Week in Review

It felt like a real solid week of training.  It's my last fitness building week so I wanted to get it all in but still be safe and smart about it.

Monday: 60 min swim + 70 min bike
Had a nice swim where I focused on technique as I swam laps for an hour.  It seems like I've reached a speed plateau.  I'd like to get a session with a swim coach to see how I'm doing, get help improving my form, efficiency and swimming as well as some swim drills. 

Rode my bike seven miles into work at a sprint.  Felt great until a pedestrian and her dog stepped into my path and caused me to lose control of my bike and crash.  I fell hard.  I was really worried that I jacked up my knee.  It was skinned, bruised, swollen and sore.  It was hard to walk that day and standing after sitting was especially painful.   On my way home, I decided to tackle a short steep hill as practice for my upcoming triathlon that boosts a course with rolling hills and two challenging hills.  Spyglass hill proved to be a nice addition to my commute but was too short and too steep of a hill to suit the bill for hill repeats.

Tuesday:  4 mile/35 minute run
Initially had 50-60 minutes slated, but my girls had a soccer game.  I opted for a short and quick run.  Afternoon runs are mentally really tough for me.  I am a much happier, capable, early morning runner.  

Wednesday:  50 minute/1 mile swim
I have learned to just push through the first several laps until I  find a rhythm and loosen up.  Twenty or so minutes in, much like my running, I start to enjoy the swim.  I had to share the lanes with lots of swimmers and got kicked several times by a breast stroker.  I chalked the dodging and getting hit as part of the training.

Thursday:  58 minute/5 mile
Met with my running group for a mixed road and trail run.  It was hillier, especially at first than I've been running lately.  It was a gorgeous new trail for me.  The Ribbon Trail is a section of my favorite Ridgeline Trail system.  Super pretty lush forested area.  Very runnable and fun.  I can't wait to do this route again.  Sore butt afterwards but legs and feet still feeling good.

Friday:  135 minutes/23 mile ride
Met a friend and rode a leisurely-paced loop around the river.  On my way back home, I hit Skinner's Butte for hill repeats.  I remember attempting this hill just weeks after getting my bike and riding a few times.  It was brutal!  I messed up on my gear shifting and dropped my chain.  I continued huffing my way up the butte but halfway up it got so steep and hard that I decided to throw in the towel.  Today I climbed that baby three times!  Climbs lasted around 5 minutes and were rewarded with a fabulous view of my city from the top.  I would have kept going but I ran out of time.  It was work, but it was fun.  I met a fellow cycler and got some tips on how to deal with the gate that blocked the road halfway up until 7:30 AM.  My legs and butt certainly felt that hill workout.  Amazing how much more fun hill repeats are on a bike compared to on foot.

Saturday:  rest day
I had a ton of energy and was itching to workout.  I channeled that energy into having fun with my girls and getting things done around the house.  I am happy to report that I went through all of my and my daughters' closets and drawers, thinned them out, refolded clothes, vacuumed out the drawers and closets and returned clothes to their homes or donated them to charity.  I bought new running socks at the running store, fought off the urge to register for a local 5K, took my kids to the library, watched their soccer game and ate and played at the park with their team before retiring on the coach to blog and watch a movie.


Sunday:  1:50 minute/23 mile bike + 16:55 minute/2 mile run
Finally got to ride Fox Hollow and surrounding area hills! There were some long steep climbs at the beginning of the ride.  It felt good to be able to muscle and spin my way through.  My legs didn't burn at all on the inclines.  Knowing that I had a long ride and a run to follow, I didn't kill myself speed wise.  I tried to be conservative without being wimpy.

I had anticipated the climbs to be tough, but it turned out the descents were tougher.  The roads were wet from recent rains, they were rutty and even littered with gravel in some places.  I hung on for dear life as I flew down the hills on a wing and a prayer at speeds up to 29 MPH on this gently winding road.  I rode my brakes a lot more that I had expected as I felt so precarious on sections of the road.  I have never felt so vulnerable on a bike before.  One little mishap and I could seriously hurt myself.  I appreciated the flats and climbs more than ever after those technical declines.

Still amazed at how my cycling leg turn-over affects my running.  I run much quicker than it feels like I'm running.  I didn't have the rubber-leg or dead-leg syndrome that used to plague me after bike/run bricks. It's still work but it feel really good to have that strength and endurance.

Stats:
Swim X 2: 1-3/4 miles
Run X 3:  11 miles
Bike X 3:  60 miles

It was a really good week of training.  I had my highest bike mileage and longest time in saddle ever.  I had a low running mileage week but got in two bricks.  Time to settle down into the final phase of my triathlon training.  Time to maintain my current fitness level, stay healthy, get lots of rest and start my anal-retentive checklists and planning.