Trifecta

I had one of the best weekends of all time. I had no cheer competitions this weekend and I put myself first this weekend. Every other weekend has gone to the kids cheer events which I love contributing too, so don't get me wrong.

I stand by my decisions this year that again, triathlon is #3 in my priorities. #1 the kids, and #2 work. I believe you can do very well with 2 priorities, anything else is poo. So right now, triathlon is poo in regards to getting the workouts in. I'll do what I can to work towards my third Ironman finish, might not have the best time, but crossing the finish line is all that matters.

Last week was long, and as I stated self-coached. Good news is that in search for swim workouts from my swimming instructor, I also found someone to help me with my goals and coach me. Per my tri team contract, I am unable to publically or privately disclose another sponsor/vendor outside of my team. I love the team I am on, Poo, I have loved every team I have ever been on. It's about people right, every team has had the right folks and they all have motivated me. Jumping from my original team to new team was about convenience nothing more, nothing less. This jump provided me another group of dedicated athletes that push me. So again another win and with a team I love.

Ok so in reaching out to my swim coach for swim workouts, it came full circle that it made sense to have her hubby help with my run and bike workouts. So, get this, I have a coach, that will help me get to my CDA IM goals and the communication so far has been top notch.

So "Coach" gave me permission to ride with my old team 4 hours of f**** hills, Saddleback, Montreax, Montlake, & Zoo. My brain was polluted with the normal "I can't do this" but I plugged away and did it. Minor cramping at 3 hours, more water and was fine.

Dinner consisted of steak and wine with great friends and 1 NUUN as a cocktail to help with cramping. I took it right before dinner so I could enjoy steak and wine.

Sunday filled with driving, a birthday party, extra practice for the older child and guess what...time to get in a 90 min workout..... Somewhere around mile 7, I found what I have been missing for a long time. My "love of running". I have always loved running and somewhere my bike overtook these emotions and left my running on a parked bench. I have done nothing but cursed my run workouts and here in one f**** run, all my good feelings of running came back. Ran a little harder then I should have for the last two miles as my poor butt, thighs are aching...but good aches.

Trifecta..no not the swim. Taking a shower today, hogging all the hot water, my eldest came in. She told me she did all her core workouts that morning and needed my help for her last one. This is a studious girl who really has a runner frame, still gangly and has wanted nothing more than cheer season to be over. She stood before me and without being asked did what her coach asked of her so she could get better. I am sure, I'll get the "I want to quit someday" but for now, she wants to tumble more and she has added the spin in her flying. After 6 months of wondering if I was running myself to the ground and doing the right things...it turns out, I am. My girls are learning team work, and being part of the bigger picture, but wanting to be better;)

Now that is Trifecta...Here is to a great Tuesday!!!!!

Happy Friday

I thought this day would never come!

Dragging all week. Early night on Wednesday as toothpicks couldn't keep these eyes open.

Thursday, slept well, drank lots of water and crabby beyond belief. Hoping that this was like coffee, after a few days of getting back to normal sleeping habits, I can be back to my normal self. We'll see.

Late to my spin class but my instructor Cindy rocks! Let me spin for an hour and miss my TRX class. I was so happy!!!! I love Biking!!! Every intention to come home and get core in, but decided to live vicariously though the other TRX attendees. Off to get the kiddos from practice, home, and finish up those last few projects. Put computer down and rest my head on the couch...night, night. Dreams about my new bike....

Here we come Friday...need to be out of here shortly. Need to finish up Valentine cards for Kylie, eat b-fast, fix lunches, and get this party started.

Rockin Wednesday!

Week is flying bye...thank goodness!

Monday -

Able to get in a bike ride and only 5 minutes late to the start!! Love this ride: get to spin and only one section where it is so painful!!! Thank golly it's only for about 8 minutes.

Tuesday -

Oh...what a relief it is to just get my work done and not worry about any workouts! I met with my new nutritionist as have major cramping in legs, a bit tired and worn down and in full swing training of Ironman Training. I liked her, but man she must think I am nuts when we talked about sleep, nutrition, and my priorities. I am always on the go...never any rest. Focus for next two weeks...sleep in my bed and not on the couch and drink lots of water.

Met with chiropractor - Been seeing Gentry for 3 years and he is fantastic!! He is a triathlete as well. He knows I am coming in to see him, because it's always after swimming. He knows I suck at it and always injure myself....he had a jolly of a good laugh at this. All fixed up and told me to make sure I don't over rotate my arm...causing injury.

Working late....and off to bed at 11:30.

Wednesday -
Up at 4:15, only hit the snooze 4 times. At the gym at 4:30, able to get 30 minutes of drills. 150 WU, 100 Sculls(sp?), 100 fist, 150 CU, 100 kick 6-1, 100 kick 6-3, 150 CD, and 100 backstroke. Easy on the right arm.

On the treadmill at 6 sharp and put in 30 minutes and watched good ol' Greys Anatomy. My treadmill blows. Stuck on 1.5 incline and creaks. But am seeing progress. 3.5 level which equates to 17 min miles. Did 5 min of walk/run and 25 of pure running. OMG...finally. Now remember my treadmill is not like the standard treadmill so I am sure if I was on a normal gym one, I would be 13 min miles and probably around 5-5.2.

Out the door with the kiddos at 7:55...record here. Before I start my wonderful day...logging my activities which will make this day even better!!!!

Now off to make my work life just as productive. Happy Wednesday!

Super Bowl Sunday

Oiy!!!

So today is the best day and one of my worst days I have had!!

So officially self-coaching starting today...

I give this part 4 Stars, possibly 5 Stars. I am probably a coach's worst nightmare. Triathlon training is my 3rd love, not my first nor second, and a distant 3rd to be honest. I agree with my friend Andrea, you could do 2 things well, but at three it's mediocre. I fit workouts wherever I can..some weeks 4 hours, some weeks 15 hours...whenever and wherever I can fit these in.

Ironman training...It's intense at times and trying to find the time to get my workouts in with all the other priorities I have going on, blimy crazy. Kids have their sport which requires 2 days a week of practice, and pretty much every other weekend its competitions, which runs like swim meets. They soak up the whole day. If that isn't enough, I work full time and the work I am doing hits right there..."like a start-up company". Oh...and throw that I am a single parent, I get to do everything. Gotta love it!!

So I have been cranky, really cranky today. Sort of a short pity party on why I can't seem to pull the ol head out of the ass and get IM CDA training underway.

I guess all my thinking I came up with this. I have my priorities right where they need to be. I have my head on straight. I put my kids first and that's exactly how it's supposed to be. There part of a team, they work hard, and are making more friends. They are doing well very well in school, so big win! Now...they could do less with the cranky mom, and that part I can fix.

So back to the best day....

In 5 short months, I'll be at CDA working toward my 3rd Ironman finish. I might have the same time, but I have a feeling that I might be able to pull a better time, with some minor tweaking of the schedule, of course.

Step 1: Get back to drinking lots and lots of water with at least 6 hours of sleep. This takes care of my crankiness.

Step 2: I need to develop a better relationship with the water. Don't know how yet, but will come up with something this week to get more motivated. Biking, no issues here in fact I love biking, can't get enough. Running, lost that lovin' feeling and thinking I may just need to take my friends advice and run more shorter runs for a bit. Just maybe when I am running well, I'll find my way back to my first love!!!

So with that, off to make dinner for the kiddos. One isn't feeling well so will get her some medicine along with some soup. Jump on the treadmill for at least an hour (yep, that will be a long run). Do a couple hours of work and off to bed. Hoping to celebrate the night with some vino,....”go packers go”, this would make the ultimate night.

Saturday Market has Snow Cones!!! What are we waiting for:)

Meet the family dog "Cooper" he is our fearless canine and the family coudn't live without him!!




Two weeks ago we went to the Saturday Market and we discovered the "Jail Cell".....each girl had to experience it.

What happens when each kid has it's own snow cone??? Lots of fun!!!!

Koralee trying to compete with Kylie in having the darkest tongue...one flavor doesn't cut it.....Next Time:)

Kylie had something with the name blood, mixed with two other dark flavors and what do you have?

Bye for Now!!

2010 CDA Ironman

Pre-Race:
I rented a house with my friend Su and I arrived Tuesday afternoon. Gorgeous weather and water conditions were present. Weather temps continue to fluctuate every couple of hours for our 5 day weather report. Moved bike and runs to hottest parts of days.

Saturday winds caused white caps. I swam, but I have to admit I was terrified.

Race Day:
Alarm didn’t go off, but roomy woke me up at 4AM. I packed the belly with toast and jelly, bagel with peanut butter, decaf coffee, and 20 oz of water. I walk to the race start around 5AM and see the V02 gang, Gerry, Kyla, Kristen, Sue, Mary, Chris and Lee Ann.

I head to the swim start to get my spot and positioned myself right inside the buoy lines. Race begins and I let everyone go ahead of me. I had the best first lap with no one bumping, pushing or swimming over me. My second loop proved to be much more of a challenge. I had the same experience except on the red turn buoys where I couldn’t get into any rhythm. I am a right side breather and every time I came for air, I was hit with waves and drank and choked on water. I panicked a bit as I didn’t want anyone touching me. It seemed like eternity to get around these buoys and I had to remind myself the swim would be over soon. I finally managed to get around the buoys and head to the beach.

If there was any event I could PR in, it would have been the swim, as I had been working on gaining more confidence in the water. After some timed swims with the same distance, I thought I could gain 5 minutes. Due to the windy conditions, I was slower by 7 minutes. Oh well….I survived, and was greeted by Ben and Cindy.

Swim Time: 1:56:51
I received support from an awesome volunteer who basically dressed me. She helped me get my shirt, socks and shoes on. She also gave me water to sip on. I stopped at the sunscreen area to get sun tan lotion from Dana and Marne, greeted by more VO2!! Thanks you guys. Off to the bike, fun times.

T1: 7:30

Bike:
I trained only with heart rate, so I yanked the Power Meter off to lose the extra weight. The speed sensor on my Polar wasn’t catching even after multiple attempts, and I was afraid that I might get my fingers in the spokes, so I quit trying. So, I told myself to just ride as I still had heart rate numbers. The heat was unbearable and my stomach wasn’t feeling well. I imagine all that lake water that filled my tummy wasn’t meshing with my nutrition. While climbing English Point Hill, I made a comment on how terrible the weather was. WHAT the Hell??!!!??? I had to remind myself that it was a gorgeous day and then I thanked God for my healthy body. I also thanked every supporter from here on out. My stomach was getting worse, but I kept with my plan and kept within my heart rate zones.

I missed the bathroom on Hudlow, which sucked, because nothing is worse than feeling ill and having to go potty. Linsey passed me and then I panicked thinking I might be in the potty when Bree came whizzing by, as I badly wanted to see her. Well there are no other stops at future aid stations, unless you count the ones on the opposite side which are tricky to get too. So no Bree, no potty, and no ‘ANDY’, I missed him by 30 minutes.

I pedaled fast and decided to hit the potty on Coeur d’Alene Lake Drive. My first loop was 3:35 minutes.

My stomach felt like sour stomach, and hurt to the touch. I continued drinking water but stopped drinking any nutrition at this point. There was no point, my system was not absorbing it. I had one and only one Rolaid with me, and I took it. I took the others the few days before since my Gatorade was killing my stomach.

I stopped at the first porta potty on CDA Lake drive. As I got back on my bike, my quad cramped. I noted it and kept moving. In trying to hold the vomit down, I vomited in my mouth along Kathleen Street, which I quickly spit out and then rinsed my mouth with tons of water and continued biking. As I come up Lakeview, I had another cramp in my hamstring hit. I had written in my plan that if cramping occurred to take 2 salt tablets every 30 minutes instead of every hour. I would have to get out of my seat for all hills to avoid any further cramping. I also began taking my nutrition at this point. I was taking one bottle of water at every other aid station, so I know I am dehydrated. Total nutrition taken was 4.5 hours = 1125 calories. All in all, my stomach has settled and I begin to feel better. Two additional rest stops with my final stop at Hudlow, so I don’t get stuck in T2 at the potty line. I keep the hr down on the hills but picked up speed everywhere else to finish strong. Two years ago, I finished at 7:10 with no rest stops.

Bike Time: 7:22:06
1 (34 miles – 2:09:46 15.72 mph)
2 (56 miles – 3:44:57 14.94 mph)
3 (22 miles – 1:27:23 15.29 mph)

T2: 3:53
Grab GU, shoes and head out. Get more sun tan lotion, say hi to Daniel and out I go on my run.

Run:
Oiy, the run is hot. I feel like I am going to pass out so I remind myself how crucial it is to take nutrition. Also to keep my feelings of passing out to myself so I am not hauled off the run as I remind myself that I have just completed the bike and swim. I decide to do 2 salt tables and 1 GU on the hour. Race plan says Gatorade and water, alternating each aid station. I decide to change to Coke since Gatorade hasn’t been settling well. Ice chips are mandatory at every aid station. The heat is killing me and I feel like I have motion sickness. I decide to put ice chips in the front of my shirt. Now I sound like a piggy bank for 3 flipping miles. I decide to wedge ice chips in my headsweat hat, however this is giving me brain freeze. So I decide to chew and suck on ice chips at each station for the remainder of the run. Race strategy is to run to each station and walk the length of the aid station. The run is proving difficult and I am negotiating with myself to stick to my plan. I am thankful for the V02 folks, but I really need my family. I decide that Koralee my eldest is handing me coke and Kylie is handing me water. I imagine they are at each aid station. This is what keeps me going for 26.2 miles. My feet are also killing me, and they feel like they are a half size to small. My feet size fluctuates with weight, so all that salt can’t be good, especially since I am not a sweater. More internal bargaining about walking but I don’t give in. I pray for darkness for some wind to come…

I am excited to see Kyla on the run and tell her to finish strong as I think this is her last lap. I see Leann, Chris, Mary and Sue. I don’t see my roomy, but figure I must have missed her on the first lap. I pass the VO2 folks, yeah!!! I am still feeling light headed, but I push through it for my second loop. My watch has stopped working and the time is going backwards. I try to calculate in my head what I am running, but I can’t add 2+2, so I decide to run. I see Leann again and yell, ‘looking good’. A little later I see Kyla and tell her she looks good. I know something has happened as Kyla is a strong, strong, strong runner. I see Mary, and Sue and I continue running. A half mile before the finish line, the friend of the girl behind me tells her that we are precisely .5 miles from the finish. She says the time is 10:00pm. At this point, I realize that this is the same time I came in 2 years ago and proceed to run faster. I see the V02 gang and give them a thumbs up. I keep running and catch up to the two folks ahead of me and I tell myself to wait for it…wait for it…”so and so, and Jennifer Steinbuch…you are an ironman”. Just what I wanted to hear. I high five everyone on the left hand bleachers and give my finest and biggest smile for my photo. I am elated and excited and glad it’s over, it’s been a long, long day. I am taken by the catchers for another finisher photo and give them a picture to remember. I PR my run by 11 minutes.

Run: 5:38:39
.9 mile = 11.24
6.57 miles = 12:53
6.53 miles = 13.22
7.75 miles = 11.25
4.45 miles = 15.14
Total Time: 15:08:57

Overall Finish: 1759/2096

Division Place: 93/127

I want to thank my family, my mom and my two kids for always being there for me and allowing me to use Saturdays for bike rides. I love you so much and am so glad you will be with me next year!!! I want to thank my friends for always believing in me that I could do this a second time with only 6 months of training under my belt. I want to thank Cindy and Ben for their support as I recall I saw them multiple times in the day and they always were cheering me on. I thank the VO2 gang, Dana, Marne, Kirk, Gerry, Daniel for cheering me on..when I so badly needed the support. I thank Cindy (Su’s friend) for taking all my gear home so I don’t have to worry about it after the race and Su, I thank you for getting me to sign up both this year and next year. Most of all, I thank the CDA supporters who kept cheering me on, until the very end.

Last day of School for the kiddos

I had a great day today.

Kids had a half day of school. It was their last day today. I officially have a third and first grader on my hands. They were all smiles today...

Jumped on FB around 7pm to check what all my friends were up to....surfed the net, checked out the IM site. The countdown clock lists 10 days until my event. Woohoo!!! Almost there. Cant wait to see what the day brings.

9:33 PM...and I am still awake. Off to bed, so I can give the pooch an early run. Pooch is not the donut wrapped around my belly, but the canine..Cooper:0)