Like most races, this one did not go as planned but, I showed up (alone!) and ran the hell out of it. I also felt like I was running though my week, once again, but this time I was not complaining! On your mark, get set…
WEEK OF FEBRUARY 22, 2016
RUNNING
Yes, it was a week leading up to a race but, it was as fun as a half-marathon can get. My coach actually titled this week in my training plan as a “rest” week. Funny, I didn’t feel rested…
Monday: Optional (pffff) recovery run after swim – 3.5 miles @7:40 pace
Tuesday: 5 miles with 3 @HMP (7:20)
Friday: 3 mile shake-out run
Saturday: 13.1 half-marathon race in the hills of Colchester, Connecticut
Total = 24.6 miles
It was actually great having a no-pressure race this past weekend since every time I think about the Columbia triathlon I get that nervous/sick stomach feeling. This past week was easy, for the most part, and only had one treadmill run for reasons I’m sure you can guess…
Can you see my reason sitting on the couch next to me?
CYCLING
I had a very interesting “Z2 Test” ride this week and then actually was able to get outside on my bike!
Outdoor ride in February when it about 50 degrees! Say what???
The indoor “test” ride earlier in the week was to keep my heart rate in Zone 2 (133) for 45 minutes without any distractions – no TV, no Homeland, no music, nada! CRS (coach rocket scientist) wanted me to visualize the race and hone in on my heart rate. It worked and it wasn’t nearly as boring as I thought it would be.
Wednesday: Z2 test, one-hour ride
Sunday: Endurance ride outside, 90 minutes
Total ride time = 2 hours and 30 minutes
SWIMMING
I had two of the hardest swims of my life last week. I was in the pool for almost an hour and a half each time which is about as long as it took to run the half marathon! They were definitely my longest swim to date, and I really needed to pull out my metal game to make it though the workouts..and (short) runs following them! Of course, the promise of the hot tub and hot coffee afterward was extremely helpful.
Monday: 3250 yards with speed work
Thursday: 3300 yards of everything under the sun including single arm drills
Total = 6550 yards or 3.7 miles
Don’t mind me while I just move into the pool area. Is my mail here yet?
RACING
Full report later this week! But perhaps you saw this on Instagram:
For the three minutes I took off my course PR baby!
FUEL
So you may have read about this new boost juice called BeetBoost! My buddy at EnduroPacks offered to send me some to try and, since I trust him, I agreed. I then started seeing it on elite blogs like that of Tina Muir and I knew I made a good choice.
Since I’m not a big fan of just adding water to powder and drinking it (boring!) I decided to try the protein bar recipe that Tina did, since I will basically do anything she does or says. Who knows? Maybe some of her speed will rub off on me?
First of all, the recipe has only five ingredients which, as you know, is about all I can handle. Second, they were actually VERY easy to make since I bought pitted dates this time and, best of all, they taste fantastic. For real. I have to limit myself to just one a day because they are like a reward after my long training hours.
Step one: Buy BeetBoost here
Step two: Make these bars from The Minimalist Baker and add the BeetBoost
Step three: Show your appreciation by sending me an extra batch.
Now, BeetBoost claims to give you more energy, better endurance, clearer thinking, faster recovery and on and on and on. Whether or not I believe or see these results is an entirely different matter. What I do know is the juice and bars are amazingly delicious and, since BeetBoost is non-GMO, gluten free, vegan, made with real ingredients, I’m 99% sure it will not give me cancer. #ThatIsEnoughForMe
GEAR
My Spool No.72 running tights arrived and they are fantastic! In case you missed my Instagram post, I declared them a “must have” and complete steal at $46 bucks. I hope they have some left so you can get a pair, and I say this without one single bribe from the company.
I wore them for quick run and, after that, decided to wear them in the half marathon! They are super soft, easy to put on and take off (this is a priority of mine since I’m usually changing from the pool or bike!), stay put, move with you, breathe well and wash and dry like running clothes are supposed to! Plus, I absolutely love the colors. #LeastImportantButTrue
THINGS I LOVE
Having my brother-in-law’s 41st birthday party at a bowling alley, in a VIP room, with more kids then adults. I cannot make this up.
Because small towns are serious about their bowling.
The room was very cool (and there were drinks to go with those Icee’s for those of us not driving!), we had table service, close bathrooms (because all the kids!) and it was the perfect spot for me to “recover” after my half marathon with a cheeseburger, sweet potato fries and, of course, birthday cupcakes!
THINGS I DON’T LOVE AS MUCH
Apple. Seriously. I know, here I go again with my love/hate relationship with the ruler of all technology, so feel free to skip to the “READING” section. But, before you do, you should know it’s not about the encryption thing or whether or not they should help the FBI hack into a terrorists phone. No, this is much more selfish then national security – – it’s about my Beats by Dre headphones.
Anyone still here?
Ok, so all of a sudden my very expensive wireless headphones stopped working. Just stopped. Fully charged and nothing. I’ve had them since October 2015 and this is the first time anything remotely like this happened. So…
- Call Apple because they now own Beats by Dre like everything else, although my husband suggested I call Dr. Dre directly…which I would have much preferred but I don’t have his number.
- The guy in support asks me to try and re-boot them, as this is the universal trick to making all technology work again.
- They refuse to reboot.
- He says they will send a box and I need to return them so they can “repair” them and send them back.
WTF? Seriously? I asked him if this happens a lot since he didn’t seem the least bit surprised or concerned and there was no other option except getting a new or refurbished pair. He commented, very drinking the Kool-Aid like, that yes, he has seen it.
The good news is that the shipping box appeared on my door the very next day! I suspect a drone put it there. So, I did as instructed and dropped it at my nearest FedEx location and eagerly await my fixed phones. Until then, I’m once again bound by wires like a punk.
READING
Every endurance athlete (that means you runners!) should read this book and, of course, read my blog post about it.
TELEVISION
It goes without saying that I watch things 10 years after everyone else but, as I watched Mad Men for the very first time (yeah yeah yeah I know), it was very hard to take all the sexism. I mean, really hard. Did anyone else experience this? I don’t know why but I was so sensitive to it since you’re beaten over the head with it every two seconds. If anyone else told the new girl to show her legs and “tighten up her waist” I was going to shut it off. The only tolerable character was the Jewish business owner who basically told them to f-off.
Don’t even get me started on the smoking! I think you can seriously get second-hand smoke just by watching.
Maybe it was just hard to bounce from Carrie on Homeland to that. I literally took a 60 year leap back in time. Ouch.
RANDOM QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“You’re not almost there but there is a finish line around the next corner!” – shouted by someone who gets it, from the sideline of the race on Saturday. If I could have talked I would have thanked him.
How was your week?
Do you make your own protein bars? I seriously cannot believe that I do!
What are your favorite shorts/tights to run in and why?
THIS IS MY FAVVVVVE POST on my monday.
I love your writing and I feel like Im there with out…or maybe that’s also because Im off to shop at SPOOL after I yammer a bit (LOVE THAT COLOR. LOVE THE SOFT.).
I just finished my current netflix love and everyone TELLS me Ill love Mad Men.
It doesnt seem like my thing at all—but now you have me thinking lll try it just out of curiousity.
Thank you so much for saying that! You have NO idea how happy it makes me…or maybe you do, whichever but keep it coming!! 🙂
The tights – get them!
Mad Men – horrible. I don’t think I can go back for more but curious to see what you think.
I’ve been debating about the Beet boost. But now that both you and Tina have liked it, I’ve got to. I’ll follow you two anywhere! I’m so excited to read about your half. Way to kill it! And that spectator? Love them!!!
I will tell you this – I put it in my pre-race smoothie and 3 minute PR – BAM! 🙂
I’m glad I’m not the only one. I feel like half the time, a race does not go as planned for me. It’s funny we are actually working on making some new recipes because we never used to do that. Now we are trying to save money because bars are so darn expensive.
I feel like they almost NEVER do. I’m not sure why I bother to still make a plan!
I hope you make the bars. So easy, so delicious.
I don’t know if I”m just cranky this morning or if it’s because I don’t like beets but no Beet Boost for me. I just don’t think there’s a magic bullet in any nutrient. But I’ll be curious to see what you think.
And boo to your Beats headphones!
See what I did there?
I agree, which is why I wrote that about all the claims, etc. I’m actually going to write an entire post on the “magic” of any one thing. And, obviously it does NOT taste like beets but more like the tart cherry which is also a key ingredient.
And yes – I see – very clever Wendy. Cranky but clever!
So somehow I lost my wireless headphones last week. I was sooo devastated. I didn’t even show my hubby how devastated I was because it seemed ridiculous. But I know you get it. Being bound to wires again…especially while lifting?! Torture.
I love those tights!! I have never tried mad men. The great thing is that it will always be there along with the 5773926 other amazing shows that I’ve never watched.
Looking forward to your half recap!
I feel you. A moment of silence for wires.
And, don’t bother with Mad Men. You now have 5773925 shows. You are welcome 🙂
Yes, Mad Men sexism is very difficult to take but I guess I enjoyed seeing it in the sense that it was both interesting and unbelievable to think that this is how things were. It gets somewhat better towards the end but it is truly incredible. Although I was most surprised throughout the series by how much they drank!!
That happened to my Beats too but I was able to reboot and it was no big deal. I hope they repair yours soon!!
Also, huge congrats on your race. 3 minutes is massive!
I seriously don’t think I can watch it. Between the sexism, smoking AND yes the drinking – OMG!!! I guess I just cannot believe how bad it was…and I mean ALL of it!
Glad you were about to just reboot yours. They already tried to deliver them on Friday but we weren’t home so hopefully I will have them back today!!
Thanks for the congrats. It was a nice surprise and huge confidence boost!
Congrats on your 3 minute course pr!! And after a not so easy week- that’s awesome. I have those protein bars on my list to try- they sound so good!
Thank you! It was a great surprise!!
The bars are truly delicious. I got the variety pack, have had three so far, and love each one.
Hm….interesting….I haven’t watched Mad Men…It is one of those shows that I want to watch, but then don’t want to go through all those seasons of it…. I think I’ll skip it based on your review….
Congrats again on your race….wasn’t the supposed to be the hardy hilly course? And you still got a PR by 3 minutes….amazing.
Totally skip it. It’s very tough to watch and personally, I don’t think it’s worth it. I want to enjoy my tv!
Thank you and YES it was crazy hilly which is why I keep it in a separate half marathon category. Normal half PR is 1:28, this one is now 1:35! LOL!!!
I hope you had an awesome Race!! 3 minutes off from course PR is AWESOME !! congratulations!
Ouch for the non working headphones! I hope they return quickly!
I have this pair of Adidas capris that I love! they are so light, that it almost feel like I’m not wearing anything! For some time my biggest problem was that they pinched my belly, but as of last month, that is no longer a problem!
Did you Finish Fates and Furies? I saw this new book somewhere else, I will have to add it to my list, thanks for the recommendation.
I love that about your Adidas capris!!
I did not finish Fates and Furies – still reading it. I don’t like reading a book like How Bad Do You Want all the time because I need a break from thinking about training and racing, which is when I pick up Fates and Furies 🙂
I’m so psyched to read your half recap!! You’re such a freaking rockstar!!! I am so over apple that I’m buying a PC next (yes, seriously). I’ve been through so many laptops and it can’t just be me. It’s built-in obsolescence and I loathe them for it. On a totally different topic, did you see ‘This is 40’? When Paul Rudd is telling his daughter ‘Lost’ is annoying and she comes back with, “At least I don’t watch Mad Men, it’s just a bunch of people smoking in an office!” I loved Mad Men even while the sexism and racism was so hard to watch. I think it’s in your face because it’s so recent – it’s nowhere near disappeared but at least it was a small reminder that there’s been some progress made in the last 50 years. <- just found out emojis work in blog comments, btw.
Thanks so much Carly!!!
A PC? Wow. That is serious. I’ve actually had zero issues with my laptop and, my husband has the Microsoft laptop thing and it’s HORRIBLE so just beware. He has 1,000 updates every single day and, one time, his keyboard just stopped working and it took half a day for them to figure out why…yet, he refuses to buy a Mac. I’ll be interested to see how yours works for you 🙂
I totally forgot about that scene in “This is 40!” So true – OMG!!! And thank you for letting me know about the emojis!
I’m so excited to read your recap! Congrats again on an awesome race. I just can’t stand Mad Men either. My husband and I tried to watch it back a few years ago and just couldn’t take it. Plus you feel drunk by the end of an episode, even if you haven’t had a drop of alcohol. It’s just so overrated and depressing.
I’m so relieved to hear this from so many people!! I thought it was supposed to be like the best show ever and I was severely disappointed. I don’t think I will be going back for more – there’s too many other great shows out there!
I never knew a Bowling alley with a VIP room; Decadent!
Another good reason to go ‘Sans earphones’, not to mention the visual embarrassment. It’s almost as bad as running with a BoomBox on your shoulder! I think you’d rather fly!
Apple support?, after a 1000 prompts?, WTF, over!!!!!!!!!!!!!
After you said 10 years later, I thought you were going to say ‘MadMax’ (the Epic original, of course). MadMen sounds very corny, even by 1960 standards! Sounds like the writers had a chronic viagra deficit; how gauche!
“You’re not almost there but there is a finish line around the next corner!” My kind of humor, this fan gets it! Sublime, I’m stealing that for the next race I volunteer at.
We all want a recap now! 3minute PR is epic:)
It was decadent for sure!
I got my beats back yesterday so I am good to go…
I would much rather watch Mad Max..Mad Men was very overrated, as it sounds like you know!
Best.fan.ever and you should definitely steal that line as it is so appreciated.
Recap coming tomorrow!!
Thanks Claude 🙂
I couldn’t get through the first episode of Mad Men. I had heard so many great things and I really wanted to like it but just couldn’t. I’m trying to figure out a way to watch Homeland since I don’t have cable….hmmmm. I love your rundown posts and getting a glimpse at all the hard work you put into your training. Congrats on your race!!! Can’t wait to hear more about it. And I do love those Spool No. 72 running tights. I think that I have to get myself a pari!
I’m so glad you’re saying that about Mad Men too – I thought I was missing something but I guess I’m totally getting it! You can watch Homeland on amazon if you’re a Prime customer – which I’m sure you are. I sometimes buy individual episodes when I’m not home so I can watch on my iPad. Obsess much?
I know you would LOVE those tights. Perfect for yoga AND running!!
Thanks Christine. It’s good to have you back…
I haven’t watched Mad Men either, but I can overlook the sexism for the eye candy that Jon Hamm provides 😉
Not when you hear what’s coming out of his mouth. It makes him look disgusting in every way. If you want to keep thinking of him as eye candy I strongly suggest you never, ever watch the show!! 🙂
Oh really?! Bummer!!