Wednesday, August 10, 2016

Ironman Wisconsin: Week 15

Highest volume week ever. I feel fantastic and have gotten my second wind towards training again. My excitement was starting to wane a bit- between life, training, and work it was getting to be too much- but I'm back on track now for these final weeks. I'm getting more and more excited for race day and cannot wait to cross the Ironman off of my bucket list in a month.

Holy shit it's a month from tomorrow.


This week's training was solid- my swim was one of the best despite the stress I dealt with prior. My lock wouldn't open- thank god I hadn't put it on my locker yet- and I was able to share a locker with a kind lady. I now have 2 locks which will stay in ziplock baggies so sand doesn't compromise them again. I also rode my first century ride- more on that later.


CB and I watched the Olympic opening ceremonies. I turned it off after an hour or 2 because I'm more interested in athletics than pageantry (and video of athletes in garish uniforms taking selfies).


We had our 19th Mikkeller running Club run on Saturday. As always we had a ton of fun and we got to share Malort with the captains from MRC Belfast. Join us for our next run on September 3! Info {HERE}


Sunday I rode my first century- the Two Rivers Century in Kankakee, IL. I rented a zip car, loaded up Mortadella and we drove an hour south. It was the first time I've driven a car in 3-4 years!


I had a lot of fun riding by myself for most of the ride. The scenery was beautiful and there were rest stops stocked with PBJ sandwiches, cold water and Gatorade, fruit and snacks.


All smiles around mile 70. I felt great for most of the ride. My nutrition was on point- FINALLY. In fact, I think I ate too much food. But hydration was great. My ass started to hurt after 5 and a half hours, but nothing too serious. I'd debate on getting a new saddle but I don't know how much of it is just not being used to being on a bike for a really long time. It wouldn't be comfortable to sit on a cushy couch for 8 hours and never get up either.


I rode 5 or 6 of the loops- I didn't do the pink loop because I thought 128 miles was just too much to do that day. I really enjoy these organized rides and would love to do more of them- but stick to around 60-70 miles. 103 is just a long time to be on a bike.


I finished 103 miles- my first century and then ran for 17 minutes. Surprisingly I felt really good running- minus that I felt really full. I'll eat less solids during the IM.


CB was super cute and kind of mad at me for leaving him all day on Sunday.

Looking Forward

•Swim more and work on technique.

•better nutrition while I'm at work.

•Keep a positive mindset and take it day by day. This journey will be over in a month, but I have some big weeks ahead before taper.

•solidify my IM bike nutrition plan.

32 days until Ironman Wisconsin

37 days until I register for the Boston Marathon!


4 comments:

  1. Congratulations on nailing your century bike ride, then topping it off with a run to boot! That Two Rivers event sounds like it was very well organized. Glad your nutrition was on point. That's got to be a big confidence booster, yes? Perfect timing to coincide with getting your training wind back.

    Completely agree with you on the opening ceremony of the Olympics, seeing all the athletes just walking out holding their phones. I got bored pretty quickly. The picture of CB with the two mascots is adorable.

    Did it feel weird driving a car for the first time after such a long hiatus??? I only drive maybe once a week at the VERY most, and even then I still get skittish behind the wheel!

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  2. YESSSS! I'm so happy to hear things are all falling into place with your training, and you're feeling good about the race!

    Your century looks awesome! Isn't it beautiful out in the country? :)

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  3. Congrats on the century+! Love the pics of the countryside!

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  4. Yay! I am happy you are getting a second wind and that you got your nutrition right for that long ride. I highly doubt a new saddle at this point would help... unless it was molded exactly to your butt or something! Ha!

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