Conquering The Hill

Last year, Melissa and I decided to try the Mooseman half iron bike course on a very hot day around noon--this was not a good idea! We did get close to conquering Halsbrook Hill (Groton Pumping Station hill), but had to stop and walk right near the top of the hill. We vowed to complete the ride in 2011.

This past Friday, Melissa and I did this same ride, but we took on even more as we created the Melissa & Laura fun triathlon. We started out with a 30 minute open water swim in Newfound Lake, completed the 35 mile bike course (including the giant hill!!!), and finished with a 30 minute jog. It was a leisurely triathlon, but the bike course was very challenging! And now we have completed our summer challenge (see photos above at the peak of the hill).

The rest of the week was a busy week in training as Sean continued to add volume and intensity to my workouts in preparation for Pumpkinman! I can't believe I will be doing a half ironman in September!!!

Week 20:
Monday- 60 minute swim
Tuesday- Track workout/yoga
Wednesday- 45 minute swim/25 mile bike ride (back of Carter Hill)/ P90X abs
Thursday- 8 mile run
Friday- 30 minute open water swim / 35 mile bike ride / 30 min jog (brick)
Saturday- OFF
Sunday= 2 mile run

Homeward Bound

After a busy Blackfly weekend, week 18 was a recovery week. However, towards the end of the week, I picked up the pace a bit before I headed home to Minnesota the next week.

Week 18 Recap:
Monday- 20 minute swim/P90X abs
Tuesday- 60 minute bike ride
Wednesday- Track workout
Thursday- 40 min swim/P90X abs
Friday- 25 mile bike ride
Saturday- P90X abs
Sunday- 7 mile run in Duluth, MN

At home, I was able to maintain my workout schedule despite a very busy week of visiting friends/family and sightseeing. I squeezed in an open water swim while Mark and I were visiting his friend Tony in Minneapolis on Monday. Tuesday we did quite a bit of sightseeing and walking around Minneapolis. Wednesday, I got up early to get in a treadmill run before doing a 4 hour kayaking trip with Mark and my little brother Alex in Brule, WI. On Thursday, I woke up early and took the family dog for a three mile run. Then, Mark and I decided to be crazy and do a VERY cold open water swim in Lake Superior later that same morning. I have no idea what the temperature of the water was, but we were numb with our wetsuits on! Thursday continued to be an eventful day as we decided to drive up the north shore and walk around Gooseberry Falls State Park. There, right in front of my favorite childhood lake (Lake Superior), on a perfect, blue sky day, Mark got down on his knee and proposed to me!!! Yep, Thursday was definitely my favorite day of the trip :) Friday, I made it to a 6am spin class at the YMCA in Duluth (the Y there is so much nicer than Concord!) and then we spent the rest of the day at Park Point Beach. Saturday I fit in a swim workout at the Y before our flight back to NH departed. And then today, I did my familiar Long Pond road 7.5 mile loop in Concord. It has been a busy, but very exciting few weeks! Next week, my training will pick way up as I prepare for the Pumpkinman half iron triathlon!

Week 19 Workouts:
Monday- 50 minute open water swim
Tuesday- OFF/sightseeing
Wednesday- Track workout/4 hour kayak trip
Thursday- 3 mile run/20 minute open water
Friday- 60 minute spin workout
Saturday- 60 minute swim workout
Sunday- 7.5 mile run

"No one is in control of your happiness but you; therefore, you have the power to change anything about yourself or your life that you want to change."- Barbara de Angelis

Waterville Valley Weekend

Week 17 was a taper week before the Black Fly International Triathlon. Friday night, Mark and I met up in Waterville Valley and registered for our races. Mark competed in the 3 day Lord of the Flies competition, so I was there to cheer him (and the S2 crew) on in the time trial bike race on Friday night. The weather was iffy, but the rain stayed at bay. However, during the middle of the night, it poured! I was so bummed thinking that our race the next day was going to be a washout. Mother Nature was kind yet again and the rain stopped; the sun came out for the race. We left early in the morning from our hotel to get set up in transition. Mark had a much earlier start than I did in the swim, but I had time to wake up and hang out with Colleen who competed in her first international distance triathlon! Then, it was time to race...

First up, the swim. After my near DNF experience at Mooseman, I was a little leary of the swim. It is soooo annoying as the swim had previously been my strong event. It seems I have a bit of a mental block going on right now with that. Anyway, this swim went better than Mooseman, but it still was nothing to write home about. I actually was a minute slower than last year and I still had some moments of panic where I had to just slow to catch my breath. But, I did finish and it was in 8:12.

Next up, the bike. I have practiced on this course before, but I guess one more ride might have been helpful. I took off strong in the beginning knowing the course was difficult in the second half. I maintained a 20.4 mph average for the first half which is quite good for me. Unfortunately, the long flats, and gradual uphill of the second part took my average down to 16.3. I thought this was still pretty good, but apparently, I did better on this part last year as well. Maybe I went faster last year because it was raining and I wasn't taking any time to enjoy the course :) Oh well, I did pick up some speed in the end for a strong finish in the last quarter mile.

The transition from bike to run was relatively fast (especially considering I had to make a quick trip to the loo!) and I set off for the 5 mile run with my legs feeling pretty good. In retrospect, I probably could have pushed more, but I have been dealing with some digestive issues and I also had a side stitch that I did not want to make worse. I averaged 9:55 on the run, but I definitely was looking for a lower 9 minute mile average.

Overall, it was a 2:20:03 finish for me this year. I had a really fun time at the race, so maybe I relaxed too much. I always say I am doing it just to finish, but I think I'd like to pick it up next year! Maybe I'll even try the whole Lord of the Flies competition. It was great to be able to cheer on all the S2 team members, Colleen, and my boyfriend! Congratulations to all of the participants in the Black Fly 2011 :)

Taper Week (17) Workouts:
Monday- Rest
Tuesday- Bike 45 minutes
Wednesday- 20 minute swim/20 minute run
Thursday- 10 minute swim/20 minute bike
Friday- Rest
Saturday- RACE!
Sunday- REST :)

30 Going on 20

I wanted to take a few minutes to reflect on my twenties as I now have to say goodbye to those years...

It is difficult to define my twenties--a time of growth and maturation would probably fit. However, adventures, love, heartbreak, academic success, failures, moving, fitness accomplishments, travel and many more things made up those years as well. I learned a lot about myself--what is important, what to forget, what to look forward to, etc.

Family = a strong support system. I have had to (from a distance) watch the crumbling of my grandfather's health over a period of 3 years or so. Alzheimer's has literally made him a shell of the man he was--I wish I had been closer to home to help him more, but there is little to do for this destructive disease. My family is so strong to have supported him on their own as long as they could until it was time for outside help. Again from a distance, I have watched my little brother grow from a tiny little toddler into a teenager! Since I was far from my own home, many friends' families took me in over holidays and treated me as one of their own...for that, I am so grateful.

Friends--my major support system throughout college and the years after. My experience at UNH left me with some lifelong friends, as well as some great acquaintances. It has been fantastic to watch my friends make successful career and personal moves. I have also been there for their pain and failures and they have been there for mine. I hope I can maintain those relationships throughout the next stage in my life--it is much more challenging as people relocate, start families, etc. But I am always one to try my best to keep contact!

Finally, fitness deserves some mention since my blog is about triathlons :) So, when I was 20, my major fitness accomplishments were regular gym sessions, some lifting, and some light running. Ten years later, I am training for my first half iron triathlon (70.3)! Though my body is certainly in a different place than in my early twenties (thanks slow metabolism!), my fitness level is completely superior to that of 20 year old me. The process has been gradual...I started age 21 with a 5K, then 10K, and then a 13.1. I took a few years off (back to some gym workouts) and then got back into the half marathon training. It wasn't until I met Mark in 2005 that I took an interest in triathlons--even then it took another 3 years for me to even try one! I started small with a sprint distance triathlon in 2008 (age 27). I started to go to the tri swim workouts at the YMCA and was really inspired by the level of fitness among those training with Sean Snow. In 2009, I picked up my running again by doing a 5K, 10K, and Galloping Gobbler race. Then, in 2010, I decided to start training with Sean. I ended up doing the Big Lake Half Marathon and Black Fly International triathlon last year, but I was ready for more! I finished off 2010 with another 10K and some Bikram yoga. For 2011, I kicked off the year by trying out a new sport--snowshoe racing! It was soooo difficult, but really helped me keep up some level of fitness during those difficult winter months. Now, the tri season is in full swing and I already have two races behind me (Big Lake Half Marathon and the Mooseman International Triathlon) with another coming up this weekend. It will be my first race as a 30 year old and I am hoping to beat my time from last year! Ten years ago, if someone had said, "you will be completing triathlons when you are 30" I would have laughed at them! I did not even like to ride a bike then! Mark was the one who got me into cycling and now I adore my beautiful Felt bicycle and all the great places I have been able to see while riding it. I can't wait to see what I can do with this part of my life over the next 10 years!

A quick recap on Week 15 and Week 16 (Peak Week):

15
Monday: 15 mile bike ride
Tuesday- Track workout
Wednesday- OFF
Thursday- 30 minute swim
Friday- 30 minute swim / 3 mile run
Saturday- 30 minute open water / Black Fly Bike Course (21 miles)
Sunday- 5 mile run

16
Monday- Yoga
Tuesday-Track workout on treadmill
Wednesday- 60 minute swim / 25 mile bike ride
Thursday- 4 mile run
Friday- P90X Abs / OFF
Saturday- 25 mile bike ride (S. Berwick to Ogunquit Beach)
Sunday- 30 min open water swim / 35 mile run (Hothole Pond area)

My training for week 17 begins with a REST day tomorrow which is also my birthday. Happy 4th of July!!!