Ironman Arizona: Week 25

Ahhhh…three day weekends. I’m going to go ahead and state the obvious here, but I’m pretty sure the world would be a much better place if three day weekends were mandatory. We made the holiday weekend into a staycation, where Saturday and Sunday were filled with training and catching  up on things I didn’t have time to do during the week, and Monday included Chicken Face and I indulging by doing absolutely nothing. It was fantastic.

Here’s a look at week 25 – a bit lighter to give my body some rest time from the race:

Mon., 5/21: Rest

Sleeping in and resting – I’m a pro at this. And because I don’t have many photos this week, here’s one of the most ridiculous things I’ve ever seen:

Tues., 5/22: Cycle / Run

Almost on a h0ur on the trainer followed by a 10 minute transition run. Given that SMASH is over, I will guiltily admit that my ride entertainment was…don’t hate me…Keeping Up With The Kardashians. I just can’t quit you, Kim.

Speaking of which, Chicken Face and I had quite the discussion about the Kardashians. Do you think that the Kardashian matriarch, Kris, is the PR mastermind behind the ongoing story generation and has been so since the beginning? Or do you think Kim gave her mom the opportunity (hello sex tape) and has been a co-conspirator the entire time. Discuss.

Wed., 5/23: Run

Now back to the training talk…intervals on the treadmill! I got in this run before heading to Pescadero for a two-night work retreat. Here’s the sweatacular workout so you can get your intervals on as well:

10′ warm up @ HR Zone 1-2
4 x 100 meter strides (100m Easy)
Strides are accelerations to about 90% effort where you focus on running with good form.
4 x
[1/2 Mile @ HR Zone 4-5a (8-10k Pace) 1/4 Mile Easy Jog RI;
1/4 Mile @ HR Zone 5a (5k Pace) 1/4 Mile Easy Jog RI]
Remainder of the 60′ run @ HR Zone 2.

Can I add in two hours of dancing like a maniac to my workout log?

Thurs., 5/24: Rest

Given that my work family works hard and definitely plays hard, I was in no mental or physical state to perform any type of physical activity. A rest day, and hydration, was very welcome.

Fri., 5/25: Run

I met up with Jeff and Andy for 9 early morning miles; 20 minutes in zone three and the final 1.5 miles at 10k pace. Have I mentioned that I loathe 10k pace?

Sat., 5/26: Cycle / Run

While Saturday’s ride might have been my longest yet (just about 70 miles), it was also the first ride where I literally wanted to yell and throw my bike of a cliff. I started the first hour with a massive headache. I’m sure I can blame the inappropriately large amount of alcohol consumed at the retreat for this.

Couple this with the fact that my bike was having issues and I couldn’t shift into the front big gear, and my attitude plummeted. I basically spun my legs for 70 miles and for no reason in particular, failed to follow my nutrition plan I had outlined for myself; I was not a happy (or smart) camper. By the time the post-ride run came around, I was ready to be done and could clearly feel the effects of not fueling properly.

After I got home, I ate, showered and slept – the usual Saturday afternoon routine. Thankfully, I had something fun to look forward to: celebrating my cousin and BFF’s birthday.

Sun., 5/27: Open Water Swim

By Sunday morning my mood had improved and I took my new Garmin 910 out to the open water for the first time. Not only was the watch amazing (hello swim pace and distance tracking), but I made it to the rock pile and back (just about a mile) without panicking!  Small win.

Chicken Face and I enjoyed the absence of the “ugh – work tomorrow” feeling by barbequing and eating dinner at our actual dinner table instead of the coffee table (gasp!).

The rest of the weekend was spent running errands, washing my car and other exotic activities of the sort. I lead a very glamorous life.

How was your holiday weekend? Any staycationers out there?

I closed out week 25 with:

8 hours and 16 minutes of training: 
1,6720 yards swimming 
81.5 miles cycling
19.1 miles running

Happy Running!