Ironman volume - whew!!

The heavy training volume started last week, with 17.5 hours of training scheduled for last week, this week and the following week.  And the weekends are the hardest!  Well, let me tell you all about the FUN training day I had this past Saturday.  And note that I couldn't have made it thru the day without my wonderful husband, who is always there to rescue me. 
The day started with a 5AM wakeup in order to be at the lake by 6AM to swim with our friend, Tom.  We got there right at 6, and the lake was beautiful for our first swim in Lake Erie!  It was flat and not too cold, and we were able to swim for a little over an hour.  We got home by about 8 and I headed out for my 5 hour bike ride at about 9:30AM.  The temperature was already in the 80's at this time, with the sun beating down, so it was going to be a hot one!  As Mark was riding with some friends, I was on my own for this one, so I mapped out an 87 mile route and headed on my way (with handwritten instructions on which way to turn on each street).  I should have brought a map.  I got lost in LaGrange.  Lesson #1 of the day - always have a map if you're going far and don't know the area.  I figured it out after going in a circle, but then I got a flat on my rear tire.  I called Mark and he was home from his ride, but heading out on a run.  So I said - let me see if I can change it and I'll call you back.  It took me 15 minutes, but I was able to change it.  But then 5 miles down the rode, it blew again.  There was a worn spot on the tire, so either that was the culprit or I pinched the tube.  Lesson #2 - always check for a pinched tube.  I called Mark back and he drove 30 miles out to deliver a new tire for me - he also changed it, filled it up and brought me a redbull to get me thru the rest of the ride.  I still had at least an hour & a half left.  I gave Mark my backpack to take in the truck with him and headed back on my ride.  It was now close to 90 degrees and within about 10 miles, I ran out of water.  And I realized that when I gave Mark my backpack, my money was in there.  Lesson #3 - always keep money for emergencies!  Needless to say, I made it home.  About 4.5 hours of riding but almost 6.5 hours out on the road.  And I still needed to run.  I ran 20 minutes thru our neighborhood in the heat & sun, but I did it.  Very long day. 
Then on Sunday, Mark and I ran 17 miles in the metroparks in about 2.5 hours. 
I'm so glad I have a husband who is so understanding, supportive and a great training partner!  I couldn't have done it without him.  Any of this!  From getting thru the first cancer diagnosis to the ironman training.  He has been there every step of the way.   

Kelley's Island 10K (and 6 weeks until Lake Placid)

This past weekend, Mark and I headed to Kelley's Island for a "training weekend".  We left Amherst at 6:25 AM (early departure in order to beat the predicted thunderstorms).  Getting to Kelley's island on a bike is a little tricky, as you have to head south and go thru Castalia, as you can't take your bike on the highways.  Anyway, we made great time, arriving at the ferry before 11AM - 80 miles in approx. 4:15 (i.e. about 18.5 mph).  Since we had told Kyle to meet us there with all our stuff at about 11:30-12, we had some time to spare, so we got ice cream cones!  Actually, Mark had two!! 

We got on the 12:30 ferry and then met the Tomoff family on the island.  The plan was to get a run in, shower and meet them at the winery at about 2:30.  But Mark still needed to get 10 miles on the bike in, plus a run.  So we didn't make it by the 2:30 cutoff that our friends put out there, and didn't get to the winery until a little after 3.  Mark and I had a cheese & sausage tray (which was really good!!), I had a glass of white wine, and Mark had, as the bartender called it, a Lake Erie highball (ice water). 
We then spent the afternoon and evening at a cookout with Don, Beth, Alex, Kristin, Stevie & Paul.  A lot of good food and conversation, including looking at Don's new toy - the IPad. 
The 10K was Sunday morning at 10:45am.  The morning started off cloudy & breezy and we were all excited that we were going to have nice weather for the run.  But then the sun came out, the breeze went away and it got really HOT!  But we all had a great time - I don't know what it is about that run, but running the 10K on Kelley's Island is always a lot of fun.  Don, Beth, Mark and I all got awards in our age groups, which is always a bonus.  We then had pizza & salad after (annual tradition) and got on the 2:30 ferry home.  All in all, a great weekend and a lot of fun!!

Training update

It's been a few weeks since I've written an update, but I haven't been slacking off.  There's been A LOT going on!  After TTT, Mark and I went to Boulder to visit Caitlin and also to celebrate Mark's 50th birthday AND run the Bolder Boulder.  We had a great weekend!  It was wonderful to see Caitlin and Mark and she got some hard bikes in (I ran and swam while they were biking the hills of Boulder).  We spent most of our time with Caitlin - ate out a lot, went to a local memorial day festival, farmers market, sushi for Mark's birthday,etc.  I even got to see my coach, Scott, who I haven't seen in over 4 years.  And meet his very nice wife, Teresa.  They moved to Boulder recently and both just held a tri camp, so invited us to their house for a bbq.  We got to meet a lot of their friends, who are all serious athletes.  It made me feel very out of my league. 
Saturday, Mark and I are doing our annual bike ride to Kelley's Island and then the 10K race afterwards.  Last year, I couldn't do this ride, as I had just had a reconstruction surgery.  So Mark and Caitlin rode over and Kyle and I took the truck over.  But this year, I'm feeling back to myself and have been training pretty hard for months.  So hopefully, I'm ready to make this ride.  It's over 80 miles to ride there, as we have to go the long way and bypass the water.  We're going to leave early Saturday morning to hopefully avoid the thunderstorms.  We've been making this trip every year since the kids were about 5.  This year, sadly to say, they won't be coming with us.  But we have a lot of good memories at Kelley's Island. 
Anyway - training is going well.  I'm getting all the workouts in.  Nothing is hurting or strained or sprained.  I feel good.  The only thing missing at this point is lake swimming, but hopefully we'll get that going next week. 
More updates soon...