So I got through last week in one piece. The only downside to it was a lack of sufficient sleep, but the funny thing is I barely noticed, what with the altitude and all that I was at. Plus, when I am at about 18+ training hours per week, the metabolism is so revved and I'm so excited (despite sheer exhaustion many days) that I stay up a bit late. Now that the sun is up at 5AM, no more sleeping in until 5:30!
Weekly Totals 05/07/2007-05/13/2007
Swim: 13850 yards (7.86 miles) in 4.98 hours; 25% of weekly workout time; approx. 1744 calories burned
Bike: Approx. 129.79 miles in 7.42 hours; 37% of weekly workout time; approx. 3367 calories burned
Run: Approx. 42.14 miles in 6.73 hours; 34% of weekly workout time; approx. 3048 calories burned
Strength: 0.95 hours; 5% of weekly workout time; approx. 238 calories burned
All Sports: Approx. 179.79 miles in 20.08 hours; approx. 8397 calories burned
Sleep: 7.68 hours avg./night
Stretching: 2.58 hours. Massage: 1.5 hours
Saturday's ride was done, as I expected, at less than optimal intensity. My quads were shot from all the hilly (mountainous???) running, and I hadn't biked in about a week. Plus we had some stiff winds. I did as best I could and just put in the time. I rode Bitchie, which was nice, because at least I got to relax in the aero position a lot (especially into the wind).
After biking, I decided it would be good to hit the pool for :20 just to chill out my legs. And the pool had a special on FREE OXYGEN!!! Normally when I swim after a 4+ hour ride, the swimming is, well, not so much. But Saturday it felt easy. I definitely got a red blood cell boost from just a week at altitude.
After swimming, I got a massage and then hit the grocery store, got home, ate steak and pasta with walnut pesto sauce (I believe I've posted the recipe here), watched the finale of my favorite TV show, "As Time Goes By," and passed out.
Yesterday morning it was chilly, and my heat was on! But the forecast called for a high of 70, so I figured, what the heck, tank top, shorts and arm warmers. I was riding La Gazza Ladra (there are no magpie birds here in Illinois, so I had to make do). Since my legs were still toasted, I figured I'd head out east :30 and then back. I was cold. I stopped back at home and added a short-sleeve jersey. I went back out. Having stopped in my nice warm house, I think my body figured out just how cold I really was. I rode about 2.5 miles and turned around for more clothes. This time, I added fleece-lined cycling tights and a brand new Giordana jacket that I had never worn. The jacket cost like $200 or something, and turned out to be the perfect gear for what felt like 48 degrees and windy. Now I was in business, and I headed to my interval loop and banged out some decent intensity, even though my quads were literally fried. I saw various roadies, and I was happy that I was representing well in all my Italian splendor.
I put in almost exactly 3 hours, which is what was called for, and of course as soon as I finished, the sun came out! Great, because I had to run. So I stripped off the jacket, jersey, arm warmers and tights, and was left with my original outfit of black tank and shorts. I added a hat, running shoes, and I was off.
FREE OXYGEN ALL DAY!!! Normally a brick run after a hard ride feels like crap, but this felt like a piece of cake! Except for the fact that my quads protested mightily from running on asphalt (which I had not been on since the prior weekend), I was running easily, breathing easily (and freely!!), and feeling, well, GREAT. Ah, if brick runs would always feel like this! Maybe my brain will play a psychological trick on me from now on having felt like this!
I ran :40 at a little slower than tempo pace, but I did not feel badly at all. AND, I had no issues at all charging all the hills! I should have run a race.
I was putting things away when I decided to leaf through the USAT booklet, and noticed that the coaching certification classes are in Colorado Springs! Yee-haw! I'm going to book the Level 1 for 2008 and get that process started finally. And stay in the area for a week and find a road race that I can run right after I get back down to sea level. I am noticing that the universe is presenting me with things to guide me in the direction that I should be going. It's a wonderful ride, so far. When I look at my event calendar, I think I must be nuts, but despite being highly fatigued this morning, I'm happy as a clam.
La Vita e Bella!
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