Week in review Sept. 21-27: Sad face for the bike and pool

Well, running last week was good. Swimming was pretty good, but sad since the pool closed on Sunday. And biking was another adventure with another flat tire. Arrgh!

I shouldn't complain because it wasn't a bad week. Even with a flat tire, I still got outside to ride and had a decent riding week overall. I did two pool swims, even if the second one was sad. I did some pre-hab and yoga.

I did intentionally skip weights this week to be sure I had enough time to squeeze in the last two outdoor pool swims of the year. I suppose I could have woken up earlier and raced from run to gym to pool, but, eh. It just didn't seem worth it for something that should be fun.

Triathlete magazine is putting on a "Hawaii from Home" challenge to do the distance of an Ironman in mid-October, the week Kona would have been happening, but I'm not sure what my pool situation will be then or if I will even feel comfortable going to an indoor pool. If I don't do that, I'll probably think of some challenge or another to keep me focused in October when temperatures start to dip.

Not a bad week, considering.

Last week shook out to be:

Run: Four times, all on the road, for 28 miles in about 4:41. This randomly worked out to be two days in a row, twice: Easy runs on Monday and Tuesday, and an easy run Friday morning followed by a long-ish run Saturday afternoon. It was just the way the week shook out. So far, I'm feeling good with adding that extra easy run back in the week.

Bike: Three times, one on the road for 18.5 miles and twice on the trainer, for 41 fake miles, in about 4:13. Yep, I got another flat about 16 miles into my ride. After a few weeks' hassle buying a new tire, breaking and buying new levers, fuzzing with getting the tube in the new tire, etc., I think I need to bring it to the professionals.

Swim: Twice in the pool for about 3200 meters in about 1:24. I thought about skipping my usual drills but eh, if this was the last swim of the season I wanted to go out the same way I came in.

Pre-hab: Two mobility sessions and one PT session for about 1:05. Ideally I'd like to make this two and two. Mobility goes a lot quicker but the PT definitely helps, too, so I don't want to skip it completely.

Yoga: One 20-minute session of my usual bends, twists, etc.

Total: 13 sessions in about 11:44.

Last week was a bit rough work-wise and life stress-wise, so I can't complain about training. I still did some good training. This week is off to a slow start so far, but I am feeling good by tonight, Tuesday, so hopefully I can get a good momentum going to finish out September and kick off October. Yeah, it'll be a bit weird not training for a fall race, but I'm sure I can find something to keep me motivated.

Safe and happy training to you all!

The last outdoor pool swim of summer.

Today was the last outdoor pool swim of the season. The pool closes tomorrow and we have plans, so we made sure to get over there today.

My happy place this summer.

It was quite a summer. I spent more time in the water than I have in years. Even though there aren't any races on the horizon, it still felt good to get in the water and actually improve a bit just because I could.

I also made sure to enjoy my fair share of sparkling rosé after my swims. The way this year is going, I need to enjoy the little things when I can.

Belated week in review Sept. 14-20

Ugh — I've been busy. It's been a week where things keep expanding to fit all of my free time and I don't have much left over for errands, relaxing, blogging, etc. Last week I had to work into the evenings a couple times and I dedicated a whole day to food prep and cooking up garden produce.

I mean, those are still first-world problems and I'm not really complaining. I got in a decent training load last week, even if I was up past my bedtime most nights. I am trying a couple new things: Working a fourth run back into my week, since I'm not going to be able to swim outside any time soon; and doing some mobility work at least once per week. For the past two weeks now, Monday swims have been replaced with easy runs + mobility and it feels good so far. I do love a good theme and am jokingly calling them Meander and Mobility Mondays for now.

A few weeks ago I got a flat tire on a bike ride and it's been surprisingly hard getting that taken care of. I needed a whole new tire, and I want to support my local shops, so that took a few extra days. My lever snapped, so I had to go to another shop to buy new levers. The tire came out of the box in a square shape (???), which made getting a new tube inside it almost impossible. I tore the first tube and spent an hour with surgical precision arranging a second tube inside the tire, praying to all the cycling gods when I finally did need to use the levers for the last bit that the tube was safely inside. I haven't left for my ride yet, so I guess we have yet to see how good of a job I did.

I only lifted weights once last week and didn't do any yoga, but some of that time was replaced with making tomato sauce with tomatoes fresh from the garden, working late, making zucchini bread, supporting a friend's new socially distant biergarden, etc. You win some, you lose some, and it was still a good week overall.

Solid week for running and cycling.

Training totals were:

Run: Four times, all on the road, for 25.2 miles in about 4:17. Adding another easy run is feeling good so far. My "long" run this week was 8.2 running plus 0.5 warmup/ cooldown to equal 8.7 miles for Justice Ginsburg, and that didn't feel like too much. I'm not too keen to add any speed work back in yet, so I'll keep going with the additional easy run and slightly longer long runs for now.

Bike: Three times, all on the trainer, for 59 fake trainer miles in about 4:03. Since I didn't get to ride outside last week, I did a slightly longer ride mid-week. I'm re-watching Parks and Recreation and it's the perfect show to zone out to.

Weights: One heavy/body session for about 1:25. I don't even remember why I didn't do a mid-week weights session — I was probably tired and took a nap, haha.

PT: One running form session and one mobility session (some moves I saved on Instagram) for about 50 minutes.

Swim: One 1600 meter session in the pool for about 43 minutes, just drills and a longer set.

Total: 11 sessions in about 11:17.

So, not terrible. It was a solid running week, had some new stuff to try, and worked around the changing of the seasons and other life demands. With no races or anything else coming up, that's about all I can expect.

I hope your weeks have been safe and training-tastic!

Week in review Sept. 7-13: Holidays and long days

Not terrible considering ... everything.

Ugh — I am already behind at everything and it's only Tuesday. Last week was rough, even with the extra day off, and I think I'm still feeling the effects.

I'm learning that here in Pandemic World there are going to be good weeks and not-so-good weeks. Last week wasn't TERRIBLE but the stress of everything got to me and it definitely showed in my training. I didn't make it to the pool at all, and I didn't have time to buy a new bike tire before Wednesday, so I didn't go for an outdoor ride, either. I spent a good part of my furlough day working at our side business, which is fine on occasion but ... who wants to spend a day off working?

The weather also started to turn last week, which is nice for running, but sad for me who really likes summer. I'm just not ready for fall — am I ever? Kids are back at school, and I'm stressed thinking about COVID numbers rising at local colleges and my alma mater. Plus, the sun rising later and set earlier had really started to be more noticeable in the last few weeks. Dark, chilly, pandemic, stress, no days off — it was a lot to handle.

Even though I was stressed and didn't sleep a whole lot, I still managed a decent week of:

Bike: Three times, all on the trainer, for 58 fake trainer miles in about 3:47. I had shredded my tire the week before and hadn't had a chance to get to the bike shop before last week, and I needed to put in a few good hours at our business anyway, so no outdoor rides for me last week. I'm going to try to fit in as many as possible before the weather really turns. I have all winter to focus on trainer rides.

Run: Three times, all on the road, for 22 miles in about 3:42. I have been adding on a half mile or so to my Saturday runs and so far, so good. I thought about doing a virtual race this fall but, meh. This range is feeling good for me so I'm going with it.

Weights: Twice, one video and one heavy/body session, for about 2:30. It's been a while since I did pullups and I was feeling it. I've been consistent-ish for a few months now so I'm happy with this.

PT: Three sessions of my prescribed moves plus rolling.

Yoga: One 15-minute session. Every week I swear I'm going to do more and then I don't. I'm weak.

Total: 12 sessions in a hair less than 12 hours.

This week is shaping up to be about the same, but it's early yet. I think my pool days are pretty much behind me for the year, although I MIGHT try to squeeze in one more swim on a warm day later this week. My shoulder was killing me this weekend to the point I couldn't lift a wine glass or coffee mug, but it's better a few days later. I'm still stressed about the pandemic, and losing daylight, and work, and and and and, but I seem to be doing an OK job managing it with training and playing with the dogs. Sleep will probably always be something I need to work on.

Anyway, I hope you are holding it together and getting in some good training sessions if you can. At least we have fall running to look forward to!

Week in review Aug. 31-Sept. 6: A strong start with a flat finish

Last week was definitely interesting. I started off strong with my usual Monday recovery swim, Tuesday run and PT, and long Wednesday of a bike ride followed by weights and another swim. It was gloomy and wet to start Wednesday, and I almost gave up on my ride and headed home. But within a few miles, the skies had cleared, and I settled in for a nice long ride.

Until about mile 32. I'm still tentative on the downhills so I was braking gently, and I heard a loud pop behind me. UGH. I do OK with flats (I was a nerdy kid who used to take my bike wheels and tires apart for fun just to put them back together again) but I think this was the first flat that I was too far from my car to just coast back. I found a picnic table and got my tubes and tools sorted, only to realize... I didn't remember ever having practiced with a compressed air cartridge before. Well, I was about to find out.

Every time I've flatted it's been the rear tire. Ugh.

And then, to add insult to injury, I popped my spare. You have to be REALLY careful to get every bit of the tube in the tire before you hook up that cartridge, I discovered. Sigh. I was about four miles away from my car and didn't want to hoof it so I just pedaled very slowly back. Probably a dumb idea, but my husband was an hour away at least and I didn't feel comfortable hitching a ride. I made it in one piece, which is about all I could ask for at that point. By the time I got home I was fine to do my usual afternoon strength session and evening swim.

I had good intentions for the rest of the week, but I had to attend an evening work Zoom on Thursday, and my husband is facing another hard deadline at our business he manages and needed any and all extra help he could get. I spent Friday evening and much of Saturday and Sunday working with him. Not the way I wanted to spend my long weekend, but I did manage to fit in a run Saturday and a trainer ride Sunday so I could at least do SOMETHING.

One little bit of good news is my 7-mile run on Saturday, which was my longest run in 3 months. I have really been focusing on running with high knees and that seems to be making a world of difference with the hip flexor that was irritating me. I have nothing to train for, really, but I feel good about building my mileage back up to have an actual long run once per week. Maybe there will be a virtual half marathon with my name on it this fall, who knows?

Anyway, last week's totals were:

Not a shabby week, considering.

Bike: One 32.5-mile road ride and one 25-mile trainer ride, for 3:52 total.

Run: Three times, all on the road, for 19.5 miles in about 3:17.

Swim: Twice, both in the pool, for 3200 meters in about 1:25.

Weights: One online barre class of about an hour.

PT: One homework session of about 35 minutes.

Total: 9 sessions in about 10 hours, 9 minutes.

It still wasn't a terrible week, flats, work meetings, and side job work notwithstanding. I didn't get any yoga done, but other than that it was pretty well-rounded. Considering, I am pretty happy with it overall.

There is definitely damage to my tire wall (which probably caused the first flat) so I'll be in the market for a new tire. I really want to support my local bike shops during this time, and none of them seem to have convenient hours, so I may or may not be riding outside again this week. But I'll get out there eventually. No races means I can swim, bike, and run however I want, and if I have to take an extra week off, eh, who cares.

I hope you all had a less eventful week and more happy training.

Week in review August 24-30: More swimming than I've done in years

A lighter week, but still not a bad week.

My big news this week is that I made it to the pool a whopping three times. I know that's nothing for a "real" swimmer, but I honestly can't remember the last time I swam three times in a week. From scrolling WAY back in my logs, it's been at least four years. Wow, wow, wow.

It's been a weird, weird time these past few months. I've been hunkered down as much as possible, only interacting with other humans at the grocery store or when we go to a restaurant with outdoor seating. I've been running and riding solo and swimming mostly solo in the outdoor pool I have access to. I don't know if it'll be open past Labor Day and I don't know if and when I'll have access to an indoor pool. So I figure, why not take advantage while I can? Who would have ever thought I would enjoy and want to swim so much.

We had some severe weather last week, so I had to do some shuffling to avoid storms. I did two weights workouts, but I only did two bikes (one outdoors) and two runs, when I usually do three of each. It was fine, though; I enjoyed the slightly lower volume week and the extra pool time.

By the numbers:

Bike: Twice, once on the road for 37 miles and one trainer ride for 23 fake miles for 4 hours almost exactly. The outdoor ride was hot but I had some new gloves and a new jersey, so that part balanced out the heat.

Weights: Twice, one video and once through my heavy/body routine, for about 2:30 total. Nothing too out of the ordinary here. I'm pretty happy that I've been able to maintain a lifting routine.

Run: Twice, both on the road, for 12.5 miles in about 2:07. Nothing out of the ordinary here, either. It was hot. I brought water. The end.

Swim: THREE times, all in the pool, for 4800 meters in about 2 hours exactly. I'm pretty much only doing drills and freestyle here, and that's fine for me.

PT: Twice through my homework routine for about 1:10. 

Yoga: Just once for 15 minutes. I'm still having a hard time finding another block of time during the week. Maybe that will be my September challenge. 

Total: 12 sessions in a hair longer than 12 hours.

Considering the weather and other challenges of the last week, I'm happy with this. I ended happy, uninjured, and still married, and had time for some family fun and relaxation, too. And, for the next few weeks, I'll be trying to squeeze every last bit out of summer that I can.

Quarantraining goals and toys

I've been pretty fortunate during this pandemic that I'm able to work from home, have access to an outdoor pool, and haven't, to my knowledge anyway, been infected. I've been swimming, biking, and running pretty regularly and have racked up quite a few "quarantraining" hours.

It's ironic that I have this extra time to train and races have been cancelled (rightly so), but I'm trying to make the best out of it. Lately, I've been doing things I *want* to do and trying to squeeze in as much summer as possible. Like, I'm less comfortable breathing on the left side swimming, and since I won't be racing in a lake for a while, I really don't see the point of practicing. Also, I never got the hang of flip turns and I just get frustrated when I work on them. Maybe I will revisit flip turns when and if I have access to an indoor pool this winter, but for now I don't need to waste the mental energy.

I'm going to enjoy this view for as long as possible.

There have been a few days when I would have loved an air conditioned treadmill, but our home treadmill is on its last legs so I have been sucking it up for the hot runs. I take ice water with me, take a quick break to drink every one or two miles depending on how hot it is, and call it at two laps around my neighborhood. I won't have any fall races, so there's really no need to push it on the hot days.

I thought about really trying to work on my FTP on the bike trainer, but I decided to hold off on that for now. Right now, my "big" bike workout of the week has been driving to a nearby state park with some actual hills and doing a few laps. It's safe, I can leave extra water in my car, the bathrooms are open (I pack a mask every week!), and my parents are a few miles away if I need to take an emergency shower or something. I figured I would make that my bike focus until the weather turned, since I'll have all winter to work on getting that FTP up.

I have also been doing weights pretty consistently twice per week, mixing up my own heavy routine with online barre classes and some tried-and-true videos. My quads and back muscles are as big as I ever remember them being, and I can do more chinups and pullups than I ever could in my life. Yeah, it's some extra work, but since I have the time so I might as well get a good strength base going, too.

One more thing I have done to keep pandemic training interesting is order a LOT of toys, clothes, and gear over the last few months. I got new running shoes from my local running store, and took advantage of some deals on running tanks and some spiffy shorts with phone pockets built into the legs. They are my new go-to! I bought a couple swimsuits, bike gloves, and a couple bike jerseys, thanks to the Facebook algorithms targeting me with sales until I couldn't take it anymore. But really, these jerseys were a steal.

I got a couple of these at deep discount. I'm cheap, so I love a bargain!

A couple of other random things I ordered were some new handlebar tape for my bike, a book on building good running form, and some tennis balls. I figured now is the time to take a hard look at my running form and break it all the way down if necessary. And if and when I no longer have access to an outdoor pool, hopefully the tennis balls can be another sport to keep me in shape. I used to play in high school and college, and have been on a few rec leagues in my adult life, so I'm looking forward to hitting some balls again.

New handlebar grip to spiff up my bike and a book on running form.

New bike gloves and my new handlebar grip. I only had green electrical tape to finish it off. XD

I think my next purchase will be one of those percussive muscle massagers. Any recommendations? I am probably looking in the $150 range. My coworker bought an Achedaway and loves it, but I am looking for something a bit smaller and cheaper right now.

I'm not sure what my pool situation will be after Labor Day, or how long the weather will hold out for outdoor biking. Knowing how terrible Michigan weather can be, and how this pandemic is progressing, I'm going to assume I'll be stuck inside all winter. So for now you can find me quarantraining outside as safely as possible. Hopefully you all are staying safe, finding some good deals, and getting in some extra hours, too.