Happy Feet - Happy Heart!

I have been running happily since Wahine! I don't know what has been going on, but I'm not going to say anything for fear that this running goodness will go away.

It must be my Brooks Glycerin shoes! That's all I can figure. 

August Training is DONE

August final mileage - 67 miles!

August is DONE! Started the month with the Wahine All Womens event @ Blue Lake on the 1st. We have been training ever since. We are done with week 4 of our RW Half Marathon training and continuing on by starting week 5.

So far training has been going well. I think we have missed a couple of runs, but overall, I'm feeling pretty decent and haven't been beating myself up about not running a certain distance or whatever. Ended up missing a couple of training runs for this, that or the other thing - probably me falling asleep again after waking up early to get ready to run. Sometimes that happens...

As of today we are 46 days away from the event and 42 days until we take off.

Is It the Race or the Bling?

Am I into this running thing because it's a fun activity or is it because I like shiny things?

I wanted a photo of my half medals...mission accomplished!

Ups and Downs

I am very well acquainted with Ups and Downs.
I have gotten to the point that now I have to NOT beat myself up when the bad days come...because then those days just get worse.
It's not pretty.

For now I'm feeling pretty good about running and life in general.

63 days until the RW Half Marathon.

Wahine!

Oh Yeah Baby! Wahine is DONE!!!

Back in transition and changed into my event shirt! I EARNED it!

This year was my "re-entry" into multi-sport...yeah, I did this one as a relay, but it was hot and I think I would have died to do all 3 legs on my own ;) Me 'n Mary teamed up...with almost NO training for me on the bike and Mary did a little bit of cycling, walking and some running in the last few weeks - yay for Mare! It's a good thing that I run pretty regularly - otherwise the day would have been a disaster.

We (I) decided that I would do Run #1 and the Bike. Okay...not too bad except for the heat of the morning of the hottest summer on record in the PNW! So, as per usual, I started the run too fast...but not so much that I died within the first half mile. Once I hit the trail I could REALLY feel the heat - UGH! I did a fair amount of walking, but I did manage to run quite a bit. Probably a little more than at past All Women's.

The best part of the run, hands down, would be all the teen volunteers young ladies and the guys. They kept things pretty lively out on the course and when there is fun stuff happening, then that makes me smile and happy thoughts make for better running. That and the fact that on my way back I was heading away from the sun and back toward the shade of the park!

Once I had returned to transition it took me less than 4 minutes to switch out shoes and get my helmet on and get out on the bike course. THIS was much better than the bike course from a few years ago. The last time I did the bike course at Blue Lake would be the Stumptown Tri-It. It seemed like the athletes had to run quite a ways before getting to the pavement to mount the bike - that was horrible! Now it was basically outside of the transition area just a few strides away.

The bike course was different than the last time I had been out at Blue Lake, basically a less than 6 mile loop that riders would do twice. I like the out and back course, but no one asked me so once I figured out what was happening I couldn't protest. At the beginning I was remembering how much I enjoyed being on my bike and felt REALLY good. After the first time through I still felt pretty good, but then started to feel a little pain...no padding between me and the saddle...ugh! Note to self, always wear the padded underwears when riding during a duathlon! At the first turn around (the second time through) I spied another rider that was probably about a 1/4 mile ahead of me - and I told myself that I could catch her and pass. Man oh Man, she was moving along!! I thought that maybe by the time we reached the last turn around I could catch her then. THAT would have been a great thing, BUT she dropped her water bottle....OH YEAH!!! It's awful, but I could feel the competitive side of me coming back. Seriously good times on my bike!

So, bike leg is done and I arrive back in transition and tagged Mary out for her run. She would have to write this part, but this is my blog...so I'm gonna say that she was miserable and hot...BUT she did it! Once we got some fluids into her and got her cooled down in the shade she smiled and said it was fun!

My love for multisport is creeping back in and I'm thinking that I want to do the Spring Classic Duathlon next year. I have been  wanting to do that one for quite a while. If I stick to what I say and NOT do the Shamrock I will be devoting my training to preparing for that event for sure. The only thing that would get in the way would be: a) serious illness b) serious injury c) Shamrock comes up with something new.

I so appreciate my hubby for hanging out in the heat with no place to sit down while I was out on the course and when Mary was checking stuff out. I am proud of my new Du partner for having the adventurous spirit to try it out. Next year she'll do the bike portion! My running has improved since the last Duathlon, so I think that I could hammer out two runs no problem!

Team Felida

2015 BLING

Team Felida overall time 2:26:58

Run #1 - 42:34
Bike - 46:35
Run #2 53:14

Had we stayed we would have gotten our Team Division medal for First Place - which wasn't hard to do as we were the only team. That also meant that we would have gotten  the Overall Team award!

Sometimes being the only team pays off...PODIUM!