Ironman training week 16 - wait that was a recovery week?!

That really didn't feel much like a recovery week. Somehow it only ended up 3 hours lighter than the peak week. But there was  some fun stuff in there, so let's get to it.

Base training is OVER.

Swim: 8100m
Bike: 178 km (86 outside! 3:15 on trainer)
Run: 38 km


Monday: REST

Tuesday: 2600m swim; TR Bird -1

Another really solid swim. Feel like I'm really making some progress here with my endurance!

Woo got the 'beginner' workout done in under an hour without having to modify it at all!

I don't know why I have this picture but now you get to see it too.

In honour of recovery, no lunch hour run. And the 1 minute long VO2s in Bird felt like a pleasant break. They only hurt a little rather than a whole lot, so yay?

Wednesday: 9k lunch run; weights

not the prettiest day, but always still like to run by the water

Didn't use this one for instagram and I'm too lazy to crop it now.

Easy run at lunch to the bay and back to work. Nothing exciting; no Reid Coolsaet sightings, they weren't even working on the bridge construction. Probably it's better to have less excitement.

Weights in the evening. I have to figure out where to slot in a second weightlifting session, because it ain't going to happen after long rides on the weekend any more I don't think; they are just leaving me too trashed to be effective. Or maybe I'll just stick with one and not worry about it beyond that. Dunno.

Thursday: 2500m swim; 8k lunch run; TR Slide Mountain

Another swim I was really happy with. Now soon I'm going to have to deal with The Wetsuit Issue (namely I'm not super confident either of my wetsuits still fits, not that I ever felt they really fit all that well to begin with). But at least I'm feeling good in the pool.

Surprisingly dry rail trail

Given all the rain and ice storms and whatnot, I was really surprised the trail was so dry when I ran at lunch. It made a nice change from running to the bay!

Sweet spot intervals in the evening, nothing too hard. Sore from the weightlifting on Wednesday, though, so I was counting the minutes until this one was over.

Friday: TR - Seneca Rocks

OK seriously not sure how my hours ended up adding up so much, it doesn't feel like I really did that much! No run on Friday, either! Just another round of sweet spot intervals in the evening.

I will say, I am pretty glad, looking ahead, that the Friday ride now changes to a 60 minute easy ride. Good chance I'll be moving that one around in my schedule (or even getting up early and doing it Friday mornings) to free Friday evenings back up.

Saturday: 16k long run; 3000m swim

Sun over the beach

the best way to end a run

THE WHOLE GANG! WOO!

OK this was a fantastic weekend. First off, running with my girl* friends!! All of them!! Yay! And it wasn't snowing or freezing rain or even really windy much. Still a bit on the cold side, but whatever. Super fun run and it felt great and my heart rate stayed in a good place for the whole thing and just everything about this was awesome.

*plus Fab, but we just count him as a girl now

Then a 3000m swim doing a workout I've been skipping over every time I flip the book open to that page because it contained an 800m interval at threshold pace which sounded like a terrible idea, but I decided to put on my big girl pants and give it a shot, figuring what's the worst that could happen, I end up slow on the interval. Who cares.

But then I totally rocked it, managing 15:40 for the 800 (which shocked the hell out of me) and I was totally dead even on the first half and the last half. Things are working alright in the pool right now! Just to keep this up! Tight core to keep the feet up, watching the head position (always one goggle in the water, no looking forward), relaxed upper body, and focusing on using the full stroke to get as much distance out of every stroke possible. It's working for me.

Sunday: 85k long ride + 5k brick run

And then there was Sunday.

Where this happened.

FINALLY. It was a tad chilly but I got the clothing right and it was just a glorious 85k on largely deserted roads (other than, during the last hour or so, all the other cyclists who also came out to play).

yeah that's still snow on the side of the road. lots of sand and gravel in places, so I was glad I had my road bike and not my tri bike.

(let's maybe not talk about the brick run after, which felt pretty terrible, but whatever plenty of time in the future to worry over that. right now I'm still happy I managed to get out in the sun on my bike!!)

So that wraps up base training, and now it's on to the build plan, where things change a little bit but also sort of stay the same. Just taking things day by day while I figure out how to work everything into the schedule around family/life stuff and how the Trainerroad plan changes up a bit. Also starting to consider my early season tri options, and I think I will sign up for Milton just to get the rust off, and then the Welland long course. Still tentative but I think both will work into my schedule nicely.