June was quite a crazy month.  From work travel to training and keeping up with the Joneses, the month just flew by.  Thankfully, I was still able to get some good training in between the long flights and work meetings.

I kicked off June with the Steamboat Half Marathon on the 1st.  This was the day after a hard 50 mile ride up the course road, so I wasn’t really sure what to expect.  I decided to push myself and just see what happens.  Probably not the best plan, but I wasn’t trying to PR and I wanted to have fun, so I figured, hey, why not.

After being transported to the starting line and hanging out for about an hour before the race started, I was eager to get things underway.  That hour is probably the thing I hate most about races.  The waiting and anticipation just kill me!  When the gun went off I hit the road running – fast.  This small voice in the back of my head continued to say, “Amanda, what are you doing?  You’re going to blow it!”  I just tried to ignore it and stay relaxed and strong.  My first three miles were exactly 7:30 splits.  Miles four through about seven were in the 8:00-minute range, and then I hit it – that proverbial wall that smacks you in the face when you go out too hard.  I was complete toast and I knew it, so I just tried to hang on for the rest of the race.  I didn’t even look at my watch splits at that point – I simply prayed for more aid stations with those delicious freezy-things.

You know you’re desperate in a race when you start thinking about ways to get out of it.  Every single time a car would pass – even a motorcycle or a scooter – I’d think about how I could fit inside.  I even imagined sitting on the handlebars of passing cyclists.

Nevertheless, I made it to the finish line.  Oh, and the finish line, yeesh.  You come into town and basically stare at it for what seems like endless miles – even though it’s only several blocks.  I continued to look down at my Garmin and think that there was no possible way the course was 13.1 miles, because I was at mile 12.8 – 13 and that finish line was at least a half mile away.

You know you blow a race when you’re starting pace and your actual finishing time is off by about 12 minutes.  Yep, that’s me!  An ugly 1:51 and change, but I’ll take it!

There was a bit of a lull in training after Steamboat in terms of notable sessions and/or races.

Fast-forward to mid-June and I’m heading to Minnesota for my cousin Jo’s wedding.  I was able to sneak an awesome run in on Saturday morning before the festivities along my favorite hometown route.

After partying the night away and celebrating Jo and Jessie, I headed to San Fran the next morning for a work trip.  Once again, I sneaked in an amazing run before the meeting that night.

The following weekend was a back-to-back high mileage cycling weekend.  Unfortunately, I didn’t hit the mileage I wanted (I was aiming for 60-70 miles each), and ended up with 50-60 mile rides.  C’est la vie.

That Monday I headed to New Jersey for a day-trip (no swimming, biking or running was had), and that Friday I was off to Chicago for another work trip.

I returned home late Saturday and worked a bike-run session in on that Sunday.

June Playlist Additions

• Twenty One Pilots: Car Radio
• Jack White: Lazaretto
• Three Days Grace: Painkiller
• Shakira: Dare

To be completely honest, I’m not too thrilled about my training right now (read: holy crap, I’m TOTALLY not going to be ready for this race!).  Any insight, tips or tricks on mental preparation and triathlon races is much appreciated!