So after crying in to my goggles during Friday's long swim workout (I wish I was kidding) the Ironman training roller coaster is on another "up."
During Friday's swim I was not making good times on my 100 yard intervals. The times were, in fact, exactly what they were when I first started training 6 months ago! I mean, seriously? No progress?! In 6 months?! (I trust my liberal use of italics is conveying my distress.) So that was incredibly disappointing and frustrating, resulting in the previously mentioned crying-in-goggles incident. Despite my frustration with that swim, on that day alone I did: 45 minutes swimming, 15 minute run, 30 minutes on bike trainer, and a full body strength workout with kettlebells. Just by the numbers it would look like a good training day!
Today, however, was a different story! I did an hour long swim including 7 x 100 yard intervals, all of which were about 1 min. 55 sec. (which is good for me!) and a bunch of technique drills and other random intervals sprinkled in. I didn't want to keep doing 100 yard intervals when I felt I hadn't even recovered from the previous one, but I did it anyway! Then I did an hour on the trainer watching TV, and going as fast as I could during the commercial breaks. Some of those commercial breaks were over 4 minutes long! It was good mental training because I never knew when I was going to be done with the interval. It is strange how some days I have the mental capacity to push myself and some days I don't.
This is what the last week looked like, training-wise:
Mon: 1/2 mile open water swim
2 mile run
Tue: 20 minutes sitting in wetsuit staring at ocean/5 minutes struggling in the waves
5.5 mile run
Wed: 20 min. run w/ random speed intervals
Full body strength workout
23 minute swim w/ 50 yard intervals
45 minute trainer ride with "commercial break speed intervals"
Thur: 35 minute trainer ride
Fri: 45 minute swim
Full body strength workout with kettlebell
30 minute trainer ride
15 minute "transition run" immediately following ride
Sat: No workout (double shift at work)
Sun: 40 minute trainer ride with intervals
Despite the crying, that's a good training week! It's not a ton of volume, especially on the bike, but I get high marks for consistency!
I got home from my Saturday double shift at about 10 pm, then got up at 4:20 am Sunday morning to get in 40 minutes on the trainer before working my 16 hour double shift. I can only assume the workout was the reason--but I felt great Sunday! I didn't even refill my morning coffee like I usually do after the first cup, and at no point in the day did I find myself struggling to stay awake, or falling into an energy slump. Some days, particularly between a double shift followed by an early morning shift, it is always a balancing act choosing between sleep or training. Usually sleep wins, but maybe I have been making the wrong choice. Also, I had every intention of stopping for donuts (yes, plural) on my way to work Sunday, but after my great ride I didn't want to! So maybe there are benefits to choosing the early morning workout. Soon, of course, I won't have a choice. My outdoor workouts will have to be early (4:30 am) or not at all, because come June it will be 100 degrees by 8 am. A few years ago when I was training for a July half marathon, I remember waiting until almost 11 pm to do my 10 mile run because that is when the temperature finally dropped to 100 degrees!
During Friday's swim I was not making good times on my 100 yard intervals. The times were, in fact, exactly what they were when I first started training 6 months ago! I mean, seriously? No progress?! In 6 months?! (I trust my liberal use of italics is conveying my distress.) So that was incredibly disappointing and frustrating, resulting in the previously mentioned crying-in-goggles incident. Despite my frustration with that swim, on that day alone I did: 45 minutes swimming, 15 minute run, 30 minutes on bike trainer, and a full body strength workout with kettlebells. Just by the numbers it would look like a good training day!
Today, however, was a different story! I did an hour long swim including 7 x 100 yard intervals, all of which were about 1 min. 55 sec. (which is good for me!) and a bunch of technique drills and other random intervals sprinkled in. I didn't want to keep doing 100 yard intervals when I felt I hadn't even recovered from the previous one, but I did it anyway! Then I did an hour on the trainer watching TV, and going as fast as I could during the commercial breaks. Some of those commercial breaks were over 4 minutes long! It was good mental training because I never knew when I was going to be done with the interval. It is strange how some days I have the mental capacity to push myself and some days I don't.
This is what the last week looked like, training-wise:
Mon: 1/2 mile open water swim
2 mile run
Tue: 20 minutes sitting in wetsuit staring at ocean/5 minutes struggling in the waves
5.5 mile run
Wed: 20 min. run w/ random speed intervals
Full body strength workout
23 minute swim w/ 50 yard intervals
45 minute trainer ride with "commercial break speed intervals"
Thur: 35 minute trainer ride
Fri: 45 minute swim
Full body strength workout with kettlebell
30 minute trainer ride
15 minute "transition run" immediately following ride
Sat: No workout (double shift at work)
Sun: 40 minute trainer ride with intervals
Despite the crying, that's a good training week! It's not a ton of volume, especially on the bike, but I get high marks for consistency!
I got home from my Saturday double shift at about 10 pm, then got up at 4:20 am Sunday morning to get in 40 minutes on the trainer before working my 16 hour double shift. I can only assume the workout was the reason--but I felt great Sunday! I didn't even refill my morning coffee like I usually do after the first cup, and at no point in the day did I find myself struggling to stay awake, or falling into an energy slump. Some days, particularly between a double shift followed by an early morning shift, it is always a balancing act choosing between sleep or training. Usually sleep wins, but maybe I have been making the wrong choice. Also, I had every intention of stopping for donuts (yes, plural) on my way to work Sunday, but after my great ride I didn't want to! So maybe there are benefits to choosing the early morning workout. Soon, of course, I won't have a choice. My outdoor workouts will have to be early (4:30 am) or not at all, because come June it will be 100 degrees by 8 am. A few years ago when I was training for a July half marathon, I remember waiting until almost 11 pm to do my 10 mile run because that is when the temperature finally dropped to 100 degrees!
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