more milestones and a brick.

By saturday I'll pass 150 miles cycled. That is almost halfway to my mileage I rode last year and a good chunk of the way towards my max mileage for a summer. My mileage typically tops out around 400-500 miles each summer. I may actually blow that number out of the water this year. I can't remember the last time I felt this good.

My run numbers are well beyond anything I've put in previously. I have gone 11.75 miles on the jog/walk. That is far and away my best YEAR (since sometime around like middle school.)

My swimming is coming along. Considering that I was a sprinter in high school, converting completely to distance has been a chore and I guess I have made the conversion. I can hop in the pool and warm up and drop a half mile swim without really thinking about it. Did I really just type that. WOW!! When I first started this triathlon journey in 2008, I couldn't swim further than 50 yards without being totally gassed and winded. I've since learned how to do so many things and do them and keep going.

Now for a huge celebration for me. I have always hated to run (since I came back to running) it typically takes me 2 days to recover from any jog/walk/run because my calves hurt and it killed me to walk for several days after any race or training. Lately, I've been training and getting back out the next day and not hurting. Walking just fine. To help myself with that, I've recently added calf sleeves. It has helped even more. I wore them last night during my brick.

So my brick. I broke out the aero bars last night. I wanted to try them out, haven't had them on in 2 years and with the race in just nine days I needed to see if I was more comfortable in the aero bars or the drops. I don't know how hard the wind was blowing last night, but I tried both and was far more comfortable in the drops. I can't predict the weather going into the race and that includes the wind. I have to be sure that I am race ready going in. For the brick, I went out hard and fast... too hard and too fast. But it was good to do that and find my race pace. I need to go out around 12-13 mph and just keep ramping up the effort level. The good news is that even with the effort level I was putting out last night, against the wind, my calves didn't cramp on the bike and they normally do. During my last tri, I was 6 miles in and had to back off my pace because I was cramping out. It sucked, but I also knew I was laying it all out there. I was laying it all out last night and didn't twinge until I hit the jog part of the brick. I also hydrated too much on the bike, but I was fighting something fierce against the wind and pulling hard, so once again, learn from last night and use it in the race.

okay, so the countdown begins. race is in 9 days. At this point, if I'm not ready, I'm toast. I know I haven't been able to swim like I want to. I also know that individually I can go out and do all three events. There is not a doubt in my mind that I can go out and do all three events at once. I don't go out to compete for a podium position, I go out for me. I am out there to be healthy, and to be a role model for my little girl.