The Future is Bright

Isn't it crazy how triathletes start planning next year before this one is even close to over? I feel like James and I have spent more time over the past few weeks talking about possibilities for next year than we have focusing on the races at hand. I have tried to resist this early/over planning for a while (i am an "in the moment" type of person), but have realized this is totally not feasible in a world where races sell out 364 days in advance and training for an "A" race could take 6 months. Oh the woes of being type B in a type A sport!

The very cool thing about this forward thinking, though, is that I'm already getting excited for 2012. The future is BRIGHT and so is my new cycling kit.

Kristin & I out for an afternoon spin

Thanks to betty designs, I get to "product test" some of the latest/not quite available gear to make sure the fit and color are spot on. The hot pink numbah is my favorite one yet. Yes, it's VERY pink, but also, its VERY safe, right? HELLO cars & trucks! Look at me! I'm a "safety girl" just like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman. I'll definitely let y'all know when this one is on the shelf! Betty has a lot of fun new designs in the works coming out pretty soon.

But, enough with forward thinking, let's get back to NOW! This coming weekend is the 70.3 World Championships (that's a half ironman in case you were wondering) in Henderson, NV and I can't wait! I feel very ready for the race, but am really keeping my eye on Ironman Hawaii on October 9th. My goal is to podium in my age group at Kona (there, I said it!) and I'm not losing sight of that. Faring well at 70.3 champs would be an excellent bonus, but I'm not going to get all in a bunch about it. I am possibly equally as excited to see friends from far & wide and have a fabulous after-part as I am to race in Vegas and I know it will be a perfect tune-up for Kona as I get BIG fitness bonuses from half ironman racing.

The training leading up to Vegas has been so good and consistent. I'm now juggling work, training, & life, so volume is down a bit. But, I'm confident that the huge base I worked up over the summer will carry me through Kona and now all there is to do is to sharpen things up a bit.

After a disappointing Vineman 70.3, I also decided it was time to "get serious". I took extra care not to "get serious" too early on in the year as I believe you can be too fit too early and I see lots of examples of this. So, "getting serious" started in the beginning of August. For me, this just means cutting out SOME of the crap in my diet and paying attention to what I eat. I don't really talk about diet so much on the blog because everyone is different and "dieting" is annoying. But for me, I know that my best racing weight is lighter than where I was in July. Somehow, by eating like a normal person (rather than a 250lb man), I lost 8 pounds in August....and just like that I was spinning up all these hills a little faster than before.

I'm lucky that I have a chef/husband that feeds me well.... Here's a sampling of what I've been eating.. (Not pictured: endless amounts of fruit, oats, greek yogurt, cottage cheese, dark chocolate & sweet potatoes- the only things I can make myself :) )

Egg + Veggie Scramble

Tonight's dinner- Grilled Ono + Wok'd veggies

Monster RKT...oh wait, that's not healthy? My motto is "what happens on the ride stays on the ride" ...kind of like Vegas

To all my friends near and far racing this weekend at 70.3 World Champs, Rev 3 Cedar Point, and Ironman Wisconsin, :

Stolen and re-worked quotable from the lovely champion MBK