Friday 5: This week’s Top 5

I’m joining Cynthia, Courtney, and Mar for this week’s Friday Five Link Up! The theme: Free Friday

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted or linked up and I’m so glad to be back! Here are my 5 awesome things about this week.

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In memory of those we lost 14 years ago. In honor of the helpers who serve and protect us here and all over the world. My thoughts are with their families. #neverforget #halfmarathontraining #gilbertmarathon #azruncoach #sbmtrifecta #lifetimetritempe #ResultsStartHere #fenix3 #UpForMore #sweatpink #BosuStrong #fitfamily @bosu_fitness @fitapproach @garmin #longestrun

A post shared by Olivia S (@balancingmommy) on Sep 11, 2015 at 9:21am PDT

I’m sort of on top of my half marathon/sprint triathlon training. I finished my long run today (9.11 miles for 9/11) at 13:27/mi! I feel pretty good and just have a couple of tricky spots (my left heel and right hip) to stretch out and to monitor. I ran a couple of times this week and I have brick planned for Sunday. I’m excited for tomorrow’s AZ Open Water swim. I’m using it to practice for next week’s Lifetime Tempe Tri. The distance is longer than my tri distance (1000m vs 750m), but it’s going to be an awesome race day practice. I swam last night in a competition pool and it was awesome. I need more time in the deeper pool to work on my flip turns and to also get used to not being able to touch the bottom. 😉 I think that I’m ready for next week’s tri. We’ll see if I can taper this week!
I’m proud to say that we have momentum for our MRTT (Moms Run This Town) weekly bike rides! What started out as a couple of us getting together to ride has blossomed into 7-9 riders a week!

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Thank you @phxlunachix for the awesome ride this morning! @mesaazmrtt representing!! :). #committotri #ResultsStartHere #REALwomenmove #sweatpink #triathlontraining #sbmtrifecta #lifetimetritempe #trifamilyseville #EveryThreadCounts #espritdeshe #castelli100k #moxiecycling

A post shared by Olivia S (@balancingmommy) on Sep 5, 2015 at 2:35pm PDT

A few of us rode with the Phoenix Luna Chix Triathlon team last week. I scheduled this week’s ride and I wasn’t sure if we would folks due. I’m excited that we have 8 RSVPs for yes and 8 maybes for Sunday’s ride.
Have I told you lately how much I love my MRTT groups? I love that they are so welcoming that they are launching the She Runs This Town rebranding to be more inclusive! I’ve met some really awesome, amazing and encouraging women in these groups. I love that we are all eager to stay active and looking for ways to have fun doing so!
This TriEqual — “Equally Inspiring” program sounds really amazing! Make sure you apply if you are thinking about trying a tri! http://triequal.org/index.php/2015/09/08/triequal-launches-equally-inspiring-program-to-increase-womens-participation-in-triathlon/
Have you tried Blue Apron? Our family tried it for the last 3 weeks and I’m pleased to report that it’s been pretty good! The Hubby was skeptical at first, but it’s been a great way for me to expand my cooking repertoire and skills (Blue Apron is actually teaching me how to cook!). It’s not a quick meal type of set up, it’s quality food with step by step instuctions! Out of the 8 meals that I’ve cooked so far, only 2 have been okay and the rest have been more than stellar!! I’m hoping to do a more thorough review. If you’re interested in trying it out, I have a couple of free trials to share, PM me and I’ll send you the info. (*This is not a sponsored post, I have a paid subscription.)