The two things that make me proudest!

Tanner and Sydney...what amazing kids! Had a great time taking photos of them on the slopes today! I did not dare ski or snowboard as my timing would be terrible if I got injured....but I was having so much fun running up and down the slopes watching them. While they had lunch I got to run 50 minutes in the Pennsylvania hills..then after driving for a few hours back did a hard 4400 swim workout...I felt good in the pool!

Back in New Jersey!

Well despite wanting to extend my trip I did the right thing which was to head back to my family. My daughter was really missing me and they were waiting with flowers for me at the airport. I was really excited to see them too. My kids really are the coolest and they make me laugh alot. My husband was happy to have me back as all the running around gets quite overwhelming. He does a great job with them.

I got a 3.15 ride in today that was not very impressive. After a full day travelling my energy seemed really low and I was quite disappointed as I was hoping to bring the motivation I had in Las Cruces back to NJ. I got a solid 50 minute run in later. I shall get to bed early tonight as I need to feel healthy again!
I am heading back to Las Cruces in 2 weeks for some more good training.

Day 8 Long Ride/Run

We made plans to meet Danny at 8am so we could get a good start before the predicted winds started howling in Las Cruces. Our plan for the day was a 5 hour ride doing the Transmountain Century climb but from the opposite direction this time. This I knew was going to be a tougher climb as it is not only longer but steeper than the direction I climbed a week ago. We headed out on Frontage road, a 2 lane road that runs parallel to the highway. It goes for 25 miles without any stops and very few cars. We all rode out together and somewhere along the road Mariana stoppped for the bathroom and Danny and I continued on. It was effortless riding and the P3 was feeling good. We turned onto 440 a stretch of road that I had been riding on by myself into a strong headwind last week. Going in the opposite direction Danny and I were hitting 25.....35 miles an hour. This was going to be a problem. Jonny had warned us that if we did not make it to the mountain early enough the winds were going to be extremely tough. He said he was riding it at 7 mph at times which made me a lttle concerned for myself. After a quick refuel stop at mile 40 we headed towards the base of Transmountain. We turned in the direction of the mountain and the wind hit us in full force. I muttered to Danny that I was afraid I was going to have to walk up the mountain. He laughed his big belly laugh and took off in front of me. I tucked behind him for about 10 seconds and then let him go. I was left to face this big bear of a mountain, with the swirling powerful headwinds myself while Danny slowly moved further away from me. I got the text from Mariana and Andrea that they had decided to turn back as they were predicting the wind was going to be too challenging over the mountain. Damn..I wanted to turn back too. Mariana is very level headed and makes wise decisions. I wanted to yell out to Danny but instead I just put my head down and bullied my way up. First 10 mph and then down to 7 and even 5mph at times. At one point the wind gusted so hard that it took my front wheel and spun it sideways and nearly pushed me off my bike. From that point on I held tightly to my bars and did not even think of taking a drink. We must have past 15 riders all going in the opposite direction, WIND AT THEIR BACK....what were we thinking???? Thats right all I was thinking in my head was that song again "for that what wont kill you will only make you stronger!!!" I plugged on and was very relieved when I saw the 5200 feet sign and knew that I had made it to the top. I was intimidated once again as I knew now I had to go down and I did not want to be blown into the railing or the road. I consider myself a pretty fearless women, but I was quite scared. Danny and I high fived at the bottom of the mountain and regrouped before heading back on Frontage road. This was 30 miles of a crosswind that would prove to be quite wearing at times. It was nice too see Jonny at around mile 65....he had been chasing us after he had passed Mariana and Andrea earlier on. He did not realise that we had stopped for a drink and must have passed us. He saw us while he was stopped and came back to get us. He did not stay for long as he had a zone 3 interval and took off leaving Danny and I to battle the wind.
I felt strong the whole way home and decided to add Soledad to the end of my bike. Nothing like a good 40 minutes extra of hills and headwind to finish off a hard ride. 5hrs 10 minutes of good quality riding! I dropped off my bike and headed out for a 40 minute transition run. Danny was just finishing his run. He looked great and I was really thankful to have him on my ride to keep me company. He told me Mariana was already out there running. So I headed out to really have my best run of the week. I felt strong and pushed hard on the zone 3 interval. I have moments where I feel like my training is really coming along. If I can just keep it consistent now!
Later Mariana, Andrea and I treated ourselves to IHOP pancakes and egg scrambles...in true LC tradition.

Day 7

We had a longish swim scheduled for today so we decided to swim first thing. The air temperature was brisk and the steam rose off the pool. The water as usual was perfect. After quite a bit of coughing last night I was not feeling super so I decided not to push the zone 4 intervals.
The workout 1000 warmup
4x (100 zone 4 400 zone 3)
1500 descend
200 cool down total 4700
I biked 1.45 zone2
Ran 60 minutes. This afternoons run was beautiful. Sun was setting on a dramatic sky. Wind was not to strong. I felt pretty good.

We have fit the P3!

Danny kindly let us use his garage last night so Jonny could work on getting the most perfect fit for me on the P3 Cervelo. This picture is not from the final fit. I did not love the saddle I had put on it so my first change was to put my old seat back on. Its a Fi'zi:k and I love it. The top tube is much longer on the cervelo than on the Trek so Jonny had to change the stem from a 9 to a 7cm. That felt so much better as I felt like I was a little to far stretched out. The Vision bars that Clarence from Brielle put on seem very comfortable so we'll see. I am a little lower on it than my trek...yes more aero!After the fit today Jonny and I headed out to test it.He took me on the scenic ride of some of the wealthy homes in Las Cruces. We found his spot where he's going to build his house after a few BIG wins...for now he just rides the neighbourhood looking to make a friend so he can stay in there guest house. Anyway he did not have to make any changes other than adjusting my fat tires so they did not rub on the bike frame.
My plan is to do a 5 hour ride on it tomorrow...that will definitely let me know how it feels on the body.

Cool pics from todays ride!

Soledad Climb!

Todays workout called for 1.30 bike
4400 yrd swim
1.25 minute run
Due to my lack of biking I decided to ride 2.30. As it was a shorter ride we decided to do the climb up Soledad. This is a 11 mile continuous climb with a very steep section near the end. Eveyone had spoken about how hard this climb was last year at the camp, I had missed it...so I was quite excited to do the climb. The ride up was quite enjoyable except the last mile or so which was quite tough. The mountains are breathtaking and you really are in awe as you climb of the beauty and power of your surroundings. The road turns to gravel around 6100feet up. It is around 3000 feet of climbing in 11 miles if I'm looking at the map right. Today the wind made it a very interesting ride. You had the climb on the way up and the wind on the way down. It' s almost hard to imagine that the downhill was almost tougher than the uphill climb. The winds are blowing around 28mph with 38-40 mph gusts. I did this loop twice(except the last steep section as I was running short on time)) and the second time the wind had really picked up. I was holding onto my bars tight and really pushing the downhill hard. By the time I pulled into the parking lot I was feeling quite shaky! As I rolled in Mariana and Andrea were getting in the car for swim so I had to run up to my room drop my bike off and head straight down with my gear. Danny was there to meet us at the pool at 12. He looked a little unsure about the workout as it was his day off of swim and Mariana talked him into swimming with us. I ate a bar quick and we headed to the very chilly pool deck. We almost had the whole pool to ourselves as nobody wanted to swim with the wind. Its pretty bad when their are whitecaps in the pool. The only great thing is the pool is 82 degrees and perfectly warm to swim in.
Our swim workout 1000 warm up
4x (300,200,100 build)
800 Zone 2
200 cooldown
This was a great workout...I seemed to hold 125's for 300 /120's for 200 /115's for 100's. I am feeling a little better in the water....not quite like a fish yet...still got alot of work to do! We all worked hard and we were happy to finish off with a easier 800.
Andrea is feeling much better as her stomach was bothering her alot and she too managed to get a good swim in.
I am eating now...although my stomach doesn't feel like food and I shall go do a 50 min run in an hour. I shall hold off on the long run until I am stronger.