Here We Go! (Again!)

Ironman Training “take two” is already feeling very different.  Last week was a pretty unusual week.  I was in Chicago for work and visiting a friend, so Coach Trevor officially started my training plan once I came back to San Diego on Thursday.  Here’s how it played out…

20 Weeks until Ironman Cozumel

Sunday: Flew to Chicago to stay with my girlfriend from grad school. Drank too much wine. Failed with the vegan diet and ate too much cheese. Got sick. (Figures!)

Monday: Forced myself to run in the Chicago heat even though I was slightly hungover and seriously dehydrated. I never found a water fountain while I was out, but I managed to throw down 4 miles at an 8’30” pace along the beautiful river.  I heart running.  It was a great way to explore the city.

Tuesday: Work stuff and then site-seeing!!

 

Wednesday: Flew home. Thought about exercising, but decided I would rest and hang out with Jeremy on the couch instead.  Watched Forks Over Knives, and then Jeremy decided to follow me on my path to eating more of a plant-based, whole foods diet.  Yay!

Thursday: Enter Coach Trevor…
Plan: Bike 90 minutes easy on the coast.
Actual: Biked 60 minutes on the indoor trainer because I couldn’t find a cycling buddy, and I’m afraid of rush hour traffic!  Felt kind of bored and fatigued back on the bike.  (This was my first time since Ironman Coeur d’Alene.)

Friday:
Plan: Swim on your own. 10 minutes warmup focusing on front quadrant drills. 30 minutes swim nonstop counting laps to validate base.
Actual: I did all that and confirmed that I am, indeed, a slow swimmer! Things can only improve from here, right?

Saturday:
Plan: Bike about 3 hours easy on the coast, focusing on nutrition and hydration. Have fun!
Actual: Started to experience bad knee pain 1:30 hours into the ride, so I cut it short to 2:30 hours. Now I’m worried about my bum knee! Apparently it has been hiding there since I felt knee pain after Ironman Coeur d’Alene. (I was limping for a couple of days, but then it went away.) Trevor is going to help me address this. It’s really good that I have him because I would probably keep training on it too much (like I did on Sunday…)

Sunday:
Plan: Run 90 minutes trails! DO NOT GO HARD! Max 9-10 min/mile. Have fun! (Trevor didn’t know about my knee at this point.)
Actual: Ran 90 minutes – part highway 101 / part trails. Nicole joined me, and it was really fun, so at least I got that right! We also ran really easy at over a 10 min/mile average pace.  My knee pain was super dull, so I decided to run on it anyway.  Obviously not the best idea, but I was just so happy to be running again with my training buddy!

This week, Coach has me swimming every day except Saturday!  My knee pain is fairly non-existent right now and has stayed tame during my short bike and run this week, but it might resurface when I do another long ride or run.  I hope, and think, that my knee pain is just inflammation and not a real injury.  I put my body through a lot, and it needs to recover. Either way, Ironman Cozumel is still 4 months away, so there is plenty of time to treat whatever this nagging thing is.

Sunday I’m registered for the Solana Beach Sprint Triathlon for fun.  This was my first sprint last year, so I’m excited to do it again and see how far I’ve come!   I’m excited to get out there and play. Here’s a pic of me from the sprint 1 year ago! I was SO NERVOUS!