Goals or Lack of...

I have been struggling with writing a post for a while because I decided to do my A race (that looked more like a C race) so early in the year.  I initially was motivated by the fact that my fitness is better than it usually is mid-summer and I am still debating another half-ironman this year but since a couple races I would like to do don't workout date-wise...I have just been in limbo...I have no plan, I have been winging it, which in one respect is nice, almost calming.  I haven't rode or ran with my Garmin at all.  The real reason is I need to erase the data and I am too damn lazy to do it.  On the contrary, I don't do well without plans, I need something to keep the ADD (by the way this is not a medical diagnosis just my own) in check, otherwise I am all over the place.

I have an Olympic distance race next week and I have no plan.  It's odd, yet I feel ready as anything and interested in what I can do.  I have been working my ass off since November and maybe this little "no plan thing" will work out and maybe not.  I am still getting in my quality workouts, like my 9 mile runs in mid-morning when the heat is blazing, humidity is ridiculous and the only thing to look forward to is wearing a new lululemon outfit that I bought as my prize for finishing Mooseman.

New speed shorts and sportbra!!  Love them!

Every week, I muster up a schedule that gets shot down usually by Tuesday.  Partly because there is so much on my mind lately with my father-in-law and everything going on.  My husband, God bless him, has been there almost daily and nightly at the hospital with his sister and mom that is an hour away.

When your heads not in the game its time to call a break.  So after some deep reflections and looking at the positives in our lives, I decided to get some workouts in, sign up for some races with friends, get fast and have fun for the rest of the season. I signed up for Splash-n-Dash in Marlton, NJ and was able to knock off a few seconds of my swim time (albeit not great, but I'll take the improvement), improved my t-time (although I will never beat the transition ninja, Christine and her 30 seconds) and improved my run time in the 5k with 8:44 min/miles. 

Had a blast racing with my Team Triumph crew!!

In other news, we had our 2nd Annual Christmas in July shindig!  I was so glad we had one day to escape everything going on and that for one day Mike could relax !  We had a wonderful Christmas in July - there was no snow, but poolside fun, tons of fireworks, and plenty of beer and I was even able to get in a 45 mile ride with Yasi that morning....

Mad Elf aged for 2 years, Great Divide Collette, and DFH World Wide Stout!!

Xmas montage

Fireworks display compliments of Bill

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!!

Recovery, and then what?

A couple first times....
1.  I did an early June HIM with no plans after....
2.  I didn't go straight to vacationing just to drink and eat myself into a coma for a week or two...
3.  I actually did recovery workouts and did walking around farmer's markets instead of a workout that considered walking in vineyards or walking to a bar in Sweden (all of which sounds awesome right?)


Last week consisted of:

Monday - Drive 7 hours home...
Tuesday - EASY spin for an hour while watching bad TV
Wednesday - OFF
Thursday - EASY 3 mile run and stretching
Friday - OFF
Saturday - 40 mile ride with Yasi
Sunday - Outdoor yoga at Lululemon

Things have been very stressful with our family and lots of trips to the hospital back and forth.  My coping mechanism with stress is to make sure everyone is okay and to make sure everyone is properly fed with good food.  I stocked up with some great farmer's market finds on Wednesday and Thursday.

Okay, okay, I did still indulge a couple times in my basement with Weyerbacher Heresy and Dogfish Head Burton Baton

in case you are wondering that is a kangaroos scrotum bottle opener...a present from a dear friend...

Oh yeah, I also did a bit of shopping....(you know by myself a present or more for my race)

Top Left: Nordstroms including Paige feather shorts; Top Right: Lululemon

Bottom Left:  VS;  Bottom Right: Saucony Mesh Bullets and Sanuk

I decided to do a second week with some yoga, cycling, swimming and light running before I start another training block.  I need to figure out what I want to focus on, my brain is very scattered (my undiagnosed ADD).

Yoga followed by Froyo

I know I want to focus on speed, getting faster, since I feel the endurance is already there.  I signed up for NJ State Olympic in July and am deciding on another sprint, century and possibly another half-iron type of race possibly in September...I am working another week on my training schedule to figure all that out.  I have my sights on Poconos 70.3 since it fits into the schedule and has a nice mix of rolling hills and it's not too far away.  Part of this is that my Mooseman didn't go as planned, but I also feel like I have built a great base this year and feel really refreshed.  I thought I would be burnt out like I usually am when I do a later race in Sept. It's definitely a different feeling doing a bigger race earlier in the season, almost like you are not ending it in a bang!

When asked what my goal was by a family member, I finally came to the realization that triathlons are really a lifestyle and I just enjoy training!  So whether I do another half-ironman in September or not, I will be still be training, and giving Yasi a training partner as she takes on Ironman NYC (er...NJ I mean...)!!

Recent Obsessions -Volume 1: Fashion in Triathlon Training

If you have been reading my blog you know I am obsessed with fashion, triathlons, food, beer and music. You also know I like sequels as seen with past blog posts.

So here is Part 1 - Fashion in Triathlon Training

It is a fine line we draw with looking cute and disgusting at the same time. I also direct you to Heidi Austin's latest blog post with her "Girly's Guide to Triathlon Training" for health and beauty tips :)

My style tends to be rocker meets feminine in real clothes (although I was recently told I was channeling Debbie or Deborah Gibson last time I was out...)
so to try to find that same style training is difficult at times. Here are some of my more recent purchases over the past couple months that have met the criteria.

1. Betty Designs Dream Bike Kit - BettyDesigns


I mean how cute, I mean kick-ass is this. I am obsessed with skulls, the detail of the design is great - my favorite part is the band of skulls on one side and the butterflies on the other.

Besides the fact that this LOOKS awesome, it is very functional and comfortable. The shirt fits nice, I got a small and I feel like I have man-back sometimes from swimming but this fit very nice. I don't have much in the bosom department so this fit good on me. But contact Kristen at Betty Designs, I was able to ask questions and figure out fit from there.

I hate bike pants and that elastic band at the waist that cuts into you when riding, this has more of a yoga pants fit, the back has a higher rise then the front which means no ass crack sticking out. The leg fit is great and I have bigger thighs (ummm muscular) that usually means the band makes me look like someone put a rubber band or wrapped up some sausage links, but NO sausage links here!! Not to say they aren't tight enough to be good for my skinny thigh friends but great fit for us muscular thigh girls.

This is also the first time I owned a pair of actual bike shorts instead of only tri-shorts which means my lower body has been thanking me profusely.

2. TYR Rockstar Thin-X Back Bathing Suit AND TYR Swim Punk Reversible cap - TeamEstrogen


I love the comfort of the TYR bathing suit and this has the comfortable X back and kind of sexy in a one piece way....I recently embraced the one-piece and actually have had a more comfortable swim than the two-piece.

The swim cap is reversible - enough said...

3. 2010 Quintana Roo Dulce in pink camo - I got mine in 2010 so this is the new model link QuintanaRoo


I even blinged it out with my betty design water bottle that I won (I never win anything!!) on Chloe's blog - Running with a Bottle of Wine.

This bike has been awesome! It feels incredibly light compared to my road bike. I want to take it out every day. As much as I love the pink and black seat, I am replacing it with a gel seat from Specialized, that has been the only issue thus far and my husband upgraded my wheels. The wheels were pretty crappy that came with the bike.

4. Lululemon Turbo Run Short, 50 Rep Bra and Cool Racerback - Lululemon

I am still a fan of the speed short, but I like the length of these - just slightly longer than the ultra so more ass coverage. I am a bit addicted to anything by lululemon and have basically replaced a lot of training clothes with theirs. The quality is top notch and lasts! I just wish they made tri clothes (are you listening lululemon???)

That's all for now...stay tuned for Volume 2 - Easy Clean Recipes and Lastly, the 3rd installment of ...wait for it...Volume 3 - Spring/Summer Beer List (I know that is what you are waiting for...)