Rain {freezing rain}, go away.

it is a rare occasion we are all home together. but yesterday thats just what we found.  and it was supposed to be mid 40's.  that is almost a heat wave after the negative and single digit temps we have been {barely} tolerating.  however, when we woke up we were welcomed by a downpour of freezing rain, and a thick sheet of ice. we scrapped our plans for any time outdoors, and took B bowling.

we went a few weeks back for a birthday party, and b loved it.  i wanted to take him again on a day where it wasn't as crowded and we weren't rushed for time.  and today was the winner.

we played two games, with brody beating me both times. 

i'm pretty sure i was the one that needed the bumpers.

after bowling we spent a short time in the arcade.   car racing and a motorcycle riding. such boys. 

however, we earned just enough tickets for a fancy pair of teeth! 

what have you been doing to keep from going stir crazy in this winter weather?!

{fifteen}

i am coming up to some of the more challenging distances in my marathon training.  and coupling that with this cold, snowy winter we are having, marathon training for a spring race is proving to be much more difficult than i had anticipated. 

thursday, the high was anticipated to be 45*. with that kind of forecast, i certainly wasn't spending that kind of miles on a treadmill. i drove out to a local park {not really that local, as it was almost a 40 min drive} assuming the path would be plowed.  i was wrong. 

but i trudged out anyway. it was warm {ish} and even snow covered, it was better than a treadmill.

the long loop around the park is 5.5 miles. i made two full loops, and then added the small loop to finish my total distance.

that is the lake behind me, after loop # 2. 

by the end of the run, the path had turned into a slushy, melty mess. my socks and shoes were soaked, and i couldn't wait to get them off and get into some dry clothes. 

the after photo really doesn't do justice to how soggy it really was.  but... i did it. 15 miles. 

this weeks weather is supposed to be significantly more tolerable. let's hope so! 

runs this week are scheduled as 4, 7, 4 and 13.  

Linking up with Ashley, at the domestic wannabe for Move it Monday!

{swim.bike.run} recap

i did it. i completed the indoor triathlon!

about 12 weeks ago, my hubby expressed interest in participating in this indoor triathlon.  i am not a very good swimmer {at all}, and was in the midst of marathon training.  but i saw it as a great opportunity to add in some cross training, and i was happy to see my hubby motivated to get moving!

immediately after finishing!

we choose to participate in the long course:

 a 750 meter swim, an 18 mile bike {on a spin bike} and a 5 mile {treadmill} run.  

i spent the last 10 weeks {with the exception of the last 2.5 weeks while i was so sick} completing both  my marathon training, along with 2 swims a week.  i started out struggling with the swimming. i have never been a swimmer, and don't really feel like i know what i am doing.  also?... i don't know why it is so much harder to swim a few laps than it is to go out on a 10 mile run.  it is exhausting.  and doesn't make sense.  but, one day… it just all came together, and i was able to swim the full 750 meters without stopping.  i always knew the run wouldn't be a problem, but i didn't ever do much in the way of biking.  one, maybe two spin classes and a leisure stationary bike ride.  my philosophy was to just survive the bike and move on to the run.  i had some minimal goals here. they timed transitions, but without a tri-suit, i planned on changing into running clothes post swim. so, my total time wasn't too concerning.

the swim:

 i knew i had been able to swim the 750m at the gym in 18 minutes, so my goal for the swim was <18 min.  my official swim time was 16:37. i was the last one out of the pool in my heat {only by 15 seconds}, but i still came in significantly under my goal. 

the bike:

the small amount of training i had been doing, i had been having a little bit of discomfort in my right IT band.  my only goal during the bike was to not hurt myself, and to still be comfortable enough to push myself during my run.  let me just say…riding a stationary bike is BORING. 18 miles is even more boring.  i completed it in 48:37.  i saved the last few episodes of parenthood on netflix for race day, and pedaled away watching.  i could have pushed a little harder than i did, but… i didn't.   can't change it now.

the run:

this is the part i was looking forward too.  again, while the treadmill isn't my favorite thing to run on, i knew that i could complete this in at least 50 minutes.  i hopped on, set my speed for 6 mph, and zoned out watching my show.  i ended up increasing my speed during the last few miles, to between 7.0-7.5mph, finishing with a run time of 44:24.  

while i didn't set a time goal for myself, i sorta had some things in mind.  i wanted to complete it in less than 2 hours, and i didn't want to be last.  mission accomplished.  final time, including transitions 1:54:44, and finished 8th out of 12 women in my age category.  not too shabby, huh?!

hubby did amazing as well.  he was secretly hoping for a 1:45 finish, and ended up a finish time of 1:34:11.  i'm so proud of him!

linking up with ashley, for move it monday!