I'm Tri'ing

It's hard to believe it's already been a month since my last post. Training is going ok. Swim - It took me a few sessions to get comfortable again but I did 1.2 miles on Friday and felt great.  Definitely could have gone longer.  That would be ahead of what is on my training plan but wanted to see how it would go.  I'm thinking about learning to do a flip turn, that would cut down on my swim time, so it would make it a bit more realistic to open water swim time. Of course I'm still slow but my speeds are roughly the same as when I raced in May so I feel good about that. Bike - This too is going well, did my 1st 2 hr session on the spin bike on Monday and I was able to maintain a good pace. Still haven't spent a lot of time on my bike so need to start putting time in to get the bed conditioned to that seat.  Plan to do a short session tomorrow morning. Run - UGH - this is not going well.  I'm having a lot of pain in my feet, not sure if it's becau...

Me- "Hello - it's me!" Them - "Who is that?" Me - "I deserved that" Them - "Go away!!" Me - "NO, I'm taking my life back!" So I've been lost for awhile  and today I found myself again.  I have been letting THEM take control and run my life.......and the "ME" let it happen.  I have no excuses, just the same thing that always happens.  I let others lead me and I stop leading myself.  I stopped saying "I'm first" but today I realized they will take whatever I give them and will NEVER give back more or the same that I give them; they will NEVER be able to give me what I can give myself and they will NEVER care about me!  I have to get back to caring about myself.  So today I reminded myself who is #1 in my life - ME! I have wasted 2 weeks of my 24 week Ironman training plan, I have gained WAY too much weight and I'm VERY much out of shape.  April 2017 will be here before I know it and I had go...

Can't believe it's been over 2 months since the last time I posted an update. Sadly there isn't a lot to report.  I have struggled with getting back on track with my training.  I have been pretty good about 2 strength training sessions weekly.  My time with the personal trainer ended last week so now I'm on my own to continue what I have learned.  I have documented every strength training sessions so I can repeat what I have learned.  I have also purchased a few items that we used regularly so I can do several of the sessions at home. As far as cardio I have been very hit or miss but time is running out so last week I did a much better job of staying on track. I had hoped for a 7 mile run this weekend but I had a little run in with a wall - wall 1 - Nicol 0.  I think I could have broke my pinky toe because it's still swollen and turning black and blue.  So I elected to skip my long run this weekend.  I have a short run on Tuesday so I'll see h...

Well I did it again and signed up for Ironman Texas 2017.  Considering doing more than one next year but still just thinking about it. My motivation thus far has not resumed but with Rock n Roll less than 4 months away I'm sure it's about time I get my butt in gear, right?? I signed up for another Ironman for several reasons - training is tough but  1 - it's good for the mind and soul, 2 - my body isn't telling me not to do it and you never know when that time will come and 3 - because I still want to complete a full Ironman. I've learned over the past few years that doing for yourself is important to a happy life.  I learned this the very hard way and refuse to ever go back to that lifestyle. Cheers to another year of training!!

Hard to believe it's been 7 weeks since my race and I have done nothing but be lazy.  I have been sticking to my strength training program and meet with a trainer twice a week however my cardio has been non existent.  I know it's time to get back on track with my cardio.  Rock n Roll marathon will be here before I know it and I'm determined that I will start race training season at goal weight and the past 7 years have not helped my cause. I'm still trying to decide what races I will do next year, it's tough to make that decision when you have ZERO motivation to train let alone race.  I have been considering doing 2 Ironman races next year but no decisions have been made at this point. The easy part of triathlons is the race the hard part is the training so it's not something I go into lightly knowing what I had to do this year. So I'm giving myself a big kick in the pants this week and will hopefully begin tackling all of my goals for the rest of the ...

I decided Ironman Texas will be my only triathlon this year.  My goals for the rest of the year: 1.  Get to goal weight - have yet to do this yet! 2.  Build strength 3.  Build speed in swim, bike and run 4.  Run my 1st Marathon (Rock n Roll, San Antonio - December 4, 2016) I already plan to run Iornman Texas next year and will consider other races but don't need to figure that out right now. The goals I set for myself are achievable when training for triathlons but I have found it very difficult and thus feel it will be better to focus on these areas to prepare me for 2017 race season. Training for an Ironman is not easy, lots of time away from family and limited time to do much of anything else.  November will be here before I know it.  I will try to do a better job of maintaining a solid base so when the training officially starts I'm prepared.  I want to put myself into a position that I can race stronger than I have in the past. S...

Two weeks post Ironman and I need to get back on track.  I have done nothing, and I mean nothing for 2 weeks......well guess that is not completely true, I have eaten everything in site and and consumed many alcoholic beverages. My feet and saddle sores are healing.  All blisters have been popped and dead skin cut away.  The toe nail I thought would fall off finally fell off this weekend and well the saddle sores.....probably better not to share :>) So I'm getting back to the gym this week, I'll jump on the scale and see how much I actually tormented my body.  As I had planned before Ironman, my new focus begins Wednesday with a 12 week dedication to strength training.  I'll still be swimming, biking and running but 3 times a week will be dedicated to strength training.  I think this focus will provide lots of improvement in other aspects of my training.  I promised myself I would dedicate 3 months to focused strength training.  It won'...

I did it!!! - I finished my 1st Ironman. I know I said I was disappointed that the bike was reduced by 18 miles because of road damage, but after the crazy weather I definitely feel that I overcame a huge challenge. Overall - 15:16:48 Swim - 1:48:51 Bike - 6:06:59 Run 7:01:23 Pre-Race We arrived in the Woodlands on Wednesday.  Athlete check in was Wed/Thur so I thought getting there on Wed was a better idea - less crowded and would give us more time to spend with family when they started to arrive.   Our hotel room, Marriott Residence Inn, was nice, a bit small considering we were going to have one of my BFF's staying with us on the couch and the bed was only a Queen (we are use to a King).  But it was very convenient to the event and the staff was great.  Upon arriving we went straight to Ironman Village so I could check in and attend athlete briefing.  You want to talk about organized, impressive.  I decided to buy an Ironman TX tshirt and w...

5/2/16 - 5/8/16 Swim - 2 Bike - 2 Run - 2 Strength Training - 0 Weight to lose - 15 lbs Mileage (weekly / 2016)   Swim - 2900yds / 74,250 yds miles      Bike - 47.7 miles / 791.2 miles   Run - 9.75 miles / 160.27 miles ONE week left.....training is done, taper is here.....are you ready????? Only 2 days of work this week, then we head to Houston.  My plan is to check in and go to the mandatory briefing on Wednesday when we arrive, Thursday ensure all my stuff is ready, get to see hang out with visitor 1 of 5.  On Friday, I can swim in the lake and then check in bike and T1/T2 bags and get to see visitors, 2, 3, 4 and 5 of 5 and then we are all together.  I'm hoping that we can hang out most of Friday and family dinner in the evening before heading back to the room. Freak out mode has started and I told the hubby I loved him because I know I will be an even larger PITA than I am on a daily basis. I will admit I'm scared but ...

4/25/16 - 5/1/16 Swim - 2 Bike - 0 Run -  Strength Training - 0 Weight to lose - 18 lbs Mileage (weekly / 2016)   Swim - 5600 yds / 71,350 yds miles      Bike - 40 miles / 743.5 miles   Run - 16.92 miles / 150.52 miles This was a pretty crappy week - I swam twice and that was it!  Not good for 3 weeks out from my race. Work was pure hell - I worked last Sunday all day, worked late every day last week except one day and worked all this weekend.  This job is getting old and quite possibly I'm not the right person for this role. The other crappy thing that happened this week was that the bike course finally came out and then they announce that they are cutting it my 20 miles because of the damage to the roads from the flooding.  Don't get me wrong, I have seen the devastation in Houston and I feel horrible for the loss of life and property.  But, I can also be upset because this was suppose to be...

4/18/16 - 4/24/16 Swim - 1 Bike - 1 Run - 2 Strength Training - 0 Weight to lose - 20 lbs Mileage (weekly / 2016)   Swim - 3800 yds / 65,750 yds miles      Bike - 40 miles / 743.5 miles   Run - 16.92 miles / 150.52 miles I really sucked this week - I thought I did better than that but clearly not.  DAMN.  I did hit my 2.5 hr run yesterday and was glad that I decided to run outside.  I was able to enjoy and focus on the run. A year ago I don't think I would have said I enjoyed a 11 mile run but work life has really SUCKED and lately when I'm training I try very hard to stay focused on what I'm doing.  I try not to let my mind wander to work related stuff, I just enjoy what my body is pushing me to do and mentally I remind myself that I can do this.  Ended up being a pretty good run, no major foot issues. Today I was suppose to do my 5 hr bike ride and I was super excited BUT we had a major maintenance window last night and...

4/11/16 - 4/17/16 Swim - 3 Bike - 3 Run - 2 Strength Training - 0 Weight to lose - 19 lbs Mileage (weekly / 2016)   Swim - 5500 yds / 61,950 yds miles      Bike - 88.4 miles / 703.5 miles   Run - 11.54 miles / 133.6 miles In regards to the the pain I was dealing with when riding, I had reached out to Cobb Cycling for assistance.  Their website provides a contact, Rachel, for women to reach out to that are experiencing problems with their saddles.  I have a Cobb saddle so thought I would give it a try.  Honestly I was not thinking I would hear back as soon as I did but I heard back from Rachel the very next day.  She asked specifics about the pain and asked for some photos.  I sent that to her and she came back with some additional questions, which I answered and at the end of the week she indicated that the photos show that I ride with my knees turned in towards the frame of the bike and that might be adding to the pain I exp...

4/4/16 - 4/10/16 Swim - 2 Bike - 2 Run - 1 Strength Training - 0 Weight to lose - 20 lbs Mileage (weekly / 2016)   Swim - 5200 yds / 56,450 yds miles      Bike - 59.7 miles / 615.1 miles   Run - 11.1 miles / 122.06 miles This wasn't a great week but it wasn't a bad week. Still struggling with the pain in my right pinky toe so it's making training a bit rough.  I also continue to have issues with my bike shorts/seat.  I won't get detailed here but lets say I have yet to find a pair of shorts that work for me or I guess a saddle that works for me.  I thought my shorts were too big, but that hasn't done the trick.  I don't have other options as it relates to a saddle so don't know where to go from here.  But I'm at the stage where I know physically I can ride 5-6 hrs, I will just need to get out of the saddle to ease the pain a bit.   I may reach out to the bike store but most bike stores are staffed with men and the...

3/28/16 - 4/3/16 Swim - 2 Bike - 1 Run - 0 Strength Training - 0 Weight to lose - 25 lbs Mileage (weekly / 2016)   Swim - 4900 yds / 51,250 yds miles      Bike - 27 miles / 555.4 miles   Run - 0 miles / 110.96 miles This wasn't the greatest week but it was a recovery week and I feel that I have done that and prepped for the final push. On Tuesday I swam the entire distance.....4400 yds - 2.4 miles.  I now know I can do it.  As I have mentioned before my training plan does not require me to complete the full distance in prep for the race however doing the entire swim for me was pretty important since I have not swam this distance before. This week also finalized my pit crew being reunited and I can't wait to see two of my best girls.  I miss them so much.  It will be a very short weekend but it will be great to share this special weekend with them. The hubby and I drove over to the Woodlands yesterday and scoped out the ...

3/21/16 - 3/27/16 Swim - 1 Bike - 2 Run - 1 Strength Training - 0 Weight to lose - 20 lbs Mileage (weekly / 2016)   Swim - 33 yds / 46,350 yds miles      Bike - 75 miles / 528.4 miles   Run - 8.11 miles / 110.96 miles Thought I had a better week than what I did but after reviewing what I did this week I realize it was NOT a good week. I missed a few days due to my darn foot bothering me.  Went to the podiatrist and my options are orthotics or surgery - neither of which makes me happy.  I tried orthotics before and never stuck with wearing them.  They didn't fit in my shoes and they were uncomfortable but I'll give it another shot and see what happens but I won't be able to commit to completely breaking them in until after the race. Hotel rooms are booked, my mom has her flight, one of my BFF;s has her flight and the other is in the process of booking her flight and the hubby is ordering shirts......I'm lucky to have my friends a...

3/14/16 - 3/20/16 Swim - 3 Bike - 3 Run - 2 Strength Training - 1 Weight to lose - 23.5 lbs Mileage (weekly / 2016)   Swim - 7200 yds / 43,050 yds miles      Bike - 61.2 miles / 453.4 miles   Run - 11.64 miles / 102.85 miles For the most part the week went well however my long bike and run did not go as I wanted it to go.  I had gotten up early to get my bike and run in before my on-call shift started but from the beginning of the ride I just felt exhausted, my legs felt like lead blocks and I just couldn't get going.  At the 2 hour mark I got off the bike and did some stretching hoping that would help but it just wasn't working.  I decided to cut the bike short and bail in the run.   I'm very disappointed and frustrated, at 8 weeks this is not what I was looking for, I was hoping to have a solid ride followed by a decent run but it wasn't there.  This kind of puts a damper on the rest of the week, which went well....

3/7/16 - 3/13/16 Swim - 2 Bike - 2 Run - 2 Strength Training - 0 Weight to lose - 21.5 lbs Mileage (weekly / 2016)   Swim - 3400 yds / 35,850 yds miles      Bike - 39.7 miles / 392.2 miles   Run - 8.86 miles / 91.2 miles Not a bad week, not a great week.  Didn't get my log run into today because of some scheduling issues. Lots of questions from people lately asking if I'm ready - am I ready????????? I think I'm ready - yes I have 9 weeks of training left but in my log sessions I'm feeling pretty good, not tired or sore the next day......but not sure if this really makes me ready????? Now of course I start thinking about all those questions and it terrifies me because I haven't swam 2.4 miles and I haven't rode 112 miles and I haven't run 26.2 miles but I know I can swim 1.2 miles, ride 56 miles and run 13.1 miles and I know that my training is going pretty well.  I continue to focus on what Coach Krista says you don't have to do the e...

2/29/16 - 3/6/16 Swim - 3 Bike - 2 Run - 2 Strength Training - 0 Weight to lose - 21.5 lbs Mileage (weekly / 2016)   Swim - 6100 yds / 31,550 yds miles      Bike - 55.3 miles / 352.5 miles   Run - 11.61 miles / 82.35 miles Solid week - didn't hit all my training but got all the big sessions and all my swimming in so I'm super excited about that. Yesterday I did my 3 hr bike ride and 1 hr 20 min ride which is my longest training session in one day and this morning I feel pretty good.  Have a couple of blisters on my feet and a bit of chafing on my legs but otherwise feel great. Hard to believe that I'm 10 weeks away.  Still not feeling ready but I guess that is part of the process, building your body for the endurance but not having to do the full distances in training. My brain does not work that way so that is the hard part about relying on the process.   I still haven't been able to get my bike outside for a ride, I...