So Much to Catch Up On!

Hey

Wow, it has been awhile.  No I didn't disappear off the face of the earth.  Summer seems like the time we can catch up on more things and instead sometimes I find that I fall more behind.

It has been busy!  But, I will be pumping posts out by the droves in the next while; camping adventures, 2 race reports, a newspaper interview, family wedding excitement and much more.

This summer has also been a time of finding perspective, re-evaluating why I do the things I do and what I want out of life.  Mid-life crisis?  Hope not.  My youngest daughter asked the other day what menopause was and if I had gone through it already. Oh Lord help me!

Have a rocking day

Last Week's Training

This is what went down last week.  It was recovery week so hopefully I am ready to go hard this week.

Mon- swim 0.6 mile(supposed to be a rest day but has become an early morning swim)

Tues- bike 13 miles

Wed- run 6.17 miles

Thurs- swim 0.93 (skipped the bike)

Fri- swim 0.93, run 5.06 miles

Sat- bike 50.28 miles

Sun- run 10.06 miles, swim 0.62 miles

Total: 88 miles in 9 workouts in a time of 9:44

Keep training hard and have fun!

 

Spring in Pictures

Hi

Thought I would just post a little bit of spring.  Enjoy!



Hard to believe our dog and our cat used to HATE each other.

Finally, warm enough to ride without coats, toe warmers and pants!



Oldest daughter doing her lifeguard certification at our new pool. Can't say "it's so wonderful to have a pool" enough times.

Youngest at the Sunburn Classic track and field meet.



Cupcake making and testing in full force to prepare for my mom's upcoming July wedding.  This is lemon meringue pie.  It was a hit!



Caramel apple cupcakes were also a keeper!



Hubby loading up his seed tank for spring wheat seeding.



The necessities of a long bike ride when on the trainer; Kind protein bars (almond coconut= yummy), pineapple and watermelon, a good book, water, ipod and my watch.



My favourite chicken beet salad when I go out of town for a meeting.



Early morning run.

Roaring runner cleaning out a section of the evestrough in a torrential downpour.  We enjoyed watching him!



Spring at its finest, fresh rhubarb pie.  It was amazing!  We cleaned it up at one sitting.



My part time job when I am not teaching- hauling seed or fertilizer.

Hope you are having a great spring!

 

 

 

No Shadow of a Doubt

Morning

My run the other day had me thinking- deep thinking.  It started off innocently.  I was having a good run.  You know the kind where you are running fast like a gazelle, are strong like a bull, overall, a real stud.

That is until I saw my shadow.  What? I looked awkward and totally not smooth in my stride and my legs were barely moving.  I looked around.  This can't be me.

Ya well.  Hated to face reality but yes indeed that was my shadow.

I was reminded of the time our family was at a house of mirrors where parts of you in each mirror was distorted.  Now I know how I really look.  Though the mirror kept showing short legs, a wide face, or elongated body- I knew the truth.  It was just the perspective at that moment.  And sometimes perspectives aren't right.  It is just a way something is shown at one moment in time. And often when we see things from one perspective only, the outcome is colored.

And maybe my attitude about myself at the beginning of the run was colored- could be.  But I also know that mentally, we NEED to feel like a stud in order to do what we need to do. I'm sure most great athletes own some "I rock" attitude.  You need that perspective to survive and keep going when things get rough cause let's face it, it gets rough at times.

SO my 5 min of deep deliberation reminded me to allow NO ONE THING to change my views.  It may be only one perspective and it may be wrong.  There is far more damage caused by believing and holding on to untruths.

Training Plan

You might or might not know that I completed my first triathlon last July.  It was a long time coming and has been a dream for quite a number of years.  The bug caught (the good kind) and pretty much 50% of the conversations between me and roaring runner are about triathlon or training or future plans for triathlon and training.

It is so great that our kids are older, independent and we can juggle their schedules and pursue some of the passions we have, that time did not allow for before.  Everything has a time and season so if you are a mom with young children reading this and feel like you will never see the end of full-time mom duties, I can tell you it changes.  Kids do learn to feed themselves, get their homework done independently and when they can drive, it does change your schedule a lot.  It gets complicated in other ways as you have a little teenage attitude or pms to deal with but it is so nice to be there to see the change  in maturity and growth in your child.

SO, with anything new, there is a steep learning curve.  Our second triathlon was in Aug and from there we set our sights past the sprint and olympic distances to the half ironman and ironman.  Nothing like jumping in the deep end with both feet huh.

We did base training using the Maffetone method from Nov to Jan then started a 20 week super simple half ironman training plan by Matt Fitzgerald.  Now, don't be deceived by the title "super simple" because it certainly had it's share of tough workouts and long miles.  The plan covered more than the required miles for a half ironman and in peak weeks, I was logging more than 125 miles of training, which I think is pretty good.  The thing about it is that you are never really sure how well a plan is preparing you for an event distance until race day.

After completing the 70.3 Galveston Texas half ironman the beginning of April, I know I was sufficiently prepared for the distances.  However, some clarification of that statement is needed.  I was NOT prepared for the less than ideal swim conditions.  I think this is a two part thing, one being lack of experience in rough water.  The other was the lack of swim training that could be done due to lack of pool facility.  I will be better prepared for the distance of the next swim but to be better prepared for the conditions, I just need more experience.  I was very prepared for the biking 56 miles though the course was very flat.  I would certainly have had a harder time with a hilly course.  The run went well and I don't think anything would make that more challenging that I couldn't deal with well.  The course was mostly flat with a few hills but the high humidity added a very challenging element.

Now, with my goals set to complete another 70.3 the beginning of July, I am following a mix between the same plan and the super simple Ironman plan also by Matt Fitzgerald.  I have decided to follow the distances of each long ride and long run on the weekends from the Ironman plan but use the half ironman plan as reference for when things are really busy or I feel my body can't handle something.  Roaring runner aka hubby is training for the full ironman at the end of July, so it is ideal for us to be following the same workout.  I really like the Ironman plan as it has more specific speed work during the week day rides and runs.  I think it is easy to train slower during the winter months (for me anyway) and I want to really aim to get quicker, more specific weekday workouts with track workouts, hills and tempo runs.  The challenge is to build this kind of training plan myself using the 2 plans and adding some extra elements without injury.

I really took it easy for the week after the half ironman.  Getting a couple short runs in and a bike ride.  The week after that I had a cold so I have not had the energy to really nail the workouts.  But I have noticed that allowing myself that recovery time has seemed to make me stronger.  My legs feel good.  As an example, I recently ran 7 miles one day, biked 42 the next and then ran almost 9 the day after and feel fantastic.  To some, this is no big deal but for me, it IS.  A few years ago, too many miles would have had me hurting somewhere.  It sure pays to do core work as well as strengthening exercises and weights.

Typical to me, food is a very important component in this training plan.  I follow no specific plan nor have I adopted a specific "style" of eating.  I eat what I think my body needs to keep it healthy.  Sometimes that includes lots of meats with little carbs and sometimes I am eating meatless for a while.  I try to avoid gluten but don't freak if I do have some.  I try to eat a lot of vegetables and fruits each day, usually a huge salad once a day that's been dragged through the garden.  I also love salmon and try to eat it 1-2 x a week.  The one thing I can say I avoid like the plague is sugar.  And the one thing I am NUTS about is coconut everything.  I usually have a can of coconut milk/cream mixed with a bit of vanilla and stevia in a container in my fridge to put on my baked oatmeal in the mornings and have been known to sneak in a spoonful (or two) throughout the day. I CAN"T SEEM TO GET ENOUGH.

I have struggled with my diet in the past with worry of consuming fats (everything was low fat in my fridge) and gaining weight.  My opinions are different now and I try to fuel for success.  No matter how tough some workouts are, the mental battles I face or the constant bowel issues I can't get away from- my body does well.  I am appreciative.  Everyday we take SO much for granted.  I try to treat my body well and show appreciation for the many things it does for me.  That's why I eat to fuel success and that includes many different eating plans and styles.  I do not need to belong to a certain group or follow the leader- I play my own game.

Wishing you success in your game!

Happy Easter

Hey, hope everyone is having a great Easter weekend.

Friday morning started with a fabulous 7 mile run.  No real plan for anything (which may be bad) but a great run with hubby (which is good)  It was a few degrees below freezing but I actually really like running with morning temps just around 0.  Our roads are still kinda muddy in places (our normal runs are mostly on gravel) so the road is a bit firm but the temp just perfect with tights and long sleeve shirt.

We attended a bursting to the seams community church service on Good Friday.  It was an awesome service!

Roaring runner and I went to our cabin about a half an hour away to pick up our 2 kayaks.  The river behind our house is flowing so we are anxious to get on it.  At the lake, there was soo much snow.  I didn't expect so much, it was completely winter up there.  Wow, what 30 miles can change.   We did put the kayaks in back at home and went upstream for a bit until our arms and shoulders (well mine really) were screaming then turned around for an easy trip back.  Can't wait to put on some serious miles!



A cold front moved through Friday night and dumped a huge amount of snow on us again.  It was the trainer once again for the long ride.  I went 42 miles, roaring runner 45.  I was trying to make 45 but just couldn't.  I have been fighting a cold all week and am not really sick, just suffering with a runny nose a bit of a sore throat, but I'm not really my normal self either.  I am finding my heart rate is sure elevated at rest and during exercise.  I am going with the idea that all those miles of sweating will fry the virus.



 



Fry the virus!! Ya.  Doesn't help that I haven't slept well for 2 out of 3 nights.  What's going on with that?

After my bike ride, I was so hungry I walked straight from my bike, sweaty, stinky and wet to the fridge and proceeded to stuff my face with this!

A carrot cake oatmeal bake recipe from Angela at Oh She Glows.  You should really try this.  I was dipping it in coconut cream mixed with bit of vanilla stevia.  It was heavenly. I ate it warm on Friday but it was seriously good cold.  Think I liked it better actually.

Then I manage to shovel this in.  A paleo pumpkin muffin from PaleOMG.  I didn't add chocolate chips to mine but wow!  So yummy and lasted a whole 2 days in my house.



My kids had their cousin (from out of town) over from Sat to Sun and got a great visit in.  Roaring runner's family gathering was Sat night.  We were celebrating 2 April birthdays, Easter and the fact that his sister just got married the week before without any of us knowing about it.  They send us a picture that said, "Guess what we did today" and when we saw her in a white dress, well figured it out pretty quickly.  They are an awesome pair so it was great to celebrate with them.  Took some family pictures but with our oldest son not home (still writing University exams) it felt incomplete.

Sunday dawned an another great morning for a run.  Left a bit later than we should have and to get our 9 miles in, we needed to pick up the pace quite seriously on the way back.  Had 20 min to get ourselves in the vehicle to get to town for Easter breakfast at church followed by the Easter Service.

Out of town family is now gone and we have supper tonight with my side of the family.  I made a pumpkin triffle to take.  Gingerbread men all sitting in some seriously delicious pumpkin custard.  Can't wait to dig into it.



I am thinking of all who are running Boston tomorrow. There are so many blogs I read of people who are running tomorrow and it is strange but cool that I kinda know them and am wishing them well and they really don't know me or my good wishes.  So cool.

Well a nice, sunny afternoon here to find some adventures.  Wishing you great memories and adventures too!

We have had a bald eagle at our house this past week.  This is not a usual occurrence.  They are rarely seen around here but I have seen him 3 times this past week, perched up on a high tree across the river.  Even from a distance, you can see the magnificence.  I am reminded of my favourite encouragement.



 

 

 

Just saying "Hi"

Sometimes, because I am relatively "new" to the blogging world, I struggle with what to put in a post.  I think there needs to be "big" topics and it takes a lot of thought on my part to get my ideas down on paper. Then edit them and again a couple more times before actually posting it.

I now realize that every single post isn't going to rock the world.  Sometimes just saying "hi" is what is needed.

As life is back into the swing again after having Spring Break here in my neck of the woods (I have so many posts on the go to share with you about our adventures) and I think my jet lag is fully recovered from, I am thinking more now about the days ahead (as opposed to catching up on what I'm behind on). The forefront of these thoughts is Easter weekend in a couple of days.

I encouraged my family to check out the Easter story as it is written in each of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) from the Bible and to start to focus on what Easter really is.

We have also discussed dyeing eggs and having a fun egg hunt.  Having family coming home and seeing cousins is so exciting!  My sister-in-law surprised us all last weekend by sending us a picture of her and her guy with a caption of "guess what we did today?"  She was wearing a white dress.  You get where I'm going with this?

We have a lot to celebrate this weekend.

I hope you to do the same.