WILL TRI FOR CAKE

Wow, times files!

2010-04-12T07:25:00.000-07:00

It has been quite a long time since I have updated my blog.

Today is the first day of a recovery week. Even though I will be plenty busy organizing the Earth Day 5k and 10k, which is this weekend, I am finding it hard to look at my slimmed down training schedule. The past 4 build weeks went really well. I am starting to feel much stronger.

My mileage for the past four weeks:
Week of March 15 - 152 total miles
Week of March 22 - 104 total miles
Week of March 29 - 122 total miles
Week of April 5 - 129 total miles

Last week I signed up for the Bluff Creek Olympic tri in May. I did this one last year and really liked it. It has a few monster (for Iowa) hills, which is good practice for Kansas.

On March 19th I started to follow Joe Friel's "Paleo for Athletes". I basically cut out all dairy and most processed foods from my diet. I have been eating primarily meats, veggies, fruits, and nuts. Throw in a few Hammer Gels and Perpetuem and that rounds out my diet. I have still felt very strong during the change to this new way of eating. Other than Easter, I haven't "cheated" at all. I am hoping this can be a life change, not just a "diet".

2010-03-01T14:31:00.000-08:00

So I guess this will be a once a month blog. Not getting much better at the blogging thing.

Since I am obsessed with numbers, here is my breakdown for the year so far:
Cycling
Jan. - 218 miles
Feb. - 228 miles

Swimming
Jan. - 13 miles
Feb. - 5 (obviously missed my friends at Masters last month!)

Running
Jan. - 72
Feb. - 63

Overall
Jan. - 302
Feb. - 295 (not bad since it is a shorter month...right??)

For more numbers:
Days until Kansas 70.3 - 97
Days until IM WI - 195

In February, my training wasn't what you would call consistent. Went skiing with the hubby and some friends in Steamboat, CO. Had a blast. Hit the slopes for 4 wonderful days in perfect powder. My back didn't agree with the perfect powder assesment, or maybe it was all the double blacks. So it got angry and kept me in my bed a few days after we got back. I am just starting to get back on track with my plan.

The sun has been shining the last few days. Makes me long to be outside on two wheels, specifically my new two wheels. Maybe this weekend.

Next up on the race calendar is 100% Irish for a Day 10-Mile in Minneapolis. Fun race that I did last year with my sis. My sis won't be able to do it this year, so my motivation is a bit low. But I am looking foward to a lot of green beer after the race, so that raises my spirits a bit.

That much closer to Spring!

2010-02-01T06:34:00.000-08:00

It is finally February. I am not a big fan of the winter months here in Iowa. I tend to get a little depressed every January. So February is looking up.

Training has been going well. Got 9.7 miles in on the treadmill this morning. That is the furthest in 2010 and it felt good. I have been using my Newton's and they have been doing the trick. On Wednesday, I am going to get a "running analysis" at the physical therapy place. I look forward to that. I know I have a leg length discrepancy and I am hoping to get a fix for that. The right hemisphere of my body is always the side that takes a beating, so it will really help to even things out and hopefully get rid of the back pain that I have everyday of my life. I've been on the P3 a handful of times and I am try to gradually increase duration, as not to kill my back.

9 days until we leave for Steamboat! Looking forward to fun with friends. It has been a while since I have skied, so that should be interesting. I know I am in good shape, but I am bound to find muscles that I haven't seen in awhile. Ouch!

January 21, 2010

2010-01-21T14:09:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

So here is what happened since my last post.
Was training well and was keeping on track. That was before the hubby and I went to NYC to visit friends over Thanksgiving. Started slipping on the wagon. Didn't workout the whole time we were, well, that is if you don't count me dragging hubby up and down the streets of Manhatten (he was not happy!).

My weight went up a bit from that trip. I just couldn't help myself. Access to such wonderful food...it is my downfall as I live in a small town and the only resturants here serve either pizza or fried chicken. That Big Mac in Times Square at 1:00 in the morning probably didn't help either.

So then when we got back I dove into the case of Beaujolais Nouveau for the rest of December. Add a few cookies, mashed potatoes, and Paula Deens mac & cheese, and my body was not happy with me.

To add insult to injury, we then went to Florida after Christmas. Again, access to wonderful food and no exercise didn't help me out any.

We got back on the January 4th and since then I have been very regimented and focused. We leave for Colorado in a few weeks and I am obsessed with hitting a goal weight before then. My workouts lately have been consistent and I have been feeling good.

On the IM WI front. I am getting excited. I have to remember that I have many races and many months between now and then. Being healthy is the most important thing. My training friend Carrie B and I signed up for Troy Jacobson's Madision Tri Camp a few weeks before the race. That will be a huge confidence booster for me.

Almost forgot... I got a new race rocket!!! An '09 Cervelo P3. It is beautiful. I have only been on it on the trainer a few times as we have about 5 inches of ice on all of our roads, but I am SO excited for spring and to get out and she what she's got.

The train has left the station...

2009-11-10T08:30:00.000-08:00

I am back on the training track. I was not as out of shape as I thought. Nice.

Countdown to vacation season!! 2 weeks until we leave for NYC. 7 until we leave for FL. Love vacations, they always let me have something to look forward to. And let me tell you, if you have never experienced an Iowa winter, having something to look forward to is essential for survival.

I signed up for Ironman Kansas 70.3 2010 yesterday. Last year, IM KS was my first half-ironman. I had a blast training with the group of 7 people from my area that participated as well, including my uncle Steve. I had a great race.

IM KS is truely a great spectator race. We brought a Winnebago down to Kansas. We had a camping spot on the run course. The run passed our spot 4 times. We had a great cheering section! My hubby even offered Chrissie Wellington a bloody mary on her first pass by. By the end of the race, we got a few of the last runners to chug a glass of champagne.

Needless to say, I am really looking forward to IM KS again this year!

Trying to get the wagon rolling.

2009-11-05T06:40:00.000-08:00

My deadline for getting back to consistent workouts was November 1st. I got the crud that is going around on October 26 and that held on for a good week. So I am slowly trying to work back into training and not have the crud flare back up.

Indoor SPIN started this week. The location is as far from my house that you can possibly be and still be in Mason City, but I will try to look past that. SPIN with others is always a lot more fun than SPIN in my basement by myself.

I have started my search for a "real" tri bike. So many choices! (And not many of them pink!)

Results Are In – 2009 Kona Bike Count Presented By Triathlete Magazine
October 10 2009
After five hours of counting at the Ford Ironman World Championship Bike Check In, the results are in and Cervelo dominates the count once again. We also provide counts on wheels, saddles, aerobars, aero helmets, power meters and components.

Bike Count (last year’s totals in parentheses)
Cervelo – 462 (415)
Scott – 109 (103)
Specialized – 93 (66)
Felt – 92 (89)
Trek – 90 (103)
Kuota – 85 (117)
Cannondale – 68 (68)
Orbea – 56 (68)
Kestrel – 54 (35)
QR – 52 (79)
Argon 18 – 43 (less than 10)
Giant – 40 (51)
Look – 39 (48)
Guru- 28 (27)
Pinarello – 26 (19)
Ceepo – 24 (less than 10)
Isaac – 18 (26)
Litespeed – 18 (35)
Stevens – 15 (less than 10)
Elite – 15 (less than 10)
Cube – 12 (13)
Beyond Fabrications – 12 (less than 10)
Ridley – 12 (less than 10)
Colnago – 12 (less than 10)
Serotta – 11 (less than 10)
Storck – 10 (less than 10)
Canyon – 8 (less than 10)
Blue – 8 (less than 10)
Planet X – 8 (less than 10)
Griffen – 7 (less than 10)
Jamis – 7 (less than 10)
Aegis – 7 (less than 10)
Fuji – 6 (less than 10)
Softride – 6 (less than 10)
BMC – 6 (13)
Calfee – 5 (less than 10)
BH – 5 (less than 10)
Principia – 4 (13)
Parlee – 4 (less than 10)
Willier – 4 (less than 10)
Time – 3 (less than 10)
Cheetah – 3 (less than 10)
Merlin – 3 (less than 10)
Teschner – 2 (less than 10)
Titan Flex – 2 (less than 10)
DeRosa – 2 (less than 10)

So it is hard to not want this beauty since it is so popular. My uncle got one last year and I have been drooling over it all year.
I have never been on a tri bike, so I am trying not to let "what everyone else has" impact my decision.

I am such an impulse buyer. I don't want to walk into the bike shop and buy the first shiny new bike that I see. I am trying to do my research first. But my twisted mind can skew research to support my point either way I want.

Ironman Wisconsin 2010

2009-09-17T06:30:00.000-07:00

I have done it now. I signed up for Ironman Wisconsin 2010. My year will be a busy one!

End of the tri season...

2009-08-21T13:58:00.000-07:00

Sadly, my triathlon season is coming to an end. I have Hickory Grove (sprint) this weekend and then I am finished. I don't think my body is too sad, just my mind. Will be good to have a few months at a lower training volume.

The season was good. I had a lot of break-throughs this year.
Bluff Creek Tri (Oly) 02:49:47 5th out of 29 female, 1st in age group
Kansas 70.3 5:41:11 29th out of 76 in age group
Hy Vee (Oly) 2:39:20 10th out of 73 in age group
Big Creek (Oly) 2:32:53 3rd out of 19 in age group, 14th out of 97 female

Bring on ISU football season!

6 weeks to go!

2009-05-11T09:23:00.001-07:00

Yeah! The countdown is really on now, although I have had a countdown clock on my work computer for quite some time, it is serious now.

Training has been going very well. My body, knock on wood, has been holding up too. Thanks to Christen at the Healing House for massaging out my aches and pains.

I had the fastest/best run of the season this morning. I felt wonderful, like I could run forever. I had to cut it at 9 miles, but would have been able to go much further. A good run like that makes me think that all my training is paying off.

Here is what the next six weeks looks like for me:
This weekend - Maple Grove 1/2 Marathon
5/23 - Stu Nevermann 4 Mile
5/31 - Bluff Creek Tri - Olympic
6/14 - Ironman Kansas 70.3

I cannot believe it all boils down to that! Getting very excited!

Nutrition

2009-03-16T12:48:00.000-07:00

I think that I am a little more knowledgeable about nutrition than the average bear, but I am trying to learn more. I am currently reading Chris Carmichael's Food for Training.

I have been on the weight roller-coaster forever it seems. I eat very healthy for the most part. Lots of veg, fruits, etc. I never eat fast food and I really stay away from processed foods. I make all of my food from scratch. However, I really like sweets. I loose my will power to my sweet tooth more often than I care to admit.

Blog Hiatus

2009-03-16T12:41:00.000-07:00

Since I have been hiatus since the end of October, here is an abridged version of what had been going on.

First of all, I did lose the 15lbs. I actually lost close to 20. With the help of my trainer, Mary Drew, I stuck with it through the holidays and came out skinnier at the end. I would still like to loose 10 more before May.

Official training for Kansas 70.3 has started. I am counting down and have 13 weeks to go. I have been following my plan and everything is going well. My body feels good.

Haven't been outside much. I have just been spinning indoors with North Iowa Spin. Now spin is ending, early because a thief put a damper on our season by stealing 5 bikes. Not mine, but still sad event. I did go for a run over lunch and it was wonderful to be in the sun. It was just the right temperature for a lunch run.

Goal #1

2008-10-31T07:24:00.000-07:00

My first goal in this whole 70.3 thing is to shed the 15 or so pounds I have put on in the last two months of inactivity, vacation, tailgating, hibernation, etc... It's just never as fun losing, as it is gaining, for me at least. My love of food, wine and beer doesn't really help this effort.

I am looking forward to a weekend of swimming, biking and running. Looks like the weather will be gorgeous. I have been tailgating the last two weekends, so this will be a well needed multisport weekend.

Next up - working on my training plans and starting SPIN in a few weeks. YEAH!!

Destination: Ironman Kansas 70.3

2008-10-30T07:31:00.001-07:00

So, I suck at this blogging thing. So much in fact that I deleted all my previous, sporadic ramblings.

New slate. New goals.

I signed up for Ironman Kansas 70.3 today. My heart was racing when I pushed the submit button on the registration page. I don't know what I was so anxious/excited about, but this is really big deal for me. Not only is it going to be a huge financial investment, but a huge investment of my time. As I watched Todd, Andi, Steve, Tom, and Amy cross the finish line this year at Ironman WI, I realized that 70.3 is not an impossible goal for me. I just need to commit to it!

So it goes!! I have something big to look forward to. Only 108 days until I really start training!! 227 days till the race.