Triathlon Training Log: 12 to 18 May (Week 6)

By far the worst part about getting older--at least for me--is the way that my body just doesn't recover very well anymore.  I haven't been pushing it this season by any stretch of the imagination, but it's still been more than six weeks since I've taken an actual, organized Rest Week, and by Tuesday last week, I was feeling it.  Which is to say that I felt smoked.  I could actually feel myself getting grouchy, and I was exhausted all the time, and both of those things are obvious warning signs for over-training.  But I've barely been training at all!


I wound up bagging my Wednesday run, and I tried to take it easy on the bike during my commute for the rest of the week, and I felt a little better by Friday--when I didn't ride at all because of the rain--but then I put in a good, hard swim Saturday morning, and that killed me all over again.  Ugh.

Swim:
I didn't exactly plan it this way, but it wound up being a swim-focused week.  There's nothing wrong with that, but usually those weeks are a little easier.  As it happens, I didn't feel like I'd taken it easy after the week was over.

Tuesday:
 - 2 x 200 easy warm up
 - 200 kick
 --- Main Set:
 - 9 x 200 @ 3:00 aerobic; first 5 swim, second 4 pull

Saturday:
 - 5 x 100 @ 1:30 easy warm up
 - 200 kick

 --- Main Set:
 - 3 x 300 @ 4:15
 - 4 x 200 @ 2:55
 - 5 x 100 @ 1:30

 - 8 x 50 dolphin kick @ 1:05
 - 5 x 100 pull @ 1:30
 - 50 easy
 - 4 x 50 @ :55 alternating fly/free
 - 100 easy warm down

Swimming Total: 2 x Swim Workout (2400, 4150); 65.5 pts

Neither workout went particularly well in my opinion, but I slogged through both and managed to hold my stroke together, and that's something, I guess.

I mean, I know what you're thinking.  And it's not that I don't appreciate it, but you didn't grow up doing this for a living.  I did.  I can therefore remember when either of these workouts wouldn't have any big deal.  That Main Set on Saturday might've worn me out for an hour when I was in school, but it wouldn't have left me feeling like I couldn't take another stroke, nor would it have left a lingering mark.  On this particular Saturday, though, it felt like it took a lot out of me, to the point where I felt like I was in a haze for the rest of the day.  That sucked.


Bike:
I've ridden a lot this month.  I rode my regular commute four times this week, four times the week before, and three times the week before that.  In addition, I've put in two brick workouts this month, each with at least 19 miles of riding, and one straight-up cycling workout, although that one was only a little more than 20 miles.  Still, I feel like I've been in the saddle a bunch, and if it hasn't all been crushing intensity, I still started the week with heavy legs.

And then, too, it takes a certain mental effort to take it easy during the commute.  My natural response is to sprint for every green light, which is fine, but it's not the way to keep a steady, aerobic heart rate.

Cycling Total: 4 x commute ride (1 x 11 miles); 44 pts


Run:
After talking about with Sally, I decided to bag my run yesterday and take the day off.  So... no running this week.

Running Total: 0 miles; 0 pts

Triathlon Training Total: 109.5 pts

So yeah.  That's not exactly killing it, and I'll be the first to admit it.  On the other hand, it's been enough to keep me feeling just off my game; like it or not, I'm not recovering as well as I'd like.  And like I said, when we look at my training log, it's easy to see why:

This is a screenshot from my Training Log.
As you can see, I'm hardly killing it this season, but I also haven't taken any organized time off in a while.  If I was racing, that would be a problem.

Next week is definitely going to be a Rest Week.  Hopefully I'll start to feel a little more like myself after it's over and get back on a better, more organized training schedule. 

Then again, this is exactly why I'm not racing this season.  Because last season I'd never have let this happen, but this year--and particularly this summer--I want to be a little less disciplined about it and spend a lot more quality time with my family.