Ironman Week 10

3/5-3/11

This was a pretty darn good week if I do say so! With a race on Sunday it was a bit of a cutback week but still had some quality workouts. We lucked out this week with amazing weather so I was happy to spend some time in the sunshine getting my sweat on. Highlights from the week include a fun and hilly ride through the countryside, getting some really exciting news about my future, and setting a new half marathon PR. Not bad, right?

Monday
pm: conditioning / 0:30

• 2x20, RI = 60-90"
• leg press
• lat pull down 
• push ups
• step ups
• seated row
• ball crunches
• 30" plank hold

I had the day off and kicked it off with a massage. My coworker swears by his massage therapist (who happens to work with my sports chiro), Todd, so I decided to give it a shot. He specializes in athletes and sports massage and uses techniques like ART to work out the muscles. Since it was my first time I think he went kind of easy on me but there were definitely some moments that had me sweating : ) My legs felt great (if a little beat up) after, so I'll definitely be back, especially after a big week of training. It's certainly not your usual relaxing rub down but it sure is effective!

Afterward I headed to the gym to get in my first workout of the day. My coworkers Erin and Chris happened to be there so Erin and I hit the weights and did the same workout as last week before heading out to the pool. It was an insanely gorgeous day (think mid 70s with a light breeze) so I threw on a bikini and got my tan on : ) It felt weird not swimming while at the pool, but it was also kind of nice.

pm: run / 5 mi / 0:47 / avg 9:34
The last thing I wanted to do after a relaxing day was head out for a run. I hadn't eaten since breakfast since I went straight to the gym after my massage, so I threw something together and was out the door a bit later. I don't know if it was what I ate or when but I had terrible heartburn on this run! My legs felt great but I had to slow way down from the discomfort in my chest. Got it done, though!

Tuesday
am: swim / 1,850 yds / 0:45
Lately I've really been loving swimming in the morning, despite having to get up early. With the weather we've been having the water feels great and it just seems to set the tone for the rest of the day leaves my evenings a little more free (although usually for other workouts!). The 200 pulls in the main set of this workout nearly killed me. I thought they wouldn't be too bad since I'd be using the pull buoy but holy crap, my arms! It was all I could do to hit the 1:45 pace and man did my shoulders and forearms burn!

• warm-up:
• 200
• 100 side kick
• 100 S2S
• 100 easy
• 6x25 fast on 0:45
• main: 5x200 pull @ 1:45 on 4:30
• cool-down: 200

had it all to myself : )

pm: run / 3.4 mi / 0:30 / avg 9:01
It's always hard to get out the door for these short runs after work. Now that it's going to be light out when I get off I'm hoping it's a little easier. I took my pup with me and ended up having a great, invigorating run. I love when that happens : ) I also got a special delivery earlier in the day: a box full of Gu, including a giant canister of their new Roctane drink. I think I should be set for a while!

Wednesday
am: bike / 23 mi / 1:31 / avg 15.1 mph
A great ride up in Granite Bay, practicing hills on the new bike! Gorgeous (but windy) day with lots of great country scenery.

I never really post about food, but I couldn't help but include the lunch I put together after my ride. Being a vegetarian and training for an Ironman, I've been trying to eat fairly cleanly and include plenty of protein in my diet. This is one of my favorite things to make and is pretty darn healthy to boot. I'll often make enough to take to lunch as it's easy to transport and assemble, too. First I cook some quinoa (I do it like pasta as opposed to rice and just drain off the excess water) then I add a can of rinsed black beans and some chopped black olives. I add a few spoonfuls of salsa and several generous dashes of hot sauce to the mix. I top a bed of greens with the mixture and then sprinkle a little cheese and add some chopped avocado. Lots of protein, greens, and healthy fats. And delicious! Win win!

mmmmm

 

Thursday
am: bike / 11.5 mi / 0:40 / avg 17.2 mph
Easy, short morning ride before work. My wrist was really sore from my ride the previous day since I was up on my handlebars for most of it, so it felt great to get down into aero. I was running a little late so I cut it short by 5 minutes, but figured it balanced out since I rode longer the day before.

This was the first day of packet pick-up for our race, the Shamrock'n Half Marathon, so work was pretty crazy. But my day got infinitely better when I got a little voicemail with some great news:

I GOT IN TO GRAD SCHOOL!!!!!!!!! 

I'm still waiting to hear from one more school, but I am absolutely thrilled : ) It's quite a relief, too, that my future is no longer up in the air. I really liked the school and program and love the location (San Francisco is hard to beat), so I can definitely see myself there next year. I should know about the other program by the end of the month, so we'll have to see whether I have a tough decision to make.

a little treat to celebrate : )

Friday
am: swim / 2,600 yds / 1:00

• warm-up:
• 200
• 200 choice drills (back kick, FTD, CU, S2S)
• main:
• 500 @ 2:00 on 10:30
• 5x100 @ 1:50 on 2:10
• 500 @ 1:55 on 10:30
• 5x100 @ 1:50 on 2:10
• cool-down: 200

The focus of this workout was clearly endurance with the sets of 500 as the main workout. I wasn't looking forward to it but it ended up being a great workout. When I got there in the morning the pool was super crowded but I managed to snag a lane to share. The 500s weren't as bad as I thought and I nailed the paces. It feels good to do these longer workouts and feel strong - gives me a nice boost of confidence!

 

Saturday
rest
Oh.my.god work was insane! Saturdays are usually busy, but add in the last day of packet pick-up and it's an absolute madhouse. I had a 20 minute shake-out run on my schedule but skipped it as I was way too exhausted after work, and I did enough running around while I was there!

Sunday
am: run / 13.2 mi / 1:51 / avg 8:26
One of the perks of working at a running store is getting to run our races for free. I'd signed up for the Shamrock'n Half Marathon a while back, hoping to race it and PR. In the last couple weeks, however, I hadn't been sure if I was up for racing it since I've been running less mileage and doing little speedwork. But then my coach put a fast time on my schedule and the seed was planted, so I raced it! I'll have the full race report soon, but suffice it to say I must be doing something right with my training because I ended up with a 4 minute PR : )

 post-race at Raley Field

new half PR!

Totals

swim: 4,450 yards

bike: 34.5 miles

run: 21.5 miles

other: 30 minutes

total time: 7.7 hours