Great weekend of training.
Saturday
For once, I didn’t have any obligations or plans that dictated my training schedule, but I still didn’t want to miss out on my day (not to mention avoid the heat), so I still woke up early to get the day started. My saturday bricks are the closest race simulation days, so practicing nutrition is vital. I always eat 2 hours before-hand, so I was up at 7:30 and planned to start at 9:30. My coach suggests that I trade standard breakfast of egg whites and oatmeal with fruit for a bagel with peanut butter. Today I decided to give it a try. It took an extra trip to the grocery store, b/c I don’t eat bread (or any wheat, for the most part). I had a hard time finding any bagel with an ingredients list that I liked, but I settled for . Still not ideal, but I’ll give it a shot. I toasted 1/2 a bagel and topped it with 1 packet of Justin’s PB, and a sliced banana. Low-fiber, high carbohydrate fuel. I also had my beloved cup of coffee (with soy milk).
Two hours (and a lot of packing/prepping) later and I was ready to ride.
The ride itself was pretty uneventful and flat out enjoyable. I felt great and the weather was perfect– sunny, not too humid, and the air was perfect. No complaints. There weren’t many riders out either, which always makes for a less stressful ride.
My planned workout was: Warmup Ride Z1-2. Using as uninterrupted a road as you can, ride 15 minutes in your Threshold Zone (Z4). Recover for 5-10 minutes and repeat for total of 3 sets.
I got out of z1/2 a few times during the first hour, but only b/c i had to ride through some big hills, but other than that, i was pretty good at staying on target. I really tried to push myself during my 15:00 sets (moreso on the first and third than on the second– lots of downhill). My legs felt strong and i felt like i was holding a good pace throughout. My cadence still isn’t reading, but at least I got my speed to read. I really have to get that fixed, I really rely on using my cadence as a barometer for where I am.
Workout Stats
1hr05 warmup (max 172, avg 145)
15:00 (171, 148)
5:00 (151, 134)
15:00 (164, 149)
5:00 (155, 150)
20:00 (176, 161)
Total: 2hr05; 36.07 mi; 17.3mph pace; max speed 36.5
As soon as I finished my ride, I slid on my running shoes — today my Mach 10’s (racing flats) and grabbed my music. I headed right back into the heat and started my transition run. My legs felt great! It’s weird, I feel like i run better/faster coming off of the bike than i do when I just run. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that my legs are plenty warmed up, but whatever the reason, I’ll take it.
I only had to do 15:00, but ended up going 2 minutes longer. Not a bad pace, especially considering all the hills!
Workout Stats
17:00; 2.22 miles; pace 7:42; HR: avg 172, max 186
I conveniently ended my run right outside of starbucks and finished my workout with a nice, hot soy latte. perfect. None of their food options sounded good, so I made a quick trip to whole foods and got a nice sandwich and a cookie and some ice for my calf.
I then proceeded to do something that the summer is SUPPOSED to be all about… yet I haven’t done once. I put on my bikini and laid out by the pool. It was a perfect sunny day and it was glorious– just me, a bag of ice, my music, my Runner’s World, and Cytomax. Happy girl.
Sunday
All I had to do today was an hour run staying mostly in z2, so I slept in a little and went around 9. I got outside and it was gray and dreary, but I got started anyway. It was drizzling and then I got about a mile or so into it and it DOWNPOURED. It only lasted a few minutes and then it slowed a bit… this cycle continued the entire time. It was sorta refreshing the first time, but then it happened again and again and when i got home i looked like a drowned rat. I was wearing prescription sunglasses that made it a bit hard to see and I suppose the rain waterlogged my headphones b/c they quickly stopped working. I had to run w/o music. Not a fan.
I ran to the capitol and across the national mall to lincoln memorial and back home. I held a constant steady cadence and focused on form. It wasn’t terribly fast, but it felt pretty solid and consistent.
Workout Stats
59:50; 6.87 miles; HR avg 153, max 168
I wanted to get out and do my optional hour long recovery ride, but the weather continued to be temperamental throughout the day and between errands and chores, I ran out of time. I did get to have a coffee date and catch up with a friend which was lovely. Then I went to Eastern Market to check out my friend Brian’s new place and hang out with him before he leaves for Spain. We had a glass of wine and some of his (famous) guacamole before sitting down to a nice dinner at a local cafe. We planned to have a celebration of sorts: my post NYC race, his housewarming, and his pre-race. As a seasoned runner, he’s training for his first triathlon and we had lots to talk about and notes to compare. I took a night off and let myself indulge a bit. We had another glass of wine, a steak tartare appetizer and I had a grouper and bok-choy entre… then we shared a chocolate mousse. delicious.
Then I came home and continued to eat almond butter right out of the jar. I’ll get back on track tomorrow… but tonight, I’ll enjoy :)
