3 Weeks to Go!

Obviously this week started off incredibly crappy, but turned out pretty good by the end.  I swear, the ups and downs are going to land me in therapy by the time this is all over!  I saw this quote the other day and I think it's one I need to repeat to myself - often.

Tuesday, June 18th:
I was still feeling pretty sulky today, so I moved Wednesday's planned rest day to today and it helped. Sometimes it just helps to do n.o.t.h.i.n.g. Okay, I wasn't a total sloth - I did read more of 'Triathlon for Every Woman' by Meredith Atwood.  I can't wait to follow her progress on Sunday at IMCDA.

Wednesday, June 19th:
It was perfect running weather tonight: cool, sunny, gentle breeze.  I wasn't really sure what kind of run I wanted to do, so I set out for "an easy 3". Oddly, I ended up doing a tempo run - my least favorite kind in the world - without trying!  I knew I was pushing a little, but had no idea that I was running so close to my 5k PR pace.  Maybe all the cross-training is paying dividends?

Thursday, June 20th:
I met up with the Newbie Herd at a local park for a quick "Transition 101" lecture from the Iron Cheerleader followed by a bike/run brick.  After the first mile on the bike, it became very obvious that some of us were comfortable on our bikes and others needed a slower pace and extra advice, so the Iron Cheerleader split us into two groups. To my amazement, I was sorted into the "fast" group!  Granted, 'fast' was a relative term, but I really enjoyed flying down hills and grinding up hills with that group. 30-ish minutes later we circled back to meet up with the slower group to grind out another nasty hill.  I'm pleased to say that I located my 'granny gear' and kept my ass on the saddle for the entire hill.

Once we arrived back at the park, a teammate's teenage son volunteered to babysit all of our bikes so we could run without fear of bike theft. What a great kid! Everyone shed their helmets, yanked on running shoes, and took off in pursuit of the Iron Cheerleader.  The jello legs sucked - as usual - and then the Iron Cheerleader made it worse by directing us up a steep, grassy hill  before allowing us to head back to the park.  It served to remind me why I am not a cross country runner!

 At any rate, I made it back to my bike still breathing and promptly agreed to go for a beer with one of the other girls instead of stacking on bonus mileage with the Iron Cheerleader and some of the boys.  That's another benefit of the Newbie Herd - meeting new people who are into the same things I'm into.  Who knows, maybe I'll come out of this with a new friend or two!

Friday, June 21st:
I think my week for 'summer hours' at the office came just at the right time.  I left work around 1pm, dashed home to pick up my swim bag and my 'broken' wetsuit, and hauled ass to the wetsuit shop.  I felt a little foolish, but incredibly relieved, when the guy there managed to get the wetsuit unzipped in about .0002 seconds.  It seems that a teeny tiny piece of fabric somehow got caught in the zipper and jammed it.  Wetsuit Guy was kind enough to show me what to do if it happens again and sent me on my way.  One of the major causes of Monday night's meltdown had been resolved and I felt like a 50lb weight had been lifted off my shoulders.  I drove over to the pool hoping for a really good swim.  My goal was 400 yards in under the cutoff time for the Pewaukee Tri.  I made it by just under 4 minutes! Now I just have to hope that I can pass that obnoxious open water test next Saturday.

I knew I was running short on time, but I really wanted to swim a little more, so I tacked on an extra 150 yards. Who am I? When did I start liking the water? I voluntarily swam more than what was required?

I probably would have stayed in the water longer, but I needed to get home and cleaned up since I'd promised to meet a few co-workers for drinks in celebration of someone's last day with the company.  I may have showed up with my hair in a wet bun, but I made it, so I think that counts for something.  I rewarded myself for the good swim with a Mudslide - which I haven't had in for-ev-er.  Yum!

Mr. R&R and I also enjoyed a nice Date Night at Balzac, complete with duck nachos, a small cheese plate, and some wine.  Wine is much better than whine!

Saturday, June 22nd:
All the neglected chores and annoying little project on my 'To Do' list were bugging me, so I spent most of the day tackling some of them.  I know that work is about to get crazy and the workout schedule isn't going to let up any time soon, so rather than stress about it, I did something about it.

Sunday, June 23rd:
New Personal Distance Record (PDR) Today!!!  It wasn't particularly fast, but I enjoyed it a lot.  Mr. R&R and I rode from our home over to Rail Trail I rode last weekend. When we reached the end, we decided to throw all speed goals out the window in favor of trying to follow some crazy city streets that eventually connect to the Glacial Drumlin Trail (the site of my previous PDR set 11 months and 1 day ago).  After a few extra miles and a dicey traffic moments, we found the Drumlin's trailhead, refilled our water bottles, sucked down a GU, and turned for home since we were both getting pretty tired.  The ride back to our original trail was much less eventful and the remainder of the trail (6 miles) was completed at a nice, speedy pace.  We stopped again at the end of the Rail Trail to top off our water bottles and discuss the best route to take home.  We settled on a route and rode the last 4 miles as a slow speed cool down.

PDR!!!!

Now I'm tired and slightly sunburned, but incredibly happy.  I think that riding 12 more miles than the training plan called for counts as a reasonable substitute for a long run. Don't you?

Week 8 Totals:
Swim: 915 yards
Bike: 35.24 miles
Run: 4.13 miles

Looks like I'd better step it up on the running.  8 weeks down. 3 to go!