the best of 2022

I love looking back and thinking about all of the amazing things that I’ve accomplished and all of the challenges I’ve overcome! I’ve reflected for the last 9 years and now it’s time to reflect on 2022! You can look back at my previous posts if you’d like: the best of 2013, the best of 2014, the best of 2015, the best of 2016, the best of 2017, the best of 2018, the best of 2019, the best of 2020, and the best of 2021. Now it’s time to reminisce my favs from 2022! 🙂

Best race performance?

Ironman 70.3 Muncie was hands down my best race performance of 2022. The race started with a cold, choppy, foggy swim, but I was determined to not let the circumstances of the swim hijack my brain. I kept my effort high while staying focused and present on doing everything I could to make sure I would be so damn proud of myself later in the day. I raced the bike in a way I have never raced before. I intentionally planned to focus on my power output instead of going by perceived effort on the bike. In order to “bike my legs off,” I really needed to stay connected to the pedals, stay aero, and monitor my power output, so that is what I set out to do. I ran my heart out while hydrating and fueling solidly. I stayed connected to my effort, laying one brick at a time while racing for Anne. I was determined to not walk one step, I stayed focused on the mile I was in, and I reminded myself that I have everything I need to succeed. All of this allowed me to create something I’ve never had before! I had left it all out on the course…my legs were trashed more than they have ever been, my heart was so full that it was overflowing, and my soul was lit up! I had truly raced from start to finish and I was SO F’ING PROUD! I created something I’ve never had before. Icing on the cake…creating a 12 minute PR and a 4th place age group finish landing me on the podium for the FIRST TIME EVER at an IRONMAN race! ⚡️ Here is the link for my race recap.

4th place podium
📸 Tim Fencl

Best swim?

I swam my longest swim EVER this summer in the 50 m pool…6 km (3.7 miles). Some may say, “Why?! You don’t NEED to swim that far” and they would be correct…I didn’t NEED to swim that far, but I WANTED to go for it! I wanted to challenge myself in a new way. So why the hell not go for it?!?!

The last morning of outdoor long course swimming for the season I set out for the opportunity to challenge myself in a new way. I WANTED to soak it all in, so I did just that! #LFG ⚡️

Best bike?

Getting to ride a large portion (100 miles) of the Ironman Des Moines course with my dear friend + Coeur Sports sister, Michelle, was definitely a highlight of my season. So grateful for the time we got to spend together, the support of Tim chasing us around all day, and our safety on the open roads.

Any day on two wheels and the open roads is a great day! Today I had the privilege of previewing a large portion of the #IMDSM bike course with Michelle ⚡️

Best run?

Any run that I got to do with our niece was a great run!! I think running with her as she crossed the finish line of her first ever 5K race was a definite favorite this year!!

My cup runneth over! I am beyond proud of our niece for running her first road race at a local 5K and taking 1st place in her age group today, but most importantly giving her absolute best and not backing down when it got uncomfortable. ⚡️

Best finish line?

Running down the red carpet to the finish line at Ironman Des Moines in June was my first ever daylight finish for an Ironman distance race. I executed a solid race that allowed me to cross the finish line of Ironman #9 on an incredibly tough day and with a very challenging lead up (see below)! Icing on the cake…knowing I had given my best on this day while creating an 11th place age group finish (my highest AG finish placement yet in a full Ironman race)! ⚡️ Here is the link for my race recap.

As I ran down the red carpet in my first ever daylight finish with the cheers of family, friends, and random strangers surrounding me, I was full of emotions. I was SO drained, but also SO F’ING PROUD!  13:53:58⚡️

Best race-cation?

Our travels around IMAZ allowed us to experience Arches National Park, the Grand Canyon, Flagstaff, South Mountain, Thanksgiving in Denver, and so much more. It truly was a great time!

Running at 5000+ feet in Arches National Park

Tim’s first visit to the Grand Canyon was a success!

Best moment out of my comfort zone?

Four days before Ironman Des Moines, Tim woke up with a fever, body aches, and a bad cough. He decided to stay home from work. Midday I received a text message from our 82 year old neighbor across the street (she is like family to us) that she tested positive for Covid. About a minute later, Tim texted me that he also tested positive for Covid. I had a complete meltdown and pity party (thankfully they texted me right before my therapy session). I am 4 days out from IMDSM…what am I going to do?! After about 15 minutes of feeling all the emotions, I went into problem solving mode with my therapist. After therapy, I called our neighbor and asked her if Tim could “move in with her” until after my race to keep me as healthy as possible. She was fully on board and was glad I had asked (it was either that or I get a hotel room and move out temporarily). So Tim packed up everything he needed for the next 4 days and moved across the street. After work Wednesday, I came home to an empty house (except the girls were still home), tested negative for Covid, and continued my plan for my IM race (now having to shift my plans around for race weekend because I would be doing everything solo…taking care of our girls, driving myself down to the race which was thankfully only 35 minutes away from home, getting all my gear post race, etc.). I ran some errands for each of them on Thursday and Friday, checked in to the IM race, did some race week workouts, made them meals and did literal door dashes (setting the food outside, ringing the doorbell and dashing back across the street), got all my gear together for IM, and tried to relax and reduce my anxiety as much as possible. Saturday morning I still tested negative for Covid, so I took all my gear down to transition and continued to relax and doordash. Having Tim live with our neighbor was the best worst case scenario and I am grateful to the both of them for making it work! Sunday was race day. My anxiety was a bit high going into the race as this was my first full IM race without my husband (either racing it with me or being there to support me), but I kept reminding myself that I have done this before and know what to do. Getting to run down that red carpet and cross the finish line was one I am SO DAMN PROUD of for all of the adversity I had to overcome in the lead up to the race.

Pure relief and completely drained

Best nutritional find?

Later in the year I experimented with Skratch Labs super high-carb. I used Skratch super high-carb during Ironman 70.3 Muncie with huge success, so I decided to use it for Ironman Arizona and for the first time in 10 full Ironman finish lines I did not have GI distress, hyponatremia, or dehydration. This was a HUGE win for me!

Best enCOEURaging moment?

The Ames Triathlon was so fun!! It is always great to see people achieve their goals and do things they once thought were impossible. The absolute best part of my day was creating an opportunity for our friend, Leisa, to start + finish her first triathlon ever. If you want to experience the Ames Triathlon for yourself, come to Ames in June 2023! You won’t be disappointed!

We are SO proud of our friend who completed her FIRST EVER triathlon at the Ames Triathlon. She did this 10 years post paralysis. ⚡️🔥

Best new gear?

The Coeur Sports Wind Vest isn’t new, but it is hands down the best gear for getting outside and riding + running on those chilly fall/winter/spring days! Signing up for an Ironman that took place in November meant I had to bundle up to get my 100 mile rides done outside…because let’s be honest…riding 100 miles in the basement on the trainer is definitely not as much fun as riding outside! And the wind vest definitely makes running outside in the cold + wind much more bearable!

Decide ahead of time that it won’t be so bad and it will all be fine!
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Rain, wind, 27F windchill, and another finish line at the Hillbilly Hike 1/2 marathon. There weren’t enough layers (even though I was wearing all the thermal gear…4 layers on top) in those last 5 miles, but it was fine! It was all fine!
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2 weeks to #IMAZ and I hope that finish line looks MUCH different! SO MUCH mental endurance added to the bank Saturday!

Best piece of racing advice you received?

“Be calm; focus on what you are going to do. Don’t get distracted, don’t get overwhelmed, take it all as it comes. You are ready for this; you’ve prepared for years. This is it, your time to shine. Go forth with all your powers. Go forth with everything in you. Make it work.”

~Lynne Cox in her book “Swimming to Antarctica”

Most inspirational athlete?

Vanessa Faye Foerster is such an inspiration…not only as an athlete, but as a human being. Her grit, determination, resilience, strength, bravery, and relentless pursuit to be the best version of herself she can be is so admirable. If you didn’t get a chance to hear about her LONG T2 at Kona this year, set aside 1 hour + 40 minutes to listen, and be prepared to be inspired! You won’t regret it!

This amazing, beautiful human helped me transform my self belief from superficial belief to belief down to my core. THANK YOU VANESSA! ❤️

Best support crew?

I am so damn lucky to have the most amazing support of my #1! He has supported me not only on race day(s), but day in and day out throughout my entire journey. He has driven around on long rides to make sure I could ditch layers + get extra fluids + fuel, made sure I had food to refuel after long workouts, did many household chores, and so much more. I am forever grateful to have him on this journey with me. ❤️ you!

I have the BEST support crew around! Thank you for coming to pick up all the layers so I didn’t have to carry them on the bike with me.

If you could sum up your year in a couple of words, what would they be?

PROUD + gratitude + create + fun

Tell me about your 2022 year!! What are your “bests” from 2022?!

the best of 2021

I love looking back and thinking about all of the amazing things that I’ve accomplished and all of the challenges I’ve overcome! I’ve reflected for the last 8 years and now it’s time to reflect on 2021! You can look back at my previous posts if you’d like: the Best of 2013, the Best of 2014, the Best of 2015, the Best of 2016, the Best of 2017, the Best of 2018, the Best of 2019, and the Best of 2020. Now its time to reminisce my favs from 2021! 🙂

Best race experience?

The Ironman 70.3 World Championship isn’t the “best race experience” because it was easy and everything went according to plan on race day (wait…does that ever happen?!). Nope! It was the “best race experience” because it challenged me in ways I’ve NEVER been challenged before. The challenging terrain + Mother Nature’s crazy attitude forced us to “rise to it” on race day like I’ve never had to do before. It was definitely a race to remember! If you missed the recap of this epic race, this is one you definitely want to catch up on! Here is the link. Sit back and enjoy what can only be described as crazy! ***Secretly I want to do it all again with the same conditions, on the same course. 🤪

📸 Finisher Pix

Best race performance?

I was  R E A D Y  for Ironman Arizona! I was  R E A D Y  to toe the start line. I was  R E A D Y  to challenge myself. I was  R E A D Y  to put it all together and create a performance I had never had before. And that is
E X A C T L Y  what I did! I created an experience I’ve never had and it was  A M A Z I N G! I had an overall PR of 52 minutes, finishing in 12:44:56. #LFG ⚡️⚡️⚡️

Sure, this was my best Ironman performance physically, but it was also my best Ironman performance from my mental endurance performance and that is what I’m the most damn proud of! ⚡️⚡️⚡️

I was SO DAMN PROUD to have created a shiny new PR by 52 minutes! ⚡️

I’m grateful for the privilege to race, for the privilege to challenge myself in new ways, for the privilege to run down another red carpet, and for the privilege to cross another finish line! ⚡️⚡️⚡️

Best run?

The Drake 1/2 Marathon was one where I completely pushed myself out of my comfort zone and RACED! I had no idea if this would be my last race of the year (hello Covid) and I was not going to leave anything out on the course just in case things went backwards. Crossing that finish line brought tears to my eyes! Full race recap here.

Squeee!! I GOT to cross a start line and a finish line of an IRL race!!

Best bike?

I had a lot of great bike rides this year, but the ones that speak to me as being the “best” from 2021 were the last two century+ bike rides that I did in preparation for IMAZ. The temps had dropped, the winds were high, and I had to bundle up in all of the gear to stay warm. I almost took these rides to the trainer, but I’m SO glad I opted to ride outside instead. These rides gave me a great mental boost (as well as physical boost) going into Ironman Arizona!

Decide…I decided 100+ miles on the bike (+ 1 hour run off the bike) was going to be AMAZING! I was determined to keep a positive attitude, be gritty, and to persevere! I wasn’t going to let Mother Nature win. She tried to push me around a bit (hello wind), but I won this round!
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I GET to do this! So much gratitude for the strength of my body + mind, the support from my #1, my safety on the open roads, the beautiful fall day, and the gorgeous fall foliage.

Best swim?

We FINALLY made it home home to visit my parents last summer (it had been nearly 2 years since we were last home…hello Covid). Thank you vaccines! When we were home, Dad drove the boat beside us (on more than one occasion) so we could swim a 5K in West Okoboji Lake. Getting to swim in the open water, see the bottom of the lake while swimming (because the water is so clear), and having my #1 beside me was amazing! Having Dad’s support was icing on the cake!

Seize the opportunity!

Best finish line?

Twin Lakes Sprint Triathlon when I took the overall female win! I never imagined myself breaking the tape at any race. I’m sooo thrilled to have had such an awesome experience! Here is the link for my race recap.

GETTING to break the tape as I take 1st overall female! ⚡️⚡️⚡️

Best surprise?

Getting a roll down slot to Ironman 70.3 World Championships in St. George, Utah was the best surprise of the year! I was shocked when I got the email that I had earned a roll down slot from racing Ironman 70.3 Des Moines. I had a great race in Des Moines in spite of the nearly 3 hour weather delay + shortened bike, but my performance didn’t put me in the top 14 in my age group (which is how many slots were awarded), so I didn’t expect to get a slot. Thankfully some ladies who were faster than me had either already qualified at a different race or didn’t want to go to Worlds, so I got a slot and it was quite the epic adventure!

WUT?! I got a roll down slot to Ironman 70.3 World Championships! #soexcited

Best mental endurance compass?

I had the AMAZING opportunity and pleasure to work with Vanessa Faye Foerster for 24 weeks this year. She teaches athletes how to build mental endurance by “dropping the self doubt + fueling the self confidence.” The journey she helped me create this year was challenging, enlightening, fun, and worth every penny! What I have learned has not only boosted my racing performance, but it has also elevated my personal life. I am so grateful for her guidance to push me out of my comfort zone to level up into the zone where I cultivate the life I want to live. #LFG ⚡️

This amazing, beautiful human helped me transform my self belief from superficial belief to belief down to my core. ⚡️ THANK YOU VANESSA! ❤️

Best enCOEURaging moment?

The Ames Triathlon was back in action this year after a year off (thank you Covid). What a great race! It is so fun to see people achieve their goals and do things they once thought were impossible. If you want to experience the Ames Triathlon for yourself, come to Ames in June 2022! You won’t be disappointed!

Who’s ready to race?! We are ready to get this party started! Photo credit: Dave Mable

Best new gear?

The Coeur Sports Wind Vest has been AMAZING for getting outside and riding on those chilly fall days! Signing up for an Ironman that took place in November meant I had to bundle up to get my 100 mile rides done outside…because let’s be honest…riding 100 miles in the basement is definitely not as much fun as riding outside!

110+ miles is a long time to be in your own head. Good thing I know the words to a lot of songs or make up my own words and can sing at the top of my lungs because Mother Nature doesn’t care what I sound like! 🤣🤪
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Seriously though…this wind vest is AMAZING! It kept me warm while allowing me to carry all the nutrition, and has reflective strips on it for better visibility.

Best way to stay healthy?

Get vaccinated! The end (no comments on this necessary…I will delete them).

I’m boosted! #getvaccinated (not up for debate…I’ll delete your comments)

Best piece of racing advice you received?

“Be calm; focus on what you are going to do. Don’t get distracted, don’t get overwhelmed, take it all as it comes. You are ready for this; you’ve prepared for years. This is it, your time to shine. Go forth with all your powers. Go forth with everything in you. Make it work.”

~Lynne Cox in her book “Swimming to Antarctica”

Most inspirational athlete?

Chris Nikic crossed the Ironman Florida finish line in November of 2020 becoming the first person with Down Syndrome to become an Ironman. He believes you can achieve more by creating a habit to get 1% better than you were yesterday. He has since crossed the finish line of the Boston Marathon and the New York City Marathon. He is gearing up for the Ironman World Championships in Kona in 2022, so let’s all cheer him on!

Best support crew?

I am so damn lucky to have the amazing support of my #1! He has supported me not only on race day(s), but day in and day out throughout my entire journey. I am forever grateful to have him on this journey with me. ❤️ you!

My #1! SO grateful for you! ❤️ you!

If you could sum up your year in a couple of words, what would they be?

PROUD + gratitude + fun + joy

Tell me about your 2021 year!! What are your “bests” from 2021?!

the best of 2020

I love looking back and thinking about all of the amazing things that I’ve accomplished and all of the challenges I’ve overcome! I think we can all agree that 2020 was a VERY UNIQUE year!! I’ve reflected for the last 7 years and now it’s time to reflect on 2020! You can look back at my previous posts if you’d like: the Best of 2013, the Best of 2014, the Best of 2015, the Best of 2016, the Best of 2017, the Best of 2018, and the Best of 2019. Now its time to reminisce my favs from 2020! 🙂

Best race experience?

The Hillbilly Hike 1/2 marathon was my first race in 40 weeks due to the Covid shutdown of so many things this year. I was SO GRATEFUL that I GOT TO race and race safely! You can see my full race report here, which includes all of the Covid precautions that were taken.

Happy heart! Photo credit: the Iron Hippie

Best run?

The Hillbilly Hike 1/2 marathon, while not my best 1/2 marathon finish time, was definitely my best run! After such a long hiatus from racing, I was SO full of gratitude that I was able to race again! This was my best run…possibly ever. It was the first time EVER that I ran the entire 1/2 marathon race without one walk step! So not only am I grateful for the opportunity to race, but I’m incredibly grateful that my body allowed me to push it by running every single step!

This mile is for you! Photo credit: the Iron Hippie

Best bike?

This is SUCH a tough one! I covered over 7000 miles on my bike in 2020 giving me the most bike miles in one year that I have EVER had by over 3500 miles. This provided lots of opportunities for the “best bike” ride. We completed 8 century rides this year. We got to ride in 2 states. We even explored some new roads. All in all, I can’t pick just one ride that was the best this year! Anytime I GOT to ride my bike outside on the open roads with my fav was the best bike ride in that moment…and I’m grateful there were A LOT of them this year!

What a perfect day for 100 miles on 2 wheels! Bluebird skies, gorgeous green foliage, golden glow, and no wind on the open roads/trails…doesn’t get much better than this!

Best swim?

Since we had a 10 week hiatus from the pool due to the Covid shutdown, the first swim back in the pool in May after being away from the water for 10 weeks was pretty amazing!

After 10 weeks away from the water, it is safe to say I missed it tremendously! The calm, quiet, meditative state the water provides is exactly what my soul needed! I was SO grateful to have the whole pool to just the two of us this morning.

Best finish line?

Getting to cross the finish line at the Hillbilly Hike 1/2 Marathon was a dream come true this year with cancellation after cancellation of all things in 2020! It filled my heart with joy in those moments! It gave me hope for the future!

Happy heart! Photo credit: the Iron Hippie

Best training weekend?

Getting away to train in Madison with my fav and Coeur Sports teammates in August was a MUCH needed break from reality! We swam a bit in Lake Monona, ran some, and rode all of the miles! Getting to do what we love somewhere else and with others (safely and outdoors) filled my heart with joy and helped me keep plugging forward in this year of complete uncertainty.

That family portrait…fun with friends on two wheels!

A weekend with friends on two wheels enjoying life outdoors in Madison was exactly what my heart and soul needed!

Best moment out of my comfort zone?

I have been out of my comfort zone more than I have been in it this year, so I am not sure I can pick just one moment. When you step out of your comfort zone, this is where learning occurs, where you grow, where the magic happens. I have been learning and growing SO MUCH in 2020!

Best 100 mile bike ride support crew?

We were SO lucky to have two of my amazing Coeur Sports teammates ride a big part of one of our 100 mile rides with us in early July! Wow was it was a HOT + HUMID day, but they didn’t complain (at least not to us)! They were so supportive and encouraged us to keep going for the last stretch when they were done. It was great to have others to ride with!

#smilesformiles with some AMAZING peeps today! Love life on two wheels even more when others join the fun!
#secondcenturyof2020

So fun to get to spend time on two wheels with these two AMAZING peeps! Can’t wait to do this again!

Best new gear?

Coeur Sports fitted run shorts and performance tights. The pockets in both of these are AMAZING! I can hold SO much in each of them. They are even flexible enough for me to carry a water bottle in the pocket if I want. They don’t move or chafe no matter how wet you get. These are a MUST HAVE!!

Best way to stay healthy?

Wear a face covering!

The masked bandit is ready to race.

Best piece of racing advice you received?

“Just be ready to feel rusty.” ~Steena

Best addition?

JERSEY! We are SO blessed to have been chosen to adopt Jersey right before the pandemic initiated shutdown mode. She is so sweet, loves to play, enjoys every moment, is a strong runner, wants to go everywhere we go, and has a key to each of our hearts.

After work, we adopted our new baby girl…meet Jersey! She will be 2 years old in March and holds keys to all of our hearts.

If you could sum up your year in a couple of words, what would they be?

Challenging, courageous, uncomfortable…and of course dumpster fire!!

Tell me about your 2020 year!! What are your “bests” from 2020?!

My 2016 Year in Review via Photos

January:

My first ever MRI…thankfully it was nothing serious!

Basil is a good helper after a sweaty workout!

Spending lots of time with my boyfriend…mat 🙂

February:

Some serious #runlove with my 2 faves!! Bonus = running in SHORTS in Iowa…see the snow on the ground 😉

More #yogalove this month

Who’s ready to race?! I’m so excited to be on the Coeur Sports Ambassador Team again for 2016!!

March:

Basil and Mya are dreaming of chasing the geese and swimming!

Family run off the bike!

“Just one more” hill for TRJ!!

Easy recovery ride in the courage cave with the boys!

Starting my day with my main squeeze and a new friend in the burbs of Chicago!

April:

Lots of swim analyses done this month!

Outdoor #runlove in shorts!

First century ride in 2016!!

#runlove with friends is the best!

Drake 1/2 marathon is in the books! Official finish time = 1:54:23

May:

Thanks Coach Hansen for the stroke analysis and guidance!!

Market to Market Relay fun!

Market to Market Relay Fun!

#solesistersweat and a podium finish at my first ever duathlon

Challenging our principal to an inflatable race on the last day of school.

Riding the open roads!

June:

Yoga in the park!

#solesister + #bikelove = #perfectworld

DC trip with about 20 eighth graders

Swimming with the nieces between storms.

Milkman 70.3 race in Madison on a hot day!

Our first women’s only ride…SO MUCH FUN and amazing courage in these women!!

July:

4th of July Century ride

#bikelove with amazing people!

Outdoor #swimlove

Women’s only ride #2 for the year!

Teaching the twins how to ride their bikes without training wheels!

Swimming with 2 of my favorite girls!

Getting low fives from my nieces at the Okoboji Triathlon. Photo by Sarah Riley

The Iron Hippie’s Birthday Century Ride

Pool Shenanigans post birthday century ride!

128 miles on the Ironman Wisconsin bike course…EXCELLENT training weekend!

2.4 mile open water swim event in Madison

This is what happy looks like after a successful Ironman Wisconsin training camp!

August:

Running through the jungle on a sweltering day!

Okoboji 3.5 mile Swim with Dad kayaking next to me

Outdoor 50 meter pool swimming is coming to an end.

Running with friends is always best!

Outdoor #bikelove

Taking a trip down the slide at the pool!

#runlove with my faves!

Date night!

September:

Countless laps next to my fave!

Race prep while I watch the Ironman 70.3 Worlds Championship!

Swimming with family in Lake Monona

Meeting my Coeur Sports teammies

Ironman Wisconsin race day! Photo credit: Doree Harding

Ironman Wisconsin #bikelove Photo credit: Erin Klegstad

Running strong at Ironman Wisconsin! Photo Credit: Erin Klegstad

October:

Mom came to visit for a weekend! It was fun to spend quality time with her!

Run for the Roses fun!

Love this little family of mine!

Spectating the IMT Des Moines Marathon!

The Iron Hippie getting close to the finish of the IMT Des Moines Marathon…I’m so proud of him only 5 weeks post Ironman Wisconsin

#bikelove in my fall playground!

I registered for Ironman Mont Tremblant for 2017!!

So happy to cheer on my Coeur Sports Teammates as they take on Ironman World Championships in Kona. These ladies not only inspire me, but encourage me and light my fire! ❤

November:

I found out that I made the Coeur Sports 2017 Ambassador Team…Such a #hardcoeur group of women that I’m overjoyed to be a part of!!

I’m excited to have hired Kelly Hardiaris with Track Cat Fitness as my new coach!!

Hot yoga…a date with my mat is always better with friends!! #yogalove

Washing away the negativity of the month. #swimlove

Running with friends and THIS. BEAUTIFUL. SUNRISE! #runlove

Running with my #solesister and Basil makes the world a better place! #runlove

My twin nieces had their first swim meet this month!

Proud Aunt!

We are Godparents! Baptism for the twins.

Ice skating with our nieces!

Starting Thanksgiving with friends and morning miles!

Thankful for this tribe!

4 generations of #strongwomen

Jumping on trampolines is a much tougher workout than I thought it would be!

Yay!! Mojo is home after surgery!! Now it is time to get to work!!

December:

#chlorinetherapy + #swimlove with the Iron Hippie!!

2 mile time trial with the track all to myself!!

FTP test…I’m not where I once was, but I’m recovered and ready to work hard to surpass where I once was!!

When you wask up to negative wind chills and want to stay in bed with your dreams, but get up and work hard during your swim time trial to turn those dreams into a reality instead! #swimlove #chlorinetherapy

Running on trails along the river = #runlove

Z5 intervals on the bike were super tough, but it felt good to push my limits in a new way and come out stronger as a result!

When it is FREEZING cold outside, it is time to run on the mill and dream of the tropics in my Coeur Sports Tropical Punch kit!

Running the golf course with my girl + bonus #puppylove

Climbing to new heights is VERY scary for someone who is afraid of heights…but I did! #fearless

Tree pose on a tree trunk…this is much harder in jeans than yoga pants!

I’m thankful for all of the great experiences, adventures, and joy in 2016! Cheers to an even better 2017!

15 weeks ’til #IMWI: Grit

The theme from last week: GRIT! Grit to push through the last week of school with kids. Grit to get up in the morning and work for my dreams. Grit to push through tough workouts and do my best.

I only have two more days of school to wrap up this school year, but the kids are already done. I will be spending those days cleaning my room, sitting through a few meetings, and then the sweet sound of freedom for 11 weeks.

Monday:

When I woke up at 4 am, I REALLY wanted to roll over and go back to sleep, but dreams don’t come true with my head on the pillow! Grit won! I planted my feet on the floor and went to the gym for an hour strength training session. It ended up being a great way to start the day!

After work, I met a client for personal training and followed this up with some #bikelove intervals. We are so blessed to have some AMAZING neighbors. During the middle of our intervals, we had a fresh baked loaf of sourdough bread delivered to us. That meant homemade tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner. It was so DELISH!! The perfect meal post #bikelove intervals!!

Tuesday:

When I woke up at 4 am, it was raining. We had speed work to do while running, so we decided to go to the gym and do this work on the treadmill. This ended up being the perfect decision for this workout! I’m not sure I would have successfully hit the target paces that I did if I were outside on the open roads. Minute ladders for 55 minutes looks like this:

• 15 minute warm up
• 1 minute Zone 5/1 minute Zone 2
• 2 minutes Zone 5/2 minutes Zone 2
• 3 minutes Zone 5/3 minutes Zone 2
• 4 minutes Zone 5/4 minutes Zone 2
• 3 minutes Zone 5/3 minutes Zone 2
• 2 minutes Zone 5/2 minutes Zone 2
• 1 minute Zone 5/1 minute Zone 2
• 8 minute cool down

For the zone 5 intervals, I set the treadmill to a 7:03/mile pace (8.5 speed) and for the zone 2 recovery portions, I set the treadmill to an 8:57/mile pace (6.7 speed). Looking back on this, I think I could have run my zone 5 intervals one or two clicks faster, but I didn’t want to be overzealous and not be able to maintain this pace for every interval of the workout. This was a very challenging workout…much more so mentally than physically. #courageovercomfort

After a CRAZY day with students, I went to the pool for a 2400 yard swim. I needed to wash away the negativity from the day. Once I got moving, I could definitely tell I was tired from the morning run. I am working to find my catch in the water, so this means lots of #heartandcourage while I #findfaster. After my swim, I had a VERY productive evening…prepping for Wednesday, cleaning produce from our CSA, preparing lunches for the rest of the week, doing laundry, and dishes before bed.

Wednesday:

When I woke up at 4 am, I really, Really, REALLY wanted to roll over and go back to sleep, but grit won this morning. It took me a bit longer than usual to warm up on the bike and not feel like my head should be on my pillow. Once I got into the working set, I finally felt wide awake…the incredibly loud thunder and bright sky from the lightening could have had something to do with it as well. With storms in the area capable of producing hail, we left the car in the garage, which meant cramped quarters while riding. I’m so glad I got up and worked to make my dreams become a reality instead of allowing myself to stay with my dreams while my head was on the pillow. #workforitwednesday

I did some more laundry and vacuumed the house before heading out the door to work.

After another CRAZY day with students, I went back to the pool for 2300 yards of #swimlove. I was tired, but thankfully I had a much better swim than Tuesday. I’m not sure my form was any better, but I did #findfaster in the water!! I had fun in the water, while washing away the negativity from the week.

Thursday:

Thursday’s we typically sleep in and this week was one of those days. It felt really good to sleep in and rest…10 hours of sleep = happy body. After a full day of work, I ran an errand on my home. Our evening consisted of a 1 hour trainer ride in the driveway on a very warm day, 45 minutes of TRX class, and gearing up for my last day of school with students.

Friday:

We slept in again this morning!! The last day of school is always a fun day for the students and we did our best to make it a fun day for the teachers as well. I challenged our principal to a race through the obstacle course inflatable. We had fun, but both got hurt in the process. Thankfully nothing too serious.

Cue song: “School’s Out For Summer”…well, not quite. I still have 2 professional development days, but no more students until August! After work, I went to the pool to swim and wash away all of the stress from the school year. This was definitely my best swim of the week. I’m certain my form wasn’t much better, but my stroke felt more effortless than it has felt all week. I followed this up with a massage, grocery shopping for the coming week on my way home, and trying to help the Iron Hippie figure out how to get our hot water heater working. Unfortunately the hot water heater went kaput and we can’t get it replaced until Tuesday. I guess that means boiling water to wash dishes and driving to the gym to shower this weekend.

Saturday:

With the rainy early morning forecast, we decided to start our long run at 8 am. This meant we could sleep in! As we set out on our run, I knew it was going to be a challenging run…Holy Humidity Batman! With only one mile under our feet, I already had massive amounts of sweat running off of me! My goal was to start off easy, eventually pick up the pace, and finish with an overall average pace of 9:00/mile for 2 hours of run time. By the end of the run, I had sweat enough to look as though I had gone swimming instead of running. I had completely saturated my shoes…to the point that with every footfall, I could feel and hear the sweat squish in them. Gross 😉 I was grateful that my body held up during this humid run and was able to maintain an average pace of 8:55/mile for the entire 2 hours.

After refueling and changing clothes, we went to the gym for 30 minutes of core work and a hot shower. Since we don’t have a working hot water heater, and we had sweat enough to fill a kiddy pool, it was essential we take a hot shower! After spending about an hour at the gym, we came home, vacuumed the house, did some laundry, washed dishes (heating water on the stove to do dishes makes me feel like I live in the caveman era), got ourselves and bikes ready for a long brick tomorrow, and had a snack.

“Mom, I just want to try a piece, or all of the pieces, of your pineapple.” ~Basil

I spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening relaxing in my compression gear while I blogged, planned out the coming week, and reflected on last week.

Sunday:

We woke up at 6 am so that we could be wheels on by 7:15 am for our long brick. We had a hilly century ride planned with a 30 minute run off the bike. We got through the first 2 hours on our own and then Allen got a ride out to met up with us and ride with us for the next 40 miles. The last 30 miles were again on our own with the open roads. I was pleasantly surprised with the traffic. Almost everyone who passed us did so by going into the left lane, most waited until they were win a passing zone (although some didn’t), and some even honked from a long ways back letting us know they were approaching. If any of you who passed us are reading this, THANK YOU for safely passing us, respecting our choice to be on the open roads, and “passing us like you love us.” We ended up with 103 miles as we rolled into the driveway on a great day! We transitioned into running gear and set out for our 30 minute run. The first 0.5 miles my legs were screaming at me…”What the hell are you doing to me?!” But then I got into a great groove and found myself cruising. The last 4 minutes of the run, I had to really convince myself that I wasn’t as hungry as my belly and body were telling me I was.

103 miles of #bikelove on a BEAUTIFUL day!

30 minute run at an 8:39/mile average pace off of a century ride…I’ll take that!!

We devoured all the food we could find, went to the gym to shower, cleaned and sliced 8 pounds of fresh strawberries (I probably ate a whole pound by myself while I was cleaning them), and then went to our friends’ house for dinner. Great company + awesome grilled food = PERFECT!! We capped off the night with some homemade dessert and blood donating (the mosquitoes were obnoxious) in our neighbors’ back patio.

Weekly Totals: 18 hours & 24 minutes

Swim: 6800 yards
Bike: 157 miles
Run: 23.5 miles
Strength Training: 2 hours & 15 minutes

Quote of the Week:

“Your dreams are on the other side of your grit!” ~Unknown

What’s Up?! – April 2016

It is hard to believe that we only have 4 more weeks of school before summer break! Where has the time gone?! April has been a whirlwind, but here is what I’ve been up to:

Training:

Hello Spring!! I’ve missed you!! I’m so glad you’ve shown up so I can FINALLY get outside for more of my workouts!! Although today, the weather has turned back to cold, rainy, and gloomy for the weekend. As a matter of fact, the predicted weather for tomorrow morning’s Drake 1/2 Marathon race is 44F with 25 mph winds and 95% chance of rain. Oh…what to wear?! I have had some good training weeks (here and here) and lots of fun in the process!! We recently did a century ride. Why?! Because we could…no other reason. It wasn’t planned, it wasn’t on the calendar, it just kind of happened. It definitely wasn’t our fastest century ride, but the first century ride of 2016 is in the books!

Running has been going well. Little by little, I have been seeing improvements in my run times off of the bike. I am hoping this continues.

Training hasn’t been all peaches and cream. I have been getting some swim coaching, and it has been challenging. Tough. Uncomfortable. I am hoping that one day soon the uncomfortable becomes comfortable, but until then, I will keep working hard and hope that one day (hopefully soon) I will have a swim stroke as beautiful and efficient as Michael Phelps.

Where is my catch?!

Playing in the pool…trying to keep things fun!

Reading:

Elite Minds: Creating the Competitive Advantage by Stan Beecham is a really easy read that gives insight into the process of developing a world-class mind in business and sport. I’m learning how fear is holding me back, what I can do to overcome this fear, and that I can’t do it on my own. I consider myself to be a very independent person and often try to achieve success on my own. I’m learning that I can’t achieve success without the help and support of others. It is good to ask for and receive help! It is not a sign of weakness. It is time for me to change my mindset! Success is also important on overcoming my fears. It is time to figure out why those fears exist and overcome those fears aside to achieve dreams and success!

Inspired By:

Brene Brown is a researcher + storyteller who studies vulnerability, courage, authenticity, and shame. I’ve been taking her Living Brave Semester coursework since January. I can’t even begin to share how much I’ve learned, how much I’ve grown, and how sad I am going to be when this class is over. If you haven’t been exposed to Brene’s work, I highly recommend you watch this Ted Talk or read this article.

Loving:

All of the fun new Coeur Sports designs in the triathlon and cycling gear! Hello #stylishspeed and #noangrykitty in amazing and fun designs!!

Crew Design

Mixed Tape Design

Hapuna Design

Looking Forward To:

With only 4 more weeks of school, I am definitely looking forward to summer break. Being a school teacher doesn’t have many perks, but the summer off is a definite perk that I look forward to every year!

What new reads do you recommend? What are you loving right now? What are you looking forward to?

20 weeks ’til #IMWI: Bouncing Back

This week’s theme is Bouncing Back…just like Tigger! I finally feel like I have my mojo back and am on cruise control in the right direction. The warmer temperatures and sunshine are definitely helping 🙂

Monday:

The 4 am alarm clock went off, feet planted to the floor, and off we went to the gym for 1 hour of strength training. With it being Boston Marathon Monday, I was very motivated to get out the door and workout while reminiscing my 2010 Boston Marathon experience! After a full day of work, I met with a personal training client, and then had an easy hour recovery ride before getting ready for the rest of my week. When I arrived home today, we had the *joy* of having our street torn up, so we have to park a block away and *commute* to our vehicles this week.

Tuesday:

The day started with a 4:30 am alarm clock followed by the 2800 yard swim workout from last week that had me crying in my goggles. This week it went SO much better! I kept telling myself “I am Michael Phelps” over and over again. I’m not sure my form was ANYWHERE close to Michael Phelps, but it sure felt much better than last week! #courageovercomfort After work, I went and picked up our CSA from a local producer and then we went out for an evening run. I really struggled with this run for the first 15 minutes. Once I started to do the interval work, I immediately started to think of all those people I know who can’t run and reminded myself that I *get* to run. I started running for them. This run ended up being one of the best runs I’ve had in a long time!

“I am Michael Phelps!”

CSA produce is a sure sign of spring!

#heartandcourage

Wednesday:

After a 4 am alarm clock, we hopped on the bikes in the garage for a 90 minute sweat session before work. I looked like the bag lady carrying All. The. Bags. Down the block to my car. I had my purse, lunch pail, backpack, shower caddy, and swim bag. After work, it was back to the pool for 2600 yards of more #swimlove in a cold pool! Loved the temperature, even though most of the kids in swim lessons had blue lips!

Thursday:

6 am alarm clock meant 10 hours of sleep! It felt GLORIOUS! After a full day of work, I had an eye brow wax and then we rode for an easy hour on the bike before teaching TRX at 6:15 pm.

Friday:

Another sleep in day, which meant 9 more hours of sleep! YIPPEE!! After work, it was an easy recovery swim, followed by running a couple of errands and doing our grocery shopping for the week…NEVER go to the grocery store right after swimming without a grocery list! While everything I purchased was healthy, it was not good on the budget 😉 We had some down time and dog snuggles before an early bedtime to cap of the evening.

I was told by another swimmer that I looked “like candy” in my suit. I told her I’d be much sweeter after swimming and washing away the stress and drama from the week. It worked!

Reading + dog snuggles = LOVE

Saturday:

We woke up at 6 am so we could go on a long ride, but unfortunately it was very foggy and was only in the mid 40sF. We decided we weren’t going to start our ride until after 10 am to let the fog burn off and the temperatures rise; this gave me time to do some core work, make cream of rice with fresh strawberries and beet powder for breakfast, clean up the kitchen, and do some laundry. We ended up rolling out of our driveway (they opened up our street at about 9 am this morning) at about 10:30 am for a long ride. We didn’t really know how far we would ride, but did know that we wanted to get in at least 3 hours in the saddle. The first 41 miles were all head and cross wind at ~20 mph…It. Was. Tough. More mentally, than physically. At mile 47, we had a decision to make…go straight home with the wind at our backs for a total of 70 miles, or endure more cross wind to add on some mileage and get to the trail system. We opted for the cross wind and trail. When we got to mile 61, we had another decision to make…go straight home for a total of 77 miles, or endure more cross winds and add on some mileage so we could end up with 100 miles for the day. We opted for the cross wind and 100 mile day. It didn’t set any speed records for this century ride, but we did set a record for the earliest century ride in the calendar year. Memorial Day weekend was our earliest century ride before today. When we got home, we refueled, cleaned up, and relaxed.

Still smilin’ at mile 89 = serious #bikelove

Our shadows were growing longer as we got closer to home.

No speed records here, but 100 miles in the saddle on April 23 in central Iowa…we’ll take it!!

Sunday:

We woke up at 5:30 am to get our long run done. We finished just shy of 10 miles and it is always so much fun with friends! After our run, we refueled, cleaned house, did laundry, and got ready for the week before having breakfast for lunch with our neighbors at 1 pm. Shortly before 2 pm, we walked downtown with the dogs for Healthy Streets Ames. The dogs had a blast! There were so many kids downtown and lots of them wanted to pet the girls, which meant dog kisses! We got home shortly before 4 pm and relaxed for a bit while the dogs napped. Then it was time for pizza and fro-yo before an early bedtime!

#runlove with Robin!

Breakfast burritos for lunch!

Healthy Streets Ames has some new mascots!

Walking with our dog friends!

Weekly Totals: 17 hours & 47 minutes

Swim: 7500 yards
Bike: 150 miles
Run: 17.3 miles
Strength Training: 2 hours & 15 minutes

Quote of the Week:

“Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you’ll start having positive results.” ~Willie Nelson

100 miles…Why? WHY NOT?!

I got to spend the day on two wheels with my fave and LOTS of wind. We definitely didn’t break any speed records, but we did break a record for the earliest century in a calendar year…April 23 and 100 miles is in the books!!

Still smiling at 89 miles in 😉

Shadows are growing…

No speed records, but a fun day on two wheels!

What is the earliest time of year you’ve completed an outdoor century ride?

Century Ride in the Books

Yesterday we hopped on the bikes at 8:15 am and set out on an adventure.  Our goal was 100 miles of saddle time…and to have a little fun along the way 🙂  We weren’t concerned about pacing.  We weren’t concerned about keeping our stop breaks to a minimum.  We weren’t concerned about taking our time to finish the ride.

The farthest we had gone so far this spring prior to this ride was 52 miles, so we knew this would be a big jump in distance and saddle time for us, but we had all day to get it done.

The first 40 miles were really fun.  Sure it rained on us for a bit, but we were just getting started, so we were feeling good and we had the winds at our backs for the most part.

The Iron Hippie and Dr. Chris taking a quick break to refill our water bottles.

Allen taking a quick break to refill water bottles.

Shortly before mile 40, we saw a sign that looked like this:

This would be the first of many (I lost count after #4)…”Twister Hill” was the first BIG hill that we would encounter on this route.  Unfortunately in central Iowa, we always go down the big hills first and then have to climb back out of the river valley.  “Twister Hill” is where some of the filming took place in the movie “Twister.”  What goes down, must come up…225 feet of climbing over 1 mile.  For central Iowa, this is a fairly big hill 😉

We had a few more of these big hills to descend and climb before we got to mile 50 where we would take our 2nd longer break to refill the water bottles.  We finished the first 50 miles in just under 3 hours.

Once we were back in the saddle, we knew we were going to have some headwinds to fight, a couple more of those big hills to climb and lots of rolling hills to overcome.  As a result, we decided to start off a bit easier than what we had been riding for the first 50 miles.

At mile 80, we knew we only had 7 more miles of suck until we could turn around and have the tailwind for the last 15 miles home.  These next 7 miles would prove to be VERY challenging…more mentally than physically, but we conquered them!!

We finally made it to mile 87…now it is time for the tailwind.

We easily averaged over 20 mph on the return trip to Ames, without even trying.  It was awesome!!  When we pulled into our driveway, we were super excited to get off our bikes, relax in the lawn chairs and eat the homemade beef stew that had been cooking all day in the crock pot 🙂

Total Ride Time:  6:33:08

Total Distance:  102 miles

Average Speed:  15.6 mph

Total Elevation Gain: 2,956 feet (the Ironman Wisconsin bike course is 2,890 feet of climbing over 112 miles)

Average Power: 121 Watts (upper Zone 1…I need to work on getting more solidly into Zone 2)

This morning I received a text message from Allen with the following quote that I feel sums up our century ride almost perfectly:

“I was thinking about our ride yesterday and it was rather sadistic.  Let’s start with 40 miles in the rain to get soaked and going, then throw in 35 miles of climbing in and out of the Des Moines river valley because we are bored, then for more fun lets finish up by riding straight into a headwind for a bit more enjoyment.  I am not sure we could have chosen a harder 100 around here and still end up in Ames.  Good work 🙂 “

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Knee Update…I am still unable to run, but cycling does not bother my knee at all.  I am going through active release therapy and am still holding out some hope that I will be able to run some at our upcoming 70.3 race on June 8.

Celebrating my Independence

As a very independent woman (sometimes this causes some scuttle in our household), I enjoy celebrating Independence Day!!  In honor of Independence Day falling on Thursday of this last week, I decided to do a week long celebration and document my Red, White and Blue week through photography.

Monday, July 1, 2013:  Today was a day in red…

I went to Furman Aquatic Center and swam 2660 yards on the short end of the pool (23.75 yard distance for one length). When I got done with my swim, I decided to try water walking. The Lazy River was open for water walking and while some people were walking with the current, I wanted more of a challenge and instead walked with those people walking against the current for 30 minutes. I really enjoyed the water walking as a different way to keep moving!!

Monday afternoon, my husband and I went for a leisure bike ride on our cross bikes through the woods near our house. We had fun covering 4 miles in 30 minutes, while enjoying the picture Mother Nature has so beautifully painted. It was also fun to get out on Molly the Raleigh…we definitely don’t get to spend enough time together during triathlon training!!

Tuesday, July 2, 2013:  I went for white and blue today…

Tuesday morning we woke up to a BEAUTIFUL July morning!! It was 61 degrees at 5:15 am when we started our 8 mile run. It is mornings like these that make me feel like I could run forever…covering 8 miles in 1:12:29…what fun!!  I got to see a gorgeous sunrise with wonderful company doing what I love!!  What an amazing way to start the day!!

After running, I went to the gym to complete a one hour strength training session.

Wednesday, July 3, 2013:  My day in Blue

While 58 degrees at 6 am may feel a bit chilly to most people…especially when getting into the pool for an outdoor swim, I thought it was a BEAUTIFUL morning!! I got to enjoy swimming in the 50 meter pool, which included a 1000 meter straight swim. I swam this 1000 meters in 20:40, which gave me an average pace of 1:53 per 100 yards. I’ll take that!!

I went for a 37 mile bike ride on the High Tressel Trail system at 2 pm. It was a BEAUTIFUL day to be outside and enjoy Mother Nature!!

Thursday, July 4, 2013:  Today was a rest day…we had a very fun and busy day to celebrate Independence Day!!

We started the day by sleeping in and then headed downtown on our cross bikes for free buttermilk pancakes served at City Hall by the City of Ames employees. It was a fun way to start our day!!

We took the dogs to the local watering hole for a great afternoon swim!!

We finished off the great day with some amazing friends, a campfire and smores. What a great day!!!

Friday, July 5, 2013:  Our Century Ride…I’m in white and blue today

Our Century Ride route through Central Iowa..

What a great way to spend the day…with great friends, doing what I love…riding bikes…both on the roads and trails in Central Iowa!!  Our goal for the day was just to complete 100 miles (not aiming for a certain speed/pace), enjoy each other’s company and enjoy what started out as a beautiful Iowa day!!

On our way to the High Tressel Trail (top), a few of the men needed to relieve themselves (bottom)…

A few hill climbs scattered throughout the ride provided for some amazing scenery!! We did have a train that we had to wait for as well as a flat tire (by my husband), but we finished our 100 miles in style!!  Oh yeah…at about 11 am the furnace kicked on and that beautiful morning turned into a scorching afternoon…

Saturday, July 6, 2013:  Today was a day in blue (and black) while donning my red and white Mojo…

After yesterday’s century ride, I was anticipating a sore bum when I donned Mojo for my brick workout, but I was pleasantly surprised…No sore bum, legs felt GREAT and I was strong and able to push forward at a surprising speed (especially into the headwind). Bike: average speed was 17.5 mph for 25 miles…Run: 9:18 average pace for 5 miles.  The run was a bit of a challenge as we were running in the heat of the day (90+ degrees), but I finished strong!!  I was pleasantly surprised with how well this workout finished up.

Sunday, July 7, 2013:  Another day in blue…

Woke up early for a 2 hour run, which ended up being exactly 13 miles at an average pace of 9:16. It was a VERY muggy morning…so muggy that during the last couple of miles, I had sweat so much that my shoes were squishy and squeaking sweat with every foot fall.  This was a challenging run after all of the other workouts that I completed this weekend…it wasn’t pretty, but I finished!

An awesome late morning swim at The Pits with some friends and all the dogs…what a great way to end the AMAZING Independence Week!!