Race schedule...

Race schedule/Events… My spring and summer is starting to take shape.  I’m not planning a lot of races; I guess it’s just not my thing.  For the first time I get to do a triathlon with three of my five boys.  Gavin, Riley and Wyatt have all signed up for Chase the Police Triathlon in Walker in July.  I offered to swim with them if they wanted me to and they all took me up on my offer.  I’m so excited!! Westin, my youngest, wants to do the Lakes Country Triathlon again as a team.  Our team from last year was Wes, Sarah Simpson, and myself. (pictured above) 

Here is what my season is looking like…
March –
I think every weekend we have some type of hockey going on except Easter weekend.
Total Immersion swim training camp in Kona at the end of the month
I plan to ship my bike out there to get some riding in before and after my swim sessions.  I’ll have my running shoes with me too.  I never leave home without a pair.
April -
Run For the Lakes half marathon
May -
Arcadia Brute 200K bike ride
Kona Training Camp
June -
Hawaii 70.3 (last day of training camp)
Kickapoo 200K bike ride
Open water swim race (1 & 2 mile)…not registered yet
July -
Tri for a Cause Triathlon
Chase the Police Triathlon
August -
Dairyland Dare 300K bike ride
Baxter Triathlon (team)
September –
Critical Volume Training, and more training, and then some more training
October –
IM World championships Kona

When I’m hitting my peak training volume and getting ready for my A race of the season many will be wrapping up their triathlon seasons.  I keep reminding myself to stay focused on my current goals and I won’t start “training” for Ironman until June.  My plan is to take a week off after the 70.3 at the beginning on June and then start my IM training.  I try to shift my focus or my goal every 6-8 weeks so the work I’m doing is specific to where I need to be right now, but my mind right now isn’t in my Kona training.  Right now my focus is on a the Nisswa half marathon.

Bike seat dilemma...I love my bike seat.  It doesn’t look fast and it doesn’t look pretty.  I get jealous when I see these sleek beautiful saddles on other girls’ tri bikes, but then I get on my bike and I can ride for hours in pure comfort.  The jealousy goes away.  I have to thank Chris Balser for the amazing fit on my bike and Terry for creating the Butterfly carbon. 
Now, my dilemma…my seat is ripping and I need to buy a new one.  My seat is from 2005 and Terry no longer makes my version.  So do I go with the new Terry Butterfly carbon or do I try a new saddle?  I’m looking at the ISM (time trail, racing II, or prologue) and the Terry FLX carbon.  More than likely I will order all of them and see which one works.  I really don’t like new gear…I like my old stuff that works.  My saddle has so many great miles on it and we have won a lot of races and had a few crashes.  It may become a piece of art on my Kona room wall.   

Swimming…It’s really not my thing or it didn’t use to be my thing.  My list of loves from my last blog post had no mention of swimming, but I’m starting to really enjoy swimming.  Why?  Maybe because it is getting easier or maybe because I’m getting a little faster…something is changing.   I’ve been going with a friend to Total Immersion classes at the YWCA Uptown over the winter.  I have learned so much in such a short amount of time. My biggest fear for Kona was the ocean swim.  I’m becoming more confident and after my two training camps in Kona I know I will be able to line up on the start line October 12, 2013 and I know I will have a great swim no matter how big the waves are or how many elbows I get to the face.

A few new products/supplements I’m trying out...I’ll let you know what I think of them.
Magnesium oil
Energy bits…100% spirulina
MAPP (master amino pattern)

Update on the gluten thing…I realized I’m not a huge gluten/wheat person.  When I removed it from my diet I didn’t notice a huge change or really any change at all; ,maybe because there wasn’t a lot of gluten in my diet to begin with.  I think some people are more sensitive to gluten than others.  For me, I feel the best when I eat vegetables, fruits, and lean proteins.  I feel the best and recover from my training when I eat real food that I’ve prepared.  The less packaging involved the better. In my training and in life I’m open to trying new things and seeing what works.  I have no problem after I’ve given it a try saying, “Nope, that’s not for me.” There are certain “diets” and certain training plans which are very successful for one person and a complete failure for another.  We all need to find our way and what works for us.  I believe there isn’t one perfect way or right way to train and or eat, but I do believe we each have our way which works for us.  We just have figure out which way works for us.

Happy training!

Love...

LOVE

Valentine’s Day is a few short days away and it got me thinking about love and all the things I love…

1.        My best friend…Lee.  We started dating in high school and now 19 years later and 5 wonderful boys we are still having the time of our lives.  Whenever I think of someplace I want to travel to or something I want to do I think of Lee being right there with me.   We have so much fun together and he believes in me more than anyone.  He is an amazing Dad to our boys.   I love him.

2.       My boys…there is a reason I have no girls.  I was meant to be a mom of 5 boys.  They keep each and every day exciting and never stop amazing me with their humor, kindness, and work ethic.  They will do amazing things and I’m one proud mom.

3.       Good Coffee, Dark chocolate, Jams/Jellies….I love a good cup of coffee.  I have been known to drink more than a pot of coffee is a day all on my own.  The first thing I do every single morning is walk downstairs to start the coffee pot.  I don’t even think my eyes are open.  Real dark chocolate is my weakness and homemade jams and jellies I just love!

4.       Sweating and working hard….training my mind like I train my body…I love getting to that place…where I’m able to block everything out and focus on my breathe and do what I know I’m capable of…our bodies want to quit way before our minds will…we can train our minds to focus and push on. 

5.       Sunshine… I love the sunshine. It makes me want to smile.  When it’s a beautiful day I think about getting outside for a run on the trails or riding my bike. 

6.       Naps…In my opinion, naps are the key of a successful IM training plan.  Doing two a day workouts with a nap in the middle of the day was a daily ritual for me last summer and most days now that my training has stepped up a notch. 

7.       Massages… every Friday at 3:45 I have a reoccurring massage appointment.  It is the end of the week for me.  The majority of my training is done M-F with my weekends open for family activities.  The Friday massage is a perfect way to end my training week.

8.       Yoga…there is no way I would have the speed I’ve gained over the last few years without yoga.  Through yoga I have built a strong foundation to stack my training miles.  Through yoga I have built a strong mind where I’m able to breathe and push on.

9.       Travel…when I’m not training I love to travel.  Well, actually I love to train and travel together.   My swim training camp at the end of March to Hawaii and my tri training camp at the end of May are right up my alley.   

10.   Shoes….I love a good pair of shoes.  I think I have over 25 pairs of different tennis shoes in my closet right now and I do pass on my old ones.  Also, my boys have now come to realize the UPS truck is actually a delivery truck which delivers more than just shoes. (the 27 is only my tennis shoes…not counting boots and heels…just don’t tell Lee;)

11.   Being in my kitchen…I love cooking and baking in my kitchen and having my boys all around doing their homework, playing knee hockey, or just chatting. 

12.   Pedicures…my feet are nothing pretty.  They have some serious miles on them and the miles all show.  I’m proud of my feet for all they have done for me and carried me over the years.  They will carry me over many more miles.  I love to sit in a massaging chair and have a pedicure…usually on a Friday afternoon right before a massage. 

13.   Long bike rides like the Triple Crown series and someday I want to do the RAAM (Ride Across America).  I love being on my bike.

14.   Long Runs…as much as I love long bike rides I think I love long runs even more.  One of my favorite runs I have ever done was the Voyager 50 mile Ultra marathon.  I never trained for it except I added an hour of trail running each week.  I had no goals but to just finish.  If it worked a little better with my triathlon training this year I would definitely do it again.  Someday soon I will do another one of those ultra trail races.  I just have to cross the IM World championships off my bucket list first.

15.   Training equipment I love…my trainer, my treadmill, Nike shoes, compression socks, foam roller, EMS(Electric Muscle Stimulator), PR bars, Vitamixer, Extreme Endurance

16.   My body…It takes care of me …it is my vessel to carry me to my goals.  I will respect and honor and take care of myself through good nutrition, sleep, and making a conscious decision to be happy and be a good person. 

Happy Valentine’s Day!