My First Marathon (x2)

This one seems a bit short because there's been the race report and the recovery video report, but... After the race we drove home from Grand Rapids on Monday and I had a 90 minute massage, which was wonderful.  Tuesday I ran an easy 4 while the PBT crew was on the track.  I wandered off the Monon and ended up getting deeper into a neighborhood than planned and had to walk quite a bit after I shut down the run when I was supposed to.  Wednesday was TRX and then pool time with my swim coach for the first time in a while.  I feel like my stroke is still a giant mess, but I continue working on it.  Thursday I went for an easy ride - which was also the first ride (maybe this year) without wind.  Friday I had a successful "ride the bull" swim, but it was the "easy setting" version of the bull ride.  Saturday I rode 20 miles with David, Swati, and Matt R then went to a sun salutations workshop at Kompose.  Oh!  I got new wheels for the bike! ...

I've never done a video entry before and I'm not super savvy with any of it, but here's a video update on this week's recovery from Sunday's 70.3.

Sunday (6/11) was my third 70.3 and the first time I did a 70.3 that was not Ironman branded.  I love the Grand Rapids tri (I did the Olympic last year) so I felt comfortable doing a non-branded race.  It is also the USAT Athena/Clydesdale championship race and so that is appealing since there is special attention to detail for the national champion athletes. David and I drove up to Grand Rapids/Ada on Saturday after I did a little shakeout brick at home, showered, and loaded the car.  We stopped at Fiddler's Hearth in South Bend for lunch on the way up since I hadn't been to SB in a while and I love that place.  I talked to coach Matt about the race on the way up and then we went to packet pickup at the Amway Spaulding campus.  I weighed in, got my packet, and we headed to the hotel.  We found a great restaurant called the Twisted Rooster for dinner and I had pork lollipops for dinner...so amazing.  We also split a gluten free chocolate cake/mousse/...

The Grand Rapids half Ironman distance race (1.2 mi swim, 56 mile ride, 13.1 mile run) is in a week.  I am trying to be positive and working though impostor syndrome, but I will get right in the head this week. The past three weeks recap: M: uninspired swim and lifting T: quality work.  Ran it hard, which I needed mentally but probably didn't help physically. W: Rode before hanging out at the track.  Felt good.  Rode hard.  Evening swim was uninspired. T: Death slog run in the morning.  It was humid and my legs were cooked.  I took it off life support at 30 min.  Went to yoga in the evening and that helped. F: swim. S: Paced Geist half marathon.  Right on 12:30 pace.  Had fun.  Weather was the best we've had for Geist.  Amazed I could run and keep on pace after Thursday when I wasn't sure what was up. S: 50 mile ride.  Tested the new aerobars but they weren't fitted yet.  There was wind.  That has been t...