Training update, March 2017.
I was giving Trista a hard time for not posting an Ironman training update on her blog the other day, then I realized maybe if *I* posted one, she'd feel guilty and have to post hers. Hi, Trista.
44 days until Ironman Texas! Though technically I'm mostly counting down until the Galveston half Ironman, which is 23 days away. After Galveston, we have one more build week, then some taper, then IMTX.
I can sum up my training just like I've ever summed up any triathlon training: The swim and the run are going great. And then there's the bike.
But my swim and run really are going great. I'm where I need to be, distance-wise, if not a little ahead of where I've been in the past. Not having a coach, I have nobody to tell me I'm running too far on my long runs, so I've decided I'm not! It's an experiment. My swimming is going great, and has been 99.999% Masters swimming. And one very cold Quarry swim on my birthday. I feel strong and confident in the water, which will probably not translate in any way to a lake full of other people trying to kill me.
2 laps in the 58 degree Quarry on my birthday!
Aaaaaand then there's the bike. With 45 days to go, I have done exactly one ride outside in this training. All other rides, during the week and on the weekends, have been done on my trainer. (That's not strictly true: I've ridden outside to commute to work, but I don't really count that.) That's not ideal. And it's not enough volume on my long rides. But I have grand plans to change that, by cramming a lot of long rides in during the remaining weekends! We're doing Pedal Thru the Pines and Salado Smoking Spokes, which will force me off the trainer and make me get in longer rides. I'm excited, because I love charity rides. I just do not love the fact that all cars seem to be trying to kill all cyclists lately. So I've just been pretending that I live up north, where they CAN'T ride outside, and have to ride on the trainer.
Our one outside ride!
Otherwise I'm just trying to stay awake. This training has featured a lot of early mornings. Even for me. With only one car, I depend on the bus to get me to campus. And no bus that I can walk to gets me to campus early enough to do Masters swim. So I've begun riding my bike to work once a week, usually leaving the house at 4:45am. Unless swim practice is early, in which case I leave the house at 3:45am. Surprisingly, I feel 99% safer riding that early than I do riding any other time. No cars on the road.
I've also started doing back to back Something To Work during the week. Like riding to work to do Masters on Wednesday, then running to work on Thursday. That requires a shocking yet satisfying amount of pre-planning. On Tuesday I have to bring in my lunch and snacks for that day, plus the next 2 days. I have to bring in two additional sets of clothes and shoes, which I then swap around at the end of the day, according to what I want to leave at work to be available the next day. This is still a work in progress, which has left me having to wear still-damp running shoes for a whole workday, or end up going home wearing a bonus tshirt I had at work on top of my other shirt, because I miscounted bras, and have to leave the one I'm wearing to wear when I get to work tomorrow.
Unfortunately a pipe burst in the main pool, which means we have to swim in the diving well, which means sharing the diving well, which means reduced practices, and probably a lot more 5am practices, which means a lot more 3am alarms. YAY.
So basically what I'm lacking in cycling, I'm making up for in early rising and ridiculous logistics. This pleases me, right up until the moment when I have to ride 112 miles on 4/22. I'm sure it'll be fine. You can fake an Ironman, right? Right.
Fortunately this is all for fun! My goal is to go out and enjoy the day as much as possible, finally share another Ironman with Karen, and most importantly, cheer for Trista and Cecilia as they do their first Ironman!
Now I just have to figure out what I'm going to wear...
44 days until Ironman Texas! Though technically I'm mostly counting down until the Galveston half Ironman, which is 23 days away. After Galveston, we have one more build week, then some taper, then IMTX.
I can sum up my training just like I've ever summed up any triathlon training: The swim and the run are going great. And then there's the bike.
But my swim and run really are going great. I'm where I need to be, distance-wise, if not a little ahead of where I've been in the past. Not having a coach, I have nobody to tell me I'm running too far on my long runs, so I've decided I'm not! It's an experiment. My swimming is going great, and has been 99.999% Masters swimming. And one very cold Quarry swim on my birthday. I feel strong and confident in the water, which will probably not translate in any way to a lake full of other people trying to kill me.
2 laps in the 58 degree Quarry on my birthday!
Aaaaaand then there's the bike. With 45 days to go, I have done exactly one ride outside in this training. All other rides, during the week and on the weekends, have been done on my trainer. (That's not strictly true: I've ridden outside to commute to work, but I don't really count that.) That's not ideal. And it's not enough volume on my long rides. But I have grand plans to change that, by cramming a lot of long rides in during the remaining weekends! We're doing Pedal Thru the Pines and Salado Smoking Spokes, which will force me off the trainer and make me get in longer rides. I'm excited, because I love charity rides. I just do not love the fact that all cars seem to be trying to kill all cyclists lately. So I've just been pretending that I live up north, where they CAN'T ride outside, and have to ride on the trainer.
Our one outside ride!
Otherwise I'm just trying to stay awake. This training has featured a lot of early mornings. Even for me. With only one car, I depend on the bus to get me to campus. And no bus that I can walk to gets me to campus early enough to do Masters swim. So I've begun riding my bike to work once a week, usually leaving the house at 4:45am. Unless swim practice is early, in which case I leave the house at 3:45am. Surprisingly, I feel 99% safer riding that early than I do riding any other time. No cars on the road.
I've also started doing back to back Something To Work during the week. Like riding to work to do Masters on Wednesday, then running to work on Thursday. That requires a shocking yet satisfying amount of pre-planning. On Tuesday I have to bring in my lunch and snacks for that day, plus the next 2 days. I have to bring in two additional sets of clothes and shoes, which I then swap around at the end of the day, according to what I want to leave at work to be available the next day. This is still a work in progress, which has left me having to wear still-damp running shoes for a whole workday, or end up going home wearing a bonus tshirt I had at work on top of my other shirt, because I miscounted bras, and have to leave the one I'm wearing to wear when I get to work tomorrow.
Unfortunately a pipe burst in the main pool, which means we have to swim in the diving well, which means sharing the diving well, which means reduced practices, and probably a lot more 5am practices, which means a lot more 3am alarms. YAY.
So basically what I'm lacking in cycling, I'm making up for in early rising and ridiculous logistics. This pleases me, right up until the moment when I have to ride 112 miles on 4/22. I'm sure it'll be fine. You can fake an Ironman, right? Right.
Fortunately this is all for fun! My goal is to go out and enjoy the day as much as possible, finally share another Ironman with Karen, and most importantly, cheer for Trista and Cecilia as they do their first Ironman!
Now I just have to figure out what I'm going to wear...