Wordle..fun!

I stole this idea from my friend Melissa...it's a wordle. To quote Melissa. "I made a wordle. It was fun." She was correct! You can make one too (very easy if you're a blogger too--it takes the text from your blog), just click here on WORDLE.

Here is mine, I like that it looks like a foot!

Olympic fever!

I LOVE THE OLYMPICS! GO TEAM USA! So yes, I've been watching them...and probably staying up too late to catch the action. I am in awe at so many of these athletes, especially the incredible feats of many of the swimmers--not only Michael Phelps, but seriously, that guy is a swimming superman! What an incredible Olympiad thus far. HOWEVER, I can't stay up late every night--my own training is still on-going and probably fueled and inspired by the Olympics. I will say, however, that when I watch men and women swimming 100m in 45-50 seconds or so, and I avg a 1:50 on a good day...yeah, I felt like I was slogging through the water the other day!! Haha! But, that's okay, I'm working on becoming a good competitive age grouper. Age grouper = balancing work life, personal life, and training. I don't get to just eat, sleep, and train. That's okay. Sure, I had dreams of Olympics as a kid (nothing realistic, and I knew it...but dreams nonetheless) and maybe when I'm old I can do the "Senior Olympics"--haha, but I'll cheer on Team USA in the meantime!

It is a big training week for me. I did have to shuffle some workouts since Big Bird and Grover closed the pool for two days--yes, Sesame Street. The Sesame Street show is on at Ft. Hood and the put it at the main gym where the pool is and they shut the whole thing down. Now, I don't think Big Bird and Cookie Monster will be spending time in the pool, so why close it?? If there are big yellow feathers in there when I swim next, I guess I'll have to admit I was wrong. So, what does this week look like:

Monday: 1.5 hour bike ride (26.85 miles); 40 mins of strength/core
Tuesday: 1 hour swim (2800m); 20 min of core
Wednesday: 40 min run (4.76 miles- speedwork); 1:16 bike (intervals- 23.82 miles)
Thursday: 13.1 mile run
Friday: 1 hour swim (2800m); 40-45 mins strength/core
Sat: 63 mile bike ride (Cove House Classic in Copperas Cove)
Sun: 2.4 mile OWS in Austin; 1 hour run (possible move/cancel...the 13.1 is an add, so I may sub it, we'll see)

So, this month will be one of my biggest "total months"--probably my biggest cycling month and swimming month, but not run (marathon training took that earlier this year I'm sure). I am feeling very confident right now about my progression and training for the Longhorn Half-Ironman in October. My run volume and strength is improving, my bike has improved a lot, and while I'm not a lot faster swimming, I am some, and I my endurance has absolutely improved--so I can hold my swim pace for longer. This weekend's open water swim in Austin will be a test for sure. But it will also make the 1.2 miles I have to do for Longhorn, and the 1500m I have to do for the Austin Olympic Tri just that much easier. Our minds can be a huge factor in racing, and for me, if I "conquer" a distance--anything shorter becomes "easier" for me. Plus, this 2.4 miler will give me a great idea of what to expect for Ironman training next year!

Off to bed I go--I can't stay up to watch the guy gymnasts...must run in the morning, so must sleep now!

Let me introduce.../Great training

I'd like to introduce you to my new little girl--a sweet 1.5 year old yorkie poo I have named "Annie Oakley"...she is at home with me now and has already chased her brother Davey (and vice versa) all over the house!

I look forward to fun time with both of these and hope these two critters have fun with each other!

This weekend was a great training weekend. Due to the MP Ball on Thursday night, we had Friday off, and that was nice. I got in a great 12 mile run before it got to hot. I kept it in my Z2 Heart Rate range and still managed an 8:05 m/min pace and that was awesome...it felt so good. Then on Sat. morning I got up and joined a friend for a bike ride (we linked in with a group for a bit) and I ended up doing 70.7 miles--my longest ride ever, and at a decent pace. I did a brick (bike then run), so after the bike I did 30 min of running, and I felt SO GOOD. I knocked out 3.87 miles, giving me a good 7:45 m/min pace. WOW, I couldn't believe it. My confidence and endurance is growing with each good weekend's worth of training. This morning I knocked out an hour recovery run, and while I didn't push it, I felt really good--no major soreness at all from the previous two-days training. I met my folks and two brothers and a friend of one of my brothers at a Lake half-way between where I live and they live in order to pick up Annie. What a fun weekend! Annie is definitely a sweetie and training is great! :)