Training Log: 3/7 to 3/13 (Week 2)

Another tough week.  I changed my routine a little bit this week, but after Sunday's long run, it's clear that I'm going to have to change it some more.  It's fine to say that I'm not a great runner, that running further is always going to be something of a challenge, either because of my body-type or just because that's how God made me.  However, running long has been much more difficult this training cycle than the last time I trained for a half-marathon, and that feels like a problem.  I'm not exactly sure what to do about it, but I'm going to have to come up with something.

Swim, Bike, Run

The rest of the week was okay.  I only managed to hit the pool once, but I got into the weight room twice, managing my full schedule with my daughter.  That's a plus.

• Monday: Commute ride
• Tuesday: Commute ride / Weights
• Wednesday: Commute ride / Lunchtime run
• Thursday: Commute Ride
• Friday: Commute ride / Lunchtime run
• Saturday: Swim / Weights
• Sunday: Long, slow distance run

Swim

I normally swim Thursdays and Saturdays, but by the time Thursday rolled around this week, I felt like crushed hamburger.  So I skipped, and in retropect, that was a really good idea.  I rode and ran better on Friday, and if I didn't swim particularly well Saturday morning, it's also true that swimming hasn't been a focus lately.

I will eventually transition back to a more swim-focused routine, but for now, I am at least seeing results with what I'm doing.  Meanwhile, I'll never make gains as a swimmer, which is why I don't particularly like swimming anymore.

Saturday Warm-Up
5 x 100 @ 1:30 warm-up
200 kick
6 x 50 @ :45, breathing every 3rd
 - focus on taking long, even strokes

Saturday Main Set
2 x (5 x 200 @ 2:55 / 3:00) aerobic pace
 - 1:00 rest between sets

100 warm down

My goal for that main set was to swim at the same pace I ran on Sunday.  I suppose that's what eventually happened--I had a heartrate of about 140 bpm both times--but in neither case did I feel particularly good.  I even slowed the interval for the second half of this set in an effort to get my stroke back together, but it was no use.  I was like some kind of plodding sea-cow out there.

Swimming Total: 1 x swim (3100); 31 pts


Bike
Five bike-commutes this week, and we had decent weather.  I wore shorts every day but Monday.  That was a minor miracle.

Cycling Total: 5 x commute rides (53.5 miles) 53.5 pts


Run
Ugh.  I ran okay during the week, but I wouldn't say that I'm running well.  Wednesday was fine.  I kept it short, and tried to keep an even pace.  No problem.  Friday was better in that I felt like I had a little spring in my step, but even then, it wasn't like I was out there setting any records.

Sunday's long run was brutalizing.  I put in 7.8 miles at an average 9:16/mile pace, and every step felt like a struggle.  I don't know if this is because Saturday's swim/weight brick left me tired, or I just need more rest, or I'm too heavy, and this is what that feels like.  If you're wondering, I'm 5'10", 197 lbs, and with the weight training, I'm getting heavier not lighter.  Regardless, I feel like constantly running tired cannot possibly be the answer.

In theory, the coming week's long run should be 8.6 miles.  Given the last two weeks, though, I think I'm gonna scale it back and take a couple of weeks to try to get comfortable at about 7 miles.  We'll see where we go from there.

I need to feel better out there, or there's no purpose to any of this.

Running Total: 3 x runs (2.8, 2.5, 7.8); 52.4 pts

Aerobic Total: 136.9 pts

That total represents a 10% bump from last week.  In a week of extra-tiny victories, that's something.


Weights

We kept it short on Tuesday and wound up cutting Saturday's weight workout down a bit, though I was still in the gym for a full hour after getting out of the pool.  I may not be running well, I feel good lifting weights.  I suppose that's down to body-type as much as anything.  Regardless, it's working for me.

Tuesday Warm-Up
3 x sunrise salute
general stretching
10 x push-ups
10 x bodyweight squats

Tuesday Working Sets
4 x reverse grip pull-downs / rear leg raises (from Table position)
3 x standing reverse flies / Supermans (lower back raises)
3 x standing bicep curls / goblet squats

That may not seem like much, but we were in there for 45 minutes, and I think we both had decent effort.  Speaking personally, I managed to get 180 lbs six times on the reverse-grip pull-downs.  That ain't bad.

Saturday Warm-Up
3 x sunrise salute
general stretching
 - Warm-up was short since I'd just come out of the pool & Hannah did PLYOGA with Sally.

Saturday Working Sets
4 x incline bench / tuck-ups
4 x bent-over rows / single-leg squats
3 x front rows / side-lateral raises / Russian twists
3 x triceps press-ups (bench dips) / plank twists

Like I said, the weight room went well.  Saturday's workout was a full hour, and though the heaviest dumbbells at the local YMCA are 55 lbs, I used those for both the incline bench and the bent-over rows.  At this point, the 55's are just for my heavy sets, but if I keep getting stronger, I may have to find a new gym!


Looking Forward
I feel like I need to swap my swim/weight days with my long run days.  That's a pain in the ass for my schedule, but right now I always seem to head into my long runs feeling sluggish at best.  This week wasn't as bad as last week with that, but I still didn't feel good out there, even right when I started.  I usually find a rhythm with my running at about the hour mark, but these last two weeks have been more grueling than triumphant.  They've felt more like a brutal slog through exhaustion and over-work.

That is not the plan long-term.