Training Update: Week of March 30

Apr
2015
08

posted by on Triathlon

This week marked a new three-week build period in my preparation for Raleigh 70,3 (three weeks of build/one week recovery). However, it did not start the best way. Sunday night/Monday morning, I slept horribly and not long enough. I have no idea why I had such difficulty sleeping (no caffeine late in the evening or anything else I can guess). I was struggling so much through the night that I ended up changing my Monday morning alarm that would allow me to skip my planned early yoga session. The additional time sleeping was completely necessary. However, I woke up about 15 minutes before that yoga alarm would have gone off. I tried to go back to sleep, but couldn’t (ugh!!). So I got up and proceeded to get in yoga.

Monday AM:
30 minutes (sleepy) yoga

After a very sluggish start to the day, I was feeling ok after I got to the office and settled in. Then around 2:00, I started dragging. It made for a long afternoon, but we all have days like this.

Monday PM:
2000-yard swim. I had a speed set planed, so I went in with the idea that I would just give it my best (that’s pretty much my philosophy all the time). My session was not bad, it just was not quite to the level that I has worked up to the last couple of weeks. I would guess that the fatigue level played a small part, but I got it done.

Excuses

Tuesday PM:
One hour run outside. Tony and I ran from our house throughout the surrounding neighborhoods.  This ended up being a tough run with lots of hills.  I worked really hard (and I felt like it) Overall, relatively happy with the average pace, but my heart rate was tracking a little higher than it should for a good amount of the run. We ended with a bit over 7 miles at just under 1:03. The weather was nice, so that was a bonus.

Wednesday AM:
55-minute trainer ride with focus on big gear and low cadence. Good start to a Wednesday.

Wednesday PM:
2200-yard swim with focus on speed (again). I felt much better in the pool than I had on Monday which resulted in a better (mentally and physically) workout.

Thursday PM:
Outdoor ride from a local Tri Shop called TriLife. The store conducts group rides twice a week and they have started back for the season! I rode with them frequently last summer after IMLP training was over and I had lots of flexibility. These rides typically end up being great for me because there are faster cyclists riding and I try to hold on to faster pace than I normally would be able to hold solo. This pushes me and it is a great way to continue to become stronger on the bike. I put in just under 23 miles in 1:12 at an average pace of 18.8. After the ride, I ran an easy mile with another rider to flush out the legs a bit. Great workout on a pretty evening.

Friday:

 Rest Day

Saturday:
The weather forecast for Saturday looked pretty sketchy most of the week. It looked to be relatively warm, but possibly rain early in the day, and that was the timeframe in which I would be doing my training. Luckily, the weather cooperated and it was rain free, so I was able to head out to the greenway to get in my long run. It had been a while since I ran on the greenway, but it is really an excellent place to run and definitely my preference for long runs. Why I like it so much is that you don’t have to think. You just jump on (after driving a short distance) and run an out and back. No course to map out or turns to remember. Also, there are generally other people out and about running or cycling.

greenway2

My Saturday run

 

greenway3

Views along our greenway

My run was planned for 1 hour 20 mins. This was to be my longest run in quite some time, but I felt ready. The first couple of miles did not feel the best. However, this is not unusual for me. I typically feel like I fall into pace and a groove after my body has had the chance to really get warmed up and clued in that it is time to run! I felt like that just never really happened. While I was able to maintain a fairly consistent pace, I felt like I was struggling most of the run. I was aiming for a quicker pace than I was able to pull out, but at least I was able to find consistency and hold that throughout. With the tempo runs I have had in my plan, I should definitely be able to push the pace more, but today was not the day. I finished out with 8.88 miles in the prescribed time. I was more achy when I finished and felt that way through the day.  I suspect that I was probably dehydrated before the run even started, which did not set me up to meet my expectations. I ran with hydration and consumed it all, but I think my starting point was low. Rookie mistake,,,

Sunday:
Easter! This would be a full day, so planning was key. We were up to attend Easter Mass on a beautiful morning. After church, we headed home, had a light bite of lunch (oatmeal, actually) and Tony and I headed out from our house for a bike ride. The first hour I was definitely dragging a bit…residual from Saturday, I believe, but soon after we crossed the one hour mark, I hit more of my groove. We ended up just under 43 miles in 2:23. For this hilly route, which is a frequent one for us, I was very pleased with the ride. It was a beautiful day, a bit of wind, but that is typical for spring.  We then had late afternoon and evening activities, so there was no rest after the ride. The remainder of the day was enjoyable and I hated for another weekend to end.  Glad we could have this pretty day for Easter and afternoon ride!

Total training time: 9 hours 13 minutes
Swim: 4,200 yards
Bike: 76.5 miles
Run: 17.07 miles
Other: 30 minutes

I also incorporate twice daily PT exercises that are meant to strengthen/stretch my glutes, hamstrings and re-align my hips. This probably averages about 25 minutes a day and I have not included that in the above totals. However, this is probably one of the smartest things I am doing daily!

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