Ironman Mont Tremblant Training Week #13...Done!

Wow, I can't believe I have been at this now for over 3 months, but I'm happy to say week #13 of training is in the books! It was a good week and I was able to get in every work out on my training plan without having to switch things up too much. Here is what the week looked like:

-Monday: I used this as my Rest Day as it was a regular "work" day for me and I had done my 12 mile run on Sunday.

-Tuesday: I did my 3 1/2 hour Brick on Tuesday and it went very well. I really dreaded doing it at first, but once I was on my bike the time went by really fast! I chose a hilly course to ride for the 3 hours as I am preparing myself for not only the elevation at Mont Tremblant, but I have a very hilly Half Ironman (Challenge Quassy) coming up in June! Here is what the ride looked like:

I didn't realize when I chose this course, which was from the St. George Half Ironman, that the last several miles would be straight up hill! So, I spent the last 30 minutes of my 3 hour ride climbing up a hill (yikes!). It was not awful, but I had been averaging a really decent speed until then. I got off the bike to do my 30 minute run and my legs felt very heavy, but as soon as I started running I surprisingly felt very light!  I actually had to hold myself back a bit so I didn't overdo it. It was a great run and I felt like I could have gone a lot farther that day! I put my information in Training Peaks when I was done and my coach texted me as soon as she saw it to remind me to wear my compression pants! I was so glad that she did, as I would have forgotten to put them on. I have found that they really do make a difference on how my legs feel the day after a big workout.

-Wednesday: This is the day I do a group cycling class that my Coach teaches at Main Street Energy Lab. It is an awesome class and I have become a much stronger cyclist from taking it. However, I woke up with really stiff joints, my muscles felt ok, but my knees were a little creaky! I didn't know if I would be able to make it through a super intense workout. Initially, I was not going to go, but then I decided it was the best way to get my Interval workout done for the week. Here is what that workout looked like:

Needless to say, it was very tough! I really wanted to quit after the first 8 intervals, but it's kind of hard to sneak out of a bike class...with your bike! So I stayed, but my legs were burning and I felt nauseated. I did not know if I could make it through 16 more, but after the first 4 minute recovery, I felt much better and managed to make it through the entire workout hitting the intervals! I was completely exhausted afterward, but I had such a sense of accomplishment and confidence boost that I completed such a hard workout the day after my Brick!

-Thursday: On Thursday I did my long swim workout (2700 yards) after work. I realized at the last minute that I would not remember the workout, so I jotted it down before heading out to the pool.

The swim workout went ok, but I had a hard time hitting some of the times.

-Friday: My long run day! I was looking forward to doing this outside, as the snow has finally melted enough here that it is safe to run on the roads around my house. However, it was raining and cold and my time was very tight, so I took it to the treadmill. 13 miles on a treadmill is not my idea of fun, but it went by really fast and I got all caught up on my daytime talk shows while running! :-) My loyal training partner Walter kept me company as well!

As soon as I finished, I jumped off the treadmill, showered, and headed to my daughter's school to volunteer for an hour. My legs were pretty stiff and it was a challenge to sit in the little Kindergarten chairs while working on their math lessons, but I enjoyed spending time with my daughter and her sweet class mates. As soon as I was done there, I headed to the pool for a 2000 yard swim. This was probably not ideal after my long run, but it was the only other day & time I could get to the pool! I had a hard time again hitting the times again, I was supposed to do 12 x 100 on 1:45, but it did not happen. I did the best I could and will continue to push to faster times.

-Saturday: 45 Minute Recovery Ride, this was great! It's so nice to do these recovery rides and I just enjoyed being on my bike not worrying about my heart rate, speed, or power.

-Sunday: 30 Minute Recovery Run, which was great as well! I did this outside and again, it is just so nice to run for pure enjoyment without worrying about my pace.


So Week #13 is all wrapped up and I am very happy about how it turned out! How was your week? What races are your training for? Were you able to fit it all in?

The Ironman: A Selfish Pursuit?

A couple of months ago an acquaintance and I were talking about running and triathlons. She is an avid runner and also enjoys doing olympic distance triathlons. She mentioned that 2 of her friends had recently trained for an Ironman. Then, she went on in great detail to explain how selfish it is for people with young children to take on such a task. I sat and listened carefully and also bit my tongue, as I did not want to mention that I was going to tackle this "selfish" pursuit as well. My lack of bringing it up was more so she did not feel uncomfortable about potentially upsetting and/or insulting me. Actually, I was not upset, as I found all of her points of view to have some validity to them and her convictions were so strong that I was not going to talk her out of them anyway. The one thing that stuck with me from that conversation was "they stole time from their families to do what they wanted".

I am currently 12 weeks into my training and have about 5 months more to go before the big day. The training has gone well and I have been able to complete the workouts with very little disruption in my family life. Of course, that has not been easy. I carefully and creatively schedule workouts at very early hours before the kids wake up or on days that I am off work, but they are in school. For the most part, I have kept my guilt to a minimum about this time consuming endeavor by keeping the impact low on anyone else.

I had put the conversation about "selfishness" out of mind until this Friday. The past week has been very hectic and I had to change my entire schedule and squeeze things in where I could. Friday morning I started my 3 hour ride on my bike trainer and felt very anxious about the million and one things I had to do. However, #1 was getting the ride done, since the rest of the week had gone amiss. I pedaled for 30-40 minutes and was fine. Then, I started to look around the kid's playroom (where my bike is located) and I felt overwhelmed with guilt. It is a gigantic mess, toys everywhere, dust bunnies in the corners, and dog hair piled up under the treadmill!

My mind went off to: "what are you doing?", "are you really going to spend 3 hours here looking at this mess?". Then, the conversation came back: "You are stealing time from your family!" "Am I being self-centered?" "Is this indeed a selfish pursuit?"

Fortunately (or unfortunately depends on your point view), I had 2+ more hours on my trainer to think about it!

So what did I come up with? Sure, this is a bit selfish, as this is something that I want to do for me and yes, it is time consuming. (Although, so is a round of golf every weekend and that seems to be socially acceptable.) There is no financial gain here, I'm not winning the event or going to the Olympics. It's unlikely that I will excel in my career (as an RN) because I have this under my belt. This is not going to help my children in the future or in any other way... Or is it? At this moment, I started to think of all the races I have done and how much fun the kids have had at them. There are some races that they ask me to do again because "that was really fun!".

(Rev 3 70.3, fun for the kids, not for the Mom)

They have watched me be very committed to something I love that is not attached to anything financial or material, as it is completely intangible. They have seen me spend hours and hours training for marathons and triathlons then cross the finish line joyfully even though I may have finished at the bottom of my age group. I finished..smiling...and that is what matters.

I had a goal, I worked diligently, and I finished it in the best way that I could! What a great lesson for them to see?! The Ironman is something I dreamed of doing when I was a 14 year old girl that loved being on the track team and competing for the local YMCA swim team. If this dream is a selfish pursuit, then so be it! My only hope is that my children learn from me that it is "ok" to pursue their childhood dreams as an adult, even if others may not understand.

I would love to hear your thoughts? Selfish pursuit or fulfilling a dream?

The Juggling Act

The Ironman training schedule is pretty intense and requires 6 days of workouts, which can be tricky for me. I sit down at the beginning of each week and figure out how & when I will get it all done. Sunday night I took a look at my scheduled workouts for the week along with my work schedule and my family's schedule to try and determine what day would be best for each workout. Here is what I came up with:

*Monday- 50 Minute Run Test (Race Pace for 30 minutes), will be done after work, but before my daughter's Ballet class
*Tuesday- The Brick: 3 Hour Ride, 25 minute Run after I get the kids to school
*Wednesday- 1 Hour Interval Ride in the morning, 1800 yard Recovery Swim in afternoon while kids are doing their swim lessons
*Thursday- 30 minute Recovery Run, before work. 1800 yard Swim Test (Race Pace for 3 x 300 yards)after work
*Friday- 12 mile Run
*Saturday-1 Hour Recovery Ride, before my son's hockey games
*Sunday- Rest

It looked good on paper. Monday morning I woke up with very stiff legs, but stretched a bit, got the kids to school & headed to work. I got out of work with just enough time to do the run test before picking the kids back up. It was a beautiful day here in Maine and I headed out for my run, my calves were so sore from my ride on Sunday & my right hip was very tight. I was hoping it would loosen up in the first 10 minutes, as I was supposed to go race pace for the following 30 minutes. 10 minutes in, I started to run at race pace...or attempt to, but I just felt horrible and could not get my speed up. After a mile of feeling lousy, I abandoned the test and decided to make this my Recovery Run. It was not worth injuring myself as I needed to stop and stretch my right hip flexor, which is a chronic pain for me. I stopped, stretched my calves on the curb & tried to warm-up my hip. Then, I started again at a slow pace just enjoying the pleasant day & lovely scenery. I was not upset as I figured I could finagle my schedule a bit and do the run test another day.

(After running, enjoying a nice day & happy that the snow is finally melting!)

So I came up with a Plan B! However, just as I had formulated that in my head, I got a call that my ophthalmologist could squeeze me in on Tuesday at 11:30am for a problem I have been having with my eyes. Unfortunately, it was right in the middle of the time I planned my 3 hour ride, but I had to take it. My eyes were really bothering me and I did not want to wait 2 more weeks. Alas, Plan C was contrived, which included my swim test in the morning before the appointment and my Brick after the appointment.

Got the swim done!

(Rockin' some serious goggle marks)

Now, on to my appointment, then home to do the long Brick. Best laid plans, foiled again! My 30 minute eye appointment turned into a 3 hour long visit including minor surgery on my lower left eye lid. A story for another time, but the highlight is, that receiving 2 shots of lidocaine (numbing medicine) in my eyelid was the most painful thing, albeit brief, I have ever experienced...(yes, I have 2 children). Of course, my altered level of reality as an endurance athlete had me thinking that I might be able to finish up the appointment and go home and ride on my trainer anyway. However, all I could do when I got home was rest on the couch, I was not feeling very well after that ordeal! I mentioned riding on my trainer and my 9 year old son was the voice of reason: "Mom, you just had SURGERY on your EYE...lay down and rest!" Ok, of course, he was right and that is what I did, as I tried to create Plan D in my head.

"The Best laid plans of Mice and Men often go awry."


What do you do when you have to change it all up?

Ironman Mont Tremblant Training: Back At It!

I just finished up a wonderful vacation with my family.  I say "vacation", but there was not much rest involved.  We packed as much into our week at the most magical place (Disney World) on earth as we could.   Just for fun, one of the days I wore my Mio Global heart rate/activity monitor and we logged 10+ miles of walking (this did not include my early morning 4 mile run!).

(Here we are at Epcot, the kids were troopers & had a blast!)

We arrived back home late Saturday night and I was exhausted!  I had missed almost an entire week of my Ironman training plan and the guilt was setting in.  I decided I would do the 3 hour Brick on Sunday morning.  Cue "Springing ahead the time" combined with finding out that my son had not 1 hockey game (as I thought), but 2 games at 2 different times at 2 different ice rinks!   This combined with my husband heading immediately out of town for a meeting, along with 6 loads of laundry, and a week's worth of mail stacked up... I'm sure you can guess that the Brick did not get done, in fact, nothing was done in the form of training.

By late Sunday night, I was starting to feel very drained, stressed, and worried that I was getting sick.       I had planned on getting up Monday morning at 4:45 to do my scheduled bike ride before getting the kids off to school and heading to work.  I made a decision before heading to bed that all I really needed was extra sleep at this point.  I took a look at my training plan and reluctantly switched it to my rest day. Although, I was feeling quite guilty about the change up, I knew it was in my best interest as I had an 11 mile Run to do Tuesday (today) and I did not want to miss it for ANY reason!

It was so hard to get motivated to do the long run, but I knew if it did not get done today that it would not be done at all as my schedule is very tight this week...well, pretty much every week.  It was a beautiful day here in Maine, so I was excited to run outside, which helped get me out the door.  My only concern was that we still have a lot of snow on the roads and the shoulders are not clear or they have huge puddles of water from the "Big Thaw".  I decided to run loops around my neighborhood for safety.  I have read one too many news stories in the past few years of runners getting hit by cars, so that is always in the back of my mind when I choose my running route.  11 miles of 2.5 mile loops is less than desirable for most people, but I don't mind.  The neighbors probably think I am insane, but so be it!

(The Big Thaw out here has begun, but still lots of snow on the roads!)

The run went really well and I felt surprisingly good for the first 7-8 miles.  However, by mile 8 my calves were really bugging me, which is unusual.  I think pounding the pavement for that long was a shock to my joints and muscles, as I have logged most of  my miles on the treadmill since January.   I stopped stretched a bit and plugged away at the last 3 miles, a little slower, but I finished!  I was thrilled to have completed this and it definitely gave my confidence a boost after missing so many workouts.  Of course, I am very sore right now, so off to foam roll before bed!

I would love to hear how you manage to squeeze it all in?  What do you do when you need to change up your plans?

(My Garmin, which I love; Hooray, I'm done!; One of my views on the loops)