Ironman Training Has Begun!

This past weekend was the first weekend since last year's ironman training that I just felt physically drained by the end of it. I did the Luray International Distance triathlon on Saturday morning - great race venue (bonus points that I had already run most of the roads back in January when we rented a house down there for New Years) and even more awesome was the fact that we could show up race morning, pick up our packets, set up our bikes, and just race. My swim was slow, like always, 33 minutes to do 1500 meters - I am terrible at sighting. Bike was good, 1h24min for a 25 mile ride, ate my power bar and hardly touched the brakes on the downhills. I'm also happy with my run, it was 46 minutes for 6.2 miles but I felt good during the whole thing and it was hilly and hot. The lowest point mentally on the run was coming back on the first loop up the hills (hills that didn't seem all the big and long on the way out on the first loop). Finished the race feeling good - 26th overall and 8th in my age group with a time of 2:48. I also realized this is the shortest triathlon (besides the sprint I did with Chelsea) that I've done all year - the other 4 have been half ironmans. It was great to be done in less than three hours as opposed to almost 6 hours. When we got home that afternoon I did a 14 mile run (note to self- don't eat ice cream before running, no matter how tempting...) since I wouldn't be able to do a long run on Sunday because I needed to bike. I felt good all the way until the last 2-3 miles and then I just wanted it to be over. I took my first ice bath of the season and wore compression tights and ate copious amounts of gnocci and passed out on the couch by 9 - awesome! Sunday was a 30 mile bike ride on the W&OD trail; I left the apartment at 7:30am and was home by 9:30 and felt very accomplished. Then I ran 8 miles this morning, fast mile/slow mile. Tomorrow I hope to wake up in time to go swimming - we'll see if that happens... Have to go to bed soon! But it feels good to be fully back into training! IMFL is going to be fun!