With last week in the rear view mirror, I only have one more big week before the taper for #IMLou begins!!
Swim: 6500 yards
Bike: 74.4 miles
Run: 27.3 miles
Strength Training: 10 minutes of core strength almost daily
Weekly Totals: 13 hours & 34 minutes
Quote of the Week:
“When it gets tough, put on your boxing gloves.” ~unknown
Attitude of Gratitude:
How was your week? What were you grateful for last week?!
Last week was focused around recovery. Recovery from a big weekend last weekend, recovery from training, recovery from lack of sleep…recovery. Sure I still got in my workouts, but sleep was definitely a priority!
Swim: 12,600 yards
Bike: 98.6 miles
Run: 18 miles
Strength Training: 10 minutes of core strength almost daily
Weekly Totals: 16 hours & 3 minutes
Quote of the Week:
“I need some time to recover. I am not a machine.” ~Unknown
Attitude of Gratitude:
How was your week? What were you grateful for last week?!
Last week I rode the struggle bus…technically it started the week before, but it only got worse last week. I’m lacking motivation, lacking self confidence, feeling overweight, feeling overwhelmed, and I’m definitely not ready to start my first day back to school tomorrow. I want off the struggle bus…or maybe it is time to drive the bus instead of being a passenger on it!
Swim: 21,902 yards
Bike: 87.5 miles
Run: 22.1 miles
Strength Training: 10 minutes of core strength almost daily
Weekly Totals: 14 hours & 11 minutes
Quote of the Week:
“I no longer want to be a passenger on the struggle bus. I want to drive the bus, so it is time to turn in my passenger card for the captain’s license!” ~ME
Attitude of Gratitude:
How was your week? What were you grateful for last week?! What tricks do you have for turning in your passenger card for a captain’s license of the struggle bus?!
Last week was about recovery post Ironman Ohio 70.3 + family time! Doing what makes me happy and spending time with those who make me smile!
Swim: 7232 yards
Bike: 22.1 miles
Run: 13.7 miles
Strength Training: 10 minutes of core strength almost daily
Weekly Totals: 7 hours & 5 minutes
Quote of the Week:
“Life only comes around once, so do whatever makes you happy, and be with whoever makes you smile.”
Attitude of Gratitude:
How was your week? What were you grateful for last week?! What makes you happy?!
Last week was Ironman Ohio 70.3 race week!! I will have a separate post (maybe 2) about the race and race weekend, but here is what the week looked like.
Swim: 6600 yards
Bike: 73 miles
Run: 22.2 miles
Strength Training: 10 minutes of core strength almost daily
Weekly Totals: 10 hours & 37 minutes
Quote of the Week:
“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” ~T.S. Eliot
Attitude of Gratitude:
How was your week? What were you grateful for last week?!
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
Bike: 82.9 miles
Run: 24.1 miles
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 was your week? What were you grateful for last week?! How do you feel when you push yourself out of your comfort zone?!
I’m not sure how summer is already 1/2 over!! Once the 4th of July comes and goes, it is usually a FAST downhill slide to the start of the school year. This makes me sad, but I’m choosing to continue to soak up each and every moment of summer break!!! Here is a snapshot of what I was up to during June…
Training:
Swim: 20,742 yards (11.8 miles)
Bike: 339 miles
Run: 61.5 miles
Monthly Totals:46 hours & 39 minutes
My Solo 70.3 “Race”:
In case you missed it, I did a thing…the Flatlander 70.3. It was INCREDIBLY challenging, but loaded with lots of learning experiences. So grateful to my fave for making me feel like a champion after a really tough day!!
Reading:
Breathing and Relaxation: Control your Breath to Control your Body by Seth Rose is part 2 of one of my articles I posted last month. If you missed part 1, check it out here. In part 2, he addresses how to learn to control your breathing to reduce anxiety and/or tightness on race day. Everyone wants to have less anxiety and tightness on race day, right?!?! Practicing diaphragmatic breathing and using this technique on race day is sure to help!! He also addresses how to use mental rehearsal to help us achieve what we want to happen or feel. This is different from visualization. “While visualization is focused on seeing things in our mind’s-eye, mental rehearsal involves us using as many of our senses that are appropriate to make our image as real as possible.”
The One Thing Every Athlete Wants: Confidence by Carrie Cheadle is spot on!! Even the best athlete isn’t 100% confident 100% of the time! One of her favorite quotes struck home with me: “The reason we struggle with insecurity is because we compare our behind-the-scenes with everyone else’s highlight reel.” – Steve Furtick
WOW!!! Truth!!! Most endurance athletes want to “feel” confident, but confidence isn’t simply a feeling, it is also an action! I’m definitely looking forward to part 2 of this blog post to learn ways to increase my own self confidence!! Aren’t you?!?!
Listening to:
The IronWomen Podcast NAILED IT with The Cyclist Lawyer – Megan Hottman!! This is a MUST listen to for ANY cyclist or motorist on the roads. Megan is a lawyer in Colorado who specializes in cases involving cyclists. She discusses the laws of the roads (not just in Colorado, but all states), how to better protect yourself as a cyclist, and insurance options to better protect yourself if you are a cyclist who crashes or gets hit by a motorist. WOW!! SO MUCH INFORMATION!! I listened to it 3 times to make sure I grasped it all!! Definite 5 star rating here!!
KonaKamps has uploaded some new listens with Brenda Bettencourt, Amy Javens, and Amy Farrell (one of my AWESOME Coeur Sports Teammates). These ladies have worked hard and climbed the ladder to place in their age groups!! If you haven’t taken a listen yet, I HIGHLY recommend KonaKamps!!
Working on:
My nutrition and hydration plan!! This has been an ongoing process since…well, always!! Just when you think you’ve got your plan dialed in and working, something changes or your wrong. Maybe the weather has drastically changed. Maybe what your body once loved, it no longer likes. Maybe your tastes have changed. Maybe your just wanting to try something different. Maybe what you thought worked really didn’t work in the first place. I am working on a separate blog post specific to this topic as I have encountered some real nutrition and hydration obstacles that I’m working to overcome, so stay tuned for more on this soon! For those that have shared hydration and nutrition tips with me. Thank you!!
Grateful for:
How was your month of June?! What hydration and/or nutrition tips do you have and/or use?! What were you grateful for last month?!
