Just wrapped up a 12-13 hour week…I have a 17-hour week on the books for the next seven days. I’m too sore to walk now, which will make for interesting training later today. Things are going well despite my internalized open water swimming fears that are creeping up on me again. This reminds me of when I first started swimming. I was even scared of swimming in a 3-foot pool, so getting into the lake was a big step for me. Now I just need to train even more so in a lake to get used to the idea of swimming where there are no lane lines.
*big big big giant sigh*
Things will get better, right?
Week 13 Ironman Louisville Training: 12.7 hours; Swim: 6916.8 yards; Bike: 75 miles; Run: 13.7 miles.
Monday, May 13: 40-minute swim in the morning. The pool at Shant’s gym is sooooo warm. Feels great! We even relax in the hot tub for a bit.
Tuesday, May 14: Rest day looked a little something like this:
Busted out the bikini and enjoyed the sun and some reading…about training, of course. I get home a few winks to midnight since I missed my flight home, but at least I got home in one piece that night.
Wednesday, May 15: Swim 1:15, Bike 1:30 in the evening
Thursday, May 16: Swim 1:15, Bike 2:00 in the evening
Friday, May 17: Team training in the morning. Great sweat session with a few of the girls who are also training with my coach. I followed it up with an indoor trainer ride for 1:30 in the evening after dinner with my friend.
Saturday, May 18: First open water swim of the season. At 8am. YIKES that was early! It was also on my way to the Rock n Roll expo in Portland, which made way for good conversation. Pretty sure my wetsuit shrank or something because it was slightly embarrassing how long it took to pull on. I got into the water and it was a lot warmer than expected. I was too chicken to go out and swim in the lake with the big kids so I swam around the docks in the shallow end. As I started swimming everything I learned went out the window…bilateral breathing? NOPE! Reach and pull? NOPE! It was terrifying 😦 Where did my blue line go? My sighting was off. I felt so strange and out of place. I think I’m being hard on myself but I really began doubting the whole 2.4 mile swim leg of the Ironman. C’mon….no wet suit…river currents…a couple thousand of other people in the water splashing around me too. Being in the lake this weekend made it seem like I had ever even swam in the ocean before or survived the LA tri. I really need to find more clinics for practice. It also kind of freaks me out that my next tri this weekend is in a lake 😦 And it’s a 4-5 hour drive away, one way 😦 😦 What have I gotten myself into?!
Sunday, May 19: Rock n Roll Portland Half Marathon. It was a hillier race than anticipated and I finished slower than I wanted. I tried something new this time and kept a pretty continuous pace throughout the race. I’m sure if the race was flat I would’ve PR’d. Oh well. Race recap soon!
Amara in Training 