Week Eleven

This week felt better. For sure, my cold is finally letting up. *THE* cold, however, is not. It's still been in the thirties at night, which has made it really hard to swim.

Saturday was my favorite training day so far. It made me remember how much I LOVED triathlon training this past spring when the weather was almost always perfect. It was a beautiful sunny day, and I was dressed in enough layers to be comfortable in the cold. I rode down highway 1 with a beautiful view of the ocean, then climbed Bonny Doon road. I told myself I was going to turn around after a total of 1:10 even if I didn't get to the top of the hill (because I don't want to overtrain), but I made it to the top of the hill just in time. Bonny Doon is a hard climb, and I was proud that I could do it without stopping. In the end, though, the total ride was an average of 12.5 miles per hour, and that's not good enough. I need to pull my average to 16 miles an hour over the next 6 months. (Last spring, I was up to around 14.5.) I do love climbing, and I look forward to training on more of these local hills.

Swimming is an enigma to me. I know I'm improving. I understand form better. I know that I am rotating my body the way I should, and that my head is in the water and my feet are close to the surface. I also know that my glide is improving. But, I have been doing 400 time trials, and they are always around 9:30, which is where I was last spring, before my technique improved. It's fast enough to make the swim cut-off at IMF, but if I can get faster, even save myself 10 extra minutes, it could make the difference between me crossing the finish line in time or not. I wish I knew why I move so slowly through the water.

This coming week is called a recovery week. We still train 6 out of 7 days, but the trainings are lighter. How convenient, seeing as how I'm on vacation.

Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Spin 45 minutes
Wednesday: Track workout (4.5 miles); 2 mile time trial - 18:58
Thursday: Swim, 2100 yards
Friday: CB's birthday! (no workout) Hmm... there seems to be a pattern on Fridays...
Saturday: Bike 125 minutes, run 10
Sunday: Swim 2400 yards

Body Check: Same old, same old. Tight back, but not painful. Knee hurts when I bend down or stand up, but not when I train. My neck is a little tight right now, but I'm not worried.

Total fundraising to date: $2,116.