Tri training

It's that time of year again!! I love triathlon season. I've had a strange start to it this year, but I'm looking forward to it. I went to my blog to check out my swim times and compare them to todays workout....and all I can say/think is...disappointing:-(!! I had a great swim workout, but my times were slightly slower from this time last year!

I'm not sure what my goals are for this 70.3 race, but I may need to consider signing up with an official training group. I really miss the "team" spirit and support from training friends and my coach!! I'm glad that I had to come to my blog for reference because I hadn't seen it in a while (now I wish that I would have documented more training data). I'm looking through old emails that I sent to Coach Amy since I had to report to her every Monday.

Maybe in a couple of weeks my swim times will be closer to where they were last year. I think I did start swimming in January opposed to just a couple of weeks ago. Oh well, overall, it was a great training day and the weather was beautiful. My "injury" even allowed me to run a little more comfortable.

Life is good!

Next Big Event!

I did the Nike Marathon....and really meant to post a small race report and blog a little bit about the wonderful experience....not really the marathon part (which wasn't bad) but the girl's weekend part...it was one of the best mini vacations.

Anyway, it's been a couple of weeks (maybe a month??) since Nike. The marathon went well. I didn't have any serious time goals. I didn't want it to take longer than my IM marathon and I wanted to run a faster last half. Finishing strong was my main goal. The first half was pretty slow, but worth taking it easy since we stopped to take some pictures. It was also nice to not stress out about time at that point since it was VERY crowded....and hilly!!! The last half was much better but a little miserable after mile 19!!! Overall, it was a lot of fun and I would love to do it again...we'll see.

We stayed in this great house in the Cole Valley. I'd love to spend some more time there...pretending to be a city dweller!!! Good times for sure.

Now I'm just having to refocus and get ready for the Austin Marathon! I'd like to PR at this race so I have to get serious, but enjoy the process as well. Robin is doing Rogue with me so it's fun to see her enjoy it so much. I'm not sure that I would be as excited if it weren't for Robin. My good friend, Bibiana, is moving. She's been my running buddy for years so I'm going miss her in many ways!! As much as I'd like to think that I'm more of a "serious" runner now....it's still very social for me. The perfect balance as far as I'm concerned.....I still find it fun and new. I hope I don't ever get to the point where I hate doing this stuff. I love my life....my family, friends and this is a huge part of it.

This weekend I'll be running the 1/2 at the Rock n Roll San Antonio Marathon. I'll be shooting to run it as fast as I can on that day...we'll see?? I've been recovering from Nike so I'm not sure if my legs (and mind) are ready to race a half, but it will be a good "time trial" to see where I am at this point. My main goal is a PR in Feb!!!!!

Back to Normal, then not, then back again...I think!

Wow! It's been a long time since I've blogged on here. It does make me feel better to write some thoughts down and perhaps share them with a few of you that read this:)!!

A lot has been going on since my last post. In late August I started training consistently for my marathon that is in 12 days. I'm tapering at the moment. I was able to get a few really long runs in and I thought I would only get one or WANT to do one, but I completed an 18, 20, and 22 mile run to help me finish this marathon. I guess finishing wasn't a big concern, but I wanted to prepare myself so I wouldn't end up injured and keep my motivation to train for the Austin Marathon which will be my "A" race for this running season. So far so good! The hiatus I took from training helped. It may have not helped physically, but mentally...I feel focused and fired up again. All is well in the training part of life.

The kids started school (that's probably why my training schedule improved) and that was nice, but always makes me a little sad. I'm getting old and don't adjust to change as well:). New year means new teachers (this year means REALLY NEW teachers...and whole other blog), new schedules and routines. It takes me a while to get used all of it and start feeling "normal" again, but by week 5....I was feeling "adjusted!" Then my mom needs to move in with us. WE all felt that this was the best option for her, but none of us (my mom and I) really want to be in this situation at this time of our lives. That probably sounds worse than it is, but I'd like to see my mom in a happier place in her life. Yes, she has good health, but mentally....she's not very happy and that can be difficult to deal with as well. As a mom, I have hopes and dreams for my children and as a daughter, I have those feelings for my mom as well....so it makes me feel a little sad to see her unhappy and often struggling. On a very positive side....I'm thankful that my children get to share more time with their grandmother. I didn't have a relationship with either of my grandmothers as a child. We visited them and they came to our house, but didn't spend a lot of time with them until I was an adult. I have a few special memories with my maternal grandmother and I cherish those moments. As an adult, my maternal grandmother and I became friends....a true blessing for me. I miss her everyday. I know...I'm digressing! I have to hang on to that positive thought for my own sanity:)....I love my mom and glad to have her in my life, but not 24/7:)!!!

Oh, and the "outdoor living room" (it's no longer called a patio) is (99%)complete!!

Life is good! I'm enjoying more time with family and friends. One of my good friends is moving. She and I run a lot together, most of the time we sign up for the same races, and our husbands and kids enjoy each other..... she will be missed in many areas of my life. The only positive thing about her move is that I can't wait to visit her in the East Coast:)!!

I (still) hope to get more organized with my weekly training totals so I'll try to post more often after the Nike Marathon with those training totals. I also got talked into "Facebook" which has been fun and really not as time consuming (and cheesy) as I thought:)!!

More Patio stuff......

It was nice to take a break over the weekend. I know we're not the ones doing the hard manual labor, but it's nice to have our back yard free of strangers. Tick and Toby don't like those strangers either and it's hard to not let them run free in their yard. Now we have to take them out to the front and/or walk them.....not what we or they are used to :)!!


Day 6:
It was a very busy day! They got so much done on Monday! I'm starting to relax more and trust the process. David is out of town so that is when I decided to start blogging about our project. It really has kept me busy with some fun searches for outdoor fireplace designs, furniture, and grills (I know that is David's thing, but I am the self assigned project manager). Marty, the paid project manager is actually very good at his job and has wonderful customer service skills so we are in great hands. He also has some expensive taste so it's not good to talk to him too often. The concrete slab will stay the same for a while until we figure out if we want flagstone (and save the money for it) or maybe stain it. I thought I would hate the way it looks, but I can totally look past the unfinished flooring.



Day 7:

Wow, I love it already! The roof is what looks different today. The shingles are on and now it looks like this extension has been here the whole time. We are expecting some rain and we need it, but I hope it doesn't slow our process too much.

Our new addition and my latest obsession!

We are extending our patio-actually not much of a patio existed, but it's an extension to say the least. I've been trying to keep up with my running, but not a whole lot of biking nor swimming. Our patio project has helped with my PIB...a new focus for me. It has been a little stressful, but very exciting. I didn't like seeing my house look so vulnerable and exposed when they were ripping out a small part of our roof.

I'll go back and start with Day 1:

It looked a little small so we told the contracters that we'd like to add an extra foot....no problem and besides bigger is better when it comes to patios in Texas :)! David thought they were so nice to just let us add to this and was not happy to hear the the extra foot of concrete would cost us extra. I'm not sure why he thought this would be free??!!

Day 2:

Nothing too exciting, but of course, I was nervous and thought it looked sort of weird and that it would not blend with the house! This part took all day and it seemed like a lot of work for those men on a very HOT day!

Day 3:

Day 4:

We had to go shop for our grill, fridge, and sink so we could give the contractor the dimensions. I had fun looking at all the cool outdoor stuff and David was a little overwhelmed and is not too happy at the thought of spending money :)! Next day is Friday so they won't work over the weekend. I was hoping they would make some progress. The slab of concrete was not very cute and looked very out of place with the house. I'm nervous and making changes to the placement of the fireplace. David and I did enjoy an evening out with friends. We watched The Dark Knight at the Alamo and it was just what David needed. I haven't seen him this stressed in a long time.

Day 5:

They were busy, busy, busy on this day. I do not like this picture and very worried that we are making a huge mistake. To me, it just sticks out like a sore thumb. I can't even picture it looking good at this point. Also, from inside my living room it looked too big.

A long run in the morning was just what I needed. I ran 10 miles and it didn't feel great, but it felt great to meet with a group and get it done! I can hardly wait for Monday!!!!

It's August!!!

I have my first long run planned for tomorrow morning!!! Thank goodness Rebecca called to tell me she would pick my a@* up in the morning (around 6:00am). I may have talked myself into having some wine tonight and enjoy breakfast with the family in the morning.

I'm actually looking forward to it and I know how wonderful I'll feel about getting my long run out of the way. Just a long run planned sounds so nice with no long bike ride and no recovery swim...actually a recovery swim sounds like a good idea . I might plan on taking the kids to LTF and I'll swim for a little while.

My left arch has been hurting a little bit. I still haven't had my post IM massage...something else that I need to work on. I'd also like to start my ST and core work a couple times a week starting next Tuesday. I also need to log my workouts at least weekly...if not daily....just to keep me honest until I decide to start paying someone to coach me. For now, I'm going to do long runs with Donnie at Runtex and follow the generic training schedule provided by Nike. I actually like the way it looks and matches a lot of what I was doing before. It has a few cross training days so I'll try to bike and/or swim for those workouts.

I feel better already!!!

So What is an Ironmom?

There’s an article in the back of this month’s USA Triathlon Life magazine called, “Ironmoms: Celebrating Motherhood through Triathlon” by Whitney Roosa. I know that my screen name was not very creative or anything, but I still feel like it was stolen:)!! I should have been more original….it was just too catchy.


Anyway, I liked this part of the article that read as follows:

So what is an Ironmom?
“An Ironmom is a mom of any age who has unlocked great physical and spiritual treasures gained by training for and competing in endurance events. She has tapped into her inner-girl. She relishes the achievement of crossing the finish line. She stretches her boundaries by seeking greater challenges. She doesn’t glisten. She sweats-in fashionable performance wear. She is busy managing her family and household, but has finally made herself a priority. She carves out time each week to train and craves the rush of the endorphins. She is a model of health and physical fitness for her children. She cherishes the solitude of an early morning run, the weightlessness of the swim, and the rhythmic pulse of the ride. This woman, this Ironmom, DOES NOT view life from the sidelines. And her family is all the better for it.”

The article is more about some company that sells fitness apparel, but I like this definition of an Ironmom. It was also good for me to run across this to validate my “why I train” reasons. For the past couple of weeks I've been trying to figure out where my training will go next? Ultimately, I do know that I have a good thing going with triathlon and running in my life and I think my family thinks so too!

It’s Friday so have a great weekend!