7 weeks and counting.....

Yes I am now counting......it may be because the training this week seemed to have gotten harder or the fact I can see the light at the end of the tunnel...whatever the case YES I am now counting...
and yup it is 7 weeks today.....YIKES!!

So last Sunday I did the GWN Half Ironman and the official results were posted and yup I did it in 6:13...which for me is a personal best....so I was really happy with that...

This week was hard...in a few ways...first I was back on the training within 48 hours of my race........I had 2 long bike rides this week..a longer lake swim and a short run...and really they all felt HARD!!!
I was not that sore after my race...a bit tight due to my lack of stretching but nothing crazy....it was more I think my body is used to a rest after a race and I was not letting it....so it was a hard week..

Then I had 2 experiences training this week that did not help...the first was on my bike ride Wednesday I came apon the aftermath of a bike/truck accident where the cyclist was pronounced dead on the scene.
I rode my bike along the scene and seeing a mangled bike and a body bag on the side of the road was one of the hardest things I have gone through....I was in tears the rest of my ride back to Okotoks.....I knew it was most likely a freak accident (which it was) but I still kept thinking "this person has a family....and they now have to deal with this loss".....I was so sad for this and felt sick from what I saw...

Then Thursday....I was out running with my run group and when I got home I saw an alert on the Okotoks web that a cougar was spotted right around where I ran just an hour earlier......SERIOUSLY...someone from above was telling me NOT to train this week...

But I pushed on....had a good swim with a friend Friday...thank goodness she was there or I may have just hung out on the beach..

Then I ended the week on a high.....It was the Okotoks Sprint Triathlon. I did this as a team (which I have never done before) So the team consisted of Melissa who is a crazy fast swimmer.....Jen (my coach) who can kick any ones ass on a bike...and then me for the run....GULP!!!
So ya I was a runner coming into Tri's many years ago...but never considered myself "fast"...so now there was some pressure!!!

So a quick update on how this race unfolded....
So the girls hit the lake.....500 m around Crystal Shores lake.....so as expected Melissa appears out of the lake in first place...just over 9 mins.....
She darts to the bike transition  and passes off to Jen....she gets onto the course...there is about 3 ladies hot on her trail.....
Jen does the 20 km bike course out and around Okotoks....the first rider gets into transition and it is not Jen....but then within seconds she appears....in a time of just over 40 minutes....
So the gal in first place is out of transition and on the run course and I got my chip from Jen and I am on her tail....but this girl is FAST!! So my initial thought going into this 5 km is okay I will hold a 5:5min pace and I can do this in just under 30mins...so I take off and I try to keep this girl in my sight...and I look at my watch and well I am under a 5 min/km......around 4:5....CRAP...this is fast...not sure I can hold this...I train for distance not speed....but man I cant let my team down...so I run and I run and I run........I keep the pace and the girl in first place stays about 50 m ahead of me....and that is where she stays...at 1 km to go...I push it more but so does she...so she crosses first...and then I cross.....with a time of 23 mins....CRAZY!! I have never done a 23min 5 km EVER....it felt good.....we ended up coming in first for the teams....and our final time was 1:13...

We were also so happy for all the C&C Fitness triatahles that completed this race...for many it was first lake swim...and they all did so great! It was an awesome day!

So now we move onto another week of training:

Monday: 3 km lake swim
Tuesday: 1 hour Spin followed by 50 min brick run
Wednesday: 2 hour run/60 km bike
Thursday:  1 hour Interval run
Friday: REST
Saturday: 120-140 km bike....then a PUBCRAWL!!
Sunday: most likely hungover so we shall rest ;-)