Zliten is working a bunch of OT at work and they’re providing lunch and dinner.\u00a0 Sometimes, that’s good, and he can snag a semi-healthy (or at least not calorie offensive) sandwich or salad or something.\u00a0 Sometimes, it’s pizza or other nutritionally void stuff.\u00a0 So we decided to hit up my fit foods<\/a> and get some help to fill in the gaps.\u00a0 We decided we needed some help getting through the next few weeks with work and training and vacations, and one cannot live on Amy’s food alone.<\/p>\n It’s not cheap.\u00a0 The smaller meals are more reasonable, but being that we are training a butt ton, we went for the large sizes, which were about 10 bucks each.\u00a0 It’s about a restaurant meal cost, however, it’s a whole lot healthier so there’s that.<\/p>\n The verdict?\u00a0 Is good!\u00a0 We both got the Fit Nugget Nation – almond and flax coated chicken breast, cinnamon carrots, and broccoli.\u00a0 It came with a mustard sauce, but I replaced that with light ranch and franks red hot, and I toasted the chicken on a pan.\u00a0 Zliten loved it as is though.\u00a0 We also both got the chili, which I added olives and cilantro to, but it was really good as is (I just always have to add stuff).\u00a0 I got the Blazin’ Cajun Shrimp which was really good but light on the veggies and needed a little salt.<\/p>\n I expected them to be adequate, but they were actually GOOD.\u00a0 Some were better with additions, but for some quick and healthy meals it was perfect.<\/p>\n Veloway:<\/strong><\/p>\n This is my last weekend that is both in town and not racing before taper, so I wanted to make the most of it.\u00a0 Swimming is in the bag, I’ve been running a lot (and on tired legs and outside) and done a lot of trainer miles.\u00a0 However, I keep trying to remind myself that trainer != riding outside and that just because I can crank out 40 miles on a weekday and run the next morning (or 56 and then run right after) doesn’t mean as much out on the roads.\u00a0 I was feeling a little sheepish about my outside riding since it’s been a little, uh, lacking lately.\u00a0 Not bad, just absent (which is probably worse).\u00a0 The last time I rode outside was Jack’s Generic Tri 3 weeks ago. And looking at the training logs, I’m not entirely sure I rode outside before Couples’ Tri either.\u00a0 The last time I really remember riding outside was the epic hilly 30.\u00a0 I think that was in June.<\/p>\n I’ve been using the little time I can get outside when its not hot as balls to run.\u00a0 Which is good, because running on a treadmill is bad when you need to be heat trained and ready for hills, and biking on a trainer is much closer to biking outside, and bike workouts take longer to do and stoplights and traffic suck, yadda yadda.\u00a0 But considering going into this training, the bike was the leg I was most worried about, I just want to have one more check that I’m not in over my head.\u00a0 So 50 OUTDOOR miles went on the plan.<\/p>\n We were going to do Lake Pf, a bunch of laps around our normal 15-ish course, but Zliten still hasn’t taken his new clipless pedals out for a spin, and Pf does have some cross streets and scary stuff.\u00a0 So instead, we headed to Veloway, which is a 3 mile loop that is a little slice of heaven – no pedestrians, no cars, just rollerbladers and bikers.\u00a0 We’ve never been there because…well… it’s South and feels like it’s in another town and Pfluger is nice, but it was perfect for the day we wanted.<\/p>\n Now some people might go bonkers doing the same 3 miles over and over.\u00a0 Not me.\u00a0 I loved it.\u00a0 The first loop, I cursed and got my heart rate up a lot.\u00a0 There were a lot of twists and turns and my legs were fatigued and there was even a mini-carnage hill (a sharp turn right into a steep hill – just like the one from Rookie<\/a> and Couples<\/a>).\u00a0 I wasn’t ready for it, and I thought I was going to have to try to unclip and walk up, or just topple over, but I made it.<\/p>\n Usually a ride starts out rough while I warm up, and this was no exception.\u00a0 I was struggling to keep up with my 15 mph goal of the day.\u00a0 No bueno.\u00a0 I decided to eat something every loop.\u00a0 At first I felt like a big piggy but I think it worked out well.\u00a0 About 5-6 miles in it got good though – I was warmed up and feeling good and average pace was 15 on the dot.\u00a0 My goal through the whole ride was to stay at a pace that I could maintain through the ride.\u00a0 So far, 15 seemed to be it.\u00a0 I’ve been much better at maintaining a pace on the trainer but as I said, the trainer is not outside.<\/p>\n Miles 10-20 were uneventful and we stuck together. 20-30, I started feeling…great!\u00a0 Once I hit the halfway point I was just feeling joyful about being on the bike, the day was beautiful, not dealing with traffic, and just feeling awesome.\u00a0 The worst part of long rides are the first few miles (getting warmed up), and the second to last 10.\u00a0 You’re just far enough through it to be tired and over it, but not close enough to the end to be excited about it.<\/p>\n Not today.\u00a0 They were just as awesome.\u00a0 My only complaints were in the hoohah region, and a little bit of stiffness in my lower back, and that’s totally normal on a long ride.\u00a0 At 40, we ran out of water so we stopped and refilled.\u00a0 Let me tell you, trading lukewarm liquid for cold water was just AMAZING.\u00a0 However, the stop did make it hard to get going.\u00a0 I liked seeing 15 average (it had been there almost the entire time) so I told myself to buck up and speed up, and besides a brief dip to 14.9 on the garmin, we stayed directly in 15 territory.<\/p>\n The last few miles it became clear how HOT AS BALLS it was and I was definitely ready to be off the bike.\u00a0 I took one last hike up mini-carnage, one more trip up the zig zag hill, one more practicing cornering sesson down the the last twists and turns, and I hit 50 and unclipped and found a place in the shade to wait for Zliten.\u00a0 We stuck together for the first 42-ish, but I just couldn’t slow down and he just couldn’t speed up.\u00a0 Soon he was along and we packed up and went home.\u00a0 We ended the ride at 97 degrees.\u00a0 Deceptive how hot it had gotten – I figured it was just pushing 90.\u00a0 The plan was to run a mile after but considering how late and steamy it was, we skipped it.\u00a0 But I knew I could have run. 50.12 mile done – 3:20.\u00a0 Easy peasy. 15.0 mph average.<\/p>\n I really and truly feel like that was the last piece of the puzzle I need to feel ready for the 70.3.\u00a0 A couple more weeks of maintaining where I’m at + some with running ramping up into higher double digits, and then taper (glorious taper!).\u00a0 I’m in shock that 5 weeks from now, I’ll probably be extremely drunk on champagne and celebrating the completion of rocking a half ironman!<\/p>\n TL:DR?\u00a0 Confidence, I has it.<\/p>\n The Scale:<\/strong><\/p>\n I was worried about vacation taking it’s toll on my weight.\u00a0 I mean, there was definitely a lot of eating like an asshole.\u00a0 Plus, TOM and all that.\u00a0 I was certain it would be tragic, but I’m back down to 176.0.\u00a0 Awesome!\u00a0 Lots of training + good foods = back to normal quickly.\u00a0 Should the progress continue this month, I will be happy.\u00a0 My pants are also looser, which is a good thing.<\/p>\n The Schedule:<\/strong><\/p>\n Here’s the deets.<\/p>\n Last Week:<\/p>\n MONDAY: off This Week:<\/p>\n MONDAY: swim + weights …and then on Monday I have a little Olympic Triathlon to do. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n Time to finish watching Clueless (As IF! I totally paused…) and laundry.\u00a0 My life, it is terribly exciting.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.macromeme.com\/cat\/koala-marsupial.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.folkingmetal.com\/pickors\/bump-hippo.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\nTUESDAY: swim all the laps (but we had to share a lane so I only got 600m done)
\nWEDNESDAY: 5 mile run + weights
\nTHURSDAY: 10 mile run (8.7) + 15 mile trainer
\nFRIDAY: 3 mile run (4.3) AM
\nSATURDAY: 50 mile outdoor ride
\nSUNDAY: off.\u00a0 Was going to swim, but the AC broke and that was drama and wasn’t resolved until the pool closed.\u00a0 So the universe, or at least my house, wanted me to have a rest day.\u00a0 I can dig it.\u00a0 I’ll swim longer tomorrow.<\/p>\n
\nTUESDAY: 45 mile trainer + weights
\nWEDNESDAY: triple bricks (20 mile bike, 3 mile run) + weights
\nTHURSDAY: 10 mile run
\nFRIDAY: 1500m swim
\nSATURDAY: off
\nSUNDAY: 15 mins swim\/bike\/run w\/pickups<\/p>\n