My 2018 Year in Review via Photos

January:

Celebrating the end of the #batcapchallenge on January 1!

Ironman Louisville registration for 2018!!

Supporting our twin nieces at their swim meet!

My fave and me at home home!!

Me and my fave listening to Damon Dotson!

Snowshoeing adventures with my fam!

Lunch with the twins at school!

Winter wonderland with Dad + my fave!

Catching up with my “baby brother” at home home!

February:

My longest run since November and with this amazing sunset!

Snowshoe adventures!

Enjoying life with my fave!

March:

The biggest birthday card I’ve ever received! Thank you Laylah!

Warm enough for shorts?! YES!! Soaking up the sun + vitamin D!!

Making an effort, not an excuse!

Rolling out of 40 and into 41 like “Hell yeah! 40 was an amazing year! Cheers to an even better 41!”

Birthday lunch date with my #solesister

We are SO grateful to have SBR Sports, Inc. in our tribe this year! #sbrambassador

These two girls fill my heart with love and joy every day!

The girls playing tug of war with a stick in the yard while we shovel.

Listening to your gut instead of your heart can be REALLY tough! I’m confident we made the right decision not to race the 10K road race this morning and swim instead.

These kids! They engineered some very creative ways to protect their eggs when they dropped them from the balcony at school! #eggdrop

April:

3 of my favorite little bunnies!

Our winter playground is officially closed for the summer

I’m so grateful to have this amazing man by my side in life!

I’m so grateful for my #solesister!

Traci, we love you! So grateful to have amazing friends at work!

First race of 2018 is in the books! My finish time wasn’t as good as I’d hoped for, but it was better than I expected! #happygirl #mydrakerelays

CPR/AED recertification day!

SO happy to have this pretty lady back home in Iowa! #lovemyneighbor

Checking my gait while picking up our new Garmins! #therunnersflat

New Garmin day! #therunnersflat

Being filmed for a video being put together for Team Chiropractic…what does it take to be an Ironman??? Many hours staring at the same walls! Desire, focus, determination, grit, tenacity, belief in yourself…just to name a few!

May:

Dance like no one is watching when you’re happy! So grateful there are only 35 days (including weekends) until summer break!

“Right now” was pure joy for 50 miles on two wheels with my fave! I was so happy to be outside riding on the open roads!

10 mile heat acclimation run. “Right now” helped me chase my dreams!

A clean bike is a FAST bike!! Mojo is clean and ready to race!!

So grateful + blessed to be part of this amazing Coeur Sports team! I have met so many incredible women in sport and am excited to meet even more!! #TeamCoeur2018 #CourageTeam18

So grateful to have my fave as Sherpa/spectator extraordinaire jimmy rigging Mojo for me!!

Pre-race with my Coeur Sports sister, Michelle!

Race done!

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

Mojo always looks so beautiful against the farmland!!

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!!

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

An open water swim with my fave!!

June:

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

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

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

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

Pre-race swim…check

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 decisions that are right for us…this was the weather on race morning.

I did a thang! The #flatlander703 was the TOUGHEST race I’ve ever done, but I learned A LOT and got 1st place overall!! Thanks to my fave for the award ceremony and making me feel special!!

Volunteer lead bikes at the Hope Run Saturday morning! #givingback

42 solo miles on a VERY HOT + HUMID day!!

Cheering + spectating at the Ames Velo crit races…so much fun!! #crazyfastriders

Incredibly grateful that my fave walked away from a solo bicycle accident with lots of road rash and NO head injury (despite cracking his helmet in 2 places). Wear your helmet people!! It saves lives!!

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

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!!

FINALLY nailing goal watts on an outdoor ride!!!

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

July:

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

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

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!!

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.

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!!

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!!

“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!!

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

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

My happy place!! Life on two wheels!!

Diving into race week!! #IMOhio70point3 is this coming Sunday!!

So grateful for Kyle at Kyle’s Bikes!! His race day blessing means Mojo is ready to roll!!

Today we broke up 7.5 hours of driving with a little #swimlove in a new city!!

My Coeur runneth over!! I got to meet some of the most inspirational, determined, loving ladies today!! #happycoeur

These three ladies hold a special place in my heart!!

The #sub6orbust is no longer a dream!! Today I turned it into a reality thanks to Steena who ran with me!! This lady is such a strong, positive badass and I’m blessed and grateful to have had her by my side today!!

Our Air BNB hosts were spectacular!! I’m so grateful for their hospitality, openness, and friendship!!

I’m riding cloud nine after setting a PR at Ironman Ohio 70.3 and finally breaking 6 hours, but I’m not sure it would have happened without Steena by my side. This girl is the definition of #heartandcourage and I’m so grateful for her!! Her strength, positivity, selflessness, and uplifting spirit are just a few of the wonderful things about her!! Thank you Steena for all you did to help me achieve my dream!! Love you girl!! “PRs are better with friends!!”

So grateful to have Steena by my side as I broke 6 hours, crushed goals, and achieved dreams at Ironman Ohio 70.3!! Thank you Steena for being such a strong, motivating, awesome BADASS!!

August:

Grateful that Kim showed up for my Women’s only triathlon clinic. Since she was the only one to show up, she got 2 hours of one-on-one attention and lots of gifts!! 🙂

Only in Iowa does your neighbor walk goats on leash down the sidewalk. The goats allowed Basil and My to smell them and try to play with them. When one goat “talked” to Basil, Basil didn’t have a clue what that noise was or what to do.

Celebrating with Dad back at home home!

Snow cones with the twins!! Yummy!!

These animals have keys to my heart!

So grateful that I got to stay with my college friend, Christina, and her girl, Gracie, in Madison at my solo training camp!

Hard work pays off!! Thanks to my #sub6orbust buddy Steena for pulling me up ALL. THE. HILLS On 2 loops of the #IMWI bike course!!

Making fitness + pushing myself in Madison on the #IMWI bike course!

Grateful to spend the afternoon at the state fair with these fun peeps listening to Brett Eldredge live in concert!

Finding the sunshine among the storms during my long run!

After riding the struggle bus in the pool Saturday morning, I got to ride 71.9 miles. This is where I started to transition from a passenger on the struggle bus to the captain…I’m not in full control of the bus just yet, but I’m getting closer!!

Grateful to have these two motivate me for some #sundayrunday hill repeats!!

Hanging with some colleagues…back to work!

Morning hill repeats with Basil!! Basil got compliments on her glow-in-the-dark collar this morning. Sad we are losing daylight, but grateful for the cooler temps so my running buddy can join me!!

Today was my 15th first day of teaching!!

Happy Friday!! Running in the mist with Robin was a great way to start the day!!

90 miles of #bikelove and chasing Anne for 55 of those miles on a very hot + humid day = DONE!!

#sundayrunday was 16 soggy + gross miles thanks to the 72*F dew point!! Thanks for running 5 of those miles with me Robin!!

September:

So grateful to have nailed my swim with PR swim splits!!

Basil turned 6 years old on Monday…I love these two SO MUCH!!

Riding 5 hours on the trainer staring at Lake Monona…I so wanted to be on the IMWI bike course, but my gut told me not to and I listened to it.

45 minute run off the bike…so fun to run into (literally) a social media friend and turn him into a real friend!!

All of these amazing volunteers helped us keep T1 in check on IMWI race morning. I’m so grateful for their help!!

Playing pack mule for friends racing!! So glad we were able to get their gear, take it to their car, and help them out!! Congrats to both Steena and John on stellar IMWI races!!

Congratulations to my fave!! He finished his last long run (22 miles) before the Twin Cities Marathon in 3 weeks!! Meanwhile, I was still riding on the trainer…5 hours in the books!!

The sunrise on my 18 mile long run was magnificent!! Grateful!!

Starting Friday off right…with my fave by my side for some morning miles!!

Knocking out the workouts one at a time!

V is for victory!! I nailed my swim session with my second 1200 yard split being 4 sec/100 yards faster than my first 1200 yard split!!

8 morning miles with Basil (2 of those with my fave too)!! #basillovesrunning

+ 9 afternoon miles = 17 strong miles Wednesday!!

Playing around in the pool after putting in some work!!

Thank you Kyle for putting a new chain on Mojo and giving her your race day blessing!!

Grateful for the OneBrainWellness Self Defense clinic to learn how to defend myself against an attacker!!

After crushing my 90 minute run/1 hour bike intervals/1 hour run back to back to back Sunday, the hay is in the barn!! I’m #IMLou race ready!! It’s time to TAPER!! (Run #2)

October:

While swimming today, there was a seahorse on the bottom of the pool in my lane. Was this a sign?! I believe it was!! The seahorse is considered to be a symbol of strength and power. Just what I needed today!!

So grateful to have this crazy group of colleagues to work with!!

Cycling around the Twin Cities on my cross bike chasing down my fave!! No idea how many miles I logged, but it was fun and challenging to stay ahead of him!!

So grateful to briefly chat with Elaina at mile 26 of the Twin Cities Marathon!!

SO FREAKING PROUD of my FAVE!! HE CRUSHED IT!! Setting a new PR in a time of 3:33:05 at the Twin Cities Marathon!! 🙂

So grateful to briefly chat with my Coeur Sports teammate Kendra (and meet little Ralphie <3) at mile 8.5 of the Twin Cities Marathon!!

Running with my fave by Churchill Downs after spending hours in the car to get to Louisville!!

Getting to meet up with a few of my Coeur Sports teammates was so much fun!! This team of uplifting, encouraging, supportive women is where it’s at!!

Swinging in the sunshine with my fave on Saturday…the calm before the storm (quite literally)!!

Grateful that my Dad came to cheer me on at Ironman Louisville!!

These two!! I’m so grateful for my fave and sis who kept me going strong all day long!!

This sums up my Ironman Louisville race day…cold + wet + windy + challenging + strong = success!!

My cheer squad on the second loop!! Tim, Abbie, and Dad (left to right) chasing me up the hill into LaGrange! I made it back to them!

I’m so proud to be crossing the finish line of Ironman #6!!

Giving Dad and Abbie a “high five” in the finish chute with my run bottle in hand! Love you both!

LOVE these two smiling faces!!

Grateful to get to see my cousin and cheer on his wife at the Des Moines Marathon!!

Grateful for my colleagues!! The #7dwarfs #spookoutdrugs during Red Ribbon Week at school!!

Happy Halloween from some 8th grade teachers!! #decadestheme

November:

Playing in the leaves after some #runlove with Basil!!

The Coeur Sports 2019 ambassador team…I’m SO grateful to be representing the BEST brand + sisterhood in endurance sport!!

Spending more time on the bike with my fave now that we are training for the same races in 2019!!

Grateful to have my mother-in-law visit us!!

When you FINALLY see yourself on the side of the city bus when it is stopped!!

So thankful to have this guy by my side in life!!

So grateful that I got to meet up with framily over Thanksgiving break!!

December:

SURPRISE!! Coach Kelly called as I was heading out the door to swim and told me to do a swim test instead of my scheduled swim. Adapt on the fly + handle the pressure!! This is the excitement when you do better than expected on your swim test!!

Basil decided to interrupt us while we were dancing to Christmas music in the kitchen.

So grateful to Breakthrough Nutrition for helping me sleep at night!!

I would chase this girl anywhere!!

Playtime in the pool!!

FTP progress…not where I once was, but getting closer 🙂

I had the swim of my life!! Everything just clicked and I felt amazing!!

We don’t always wear spandex!! 🙂

My colleagues!!

Framily!! ❤

Family! ❤

Sisters! ❤

Great Grandma Annie delivers again!

Making gingerbread houses with my favorite little people!!

Making gingerbread houses with my favorite people!!

Thank you to Ruth for our new doggie Coeur gear!!

My Coeur Sports sister, Courtney, came to Iowa for the holidays!! So blessed to get to swim with her + enjoy lunch together!!

Grateful to get to spend time with Courtney!! Can’t wait for her and her husband to return so we can spend more time together!!

Christmas with my fave!!

Ending 2018 on a HIGH note!! A HUGE increase in my FTP means I’m going to GET to work even harder in 2019!! (44 watt increase on my FTP)

Happy New Year’s!! Bring on 2019!!

Post Ironman Boulder – What’s Next???

I have spent the last 2 weeks recovering from Ironman Boulder, working out when I want, visiting family and enjoying life. Now it is time to get back to work…literally. Tomorrow marks the last day of summer vacation before I start the 2015-2016 school year on Wednesday. Here are some pictures of the last 2 weeks of my summer break/recovery time:

I love to ride my bicycle…even 4 days post Ironman 🙂

Post race massage…recovery is important.

Spending time with my family. I don’t get to see this one nearly enough!

Sister time!

Running up Mt. Diablo in California while visiting my sister and her family..

#bikelove and #solesistasweat What a perfect combination!!

Cycling is always better with friends!! #bikelove

Running back in Iowa with LOTS of humid, thick air…I miss the mountains!!

I decided today is a great day to get back into a consistent workout routine. After all, I have dreams and I am going to continue to work hard to fulfill my dreams 🙂

For now, I have the following races scheduled for the remainder of 2015:

• Des Moines Triathlon – September 6, 2015
• Capitol Pursuit 10 miler – September 20, 2015
• The Runner’s Flat Trail Race – October 10, 2015 (I am not sure if I am doing the 25K or 50K yet)
• Sunnyside Cyclocross Race – October 17, 2015

This provides me with a good variety for the remainder of the year…a little bit of triathlon, a little bit of running and a little bit of cycling. Lots of fun to be had yet this year!

Do you fall out of a consistent routine during the summer months/post racing? How do you get back into a routine? How do you incorporate good variety in your training/racing while going into the off season?

Newton Kismet Review

For the last couple of years, I have been running in the Brooks Pure Flows and the Asics Gel-Nimbus…alternating between them. Every year I like to make sure that nothing has changed with my gait, which could cause the need to switch shoes, so I recently had a shoe fit from Scott Gall at the Runner’s Flat in Cedar Falls. He had me run on the treadmill at the store while he video analyzed my gait as I ran in both the Brooks Pure Flow and the Asics Gel-Nimbus. Everything looked great in these two shoes and he recommended that I not switch out of either of them. He also said that if I was interested in adding another shoe to the rotation that he would recommend the Newton Kismet, which would be a good addition for my gait.

He had me run in the Newton Kismet a bit at the store. I was in heaven! The are lightweight, they help cushion the ball of my foot as I land, and they have an upper material that is soft and breathable. I’ve also noticed that the soft upper material prevents a lot of road dirt from getting into the shoe while I run. When running with Basil (our black lab), this is a DEFINITE bonus!!

I have run every distance in them from an easy 3 miles to 16+ miles while training and I raced in them for the Drake 1/2 Marathon a few weeks ago. I love them!!

Admiring my Newton Kismets after a long 16 mile run with legs up a wall

I’m so excited that the Newton Kismets work so well for me, that I just ordered a second pair of these amazing shoes!!

Have you tried Newton Kismets before? Love them? Not for you?