Before I even get started into this post, I have to share with you the epic smack down that the Team Trakkers Elites are throwing down. They have challenged Team Kswiss/Trek to a showdown at Knoxville. Winner takes home $5,000. You have to listen to this smack talk from Lovato and Cunningham. Wowah! Okay, with that start, let's get this rolling.

Last year when it got close to Ironman time, my good friend Debbie helped me out in a HUGE way. Debbie is the mommy to Annies best friend Kat. These two get along like sisters and are so cute together. Last year Debbie (or Troy on occasion) watched Annie every Wednesday for the last couple months before IMC so that I could ride/run all day. Most of these were spent riding an 85-100 mile out and back section of road out east and then running 45 min to 18 miles off the bike. They were long days and what helped me through them was knowing that Annie was in amazing hands, playing up a storm.

This year Debbie has stepped in again, but it's more complicated because she is actually picking up Annie from school and then delivering her back at our house at 5pm. This will allow me an entire day of training and access to our car. Today Troy actually stepped in, which was awesome, but it will be Debbie going forward. Thank you Debbie, I love you!

So, I'm now calling Wednesdays "Train like a pro day". I get to wake up and start my day on the right foot with a good family breakfast, then it's off to my "pretend" job. Today was the trial run...to work out the kinks. Troy was on Annie detail, so I got her off to school at 9am, then dropped the car back at the house, grabbed my huge bag stuffed with all sorts of training gear, and headed out the door on foot.

Since Troy would need the car to pick up Annie from school I was going the public transportation route. I walked the one mile to the light rail station and procured myself a round trip ticket. I headed over to the University of Denver and got busy with a weights workout. I love that gym because it's full of college kids and they are always pretty cool. After weights I downed a Justins Almond Butter and honey sammy like it was no tomorrow.

Next workout! I changed into my swimsuit and met up with PIC Fordy Ford and EVAN on the pool deck! Evan is coached by CV too and we were so stoked to meet him and work out with him. So, we got knee deep into a tough swim workout. I loved having Evan in the lane with me, it was nice to have someone to chase after, and quite the chase he provided.

After the swim I bid farewell to PIC as she was off to run and I was off to a secret Chuckie workout. I would tell you about it, but, well, I can't. So I'll just say that it was brutal, but super good too.

Whew! Back to the locker room for a shower and to pack up. It was beautiful and sunny out as I walked back to the light rail station, eating a second Justins Almond Butter sandwich. On the walk back home from the station I was noticing something that was going to be an issue. The wind!

I walked in the door and Pook (Annie's nickname is Pookette, or Pook) and Troy were having a blast. Troy was getting in some work and Annie was playing up a storm. Everyone had survived, Troy did a great job (I don't know why I worry).

But, I wasn't done! It's ride time and that wind had me nervous. But the pros don't get nervous about the wind, they just get it done. So into bike clothes and off I went for a 90 minute spin. There came a point in the ride pretty early on (10 min) where I had to decide whether I wanted to head into the wind, or just ride around where I would be in and out of the wind the whole time. I decided..."face your opponents head on" and I went straight into that angry weather.

It was so bad it was almost funny. But really, I think I prefer a headwind to a stiff cross wind or unpredictable swirling stuff. This was supposed to be an easy spin but there was just no way. I tried, but fighting that wind it was impossible to spin like I was out for a Sunday stroll. I was debating when to turn around. I knew I would be flying home and I didn't want to spin around the neighborhood to make up time at the end so I decided on 11 miles. It took 57 minutes to get there, but 11 it was.

When I turned it was HILARIOUS! I was spinning alright. I was in the biggest gear my bike owns, I was going uphill, I was spinning, and I was going 27mph. It was almost a little scary to feel like you are being pushed home by a freight train. I definitely prefer the challenge of a head wind to the push of a strong tailwind. I made it home in 32 minutes, despite hitting almost every stoplight. Crazy!

Check out these details, they are super funny.

Lap 1: 57:01, 11.14 miles, average MPH: 11.7, average HR: 161 Lap 2: 32:12, 11.14 miles, average MPH: 20.6, average HR: 128

All of that and one very large helping of Polenta with peppers, tomatoes, pepitas, green onions, cumin, avo, cilantro, and a little cheddar and my first day working as a pretend pro is in the books. Ha! Too bad I'm just pretending. Tomorrow I go back to my real job, that I love, being head mommy to Pookette. Nevertheless I am looking forward to my wednesdays for the next few months where I don't have to balance a million things during the day and I can put my nose down and train hard.

Thanks again to Troy, to Debbie and to my munchkin.