Jackie D - Week 40

Week 40 - starting Monday 18 June 2007

Actual hours: 15hrs 04mins

Straight into it this week with long workouts and intense workouts and no easy stuff really at all. Except the swimming - twice out in the lake early in the morning again. I find swimming quite easy - not fast but I definitely have the endurance, especially floating around in a wetsuit.

Another 6 hour bike and 3 hour run this week. Only one more of each to go before taper time (eek!).

I had to make the most of the first half of the week for training time as the kids finished school for the summer on Wednesday. So, Monday was my long run. Wow- what a hot one! Could definitely put this one down to heat acclimatisation. I started at 10.30am and it just got hotter and hotter. I did a new route of 2 loops (refuelling stop after first loop) with the 10min run, 1 min walk strategy and I was glad of those walks towards the end. I chose a route with lots of hills as I know I need to work on those. I don’t think these will ever get easier so I just tell myself I am getting stronger.

Tuesday was time for long bike. I met a fellow trainee (actually fellowess!) at her house in Fairport and we headed out to Sodus and back and then some local roads. I can honestly say that I have never cycled or pushed so hard on a longer training ride. I am used to hilly terrain where I push, then recover and repeat. This was constantly pedal pedal pedal and my companion set a great pace. I could keep up for the most part but I definitely think I was working harder than her! At 4hrs 40mins a storm cell came over (not unexpected as we were watching for it) and we stopped to shelter at a fire station as the winds rose. Minutes later it was so windy we could hardly hold our bikes and then the rain just poured down. We were surrounded by thunder and lightning. The decision was to call in my friends husband to rescue us as he wasn’t far away which he did, thank you so much. It was so hard stopping though when we wanted to get our 6 hours in and only as another bolt of lightning flashed the way we would cycle did we reluctantly get in the car. I wasn’t sure what to do - help my key workout was incomplete! So, I drove home and finished it off on the indoor trainer (first time dragged out since the winter), hopping off a couple of times to wave at bus drivers as the kids came home. Phew, got it done.

Having chomped on powerbars and forced one gel down like nasty medicine on my long ride I have decided I need to revisit nutrition before it gets too late to experiment. I thought I had it nailed up to the Placid training weekend but I really haven’t wanted to eat a gel since then. Think I may have to opt for some protein (which I was going to avoid) and stick with powerbars (if I can find an easy enough one to chew) or try something completely different like carbopro.

I had three Breakthrough workouts this week. An interval running one which I did on Thursday and then the two others that I had to do on consecutive days at the weekend. First was a bike “attack” hills workout which was hard (but it was supposed to be) and I ended up with my highest average pace for a training ride of 18.5mph so the effort was worth it.

Sunday was a BT brick and I put it off and off- until 6pm - and as it was 2hrs long I had to go then or never before it got dark. It was a duathlon style brick and I hate duathlons so I decided this was part mental training too so I had to do it. The bike had a 10k Timetrial in it which is the first I have done - I averaged 20.6mph so I was very pleased.

This week seemed to have more intense stuff in than for ages and I am definitely expecting to feel sore at the beginning of next week.

I think all the early mornings are starting to catch up with me. I am just one of those people that need their sleep. I ended up going to bed at 6.30pm on Friday night and not waking til 8am Saturday. Hopefully that will stock me up for a while!

Next week is a repeat of this week although I will have to shuffle things around a lot now the kids are home.


4 WEEKS TO GO