woensdag 30 augustus 2017

Wednesday Workout Recap

Last week was another big week of training, gearing up to my last triathlon of the season.  We also had an eclipse last week.  Seems pretty long ago, doesn’t it?

Monday – Eclipse Day.  This was a rest day for me.  It was also my telework day, and late in the afternoon, when the network went down, I decided to take advantage of the time of day and went to the pool to get in my Tuesday swim.

Tuesday – Took my rest day here.  And it was glorious.

Wednesday – FTP test.  This didn’t go well.  I just didn’t have any energy for it, and about 15 minutes into the 20 minute test, couldn’t hold my watts, so I decided to stop the test and just continue by riding hard and finishing out the workout.  I didn’t even bother to look at the stats, just decided that my I probably wasn’t fully recovered from the weekend and chose to not worry about it.

Thursday – 4 mile run

Friday – 2000m swim.  Got to do this in an outdoor 50m pool, which made it seem faster, but in fact I was sooooo much slower.  I think I was just being lazy since I didn’t feel as rushed – at my normal pool, I’m pushing to get done so I can get on the road to work and miss the worst of the traffic.  This pool (only open early during the 2 weeks when my main pool is closed) is located such that a few minutes here or there doesn’t affect traffic.

Saturday – Got up super early to get my 2 hour ride/2 mile run in before going out for dim sum with some friends.  Worth it.

Sunday – 8 mile run.  It was a gorgeous day to be outside.  I’m ready for the cooler weather (but not so much for the snow just yet).

 

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maandag 28 augustus 2017

Summer’s End

(For everyone watching the images out of Houston and wondering what they can do, there are a number of awesome places where you can donate money.  Check out this list and remember that every little bit helps.)

scross2601 / Pixabay

I was at a choir rehearsal last night and someone mentioned that summer was almost over.  I was completely surprised by this statement.  Summer isn’t over!  Summer can’t be over!  It’s much too soon.

But this weekend is Labor Day weekend, which is the traditional end of summer.  Kids are already back in school.  The official start of fall isn’t until September 22, but I guess I have to accept that the summer is ending.

I think part of my denial has to do with the fact that my summer isn’t over!  I consider triathlon to be my summer sport, and I have one more race this season, the weekend after Labor Day.  I also haven’t yet taken my summer vacation – that happens later in September.  So in my mind, summer still has an entire month to go.

But fall brings some awesome things.  Like sweaters and not having to wake up before dawn to get in a run before the temperatures reach ridiculous levels.  Fall also means more road races (including some of my favorites) and holidays and football.  Fall means holiday scents and tastes (maybe not pumpkin spice EVERYTHING, but the Cheerios are so tasty).  So maybe I am ready for fall.

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Yoga Flow Workout: Level 2- Jess Taras | BeFiT

donderdag 24 augustus 2017

Don’t Be Gross – Wash Your Workout Gear

DavidZattarin / Pixabay

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On a popular Facebook forum this week, someone posted a question – Do you re-wear your workout gear or do you wash it every time?

People, I was horrified to see all the people posting about re-wearing workout gear.  And I’m not just talking about shirts.  People were wearing bike shorts and sports bras and pants more than once before washing.

I’m no clean freak, but this is unacceptable.  And gross.  And I’m not just talking about the smell.  Because let’s be honest, if you’re working out at home alone, the only one who cares if you smell is you.  And a little BO offending the nostrils never killed anyone.

No, my concern here is all of the other bacteria and dirt that is collecting in your clothing that you’re just putting back onto your body.  Say you do a workout and you then hang your clothes up to dry.  Well, all those fun little bacteria now on your clothes can hang out in that dampness and munch on the sweat and dirt (including oils from your skin and skin cells themselves) and multiply.  And then you put the clothes back on your body.  Let’s not even talk about what happens if you’ve been at the gym and picked up some strange bacteria in your clothes.

Now, this bacteria probably won’t kill you.  But it can lead to skin irritation, acne, and dermatitis, none of which are fun, and all of which can lead to bigger problems if not treated properly.  And if you already have irritated skin and introduce a colony of bacteria… well, I’m no scientist, but that seems like a bad plan.

And have you ever picked up an item of clothing that’s still a little damp from sweat and put it back on?  That can lead to a fungal infection, including yeast infections.  And don’t just think this is something the ladies get.  Have you heard of jock itch?  That’s a fungal infection, and it can end up throwing a party, typically in the groin area or the bra area (but it can happen anywhere).  Definitely not an experience that I would recommend.

My rule is this: If the clothing either 1) touched my skin or 2) got sweaty, it gets washed.  So if I’m wearing a jacket over a long sleeved shirt in the winter, that jacket is fine.  But if I’m wearing a long sleeved shirt over a short sleeved shirt, the sleeves of the top shirt also touched my skin so everything gets washed.

What if you don’t own enough workout gear to get you between trips to the laundromat?  Do you have a sink?  Wash your stuff in the sink.  I’ve been known to do this with sports bras because they are the item I own the fewest of.  It’s really not hard, I promise.

If you want to re-wear your jeans 10+ times before washing, go for it (unless they get sweaty or smell or you spill a plate of spaghetti on them).  But when it comes to your workout gear, throw that stuff into the wash.  No one wants a weird infection.

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dinsdag 22 augustus 2017

Volunteer Recap and Lessons Learned

This is the only picture I took all day. That’s how hard I was working. Also, I’m terrible at taking pictures.

On Sunday, I was up bright and early (wait, it was before bright and early) to volunteer at Iron Girl Columbia.  I had to be at the race site at 4:30, which meant leaving my house before 4.  I had friends telling me I was crazy, but really, it was something I needed to do.  I get so much from volunteers at races that I need to give back.  Besides, volunteering at races is so much fun!  (Except for that early thing.)

Iron Girl Columbia is a sprint distance race, and the race gets a lot of beginners, but don’t let that fool you – this course isn’t a waltz.  The swim is .62 miles, the bike is a hilly 16 miles, and the run is 3.5 miles.  So it’s longer than your average sprint.  But it’s a great challenge.

I worked at body marking until I destroyed two different markers, then headed to swim finish.  I definitely learned a lot about racing at swim finish.  I’ve worked at the finish before, but I’m usually further back.  This time, I was at the edge of the water.  There were a bunch of people stationed at swim finish, and we’re definitely ready to deal with a lot of issues that come up.  Thankfully, we didn’t have to deal with any of them.

Well, there was one.  And ladies, I need to talk to you about this problem.  I was unaware it existed.

Our coordinator referred to it as “suit check” and then made his wife explain it.  Sometimes, women do the swim in looser fitting attire, and as they get out of the water, their top pulls down and there are boobs all over the place.  So we had to remind ladies to pull up their suits on many occasions.  I only got flashed once, so that’s a good thing.

But let’s give this some thought here.  If you’re doing the full race and not just the relay, you shouldn’t be wearing a top loose enough that it can fall down that much.  If you are, it’s clearly not supportive enough.  (I suppose there are likely women out there who don’t need a sports bra to run, but those were not the women we had to remind.)  Even if you’re wearing a sports bra, if you can fall out of it, it’s not the right size or shape for your body.

Yes, oftentimes when lady triathletes get out of the swim, they grab the top of their kit and bra and yank them up, because when you stand up and all that water drains out, it’s natural that your kit will pull down a bit.  But it shouldn’t actually be going anywhere significant.  I usually have to pull my top back up over my bra because it has slid down a bit, but the bra has gone nowhere.

So take a look at what you’re wearing and maybe consider something a bit more supportive.

Now, back to the race.  The volunteers at swim finish aren’t allowed to touch you, as that’s technically outside assistance.  The boat ramp was slippery in spots, and it was tough to not be able to reach out to help, but we wanted to follow the rules.  There was an older woman who I offered an arm to, and it wasn’t an issue, and if someone seriously needed help, we obviously would have provided it.

Unfortunately, this race had a hard time cutoff for the end of the swim, and there were still some ladies making their way in.  The last two ladies out of the water before the cutoff were probably very confused as to why we were screaming so much at them to keep swimming and practically shoved them towards transition.  But once the cutoff hit, Kristin and I walked further into the water and offered assistance to the ladies getting out of the water.  They couldn’t be double DQed after all.  But it was heartbreaking to watch.  One woman had two spectators waiting for her, and they knew she hadn’t made the cutoff.  I very much appreciated that they weren’t angry at us, instead they just kept cheering.  The woman exited the water and started crying because she was so overwhelmed that she finished.  Her friends were hugging her and the volunteer captain came over to give her the bad news, at which point, she just started sobbing.  They were awesome to be there for her and remind her that she had finished the swim, and that was a huge accomplishment (and it is!)

A few of the other people were angry (understandable), and the poor volunteer coordinator had to deal with their anger.  If you find yourself in this situation, remember that the volunteers aren’t the ones who made the rules.  In this case, it came from the police – we couldn’t let any cyclists out onto the road after a certain time.  The volunteers just often end up being the ones who have to give the info.

After swim finish, Kristin and I headed to the run course to cheer.  After about an hour of this, my energy was seriously flagging.  I had wanted to be there for the end of the race, but I was exhausted, and ended up leaving a little after 11.  I still had a great time and was so glad that I took the time to volunteer.  I’m definitely putting the race on my schedule for next year to volunteer again.

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Cardio Core Abs Workout: Surfer Girl- Amber Gregory

donderdag 17 augustus 2017

Volunteering at Races

Tumisu / Pixabay

It’s race weekend again!  But this weekend, I’m not racing, I’m volunteering at Iron Girl Columbia.  This was my first “big” triathlon four years ago (I started triathlon with a beginner super sprint, but this was my big race.)  While I love the race, I couldn’t fit it in last year with 70.3 training, and I was really disappointed to not be out cheering.  So this year, I was determined to volunteer.  I even had it figured into my summer race plan so that I didn’t accidentally schedule something over it.

I admit, when I got the details of my volunteer gig and realized I was going to have to leave my house before 4am, I wondered exactly what I was doing.  That’s earlier than I’ve left for my last few races!  That’s earlier than I got up for my most recent race!  There was a time in my life when I was still awake at 4am.  (Now I’m often in bed before 9.)

But it’s still worth it.

Volunteers are the most important part about racing, and I say this not because I’m volunteering this weekend, but because I’ve been the beneficiary of many volunteers during my racing career.  Handing out cups of water, pointing athletes on where they should go, offering a smile or a high five, these are all so important when you’re racing, and especially when you’re struggling.  So this year, I wanted to give back and volunteer more.

Iron Girl Columbia is an especially fun race to volunteer at because of all the newbies.  There’s nothing like seeing the smile on someone’s face when they make it out of the swim or cross the finish line that they’ve worked so hard to get to.

I’ll be all over the course on Sunday, at transition doing body marking (I’m packing my headlamp), at swim finish, and probably somewhere on the run course.  My shift officially ends at 9:30, but I’m planning to stay out there through the end of the race.  So if you’re racing, look for me.

And if you haven’t ever volunteered at a race before, go do it!  It’s so worth it.

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dinsdag 15 augustus 2017

“Get To” vs “Have To”

Something I often see in the running world is people complaining about runners who say “I have to go run.”  This phrase is often uttered with a bit of exhaustion or disgust.  The common response is “No, you don’t have to run, you get to run.”  Because the ability to run is a privilege and it’s awesome and you shouldn’t complain about it.

But you know what?  Sometimes you can complain about it.  The two aren’t mutually exclusive.

First off, we all complain about things that we’re lucky to have.  There are plenty of mornings that I think “Ugh, I don’t want to get out of bed and go to work.”  I love my job and it’s awesome to be employed, but that doesn’t mean I go skipping off to the office every morning.  I also often don’t want to clean my house.  But I’m also privileged to be able to have a house.

And I think the same goes with running or any other sport you’re training for.  Some days, you just don’t want to do it.  And it’s your love of the sport that makes you do it even though you don’t want to.  If I didn’t love triathlon and want to race, there are plenty of days that I certainly wouldn’t be working out.  Sure, some days I’m looking forward to a certain workout, and many times, I’m looking forward to the endorphins and sense of satisfaction that come with completing a workout (or the food I will get to eat afterwards).  But that’s certainly not every day.  Some days, I do not want to get on the treadmill after work.  I want to sit on the couch and watch tv or read a book or go to bed early.  But I do my run anyway, and 95% of the time, I feel better for having done it.

So yes, you get to run.  But you’re allowed to not love it all the time.

 

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Strength Training & Balance Workout: Steve Jordan

donderdag 10 augustus 2017

Storing and Displaying Racing “Stuff”

I generally feel like I haven’t been racing all that long, but I ran my first half marathon in 2010 and haven’t stopped since.  So over all of those years, I’ve accumulated a lot of race medals and other related things, and I thought it might be fun to share how I store and display and encourage others to do the same.  I’m always looking for new and fun ideas.  (And yes, I know there are plenty of people who just throw their medals into boxes in the back of their closets.  Clearly, that is not me.)

Race medals as of the beginning of August.

These are my running medals.  I’m not exactly sure how many are there, but there were some years where I raced a lot.  My runDisney medals are on their own separate hanger, partly because I love them and partly because I actually have the second hanger bar hung lower because the medals are so huge.  Assuming all goes well at this year’s SpaceCoast Half Marathon and I get the fifth and final medal in the series (plus the second piece of bonus bling), I’m considering getting a separate hanger so I can display all of my awesome space shuttle medals.  I don’t often race for medals, but I definitely want those five shuttles.

Triathlon Medals as of the beginning of August

These are my triathlon medals (and one swim race medal), which hang separately.  Clearly not as numerous, but I’m pretty proud of these.

As you can tell, these all hang near windows, so they’re tough to photograph.  They’re all in the basement, which is where I also keep my treadmill and bike trainer.

Army Ten Miler coins, with plenty of space for many more years of running

The Army Ten Miler does finisher’s coins, which I absolutely love.  Clearly, I love this race, as I’ve only lived in DC since 2007, and I’ve run the race every year starting in 2008.  It’s one of my favorite races all year, and I even forced myself through it last year, two weeks after Augusta 70.3.  If someone else could run it on prosthetic legs, I could certainly run it on tired legs.

I keep all of my race bibs on a display my sister bought me.  It’s designed so you can hang them straight on the hooks, but I have so many that I ended up putting them on rings and hanging them this way.  It’s getting to be a bit much, so I may take some of them down and put them in a box for safe keeping.

Hanging above the bibs is my first marathon bib.  That one will always be special to me, so it gets its own spot.  I’m considering doing the same with my Augusta bib.

In front of my treadmill, I have these two things hanging on the wall.  The clock is actually an award from Giant Acorn, and I love that it has the wacky squirrel on it.  (Also, it tells time, which is useful.)  I also have a poster that I got after my first marathon, which is great inspiration when the training gets tough.

Finally, I have a box of stuff.  This is where I toss things that I want to save after a race.  In here, I’ve got programs from some of my first races, cool handouts, the rack labels from my Rev3 races (I’m not sure why I need to save these, I just do), stuff from virtual races, etc.  I should probably go through this and figure out what I no longer really need to keep, but it doesn’t take up much space, so for now, it’s fine.  It’s also a good place to put my bibs once I cull through the hanger.

How do you store your racing stuff?  Do you keep any of it or does it all get tossed right away?

 

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dinsdag 8 augustus 2017

Race Report – 2017 Culpeper International

The wine label is triathlon themed.

Well, Sunday’s race went much better than anticipated.  The things I knew about this race were that the course was hilly and challenging.  I really wasn’t worried about it when I registered, but as I got closer to the race, people started commenting more and more about how hilly the course was.  So I started to think that maybe this race was going to be harder than I thought, especially coming off of Rev 3 Williamsburg, which is super flat.  But hey, who isn’t up for a challenge?

I wasn’t particularly worried about the race, just more reframing my expectations.  I can climb hills, but I’m not particularly proficient at it.  (That said, I’m pretty darn good at downhills – and you may laugh, but it is actually a skill.  Also, gravity.)  So I was anticipating closer to a 4 hour finish and well aware that it might not be pretty, especially given my training as of late.

One great thing about this race was the start time!  It didn’t start til 7:30, and since we were staying close to the race site, that meant not getting up til 5am!  Definitely sleeping in.

VTSMTS always puts on great races, and I love that the swag for this race included a pair of socks.  I can always use more bike socks.  I also love how they run race morning.  It’s low key and always staffed with awesome volunteers.

Race morning was pretty cold – below 60 degrees.  But the water was a disgusting 85+.  Definitely not comfortable swimming water.  Sure, it’s nice to get in and lounge, but if you’re trying to swim, you will definitely get hot very quickly.  So when my wave started, I decided to hold back a bit so as not to overheat myself right away.  I was still definitely in the middle of the pack and found myself dealing with a bit more contact than I’m used to.  This swim course was a bit odd though.  The lake isn’t big, so the International course had four turns, most at pretty sharp angles, and the last merging us back in with the sprint course (they started half an hour after the international).

It was generally no big deal until I was nearing the third buoy and got clobbered in the side of the head by a guy in the wave behind me.  Definitely not his fault (though I’m not sure what direction he was swimming in for his hand to land on my head) but it was a bit surprising and threw off my pace.  But hey, it happens in triathlon.

Swim: 39:42  Definitely not my best.  I think it was just the heat slowing me down more than anything.

Transition, nothing exciting happened.  Though I have GOT to speed this up.

T1: 1:59

The first thing about this bike is that you literally have to run up a steep grassy hill with your bike.  Not awesome.  Then you mount at the top of a hill, soar down, and have to slow for a sharp turn onto the course, where you immediately hit a climb.  So that was fun.

The one thing that did bug me a bit was that because of the timing of the two races (sprint and international), I was hitting the course at the same time as some sprint athletes, and it was clear that a number of them didn’t seem to know the triathlon bike rules.  Don’t get me wrong – there’s nothing wrong with being new to a sport, and there’s nothing wrong with being slow on your bike.  Forward motion is what matters.  But there were a lot of people riding to the left, almost crossing the center line.  They weren’t passing anyone, they were just riding wide.  This is against the rules, but more importantly, it’s unsafe.  You want to stay to the right.  Don’t ride the shoulder if it’s not safe, of course, but stay right so cars and other cyclists can pass and only move left when you’re passing.

Really, I thought this bike course was pretty nice.  There were some sections of road that were a bit bumpy, but nothing too terrible.  And the hills were challenging, but I kept waiting for the “one bad hill” that I kept hearing about.  I’m still not sure which one it was.  I generally knew what I had to do on the bike to leave myself time to get through the run and still hit a sub-4, so that’s what I pushed for.

Bike: 1:38:35

T2 included the run all the way back down to my rack.  If I thought running up that hill was hard, running down was impossible.

T2: 1:53

Photo Credit: Katie T

On to the run.  By this point, I discovered that my HRM wasn’t picking up my heart rate, so unless I’ve become a zombie, I’m pretty sure the battery is dead.  That makes running more interesting because I have to go solely by feel.  Since it wasn’t too terribly hot out, I figured my legs would tell me to slow down before my heart rate anyway.

This run was two loops with two out and backs.  I don’t mind courses like this because you get to see other people on the course, chat it up a bit, offer cheers to people who are struggling.  And the hills weren’t as bad as I thought.  Nothing too terribly steep.

As always, this is my worst leg, but I’ve just stopped caring about that.  I’m not going to be a fast runner, and that’s okay.  It’s still a lot of fun.

Run: 1:20:30 (still a sub-13 mile, which is pretty good.)

Total: 3:42:38, well under the 4 hours I prepared for or the 3:50 I hoped for.  I’m actually really surprised at how well I did.

And I also landed on the podium (though I was so far behind the first and second place girls that it was laughable!

Liz and Katie (my awesome Coeur teammate) and her husband and some of their other friends were watching for me to finish and it was so awesome to be cheered in at the end.  I forget what that’s like, and it’s always fun to have cheers as you finish.  So thank you to everyone who stayed out there to cheer me in.  I had an awesome race.

 

 

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Beach-Ready Core Workout 1: Surfer Girl- Amber Gregory

vrijdag 4 augustus 2017

Avoiding Injury While Training

RyanMcGuire / Pixabay

Injury prevention is one of the most important elements of a running or triathlon training program.  And yet, so many of us fail to do it.  I am terrible about stretching and have to force myself to do my strength training.  And you know what?  It shows.  Right now, I’m dealing with pain and tightness that could so easily have been prevented if I just did a series of stretches every day.  Good job, self.

Conveniently, I recently got an email from Cigna with some stretching tips that I’ve been using, and I decided to share the article here.  (I’m getting nothing from Cigna for sharing this, it’s just good content that I thought should be shared.)   So who is willing to commit to a stretching and strengthening routine with me?

Injury Free Training Preparation
Antonio Williams, M.S., NASM, P.E.S, Health Engagement Consultant

A mistake some runners make is not including strength training in their training program. Running without strength training could lead to injuries. You may wonder, “how can strength training prevent injuries?” Every time your foot hits the ground, it absorbs a small shock which tires your muscles as you run. Continuous running (pounding the pavement) can fatigue your muscles. As you increase your running miles, this will force your other muscles to compensate. When muscles compensate, they work harder than they should. This is when your body becomes susceptible to injury.

Running provides more muscular endurance than muscular strength. So you need strength training for your upper, as well as lower body, to prevent injury.

A lack of flexibility is the most common cause for injuries. Tight calves, hip flexors, IT bands (side of thigh), quadriceps, lats (back) and adductors (groin) all will put the runner at risk. These muscles are usually tight for people who have desk jobs or sit a lot. Athletes with tight muscles also may have slight external rotation when their foot lands during sprints. Running at top speed with a slight external rotation can cause groin strain, a pulled hip flexor and lower back pain. This is just one example of how a lack of flexibility can prevent efficient top-end speed.

A lack of flexibility may also alter proper running mechanics. Runners who can’t maintain proper running form will, ultimately, begin to slow down. This is because certain muscles are working harder than other muscles and fatigue sooner. Continued running with altered running mechanics will increase the chance of injury.

Imagine if four people are carrying a box and they each have a corner to hold. If two people decide not to carry the box, there’s more weight and pressure on the other two people. Although they are strong enough, they will soon tire out and drop the box. This same concept can happen with your body. A lack of flexibility will cause certain muscles to work harder than others. Soon your body will “drop the box” and you’ll experience muscular injuries.

Strength training two or three days a week will help your body absorb the constant pounding of the pavement. Over time, your muscles won’t tire as quickly. You’ll be able to run further, faster and for longer durations. This takes some time, so give this routine a couple of weeks to see a difference.

Stretching before and after your workouts also will help keep your body balanced. As a runner, it’s important to keep your muscles as flexible as possible. You want to prevent muscles from compensating to the point where you alter your running form. This could lead to injuries.

Calf stretch

Put both hands against a wall with arms extended. Lean with one leg bent forward and the other leg extended back. Keep your knee straight and foot positioned forward. Push rear heel to floor (toe pointed straight ahead) and move hips slightly forward. Hold stretch. Repeat with opposite leg.

Back stretch

Kneel in front of a chair or stable surface. Place one hand on the surface and slowly lower chest toward the ground. Feel the stretch in your upper shoulder area around your armpit. Do not arch your lower back, and tighten your core as you lower your chest. Repeat on opposite side.

Quad stretch

Kneel with one knee on a padded mat and your other foot positioned forward. Place back foot onto a stable surface like a bench. Slowly drive hip forward and squeeze glute on the same side as the quad being stretched. Hold stretch. Repeat with opposite side.

Groin stretch

Stand next to a stable, knee-high surface. Place your foot on the surface and slowly reach your hand toward your feet. Feel the stretch in the groin area of your leg on the surface. Keep both toes straight ahead, as feet may have a tendency to point outward. Do not shift hips toward leg on the surface. Repeat on opposite leg.

Using these stretches may help prevent injuries.

 

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woensdag 2 augustus 2017

Wednesday Workout Recap

This cheetah doesn’t want you to know that she is totally unprepared for racing. manfredrichter / Pixabay

This weekend, I’m racing Culpeper International.  It’s local and hilly.  And I am feeling very unprepared.  At least as compared to my previous races.  I’ve really been nailing my training over the past few months, so to have such a lackluster month right before a race has me feeling a bit off kilter.

No regrets, of course – I was dealing with a small injury that led to another small injury and my quad still isn’t quite right (but it’s getting there).  And it’s not that I’m actually untrained.  Just not feeling quite as prepared as I would have liked for a race that is as challenging as this one will be.  So I’m going in without any real time goals, just to finish strong, whatever that happens to mean on the day.

On to last week’s training:

Monday: Rest Day

Tuesday: 2 mile run and Team Fight swim

Wednesday – Supposed to be an FTP test but I didn’t have the energy, so I put it off and ran Thursday’s 4 miles instead.

Thursday – FTP test time!  And when I was done, I discovered that the battery in my power meter was just low enough that it dropped out a few times during the test, so no measurable result.  Alas.

Friday – 2000 meter swim, followed by my annual physical where my doctor proudly proclaimed me healthy (and commented that she likes to see healthy people come in for checkups and why don’t more of you do this?)

Saturday – Volunteered at the Team Fight tri camp, which meant lots of swimming in some crazy water and some running of the bike/run course as I helped direct people.  Went home and finished up my 6 mile run on the treadmill.

Sunday – I was dead after Saturday, but went out to ride anyway.  Felt like I was dying the entire time, and when I finished, discovered that I was PRing segments of the course.  No wonder everything hurt!

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