Okay, so this may be the last of these type of posts I do because they are becoming increasingly annoying to do. Plus, since I basically do this in Training Peaks, I really don't need to do it here besides the fact that I told myself I would for this training cycle. I meant to get around to posting this halfway through the month but per usual, I never did.
I am pretty happy with how April turned out, despite missing some runs and workouts due to my hip pain. Hoping to keep the injury-free streak going into May!!
Monday, April 3 - Day Off
Needed! I finished off April on a crappy note with a run that turned into a walk and a challenging bike ride the weekend before. I rested this day and it was much needed!
Tuesday, April 4 - Track Tuesday with ITL (4.5 miles)
I went to track this morning and was a little terrified that my hip would hold me back from getting anything at all in but I felt good during the warmup and was able to do the workout. The recommended workout for people recovering or just getting started was a brisk 1600,easy 1600, brisk 1600. I was able to do those at 8:30 pace / 10:30 pace / 8:44 pace.
Wednesday, April 5 - AM 3300 M swim workout + PM Strength session
I had a great swim in the morning where I raced the guy in the lane next to me (this always pushes me a bit harder!) and in the evening I did a strength workout that my coach put together for me. The workout included lunges, then progressively faster runs on the treadmill, squats and burpees, and repeat. I was so sweaty at the end and and I love these weird workouts he gives me when he does! I didn't push too hard on the treadmill running and went very tender with it, but regardless, it still was a challenge. It was tough but I imagined it just getting my hip stronger and stronger.
By the time I finished my hip was definitely a bit sore though.
Thursday, April 6 - Skipped run + Atlanta Cycling Group ride 18 miles
I had originally had a run scheduled in the morning but with my coach's permission decided to skip it. I hate skipping runs but I knew that I needed it because my hip was bothering me and I was not able to get into the chiropractor.
In the evening I went to the Atlanta Cycling group ride and weird weather made it a very small group in the evening. There was only 8 or so people there when there are usually more around 30. It was super windy and the old Katelyn would have made an excuse and skipped the workout. I ended up riding the shorter route with Brad, the guy who organizes the ride and stays with the slowest person (me) and I was proud that I was one of the few that stuck it out with the weird weather!
Friday, April 7 - AM 2800 M swim workout
This was a pretty standard Friday swim which tends to include shorter / higher intensity work. We did a number of 25s that kicked my butt as they were all out sprints but otherwise, a pretty normal swim morning!
Saturday, April 8 - 75.6 miles Tony Serrano ride + 2 mile run
This Saturday was a good day. It started as a bit of a stressful one as I was going back and forth with my coach because I somehow got it in my head that I wanted to ride 100 miles. I wrote about my struggle with that and learning to follow my own training plan a few weeks back so I won't recap that. However, this Saturday was my furthest bike ride to date at 75 miles + 2 mile brick workout!
As a side note... as I rewrite this recap... and see how much my hip was hurting me this week. Why the heck was I putting up a fight to ride 100 miles? Ugh. Hindsight is 20/20!
Sunday, April 9 - 2 hour easy bike ride (30 miles)
Another day where I skipped my run and instead did an additional 2 hours on the bike following my long bike ride on Saturday. I did 1 hour with my friend Shelby and 1 hour with my friend David. It was a last minute switch as my coach texted me late the night before saying not to run after reading the comments I wrote to him in TrainingPeaks. In the evening we had a long phone chat which helped me to get my mind in the right place for the next portion of training.
Monday, April 10 - AM 3200 M swim workout + PM 30 minute core power class
After talking with my coach the night before and writing the blog post recapping the weekend, I set my goal for the next week to just enjoy every workout that I did. I went to swim in the morning adn I felt happy. I changed my mindset. And in the evening I went back to the gym to do a core power class which I really enjoyed - it is tough and good for me! I remembered that I need to focus on all of the little things in order to stay healthy and keep my hip happy. I let my coach know that core and yoga needed to be a part of my schedule moving forward!
Tuesday, April 11 - Track Tuesday with ITL (5.15 miles) + Chiro/Massage
I had a up-and-down morning at track. I felt like I was running comfortably at a faster pace for some of the workout, but at the end of it my hip was really sore. I wasn't sure if I should have stopped running earlier but I kept going to finish the workout. I went right from the track to a scheduled appointment with the chiropractor. I was terrified he was going to tell me that I was crazy for running on my sore hip but instead, it was the opposite! He told me that I was doing fine and thought that I was healing well and what I was feeling was normal. He adjusted me and I felt immediate relief. In the evening, I added to my self care with a massage from my friend Nikki!
This track workout was the sendoff for the runners doing Boston and it was a fun morning despite the soreness. There was no way I was going to miss this morning!
Wednesday, April 12 - AM 3100 M swim workout
I felt a bit achey this morning, which was likely from the chiropractor and massage the day before. I felt a bit off in the water, but had a great morning because I hit a milestone with my weight that I had been working on. I will wrote more about that later, but it was a good morning!
Thursday, April 13 - AM 4 mile run + PM Atlanta Cycling group ride (18 miles)
I started the morning with a run with two friends that are part of my morning runners GroupMe group that I feel like I have been neglecting lately! I hadn't seen or run with Jarrett in ages, and another friend Olga, joined for the first time for a run up and down the beltline in the morning. It was nice to see them and get a run on my neighborhood. As much as I love ITL and hate missing their group workouts, sometimes it's just way more convenient to run in my neighborhood and I want to make sure I also still see my non-triathlon running friends!
In the evening I did the Atlanta Cycling group ride and was totally okay with only doing the 18 mile route! I was tired from the week and as soon as I started riding, felt it in my legs. Sometimes you don't realize quite how tired you are until you move and this evening was one of those nights!
Friday, April 14 - AM 2250 M swim workout
Friday morning's swim was a short one and I could have cared less. My tiredness was still with me from the night before so I was glad to wrap up the workout at 2200 M for the day.
Saturday, April 15 - 3:30 bike ride + 20 minute run + open water swim
This Saturday was an awesome day of training! I started feeling really indecisive about what I should do with my morning since there was not an official ITL bike ride on account of Easter and a lot of people being out of town for Boston Marathon. I ended up joining a group going out for a bike ride at 7:30 in the morning in Cartersville and did a 3:30 ride. There was alot of other people out there so when we finished up, we ran into a number of others. It was a gorgeous day and a fun group and I felt strong on the bike.
Whenever I do a ride, longer than 56 miles I always look at my watch and see where I am at 1:00 hour and then later at 56 miles. My first hour on the bike, I was at 17.6 miles, which is amazing for me. And then at 56 miles, I was at 3:20 -- which means that I did those 56 miles faster than I did either of my bike rides from the two half ironman races I have done. That gave me some confidence! I also wore my World Championships kit for the first time and was very happy about that.
I did a 2 mile brick workout, some strides, and then I went with 3 other friends to Red Top Mountain and added a 1000 yard open water swim. It was my first time doing an OWS this year and putting on my wet suit. I love being out in the nature and a lake so much so it was a really fun way to relax and spend time after the long workout. It was an awesome day!
Sunday, April 16 - 8.7 mile run + 1 hour bike
This morning was a good day! I hadn't done a trail run in a while since my runs have been a bit challenged with my hip pain. However, I not only got in a great run but I was able to run a bit with my coach. When I first started running I had a bit of pain in my hip and I was really scared that it was going to sideline me. My coach saw me reacting to it and almost was going to send me back, but after a couple miles of getting warmed up, the pain went away and I was able to finish the run. It was only supposed to be 8 miles but I ended up at 8.7 which made me happy.
Following the run, I went to my gym to meet a friend to practice flip turns so was able to get in the water and relax a bit. Then I went to the Silver Comet for a 1 hour easy bike ride to flush out the legs from the week. The easy 1 hour rides I have been doing on Sunday, I actually really enjoy. They go by quickly and feel good. I wrote about this ride earlier in the month as it ended up being a bit of a nostalgic bike ride for me.
Monday, April 17 - AM 2200 M swim + PM 90-minutes Yoga
The morning started a bit rough as I sat in traffic on the highway at 5:20 a.m. for about 20 minutes. I was attempting to actually get to swim practice early since I knew I had to jump out early for an early call for work. However, a toxic spill on the highway had other plans.
Regardless, I got in 2200 M in the pool in the morning and in the evening went to my favorite yoga class for a great 90 minute class.
Tuesday, April 18 - ITL Track Tuesday / 1:00 hour run (total 6.85 miles)
This morning I did the ITL Track Tuesday workout and finished it off by running until I had completed an hour running. Usually the workout is about a 40-45 minute total run time so adding about 2 miles of cool down brought my mileage for the morning to 6.85. I am guessing my coach had me do this due to not having a long run in the coming weekend, but who really knows.
The actual workout portion was to do 5x1000s at 5K pace with 200 recovery in between. I never like to look at my pace when I run and always just do these workouts based off of effort. Then I feel so eager to look at my actual paces when I finish and sync my watch to my phone. This morning I was sooo happy and had such a high when I saw my numbers. I was really impressed with how consistent I was through the 1000s and the numbers seemed fast! I think within here, I ran my fastest 5K ever, even with the 200 recovery.
The paces for each of my intervals were - 7:20 / 7:13 / 7:23 / 7:26 / 7:19.
It was a big high for me to see those numbers and to feel good and have no pain during a track workout for the first time in a while. I have been doing the recovery/getting started workout and this morning I felt like I was back in the game pushing hard. Sweaty and happy and making a weird face!
Wednesday, April 19 - 3600 M swim + Hill Repeats (12)
I messed up the swim workout when I first did it and then revised it, and ended up being the last person in the pool. It made me feel pretty badass though to still be swimming when everyone else had finished up. I knew I was going a bit long time wise but wanted to get it all in. I really enjoyed the workout this morning and felt accomplished when I was done.
In the evening, I joined ITL for the first installation of hill repeats on the bike. It is a shortish hill but includes some pretty steep portions that have my legs screaming and heart racing. I have to use my lowest gear to get up and at some points it feels massively steep, but I also love it because just like swimming long in the pool, I finish feeling badass. Like, why yes, I did just ride my bike up and down that hill for 40 minutes! And the next day... heck, my legs are TIRED. I like that feeling. In a weird torturous way. I did 12 repeats on the hill.
Thursday, April 20 - AM 7 mile run + PM 22 mile bike ride
In the morning I joined ITL for their group run in Brookhaven and was able to run 5.5 of my miles with my friend Phil, who I also swim with in the mornings. It was a great run where I felt good despite having a miserable time pulling myself out of bed and having done a ton of hill repeats the night before. I thought it was going to be a painful run but then got to chatting with Phil and the miles flew by. I did the last 1.5 on my own before grabbing a coffee and heading to work. 7 miles is a decent sized run for me in the mornings, especially after the double I had done the day before and with an evening workout planned. Especially since I haven't been running much lately I was so glad that it felt good and I had no pain.
In the evening I did the Atlanta Cycling group ride and it was a gorgeous evening. I was exhausted on this ride and took it slow and enjoyed the company. I would have gladly done the shorter route, but the group I was riding with decided to do the longer route with a couple ad libbed sections. It was fun to see some decent scenery and although a tired ride for me, I love the Atlanta Cycling group ride and getting a bike ride done in town during the week with nice scenery!
Friday, April 21 - 2600 M swim
This workout was a bit shorter than normal it felt but it was really hard. It included some "power sprints" of 25s pushing hard with paddles on. I gladly spent a few minutes in the hot tub after the workout with some friends chatting. It was way harder than I expected it to be when I saw it on the board! Maybe it was also the week catching up with me, but it was a challenge.
Saturday, April 22 - 4:00 hour bike ride + 2 mile run + OWS
Saturday was another really fun day of training. I had a 4:00 ride scheduled, which ended up being 64.2 miles for me. I started at 7:30 with my friend Michelle and we did one loop of the 31 mile route at Cartersville, then did the 14 loop twice. However, during the second two loops we got to see some of the rest of the ITL group there. I finished with a 2 mile, hung out with friends, and then for the second weekend in a row went to Red Top for a short open water swim.
This is quickly becoming a favorite way to spend these beautiful weekend Saturdays!
Sunday, April 23 - Masters Swim Meet (At least 2100 Y) + 1 hour trainer ride
Today was the day of my swim meet! I totally swimming about 2100 yards of racing (crazy) and plus a bit more of what I did in the warm up and cool down. After the meet, although I was exhausted, I got on the bike trainer to do a 1 hour easy shake out ride, which actually made me feel a bit better after I did it (thanks coach!)
You can read about the swim meet over here.
Monday, April 24 - 90 minutes Yoga
Originally my coach had swim practice on my schedule but after 3 days in a row of being in water and the swim meet being way more taxing than I thought, I asked to have a day off from swimming. I was still wiped from the meet, which really surprised me, so I was glad to sleep in and then in the evening have a yoga class to go to at my favorite yoga studio.
I was a little bit bummed because the yoga teacher that I love and travel to go get class from, was out, and I wasn't as big of a fan of the woman who covered for her. She moved a little too fast for my taste in yoga classes and I had a hard time focusing and keeping up.
Tuesday, April 25 - ITL Track Tuesday - 1 mile race
This morning's track workout was a bit different than normal and a little intimidating for me. We did a 1 mile all out run, which is something that I have never done before. The mile test is supposed to be a good baseline to see what your tempo run, 5K pace, 10K, etc. should be and I was curious to see how I would do since it would be my first time running a mile at max effort. Following that mile, we had a few easy miles. Including warm up, I ended at 4.86 miles for the morning.
My 1 mile time was 6:39 and I had no idea if that was good or bad or what to expect for me. Given that time, my calculations for the paces I should be running are:
Tempo -- 7:45
10K -- 7:35
5K -- 7:20
3K -- 7:05
I thought this was really interesting because the week before when we did 1000s at 5K pace, my pace was all around 7:20. So I guess based on these calculations I am doing pretty well at managing my pace for these workouts. It was reassuring to me once I realized that. At first, I honestly was doubting the number on my watch. Is 6:39 accurate? Is that good? Is it bad? I wasn't sure what to think and was scared to tell people what my time was.
Wednesday, April 26 - 2500 M Swim + 8 hill repeats
I started the morning with 2500 M in the pool. I felt slow and sluggish and tired and just was not the best morning workout. Usually I am in a good mood after I start the day with a workout and I just felt cranky. In the evening, I went to do the hill repeats on the bike that I have been doing the past 2 weeks but my cranky mood continued. It had been a stressful day at work and usually I like a good workout, but my coach wanted this to be a recovery week so he only had me do 8 hill repeats and then I waited for everyone else to finish.
I was not a happy camper having to sit on the sidelines while everyone else was working out and I am sure that it showed to everyone around me. I have never been good at hiding my emotions, but I was not happy about being held back.
Thursday, April 27 - Day off
It was a very stressful day off. I am not good at sitting still!! Someone in my triathlon group just posted to Facebook saying "Why does a day off feel like you are getting a "time out"?" and it couldn't be more accurate.
Friday, April 28 - 3200 M swim
Friday morning was a pretty simple morning for me with just a regular swim workout! The timer broke at the pool so I didn't have any sort of gauge for my intervals and just counted. My swim has never been about the metrics for me. It is one of the few workouts that I refuse to wear a watch and don't track to see if I am making progress or anything like that. I just enjoy it and it makes me feel good.
In the evening, I met with my coach in the park and we talked through the next few weeks of training and what my schedule will look like, as well as 100 questions that I had for him. I was really glad to talk through a lot of the things that were on my mind and he is very knowledgeable and supportive so it makes me feel so great after we are able to connect and have conversations like we did on Friday!
Saturday, April 29 - John Tanner Sprint Triathlon
I will do a full recap on this, but I had a blast at the John Tanner sprint triathlon, seeing new numbers/records for the swim, bike and the run. I can't wait to do a full recap!
Let me just say... that I had to thank my coach for holding me back on Wednesday night and giving me the rest days because I was really happy with being able to push hard on Saturday and felt really motivated by how well I did to keep pushing for the last 3 weeks of training.
Sunday, April 30 - 1 hour trainer ride + 10 miles at Tough Mudder
I finished off the month with a super fun day doing the Tough Mudder with my brother and 4 of his friends. This was my 3rd Tough Mudder I have completed with my brother and I love that we have something that we've done together over the years. If it were just me, I probably don't have the need to get so covered in mud that my skin and fingernails are stained for days, but I do it because I like to do it with him!
My main goal this was to not get injured given that the Mudder was exactly 3 weeks before my main goal of the spring, the Chattanooga Half Ironman. However, I also wanted to get a good workout in, so I was sure to run in between the obstacles on the 10 mile course and get as far as I could in the various obstacles. I was really proud of myself because I felt like I was able to pretty easily get through a lot of the obstacles that have challenged me in the past. Others, I still couldn't complete but made progress on - the most notable for me was the monkey bars, which I was able to make 4-5 bars on. Usually I drop after 2! It's the little things.
I was definitely sore and beat up after this weekend and I loved my non-traditional weekend events the last two weekends of the month that kept things different and exciting for me towards the end of my training.
I am pretty happy with how April turned out, despite missing some runs and workouts due to my hip pain. Hoping to keep the injury-free streak going into May!!
Monday, April 3 - Day Off
Needed! I finished off April on a crappy note with a run that turned into a walk and a challenging bike ride the weekend before. I rested this day and it was much needed!
Tuesday, April 4 - Track Tuesday with ITL (4.5 miles)
I went to track this morning and was a little terrified that my hip would hold me back from getting anything at all in but I felt good during the warmup and was able to do the workout. The recommended workout for people recovering or just getting started was a brisk 1600,easy 1600, brisk 1600. I was able to do those at 8:30 pace / 10:30 pace / 8:44 pace.
Wednesday, April 5 - AM 3300 M swim workout + PM Strength session
I had a great swim in the morning where I raced the guy in the lane next to me (this always pushes me a bit harder!) and in the evening I did a strength workout that my coach put together for me. The workout included lunges, then progressively faster runs on the treadmill, squats and burpees, and repeat. I was so sweaty at the end and and I love these weird workouts he gives me when he does! I didn't push too hard on the treadmill running and went very tender with it, but regardless, it still was a challenge. It was tough but I imagined it just getting my hip stronger and stronger.
By the time I finished my hip was definitely a bit sore though.
Thursday, April 6 - Skipped run + Atlanta Cycling Group ride 18 miles
I had originally had a run scheduled in the morning but with my coach's permission decided to skip it. I hate skipping runs but I knew that I needed it because my hip was bothering me and I was not able to get into the chiropractor.
In the evening I went to the Atlanta Cycling group ride and weird weather made it a very small group in the evening. There was only 8 or so people there when there are usually more around 30. It was super windy and the old Katelyn would have made an excuse and skipped the workout. I ended up riding the shorter route with Brad, the guy who organizes the ride and stays with the slowest person (me) and I was proud that I was one of the few that stuck it out with the weird weather!
Friday, April 7 - AM 2800 M swim workout
This was a pretty standard Friday swim which tends to include shorter / higher intensity work. We did a number of 25s that kicked my butt as they were all out sprints but otherwise, a pretty normal swim morning!
Saturday, April 8 - 75.6 miles Tony Serrano ride + 2 mile run
This Saturday was a good day. It started as a bit of a stressful one as I was going back and forth with my coach because I somehow got it in my head that I wanted to ride 100 miles. I wrote about my struggle with that and learning to follow my own training plan a few weeks back so I won't recap that. However, this Saturday was my furthest bike ride to date at 75 miles + 2 mile brick workout!
As a side note... as I rewrite this recap... and see how much my hip was hurting me this week. Why the heck was I putting up a fight to ride 100 miles? Ugh. Hindsight is 20/20!
Sunday, April 9 - 2 hour easy bike ride (30 miles)
Another day where I skipped my run and instead did an additional 2 hours on the bike following my long bike ride on Saturday. I did 1 hour with my friend Shelby and 1 hour with my friend David. It was a last minute switch as my coach texted me late the night before saying not to run after reading the comments I wrote to him in TrainingPeaks. In the evening we had a long phone chat which helped me to get my mind in the right place for the next portion of training.
Monday, April 10 - AM 3200 M swim workout + PM 30 minute core power class
After talking with my coach the night before and writing the blog post recapping the weekend, I set my goal for the next week to just enjoy every workout that I did. I went to swim in the morning adn I felt happy. I changed my mindset. And in the evening I went back to the gym to do a core power class which I really enjoyed - it is tough and good for me! I remembered that I need to focus on all of the little things in order to stay healthy and keep my hip happy. I let my coach know that core and yoga needed to be a part of my schedule moving forward!
Tuesday, April 11 - Track Tuesday with ITL (5.15 miles) + Chiro/Massage
I had a up-and-down morning at track. I felt like I was running comfortably at a faster pace for some of the workout, but at the end of it my hip was really sore. I wasn't sure if I should have stopped running earlier but I kept going to finish the workout. I went right from the track to a scheduled appointment with the chiropractor. I was terrified he was going to tell me that I was crazy for running on my sore hip but instead, it was the opposite! He told me that I was doing fine and thought that I was healing well and what I was feeling was normal. He adjusted me and I felt immediate relief. In the evening, I added to my self care with a massage from my friend Nikki!
This track workout was the sendoff for the runners doing Boston and it was a fun morning despite the soreness. There was no way I was going to miss this morning!
Wednesday, April 12 - AM 3100 M swim workout
I felt a bit achey this morning, which was likely from the chiropractor and massage the day before. I felt a bit off in the water, but had a great morning because I hit a milestone with my weight that I had been working on. I will wrote more about that later, but it was a good morning!
Thursday, April 13 - AM 4 mile run + PM Atlanta Cycling group ride (18 miles)
I started the morning with a run with two friends that are part of my morning runners GroupMe group that I feel like I have been neglecting lately! I hadn't seen or run with Jarrett in ages, and another friend Olga, joined for the first time for a run up and down the beltline in the morning. It was nice to see them and get a run on my neighborhood. As much as I love ITL and hate missing their group workouts, sometimes it's just way more convenient to run in my neighborhood and I want to make sure I also still see my non-triathlon running friends!
In the evening I did the Atlanta Cycling group ride and was totally okay with only doing the 18 mile route! I was tired from the week and as soon as I started riding, felt it in my legs. Sometimes you don't realize quite how tired you are until you move and this evening was one of those nights!
Friday, April 14 - AM 2250 M swim workout
Friday morning's swim was a short one and I could have cared less. My tiredness was still with me from the night before so I was glad to wrap up the workout at 2200 M for the day.
Saturday, April 15 - 3:30 bike ride + 20 minute run + open water swim
This Saturday was an awesome day of training! I started feeling really indecisive about what I should do with my morning since there was not an official ITL bike ride on account of Easter and a lot of people being out of town for Boston Marathon. I ended up joining a group going out for a bike ride at 7:30 in the morning in Cartersville and did a 3:30 ride. There was alot of other people out there so when we finished up, we ran into a number of others. It was a gorgeous day and a fun group and I felt strong on the bike.
Whenever I do a ride, longer than 56 miles I always look at my watch and see where I am at 1:00 hour and then later at 56 miles. My first hour on the bike, I was at 17.6 miles, which is amazing for me. And then at 56 miles, I was at 3:20 -- which means that I did those 56 miles faster than I did either of my bike rides from the two half ironman races I have done. That gave me some confidence! I also wore my World Championships kit for the first time and was very happy about that.
I did a 2 mile brick workout, some strides, and then I went with 3 other friends to Red Top Mountain and added a 1000 yard open water swim. It was my first time doing an OWS this year and putting on my wet suit. I love being out in the nature and a lake so much so it was a really fun way to relax and spend time after the long workout. It was an awesome day!
Sunday, April 16 - 8.7 mile run + 1 hour bike
This morning was a good day! I hadn't done a trail run in a while since my runs have been a bit challenged with my hip pain. However, I not only got in a great run but I was able to run a bit with my coach. When I first started running I had a bit of pain in my hip and I was really scared that it was going to sideline me. My coach saw me reacting to it and almost was going to send me back, but after a couple miles of getting warmed up, the pain went away and I was able to finish the run. It was only supposed to be 8 miles but I ended up at 8.7 which made me happy.
Following the run, I went to my gym to meet a friend to practice flip turns so was able to get in the water and relax a bit. Then I went to the Silver Comet for a 1 hour easy bike ride to flush out the legs from the week. The easy 1 hour rides I have been doing on Sunday, I actually really enjoy. They go by quickly and feel good. I wrote about this ride earlier in the month as it ended up being a bit of a nostalgic bike ride for me.
Monday, April 17 - AM 2200 M swim + PM 90-minutes Yoga
The morning started a bit rough as I sat in traffic on the highway at 5:20 a.m. for about 20 minutes. I was attempting to actually get to swim practice early since I knew I had to jump out early for an early call for work. However, a toxic spill on the highway had other plans.
Regardless, I got in 2200 M in the pool in the morning and in the evening went to my favorite yoga class for a great 90 minute class.
Tuesday, April 18 - ITL Track Tuesday / 1:00 hour run (total 6.85 miles)
This morning I did the ITL Track Tuesday workout and finished it off by running until I had completed an hour running. Usually the workout is about a 40-45 minute total run time so adding about 2 miles of cool down brought my mileage for the morning to 6.85. I am guessing my coach had me do this due to not having a long run in the coming weekend, but who really knows.
The actual workout portion was to do 5x1000s at 5K pace with 200 recovery in between. I never like to look at my pace when I run and always just do these workouts based off of effort. Then I feel so eager to look at my actual paces when I finish and sync my watch to my phone. This morning I was sooo happy and had such a high when I saw my numbers. I was really impressed with how consistent I was through the 1000s and the numbers seemed fast! I think within here, I ran my fastest 5K ever, even with the 200 recovery.
The paces for each of my intervals were - 7:20 / 7:13 / 7:23 / 7:26 / 7:19.
It was a big high for me to see those numbers and to feel good and have no pain during a track workout for the first time in a while. I have been doing the recovery/getting started workout and this morning I felt like I was back in the game pushing hard. Sweaty and happy and making a weird face!
I messed up the swim workout when I first did it and then revised it, and ended up being the last person in the pool. It made me feel pretty badass though to still be swimming when everyone else had finished up. I knew I was going a bit long time wise but wanted to get it all in. I really enjoyed the workout this morning and felt accomplished when I was done.
In the evening, I joined ITL for the first installation of hill repeats on the bike. It is a shortish hill but includes some pretty steep portions that have my legs screaming and heart racing. I have to use my lowest gear to get up and at some points it feels massively steep, but I also love it because just like swimming long in the pool, I finish feeling badass. Like, why yes, I did just ride my bike up and down that hill for 40 minutes! And the next day... heck, my legs are TIRED. I like that feeling. In a weird torturous way. I did 12 repeats on the hill.
Thursday, April 20 - AM 7 mile run + PM 22 mile bike ride
In the morning I joined ITL for their group run in Brookhaven and was able to run 5.5 of my miles with my friend Phil, who I also swim with in the mornings. It was a great run where I felt good despite having a miserable time pulling myself out of bed and having done a ton of hill repeats the night before. I thought it was going to be a painful run but then got to chatting with Phil and the miles flew by. I did the last 1.5 on my own before grabbing a coffee and heading to work. 7 miles is a decent sized run for me in the mornings, especially after the double I had done the day before and with an evening workout planned. Especially since I haven't been running much lately I was so glad that it felt good and I had no pain.
In the evening I did the Atlanta Cycling group ride and it was a gorgeous evening. I was exhausted on this ride and took it slow and enjoyed the company. I would have gladly done the shorter route, but the group I was riding with decided to do the longer route with a couple ad libbed sections. It was fun to see some decent scenery and although a tired ride for me, I love the Atlanta Cycling group ride and getting a bike ride done in town during the week with nice scenery!
Friday, April 21 - 2600 M swim
This workout was a bit shorter than normal it felt but it was really hard. It included some "power sprints" of 25s pushing hard with paddles on. I gladly spent a few minutes in the hot tub after the workout with some friends chatting. It was way harder than I expected it to be when I saw it on the board! Maybe it was also the week catching up with me, but it was a challenge.
Saturday, April 22 - 4:00 hour bike ride + 2 mile run + OWS
Saturday was another really fun day of training. I had a 4:00 ride scheduled, which ended up being 64.2 miles for me. I started at 7:30 with my friend Michelle and we did one loop of the 31 mile route at Cartersville, then did the 14 loop twice. However, during the second two loops we got to see some of the rest of the ITL group there. I finished with a 2 mile, hung out with friends, and then for the second weekend in a row went to Red Top for a short open water swim.
This is quickly becoming a favorite way to spend these beautiful weekend Saturdays!
Sunday, April 23 - Masters Swim Meet (At least 2100 Y) + 1 hour trainer ride
Today was the day of my swim meet! I totally swimming about 2100 yards of racing (crazy) and plus a bit more of what I did in the warm up and cool down. After the meet, although I was exhausted, I got on the bike trainer to do a 1 hour easy shake out ride, which actually made me feel a bit better after I did it (thanks coach!)
You can read about the swim meet over here.
Monday, April 24 - 90 minutes Yoga
Originally my coach had swim practice on my schedule but after 3 days in a row of being in water and the swim meet being way more taxing than I thought, I asked to have a day off from swimming. I was still wiped from the meet, which really surprised me, so I was glad to sleep in and then in the evening have a yoga class to go to at my favorite yoga studio.
I was a little bit bummed because the yoga teacher that I love and travel to go get class from, was out, and I wasn't as big of a fan of the woman who covered for her. She moved a little too fast for my taste in yoga classes and I had a hard time focusing and keeping up.
Tuesday, April 25 - ITL Track Tuesday - 1 mile race
This morning's track workout was a bit different than normal and a little intimidating for me. We did a 1 mile all out run, which is something that I have never done before. The mile test is supposed to be a good baseline to see what your tempo run, 5K pace, 10K, etc. should be and I was curious to see how I would do since it would be my first time running a mile at max effort. Following that mile, we had a few easy miles. Including warm up, I ended at 4.86 miles for the morning.
My 1 mile time was 6:39 and I had no idea if that was good or bad or what to expect for me. Given that time, my calculations for the paces I should be running are:
Tempo -- 7:45
10K -- 7:35
5K -- 7:20
3K -- 7:05
I thought this was really interesting because the week before when we did 1000s at 5K pace, my pace was all around 7:20. So I guess based on these calculations I am doing pretty well at managing my pace for these workouts. It was reassuring to me once I realized that. At first, I honestly was doubting the number on my watch. Is 6:39 accurate? Is that good? Is it bad? I wasn't sure what to think and was scared to tell people what my time was.
Wednesday, April 26 - 2500 M Swim + 8 hill repeats
I started the morning with 2500 M in the pool. I felt slow and sluggish and tired and just was not the best morning workout. Usually I am in a good mood after I start the day with a workout and I just felt cranky. In the evening, I went to do the hill repeats on the bike that I have been doing the past 2 weeks but my cranky mood continued. It had been a stressful day at work and usually I like a good workout, but my coach wanted this to be a recovery week so he only had me do 8 hill repeats and then I waited for everyone else to finish.
I was not a happy camper having to sit on the sidelines while everyone else was working out and I am sure that it showed to everyone around me. I have never been good at hiding my emotions, but I was not happy about being held back.
Thursday, April 27 - Day off
It was a very stressful day off. I am not good at sitting still!! Someone in my triathlon group just posted to Facebook saying "Why does a day off feel like you are getting a "time out"?" and it couldn't be more accurate.
Friday, April 28 - 3200 M swim
Friday morning was a pretty simple morning for me with just a regular swim workout! The timer broke at the pool so I didn't have any sort of gauge for my intervals and just counted. My swim has never been about the metrics for me. It is one of the few workouts that I refuse to wear a watch and don't track to see if I am making progress or anything like that. I just enjoy it and it makes me feel good.
In the evening, I met with my coach in the park and we talked through the next few weeks of training and what my schedule will look like, as well as 100 questions that I had for him. I was really glad to talk through a lot of the things that were on my mind and he is very knowledgeable and supportive so it makes me feel so great after we are able to connect and have conversations like we did on Friday!
Saturday, April 29 - John Tanner Sprint Triathlon
I will do a full recap on this, but I had a blast at the John Tanner sprint triathlon, seeing new numbers/records for the swim, bike and the run. I can't wait to do a full recap!
Let me just say... that I had to thank my coach for holding me back on Wednesday night and giving me the rest days because I was really happy with being able to push hard on Saturday and felt really motivated by how well I did to keep pushing for the last 3 weeks of training.
Sunday, April 30 - 1 hour trainer ride + 10 miles at Tough Mudder
I finished off the month with a super fun day doing the Tough Mudder with my brother and 4 of his friends. This was my 3rd Tough Mudder I have completed with my brother and I love that we have something that we've done together over the years. If it were just me, I probably don't have the need to get so covered in mud that my skin and fingernails are stained for days, but I do it because I like to do it with him!
My main goal this was to not get injured given that the Mudder was exactly 3 weeks before my main goal of the spring, the Chattanooga Half Ironman. However, I also wanted to get a good workout in, so I was sure to run in between the obstacles on the 10 mile course and get as far as I could in the various obstacles. I was really proud of myself because I felt like I was able to pretty easily get through a lot of the obstacles that have challenged me in the past. Others, I still couldn't complete but made progress on - the most notable for me was the monkey bars, which I was able to make 4-5 bars on. Usually I drop after 2! It's the little things.
I was definitely sore and beat up after this weekend and I loved my non-traditional weekend events the last two weekends of the month that kept things different and exciting for me towards the end of my training.
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