7 weeks until USAT Nationals & 16 weeks until Chicago Marathon
I took a break from recapping my weekly training after Boston because I was in recovery mode then switching into triathlon training and marathon base building. Now that Chicago training has “officially” started (my training didn’t really change that much from the previous 2-3 weeks), I am picking the recaps back up. I really like being able to look back at more than numbers on a log and see how I was feeling week to week. It is a great confidence booster prior to race day to be able to see the work that I put in over the 16 week cycle.
Meanwhile, I am also training for USAT Nationals, so my bike/swim workouts will also be sprinkled in the recaps.
Monday
- Plan: Tempo Run w/2-3M @7:05-7:20 + 2400 Swim
- Actual 7.8M @ 7:50 avg.
I was in Hamburg and stayed up until 2 a.m. watching the USA vs. Portugal game so I was really tired Monday morning. The run felt super sluggish to start, but my legs somehow found some speed once I got going. Tempo miles: 7:15, 7:10, 7:07. I did feel like I cheated a bit because I had to stop for ~2 min for an emergency bathroom break toward the end of the 2nd mile. According to Coach: It’s not cheating, it just happens…
After the run I packed up my stuff for my 5 hr train ride to Amsterdam. I was hoping to swim once I got there, but ended up not having time before meeting colleagues for dinner.
Not taken on this run, but this is the lake where I did the majority of my runs in Hamburg, including this tempo.
Tuesday
- Plan: 1:00 Easy Run + 1:10 Ride w/9×1′ Sprints
- Actual: 7.1M @ 8:28 avg.
Fortunately I didn’t have to be up as early in Amsterdam as I did the week before in Hamburg. I headed over to Vondelpark for an easy hour run around 6:30 a.m. The park smelled like burnt hot dogs, but other than that is a nice little sanctuary of nature in the midst of the city. My Hamburg hotel had a gym the week before but the one in Amsterdam didn’t so I scratched the ride…but likely wouldn’t have had time for it anyway since the day was pretty busy with work.
In front of Reijks Museum. (From my walk to dinner Monday evening)
Wednesday
- Plan: 1:30 Ride w/7×3′ Hard Effort + 2500 Swim
- Actual: 2700 Swim (main set: 7×200, 4×25 sprint)
Again, no hotel gym meant no ride. But after a little research, I found a pool that was open to the public that I could use before work. I took the tram over to Het Marnix which is a really nice facility (despite co-ed bathrooms?!). They only had 3 lanes open for lap swim, so I hopped in the one that appeared to be the fastest (the others were marked “schnell” which I thought was some form of the word slow) and tried to find space in the group. It was stop and go with the others in the lane for a bit, but eventually the crowd thinned and I was able to get in a good workout.
Thursday
- Plan: Speedwork w/7-8×400 @ 1:35-40 + 2400 Swim
- Actual: 7.1M @ 8:22 avg.
It was finally my travel day to go home! I got up early to get the workout in before my flight. I ran over to Vondelpark again which thankfully didn’t smell this time. The repeats felt a little choppy like I was surging and slowing and maybe my Garmin was jumping around a bit too. Either way, not a bad workout: 1:38, 1:38, 1:36, 1:37, 1:43 (watch off), 1:36, 1:38, 1:35. It felt good to move before getting on a plane for 9 hrs.
I thought maybe I would feel good enough to swim when I got home, but I was exhausted and pushed it off for later.
Was happy to go home but a little sad to bid farewell to such a beautiful city.
Friday
- Plan: Strength Routine + 45 min Easy Run + 1:10 Easy Ride
- Actual: Strength + 5.5M @ 8:19 avg. + 17M @ 14.7 mph
It was relatively cool Friday morning with a really wet fog over the city. I did my strength stuff then took Walter with me for a nice, easy run. I felt good the whole time and had to really watch my pace to make sure I kept it within “easy” range.
Once the fog burned off, the beaches came alive and I knew that it would be a mess trying to ride Friday afternoon. After not having been on a bike in nearly two weeks though, I figured it was worth it to get a few miles in. No amount of mental prep ever prepares me for the stupidity on the Lakefront Path on a summer afternoon. People pay zero attention and it can be a dangerous venture to try to ride clipped in. I took it SUPER slow and tried not to get frustrated. In the end I am glad I went, but it was a good reminder that early morning rides are the only option from now on.
Saturday
- Plan: Shake-out Ride + 2400 Swim + Beer Run
- Actual: 5.8M Ride @ 14.7 mph + 2400 Swim (main set: 7×100 w/5″ rest, 7×100 VO2 Max w/45″ rest) + ~3M @ ~9:30 avg.
Maybe not the best prep for race day?
Sunday
Totals
- Swim: 6770 yds
- Bike: 47 miles
- Run: 37 miles
- Time: 9 hours 50 min.
