I’ve lost track at this point of what week we’re on. Originally when I started the Spring Training weekly recaps they were intended to end with the San Diego International Triathlon on June 29, which meant most of the training would be in the spring. But these days it feels like summer! Long days, plenty of sunshine (where is the San Diego June gloom!?) and warm temperatures. It’s safe to say summer is here, whether or not the calendar says it is quite yet.
With that said, I’m back into training mode this week. I missed two weekly recaps but I highly doubt anyone has any interest reading about my taper for the RnR Half or my recovery week, which basically consisted of sleeping in and then going to Nashville (I did one 45 minute spin on the trainer and that was all the working out I did outside of walking all week). So here we are, ready to recap Spring Summer Training Week 12, the week when I became a triathlete again.
Monday:
Travel day home from Nashville and rest day. I was still sick anyway (I had a cold in Nashville – seems to always happen when you finally let you guard down on vacation doesn’t it?).
Tuesday:
After work I ran a very slow 4.5 miles with Asia. I didn’t wear my Garmin and we chatted and ran “easy” but it still felt hard. First runs back post race are never fun but at least I had great company! We now officially live 1 block away from each other (Asia and Jeremy just moved – they used to live 1/2 mile down the street) so we got to meet at the street corner between us for the first time!
Wednesday:
AM: I convinced Jeremy (who just signed up for Solana Beach Sprint) to head out with me in the morning for a 1 hour ride down the coast. It was nice to have the company! The coast is normally hectic to ride but at 6 a.m. the lights are all green and there are practically no cars or runners to compete with.
PM: My first SWIM in almost a year (unless you count my aqua jogging experience during my ankle sprain – I did swim a little then to dull the monotony of jogging in a pool). I joined a group of Mike’s coworkers for a swim in Mission Bay. My wet suit was so freaking tight from being dry for so long I got major neck chaffing (rookie mistake), but overall it felt pretty good to be in the water. I have no idea how far or even how long I swam – but I was out there for about a half hour. My shoulders were sore the next day!
Thursday:
AM: 4.5 mile easy run with Asia.
PM: 45 minute “Dailey Interval” class at The Dailey Method Carlsbad. My friend Allison is an instructor and I came in for this class – it’s the first time I’ve been at TDM in a while and the interval class they are offering has gotten crazy hard. I haven’t strength trained in nearly 3 weeks and my legs were tired from my sudden comeback to running and cycling. This class kicked my butt!!! I was super sweaty and my legs were shaking. There was a ton of planking (no way I could do that 5 minute plank any more – my planking skills have gone down the drain without Pilates!) and it seemed like an endless number of lunges and squats. Of course, I loved it!
Friday:
Rest day. I knew I’d be sore from TDM and needed to sleep in. My entire body was sore – shoulders, back, abs, glutes, inner thighs, quads and hamstrings. I was walking weird – always a good sign of a good workout!
Saturday:
I joined my friend Brooke (who is training for her first Ironman!) for a 40 mile bike ride on one of my old favorite routes. The route is pretty hilly (about 3,000 feet of climbing) and we didn’t set any land speed records – we talked and enjoyed ourselves for most of the ride. However, I compared my average pace to the last time I rode this route with Brooke about 2 months ago and my average speed was about 0.7 mph faster – that’s a pretty big improvement (also saw during Ironman taper I did the route a whole 1 mph faster on average than this time)! While I certainly don’t think I have time to get near my old bike fitness in time for the race in 2 weeks, I’m hoping this was a good sign it won’t be a totally terrible showing.
Sunday:
A fellow Oiselle teammate is in town visiting her dad who lives in Carlsbad and she contacted me out of the blue to see if I wanted to run with her. I’ve never met her, don’t read her blog (she doest have one!) but I do follow her on Twitter. Despite her being a virtual stranger, of course I was game to meet a fellow Oiselle Bird and she met up with Asia and I on Sunday morning for our 8.5 mile run. It was fun getting to know Amanda and I was happy to hear she will also be at Oiselle’s running camp in August. Today was just more proof as to why I love Oiselle so much!
After the run, Mike got home from his morning surfing session and we both got on the trainer for a 1 hour spin. I really wanted to make cycling a priority this week and since I didn’t get much riding in during the week, I wanted to add this in on the weekend. I kept the effort pretty low but overall felt good.
The best part of this week – ALL of my workouts were with friends! Now that is the best way to train!
Weekly Totals:
- Miles Run: 17.5
- Hours Biked: ~5 (including stops)
- Minutes of Swimming: 30
- Minutes of Strength Training: 45
- Total Time: 9 hours
Do you prefer to train alone, with 1 friend or with a group?
I love the fact that you trained for an IRONMAN and now you haven’t swam in a year! So glad to know I am not the only one who does this–running is my first love, and though I did an Ironman and am now (6 months later) doing a couple sprints, months go by without a dip in the pool or a spin on the bike. Your experience makes me realize it is perfectly legit to enjoy the occasional triathlon without feeling guilty for not making it a constant priority!
Haha glad you feel the same way! It’s totally fine and normal I think! Although at first I felt like everyone I knew who also did an ironman the year I did signed right up for another one!
Looks like you had a great week back into TRI training! I’m jealous that you have friends to train with… I mostly train all by myself, it can get lonely!