IM Boise 70.3 Week 18 - Training Recap

Whew! What a long, emotionally and physically draining week this was. After returning home from our trip to Chicago to visit with my dad and family, the Kid immediately went off to his last Middle School overnight camp and then went straight to Spokane for a visit with his Grandma for the holiday weekend. Insert massive amount of free time for mom to get some serious training sessions in. Perfect timing as this was my last build week - and what a build it was!

Let's take a peek......(I'm tired just looking at this recap)


Monday - 4 Hour Chicago Brick (2.5 hour ride + 8 mile run)

Since my sister's graduation took place on Sunday, I decided to move my scheduled brick to Monday which would afford ample time at the gym. Still in IL and with Ben (my bike) nowhere in sight, I was forced to get my miles in via a spin bike and the dreadmill. Not.fun...but.done. I did learn something during that 4 hours of gym time though? I do NOT like spin class. Yep, got to the gym around 8am and made a bee line straight to the spin bike studio. Figured there was no way I was going to try and hash out 2.5 hours on a recumbent bike. About an hour and a half into my session the next spin class starting mulling in. I figured I might as well just stay on the bike and ride with these folks - see what spin is all about.

Um, yeah....no thanks.

He seriously looked like this - but with his eyes clamped shut the whole time!

The instructor was this big, bulky brooding guy, probably in his 50's who thought (and could have very well been) that he was a drill sergeant - the music started (at some insane decibel), the group got all fired up and then he started shouting in some lunatic language that I could not understand in any way shape or form. I followed along like a good soldier but honestly, I don't know if I was doing anything correctly. I spent most of the next hour trying to juggle the spinning/push ups combo that the Sergeant seemed to enjoy and keeping my heart rate down. Heck, I still had 8 miles to run!! Needless to say, although I do respond well to having a coach yell at me while in the pool, I am not a fan while on the bike. Think I'll try out another class here in town over the summer...maybe it was just a bad combo - the Sergeant and I.

Tuesday  - Rest Day (travel)

Most of this day was spent travelling, so although I really wanted to get a swim in when we got home, I ended up just taking a rest day. Probably for the best considering I had a long run planned the next day

Wednesday -  12 Mile Run

Ok, so I was tired. Super tired. Drained from 5 days of travelling and a very long day at work. Still, 12 miles on the schedule and I really needed to see how my hip was going to react at this distance. Funny to think how just 5 months ago I was "training" for 13.1 as my longest run ever, and now I can say, "12 miles? Eh, just a training run." Haha....not quite there yet but I was successful and so proud of myself when done. These 12 miles were a HUGE confidence booster! Started out at 7pm with tired legs, brain and all.............

   

Compression socks - I will never run a mile over 5 without them!

Boom badda Bing!

........and there it is! 12 miles in 2 hours and 4 minutes!! Had I kept up that last mile pace or even slowed down to 10 minutes, I would have PR'd my half marathon form December! So excited to pull out a run like this after being so mentally exhausted. Just the first of many confidence boosters I had this week.
                                                

Thursday - 1:20 Bike

Gorgeous day for a ride - just me and Ben out for some interval work along the river. Nice and windy so it kept me on my toes.

Friday - 3000 yd swim

Friday night date night with the pool. Still trying to play catch up with the sleep I forgoed (is that a word?) over the weekend, my swim was pushed to the evening. Usually I HATE swimming in the evenings as all of the gym rats have already had a chance to muck up the water with their sweat and urine (don't kid yourselves, there is plenty of pee in those pools!)...but given the holiday weekend I had the place to myself! Just a enjoyable session with an arm that is now at about 99%!

Saturday - Brunch + Farmer's Market + 53 Mile Ride

Love, love, loved my Saturday! P and I had a late, lazy morning - got up, made our way over to a new cafe for brunch (knowing that I had a long ride ahead of me, I piled up on delicious carbs and protein) and then visited the local farmer's market that just recently opened up for the season. Food, fresh produce, coffee, flowers, people...you name it. I love everything about the summer in Portland - especially the massive amount of local meats/produce/wine that is available. After picking up a few items (including the flowers below), and trying not to steal every single cutie of a dog that came up to say hi, we headed home.

Quick bike check and I was off for my 53 mile ride. With the next day's loooong brick ahead of me, I made sure to take it easy, finding a route that wasn't too hilly allowing for a nice high cadence and steady spin. 45 miles up and down Marine Dr (road that borders the Columbia River), the weather was perfect and fellow bikers super friendly. The ride went ok - nutrition down pat - it was that time of the month though (TMI?) so my back was aching like none other. Happy to know that there was a specific reason for it and not just my body rejecting the length of time in aero. :)

Bike route leads right passed Portland International Airport. Kind of cool riding with planes but 100 feet overhead.

Sunday - 51 Mile Bike + 3 min transition + 9 Mile Run (race day prep incl. tri kit)

So here it was. 18 weeks of training had brought me to my long anticipated race simulation. After coming directly off of a 50+ ride the day before, I was pretty nervous and already assuming that my legs weren't going to hold up. Even worse, I planned on riding up a 900+ ft "hill" to start off the course. This was to be a training session that simulated as close to race day as possible, so that included wearing my race kit, utilizing what nutrition/hydration I had planned as well as having P meet up with me to hand off the bike and dress rehearse a proper bike/run transition.

And away we go!.....and OM.G. here is that climb! 7 miles up and up and up.........bring on the hurt locker!

But all that pain was worth it..........

One of my favorite views in all of Oregon!

Small break at the top - just enough time to snap a selflie! :)

And back down I went......one would think that a solid downhill for 7 miles would be fun. Unfortunately the route is on a fairly busy road with lots of twists and turns so you really can't sit down in aero and just fly. That and still holding a few nerves from my bike crash, you better believe I was riding the brakes. Down the hill and out along the river's edge till it was time to head home for the run....I managed to maintain a 17 mph pace over the course of my 51 miles so I was fairly pleased.

Hand off the bike to P, take a quick potty break, slip on the shoes/visor, stash my water bottles and GU in some bushes near by (I HATE running with a belt, so the bushes acted as a makeshift aid station) and it was time for those awful 9 miles. It took me about 3 to find a good pace and convince myself that it was possible. Back and forth along my neighborhood roads with the wind and rain starting to pick up around mile 6 - I'm sure all of this made for a ridiculous scene for my neighbors. Here was this girl, in knee high socks and a one piece suit/visor getting soaked in the rain. Needless to say I didn't give one damn. I was bound to keep my pace and finish this thing. No better test for Boise.

Done. 60 miles in one day. 51 miles of biking + 3 minute transition + a 9 mile run in 4 hours and let's say 45 minutes. I have no idea as to whether or not this is a "good" or "bad" time. All I can tell you is that if I keep this same pace during Boise, make it out of the water around the 43/45 minute mark and add in two 5 minute transitions (I have no intention of trying to hurry my way through transition - besides, those dang compression socks take forever to get on!) that should put me somewhere around 6:43. 6 freaking hours and 43 minutes!

My say-it-out-loud goal right now is 7 hours. Anything better than that is just icing on the cake!

TOTAL:
Swim - 3000 yards
Bike - 160 miles
Run - 29 miles
Hour - 16 hours 14 minutes

Wow - by far my hardest training week and very heavy on the bike/run. Thankfully that was it for build and am now on to my two weeks of TAPER!!!!! Hours and miles are slowly decreasing which is much needed for these old bones. I had a massage yesterday and one more PT appointment scheduled for later on this week. Almost to my 10 day countdown - EEKK!!!

Anyone else in taper right now?

When is your next race?

IM Boise 70.3 Week 17 - Training Recap

Hey-O!!

Sorry for the lack of posts this week but as you know I was in Chicago for the weekend and spent most of yesterday catching up on work and managing a 12 mile run (which I totally PR'd - B.T.Dubs!)

So how did my trip go and what kind of training was I actually able to fit in while there? Let's check in out...


Monday - 1:30 Bike

LOVE this bike route!

Wohoo! Got my butt outside for once and man did it feel good. I can totally tell how much more powerful my legs and general riding skills are from this time last year. Excited to tackle some major hills and wind this coming weekend - heard the wind in Boise can be a big pain in the arse.      


Tuesday  - 10 Mile Endurance Run

Feeling great! Got started a little late though so I ended up getting 6 miles done outside on my favorite path and the remaining 4 on the dreadmill. Oh well, 10 miles is still 10 miles!


Wednesday -  1:15 Bike                  

Nothing super exciting about Wednesday's ride - The Kid had his band concert that night so I had to spend it on the trainer afterwards. Wouldn't trade it for anything though.....learning to balance work and family with my training life is hard BUT I made a promise to myself this year - NEVER sacrifice time with family in order to race. Family will always be my number 1 priority and would never want to do anything that might hinder those relationships. As a result of sacrificing some outside riding time, I got to see this little piece of magic happen..............(my Kid is in the red shirt busting out the tunes)

                                                            

So we knew that The Kid plays drums (you can't get the dude to stop tapping on any and everything) and has been staying after school once a week to practice with this new rock group (mix of middle schoolers and music teachers). Little did we know he could actually sing too! I mean, really sing! This was the first of about 8 numbers that they performed...... needless to say we were in awe and so super proud.

My Rock Star.

Thursday - Rest Day

Lots of stretching and packing....and packing...and packing. When 2/3 of your luggage for a 5 day trip is full of workout gear, you know you are a triathlete! :)


Friday - 1:30 Endurance Bike + Travel Day

So, yeah......didn't quite get in the full 3.5 hours I wanted to but as we planned on leaving the house by 1pm to make our flight, 1:30 hours was all I had. Still, a little bike and some compression socks for the plane ride and I was all set. About the compression - wore my Zoot Ultras on both flights to and from Chicago - life.saver. My legs felt amazing the whole time and even allowed me to pull out a 12 miler the day after flying! I will never travel without them again.

Somebody is no longer a fan of giving his mom a smooch in public! ;)

Saturday - 2800 Yard Swim

Planned on getting up at 4:30am and heading downtown (1 hour away) to meet up with some folks for a little OWS in Lake Michigan....yeah right! With snow on the ground the morning prior and water temps below 50 degrees, the swim was cancelled. Would have really liked getting into some super cold water though - think it would have been good prep for Boise. No harm, no foul - I didn't get to bed until around 1:30am or so the night before so that would have made for a very tiring swim on 3 hours of sleep. Probably for the best.
Instead I was lucky enough to find an LA Fitness about 40 mins from my dad's house (he kinda lives in the boonies). Without being able to participate in some OWS, I headed out for a morning chlorine session. Easy 2800 yards that felt amazing! My arm is just about at 95% now and should be primed for Boise.

Sunday - Rest Day + Graduation Day!

Yes, I did have 3 rest days last week - so what?!!!! Actually, I felt awful having to take so many days off but knew that when travelling, you just have to give yourself a little bit of a break. My half sister, Lissa, was graduating from High School this day, which is one of the main reasons we made the trip out! So excited to see how all the hard work she's put into her education, has paid off. She graduated with honors and is heading out to Huntington Christian University in the fall to study animation. A-mazing artist so I am sure she will be just as successful in her college career as she has been these last four years. Congrats, Lissa!

The happy Graduate!

My sis made it out to IL as well so I got to meet my newest little niece-to-be for the first time as well!

The Kid and I 

That about sums it up - had a wonderful trip that went way too fast, but we were able to catch up with family and spend some quality time with my pops, whose health is very unstable at the moment. Even had lunch with my mom during our layover in Denver!  Flew back on Tues and was able to get in a 3.5 hour brick before leaving (albeit on a spin bike and treadmill) and just finished up a 12 mile run last night! Just priming the pumps for what will be my last full week of long, hard workouts before the 2 week taper begins.


Boise is only 16 weeks away! What the heck will I have to blog about after that! :)

Mind Wandering Wednesdays

WORD! haha -  "Clean" eating is extremely hard to do during race season. Between the amount of time one spends training and the amount of calories your body needs to produce good results, it's a hard balance. I just came off a recovery week and am currently in the eat-whatever-I-can-get-my-hands-on stage. Especially carbs! I try to stick with whole grains and nuts...but nuts! Sometimes this body just wants a cookie! I've cut out all alcohol during this last month before Boise so I'm sure that's a contributing factor. Oh well - I can only do what I can do, and for the most part its on track!  (unless I have a long brick scheduled...then strap the oat bail on cause this horse is hungry!)


Shall we play the random game?.....

• BOISE!! (figured I might as well start right out of the gate with it) - got another email with our official "Athlete Guide" attached. The simple fact that this guide is 21 pages long and needs a table of contents is totally freaking me out!

• 10 mile run last night. In the heat.With the gnats - I started out a bit too late so it ended up being 6 miles on the trail and the remaining 4 finished up on the dreadmill. Gross.....

• The Kid has his rock band concert tonight! He sings and plays the drums - looking forward to seeing the results of all those after school practices. 

• New tri suit arrived yesterday! A little history: my sweet brother, in honor of his mother-in-law's passing had a kit made for both of us. Unfortunately it was a men's cut size M so it didn't quite fit right. As a result I went online and snatched up a gorgeous 2xu Compression suit.  Tried it on last night and of course it's too big!! Not the worst problem to have but returning and re-ordering in a M...cross your fingers.

• Has anyone else been watching Fargo? What a twisted little show that it is - love it.

• Trip to Chi-town this weekend:

          1. Compression socks on the plane?

          2. Open water swim with a group at Lake Andrea in WI or with a masters group in Lake Michigan,IL?

          3. 4:30 brick scheduled on Sun - race simulation (tri gear and race nutrition/hydration) 3 hour bike in the                                       gym (20 mins away) + 9 mile run or find an LBS to rent a bike for those few hours? Keeping in mind that I must be                 done by 11am.....oh boy.....

• Wedding and house buying plans have been put on hold until after Boise so my Pinterest boards have been very quiet lately.

• Crowie (Craig Alexander) has officially registered for Boise 70.3!! Pictures are a must and some of the ladies in my online tri group have even dared me to get a little "touch" in. Hey, if they're willing to raise some cash to fund my bail...then what's the harm?  ;)

(Don't worry babe - it's just a triathlete crush......yeah...that's it)

• BIG shout out to my brother, Randy, who has his very first race (triathlon) this weekend in Colorado. Swim smart, ride hard and run fast!! GOOD LUCK, BRO!

Randomness done, now on to the race spectator signs (you know it's your favorite part).....love the commitment of these folks!!

Is she ever?

How many people can actually say that?!! BOOM!!!

For my honey - to make up for the Crowie pic. ;)

There's always gotta be a "your mom" joke in there somewhere.

Happy Hump Day ya'll! Now get out there and own the rest of your week!

Any randomness you'd like to share?

IM Boise Week 16 - Training Recap

Recovery week - wohoo!!...wait....what the heck is that??

Let me help - training places a tremendous strain on your body, we all know that. When you exercise, you are tearing muscle fibers which your body must find time to repair in order to make you stronger. Your body doesn't get stronger or build endurance while you are training, rather its the period after your workout when it's making all those important changes. It's vital that you give your body time to repair itself or your fitness will more than likely plateau or even decline if you continue to push yourself.

Enter recover days/weeks.

Actually, recovery week can be a little tricky. Though my body appreciates the decrease in miles/hours, the head, however starts to play it's naughty little tricks because of those same changes in schedule.  "You've been so super lazy this week!", "Your times are so slow, what the heck is the matter with you?!!", "Why does your knee hurt?!!", "You're so not ready for Boise".....and so on and so on...and if you're not careful, pretty soon you'll start feeling like my furry friends above.

But the week is over now and I was able to block out most of the negativity that wanted to creep in. Dare I say my mental training is starting to pay off? Back to three more weeks of high mileage and stupid hours before my last tapering begins. Here's a recap of what last week's training consisted of.....

Monday - Planned: 1:00 min bike
                 Actual: 1:00 hour bike (trainer)

Easy spin - when the brain shuts up, man do I LOVE recovery week!


Tuesday - Planned: 30 min easy swim + 8 mile run
                  Actual: 8 mile run - moved my swim to Fri morning

Runner "duck" face anyone? Lol 

Nothing too exciting to report. The run went just fine - despite the gnats (gag!) and getting a late start, I got that sucker done. I chose to stay on a fairly flat paved trail this night. Decided that hills were probably more appropriate for shorter distances. As such the hip felt great and my energy up.


Wednesday - Planned: 1:00 min bike
                       Actual: 1:00 (trainer) + PT appointment

First appointment with my PT since the bike crash during last month's race. Thankfully the bruise on my upper thigh had subsided enough to where she could give me another round of ASTYM. That in combination with some additional strength exercises and I was done! I mentioned that my bike accident may have actually been a blessing in disguise as it forced me to completely rest the hip for 7 days. She agreed, was pleasantly surprised at how well I was doing, and sent me off with one last check in scheduled before Boise.

Unlike previous years, I am so happy that I went in to the doc immediately following my hip pain. Having a good Physical/Massage Therapist in your corner can be one of the best tools in your training box . There are all kinds of ways to injure yourself in triathlon and having someone you trust to find and resolve the issue is imperative in ensuring that you limit permanent damage and can continue with your race schedule as planned.


Thursday - Planned: Rest Day
                    Actual: Rest Day

Ahhhhh, rest day......no more of these for the next 3 weeks so you better believe I took advantage of the down time.


Friday - Planned: 30 min easy swim + 1.5 hour bike
               Actual: 30 min easy swim + 1.5 hour bike

Wohoo!! Yes, I said yes!! FINALLY able to get back into the water after taking these last 4 weeks off to heal from my elbow/wrist sprain. I was super excited to jump in the pool and get going that morning. So that I didn't risk the chance of pushing my arm further than it was capable of, I took it easy and did a 1000 swim followed by a 500 kick. Thankfully it was recovery week and I was only scheduled for 30 minutes anyway. The arm felt "ok" but the wrist started to get a little aggravated on my pulls so 1000 yards it was.


Saturday - Planned: 30 min run
                   Actual: 30 min run

30 min trail run...or should I say 28 min trail run?!! Forgot to charge my Garmin so I ended up strapping the ol' iPhone into my arm band and tracked my mileage the old school way - via MapMyRun. Reeeeeeally hoping that 9:08 min/mi pace was accurate. I definitely felt the push.


Sunday - Planned: 3000 yd swim
                Actual: 2000 yd Mother's Day morning swim

The Kid and I - somebody get that poor guy a haircut!! ;)

Perfect way to spend my Mother's Day morning - quick 2000 yard swim before a day of celebrating with my boys. Even though the arm felt even better than Friday, I chose to keep it at 2000 yards vs. the planned 3000 just to be safe. I'm still taking it easy on the pulls so my times are a bit slower than I'd like but the simple fact that I was able to increase my yardage so quickly has me very hopeful for a 100% recovery before Boise!

After my morning swim, P, The Kid and I went out to brunch a local restaurant. It.took.forever. They sat us fairly quickly but I swear it took at least 30 mins for the server to take our order and another 30 just to get our food. The place was definitely hopping due to the holiday but we were starving! :) Food came (finally), we stuffed our faces and headed out.

After brunch P and I headed downtown for the last of our Opera Portland shows: The Pirates of Penzance. Such a silly little show that I know all too well - both P and I were a bit disappointed in the sound quality of the production. Being played in The Keller Auditorium, one of Portland's largest theatres, there was definitely something missing. Individual performers are not usually mic'd during an Opera, rather they count on stage sounding to pick up their voices - I think there may have been technical issues last night - we could barely hear the orchestra and the performers were definitely muted. Either way it was a fun way to close out the season.

.

One finally cap to a wonderful Mother's Day? Gifts!!! Flowers, a homemade card, new pack of my fav Espresso Love GU and the prettiest Swim Bike Mom necklace ever!! I had hinted to P about this necklace over a month ago and was really hoping that it would magically show up. :) So.in.love. Meredith over at Swim Bike Mom designed the piece and still has it for sale on her SwimBikeSell.com site if anyone of you tri moms are interested. It is quite delicate with the pendant being only about 2 to 2.5 '' long? It's so pretty on.....you must get it! :) 

I feel super blessed to have such great guys in my life who made me feel uber special on Mother's Day. The only missing piece? Being able to see my own mom.....not to worry though, her pretty face will be in Boise just a few short weeks away!

RECOVERY WEEK TOTALS:
Swim - 3500 yd 
Bike - 55 miles
Run - 11 miles
Hours - 5.5


So, only one more month to Boise and I've decided to focus these last few weeks on specific goals to help ensure I am at my best come June 7th.. Here's what I plan on addressing this week:

1. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate - not just during training but all throughout my day. Even more than normal.
2. Along with hydration - 0 alcohol. And yes, that goes for wine as well. It's going to be hard, very hard....but I want my body at the starting line of Boise to be 100% clean.
3. Core - I've lacked on my strength training since the crash last month. This week will be focused on incorporating my kettle bell workouts back into the regular routine.
4. Staying on track during this weekend's trip to Chicago. Currently have one OWS planned and have directions mapped out to the nearest gym (20 mins away!) 5am morning workouts isn't the most fun way to spend vaca but it is a imperative one!
5. Vitamins - once again I've been neglecting these needs.

Cheers to another week down and four more to go!

Do you utilize recovery days/weeks in your training plans?

Product Review - TriBox

TriBox review - FINALLY!!

Received my second TriBox via RunnerBox last week and have been meaning to post a review on all the goodies that were inside. Training has really ramped up these last few weeks so I am finally getting around to it......

Can't tell you how much I love this quote!! So pertinent to Boise that I've written this down and will be using it for motivation these last 5 weeks! Triathlon is such a personal sport that even training days can feel like competition with yourself - learning to overcome the daily struggles and constant desire to give up is a huge win in itself!

Ok, now on to the good stuff. As mentioned in my last post, TriBox only includes all-natural (mostly gluten/dairy free) products so you know whatever snacks arrive are uber healthy for you. Here's a run down of what I got this month......

• Earth Balance - Coconut peanut spread (gluten free) - Stupid, stupid, stupid good. I want a truck load of this stuff!
• Eden -Wild Berry Mix - Organic, unsalted goodness. Another great snack that was gobbled up the moment I opened the box! 
• The Goodbean No-Nut Fruit Bar - NonGMO and gluten free- perfect for a quick desk snack.
• ProBar - Bolt Organic Energy Bites - Wasn't a huge fan of these but then again I don't really like shot blocks or chewy energy pieces anyway. I prefer the consistency of GU (which I know sounds crazy) or just a liquid form of energy. The flavor was pretty good though so you might want to try it out if you're looking for organic energy chews.
• Smooch - Apple, Raspberry and Peach Fruit Snack - I've heard great things from a lot of folks on how they've been utilizing these vegan friendly, gluten/dairy/nut free fruit squeezes to their training/racing nutrition. I have yet to try it in that way but think they are perfect for travelling/hiking etc. Saving this guy for my trip to Chi-town next weekend.
• Fluid Performance - Natural Sports Drink - I'll be trying this out on tomorrow night's ride. Wish the packaging was a little bit smaller, like my Nuun tabs but if it does the trick....
• Calms Forte- Can you say race nerves?!! These suckers will be put to great use not only during my weekend in Boise but for the dang flight I have to take out to Chicago next weekend. I am NOT good flyer....love this natural form of anxiety/stress relief!
• Humagel - All Natural Chia Energy - Gluten and dairy free, you just can't go wrong if looking for an all natural energy gel. I've been wanting to slowly ween myself off of GU and on to Humagels for awhile now but the stomach is saying no at the moment. And who am I to argue 5 weeks out from Boise?
• Core Protein Bar - Brownie Crisp  - Since I've moved to mainly liquid forms of nutrition during workouts, I'm finding that my energy "bar" supplies aren't being replenished as often as before. This one sure sounds tasty though!

• Mino - If this isn't the most interesting little gadget! Slip this insert underneath the sock liner of a new pair of shoes and your old worries of having to keep track of when you need a replacement pair is gone! Mino does it for you! This handy device keeps track of how many miles you've put on your running shoes and will alert you when their lifespan is over. Just lift the sock liner once a month and check to see if the red light is lite - if so, its time for new kicks! I do have these in my current pair but they were placed there after I was about 100 miles in. Interested to see when the red shows up! 

Link to this awesome product if you're interested. The best $15 you can spend as a runner: www.runmino.com

• Tripain Relief Gel - TPR is an alternative pre and post workout analgesic whose ingredients are specifically designed for high intensity training, recovery and competition. Forgot to use this on my last brick workout but you better believe I will next weekend!
• Sunology Body and Face Sunscreen - Once again, natural sunscreen that does not use man-made chemicals in their active ingredients. I haven't spent too much time out in the sun just yet this season but I'll be sure to lather up on my next ride.

As usual, along with these awesome products were a bunch of coupons for additional purchases. See? Super fun box to get and well worth the bi-monthly subscription price. Here is a link to the site if you're interested! They just added a CycleBox too so you've got three options now! therunnerbox.com

**Although I am trying hard to become an Ambassador of RunnerBox, by no means have I have been paid to review these products. Simply my way of keeping you all informed of what's out there.**

Do you receive RunnerBox/TriBox/CycleBox? Anything different in your subscription this month?

IM Boise 70.3 Week 15 - Training Recap

Busy, busy, busy. As you can tell from my lack of posts, scheduling and simple exhaustion got the better of my free time this week. That being said I had another solid week of training and was finally able to get outside for a ride - first time since the crash a month ago and it felt ah-mazing! Week 15 was another good one - let's see what went down....

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

Interval work:
10 min warm up
4x15 min @80-85% LTHR - harder gear every 5 min while maintaining rpm
5 min recovery
15 min cool down


Tuesday - Planned: 3000 yd swim + 12 mile run
                  Actual: 9 mile run (Pool time next week!)

Whew! Rough 9 miles on a fairly hilly course around my neighborhood but I got the sucker done and despite some nagging pain in my right hip, was able to stretch it out just fine afterwards. So nice to finally be able to get my mileage up and still feel good the next day. Come on body - don't fail me now!! :)


Wednesday - Planned: 1:30 min bike
                       Actual: 1:30 (trainer)

More interval work on the trainer once again but I'm starting to notice some real changes in the definitions of my leg muscles as well as improved endurance to the pain and lactid acid build up.


Thursday - Planned: 4.5 mile interval run
                    Actual: 4.5 mile self defeating trail "run" in 85 degree heat

Not gonna lie, this was gross! It's been since Sept that we've seen temps in the 80's so my body was nowhere near prepped to run in any form, let alone on a dusty trail. I walked about 5 times and averaged something lame, like 12 min/miles. Didn't help that I hadn't hydrated enough throughout the day either. Here's hoping we get some more hot days in before Boise or this gal is going to struggle.


Friday - Planned: 3.5 hour bike
               Actual: 3.5 hour bike ( trainer)

Heck yeah!! 3.5 hours hole up in my bedroom rockin' the trainer. In all honesty the time went by fairly quickly. I was able to get on the bike pretty early and finished up by 9:30pm. So much better than last Friday. This was the first night that I practiced my liquid nutrition plan (CarboPro) for Boise and am excited to report that everything went very well. I was able to maintain decent energy levels all 3 hours and my stomach handled the liquid just fine! Besides having to pee A LOT more than usual, I think I have it nailed down. 3 bottles on the bike (16oz water + 1 Nuun tab + 2 scoops CarbPro) should get me through the whole 56 mile bike leg without needing to stop at any aid stations. (which I heard can be a massive cluster so even better)


Saturday - Planned: 3:40 hour Brick (2.5 hour bike + 8 mile run)
                   Actual: 3:40 hours of brick domination

Another great brick workout this weekend! The best part was FINALLY being able to ride outside again as well as meeting up with friends to tackle the run. "Run" is a bit of an overstatement as we spent a decent amount of time chatting - but it was sure nice to get some miles in with company for once! The time flew by and thanks to the decision to wear my compression socks that whole day, my legs felt strong and more than capable of going faster/longer.

After the run we celebrated with some naughty food and a cold beer.

 What? I burned enough calories to justify this! 

Sunday - Planned: 2800 yd swim
                Actual: Foam roll and stretching

Plan was to get back into the pool this day but the arm was a little sore after yesterday's outdoor ride so I played it safe. The last thing I want is to do anything that might hinder my easiest/strongest portion of the race simply because I wasn't patient enough.

No better way to recover after a long workout than a 20 min ice bath and dual compression tights. My legs felt so energized the next day - LOVE this new routine!

TOTAL:
Swim - 0 (last week of no swimming - time to get back at it!)
Bike - 152 miles
Run - 21.5 miles



So 15 weeks down and only 5 more to go! It's recovery week the next 7 days and the last one scheduled till tapering begins so I am going to focus on the quality of my runs, add in a little yoga and get back to some more strength training and PT for the hip.

Also finalizing accommodations for the Boise trip - right now we have P, the Kid and myself going, as well as my brother (who is racing too) SIL, their two kids and then my mom and aunt. What's the best possible scenario for a group of 9? VRBO baby!! Forget hotel rooms - we found a great house that is plenty large enough to fit our group and will allow so much more privacy and general space for our 5 day trip. It's right outside of down town but still a close 15 minute drive away. Plus, with having our own kitchen we are in complete control of pre-race snacks etc. If you are ever looking for a place to stay when visiting from out of town, I would highly suggest checking the VRBO (Vacation Rentals By Owner) site to see what may be available. We've gone through this company to rent homes for a myriad of vacations -  from little cabins in the mountains to gorgeous beach homes. You just can't go wrong!