I had some grand plans to blog away about all my training…2 to 3 posts a week with anecdotes about my crazy long workouts, tips on triathlon gear & nutrition, sprinkled with some humor. However, those plans have fallen by the wayside, along with cleaning the house and planting perennials. I did manage to take the Easter decorations down this weekend. Although My 6 year old daughter suggested we leave them up until Halloween, which actually sounded like a good idea after my long run on Friday!
Here is a brief synopsis of my last week of training:
Monday: I had a 5 hour ride and 45 minute run on my training plan. Here is what my pre-ride prep looked like:
I dreaded doing this alone, but I had to get it done and an “all day” Monday ride is not ideal for most people…unless you’re a Nurse (or other Medical Professional that may have just worked all weekend). So I’m 30 minutes into my biking when I come up on someone that had a familiar ponytail hanging out of their helmet. I pushed a bit to pass to see if I knew them. “Oh look! A Nurse!!” It was my friend and colleague Pam who was out on a 90 minute ride! This made my day, as we had not seen each other, except in passing in ages. She had, in fact, worked the weekend, so was doing her ride Monday. We rode about 30 miles together, chatted, caught up on life, then parted ways. She had a bunch of errands to do, but told me to call her if I got a flat or needed help on the rest of my ride. This really made the rest of the ride less stressful for me, as I had a time constraint to get home and get the kids off the bus. I did not want to be stuck in the middle of nowhere with a flat without anyone to call, as my husband was out of town! I ended up riding for 4 hours 45 minutes, and running for 40 minutes. I ended my run just as the kid’s bus was pulling up to the end of the driveway. I was exhausted, but Done!!
Tuesday: 3,800 yard pool: This was mind numbing at best. I am usually pretty good at ticking away the laps in the pool, but 152 lengths of the pool is tough, but I did it!
Wednesday: I did my bike class at Main Street Energy Lab and it was tough, but fun! I love this class, always an incredible workout. Here is a picture of our workout:
Thursday: It was time to do my Swim Test. Every 6 weeks during training, my coach has me test myself on my times to see where I am at with progress. I had to do a 500 yard warm-up, followed by 3 x 300 with 30 seconds rest. I am happy to report that my average speed was faster than the last test, despite being exhausted!!
Friday: 16 Mile Run: I love running long distances. I hate running long distances. But I love running long! These were thoughts as I was getting ready to head out for my run. It was a beautiful day in Maine, but for some reason, traumatized by the winter, I dressed in a long sleeve shirt. By Mile 1, I stripped it off and hid it behind a bush, hoping no one would take it as it was a fave!! Anyway, the first 3 miles were all warming-up, getting comfortable, and talking myself into running for 2 1/2 + hours. After that, the miles flew by for me…slow, but steady! I finished with 15 minutes to shower, get dressed, and be at my daughter’s school to volunteer. One piece of advice, sitting in Kindergarten classroom chairs after a 16 mile run is NOT ideal for recovery!!
Saturday: Rest Day…or aka a 10 hour shift working at the hospital!
Sunday: Run Test… 10 minute warm-up, then 30 minutes hard pace, followed by 10 minute cool down. This was not pretty, I was still so darn sore from the 16 mile run of Friday, but I forced myself to do it. I have to say, this is where having a Coach and making me accountable comes in to play. I would not have done this otherwise! I warmed up for 10, then went for it… it was slow, it hurt, I felt horrible at the end, but it was done! Unfortunately, it was slower than the last run test. However, with the volume I had put in during the week, I was happy to just finish it!!
I put in nearly 14 hours of training this past week, which is a lot for me! It was one tough week, but now that it is over, I am so happy with what I accomplished!
How was your week of training? Do you have any long workouts coming up?
Angela Campos
Tuesday 2nd of June 2015
Thank You! My training has been heavy on the biking, which is my weaker link of the 3! I hope your training is going well, I can't believe it is only 11 weeks away! I am very excited, hope to see you there!! :-)
Ally Chisnall
Monday 1st of June 2015
I am training for IMMT as well and I am in awe of your training,great going. Mine has been run focused but now it is June it become bike focused and I am looking forward to it. Good luck with your training!