I signed up for Ironman Mont Tremblant 2020 with the dream and vision that I would be able to race IMMT feeling ALIVE after breaking free from the chains of my past. This would be my opportunity to celebrate all that I had overcome. I envisioned completing this race more for fun + joy as I celebrated all that I had overcome and all of the growth I had made in my personal life. This time around, I was not going to use Ironman as a coping mechanism and avoidance technique for all of the baggage I carried from my childhood trauma. I was going to race free!
Well, Covid popped that bubble. North America started to see Covid cases. Canada shut down its border to the US. Ironman Mont Tremblant cancelled the 2020 event. I deferred my registration to race IMMT in 2021. And then in November, Ironman Mont Tremblant offered me a refund. Not knowing when the Canada/US border would reopen, I decided to take the refund. I will not be racing Ironman Mont Tremblant in 2021…that is the bubble that popped.
While I’m sad I won’t be racing in Mont Tremblant in 2021, I am super excited for my dreams and vision to be put into a new bubble as I head to the desert in 2021! I choose to dream BIG…not just safe, but BIG! I choose to acknowledge my fears and move through them! I choose courage over comfort! I choose to chase my dreams with intention! I choose to grow into my best self! I choose Ironman Arizona in November 2021!
I’m hoping that by November of 2021 we will be in a place where racing is happening again! SOOOO…I signed up to play in the desert!
Well, at this point Ironman Mont Tremblant is still on, but word on the street is that we will receive an email this week letting us know it has been cancelled (not postponed) for 2020. Here is what last week’s training looked like:
Monday:
1 hour ride with 8 x 3 minutes on (225 watts)/3 minute off
7 mile treadmill run
30 minutes of strength + MFR
Tuesday:
1 hour run with 6×4 minutes at race pace (7.0 mph or 8:32/mile) on the treadmill to control my pacing
1 hour easy ride
30 minutes of yoga
Wednesday:
1 hour ride with short bursts into Z4 and Z5
30 minutes of SBT strength training
Thursday:
9 mile easy run with Basil
1 hour easy ride
Friday:
1 hour virtual ride with my Coeur Sports community
For now, IRONMAN Mont Tremblant, which is scheduled for August 23, is still on, but I anticipate that to change very soon. Quebec has called “for the cancellation of all sports, festivals, and cultural events until August 31.” When this change happens, my race goals will be put on hold, but I’m not going to let that slow me down. I am still here. I am still healthy. I am still training for life. For me, this is a lifestyle…one that I love. AND…one day I will get to race again. When that day arrives, I will be ready and I won’t take it for granted. Here is what last week’s training looked like:
Monday:
1 hour easy spin
30 minutes of yoga
Tuesday:
2 hours & 15 minutes of SERIOUS #bikelove with my fave OUTSIDE on the open roads!
20 minute easy run off the bike with most of our pack
“Hey mom, what is that thing?” ~Jersey
Wednesday:
1:05 ride with 10 x 2 min on (225 watts)/3 min off
30 minutes of strength + MFR
Thursday:
1 hour ride with 10 x 30 seconds (247 watts) and 10 x 20 seconds (279 watts)
8 mile negative split run that ended up being a progressive run as well
Boom! So happy with my performance on this run!
30 minutes of yoga
Friday:
1 hour easy ride with some of my amazing Coeur family!
50 minute run on the treadmill at 1.0% incline with 4×4 minutes at 7.7 mph (7:47/mile pace)
30 minutes of SBT strength training
Saturday:
2:30 on the bike…this ride did NOT go as planned. My legs were really struggling after putting up a really solid week of training. I was supposed to have 2×20 minutes at FTP (214 watts) during this ride. Notice I said “supposed to”…well my first 20 minutes turned into 10 minutes at FTP, then a 5 minute break, and the last 5 minutes at FTP. The second 20 minutes went south quick. I rode 1 minute at FTP and 1 minute easy for the first 10 minutes and then took the last 10 minutes easy. My legs wouldn’t turn over at those watts. I decided to listen to them, give them grace, and not force it.
Sunday:
1:30 endurance ride (160 watts)…thankfully my legs showed up for this ride.
I also did 15 minutes of core strength + 5 minutes of meditation everyday last week.
Swim totals: Sadly none
Bike totals: 175 miles
Run totals: 15.7 miles
Weekly total: 16 hours & 30 minutes
Other weekly highlights:
Jersey LOVES to snuggle!!
What?! It’s warm enough to have the windows open?! Sadly it only lasted a few days and was snowing again by Sunday.
We may not be able to connect in person, but we are finding ways to connect virtually. I’m so grateful to have landed beside this STAR when I was shooting for the moon! She shines SO bright and makes my heart happy!
Jersey made sure to find a space to snuggle while I was getting my recovery on with my Normatec recovery boots.
Last week I finally felt the life stressors ease back a bit…that doesn’t mean the stress is gone, but more that I’ve begun to adapt to it. Here is what last week’s training looked like:
Monday:
I took a complete rest day (after I completed my 15 minutes of core strength and meditation). My body was craving rest, so I listened and gave it what it wanted.
Tuesday:
1 hour bike ride with 4x (4 minutes in zone 3 immediately followed by 3 minutes in zone 4 immediately followed by 2 minutes in zone 5 and then 3 easy minutes in zone 1)…this was a tough workout, but I really loved the challenge!
30 minutes of full body strength and MFR (myofascial release)
1 hour run…I took Basil for the first 45 minutes and Jersey for the last 15 minutes. Jersey is learning our commands and becoming a better runner everyday!
45 minutes with Basil
15 minutes with Jersey
Wednesday:
14 mile run with Basil…yes, she ran the whole 14 miles with me! #basillovesrunning
1 hour easy ride to spin out the legs
Thursday:
1 hour ride with 8×4 minutes at Ironman effort…another tough ride, but grateful for the challenge!
30 minutes of SBT strength training
30 minutes of yoga
Friday:
1 hour easy ride with some of my amazing Coeur family!
All the highlighted green peeps are my Coeur fam š
Saturday:
3 hour ride with some 2×20 minutes at FTP and 30 minutes at tempo…this was SUPER tough, but I did my best. I wasn’t able to successfully complete the second 20 minutes at FTP, but I nailed all of the other targets on this ride. The best part was getting to ride beside my fave for a part of my ride.
3 hour ride with my fave!
5 mile run off the bike…keeping it at about 80% max heart rate effort from last week’s runs.
Sunday:
3 hour endurance run…so grateful that after 6 weeks, this ride is FINALLY starting to feel easier.
30 easy minute run with Jersey…she is becoming a really good runner!
I also did 15 minutes of core strength + 5 minutes of meditation everyday last week.
Swim totals: Sadly none
Bike totals: 181 miles
Run totals: 28.5 miles
Weekly total: 18 hours & 12 minutes
Other weekly highlights:
Dog walks are the best!
Play time! That slobber says it all…PURE JOY!!
New collar and leash day for Jersey!
Time to break out new running shoes! I love new shoe day!
Last week the “new normal” started to take hold. It has given me more time with the dogs and time to help Jersey adjust to our family, which I am also very grateful for. I am still training for races as if they will happen as scheduled. Fitness is my passion and our lifestyle. Here is what last week’s workout schedule looked like.
Monday:
2:05 brick included 1:45 on the bike + a 20 minute run off the bike…The bike was super tough. I wasn’t able to successfully nail all of the targets on the bike intervals, which was a let down, but also a positive. I’ll have more about this in another post later this week. The run off the bike was a progressive run done on the treadmill to help control pacing and push me just a little bit harder than I would have likely pushed myself outside on the roads.
My word for 2020 is “celebrate.” Since 2020 has been flipped on its head sideways, it has proven a bit challenging to find things to celebrate right now. Today I’m choosing to celebrate our health, our pack, and some brick miles.
Tuesday:
50 minute run with 4×4 minutes at faster than 5K race pace. I didn’t anticipate this run to go very well as I was tired from yesterday’s brick workout, but I was pleasantly surprised with how my body performed.
I try to seek opportunities amongst the obstacles. Today’s obstacle was showing up. Today’s opportunity was performing better than I expected while quieting my crazy brain because I showed up for myself. Grateful for the solid 4×4 minutes at faster than 5K pace in my 50 minute workout.
30 minutes of strength training
Wednesday:
1:10 bike ride with 8×3 minutes at 90% of FTP…I was pleased to hit all of these targets on this ride with tired legs.
Not every workout is full of rainbows and unicorns, but when you push through the struggles, fear, and doubt, you come out on the other side grinning from ear to ear.
30 minutes of yoga
Thursday:
12 mile run with Basil…I needed this fresh air and pavement pounding. The last two miles were a bit challenging, but we finished strong.
Grateful I don’t have to social distance from my favorite girl and for the 12 miles of time together!
Friday:
30 minutes of SBT strength training
Saturday:
2:55 endurance ride…this was more challenging than I expected. I was grateful to successfully complete this ride.
Do what makes you happy and be kind to others! We are all struggling right now. A happy heart and kindness go a LONG way.
5K run off the bike to honor KO
A 5K for Kristen Oswald’s 45th birthday. Kristen was hit and killed while racing IRONMAN Ohio 70.3 in July 2019.
Sunday:
1:55 endurance ride…this went much better than yesterday. I was grateful to have my fave by my side
30 minutes of yoga off the bike
Without my massages, it is even more important for me to incorporate yoga into my weekly practice.
I also did 15 minutes of core strength + 5 minutes of meditation daily
Swim totals: Sadly none
Bike totals: 140 miles
Run totals: 22.9 miles
Weekly total: 15 hours & 4 minutes
Other weekly highlights:
Jersey, Basil, and Mya are adjusting well.
I’ve had a lot of time to snuggle and work with Jersey to train her.
I think we can all agree that last week was a HOT MESS! With all of the upheaval, uncertainty, change, anxiety, and unease, I still managed to have a pretty solid week. Yes, I am still training as if all of my big races will happen. Yes, races are getting postponed and canceled, but for me, this is a lifestyle. I don’t simply train for race day. I train for the lifestyle, the sanity it provides, the challenges it presents, and the joy it brings. It is my passion. Yes, having a race on the calendar provides me with a map for my training, but it isn’t a necessity. Currently most of my big races are still on as scheduled, although that may definitely change in the coming weeks and I am prepared mentally for it. So with that, here is a look at what last week looked like for me. Spoiler alert…a major highlight was the new addition to our family.
Monday:
30 minutes of full body strength training before work
1 hour easy ride with a 20 minute run off the bike
Tuesday:
3000 yard swim…I was the only one in the pool and the very last one in the pool before it was shut down by our governor. I was so grateful to have a solid swim as my send off to swimming until who knows when.Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā
Wednesday:
Today marks the day I was instructed we would be working from home until who knows when. I am incredibly grateful to have a job and bring home a paycheck during these uncertain times.
I had a split long run day…7.5 miles pushing the pace a bit in the am and 7.5 miles easy in the pm.
Thursday:
1 easy hour on the bike
30 minutes of strength (with a little help from Basil and Jersey)
30 minutes of yoga
Friday:
1:30 brick…1 hour bike with a 30 minute progressive run off the bike. Ā
Saturday:
I had every intention of riding with my Coeur team on Zwift, but I didn’t know how to connect with them on my end, so I decided to cut my ride really short (only 15 minutes in) and go run. I took Basil for the first 10 miles and then Jersey joined me for a 1.25 mile cool down.
10 miles with Basil
1.25 recovery miles with Jersey
30 minutes of yoga
Sunday:
3 hour endurance ride. Grateful to have my fave by my side for just over an hour of this ride.
Swim totals: 3000 yards (1.7 miles)
Bike totals: 104 miles
Run totals: 32.1 miles
Weekly total: 15 hours & 52 minutes
Other weekly highlights:
After work Tuesday, we adopted our new baby girl…meet Jersey! She is 1 year old and holds keys to all of our hearts.
Last week I stepped WAY out of my comfort zone and did something I’ve NEVER done before. I packed Mojo (my bike) into a bike box and flew with her (and a friend) to Coeur Camp in Carlsbad, Cali! I have NEVER flown with my bike before, and it was quite the experience. We met up with some AMAZING women where we hoped to have an amazing weekend of all things swim/bike/run/goat yoga/family/etc., but sadly COVID-19 put an abrupt end to camp Friday morning. Thankfully we got in a good swim workout, run, and learned about race planning.
Monday:
Other than my daily core + meditation, I took a rest day. My “Form” in Garmin was -40 and my body was craving rest, so I listened to it.
Tuesday:
Other than my daily core + meditation, I took a rest day again today. I had to finish packing so I was ready to travel to Minneapolis tomorrow for camp.
Wednesday:
Other than my daily core + mediation, I had another rest day. I knew today would be a rest day due to travel. With the Coronavirus scare, I was a bit nervous about the flights. What if I get to Cali and all flights are cancelled for the return trip?! Road trip home!
Thursday:
2 am CST wake up call to get to the airport for our 5 am flight.
When we got to camp, we had a great swim in an outdoor pool in the rain. I found myself swimming paces I haven’t seen in quite a while! Oh…and mid swim workout, the ladies all sang happy birthday to me. Definitely a memory I will never forget.
Grateful for these AMAZING ladies who sang happy birthday to me mid swim in the rain. It really filled my heart!
After doing a quick change, we met up for a 40 minute descending run. The first 10 minutes were an easy warm-up and for the next 30 minutes, we ran a 0.5 mile loop progressively descending with each loop.
Having fun running laps in SoCal!
Friday:
We woke up to a message that camp had been cancelled due to COVID-19, so we scrambled to find flights home. This was another FULL day of traveling.
Saturday:
I was SO exhausted today that I did my core work + meditation, tried to unpack some gear (I got the bike unpacked and ready to ride…priorities), took a 3 hour nap, and was back in bed early for a long + good night’s rest.
Sunday:
After 11 hours of sleep, I woke up feeling almost like myself. I got everything unpacked and put away, made smoothies for the week, cleaned up the house, and
I completed 15 minutes of core strength and 5 minutes of meditation every day this week…that was about the only exercise I got in this week due to complete craziness, but I’m ready to start this week off strong!
Swim totals: 2700 yards (1.53 miles)
Bike totals: 0 miles
Run totals: 4.5 miles
Weekly total: 3 hours & 7 minutes
This wasn’t the week I had planned for (and hoped for), but I’m healthy. I’m home. I’m ready for the social distancing (which isn’t that much different than my everyday life). I’m doing what I can to help flatten the curve.
Other weekly highlights:
Getting to travel with this beautiful lady! #safetyfirst
I got my bike all put together by myself in Cali (only to have to take it apart and repack it for the return trip)!!
Chlorine kills! Love this beautiful lady so much! #birthdayhugs
These two beauties are AMAZING!! I’m so grateful for everything Kebby (the founder of Coeur Sports) has done for women in sport (myself included). And Lisa…You my dear are beautiful soul inside and out! Thanks for the laughs (and photo bombing)!!
Ladies and Gentlemen, may I have your attention please! For those that may not know, I have officially registered for IRONMAN Mont Tremblant 2020 and we are 24 weeks out from race day. SO much has changed in the past year, but one thing remains the same…I have a passion for swim/bike/run and a fire in my belly for IRONMAN distance racing. I am SUPER excited to be pushing myself in new ways as I prepare for IRONMAN Mont Tremblant! I can’t wait to see how this journey unfolds and what IRONMAN Mont Tremblant race day brings me!
I’ve decided to return to my weekly recaps as a way to document my progress, while hopefully inspiring someone else to dream big and chase those dreams with their whole heart! Here is what went down during week 25:
Monday:
40 minute treadmill run that at times pushed me WAY out of my comfort zone! I ran at 6.0 mph (10:00/mile pace) for the majority of the run, but every 5 minutes I had a 1 minute at 8.8 mph (6:49/ mile pace). YIKES! To keep this more realistic to outdoor running, I had the incline on the treadmill set to 1%. Those 1 minute intervals were SUPER CHALLENGING for me, but this is where growth happens!
54 minute Zwift ride with 6x(30 seconds Z5/1 minute Z3)…I did this immediately after that treadmill run. Needless to say, my legs weren’t impressed with me during these intervals, but they performed and held strong!
2400 yard swim…this was mostly recovery, which was exactly what the body was craving after yesterday’s more challenging workouts.
40 minute run home from work with 5 x 0.25 mile hill repeats. Running strong and hard up the hill and jogging easy back down. I haven’t done hill repeats since June of 2017. I’ve missed them and will be incorporating them into my training plan more frequently. The goal was to be strong and consistent, but I think I needed a bit of a longer warm up before doing the hill repeats. Instead of consistency, I progressively got faster with each repeat. I guess it leaves me with goals for next time! š
The underlined splits were my hill repeat paces.
Wednesday:
42 minute ride Zwift ride with 5x(1 minute Z4/1 minute Z2) followed by 10 solid minutes in Z3. This was a “head down and do work” kind of ride.
Grateful to sweat it out next to my fave as we both put in the work on this #workforitwednesday!
30 minute strength session using the SBT Extreme suspension trainer. I incorporated a lot of good variety in my session working all muscle groups.
Thursday:
3000 yard swim with 3×300 at race pace. It took me a bit longer to get to race pace than planned today, but I finally got there by my final 300.
12 mile run home from work. It was SUPER FREAKING WINDY! There were a couple of times during this run that I was blown to a complete stop while running into a 31 mph sustained headwind (with gusts up to 56 mph). When I was blown to a complete stop, I just laughed out loud!
Friday:
90 minute active recovery ride on Zwift…this felt really good to spin easy.
3600 yard swim with 3x(12×25 FAST with 20 seconds rest between). Between each set, I did 300 yards of a specific drill to guide my technique for the next set. I was pretty consistent in swimming these 25s at around 1:20/100 yard pace.
Friday Happy Hour swims are my fave!
Saturday:
3 hour endurance ride on Zwift maintaining 155 watts for the duration of the ride. This is a great way to practice what race day power should feel like.
30 minutes of yoga at home…Yoga Download for Triathletes: Post-Training Practice You don’t have to go to a yoga studio or do 60-90 minutes of yoga at a time. This simple 30 minutes compliments whatever workout you’ve already done for the day by stretching out all areas of the body.
Spending some time with my mat post endurance ride.
Sunday:
3 hour endurance ride with sprints on Zwift. This was OH. SO. CHALLENGING! After a 15 minute warm-up (which started at 150 watts), I had 10 intervals of 15 minutes at 155 watts + 8 seconds at 600+ watts (all out sprint) before the 15 minute cool down. I’ve tried to do this ride in the past, but the farthest I’ve gotten is through 7 of those 10 intervals. Today I successfully completed all 10 intervals and I’m super pleased with myself. It wasn’t easy, but this is where growth happens!
Those 8 second sprints were no joke!
After multiple attempts, this was the first time ever that I successfully completed this workout!
40 minute run off the bike at an easy pace with my friend Robin. SO grateful for her friendship, support, hugs, and all the girl talk.
So grateful for all of the strong AF, badass women in my life. The ones who lift each other up, support each other in life and sport, encourage each other to live their best life, inspire each other to dream big, and stand beside you through it all! I’m so grateful I got to share some miles with one of those strong AF, badass women today!
In addition, I completed 15 minutes of core strength and 5 minutes of meditation every day.
Swim totals: 9000 yards (5.11 miles)
Bike totals: 148 miles
Run totals: 24.8 miles
Weekly total: 18 hours & 59 minutes
Other weekly highlights:
Walking the dogs in the warmth and sunshine!
Packing for Coeur Camp! So excited to spend my birthday weekend swimming/biking/running with all the ladies in Cali!
Celebrating my birthday a bit early with one of my favorite food groups…sushi!
If I had to sum up my 2017 season in one word, it would be FANTABULOUS! Sure it was full of ups and downs, but overall, it was SO. MUCH. FUN! Here are some of the ups and downs of my 2017 season:
Ran my way to 3rd on a hilly 10K course with a finish time of 50:32…only 1:41 off my PR (on the same course)!
So giddy! 16 watt improvement in my FTP test today means I’m over the 200 watt threshold! I never imagined I would see this day! So grateful for Coach Kelly to push me WAY out of my comfort zone and help me get stronger this season!
Not quite the race I was hoping for, but I pushed as hard as I could all the way through! Grateful the rain held off until after I finished! Another Drake 1/2 is in the books!
First long solo ride on Saturday! HUGE confidence builder!
“This is HUGE! Congrats. A back to back 4 hour ride is a great prep session for the Ironman build up. I’m so happy it went well and glad you do not back down in the face of adversity. You’ve evolved a lot as an athlete this year. I’m proud of you today. Good work.” ~Coach Kelly
The heat index was 97F with sustained winds of 22-25 mph and gusts up to 35 mph. It was a rough day! Not what we’ve trained for, but we each set a new PR since we did a new distance…
So giddy with today’s split run! 2×7 miles at sub 8:30 minute/mile pace left a HUGE smile on my face for run #2 today as I crushed my goal!!
So happy + #grateful to finally put together a pretty solid long run despite the full sun, warm temps, + high dew point. Mother Nature put up a fight, but I won Wednesday!
I’m in a big build…today (Friday) adversity had me sitting on the side of the road in tears with 10 miles to go. I had lots of thoughts and choices while sitting under the tree. I chose to get back on Mojo and continue to chase my dreams! As Coach Kelly says, “it is supposed to feel like that and that this is what it takes. :)” First solo century is in the books!
So much fun to meet my Coeur Sports teammate Saturday and cheer her on to 1st place AG as she raced in Iowa last weekend!
Turning social media friends into real friends is so much fun!
Pure joy comes when you learn new skills! Congratulations to Maggie! She stared fear in the face and won! So proud of you Maggie!
2nd place AG at the Okoboji Triathlon!
Loved meeting Coach Kelly + spending time with her and other amazing athletes at the Vermont Training Camp put on by Track Cat Fitness!
Climbing my way up App Gap in Vermont at the Track Cat Training Camp…That. Was. HARD!
Last long run before #IMMT in Stowe, Vermont…now it is time to taper and soak up all this training!
Swimming in Mirror Lake in Lake Placid, NY
This lady is AMAZING! Meeting my Coeur Sports Teammate, Amy Farrell!
Let’s get this party started! #IMMT
So much coeur on this #IMMT course! #bikelove
Love you Ericka! Thanks for the run photo at #IMMT!
CyMan Sprint Triathlon…running my way to the finish!
Running the Hillbilly 1/2 Marathon with these two crazy kids was so much fun!
Thanks to Coach Kelly with Track Cat Fitness for helping me become #trackcatstrong this year both mentally and physically! I’m super excited to see what is in store for us in 2018!
I recently had time trials during the swim, on the bike, and at the track while running to establish benchmarks for this next segment of training. It is clear that the “flexible season” (as coach likes to call it) has done its job! I am rested, recovered from IMMT, and ready to get back to consistent training so that I can eventually surpass my peak fitness levels from this year as I prepare for a fun + exciting 2018 season!
Swim time trial day!
Bike power challenge!
Run time trial at the track!
I’m so ready for new challenges and very excited for what’s to come in 2018!
Ā 
PushMyLimits 