Say wut?! Yep! Last week was race week! I got to race IRL for the 2nd time in 2021. With the year+ of cancelled races and uncertainty in 2020, I am not taking racing for granted. Racing is a beautiful gift! One that I am enjoying, while also striving to do + be my best.
Quote of the week:
“Racing is the fun part; it’s the reward of the hard work.”
~Kara Goucher
Swim: 9500 yards
Tuesday’s swim was given to me by one of my Coeur Sports teammates and it was a good one! Thank you Michelle for sharing this fun…ahem…challenging workout with me! I was hoping this swim (and afternoon brick) was an indication of how my race was going to go, because I felt STRONG, race ready, and excited! I also noticed that my swim efficiency is improving as I’ve been spending more time focusing on my form lately. 🥳
Warm up:
200 swim
Main Set:
16×50 every 4th one is HARD (5 sec rest)
12×50 every 3rd one is HARD (10 sec rest)
8×50 every 2nd one is HARD (15 sec rest)
4×50 every one is HARD (20 sec rest)
Cool Down:
200 any stroke
Who’s ready to race?! This girl!! LFG!! 🥳💙💛
Bike: 86.3 miles
I used to spend most of my focus while on the trainer scrolling through social media and texting friends to distract myself from the tough work in front of me.
Now my focus is 100% on the work in front of me. Keeping my thoughts strong, positive, and focused on the present moment. When I get to those recovery intervals, I celebrate my success(es) on the previous tough interval(s) and refocus my thoughts to be strong and positive for the next interval.
I know making this shift in my focus and thoughts will reward me tremendously in the future as I continue to get stronger physically and mentally! #believe
Where is your focus? Where do your thoughts go? 💙💛
Run: 26.0 miles
Sunday I got to race and I was SO full of joy for SO many reasons…the weather was perfect, I got to see friends I haven’t seen in over a year, I GOT to race IRL, there were real participants to chase down, there were real spectators cheering, I got to push my limits without looking at my Garmin once, I felt the strongest physically and mentally I’ve felt in years…SO MUCH JOY! Oh…and the icing on the cake…I ran my 2nd fastest 1/2 marathon EVER! My fastest was 14 years ago and I only missed that finish time on Sunday by 2 minutes. I’ll have a more detailed race report in the coming days, so stay tuned.
Squeee!! I GOT to cross a start line and a finish line of an IRL race on Sunday!! 💙💛
Strength Training: 15 minutes of core strength daily 2×30 minute full body workouts 2×30 minutes of yoga
Weekly Totals: 14 hours & 35 minutes
Attitude of Gratitude:
All the snuggles! 💙💛
Thank you Nick with Vitality Massage Ames for keeping me healthy and getting me ace ready!
Getting to swim/bike/run in the same day fills my heart with happy! 💙💛
Recovering in my Normatec Recovery boots and getting all of the snuggles is pure joy! 💙💛
Spring is here!!
Flat Kecia is race ready!
Love these three!
We got new furniture!
What were your highlights from week 15 of 2021?! What does the IRL return to racing look like where you live?!
My focus for last week was to “fail more and quit less.” Sometimes I find that I micro quit on myself before I even start something so that I won’t fail. I set myself up to have an “out” or to not work as hard just so I don’t have to witness myself failing. I don’t want to feel the disappointment and embarrassment that comes with failure. I want to be able to say I successfully completed the work as it was planned. But this keeps me small. It keeps me in a space of comfort and doesn’t allow me to grow. Providing myself with OPPORTUNITIES to fail more allows me to really get an idea of where my current limits are. When I fail, I am learning to allow myself to feel all the feelings, learn from the failure, rise up, and continue to believe in myself…and that my friends, is NOT failure!
Quote of the week:
“Fail more & quit less.”
~Vanessa Faye Foerster
Swim: 10,400 yards
Tuesday’s swim was crazy 8s with the main set being 8×150 descending paces (increasing effort) with 20 seconds rest, 8×50 on the 1:00, and 8×25 sprint with 10 seconds rest. Normally I start these 150s at an easy pace (50% effort) and progressively get faster and faster until the last one is at an all out effort (95-100% effort). This normal way of descending these 150s is comfortable, but I know I don’t grow when I stay in my comfort zone. Sooooo, Tuesday morning I DECIDED to start faster (85-90% effort) for these 150s, which forced me to have to push harder and harder throughout this set than what I normally do. Why?! How do I know where my limits are if I don’t push them?
Taking this action created an OPPORTUNITY to fail more and quit less! An OPPORTUNITY to find where my current limits are! In the past when I would start off my 150s at an easier effort/slower pace, I was micro quitting on myself. I was giving myself an “out” so I didn’t have to witness myself failing by not being able to descend my splits. By starting faster, did I fail Tuesday?! A little (because I missed descending the 6th interval by 0.8 of a second), but I also learned a lot! And those learnings are NOT failure! I learned that I CAN (and DID) put that one failure behind me as I rise up and believe that I will be successful in the next interval. I learned that I CAN (and DID) generally descend paces at faster speeds/harder efforts than what is comfortable. I learned that I AM STRONG and FAST! I learned that I’m starting to believe that I do belong amongst the fast women I look up to. I learned that when I believe in myself, the data starts to reflect this belief. My friends, all this learning is NOT failure!
Warm up:
100 swim
100 kick
100 pull
200 swim
100 kick
100 pull
100 swim
Main Set:
8×150 descending (20 sec)
Rest 40 sec
8×50 on the minute
Rest 1 minutes
8×25 sprint (10 sec rest)
Cool Down:
200 any stroke
Fail more & quit less! 💙💛
Bike: 95.2 miles
While I physically didn’t “fail” any part of Saturday’s ride, Mentally I struggled…BIG TIME! Those mental battles were more exhausting than the actual physical work. My brain wanted my body to quit SO many times I lost count…hello micro quits I saw you and gave my best effort to ignore you. Every time my brain tried to convince my body to quit, I would tell myself, “Kecia, you are strong! Just one more minute.” This battle lasted for 2 hours (of my 3 hour ride), but my self talk was the stronger participant, shutting the micro quits down, and won all of those battles Saturday.
The mental battles were brutal, but thankfully my self talk was the stronger participant and won all of those battles. 💙💛
Run: 25.5 miles
The main set of Wednesday’s run was 4×4 minutes FAST followed by 4 minutes easy. I had some fatigue in my legs from a challenging brick after work Tuesday, so I doubted that my legs would hold on at the FAST paces that were staring me in the face, but I was determined to try! After all, “fail more and quit less” right?!
Not only did I successfully complete these intervals at the scheduled paces on tired legs, but I decided that the next time this workout is on my schedule (which is 3 weeks from now) I am going to strive to push my limits A LOT farther than I did Wednesday. By cutting 25 more seconds per mile off my FAST pace (which scares the sh!t out of me), I am hoping to find my limit. Can I do it?! You’ll have to wait 3 weeks to find out!
Friday’s run was a 10 mile progression run. I did this on the treadmill as it was a cold, windy, rainy morning and I didn’t want to run outside in those conditions. I started out strong and confident, but by about mile 7, I bonked…BAD! Step off the treadmill and walk to regain some semblance of composure. Whomp! Whomp! Hello Failure…it was good to see you! Why?! Failure = learning! I learned that I need to consume fuel before (and maybe during) my longer runs when they are early in the morning.
Speed work makes the dream work! 💙💛 (📸 Wednesday’s run)
Strength Training: 15 minutes of core strength daily 3×30 minute full body workouts 30 minutes of yoga
Weekly Totals: 15 hours & 54 minutes
Attitude of Gratitude:
Any day I get to swim/bike/run in the same day is a GREAT day!! 💙💛
I love how these two snuggle! It warms my heart! 💙💛
Our recovery is on point! I get a good squeeze from my Normatec Recovery boots and Jersey gets all the pets! 💙💛
Friday Happy Hour swims are SO FUN!! 💙💛
What were your highlights from week 14 of 2021?! Where do you find yourself micro quitting and could benefit more from failing instead?!
Kinetic energy…AKA energy of motion…steered my yellow Lamborghini last week. I converted all of that potential energy I acquired from two weeks ago into kinetic energy. When you decide, commit, and act, you succeed. I’m happy to say that last week was a successful week! 🥳
Quote of the week:
“We have kinetic energy only when we act. Remember, velocity is the main factor that decides our kinetic energy.”
~Mani Kannan
Swim: 8000 yards
I splashed into Thursday with motion at a variety of paces! “Hard swims into race pace” was on deck and it was tough, but so AWESOME! I BELIEVED I could successfully complete this swim, so I did! There is no greater gift you can give yourself than to believe in you, your abilities, your goals, and your dreams!
Warm up:
400 swim starting easy and building effort
6×50 as 25 drill/25 swim (10 sec)
Main Set:
3 times through the following:
2×100 BEST
EFFORT (20 sec)
400 race pace (80% effort) (20 sec)
100 easy
Cool Down:
200 any stroke
DECIDE…Decide to be brave enough to believe in you, your abilities, your goals, your dreams! Own that belief and wear it proudly! If an oyster can turn sand into pearls you can turn negativity into optimism, skepticism into confidence, doubt into belief. Decide to let the magic happen by being brave enough to change your mindset to believe in yourself, commit to your goals, and focus on your dreams. 💙💛
Bike: 92.6 miles
I grew the most mentally during Tuesday’s ride this week! The structure of the workout was 1 min @ 117 % of FTP followed by 30 seconds @ 20% FTP. Repeat this until “failure” or 20 intervals, whichever comes first. Failure means you can no longer hit the 117% of FTP and have missed the target by 10-15 watts after at least 2 tries.
I had a LOT of doubt going into this ride, but during my warm up I DECIDED to be brave enough to change my mindset. I DECIDED to be brave enough to #believe in myself. I DECIDED to be brave enough to focus on one interval at a time. I DECIDED to be brave enough to show the f*%k up. I DECIDED to be brave enough to bet on ME! And ya know what?! I not only successfully completed 20 intervals at 117% of FTP, but I know I had a few more intervals in me! 🥳
DECIDE…Decide to be brave enough to bet on the YOU of tomorrow! Don’t focus on the you of yesterday. If you continue to strive to be 1% better today than yesterday, the you of tomorrow will be someone worth betting on! 💙💛
Run: 23.1 miles
Wednesday morning the family went for an endurance run! It was so nice to have the streets mostly to ourselves at 5 am. We received a nice compliment from a random newspaper delivery person, “Thank you for making it easier for us to see you by being so well lit and having your dogs lit up also.” 🥳 Everyone who is out exercising in the dark should take advantage of the spring sale that Noxgear is currently having…30% off right now and if you sign up for their newsletter, you get an additional 5% off. It is a small investment for your safety! *I am not sponsored by nor affiliated with Noxgear. I just love their product!
Thank you Noxgear for making us much more visible and helping to keep our family safe when we run because #itcouldbeme 💙💛
Strength Training: 15 minutes of core strength daily 2×30 minute full body workouts 2×30 minutes of yoga
Weekly Totals: 14 hours & 46 minutes
Attitude of Gratitude:
So grateful to Nick at Vitality Massage for keeping me healthy and active! 💙💛
Yay for days that include all things swim/bike/run! 💙💛
March totals…I’m so grateful I got to do an IRL race in March! 💙💛
I love snuggling with our baby girl…even when she puts her foot in my face while she’s sleeping! 🐶🥰
Another day of all the swim/bike/run love! 💙💛
It was a GORGEOUS day to cover 50+ miles OUTSIDE on two wheels in my Coeur Sports Kinetic Kit! 💙💛 • When you get ready to head out on two wheels and your speed, cadence, and power sensors don’t work (after trying two new batteries in each), do you ride without metrics or fret about the missing metrics and scrap the ride to problem solve why they aren’t working?! I chose to ride without metrics and worry about problem solving tomorrow. And. It. Was. AMAZING! 🥳 #itcouldhappenonraceday
Grateful to get to do yoga outside on such a beautiful day! Thanks to Jersey for “helping” me!
Hello IRL racing! I’ve missed you! I’m SO EXCITED that we got the opportunity to meet again! Last week was race week and I got to race IN REAL LIFE! Eeekkk! I LOVE to race, but I felt like a fish out of water going into this race since we have had SO LITTLE in person races in the last year. The nerves were heightened, but it’s ok to be nervous. “Nerves are cousin to excitement, and excitement is cousin to gratitude.” My nerves were a sign that something Very Big was about to go down and I was excited for just how good it might be! Those butterflies are a good thing!
Quote of the week:
“Racing teaches us to challenge ourselves. It teaches us to push beyond where we thought we could go. It helps us to find out what we are made of. This is what we do. This is what it’s all about.”
~Patti Sue Plummer
Swim: 2600 yards
I managed to strain some muscles in my left shoulder on my birthday just over a week ago (apparently the universe wanted to remind me that I’m getting older 🤣), so there wasn’t as much swimming last week as I would have liked. Thankfully my shoulder was feeling nearly 100% by Friday and I was able to get one swim in over the weekend.
Saturday I swam as a form of active prep/recovery for Sunday’s race. The workout was full of pulling to save my legs. I was a bit worried that all of the pulling would negatively impact my shoulder, but thankfully my shoulder held up very well.
Warm up:
400 swim
Main Set:
4x(400 pull, 100 FAST)
Cool Down:
200 any stroke
I’ve been a fish out of water for over a week due to a strained shoulder, but thankfully my shoulder is back to feeling 100% and it felt amazing to be back in my happy place!
Bike: miles
Tuesday I changed up my training plans. I had some extra time to do my longer workout Tuesday instead of doing it on the weekend like originally planned, so I took advantage of the opportunity. This allowed me to recover a bit more later in the week since it was RACE WEEK! 🥳
Be flexible in the process, but committed to your goals. 💙💛
Run: 26.5 miles
Sunday I got to dust off the cobwebs and race IRL! I was SO nervous, excited, grateful, and happy to be racing in person again. There is something special about the feeling that comes with chasing down the people in front of you, pushing your limits with others around, and crossing an actual real finish line!
Pinch me! I got to race IN REAL LIFE Sunday! And cross an actual finish line! 💙💛
Strength Training: 15 minutes of core strength daily 2×30 minute full body workouts 30 minutes of yoga
Weekly Totals: 12 hours & 35 minutes
Attitude of Gratitude:
One year ago today, as the world shut down and uncertainty skyrocketed, our lives became richer. This little lucky charm entered our pack. 🍀 Happy gotcha day, Jersey! We love you SO much baby girl! 💚
It’s been WAY TOO LONG since I’ve last put one of these on for an in person race! Excited to toe the start line Sunday!
So grateful for my friend, neighbor, and Coeur Sports sister, Courtney, for the homemade sourdough bread she made me for my birthday! SO YUMMY!
We take recovery VERY seriously in our household. Two more human sleeps and many 🐶 sleeps to my first race day of 2021! 🥳
Flat Kecia is ready for my first IRL race of 2021! LFG! ⚡️🌟🥳
Nerves were high, but it is a good thing to be nervous! “Nerves are a cousin to excitement and excitement is a cousin to gratitude. If you feel nervous, it’s a sign that a VERY BIG THING is unfolding. Be nervous for how good that thing can be.” I was SO excited and grateful to be racing in person again that I didn’t even care about the ridiculously strong winds! Oh, and that VERY BIG THING that unfolded…it was massive amounts of self discovery because I decided to show the f*%k up and #believe I could push myself farther than I thought possible! 💙💛
What were your highlights from week 11 of 2021?! Are IRL races happening around you?!
When you decide to twist the negative into a positive, magic happens! Last week I made the decision in multiple areas to change the negative dialogue in my head into a positive script and it transformed each and every situation into a successful, more joyful, more magical experience.
Quote of the week:
“Our power is in our ability to decide.”
~R. Buckminster Fuller
Swim: 3000 yards
Speaking of deciding to change the negative narrative into a positive script…Tuesday morning I had 100s to failure (or 20x100s HARD…whichever comes first) on the schedule. I have no idea why I let this workout spiral me mentally into a negative narrative before I even start swimming, but I manage to EVERY STINKING TIME it shows up on my schedule. And ya know what?! I am self coached. I put that workout on my schedule. I do this to myself! 🤣 Thankfully during my warm up, I changed my negative narrative and decided to write an optimistic script instead. I decided to be brave enough to show up! I decided to be brave enough to focus on the interval I was in. I decided to be brave enough to keep pushing myself HARD each and every interval. I decided to be brave enough to push myself out of my comfort zone and see just how far I could take myself.
The average of my first 5x100s was 1:38/100 yards. This meant I had to keep my 100s to failure at a sub 1:41/100 yard pace. UGH! When you feel like an anchor in the water, achieving these paces seems impossible, but as Ironman says, “Anything is Possible” so I kept showing up, focusing on my form, deciding to be brave, and pushing myself with each and every interval. I ended up successfully swimming a total of 20x100s HARD at a paces ranging from 1:35.6 to 1:40.7/100 yards. 🥳
Warm up:
300 swim
200 pull
100 kick
100 easy
Main Set:
Swim 5x100s HARD (20 seconds rest between) and average these times.
Swim as many 100s HARD as possible. The pace should be less than +3 seconds from the average of the first 5x100s (20 seconds rest). You are done when you fail 2x100s in a row or successfully achieve 20x100s (total…including the first 5x100s HARD), whichever comes first.
Cool Down:
200 any stroke
We are capable of SO much more than we think! Decide to be brave enough to show up! Decide to be brave enough to push yourself out of your comfort zone! Decide to change the negative narrative! Decide to let the magic happen! 💙💛
Bike: 114 miles
Remember a week ago when my aero bar snapped off my bike during my trainer ride…well, I took Mojo to the BEST bike hospital around on Monday (Kyle’s Bikes). Kyle had her for the first half of the week so he could do some surgery on her, but I got her back just in time to spend some quality time together for my birthday weekend! She was SO HAPPY to be fixed up and in working order! THANK YOU KYLE for working your magic on her! You’re da bomb diggity!
Saturday I had a 3 hour ride structured as 3x(20 min Z1, 20 min Z2, 20 min Z3) + a 5K run off the bike. The week before I struggled with this bike workout so on Saturday I decided to try again. Not only did I successfully complete the bike workout on Saturday, but the #5KO run off the bike was a FUN way to celebrate a life lost way too soon.
Decide to be brave enough to keep showing up! Decide to be brave enough to step out of your comfort zone! Decide to be brave enough to try again! DECIDE! 💙💛
Run: 22.9 miles
Monday I had a 50 minute run with 4×4 minutes FAST intervals (scripted at 8.0 mph or 7:30/mile pace) and let me tell ya, I had a LOT of doubt and SO many excuses for wanting to change my 4×4 min FAST run to an easy paced run. BUT I decided to be brave enough to show up. I decided to be brave enough to give myself a chance! I decided to do the workout as written, push my limits, and see what I had in me. And ya know what?! I had SO much more in me than I thought I did. I successfully completed this workout on tired + sore legs. It felt good to actually feel like I had more in the tank to give!
DECIDE! Decide to be brave enough to show up! Decide to be brave enough to give yourself a chance because you may just have SO much more in you than you thought you did! 💙💛
Snowshoe: 0 miles
Yep! In looking at the extended forecast, those days are officially over for the season. With the ice off the lakes, it’s time for the water to warm up so I can take the SUP out!
Strength Training: 15 minutes of core strength daily 30 minute full body workout
Weekly Totals: 12 hours & 42 minutes
Attitude of Gratitude:
We had a couple of really nice days to start the week. I was grateful to get out in the fresh air + sunshine to recharge the batteries by walking around campus for a little bit on Tuesday.
My gut has been pulling me in this direction for months. I DECIDED to listen to it. Appointment is scheduled for Monday, March 22. 💙💛
Sunshine + fresh air + endorphins + family time + warm temps in March in Iowa = #happyheart 💙💛
So grateful for all the snuggles with our baby girl! 🥰
Celebrating another trip around the sun during a global pandemic means sushi to go!
Grateful for the opportunity to run #5KO for a life lost way too early!
Getting my squeeze on! So grateful for my Normatec recovery boots!
What were your highlights from week 10 of 2021?!Where in your life do you decide to bravely show up?!
Last week I took responsibility for showing up to do the work. No one else will do the work for me, so I can be somewhat present, mostly present, or completely present in the work I’m doing. Last week I chose to show the f*%k up and be all in. It doesn’t mean I worked harder, but rather that I worked smarter. I kept my focus on behaviors within my control, staying mentally strong, and working to achieve my dreams. Keep deciding to be all in and take 100% responsibility, then watch as the magic happens!
Tuesday morning I completed a swim workout I’ve done 9 times over the last year. Part of my main set included 5×100 yards FAST + NEGATIVE SPLIT (faster time and harder effort with each one) where I threw down these times 1:34.6, 1:34.4, 1:33.5, 1:33.1, and 1:32.6. These paces are so much more consistent and all faster than my fastest 100 yards of the exact same workout done a year ago (1:42.6, 1:41.9, 1:40.8, 1:38.4, and 1:35.9). Growth comes when you take 100% responsibility by courageously and consistently showing the f*%k up for yourself!
Do you have a specific outfit/suit/kit/color that you associate with showing up, going all in, and giving your absolute best?! When I wear this blue swimsuit during a swim workout I grow gills, I am strong, I am confident, I am efficient, I believe I will succeed, I feel fast. 💙💛
Bike: 87.7 miles
Thursday I was tired. My early morning swim paces confirmed the fatigue I was feeling. The fatigue + swim performance created a lot of doubt about successfully completing my bike workout after work. Add to this that I had ALL damn day to think about it and my brain was NOT in a place for success to occur. Thankfully I recognized this before leaving work and took 100% responsibility for my success or failure by deciding to change my mindset. Was the workout challenging?! Yes! With a changed mindset was I able to successfully complete the workout?! YES! BUT had I not changed my mindset, I am sure that the fear monger would have won and I would have “failed” this workout (since it has happened SO many times in the past).
DECIDE! Decide to be EXCITED! Decide to be EXCITED to show up! Decide to be EXCITED to own your power! Decide to be EXCITED to be your best! Decide to be EXCITED to push your limits! Decide to be EXCITED to chase your dreams! • I struggled most of the day mentally with my bike workout after work. I was coming up with every excuse in the book, but they were all just fuel for the fear monger holding my brain captive. I was fearful that I wouldn’t successfully complete the workout because my legs (and let’s be honest my brain also) were tired from the last few days of challenging workouts. I DECIDED to change the energy from fear to excitement. Who cares if I don’t successfully complete this workout?! I’m EXCITED that I get to show up for myself! I’m EXCITED that I get to push my limits! I’m EXCITED that I get to chase my dreams! You have the power to show up living in fear or full of EXCITEMENT. Which are you choosing?! 💙💛
Run: 26.2 miles
I typically don’t have work meetings after 4 pm, but Wednesday I had a work meeting from 4-5 pm. So I took 100% responsibility and got creative with my schedule. I decided to do my long run in the early afternoon before the meeting. I ventured out the door at 1 pm for my 11 mile run and was back in plenty of time to change into dry clothes and get some more work done before the meeting. Good thing for my co-workers that it was a virtual meeting so that they didn’t have to smell me. 🤣 When it’s important to you, take 100% responsibility and figure out a way to make it happen.
Looks like we’ve entered the season where we incorporate lots of cross training while running outdoors because there are puddles to hurdle (or in my case fall into up to my shins at mile 2), ice patches to dodge, and muddy patches to avoid. Every step requires complete mental awareness and focus so you don’t end up soaking wet (which clearly didn’t happen), falling down, or sucked into thick mud. BUT the fresh air, sunshine, endorphins, and freedom that comes with an outdoor run were SO worth the soaked feet and extra energy expended while cross training during my 11 mile run giving my body, mind, heart, and soul the fuel it desired! 💙💛
Strength Training: 15 minutes of core strength daily 3×30 minute full body workouts 30 minutes of yoga
Last week was the official start of my “training plan” for Ironman Arizona. I use that term loosely as I don’t have a coach and don’t have a specific “plan” that I am following. But I’ve decided that since I’m 40 weeks out, I should focus my journey a bit more on achieving the goals I have for myself at IMAZ in November. So I let my mantra dictate my week!
Quote of the week:
“Show the f*%k up!”
~ME
Swim: 8300 yards
I just love when I see 12x100s in Training Peaks (even though I put it there 🤣🥳)! Thursday when I started this swim, I felt like I was swimming through mud, but I reminded myself to show the f*%k up and stick with it. After a solid warm up, I still felt I was swimming through mud, but told myself that I just needed to show up for THIS interval…and ya know what?! By the time I got to the “fast” efforts, I was feeling like I was moving efficiently through water instead of fighting the mud, so keep showing up in THIS moment!
Warm up:
300 swim
4×50 drills
200 swim
100 kick
Main Set:
4×100 easy with 20 seconds rest between
4×100 moderate with 20 seconds rest between
4×100 fast with 20 seconds rest between
500 pull with paddles
Cool Down:
200 any stroke
Small habits add up to big success! Showing up for yourself in this moment is a step in developing small habits that fuel big successes over time. When you show up, you get a bit more courageous, confident, stronger, resilient, and powerful every time, so decide to show the f*%k up for yourself! 💙💛
Bike: 87.2 miles
Saturday I showed up for some sweat equity. My brain said, “blah, blah, blah” at the 2:15 endurance ride and tried to sabotage my success by talking my body out of succeeding, but thankfully my body was stronger! My brain would rather have intervals instead of an endurance ride when riding indoors, so I had to show the f*%k up and pull my brain back into my workout multiple times throughout this ride.
My body reminded my brain to show the f*%k up even for the less challenging workout and won the battle!
Run: 22.1 miles
I had a lot of great runs this week (with a couple of them being outdoors…yay for our *heatwave*), but the one that I had to show the f*%K up for the most was Monday’s speed work on the treadmill. It was structured as:
15 minute EASY warm up
4×4 minutes FAST with 4 minutes EASY between
Cool down EASY to 50 minutes
I have done this workout a few times since the start of 2021, so I had a baseline that I felt I should be able to hold for the FAST efforts. This baseline was 7.8 mph (7:41/mile pace) at 1.0% incline. I decided to really challenge myself and push my limits by running “my pace” for these 4 minute FAST intervals at 8.0 mph (7:30/mile pace) with the 1.0% incline. The first 2 intervals were tough, but tolerable. By the 3rd interval I was spitting out positive words (Courage, Believe, Show Up, Limitless, and Strong) whenever I could get enough of a breath to talk out loud to myself, but they were on repeat in my brain. The last interval was all guts and determination!
I have goals! So today I challenged myself to run my “fast” intervals even faster than what I thought I could and ya know what?! I successfully surpassed what I thought I could do. . -Was it challenging?! YES! -Was it comfortable?! NO! -Did it take positive self talk to keep me focused on achieving success?! YES! -Was it worth it?! HELL YES! . We are all capable of SO much more than we think. Have the COURAGE to SHOW UP and BELIEVE you are STRONG + LIMITLESS! This is where the magic happens! 💙💛
Snowshoe: 4.89 miles
It finally warmed up enough (kind of…is +3*F windchill warm enough?!?!) to venture outside and snowshoe for a bit on Wednesday! It was fun to get to see one of my Coeur Sports Collective Beat teammates and play in the snow together! Our adventures were short, but it was good to catch up in a COVID safe way! We had a few more snowshoe adventures later in the week after it warmed up even more and felt like a *heatwave* when it was in the 20s.
After being cooped up for a week because of the bitterly cold temps, I’m grateful it finally warmed up enough to get some fresh air (some even with friends) today! ❄️💙💛
Strength Training: 15 minutes of core strength daily 3×30 minute full body workouts 2×30 minutes of yoga
Weekly Totals: 17 hours & 2 minutes
Attitude of Gratitude:
I got my 2021 Coeur Sports Alumni team gear! I am SUPER excited to continue to represent Coeur Sports and be a part of the inaugural Alumni team as we continue to strive to encourage, empower, support, and inspire women in sport!
When the windchill is -38*F, reading a good book while sitting in the Normatec Recovery boots is a win!
So grateful I GOT to run outside…even if the windchill temp was only 3*F! Fresh, crisp air is good for the soul!
Someone wanted all the snuggles under the warm blanket with me after snowshoeing adventures! ❄️💙💛
It’s all about the attitude! Today I had an #attitudeofgratitude for the *heatwave*, fresh air, sunshine, playtime, and sMILES together! 💙💛
Short sunset snowshoe with the fam! ❄️💙
Epsom salt + lavender bubble bath = good recovery after a big workout!
We HAD to get out and play in the snow covered woods today. It was such a GORGEOUS winter’s day! Fresh air + sunshine + family + play + snow = #happyheart ❄️💙💛
I love my little snuggle bug!
I am stoked to continue to represent Coeur Sports in 2021 by being part of the inaugural Alumni team! Need some questions answered?! I’m your girl! Need some cheers or encouragement?! I’m your girl! Need some support?! I’m your girl! Need some motivation or inspiration?! I’m your girl! Need some race day high fives or hugs?! I’m your girl! 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻 Let’s empower and lift each other!
What were your highlights from week 7 of 2021?! What mantra(s) do you turn to?!
PushMyLimits 