Big Days to Make Up for Blah Days

A little bit of an update, a little bit of a ramble, a little bit of some training stats and post-workout eats. Bear with me... my mind is in multitask mode!

This helps me realize that I can't get too stressed or pissed about training.

I had to look back on past blogs to see what the latest news was that I had shared on my training. I didn't do a couple of the races I wanted to -- that Olympic tri nor SD RnR -- but it was for the best. There was a lot more going on than just my wrist for a handful of weeks recently and I was struggling to just get in anything that I would consider legit training. Quite frankly training was sucking and wasn't happening like it needed to be, and I had more days off/crappy days than ever. I was busy, I was tired, I was stressed, and I was getting pissy for feeling like a bad athlete, blah blah. Thankfully Lucho and I came up with a plan to lay low on posting structured workouts and let my body and my schedule dictate what the day's workout(s) would be, without feeling so committed to something so detailed -- sometimes it can be quite stressful to have a workout posted and you're scrambling to figure out how the hell it's gonna happen, and letting go and going with the flow may be the better option. Lucho is without a doubt still coaching me, but we've been mixing it up a bit and trying new things.


One plus is that I am OUT of the wrist brace and training like normal. There are still some things I can't do -- like push myself up on the pool deck to get out -- but overall I am able to go on like normal.

So that said, lately, I've been trying to get in some bigger days to complement those days that are so demanding that it's hard to get in a quality workout, if anything. What I'll do is work like crazy (even doing extra) on my busy days and get really ahead. Then I have a day that's mostly dedicated to training, and I load it up: swim, bike, run, everything! Thankfully working for myself I can put in 10-15 hour work days to make the big training day possible. Hell, I'm already into a 13-hour day today so far and still going!

The first time I tried this it went great and I loved it. I found myself wanting to to all the training rather than feeling like my mind was only half involved because I knew I had to be somewhere at 3pm or whatever. Normally sandwiching in workouts between calls, meetings, etc, and it's near impossible to do a long run off the bike for example... I'm sure you can relate. The goal is to still be consistent and not go days without training or anything like that, nor do the mega days needs to happen 24/7. But right now this is a good strategy for me mentally. It makes me feel more organized, and we all know a Type A thrives off that.

Father's Day fun. One real dad.

And one "adopted" dad.

This week John got on board and we took the "big day" strategy to the next level with IM Tahoe in mind. On Monday, he and I road tripped to Big Bear Lake for the day to swim-bike-run (John is self-employed thank god). We took our time in the morning and made the ~2hr drive at ease, no rush (we hosted a big Father's Day party the day prior, yikes). Big Bear was our first taste of training in altitude in prep for Tahoe, and it just so happens Big Bear is about the same elevation -- the lake sits at just over 6,700 ft and the roads for riding go up to 8,600 ft.

So how was it being up high? Surprisingly, the best for me was the swim. I felt great in the water and had no trouble breathing and moving along. Granted, I was not swimming at lightning speed, but do I ever? Haha. I swam more than a mile as long nonstop sets, enough to figure out if it felt like breathing through a straw, and it didn't.

Resarched a cool little place to start our swim called China Island. Right off the 18 when you get to the lake. Very pretty and a great starting place!

You have to hike down a little trail to get to the swim spot.

Me being happy with a good swim. What a relief!

Onto the bike, and we did a cool route that was recommended to me by Ryan Denner, which I later found out is a popular ride -- around the lake + climbing to Onyx Summit. The climb is like 6-8 miles or something (can't remember off the top my head) and the grade isn't too crazy at all, like around a 4-5% average. However, getting to 7500ft...8000ft...etc... I started to feel it. I was a lot weaker than doing the same kind of thing at sea level (or maybe it was the beers the day prior?). It wasn't a disaster but it got me a little nervous.

Getting to the summit. I always love when
the little blue dot is in the middle of nowhere.

We then did a short t-run and that just felt like butt. Mentally I was a little discouraged thinking about running a marathon feeling like that, especially since I can't say that my marathon skills are that well-developed at all! But it is what it is, and next time we go up I'm sure I'll learn more and be better off (the mind is a powerful thing), not to mention I'll avoid hosting a party the day prior ;)

Finishing the ride.... then fast foward to recovery mode with 110 Compression for the drive home! These two things (my Skratch kit and 110 socks) are quite possible my fav's. #obsessed

No trip for us is without a stop at the local brewery in town!
Beers were good, not great. Too mellow for my taste. But a post-workout
beer really can't be that bad ;)

The good news is, I recovered from Monday's adventure quickly (just a 50' run Tuesday, some strength then otherwise at my desk slammed with work) and I was motivated to get in another big day Wednesday because Thur-Sun are screwed as far as any quality training goes (why later). Wednesday. Ahhh. Loved it. It was the best long day I've had in a looong time. Logged in more than 5 hours of consecutive swim, bike run and I didn't die or poop out! Yippee!

It started later (due to work) at ~10:55am with a solid 2,200 swim in a pool I usually don't go to. This pool had to be close to 90 degrees and it was under a hot sun; it was torture! But I just kept thinking, "Vegas training, Vegas training." I felt shakey after that swim though...

Then 60 miles of riding with lots of hills, many of them offering some steep grades. Not the fastest ride ever but watts were there (170-180w overall average, and avg's of 220-230+ w on all the big hills that were 5+ minutes). The one thing that stood out to me (besides the summer heat) was the realization that I don't think I'll ever get sick of Apple Pie Bonk Breakers. I look forward to and crave that particular one all the time haha.

Last but not least a run, 8 miles at about a 7:40-8:00 pace throughout, HR comfortably in the 150s. It felt good to have a solid run in the midday heat at a sub-8 avg without blowing up the HR. I did run out of calories/drink toward the end and wished I had more, but I think I had gotten in close to 700 or more throughout this workout, so I felt a little bonky but not too bad.

I had one request that night for dinner: STEAK. I'm trying to eat red meat 2-3x a week nowadays. I actually just got a full blood test and my iron/ferritin levels are the best they've ever been for me and I'm nowhere near anemic (never had been anemic), but plentiful quality red meat is beneficial in many other ways other than providing iron, so bring.it.on. I served that steak with a yummy one-dish concoction of Brussels sprouts, onion, spaghetti squash, acorn squash, spinach, mushrooms and parsley with just some salt and pepper in a creamy sauce of goat yogurt/mushroom soup. I had some requests for the recipe -- well, there it is haha. I didn't measure anything. I just chopped up what we had and threw it in a big pan and let it all cook and the soup soak in, added the goat yogurt at the very end. Usual hodgepodge sorta thing for me.

The meal. Round 1. Had about 2-3 servings on the plate before I just started eating from the bowls/dishes everything was served in. What?

Now as to why I won't be doing any training until Monday again? It's all for a good reason. One of those "I am choosing significant life events that only happen once" deals. Today I've been working my boo-tay off because tomorrow I depart early for a one-of-a-kind bachelorette party in Yosemite! Yup, my very close friend Sara is getting hitched to an awesome dude, and in typical Sara fashion we are going to rough it to celebrate! I am sincerely excited to camp and get into gorgeous nature. If she had chosen Vegas I would have questioned her sanity... and me desire to even attend haha. Vegas once this year will be more than enough.

That's all for now!

Cheers to summer and long days of sunshine and warmth. I love this time of year xoxoxoxoooo