It’s July 1st and I only just put my bike rack on my car. I competed in one devastating duathlon and deferred my half ironman to 2020. I have nothing but running races on my calendar (100 mile relay + half marathon) for the foreseeable future and it’s exactly what I need for my mind and body right now.

WEEK OF JUNE 24, 2019

RUNNING

So.much.running. I can see and feel my body changing from triathlete to runner with the added miles every week. I’m really enjoying letting my mind work through the difficult issues I’m tackling at grad school as the miles pass, and sharpening my mental toughness on the edges of the oval as I speed around the track, trying to mostly beat the blazing sun. I’m back to fully being a runner and I’ve missed it.

Sunday: tempo | 45:02 | 5.46 miles | 8:15 average pace

Monday: speedwork | 6 x (800 then 100m easy, 100m sprint, 2 min easy) | 1:12:41 | 8 miles | 9:05 average pace

Wednesday: 10 min warm up run before strength + swim | 1.35 miles

Thursday: long run | 10 miles | 1:30:39 | 9:02 average pace (almost died from the heat! I have a new heart rate threshold of 169 and it was recommended I rest for 3 days! HA!)

Friday: short run with some speed + bike |4.55 miles | 7:50 average pace

Total = 29.36 miles

Hot AF

CYCLING

It seems like every time I have a bike on my training schedule, its the one day of the week it rains. I don’t mind being on the trainer too much, because I get to catch up on movies or tv shows, but obviously I’d rather be outside. This past week I was able to do both.

Tuesday: easy ride | 1:22:23 | 22 miles

Friday: ride after run | 1:20:10 | 22.1 miles

Total = 44.1 miles

SWIMMING + STRENGTH

My one session of strength and swimming a week continues! Having a consistent strength training coach and plan makes a huge difference in building strength endurance for my runs and keeps my body strong and healthy. I truly believe in the power of the specified strength day, even if I hate it in the moment.

Here’s some screenshots of our hump day madness! This segment was 12 rounds, 15 seconds each: squat, moving split squat (lunge), stable split squat with 25 pound dumbbell. My glutes let me know how hard that was the next morning.

I’m smiling for the camera but this sucks!

Swimming has gotten more interesting now that its summer and there’s summer camp and swim lessons at the gym pool. I try to just do my workout and not think about the urine and feces I’m putting my face in.

Wednesday: 1 hour strength | 1900 yard swim

THINGS I LOVE

Going to not one, but two Dave Matthews shows in two days. I’m way too old for this but when the opportunities arose, I had to take them. Plus, I got to spend time with my cousins, which is never to be missed! And yes, napping was involved to make it to night two.

Party in the parking lot! And yes, one of my cousins has the “referee” shirt from Karate Kid. He also had the headband on later in the night. #sweeptheleg

Now I don’t have to see The Dave Matthews Band for the rest of my life. #sorrynotsorry

THINGS I DON’T LOVE AS MUCH

Idiots.

TWO YEARS ago I wrote a tongue-in-cheek blog post about why cyclists may be riding in the middle of the road. I cited things like debris on the side causing flats and potholes hurting my lady parts…you know, super serious stuff. Then, to my surprise and disgust, this happened:

Because of her use of the word “y’all” I assumed she was from the south and so she would get my “bless your heart” response, which is southern for “you’re a moron.” I also love that she writes “I’m 35. Back in my day…” I’m 44.

And then…

I was just so taken back since I don’t hardly ever get this kind of ignorance or hate on my blog. I decided to end it by not responding since I was just happy she actually does know how to spell and put a proper sentence together.

Obviously she didn’t read to the end of my post since I wrote “Be patient. Be kind. Be careful. And don’t be a douche.”

READING

I’m still reading a lot for school (and loving it) but I managed to listen to this gem during my commute in the past few weeks:

It’s a beautiful and at times heartbreaking story of neighbors, untreated mental health and the undeniable power of forgiveness. It spans the lifetime of two different, yet similar young couples, and follows them and their children though the years. It’s shocking, interesting and uplifting. If you need a break from the negativity and want to bask in the positivity of the human spirit, this is the book for you.

RANDOM PICTURE OF THE WEEK

The heat almost killed me during my 10 miler…

On the floor, under the fan, downing Gatorade.

Happy 4th of July week! Stay cool, stay positive and get back to your running roots!

How was you week?

Are you training for anything?

How do you handle trolls on social media?

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