It’s not like I’m having breakthrough workouts, but I am starting to feel like I’ve made progress. I also sometimes have to take a step back and remind myself that progress is typically slow, and while I may not feel like I am running faster, it is humid and getting pretty warm out, which means I am running slower at the same heart rates. I am biking faster though, which may have been my Madone and carbon wheels or my legs.
Monday - I started off with a run on Monday. I had to double check my workout stats to remember the workout. It was a 15 minute warm-up, 5 minutes in zone 4, 5 minutes in zone 2, 2.5 minutes in zone 4, and 2.5 minutes in zone 2. The goal was to begin to get comfortable being uncomfortable for longer going into this sprint. I have the endurance at this point that I can run for an hour no problem, but whether I can run faster for longer is the bigger challenge. I cooked dinner after the run before going to the gym to strength train.
Tuesday - I got out and rode my Madone. This was the second ride in a row that I’ve averaged over 15 mph, which five years ago was nothing, but this week it felt like an accomplishment. I’m riding 20 miles when outside, focusing on building speed before the sprint with plans to start a big (1 year) training cycle right after I’m done.
Wednesday - I felt a lot of fatigue. I decided that it was best to take a day off, since my body is still adjusting to training this much again. I haven’t been sleeping well, so I know I need some rest to make sure I’m absorbing all of the work.
Thursday - I was back out running for thirty-five minutes. I did a ten minute warm up with 5x1 minute in zone four and a four minute recovery. This is still all focused on getting some speed back.
Friday - I slept through my alarm for swim practice, and I felt like my legs didn’t need a run or ride, so I did a trail run instead. This got my heart rate up without the same impact as running on asphalt. I end up walking the hills and mostly running flats and smooth downhills. Nashville is very rocky, so there’s a lot of walking involved.
Saturday - I went for another 20 mile ride, and I tried to push my pace just a little to try to get used to being uncomfortable again. I ended up with a better average speed than Tuesday, but the important thing was the recovery estimate from my Garmin was only 26 hours. Previously when I tried to start to get back into shape I would have estimates of 72 hours, so this was a good sign to me.
Sunday - I got out for my run early, and I ended up having a little trouble keeping my heart rate down. I did a little over 3 miles with some 30 second sprints mixed in. After the second sprint I decided I needed to walk part of the recovery to make sure my heart rate came down before I went back to trying to run in zone 2. I was probably having trouble with my heart rate from a combination of fatigue and humidity as summer begins to hit here.
Overall, I feel like I had a pretty solid week. I also finished two Strava challenges for some free cookie mix and a $15 off coupon, so that was nice. I think that was about 7 hours of training with 5 sport specific hours in it, and I will probably be between 7 and 10 hours between now and the sprint. After the race is over I plan to reevaluate where I am and build a more structured plan in terms of base building and then going into next race season, but for now I feel like I am at least getting back into things to some extent.