IMAZ Week 17: I feel good

17 weeks down, 7 weeks to go. 5 weeks until taper starts!

The week started out a little sore. My right foot (arch and metatarsals) were feeling pretty tender. In fact, it was sore just walking around on Monday, which of course caused me to stress out and fear that I would never be able to run again! So I took it easy on the running this week and made sure to ice my foot regularly and focus a bit more on swimming. This week I actually got three swim workouts in, which I was stoked about. I swam with T3 twice and also went to Deep Eddy and swam with my wetsuit (and felt awesome).

The long run Saturday morning was tough. It was a good 20 degrees (F) warmer than it was for our long run last weekend and that made a huge difference. I also ran the first 10 miles a little too fast, but sometimes it's good to push myself! So the last 7 miles were a bit of a slog-fest. I felt de-hydrated, my legs were heavy and sore, and I resorted to a few 30s walk breaks in the last couple of miles. It was a tough run. The good news was that my arch and metatarsals weren't bothering me - I could notice a bit of tightness there during the run but it never hurt and it didn't get any worse during the run. I was just pleased that I gutted it out and finished the run, because I really wanted to stop after 10 miles this week! Post-run breakfast tacos and smoothie were delicious and helped to revive me!

Sunday I was really not wanting to ride. Another 6am wake-up call to get ready and drive out to East Austin to start our ride at 8am. Another 100+ miles (106 miles to be exact!). Another full day taken up by training. More windy weather (thankfully only 12mph winds this time and not 20mph winds like last week!). The first two hours on the bike were tough - 12mph winds from the NNW, and we rode for almost the entire time right into the headwind, and I had a desperate need to go to the loo for the entire second hour, with no trees/bushes in sight! Then we stopped at a petrol station which completely revived me. After the quick break we finally started riding to the SSE and the wind was finally at our back, yeah! This is when I really started to enjoy myself. I held a solid pace and felt incredible for the remaining 4 hours of the ride. In fact, I could have easily added on another 20-30 miles. I felt so good on my bike. I was so happy to be out there riding and enjoying the scenery. I couldn't believe that earlier in the day I didn't even want to ride! The weather was gorgeous, the wind finally died down about 4 hours into the ride, and I got to strip down and wear just bike shorts and jersey instead of arm-warmers, leg-warmers, ear-warmers, and toe-warmers! I averaged 17.1mph for the ride which I am really excited about, given that I felt so good. It makes me think that my goal of 17.5mph at Arizona is pretty realistic, if the weather conditions are favourable! The only minor hiccup was a flat tyre, but this was a good opportunity to practice changing the tube in my race wheels, which I was nervous about, but it actually went really smoothly and only took me 9 minutes.

Post-ride a group of us went to Kerbey Lane Cafe for some food. It was so much fun just hanging out, stuffing our faces, chatting, laughing, relaxing. What a great finish to the week. A fantastic ride and fun with friends.

Mon - OFF
Tue - Elliptical Trainer (0.75h) + T3 Swim (1.25h)
Wed - T3 Swim (1h)
Thu - T3 Trainer Ride (1.25h)
Fri - Deep Eddy Swim (0.75h)
Sat - Long Run (17mi/2.75h)
Sun - Long Bike (106mi/6.25h)

Weekly Totals:

Cycling: 7.5h / 131mi (Goal: 8h)
Running: 3.5h / 21.7mi (Goal:5h)
Swimming: 3h / 4.8mi (Goal: 2.5h)

PS
Gordon also had an excellent training weekend. He helped to keep me going for the last 7mi of our long run on Saturday (he finished ahead of me and a lot stronger than me this week!). Sunday he had an awesome bike ride - averaged 17.5mph. He sped away at the start and I only saw him briefly at the petrol station and then not until the end. He had a superb ride!