Week 20. How on earth is it already week 20 of Ironman Canada training?! Pretty sure it was yesterday – it was just February 1, right? – that I embarked on this journey. That said, it’s been a pretty fantastic one so far, and two months from today, I’ll be swimbikerunning to my very first iron{wo}man finish line!
I learned a couple key things this week. One: Wear sunscreen. Even if it’s cloudy, wear sunscreen. I didn’t apply it before my four-hour bike ride on Sunday, and I’m paying for it. My back is fried! You’d think I’d know better after seven years of lifeguarding at an outdoor pool.
And, two: Sleep. I mentioned it last week, and this week I started tracking it in Training Peaks. I knew I wasn’t getting enough, but actually seeing it written down, just seven hours a night (not counting nine hours on the weekend), really solidified that I need much more, especially as training continues to ramp up.
So, week 20…! Eight weeks to go!
Monday
Today’s lovely rest day highlight: Yoga in my hotel room with a view of Lake Superior. I never tire of this lake or of being in Duluth. Also, today was the first time in child’s pose or doing a chatarunga in at least a month, which is ridiculous. More yoga needed!
Tuesday
Today started with a quick 3.57-mile run along Lake Superior and was punctuated by an incredibly inspiring talk by Dick Beardsley. I had plans to swim when I got home from a long day in Duluth, but was too tired and needed to relax on the sofa.
Wednesday
Nothing fancy today, just a 2,800-yard morning swim and an easy 27-mile bike ride after work with Nick.
Thursday
It’s been a pretty low-key week leading up my first big(ger) training weekend. Just a 3.71-mile run today at 8:04 pace. Feeling good about running lately!
Friday
I overslept a bit again this morning (this needs to stop), but still managed to get in a 2,700-yard swim before work. There wasn’t a lotta oomph in the pool, but by the end, I had finally found my groove and wanted to keep swimming. And, my late afternoon 30-mile bike ride was great until the rain started. The rain clouds were already rolling in when I decided to bike around Lake of the Isles before heading home on the Greenway. Bad idea because it poured the last five miles of my ride. Two blocks from home, the sky went black, the winds picked up and the lightning show… wow. I’m lucky I made it home when I did; the storm was wicked. (Do any other ladies carry their iPhone is a ziploc in their bra?!)
Saturday
After a quick hour-bike – wow, storm damage on both sides of the river is horrible… so many matures trees down – I was off on this week’s long run. Thanks to the humidity, it took a solid three miles to get into a groove, and even then, my heart rate remained high (it averaged 153 over 13 miles // 1:51 // 8:35 pace). It was ready to cut it a mile short when I ran into friend Elicia and her pup Abby running on Summit; they were just the boost I needed to eek out another 1.5 miles!
Sunday
I topped off a 10.5-hour training weekend today was a 71-mile bike ride (the longest yet on the Argon!) and a 10K run at 8:19 pace. I’m loving iron{wo}man training!
In non-training news…
Minnesota sunsets have been pretty spectacular lately.
We got our first CSA share from Featherstone Farm! So much green goodness!
And, we occasionally wear real, spandex-free clothes 🙂
Weekly stats
14 hours, 28 minutes
Swim:5,500 yards, 1:5945
Bike: 143.71 miles, 8:24:10
Run: 26.56 miles, 3:44:14
Yoga: 20 minutes
Happy swimbikerunning, friends!This week: My third tri of the season is Sunday… bring on Lake Waconia! Is anyone else racing?!
6 Comments
Wow, amazing week. So awesome to see you loving it. I can’t wait to see pics from IMCA, I’m pretty sure that will be next IM!
Nice work!! We had a few storms this last week as well. I got caught in one on Sunday morning where I might as well have gone swimming with my bike…I was that saturated and my bike would have been cleaner without all the road grime 🙂 As for the iPhone in the Ziploc…Most definitely, but I put it in my jersey pocket, not the sports bra…I may have to try this location. Thanks for the tip 🙂
Way to go! I’m impressed every week with how you manage to keep the balance between training, work and life. Although it’s no doubt tons of work, you make ironman training look fun!!
Featherstone Farm is the best! We did our CSA through them last year and was really happy with their customer service and the quality of the produce.
Amazing, amazing week of training, friend! And I know what you mean re: the humidity. The weather will take some getting used to for working out in since summer feels so late this year!
Nice training! You’ll be ready to go for Ironman Canada 🙂 And beautiful pic of you and the hubs! Always fun to get dressed up once in a while.
Ouch! That sunburn looks incredibly painful!
I’ve enjoyed reading about your training thus far for the Ironman. Looking forward to the race recap in 8 weeks!