Tri-Dogmom

Just over 3 years ago when I first started working with Michelle, I remember getting my first week of training put into TP.  I was at my friend Amanda's house watching the Super Bowl and got an email saying that the first week was up.  I logged in, my eyes wide open seeing a full week of swim, bike, run and then saw the tally on the side of 15+ hours.  There was so much detail! Specific HR goals, and the explanations in the swim workouts were so cool.  OMG, it was like I had died and gone to heaven.  I love DATA!  I love seeing max and average and pace and miles and all that stuff.  Oh, back then I even got some rest days ;) I loved entering my notes and my data in, but my favorite part was the response and feedback I would get.  With each workout, there would be a response.  It was like being graded (but not really) and encouraged and just fueled my fire to do better!  8 weeks later I was asked to right a "race plan" for my first ...

After taking a solid 4 weeks of pretty much no training post Ironman, I was feeling the urge to get back at it.  My body felt recovered, but also chubby, slow and uncomfortable from the time off.  I knew we were spending a good 10 days in Mexico eating chips and salsa and drinking cervesa so putting in some run miles was going to be the only way to help me feel half normal.  With that I needed  wanted a reason to put in those miles, so I signed up for the Phoenix half marathon. Of course it's not a fun race when you don't wrangle several friends to sign up with you.  A couple notes on Facebook and we had a pretty good group to run!  I sent Michelle a note to let her know that I signed up, but for fun, not with a goal to have a fast PR race.  I knew what it took to get there, and that wasn't my early season goal.  I had an Ironman to train for and a lot of work to do on the bike to get me ready for the hilly course. So my January build started ...

I can't believe I'm actually writing a post about an indoor bike trainer.  Ever since I started cycling, about 12 years ago, I've loathed the trainer.  Sure a good sweat fest spin class can be fun, but I've always stood firm that nothing beats getting out there on the road.  We purchased a cycleops fluid trainer and had it for a good 8 years, but I averaged like once a year on that thing.  I never felt like I got a good workout, and it just didn't feel  right.  I didn't like the clunky feel and it just wasn't like being on the road.   Not to mention, we live in Arizona and while we might not have huge big green evergreens to look at, there is something about being out on your bike looking at views like this... And, let's be honest.... with the exception of our insane summers when you have to get up at 4 am to ride and Jan-Feb when it's "cold and dark," we pretty much have it made here year round.  When I signed up for my first Ironman ...

I started working with my first athlete in January.  It's been a fun, interesting and totally huge learning experience.  As I sit down every week to write his schedule, I try to think a lot about goals, short term and long, where this person is at in their fitness build and what we need to do to build on that. With that, I find myself thinking about what I want them to be focusing on for each workout.  What would I  be doing if I were doing this set: what should my HR be, pacing, all the way down to which routes (locally) would be best.  It's fun and I think (at least I hope) it's helpful to the athlete that I am over analyzing and thinking everything right now. Within the next few weeks I will have 3 athletes I'm coaching.  Two with Ironman goals, one a total newbie to the sport, but with ambition and long term goal of doing an Ironman.  They each lead very busy lives, and my main goal is to help them fit their training into their lives in the mos...

Last week was my first week back into official Ironman training.  I was so mentally ready for this.  I took a much longer, and more serious break after this past year of racing and Ironman AZ than ever.  At times it was hard (felt sluggish, fat, tired), but others it was a breath of fresh air (sleep in, it's COLD out, another glass of wine?  yes!). While I did miss out on some of our great running races here, I felt it was time to give my body a break so that I would be totally ready to dive back into it all in January with out being burned out.  This year, for the first time ever, I signed up for two Ironman races.  At the time I signed up (again) for Ironman AZ, I honestly wasn't sure it's what I wanted, but my husband was signing up, and I'm going to be in Coeur d'Alene all summer long with beautiful summer training, so well how could I not? After a beautiful 10 days in Mexico (really the weather could NOT have been more perfect) I was so ready to get ...

I've been just waiting and waiting (had to have all the ducks in a row) to write this post, but now I'm struggling to come up with the words to even describe the excitement I'm feeling. In my previous posts I've talked about how I've morphed from a (not very good) runner, into a triathlete (by injury default), into a 13 hour Ironman (a couple times), into falling in love with the sport, the community and everything about it!  I've also talked about Michelle , and what a big impact she's had on me as an athlete, and mentor.  So much that she believes in me enough to bring me under her BatShitCrazy family, and call me a coach! There are other people that have helped me along this journey that I believe deserve some big credit as well.   Racelab , my very first coaches.  I was 23 years old when I met them and trained for my first couple of marathons.  They were amazing.  I showed up to my first long run (2hours late, apparently didn't get the memo th...

“Everything you can imagine is real.”   ―   Pablo Picasso One of my favorite things about keeping a blog and the fact I've had it for as long as I've been doing Ironman is that I get to go back and see myself over the years.  I giggle when I look back at my posts from 2007, while training for my first big race. “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go...”   ―   Dr. Seuss ,   Oh, the Places You'll Go! Oh how that quote could not be any more perfect.  This year I chose to push harder, dream bigger and have no regrets.  It paid off in so many ways, not just in results but in where I see myself going and what I see myself doing. Last year, I looked back at my two New Years posts.   The first one , I shared how my year that started out in tragedy pushed me to go after new goals, t...