IM Boise 70.3 Week 10 - Training Recap

We've reached week 10 folks - halfway through my training plan for Boise!! The hip issue has definitely made things a bit frustrating and I feel like I've taken two steps back....but knowing the issue is a temporary one, I've been trying to keep a positive outlook and focus on what I can do right now.

Recap:

Monday - Planned: 1:30 hour bike
                 Actual: 1:30 hour bike (trainer)

All good here - nothing exciting to speak of.


Tuesday - Planned: 4000 yd swim + 12 mile run
                 Actual: 3800 yd swim + 1:45 hour elliptical

No run? No problem - 1:45 elliptical.....O.M.G. somebody shoot me if I ever have to do that again. So glad it's over.

Also took Ben (bike) into my local Tri shop for a tune and scheduled my Retul bike fitting to coincide with pick up. More on that later - let's just say that it was the best $$$ I have spent on the sport yet!


Wednesday - Planned: 1:30 bike
                     Actual: 1:30 bike (stationary - gross!)

This was the day I forced myself into PT over the lunch hour for my hip. So very thankful I did - tight ilispoas was the diagnosis with a script for lots of stretching, icing and massage. I also won't be able to do much in the form of running for the next few weeks -  LPT has me on a 3:1 run/walk for a max of 30 mins routine until I am back to 100%.

With my bike in the shop, I made due on the gym's stationary bike this night. It's been years since I've been on one of those things and man alive, I don't know how people do it! I kept having to clench my butt to keep from sliding forward and eventually off the seat (which was gigantic by the way). In turn I spent over an hour fighting a ton of booty cramps - just about the most uncomfortable 1:45 hours of my life. Never thought I'd see the day that I would prefer a tiny hard road bike saddle over a large cushy seat.


Thursday - Planned: 3000 yd swim + 6 mile run
                  Actual: 3000 yd swim + 30 min run/walk + 30 min weights

Swim felt good - glad to have a shorter distance workout in the mix.

This was also the first day of my run/walk - 30 mins of run for 3 and walk for 1. Happy to report that it went pretty good! I could definitely feel where the tightness was lingering but in no way was it that sharp jabbing pain that I felt on last week's run. Hooray - seems like I am right on track! Really wanted to push the envelope and do another 30 minutes but I practiced a bit of self control and instead did some strength work on my arms and core.


Friday - Planned: 3 hour bike
              Actual:  Rest Day with a little stretching/rolling mixed in

So with my bike still in the shop and that horrendous experience from Wednesday's stationary still on the brain, I decided to take a rest day instead. Stretch, couch and wine and P time. Perfect "recovery day". :) Oh, and I had a salon appointment that afternoon too - hallelujah this gal is a blonde again! Funny how something like a quick color and cut can really brighten your spirits.


Saturday - Planned: 2.5 hour brick (2 hour bike + immediate 50 min run)
                  Actual: 2 hour Retul bike fitting + the Opera!

Ok, so the 2 hours I spent at my bike fitting really doesn't count towards my planned brick but without a bike to ride in the AM, I will count it as such this one time. :) What exactly is a "Retul" fitting, you ask? I've got a whole separate post to address this - but let me tell you that it is one of the BEST things you can do for yourself.

Ooooo, and let's not forget the Opera......

That's right, I'm an Opera loving triathlete - crazy combo isn't it?! I wouldn't have it any other way!


Sunday - Planned: 3800 yd swim
               Actual: 3800 yd swim


TOTAL:
Swim - 10,600 yards (that's 6 miles ya'll)
Bike - 5 hours
Run - 2:5 Run/walk/elliptical
Other - 30 min strength


And just like that another week down and 10 more to go! Sh*# is starting to get real. I've got my first tri of the season this Saturday and I'm nervous to see where everything stands. So curious as to how the work I've put in so far this year will benefit my short distance. This week calls for 14:30 hours of training so no true tapering for Saturday's race. As it's just a Sprint, coach Meredith and Brett say it should treat it just like any other brick workout and nothing more. That would have sounded insane to me two years ago....love seeing how much I've progressed over these last few years and how much stronger I've become!!

How many weeks left until your "A" race?
Tips for biking in the rain?

Ilio What?

Iliopsoas Syndrome.

What the heck is that?

Can I first just say how thankful I am to have dragged my butt into PT and not procrastinated as I usually do? Otherwise I would have never found the underlining issue and some new interesting facts about my running form that would have probably caused a more severe injury down the road.

As I mentioned in a few of my previous posts, I've had this nagging pain in my right hip since the 15k race two weeks ago and have not been able to run since. I tried some deep tissue massage last weekend but the pain was still there. What's a girl with 10 weeks left till IMBoise to do? PT it was...and am I happy to report that the culprit has been identified!

The below excerpt was taken from a blog entry by Dr John Michie on Iliospoas Syndrome. (the best piece of info I could find on the topic - click here for the whole article).

The ilispoas is made up of two muscles, the psoas and iliacus, as described above. Basically they work as the primary hip flexors and as such are susceptible to tightening/tearing etc. in folks that use repeatitve hip flexion movements. (i.e. triathletes, cyclists, runners - see a pattern?)  Iliopsoas Syndrome is referred to by some as the " Hidden Prankster" in that it's buried so far underneath the abdominal wall muscles that its difficult to access and can also be confused with other more common running injuries.

What causes this issue? Repetitive hip flexion movements (built up training) and also in my case, a 3 mile hill decline during the Shamrock Run. (I swear that race is trying to kill me!). I have never experienced an issue with this muscle group before but have also never trained on hills with such a long decent.

During my visit, the LPT checked for flexibility and strength in all my lower muscle groups. In determining that this wasn't the issue (hooray - this gal is "SUPER STRONG"!) she had me do some simple squats. BINGO! We have a cause....apparently my darn right knee pulls inward during my run. This is usually due to weak glutes but in my case just a weird matter of fact. Kind of annoyed that my local running shop never pointed this out during the gait analysis I had last year (I mean they recorded my run for crying out loud) but am so happy to have pinpointed the issue now.

Anyway, the knee bending issue + 3 miles of downhill running caused my iliospoas to pull all wonky and basically scream out in anger. I was flying down that hill too, feeling freakin' awesome! Had I only known I was doing more harm than good.......

So how do we treat it and what is the plan going forward:

1. PT once a week for the next 3 weeks.
2. Astym massage - which hurts like a mother!!! See those tools on the right.....they suck and I hate them.
3. Stretch & foam roll
4. Ice 
5. Daily work on opening up my right knee on the run

I will also begin a run/walk routine to replace my scheduled training runs but these will max out at 30 mins. Frustrated that I won't be able to get in the proper amount of miles I should be but am thankfully that this is a fixable issue and with the proper care should have me back up to 100% very soon!

So there you have it! Probably much more than you ever wanted to know about my hip pain but figured perhaps someone else could benefit from learning a bit more about "The Hidden Prankster".....


....and be forewarned about that damn Astym massage!!

Mind Wandering Wednesdays

Round 2 of Mind Wandering Wednesdays. Just me, spewing out the non-sense that's been running through my brain all week....

Ready...set......Go!

• Made a bet with myself today - if I can keep from biting my nails from now to Boise....................

• Don't EVER run out of Hoo Ha, Aquaphor or any type of glide gel when scheduled for a 3+ bike ride...God save the "Queen"!

• My wedding next year will be 6 months into IMAZ training - wonder if I'll be sporting some real abs by then?

Um...NO..."real' abs, dear!

• Should probably start thinking about race nutrition...200-300 calories per hour?... eat every 10 mins?...three bottles of water on the bike? Nunn or no? To Gu or not to Gu?......blah blah blah...

• Wonder if Boise will be 35 degrees and rainy or 90 and windy this year?

• Still recovering from my 3 hour no glide gel trainer ride........ouch.

• My first Tri of the season is in 10 days down in CornPalace (Corvallis). Home of the OSU Beavers - pool swim....potential to be a down pour of rain on the bike/run....what was I thinking signing up to race with these collegiate wonders.......Should probably throw on some self tanner before the race - dem legs are white!

• Signing the Kid up for his very first Tri this summer!!!

• Thinking of my pops and the physical ailments he's going through right now - sending lots of love out to Chi-town.

• Speaking of Chicago - wonder how I'm going to get my scheduled 4.5 hour brick in while visiting out there in May?

• Bike is in the shop for a tune up and a 2 hour fitting....no riding till Saturday - this makes me a very sad panda.

• Wishing Mirinda Carfrae a very Happy Birthday while I sit here drooling over her legs.......

• No joke but that 1:45 hour elliptical workout last night seemed to have actually HELPED my hip...what the what?

• PT scheduled for this afternoon - if they tell me it's some sort of bone fracture I am going to freak the freak out!!! 

• Made THE best energy bars this weekend - super easy and ridiculously good. Props to another Pinterest win!                                 

                                                   

1 cup raisins

1 cup dates

1 cup raisins

Mix in blender for 2-3 minutes until it forms a ball. Place mixture on wax paper and press into 8"x8" square. Cool in fridge overnight, then cut into preferred sized pieces.

• Last but not least I leave you with some more outstanding race supporter signs.....

Thanks, bro - very inspiring! lol

P swore he is going to wear this as a t-shirt for IMBoise - God love him!

That's good - cause I feel like S*#@

Awe.........

AMEN!!!!




Hope everyone is having a great week!

IM Boise 70.3 Week 9 - Training Recap

If I titled these weekly training recaps, Week 9 would be...."Let the 2014 Race Season Injuries Commence!".

Just about half way through training for Boise and I feel like I am nowhere neared prepared. Perhaps it has something to do with my nagging hip issue (more on that) or maybe it's just the fact that I have get to get my bike outside and on some real terrain. Not sure but whatever the reason, I don't like it. Let's first get through my recap so we can discuss specifics.

Monday:  Planned - 90 min bike
              Actual - 90 min bike (trainer)

Nothing too exciting, just got the thing done - trainer and all.

Tuesday: Planned - 3400m swim + 11 mile run
              Actual - 2900m swim + 0 run (rest/recover)

The swim was just fine - though it was very, very, very hard for me to get up that morning. I ended up getting in the pool a little later and only got in 2900m. I'm ok with that - just a win that I even got my bum out of bed that morning. Now about that run -  HA! 11 miles?!!! After I just completed my 15k race on Sunday? Um yeah..no way that was going to happen - took a rest day from the run and replaced it with A LOT of stretching

Wednesday: Planned - 90 min bike
                  Actual - 90 min bike (trainer)

Done and done! Hip feels ok on the bike so no issues there.

Oh, and let's not forget my new Garmin Forerunner 910XT that made its way into my grubby little hands this day - Wohoo! It arrived at work around lunch time and I pretty much spent the rest of my day drooling over the darn thing. :) Can't wait to share detailed results during next week's recap.

Thursday: Planned - 3000m swim + 6 mile run
               Actual - 0 swim + 2.5 run

Slept through my alarm and missed my morning swim - I swear, not sure when I 'll ever get used to this waking up at 4:30am thing. This girl is not a morning person - and unfortunately it shows in my training sometimes. As far as the run was concerned, I made it a whole 2.5 miles. Hooked my new heart rate monitor up, synced it with my watch as was ready to start getting some real numbers for once. 1 miles in and "OUCH!" - nagging hip pain. 2 miles in and "HOLY crap no more!!". I managed to  pull out another .5 mile but couldn't go any further. Since Sunday's race I had been dealing with some upper right hip pain and knew this night's run was going to be a challenge. Unfortunately I didn't expect to hurt as bad as I did. As usual, the Shamrock Run tried to kill me again this year. After last year's 8k I ended up with a peroneal tear on my left foot that put me in physical therapy for about 3 weeks. This year? Not being prepped for those 6 miles of hills caused some sort of upper right hip pain. Uggh - not.again.

Friday: Planned - 3 hour bike
           Actual - 3 hour bike

Longest ride this year and I am proud to say I got it done! P was a sweetheart and went to The Kid's swim practice so that I could get going earlier than norm, otherwise I end up starting my pm workouts around 7:30/8pm (M, W & F).Turns out it took me a bit longer to get all the bike gadgets connected for my Forerunner and I wasn't able to get started until 7 anyway. Oh well - 3 hours on the trainer and a massive headache afterwards. - Chalk it up to not enough fuel before/during and then trying to chug down a protein shake immediately after. Mental note for next time.

Saturday: Planned - 2:50 Brick (2 hour bike + 50 min run)
              Actual - 2 hour bike (trainer) + 60 min massage therapy

Ahhhhh...massage........nope! Massage yes but "relaxing", no. Since my hip was still buggin' and the idea of seeing PT was ever looming, I decided to go the route of getting a massage to see if it was just a tight ITB that could get worked out. After Friday's bike I spent at least 45 minutes on the ground pressing/working my hip via foam roller and pressure points. It seemed to help a great deal so I was excited to get in and have a professional work on this hot mess. I can confirm that we found a great deal of knotted up, tightly wound muscles that needed to be released. Over all it was so very much needed and certainly helped but I'm not sure it resolved the issue. Regardless, I made myself a promise to get for an appointment at least once a month while in training.

Sunday: Planned - 4000m swim
            Actual - 4000m swim - BOO-to-the-freakin'-YAH!!!

4000 meters/2.48 miles - longest pool workout in years! Love the sets that my online coach laid out for me too. Definitely helped to break up the monotony and keep my brain busy. If you're looking for a great way to get in your laps/miles while working on some decent speed work,  I would highly suggest this set:

Warm Up
600 swim
400 kick
12x50 on :50 (with paddles and buoy)

Main Set - Repeat 3x
100 on 1:40
2x50 on 1:00 each
100 on 1:50
2x50 on :55 each
100 on 2:00
2x50 on :50 each
100 at 2:30

Cool Down
300 swim


TOTALS:
Swim: 6900 meters
Bike: 11 hours
Run: 2.5 miles


So, overall not the best week consistency wise but I really didn't want to push it with my runs - especially if this does turn out to be something worse. I had a little bout with negative self talk on Sunday morning too - worried about not getting in the miles laid out in my training plan and having yet to get outside for a real bike ride, but after my giant swim session and some very encouraging words from friends, I was able to drown those thoughts of doubt and pick myself up again. Boise is still whole 10 weeks away - ain't nobody got time for that!

One more week of rest on my runs and we'll see how Saturday's planned 3 hour brick work turns out. (2 hour bike + 3 hour run) Hoping the rest/stretch/ice combo will correct the issue but if not I'll get into PT ASAP.


Have you ever gone a full season without injury?
What are some of your secrets for staying pain free?

PDX Shamrock Run 15k - Race Recap

Can it be? Sunshine, warm temps and no rain in the forecast for the 2014 Portland Shamrock Run?

LMAO - not a chance!

The inevitable race day consisted of a cold morning, drizzly rain and a 3 mile hill as the cherry on top! I planned to race this event with a few of my friends, but the nasty flu bug that's been going around Portland knocked two of them out. It ended up just being Christa, Mark and I -  the 3 Amigos!....sadly I have no pics ;( This is the second largest race in all of the west coast and packs in over 35,000 green folk each year. Can you say cluster much? It consists of three different distances; the 5k, 8k and 15k.  I've done both the 5k and 8k and thought it would be a great opportunity to tackle the 15k and this "monster hill" that everyone keeps talking about.

Start time for the 15k was 7:40am so I set my alarm for 5:30am and did my usual race morning routine. Except this morning I could.not.eat. Had my cup of coffee and was only able to cram half my peanut butter toast and banana down. Stomach was a mess - though I wasn't very nervous so who the heck knows what the deal was. It didn't prove to be an issue on the run so I'll just chalk it up to nerves.
.
6:15 and I was out the door to pick up my buddy, Christa and we were on our way. Thankfully I work downtown which allowed for free parking and a quick 10 blocks to warm up as we made our way down to the starting line. The temp was a little chilly but not nearly as bad as the last two years.

10,000 strong in the 15k

We stopped off at the potties and within 10 mins or so were already packed in for the start (see above). In order to keep everyone from stumbling all over each other, they let us out in waves - large group of runners pass the starting line and then a 1 minute hold for the rest of us. I get it, helped to keep things form getting out of control, but man, it took us at least another 15/20 minutes to actual being our trek.

Finally we were off!!

Given that the run is 9.36 miles and had a lovely hill mixed in, I wanted to keep things steady and started off at a moderate 9:50 pace. I don't normally race with music (as you can't during a Tri) but chose to zone out and listen to a few of my podcasts this time around. So glad I did - Jeff and Eric of The Age Grouper do a great job of keeping me entertained while discussing all things Tri related. Pretty soon we were at the 3 mile mark and the base of the dreaded 3 mile climb up Terwilliger hills.....oh yeah, and let's not forget having to wait at least 4 minutes for a train to pass at mile 1. (Arrggghh, you messed with my time you stinkin' train!!

Ah yes, there's that "little" guy

All I can say is thank God I had taken a look at the elevation map ahead of time - knowing what to expect on a course such as this makes planning and the actual race a whole heck of a lot easier.
Up until this point, Mark, Christa and I were staying steady and pacing together - but hit the hill and Mark took off. Christa got ahead of me a bit but I just kept at it and ran my own race. Not at all worried about what everyone else was doing. Inside just hoping that I'd be able to find them at the finish line (that did not happen BTW)

Mile 5 and a little over 50 minutes in I stopped at the aid station and took in two cups of water and a GU gel that I had brought. Still had plenty of energy and spent the next mile of climb just in awe of how much I have improved since last year. I remember doing the 8k (4.97 miles) and having it be a challenge - here I was tearing up 9 miles of hill like it was my job! ;)

Me in the fusia taking down that f'ng hill!

My pace at this point was significantly slower, maybe around 12 (phone gps app was wacky and lost me so many times  - hooray for my new Garmin 910XT, will solve that right up!), but that's okay. I was trudging uphill and was just glad that I never felt the need to walk. Not.once.

Mile 6 and a huge sigh of relief. Having checked out the course beforehand and getting some great feedback from my running buddy, Laura, I knew that it was all downhill from there - blessed downhill!! Momentum increasing and knees feeling just fine I tried to pick up the pace. At one point the beautiful angelic voice of my gps said I was averaging 8:30. Haha....she's a funny one! Who knows, maybe I was - certainly felt like I was flying!

Down the hill and to the finish line...

Booyah baby!! 15k conquered!!

Quite possibly the BEST finishers medal EVER - my fingers are covering it but that sucker is a bonefide bottle opener!

OFFICIAL TIME:  1:38:59  

 (but I'd like to knock off at least 4 mins for that dumb train!)

PACE: 10:38

Whew - race done and now time to find my buddies.....um...buddies? Anyone around? Anyone finish? Anyone enjoying their beer? Anyone even still here? The place was a mad house, as demonstrated by the pic below of the line just to get into the beer area. But what can you expect - 35k strong and unless you had previously decided on a designated meeting spot or at least had your phone on you, there was no way you were going to find your pals.

So after about an hour of waiting/looking, I ended up grabbing my free beer, downed at least two bottles of water, got my finishers medal and headed back up to the car. (stopped at Starbucks on the way for some chocolate milk and a coffee - nothing better than some hot coffee after a chilly wet race) Christa's family ran the 8k and drove down later that morning so I knew she had a ride home - I didn't just bail on her. :)

All in all it was a great race and one that really reflected how much I have improved this last year in both running form and stamina!!

IM Boise 70.3 Week 8 - Training Recap

Whew! What a week! Was finally able to get things back on track (kinda) and pound away on some training (minus time in the pool). Thankfully it was a recovery week so that helped to make things a bit easier. And with having my 15k race on Sunday I did play with the schedule a bit to help compensate. That said I was fairly satisfied with how the week turned out.

Monday: 60 min bike (trainer)

Tuesday: 60 min run

Wednesday: 60 min bike (trainer)

Thursday: Rest day (last one I get for the next month so you better believe I took advantage of it!)

Friday: 90 min bike (trainer)

Saturday: Planned swim but took a rest/stretch day in prep for Sunday's race

Sunday - Shamrock Run 15k (Hills!! Hills!! Hills!! Or better yet, one GIANT 3 mile hill! - race recap to follow later this week)

Total: 0 swim (that's cool - I am confident in this sport so leaving out a week of water is a-ok with me)
         75 mile bike
         15.36 mile run


Like I said, no swimming this week but with sinus nonsense left over from my sickness, I didn't feel bad taking an extra week off from the pool. Other than that both my runs and bikes felt great! I was finally able to get out both Tues and Sun for some hilly foot-to-pavement time but boy are my quads paying for it! Think I've learned my lesson - this gal needs more interval and hill training mixed in with her milage. Boise's run course is pretty flat so I'm not too worried....but the benefits of hill training far outweigh not.

So a fairly quiet week on the training front. I had all kinds of craziness going on at work so most of my time/energy was focused on that. One exciting piece of craziness was receiving our yearly bonus! Man, do I LOVE this time of year! :) Pre-bonus night party complete, employee appreciation brunch concluded and glorious bonus check in hand, we (P and I work for the same company) took off half day on Friday and headed straight to the bank.

Now what to do with all this $$$...what kind of rad Tri stuff should I buy first? What kind of new bike should I get? Races to register for?

Oh, wait a minute......slow your roll, girl......

......buying a house + having a wedding = no "fun" money for me.....poop.

Though I won't be getting an awesome new Tri bike this year, I am going to at least look at getting a new saddle, potential for new wheels and a Garmin910XT which is already ordered and on its way!! Can't wait to show you that baby when he arrives (tomorrow!). In the Tri world, any way you can gather data specific to your training is a tremendous help. I am in my third year of racing and have never ran/biked with a heart monitor, real GPS (other than MapMyRun app on my phone), bike computer/cadence sensor etc. I've done everything by feel - which for some circumstances is totally fine, but for Ironman training, knowing exactly where you stand is essential. Not only will it help to ensure that you are keeping pace, but knowing how hard you are working your heart is a must in my book.

For anyone interested in more details, I've got a great piece on heart rate monitor training to share later on but thought it would be better to have some actual results from my own testing to incorporate, so stay tuned!

That is that, my friends. Portland Shamrock 15k race report to come later this week as well as those tid bits on heart rate testing - until then, I leave you with a glimpse into what this week has in store for me....and yes, that is an 11 mile run tonight - not.going.to.happen.

TraingPeaks app shot from my phone

"Is that thing color coded?", you ask. Yes, indeedy - miss a workout and you see the lovely color RED (total downer), do a partial workout and you get YELLOW (my shorter "recovery"ride from yesterday as a good example)....do just as planned and an encouraging GREEN shows up!

Needless to say I have yet to get a full week of green but that is always my ultimate goal. Same goes for life, doesn't it? A perfect week with nothing by green is an unfair expectation. You can certainly maintain that as a goal but learning how to be flexible when life's circumstances get in your way is truly the best training there is. Picking yourself up and getting back on track after that inevitable bump in the road reflects true character. I work on this daily in both my training and personal life....still so much more to do but I'm getting there!




Anyone else train with an heart rate monitor? Any tips/tricks you'd like to share?

IM Boise 70.3 - Week 7 Training Recap

Well, as you can tell from last week's post I really don't have much to report for week 7 training. Besides getting a 45min trainer ride in on Monday, the rest of my week was spent in bed with the flu.

But to keep things consistent, here is a recap:


Monday: 45 min bike (trainer)

Tuesday: Half day at work and the other half in bed

Wednesday: In bed

Thursday: Well enough to get in a 7 hour day at work but no workouts for me

Friday: Still no workouts - now just getting angry and frustrated with whoever gave me this crud!

Saturday: Feeling much better but am so stuffed up I can barely breathe - no way I was going to be able to get in a brick workout. *still kicking myself for not at least getting in a short run though.

Sunday: On the mend and almost back to 80%! Still junky and decided that spending time in the pool with a never ending snot string trailing behind me would be a crappy move for my fellow swimmers.


TOTALS: Bike - 45 min
                Run - 0
                Swim - 0
                144 hours sitting on my arse healing


I am happy to confirm that I am feeling so much better. Upset that I lost a whole week's worth of training but and thankful to have had the sense enough to listen to my body and rest.

That said I am back at it this week. Thankfully its a recovery week so distances/times are shortened quite a bit allowing me to slowly get back into the swing of things. Pretty good timing! A lot happening at home and work right now so I don't anticipate another post until after Sunday's race.

Portland Shamrock Run - 15k (9.3 miles) on the docket for Sunday. Just me and 40,000 of my closest friends! ;) It's kind of a tradition to race this event with a few of my fav co-workers and am excited to have upped the ante from 8k to the 15k. Though the course has a monster 3 mile hill that needs to be tackled, I am stoked to have made enough progress in my run this past year that a 15k is challenging but not scary. Wohoo!!

Always a fun time, we are looking to great costumes, peppy Irish music, delicious beer and a morning start near 50 degrees and NO RAIN!!!! See you at the finish line!

Anyone else doing a fun St Patty's Day themed race this weekend?

IM Boise 70.3 - Week 6 Training Recap

"Why helloooo there!", she says through plugged nose and wheezy coughs.

It's been awhile, eh?  Let's get through my recap of last week's new training plan before I begin the sickness rant......


Monday: 90 min bike (trainer)

Tuesday: 3390. swim + 8 mile run

Wednesday: 60 min bike (trainer)

Thursday: 4.5 mile run

Friday: 120 min bike (trainer)

Saturday: 90 min bike (trainer) + 40 min run

Sunday: 3050m swim + 60 min yoga session


Totals: Bike - 6 hours
          Run - 16.50 miles
          Swim - 6440m swim

BOOM!!!!!

Pretty flippin' awesome week, right?!! Man was I pumped to reach Sunday and say that I dominated my first seven days of this new plan. I was exhausted but felt great - excited to see such an increase in endurance over where I was at this time last year.

All that excitement? Yeah, by Monday morning it left me in an aching puddle in my bed. I felt just awful. Stayed home from work on Monday and slept...and slept...and slept. P was flying back in from his quick weekend excursion to SoCal, so I pretty much stayed on the couch until about 6pm when I "tried" to get my 90 min session on the trainer in. Um, yeah....that lasted all of 45 mins. After not eating for the most of the day, my decision to stay on track with my training was a foolish one. I fully believe that this is what created the chain reaction of nastiness that was the rest of my week.

Pickled up P around 8:30pm and was back in bed by 10pm. Thought perhaps that's all I needed - an actual full day of nothing but rest...Ha! Went to work the next day and made it for 4 hours. I couldn't put my finger on exactly what was wrong, but kept explaining to everyone it was like I had been in a car accident - every single bone, joint, muscle in my body was in pain.

That night? Full blown flu....stayed home and in bed on Wed as well. Coach Brett and Meredith all but screamed through the interwebs when I posed the question of how easy I should take it with my training this week. Cut back on half, or...? They both warned me to stop all together or the recovery process was going to take 3 times as long.

So it's been a big fat 0 meters/miles, 0 minutes/hours of anything training related. Right now I am pretty ticked off about the whole thing but have come to terms with the fact that I MUST get back to 100% before even attempting to hop back on the training wagon. But seriously....a whole week gone - poof! Nothing to show for it but a thousand used tissues and 2.5 days of sick time. I joke that since moving here three years ago this state is trying to kill me, but each year the "joke" becomes more of a reality. Must get in for some allergy testing as I'm sure that is half my issue.

Anyway....not much else to report besides the crap that was my week. If my head can finally clear up by Sunday, I think I'll take it into the pool for my scheduled 30 minutes. I suppose it's good timing that recovery week starts on Monday as I'm not sure I'd be able to pull out those previously scheduled 9 mile runs....


Back at it next week - Beastmode is within grasp....and my comeback is at hand!