week in training | 9.7 – 9.13

Why do I keep running 50 mile weeks for no reason? I had to ask myself that on Sunday as I calculated yet another monstrous (for me) mileage week. I honestly enjoyed maybe six of them overall. I have no interest in hitting 50 again this next week, so I made a pact with myself to focus more on cycling to see if my running mojo returns somewhat. Besides, I hope to start a brief 10k training cycle for a race I might sign up for in November. We will see!

Monday, 9/7: 18.35 miles, 16.9 mph cycling (1:05:00) + 5.45 miles, 11:01 pace

Hammered some Pittor power hour intervals before dawn. I love sessions that combine hills or short hard bursts followed by a transition into tempo or threshold efforts. This one started with a 15 minute warmup and a pre-set of 5 minutes at 7/10 RPE (17.2 mph), 3 minutes at 8/10 (17.7 mph), 1 minute at 9/10 (18.3 mph). Main set: 4 x :45 hill hard but controlled (18.4-18.8 mph) immediately into 4:15 at low threshold effort (17.3-17.5 mph) with 2:00 recoveries. So sweaty and so good!

I opted outside again for my midmorning run and wow, positive splits city! I kept the effort pretty steady but my pace went up as heartrate increased with the sun’s heat, though I maintained nostril breath the whole time which I think is a good feat. I started at a 10:43 split and ended at an 11:17. While doubtlessly hot, it hasn’t felt as bad out so doing some easy efforts before noon isn’t too strenuous.

Tuesday, 9/8: 8.27 miles, 9:41 pace + 1,750 yard swim (34:36) + 3.31 miles, 10:35 pace

Morning speedwork felt pretty meh. The weather was slightly cooler and more comfy, but my lungs and throat were not having the faster paces. I ran 4 x :45/1:30/2:30 with paces varying from 6:20-7:41 and 1:00/1:00/3:30 recoveries. Felt way harder than I expected it to and I couldn’t get my breathing right. Swim afterwards went pretty well and post-work recovery miles did the trick.

Wednesday, 9/9: 40.02 miles, 16.5 mph cycling (2:25:37) + 3.11 miles, 10:17 pace brick run + 1 hour strength

A whole mess of training today but it all went frabjously! I turned the long ride into a hillier session with 3 x 3 miles at a gear harder than my normal and finished each segment off with .5 miles at tempo effort. Miles 30-35 I dedicated to riding fully at tempo pace and hit a 17:38 split (17 mph) before cooling down the final mile. Fuel of choice? A big slab of homemade zucchini bread with honey. Worked like a charm! I kept the effort of the brick run easy and celebrated with a nice cold shower since our water heater is busted and needs replacing.

Strength: 3 rounds of each exercise

• 20 standing banded hip extensions/20 banded alternating side lunge
• 12 OH reverse lunge knee-up
• 12 kneeling single-arm Arnold press
• 15 chops per side
• 18 good mornings/18 back squats
• 12 plank fire hydrants/24 alternating toe taps
• 16 plank dumbbell drags to shoulder tap
• 20 chair calf raise/5 explosive squat jumps
• 20 X toe tap
• 18 triceps kickback with step

Thursday, 9/10: 20.78 miles, 16.6 mph cycling (1:15:00) + 6.21 miles, 10:28 pace + 1,600 yard swim (30:15)

Could not convince myself to run right when I got up and I planned to bike at some point anyway, so I turned to Pittor for a casual spin with 8 x 3 min tempo effort mixed in. Legs felt heavy but session went well, and only when I finished did I feel like I could run relatively well. I actually threw down some easy negative splits on the road: 10:53 – 10:12 was the range. Deeply satisfying number play.

After lunch swim worked to 9 x 100y steady intervals (1:50-1:53) after a 500 warmup (9:38) and preceding a 200 cooldown (3:53). This worked to a 1:53/100 yard average which in my eyes is pretty stellar! I swung by a favorite coffee shop across the street to get J and I a couple of cappuccinos for a midday refresh.

Friday, 9/11: 45 minute strength + 6.4 miles, 10:57 pace

I ventured out for a 10:30a hot hot hot run. Surprisingly, I felt okay for the steady miles and kept my heart rate below 160 the majority of the time – then, the hill sprints. I chose a bridge within a few minutes of home in case I needed to hightail into AC and ran 10 x :15 all-out with :45 jog/standing recoveries. I hit a top speed of 5:24/mile but mostly stayed in the low 6s. My “warmdown” lasted about 10 minutes and I stopped midway through to dump water all over my face. Our water heater has been out for the past week, but today I didn’t even mind the cold shower after this sweatfest.

Strength: Full body HIIT style, which I’ve loved incorporating once per week!

Set one – 4 rounds, 8 reps, minimal rest

• split stance row, switching legs every rep/Warrior hip hinge
• kneeling halo (per side)/kneeling push press
• bodyweight SL deadlift to pistol squat
• pushup to mountain climber
• curtsy lunge to squat

Set two: 3 rounds, 20 reps

• reverse tabletop toe taps/revolving plank
• knee to elbow with plank jack
• alternating plank leg lifts

Saturday, 9/12: 14.11 miles, 10:38 pace + ~1,850 yard open water swim (40:44)

I’m frankly annoyed by running lately, and today’s was no different. I didn’t feel bad but by now I would’ve thought I’d see some progress as far as my easy paces go. The weather cooperated and a nice breeze cooled me off throughout the distance, but it seems I’m just stuck in the mid-upper 10s for everything. On the bright side, I fueled with Annie’s Birthday Cake Bunny Grahams, and while I’m sure that isn’t the most efficient option for energy restoration, I certainly looked forward to my nibbles!

The swim, however, really fulfilled me. It was my slowest yet on the open water – we hit the headwind on the way back and the waves tossed us around like sea grass – but close to our end point we stopped to watch a dolphin playing around in the wavetops! He was probably chasing those little fish that kept brushing against our legs. I felt strangely protected with the creature roaming around me and the sighting brightened my spirits. Ocean swimming comes with its risks, but also its rewards when you get to see nature in its most innocent forms.

Sunday, 9/13: 20.05 miles, 16.6 mph cycling (1:12:20) + 3.35 miles, 10:28 pace

Pretty mellow ride at a 136 bpm average. I performed a casual climbing pyramid of 1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2-1 minutes at a gear above my normal riding with the remainder of the 5-minute blocks at my endurance pace. At the end I sped up to tempo effort for 10 minutes, ranging somewhere from 17.2-17.5 mph, before a quick cooldown to 20 miles.

Rain fell lightly all day and the wind hung out around 13+ mph, but the lack of sun and cooler environs made my post-work run most pleasant! I averaged 150 bpm which probably would’ve been lower if not for some bridges I had to traverse. Legs were pretty heavy from my 7 straight days of running!

Total running mileage: 50.2

Total cycling mileage: 99.2

Total swimming yardage: 5,175