Holiday fun

Here is a list of the hightlights/thoughts/comments/questions from the last couple of weeks.

1) Is this the year of mental fortitude for indoor training? :) I about died doing 25 x 1:00 (decided I needed to break that up into groups of 5)on the bike and spent the whole day dreading 24 x 50 swimming (well 2 x 12, but still). Both of which I was very tired at the end. In the swim I did shoot for a 50 that was under :45 and I achieved it most times.

2) Skate skied two Saturdays ago. Had plans to head out in the morning with a friend. He bailed on me so I went alone. It was so nice. It also doesn't hurt my hamstring/hip/back which running was. I was happy and hooked. So I skied Monday night after work too. A little late start and a little scary being alone 5 miles back in the woods known to have mountain lions but also very invigorating. Also skied with my sister on Christmas Eve Day. Those runs got put off.

3) Back/hamstring- It now hurts to flutter kick. Especially on my back and especially with fins. I complained or brought it up with the chiropractor. He didn't seem too alarmed and wanted me to continue with the prescribed course of action. I was told that my recovery would look like the stock market. Ultimately improving but sometimes getting worse. I don't think falling off that curb helped. I also feel much better a week or so later. Have an appointment Tuesday morning to see the PT as well. Ran on Sunday and my hamstring felt pretty good.

4) Finally met Haley Chura. She was swimming at the Swim Center. She is very, very nice. Sincerely really nice. I like her a lot. Her parents live here. She is still based in Atlanta. She will be back this summer to train. She really likes training here. Got a lot of interesting triathlon perspective from her. I hope to swim/ride/run with her this summer.

5) There may be a time in a couple of weeks where I might just need a couple of days off of training and work and really focus on getting the new house finalized,  moved, and our house cleaned and ready to show and rent out. It is sort of stressful for me. I can't wait to get back to normal. In an awesome new house.

6) This past weekend- Decided I really needed to get my butt in gear. I also gained a couple of pounds. Set up trainer for the ride on Saturday. It took a while to settle in. My legs didn't want to go around. I then proceeded to grout the whole shower at the house. It was 7:30 or so when I got home and I don't think I have been that tired in a while. Had a great swim with Masters on Sunday. They pushed me. Haley came and swam in  rockstar lane 5. Did I tell you we have a Canadian Olympian in that lane too. Ran afterwards and felt pretty good. Felt a bit tired. It makes me nervous that I was that tired after running for 50 minutes.

Hmm- Those are all the highlights I can think of.


Schedule- No work this Thursday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday. Well actually, I may come in to infect mice but that won't take much time. No swimming available on Thursday. Masters is on for Sunday.

Other- Wish I had some amazing questions to ask you. Unfortunately I don't. Anthony Bourdain- Parts Unknown is a surprisingly good watch while riding the trainer. Just an FYI. Lauren Fleshman is making this her awesome comeback year. She seems so awesome I hope she is successful. It is very inspiring to see  pro athletes have babies and still race. I kind of wish a magazine article would write something about the average mom who also has to work though.

planning

July 4th. http://www.bangtaildivide.com/  I admire that they will have a race on July 4. Nobody does that. I would like to put this on my calendar.

30 minute swim- This was hard and I learned a lot. I swam in a lane with a friend who is a go getter. She played golf for Stanford which I think says a lot about her. Historically she is faster than me and often more driven at practice. (some days I am just tired and hitting those intervals etc is hard) Anyway, we swam neck and neck almost the whole 30 minutes. My own plan was to start out slower and build every 10 minutes. Sort of like what I have done in races. I was fine the first 10 minutes. Felt really good actually. Then when I tried to go faster it lasted about 3 laps and I blew up. I stayed with Audrey for most of it and she pulled ahead the last couple of minutes. But just a couple of yards. Anyway, I had a counter and she said when I blew up I lost my kick and my form went to shit. I started wiggling. So, I am very excited to have done this little test. A- it was a TT and I gave it my all and was super tired the rest of the day B- My form breaks down when I get tired. Especially my kick. I honestly had no idea. Now I have something to work on. We swam 1650. I swear we were on track for 1750 and something got miscounted but that is another story.

Lots of good workouts. Swim on Friday was hard but good.

Note:  Two long workouts on Friday don't work out well. I didn't ride on Friday because I just didn't have time during the day to swim and ride. I wouldn't have gotten any work done. We have lab meeting from 3-5 which doesn't help anything either. Felt bad about not getting out. Also was exhausted.

Other week highlights- Thursday ride (is that when that was?) Good and  hard. I really liked that ride actually. I felt like the high cadence and then the easier intervals really built into the hard intervals. My legs felt better doing those 20k pace intervals than the previous couple of harder rides. 

Health- Had a great appointment with the Chiropractor on Tuesday. I sat me down to talk to me about everything we went over and outlined the plan for getting me better. Let me ask a lot of questions. Basically, I have 8-10 visits with him and then he sends me to a PT who works in his office. He breaks me down and gets me adjusted correctly. She helps me build the form to keep it that way. Come to find out at my next appointment that we graduated in the same High School class at Bozeman High School. It was weird. Changed the dynamic for a few minutes. I am feeling pretty good running. Better than I have in a long time. Think I should stick with his plan. 

Schedule- Not a lot going on with work. At least until next week which is Christmas. We are here this weekend. Working on the house. Hopefully finishing off tiling. I am going to grout and finish the house bathroom today. Hopefully my arms don't fall off. That is a hard job.( Very sore when finished BTW)

MSU- pool closed on weekends until the middle of January. Also, gym not open much on weekends and closes at 7pm during the weekday. 

Masters- I think that will be as normal except Christmas and New Year's day which are on Thursdays. 

Okay, not a lot. Been super busy with trying to get tiling done this week. 

What's that a chiropractor?

This week was kind of off and maybe in a little bit of transition. After going to the chiropractor and being told not to ski or run much I was feeling a little at a loss. Also, felt like a lot of the PT I had been doing was pointless. I guess only the hamstring, but that took a lot of time. Also, Masters swimming on Sunday is so grounding that when that is cancelled I feel pretty off.  First I stopped doing the runs and then Sunday I did kind of a big effort. Friday I skipped altogether and left work early to go to Erik's Christmas party. I was also feeling very tired and worked from the week. Also, it has been very warm here and I think I jumped the gun on giving you the go ahead to write in ski workouts.We don't have any snow. I am seeing green grass from my window at work.  

Chiropractor- I already sent you an email explaining a lot and I do have a bunch of questions for him at my appointment tomorrow. He went so fast that a lot got lost on me. For instance. I have this tape on my leg that is aligning it differently. It feels great, but how in the long term am I going to lose the tape. Also, not sure how my big toe is connected to all of this. I think it is my walking motion but need to clarify. Also, he says one leg is longer than the other but couldn't this be from muscular imbalance not just the bones. How does this get fixed? However, I ran and maybe overdid it on Sunday and I haven't felt so good in a very, very long time. No pain. I am very, very excited about this prospect and am going to keep giving the Chiropractor my business for a while longer. However, I do think like I was about, that things are changing. Less running for a while? Different PT? It might take a couple of weeks to get in a new groove. 

Workouts

Now that I gave you all my negative things here are a couple of positive and your workouts/ideas/suggestions were not all for no reason. 

Wednesday- Bike- Went really well. Was feeling a bit rusty for the first couple and like my legs didn't want to hurt but they warmed up and it was a fairly hard workout. Note: I feel that way in swimming too, you say go fast without any builds and it takes a few 50's to really get my arms to go around. 

Thursday- Masters swim. Got in a good workout. I don't remember much of it. Only that 3000 was done before I knew it. 

Saturday- Substituted running for riding. Only rode over to the house and back but figured that was better than nothing. Did the roller ride and followed it by a really good core session. 

Sunday- I got up and tiled in the morning (well midmorning). My friend had a tile saw I could use and I could pick it up at 2pm. The pool is only open on Sunday from 1-4. My original plan was to get the saw, do the swim, and walk on the treadmill. It was such a beautiful day and the glue smell from the house was getting to me. I decided to take the treadmill thing one step further and go hike the M, straight up. Of course I couldn't just go to the M, so I made it to the overlook, then first hump, and then 2nd. I was feeling so good and getting in a really good workout. I ran/shuffled/slid down. Lots of snow on top. It was a really, really nice hike and fully worth missing the workout. 

Schedule- Not much at work for the next week. Just the day to day assays to wrap up my mouse takedown last week. 

Masters- Sunday is the 30 minute swim and the 500 fly. I would definitely like to do the 30 minute swim. The fly, not so much. 

House- Still lots of tiling to do. The weekend should again be focused on tiling. I am going to try to get over there this week too. Lots to do with the house and very little time. 

Camp-

I read over your email and am stewing. My biggest concern at this point is pool time. There is usually a meet at the Swim Center that weekend and MSU is only open for regular hours on Sunday. I sent out an inquiry today about renting/using MSU for a couple of hours on Saturday and the cost. I am having Bobcat flashbacks though, because it takes forever, if ever, to hear back from them. Anyway, I will send you an email at some point in the next few days with my critique. Really it just made for questions about logistics. I think the content is really good. 

Okay, that's it. Not a lot this week. I feel like I need to ask the Chiropractor lots of questions so I can get back to a groove on. 

Camp and such...

I put together an outline for Camp. Hopefully you can work with me to iron it out.

Objective- Promote triathlon by providing a high quality and valuable triathlon training experience for Bozeman/Montana's working class.
                      sub objectives: accommodate peoples busy lives
                                             -utilize Bozeman's great roads and trails
                                             - Provide triathletes with a wealth of knowledge.
                                   

My job- Organization by scheduling things such as pool times, caterers, support. Ultimately though, I think it boils down to keeping people fed. (I used to wonder why the cycling house always promoted their healthy food so much. Now, I realize with a bunch of triathletes you are also going to have a bunch of crabby people without meals all lined out)

Your job- Schedule swims, bikes, runs etc. and lead them. Provide our amazing insights to everybody there!

Schedule

Thursday- Packet pickup and social hour. My house 7-9pm. Snacks and drinks. Keep this early and fairly short.

Friday- So here I was wondering if maybe we could have a couple of options. People who come from out of town and get here Thursday night are taking the day off work anyway. Maybe we could have a day for them. Then have a Friday evening session for the Bozeman people who don't want to take off work. If you need to work I could potentially just lead this. Nothing super intense maybe more fun and do some exploring. Show those Helena people some good trails.
Catered dinner and either you or Excel talk and/or QA session.

Saturday
Breakfast on own.
You plan the sessions.
Catered dinner and either you or Excel talk and/or QA
Lunch? On your own? Coop? What do you think. People get some time away from each other for an hour or two or we all stay together?

Sunday
Breakfast on own
You plan session/s
Lunch together or go

Other:
Weekend training nutrition- Try and get Hammer to sponsor- Hammer products will be provided. Otherwise bring your own if you have a preference.
SAG- Will have a SAG vehicle for a long ride. Have nutrition and supplies such as tubes and a pump for mechanicals.
Other support- Water and snacks for after runs etc.
Pro-rate- I will pro- rate the weekend if people can't  make it to everything. I won't advertise this. Just if people ask. I don't want to create room for people to make their own schedules.

Questions: Would you be interested/think it is a good idea to have Jason from Excel give a talk one evening. Or work with you to talk about something? I don't want to ask Jason until I have a confirmed yes with you.

Julie to do:
Figure out pool times. That weekend of May is potentially a swim meet at the Swim Center. Making swim times tights.
Get a flier together- Can you send me a blurb about yourself and maybe a photo?
Hammer sponsor
Caterer
Budget

The other unknown right now is scheduling and how people will get places. Once we have a schedule we can figure that out.

The end for now....



Okay, now on to me. Because I am awesome and love just chatting it up about me.

First of all, I am getting out of shape and I don't like this. Swimming is hard, running is hard, all I can do is spin on the bike. When does the season begin again? Second, when is the season to begin? Our house is so time consuming. I am glad to not be so structured. Can't wait to get moved in and settled again.

Hamstring- I am getting worried about my hamstring. It doesn't seem to be getting better. I kind of wonder if it is just sore from the strength stuff, except that it hurts all the way down. Starting at my lower back to the back of my knee. This makes me wonder if I am doing some of those exercises wrong and targeting stretching not strengthening. I am going to send Jason an email and ask him his thoughts. I also wonder if it is my bike fit from my road bike. I put together my TT bike over the weekend so that I know that it is fitting correctly.

Huffing for Stuffing- Started out at a 7:25 or so pace. This was kind of hard. The beginning is uphill, has lots of people and it was icy and slippery. So right off the bat I started too fast. The race was hard and I ran as fast as I could. Told myself to give it my all. Then at mile 5 my legs stopped working. Wouldn't turn over anymore. Probably ran the last mile 2-3 minutes slower. My hamstring (uggh) was a major contributor. It wasn't happy moving.

Schedule- No Masters this weekend. Swim meet. Next weekend is the 1/2 hour swim and the butterfly challenge and a Masters holiday party.
               Noting scheduled for work.

Missed a few workouts. Friday was annoying and PT didn't happen and bike was 30 minutes. Got up Saturday and rode and did PT before working on tiling. However, it got really, really cold at about 2pm. I was not about to go out running in that weather. Rode the trainer for 35 minutes, to break a sweat, and hopefully make up for my inability to run in the cold.

Sunday- Swim was okay. Felt very, very tired and out of shape. Worked on house and rode rollers in the evening. Did legs for PT since Cory Hardy was there and they wanted to eat.
Sidenote: I am sick of being on everybody else's schedule. My training and my time for myself is not important for anybody else. Except they can leave me hanging and it doesn't matter. I feel like this whole triathlon thing is something everybody is waiting for me to get over so that I can get on with life. Maybe this is all in my head.

Monday- Run felt terrible. Ran on treadmill. (cold problem again) Had to really bargain to stay on. Form was bad, hamstring hurt. Had a long day at work and was tired. That may have contributed. 

Tuesday- PT- Full on session!

Sorry, about a lot of this blog. I am feeling very crabby and negative today.

Another day, another year

Health- Got on antibiotics and felt better within 12 hours. I still have a bit of nose drainage which gets worse when it is cold (annoying when trying to tile, can't just farmer blow in the house anymore) and I think this is aggravating my throat a little. I think I am susceptible to sinus infections and I guess they are hard to get rid of unless you have antibiotics. I also think swimming a lot keeps me from getting sick. Flushing my sinuses with chlorine water all the time. So, let's just keep swimming.

PT- I have to say that these PT sessions are kind of kicking my butt. I am definitely very sore the next day from them but... I think I am getting something out of them. I am able to hold planks for longer. This is kind of cool because I don't know if I have ever done the same exercises consistently enough to say that I think I am getting stronger. Now that I got some doable hamstring exercises I think I will start to see some gains on that as well. Also, I have been doing some runs on the treadmill and really, really focusing on cadence and form while running pretty slow. However, I am excited to have the time and chance to think about form. If I can get my hamstring to heal up before training really starts I am really excited about racing next year. That last 15% that I couldn't quite get last year might make for  running improvement.

Hamstring- My achilles and my plantar are feeling good, but I feel like my hamstring is taking a while to get better. Rolled out on a foam roller a few times this week which seems to help. Bought some new shoes too, so that bad shoes shouldn't lead to any more injury. But, just wanted to let you know, it isn't great, yet....

Am signed up for the Huffing for Stuffing. Am excited. It feels good to race before celebrating/eating.

Schedule- Next Monday (Dec 1), I have a pretty big experiment. A full day. Tuesday, the morning will be
                 pretty busy with the same experiment.
               -Weekend- Home for Thanksgiving. Would like to get the showers tiled so would like to dedicate
                at least 4 hours each day to doing that, if not more. Probably not on Thursday.

The weekend went good.
Friday- Missed the run. Sorry didn't read the plan very well and only had bike in my head. Got a haircut though, which was very much needed.

Saturday-  I followed the plan mostly. Got in a good swim on Saturday, except the pool was 14-16 inches too low when I got there. Too scared to do a flip turn in the shallow end. Then they started to fill it and the pool got really cold in the middle. A little distracting. Kept losing count of what I was doing. Kind of nice when that happens. Had a good PT session after. Did a lot of hamstring and strength. PT is actually kind of hard. Have been pretty sore the next day.

Sunday- Good Masters swim. Lots of bilateral breathing with paddles, fins, and both. A good form workout. I was pretty tired after. A little in a calorie hole too. Worked on tiling the showers in the house all day. Not super gratifying. 4+ hours gets me one wall. Went home and did the rollers workout. Am feeling more comfortable with a higher cadence both biking and running this year. Kind of excited about it.

Monday- Running after work. It looks cold out and I need to stay at work a little late, so might just go run on the hamster wheel.

Questions- Did you think training with power last winter was good for me? Should I arrange to use Lawrence's computrainer again, or I think the Curry's have power. I could do that on the trainer, correct? It would be nice to get a set up at home. Especially once we move and I have the bike shop to set up in.

cold snap blues

This is probably the most uneventful blog ever.

I haven't done much. I layed around on Thursday night, layed around on Friday night, worked on the house on Saturday, went to Masters Sunday (only got in 1000 before I decided I was tired) and did PT Sunday, and am still feeling crappy on Monday. Cold is progressing to my sinuses and to a small cough. Am thinking tonight is a good night for rollers. I really am trying to stay rested up and hydrated because I really want this cold to go away.

It has given me some time to tackle a few house projects. I need to really deep clean the house we are currently living in to prove to my parents that I am not a disgusting person and horrible housekeeper. Don't ever stand on a stool in your kitchen if you aren't in the mood to open a can of worms.

Also, our house is getting painted, the mechanical (radiant heat) put in, and the flooring will start going down. So suddenly we are making progress again.

Followed some Bozeman folks at IMAZ on Sunday. Was a bit jealous and made me motivated.

Schedule- Not much going on at work. Hopefully meet with the boss today to discuss a plan.

Weekend and Thanksgiving- We are here for this weekend and will be here for Thanksgiving. A few days off for us to work on the house is what I am thinking that probably means.

So glad the cold snap is over. That was way too much of a shocker. I don't mind the snow, just not the bone chilling cold. Took my yearly allotment of baths last week.

winter overnight

Schedule- Not much going on with work. Don't have any big days planned. Nothing until at least mid next week.
            - Home this weekend. Mule Party at 4pm on Saturday. Masters meeting after swimming on Sunday.


Warning- Never throw a cat on an exercise ball. I finally got an exercise ball at the PT. Jason blew it up and everything. I was pretty excited to add to my home PT abilities. That very evening Erik decided it would be funny to throw the cat on the ball. Immediately flat with a giant claw mark. Cat just sort of sauntered off. Not even phased.

Things and stuff...
Took advantage of the off season and the nice weather last week. Ran outside with a couple of girls I work with and rode with Lisa on Friday. Just took off during the day. It was so nice and one of the last days.

Racing- I am pretty sure I found the Xterra that excites me. http://www.qxict.com/. It is in South Dakota. I have been thinking it would be a fun trip to go to South Dakota. See Mt Rushmore and spend another day to see Devils Tower. Erik could come and we could do some other mt bike riding. Plus, it is only a 6.25 hour drive. It is likely on the same weekend as Polson, but my excitement for South Dakota trumps my excitement for Polson.

This week so far....

Spent the weekend laying sod. It did not just mean putting down sod, that part was actually very gratifying, insta grass. It was the back breaking, wheel barrel rolling and shoveling that went into the sod laying down job. I woke up on Sunday night massaging my arms because they are so sore. Got most of it layed on Saturday and spent Sunday watering. Then it snowed. Awesome. Now next spring we won't have to deal with landscaping and we will have a nice solid lawn of green.

Missed Masters on Sunday to have breakfast with Erik's family. I have the strangest mother in law. Sigh...

Started chipping away at my new list on Sunday evening. Started by riding the rollers. Also, while watering tended to a lot of PT. Finished off evening with hamstring strength exercises.

Ran on the treadmill on Monday and followed it up with PT. I fully intended on going outside but was so cold at work that it didn't happen. Spent the 30 minutes on the treadmill really concentrating on my form. Timed my cadence a whole bunch of times. Did all of it at a really easy pace.

Camp
Working on sending you a brainstorming camp sheet. I am curious what you would want to do? What does a hands on camp with coach Elliot mean? What do you envision as your job? Also, I was thinking of asking Jason if he would be interested in doing an evening talk, or some sort of a bike fit clinic. What do you think of that? I wanted to ask you before I talked to him about it.

Off season

I have an idea which I need to ask you about. If I organized a Bozeman training camp would you come and coach it? My initial thoughts are that it would be in the spring, maybe April or May. It would be 3 days or so. Maybe Thursday evening through Sunday. I can't take off a whole week of work. I would probably try and get the triathletes from Bozeman that I think could use it and appreciate it. It would be a combination of hands on training with you and talking. Since it would be Bozeman people I would figure out a way to feed people some meals, but everybody would be able to sleep in their own beds. We have amazing riding, amazing running, and access to lots of various hours at two pools. Why not try to get the tri community together and do this. I would say it would be for the serious triathlete who has some sort of level of basic fitness.

What do you think? Is it possible? Are you available? How much would it cost me to hire you for a few days? Does my plan seem beneficial or would it be better if it was longer or shorter?



To the week...
Friday and Saturday- Had a work meeting at 9am and another at 2pm. Painted between and after the meetings. Don't like running around like that. To work, to paint, find some food, back to work, back to paint. It was exhausting. Then had Art and Lawrence over for dinner and may have drank too much. Finished (almost) painting on Saturday morning. I was so exhausted. Went home and cleaned house. Scrubbed the bathroom like never before. I don't take naps well. My shoulder was sooo tired from painting.

Sunday at Masters was really fun. In addition to the Luma Lines I was telling you about, we were on it. 5x200s Odd IM on 2:00 and even free on 1:55. Couldn't make the IM in that interval but raced the free to get a few seconds before the IM. Honestly I could only get about a 25 fly on those but nonetheless we didn't let up. 2nd. I was able to pace a 1:40 in the 50m pool and I wasn't absolutely dying. Had a good practice.  Went to work right after  the BOD meeting and was there until around 6:30 or 7pm.

Monday- Am vowing to get back into a routine. I can already feel the fat settling around my belly and side ass region. Followed directions exactly.

Tuesday- Day off work! Went to PT. Good session. He said hamstrings are really hard to recover that last 15%. Need to be diligent about strength exercises for hamstrings. We refined things and I shouldn't have to go back for at least a month. Am now equipped with an exercise ball, foam roller, and yoga mat at home.  Need to stick to easy running and riding for a month to let it heal. I then went and voted. I love voting.  Went on a hike on a trail I have never been on. Most people ride it. It is steep but smooth. Excited to ride it. Took a huge garbage bag of stuff and a box of books to Goodwill.

Schedule- Nothing huge for the week. My experiments aren't showing much. Need to have a talk with the boss about where I am going. New lab dynamics are making work kind of sucky. It is like a roller coaster at that place. Just need to hang on for a while.
               - I would like to go visit my Grandma. I was thinking maybe this weekend. Just drive down for the day on Saturday and maybe take her to lunch. Or I have next Tuesday off. Maybe then. I need to find out when I can be more useful on the house.

Races- I found a few Xterra races that look promising. One in Portland and in Canmore. There was was in McCall but the website wasn't great and I don't want to drive all that way for a crappy race. Problem is that I would like to race Polson and the Portland and Canmore races are the same weekend or one before. What is the point of driving all that way when I have Polson? So I guess I should find something more near the end of August or the first weekend of September. (Sorry for all that rambling, writing my chain of thoughts)
Other races I can and would like to do: Tritons Olympic, Spring Meadow, Lake Como, Polson.

That seems to be all for now. Lots of rambling....

Mules, Unicorns, Friends and Fun

While running the other day I was thinking about next year in triathlon and the previous years. I am very humbled and happy with the journey. From Ironman to....  I feel like I have grown a lot a have figured out I want to do what I enjoy. Thanks for your help with that. I really, really like paying you to be my friend ;)

 Sidenote: That one person I keep complaining about (tri club coach). I think another thing that bugs me is that he doesn't put any stock (to his athletes) in winning or being successful. He says stuff like, this is supposed to be fun. It seems to me like if one is to enter a race they should race and be as successful as possible. Otherwise, what is the point? Why not just go on a ride? How many successful athletes does he have? Not many, I have looked up a few race results. Okay, I will stop. I just hate the way someone like that is so dominant in the community. A lot of Bozeman people go to him for coaching, he does bike fits, testing, puts on clinics. A big business and he can't even fit a bike.

Bozeman Superprestige weekend was a huge success. Did you know that unicorns poop rainbows? I love racing with fun people and Megan L is one of them. Saturday I had a great race. Lisa and I dressed up as each other for costumes and we had a lot of people very confused. Her helmet (which isn't crooked) or her GAS kit helped me go fast. I was even in front of her on the first lap for about 5 seconds. Megan, Lisa, and I rode a lot of the first lap together. Then they dropped me, but I hung in there not hugely far behind. Felt like I had a good race. Sunday I wasn't feeling so hot. Feeling cold, sore, and tired. There was a lot of sand both days and it involved a lot of running. Lifting the bike and running in the sand was hard and hard on my body. Lots of bruises. On Sunday I got tired of getting off my bike and tried to ride the sand a lot more. Slower but a different challenge. I kept my brain in it on Sunday though. Kept checking in with myself and asking if I was going as hard as possible. Since this was likely my last race I wanted to finish it off as well as possible. I am happy with it and too tired to race on Wednesday.

What is the difference between a strain and a pull? What am I supposed to do to heal a strain? It has kind of been bugging me for a while. It gets better and then I race hard and it comes back. I guess I have another issue for the PT.

I have had a few good PT sessions. My plantar and achilles are feeling much, much better. My hamstring/sciatica is still bugging, but I am going to keep working with the PT to get that better.

Have been looking into off road triathlons. Haven't really seen much, other than a Canadian Xterra tour. How cool is that? Except that most of the races are flying distance or not the right timing. Will keep looking. I did see the long Xterra events. They look like fun. That kind of perks my interest, but the locations. Louisiana and Arkansas? Not sure I want to fly there.

Schedule- Not going to Missoula this weekend. Too much to get done, either on the house or working so that I can have some time to work on the house. I don't think the weather is supposed to be great so may try to schedule some work around the crap weather. I want to go to Masters Sunday. There is a BOD meeting after, which I am now part of the board. Next week I don't have much going on, yet. Probably won't, except normal work day stuff. No more cyclocross racing. With the time change it is going to be hard to do much in the evenings. Don't tell any of my biking friends, but I sort of look forward to the trainer. It is easy, I am home, I am not cold, don't need a bunch of gear etc. I can't wait until the house is done and we have a dedicated room for things like the trainer. I think we may have to put a line down the middle. Erik gets half and Julie half. I am pretty sure we envision different things in the bike shop.
Tuesday- Election Day. I get the day off. Yeah!!! Hopefully I can get to tiling the house. Have a PT appointment on that day.

Other:
I came across your raincoat the other day. Should I send it to Missoula this weekend? Are you going to Rolling Thunder? Tis the season for a raincoat.

Amazing fall weather

The weather has been amazing. I have been very distracted the past few weeks trying to get the outside of the house painted. As I was over there yesterday, I realized I should be more grateful that the weather is holding out for us. We are slowing chipping away at the painting but getting it done.

St George- 99% sure. Another pro for going is that weekend is MSU graduation weekend. Last year I vowed to leave town for it. I have missed all the early bird deadlines for registration though, so not super motivated to get that done.
           Question: When would be the optimal time to go on spring break training camp that would directly  benefit this race?  Early April? Second week of April?

I like the idea of transitioning to some off road triathlons later in the summer. It looks like most of them are later anyway. I think the Bozeman is bringing back the Xterra at Hyalite. Maybe I will stay in Montana and do Lake Como instead of going to Calgary. It would be a great way to stay in triathlon but get out in the mountains more. I think this is a good plan and right now I am sticking with it.

Cyclocross racing- Last Wednesday I had a great race. Finally feel like I got my groove on. May be because I got antibiotics to kick that cold. Anyway, it was fun. I dropped my chain and watched a bunch of people go by. I slowly picked them off. One by one and left them in the dust.  Played with some tactics and did some drafting up a windy climb. Was able to recover and then pass those people at the top. Awesome!!! Also felt like I went harder than usual. Just had it in me to push on that day. You know those days where you say, I don't feel like racing? This was one day where I felt like racing.

This Wednesday- not so awesome. Work kind of sucks right now and I was looking forward to racing with like minded people. That didn't happen. It was a fun course though. Am glad that Rockford puts the series on.

Masters has been fun. It has been fun to work on other strokes. I think that swimming with the band has improved my backstroke. I used to just feel like I was an anchor and now can actually do a 100 pretty effectively. I try and think about positioning my body by leading with my head. Also, I had a breakthrough on breast stroke. My kick has been poorly timed all these years. And finally, fly is good for building strength and setting small goals to make the whole day feel good.

Running- Missed the Sunday run because of painting. The sun keeps disappearing earlier and earlier making  it hard to paint. So I did an 1:15 run on Monday. I explored some new trails in town and had a great run. Felt like I had a hand on my back going up some of the hills. Maybe there was a little tail wind.

Question- I think easy run should stay just that. But, is it okay to push the pace a little on those runs like Monday? I feel like if I can be comfortable going faster than I can be uncomfortable going even faster. Does that make sense?

Schedule- Bozeman cyclocross weekend. Muleterro is putting on Saturdays race. I should race and want to race both days. Fit in some house painting on the side. Hopefully.

Inspiration

Saturday
I had a date with my rollers and yoga mat for the last 2.5 hours of Kona when the pros finished. I busted out 1:45 on the rollers like it was :15.  So, so, so inspired by Ben Hoffman's race. I can't even express it. So happy for him and so happy for you. Something tells me you knew he was going to have a great race. Ben getting 2nd was definitely the highlight of the race but watching everybody was so inspiring. Mirindae Carafrae- damn that girl can run! 

Sunday
Masters. Lots of stroke work. In December they are having the 500 fly challenge. I know I won't be able to do a 500 but it has motivated me to work on it. I did a 100 the other day (in the 50m pool). Almost all full on fly. Only a few strokes of one arm as people went the other way.

Had a good run on Sunday too. Went up Sypes and ran all the way to where the trail splits. It is steep and I don't think I have ever run all the way up.

General- Trying to stick to the plan and do the highlighted items. Moved them around a couple of times but I think I got in all the important stuff.

Health
Went to Urgent Care last week after talking to you. Got antibiotics. Glad I went. Finally feeling normal. Have more energy and more importantly- motivation. So, basically health is good.

Had a great PT appointment with Jason. He thinks my left hamstring is a sciatica issue. Gave me some stretches and strength work. Lots of core too. Did the full PT routine on Friday and it took me about 45 minutes to get most of it done. I want to try and stick to it, or at least some of it every day, so that I can get better balanced and stronger. My run on Sunday was pretty nuisance free. 

Schedule-

Raining today (Sunday) so going to work for a little bit to start an experiment. Will take down on Friday which will be a big/long day. I have a 4 hour incubation. Then work a little on Saturday. Gives me time to paint tomorrow.

No Helena racing next weekend- we have to get a bunch of outside painting done. That is, unless, it rains again and then I might try and go on Sunday. Definitely not Saturday, because of work.  That leaves a lot of analyzing for the following week. 

Monday October 20th. We have another post doc interview. Haven't gotten any details yet, but probably includes a talk in the morning and dinner in the evening. This is usually at 530 or 6 so not much time in the evening. 

Racing
I signed up for Victoria 70.3. If you signed up before the 9th you got in a drawing for a new bike. I wouldn't mind a new bike or the money from selling it. Lawrence signed up too, so I am excited. Erik and I honeymooned on Vancouver Island by doing a bike tour. We got really lucky with traffic and had some amazing riding and other fun experiences. Looking at the maps of the course I think I can envision the bike ride, a little bit. We stayed at a campground out by the far corner of the loop. Also, from riding there, I know the terrain. Hilly. Anyway, our anniversary is June 19th. So I hope Erik goes and maybe we can spend a few more days there. My Grandpa was born in Ladysmith. I have even gone as far as asking a cousin who has done a lot of family research about it, and my chances of getting Canadian citizenship. Anyway. The point is that I signed up for Victoria. What do you think the dynamic of the race will be since there is no pro purse prize? Will it change anything for the age groupers. It sort of makes we want to have high expectations for myself. 

My current thoughts on triathlon and schedule etc for next year are and I want to qualify this by saying I was having these thought while I was trying to practice cornering on my cyclocross bike. I would like to race triathlon up until late July or mid August. I could do some local races later (Bobcat, Garden City), but would like to get out on the mountain bike a little more in late summer. Get in some long rides in the mountains. Mostly for the adventure, but also the bike handling. I can tell my cross racing is suffering because I have lost my bike handling skills. Then I would like to focus more on cross, not just use my fitness from triathlon to get me by. 

A few of my other thoughts are that I would like to race St. George again. I liked that race. The swim and ride were so nice. Which makes me think that I would like to go on spring break and train. Either in St. George or in San Diego. I was really wanting to swim in the ocean again, while watching Kona yesterday. 

Also, of course, there is the Grizzly. My swim time is going to go down again this year. 

A beautiful fall weekend

Well, I think the biggest thing of the week is that we got a huge, huge bulk of the house painted. It is Monday morning and I am so sore.

Raced Saturday- It was fun to get out but I don't think the course suited me very well, or I just wasn't 100% into it. Had to bargain with myself a lot to get it done. Ended up 4th. My friend Megan kicked my butt on her single speed. Very happy for her to be out racing. She had a kid a year ago. Amanda Carrey won and Lisa 2nd.

Raced Wednesday and felt much better. Course was better for me. Punchy with hard hills and recovery hills. Felt good on Wednesday and enjoyed the race.

Been doing the little runs and swimming with Masters. Everything  seems solid. My cold is still in me a little. Feel a little better every day though. My lungs seem to react badly when I get a cold. Just rode to work and it still feels a little difficult to breathe. 

Schedule- Home next weekend. It is Moosecross weekend but will have to miss it. We have a lot of small places to paint on the house and other projects like going through the house and packing and sorting etc. All of this will ultimately take a long time.  Work- Will probably start a new experiment this week. I am not expecting anything huge. So, probably not any big days.  Need to talk to the boss today or tomorrow.

Am working on sorting out racing for next year. I think Lawrence is on board for Victoria. It is really cheap right now and is for a couple more days. Don't be surprised if I sign up. Feeling like I need to focus on our house and getting moved right now. Not that we are moving for a few months, but it is going to be some work. 

That's all for now. Don't have a lot. 

Why is running when you are not "training"so much more fun?

This has been a pretty good week. I am slowly getting back to feeling normal. I think the slow part is partially attributed to still feeling a little sick. This is slowly getting better. Also, not super good at sticking to the plan. Weather was really a deterrent over the weekend.

I swam with Masters on Thursday and realized that is the 2nd time I have been in the water since September 7th. First, where did almost 20 days go? Second, I felt terrible. Please tell me that is going to go away. Swam again on Sunday and it felt like it was coming back. Had a pretty good swim actually. Only about 2300 or so, but the workout was conducive to getting a feel for the water again, and near the end I was feeling much better about my swim.

The weather was yuck all weekend. On Saturday I opted to NOT get my bike all muddy and spend the day freezing. Instead I got Lawrence to go out on a hike. We hiked up Garnet Mt. It was really windy in town but up Gallatin Canyon it was not and we were in the clouds the whole time. It was really nice. Froze coming down. My hands are still sore. Sunday it was again cold out and really windy. I opted to swim in the morning and then meant to ride by bike but stuff kept getting in the way. Ended up shoveling gravel in place of the ride. Not sure how long I would have stayed out there though. Brrrr.

PT- That is still coming around. Slowly working my way back in. I recognize it's importance, just haven't been able to succeed in the execution. Want to focus a lot more on the strength stuff now that racing is done. Before, I would kind of taper off before races so I wouldn't be sore. Core, glutes, hamstrings, and calves. That's the goal. It is Monday and my plan is to go on the run and then end at the gym and do all my PT.

Sidenote- Lawrence bought a little camper to pull behind is 4-runner.. We are going to be driving all over Canada next year to race! Maybe even Wildflower. I am very excited to this new accommodation and I think he is too.

It's funny how things work. I have been so distracted from work all summer because of training, travel and race planning. Now, this coming Friday, my boss wants to have an intensive  "idear" session. He wants a new big paper/grant. I don't feel very ready to contribute, but I have the week to do some thinking and reading (along with a little more time). Kind of excited to think about the science and be part of the thought process to move us forward as a lab. It also makes me remember how I really like having a job.

Not a lot in this blog. Not a lot going on this week. Just trying to get back in the groove of life which is including work. So, maybe not thinking about triathlon as much.

Congrats to Sue. Kick ass 2nd place finish to Haley Chura!! Also, Andy Drobeck seemed to have a good good race!

pre and post Bobcat training and everything in between...

So, race planning, especially after being in another country a week and a half before, is all consuming. I started to get sick on Monday and was definitely sick on Tuesday which didn't help any. I called in sick a lot to work so I could sleep to keep my cold at bay and hopefully recover before Sunday. This also helped because I could do Bobcat stuff from home, not work, and then not feel so bad about being at work but not actually working. So, after all that, I have not done one ounce of swimming, biking, or running (except a couple of commutes) since last Sunday. I feel like I raced though. I think it is from all the cone lugging, gate moving, box moving etc. It is Monday, and I think I might take one more day off before planning on anything. I am very tired today and still a little sick.

With that said, I have to say wow, September has been quite a month. One pretty damn good month. I think the most intense triathlon month for me ever. I hope to remember September 2014. (hah, I am even a poet)

Sidenote- This is in reference to my  Worlds race update and comments on my travel partners. I heard someone say that one of them thrives on negative energy. I believe that is true. I think that was part of the problem. I do not thrive on negative energy. I definitely thrive on positive energy.

BTW- do you remember our conversation about how I don't see people swimming and you told me many people swim in the am. Well, I see Mike Lavery swimming all the time. I bet at least 1-3x a week. He is always in the pool at lunch or the 3:30-6:30 slot. He told me that yesterday. Funny.

Sidenote and question #2- Remember you told me you might be planning a training camp. What is up with that?

Race kudos- Nice work. I can't believe that Erika won and I was so out of it by Sunday afternoon I couldn't even remember meeting her or emailing her. You and Dan both did great. I know what you think about yourself but I still think you did good. And more importantly to me, thank you so much for coming out and supporting me. It really means a lot. Send me a race suggestion/critique list. I know there are lots of things to change and ways to make it better. Feedback is very important and great. A couple major last minute hiccups that still have me steaming.

Okay, now that I can be selfish and think about myself and my training again, I am very excited. :)

Racing- Bozeman weekend October 4 and 5 cyclocross. I am racing both of those. State Champ and MSU race. Got to support both. Do you think I lost all my fitness in the last week? Hope I can get something back in the next two weeks. Other races. I am not so sure about. Maybe Helena? Maybe Rolling Thunder (that one has so much pressure, I almost don't find it fun, which is what I want) The reason I am not so sure about travel is because of our house. There are definitely things going on now that require a lot more of my work than just cleaning. We need to paint and tile, which I know are not fast or easy jobs, so they will require full days and longer evenings.

Schedule- Experiment on Tuesday the 30th. Not huge but can't leave in the middle of the day. Difficult for a lunch swim.Also, busy on Wed. the 1st in the morning. Maybe even until 2 or so.

I think the MSU pool is closed the September 23 and 24. Saw that sign somewhere. Am going to Masters tonight, Tuesday  the 23rd. Need to get in the water again. Can't let my swim fitness lose any more. Plus, I like Masters.

Also, these are my current thoughts and I think there is an entire blog dedicated to this but I have already been thinking about next year. At this point I want to put St. George on the calendar. LeAnne is going and that would be an awesome trip. Remember that thing we talked about last year that hasn't seemed to happen and I think you sensed how Erik feels about it at dinner the other night. I really want that to happen now. St George offers a refund if you pay an extra $40.  I guess I could also defer. I guess I should probably get my husband on board before I start planning races around it though. Uggh.

Ironman 70.3 World Championship race report

First, I think this is why doing the Bobcat is even better than going to Worlds. I now understand your pep talk to me a few weeks before going when I was expressing my concerns about my travel partners. What a learning experience/life experience 2014 has been.

Hi Julie!!!! I am sooooo excited!! I’m nervous, anxious, all of it!!  Really looking forward to it!  I have been swimming at MSU’s pool to get use to that pool so I haven’t been to masters for about a month, but will be back at the swim center after this week. 

Maybe I’ll see you on Sunday, but if not – enjoy the day and thank you for ALL your hard work in putting this together! It has been the best thing I’ve done (worked towards and will do) all summer and truly one of the best things I’ve ever done for myself!

Thank you!

Hilary

Race Report

Swam great. 33 minutes. Followed the plan. My swim is getting faster. I  may not be the fastest but finally starting to get in the mix with the fast girls. I was very worried about this swim. Very worried I would be the last one out of the water. However, in the first couple of minutes when I saw blue caps fade away behind me I relaxed. 

Bike- Hmm. Still not so sure what to think. My ass cramped. I got demoralized. I was tired from the travel and socializing. I rode very alone. My travelling companions had my all psyched out about the hills. Not the best ride ever. My training rides going into this race were sooo much better. It sucks to work so hard and then not deliver on race day.

Run- Good. I did my thing. I felt good. I felt tired. I pushed the second lap and got some pretty even splits. I ran up those steep hills and bombed down the last one passing 4 girls to the finish. 

Final- I wasn't gutted. In a race where I should have left it all out there and then some, I didn't. I don't think I realized that should have been the goal until afterwards though. I would like to have the chance someday to do it again. I would have a plan for how to race. For what I want my goal to be. This year I didn't. Also, I  had myself convinced that I am not cutthroat competitive. I am though, I just need to be in the right mental place. I don't think being with my travel partners put me in the right place. Honestly, I don't think I like being around girls who are faster than me and know it. I feel inferior. And if I feel inferior, of course I am going to perform that way. I really like to travel with Lawrence, Art, and LeAnn. We get each other and that is a great place to be on race day. 

I really appreciate that I had the experience. An amazing opportunity. I am very grateful for that. I got to see a new part of North America and do some travelling with my mom. That never would have happened if I did not qualify at Calgary. 

Worlds taper

Okay, so I had a breakthrough workout this week. The 40 minute swim. It usually takes me about 15 minutes to do a lap in the pond. My goal was to do 3 laps in 40 minutes. I also gave my race plan a go. Swam pretty easy to warm up on the first lap, swam intermediate to harder on the second lap, and swam faster on the third. I really focused on form and on the 3rd lap pulled back a little if I felt like my form was going to shit. I finished those three laps in 38 minutes! I think I can go out a little harder, or start to go a little harder earlier too. I felt much more comfortable on the second lap than the 1st. Was totally within myself the whole time and felt good.  Feeling really good about the swim!!! Way more confident than ever before.

Work, work, work to play, play, play

Talked with Lawrence about the Mont Tremblant course and went over the maps with him. Would like to ride a certain section before race day and run a little of the course. I guess it is pretty hilly. While swimming that long swim on Thursday I was struggling with my race goals. Not wanting to set up unrealistic expectations. I think understanding the course helps a little. What do you think about the hills? Do you think my run can handle that? After hills on the bike? I would like to talk about goals and expectations a little. I am still very much wanting to focus on each moment and doing the best I can at that moment. 

Super relieved. I was kind of being a headcase because I wasn't sure how the start at Mont- Tremblant was going to be. They made it sound like a mass start. No, it is not! It is a wave start. I am happy about that. Think it will help actually be able to show my swim fitness.  I am one of the last waves which is kind of annoying because it will probably make for a lot of passing, but that is okay and who knows this is a different ball game.

Started feeling a bit like I was getting a cold this week. My head was really heavy and felt kind of achy. Feel okay by Tuesday but Thursday,  Friday and Saturday I was definitely fighting something

Schedule- Leave Thursday!!! I don't have anything out of the ordinary at work this week or next. As far as I can tell a lot of work, but nothing with significantly long hours or anything. 

Thursday swim- If I really concentrated I could get those 75's done in 1:06. I did the math and that is a 1:28 100. That is a less than 15:00 minute 1000. Woohoo! When I was concentrating, I was concentrating on form not speed. I actually feel like I not not trashing through the water trying to swim a 1000 pace anymore, or on this day. Good swim. Felt strong. It made it easier when I finally established I wanted to get a 1:06. Focused on each 75, not on how many I had left.

Met really good Hoyas swimming man. He is really nice. And cute. Did I just say that.

Friday- Rain, rain go away. I totally intended to ride out to the pond party and hitch a ride home. However, it started raining right when I left work. Decided to take my bike commuting for the week as that ride and call it good. Party was hilarious. We ended up jumping in the pond in the cold weather and rain and then all of us huddling in Julie's steam shower. A bunch of Masters swimmers can't get together without getting wet. 

Saturday- Rain, rain all day. It started raining on Friday night and did not stop until Sunday morning. Crazy. Did a really good PT session and rode the trainer for an hour. I think the rain may have been a blessing in disguise. I still wasn't feeling very good. Took it pretty easy and even took a little nap. 

Sunday- Got some really good sleep on Saturday night and was ready to ride. Waited around until noon because it wasn't super warm out. Worked hard on those 40 minute intervals. Found as many rolling hills as I could. Ended up in Amsterdam when the last 40 minute interval ended. Had a mildly long ride home. Ride ended up more like 4:30. Got to running right off the bike. Felt pretty good. Was super tired. The kind of take a bath tired instead of a shower because I didn't want to stand up anymore. 

Monday- Nice easy swim. Good long run. Ran up South Cottonwood to the 4th bridge. Got rained on and ran for about 1.5 miles in the dark. Was totally freaking myself out about bears and mt lions. Felt like a crazy woman out in the woods. 2:10 was total time. Sometimes those trails have a way of grabbing hold of me and won't let me leave. 

Tuesday- A bunch of spinning around town and a PT session. Got some leg and plantar massage and a good working out of my shoulder. Really excited where the shoulder is going. Hope it helps my swimming in the long run. Took a little time to get to the house and get some cleaning done also ran a bunch of errands that I really needed to do. (Saying this before it is done. Kind of worried I may have a flat on my townie)

Wed.....

working.....

I have a new favorite song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7ChoM2Rh60
I think this would be a great spinning class song!

Funny story- My friend LeAnn who is awesome BTW sent me an email telling me how Polson was. She said " you know how they have pro and AG categories at most races. At Polson they should have "people who train with Matt" and AG categories. "

Schedule- There is a little get together for a friend who is moving away. It is at 4pm at a friends who has this super awesome pond. I would like to go, but if it interferes with training I don't have to. 

       Work- Boss gets back on Wednesday. I don't expect much in the next week. 

       Weekend- Staying in town. Want to buckle down and get some good training in. 

PT- I really think my shoulder, even with the smaller amount of PT I have been doing is feeling better. I think I am able to keep a higher elbow in the swim and on the bike yesterday I noticed not getting quite so stiff. All that from a couple of exercises and a stretch. 

General stuff- TYR is sending me a new wetsuit! Mine was defective from the get go. So glad they were able to step up!

Ali told me about this pretty sweet deal with Hammer. Is that why you wear the Hammer kit? I really hate my Mule kit. Got new shorts for this year and some stupid person on the team put in these awful gray panels on the front. At least the Hammer kits look much better. Might buy one. 

Thursday swim- Here is a perfect example of my OCD. I counted 42x2 tubes during the day in rows of 12. That is 3 rows which equals 36+ 6 twice. Then I went to swim at did 3 groupings of 1200. Wow, way too much the same.
Anyway, that was kind of hard. My legs and arms were screaming. I definitely got a little slower on the kick as I got to #6.

Saturday- Actually got up fairly early and drove to a trailhead. South Cottonwood is a pretty gentle uphill. It was so amazing. Found a new trail which was a little steeper and even had to wade across a creek, what an adventure. Ran for a total of about 95 minutes. Felt so good. I miss running for having the time to work life out. I am having some problems with The Bobcat and having it affiliated with the Tri Club. Finally was able to see the forest through the trees and have a new plan of action for how to proceed next year. Feel so relieved to be unweighted from that burden. 

Sunday-
Swim- Okay. My right shoulder was sore for the 1st 12- 15 minutes. Picked up the pace after that and it felt better. Worked on sighting while going harder.
Ride- That was the loooongest 75 miles I have ever ridden. Even had the thought that my odometer isn't working right. Never give Julie bike mechanical work. I changed my cassette from one wheel to another and a- bent a tooth and b- forgot to tighten the cassette on the new wheel. I made it out to Kelly Canyon before I knew something wasn't right. Thanks boy at Owenhouse for tightening my cassette so I didn't have to go all the way across town. Then spent the rest of the ride not using that one chainring. Went and did a bunch of big hills. Kelly Canyon, Jackson Creek, the pass, and back. By then I was at mile 50, had no water, and feeling tired. It was hot and windy which was hard. Finished the last 25 on a flatter loop. Stopped to refill water and drink a coke and stopped at beginning to fix cassette otherwise just kept riding. Man that was tough. A big mental battle. One thought was, worlds, and then Ali. Hahaha.

Monday- 

Nice good swim. Felt tired. Worked hard on the 5x100 kick. I really do think my kick is coming around. 

Racing for training

Felt really good about my life organization this week. Got in some good PT sessions, showed face at the house and got that done at reasonable hours, got in some good quality work hours. This week makes me feel like I can manage. Hopefully I can keep it up. 

Monday- My legs and feet are feeling pretty good (Plantar, achilles) even though I raced yesterday. No pain anywhere when just moving around. 

Schedule- Saturday- Wedding in Helena at 1pm. Will go over and come home on the same day. Kind of in the middle of the day to get much done. 

Work- This week Wed and Thursday are going to be pretty crazy busy. Next week has no experiments planned. 

PT- Jason looked at my shoulder last week. I had an AC separation years ago and it has had its aftermath. He gave me a couple of strength exercises and a stretching exercise and said that it would definitely help me with swimming. 

Weeks highlights:
Sunday- I made this a very important workout and worked very hard. The race was small but a lot of very good people and it was kind of fun to race in such a small event. I led the swim, led the bike (saw a fox), and led the run. Took the big W for the race. However, I was running scared. A newbie triathlete who was a runner at Gonzaga, up until she graduated this year, was close enough behind that I was definitely worried. Also, those were the most painful 6 miles I have run in a long time. It was slightly uphill, at 7500 feet and basically straight for the whole run. I could never quite catch my breath. Also, carried water and food since there was only one lone water jug at mile 3. Forgot how hard it is to run with a bottle. 

I would totally recommend this race for other people wanting to have a good hard day. I would not recommend this race for a big triathlon race experience. We didn't even have numbers. Not to mention splits. The gravel road shouldn't deter people. It is pretty smooth and oiled. I even got into the aero bars for a bit. 

The new girl is starting graduate school at MSU. She has a lot of potential. Think she will do The Bobcat and hopefully join the MSU Tri club.  I was also glad to have the competition.

Other highlights:

Had a couple of great PT sessions of the week. Did them at the gym after running and got everything done including the srtength stuff. 

Wednesday ride- Hyalite is my sufferfest hill. That workout was harder than I thought. Going for 3 minutes at a 20 k pace after a build from a 1\2 ironman pace was hard. Suffered through and got it done. 

Just got in everything else. Lots of shorter runs that have generally been feeling good. 

Calgary and post Calgary

This is a really bad write up. I feel like I am all over the place. Lost my focus last week. Or never got it back after going to Calgary. I apologize. Next week will be better.

Mont- Tremblant- Got plane tickets and a place to stay. Or actually my mom did. She is a very good travel agent and sponsor. :) Gave me airmiles for my ticket. Leaving here Thursday and come home Wednesday. Hopefully spend a few days in Montreal or somewhere else fun. Then bust my ass for the Bobcat for a couple of weeks. The anxiety that race brings on is unreal. We got sent a contract and a bill from MSU yesterday saying it would cost 885$ to use the pool. Awesome. Thanks for telling us that sooner. Even a mild suggestion that we would have to pay for the pool would have been nice. Let the negotiations begin. I think we can get the price to closer to 500$. They had us using the pool until 6pm which doesn't make sense.

Sort of sad I didn't get around to writing a race report for Calgary. Someday, I might want to look back on all these blogs. So I am going to do a very brief summary.

Best race (in my mind) ever!
Fastest swim for a half IM (7th in AG out of water, usually I am like 25th)
Fastest bike for a half IM
Fastest half marathon ever
Fastest time for a half IM
AG 35-39 ist
World Championship in Mont- Tremblant qualified!


Question: Would it be out of the question to do the Madison Triathlon on Sunday. I would do it as a total training race. No expectations. http://www.themadisonmarathon.com/register.html#mt. Actually, don't want to do this. Would rather be home this weekend.

Schedule- Boss leaves tomorrow however he gave me a lot of work to do while he is gone. This week on Wed. and Friday I have mouse takedowns. They aren't stressful or a lot of work. Can work around them. Two days next week I will have really long days. This is for a paper rebuttal so need to get on same page as Alayna for those. Hopefully she is in today when I get in.
That was a lot of description for not very much information, huh?

Okay, now this week. This week did not go as you or I planned or expected. I was so tired all week. Each evening I tried to get enough sleep, but with work demands and let's face it social demands, I am still not recovered by Saturday.

I missed three workouts. The OWS on Wed. Was really tired and decided getting my shit together was more important. Then the ride and the swim on Friday. My grandma, aunt, and cousin were in town. It involved a long lunch and dinner at my sisters. I could make excuses why, but basically I haven't seen my grandma in a long time and really wanted to spend some time with her. (sidenote: got a paper accepted on Friday!! I am first author. Boss brought in a bottle of champagne). Did ride my bike around all day. Probably not for 1:30 though

My body is feeling recovered by Saturday, but my sleep and tired feeling is not. Erik even told my on Friday night to take it easy because I have been coughing at night. He never tells me to take it easy.

Anyway, now it is Saturday. I got up early to flag for the 5 and 10k and went on a ride on the TT bike with Lawrence. My legs feel pretty good. I am spending the rest of the day getting caught up with crap I don't have time to do this week such as Bobcat stuff, clean house, unpack from last weekend. PT!! I am going to go do a nice short trail run this evening.

Sunday- Work part of the day to infect mice for an experiment.
Swim was good. Felt really good. Got good sleep and am feeling a lot more energetic
Ride- Rode mt bike to Triple Tree and back. Nice little trail section. Can't believe it only takes two hours to do that.

Monday- Had a lot of work and a Bobcat meeting in the evening so ran in the am. My legs hurt. Felt really crappy. My right achilles and lower calf was pretty painful. Ended up cutting the run short and limping home. Took some advil and wore compression socks all day in addition to doing a lot of stretching. Hopefully legs feel better for Tuesday run.
Swim was good and hard. I swam most of those between 1:25 and 1:30. Thought I could go really hard on the last 3 with the longer rest, but those were slower.

Staying positive

Schedule- Leave Friday morning for Helena. Leave around 7 or 7:30 get there around 9. Drive to Calgary. Would it be a good idea to swim when we get there? Check out the venue. Lawrence and I did that last year and it was really nice. Cool off from the car ride with a nice swim.

Work this week got crazy. We got a comments back on a paper which caused us to switch gears so I have a huge day on Wednesday and a long day on Thursday. Hopefully I can get organized enough to that the work day stress is minimal. Will probably get in around 7am on Wednesday. Hopefully don't have to stay too late. Got a lot of my Calgary organization done over the weekend, so not so stressed about packing and stuff like that. Funny how it gets easier to pack as the years go on. Will need to figure out a time to get the bike cleaned up and ready though. Maybe that is what husbands are for :)

Next week- Tuesday is the day that I signed up to volunteer for the bike race. Remember my dilemma a few weeks ago? I lose track of my life sometimes.

Calgary plan- Food- 3 hours worth of liquid food with some gatorade or lime to give it flavor. I am also going to carry a flask with some gel and some endurolytes since the maltodextrin is just that. If it is hot I will try to take in a lot more endurolytes than if it is cool. I have a bottle for water that I can easily refill at aid stations. I probably won't take anything on the run. They have gel and Perform at aid stations depending on how my stomach feels.
Plan- Go hard on the swim. As hard as I think I can. Probably the same effort as Spring Meadow. We are starting in waves, so I may start on the outer edge if the wave is huge. I hope to align with the buoys better this year to minimize my distance swimming. I will try to do this after we spread out a bit. Better ideas?
Bike- Settle into the bike a bit. Not get worried when it takes a while for my legs to come around. In these shorter races it has been 6 miles, maybe longer since the swim is a little longer? Then, go my pace. Try to not get distracted and go. Stay positive.
Run- Settle in and find my form. Mentally let myself do this. Give myself the time to settle in. Settle into a hard but doable pace. Hopefully this pace will stick for the whole 22km. Is that the distance? I always forget and then think about it a lot during the race. Eventually asking a Canadian and feeling really stupid or else they think I am joking and don't answer me.
Goal- Have a great race. Stay positive and do the best I can at every moment. 

Training

Wednesday- Didn't have any work that day, so I stayed home to get other stuff done. Made a deal with my friend that I would get certified to flag traffic. Took on online course for this on Wednesday. Four hours later I can officially stop traffic. Good stuff to know as a race director though. Did the bike ride after that. Wow. That was a little harder than I thought and a lot of miles. I was going all over the valley. The pace may have been a little harder than I would do in a half. I have been having one thought. I definitely go harder uphills than downhills. I think if I didn't I would just go slower overall. I am not one to love downhills.  I think it is a 50 something male thing to love to ride downhill. I would rather work harder and go slower uphill or on curvy roads or something. It gets so boring. Calgary has a long downhill so I am going to have to suck it up.

Thursday-
Run- Longish run. Felt good. Really good actually. My legs are feeling like they want to run. Not like, ouch, stop doing that to me. I know now the signs of beating up my legs too much. This is a good thing for the future. As long as I listen to the signs.
Masters- Swam pretty hard, actually. We had 10x150 as the main set with 1-5 100 smooth 50 fast and 6-10 100 fast and 50 EZ. I swam the hard as hard as I could. I was sore the next day.


Friday- Nice ride on the TT bike. I was tired and not super stoked for it, but it is really nice to go easier.

Sat-
Swim- It was hot, so I swam in the pond without my wetsuit. It was a good swim, but my core was definitely cold for the second 15 minute lap. The pond has this outdoor shower. It is really funny because it splashes the picnic tables and is very exposed. Very poor design. However, the water that comes out is comfortable/perfect shower hot. Sometimes the little things in life are pretty amazing.
Run- Fine. Tired this day for some reason. Maybe even kind of bonky on the run.

Sunday
Ride- Good ride. Rode with Art for a while and Lawrence for all of it. We have a friend who lives en-route who has a pond. We jumped off her dock and got a good cool down. We ended up being out most of the day. Not riding hard except for the workout, but I think the sun and the wind took it's toll on me.

Monday-
Tired on this day. Swim was good. Stretched out and just got my body moving. Not hard.

Gettin' ready for Calgary

And another week of training: This week was a little hard with all the stuff going on. Work dinners, booze cruising, and house building  led to a hectic week. Bought a bunch of groceries yesterday to cover dinner for most of the week. That relieves a lot of time.

Schedule- Here this weekend. Nothing but house building going on Saturday. Work has the potential to be kind of busy, I just don't know right now what that is going to look like yet.

Thursday- Left work a little later than I wanted and then decided to swing by and start the 3 sandwich ride with everybody. Of course my husband was 30 minutes late so I was very late. After a lot of anxiety I decided to not swim and just get in the time on the bike. At least make one thing good and not both mediocre. I am glad I did because it took a long time at the house. I had to move 20 or so 16 foot long 2x6 up onto the roof. (16 feet is really long). I didn't leave until sunset. Would have been there in the dark if I had swam. Lesson learned from this day- get my shit done. I don't have time to wait around for people.

Friday- Finally, a longer trail run! Went up South Cottonwood. I nice little shady/not so steep trail. It felt so nice to get out in the woods!

Saturday- Good, hot ride over Battle Ridge to Wilsall and back. Lots of good climbing in the hot weather. One small little problem. I found somebody to do the ride with and overestimated his riding ability. I think he pushed it a little hard on the way out and I had to do a lot of waiting on the way back. Finally, at the top of Battle Ridge I said "See ya, I got to get home," and ditched him. I feel bad, but I wasn't prepared to wait so much. Definitely had the thought that in training I need to be much better about my own agenda and sticking to it better. The waiting is when I actually get demoralized. I always road my own pace just had some breaks in between.  There was road construction on the other side of Battle Ridge and the road was grooved for about 6 miles. That made the climbing a little harder on the way home and bumpy on the way out. Also, found a plethora of sex toys on the side of the road. That made me laugh. Did good with nutrition and hydration. My maltodextrin tastes pretty good with lime. It's like cocktail hour all day long. (margaritas)
Swim- The swim this day was pretty hard. Lots of swimming. Felt pretty good. Like the building. Feel like I can start out with good form and sighting and try to carry it through to some faster swimming.

Sunday- Nice little jaunt around the neighborhood for the run. My legs were tired to start, but I feel like I settled in pretty well.
Ride- Nice ride. Again it was hot. Got out into the mountains. Rode for about 3 hours with two significant climbs and some nice downhills. It was good to get out on my own (learned my lesson from above). I am not a fast downhiller and it is nice to ride without the pressure of good downhillers. I actually had talked to Lisa and John about riding with them on Sunday and I am glad I didn't. Lisa got a new trail bike which she can ride so fast downhill her contacts fall out. Terrifying! So glad to be outside.

Spring Meadow Triathlon

Schedule-
Question: There is a ride that has been termed Three Sandwich Ride on Thursdays. It is a long mt bike ride leaving from town. Can I do that instead of the ride and the swim? And/or, can I do a long mt bike ride on Sunday? I have not been in the mountains this summer and am just dying to get out. Saturday should probably be a work on the house day mixed in with swimming and running or shorter riding.

No work conflicts next week. Waiting on an assay to start another experiment.

House- I am not sure if we talked about this yet. If we did just ignore it. My Dad wants us to go over the the house every evening and clean up and move wood around for him etc. Basically, I think it would be good to get him set up for the next morning. So, that is what we have been doing. Usually the very last thing of the day. It has been a little exhausting, but we are trying to do better with having more groceries on hand or easier food to cook so that the evening doesn't get too late. It is nice that the sun is up so late as well.

PT appointment on Tuesday for hamstring- I think I was still sore from racing Sunday so appointment may not have been as effective at is should have been. However, there may be some nervous system stuff going on. If I do upward facing dog it seems to relieve a bunch of the tension in my leg. Jason also gave me some stretches and strength exercises. He is on vacation next week but returns the following week and I have another appointment set up. For now I need to include those exercises into my routine for my achilles and plantar.

Comment: Have you ever seen those cartoons that talk about running and the funny things that runners think and do when running. My favorite is the one where they talk about runners comparing distances. The distance left in this race is 4 laps around a track. I do that all the time. I can do this again. Easy.


The week;

Wed- Longer run felt horrible. I almost went home early. However, I decided to stick it out. I think having terrible feeling runs are good comparables for racing.

Friday- Met a couple of friends at Hyalite for a swim on the 4th. It was frickin cold. I think 58 degrees. I had flashbacks to CDA. It was a good swim. My friend thought 2 miles but I don't think it was quite that long. Started to get cold when we turned around. My hands wouldn't close and I was afraid my wedding band was going to fall right off. It was a fun adventure though. Did a little lap on the trail by the lake right after and got warmed up.

Saturday- Rode in the morning and then drove over to Ennis. Cory took the Mule Van with all the poles for the racks for the race to Ennis. He thought it was conduit for our house. Worked it all out. Corey ended up going to Helena with us that day and driving the van back to Ennis Saturday evening. Stayed with Byron DeFord at his new house that Erik designed. It was fun to really see what Erik is thinking about for our house.

Race Report-
Swim- Didn't feel super great starting. Into the second lap though I decided I was going as fast as I  could go. If I tried to speed up I felt like I was pushing it too much. I get super anxious in the swim and just assume I am in the back of the pack. It's not like I can put my head up and really evaluate where the fast swimmers are. I think my swim time was about 27:30. I think that is exactly what I was aiming for. Also, I guess it wasn't too bad because I think I only passed two people on the bike and then there were 5 left in front. One guy and 4 girls. I seem to pass a lot of people in transition too. Funny. They should all work on that. Me too.

Bike- Didn't get my biking legs until mile 6. Same as last weekend. Finally at mile 6 I really noticed feeling good. That is also where the hills started. It was so much fun. I pretended I was in a road race trying not to get dropped up the hills. Even standing to really power over the tops and really tucking down on the steep hills. I like that ride and held those girls really well. Didn't gain much time but didn't lose any either. Did good with nutrition. Had water and food in a bottle. Made sure to eat and drink. My helmet was too tight and hurting so bad on the way back. I need to remember to loosen it for the next race. Came into T2 at 5th female overall. I did allow myself to get a little demoralized when I wasn't catching any of those girls on the ride. However, I just told myself to go as hard as I could and stay in the moment.

Run- Felt pretty good right away on the run. Maybe it was because of the long downhill at the end of the bike. Gave myself some time to settle in. My foot was a little tight for the first 10 minutes but that was all. Not pain, just tight. On lap # 1 I saw Renee in front of me. Stayed patient and just ran my pace. Passed her before 1.5 miles. Then another girls was in front. I stayed patient again and caught her at the beginning of lap 2. After that I couldn't see anybody else so I just ran my pace until probably the last 1/2 mile and I picked it up. It was hot so I stopped for a few steps at aid stations to take in food and water. I think that was important for keeping going. Wish I had remembered my gel flask. Next time. My run time was 1:45:30. Definitely happy with it. Still amazed at what healthy legs can do.

Was super stoked to make the podium. I guess that is only in my mind. They only recognized the top person. Bummer. Also, again my pet peeve. They have all these races going on Olympic, Sprint, Aquabike whatever and nobody knows who is finishing where. I think a race promoter should only do one distance and really engage the racers and the spectators at the finish.
Also, someday Holly W. is going down. I don't think she is getting faster. She is just fast enough that currently she keeps winning. Also, she isn't very nice. Or isn't friendly. Which makes me want to beat her more. Faster swimming, running, and biking for me.

Bozeman Triathlon

Saturday Schedule- Heading to Helena on Saturday by 3:30pm. Am driving over bike racks for the race. Not sure about what we are doing on Friday. Kind of would like to go camping or something. I need to talk to Erik and see if we need to work on the house. Sorry this is so up in the air. 

Me laughing because there were two people standing there clapping. Gotta love the low key Bozeman race. 

Race report- Taped up my foot on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. I think it helped a lot. On Saturday evening it wasn't hurting at all. Taped it this morning (Monday too. Just to keep it on track). Got heat and start time on Friday. I was wave two. Women went three minutes after the men. At first a little annoyed but then decided I wanted to outright win the race and if those men were in front they would be good rabbits. Turns out they aren't very good swimming rabbits, passed most of them in the swim.
Swim-Warmed up for the swim. Glad I did because felt better swimming after warming up than during. Feeling more confident in the water. Stayed pretty close to the front girls and passed all but one in transition. I think there were about 4 or 5 that exited the water together.
Bike-Got onto the bike and had a hard time finding my biking legs. Was feeling like I was in a bubble. Finally, on the way back I was able to settle in a better groove. Got a little off my game when I went to turn at the lollipop and the woman stopped me and told me to go straight that they had changed the route. Took a minute to re-group and then realized when I was coming back that were were crossing traffic (each other). I hope nobody wrecked. That was a mistake. Also, got held up on this fast downhill that I had been practicing by a truck that was all freaked out by the bikers on the road. Had to come to a stop and slow down a lot down the hill. I was bummed because I had practiced that hill. Oh, well. Only passed a couple of men at the beginning of the ride and another woman and then I was alone.
Run- Did what you said. Settle into good form for the first few minutes. Tried to make myself relax and not be too worried about my speed. My foot wasn't hurting. My feet were also numb, so that may have helped. Just stayed relaxed and got good turnover. There was a guy in front of me going the same speed, so the last 1/4 mile or so I decided I had to pass him and he slowed down in the woods. Passed him! Ran it in. Had no idea how I had placed and the finish line is always such a cluster with racers. Nobody knew who was finishing where. I think it is kind of disappointing. I think having a good announcer engaging the spectators and the racers is really nice for a race. Anyway, come to find out I ran faster than I ever have on that course! I am totally convinced all this PT and being physically more healthy is the key. I am getting another bike fit tomorrow (for my cross bike) and I am going to talk to Jason about my hamstring. If I can get that better I am going to be so set for running! I will trade PT for running time if it keeps me healthy.

Summary- Swim- great
                 Bike- so so
                 Run- surprised myself- yeah! pace 7:08, fastest pace from previous years was a 7:23.
Time 1:14:50 or something. Four minutes faster than last year and two from the time before that. 1st female and 3rd overall. There was one girl about 3 minutes behind, but other than that we destroyed the field. I guess the Tritons race is not the Grizzly :)

Am excited to have a longer ride next week at Spring Meadow. More time to settle in.

race week!

Schedule- Next week Monday and Wednesday will be somewhat busy work days. 10 mice so not huge but will try to run flow the same day too.  July 9th- Just to forewarn you is the annual booze cruise. Leave work at 1pm and party on the river for the rest of the day.

The week:
Swim on Wednesday - The one with all the 50s went really well. Was focused on my power of positiveity kept imagining swimming 5 seconds faster. Never got that fast but did cut a few seconds here and there. I felt like it was a great swim.

Thursday- Great ride- Left work early because it was my anniversary and wanted to get all my shit done. The three minutes were great. I did them on the Tritons course. I feel like I have a good sense of my efforts for the race. There are a couple of places that are tricky hard. Now I mentally know that.  That ride wasn't super long but I was feeling pretty tired by the time dinner rolled around.

Weekend:
Well the weekend started out a little rocky and I just never could get my groove on. After going out on Thursday I was tired Friday. I was very excited to run on Friday after work and I did go get the swim done, but then this big storm blew in right at 5pm. I left work and got blown away and rained on trying to get home. Was super tired and ended up attempting PT, ordering pizza, laying on the couch, and going to bed early. Basically started out without the run.
     Saturday rolled around and I was told that my Dad and Aaron were working on the house. Erik and I headed over there to help. Ended up shoveling this huge pile of gravel into the garage for the concrete slab, laying down and tying off some wire mesh, and then lifting this huge beam and putting it up onto the first floor deck. Then my old roommate came by who is doing our radiant heat and it was 5pm. I headed over to the pond for the swim and brought my running clothes. Did the swim, which hurt because my back and arms were tired from shoveling, and then went on a 30 minute run to test my foot. Totally missed the ride on Saturday and was tired.
   So, then Sunday rolls around. I was so excited to ride with Haley Chura and of course it has to be pouring rain. The forecast called for it to just get worse. I did a bunch of stuff around the house, mopped the floor, did the laundry, vacuumed and then got on the trainer. The forecast was backwards because the sun ended up coming out. I still wasn't trusting the weather. Then I got your email. In the end I rode the trainer for 3:30 and didn't get outside.  I added the extra 30 on because of the time I got off to check the weather, adjust the TV, get more food etc. I also really rode until I was tired. After the weekend I needed to ride myself to tiredness. The three hours just seemed like a good amount of time too. Not too much and not too little. Stupid weather. I think I need to move. Seriously.

50lbs of maltodextrin for 56 bucks and isn't that cat so awesome?!

pile of gravel that we shoveled on Saturday

house has most of first floor walls

My foot- Thought a lot about where the pain is and when it hurts. Wore my running shoes to my PT appointment on Thursday. We put superfeet in my shoes. It looks like I am kind of shifting my foot inward when I take off. The superfeet force my foot outward a little. On Saturday when I ran in the superfeet my foot felt okay on uphill/pavement but hurt on slight downhills and on trails/gravel.  However, on Sunday I definitely noticed (when massaging my foot) that the pain has gotten smaller. Where it used to hurt it no longer does. There is still a bit of pain on my heal but the area is getting smaller and very pinpointed. So, my diagnosis is. I tore the tendon a little bit and it has not been getting the attention and rest it needs to heal. The superfeet are now taking the pressure off the area so that it can get the rest it needs to heal. I think that if I keep stretching, keep the superfeet in my shoes, and keep massaging it, it should go away in a short period of time. I also think I am going to ask Jason about taping it because walking seems to hurt more than running. Maybe if I can keep it mobilized during the day better it will get a chance to heal.  I think if I keep the superfeet in there it isn't going to keep getting injured. So, a couple more weeks to heal it up and then hopefully I can run normal again. I think the process has been slow because even though I haven't been running a lot I was still aggravating it each time I  did run and I think even walking.

Sunday Race- What to expect from myself? I was thinking that I am going to swim as hard as I can and bike as hard as I can and run as hard as I can. However, I am not going to beat myself up if the run doesn't feel very good, or I can't get going as fast as I would like. I want to think my legs will show up, but my runs haven't been feeling that great the last couple of times. I really want to win this race! Super stoked to get out and give it a go. Already thinking about racing. Trying to stay hydrated and well fed. Can you make sure to write up a good warm up. That should include some swimming and I promise this time to actually get there early enough to do it.