Week of May 5-11

What a week. Finished out the week with 85 miles on the bike and 19 miles running.

Bad news this week. With our big move coming up, and several other reasons, I unfortunately have to drop out of my bike race I've been training for. It was a really hard decision, but after talking it over with my husband, it's the best choice for us right now. I do hope to do it next year, just still a bummer right now.

Training this week was great. I learned a lot about my body. Well, I should say re-learned some things I already knew about myself. I crave intensity in my workouts. I gain so much from hard workouts. My brick workout on Thursday was one of those workouts. 30 mile bike ride followed by 6 miles running. Not only did I set a PR for pace on the bike and distance on the run for a brick workout, but I had 2 hard days before this workout. Wednesday I did some hill repeats on my bike. Almost to puking point. It felt great. Tuesday, I finally pushed fear aside and ran 10 miles. I've been nervous about running long distance because of how much time I've taken off. It felt great! It was slower paced, but I truly enjoyed getting out again. After my marathon in February I decided to take time off. I needed a break and time away from running and to remember why I love it. Well, good news is, I've found my passion again and can't wait to start training. I found out tomorrow if I've won the lottery for the St George Marathon, my favorite race. I'm ready to work hard to get closer to my ultimate finish time. Even though this race is the toughest to train for....Arizona summers are ridiculous, I've done it twice before so it's time to whip it into high gear and leave everything on the table. No regrets!

My Very First Century!

I honestly cannot believe what I've accomplished. It was so hard to ride solo and watch each mile slowly tick by. I can honestly remember each and every mile. Miles 1-20 were the hardest I've ever done. Miles 10-20 I had a really strong headwind. Without that wind I could have been going 18mph, it was a slight downhill, but I could only manage 10-12mph. I got to mile 20 and was so tempted to quit. Miles 20-30 were the hardest climbing miles, but I had the wind at my back so I pushed on. I averaged 20mph on those miles....pretty incredible because when I rode that course 3 weeks ago, I was averaging 13mph...that's a strong wind!

Miles 30-60 were against a headwind again. Not as strong, was able to manage 15mph except on this one hill. It was about a half mile long and I was in my lowest gear and about to tip over from going so slow. I was going 7-8mph up that hill. It was so crummy! Miles 60-80 were the best miles of the 100. Still crummy, but mentally I was finally thinking I would be able to finish. Mile 80 hit and I was dead! I may have cried a little at the thought of having 20 more miles left! I stopped to stretch and eat and just didn't think I could go any further, I was still dealing with a headwind and would be for another 10 miles. I was honestly so angry. I pushed on. Mile 92 I got ut of the funk...well actually I turned a corner and lost the headwind. But now it was blowing me sideways. There were a few times when a big gust blew and I almost tipped over. It was wild. The last 4 miles were a piece of cake. And then, after just over 6.5 hours in the saddle, and 7.5 hours out on the adventure, it all ended. There has never been a sweeter moment. To know I actually did something that scared the heck out of me, and had horrible windy conditions, I have never been so proud. It boggles my mind, actually. I found a new strength I never knew I had. It still seems so unreal. It amazes me. I'm pretty sore today, but not as sore as I thought I'd be. My wrists are the most sore but other than that, I feel good. It's amazing to me that at mile 80, I was never going to ride my bike again. I hated what I was doing. I tried so hard to stay relaxed, but that wind killed me. But this morning, I have a million and one ideas of how I should train these next 11 weeks to make this 200 mile ride manageable! I'm on cloud 9 this morning, maybe it's because I have a rest day today and a lighter training week...or maybe it's because I conquered my first 100 miler!!! :) :)