Making Every Session Count

It has been such a good week of training.  I have been busting my butt in every discipline, really trying to maximize my training, with an eye on November.  I'm not saying that for the past 16 weeks of Ironman training I have been going through the motions or been sand bagging my workouts.  That isn't the case at all, the difference is that I finally feel 100% following my bout with Parvovirus B19, and I really feel like my training has gone up a level (such a cliche I know).  I can honestly say that every swim, bike or run this week has been done with 100% effort and focus.  I have concentrated on doing what needs to be done and getting the most of out each session.

Tuesday Night
I had a swim session to complete and I opted to do it at Fanny Chapman (the outdoor pool).  It was a good decision as the weather was perfect and the water seems so much cleaner (less chlorinated) than HealthQuest.  The work out was:

3,000yds = 500yd warm up, 8 x 50yd drills, 2 x 200yd @20 sec, 6 x 100yd @15 sec, 2 x 200yd @20 sec, 8 x 50yd drills, 300yd cool down

I felt awesome throughout the entire swim and my times were representative of that.  Every 100yd was below 1:45.  Yes, strides are being made in the water if that is possible.

Oh yeah, my wife and I finished painting all of the trim and doors on the second floor of our house.  It was a significant undertaking, but it really looks so brights and inviting up there now.  My boss, er, my wife gave me the rest of the week off from painting....isn't she wonderful!

Wednesday
I guess you could say that I slept in, although going to bed after midnight and waking at 6:00AM technically isn't "sleeping in".  I was going to get up and do my standard BRICK workout in the AM, but there was no way I was going to be getting up at 5:00AM to do it.  Instead I took my time getting ready and made my way into work at a normal hour.

After work I had to my BRICK, which I was then wishing I had done in the morning.  I went down to the basement, hoped on my bike and spun away for 45 minutes while watching "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs" (my choice, no kids in the house, should I be embarrassed?).  After the bike I quickly changed and went out of my run.  I was a bit tired still from my Tuesday run workout, my calves and quads were definitely very sore.  I did my best to get my heart rate up to Zone 2, despite what my legs were telling me.  A good solid run, 3.7 miles, 30:20, 8:14/mile pace.

Thursday
Back to the early morning swim at HealthQuest.  It had been a week since the 4:20AM alarm, I had almost forgotten what it was like.  In the pool my first mouthful of water was so chemically (is that a word) it made me wish I was doing the swim after work at Fanny Chapman.  I pressed on, happy knowing that I would be done with half of my daily training by 6:40AM. 

3,000m = 500m warm up, 8 x 50m drills, 16 x 25m @10 sec, 600m w/pull buoy, 16 x 25m @10 sec, 8 x 50m drills, 300m cool down

I like doing the quick 25m because it really makes me work and helps me to get faster for the longer distance.  I was breathing hard, my muscles were screaming, my lungs were achy, it was a good swim.  My 300m cool down was a nice easy swim, but I managed to do it in 6:08 (2:03/100m).  That is pretty huge for me, not even trying to swim hard and I was right around 2:00/100m.  Things are looking up!

After a solid day in the office, I made it home and had an hour and 15 minute ride ahead of me with some intervals.  I opted to just ride north and hit every hill I could find to get my heart rate up.  It was a slow ride, but not because I wasn't pushing it.  I was slow because the first 45 minutes was pretty much all up hill and I worked as hard as I could.  Ride stats:  1:15:30, 22.6 miles, 18.1 MPH (the last 30 minutes I averaged over 22 MPH).

Today
So tired, but I got up and to the pool...again wishing I could do a post work swim at Fanny Chapman (not a possibility though, it is my wife's birthday, and we have dinner after work).  I vowed to work hard and make my swim count...and did I!

3,000m = 500m warm up, 8 x 50m drills, 10 x 50m @15 sec, 4 x 100m @20 sec, 10 x 50m @15 sec, 8 x 50m drills, 300m cool down

My heart was beating out of my chest after each 50m, I was pushing it hard.  I did my best to keep my form, body streamlined, good pull, all of that good stuff.  When it was all over I really felt like I left everything in the water (is that the same as when they say, "left everything out on the field"?).  I was really happy with my effort and as I type this I can still feel the soreness in my triceps and shoulders.

I still have my run (one hour and 15 minutes) coming up at lunch.  I am going to keep making every session count!

Adios!