5weeks.

" If you fall, you get back up"?

5 weeks until The IRONMAN Group California and a solid training week. Lots of progress this week!

This week, I focused heavily on swimming for my heaviest week load of 11,483 yards or 6.5 miles!

I am on level 30 Zwift after 150 miles of riding! Long ride of the week was 50 miles.

And this was one of my best running weeks ever!

I ran my personal best half marathon @ a pace of 8:32 for a total time of 1:52:49! I have never even raced this fast; my fastest race was in 2019 @ a pace of 8:38 for a time of 1:53.

My other runs were solid this week until I fell mid-run during Saturday's 9-mile run, leaving me scraped up as I slid across the cement. No damage outside a bruised ego and bandages all over my knees and elbows. I finished the last 2.5 miles a bloody mess. I cannot imagine what I looked like and don't want to. I would love to say I was running in the rain or some other extreme weather, but I wasn't. It was in the 70s and sunny!

Ironically, it was my 2nd fastest 9-mile loop ever, with a pace of 8:14 and a total time of 1:14:14; my last three-mile splits were:

8:15

7:40

8:11

It would have been my fastest 9-mile loop if I didn't lose time falling.?

I ran 5 miles earlier today at 8:43 pace, along with a 50-mile ride. Bruised up but OK.?

And just in case you are wondering,?the Garmin Emergency alert works as my fall immediately triggered the emergency beacon on Fenix 7X Saphire Solar watch.?This feature sends a message to the Garmin IERCC, which then notifies the appropriate emergency responders of your situation. You can communicate with the Garmin IERCC during your emergency while you wait for help to arrive. Thanks to this safety feature, I don't have to have a phone on my runs. I canceled my "emergency" as I knew I could run home. You have about a minute to cancel the "emergency."?

If you are in the market for a new watch, the Fenix 7X solar sapphire watch is worth it. In addition to the safety beacon, my watch has a built-in flashlight for pre-dawn and evening runs, which will be helpful as days get shorter, built-in Spotify, and a cashless wallet, touch screen, on watch round trip route builder, underwater HR rate, and battery life round out my favorite features. The watch is not cheap at a $1,000 price tag, but given how much I train, it is worth it. And the safety beacon reaffirmed that decision.?Priceless feature, especially if you train alone often like me.

#raceformore?

This year, I am proudly joining a select group of athletes from around the world on TEAM IMF to support the mission of the IRONMAN Foundation . Together, we share a passion for creating positive, tangible change in our race communities and proving that "Anything Is Possible" as I train for my first 140.6-mile triathlon consisting of a 2.4-mile swim followed by a 112-mile ride and 26.2-mile run through Sacramento on October 23, 2022.?

Please donate to the?IRONMAN Foundation,?every dollar counts! The money I raise will benefit community groups & organizations in our community(s) via grant funding. In 2021 alone, the IRONMAN Foundation distributed more than $2.1 million to 1,500 organizations worldwide. $100 could mean bikes for several kids, money that helps keep a community center pool open or money that goes to honoring Gold Star families, or supporting diversity in sport through initiatives like Women For Tri, an organization I am passionate about as endurance sports has dramatically changed the trajectory of my own life.?