nothing new....

I got nothing new because I came down with a nasty nasty bug in my lungs and so my body said...."slow down, take it easy.....let me repair." So that is what I am doing.

I know you all miss hearing about my workouts.

Weekend training...

Well, the sun came out and I had an absolutely beautiful 40 mile ride on Saturday morning. I could have stayed out there another 40!! With having a week and a half of rain, ice, grey skies, Saturday was exactly what I needed for real. Not too windy, not a cloud in the sky and off we go for our 40 mile ride!!

Today, (Sunday) I was supposed to run the 3M Half Marathon, but that did not happen. I started to get a really bad allergy migraine at around 730 last night and I could not get it to go away. Medicine, none of that made it go away. I woke up at 5 AM to walk Eloise and get ready and I was still in a lot of pain. Mama T came to pick me up at 545 AM to ride to the start and I got in her car and quickly made the decision to stay home. My legs were achy and I was tired from no sleep. I did not need to prove I could run 13.1 miles, and so I sent her on her way.

I went back inside...took 800mg of Ibuprofen and went back to bed!! I am feeling much better now, mid-morning and I will go out to the Hike and Bike Trail and try to put in 10 miles this afternoon.

I really wanted to run this Half Marathon, but knew if I did, with the way the last 12 hours had gone, I could do some damage. Not worth it. Crazy, I have never not shown up for a race. That felt strange.

I will post total mileage after I get a run in this afternoon.

Yesterday & Today

Yesterday was so STINKING awesome!!! (that is how Thiele would say it!!!) The Hill Run workout was really really hard as we were at Rainbow Bend Hill one more time (we move to a different location next week, I can't WAIT!) and probably did around 6 miles total. However, it does feel quite amazing to BEGIN to conquer the hills and with each step that I pushed off the asphalt, I was happy to be up at 545 AM and be doing something good for my body!!

Went about my "fantastic" work day, and anticipated heading to Core with instructor Pat Evoe. (a pro triathlete that I learn so much from each week) It was a challenging hour, but necessary! After that, off to Swim with T3 from 715 PM- 830 PM. I got videotaped underwater to see where everything is at, I will get to view that on Monday at practice! Although it was REALLY COLD, it felt good to be in the water. There is something about the steam coming off the pool, (yes, the pool was outdoors and "heated") while doing laps and drills.....you just feel slightly BAD ASS!!

Went to go see my friend Whitney after class to enjoy a healthy dinner and possibly a beer ;). When I got home, it was off to bed right away! That is also what I love about swimming, you sleep quite well after a workout!!

It is now Thursday, I am going to head to run with Chad at 1215....gonna put it about 4 miles with him. I also have a spin class tonight at 715 PM.

It's to bed early tonight for a 6AM swim session tomorrow morning! I hope to put in around 2500 meters tomorrow!

It has been an amazing week of training!

I just hope it warms up a bit so I can get on my bike....outside....this weekend!

Run with Thiele & dinner

Had a good 48 minute run with my girl Thiele, Mama T, T Loca (she has a few names) tonight after work. It was good, we did a few of the 'rolling hills' that are around my apartment! She rocks and is super fun to run with. After the run...yeah, you got it...CORE TIME!! We did some planks and pushups. I then made a tasty healthy dinner (or at least I thought it was) with some baked chicken, kale, green beans and red potatoes!! YUM!!! (oh and maybe a glass or 2 of wine!)

Relaxed a bit, worked on my language skills for the upcoming tests and now off to bed. Why? Early rise tomorrow and long day...

5 AM wake up for Hill workout (Running)
Then work
Core Class from 530 PM- 645 PM
Swimming from 715 PM- 830 PM

Yeah, that's my day. Temperature is dropping again....36 degrees right now and they are calling for possible ice and sleet. Ick. If you think Texas doesn't get cold or that we are always desert weather...you are severely wrong. I had to go buy a few sweaters last week.....cause I don't own any.

So if I don't post tomorrow, it is because I came home after swim and went directly to BED.

Frosting My Fanny

Today was a good day....Frost Yer Fanny was cold but fun. I learned that I don't like running a 5k after my feet are FROZEN from a 21 mile bike. It felt like I was still running with my bike shoes on!!

Here are my results:

First 5k, 25:40 8:17 mph avg. (not too bad, I am happy with that!!)
21 mile bike 1:08, 17.8 mph avg. (this is a BIT slow for me but with the wind and cold, I will take this time)
Second 5k 27:32 8:53 mph avg. (Very happy this is only a few minutes off the first 5k, cause it felt WAY slower. I really pushed myself in the last mile, once I could feel the bottoms of my feet again)

Total time:
2:06:20

The highest temperature was 34 degrees and the wind picked up by the second loop of the bike. So, all of those things taken into account....it was a very solid race for me!

I am tired, my lips are severely chapped and it is now 900 pm and I can feel my feet again.

Pretty decent Sunday if you ask me!! Tomorrow I have off and so I will SLEEP IN!!!

WOOOOOHOOOOOOO!!!

These are my friends that joined me in the madness!! Ryan, Naomi, Shelley, Me and Carrie

Mileage for the week:

Swim: @ 4000 meters
Bike: 60 miles
Run: 21 miles

(1 yoga class and 1 core class)

18 degrees

It is 18 degrees outside as I write this and I am going to race a Duathlon. If I start talking about Frost Yer Fanny next year...remind me of the temperature. I am sure a really great 'race' report will follow this. I am hoping the cold will scare the 30-34 age group away and I will be able to place!!

Here's to racing hard!

24 degrees.

Yes, that's what the temperature was when I got up to consider a bike ride. (I do have my limits as I write this with cup of java in hand!) My mind was made up as I walked outside with Eloise for her morning bathroom journey!! I will get on my bike trainer hopefully this afternoon as I have to work at an info meeting this morning.

I had a good week and tomorrow I race a Duathlon, Frost Yer Fanny. I am really going to push myself! 5K Run/21M Bike/5K Run. I am gonna put a hurt on those 5k's as I timed myself about two weeks ago with a 5K and I was able to maintain an 8 minute mile, which is really good for me. I usually give up too early when I know I have more in me. If I am throwing up at the Finish Line, it will be a good day and a good race. (I know, I am not right and I should be committed!!)

Then Monday I have off so I was thinking I might ride the Damn Loop and test myself on 2222 again!!

Gotta see if Mags is in!!

Nuotatore

That is Swimmer in Italian. See, I am brushing up on my Italian and Spanish for my Backroads Interview and so I thought what an appropriate title!

Got up at 5 AM (which is becoming second nature to me and I kind of like it cause I enjoy being in bed by 930/10 at night) Went to the pool. Got my workout and did a total of 1875 meters. Crazy enough....it felt AWESOME! I am starting to really get a rhythm in the pool and when all the drills and details start to work together, well then I am a NUOTATORE!!! (and yes, you have to say with an Italian accent and really loud!)

What is cool about where I swam this morning is on Friday we swim at a school with a Natatorium. (ther other pools are at country clubs so you don't feel so official) It is also an indoor pool, which is nice because it was about 30 degrees this morning. There is something about the steam coming off the pool that makes you feel like you are about to kill it in the water!!

Although 1875 is far from my Ironman, I am really starting to see my fear lessen with the distance of 2.4 miles!!!

I live for the day when I will laugh at that fear....dead on!!

Thursday: Aquathon

Yup, that's what I did today.

Got up to meet Maggie for some spin at 6 AM with instructor, Zach. Fun class, good music, he woke me up and he wasn't bad to look at!! Just kept a high cadence and woke myself up. The standard after spin for Maggie and I, well any workout actually was our 3 sets of 1.5 minute planks and 3 sets of 20 push-ups!! HOOYAH!!! Did a few more Core exercises and some strength exercises (from my PT) for my right hip flexor(the right side is what got hurt in my bike crash back in November)

Got to work, was there about two hours and was feeling some anxiety (and maybe a touch of stress) and my body was feeling good so I took off to swim at Pure Austin for 30 minutes. Then noticed there was a spin class at noon and decided to jump in for 45 minutes. My friend, Brian, who is also training for CdA, was on the bike right next to me! Good sweating it out with you Brian!!

So today Bike, Swim, Bike

I feel better. I feel focused. Now, it's time to get to work. I love it that exercise has become my place to go when I need to release.

Is it Friday yet??

Tuesday was a bit of a crazy work day for me so I just did some Core exercises, Physical Therapy to strengthen my hip flexors and had to do Information Meetings at night for work. I was super excited to get home and get to bed early for Wednesday morning run workout.

Met some people for a run at Pease Park and Rainbow Bend....same hill workout as last Wednesday but we did the loop the opposite way so that we were going up the more steep hill. Workout looked like this...

1 mile Warmup
5 loops of Rainbow Bend (by 4 & 5, my quads were en fuego)
3 times up Rainbow, backwords. (is it weird that I feel WAY stronger going up hills backwards when running? Can someone explain this to me? I am thinking I will start turning around for hills on races!!)
1 mile Cool down

Then coffee at Jo's with Shelley!! :)

Got to work and as the day went on I was glad I started my day with an intense workout. As anxiety entered my life and another late worknight, I was thankful for the 5:00 AM wake up.

Tomorrow is a Spin Class at 6 AM with my girl Maggie.

Got to work again tomorrow night and then I am into the weekend (or Friday YOGA!!!!). I don't think it could come fast enough!

I am gonna race a duathlon this weekend, Frost Yer Fanny! I know it will feel good to kick off Race season 2008!

Core, Running and Food...Oh my!!

Core Class...or what I like to call my Monday night date with Josh. Whatever. CHECK
3 miles on Town Lake Trail with my trusty head lamp. CHECK
1 healthy meal at Casa de Luz (vegan fare) with a few friends. CHECK

Now I am home. Ready to get a few things done, then off to bed.

I love Mondays or at least Monday nights...maybe not day.

Ugh...Laundry

You know it's not off season anymore when you go to do laundry and you are washing more workout clothes than underwear....I hate laundry. Someone want to do it for me?

Sunday Bike Ride

Today...was gonna try to go 36...ended up going 28 because we encountered 3 flats on our first loop of the 12 mile course and we were kinda spent...Maggie, Amber and I pushed ourselves the second loop (no flats) and we called it a day. It was not as cold as I had anticipated.

Total Bike Mileage for Week: 48
Total Run Mileage for Week: 22

Not bad!!

Got in some good hills on both the run and the bike....and I feel GOOD!!

It's A Beautiful Day...

"It's a beautiful day
Sky falls, you feel like
It's a beautiful day
Don't let it get away" U2

That was the first song playing on my iPod when I took off for my 10 mile run and it couldn't have been more fitting!! 67 degrees, blue sky...perfect for an afternoon run! This is the longest run I had done since my bike crash so I was a bit nervous and was praying there would be little to no discomfort in my right hip.....and the verdict? IT FELT GREAT! I put in the miles with an unexpected partner....Eryn Wike. Let me explain, I normally would not run with the girl as she is Speedy Gonzalez (actually my nickname for her is Turbo) but she needed to get in the same mileage and said she was wanting to take it easy. (I will note that her taking it easy is a whooping on my ass normally!)

We did the 5 mile loop around Town Lake twice as I am trying to mentally prepare for two loops at CdA. Our first loop right at a 9:00 mile pace and our second loop was only 4 minutes off that! And I was breathing well and felt really relaxed!

It feels good to be back! I will continue to do the exercises to strengthen my Hip, so the injury does not return, but I am right on track for training!

another part of U2's song that made me smile:

You love this town
Even if that doesn't ring true
You've been all over
And it's been all over you

I have been in Austin, Texas for one year this past week and I am more than sure this was the right move for me. I feel more winds of change in the next year with my job, music and in personal matters but it is change I am truly looking forward to! The people of this town have embraced me and taken me into their community and I feel lucky to be a 'Texan' I am not coming back to Florida...sorry friends! But come visit one of the best cities in the USA....Austin, Texas!!

Now it's time for my Saturday afternoon nap!

Yoga Yoga

It's Friday and I needed a little relaxation from the week....so I went to Hatha Flow at Yoga Yoga with Maggie from 430-600. Just what the doctor ordered. It reminded me of how important strength and flexibility are with the training I am doing. I am going to try and go every Friday.

Breathing deep. Escaping from the craziness of the world. Opening your heart.

Nothing wrong with any of that.

I am ready for a 10 mile run tomorrow and then a 40 mile bike ride on Sunday.

p.s. I forgot to mention in my last post that I found out I LOVE to run on Town Lake trail with a head lamp, after dark. (I was NOT by myself, so don't panic) I was running with another girl....but I felt like I was so escapee. Maybe I will get to run with my head lamp at CdA??

Texas Iron...Tempo Run

Went to Jack & Adams to meet up with Texas Iron for my first Group workout. It was a lot of fun and I am excited about having this outlet away from Team In Training. (i love my teams, but a girl has to get her own workouts in and meet other folks) We did a warm-up and ran to Auditorium Shores parking lot and then we did a Tempo run consisting of a loop along Town Lake Trail and Riverside.

1 long loop
1 short loop active recovery.
2 long loops
1 short loop active recovery
1 long loop
1 short loop active recovery

It was fun and I really like how everyone in this group is super open to new people! I am excited to be pushed by Jenn, Andrea and Jamie!

now off to bed. Me tired.

The Hills are Alive

6 AM, start time.
1 mile warm-up
5 repeats of Rainbow Bend Hill Loop. (about half a mile)
3 repeats of just Rainbow Bend Hill backwards. (about 100 yards)
(running backwards up a hill is fun. for real, it is. You feel like a cartoon)
1 mile cool down.
7 AM, end time.

Stretching and talking about it all with coach.

Core class tonight, then yoga!! :)

I feel great. I feel awesome. My attitude has changed on hills. I am gonna take them. I am going to own them.

And then leave it all out there when I race.

Things are off to an amazing start.

glub, glub, glub

Swimming. I hate it when you take a few weeks off and it seems like you are starting over again, or perhaps drowning.

Weekend Workouts!!

So Friday night I went to a movie with a few girlfriends (Thanks Fran and Espy!!) Got up Saturday morning, took a 40 mile bike ride working on my high cadence. I really want to finish the 112 mile bike in 6 hours. Being that I did a tough 56 mile course in 3, I think this is doable if I really set my mind to it.

(Went out Saturday night with Chadly & Maggie to rock out to a few bands.)

Didn't get up so early on Sunday to run. (I wonder why) Instead I waited until about 3:00 in the afternoon to put in about 7.5 miles with Amber! My legs felt heavy, yes indeed.

I am doing the Austin Half Marathon on February 17th, so just trying to get my miles up for that!

Good weekend....trying to build a strong base this month.

I start back to swimming.....this week. Get excited!!

Bring on the Monkey

This link was sent to me via my friend Maggie, via her friend Scott...it's some very helpful tips...check it out.

It really gives some great advice about race day and how to approach the unknown, if this is your first Ironman. My favorite happens to be #10.

10. The Second Lap Monkey carries a big stick, and its name is Pain. Love it, hate it, get angry at it. Breathe it with every breath, feel it with every step and use it. It lets you know you are still alive, more alive than most people will ever be in their whole lives. The clock keeps on ticking and everything bad must eventually come to an end. All you have to do is keep running in a straight line until someone tells you to stop.

See I had told Maggie that the Second Lap on the run would play games with my mind. It's a 2 lap course for each event...2 laps swim, 2 lap bike and a 2 lap run. I have never done a course like this even in a Half Ironman...

but as my friend Ed said in response to #10....BRING ON THE MONKEY!!!!

I got up today, did my Core exercise, coffee and oatmeal, tonight I will go spin with a few friends!!

Day One....CdA

January 1, 2008 marks the start of Ironman training for Colleen Renee Wilson. It's going to be awesome...yesterday was a pre-kickoff when Maggie & I (of team Magleen) took off to ride the Damn loop. A 45 mile loop with some tough climbs...we did this loop the only way Team Magleen should...backwards, which means UP 2222. And we rocked it. For those not in Austin...10% grade, .55 mile climb, on a scale of 1-10 it is considered a 6. What made it that more RAD was this ride was the first ride Maggie and I took together back in April (I think?) and so it was fitting we did this as our last ride of the year....She will be racing CdA with me & I wouldn't have it any other way!!!!

Had a very low key New Years Eve....got up this morning & met Maggie and Amber for an 8 mile run, push-ups, pull-ups, planks, tri-dips. After this breakfast at Maggies......gingerbread pancakes, eggs, OJ, coffee and more good conversation. These ladies...

"A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart, and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words."

That is what they are to me!! They sing back that tune when I can't fine it anymore. Although this blog is about my adventure to CdA it was great to kick that off with Maggie and Amber and know that 2008 is going to be rockin!

I truly believe that every person is a new door to a different world. I know I have found that with so many good people here in Austin! Here is to one year in Texas and six months to CdA!!!

Get ready.

Yeah, this is us....before the 8 mile jog on January 1.