More Progress and a Nice Break

I had a fairly good week from a consistency standpoint but still couldn't hit 100%. The nagging stomach issue I acquired last week has hung on with a vengeance and caused weakness, dehydration and exhaustion, which continuing heat and steadily increasing training load just added to. But overall it was a very good week with a solid medium run Monday, long run Wednesday and really nice ride on Long Island Thursday. I was feeling pretty beat up from the running and the tiredness lingered, but I had to prepare for Friday, my biggest day of the week.

I had a plan to drive up to Westchester County to ride 100 miles on the Toughman Half Iron course. I packed everything up on Thursday and set the alarm for 4:15, just 5.5 hours after my head hit the pillow. I got up, drank as much coffee as possible and did my final packing. It was raining lightly but the forecast called for it to clear so I wasn't too concerned... that is until I went to load up the car and a monsoon rolled in. I got soaked packing the car and prayed it would stop on the drive. An hour and a half later it had lightened up but showed no signs of stopping so I clipped in and headed out. Light rain and mist continued for about 3 hours but it kept the temperature down and the overcast sky was a dream. I was actually chilly at times. I was still sleepy and pretty exhausted and wondered if I'd make it two loops, but then miraculously felt better after about 4 hours. I ended up doing 106.7 miles and climbing just over 6,000 feet. It was my first long ride on the tri bike (and in tri shorts... ouch) this season and I couldn't have felt better.


I'm riding a lot slower this year and just have to accept that. I was out crushing myself with the peloton two days a week last year and was pushing a lot harder overall. I'm riding a ton and really enjoying it, but it hasn't been the hammerfest that 2010 was and my numbers show it. C'est la vie. I'm happy on my bike and that's all I can ask for.

I took a little break on Saturday and traded spandex for an evening gown to attend a wedding with Mark. It was a classic New York City afternoon: ceremony at St. Patrick's Cathedral, champagne at 21 Club and a Park Avenue reception with dancing, fun and friends. The perfect Saturday night.


Saturday's festivities led to a very leisurely Sunday morning with a 10:15 wake-up. Yes folks, 10:15. Usually by that hour I've logged two workouts and am heading back to bed! It was fairly amazing and so desperately needed. We did a 2-hour ride in the early afternoon and I headed to the pool for the first time in 3 weeks and swam an hour continuous. This, my friends, is the best money I have EVER spent.


This fully waterproof iPod Shuffle made a 3,000 yard continuous swim feel like nothing. I felt like I was in my own little universe and for the first time ever, wasn't bored out of my mind.

I have another big week ahead, but a step-down on the bike so I should feel a little fresher. I also have a major decision in the works and I'll share that in the coming days.

Killer Heat

It's hot outside. Scorching, boiling, miserable hot. It got into the upper 90s yesterday but didn't break the milestone 100 mark until today around noon. This meant bad luck for me for two reasons: (1) I had an 11-mile run on the schedule, and (2) I got some sort of food poisoning/stomach virus this week which is oh so fun in the heat. My plan was to be up at 4 and out the door by 5, but the stomach and general cruelness of the week didn't allow for that so instead I was up at 5:30 and didn't make it out the door until 7:30. It was already oppressively hot.


I took it super easy and was still reduced to a pool of sweat. I could feel the heat radiating off me. I drank 20 ounces of Cytomax, 8 ounces of ice water during my fluids refill stop, then 20 more ounces of water. I weighed myself before and after and was down 4 pounds. I did pretty well until about mile 9 where I had to stop and sit in the shade for a minute before powering through the final 2 miles. When I got inside, this was on weather.com.


I stopped at a deli, bought 10 pounds of ice and retreated to the air conditioning. An ice bath has never felt better.


After a 2-hour nap and tons of fluids I feel pretty good, albeit still sleepy. It's so hot out there that my apartment is 80 degrees even with the AC on high and set at 68. I'm really looking forward to the sun going down, but for now this is what New Yorkers are dealing with.

Let's Get This Party Started... Again

Three months ago I enthusiastically posted about my return to Ironman training, which was started slightly later than usual due to my spring marathon and late-season second Ironman.

April was relatively consistent aside from a couple business trips and conflicts - two days without training while in Colorado for an Olympics meeting, a rest day after riding the IMLP loop and a day trip to Cincinnati that turned into two days due to a weather cancellation. Otherwise I hit just about everything on the calendar. I was feeling good.

May wasn't as consistent, but had some high points. I had seven training-free days: a few 14+ hour work days, another business trip and some planned rest days. But the high points included riding the Gran Fondo New York, riding the IMWI course after a wedding in Madison (albeit with a teeny tiny hangover) and a day of rock climbing in the Shawangunks. All in all a good month with solid effort.

Then the wheels came off in June. I knew going in it would be a difficult month, but I'm not sure I fully realized just how difficult it would be. It started with my first race of the season (swear to god, the report is coming!), followed by some decent training volume and my Horribly Hilly Hundreds ride, then fizzled away after traveling to Greece and getting sick. The two-week lapse had me feeling pretty discouraged and made me question my ability to race.

So where does this leave me? Three months into training I'm definitely not where I want to be or need to be. Lack of consistency is my biggest issue - it doesn't allow proper recovery, it leads to tightness and stiffness in just about every part of your body, it screws up your sleep patterns and leads to weight gain or inability to lose weight. Stress is my other issue. We put our bodies through an immense amount of physical stress, then I have life stress layered on top of that essentially turning me into a cortisol factory. It's not healthy and very difficult to manage.

Despite all that I've been talked off the "I can't do IMWI ledge" and feel back on track. I used vacation to ease in and stuck to my schedule pretty religiously this week aside from swimming. I had a mole removed Tuesday during my bi-annual skin cancer screening and that means 10 pool-free days. You know I don't mind that! I've been tired and struggling to roll out of bed at 4:45 or 5 every day, but it's getting easier and will keep getting easier.

I had a great weekend of training including a 9-mile run Friday that finally felt good and was close to my former long run pace range. Then yesterday I drove up to Harriman State Park and did a 60-mile ride with more than 5,415 feet of climbing, including two times to the top of Bear Mountain. This ended with a 30-minute run and my legs officially hate me. Today will either be rest or a short recovery ride, then back at it next week.

My Crazy June

I'm having a hard time believing it's not only July, but nearly halfway through it. A lot of bloggers posted a half-year summary and I thought about doing the same, but at the pace I'm moving these days I'd be lucky to get it up before November. So instead I'm reflecting on June, the month that passed by in a flash and left me utterly exhausted, but included some really incredible experiences:

• Traveled more in one month than ever before
• Did my first tri of the year
• Celebrated my birthday three times
• Joined friends in Wisconsin for a ride
• Left the country
• Got tear gassed
• Departed for vacation (well technically I departed in July...)

June 3-6 - San Francisco/Escape From Alcatraz

Race finish... I promise someday the report will be posted

June 10 and 11 - My first two birthday celebrations!

Beer garden before birthday dinner June 10


Birthday dinner June 11

June 17-20 - Wisconsin/Horribly Hilly Hundreds/third birthday celebration

With Laura at HHH, first rest stop before the real misery


With my nephew for birthday celebration #3

June 23-29 - Athens, Greece (and the tear gassing)

With colleagues and bloggers at the Parthenon

My volume suffered terribly and I was essentially a shell of myself by the time I left for vacation, but I used the week off to get re-energized and prepared for the big volume July will bring. I'm a little concerned about how undertrained I'll be for Ironman Wisconsin, but I've done it under far worse circumstances so I'm sure I'll be ok. I'm not aiming for a PR and will be racing with my friends from IMWI 2009 so it will be great regardless. For now I'm just hoping July remains as tranquil as it began... a girl can dream, right?

Cape Coddin' It

Just two days after returning from Greece I left on another trip, but this one was for pleasure. I've spent the past week in Provincetown at the very tip of Cape Cod, by far one of my favorite places on Earth. All of the Cape is lovely, but there is something really special about the outer Cape that I've loved since the first time I came here in the Summer of 1998. I was joined by my family and we have a little condo at the end of a pier where the water is beneath us during high tide. To swim, I simply walk down a set of stairs and voila - open water heaven.


As you can imagine, a beach vacation at the outermost tip of the Cape involves eating a lot of seafood.


Going to the beach.


Relaxing on the deck.


And lucky for me, it also involves beautiful biking along dunes, salt marshes and the ocean. I've done two rides so far - a 42-mile out-and-back from Provincetown to Wellfleet and a 72-mile ride to Wellfleet and then to Dennis and back on the Cape Cod Rail Trail, a 22-mile paved path for cyclists, walkers and runners.


That ride ended with the perfect recovery meal.


I had a ride planned this morning but woke up to rain. It doesn't look like it will clear so my biking may be done here, but at least I got in the miles I did. After a two-week bike hiatus it felt good to be back in the saddle (well, actually the saddle part didn't feel so good but you get my point...) and should make it easier to dive back into the training when I get home.

My Big Fat Greek Trip

While you may have suspected I quit the sport of triathlon, moved to the North Pole or gave up my computer, I've actually been traveling like a maniac this entire month and my latest adventure was in Athens, Greece. I was there on business for the Special Olympics World Games and had some time to get out and explore as well. It was a tumultuous time to be in Athens given the civil unrest and protests, but also a very historical one. I had the opportunity to experience everything from this:

Parthenon

To this:

Riots Near Syntagma Square

My favorite part of Athens was the old neighborhood called The Plaka, just on the other side of the protests in Syntagma Square and creeping up the hill to the Acropolis. I wandered for hours, had lunch that lasted for hours and saw some incredible ancient ruins. The Acropolis is clearly the crown jewel of Athens sightseeing, with the Parthenon as the star. How often can you stroll past monuments built 2,500 years ago? And the views from Acropolis hill are breathtaking.

But just below it there is another area of ruins called the Ancient Agora, the former Roman center of the city containing the remains of temples and commercial structures. Everywhere you go there are dogs wandering around. They don't belong to anyone but aren't wild per se. They pretty much ignore you and go about their business. This was my favorite part of the Agora:

Temple of Hephaestus

And now for the best part... the food. You know that Mediterranean diet they talk about that's so healthy? Yeah, not in Athens. My favorite things were of course the heaviest, fattiest of all - garlicky tzatziki (a sheep's milk yogurt dip) with pita, saganaki (fried cheese... yes, fried), moussaka (a sort of eggplant lasagna-type dish) and Greek salad, which never had any greens but was loaded with cucumber and tomato in olive oil and a huge block of feta thrown on top. On the lighter side I ate tons of grilled octopus and the occasional squid. But I generally topped it off with baklava, or some other flaky, honey-drenched pastry. The wine was delicious and I gravitated toward minerally whites that tasted like the sea.

Moussaka


Grilled Octopus


Best Lunch Ever

My final two days were in the midst of the national transportation strike due to the austerity vote taking place in Parliament. I unfortunately got caught up in a riot while walking back to my hotel and the police shot tear gas into the crowd. I can honestly say it was one of the most unpleasant experiences I've had. It was jarring, uncomfortable and most of all, made me feel incredibly empathetic for the people living through this disruptive time. I don't think protests and riots are the answer, but I also don't know what it's like to feel helpless and concerned about a stable future. It was a reminder that our lives are pretty good here and our complaints seem petty in the face of the challenges of others.

I had a 16-hour trip home due to the strike, but I made it. Even without the delays the flight is so long (10.5 hours) I watched three movies, ate two meals and still had time to kill. I was happy to be back and am still trying to shake the jet lag.

On the training front things have come to a screeching halt. I had planned to run daily in Athens and managed to make it out the first day, but the head cold I left with swiftly turned into a chest cold and I spent the week with a deep, nasty cough that would not allow any running to happen. I'm still recovering and am planning to ease back in and pick up where I left off. I could let it bother me, but I won't. At this point in my tri life I know I can bounce back and I'm positive I will.

The Little Things

I've been so busy and so exhausted lately that it's been hard to take a pause and enjoy life. My training isn't where it needs to be, but sometimes a little breather is just what the doctor ordered. I arrived in Madison Friday morning and had a leisurely breakfast with my dad, just the two of us, then picked up my rental bike for Horribly Hilly. I had planned to run and when I went to unpack my gear, I realized I didn't bring running shorts. Shoot. The last thing I needed was a great excuse to skip it.

I ended up going to the carwash with my dad where we got to sit and chat some more. Then took my mom for a pedicure while I got a manicure. It was now late afternoon and I figured I'd buy some run shorts so I could at least consider running at some point over the weekend, and ended up buying a bunch of dresses as well. I can't remember the last time I shopped with my mom.

By the time we got home we had time for a quick beer (Spotted Cow!) and had a little birthday celebration with my brother and nephew.

My nephew, Maddox

My brother has a great sense of humor and got me the perfect gift.

The original redneck wine glass

Shortly after we were off to dinner at Lombardino's, the same place I ate the night before my last Ironman Wisconsin. I love this place and will try to eat here again pre-race. Following dinner we drove to Mount Horeb to meet up with my friends Laura and Chris at the Grumpy Troll. We all did IMWI together in '09 and Chris did IMLP with me last year. We rode HHH together in '09 and were getting ready to do it again. I love spending time with them, it is always fun.

Outside Grumpy Troll after a few pre-race libations

So while my training took a pause, my life did not. And that was something I needed far more. It was definitely the beginning of a really incredible weekend.

Next up, the Horribly Hilly Hundreds 2011 report. Or perhaps I'll stop procrastinating and post Alcatraz first. We shall see.

Number 6: Mont-Tremblant

Today I signed up for my sixth Ironman, the inaugural Ironman Mont-Tremblant in Quebec, Canada. Fellow blogger Kevin did such a beautiful job explaining it in this post so I won't even try to compare.

You may be wondering, why sign up for another when I have two still to come this year? The answer is simple: because I can. I'm going through a really difficult time with my schedule right now. Work is very intense, the hours long, and I'm so run down I feel I'm either missing my training or sleepwalking through it. This morning was the latest manifestation. After a battle with midnight insomnia I finally fell asleep around 1am and when the alarm went off at 5 for a 12 mile run I finally accepted I couldn't do it. I was so tired it hurt and the thought of pushing my body through that exhaustion raised enough of a red flag for me to stop.

I've done three Ironmans now and if I've learned anything it's that I can weather the storms and will come out just fine in the end. I won't let missed workouts or life overload drag me down. I can't. I got into this crazy sport to prove to myself I can do anything if I'm willing to try and somewhere along the way I fell in love with the distance and the lifestyle. So when IMMT became a possibility, right in the midst of the busiest I've been in a long time, I embraced it. Life is too short to do otherwise.

I'm already looking forward to it and with the incredible group of people racing (see Kevin's post), it's sure to be a really fun experience.

A Birthday and Anniversary

Today was a very special day. Thirty-six years ago my mom and dad were getting ready for a nice anniversary dinner when my mom unexpectedly went into labor. Instead of enjoying the special meal, they were at the hospital having me. Today was not only my birthday, but also their 40th anniversary and I've never seen two people love each other more. Happy Anniversary mom and dad and thank you for everything you've done for me. I wouldn't be who I am today without you.


I've never been a big birthday person in the party sense, but I like to do something special. Last year I raced Eagleman 70.3 and this year I told myself Alcatraz and the trip to San Fran was my gift to myself. But the weekend rolled around and I needed to at least acknowledge my actual day of birth. So I kicked it off Friday with a long overdue night out with a dear friend, starting at a new rooftop beer garden in gorgeous weather and ending with a phenomenal dinner sitting outside in sundresses enjoying the warmth.


Saturday was blissfully lazy. My ride was rained out so we went for brunch instead. There were naps, time spent downloading race pictures from last week, time spent relaxing and just catching up. I got a pedicure and had a glass of wine and before I knew it we had to get ready for dinner.

Mark was taking me to a restaurant I've always considered one of the best in New York, Mas in the West Village. We had a perfect table and the perfect bottle of champagne and while browsing the menu they suggested we just let the chef cook for us and they would take care of everything. Sold. We love to eat this way whenever possible. The meal was outstanding and the experience just perfect.


Today, my actual birthday, started with lazy morning coffee at my favorite cafe followed by muffins in the park. Since the rain held off we went for a short ride to justify the muffins, logging 25 easy birthday miles. After a little rest I headed out for my birthday eve adventure - rock climbing at Brooklyn Boulders. After my experience climbing outdoors I was nervous, but it would turn out to be much more doable. I took a class and was climbing within an hour. We had such a great time, it was one of the most memorable birthday gifts I've ever received.

While this week was a bust for training, I took the opportunity to slow down, rest, catch up and enjoy my life. I'm only in town a few more days this month and wanted them to be normal, stress-free days.

I also decided to do the inaugural Ironman Mont-Tremblant in 2012 and booked my lodging today! This means I have to push Comrades to another year, but I'm ok with that. This plans feels exactly right for my year.

I have a long Alcratraz race report in draft that I'll share this week. The quick summary - it was amazing. More to come!

What Doesn't Kill You...

Wow, it's been a long time friends and all I can say is it's been a blur. This has been the busiest spring ever and summer doesn't look to be much better. There have been ups and downs, good and bad, and rather than try to fill in all the blanks, I thought I'd share some highlights and start with a clean slate. Here we go...

Week of May 9

Right after my last post, I left for a business trip in Chicago followed by a weekend in Wisconsin. The departure was stressful - my cat Otis got sick again Sunday night and Monday was spent scrambling to the vet and back and barely making my flight. All was well with the kitty and I made it to the Windy City unscathed where I ran every day along the lakefront to keep my training levels up and enjoy one of my favorite cities.

"The bean" in Millennium Park

I also got to go to a Cubs game, but not in the actual park. Instead we went to the Brixen Ivy Rooftops, one of the many buildings around the park that make up the Wrigley Rooftops. It was a really fun experience.


Next up was Madison, home of the Ironman, my family, many friends and lots of good eating and drinking. I managed to fit in all during a long weekend. I was in town for a friend's wedding and decided to rent a bike for a little IMMOO course preview and grab some quality time with the family as well. It was an incredibly fun weekend even if our course ride was in 30mph headwind with 50mph gusts and a wee bit of a hangover.

Out of wine... probably a good thing

Week of May 16

Busy. Just busy. I blame work. I felt drained every day and put in long hours that made training difficult. I slogged through and only missed one workout, but I felt like I'd been put through the ringer. So of course while overwhelmed and exhausted, I decided to add another trip and challenge to my schedule - Horribly Hilly Hundreds! I bought a transfer and am doing it on a rental bike. I'm such a badass. We'll see if I tip over, implode or just pass out.

The weekend rolled around and I was out for a beautiful ride on Saturday with friends. Forty-five miles into the ride and 28 miles from the George Washington Bridge my shifter snapped off my bike. Yep, snapped right off... while I was in the hardest possible gear. It took six people, a tiny screwdriver and a little MacGyvering to get me back on the road in a rideable gear, but I only had that one gear. Twenty-eight hilly miles on a Cervelo fixie is an interesting experience to say the least. But the tragedy was my bike being out of commission and my other bike sitting covered in dust with a flat tire.

I dropped off the dead bike, got the tri bike fixed and waited. They wanted to see if SRAM would cover it under warranty, no one had ever seen a mechanical failure quite like it. Lucky me. My tri bike had to be dropped off by noon Wednesday for shipping to Alcatraz so I rode it every possible moment I could in case I'd be bikeless for a week or more. I logged over 100 miles in just three days and with the broken bike ride I had six consecutive days in the saddle:

Friday - 15.33 miles
Saturday - 72.29 miles
Sunday - 20.39 miles
Monday - 24.06 miles
Tuesday - 23.86 miles
Wednesday - 52.8 miles

That's what I call time in the saddle. I loved it.

Week of May 23

I did the biking above, shipped my bike for Alcatraz and hosted a wine tasting benefit to raise money for Team Cindy. I'm about $150 shy of goal now and really proud of what I've accomplished. On Wednesday I booked a rock climbing day trip figuring if I didn't have a bike, I might as well try a new challenge. There will be a second post all about that because it was too incredible to squeeze into this paragraph, but it's fair to say it was one of the coolest (and scariest) things I've ever done. I am hurting all over in muscles I didn't even know I had.

My first climbing attempt, Shawangunk Ridge in New Paltz

Rapelling - so much easier than climbing!

My bike was fixed as of Friday night and SRAM covered all under warranty. Things were looking up. Then I woke up this morning to a thunderstorm, went back to bed and decided to just ride in Prospect Park. I had 80 miles on tap and figured I'd get in 40 if I was lucky. I was having an ok ride until Mile 28 when some jerk ran me off the road. First crash of the season and my ride cut abruptly short. I'm now icing my legs and slathering Arnica all over my aching body. This isn't exactly how I envisioned I'd be just six days from my first race of the season. It will be interesting to see how I feel on Sunday.

Road rash and street dirt. Good times.

And finally...

I'm traveling what feels like nonstop in June so my bike mileage will suffer and I'm likely to be pretty run down. I'm going to do my best to stay healthy, consistent and keep a positive attitude. I'll be in San Francisco for Escape from Alcatraz in one week, Wisconsin for Horribly Hilly Hundreds in a few weeks, and Athens, Greece at the end of the month for work. After that I'm off to the Cape for a much-needed vacation with my family. Summer has arrived.

Endorphins Cure All

Nothing wipes away a rough week faster than a weekend on the bike. The sleep catch-up started on Friday and continued into Saturday. The sleep deprivation began again on Sunday, but for a good cause. On a bit of a whim, I signed up for the inaugural Gran Fondo New York, but since my longest ride thus far has been 45 miles, I did the sane thing and opted for the Medio course, a 65 mile ride on some pretty aggressive hills. I met up with a friend and was feeling rather smug as I clipped along in a paceline with thousands of other cyclists. But about 25 miles in, which was 40 miles with my commute from Brooklyn, I started to fade. I continued to enjoy it, however, and realized how much I've missed being on my bike. After 83.12 miles I reached the end.

I've been beat all day, but beat in a good way. The exhaustion from training is different than the exhaustion from stress, it's almost refreshing. A meal, a nap, a snack, a pedi with leg massage and another meal later I feel pretty incredible and am sure I'll sleep well tonight.

With a couple missed workouts and a couple detours, how did my week turn out?

The Numbers:

• Swim - 2,650 yards, 51:44 (I know, Alcatraz is just around the corner...)
  
• Bike - 141.35 miles, 9:25:23
  
• Run - 12.02 miles, 1:46:31

I have a light block at the beginning of the week for business travel and have a feeling my body will thank me. Hopefully this will be a better week.

Catching Up: The Condensed Version

Do you ever feel like there are too many things to fit in? Anyone training for an Ironman has days, weeks, even months, where just getting by takes monumental effort. These are the weeks where dishes pile up, a stack of mail forms, every pair of shoes I've worn are hanging out by the door having a party, my personal appearance slips and my clothing choices might not be my finest. The last two weeks have been like this for me, an endless balancing act between life and training where blogging became the least important thing for me to focus on.

So here I am with the brief version of where I've been and what I've been up to.

Thank God For Rest Weeks

The week of April 25 was a rest week at the end of my first build block. I needed it. My body was handling the training well, but I was tired and had a very busy week of work ahead. I had back-to-back events, one in Cincinnati that led me on a detour to DC wearing the same clothes for two days and getting about 4 hours of sleep the entire time. Luckily my sister lives there so the impromptu visit with her made it feel special.

I did another three-day cleanse with BluePrint over the weekend, which allowed me time to unplug, sleep and catch up. Nothing beats a night with 10 hours of sleep when you're exhausted. That, plus the jolt of energy from all the green juice, had me feeling like a new person come Monday.

Training numbers:

• Swim - 1,200 yards, 24:42
• Bike - 41.4 miles, 2:48:51
• Run - 8.5 miles, 1:19:04

I did everything as scheduled and rested as scheduled. I felt great by Sunday night.

The Week That Fell Apart

Filled with optimism I jumped into my next build phase, but there have been some challenges along the way. Monday went as scheduled when I did a late-night swim despite my desire to sit on the couch and watch Mad Men. If you know how much I enjoy swimming you know it was a big deal for me to suit up and go to the pool at 9pm. Tuesday was fine and included a lovely dinner with a friend. Wednesday was a day trip to Cincinnati so a rest day training-wise. But it all fell apart on Thursday when I was too exhausted from the 19-hour day Wednesday to get up at 5am, so I opted for sleep (my coach always says extra sleep is better than extra training) and planned my workout for evening, but evening turned into 10pm again and I just couldn't do it. I had a slight meltdown, ate some dark chocolate chips and went to sleep.

Now that Friday is here I'm aiming to just ease back into the schedule and make up the missed workout sometime this weekend. I'm looking forward to some quiet time if I can find it and starting next week anew. In the end I likely won't have missed any workouts, but it's the frantic juggling that creates stress and the stress takes a toll. It's important to find ways to manage it during training so we have every opportunity to heal and recover. Dark chocolate chips really help with that.

Season Opener and Another Week

I did my first real ride of the season this past weekend and it was on the Ironman Lake Placid course. It was a fitting start... 45 miles with nearly 3,000 feet of climbing and a stiff headwind for much of it. But despite the challenges, I loved every moment. There are few places I love riding more so starting my year there was perfect.

After a pretty big week of training where I not only hit every workout but did a little extra, I had a very relaxing weekend. But first...

The Numbers:

• Swim - 5,600 yards, 1:47:30
• Bike - 93.95 miles, 6:18:06
• Run - 16.64 miles, 2:38:12

And now for the weekend. I had the immense pleasure of staying at The Whiteface Lodge for the third time, a place that personifies heaven. I slept in, went for an incredible run around Mirror Lake (which was frozen, by the way!), soaked in a big jacuzzi tub, had a massage and went to a wine tasting dinner in a gorgeous house overlooking Lake Placid. Sunday included the ride, a late and leisurely lunch, a nap by the fire and smores before heading back to reality.

I feel great about the training and how my body is responding. I'm also energized and excited by it, which was something I worried about heading into my third season of long course and another year of two Ironmans. This week is a rest week and it took every bit of restraint to stick to the plan and not ride tonight with friends. We'll see how the rest of the week goes...

Week Two - The Juggling Act

Last week was only my second week of Ironman training and it was already a monumental juggling act. The week-long business trip to Colorado involved two long travel days and totally wiped me out. Despite the hectic schedule, I managed to get in all planned workouts. Thankfully it was a lighter week due to the lack of swim and bike opportunities, but a good week nevertheless.

The Numbers:

• Bike - 90.63 miles, 5:52:23
• Run - 8.5 miles, 1:15:00

There were no swims on the schedule and as you can imagine, I didn't miss them! As I ease into Week 3 I'm feeling a bit tired and have definitely had a hard time getting back into the groove. I think it will take a few more weeks to get used to the 5:30am wake-ups and absolute lack of free time. It's not like this is my first time around so I'm not sure why it's so challenging. I just have to keep reminding myself that 5:30 will soon turn to 5, then to 4:30 and eventually 4 or earlier. Those mornings are rare, but during my peak last season I had at least one per week. I should enjoy the rest while I can!

I'm heading north to beautiful Lake Placid this weekend and am hoping to get out on the course. It's one of my favorite rides so Mother Nature, please cooperate. Thanks in advance.

Olympic Experience

Once again, but on a much smaller scale, the Olympics took over my life and forced a short break in my training. I had one day running and two days rest on the calendar during my trip to the USOC headquarters and that's exactly what I did. During the two down days I did a tremendous amount of work, but also got to meet several former and future Olympians as well as the mothers of some of the most amazing athletes, including Taylor Phinney, David Oliver and Henry Cejudo (also met Henry and he was one of the most personable, sincere, amazing people I have ever met). I also got to participate in some Olympics fun. Here are the highlights:

Fencing, won my match!

Took second place in rifle shooting, I'm a natural.


Just look at the intensity... and the pink nails.


Gymnasts jump into deep piles of square foam blocks, so fun!


Olympic torch relay, only ours ended with a champagne toast rather than world-class sports.

I arrived home at 2am last night and slept half of today. I am definitely off schedule and not at 100%, but 1.5 hours on the bike helped set me right. After a big weekend of training I'll be almost back to normal minus the pool... well actually, that is normal.