I decided to take a little break from the tour of Italy on Mondays and have returned to regularly scheduled programming. I’m waiting to get all my money back from the Sorrento hotel before I start calling out their bullshit and, I also intend to do full recaps on the Island of Capri and Pompeii so stay tuned.

Today, I’m getting back to the grind as I sweat and curse my way through seven more weeks of training on my road to triathlon nationals!

SKY IS THE LIMIT!

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WEEK OF JUNE 20, 2016

RUNNING

What can I say? Running is great, the sunny days have been amazing and, when I GET to run, I love it. Unfortunately for me, I will be focusing very little of my training on this since it’s my strongest discipline by far. WAH!

Coming home from another bike/run with nothing but smiles!

Coming home from another bike/run with nothing but smiles!

Since I raced last Saturday, this past week was a rest week for me and I needed every single day of it!

Monday: 30 minute walk (I called my coach to ask if this was a joke. It was not. I walked.)

Wednesday: 45 min run with a friend on the trails! 6.14 miles/8:02 pace

Friday: 8 miles nice and easy before OWS (open water swim) with coach

Saturday: 30 min run off the bike

Total = 22 miles

CYCLING

My cycling has come a long way but, I can still improve a lot on the bike. I have also been loving my time out on the roads, either with a friend or solo. The weather has been picture perfect for weeks and, it’s a lot less hot when you’re generating so much wind!

Getting my miles in and practicing the art of the riding selfie.

Getting my miles in and practicing the art of the riding selfie.

Tuesday: 1 hour ride/16 miles

Thursday: 1 hour 30 minute ride/base building/26 miles

Saturday: 1 hour easy with some accelerations before run/16 miles

Total = 58 miles

SWIMMING

This is where I suck. I really thought I was a faster swimmer but the open water is cruel and humbling. After a long talk with my coach we decided that I need to focus the majority of my time here and swim five days a week. Yep. Five.

I’m happy to report that I did two successful open water swims this past week and I’m getting really comfy out there. I also bought a swim buoy (more on that below) so I don’t drown or get run over by a boat. Good idea, right?

Getting ready to swim the lake with CRS. She was on a paddle board. How nice for her.

Getting ready to swim the lake with CRS. She was on a paddle board. How nice for her.

FUEL

The weekends continue to provide ample opportunity for celebrations and travel. I toasted my husband with this baby at our Father’s Day brunch, about 20 minutes prior to spilling my breakfast all over my brand new dress. Coincidence? Luckily we were at an outdoor shopping center so I was able to buy another one! #DressEmergency

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Then spent this past weekend in Saratoga, NY at the Jazz Fest which is basically a food fest…

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GEAR

Since I realized I will not always have company or the watchful eye of a lifeguard while out swimming the lake, I took to Amazon and had this delivered by boat:

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You basically strap it around your waist and it floats out behind you so boaters, kayakers and other swimmers can see you. It also doubles as a flotation device so, say you have a panic attack in the middle of the lake, you can hang on for dear life until you either calm down or get rescued. The one I got also has a place to carry your stuff (snacks, car keys, etc.) but I don’t trust it with my phone.

THINGS I LOVE

SUMMER!

The boys and I have been enjoying weeks of pool time, SUP-ing, relaxation on the back deck and ice cream!

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Ever see an SUP in an SUV? I love this thing!

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THINGS I DON’T LOVE AS MUCH

Being yelled at by another mom at McDonald’s. Yes, this really happened and it was ridculous.

Before making the 2+ hour drive to NY alone with the boys I bribed them with McDonald’s for lunch. Big mistake. Huge. Naturally we went though the drive-thru and due to incompetence, a shortage of disgusting food or a combination of both, it took a full 10 minutes for me to get to the first window to pay. You can imagine how myself and everyone else in line, with at least two hungry kids in the car, was feeling.

There was, of course, a mini van in front of me with at least three kids and a mom in it. My window was open so when she pulled up ahead of me to the food window, I heard the employee ask her to please pull forward and wait (longer!) for the rest of her order. I’m sure she was thrilled.

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So, she pulled up but only about 10 feet. And, on the right side of our cars was a concrete curb so, after I received my order I didn’t think I had room to pull around her plus, there were two empty parking spaces directly in front of her.

I tapped on my horn (yes, I really did just tap) and that is when things went nutty. She got out of her car and, the following exchange happened:

Her: (yelling) “What? I’m waiting for the rest of my food!”

Me: I know but can you move up so I can get around you?

Her: No, I can’t! Learn how to drive your giant SUV!

Say what? I actually just starting laughing because I seriously could not believe she was being that bitchy and crazy. I realize how moms can loose it in a car full of kids but I’m also a mom you asshole. We are supposed to be in this together!

After I stopped laughing, and she got back in her car, I narrowly drove around her so of course she was motioning inside her car like “See, you did it and I didn’t have to move,” to which I yelled out my window:

“Have a nice day!” (with two thumbs, and not fingers, up) and also complimented her on her parenting skills and what a great example she was giving her kids.

I wanted to say and do so much more. It may have possibly been the most restraint I have ever shown.

The best part was after all this drama, and when I was driving away, Vaughn said “Wow, she was really nice.”

He has not yet grasped the beauty of sarcasm. Bless his heart.

TELEVISION

I almost lost my mind when I realized Orange is the New Black season four was being released in its entirety! Sadly, I have only seen three episodes so far but they have been as good as I anticipated. Cannot wait to see what happens next!

This is how a bike workout happens when solo parenting. I'm watching OITNB on my iPad mini and the boys are happy with Minecraft. BOOM!

This is how a bike workout happens when solo parenting. I’m watching OITNB on my iPad mini and the boys are happy with Minecraft. BOOM!

 

READING

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

I didn’t even know this book existed until it was chosen for book club. I was a little skeptical (because that’s who I am) but I absolutely loved it! Did you have any clue that flowers have meaning? I mean besides giving someone red roses as opposed to dandelions. I’m talking about defined meanings, given in the Victorian era in order to send the receiver just the right message. Here is a snippet:

The Victorian language of flowers was used to convey romantic expressions: honeysuckle for devotion, asters for patience, and red roses for love. But for Victoria Jones, it’s been more useful in communicating mistrust and solitude. After a childhood spent in the foster-care system, she is unable to get close to anybody, and her only connection to the world is through flowers and their meanings. 

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There is so much more to the story which is incredibly written. It was one of those books I was reading in the car when I had 5 or 6 minutes to “spare.” Read it, start buying flowers like an insider, and see if the receiver gets the message.

RANDOM QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Walking into a sushi restaurant to pick up take-out last week…

Miles: “Oh mom! It looks just like Kung Fu Panda in here!”

I had no response.

 

[Tweet “The Rundown retruns to #training updates, 7 weeks out from @usat #nationals!”]

How was your week?

How are you spending your summer so far? 

How would you have responded the woman in the drive-thru?

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