Eventful

Another week closer to Ironman Arizona. I'm going to keep this pretty short because I'm wiped out and starving. It's been a pretty eventful week. Training went good- no hiccups/tantrums which is good. A highlight of the weekday training was the open water swim- we had a whole group and it was very fun. The major challenge of the week was the HEAT. Dear God, the heat. We broke records pretty much every day since Monday. I think the hottest we got was 107. It's still hot today but supposed to cool down this coming week finally.


This weekend Zach and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary. We went to a concert at the zoo Friday night which was really neat. We saw Jewel and an elephant, can't beat that. I've been a fan for many years (of Jewel, also elephants) so it was a dream come true! We brought a picnic and enjoyed the warm summer evening and music. Saturday was our actual anniversary and we went out for a romantic dinner at our favorite Italian restaurant.

Today as we headed out to do our long run I got the sad news that my grandfather passed away. He's been ill for a while but it's still very tough. I had an awful run, weighed down with sadness. Zach ran with me for half the run but then I just wanted to be alone. I took several breaks but was really struggling. I was actually running very strong but it was HOT once again and I didn't have enough water. I thought I was going to pass out. I drank a ton of water as soon as I finished and then Zach and I went out for a big breakfast and I felt a lot better. I'm very lucky to have such a wonderful husband. He's been my rock and my best friend and the love of my life for almost 12 years and my husband for 6 of those. I believe love like ours is rare and I feel extremely blessed.


Well onto the work outs summary and then a few pics from the concert.



Monday: rest
No Strength Training for my as my upper back/shoulders were very sore- from the long bike ride?



Tuesday: Run
7.0 miles/1:02:39/8:57 average pace
It was 100+ in town so I headed for the shaded shelter of Forest Park. I carried water and took it very slow (sped up only at the very end). It had to be about 10 degrees cooler up there but still hot. Not too many other people out!



Tuesday: Swim
2200 yards/1:00
Masters



Wednesday: Bike
1:00/spin class
With Alisa again, yay! The spin room was nice and air conditioned thankfully.



Wednesday: Run
3.0 miles/30:00/10:00 average pace
The treadmill area of the gym, however, was a sauna. Awful. Didn't bother bumping the speed above 6.0 MPH.



Wednesday: Swim
1200 yards/30:00 approx
Alisa, Amy, Emily, Christine, Zach and I were among the throngs of people trying to cool off in the tepid murk that is Klineline Pond. It was seriously like bathwater. I swam one loop with Amy who did great! Then I took my wetsuit off (I thought I was going to suffocate) and swam a second loop with Alisa, Emily, and Zach. We did breastroke for one leg of the loop which was fun, then we even tried some backstroke before realizing it was impossible to sight. Finished off going one-by-one butterfly to the finish. What fun. :)



Thursday: off
One of those "Fuck it" days. Wasn't even tired or anything, I just really had some things to get done and wanted a night off. Deana and Dana came over for dinner and wine in the AC. It was great. Once and a while this is fine and will be happening again.



Friday: Run
8.0 miles/1:07:42/8:28 average pace
Slightly cooler but Zach and I still opted for shaded Forest Park (Leif Erikson trail). Felt pretty good.



Saturday: Bike
51.9 miles/3:27:37/14.9 MPH
Back at Hagg Lake, this time for 5 laps around. I once again improved my speed significantly! A little over a month ago I did 4 laps at 13.3 MPH (then did a race, 2 laps much faster of course, 16+), then last week I did 4 laps again at 14.3 MPH, then this weekend I almost hit 15 MPH! I was actually pissed I just missed it. I felt great and really flew on the flats and downhills. I was even a bit faster on the climbs. It was awesome! Zach rode on his own and did 6 laps at a faster speed. This is great training for both of us as Lake Stevens Half Ironman is going to be really hilly.



Saturday: Run
1.65 miles/15:00/9:05 average pace
Brick run with Zach. We were feeling the heat and the hills were tough. After the run we jumped in the lake to cool down. The water was pretty warm but still felt good!



Sunday: Run
12.0 miles/1:43:21/8:37 average pace
A minute and a half faster than last week on the same exact course (Banks-Vernonia Trail) but as I mentioned at the beginning, among the shittiest runs ever. Seriously felt like I ran 20 miles. I ended up with a lot of running miles this week which is good.



totals for the week:
swim: 1:30 (3400 yards)
bike: 4:30 (52 miles + 1 spin class)
run: 4:40 (31.65 miles)

total training time: 10:40

Back at it next week. I don't know if I'll be going home to Montana for my grandpa's funeral or what, but that could possibly alter things. Whatever, I will deal. I hope everyone had a great weekend and is enjoying the summer. Thanks for reading and take care. :)