Cycling...ROCKS!

Welcome new followers!  Thank you for FOLLOWING, RUNNING to SANITY!  Sit back, relax and enjoy the craziness....and remember to say HELLO!  I love hearing from you all!

Can I tell you how HAPPY I am that I finally decided to go after triathlons? 

Thank you to everyone for your feedback on the training plans.  I was surprised that many of you create your own plan or just figure it all out without a specific plan.  I got a few emails from some of you and that was SO beneficial!  THANK YOU for taking the time to help a girl out.  The websites you suggested were very helpful.

Saturday I finished a 22-mile ride (first bike ride clipped in) with my dad and a 1-mile run.  It all went great!  The GOOD news is that I joined to club...the clip-in and fall off your BIKE club!  Are you a part of that club?  I was lucky though...I fell into the dirt...not the street!  I was more worried about my friends bike than I was myself.  It was a slow fall and very uneventful...can a fall be uneventful?  Maybe it was a BIG deal...either way I am fine and so is the bike!  Let's hope that's my only fall...but I doubt it!  Clipping in was way better than I thought and I can see how it can help your bike ride.  Clippin-in and out will take some getting used too.  If I didn't have to stop for cars and things...it would be a lot easier!  Oh and I almost got hit by a car!  Yah...very scary, but just like when you run...when you bike you have to make sure drivers see you!  Reminds me as a driver to pay attention more...so scary!

Heading out...Let's Do This!

Road bikes are fast!  I rode with my dad years ago after purchasing my hybrid bike and had no idea how people could cycle with a pace of 16 mph for a long period of time!  My dad rides a recumbent which is not a speed bike, but very comfortable.  With a road bike...you can move way faster than you can with a hybrid...I know that because I have lived it...yes...that was funny!  I felt like going fast and I did and I loved it! 

I miss this view!  I grew up with this every day! 
Lake Tapps is a man made lake so the water comes up in the summer
and goes down in the winter...it's partially down in this picture.



The route we rode was BEAUTIFUL.  Views of Mt. Rainer, red barns, cows and farms...I loved it!  Makes me miss living out there and having all of that in my back yard.  Its so weird to ride through neighborhoods where my childhood friends lived and I had sleepovers and birthday parties and seeing how it has all changed.  A lot of childhood memories!  Seems like so long ago!  We rode to Buckley and went to Wally's and had hot chocolate and an ice cream cone...that's what you do when you ride with my dad to Buckley and back...Can you see why I like riding with him?  After warming up it was time to go back into the freezing weather and head back.  The sky was clear but the temperature wasn't warm.  I so regretted no buying the full finger bike gloves the day before this ride!

Leaving Wally's!

The best part of the day was hanging out with my dad!  I love doing that.  For so long I haven't been able to join him on his adventures but now that the kids are getting older, I think we will be able to do it a lot more.  

I was glad to see that I had some speed and anxious to see what I can do when I keep up those speeds the entire way.  We ran a mile after the bike ride and I felt pretty good...the legs were fatigued but not as bad as I thought they would be.  Curious to see how the legs will be after a faster ride? 

Can't wait to get on the bike again!  I think I'm going to like LOVE cycling! 

Oh and I think I have finally found my bike...HERE Scott Contessa Speedster 15.

I will tell you a little more about how I picked it in another post! 

Have you fallen off your bike while clipped in?

What's the longest bike ride you have been on?

Do you prefer to swim, bike or run?

St. Patty's Day 5k!

Snow, Rain, Wind and FREEZING temperature did not take the fun out of our St. Patty's Day RUN!

We had so much fun.  I was excited to see Kerrie go after her PR that she had been working so hard for and to catch up with Kim from out of town.  I haven't seen Mel in ages and it's always great to see Zoe and cutie-patootie, Goober!  I also secretly hid our dear friend, Chelsea at my house so she could surprise everyone with her presence on race day...I'm such a giver.  I was happy to see Alma and  Tiffany too...who I have met but not spent much time with and they are a BLAST.  We have a great group of runners/bloggers around here...great group of ladies!



Julie, Carrie, Jayne, Mel and Chelsea

Liz (thanks to her hubby for the bib), Jamie, Julie and me



I did not actually plan to run this race...I probably have some commitment issues.  I knew I would go out to see everyone, but never actually registered for the race.  I was able to get one from a friend who's husband wasn't able to run...so I ran as a 34 year old male...that is tough age group to compete in!

Chelsea and I stayed up way late and enjoyed some wine, great race fuel...thanks Chelsea for that!  Woke up early so we would have plenty of time to put snow tires on go to Starbucks since I knew it would be a cold morning!  We decided to park at the transit center and take the Link Rail system into town so we wouldn't have to worry about parking. 

We were the first ones at the race and waited under the awnings of "Hal of a Sub"...I love saying that...makes me laugh!  People started showing up so the pictures began...oh yes!  We chatted...tried to stay warm!

Mel and I keeping each other warm!

Time to go race!  I didn't have any expectations for this 5k.  It would only be my 3rd 5k to run and I have not been running much so it was up to my legs, fate...and whatever else...maybe some luck of the IRISH?  The day before I had ran a very slow 4-miler...so who knew what would happen?

Freezing feet....did someone say BROOKS?

Mostly I just wanted to have a good time and try to enjoy the new course that had 1-mile hill at the end...I didn't think there would be any pot of GOLD at the end of that uphill rainbow?  I started running with Mel's sister Jayne who I have known since elementary school.  Always fun catching up with friends!  That's what RACE DAY is all about! 

I picked up my pace, turned my music on and let my legs take me as fast as I could.  I felt great and was enjoying my music, seeing my friends on the turn around and all the other runners. People watching at a race if fun, especially on themed race!  People are very creative...and a little scary at the same time!

Got to the final hill...at the place where we usually go downhill to the finish we had to climb...we were so close!  I was tired but pushed it until the finish line...and just like that a sweet PR happened!  Almost a minute...woohoo!  I love when I PR...especially when it wasn't expected!

Garmin Time: 27.58

Distance: 3.13

Pace: 8:56

If I had race under my name...I would have been 14/251!  Pays to pay for a race under your name! 

Me, Tiffany, Chelsea, Mel, Kerrie, Lolo, Zoe and Goober!

We all went to lunch and waited forever to get our food!  Oh well...more time to chat with friends and talk to friends who have done triathlons.  Seriously...you mention you have done a TRI...and watch out for a million questions!  Kim's husband was a great sport and I think I even convinced him to come race REV3 Portland with us!  Kim's coming out to support me anyways...why wouldn't he join in the fun?  We will see! 

Such a fun group of ladies!

Chelsea and I had a little photo session on the link...those probably need their own post!

This friend also like to use my phone to write status updates on my facebook like this one...

"My name is Jill and I am a dolphin!!"  She is funny!

Camera and us...funny things do happen!

With all that said!  Race days are a funny thing!  I never want to commit to them and I question why the heck I do them sometime, but then they end up being such GREAT days!  Seeing friends that I don't get to see too much, catching up, doing something that is FUN and doing it together!  There is always many laughs no matter what! 

Thanks ladies for making Saturday such a fun day! 

What RACE is up next? 
Will someone make sure to register me?

Training Plans...HELP!?!?!

So, whats up?  I need a training plan!  

I have 17.5 weeks until the Olympic which means it's time to jump into an official training schedule.  I need your help!  I have looked at some online, but they can be a bit confusing.  So I thought I would ask my trusty, bloggy friends who have been where I am right now.

What have you used?

What do you like?

I want to work on the Bike to Run a lot since that is the biggest struggle.  I feel like swimming with Masters twice a week is enough training for the swim portion, what do you think?  Biking and running is what I need to do more of.

I'm also running the RnR Seattle Half, 2-weeks before the Olympic...I feel like that should be fine.  Right?

I think a lot of my biking will be done on the trainer since we don't have a lot of great areas to bike where I live.  Hoping to bike some trails on the weekends, but during the week...it will be TRAINER time!

Would love feedback, tips, advice...any direction to a training plan would be very helpful!

Because PICTURES are always more fun!

Wordless Wednesday!

What have I been up too?  This...

Five Guys!  First Time...YUM

Start of our hike...

This is where I live!  

Gracie likes to sit....in the water!

Hiked down to the water...now time to go back up!

Test rode this...

and this!  

My step-mom called us late Friday night and offered to take the boys Saturday-Sunday!  Um, OK!  We always have plans when we have a sitter and have never had someone just take the boys overnight for the fun of it.  (oh the joys of the boys getting older, people take them for fun, not just because we need them too)  We didn't really know what to do with an open day!

We quickly figured it out...

Lunch at Five-Guys!  Yum...

Hiking down to Puget Sound!

Movie: Act of Valor...loved!

Relaxed at home for the night!  

WE made it work!  I love having time with hubby!

My dad was having his bike repaired and Monday we went and picked it up and I got to look at some bikes and take them for a ride!  I loved the look of the first one...why does color make a bike look so much cooler?  The first one looks more like a racing bike to me...I liked it!  They are basically the same bike, but a few minor differences.  His prices were great too which is significant!  Its been great looking at so many bikes and testing them out.  Can't wait to call one "Mine"...soon, soon!

I DID it...

Timing...it's a funny thing.  Last Friday after not working out two days due to scheduling conflicts with the kids I was thinking I have to register for a race!  Having something ahead of me always helps keep me FOCUSED. 

That afternoon I jumped onto Rev3 Portland site and at the eact same time a friend...who you probably know, texted me and said "I think I'm in for Rev3 Portland"...what...that's all I needed to push me over the edge.  So after some texts back and forth and getting excited...

I did it...

I registered for REV3 Portland Olympic Triathlon.

Had she wanted to do the Half Ironman...I would have done it.  I'm so excited to have someone to train with and to race with.  It's going to be a great time as we both get ready to journey to our first Olympic Triathlon.

Getting closer to purchasing a bike.  Visited another bike shop and test rode a Trek road bike and it was nice...the price was the best yet.  Wednesday I'm going to REI to check out some Scott road bikes since they just got their shipment in.  Can't wait to test them out and see what works.

I'm thrilled that my chiropractor loves triathlons and happened to have a road bike that he offered that I could borrow until I get my new bike!  Got it tuned up and just set it up on the trainer.  I finally got a bike sensor so I can see what I'm actually doing when I'm on the trainer.  That should be interesting...

Look what I did today...