Recovery Swim

I swim with the local master's swim program on Mondays and Wednesdays, 6:30 - 7:00 AM (most of us get there around 6:15 to warm up) and usually swim between 2000 - 3000 yards. I was tired from the weekend so I barely got in 1600 today.

But here's the thing. You don't have to go all out all the time. You don't have to do every mile or stroke that your training plan calls for. Sure, there are people who do that but I'll bet you a CO2 cartridge they get burned out more often than we do (those of us who listen to our bodies).

So I'm ok with my measly little, um, I mean perfectly-fine 1600 yds today.

And the water felt sooooo good. When your leg muscles are sore and achey, swimming actually feels really good. It's like "one, long massage" says my friend, Julie Hansen, MS, RD. Well, maybe not quite like that but close.

For Ironman training, I don't follow a specific plan. I just do master's swim throughout the winter and spring, then I switch to open water swimming as soon as the lake warms up to 60+ degrees, which is usually in May.

Then, I swim 2 - 3 days a week and go more by time, than distance, since I don't always know how far I am going in the lake. I swim for at least 45 minutes in the lake and then usually do one pool workout each week too. We are lucky enough to have a 50-meter pool here in Greeley and I live just a few blocks from it so I usually ride my bike up there around 11;30 AM and swim under the hot sun for 45 mins or so. It's one of my favorite things to do. Love 50 meter pools!

Easter Ride

First big training weekend is on the books: 12 mile run yesterday and 58 mile ride today - woo hoo!

Had great weather for both. The run was hard due
to super-sore quads (see previous post) but got 'er done.

Had 9 people on the ride today: Lynne, Marshall, Ripley, Jade, Brenda, Geoff, Jenni, Bryan. Started off fast and well, stayed fast!  I felt strong but was dropped on the first hill on CR 19 and it took awhile to catch up. Thankfully, they waited for me.

Learned that I'm faster on the down hills than most everyone in the group but slower on the uphills (just my luck). Still, felt really good most of the way and had fun with the group.

Geoff flatted outside of Johnstown so I stayed with him. Was a bit hard to start up again but felt good once we got going. Tired, thirsty, and hungry at the end. And to think I have much longer rides to do before August 3rd. Arrrgh!

A Beer a Day Keeps the Pain Away

You'll never believe what I did this week. Me, sports-dietitian, middle-aged mom me, decided to run track AFTER drinking a beer. And it gets worse: I did master's swim early in the morning, a trail run with friends at 11:00 AM (that included a steep hill climb and descent), and then somehow decided it would be ok to do a track workout later that day AFTER drinking a beer. Yeah, I did that.

Lest you think I'm the BA woman of the day, let me tell you that I couldn't walk for two friggin' days afterward. I'm serious. I was so sore I had to crawl to the bathroom the next morning.

Ironically, the beer didn't create any problems. I felt fine. It was the 3-workouts-in-a-day that caused the problem (followed by a hard ride on Thurs and swim on Friday).

That was last Wednesday. Today is Saturday and I was still really sore when I got up this morning. But like any red-blooded IM-trainee, I did a long run and pretty much obliterated my quads to pieces (who needs quads anyway?). Ironmans are all about enduring pain, right?

Actually, beer has some health benefits.I even wrote an article about it on GOTRIbal.com. Check it out if you want to know more:
http://www.gotribalnow.com/expert/beer-day-keeps-doctor-away

Tomorrow I am planning on a 55-mile ride with friends. This time, I'll wait until AFTER the ride to enjoy a cold one (and will refrain from subjecting my body to increasing amounts of intense training throughout the day....wait, isn't that called recovery???).