IMCDA Training Week 12

So the week got off to a rough start. I wasn't feeling well all week. I felt like I could puke at any moment morning, day or night. I managed to get in my workouts and more and just keep on trucking through all of it.

Then the weekend came and so did the wind. Saturday the wind was horrible. Lindsey(best running buddy)and I changed it up and ran on Saturday and decided to bike on Sunday. Let me just say that biking 100 miles on trashed legs is HARD! We did a pretty tough run on Saturday. Lots of freakin hills. Oh well...good training. We made it back to the rock and literally laid down on a bench and wanted to cry.

Sunday came and I'm so not feeling this ride at all. I have to meet a group of girls at about 8am to get this going. I show up and everyone is there feeling about the same as I was. We get going and manage to make it to mile marker 25 and turn around. Before I know it, we just did 50 miles. Half way home at this point. We take off our winter layer and head back out for another 50 miles. Wasn't to bad heading back out as we had a tail wind. We make the turn and the wind just about blew us over. It was gusting at this point! I keep telling myself only 25 miles to go and you are good to go! Before I knew it, I was back at the car and feeling pretty good leg wise and body wise. I hope it feels this way on race day.

All in all the week was a good week with a really long weekend thrown into the mix.

Week 12 details...
Monday: open water swim and spin
Tuesday: PT(core) run in the hood
Wednesday: swim and run
Thursday: outdoor ride and core
Friday: open water swim
Saturday: 20 mile run
Sunday: 100 mile ride

Why oh why does it have to be windy?!?!?!

So after hearing the news report on the TV this morning while I was stretching before heading to the doctor, I saw that Saturday the winds are suppose to be a little rough. Something like 18mph+! I'm so sick of the wind, especially when I have to ride and run. I can handle the wind on a shorter bike ride, but not for 100 miles. Come on...call me a wuss or whatever, but I'm going to ride smarter not harder just to beat the wind. So we decided to change the days up once again to accommodate some of us.

I just wish that the weather would make up its mind on what it will be doing. Oh well, I just have to stay in the mental zone this weekend and get through a 20 mile run and a 100 mile bike ride in one piece.

Not feeling so hot...

So I wake up this morning and I'm trying to get up and going to get to PT. I'm doing fine and all of a sudden it hits me. I start to get hot and get sick to my stomach thinking it will pass in about 5 minutes like it always does. I got let the dog out and stand outside for some fresh air and start to feel better. I continue about getting ready and sit down to watch a little news before I leave.

I walk out the door not feeling well once again and think, I may not make it very far. I get in my car and hit I-35 and start to feel worse with stop and go traffic. Do I turn around and head home or just try and get to PT this morning...????

I get to PT and told them I wasn't going to be doing this today and laid down for a few and started to feel better. I did my exercises and relaxed and felt better until I got back in my car. I think I had a motion sickness problem.

I just can't shake this feeling. If it doesn't get better, I'm not running or doing anything tonight.

Week 11 of IMCDA Training...

This was a great week for training. The weather was finally GREAT for once and I felt somewhat good about my training plan and my hours I was putting in. It seems to be all coming together. Monday was kind of a bad day for me. Amy and I went to Barton Springs to get in our open water swim and we did our mile or so swim and get out and she noticed a few ants on my bag. No biggie, I still had my wetsuit on and they wouldn't be getting through that blubber anytime soon. So I get to the shower and shower up and grab my towel and start drying off and man, there were ants all over me...I was being eaten alive! I get them off me and I grab a t-shirt and it has ants all over it. I run out to where Amy is at and borrow her towel to at least dry my hair. I grab my stuff still ant infested and head to the car. I get to the car and they are all in my bag and I still feel like they are crawling all over me. I get back to work and feel like I'm being bit on my side and sure enough, there was one digging into my skin. I had to go home and clean out the entire car and bags to get rid of them.

I decided at the last minute to sign up for the Spokes and Spurs ride on Friday. Saturday was the ride and I was ready for an 80-90 mile ride. Saturday came early. 4:30am I'm up and at it. I had to be at the PTC at 6am to meet Val and Jane. We met up and drove up to Liberty Hill or BFE as I like to call it for this ride. It started out a little on the cool side but was convinced that I would warm up quickly and I did. I didn't get but 13 miles into the ride and had to stop and pee...I think it was from the cold and shivering before I got on my bike. I got back on and just settled into my pace and didn't care about the rest. I knew my nutrition was good so what else did I have to worry about. Karen catches me at about mile 20 and we ride the whole way after that together. It was nice to have her out there pushing me along. We decided not to head back to the ranch and cut the 88 mile ride to 80 miles. We just continued on and did our thing. A few rest stops and some deer and a goose flying with us and we finally made it back to the ranch. We were suppose to do a 50 minute run after that bike ride but my back was hurting and I was hungry. So I bailed on it. I ate my BEEF lunch and left. I was tired and was ready to be back home.

Sunday morning I got up and was not looking forward to a 17 mile run but knew I had Lindsey to keep me going. She is good for that. We meet at our usual spot and there is everyone else not looking so good. Everyone was having some tummy issues from the chicken they ate at the ride on Saturday. Glad I only eat BEEF at this point in my life. We made a few stops and did some walking and made it back to the car at 15 miles. We were trashed and hungry so we headed to P. Terry's for a good burger and some sunshine! I made it home and soaked in an ice bath for 15 minutes and did nothing the rest of the day.

Details for week 11.....
Monday: Open water swim and run
Tuesday: PT(core), indoor spin and short run
Wednesday: swim and run
Thursday: Outside ride
Friday: day off
Saturday: 80 mile ride
Sunday: 17 mile run

Week 10 of IMCDA Training

So this week was a little off focus for me. My in-laws arrived on Monday at the house for some rest and recovery. I managed to keep working out even though they were hear. By Wednesday, the weather turned nasty. Central Texas got some much needed rain and it was nice. But the downer to it...the COLD! It felt like December this week. We had to break out the long sleeves and coats again.

So with that, I flaked out on Wednesday night run with Gilbert. Thursday I went to spin class and thought well I'll get in a few extra minutes and miles and well I ended up with a flat. Friday, I had the day off from work and well working out also. I took Niki out for a run and it started to rain and that is when she quit on me. Rex's legs are too short to run so we didn't make it very far either. Saturday, I had a pretty decent run and got in my 15 miles all on the road and only about .5 of it them on the trail. Great change of pace. Sunday I rode 32 miles with Alison, Mike, and Eric and went to S. Mopac to finish when I decided, I was trashed. I had a flat on Bee Cave and my legs didn't want to function after that. I came home, did some yard work, and crawled back on the bike and did 10 miles in the "hood" to at least give myself 50 miles for the week. I wanted to put in more hours this week but I was really not in the mood. I did more than plan C called for so I guess that is good! At least good enough for me at this point.

Week 10 details...
Monday: Run practice
Tuesday: PT and spin practice with a brick
Wednesday: too cold to run
Thursday: Spin
Friday: a really short run
Saturday: 15 mile run
Sunday: 50 mile bike ride

Rain Day...

As much as we need it here in Central Texas, I really don't want it to be rainy and cold. This just puts a damper on Ironman training. It is suppose to rain until Saturday around here. Looks like it will be a lot of indoor training. I hate indoor training and want to be outside a majority of the time when the weather is great. But if it is cold and rainy, count me out. I'm a fair weather kinda of gal.

I'm just getting nervous for a few reasons...Lonestar Half Ironman is about 3 weeks away and why do I feel that I'm not ready for the bike portion? I think it has a lot to do with my new saddle that I've been testing and finally having a few good rides underneath me. I think the next is my lower back. I do feel like I'm on the road to recovery with it but I need to stay focused on it and make sure that I don't have a flare up with it. I want to be able to run a good portion of the 13 miles for this half ironman and hopefully make it in 7 hours this round and not cut it closer to 8 hours like I did on my first one.

And why does this rain just SCREAM don't swim today? I know I need to but man this rain just sucks and I did swim on Monday. Maybe I will skip :)

Week 9 of Ironman Training

So we another week down for IMCDA! It was a lite week and I sure did need it. My body was tired. But it is always tired. Of course most of the week was very nice and the weekend was windy. I guess it is that time of year for the wind to blow down here. After watching the weather reports and trying to determine what the heck I was going to do...I decided to take it indoors on the computrainer for the bike ride. So that meant I had to do another run on Saturday and bike on Sunday.

I get up on Saturday morning after being able to sleep in! It was so awesome! Put on my running clothes and decide to stay near the house since I was having some tummy issues. I didn't get 4.5miles into it and had to make a mad dash home. I went back out and finished my 5miles and called it good. After that, I still didn't feel right all weekend but I managed.

Sunday rolled around and I'm up and at them come 5:40am. I didn't sleep well the night before and I was just not wanting to go sit on a computrainer for about 3.5 hours. I was at the PTC at 7am to enjoy the no wind on a bike ride. Val and Jess were there to give me some company on this boring ride. I get going and I feel somewhat good. I end up getting off my bike not to far into it because my tummy was hurting. I climb back on and continue to make it to about mile 40 before my legs are just killing me. I haven't felt this pain before on the bike. They just feel achy and my body feels dehydrated. So then it hits me...with all the stomach problems I've had in the last week and a half, I'm about 95% sure I'm dehydrated and that would be why my legs are just feeling like they do.

I call it at at 3.25 hours and get off that stupid thing. Other people were coming in and I didn't want to take their time on the trainer.

I go home and just have the worst cramps in my legs and in the oddest places. So for sure at this point it is dehydration from everything. I pretty much laid on the couch and did nothing for a few hours.

Week 9 Details:
Monday: Swam, ran and did core
Tuesday: spin class and pt(core)
Wednesday: went home and ran and only made it 2.5 miles and called it a night
Thursday: spin class, pt(core), did a short run
Friday: Day off
Saturday: 10 mile run
Sunday: 3.25 computrainer ride

Week 8 of Ironman Training

Ugh...is all I can think and say right now. The wind this weekend was HORRIBLE! The coaches decided to change the weekend and flip-flop the bike and run days. So we ran on Saturday and biked on Sunday in hopes that our bike ride wouldn't be windy...boy were we all wrong and highly disappointed. The weekdays around here are super nice. We hit almost 90 a few days this week. And the weekends come and they just SUCK! I know, I probably sound bitter but dang, this is pushy me closer to my first mental breakdown of the season...and I prefer that the weather wasn't the contributing factor.

So Saturday we had gusts of wind between 40-50 mph! And I was out running in it?!?! Something was seriously wrong with me. I made it 17 miles and Lindsey and I called it good. Between the wind and the guy asking Lindsey to give her a massage on the trail, I think we had a decent run. I felt decent and managed to pickup my speed at the end! I think I could be on my way to be a little strong!

Sunday morning rolled around. I saw on the news it was going to be like 30 degrees in the morning but I thought, well hell, it will warm up quickly and the wind is suppose to be gone, so it can't be that bad. Boy was I wrong. I was suppose to be on my bike by 7:15am leaving Cool River, but sleep and cold pushed it to 7:30am. I got about 5 miles into it and called Alison who was meeting me later for 40 miles and said, I'm turning around, it is to FREAKIN cold out here and the head wind of 15mph is just making me mad. So I went home and laid on the couch and tried to warm up and decided, well I'm not getting any younger and neither is the day so I have to get out there and get this finished. I did some S. Mopac Loops and met up with Alison for a hilly Bee Cave ride. Amy showed up and we forced her to just get out there and ride with us. Thank goodness they were out there for the last 44 miles as I would have called it a day at about mile 40.

Monday: Swam and did spin class

Tuesday: PT and took the night off!

Wednesday: coldest open water swim ever and run class

Thursdays: PT, Yoga, took my ride outside, and a run

Friday: night off

Saturday: 17 miles of wind and whining

Sunday: 70 miles of cold, wind and what turned out to be a nice day