The fitness is really starting to stack in a way that feels good and I’m really enjoying all of the disciplines, even (seriously!!) swimming. I feel like we’re in a super good place to be 12 weeks out from Haines. I added in two off the bike runs this week and they’ve both felt amazing, despite some serious efforts in the rides the preceded them. I remember how hard the running felt after cycling before my first Clermont tri and I am having a much better experience now.
One thing that I’m pretty stoked about this week is that I was pretty low on volume but just…surrendered to it. I didn’t write the week out like a proper deload (and TBH with how I’ve been building, I probably should’ve), but I missed a run session and some extra cycling miles. This morning I woke up and thought about what I could do to add – a quick bike ride, an extra run. It’s really easy for me to get sucked into what data should look like and make impulsive decisions as a result, but it feels like a bit of growth to have ignored that voice today. Instead of cramming in junk miles, I spent a nice chunk of the afternoon with my neighbors and watching Sloane and the girls on our street do gymnastics, which feels like a much better use of my time than a Z2 run around the block.
What went well?
-Listened to my body today when it told me to prioritize rest and getting ready for the week. I host a run club every other Sunday and we usually have a pretty chaotic re-emergence into real life on those weeks as a result. Last week was kind of a disaster. I didn’t prep any food so my nutrition was all over the place and I really felt the negative impacts of not prioritizing it. This week was an off week for run club, so it was nice to use that extra time to prep meals, get neglected housework (training/moming/working full time has definitely bamboozled the house) done.
-Finally got some speed work in and it FELT SO GOOD. I did 4x 1 mile repeats at around 8:30 with the last at 8:10! I haven’t done speed work in months and it was a big confidence booster to hit those paces without feeling like I was going to die. I’m actually looking forward to getting some practice with fast turnover this week. I have a mile race on Friday in Tampa with some friends so I’m excited to see how that feels!
-Went back to my old Tuesday night ride this week – I haven’t been going because life was life-ing and Florida weather is what it is on summer afternoons. I used to be so intimidated by their speed, and now I don’t give it a second thought. Feels pretty good!
Was I resentful, fearful, or overly self-critical during training?
-Happy to say that I’m continuing this trend of being softer with myself. The fear did come up a little bit trying to cram in those missed sessions, but I shot that down pretty quickly. Growth!
-Still struggling a lot with fueling. Most of that is just poor planning. I work from home a few days a week now and as a result have prepped in batches, but not portioned them out and whenever I fail to do that, it’s kind of a mess and I end up snacking a lot, undereating, and bingeing after hard sessions. Grateful to put in the effort and prioritize getting those containers filled and staged in the fridge to start off the week a little less hectic.
Where did I find joy?
-In my speedwork on Tuesday, I really was dreading the session and wondered if I bit off more than I could chew, but the confidence boost from that was astronomical
-In lovingly prepping my food for the week, feeling like I’m nourishing myself properly after a few weeks of neglect
-In the morning light on Saturday’s long bike ride and how pretty the canopy looked as we weaved through it. There’s something so magical in the moving meditation of my early morning sessions.
-Thinking a lot recently about how far I’ve come to get to where I’m at now. All of this training is normal and my discipline is pretty steadfast, but it’s definitely been a long road to get here. Grateful to stack that foundation and keep doing the next right thing. Grateful to my body for staying healthy and injury free so far in this build.
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