Olympic Training: Week Four.

Well, I should just copy Week Three's update and change the times around to fit, because that's how this last week has gone too. :)

The quick version: I did five of six workouts. Again. And I missed my long bike. Again.

This week, though, I'm committed. I've gotten off on the right foot so far, and I feel SURE that I will get all six workouts taken care of in short order.

The problem with the long bike the last couple of weeks has been easy to pinpoint: It's cold outside, and I'm having a hard time with the concept of sitting on the trainer for an hour and a half instead. I thrive on the sights and sounds of the outdoor world when I do my long bikes, but I haven't been able to stomach the chill that is Washington in January.

This week the weather report says it'll be 50 degrees and sunny on both Saturday and Sunday. So I've got no excuse. I'll just get right out there and bike my little heart out. It'll feel a little chilly to start with, but I'll warm right up in time. And who knows? Maybe I can even con Mike into coming along for the ride. We always have fun together when we're out and about.

So, anyway. The last week's stats, for posterity:

Last Monday was a rest day, so no exercise there. :) Tuesday, I had a doctor's appointment and so I skipped out on my workouts. Which set me on the wrong track for the rest of the week!

On Wednesday I lifted weights, swam for 43 minutes, and biked for 35. I followed that on Thursday with 18 minutes of running.

Then on Friday, it was back to the pool for 42 minutes of swimming. I confess I did not make it to the weight room!

On Saturday I ran for 28 minutes and then bowled two games with Mikey. I got a personal best -- 118! :) Too bad I couldn't repeat that effort on Sunday, when I bowled three games with the league and barely made my average. :)

And that's that! This week is off to a fine start, and I'm committed to doing as much training as I can. And that INCLUDES completing all six workouts. I think I can do it. In fact, I know I can!

:)

This Week's Schedule.

Monday: Rest day, weights.
Tuesday: Swim (Workout Six on the mile plan), bike (58 minutes).
Wednesday: Run (29 minutes), weights, bowling practice.
Thursday: Swim (Workout Six on the mile plan).
Friday: Run (48 minutes), weights.
Saturday: Bike (97 minutes, hill work).
Sunday: Bowling.

:)

Olympic Training: Week Three.

Though I'm in the middle of Week Four already, I did want to take a minute and record the events of last week.

This verse was the same as the one before it: Of my six planned workouts, I made it through five. The one that fell by the wayside this week was the long bike -- I just ran out of time, to be honest. My goal this week is to get through ALL SIX for the first time this season, and I'm feeling good about it.

But I digress.

Last week went thusly:

On Monday, my rest day, I lifted weights. Tuesday brought with it 42 minutes of swimming and, after work, 58 minutes of cycling on the trainer, which is getting more fun the more I use it. :)

On Wednesday, I lifted weights and ran for 29 minutes in the freezing cold. Then on Thursday, it was back in the pool for 45 minutes.

I lifted weights again on Friday and integrated some new strength machines into my program thanks to Denise. Then on Saturday I ran for 39 minutes and learned that I'm REALLY off my speed targets from marathon training. :) The cold just burns my trachea and lungs so badly!

I bowled three games on Sunday, and I've gotta say, I bowled them all quite poorly. I don't know what's the matter with me on league nights nowadays, but I feel like I'm back to the old days of gutterball city. I'm gonna try to slip away for a little bit of practice sometime this week to get things back in order on that front.

And that's that! All in all, not a bad week, but I need to start meeting all of my training requirements if I'm going to feel well-prepared for the season. Which, now that I've just registered for the Washington's Birthday 10K, begins in February (!).

Onward!

:)

This Week's Schedule.

Monday: Rest day, weights.
Tuesday: Rest day.
Wednesday: Swim (Workout Six on the mile plan), bike (35 minutes), weights.
Thursday: Run (17 minutes), bowling practice (tentative).
Friday: Swim (Workout Six on the mile plan), weights.
Saturday: Run (29 minutes).
Sunday: Bike (58 minutes), bowling.

:)

Olympic Training: Week Two.

Good news!

In spite of my Parade of Aliments last week, I still managed to get in five of my six planned workouts. This is much better than I'd projected at the start of last week, when I couldn't breathe and was wondering where the Mack truck that hit me was driving off to.

A quick recap:

On Monday and Tuesday, I took some time off to recover (though I did lift weights on Monday), which served me well, because then, on Wednesday, I was able to swim and lift weights. And while I wasn't able to complete my full swim workout, I got the lion's share done, which was great to me.

On Thursday, I did my short run AND my short bike.

On Friday, I lifted weights and swam nearly my full workout (leaving only about 200 meters on the table), which was another marked improvement in the Lung Department. :)

Then, on Saturday, I biked outdoors and got in some hill (and wind!) work. Beginning in February, I'm going to start climbing hills in earnest so I can prepare for the Red Hills. I also bowled four games that afternoon so as to get in a little extra practice before league night. I think I'm going to start trying to work in some practice games each week so I can improve faster! Only I'm not going to do so right before league night again, I don't think. I was feeling pretty sore and tired last night in competition.

And, speaking of, yesterday I bowled three games at the league. It was great fun!

:)

This Week's Schedule.

Monday: Rest day, weights.
Tuesday: Swim (Workout Five on the mile plan), bike (58 minutes).
Wednesday: Run (29 minutes), weights.
Thursday: Swim (Workout Five on the mile plan).
Friday: Run (48 minutes), weights.
Saturday: Bike (97 minutes).
Sunday: Bowling.

:)

Hurray!

I'm back in the game!

This morning I woke up and felt strangely like myself, which was a welcome change from the last week's Parade of Ailments. So, instead of adhering to my brain's sweet talk, which consisted mainly of, "Oh, honey, you are so tired, you need your rest, please, dear, go back to sleep, my friend," I rose from the sickbed and went to the pool, where I swam for 31 minutes. I didn't get my full workout in -- my lung capacity is greatly diminished in these tumultuous times -- but I got enough in to feel useful. :) On Friday, I bet I'll be almost back to my old self.

But for today, I am so excited to be able to breathe as well as I am and regain a bit of my pre-illness composure. :) Tonight I'm planning on a 53-minute bike ride in the trainer. With some "Golden Girls" on the TV and a cat fanning herself by my back wheel (and, yes, I keep an eye on her to ensure she does not get ensnared), I think I'll make it!

:)

Olympic Training: Week One.

Well, dang.

I had such high hopes for Week One!

Monday, Dec. 31, was supposed to bring with it the King Street Mile. Unfortunately, a massive server breakage at work made it impossible for me to leave the team in the lurch. I just couldn't do it. My boss told me I could, if I wanted to, but I knew I'd spend the hour pre-race worrying myself sick about what I was missing back at the office, and then I'd fuss and fume all the way through the race just dying to get back here. So I didn't go. And I feel like it was the right decision given the circumstances.

Though I really had developed a taste for a mile-long sprint. :)

Tuesday, New Year's Day, was a rest day. We spent the morning doctoring up Mike's pinkeye and then hiked on Roosevelt Island in the afternoon. Not a bad way to kick off the new year! (Except for the pinkeye part, which we could've done without. ;))

On Wednesday, I woke up with a headache, so no swimmy. I did lift weights, however, so it wasn't a total wash. ;)

On Thursday, I made up for lost time and did both my short run and my short bike! :)

On Friday, I battled that same old tired headache, so I lifted weights and called it a day.

Saturday, however, brought with it a reprieve from the oncoming head cold, so I went out and ran for 40 minutes at a decent pace. It felt SO GOOD to run my old marathon training routes again!

And then, yesterday, the cold came on in full force. I bowled last night, but not well, and couldn't bring myself to bike for 80 minutes. I felt like rest would be a better use of my time. I hope that proves itself to be true, because currently I'm still not feeling well and am impatiently awaiting the start to my new training week, which kicks off this afternoon with a weights session and then carries over tomorrow morning with a short run.

In the meantime, hot tea is my friend. :)

:)

This Week's Schedule.

Monday: Rest day, weights.
Tuesday: Run (26 minutes).
Wednesday: Swim (Workout Five on the mile plan), bike (53 minutes), weights.
Thursday: Run (44 minutes).
Friday: Swim (Workout Five on the mile plan), weights.
Saturday: Bike (88 minutes).
Sunday: Bowling.

:)

This Year's Schedule.

Nothing like starting the year off on the right foot! :) The ones I haven't registered for yet are tentative for now, but I thought I'd list 'em all out there for posterity.

Feb. 16: George Washington Birthday 10K (registered).
April 5: Red Hills Triathlon (registered).
April 13: Race to Stop the Silence (registered).
April 27: Worldgate Super Sprint Triathlon (registered).
May 18: Columbia Triathlon (oly, registered).
June 1: ZOOMA Annapolis 10K (registered).
September: New Orleans Rebirth 5K.
Sept. 7: Reston Triathlon (oly).
Nov. 23: Philadelphia Marathon.
Dec. 31: King Street Mile.

:)