It’s been one hell of a week! Between upping my game on the training side and celebrating the boys’ birthday with family and friends all weekend – I’m DONE! Stick a fork in me.
I’m taking the easy way out on this post today and giving you JUST THE FACTS because I may otherwise fall asleep at my keyboard and that would be embarrassing.
WEEK OF APRIL 7, 2014
TRAINING SCHEDULE:
Monday: Rest day. Ahhhh. It’s so lovely to start the week off right!
Tuesday: 2 hours of spin for a total of 50.4 miles. Yowza!
Wednesday: Outdoor track day! 4x200s at 40 seconds and 4x400s at 1:24 LOVED every minute. Taught Power Sculpt later in the day too.
So this is what an outdoor track looks like!? Now what’s that fireball in the sky all about?
Thursday: Spin class: 26 miles and then 5 cycling hill repeats UP my mountain. That sucked. Big time. But I did it.
Friday: 10 glorious miles on the trail doing “fartlek” work, which basically means – go slow or fast as you choose. My slow was 8:30/mile and my fast was 6:12/mile. The sun was out and I was in a sports bra & shorts. Hello SPRING! I also said “Hello chaffing!” and have the scar on my chest (from my heart rate monitor) to prove it. Ouch!
Saturday: 5 mile run with 3 miles at 5K pace, right into a 25 mile bike ride. Have I told you how much I love my bike lately? I do! This ride also had me feeling every bit of my sore muscles from my training week. Luckily I was able to eat and drink my way through the remainder of the day. And sitting. There was a lot of sitting.
I also love this adorable (and comfortable) tri outfit I bought from Coeur through an offer with #sweatpink and #fitapproach. You should definitely check them out!
Sunday: Rest. And by rest, I mean throwing the boys birthday party for 15+ big people and 6 little people. I think I’ll take the 25 mile bike. It’s a lot quieter. Kidding!! I loved it.
BOTTOM LINE:
Cycling – 106 miles + Running – 22 miles + Cross-training – 1.5 hours = an amazing training week and one tired and hungry girl!
Today I will let loose on the trail again for a long run (10 miles at least!) and then meet CRS (coach rocket scientist) to do transition training, hill work and lots of other gnarly things I’m sure. Pray for me.
OTHER RANDOM THINGS OF NOTE:
Miles: The hits keep on coming with this kid. The latest from his adorable little mouth was “If you got struck by lightening, I could do whatever I wanted.” To which I replied “Good luck eating.” There’s a lot of love here.
TV: The hubs and I started watching True Detective on HBO with Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey. It.is.awesome.
fitbie.com: I’m shamelessly plugging two of my articles here. One because I think everyone wants to know the 7 Worst Ways to Get Bikini Ready and I kinda, sorta wrote an article with Deena Kastor. Ok, I really just got the beginner marathon tips I needed for the story from her, when she sent an email to an email to my editor. Did you follow that? Do you know who Deena Kastor even is? She’s a running goddess and I definitely have her in my running hero hall of fame. She’s the female record holder for the American marathon. ‘Nuff said.
Deena gettin’ it done!
Spain: I ordered my “kit” aka the Team USA uniform with my name on it. Yay baby! So excited and also terrified. Is there no better feeling?
Sadly, that’s about all I have the energy for. I’m not sure which is more challenging – throwing a kid’s birthday party or doing a brick workout that involves 5K race pace and 30 miles of biking. It’s a toss up!
How was your weekend?
Do you get crazy with your kid’s birthday parties? Did you have huge parties when you were a kid?
What’s one of the worst ways you can think of to get “bikini” ready?
I think I read it somewhere, but are you doing a race in Spain? Where are you headed? We have a home in the northwest and will be there for much of the summer. 🙂 Cheers!
PS–Great weekend! Enjoyed the long awaited spring weather.
How cool! Yes, I’m doing the World Championship Duathlon in Pontevedre, Spain Memorial Day weekend. It’s on the Northwest coast of Spain, north of Portugal. Are you anywhere near there??
Yes! We have a home in Galicia…in the Coruña province! What a small world. 🙂 We won’t be there until July though. Good luck with your Duathalon…I can’t wait to follow along.
Wow! That is really amazing. Too bad you won’t be there.
Thanks so much!!
I have a few months let to worry about Emma’s birthday in July and Lily isn’t until November, but Kevin and I are toying with taking Emma into NYC to the American Girl Store to buy her a doll of her choice and do dinner, too instead of a party with kids from pre-school that she won’t be going to Kindergarten with for the most part. So, we will see, but when we recently asked her, she seemed to want to do the American Girl Store more. That said I would still make a cake and such, but just celebrate with us and the grandparents at home. Again, a work in progress, as we get closer 🙂
See what I mean – you’re planning three months in advance! HA HA HA!! My niece LOVES the American Girl Store and went at Christmastime with her parents and my dad and stepmom. I think they spent three hours in the store alone. It’s crazy…and every girls dream come true 🙂 Good luck with that!!
Wow, that is one seriously intense training week! Way to rock it, mama! Can’t wait to see your racing kit for Spain. Pictures, please!! Will definitely check out your other articles, too. I totally followed the 6 degrees of Deena Kastor separation!!
Thank you Nicole! You complete me 🙂
Can I just love, love, love the first pic? Way to kill training this week. And Deena Kastor? Super star lady yesterday, huh?
Thanks so much Angela! I just hoisted that baby over my head and my husband was like “what are you doing?” I said – take a picture! I just killed that bike! 🙂
And here I am eating chocolate.
I hope you’re eating DOUBLE!
Bikini ready? Are you kidding me? My daughter is on a quest to get me bikini ready. I am so not ever wearing one again! Hahaha Yay to the racing kit!!
Tankini? That’s funny about your daughter 🙂 Whatever you wear, I’m sure you’re the queen of your pool Michelle!
Oh my gosh! I have that same issue with my heart rate monitor! I put a soft band aid over it to prevent it from creating a scar!
I went to a friend’s birthday party for their 3 year old this weekend and it was pretty insane. They had this ride on train and I thought the kids were going to kill each other. One kid almost ran over the leg of this little girl, who could not have been more than 1. The weird part was his mother immediately jumped in saying “You didn’t understand!” Um, he didn’t understand at 3 that running over someone with a train deserves an apology??
Wow – that sounds intense! It must be funny for you (without having kids) to observe the insanity of parenting. Especially at a birthday party!
That HRM is killing me. I can’t even wear it anymore because I seriously have like a hole in my chest. Showering is not fun 🙁
Woohoo! That IS an awesome week. I really miss the track- there’s something so satisfying about really pushing yourself, love it! Happy birthday to your boys, too. And way to go mama- kid parties are no joke. 🙂
Thanks Laura! You’ll be attacking that track in no time…and kid parties as well, of course.
Love True Detective. We will have to debrief when you’re done!
Oh so glad you’re a fan! I’ve only seen two episodes so far but I’m WAY hooked. Definite debriefing needed when finished. Preferably over wine.
That was an incredible week of training for sure! Glad your boys had a nice birthday! We never had big parties when I was growing up. My parents hated having people over so my birthdays were just with them and my siblings.
I can totally see why your parents wanted it that way! It’s a TON of work. I was actually thinking that, in years passed, when their birthday was on a Tuesday or something I would take them both to lunch or to the toy store and it was just a nice, quiet day. No more!!
I’m not gonna lie – as much as I love celebrating my kids birthdays, I’m always happy when they are over because it is a LOT of work!!! When they were little we did lots of parties and then I wised up and tried to convince them that they would rather have a weekend at Great Wolf Lodge or something like that instead – much easier!!!
Your articles are awesome – love the one about getting bikini ready. My thought is it’s easier to stay “bikini ready” than to do any of those crazy things!!
You’re so right about just STAYING bikini ready. So.much.easier. Way easier then say, planning and having a kids party 🙂 I’m with you on the vacation birthday thing. Great idea!
This is weird–I do not get stressed about my own kid’s birthday parties as much as I stress about going to birthday parties of his friends. Isn’t that crazy? We’re a pretty simple not-a-lot-of-gifts healthy eating family, and I get really anxious that other families are going to recognize that The Thompsons are a little crazy. I’m never sure what to buy other kids, etc. I know, I know. I’m totally off my rocker.
No you’re not…I think that is perfectly normal and I worry a little about my kids being so rowdy!! Luckily for me, all the moms that the boys go to school with are very laid back and I just ask what their kids are into or what they may want. Usually the response is “Whatever your boys like, I’m sure mine will too.” Whew.
As you already know, I don’t do HUGE parties for the boys. It usually includes 10 of his friends, cake, food and games. We keep it pretty simple around here!! I love your selfie!! Its been a minute since I been on a real track!! You week of training was super intense but I don’t expect anything less! I’ve heard nothing but good things about True Detective!
We still have the “kids” party to do but that will be at a bowling alley with someone else doing all the work. I’m looking forward to that party 🙂 True Detective is so, so good!!
Thanks Nellie!
We do a fairly big party for both kids in the summer, right in between both of their birthdays. In fact, Scarlet told me to invite you and the boys, so you are invited in late June/early July!
Wanna hear love? Scarlet told me she wanted space from me for ten days. I asked her if it could be 20.
OMG I’m laughing!!! First off, YES we would love to come to Scarlet and Des’ birthday party. Second – it’s so much funnier when someone else’s kid is a smart a** 🙂 Glad to know it’s not just mine!
I’m exhausted just reading this! And I’m totally jealous of all those muscles! How do you get them? JUST KIDDING! And my daughter (one of the twins) once said, “I can’t wait for you to die so I can get a dog.” I replied, “I don’t have to die, you could just move out.” To her credit she was only 4-5 at the time. I was still a little insulted.
And I forgot…True Detective…loved it. And was totally creeped out by it, too. I found McConaughey fascinating in that role.
I’m not the biggest McConaughey fan but, in this? He’s compelling and fascinating and super creepy!! He’s really so talented. I can’t wait to see how this one turns out…
That is TOO funny!!! I mean, NOW it’s funny. At the time I’m sure it was less so.
I think we just found the next book – all the nasty things kids say…because they’re pretty funny and imaginative in hindsight 🙂 Thanks Stephanie!
OMG Miles! you have your hands full. I love rest days on Monday but right now almost every day is a rest day for me which is totally aggravating! I love that you practice transitions! John is a HUGE proponent of transitions and I am the crazy spectator on course yelling at the people entering transition ‘YOU’RE STILL RACING!” “HUSTLE UP!” LOL.
Hang in there with your rest days. Soon enough you will probably be wishing them back when you’re sweating it out on a long run!
Of course John is huge on transitions – they are so very important when every second counts. 🙂 I love that you’re yelling at people too – nice work!
STOP IT that you got tips from Deena Kastor!! That is so exciting!! Also, True Detective just gets better and better. It was a great show. Apparently every season it’s going to be two new detectives in a new place with a different case, which I think is a great idea. (Although what a cast for this one!)
I did not know that about True Detectives!? That is a very cool idea. I can’t wait to see who is up next. Of course, I need to get though this one first…
Well, it was an email of an email from Deena but hey – I’ll take it!
When I was little I remember one year for my birthday my mom bought 122 Beanie Babies and hid them ALL AROUND THE HOUSE (outside) and made my friends and I search for them!!! And obviously, any ones that we found, we got to keep! It was pretty AMAZING – however, when you’re little you get really UPSET when you don’t get the things you want, so there was definitely some fighting too! LOL!!!!!
122? Your mom is a saint. I hope you tell her your love her multiple times per day 🙂
You better believe that I DO!!!! She’s my rock!
Good girl!
I would definitely take the tough workout over the throwing a kids’ birthday party. I’m glad I’m done with that!
Spoken like a mom who’s been there! HA HA HA – love it.