Road to Kona: Week 17
June is finally here and it seems to be trying hard to be summer in the Pacific Northwest, though you wouldn't know it right now looking outside.
Honestly, I was trashed this week. Mentally and physically I was exhausted. I hit May really hard on the training front and looking back on it I don't think I had an official day off the entire month... Now before you freak out and say you're over training I take one full active rest day, where all I do is lift, and one other low key easy day. It works well for me. However, I do usually find that about every 4 weeks I need a day off and an easier week, so this week became that for me.
It worked out nicely to have this week be a lower key week as it puts me ready to rock and roll for the next two solid weeks of training before Ironman 70.3 CdA taper.
Monday
My parents were up for Memorial weekend and it was a beautiful day so while the husband and my dad went golfing my mom and I went for a hike. In typical Lloyd family fashion it turned into an adventure. What was supposed to be just an hour walk (more than a hike) turned into just shy of a 9 mile hike in the 90 degree heat, with tons of hills, and no water... oops. Luckily both my mom and I laughed about it the entire time as it was so typical of our family to turn something into a adventure but after a couple of seriously tough workouts over the weekend my exhausted legs screamed at me the entire time. However, I cannot complain because I was outside in the sunshine, with my mom and puppy, enjoying the outdoors (plus getting eaten by mosquitos).
Tuesday
Strength: 1 hour Shoulders
After throwing a 9 mile hike into the mix on Monday I was still exhausted come Tuesday, and so sore haha. Both my mom and texted each other on Tuesday of how sore we were, my hamstrings and glutes yelled at me all day long.
Tuesday is normally a pretty heavy training day for me with some sort of brick training, however based on the way my body was feeling I turned it into a second active rest day and muddled my way through a shoulder workout at the gym.
Wednesday
Run: 6 miles Swim: 3250 yds
After two days of active rest it was hard to get myself moving to actually do full workouts. It took me 30 minutes to get myself out the door for my morning run this day. Anyone else really struggle in the mornings? I just do not run well in the mornings. I'm sluggish and slow and most of the time I come back angry and frustrated. But I got myself out there and told myself just keep your legs moving and focus on getting the miles in. So I did.
That evening I hopped into the pool for some swim laps. Swimming has been really frustrating me lately as I don't really feel like I am making any progress in it. This has been the first year that I have been really consistent with my swimming but I seem to be in the same spot as last year. Brandon reminded me that for the first time since I started training I was able to hang in the fast lane at swim practice with the local Tri club here in Spokane. So if you are to look at it that way then yes I've made a ton of improvement, but it just doesn't show as much as in my running and biking so it doesn't feel as prominent.
Thursday
Strength: 38 mins Bike: 36 miles Run: 5.5 miles off the bike
Again the plan got a little bit sideways today, it is as though the big man upstairs knew I needed a bit of a break. On Thursdays I like to throw a longer ride into the mix as my legs are usually feeling a little better by now. It was kind of a grey day all day and I spent most of it looking at the weather app to see if it would rain, but it never showed that it would. I even got as far as being all prepped, on my bike and ready to go and almost turned myself back indoors to do the ride on the trainer because it just had that look about it. But I told myself to stop being a baby and get outdoors it won't rain...... well about 10 miles into my ride it started raining and 2 miles later it started pouring down rain. At first I thought I can manage this cause it is not that cold, and of course the second I thought that I became freezing cold. I was super close to my in-laws house so called my mother in-law to see if she was home to give me a ride, unfortunately she was not. Then of course I knew that meant I would have to ride home (my husband was out of town for work) but not before I called the hubby to complain.
Thankfully, it did stop raining but the damage was done. I was soaked to the bone, covered in dirt and grim, cold, and very cranky... so I called it a bit early and made my transition run a little bit longer. Of course the second I got home from my ride and started my run it turned beautifully sunny without a cloud in the sky. I literally went for my ride about one hour to early.
The major unfortunate part about it was that meant that I had to clean my bike that evening. Something I really do not enjoy doing. Any one else feel that way about cleaning their bikes?
Friday
Swim: 2025 yds Strength: 40 mins Run: 7 miles track workout
It was a gorgeous day today. Just recently the outdoor pool opened up for extended lap swim during the week so I decided to give it a shot during my lunch break to see what I thought. Oh man it was so pleasant to swim outdoors in the 50 meter pool during the day. Definitely something I am going to add to my schedule for during lunch breaks.
After work I popped into the gym for a quick back workout, after swimming my back already felt exhausted, and the headed to the track for the first track workout I have done in a very long time. The track is a place that always brings out a lot of strength but also can be very humbling. For a track workout I did a easy 2 mile warm up followed by 4X1200 meters at 5:06 mins with a 400 meter recovery and a 1 mile cool down. It really felt good to test the legs again, quickly reminded me I have a lot of work to do to be able to handle the speed but a good confidence booster that it is in the legs.
I was pretty toasted after all that and quickly grabbed myself a salad from the store and headed home to snuggle with my puppy and sit in my recovery boots so that I could do it again the next day.
Saturday
Swim: Open water 1640 yds Bike: 55 miles (Sweet Spot Intervals)
With only about three more weeks until the first race of the season for me I needed to test out my new wet suit and get myself into the open water. I may complain the entire time on my way to the water but I actually enjoy the open water swims because my husband often comes with me and kayaks next to me as I swim.
This year I got a new wet suit, a Zoot, and it is so nice to have a wet suit that actually fits me. It may be about a 1/2 size to big but for the first time I could actually get the wet suit on without feeling like a sausage stuffed into a casing. Surprisingly, the water was wonderful. Since it has not been warm at all this spring I was anticipating it to a little cooler than normal, but it was so refreshing.
The husband and I are looking at trying to purchase a new house so we went from the OWS to looking at houses. Talk about overwhelming, I think an Ironman was less stressful or overwhelming. After that I still had to get some sort of bike ride in and honestly my brain was mentally drained to the point where I couldn't even get myself outside. So sweat fest on the trainer it was. I had a good workout back there and for the first time in a long time I actually hit my watts during my Sweet Spot Intervals.
Sunday
Strength: 40 minutes Run: 4 miles
We woke up to grey and drizzly weather this morning and my motivation woke up in the trash can. After four days in a row of tough workouts I had nothing in me this day. Most of the time I push through days like this but with this week supposed to be a low key week and really feeling like my brain and body needed an easy week I decided to go to the gym and lift with the husband to just see how I felt, then I would go from there.
It took a full 20 minutes for my muscles to wake up during my lift and when that happens I know that is my body telling me you need a break. So I finished out my lift and hopped on the treadmill to run for as long as I wanted or felt like.
I spent the rest of the day hanging with the husband, dreaming about new houses, meal prepping, and trying to pump myself up for the next two weeks.
Totals Strength: About 3 hours Swim: 7132 yds Bike: 91.4 miles Run: 22.3 miles
I think that the fact that I haven't raced since Ironman last November has made the prep season very long and it is starting to wear on me, feeling very repetitive as though I am doing the same things over and over again. I've worked really hard the last many months and I am ready to see if it has paid off.