Musselman Weekend!

So, this weekend is kind of a big deal. I'm doing my first half-iron distance triathlon. Holy moly it feels a lot more real when I say it's this weekend, as in 2 days from now. Eek. Pardon me while I go throw a taper tantrum.

Okay, I'm back. As I was saying, Musselman 70.3 is this Sunday, and I am everything I should be right now: Excited, nervous, and everything in between.

I will be leaving this afternoon for Seneca Lake, it's super nice that J's parents live over there so it feels more like home than having to crash at some rando-place. It will be a weekend with friends, family and fabulous motivation.


I don't know if I mentioned this before, but I am volunteering at the Sprint Tri (Mini-Mussel) on Saturday. John and I will be at the mount/dismount line cheering people one, and yelling at them to get on/off bikes in time. I'm excited to cheer and be there, give me good inspiration for Sunday's race!

As for Sunday: I start the swim at 7:07 AM (3rd wave, yellow caps). With any luck I'll be out of the water and on the bike by... noon. Haha. Okay, maybe I am exaggerating a bit. I do know I have the disadvantage from the start with my swim being super weak, but once I get on the bike I'll feel more comfortable. My plan for the bike is to just go steady, I don't plan on breaking speed barriers- no need in wasting the extra energy. As for the run, It's going to be interesting for sure. The half-marathon course is hilly, and at the time I will be getting on the run it will be heading into the hottest part of the day (fun, ay?). Plan is to shove as many wet sponges wherever I can fit them, and hydrate hydrate hydrate at each water stop.

Pre-Race thoughts: It's a different feeling to me heading into this thing. Hollie asked me if I was more nervous than before the marathons I have done. I wouldn't say more nervous just different nervous. My nerves before marathons or other running races are nerves about "how fast can I go" "how far can I push myself today", that isn't the case with this race. I cannot put"swim" and "fast" in the same sentence with myself. As for the bike, I don't have that comfort level to really push myself on there like I do with running so I tend to air on the side of caution and that slows me down. That half marathon, well I know it won't be my fastest but it might not be my slowest. I know what I would like to run it in, but let's be honest: after swimming 1.2 miles and biking 56, my legs are most likely not going to do what I want them to while asking them to run 13.1. I'm heading into this race with little expectation and that's a good thing. I'm gonna start out way behind on the swim, I'll catch up some on the bike and I'm lucky enough to have my strongest event last....and hopefully be picking off people on the run.

I feel comfortable knowing I will be decked out in solid supportive and comfortable +Saucony gear. Yes the A5's I said I wasn't going to run in, they made the bag....we will see what happens. Either way I'll have Saucony on my feet....and my head...and body...and #findyourstrong on my mind.

The "can't leave home without" bag. Everything I need for race day is in one bag :) nerd alert.

Do you have a special way of packing for races?

Any last minute advice for my 70.3 rookie self?

What are your plans for this weekend, who is racing???

 I also need to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my fast & fabulous best friend Hollie. This lady has been serious support and well, she just plain old rocks. Y'all should do yourselves a favor and wish her a happy day. NOW. I'm sad I can't run with her today, or even be there to sing obnoxiously to her....but I know she understands that I would if I could!

She's my partner in crime....shenanagins at their finest!

Monday Madness & Weekend Recap

First off I hope everyone had a fabulous 4th of July Holiday and long weekend. I've been busy, but not so busy at the same time- hope you didn't miss me too much (probably not at all, and that's A-OK).

Today is going to be....hectic to say the least. Moving one office to the other (this is fabulous that both of the people I work for will be in the same place!), facilitating the move and making sure business is not interrupted. 

Today is also day 1 of Allergy testing. I mentioned in early June a few times I was having an eczema reaction all over my hands and that I have always had super sensitive skin. Its now time to try and figure out why. I'll go into detail on this more later this week as the testing progresses (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday appointments).

Now a little recap with some photos for your viewing pleasure.

Let's see here, last week...

John & I went to Cape Vincent, NY to visit my families cottage up there for the holiday. 

Spent lots of time with my little nephew Alden, I can't believe little man is 3 months old now! Feels like just yesterday he was entering this world. 

Had a gorgeous relaxing boat ride at sunset, the water was as calm as I have EVER seen it up there. 

Bonefire and S'mores :)

4th of July run with my mom and my sister, first time ever running with both of them! Mom is doing great getting in shape and starting running, and my sister is getting back into running to work off her post-baby weight! As much as I was sad I wasn't doing a 4th of July race like most others, time with family was more than worth it!

Coming back from a run to this little man is perfect.

Of course Rocking my +Saucony Run Lux Shorts, and Ignite Singlet. Can't see my Kinvara's but they're there!

Did an open water swim in some rough waters with John and then we relaxed in the yard with the little one.

As for the weekend.....

-Friday was my last night ever working at the restaurant, yay! 

-Saturday did an open water swim with a good friend at Kershaw Park on Cananadaigua Lake. 

-Saturday night John and I went and saw Man of Steel.

-Sunday morning was a good bike ride, followed by an afternoon with our friends and their daughter. 

-Sunday night was relaxing and a decent evening run.

I actually backed off training more than I planned to last week. I am trying to listen to my body more and right now I know that backing off a little with 1 week until 70.3 is the best thing for me to do. It was hard to look at my plan knowing I cut workouts short, or out all together but playing the numbers game won't help me right now.

What did you do for the 3rd and 4th?

When was the last time you had S'mores?

Do you run with family members?

Good, Bad & Yummy 6/28-6/30 & June Favs

Business as usual here in my life: going a million miles an hour. This week is going to be super busy but it will be a good one for sure with lots of positive things happening.

Going to do a little mix here and some usual Good, Bad, and Yummy moments from the weekend as well as some highlights from the month of June (seriously, did this past month fly as fast for everyone else as it did for me?)

As for the weekend....
The Good:
John's sister had her baby Thursday night, adorable little Charlie John! Yay for another nephew!

Saturday I got my longest ride to date in...61 miles, I was really happy with it especially considering the elements were not in my favor for most of it!

I'm feeling really comfortable clipping in now, and am starting to utilize the power of it more (when clipped in you get power on the upstroke as well, which can make you more efficient of a rider). I do have to remind myself not to pull up too hard though, it can create lower back pain and tightness in the hip.

I managed to take off my shoes while still riding (thank goodness for fabulous Bontrager Triathlon Cycling Shoes). If I can practice this more, it will make me more efficient in T2 on race day, and get my running shoes on me quicker. BUT I won't do it race day unless I feel 100% ready (it could turn bad quickly).

Dress rehearsal run yesterday went great! I wore my +Saucony Triathlon top and shorts, as well as my Kinvara's (these are the only things that might NOT be with me on race day, I ordered Saucony Flats, but they are not in yet). I even started the run after 11 AM in the heat of the day because that is when I will be running on race day, gotta practice these things!

I was so hot after said long run in the heat, that I didn't even have to be forced into the ice bath. I jumped in without even thinking, and remained there for 25 minutes! My legs feel great today!

Got to spend a little time with John, his sister and her man and the baby last night:)

The Bad:
It was torrential downpour the first half of my long ride Saturday, but in all honesty it really wasn't all bad because it was good prep in case it rains on race day.

The new baby had some respiratory issues over the weekend and had to stay a few extra days giving us a worry(but all is good now, as I said they left hospital yesterday happy and healthy).

Friday night I was worked up about doing my long ride on Saturday. I was tired and cranky and letting the anxiousness of upcoming 70.3 get to me. A good long chat with my man definitely made me feel better.

My Garmin is definitely fading, and quickly. Battery power is lasting less and less and the strap (which partially broke last weekend) is getting even more worn now that it has added strain on one side. I really need to decide what I want to do. Looking at the Garmin 310XT, 910XT and the Timex run trainer 1.0 GPS watch....any thoughts?

The Yummy
After my long ride on Saturday I treated myself to my 2 favorite things from Panera.

All day Sunday John was cooking up a storm in the kitchen. We wanted to make food for his sister since she just had the baby and also has a 4 year old (she's gonna have her hands full!). He made a ton of super yummy (and healthy) recipes, the majority of which were vegan from Scott Jurek's Book Eat & Run. I wish I had taken photos of all of it, it was seriously fabulous and I couldn't even tell that most of them were Vegan!

My contribution was definitely NOT vegan, but it was what his sister wanted: my homemade baked raspberry cheesecake....I love making it, super yummy!

5 Things about the month of June
1. 413 miles between running/biking/swimming! Should actually be a little more but I am really happy with this. I've been consistently training smarter and that has made me able to do more.

2. I tackled my first triathlon this month, and feel really good about that!

3. Although I definitely had my days where it was a struggle to get out the door, I feel like my confidence and motivation is getting back to where I want and NEED it to be.

4. Favorite fitness related moment of the month: there are a few that stick out, but honestly I think it was 2 weeks ago I had a really good long swim where things just "clicked" and it seriously just gave me a big confidence booster.

5. Least favorite fitness related moment of the month: my 40 mile ride where I had a million meltdowns and just mentally felt down and defeated (this made this past weekends 60 miler that much sweeter though).

How was your weekend?

Have you read Eat & Run by Scott Jurek?

Garmin vs. Timex GPS watch thoughts?

What were your favorite/least favorite moments from June?

Good, Bad & Yummy 6/21-6/23

Another weekend come and gone like the wind. 

I'll be honest, this weekend wasn't fabulous BUT it ended better than it started so I will take it. General frustrations and emotions got the best of me a few times, which just made everything else seem that much harder. No point in sugar coating it all, but like I said....I snapped out of it and ended the weekend on a much better note.

Friday: Work, Lunch with Mom, more work, and errands. 4 mile run fueled by frustration.

Saturday: Airport 5k, 40 mile ride, dinner with John's family.

Sunday: out the door by 4:30 AM to head to 'Cuse to cheer at Ironman 70.3 Syracuse, time with John relaxing when I got home

The Good

*Great to see my mom for lunch on Friday, much needed!

*Did well at the Airport 5k, closer to my PR! Recap later this week.

*I got a 40 mile ride in, super hot but I did it.

(Also tested out my new +Saucony tri-top and it was perfect fit and comfy!)

*On said 40 mile ride, it was my first time clipping in~ no falls(yet).

*I got LUCKY and didn't lose anything out of my bike pack...after realizing around mile 14 that I had left it open....with my car key, money, license, spare tube, and bike tools. 

*Dinner and quality time with John's family was a lot of fun Saturday night. Good food, good company and good conversations :)

*Cheering at IM 70.3 Cuse was serious inspiration/motivation boost (more on this tomorrow)

*Got to spend the day with good friends yesterday who I don't see often. Was spend the day with Debbie while her hubby, and our other friends were racing. 

*Yesterday was 41 years since Title IX was passed. As some who benefited from this as a HS and college athlete, this makes me happy to see women's sports getting more recognition!

*We bought a juicer! I'm excited to have one in the house now so I can do it more often!

The Bad

*My emotions and frustrations got the best of me this weekend...multiple times. I felt like a toddler having meltdowns. 

*Almost got taken out by a construction truck on my ride Saturday (extremely close), this triggered one of the above meltdowns: It wasn't pretty.

*This heat has been brutal, dehydration, exhaustion and sunburn are all in effect. 

*I think my Garmin Forerunner 405 is on it's last leg. The strap is partially broken, and it barely holds a charge anymore :(

The Yummy

*Friday night I roasted a TON of veggies for the weekend.

*Friday night treat for myself? Adult version of cookies and milk.

*I wish I had taken a photo of Saturday's meal with John's family: BBQ Chicken, shrimp, pasta salad, salad, quinoa, with chocolate covered strawberries and Wegmans Ultimate Chocolate Cake for dessert!

*Extreme heat called for ice cream this weekend: multiple times.

*Our first batch of juice from our new juicer was a success, yummy and healthy!

What did you do this weekend?

When was the last time you really let your emotions get the best of you? (We all do it, that is life!)

Do you have a juicer? Any recipes I MUST try?

Good, Bad, Yummy 6/7-6/9

I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend!

Friday: 

Work, errands, run & pack :)

Saturday: 

Left John's parents house at 5:30 AM to head to PA for John's cousins college graduation party. Stayed at his families house down in Yardley, PA for the night.

Sunday: 

Brunch with the family, headed back to NY, workout and unpack/pack!

Good
Friday first double digit run since the marathon--in the rain...love.

10 miles @ 7:47 pace in the rain :)

Was able to spend the entire weekend with John and his family, something that doesn't happen very often. Also got to meet some family members I had not yet met, which was really fun!

John's sister did NOT go into labor on the road. She is due in 2 weeks, so this was a serious concern!

I actually have had serious motivation the last 2 weeks, where it was the first 5 months of the year, I have NO idea, either way it is here now and hopefully to stay for a while!

I read 2 running books this weekend--reviews coming soon!

Saturday night John and I took a little walk along the Delaware Canal-- beautiful area, great way to end the evening with him... And it was my "workout" for the day....besides being in the pool with his 4 year old nephew and chasing him around all day :)

Despite going away this weekend, which meant a lot more eating (it happens on vacations, we all know it)... I was still under my calorie goal for the week. Those extra little workouts or even the walk Saturday night paid off!

Solid workouts last night: 5 miles on the canal path (back home) and an hour spin followed by play time in the gym!

5 easy miles on the Erie canal path in the sun-- back sweat means your doing it right? right? Haha.

An hour spin sesh- with my kindle reading about running...runNERD I know.

After spinning- the TRX/Crossfit style room at the JCC was empty so I played around for 15 minutes doing a bunch of random exercises...fun way to get some strength training in

Bad
12 hours out of 48 hours in a car is no bueno - especially when you forget to bring compression gear!

I've never had issues getting nauseous while reading in the car, I think I might be growing into it though I was not feeling great on the ride home today, BOO.

The eczema on my hands is still pretty painful, and annoying-- the Prednisone makes me feel fuzzy but seems to help a little. The prescription topical cream is really greasy...I'm actually having better luck with the cream I got at drug store (it has moisturizers in it!).

Yummy
Oh dear where to begin. John's cousins graduation luncheon was at a fantastic little restaurant on the Delaware River. Everything was really fresh and yummy. The only thing I didn't get a photo of were the appetizers (antipasto trays, and bruschetta), and the desserts (we inhaled them way too fast, John and his siblings and I ordered one of each and shared them all!)

Saturday night was wine and munchies at his aunt & uncles house, wonderful way to wind down after fun afternoon in the pool with John's nephew! Wine, cheese, mini sandwiches..yummy!

This is going to sound really random, but after last nights workouts I was craving a BIG bowl of pasta. So that's what I made for dinner... plain pasta, it was easy and fabulous and just what I wanted! (Oh.My.GoSh.SHE.EATS.CARBS!)




Questions: 

Can anyone think of a way I can be allowed to take protein powder on the plane when I leave tomorrow for work? I buy it in bulk and clearly cant bring the whole thing, and I am not checking a bag. And I don't want to just put it in a baggie and have them think I am a REALLY bad drug smuggler.

What did you do this weekend? Anything fun?

Workouts in Rewind from the week

Happy Friday!

Workouts & things going on this week so far:

Monday: Worked both jobs and did a 4 mile run outside at 9PM (I'm learning to like that time!)

Tuesday: Went to doctor found out about my skin issue and what I can do to help it. At night, John and I went down to Conesus Lake and road the 18.5 miles around on our bikes, then did 15 minutes of open water swimming before having dinner with my friends who live there. I did a 4 mile run when we got home to round out the day :)

Wednesday: National Running day! I did a short and sweet post about running your own life . Saw in an email that my favorite company +Saucony was going to be at MedVed Running Store for a demo and group run so of course I HAD to go. Chatted with Jeff, the Saucony Rep and other runners that were there. Most people tried Kinvara's or Mirages to do the run in, I ran in the Kinvara's I already own (think of it is BYOS: bring your own Saucony's). Had a nice 5 mile run with the group through Pittsford and on the railway trail. I was happy to be mingling with people who run and to be talking to the Saucony Rep. He even showed me the A6 racing flats that don't come out until next year! I'll get the 5's in the mean time but you can bet the 6's are on my radar!

Magic Hat and people in Saucony's, yeah I'm okay with that! Would have been better if it was Guinness, but Magic Hat did the job that night.

Thursday: Worked/Packed the office all day, while it was pouring rain and flooding outside. Was originally planning on doing the McMullen Mile race, but I couldn't justify spending $20 for a one mile race that I knew I couldn't do at full speed right now. So I opted for a home workout so I could do laundry and other things at the same time. 20 minute warm-up on the bike, 30 minutes running on the treadmill and 15 minutes of body-weight exercises.

Wore my new ZeeBee Threads tank top that I won over on Annette's page, btw if you haven't checked out her blog, you need to. I really like this tank top, it's super soft and comfortable for any workout! It is the Bamboo Performance racer back tank, you can bet this wont be the only one that I own. Like I said, my workout last night was bike/run/strength training and I had it on for all 3 and had no chaffing or bunching or sweat issues!

Apparently I didn't want to match last night...green, black, pink and purple! At least I was wearing matching socks, that really doesn't happen often!

Friday: oh hey, that's today! Seriously where did this week go? Today is busy with work and getting ready to be gone. I am headed to PA for the weekend with John's family which will be fun, we come back Sunday night. I will be home Monday and then leave for the rest of the week to Iowa for work (expect a post next week on how I prepared for this trip, hunting down gyms etc.!). Therefore I have a lot of laundry and packing that needs to be done for both trips! I am planning a longer run later today as well as some cycling and strength-training. I am not sure if I will be able to do anything tomorrow so I wanna get some extra in today!

What are your plans for the weekend?

What did you do on National Running Day?

Good, Bad, Yummy 5/1-5/2

Why is it that Monday always comes so soon?

This weekend was definitely a mix of good, bad and yummy. Since I haven't done one of those posts in a while, no time like the present. 

The Good

Saturday morning had a nice easy run with Jen, great to catch up on each others lives, talk about training, and get some miles in. All-around win.

Drove to Keuka Lake for packet pickup Saturday. It was really sentimental being over there, because that is where John and I will be getting married next year. Then headed to Seneca Lake to stay at his parents house for the night.

Finding out my friend Hollie won a half marathon over the weekend, getting to break the tape and have a bike escort....never ceases to amaze me.

Sunday morning, I FINISHED MY FIRST TRIATHLON...with a smile on my face:) I promise I will do a recap, but I want to take a few days to really let it all sink in. 

My nephew turned 2 months old yesterday! :)

The Bad

On the car ride to Keuka Saturday I noticed little bumps all over the palms of my hands and on my fingers.....It still hasn't gone away even after a weekend of taking Benadryl and putting Cortisone cream on them as suggested by MD. Looks like I'll be calling my dermatologist today. From what I gather it's some form of eczema, or a possible allergic reaction. It isn't contagious or anything, but it's itchy and my hands feel like leather. BOO.

We had a little health scare from a family member this weekend, luckily everything is okay and she was released with a clean bill of health. It definitely made for a Saturday night of being on edge though.

The Yummy

I had Seneca Farms homemade ice cream Saturday night and Sunday afternoon, if you ever make it to Penn Yan, NY make sure you go there...it's amazing.

Last night I went and got FroYo, another fabulous treat. Yes this was a "sweet" weekend, but I'm okay with that sometimes!

How was your weekend?

How did workouts or races go?

Ice cream or FroYo, which do you prefer?

Cleveland Marathon Weekend in Pictures

Marathon is almost here, less than 11 hours from now I'll be at the start line...cray cray.

Instead of a boring wordy recap of things going on since we left for Cleveland yesterday....

Photo Recap with a few blurbs :)

ready to hit the road!

Of course these made the trip with the 5 of us...
if you remember it was the official fuel of our Seneca 7 team!

Finally can see the city skyline ahead...
The last 4 miles of the marathon are straight and this is all we will see....oh boy!

The large beer list at the Winking Lizard from dinner Friday,
I went with Guinness because I know it sits just fine in my stomach before a race.

We watched this cool car try and go down one way street

Then realized it was the CRUELLA DEVILLE car!!

Salmon, garlic bread and mac&cheese :)
Food was....okay....my Guinness was the best.

Walking home from Dinner...

Our hotel is right next to Progressive Field,where the Cleveland Indians won Friday night!

Fireworks outside our hotel window....
We always seem to get lucky and able to see fireworks from out hotels,
this happened when we went to Niagara Falls too.

Ran to Cleveland Browns Stadium this morning to check out start/finish areas

 We watched some of the final people straggle in from the 5k.

IX center for the expo

got my bib #1486!! 

Westside Public Market

Inside public market, lots of vendors and yummy foods, I would go here all the time if I lived in Cleveland.

Katie and I decided to get crepes while the boys mosied around.
We each got 2, 1 sweet and 1 savory.
For my  sweet I got one with PB, banana, and dark chocolate!
Savory was Ham, asparagus and brie....
YUMMY!

After the market we went to the movies to sit and relax...

Movie was pretty good, Chris Pine was handsome as always.

Relaxing in the hotel this afternoon with my Aspaeris Pivot Shorts, and my Zensah  compression sleeves:
weather checking, playlist making and watching the Preakness. 

Classy Dinner of fabulous loaded Quesedilla (Tomatoes, chicken, squash, peppers and a bunch of other stuff)
And my glass of red wine to help me sleep!

Overall it's been a good weekend so far, 

my nerves are getting to me.....but that's normal.

I've had overwhelming support from family and friends and hope I can make everyone proud!

It definitely helped doing video chat with my parents and my sister and the baby.... So freaking cute.

And we also face time with our friends Corey, Marie and their 2 year old daughter....having a 2 year old dance for you while you catch up with friends is a good way to help you relax!

Also got an email tonight from our friend Amy with this...

Add caption

 Beyond true! 

Time to have fun tomorrow!

Good luck to all who are racing!