Off season training?!?!?!

We have officially concluded training???? Really, do we psycho 1/2 ironwomen really ever stop? Ok, I am the first to admit we slack, but in the back of our minds is the next race sometime next year and how much effort do we really want to put into that "startup" training for yet another half???? With all that said I have started an off season training plan that I downloaded off the web site begginertriathlete.com. I would love to say I am following it religiously, but the truth is I am slacking. I hate swimming and therefore have replaced 1 and most the time 2 out of the 3 swims I am suppose to be doing a week with weight training. Which in the actual plan is interspaced throughout the week I just hate to swim. Ok so much for my babbling. I still love that we (all 3 someday hopefully) will keep riding on Sundays and I love that we all still love getting together. I truely love my teammates as I say in every one of these blogs I have done. By the way, I have never blogged before and I have found this to be very fun! Does anyone read these?

Ready, set, no go...

So I don't know if I am mad or relived. The half was cancelled and I am now back at home sitting on my couch instead of firmly planted on my bike. With my projected time I would have been within an hour of finishing right now. Instead, I already ate an apple fritter and am thinking about lunch. What the.....!!!

I am the first to admit I did not want to swim, but not having the chance to do anything is frustrating. I was at least hoping to get the chance to race the Olympic distance on Sunday. I know it takes a lot to set up these events, however, it also takes a lot to get ready for one. The sprint and Olympic are to take place on Sunday(swim for them is cancelled)....seems like they could have shared the road?! Race directors said there wouldn't be enough support for that many athletes...fine with me...kick the sprinters out. I mean J-Lo wouldn't have minded (see previous blog). We paid the most, trained the most and therefore are aloud to whine the most.

I guess it will just have to wait until next year. We have been offered a 50% discount for next year. Wow, how about paying for my hotel, my gas, etc. My whining is free for them! Two of us will be around and might be able to talk the third into coming back out. Who knows, maybe next year will be a 110 out and we fall off our bikes due to the heat.

With no races in sight I am not sure what I will be up to. Time to kick back and reflect on how this training was fun. As much as I just bitched, this year of tris and runs has given me two great friends. We have common interests and goals that without the tris we might not have crossed each others paths. To sum it all up I want to borrow a line or two from some famous commericals...

Tri registration: $175
Hotels, food, gas, etc: $600+
Friendships gained while not even getting to race: Priceless!!!

Thanks for a great year-it makes me sad to think it's kind of over. Maybe we need to find something to do......

Hurricane Hanna & a Half

Our first Half-Iron was in 90 degree heat just a week after a tornado hit. Now, Huricane Hanna is headed up the east coast and over Williamsburg - at the EXACT time we will be racing. No word yet on what modifications they will make to the race or if they'll cancel it (I, of course, am praying for the latter!). I'm sure they'll take away the swim and add more running. Personally, I'd rather take my chances in the water than have to run anymore than required. I've done some races in Hawaii in some 4ft+ waves.... :) Quite honestly, I'm more afraid of getting blown off my bike with my feet still clipped in.

The other girls, of course, would rather do anything else other than a swim. I'm trying to conjure up a 3rd event for them that might be embarrassing, but if you knew what they did to me at a public restaurant, you'd know they aren't easily embarrassed.

I'm actually more excited about this race now than before. It's probably because that remote shot of it being canceled looks likely. It's like one of my students holding out for snow on the day of a major test.

If my next post ends up being from Maine, you'll know I got blown a little off course in the swim. Wish us luck... although surviving is a pretty feasible goal at this point too.


"It's good training!" - Just Tri Me