How is May already almost over?! Wasn't it just Christmas?! Ironman Lake Placid is just around the corner and I couldn’t be more excited.
Training has been coming along nicely the past few weeks, with some new distance PRs being set.
After a rough start to the year I am focused, moving forward and, most importantly, having enjoying the process. I never expected to enjoy Ironman training as much as I am now.
A few thoughts on how training’s been progressing…
Swimming
I wish I could say I've been nailing my swims and am as fast as Ryan Lochte [Lochte > Phelps] but simply put, I can't. In March and April I skipped a few too many swims and it shows. The good news is that my pace is somehow faster than it was at the beginning of the year despite spending a few weeks away from the pool. The bad news is that I feel like total shit while I'm swimming. Growing up as a competitive swimmer, having good technique has become ingrained. I'm trying to trust the process that it will eventually come back, and crossing my fingers that it's sooner rather than later.
In more exciting news on the swim front, I get to test my new Blue Seventy Helix I got at the Rev3 70.3 Poconos in September. The kind folks at Blue Seventy sent me the wetsuit back in February, after which I tried it on and then promptly put it away until it warmed up. Since the forecast is calling for temps in the 90s this week I would say it has warmed up. My first race of the season is coming up this weekend and I thought it would be a good idea to try the wetsuit beforehand, because nothing new on race day right?
I wish I could say I've been nailing my swims and am as fast as Ryan Lochte [Lochte > Phelps] but simply put, I can't. In March and April I skipped a few too many swims and it shows. The good news is that my pace is somehow faster than it was at the beginning of the year despite spending a few weeks away from the pool. The bad news is that I feel like total shit while I'm swimming. Growing up as a competitive swimmer, having good technique has become ingrained. I'm trying to trust the process that it will eventually come back, and crossing my fingers that it's sooner rather than later.
In more exciting news on the swim front, I get to test my new Blue Seventy Helix I got at the Rev3 70.3 Poconos in September. The kind folks at Blue Seventy sent me the wetsuit back in February, after which I tried it on and then promptly put it away until it warmed up. Since the forecast is calling for temps in the 90s this week I would say it has warmed up. My first race of the season is coming up this weekend and I thought it would be a good idea to try the wetsuit beforehand, because nothing new on race day right?
Biking
Where do I even start?! When I first started doing triathlons I was nervous about moving up in distance because I hated biking. Fast forward a few years and biking has easily become my favorite of the three sports. In my opinion, any day on the bike is a good day. I'm also really happy with how my bike fitness is progressing. I did a lot of hard trainer rides during those cold winter months where riding outside wasn't really an option. And honestly, it's really hard to tell how your fitness on the trainer is going to translate to the road but each week I am seeing little buds of strength, speed, power, grace popping through.
This past weekend I completed my longest ride ever at 75 miles and can really truly honestly say that I loved the entire ride except for the one mile climb through my neighborhood to get home. Last weekend I rode down to Maryland and conquered the hills of Northern Baltimore County. It was a beautiful ride with over 4,000ft of climbing but it also marked my first bike crash. Luckily the only damage was a few scrapes and I was able to continue riding.
I've been complementing my weekend long rides with Tuesday and Thursday rides with my local bike shop. Tuesday night I've been going to what I call the fast guys ride because the only gals there are the shop owner and myself. I kind of love riding with the guys though. These rides are surely going to be missed after I move.
Where do I even start?! When I first started doing triathlons I was nervous about moving up in distance because I hated biking. Fast forward a few years and biking has easily become my favorite of the three sports. In my opinion, any day on the bike is a good day. I'm also really happy with how my bike fitness is progressing. I did a lot of hard trainer rides during those cold winter months where riding outside wasn't really an option. And honestly, it's really hard to tell how your fitness on the trainer is going to translate to the road but each week I am seeing little buds of strength, speed, power, grace popping through.
This past weekend I completed my longest ride ever at 75 miles and can really truly honestly say that I loved the entire ride except for the one mile climb through my neighborhood to get home. Last weekend I rode down to Maryland and conquered the hills of Northern Baltimore County. It was a beautiful ride with over 4,000ft of climbing but it also marked my first bike crash. Luckily the only damage was a few scrapes and I was able to continue riding.
I've been complementing my weekend long rides with Tuesday and Thursday rides with my local bike shop. Tuesday night I've been going to what I call the fast guys ride because the only gals there are the shop owner and myself. I kind of love riding with the guys though. These rides are surely going to be missed after I move.
Running
Running has also been going really well! My longest runs so far have been 10 & 12 miles and while they were both challenging runs, I know building up each week won't be so bad. I've also been doing weekly track runs to help with my run speed before my race this weekend. With each workout I finish I am gaining more and more confidence. I haven't been doing anything too intense but the ease of hitting each interval is showing me that all my hard work is paying off. I never thought running at certain paces would feel so comfortable.
My favorite place for easy miles
Running has also been going really well! My longest runs so far have been 10 & 12 miles and while they were both challenging runs, I know building up each week won't be so bad. I've also been doing weekly track runs to help with my run speed before my race this weekend. With each workout I finish I am gaining more and more confidence. I haven't been doing anything too intense but the ease of hitting each interval is showing me that all my hard work is paying off. I never thought running at certain paces would feel so comfortable.
