Training Update

I'm so afraid to say that I'm officially "back" to training because it seems like every time I said "sweet! I feel great!" over the past few months, my ankle has taken that as a sign to swell up and turn purple. 

So I won't say anything.

However, week two of a normal training schedule just flew by and now that I have something to talk about, you get to see my workouts again.

Monday - Morning Yoga. (1 hour) This was a total cluster on my behalf. I did my first hot yoga session with Rachel the previous weekend and my mat was either still damp or I was just extra sweaty on Monday morning. This was technically a rest day, but my dedication to not screwing up my ankle is paramount. 

Tuesday - Spin. (1 hour) Again with the cluster. My playlist felt off, I couldn't get my groove going - the universe was not right. I was supposed to swim, but since I had to teach, I switched my workouts.

Wednesday - Morning Yoga. (1 hour) Much better this time around, but I also slipped enough that I invested in a yoga towel. 

Wednesday - Track Practice. (1 hour) This was my first track practice in months. Of course, it was just in time for the track to be occupied by the high school lacrosse team, so we took to the block around the baseball fields. I felt terrible. My warm-up, admittedly, was WAY too fast. I came in from a 1.2+ mile warm up holding under 9 minute miles. I couldn't hold the 4 loops around the block - so I cut out on the third to stretch, then joined Rachel for a tempo pace final loop. 

Total mileage: just over 4 miles. 

Ankle status: normal. 

Thursday - Friday: I blew it both of these days. I have a mind block on going to the pool. I don't know why. It's not even that I hate swimming - I just loathe getting to the pool. Maybe now that the weather is changing, I'll actually get my time in the water.

Saturday - Modified Brick (2.5 hours) I had to work all day at the Cherry Blossom Expo. If you stopped at the Ragnar booth, you likely talked to me. It was a blast to talk about my passion, hear from other Ragnarians, and talk to the other vendors. I even picked up some new shoes:

Pearl Izumi EM Road N2

I got home as the sun was starting to set. I knew I was exhausted, had plans to see the Cherry Blossoms with Chadd on Sunday morning, plus a bunch of errands and FitCo work... so I did the next best thing to an actual brick. 

I went to the gym and parked my butt on the spinner for somewhere between 1:45-2 hours. Did you know that the spinner computer turns off after 90 minutes? I didn't and suddenly realized I'd been spinning around Z2 for...ever. 

I had a half hour for a run and, not wanting to risk it on the road or lose too much time in "T2", I just jumped on a treadmill. The dreadmill did not, surprisingly, suck as much as I remembered. Please recall that I haven't been on one for more than 2 years. I started slow, somewhere in the 9:30 range, ramped up to 9's, then up to 8:30s, 8:15s, then I held steady on 7:30's for a good 10 minutes. Treadmills are notoriously bad judges of speed, so I'll just say this: I felt great. I felt like I had my speed back, even if I jumped off that death machine with my chest heaving. 

Sunday - Yoga. (1 hr 15 minutes) More hot yoga with Rachel! I'm not ready to try bikram (if I will ever be ready), but I enjoy the challenge of these classes. I also really love the instructors over at The Studio DC - I've never had an instructor ACTUALLY do a hands on assist. So enlightening.

Sunday, Fun Day: 

I'm working with a cool group of people to make fitness more accessible to all types of people in the DC area. If you want to learn more about us, check us out here: www.fitdc.co 

Better yet - just search Fit DC on Facebook and friend us! We had our leadership team photographs on Sunday. Our photographer is AMAZING and better yet - most of my photos are yoga poses. I know most of you find this hilarious since I am the least yoga person ever.

Our launch party is next weekend! Come grab a free class with us out in Arlington: http://fitdclaunch.splashthat.com/

In summation, I had just under 8 hours of training last week - including a TON of yoga (which, I have learned) is actually quite the workout. And a big fat fail on Swimming.

Thursday Mountains

Last week was busy for me. When I would say that a few months ago, that meant something much different than it means now. Prior to training I was busy, but after training, I feel like I've put a moratorium on a lot of things. Namely, hanging out with my friends (sorry guys) has been the first thing to go.

I barely got my workouts done last week. I managed to double up my Tuesday after work so I could still get to Miriam's Kitchen in the morning, I did my track workout at home before Chadd and I went out to a concert (Anti-Flag!) on Wednesday, but by the time Thursday morning rolled around, I was drained. My alarm went off at 4:45 and I just.couldn't.do.it. I had plans with the girls after work, and I stayed later than I intended at the office, so by the time I got back, it was all I could do to finish cleaning and uncork the champagne. I know, what a rough life.

What I hadn't really anticipated was the extreme guilt and disappointment I felt missing that workout. I'd managed every other workout for the past three weeks. It felt like I'd just knocked down the sandcastle I'd built meticulously. Everyone in my support system assured me that it was probably for the best that I miss a workout at some point in the beginning or I'd have a total meltdown further down the road (with an even BIGGER sandcastle). And they're right...but that doesn't change that FREAKOUTYOUMISSEDAWORKOUT urge I have.

As I've said before, my biggest problem is that I'm all or nothing. I need strict schedules or I just wander around or sit on my couch. As much as I want middle ground, I just don't have it. Diets? All or nothing. New to running? Let's try a marathon. How about triathlons? Half Ironman it is!

The hardest thing for me about this new training has been the dedication that it requires - and not in the way that I imagined. I am fortunate enough to like working out. I appreciate that sweaty, tired feeling you get after a long run or a good class or rocking the weights...but like I said before, when I dedicate to something, I'm pedal to the medal, all or nothing, do or die. Maybe y'all knew that already considering my decision to do the National Harbor 70.3 without having done a smaller triathlon first.... I'm still learning this about myself. But it's the dedication to ease up on myself - to be balanced. You know that person who diets, eats only salads and lean protein for three weeks then splurges at the all you can eat buffet and gains their hard lost pounds right back? That is so me. I have to learn the dedication to not freak out over something as much as I need the dedication to make my workouts, work as hard as I can and following my training program.

I did take some time last weekend to put myself together. I'd complained about this earlier so I made some time to get my nails done, get a pedicure with Rachael, have my hair done on Monday, and bought all the make up I needed. Finally, back to my old self. Sometimes, it's the low-hanging fruit that can make all the difference in the world.

Speaking of Thursdays, it must be a thing. My alarm went off, as planned, at 5 this morning. Bryan was awesome and set my bike up on the trainer last night, but I just couldn't get out of bed. This may have had something to do with the fact that I was up too late and I'm working off a sleep deficit, but Thursdays are my new mountain.

Thankfully, the trainer is still set up and I'll be scaring my cats (i.e. sitting on the trainer) for a bit tonight. The only plans I have involve picking up my race bib and enjoying quality time with Alicia and Bryan (and Eliot!) unless work decides to go nuts in the next 3 hours (which it may well do).

I have to say...after having the bike for a month and not getting to ride it just yet...I'm really stoked to sit on it for a bit tonight!

And with that, if you're going to be at the Rock n Roll expo tonight, let me know!

Breaking Through

If I could bottle and sell the way I felt in the pool Tuesday night, I could be a billionaire.

I'll admit, I had some hesitation going into Tuesday night's workout. I had to be at Miriam's Kitchen in the morning, so my normal 2 a day was going to be compressed into one, huge workout after work.

My day was stressful at the office so by the time I left, I was pretty keyed up and already stressing about my workout. Once I got home I realized I was doing exactly what I'd said I wouldn't do in my last post...go into a workout knowing I was going to be miserable.

Instead, I pulled together a spin class that I was really excited about. Three huge mountains, some speed work, but mostly strength work. Class looked like this:

Walking in Memphis (Marc Cohn): Warm Up

Sweet Thing (Keith Urban): Warm Up 

Impossible (Anberlin): Climb (alternate 2 minutes in saddle, 2 out, moderate incline)

The End With You (Box Car Racer): Climb (alternate 2 minutes in saddle, 2 out, strong incline)

Think About Me (Goo Goo Dolls): Hill Spikes (seated, 30 seconds fast flat, 30 seconds strong resistance)

Bleed American (Jimmy Eat World): Speed work: 30 seconds fast, 30 seconds normal (1x) 45-15 (remainder)

Injection (Rise Against): Running

Breakdown (Forever the Sickest Kids): Jumps (4 beats, full song) 

Scartissue (Red Hot Chili Peppers): Fast Flat/Recovery

Drive (Incubus): Seated strong incline

This is Who We Are (Cartel): standing strong incline

One in a Lifetime (Talking Heads): seated flat for 15 seconds, strong standing incline 45 seconds

Your Misfortune (Mike Doughty): 3 minutes in saddle with moderate resistance, 1 minute out of saddle, strong resistance 

Forever Lost (Pretty Lights): 3 minutes in saddle with moderate resistance, 1 minute out of saddle, strong resistance

Druken Lullabies (Flogging Molly): 30 seconds surge, 30 seconds running, 30 seconds out of saddle climb

Summer Skin (Death Cab for Cutie): Cool Down

You Are Mine (Mute Math): Cool Down

Aria and I chatted while I closed up the class. She'd stayed for my class, so she'd already done her two hours and I thought "Mia, it's only two hours...this isn't some sort of Mt. Everest. Just go do it." I threw on my bathing suit, rinsed off my sweat, and headed down to the pool.

I strongly suggest hitting up the pool at night at the Y. Around 8:30, no one is in the pool. Even with two lanes reserved for the Masters Swim, I had an entire lane to myself for an hour. The only downer about this whole experience were the foot/toe cramps and the charlie horse that kept flaring up. I get it, bananas, I promise I'll start eating you again.

My swim workout was: 

200 Warm Up

3 x 75 (25 drill, 25 fast, 25 easy)

1 x 400

4 x 150 (odd fast, even easy)

1 x 400

5 x 25 (all fast with 15 seconds rest between each)

200 Cool Down

This was my first time trying out drills. Here's a great video that Coach sent out with basic drills. I tried the catch up drill and the one armed drill and was pleasantly surprised. I will say that maybe I need to take the video's advice and try using an object in front of me to accurately do the catch-up drill. I was constantly starting with my other arm too early.

The first 200 was easy. I mean, it's a warm up, so it should be. But y'all, three short weeks ago, a 200 was a death march. Heart rate up, I tackled the 3x75s and blew through those.

The first four hundred. Talk about a mental hurdle. This is 16 lengths of my pool. For you new runners out there, it's the same mental freak out as me saying "let's do 16 laps of the track!" I got through the 4 hundred with only a few seconds of clinging to the edge here and there. 

The 4x150's took a surprisingly long time, but, for the first time, I FINALLY felt like I had some speed control. And let me tell you, the fast odd lengths were amazing. I kept saying to myself over and over again, "triathlete, triathlete, triathlete" "iron, iron, iron."

I finished the rest of the workout with minimal cramping and headed home. The soreness kicked in halfway through the biggest loser, but it HURT SO GOOD. This isn't the first time I've done two hours of workouts in a row. I've going to Les Mills certifications and gone for 2+ hour training runs, but for some reason, Tuesday night was different. Maybe it was the pool? Regardless.

That accomplishment, that pain I experienced waking up on Wednesday was a great feeling. My muscles were tired, but happy. For the first time, I felt like a triathlete. And that's why it's worth it.

Always Over Plan

When I give my schedule for workouts of the week, I'm not entirely honest.

I'm well intentioned, but I also know that there's a snowball's chance in hell that I'm going to make all of them. This week, the big loser was Tuesday morning's workout.

This week is, however, shaping up better than THUNDERSNOW week:

Monday: running group
Tuesday: Cycle
Wednesday: running group
Thursday: AM weights
Friday: AM cycle
Saturday: off
Sunday: Spin Cert (though, we're doing 2 workouts, so can this count as my missed Tuesday morning?)

Along the line of gadgets, I got a heart rate monitor from Ragnar for captaining, so I need to get it out and actually use it.

Any recommendations on when/how to best use one for training? I know it's important in cycle (just like spd shoes!) but it's one of those things I just hadn't invested in (...just like spd shoes!)

Discuss.