Today I’m going to bike and run and hike two mountains. I can do it all today.
Okay, how about a hard trail run after a tough week of weights and running – and call it getting back at it.
Am I a triathlete or ultrarunner or off-road triathlete?
I want to be all of the above. But I’m so tired. I’m not recovering well. I wake up tired. But I’m going to keep at it and get better. I know that I’m aging but I just have to do everything right so I can do all my races, or at least the ones left. I want to finish a 100 miler this year. I want to hike all the 4,000 footers again.
After taking the dogs to the river after my run I decided to take the afternoon off. And decide to attempt the 100,000 vertical challenge for June, July and August. As of today I’m at 8,138. I have a great plan to run, hike and bike 33,333 vertical feet for three months.
It sounds like the Ragged Mountain Stage Race is still on. There are less that 50 people registered so it just might happen; from what the race director stated in an email last week.
This week the plan is to spend a lot of time on the trails and get in some vertical training. I want to drive up to run/hike Ragged after work this week. I may also do a few loops at Kearsarge.
This past week was pretty good training-wise. While I didn’t get my running miles in I swam and biked a lot. I’m starting to feel more and more like a triathlete again.
Saturday was an early morning hike and then meeting Adam for lunch. We watched the BLM protest come into the downtown area and into the New Hampshire State House. We listened to the speakers and then we headed to the river for a swim. So, I kind of biked and swam.
Riding on the Londonderry Trail Trail
Sunday was a long ride through Manchester and Londonderry with Jeff. He wanted to show me the new paved trail in Londonderry: The Londonderry Rail Trail. It was awesome to say the least. We rode by Lake Massabesic and through neighborhoods in Manchester. It was a solid 30 miles on a new course. We will do that again!
Today: Today is work, training and finishing the 13th documentary on Netflix. I will learn, understand and do everything I can to support BLM – to help make the world a better place for all humans.
From 13th: “We have in this country people pleading guilty to crimes they didn’t commit just because the thought of going to jail for what the mandatory minimums are is so excruciating.” – Cory Booker
I have been training for the Ironman distance since 2008. I lived in Colorado while training for my first two Ironman races. Living at 8,000 feet while training really helped my race day at lower elevations. In 2016 I finished two Ironman races in a year: Arizona and Lake Placid; my last finish to date. I DNF’d my last two Ironman races in Florida and Mont Tremblant, coincidently while living back in New Hampshire.
I’m currently training for Mont Tremblant despite it being rescheduled to 2021.
Below is my ranking of my favorite Ironman races based on finishing time, fun with friends on race weekend and all around venue enjoyment.
#1 Lake Placid, New York, July 2016, age 45 Swim: 1:32, Bike 7:08, Run 5:30. Total: 14:24 Division Rank: 53
Post Race with Mark, Ironman Lake Placid
My all time favorite race day. My family and Mark’s family came to support us racing. It was hot and humid. It was my worst race time-wise despite coming from elevation in Colorado. Ironman Lake Placid was a tough day but a great race experience. I loved the town of Lake Placid and driving to the top of Whiteface the day before the race. Swimming in the lake was refreshing, I actually biked a little bit with Mark on the bike course but then never saw him again and the run was pure hell in the humidity. Ironman Lake Placid is a race weekend I will never forget. Best Support Team Ever.
#2 Ironman Arizona, Tempe, November 2010, age 39 Swim: 1:24, Bike 6:18, Run 4:46 Total: 12:42 – PR Division Rank 33
My best race ever. My PR. I was lean and ready to race. Coming from elevation, I could breath in Tempe and felt like a million bucks. Race day brought favorable conditions all day long. The swim was a mass start treading water in Tempe Town Lake. The bike was pretty flat with a few long hills and a bit of wind but not bad. The run was loops and loops and finishing in the dark. It was a good race day.
#3 Coeur d’Alene, Idaho 2009, age 38 Swim: 1:29, Bike 6:50, Run 5:00. Total: 13:34 Division Rank 58
My first Ironman. My parents flew out to Idaho to cheer me on. Perfect conditions and a great race day that I will always remember. It’s one of those races that you sign up for when you live in Colorado so you can drive to it; so many friends in Colorado do this race. It was a gorgeous drive through Wyoming and Montana; and a great place to race. I met my BFF Mark Nash on race morning and we’ve been racing together ever since.
#4 The Woodlands, Texas, May 2015, age 44 Swim: 1:40, Bike 6:42, Run 4:59. Total: 13:37 Division Rank: 31
Ironman Texas Finish Line
Training for Ironman Texas was the best training to date. I lived in Tucson and I put in the training time. I finished well despite the heat and humidity. Placing 31st in my division group was my best placement to date. Looking back I see the progress that is possible when you put in the time and train well without distractions.
#5 Ironman Arizona, Tempe, November 2016, age 45 Swim: 1:37, Bike 6:50, Run 4:58. Total: 13:41 Division Rank: 56
Mary and Kathy at the Finish
I was hoping for a PR but it was not to be had. I was living in Colorado, hoping the elevation training would help. This was a tougher race than I remembered. The wind on the bike was leg-deadening, and running in the dark was sucky. But I had great support from friends and that made it memorable. I raced with Mark who did much better than I did, as always. Thank you to the support team: Than, Kathy, Mary, Scott, Kassandra.
#6 Ironman Wisconsin, Madison, September 2013 age 42 Swim: 1:33, Bike 6:48, Run 5:128. Total: 13:50 Rank 63
Ironman Wisconsin Finish Line
The months leading up to Ironman Wisconsin turned out to be the worst training blocks ever. I lived in Tucson and didn’t have altitude training to help me on race day. Injuries and adopting Winnie three months before the race were contributing factors to a less than stellar performance. But I LOVED Madison; a great place to visit and a great race venue. Swimming in the Lake Monona was a treat. Mark and I were interviewed by a local news crew while we practice swam. I had a great time racing with Mark and trying to find him on the course (I never did). Another great support team: Than and Pat.
Florida and Mont Tremblant – I will finish your race before I die. Note: both were awesome vacation races despite the DNF. Florida especially was so fun swimming in the ocean and eating seafood everyday. Of course, both with Mark.
Let’s start with the temperature this morning: 35 degrees. The morning dog walk at 5 a.m. was COLD. My winter coat was put away. It was a brisk walk.
Today the YMCA opens and I have a reservation for a lane in the pool at 12:15. Yes! I actually like knowing I will have a lane to myself at a particular time. The weight room isn’t open yet but once it is I’ll be happy to reserve a time.
Also today, I start a triathlon training plan. I’m not exactly sure what I’m training for but I’ll be ready when a race is open. Ironman did announce the rules for their races, yesterday. It looks like Ironman Florida could be an option. Plus they fixed their website urls; they were all wonky. Stuff like that drives me crazy.
Also today, I will be eating at a restaurant. That will be interesting. It’s the new normal.
Races Canceled So far:
The White Mountain triathlon is canceled and race organizers are allowing registrants to race Lake Sunapee triathlon or defer to next year. It would be fun to swim in Lake Sunapee. However, September 19 is the 50 miler at Gunstock, bummer. So I’ll defer to next year.
August 7 is the Ragged Mountain Stage race. This isn’t canceled yet, but I’m half expecting it to be. I have two months left to train for it and I’ll be ready. It’s okay if it is postponed to next year.
So much is changing in the world. Here in New Hampshire, in my corner of the world, all seems calm and somewhat normal. I know it’s not, really. Everything that is going on in the big cities, the violence and looting can be stopped with action, writing letters and taking part in conversation. I will do my part. As Anne Lamott says, I’ll pick up trash.
Do you ever just know you’re going to love something and avoid it because you know that it may take over your life?
Well, this happens to me a lot because I love trying new things and having new experiences.
So, there is this happy place called Bear Brook. I’ve been hearing that the mountain biking is awesome. I’ve been avoiding going there for two years because I knew I would love it. It’s just easier and less time consuming to ride from my house to the Concord trails. It’s so much work packing up my bike and gear to drive to a trailhead.
But, the trails at Bear Brook are AWESOME and totally worth the effort to get there. I’m addicted and will be going as much as I can. Talk about FLOWY. I’m grown accustomed to so many rocks and roots and elevation gain in Concord. The loop around Bear Brook was fun and adventurous; and VERY mosquito-y tonight. I’m not usually one for so many caps in a blog post, but there you have it. What a great ride.
I’m ready for more trails and exploring outside of Concord for bike trails. Despite everything: I’m ready for Summer 2020.
Well. So. But. Life Is Good. You just need to get on the trails.
