HILLS......

After the Palos half marathon I decided I needed to start adding some serious hill training to my bike so I headed up to Madison to ride the IM course. The plan was 2 loops(96) miles, well the weather was cold & windy & I only managed 1 loop of the course with 20-25 mph winds. The whole time I kept thinking thank goodness I am not doing IMWI....haha, sorry my friends who are. Being my 1st time on the course I was not sure if  it was just me or if it really was that tough. I was assured it was the toughest ride on that course due to winds by others that have done it many times. Whew! After a short transition run & some much needed food we headed back home. I was proud I tackled all the hills & want to go back when winds are not so high to see what I can really do on that course.

The following weekend May 18th I headed to Galena with Mary for a sprint triathlon in her big green van. We arrived in great time dropped our bikes off at transition 1 & picked up our packets. We were about to drive the bike course before heading to the house for dinner but suddenly realized we had a flat tire. Not wanting to wait for AAA I started to try & change the tire....how hard can it be? Well, the tire was not coming down & many of us tried. It was going to be getting dark soon & AAA didn't know when help would arrive. By this time all that were staying in the house were there to help. Finally Shannon went to see if there was a cop that could help & came back with a security guard & after some swearing, muscle, & some prayers he changed it before dark & we headed to the house. We were all starving & enjoyed a delicious dinner then prepared for the race the next morning. This race had 2 transitions.....don't ask! I saw coach Jen & she gave me some encouraging words, then reminded me of how hilly this race is. I warmed up & had a little freak out moment when I couldn't find my friends that were holding my wetsuit while I warmed up....I did finally find them. It was a beach start so when the time came we all run in & swim our hearts out. The distance of this race is a bit odd....660 yard swim, 17.8 mile bike, 4.5 mile run. After the swim it was on to the bike & a big hill out of transition to get the heart rate up & a pump in the legs. I was feeling pretty good on this challenging course & kept hearing about this on hill that was a doozy....then I got to it. Remember the name....Elizabeth scales mound road, it was a long hill! I made it to T-2 the off on the run,,,,,holy 1st hill, had to walk it. It was almost a mile long. The hills didn't stop after that, I felt like I would roll down some of the down hills & never reach the top of the up hills. My feet kept going numb & my tape fell off  before the swim start. I kept going & saw my coach once more on the way to the finish (she was warming down) & that gave me the extra energy to push hard to the finish line. 1st race of the season was a tough one. A few of us stayed another night & rode more hills the next day. We had a little rain delay & did an 11 mile loop 3x, it was a blast & the hill that I thought I might roll down on the run of the tri we rode up.....Wow, that was HARD! Mary got the tire fixed & we were headed home after a wonderful weekend. Come to find out there was a nail in another tire.....it was a miracle we made it home without another flat.

The following May 24th Mary, Ivy & I headed to Louisville, KY to ride the IM course there. Many of my tri smart team members were there as well. We arrived late Friday night & started a little later on Saturday....9am. It was a little chilly there at the start of the ride but it warmed up some. We went out of 2 loops (85) miles, including "the finger" which has the biggest hill of the course. I tell you, after Madison & Galena the finger was not bad at all. After the ride we relaxed in the hot tub & pool before dinner. We woke up early again for 1 loop of the course & a short transition run. On the way home we went to Ryan's for an insane amount of food. Yummmm! Great training weekend with great friends. :-)

June 1-2 I actually have a weekend I spent at home. It was nice to get my training done & still be able to enjoy my family. The weekend of June 8th I was out of town again for the Elkhart Lake Olympic triathlon. I have never done This race either but I won a free entry via Facebook. My friend Anna is doing this race as well & had an extra spot in their hotel room for $25...sweet deal, so I took it. I was excited to see her & race with her. It doesn't happen much anymore since she moved to Wisconsin & got married. I arrived to the Osthoff resort then me,Anna, & Jenny did our pre race workout. A little bike & a little run. They all went to the pasta dinner& I drove the bike course. I like to know what lies ahead of me. We all went back to the hotel to get set for tomorrow's race. 3 of us were racing & 1 was out due to an injury. I jokingly said I hope no one snores.....then it began!

HOLY SHIT! The only other person I know that snores like this girl ( not my friend) is my uncle. I thought I was going to lose it. She didn't even know she was snoring. Finally she left till we fell asleep....well, almost! Minutes after her coming back in it all started again, lord help me! This time she went in the bath tub& I think we all slept for a good 2-3 hours. GREAT! Ready or not it was race time, I needed coffee & lots of it. We get to transition early & have a long time till the Olympic starts , the sprint is first. I am ready to start my warmup & accidentally cross the bike out & get yelled at. I then decide a swim warmup is better than being yelled at & I'm so glad I did because that water was COLD, I needed some acclimation to that. My wave goes off & I'm swimming, my goggles are a tad foggy so it is hard to see the buoys I reach the turn around & haven't really encountered many bodies in the water. Good or bad? Bad! I swam off to the side & ended up near a boat & having to swim back to the crowd. Ugh! Out of the water to the bike. It was cold so I took the time to put my arm Warmers on. The bike course was challenging which I knew since I drove it the day before but some of the hills were bigger than though. I took a little longer on the bike than I wanted but now it was run time. I didn't know the run course at all & there were some really challenging hills, especially for me & my foot & leg. The last Nile is downhill so that helped with a strong finish. I had a little time to relax with my friend after the race then headed home....3 hr dive. Sunday morning I wake up still tired from the lack of sleep the night before & head out for a bike ride before we have Eva's 4th birthday party. The party was a blast & she loved it. We went to my bro in laws for dinner & his girlfriend Rachel did her 1st bike leg of a half ironman, so we got to swap stories. So proud of her! Maybe she will do a outdoor triathlon next. She is a fantastic swimmer......we all went home with full bellies & finally got some sleep!

I must go ride my bike now but I will be back later to catch you all up on this past weekend adventures!