When I was in ballet and jazz for the better part of my adolescence, there was a saying before our big spring recital, “A bad rehearsal means a good show!” I certainly hope that is a boldfaced lie because I have had an amazing week of dress rehearsal for my upcoming Olympic distance triathlon.
I have worn my wet suit in the pool (everyone already thinks I’m insane so I may as well indulge them!), practiced my pre-race, race and post-race eating and have done yet another swim, bike and run that was a rousing success. I have had one significant and surprising gear change but, even that worked out after a few panicky days.
I certainly hope race day goes as well or much better.
Since I cannot predict the future, let’s go back to the past and see how last week was…
WEEK OF APRIL 25, 2016
RUNNING
The weather cooperated for most of the week which is a small miracle. I started the week with a long, slow distance run of 10 miles, which was incredible and just what I needed to set the tone for what was to come.
Monday – 10 miles @8:00 min pace
Tuesday – Hill/speed intervals, 4 x 5 minutes at 4% incline and 7:08-7:13 pace. I had to do this one on the treadmill since it was 40 degrees and raining and I had a bike prior to the run. 7 miles total for the day.
Thursday – 3 x 8 minutes at 8-10K pace with 1 min easy. This was after a pretty hard swim and I started with tired legs BUT, I did the 8 min intervals at 6:20-6:40 pace depending on the terrain, with 6 miles overall and was super happy with that!
Friday – 30 minutes at steady pace with 1 min walk between each 10 min set. This was after my 2,200 yard swim and 18 mile bike and nailed 7:40 pace even with the walking. I felt great!
Sunday – 4 miles with 10 x 10 second accelerations near the end of the run
Total miles =Â 31 miles
After a sweet and sunny swim/run on Thursday. Behold! The power of a good training day!
CYCLING
I only had to do one ride on the trainer this week! It was cold and rainy outside it was a 30 minute sort of warm-up cycle before a hard run so, it was completely tolerable. My other rides were outside and amazing. The wind finally calmed down and the only trouble I had was getting slightly lost on my 40 miler and sprayed with a fire hydrant. Yep. That happened.
Tuesday – 30 minutes on the trainer before running – 8 miles
Wednesday – 40 miles outside!
Friday – 18 miles after swim and before run
Total = 88 miles
I was THIS excited after my 40 miler where I felt good the whole way! Getting lost and fire hydrant sprayed doesn’t bother me.
SWIMMING
I had back to back swim days this week and felt good overall. My coach is still making me do those death swims with the bike tube around my ankles. It’s so bad that I have to warn the lifeguards before I start! I try not to question her since she’s a rocket scientist and everything but, I truly hate those drills and I feel like a moron.
Speaking of, I wore my wet suit into the pool:
In the locker room getting looks for even having this thing on and then more when I snap a selfie. #Freak
I needed to test it out at least once (and probably more) before I swim in it for the first time in Maryland. Let’s just say the pool temp felt like a hot tub and I think someone was trying to strangle me! The best part was taking it off and seeing that it’s not that hard to actually take off, which will equal less time in transition which is key!
Thursday – 3,000 yards of race set prep. It was thrilling.
Friday – 20 minutes easy swim, warm-up then 25 minutes steady to mimic race time. Total yards 2,200
Sunday – descending 100s for 2,500 yards before run
Total = 7,700 yards
FUEL
I absolutely love having enough time on the weekends to make myself whole wheat, blueberry, vanilla protein pancakes, as I sip on coffee and read the NY Times on my iPad. It’s the little things…
Get in my belly!
And about halfway though that solace, my other son wakes up and all hell breaks loose. But, it’s so lovely while it lasts.
GEAR
So much gear!
I have been waiting for about a month for my new ROKA goggles and they finally arrived! They are super comfortable and so clear. It was seriously like a blind girl seeing underwater for the first time. I was so distracted by how different my view was that I almost forgot how to swim. Of course, I’m not sure I want to be able to see that clearly in the lake in Maryland…
I can see!
They also come with a fancy case like sunglasses. I’m really classing it up people!
I also bought new running shoes.
I know.
Let in sink in.
It was a classic case of Adidas “updating” the BOOST and now I have a hot spot in my left foot when I run in them. I wore my new Adidas for a couple runs with no issue but, the third run was my hill/speed repeats and, by the time I got home, the middle of my left foot felt like it was bruised. Not good.
Because I didn’t have time to get to Fleet Feet in Longmeadow, I went to Dick’s to see if I could get the older version of my beloved Adidas. HA! Dick’s doesn’t even sell Adidas running shoes. So, I started looking over some of the Brooks shoes, since those have worked for me in the past and I spotted the Launch, which is their neutral shoe. I gave them a go on the store treadmill and they actually seemed pretty comfy. I tested them out the next day and they felt great. I ran in them the rest of the week and I think I found another winner!
So fly.
Lastly, I finally invested in a really good bike rack! For the better part of the last few years I have been shoving my bike into my trunk. It’s not the best way to maintain your bike but, it worked for me.
Now, the boys have new bikes and we all want to ride together so, enter the Thule T2 Classic.
I’m in love.
THINGS I LOVE
The boys being *this close* to being able to ride with me! We bought them much needed, bigger bikes for their birthday and they are starting to get used to them. The updated bikes have hand brakes and a few gears so it’s all new to them.
When Vaughn said “I just want to be able to ride on the trails with mommy” to my husband before bed one night, my heart did a full twisting double gainer and I felt like all my parenting dreams were coming true!
Practicing with dad at the park.
THINGS I DON’T LOVE AS MUCH
Trying to fulfill my civic duty and being shut down. That’s right. Apparently in the great state of Connecticut you can only vote in a primary election if you are registered with a party. I’m unaffiliated and was therefore, unable to cast my vote.
Except for you unaffiliated voters! Go home until November.
Why make things more difficult? Why?
Luckily, one of the woman volunteering at the polling place is the mom of my best friend so I didn’t feel like a total ass. I also had a sneaking suspicion that this was the case, since I knew you had to be affiliated with a party, but I wasn’t sure if I had registered as a full-fledged democrat. I guess now I know.
READING
I was wrong.
I will admit it.
I was so wrong about A Man Called Ove. So.Very.Wrong. It definitely starts a little corny and boring but it suddenly sucks you in and weaves an incredible story of a nasty old man who, has a way of pulling the most unlikely people together, for a cause you don’t really see coming. I have completely reversed my ruling and am now hailing it a must read!
I also love this video about consent and how it proves a most important (and obvious!) point by using a cup of tea:
Unconscious people do not want tea. That is all.
PODCASTS
Instead of listening to the same two playlists I have played 1 million times over, I decided to listen to a podcast for my long run this past week. The Moth continues to be one of my most favorite because it has nothing to do with running and every story is completely different from the last.
Last Monday I was laughing out loud, during my run, listening to a man tell a tale about a tic-tac-toe playing chicken in Chinatown. I just can’t.
The story begins with him saying how he started a tradition of taking guests for a late night stroll in his NYC neighborhood until they reached Chinatown where he would show them the chicken and ask if they cared to play. Immediately, the guests would often object saying “the chicken plays everyday,” implying it somehow has an advantage. A chicken.
Also included in that same podcast was a great story of an unlikely pairing – DMC (Darryl McDaniels of Run DMC) and Sarah McLachlan – and how her song Angel pretty much saved his life. #walkthisway
RANDOM TWEETÂ OF THE WEEK
From my friend James Oliver’s Facebook page. He is also the mastermind behind WeMontage, removable wallpaper you create with your personal photos. If you have yet to discover James and his work, I suggest you do so…right after you read this…
How was your week?
Are you preparing for anything big?
Any tips for young riders?
OH THAT REMARK ABOUT RIDING ON TRAILS WITH MY MOMMY
Love love love.
(which makes me wonder if you too are SO excited for mothers day? I pray I get me one more homemade card gift before she ages out of all that!)
I think I need to just email you privately as I have a few questions about kids and trail riding as well.
General stuff…
oh
or Ill search HERE first and see if you blogged it and I just dont recall?
I loved it too! I have not stopped thinking about it!!
And yes, I always get excited for Mother’s Day to see what I will get. They did awesome for my birthday 🙂
Feel free to message me anytime – I don’t think I have written anything else on trail riding…
Oh that tweet is gooooood!! And your sons bike remark – so cute!! It’s so fun to be able to ride with my kids. I don’t feel ready to have them out on the roads with me yet but the trails are perfect. Or at least I can actually run while they ride now. And I’m still laughing at (I mean with you) on wearing your wet suit in the pool! You are truly a professional.
I was thinking about running while they ride but, knowing my kids, they will try to race me and I’ll end up doing some serious speed work!!
The wetsuit in the pool was just as hilarious as it sounds. Luckily I was surrounded by friends who mocked me in the nicest way possible 🙂
I come back and there you are rocking another week of crazy training! I love it! I have been feeling so stagnate lately with everything and your posts always have a way of inspiring me! I love that your boys have the same enthusiasm as you do! My only big thing that I’m working on is getting my ass used to being on the bike again so I won’t have to sit on a doughnut after my 30 mile bike ride for charity. LOL!! Keep up the great work!
LOL!!! One of the biggest obstacles of the bike season is getting over the sore butt syndrome!! Good luck and THANKS Kris 🙂
That’s interesting about the hot spot from the adidas shoes. I’m sorry to hear that. The Brooks Launch is an awesome shoe and I think you’ll like it. I might try the Saucony Ride/Triumph too which are rather similar to adidas in cushioning.
Isn’t it? I’m going back to Fleet Feet to discuss this week so hopefully we can figure it out. Until then, the Brooks are working nicely. Thanks for the heads-up on the Ride/Triumph. I know Tina has been trying to get me into a Saucony forever 🙂
Ohhh man, first I still shudder at your CRS swimming drills, I can’t believe you have to warn the lifeguard! What?! cray. I love that your boys wants to ride the trail with you, that comment made my OWN heart swell. Those tweets were so great…also there are SO many people who had your voting issue. I was thinking of becoming unaffiliated but this makes me think twice, I need to be able to vote in the primaries!
So glad to give you a heart swell since I know you need a little extra this week 🙂
If I had paid more attention, I could have gone online and registered as a democrat up to 24 hours before the polls opened… It’s just so tricky for really no reason!!
Super speedy runs this week! And then all the biking and swimming on top of it- you are a rock star! That’s really exciting that the boys will be able to ride with you soon! That day is pretty far off for me. And we don’t have great trails around here, well very few that are flat and we’d have to drive to all of them, but hopefully someday I’ll be able to do that too. Can’t believe how close the race is getting- so exciting!!
I have to drive to the trails with them too but it’s totally worth it. We can bike in our neighborhood but it’s pretty hilly so I’m sure there would be a lot more complaining than biking!!
Thanks so much Laura and YES it’s coming up so quickly!!!
Congrats again on your PR!!!!! SO happy for you!
You are SO ready for your race. I felt that way before Chicago Marathon #2 and even though I didn’t want to jinx it, I crushed that baby. So I think you will do the same. Laughing about getting sprayed by a fire hydrant while on the bike–WTH?
Happy Mother’s Day, mama, and enjoy your bike ride with the littles!
YES! Happy to know you felt the same and rocked the race – thank you for sharing that!!
Happy Mom’s day to you too! Hope you’re still riding your high from Big Sur!
Your workouts make me tired just by reading them! I know you’ll have an awesome race day – you’ve put in the work for sure. I’ve always found that if I have a bad last long run before my race, I have a good race. If I have a great last long run, it typically means a bad race. The world is cruel.
I know!! Why does that happen?? I may have to sabotage my last brick session just to mentally feel like the race will be amazing 🙂
I love the image of you getting in a swimming pool with a wetsuit! LOL! So excited your boys are almost riding their two-wheelers… they will be off riding fast soon, and it will be so fun to ride together…. There was an article on I think nytimes about playing the “woman card” that was very good…. I need to find and read it again!
Oh thanks for the heads-up on the woman card article! I’m surprised I missed it? If you find it, can you tweet it to me 🙂
Yay for kids riding their bikes!! my son just mastered his without the training wheels, and he is already outgrowing it! And of course he is already dreaming of taking the bike out for long bike rides! it melted my heart when he said “Mom, now Step-Dad , you and I can go to the Park and ride our bikes together!” That been said, we also need to invest on a real bike rack!
That is fantastic!!! And yes, totally worth getting the real bike rack 🙂
You are so ready for your race! I think a great rehearsal means a great race – you’ve done the hard work, and your mind is ready for the challenge. It is absolutely adorable how your son wants to ride with you – just too cute for words. I think Washington primaries work the same way, and since I’m unaffiliated also I have no idea what to do once it rolls around in late May. Not that it matters much, since our primaries are so late compared to the rest of the country.
Thank you Laura! I will be thinking of this as I dive into the water on race day 🙂
If you care – you can check and see if you can register with a party online in the day or two before the primaries. You could do that here but I just didn’t pay attention to it!!
Oh oh! hit send before I was done! You are going to be totally kick ass at this Triathlon !
LOL – thanks so much Ana!
I love how you wear your wet suit into the pool. But there are so many people who are aware of why you’re doing it so I’m sure they don’t think you’re crazy! Ha. Those pancakes look killer. I’m starrrrving.
Oh they laughed long and hard at me even though they know perfectly well why I’m doing it 🙂 True friends laugh hard right at your face though, right?
Thanks Suzy!…now go EAT!!!
Oh man! You will rock this!!!!
Thanks so much Jen!!
You are kicking some serious, serious butt in your training!!! i am so excited for your race!!!
Love that the boys want to ride with you, I was cracking UP on the tea video and that tweet is absolutely hilarious!!
xo
PS: I think you are going to LOVE the Launch. I need to go shoe shopping – the Ghost 7 is totally done, discontinued, gone. Love the Launch and will wear that also, but want to try something new too.
Mayyyybe I’ll try on the Kinvara 🙂
Thanks Nat!
Shoe shopping is SO much fun. I couldn’t wear the Ghost, I got a huge blister the first time I did a long run in them. I have very picky feet!! Good luck with yours and, the Kinvara sounds exciting 🙂
Wow you had an awesome week of training! I’ve got a tri in less than 2 weeks so I’m also doing a ton of dress rehearsals right now. I did my long ride on the weekend with my tri kit on, swam the full length tonight, and on Wednesday I’m going to swim the full length and then bike in my wet kit (even though it’s so cold outside!) to get used to it! Learning how to do this triathlon stuff is tough but reading your workouts and tips is helping so thanks for the motivation! 🙂
Awesome!! It will definitely not be fun to bike in a cold, wet kit but, most likely that will be the race day scenario right? GOOD LUCK! Sounds like you are ready!
Whoa! How about dem pancakes!!!
All in all, your posts are always filled so with my happy adventures. I love that!
They were amazingly good!!!
Thanks Josie 🙂 we like to keep it fun around here…
Yay! So glad to hear that your week of training went well!! But I can’t believe that you got lost and sprayed by a fire hydrant! haha. I listened to that Moth podcast and it was so good! It is really great to listen to when you run, right? And your son’s comment about riding behind Mommy on the trails? The sweetest! My boys can more or less ride their bikes but I wish that we had someplace safer for them to practice. Or at least that it didn’t involve riding through the streets to get to the park first!
I absolutely love listening to The Moth when I run! It’s the perfect way to just zone out and the stories are always so interesting and different.
I didn’t think about you having to ride on the streets first but, of course, that makes sense. Be careful out there!
The Trump Card. That’s hilarious! It’s so annoying how you can’t vote unless you are affiliated with a party. It’s really stupid actually and should be changed. You don’t want to even know the things they want to make us do to submit an absentee ballot here.
Agreed! And, OMG I cannot even fathom. Good luck with that one! And again, why do they make it so HARD?
I was going to comment on so many things, but I’k literally cackling too hard after reading the TRUMP card. LMAO! Off to share on FB…
Oh yeah!!!! Thanks Laura 🙂