Gasp!

Seriously, a post finally! My blogger ethic has gone somewhere apparently.

Where to start? Well, I'm still training for the Racing for Recovery half-Ironman which is in (gulp) less than 3 weeks. I had a minor setback in training where I was off working out for nearly 2 weeks due to illness right in the middle of my training plan. I decided to just roll with it, get back on track and see where I could get to in the time I had left.

The last two weekends were big for me. Last weekend, I rode almost 51 miles in 3 hours with my pal Paula (also doing the half-IM) and then got up the next day and did a huge negative split 10.6 mile run (first half was 10:30 pace and second half was 9:30 pace). When I started out that morning, my legs seriously felt like lead, but they perked up eventually.

Then, this past weekend, I rode 72 miles on Friday with my pal Nicole (she is training for the Lake Tahoe century ride with Team in Training) and did the Cleveland half-marathon on Sunday. The ride had its ups and downs (sometimes literally as we climbed in and out of the valley), but we both were able to finish strong. It is the longest ride I've been on in almost 3 years.

For the Cleveland half, I had no intention of racing it. I just had a 2-hour run on the training plan and figured it would fit the bill. Paula and I started out together chatting and running easy. I even stopped to use the loo along the way, which added a couple minutes to my time. I don't think I'd have been too happy with the race had I wanted to go for a goal time, because it was so crowded almost the entire way. I had opted for short sleeves and shorts, which seemed like a good idea until about the halfway point. The wind and rain drops picked up then and I started to get cold. I couldn't believe so many people were out in shorts and had kids out with no hats. I mean I was cold and I was running!

Between miles 8 and 9, Paula started to slow down and I just really wanted to be done so we parted ways. I sucked down a gel before mile 10, saw my friend Suz handing out free high 5's at the bottom of the Carnegie bridge and found a new gear. The last three miles were by far the fastest of the day. I finished in 2:15:07, which is nowhere near a PR, but worked well for a solid training day on tired legs.

I don't know what to expect for the half-IM. Oh, I guess I can expect to be very cold in the swim (water temperature still hasn't gotten above 50 yet). But, once that is over, I guess I have a good shot of doing well on the bike and run if these past two weekends are any indication. Goal time is sub-6 (my half-IM PR is on this course and is just under 6:03), but I'll be a happy camper with a finish also. Heck, I'm a mom to a 1 year old, so training for and completing a half-IM feels like an accomplishment!

Speaking of that delightful child, here are a couple of relatively recent pictures: