Ironman Training: Back in the Groove

It's been several weeks again since I have sat down to do a training recap.  I have a good reason for that: I've been training hard! Last time I posted about training, I was struggling to find my Motivation. I'm happy to report that I found it and I now have my nose to the grind and I am loving it. Yes, there are still days where I find myself hitting the snooze alarm, but I do make sure to get up and get it done! I have also had some "scheduling malfunctions", but I am prioritizing and making it work even if it is not perfect!

So here is what I have been up to over  the past few weeks:

Week of  2/13:

This week I cheated a bit as we were on a family vacation in St. Thomas. It was wonderfully warm and sunny and I got in a lot of open water swimming! I was lucky enough to have this as my swimming pool for a week:

I also got in some running and hiking during the week. The only thing I omitted was cycling because it was not safe to bike there. The roads are narrow and winding up and down steep hills with no shoulder, so I just took advantage of extra swim time! Check out my post on Tips for Training while on Vacation >Here<.

Week of 2/20:

We got back from our trip late on 2/19 and I had to work early on 2/20. I was so tempted to make that Monday a rest day, but I knew I would regret it later on if I did. So, after work, I came home and hit the treadmill for 4 miles, which felt great! On Tuesday, I did my Brick, which was a 2 hour run and 15 minute ride. My kids were on school vacation, so I was on and off the bike a few times, but I got it done which is the most important thing!  At this point, I had my week planned out, but later found out that my son's hockey team would be traveling to the state finals over the weekend to compete. This was wonderful news, but made timing a bit tricky. We had just gotten back from a week away and then would be heading away again for the weekend, so I had to strategize. I was going to do my long run over the weekend, but I knew that would not happen now, so I planned it for Wednesday. My kids are just at that age where I can leave them home for a little bit, but still prefer for them to have a babysitter if I'm gone for more than an hour. My scheduled run was 10 miles. No way I could do it on the treadmill... I have been able to run long in the past on the 'mill (longest run to date on it is 15 miles), but I have been struggling mentally running in doors. So, I decided to do 4- 2.5 mile loops around my neighborhood to get in the long run. I had my cell phone and told the kids to call me at any point and I would be home within a few minutes. The run went spectacularly! My son called me at mile 9 just to say "Hi!" and at that point I was 90% done with my run!

My legs were stiff the next morning, but I got up early and got on my bike for an hour long recovery ride before work. After work, I headed straight to the pool and did a 2,850 yard swim. It was a little tough to get started, but once I got moving it went by quickly!  Friday we headed out for my son's hockey tournament, so this was my "Rest" day, although it was not very restful! I had planned on doing a "Hill Run" on the treadmill in the hotel Saturday afternoon after the series of games. However, Ben's team unexpectedly lost their last game the day, so they did not make it to the Finals, which we were on Sunday. The kids played their hearts out and it was hard to see their disappointment.  There were some tears shed and the kids wanted to head home early. So we headed back home and I took Ben to his favorite restaurant for dinner and skipped my run! On Sunday, I finished up my training week with a 20 mile ride on my trainer.

Week of 2/27:

This week is where everything fell back into place. The kids were back in school and life started to slow down a bit back to a manageable and more predictable schedule. I got off work early on Monday, so decided to do my long run as the weather was beautiful! I ran 10 miles at a decent pace in one of my favorite routes. It went smoothly and I made it back home just as the school bus was making it up the hill to my house to drop off the kids.

On Tuesday, I had the day off work and used it as a Rest Day. I was so behind on emails, laundry, cleaning, etc. after being on vacation and at the hockey tournament that I needed a catch-up at home day! I stayed in my PJ's all day and just worked at my computer. I took breaks at the computer to work on the laundry! It was very productive and much needed.

On Wednesday, I did an hour long recovery ride on my bike before the kids got up. After I took them to school, I headed to my swim class. I have not been attending regularly, but have made it a goal to get there each week from now moving forward. The class is all about technique and it is very helpful! The teachers are phenomenal and I know that improving my stroke will eventually help me improve my speed. I did the class, then stayed in the pool to finish up a total of 2,500 yards.

Thursday I was up early and on the treadmill for a 50 minute run before heading to work. I mentioned this is my last post, but the treadmill has been so mind numbing for me lately. So getting through that 50 minutes was hard, but I felt like a rock star when I was done! After work, I headed to the pool and got in a 3,100 yard swim, which is the longest I have swam in quite some time. It went very smoothly, although my arms were sore afterward!

On Friday I had planned on doing my long bike ride, but I had to reorganize due to the kid's schedule and my husband being out of town. I ended up doing a 45 minute run outside. I did my 2 ½ hour trainer ride late Saturday afternoon after my son's hockey games. I usually get my workouts done earlier in the day, so it was odd to get on my bike at 3pm knowing that I would planted there for 2 ½ hours! The time went by fairly quickly, although my legs felt like lead!

Sunday was another hockey filled day for my son with 2 games in the morning and one in the evening. I managed to get in my 1 hour 40 minute interval ride in between though! I was determined to hit every workout that week and I made it happen!

Are you training for a big event? Have you ever run loops over and over? Do you enjoy running on a treadmill? How do you fit it all in? As always, I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below! Thanks so much for stopping by!

I am joining these other great link-ups this week: