I have been try to find my blogging groove again and I just haven't been able to get over the hump yet. I'm hoping a post of some complete randomness will help me & entertain you :)
I thought October was a busy month until I got to November...this week alone has way more packed into it than any month during the Summer it seems! I went to yoga last night (side note: I'm pretty convinced that the mirrors in the yoga room are 'skinny' mirrors - I look much different in there than I do at home!), we're going to the NCSU vs. Indiana basketball game tonight, Friday I'm off for some shopping and fun with a cousin who's in town, Saturday is a baby shower brunch then dinner at my favorite restaurant w/ my best friend & her fiance!
I've got the moving bug baaaaad. I'm so ready to have a stand alone house (as opposed to a town house) and a fence for my four-legged baby. It's time to spread out rather than live vertically. I'm also ready to completely revamp the decorating and have more natural lighting in my home.
I have been obsessed with blueberry coffee and cinnamon oatmeal lately. My 15 year old self doesn't even know who my 28 year old self is!!! This morning, I added raspberries and gingersnap granola to the cinnamon oatmeal and I'm in love.
Jonathan heard on the radio this morning that Red Hot Chili Peppers are coming to concert in January and tickets go on sale this Saturday!! So excited!!
I'm still undecided on my 70.3 race for next year. I am leaning towards the Florida Half Ironman on May 20th, but registration has been mysteriously moved back from Nov. 23 to an unknown date. I keep checking everyday so I'm ready when it opens!
Speaking of races, this blog post made me so happy - I hope you enjoy the story, pictures and video as much as I did! {IM AZ: Finish Line at Midnight}
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
The Next Adventure
While we are still waiting on Jonathan's B2B race report (::cough cough::), I figured I'd follow up on my comment in the first post about the new racing adventures for us. There is obviously a lot of planning that goes into figuring out one's next racing season, so it has to be done early, especially as many races fill up quickly. Ironman Florida, for example, sold out in a record 13 minutes this year and that's a year out! Triathlon has clearly taken off.
My 2012 season is looking much different from year's past. I have previously stuck to sprint triathlons and half-marathons. I am so excited that I will be combining the two (and multiplying it by a large number) and doing a 70.3 race in 2012! I have a race in mind, so I'd better decide quick as registration opens on the 23rd.
It will be mentally and physically demanding - both the training and the race - but I feel ready to take on the challenge. I am motivated and eager to see how I can do. Looks like I'll be spending lots of quality time on my bike this winter!
My 2012 season is looking much different from year's past. I have previously stuck to sprint triathlons and half-marathons. I am so excited that I will be combining the two (and multiplying it by a large number) and doing a 70.3 race in 2012! I have a race in mind, so I'd better decide quick as registration opens on the 23rd.
It will be mentally and physically demanding - both the training and the race - but I feel ready to take on the challenge. I am motivated and eager to see how I can do. Looks like I'll be spending lots of quality time on my bike this winter!
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
My Hubby, The Ironman
While we're waiting for Jonathan's Beach2Battleship race report, I thought I'd talk about watching a full iron distance race from the spectator's point of view. It is one of the most amazing, inspiring, motivating, and exhilarating thing to watch. These people have trained for the better part of a year to get to where they are for the race and watching it all come together is simply beautiful.
Jonathan and I started the day at 4am. He had already check his bike, his T2 bag, bike special needs, and run special needs (special needs bags = bags you get at the halfway point of that particular activity) the day before. After breakfast, we drove about a mile to transition for him to check his T1 bag, check his bike (tire pressure, uncover the seat, aero bars, etc.), and get body marked. Then it was back to the house to get the wet suit on and head down to the swim start! Our parents met us down at the swim start, where I had my bike so that I could see him for both the swim start and T1. Once the sun rose enough, they let everyone on the beach to get ready for the start. There was music, the emcee was getting everyone pumped up, then counted down to the start! The mass start was awesome. I almost got a little emotional because this was the start of everything these months of training have been about!
The swim was mega fast and I am glad to have had my bike to take me from start to T1! I took a few pictures and wished him luck for the long bike ride ahead. Knowing he'd be on the bike for a few hours, I went back to the house for breakfast with the families and to get ready for the day. We left the house around 11:30 to stake out our spot downtown so that we could see him three times on the run. The bike took place in four counties, so unfortunately, we couldn't see him on that. We grabbed a quick lunch nearby and then waited to see our boy!
I really enjoyed cheering for all of the other athletes while we were waiting. And it was awesome because you could tell how much they appreciated it. I know what it looks like to need a little external motivation, so I was happy to be there to cheer them on as they dug deep to race this race.
The athlete tracking for this race wasn't as detailed as I was hoping for, so it was basically a waiting game of looking down the street to see if Jonathan was coming our way. Luckily I knew what he would most likely be wearing, so I spotted him pretty quickly once he was coming my way. (Side note: I'd venture to say that 80% of triathletes wear some combination of red, black, and white, so if you want to stick out for your spectators, wear neons!) I snapped a few pictures and ran with him for a bit around the 2 mile mark. We had about 9 miles worth of time before we'd see him again, so we went to a coffee shop for a break. We saw him again at around mile 11 and again around mile 15 before we headed over to the Battleship to watch the finish. He really looked good when I ran with him at the 15 mile mark - better than he had looked at mile 2 and 11, actually! I wish we could have stayed to see him at the 24 mile mark, but it was too big of a risk to do that and potentially not make it to the finish in time.
We found a great spot at the finish line and it is amazing watching athletes of all ages, shapes, sizes, and locations finish the Iron distance. If you're on the fence about completing one, it'll be just the push you need in order to commit, I promise you that.
After 14 hours and 21 minutes of racing, I saw my 6 foot 7 Ironman coming down the finish shoot! He did so awesome and I am forever proud of him for doing that race.
Jonathan and I started the day at 4am. He had already check his bike, his T2 bag, bike special needs, and run special needs (special needs bags = bags you get at the halfway point of that particular activity) the day before. After breakfast, we drove about a mile to transition for him to check his T1 bag, check his bike (tire pressure, uncover the seat, aero bars, etc.), and get body marked. Then it was back to the house to get the wet suit on and head down to the swim start! Our parents met us down at the swim start, where I had my bike so that I could see him for both the swim start and T1. Once the sun rose enough, they let everyone on the beach to get ready for the start. There was music, the emcee was getting everyone pumped up, then counted down to the start! The mass start was awesome. I almost got a little emotional because this was the start of everything these months of training have been about!
The swim was mega fast and I am glad to have had my bike to take me from start to T1! I took a few pictures and wished him luck for the long bike ride ahead. Knowing he'd be on the bike for a few hours, I went back to the house for breakfast with the families and to get ready for the day. We left the house around 11:30 to stake out our spot downtown so that we could see him three times on the run. The bike took place in four counties, so unfortunately, we couldn't see him on that. We grabbed a quick lunch nearby and then waited to see our boy!
I really enjoyed cheering for all of the other athletes while we were waiting. And it was awesome because you could tell how much they appreciated it. I know what it looks like to need a little external motivation, so I was happy to be there to cheer them on as they dug deep to race this race.
The athlete tracking for this race wasn't as detailed as I was hoping for, so it was basically a waiting game of looking down the street to see if Jonathan was coming our way. Luckily I knew what he would most likely be wearing, so I spotted him pretty quickly once he was coming my way. (Side note: I'd venture to say that 80% of triathletes wear some combination of red, black, and white, so if you want to stick out for your spectators, wear neons!) I snapped a few pictures and ran with him for a bit around the 2 mile mark. We had about 9 miles worth of time before we'd see him again, so we went to a coffee shop for a break. We saw him again at around mile 11 and again around mile 15 before we headed over to the Battleship to watch the finish. He really looked good when I ran with him at the 15 mile mark - better than he had looked at mile 2 and 11, actually! I wish we could have stayed to see him at the 24 mile mark, but it was too big of a risk to do that and potentially not make it to the finish in time.
After 14 hours and 21 minutes of racing, I saw my 6 foot 7 Ironman coming down the finish shoot! He did so awesome and I am forever proud of him for doing that race.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Back in Action!
I've finally done it! I'm transitioning from my old blog to this family blog & I couldn't be more excited! The old blog had slowly changed into more of a lifestyle and racing blog, so I wanted to create this new one for the new family racing adventures (more on that later).
Since I last posted, I turned 28, ran my 6th half-marathon, and watched my husband complete his first full Ironman. It was certainly an exciting October.
Birthday weekend consisted of a family get together, watching the Kona Ironman World Championships online, a couple's massage, a little shopping, and dinner at my favorite restaurant! Sadly I have been terrible about documenting stuff other than races lately, so no pictures! I'll do better next time :)
My 6th half-marathon was an emotional race as I had been having ankle problems again. These issues have been on-going for 2 years so it is infinitely frustrating. For those interested, we believe it's a posterior tibial tendon issue. I got a cortisone shot in my left ankle the Thursday before a Sunday race...for whatever good it did.
My long-standing goal for this race was to break two hours; however, with the worsening ankle problems I just wanted to finish without further injury. It was a fun race geared toward women and I got to run it with a good friend who was in town for the weekend. I felt great and had no pain until about the 8.5 mile mark. I was taped up on both ankles, and I'm wondering if that was the cause of some of my knee pain on the downhills of the race. And let me tell you, there were plenty of downhills, especially after the 8.5 mile mark. Regardless, we made it to the finish in under 2:30 - not a PR, but I had to take the finish as a victory. The weather was nice and my husband, best friend, and parents were waiting for me at the finish line. I got a little teary from the disappointment of not reaching my original goal, but I am so glad I did it and figured out my nutrition - nuun tabs & a honey stinger waffle!
Next up: I'm married to an Ironman!
Since I last posted, I turned 28, ran my 6th half-marathon, and watched my husband complete his first full Ironman. It was certainly an exciting October.
Birthday weekend consisted of a family get together, watching the Kona Ironman World Championships online, a couple's massage, a little shopping, and dinner at my favorite restaurant! Sadly I have been terrible about documenting stuff other than races lately, so no pictures! I'll do better next time :)
My 6th half-marathon was an emotional race as I had been having ankle problems again. These issues have been on-going for 2 years so it is infinitely frustrating. For those interested, we believe it's a posterior tibial tendon issue. I got a cortisone shot in my left ankle the Thursday before a Sunday race...for whatever good it did.
My long-standing goal for this race was to break two hours; however, with the worsening ankle problems I just wanted to finish without further injury. It was a fun race geared toward women and I got to run it with a good friend who was in town for the weekend. I felt great and had no pain until about the 8.5 mile mark. I was taped up on both ankles, and I'm wondering if that was the cause of some of my knee pain on the downhills of the race. And let me tell you, there were plenty of downhills, especially after the 8.5 mile mark. Regardless, we made it to the finish in under 2:30 - not a PR, but I had to take the finish as a victory. The weather was nice and my husband, best friend, and parents were waiting for me at the finish line. I got a little teary from the disappointment of not reaching my original goal, but I am so glad I did it and figured out my nutrition - nuun tabs & a honey stinger waffle!
Next up: I'm married to an Ironman!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)