Week in review Jan. 13-19: SWIM!!!!!, bike and run

I am very proud of that green bit.

Last week was one of the best training weeks I’ve had in a long time. Not only did I log three runs and three rides, but I lifted weights and did yoga once each, and went to the pool not once but TWICE. Yes – I went to the pool two times, of my own volition.

I had a moment of clarity on Thursday. A friend is good-naturedly pressuring me to join him for an indoor triathlon (pool swim, stationary bike ride, treadmill run) next month. I did it with him YEARS ago and had a blast. I was sitting at my desk and it just hit me – what exactly is stopping me from going to the pool and swimming? And, also – how badly do I want to beat him at this indoor triathlon?

Well, that day I didn’t have my pool bag with me, but that night I vowed to make it happen on Friday. I was already planning on going to the gym after work to use the treadmill (it’s been freezing and icy here, and those conditions are just not for me), so I wanted to suck it up and use the pool while I was already there. I told myself I could sit in the sauna afterward as a reward. And, it worked! I did a mile of mostly kickboard and pull buoy work, but there were a couple of legit laps in there, and I felt a million times better.

Opportunity No. 2 came around on Sunday. It was bitter, borderline dangerously cold outside, and I really didn’t want to do a long run on the treadmill. I had already done the majority of the week’s food prep, so I sucked it up again and headed out to another pool I have access to. Again, I didn’t know what to expect, so I wandered over to the deck before changing to make sure there was a lifeguard and I wasn’t crashing a teenage pool party or anything like that. I wasn’t the only one there, which was reassuring, but it was still pretty quiet. Compared to Friday, I did fewer kickboard warmup laps, the same number of pull buoy laps but on longer intervals, and then a few 100s. Everything felt fine. Well, except for my actual swimming, but that’s a whole other issue. Haha.

So, that was a nice way to end my week. I am really hoping I can regularly add a few swims into my routine. I am not ready to sign up for that indoor tri YET, but I am hoping I can build my confidence back a bit with a few more trips to the pool.

Really, the only disappointment of the week was not squeezing in any PT. I am thrilled with everything else. Except the weather, of course, but there’s not much to be done about that.

By the numbers, it was:

Bike: Three times, all on the trainer, for 63 fake trainer miles in about 4:08. I did a not-so-hard ride on Tuesday since I had done a medium treadmill run on Monday, one hard interval ride on Thursday, and a longer, not-as-hard interval ride on Saturday. This is a routine that’s working for me for the time being.

Run: Three times, all on the treadmill, for 22.5 miles in about 3:45. This was a medium run Monday to make up for not doing a long run the weekend before, an easy run on Wednesday, and a speed run (descending miles) on Friday. This is a setup that will work fine for me if I don’t feel safe (or warm enough) running outside on the weekend, so we’ll see if I can keep it going.

Swim!!!!!: Twice, both in the pool, for 3850 yards in about 1:50. This was a lot of slow drills and otherwise trying to get myself re-acclimated to the water, and I’m not worrying about speed at all right now.

Weights: One round of my heavy/body routine for about 1:15. Nothing special here.

Yoga: One self-guided session of about 15 minutes Sunday night to try to stretch out my hips a bit.

Total: 10 sessions in about 11:13. Hey, my best week of the year so far! Haha.

Except for the lack of PT, I really feel like I made the most of the crappy weather this week. I am hoping for warmer temperatures and that I can keep this momentum going, in that order.