Ironman Wisconsin: Weeks 7, 8 & 9

Week 7:

Quick summary: I worked out a lot, but didn't hit all of my workout goals. I felt bad about this for far longer than I should have.

I just started a new role at work while still doing my old functions until it can be transitioned. My days are long. I wouldn't have predicted that i'd be where I am today in my company- I really enjoy the new role, but the learning curve is steep at times.



I am following an "advanced competitive" plan for the ironman in hopes that if I do cut back on a workout, I'll still be far ahead of the "beginner, just finish" plan. I really need to remind myself of this.


Sometime in the past 3 weeks, Vicky and I painted our pets, Millie and CB. We had a blast!


Week 8:

First group ride in the city- I rode with Live Grit for their 45 mile option.

Again, I felt really discouraged that I'm not doing enough workout wise, but in reality I'm far ahead of the "just finish" plan and getting plenty of solid time in. I think it was this week that I felt pretty crappy for most of the week. I don't want to "just finish" but instead, finish strong in the least amount of time possible. I don't want to be out on the course longer than I need to because I wasn't prepared- ex: not strong at swimming, can't change a flat, etx.


Sometime in the past 2 weeks, L and I went to the semi final for Copa America. I was excited to go to a game with legit passionate futebol fans- Colombia vs Chile.


At halftime a crazy storm came and delayed the game for 2+ hours, we just waited in our seats and were convinced the game would be canceled due to the field being flooded. Once the rain subsided, an army of guys came out with squeegees and got rid of the large puddles, but the field was still ridiculously saturated. Chile won, and I was bummed Colombia didn't.


Week 9:

This week marked my first OWS as well as nailing *most* of my workouts. I felt good overall, but feel really sleepy most mornings which I'm convinced is because it was too warm.


My first open water swim in 2 years went ok. I did 2 intervals of 300m and really struggled to keep my head underwater. My 3rd interval was a half mile and that went much better. 4th interval I decided to see if I could make it 1.2 miles- I did make it- and surprisingly I felt the most comfortable on this longest lap. The only downside was I felt extremely nauseous when I stopped swimming which subsided once I rode my bike home and ate some food before my 2 hour run. I also put a hole in my wetsuit and have since fixed it.


My dad sent me this 33 year old triathlon book. I can't wait to see if anything substantial has changed over the years.


Pizza making Sunday resumed deliciously with a Hawaiian style pie. The scratch made dough I had frozen a few weeks ago was still good and made a crispy crust. Have to say the pizza oven is one of my favorite kitchen appliances hands down.


The garden is exploding. After 30 days of balcony life we have a bunch of peppers and tomatoes growing. The peas and cucumbers were slow to start from seed, but are now thriving.


I am always happy for the end of the week when I can start fresh again on Monday.



Looking forward:

•stop being so negative about training if I cut time or miss a workout. I know I could finish the IM today if I had to.

•more swimming. This is definitely my weak spot. I need to get more comfortable in open water and hopefully more OWS means no more nausea.

•work on nutrition, specifically hydration. I need to sort this out before IM Racine 70.3 It's more about being conscious of drinking seemingly more than I "need." Time to sit down and write out a plan.

18 days until my first half Ironman.

74 days until I become an Ironman.

Ironman Wisconsin: Week 6

6 weeks down, 14 to go. Whoa. This week I felt pretty good about my workouts. I struggled during the week with feeling really sleepy, so I cutback a little. Turns out I just can't get quality sleep without the AC if it's too hot. No AC = feeling like crap all day long. Problem solved!

I didn't swim again- but I'll be hitting the pool 2x this week. Scheduling has been challenging as well as not being able to go OWS due to there being no lockers yet. I'll overcome this- it's not a huge deal.


I rode Mortadella outside before work one day for 20+ miles. It was so fun zooming up and down the lakefront without worrying about the clueless runners or rent-a-bikers out there.


On Saturday we had the 18th run for Mikkeller Running Club Chicago. As always, we had a blast running together and rehydrating with beer after. Our next run is July 2 and more info is {HERE} Join us!


The garden is thriving after one week. CB is super interested in "helping" me with the plants. When I go out to water them, he follows me and then starts to sniff them which quickly escalates into kissing them which would end in him eating them if I didn't intervene. I keep reminding him that he needs to let them live because I'm growing cucumbers for him- his absolute favorite!


On Sunday, L and I participated in the Udder Century ride. My plan was to do either 62-75 miles. It was such a gorgeous day!


L and I cycled together for 27 miles and then I went on to complete 62 for the day. He finished 50- which was his longest ride ever! It was a great event with a well marked course, aid stations with amazing sandwiches and a really chill friendly vibe.


I even stopped to make some new friends a long the way. The only downside was I got sunburned. I mistakenly thought my shrug would cover all the exposed skin on my back, but realized way too late that it didn't. Lesson learned.


Sunday evening we continued our pizza making tradition. I make the dough from scratch and then we each make a pizza to share. I bought a pizza oven a few weeks ago and it is the best appliance I've got in my kitchen. (I need to start making fresh juice again, sorry juicer). The oven heats up to 600 degrees and the pizza stone chars the crust perfectly.


Looking forward:

• I need to not be too hard on myself if I have to rearrange workouts, or drop a mid week workout entirely. I am transitioning to a new role at work which is requiring me to adjust to a new schedule and also go out of my comfort zone quite a bit which is tiring at times. (All good though).

•Remind myself of the gains I've made with cycling. I feel confident that I could finish 112 miles today if I had to (and follow up with a long run). My nutrition for longer rides is constantly getting tweaked for the better & the saddle is not as irritating as it once was. My endurance is much much better than I could have hoped for.

•Get to a place where I feel comfortable with my swimming. This will come soon, once I can string a few weeks of workouts together.

•Continue to take everything day by day & not freak out about all the workouts I have to complete.

Copenhagen 2016: Part Dos

Part 1: {HERE}

Berlin- food, and other stuff {HERE}

Running with Mikkeller Runnubg Club in Berlin and Copenhagen {HERE}

Friday was the start of the Copenhagen Beer Celebration. We had such a fun time last year, that we decided to return. It is 2 days of 2 sessions each day comprised of the best breweries in the world. It's heaven if you're into craft beer. The brewers are also at the event which is cool- because you get to chat with them about their craft.


After 2 sessions and many many amazing beers, we took a walk to Nyhavn to watch the sunset. It is one of my favorite places on earth.


The next morning (Saturday) we walked over to the CBC event space after breakfast.


We took selfies in front of the Mikkeller Run Club banners and bought some new MRC gear.


And L squished James from Brewdog.



And we met Octavio who is hosting The Art Beer Fest Caminha in Portugal in July.


We also had Mikkeller SpontanQuadrupleBlueberry which was one of my favorite beers out of the nearly 100 that I had during the week. It was so concentrated that we joked we could have gotten tattooed with it.


We ate more hot dogs. All of the hotdogs and the condiments were made by John, from Hot Dog Deli.


And we took a picture with this legend. All of the condiments were made with beer. Dark Lord beet chutney was my favorite.


On our way out of the last session, we ran into Drew, of 18th street Brewery. It's always nice to see a familiar face on the other side of the world.


Post 2nd sesh of CBC, we went to the original Mikkeller bar.


And then we went back to Koelschip for more sour beer.


We saw our Norwegian friends again and spent many hours sharing bottles of amazing lambics. We also tried a 16 YEAR OLD lambic which was surprisingly still carbonated. It was sour and tasted as if you were in a dank, cool cave in the best possible way. Now, past midnight we asked some folks on where to eat dinner- and they said all the pizza places were closed but you could settle for some Kebap.


So we walked around and saw Kebabistan! Holy crap was I excited to eat here. It was on my list of places because I had read about it online-it's a simple, amazingly delicious place where all the top chefs in the city go after their shifts. It did not disappoint.


The next morning we went to Øl and Brod for breakfast brunch. I cannot stop thinking about the food there.


We also went to Mikkeller and Friends for some more beer- it was our last day in Copenhagen before heading back to Berlin.


Post Mikkeller and friends, we went to Brus- a brand new bar that had just opened earlier in the week. I had a mixed drink with grapefruit which was so good and we also just happened to run into our friends from Norway as well as Octavio again. Serendipity.


We finished our last full day out at Warpigs with some amazing beer and BBQ.


And as we walked back to the hotel we passed by Mikkeller headquarters.


It was an amazing trip and I hope we can return in 2017 for the 6th annivarsary of CBC. Copenhagen is one of my favorite places ever- the people, food and scenery are so incredible.