This was a very weird training week because I wanted to go hiking with Andrew on Saturday, and that basically required cramming all of my training into 6 days (5 of which were work days). It was a true test of my scheduling puzzle solving, but I made it work. AND we made it up to New Hampshire for the first time this summer!
Monday - Recovery run Mondays are the new thing. 6 miles very easy. Slowest recovery run (aka....most appropriate recovery run) I've done in quite some time and it was lovely. Legs felt better afterwards than before, which is always a good sign.
Tuesday - A kind of lazy 90 minute ride (commute included) in the morning...yes I'm describing an hour and a half of biking before work as "lazy", what is wrong with me. But I took the path of least resistance loop near my house (minimal hills) and then also rode it kind of slow. Whatever, I keep reminding myself that more riding is more riding.
Ran 2 miles with a patient (yay!) at work, then did an unintentional 5 mile progression from 7:30 down to 7:05 when my legs decided to show up after work. Then rode home.
Wednesday - By far the weirdest thing of the week: A LONG RUN BEFORE WORK ON A WEDNESDAY? I'm sorry did we enter an alternate universe? Now, granted, I currently have the luxury of not having a commute most days of the week which buys me an extra hour, and my current long run is only 12 miles. BUT STILL. This was really new territory for me. I decided randomly to go to the Charles (I honestly don't love running there that much strangely) and it was a really nice morning. Definitely am learning that when I run in the morning in the summer, I start the run super dehydrated, then start drinking from my bottle (because I carry water now, like an adult/not idiot), and by mile 4-5 I start to feel pretty good. I tuckered out at the end of this run but it was decent overall. 12 miles.
Thursday - The most lovely 45 minute morning open water swim. Discovering that there's a lake near my house that's appropriate for OWS has been a dream come true, and it was even more beautiful when it looked like glass at 6 am. Rode there and back on Andrew's bike for a negligible number of miles. Had thought about running in the afternoon but it was very hot and I had a lot of work to catch up on, so skipped it.
Friday - I was SO over the work week by this point and it was hot again, so I was kind of dreading my afternoon ride. I also literally wrote in this post that I skipped my morning run...which...I did not! Clearly it was a super memorable 6 miler lol. But then my former work pal/triathlon/run buddy texted asking if I was riding and suddenly the prospect seemed SO much more exciting! Things are still very slowly opening up "post" COVID so this was only like the 2nd group fitness activity I've done in months and the first time I'd seen this friend since March. We were originally going to ride some hills but the road was blocked due to construction, so we took it as a sign and just had a leisurely and chatty ride around my most favorite Mystic Lakes loop. Then we went swimming! Just a quick 1400 yd; I was pretty pleased to be swimming the same pace as I did the day before (this time without a wetsuit). Easy bike home. Good day.
Saturday - HIKING! A great day up in the mountains hiking our "home" mountain Potash (we hike it every year because it's truly one of the most wonderful little hikes you can imagine), some driving on dirt roads through a thunderstorm, and then a second summit on Mt. Israel. 8 miles total hiking and 3200 ft of elevation is not a bad day at all in my book. Also it was HOT. Beers and our first outdoor dining experience of the year/first time dining out since early March followed. Pretty much a perfect day.
Sunday - A 70 mile ride in 90 degree weather, AS YOU DO! To be completely honest I was dreading this. I woke up feeling dehydrated, sore, and just awfully uninterested in spending 4 hours on my bike in the blazing sun. But I got myself out there (which is somehow a LOT easier to do with riding than running...not sure what that says about running haha) and told myself I could ride easy. I ended up with one of my faster rides of the year so far! Nutrition/hydration were definitely challenging and something I'm still working out on the bike. The first half of the ride my stomach felt really off and the idea of eating anything was really uninteresting, so in the end I only ended up eating 2 sleeves of Clif chomps over the course of the ride which I feel is...probably not enough. But I was able to make a pit stop at a Walgreens and drank the GREATEST seltzer of my life at halfway as well as refill my bottles, and I think that got me over the hump. I somehow talked myself into actually doing a 25 minute run off the bike also which...it was 90...this really shows how committed I am to this triathlon thing...but it was fine. Legs actually felt much better following this ride than they did after last week, and I felt much stronger on hills. Progress, progress!
So not counting hiking, this was a 14 hour training week! And I'll tell ya, it does NOT feel like it. I remember this from last summer and I'll say it again: for whatever reason, triathlon training doesn't feel like work to me, it honestly just feels like fun. Not every single moment, obviously, but like even when I'm doing a stupid run in disgusting humidity it just feels...more fun. Riding and swimming ALWAYS feel fun. Maybe someday when I actually try to get faster vs. complete the distance, it won't...but I kind of doubt that. I LOVE this sport, with all of it's silliness and intricacies and need to maneuver your schedule 19 different ways before you find a way to fit everything in. I love it. And that's why I'll keep training for it even if I don't know what's to come as far as actual races are concerned.
BUT, speaking of that, I am doing something fun/silly this weekend: I'm doing my own personal half ironman! I was supposed to be racing one this weekend up in NH but obviously that wasn't meant to be, so I decided it would be fun to do one of my own. How often do you get to race on your home course/a course you choose (...never?). I am absolutely not viewing this as a race in any true sense but just as a good opportunity to tackle a long training day and work on my nutrition a little bit. I did sign up for a virtual race because I wanted to support a local race management/triathlon company (and honestly I kind of wanted the swag?) but that was more as a gesture since I was planning on doing the thing anyway. I've actually had way too much fun coming up with my course and I'd like to imagine any race director would be impressed....so I present to you, Ironman 70.3 - Mystic Lakes! (I am such a nerd)
Race date: 6/27/20
Race start time: 6 am
Number of participants: This is a super elite race open to only ONE participant. Spectators welcome.
Swim course - You'll complete a 1.2 mile swim in scenic Upper Mystic Lake. Sight the large mansions on the western shore and keep an eye out for the bald eagles which have been known to nest and hunt near the lake. You may even spot a friendly duck or two! The swim is an out and back course beginning at the Medford Boat Club ramp consisting of 2 diagonal legs with a turnaround at Sandy Beach.
Bike course - The bike course begins with a clockwise loop of both Upper and Lower Mystic Lake before heading out in a lollipop fashion on the historic Minuteman Bikeway. Get a taste of Revolutionary history as you ride past the Old Schwamb Mill, Lexington Green, and other historic New England sights...wave hello to the horses as you pass! After 6 miles on the path, you will exit into Bedford and embark on a scenic loop through Carlisle and Concord, featuring rolling hills, scenic pastures, and historic downtown Concord. You'll return to the bike path for approximately 4 miles before completing a short jaunt through Lexington countryside and return to the Mystic loop. Complete another 2 loops of the lake, finishing with a final sprint through a rotary and back to the boathouse to complete the bike.
Run course - This 13.1 mile course is a two loop course that includes every runner's dream word: flat. Run primarily on quiet bike paths and side streets, this course skirts the scenic Mystic Valley Parkway and features sights such as Spy Pond, Arlington town center, and the Alewife MBTA station. There will be an aid station at mile 4.5 and 9.5 of the course featuring Gu and Gatorade as well as cheers from a friendly local puppy.
Finish celebration - each participant will be presented with all you can drink beer as well as homemade ice cream. Awards will be given to the first and last athlete to cross the finish line as well as the athlete who sings the most amusing songs while on the bike.
Sponsors: most local breweries in the greater Boston area, Whipple Hill alpaca farm, Topper the Dog
So...I'll be sure to let everyone know how THAT goes!
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