Whew, that was a HARD race! We leave Lake Tahoe today and will take two days to drive home so race reports and details will come later.
I survived what mike Riley called “the harvests Ironman ever” and finished Ironman #2
Already dreaming of my next adventure…….
It’s go time! This last weekend was full of shopping, prepping, making lists, making piles and packing bags.
I found it challenging to pack for this trip because I am not used to the cool weather that we will have in Tahoe. Which jacket will I wear on race day? Who knows, let’s just throw in all of them! The picture above is about a third of the clothes I packed. While my body has had some aches and pains normal to taper I have enjoyed it, I feel like I should hate it but my body and mind was ready for a rest. I enjoyed easier rides.
And some time to enjoy fall treats
PSL!
Today I am excited to start our journey by driving from Denver to a state park near Park City, Utah.
We decided instead of staying in a generic hotel that we would camp for the evening. We really love to camp and haven’t gone this year so this was a chance to get at least one night in before it gets too cold. It’s about an 8.5 hour drive through the mountains and will be BEAUTIFUL. Tomorrow we will drive another 8.5 hours from Utah to Tahoe.
I imagine this part will be less scenic but we have lots of audio books to keep us entertained. Must go pack up the car, catch you guys in Cali!
Trevor Wurtele’s speech after Ironman Canada was pretty inspirational for anyone not just triathletes check it out:
If you don’t have time to watch the video this was my favorite line:
If you can take anything from that, it is quite simply to go after your dreams. It doesn’t have to be in sport, it is anything in life. Do everything in your power to make that dream happen, fully commit to it and go get it. The worst thing that can happen is that you go back to your old life knowing that you did everything you could to make your dream a reality.
Found anything inspirational lately? Please share!
This jersey is great not only because it is really soft and breathable but also has really deep pockets in the back to hold all the gear you would need on a ride from 10-100 miles plus! I also like that it is very visible for motorists and even has reflective tape.
I also got to try out the Infinite Phoenix LongSleeve Shirt. I have been eager to try it out but the temps in Colorado have been ridiculously hot, 80+ degrees even in the morning and evening. So I haven’t been able to take this baby out for a run yet. I am looking forward to trying it out on some cooler fall runs. Maybe it will even make an appearance in Tahoe! I did try on the shirt and it fits and feels great!
I was provided with this opportunity via my affiliation with FitFluential. I was given the products at no cost, but was not compensated in any other way. All opinions are my own.
Earlier this month I was given the opportunity to try out Designed Whey’s newest product “Sustained Energy”.
Designer Whey describes Sustained Energy as:
Designer Whey® Sustained Energy™ is specifically formulated with our proprietary Endurance Blend™. Designed to give you balanced, stimulant-free, sustained energy through fast absorbing whey protein and slower absorbing soy and casein proteins, giving you a steady supply of essential amino acids while helping you control hunger with fiber. Packed with 16 grams of protein, 5 grams of fiber and 19 Essential Vitamins & Minerals and naturally flavored and sweetened – all for only 100-good-for-you calories!
I was excited about this opportunity because I have enjoyed designer Whey’s products in the past and I use a lot of protein powder for training nutrition and recovery.
I tried vanilla bean in my protein recovery shake
The shake kept me full and tasted great! What’s in it:
I threw thew this all in the blender and let it run for two minutes.Then I added about two cups of ice, blended for another thirty seconds.
This is a great recovery drink or breakfast. If you have a rushed morning you can pre-make this shake and store it in the freezer.
To make:
These protein balls have gotten me through countless miles of training, five half ironmans, one full ironman and will help me get through Iornman Lake Tahoe.
Want to try Sustained Energy out? I have been given the opportunity to give a few tubs out. Leave a comment below with the flavor you would like to try (chocolate or vanilla bean). I will contact you for shipping information by next Monday if you are selected.
I was provided with this opportunity via my affiliation with FitFluential. I was given the products at no cost to myself, but was not compensated in any other way. All opinions are my own!
It’s official I am signed up for Ironman Canada 2014!
I was a little surprised and bummed that they moved the race up a month, late August fit my ideal 2014 race schedule better but I wasn’t going to let that stop me from signing up.
After seeing all the photos and glowing reviews from this years’ race I knew I wanted in for my first international Ironman.
I am excited for July 27th 2014
Last week was my first week in official peak training for Tahoe. My workouts haven’t changed that much, they are just a little longer/harder (10 miles of intervals instead of 6, etc) and weekends are really long to simulate some race fatigue. There will be 4 weeks of peak training then taper, then race day (SO CLOSE!). Week two is actually a bit light compared to some of the others because the semester is staring and I am teaching on Saturday and we are celebrating my dad’s 65th birthday on Sunday so there is no way I am getting 6+ hour training days in. Big workouts are getting shifted to Mon-Tues of week 3 when I have time off of work so week 3 is going to be extra big. Hopefully I will be able to recap it all here for posterity. Here was Peak week #1:
Monday: Rest Day
Tuesday: 1.5 mile open water swim – it’s now dark at 5:30 at the lake, it’s nice to watch the sunrise but not so fun to swim in the dark.
Running Speed work at the track – standard
Wednesday: First day of Climbing Camp (more on this later, but it’s crazy cool)
Strength training
Thursday: Was supposed to run or swim but my pug was acting sick so I stayed home and did strength training to keep an eye on him. He seems fine, I think he just wanted more attention.
Pm- short run
Friday: 25 mile ride
Saturday: 3 hour bike ride with lots of climbing and strength training
Sunday: 3 hour bike ride followed by a 16 mile run (was supposed to be a 20 mile run but I ran out of fluids early, it was 97 degrees and I was feeling really bad so I cut it short, boo)
This week had a couple challenging days. Sunday included me wrecking my bike, getting stung repeatedly and getting dehydrated. But I tried to just keep going, these hard days make race day easier. I wrapped up the week with 18:41 hours of training.
This week will be a challenge to get everything in as it’s back to school for my students and we have family coming to stay with us, wish me luck, under 5 weeks to go!!!
Hi Friends, I hope you are having a fabulous Friday! I am staring down one of my biggest training weekends ever with 100 miles of biking, 20 miles of running and 2.4 miles open water swimming. So please send happy, healthy knee thoughts to me this weekend!
As it’s a fun way to kick off the weekend I thought I might highlight some of my favorite things lately:
My Betty Designs Water bottle, helps me get through the day and remember to stay hydrated
Open water swimming in the morning at Grant Ranch, I will miss this soon!
Homemade iced coffee, that afternoon cup really hits the spot.
Frozen Yogurt, one of the dew things that can help me get out the door when I don’t want to do an after work training session.
My Renegade bracelet from Stella & dot makes me feel a little like a cool girl
What are some of your favorites?
I think I will do a triathlon specifics faves soon as there are certain things that really help me power through these 20+ hour training weeks.