Rev3 Poconos 70.3 Training Week 8

And just like that I am over halfway through my training cycle for my first half ironman. Its crazy how fast time is flying for me. I thought being out of school would leave me with more time for things like blogging and reading books but I still haven't finished the book I started back in May. Since I've never trained for a half ironman I can't really say how things are going, I can only say that I feel good. I've had some solid weeks of training and each week can see myself getting stronger and faster. I've had a few slip-ups along the way but no training cycle is ever perfect.

I was at the beach with my family this past week so my training was not ideal. I did what I could while also trying to relax and spend as much time with my family as possible. Since losing my dad I have tried to put extra importance on spending time with the people I love. Training will always be there but I can't say the same for people, even if that only means they move away.

Monday- 21.52 miles biking, 5.43 mile run
Tuesday- rest
Wednesday- 4.6 mile run
Thursday- 23.29 miles biking
Friday- 7.1 mile run [2 x 15 min @ 10k pace]
Saturday- rest
Sunday- 23.11 miles biking

67.92 miles biking
17.13 miles running

With nationals two and a half weeks away my immediate focus is on getting in some more quality workouts before I start my taper. While I have been doing longer rides my runs haven't been where they should for 70.3 training. Since nationals is an olympic distance triathlon my primary focus is on speed and intensity and afterwards I will switch to more endurance leading into Rev3 Poconos.

Rev3 Poconos 70.3 Training Weeks 6 & 7

Time has been flying by for me and somehow I am already almost halfway through training for my first half ironman. Whaaat?! Right now I am holed up in the condo my family is renting in Chincoteague, Virginia for the week. As per usual after only one day at the beach I look like a lobster. I brought my road bike down for the week and am so glad I did. It is so flat here!

Anyway, I thought I would pop in with a quick training update since I raced last. The week following the race was on the lighter side with a few harder efforts tossed in here and there. I tried to listen to my body and make sure I felt recovered before jumping into anything too crazy.

Monday- rest
Tuesday- 2000 yd swim, 11.3 miles biking, 2.25 mile t-run
Wednesday- yoga, strength
Thursday- 2.26 mile recovery run, core, yoga
Friday- 1200 yd OW swim, 12.4 miles biking
Saturday- 4.7 mile track run
Sunday- rest

3200 yards swimming
23.7 miles biking
9.21 miles running
7 hrs 20 min

Last week was my biggest training week ever, with a new weekly PR for swim yardage and bike mileage. I was certainly tired by the end of the week but I felt better than I expected to. Last week left me really excited to put in a few more big weeks before nationals to see what my body is capable of.

Monday- 4300 yd swim, 4.12 mile easy run
Tuesday- 2300 yd swim, strength
Wednesday- 3200 yd swim, 31.32 miles biking
Thursday- yoga
Friday- 21.01 miles biking, 1200 yd OW swim, strength
Saturday- 39.92 miles biking, 3.2 mile t-run
Sunday- rest

11,000 yards swimming
92.25 miles biking
7.32 miles running
13 hours 5 min

Rev3 Poconos 70.3 Training Week 5

And just like that it's already July and five weeks of training have flown by. I hate how fast the summer goes by each year but I love being able to get in some quality training without having to worry about school. Something about summer just makes my heart happy.

Week 5 was a mix of a recovery week from hosting my first 5K, resting up for my first triathlon of the season, and trying to still get in some solid training.

Monday- Glorious rest. Had I not been racing this week I would have tried to get some kind of workout in but my mind and body were exhausted from the stress of the weekend and I knew that the extra rest could only be a good thing.

Tuesday- I wasn't sure how my legs would feel after working and racing on Sunday and then doing a track workout on Tuesday but they held up pretty well. I did 12 x 200 at my sprint triathlon race pace as a way to get my legs moving without taxing them too much. 7 miles later I was much more confident about my upcoming race.

Wednesday- What was supposed to be a 21 mile bike ride with 1500ft of climbing turned into a 28 mile ride with 2500ft of climbing thanks to my poor navigational skills. I started the ride tired and ended it completely exhausted. It was a lot of climbing (for me) on already beat up legs and not the kind of ride I wanted to have mere days before a race.

Thursday- Continuing the theme of the week, Thursday was not so stellar either. I don't remember anything about my swim except I felt like I was flailing the whole time. 2600 yards later I was ready to be done. Once again, I wasn't sure how my legs would feel after two harder days but I set out for a super easy recovery run in the evening. I felt anything but fresh but it was actually nice to get out there and not have any pace expectations.

Friday- Knowing I was still pretty tired I opted for an hour of gentle yoga, and boy was it needed.

Saturday- In the past I have taken the day before races off but I wanted to try getting in some easy yardage on Saturday. Since swimming takes so little out of me I figured it would be fine. I finally felt good in the water, but more importantly I felt recovered and ready to race. Plus only swimming 1600 yards is something I could get used to. It FLEW by.

Sunday- Race day! You can read the full report here but the short version is that I PR'd the course and each distance, set a stand alone 5K PR by 50 seconds, won my age group and finished second overall (it was a women's only race).