What have I been doing lately?

BIKE BIKE BIKE BIKE BIKE BIKE BIKE BIKE BIKE BIKE BIKE BIKE!!!!

Yep – I have been on my bike 12 out of the last 14 days.  Running and swimming have been in the mix too but, ‘me – plus – bike’ have become one over the past 2 weeks.  I have been up to Hyalite twice, out toward Sypes and Springhill, over to Three Forks and Cardwell, and have done the Churchill/Norris loop so many times I feel like I know every inch of the road now - oh there’s that bump I don’t like – swerve to miss it or sit up for less impact. :) 

I have been working on strength, cadence and hills.  I am working on keeping my cadence high when climbing hills and also am trying to get stronger so that I don’t always end up in my easiest gear when climbing.  It is working – my first time up Hyalite a couple weeks ago, I needed my easiest gear most of the way, last week I was able to go up most of it without ever hitting my easiest gear! :)  The Louisville IM bike course will be a lot of rolling hills so I need to be able to conquer this part of the course and still have ‘legs’ left to run a marathon.  A few pics from my bike rides.

Hyalite Reservoir - still frozen

Somewhere in the Gallatin Valley

Heading down Hyalite

Early morning clouds over Bridgers

I have been having a lot of fun with my workouts the past couple weeks.  It is so great to have found the “FUN” in this endeavor again.  For a while I was really struggling.  After EVERY workout I wondered if I did it good enough, or did I do it “right”, or fast enough, or ….. (fill in the blank).  I was really stressing out about everything and was not having fun.  A few things happened in the past couple weeks that have helped me find the fun/joy in this again:

1. Women Who Tri (WWT) group started up again.  We meet 2 to 3 times/week to swim, bike or run.  I had been doing so much solo training over the winter months that I think it just started getting to me.  It is so nice to have this group to train with a few times a week – it has been a huge mental boost for me.  These ladies are awesome!
2. Talked to my coach.  Conversation went something like this:

Me: I don’t know if I am doing good enough.

Matt: You are doing the workouts, right?

Me:  Yes but,

Matt:  You are doing the workouts, right?

Me: Yes but,

Matt: You are doing the workouts, right?

Me: SIGH, SMILE, Yes... and finally am able to say the "but" part.  But, shouldn't there be something else - I can do the workouts but, isn't there another measure I should be looking at?

  

You might need to hit me on the head a few times but, I will eventually listen/get it.  So I am doing the workouts, and I have been able to relax and enjoy them again!  Oh, I still wonder/worry (that’s just who I am) but, I’m not stressing AND I am having fun.  I find myself smiling during my runs and bikes – it’s so nice when I actually notice that I am smiling. 

Hyalite

Workouts coming up this week:

Monday:      45 minute recovery Run, Women Who Tri (WWT) Bike, Weights

Tuesday:      2500 meter Swim, Core workout

Wednesday: 8 mile Run (4x1 mile@ threshold), 90 minute recovery Bike, WWT Run

Thursday:     2 hour 10 minute Bike (3x20 minute @ threshold), 10 minute Transition Run

Friday:         2500 meter Swim, Yoga/Stretching

Saturday:     WWT Swim, 4 hour Bike (Hyalite and Springhill areas)

Sunday:        90 minute Run (30 minutes @ threshold)

End of a long day