Friday, June 8, 2012

Stressing....


1. I'm starting to second guess my training plan I am using. I don't know why I have started to do this, but I am. My run days have always been wed (speed work) and Friday (hills) along with a short brick and a longer brick run on tues/sat and Sunday as my long run day. Since switching off the half ironman plan I was using to the full ironman plan, they do not have me running as much. Or, I guess I should say all the run days are the same expect for Friday. A lot of the Friday runs are either optional or they are not there at all. Actually a lot of the workouts say optional by them in this plan and I'm like ahhh... what should I be doing? I understand as the bricks increase in mileage and the long runs get longer and longer my weekly run mileage will still be high. Yet it feels like I am doing less since switching to the IM plan. This morning I decided to listen to the plan and not run. Also my cranky hip/back pain that I had last year seems to be creeping back. So I guess a rest run day was welcomed.
 
2. I am also stressing out about pool time. Currently I swim at the Eastern Market pool. The problem is that they close the pool from 5pm - 6:30 ish for the swim team. I have been swimming right after I get off of work from 4-5, but sometimes I can only get 50 minutes of swimming in. This really isn't enough time for me to fit a 3000 yard and higher workout in. Now, yes one could always tell me to just swim at 6:30pm and that would be the easy solution, but I like having my evenings free like I am a normal person. Plus well I get cranky when the pool is super crowded in the evenings. My current swim days are wen/fri/sun. Sunday was more or less a recovery swim day but I think I'm going to have to switch to this to my long swim day. Haines Point's pool is not open on Wednesday and I'm too lazy to waste the half hour on the metro to/from Wilson's pool. So, Wednesday can be my shorter swim day or whatever I can fit in, in a 45-60 minute time period. Friday, I will either come into work earlier so I can get to the pool earlier or swim at the Haines Point pool and not feel rushed to get my workout in. I think this will work?
 
3. I went to a real track in the first time in a very long time. On Wednesday evening I ran over to Gallaudet University University's track. It's only about 1.7 miles from my house which makes for a nice warm up/cool down. The track was super nice. It was also a nice switch from trying to do speed work on city blocks which usually just turns into a tempo or mile repeats for me. I didn't want to over do it, so I just did 3 x 800s with a recovery 800 in-between each. I also did just 1 x 400. Yeah I know it wasn't a super long workout, but I have to start somewhere. I also need to learn how to set my watch to get my splits. I basically re-set it after every 800 which was pretty annoying. Now the question is: do I attempt to go to the track on Wendeday morning with the DC Tri group from now on? The problem here is that they practice at Banneker track near Howard. This is a little tricky for me to get to and the area is a little sketchy especially when practice starts at 5:45am. Man I guess it already sounds like I am making up excuses not to go. I don't know. Or I continue to go in the evenings by myself and give up my one free week night that I have. Oh the decisions. Or I guess I continue to do what I have been doing and run tempos in the morning and go to the track every so often.
 
I guess overall I am stressing about all my workouts ... ugh... I hate when I get like this.
 
At any rate, I hope everyone has a great weekend and good luck to those racing Eagleman :)

8 comments:

  1. I know exactly what you mean, I got a coach not because her plan was necessarily BETTER but because it would take the stress away. Stick to the plan you have, consistency will be more important than anything else during IM training. Switch the days around as it makes sense for your life and schedule. Don't worry about mileage, I run (or "run" when injured) 3 days a week and won't get even close to 40 miles per week at all during training.

    Also, sorry, but the idea that you'll have a normal social life is hysterical. If you're home by 6:30 every night, its only going to be so you can eat your entire kitchen and fall into bed.

    Happy training!

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  2. pool hours are the bane of my existence!

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  3. I would say you should stick with the plan. The people who write those know what they are doing!

    And wouldn't it be nice to have your own pool so you could swim whenever you wanted? If I ever win the lottery, that's what I'm using the money for. :)

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  4. I changed my plan for a HIM and totally changed all my days. The roughest part for me is Tues/Thurs becasue my plan calls for a swim/run on those days. I choose to get up super early to fit them in before work, so I still have family time in the evenings. Getting up super early lets me know I am committed somehow (mindgames), plus I like having my workouts done before 8

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  5. I hate the hours at our pool too! The only time that works for us is 7-9pm (maybe 10) and you have to get there a little early to get in line so that you can get a lane! Ugh, it's annoying.

    Also, I love that you ran at Gallaudet's track. I'm a sign language interpreter so I know a lot about Gallaudet!

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  6. I'm also all for trusting the plan. My long runs are on Monday, 45 minute run on Wednesday and I always run 20-30 minutes off my long rides. Seems to be working because I feel pretty "rested" for those runs.

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  7. I would not sweat the swim to much. Louisville's swim is possibly the easiest of all the IM swims as most of it is down river. As for the run, hills will not be a factor at Louisville as the entire run course is flat, but heat will be, so getting those brick sessions in off the bike and making sure you have your nutrition down for running will be very important. As much as I like to run I think running to many long runs can increases your chances of injury, so it is probably a good thing your plan has cut them back some. I am not sure which IM training program you are using, the one I did last year for Louisville had us doing two double brick workouts where we biked like 40 miles and then ran 40 minutes and one triple brick of 40 mile rides and 40 minute runs. We ended up doing these with it being 80-90 degrees out and the triple brick was IMO a it to much. For track work, if you can get over to Wilson High School on Wed's at 6:30, Hillary Peabody holds a weekly session which I found to be really helpful for speed work, Hillary also did Louisville last year as well so she might have good specific advice she can give you for your IM.

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