Even though this race is at the end of summer, it's still an "early" race for me since I live in New England. It's only just warm enough (the first week in April) to ride outside. Even though I've been spinning and lifting throughout the winter, I need to ramp up my biking ASAP to capture the miles needed.
I know from my first IRONMAN (Arizona in 2010) that I need to get stronger on the bike. I'm not sure if there's any way to avoid having my legs feel shredded to pieces after the race, but I am putting in a lot more work with lifting and plyo to build power in my legs.
On Saturday I did a ton of squats and my favorite leg day moves from 21 Day Fix, T25, and Brazilian Butt Lift.
On Sunday I did masters swim and a 20 mile bike ride.
That lift/bike combo completely crushed my legs and I could barely walk all day on Monday. Here's what my coach QT2 said when I asked if I should workout today:
Soreness is discomfort that goes away as the workout progresses....pain, is discomfort that gets worse over the course of a workout. As soreness goes away, form is not compromised....so you carry on.....as pain increases, form will get worse, and you will get injured....so you don't workout when in pain at a level of 3 or above on a 1-10 point pain scale....or if you are sick, below 85% health.
Welp, I'll break it to you -- I rated my pain at a level 4 and I took the day off! Here's why - the point is to build muscle right? If so, I broke it down and now I have to heal. However, I often wonder if the point is to learn how to manage pain. If that is the goal, then I should have spun it out today.
Up until this point I've been totally freaking out about this endeavor. I referred to the process as a "sacrifice," and my friend kindly asked "is the juice worth the squeeze?" The answer is - I don't know! This is a completely crazy and insane thing for me to try to do. I've definitely been putting in my fair share of worry over it, and probably for good reason. But, I'm going for it anyway.
It's natural for people to want to push themselves. This, is a really just a test for me to see what is possible after having two boys (who are now 3 and 4, Jack in the pic below).
I've been modifying my QT2 program quite a bit just to accommodate our crazy weather. Here's what I'm planning to do this week:
Week 20 Training
Sunday: masters swim & 20 mile bike ride
Monday: day off
Tuesday: 45 min spin & 35 min run
Wed: 1 hour masters swim & massage
Thurs: run (not sure how long... will probably ask for advice to QT2)
Friday: forecast is 51 degrees and cloudy so I'll shoot for a 2 hour ride and 30 min run. My program calls for a 3 hour ride but I have to be realistic... am I really going to last out there if it's only 50 degrees? It's warmer than it has been... but it's not that warm.
Saturday: I'm going to Boston's Supa Saturday with Beachbody so I'll likely get a 30 min HIIT workout. I may need to find a way to run in the afternoon.
Week 19 Training (will likely modify this)
Sunday: 1 hour masters swim
Monday: 45 min spin class & 45 min run
Tuesday: swim & spin class
Wed: 1 hour bike & 1 hour run
Thurs: swim
Fri: 3:10 bike & 30 min run
Sat: 1:10 bike & 1:15 tabata run
Sunday: 1 hour masters swim
Generally, I am looking at April and May as my bike ramp up months. I need to get outside each weekend and build from the 20 that I did this past weekend to 60. From June to July I will ramp from 60 to 100. I'll add in a few races including Patriot on June 17th and Fork to Farm Fondo VT July 16th. I know that is a big ramp and probably not smart... but it's my reality since I was allergic to the bike trainer this winter.
That's all for now folks!! Will keep posting my training and progress! For daily updates follow me
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