Weekly Training Recap

Boy do I sure miss adding "70.3" in front of my weekly training recap titles! Re-placing it with "Olympic Tri" just doesn't have the same oomph, so I am going to keep things fairly generic until I am back on an official training plan.

Last week I talked about my post race blues - thankfully I am making my way out of that valley and back into action. This last week wasn't the best, but I should at least give myself some credit for sweating it out in our unnatural PNW summer heat. After almost 4 years of living here, I think I can safely say that this SoCal gal has finally acclimated to the cooler weather and am now finding it more difficult to workout in the heat. It's been pretty humid too so......I don't know how all you Southerners do it. Huge props!

Recap:

Monday

I planned on getting a swim in while the Kid was at practice but he had lost his goggles, so my only pair became his. :( Instead I watched him soak up all that liquid glory....as I sat in the heat.....green with envy.


Tuesday

3 mile trail run

Hot, humid and just overall junky. I think I managed 10:30 m/m. Like I said before, I have turned into a  heat pansy!


Wednesday

2200 yard swim

Ah, finally back in the water and boy howdy it felt good! By the time a lane opened up I only had about 30 minutes to get my workout in before the Kid was done with his practice. I ended up staying in for a total of 36 minutes and was pretty happy to have jammed out 2200 yards in that short amount of time!
500 Free warm up
200 kick
10 x 100 Free (hard, easy, hard, easy)
500 Free cool down

You certainly can't ask for a more scenic location to get your swimmin' on!!

Thursday

Quick OWS swim session with the Kid in prep for Girlfriend's and Dudes Tri this weekend.

The Kid has his very first tri this Sunday so we decided to head over to the river (race location) Thursday evening after work so he could get a sense of what OWS is really like. The swim portion of his race is only 250 meters and he is already a very strong swimmer so I wasn't too worried about how he'd handle being in open water. Unfortunately I turned off the nav in my car about a mile before the correct location and ended up walking down to a small cove not at all groomed for swimming. Bad mistake - the water conditions there were hideous. Super mossy, even as we got about 200 yards out!! The stuff was practically strangling us, getting caught in our hands, arms and even feet at times! It's bad enough imagining what creepy things lie underneath without having to feel it at the same time!! The poor guy had to do his first open water session in the worst possible conditions. Mom fail.

"Why the heck did I let my mom talk me into this?!!!"

He's tough though and has seen me swim in most everything, so much to his can do attitude, the Kid swam - creeped out and all. Oh, and let's not forget that his girlfriend came out with us.....so there was really no possible way he was going to show any signs of fear. Haha.


Friday

30 mile ride

Yes! The heat eased up a bit and I was really itching to get out on the road - nothing super special to recap other than just getting my butt out there. And given my current funk, I'd say that was special enough!


Saturday

The Kid had his first big swim invitational this weekend so as far as training/workout goes for myself....does cheering count?

The event was held at our local pool (as are most in Oregon - thankfully!) so no lengthy car trips for us. He did well - swam in four events, was disqualified in one (learning experience!) and nearly hit his regional qualifying times in two others. Missed them by only a few seconds! I'd say he is off to a great start. Here are a few pics from the event - so proud of this guy.

Sunday

More of the above. Swim invitationals are no joke - sitting around for 8-9 hours just to see your child swim in two events?! Yeesh - guess this is where I thank my parents for putting up with years of this stuff while I competed in school. :)


There you have it - first "real" week of training since Boise. It's not much but at least it's a start.

Cheers - Bec

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 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?

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!

IM Boise 70.3 Week 14 - Training Recap

Although it was another seven days of being banned from the pool, I actually had a great and much needed motivational week of training! Got all my planned rides in and managed two decent runs. Still working on upping my mileage to where it should be, but the simple fact that I was able to get in both an 8 and 6 mile run without any hip pain is a triumph in itself! I'd say I'm well on my way towards being 100% for Boise, and that is my main goal at the moment.

                                  

Another great part of the week worth mentioning is that after confirming our last two member spots, we finally got around to registering our team for the Gorgeous Relay. This 60 mile/6 person relay event runs through the Columbia River George and ends at Base Camp Brewery in Portland.  80 teams and 60 miles on one of the prettiest courses you could imagine. We've got a team of crack ups and total badasses so I'm super excited to participate in what sounds to be like the beginnings of another great Oregon relay tradition.

So onto this last week's recap -Week 14:

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

A few of you have asked me what exactly I do while on the trainer, so this week I am going spell out what each workout looked like.
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: 8 mile run

Still slowing building up my run base after the hip issue so 8 miles on the treadmill it was (far too wet outside).

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

Interval work on the trainer once again:
10 min warm up
Fast legs 1x10 min @ 95-100 rpm. Includes 10 min power burst every 2 min.
5 min recovery
5 min 75-80 rpm low zone 3
5 min recovery
5 min race cadence zone 3
5 min recovery
10 min 70-75 rpm zone 2
5 min recovery
5 min race cadence zone 3
5 min recovery
5 min 65-70 rpm zone 3
15 min cool down


Thursday - Planned: Rest Day
                    Actual: REST DAY!            


Friday - Planned: 3 hour bike
               Actual: 3 hour bike ( trainer)

3 hours - done. The Kid had swim practice that night as well as a buddy staying over so I wasn't able to get started on my ride until 8pm. 8pm on a Friday night after a long week of work?! Needless to say I kept the lights off in my bedroom, put my head down and pumped out 3 hours. Late night smash fest complete.


Saturday - Planned: 3 hour Brick (2 hour bike + 6 mile run)
                   Actual: 3 hours of success!!

Awesome, awesome, awesome brick workout this day! Though my legs were still a bit wobbly from Friday night's ride, I kept to the plan, spun at race pace for two hours, practiced my nurtition plan to a T and then headed out for my 6 mile run immediately after.

I've been playing with the idea of introducing the Galloway run method into my training and decided to test it out today. Knowing full well that my body will probably decide NOT to run the full 13.1 in Boise, I would much rather have a plan of action to incorporate some scheduled walking breaks rather than just go by feel come race day. In doing do I chose to test out a 5:1 (5 min run/1 min walk) method during the run portion of this day's brick. And dare I say it was a huge success?! The route I took was a 2 mile loop around my neighborhood that included at least a half mile hill on each loop. Even with the hills, by using the Galloway method I managed to complete 6 miles in just under an hour (barely). Average pace on the hills was at 10:30 and 9-9:30 on the straightaways. The best part was not feeling like I was going to die by the end. My legs were turning over just fine and energy level was excellent! Much needed motivational day!


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

Really wanted to get back into the pool this morning but decided that I would give my arm one more day of rest and test things out on Tuesday morning.


TOTAL:
Swim - 0
Bike - 138 miles/9 hours
Run - 14 miles


That's it for now folks. Have some fun posts heading your way this week so stay tuned!

IM Boise 70.3 Week 13 - Training Recap

You're noticing something, aren't you? Yes, I skipped week 12's recap.  Not much to report, really. This was the week after my race in Corvallis and that frustrating bike accident. After being given the diagnosis of a sprained right elbow/wrist as well as dealing with a nasty hip bruise, I decided to take the entire week off to heal. Didn't really have much choice...

Right arm + sling = no swim/bike/run for this gal.

Needless to say that week was pretty much a fail training wise. And unfortunately I went into a bit of a poor me phase as a result. So frustrated that I was unable to workout in any way shape or form. Worried that the last 12 weeks of blood, sweat and tears had gone down the drain and that Boise was now just a dream. Pissed that even if I did get to Boise, that my strongest event could now possibly be a massive struggle if the arm doesn't completely heal....blah, blah, blah, you get the point. I was in a downward spiral for sure. The brain is a real monster isn't it?

Here are the sessions I missed in week 12:

Monday: 1 hour bike
Tuesday: 30 min swim + 8 mile run
Wednesday: 1 hour bike
Thursday: Rest Day
Friday: 1:30 bike
Saturday: 30 min run
Sunday: 30 min swim

So I missed a bit, yes. But as I constantly tell others my home, let's focus on the positives. Good things to come out of week 12?

• It was a recovery week so all of my scheduled workouts were much less than their normal volumes/intensities anyway. 
• Pretty sure this was my "Break down and freak out" week. I've come to find out that I have at least one while training for each year's A race. Here's hoping it's all smooth sailing from here.
• The biggest positive of the week? All that extra rest actually did wonders for my hip! Finished 6 miles on the road yesterday with minimal pain. Big smile!

Alright, enough of that. Let's move on to last week where I was finally able to snap out of my rut and get to training. Week 13 Recap:

Monday - Planned: 1:30 min bike
               Actual: 1 hour bike (trainer)
Ooo boy did this hurt, youch! Very hard riding in aero while bearing weight on my right forearm so I only lasted an hour.

Tuesday - Planned: 3000 yd swim + 13 mile run
                Actual: Nada, zip, zilch
After how much it hurt to ride on Monday, I had no motivation to run whatsoever. And of course swimming was still out of the question.

Wednesday - Planned: 1:30 min bike
                    Actual: 1:17 min bike (trainer)
Though I had to spend a lot of time sitting straight up in my saddle to keep my arm free, I was at least able to get in a full hour plus of spin work with manageable pain.

Thursday - Planned: 3000 yd swim + 45 min run
                 Actual: 45 min run Yahoo!
No swim again (reeeeally hoping I only have two more weeks to wait before getting back into the H20), but I did manage to get myself onto the treadmill for a 4 mile run. Wasn't sure how well my hip was going to cooperate, so I took it slow and got 4 miles in - SANS hip pain. Woohoo!

Friday - Planned: 3 hour bike
            Actual: 3 hour bike ( trainer)
I'm baaaaack!!! Wow - this ride felt super good. The arm definitely bugged at times but I managed with 30 mins in aero and 15 mins up in the saddle. Just enough to give my arm some rest. Also practiced (for the first time I am ashamed to admit) my race nutrition. Aiming for 200-300 calories per hour so I made a conscious effort to get this done by mixing in solids (real foods) and some GU gels. Still testing out what works be best but I am leaning towards sticking with just the GU and Nuun tabs for hydration. More to come though.....

Saturday - Planned: 3.5 hour Brick (2.5 hour bike + 7 mile run)
                Actual: 2 hour bike + 6 mile run
Whew - 2 hour ride the following day after 3 hours in the saddle is a bit of a Queen killer. Hoo Ha Glide is my friend.
2 hours on the bike followed by a 6 mile run outside. First real brick in quite some time. Wish I had pictures for you as the sky was gorgeous this day even ran a few miles through an awesome sun shower. The hip felt fine during even on the hills but was a bit sore that night. Lots of rolling and stretching afterwards followed by an overnight stay in my compression tights. Glorious compression.

Earlier that day The Kid participated in his team's annual Swim-A-Thon. 2 hours of swimming as much as you can. His goal? Swim at least an Ironman distance. And by golly he did it! 178 laps - 4,450 yards - 2.52 miles. So awesome to see the exhausted smile on his face when he finished. He's only been swimming on an organized team for about 4 months now - super excited to see how far he can take this.

Isn't he a cutie? 13 going on 21, I swear.

Probably the only kid who preferred to have a Muscle Milk for recovery versus the donuts/cookies/chips available. 

Sunday - Planned: 2800 yd swim
              Actual: I'm sure you can guess by now. No pool time but I did do a ton of stretching, rolling and a nice epsom salt bath to help my tight quads. Ahhhh.....

TOTAL:
Swim - 0
Bike - 125 miles/5:17 hours
Run - 10 miles

Not the amount of miles/hours I'd like to see 7 weeks out from Boise but still happy that I was able to get some good workouts logged, my arm is mending fairly well and I was able to kick the negative self talk in the arse. No more of that nonsense allowed. For the next 2 months I am making a promise to myself - I have too many positive and supportive people in my life that regardless of injury or what other stumbling blocks I may face, I will not discredit their belief in me nor the hours upon hours of hard work I have invested in myself by replacing it with crap talk. This gal's brain is a negative free zone.

7 more weeks till Boise - let's do this!

IM Boise 70.3 Week 11 - Training Recap

Disappointed to report that I'm typing this update with a pretty banged up arm (insert first real bike accident) so last week's training recap is going to be quick and to the point. Hoping to have enough energy/typing strength to finish my race report by Friday (as you'll definitely want to read up on the plethora of non-sense that took place) but for now let's see how last week played out...

Recap:

Monday - Planned: 1:30 hour bike
               Actual: 45 minutes bike - OUTSIDE!!

Though last week was still a rainy mess, I was able to sneak in a 45 minute ride outside while the Kid was at swim practice. A little wet and muddy but I get some decent tire to pavement time and made the most of the opportunity to test out my aero bars/new saddle....all is well so far!


Tuesday - Planned: 1 hour swim + 6 mile run
               Actual: 0 swim + 45 min yoga + 1 hour of PT + 1 hour run/elliptical

Total fail on getting up in time for my morning swim session this day but I am really trying to give myself a bit of grace and move on when something doesn't go quite as planned. I preach the attitude of giving others (as well as yourself) grace A LOT in our house so I suppose I should start doing a better job of leading by example. : \

PT that evening was great! More ASTYM massage plus some strength work. I am so very pleased to have found my Physical Therapist - she is so personable and seems genuinely concerned with getting my injuries resolved so that they do not impede with Boise training. LOVE HER!

Starting an hour and a half workout at 8:30pm is never fun but I refuse to be lackadaisical about my scheduled runs, especially when I'm forced to substitute the elliptical for the majority of my planned miles. It was indeed a late night for me.


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

Nothing exciting here...just more fun time spent on the trainer.....again.....GO AWAY RAIN!!


Thursday - Planned: 1 hour swim (3000 yd) + 6 mile run
                 Actual: 3000 yd swim - OWNED IT + 1 hour run/elliptical

Have I mentioned before how much I love swimming? This mornings' set included 5x500s at sprint pace on 7:30:00 with a 10 sec rest in between - felt amazing to get those lungs burning. I know most folks usually get into the sport of tri through their love and experience with running but not this gal. In turn I am very lucky and thankful that the seemingly hardest leg of this race comes easy - I do not take that for granted.At.all. Now if could only apply that same enthusiasm to my run........blerg.

As for my rehab running regime,  I was able to increase the amount of run time sans hip pain to 40 minutes with a 1 minute walk - definite improvements!      

Friday - Planned: 3 hour bike
            Actual: Bike? What bike?-  stretch and rest day in prep for Saturday's race

I know, I know - this was a long session that I should have gotten in after work but figured I'd cut myself a break and take this as a rest day since I was racing that next morning. And boy was I glad to have made that decision......Best part about my Friday night? My Birthday surprise arrived! P, quite possibly the best fiance EVER!, flew my best friend in for the weekend - talk about doing a little happy dance?!!! The little sneaker told me that he had to run out and pick up a last minute birthday present that someone had been working on.....comes back an hour later with one of my favorite persons on the planet! I was so surprised and pretty much giddy for the remainder of the weekend.


Saturday - Planned: 3 hour brick
                Actual: Beaver Freezer Sprint Triathlon - so technically I did a brick anyway. Just about half the time/distance :)          

Details to follow in my race report but let's just say that this race contained a random mix of comedic errors that lead to forgetting pertinent race supplies, a bad timing chip, swim lane mix up, nutrition mishaps (as in I completely forgot to take in anything) and one bad crash that has left this gal in an arm sling.....

Yep - this about sums it up!

Sunday - Planned: 30 min swim
              Actual - 0 swim....instead spent the morning in Urgent Care and the rest of the day/night enjoying time with my bestie!....with a glass of wine in my hand.....and my arm in a sling. Lol


TOTAL:
Swim - 3500yd swim
Bike - 3 hours
Run - 3 miles + 2 hours on the elliptical
Other - 45 min yoga + 1 hour strength + 72 hours of bestie time!!!


Last week was a total mixed bag of emotions. Very glad that I was scheduled for recovery week these next 7 days since I'm pretty much out of commission at the moment. The spill I took on my bike during Saturday's race (aero + loose gravel = Rebecca on the ground) has me pretty banged up but thank the Lord free from broken bones or any permanent damage. Diagnosis is sprained right elbow/wrist, one giant softball sized bruise on my right hip (of course the hip I am already getting physical therapy on), many other scrapes and bruises and a bike that might need to go back into the shop for a once over. Details on the incident to come later but figured I'd at least let you all know that though I've definitely hit a bad patch in the road, at least it's a ditch I can crawl out of.

People keep asking why in the world would I continue to do something that causes me pain and what seems like injury after injury?

My answer has always been and will continue to be....

Have a great rest of your week folks.

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?