The traincation.

Our anniversary getaway this year was a mix of pleasure and pain. We found ourselves relaxing one day at the pool (pleasure) while the next would consist of hammering out steep climbs on the bike (pain). It was sort of a training vacation "a traincation" as we called it, for both of us but we loved every minute of it. We are so thankful for grandparents who stayed with the kids so we could enjoy our time alone.

We drove to Las Vegas for the first night but made a little detour to drop all the bikes off at the Lake Mead house. I couldn't decide if I wanted to road or mountain bike so I ended up bringing both. From there we spent the next day and night in Las Vegas. We enjoyed a little pool time and took in a Beatles Love show as well.

After one night in Vegas (which is about all I can handle now) we moved on to the lake house. We spent the next few days mountain biking and road biking. I even had a chance to ride about 50 miles of the Silverman 70.3 course I will be racing in the fall. I'm not so sure it was a good idea though. I wasn't expecting the course to be a hilly as it was. I feel like a lot of time was spent climbing on the bike and I'm a pretty slow climber so that has me worried. All the expectations I had about beating my half Ironman time (from last year) have completely changed. Deep breath. It's a different course-a tougher course and at this point my goal is to cross the finish line.

To top off the trip we took a helicopter ride over Lake Mead and the Grand Canyon. One nice perk about the airline industry is being able to use other airlines for an extremely reduced rate. It was stand-by status so we were not sure if it was going to be possible but we waited patiently and we got the last seats on a helicopter ride. The views were incredible!

Happy 11th Anniversary to my husband! Thanks for a fun trip.


Have you ever taken a traincation? Where would you go?

Spin class tips

Taking a spin class is a great way for triathletes to train for the bike portion when they can't get outside and ride. It's also a great tool for those who don't yet have a bike and want to see of cycling is something they could be interested in. Don't let spin class intimidate you, go ahead and give it a try!

Here are some tips for the first timer:

Wear the correct gear 

I highly recommend wearing tight fitting shorts or Capri pants. You do not want any loose articles of clothing to get caught up in the pedals. Also make sure it's some kind of sweat wicking material because YES you will sweat. If you have a pair of cycling shoes bring them. Cycling shoes do make a difference in spin class. With your foot clipped-in to the pedal, your power and stroke greatly improve. A tennis shoe is generally too soft and can easily be slipped out of the pedals. Another benefit to wearing cycling shoes is the ability to pull up on the pedal and maximizing the use of the glutes and hamstrings, rather than just pushing down. If you do choose to wear tennis shoes try and pick your shoe with the stiffest sole and use the cages on the pedals.

Arrive early.

Let the instructor know you are new and he/she can help you set up your bike properly. The instructors are there to help and make you feel comfortable but nothing irks them more when they have to take time out of the 55 minute session to explain things to to you. So arrive at least 10 minutes ahead of the class.

Properly Fuel and hydrate.

In my spin classes we can burn about 600 calories and hour. Your body needs fuel to function. Therefore I recommend eating a healthy snack before class. More importantly is water so make certain you bring a FULL water bottle to class. You will sweat and you will get thirsty. It's also important to hydrate after the class. In addition to your daily water intake use the 40:40 rule, 40 ounces of water for 40 minutes of cycling.

Listen to your body.

Try and follow the cues the instructor is giving you but if you feel fatigued sit down and lighten the resistance but just keep pedaling. No one is watching you and nobody knows how hard of tension you have on your bike. It's your ride, you make what you want out of it. 

Go 3 times.

The first time I took a spin class I hated it and never wanted to return. But I purchased 3 classes and told myself to stick to those sessions and then make the decision to return (or not). I always tell my students to try the class 3 times. Even if they don't like me as an instructor, I encourage them to try other classes. By the third class you will know if you love it or hate it.

Most importantly relax, have fun and enjoy the music!

My crazy mixed up training schedule.

Mountain bike race.
Olympic distance triathlon.
Sprint triathlon.
Running relay.
Half Ironman triathlon.

Above are the races I have planned on my schedule this year. Needless to say I am all over the place with my training right now. I'll start to train on the mountain bike and then have guilty thoughts about neglecting my road bike. I'll start running for a few weeks and yet again feel bad for neglecting my swimming.

I feel like a crazy mixed up mess right now. But it's in a good way though. The good news is I am motivated to do it all, it's just that I can't decide what to do. Yes my motivation has come back since my Debbie Downer post and I am extremely happy about that. I'm excited to take on all these new challenges this year. I recently went way out of my comfort zone with mountain biking and I liked it! I got a little taste of what I am up against for the upcoming Whiskey Offroad in April and it leaves me wanting more. (Ok not more as is distance but ready to go back out there and give it another shot).

Perhaps that is all I needed: to get the shit scared out of me a little to break out of the fitness funk.

And so I did. That's me with the death grip below, the first time clipped-in to my mountain bike.

Hood to Coast Relay- Nuun Team

This week I received some exciting news about a sponsorship position I applied for.  Nuun  (the electrolyte drink tablets) was seeking 20 people to sponsor for an upcoming relay race this summer. The race is called Hood to Coast. It's a relay race of almost 200 miles beginning at Mount Hood, Oregon and ending in Seaside. The race is extremely popular and sells out rather quickly. It's considered "the mother of all relay races!"

What is a Relay Race?

I will run with 11 other teammates for about 30 hours. Yes day and night. Each runner is assigned 3 legs with the mileage of each leg ranging from 4 to 7 miles. I could be running while the sun is rising, I could be running at 3:00 am, I could be running on dirt or up a monstrous hill. It all just depends on what leg I am assigned. There is also a van that will follow the runners the entire course. That van is like your "base camp." I will eat, sleep and live in the van for those 2 days. 

source

I know I have lost some of you right about now and think this sounds crazy but from everyone who I have talked to about the race, they have said nothing but wonderful things. And being sponsored by Nuun isn't too shabby either, from what I hear they take very good care of their runners!

I am excited to fly up the day before the race and see the Nuun headquarters and take in a few sights. It's also a blogger's dream come true to meet other bloggers, some that I have been following for years! So be prepared for massive overload of Nuun HTC tweets, facebook posts and some blogging about it here and there. I am just so incredibly grateful to be given this opportunity and I want to share my #nuunlove with all.

For now I better go lace up those new running shoes and start breaking them in. I've been neglecting my running lately so I have got some work to do!

156 days and counting...

Last year's team: source

The finish: source

Spring Break

Spring Break came and went.

What a jam-packed week of crazy fun in beautiful San Diego!

Picture overload but a story is best told with photos right?

 We drove. 

 We picked. (picked lots of oranges from the grandparents' trees)!

 We juiced.

 We played. 

We Lego'd. 

 We stared. (at all the cool Legos)

We wanted. (to build these someday)

 We ate. (steps from the ocean)

 We laughed. (at some of the stuff at the famous Kobey's Swap Meet)

 We frolicked. (in the surf)

We cheered. (on Brian who was racing 400 miles on a mountain bike)

Paul and his brother Brian. Details on Brian's ride here

We raced. (Paul and I in the St Patrick's Day 10K)

What didn't we do?

Skinny Shamrock Shake

Just in time for St. Patrick's Day.

Here's a shake you won't feel guilty about having as a post workout treat.

Ingredients:

Handful of baby spinach (10 calories)

1 scoop of vanilla protein powder (70 calories)

1 small container of french vanilla greek yogurt (110 calories)

1 cup of vanilla almond milk (30 calories)

A few drops of peppermint extract. 

Ice

In a blender combine the spinach and the milk first. It will look like spinach "soup." Combine the remainder of the ingredients.

The shake will be naturally green from the spinach but if you'd like it greener add a drop of green food coloring.

Shake is approximately 220 calories. Less than half the calories of a McDonald's Shamrock Shake. Score!

Before you TRI

Are you thinking of doing a triathlon this year? Here are a list of things you should know before doing a triathlon

• Know what a transition area is. Hint: It's like your very own little locker room for all your gear. It's where you will spend your time after the swim and after the bike. YouTube can be your best friend when learning all about the art of triathlon transitions. I spent many hours early in my tri training watching and learning from YouTube videos. It can also be quite entertaining and educate you on what not to do during transitions. 

• Practice taking your wetsuit off when it's wet! A wet wetsuit is hard to get off sometimes. And know that TRIslide can be your best friend (except on tile don't spray it while standing on tile you will forever slip on it in your house). Don't forget to lube your ankles (and wrists if it has sleeves) really well, it makes it easier to remove your wetsuit after the swim.
  

• Get outside and ride an actual bike. Sure I am a huge advocate of taking indoor cycling classes and think they are a phenomenal training tool but alone they won't prepare you well enough for the bike portion of a triathlon. You must get a feel for the road, shifting, braking, turning and pedal speed. You also need to experience what it's like to spend hours on your own bike saddle, not the seat of spin bikes.
  
   

• No need to worry about what bike you will ride for your first tri. If you sign up for a sprint distance or even a mini sprint you will see beach cruisers, mountain bikes and road bikes out there. Trust me I see it all the time. I love seeing those types of bikes because it probably means it is the person's first triathlon and more power to them for getting out there and doing it!

• Know what gear you'll need for your first triathlon. This post will help you: Beginner Triathlon Checklist

• Practice brick workouts. Bricks are training sessions consisting of two or more disciplines during the same workout. For example a brick workout would be to bike for 45 minutes and follow it with a 20 minute run. The goal of a brick session is to simulate how your legs will feel during a race. 

• Latch on to a friend or relative who knows a lot about triathlons. Pick their brain constantly! Most triathletes are just dying to give you their advice. Take them up on it. Experienced triathletes are a wealth of free, useful information and no question is too crazy. Even: "do you pee on the bike?" Only if you are a pro. 
  

• Test out ALL new gear prior to the race. If you end up buying triathlon shorts or a top be sure and train a couple times in them. You never know how they might feel come race day. A good thing to remember is: if you buy it- try it.

• Know your bike. Bribe the hubby or someone who knows a thing about bikes to give you a quick lesson on bike maintenance. Practice changing a tire on your bike over and over and then practice it again! Know what to do if your chain falls off and how to put it back on. These things could be major race killers if you didn't know what to do. Yes you'll be flustered and spewing out F-bombs during the race but after a few seconds you can calm down and figure out what you need to do to get back up and riding. 
  

• Allow a decent amount of time to train for a triathlon. 12 weeks is generally enough time to fully prepare. Follow a training plan and stick to it. There are so many good free sprint training plans with a quick Google search. 

Most of all...HAVE FUN! 

I wear many (Headsweats) hats.

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You can probably tell that I love hats! I discovered Headsweats hats a few years ago and am so glad I did. They are the best running hats and visors in the industry. It's probably why all the big companies put their logo on them! It's also why I applied to become an ambassador for them since it was a product I was currently using and LOVED. To be honest even if they rejected my application, I still would wear their products.

I used to get headaches when I would run longer distances in a visor. Or I was constantly adjusting the velcro tab on the back of a visor so it would slip off or ride up. My favorite part about Headsweats visors is the soft stretchy band. No velcro to mess with!

Did you know they make casual hats too? Such as ball caps, beanies, and cycling skull caps (to keep your head warm under your helmet)? They also have a beanie with a pony tail hole!

Have you tried Headsweats hats? Here is a chance to get one. I'll send the winner of this contest the Ultra Reflective White Race Hat found: here Also if you enter and don't win you can still use my discount code: TRIMOM25 at any time to receive 25% off an order.

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Must reside in the US.
Must be over 18.
All entries will be verified.
Winner will be notified via email provided. If no response within 72 hours a new winner will be selected.


As part of my ambassadorship with Headsweats they sent me the hat for free to promote on my blog. All opinions are my own.