make a run for it: Ironman Week 5

1/30-2/5

Monday
rest
I was all ready to go to conditioning but when I woke up my ankle was still nagging me. I didn't think jumping, lunging, etc. would be the best for it so I decided to skip class. I ended up feeling guilty the rest of the day, but I know it was probably the smart thing to do.

Tuesday
pm: run / 3.4 mi / 0:30 / avg 9:06
I have this thing where I have a "minimum" for my workouts. For example, if a run is not at least 4 miles, I typically don't think it's worth it. I have two very convenient 4 miles routes from my house plus I figure the workout time needs to justify the prep time before and after. Well my schedule called for 30 minutes, which would obviously be less than 4 miles. I almost thought about just going a bit further, but then told myself to stop being ridiculous. So I set out on my 4 mile loop only to turn back less than halfway through.

pm: swim / 1,550 yds / 0:36
This week was lighter in volume because it was time for progress tests! Spread over the week were repeats of the tests I did 4 weeks ago to see whether I'd made any progress. When I did my initial swim test, I wasn't expecting much and I was fairly pleased with how I did. I had only been in the water a couple times leading up to it but managed to average 1:55/100 yds. Obviously, I was hoping to improve that by at least a bit this time around. After a little warm-up I pushed start (on my pretty new Timex!) and was off for a broken time trial of 10x100 with 10 seconds rest. I tried not to go out too fast but rather at a comfortably hard pace I could hold. My swim time (minus the rest intervals) was 18:35 for 1,000 yards, averaging a 1:51/100yds. It was a small improvement, but considering that my training has not been very aggressive in the last few weeks I'll take it!

warm-up:

200
6x25 fast on 1:00

main: 10x100 [broken time trial]
cool-down: 200

in between catching my breath I had this to stare at : )

treated myself to a little jacuzzi action post-swim

Wednesday
am: conditioning / 1:00
Glad to get a good sweat in after skipping class on Monday!

am: bike / 12.2 mi / 0:45 / avg 16.2 mph
Easy late afternoon bike ride on a beautiful, day!

Thursday
am: run / 5.4 mi / 0:45 / avg 8:23
Next up was the run test. Once again I was a little nervous, but not as bad as before the initial test. After a 10 minute warm-up I pressed 'lap' and increased the pace. It was uncomfortable to say the least. I had no idea how fast I was running because the current pace on my Garmin is always grossly inaccurate, so I tried to go off effort. I knew I had to be a little conservative since I had to hold it for 30 minutes. I also didn't look at my heart rate, because I honestly just didn't want to know. In the end, I did a bit better than last time. I covered 3.77 miles in 30 minutes for an average pace of 7:57. Heart rate, on the other hand, was about the same: 175 avg, 186 max. Once I got going my ankle/foot felt pretty good. I was aware of a little tenderness but it wasn't overly sore.

Friday
rest

Saturday
am: bike / 16.3 mi / 1:00 / avg 16.3 mph
Last but not least I had my bike test. I've been a little frustrated on my rides lately, so I was hoping to see a little improvement. I set out on the same course as last time and after a 15 minute warm-up I cranked it up to see how much ground I could cover in 30 minutes. Ironically, I ended up with the exact same results! I covered 8.77 miles for the time trial with an average speed of 17.5 mph. Heart rate was within a couple beats of last time with 156 avg, 167 max. I was a little bummed, but I know I just need to get more time in on the bike to see improvements.

Despite my test results the ride did have some fun highlights! The Jed Smith Ultra races were in progress while I was out there so I got to see runners in the middle of a 50k or 50 miler (consisting of the same 5 mile loop - over and over!) including a coworker of mine who was absolutely flying! On my way back I also spotted 3 young bucks standing along the side of the bike trail. We just looked at one another as I passed and I almost stopped to try and get a picture, but I figured I shouldn't press my luck. And lastly, I had my first experience with real bike shorts! How is this possible, you may wonder? Well, in the past I've always just worn tri shorts because I honestly didn't really think I needed the heavily padded bike shorts. Then I realized that this time around I'd be doing a lot more riding and doing much longer distances, so I bit the bullet and ordered a pair of shorts and knickers from Pearl Izumi. I'll do a full review soon, but let me just say: omg!

pm: swim / 1,600 yds / 0:44

Another Saturday night spent at the pool! For some reason this swim just sucked. It seemed to go on forever and I just felt awkward and sluggish in the water. My goggles also leaked the entire workout which added to my frustration and drove me crazy by the end of the workout!

warm-up:

200
100 hard kick w/ board
100 side kick (alt)

main set:

6x100 as [25 R/ 25 L/ 25 CU/ 25 FTD]
8x50 fast, 20" RI

cool-down: 200

Sunday
am: run / 11 mi / 1:40 / avg 9:05
Before heading out for the run I trigger pointed with the hope that it would help my ankle/foot feel better for the longer distance. It was an absolutely beautiful morning, but as I set out my ankle was still nagging. It wasn't enough to make me slow or stop, but it was slightly uncomfortable. I focused on my effort, trying to keep it at an easy pace, but despite this, the discomfort moved down into my foot and became worse as the run wore on. I actually finished strong pace-wise, running the last 3 miles at sub-9 pace, but I paid for it the rest of the day with a very tender ankle and foot : / I saw my sports chiro today so I'll have a separate post with an update soon.