Life Happens!

Well hello there!  So the first part of 2015 was super busy and I planned to write a quarterly review … and now it’s June!!! How on earth did that happen???

Training is well under way, although the tri season definitely feels like it is off to a slow start because my first real race isn’t until July!  It was weird to miss Wildflower this year, and all of the local races, but since my main goal of Ironman Arizona isn’t until November, Coach doesn’t want me to burn out too soon! 

I’m back to the grind of Tuesday morning track session, pushing the pace on Coach Muddy’s Wednesday night bike rides, and getting more and more comfortable in my wetsuit with lots of open water swimming.  Everything seems to be progressing nicely…especially on the bike! I would never have imagined that I would be seeing the numbers that I am now, which is super encouraging.  The weather has finally turned hot enough to rock my super comfy Coeur Sports tri kits on my rides – I’ve already resigned myself to having a permanent sports bra tan from here on out. #stylishspeed

Get yours at www.coeursports.com!

I’ve done a few “training races” so far…one trail race, a St. Patty’s day race with my mom, a 12k across the Golden Gate.  It’s been fun to rack up some medals, although it has been very strange to actually hold back and just take the races easy.  Most recently I did the first race of the local Splash and Dash series – a 2 mile swim.  It’s my longest swim race…and I won my age group!  Most of the athletes stopped at 1 mile to do the “dash” part of the race, but I was pretty pleased with my time and feel like I’m right on track for where I want to be come November.

The hills were NO JOKE!! Great way to start off the year.

Go Greek 10k with my mom who WON her age group!

Nothing beats a sunny day in SF, running across the Golden Gate!

And for those of you who are still reading (and for posterity sake) here's a quick rundown of the first 5 months of 2015

January...THE COAST RIDE!

Photo Credit: Jen Baer

I'd heard about this ride for the past 2 years and finally got the OK from coach to join. It's 3 days of cycling from San Fran to Santa Barbara. We rode over 120 miles each day, and by mile 100 on day one, that was the furthest I had ever ridden. It was the most beautiful ride and hands down the most mentally challenging and rewarding experience of my life!  I did the ride with a group of Coach Muddy and Rising Tide athletes and bonded with these girls in a way that only happens when you are pushed to your limits!  The ride was followed up with a week long girls camp with Muddy and Sonja...can't wait for a repeat in 2016!

February---I got married!

February was an absolute whirlwind! Jay and I got married in a perfect winter wonderland in Lake Tahoe surrounded by our amazing family.  Then we jetted around the world for 18 days in Thailand!  We absolutely fell in love with the locals, the food, the culture and the scenery. We chose Thailand because it had a mix of culture, adventure, and relaxation and the country definitely didn't disappoint. 

Photo credit: Kari Addison Photography

Just a quick snapshot: wat (temple) hopping in Bangkok, overnight trains, hiking to waterfalls, cycling through rice paddies, kayaking and hiking through the mountains, feeding and bathing rescued elephants, swimming with bioluminescent plankton at night, cooking classes, rock climbing, Muay Thai classes, and drinking more Singha beers than I could count!!

We had a personal tour guide through the countryside of Chiang Mai, Tod.

So many Buddhas...such calm and peaceful settings at Wat Pho.

A day at the Elephant Nature Park made me fall even more in love with these creatures!

It was the most amazing trip...we cannot wait to return, next time in November for the Long Krathong festival.

March - May

After a very long off season, I came back from our honeymoon with a renewed spirit and was ready to get back into the swing of things training wise. Coach eased me back into a routine, starting me off on the treadmill for my first hint off speedwork in months. He also added another local girl to our training group, which has been fantastic. Having my two ladies to train and bond with has been a huge plus this year, and I look forward to our Wednesday night dinners every week.

May was a month of celebrations: a bachelorette and wedding celebrating one of my favorite couples, new babies in Colorado to honoring my Grandpa Ed’s life with family.  It was a pretty special month, and one of my last chances to really let loose before getting serious for the #roadtoironman and I’m thankful I was able to really spend time with the important people in my life.

So grateful for such a wonderful Grandfather.

So there we are! All caught up. The race agenda will be picking up in July with Vineman full aqua bike, then back to back 70.3's in September at Santa Cruz and Tahoe and rounding out the year at IMAZ!! It's only 5 months away and the time is flying by. See you back here after Vineman!