The Rundown – Countdown To Cuba!

In less than two weeks I will be going to a country I have heard about all my life but was never sure I would see. I will be able to witness the world my father was born into and watch as he sees it for the first time in over 50 years. I will have the privilege of racing a triathlon in his homeland, with my family on the sidelines.This whole adventure is certain to be surreal to all of us on some level. I feel ready for the race but, not so ready for the emotional roller coaster we will all surely be on. It is certain to be a trip we will never forget…at least those of us over the age of 8.

Let the countdown to Cuba begin!

WEEK OF FEBRUARY 6, 2017

RUNNING

Sadly, all my runs this past week were done on the treadmill. It wasn’t the weather that kept me on it for all of them, but being able to control pacing and incline. Plus, since the weather in Cuba will be about 60 degrees warmer than here, I need to try and emulate those conditions as much as possible.

This workout was super tough but I felt so accomplished afterward. I also had Brittany Bitch to help me out:

The rest of the week I was basically snowed in and trying to meet all my work and fitness deadlines while the kids had no school and delays. Fun is.

Monday – Ladder speed work (above) | 56 min | 7.76 miles

Thursday – Hilly tempo | 42 min | 5.28 miles

Sunday – Aerobic build | 50 min | 7.5 miles

Total = 20.54

CYCLING

I cannot tell you how much I miss cycling in Kona or even just outside! It’s like letting a dog out for a week and then putting it back in it’s cage. Yes, I just compared myself to a dog.

I’m continuing to listen to my motivational audible books and currently still learning from the lessons in The Mindful Athlete. Ok so I also watched one episode of Homeland because I had to catch-up to my husband.

Sunday – 3 x 8 threshold | 50 minutes | 13.5 miles

Wednesday – Tempo ride before strength training | 55 min | 14.3 miles

Friday – Intensive power ride | 1 hour | 16.2 miles

Total = 44 miles

SWIMMING

My coach wrote this comment for my first workout of the week, “I like what I’m seeing!” I could cry. I’ve felt great in the water (despite a head cold) all week and I’m hoping all this work will translate into a good, strong swim in Havana.

Also, ICYMI on my Facebook page some thing were lost in the Spanish to English translation in the athlete’s guide I was emailed:

It led to some great comments, as you can imagine. Luckily neither my brother or my father are on Facebook!

Tuesday – 100s and 25s | 2,400 yards | 36 minutes

Friday – recovery swim | 2,100 yards | 30 minutes

Total = 4,500 yards

GEAR

XX2i Optics are the official eyewear for USATriathlon and, when they reached out to me to try out a few pair, I couldn’t say yes fast enough. When I first started running I never wore sunglasses. As I grew older and wiser (and needed them on the bike) I wore them pretty much all year long. The problem was I never seemed to have a pair that fit and looked right for both the bike and the run.

Problem solved with the France2 Crystal Green Flash Lenses with Green Tips. Bonus: they come with a strap and interchangeable “tips” so you can match your outfit since, that’s important.

I even got a second pair for those few times I’m not running or biking. It’s basically 3 hours per week but still.

The Bahamas1 Matte Tortoise with Polar Brown Lenses almost made me happy to be home from Hawaii. Almost.

I’ll be doing a full review on these after I put them to the ultimate test with the Cuban sun and during the triathlon. Try to contain your excitement.

The Rundown is counting down to the #HavanaTriathlon in #Cuba! Check it out!
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THINGS I LOVE

Tracking my blood with InsideTracker! Yep, it was time for me to test once again and this time, get a baseline while I’m still kind of in “offseason” mode. I know there are a lot of skeptics out there but, I have to say, after being one of them I have completely changed my mind and really believe in the information this testing provides for athletes.

I’ll be reviewing my results next week so stay tuned for how my body is handling current stresses and how I can improve from now until nationals in August.

THINGS I DON’T LOVE AS MUCH

Thieves.

I accidentally left behind my make-up bag, filled with newly purchased Mac make-up, in the locker room of the YMCA right before we left for Hawaii. I didn’t notice it was missing until the following day when I literally yelled “NO NO NO NO SHIT NO!” because I knew it was probably gone for good. And it was. And I had to rush out and buy all new make-up while furiously texting my SIL (aka my make-up guru), who said “that is my worst nightmare.” #Truth

There is about 1% of the population in my town who could wear my color make-up and, who shares make-up with a stranger? You are gross. Shame on you. I hope you broke out in hives.

READING

Take a moment people and read:

8 Ideas Running Should Steal from Other Sports | Runnersworld.com | Ted Spiker

Ideas include a pit crew, rate of difficulty, relief runners and a penalty box. I chose pit crew with rate of difficulty as a close second. How about you?

Shoker! Rediculous chocker Trump attaks and dishoners English with ever-dummer spellings | The Washington Post | Dana Milbank

An opinion piece that hits home on so many levels but, mostly because I write for a living and take butchering of the English language personally.

This is the least of it:

“Again and again, Trump loosed his way. Ridiculous became “rediculous,” Phoenix became “Phoneix” (a felicitous phonics failure), and many paid attention when Trump proclaimed that he was not “bought and payed for.”

Trump let the sun set on basketball’s Bobby Knight, knighting him “Bobby Night.” And he put Barack Obama into military housing with an extra “r,” turning the then-president into Barrack.”