First Week of School and Well-Timed Recovery Week

 I can't believe another year has passed. August always feels like the beginning of a new year for me since I'm a teacher. What a difference! I love the fitness I've built but the first week of school really got me, even though I've been doing it for 11 years. I was exhausted. Luckily, it was a recovery week, but I hadn't planned on 3 rest days in a row. It happens. My watch indicated that I walk 3-5 miles a day on campus! No wonder my lower back and feet hurt (I'm also standing all day). Anyway, I'm not proud of my crash and burn but I needed the rest.

Today, I felt much better after sleeping all day Saturday. I took the rode bike (Pandora) up King's for a 23 mile ride (2,000 feet of climbing), and I felt fantastic. Great workout. I'm feeling like myself again. I can't believe Santa Cruz 70.3 is in 3 weeks! I'm feeling good. I have a 3-week taper left. This week, I will do all the regular workouts but shorten the distance a bit and focus on speed. I have a sprint triathlon on Sunday (Sandman Tri in Aptos) that I'm super excited about. Should be fun.

Training Tips for Me to Remember:

• Rest days and recovery weeks are important too.
• Swim: 3 times a week really lets me see gains. Keep it up!
• Bike: Focus on pulling up with the hamstrings, as well as pushing down. Pedaling in circles makes a huge difference!
• Run: 3 times a week is necessary to maintain. Track workouts once a week are amazing for strength. Strength workouts 2x a week prevent injury. Trails are amazing. Note: Don't run barefoot, even on sand. I don't have the biomechanics for it!

Highlights from my Summer:

So many and most are exercising outdoors. In addition to joining the Silicon Valley Tri Club, Redwood Half Marathon in Oakland Hills, Marin Century with Alan, and swimming in Santa Cruz, I've posted some pics of Juneau and I at Fort Funston during our final week of summer. We did a mellow 4-mile run (she did more), and I picked up trash and collected some feathers. We went on a week day so very few people and not much traffic. It was heaven!