Movies and Quinoa, Hammering and Holding

I set a PR for movies watched on my bike in a single month in March (12 movies + 2 full seasons of TV shows). My biking volume always picks up in March but the temperature remained cold and the snow kept falling so I didn't ride outside once the entire month. I didn't even consider it actually and I am already 4 movies into April but I did FINALLY get out for a 2 hour ride on Sunday, my first of the season. AND then I woke up to an April 11 blizzard! Good thing I love my trainer as much as I like riding outside. This was a great year to upgrade to a new jumbo flat screen TV and some sweet ghetto beat wireless Dr. Dre looking headphones that block out the noise of my bike and make it easier to hear to hear the TV, they have gotten tons of use!


March Trainer Movies & Shows:
The Other Woman
Everybody's Fine
It's Kind Of A Funny Story
The Best & The Brightest
Reign Over Me
The Tourist
The Company Men
The Devil Wears Prada
A movie that was in French and I had to read captions the whole time but I ended up crying at the end
A British documentary I forgot the name of
Greenberg
I Could Never Be Your Woman
All of season 1 of Parenthood
All of season 1 of Girls


My fave March Training Tuens:
Macklemore - Can't Hold Us
Nelly - Cruise
Icona Pop - I love it
Fall Out Boy - Light Em Up


I did my first local running race of the year on March 24, an 8K in St. Paul. Last year I did this race as well but they changed both the course and the name for 2013. It has been since late July that I have raced anything but long course so I was really interested to see where my run was at for a short race after doing an Ironman in Sept, getting the sickest I have ever been in my whole life for almost all of Jan, and then a (less than) medium dazzle marathon the first weekend of Feb. I'm really happy with all the training I have put in since mid Feb, am ready to beat myself up into short course shape for another month, and am feeling excited about the upcoming season. Mentally I have been in runner mode and ran over 50 miles each week of March but things are pretty balanced between all three sports. My training has been a lot different than last year in hopes of taking things to the "next level" so I am anxious to get racing and see it all unfold. Last year I was mentally in swimmer mode all winter long, this year is way different.


Anyway, I ran 31:24 at the 8K, a 1:01 PR, about :13 faster per mile than 2012. The course was certified but I am not sure if it was harder, easier or about the same as before, I will take the PR though. It was almost 50 degrees colder than last year but I still wore shorts and a tank. After running outside all winter it didn't feel cold to me. There were a couple snow flurries while we raced and one slow slippery corner but it was nice running weather and a really fun race to do with my training partner Sadie and a couple co-workers. I am planning on doing 2 or 3 more running races before the duathlon season starts to test my fitness.

These are the rest of the races I am planning on doing this year, I will be racing everything from the 1 mile road race to the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii.

Fred Kruz 10 Mile - if the snow is gone, otherwise long training run
Get In Gear 10K
TC 1 Mile
Oakdale Du
Gear West Du
Apple Du
Pigman Sprint
Trinona
Waconia Triathlon
Racine 70.3 - I think half my Masters is going, so excited!
Chisago
Pigman Long Course
Wausau Half Marathon
City Of Lakes 25K
Ironman (Kona)


I am also planning a trip to CA in late July into early Aug to visit my sister in Oakland.


Longest MPW running for March = 65.88

I can't get enough quinoa this month! I have been eating it for breakfast (similar to how I eat oatmeal but quinoa subbed for oatmeal). Lunch I have it leftover from the night before in a salad or take it to work in a wrap with fresh veggies and hummus and then all different ways hot and cold for dinner. Yum!

It feels like I am in a hammering and holding pattern right now, hammering myself with training and holding off waiting for the snow to melt and the races to start. So I will continue to hammer and hold on for the rest of April.


I LOVE this quote so much, it reminds me of my sister!

“You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have." -Anonymous

February Disappointment and Despair

February is already over, I can't believe it is March! I started out the month of Feb with a VERY VERY disappointing 3:28 marathon in FL that turned into a training day. In the month leading up to the race I ignored many red flags and I did the race anyway. I am a very optimistic person and kept thinking everything would be fine but it wasn't. I am not surprised with my time at all just VERY VERY disappointed because I know that I can run much faster and I will, this just was not the time or the place. On a positive note, even though my time was a major bummer I did accomplish the one goal I needed to at this race which was a Boston qualifying time for 2014. Three of my training partners and I are planning to head to Boston next April and I can't wait to have a girls' trip and run the streets of Boston with these three fun and talented women. My sister and her in-laws were all over the 2 loop marathon course so it was really fun to see them so many times during the race which was in their home town so they knew tons of places to spectate and were also waiting at the finish line. The weather was also ideal, everything was perfect except for my performance.

 Luckily I am too busy working and preparing for bigger goals in the 2013 season to look back and dwell on a pre-season bad race. I am okay with disappointments and failure and not afraid to continue to set big public goals for myself. After almost 2 decades of softball it seems strange to be in a sport where you don't fail repetitively. The best softball players fail 7 out of 10 times that they step up to the plate. One time in college I gave up three home runs in the same game to the SAME girl! Needless to say, I am more motivated than ever and nothing motivates me more than underachieving. I won't be running another marathon until Kona so I am anxious, hungry and will be properly prepared to run well there off the bike and am most looking forward to the marathon in Kona. A valuable lesson that I want to take away from this marathon is to always listen to that voice inside my head. My own instincts and those red flags are always right and I need to trust my gut. I am so lucky to train with intelligent veteran runners that have been running marathons for many years before I even knew how many miles were in a 5K. They have helped me understand in great detail why things didn't go well for me in FL. I am so grateful for their friendship and invaluable wisdom.

It was so great to spend more time with my sister in February! We spent a lot time walking on the beach, cooking, and having movie marathons.

In my head I was "marathon training" all winter since I had a race on the calender but I kept running, biking, and swimming in even balance so fortunately I didn't lose any triathlon training ground on some big running only block for a less than stellar race.

Feb Movies I watched on my bike:

Pitch Perfect

Blue Valentine

Jeff Who Lives At Home

The Change Up

Feb TV shows I watched on my bike:

Season 2 of Shameless

Season 1 of Vanderpump Rules

Survivor

Feb Songs I couldn't get enough of while training:

Anything by Imagine Dragons

Anything by Airborne Toxic Event

Feel This Moment - Pitbull and Christina Aguilera

In Feb I was given a new piece of training equipment for my house, a Vasa Trainer Swim Bench. I am super excited! Every Tuesday I work 12 hours straight and miss all the pool hours. My job also makes it hard and sometimes impossible to make it to the pool on Fridays so hopefully I can supplement my real pool time with this beauty.

There is a big blizzard outside right now and I am snowed in which is why I finally have time to update my blog and actually sit down and breathe on a Tuesday. It feels almost sinful to sit on the couch drinking a green smoothie and work from home on a weekday with the dogs sleeping on my lap. This morning I am thankful that I found a friend crazy enough to do my track workout with me and an indoor track crazy enough to let us in! We got the whole place to ourselves! AND the same crazy friend was crazy enough to come pick me up because I am terrified of driving in the snow, she is simply the best!

Happy snow day!!! My dogs are not allowed to go outside, I am afraid I will lose them!

Today's green smoothie:

(No official recipe, just a little of this and a little of that)

3 large carrots and 1 orange juiced in my juicer. Blended in my Vitamix with a massive handful of spinach, a handful of frozen strawberries, a handful of frozen mangoes, a big scoop of chia seeds, spirulina, kelp powder, ginseng powder, and a big scoop of Garden Of Life Super Green Formula

After many months of refusal my sister finally convinced me to join Twitter. You can follow me @SuzieFoxTri

"When you find your path, you must not be afraid. You need to have sufficient courage to make mistakes. Disappointment, defeat, and despair are the tools God uses to show us the way." - Paulo Coelho

“There's no such thing as bad weather, just soft people”

2012 passed by so fast training and preparing for Ironman Wisconsin that I barley remember it. I am going to savor this year and my enjoy my Kona training much more. I want make the most of all 12 months and remember each one so I will try to recap every month.

January 2013:

Miles has a reverse mohawk! And a super long beard! He looks so awesome!

Favorite shows to watch on the trainer this month:
CATFISH!!!
The Bachelor
The Biggest Loser
Pete Rose - Hits & Mrs.

Carrot Spinach Ginger

Carrot Orange


I juiced and drank 8 pounds of carrots in one week and 20 pounds the following week

Carrot Lime Ginger



Longest Run:
19.44 miles

Longest Swim:
12,800 yards in 21 hours (I am counting it as one day even though I slept)

Movies I watched on my bike this month:
Take This Waltz

Songs I was obsessed with training to this month:
Girl On Fire - Alicia Keys
Scream & Shout - Will.i.am ft. Britney
Carry On - Fun
Stubborn Love - Lumineers
Anything by Kid Rock!!!
Pain - Three Days Grace
Anything by Ed Sheeran
90s on Pandora
These Streets - Paolo Nutini
C'mon - Kesha

Highlights of the month:
Ringing in the new year with my sis and brother in law at a Kid Rock concert in Fort Lauderdale, marathon training (loved every mile), late night movie marathons with my sis and our combined 5 dogs, paddle boarding and walks on the beach with my sister and our dogs, finalizing the majority of my Kona plans, and arriving in FL to see my sis again this Wed!

Monthly Lows:
This never ending flu I have and consecutive sub zero temp days in MN

Meals I can't get enough of:
Coucous Salad

 

 

Tabouli & Hummus Wraps

 

 



 

 

 

Gluten Free Vegan Unstuffed Shells With Tofu

 

 

 

What I am excited for in Feb:
A week with my sister in FL
Running a marathon!
First race of the year! (First race since Surf The Murph "25K" in late Oct, it has been too long)


My quote for the month while marathon training in January in Minnesota:
“There's no such thing as bad weather, just soft people.” 
-Bill Bowerman