New bike!

YAY! New bike! 2012 triathlons here I come:)

Another 70.3?

I am contemplating another 70.3 race for 2012....I am also thinking about a full marathon as well. Hmmmm both in one year? I think its something I can do, but I know I have to make sure I can handle everything else life raising 2 little girls will throw at me before I fully commit. The marathon would be in May and the 70.3 would be in September which would mean I could train all summer, which is nice because of the longer days:) Decisions decisions!

70.3 DONE!!

I did it and it was awesome!! I am going to re-cap the day, so I apologize if its boring, but when I decide to do another one of these I want to have this to look back on:)

The day started very early. I slept at home since Fishers is only about 50 minutes away from Muncie. The girls were at my parents house so it was just Paul and I. I got up at about 3:30am! I ate a fried egg on toast with cheese and of course sprinkled with salt and some gatorade to wash it down:) I woke Paul up and we headed up to meet my friends at 5:00am.

We arrived at the site of the race at 6:10am. I had 2 bagels with cream cheese and more gatorade on the way up there. Well, I saved one bagel to eat while waiting for the race to start. We parked our car and loaded up to head to the transition area to organize our stuff. We had checked our bikes in the day before, so that was nice to not have to deal with everyone's bike. We pumped up bike tires (brought our pump) and got water bottles organized, sunscreen on, and then we waited! My swim wave didn't start until 8:25am so I had some time to get nervous! There were so many people who looked like they were such good athletes and had awesome bikes (I WILL be getting a new bike ASAP!)

We watched the sprint triathlon finish and then went over to the swim start. The Pro's started at 8:00am so that was fun to watch, they are crazy fast! They were getting out of the water right when I was starting (that's a 25 minute swim)

My wave was finally coming up so I got my cap on and got in line with my group. I was really nervous and really had to pee!! HA! I got into the water and the gun was off. The swim was busy, but awesome. All of my open water swims had paid off, because this was a breeze. The people everywhere didn't bother me and neither did not being able to see where I was going. I just settled in to my stroke and swam. I passed a lot of people. I passed my whole group, then the next two groups in front of me...but honestly I felt like I could have gone faster, but wanted to save some for the bike and run. My swim time was 40 min which put me right about 500 overall!

I got out of the water and jogged UPHILL to the transition area and got ready for the bike. I was happy to see most of the bikes around me were still on the rack. I took off on the bike (with a 5 min T1 time) and settled in for the bike. The bike is my least favorite, but I was determined to be positive. I felt great the whole time. I did a gel right at the beginning of the bike. I really ate and drank the whole bike. I took in 5 peanut butter crackers, 5 salt tablets, a cliff bar, about 30 ounces of Ironman Perform, and 40 ounces of water. I felt really good the whole time, but I am SLOW and need to improve my biking. I felt like everyone in the race passed me! I tried not to let it get me down, because I was really out there to finish:) Anyway I was good on the bike until about mile 50 and then I was ready to get off the bike. My butt hurt and I wanted to be able to unclip my feet. I rode the whole way with no stopping and even grabbed a bottle of water to refill my aero bottle from a volunteer on the go! My time for the bike was 3:15, which was about what I thought it would be. I was just glad to get off the bike!

I got off the bike and changed into my running shoes. I hit the bathroom and sprayed myself with sun screen. I was so thrilled to have made it this far I knew I could get through the run. I started running and within the first mile I knew I was good! People were already walking and cramping, but thankfully I was feeling great, no goosebumps, no throbbing head, just ready to go! I had 2 gels with me and about 6 salt tabs. I took a gel right away and got water at the first aid station. Basically every mile was an aid station so I knew that was coming which kept me going. They had these awesome sponges that were in tubs of ice water and they were great! So I ran every mile and walked through each aid station. Most people were running/walking because by this point it was in the high 80's and 1 or 2pm. I took in 5 of my salt tabs and lots of water and some flat soda which was refreshing after all the water and Ironman perform. I got to the finish and felt great and ran down the chute and smiled big for the camera! IT WAS AWESOME!!! My overall time was 6:35. I wanted to be less then 7 hours so I am happy with my time.

All of my training paid off. I am so thankful for all the support I received from my friends and family. I didn't love every minute of training but I kept my eyes on the goal and I am so glad I did! I know my money was well spent on the nutritionist I met with because I didn't have one health issue during the race. I am also so thankful that I didn't have any mechanical issues with my bike! WHEW! I will be getting a tri bike very soon though, because my bike weighs a million pounds and is a beast!

A special thanks to all of my training friends and especially my husband Paul. Thanks for being there to lift me up when I didn't want to keep going, putting up with my anxiety and my grumpiness and cheering me on the whole way.

This was my first half Ironman, but I don't think it will be my last!!

24 Hours!

In a little over 24 hours I will be starting the race! Its crazy that about 7 months of training have finally led to this weekend. I am as ready as I am going to be. I am very nervous and have major butterflies in my stomach.

I head up today to check in and then a pasta dinner with my fellow Team Funcie members tonight. Tomorrow the race!

If you want to follow me on the race go to ironmanlive.com and I am bib number 659.

I will write a recap of the race sometime Sunday or Monday!

T minus 5 days!

5 Days!! I made it through week 1 of the taper, but it wasn't pretty. I had no idea I would feel so sluggish, antsy, and achy! I actually googled it and talked to some of my friends who are in the midst of the taper as well and my feelings were confirmed. I just didn't expect to feel this way and it caught me off guard. Anyway I made it through the week and then did a long-ish bike ride yesterday and then a run and a swim this morning. I felt a million times better after the long bike ride...I know I need to be slowing down and I have been but with all of this training the longer the swim, the bike, or run the better I feel. It takes me awhile to get in the groove and feel good so when I go a long distance I feel good:)

Everything is all set for this weekend. My parents will have the girls from Friday afternoon and over night Friday night and all day on Saturday. Paul is coming with me on Saturday (which will be a long day for him) because we have to get up early and be there early but the race doesn't start until 8am and I am sure my wave doesn't start until later then that. Friday afternoon I have to go up to Muncie to check in and attend the pre-race meeting. Plus I want to go into the Ironman shop! I might need a 70.3 sticker for my car:)

I will update once more this week before the race...

Taper Week 1

I made it to the taper weeks! Woohoo! I have looked ahead in my training so many times and have looked at the taper wondering if I would make it and now its here. I did my last really long workout yesterday, a long run. I ran a little over 12 miles and for the most part I felt great.

I am proud of myself for sticking to the training program for 18 weeks so far and for dedicating so much of my time and energy towards this race. No matter what happens on race day I know I couldn't have done much more to prepare for this race. My body has impressed me as well as annoyed me, but mostly I have been happy with my training and the preparation for this race. There have been countless early mornings, long evenings, and tired days because of all this working out, but hopefully come July 9 it will all be worth it.

I was supposed to take today off because Saturday which is usually my day off I had to be on an indoor cycle for about 3 hours! I was getting my Group Cycling Instructor Certification and we all taught about 15 min each and the instructor took us through an hour ride as well. Then Sunday I needed to get my long run in and today I teach spinning. Tomorrow is just an open water swim and then I think I will take Wednesday off and then Saturday off. Other then that no other days off besides the day before the race!

I will update again when the second week of taper begins and again closer to the race. For now I am trying not to be too anxious about the race but that is proving near impossible! I am freaking out;)

This week of taper still has a couple long-ish workouts, but nothing too taxing and then next week is very light, with small run through's of each sport (like tiny little triathlons) to keep every thing fresh.

3 weeks....

Holy Moly this is really happening and soon! I cannot believe I have one more week of hard training and then a 2 week taper. I feel ready but so scared. This race has forced me to sacrifice time with friends, time with family, sleep, etc. I know it will be worth it when I cross the finish line, so that has pushed me through. I did a long run in the heat yesterday and I found myself repeating some mantra's over and over again that I know I will use during the run on race day to get myself through.

I also found out the race is going to start at 8am, instead of 7am, which isn't a huge difference I know, but it just means one more hour of heat later in the day during the run. I don't know why they changed the time, but basically I will be starting a half marathon around 1:00pm in July---not my idea of a good time, but what can I do?

I am happy I have stuck through this training and know that I have put my body through a lot of challenges and for the most part it has risen to the challenges. I have never had so many mornings where I have woken up sore only to try and remember what workout made me sore only to have to go back and do the same thing again to my legs. I always work out a lot and so I didn't think I would notice a lot of changes in my body, but I do know I have thighs of steel now thanks to all the biking I am sure. Also my arms and shoulders have gotten stronger thanks to all the swimming! The only thing I have gotten from all the running is some blisters, sore feet, and messed up toe nails.

This coming week I have a three hour ride followed by a run and a short ride followed by a 2 hour run on the schedule. I am also going to try to get an open water swim in this week or early next week just because I like them:)

The countdown is on...20 days!!

4 weeks to go!

What??? Only four weeks to go, that is scary! So in 2 weeks I taper for the race--YIKES! As ready as I am to be done training, I am anxious about the race and getting through it. I have been feeling good and getting in a lot of good workouts, which since preschool is over we don't have a day to day routine anymore and therefore my workouts are all over the place.

This past Wednesday it was very hot, over 90 degrees and I wasn't too interesed in running or biking so "team Funcie" which is about 6 people who are training for the Muncie half Ironman and I went up to Muncie to do an open water swim. We got to see where the swim course is going to be and get an idea of where everything else would be too. That made it seem very very real. It was fun to go up there though with these 5 other people who are great athletes and are most likely crazier then me when it comes to working out---yes people who work out and train way more then me! Anyway, we swam around a mile and headed home (all of us piled into one mini-van). For me it was nice to have an evening workout and not to have to worry about the heat.

I have 2 more weeks of hard, long workouts ahead of me and then taper which I believe will make me insane! I know its important and necessary but it will be hard not to push it. I know Paul will be happy when this is over because I will be around a lot more on the weekends (well Sunday since I work all day Saturday)

I got up early this morning (Sunday) and rode 35 miles by myself and then ran 5...it was a beautiful day and a lot of my friends ran or rode in races yesterday so I knew I was on my own, but biking by one self is quite boring!

I am off to fold laundry and watch the Ironman 70.3 World Championship on TV, which will make me excited and anxious I am sure:)

Getting Closer

This race is creeping up closer and closer! I think there are only 2 more weeks of training before I taper for the race---WHAT? That scares me. This past weekend was Memorial weekend so I tried to fit in some long workouts. On Sunday it was hot and windy but I set out with some friends and we rode 50 miles. The last 15 felt really long because of the wind. We stopped to refill water bottles a couple times and thank goodness we did. I drank a lot of Ironman Perform and water as well as ate two gels and a 1/2 of a cliff bar. I was tired when we were done and hungry, but so glad I went to the distance. Then Monday morning (memorial day) I got up early (what's new) and ran 5 miles and then went to Morse Reservoir to swim with some people on the NASTI swim team. We swam 2 miles! It was my longest open water swim and it was tough but I made it through and now I know I can swim 1.2:)

These early morning workouts have become a normal thing for me and I love getting the workout out of the way early in the day, but man 4:30am SUCKS! I drag my sleepy self out of bed and straight downstairs because I always have all of my stuff laid out down there so I am not shuffling around upstairs. Paul might kill me if I woke a kid up before 5am! I am not sure if I mentioned in my last post, but I needed to do a 2 hour run and we had a lot going on that day and it was supposed to storm later in the day so I got up at 4:15 and was running by 445am in the dark! I ran 12.5 miles before 7am, it was so weird. But again I got it done and was able to do all the other things that needed to be done that day, just a little slower.

I actually feel very ready for this race. The only thing that is scaring me is the long run after the bike in the heat. I have done long bike rides and long runs, but not in the extreme heat that is a real possibility on July 9th in Indiana:) I am really excited to do the race and also pretty excited for it to be over.

I want to give another shout out to my husband Paul---without him all this craziness would be impossible. He often has the kids by himself way more then he ever has and he rarely if ever complains...:)

I am sure there is more to report, but I got up at 5am to swim a mile in Morse and I am feeling sleepy!

Another full brick day!

This past Sunday I did another brick workout. It went really well:) I met with some friends who have all known each other for a long time and they nicely have taken me into their group to train for the Muncie half ironman. They all have nicknames for each other and now I have one. "Park Tudor" is my new nickname. Anyway, the weather was supposed to be hot with a chance of storms in the afternoon. But as we drove to the swim spot a storm was fast approaching...so we waited out a storm before getting into the water. The water was COLD!! the dock thermometer read 48 degrees, so we were thankful for our wetsuits. We swam a mile and I swam it in about 35 minutes which I was happy with:) As we finished the swim another storm rolled in. The owners of the house (which is a gorgeous house right on Geist) gave us all a shot of whiskey!! Ha!

We yanked off our wetsuits and loaded up on our bikes for a 43 mile ride! It went very well too. There was some lightening and thunder but it moved away from us, thankfully! I stuck with the other two women and we had a good ride together. Again I fueled my body the whole time with powerbar gels (chocolate) and a cliff bar as well as ironman perform. We finished the ride and one other person and I did a 4 mile run. I was good on the run but it was hot!

Again I know I did a good job fueling my body but I am scared for the run part of the race. It's going to be all mental for me at that point because chances are its going to be really really hot so I just have to make sure to fuel well while on the bike and take the run slow and steady. The race is quickly approaching which scares the crap out of me!! In about 6 weeks the race will be upon me. In three weeks we actually start tapering which is crazy to me but I have been following this program religiously and from what people have told me it's really important to taper for this type of race. This week and next week are still pretty intense in the training including at least 2 more bricks and a few long runs!

Stay tuned...

First open water swim of the season and a new wetsuit!

I got a new wetsuit (for Mother's Day) HA! Most people wouldn't be excited about that, but I was! I researched and talked to friends and ended up getting a really good deal on a sleeveless wetsuit. When I first tried it in our living room it was so tight around my neck and so uncomfortable I thought I would rip the thing off right away. I was able to pull it off but barely. Fast forward to Sunday morning. It was raining---of course! Every Sunday it rains which is the only day I have to do a long workout since I work on Saturday's. And I swear every Saturday is nice!

Anyway, it was raining and supposed to rain all day and only about 50 degrees but I had this whole thing planned out. An open water swim, a 35 mile bike, and a run after that. So luckily I have some friends who are just as nuts as me and stuck it out rain and all. My wetsuit was awesome. In the water it felt perfect. I swam about a mile and felt great. It was quiet and peaceful. I am finding more and more how much I like swimmming...even in the rain and cold and in the open water.

We got out of the water and changed for the bike. I was freezing. I biked to meet the others and got very wet and muddy, but warmer! Then we biked about 35 miles while it was raining the whole time. I didn't love riding in the rain, but I am glad I did it. Then we ran three miles. I fueled a lot and felt good the whole time. My body needs a lot of liquid and solids while I work out to keep feeling good. I had breakfast, then a gel after the swim, a clif bar on the bike ride, tons of water and Ironman Perform while riding, and another gel before the run!

I will be doing more full bricks since this race is creeping up very quickly, like 7 weeks away! YIKES!

"Mini" disaster

Oh I am so clever with this title! I ran the Indianapolis Mini Marathon on Saturday--or least attempted to. It was a last minute decision which I usually never do...I am a planner and don't like to do things last minute but I totally thought this would be fine.

Anyway Saturday morning got up, ate, drank, started the race. It was cool and cloudy so nice running weather. I ran the first 7 miles no problem. Then I got to about the 8th mile and started to feel a little dizzy and weird. So, I walked through a water station to see if that would help but I almost fell down. So I went over to the medical people nearby and basically fell on them. They took my blood pressure and it was really high. So, I sat down and took deep breaths and tried to relax. I felt better once I sat down and chilled out. They took my blood pressure again and it had gone down but not to where it should be. I felt ok and was told that it would be over 2 hours before the medical bus would get me back to the finish line. So, I started walking and then started running just to get done! I finished in 2:35 minutes which was about 30 minutes slower then I wanted to be, but at least I had finished.

I was really upset over what had happened and felt like I shouldn't be training for this half ironman...I was a sobbing mess. So the next day I felt better about everything and went on a planned bike ride with a friend and it was really nice. Perfect weather, no traffic, chatted the whole time. Very refreshing!

I feel good physically but it was pretty scary to feel that way while running and knowing how much work I have put into this training so far and how much is still to come I was freaking out. I am going to the doctor later this week to make sure there isn't a serious concern with my health, but in the meantime I am continuing my training.

So, hopefully it was just dehydration and the fact that I was probably running too fast made my body react like that. I am trying to pay close attention to my body and its needs, but as I joked to a friend apparently I need an IV with fluids and food directly into my body to feel good!!

Trucking Along...

Whew, this half Ironman thing is no joke. Who's idea was this anyway? HA! I have been a little tired as the workouts have increased. I often wake up at 4:30am to work out for 2 or 2.5 hours before anyone in my house is even awake. And so some days I am really tired by 6pm! I am trying to make sure I go to bed early enough and that I don't do every single morning super early because I often don't get to sit down again until 1pm when Maggie takes a nap. And even then there are other things to do be done....the never ending pile of sweaty laundry I am creating with all of these workouts, food to be purchased because I am eating everything in sight, and of course normal household stuff!

I have met more people doing this race and some of them are mom's like me and we are going to bike outside tomorrow (the first fore casted sunny day in ages) while the kids are at preschool. YAY! I am excited to get outside on a weekday for a workout:) It has rained and rained this spring which means I have been inside on the spin bike a lot and running outside in the rain.

I have about 10 weeks to go for the race and while that seems like a lot I don't feel like I will ever be ready for it! When I think about the race I get very nervous wondering if I will be able to do it and I really hope I am not last! I just don't want to be last!!! I have a race plan for my nutrition and for my times so I am going to practice that with my long workouts in the next weeks.

Overall I feel good about this training and it just recently I have felt more tired then usual but I am going to make sure to get enough sleep even if that means I don't work out until late in the day once in a while which is hard for me to do...I like to have a big dinner with a glass of wine, not work out in the evening!

And the last piece of news I have to share is that I am going to be a spinning instructor at the YMCA starting in the month of June!

8 weeks down!

I am almost half way through my training! 12 weeks to go, which seems like a lot, but the first 8 went pretty fast for the most part. The weather has been warmer which has made it possible to get outside on my bike more and more. Yesterday it was almost 85 degrees here which is really hot for April. I did a 40 mile ride with a bunch of people from the YMCA and then we ran 3 miles after. I tanked on the run because of the heat and maybe because I didn't eat enough while on the bike. I drank a lot on the bike both water and "Ironman Perform" which is like gatorade but formulated for endurance and its also going to be offered during my half-Ironman. Anyway I probably should have eaten a bar during the bike...I did eat some energy chews before the run but I struggled through for sure.

I have found a bunch of people training for various of events and its been nice to have people to go on bike rides with and run with. I am finding that my strength might be the swim, which is weird I always thought it would be the run. I KNOW it won't be the bike. I don't love biking and am not in my comfort zone on a bike. I am loving the swim training and the running (for the most part). Last week I ran with a friend at the Y and I had eaten a bunch of dried fruit before running and ended up throwing up while we were running. She is a dietitian though and was totally un-fazed and even asked me to run with her next week! HA! We can leave our kids in the YMCA childcare and as long as we carry our phones we can run outside with a group that meets MWF 9:15am. Some of the moms who run in the group are running the Boston Marathon in a couple weeks!

Anyway, overall training is going well and thanks to the support from my hubby Paul who often ends up with the kids all morning or all afternoon on Sunday while I do a long workout, I am feeling good!

A bump in the road...

Things with my training have been going great! I was following my training program (I am more then a little regimented) and feeling really good. Anyway, last Thursday I rode 22 miles outside for the first time this season. I felt fine during the ride, despite a fall (while stopped) and a bloody knee it was a good day. Then I ran 40 minutes Friday morning and by Friday afternoon my left heel had a hot spot and was swollen and tender. I thought maybe my bike shoes might have rubbed my foot the wrong way since it was the first time I had worn them outside, who knows. I worked at Pearson Ford Saturday (limping a bit) then biked Sunday about 20 miles outside again and it felt fine while I was riding but was even more swollen after wards. I SHOULD have taken Monday off, but I didn't. I swam and then covered the blister and did a spin class at the Y. By the time I finished and got home the blister was HUGE and filled with blood---gross! I could barely walk. I performed minor surgery to drain it and then kept it clean and covered. Tuesday it was much worse! So, I only swam Tuesday because I couldn't even put a shoe on. Then I went to the doctor and found out the spot was infected and if I hadn't come in it probably would have gotten into the bone! YIKES! I am on oral antibiotics and a topical antibiotic cream.

So, I am going to have to treat this week as a "recovery" week and take it easy and only swim, which is nice that I can still swim, but frustrating to me because I hate to miss my training! I am hoping by Sunday or Monday I will be able to run or bike. I just really hope it doesn't come back.

Anyway, that's the latest in the training. It's a bummer for sure, but a minor setback and sometimes these things happen:)

Cruising along...

I am moving right along on this training program and I feel great! I am a little nervous though because next week starts the base building, which means the workouts are going to increase in time and intensity. I always thought I was in good shape and now I am realizing that this is going to take me to a whole new level. Today when I looked at the training program and saw I needed to do a 60 minute run I was relieved, because that seemed easy and doable! HA! So, I ran 60 minutes on the treadmill because it was pouring rain outside. I ran a little over 6 miles and then had to immediately take Maggie to music class and to a doctor appointment so I didn't stretch or have a snack...by noon when we got home I was starving! I am eating a lot these days in order to fuel my workouts and not lose any weight. I have actually gained a couple pounds which was my goal!

I have yo-pi tonight which forces me to stretch and work on my core which makes me feel better with my other workouts. Its 45 min of power yoga and 30 min of pilates. I have been taking it since Maggie was a couple months old and I love it!

Thanks to some birthday money from my in-laws I bought myself a new suit from Athleta for working out and its great. I am doing my swim workouts with flip turns now and it allows me to get in the zone and tune out a little which makes the workouts go quickly! I really do love to swim once I get in the water, I dread the workouts because I don't want to get wet and deal with showering and drying my hair afterwards!

So Sunday begins week 5 of the training program, so I will see how these increased time in workouts fits into our schedule. I might have to start doing an early morning workout to fit everything in---yawn!

Week Three

I am on week three of the 20 week training program! I love when I get to turn the page in the little binder Paul put together for me with my training program all printed out. Every Sunday I have been looking over the week and try to schedule my workouts to fit into our schedule, so I don't do the training program in the order its printed for that week For example I had 2 hours today, so I did Thursday's workout (which was a swim of 20x50 yards with a 300 yard warm up and a 200 yard cool down and a 45 minute bike ride) because Thursday Josie has tumbling and I don't usually have as much time. But I have been able to fit in every workout during the week, just on different days. So far so good. I am running faster, swimming more, and biking (indoors) a lot! I haven't felt fatigued at all yet. I think a combination of non-stop eating, drinking tons of water, and getting enough sleep is helping. The first four weeks of this program are called "prep" so once I get through those I have a feeling the hours will increase as well as the intensity. Working out six days a week means that I am constantly washing my workout clothes, repacking my workout bag, and running around looking like I just came from the gym (which I usually did).

I am looking forward to getting outside more, maybe as March goes on. I have run outside a lot, but haven't been biking outside because of the snow/rain/ice we keep getting!

Week One

I am almost done with week one of my 20 week training program. The first four weeks are basically the same because it is the "prep" period. The workouts have been doable and I have been doing them with no problems. The total workout time for this week is 7 hours, which doesn't seem like so much considering I will be doing many weeks of 9 and 10 hours a week of working out. Today was 40 minutes on the bike and then a "speed" workout in the pool which was a 400 yd warm up and then 8x100. I am not a big fan of speed workouts and it kicked my booty a little bit. I am fine swimming 800yds or even 1200, but I don't like going pushing my speed, but I know it helps improve your overall performance.

I am excited for the Spring weather which means soon enough I will be able to bike and run outside. I am going to recruit some of my spinning class friends to ride outside with me this spring. I am hoping to run outside tomorrow while Josie and Maggie are at school:)

I have met a few other people training for this race, so its nice to know I am not alone. One mom I met at the Y who is doing the same race as me has twin 6 year olds and a four year old and her husband is training for the race too--wow!

One week down and 19 to go! Hope I can keep this up. One thing is for sure this isn't for the faint hearted, its a big commitment, but one I know I can do and hope to look back on with pride.

Almost time to start...

my 20 week training program! I have been working out these past few weeks trying to up my endurance and get back in the swing of swimming, biking, and running. I have joined a swim team called the NASTI's (Noblesville Adult Swim Team of Indiana) and so far so good. Within thats swim team there is a Tri team called the TRI NASTI's. They swim at a high school a number of times a week and then on Sunday's as the weather gets better we will run or bike after the swim workout. The workouts are tough! The members are great swimmers and have been giving me some tips on my form to improve my speed which is much needed! Last Sunday I swam with the team (we swim for an hour all doing the same workout that someone prints out and puts at the top of each lane) and then I ran four miles outside with a couple of the TRI NASTI people...it was cold--probably about 20 degrees! I felt good though.

Anyway all the women on the team have gotten together to order Tri tops with the team logo on them, its fun to be around other people who are training for the same event as me or similar events. They don't think all my working is crazy---some of them work out way more then I do.

In a couple weeks my training program officially starts, which will be hard, but nice to have a specific workout schedule to follow. I know I won't be able to do every workout every time, but it will be nice to have a guide.

Running and Gear

I have been running a lot lately, because its my go-to exercise and its so easy to get out the door and run. Its been very cold though and snowy too, which makes it more challenging at times, but still feels very good when I am done. Friday I ran three miles with Luna (our 9 month old Husky) and it was snowing lightly and very pretty. Today I ran 6 miles. I layered and was warm enough and had a good run!

On to gear...Triathlons require some gear, some you can do without, and some is just fun to have! Paul and I are going to invest in a Garmin GPS/heart rate watch. We both run enough even when not training for an event that we will get a lot of use out of this. It will be cool to be able to train knowing my heart rate because I don't want to be anaerobic and I don't want to go too easy either. I am excited to get it and start using it. My aunt Jaquelin is a big biker and swimmer and runner and is going to let me borrow some gear including a helmet ( I have a helmet, but its pretty beat up and falling apart), some bike shorts, and some tri tops! YAY! I have a bike I bought from my neighbor and of course I have goggles, a cap, and suit.

First Swim of many...

I swam today for the first time in months. I like swimming, I don't know why I don't do it more for exercise. I think its the whole getting wet and cold and having to bring a change of clothes, etc every time. Anyway, the training program I am following is 18 weeks, but I have about 26 weeks until my race, so I am following the program, but not doing the whole amount yet. Today called for 45 min and 45 min run. I swam 40 min and ran 30. I need to figure out if I can split workouts into two times a day when I don't have the time to devote to one long workout. It felt great to swim again and I shared a lane with an Indy SwimFit coach (a group of swimmers you can join in Indy) and she said my stroke looked great and I was smooth in the water! It was nice to hear. Then I ran on the treadmill...slow...I should have eaten a banana before my swim or an energy bar because I was hungry during the run.

And all the people at the gym made it hard to get a treadmill...New Year's Resolutions are great and all, but for the people who work out all the time all year round---its annoying! I like the gym a little less crowded;)