You all, I did it.
I was not sure how I would get through this weekend of workouts because it was to total of 8 hours and 50 minutes in two days, which may not seem much to some hard core mothers, but it’s an eternity to me. But, I knew I would do it because I never back down from a challenge (except for that one dare in 8th grade, but that’s another post).
Like I said, you all, I did it.
Saturday was 3 hours of riding (46 miles) followed by a 5 mile run. Sunday was 5 hours of riding, 78 miles, followed by a trip to Denver to watch the Rockies beat the Brewers:
This week was just over 16 ½ hours of training, my highest volume ever. And, you know what? It wasn’t that bad. I had to scramble a bit, eat lots of stuff on the run and be ultra organized with my time, but I DID IT.
Sunday morning I woke up to cloudy and rainy skies and as I rolled over in bed at 6:00 a.m. I made a confession to Ken:
Me: I need a pep talk. BAD. I don't want to go ride 5 hours by myself.
Ken: You can do it. Get up and go. Just you and the road, baby. (well, he didn’t say “baby” but that’s how I heard it in my head).
Honestly, there was, of course, no question if I would do it. I just needed to turn my attitude around. 5 hours is not something you can easily put into every day terms. I kept thinking it was a like taking a red eye from LA to New York or watching 2+ movies. That seemed along time to be on a damn bike.
I chugged a cup of coffee, fed and walked Heidi and stocked my jersey with 1,000 calories of Honey Stinger Waffles, GUs and raisin bread and peanut butter sandwiches. My water bottles were filled with Power Bar Perform. And, I was off.
I didn’t intend to climb so much, but then this happened – 2,700 feet of gain. I think that middle hill looks like a crazy cat with really pointy ears (and a mohawk?):
I was hoping to hit 80 miles, but with all that climbing, I fell short.
So, how did the week stack up?
Bike 9 hours, 49 minutes - ~163 miles
Run 3 hours, 40 minutes – ~ 21 miles
Swim 3 hours, 7 minutes - ~ 8,200 yards (4.7 miles)
Total: 16 hours, 36 minutes – 188.7 miles
Many of you have asked if I’m doing heart rate training, and YES I am. I will talk more about that in a later post. For now I’m going to bask in the glory of 16 hours and 36 minutes by putting my feet up with a glass of wine and some candy bars. Then tomorrow, I’m up early to hit the pool followed by a run.
This Ironman training shit never ends. I have to say that my Coach ROCKS. She is so supportive of me, but also demanding. I think this makes the best combination. She gets that I have a family and a life outside of training and does her best to not have me compromise that. She also doesn’t bullshit around. She tells me like it is and doesn’t’ sugar coat. I love that.
That said, we’ve decided I should do a 70.3 race in about a month (September 8) as a prep for IM Florida. I’ve opted for the Harvest Moon Long Course Triathlon, which is in Aurora, Colorado. I love that they cap this race at 600 people, that it’s affordable (only $160) and that there is a Slip ‘n Slide at the end (for those who can still move). So, if you are looking for a long distance race to close out the summer, this could be the one for you.
What’s your next race?
SUAR
PS and last but not least - the winner of the Funny Shirts Giveaway is Megan from the Lyons Share. Email me at beth@shutupandrun.net to claim your prize.
And, for those of you didn’t win, Funny Running Shirts was nice enough to give you all a coupon for 20% off your order, just type in SHUTUPRUN at check out. That means each shirt is about $18.00!