Ready, set, GO!

If the Ironman was a 28-day event, I'd be so ready for it! But since I only have 17 hours I'm nowhere near ready..That's what the next 6 months are for with our IM training program officially starting this week!

Total February Miles:
Swim - 9000 meters
Bike - 147 miles
Run - 50.5 miles

February was actually a great training month as I finally got into a steady 5-6 days a week pattern. Of course our IM training schedule is 6-7 days a week, so I have some more adjusting to do and I think it'll take some time getting used to not having days off, but there are a few built into the schedule and I have great plans for those few rest days we'll have over the next 6 months (think massage, couch, books and shut-eye). We're not jumping in head first our first week as this week is an easy assessment week and I'm feeling good about it. I can comfortably swim 2500 meters in a pool, most rides have been on a trainer but 2 hours don't feel quite as long anymore, and I probably upped my run miles the most and am stoked that despite running as much as 20 miles in a week, my knees have felt strong.

When I think about the road ahead, it's still a bit daunting, but I am also excited beyond belief! We had our kick-off training meeting last week where we met our coach and program leaders and I know we are in awesome hands for this journey. They're going to be great resources and it was also nice to meet some fellow program members. We're the only ones in the group doing Louisville, but there's something powerful about knowing that you have a group that will be going through the same process you are!

Pablo and I also realized how lucky we are not only to have each other as training partners but also to have flexible jobs because it sounds like by the time we hit summer all we'll be doing is working out, eating and sleeping...I'm not going to lie, I'm pumped about it!

Just what does Ironman training look like at it's peak?

Here's a snapshot of our heaviest training weeks:

May - 16hr10min

June - 15hr25min

Photos: Weekly Summary taken on Trainingpeaks app for iPhone (which is awesome!) 

2014 the year of the Ironman!

Yep, I officially lost my mind today and am now signed up for 2014 Ironman 70.3 Raleigh in June and 2014 Ironman Louisville in August. That's right 2014 is going to be the year of the Ironman!!

Sorry future children, while I was going to wait for you to be around to witness me finishing my first Ironman, you'll have to see it in videos and pictures instead. But friends and family, please do consider coming out and supporting us in Raleigh and/or Louisville next year. I know I'm going to need as many Ironman sherpas and cheerleaders as possible, especially during the run! Both races promise to be hot, hot, hot and you'll need to hang around for anywhere from 6 to 14 hours, but I promise you it'll be worth it!

Seriously, I cannot tell you how scary it was to hit that complete purchase button. Not only are 70.3 (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike and 13.1 mile run) and 140.6 miles (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and 26.2 mile run) intimidating numbers, the training that comes with it is pretty intense as well. Not to mention the mental and physical challenges I am sure to experience as I train and race each of these events. But now that it's done, I am beyond excited! In less than a year I should be able to call myself an Ironman!

In 2009, Pablo and I committed to complete the Climate Ride, a 300-mile ride from NYC to DC. Back then I could not imagine completing anything more intensive than that, but here we are committing to another amazing set of events. I knew there was a reason I married that man! We keep each other on our toes and make each other stronger every day and I cannot wait to start training for these races together! Here's to a super active 2014!

Triathlon season comes to an end...

My first official triathlon season has come to an end and I have to say I'm pretty pleased. In the weight arena I'm down to 152.8lbs (5lbs less than the last time I posted in June and 15lbs less than my starting weight of 167.5 in June 2012). Besides the weightloss progress, I've also achieved some milestones and personal bests in terms of triathlons. After Jamestown, I went on to complete 2 sprint triathlons, Nation's Tri (Olympic) on September 8 and ChesapeakeMan Bugeye Classic (Olympic with a half distance swim) on September 21.

Nation's was an awesome race! My parents came to DC to support me, which was super fun, because my dad hadn't seen me race since my 1st half marathon back in 2005. It was also awesome to race with fellow DC Tri Club members and pretty cool to set a new PR.

In June, I joined the DC Tri Club's Olympic Distance Speed Program, which propelled me to become more involved with the club and provided me with an awesome training plan. I swam 2-3 days per week for 45-60 minutes, biked 2-3 times per week, with at least 1 long ride and 2 bricks (bike followed by a run) and ran ~2 times per week. I also did some strength training and continued focusing on my nutrition plan. The results were fantastic! I swam the 1500m about a minute faster than Jamestown even though others complained about being slower in the water. The bike was brilliant and I shaved a whole 7 minutes off my 1:29:05 time, averaging about 17.5mph. The run was hot and slow and I was actually almost 1.5 minutes slower than Jamestown, but my total time was still 6 minutes faster (3:07:46)!

ChesapeakeMan was also pretty cool, because while Pablo couldn't be with me at Nation's, we were able to race the Bugeye Classic together. Given that this race was 2 weeks after Nation's I didn't plan to PR. The race had a half distance (1.2 miles) swim and two transition areas, so I took it as a perfect opportunity to start practicing for the half ironman. I aimed for a 45 minutes swim and ended up doing it in 46:16, which wasn't too bad considering the longer distance and the crazy amount of jellies we swam into (those buggers sting!) The bike was a super flat, but windy course and I was ecstatic to complete the 23 miles in just under 1:17 (close to 18mph, wohoo!!) Like Nation's the run was my worst leg. I don't know if I had just pushed too hard on the bike or if my lack of running between Nation's and Bugeye tooks its toll, but I came in at a weak 1:08:95. My total time was 3:16:25, which given the distance differences was still a better performance than Jamestown, although not quite as good as Nation's.


All in all, I am super happy with the 2013 season and I CAN NOT wait until 2014! In april I was almost an Athena (165lb plus women) placing dead last in my age-group. Now I'm halfway to my goal weight and at ChesapeakeMan I actually placed 2nd in my age group!

This past week I took off from working out, but tomorrow starts the off-season training plan which will last through January when Ironman training begins. The off-season probably won't look very different than my 2013 Oly training plan, except that I'm going to reduce my swim and bike load, mix in some yoga, TRX and other strength training and focus heavily on run speed workouts.

For 2014 I was initially going to sign up for 2 half distance triathlons, some shorter distance triathlons, maybe a couple of half marathons and a full marathon, but apparently I'm maried to a crazy man who has decided he'd like to do Ironman Louisville in 2014.

I had originally set my mind on doing an ironman in 2015 but had recently shifted to the idea of waiting until after I had kids (how cool would it be for your kid to see you finish an ironman?) But now there is a new option and I have to say I'm tempted...I mean if we're going to train together and I'm going to do the distances anyways, why not make 2014 the year of the Ironman?

My main concern is that I want to make sure I can train for it to meet the 17-hr finishing deadline while remaining injury-free. Inadequate training for our 300-mile bike ride left me with 2 painful knees and I clearly remember chasing the clock during my full marathon in Stockholm in 2005...miles 20-26.2 were BRUTAL and I was constantly running, or hobbling, against the cut-off clock. I can only imagine what those miles are going to feel like after a 2.4 mile swim and a 112 mile bike ride. Of course I'm in much better shape now than I was back then and more importantly I have a thorough understanding of the importance of proper training and nutrition. Realistically, I'm actually aiming for 14 hours, which would give me comfy 3 hour window to the midnight deadline....so what's stopping me?

It's probably fear, because why wouldn't you be scared of a 140.6 mile event that's going to take at least 14 hours. Fear is natural when considering this intense event. But there's a reason I recently acquired my first tattoo...



I'm stronger than fear.

I proved that to myself when I overcame a 20-year-old fear of dark water and I'm stronger than the 140.6 miles I'd need to conquer at IM Louisville. I'm still not 100% ready to commit, but I'm definitely getting there....