Remember how last week, Vacation Mode and Training Mode were waging an epic battle for my time and energy? Well, this week, I made it work!
On Friday morning, I drove five hours to Charlottesville to see my friends Kath and Matt and their son, Mazen, who is a few months younger than Henry. Mazen and Henry are great buddies!
Here’s the thing about training for a big event like a Half Ironman (or a half marathon or a marathon or whatever)…. Realistically speaking, you only need to really buckle down and commit yourself for 3 – 5 months. Sure, there’s the ‘getting in shape’ part, but if you’re already active, the training plan for the event itself is only a blip on the radar of your life. My plan is a mere 12 weeks long. That means that I only have 84 days to get my mind and body into Half Ironman shape. The more I thought about that fun (and scary) fact, the more I was able to get myself into the mindset of, “I will make this work, no matter what, because it’s my #1 Fun Priority†(I like to call it a “Fun Priority†because it always takes the backseat to things like family and work, but it’s my top To Do when it comes to everything else).
Coach Marni had a really tough week planned for me – no breaks. I normally get rest days on Mondays, and Coach Marni says I should always take an extra one if I need it, but Week 3 of the training plan was “Testing Week.†That mean I was pretty much going all out. The steady mix of swimming, biking, and running doesn’t mean I’m dooming myself to injury by doing several straight days of exercise. Although – trust me – I’m really excited for my rest day tomorrow!
Okay, to sum it up, here’s what Testing Week looked like:
Monday: 1800 Yard Swim + At-Home Yoga
Tuesday: 1 hour and 30 minute indoor bike ride
Wednesday: 1 hour indoor bike ride
Thursday: 1 hour run
Its worth noting that Wednesday and Thursday’s workouts were both designed as bricks (run + bikes), but I either couldn’t arrange childcare or I was way too wiped out).
Come Friday morning, I had to leave for Charlottesville at 8 AM so our drive would include the maximum amount of nap time. I thought and thought and thought about how I’d make my weekend getaway work with Testing Week, and I decided the only way to do it was to wake up before Henry stirred and hit the pool when it first opened.
Friday: 1500 yards + Strength
And then, after several giant cups of coffee, I drove to Charlottesville. I wish the Husband could’ve come, too, but he had to work. I had a blast seeing Kath and Matt, and – as mentioned – our sons really get along, so it was the perfect vacation. On Friday, we went to an outdoor concert, which was a blast. Henry liked running around in between everyone’s blankets! And we both enjoyed jamming to the music.
I feel you, Henry.
The next morning, we were all up rather early. I had packed my jogging stroller, so Kath and I went on a run with the kids on Saturday morning. And then we walked to the Farmer’s Market to grab food for Saturday’s dinner.
Saturday: 1 hour run
We spent the rest of the day hanging out with the babies, playing tag in the yard and hitting up the community pool.
Matt watched the boys after bedtime, so Kath and I got to go bar hoppin’ at night! Wahoo!
I left early Sunday morning (and was so sad to say goodbye). When I got back home, I went directly to the gym. I had packed my swim gear and put it right behind the driver’s seat… I so planned ahead! Aren’t you proud?
Sunday: 1300 yards + Strength
Grand Totals: 4600 yards of swimming, 2.5 hours of biking, 10 miles of running
So, did I follow my plan perfectly? Not quite. As I mentioned, there were supposed to be a few bricks in there, but I was pretty darn close. I’m SO pleased with myself for hanging tough, doing my seven days, and racking up some pretty gnarly totals. Um, hello? 4600 yards of swimming is 2.6 MILES of pool time!
I’m starting to believe that I can actually do this Half Ironman at the end of October. I’ve just got to get creative with scheduling and plan ahead. My next hurtle is perfecting the art of coordinating longer workouts with Daddy Time / Childcare so I can do those long, long bike rides that are so desperately needed.
(Side note: Thanks to the greatest photographer in all of blogland, Kath, for these beautiful pics… I didn’t whip out my camera once all weekend!)
How was your workout week?
I’d say you did a pretty amazing job at keeping up with your workouts! Some weeks are harder that others but training helps to keep you accountable and pushing yourself! You are going to do awesome on your half ironman!