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…

RACE WEEK

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?

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 56 degrees! Say what???

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

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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 of my course PR baby!

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?

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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.

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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.

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…

  1. 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.
  2. The guy in support asks me to try and re-boot them, as this is the universal trick to making all technology work again.
  3. They refuse to reboot.
  4. 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.

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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?

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