I cannot believe that he only has two weeks left until his big day!! Every day this summer he has ran, or biked, or swam, or done some combination of all three of these events. He amazes me with his endurance. In between that he is constantly doing sit-ups and push-ups, and using his arm and leg weights. Rarely does he sit still. Right now he is nursing a tender Achilles' tendon. I'm praying that it heals quickly.
My sister and I got up at 5, and were out the door at 5:40. We parked up at the Golden Nugget in Biloxi. We made a great choice in starting there.
We began our run watching a beautiful sunrise!!
Once we crossed the bridge we took a right and ran along the water. I was glad to see FLAT ground. In the back of my mind I knew I had to run back over the steep bridge.
Looking back, we got some awesome views of the bridge we ran over. Look how long it looks!
At mile 2.5 we came to this pier. We paused the Garmin's and decided to walk to the end and catch our breath.
This guy was sitting at the end!
After our short break we ran back to the bridge and found this cool area right next to it. We took a minute to enjoy the murals and walk along the path under the bridge.
And then we were on our way once again!! Once we got back on the bridge we knew we were on the home stretch. Each step was closer to finished. By this point there were a LOT of people starting out their runs, and we were grateful that we were finishing ours. It was HOT! I was glad my sister was with me to keep me going the full distance.
Before we knew it, we were done :) Running with a partner is so much better than running solo. I was grateful for the company today. We left the Golden Nugget planning our next long run after our Ironman trip. My goal for my next long run is 6 miles. Until then, I'll squeeze in a few 3-4 milers and get in my regular workouts on my elliptical and the spin bike we borrowed from Larisa.
Here is what a typical training week for Ali has been like this summer...
Sunday: long run of 14 miles or more
Monday: easy run 6 miles, 30-60 minutes on spin bike, abs and core workout
Tuesday: running speed workout, abs and core workout, easy swim 1 mile
Wednesday: tempo run, abs and core workout, 30-60 minutes on spin bike
Thursday: easy run, abs and core workout
Friday: long bike day 60-80 miles
Saturday: long swim 2 miles
Very rarely would he take a day off completely, and there were a few days where he doubled up his runs on the same day by doing an easy run and a track workout in the same day. Just last Saturday he met with his training buddies for a 40 mile bike ride, 1.2 mile swim, and a 3 mile run. I thought it was very thoughtful that they gave him a little "send-off" party afterwards. He truly has a wonderful group of supportive friends.
In just a few days we will start packing him for the trip up to Kentucky. We will start stocking up on his race day nutrition and deciding what items to include in his transition bags. It is quite possible that I am more nervous than he is!! I have been reading other blogs and googling like a mad woman. Hahaha! I am super excited that my best friend Larisa will be flying up there with me to cheer Ali on along the course.
Meanwhile this summer I have slowly gotten back into a running groove as well. My sister and I are signed up for our first Run Disney event!!
We will be running the Wine and Dine half in November. I am super excited for this race. It has given me the motivation I needed to get back to running after my horrible knee issues over the last year. I have slowly started over from scratch with my training. This summer my goal was to wean myself off of my "crutches"...KT Pro Tape and my knee braces. After the Pensacola Double Bridge in February, my training came to a screeching halt. I had to sit out of the Rock and Roll New Orleans half, and I walked the Crescent City Classic 10K. I started going to see Dr. Justin at Eastern Shore Chiropractic every week so he could work his healing magic. I also took some time off...like a LOT of time off. I didn't run again, comfortably, until our trip to England at the end of June. By the middle of July I decided to try running a mile with no tape and/or brace, and it felt GOOD! I slowly added more distance over the next couple weeks and was soon able to run 3.1 and feel great. Then I decided to go all out today. 5 miles, over a bridge (I had avoided all hills up to this point).
The bridge was pretty empty at this point as well. There were a few walkers, but not many runners yet. There was a nice cooling breeze coming off the water, and that made the humidity more bearable.
Once we crossed the bridge we took a right and ran along the water. I was glad to see FLAT ground. In the back of my mind I knew I had to run back over the steep bridge.
Looking back, we got some awesome views of the bridge we ran over. Look how long it looks!
At mile 2.5 we came to this pier. We paused the Garmin's and decided to walk to the end and catch our breath.
This guy was sitting at the end!
After our short break we ran back to the bridge and found this cool area right next to it. We took a minute to enjoy the murals and walk along the path under the bridge.
And then we were on our way once again!! Once we got back on the bridge we knew we were on the home stretch. Each step was closer to finished. By this point there were a LOT of people starting out their runs, and we were grateful that we were finishing ours. It was HOT! I was glad my sister was with me to keep me going the full distance.
Before we knew it, we were done :) Running with a partner is so much better than running solo. I was grateful for the company today. We left the Golden Nugget planning our next long run after our Ironman trip. My goal for my next long run is 6 miles. Until then, I'll squeeze in a few 3-4 milers and get in my regular workouts on my elliptical and the spin bike we borrowed from Larisa.
Summer is over for teachers this week, and that means early mornings and late nights for the Stevenson family. My goal is to stay consistent with my workouts (4-5 days a week), and not slack off. Well, I'm off to ice my knees and watch a movie with my boys.
Question: How do you fit in training around your work schedule? What events are you training for?
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