June 24, 2013 Another Solid Week of Training

I was able to put in another solid week of training now that I’m two weeks out from my first off-road triathlon of the season. Unfortunately, I ordered my wetsuit one size too big so I’ve had to send it back and wait for a replacement; hopefully it comes in time for my race. I’m wearing a scar on my neck from some serious rubbing during my lake swim on the weekend. The wetsuit started “bunching” at the neck about 500m into my swim and I was in the middle of the lake, so I continued swimming and had a sore neck after the 1.2km swim.

I’ve mixed in some strength training and running workouts, but the heat and humidity has limited my time on the mountain bike. The bike leg of my triathlon may end up being my weakness, so I’m hoping to get out on the trails at least a few times before race day.

Here’s what I managed to squeeze in the past week:

June 17 – 4km Run (21:16 / 5’19”) + 6-6-6-6-6-6 Squat @ 175
June 18 – Swim (600m wu / 200m FR 2:53 (50 easy) / 4 x 50 Pull @ :55 / 4 x 50 FR @ :55 (100 easy) 1350m Total
June 19 – 5km Treadmill Run
June 21 – 1.2km Lake Swim

June 17, 2013 Open Water Swim

This past weekend I was able to join a group of triathletes in an early morning, open water swim in Lake Wilcox. It was my first open water swim in years and my first time swimming with a full sleeve wetsuit. The set up at Lake Wilcox includes a buoy line running the length of the lake (1km) with buoys every 25 meters. I felt like I had found a secret triathlete playground as there were probably 50+ athletes swimming, biking and running in the area.

The swim itself was great. I was able to maintain my stroke and felt very buoyant with the full sleeve suit. I only swam 800m but will definitely attempt the full lake crossing next outing. The group is made up of athletes of all skills and fitness levels, and they were very supportive so it’s motivating to continue to train with the team. I’m looking forward to next weekend’s swim.

After the 800m swim, I came home and got ready for a long(ish) run. I decided to challenge myself by running “the loop” which includes a long incline of at least 1.5 km that always makes my want to quit. I made it though the run with an average pace of 5’34”. I’m feeling more confident that I’ll be able to get in shape for my races this summer.