Planning vacation runs...

A plan is half of the battle!  So I am planning all of my vacation runes!  I ordered my jog stroller yesterday, so now, I am planning my beach runs!

Here is the 4 miler:

http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/46001110

The longest on schedule is a 6 miler:

http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/46012950

The 2 miles will be on the beach most likely!!

TR 26: CW-X = damn!

Momma had some time sand kids and she put it to good use.  House cleaning, car cleaning, and RUNNING. 

Ok, so I got my grove on.  It was under 70* (perfect running weather) with a little breeze that felt ohhh sooo good.  Put on an old jersery style top and my trusty stand-bys...cw-x capris and my brooks.  Nothing special...I promise.  I threw on my GOTR Bondi Band (upside down and all) and hit the road.

See?  Told you.  Why I even mention this is because at mile marker 4.00, a couple of dudes in a car, yell Damn!  Note, this is the second Damn! in less than a month.  Both times, I was wearing my CW-X, theory:  CW-X = Damn!  lol.....

But this run felt GOOD.  I was hitting it, going great, then about mile 5.5 the toe thing happens.  My middle toe on my right foot just kills.  I haven't figured it out yet...but I will.

Cliff Notes Version:  7 miles, 1:10 time, damn good run...and cat called.  What more can you ask for?

Hotter than Hades Virtual Half

Peer pressure strikes again!  I innocently go reading Rhonda's blog and the next thing you know I am doing a virtual half marathon!

All I have to do is run 13.1 miles between July 15th and August 15th (I have the whole month to complete 13.1 miles, there is no need to complete it all in 1 run)!!  To enter I need to publicize the race and then document my mileage!

So, here is my run down:

August 6th:  3.1 miles, Shermanator Triathalon, run portion 3.1 miles!  http://www.mapmyrun.com/s/routes/view/run-jog-map/michigan/augusta/6677848

August 8th:  4.22 miles, first training run back!  http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/45501886

August 10th:  ZOO 5k-ish:  Zoo Map

August 11th:  Momma gets a run in... http://runkeeper.com/user/clyoungsey/activity/47301645

So I have definitely got my 13.1 miles in and I am way back in the saddle for my Park2Park half marathon training! :)

TR 25: Back in the saddle

One week to vacation, two weeks till I go back to work....so today, I wanted to spend time with the guys...but I also wanted to run.  How can I do both?  ZOO.  Our zoo, has some hellishly hilly trails (1.5 miles round trip) and it is nothing to do about 4 miles in a trip.  We never stay long.  We have a membership so I don't feel obligated to stay long.  We go in, get the boys some popcorn (bribe) and then mommy hits the trail!  We make it fun by "racing" the zebra tram.  I haven't done it with both boys in the stroller in awhile, but I did today and it was haaaaard!

We ran to "wild Africa" fed the giraffes, speed thru the monkeys, snow leopards, etc. and mommy got her 4 miles in.  It said the max speed was 13.3...going downhill, I imagine, and low speed was 0.0...stopping waiting for the tracker to kick off, with an average of 3.3 miles per hour.  Oh, and the best part of all, the kids loved it.

Well.....maybe not the best part of all for me.  I think that was when a mom that we passed on our way down to the tram station (where the hellishly hilly trail to Africa begins) who we passed again on our way out, said "wow!  you are quick"  Yep, we beat the tram there AND back :) 

So, as I have seen Rhonda put a price on a workout...this one cost about $19  ($4 for a train ride, $8 happy meals, $5 giraffe feeding, $2 ice cream)...LOL!  And the comment "wow! you are quick"  Priceless!  On a side note, the Shermanator is the first race I have been in that has done WOMEN's shirts, thus it is the first one I have gotten that fits!  So, I strutted my stuff in my TRI tech shirt today at the zoo.

NOTE TO SELF:  I really want to do the TRI on Labor Day Weekend....even if I still have a 10 year old mountain bike! :)

TR24: Why rest, when you can run!

So, I finished my TRI on Saturday, took Sunday off.....and then back in again on Monday!  Got my scheduled 4 miles in, in the middle of the day no less!  Brian got home early, the boys were napping and Mommy was RUNNING!  Yeah!  I was hot, but it was great to get a solo run in.

Got home, showered up and I was ready to tame the wild savages!

http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/45501886

Back on track....No rest for the wicked! :)

Shermanator Triathalon: I spell TRI like this TMI!

First TRI in the books....and I am stoked.  So here is the report, with a comical interlude.

0400 hours:  I am up, can't sleep, jacked on adrenaline and nerves.  Head down coffee, bagel, banana..carbed up

0500 hours:  I was taught by a Natzi Band Director, "if you are on time you are late" and I sure as heck didn't want to make Teri late, who was doing me a huge favor by racking my bike and hauling it up for me.  We planned on meeting at the carpool and heading.

0530 hours:  Got to the carpool.  Nerves are getting to me.  It's 5:32, Teri isn't there, we are at a public place within city limits.  I got to pee.  I look longingly at the pine trees...Teri texts me, she will be there in a few.  Perfect.  Pee Break....I actually spook up a deer as I bust into the tall weeds.

0548 hours:  On the road, I am jammering like an idiot.

0612 hours:  Sign up.  Body marked

We find out our heat, wave 6, we take off at 8:10am.  Freak out commences....

Into the water at 8:05, chilling till we take off at 8:10.  No joke, not even halfway thru the swim, I am at near panic attack.  I swear my joking about Jersey Shore Fist Pumping is going to karma bite me in the ass.  This is one thing I know:  open water swimming is NOT the same as pool OR lake swimming...holy crapola.

I honestly looked for the locations of the kyaks and boueys.  I said eff freestyle, I am going to do whatever stroke keeps my head above water.  Enter sidestroke, backstroke, breaststroke.  Alternating till I hit the halfway and then I was ok.  When I am just past the 1/4 way bouey, near middle of freak out zone, I hear the next wave go.  (big air horn)  I "just keep swimming, just keep swimming" til I see the place where we took off from, almost touching depth!  As soon as I can, I put feet to the ground and head.  Surprisingly enough, I can jog to transition!  I couldn't find a pic of the Sherm open water swim (that I could copy), but it did kinda look like this:

http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/6694473

I was so happy to see my cheering section when I exited the water!  Brian, the boys, and Mimi!  All the people that helped me train in some way were there to cheer me on!

I get to transition, thankful for the happyface that told me it was the right rack.  All the while, I was able to keep my eyes on Teri or pass her, going the other way (all of the routes were out and backs) and cheer her on!  I get on my old ass, but working, mountain bike.  Haul on up the hill, I am shaking enough, that I loose my water bottle before the first mile is over.  SHIT!!  But there was no way I was stopping to get it....which made the 10 miles long, hot, and thirsty.  Oh, and did I mention HILLS.  Holy Hill Hell.  It was like Evansville all over again!  I distinctly remember one man barely moving up the hill as I coasted down the other way..I knew that one was going to be a bitch...and it was.  And all the other ones, that seriously would last for a half mile or so....ikes.  Not fun.  But honestly, I don't know how I did it.  My bike time was 42:42...that is an average of a 4:24 minute mile!  STOKED.  On a 10 year old mountain bike.  The pic is me getting ready to dismount.  I must say I was complemented on my dismount...must of done it like a pro, instead of a Tri virgin!

http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/14476920

I get back to transition, some hot shot dude has racked in my spot.  I am already sucking with the racks anyway, but offffff I go!  UPPPPP a freaking hill.  This hill stuff continues thru mile 1 and then down a half mile and then back up a half mile and then down mostly with another up the rest of the way....hills.  I hate hills.  The fact that I ran 3.1 miles in 31 minutes and it was 3/4 hills, I am ok with that.  Not to mention that I was AFTER I swam and biked (on hills)

http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/6677848

So, I cross the finish line...I looked kinda pissed.  This is one, because I was running my ass off and, two, because I just looked at the clock, which said 1:56:00 and I was pissed.  I was like, damn!  I suck!  But that was before I realized that that was from the first heat 7:45 and I didn't even take off in the water till 8:10.  So my official time was 1:31:07.  Not impressive when I say 21 out of 27, but seriously, I had the fastest wave, I swear!  When I was done...I was woozy to say the least.  I did manage to take some after race pics with my guys and my gal!

So, I left the tri, stoked with the outcome, proud to go to the store with my permanent marker tatoo (race number on my arm), and thinking about when I could do another (with a shorter swim) again!  If for no other reason, I am happy with my body strength and looks, all thanks to multisport training!