ironman canada // week 25

You know what’s really fun? Seeing progress.

A mere 16 months ago, I struggled to even run five miles. And, in the year before that, a couple MRIs, a cortisone shot and months of physical therapy did nothing to help my hip + hammie pain. The only thing that fixed that were six solid months of no running and plenty of frustration tears. Fast forward to now, and running couldn’t be any better. Rocking a pain-free 21-miler takes the cake.

I’ve also been training on heart rate all year, and it’s been incredible to see the gains, especially lately. When I started this journey, my HR averaged around 160 or a bit higher for most of my runs, even on the short two- and three-milers. On Saturday’s long run, all three hours of it, it averaged 148 (and, 144 on last week’s 19-miler). I’ll take it.

My week…

Monday

I tested out my new Roka Sports Maverick wetsuit today… and, wow, it was awesome. Granted, I don’t really have anything to compare it to (I’ve only swam in a loaner sleeveless), but it fit perfectly, shoulder range of motion was excellent and the buoyancy was in all the right places. Even better: It was a cinch to get off. No more fighting it around the ankles!

Lake Nokomis sure was a beauty tonight, too.

Tuesday

Nothing too out of the ordinary today… just a brick with 30 minutes of Ohio + Cherokee climbs, 30 minutes of Shepard Road at race pace and a solid four-mile transition run.

Wednesday

A glorious rest day, and I did absolutely nothing.

Thursday

I’ve been a runner since seventh grade, and I’ve never done a progression run until this morning. After a super sluggish three-mile warm-up, I hit it and was wide awake: 7:45 / 7:32 / 7:24 / 7:12. A cool down mile at 8:30, and I was ready for the day. Really loving these early morning sessions – and the return of some speed!

Friday

And, suddenly it feels like October. Long sleeves and socks?! Whaaa?! Nick and I hopped on our road bikes tonight for 26 miles of bliss. Fitting given that two years ago tonight, we met while on a bike ride 🙂

Saturday

Like I said last week, seeing all zeros on the Garmin before a long run is daunting. The start of today’s long run – 21 miles – was no different. But, with one foot in front of the other, it was awesome and suddenly done! The weather was perfect (cooler with a few sprinkles), my route beautiful (Minnehaha and the lakes) and I all around felt great the entire time.

The evening two-mile recovery run? Not so much. Pretty sure my feet weren’t coming off the ground until at least a half-mile in. And, then I bonked. Apparently that can happen one two-mile runs.

Long run nutrition: Osmo Nutrition preload hydration (one serving on Friday night, one about 30 minutes before my run… this stuff is magic), one bottle Skratch Labs lemons & limes, Honey Stinger pomegranate chews and an espresso love GU (only meh). I also stopped for some Coke around mile 18; it surprisingly didn’t even bother my stomach!

Sunday

Just a quick 56-mile out-and-back on the bike this morning. It was brisk again – I actually wore an ear warmer – and the wind was weird and felt like it kept switching. Despite some tired legs on the uphills, I really wanted to keep riding today… just a couple more hours!

In non-training news…

Two years ago Friday, I met Nick on a bike ride. I was on my Madone, waiting for the stoplight to change at Hamline and Summit, and he rolled up on his red Felt. I knew almost immediately it wasn’t just gonna be some biker small talk 🙂 I’m a lucky girl.

And, the triathlon fairy visited! Loving the CEP Run 2.0 compression, Roka wetsuit and Beaker Concepts team kit! My wallet, no so much 😉

And, helloooooo SRAM Quarq! I can’t tell you just how excited I am to bike with power!

Weekly stats

12 hours, 22 minutes

Swim: ~3,000 yards, 55:00
Bike: 107.45 miles, 6:25:41
Run: 35.09 miles, 5:01:17

This week: My last IM-specific week, complete with a 113-mile bike ride. I cannot believe my first 140.6 is less than a month – A MONTH! – away!

Happy swimbikerunning, friends!