Tiiiiiiiimbeeeeeeeeeerrrrrr!

It's Thursday already? 

Wow. Time flies when you're training well.

The week has shaken out like this:

Sunday- 11.7 mile ride to, around, and home from the tri course.

Monday- 4.13 run 

Tuesday- things got interesting.* 4 mile ride, then a brick of 12.6 miles followed by a hard mile (7:15) and a half mile cool down

Wednesday- 2.57 easy run, core work. Later, I rode 2.57 while my husband ran.

Thursday- I'm going to run today. Whether it's one mile or three or five, I haven't decided.

But back to Tuesday. 

I started out by turning on some music before shoving my phone in my bento box- it would be nice to hear a random song each time I had to stop so that I'd have something new to get stuck in my head at different times. I got about two miles away from home and decided I needed to add more air to my tires. I headed back, and as I approached a stoplight, unclipped my left foot-why, I don't know, because every other time I've ridden, I only unclipped the right.

As I'm rolling to a stop with the wrong foot unclipped, it happened. 

I fell

In slow motion.

Just as Ke$ha started to sing, "it's going down/I'm yelling timber!"

All I could do was lay there and laugh... Until I noticed the truck across the rode, so I got up, still laughing, waved and gave a thumbs up.

I didn't even have a scratch. See? Still smiling. 

(My shoulder was sore the next day, though)

But I was really annoyed when I got home because we didn't have the right kind of pump, and I figured this out after I had taken the cap off and caused my tire to deflate some more, so I had to drive to the local bike shop to get the presta valve adaptor before I could fix it. 

And that's why I had a 4 + 12.6 mile ride.

Ever fail to unclip and fall? I'm glad it happened already. Now I know I can handle it, so if it happens during the tri, I (hopefully) won't freak out.

Favorite guilty pleasure songs right now? Pitbull/Ke$ha almost always make the list. I'm debating downloading some Shakira, too. Anything that keeps me moving!

Two Rivers Meet 10k

10k done in 51:5X. 

Ran with two friends from school. 

And I won my age group. Sweet.

How's your holiday weekend going?

Remember, it's not drink and party day, it's Memorial Day- thank a servicemember before you tip one back.

A good problem to have

See that?

(No, not the spider veins on my heel)

I rested today.

My current "problem" is that I am having so much fun with my bicycle and bricks, I keep forgetting to take a rest day.

Yeah.

I just did six days in a row again of training-either running, or cycling, or both- so I took a mandatory rest day. 

I still walked a half a mile with one of the dogs, though.

And yes, I am a grown woman who still prefers to sit cross-legged. 

Ever forget to take rest days?

Race plans this weekend? I think I'm going to run a 10k. It's ten minutes away, and the weather looks great for Saturday morning, so I might as well. If I add a cool down, it will give me my last longish run before Sunburst, so I probably will. After all, running is almost always more fun in a group!

Get UGLY.

I am taking this triathlon way more seriously than I thought I would. Every brick I've done has me pumped, ready to give it my all come race day. While I am trying not to get too competitive (it's my first, so I do want to have fun), it's also short enough I want to go balls-to-the-wall... Especially since the results from last year make me feel like I can do more than just participate. I can compete at least in my age group.

I did another brick today- 10 mile bike followed by a one mile run (7:27!) with a half mile cool down at the end. 

I am intentionally biking further than race day right now. 

And I can't believe I can throw down a 7:27 mile just 63 seconds after hopping off my bicycle (I'm practicing transitions, too).

The beast is alive.

I want to compete.

You see this face?

And this one?

While I like to run smiling through long races, come tri day, I'll be using my favorite short-distance mantra (the one I chanted to myself when I got my current 5k PR):

Get UGLY.

Because if I'm smiling, I'm not trying my hardest. And the best race face photos have come from moments when I gave everything.

June 14th, I will get ugly. Just you wait.

Minor grievances.

This annoys me.

I can't find my other capris, so I'm wearing navy and navy.

I don't know why this bugs me when black and black doesn't, but it does.

And speaking of annoying, now that I'm riding my bicycle frequently, my thighs are less squishy... Which is fabulous, except now most of my jeans are uncomfortable.

Both are #femaleathleteproblems and most definitely #firstworldproblems (I hate that I just wrote in hashtags... Ugh. But they work).

So I will stop whining, and go run.

Do you know of any jeans that are cut with a more generous thigh? I brought four pairs, and only one pair is comfortable now- after just 4 weeks of cycling! Definitely going to have to get some new denim this fall if this keeps up.

Any color combos annoy you, like my navy-on-navy?

Bro kart

Mom and I drove up to Grand Rapids to watch my brother race today.

He races a kart... What kind, I don't know. 

But it was fun to watch. Kind of like watching Mario Kart without the turtle shells.

He came in sixth, but he races like I run- the fun is in participating!

I came home and ride my bike for 9.5 miles. After 4 hours in the car, I needed to move!!!

How was your weekend?

I love bricks.

From my Dailymile. Follow along, if you're so inclined.

Can I just say I LOVE training right now? Getting a bicycle has made me love running more than I though possible.

I don't know how that works, but that's what has happened.

And then I threw in this whole triathlon thing, and now I'm doing bricks, and I LOVE TRAINING!!!!

Somehow, I'm running faster, too. How does a 9 mile bike ride make me run sub-8:30 miles like nothing? Another thing I just can't figure out.

I'm not complaining.

But I wish I could bottle this feeling.

And good runs or rides lately?

Other fun? I made a new purse and wallet. Sewing isn't happening as frequently as I'd like, since I have to haul out my machine from my mom's closet, set it up, dig out fabric from the storage bins, etc, then put it all away immediately. With our temporary living situation, sewing isn't quite as convenient... or fun.

Happy Saturday!