October.

"Motivation is Crap. Motivation Comes and Goes. When You're Driven, Whatever is in Front of you Will Get Destroyed." - David Goggins

Due to mismanagement of finances, IRONMAN California has been delayed. Delay does NOT mean END; delay means setback. To those who donated, thank you so much!! IRONMAN Foundation has allowed me to transfer the money raised to a future race. I will make you proud!! 

With time on my side until I race, I have shifted my IRONMAN Goal to qualify for Kona. Never thought I would write this - back in 2018, IRONMAN was an "idea." I didn't even have the confidence to begin training. But here I am, four years later, without question, trained for a spectacular 140.6 race. 

After reviewing my training log, speed of recovery, and ability to bounce from session to session, I have what it takes to qualify for Kona with more work. There is a lot of work to continue making Kona a reality, but I have the discipline, drive, and passion to make it happen. 

For those unaware, an IRONMAN is a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile ride, and 26.2-mile run. To qualify for Kona, I must finish a 140.6-mile triathlon at the top of my age group. 

With bigger goals top of mind, I busted my butt this past month and am incredibly proud of my October Training Accomplishments! 

#nodaysoff since December 7, 2020, there will be no rest until I cross that finish line. That doesn't mean I won't have recovery training days.

October Highlights include:

Running

Fastest 5K @ a pace of 8:07

Fastest half marathon (13.1-mile run) @ a pace of 8:19

Fastest 15-mile run at a pace of 8:40 (ran 2 x 15-mile runs!!)

October total running miles: 162

2022 YTD Mileage: 1,538.9 miles

Swimming

Highest volume ever of swimming with 47,217 yards (26.8 miles) of Swimming in an unheated pool. My car has been repossessed, so I am still determining when I will be able to return to the pool. Will train the best I can until then.

October's volume: 47,217 yards

2022 YTD Yards: 273,981 yards (155.6 miles). This includes missing 8 weeks due to broken elbow!

Cycling

Long ride of the month was 76 miles @ a pace of 19.8 miles

Fastest ride of the month was a 60-mile ride @ a pace of 23mph

Level 33 on Zwift

October Mileage: Highest volume ever with 814+ miles

YTD Mileage: 6,696+ miles

Walking

Mr. Mico and I walked 63+ recovery miles.

October Mileage: 63+ miles

YTD Mileage: 552 miles

Average Steps per Day: 14,375 

Average Monthly Steps: 437,240

2022 YTD Totals

955+ hours (2021 total was 909)

8948+ miles (2021 total was 8,331 miles)

YTD Steps: 5,246,883 (2021 steps were 4,917,949, and in 2020 I took 4,728,094 steps)

With October ending Mental Health Awareness and Depression Awareness Month, I wanted to share my thoughts on this controversial topic. There is a focus on mental health but not nearly enough on brain health in which diet and exercise are the foundation. While physical health and a whole foods-based diet will not eliminate stress, it does provide extra fortitude to handle the severe blows I have been dealt without spiraling into depression like haircutoff now for 5 years, divorce, isolation, job loss, moved 3x, hit by a car that left me with a broken elbow, broke, car repossessed, body messed with, face messed with, about to be evicted, no idea where I will live. Despite the extreme adversity these last few years, I have stuck with my training daily. Canceled races. Lost job. No community. No accountability partner. Just me. And for those curious, I don't rely on motivation, I train on discipline - my feelings are irrelevant regarding training. I train tired and sore, with broken elbows, and rotated pelvic bones. And I have kept my weight steady around 133lbs. NO ONE can say I had it easy.

Yes, it is a lot of work to get into shape and eat well, but it is worth it.

Let's connect on  Strava, Garmin Connect, or Zwift ! Wahoo Fitness Altra Running Speedo Maurten Skratch Labs Scott Sports SA The IRONMAN Group IRONMAN Foundation Strava