Two weeks to the Big Day

Today is an 18 mile run. I was supposed to do it yesterday but Monday was a big day at the mountain. And I got to ski for a bit since I hadn’t skied in weeks. Conditions were amazing and I got 8 runs in. It is always great to get out there and talk to people on the lifts. I always say I have the best job in the world and yesterday proves it, to me at least. 

Tiger Steeps, my favorite trail

But today and a big run. 

It is the first big run since getting sick and I have two weeks until the 50 miler. I looked back at my  training for my first 50 in 2019 and I had two 30 mile training runs before that race. I think that will be telling for my results this year. So many things are different so it’s tough to do a true comparison but I just want to get to Arizona, hang out with friends, and run on the Navajo land to experience the magic. 

Then once I get back it’s all about building more mileage, getting strong, skiing a bunch, winter hiking and being the mountain girl that I am.

Training Update, Race Plan in Place

I leave for Tucson in just four days. I’m pretty excited for the desert but there is so much going on here that it’s also hard to leave. Someone asked me why I would fly across the country for a long weekend to race. My only answer: it’s what I do. I love to travel but at the same time I hate kenneling my dogs. I love seeing new places and going where I’ve never been, but I hate the air travel part. 

Contradictions

As far as the race, like most things, I just don’t know how it’s going to go. I’ve been on the course and I have a very specific race plan (Thanks Coach) including how much food and water to eat and drink between aid station. I know what I’m going to wear and I feel fit. My plan while running is to think about the Presidential Traverse and how I got to the end despite the pain. I’m going to think about Leadville and how this race is a mental training test. I’ve done everything my coach said, except for one training run after my booster shot. I’m ready.

All I can do now is finish my 12 miles today, 8 miles tomorrow, and the rest of the plan leading up to Saturday. I can’t wait.

Ironman and seeing the Southeast

Some things just don’t work out no matter how much we would like them to. Case in point, Saturday November 6 and Ironman. However, I have the distinct good fortune of being able to turn it around and learn from it and move on to the next thing. You see, I’m in it for the long haul and one setback, or in the case of Ironman in 2021, two setbacks, isn’t going to get me down.

In transition, before the swim, Ironman Florida

Saturday wasn’t my day in the water. The current took me off course and readjustments and waves made me swim 3 miles instead of 2.4. My swim speed wasn’t good enough to finish by the swim cutoff. I’ve never not made a cutoff in Ironman. My swim segments were always good. I’ve always felt good in the water and Saturday I still felt good. I can battle waves and jellyfish bites and current, I’ve just never been fast. With buoys moving and everything else, I just couldn’t cut it. It’s just such a bummer. 

I ended up cheering on Mark all day and he did great and finished. He did amazing. 

Mark at the finish

On the Friday before the race as we were hanging out in our beachside condo, Mark suggested coming back to Houston with him and joining him on this (boring) road trip on I-10. I totally read this as let’s stop in all the cool places along the Gulf on the way home. I looked at a map and we could go to: Mobile, Biloxi, Baton Rouge and New Orleans. I’m in. I immediately changed my flights from flying out of Panama City Beach to flying direct from Houston. 

I love going where I’ve never been and the southeast was completely interesting. We drove through a bit of Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and southeast Texas. I’ve been to Jackson, Mississippi but all the other places were new to me. As we were driving Mark asked me how many states I’ve been to and I had not thought about it a long time. I am working on my marathons-in-every-state goal but didn’t know how many states I was missing from just seeing. I initially thought I had three left: Oklahoma, Arkansas and North Dakota. Later I realized I haven’t been to Michigan. So I have 4 states left. 

Biloxi
Bourbon St. New Orleans

I love traveling and seeing new places and that is what Ironman Florida was for me. I thought I wanted to stay extra days and sit on the beach and swim in the ocean, but I like to keep moving. Being able to pivot, roll with it, move on is my super power. 

What’s next: Tucson in December for my 55K race. I ran 20 hilly miles yesterday and gearing up for big miles. I can’t wait to see my friend Kassandra and the desert. Life is good – it’s just all perspective.

Training Update, 4 weeks to IMCDA

While this past week was only 6.5 training hours (let’s just call it an unplanned recovery week) I’m ready to gear up for a big training week. The goal: 20 hours. I’m not following the training plan exactly since my work schedule changed but I’m cranky and irritable and fatigued so I know I’m doing something right. 

Saturday is the 15 mile Chocorua race and then Sunday will be a big bike mile day – hoping for 80+.

Somehow I need to fit mountain biking in too. I didn’t mountain bike at all last week. 

Despite the cold temps the last few days, summer is right around the corning. Here is the updated race calendar for the summer.

This is how yesterday felt when I went swimming at my new gym. The entire pool to myself for 3,336 yards.

Trilife update, 48 in my 49th year

Since I signed up for Ironman Coeur d’Alene that takes place in June 2021, the White Mountain Triathlon, which I deferred to 2021 is on the same weekend. I decided to sign up for an alternate race and use my credits from the White Mountain Triathlon – so I’m racing The Sunapee olympic distance triathlon on Saturday. 

When I signed up for Sunapee I knew that I would have to swim consistently for the weeks leading up to the race; and I have been. I feel like my swim fitness is enough now for Saturday. Swim fitness seems to come back pretty quickly unlike running and biking. 

This will be my first race of 2020 and I’m pretty psyched for it. With all the precautions I know it will be unlike any triathlon before but I don’t care. I’ll do what they say and get this race done. It will be race #1 for my new Cervelo tribike!

While I’ve been trying to swim, bike and run as much as I can I’m also making a push to finish all the 4,000 footers in one year. I have eight weeks to finish 21 more peaks. 

Some of the harder ones are left: Carters, Wildcat, Kinsman. Isolation. I will have my work cut out for me getting these done. But since I have completed no goals for 2020 this one just may be in reach.

On Sunday Peter, Pete and I hike Waumbek. It was a perfect fall day to hike it. WInnie and Goldie hiked too. This was Goldie’s 2nd 4,000 footer and Winnie’s 8th, plus it’s the second time Winnie has hiked Waumbek. There were no other dogs on the trail. I later read a race report that so many people were on the trails the day before, for the Flags on all the Peaks on 9/11, which was why maybe there were so few people on Sunday.

The trail is in great shape however no water at the water source. As we climbed it got colder and colder with a wind. I was sweating bullets, as per usual yet so cold, too. While Waumbek is touted as an “easy” hike, the climb is constant; just no rocks or granite slabs to contend with.

Pete told us about the blow down just past Waumbek’s peak so we had views of the entire Presidential Range. Waumbek itself has no views but we hiked a few feet past the cairn to sit down and gaze at the amazing views of the entire Presidential range. While the air was cold, the sun was warm so we took a break before heading back down. It was a good day to be above 4,000 feet.