Can ya feel it in the air?  That crisp morning smell with the sun lighting up the fall colors that are beginning to show? 

One of the highlights of fall, is I don’t have to worry about getting out early for a workout in order to avoid the 100 degree heat! 

This past weekend I had some great training.  I’m in my last big block of training as I gear up for Ironman Florida. 

The weekend started with a “flat” ride starting in Watkins and heading east.  I say “flat” because here in Colorado flat is hard to find.  I was joined by 3 of my biggest supporters Kelli 1, Kellie 2 and Darla for the first 40 miles of a 75 mile ride.  Here I am just starting out and spinning along on Black Betty 

Riding to Kansas

We rode and rode and then I rode and rode.  The weather warmed up into the high 80′s.  After the ride I threw on my Newtons for a quick, hard 30 minute run.  And this is where it got interesting.

For some reason I had the bright idea that I would eat 2 caffeinated gels in the last hour of my ride and then a 3rd caffeinated gel right before my run (I was feeling pretty hungry!).  By the time I finished my hard run, I thought I might pass out.  The caffeine left me light-headed and not sure if I would fall over.  That’s when I decided I should sit on the ground next to my car tire in the shade, while I waited to see what would happen.  This was one of those times I wished I had someone else with me.  I sat there,  returned texts and waited it out, drank my chocolate milk (that helped) and finally felt well enough to head home. 

All I can say is I am so glad I tried this “bright” idea while training and not during my Ironman!  OMG….I never want a caffeinated gel again   I barely consume caffeine as it is! 

I felt the effects of my “brightness” well into the morning of the next day.  It wasn’t until about 1 hr into my 3 hr run on Sunday that I began to feel better.  Ugh…all I wanted to do for that first hour was NOT run.  But run I did and I think I ran myself back to feeling normal.  The run was fantastic as always.  Every time I run on the Highline I meet someone and we will run for a bit and chat.  This day I got to enjoy the company of some new friends who I may end up running with next weekend too!

Monday rolled around I headed out to the Gravel Pond for my last open water swim of the season.  It was absolutely breathtaking that evening.  At this time of year the number of triahletes swimming has gone from 50 to about 15.  It is so peaceful and calming.  See for yourself!

The Gravel Pond

  I was joined by my training partner in crime Scott .  He is always good for a bunch of laughs and kicking my butt!  It was our final “swam song” for this season. I actually took a moment to take in the beauty and thank this wonderful body of water for all the swims I did here over the summer.  GP- I will miss you until next May. 

Yeap, the signs of fall are happening.  Less athletes out and about, the colors slowly changing, the coolness of the morning air.  I feel blessed that we are still having 70-80 degree weather here in Denver as I keep training for November 5th.  I will be pleasantly surprised if most of my training gets to be outside and not indoors.  Only time will tell!

This was a big big training week for me.  I completed 17.25 hrs of training this week, with half of  the training happening over Saturday and Sunday. 

Over the course of the week I got in:  2:05 hrs of swimming; 9:40 hrs of riding; and 4:30 hrs of running, plus 1:25 hr of strength training!  (i think my math is right)

How cool is that!!!! I am so excited!  I feel completely free of Adrenal Fatigue!  I feel my independence is back!!!!

To highlight this fabulous week….I want to share about the wonderful weekend I had with friends training and training…oh yeah…and laughing!!!!!!

Saturday started with a group swim at the infamous Gravel Pond.  As my friend Scott said, “it’s the place to come to see everyone strip”.  Scott is constantly cracking me up!  It’s so true, we all show up on the beach at the Pond and strip…first into our wetsuits then out of them.  I always enjoys Scott’s perspective!

The Gravel Pond.....

After an out and back continous swim, I was off to the Highline Canal for my 3 hr run.  By the time I made my way there, the temps were already in the 90s.  That’s what I get for socializing a little too long 

The good news about the Highline Canal is there is plenty of shade and it’s pretty flat which was perfect for the 4 x 15 min Zone 3 intervals I had on tap.  OK…I have to admit here…that I went for the full dork factor.  I actually ran in my new Zoot calf compression sleeves.  I was smart enough not to take a picture to share with you all.  I am sure other runners where getting a good laugh at me…with my calf sleeves and fanny pack with water bottles.  Like I said, FULL DORK FACTOR!

The run went smashingly.  I have to admit, I really could tell a difference running in the calf sleeve.  This was my longest run to date and I didn’t even feel a bit sore after I was done!  Yeah…product endorsement here    The  rest of the day was about recovering and getting ready for my big ride the next day.

So Sunday was pretty much the same crew as Saturday’s swim session.  We met at Bergen Park in Evergreen and headed out for the Squaw Pass- Idaho Springs loop. 

Squaw Pass! What a crew!!!

We had a total blast riding this loop!  I have never had so much fun on a ride in my life!  Absolute blast!  This was the first climbing ride of the season for me. 

I’m not sure if I shared this before…but I did one of those bone-head moves about 3 months ago…where I drove my aluminum framed Orbea Road bike into my brick garage.  Yeap, I’ve joined the club!  It took me about 2 months to find a replacement bike in my size.  So everyone…I’d like to introduce you to Jean.  Jean, meet the gang!  Jean Jean is a climbing machine!  Let me tell ya!  She’s also a dream!  I’m serious.  When I ride her it feels as if I’m riding on air! 

So after months of waiting, I was finally able to get into the mountains for some climbing time!  This was actually everyones first mountain ride of the season.  We all huffed and we puffed and we all flew down to Idaho Springs!   A spin back up to Bergen Park and we were done for the day. 

As I sit here writing about my adventures I am pleased to report that there is not one sign of Adrenal Fatigue.  Any tiredness I felt was appropriate for the level of exercise I did this weekend.  If anything, I am now more motivated than I have been in a year and am beyond excited for the next few weeks of training leading up to Barb’s Race at the end of this month! 

It’s time to Rock and Roll and train like a fiend!

I did it!

I finished my first event of the 2011 season yesterday!!!!

I ran the Colfax Half Marathon and had a blast!  It felt so darn good to be participating in an event again.

There I was, at 6 am, lined up with all the other thousands of people…waiting for the line to move toward the start.  My fingers where gently hoovering over my Garmin.  I was dressed in my full winter garb and was ready to see where my fitness was at.  It had been close to one full year since I ran as far as 13.2 miles and today was going to be my litmus test.  I was ready….teacher…give me the exam!

I started off toward the very back of the pack (my friends decided on one last potty break…).  I took my time running at my slow, warm up speed.  As the miles went by and the time went by, next thing I new I was half way through.  I was feeling warmed up (despite a cold wind and freezing drizzle) and noticed I was picking up my pace.

As we began to head back to City Park for the final 6 miles I really began to get into a groove.  I started to pick up my pace, minding my cadence.  I began to pass person after person.  I think only about 3 people passed me for the whole 6 miles.  I was just having a blast and feeling that groove.  That easy, effortless run.

Just a side note here- I recently tried running in some K-Swiss shoes for a few runs…and went back to my tried and true Newtons.  I so love my Newtons!  They really do make running effortless!

So, there I was running through an Aurora Fire Dept Station, loving life and the day.  As I cruised down 17th Ave I continued to pick up my pace, leaning forward, quick cadence, arms back…etc.

As I crossed Colorado Blvd and ran into City Park I saw the sign for mile 12.  I made it!  Only 1.1 miles to go!!!!  And that’s when I really let it all go!  Up until this point I had never really gotten near my lactic threshold.  With 1 mile left to go, I began to flirt with it.  I began that dance of, how fast can I go, how long can I hold this????

I held back mostly because I was afraid I would blow up and not finish strong.  When I got within about 1/4 mile of the finish I really went for it.  I stopped being afraid (I was close enough now) and just hit my LT.  I was breathing hard! I cruised into the finish shoot, feeling good and strong.

I’m very pleased with my performance. I had absolutely NO idea what my fitness was like, how I would feel, how I would do….It’s been almost one year since I quit training due to Adrenal Fatigue….and today, without a doubt….I can say that I’m BACK!!!!!!!!   I just finished my first half marathon since being diagnosed with Adrenal Fatigue and I am very pleased!

This past week I did both a Run and Swim test. 

Now the good news is I am fit enough and healthy enough for my coach to be having me do these!  I was extremely excited to see them on my schedule.  I remember months ago she said that we would do our first tests when I was healthy again.  Guess that means she feels I’m healthy again and on the other side of Adrneal Fatigue!!!

Now…the harder news to admit- here in public- is that my times where pretty dang slow!  I mean way, way , way slow!  Like really slow.  Like turtle slow!  The way the test went was I had to time my long sets and divided it into 100s. That being said- I had the turtle time of 2:04 per 100.  What a difference from last year pre-Adrenal Fatigue!

That was Wednesday.  Saturday I had a run test.  For this test I warmed up for 10 minutes and then began running for 1.5-2 miles.  The goal was to keep my heart rate around 125.  See I’m doing all my training below 130HR.  So….here’s the kinda embarrassing part- my time per mile was 15:38.  Oh my goodness.  SEE!  I said I was a turtle!  Can you believe how slow that is????    

This was a  hard post for me to write.  You see, I want you all to think that I am this ripped athlete who has these kick a$$ times.  In reality, for the moment, I DON’T.  I am just me….coming back from Adrenal Fatigue….with all my slowness and determination.  Trainings not always pretty…it’s not always glamorous….it’s sometimes just plain slow.   

The best part about this though….is there is tons of room for improvement!!!!  And that’s what I’m planning on doing…keep on improving!

-

I never realized how much it would mean to me when I finally returned to actual TRAINING after these 6 months off.  

Granted I only took one full month off with absolutely NO exercise.  My prescription read….Get as much sleep as possible and NAP often!.  No kidding. That’s what my doc wrote down. 

Many people have asked….”well didn’t ya go crazy?” and the answer is “nope.” I was so exhausted all I could do was go to work and sleep!  I only took one month off and from there started to slowly incorporate “exercise” back into my weekly routine.  With my fabulous Coach Cary leading the way.

After 5 months of getting back into exercising…about one month ago I progressed into Training again.  I was training early mornings and afternoons.  Workouts were getting close to one hour long…..I was beginning my comeback!

Well this weekend just moved me into OFFICIAL TRAINING mode.  Over the weekend I trained for a total of 4 hrs.  I know, that may not seem like much…but not too long ago that’s all I exercised in a week!

This Saturday started with a Kick Butt 2 hour computrainer session at Peak To Peak Training Center.  Sweat and high(er) heart rates made my legs feel like mush.

After lunch with a friend…I was off to the pool for another hour of swimming!  And the cool part, my workout was a strength workout.  So lots of pulling and long sets!  It was all I could do to PULL myself out of the pool.

The evening was spent chilaxing and eating a healthy dinner….recovery and engergy for the next day!

Sunday morning came.  On my training schedule was a one hour run!!!! 

I know…seems kinda silly to get all excited for a one hour run…but when that’s the longest I’ve  run since a half mary at Boise 70.3 last June…..I was over the top excited to actually get the chance to run for a full hour. 

To me, that’s a sign that I am recovering from this darn  Adrenal Fatigue and on my way to this season.  I don’t know how many half hour runs I’ve churned out over the last 3-4months….but I can tell you…those were hell.  To only run for 30 minutes and knowing how good an hour plus run feels….that really was hell!

I am over the moon that I had a “real” training block this weekend.  I had a blast and I am feeling like a true athlete again. … Just remind me of this when I’m churning out 10+ hour training weekends this summer in prep for Ironman Florida…baby! 

This weekend my training got kicked up a notch.  Yeap- the serious part of Ironman Training is ON!  I mean ON!!!  E-Rock (Elephant Rock Century Ride) was the kickoff to back to back to back fun! 

Saturday I warmed up for E-Rock with a 15 mile run on the Highline Canal.  Another wonderful shaded run in scorching heat.

Sunday morning found me waiting in a long line of cars to get to the fairgrounds in Castle Rock to start the ride.  I was riding with my bud Sharon again.  We weren’t so green and took two cars.  Sharon was doing her first century and my instruction was to “race” this ride. 

Ready to Ride!

 We got our selves and our bikes ready and started rolling at 7:00 am.  Now Elephant Rock is an event.  It’s not a race, it’s an event.  There are people riding who are doing a 65 or 100 mile bike ride for the first time, and some who are have done E-Rock a few times. 

What beauty!!

The reason I bring this up is that many people complain about how crowded it is; how people don’t know how to ride correctly…Heck, there are even  bad-a$$ cyclist (or so they think) who come by screaming at people for doing something they don’t like.  IT’S AN EVENT PEOPLE!    CHILL OUT!  Everyone is doing the best they can on that day and for each person it’s their own personal challenge, even hell at times.  I am sooooo much more impressed and inspired by an overweight person on a mountain bike riding the 65 mile course than I am of some 6% bodyfat athlete in their cycling kit!!!!  Who gives a crud if you don’t like how people are riding.  This day is NOT about YOU! 

This day IS about camaraderie and friendly people though.  This day IS about wonderful volunteers and hard working regular folks.  It’s about making a new friend as you pedal hard up a hill or fly on the downhills.  It’s about saying “Thank you” to every volunteer you meet.  It’s also about giving encouraging words to those you pass.  It’s about doing something that challenges and pushes you.  It’s about 6000 feet of climbing and 100 miles of pavement.  It’s about giving your all AND having fun!

One of the Aide Stations

 E-Rock was like that this year for me.  I had a wonderful time and once again met some great people.  Riding E-Rock hard this year was tough at times.  I remember thinking to myself as I was climbing some hill, “Am I going to be able to make this?”  “Am I going to be able to finish?”  I was able to make it, and I was able to finish. And I had a fabulous, hard time! 

The nice thing about E-Rock is eventually the crowds thin out and you end up riding alone often.  It really is just you, your bike, and your mind for most of the ride.  I didn’t have a lot of time to enjoy the views or chat much with people (another one of my instructions was “NO Lollygagging!”).  And me being the “good” athlete  I tried to keep that to a minimun. 

A perfect day

Elephant Rock was wonderful and I highly recommend it.  Yeah it’s crowded, just bring your patience for the first 20 miles….Remember it’s an event and there are people who are doing something this hard for the first time.  Be Kind, Say Thank You, and most of all Enjoy Yourself!

It’s the official, unofficial start to SUMMER!  Can you say…it’s about time???  And this weekend did prove to be a summer weekend.  No rain, snow or howling winds!  It was spectacular…and long!  Four days of pure -heavenly training and recovering bliss!

Friday started out with a 30 mile run with the temps forecasted in the 90′s.  I hit Highline Canal at the Goodson Rec Center and was on the trail by 6:30am.  The sky was slightly overcast and the temp was already 60 degrees. 

Early Morning on the Highline Canal

At first I thought that I would run 3 x 10 miles.  Out 5 back 5- 3 times….About 4 miles into the run I decided I would rather get 15 miles out of the way my first time out, then run 10 miles and then finish off the 30 with the last 5. 

Sounded like a great idea and it actually was!  Mostly because of the mind game I was playing with myself.  Do you ever do that?  Play games with your perception?  It seems like a pre-requist to racing and training long distances….ya know…a 15 mile run, no problem; a 10 mile run, no problem; a 5 mile run, piece of cake….they just happen to all be in a row!!!

15 Miles and smiling

I knocked out the 15; reloaded at the car; knocked out the 10; got back to the car and had a Humongous blister on the bottom of my foot from a iny-tiny grain of dirt.  The blister started to change my gait around mile 23 and when I got to the car, I took a look at my foot and decided to go for my post-run swim…..didn’t finish the 30 but had a successful 25 miles of running.  Plus the temps were officially in the mid 90′s.  Did I mention how refreshing my 20 minute swim was?????  Ahhhhhhhhh

Saturday was a rest day!  I went to Boulder, got my weekly body work, enjoyed the festival and relaxed!

Sunday was back at-it!  4+ hour ride with a bunch of women! Oh yeah- remember that sore throat I had last weekend…well Sunday morning it decided to become a sinus infection……When I met up with everyone at Boulder Res I felt like crap.  I decided to start off easy and ride what I could. 

Lucky for me even though the sinus infection didn’t go away, I was eventually able to feel good enough to have a stellar ride out to Carter Lake and back.  I had a blast.  I was back on Black Betty (my Ordea Ordu) and we were flying! My training buddy, Sharon, and I rode the whole way together and just enjoyed the heck out of the day! 

Who's having FUN??? Not us

Back at the Res after 56 miles of pavement under our tires, I threw on my Newtons and hit a  hard 10 minute run.  I have NEVER run Hard off the bike- I was blown away by how I actually felt fine!  I was surprised!  I always thought I couldn’t run that fast off the bike…..but then- that’s why I have coach Andrea!  To help me learn new things about myself!

And then there was Monday.  Monday was all about the Honey-Do-List.  Can a  Honey Do List be a HDL when you’re writing it for yourself????  Anyway- I got through pruning trees and bushes in the front and back yards, and did all those piles of chores that I didn’t get to in the last year.  It felt fabulous to look around and see the piles gone and the trees trimmed.  I settled into my chair in the back yard and enjoyed the waterfall and the cool shade of the trees.  Another one of those AHHHHH moments.

I have the best backyard ever! Kai agrees!

For me, this was the best start to summer I can ever remember.  Two hard training days and two awesome rest days.  There is something to be said for having your “house in order” so that your training can just take off.  And with that….it’s time to take out the big guns and hit some pretty tough training in the next few  months…..but I’ma ready!!!

I just finished my last run before Colorado Marathon.  And what a run it was!  23.47 miles to be exact.  Yeap…In two weeks I did all my training for this marathon.  How funny is that?

My last long run previous to the last two weeks was Jan 30 when I ran 28 miles.  Since then the longest run I did was 10 miles.  Then two weeks ago I began my training for the marathon and did my first long run of 20 miles.  I felt good, hit a good time….struggled a bit  towards the end…but finished strong.

Then this past weekend I ran 24 miles.  Crazy you might think.  I know I did!  I thought- what the heck- running 24 miles the week before a marathon???  Well luckily I have the best coach in the world who knows just how to train a person!!!  She had me run the whole 24 slowly “just to get the mileage on your legs. “  This was a very very slow run…but it was fun!

I was able to run with some friends and have great conversations.  The perfect example of Long SLOW Distance.  Never once did my breathing get a hint of labored. 

I found myself enjoying the run…even though it was sooo slow.  It’s strange when your perception gets skewed.  For example- I finished 11 miles with my friends and then thought   “nice, I only have 13 more to go.  That’s 7.5 out and back.  I can do that easy”.  There’s just something wrong with that kind of thinking!  Really!  What has gotten into me????  Only 13 more miles after just finishing 11???  Weird right?  Go figure…..

Well, now it really is time for the taper.  1 hr bike rides and a 4 then 3 mile run…..I’ll let you all know how I do after Sunday.  We’ll see how this two weeks of training for a marathon suits me. No matter what…I’ll make sure to have FUN!

This weekend was all about the run…a 20 miler to be exact.  The run was scheduled for Saturday with a 3 hr bike on Sunday.  Well, being spring and all here in Colorado, Saturday started snowy with 40 mph gusts forecasted.  I opted for a 1 hr trainer ride and a trip to the movie theater instead.

Sunday I woke to clear blue skies and no morning percipitation forecasted.  I headed down to Waterton Canyon for my 20 miles.  As I headed up the canyon I got into a good pace.  I looked at my Garmin and noticed I was hitting at 10 min pace.  I thought to myself , “slow it down Sparky! You’re doing 20 today….not 10 miles like you have been for the past 2 months.”

Slow....the new hard

 I had an absolute great time on the run.  Every imaginable waterfall up the canyon was running and everything was green.  The road was dry except for the occasional mud hole.  The fellow runners out where friendly and ticking off their mileage. 

My friend Kendra caught up with my on my way back down the canyon and we ran together.  I noticed I was having a hard time feeling my own zone once I began to run with her.  It was like my body was imitating her running form.  I kept trying to get into my own grove again but that never really happened.

We hit the parking lot at mile 13; I reloaded my water bottles and headed back out solo for my last 7.  So this is where it got a bit tricky.  See, I haven’t run more than 10 miles in over two months.  As I hit the road again I was having a hard time.  I was struggling to  find my form and my groove.  I kept adjusting this and that and finally somewhere around mile 15 I found my sweet spot.

At mile 16.5 I turned around and headed for the barn (car).  And this is when I realized that somewhere in the last two months running slow got hard!  You see.  Throughout the whole 20 miles, whenever I slowed down to the pace I ran all last year….it felt HARD.  It felt like Torture!  The moment I picked up my pace and held it right below threshold….running felt MUCH EASIER! 

I don’t know how in the heck this happened…but it did!  I got faster!  Not only did I get faster but running faster got easier than running slower!  WTH?  I never would have expected that!  I had no idea that one day running right below threshold would be easier for me than running at a slower pace?  I mean, I PRed  my time on a 20 mile training run by 15 minutes!!  HUH??? WTH?? 

While I was running I would experiment with running slower and it just felt hard.  The minute I picked up my pace and ran faster, running got easier.  Now part of this I attribute to my Newton Running Shoes!  I am sure that the shoe helps propel me forward when I run faster!  (Did I mention how much I love my Newtons??)  And now that I can run faster the shoes help that much more!

I never would have imagined that running faster could be easier than running slow.  But it is.  At least it was Sunday.  In the next two weeks I have a 24 mile run then the Fort Collins Marathon on May 9th.  I’m building my run and the next two weekends will tell if this is just a fluke or if I truly am a faster runner this year. Only time/mileage will tell…..until then…..

Faster just got easier

This weekend was all about multi sportin.  There was some Splishin, some Splotin, and some heavy duty windy Woshin to be had. 

And speaking of WOoooSSSHHIN…how about that wind this weekend.  How many of you got caught out there on your long Saturday bike ride?  Pretty fun heh?  (ok maybe NO fun).  For all of us brave soles (or is it silly soles) who didn’t change our workouts around, for those of us who rode parallel to the road….this one’s for you!

There was a group of us brave soles who drove down to Castle Rock to ride the 62 mile E Rock  course. As we all gathered our gear and headed out on the rode the wind was just starting to blow.  The further we got out on the ride- of course- the windier it got! 

By mile 15 we decided to call it quits and head back… I have to be honest- I was kinda disappointed, if someone else had said “yes” to continuing I would have been all over it.  Luckily for me, no one was dumb enough to want to continue!  Once we turned around we quickly realized we would have 15 grueling miles into the wind.  I’m talkin full on head wind- and cross winds that left you riding parallel to the road if not splot on the road.

Delinda, Doreen, Liesl, Sharon...check out the sideways hair!

We made it back to the parking lot, after a few minor wind epics.  Next up for me was to finish off my mileage with a basement trainer ride and NCIS!  Oh yeah, followed by my second 20 minute run of the day.

Sunday was all about the run and swim.  And of course, being spring and all , here in Colorado…there had to be some wind again.  I headed up Waterton Canyon for a quick 5 and back down, meet some friends along the way…and was grateful it was’t as windy at the day before!

I finished the run off, jumped in my car, downed some Mix1 (love the Mango) and headed to the pool.  That’s were I spent the next 30 minutes Splishin.  And did it feel good!  After Saturdays windfest and Sundays run, I was ready for my favorite- swimming!

It was a perfect weekend….great friends, great workouts, and some splish, splot and wosh….who could ask for anything more…..except maybe a bit less wind next weekend