Re-cap of Week 4--Verrrry Tired

Thanks for all your advice about the marathon. I just signed up for San Diego Rock 'N Roll Marathon June 3rd, 2007! This is going to be a big year.

Yesterday ended week 4 of half-ironman training, concluding the prep period. I'm definitely feeling it. Cranky, tired, sore...I'm sure glad next week is an R&R. However, I feel very proud of myself for sticking with the workouts and completing Week 4. In addition, I feel very strong and accustomed to the workouts I'm doing, which puts me in a great position for base building.

Monday was an unintentional R&R. I hate doing that but I was very tired and cranky and overwhelmed with lab stuff. I did get totally caught up with housework and errands, which has to count for something.

Tuesday we cranked out another spin session in our 7 am class at UCSD. Those will end soon, and the instructor won't be teaching next quarter so I'm kind of bummed b/c she's awesome. Plus, the spin classes are really helping with my power and strength on the road, although I know I need to do more endurance and base sessions anyway. Maybe it's a blessing in disguise.

Wednesday I was lazy until the evening when, instead of a track workout, I went for an easy 4 mile tempo run just to get it done. I had enough time (and energy) to sneak in 40 minutes of weights before we cruised up the road for a 7:30 pm masters swim class with the club. I swam in the slow lane and focused on form. We did short, fast sets and worked on speed as well. It was really fun and energizing, and I felt great afterwards.

Thursday we showed up for our spin class. Two times this week! I was very proud. Showing up is half the battle. We had a great session and then put our running shoes on afterwards for a quick 3-mile brick run. I felt great, and the brick felt like a piece of cake. I just relaxed the rest of the day, which felt very luxurious.

Friday I made myself get in the pool despite feeling very tired. I actually snuck in a quick nap and woke up in time to get in a 70 minute session before the pool closed. Very rare that I wake up from a nap ready to jump in the pool. I didn't question it. I had absolutely no gas. We warmed up and did some drills before doing a few speed sets. I had nothing. Then, we did some longer pyramid sets at a steady pace. I told myself I could quit but I suddenly found my groove and felt great. I was able to finish out the workout no problem. However, I was beat afterwards and tweaked my left shoulder so I know I was pushing things. I was supposed to do weights afterwards but I was too beat.

Saturday I felt tired and cranky all day. We snuck in a late afternoon bike ride as the sun set. I hate how short the days are! Instead of making me feel good, I actually felt worse aftewards. Cranky and irritable. Plus, my left Achilles tendon has been bugging me on the bike. After some thought and experimentation, it seems to be caused by a combination of bad form in spinning class when standing and spinning (something I'm not used to) and pushing harder gears on the bike (since I swapped my triple for compact cranks recently). We were supposed to do a brick run afterwards but I canceled it, giving how crappy I felt. I spent the rest of the evening in a pretty grumpy mood. I was mad for a) not biking earlier and going longer, b) not feeling well enough to do a brick run, and c) being too tired to do weights (again). I rationalized that I was probably feeling the effects of overtraining/overreaching a bit and that it was good to listen to my body. I felt better after this. Plus, we walked to a local pizza joint and got some "healthy" pizza take-out (low-fat cheese, veggies, etc.). Regardless, it was delicious, and it felt great to take a very relaxed evening walk.

Sunday we met our running group for a 7:30 am 7 mile run around Mission Bay and Mission Beach. It was actually very fun. It's a great group, and I love running with them. Plus, I love doing things first thing in the morning. Suprisingly, my Achilles didn't bother me after the first half mile (further supporting that the bike is what's aggravating it). I loved all the great people watching scene, and of course, the waves crashing onto the beach right beside us. There was this fantastic dichotomy of healthy, early morning joggers and couples with their power smoothies and baby joggers juxtaposed next to the late-night partygoers making their way home after a long night with morning hangover beers and cigarettes. It was very amusing and fantastic. It was weird running on the boardwalk when it was so empty. The only downside was that the run was all on sidewalks (ouch) and there was very little shade (palm trees don't give off much). It got very hot by the end (about 80). Afterwards, we went out for breakfast. We then went to La Jolla Shores and digested on the beach before putting on our wetsuits and braving the water for a swim. The water was chilly, but felt nice on such a hot day. The surf was calm and once I got in and warmed up--felt fine. We just did a short swim--the point was to get open-water experience, not to get a swim workout (given how I'd been feeling). Mission accomplished. Sunday night I felt pretty trashed (hence--skipped the 2nd weight-lifting session of the week). I was tired--so tired I lost my appetite and retired to bed by 9 pm. I slept like a baby.

Monday so far--The sleep did me good. I felt good enough to go for an early morning bike ride with Jason up the coast and back. It was lots of fun. I felt fresh and energized and my Achilles didn't bug me too much. I'm glad we fit it in.

Weekly Re-Cap
Total Hours--8
Total Miles: Swim--4500m; Bike--40 mi; Run--15 mi
Overall--Missed 1 weight session; Feeling very tired; need more rest; will need to increase bike mileage once rested.

We're going up to San Jose for Thanksgiving this week. I'm trying to get in some key workouts before I go so I can rest a little while I'm up there. Plus, the following week is an R&R. I'm trying to coax my body into 1 more week before really recovering. Some of the workouts last week were fantastic, while I slogged through others. Sometimes I feel tired but once I start working out, I feel great. I'm going to focus on eating healthy and sleeping a lot this week to recover and make it through my workouts. If I continue to feel trashed, I'll cut back. However, today, I feel great! Go figure. The body is a weird beast.