Wild on Windsor

Well, Wild on Windsor (WOW) whipped my whiny butt! (I wanted to see how many W's I could get in one sentense!). Seriously, it was a good race and I put everything I had into it. I finished in 2:50 and some change but the overall time didn't make much difference to me. I just wanted to go as fast as I could...and I did. Here are my overall thoughts on each part of the race:

The swim: Like I did in the 5430 long course, I got in early and warmed up. The weather was very chilly and somewhat windy. The water temp was reportedly in the upper 60's (down from 73 the day before) so I wore a sleeveless wetsuit but the air was so cold that I thought I would freeze but I didn't. I stayed fairly warm. No anxiety issues at all...I really believe it's a combination of having a wetsuit that I can breathe in AND warming up before the race.

The swim went relatively well. I went slightly off-course twice but not as bad as I've done in the past. I swam for longer periouds of time without stopping for a breath (much longer). The only problem I had was that my shoulders really hurt mid-way through. Nothing serious - just tired, achy muscles. I am just not strong in my upper body and that is my #1 priority now: strengthen my shoulder muscles! But overall, I'm happy with my swim.

The bike: No big problems here. Took a few miles to get my legs under me but once I did, I felt great. Really pushed the pace the entire way, esp the last 10 miles. This time I actually passed other people but I think there were more "newbies" in this race than the long course! Either way, I felt good and zipped right along.

The run: Since I had run 2:10 on Friday, my legs were a bit tired. The first few miles were slow and painful but I picked up the pace as I ran along. I ran as fast as I could and ended up feeling pretty good (although I was very ready to stop!). All in all, a decent finish to the race.

Oh, one thing that is kinda cool, I think....the last Bolder Boulder I ran was 50 minutes (and some change) and I was so down about it. I couldn't believe I ran a BB that slow! Well, my 10k time yesterday was 50:12!!! I thought that was pretty darn good considering I had just run 2 hrs two days before AND biked 25 hard miles prior to running the 10K. So, maybe I am improving my pace after all.

The best part of the race was seeing everyone there....Lynne, Marshall, Jim, Todd, Sarah, Kevin, Jade, Eileen, Wendy, Jose, John...can't remember who else....most everyone stayed afterwards for the awards. And of course, Kurt and the kids were there too - first triathlon they came to all season! All in all, a fun day and good race.

TGIF

Thank God it's Friday and thank God I finished my long run this morning! Ran 2 hrs and 10 mins. My legs were killing me the last 3 miles. The plan called for a 2 hr 15 min run but I didn't have time to do 5 more mins....teaching class today and have a lot to do. I'm happy with 2:10!

Have had a rough week this week, in terms of family stuff. I won't write about it here but it really made it difficult to train. Nothing to do with Kurt or the kids...just extended family and some "extended" friends....

I'm so thankful for my running/triathlon friends...they are more like family to me and always will be.

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This is the coolet YouTube video....I couldn't get it to publish the regular way....just click on this link and watch. It's about 3 mins long - I love it and can totally relate to everything she says:
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Sleepy lifeguard

Kurt and I got up at 5:15 this morning to make it to the pool by 6:00. We wanted to leave by 7:00 so needed to start a little earlier. It was really hard getting out of bed and I almost didn't.

So, we drive down there and get there right about 6:00. But the lifeguard hadn't shown up yet so there were several other swimmers hanging out in the lobby and a few more in the locker room. We waited and waited while the Rec Center called someone else in.

Finally got in the water at 6:30 - bummer! We had to leave by 7:00 at the latest so we only got in 30 mins of swimming. I hope it doesn't happen again.

Lifted today and had planned to ride for an hour this afternoon but storm clouds came in and it was thundering so I decided to wait until tomorrow, which was fine because i really didn't feel like riding anyway.

Gotta keep on truckin!

Great way to start the day!

Two really good things happened this morning: the wetsuit I had "lost" at the long course has been returned - yay!!! It actually belongs to Todd so now he can get his suit back.

The other thing is that I had an awesome run this morning. Ran 55 mins and felt fantastic. Ran a fast pace and didn't feel sore at all from the weekend. I feel as if I've reached another level in my training and it's the best feeling ever!

Now, I need to lift and get to class....

Shoulder is healing

Kurt and I got down to the pool by 6:05 AM today! I was anxious to swim since I had taken Friday off due to shoulder pain. I swam slow and took several breaks (and kicked instead) and it seemed to feel pretty good. I could feel a slight "twinge" but no real pain. I think if I keep it slow and easy, I will be ok.

I decided to sign up for Master's. I really need the coaching and group support. I'll just do whatever I can and call it good. Richard is so good about it and he said he might be able to modify things for me and Marshall, which would be great.

So, tomorrow I run....on Weds I hope to swim at the lake...bike on Thursday...and run my long run on Friday morning since I'm doing Wild on Windsor on Sunday and I want to have semi-fresh legs.

What a weekend!

Had a GREAT weekend! First, the kids did their 2nd triathlon at Pelican Lakes Ranch (PLR). There were about 100 kids there (30 more than last year) and they competed in the 7/8 age group. Both kids finished and did great.

Although I don't care how fast they go or where they place, I was pleasantly surprised to see how well they did. Katerina was first out of the pool in her wave and despite losing a lot of time at T1 due to too-tight shoelaces and the girls in her wave starting on the bike before her, she passed them all on the bike. But they got her on the run and that's ok. I'm just glad she did it.

Evan did great too. He has really good running form as you can see in these pictures. He had a lot of fun and kept talking about it. Kurt provided medical care but fortunately no one needed it.

As for me, I did a 2 hr training run from the race site. I had no idea where to run so I just headed down the open road leading to PLR. There are no trees out there so I was in the sun the whole time. I ran a north loop for one hour and then a south loop for one hour. But the highlite of the run was the HUGE bull snake I met on my way to the port-a-potty!

Yep, I was just running along, listening to my Ipod and there he was...curled up in the road, hissing at me. I screamed and leaped into the air! I was really scared! I first looked to see if he had a rattle and thank God he didn't, but still...it was a BIG snake and scary-looking!

The last part of the run was very hard. My legs were really hurting and I was very hot and tired. I kept thinking "how in the world can I do this IM when I can't even run 2 hrs without hurting so much?" By the time I got back, I was toast.

But, the really good news is that today I rode 3 hrs and felt fantastic. I have not felt that good in a long time. I had lots of energy and my legs were not that tired. I could tell I was a little sore but it wasn't bad at all. We had a fun group of people - Marshall, Lynne, Sarah, Brenda, John, and a new guy named Doug. It seemed like everyone was feeling good because we kept a good pace the entire way. I will remember today's ride as one of my all-time favorite training rides! (See picture above of all of us at a pit-stop).

And...I'm writing this at 9:00 PM and I have never felt this good after a long ride (AND a long run) before. Usually, after a long run/ride weekend, I can hardly walk....but today was the first day that I felt fine. I'm a little sore and I wouldn't want to run or ride tomorrow but I have a lot more energy and my legs don't hurt so much. I can really feel a training effect! YAY!

FAC Bike Ride

Yesterday afternoon I was feeling very stressed about a lot of things. I couldn't concentrate on the pile of work I had to get done. The kids were in school and it was a beautiful day outside. And to top it off, I hadn't gotten any exercise in because of my shoulder (taking time off from swimming to allow it to heal) so I REALLY wanted to do something physical.

Out the door I went on my bike. I was supposed to have ridden for an hour on Weds but didn't do it because I felt i was still recovering from the long course. Today I was just itchin' to go!

I rode for an hour and 15 mins and kept the pace slow and steady. I knew I had a big training weekend coming up and didn't want to be sore. It felt really good and I think my head needed it more than anything.

Today - Saturday AM - my kids are doing the PLR triathlon! I have to run 2 hrs so Kurt is dropping me off halfway there (around 7:30'ish) and I'll run until 9:30 or 10:oo, depending on what time he drops me off. It will be kind of odd running in an area I'm not familiar with - I have no idea where to go! It's out in the country so I guess I'll just be running down country roads.

Then tomorrow I have a 50 mile bike ride planned with a group of friends - can't wait for that! I love group rides on the weekends. A good weekend all in all.

OMG

I just plotted out the training schedule on my new fancy-schmancy Dayrunner calendar. I knew that there were a lot of long runs and rides in Sept and Oct but I had not looked at how long they were....don't ask me why I hadn't looked....but I hadn't. Now I know. And now I'm feeling sick.

For instance:
Sept. 19/20: 2:45 hr run on Sat and 5 hr bike on Sunday
Sept. 26/27: 3 hr bike and a 2 hr run on Sat and 1 hr bike on Sunday

and the biggest weekend is
Oct 10/11: 3:15 hr run on Sat and 6 hr bike on Sun!!!

These are just a few examples....every weekend calls for big miles. I am excited to do the training yet worried about whether my body will hold up. I wonder if you can train for an IM by ONLY doing the weekend workouts and recovering during the week! Ha!

Off to get kids up and over to UNC...

Slackin'

Today the plan called for a 30-min run and I had to do a double-take when I saw that....only 30 minutes??? Really??? And guess what? I only got in 20! That's because I made the mistake of running with Daisy.

Daisy just can't go very long and I don't know why. She stops every 50 yards or so and just spreads out on the grass. She won't budge for nothin'. On the way home, she stopped THREE times in our front yard! Just walking from the street to our door she had to stopped, sprawl out, and pant like crazy.

By the time we got back I ran out of time, so my run was cut short to a mere 20 - 25 minutes. Oh well. I don't think it will matter much, really.

And the other news is that I seem to have acquired a rotator cuff injury to my left shoulder. It hurt like heck yesterday so I ice'd it and took Celebrex. Kurt told me to take a week off of swimming...which made me panic, at first. I'm on a roll with swimming and it's the one area that I need the most improvement...and week off??? But after talking with Marshall, I feel better. I think it will be ok.

So tomorrow I hope to be able to ride (although I have NO idea when I can do that - I have a really busy day) and then run 2 hrs on Saturday and 3 hrs on the bike on Sunday. Yippee!

To join or not to join, THAT is the question.

Master's swim team, that is.

I got my butt out of bed at 5:15 AM this morning (and it was dark!), slurped down some coffee, and shlepped myself to the Rec Center for my scheduled swim workout. Since it's Weds, the Master's group was there too.

And since my left shoulder has been hurting quite a bit lately (something I haven't written about), I had decided to NOT join Master's and to just "do my own thing". But, as it turned out, I ended up wishing that I had joined. There they were, a mass of splashing water, working way harder than I was, with an experienced coach telling them what to do. And there I was, slowly going back and forth, not having a clue what I should be doing.

But here's the dilemma: my husband, a sports medicine guru, strongly feels that I should NOT do Master's because I risk getting a shoulder injury (and I may already have one). Something about rotator cuffs, he says, or deltoid-something or other. All I know is that when I try to swim fast, my shoulders hurt.

But I need the comaraderie that Master's provides and I like having someone tell me what to do (did I really just say that?). I can run and bike in my sleep but swimming is totally different. And the other problem with Master's - for me - is that I'm so darn slow that I can't keep up with the group. Everyone says that's ok but it's a little embarassing when the group is done and you're still on the second set.

And then there's the whole issue of whether Master's is needed for an Ironman. Master's swim workouts are notoriously centered around speed. I don't need speed. I need increased strength, improved technique, and plain old endurance.

AAARRRGGGHHH! I think I'll ponder this for another week or so. The regular session doesn't start for 2 weeks anyway. I can get 1-2 lake swims per week in the meantime, which is way better than Master's swim practice anyway (in terms of training for an IM), and then I'll need to make a decision. In other words, I'll procrastinate a little longer....

Another Celebrex day

Today the Gail Bernhardt IM training plan called for an hour of swimming and an hour of running. Did the swim yesterday (although it wasn't a full hour) and managed to eek out an hour of running today. Legs are still sore from 5430 long course and long run/ride over the weekend so it was a tough run. In fact, I was going to stop after 35 mins but told myself to "run through the pain" as Marshall taught me awhile back (thanks, Marshall!) and finished the run.

I think the plan would be going well if I weren't recovering from the long course. But the long course was such a good experience that it was well worth it. I might just back off some of the training this week to let myself fully recover. I can hardly walk today and my shoulders are so sore from swimming a mile yesterday! I don't think it will hurt anything to take a day off tomorrow...will see how I feel in the AM.

UNC starts next Monday and I'm teaching two classes. Soccer for Katerina starts today and choir for both kids starts in two weeks. A church committee I'm on is heating up with an intense 6-week plan to get our congregation ready for a new pastor. And I'm President of the Colorado Chapter of FRUA (Families for Russian and Ukrainian Adoption) and we have the busiest time of year in the fall. Yay. Can't wait. Someone let me know when it's all over, ok?

Sticking to the plan

Kurt and I swam at the Windsor Lake today (this is him taking off!). He had the day off so we decided to swim even thought the GB plan calls for swimming tomorrow. I think that's how it will go....mix up the weekdays but keep the weekend plan intact (maybe switch Sat and Sun but keep the distances the same as what the plan calls for).

If this doesn't make any sense, it's because I am feeling a little sick....tired, achey, sore throat - just dandy! Will try to "will it away".

Back to the swim. We had planned to swim the perimeter, which is supposed to be 1.2 miles. I swam it until we went around the island - on the north side - my arms were hurting so much that I decided that I needed to cut it short. Besides, swimming "just" a mile is still good for a Monday AM swim. I headed back and glad I did...not feeling great and my shoulders were killing me. But I'm very glad I got the swim in today!

The plan for the week: run Tues/Thurs/Sat and bike Weds/Sun and swim again Weds/Fri. Just hope I can kick this cold that is coming on...

Cool ride!

Indeed it was a cool ride! We had a cold front move in last night and it was chilly enough this morning to wear sleeves and a jacket. By the time we took this picture, it had warmed up nicely but it never got hot. Loved it!

So, we rode 45 miles in 3 hrs. I was pretty sore from yesterday (and doing a half-IM last Sunday!) so I didn't have a lot of "umph" today but was able to keep up with Lynne and Marshall better than before, so I think that's a good sign. We stopped a few times and slowed down in parts of the ride so on a better day, we could've rode further but this was good for today. I definitely couldn't have gone any faster or further.

Had my iron levels checked again....ferritin is up to 32 (from 17) so the iron supps are working! I've also been eating a little more red meat which also helps.

Tomorrow, Kurt and I plan to swim 1.2 miles in the Windsor lake...no rest for the weary!

Yowsa!

Just got back from running 113 minutes with Dan and Jenny. The plan called for 1 hr and 45 mins but it took a little longer to get back home. And man oh man, are my quads hurting! Me thinks I wasn't quite recovered from the long course!

But we got 'er done. Jenny is training for Boulder Backroads Marathon and Dan is doing some half-marathons this fall. And me, well, you know, I got that big 'ol triathlon in Florida comin up...

But it's so nice to run with good friends. The time goes by so much faster and Dan is one of those guys that women can joke around with on "taboo" topics and not be embarrassed (take a wild guess what some of those topics are).

Even though I can barely walk, it was a good training day!

Tomorrow is a 3 hr ride with Lynne and Marshall...off to eat (or drink) more carbs!

So far, so good

Last Sunday was not only the 5430 long course (see below) but also the first day of a 13-week IM training plan that I'm going to follow. It's Gale Bernhardt's 13-week, sub 13-hour IM training plan that Marshall told me about. So, this is the first week of that plan (and I couldn't even walk for the first two days!).

So technically I started it yesterday since I took Monday and Tuesday off, which btw, was a good decision because I felt great on Weds morning. Anyway, Weds AM I ran for almost an hour and then swam 40 mins at Centennial Pool later that day at 5:00 PM. Centennial closed yesterday and I wanted one last outdoor swim!

The plan called for an hour of swimming but I had a dinner date with a friend of mine at 6:00 so I had to cut it short. But oh my gosh was it nice! I was the only one there for awhile and then two other swimmers came. It was nice having the pool basically to myself and just swimming on my own.

Then today, I had to pick the kids up at 3:30 so I decided to drive my bike to their school, park and ride from there. It worked out well! I had to scramble to get things done to get out there but it worked fine. I got in 90 mins of steady non-stop riding; rode from Monfort to Windsor and back (taking a few detours due to road work on the way out there). It was hot and sorta boring but I knew I had to get it done and I did.

Tomorrow I hope to swim (possibly at 6:00 AM) and then run long on Saturday and bike long on Sunday.

I have a lot of UNC work to get done (so much that it seems overwhelming at times) but if I just take it one day at a time, I should be ok.

Rock on!

5430 Long Course Recap

Three days later and I'm finally writing the recap of Sunday's big race. Took 2 days off and now it's time to get back on the horse!

And I have (mostly) good news. The swim and run went extremely well - better than expected and I managed to cut 20 mins off my time from last year. I couldn't be happier about that. More on that in a minute.

The bad news is that I felt like crap on the bike portion of it (although I did average 17 mph) but more importantly, I somehow came home with the wrong wetsuit! It wouldn't be so bad if it truly were MY wetsuit, but noooo....I had borrowed Todd Lowe's sleeveless wetsuit but I came home with someone else's. Oops!

Back to the good news. This race turned out to be a turning point for me. I had previously had what might be called "panic attacks" in the water - I don't know if that's what they were but what I do know is that they were awful experiences....difficulty breathing, inability to swim, feelings of anxiety....always in the beginning of a triathlon. Never had these feelings during practice, only competition.

The weird thing is that I didn't have them at every race but did have them in two triathlons earlier this summer (Windsor and L2L). They were so bad that I came very close to turning around and going back to shore. At L2L, it took quite awhile for me to calm down and actually swim.

So, this Sunday I was determined to make this a better experience. I set up my transition area quickly, put on my wetsuit, quickly asked the gal next to me to take a picture of me (and I'm glad I did because I now I know exactly what my wetsuit looked like!), and headed down to the lake.

I chatted briefly with Jim Fuller, another Greeley-ite, and watched the sun come up over the horizon (it was about 6:15 AM). Very pretty and very calming. Then, slowly, I waded into the water and in what seemed like slow motion, I swam around the practice area....very, very slowly. Water temp was perfect - low 70's, I think.

Then I went back and stood with my wave and did some deep breathing exercises. I felt completely at ease. The gun went off and the women around dashed into the water and within an instant, it was a mad frenzy of black wetsuits and neon yellow swim caps.

I waded out and slowly began to swim. This is the point where I had previously felt anxious and like I couldn't breathe (not a good feeling when you're supposed to be swimming like mad). I started swimming and except for the "human washing machine", I felt fine. No anxiety at all. After a few mins I was able to position myself so that I could stretch out and actually start swimming. And I did, for a long, long time.

The first buoy finally came and I turned the corner effortlessly. Then somehow I got off course and came up and saw the other swimmers really far away (yikes!) so, I swam a little extra - oh well - I was enjoying myself enough that I didn't care that much.

Made it back to the beach with no trouble. My shoulders were sore and I thought to myself "I am no longer afraid to swim this distance (1.2 miles) but I do need to lift more weights!".

Off to T1 (transition one). Wetsuit came off quickly, onto my bike and off I go. Felt fine the first few miles, although I noticed lots of people passing me. Kept trying to get some speed but more people passed me. Pushed really hard up the hill and still, people passing me. Basically, the entire 56 miles were spent just like that: me pushing, pushing, pushing and more and more people passing me!

I do like the bike course. It's very scenic - countryside outside of Boulder, one of the prettiest places along the front range. I enjoyed watching the cyclists with their brightly-colored jerseys stream along the 2-lane country road with the famous flatirons in the distance. For a moment, I felt a sense of gratitude to be where I was - doing a triathlon (half-ironman, no less) at the ripe old age of 48. Not a bad life, I must say!

At the end of the bike, I was toast. My legs felt like lead. I got off quickly and as I put on my running shoes, I thought that I had lost so much time on the bike that I might as forget about improving my time from last year. Darn. I just need to finish this 13.1 mile run and call it a day.

I started the run feeling hot, tired, and thirsty. I had forgotten to grab my gu or get a swig of water before heading out on the run. Ugh. No shade and no aid station for at least a mile (which is long way to go when you're hot, tired, and thirsty).

The first few miles felt like a death march. I shuffled along and thought about how miserable I felt. Then, I thought, I don't want to stay out here any longer than I have to....I don't want to dwell on how bad i feel or how hot it is (mid-80's, which is HOT when you're running and you've already biked hard for 56 miles) so I'm going to do something strange: run faster so that I can just BE DONE!

Somehow I picked up the pace. My legs hurt even more. I slowed back down. Then I did it again and slowed back down. Then I passed the 4 mile mark and thought to myself "I only have 9 miles to go...that's not bad!" (see how delusional i was?!).... I went faster....then I passed the 6 mile mark, near the finish line with all the spectators screaming and I thought to myself "only 7 more miles - that's not bad!" and THEN, I looked at my watch and realized that if I hurry up, I could beat last year's time...by a lot!

Somehow that did it. I dug deep - very, very deep - and found some strength (and speed) lurking way down inside and I started to run fast. Very fast. I passed a lot of people (some i recognized from the bike who had passed me) and several people cheered me on. I got into a rhythm and couldn't break it. I could tell that it wouldn't last long and that I just needed to hang on for 6 more miles....then 5....then 4....then 3...then 2...then 1 and at this point I thought if I miss one step, I'll crash and burn big time. I kept going and pushed even harder, to the point of sprinting the last half-mile for the finish line.

I had never planned on running it this way but it just happened. I finished in 6 hours and 6 minutes, 20 mins faster than last year. But what I care about most, is how I was able to hang in there and mentally get myself to the finish line. That's what I will need in Florida - the mental capacity to keep going, to talk myself out of the pain and into the game.

It was a really good day. I think I just might be able to pull of an Ironman.

Tapering down...

Sunday is the big day....well, not THE big day (that's November 7th), but "Big Day #2". It's the day of the Boulder 5430 long course triathlon (aka, half-IM which is 70.3 long painful miles). I'm feeling fairly ready for it but not ready to get up at 3:00 AM to get there.

So, what did I do the last few days? Wednesday I took my kids to RMNP and hiked a whopping 3.2 miles (training plan? what training plan?). Actually it was a lot of fun and totally worth it.

Thursday I left way too late for a bike ride and ended up riding for a mere 45 mins. Not good. I should've rode 1.5 hrs. Bad weather came in so I high-tailed it down to the Greeley Rec Center and swam for 40 mins. Tom M. was there and he gave me some really good pointers on my form and I practiced those over and over. Thanks, Tom!

Today I ran with Daisy for 3 miles and then on my own for another two. Watched the sun come up and just cruised listening to my favorite tunes. Felt really good. Tomorrow I'll take off and then Sunday, well, I'll attempt to propel my body over 70.3 miles and see how it goes. My only goal is beat last year's time (and I don't recall what that was...will have to look it up).

More on Sunday after the race!

Another good swim

Can't believe I'm writing these words but I truly had another good swim today. I swam at Master's and usually on Tuesdays I'm pretty sore from swimming on Monday but today I felt great. Felt like I could've swam a lot longer than I did (I left due to lightening).

I'm very slow but I'm not too worried about it. I know I'm slow because at Master's swim, I swim next to other people I know - Jenny, Todd, Jim, etc - and they all beat me by a lot. Sometimes it gets to me, to be the slowest swimmer there but other days I swim blissfully on my own, not caring who is sailing past me in the next lane. As long as I can do 2.4 miles in <90 mins, I'm happy.

Tomorrow I plan to run but I'm keeping the intensity down this week to taper for half-IM this weekend. Rock on!

Monday swim

Had a really good open water swim today. Our group meets out at one of the Windsor lakes in Water Valley every Monday at 4:30. Like running, I've had good and bad days swimming in the lake, but it's always hard - its never been easy. Well, today it actually felt pretty easy!

I swam around the island, making a wide circle to increase the distance, and back to the gazebo. Then changed wetsuits (trying different ones to see which one I want to wear in Boulder this weekend since my zipper broke) and swam back out to the island again. Felt great!

Yesterday I got in 75 mins of running but it was very slow and i stopped to pee 4-5 times. But given the fact that I ran alone instead of with the group at Jenny's, that's pretty good.

I really missed not running with the group but I really wanted to go to church with Kurt and the kids. I miss church if I haven't gone in awhile and we were supposed to be ushers and greeters as a family. So, at the last minute (Saturday night), I changed my mind and decided to go to church.

Marshall is in the process of finding good flights to Florida. I get a "jolt" every time we talk about it...because it makes it real! I have a lot more training to do but I think I'm in a good position so far. Marshall has done more longer runs than me in the last fwe months and is much faster on the bike and in the water than me, but I'm still doing some decent distances (I think) and can increase from here.

But these next few months will be tough, logistically. I'm way more worried about missing workouts due to my schedule than I am about being capable of doing them. I know I can do it - I just hope that I won't miss too many workouts due to work, kids, family, or house stuff.

Taper weekend

I'm signed up to do the Boulder 5430 long course next weekend (half-ironman, 70.3) so this weekend is supposed to be a "taper". Funny how riding 50 miles is now considered a taper ride!

But that's what I did yesterday: rode 50 with Lynne, Marshall, Kevin, Brenda, Todd, and a new person named Sonya (she rode part of it with us).

It was a great ride and I was pleasantly suprised to see that I was not tired for most of the way. Got really hungry the last 2 miles and slowed down but my legs felt fine. I knew I had a 10 mile run the next day so didn't push it.

Today, hope to run 10 but had to bag a run with my friends. A big group of my friends are running at 8:00 at Jenny's house and I had planned to do that but decided to go to church with Kurt and the kids and run earlier instead. We were asked to be the ushers at church and I just felt that I needed to be there. Plus, I kinda miss going to church so made a last minute change.

Had a great swim in a cold, mountain lake last week! Swam in Crawford State Park's lake for the fun of it....kinda crazy...just put on my wetsuit (actually, Kurt's suit) and swam out into the middle of the lake. Felt pretty good! But they allow boating on that lake so didn't want to go too far as there were people out there.

Ran last Weds from Crawford State Park too...had a great run but had to cut it short due to time constraints. No riding this week - ugh!