I've been a little busy.

I took a few days off after my triathlon, and I just felt lost at the gym in the days after my recovery. I no longer had a goal or a training plan to follow. I decided to sign up for another race- the Suntree Turkey Trot 5k. It's a Thanksgiving morning run back in Florida. A few family members and friends will run it, too, so I'm highly motivated to train so that I don't embarrass myself. 

I've been running 2 or 3 days a week, swimming 2 days a week and I've thrown a little biking, lifting and yoga in for good measure. I learned at the end of my tri training that I actually love running outside. It's a little harder to schedule since I have to find someone to watch my kids. Plus it's getting darker, colder and much more rainy. In fact, those factors caused me to fell on Wednesday when I was out on a run. My knee got scraped up, my wrist still hurts and I have a gnarly bruise on my shoulder. 

Last week, I decided that I didn't want the Turkey Trot to be my first 5k race, so I signed up for the Regatta Run 5k, which I ran this morning. 

I went in with the single goal of beating my 5k time in my triathlon of 31 minutes. I was a little nervous that my knee would start bothering me from my fall a few days ago, but it was fine. The weather was pretty good, too. About 59 degrees and calm, cloudy at first, but the sun came out after about 15 minutes. 

I underestimated the crowd. I meant to start near the top 25% of the pack, but I was actually more like the top 10%. As a result, I got passed by dozens of people in the first quarter mile. I ran it too fast, too. A 7:30 pace, which is way too fast for me, especially since I wanted to do negative splits (ie running the second half or the race faster than the first half.) My RunKeeper app updated me on my mileage, current split and average pace, so I knew I was running too fast and settled down. 

The course was lovely, much of it the same as my triathlon's 5k running course. It was fairly flat (for Oregon) and had a lot of variety- wooded paths, parks, under the footbridge, along the river and by the dog park. I was glad that I finish before the trains went by though- the course was right next to the tracks! 

After settling down the first half, I picked up the pace around mile 2. I passed a small herd of runners around mile 2.5. I was getting tired, but kicked it the last stretch to sprint to the finish. I was exhausted! 

I forgot to check my time as I finished, but I think it was about 26:15, a 8:39 pace. 

Splits:

Mile 1: 8:22

Mile 2: 8:48

Mile 3: 8:28 

(Last 0.1: 7:27 pace)

In other big news, I went back to work! I am working as an accountant at a local tax and accounting firm 2 days a week. (I'll work full time during tax season.) It's been manageable. The kids are doing well at daycare and I am enjoying my work and the people with whom I work. It's getting hard to fit everything in though. I still make it to the gym or run outside most of the days that I don't work. (Dan's business trip, my fall and scheduled rest in preparation for the Regatta Run have made the first 2 weeks weird.) The kids go to bed earlier now, so there isn't time to go to the gym on the days that I work. I'll probably end up putting my membership on hiatus during tax season. 

I realize that I can't do everything that I want, I have to make choices. I only watch tv on the iPad while doing dishes, folding laundry or cooking. I'm still playing the piano enough to keep up with my lessons, though I won't be making the gains that I have seen in my first 9 months of lessons anymore. It's hard to be an adult, right? Someone tell Rosie to slow down and be a baby for a little bit longer. 

   

College Race Day

Liam has been talking about racing ever since I told him about my triathlon. I looked around the internet for a local kids run and found one on Sept. 27th. With Dan travelling so much, we didn't pre-register in case something came up. Saturday morning arrived and everyone was happy and excited for the kids race.

The "college race day event" had a tailgating theme and all of the proceeds from the event supported the athletic programs at a local high school, so everyone was encouraged to wear their college gear. We were sporting orange and blue, of course!

Rosie outgrew her Gator gear. She'll fit into Liam's jersey soon and he's getting too big for it anyway. 

I bet you are wondering why Dan has a race bib, too? We had planned to just run along with Liam on his 1k and cheer the 5k and 10k runners. On the way over to the park, Dan randomly decided that he was going to run the 5k also. This was seriously like 20 minutes before the 5k race started!

We rushed to registration and Dan stretched and warmed up. Then it was time to go.

The kids 1k started about 30 minutes after the 5k, so we went to the playground. This was at Cook Park, the lovely park where I ran the 5k portion of my triathlon. At the playgound, we ran into our neighbors! The same family who had come out the previous weekend to cheer me on. Turns out the wife was running the 10k! 

When the finishers from the 5k and 10k races started to trickle in, the kids and I lined up along the finish line to cheer on the runners. As we waited, Liam was getting more and more excited for his race. He told me, "I'm going to run really fast! There aren't going to be any yellow lights!" So cute! 

I thought I would see my neighbor first, but Dan really surprised me when he finished the 5k in 24 minutes! Men! 

My neighbor finished shortly afterwards. She was really surprised to see me and the kids cheering her on the the finish line. 

Then it was time for the kids run. We had planned to all go, but the path was not conductive to pushing Rosie in the stroller, so Dan and Rosie stayed behind while Liam and I went. Not all of the parents had finished their races, so there were just 4 in the first heat of kids. 

Liam's a sprinter. He took off and passed everyone, including the girl who was leading the course! That didn't last long, but he did run the whole route without stopping. The group kind of spread out. I kept encouraging Liam on. He was focused and pretty quiet when, about 2/3 of the way through the course, he let out a loud "Meep meep!" 

The road runner is pretty much his spirit animal. 

There were quite a few people gathered around the finish line and the event organizer announced Liam's name over the loud speaker and he made his way to the finish line. It was awesome! I'm so proud of my little buddy! 

Done

I did it, I finished the triathlon. I am exhausted and overjoyed and so many other emotions that I can hardly process.

Last night, I set some goals for my race. #1 was to finish. #2 was to finish in under 2 hours. #3 was to run the whole 5k (with exception for hills.) I accomplished the first two and came very close to the last one.

I loved the way they set up the swim. We had 8 lanes, so  woman would start at the last lane, swim out and back, then move to the next lane. They started swimmers about every 30 seconds, so a woman also finished every 30 seconds or so. All of the waiting swimmers would cheer every time a swimmer finished and came out of the water. It was cool.

I passed a few people during my first few laps. My friend,  Liz, was my triathlon buddy. Her sister was also competing. I had to book it my last lap so that Liz didn't pass me!

I think the pool at my gym is actually shorter than 25 yards, because this swim felt longer, but I finished in 10 minutes.

The first transition took some time. I wanted to get pretty dry so that I wouldn't have to worry about chafing. It also took a few minutes to find out where to leave my bag.

Eventually, we set out on our bikes. The first portion was downhill, so it was nice. A few red lights lights really slowed us down though. There was a big hill about halfway through, but it made for a nice downhill at the end of the biking portion. I finished the 10 mile ride in 47 minutes.

We were much quicker in the second transition. I did text my neighbor and friend so they could be there when I finished. I was surprised then to see my neighbors cheering me on at the beginning of the running course! I was really excited to see them and it really lifted my spirits.

Liz really pushed me on the run. We lost her sister after about 1/2 a mile. Liz also had an app on her phone to track our distance and pace. We were both surprised to know that we had run a 9:22 mile!

There were a few hills that we walked and we slowed down a bit at the end, but still finished at just under 31 minutes, exactly the 10 minute/mile paced I had hoped to achieve.

My neighbors, friends and kids were waiting at the finish line. Liam had a small fit when he didn't get to run with me, so we did a small lap together. He keeps saying that he's going to try really hard at his swimming lessons so that he can do a triathlon, too. He also keeps asking if I won. As far as I am concerned,  I did.

It just got real.

I have been a ball of nerves and excitement ever since I picked up my race shirt on Thursday night. It's real. This is happening!

I had some nice "easy" workouts this week. I swam, biked and ran on Tuesday and Thursday. My Thursday workout was actually kid of crazy. I biked 2.5 miles, took a 5 minute break, then went out for a mile run. I was already warmed up from my bike ride, so my goal was to do my mile in 10 minutes, the pace I am aiming for on the 5k portion. I did it in 8 minutes! That is crazy fast for me. Too fast. I probably shouldn't have run so fast on race week.

I have to remember to chill out and not exhaust myself on the swim or bike portions tomorrow. I have to believe in myself and not let my mind talk me out of a good run.

Last Week

I was really nervous going into my bricks last week, especially after discovering that the bike portion of the triathlon was significantly longer than I had previously thought. Tuesday afternoon was my first bike/run brick. My neighbor watched my kiddos for an hour while I went out. I was really nervous about biking on the main road through our town, but it was alright. Uphill on the way home is hard, as always, but I felt pretty good. I expected my legs to turn into jello after a substantial bike ride, but they were okay and I was able to run after just a few seconds of walking.

I was back in the pool on Thursday and tested out Body Glide for the first time. It's supposed to help with chafing, but I don't really have that problem. What I do struggle with is getting my sports bra and workout tank on while my skin is still wet from swimming. I think it will help me with my transition.

I also did an extra lap on Thursday, too, just because. 450 yards non-stop and it honestly felt like a rest day. Even though I was a fairly comfortable swimmer when I started training, I'm still proud of how far I've come with my swimming.

Friday night was a long night. Liam had a s'more party with his primary class. My cold that I had been denying all week caught up with me. The kids hadn't seen Dan all week so Rosie pitched a fit and cried for me when he put her to bed. I took tissues with me and powered through my biking and running. I did 6 miles on my bike and ran 2.5 miles. I had an armband for my phone delivered that morning and discovered Amazon Prime music, which is awesome. Train, Panic at the Disco and FUN were incredibly helpful for my run. Except for the hills, I ran the entire time.

My cold really caught up to me on Saturday night. I spent most of Sunday in bed reading and watching tv. I'm feeling much better today, though I still have a disgusting cough. It's "taper" week anyway to rest and prepare for the tri in 5 days (5 DAYS!!!) so I'm not going to work out today. I'm hoping to do light, swim/bike/run workouts on Tuesday and Thursday and I think that will be enough to keep me focus but rested.

Painted Faces at the Children't Museum

Rosie and Bear Bear Watching Frozen

Our neighbor, Emma, with Liam & Rosie

So sweet!

Rosie takes after Dan a little. 

Me and Liam at the Portland Gator Club

Bouncy Basketball at Pump It Up

Rosie painting our faces at the Children's Museum

Oops

I just realized that the bike portion of the triathlon is 10 miles, not 10 kilometers. There are only 11 days left. Yikes.

I'm also in the denial stages of a cold. My throat hurts, I'm tired and I ache all over, but I'm not sick enough to skip my workout today. I have my first bike/run brick today and I'm nervous about it. I've only got childcare for an hour, so I won't have time to try out a 10 MILE bike ride in addition to a half hour of running.

Man, oh man.

Bricks, Pains and Thinking about the Future

I started my swim/bike bricks this week. I had a 24 hour stomach bug on Monday, so that threw off the first part of my week. I was able to complete my swim/bike back-to-back workouts as scheduled on Tuesday, but my Thursday run really suffered.

I was feeling better by the end of the week, so I left myself get talked into playing women's basketball on Thursday night. After I came home, washed the blood off of my knuckles and prepped an ice pack for my knee, I knew that I was going to be hurting the rest of the week. I could hardly walk up and down the stairs on Friday, so I gave myself an extra rest day and pushed my 2nd swim/bike brick to Saturday. I was still sore then, but swimming and biking as such low impact that it was no problem.

I ran again Sunday night and it was glorious. Dusk, 75 degrees and a full moon made for a beautiful run. I also took a moment to appreciate that there are no mosquitoes or other obnoxious bugs in Oregon. I ran 2.4 miles through my neighborhood. I've mentioned the hill before, right? I live at the top of a hill so coming back up at the end of a run or bike ride is so hard. I plugged my route into MapMyRun tonight and it gave me this elevation report:

Translation: oh my aching knees.

Bike/run bricks are next week. I'm on week 9 of the triathlon training program that I am following. It's supposed to be a very difficult week, but week 10 is mostly rest leading up to the tri next Saturday. I'm not sure how well next week is going to work out for me. I seriously need to get out of the gym and put more miles onto my actual bike, but Dan will be gone all week. I hate to pay a sitter to watch my kids when they already have a membership to go to the daycare at the gym, but I might have to suck it up this week. We'll see.

I've also started to think about what's next after I finish the tri. There is a fun, Halloween run in my little town and a Thanksgiving run in my hometown that benefits a great cause near to my heart. My neighbor teaches a circuit class for women at a local cross fit gym. I went a few months ago and it kicked my butt, but it would be exactly what I need to build strength. I don't know what I'll do yet. So far buying myself a new watch as a reward and getting a massage are the only definite plans that I have.

2 Things

1. I am exhausted.

I stretched my run out to 18 minutes yesterday. 16 minutes isn't going to cut it for my short, slow legs. With 5 minutes of warming up and cooling down, I went a total of 2.37 miles.

This morning I biked the entire 10k in about 28 minutes,  but I still finished my 30 minute ride after I hit that milestone. I did a non-stop quarter mile swim after that. My swim took me 9 or 10 minutes, I lost track. Essentially, the easy 2/3 of my triathlon.

I start bricks next week, so I get 2 days off. How nice that they align with Labor day!

2. COLLEGE FOOTBALL!

I got an invite to watch the games at a local sports bar with the Portland Gator Club. Dan and I have a sitter and I'm excited.

Success

I did it. 16 minutes of non-stop running. After the first 2 minutes, I didn't think I would make it. I started to ache on my left ribs, then right ankle, then right ribs, but none of the discomfort was severe enough to make me stop. I was a hot, sweaty mess after my run, but so very proud of myself. I adore my new shoes, too!

Grand totals for today:

7 minute warm up + 16 minute run +7 minute cool down = 2.21 miles

Now I am exhausted and need to sleep.

Training Day Whatever

I started to write a long post about all of the exercise I've done over the past 4 weeks

Not worth it.

Let's just skip right to the highlights.

My kids are doing awesome at the gym. Rosie will walk right it and say "bye" to me. They have a new arcade style basketball game that Liam loves. He has also suggested that I buy him a Wii since he likes playing it at the gym daycare so much.

Last Friday I ran for 8 minutes non-stop twice with a minute of walking in between. This was the longest I had ever run non-stop in my life. According to the training plan, I was supposed to go from that to running 16 minutes non-stop on Monday. That's a big jump. On Saturday night I was walking outside at night to get the mail and rolled my right ankle down the last step to my driveway. I iced it all weekend and hoped for the best, but I think that was the reason why my right knee was starting to hurt 10 minutes into my run on Monday and why I quit after 14 minutes. So, so close to my target, but still a huge accomplishment for me.

I decided that proper running shoes would also help with my knee pain. I got fitted at a local running shop and bought these beauties.

My kids were champs, though Liam started to melt down when I didn't allow him to run on the treadmill. He cheered up a little when we played chase around the store to test out shoes.

The strangest thing happened during my Monday run, too. I was on the treadmill at the gym watching HIMYM and minding my own business. I heard a loud bang, but I assumed it was an over-zealous weightlifter. Not long after, I notice that there was an open water bottle next to my treadmill spilling all over my yoga mat and gym bag (I was in a time crunch to do yoga, run and shower, so I didn't bother going to the locker room.) Still mid-run, I asked the guy next to me if it was his bottle, but it wasn't. At this point I thought I was going to have to stop to clean up this mess, but a woman came running over from the stair master behind the treadmills apologizing profusely. How her water bottle flew 6 feet and landed on my stuff, I still have no idea. She was embarrassed, but it was really no big deal. My clean clothes in my bag were dry and that's all I cared about.

I also hit a big milestone in my swimming tonight. I swam 400 yards, the full quarter mile, without taking a break. I brought 8 pennies with me and lined them up on one side of my lane. I slid one over after each lap so that I didn't lose count. It was a great swim.

It's a miracle I haven't lost my goggles yet. This little one goes into my gym bag almost daily to swipe my goggles.

I'm putting Liam in swimming lessons in September with a few of his friends. He's is really excited about it. I explained to him that his friends are a little older and bigger than he is, so he will have to work very hard. He told me that he was going to work hard and swim fast. He would be "the floating roadrunner." Meep meep!

I've been neglecting my biking. The really training was supposed to start last week. I'll start in earnest on my next biking day. I think that'll be Thursday. I'll try to check back in with my next run and report how I feel about my new shoes.

Training Days 12-15

Day 12
Biking and swimming today. My biking training is still a 30 minute "easy bike ride around the neighborhood or trails." Except I did mine on the stationary bike in the gym. 5.63 miles. Eight 50 yard laps with 30 seconds of rest in between followed. I completed this in about 12 minutes. I was really beat by the time this day was over because I also hiked a few trails in the Columbia Gorge with my mom and my kids and took a walk around the neighborhood with them in the evening.

Blowing (eating?) dandelions on our hike. 

Rosie made a friend on our walk.

Day 13
2.19 miles in 30 minutes on the treadmill on Wednesday. I slept terribly that night- both kids were up and I was worried about my mom leaving early in the morning. I was tired, so I went back to day 25 of the triathlon training program.

Day 14
I was in a hurry to get to playgroup Thursday morning, so I just did my swim at the gym. 50 yard warm up, three 75 yard intervals with 30 seconds of rest in between, 50 yard lap to cool down. 11 minutes and 30 seconds.

Thursday was wonderful. I got a sitter for the kids in the afternoon and went to the spa to get a massage and my very first facial. It was heavenly to treat my tired, achy body.

After putting the kids to bed, I dragged out my stationary bike and did 30 minutes on it in front of the tv in the living room.

I took Friday off as a recovery day. I thought that a recovery day would be a good idea after a massage since I'm supposed to take one day off every week anyway.

Day 15
Dan was away at a conference this week and the childcare at the gym doesn't open until 8AM, so I didn't get to make it to my usual 7:30 yoga class. I still went to use the treadmill. 2.05 miles in 30 minutes.

Dan was supposed to get home on Sunday afternoon, so I had planned to go to the gym to swim after he got home. By the time I found out that his flight was cancelled, the childcare at the gym had already closed, so I didn't get my workout in today. Oh well, I got to hang out with my munchkins instead. We played chase and I lifted them and tossed them on the couch a few dozen times, does that count as a workout?

Training Day 7-11

Despite the title, there are no Slurpees in this blog post. I'm just behind as usual.

Day 7
Mondays are yoga days. Afterwards I ran 1.10 miles in 15 minutes 30 seconds. I added an extra few minutes to my last running interval to push myself a bit further in my training after having taken so much time off.

Day 8
Back on the bike and in the pool today. 30 minutes on the bike at a steady pace. I went 5.44 miles, still short of the 6.2 miles of the 10K biking portion of the mini triathlon. Biking is so much easier with media attached to the handlebars. I guess an iPod will have to do during the actual event if I get separated from my friends. A 400 yd swim in 13 minutes followed my bike ride. I'm taking shorter breaks and doing longer intervals in my swim each progressive day.

Day 9
Back to the dread-mill on Wednesday. 2.13 miles in 30 minutes. I pushed my last running interval to 5 minutes on day 9, probably the longest I had ever run without stopping in my life as sad as that sounds. I struggled with asthma for a long time, especially exercise induced asthma. I haven't had a single attack since I moved to Oregon though, so allergies to something in Florida may have contributed to my trouble breathing.

I took Thursday and Friday off. My mom is in town, so I was busy with her. Not to mention sore sore sore.

Day 10
Saturdays are for early morning yoga. 7:30 AM. I need a long warm up when exercising that early. My regular instructor was out so there was a sub. I could tell that she was a classically trained instructor. She referred to the postures by their Sanskrit names and was really focused on the mind/body relationship of yoga. It wasn't nearly as challenging and fun as classes with my usual instructor. Swimming followed. 400 yds in about 15 minutes. It took me a bit longer today. I did longer intervals and longer breaks than my last swim. I also swam a bit slower to compensate for the longer intervals. (This was day 22 of the triathlon training plan I am loosely following.)

I intended to bike at home on Sunday afternoon, but my children were especially crazy all day, the little dude didn't nap and Dan left early in the day for a week long conference. All of those factors equaled me sitting on my butt watching Ghost with my mom after the kids finally went to bed at night.

Day 11
My regular yoga instructor was back today, much to my happiness. Yoga was great this morning. I followed it up with a run on the treadmill. 1.76 miles in 24 minutes. Having just completed an hour long yoga class, I shortened the warm up phase. I was also running out of daycare time, so I chopped a few minutes off of the cool down phase, too. This was day 28 of the triathlon training plan I mentioned earlier. After I ran for so long last week, I skipped ahead again. I probably shouldn't have done that. My knees are killing my today. I could hardly play chase with my kids this afternoon.

I took inventory of my body during my yoga class today and I have decided that I am in the best shape of my life. That's no easy feat at 27 after having 2 kids. I could still eat better and flatten my stomach a little more, I would like to have more upper body strengthen and I have a long way to go with my running, but the changes that I have made to my body over the past year are really great. I'm proud of myself and this mini triathlon, if I keep up with my training, will be a huge accomplishment for me.

Training Day 5 & 6

I did a little running and a lot of hiking on my vacation, but swimming was not going to happen in the Pacific Ocean. I am spoiled by my upbringing on the East Coast where it isn't unusual to swing in the Atlantic at Christmas time.

Getting back to my swimming was a little difficult.  After early morning yoga on Saturday, I skipped ahead to the end of the 3rd week of the triathlon training program that I am loosely following. I got a little mixed up with the intervals at the end, but was otherwise successful. I ccompleted my quarter mile swim in about 10 or 15 minutes. I should have updated my MapMyRun app right away because I have already forgotten how long it took me.

I biked at home tonight.  We have an inexpensive stationary bike that is sorely lacking an odometer,  so I have no idea how far I went in my half hour ride. We keep the bike in Dan's office so that we can watch NetFlix on his bigscreen monitor while we bike. I finshed an unremarkable documentary and sweat all over Dan's fancy headphones.  :)

Training Day 4

I'm either a masochist or a complete idiot.

Maybe a little bit of both.

I waited until late in the evening to run again. After dinner. Right after dinner. Right after a dinner of pizza and soda.

I seriously thought that I was going to throw up.

As a fortunate consequence, I was seriously motivated to just get through the run. I deviated from the training plan that I am using again. I ran a total of 5 minutes and walked 8 minutes of rest in between the minute long runs. I also ran a figure eight around my house to avoid going up and down the hill, in all 1.08 miles.

For those at home keeping score, that's a pathetic 12:02 pace.

On the other hand, it was a beautiful day. I had debated the night before whether or not I was going to go to the gym, something I would normally avoid on a Sunday in order to keep the Sabbath. It was an easy decision when I woke to gorgeous weather. It was dusk when I ran, slightly cloudy and slightly breezy. A picturesque Oregon evening.

I bet my Florida friends and family would be green with envy!

I'm off to Redwood National Park for a few days tomorrow. I figured out how to blog from my phone, but no promises. I'm going to try to keep exercising, that is to what I want you to hold me.

'Night!

Training Day 3

Another mostly successful day. I was regretting my late workout yesterday when I was back at the gym less than 12 hours after my run. Saturdays are usually my early days anyway,  but today was even earlier.

I biked 3.6 miles in 15 minutes before my yoga class started.  Yoga was wonderful, as always,  but a bit harder than usual. After class I swam 400 yards, including a 100 yard set. I was gone for about 2 hours in total, so I got big hugs from my kids when I got back. Then Rosie tried to do yoga on my mat.

It makes Rosie crazy when I do headstands, but she wants to do them.

I was supposed to walk for half an hour but I hiked Multnomah Falls instead. I will share pictures when I get them off of my real camera.

Training Day 2

Running. My Achilles heel. Except it's my knees and ankles. But I did it anyway. Barely.  I headed out to the gym at 7:30pm and the daycare closed at 8:30.

It was a short run anyway. Again,  I altered the training regimen. I walked 5 minutes to warm up. Then I ran 1 minute, followed by a 4 minute walk. I repeated the run/walk intervals 4 times. The total was 1.64 miles in 25 minutes. Pretty slow, but I made it.

I'm going to be feeling it during yoga and my training tomorrow.

Triathlon Training Day 1

(I'm not promising to be better at blogging. This has always been nothing more than a journal to me and I intend to keep it that way and use it however I want. It will be a good place to keep track of my training for the next few weeks though.)

I'm going to do a triathlon. A tiny one, mini sprint is the triathlon term for the distances. A quarter mile swim, 10k bike and 5k run/walk. Probably more walk than run in my case. The stake (a small region composed of about 10 LDS churches) women's organization puts it on every year. At least one of my friends is going to race with me and I'm trying to talk a few more into it. Race is probably the wrong term. They aren't even timing the triathlon and are emphasizing that it is just for fun. If you can think of a better term, let me know. 

From what I've read and heard, most people struggle with the swimming portion of a triathlon. Fortunately for me, swimming and rowing are my cardio exercises of choice, so I'm already a decent swimmer. Running has always been a struggle for me and my only biking experience is riding less than a quarter mile down the hill to my piano lesson every week. 

I found a nice beginner triathlon training plan that should have me ready in 10 weeks. Unfortunately I only have 9 weeks until the triathlon and next week is pretty much a bust while I'm on vacation. (I'm determined to run trails and kayak. I might get a swim in if the water is warm enough.) 

With all of that in mind, I'm modifying the training a little. Today I should have done a fairly easy 400 yard interval type swim (which is the same distance in the mini- tri) but it was a little too easy for me. Once I realized that I could do better, I took shorter breaks between the intervals. I also added a 2.2 mile bike ride. It was supposed to be an "easy" ride, but I live at the top of a hill- so the first part of any bike ride for me is easy and the 2nd leg is always hard! 

In the locker room at the gym after my swim

Wish me luck and dedication!