Last week was a recovery week . . . I made a wise but not so wise decision to attend my first Camp Gladiator workout last Tuesday morning.  While awesome and exactly what I need to build my strength for Ironman Maryland, it also pretty much sidelined me for a few days.  I was so sore - and in places one is not normally sore, unless perhaps recovering from major surgery, like the side of my rib cage - it took extreme effort to get out of my chair and walk over to the printer at work.  Needless to say, I went back Saturday morning for more, lol.  I am still sore, but at least I can function normally.  My plan is to go 2-3 days a week throughout training.  It's a good use of an hour, strengthening muscles that aren't usually the focus of triathlon training, but are necessary to perfom the three disciplines of the sport.  

My new Team In Training shirt arrived from the National Capital office on Saturday.  I am super excited to have a new shirt with the new logo to wear during training this summer.  I also have reflective decals to add to some tank tops I scored at Macy's (for $7.28 each!) that will make me visible in the pre-dawn training hours.

This week my fundraising goal is to raise $640 - please help me reach this goal!!!! Once this amount is donated, I will reach the $1,000 mark, or 10% of my goal!!!!!  Every dollar makes a difference - consider donating based on the event - 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run, for $140.6 total miles.  So $2.40, $11.20 or $112, $26.20, or $140.6!!!!!  There is no amount too small to change a life.

This week's training:

• Monday - Bike 46 minutes, Strength Training 30 minutes
• Tuesday - Swim 30 minutes, Run 40 minutes (+ Camp Gladiator)
• Wednesday - Bike 45 minutes, Strength Training 30 minutes
• Thursday - Swim 60 minutes, Run 30 minutes (+ Camp Gladiator)
• Friday - Recovery; going to try to get to yoga class this week
• Saturday - Bike 60 minutes (+ Camp Gladiator)
• Sunday - Swim 60 minutes, Run 50 Minutes

And there you have it - 12 hours of training for the week (including Camp Gladiator and Yoga).  Totally doable.  I am excited to get my act together, to complete my training schedule and fuel my body with healthy foods. Nothing looks as good as Health feels.  One of my favorite sayings, and one I keep in mind when choosing what to eat for lunch and dinner when I am not the one preparing and cooking the meals :)

For your daily dose of cuteness, this guy celbrated his 8 month birthday yesterday, on the 12th anniversary of my dad's passing.  It's bittersweet - my dad would LOVE all of his grandsons - 4 active, thriving, healthy boys with another on the way - but had our lives not been shattered that cold February day in 2003, life may not be as we know it.  Never take a day for granted, you never know when God will need you back.

Love

Megan

This week is Week 4 of my base training for Ironman Maryland (IMMD), which is labeled a "recovery" week - meaning workouts are a little shorter and less intense.  Recovery weeks are awesome.  SO long as you make good decisions, and don't, say, begin a new boot camp style workout that leaves you so sore it is a struggle to put on pants.  Yep - that's where I'm at today, struggling to put on pants, shoes, etc.  Not to worry, I am dressed appropriately for the office.  Luckily, I know this is a good-sore and not an injured-sore, so I'll be just fine.  I'm even going to go back for more tomorrow morning at 5:30am, in the frigid Florida temperature of 32 degrees.

This week's workouts:

• Monday:  Bike 40 min, Strength Training 30 minutes
• Tuesday:  Swim 30 minutes, Run 35 minutes
• Wednesday:Bike 40 minutes
• Thursday:  Swim 45 minutes, Strength Training 30 minutes
• Friday:  Recovery / Yoga
• Saturday:  Run 35 minutes
• Sunday:  Bike 40 minutes, Swim 45 minutes

This week I am almost to 4% of my fundraising goal - thank you to Jopn and Janene, my former co-workers, who have chosen to support me on this journey!!!!!  Your donations are making a huge difference in the fight to find a cure, an I am deeply grateful for your generosity.

I'll be sure to take some new photos this weekend!  Stay tuned for an update and the next installment of IMMD training.  

Love,

Megan

Week 3 of base training has arrived, and I am finally on my way to establishing a workout routine, despite our 7 month old recently deciding he no longer likes to sleep.  I am also not hating my bike trainer, which is a huge milestone, as I previously did whatever I could to avoid having to actually use it.  I am sure during the course of training I will come to despise it again, but what can you do?  Summertime = Hurricane Season in Florida.  Plus I really need to do the majority of workouts before work, and 4am is not an ideal time to be out in the dark alone.  

This past weekend, I went to the Best Damn Race - really, that's what it is called.  And yes, it lives up to its' name.  A friend is the organizer, and this is the 3rd year for the local race.  He's added races in Orlando and Cape Coral, with Jacksonville to come (I believe).  Anyway - I signed up for the half marathon, but being as I am not in half marathon shape, I went into the day expecting to do the workout that my coaches had scheduled:  a 45 minute run with my hear rate in zone 2 (run easy enough so that I could carry on a conversation without being winded).  It's hard not to get caught up in race day hype, but being out of shape helps one stick to the plan.  So I ran consistently for 45 minutes, which was 4 miles - my pace was better than it has been, and it didn't feel quite as difficult, either, so it was a good run.  Once I hit my targeted workout, I slowed a bit and did a 4:1 run:walk ratio to the 5.5/6 mile marker, where I removed my bib and ducked out.  I let race officials (ok, my friend Beth) know that I pulled out and not to go looking for me, and then celebrated all of my friends as they knocked the socks off of the course.  It was a beautiful day to be outdoors, and I am so glad that I am back to endurance sports.

This week my focus is on swimming - I've been slacking here, which is NOT a good idea, as I am a terrible swimmer and I have concerns about swimming 2.4 miles in under 2 hours.  I need all the pool hours I can get, and probably a few more.  If anyone would like to meet me at the Long Center at 5am, please let me know :)

If you know someone who has fought a blood cancer, please send me their name / story - I'd love to have some honored heroes to take along on my journey, to swim, bike and run for them.  I'm looking at making a race day tutu to carry these individuals and families with my across the finish line.  This is not an individual journey - it's going to take a village :)

Stay tuned for updates!

This week's workouts:

• Monday - Bike 1 hour, Strength Train 30 minutes
• Tuesday - Swim 30 minutes, Run 50 minutes
• Wednesday - Bike 50 minutes
• Thursday - Swim 45 minutes, Strength Training 30 minutes
• Friday - Recovery / Yoga / Stretching
• Saturday - Run 50 minutes, Lactate Threshhold workout (eek!)
• Sunday - Bike 45 minutes, Swim 45 minutes

My Ironman Maryland journey began this past weekend, complete with coaches' emails, training plans, and inspiration from fellow teammates.  

I joined a few friends for a bike ride Saturday morning, as I do when I have someone to keep an eye on my sweet baby boy.  This weekend, that was my niece Victoria, who is a godsend.  How many 18 year old college students do YOU know that will wake up at 7am on a Saturday morning to babysit a 7 month old?  Yes, I pay her.  And I take her Starbucks.  It's only fair :)

These friends of mine are all pretty much badass.  They are Ironmen and women, having completed the 140.6 distance, and in far better shape than I, yet they continue to i8nvite me along and offer encouragment along the way.  I wasn't feeling the best, as I have some chest congestion and all the fun that accompanies that, but this is Ironman - skipping workouts for a cold is not acceptable.  I was hoping the crisp air would clear it out, or at least keep it at bay.  Kari introduced me to the few I didn't know by saying "Did you know Megan is training for Team In Training?"

I was also wearing my TNT tri kit, a TNT buff under my helmet, and a TNT fleece, lol.

At the 10 mile point, I seriously considered turning around for the day - I was struggling, but this would have completed the assigned workout.  Somehow I agreed to ride the entire way to Anderson Snow Park with everybody else, even though I was so far behind I might as well have just ridden by myself that day!  My friends really are awesome - they'd stop to wait for me until I told them to please just go, I'd call if I had a problem.  The trail is a stright shot and always busy with cyclists, runners, walkers and even roller bladers.  Totally safe :)

My training plan said "45 minutes - goal is to get back on the bike and build your base."  

What I did - a 42 mile, 3 hour very windy bike ride.  It wiped me out, and I realized that I need to listen to my coaches and do the plan they have sent to me.  Once I build my base, I will rejoin my regular crew - after all, I need some friends to do those 100+ mile bike rides with this summer!  

Sunday I attempted to do my run and swim workout.  The run, well . . . I couldn't breathe, due to the aforementioned congestion.  I could not get any air into my lungs.  I stuck it out, went about 3.5 miles in the 45 minutes assigned, with mostly walking and some jogging intervals thrown in for good measure.  I took Lucas along, and pushed the jogging stroller as I went.  Baby boy fell asleep.

Not impressed with mom's running skills.

I am winning at fundraising, though!  Only a few days in and already at 1% of my goal of $10,000!  Keep those donations and honored teammates coming.  Together we are going to find a cure for cancer.  Not all heroes wear capes, you know :)

Training plan this week:

• Monday - 45 minute spin on bike, 30 minute strength session (core)
• Tuesday - 30 minute swim, 45 minute run
• Wednesday - 48 minute spin on bike with drills
• Thursday - 45 minute swim, 30 minute strength session (core)
• Friday - Recovery (plan is do do some stretching and yoga!)
• Saturday - 45 minute run, 15 minute strength session
• Sunday - 45 minute bike ride, 45 minute swim

I'm ready to get it going, and I am focused on sticking to my own training plan, not the training plan of others.  I'm just not there yet, and that's okay.  We all have to start somewhere :)

"One bite at a time."

Obviously I am referring to the Ironman triathlon I am participating in this October, not actually eating an elphant.  One of my awesome Team In Training coaches, Coach Lyle, says that when we groan about getting through a track workout or a long run.  

While I am a tad bit overwhelmed with the hours of training I have laid out before me over the next 8 months, I am more excited than anything.  I've been itching to do 140.6 for a few years - I have an old co-worker to thank for that, as well as all of my crazy friends.  I've come quite a long way from my first Olympic triathlon with Team, when I ran past my mom and now husband screaming "I AM NEVER DOING THIS AGAIN!!!!"  

Thank you all in advance for taking this journey with me.  It is going to be a long, hard road, but one well worth the blood, sweat and tears.  

If you know someone who is battling blood cancer, or someone who has left us too soon after a battle hard fought, please let me know - I'd love to dedicate this race to them.  After all, that is the reason I continue to raise much needed funds and do all these "crazy" events.  
 

GO TEAM!