This Week in Numbers
Swim: 5362 yards
Bike: 79.0 miles
Run: 3.11 miles
Total Time:   7:10:18

So this will be my last “Ironman St. George Training Week” post.  27 weeks of training/racing and 2 weeks of recovery.  I think that will do it 🙂  But don’t worry……..Life doesn’t end with Ironman!

This Ironman recovery thing is HARD work!  You think “Wow!  I’m an Ironman!”  “I can do ANYTHING now!”  “I must have a base of fitness that is UNMATCHED and after a week of rest I will be OOZING with speed!”  Well………that wasn’t the way it worked this week…….

Last week, I didn’t do much of anything, so this really was the first week I did any workouts since race day.  Monday I jumped in the pool for drills and yardage.  Holy Moly!  My arms were tired……..FROM WHAT?!?!

Tuesday I decided to go out for a ride while Jake was at preschool (since I had 2 1/2 hours to myself) and headed North to loop around through Leeds, Hurricane and back to Washington City.  My legs weren’t too bad, but the WIND sure was.  It seems that if I even think about my bike, the wind blows.  I fought a stiff cross-headwind all the way to Leeds.  Headwinds all the way into Toquerville and then the REAL wind started to blow.  It was ridiculous!  I had barely made it out of Toquerville (it’s not a very big town….) when I was done.  The wind was shifty and I felt like I was all over the road.  Mentally, I just couldn’t take it……..

I would outsmart Mother Nature (…..and how did that work for you Colleen?).  I turned around.  Caught a nice little tailwind for 30 seconds (okay maybe 15 minutes) and then I was in it AGAIN.  Headwind…..Crosswind……It was going to be a long ride back.  It was at that point that I promised myself that I would NEVER ride a bike again……I wouldn’t even think about riding in hopes to spare another athlete of my terribly windy fortune!!!!!  I just wanted to be done………I was tired……FROM WHAT?!?!?

I wish I could run so fast you couldn't see MY legs!

Clearly  the answer to the “Why am I tired?” is IRONMAN!  After 10 days I had really thought that I would be ready to go….. feeling those nice fresh muscles that I left someplace back in November.  No luck!  I am still recovering.  Yeah…..I guess Ironman is a pretty long race.  I knew it would take a lot of recovery………but I guess I didn’t think the “Blahs” would hang on for this long.

In protest (I figure that will change my bodies mind), I decided to swim a longish open water swim and then run the next day.  I was an anchor in the water with tired arms and the run felt like I was running in mud in 90 degrees (well it actually was 90 degrees).  My protest had failed……I took the next two days off…….

Luckily, I got a mental boost when Coach Heath, Sarah Jarvis (LOVE THIS GIRL!), Karen from Flagstaff (Sarah’s friend…..and my new friend), and a host of other athletes hit St. George for the annual St. George Triathlon!  I love having a house full of athletes.  I just makes all my worries go away being around people as absolutely insane as me.  We can eat, breath and talk triathlon without hesitation or judgment.  We also eat A LOT of granola bars (I’ll post the recipe below!)

The wind......Can't beat it.....Can't join it....What's a girl to do?

I had made a deal with my training partner, Craig, that we would NOT race St. George (just too soon after Ironman) but we would head out and volunteer.  I’ve never volunteered for an event and it was GREAT!  I was stationed just outside of transition and the finish line.  I got to see EVERYONE and cheer them on.  I loved being on the other side of the race.  It is inspiring.  As athletes, we put it all out there when we race and IT SHOWS!  Congrats to all those who raced that day.  YOU ARE WELCOME that I did not race because you know the water and wind wouldn’t have been THAT beautiful if I had been there 🙂

That afternoon, Sarah, Heath, Karen, Carlee, Wes, Kirk and Brandon entertained me with a nice 2 hour post-race ride up Snow Canyon State Park.  It was just what I needed……..TIRED Pros and Elites 🙂  I COULD KEEP UP!  My legs were actually starting to come around a bit and I settled in.   I started feeling that maybe this recovery thing was coming to an end and I would soon get my body back.

Next week, I’m on to Lake Stevens 70.3 training and that means a drastic change to speed for the next 6 weeks.  I don’t know how that is all going to go…….but I’ll keep you posted.  Coach M has prepped me for the change and I pray she will be kind to my slow twitch muscles.  There is more speed in here somewhere…….it is just buried somewhere below Ironman 🙂

BEST GRANOLA BARS EVER!

I got this recipe from my friend Trisha Baird!  LOVE THEM!

1C almond butter, peanut butter or any other nut butter you would like
1/4C Coconut oil
1/2C Honey or Agave (or a bit of both)

Melt these ingredients in a sauce pan over medium heat DO NOT BOIL.  Then mix with the following dry ingredients:
2C Oats
1/4C Wheat Germ (omit for gluten-free)
1/4C Ground Flax or Flax seeds (double this if you left out the wheat germ)
1C chopped nuts (Almonds, walnuts, cashews….your choice)
1/2C Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
1/2C Dried Fruit like cranberries or raisins

Optional:  Chocolate chips or other mix-in that is VERY naughty 🙂

Mix together and spread in a 9×13 foil-lined pan.  Refrigerate for a couple of hours, then cut.  Store in fridge.  ENJOY!