Running with Mikkeller Running Club in Berlin and Copenhagen

A few Fridays ago we took a long flight to Berlin to start our vacation. Upon landing early Saturday morning, we got to the hotel and then headed to meet up with the Berlin Chapter of MRC. We met at the famous Alexanderplatz square- with the iconic TV tower and clock.



We ran a few miles with the group through a park which contained a huge hill- it was amazing.



We chatted the entire time during the run as if we had been friends for a long time- I mean we kinda were. We had been stalking each other's Instagram for a while before actually meeting in real life. We ended the run at Bierlieb bottle shop and met Richard, the brewer of Berliner Berg beer who sponsored our run. His pale ale and Irish stout hit the spot post run. It was a great way to kick off our vacation. Thank you Theresa and Daniel for being amazing hosts!


On Monday we flew to Copenhagen. Tuesday evening was the 2nd Mikkeller Beer Run 5k. I was the defending champ from last year's run- but had no intention of pushing too hard since I had just ran a marathon a few weeks prior and hadn't run much in between.



We got our game faces on, all ready to run.


There was a 10k happening at the same time as the 5k- they were going to do 2 laps of the course, and I was thankful I only had to do one.



Pre race, they announced that I was running the race again as the defending champ- which made me smile. Soon the gun went off and I found myself right behind Mikkel and Søren dropping 6:20 pace like NBD. Ruh roh. After 800m, I backed off on the pace like a sensible smart person. I was having a blast running through the streets of Copenhagen. I stopped at the 4km "aid station" which was fully stocked only with beer. My mouth was so dry and the beer was much needed at that moment in time. After 50 seconds, I picked up the pace and continued on to the finish.



I came in 4th woman overall and had a blast during this race. I think I PR'd at having fun during a 5k.



Post race we rehydrated with beer and enjoyed hanging with friends.



We got to see friends we made last year as well as meet some awesome folks who we had been following online for quite some time.


Despite not "racing" this race, I feel I gave a solid effort- 5k pain face as proof.


We also got to run with the MRC Copenhagen crowd again on Saturday for a special edition of their monthly runs.


It was awesome getting to meet so many people from MRC chapters all over the world.



It's wonderful to be able to have running and drinking buddies in 100 cities around the world now. We are all about the #mrcTourism


MRC Prague, Chicago, Liverpool and London.


Running with people in a new place is a great experience- you see places you wouldn't normally visit and get to connect with some amazing people.


Thank you Mikkeller Running Club for for all the amazing memories from this trip.

Can't wait to return next year.

Skål! Cheers!

Ironman Wisconsin: Week 1

One week down and 19 more to go! Yay.

Since I was only 1 week removed from the marathon, I amended my training plan so that I would not over do it and cause injury. The 2 year anniversary of the reappearance of the peroneal tendonosis was fresh on my mind since it was during this week that it happened- yes I keep track of it. (I also felt some twinges in my ankle which spooked me even further- I gave it some extra TLC and it went away just as fast as it came. Thank god) I will continue to amend the training plan as necessary- especially the next few weeks because of travel, and because of marathon recovery. Even though I physically felt 100% a few days post Carmel, I know there's a lot more at play during recovery. No need to rush it. I'm not concerned at all.

When all was said and done, I had worked out a total of 6:06:21 for 59.3 miles. It was a good start to IMWI training.

Swim: 46:50 for 2300 yards

Bike: 3:04:31 for 41.23 miles

Run: 2:15 for 16.76 miles



I'm starting to incorporate specific workouts and drills while I'm at the pool vs just swimming random yardage. It felt good to swim fast for 50 yard intervals- especially since I won't be getting that rush from running for a few more weeks. I'll start doing the same for cycling soon also.

Snapshots:

Soldier field had a nice firework display for the NFL draft.



Saturday we went to Three Floyds Dark Lord Day. It's a day where FFF releases their Dark Lord Stout- they have bands and people share bottles of beer- it's a cool festival. We rode to Munster, IN in style on the Reggies bus.



And waited in a long line to get in- but we were sharing beer with people so the time passed relatively quick.





It was cold and rainy the entire day- luckily there were tents.




We were thoroughly soaked after a while. But, we were having fun hanging out with friends and sharing bottles.




We picked up our allotment of Dark Lord and then got our variants- and went back into the rain.



I'm firmly convinced these events are 100% better with friends. Yeah, the rain and cold sucked- but we still had so much fun.





Yay Dark Lord, yay.




It was pretty sweet, but good. I can't wait to try some variants on tap next week.





DLD is best enjoyed with friends.




Thank goodness for tents.




And then we decided to go home back on the Reggies bus. We pushed our way on because there were easily enough people for 3+ buses. It was eat or be eaten at this point. Luckily we got on and were on our way home and not stuck waiting for the next bus.




Despite the shitty weather, we had a fun time, but were exhausted. Even though we said at the time we likely wouldn't go back, I have a feeling we will be buying tickets again once that time comes next year.




Looking forward:

Train as much as I can while traveling but don't beat myself up over it.



--Xaarlin

The well deserved week of Slothmode + other ramblings about life and the Ironman

Since the amazing marathon I ran last Saturday where I *FINALLY* punched my ticket to Boston, I've been taking it super easy and enjoying some downtime before Ironman training starts. I've indulged with food and drink a bit more than I should have, taken the Churro Dog for some nice walks, and worked out minimally.
20 weeks from today (Sunday April 24) I will be an Ironman. Holy shit where did time go? Feels like yesterday I was signing up for this race... Actually I signed up in October 6 months ago!

Training starts tomorrow. It will be the longest training cycle i've done in recent memory. I'm incredibly excited to start this process, but I know certain aspects will be a huge challenge for me. For the next few weeks/month  i'll be amending my plan to accommodate marathon recovery + my vacation, and after that it's IM Racine 70.3 as a test run and then the big day on September 11.
                                       
I feel confident that my swimming will be strong enough to finish well ahead of the cutoff for both races. With that being said, I need to work on speed and technique in the pool for the next 2 months until I can test out my new wetsuit in the lake for some longer swims. I'll look into some lessons to help maximize efficiency.

Running is not a concern at all. I've gutted out marathons before and know i'm more than capable of covering the distance. My only real concern is staying injury free. I'll add more strength/core/PT exercises to stay injury free.

Cycling is my biggest concern. I cannot ride my bike for hours on end on the Lakefront. I need hills and roads to practice on. BUT I do not have a car to drive to Barrington or.... So planing my weekly rides will take some coordination to be successful. I have thought about joining a tri group to meet others training for the race, but havent pulled the trigger on that yet. I am also looking into organized rides- I'm signed up for Bike the Drive at the end of May and am looking forward to completing my longest ride to date out on lakeshore drive! Although crazy to think the 3-4 hours I spend on that event will be half of what my long rides will eventually end up being...

Overall I'm really looking forward to this chapter of my life- and i'm very thankful to have the support of family and friends while I chase this goal.

On Tuesday I ran 5+ miles with Kim. I chatted her ear off about the marathon. It was nice to catch up and relive the memories of that race with someone who wasn't bored to tears by my excitement over it. My quads were quite sore during this run, but I kept it super easy- 10+ min pace and felt markedly better afterwards.

On Thursday, I met Vicky for dinner so we could debrief each other about our amazing marathon performances. I cannot say enough how happy I am that Vicky re-qualified for Boston on Monday at the Boston Marathon! I was tracking her splits and jus knew she would do it! Being able to run Boston together in 2017 will be a kick ass experience!

Saturday morning I went to the pool for the first time since January. I swam 2250 yards, including some pull buoy laps. I also did 975 yards non stop and felt really good. I was very encouraged that I had not lost any of my swimming abilities.

Sunday I was either going to go for my first ride of the year with Mortadella or go to the pool and I ended up doing neither. Instead I met Vicky for brunch and then we went shopping. After 11k steps from walking around in stores, I'm exhausted! It was a gorgeous day to spend outside in Chicago.


Tomorrow starts Ironman training. Squeeeeeee!  84 days to go until 70.3! 140 days to go until 140.6!



-Xaarlin