Happy New Year

I had big plans for training over the past 3 or 4 days, but my body had another plan. I woke up on Friday morning not able to talk and it has gotten worse since then. I am hoping that staying at home doing nothing for 2 more days will leave me in better health. Needless to say I haven't been doing anything since walking causes me to cough up a lung. I have also just passed it onto Chad...poor guy.

I have been taking advantage of all of this free time to plan out my race schedule and training schedule! Until I am well again neo citran is my friend. Happy New Years everyone!

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

Christmas break was really good training wise. I got a few longer runs in; one on Sunday for 80 minutes, and on Tuesday for 1 hrs 45 min. I ran with the dogs on Sunday, which went pretty good. I did have a shoe epidemic though. I lost 1 of my running shoes and didn't realise it until I was geared up and ready to go out the door. I tore the house apart looking for it, also dragged Chad out of bed ( I maybe was speaking in a load voice in his direction) but to no avail, I could not find my shoe. I needed new shoes anyway so I crammed two huskies into my little car and went and bought a new pair of shoes. So I had to switch my runs around and didn't get to go as long as I wanted with the dogs....but they were very tired. We got home and they laid own on the floor right away and had a little rest!

When I ran on Tuesday we were out in Crossfield...and if anyone tries to tell you that country roads in rural Alberta are flat they are lying to you. I didn't want to run on the Madden road because it is really hilly. Well I have learned that running up hill on a gravel road with the wind coming towards you = a hard work out. My poor stabilizer muscles....my legs have been really tight for the last 2 days...ouch.

I tried to go swimming on Monday but the pool was closed, so I ended up doing 60 min on the cross trainer instead. That is on my agenda tomorrow. I didn't get too much cycling in over the last few days so I biked tonight for 90 minutes.

I was able to train and sleep over the holiday....and I plan to do the same over New Years. I am feeling pretty good and ready to bring on the training in the New Year.

In my Crossing America adventure I am a few hours outside of Carson City, Nevada and on my way to Salt Lake City, Utah. Hopefully I will be there by next week as I have a couple swims to get in and a long run and bike. I am going to start putting in a brick workout 1/week (a bike directly followed by a run) to get accustomed to running on dead legs once again:)

Yay Me!

So, I am having an awesome training week. Chad is challenging me a lot with this crossing America thing. It is really good because he is always checking in with me to see what I did each day. As of Wednesday I was about 2 hours away from Sacramento, California.

We are doggy sitting again (2 huskies), last time we had them they were a little restless and we were pretty tired by the time they went home! I have a plan to tire them out...they are going to come running with me. The longest they have ever ran is 1 hr 20 min. So this weekend I am going to take them for a 1 hr 45 min run. Tonight is their test night...I am going to take them for about 30 minutes and see how it goes!

I got some bad news this week, my coach will no longer be able to work with me. I was pretty bummed when I found out. He said he is going to send me a copy of a more general program free of charge. I am going to take that and change it a bit and we'll see how it goes. On the bright side, I have money saved up that I can put towards buying a new bike! That will make anyone happy.

I got a couple good swims in this week; 2100m and 2500m. The pool was at 50m last night which was great. I was able to do some long sets and felt really good in the water.
I went up into the spin room at the gym the other night and did a pretty hard workout with a lot of climbs in it. My legs were pretty dead by the time I was done...I think I need to do that a little more often, especially before spring comes and I ACTUALLY have to climb:)
Running is about the same. I did a long run last weekend and the weather was great and it felt so good to be outside. I ran on the treadmill for 50 min. at the gym the other day. My legs felt like they had lead in them, so I suffered through that one. I had about 20 min left when Chad got on the treadmill beside me...for 15 minutes of walking on an incline. Good for him because he never does cardio, but all I could think was ... booo.

Anyway, I think I have talked enough for today. Happy Holidays!

Leslie

Crossing America

Sooooo, Chad has created a challenge for me. Remember that as I tell you this he is a little bit of a trivia nerd. He wants me to learn all of the states and the state capitals (I can already name all of the NFL, NHL, and CFL teams). He printed out a map and drew and line connecting all of the state capitals. Then he figured out the distance and how long it would take to drive from capital to capital; it would take 215 hrs and 13 minutes. What I have to do is log all of my hours of training for Ironman (cardio only) and I am going to travel to each capital city. Here is the kicker: he is going to buy me a present for doing all of this starting at $700.00. Each week it takes me to complete the training volume I lose $25.00 off of the present money. Also, once I pass through a capital city he can quiz on where I have been. If I get a state capital wrong...it is another $25.00 off of my present money. You are probably asking how he came up with this idea....I don't have a clue, but hey I'm game!

I am going to figure out how to up load the map and keep everyone updated on how it is going. If you are a gym person reading this he has a copy at WOW with a picture of my face on a pin and moving it across the map.

Other than that I had a pretty good training week. I caught a cold Wednesday night and was out of commission on Thursday but I bounced back quickly and resumed training on Friday! I still am a little congested, but that's life. Christmas party's are done for the year, I am looking forward to the holidays...I can sleep, eat, and train. Gotta love it! Well, I had better go and study while I work out so I can get a big present:)

Leslie

Family ties

Last week was not a very productive week for me. Training is usually a top priority in my life and last week I had to put it aside more than usual. I had a few family functions last week and I was getting pretty stressed about how to fit everything and everyone in. Chad put it into perspective a little for me. In about three weeks I am going to have more training to do than I ever have before, so relax and enjoy the free time I have.

Being the type A personality that I am it took a while for me to give it up. I finally go the hint and had a good time visiting with everyone:) I am back at it today and I think everything should run smoothly from now until Christmas.

I struggle from time to time with stomach pain, and along with the pain comes extreme fatigue:( That hit me last week as well, so I took the time and rested up and I feel better now because of it.

The good in all of this, it was an unloading week! Yay! So I didn't miss any key workouts, just a couple of small ones. I'm going to have a good training week coming up I can feel it. I'll let you know how it goes;)

Baby, Its Cold Outside!

Brrrrr, it is frickin cold. I had a pretty good training week everything considered! We were doggy sitting this weekend and needless to say they were a little restless the first couple of nights = no sleep for me. I had a nap on Friday and on Saturday...I can't remember the last time I napped:)

Anyway, I managed to get an 1hr 45min ride on my bike yesterday. My legs felt a little tired after about 90 minutes, but I was feeling uncomfortable on my bike for some reason. Watching an episode of The OC and one of Grey's Anatomy sure helped the time go by!

The countdown is on until January for me right now. I emailed my coach to see where I needed to be before I start the training program in the New Year. That way I will have something to work on in December. I feel like I am treading water right now, and not really getting anywhere.

I did get my swim in last week, so we will give it a go this week as well. I felt good once I got there...it was a little on the chilly side but the hot tub after made up for that!

Lazy Bones

Hello all!

So last weekend I had three days off.....and I did nothing!!!! You may be asking yourself what happened. Well, my little sister came to visit and amongst the late evenings, getting hair cuts, movie watching, oh and lots and lots of shopping the lazy bug got a hold of me. Oh well, unless you count walking around the mall as exercise I did a whole lot of nothing over the weekend:)

I am back on the train today though. I have a run, yoga, and weights planned out for the evening. Life will be back to normal and training will resume. I did enjoy my little stint away. I have a long run up and coming this weekend, I am aiming for 2 hours, so we will see how it goes. I did an hour and 50 minutes a week ago and felt really good, so I should be okay;) Lately I have been doing 2 shorter runs throughout the week, one of intervals and the other just however I am feeling that day dictates the effort!

The cold weather is still getting to best of my swimming. I am aiming for a whopping 1 swim this week. I have to start small....baby steps. And as for the bike lately the longest I have ridden is 90 min -1hr 45 min. Just keeping my butt accustomed to the pain of sitting on a bike seat for a long time. If you don't know what I am talking about, give it a go. I do a least one short ride a week too; about 50-75 minutes of sprints, climbs, etc so I don't loose to much of my hard work from last season!

I am still throwing some weights in the mix, usually 3-4 times/week. I am feeling pretty good about fitting weights into my schedule. It is a nice break from the usual training I am used to. Then I get to harass the guys in the back a little bit and try and get them to do some cardio:) I need to do more core work...I hate it but it is so beneficial for training. I'll work on it, but I make no promises!

Until next time take care everybody!

Leslie

Jingle All the Way

Hi everybody!

It has been a while, I apologize. Chad just yelled at me because I haven't written lately, so here I am.

I ran in the Jingle Bell Run a couple of weeks ago and it was not fun. It was snowing; the wet snow that makes you soaked and cold to the bone, it was also sideways snow, and it was really windy. Mother nature was not kind. To top that off the race started 20 minutes late, no one knew what was going on, and people just started randomly running because no one was at the start line!!! I didn't feel too well either, my body wasn't to happy with me but I sucked it up and finished the whole 10km. I was happy time wise, everything considered. I made it across in less than an hour, so I can't complain about that.

I have been hitting the gym a little harder since the end of summer. I started a strength phase in my resistance training routine, and I made it up to 135lbs squats and deadlifts for 5 reps. That is about 15 more pounds over my body weight. I have just jumped back into an endurance phase for the next few weeks. I think that I will do at least one more strength cycle and see how it goes. I need to work on my technique a little more for squats....we'll see what it brings. I find training in strength and power helps me climb those hills easier both on the bike and run.

Last but not least, I officially have a coach....I just need to send him the $$$$$ and we are good to go in January! His name is Tom Price. He has been doing tri's for ~30 years, so I think I can learn a lot from him! He has won Ironman Canada a couple of times and has competed in IM Hawaii. I am going to enjoy the next month and a half before heavy training starts in January. I am excited to be working with someone though;)

Who wants to swim when its cold outside?

I have been trying to convince myself for the last couple of days that I need to get a swim in. During the summer months I love to jump in the pool and get a break from the constant heat outside. After it snowed the other night; I haven't been able to drag myself to the pool for my workout yet! It is cold...the last thing I want to do is go outside in the cold, jump in a cold pool, get out of the pool soaking wet, change and drive home, now cold and wet! blah. Anyway, that is how I am feeling about swimming this week. For the rest of my training, it has been an awesome week. I am running and cycling faster, and I love it. Next up: 10 km Jingle Bell Run...I think I am going to dress up like a reindeer. It should be fun!

The Gorilla Run:Pre and Post race

Every time I sign up for a race, I am super excited at the possible outcome and love the challenges that we all face along the way! Anyone who knows me at all, will know that I am not much of a morning person. The pre race anxiety sets in 1-2 days prior to the event, and before I go to bed at night I am hating the fact that I have to get up Early the next day. Whether it is a 5 km run to 1/2 ironman, I am plagued with the same uneasiness. I went through the same ritual this weekend. I am getting better, but 6 am is waaaay too early for me. Race day came and went, and I realize as I crossed the finish line that the feeling of accomplishment and tiredness is a great one.

The Gorilla run is a great race, smaller than what I am used to, but we had fun nonetheless. Chad and I ran together for the first 2.5 km which is through the Zoo. It was neat to see all of the animals up and active (not laying around and sleeping like they often are at the Zoo:). Once we left the Zoo Chad took off ahead of me. I began to settle into my race and was feeling pretty good. Runs along the bow river during the fall are beautiful; I enjoyed the scenery and the crisp cool air. I have cut back my training a little bit since the summer, and I could definitely feel it! The burn in my legs and my lungs was all to familiar and by 15 km I was ready to be done! The good news is that 1.5 km later I was. I ran across the finish line happy to have dragged myself out of bed to participate in the race.My brother and Chad were there waiting for me, no doubt wondering how I was feeling. Chad and I chatted about the race, how it went, when it was hard, when it was good, etc. We waited a little longer for Tracy to come across the finish line, it was her first race and she did 16.5 km!

All in all the Gorilla Run was a success. I wanted to run this race as a hard training run, which I think I accomplished. We didn't end up walking around the Zoo after the race. With 5 hours of sleep and tired feet I was more than ready to relax and visit with my brother before he went home!

Ironman...here I come

Well, it has been a month since I signed up for IMC and I am filled with mixed emotions. I am excited about training and being able to finish an Ironman, but also a little nervous about the unknown. Four years ago I was in Penticton on holidays and it was Ironman week. I had completed a few super sprint tri's, but knew little about what triathlon had to offer. While we stood on the side of the road in awe watching all of the athletes, I turned to my boyfriend Chad and said: "In 4 years, I am going to do this race." He thought that I was crazy and kinda brushed it off. Well, here I am. It has almost been 4 years and I am now signed up for IMC. I have put my body through a number of races in the last few years and I have learned a lot. Most importantly I have realized that you can accomplish whatever you put your mind to. I have had a lot of support along the way (Thank you Lisa for sitting beside me at the computer and making me sign up for races that I didn't think I could do, but you knew I could!), and Chad to pushing me out the door when I feel a little lazy and being at every race I have done.

I am ready to put in the long base hours over the winter and in 10 months I will be an Ironman!