It’s hard to believe I’m at the midpoint in my season. Starting in early May it was a constant frenzy, racing 9 out of 10 weeks straight. Of course, it was my choice, I love to race, but it certainly doesn’t lend to much more than that. Race, recover, 1 or 2 key workouts, taper, REPEAT! After my last race July20th, I was ready for a break. My body was fully aware it was done racing for a while, and therefore tried to go into full hibernation-I was a zombie. I gave myself several days to recover, and before too long I was ready to go again.
A small sampling of the simple joys I experienced during my non race week:
1) Attend all Karin’s Soccer games (STATE Tourney)
2) Joined group rides w/o worries when it got “out of control”!
3) Stayed out late with buddies enjoying post workout refreshments
4) Golf with my hubby
5) Had a chance to bike longer than 2 hours
6) Slept in past 7am on Sunday morning
7) Mountain biked with Jmac in Lebanon Park
8) Solidified all KONA travel plans
9) Solidified all Portland (USAT Nationals) travel plans
10) Connected with old High School friends via Facebook
I’m now into my second week of non-racing and Kerry and I decided to take off to our fun desert oasis. The kids are with their mom in Colorado, so it was time for us to get away. Unfortunately I don’t have unlimited time-off at work (IM-Kona is 10 of my precious 25 days), so we are working remotely for a few days, as we unwind from the hustle of the homemade daily routine. Just saving the commute time (~2 hours total for me) makes the day seem much longer; allowing MORE time to play. I can guarantee there will be no shortage of that this week!!
I have some quality training on the schedule as I prepare for my first half Iron distance race August 17th. Although I’ve been racing for 6 years, this is only my 3rd race of this distance. It’s certainly intimidating coming from racing OLYs and sprints all season, but I’m really excited for the challenge. I’ll be racing alongside my best buddies (we’re all road tripping to PIGMAN and crowding 5+ people in a room together), and for me, it doesn’t gets much better than that. After Pigman Half I have 5 weeks to prepare for Nationals in Portland, then I’ll go to the US Open in Dallas October 5th, and just five days later I’ll be toeing the line at the Ironman World Championships for the very first time!! Honestly I’m not sure where I will fit in any Iron distance specific training, but that’s part of the novelty. I’m a test case for how the body withstands an Ironman without specifically training for it (just get me to the finish line). Luckily it’s the finale for my season, and I get to spend the following week with my family on the beach in Maui.
Lord, Thank-you for giving me these amazing opportunities. I am SO grateful and I intend to make the most of them.
