RUFFWEAR – PushMyLimits

2023 week 4: explore

Published on January 30, 2023 by KeciaLeave a comment

Last week I spent exploring…exploring where my edge was while climbing Alp du Zwift on the bike, exploring where my edge was during a 200 yard time trial, and exploring all the trails in the snow (including some new to us trails).

“Exploration is a wonderful way to open our eyes to the world, and to truly see that impossible is just a word.”
~Richard Branson

Swim highlights: 3050 yards

Wednesday was the only day I swam last week and boy was it a great swim! We did a “shark” swim Wednesday. Melissa is about 30 seconds faster than me at the 200 distance (her breast stroke and my freestyle). She gave me a 30 second head start and I worked HARD to not let her catch me. Thanks Melissa for pushing me to really get the most out of myself! 💙

New PR for the 200 yard distance in the pool Wednesday that ended with heavy + labored breathing, seeing stars, feeling my heartbeat in my toes, and feeling SO DAMN PROUD of myself for going deep into the well. ⚡️

Bike highlights: 29.4 miles + 36,388 feet of cumulative elevation gained in January

Monday I climbed Alp du Zwift with the goal of trying to set a 90 day PR. My previous PR was set 5 days prior with a time of 90:20 for the 7.76 mile climb. On Monday I SMASHED that by setting a new PR of 78:04! ⚡️ This climb also got me to the top of Mount Everest for the month of January. Don’t worry…I didn’t stop climbing just because I achieved this goal. I’m still climbing through the end of the month!

So damn proud of my accomplishments:
⚡️cutting over 12 minutes
⚡️sticking with the discomfort when I wanted to quit climbing many times
⚡️my curiosity won instead of my fear of failure and fear of disappointment
⚡️my intentional thoughts were on point to get me to the top

Run fun: 0 miles

I didn’t do one run last week and I’m ok with that. I ventured out on snowshoes multiple times instead. Taking advantage of the white fluff! ❄️💙

Snowshoe adventures: 6.61 miles

We got out for a snowshoe adventure early in the week before it got too cold to be outside for long later in the week. It is so peaceful out in the woods! I’m so grateful to have a family who enjoys these outdoor adventures! ❄️💙🐶

Weekly Totals: 9 hours & 40 minutes

15 minutes of core strength daily
2×30 minutes of full body strength

Attitude of Gratitude:

snuggles + building radical self belief with Vanessa Foerster + getting squeezed by my Normatec boots = happy heart

snowshoeing at dusk was a great way to end the work week ❄️💙🐶

snowshoe adventures in the falling ❄️ before the temps plummeted ❄️💙🐶

Recovery is on point after all the playing in the ❄️

What are you highlights from week 4 of 2023?

2023 week 3: messy + imperfect + uncomfortable = success

Published on January 24, 2023 by KeciaLeave a comment

Last week we started to figure out our new normal while experiencing less of everything: dog hair, love, feet to clean, happy tails, mouths to feed, snuggles. Monday I made the commitment to myself to “just show up” everyday and that is what I did. By doing this, I had a super successful week that I am SO DAMN PROUD of!

“Show up messy. Show up imperfect. But just keep showing up.”
~Jenna Kutcher

Swim highlights: 10,800 yards

During Wednesday’s swim, Coach Sophie gave me feedback to make my swim stroke more efficient and balanced long term. Right now it is in the ugly + uncomfortable + craptastic stage where I am mentally doubting if it is worth it because I am slow and awkward. I trust the process and I believe that it will get better with time. So for now, I will continue to show up, be messy + imperfect + uncomfortable and practice, practice, practice. AND on Friday, I set a new PR at the 500 yard distance with a time trial…maybe those tweaks to my swim stroke are working. 🙃

How lucky are we that we get to swim here?! Oh…and that new 500 yard PR is pretty awesome too!! 🙃

Bike highlights: 57.8 miles + 30,705 feet of cumulative elevation gained in January

Ummm…Thursday’s ride was BRUTAL in the BEST way!! I missed doing the Kilimanjaro workout with the @coeursports #veloclub Thursday morning, which meant I had to do this challenging workout solo later in the day. After seeing all of the posts and comments about the difficulty of this workout I was scared + nervous to go it alone. My brain was full of doubt. But thankfully doubt isn’t a problem. I did some session priming before starting this workout. I decided ahead of time what I wanted to think + how I wanted to feel DURING this workout AND what I wanted to think + how I wanted to feel AFTER this workout.

“Remember you have to be a bit scared to be brave, AND you have to overcome that fear to get the biggest feeling of accomplishment after.” ~ @jesssmithtri
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I am exploring where my edge is. As challenging as this workout was, today I was pushed close to my edge, but I did not reach it. I finished with stars for all 49 intervals, trashed legs, a happy heart, and the biggest feeling of accomplishment! ⚡️

Run fun: 5.64 miles

Wednesday I had a run where the main set was 4 minutes fast/4 minutes easy. Based on my last performance doing this workout a couple of weeks ago, I decided to shoot for 7.8 mph (8:01/mile pace) for those fast intervals. I took some time to session prime and when I stepped on the treadmill, decided to explore where my edge is and go for 8.0 mph (7:49/mile pace). I had no idea if I could actually hit this, but I knew I was willing to try it and see if I had it in me to do on this day. It wasn’t pretty, but I held on for every second of those fast intervals and I was so damn proud of myself for not settling with the easier pace and pushing myself so close to my edge.

Snowshoe adventures: 5.25 miles

We finally got out for some snow adventures last weekend! Wahoo!

Weekly Totals: 16 hours & 33 minutes

15 minutes of core strength daily
30 minutes of full body strength
30 minutes of yoga

Attitude of Gratitude:

Look at what we FINALLY got?! Who’s ready to snowshoe?! 🙋🏻‍♀️

recovery is on point 🥰 with a squeeze from my Normatec boots

everytime we light this we think of our baby girl 🐶🥰 thanks Steena and John for giving us such a beautiful gift to keep her around for a bit longer

snowshoe adventures with this amazing crew ❄️💙

snow, friends, and conversation is great therapy ❄️💙

Sometimes we get tree limbs and sometimes we get deer legs brought to us by our favorite little “hunter.” Sunday was a little of both. 😜🤣 (this one is the tree limb)

What are you highlights from week 3 of 2023?

2022 week 35: expectations are toxic

Published on September 6, 2022 by KeciaLeave a comment

Last week I took a step back to get a different perspective. I noticed that I was holding on to unnecessary and unhelpful expectations about where I “should” be in my current training cycle and comparing my training to where I was last year at this time leading into IMAZ. Expectations are toxic. When we go into something with an expectation it adds unnecessary pressure which can increase the demands on our brain and induce anxiety. I’m not in the same place I was last year at this time. But ya know what?!! Of course I’m not in the same place because I have laid more bricks, gained more experience, produced a lot more sweat, and have learned SO much more in the last 365 days. My training doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s…including that of my past self. What if I am right where I need to be? What if I am in a better place this year going into IMAZ than I was last year?

Quote of the week:

“Don’t let negative and toxic people rent space in your head. Raise the rent and kick them out.”
~Robert Tew

Swim highlights: 15,002 yards

Saturday morning I set out to swim the furthest I have ever swam before…6 km (3.7 miles). Some may say, “Why?! You don’t NEED to swim that far” and they would be correct…I don’t NEED to swim that far, but I WANTED to go for it! Saturday morning was the last opportunity to swim long course in the 50 m outdoor pool for the season and I wanted to soak it all in, so I did just that! ⚡️

Warm up:
- 300 swim
- 200 drills
- 300 swim
- 200 drills
Main Set:
- 3×1500 swim at race pace effort (60 sec rest)
- 6×50 FAST (30 sec rest)
Cool Down:
- 200 any stroke

I wanted to challenge myself in a new way! #LFG ⚡️

Bike highlights: 113 miles

I ended the week (and started this week) with a back to back brick session and DAMN it was amazing! I rode the same 71 mile loop followed by the same 4+ mile run off the bike both Sunday and Monday. It was a HUGE confidence builder! Sunday was so AWESOME…I didn’t think it could get any better, but Monday was spicy and oh so much better! ⚡️

Run highlights: 22.4 miles

Wednesday before heading out for my run, I decided ahead of time to release the unnecessary and unhelpful expectations that I had been holding onto. The result…while running, I felt lighter, more joyful, more at peace, and held more space for self trust and self confidence.

I AM meeting myself where I’m at and I AM right where I need to be! ⚡️

Strength Training: 15 minutes of core strength daily

Weekly Totals: 17 hours & 29 minutes
2×30 minutes of full body strength training

Attitude of Gratitude:

These two LOVE their snuggles…especially at bed time! 🐶🥰

We got to see the new pool and facility we will be swimming in starting this Wednesday! Not only is it a brand new facility and pool, but it is also a brand new masters swimming program! #LFG ⚡️

We celebrated Basil’s 10th birthday. How is our baby girl already 10?! 🐶🥰

Getting my squeeze on! Thank you Normatec Recovery!

What were your highlights from week 35 of 2022?!

2022 week 30: downtime

Published on August 1, 2022August 1, 2022 by Kecia2 Comments

Last week I was forced into downtime. My body and insecticides are not a good combination. My nervous system is similar to that of an insect; when it is exposed to insecticides, it causes a spike in my acetylcholinesterase levels and it takes my body time to fully recover from the exposure. There have been a lot of planes crop dusting fields around us (welcome to summer in Iowa), which means pesticides are hanging in the air and I had my annual pesticide exposure. LOTS of sleep, flushing the system with fluids, sleep, rest from exercise, sleep…did I mention sleep?! I slept over 38 hours in a 72 hour time period…for those that aren’t a fan of math, that means I spent over half of my time sleeping during those few days.

Quote of the week:

“How is this useful? What can I gain from this downtime?”
~Vanessa Faye Foerster

Swim highlights: 2953 yards

I finally got to swim on Saturday morning. It started out a bit rusty, but by the time I got to the main set, I was warmed up and ended up having a really solid swim!

Warm up:
- 300 swim
- 200 drills
- 200 swim
- 100 kick
Main Set:
- 4×100 easy (20 sec rest)
- 4×100 moderate (20 sec rest)
- 4×100 fast (20 sec rest)
- 500 pull
Cool Down:
- 200 any stroke

Grateful to feel fluid in the water after nearly a week away.

Bike highlights: 76.5 miles

Sunday morning I ventured out for a few miles with a friend. It was a beautiful morning on the open roads!

“Success is not final. Failure is not fatal. It’s the courage to continue that counts.” ~Winston Churchill
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How do you view success and failure? Success and failure are not endpoints, but rather they are middle points of a much larger journey…the journey of becoming all that you can be and your absolute best self! Keep rolling on that journey and doing what you love because getting the most and best from yourself is worth E V E R Y T H I N G !! ⚡️

Run highlights: 12.3 miles

I’m always grateful for the miles I get to spend running with my niece and even though I REALLY struggled on Tuesday’s run (thanks to the beginning of my body shutting down and needing all the rest to recover from the pesticide poisoning), I am still grateful for those miles together.

“There are no limits. There are plateaus, but you must not stay there, you must go beyond them.” ~Bruce Lee
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How do you go beyond the plateaus?

SUP highlights: 2.39 miles

Strength Training: 15 minutes of core strength daily

Weekly Totals: 10 hours & 49 minutes
2×20 minutes of full body strength training

Attitude of Gratitude:

Recovery is on point with my Normatec Recovery boots!

What were your highlights from week 30 of 2022?!

2022 week 28: shifts

Published on July 20, 2022 by KeciaLeave a comment

Last week was all about making shifts. I had to shift my mindset on more than one occasion last week from a place that wasn’t helpful to a place that better suited me.

Quote of the week:

“If you don’t like something, change it; if you can’t change it, change the way you think about it.”
~Mary Engelbreit

Swim highlights: 3718 yards

It’s easy to focus on wanting to be someplace you’re not yet or wanting to be someone you aren’t yet, but don’t forget to celebrate how far you’ve come!
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What do you have today that you used to dream about having?
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⚡️ My past self would be in awe at the swimming paces that I am consistently throwing down.
⚡️ My past self would be amazed at the cycling power and love for the bike that I have built.
⚡️ My past self would be inspired by the goals I set for myself and have crushed in the process.
⚡️ My past self would be impressed with my commitment to always doing and being my best.
⚡️ My past self would be pleased with the self efficacy that I am cultivating.
⚡️ My past self would admire my bravery to take on new challenges and my willingness to grow in the process.
⚡️ My past self would be so damn proud of the person I am creating!

Warm up:
- 300 kick with fins (20 sec rest)
- 300 pull (20 sec rest)
- 300 swim (20 sec rest)
- 4×100 descending (20 sec rest)
Main Set:
- 2×800 Z4 effort (30 sec rest)
- 400 Z4 effort (30 sec rest)
Cool Down:
- 100 any stroke

Bike highlights: 81.4 miles

I’m SO grateful for the freedom of the open roads, challenge of rolling terrain, and joy that cycling gives me! 💙💛

Run highlights: 15.3 miles

I was SO lucky to get to run with my niece twice last week. Every run with her is a gift I cherish and time I absolutely love.

I 💙 that I get to run with my niece!
I 💛 that it was a beautiful day!
I 💙 the endorphins from running!
I 💛 challenging myself and growing in the process!
There is so much to 💙💛!

SUP highlights: 1.57 miles

Saturday late afternoon we went out for a paddle. It was so fun to have our niece join us!

The water is my happy place and getting to spend it with this crew filled my 💙!

Strength Training: 15 minutes of core strength daily

Weekly Totals: 11 hours & 39 minutes
30 minutes of full body strength training

Attitude of Gratitude:

So grateful for some miles with my niece in the middle of my longest run since IMDSM. 💙💛

Recovery is on point with Normatec Recovery boots + Jersey snuggles! 🐶🥰

“I know you are on a Zoom call Mama, but I NEED attention right now!” ~Jersey 🐶🥰

What were your highlights from week 28 of 2022?!

2022 week 24: play

Published on June 21, 2022 by KeciaLeave a comment

Last week it was great to focus on recovery, dog snuggles, play, and do what I wanted when I wanted. The freedom of not being tied to a workout schedule was amazing…for a while and then I started to get antsy. 😜

Quote of the week:

“Play is our brain’s favorite way of learning.”
~Diane Ackerman

Swim highlights: 2679 yards

I went to the pool a few times this last week with no structured workout. It was freeing and so much fun! Getting to play with friends was icing on the cake!

YAY for play time with Tim and our friend Courtney! 🥰

Bike highlights: 0 miles

There was no bike love last week and to be honest, I really missed riding. I would love to get outside and ride this week, but we went from a super cold spring to a stifling hot summer (it currently feels like 104F outside right now as I type) and I’m just not quite ready to ride outside in this extreme heat after IMDSM. We’ll see if we get a break in the temps so I can squeeze in some outdoor miles

Run highlights: 0 miles

There was no run love last week and there won’t be any this week. I have committed to myself no running for 2 weeks post IM as that will give my body a break from the pounding before starting the next training cycle.

SUP: 2.46 miles

Getting to spend time on the water is one of my absolute FAVORITE places to be!

Water Walking in the Lazy River: 1.0 miles

Sunday we went to the lazy river and walked both with the current and against it. It was nice to be outside getting exercise in the water and doing something other than swimming. We drug our neighbor with us and we are all so glad we went!

YAY for water walking, vitamin D, fresh air, and amazing company!

Strength Training: 15 minutes of core strength daily except Monday

Weekly Totals: 4 hours & 31 minutes

Attitude of Gratitude: What were your highlights from week 24 of 2022?!

Thank you Nick with Vitality Massage Ames for flushing out all of the IMDSM fatigue and soreness.

I am still Covid negative! I have tested 4 times in 10 days and am grateful to be healthy! 🥰

“Happy Father’s Day Dad! I caught you a squinty squirrel for your present.” ~Jersey 🥰😜
Jersey 1, squinty squirrel 0

2022 week 21: race week

Published on June 3, 2022 by KeciaLeave a comment

Last week I had my first triathlon of 2022 and was SO excited + ready to toe the start line of a triathlon! The Clear Lake Olympic Triathlon was a good test of my fitness before IMDSM race day! I’ll have more on that race in it’s own post coming soon!

Quote of the week:

“Winning doesn’t always mean being first. Winning means you’re doing better than you’ve done before.”
~Bonnie Blair

Swim highlights: 6500 yards

Tuesday I did a 1000 yard time trial focusing on my effort and laying one more brick in the foundation for IMDSM coming up in just over a week.

Warm up:
- 400 swim
- 8×50 easy down, strong/fast back (15 sec rest)
Main Set:
- 1 min rest
- 1000 time trial (20 sec rest)
- 100 easy (20 sec rest)
- 5×100 at IM effort (20 sec rest)
Cool Down:
- 200 any stroke

Proud of my execution and effort for my 1000 TT while carrying LOTS of fatigue from peak IM training.

Bike highlights: 143 miles

My favorite bike from last week was during the Clear Lake Triathlon. Let’s just say that I am SO DAMN PROUD of how I executed the day in the conditions we were given. Sadly, I don’t have any pics of me riding last week.

Run highlights: 28.6 miles

Wednesday I had a double run day with both runs on the treadmill as the weather wasn’t super cooperative (we had thunderstorms on and off throughout the day and I am not one to be out in lightening if it’s preventable). These runs were kept at an easy pace allowing me to kick it up a notch (or two or three) at the Clear Lake Triathlon on Saturday. Making sure to keep the easy days easy allows you to go hard on the hard days…aka race day! Sadly I don’t have any pics of me running last week.

Strength Training: 15 minutes of core strength daily

Weekly Totals: 16 hours & 29 minutes
30 minutes of full body strength training
30 minutes of yoga

Attitude of Gratitude: What were your highlights from week 21 of 2022?!

Thank you Kyle with Kyle’s Bikes for giving Mojo your race blessing!

There is beauty even in the midst of the storm.

Look at that blue sky and sunshine! Vitamin D for the win!

Getting to meet up with some Coeur Sports sisters, race, and test the fitness for IMDSM was SO MUCH FUN!

I GOT to play Saturday at Tri Clear Lake and do a little speed work in the midst of IRONMAN training. I’m SO DAMN PROUD of my effort, my execution, and my mental endurance.
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2 weeks to IMDSM #LFG ⚡️

2022 week 20: spectacular views from the peak

Published on May 23, 2022 by Kecia2 Comments

Last week was the pinnacle of my training for IMDSM. While it doesn’t exactly feel like I’m tapering just yet, it is nice to see less volume on the calendar for this week. That view after you reach the peak and can see out over everything is so spectacular! Now it’s time to gradually back off the training, stay healthy, and let my body soak up all of this training so I can make a massive withdrawal in 3 weeks! ⚡️

Quote of the week:

“The best view comes after the hardest climb.”
~unknown

Swim highlights: 12,700 yards

My swims last week felt a bit on the sluggish side, but that is kind of to be expected as I was/am carrying a lot of fatigue. We’ll see how the swim feels in the coming weeks as I start to shed the fatigue in preparation for IMDSM race day!

Warm up:
- 300 kick w/ fins (20 sec rest)
- 300 pull (20 sec rest)
- 300 swim (20 sec rest)
- 4×100 descending (20 sec rest)
Main Set:
- 2×800 Z4 effort (30 sec rest)
- 400 Z4 effort (30 sec rest)
Cool Down:
- 100 any stroke

Peek-a-boo…it’s peak week for #IMDSM with all the feels (hunger, excitement, hunger, exhaustion, hunger, pride, hunger, joy, hunger, readiness, hunger…did I mention hunger?! 😜) #LFG ⚡️

Bike highlights: 167 miles

Sunday I got to preview a large portion of the IMDSM bike course with my Coeur Sports sista, Michelle! What a day! It started off with 36F windchills and slowly climbed to a high temp of 66F throughout the day. And boy was it windy, but the blue skies, sunshine, and smiles for miles made it all worth it!

Any day on two wheels and the open roads is a great day! Sunday I had the privilege of previewing a large portion of the #IMDSM bike course with Michelle ⚡️
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3 weeks ‘til IMDSM! #LFG ⚡️

Run highlights: 41.4 miles

Wednesday I did my last long run. I felt strong and even felt that I could have ran a few more miles when I was done. This is a great feeling and a solid boost of confidence going into the taper!

I am R E A D Y to test my limits as I continue to create my next level! Awww yeah! #LFG ⚡️

Strength Training: 15 minutes of core strength daily

Weekly Totals: 23 hours & 34 minutes
2×30 minutes of full body strength training
2×30 minutes of yoga

Attitude of Gratitude: What were your highlights from week 20 of 2022?!

Starting peak week off right with a massage from Nick at Vitality Massage Ames!

Miles with our baby girl…she loves running SO much! 🐶🥰

Homemade pizza on the grill is the best!

And that’s a wrap on the really big training. Now to taper…even though it doesn’t feel like it yet.

So incredibly grateful for the massive support from Tim on Sunday as he drove the IMDSM bike course leap frogging us, made sure we didn’t miss a turn, carried extra water + nutrition, and stored all of the extra layers we had to shed as the temp climbed from 36F to 66F throughout the ride. He’s the BEST! 🥰

Thank you Normatec for all of the good squeezes!

We had some tired girls (including our neighbor dog…look closely) after a big weekend! 🐶🥰

2022 week 7: batteries at full capacity

Published on February 22, 2022 by KeciaLeave a comment

Last week started with low energy. I took some time to process why this was the case and realized I had been giving my energy out to others without taking time to recharge my own batteries. I was letting others cross over boundaries I had established and it was not serving me. Thankfully I was able to take some time for myself and recharge my batteries on Wednesday, which set me up for success the rest of the week. You have to take care of yourself before you can take care of others, so do what sparks a light in you to keep your batteries at full capacity.

Quote of the week:

“You often feel tired, not because you’ve done too much, but because you’ve done too little of what sparks a light in you.”
~Alexander den Heijer

Swim: 10,000 yards

Saturday was a day of flow in the water. The water was calming, my stroke felt strong, and everything just clicked. So grateful to feel this flow state!

Warm up:
- 200 swim
- 200 drills
- 4×50 (25 fast/25 easy) (5 sec rest between)
Main Set:
- 5×100 descending (20 sec)
- 500 pull (try to hold same pace as last 100) (20 sec)
- 4×100 descending (20 sec)
- 400 pull (try to hold same pace as last 100) (20 sec)
- 3×100 descending (20 sec)
- 300 pull (try to hold same pace as last 100) (20 sec)
- Rest 2 minutes
- 800 swim holding best average possible
Cool Down:
- 200 any stroke

Sometimes things just flow with ease, so you let it. You don’t force anything. You just BE. ⚡️💙💛

Bike: 163 miles

How big are your bricks?
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If your bricks are too large, they can be much heavier, more challenging to move, and may not fit into some spaces making it difficult to build a sturdy foundation.
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I keep my bricks small. Small bricks are lighter, easier to move, and fit into many spaces allowing me to build a really solid, strong, and sturdy building.
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Thursday my 20 minute intervals were too big for my brain to handle, so I made my bricks smaller. Instead of focusing on 20 minutes at a time, I focused on two minutes at a time to get through each 20 minute interval. These smaller bricks were lighter, much more manageable, and added strength, stability, and cohesion to the building I’m creating. ⚡️

Run: 32.0 miles

Mental health is SO important! You must take care of yourself first so you can be at your best for those you love. Do more of what lights a fire within you to keep your batteries at max capacity! 💙💛 #selfcare

Strength Training: 15 minutes of core strength daily

Weekly Totals: 20 hours & 14 minutes
3×30 minutes of full body strength training
30 minutes of yoga

Attitude of Gratitude:

THANK YOU Vanessa Faye Foerster for sharing your workbook with me! SO GRATEFUL for your knowledge and teachings!

Thank you to Nick with Vitality Massage for getting some of those knots out and keeping me healthy!

So thankful my body allows me to do what I love!

Getting my squeeze and snuggles is the BEST! Normatec

I apparently make a good pillow as both Basil and Jersey are both laying on me.

Working on improving my run by trying something different. “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.” I’m changing up my long runs by doing intervals on the bike to fatigue the legs before running. I have goals and need to improve my run strength and speed off the bike to achieve my goals!

What were your highlights from week 7 of 2022?! What sparks a light in you and keeps your batteries at full capacity?!

2022 week 3: reestablishing routines

Published on January 24, 2022January 24, 2022 by KeciaLeave a comment

Last week was all about reestablishing routines, starting back to a regular training schedule, and getting excited for what 2022 has in store for me! We are officially 20 weeks out from Ironman Des Moines. #LFG ⚡️

Quote of the week:

“Establishing and keeping a routine can be even more important than having a lot of time.”
~Austin Kleon

Swim: 12,800 yards

I finally made it back in the water after having to take a break because of Covid. It felt AH-MAZING to be back in the water! Thanks to my friend Lee for suggesting this killer workout! I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!

Warm up:
- 200 swim
Main Set:
- 16×50 every 4th hard (5 sec rest)
- 12×50 every 3rd hard (10 sec rest)
- 8×50 every 2nd hard (15 sec rest)
- 4×50 all out (20 sec rest)
Cool Down:
- 200 any stroke

It felt sooooooo good to get back in the chlorine after being a fish out of water for 20 days! Look out 2022…I’m coming for ya! #LFG ⚡️

Bike: 87.1 miles

Saturday morning was my longest ride since IMAZ. It felt great to be getting back to some longer stuff with Z3/4 work mixed in.

I’ve missed getting in some longer rides…head down + work! Looking forward to many more in the future!

Run: 18.8 miles

Wednesday I had 2×2 mile intervals at 1/2 marathon pace. My brain said, “you can’t hold this pace because you haven’t done this since before IRONMAN Arizona AND you aren’t fit enough right now to do it. You’ve lost all your endurance and speed in the offseason.” I could have let my pesky brain dictate my workout, but I decided ahead of time to focus on “this moment” while running. Just because I haven’t done this workout in months, doesn’t mean I can’t do it today. And what’s the worst that can happen?! I show up, give my best effort, don’t meet the goal pacing, and feel disappointed?! I’m good with feeling disappointment knowing I gave my best effort and missed the goal; I’m not good with feeling disappointment because I quit on myself by not trying and listening to my pesky brain.

Breakthroughs…⚡️I didn’t let my pesky brain dictate my workout. ⚡️I successfully achieved the goal pacing for both 2×2 mile intervals. ⚡️I focused on “this moment” during my run. ⚡️I laid another brick in the foundation of building my way to #IMDSM in June. ⚡️I added to my mental endurance bank.⚡️Just because I haven’t achieved “it” YET doesn’t mean I won’t achieve “it” in the future. #LFG⚡️
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Oh…and this Breakthru design by Coeur Sports may have brought a bit of power to today’s workout. It’s da diggity! ⚡️

Snowshoe: 5.57 miles

Monday we took to the trails before it got SUPER cold (ummm hello -18 F with windchills at -33F). The girls have so much fun playing in the white stuff and it brings me so much joy to watch them play! Thankfully it warmed back up into the low to mid 20s by the weekend, so we could get back out for more #snowtherapy + fresh air!