Week Eight: 2.18-2.24
Still continuing the daily with fewer reps, modifying as needed. Like with stuff that means heavy weight on my right wrist (oh barista wrist ...).
2.18
Run and a bike on tap. Attempted the MX Treadmill set once more - still only into the third interval. I think if I'm going to do this stupid set I need to plan it so it's the only workout of the day.
Bike was Coach Troy - Dropping the Hammer ... which was the first time I've done *that* set since probably the apartment. Was way more miles than I anticipated (oops) and might have been able to go a touch harder during it, but I was being cautious since I hadn't done it in ages.
2.19
Swim pyramid day! Neg split the back end, too (so the final 300, 200, 100, 50 were faster than the first go around).
2.20
More run and bike. Run with B, bike without. Run was 4 mi easy-harder-easy ... which was a lot slower than it has been thanks to it being super f'ing cold, but it still had the clear line between "easy" and "harder."
Bike was 20-25 miles on the trainer; split the difference with 22.5. Watched a movie on TV, doing intervals during commercial breaks. Which suck when said commercial breaks are five minutes.
2.21
Drill day - 2300 with a main set of 4x400. I felt good at times during the 400s, like I was flying. Other times ... not so much.
2.22
Trying the 1.3ish (1.2 ... loop in the park was a little shorter than I remembered) all out. Managed ... averaged a quicker pace than when I tried it in January (on a harder course!) ... but may have destroyed my lungs. It was also cold. Ow.
Also, because it was Miracle on Ice Day*, a nice 40 miles on the trainer watching "Miracle" with intervals during the hockey.
No I did not keep the jersey on the whole time.
2.23
Long swim day - 2500 as 25x100. Took about 1k to get into (ugh).
2.24
Long run day - 9 miles. I slept in way longer than I would have liked (still kind of having sleep issues) and therefore ran after coffee and Eggos. WORD OF ADVICE: do NOT run after Eggos. Urp.
Also I realized it was bright and sunny and that I forgot to wear sunscreen a mile in but I didn't want to turn around therefore I totally got a slight burn on my face. Dangit.
*****
And I thought two weeks ago was bad with a 10:40. This week ended up being 11:20. Which kind of ended up happening due to more cycling than I had expected. Oops. Still ... I survived, though (spoiler for next week) I ended up being a bit exhausted at the end.
My run on Sunday also put me over 100 miles for the year, which I'm pretty sure is the fastest I've ever reached that milestone.
Weekly Numbers:
Swim: 6500m, 2:23:08
Bike: 79.87 mi, 4:36:01
Run: 17.03 mi, 3:17:12
Strength: 1:05
* Miracle on Ice Day, if you don't know, is the day in 1980 where the US men's Olympic hockey team defeated the Soviet Union in a major upset. Four BU players were on the team (and I've met two!) and the movie came out while I was in college and it was/IS amazing. Also, on the same day last year, the US women's Olympic hockey team won the gold medal for the first time in 20 years, so that's pretty dang cool as well.
Week Seven: 2.11-2.17
Daily went up in reps, so that's continuing to get modified. Half-assing it a little less, though, as I think me rushing through it was contributing to some random aches that shouldn't have popped up. Oops.
This week was a bit rougher for a couple reasons (which I will explain later).
2.11
I in theory should have done a bike this day ... but with a slightly crappy diet on Sunday and needing to adult at the Colorado Home and Garden Show ... this ended up being just a lift day (so essentially off). I was also a bad triathlete (or a good coach?) and moved the day's bike to Sunday.
2.12
Back-to-back swim and run. The swim was my 1400 speed work set (with an all out 200) that hurt like a MFer. It was also a bit slower than the last time I did it on January 29, so that was a bit of a bummer.
The run was the Bluffs loop (so brutal as is) with hill repeats. Unfortunately, given the mileage I scheduled myself for the day, I was only able to do one round of the 30/60/90 second repeats (that, if you remember, I first learned about at run camp last year.
From earlier on in the run.
2.13
It was gorgeous out, so I really should have done my 20 miles outside. But my legs felt terribly, weirdly sore and I thought that if my legs were going to die on me, better they die on me safe at home on the trainer as opposed to outside somewhere. So, trainer it was.
2.14
Another run/swim day. The run was the easy/harder/easy, but I bumped it up to four miles (1.25/1.5/1.25). I didn't go as hard during the harder part as I had been with the 3 mile version, but there was still a definite delineation in effort if you looked at the average pace which means success.
The swim was drill day, totaling 2100 and I was totally fatigued by the time the cool down rolled around.
2.15
30 miles on tap. Squandered another gorgeous day outside. I just could not get motivated to drive to CCSP and do three park loops. Last good outside ride day for the foreseeable future and wasted it. I'll probably end up regretting this. In my notes - "struggling, but fighting."
2.16
Long run day - 8 miles. At least my long runs are going well! Who'd've thunk my long run would be the bright spot of my week?
Quite possibly one of my favorite photos of me ever.
2.17
Long swim day - 2500 - which was a bit rough at the outset, but I settled in okay. Mostly rough mentally - did 50x50.
I also had the bike that was moved from Monday ... some quality time with Coach Troy in the Pain Cave. I haven't done that workout in lord knows how many years and we delayed it so hard (B did it with me) and almost skipped/modified it ... but I completed it and I kinda killed it.
*****
I think the reason this week was a bit of a struggle was that B kept calling me crazy for doing 10:40 last week. But ... if you look at the hours of this week ... it was still over 10. I think I let his ... astonishment? derision? ... get in my head and fuck with me and it messed with me big time.
Things got turned around by the end of the week, though, and we promised to have only positive things to say regarding training. There is no room for any negative mental energy here. None.
Weekly Numbers:
Swim: 6000m, 2:10:59
Bike: 63.99 mi, 3:43:56
Run: 15.42 mi, 3:02:25
Strength: 1:11
Week Six: 2.4-2.10
So half-assing the daily most days. Completely being the first thing to go. Still doing it, but I'm modifying it a lot.
Also this week ended up being ridiculous.
2.4
Shorter run today and it definitely was on the shorter end of it. My legs had diddly squat. They finally kind of came around by the end (was only doing around two miles). I went to Cherry Creek State Park to run again since I hadn't been in FOREVER and it was muddy.
I also saw a coyote which is why the run ended up being on the short end. I'm not running when that thing is still in sight. I'm not triggering any prey reflex ...
2.5
I probably in theory should have stayed inside on the trainer and done TimeTrialPalooza ... BUT IT WAS SUNNY AND NICE AND OMG A CHANCE TO RIDE OUTSIDE?!?!?!?! You think I'm going to squander that? No. Not a chance in hell.
It was outside and it was glorious. In honor of the workout I probably should have done, I did push it. Drove to CCSP and did two park loops and pushed them pretty hard. Best 20 miles so far this year.
2.6
Longer drill swim - 1900; short(!) swim of the week and as much as possible of the old MaccaX treadmill set. Bailed probably sooner than I should have on the treadmill ...
2.7
30 miles on the trainer. Weeeeeeee. Went by pretty quickly, actually ... as quickly as 30 miles on the trainer can feel. Intervals during the Titan Games and then watched Super Bowl commercials (doing intervals while fast-forwarding through the football. And the halftime show. That was a brutal interval).
2.8
Run and swim. The run was my standard easy-harder-easy. It was cooooold but I did it.
The swim was my longest so far this year - 3100. That was a bit ridiculous but I did it. And I instagrammed my butt.
Not gonna lie; this took some bravery. But I'm trying to document the process and this is honestly me.
2.9
More concentrated trainer work, also pulling out an old MaccaX set in Over Unders. Went better than I thought it was going to given how long it's been since I'd done this set ...
I didn't count it, but I also did go for a walk that morning at a Skirt ambassador meet up that morning ...
2.10
Woke up and did yoga like two seconds later because oh dear lord my back has been cranky.
A little after that, I went and got my swim (2k) out of the way. I was so dead - it went so terribly. First 2k this year that I added time instead of dropping it (but it was still like second fastest so you know).
However, my long run (7 miles) TOTALLY REDEEMED IT. I did the first 3ish with Brandon and then he peeled off and I finished up at the mall where he met me. I don't know if I've mentioned it before, but I've been using HR for the long runs and I think it might finally (maybe) be working as this one was actually pretty quick (all things considered and relative). So that made me super happy.
From near the end. Also announcing that I'm a Skirt Sports Ambassador again! Click the logo on the sidebar to shop (the skirt I'm wearing here is NEW THIS SEASON) and use the code SSA1079The for 15% off full-price items!
*****
I was a bit destroyed at the end of this week and when I added up the time, it was no surprise. 10:40? Really? I did a 10:40 week in February???? That's a bit ridiculous. And probably a bit overkill. (and the mileage totally eclipsed some months in the past.) But I survived it so yay?
Weekly Numbers:
Swim: 7000m, 2:44:11
Bike: 64.03 mi, 3:39:11
Run: 14.55 mi, 2:45:18
Strength: 1:17
Other: :16
Week Five: 1.28-2.3
I have noticed that the daily is the first thing I'll modify if I'm just feeling "eh." Which, better that than my regular training?
1.28
Mondays are seemingly ending up as "easier" days lately, and I'm all for it. I finally did one of the other workouts on the Spinervals 23.0 DVD (... as opposed to just the recovery set) - the sprint/power set (set C). B has made me cry every time I've done it and I wasn't in the mood for that sooo ... but it worked well so there's that.
1.29
Steady pace run on the schedule, that could have been on the treadmill, but I took it outside instead. It was cold so the steady wasn't really that ... but whatever.
Also a swim - a 1400 (up to 2600) set that I did a lot in 2013 IM training and have done off and on over the years since. It's nice for adding in speed work in the pool and this day was the 2nd fastest time ever doing it.
1.30
Either the trainer or outside but since ice still exists everywhere ... inside on the trainer. Took so long for my legs to wake up.
We also went downtown for some super simple ice skating.
Still my first love.
1.31
Run and swim on tap. The easy/harder/easy run which was hard - the cold was super rough on my lungs, but I'm thankfully still able to keep the harder part definitively harder.
The swim took some effort, but hey, that's life these days. However, it did surpass last week as my fastest 2k of the month, so there's that.
2.1
I was sooooo hoping for my long ride of the week to be outside; it was not outside. Last time in quite a while that my long ride of the week is only 20 miles. Had some unpleasant foot numbness - cleats? fit? too much time on the trainer? - something to keep an eye out for.
2.2
Long run day - up to 6. A bit icy at times, but otherwise, it felt great. I also got a bonus four mile walk home (ran a mile past the mall and then back; got coffee; walked home).
Mid-30s when I started; totally almost overdressed. Trail was fairly empty when I started running at 8:45; super busy when I walked back home at 10:30ish.
2.3
Long swim day! Bumped it up to 2500, with a main set of 7x300. I descended the first five 300s which was AWESOME and totally unexpected. Shoulder definitely felt this, so I'm going to have to watch that.
*****
Definitely feeling the soreness creep in again. It was a lighter bike week and would have been a down week overall had I not had the skating and the walk. I'm still managing to get everything in, but fatigue is definitely compounding some.
Weekly Numbers:
Swim: 5900m, 2:11:13
Bike: 39.90 mi, 2:23:18
Run: 12.06 mi, 2:21:29
Strength: 1:11
Other: 1:22
I mean, you pretty much know how the month has gone if you've been following along ... but this is the handy dandy post that adds up all those silly numbers!
Swimming: 21000m (13.05 mi)
Cycling: 203.25 mi
Running: 48.73 mi
Lifting: 31 sessions (5:06)
Other: one session ice skating (:20), one session yoga (:16)
Swimming in theory is the only thing that should be higher as that's the only thing I've skipped a workout in (burst eyeball blood vessel, had puked ... we've discussed). But still ... 21k is, if my guess is right, my fifth highest swim month ever (one month in 2013, two in 2016 and swimuary in 2017).
Everything else is really pretty solid. Most of those cycling numbers are inside miles - and I am DYING to get back outside on my bike - but I'm still putting in the work.
The happiest thing of the above list is that I still managed a few other non-S/B/R activities. I know that won't happen much, but I'm going to fight to keep them there for I know they keep me sane. Plus I don't want to not hike this summer. I loved all the hiking I did last year and don't want all of my hiking to only be in the fall!
All in all ... a great start to the year.
