Thursday, August 16, 2012

Three Things Thursday

1. Today I am going to do one more tri practice with swimming, biking, running plus transitions.  I am hoping it might make the run after the other two feel a little easier.  The weather is supposed to be awesome.  I want to do this this week rather than the week before the tri.  I guess I will taper a little next week although I am not sure how.  Do less I guess.  I am considering the Lake Dunmore Tri my A race for tris so I will have to come up with some goals as it gets closer.

2. This weekend I am doing my so not an A race in Rhode Island. It is a rock and roll half which I registered for last winter when they had a special.  I am not excited about the race itself. I always say I am not going to "race" a race but then I do. This time I won't be. I want to be all fresh and sparkly the following weekend for the tri.  I will run this race and hopefully enjoy it but I have no time goals.  I am going to stay with my cousin who I don't see very often. That will be awesome.  I will go to the Expo which is always fun.  When I signed up I didn't realize but this race is on the 40th anniversary of my mother's death so I will be doing this race in her memory.  I have done other races for my mom including my first marathon and a race I did when I was the age she was when she died. I raised money for a charity in her honor for that race and it was exceedingly special.  This time it just happened but it is a good "just happened" so Mom, on Sunday it's for you.  I know that she would be proud of what I have done to be fit.  In her day few people exercised or tried to stay fit in any way.

3. Random thoughts while training today:


  • how far is 600 yards in this lake
  • who switched wet suits on me and gave me this smaller one
  • why are those fishermen fishing so close to where I am swimming, there are NO fish near me
  • I guess I'll turn and go back and not disturb the fishermen
  • the zipper on this wet suit goes where
  • I must have not swum 600 yards if that is my time
  • I think I'll wear long sleeves on the bike, it's cool
  • push, push, push
  • there's a Louisiana plate, I wonder if I have that one
  • here comes that #$%^ hill
  • I'll certainly be familiar with this bike route when I do the tri
  • Damn my bike is the slowest yet
  • oops I missed a call from Jameson
  • Let's just stop the timer, I can call him back
  • hey, the run feels pretty good today
  • much better than last week
  • 3.1 miles isn't so far
  • almost done, then I can rest
  • the lake is beautiful today.
  • That's the 4th squirrel to cross the road in front of me
  • DONE!  Overall time a little slower than last week.  I think I do need to taper some next week.

15 comments:

Kate Geisen said...

I love all your random thoughts! Mine went something like:

"This feels terrible, but I'm probably not dying"

"Was that a raindrop??" (we've had several torrential downpours this afternoon, and hail is in the forecast)

"This isn't that bad"


"How am I going to run 7 miles on Saturday?"

I love that your race is on your mom's day. I know she'd be proud of you...not just as an athlete, but as a fantastic teacher and mother.

MCM Mama said...

I'm sure your mom would be totally proud of you! Have a good race this weekend. I wanted to run that one, but ended up deciding to stay in Wisconsin instead.

christa said...

I thought it was cool today too when I went out to run, it wasn't.

Jill said...

Oh gosh, your mom's been gone a long time (mine, too)...I think that's a great idea to race in her honor.

Isn't it funny all the things that go through all our thoughts during a workout? Kinda like when I wake up at 3am and can't go back to sleep!

Have a great time at the RnR this weekend, a perfect plan to just go and enjoy it - I love those races the best lately :).

Amy said...

Enjoy your race this weekend, it's so nice to hear how you cherish the memory of your mother!

Unknown said...

I like your system for tapering... do less! That says it all. Which, btw, will be exactly what you should do after your half marathon.

Char said...

Doing a race just for fun can be quite liberating. My Melbourne half last year was just for fun and I'd count it as one of my best races enjoyment-wise. It's hard to get beyond thinking about time but you'll have company so I'm sure you can do it.

Johann said...

I do many races for fun only or as training for something else. You will enjoy it. I love all your thoughts while training! Have a super weekend and a fun race!

Giorgio said...

Nice thoughts about your mother.
Have a good race this weekend!

Darlene said...

Have fun on Sunday.

A Prelude To... said...

You think too much ;p

Diaper cakes are when you take a bunch of diapers and roll them up and organize them in a way that resembles a pretty cake. I'm not sure why people do it, but I'm sure they have some crafty reason :D

Ransick said...

Regarding your taper question on my blog, Here are my thoughts. You want to be fully rested but not stiff or injured. I would consider something like (given your volume) this assuming your race is on Sunday.

Mon - run 4-5 miles, maybe swim 1000 yards
Tue - bike 12-20 miles
Wed - run 2-3 miles, may e swim 1000 yards
Thur - rest or bike 12-15 miles depending on feel
Fri - swim 20 minutes, bike 20 minutes, run 10 minutes
Sat - rest

If the bike or run distances will leave you tired or sore the next day, reduce them. You can also reduce them and up the speed a little. When practical, I like to do the Fri workout on Sat at the race site at a casual pace. It lets me get use to the race site and visualize the race.

Good luck!

Cinthia said...

Love that you're running in your mother's memory. That is so cool, and I'll bet that somehow, someway, she'll be there with you. Good luck, even though you're not racing (bet you do run harder than you expect, though. It's kinda inevitable, hee, hee).

On the Right Track said...

I love that you are running in memory of your Mom!!! It makes the event much more meaningful and rewrding in the end!

your random thoughts remind me...of me ;) Very random, ha!

Best of Luck to you in your tri next week...I have one scheduled as well that I guess I will be either skipping or watching...but hey...I'm sure there will be plenty more in the future. Can't wait to hear how yours went!

Thanks for your words and support!!

Kandi said...

I'm impressed with all your trial runs for your tri. You sound ready!
Running in memory of your mom will make the half more memorable for you for sure. I ran my first (and only so far) marathon in memory of my MIL. I think of her often.
Most of your training thoughts sound familiar. My favorite was NO fish around you! heh.