Freethinker ~ Freerunner

My legs felt totally fatigued this morning.  All the extra biking and swimming is starting to take a toll on my body.  I figured I might go through some kind of adjustment period like this as my body begins to acclimate to the rigors of triathlon.  I may need to build in an extra rest day sometime in the next week though in order to heal up and become stronger.  

I ran and sweat today.  It was hot and humid this morning.  I'm not sure how I had any fluid left in me by the time I finished.  I felt like I got a good workout and my legs were only feeling a little fatigued after yesterdays 23 mile bike ride. 

I have spoken with my training buddy Kevin about planning the Oplympic Triathlon in September without compromising my upcoming marathon in November.  He suggested cutting out one bike workout a week in order to get more run time in.  I think that will work perfectly.  I will trade one bike workout for a run, and then make one of my other bike workouts a brick.  That way will be able to run 5 times a week, which should be sufficient to prepare me for the marathon.  

I ran intervals today.  I ran for 7 miles alternating between 8 and 7 minute miles.  I wore myself out pretty good.  

This morning before my run I was reading an article from active.com that was put out by Marathon nation on marathon training.  The writers advice was to pick a marathon 6 months out and then to split the training up into two three month sections.  For the first three months he suggests focusing on speed.  He then suggest taking a two week break in between the two three month sections to heal up before starting the second three month section in which you will add distance.  This got me to thinking that I did not take any break between my half marathon and my triathlon training.  My triathlon training is going to overlap my marathon training by 10 weeks.  I will have had no time to recover and heal before my marathon in November.  I will have been training without a break since January.  I did take one week off in mid February, but that was because I got sick, so I'm not sure that is really the kind of quality rest an endurance athlete needs to repair his body. 

My conclusion is that I'm thinking I will take next week off.  No biking and no running all week.  I will instead focus on calisthenics and I might still go get a few swim workout in.  

This was a 3 mile brick after a 22 mile ride.  I finished out this week pretty hard even though I missed a ride on Monday and a swim at the end of the week, but I'm ready to rest for at least three days.  I've been waking up each morning this week with my leg muscles telling me to get back in bed.  I'm going to listen to my body and rest up to recover for a few days.  

I took all of last week off to rest my over trained fatigued body.  I now feel refreshed and rejuvenated after this mornings 9.75 mile run. 

Now I just need to figure out where my running priorities are.  I have two races upcoming that I want compete in.  One is an Olympic distance triathlon in September.  The other is a marathon in November.  I think I'm going to have to change my goal from 'compete in' to 'participate in' with regard to the triathlon in September so that I can still 'compete in' the marathon.  My goal for the marathon is to run it in under three hours.  The only way I can do that is to back off on my cycling and swimming.  I think I will continue to build volume on the cycling and swimming while gradually increasing my running mileage.  I will then get to a point where I will eventually begin decreasing my cycling and swimming mileage so that my runs do not suffer.  

I am running a 5k race in about two weeks.  To get ready I'm going to run the last two week of Hal Higdon's 5k advanced program.

Today I ran 8 400's at 1:30 each.  I'm sure my calves will be sore since I haven't done any real speed training in several weeks and I took all of last week off.  

Bike: 14.39 miles

Run: 3 miles

Swim: 1,400 meters

Brick workout this morning with a swim this evening.  I felt good and strong throughout all of my workouts today.  It is really amazing what taking a week off to rest and recover can do for the body.  I'm not regretting that decision even though it was a hard one to make. 

I ran a 45 minute tempo run this morning.  It felt good.  

Bike this morning: 14.26 miles

Swim at Heyburn Lake:  1800 meters

Run at Heyburn Lake: 2.74

I ran an easy 12 miles this morning at a relaxed 8:26 mile pace.  The tendon that runs along the arch of my right foot started feeling a little funny at the start of my last mile.  I stopped for just a few seconds and stretched it before continuing on.  I thought about walking the rest of the way home, but it was not a painful feeling just a funny feeling.  I guess the fact that I could feel it at all is what is funny.  I usually don't feel a thing down there.  It felt like it may have just tightened up a little bit and was pulling down towards the bottom of my foot with each toe off.  As soon as I finished the run and walked and stretched I felt it not at all.  I will stretch it and massage it today and then take my planned rest day tomorrow.  Hopefully it was just a fluke.  

Bike: 15.19 miles.  Time: 57:26

Run: 6 (pushing Ty in stroller) Time: 48:43

I'm calling my workout today a baby brick since I took Ty along for the final 6 miles.  He enjoyed himself up until around mile three when he fell asleep.  I enjoyed the extra challenge of pushing him in the stroller for the first time.

I ran a tempo run this morning pushing Ty in the jogging stroller.  My peak pace, which came about 2/3 into the run was about 7:00 minute miles which I sustained for about one minute ten seconds.  My average pace was 8:03.