Traveling to Louisville for the Ironman!

We've been here in Louisville since Wednesday and I don't have nearly enough pictures..I need to be better about that.  I have a great digital camera but somehow forget to pull it out when I'm traveling which isn't good for me because my memory is horrible so if I don't have a picture of it I'm afraid I won't remember it.  We arrived Wednesday afternoon about 5pm.  So by the time we got our car and to the hotel we relaxed and then just changed and went to dinner.  The flight(s) were easy which was nice.  1 plane change isn't bad and although I dislike long flights its a little bit nice to just get settled and be done with it.  It allows me to get my snacks all out and accessible. 

(This picture is missing the sliced apple and Justin's honey peanut butter that I had already eaten.)

By the time we got to Louisville and got the car and checked in, it was time for dinner.  Dinner was great.  Neat local place called 732 Social that does a lot of local ingredients.  Dave had a beer, I had a glass of wine.  We split some brussels sprouts that were 'candied' with walnuts (yummy).  Then Dave had Steak au poivre served with crispy potato strings and I had scallops with cauliflower in a green lentil broth.  We split potatoes au gratin on the side and for dessert we had beignets and ice cream ;)  You can see this Louisville update will be big on the food!  It was interesting to look at their bar because typically in California the bar back is heavy on flavored and plain vodka's.  This place only had 3 and I couldn't even see them.  The rest was whiskey, rye, bourbon and other bitters and liquors.  I guess they specialize in 'original' cocktails...things they used to make when cocktails first became big.  I still plan to get a mint julep sometime while we're out here.  Anyways, we slept in a lot the next morning (Thursday) then got up and drove to Whole Foods to check it out and get some snacks.  We got lunch while we were there...nothing really worth detailing other than they were soups and salads/sandwiches.  Then we headed to the Ironman expo to check Dave in and pick up his race #'s etc.  It wasn't very crowded at all so I'm glad we went Thursday because I'm sure Friday and Saturday were much more crowded.  Dave and I were talking about the type of people we see at these different events.  This Ironman crowd is different from the marathon crowd which is different from the ultra-running crowd.  While we're out and about we are always spotting other ironman.. and saying I bet he/she is doing the race (usually this person has extremely fit legs and is sporting some kind of sports apparel...the men are especially big on visors).  They are all starting to look the same to me and they aren't even geared up in their kits yet... once they are on the bike I'm sure I'll have trouble spotting Dave.  This may result is many pictures of other random cyclists ;)  I'm usually better at spotting him on the run because I can pinpoint his gait.  Anyways, after we got the stuff we headed over to make sure his bike had made it from the shipping company and it had.  So we got to see the bike and get his pedals re-attached (they make you take them off for shipping) and then we left it with those people so we didn't have to lug it back to the room and store it here.  Then we went on a run and after cleaning up headed out for another awesome dinner.  Here is where it gets detailed.  We split a salad that had arugula, blackberries, plums, peaches and a basil vinaigrette (we got the feta on the side because the hubby doesn't like feta).  It all went together well.  Then we split a black bean cake which was kind of crispy and had seared scallops on top with some kind of chile sauce.. yum yum.  Now on to dinner.  I had the grilled bison tenderloins in a tomatillo-guajillo chile sauce, served with grits and local veggies.  Dave had the cochinita pibil - oven roasted pork in a deep-red achiote sauce, topped with pickled onions, lima beans and a corn cake.  They were both SO good.  My bison was really really tender and the sauce on Dave's pork was amaze!  Of course these entrees were followed by dessert .. 2 of them to be exact.  The banana churro served with banana ice cream and the bread pudding with chocolate/cayenne ice cream and 2 coffees :)  Phew.  We are full now. 

 

Another marathon! and Goal #5

It's happened.  Somehow each time I do a marathon I think that is going to be it.. and then I find myself signing up for another one.  I am not sure I would have signed up for this next marathon if it weren't for the encouragement of my husband.  We're both going to do the Las Vegas marathon in December.  They also have a 1/2 which is what I was gunning for but was swayed to do the marathon.  I have done 5 marathons and I think what keeps me coming back is that my time has been getting better each marathon I run so in my head I'm always wondering if I could do better next time.  My very first full marathon was the LA marathon back in 2008.  I did the training plan but about 3/4 of the way through I started having knee trouble.  Since I was new to this distance I didn't really know what it was.  Turns out I needed to add a lot more stretching into my routine.  It wasn't my knee but was my IT Band and was pulling on my knee and causing a lot of discomfort.  So, that marathon I walked a lot due to the knee pain.  So I did it again the next year and shaved 45 minutes off my time.  That just fueled the internal competition.  I've done 3 marathons since then and each gets better.  This last one was the Big Sur marathon which is hilly and its been said is not a marathon to get a PR on.  Well, I got a PR.  During this particular run I followed a pace group which helped me A LOT.  What also helped me was having a goal and running to that goal from start to finish.  Before, I would just start running at what felt comfortable... thinking to myself that I was going to poop out later on in the run anyways so why not go as fast as I can in the beginning.  I know.. I'd heard that was a bad idea but was sure that for me it would work.  It didn't.  I'd end up walking a lot towards the end because what pace felt good in the beginning to run 10 miles was not so sustainable come 20 miles.  For Big Sur I started slower and was able to maintain it and be more consistent.  So, for Las Vegas my goal is to join a pace group and maintain a steady pace to bring me in at just under 4:30.  That is the goal.  Now the training begins!

Training for me is the hardest part because its about being consistent and dedicated to a plan without excuses which I seem to be good at :)  Assuming my body holds up and I have no injuries there is really no reason I can't do it.  I'm actually excited for this plan because it'll give me focus on my running which I haven't had for a while.  So 4:30 PR here I come!

Now, back to my goal list.  We're on to #5 now which was "Ramp up the cardio / workouts in general....no more excuses, yes you can do it!!"  Ok.. what timing.  I guess this marathon training plan will prove whether I can ditch the excuses.  I feel like I've been more serious and intense with all my cardio but I think this marathon plan and my goal of under 4:30 will make me push myself and I'm looking forward to it.  Bring it on!