February 5, 2018

Weekly Rundown – Getting on Track

It took a couple weeks into the semester but I think I have finally figured out a schedule that works for me. Consistency is so important for exercise but when I am the primary caregiver of Cannon flexibility is key. For example today the plan was to go to the gym at 8am. Our gym has great child care that Cannon goes to a lot. But over the weekend Cannon came down with a virus so he won’t be going and I am trying to find other ways to get my cardio in. Regardless it feels good to have a plan even if I can’t always stick to it 100%

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Monday: Cannon and I went to the gym nice and early, there is a great indoor playground where Cannon likes to play before heading to child care.

After playtime, I jumped on the elliptical for 45 minutes. I really like to do the programmed hill workouts. The elliptical is not my favorite but I can’t handle running everyday right now and it is a great time to catch up on reading magazines and watching YouTube videos.

Tuesday: I finally set my alarm (Cannon usually get us up by 5:30) and got up early so I could get some strength training in. I had been doing some strength training programs like Body Pump and 21 Day Fix but I was getting more and more annoyed having to modify the workouts. I decided to do some research on safe exercises and come up with my own set to do. So far so good.

After strength training, it was time for Cannon to get up, breakfast and getting ready for the day Cannon and I headed to the gym for 52 minutes of walk/running on the treadmill.

Wednesday: Another day at the gym, 55 minutes on the elliptical.

Thursday: Early morning to get strength training in, trying to work on full body strength. I am also trying to work on squats a lot as I have read that they can be really help with labor and birth.

This is what 4:45 AM looks like

Later it was 45 minutes on the elliptical.

Friday: I decided to get up early again to get a third strength training session for the week. My legs were sore from Thursday so I decided to focus and upper body and what core work I still can do. Later we headed to the gym for some hill work on the treadmill for 40 minutes before taking Cannon to gymnastics.

Saturday: On the weekend I like to focus on family time so I decided not to schedule anything too specific. The weather wasn’t great but we eventually got out for a family walk and playtime at the park.

Sunday: Sunday was playtime at the pool before the big game. And while it is not a monster swim set, we have so much fun.

Happy Running Everyone!

January 31, 2018

Weekly Rundown – 26 Weeks Pregnant

Even though I am not currently training for anything I thought I would document what the end of second trimester workouts look like for me. I was really hoping to continue to include lots of strength training and running. I got derailed a bit in December and January with sickness and schedule changes. I am hoping that next week includes much more strength training (alarm is set for tomorrow!)

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Monday: Rest Day. Although calling this a rest day makes me laugh a little. I watched another little boy that is the same age as Cannon for the day when he didn’t have childcare for the week. I seriously give it up to twin mamas, I was exhausted after watching these two cuties.

Tuesday: Treadmill Run, just nice and easy for 40 minutes. I took walk breaks when anything hurt or my heart rate got too high.

Wednesday: Cannon and I were hanging with his friend again all day so we opted to break out the double Thule and go for an afternoon walk.

When you have a friend over you break out the double

Thursday: Back at the gym for a treadmill run, I am really missing running outside but with the lack of light in the morning/evening and availability of child care I have been embracing the treadmill and elliptical. On this day I decided to do a little interval work. I warmed up for 15 minutes easy then did 20 minutes of 1 minute controlled pace (not pushing to much) 1 minute easy, then cooled down 10 minutes.

Another day, another treadmill view

Friday: Before taking Cannon to his gymnastic class I was able to jump on the elliptical for an easy 30 minutes. I feel like hanging with Cannon in gymnastic class should count as a 30 minute HIIT workout. I always leave exhausted.

Saturday: Rest Day

Sunday:I wasn’t feeling great over the weekend so I took rest days both days. I needed some time to rest and let my body do it’s thing. Luckily I felt better on Monday, ready to show up for Cannon and my students.

I am hoping that this week I will feel better and fit more strength training in.

Happy Running Everyone!

June 13, 2017

Weekly Rundown – Leadville Silver Rush 50 Peak Week 2

I will admit that last week felt really difficult and it seemed really challenging to get the miles in that I wanted. As much as I would like to always be consistent and effortlessly bang out 70 mile weeks, getting in 60 miles took all of my will power.

Cannon came down with a virus on Wednesday and was fighting a fever through Sunday. I can’t complain since Cannon is normally such a good sleeper but he was really not feeling well and woke up about every two hours. I think I averaged between 3-4 hours of sleep a night. Poor little guy had such a sore throat it would wake him up and made him miserable. I tried to keep up on my running but on Thursday all I wanted to do was be with and try to comfort him. There definitely are priorities in life and Cannon comes WAY above running or any race.

Cannon’s fever broke on Sunday and is feeling much better, so now just two more big weeks before taper!

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Monday: Unplanned rest day. I had hoped to get a few miles in after the 50k over the weekend but life got in the way, I had a lot to do for work.

Sweet Boy

Tuesday: 4 miles in the morning, up with the sun, then 4 more miles on the treadmill in the evening after Cannon went to sleep.

Wednesday: 5 miles that felt like garbage, lack of sleep was already starting to get to me. Strength training in the evening.

Thursday: Nothing, just cuddles with Cannon after a particularly difficult night.

Friday: Cory had Friday off so I had more time to get out on a run. I didn’t want to lose much time with Cannon so I got up early and drove to Heil Ranch to get some trail time for 19 miles. Even starting early it was HOT. Summer comes on fast here in Colorado.

Saturday: We spent the morning taking Cannon into the doctor since he had a fever for over three days, he was diagnosed with a virus. We ruled out Strep so there wasn’t much to do other than try to keep him comfortable and hydrated. Both Cory and I wanted to get runs in so after Cannon went to bed for the evening Cory headed out for 21 miles around the neighborhood while I took the monitor down to the basement treadmill. I finished my run around 9:45. I grabbed a cheese stick for dinner and passed out.

Sunday: Again I wanted to get my run done early so I could have more family time. When my alarm went off at 4am I wasn’t feeling very enthusiastic. I got some coffee in my system and forced myself out of the door. The first mile was a death march but after getting warmed up I settled into the run. I am so lucky to have nice trails very close to my house that make these runs easier to get done. I got in 20 miles to top off the week, then spent the rest of the day with my family.

Totals:

Running: 60.2 miles, the goal was 65 but I feel good about what I was able to fit in while still caring for Cannon as best I could. Now that Cannon is feeling better I am hoping for 70+ miles this week, again there will be challenges since Cannon’s birthday is on Saturday (How is he going to be 1 already?!?!?!?!?) and Father’s Day on Sunday. Wish me luck!

September 26, 2016

Weekly Rundown – Trying Something New

This week I am linking up with Jessie at The Right Fits and Jess Runs ATL to recap last weeks training.

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I am still considering Ironman vs. Ultra (can’t I have both?!?) but for now I am dedicated to focusing strength training and building back my base fitness.

I am trying something new this time to help me keep on track with strength training. Strength training often takes a backseat to swim-bike-running but this time I am committed to building strength before jumping into a full on training plan. To help keep me on track I singed up to do a 21 Day Fix with Nicole as the Coach . So far it has really helped me prioritize strength training and I have really enjoyed being part of a group.

Last week was not a perfect example of what a week should look like but with just returning to work and baby’s first cold =( other things had to be prioritized.

Monday: Unintended rest day, spent the day cuddling with Cannon and visiting the Pediatrician. He is doing so much better now but seeing him not feel well breaks a new mom’s heart.

Tuesday: Quick run on the treadmill and Upper Fix (upper body strength training)

Wednesday: Lower Body Fix

Thursday: 3.5 mile run in the morning and Pilates Fix in the evening

Friday: 25 minute spin on the trainer (oof, it’s going to take sometime to get used to the bike again)

Saturday: Pumpkin Patchin with the family =)

Sunday: 6 mile run

Total: 6 hours training (not worth breaking down, and sadly NO swimming….sigh)

Overall I think the week went fine but there is lot’s of room for improvement, already looking forward to doing better this week!

May 28, 2015

Ironman Canada Training – Weeks 12, 11, 10 and a Mini Camp

How did three weeks slip by? Time seems to accelerate the closer I get to an Ironman. Life becomes eat, train, eat, work, eat, train, eat, sleep, repeat. Sometimes I can slip in some laundry (sometimes) housework (rarely) and downtime (what’s that?)

But it’s all fun, it feels so good to see my training peaks calendar fill up with workouts and then tick them off one by one. I was able to take a four day weekend at the end of last week so I asked coach for a training camp like weekend. It was much more fun to think of the weekend as a camp vs. just another weekend training. We made an agenda and planned our routes so we knew what we *planning* on doing. The weather here in Boulder was less than ideal but it could have been much worse!

It will be too boring to go over daily workouts for three weeks so I will just go over some of the highlights:

12 weeks to go was a little light since we traveled to Santa Fe, New Mexico to attend my graduation. The plan was to get some good training in over the weekend and we even schlepped our bikes with us but with terrible weather and no trainers we gave up on the idea and just celebrated mother’s day with my mom. Got in 9 hours of training before leaving town.

Beautiful morning for a graduation #hopefullynotthelasttime

Thanks for being so stinkin awesome mom! You have always been an inspiration. Strong, determined, brilliant and fierce. If I can be 50% as awesome as you when I grow up I will be happy. Happy Mothers Day!

11 weeks to go was a little more productive, after driving back from New Mexico I got back into some workouts with good focus and intensity including:

The longest swim of year so far (4,000+ yds)

Second workout of the day was extra awesome because my mom joined us for the swim #IMTraining

All bike rides on the trainer (come on summer)

Love watching @ethannewberry and @kimberleydt on ginger runner live from my trainer. Congrats Ethan on the amazing wife and 100k #inspiration

Long run turned because of flooding
Totaling about 15 hours and a lot of focused work

10 weeks to go was the biggest week so far because of the long weekend. All workouts are getting longer now meaning that the alarm is creeping closer to 4:00am and getting later at night. But it’s not too bad since this week (9 weeks to go) is the last biggish week (17 hours planned) before a little taper and recovery for Boulder 70.3.

67 days until @ironmantri Canada. Good thing I have this little bean to help me with yoga #IMCanada #IMTraining #daisythechihuahua

Views from today’s long run, so green in Boulder #IMTraining #IMCanada

Second workout of the day was extra awesome because my mom joined us for the swim #IMTraining

#keepyourheadup #believeinyoutself #chasedreams

Last workout of the day done! Lots of wildlife out, pelicans, great blue heron, bunnies and one wild pug #IMTraining #IMCanada #WinstonThePug #ironpug

Bluebird skies this morning so at least I got three hours on the bike before thunder chased us inside. Back on the trainer 62 days until Ironman Canada #IMTraining

61 days until #IMCanada so many miles to ride can’t believe it’s so close! #IMTraining #teamsoas @ironmancanada

Mid ride break, thinking today about all who have served especially Grandpa Curtis. I wish I could have met you and heard your stories #grateful

T-run done. Cooked and ready to relax! #IMTraining #teamsoas

Then it will be one last big push for IM Canada – here we go!!!

January 21, 2014

2014 SOAS Racing Team

I was pretty stocked when I opened my email earlier this month to read that I had been selected to be part of the SOAS racing team.

I first noticed SOAS kits on some of my favorite bloggers and was impressed by how cute they were. I looked into the company and really loved how they were women specific

And were made in the U.S

I bought my first kit and wore it all summer training for Ironman Lake Tahoe. It was my go to kit anytime I had a long ride on the schedule, nothing was more comfortable. I wore it for a half ironman and was supper comfortable everything stayed in place. It was my plan to wear my SOAS kit was for Ironman Lake Tahoe but when the snow came the day before and the temps dipped below freezing warmer plans had to be made, just arm warmers weren’t going to cut it.

This year with two Ironman races on my schedule I will be proudly rocking the SOAS team uniform.

Do you have a favorite brand? I think getting something women’s specific is key!

July 14, 2013

Ironman Lake Tahoe – 11 Weeks To Go

On my training schedule coach started listing weeks left to go, made my heart skip a beat or two! This week was hopefully the last lightish week modified for my knee injury, hoping to be back at it strong next week! So here is the quick and dirty of how last week went down:

Monday: 30 mile ride after work
Tuesday: Speed work at the track

Wednesday: 90 minute spin class
pm: Strength

Thursday: am- run

pm- Strength

Friday: Open water swim

Saturday: “longish” run at 9,000+ elevation

Sunday: Longest swim since IMCDA 2.4 miles open water, felt pretty good, then hill repeats on the bike (didn’t feel so good)

Closed the week with 13.5 hours training. I expect that to increase a lot next week hoping for the best! How was your week?

June 11, 2013

Back to School

Hello!!! It may not be the normal time of year to talk about back to school, but today marks the first day of summer semester and my last semester of course work.

Coke and computer.jpg

So it’s back to balancing books, computers and training (oh and work, life, travel, etc)

Anyone else balancing work, grad school and an addiction to endurance sports? Balancing other things, family, home repairs….?

May 22, 2013

Matthew Winters Trail

I really love trail running, and finding a new trail to run on is one of my favorite things in the world. I find trail running in Colorado very different than running on streets or paths with all the hills and technical sections. So I don’t always get to spend time on the trails like I would like. If I have 20 miles on my schedule it my be too difficult for ME to do so on a trail (I know ultra runners do it all the time but I can’t on top of Ironman training) but I do find anything less than 10 miles works and is a good hill workout. This past weekend, I had a shorter run on my schedule so I hopped on the internet and found a new trail not too far from our house. Matthew Winters Trail seemed like a good choice.

Everything is SO green right now!

The trail started out rolling and very runnabel

There were some deer along the trail

As we ran into the south parking lot we could have turned around and headed back the way we came or along the Dakota Ridge trail. We opted for Dakota Ridge, but if I could go back I would backtrack. Dakota Ridge trail is beautiful but not runnable for me, it was steep uphill on rocky terrain that often had stairs cut in. I really did enjoy the views, unfortunately our camera died halfway through so no pictures of the second part.

Do you enjoy trail running? Do you find it difficult to run as far?

May 14, 2013

Colorado Marathon Race Report

On May 5th I ran my second marathon (3rd if you count Ironman, but I don’t and that’s another conversation). I almost dropped to the half but I am happy with my choice to run the full. It hurt and I had some GI issues but I had fun and didn’t have to pay $20 to switch. So besides MY personal experience that you can read about, here are my thoughts on how this race is run.

You must pick up your packet on Friday or Saturday before the Sunday race, this is a little bit of an inconvenience for Cory and I as it’s over an hour drive from Denver. We didn’t want to make the trip twice. We opted to stay in a hotel the night before but didn’t think about this logistical issue until the week before and ended up in a slightly seedy hotel (I brought my own pillow and blanket). The expo is easy to get into and navigate but also very small with basically no swag other than your race shirt. The shirt this year is very nice, much better than two years ago with women’s cut available.

Race morning you must meet down town between 4:00 and 4:30 am to catch tour busses to the race start. The race is point to point, basically they drive you 26 miles up the mountain canyon and you run out. We caught a fairly early bus because I am type A like that. The ride was comfortable and there was a bathroom which was nice for a runner on an hour long bus ride. It is a little surreal to ride what you will have to turn around and run out it makes the distance very real. The bus was full of nervous chatter but I was feeling fairly at ease since I had put no pressure on myself to do anything more than just finish. When we got to the top it was dark and we had over an hour before the race start, good news was that the bathroom lines were short, bad news is we froze!

Even with sweats it was cold and I didn’t want to sit and lose more heat so I stood freezing for 90 minutes, not the best start to marathon. If I did it again I would catch a later bus. Another issue at the start was not enough bathrooms. The lines were ridiculous!

the start couldn’t come fast enough I was ready to run and warm up!

Aside from some of my complaints the course is breathtaking. It is awesome to run down the canyon with the sunrise and the river flowing next to you!

The first half of the race is so scenic that the miles just click by. One mistake I made was not hydrating correctly. I was at the back of the bus when the volunteer gave us updates, both Cory and I heard that there was aid stations about every mile. Looking back at the race site it actually says every other mile so we must have miss heard and it was more like every 2.5 miles so I didn’t always take a gel at the right time that led to some GI distress later.

About mile 16 you make it out onto the plains and run along a busy road, this is my least favorite part of the run but it is still nice.
One thing to note is that the canyon road is closed to traffic which is great for safety but if you want a lot of crowd support, you’re not getting it at this race. You probably won’t see your family until mile 18 of the marathon. If you like having cheering fans and seeing your family multiple times, this race is not for you.

After my stomach started to bother me I was really ready to be done but seeing my parents and their dogs after 21 and a half miles really lifted my spirits. I told myself at the beginning that if I was really hurting or on the verge of injury I would pull out when I saw them. I wasn’t feeling great but I really wanted to finish so I trudged on.

Doodles!

Hey mom!

The rest of the course is along a bike path, nice and flat until you turn into old town and run up the road to the finish line.

I was so happy to see the 26 mile flag. While I enjoyed most of the run, the post race was a little lacking. There wasn’t a party feel, and the food was oatmeal. It was Cinco de Mayo and they were serving Oatmeal! Others may have liked it but I wanted guacamole and a margarita! On the bright side the medal was cool.

Colo marathon medal.jpg
After the race we refueled like a boss with lots of mexican food! Thanks mom and dad for all the support!

Chasing My Joy

My journey to becoming an Ultra Runner and Ironman

Weekly Rundown – Getting on Track

Weekly Rundown – 26 Weeks Pregnant

Weekly Rundown – Leadville Silver Rush 50 Peak Week 2

Weekly Rundown – Trying Something New

Ironman Canada Training – Weeks 12, 11, 10 and a Mini Camp

2014 SOAS Racing Team

Ironman Lake Tahoe – 11 Weeks To Go

Back to School

Matthew Winters Trail

Colorado Marathon Race Report