Rev3 Poconos 70.3 Training Week 4

Somewhat similar to the previous weeks, week four was full of ups and downs. That's the beauty of training though. Races are full of ups and downs and never go perfectly. The more you can handle it in training the better you will do come race day.

Monday- Due to a jam packed weekend and some nasty weather I wasn't able to get my long ride in until Monday. I switched up my nutrition plan for the ride and focused on holding a steadier pace. The result was feeling strong and like I could have continued instead of bonking during the last 10 miles. I ended up with 40 miles at a comfortable 15.2 average.

After riding I went to the pool to do some active recovery. I definitely didn't feel fresh but I felt much better than I was expecting. 1600 yards later my legs felt good and shaken out.

Tuesday- I woke up Tuesday to the first of many heat waves on the East coast. Temps were expected to climb into the 90's so I used it as a chance to log some miles in the heat. I don't handle the heat very well and typically try to avoid racing in it but as we all know the weather can be unpredictable. I went over to a local lake with trails for an easy 30 minute recovery run. By the end it looked like I had just stepped out of the shower.

Wednesday- Typically Wednesday's my day to sleep in and not worry about getting in a morning workout and this week was the same. I did 2600 lunch time yards including a race effort 500 clocking in at 6:05. By the end of the summer I will be swimming sub 6:00 500's, just you watch.

Wednesday is also my weekly group ride. I knew we were going to be doing a hillier ride but I wasn't planning on logging so many miles. We covered 30 miles with 2000 feet of climbing that included two category four climbs. I haven't done climbs like that in almost a year and as hard as they were it felt good to push myself out of my comfort zone.

Thursday- Sticking with the theme of one harder or longer day followed by a recovery day, Thursday was pretty light. I started the day with an hour of gentle yoga and ended it with 40 minutes of super easy running.

Friday- I had plans of biking and swimming but my mom's back went out so I had to stay home and take care of her. Not ideal but boy was I glad to have already logged some good miles earlier in the week.

Saturday- Luckily my grandma and aunt were visiting so I was able to sneak out for a run in the morning. I was going to try to do a brick but it was just starting to rain and I didn't want to chance the roads being slick on some of the downhills near my house. Instead I ran for an hour at a comfortable but not easy pace.

Sunday- Surprise, I ran a 5K! Actually I planned and organized a local 5K that I ran after working packet pickup Saturday and setting up for all Sunday morning. The race was held in memory of my dad with the proceeds benefitting the American Heart Association. As of Monday we raised a little over $14,000 dollars and 200 runners came out for the race.

I wasn't sure whether I was going to do this race "for run" or actually try to race it. In the end I kind of did both. I ran the entire thing with a good friend of mine. We finished in 26:XX, which for a grass 5K on almost no sleep is good enough for me.

Now I'm gearing up for another race, my first triathlon of the season since the Columbia Triathlon became more of a duathlon. This week is all about catching up on sleep from the weekend and taking care of my body.