I have so much to write about this week. I think I need to start blogging more often. Too much for one post...
To reconnect to last week's post, and my determination to do all the workouts on the plan this week...well, let's say I did better than last week, but didn't quite make it all the way there. First off, Monday morning I show up at the pool at 5:30 am, yes, got my butt out of bed and got there...and you guessed it, swim was cancelled. Me and 4 others who didn't check our emails late Sunday had to turn around and go home. Problem I have is that I don't have a swimming backup right now. Soon enough the lake will be warm enough to swim in and I'll be able to do some OWS, and the neighbourhood pool will also be an option. But for now, I don't really have a backup. Need to think about joining a cheaper gym to have that...although I'm hoping to put that off till Fall. So, anyway, point being - started out the week first thing an hour and a half in the hole. :( Thursday was a bad day too. Did not get out for my run in the am, and then got caught at work too late to make it to the group ride. Damn. And the bike was at SF, so didn't even go out on my own. I was pretty pissed about being kept at work, but by the time I got home and got changed I knew I wouldn't make it. So instead, I sat down on the couch and had a glass of wine. :) yes, I could have got my run in, but honestly, work was pretty rough last week, and I think the glass of wine was better overall for me than the run. lol.
Rest of the week was solid. So I got in almost 11.5 hours of the 14.5 planned. Still not where I need to be, but better. Had a great negative split run on Tuesday night, 8 miles in 1:04, which felt so good. Hotlanta weather is here, who knows if it is here to stay, but Friday's pm run was brutally hot and WAY humid. Not sure where the hell spring went...is there even a spring here? I miss my Alberta springtime!!! Tulips last like, I don't know, maybe 3 hours here...(okay, maybe 3 days)...I've had tulips that made it a good 6+ weeks in Calgary!
Pool work was interesting this week. I got good feedback from April on Wednesday am. We were doing double sets with the second of each distance faster than the first. So on the faster one, I finished way more tired, but no faster. WTF. So I'm expending more energy, but not seeing any speed. April says form is good, which is a helluva long way from where I was 4-5 months ago. I really just need to work on my pull strength. I'm more tired because my arm turnover is going up - still fighting that mental thing about faster swim = faster stroke. So core work and upper body work including paddle work in the pool is on my agenda for the pull strength. I've always known that I need to focus more on core, and so let's just get to it. Friday we were focused on breath control in the pool, yuck. I really struggle with this. The first set I just sucked. Tracy pointed out that I was swimming flat again, and I realized it was because I'd been so focused on breathing every 5. So the next set I focused on getting that shoulder twist in there, and don't you know, I had no problem doing the breathing! lol. Not so strange really - focus on how hard something is and it's only gonna get harder. Switch your focus to something else, even just a little, and suddenly you are doing what you didn't think you could do. Ah, these self-limiting beliefs we harbour!
Had an awesome ride with Jennifer yesterday morning, thankfully before the hot weather really rolled in. It actually got to 90 here in the afternoon - up from 37 on Wed am! It was a good rolling course and while we didn't hammer it, it was great to actually get a full 3 hours in the saddle outside. No more 3 hr trainer sessions!! And it was kinda cool because we each rode from our own homes to a meetup place, then did the Reality Loop, and we managed to literally ride into the Starbucks at the exact same moment. I only had to add 2 neighbourhood loops to make my 3 hours at the end. It's so nice to ride with other people, makes you push harder, and it goes by so much quicker. Next week I'll have to go a little harder I think but this was perfect for my longest ride of the season so far.
I was pretty tired after yesterday's workout. Fortunately I had a torture session, I mean massage, booked with Jen Vogel, and thank goodness. And this morning, I put in a solid 12 miles. The neighbourhood loop is 2.85 miles, and has some pretty good hills in it. So I pretty much just go round and round. Today was 4 and a bit...and I'll probably just keep increasing it by a half loop or full loop each week. Kind of neat to see the progression of mileage in such a tangible way, moreso than just the numbers on the garmin.
Today marks 20 weeks to IMC. Kind of a key milestone in IM training - 20 weeks out is where the race-specific training really starts. No more messing around and absolutely can't miss any key workouts. This week I think I'm going to really focus in on why I'm doing this and what I want to get out of it. That has to be crystal clear for me to make it through the next 4+ months. With that, I'll sign off, or I could keep writing on that topic for far longer than any of you want to read. I'll save it for a later post!
Happy Training!
Kat
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