Everything Changes

I don't even know how to write this post, so please bear with me...I'm mostly rambling.

This coming Sunday I was supposed to be standing on a beach in Madison, feeling a mixture of anxiety and ambition, and about to start my second half ironman at 70.3 Wisconsin.  The key words there are: supposed to be.

On the morning of March 19th my world forever changed.  Our sweet little Spot unexpectedly crossed the Rainbow Bridge.  I don't really want to talk about that experience (because living it was more than enough), but needless to say...it completely broke me.

Once the immediate shock wore off,  Mr. R&R and I threw ourselves headlong into doing anything and everything necessary to help Walter adjust to being a solo bunny and to live the best life he possibly can. (More on this another time)

Mr. R&R and I spent every minute that we weren't at work with Walter to the exclusion of everything else - including training.  I cried constantly. I barely slept.  I ate like shit and gained weight.  I didn't care.  The only thing that soothed my broken heart (and my anxiety) was spending every spare minute with Walter and Mr. R&R.

After a month away from training, I knew that being ready for 70.3 Wisconsin was going to be very difficult, but I figured that it was still possible.  After two months, the obstacles were insurmountable.   Mr. R&R and I made the decision to DNS (Did Not Start).  It's disappointing as hell, but I would rather spend more time with Walter.  I regret the hell out of the circumstances that led to the decision to pull out of the race.  I do not regret a minute of the time I've devoted to Walter instead of training.

So now what?  I honestly don't know.  I'm still not sleeping well, my eating habits are hit or miss, and I'm still carrying some extra weight,  but I'm slowly starting to swim/bike/run again and I'm eyeing a few shorter events later in the season, but ultimately I still just don't know what's going to happen.

Whatever happens...I'll keep you posted.

Cheater Shorts

I'm not dead (obviously since I'm writing this blog post).  Honestly, I just haven't had much to say for the last few weeks.  The TLDR version of Base Week 6-8, Interim Week, and Build Week 1 is:

• Swim
• Bike
• Run
• Work
• Eat
• Sleep
• Repeat

That said, I'm actually a little excited to get in the pool this week courtesy of my latest acquisition: Cheater Shorts.

Okay, they're actually neoprene shorts, but after watching Mr. R&R absolutely kill it in the pool while wearing a (borrowed) pair of these things, I had to get a pair and try them for myself.  They're basically wetsuit shorts and the idea behind them is that they simulate the buoyancy of a wetsuit while not boiling you alive in a (relatively) warm pool or destroying a rather expensive full body wetsuit in chlorine.  When Mr. R&R used them, he was done with his whole swim and hanging out in the hot tub before I even made it to the cool down!  He said that it definitely cut down on his fatigue that it felt like cheating - thus the term: Cheater Shorts

I'm hoping that by using them occasionally (provided that I actually like them) I can focus more on my stroke while simulating the position my body will be in on race day!

I'll do my best to report back soon!

Training Brain (70.3 Wisconsin: Week 5)

This is your brain:

This is your brain on tri training:

Any questions?

I was just flat out dumb this week.  I almost left for the gym on Tuesday morning without a shirt.  On Thursday I got in my car to go to work and had to go back in the house to get my coffee because I left it sitting on the counter.  On Saturday morning, I threw on my gym clothes and realized (fortunately before I walked out the door) that I'd forgotten to put on a sports bra.  See? Dumb.

The training volume definitely ramped up this week. The runs and swims got longer and then there was the bike.  Holy hell...that was a lot of time on the bike this week (over 4 hours).

I really enjoyed Tuesday night's semi-private coaching session.  Mr. R&R's trainer met us at the pool to analyze our swim strokes and offer some suggestions on what each of us needed to work on.  According to his trainer, I need to work on rotating more on my right side, reaching for the corners of my lane (because my right arm likes to crossover the center), and making sure I keep my right elbow high since apparently every so often I like to windmill/flap my right arm.  All those things, once corrected, took 20 seconds off my 100 yard pace!  It's going to be interesting to work on putting all those things into practice.  Perhaps it will alleviate the boredom of staring at the bottom of the pool!

Week 5 Totals:

Swim:  3,450 yards (1.96 mi)
Bike:   50.70 miles
Run:    14.50 miles
Total Time:  8 hours, 9 minutes
Total Distance: 67.16 miles

Rest & Recover (70.3 Wisconsin Week 4)

If I learned anything from my first time through half ironman training, I learned how important rest and recovery are.  Every fourth week of my training plan is billed as a 'Recovery Week' and unlike last time, I'm took it very seriously and actually dialed back the activity level a lot.  I definitely took advantage of New Year's Day being on a Monday.  9+ hours of sleep, lots of laying around with the bunnies, and generally doing nothing productive!

I also think that this week couldn't have come at a better time since Mr. R&R and I had some family obligations this weekend that would have been very difficult to make work had there been a full week of training on the calendar.  That said, I'm very happy that the holiday season is finally over for us.  It's been great seeing family, but it's also difficult trying to accommodate these events.  I'm not even going to talk about the food.  I think it's sufficient to say that I look forward to getting back to my normal eating habits/schedule.

The coming weeks of the training plan have a big increase in volume as we move through the second half of the 8 week base phase, so getting back to our regularly scheduled lives will be very important.


How was your holiday season?  Do you have multiple events to attend or do you keep it more low key?

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

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

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!

Staycation & Steelhead

This may have been the most relaxing week I've had since the week I spent in North Carolina last summer because I took a week off work and stayed home!  I haven't taken a week off without travel plans of some sort in a long time and now I'm convinced I should do it more often.

Monday:
*Snow Day

I decided to take the first day of my Staycation as a rest day when I woke up to 6+ inches of snow on the ground - and not having to work from home due to the plows not having gone through yet.

 I texted my trainer and asked to reschedule for Tuesday evening so I wouldn't have to drive through the snowstorm and she was good with it.  I spent my day doing laundry, hanging out with Walter and Spot, and occasionally looking outside as more snow piled up.  When Mr. R&R got home, he dealt with the snow in the driveway (the snowblower scares me), and we hoofed it up the street for burgers, beers, and a really fabulous dessert - which has kind of become our snow day tradition.

Tuesday:
*AM: Bike: Berryessa (60min)
*PM: Warm Up Run and Training Session

I think the operative word for Tuesday was "Stuck".  Mr. R&R and I spent the morning at Dr. Beast's office learning to give Walter and Spot penicillin injections because they're both still battling a respiratory infection.  Let me just say, that I've never felt such horrible guilt in my life, but if it makes them better, I'm willing to do it.  We got home and I hit the bike for what was supposed to be an hour long ride.  About 30 minutes in, my chain dropped as I was shifting between the big and small chainring.  While this is annoying as hell, it happens occasionally, so I fixed it, cursed all the grease on my hands, and went back to my ride.  10 minutes later, it happened again, but this time the chain got stuck between the chainring and the frame and I couldn't dislodge it.  I called Mr. R&R down to The Cave to see if he could help, but that thing was not budging.  I called my bike guy and they said to bring it in the next morning.

I changed clothes and hauled it to the gym for my training session.  My shoulders were burning by the time I left.

Wednesday:
AM: 40min run (w/ 8x 30 speed intervals)
PM: 1600yd Swim (speed intervals)

So, I completely overslept this morning so an early morning run was out of the question.  Then the "stuck" theme from yesterday continued when I went to turn off the shower and the handle wouldn't move!  I ended up having to call Mr. R&R home to strong arm it into place.  I suspect we'll have to change the fixture in the relatively near future.  After the shower debacle, I loaded up my bike (which after almost 2 years finally has a name: Wicked) and it was off to the bike shop.

While they got the chain unstuck, I looked around the shop and ended up coming home with the addition of an X-Labs Mini Wing bottle cage.  This should make refilling my aerobottle and carrying electrolytes a lot easier this summer.

That evening Mr. R&R and I had our Wednesday night swim date.  I struggled with the main set of 6x100 alternating 25yds easy/25yds hard.  I feel a little defeated that I cannot deal with the 10 second rests between 100s and need about 20-30 seconds between them.   When I was done, I swam an extra 150yds very slowly while Mr. R&R finished his workout.  I had originally thought about parking my butt in the hot tub while he finished, but I was convinced that if I did that, I might not ever get out!

Thursday:
AM: 40min Run (w/ 8x30 second speed intervals)
PM: Bike: Ericsson (60min)

I finally got 'unstuck' today.  I went to the gym in the late morning to make up Wednesday's run.  If I thought the gym was a madhouse at 5:30am, 10:30am was even crazier!  I had a really good run - even if I still can't manage to count intervals correctly!

Thursday night found me perched on my bike alongside Mr. R&R as we both sweated our way through our workouts.  Mr. R&R's workout was 30 minutes longer than mine and the movie we were watching was still going, so I hung around to finish the movie and rode an extra 20 minutes to make up for the minutes I missed on Tuesday when my bike broke!

After that, it was time to give the bunnies their meds.  One syringe per bunny every other day.

I felt like the worst human ever even though neither of them really seemed to notice.  Walter even gave me nose bumps afterward.

I hate you for this.

I still love you, mom.

At least it seems like the medication is helping them.  The sneezing seems to be calming down and they both just seem better in general.  Keep your fingers crossed!

Friday:
AM: 40min Run 
PM: 2000yd Swim 40min Run

After some discussion, neither Mr. R&R nor I had any desire to be on the road with all the St. Patrick's Day and NCAA revelers, so we settled on running at the gym closest to us and then holing up at home - with plans to swim on Sunday after our long runs.

Since I ended up rescheduling my long swim, I decided to do something I've been thinking about for weeks:  I registered for Ironman 70.3 Steelhead!

August 13. 2017

So how did this all come about? I wasn't really planning on doing this until 2018, but a few weeks ago, I was looking at the mid-volume plan for my original A Race (an olympic distance tri) and when I was showing it to Mr. R&R he said it was more work than his half iron training plan.  At that point, I looked at his training schedule and decided I'd follow it in hopes of having a really good olympic race.  Then I started thinking about how much work I'd be putting in just to have to do it again next year - and that's when I looked up the date for Steelhead.  It was exactly 24 weeks from the day I was going to start a 24 week half ironman training plan.  *GULP* After some more discussion with Mr. R&R I decided to try the first few weeks of the plan before committing. And then on Friday night, I decided it was time to stop wringing my hands and just do it, so I did!  At this point, 21 weeks to go until I swim 1.2 miles, bike 56 miles, and run 13.1 miles.

Saturday
I woke up wondering what the hell I got myself into by signing up for Steelhead, but there's no turning back now!  While Mr. R&R was out making up a missed run, I got to work in the kitchen and got some Moroccan Chicken going in the crockpot.  Then it was bike time.  90 minutes of sweat-dripping spinning.

Mr. R&R had another hour to go when I was done, so I took a quick shower and made couscous to go with the Moroccan Chicken while he finished up.  The finished product was absolutely awesome and I would definitely suggest making it.  Every bite was a mixture of sweetness from the raisins, salt from the olives, and a little tartness from the lemons.

Post refueling we ran our usual weekly errands (Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Target) and I was really excited when Mr. R&R pointed out the Ben & Jerry's flavor I've been searching for for months!

We got home, gave Walter and Spot their meds, and settled in for dessert until the bunnies forgave us.

We'll forgive you if you 

Sunday:
We both woke up really sore.  Mr. R&R's knee and hip have been bugging him and my left knee has been tweaky since I got off the bike yesterday.  I  wasn't sure that I was going to be able to get my long run and my long swim in since my knee was hurting and I wanted to put in a quick appearance at the TriWisconsin kick off party.  Mr. R&R and I hit the pool in the early afternoon and it was crazy crowded.  I shared a lane with him and ended up with a few more mouthfuls of pool water than I'd have liked.  Afterward, I came home long enough to scrub off the chlorine, semi-dry my hair, and look presentable enough to put in an appearance at the TriWI party.  It was fun seeing the Iron Cheerleader's face when I told him that I'm registered for Steelhead.  The pull of the beer and pizza were strong, but I dragged myself out of there and back to the gym to bang out my long run (Mr. R&R ran outside while I was gone).  Never fear though, as I'm sitting here re-writing/editing this post, a pizza is enroute - no beer though since I need to be functional tomorrow morning.

All in all, it's been a great staycation and hopefully it will tide me over until my next week off - in late August!


Week 3 Stats:

Swim:       3600 yards (2.05 miles)
Bike:         41.08 miles
Run:          14.66 miles
Yoga:        0 practices
Strength:  1 session (30min)

Total Time:       7 hours, 38 minutes
Total Distance: 57.79 miles


Cumulative Distance: 435.46 miles - approximately the distance between Milwaukee and Louisville, KY.