This past week was the second to last week of base conditioning before race training begins. I feel as if I’m in pretty good condition and I’m looking forward to ramping it up in preparation for my first 70.3 on June 22 in Mont Tremblant.
I decided to train with TriLife to get ready for the 70.3. Official training begins January 4th but they have been doing a base building program for the last few months. I joined their one of their swim sessions last Saturday. - 2 hours of skills and conditioning…all starting at 6am. Hardest swim workout I’ve ever done and I got worked, but enjoyed every minute of it.
Sunday was an hour on the bike in the gym because of the snow and ice from Saturday’s storm. I try to get outside for every workout no matter the weather but biking when it’s wet and slippery can get dangerous. I also got in a couple good runs this week of 5-6 miles each, and another swim skills session.
I was all pumped up to get in a good ride this past Thursday but it ended up being a weak workout. The West Side Highway was still wet, slippery, and snowy so my ride got cut short when I ran out of clear path. There was a massive headwind and my pace sensor wasn’t working properly so my RPM based training ride wasn’t all that effective. Days like this can really suck and make you feel like you’re never going to get ready for the race. You have to stay positive even on the bad days and always try to find the positive. While I didn’t get a good workout in, I did get more time on the bike and was able to work on handling and getting more comfortable in aero position. During the course of a long training period, there will be bad days but every day builds on the last. Accumulating time on your feet, or in the saddle, is what it’s all about and as long as there are more good, hard days than slow, weak days then all will work out on race day.
Monday’s are my day off and I really look forward to the downtime. Not because I don’t enjoy training but because it’s a day when I can focus completely on work and can take some time just to reflect on everything. Weeks tend to go by so quickly lately between training, work, and trying to fit in a bit of life. One day a week with a few unplanned hours is a very nice treat these days.