Happy. Healthy. Heathen.

So I came home from Colorado to the sunny south…????

My minimum bicycling temperature is about 45 degrees, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.   So I bundled up in:  sports bra, bike jersey, underarmor turtleneck, black pullover, Georgia hoodie, biking jacket, bike shorts, leggings, sweatpants, socks, bike shoes, headband, riding gloves, running gloves, helmet, sunglasses  —  I think that’s all.  I waited til the warmest part of the day, 2:30ish and took off for the Greenway.  I did the usual – Greenway, Battleground, new Gateway stretch, new stretch under Old Fort Parkway.  I finished just about dark and by then it was FREEZING – fingers and toes numb, eyes watering (no ski goggles – they are in Colorado), face tingling, but workout was done!

No iPod – it doesn’t work well in this cold, but the song in my head was Winter Wonderland…

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Can I please get credit for doing this bigass brick while my family’s susshing down the slopes?  After taking them to the skiier drop-off point, off I go to the gym for my swim/run brick.  I know that’s not the sequence – but remember that   1) I’m all about the flexibility and 2) I hate the stationary bike more than almost anything in the multiverse.

The swim was boring and uneventful, but I swam about 2000 yards (just over an hour), then into the locker room for a quick change (neglected to  bring the trisuit), and upstairs to the treadmill.  I had the iPod, but this treadmill had a television and I lucked up on catching last year’s Stephen Colbert Christmas special, so that kept me entertained for an hour.  Then I transitioned to iPod to finish the workout.  Why the pool faces the mountains, but not the treadmills is kind of a mystery, but whatever.

I had NO incline on the mill, but had it set at my usual 5.5mph to begin with, but that went by the wayside as soon as I got winded and had to back it down to 5.2.  I got my 8 miles in about 90 minutes and was awfully glad to get off that bad boy and into the shower.  By then it was time to get to the grocery store (on Christmas Eve in a resort town – I had to wait for a shopping cart) to get lasagna stuff for the household.

Yesterday I did end up running outside – that was an adventure.  My son lives in a condo on a golf course, so I hiked to the top, then found a road that was relatively quiet and cleared, and off I went.  Oxygen problems there too, but I got through it.

Anyway, good brick today.  Can I say that it’s nice to work out in a gym where NO ONE knows who you are?  I got through my workouts completely unmolested except for the creeper who walked in front of my treadmill, oh, maybe 25 times?  I love the social interaction I get in Murfreesboro, but sometimes it comes at the expense of the time I’ve set aside for the workouts.  My fault, I know.

Going home next week for a few days to check on the dogs/mail/business/house/cows/mother-in-law.  (Maybe that’s a little out of sequence) (Maybe not).  I’ll stick my head into the MAC on Tuesday or Wednesday to see that everyone is working off the holiday fudge and boiled custard.

Fave iPod song today:  something by Transiberian Orchestra (can’t remember the name, the iPod is across the room, and I am THAT lazy).  I admit I cheated on that – I chose the two albums I have by them to feel all Christmas-y.

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When I miss several days of blogging, it’s always so important for me to say that even though the accounting has been shabby, the training continues.

I am out with my family (two-thirds of us) at my oldest son’s home in Beaver Creek, Colorado.  We’re combining skiing, Christmas, family time all in one extended month-long visit.  I think that is the long-term scenario when you have a family the size of ours that is as active as ours:  implement a start date and finish date and take what time you can get from each member of the family!  Oldest son Ben is here, of course, daughter Amy from California is here til she must go back to school on Jan 15, daughter Glenda in Europe will come in as flights allow after the New Year, son Sam in New Zealand will try to come around Jan 10.  Hopefully, we’ll have several days when the whole posse is together.  Epic.

In the meantime, even though I enjoy skiing, I’ve made arrangements at the local gym for a temporary membership, and yesterday had a great strength training session/swim workout.  I’d been dormant since the trip out here, so it felt good to get in the pool.  I have the option today of running outside (new snowfall last night, snowing now) or going to the gym and getting on the treadmill (which I despise only slightly less than the stationary bike).  Details to come.

I plan to go home next week for a few days to check on the business, write the payroll, check on the house/dogs/cows, and do some riding, since that’s the one thing I won’t get done out here.  72 days remain between now and raceday.  I think shivers just literally ran right up my spine.

No workout-related pics, but I did get a replacement camera, so I’ll add these just for fun:

Fave random from strength training:  It Ain’t Me Babe, Bob Dylan

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Today’s brick was all outside – bike, run, breathe, soak up the rays for a change…

First time on the new bike with the computer (set to kilometres – notice the continental spelling) and the aerobars – the only things that might possibly have made this bicycle EVEN better!  I’m in love with this bike – it is so slick, so smooth, so light, so fast – the Baixbaix rocks.

Started out at the Cannonsburgh Trailhead with Jesse for a little ride in the mud – the last few days’ rain, while good for filling ponds, was hell on the Greenway.  The trail follows right a long the river, so anytime the banks swell at all, all the mud and muck washes over the path, then recedes, then we play slip-slidey through the puddles.  But it didn’t matter, cuz it was bright and sunny outside – even needed the sunglasses.  Because of the mud, we ended up doing a criterium at the Battlefield 6 0r 7 times around, then through the new section by the hospital. After that, we made an attempt at the new section under Old Fort Parkway, where we went about one mile before encountering a puddle I just didn’t want to take the new girl through – she’ll get trashed soon enough, and I just didn’t want all that muck in my chain.  Jesse tried to take a picture of me in the new ski-goggle attire, but we know the camera took a dive on the last ski trip, so, alas, no picture of me when he tried to take it with the malfunctioning equipment.

The ride was a bit slow because of the mud, but we got in about 30, then Jesse bailed and I transitioned to running  (Jesse said he would go eat chips and salsa and think of me while I did it).  The jog was a bit slow too – the new sneaks are FABULOUS too, so I’m just in pig heaven with all my new toys.  I headed out from Cannonsburgh again, toward General Bragg, did a turnaround and finished just short of 6 miles in an hour. 

What a great brick – sunshine, new bike, new shoes, and 81 days, 9 hours, 5 minutes, and 48 seconds to the race.  (Not that I’m obsessing over that little count-down thingy on the website www.ironman.co.nz to  see for yourself).  As always, everyday, life is so very very good.

Random shuffle (well, not exactly; I chose the new Rat Pack Christmas CD I just downloaded)  I’ve Got My Love To Keep Me Warm, Dean Martin.

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Whose idea was it to plan the heaviest training around the holidays??  Doesn’t Ironman New Zealand know this?

Middle Tennessee has also had some pretty brutal weather this past week.  Not a problem when you are strength training or swimming, problem when you are running and biking.  Layering up has become an art form, especially when you throw in a little rain.  Jesse has been skiing with Ben in Colorado and has taken the camera with him, so at this point there is no pictoral evidence of my new system:  when I cycle in the cold, I can get everything comfortable except my face and eyes, so…I have been wearing ski goggles.  Laugh if you will, honk if you pass me, I don’t care – I’m warm, I can see, and I don’t lose my speed to keep from getting too cold!  To help you picture it:  bike helmet, scarf around my neck, ski goggles, and a smile that comes with a great training effort!

The new bike is fantastic; I put it in the shop yesterday to have the computer and aerobars installed.  It is such a race car and I couldn’t be happier with it.  Now I have new running shoes and I can’t wait til Monday’s brick to try them out. 

Just learned that the camera was a casualty in a fall Jesses took on the slopes, so it may be a while before I can post pictures again.  I head out to Colorado on Saturday to have Christmas with the kids at Ben’s house, but I’ll keep up the training and blogging…we’re down to about 80 days til race day.

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This is me staying in good spirits over running and biking in the cold and rain for the last month, and next 3 months to come.

In spite of the slippin and slidin it was a good run – dogs were cavorting, iPod battery died so I just listened to Uga’s snorting and my sneaks squishsquashing. 

Had a great strength training session and 1000 yard swim on Monday.  My training schedule has suffered at the hand of my travel schedule, but it feels good to be back in the groove.  On the Ironman New Zealand website, there is a live-time countdown (to the second) that just won’t stop…helps the athletes plan the freakouts.

So no iPod, no favorite, but it was a great day to run in the cold mud!

Thanks for reading!