle riders because of run ins with rude cyclist.  I have a hard time being a cyclist.  I am pretty sure that my bright pink biking skirt screams, "I am nice, I am not a rude cyclist!", but I am still struggling with being a cyclist.  I know I need to get over it and make it happen, but something has to be my list favorite right?  Too bad it is the thing I have to do the longest!

Monday
2500 yard swim

Tuesday
3.5 miles running
30 minutes bike

Wednesday
Rest day - I had a work dinner

Thursday
1:30 bike trainer

Friday
3000 yard swim
3 mile run

Saturday
1:30 bike

Sunday
9 mile run

Total:  8:05 - I think, my math seems a little off for some reason

Ironman Training...Week 13

I am in desperate need of spicing things up on here.  I did a lot of fun things over the weekend, but did not take any pictures!  Hopefully, now that we have internet at the house, I can post about more exciting things and not just about all of my fabulous training.

Monday
2500 yard swim

Tuesday
Rest day - Michelle and Heather came over for wine!

Wednesday
1250 yard swim
3 mile run

Thursday
1:40 bike
4 mile run

Friday
2700 yard swim - a new swim PR!!

Saturday
8 mile run

Sunday
2:30 bike

Total:  9:00

And, I am still alive to talk about it.  :)

Ironman Training...Week 12

Week 12!

Monday
1750 yard swim

Tuesday
4 mile run with 6 x 1:00 repeats
30 minutes bike trainer

Wednesday
2500 yard swim

Thursday
1 hour bike trainer
3 mile run with Kya

Friday
2500 yard swim

Saturday
28 mile bike ride - outside!!!!

Sunday
8 mile run

Total:  8:35
Was shooting for 9 hours, but I could not fit in the extra 30 minutes.  :)

I leave you with a photo of the sweetest, husky anyone could ever ask for.

I think it is safe to say that she has adjusted to our new house and feels quite at home.  :)

Ironman Training...Week 11

I am very satisfied with my week last week.  I started following a new training plan out of Be Ironfit and think that this will ultimately be what I follow for the next 25 weeks.  The plan is in my opinion, easy to follow and not all heart rate based, which I am a huge fan of.  Over the next few weeks, I need to move things around so that my rest day does fall on Monday instead of a different day of the week.  After my weekend workouts this past week, I realize that I will need Monday to recover.

Monday
2500 yard swim

Tuesday
4 mile run with 2x800 and 4x400
30 minutes bike

Wednesday
2500 yard swim

Thursday
1 hour bike trainer
3 mile Adoption Day Run with Kya

Friday
Rest day

Saturday
2:10 bike trainer
2 mile brick run with Kya

Sunday
10.25 mile run (3 miles with Kya)
30 minutes bike trainer

Total training time:  9:05 Woo hoo!!!

Overall, I feel like I held up pretty well.  I am very excited to see how things progress in the next few months!