Epic Weekend

What an epic weekend!  That’s really the only way to describe it.

 

Rest week ended well, that’s for sure!  Friday afternoon was a 2 hour run, which was really the “biggest” workout all week.  Mac was able to get off early, and her run was 1:45, so she decided to run with me! (and run 0:15 extra, what an over-achiever :))  Anyway, we didn’t actually start running until a few hours later…but it was good times.

 

Shawn told me to eat during this run.  I think he’s actually trying to kill me.  A gu at minutes 20, 40, 60 and 90..plus some water every mile!  Here’s the thing—I do NOT eat or drink, especially when I run!  Maybe a gu every hour, if it’s over an hour, and a splash of water if it’s a race and I’m going through an aid station.   Maybe.  So, this was a big deal!  But, I sucked it up and decided to try it (also, I just do as I’m told).

 

It was…well, I don’t know.  It was kind of an awful run, but I don’t think it had anything to do with all that gu.  It never felt good, as soon as we started.  Super strong headwind made everything feel slow and awkward and just never really got into it.  Eating all that gu was pretty bleh, and that last one was a struggle…but it was ok.  Energy-wise I felt good haha but physically, just wasn’t into that run.  Oh well.  Those days happen.  I see I have a 2:15 run this weekend, also with eating all the gu…  we’ll see if it is any better this week.

 

Saturday was an easy, easy spin, which I did in the morning to meet up with the crew for coffee (everyone was trail running or road running or other stuff).  So that was nice!  I had left my car at Mac’s the night before, so I rode straight from  home met with them and then had my car there.  Kyle and Mic were off to Duthie after that, and Allen was in work training all day, so Mac and I found ourselves free with our workouts done for the day, and nothing else to do…at 11am!  She said she had an optional swim, and asked if I wanted to do it.  I laughed.  A lot.  Doesn’t she know that “optional” means “don’t do it”?  Why would I ever choose to swim?  ;)  BUT, I said I would go paddle boarding.  So we did!  It was a blast.  The sun was out by then and it was so, so nice paddling the Sammamish river in the sunshine and doing something “different!”  We ended up being out there about 1:20, which was awesome.

 

Sunday was all about mountain biking!  Shawn had put 2 hours on the schedule...but specifically said “go have fun, ride your mountain bike, enjoy.”  Done and done!!!  I’m preeeettttty sure he meant to take it easy and not tax myself, and to not do anything stupid…but instead, I took that to mean no crazy cross country (or Tiger Mountain climbs), but have fun jumping off of things!  Kyle had his brand new Phoenix (DH bike), Josh was on the 5.7 and I was on the Mach6 (Josh and I usually ride hardtails).  Squishy, full-suspension bikes for all!  To say we took full advantage of those bikes would be an understatement.  I don’t know how many times we did the gap jump at the end of HLC—I completely cleared the wooden landing and made it all the way to the dirt…which, if you know the jump, is crazy-far and way more than I could ever do on my hardtail!  Started doing the middle drop on Voodoo, and man that thing just shoots you out!  It’s not even that high up in the air, but you fly far!  Couple laps on Ryan’s, with my infamous drop (no problem!)….  I had so much fun.  A seriously amazing day, I can’t even describe it.

 

It also really, really allowed me to relax.  It took all week, but I finally feel totally rested and relaxed and ready to focus up and get back to ironman training!  Not that I wasn’t before, but it was  a nice, much-needed break.  And goofing off on the mountain bike really helped :)

 

Of course, today (Monday) is a rest day.   But that’s ok.  This week’s schedule isn’t even too intense either, just ramping back up again.  This weekend isn’t too bad (long brick on Friday and long run on Saturday are the biggest things), but then next weekend Mac, Sam and I are heading to Coeur d’Alene for a girls training weekend!  And I’ll get to ride the course, etc, which will be really, really good for me since that’s what I’m most worried about/the biggest unknown.  Then after that there is a half marathon (not sure yet if I’m just running it, or racing it; would like to race it, but will defer to Shawn’s best judgment), and then we’re just about a month away until the big day!