Week 4

Week 4 of Marathon/Dopey Challenge training was uneventful, which is good.  The plan was 3-6-rest-3-6-13-cross, and we executed that perfectly.  We did most of the runs before work, and this was a great week to make that transition to morning runs.  The cross training was walking, which isn't my preferred cross training, but it did the job.  Next week I hope to get a bike ride in the books.  We will see!

The long run on Saturday was during a rain storm, but it was surprisingly good.  We both did very well without any incidents, and besides some initial grumpiness by me, we had a great run.  It was my longest run of the year (by far).  The funny part of this run?  At mile 7, Aaron noticed his shoes...yes, those are two different shoes.  I never noticed...we are silly :)

I continue to gain confidence as we progress, and my excitement is building.  I hope to continue with good health!

--Kelly :)

Training to Date

We are in week 3 of our 18 week marathon training plan.  After that, we take a couple of weeks off and pick up at week 4-ish of our 30 week Ironman training plan.  It is going to be intense!

These first two weeks of training went remarkably well.  I have had a rough year with injuries, and I have been very cautious in my return to running.  I feel pretty good so far with the occasional ache and pain.  On Saturday I had a new ankle pain, and I ended up taking a couple of days off to make sure I was healthy.  I hope listening to my body with get me to the IMLP (Ironman Lake Placid) finish line.  No expectations except for making it there.  I can't wait!

--Kelly :)

The Story

My husband, to be referred to as A, and I have been adventurous and athletic for the 15 years we have been together.  We did our first marathon, Maratona di Roma, in 2006 while living in Italy.  We bought bikes shortly after and discovered the enjoyment of cycling in the mountains, and spent a ton of time swimming in awesome pools in Rome.

When we returned to the US, we got back into running and decided to enter the world of triathlons when the Syracuse 70.3 came into town.  It was a crazy journey the first time, and we both loved the challenge it presented.  We have completed 3 half Ironman races to date, including one Double Mussel where we did a sprint triathlon on Saturday and a half Ironman on Saturday (in 95 degree temps- yikes).

When the race ready package was available (able to sign up early for Syracuse 70.3 and Ironman Lake Placid), we decided to go for the full Ironman.  Although I haven't considered it seriously, it was on A's bucket list.  Since we were already signed up for Dopey (5k/10k/half marathon/full marathon), it seemed like a great year to do an Ironman.  If I am already going to be doing a lot of the training with A, I figured I would do it, too.

Plus, really, I have watched IM Kona since I was a kid.  Every single time I watched I loved the challenge of it, and this was it.  The chance to be an Ironman.

So...now it is 307 days away.  This is my journey...it should be quite the ride!

--Kelly :)