Week in review June 20-26: Strong start, blah middle, strong finish

Not a bad split between swim, bike and run.

So, I may have played hooky mid-week with a Tigers game, a haircut and going out to dinner with friends, but last week started and ended with solid (for me) workouts, so I’m happy.

It was hot again over the weekend (it got into the low 90s yesterday) and I managed a ride after my Saturday morning errands in the beating-down sun. I went through a bottle each of Gatorade and water over the 2.25-ish hours and chugged a bottle of ice water when I got back to the car, and it still took me a while to get fully rehydrated.

The only way I could make a run and a lake swim work yesterday was to do my run bright and early, and while it wasn’t HOT hot yet, it was something like 85% humidity. Gross! I stopped to drink every 2.5 miles (and wipe sweat off… everywhere) and chugged a bottle of Powerade when I got back to the house, but again, it still took me a while to get fully rehydrated. I didn’t FEEL thirsty while I was out there, and while I know that’s not a good indicator of dehydration, I didn’t feel like I should be stopping to drink more often. Maybe for my next hot run I will drink every 1.5 miles and see if that helps.

Anyway, by the numbers it was:

Swim: Three times, twice in the pool and once in the lake, for about 7150 meters in just longer than 3 hours. It was kind of a letdown of a week as far as swims go: My first pool swim of the week was sluggish, and I think that was because my arms and shoulders were still sore from an upper-body workout the day before.

During my second pool swim of the week, I was zipping through my fast (“fast”) 100-meter repeats and feeling awesome, but started hyperventilating again on the second-to-last one. Not going to lie, this is making me a bit nervous. BUT, I could feel my breathing getting more ragged and I still (stupidly) chose not to take a break, plus it was outside with all the allergens, so I’m not sure it’s anything to worry about quite yet.

My lake swim went great, considering – I managed a straighter-than-last-week shot across the lake, and didn’t have any panic attacks. Also, someone on the beach I started from was wearing a bright green shirt. Ha! Although it was already really hot, it wasn’t very sunny, so the crowds weren’t too bad.

Bike: Once on the trainer for 55 minutes (I don’t remember if I was short on time or what) and one road ride for 37 miles in about 2:15. My road ride was another hot and windy day but it was good to get out in the fresh air. I wanted to do an even 40 but I got out a few minutes later than I would have liked – story of my life – and I just don’t like to bike on the road after it opens back up to traffic.

Run: I only made it out twice this week, for one early-morning weekday run of 3 miles and one early-morning Sunday run of 10 miles, which took me a bit longer than 2 hours total. I know I need to run more than twice per week, but it was tough this time around with everything going on.

This is the first double-digit run I have done in a LONG time, since my October marathon; not counting the marathon it’s my first double-digit run since mid-September. I was too in the zone and ready to finish to really appreciate this yesterday, but I’ve come a long way from having to bail on long runs due to my SI joint and IT bands being out of whack. I know I need to be and stay better about doing my pre-hab so it doesn’t happen again, but I think just not running as much is helping a LOT. 15-20 mile per week is a lot easier on the body than 40-50. And while I may not be as fast, at least I am out there.

Weights: One round of upper body lifting: Pullups, pushups, shoulder presses, etc., in about 40 minutes. I had high hopes to do lower body later in the week but that didn’t happen.

I also usually do some stretching during Game of Thrones but this week’s season finale needed my full attention, obviously.

Total: Eight sessions in just shorter than 9 hours. Not too bad.

In other news: I did finally register for a race, the open-water mile and run-swim-run Aquathlon I have done for the last few years. After my minor panic attack in the lake last weekend I made it a point to get back out there yesterday, so I am feeling a lot better about the race. My PR is 36:41 and I don’t expect to beat it this time around. I really just want to have fun at my first race of the season.

Plus: It’s a long weekend coming up, and I might take a few extra days off, so I have that to look forward to. I’m sure among all my barbecuing and fireworks-watching, I can fit in a few extra runs or swims.