My First Marathon (x2)

I haven't done a sprint triathlon since 2015 since I've been focused on longer distance, but we decided it might be fun to do a sprint and I decided to do the Indiana spring sprint tri at Ball State (my alma mater). Race report is Saturday log. Monday - 5,000 yard swim. I still feel like I can't find fast at all and 5,000 always feels long. Tuesday - Great mile repeats. I even added a 4th mile of the hard effort. 7.5 total miles. Wednesday - swam 2,900 after having a BodPod test with Lindsay in the morning, but then I needed to get into the office and I ended up working until 10 PM so I didn't get a ride in. Thursday - Brick workout at Eagle Creek (but I stayed in the flat areas). I set this up as a crit style course since that's what the tri course was going to be. I rode 16.5 miles in just under an hour and then ran two pretty quick miles off the bike. Friday - REST DAY! Saturday - RACE REPORT Sunday - I went out and rode 35 miles in just over two ho...

After the flu last week, this week was about working back into real training. Monday - 4,150 yard swim. I did the workout, but I could not get faster...it seems like I only have one speed and it isn't fast. This one was later than usual and at the Monon Center pool because I didn't put swimsuits back in my bag after having them washed and then it would have been even later before a lane was available at Jordan. Tuesday - Easy run with the team. I ran 5 miles at a decent easy run pace (11:30). I had one moment right before mile 4 where I was having a bit of labored breathing, but it came back around and I was fine. It felt good to run. Wednesday - I had to work in the evening so I did both workouts in the morning. 3,250 yards in the pool...again I only had one speed. I missed 250 of this workout because I miscounted 50s in one set and then I missed 4 of the 50 yard drills because I hadn't written them out (facepalm). Then I rode on the bike trainer for 15 miles. I want...

This week has been completely lost to training. Training Peaks looks like a bloody mess. The only redeeming thing is that it was the second week post-marathon and it's six months until Ironman Louisville. "...had a single germ strolled up it could have set up shop without so much as a rent deposit."   - Once a Runner Monday I wasn't feeling too hot...and David had been sick since Sunday afternoon. By afternoon I was down for the count. Tuesday evening it was diagnosed as Influenza A. Yay for me! Here's the rundown: Monday - Went to the pool after lunch and tried to do my workout even though I wasn't feeling great. I was hoping it was just second-week post marathon blahs. I got through the 4100 yards with the help of fins for the parts that weren't aiming for specific times. I could not get faster as I was supposed to on 100s. But I finished. Tuesday - nada. Couch surfing. It was supposed to be my first run post-marathon. Nope. Wednesday - nada....

This week has been recovery from the Carmel marathon. I am usually pretty terrible at recovery, but I think I have been doing better this time. It helps that Coach Matt put workouts in Training Peaks rather than leaving things open...because in my defense I don't make good decisions left to my own devices when it comes to training.  Monday - swim. I was going for 4,000 yards but when the pool got crowded and annoying I decided 2,800 yards was good enough. In the morning I had a good conversation with Dr. Carr recapping the race and they good and not-so-good things I did in prep and during the race. Tuesday - I rode 13 miles easy in the morning so that I could still go to the PBT run and Brewsday. The ride was slow and not terribly interesting, but it was good recovery. In the evening we got a break from the rain so I walked about 2 miles (no watch) during the group run before heading to the bar. I did have a celebratory beer since we were celebrating all things Carmel. Wednes...

Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high;  and the dreams that you dream of, once in a lullaby;  somewhere over the rainbow, blue birds fly;  and the dreams that you dream of, dreams really do come true A few years ago I set a goal to run a sub-5:30 marathon. I have been working on improving my marathon since then, and have occasionally nibbled away at the difference between PR and 5:30, but never getting closer than 5:42:57. I didn't have a great 2017 marathon season and I thought that the 5:30 chase would need to wait until after Ironman. I knew I was running the Carmel marathon, but didn't know what would happen and didn't want to get any hopes up because I am focused on Ironman this year. After Monumental last year I had to do some hard self-reflection about the way I approach the marathon. Not the training or pre-race prep, but what happens at the start gun. From that I came to a conclusion that I needed to do run/walk and that Carmel would be a good place to t...

The second week of taper is usually when I become a crazy person who can't handle the universe. I would like to think I kept the crazy fairly contained this week...perhaps aided by my lingering denial that I was, indeed, running the full. This is just the training log, race report will be a separate post. Monday - Long swim - well, only 3,000 yards, but it was long swim day. The Garmin was still in exile so I was using the wall clock and phone stopwatch to try to time everything...I missed my watch. Tuesday - Raining hard all day. I almost decided to do this run on a treadmill because of my allergy hacking and it being race week, but I sucked it up and ran outside. I let a training partner (who had already warmed up a mile) drag me out MUCH TOO FAST on warmup and then it was hard to feel like I had anywhere to go for the progression run. Fortunately he had dropped me like a bad habit after 1KM and I was on my own. I managed to eek out a progression before backing it WAY off for...