The well deserved week of Slothmode + other ramblings about life and the Ironman

Since the amazing marathon I ran last Saturday where I *FINALLY* punched my ticket to Boston, I've been taking it super easy and enjoying some downtime before Ironman training starts. I've indulged with food and drink a bit more than I should have, taken the Churro Dog for some nice walks, and worked out minimally.
20 weeks from today (Sunday April 24) I will be an Ironman. Holy shit where did time go? Feels like yesterday I was signing up for this race... Actually I signed up in October 6 months ago!

Training starts tomorrow. It will be the longest training cycle i've done in recent memory. I'm incredibly excited to start this process, but I know certain aspects will be a huge challenge for me. For the next few weeks/month  i'll be amending my plan to accommodate marathon recovery + my vacation, and after that it's IM Racine 70.3 as a test run and then the big day on September 11.
                                       
I feel confident that my swimming will be strong enough to finish well ahead of the cutoff for both races. With that being said, I need to work on speed and technique in the pool for the next 2 months until I can test out my new wetsuit in the lake for some longer swims. I'll look into some lessons to help maximize efficiency.

Running is not a concern at all. I've gutted out marathons before and know i'm more than capable of covering the distance. My only real concern is staying injury free. I'll add more strength/core/PT exercises to stay injury free.

Cycling is my biggest concern. I cannot ride my bike for hours on end on the Lakefront. I need hills and roads to practice on. BUT I do not have a car to drive to Barrington or.... So planing my weekly rides will take some coordination to be successful. I have thought about joining a tri group to meet others training for the race, but havent pulled the trigger on that yet. I am also looking into organized rides- I'm signed up for Bike the Drive at the end of May and am looking forward to completing my longest ride to date out on lakeshore drive! Although crazy to think the 3-4 hours I spend on that event will be half of what my long rides will eventually end up being...

Overall I'm really looking forward to this chapter of my life- and i'm very thankful to have the support of family and friends while I chase this goal.

On Tuesday I ran 5+ miles with Kim. I chatted her ear off about the marathon. It was nice to catch up and relive the memories of that race with someone who wasn't bored to tears by my excitement over it. My quads were quite sore during this run, but I kept it super easy- 10+ min pace and felt markedly better afterwards.

On Thursday, I met Vicky for dinner so we could debrief each other about our amazing marathon performances. I cannot say enough how happy I am that Vicky re-qualified for Boston on Monday at the Boston Marathon! I was tracking her splits and jus knew she would do it! Being able to run Boston together in 2017 will be a kick ass experience!

Saturday morning I went to the pool for the first time since January. I swam 2250 yards, including some pull buoy laps. I also did 975 yards non stop and felt really good. I was very encouraged that I had not lost any of my swimming abilities.

Sunday I was either going to go for my first ride of the year with Mortadella or go to the pool and I ended up doing neither. Instead I met Vicky for brunch and then we went shopping. After 11k steps from walking around in stores, I'm exhausted! It was a gorgeous day to spend outside in Chicago.


Tomorrow starts Ironman training. Squeeeeeee!  84 days to go until 70.3! 140 days to go until 140.6!



-Xaarlin