Laura: Still here still moving

I'm midway through my second week of hitting it hard and doing the work out just as it's written. I'm feeling GREAT! Though today I felt lazy... only did the spin class and didn't do weights after. I think it's this cold weather.. I went and sat in the steam room instead.. man did that feel good!

It's hard for me to believe or imagine that we are actually going so see some hot snow free weather here some day... I think about the race really not being that far off then I start to panic about being able to work out outside... will it be enough time! :) Of course it will b/c the snow will melt, the sun will shine and the sweat will pour. Hopefully we will have a short winter since we are just getting punished right now! It's been below zero here all week! :( But we prevail and hit the gym hard. :)

Swimming has taken on a whole new attitude for me. I am amazed. I actually kinda like it - even though I'm still slow. I feel like my stroke is improving and though my speed isn't changing too much I'm not exerting so much effort for the same slow result and that gives me hope that there is speed on the horizon. I feel so much more power from my stroke now. Now I need to work on my glide!

I'm looking forward to my trip out to Portland in a few more weeks - maybe Andy and I can do some runs together. I'll make him push the jogger! ha ha

Laura: Best swim workout yet

I made it to the gym this a.m. YEAH! I was griping (in my mind) about the cold weather the whole way there and midway decided I need to STOP and get in a positive frame of mind so I could have a good swim workout... since that is my hardest discipline... guess what... it worked. I had an AWESOME swim workout. I felt strong and felt I was able to work on my stroke. After that I had to buy socks at the gym b/c I ended up with only one sock in my bag (and a nasty old wet sports bra.. ugh) I thought about bailing on the workout and I'm glad I didn't. Great day of training for me! Yeah for my new found enthusiasm!

Now if Jason and Lily would just take a nap this day will shape up pretty well!

Laura: Groove back?

Okay I think I've got my groove back now. I had a decent run outside yesterday... pushing 50 lbs of kids plus who knows how much for stroller. My watch broke so I'm not sure how long I ran, but it used to be a 45 minute loop (when I was running more and the kids weighed less) so I know I ran at least that long. It was great to get outside even though it was cold. Unfortunately the kids HATED it! Thank goodness for the iPod.

Today I did a spinning class and enjoyed it... even though it was only 60 mins and I was supposed to do 90 mins this weekend.

I'm struggling to get all of the workouts in (based on our schedule), but am trying to focus on getting good quality and good base regardless of whether I hit every discipline. I need to get my focus back and my endurance! :)

Tom is gone right now and that always gives me motivation to get to the gym b/c I know I won't get a break at the end of the day and need to have gotten some good stress busting work out time in in the a.m. (also some kid free time).

Hope I'm back in gear now!! I'm sure it will ebb and flow through all of this and I guess that is part of the deal... being ready for the mental push to get through the race is important too!

Laura: Okay.. my, uh, journey begins, uh, too

So my beginning has been a bit choppy. I did a decent job of maintaining fitness from last years season until December hit hard. Two sick kids = no gym.. boo hoo. Jan 1 a new start. At the gym every day be 8:30am for Cycling or swimming. Uh, the kids used to wake up at 6:30am which made an 8:30am class time super easy to hit - these days they are getting up around 7:30am and getting to the gym by 8:30am with two 1.5 year olds in tow is IMPOSSIBLE! We have some schedule adjusting to do, but I'll figure it all out. I really hate having to do all of my workouts indoors, but the first part of the winter has been brutally cold and we got 30+ inches of snow in December - the snow is lingering and a lot of the sidewalks aren't cleared enough for the double jogger to get through. Boo Hoo poor me. The sob story ends here. I'm adjusting things... including setting my alarm instead of depending on the kids and getting them up a bit earlier so I have no excuses.

As w/ Andy, the swim will (is always) be my hardest event. I took an intro to masters swimming which helped my stroke a lot - now I just need to put the time in. Swimming is hard and I find it to be VERY boring. You can't look around and talk to people. BLAH! Not to mention breathing is a struggle.

There I go again being negative... I was supposed to leave that back in 07! On to 08! It's going to be a big year - well, 6 months actually - and I have big plans for the next 6 months. I've charted out some races to hit that include, but are not limited to, Verona Olympic Tri (June 15th), Lk Stevens 70.3 (July 6th), Accenture Olympic (Aug 24th). There are a few more rolling around in the back of my brain: Lone Star Tri in Houston late March (sprint or Olympic), A new tri locally in Madison June 7th, and Devil's lake in Sept. We'll see. My main focus is the 70.3.

I will again be participating in Team In Training as a mentor for the Accenture Tri adn will therefore have a coach at my disposal starting in April. YEAH!

So here's to a challenging and fun 2008!

Andy: So The Journey Begins

Here it is, my first blog post ever. I guess I should start by restating what this blog is about and who it is for. My sister-in-law (Laura) and I have decided to do the Lake Stevens Half Ironman triathlon on July 6th of this year. Since Laura lives in Madison, WI and I live in Portland, OR, we are going to post our training progress on this blog so we can encourage and support each other over the next 6 months. This will also be a place where our friends and family can come and see how our training is going and maybe provide an extra kick in pants when we need it. And finally, this blog is for anyone who is interested in reading about the trials and tribulations of two individuals who are training for their first half ironman.

So, with all that being said, here is my first training update. I am already behind schedule!!! The first day of our official training schedule was supposed to be Sunday, December 30th, 2007. However, for those of you in the know, I was a little preoccupied that day with the birth of my third child, Charlie. I didn't really start on the schedule until last Friday. I did an easy 4 mile run in the morning with my little running group. That night, I hit the pool for the first time in years. Oh boy! I have some work ahead of me. By far, the swimming is going to be my weakest event. I did 30 minutes and it about killed me. I did find some helpful tips on the web over the weekend, and it made my 45 minute swim on Monday a little easier, but not much. I am definitely going to need some help with the swim.

I have also joined a tri-club at my local gym. It meets every Monday night and I love it. It is really going to help with some of the conditioning and strength exercises that I seem to avoid when I train by myself. I am also hoping to get some help with the swimming.

Well, that's it for now. In the next day or so, I am going to try and figure out how to get our training schedules posted on this blog so anyone how visits can check out what we are planning to do.