Tearing up Texas...at least Tri'ing to do so!

I'm a bad, bad blogger!! But, rather than lament the fact that I've been a bad blogger, I will just jump right into it! What has kept me busy these past three weeks, by the numbers and events, here you go:

Week of 13-19 July
S: 6700.00 M (2h 18m )
B: 165.57 Mi (8h 34m 23s)
R: 25.92 Mi (3h 43m 03s)

19 July was the Katy Flatland's Century. It was a great ride, albeit there were some signing issues that meant I took a little detour. Thankfully, of all places for me to be "misdirected" it was in my hometown stomping grounds. I still finished up the ride well and even added on nearly 2 additional miles. My average pace was about an even 20mphs! I couldn't believe it!! I LOVE THE FLATS! Some people don't like the constant "pedaling" that the flats require, but it doesn't bother me in the least. Good thing I'm signed up for Ironman Florida. Some highlights of the trip to Katy included staying with my awesome friends, the Stewarts. They are some of the most generous and loving people you could ever meet. They have known me since I was knee high, and other than my actual family, they have provided me the most constant support and love throughout the years. Thanks Stewarts!! I also too Tanya over to Phoenicia's--a Mediterranean eatery where you can get schwarmas that taste just like I ate when I was a kid living in the United Arab Emirates! They were DELICIOUS! We then headed over to their market and picked up some tasty, fresh pita bread. Oh how I wish I lived near there!!

Week of 20-26 July

S: 9050.00 M (3h 05m 46s)
B: 70.47 Mi (3h 40m 54s)
R: 21.94 Mi (3h 05m 03s) This was a recovery week. So, what's the funny thing about a recovery week during Ironman training? The answer to that is that the recovery week ends with racing an Olympic distance triathlon! I did the TriWaco Olympic Triathlon 26 July. My full race report can be found on BeginnerTriathlete at this link: RACE REPORT
RESULTS
Total Time = 2h 36m 46s
Overall Rank = 26/204
Age Group = F25-29
Age Group Rank = 1/7
Swim: 32:03 (WAS LONG! Definitely not just 1500m...all the swim times were SUPER slow for a true 1500m course)
T1: 2:16 (included a 200m up hill run to a long transition, this was a great time!)
Bike: 1:10:54 (was actually 25.37 miles vs. 40k)
T2: 1:16 (long transition area, I rocked this)
Run: 50:14 (challenging, good run! had some killer hills, thankfully they were shaded)

Of course, I was happy with the Age Group win, and I was the 3rd woman overall, so happy there as well! I was also thrilled because my brother Jeremy came and brought with him my cute poodle, Davey. I guess cheering wore them out, because when I was taking my gear to the car, a local report snapped this great picture:

Week of 27 July - 2 August
S: 7669.28 M (2h 54m)
B: 137.18 Mi (7h 26m 32s)
R: 38.73 Mi (5h 36m 41s)

Wow, looking at the time and totals, this was a monster week! That would explain why I felt I just couldn't get enough sleep!! Work was busy, but so was training. I got some good pool time in, a good long run on Saturday (15 miles) and a 90 mile bike ride on Sunday! I made a tiny mistake of forgetting sun lotion for a swim on Saturday because I'm used to going to the indoor pool. It's not too horrible, but you can definitely see the outline of my swim suit on back!! This week was tough, but it was also confidence building. Even when I was feeling rough on the long run, my body was doing what it was supposed to do, and better than I thought my body would do! I expected my legs to be DEAD on my Sunday long ride. But nope, they weren't. They lacked some zip, but they were still doing well, and I averaged a good 18+ on those 90 miles. It's taking a lot out of me, but I'm learning a lot about myself through all of this about my personal discipline, about how my body works, about the need for friends to help push you through (thanks Tanya!), about time management, and so much more.

It's less than 100 days now until Ironman Florida. At this rate, I have no doubt I'll be prepared. There will be tough days, there will be good days, and there will be a workout out two that just doesn't happen! Haha! But, in all of this I'm learning valuable lessons that truly do meld over to the other parts of my life. God and I get lots of talking time on long runs and rides, though I'm sure there are times where He gets tired of my pleas to just "make it end" or "take away the heat."