My First Marathon (x2)

I love the Grand Rapid tri. I have done it three times now and loved both the Olympic and 70.3 races. Last year and this year I did the 70.3 (Half Iron) - 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run. This race is also the Athena/Clydesdale National Championship and so I get to compete in that, which adds extra fun. Athenas are female triathletes over 165 pounds. David and drove up to Grand Rapids on Saturday and went straight to the expo/packet pickup. For the national championship there is VIP check in. Athletes also have to weigh in. I took care of all of that and then we checked out a few tables before heading to the hotel. Sunday morning I was up at 4:15 to eat, have David apply my race tats, and head out to the race. David dropped me off at the athlete drop and I went to transition to set up and hit the bathroom before putting on my wetsuit. I didn't have enough a time to get in the water before the swim practice was over, but still felt good about it. In the corral the Ath

Taper week leading into Grand Rapids 70.3/Athena Nationals. I love the Grand Rapids tri and the fact that it is the Athena/Clydesdale National Championship just makes it that much more awesome. For those who are unfamiliar, Athenas are female triathletes over 165 pounds and Clydesdales are male triathletes over 220 pounds. The national championship is an "open" championship, meaning you don't need to qualify in a prior race to compete. I raced the 70.3 (half Iron) distance of 1.2 miles, 56 miles, and 13.1 miles...but that will be in my race report. Monday - 2,700 yard swim. Tuesday - 5 mile moderate run just under 55 minutes, which used to be a super fast run for me. My heart rate averaged 152 and I was aiming for between 150 and 155, so this was great. Wednesday - Global Running Day 3.61 miles at Runners Forum sponsored by 361 Degrees. Fun run and I participated in the runner storytelling for the Running on Indy podcast afterwards. Thursday - 2,450 yard swim (We

I didn't post training leading up to Bayshore or a race report, so it's a two-week post this time. Taper -  Monday: Open water swim at Mystic Bay. Three triangle loops in the water for 2,670 yards. Breathing cottonwood the whole time. Tuesday: 5 mile run, race week gear check. Warm up, run through a few gears for three miles, cool down. It was a toasty day but my 4th mile was my fastest mile of the year and I was feeling food about it. Wednesday: 2,800 yard swim that somehow got recorded as 2,725. Since I had a night meeting I needed to get everything done in the morning and people needed me in the office so I just did my ride on a spin bike at the Y (14.7 miles). Thursday: I had a 4 mile run so I added on to the Monumental lunch run and called it good. It was toasty out but it was a pretty quick run for an easy run. Downtown has a lot of stops and starts though. Friday: Swim 1,000 continuous and get out. Drive to Traverse City. Saturday: Bayshore Half Marathon (s