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THE YEAR MATCHES (YIKES!)

You know that interesting feeling you got in high school when the year on the calendar matches the year on your letter jacket? That combination of anticipation, fear, anxiety, and excitement. Yeah, that’s where I am. When your big goal is three years out it feels even keeled working toward it. When it is less than a year out and in the year you are currently in…it feels very real. Ironman is this year. OMG!
Monday – Let’s start the year with a 5K in the -6 degree (real feel -23 degree) Arctic cold. And because we are a coached athlete let’s not just run the race, let’s also do a 2 mile warmup. I almost told coach where he could stick his one mile cool down, but I did that too. 6.1 miles. Freaking cold. And I had to stop twice during the race to tie my shoe. Not going to be a fast time. 33:44. Whatever. Then I went and got in the pool. It felt like a hot tub to my frostbitten skin. 3,100 yards of fun. Then I got in the actual hot tub for a few minutes.
Tuesday – Since I raced on Monday I was on the bike today, which meant I “missed out” on the group super freaky cold run. Using my new Cycleops Magnus trainer I rode 14 easy miles on the Ludington Lighthouse Triathlon course.
Wednesday – I swam before I went into work. The downtown Y pool was empty when I got there, but was hopping by about mid-set. I swam my 3,000 and then headed into the office. My new thing is using the hairdryer to warm up my suit before I put it on. :) After work I ran with the club downtown crew, well, behind them. I also saw some of the local running suspects out on the Cultural Trail. I ran my loop and a bit of the canal and then headed back toward the Y only to slip on a French drain and fall flat on my back. Boo. Figured out later I also did something to my foot. I was able to run back to my car. 6 miles total. Easy pace.
Thursday – Due to the Humpty Dumpty action the evening before my trainer and I decided I should do some gentle stretching instead of a session. I also did my bike trainer ladder workout while riding the Muncie 70.3 course. 16.3 miles with some hard work. My back was feeling ok by the end of the day…mostly.
Friday – Mid-afternoon swim (took a break from working at home) so that I didn’t have to deal with exceptional overcrowding in the pool. Well, there were a million screaming kids in there, but the lap lanes weren’t too bad. I still had to split most of the time. I had some longer sets and then 10×25 all out. Those made me feel my back. Not bad, just felt it. 3,100 yards total.
Saturday – I punked on running. I switched my Saturday and Sunday workouts, with coach’s “permission” – told myself I was also giving my foot an extra day…but really I just surrendered my badass card. I couldn’t face another super cold run and it was actual temp colder than Monday. I did my bike workout, which was a IM, HIM, Oly effort progression ride and I was on the Grand Rapids 70.3 course on the trainer. It was a hard ride. But I still felt like a punk. 23.1 miles of riding.
Sunday – I wasn’t the only one out making up Saturday’s long run, lots of friends on the trail. I ran 5 at long run pace, 6 at marathon goal pace, and 1 cool down for a total of 12. MGP as indicated by HR staying between 150 and 160 excerpt on the overpass where it hit 165. The temperature was MUCH better for running.

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