Sunday, December 31, 2017

2017: That's A Wrap

Oh 2017, what a year you were.  There were moments of exhilaration and joy and there were moments of struggle and anxiety.  But lets focus on all the good stuff.

There was:

A Monster PR: Harborview 8K



An Ass-Beating: Elkhart Lake Sprint Triathlon


Fun Bike Rides on New Routes:





Birthday (and Bunny) Celebrations: Mr. R&R's 40th Birthday & Easter




My First Freezing Cold Swim in Lake Michigan:




Cheering On Mr. R&R at Ironman 70.3 Racine:





One Of The Hardest and Most Rewarding Things I've Ever Done: Ironman 70.3 Steelhead








Amazing Hikes and Stunning Views with My Favorite Person:







And of course, lots of snuggles with my favorite fuzzballs:










And last, but not least, my total mileage for 2017:

Swim: 44.26 miles
Bike:  1,363.50 miles
Run:   328.30 miles
Total: 1,736.06 miles - or the distance between Milwaukee, WI and Los Angeles, CA!

I hope you had a wonderful 2017, and I wish you an even better 2018!!



Monday, December 25, 2017

So Far, So Good. (70.3 Wisconsin Week 2)

Week 2 has been interesting.  I'm still feeling pretty good in terms of soreness and exhaustion levels and I'm starting to see glimpses of what I was capable of when I did Steelhead back in August.  I think the biggest contributors to feeling good are:


  • The second rest day
  • Getting as much sleep as humanly possible
  • Experience
The second rest day has been a game changer.  Yes, the Sunday long double is hard, but it's entirely worth it.  It gives me an extra day to get my requisite adulting done and it gives my body a chance to go into the long double with a little extra energy.  It also has the added benefit of making me run long on tired legs - just like I'll have to do on race day.

Sleep has definitely been a factor this time around.  I was so tired last time around and I swore to myself that this time I'd make sleep a priority and I have.  I'm doing my best to get at least 8 hours as frequently as possible.  It's a bit difficult on Tuesdays and Thursdays since those are early morning run days, but on those days I do my best to get at least 7 hours.  Sometimes it's hard to go to bed and leave dishes in the sink or unfolded laundry in a basket, but sleep has to be the priority.

Finally, there's experience.  I was so naive last time around.  I thought I knew what I was getting myself into, but looking back I had absolutely no clue!  Based on my experiences last time around I've adjusted the training schedule, prioritized sleep, and I know exactly how important each workout on my calendar is.  I'm using being better this time around as the big carrot on a stick - and for now it's working.

Week 2 Totals:

Swim:                3,300 yards (1.88mi)
Bike:                  36.00 miles
Run:                  12.40 miles
Total Time:        5 hours, 46 minutes
Total Distance:  50.28 miles

Sunday, December 17, 2017

Humility (70.3 Wisconsin: Week 1)


This week, I chose discipline.  I showed up and busted my ass to finish every workout on my schedule - and I was reminded exactly how hard this triathlon thing can be.

Courtesy of my 4 month off season I've lost a lot of fitness so it was humbling to find out just how much this week.  My swim is slow (but strangely has felt comfortable). My bike FTP (functional threshold power) has fallen by 3 points.  My run speed is deep in hibernation.  Oddly, I'm not as upset by that as I thought I would be.  I have 25 weeks to go and that's a lot of miles for things to get back to where they were in August - and hopefully better this time around.

So far the second rest day each week seems like a good idea.  Yes, 3 doubles a week are ^&%#ing hard, but knowing that my only obligation on Saturdays is a 30 minute session with my trainer feels really good.  I think it will go a long way in mitigating the 'My To Do List Is 1000 Miles Long And I'm Drowning' feeling I experienced through much of my training for Steelhead.

Week 1 Totals:

Swim:                 3,100 yards (1.76 miles)
Bike:                   41.20 miles
Run:                    11.53 miles
Total Time:         6 hours, 47 minutes
Total Distance:   54.49 miles


Monday, December 11, 2017

Here We Go Again

It's been a wonderful off season.  I've been in the pool once since August.  I've been on my bike a handful of times - including a really fun 20 miler on the backroads of farm country with Mr. R&R and YadaYada.  Yes, YadaYada still knows all the best cow shit covered routes and I only half died trying to chase the boys.


Mr. R&R and I spent the week of Thanksgiving in the Smoky Mountains hiking, reading, and just generally unwinding from a very busy year.


On Thanksgiving Day we hiked to Charlie's Bunion via the Appalachian Trail.  I can't wait to do it again!



 And of course, I've spent load of time with my boys.


But the off season is over. It's time to train again.  I've got my eye on two 70.3 races in 2018: Ironman 70.3 Wisconsin in June and Ironman 70.3 Muncie in July.  Each of these courses presents a unique challenge.  Wisconsin is very early in the season (June 10th), so the water is likely to be quite cold and I'll have very few chances to get used to open water swimming.  Also, the bike course shares part of the Ironman Wisconsin bike course - which is notoriously hilly.


Muncie will be challenging because it's a reservoir swim - and that reservoir often gets too warm to be wetsuit legal.  I guess I'd better figure out how to skin swim a mile in open water by mid-July.  The bike and the run courses look quite appealing.



As of right now, I think Wisconsin will be my B race and Muncie will be my A race, but that could change as time goes on.

I'm experimenting with a slightly different schedule for the first few weeks of training this time.  I'll be doing an extra double day each week, but I'll also get a second rest day each week.  I think this might be a good fit because although I love how I feel when I'm training, it's exhausting!

So here we go...time to chase the finish line high!