Triathlon Training: Week 4
This was a solid week of training for the tri. I really am enjoying the process and the hard work…did I just say that?
Monday: Indoor Brick
This week’s training calls for my first brick workout, but it has been raining most days and super humid. I decided to do this one in the gym on a stationary bike and treadmill. It wasn’t the full brick called for but I had to start somewhere. I did 6.3 miles on the bike and 2 miles on the treadmill, using a Couch 2 5K (Week 4 Day 1) workout. The bike seemed a lot easier despite setting it to “random hill” workout, maybe I set the level too low. The Couch 2 5K was run intervals of 3 on 2 off 4 on 3 off and 5 on and then warmup/cool down. I managed the 3 and 4 but the 5 was just hard on tired legs and I took a quick walk break in the middle of it before finishing the time.
Tuesday: Open Water Swim
This wasn’t on my schedule at all for the week, but I had the chance to do it and I went for it. My girlfriend who is also doing this tri has a membership at a lake swim club and invited me out to swim. What a difference. She coached me on some tips to not tire out so quickly on the swim and I felt really good about it. I think we probably went 3/4 a mile, with rest breaks.
Wednesday: Yoga/Bike/Strength
Another rainy day, and also wanted to not swim again, so I opted for a gentle yoga class and then a little 20 min stationary bike ride and some machines at the gym. I did a better job setting the bike level right because this one was much harder.
Thursday: Lap Swim
The plan calls for 37 laps this week. My girlfriend told me at the lake that 36 is the half mile needed for the race, so I’m ahead on that count. I had done 50 last week so I wanted to keep going so I did 54 laps. The plan tops out at 60 and I think I will stop there too; once I hit that I will work on trying to get faster.
Friday: Bike
I haven’t ridden outside in over a week and I felt it right away. I wanted to hit 12 (the race is 11.5) miles but once I got close I decided 13 would be better. I made it 13.2 miles averaging just under 11 mph. Very humid and sweaty; I stopped around 7 miles in for water.
Saturday: Run
The plan called for 30 minutes of running. I am still working my Couch 2 5K workouts, so I did Week 4 Day 2. Same as the other day: 3 min run, walk, 4 min run, walk, 5 min run, walk. After I finished the official workout, I wanted to keep going to get more mileage so I did very short run/walk intervals (1.30 run/2 min walk). I was tired and it was very warm and humid; I was soaked. But my 5K time was around 45:30, which considering that included a full 5 minute warmup walk I can live with that. I ended up with 4 miles total.
Sunday: 4.3 mile walk
I know I need to have a rest day somewhere but when a friend asked to go for a walk this morning, which was clear after days and days of rain, I couldn’t say no. We went on a hilly route around our local lake and it definitely felt easier than when I did it with her a month ago. So I can tell I’m feeling stronger!
So this was the first week I hit all of the distances I will be doing in the tri. From here on out it is starting to work on bricking. The swim to bike is going to be the hardest I think because there really isn’t a great place for me to swim then bike. I’m going to have to start thinking about where I might be able to do that.
Triathlon Training Week 3
Post vacation it was time to get back onto my training regimen for the tri. This was the last week of base building, after this the plan incorporates some bricks and open water swims. I’m already finding it interesting to plan where each workout goes based on everything else going on…and I’m not working in the summer! Those last two weeks when I am working are going to be super challenging. But that’s a long way away.
I did officially sign up for this tri this week so there’s no turning back now.
Wednesday: 11.4 mile bike ride
The training plan called for a 60 minute bike ride, and this one took me 3 minutes more than that. This felt good. I hadn’t ridden for over a week, but I can tell already that the training is building muscle and stamina. The same hills that felt super hard at the start of this are feeling a little less hard. I am still stopping for water about half way through my rides…I know I won’t want to do that during the tri so hoping I’ll start not needing that as I improve.
Thursday: 50 lap swim
I’m still way ahead where my training plan says on the swims…it called for 37 laps this week. I know in my original tri the half mile swim took me half an hour, and this is still taking me a lot longer than that, so hoping to tighten up as we go. I think the half mile is equivalent to about 60 laps. Open water swims are coming into the plan in the coming weeks and those are key to getting the feel for what it will be like. That being said I’m liking the swims. There’s something really peaceful about it.
Saturday: 5K Race
This week’s plan called for a 20 minute run but I had the Sandy Hook 5K scheduled anyway so there you go. I ran when I could and walked when I couldn’t, which is my plan for the tri. I clocked in at 45:00. I obviously have more work to do here too. Walking just isn’t going to cut it. I plan on doing some dedicated Couch 2 5K running in this department to hopefully increase the time of my running intervals.
In addition to these workouts I did yoga twice (needed it after twelve hours in the car last weekend) and a nice walk with friends. So it was six solid days of activity with one rest day. All in all a good, solid week that is moving me forward to the tri on September 8.
Week 12 Weigh In/Round 3 of FMD
Start of Week 12: 159
End of Week 12: 160
Weight Gain This Week: 1 lb
Total Weight Loss: 15 lbs
Round 3 Results: +1 lb
Well, there it is. The numbers don’t lie, and that’s exactly why I’m using this blog to keep myself accountable, even if no one reads it. I need to be honest with where I am and why this round wasn’t successful.
The simple answer: I didn’t stay on plan.
The more complicated answer: This round of the Fast Metabolism Diet occurred at the end of my school year, which included five or six graduation parties and a 12 hour road trip to a family wedding. But it isn’t just those…there were definitely days which included clear choices to eat food not on program, and there were many times when I allowed myself alcohol. Even though I had much more consistent exercise this round than the previous two, I still did not see the results I wanted. I had hoped to lose five pounds this round and I instead gained weight.
The only upside I will say about it is, these same choices that slowed my progress on the program this round are the same types of choices I let run wild last summer. That’s how I gained 15 pounds from May through September. I drank, I ate, and thought I could erase it all with exercise. The lesson here is clear: food choices are everything. Exercise is a great addition to any eating plan but there is no substitute for good, clean eating to lose weight. So while I did post a gain here, I did much better than last summer and am committed to keeping myself in check for the next four weeks.
I’ll be rereading the book this week, making a trip to the grocery now that I am back home and get back to the recipes and choices that will get me back on track.
Exercise this past week:
M: 42 lap swim
T: none – 12 hour car ride
W: 7.15 mile walk
Th: 3.7 mile walk
Fri: 3.25 mile walk
Sa: 2.9 mile walk
Su: none – 12 hour car ride
Monday Weigh In – Week 11
Seems silly to keep counting the weeks on the plan at this point. I’m on the plan until I’m not. But I suppose it helps me figure out where in the process.
Very disappointed to see hardly any movement on the scale today. Because the week looked like this:
159.6, 159.8, 159, 159.6, 158.6, 158, 159.6, 159 (yes I weigh myself daily)
WTF?
Except I know what it is. In a word, it’s the weekend.
This weekend we had three graduation parties. And while I was very much better than I ever was before I started this plan, I still didn’t stay perfect. I had a bit of pizza (much less than I ever would have before!). I had wine (again, less than I would have before). No, I didn’t touch desserts anywhere I went (not even the party with the healthy stuff).
So I could be mad about this week. Or I could remember that I gained 15 pounds last summer, and I’m not doing that this year. I’m still losing, albeit slowly. And I know I’m doing great things for my body with the food I’m choosing and the exercise I’m doing training for the tri. So I’m going into this next week (12 hour road trip and six days away from home…and my blender….and my rhubarb) not feeling negative about where I am. I’m choosing to feel positive and confident that I can navigate the choices ahead of me and still come home with a minus on the scale in a week.
Start of Week 11: 159.6
End of Week 11: 159
Weight Lost This Week: 0.6 lbs
Total Weight Loss: 16 lbs
Exercise this week:
M: 36 lap swim
T: 5 mile walk
W: 8.25 mile bike
Th: 2 mile run/walk, 30 min strength
Fri: Yoga
Sa: 10.25 mile bike
Triathlon Training: Week 2
I actually have done all of my workouts so far for my plan for the triathlon. I’m kind of amazed that I’m doing this and enjoying it. Here’s how it went:
Monday: 36 lap swim
I had 26 laps on the schedule but since I’d already done 30 last time I went it seemed like it would make more sense to keep adding on. I could tell the difference over last time…I wasn’t as winded and felt stronger. Plus I really do love the calm of swimming. So peaceful.
Wednesday: 8.25 mile bike
The schedule said 45 min bike for this week, and I hit 44 min 42 sec for this ride. Close enough. I learned my lesson on the route and planned a more conservative, less hilly route. I completed this ride in ten minutes less than last weekend’s and it was 3/4 of a mile longer! Still getting sore legs riding though, which tells me I need more work to get strength in my legs.
Thursday: 2 mile walk/run plus 30 min strength training
The schedule said 20 min run for this week. It has been so long since I did any sort of attempt at run/walking so I again was cautious and chose the Couch25K Week 3 day 3 run on my app. I added a few more minutes at the end and I think I ended up with 13 minutes of running, so obviously I’m behind here. However, this felt really good and shows me right where I am. Again, I don’t plan on really running all that much during the run interval, so I’m good with it.
Friday: Yoga
My normal studio is closed this week so I opted for a class at the Y. It was a little too light for me but still good after all the activity to get a little looser.
Saturday: 10.25 mile bike
I chose to double up on my bike this week because I’ll be traveling next week and won’t be able to do it at all on my trip. Still getting sore but can feel improvement here.
Sunday: Rest Day/Volunteering at Kids’ Tri
I have just over 2 months to prepare for this tri and I’m getting nervous! Still such a long way to go with my fitness…I’m just starting at such a deficit compared to where I was the first time I did this. I know I will be able to complete it but at this stage it still seems pretty daunting. But I’m enjoying the process so far! The structure of a training plan is really helping force me to get workouts in.
I will be traveling from Tues-Sun next week so obviously my training will suffer. It’s pretty much going to be walks three or four of the days and that’s it. I built an extra week in my training program so it shouldn’t put me off schedule that much. But that’s life right? You do what you can do, when you can do it.
Tri Training (Again): Week 1
So here I am going into my third triathlon. This one is a sprint distance tri, very doable: 1/2 mile swim, 12 mile bike and 3.1 mile run.
I’ve been so far away from fitness, really being fit, since my accident two years ago, that this will be a major challenge for me. I did some research on training: since I am less fit than before, I can’t exactly follow the same training regimen. I have to start slow, but I do have to start.
This week was an easy entry into the plan: 22 lap swim, 45 min bike and 15 min run.
Last Tuesday I got in the pool at the YMCA for the first real lap swim since my last tri three years ago. It was slow but I actually was able to manage 30 laps with breaks in between. It actually felt really good to get back in the pool and I am looking forward to more swimming this summer.
Saturday I hopped on my bike. It was so much harder than I remember! That is probably because I am in worse shape. Plus I chose a hillier route than I should have, thinking I was in better shape. It was brutal and I felt shredded after it. I ended up doing 7.5 miles in 54 minutes. I walked up several hills with the bike. It was not my favorite but I’m going to adjust this week and hope for a better result.
I never did manage the run. I did several three mile walks but never did a run. I know that I will probably be walking most of the run portion of this tri, as the route is a trail and hilly and I will be tired. I’m not super worried about the run training on this one, but I will do make myself get onto a treadmill or get out at 6am (before the heat, we’re in a big heat wave here) and get in a Week 3 or 4 Couch 2 5K run.
Overall I’m OK with my week 1 training. I added yoga and even kayaking in for a solid week. Looking forward to this cycle!
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