Detour

Well, I was up WAY too late on Tuesday, finish up two articles for Yahoo Sports about the Tour de France, so lifting after my PT yesterday didn't happen.  Just too tired!  And since this is supposed to be a rest week, I felt justified in taking the day off. :-)

Tonight, I was planning to lift for an hour and spin for an hour, but then the other Thursday night Cycle Club ride leader and I decided to go try out our route before the ride starts next week.  We rode 26 miles in 1:40.  It was a good ride, and I'm excited to see how many people show up for it next Thursday!  I was glad, however, that we test rode it tonight because one of the roads we were planning to take back to the club was closed for construction.  Brian knew plenty of alternatives to get us back, but I would have been a bit lost if we were separated next week and I came across the detour sign.  We should be good to go now, though!

Time Trial

Well, I had wanted to get up early to go lift before work today, but since my shift started at 8:30, I'm not surprised that that didn't happen.  And I'm o.k. with it, since I had my time trial tonight anyway.  I was super sleepy all day and was almost falling asleep on the way to Cleves, so I wasn't expecting much from myself.  That's why, even though I was 10 seconds slower than last time, I'm o.k. with that, too!  I still have a long ways to go before I'll be happy with my results, but I'm glad I went, pushed myself as hard as I could, and got a good workout in.  Plus, I got to see Mary Sunshine for the first time in forever.  Bonus!

Pretty sure a morning workout is not gonna happen tomorrow either, so I'll plan on hitting the gym after my PT appt. after work.  Yikes...  This is a rest week?  When will I get to actually rest?!?

Up and At 'Em!

Working 11:15-8:15 today with a PT appt. at 9:30, I knew I had to get my swim in early if it was going to happen at all.  And I'm proud to say that I actually got up, got the Hubby's lunch packed, got my workout plan together, and made it to the gym just in time to swim 2 miles before showering and heading to PT!  Can I get a woot-woot?

Here's what I did:

Warm-up
4 x 300  Swim/pull/kick/drill x 300 (k & d w/fins)

Main set
8 x 75    Free - pace
2 x 200  Kick - choice, w/fins
8 x 75    Free - pace
1 x 200  Kick - choice, w/fins

Cool-down
1 x 200  Easy

Overcoming Inertia

After planning and leading Cycle Club rides the last three weeks, I was really excited NOT to have to lead a ride this morning.  I could sleep in, head out whenever I wanted (without having to worry about it getting too hot, either, since the forecast for today was PERFECT), ride the trail however fast or slow I wanted to go, etc.  But when I finally got up and had some breakfast, I settled in to start working on the first of 4 or 5 Tour de France articles I need to write over the next couple of days.  Inertia set in, and I didn't feel like getting up or going out.  Finally, late this afternoon, my coach (aka Hubby) made me go.  I got to the trail and on the bike a little before 6:00, but that still left me plenty of daylight to get my two hours in.  I actually rode a little longer because I wanted to get get 35 miles and I was riding a bit slower than usual.  Not sure why, but it was a challenge to maintain a 16 mph average today.  I kept checking my tires since I've had a couple of flats recently, but they seemed to be holding air just fine.  So, yeah.  Maybe it was because my bike is filthy after riding in the rain last week, or because my chain is dry, or maybe it's because of the pizza I ate last night, or...  Yeah, no clue really.  But I'm planning on cleaning the bike before I ride again (hopefully at the time trial Tuesday if the weather cooperates).  We'll see if that makes a difference!

Spin and Swim

Pretty straightforward:

Went to a 1-hour spin class but sort of did my own thing with speed step-ups.

Then I headed down to the pool.  It was pretty dark and really cold out, but I still wanted to swim outside.  I felt a little bad for the lifeguard who had to come out to supervise only me, bundled up in a sweatshirt and a towel around her legs, but I didn't feel quite as bad when other swimmers started to join me.  Here's what I did:

Warm-up
3 x 400    1st - swim, 2nd - pull, 3rd - kick
1 x 200    Drills (catch-up, fist, fingertip drag, thumb-to-thigh x 50)

Main set
1 s 1600  Swim

Cool-down
1 x 200    Easy

I sat in the sauna for 10 minutes before hitting the locker room, then I was off on a bunch of errands.  Glad to get my workouts done relatively early today, though!

Or... Not

I only had to work a half-day today, so I was thinking I'd get a ride in this afternoon before my PT appointment.  Unfortunately, the hour-by-hour forecast showed 100% chance of rain exactly when I wanted to ride.  So I decided to lift before the appointment, then go to my favorite spin class this evening.  Unfortunately, my PT told me I shouldn't ride tonight after the work he did on me.  Boo...  I'm glad I got one workout in today, but I'm still only batting .571 for the week.  Yikes, lots to do in the next 3 days!

Late

Well, since I couldn't run today, I considered trying a Zumba or Strike (kickboxing) class at the gym before my swim tonight.  But, I didn't make it there on time, so I just swam.  Here's what I did:

Warm-up
1 x 1000  Swim/pull/kick/drill x 250

Main set
1 x 400    Free - pace
2 x 300    Free - pace
3 x 200    Free - pace
4 x 100    Free - pace

Cool-down
1 x 200    Easy

It started to rain on my while I swam, but that's o.k. since I was already wet.  At one point it was coming down pretty good, though, and since the water aerobics class had ended and all the families had gone inside, I was afraid they were going to close the pool, so I just went in to finish up indoors.  Mostly I was just glad that the rain wasn't accompanied by lightning, otherwise my workout would have been cut short.

Anyway, tomorrow I'm going to lift and hopefully get a ride in (if it's not raining) before my first PT appointment.  Hope it goes well!

PT & New Shoes

Since my plantar fasciitis has been giving me trouble again, I decided I should go see my physical therapist to see what I can do to nip this in the bud.  At this point, I still have time to take a couple weeks off of running if I need to, but that won't be true for long!  He poked and prodded, told me to massage and stretch it, and said they should be able to help if I want to come back.  I scheduled my first session for Thursday.  Oh, and he also said I probably need new shoes.  The ones I've been running in, the Asics Gel Cumulus, were the same make and model of my previous pair, but these were purchased online and never felt quite right.  From the moment I started running in them, they hurt my feet, and even though I managed to "break them in" somewhat, they definitely hurt now with the PF aggravation.  So, off to Fleet Feet I went.

I tried on the new Cumulus, but they didn't really feel any better than my current ones.  After I ran up and down the sidewalk, the girl at the store asked how they felt.  I said, "They feel like I have plantar fasciitis!  It just hurts."  So she put me in a Brooks Glycerin.  They just felt like slippers - SO comfortable, immediately!  And when I ran in them, my heel didn't even hurt!  I tried one other shoe, which felt pretty good, but just a little heavier than the Glycerin.  Yep, we agreed, time to say good-bye to the Cumulus!  It's funny, because before my Cumuluses (is that the proper plural?), I had several pairs of Nikes.  The Nikes felt awesome when I first switched to them, but then started giving me pain.  When I slipped into the Cumulus after that, they felt amazing, again like slippers.  Now they're hurting me, and my new Glycerins feel magical.  Do they keep changing the shoes that much, or are my feet changing? Anyway, still planning not to run for a couple weeks while I go to PT, but hopefully I'll get to try these babies out before too long.  Wish me luck!

So, after I got my new shoes, I ran into a lot of the folks I used to run with at Fleet Feet.  It was great to catch up with old friends!  But then it was getting pretty late, and I really wasn't feeling like hitting the gym for an hour-and-a-half strength session, so I just headed home.  So lazy...  Tomorrow after work I'll swim, and maybe try to lift a bit, too, we'll see.  I'm off work Thursday and Friday so I can make up a few workouts then, and Saturday looks amazing for a long bike ride!  I'd like to keep Sunday free, but it's looking like I might have to do something then...  Anyway, time for bed now!

Monday, Monday

Foot was still hurting and I stayed up too late again, so no running this morning.

All day I was researching barefoot running and thought I might give it a try.  So tonight at the gym on the treadmill I ran a bit shoe-less.  It actually felt much better than running in shoes right now with my PF acting up, though after awhile the bottoms of my feet were getting tender.  I put the shoes back on and ran a little more, but that hurt my heel more, so I took them off to finish up.  It wasn't a great workout since I was super slow and focused only on my feet, but it was just an experiment.  I'm wondering if minimalist shoes would allow me to run more naturally but still protect my feet from the surfaces I'm running on...

After that, I headed down to the pool for a form workout.  Here's what I did:

Warm-up
1 x 400  Swim
1 x 200  Pull - B-3, 4, 5, 6 x 50
1 x 200  Kick - Choice, w/fins

Main Set
8 x 25    Catch-up drill
1 x 200  Free - pace
8 x 25    Fist drill
1 x 200  Free - pace
8 x 25    Thumb-to-thigh drill
1 x 200  Free - pace
8 x 25    Fingertip drag drill
1 x 200  Free - pace
16 x 25  Balance and rotation drill (L stroke/L breathe, L stroke/R breathe, R stroke/R breathe, R stroke/L breathe x 25)
1 x 200  Free - pace

Cool-down
1 x 200  Easy

The best part of my workout tonight: no crazy sinus pressure and nasal drippage!  Woo-hoo!

Nowhere Near Perfect

I wish I could report as much success this week as I did last week, but...  It just didn't happen.  I missed one of my two strength sessions, I missed one of my three, and I missed one of my three runs.  I added a bike, but that didn't make up for all my shortcomings this week.  I only got 9:20 in rather than the scheduled 12:45. :-(

I'm REALLY hoping this week goes better, but I'm still battling the dreaded plantar fasciitis, I'm kind of afraid to swim after last Friday's fiasco, and the weather doesn't look great for this week.  Plus, I still haven't figured out how to get to bed early enough!  Very frustrated, but I just have to be even more determined.  Wish me luck!

Miserable

I definitely wasn't feeling 100% this morning, but at least my nose wasn't running AS incessantly.  Which is good, 'cause I had to go lead a ride for my Cycle Club.  Of course, it was also raining when I woke up, so I debated whether to even take my bike since I assumed no one would show up and I would just end up going to the gym for a spin class or two, and/or some more strength training.

I decided to take the bike, just in case, and sure enough there were two other members waiting at the park to ride, even though it was raining.  They said I didn't have to come, but I felt like I should since I was supposed to be "leading" the ride.  We did change the planned route, though, so we would never be too far from the cars if the rain worsened.  We rode some local roads and were heading back to the parking lot when I hit a big pothole and got a flat.  D'oh!  I had just used my last tube on Thursday, too, but luckily one of the guys had a spare I could use.

We had only done about 9 miles when we got back to the cars, and they said they were going to go back out.  I decided to stay with them, because at that point I was too wet to go to the gym and I didn't want to waste my only chance for a workout.  We had gone 22 miles by the time we circled back to the parking lot again, and that was enough for me.  They were going to go out for 10 or 15 more, but I was soaked, sleepy, still stuffy, and I just wanted to go home.  When I got back to my car, I also realized that my tire was still (or again) leaking air, so I guess it's good I called it quits when I did.

So, it was a pretty miserable morning, and not worth the $20 I don't think.  Though I did manage to get an hour-and-a-half done, so it wasn't all bad.

Grrr...

Even though my plantar fasciitis had been giving me trouble earlier this week, I decided I needed to just get back out there.  I made it out to the trail this morning and did two-and-a-half easy three-and-one laps around the lake.  My foot felt fine while I was running, but it was pretty sore as soon as I got back home.  Then, after my WW meeting, I headed off to the gym for my second swim of the week.  I did an endurance workout, which was basically just hop in, swim a mile, take a quick drink, swim another mile, cool down, get out.  Then I also lay out in the sun for 10 or 15 minutes.  I had put sunscreen on my back and face, but that's it.  Later tonight, I realized that my arms were pretty red.  Why, oh, why can't I be smarter about the sun!  Anyway, it was a good workout, and my foot actually felt a little better afterward.  I stretched and iced it and it seems o.k., but I always struggle with knowing if I should take it easy or jump back in...

My biggest challenge today, though, has been how I've felt since my swim.  I've been sneezy, and my nose is all stuffy and runny, to the point where I literally have to blow my nose every minute.  This has happened before after a swim, but this has been much worse than normal.  Is it because of the weather?  Something I'm allergic to in the air or the water?  Or maybe because I swam miles at a time instead of shorter intervals/drills?  I'm not sure, but I REALLY hope that I feel better tomorrow because I have to lead a ride at 8:30.  At least if it doesn't rain...

Back on Track

I made it to the gym this morning for a strength class.  It was perfect because it got me there at a specific time, plus it was fun to try something different!  After a haircut, I gathered up my stuff and headed out for a couple more workouts.  First up: a bike ride on the trail.  I rode south out of Loveland, heading to Milford and Bishop's bike shop, where I wanted to take a look at a Fuji TT bike they have on sale.  On the way, though, my phone rang.  It was my BFF, who I haven't had a chance to talk to in a long time, so I chatted with her as I rode.  But then it started raining, lightly at first, but then pretty hard, with thunder and lighting overhead.  Riding and talking in the rain was a bit too much, so I pulled over and waited it out under a tree while I talked to my friend.  The storm passed quickly, I got off the phone, and resumed my ride.  I made it to the shop, saw the bike, and headed back.  Then I hit a branch on the trail and got a flat tire.  It took me awhile to change it, too, because I was having trouble getting the tire back on the rim.  And... by then, it was too late for a swim, too, so I just headed home.  Still, not a completely unsuccessful day!

Lazy...

Slept in, didn't lift this morning.  Thought I'd be getting out of work early so I could lift and swim this afternoon.  Got done with work at about 12:30, but instead of going to the gym, I curled up on the couch with the cat and watched a movie and some TV.  Then the Hubs decided to come home early after a rough day, and I wasn't at all motivated to head out when he was on his way home.  So...  I didn't work out AT ALL today!  Planning on doing 2 or 3 workouts tomorrow since I'm off work again, and also doing more this weekend since I already took a rest day.  Yeah.  Not at all how I'd hoped my week would go, but it's o.k.  I'm flexible and forgiving.

1 minute

Up too late again, too tired to lift this morning.  Yeah...  Sleep is gonna be the key element that gets me through my workouts, yet I really can't seem to find enough hours in the day to get everything done that I need to get done and still get to bed before 10:00.  Advice?  Suggestions?  Help?

But I did make it to the time trial again tonight, and I rode well (for me)!  I took a full minute off my time, finishing in 30 minutes exactly.  Part of that was probably due to the aero helmet I was trying out, part was that it was just a cooler, faster night out there, but I'd like to think that I'm at least getting a little faster based on my own efforts...  At any rate, I'm excited to keep riding it to see how much I can improve over the course of the season.

So, I'm supposed to do a speed-work run in the morning, but my foot has been hurting a bit still, so I think I'll try to get to the gym instead to make up that strength session I missed today.  Not holding my breath, but that's the plan...

Monday Done *sigh*

Got my swim done tonight, too - yay!  Here's what I had planned:

Warm-up
1 x 500  Swim
1 x 300  Kick - Choice, w/fins
1 x 200  Pull - B-3, 4, 5, 6 x 50

Main set
10 x 200  EBEH (easy, build, easy, hard) x 50

Cool-down
1 x 200  Easy

I kind of switched up the main set a little, though.  I did 1 x 200, then 2 x 100 (EBEH x 25), then repeated.  Then I did the same thing again, but with fins.  Yeah, just some stuff like that to mix it up.  All in all, a good solid speed workout, though!

And Here We Go...

Well, my foot was feeling quite a bit better yesterday and this morning, but I didn't want to aggravate it with a strenuous speed workout run this morning.  Instead, I decided to swap the easy 30-minute run scheduled for Wednesday morning with today's 1-hour speed workout.  It felt a little strange as I started my run, but it didn't hurt per se.  I've been massaging it since I got back and plan to ice it a couple times today as well, so hopefully that will help.  I really need to be smart about taking care of this before it gets worse, even if that means skipping a run or two this week to let it heal fully...  We'll see.

LOVED the chilly morning air as well, but thankful that it should warm up nicely for my afternoon/evening swim.  Couldn't ask for better weather!

Almost Perfect :-)

After church, we took a 3-hour nap, and I wasn't really feeling very motivated to ride after that.  It was a gorgeous afternoon, but I didn't have anyone to ride with, I was still sort of sleepy, and I kind of just wanted to stay home and do nothing.  But finally I was able to convince the Hubs to come with me to the bike trail.  He could run a bit, then read his book for school till I was done.  So off we went!

We got to the train a little after 6:00, and noticed that the park there was really crowded.  Apparently, there was some sort of concert going on.  The weather was perfect, and I was able to get through the most congested portion of the trail without too much difficulty.  I had an hour-and-40-minutes to ride, so I decided to see how far I could get in my 50 minutes out before turning around.  I averaged 17.2 on the way out and got 15 miles before I had to turn back.  By the time I got back to the car, my average mph said 17.6, so I guess I averaged 18 mph on the return trip.  Not too shabby, especially considering all the intersection and pedestrian slow-downs!  Still, if I only average 17.5 in my IM, it'll take me almost 6.5 hours...  I wonder what kind of speeds I'll be able to maintain over that long distance, and I wonder how much of an advantage a new carbon tri bike would give me?

Anyway, glad I got my ride in, even though I was lacking motivation.  And actually, it ended up being a pretty good workout considering I got 30 miles done in 1:40 and it probably would have taken more than 2 hours to ride the 35-mile route I was supposed to lead on Saturday.

Overall this week, I managed to do almost everything I was supposed to do, almost on schedule, and almost exactly as planned.  VERY excited about the success of this week, and I'm looking forward to seeing if I can do the same thing next week even though I'm working 38 hours...  Wish me luck!

Better Plan B

So, I was supposed to lead a ride today for my gym's Cycle Club, but after all the crazy storms we had last night and the lingering rain this morning, it had to be canceled.  I showed up at the ride start anyway, just to let people know it was canceled if anyone showed up thinking we'd still be riding.  But no one was there.  I contemplated taking a couple of spin classes this morning instead to get my 2 hours of riding in, but then I had a better idea: I made up my second strength training session this morning, and will ride tomorrow afternoon instead.  It's supposed to be BEAUTIFUL, sunny with a high in the mid-70s!  Now I'm just trying to see if I can find someone to ride with, and to decide if I want to try out next week's Cycle Club route or just ride up the bike trail...

At any rate, I'm VERY close to completing ALL my scheduled workouts for the week, and it feels great!

Stupid

First, I was stupid to stay up so late last night.  So after the Hubs left for work, I went back to bed for an hour.  But then, I stupidly wasted time when I did  get up, so that I ran out of time to run before a meeting I had to get to at 11:30.  Stupid, because then I had to run for an hour-and-a-half in the 90-degree, 100% humidity afternoon.  I went to the bike trail because it's flat and tree-covered, but it started raining on the way.  It was just a light rain, though, and since I didn't have any more time to put off my workouts, I just had to get started.  I ran 4 miles, without walking, up the trail.  I was curious to see how it would go without walk breaks.  I felt o.k. for the most part, but did start getting hungry about 2 miles in.  By the time I turned around, I was starving, and stupidly, I hadn't brought any fuel with me.  I went back to my 3-and-1 run/walk routine, and drank all the water I had, but I was still feeling famished and a little dizzy at times.  Still, I survived.  I downed a bunch of water and the food I'd packed and left in my car, then tried to gather some energy to head to the gym for my swim.

Didn't I just say yesterday how much better it is for me to space my workouts out?  Well, stupidly, I didn't do that today.  Time was running out, so it was straight to the pool for me.  I felt tired from the moment I got in, but mostly I just noticed how sore my upper body was from lifting yesterday.  Still, somewhat surprisingly, I swam my 2 miles in the normal 1:15.  Unfortunately, I hadn't put sunscreen on my back, and I'm pretty red now.  Stupid.  I put a little on my face to avoid the between-the-swim-cap-and-goggles tan lines, but skipped my back.  Why am I always so stupid when it comes to the sun?!?  Oh, well.  It's not really that bad.  For my workout, I did a quick warm-up (200 each: swim, pull, kick), then did a decreasing ladder of 1 x 600, 500, 400, 300, 200, and 4 x 100, before an easy 200 cool-down.

And now, my right heel hurts pretty bad, my old plantar fasciitis making a reappearance.  So, I'm realizing how stupid it was to try to run those first 4 miles straight through...  Have I learned nothing from all my past running injuries?  *sigh*  Stupid.

BUSY But Productive Day

I had originally planned to spin for an hour this morning, then take a barbell strength class.  But I was working in the kitchen too long and didn't make it to spinning.  I rushed to get to the gym for the strength class, but I didn't get there till just before it started, and it was way too crowded in the room by then.  So, I just lifted on my own instead.  I did a few more exercises than usual, and tried some shorter sets with higher weights.  Can't wait to see how I feel tomorrow!

After lifting, I went into the spinning room, thinking I would get my hour on the bike done, too.  But after one minute, I realized that there was no way I could spin for an hour, by myself, in the dark, with no music or anything.  So I figured I'd just go back this evening to take a class with a teacher I really like.  So much for a quiet evening at home, but I did really enjoy the class!  In addition, I chatted with the teacher about bikes and stuff after class, and got some good info on finding a TT/triathlon bike.  All in all, it worked out well!  And I'm learning that, for the most, part, it's better to spread my workouts out rather than trying to do two intense training sessions back-to-back.  Unless, of course, I've got a brick on the schedule. :-)

Got 'er Done!

Well, I didn't lift yesterday like I was supposed to, because I had a feature contributor test article to submit before the Hubby and I took off for Detroit to watch some Gold Cup soccer.  (The article was published today, too, which means I'll probably earn my feature contributor title!)  We didn't get home till sometime after 2 a.m., and I had to wake up at 8 to work this morning.  I took a nap after my shift, but I was still really tired when I got up this afternoon.  All this to say: I REALLY didn't feel like running and/or swimming tonight, but I still went!

I got to the gym a little after 8:00 and headed up to the treadmills.  With temps in the 90s today, I opted for running indoors instead, though I was surprised to find that the gym was pretty warm, too.  Oh, well.  I had an easy (E1) 30-minute run on today's schedule, and I decided to run the whole thing without walk breaks, after my 2-minute warm-up.  I took it slow, at a 5.6 mph pace, and it felt pretty good!  The only thing I didn't like was not being able to drink during the run since I only had my wide-mouth Nalgene bottle and would have spilled more than I could get in my mouth.  Again, oh, well.  I survived!

It was pretty late, and I was still tired, so I seriously contemplated skipping my swim and just heading home.  But I was able to talk myself into staying: "You don't have to do it fast or hard," I told myself.  "You just have to do it."  It was only an hour, after all, and the cool pool actually sounded pretty good after the hot run.  So I got in.  After a short warm-up (200 swim, 200 pull, 200 kick), I started a simple main set of 2 x 1000 with 1 minute of rest between.  After a quick cool-down, I'd completed 2800 meters, 56 laps in 61 minutes.  Not bad!  Mostly, though, I'm just proud of myself for gettin' 'er done.  Now if only I could be so diligent with my strength training sessions!

Strong Start!

I never did do my second strength session last week, but with my extra biking, I still got 7:05 in compared with the 7:30 on my schedule.  Not too shabby!  Still, I have even higher hopes for this week since I'm off work for the most part and have plenty of time and a great plan in place.  (This includes scheduling other appointments and things every afternoon/evening so that I have to get my workouts done early.)

This morning, I started with an hour-long speed play run.  Which I got done JUST in time for my bonus 4-hour work shift.  This afternoon, I headed to the pool for an hour-and-fifteen-minute, 2-mile swim.  Here's what I did:

Warm-up
1 x 300  Swim
3 x 100  Pull - Breathe-3, 4, 5, 6 x 25
2 x 150  Kick - Choice, w/fins

Main Set
1 x 400  Free - Pace
2 x 300  Free - Pacce
3 x 200  Free - Pace
4 x 100  Free - Pace

Cool-down
1 x 300  Drills/easy (w/fins)

So proud of myself for getting both workouts done today, even though I had lots of errands and chores to do, too!  Now to just keep up the momentum as the week progresses...

Beautiful!

This morning, I led my LTF Cycle Club ride, which was a little over 28 miles.  Took us a little less than 2 hours, with an average speed of just over 15 mph.  It was warm, but we started early so it wasn't bad.  We were also very fortunate to be pulling into a gas station for water and restrooms just as a short quick rain started.  It only lasted 5 or 10 minutes, though, and we were on our way.

When we got back to the gym, I pulled out the tuna salad wrap and apple I had packed in my new insulated lunch bag.  My frozen Nalgene bottle had barely begun to melt - I love my bag!  It'll be great for keeping me well-fed this summer even when I have to leave food in my hot car during workouts.  Yay!

It was close to noon when I finally made it out the pool, but the water and sun felt great.  The swim seemed more like a reward for the bike ride than like another workout.  LOVE it!  Here's what I did:

Warm-up
1 x 600  Swim/pull/kick x 200
1 x 200  Free - build x 50

Main Set
8 x 75    Free - Drill: catchup/fist/fingertip drag
2 x 500  Free - pace

Cool-down
1 x 200  Easy

Sleepy and sore...

I didn't have to work till 11:15 today, so I had plenty of time to sleep in a bit and still get my run in.  It was cooler out and I only had to go 45 minutes, so it was pretty easy, though my legs did feel a little heavy from lifting the other day.  Still, I survived, no problem. :-)  I kept my 3:1 ratio but tried a 1:30 run/0:30 walk pattern instead, just to see what that felt like.  It was good at first, but when I started hitting all my walk breaks on the uphills, 30 seconds wasn't quite long enough to recover before running again.  Still, I think I ended up doing the 2.6-mile loop in about 28:30 again, so similar to the other intervals I've been experimenting with.  Actually, I don't think I've noticed that any particular interval seems easier/better/faster.  The one day I tried 4:1 I felt really good, other days 2:1 seems hard.  I think it depends a lot more on the temperature, humidity, how tired I am, time of day, etc.  Oh, well, guess I can't go wrong then!

I was supposed to go lift tonight as well, but I was so tired during the second part of my shift today that I opted for a nap after work instead.  I might try to get it in on Sunday, but I have another 4-hour shift then, so I'm not sure if that'll work or not.  Gotta get some good sleep tonight, too, so I'm ready for my 2-hour bike and hopefully a swim tomorrow morning!

Feeling Strong!

So glad I decided NOT to try swimming after lifting yesterday.  Instead, I got a good night's sleep and headed to the pool after work today.  Rest week is kinda cool, too, 'cause a one-hour swim sure seems a lot easier than an hour-and-fifteen-minute swim, even when it includes speed work!  Swimming inside might have had something to do with it, too, for some reason...  Anyway, here was my workout:

Warm-up
1 x 1200  Swim/pull/kick x 400

Main set
8 x 100    EBEH (easy/build/easy/hard x 25)
8 x 50      Sprint through turn, easy back

Cool-down
1 x 200    Easy

Anyway, I just felt really strong tonight, and I'm looking forward to my short "long" run tomorrow morning, especially because it's cooler outside again.  Yep, just feeling pretty content overall, which is a really good place to be!

Priorities

So, since I missed my strength session yesterday, I decided I needed to make that my top priority tonight.  I considered swimming after lifting, but I was pretty tired by then and knew I couldn't put everything I should into my swim workout if I did it tonight.  So I'll swim tomorrow after work.  My second run for the week will be Friday morning, then I'll lift again that afternoon/evening.  Saturday morning is my cycle club ride, and then, if I have anything left in me, I'll get my last swim in after that.  Looking forward to having a lot more free time and really ramping up my training volumes next week!