Three Things Thursday

1. I am almost 2 months into my MCM training, and my hill workouts are finally getting easier. Woop woop!  Last night after a brutal day at work, I pulled on my trainers and went for a run on the Custis Trail.  Running was the last thing I wanted to do, so I wouldn't say my heart was really in the run.  However, after the first 3 miles, my legs loosen up, and I negatived spilt the last 3 miles.  Translation- AWESOME!!  It is nice to see that my training is paying off.  My hill workouts were kicking my tush last month, so I am thrilled that I am now doing the tush kicking. 
2. My friend just posted some of the vacation pictures from Costa Rica. Yep, that's right, I was in Costa Rica. :)  If you haven't been, I highly recommend going to CR.  The people are very friendly, the country is breathtaking, and there are a ton of fun things to do.  I will post more pictures later, but here are a few.

   

   Horseback riding was a blast.  Clearly, I wasn't expecting to go that afternoon or I would have wouldn jeans and boots.  :)

   

   I tried Rambutans for the first time.  Here is what Wikki says about them.

   

   I saw wild monkeys!!! They were everywhere.  Check out this guy above. It looks like he is taking a nap.

   
3. Today is new shoe day.  I know it is silly, but I get excited when I get to buy new running shoes. I love the feeling of running in new shoes.  It is like you are running on clouds. #Totalrunnerdork. 

Happy almost Friday!

Five Things Friday: Happy Edition!

1. I went to Sportrock with a bunch of friends last night, and had a blast!! I cannot wait to go back.
2. After reading Berties Bakery's blog post about Cheese Cake Layered Chocolate Cupcakes, I have to make them!  In fact, I am going to make them this weekend. :)
3. I did my taxes this morning and I am really excited about it!   #TotalAccountingNerd
4. My office brought in Chick-fil-A for lunch today.  I had planned on being good and eating the homemade wedding soup I packed, but I couldn't resist the yummy, delicious chicken nuggets. Chicken nuggets make me happy! NOM NOM NOM
5. The forecast is calling for snow this week. Yay for it finally feeling like winter!!

I hope everyone had a great week.  Happy Friday!!

Random Thought Tuesday

• Soft boiled eggs are becoming my new favorite breakfast.  Oatmeal will always have a special place in my heart; however, soft boiled eggs are moving in on the #1 spot.
• I am incredibly excited about my snowboarding trip in February!  I cannot wait to learn how to snowboard and spend some QT with Lauren, Phil and Brizzy.
• I have been having dreams about my new TT bike.  Do I have a problem? Please tell me other triathletes dream about getting a new bike. If not- PLEASE LIE TO ME and say you do. :)
• I slept through swim practice this morning because I stayed up late watching LOST and drinking wine.  I am clearly not feeling guilty about adjusting my training and switching to the 1/2 anymore! #ILoveOffSeason!
• Dunkin' Donuts Iced Coffee makes my heart happy.  It made my 75 minute drive into work much more bearable!  Rain + DC Traffic = 75 mins to go 8 miles
• I haven't eaten a cupcake in a REALLY long time.  My friends Meghan and Dani would be appalled. In fact, they will probably de-friend me as soon as they read this.

Happy Tuesday!!!

Marathon Monday

About a month after IM, I was still lacking the motivation to get back into my normal swim-bike-run routine.  To beat my post IM workout blues, I decided to get right back on the horse and signed up for the Rock 'N Roll -USA (Washington, DC) marathon in March.  I thought signning up for the marathon would force me back into my old training routine. Some people do not like logging long training runs in the cold, but I don't mind. I trained for a winter marathon with Lauren last year and really enjoyed it.

So what is the problem, right? Despite all of this, I found myself having trouble finding the motivation and making time to get in my long runs on the weekend. I have been running on the weekends, but I have not had the motivation to run any further than 5-9 miles.  #MarathonTraining=FAIL

Last week, I decided to switch from the full marathon to the half marathon. I was feeling a really guilty at first. However, it is crazy to try to run a marathon with improper training.  Plus, I am not going to be able to force myself back into serious training. I have been trying for the past 2 weeks, and it hasn't been working. #MyHeartJustIsn'tInIt. Training for a 1/2 marathon is much more manageable. I will be able to balance my crazy work schedule and training while still having time to do non-running and TRI things. It is the best of both worlds. :)

What does mean for BQing??   I had originally planned to try to qualify this winter, but that clearly isn't going to happen if I am not running a winter marathon. I want to see how the winter goes and if I am healthy (no hip or knees issues), then I might try to qualify this summer or fall. I will keep you posted!

I hope everyone had a great weekend.  Happy Monday!!

Wordless Wednesday: Snowboarding Edition

In a few weeks, this is where I will be.  Yay for mini vacations!!



Breckenridge, Colorado

Happy Hump Day

What's Next? 2012 Goals

Happy Thursday!  I hope everyone is having a wonderful week.  I cannot believe Hanukkah started earlier this week and Christmas is Sunday.  Where did this year go?!? Regardless, it has been a fantastic year and I am super excited about 2012.

I have 2 big goals for 2012- to become a stronger and more efficent cyclist and to maintain a healthy balance between life, work, training and racing. Oh and qualifiying for Boston would be fantastic as well. 

It is very clear from my performance at IM Cozumel that cycling is where I struggle.  So this winter I am going to try to focus in on cycling.  I plan to spin my little heart out.  Cycling is actually one of the easy workouts for me to squeeze into my busy season schedule.  I can spin early in the morning or super late at night.  Yay for not having to worry about the weather or running out of daylight! I am also hoping that I can purchase a friend for Miss Scarlett this winter.  Right now, I have my heart set on the Cervelo 2012 P2. I would also consider getting the 2012 Felt B12 or the QuintanaRoo CD 0.1 Ultegra.  Any thoughts??  I am going test ride all of them and maybe even a few other bikes as well.  Hopefully my search for a TT bike will go smoothly. :)

Balance is everything. During IM training you are forced to put anything nontriathlon out of your life for a little bit.  My friends and family were incredibly supportive this summer and fall, but I want to make sure I get to spend as much quality time with them as possible in the upcoming year.  I do not want to miss birthday parties or family brunches because of training.  However, I need and want to continue to train and race this year.  #Iamaddictedtothislifestyle! I really want to focus on my career as well.  Finding a healthy balance is going to be key.  To help me, I only plan to race 2 1/2 IMs and 2 marathons this year.  I am going to throw in a couple sprints and olympics, but I really want to have flexibilty with my weekends.  I have not finalized my race schedule for this year, but as soon as I do, I will let you all know. :)

Qualifying for Boston is a priority for me this year, but not a must.  I really want to enjoy my training without any major pressure.  If it happens this fall, FANTASTIC, if not, not to worry.  I want to train and stay healthy.

Oh and before I sign off for the day, I probably should answer the question that everyone has been asking me.  Am I going to do another Ironman?  HECK YES!! In 2013, I plan to train for my second 140.6.  However, until then, I am going to swim, bike and run for fun.  No pressure or stress, just fun. :)

Happy Holidays!!

I am moving. Update your Google Readers!

Happy Monday!!  I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend. :)

Many of you have suggested that I rename my blog because I am officially an IRONGIRL now, so I am.

Goodbye TRI-ing to be an IRONGIRL.  Hello TRI-ing to Run DC!  You can find me at http://www.triingtorundc.blogspot.com/.

Please update your Google Readers so you can continue to read all about my triathlon and running adventures.

I'm an IRONMAN!!!

Hey guys!! I am happy to report that I am an IRONMAN!!!  Race day was everything I hoped for.  There were ups and downs, but I would not change a single second of that day.  I am still working on my race report, but I promise I will post it soon. :)



All smiles on Lap 1 of the run course.



Thank you so much for all the love and support.  XoXoXo!!

Taper Crazies Tuesday

Hey guys!  I hope everyone had an awesome Tuesday.

It's official, I have a case of the Taper Crazies.  My body is freaking out. Yesterday and today were really tough for me. I have been super hungry ALL the time.  #I'mEatingEverythingICanGetMyHandsOn!  I also have been super tired, despite getting my normal 8 hours of sleep.  The stress at work isn't helping things, but I cannot imagine I am this run down from work.  All of this stuff is normal, but I am not a fan.  I miss my long sweat sessions! A 30 minute run doesn't satisfy my workout craving. Not to mention that it takes me a good 30+ minutes to get totally warmed up. By the time I am feeling good and rolling along, my workout is over.  :( But what is most frustrating is that 30 minutes is not long enough for me to sweat away my stress.  I feel like I am one huge ball of stress because I am not getting enough exercise.

Taper even makes little kids cry. :)

I know that taper is good for me. I also know that doing more than I should over the next few days is flat out dumb.  And I know that this craziness will end.  However, it is taking all of my self control to stick to the my training plan.  Taper, we are not friends.  I know you mean well, but you are driving me CRAZY.   



Thank Goodness Whitney Finally Posted Again Thursday!

Hey guys!!  Did you miss me?? :)  Well I certainly missed blogging!  I have been way out of touch with the blog world over the last week.  Today when I opened my Google Reader, I had 54 posts to read. Geez!  You guys are blogging CHAMPS!  I promise to catch up on my blog reading tonight.  So what have I been up to over the past week? Here is the I promise I will try to make it quick super abbreviated version of last week.

• Friday- I woke up with a fever and still went to work because I was trying to be a big girl and tough it out.  Bad idea!  The stupidity continues though  So after leaving work because I felt awful, I went home, napped and then got up and thought it would be a good idea to try to get 80 miles in on my trainer. Bad idea #2! I made it 2 1/2 hours and then had to stop. My fever came back and this was the beginning of my experience with the stomach flu. STOMACH FLU=DEATH! 
• Saturday-Monday Morning- I repeat STOMACH FLU=DEATH.  Actually, the stomach flu does not equal death.  It actually equals living in your bathroom, not being able to eat anything, not being able to sleep, losing 5 pounds, being cranky because you cannot workout with your friends or cheer at the MCM and looking like a hot mess for days.



The stomach flu and I are NOT friends!

• Monday Afternoon- I actually was starting to feel normal again, so I made the trek over to see my favorite PT, Dr. Moses.  Monday was my third appointment, and I think what he is doing is working.  However, it is not fixing the problem.  Oh no!  Well don't freak out- Dr. Moses and I agreed that he was not going to try to fix me until after IM.  His goals are to prevent me from doing permanent damage to myself and to get me to Cozumel in one piece. How is my hip doing now?  It is swollen and achy.  Which brings to me to the bad news.  Dr. M recommended that I do not run a winter marathon. LE SIGH! He wants me to give him or the orthopedist (depending on my MRI results) time to fix my hip.  So it looks like I won't be trying to qualify for Boston this winter. :(  Thank goodness I had already planned a sweat session with a friend right after my appointment!  Otherwise, I think I might have gone home and cried.  I know getting healthy is important, but as crazy as it sounds I really wanted to race this winter!  I am forcing myself to be okay with it though. 



Maybe getting healthy will help me get there??? :)

• Tuesday- Heigh-Ho, Heigh-Ho it's off to work, I go. :)  Yay for not being sick anymore! Plus I was able to meet a good friend for a yummy dinner.  Not being sick + Productive day at work + Dinner with friend = Super Tuesday



I was definitely feeling a little like Grumpy on Tuesday morning.

• Wednesday- More work and PT.  No change in the hip- still a little swollen and sore.  My day ended with a wonderful dinner with friends.  You guys know Lauren, I mean really- who doesn't know Lauren Riley.  Well that lovely lady is in town for the week, so a few of the girls headed out to dinner to catch up and hear all about Laur's new home, Denver.  I <3 my friends.

And that brings us to today- nothing too exciting going on today.  Just more of the same- work, training (IM is less than a month out- eeeeekkk!), PT and reading Harry Potter. :)

I hope everyone had an awesome weekend and is having a fantastic week.   Happy Friday Eve!

Wordless Wendesday: Wonderful Friend Edition

For once we are not all sweaty and gross. :)

So happy we did our first 70.3 together! 

After we crushed the Luray Oly

Yes- we are standing in 12+ inches of snow in our bikinis

I love you, Laur! I cannot wait to see you in a couple days.

Weekend Recap: EPIC Edition

Happy Monday!  I hope everyone had a super weekend. This past weekend was supposed to be EPIC! There were definitely epic parts, but there were also some pretty crappy parts.  Let's start with the good stuff. :)

• My 20 mile run on Saturday was EPIC!  My legs felt strong, and I felt like I could keep going after I reached the 20 mile mark.  #I<3Running!
• I saw tons of cute puppies on my run. All different types, but they were all really cute.  My iPod died at mile 17, so I had to rely on the cute puppies to keep me occupied for the last 3 miles. I really want a dog.  Too bad my apartment is only 400 square feet. Womp Womp
• The team BBQ after the run was wonderful.  As always the food was delicious and my teammates were awesome! 
• Pre-ride carbo-loading was equally as awesome.  Eating lots of yummy carbs and hanging out with fantastic people is a pretty EPIC way to spend a Saturday night. :)
• Sunday's post ride BBQ was fantastic.  Perfect weather, delicious food, awesome people and 120 miles of riding in the bank!  How awesome, right?!?

Which brings us to the not so good stuff. Le sigh...

• The plan was to ride 120 miles on Sunday- hence the big carb feast on Saturday.  However, my hip and knee had other plans for me.  LE SIGH! Don't worry, the pity party is almost over. :)  I was able to get 40 miles in before having a pretty intense pain in my hip which somehow caused my knee to hurt.  Long story short, I had to get sagged back in.  Total downer!  Not only was I looking forward to this ride, I was hoping that it would be a huge confidence booster for IM. I am glad I llistened to my body, but it was really hard for me to wave the white flag.  I hate not being able to finish my workouts. Hopefully I will be able to address the hip and knee issues and make it to the start line in Cozumel feeling 100% healthy.  My first PT appointment is tomorrow, so keep your fingers crossed for me. :)
• During my 40 mile ride, I saw a TON of dead animals.  Riding my bike past dead animals is not what I would call fun.  I know these things happen, but this was gross and sad. Poor Bambi! 
• Now for the worst part of the whole weekend-  I got home last night kind of cranky (because of my dumb hip and knee), but I was looking forward to having a little scoop of Edy's Slow Churned Ice Cream. I mean, what girl wouldn't want to indulge in a "small" scoop of Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream?  Well I totally forgot that I polished off the ice cream Saturday night!  Oops. Not being able to finish my ride was bad, but not having any ice cream was much worse!  #DoIHaveAProblem??

Congrats to all my teammates who dominated the 20 mile run and 120 mile ride!!  You guys are AWESOME! 

Have a super week :)

Wonderfully Random Wednesday

Happy Hump Day!!!  Seeing how I haven't posted since Thursday or so, I probably should bring you up to speed on what has been going on in my world. :)  I know- I am the worst blogger ever. Work, training and life just keep getting in the way, but I promise to try harder.

So what's new and wonderful and not so wonderful with me?

New and Wonderful #1
I completed with first 112 mile bike ride this past Saturday!!!  How freaking awesome is that?!?!  It was freezing cold and super windy, but thanks to my awesome teammates I made it through.

Working out = THUMBS UP!

New and Wonderful #2
I finally finished the 4th Harry Potter book.  It was sooo good!  I must confess that I am starting to have mixed feelings about cracking into the 5th book- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the series, but I don't want the series to come to an end.  #I<3HarryPotter!

My favorite one so far.

New and Wonderful #3
Work has been super crazy, but I am still managing to get my workouts in  thanks to the gym in my new office.  Totally pumped about this! We just moved into our new office space a little over a week ago, and the gym downstairs is perfect.  Well maybe not perfect- it doesn't have a pool, but it certainly does have everything else a triathlete would want. :) 

Having a gym at the office is SWEET!

Now to the not so wonderful...

New and not wonderful #1
I was sick all last weekend and the beginning of this week. :(  Being sick is never fun, but being sick and being dumb bad-ass enough to ride 112 miles is not a good idea.  Because of my "bad-assness", I spent all day Sunday in bed and had to skip my 18 mile run.  No fun!  However, I am happy to report that I am feeling much better now!  Last night I was able to put in a solid 5 mile run and weight session.  Woohoo!

My BFF!

New and not wonderful #2
Last night there was a totally sketchy person hanging out behind my building.  YIKES!!  I live in a relatively safe area, so I was really surprised when some dude was hanging out drinking wine out of a "big girl bottle" and smoking a cigarette.  Not really what I want to come home to after a long day at work.  Luckily, Miss Barbara at the front desk was all over the situation and had already called the police.  Creepy guy who likes to linger around my building, if you are reading this, please enjoy your wine and cigarettes somewhere else.  You may be very nice, but you tend to scare people when you are hanging out in the shadows of my building at 10 PM. 

Please hang out somewhere else Mr. Creepy.

Five Things Friday: Random and Unrelated Edition

Happy Friday!!  Is anyone else happy that this week is almost over??  What a busy 4 1/2 days!  Hopefully the last half flies by.

1. My passport came in the mail yesterday. Who cares, right?  Well this girl cares because it means that I am officially ready for Cozumel now!  My bike is going to get there safe and sound.  My hotel and flights have been booked. And now I have my passport.  Can I get an AMEN?!? The only thing left for me to do, is to stay focused and attack the upcoming workouts.  Final stretch before taper!  I cannot believe there is only 1 month left of serious training.
2. I got a free Chop't salad!  Well I guess I shouldn't say it was free, because I had to buy 9 other salads to get the 10 one "free".  Regardless, I was still super pumped. Plus, I gave the homeless guy near my office a little extra cash money, because my lunch was free. I never have cash on me, so today was his lucky day. Free salad= having cash to spare= giving someone a little cash who needed it more than I did= WINNING!
3. I get to race Watermans.  Yay!!  I had originally signed up for the race back in August; however, because the timing of the race (right in the middle of the Q3 close crazies), I thought I was going to have to work that weekend.  Well good news- I can take Saturday off.  I will be recovering at work on Sunday, but at least I get to race. 
4. I am the worst flat tire changer ever!  I cannot change my back tire to save my life.  Wednesday night I wanted to get in a quick spin, but as soon I got on Miss Scarlett I noticed her back tire was as flat as a pancake. Long story short, Miss Scarlett still has a flat tire.  Thank goodness that for my Z friends that are going to help me out later this evening. 
5. WARNING GROSS TOPIC AHEAD!  Last night I was successfully able to drain the blood out from under one of my black toenails.  #ProbablyShouldn'tHaveSaidThatOutLoud  I know this is gross, but  I am not going to lose the nail now.  I cannot tell you how many toenails have fallen off because I haven't been able to master this skill. I am definitely not a master at this but at least it worked yesterday! Hey- I told you it was gross. :)

Have a super weekend, everyone.  Come back next week to find out how my first 110 mile bike ride went.

Three Things Thursday: Life is good!

Happy Friday!! Thursday!! Today is my Friday, and I am totally pumped about it.  After work this afternoon, I will be heading up to Cumberland, Maryland for the Rangar Relay. Yay!!  Totally excited about the race and what I have planned for the rest of the weekend. 

1) Dani and Target = Whitney and Dunkin' Donuts. We had donuts and coffee at my morning meeting today, and of course I had to have one.  No biggie, right?  I mean no one in the right mind would be able to pass up a glazed chocolate cake donut.  The problem was that after the meeting, I went and grabbed another donut.  BAD WHITNEY!  I do not even like jelly donuts, but of course I didn't realize that until I already was half way through it, and had powdered sugar all over myself.  #ThankgoodnessIrun! #Iamsuchapig! 

So good, but so bad for me!

2) Going on dates is so much fun!  Last night I traded in my workout clothes for a cute outfit and went out.  Don't worry, I did my bike ride in the AM.  I am so happy that I am taking advantage of this new work-life-training balance that I have recently found.

3) I recently purchased some pretty nerdy, but necessary awesome running gear. With the days getting much shorter, and the sun not coming up until 7AM, I really needed this stuff.  And maybe I should consider wearing them out Saturday night?  Too much?

Cute, right??

What about this one? 

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!!  Come back on next week for my Rangar Relay and my NUTRILITE product reviews.  (Kate, I promise I haven't forgotten!)

I lost my mojo!

Are you wondering where in the world have I been for the past few weeks?  And what is up with 2 random posts a week, when I was posting about 4 times week before? Well it has been a tough few weeks for me.  I have been fighting with training burn out (I have been training continuously for about 16 months) and a little personal issue (which I won't bore you with), but I AM BACK!   Spending time with my family, catching up with old friends and just letting my hair down a little bit seems to have done the trick.  I am happy to report that I consumed more than 2 beers on Saturday night, and had a wonderful time.  :)

Now please do not think that I haven't been working out or doing anything triathlon related over the past few weeks.  I certainly have, but I changed my attitude towards training.  I really tried to focus on the things that I enjoyed.  For example, I was supposed to run 2-3 hours for FUN on Saturday.  So I ran 10 miles, which a little less than 2 hours, but running 10 miles is fun. I love running, but running more than 10 miles ALONE, isn't really enjoyable.  So I  decided to stick to what was fun for me. I took my time and took everything in- the planes at Gravely Point, the cute puppies on the trail, the cute guys also running,  the monuments, etc, etc.  It was great! And I do not think a couple of miles is going to make a huge difference in the whether or not I cross the finish line in Cozumel.  However, I do think that if I didn't address this burn out situation, it would have caused a huge problem a few weeks done the road.  Especially when Q3 reporting starts and I living at the office.

So where do I go from here?  How am I going to get through the next 10 weeks of training?  Am I still excited about IM?  Over the next 10 weeks (which will probably fly by), I am going to keep my eye on the prize.  Everytime I don't feel like working out, I am going to think about how it is going to feel when they say "WHITNEY, YOU ARE AN IRONMAN".  Am I still excited about the race?? Hell yes!! I am really freaking excited.  I just think that the everything going on over the past few weeks finally hit me, hard. I needed a little break.  But I have my mojo back. :)  Let's do this.  Rangar relay is this weekend.  I will be spending the first weekend in October doing an 18 mile run and 110 mile ride.  October 8th and 9th, I will be working instead of racing Waterman's, but I will squeeze something in.  Then I will be tackling the mother of all workouts, 20 mile run and 120 mile ride the weekend of the 22nd. 

69 days until race day!! 

Ragnar Lucky Number 3!

So my Ragnar Team Captain just announced who will be running what legs of our relay next weekend, and it looks like I am lucky #3!  I will be running a total of 19.4 miles.  I must say that I am really excited about this race.  It will be my very first relay, so I hope it is everything I have ever dreamed about. :) 

The first leg is going to be really tough.  The total elevation gain during this leg of the race is 1,194ft. YIKES!!  According to the race guide this is the "toughest leg on the entire course".  No pressure or anything.  Hopefully fresh legs and my excitment will get me through the 7.8 miles.

My second leg is going to be my recovery leg.  It is shorter and looks a little easier.  It is only 4.8 miles, and is advertised as being relatively flat.  I will take it!  FLAT= GOOD

My final leg looks like it is going to be pretty similar to leg 2.  It is 6.8 relatively flat miles filled with a few rolling hills.  No biggie!

I am totally pumped and slightly nervous about this race. It is going to be a lot of fun! Is there anything more fun then spending 36 hours with awesome runners?? I think not!

Happy Tuesday!  I hope everyone is having a super day.  :)

Motivational Monday

Happy Monday!  I hope you all had a great weekend- I did.  I didn't really do anything super exciting, but it was a very productive weekend filled with bathroom renovation planning and shopping, sweat sessions in crazy hot weather, BBQ and walks in Old Town.

The weekend is now over, and it’s back to the grind.  This is the first real week of IM training.  I guess you could say training started last week, but it was a recovery week for all the Zers who raced Musselman.  So this is the first week of our first build cycle. Translation for non-triathletes- our training goes in phases.  We have 3 weeks on and then 1 week of active recovery.  That is a really simplified explanation, but it will do for now. J This week’s (and just about every week until IM) workout schedule entails 3 swims, 3 runs, 3 rides and 2 strength workouts.  Yikes-11 workouts in 1 week!  Bring on the motivation!  Here is a something that a fellow Zer past along to the team this morning.

“Not Only a Triathlete” -Madison Dunaetz (age 13)

They call us triathletes

But we are more

It takes far more than just a swim lesson, a bike stroll, or a jog

To swim, bike, and run is an understatement

As triathletes we must work hard to strengthen our minds and bodies

So that when race day comes we will be prepared for the journey of growth awaiting us

To be a triathlete you must be able to focus on the future

Not dwelling on the past problems

But to be able to stand up to our fears and humble ourselves so that we may perform our best

And they only call us triathletes.

And this is a video of the last official finisher from IM Lake Placid on Sunday.  Congrats to all of you who raced!  I cannot wait to hear those words in November.



Terrific Tuesday!

Hey guys! Did you all have a wonderful day?  I certainly hope you did, because my Tuesday was TERRIFIC!  I won't bore you with all the details of my day, but I am going to do a little recap of the highlights.

1) I made it to swim practice this morning! Yes, I know I am supposed be going to swim practice, but as you guys already know, I have been taking a little vacation. So GO ME for getting my bum out of bed and into the pool. 

Taken on my way to swim practice this morning. Normal people are still asleep at 5:09AM!

2) After swim practice I had to go to the dentist.  Most people hate going to the dentist, but I actually really like mine.  She is super friendly and always is gentle.  No yanking on your checks and jamming floss against your gums.  Dr. Reid is AWESOME!  If you are looking for a dentist, let me know and I can pass her information on to you. But the best part of this visit was that I didn't have any cavities! I love having clean and healthy teeth!

Did you really think I was going to put a picture of me at the dentist on here??

3) Work also went really well today.  The crazy long hours are over, but we still have reporting deadlines this week and next week. Translation- I work from the time I get in the office straight until the day is over.  No crazy hours, but no real lunch breaks or cupcake breaks. Just 9 hours of working. :)

On my way home from work. Please note that it is still light outside. :)

4) I had breakfast for dinner!  Nom Nom Nom.  Pancakes, Egg Beaters and Canadian Bacon never let me down. Dinner was delicious.


NOM NOM NOM

Well it is now officially laundry and True Blood time.  True Blood definitely makes doing laundry much more enjoyable.



SIUAG!



On my way to finishing my first 70.3!



PR = Happy Whitney!

Hey guys!  Happy Monday! 

This past Saturday, the Captain some how convinced me to go for a mid-afternoon run.  Ugh- running in the afternoon heat is not my thing; however, I am glad I forced myself to get the workout in.  This afternoon sweat session also made me realize that it is time to get serious. 

The craziness at work has ended, and there is no excuse why I should not be doing ALL of my workouts.  It is time to throw myself backinto training for this little race called IM Cozumel. No more sleeping through early morning swim practices or track workouts. 

Because of the straight year of training (MCM, Shamrock, Rumpass, Kinetic 1/2 relay, Eagleman), I was expecting to have a few weeks where I felt unmotivated and had no real desire to workout.  Oh boy was that an understatement!  As you guys know from reading my blog, I have been having a hard time staying motivated and focused since Eagleman.  However, the time has come.  Ironman training officially starts Monday.  It is time for me to SUCK IT UP AND GO!

The next 19 weeks are going to be a huge challenge, but I am excited about this crazy adventure that I am about to start.  I cannot wait until I can finally call myself an IRON GIRL.  132 days to go!  



I <3 racing almost as much as I <3 cupcakes! :)





So excited for my first TRI