Workin’ On It

As some, or most of you know, on 6/8/13, I competed in my first 1/2 Ironman. Alot of people want to know how it went and I want to provide the details.

I just thought I’d give you a quick blog update that I’m working on a race recap post and hopefully tonight, or within the next day or two, you’ll get a race recap.

Candy Crush

Have you heard of the Candy Crush Saga game that can be played on Facebook or downloaded on to your phone? Oh good grief, it’s addicting! Lol.

I’d received invitations for this game on Facebook, but avoided it like the plague. There are only a couple of games on Facebook that I play, otherwise I block the rest. I don’t need to be on Facebook any longer than I already am.

Well, when I started dating man-friend, he had this game downloaded on to his phone. I’d watch him play it and it looked kind of fun, but I was still unsure about it. Did I really want to download it and have one other thing suck the life out of my battery on my phone?

Finally, one day I was bored on my phone and downloaded it. BAD mistake!!! I’m on level 29 right now and it is HARD!!! It is addicting. It can get frustrating. Lol. It is a challenge and it’s fun for when I get bored, but it is tough. Man-friend is on level 44 I think.

Do you play games on Facebook? Do you have games on your phone? What’s your favorite game to play?

Road Island Diner

This last Sunday, I talked the man-friend in going up to Jordanelle State Park with me to get some open water swimming in before the Boise 1/2 Ironman on 6/8.

The one thing that sucks about Utah is you have to drive at least 1 hour, in any direction, to get to open water to swim (you really don’t want to swim in the Great Salt Lake).

So, Sunday we headed up to Jordanelle to get some open water swimming in. There is a race I do there every year and I thought it would be good to see the water level too. It’s REALLY low right now. But, we loaded up the dog and my wetsuite and headed up there.

Jordanelle Reservoir

I got a little bit of open water swimming in, but the water was REALLY low and it was REALLY cold, even though I had a wetsuit on. I didn’t panic as much as I usually do though. So, I’m taking that as a good sign.

After I got done swimming, we drove in to a little town not far away called Oakley, UT. The only reason I know where Oakley is, is because one of my friends grew up there and it is on the route for the Wasatch Back Ragnar Relay.

We drove around the town and up Weber Canyon Road and I saw parts of Utah I didn’t know existed. Then, we stopped by the Road Island Diner on our way. I’ve seen this little diner and always wanted to stop there. I’m so glad we did.

Since we had the dog with us, we couldn’t eat inside, but we got the order to go. I walked in and it’s such a cute little place. They’ve got a really good menu and they’ve got a jukebox that plays all kinds of old songs. I placed our order and they were kind enough to give me a styrofoam bowl so we could give the dog some more water too.

The man-friend ordered the BBQ pulled pork dinner with mashed taters & mac & cheese and I ordered their Reuben sandwich with home made chips! Both were DELICIOUS!!! We took the food to a park & ate and then headed home.

Both man-friend and I want to go back some time when we don’t have the dog so we can eat inside. They’ve got some amazing looking pastries too.

This little diner though, it’s got a really cool story. This diner started back in a city in New Jersey and then it was moved to Fall River, MA. Then, in 2007, I believe, it was put on a flatbed truck and moved to Oakley, UT. I love the story behind it.

I love quaint little places like this. I’d definitely return.

Today

I realize this is my 3rd post today, but just consider yourself lucky that I’m posting again. Lol. I’m bored and trying to take up time til I’m tired enough to go to bed. Lol.

So, I was reading my friend Genevieve’s blog and she said that she likes reading people’s blogs when they just talk about their every day life. So, I thought I’d let you know how today went.

Today was a very unusual day actually. First off, I slept in until 9:00 a.m. Usually I’m up by 5:30 – 6:00 a.m. to get a swim workout in, or to take the dog out, etc. It felt nice to sleep in that long. Well, technically, I was up at 6:45 a.m. and I texted with man-friend for a little bit while he got ready for work. Then I went back to sleep until 7:30 a.m. Got up again and texted with man-friend for a little bit, then finally went back to sleep until 9:00 a.m.

Normally I would have a workout, but since I’m tapering this week, and since today is a travel day, no workout today.

I finally got my ass out of bed, even though I could have kept sleeping, to see a text from my roommate saying we were having plumbing problems and no shower or laundry could be done today.

I finished packing for my 1/2 Ironman and headed out the door. I decided to head over to man-friend’s house and took a shower there and then took Tank for a walk. Poor Tank, you’d think I was torturing him by letting him out of his kennel but making him wait until I was done with my shower before I would take him for a walk. Lol.

Someone is ready for a walk.

Once I took Tank for a walk, I got him back in his kennel (felt bad about that) and headed out the door. I had to stop by Salt Lake Running Co really quick to get some extra gels and a new sports bra for my race on Saturday. I didn’t want any chaffing. So, dropped $75 there. While I was there, I got a pep talk from my coach (he’s the manager there) about my race on Saturday. He has all the confidence in the world of me and he thinks I’ll do just great. He reassured me about the hills on the bike course, the swim and that was going to be kind of hot on the run, but since we’re running by the Boise River, it shouldn’t be too bad.

I finally got to my parents house to pick up my dad and we gassed up the car and were on our way to Boise. Queue the long 4 1/2 hour car ride from Salt Lake City to Boise, Idaho. Snooze fest!!!

We made our typical stop in Burley, Idaho to use the restroom, grab some lunch and then we were on the road again.

Finally we pulled in to Boise, ID. Because of issues with our hotel reservation, we’re staying at one hotel tonight and then transferring to a different hotel for the rest of the nights we’re here.

We went and had dinner at Sizzler tonight and it was ok. I had their chicken fried steak (needed some protein) and made a nice salad from the salad bar. The steak was ok, but I wouldn’t order it again.

Now, I’m sitting back at the hotel, trying to pass time by messing around on my computer. Anxiety is at a premium and I’ve got severe nervous legs. Tomorrow is going to be a crazy busy day with switching hotels, checking my bike in to transition, etc.

How has your day been?

Nerves!

Race day nerves are already setting in. If you’ve been living under a rock and didn’t know it, I’m doing my first 1/2 Ironman this Saturday, June 8th.

I expected race day nerves to set in the night before like they usually do, but it’s Thursday night, the race doesn’t start until Noon on Saturday (my swim wave starts at 12:39) and I’m already getting nervous and can feel the anxiety rising.

I just went to the hotel lobby and printed out the race schedule and I think that’s what’s got me going. I can go and check in as an athlete tomorrow from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and athlete briefing is at 11:00 a.m. I go and check my bike in at the reservoir at 2:00 p.m. tomorrow.

I’ve never been in such a big race that I check my bike in the night before. I’ve never been in such a big race that you have an athlete briefing the day before.

My nerves are just going wild!!! I’m just trying to occupy my mind with other stuff. Trying to play around on the internet until I’m absolutely exhausted so that when I go to bed, my mind doesn’t have time to wander before I fall asleep.

How do you get over race day nerves?

Fancy Schmancy Award

Last week, my friend over at The Dancing Runner nominated me for a Liebster Award. In a way I feel a little guilty that she did this because I haven’t been blogging as much as I’d like to lately. Life has been crazy busy. But, with that being said, these awards are always fun, so here goes!

Here are the rules for when you are nominated for a Liebster Award:

-Thank the blogger who nominated you & link back to his/her blog. Done!

-Answer 11 questions asked by the nominator.

-Post 11 random tidbits about yourself.

-Nominate 11 blogs for the Liebster Award

-Create 11 new questions for those you nominate.

-Don’t forget to include the Liebster Award logo on your post.

Here were the 11 questions asked of me:

1. If you could open any type of business what would it be? If I may say so myself, I make a pretty tasty cheesecake. I’ve experimented with different flavors and mix in’s with the batter. I think it would be fun to have my own cheesecake business.

2. What is your favorite time of year? I would have to probably say summer. That’s when all of the races are!

3. Name the last thing you splurged on. Probably lunch for me and Robert at an old dining car restaurant in a small town here in Utah (blog post to come…I promise!).

4. What is the most adventurous thing you’ve ever done? Probably 10 years ago, I went on vacation to Los Angeles by myself.

5. What one thing would you like to accomplish in 2013? I would LOVE to finish selling all of my scrapbook stuff. I don’t have time for it any more.

6. If you were on death row, what would be your last meal? Can I ask for a buffet of a bunch of different kinds of foods? I don’t know if I could choose just one food. Haha!

7. List 3 must haves in your purse/handbag. Excedrin (I always get headaches). My wallet (duh!). Empty space (now that I’m dating someone who has kids, when we go somewhere, the kids always ask me to hold stuff for them, so I need space in my purse to put it.)

8. Tea or Coffee? Coffee…all the way. With some 1/2 and 1/2 and a packet of Splenda.

9. Do you have any guilty pleasures? I LOVE buttercream frosting! It’s delicious!

10. Describe yourself in 3 words. Nurturing. Athletic. Curious.

11. What motivates you? Other people motivate me.

11 Random Tidbits About Me:

-When I was a little girl, I broke my nose twice…in the same place.

-I tend to have insomnia REALLY bad. In fact, right now it’s 12:10 a.m., I need to be up in 5 hrs and I’m not tired.

-I lived in the same neighborhood and house my entire childhood. Never moved once.

-I have 5 tattoos and want at least 2 more.

-There’s no one else in the world that I know of that has my first name.

-I was named after my grandpa’s mother. One day I want to go back to the small town in Arkansas and visit her grave.

-My favorite flower is a tulip.

-I’m scared of open water swimming.

-I do alot of dog sitting.

-I’ve gone to the same night club almost every Saturday night for the past 4 yrs.

-I have a love affair with buttercream frosting!

Now, here’s my 11 questions for my nominees:

1. What is your dream job?

2. Do you have a big/small family?

3. How did you get started in running/working out?

4. What inspires you?

5. Do you have a favorite dessert?

6. Dog or cat?

7. Favorite TV show?

8. Favorite post workout snack?

9. What is the last book you read?

10. Favorite vacation?

11. Do you have a dream race you want to do?

And here is who I nominate:

Melissa Running It
Hannah Violin
Running & Cupcakes
Crazy Running Legs
It’s All About the Journey
Finding My Happy Pace
Live. Travel. Eat. Run.
Ifyounevertri
Pipe Down Piper
Triathlon Obsession
One Hot Mess-y Mama

Tough Training Week

I think my coach is trying to kill me!!! Sunday I got a text from him saying this:

“Your workout for tomorrow is:
200 swim, 200 kick, 200 pull
4 x 500 with 200 pull in between

cool down. Prepare for a tough week”

Holy crap! Coach wasn’t kidding when he said prepare for a tough week. I tried to imagine what the workouts were that he was going to give me, but everything I imagined didn’t even come close. Here is my workout schedule for the week:

Tuesday:
Bike: warm up 20 min. 6 x 5 min hard TT Effort. Take a full 5 min recovery between. Cool down.
Run: 5 miles

Wednesday:
Swim: warm up, 30 x 100 with 20 sec rest (yes I said 30). Pull on 5, 10, 15, 20, 25. Cool down
Run: Warm up 10 min. 8 x 3 min hard with 2 min easy jog between. Cool down.

Thursday:
Bike: Warm up 20 min. Head up Emigration. When you get to Sun & Moon Café, you will push to the top. Come back to Sun & Moon & repeat. Cool down.

Friday:
Swim: Warm up, 3000 non-stop, yep, more than race distance. Cool down.
Run: 12 miles

Saturday:
Bike: 3 hours. Do 4 x 20 min at race effort in middle take a min of 10 in rest between. Cool down.

Thankfully Sunday is a rest day. I am very much looking forward to it. 

I’ve figured out the method to my coach’s madness though in regards to the crazy tough week of training this week. I went in to Salt Lake Running Co the other day to buy some gels and a SPIBelt and my coach was there (he’s a manager there). I happened to mention to him that I was nervous about this week’s training schedule and he said “Eh, don’t worry about it. It’s tough this week so that come race day in 2.5 weeks, it’ll seem like a piece of cake!”

That actually makes sense. Not that I doubted him, because I don’t. If anybody knows how to train for a triathlon, it’s B.J…hence why he’s my coach.

By the way…a quick shout out to my coach for coming in 3rd in his age group at Ironman Texas! Yes, he’s Kona bound again!

What are your workouts like this week? What do you do to keep from getting overwhelmed with your workouts?