Bring it on!!

I went down to Ironman Village today and picked up all my stuff for the race. It definitely made things feel more real- 2 days and it's GO TIME!

While I was down there I registered for next year!! I know, crazy! I still can't believe I did. 'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter' and I always said we were done after this year.... then we went and signed up for New Zealand and we swore we would be done after that, and here I am registered for next year.

From Instagram

It definitely wasn't in the plans, but with everything that happened this year I am not where I wanted to be going into Ironman. I was have a huge PR this year and now I'm just hoping to finish.

I secretly thought about signing up and doing it, but 'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter' and I had talked about being done after this year and getting married and having kids. Maria was planning on signing up for 2015 and I told her I would of course train with her and she said I may as well just do it then.

It wasn't until about a week ago, when I was talking with 'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter' about maybe doing Ironman next year and he said he thought I already was. I was so shocked that he not only was OK with it but encouraged it. He went on to say that he knew I wasn't going to have the race I wanted this year and he would train with me for next year. I was seriously blown away-- I have the best guy ever! I absolutely LOVE him!!

So.... here we go again...and again... and again?? haha!! I still can't believe the craziness!

Good luck to everyone racing this weekend!! 

Anyone else signed up for next year?! 

Officially starting to taper!

I cannot believe we are already in November and Ironman and 12 days away!! Where did the time go?! 
This past weekend was the last weekend of 'long' workouts- I say 'long' because they were still much shorter than they have been. :)

On Saturday, I met RunningFrida and Vero for a bike ride. The weather started out great. It was cooler with lots of cloud coverage- but towards the end it got VERY windy! We looped the Ironman course and we ended up doing 65 miles.
The funniest thing ever happened as we were finishing our third loop: we were heading back from Shea (which has a slight downhill) and we were hauling butt! We were riding in a pace line to help with the wind and Vero was leading in front. I was right behind her (and RunningFrida right behind me) when I heard her scream and watched as her bike went left- went right- and then went left again. (It was one of those moments where everything slows down and I could totally see the three of us all colliding and looking like the three stooges on the side of the road.) As I slammed on my breaks and tried to swerve out of the way, she kept control of her bike and was able to come to stop.
Once we all stopped, she asked what the heck happened and after looking at her bike I noticed her pedal had fallen off! Yup, the whole thing just fell right off. RunningFrida joking asked if she was really going that hard as she walked back to pick up the fallen piece.
A fellow rider was approaching and shouted out if there was anything he could help with, I told him we had a pedal fall off and he slowed down as he shocking asked "what?!" Luckily, he had some tools on him and was able to get it back on enough to ride the remaining 8 miles back to her car. I literally laughed out loud the entire way back to the cars. She appropriately named herself MVP of the ride that day for not falling. ;)

As if the shorter ride and nice weather wasn't enough for a good ride, they've placed the Ironman signs along the course! Definitely starting to feel pretty real about now.

After our ride, 'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter' and I finally got to go out to celebrate our 9 year anniversary. Since we've both been training and doing extremely long rides/runs in the early hours of the weekend, we haven't really had a night to where we could go out to dinner. So we went to one of our favorite restaurants in Tempe, House of Tricks.

It was amazing as usual and we since we sat outside, we had some lovely fireworks throughout the dinner each time ASU scored a touchdown. :)

Sunday morning, RunningFrida and I ran the Phoenix 10k's half marathon. It was so much fun! They are so extremely organized and the course was great. I love running through downtown Phoenix and seeing all the beautiful buildings. I've ran this run before and I will definitely be back.

It was one of those runs where the miles just fly back and every time we passed a mile marker I couldn't believe we were already that far. Love these types of runs.

Once we finished, we saw they had a photo booth and of course jumped right in!! Everything about this race was so much fun! I had such a great time from waiting at the start to the very end.

I was supposed to do my long swim on Sunday, but put it off until yesterday after work and ended up doing 100 laps in the pool (instead of the 93 on the training plan.). I figured I was so close I might as well make it an even 100- plus, I was close to hitting 2 hours, so I figured I would just swim until I hit it and then stop.

I posted this on my Instagram. :)

I was SO ready to be done when I hit 100. I couldn't get out of the pool fast enough!

This is really our last week of training, next week I think we have a total of 4 hours all week (not including Ironman). I seriously cannot believe it's already here!

What's the longest workout you've ever done? 

Do you workout with music? 

7 things I learned from SOMA 70.3

Last weekend was SOMA 70.3. This race was such a favorite for me last year, it was the last big race before Ironman Arizona and I went into it feeling great. And I ended up with a huge PR...last year.

This year, not so much. I knew I was seriously under trained and not in the condition I was, going into SOMA last year. I was nervous and knew it was going to be a hard day. 

Here's a recap in the form of 10 things I can only think of 7 things I learned:

1. Don't go into a race under trained. Seriously, don't. It absolutely sucks. Stick to your training schedule and put in the work. Trust me, you won't regret it.

2. Even though the calendar says mid-October, the weather says summer. Hot, hot summer. When I started sweating waiting to get into the water (before 7am) I knew it was going to be a long, hot day.

3. Getting my bike tuned up before the race was the best thing ever. On my last long bike ride, I was really struggling. I was going super slow and felt like I was working way harder than I normally do. I got it tuned up Thursday before the race and it was like a brand new bike on race day! It was great- I felt like I was flying!

4. ICE! Ice was the best thing for me on the run. I filled my water bottle up with it and put a cup down my shirt. It definitely was a life saver with the brutal heat and helped me stay somewhat cool until the next aid station.

5. Having an aid station every mile of the run was AMAZING! I got so happy when I saw another aid station- no joke! Not only did that mean I got more ICE but it meant another mile down.

6. I literally have the best boyfriend in the whole entire world! No joke. He did a 3/4th Ironman the day before Soma (on his own) but was stil all over the course cheering me on and met me on both loops of the run and ran about 5 miles with me.

That shadow beside me is 'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter'. :)

He ran the end of the second loop with me and really pushed the pace (for me). I was dying and he ran to the last turn with me and then was waiting at the finish line. Absolutely love him!!

7. I've never been more excited to see a finish line and cross it than I was after this race! I was just so happy to stop moving. And the wet, ice-cold, towel they give you as you cross the finish line felt like heaven!

So moral of the story- be prepared! :)

*Have you ever gone into a race under trained?

*What's the biggest lesson you've learned while racing?

Update on Life

Hey! I'm back!! I have bee SO busy I haven't really had to time to blog. Here's a little update on everything that's been going on lately to get you up to speed:

Remember back in April the random, ridiculous trip my sister and I took to Colorado? Well, it was supposed to for my sister-in-law's bridal shower, but my dad got sick the week before and was in the hospital. So we stayed and hung out with him. At first, we didn't really think much of it, but we soon learned that he had stage 4 liver cancer.
To say our world was rock would be the understatement of the year. My dad never got sick- I literally cannot even recall a time my dad had the sniffles- so to get the diagnosis cancer was brutal. We immediately jumped into the mentally that were were going to fight it as a family and we were going to win. Losing wasn't an option.
We continued to go back and fourth as often as we could. As he fought, he was growing weaker and weaker- but never once lost his sense of humor and was always cracking jokes. He did everything the doctors told him to and was willing to try anything.
Unfortunately, the cancer was growing too fast and was too aggressive to stop and he passed away August 17, less than 4 months after we got the diagnosis. It also happened to be his anniversary with my stepmom, which she didn't think was a bad thing. She said it won't be a sad day for her every year, because she will have so many good, happy memories associated with that day, and it won't just be the day he passed away.

After my sister's wedding we brought all the flowers from the wedding to my dads grave.

My brother was already planning his June wedding, but because of my dad getting sick my sister and I both decided to plan ours before the end of the year so that he would be there. My sister planned hers for October, in Las Animas, Colorado. She actually got married in the same chapel that my dad and stepmom got married in.

Photo: Malissa Ahlin Photography

'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter' and I were planning to get married in November- 2 weeks after Ironman Arizona, but we recently found out he was losing his job that he has had the past 12 years. So we decided that spending a bunch of money on a wedding, probably wasn't the best idea. ((**UPDATE to this: he has a new job that he loves and is going to be working from home starting Monday. He is super excited!!:))

So with all the above going on (mainly the traveling to see my dad, for my brothers wedding, the funeral, my sisters wedding) my training for Ironman Arizona has NOT been what it should be. I talked about it in my last post, but I do not feel as prepared for it as I did last year. But, I can't change that now. I had an extremely good training weekend last weekend and got a 20 mile run in and a 107 bike ride in. So hoping for the best. :)

Plus, everyone I know who is doing Ironman has been posting their bib numbers and asking me what mine is. So I went onto the Ironman website to look up my bib number- I wasn't on there!! I immediately started freaking out and sent a bunch of emails to the people at Ironman. I finally got a response a couple days later telling me to re-register. I did and am anxiously waiting to be added to the athlete list. :)

Then onto of everything else going on, I was signed up for the Women's Half Marathon for Sunday, and it got cancelled!! I've ran this race the last 4 years and have absolutely loved it every year. Luckily, there's the Phoenix 10k race on Sunday and they have a half marathon option that I was able to get into. RunningFrida and I are going to run it, then run another 5 miles to get our last long run in.

It's been a super stressful, emotional roller coaster lately. BUT I'm back, and I'll definitely be blogging a whole lot more!! :) Plus, there's only 18 days until Ironman Arizona so I'll most likely be posting about how I'm freaking out. (The last year has totally flown by, I can't believe it's already here again!!)
*Who's racing Ironman Arizona?? 

*What's your favorite Halloween Candy? 

My sister's getting married!!

Today we had a bridal shower for my sister who's getting married in October! I still can't believe she's getting married!!

(Their super cute Save The Dates!!)

Since her wedding colors are Tiffany Blue and grey, I decided to do a breakfast/brunch themed shower. (Breakfast at Tiffany's anyone?:))

I loved decorating for this shower- especially since her house already had a grey striped wall and Tiffany blue furniture- it matched perfectly! ;)

We had the basic's: bagels, muffins, donuts, bacon and eggs, etc., but then we also had the most delicious cookies ever made by our bonus-mom. Seriously, they were SO good and absolutely adorable!! 

My bonus-mom made them all look like little Tiffany boxes! 

Loved all the blue and grey details

I wish I would have gotten a better picture of this, it was one of my favorite decorations. I bought a white umbrella and then hung dollar bills and and some of my homemade garland from it. (We were "showering" the bride-to-be....get it? haha!)

 And one of my favorite gifts to my sister was the super cute hanger with her new last name. 

We played the toilet paper wedding dress game- which was HILARIOUS! We gave each person a roll of toilet paper and divided them into teams of 3 and put 5 minutes on the clock. We really had some creative people there!

This dress was my favorite with the sweetheart neckline and mermaid style. :)

This was a tea-length dress complete with sleeves and a veil. 

This team had WAY too much fun and opted for the mini-skirt wedding dress. ;)

The winner was the cutie in the middle. :)

We also played a game where everyone was given 2 wedding rings and couldn't say the words "Bride" or "Groom", if you did, whoever heard you could steal your rings. Yeah, I was absolutely horrible at the game and lost both my rings within 2 seconds of starting it. 

Instead of doing the traditional guest book, I got a frame with a large mat around it and had all guest sign that. And then she could put a photo from the shower in it. :)

I think my favorite part of the shower was the 'spoons'. I passed out wooden spoons to everyone and asked them to give 'the recipe for a happy marriage' on it. When everyone was done, the bride-to-be read them all out loud. Some made me laugh and more than one of them made me cry. 

I still cannot believe my sister is getting married! Beyond excited for her perfect wedding!! 

*Do you like to throw parties? I absolutely love to and wish I could throw a party every weekend!! :)

*Do you like playing games at parties? 

100 Days from today....

Today marks 100 days until Ironman Arizona!! 100 freaking days!! I cannot believe how fast time is flying by!

I am beyond excited for this, because not only am I racing, but 'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter' and Maria are too!! I'm definitely just as nervous as I was last year though, I don't think that part ever gets easier.

I'm also excited to see the best support team ever out there. These people were amazing last year and were there from before the gun went off to well after I finished, cheering me on and supporting me the entire way. I could not have done it without them. 

Let the double digit countdown and long training days begin!! :)

What big races do you have coming up? 

Do you keep track of a countdown for big events? 

Mountain Man Sprint Race Recap!!

We headed up to Flagstaff this weekend to get out of the 110+ degrees heat! It was fabulous!!

'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter' got a free race entry into the Mountain Man Sprint Triathlon and decided not to use it (because he has a pretty hard race next weekend) and gave it to me!! I absolutely LOVED this race last year and was super excited to do it again!

We headed up there early Saturday afternoon, checked into our hotel, and headed over to packet pickup. Ran into some friends and hung out for a bit and then left meet our friend David for lunch at Chipolte- YUM!!
After lunch we headed back to the hotel to hang out for a bit before going for a run with David. Theboys were planning on running 8 miles and I was just going to tag along for a couple miles to break in my new sneakers.

From my Instagram

We left the hotel and got to one of my favorite trails and it instantly started POURING down rain! Once David got there, he parked right next to us and we tried rolling down the window to talk to him but the rain was coming down so hard we couldn't even hear him!

We decided to skip the run- which really scared me since that meant I'd be running in the shoes for the first time at the race.... We left and met up with some friends for dinner at Olive Garden. It was a lot fun and definitely took off some of the usual pre-race nerves. Driving back to the hotel after dinner I saw the coolest car I've ever seen in my entire life-- I'm not even joking!!

"Head Mouse"... hahaha!!

We got back to the hotel and got everything ready for the next morning and took our bikes out for a couple laps around the hotel. ('Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter' was riding his new bike and I changed out my cleats) We were good to go.

We woke up and headed down to the lake. The race started at 7 and we got there a little after 6 and transition was already PACKED!!

I got body marked, set up my transition, and picked up my timing chip. I hung out with 'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter' and before I knew it, it was go time! The guys went off first and we followed 8 minutes after.

The swim went well- I started out in the front and felt good. My goal for this race was to stay outside of my comfort zone and push myself. I did notice I was getting a little weezy towards the end, but I'm blaming that on the altitude. ;) I finished the swim in 18:40 and quickly took off on the bike. (Have I mentioned how much I love when we both aren't racing and I get to see 'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter' throughout the race?! BEST thing ever!)

I forgot how brown the water is here

The bike went great- I was constantly trying to push myself and pick up the pace. Funny how I forgot the rolling hills from last year. :) 12 miles goes by REALLY fast, and before I knew it, I was back in transition taking off on the run.

My hair is a hot mess! 

I was slightly worried about the run with the new shoes, but again, was determined to stay just outside of my comfort zone and push the pace. I started out pretty comfortable and then continuously picked up the pace, ending in a sprint to the finish. The run was like a trip down memory lane because I recognized the guy at the water station from last year and he cheered me on. Then I ran next to the SAME guy I ran next to last year. (Last year was his first triathlon ever and it was really hard for him. This year he looked great and said he's done a handful of triathlons since and plans to do more in future too!)

I finished in 1:33:37- which is a 13 second PR for me. HAHA! I was hoping to be sub 1:30 but I'm happy.

This race always symbolizes the start of of the tri season for me. Next month we'll do the Mountain Man Olympic, and then Silverman and Soma's 70.3, and before we know it-- Ironman Arizona will be here again!!! Crazy how fast time is going!

P.S. After the race 'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter' and David did an 80 mile bike ride followed by a 4 mile run and swim while I headed back home. I apparently went the wrong way and took a detour through Sedona and turned the 2 hour drive home into over 3!! Not my proudest moment.... 

Have you ever ran in knew shoes on race day? 

What is your favorite race you've ever done before?