Dunedin done, ready for Tarpon!

The Dunedin Beach triathlon was amazing. The water was calm, the bike course was curvy and the run was full of thick sand! This race was a lot of fun and training for it with my girls was a blast. We're already planning our next one for Tarpon in August. I learned a lot doing the Dunedin race and can't wait for Tarpon. I was scared for Dunedin but now I'm totally excited for the next one.

Today's swim with T:
100 free-warm up
4x100 free with last 25's sprint
100 buoy
50 kick
100 finger drags
100 touch ups

It felt good to get back in the water. I'm hoping to shave 2 mins off my swim time in Tarpon.

Tomorrow, we can officially say our race is...Tomorrow

The anticipation for this race has been killing me, as well as the tri girls. I hope it lives up to our expectations. My game plan is to simply go as hard as possible for as long as possible. Today was my last swim before the big day. I did most of Tim's most recent work-out. Something like 200 warm up, 100 drills, 400 and another 200 cooldown. I could of done more but I was pressed for time.

Secret Service Run for Freedom 5k

Today was the secret service 5k. Teresa and I were the only two out of our group that ran this one. The course was a straight shot out and back down bayshore blvd in Tampa.

My back was still bothering me this morning so I took some Motrin before the race. That might have been my demise. I was hoping for around 27/28min but I realized early on in the race that wasn't happening. With every step I had a stabbing pain in my lower back and I was pretty much nauseaus from mile 1 on. Teresa ran a great race and placed 3rd in her age group. This was a fast 5k with a lot of elite runners in the pack. Eventhough this wasn't one of my best I still had a great time and really enjoyed my post race massage and smoothie!

Bad blogger

Last week's training was awesome! Honestly I wouldn't know where to begin to break it all down.

Last weekend we also participated in our first "super" sprint in Palm Harbor. Eventhough this race was VERY unorganized and our times weren't right we still had a great time.

Yes, I panicked in the water, had a hard time tying my shoes and was ready to die by the run, but all in all it was a blast! The open water swim was short yet overwhelming. As soon as I stopped running and dove in the water I thought "holy crap what have I gotten myself in to?" It was one of those moments where I had to tell myself I better get moving because there was no turning back! After a few kicks from ladies on both sides I got my butt in gear. I definetely could of swam faster but I was stuck behind this one lady and then as soon as she could touch she stood up. I managed my way around her and high-kneed it to the beach. This is something we hadn't practiced.

The bike had a lot of sharp turns and it was marked by people yelling at you trying to tell you which way to go. People were making wrong turns and getting pretty pissed. Did I mention my new favorite term is "On your left!" I know is sounds bad but damn I love passing people on my bike! The run was hot but not unbearable. I was very proud of Barb, Teresa and I for completing our first triathlon and we learned a lot to prepare us for Dunedin.

Kick it up a notch!

As you can tell by my last post, I needed to step my swim game up a notch. The swim is going to be the most difficult part for me and I've decided to work on it the hardest. I'm super confident on my bike and the run is going to be hot but it's only a 5k (famous last words).

There were plenty of reasons not to swim today. Barb was planning to meet me but bailed because she was sore from all the swimming she's been doing. My mom is here visiting. I had an 11am meeting and baseball at 12. Also, I made a big breakfast this morning, which I didn't partake in because of my plan to swim. I am glad I left all the excuses behind and hit the pool!

I'm not 100% on all that I did. I basically swam for 1:15 minutes with only a couple short (:30) rests to catch my breath or (:15) to fix my leaky goggles. The water was great today and I really felt like I could swim all day. My two longest sets were 500's!! Holla! I didn't think I had it in me but I took Barb's advice and went slow and it felt awesome!

Basically my work out:
50 free warm up
100 free with buoy
200 free
200 with buoy
200 free
500 with buoy
100 free
500 free

Today I tried to really pay attention to my form and breathe every 4th/5th stroke. This really helped me to relax and get the most out of my reach and pull.

Hitting the snooze button!

Eventhought Matt hit the snooze button twice this morning we still managed to make it to the gym. My mom is here visiting so we were able to go together for an early morning work out. I swam laps and he weight lifted.

Swim Workout:

50 free warm up
100 free
50 breast stroke
100 with buoy
100 with buoy
50 free
100 with buoy
50 free

The buoy really helped me out today. I was feeling sluggish from not swimming for five days and my legs were sinking. It also helped me with my rotation and my reach. Once I was warmed up my breathing calmed down and taking a breath every 4th stroke really worked for me.

Saturday Morning Ride

Last night I set the alarm for 6am so I could get up and get a quick ride/run in before all the usual Saturday chaos began. Unfortunately you not only have to set the alarm, but you also have to turn it on! Luckily my internal clock woke me up at 6:15. I jumped up threw Drew's baseball uniform in the washing machine and headed out for the garage. Just a quick stop to tell Beau(my dog) good morning and promise that I was in fact going to return shortly. He's a mommy's boy. Once in the garage I realized someone had knocked over my bike and popped the chain. I'm greasy, but I'm off.

bike: 6mi
run:1/2mi (yes, 1/2, this is not as easy as it looks)
total time: 32min

The weather was beautiful, crisp, cool and no WIND!

Tomorrow is a boating day for us and I'm hoping the water has warmed up enough for me to get an open water swim in.