Well, turns out my body is pretty trashed from the training, so despite my secret wish that this would be another BIG week, we are instead pulling the plug and starting recovery/taper. The fatigue is deep and it's time to shake it! The taper this week is nothing too extreme, mostly just trimming the fat so to speak (and no, I am not trying to lose any weight, haha). I'll only do key quality sessions, and otherwise incorporate a lot more rest.
To break it down:
Monday- ~1hr swim, mostly easy but with some hard 50s. I skipped the recovery bike.
Tuesday- Bike- hard 2 hours or so on the trainer + a hard 1-hr tempo t-run.
Wednesday- just an easy swim day, probably open water
Thursday- just swim as well, but harder with a little TT (500 repeats)
Friday- another bigger quality day with s/b/r.
Weekend- not really sure but probably some swim and bike and/or run? I am also going to SD, celebrating a birthday, stopping by a Rouse party, etc... so who knows. I'll have to keep my act together ;)
Next week- obviously a very restful week. We leave Friday morning for Vegas, race Sunday, then.... two weeks to get it right and recover well. Gonna bust out all my tricks for that in order to be at my best.
I have been thinking about these stretch of weeks for more than a year now, and they are finally here. I'm not gonna lie, as of yesterday when I realized taper is slowly starting I was both excited and terrified. I am excited because I am ready to just do this and be done with it (in a positive sense). It's been a long year, and this last build to IM has been awesome, let's just get on with it already, ya know what I mean?
On the other hand, of course my mind starts to think, "Have I done enough?" "Am I ready?" "What the hell am I getting myself into?!" Well, it is what it is. I am actually feeling incredible and am very happy with my fitness. It's crazy how much better I feel mentally and physically than I did in June/July-ish. I also know that hands down I am in such better physical condition than I was going into Ironman Canada in 2011, especially my running. Not to mention, I have my nutrition dialed in to a tee so there should be no issues there like there was in '11. I almost wish I was going back to that course so I could compare me then vs. me now. Oh well.
Despite how fit I feel, these races offer a lot of unknown variables that could destroy me (us) -- the heat in Vegas; the altitude in Tahoe -- so who knows how those things will affect me when it comes down to it. I mean, I've trained in Big Bear (duh, if you read this blog), but I haven't actually raced up there nor run more than 10 miles up there. And I live by the beach where it's rarely ever above 80 degrees in the summer- feels like cheating for Vegas training! But I'm a girl who likes a tough challenge :)
So up that's where I am. Just in taking a few easier days already, I am seeing a drastic improvement in my HRV and my mind. I feel a lot more clarity and ability to focus. When I am really tired from training it is so hard to focus on work and be sharp -- you guys know what I mean!
Ya know another reason why I'm excited for my races to be over with? Because that means KONA time... Yup, I think it's gonna happen again this year thanks to Endurance Planet and our AWESOME fans/listeners. Man, being the host of this podcast is such a blessing and sooo rewarding....
Showing posts with label taper. Show all posts
Showing posts with label taper. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Monday, February 28, 2011
Training and a Mini Taper
This past week of training was a good one for me (see, going to Vegas really did help me come back more focused and ready to charge life). That said, my "week" didn't get started until last Tuesday because Monday I was a little under the weather/recovering/playing catchup lol. But from Tuesday until today (Monday), here are the numbers:
Swim: 6.08 miles (10,700 yd)
Bike: 155 miles
Run: 25 miles
Strength: x2
Total time: 16.4 hours
That 16.4 is just "the meat" of every workout. I also log a "total time" that includes warmups, cooldowns, "transitions" for brick workouts, stretching/foam-rolling, etc., because I like to know how much time I'm investing into training. Does anyone else do this?? Am I psycho?? This week my time came out to 18 hours.
That, given my heavy work+school load, is a pretty good week for me. In fact, one of my biggest so far this year. I'm glad to see I'm handling the added intensity well and recovering well too! Only several naps were needed.
My plan was to build on the week, and pile a lot on for a big "4-day" weekend combo. Keep in mind, I didn't actually have a four-day work-free weekend--whenever I wasn't training I was eating, sleeping, working or studying. Efficiency is the name of the game baby!
Friday night = swim about 2 miles. For me to stay in the pool for that long mostly solo is quite an accomplishment!
Saturday morning = An intense 40-mile trainer session with lots of pain-inflicting intervals followed by an even harder & hilly 5.3-mile T-run. Our run splits were: 8:37, 7:48, 7:28, 6:56, 6:43 + 2:27. (Plus, the ol' Garmin said over 900 ft elevation gain on the run, but that seems extreme. Hm.)
Sunday morning = Trainer session of 3 hr 10 min, increasing intensity/power each hour. Yes, I know SoCal peeps, it was nice outside Sunday, but I chose the trainer because I had to listen to a class lecture I had missed (in mp3 format--sweet!), and I really wanted to watch Avatar. I know I'd never do either otherwise, so some sort of multi-tasking activity had to be done!
Monday = Run 10.2 miles on a moderately hilly route and swim 1,500 EZ. The run was pretty damn enjoyable and ranks up there as one of my favorites of the year so far... loved it.
--
Whew. Next up is some recovery and a mini taper in anticipation of a triathlon this weekend. Yup, it's time to start racing again! Excitinggggg :) Good timing on the recovery week, too, as I have several major writing deadlines this week and a trip down to San Diego on Thursday to help a friend with his new clothing company.
Hope everyone is happy with their February and ready to hit March HARD!!! :)
Swim: 6.08 miles (10,700 yd)
Bike: 155 miles
Run: 25 miles
Strength: x2
Total time: 16.4 hours
That 16.4 is just "the meat" of every workout. I also log a "total time" that includes warmups, cooldowns, "transitions" for brick workouts, stretching/foam-rolling, etc., because I like to know how much time I'm investing into training. Does anyone else do this?? Am I psycho?? This week my time came out to 18 hours.
That, given my heavy work+school load, is a pretty good week for me. In fact, one of my biggest so far this year. I'm glad to see I'm handling the added intensity well and recovering well too! Only several naps were needed.
My plan was to build on the week, and pile a lot on for a big "4-day" weekend combo. Keep in mind, I didn't actually have a four-day work-free weekend--whenever I wasn't training I was eating, sleeping, working or studying. Efficiency is the name of the game baby!
Friday night = swim about 2 miles. For me to stay in the pool for that long mostly solo is quite an accomplishment!
Saturday morning = An intense 40-mile trainer session with lots of pain-inflicting intervals followed by an even harder & hilly 5.3-mile T-run. Our run splits were: 8:37, 7:48, 7:28, 6:56, 6:43 + 2:27. (Plus, the ol' Garmin said over 900 ft elevation gain on the run, but that seems extreme. Hm.)
Sunday morning = Trainer session of 3 hr 10 min, increasing intensity/power each hour. Yes, I know SoCal peeps, it was nice outside Sunday, but I chose the trainer because I had to listen to a class lecture I had missed (in mp3 format--sweet!), and I really wanted to watch Avatar. I know I'd never do either otherwise, so some sort of multi-tasking activity had to be done!
Monday = Run 10.2 miles on a moderately hilly route and swim 1,500 EZ. The run was pretty damn enjoyable and ranks up there as one of my favorites of the year so far... loved it.
--
Whew. Next up is some recovery and a mini taper in anticipation of a triathlon this weekend. Yup, it's time to start racing again! Excitinggggg :) Good timing on the recovery week, too, as I have several major writing deadlines this week and a trip down to San Diego on Thursday to help a friend with his new clothing company.
Hope everyone is happy with their February and ready to hit March HARD!!! :)
Sunday, February 21, 2010
seven.point.five
My little oasis for R&R.... 
This week I put 100% effort into doing ~50% of my training volume (7.5 hrs). It's not easy to only train half as many hours as you're used to, especially when the body begins to feel normal again. Although, my body didn't even feel normal until Friday evening when I did a trainer sess. I threw in some intervals of 300+ watts, and that's when I realized I was on the mend--and then I almost passed out. jk.
Not only was volume cut in half, but I dramatically dropped the intensity too (minus the VO2max test, oops). However, my appetite skyrocketed--after all, what's a recovery week without some serious eating?! My body obviously needed it. I consumed tons and didn't gain an ounce. And I slept a ton, about 8-9 hours a night. Is it just me, or does anyone else sleep more the lazier they are?
So recovery week... what's the big deal?
Well.... My biggest problem last season was not resting enough. It's not that I was naive to the concept of rest. I knew why recovery is necessary, but my mind got the best of me: I couldn't handle the thought of sitting around while everyone else was training...Dumb!...I cheated on my recovery weeks...& Dumber! That ended up biting me in the ass. I learned.
This year will be different. I enjoy, welcome and respect the rest. Some friends threw in their two-cents too; that always helps me. Allen told me: "There is no such thing as over-training, just under-resting...let the body adapt!"
After my seven.point.fiver: 1) I got a crap load of real work done, and 2) I feel pretty fresh going into my next and *last* (gasp) big training block before Oceanside. Starting Monday, it will be three weeks of butt-kicking work, then I start a two-week taper.
Yea, two weeks! For some people that amount of taper may seem rather long for a 70.3, but I know my body's needs and I know that these next three weeks are going to leave me trashed. So the taper plan: gradual decrease in volume the first week, then major taper the week before the race.
I hope I get in an ocean swim before March 27!
This week I put 100% effort into doing ~50% of my training volume (7.5 hrs). It's not easy to only train half as many hours as you're used to, especially when the body begins to feel normal again. Although, my body didn't even feel normal until Friday evening when I did a trainer sess. I threw in some intervals of 300+ watts, and that's when I realized I was on the mend--and then I almost passed out. jk.Not only was volume cut in half, but I dramatically dropped the intensity too (minus the VO2max test, oops). However, my appetite skyrocketed--after all, what's a recovery week without some serious eating?! My body obviously needed it. I consumed tons and didn't gain an ounce. And I slept a ton, about 8-9 hours a night. Is it just me, or does anyone else sleep more the lazier they are?
So recovery week... what's the big deal?
Well.... My biggest problem last season was not resting enough. It's not that I was naive to the concept of rest. I knew why recovery is necessary, but my mind got the best of me: I couldn't handle the thought of sitting around while everyone else was training...Dumb!...I cheated on my recovery weeks...& Dumber! That ended up biting me in the ass. I learned.
This year will be different. I enjoy, welcome and respect the rest. Some friends threw in their two-cents too; that always helps me. Allen told me: "There is no such thing as over-training, just under-resting...let the body adapt!"
After my seven.point.fiver: 1) I got a crap load of real work done, and 2) I feel pretty fresh going into my next and *last* (gasp) big training block before Oceanside. Starting Monday, it will be three weeks of butt-kicking work, then I start a two-week taper.
Yea, two weeks! For some people that amount of taper may seem rather long for a 70.3, but I know my body's needs and I know that these next three weeks are going to leave me trashed. So the taper plan: gradual decrease in volume the first week, then major taper the week before the race.
I hope I get in an ocean swim before March 27!
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