Training Log No. 10

It really feels like I’ve been training for Haines forever. This build is (probably too) long and drawn out and I think because of that, sometimes it feels like I’m not really moving the needle much since my volume has stayed pretty steady. I know that’s a fake narrative though. When I look at the data, I see specific, validated progress. A lot of things went really well this week but a lot of things didn’t. What I’m learning (the hard way) about triathlon training, is that there really is not a lot of room for error in putting off workouts. When I was just running, it was easy to squeeze in a run after work or looping it on top of something else. Swimming (particularly open water) and cycling are really time intensive and if I’m not planning them right, they just don’t get done. That happened this week and I skipped my open water swim and a shorter cycle session.

What went well?

-Finally made it back to sugarloaf! After a very vert-heavy summer, I have slipped into some complacency with flat fast rides, which is still a great stimulus but the 70.3 course is pretty hilly and I’ve been mostly neglecting that part of my training. My brick on Saturday had a lot of elevation gain (2400 ft!) and it was a little rough but felt so great to get it done! We did 50 miles and some change on the bike and I had a really quick OTB run afterwards – it was a nice confidence boost and I held 4 much faster than I’ll need to in December. We also were blessed with kissing goats on the run and really amazing weather. Planning on riding sugarloaf every other week or so until Haines (which is not that many weeks!!)

-Finally started counting macros consistently which I’m proud to start back up with, but I will need to up my calories. Thursday’s long run started out ROUGH and I force fed myself candy in a desperate attempt to get out of the deficit – thankfully, it worked and I had the strongest long run I’ve had in months. Made it to 12 this week, so will be doing at least the full Half Mary distance every week until taper.

-Had a really great run with the Trail Sisters group -we talked about how refreshing it was to have a run that was strictly for community and time on feet vs hitting specific metrics in a training run. We saw baby piglets and their beautiful spotted mama, crossed over 15 (15!) boardwalks, and enjoyed the incredible morning light through the canopy with perfect weather. We also celebrated Annee & Danielle’s belated birthdays with Barbara’s homemade vegan apple caramel cupcakes – truly, it doesn’t get any better than that.

-Finally hit the run volume I’ve been trying to hit for months (lol). Now that the weather is nice, I find myself itching to run more but I have to be careful about not biting off more than I can chew since my volume has been so low. An injury 6 weeks out is not on my bingo card.

Was I resentful, fearful, or overly self-critical during training?

-No I think I’ve surrendered to the fact that this isn’t a super rigid build. I’m proud of the work that I’m putting in, even if I’m not hitting every workout 100%. As much as I occasionally cosplay being a professional athlete, I have found lately that a bit of grace and acceptance in the way of pushed back or skipped workouts go a long way and probably is not detrimental to my progress. I’ll plan better this week.

Where did I find joy?

-With all of these great animal encounters! Between the baby pigs and the goats, it was a great weekend of critter spotting.

-Feeling like I was flying down those sugarloaf descents (even though I’m a little out of practice and rode the brakes more than I’m used to)

-Started a daily gratitude practice with a friend so it’s been nice to be a bit more self aware of the glimmers as they come up.