Wow, It's been a long time....

So, I haven't posted in about a week, almost exactly. Well, it's been a busy week, not only with workouts, but work and my personal life have been quite demanding. Steph and I had another doctors appointment this week, and we got to hear the heartbeat again, and it is slowing, meaning the bean is getting stronger (future triathlete maybe?). We also setup our appointment for the big ultrasound, to check the baby for defects and of course, sex. We are all very excited! At the previous appointment, Steph also had blood tests done to test for diseases and down syndrome and we will find out the results in 3 weeks at the next appointment. It's all very new and exciting for us and we are loving every moment.

Now, onto the point of the blog, exercise. It's been a great week for me, and I'm loving every minute of getting back into my running/exercise routine. My goal race this year is the 70.3 Half Ironman in Lake Stevens Washington. The race is in 29 weeks, as you can tell from my calendar on the right, and I have yet to get any swimming in. I have been following a weight training routine for swimmers, and have been working on my upper body strength and endurance to prepare for my swim training, so it will mostly be spent working on form. My legs have gotten a beating from me running and on the stationary bike. I have been doing some spin classes as well as some riding on my own. Running, haven't run much on the treadmill this year, have done most outside thanks to our fantastic weather out here in the Northwest.

Since my last post, I have done my long run last Saturday at 9 miles and averaging an 8:45 pace. We started at Fit Right NW as normal, and went onto Leif Erickson (sp?) trail for some running. It is a 1.5 run to the trail head, and it is totally uphill the entire way. Not only was it uphill, but still dewey from the morning and a little slippery, with some water/ice mix on the streets. We then went on the trail and it's an uphill trail, running for about 11 miles, but we only did about 4 on the trail, and it was rough. But, of course, coming back was nice, running downhill the entire way back to the store. The run felt great, and my shoes are fantastic. They are the Nike Vomero +3 and the cushioning is superb as well as the fit. I have never been a fan of Nike's until I started wearing these shoes. I will definitely put some miles in these bad boys.

Then Sunday followed with a ride on the stationary bike at the gym, followed by upper body weights to work on my swimming muscles. It feels great to be back on the bike again as well, but I can't wait to get a ride in outside. An option that I have been looking at is buying a bike, and financing it. Most stores offer 12-24 months of no payments and no interest. I figure if I get a bike that is about 1100-1200, that's only 100, or even 50 a month for 24 months, which I can afford. But we will have to see.

Monday was an off day from exercise and work, a day to get laundry done. And to relax obviously.

Wednesday was once again a track workout at Duniway Park. This week we did 6x800m comfortably hard, followed by a 200m rest/walk in between each set. This week, I didn't run as fast, as the group was pacing around a 9 minute mile. I had to back off a little this week. We were very consistent each lap, only differing by a few seconds each time. I'm really liking track workouts as the ground is softer (made of rubber) and it's definitely a great way to work on speed. For me, I use it as a way to work on form. I am working on my stride and foot strike, as I want to become a more efficient runner.

Phew, all caught up. I promise I will be more up to date from now on with my posting, but as you can see, it's been quite busy. Have a great weekend, and I'll be posting on Saturday about my long run.