Ran about 15 miles today -- my last distance workout before my race. Ruth dropped me off at Log Boom Park and I ran the Burke-Gilman Trail to Gasworks, over the Freemont Bridge and met her again at REI. Went into it feeling tired and a little on the edge of sick again. But finished strong although I was glad to be done. Kept my pace to 9:30-10 min. mile.

15 Mile Run @ 02:30:00
134a 149m

Here is my taper plan for the rest of the week:

MONDAY
Rest

TUESDAY
Swim and Short Run Intervals

WEDNESDAY
Spin Class and 3 mile run Brick

THURSDAY
Rest (if I can stand it -- I really want to go to swim practice)

FRIDAY (taking the day off of work to clean my bike and replace tires)
EZ swim and 20 minutes on rollers

Ruth and I rode the Black Diamond 1/2 Ironmance bike course today. The course consists of two 20 mile loops -- doing one twice. I needed to get in an over-distance ride in so I planned to ride each loop twice for a total of 80 miles. I changed my mind after riding up Mud Mountain and decided to only ride the flat half of that loop for a total of 70 miles to avoid being psyched out by how difficult that ascent would be on tired legs. Ruth pushed me hard up Mud Mountain and I stuck with her almost to the top. It got windy and I sure was tired by the end but I did it without a break (except for the short one so Ruth could shed her leg warmers).

72 Mile Ride @ 04:20:00 (16.1 MPH)
125a 164m

We stopped at Bonney Lake on our way home and I picked up two new pair of sneakers as mine are trashed. These sneakers will take me through the year of running -- the Seattle Half, Boston, etc.

Crap! I just checked my schedule and I was supposed to do a 20 minute run after the ride. Damn it.

Woke up to rain so Ruth drove me in to work. Went for my usual 6 mile aerobic run at lunch and felt good.

6 Mile Run @ 00:53:49
139a 160m

Emily had us complete a set of 100's that hurt. Badly. I had to leave a few minutes early because I had early international trainings scheduled but I made it through the hardest part of the workout.

Swim Practice 2100 @ 00:50:00
WU
200s, 100k, 200p
Main Set
10x100 on the 01:40 (Emily said that the next time I do this set, I need to do this on the 1:35 -- yikes!)
100 EZ
2x (50k, 75k and 100k) on the 2:00 (my favorite)
100 CD

Took my bike to work today. Plan was to ride home after work (actually, I ended up riding to our friends' house for dinner in the Rainier/Dearborn street area) and then ride back to work on Friday. Did not wear my HR monitor and took the long way around Mercer Island

17 Mile Bike @ 01:00:00

Brick went well this morning. Attended Spin Class at 6 and then went outside for a 3 mile run after and felt fine throughout. Also butched up last night and registered for the Black Diamond Half Ironman in two weeks.

Posted a couple of buff pictures of Ruth from on the run leg of her event last weekend on the entry from her race.

Spin WU @ 00:04:42
101a 122m 114e

Spin Main Set @ 00:41:43
135a 156m 133e

Transition @ 00:05:00

3 Mile Run @ 00:26:28
154a 164m 145e

Slept over 8 hours last night and am taking the day off again. Not as difficult as it could be because I am still just not feeling 100% or enthusiastic about my race. Coach wants me to register and do it anyway but I am feeling awfully ambivalent...

Posted a picture from the Super Jock and Jill Half in that entry day. Not a happy runner there...

Took today as a rest day as I am still fighting a cold. Email from my coach advising me to take the next couple of days off to recover and use the next two weeks to taper.

Went for a swim in Lake Washington this morning with Gisela. Very choppy and windy out! Then hosted Cherylfest in the early afternoon and was asleep on the couch by 5:00.

1 Mile Swim @ 00:45:00

Ruth KICKED ASS at the Black Hills Triathlon today. She placed 3rd in her division and has a mug to prove it!

02:45:54 Finish

00:18:42 Swim
01:38:06 Bike
00:43:07 Run

After we got home, I did a quick 10 miles on my rollers (ave. 20.5 MPH) and then ran about 11 miles doing my usual route from home over I5, up to 175th and back down.

10 Mile Bike @ 00:29:51
130a 142m 134e

Transition @ 00:04:07

11 Mile Run @ 01:48:06
140a

The weather did not cooporate with my planned PL to ride the Black Diamond Bike Course. So I put in 60 miles indoors on the rollers averaging 19.1 miles an hour for a little over 3 hours. After that, I still was not feeling 100% and did not feel like bricking it with a run.

60 Mile Indoor Bike Ride

Still feeling a bit sore and like I am fighting a cold :(

Ran at lunch but body and legs did not cooperate so I just did an aerobic 3ish mile loop. Taking tomorrow off to drive to Enumclaw and ride the entire bike portion of the 1/2 Ironman race as well as do a run after.

3 Mile Run @ 00:30:00

The race and long travel yesterday beat up my body and I am fighting off a cold. Worked from home and did a 20 mile indoor ride on the rollers at lunchtime.

20 Mile Bike @ 01:00:00

Legs very sore from the race on Monday! Went to swim practice and then drove to Portland for meetings and back in one day. Long day.

2000 Yard Swim @ 01:00:00

Ran the Super Jock and Jill 1/2 Marathon today as a training run. Hoped for a faster finish than last year (1:50:56 finish, 8:28 pace). I came in at 1:48:59 with an 8:19 pace. Of course I am being really ridiculous about it -- thinking I could have the same results I did at the Seattle 1/2 Marathon (01:44:07) without tapering or even training for it.

As evident in the splits, I started out too fast (sprinted from the porta-potties 20 seconds before gun went off) and really had to force myself to slow down. Then in the middle, I had to force myself to actually race it and did "last mile fast mile" at the very end.

So I am not terribly pleased with my results and am working on letting that go . Am driving tomorrow to Portland for work and may have to spend the night or may drive back that night. Ick.

Mile 1 @ 07:47
146a 185m 154e
Mile 2 @ 08:01
152a 156m 151e
Mile 3 @ 08:04
151a 155m 154e
Mile 4 @ 08:08
151a 155m 147e
Mile 5 @ 08:22
151a 156m 163e
Mile 6 @ 08:41
152a 159m 149e
Mile 7 @ 08:59
156a 168m 152e
Mile 8 @ 08:14
157a 164m 154e
Mile 9 @ 08:30
157a 163m 162e
Mile 10 @ 08:28
158a 163m 159e
Mile 11 @08:42
159a 163m 156e
Mile 12 @ 08:06
162a 166m 166e
Mile 13 @ 08:03
168a 173m 173e
Mile .1 @ 00:48
174a 178a 178e

Had a great brick today! Drove to Enumclaw and rode the Black Diamond 1/2 Ironman race route minus 10 miles for a 50 mile bike. Did both loops but where it looped again, I just rode out and back to keep it at 50. Kept aero a lot of the time but my lower back was beginning to complain near the end. I am most proud of the fact that I stayed in my drops and did not brake once during the descent from Mud Mountain. I had to talk out loud to myself the entire time though telling myself "You NEED the speed. Don't touch the brakes."

One big limitor for me is my crappy attitude when I get dropped on the bike. So of course, the ONE time I got dropped in this workout was when I was crawling my way up Mud Mountain. He just spun by me and had the decency to toss a hello over his shoulder. I just glared at him. :(

But I averaged 18.1 Miles Per Hour!!!! Then ran the perimeter of Deep Lake twice for a >3 mile run. I don't think my run HR are accurate as I really was not pushing it nor feeling really stressed. But I recorded them just in case.

50 Mile Bike @ 02:43:42
133a 159m 116e

Transition @ 00:05:13

1st 1.4 Mile Run @ 00:12:53
167a 185m 90e
2nd 1.4 Mile Run @ 00:12:54
138a 204m 178e

Swam Lake Washington this morning with Gisela and gang. Uneventful swim, did it just under aerobic and felt good. Did not run in the afternoon as I needed the time off for my legs after the last 4 days.

2000 Yard Open Water Swim

In swimming, we did a set of 5x500's. The evens were stroke/drill and odds were effort at 70%, 80% and 90%. My 5th one was a 7:50 and that put me at a 1:34 pace for my 100's. Not terribly impressive and I am a little bummed.

2700 Swim @ 01:00:00

Had a great bike after work today! Did the south end of the lake from work and spun like a hummingbird up the inclines. The taper weekend really paid off as I have felt good on all my workouts this week.

29 Mile Bike @ 01:45:00

Did an indoor brick this morning. Spin class and then a 2 mile run on the treadmill. My legs are beginning to feel the last few days and I am glad to be off of them for the rest of the day.

Spin Class @ 00:50:00
Main Set
143a 185m (I don't think I really hit that max -- interference with anothe HR monitor) 138e

Transition to Run @ 00:02:41

2 Mile Run @ 00:17:44
147a 154m 151e

Good swim workout this morning. Emily made up a set of 50's that were pretty challenging. It was a ladder -- we had to do 2x50 in 2 minutes. No problem, right? Not exactly....

2x50 @ .45, 1.15
2x50 @ .50, 1.10
2x50 @ .55, 1.05
2x50 @ 1, 1
2x50 @ .55, 1.05
2x50 @ .50, 1.10
2x50 @ .45, 1.15

Then we did a 10 minute swim for distance. I did a 625. Then we had a short rest and had to do a 5 minute swim at a distance more than half of what we did our 10 minute swim on. I did a 350.

2600 Swim @ 01:00:00

My 12:00 meeting was cancelled today so I ran over to 24 to get in a treadmill tempo run.

WU .5 miles @ 09:00 Pace
Tempo 4 miles @ 08:00 Pace
156a 165m 165e
CD .25 mile Walk

Did a tempo bike after work on my rollers today. It was supposed to be a rest day but I do not think I am going to have the time to get in a ride tomorrow because we have plans after work.

@ 13 Mile Bike Ride @ 00:50:07

WU - 10 Minutes
99a 108m 101e
Tempo Set 35 Minutes @ 22 MPH
141a 153m 152e
CD - 5 Minutes
119a 152m 109e

Did the Puget Sound Blood Center 2.25 mile swim this morning with Ruth and Gisela. The swim was rather easy because we had to stay in packs with the boat so I swam slower and rested more.

2.25 Mile Swim
01:15:00

This is my recovery weekend and I sure need it. Woke up today with achey legs. Not sure why as I even skipped my bike interval workout on Tuesday. Had a 25 mile ride planned for today and it turned into 35 miles aerobic just because the route went longer than I thought.

Had to take my car into Costco on 4th Street to get my tire repaired. Took my bike with me and rode the South end of the lake after dropping my car off. Legs felt better than yesterday but are looking most forward to a couple of days off of them.

Tomorrow is the Puget Sound Blood Center Open Water Swim.

35 Miles @ 02:10:00
120a 155m

Slept in this morning it and felt wonderful! Flip flopped my swim and run to accomodate a 2.5 mile swim on Sunday Ruth and I plan to do. Worked from home today to be available to let the plumber and electrician in. Ran @ 6 miles from home at lunch from our house to around Greenlake and back up that most unpleasant hill home again.

6 Mile Run @ 00:56:00

Had a butt-kicking in swim practice this morning. Emily had us do a workout that was a 4x (75, 100 and 125) all on the same interval. The idea was that the 125 was really pushing it and the 75 was then the recovery. I made each interval on the 1:50 -- and then she challenged me to do my last 125 on the 1:45. I was 2 seconds off with a 1:47 but felt really good.

Could not brick it because I had an 8:30AM London training so my bike will be after work.

Swim Practice 2750 @ 01:00:00

Rode around the South end of the lake after work. Just took it really slow and easy -- felt tired throughout.

Bike Ride 30 Miles @ 02:00:00

Did one of the very best interval runs ever with Katie this morning. Katie strategized some ridiculous times for us (1:40, 3:25, 5:30 ending with a 1:40 quarter)-- which I just happily did not really pay attention to before so I did not know how much of a butt kicking was in store for me.

Ruth and I did our usual jog to the track from the pool parking lot. Then Katie and I did 400, 800, 1200, 1200, 800, 200 -- descending the way down the ladder/pyramid.

WU @ 18:30
131a 1440m 108e
Interval 1 - .25 @ 00:01:41.9
142a 162m 162e
Interval 2 - .5 @ 00:03:26:6
157a 169m 168e
Interval 3 - .75 @ 00:05:24:9
159a 168m 167e
Interval 4 - .75 @ 00:05:15:1
159a 172m 171e
Interval 5 - .5 @ 00:03:24:6
159a 174m 173e
Interval 6 - .25 @ 00:01:35.1
151a 168m 167e

Terrific swim workout his morning! I swam with Sarah and she kept us right on pace. The best part of the swim was the set of 2x(3x100's) she had us do on a 2:00 interval so we got plenty of rest -- but had to push it.

I did the first set on 1:27-1:28 and hit the second set on 1:25's. We usually do these on the 1:35-1:40 interval so I was psyched! Working on extending my arms and not breathing right off the wall.

Swim Practice 2750 @ 01:00:00

Planned to do a ride after work with Ruth but I just did not feel up to it -- been sneezing a lot and feeling a bit burned out. So I curled up on the couch with the new Harry Potter book while Ruth went on her ride solo. Of course that was the evening for her to have flatted twice and our phone carrier to mysteriously not accept any incoming calls from her. Fortunately, Katie came to her rescue and brought her home.

Woke up at 4:30 this morning so we could be at Sayer Park in time to park before the roads closed for our volunteer shift at the Danskin Triathlon. Ruth volunteered at midnight hour registration, and I was a swim angel for the third year in a row. As always, had a blast and loved every minute of it.

Then I strapped on my running shoes, water bottle holder and ran the 11ish miles home from there. I am grateful to be done working out for the week and look very forward to a well earned rest day tomorrow.

11 Mile Long Run
134a 152m

Instead of swimming the Emerald City Swim, Ruth talked me into swimming across Greenlake with her early in the morning and saving $35 dollars :)

Then she went off to volunteer at the Danskin Expo for the day and I took off on my bike for a hilly Cascade bike ride around North Seattle. The bike ride was really challenging for me -- brisk pace and we covered 45 miles. I rode 12 miles to meet them at Log Boom (Cheryl, I saw you running but not fast enough to yell), rode the ride with them and then to SandPoint where I drove Ruth's car home. Thank goodness because I was in no shape to ride any more hills.

63 Mile Bike Ride

It's been a long week...so I hit the alarm at 5:00 and skipped our open water swim -- and we slept in until almost 7:00.

Went for my usual aerobic run at lunch today.

6 Mile Aerobic Run @ 00:52:45
144a 163m

Planning to do the Emerald City Open Water Swim tomorrow morning at Seward Park and then hopping on my bike to do my planned 50 mile mile ride.

This morning's swim was good. Emily had us work on breathing, IM strokes and kicking.

2500 Yard Swim @ 01:00:00

Went for a spin around Mercer Island today. Did E and W Mercer Way tempo pace.

WU 00:24:41
127a 160m 150e
Tempo 00:33:04
149a 160m 132e
CD 00:15:31
132a 162m 96e

Got up early this morning to do my bicycle interval workout on the rollers. My bike's rear tire had a flat so I changed the tube and checked the tire for damage. I found nothing so I replaced the tube and started to roll. Within 15 minutes, the tire was flat again.

Took it to Gregg's and got it fixed after a couple of tries so I was able to get my workout in after work. Had a tough time hitting the lap timer while on the rollers so the intervals are not exact but I did improve my speed with each one.

As I write this, my legs are a little tired -- surprising because I really did not feel like this workout was this hard. It almost felt silly because I do interval runs like this workout and it felt like I was not working hard/long enough.

12.5 Mile Interval Bicycle @ 00:40:00
WU 5 Miles @ 18:92
110a 122m 115e
Interval 1 - 1 Mile @ 00:02:18
138a 153m 153e
.25 Mile Recovery @ 00:01:11
133a 153m 118e
Interval 2 - 1 Mile @ 00:02:11
144a 158m 158e
.25 Mile Recovery @ 00:01:38
130a 158m 112e
Interval 3 - 1 Mile @ 00:02:11
145a 161m 161e
.25 Mile Recovery @ 00:01:24
133a 153m 118e
Interval 4 - 1 Mile @ 00:02:08
147a 162m 162e
.25 Mile Recovery @ 00:01:25
137a 162m 117e
Interval 5 - 1 Mile @ 00:02:12
148a 164m 164e
CD @ 00:01:11
129a 164m 110e

Had a hard time this morning getting into swim practice. But Emily gave me the suggestion of remembering to extend further in my stroke -- and told us all that we needed to take a stroke after our flip turn before we breathe for optimal speed. So I focused on that today.

2600 yard Swim @ 01:00:00

Did my 4 mile tempo run this afternoon and it did kick my butt. But I suppose in a good way...

WU 1 Mile @ 09:19
132a 146m 142e

Main Set 4 Miles @ 32:00 (8 Minute Pace)
163a 170m 170e

CD .25 Miles @ 04:23 Walk
132a 170m 118e

Went for a terrific ride today! Ruth planned a route from Marymoore up and around Tiger Mountain and back. It was 43 miles and had some really good climbing in it. Unfortunately, about 30 miles into it, I bonked. Had not eaten anything nor hydrated and the temperature on my bike computer read 98 degrees. It was hot and I do not do well in the heat.

43 Mile Bike Ride @ 02:45:00

Long run today - from my house and did a double Greenlake and back.

9 Miles @ 01:25:00
143a 159m

This morning's swim kicked my butt! The water was quite choppy on the way to Mercer Island and I was the last person coming in (of those who swam all the way across and back). Stacy was kind enough to kayak next to me on my way back -- as well as point me to the other side of the bridge where the water was much smoother and I could actually focus on my stroke -- not trying to not swallow the lake...

Fortunately, I have NOTHING else planned today as I am pooped.

3+ Mile Swim @ 01:50:00

Slept poorly last night (good thing Ruth is coming home tomorrow night...) so I re-set my alarm when it went off and slept through swim practice. Not too bad a decision with my swim team's annual 3 mile open water swim across Lake Washington and back ahead of me tomorrow morning :)

Biked around Mercer Island at lunch today. Hit the wrong button on my HR monitor and lost my information but the tempo portion of my bike was 149 average HR. I kept the gearing and cadence up and I felt quite strong throughout.

Did an aerobic run today instead of the planned interval/tempo run because of yesterday's workout.

5 Mile Run @ 00:45:00
144a 158m

Another fine ass-kicking from Sarah in the pool today.

Swim Practice -- 2500 @ 01:00:00

Met the Luna Chix group after work at Beaver Lake to do a mini-tri practice on the Beaver Lake Triathlon Course. I ended up doing racing the entire distance: 1/4 mile swim, 13.8 mile bike and 4.3 mile run at a race pace for the swim and run, and mostly race pace for the bike when traffic did not get in the way. I forgot to pack my HR monitor so I have no idea of my HR throughout. Good hill climb on the bike portion (whew) and I felt very strong on the run so it was good to feel good again.

Did the Tour De Peaks ride today. Nice ride with beautiful scenery and little traffic.

62 Miles @ 04:00:00

Did a tempo-ish ride around Lake Sammamish today.

24 Mile Bike Ride @ 01:20:00

Beautiful swim this morning in the lake with the gang.

Lake Swim 1.2 Miles @ 00:45:00

Did an aerobic run at lunch today. Felt sluggish but I bet that was because of the heat.

6 Miles @ 00:53:00
141a 160m

Charlie coached our swim practice today. Middle distance freestyle. In part of the main set, we were supposed to do 6x200 with the slowest person in the lane getting 5-10 seconds rest. I swam alone but pretended that I was leading a slower person in the lane so I took 15 seconds rest to let them catch up. Consistently held 3:15 so my interval was 3:30.

Swim Practice 2700 @ 01:00:00

Went for a very short bike ride after work today

Bike Ride 13 Miles @ 01:00:00

Did an Interval Run this AM at the Greenlake Track with Ruth. Ran 8 quarter miles and walked/jogged 1/8 of a mile inbetween.

5 Mile Interval Workout
WU @ 00:16:13
154a 131e
Interval 1 @ 01:39:2
155a 169m 169e
Interval 2 @ 01:40:7
152a 170m 170e
Interval 3 @ 01:39:5
154a 171m 171e
Interval 4 @ 01:38:8
156a 172m 172e
Interval 5 @ 01:39:6
152a 171m 171e
Interval 6 @ 01:40:6
154a 172m 172e
Interval 7 @ 01:39:3
157a 173m 173e
Interval 8 @ 01:38:6
155a 173m 173e

Took the entire day off and did nothing. Nada.

We ran the Mercer Slough this AM. Even though I had a very light training weekend, my legs were quite tired and Ruth dropped me on one of the hills.

Run 6+ Miles @ 00:56:51
133a 158m

EZ ride from Bellevue to the the UW area for dinner with friends. Not feeling too spunky.

Bike 15 miles @ 01:00:00

Got almost 10 hours of sleep last night! Ruth woke me up this morning with a plan to run to and around GreenLake and then go to Starbucks for coffee. We executed it perfectly -- I did not even wear my heart rate monitor and just had nice aerobic run.

Aerobic Run 4.75 miles @ 00:39:40

Will leave shortly to go for a spin around Lake Washington.

Short spin around Lake Washington turned into a ride to Seward Park and back. I just did not feel like doing anything...

Bike Ride 26 Miles @ 02:00:00

Ruth's trail run was today so I did not get a workout in at all. Her run was a complete success, she almost tripled the number of participants from her last run and they were quite complimentary.

Ended the evening on the deck with margaritas and Michele and Cara -- some of our very favorite people (who were also stellar volunteers).

Swim in the lake this AM with Gisela and Beth. Beautiful swim -- Mt. Rainier was a stunning pink.

Open Water Swim 1.2 Miles

Ran the Mercer Slough after work and put in an extra mile by starting at Enatie Beach Park.

7 Mile Run @ 01:03:00

Two plum martinis too many last night at the company party and it showed at Swim Practice this AM...

Swim Practice 2500 @ 01:00:00

Tempo run this AM and will get an aerobic bike in this PM.

Tempo Run 6 Miles @ 00:54:51
WU 1 Mile 00:09:28
127a 135m 135e
Tempo 4 Miles @ 00:33:43
154a 161m 156e
CD 7.5 @ 00:07:06
151a 159m 150e
Walk 2.5 @ 04:33
121a 150m 108e

Swim team practice only today.

2700 Yards @ 01:00:00

Long Run today

12 Mile Run @ 01:50:00

Nice flat ride today around from Log Boom and around Lake Sammamish.

50 Mile Bike @ 03:00:00

Open water swim this AM in Lake Washington. Julie was injured and was kind enough to swim with me. That meant that I pushed myselft pretty hard while she swam very slowly....

She also helped me with sighting so I focused on that.

Open Water Swim 1.2 Miles @ 00:45:00

No time for a run at lunch but managed to squeeze in a 4 mile treadmill run between meetings.

4 Mile Run @ 08:30 Pace

Slept in this morning and skipped swim practice. Did take a good spin around Mercer Island on my bike at lunch though. Was slowed down twice at construction areas during the tempo portion.

Bike Ride 20 Miles @ 01:12:00
WU 00:25:06
126a 155m 142e
East and West Mercer Way Tempo Pace @ 00:34:14
144a 164m 128e
CD 00:14:14
132a 162m 1293

Was going to swim open water tonight with Ruth and the Orcas but got caught up in a work project. Instead I am just going to bike to meet her at Madison and get a ride home.

Bike Ride 13 Miles @ 00:52:24
126a 158m

Did an ladder interval run workout today (.25, .5, .75, .5, .25 with .25 walk recover for each). Life is a little stressful right now and that showed in today's workout :(

Interval Run 5.5 Miles
WU 1 Mile @ 09:43
131a 144m 143e
Interval 1 - .25 Miles @ 01:49
157a 167m 1673
Interval 2 - .5 Miles @ 03:42
154a 170m 170e
Interval 3 - .75 Miles @ 05:36
160a 173m 173
Interval 4 - .75 Miles 05:37
162a 175m 175e
Interval 5 - .5 Miles @ 03:46
157a 172m 172e
Interval 6 - .25 Miles @ 01:52
147a 169m 169e

No swim coach today so Julie wrote us a workout. Not many people showed up so we all had our own lanes. At the end of practice, everyone got out of the pool so I did my last 100, 50 all by myself. Not bad though because I negative split it by 4 seconds over my first in that set.

Swim Practice 2650 @ 01:00:00
WU
200s, 100k, 200p
Main Set
3x200 Swim (EZ, Moderate, 85%)
3x50 Kick
4x50 IM Order
500 Swim for Time (09:30?)
4x25 IM Order
4x:
100 and 50 @ 1:30 each (100 at challenging interval -- go right into 50 recovery)

Went for a long hot run today at lunch from the office and through the Mercer Slough. Completely wiped me out. I HATE running in the heat.

Long Run 10 miles @ 01:28:00
144a 161e

Yesterday we drove to Enumclaw to ride to Crystal Mountain with the cascade group. It was not raining in Seattle so we thought that would be true there -- unfortunately not and the ride was rained out. We did get the cue sheets though and drove home in the rain to eventually just take the day off.

So today we gave it another try and rode to the Crystal Mountain ski resort and back for a total of 76 miles. Beautiful ride although the traffic was a bit heavy as every motorcycle and RV in WA also agreed. Had a tailwind on the way up and a headwind on the way down so we worked both ways with the wind in our favor.

Bike Ride 76 Miles @ 5 hours

Gave blood yesterday so took today a bit easier. Slept in instead of swimming in the lake and went for an aerobic run at lunch.

6 Mile Run @ 00:54:15
145a 163m

Had my own lane at swim practice this AM but the workout was fun.
WU
200s, 100k
Main Set (Ladder)
400 Pull (every 100 -- 1st backstroke and 4th fast)
300 Reverse IM
200 Free (25 fast, 25 slow)
100 Sprint
01:00 REST
100 Sprint
200 Free (25 slow, 25 fast)
300 IM
400 Pull (every 100 -- 1st backstroke and 4th fast)
CD
100k

Bike Ride Around Mercer Island @ 01:10:00
Rode around Mercer Island at lunch. Did a long WU to get to the area. Then pushed it on West and East Mercer Way at a tempo pace. Beautiful day for a ride!
WU @ 00:24:40
119a 150m 144e
Tempo Pace @ 00:33:21
147a 168m 138e
CD @ 00:12:10
138a 165m 140e

Tempo run today at lunch on the treadmill. Did a 1 mile WU, then 3 miles at 8:00 pace and .5 mile walking CD. Definitely would have had a difficult time doing more than 3 miles at tempo pace.
WU 1 Mile @ 00:08:26
134a 146m 134e
3 Miles @ 00:24:00
160a 168m 166e
CD .5 Mile walk @ 00:07:30
127a 166m 109e

Another great swim today. Emily gave us a workout that looked doable but I was pretty tired after. Worked hard to keep up with Duncan and Gary and their pull bouys during the 3x100 sets.

Swim Practice 2900 @ 01:00:00
WU
200s, 100k, 200p
Main Set
3x100 swim
4x50 Kick descending
3x100 Pull
4x50 IM Order
2x:
3x100 Swim
4x50 Swim Descending
3x100 Pull
4x50 Swim Fast
CD
100 EZ

Ruth is biking to Bellevue this PM and will pick up the car while I am bike to Seattle. Then we are meeting at the LunaChix Bike Skills workshop at CycleU this evening.

Good bike after work. Rode from Bellevue over Juanita to the Sandpoint for the cycling skills clinic.
Bike Ride 20 Miles @ 01:17:00

Should have taken today as a rest day but ran with Katie after work. It was not the best idea because I was kind of cranky but Katie put up with me anyway. I also uploaded my training log because I need a better idea of my weekly training. The link to it is on the right.

4 Mile Run @ 00:40:00

Had a really nice bike ride today -- Cheryl let me tag along with her group so I had the luxury of easy to read cue sheets with a map and lots of time riding some beautiful country roads. Ruth worked the ride so I just took off by myself and enjoyed cycling for the first time in a while. Kept the pace EZ and did not push it. Almost felt meditative and I had a chance to come to peace with -- or at least feel some respite from some of the stuff that I have been struggling with.

Long Bike 67 miles @ 04:10:00
126a

Went for a long run today -- same route as last week's long run -- across I5 up to 175th and back. First time running since last week because my blisters from hiking have been so bad. Felt good the whole time. Nothing like a week off of running!

Long Run 11 Miles @ 01:45:17
141a 157m

Swam in the lake today with the team. Wore my zoomers to try to keep up with Ruth and the other fast swimmers but they did not help much at all :(

Rainy day so that ended up being my only workout.

Emily posted a good swim workout this AM -- and Carolyn came in to swim with us so life is very good :) Warm up felt a little rough but I had worked it out by the end of the workout. Ruth is biking over this afternoon to my work and going to drive my car home while I bike home.

2500 SWIM PRACTICE @ 01:00:00
WU
200S, 100K, 100P
Main Set
6x (75, 100, 125 @ 01:55)
6x50 (25 sprint, 25 EZ) @ 01:20

Had a good bike ride home from work. Went around the South end of the lake from Bellevue and watched this guy wipe out in front of me on his lightspeed. He was fine but had been riding pretty squirelly so I was not too surprised. I have lost my HR monitor strap somewhere in my house -- last time I saw it was on Sunday after my long run so I have no idea about my HR.

Tomorrow is a swim in the lake and I am going to wear my zoomers to try to keep up with the fast kids!
Bike from Work 30 miles @ 02:00:00

Did an AM spin on my rollers. Legs STILL sore from Monday's hike -- guess I am not in as good shape as I would like to believe. Hopefully my blisters will heal to the point where I can put on sneakers tomorrow but the one on the right ankle still looks pretty bad. Did a 10 minute WU and then kept my pace at 20 mph for 45 minutes with a 5 minute CD.

18 Mile Ride @ 01:00:00

Decided to sleep in this AM and missed Swim Team practice. Legs are pretty sore today from yesterday's hike. Did the LunaChix bike ride around Mercer Island after work. They called it a speed workout but it really was just a ride. I rode with the lead group who were going about 18-20 mph and hung on pretty easily with them despite the sore quads. I did drop a little when we went around curves on the wet pavement so my apparent weakness is bike handling skills.

Will attend their bicycle handling skills workshop next week.

I still have bad blisters on my heels from yesterday's hike so I am not going to be able to run tomorrow. Will do an AM roller workout instead.

Today we went for a hike up Granite Mountain with the boys. The elevation gain was 3800 feet and the distance up was about 4 miles. Although I was able to climb it without too much difficulty, it was a good ass-kicker of a hike and I have several blisters to show for it. Coming down was much harder and slower for me because I was tired and just am not too nimble on my feet.

No bicycle riding for me this weekend but am doing a speed workout with the LunaChix girls tomorrow after work if the weather cooperates.

8 Mile Hike @ 03:45

Went for a long run today from my house over I5 and up Meridian to 175th. Then back down 5th and then 15th back to my house. Took almost two hours and I got about 11+ miles in.

Long Run 11+ Miles @ 01:50:00
Average HR 134

In the afternoon, we went to Madison Park and lounged on the beach. Got in the water and swam about a half mile but that was all.

Open Water Swim .5 Miles @ 0:20:00

No Ironman Distance racing for me in 2005. Most of the big Ironman races are filled up and I am not enthused about the races (or the associated traveling cost) that I could do this year.

After a lot of thought and consultation with Ruth and my coach, I decided to wait another year before going for the full iron distance. However, I am going to go to IM Canada this year to cheer on my friends who are racing and sign up for IM Canada 2006. That will give me a full year to prepare for a race I can get excited about.

I will plan to race the Black Diamond 1/2 Ironman in September with a sub 5:30 finish and will devote the rest of the summer preparing for that.

Swam in the lake this AM with Gisela who is still nursing an injury so I just pulled the entire time without kicking so we were the same pace. On the way back though, she slowed down quite a bit so I got pretty cold near the end.

Lake Swim 1.2 Miles (to the bouy)

Went for a bike ride during lunch with my friend Sandy around Mercer Island. Because our paces are not the same, I sent her around the East Mercer Way because she does not know the route and I went the opposite way. Once I passed her, I rode a little bit longer and then turned around and caught up with her. So I was able to get in a decent workout. I realized that today was the first time I was on my bike since the race. I have done a couple of spin classes but nothing on the Orbea.

Bike Ride around Mercer Island 01:20:00

Terrific swim this morning! Love Emily's workouts and I sure hope she sticks around. Duncan was back after being sick for a couple of weeks but that did not stop him from smoking me on a set of 200 pulls.

SWIM PRACTICE 2900 @ 01:00:00
WU
200s, 100k, 200p
Main Set
10x125 (100free, 25back)
4x200 Pull ( I ended up doing 200, 175, 175, 200 because I could not keep up with Duncan)
2x8x25 Hard on :30 (although Emily said that I shoould do those on :25)
CD
50 EZ

Did the 24 hour spin class today and this instructor was completely lame. Did my best to work hard despite her lack of cues and inspiration.

SPIN CLASS @ 01:00:00

Could not get out of bed this morning and slept in until 7:00 so I did not do my planned AM interval run. However, I managed to squeeze a 4 x 1 mile treadmill interval run during lunch in-between a day of hectic meetings.

INTERVAL RUN 6 MILES @ 00:54:35

WU 9 Miles @ 09:07
139a 172m 144e
Interval 1 @ 00:07:24
162a 167m 166e
.25 Mile Recovery @ 00:03:34
125a 166m 125e
Interval 2 @ 00:07:24
162a 170m 170e
.25 Mile Recovery @ 00:04:04
127a 170m 109e
Interval 3 @ 00:07:24
162a 172m 1723
.25 Mile Recovery @ 00:04:00
130a 172m 113e
Interval 4 @ 00:07:24
164a 175m 1743
.25 Mile Recovery @ 00:04:00
131a 174m 131e

Emily is our new swim coach on Tuesdays and Thursdays and I could not be more happy. Terrific workout today -- she was enthusiastic and engaged. I hope that she sticks around for a while.

Swim Practice 2750 yards @ 01:00:00
WU
200s, 100k, 200p
Main Set
10x75 Odds free, Evens free, not free, free on 01:30
200 Kick descend by 50's
50 EZ
5x100 Free with 10 seconds rest. (I tried 1:40 but could not sustain it)
50 EZ
5x100 Free @ 1:45 and could sustain this interval
CD
200

Pretty tough weekend so I did not get any training in for two days. Ruth's event was Saturday morning so we got up at 3:30 AM to drive to West Seattle and set everything up. While I thought she did a wonderful job of pulling a fun and well organized event out of thin air when all partnership/support was unexpectedly pulled out from under her, the small number of attendees really made it tough for her to feel the sense of accomplishment she deserved.

So after a short nap on Saturday, we went out to Girl4Girl and partied to forget the day's activities and disappointments. Then we attended the Pride Parade rather hung over the next day and devoted the remainder of the day to sleeping.

I had a lunchtime run planned but got to the locker room and remembered I forgot my running bra so back to work I went.

Went for a run at mostly tempo pace after work from our house to the IF facility near Lake Union.

8? Mile Run @ 01:10:00

Nice swim in the lake with Gisela this AM. She took it easy on me because I am still "recovering". I did not feel it was important to correct her because I really did want to take it easy despite the fact that I am pretty much recovered. We swam to the tennis courts and back and then had excellent cofffe after. Next week we are swimming to the bouys.

1 Mile Lake Swim

I am a treadmill princess and not afraid to admit it. For some reason, my access to our little building gym has not yet been cancelled so I did my lunchtime run on the treadmill while watching Judging Amy. I do have a philosophy that if it is nice enough outside for me to have to close the blinds to watch the TV, I should be running outside but I did not care today.

6 Mile Treadmill Run @ 00:55:00

1 Mile WU @ 9:31 Pace
121a 12m
5 miles @ 8:27 Pace
146a 156m 1543
.25 Mile Walk Cool Down
125a 157m 106e

Erin (Master's Coach) never made it to practice today so Sarah wrote us a terrific workout. And then proceded to kick my butt in the pool but I hung in there :) I am going to try out the 24 hour spin class at noon today.

Swim Practice 2500 @ 01:00:00

I would go back to that 24 Hour spin class. Because this location JUST opened up, lots of things were still in a bit of disarray but the spin bikes were brand new and just a pleasure to ride. While this class was no where near the caliber of my favorite one taught by my coach, it was okay for the convenience and location. Got my HR up and we did lots of climbing so I got to work on my big gear riding.

Spin Class 01:00:00

Went for a nice 6 mile run this morning at one of my favorite places to run, the Mercer Slough. Based on Katie's advice, I did not take my HR monitor and just ran the loop at my own pace. It started out a little rough but I left the remainder of my bad attitude on the running route and finished happy.

UPDATE: Scroll down to see pictures from my race and go to my entry about Ruth's Race to see her pictures.

I am in a terrible funk and have been since Sunday. Thought I would be better after my little crying meltdown on Sunday after the race but that has not happened yet. Everyone has been so sweet by asking about it but it just makes me feel like crap to talk about it.

I just hate not achieving my goal for no other reason than my own inadequacy. I would be cranky, but recoverable if it had been something outside of my control like a flat or a pulled hamstring or alien invasion...

Yes, I took 15 minutes off my best 1/2 IM PR but I was 18+ minutes off my final goal and a 9:18 run pace was just terrible for me. There is no excuse for that -- I just did not train enough and it showed. Yes, it is instructive and all that but I just cannot emerge from this place.

Ruth has taken to calling me Lilo because my post-race pout is of epic proportions...

Well I survived. The good news is that I took about 15 minutes off my 1/2 IM PR (personal record) despite not meeting the goals I had set for myself. My official finish time is 5:48:31 and I came in 14th out of 42 in my age group with a finish of 66 out of 214 women.

Pre-race
Not much time between when we could enter the transition area and the race start. Because I dropped my chain when riding yesterday, I took it to a bike shop last night to get it adjusted. I tested it this AM and (again) could not get into the big chain ring. Uuugghhh. Fortunately, one of the women in the transition area overheard Ruth and I talking about it and got her husband (who owns a bike shop) to help me out. It worked so much better and I will be eternally grateful to those two athletes who took a few minutes to help me out. Other than that, I got my area set up well :) and was ready to go.

Swim (1.2 Miles @ 00:35 :54)
The under 40 men left 10 minutes before the women. After the wave took off, there were still men running to the swim start. One of the women said that it happens every year. Stayed steady and strong through the swim. While I like the improved visibility of my new open water goggles, I noticed that when they leaked, they were able to hold much more of the lake. I wonder if they will ever make goggles (and helmets) that fit flat round faces and heads.
Transition 1 @ 00:01:39

Ruth caught my cap and goggles when I came running up the chute and that helped alot. Decided against the armwarmers as it was a pretty sunny day out and ran my bike out of the area with little incident.

Bike (56 Miles @ 03:14:01 17.3 pace)
This kicked my ASS. Rolling (albiet beautiful) hills are not my strength and it sure showed. I did the best I could -- got aero when possible and limped through the hills. This course had a loop that we had to do three times. I will not do another race that boasts a hilly course without much more preparation before hand. I also wasted a lot of time playing with the shifting on my new bike. I do need to say though that I sure do love racing with Canadians. For some reason "on your left", "good job" "have some snacks for me?" just are quite pleasant in a Canadian accent :)

Transition 2 @ 00:01:34
Coming back with my bike, I was blocked by some relay team members stretching right in the middle of the pathway and I was quite cranky about that. Took me an extra few seconds to find my spot but managed to rack okay and get out on the run.
Run (13.1 Miles @ 01:55:26) 9:18 Pace
The course description said it was a flat combination of trails and pavement around Elk Lake. I assumed that flat meant flat and a combination meant 50/50. Unfortunately, flat meant rolling trail hills and combination meant 90% trails, 10% pavement. This kicked whatever ass I had left after the bike. It was a double-loop course so I ran the first loop with lots of the men who were on their second and completely dusting me on the trails. It was hard to come in and hear the finish line and have to go around the damn lake again.

Now I felt stronger and faster on the 2nd lap but Ruth clocked me several minutes slower -- go figure. When I came through, she yelled "smooth and steady" and that helped me through the second loop. I think that the finish clock said 05:48:?? when I came in. At the very end, two women in my division sprinted by me to the finish line. I just had nothing left to keep up with them so I just handed out two places ahead of me at that point.

Post Race
Pretty shakey at the end. Inhaled the gaterade I was handed (asked for the blue as I had been drinking yellow all race). Had to sit down and try to get my bearings. I saw Ruth looking for me but I did not even have the energy to yell to her. She later encouraged me to get in the cool lake to ice my legs a little and that helped to revive me. Soon, she is taking me out for Sushi and the biggest saltiest martini I can find. Lucky me!

Woke up almost entirely pain free after an almost 9 hour sleep! We walked to Starbucks and got coffee this morning and then did some grocery shopping at the nearby store. I got some Tiger Balm there and slathered it on my neck. Should be all good.

So I am kind of nervous but more excited about getting out on the race course tomorrow. People here are very friendly and we have seen more than one twitchy triathlete wheeling his/her bike around.

So my coach has my goal time as 5:22 but I would be happy with under 5:30.

I am looking for:

Swim: 00:38
Bike: 03:00:00 (19 MPH pace)
Run: 00:43 (8:15 minue pace)

We're going to head out soon to pick up the race packet and ride one of the bike loops. I also need to find an end plug as I lost mine yesterday in transport.

I am working to believe that just because I lost my car key in Lake Washington this AM that it is not a portent of doom. Not sure how I successfully removed my key FROM its ring (still have that) but I did it.

Anyway, Gisela was wonderful and gave me some clothes to wear to the coffee shop where Ruth swooped by and rescued me. Diana gave me some cool socks and a terrific running hat she got in Hawaii and I am going to wear it to the race.

My neck is still stiff, and I am worried that I did not prepare enough for this race. However, at this point, there is nothing I can do that will make me faster -- I just need to make sure I do not do anything that will make me slower on the day of the race. That includes mental. Call from my coach this AM really helped. On our way in 30 minutes...

So the trend continued....we missed the Victoria ferry by 5 minutes (damn traffic) and ended up driving to Canada (Tsuassin) to catch the ferry. We just missed the 5:00 ferry but were able to get the 6:00. So we got in late and were eating dinner at 9PM. Yikes. By then, the tension from all the mishaps really worked its way into my neck and back and Ruth is going to work on it in a few.

The alarm woke me up this morning at 5:30 and I made the decision that sleep was more important than swim practice today and slept in until 7:20! Even though we went to bed early, I was still tired from the last 5 days of entertaining I guess. Anyway, will do a quick roller interval workout this evening to keep my blood circulating.

Roller workout was 40 minutes long. 10 minute WU, 20 min with 3 minutes at 145+ HR, and 2 Min at 115 HR.

Ran intervals this AM with Katie. Lovely little short intervals -- she made up the workout and it was not too bad although it was not quite as good as sleeping in...

Did 1.25 mile WU, then 800 where we jogged the straight areas and sprinted the curves. Then 1x400 and finally 2x200.

Then she had me do some running drills that included skipping, knee ups, kick butt, strides and some weird one I could not do.

Then came home and said final good-bye to Aunt Claudette who is starting her own blog...

Good swim this AM with Sarah and Gary. Got my butt kicked during the 100's and felt strong on some of the stroke sets.

I have a personal goal of doing 10x100 on the 1:30's in 2005 and definitely do have some work to do to achieve that.

Swim Practice 2500 @ 00:55:00

Took my bike in to get the shifting problem taken care of. They ended up replacing my big cog and it now shifts fine. Got the flip up adaptors for my tri bars so I have more handlebar room and I also got a replacement seat and it even seems to work!

Dropped Aunt Claudette off to visit her friend at Gilda's House in the evening and Ruth and I went to Lake Washington Blvd and went for a short ride. I got aero and just slammed down to Seward Park and around the top hill. Then rode back easy with her as her legs were pretty sore. I am feeling much more confident on the bike now.

Bike Ride 15 miles @ 01:00:00

Beginning to taper this week. Dropped Aunt Claudette at Starbucks and did an aerobic run around Greenlake this morning.

Run around Greenlake @ 00:27:31
143a 180m

Did a 3.5 hour bike/run brick today after dropping Aunt Claudette off at Seward Park where Ruth was voluntering for the Furry 5K.

I went to Kirkland's downtown Marina Park and planned to ride the 40 mile 7 Hills of Kirkland route. Did get a little mixed up though and missed a couple of hills but think I got 30 miles in. Then ran along the waterfront for 70 minutes but not sure of my pace because there were no markers.

30 Mile Hilly Bike Ride @ 02:13:18
139a 168m 119e

00:03:37 Transition

8 Mile Run @ 01:10:30
155a 180m 152e

No workout for me today. Aunt Claudette's train was 7 hours late I ended up going to the train station at midnight and waited for her to arrive until 3:30 AM. Then got a little bit of sleep before getting up early to go to Ruth's Olympic Distance race in Enumclaw.

She kicked some SERIOUS ass and came in within a minute of every goal time I had set for her during the race. Note how I had set the goal time (I said 2:45 and she came in 2:43:47) -- she just wanted to finish.

I am just so proud of her -- she had some fierce competition -- anyone who races that distance early in the season is a serious athlete.

Our friend Michele came down with her VanAGo to support Ruth too. She and I hung out in luxury in her van sipping coffee and warming our feet on her heater.

Did not do a workout today. Aunt Claudette and I walked partway around Greenlake though.

Today was a swim/bike brick day. Swam for the first time in Lake Washington with Ruth and Gisela (and Gisela's new wet suit). The water was pretty choppy but definitely not as cold as we had anticipated. I bought a new pair of goggles for open water and they did not fog at all! Loved them. I also bought Ruth a swim cap for cold water and she said it made all the difference in the world for her. I think that she is ready for her race tomorrow.

We swam for only about 20 minutes because of the choppy water and then I hopped on my bike and rode to work via Renton. I finally made friends with my bike. Put my old saddle on (not the best but better than the other) and was able to get the shifting just right. I hit a lot of headwind on my way south and around the lake so I could not get a good sense of what the bike could do for a while but once I hit the flats without the wind, I could really fly! Now to just be able to fly uphill... Not sure of the total bike distance because I do not have the hang of my new computer yet and I erased my data :(

Open Water Swim @ 00:20:00

Bike Ride 30 mile? @ 01:45:00

Just a swim practice day today. Swam with Duncan again and managed to keep up with him mostly.

Swim Pracice 2700 @ 01:00:00

Did a pyramid (400, 800,1200, 1600, 1200, 800, 400) interval run today at the Greenlake Track. Started the next interval when my HR came down to @ 100.

Did Around the World Core exercises at night.

Warm Up 09:47
137a 149m 1303
400 @ 01:43
155a 167m 166e
Recovery @ 01:21
136a 167m 100e
800 @ 03:36
154a 169m 169e
Recovery @ 01:55
130a 169m 103e
1200 @ 05:22
160a 173m 173e
Recovery @ 03:07
125a 173m 104e
1600 @ 07:14
164a 175m 175e
Recovery @ 03:21
128a 175m 110e
1200 @ 05:33
160a 172m 172e
Recovery @ 02:45
132a 172m 111e
800 @ 03:41
157a 173m 173e
Recovery@ 02:01
137a 173m 110e
400 @ 01:45
148a 170m 170e
CD @ 02:04
133a 171m 104e

Swam with Duncan again this morning and had a pretty good, although short swim workout. Was able to draft during most of the short sets, but when he used his pull bouy for the 300's he dropped me by a full lap .

Erin (swim coach) talked to me after about my flip turns and that I was flipping from my hips, not my knees and creating all sorts of extra unecessary movement. Need to work on keeping tucked.

Swim Practice 2600 yards at 01:00:00

Feeling guilty about yesterday's shortened ride. My calendar says to do rollers -- not sure if it meant my indoor or on rolling hills but I chose the former mostly because I was pressed for time. Turned it into a 30 minute tempo bike ride. Averaged 22+ MPH during the tempo portion -- 3 MPH faster than I could average on my tempo rides on my old bike!

13 Mile Bike Ride @ 00:40:00 (5 min WU and CD)
137a 147m 145e

So after messing around with my aerobars for hours, I was finally happily on my rollers, L Word Season One on the TV and ready to put in 50 miles indoors as the weather promised thunderstorms. Ruth came home working at my coach's training session and said "Cheryl said to get off the rollers and ride to her house so she can see how your bike fits. Also, you are supposed to do your ride outside, not in."

I ended up doing only about 30 miles (up and over Juanita) but am glad that I did them on the road. That bike sure is fast and I am not convinced I am worthy. Seriously. I am turning into a head case here about it and am feeling odd about riding it.

Did a long run along Lake Washington Blvd today while Ruth did a bike/run brick (she finished strong and fast). She dropped me off at the stop sign in Madrona and I ran to Seward Park, around and back . Felt strong throughout.

13 Mile Run @ 01:58:39
148a 185m

Went wetsuit shopping with my friend Gisela and she found one she liked. So she is going to join me for the swim portion of my Swim/Bike brick tomorrow morning at Madison Beach :) Should be lots of fun!

Despite sleeping poorly last night, I moved up a lane this AM and swam with the big boys! Fortunately, it was not all free so I was able to keep up during those sets but did lose Duncan's draft on the 300 free's -- especially when he swam with the pull bouy. But I did manage to get 3000 in so I was happy!

Swim Practice 3000 yards @ 01:00:00

Picked up my bike after work and Ruth and I went for a spin so she could try out her new aerobars and I my new bike. I put in about 25 miles EZ and while I am very psyched about how easy the hills were on the new bike, the saddle was just dreadful and by the end of the ride, my right foot was completely numb. I have such a hard time finding a saddle that works for me! I am switching the saddle from my old bike to my new for tomorrow's ride.

Today was an EZ/optional swim day and I am taking it as a rest day. My neck does feel better after putting a heating pad on it all night but I thought that sleep would be better than rotating it a lot during swimming.

Tomorrow I get to pick up my new bike!

Woke up this morning with a tender head and stiff neck from my run-in with the tree yesterday. Started my AM brick (10 mile bike, 3 mile tempo run) this morning rather reluctantly -- just not approaching it with my best.

Parked at Mount Baker Park and rode my bike to Seward Park (took a while to warm up). Then did the upper loop 6 times concentrating on roller technique and acceleration and back to Baker. Then I ran 1.5 miles out and back at a tempo pace (7:32 mile -- whooop whoop!!!).

11+ Mile Bike @ 00:45:36
125a 156m 113e

3 Mile Run @ 00:22:36
160a 169m 166e

Found a site with core exercises and did 1-14 @ 10 reps tonight (I could not do #15 but I will be able to eventually). I am going to ban the pooh tummy once and for all!