week in training | 11.9 – 11.15

Summer 2.0 rolled through this week, featuring a visit from a tropical storm to cap off the ridiculous weather we’ve experienced. No real harm came from Eta but it did blow a lot of debris on the walkways and made for some intense wind episodes when I’d usually be outside running, so my training schedule adjusted somewhat. Luckily, it seems some of the heat dissipates next week and gives way to more seasonable conditions, though nowhere near what I’d like to have in mid-November.

One more week until my 10k time trial! As it approaches, the nerves certainly increase. I’m pretty confident of my ability to meet my sub-50 goal, but the question remains whether my brain is determined enough to slice through the pain inevitable to racing and to persevere in the absence of any competition. We will see come Wednesday!

Monday, 11/9: 25.02 miles, 17.3 mph cycling (1:26:46) + 4.61 miles, 9:46 pace brick run

So-so ride that I probably could’ve cut at 20 miles and been happy, but the workout was enjoyable and passed the time effectively. I spun 6 x :90 threshold intervals (18.9, 19, 19.1, 19.3, 19.3, 19.3 mph averages) with :45 recoveries and 5 x 5 minute tempo (17.3, 17.4, 17.5, 17.7, 17.8 mph averages) with 2:30 recoveries. Straight off the bike onto the treadmill since the winds howled at 40 mph and I simply didn’t want to deal with it. I progressed from a 10:00/mile pace down to a 9:31. I haven’t treadmill’d in quite awhile so this was a bit odd for me, but overall nothing to complain about!

Tuesday, 11/10: 40.04 miles, 17.4 mph cycling (2:18:00) + 1,550 yard swim (28:36)

I can’t quite get my fueling correct during my longer rides. I’m not sure whether I should compensate before my ride or during, but either way I did not fare well in this workout during the final 45-60 minutes or so. Felt lethargic, especially afterwards even after I had my breakfast. I’m thinking I should try a bottle of Skratch Sport mix as well as my usual fig bar for added support and hydration. I split this ride up starting with 5 miles at tempo (16:32) then several sets of :30 sprints sprinkled throughout maxing out at 31.4 mph with many in the 30mph range as a general.

I was a bit skeptical on swimming after work but I’m so glad I did. I managed my minimum expected yardage before a sudden thunderstorm from Eta broke and forced everyone out of the pool – and right before a lady was trying to share my lane with me. I swam a ladder of 4×50-3×100-2×150-3×100-4×50 plus warmup and cooldown, average 1:51/100 yards.

Wednesday, 11/11: 12.68 miles, 9:28 pace + 45 minute strength

Went back and forth for a good part of an hour on how I wanted to approach this run. We sat under a Tropical Storm Warning throughout the night even though upon awakening the world was quiet and only green blotches of rain sat nearby and didn’t seem to be moving with too much rapidity. I suited up finally and decided to try at least a 60 minute run depending on how conditions changed while I was out.

During mile 3 the wind picked up and spooked me a bit, but my body started embracing the movement so I opted for my long run-tempo mixup with an open mind about how far I’d actually go. Miles 5-7.11 I ran at tempo pace, clocking 8:15, 8:07, and 7:53 splits with the last bit at a 7:35 pace. When I got off the island I moseyed on the bayside path for 5 miles as my “cooldown.” I only fueled with a GU stroopwafel and didn’t take a snack with me on the run, so I was surprised at how strong my legs were despite the lower energy intake.

Opted to stay in the office gym for a strength workout so I could roast up veggies for my lunch between sets. Worked like a charm!

Strength:

Warmup circuit: 2 rounds

• 20 banded lateral leg lifts
• 15 jump squats
• 15 pushups
• 20 alternating lunged

Main set:

• 4 x 8 5-second pause squat
• 4 x 10 staggered deadlifts per side
• 4 x 15 underhand rows/6 close shoulder press to regular shoulder press
• 4 x 10 lunge to front squat

Finisher: 20-16-10

• Mountain climbers
• Marching triceps dips
• Reverse tabletop toe taps

Thursday, 11/12: 30.05 miles, 17.3 mph cycling (2:01:30) + 4 miles, 10:00 pace

We were hit pretty nicely with the impacts of Eta overnight and by morning the rain was still lashing and the wind strong, so I stayed inside and rode Pittor for a good 90 minute low tempo session. My Wahoo heart rate monitor is completely busted and my watch locked onto my bike cadence, which was obscene and annoying. The lack of accurate HR data really screws with my VO2 and such. I emailed Wahoo and hope to get a refund or a replacement sometime soon.

Once the weather cleared I went on a compact 40 minute easy run to view the damage and water levels. Lots of debris and standing water everywhere and the humidity was off the charts. As I stopped to take a watch-selfie I ran into J who had wandered to the dock to see how much the channel had risen. Nice little unexpected greeting before heading inside.

Friday, 11/13: 18.63 miles, 18.6 mph cycling (1:00:00) + 5.87 miles, 10:13 pace

I apparently LOVE 3 am, pre-work, blistering torture sessions on Pittor. I am morphing into somewhat of a speed addict on the bike and frankly like the short, powerful intervals more than the prolonged endurance training. 10 x (1:00 on/:45 off, :45 full gas/2:00 recovery) aiming for 22+ mph on the 1 minute intervals and 24+ on the :45 with the last :10 a dead sprint. The sheer amount of intervals made this workout brutal, but I held pretty steady throughout the efforts having grasped what each speed should feel like. My brain was definitely fried afterwards though: I forgot to change the coffee in the machine so I brewed beans that I had ground and used on Thursday. Gross. Luckily I caught my error before leaving for work!

I was quite tired once I got home so I settled in for an easy run/walk set with intervals enough for an hour. The humidity decreased from the morning and although the sun bore down, the air wasn’t terribly heavy and my stumpy legs eventually gave in to the run.

Saturday, 11/14: 9.26 miles, 9:11 pace + 1,650 yard swim (30:12)

Couple hard morning workouts before breakfast that both went quite well! My legs are still toasted from my Power Hour session Friday so the run felt harder than it probably would have otherwise. Tune up for Wednesday’s time trial: 3 x 1 mile at 7:52, 7:51, 7:50 with :90 walk/jog recovery, 2 x 800 as fast as I could at 7:26 and 7:27 pace, :60 walk/jog recovery.

I want to add a bit more structure to my swims in order to improve my speed, so I started with a base set of 21 x 50 yards this morning setting a goal pace to work towards. I averaged 50-53 seconds per 50, which ranges 1:40-1:46/100 yards. Next week I’ll raise it to 75s, then 100s, and so forth, hopefully seeing progress from there. 1:50/100 yards was my final pace total including a 400 yard warmup and 200 yard cooldown.

Sunday, 11/15: 18.75 miles, 18.7 mph cycling (1:00:00) + 4.5 miles, 10:00 pace

I set lofty goals for the morning’s Power Hour, but my legs weren’t in tune with them for much of the workout. I could’ve done with a longer warmup but I had limited time and lots of intervals so I had to cut it at 10 minutes. 4 x :30, 4 x :45, 4 x :60, all with equal work to rest recoveries, and back down the ladder after a 3 minute easy spin. The second set felt much better than the first and I hit most of the speeds I originally set out to reach. My fastest sprint topped out at 30.2 mph.

Run after work was much needed, though the air felt hot and quite still. I performed my usual 2:00 run/:30 walk for an easy afternoon session.

Total running mileage: 40.9

Total cycling mileage: 137.5

Total swimming yardage: 3,200