The Plan

This year, I've come up with a training plan that will hopefully address some of my weaknesses during the past two years, but still keep things on the fun side. I have a 4-week cycle where the first three weeks is building on each week by 20-25% in terms of hours. The 4th week is a rest week. Each week has a different emphasis and breaks down like so:

Week 1: Less miles more speed (get after those Strava KOMs and CRs!)and equal time paid to swim, bike and run.

Week 2: More miles less speed (Strava of the mind is still okay!) and more time paid to running.

Week 3: Lots of miles, no speed (no Strava!) and more time paid to biking.

Week 4: Rest week, build weight back up and more time paid to swimming and weight room sessions. I find that as I increase the miles, my weight drops. I'll start the cycle weighing 130 pounds during week 1, and by the end of week 3, I weigh in at about 126 pounds. Thus, this week is about fattening myself, and reversing the trend to get back up to 130 pounds by the start of the next cycle. Unlike the past three seasons, I'm determined not to be 121 pounds again!

I just finished week 3 of my cycle, and I did a little over 19 hours of training, and I'm putting a cap on training at 20 hours. If it's over 20 hours, it has to be fun like doing the Coast Ride. It's gotta be fun, this is after all, a hobby.

Confirmations

Those of you who follow me know I'm a big fan of the Universe, and the clues it sends me. Lately, I feel like the Universe has been confirming some of the things I'm doing this season.

First, I've been doing weights...consistently. I'm not a big fan of the weight room, so in order for me to get the job done, I need some endorphins flowing through me. I usually hit the weight room post-run when I'm experiencing the runner's high, and motivation is at a peak. I've used the runner's high for other things like cleaning the bathroom, writing long essays, and cleaning the garage. A friend sent me this article on weight training post endurance workout, and confirmed what I've been doing is a-okay: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/02/mixing-weight-training-and-aerobics/.

Second, I've been doing single leg squats for the past 6 months as a way to get in some extra strength training when I'm not in the weight room. I was catching up on blogs and low and behold, Kim is blogging about the benefits of single leg squats to increase hip strength and stabilization, to improve your run stride. And well, my running has been on fiiiiiiire of late. Who knew?

And finally, as I was waking up this morning, I looked down by my bedside and saw this tag line: "Race Faster By Training Less". Exactly.

I Swear By the Yoga

After 10 weeks of 90-minute yoga practices twice per week, I'm happy to report the tight glute and hamstring are feeling, well...waaaay less tight. I'm sold on the yoga because after two years of trying various remedies, most of which were half-assed on my part, the yoga has really stuck and I enjoy the practice. I'm also happy to report that since that disastrous yoga class (some of you might recall this story), I've since found a class that is, well...less yoga like. The instructor has a good sense of humor and she often makes fun of yoga "traditions". The class is full of former gymnasts, dancers, and martial artists, and I constantly feel pushed. It's like the triathlon of yoga. I'm getting very close to lifting myself up into a handstand and holding it, something these two girls in my class do quite well, to the amazement of everyone else in the class. Check out FlyingYoga in the Temescal neighborhood of Oakland. Temescal is like the east bay version of the Mission in SF.

But yoga is not just about stretching and increased flexibility, it's also great for core strength. I did my first track workout last week and my mind kept coming back to how solid and strong I felt. In the past, as the speed and intensity picked up, I sort of felt like my legs and arms were slowly breaking apart and coming out of their joints/sockets (imagine a scene in an action movie where a car or plane slowly breaks apart as it nears combustion). But last week, as the effort picked up, I just remembered thinking to myself, I feel solid. I'm sure it is a combination of both the yoga and the weight program...or maybe I just wasn't running fast or intense enough.

The theme of this week is tired, not good since I'm racing a half marathon on Sunday. I did a ride with my teammates on Saturday, and not only was it my longest ride of the season, it was the most hard effort ride of the season. And every workout since, I am reminded of that ride. But this is ironman training, which means pushing through the physical and mental states of tiredness. The half marathon is not so much a race but more like a hard effort run with a lot of other people. The run is precluded by a full week of training including a 4 hour ride, swim, and weights the day before. Reality check...checked. Setting up excuses for a slow time...checked.