hebgen lake

One more week until we'll be in one of my 
favorite places in the entire world... 

HEAVEN. Or I guess you could call it Hebgen.
Hebgen Lake, MT

Watch this video and you'll probably understand why.

This is from 2 years ago, and I look forward to posting my latest from this year.

Hebgen 2011 from Meg Miles on Vimeo.

I love that big sky land. 

xo

triathlon training

This last Saturday, I became a triathlete.  

Even though I crammed training into a whole two weeks (stupid, right?), it was such a fun experience! I was excited to hear that I got second place in my age group too!  I've had so many friends tell me they want to do one but are too scared, or feel like they wouldn't ever be able to finish.  Well allow me to let you in on something....YOU CAN DO ONE.  I saw every body type and every age at my race...and guess what? They ALL passed through the finish line.  If you get tired, just walkkkk.  And don't feel dumb doing it, cause I saw most people ending up taking a few breaks anyways.  Sign up because you won't regret it.  

I know I'll do more of these races and here's some tips on how you SHOULD train.
This is for someone who is a BEGINNER triathlete, or maybe training for their first one.  For more advanced training schedules, you can find a great schedule here or for intermediate training plans, click here.


10 weeks to a Sprint Triathlon

This is the schedule from the Salt Lake Running Company and I like how it's not so much about distance training, but training with time intervals...swim for 30 min, bike for 45 etc.

All of the workouts listed here are to be done in the "aerobic zone" which means that you should be able to carry on a conversation while doing them (except for swimming of course).  This is why training with someone else is valuable! I was surprised to find out that even the best triathletes in the world spend 70-80% of their time training in this zone.  So, go catch up on the latest gossip while you work out. The BRICK days are when you combine two activities, and these are the most important days.  I would recommend doing them on the day before your rest day so your body has time to recover.

I liked this schedule because I prefer to have Sundays OFF as my rest day, but you can switch it around according to your own personal schedule.  If you want to take another break day, doing it before you have your BRICK day would be the best choice, since you'll see that those are the most important training days of the week and use most energy.  Just make sure to be as consistent as possible and DO THE BRICK days every week.  I made the huge mistake of never really practicing two activities back to back, and that's what knocked on some serious time when I actually got to the race: my body was not used to doing those things back to back.  I'd especially train with the bike-run more than anything else, but practicing swim-bike would be valuable too.

When I went to train at the pool one day, I met a 61 year-old lady who was apparently a national champion triathlete.  She gave me lots of important advice.  If you are doing an open-water swim, you need to incorporate "spotting" into your freestyle stroke.  This is where before you turn your head for a breath, you "spot" by looking forward real quick to see where you're headed.  If you are a beginner swimmer, spot every 2-4 strokes in open water or you may end up going in the wrong direction.  There would be nothing more frustrating than that.  If you train in a pool, try going to one where you can swim 50 meters across, instead of 25...this way you can't touch the wall as often and can practice your breathing better.  Focus on the EXHALE, is what I was told by this woman.  Also, most triathlon wetsuits shouldn't be tested in chlorine, but if you have no other option, trying them out in a pool once or twice during training won't hurt.  They add a lot of buoyancy, so make sure to try it out at least once before the race!  Don't think you can do a triathlon in a regular wetsuit for wakeboarding/boating... it will be very uncomfortable!  The tri-wetsuits are the only way to go.

Good luck with your training, and remember to have fun! Out of my marathon, half marathon, and other races, I'd say the triathlon was my favorite!
The training is fun, and with all the variety your body will end up feeling so good!

**For the ten most common triathlon mistakes click here. I probably should've read through those before doing mine! ;) These are good things to know!

If you have any other training questions, shoot me an email.  I've read a whole bunch on this stuff, and if I can't answer your question, I can lead you to someone else who knows better.  Good luck!

WHO WORE THE GOGGLES BEST? haha 

cabin fever

ever had cabin fever?

this is a common thing, don't worry.  no need to google it or ask your physician about it.

it comes the strongest during the middle of may through early september.  

i'd say the most common symptoms would be:

craving s'mores

campfire-smelling clothes

feeling the urge to take a mid-day nap

sunburned/sunkissed skin 

itchy legs from mosquito bites

increased serum phosphorus from the consumption of fresh fish

tired/puffy morning eyes from staying up late watching movies

sore arms from throwing darts and horeshoes

hair that doesn't need hairspray anymore from being perfectly and naturally greased

sand appearing in the bed

flashbacks or dreams about going back

All seem kind of peculiar, but those are the most commonly reported symptoms.

i'm afraid i've been struck with cabin fever, 

and it's only getting worse.

here was my spontaneous weekend at the weber river.  my parents grew up with cabins a half mile apart from each other on the weber river and never knew until they were dating.  i'd say i lucked out being their offspring! bry and i love to fly fish on the weber and decided within a couple hours that we were just going to pack up and head out on a weekend excursion since we were going to have the place all to ourselves.  

we went to my dad's cabin which was built in 1885....yep, you heard me.  isn't that when the modern bicycle was being made? weird.  anyways, this place is a secret GEM and the reason we love it so much is because nothing has been renovated.  

you could just call this cabin "indoor camping." no insulation (you can pretty much see through the walls), the rafters are open, an oven heated by firewood, cooling the drinks in the river, a bunkhouse balancing on who-knows-what, and the skeleton skull of my grandpa's horse nailed to a tree 

(and his name was "Old Nig" haha. don't ask).  

that's what I'm talking about.

(^  i crafted that sweatshirt and will put a link for how to do it yourself up soon!)

My advice for you is to take someone to somewhere that means a lot to you, and let them soak it all in. let them become a part of something you have come to love.

xoxo

Meg  

hawaii

HAWAII from Bryson Miles on Vimeo.

It's been a while since I've written. Oops!

But I'm finally done with our Hawaii trip movie!

My blue-eyed boy and I decided to celebrate the beginning of summer, my birthday, our first anniversary, and Mother's Day in Oahu, Hawaii.  We got some great deals on flights and stay, so we decided, why not!? We headed out a few days after school got out. Laterrrrr SLC.   

Aloha Hawaii.

We landed in the evening, rented a car (for the first time ever), stocked up at Costco, and headed to our resort.  We were so tired, we just crashed the first night. When we woke up, we were actually able to see our place in the light and were AMAZED at how nice it was. I would definitely recommend Marriott's Ko'olina Beach Club Resort to whoever goes to Oahu.  It was beautiful. 

The first day was May 7th- my birthday!! We headed up North Shore to Waimea Valley, Waimea Bay (where we snorkeled), Sunset Beach, and many other fun stops along the way. 

I was OBSESSED with the trees there. If I lived there, I'd build a treehouse for a place to live.

We ran straight into the Dole Plantation.  If you ever visit, don't leave without trying their Dole Whips or Dole Floats.  Best dessert ever.  The pineapples there are not joking around. 

We stopped in Waimea Valley where we found our patches.  Bry and I have a fun tradition to get patches from places we visit.  We sew them to a sweatshirt with our other patches.  (boy-scout style)

Once we're old geezers we hope to still wear our sweatshirts covered in patches from our travels.  

I chose to have my yummy birthday dinner at Chucks, right on the beach at sunset.  We got to watch the luau and stuff ourselves with fresh shrimp, crab legs, fish, and other amazing things.  

It was such a memorable day. 

Day two: Haunama Bay snorkeling and one of the most beautiful drives up the East Shore

snorkeling was incredible there and I saw my first sea turtle...I was stoked. I wanted to take him home, but Bry wouldn't let me. 

Day three: Laie Temple and the Polynesian Cultural Center

Giovanni's Shrimp Truck and the best Funnel Cake ever known to man.

Day four: our one year anniversary. Can't believe a whole year has already gone past! It's been the happiest, funnest, and fastest year of my life.  One year down, many more to go! We had an early morning run, came back to sleep in a little more, hiked to Maunawili Falls (muddiest jungle hike I've ever been on), and got back just in time for a sunset BBQ. 

cliff jumping at the falls

back in time for our favorite "Lava Flows" and BBQ 

Day six: we hit up the Aloha Stadium markets, and then just hung around the resort, soaking in the rays.  I got the worst sunburn I've ever had in my life. Seriously my whole entire body just about peeled off like a snake a week after our trip. Ouch. :(

Bry found a John Stockten jersey at the markets and was soooooo stoked.

 BBQ's were our favorite. Nothing better than grilled pineapple, zucchini, onions, and meat. 

Day seven: see you later best trip! We were sad we had to fly home but ready to get back and start our summer in the 801. This trip was the best way to start it off, and it's one we'll never forget! 

Mahalo