Ironman Training Week 18 – Race Recovery

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter! Mike and I spent the morning with his parents and sister at brunch and then the afternoon with my extended family.

This week was very low key. I had read in advance (in this article) that the week post- Ironman should be very low intensity and filled with rest, even if it was just a “B” race during Ironman training, and I took that advice to heart. I basically had no plan for the week workout-wise other than the weekend long ride and long run. I pretty much did what I felt like doing and slept A LOT. We were in bed most nights around 9/9:30 and we slept til 6:30-45 most days, giving us a solid 9 hours a night. I woke up for a morning workout only one day and the rest of the mornings were spent in bed!

Overall, my body recovered pretty quickly from the race. Post race I felt much better than I did after both of my full marathons. I was also less sore than after the marathons.

I had intended to get a couple of swims in, but since I decided just to do workouts that I was inspired to do, the swims always seemed to get skipped. I figured this was the one week that I had before the Ironman to do what I want, so I did just that. Here’s how the week shook out:

Monday: I took a 30 minute walk at lunch with a co-worker but otherwise, it was a complete day of rest.

Tuesday: At lunch I had a sports massage ( I bought a package so that I can have one per month until the Ironman) and then after work did 60 minutes of easy spinning. My legs felt surprisingly good but I kept the cadence high and the effort low.

Wednesday: After work Asia and I ran a leisurely 4.3 miles down the coast together. My legs didn’t feel super fresh but they didn’t feel too heavy. I also go in P90X Ab Ripper X. 

Thursday: Due to evening plans, this was the morning I had to wake up early to get in my workout. I spent 60 minutes cycling easy on the trainer before work.

Friday: I slept in again (skipping my planned swim) and was going to take a rest day until unexpectedly I got to leave work at 3:30 PM. My co-worker who trained with me for my first marathon said she wanted to go for a run, so I joined her for 4.3 miles of easy running. Afterward, we did P90X Ab Ripper X together.

Saturday: We headed for the hills on the bike and completed 61 miles of riding.   I didn’t push it too much but it was inevitable that the ride was difficult since we chose a hilly course (to mimic CdA). It was a hot day so I needed extra water for this ride. I also somehow underestimated how much fuel I would need and ended up having to take two Gus while on the bike, which I usually don’t do. After the ride we did an easy 3 mile run. 

Sunday: Asia and I celebrated Easter early with a 8.3 mile run. Both of our legs felt a bit heavy from the previous day’s ride so we took it easy.

Weekly Totals: 

• Yards Swam: 0
• Hours Biked (Door to Door): 7
• Miles Run: 19.9
• Minutes of Core/Strength: 30
• Total Time: 11 hours