half ironman training -- week 6

here is the breakdown from week 6 of my half ironman training. 

Week 6 // May 27 - June 2

27 Swim 1000 yards w/ main set: 8x50 sprints RI=20 Run 4.5 miles w/ 6x30 second hard efforts scattered

28 Bike 40 minutes w/ 6x1 minute hard efforts scattered

29 Swim 1000 yards w/ main set 2x200 race pace, RI = 20 Run 4 miles moderate

30 Bike 40 minutes moderate w/ 8 minutes comfortably hard

31 REST (or) Strength Train

1 Swim 1400 yards moderate Run 9 miles moderate

2 Bike 35 miles moderate

monday breakdown: monday went....well, it went. since i had the day off i got to get my training in at my own time. i still ended up getting to the pool pretty early and my swim went well. no crazy fast times, but my form felt really good. it was pouring rain at the gym so i was hoping by the time i got home it'd be done, but it wasn't. i went out and did the 4 miler in the rain. it happens.

tuesday breakdown: tuesday was my first skip day of my training. i've used rest days and struggled to get training in on certain days, but it was pouring rain when i got up and the morning is really the only time i have to get outdoor training done on tuesdays since i get home too late. combine missing training and eating crappy with an overly stressful day and the combination isn't that great. 

wednesday breakdown: i had a pretty decent swim and my form has been feeling better during my workouts lately. my run after went well and i owe most of that to the sunshine which has been missing during most of the past week or so. in the evening i actually decided to go out and pedal the 40 minute ride i skipped tuesday, but about a quarter way into it i got ANOTHER flat tire. i couldn't believe it! that makes 3 in about a month and a half. 

thursday breakdown: due to my flat tire i decided to go out for a 4 miler before work. i realized shortly afterward that i hadn't run on fresh legs for quite sometime due to my swim/run training days. almost all of my runs since i started training have been on "wet" legs (yeah, i thought of that on my own) right out of the water, so running right when i got up felt great. finished my run in about a 7:40 pace so i felt good. oh, plus it was my birthday thursday so i was in a good mood. 

friday breakdown: friday was my actual scheduled rest day and of course i felt lazy...especially since tuesday was a skip day. i wanted to try to find a way to fit in a workout, but knew i needed the rest to prep for the weekend. my parents were overly generous and bought me two new tires for my bike so i ended up getting those on my bike friday night and making sure i was good for my long ride on sunday. 

saturday breakdown: oh how i love the weekend....especially when i don't have to work. i was able to sleep in (7:30!!) and eat a good breakfast with a couple cups of coffee at my own pace. i went to the gym around 9:00 to get my training in and my 1400 yard swim went really well. again, my form has been feeling really on so that helps. i wasn't too excited about running 9 miles after, but i went out anyway. i had a route planned and actually did something i don't normally do. i broke route and ended up running around the town and ran by time. i assumed i'd finish the 9 miles in apx 8:30/mile pace so i decided i'd call it good when i got around 1:16:00 and made it back to the gym at 1:16:50. it's always such a great feeling to have such a good workout in before noon on a saturday!

sunday breakdown: sunday was a little rough. i just wasn't feeling it on the bike and to be completely honest...i was already preoccupied with thinking about next week's training. i was scheduled for 35 miles, but that turned into a fast 20 miler with a 3/4 mile run straight off the bike. it was a decent workout overall. 

weekly weigh-in:   174.9   on 5/27/13

previous weekly weigh-in:    173.7  

difference:   + 1.2   

total weight difference:   - 12.3   

half ironman training -- week 5

here is the breakdown from week 5 of my half ironman training. 

Week 5 // May 20 - May 26

20 REST (or) Strength Train

21 Bike 45 minutes w/ 4x3 minute hard efforts scattered

22 Swim 1200 yards w/ main set: 10x50 sprints RI=20 Run 4.5 miles w/ 6x1 minute hard efforts scattered

23 Bike 40 minutes moderate w/ 12 minutes comfortably hard

24 Swim 1200 yards w/ main set:3x200 race pace, RI= 20 Run 5 miles moderate w/ 4x10 second hill sprints

25 Swim 1800 yards moderate Run 11 miles moderate

26 BRICK Bike 45 miles moderate Run 15 minutes off the bike moderate

monday breakdown: what a great way to start a harder week of training....rest! most weeks my rest day flips between thursday or friday, but after my training last week i switched it up to help speed recovery and assure that i could get through week 5.

tuesday breakdown: tuesday was a decent workout. honestly, my weekday bike training has been surprisingly good. i completed 14.33 miles in the 45 minute ride. 

wednesday breakdown: my swim went well: 1200 yards in 21:36 and very pleased. my training plan called for a 4.5 mile run, but the route i've been running is 4.2 so i figure that's close enough. 4.2 miles in 34:47...was just happy to have it done and in the books.

thursday breakdown: so thursday i got another flat tire on my back. bad luck, i guess. it looked like a piece of glass, but on the bright side i got to change the flat on my own. my 40 minute ride was cut short to about 32 minutes, but i managed to get a little over 9 miles in. i was a little discouraged with thursday's training. 

friday breakdown: my swim/run days are becoming a little more difficult each week, but friday was good overall. my 1200 yard swim felt decent but took me a little long: 24:12. i was pretty happy with my 5 mile run with a time of 41:20. 

saturday breakdown: i was very nervous about my weekend training since last weekend was so difficult, but saturday's training was great! Emily had to work so i asked her if she'd drop me off at the gym to swim and then i could just run home from there. since she's the best ever she said sure and got up even earlier to help me out. my 1800 yard swim felt great. i fueled/hydrated properly pre and post swim and finished the apx. mile swim in 36:24. i tried out some sports jelly beans between my swim and run and drank plenty of water before heading home. i've also been battling cramping during certain workouts, so i took a salt pack pre-run, too. on our way to the gym i stashed two water bottles on my route. one around mile 4 and one around mile 8. i took two gels around the time i took water and felt great the whole time. the cooler weather was a big help, too. i finished the 11 miler in 1:36:41, so it was a little slower than i hoped but that's the way it goes. 

sunday breakdown: today was tough, both mentally and physically. mentally because the weather forecast sucked. when i went to bed last night it said 70% chance of t-storms early morning, so i didn't set an early alarm and planned on training in the afternoon. i woke up around 6:45 and checked and it switched to only 40% in the morning and then 70% in the afternoon. Emily and i need to leave for church by 10:30, so i already knew i wouldn't have enough time to get my scheduled workout in, but i also knew if i didn't do anything then i wouldn't get much in later. i shoved some breakfast down and chugged some water and took off. i got 30 miles on the bike in 1:39:38 (15 mph crappy wind!) and my 15 minute run off the bike was brutal. it was about 50 degrees out and with the wind my feet went pretty numb. i actually didn't begin to feel them until i got in. i was surprised to see i covered about 1.85 miles in the 15 minutes, but i guess it was good i couldn't feel anything from the waist down. 

week 4 weigh-in:  173.7  on 5/20/13

previous weekly weigh-in:    178.6  

difference:   - 4.9  

total weight difference:   - 13.5*   


*it seems that training for a half ironman distance triathlon can help you drop some pounds...

half ironman training -- week 4

here is the breakdown from week 4 of my half ironman training. 

Week 4 // May 13 - May 19

13 Swim 1100 yards w/ main set: 8x50 RI=20 Run 4.5 miles w/ 6x45 second hard effort scattered

14 Bike 45 minutes w/ 6x2 minute hard effort

15 Swim 1100 yards w/ main set:3x200 race pace, RI=30 Run 4.5 miles moderate w/ 4x10 second hill sprints

16 Bike 40 minutes moderate w/ 10 minutes comfortably hard

17 REST (or) Strength Train

18 Swim 1600 yards includes 1000 yard time trial Run 10 miles moderate

19 Bike 40 miles moderate

monday breakdown: monday was okay. i was really feeling the previous weekend's training, so i had heavy legs going into my swim. 1100 yards in 20:50 and my form felt decent. my 4.2 mile run after went fine. i didn't feel like i pushed it too hard, but at the same time didn't take it too easy. finished in 34:55.

tuesday breakdown: basic bike day. legs felt decent and i had great riding weather...with the obvious wind that seems to NEVER go away. held an average 18.5 mph pace. 

wednesday breakdown: my first swim session went pretty good. i completed the 1100 yards in 20:50 and went onto my run and finished the 4.2 miles in 34:15. later on i was able to get a second swim session in and stubbornly swam the race distance (1.2 miles!) in 37:41! honestly...it made my day. 

thursday breakdown: thursday was a good day on the bike. i averaged a little over 19 mph for about 45 minutes. 

friday breakdown: REST DAY! 

saturday breakdown: i unfortunately had to work most of saturday, but was able to go straight to the gym to get my swim session in after. i finished the 1600 yards in 30:14 and felt really great. then i ran home from the gym and all hell broke loose. it was a 10 miler and it was about 87 degrees. nothing too terrible, but i got pretty dehydrated and actually had to make an unexpected pit stop at a local food market to get a bottle of water. i was so incredibly thankful to get this workout done! finished the run in 1:36:17. 

sunday breakdown: i wasn't able to get up early enough to get my long 40 mile ride in before church, so it was put on the back burner until later in the day. mistake. i planned on pedalling mostly east and a little south to my parents house and have them drive me back home. the wind ended up being way too much, so i had to regroup and ended up going about 20 miles there and then turning around and heading home. it was honestly a really hard ride because of the wind, but it felt really great to finish a 40 mile ride! done in 2:30:17...not terribly impressive, but VERY thankful for a finishing time!

week 3 weigh-in:  178.6  on 5/13/13

previous weekly weigh-in:    180.1  

difference:   - 1.5  

total weight difference:   - 8.6