Galveston Rehearsal

 

After a sleepless night due to worrying about over sleeping, I got up at 4 am and got ready and ate some oatmeal before heading out to Galveston. We were to meet for wheels down at 7:00. I got there shortly after 6:00. Tried to get a little more sleep in the car but it wasn't happening.

I bumped into a fellow Zoot athlete Mitchell Jeffcoat who recognized me. That was really cool. And then I met up with The Robert D and Suchosoft my IG friends also known as Robert and Susan. So excited to meet them out there!

We started our ride about 7:15. Right off the bat I fell behind. I ended up hitting every red light out there! At least it was good practice for clipping and unclipping. When I was moving I was flying (for me)! I was averaging 19mph. And I was thrilled! All I could think for the first 28 miles was how I couldn't wait to tell my coach and hubby how fast I was! The only surprise during the first half, besides my amazing speed, was after the San Luis Overpass there was a really bad rough patch of road. Other than that I was unstoppable!

That is until I turned around and headed straight into the wind!! My 19mph quickly turned into 13 mph! Going back up the San Luis pass I was riding like 8mph!! I guess the saying if it's too good to be true it probably is played out true on this day! I did contemplate just heading to lay on the beach instead! But I of course did not give up! I fought that wind and then some difficult traffic areas on my way back. My overall average speed ended up being 15.5mph. Ugh still slow!!

My friends who probably finished a good 20 minutes ahead of me waited for me. Susan had done her run already and Robert finished up his last mile with me. I ran 5 miles at an 8:40 pace. It was tough and I can't imagine I'll be able to maintain that speed for 13.1 miles off the bike come race day. It would be great if I could manage 9:00, but there is no telling what the conditions will be like. Endurance training sure has made me slower!

Robert, Susan, and I headed out to try to swim but we couldn't find a good place to do it, so I headed back to my gym. I swam 2000 yards at an avg 2:13 pace.

I felt really accomplished doing all three disciplines in one day. While the bike wasn't what I'd been hoping for, I feel confident going into this race. I feel my training has me well prepared. I have put in the work and I am ready! I just hope I am equipped for any unknowns race day may throw my way.

I had a time goal, and I think I should get close, but I may not make it. And that is ok. I really want to focus on finishing and having fun! I wish I could throw all the numbers out of my head and just rock it, but that is not me. So I will try to push the numbers into the back of my mind and just do my very best, smile, and enjoy every moment!

Robert and I sporting our TriTats hats on our run

Susan and I

ZOGGS USA Team

If you follow me at all you know there is only one brand of goggles I wear and that's Zoggs! What a privilege to be a part of the Zogg's USA team. I look forward to representing them! And I can't wait to meet up with them at IMTX!

What now?!?!?

I started my 70.3 training unable to run due to a fibula stress fracture. I battle my RA every day and sometimes really struggle during a flare up. And now what?!?!?

Just 3 weeks before race day, I had a long run planned for the weekend. Courtney wanted me to run with her to really help her push her pace and I thought it would be great to have a running partner for a change. We had a great time catching up on our run. But throughout the run my stomach and lower back were really hurting and I felt a lot of pressure in my lower region. Our pace ended up being 12 miles at a 9:23 pace which was a PR for Courtney! But I was not feeling well.

When I got home it was pretty scary. I called the dr and they said it was safe to wait until Monday morning to see the doctor. I took it really easy the rest of the day. The next day I had an Open Water Swim planned that I really didn't want to miss. It would be my friend Ivonne's first OWS and I didn't want to let her down. So I went but took it easy. I just focused on the mass starts and only swam 1062 yards. But thanks to my wetsuit my pace was 2:08! Not a whole lot faster than my typical average but I was putting forth less effort. I am glad I made it out there because it seems I still have the mass start anxiety where every time someone touches me I stop breathing and start breast stroking. Ugh! It was great getting out with my friend Ivonne for her first OWS. She rocked it!

I was so worried going into the appointment with my doctor that he would tell me I was unable to race. I was terrified really! It was 3 weeks out to race day and I had trained so hard for months. It turns out I had uterine prolapse. Basically my cervix had fallen out. And yes it's as bad as it sounds. And on top of that I had a bladder infection too. But I have to say my doctor is the best! He knows how important this is to me. So he put my parts back where they belong and gave me a way to keep them in place until after race day. Then we will discuss surgical repair. Having 4 babies in less than 6 years and heavy training took it's toll. But all I could hear is we can find a way to let you race!!!! And for that I am grateful!

The body sometimes gives us limitations and it is difficult to accept them, but there is no changing it. So you work hard, and you fight, and you never ever give up!

CycleOps Brand Ambassador

I love my CycleOps Fluid 2 trainer. There is absolutely no way I could get my training done without it. So imagine my excitement about the opportunity to represent CycleOps! I was chosen among just 25 people in North America. And I feel very honored to be a part of this American company based out of Wisconsin that has such a passion for cycling and offers so much support for the cyclist! I look forward to my year as a 2016 Ambassador!

 

Pedaling the Prairie

So I signed up for my second group ride. This one is going to be so much easier. I mean it's called Ride the Prairie and prairies are flat right.......
Ok prairies are NOT flat. Apparently this prairie consisted of rolling hills!! Oh and thank you mother nature for wind gusts up to 28mph!!
I chose to ride the 55 mile course. It was a little short at 53.5 miles. And it took me 3:49:23 to ride it!! Ugh 14 mph average speed. With an elevation gain of 1,417 and an elevation loss of 1,355 it was slightly less hilly than Ride Thru the Forest and Hills. But throw in extremely windy conditions with wind gusts that nearly knocked me off my bike and this ride was even more challenging than Ride thru the Forest and Hills. I found myself in crosswinds almost the entire time!
This ride left me feeling very defeated. How could I work so hard and still be so slow. I can tell you the entire ride was a mental game. I often felt like I was in over my head. I began to question my ability to do IM 70.3 Texas. The bike leg is going to add a lot of time to my race. Am I cut out for this? I know I am. I know I can. I have to stay focused!
There are a lot of things I learned on the ride aside from the challenges. I worked on my hydration and drank the entire time which is critical and a huge step for me! Thanks to advice from friends I got a bag that has a magnet top, used baby food containers filled with goldfish and Perpetuem Solids cut up into smaller pieces, and I ate on the bike!! Woohoo! This was huge! Especially in such windy conditions! My last ride I was feeling really empty and had no energy at the end of my ride. Fueling during this ride definitely helped with that feeling! And I gained experience riding in windy conditions which is very likely race day conditions in Galveston.
So all in all, even though I left that ride feeling defeated, it was well worth it! I gained so much from that ride.

I was scheduled to run 3 miles off the bike. After the last ride I could not have imagined running at all let alone the 13.1 miles I would need to run on race day. But today I got off the bike and ran 3 and it felt good. I fought the wind, but I appreciated having my feet on the ground! There was no real path for me to run at the fairgrounds so I made due with a little road time and some time running in the grass parking lot. My 3 miles was a 9:22 pace in zone 2/3 and it felt really good and easy. So this restored a bit of my confidence. I obviously did something right on the bike to feel good on the run! Now to just turn that something into some speed on the bike and I will be golden!

Bike Thru the Forest and Hills

On January 23, 2016, Bike Thru the Forest and Hills was the first supported group ride I have ever been on. I really like the feeling of being secure on the course. I like knowing there are police out there maintaining a safe course and I like knowing there are SAG vehicles in case something goes wrong with my bike. I also have a terrible sense of direction. So a marked course is an extra bonus so I don't have to worry about getting lost along the way.

 

We headed north out to Coldspring, Texas. And as I got closer and the hills got bigger I was wondering what I was getting myself into! Lol! The name of the ride should have given me clue! When we arrived it was 28 degrees outside. So cold! Fortunately I had friends who had prepared me by telling me all the gear I would need to stay warm! It was a lifesaver because the cold never bothered me! However the hills are another story! It was the most challenging work out ever! And it didn't help that I never changed gears and rode my breaks down every hill! At the end there were people getting off and walking their bikes. Not me! I trudged up and down those hills in the wrong gear at 4 mph! Lord help me! Ha! It took me 3:18:36 at 14.2 mph. Slower than a turtle but I survived all 1926 feet of that elevation gain/loss!!

 

And how fun is it that my new Instagram friend Susan came out to ride with me! Ok not with me but far, far ahead of me. Lol! But we started together and met up after for a bite to eat! She is also training for IM 70.3 Texas at Galveston. I am so excited about our new found friendship!

 

 

IG Core Challenge

I took part in a core challenge on Instagram led by Heather Rose Scott, Rachael Norfleet, and Leisa E. They did a fabulous job! Every day was a killer core workout that challenged other muscle groups as well. I will definitely be incorporating these various exercises into my workout regimen.