Crunch Time!

Crunch Time!

Since the race is next Sunday, this is my last week to do some serious training. My normal routine is to cut back drastically on my training  the week of a race.  You want to stand on the start line rested, not tired from a hard workout a couple days beforehand.

This year is different, because I want to make sure my back is rested also. So I have to be extra careful. So that means I have to train this week holding back a bit and not do anything to aggravate my injury.

Thankfully, I've been feeling better every day. I have a little stiffness when I wake up in the morning, but it goes away after maybe 20 minutes. Same when I sit at my desk for an extended period of time, but it goes away when I stretch and walk.

So far I've had some good workouts this week.

Saturday I rode for 42 miles in 2:33.

Sunday I ran/walked on treadmill for 2 hours, stretching every 20 minutes or so.

Monday I took the day off.

Tuesday I rode my indoor trainer for 50 minutes, averaging 90 rpm's, stretching for 10 minutes, totaling 1 hour.

Wednesday I swam for an hour. 

 My swim was ok, but I just didn't have "it."  My energy level just wasn't there. It felt like I was holding bricks in my hands as I was swimming! Lol

I don't know why I was off yesterday. Maybe cuz I'm tired of swimming? Don't like that gym?  Would rather go to Burger King and get a Double Whopper with Cheese, large fry and chocolate shake instead of smelling chlorine? It really doesn't matter, cuz I'm too close to the end to give up!

One thing I've learned about swimming is form is the key! Even though I was tired and didn't feel like swimming, I made an effort to stay calm keep my form in check.  The goal is to glide thru the water, not to fight the water.  When a person fights the water, they tend to splash too much with their arms and rush their stroke by turning their arms over much faster than need be. 

It has taken me years to learn how to swim "with" the water, not "against" it. Last night's swim made me focus on my form more than ever and as a result it was 1 of my better swims. Even though I was more tired than normal, I stayed relaxed and was able to finish my swim session.

This is important because if I get tired on race day, I can simply remind myself that I was tired in training and was able to get thru it then, so I'll be able to do it now!

I was really focused on my form, but I still would daydream as I always do, because looking at the blue line at the bottom of the pool is boring! All I could think about was what I found in the fridge last night:



My wife tried to sneak some pie in the house, but I'm like a drug sniffing dog at the airport: if you got it, I'm gonna find it! Lol 

But it's not hard to find it if it's labeled! 

 

Anyway, I shoulda resisted it, but I'll have to work on that! Lol. That joint was good too! lol. Eating that delicious pie crust gave a whole new meaning to the phrase "crunch time!" lol

Tomorrow I'll ride my indoor trainer for an hour, and Saturday I'll run outside for the 1st time since I got hurt. This will be an important run, because I really don't know how I'll feel.  I'll just do a low intensity run-walk and take it from there.

My training hasn't gone as planned unfortunately. I didn't do any speed work, no swims at the beach, not enough running, and no brick workouts. Getting mad about that won't change anything. It's not that I didn't want to do those workouts, I simply couldn't. 

But on a positive note, my shoulder feels great, no pain in my knees, my bike and swim feel pretty solid, and my conditioning is still good. 

I won't think of any race strategies  until late next week. The only thing I know is I will finish! 

This race will be a helluva challenge, but I like a challenge. That's why my name is TriMaster:  TRI and You Can MASTER Anything in Life! :)

Thanks for reading! Till next time, peace!