Happy Mothers Day!

It's been another great week of training! To make things even better, we had a sunny and warm weekend (something I was sure would never happen again in the great NW). Next week is recovery so this week had higher volume. It was also a long, high volume week at work so I had quite the balancing act. Every minute was planned for and until now, I didn’t have much down time. I am so thankful to have such a supportive husband as it’s hard to keep up in weeks like this and that extra little push that he gives me really goes a long way.
For those of you reading this who have done ironman’s and/or other ultra endurance events, you will really understand what I’m about to write….Training for events like these are not only tough physically, they also take their toll on you mentally. You have so many wheels turning at once that it’s easy to get anxious- did I meet that deadline at work? Am I going to get out of this meeting in enough time to get my run in? How am I possibly going to get the house clean with a 6 hour workout on Saturday and a 5 hour workout on Sunday? My legs felt tired riding 90 miles, how am I going to ride 170? The list goes on and on and on… but if you’re a veteran like me, you know that in the end it will all work out and in the big picture, those anxious moments are tiny. I did have a couple of those moments this past week, it seemed as though there was nothing I could do at work to actually feel caught up, and that mental exhaustion made me too tired to run which eventually led to anxiety. I worked through it though and I am now one week closer to the ultraman starting line. Anxiety is all a part of the experience, learning how to get through it will help you leaps and bounds.

Now for the training:

Swim: I swam 3 X’s this week and hit 11,000 yards. Still focusing on longer distance sets with some shorter pick ups to keep my speed up.

Bike: Yesterdays bike ride was the best, 90 miles with over 4,000 ft of climbing. It felt good to get a 90 miler in, that’s what my distance will be on day 1, finishing it feeling strong has given me a good piece of mind. I bikes 2 other times, once on the rollers and once on the road.

Run: I ran 3 times this week. I’m feeling stronger with each week, today’s 2:50 run on the trails was fun. My legs were a bit tired in the beginning but started to feel better after about an hour.

Strength Training: I did my usual Tues and Thurs strength training and 2 additional days of core. I’m down to one set of reps which helps my arms to feel fresher in the water.

I will be out of town this next week but I’ll have my bike and access to a lap pool. It’s a recovery week so I’ll try to squeeze in a massage as well.

Thanks for reading and have a great week!!

Beth