Total Run Distance: 187.0 KM (116.2 mi)

# Runs: 21

Total Cycling Distance: 457.6 KM (284.3 mi)

# Rides: 11

Total Swim Distance: 17849m

thank you to Erin's hubby for this shot!

# Swims: 11

Races: Sporting Life 10K

Favourite Workout: my first Time Trial with the Newmarket Eagles

Most Hardcore Workout: my second Time Trial with the Newmarket Eagles – this time on the hybrid bike!

Book,TV Show, Movie and/or Song of the Month: currently enjoying ‘You Are an Ironman’ thanks to IRONMAN CTER

Shame-Inducing Guilty Pleasure: puppy snuggles! (but I am not ashamed)

my sister stealing some snuggles during puppy-sitting duties

Indulgence of the Month: my new toy!

Obsession of the Month: Open Water Swimming! Now that we’ve gotten into the lake, I don’t want anything to do with the pool.

Food and/or Drink of the Month: Wild Vines – the perfect light, refreshing drink for spring/summer

mmm "flavoured wine beverage"

Current Wish-List: good weather for my open water swim event this Sunday. It’s not looking good at the moment, but hopefully that will change. Unfortunately it’s a long drive (2h+) so we can’t just show up and hope for the best.

Current Need: More hours in the day! I can’t keep up this week. Puppy, work, training… nothing else is getting done. Laundry? Nope. Groceries? Nope. House work? Ha! NEED MORE TIME.

Triumph of the Month: Raising $33,348 for Camp Ooch with Nolan’s Dream Chasers!

#FAIL of the Month: After never having a flat tire before, I ended up with two (on two different bikes, mind you!) in the same week. Not cool!

Current Excitement: Life is filled with all of the excitement that a new puppy brings! It’s amazing to see him learning and growing each day and of course we love him more with every minute.

Current Goal: a strong 2K open water swim to build confidence for my upcoming half-iron tri

1. At our end-of-session dinner with the marathon clinic last week, I received a very generous gift card from all of my peeps who had chipped in, as well as a card filled to the brim with really sweet messages. It was truly touching and I was overwhelmed by their generosity… and promptly treated myself to something I have been coveting:

Garmin Forerunner 910xt, aka THE triathlon watch

I’m still figuring it out and only using it as its most basic capacities, but how cool is it that I can wear this bad boy on my wrist in the lake? (and pool)

2. Hubs had to go on a business trip this week, leaving me the task of single puppy parenting. Obviously I love hanging out with Miles and part of me is secretly excited that I get to hog all of his attention for a few days, but it’s also quite the task for one person. I’ve nearly been late to work both days this week and the evenings are a jam packed with puppy training, puppy walks, puppy feeding, puppy clean-up, prep for the next day, etc. etc. Not to mention my own training! (fortunately my Mom & sisters have agreed to puppy-sit during my workouts).

just me and the pooch!

3. Last weekend, I finally had a tri-specific fit done on my bike, and there were some big changes! With being sick last week, I didn’t really have an opportunity to test it out and now it’s in the shop for a tune up and a few more adjustments, so I’m looking forward to testing it out and seeing if I notice much difference. Unfortunately, I won’t have it back in time for the Time Trial tonight and I don’t want to miss another one, so I’m going to bust out the hybrid. I wonder how fast I can make this thing go… and how much faster I will be on this course on my Trek next time! (we rotate through 4 different courses of varying distance)

4. With the hot hot weather we are having, my Masters buddies and I could not bring ourselves to hit the pool. Instead, we were back at Lake Wilcox last night. It was great to have a group of about 10 of us! The lake was more choppy than we are used to, especially when the wind picked up half way before our swim. For a while there, every breath brought a gulp of water. I suppose it’s good practice since race day could certainly be choppy.

What are you up to this week?

After three “build” weeks, it was time for a recovery week. Unfortunately, I ended up sick early in the week so I ended up needing a lot more recovery than anticipated. I felt better pretty quickly… or so I thought, but then I ended up feeling pretty drained and run down for the rest of the week. I eliminated some workouts, cut my long run and ride way back and tried to focus on feeling better going into week 5. With Welland less than a month away, I need to be feeling strong and healthy!

Monday – open water swim

It was a holiday and a bunch of us took advantage of having the day off (and gorgeous long weekend weather) to head to the lake for an open water swim. It was a perfect day and nice to have so much company in the water! Unfortunately I forgot my cap and goggles (D’oh!). I was able to borrow a pair of goggles but they didn’t fit great and leaked like crazy, and my hair was driving me nuts without a cap. So, I didn’t stay in long, but it was still nice to get in the water.

750m – 15:35 (approximate)

Tuesday – run + bike time trial rest (sick)

I had started feeling sick Monday afternoon, which was not the nicest way to wrap up the long weekend. I stayed home from work Tuesday and snoozed most of the day away with Miles on the couch. That part wasn’t soo bad…

Wednesday – run + swim

I was feeling quite a bit better by Tuesday evening and pretty decent Wednesday morning, but decided to take an extra day off work. We napped the morning away again but by mid-day, I was ready for some activity. I headed out for a steamy 10K run and hit the pool for a leisurely (continuous) lane swim.

10.0KM (6.2 mi) - 56:30 – 5:39/KM (9:06/mi)

2000m – 45:00

Thursday – run

I had the chance to meet a couple of the morning girls for our usual 5am run. The company was great as always, but I wasn’t feeling too good so I cut it a bit short.

7.4 KM (4.6 mi) – 45:22 – 6:07/KM (9:51/mi)

That night we had out end-of-clinic celebratory dinner, which was a nice way to wrap up the season.

Friday – swim + ride + brick run

After work, hubs & Miles accompanied me to the lake for another swim. This time I had all the gear and had a great swim.

1300m – 27:45

From there, I rode my bike home via an extended route. I was not feeling it at all and wasn’t sure if I was still drained from being sick or just not in the mood. I cut it shorter than planned so as not to push it too much. I also bailed on the brick run I had planned. Mehhh.

41.3 KM (25.7 mi) - 1:25:47 – 28.9 KPH (18.0 mph)

Saturday – open water swim + long run

Met up at the lake bright and early for another swim. The lake is so calm at that hour!

1000m – 23:00

From there we suited up for a run on the trails. I had planned to make it a long run of about 22K, but I could tell that I was still lacking energy despite keeping the pace “easy”, so I stuck to a shorter distance and called it a day.

13.6 KM (8.5 mi) – 1:19:45 – 5:51/KM (9:26/mi)

Sunday – rest

After how I had been feeling all week, I opted for a rest day to try and recuperate 100%. We took the pup out for a couple of good walks, including some trail exploration, which was the perfect way to get some fresh air and enjoy the day.

So, it ended up being an extremely light week (one bike ride, eek) – it’s just as well this was my recovery week. Hopefully all systems are a ‘go’ and I will be feeling back to normal to tackle my workouts moving forward.

Week 4 Totals

Swim Distance: 5044m
Swim Time: 1:51:36

Bike Distance: 41.3 KM (25.7 mi)
Bike Time: 1:25:47
Bike Average: 28.9 KPH (17.9 mph)

Run Distance: 31.0 KM (19.3 mi)
Run Time: 3:01:48
Run Average: 5:52/KM (9:26/mi)

Overall Time: 6:18:44

Thanks to everyone who entered my giveaway for a Sprigsville headband and pair of wrist-warmers.

The winner, selected at random, is:

Abbi @ Higher Miles

Congrats! Please send me your mailing address to: sykes (dot) marlene (at) yahoo (dot) ca.

Miles has been home for three weeks now. Here are a few things we’ve learned along the way…

You never know where you’ll find cheap entertainment for a pup.

You can never have too many puppy toys.

And no matter how many toys he does have, he wants to play with and chew on the things he is not allowed.

On that note, there is no such thing as a fully puppy-proofed house… but we’ve certainly tried!

Bodily functions are a big deal with a puppy in the house. I never knew I could be so excited over pee & poop.

The outside world is very exciting for a pooch! So much to see and sniff and (try to) eat.

Puppy treats with “lasting power” (i.e. that will keep him occupied for a few minutes) are gold.

Speaking of which, ICE CUBES make an excellent “lasting” treat.

He can fall asleep in the most unusual positions.

He like to have lots of attention… and lets us know if he wants more!

There is such a thing as “puppy dog eyes.”

Most of all, we’ve learned that he has filled our lives with even more love, joy and fun than we ever could have imagined.