strength training – Page 2

12 weeks ’til #IMLou – listen

Published on July 22, 2018 by Kecia6 Comments

Last week my body reminded me that it is in control and I need to spend more time listening to it. Time to be honest…I have been neglecting my stretching lately. My body took note and decided it was time for a reminder. After last Sunday’s brick, my right hamstring was talking…it wasn’t injured, just talking, so I listened. I got in to see Dr. Feil twice this week to have him work on my leg. Monday he did some dry needle work on the hamstring. That felt SO much better, but the uncomfortable feeling moved up into my glute on Tuesday. On Thursday, he did more dry needling and added some electrolysis treatment and electric shock therapy to really try and loosen everything up. Coach Kelly reduced my running to pretty much nothing last week to reduce the hamstring strain and allow it to relax before Ironman Ohio 70.3 one week from today.

Swim: 8894 yards

Whatever you decide to do, make sure it makes you happy!!

“Above all, challenge yourself. You may well surprise yourself at what strengths you have, what you can accomplish.” ~Cecile Springer

1.2 miles continuous swim to prove I can still do it before race day! 😉

Bike: 82.7 miles

Easy recovery ride to start out the week!!

I was reminded to keep #chasingdreams today!!

Getting to ride easy with my fave despite a flat made my heart happy!!

Run: 6.14 miles

Strength Training: 10 minutes of core strength almost daily + 30 minutes full body strength

I have the best helpers for strength training!!

Weekly Totals: 10 hours & 59 minutes

Quote of the Week:

“If you listen to your body when it whispers, you won’t have to hear it scream.” ~Unknown

Attitude of Gratitude:

Grateful to have Dr. Feil in my village as we try to get this hamstring to relax and prevent an injury!!

Grateful for recovery with my Normatec boots + motivation by my Coeur Sports Teammate Steena!!

Love these peeps!! So grateful to have them in my life!!

So grateful Dr. Feil pulls out all the stops to help me achieve my goals!! Dry needling + electrolysis + electric shock treatment = progress towards #sub6orbust next week!!

Sushi!! The most amazing recovery food EVER!!

This girl…she has my heart and loves to chew her bone!!

Saturday night fun…dumpster diving for some treasures!!

This girl!! I love her!! She helps me clean Mojo for IM Ohio 70.3 next Sunday and manages to bring me a tree branch to chew on 🙂

How was your week? What were you grateful for last week?! Do you listen to your body when it whispers?!

13 weeks ’til #IMLou – push out of the comfort zone

Published on July 15, 2018 by Kecia8 Comments

Last week was gross! The dew point was above 70*F (in the tropical range) for the majority of the week. It felt like running through a tropical jungle (not that I know what that is like, but I have a REALLY good imagination)! The good thing about this week?!?! I pushed myself out of my comfort zone many times and performed better than I expected for the majority of this week’s workouts despite the gross, tropical conditions outside! When I push myself out of my comfort zone, I always learn and grow…SO REWARDING!!

Swim: 8775 yards

Some days you’re the tugboat and some days you’re the mermaid, but any day I GET to swim with the sun on my back is a good day!!

Starting the day off right with a little #swimlove!

Just keep swimming!! Just keep swimming!! Just keep swimming!!

Bike: 82.9 miles

Easy spin in the a/c now that the tropical conditions have returned.

Starting the day off right with a little #bikelove!!

The only way to make dreams come true is to do the work!!

Run: 24.1 miles

I felt so good for my 14 mile long run this week despite the higher heat index. I felt like I could have run forever!!

“Surprise yourself every day with your own courage.” ~Denholm Elliott
Today was a soggy, gross run, but I surprised myself and ran faster than it felt!!

Somedays the heart says yes, but the body says no.

Strength Training: 10 minutes of core strength almost daily + 1 hour & 15 minutes full body strength

Weekly Totals: 15 hours & 8 minutes

Quote of the Week:

“Move out of your comfort zone. You can only grow if you are willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new.” ~Brian Tracy

Attitude of Gratitude:

How we roll!! My fave riding while I recover in my Normatec Recovery boots!!

So grateful for my friend Robin!! She surprised me with the perfect motivational gift from Hawaii…an #IMWC visor (don’t worry…it doesn’t say finisher or have a date on it…she made sure of that)!! Thank you!! Thank you!! Thank you!!

SO grateful to Nick at Vitality Massage for beating me up…I mean working the kinks out of my muscles so I can keep chasing my dreams!!

Celebrating the end of a work week with my fave!!

So grateful that I got to spend the morning with my colleague at the Accel Triathlon cheering on my fave and friends!!

Cheering, spectating, and Sherpa duties were a BLAST at the Accel Triathlon!! Congratulations to all who participated!!

How was your week? What were you grateful for last week?! How do you feel when you push yourself out of your comfort zone?!

14 weeks ’til #IMLou – Confidence!!

Published on July 8, 2018 by Kecia6 Comments

Last week was full of many opportunities to push the envelop and see where my limits were with different workouts and in varying conditions. My self confidence was challenged many times last week, but each time it was challenged, magic happened. This week put so much confidence in the barn for race day, which I am very excited (and nervous) about!! Self confidence really is a super power!!

Swim: 7093 yards

Doesn’t everyone play in the water after they swim?!?!

Bike: 68.4 miles

So much of myself to explore and learn from!!

1 hour ride between runs on July 4…look at all of that sweat on the ground!!

ALL. THE. FEELS…starting with fear, distrust, disbelief, and doubt in myself and my abilities before starting this brick. I was scared and full of “Can I really do this?” I hopped on my bike and told myself to stay in the moment. Focus on this interval. Don’t give up! Explore your limits! After nailing all of the bike intervals, it was time to see just what I was made of on this run.

Run: 33.7 miles

Running into a new week with some pace work!

Run #1 on July 4 was SOGGY and GROSS, but the first 6 miles were decent!!

Run #2 on July 4 with a dew point of 75* and heat index of 91*F at 9 am when I finished sweating out all of the fluids + electrolytes. The last 7 mile run didn’t go as planned, but I got it done!!

Running into the weekend with my fave by my side!! Today marks 100 days until #IMLou!! So grateful for the nice summer weather during my 10 miles of pace work this morning!!

This is where I turned the fear, distrust, disbelief, and doubt into COURAGE, TRUST, BELIEVE, and CONFIDENCE!! Now I don’t simply BELIEVE I can, I KNOW I can!!

Strength Training: 10 minutes of core strength almost daily + 1 hour & 15 minutes full body strength

The only way to get stronger is to do the work!

Atomic push-ups using the SBT Extreme Suspension trainer!! I LOVE this device!!

Weekly Totals: 15 hours & 1 minute

Quote of the Week:

“Self confidence is a super power. Once you start believing in yourself, magic starts happening.”

Attitude of Gratitude:

The only way to recover…Tart Cherry Juice + Normatec Recovery Boots!!

So grateful for summer break and morning walks with my two favorite fur babies!! #thattail

So grateful to have Coach Kelly in my village, helping me get stronger, believing in me (even when I don’t always believe in myself), and guiding my ship through unchartered waters. #trackcatstrong

So grateful for this much needed epsom salt + lavender bubble bath soak post brick workout!!

How was your week? What were you grateful for last week?! How do you put confidence in the barn to tap into on race day?!

15 weeks ’til #IMLou – Mixed Bag

Published on July 1, 2018 by Kecia6 Comments

Last week was a mixed bag! I had some breakthrough sessions and some sessions where I rode the struggle bus. On Thursday, I went out for my ride and got REALLY dehydrated. While it was my fault for not stopping on the way home to refill my bike bottles, I didn’t want to ride 2 miles out of my way to refill them when there were some SERIOUS storms rolling in, so I kept rolling toward home. My pace kept getting slower and slower and slower. About 7 miles from home, I called for a ride. Not only was there thunder and lightening in the area, but I was very dehydrated. Time to call it a day! I kept riding toward home until I met my ride about 5 miles from home. Thanks to George for coming to pick Mojo and me up!! This little bump caused me to miss a couple of days of training, but I learned a couple of lessons…stop and refill the bottles (I may have actually made it home before the storms if I had been hydrated) and don’t wear arm coolers when it is SO HUMID (they don’t allow for evaporative cooling when it is in the tropics zone). #alwayslearning

Swim: 6032 yards

“Consistent hard work is what yields success, not perfectly nailed sessions!” ~Hailey Manning #breakthroughsession

Bike: 128 miles

FINALLY nailing goal watts on an outdoor ride!!! #breakthroughsession

Coach Basil wasn’t keen on the easy, recovery ride. She likes it better when I push and sweat all over…tasty!! 😉

Today I tried to outride the “storm,” but the “storm” won.

Run: 15 miles

Double run day!! I pleasantly surprised myself today!!

Strength Training: 10 minutes of core strength almost daily + 1 hour & 15 minutes full body strength

Mya was “coaching” me while I did SBT Extreme this week.

Weekly Totals: 15 hours & 1 minute

Quote of the Week:

“Life is a mixed bag of blessings and disaster.” ~Brandon B.

Attitude of Gratitude:

SO GRATEFUL to Nick with Vitality Massage for keeping me healthy and active!!

I was DREAMING about these AMAZING fish tacos ALL. DAY. LONG!!! #getinmybelly

Grateful to have Sound Probiotics in my village!! #winningtakesguts

Recovering on a double run day with avocado toast and Normatec Recovery boots!

Epsom salt + lavender bubble bath = grateful

My dehydration craving of choice was pickle juice!! So grateful we had some in the fridge!!

New Roka Sports wetsuit day!! So grateful to have Roka support this crazy journey and help us #findfaster!!

How was your week? What are you grateful for this week?! What do you crave when you are dehydrated?!

16 weeks ’til #IMLou – ✓, ✓, ✓

Published on June 24, 2018June 24, 2018 by Kecia4 Comments

Last week was a week of checking tasks off the list. One step, then another. One box after another. Seeing the check marks kept me focused and brought a smile to my face. Swim =✓ Bike =✓ Run =✓ Strength Training =✓ Substitute TRX Instructor =✓ Volunteer =✓ Complete course work =✓ Personal Training Recertification = ✓

Swim: 10,164 yards

The peace and quiet in the calm water is just what I needed today!

Happy summer solstice + #nationalselfieday!! #coeurfie

Bike: 65.5 miles

Run: 20.6 miles

So grateful for cooler temps so this bubble gum tongue could run 10 miles with me this morning! #basillovesrunning

Super happy to pound the pavement for another 8 miles (including speed work) with my favorite girl this morning!! #basillovesrunning #lovemybubblegumtongue

Strength Training: 10 minutes of core strength daily + 1 hour & 15 minutes full body strength

Basil and Mya helped me with my strength training today!!

Weekly Totals: 13 hours & 39 minutes

Quote of the Week:

“I started calling my ‘to do’ list my ‘taa daa’ list. Now when I cross things off, I’m like, ‘taa daa!! Getting shit done!'” ~Unknown

Attitude of Gratitude:

Love my girl!! So grateful for her snuggles and unconditional love!!

So grateful for the post workout squeeze from my Normatec Recovery boots!!

When it storms, the babies want LOTS of snuggles and to be in the basement…I’m glad I get to comfort them!!

SO INCREDIBLY GRATEFUL to have Breakthrough Nutrition in my tribe!! With all of the heat + humidity lately, I’m excited to give the Preload a try!!

Grateful to get the opportunity to be the lead bike for the local 5K + 10K race to support Iowa Able!! My fave directed traffic at the finish area!!

Completed my American Council on Exercise Personal Training Recertification with 5 days to spare!! 🙂

A sweet reward for finishing my personal training recertification.

How was your week? What are you grateful for this week?! How do you feel when you check a task off your “taa daa” list?!

18 weeks ’til #IMLou – Race Week Part 1

Published on June 10, 2018 by Kecia4 Comments

Last week was RACE WEEEEEEEKKK…well, kind of!!! Ironman Wisconsin 70.3 was today!! My goal was #sub6orbust and you can read more about how I planned to achieve this goal here. Due to the weather, delays, and my safety, I made the decision to pull out of the race before it started (see the picture below of my fave and the crazy weather we had). Coach Kelly is having me do a solo 70.3 “race” on Tuesday and I’m really excited to do so! The #sub6orbust is still alive, but will hopefully be put to rest (unofficially) soon!! This will be a different kind of 70.3, but since I’m trained, tapered and mentally ready, I am going to give it my ALL and am going to crush the 6 hour time barrier!!

Swim: 5329 yards

Swimming away from the school year and into summer break!! #schoolsoutforsummer

Swimming into #imwi703 race weekend with my fave right beside me in the outdoor 50 meter pool!!

Bike: 32.7 miles

Rollin’ into race week ready to test my endurance and push my limits!!

Starting my last official day of school this year off with my fave doing what I love!

Short brick session for #globalrunningday to prepare the legs for #IMWI703 on Sunday!!

Run: 3.79 miles

Strength Training: 30 minutes + 10 minutes of core strength/stretching daily

Short morning strength post bike ride on the last official day of school!!

Weekly Totals: 6 hours & 17 minutes

Quote of the Week:

“Make and be confident in your own decisions.”

Attitude of Gratitude:

So grateful to Nick, with Vitality Massage for getting me race ready!!

Love these girls!! Grateful I got to spend some time with them at the outdoor aquatic center!!

Ha Ha Ha!! My phone still thinks I’m going to work this morning when I started the car…NOPE!! Grateful for summer break!!

I am so grateful to get to push my limits and test my endurance. I will have a race report later this week on my #sub6orbust race today!! (You are going to have to wait a few extra days for this report since I’ll be doing my solo race on Tuesday!!)

Incredibly grateful to live in a neighborhood that comes together to help each other out. Our neighbor’s tree went down during a storm and everyone came together to help clean it up.

Grateful to have Zealios sunscreen protect me during training and racing!

Love my little helper!! Basil helped me put new tires on Mojo for race day!!

Grateful for the squeeze from my Normatec Recovery boots while I blog!

Grateful to be Madison bound with my fave!!

Turning social friends into real friends!! So grateful to meet Beth in person!!

So grateful to stay with my college friend, Chris, and her girl Gracie while in Madison!!

Mojo is racked and ready to race tomorrow.

So grateful I got to meet up with Steena, my Coeur Sports teammate!! Love this pretty, badass lady!!

So grateful to have my fave by my side and help make tough decisions that are right for us…this was the weather on race morning that influenced our decision to pull out of the race.

How was your week? What are you grateful for this week?!

19 weeks ’til #IMLou – busy

Published on June 3, 2018 by Kecia4 Comments

Last week was busy. SO MUCH GOING ON…last days of school with kids (including posting grades), sitting in on interviews to hire a new colleague, celebrating the end of the 2017-2018 school year with colleagues/friends, cleaning out my classroom for summer school, helping a friend move, running lots of errands, having my twin nieces visit over the weekend, washing the dogs, cleaning bikes, and trying to fit in training where I could. Busy, busy, busy!! Unfortunately I didn’t get as much training in as I’d like, but I did what I could with what I had. Now it is time for RACE WEEEEEEKKKK…Ironman Wisconsin 70.3 is a week away!!

Swim: 0 yards

I’m so bummed I missed swimming this week. My busy week took over and swimming just didn’t happen. 😦

Bike: 10.8 miles

Started my last Tuesday with students this morning off right!! Z3/Z4 intervals for breakfast!!

Run: 7 miles

Today was a double run day. This morning’s run was HOT AF!!

“When you’re going through hell, keep going!” ~Winston Churchill
PM run was also HOT AF!!

Strength Training: 30 minutes + 10 minutes of core strength/stretching 5 days this week

Weekly Totals: 3 hours & 1 minute (so bummed these numbers weren’t higher, but I have the summer to train like a professional triathlete!)

Quote of the Week:

“It’s all about finding the calm in the chaos.” ~Donna Karan

Attitude of Gratitude:

Normatec recovery boots + Spotted Cow is the perfect way to round out a CRAZY day at work!!

SUSHI!! What a great way to celebrate the completion of the work week!

Grateful to have these two monkeys come and visit us this weekend! Life is always better with ice cream!!

A clean bike is a fast bike!! Ready to roll into RACE WEEEEEEEEKKKK!!

The twins are off to swim camp!! Have fun girls and learn lots!! #isuswimcamp #cycloneswimcamp

How was your week? What are you grateful for this week?! Bring on RACE WEEEEEEEKKK!!! 🙂

20 weeks ’til #IMLou – the end is near

Published on May 28, 2018 by Kecia4 Comments

Last week was the last full week of school for this school year! There are 3 days left with students and 3 without before I am free to play all summer long and act like a professional triathlete! I am definitely looking forward to it! The end is near 🙂

Swim: 8518 yards

Chasing dreams means doing the work to get there!

When you are committed to your dreams, sometimes you have to tap into every ounce of determination you have to make your dreams come true!

Bike: 76.1 miles

Easy spin of the legs to flush them out! Look at that bluebird sky!!

50 mile ride + 1 mile run with my fave on this HOT + STILL day is done!! It wasn’t pretty, but it is done!!

Cycling on the surface of the sun today!! Holy hell is it a HOT + STILL one today!!

Run: 21 miles

13 miles as the sun came up over the horizon Wednesday morning!

I sandwiched my last Friday with students for the school year between a double run!! 5 am miles = lots of humidity acclimation!!

I sandwiched my last Friday with students for the school year between a double run!! 2 pm miles = lots of heat acclimation!!

Strength Training: 1 hour & 15 minutes + 10 minutes of core strength/stretching daily

Strength training at the gym for a change!

Weekly Totals: 13 hours & 29 minutes

Quote of the Week:

“The future is uncertain, but the end is always near.” ~Jim Morrison

Attitude of Gratitude:

Recovery…the 4th (or is it the 5th) discipline of Ironman training. Thanks to Nick with Vitality Massage for keeping me on track to do what I love!!

When the husband is away…the wife eats sushi!!

Normatec Recovery boots are a must post long run…even if it means multitasking during a morning work meeting!

Basil (not the dog) is ready to grow this summer!

So grateful for the hard work my fave has done to get us to the point where we could plant the garden!

How do you probiotic?! So grateful to have Sound Probiotics in my tribe!! Use code PUSHMYLIMITS at checkout for 10% off your next order!!

New Coeur Sports gear!! Stock up now!! Use code SWEETSUMMER for 30% off through Memorial Day!!

Thanks to SBR Sports, Inc. for the #trislide keeping me all lubed up during my open water swim!! You can get some too!! Use code KEPL18 at checkout for 20% off your next order!!

How was your week? What are you grateful for this week?!

21 weeks ’til #IMLou – whirlwind

Published on May 21, 2018 by Kecia2 Comments

Last week was a whirlwind! So much crazy packed in one week that I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed at the present moment. Lots of highs, lows, life stress, work stress, fun, play, and so much more all packed into 7 days. Thankfully this overwhelming feeling will pass!

Swim: 5300 yards

Fist pump because I FINALLY went under 1:30/100 yards…even if it was only one time!

My first 100 yard swim time that is sub 1:30!! #hardworkpaysoff

So grateful to start a long training day with a swim! #swimlove

Bike: 74.3 miles

50+ miles on two wheels!! Open roads, warm weather, beautiful scenery…so much #bikelove!!

Mojo always looks so beautiful against the farmland!!

Run: 22 miles

A little #runlove around Ankeny was pretty awesome!!

So grateful to get to play all day long!! #swimlove + #bikelove + #runlove = #happygirl

11 mile run in cooler temps = 2 #happygirls!! #basillovesrunning

Strength Training: 1 hour & 15 minutes + 10 minutes of core strength/stretching daily

Some SBT Extreme work with some help from Coach Basil…”Mom, you need to work on your form.” lol

Weekly Totals: 12 hours & 42 minutes

Quote of the Week:

“I breathe in calm and exhale the crazy. I breathe in relax and exhale stress. I breathe in ease and exhale anxiety. I breathe in peace and exhale tension. I breathe in quiet and exhale noise.”

Attitude of Gratitude:

Getting a Mother’s Day card from my niece Isabella started my week off on a positive note!

Thanks Kyle (with Kyle’s Bikes) for fixing up Mojo and making everything right again!! #bestbikemechanic

Epsom salt baths post long training days are a must!

So grateful my sister-in-law came to visit briefly!

Cheering on my fave at the Hickory Grove Triathlon was so much fun!! Cold, but fun!!

Daily meditation to calm my thoughts like Basil and Mya…Love these two!!

How was your week? Daily mediation has helped me reduce my anxiety. How do you reduce anxiety when you feel overwhelmed?!

22 weeks ’til #IMLou – focus

Published on May 14, 2018 by Kecia6 Comments

Last week was all about focus! Staying focused during training, on the process of chasing my dreams, while packing for a weekend getaway, on my pre-race preparations, on my race strategy, during my race…focus, Focus, FOCUS!!

Swim: 4596 yards