make a run for it: Vineman Week Four

5/9-5/15

Woah, I'm just a wee bit late getting this up - sorry!

After a having a pretty successful week three, I was hoping to keep the momentum going but life sort of got in the way and this week turned in to a bit of a drop down week. I've decided that in the long run I'll benefit from the rest and I can use the extra energy to kick butt the next week. One notable thing that I want to share is that I'm lucky to be getting a little bit of coaching from my boss, Pat. An accomplished triathlete and multiple Ironman finisher, he certainly knows what he's talking about, and I'm infinitely grateful that he's taking the time to help me out. Not only did he come out to a swim workout to give me some tips, but he also wrote up several workouts for me to do both in the pool and on the bike. But more than anything, he's been an awesome resource to answer all of my (often silly) questions : ) While I'm on the subject, I also want to mention that I am pretty darn lucky to work where I do (Fleet Feet Sac) with the people I do. A couple of the guys are avid and experienced cyclists and have been uber helpful in answering my (many) cycling questions. Getting back to my training this week: I got in two quality swims, just one ride (but was my longest yet), and a couple runs, including the wild and ridiculous Bay to Breakers 12k. Like I said, definitely a drop down week, but I'm ok with that. Onward!

Monday

swim: 1,100 yds, 40 min.

random laps w/ drills
ladder: 50, 100, 150, 200, 150, 100, 50

My boss, Pat, came out to watch me swim and give me some pointers. I was pretty nervous to have someone watch me swim, especially someone as accomplished as Pat. But to my surprise, after watching me swim a few laps he said I actually look pretty good! Specifically, he said that despite being a beginner, I don't have any of the common beginner problems. Of course there are definitely things I can work on to become a better and more efficient swimmer, but it was nice to hear that if nothing changed, my swimming would still be decent. He had me do several laps focusing on different skills and gave me some really valuable advice, too. Before he left me to finish my workout, he had me swim a 50 fast, and lo and behold he said I actually look better when I'm sprinting! Ha, go figure. After he left I finished up my ladder and decided to call it a day. I actually don't know exactly how many laps I swam with Pat so I'm going with a ballpark number for my total yardage.

Tuesday
rest.

Wednesday

swim: 1,200 yds, 35 min.

warm-up: 300
4x50 (on the 1:05)
200 easy w/ pull buoy
4x50 (on the 1:05)
200 easy w/ pull buoy
cool-down: 100

This was one of the workouts that Pat put together for me. It sticks with the same total yardage I've been doing, but challenges me to work a little harder and swim a little faster. Despite being a little tougher than I'm used to, I actually really liked it! The set of 50s on the 1:05 basically means I have that amount of time to swim a 50 and then rest for however much time is left (for me, about 10-15sec). By the 4th one I was definitely winded, but I managed to push through and finish strong. One other thing that Pat turned me on to is using the pull buoy more. I always kind of thought of it as "cheating" if I used it too much, but Pat brought up a couple good points: first off, the buoyancy of the pull buoy is similar to the buoyancy I'll be getting from my wetsuit on race day; second, my legs are working a lot already with all the riding and running I'm doing, so it's ok to give them a break in the pool. I actually feel like my arms get a better workout when I'm using it, too, and Lord knows my T-rex arms can use the extra work! So after the 50s I got to rest a bit using the pull buoy, then it was one more set of 4x50 then a cool-down. I definitely see this workout become a weekly staple!

Thursday

bike: 35 mi, avg 16.9 mph.
Pat helped me come up with the progression for my long rides, which basically worked out to adding 5 miles each week, topping out at 60 miles (race distance is 56). That meant I was doing 35 this week, which would be about 2 hours. I decided the route ahead of time, opting to head upstream toward Lake Natoma and do an out-and-back. Everything was going great til I reached Hazel Ave, then I hit some of the hills (probably insignificant to most, but huge for me!). It was pretty warm out and my legs got a little tired after the climbs. I was a tad slower on the second half, but I was happy with my average speed considering the distance. As usual, spotted lots of wildlife including a deer and a rattlesnake sunning itself on the trail. And I'm just putting it out there as a prediction, but I have a feeling my first crash will be the result of swerving to avoid the pesky little squirrels that run across the trail...

turnaround at Lake Natoma

Friday

run: 4 mi, 8:55 avg pace.

Decided to take advantage of our weekly employee run from the store, mainly as motivation to get my butt out of bed. As usual, the rest of my coworkers who showed up are super speedy so I ended up on my own. I stuck with them as we headed to McKinley Park, then slowed a bit to my own pace as we started our laps. Although I managed to maintain a pretty decent pace, I was pretty fatigued for the whole run. My legs were just tired (I'm guessing partly due to my ride the previous day), and I found myself stopping several times at the water fountains to rest. This is sort of becoming a trend on my runs; I can run my usual paces (and even a tad faster), but it's hard to maintain them without needing breaks. This probably means I should slow down a bit til I get some of my endurance back, but my ego has other ideas : / I know I need to start building my mileage back up, but I lately I've just found myself not really looking forward to running, mainly because it feels so much harder than usual.

Meant to swim after work, but my coworkers tempted me to come out for dinner and drinks instead. As important as my training is, I feel like I often let it get in the way of ever having any social life, so I decided to nix my two-a-day plans and settle for just 2 swims this week. I had a great night, so no regrets!

Saturday
rest.
Worked a half day then had to pack and run a few errands before heading to the Bay area, so I unfortunately ended up taking a second rest day this week. Oh well!

Sunday
run: 7.9 mi, 13:17 avg pace.
Had an epic time running the 100th Bay to Breakers in San Francisco! This one's been on my list for a while, and I'm so glad I finally got to experience it and all the wonderful debauchery it's famous for. Didn't end up being a very serious run (uhh check out our pace!), but I covered the distance so I'm counting it as a workout : ) If you haven't run Bay to Breakers yet, what are you waiting for?!