Race week for USAT Nationals & 10 weeks until Chicago Marathon
Taper for triathlons is always tricky. It’s hard to feel like you are really cutting back yet still get in a little time for each sport. I cut my plan WAY back from what it originally called for, knowing that I wanted to feel really fresh and ready to race on Saturday. This meant 0 bike rides all week and only 1 swim, plus my running miles.
Monday
- Plan: Tempo Run: 2M @ 7:05 – 7:15
- Actual: 6.1M @ 7:53
Slept in until 7:30, then super sweaty tempo miles on the lake front: 7:05, 7:04. My legs were still a bit sluggish from the weekend but I was happy with how they responded to a little push.
No swim or bike in the afternoon. Weird to only have one workout!
Tuesday
- Plan: 45 Easy Run + 1825 Swim
- Actual: 5.35M @ 8:24 + 1900 Swim (main set: 5×100 w/5″ RI, 7×75 VO2 Max)
Woke up early to run before an important 7 a.m. meeting. Not sure if it was because it was so early or that it was super humid but I felt pretty sluggish the whole time. Walter went with me and we both got pretty gritty from the overnight rain.
Maybe my last lunchtime outdoor swim? I felt really good once I got warmed up in the pool and didn’t want the workout to be over so soon!
Wednesday
- Plan: 1:00 Easy Run w/4-5×200
+ 50 min Bike w/15′ Tempo - Actual: 7.7M @ 8:18
A cooler morning but also really early again since I had another 7 a.m. conference call. First 4 were with Walter and my legs felt a little fresher for most of this run. I started to feel blah toward the end which I am thinking is because I didn’t get in any calories at all before I left. For an hour run, I should probably eat a banana or at least drink some juice before I go. The 200’s at the end actually felt good and added some pep to the legs: 49, 46, 47, 45.
Bike was at the shop getting a pre-race tune-up and new bar tape. Instead of going to the gym to spin out my legs indoors, I skipped the second workout and replaced it with a massage.
Thursday
- Plan: OFF
- Actual: OFF
Slept in until 7:15, perched myself on my bed to work all day and rested like a champ. (Also, swapped to my race tires, cleaned my bike and packed for the race!)
Friday
- Plan: 25 min Shake-out run + test swim + short shake-out ride
- Actual: 2.7M @ 8:29 + 560 Swim @ 1:30/100 + ~2M Ride
Char and I went for a nice, easy shake-out with Walter on Friday morning when we got up. It was way warmer and more humid than it had been all week, but my legs felt fresh. We ate breakfast then drove to Milwaukee and went straight to the race site for a test swim. The water was warmer than anticipated and it was good to get in and get some confidence. We grabbed our packets, ate lunch then it was time to ride our bikes over to transition to drop them off. Good timing on everything.
The view from the first 2-3 miles of the run course.
Saturday
- Plan: RACE DAY
- Actual: 2:20:39
Race Report Coming Soon!
Sunday
- Plan: OFF
- Actual: OFF
Early breakfast before driving back to Chicago. Then two naps and lots of couch time. Perfect recovery day.
Totals
- Swim: 4100 yds
- Bike: 26.8 miles
- Run: 28.1 miles
- Time: 6 hours 11 min.
