This last week has been difficult. My training has been good, but I’ve had to adjust my schedule some due to work, and I ended up taking the weekend easier than I’d intended as far as workouts go. It’s hard as we get closer to the race to not get frustrated with life’s interruptions, good or bad. I’d like to be able to focus 100% on training and resting, though I know that’s completely unrealistic. More than anything, I need to be diligent about leaving work to make my evening workouts and then coming back to work so that both work and my workouts get done.

Yesterday, I swam in the morning but didn’t make my run after work. I plan to make it up today. I ran a few miles this morning and did a session with Jake, but I’m planning to leave work about 6 today so I can run Lady Bird Lake for an hour or so before heading up to see Michelle, Joslin and Jessica. I’m be joining them smelly and gross, but I think they’re used to that by now!

Am I ready? Honestly, I don’t know. I’ve been diligent in my training, but the concept is still daunting. Perhaps that’s not fear as much as it is a healthy respect for the course distance…

I’m working on finding a house in Coeur d’Alene. I’m surprised at how many options I’m finding this late in the game. Hopefully I’ll firm that up by the end of the week.

As far as training goes, I’m doing well. I did a nice ride through the hill country this weekend. One person I know described it as “one spirit crushing hill after another” but he exaggerates. 🙂 The post-ride fun was a welcomed opportunity to hang out with Jeanie and meet her parents. I must say that the Hoffmans will be a hoot to have in Coeur d’Alene. We’re very lucky they’re going to be there.

The race is less than ten weeks away, and the nerves are kicking in! I can’t believe we’re this close.

Last week was a recovery week. This week has been much tougher. I did a track workout Monday and a lifting session Tuesday. Jake and I did lower body, so my legs were generally pretty pooped. Then today, I swam this morning, ran after work, and then did a trainer session with Poppe. I think I’m on empty right now, and my thighs are sore.

Isn’t this fun? It really is, though the reports may sometimes sound like complaints. I realized today that I’d really missed running on the trails and felt energized by the multiple workouts even though I’m physically wiped out. I knew this week would be harder than last and I complicated things by doing yesterday’s bike workout today. That may have been a mistake, but there are worse mistakes I could have made, right? Worse ways to spend my time? Worse ways to spend my money? I’m loving every minute of this.

My week started with an attempted run on Sunday morning on Lady Bird Lake. I got up early, got dressed, drove down to the trails, got out of the car…and realized I was wearing two totally different shoes. One was a running shoe. The other was a flat soled tennis shoe that I wear for my strength training. Either I was sleepy while dressing or I was completely distracted by Bread’s playfulness with my shoelaces. I believe the problem was the latter (but love him dearly anyway). So I had to abandon the trail run and Barton Springs swim to drive all the way back home to fix the shoe situation. I ended up running down Anderson Mill to Parmer and back. It ended up not being a bad run, but it certainly wasn’t as nice as being on the trails, and I ended up missing the girls. I hope everyone had a good workout, whether it was on the trail or elsewhere.

My week has gone much more smoothly since then. I’ve had a couple of strong swims, a good run, a hard lifting session, and tonight I’ll be on the bike. My schedule calls for a pretty easy weekend, so I’ll get a little bit of a mental and physical break from it all over the next few days.

There’s a guy from my training group who is doing IM Arizona this weekend. His goal is to qualify for Kona. He has cut hours off his time over the last few years, so his goal is very much within reach. I believe he can do it, and look forward to hearing about that adventure. If you think about it, say a little prayer for him. His name is Brent.

This morning, Marline and I did the Pedal Power Wildflower ride that started at the LBJ Ranch. We made a wrong turn and ended up doing about 66 miles. It was a beautiful day for a ride, and this one needed a beautiful day because it was tough. There were a number of long climbs, including one monster of a hill that I wasn’t sure I could climb. But I did it. I felt wonderful about the ride. The only bummer part is that my arms and shoulders are bright red. The day started at 40 degrees, so sunscreen was the farthest thing from my mind. Apparently, I needed it. I need to be smarter about that next time. But still, it was a fun day. We got to see Fred, MJ, some Texas Iron folks, and even Nancy, whom I rarely get to see. What a day.

My beautiful day was made sweeter when I got home this evening and learned that Miss Amelia James Allen arrived yesterday. Welcome, Amelia. You are one lucky little girl to have the family that you do. I can’t wait to meet you.

Last night, it was looking windy and stormy, so rather than ride South Mopac, Poppe and I rode trainers in my garage. We rode for 75 minutes, but it felt like only 30 minutes. I couldn’t believe how fast it went and how much fun it was to pedal and gab. I’ve missed seeing a lot of Poppe so it was good to hang out with her, and she got to meet Bread and Butter!

This morning, I did a session with Jake to work my upper body and then I swam. I missed my run because I wasn’t feeling up to facing the rain, but I still had a solid morning. I’m liking the two-a-days that are becoming pretty regular for me.

The plan this weekend is to bike tomorrow, followed by a short run. Then on Sunday, I’ll do a long run, followed by a short swim. Should be nice. I’ll see Marline, Poppe, Fred and MJ! Good times.

I had breakfast with my friend Rey this morning. She brought with her some pictures she and her husband took in Coeur d’Alene. They go often because they own some land in the Spokane area. The pictures were stunning. It got me excited about being up there in less than three months! And so far it’s looking like Rey and David will be there in June to cheer for me, which would be, in Rey’s word, awesome.

Before breakfast, Rey and I met at the gym for a treadmill workout. I only did about 40 minutes, and it felt hard, possibly because I wasn’t terribly rested after last night’s swim. I swam 3400, with the big set being some 250s. It was a good, long, stready swim – a wonderful way to wind down after a stressful day.

I’m supposed to ride this evening with Poppe down at South Mopac. It’s looking like it’s going to rain. Say a prayer for good weather today.

And would someone please tell Bread and Butter that I need to get some sleep? They are all over me all night long and wake me up constantly with their licking and playing. Is that really necessary? Yeah, I suppose it is… 🙂

I’ll address it all chronologically.

Last Friday, I somehow overslept and missed my run with Jenny, but I had a good lifting session with Jake.

On Saturday morning, I swam 3100 with the masters group. I can’t remember the details of the big set, but I was – at the time – very impressed with myself for doing it and for doing it well!

Then I got packed to head to Galveston to do a half-Ironman, but my heart just wasn’t in going. I was tired from work, dreading the saltwater, and drained at the thought of driving there Saturday afternoon only to do a long race the next day and drive home late in the evening. It was feeling like too much on top of everything else. So I talked to Catherine about it since we were planning to go together. She’d been having a hectic time of things as well, so we decided to not to go. Instead, we stayed in Austin and did the half Ironman distances over the weekend. So Saturday afternoon, we rode what ended up being 58 miles. Then Sunday morning, we ran independently and then met up for the Capital 10K, which was a lot of fun. Then we went to Barton Springs and swam 1600 (a bit shy of the half Ironman swim) in our wetsuits. All in all, it ended up being a wonderful, restful weekend.

I took Monday off. Happy birthday, Aren!

Then today, I did some good training. I ran 3.5 miles with Jenny. Then I had a session with Jake. Then I swam 2750 with my group. It was a wonderful morning, though I have to admit that my legs were pretty tired for the swim. I wish I could do something like that every single day.

I’m feeling good about where I am. I know the single most important thing I can do between now and June 22 is spend as much time as possible on the bike. For that reason, I got a headlamp, and Marline got me a tail blinker – one that’s bigger than what I’ve currently got because she’s a concerned big sister. My plan is to start riding to my swim sessions, which would add about 20 miles a pop. I’m not sure how smart that is given the time of day and the possible traffic, but I’m going to try it out. I’m thinking it’ll be fine.