I'm officially READY!

When I did the Rhythm & Blues half marathon back in February, I saw a guy wearing the shirt below...for all of the non-Aggies reading this, BTHO is beat the hell outta.  At the time, I may have not thought this but now, I officially feel ready now and definitely ready to BTHO 70.3 in Oceanside.  Still always crossing my fingers to stay healthy through the race as well as no flat tires on the bike!

This past week was my last full week of training and it was a tough one to get through mainly because I didn't take my usual recovery day off during the previous weekend.  I did my last open water swim (photo below) at Towne Lake.  It was 180 degree difference from last weekend, my breathing was under control which is the most important aspect for me.  Swimming the speed that I do is not physically challenging for me, it's simply getting over the mental aspect of open water! But this weekend, I feel like I did and have zero doubts on making it.  This was quite a milestone for me because when I get on my bike and put on my running shoes, that is where the fun (and competitiveness) is for me. 



Red circle in back of photo is the swim distance (there and back) for about 0.7 miles - this was my swim route on Sunday.  I will add another 0.5 miles to that for next Saturday.

This week, I will go somewhat light Monday through Wednesday but will continue to do spin and then swim one last time on Wednesday before heading to airport and flying off to San Diego!

Even though I am sure everyone is sick of seeing my forecast screenshots, I can't help it.  This training has turned me into a weather hound.  You can imagine my face when I pulled this up...amazing! I will be in a somewhat tortured state all of Saturday but certainly can't complain about the weather!

Workout the week of March 16th:
Monday: Spin class + 1.0 swim (40 min)
Tuesday: Spin class
Wednesday: Spin class + 0.50 swim (21 min)
Thursday: Spin class + 0.50 swim (20 min)
Friday: Spin class + 0.5 mile swim (20 min)
Saturday: OFF
Sunday: 0.7 open water swim (23 min) + 6 mile run (8:50 min/mi) + 27 mile bike (18mph avg)

Last full week of training under way

Been a bit behind in my posts for last couple of weeks but last week was a good workout week and got some good practice in over the weekend - did a long bike ride in Bastrop (practice with some hills) and practiced an open water swim again since last September.  Although I am 10x more comfortable in pool now compared to September, open water still gets me for whatever reason! I'm definitely going to have to get over that during race day!  Tested the open water swim in my wetsuit and although a bit restrictive around neck, it keeps me surprisingly warm...the water was supposedly around 60 degrees...which Oceanside is estimated to be about 65 degrees on race day.  Bike ride on Saturday was really good...the weather couldn't have been better! I was also able to start to work with my front gears more. I love riding out away from city, not only do I get to miss all of the stops, it's less traffic and just prettier.  Wished I remembered to take pics on ride but all I got was the gem below of the weather forecast for that day...I've been waiting for a ride day like that for a loooonnng time!

This week is my last full training week so trying to put in as much as possible.  Also, will be shipping my bike off to Oceanside tomorrow, can't believe next Wednesday we'll be heading that way!

aka heaven on a bike!

Workout the week of March 9th: Monday: Spin class + 0.5 mile swim (21 min)
Tuesday: 6 mile run (8:55 avg per mile)
Wednesday: Off
Thursday: Spin class
Friday: Spin class + 0.5 mile swim (22 min)
Saturday: 70 mile bike ride (~16 mph)
Sunday: 0.75 open water swim (41 min...sooo slow!)

Training plan is set for the last month!

A couple of things that occurred to me this week.  #1, I'm officially done running in the cold after Monday.  I know I live in Texas and I shouldn't complain, others have it worse, but this is what separates me from the hardcore triathletes...I'm just tired of it.  #2, I would love to be able to say the same for the bike because that's even more miserable in cold/wind than running but I realized, I just like it too much.  So as much as I will complain when the weather is not ideal, it's really my own fault I am out there in the beginning!

I had my fair share of challenges with the bike ride on Saturday but I'll just summarize it quickly, I officially know how to change a flat tire...it may take me a lot longer than others but I can do it.  Also, it is likely that my wheel just may detach from my bike next time mid-ride...hope I put it back on right! :)
The most interesting part of my ride Saturday was I got to see a guy scooping up road kill to put in his truck...why you ask? I try not to think about it!

Finally, I laid out my last months workout plan.  I was not able to make it out to the open water swim this weekend but it is marked on my training for this next Sat or Sun come hell or high water.


Workout the week of Feb 23rd:
Monday: Spin class + 2 mile run (9:21 avg per mile)
Tuesday: Spin class
Wednesday: Spin class
Thursday: Spin class + 0.50 mile swim (~20 min, no watch)
Friday: Spin class + 1.0 mile swim (~40 min)
Saturday: 44 mile bike ride (15.7 mph avg) + laid out on couch rest of day after cold & windy ride!
Sunday: Off...and still recovering from Saturday

The 70.3 athlete guide has been posted...Getting Close!

This week, I was able to get several planning related items done.  The athlete guide was finally posted so have been reviewing schedule of events, rules and other details to the event.  My wetsuit was delivered this week - quite entertaining putting that on!  I am shooting to try it out next week - whether in a pool or open water.  I also reserved my bike transportation to Oceanside - thankfully will be able to ship it fully assembled to Oceanside with little coordination on my end.  Finally, signed Callie up for the 2015 IRONKIDS Oceanside which includes a 1/4 mile run - they finish through the same finish line and will get a medal...she is really excited about being in a race. 

There is still a lot of work to do between now and the 28th but starting to feel more comfortable.  I will be feeling a lot better when I can get some open water swim practice in with the wetsuit. 

Workout the week of Feb 16th:
Monday: Spin class + 0.5 mile swim (forgot watch so not timed)
Tuesday: Off
Wednesday: Spin class
Thursday: Spin class + 0.50 mile swim (17:45 min)
Friday: Spin class + 1.0 mile swim (41:30 min)
Saturday: 4 mile run (8:30 avg per mile)
Sunday: 48 mile bike ride (17 mph avg)



Sunday bike ride - Pattison through Bellville and back...nice countryside ride! Enjoyed this ride a lot more than my ride last weekend down Memorial.  You can see from the road, I'm the only one on it at that time!

One milestone down

This week I was able to swim more and also prepare for another long run/bike combo for the weekend - I will start doing these every weekend but with varying distances.  In addition to the open water swim group I found out about awhile back, SBR Coaches, I learned about another open water swim area, 288 Lake, that opens up earlier than SBR.  Will try to get in an open water swim sometime in February too.  This also prompted me to start researching wetsuits which I still need to figure out. 

One of my half marathon goals has recently been to run it under 2 hours and I was able to do that on Sunday at the Rhythm & Blues half marathon in Houston.  I cut it close at 1 hr, 58 minutes but was very excited to hit this mark.  This was also the first time I did a longer bike ride after that amount of running.  Even though it was out of order of what 70.3 will be, it was good to practice the combination of the two.  Also, a couple of things I learned...it doesn't matter if you are riding through an area with million dollar homes stacked one after another, Houston roads are always crappy...go figure...and Briarforest and Wilcrest is an intersection I will avoid on a bike the rest of my life.

Workout the week of Feb 9th:
Monday: Spin class + 1 mile swim (40 min, I'm getting slow!)
Tuesday: Spin class + 4 mile run (8:59/mile average)
Wednesday: Spin class + 0.5 mile swim (19 min)
Thursday: Spin class + 0.5 mile swim (19 min)
Friday: Spin class
Saturday: Off
Sunday: Rhythm & Blues Half Marathon (13.1 mile run, 1:58 hrs, 9:04 avg per mile) + ~28 mile ride (~16-18mph avg) *battery died halfway through ride

Before start of race - Rhythm & Blues Houston Half Marathon, February 15, 2015

More riding, less swimming

Playing catch up from missing post after last week but my post title sums it up the last 2 weeks.  Have not been able to put in the amount of swim time I would like but hoping this week the weather warms up a bit more and will be to pick it up on that end...can tell my swim time is slowing down!  On the bike side, have been able to put in more miles on the weekends and this week, I will pick up my running again before the Houston Rhythm & Blues half marathon on Feb 15th. 

Since my last post, I participated in Clay Walker's Band Against MS, a 60-mile ride that was held on Jan 31st.  It was chilly but the sun came out a bit and didn't rain so no complaints here.  However, I did have some interesting (and learning) experiences on this ride...chased by two dogs on the ride and got a flat tire about 2-3 miles before the finish...I couldn't tell you exactly where I was because my GPS watch that tracks miles, mph, etc lost all battery at mile 42...I was not a happy camper.  So lessons learned here - I quickly found time the next week to get someone to show me how to change a flat, got new tires (and more durable against punctures), and now know that I'll need a different watch for longer distance tracking (i.e. the half IRONMAN!).  Overall though, the ride went well and it was good to practice longer distances and mix up the route.

Workout the week of Jan 26th:
Monday: 50 min spin class
Tuesday: Off
Wednesday: 6 mile run (9:02/mile average)
Thursday: 0.50 mile swim (20 min) and 1 hr spin class
Friday: Off
Saturday: 60 mile bike ride (17mph avg...at least up until flat and my watch dying!)
Sunday: 3.5 mile run (9:19/mile average)

Workout the week of Feb 2nd:
Monday: 50 min spin class
Tuesday: 1 hr spin class
Wednesday: Off
Thursday: 0.75 mile swim (24 min) and 1 hr spin class
Friday: 50 min spin class
Saturday: 40 mile ride (18 mph avg) and 5 mile run (9:28/mile average)
Sunday: Off



Clay Walker kicking off the ride with speech and also sang our National Anthem

Clay Walker's Band Against MS was held at the Houston Oaks Country Club in Hockley

Recovery and Sunshine!

Earlier in the week, I continued to recover from the half marathon and took it easy, wobbling a bit at work on Monday afternoon and part of Tuesday.  Luckily, I wasn't the only one as there were others at the office that had participated. However, this definitely proved that I have quite a bit more work to do in prepping for Oceanside. 

This week, I also got other items done in preparation for Oceanside....booked flight, found place to stay and sent out note to friends and family on Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation, the fundraiser I selected to raise money alongside my effort to complete Ironman 70.3.  In addition, got my first pre-race communication from Ironman Oceanside titled "The countdown is on!" - this, along with getting other things slated this week, quickly made me realize its around the corner!

Signed up for a second half marathon for mid-February in Houston that I will plan to ride 30-40 miles afterwards on bike.  In February, my goal is to start combining certain legs of the race, closer to actual race distances, on my long weekend workouts. 

Workout this week included:
Monday: 50 min spin class
Tuesday: 1 hr spin class
Wednesday: Off
Thursday: 1 mile swim (30:59, I was slow today!) and 1 hr spin class
Friday: Off
Saturday: 6 mile run (9:41/mile average) - a special guest joined me on my run today, see below
Sunday: 34 mile bike ride (15.8 mph avg)

This is after I was done with run, apparently I woke her up from her slumber when I stopped running.  Overall, she's a good rider on my runs except I could do without answering "are we going home now" about 36x on mile 3! 

Ahhh! These are the days I have been looking forward to riding on! Today was low 60s and not a cloud in the sky.  It's not very long but this is my favorite spot riding on my Woodlands route, bridge over Lake Woodlands. 

The week of Aramco Half Marathon

This week was focused around balancing my prep for Ironman with trying to take it easy prior to the Houston Half Marathon on Sunday. 

Workout this week included:
Monday: 50 min spin class
Tuesday: 1 hr spin class
Wednesday: 50 min spin class + 2 mile run (9:35/mile pace)
Thursday: 1 mile swim + 1 hr spin class
Friday: Rest day
Saturday: Rest day
Sunday: Houston Half Marathon, 13.1 miles + enjoying a bit on the bike

Houston Half Marathon update:
From my post last week, the chance of rain fell to 0% so my wish was granted thank goodness! The weather was amazing - cool and clear skies...perfect day for a run.  I had a great time with friends at the race and overall, was happy with my run.  My goal was to average at or below 9:30 min/mile and I ended up averaging 9:27 min/mile...I cut it close though...ending with an overall time of 2:03:51.

Here's a quick snapshot of results:

During a happy hour, I talked Christy and Yana (two ladies to my left) into signing up, still not sure if they regretted it or not but think overall, they had a good time.  Richard (in the back) and I pushed each other a lot not only in prepping for the race but during the race...we are both competitive so it was good to bounce that competitiveness back and forth to get us going.  We both accomplished our goal in the end but don't ask him who won...it's a sore subject:) We all used to work with Kristin (far right with husband Jon) at TAS and it was fun randomly running into her during packet pick-up day so she joined up with us race morning.

From the left: Jamie, Christy, Richard, Yana, Kristin, Jon. 

Daydreaming of warmer and dryer weather

To sum this week up, cold and rainy! I am reading a book right now that was recommended called Iron War: Dave Scott, Mark Allen & the Greatest Race Ever Run by Matt Fitzgerald.  Earlier in the book it talks about the history of Ironman - it was originally held in February but the race organizers had elected to move it from February to October so that participants could train for it in the summer instead of preparing over fall and winter months.  Good call organizers!  I picked Oceanside Ironman for several reasons but I definitely wish the date was further back...the riding and running in cold and/or rain is getting old!  The good news, I live in Houston Texas so it's not as bad as other areas and definitely doesn't last as long as it could.  So I'll suck it up...sometimes.

Workout this week included:
Monday: 50 min spin - drizzly and cold, I said no thanks today to the run!
Tuesday: 1 hr spin + 5 mile run (~9:22/mile)
Wednesday: 50 min spin + 2 mile run (10:42/mile...not sure what I was doing on this run)
Thursday: 0.75 mile swim (21 min) + 1 hr spin
Friday: 50 min spin - again, drizzly and cold so went ahead and passed on the run!
Saturday: Off
Sunday: 6 mile run (8:55/mile...fastest 6 mile so far...today was 46 degrees and raining, the plus side to this is that there is a bit of extra encouragement to finish faster when you run in this type of weather!)

This week, the weather is supposed to be a bit better, that is, there's not going to be a lot of rain but still cold.  Crossing fingers that the 40% chance of rain for the Aramco half marathon will go down by the time Sunday rolls around!

And I promise, this will be my one and only post complaining about the weather but will say that if I ever sign up for a half Ironman again, it will be in October!

New Bike and workout Dec 29 - Jan 4

I finally got a new bike, a Specialized Dolce Comp.  I've been anxious to take it out on a its first ride but through the holidays, either my schedule didn't allow or the weather was crappy.  I was able to finally ride today - first day that the sun was going to be out all break! Although I knew it was going to be chilly, I wasn't prepared for the wind! For the whole 50 miles, it didn't matter which way I turned, the wind was always against me.  It was brutal.  I rode to my parents house in Magnolia for a quick visit and break.  My dad was nice enough to drive me to a good drop off point on 1488 where the shoulder was large for my ride home.  About 10 miles into ride back, I was regretting my answer "no" when he offered to drive me home!  Good news is that my bike did me good the whole ride and probably gave me good practice on parts of the ride I will experience along bay in Oceanside.

Workout this week included:
Monday: Spin class (20 miles) and 4.5 mile run
Tuesday: Off
Wednesday: 9 mile run (~9:45 min pace)
Thursday: Off
Friday: 6 mile run (9:42 min pace)
Saturday: 1 mile swim (25:02)
Sunday: 50 miles (15.5 mph avg)

To give you an idea on where the top female ranks in my age group, at 70.3 Oceanside 2014, Sarah Cameto was 1st in her age group (13th in female overall) with a 28:09 min swim, 2 hr 35 min bike  (21.58 mph avg) and 1 hr 32 min run (7:05 min pace avg)!  And, if for a second you are thinking, wow Jamie beat Sarah's swim time...umm no.  I will probably almost double my time in pool when swimming in bay....so the 25:02 I did on Saturday, that would be more like 45 min in the bay! So yeah, Sarah would slaughter me. 

Callie with our bikes.  She tells me that she wants to "race with momma" one day.