Less chatter. More work.
So it's been quiet 'round these parts in blogland. I can't remember the last time I really sat down and pulled together some coherent thoughts on life, much less training or races. I'm going to try and get caught back up...if for no other reason than to have the remainder of my Ironman training documented (which, while time consuming for me...I still feel is important to have).
July came and went in the blink of an eye. The family vacation was an absurd amount of fun. Who knew that getting locked in a cabin in Northern Michigan with enough taxidermy to fill a natural history museum could be such a good time. Mike and I got to hang out with smartest kid on earth (my oldest nephew...seriously, he's 10 and he's a genius), some of the most adorable girls ever (my nieces), and 2 other nephews that would charm the pants off of an eskimo in a blizzard! I could hang out with the 6 of them all day long.
But since I had a full week off of work, it couldn't be all fun and games. With my bike in tow, I decided to get some solid time in the saddle out there tackling hills and relentless wind. A few tough long rides helped build confidence for the bigger volumes to come. I never once put on the wetsuit, but I did get a handful of miles under my belt with transition runs, a long run, and a race pace run test left my breakfast on the side of the road. All in all, good times.
And naturally, no family vacation would be complete without the unnecessary drama. I guess that's life though. When you've got a family as big and as awesome as mine, you're bound to bump heads at some point or another. You just have to learn to not let the drama get under your skin and consume you. I guess I've tapped into my dad's laissez-faire approach. But other than that, it was truly a fantastic and memorable trip! Thanks mom and dad!
Also in July...homegirl set a new sprint tri PR. And not just by a small margin. I shaved off nearly 9 minutes from last year's race. I don't think I'll actually sit down and write a formal race report, but know that the race plan was to go out, redline, hang on for dear life as long as possible, and see what happens. I had a frustrating swim with my goggles continuously riding up where the lower suction line was actually on top of my eyes, one of the best bike rides I've had this year and then a pretty surprising run. Not to mention that it was at the very end of my family vacation and I didn't have much left in my legs as it was.
Here's a look at how it all went down compared to previous years...
Half Mile Swim
2009: 15:35...1:47/100 yards...420/2551 overall. (I blame the goggles!)
2008: 15:28 ...1:46/100 yards...633/3650 overall.
2007: 19:38 ...2:14/100 yards...2323/3919 overall.
T1.
2009: 2:41
2008: 2:47
2007: 5:35
Da Bike.
2009: 42:17...17 mph...926/2115
2008: 45:35...16.32 mph...1325/3650
2007: 58:59...12.61mph...3248/3919
T2.
2009: 2:37
2008: 2:58
2007: 4:20
Da 5k Run.
2009: 31:33...10:10 pace...1183/2551
2008: 35:19...11:23 pace...2139/3650.
2007: 38:43...12:29 pace...2494/3919.
Final Time.
2009: 1:34:45 (had a time goal of breaking 1:35)
2008: 1:43:09
2007: 2:07:17
Obviously, some solid improvements in performance over previous years. Perhaps I'll one day be able to nab that elusive sub-1:30 in a sprint.
And to round out the month, I biked my longest distance to date during "The Melon"....75 miles. It was a great ride with Lore (who busted out a century) and we went into the wind for about 80% of it. I was surprised at how great I felt during it and finally nailed down a nutritional plan for going long. Now I need to tape the plan to my aerobars or something so it's an in-your-face reminder of when to drink and suck down a Gu.
As of right now I only have one race on the horizon. In November. That little beast called Ironman Arizona. Steelhead didn't pan out for me financially. And The Great Illini only looks like it'll happen if I can find a ride with someone in my Tri Club or rent a car for the night. I'm not entirely convinced that I have to have to have to have a half ironman under my belt before going into race day....but it sure as hell will make me feel a lot more confident. Worst case scenario I pick a day and just do the half iron distance on my own (though I lose that racing component).
Until then, I'm just going to continue to carry on...slow and steady.
July came and went in the blink of an eye. The family vacation was an absurd amount of fun. Who knew that getting locked in a cabin in Northern Michigan with enough taxidermy to fill a natural history museum could be such a good time. Mike and I got to hang out with smartest kid on earth (my oldest nephew...seriously, he's 10 and he's a genius), some of the most adorable girls ever (my nieces), and 2 other nephews that would charm the pants off of an eskimo in a blizzard! I could hang out with the 6 of them all day long.
But since I had a full week off of work, it couldn't be all fun and games. With my bike in tow, I decided to get some solid time in the saddle out there tackling hills and relentless wind. A few tough long rides helped build confidence for the bigger volumes to come. I never once put on the wetsuit, but I did get a handful of miles under my belt with transition runs, a long run, and a race pace run test left my breakfast on the side of the road. All in all, good times.
And naturally, no family vacation would be complete without the unnecessary drama. I guess that's life though. When you've got a family as big and as awesome as mine, you're bound to bump heads at some point or another. You just have to learn to not let the drama get under your skin and consume you. I guess I've tapped into my dad's laissez-faire approach. But other than that, it was truly a fantastic and memorable trip! Thanks mom and dad!
Also in July...homegirl set a new sprint tri PR. And not just by a small margin. I shaved off nearly 9 minutes from last year's race. I don't think I'll actually sit down and write a formal race report, but know that the race plan was to go out, redline, hang on for dear life as long as possible, and see what happens. I had a frustrating swim with my goggles continuously riding up where the lower suction line was actually on top of my eyes, one of the best bike rides I've had this year and then a pretty surprising run. Not to mention that it was at the very end of my family vacation and I didn't have much left in my legs as it was.
Here's a look at how it all went down compared to previous years...
Half Mile Swim
2009: 15:35...1:47/100 yards...420/2551 overall. (I blame the goggles!)
2008: 15:28 ...1:46/100 yards...633/3650 overall.
2007: 19:38 ...2:14/100 yards...2323/3919 overall.
T1.
2009: 2:41
2008: 2:47
2007: 5:35
Da Bike.
2009: 42:17...17 mph...926/2115
2008: 45:35...16.32 mph...1325/3650
2007: 58:59...12.61mph...3248/3919
T2.
2009: 2:37
2008: 2:58
2007: 4:20
Da 5k Run.
2009: 31:33...10:10 pace...1183/2551
2008: 35:19...11:23 pace...2139/3650.
2007: 38:43...12:29 pace...2494/3919.
Final Time.
2009: 1:34:45 (had a time goal of breaking 1:35)
2008: 1:43:09
2007: 2:07:17
Obviously, some solid improvements in performance over previous years. Perhaps I'll one day be able to nab that elusive sub-1:30 in a sprint.
And to round out the month, I biked my longest distance to date during "The Melon"....75 miles. It was a great ride with Lore (who busted out a century) and we went into the wind for about 80% of it. I was surprised at how great I felt during it and finally nailed down a nutritional plan for going long. Now I need to tape the plan to my aerobars or something so it's an in-your-face reminder of when to drink and suck down a Gu.
As of right now I only have one race on the horizon. In November. That little beast called Ironman Arizona. Steelhead didn't pan out for me financially. And The Great Illini only looks like it'll happen if I can find a ride with someone in my Tri Club or rent a car for the night. I'm not entirely convinced that I have to have to have to have a half ironman under my belt before going into race day....but it sure as hell will make me feel a lot more confident. Worst case scenario I pick a day and just do the half iron distance on my own (though I lose that racing component).
Until then, I'm just going to continue to carry on...slow and steady.
Labels: Busy Busy Barbara, Trek Women's Tri, vacation
posted by Iron Jayhawk at 8:54 AM
9 rock chalk cheers!
