So I fell off the wagon again, but now I'm back! I know it's a few days late, but I have a good excuse. This last weekend was an open house event at my future law school, as well as the annual Gala for N's job, and my attendance was required. It was a fantastic day of learning about law school and all it will entail, as well as a wonderful evening of great food, great music, great drinks and great people. That said, all these endeavors left me with no time to get on the bike on Saturday, but I made up for it on Sunday, I promise.
Last week was a week of getting back after my workouts. I had a period of time where I was skipping workouts due to time constraints, feeling badly or just generally being lazy. Two weeks ago I had an honest excuse, as I was actually sick. But this past week was focused on getting my mojo back and hitting my workouts.
Gradual results are difficult to see. Everyone knows that. It's tough to see how far you've come unless you turn around and look.
Here's what I know: My training has given me results already in the pool and with my running. I haven't necessarily seen any results in my cycling yet, but that doesn't mean they're not there. I'm already faster than last year, I'm already lighter than last year, I'm already thinner than last year, and I'm more prepared than last year.
Now, into a little of the nitty gritty and the statistics that tell me I'm faster.
First and foremost, I'm down between 5-7 pounds over last year. Race weight last year was 165. This year, I'm shooting to be closer to 155 for race days. The heaviest piece of equipment at any point during your tri, is you. The leaner you are, the faster you can potentially be. The key word is lean. Don't be a rail, sickly, or unhealthy with this. Don't drop weight just to drop weight. Drop fat and build long, lean muscle. That's where it's at.
My swim times are coming down consistently. The first time I did a 10x100 best average time set, I was swimming at 1:45/100. That was my best average time. I did a 20x100 best average time set last week, and kept everything at 1:30/100 and below (1:25-1:30). Not particularly pro status, but I'm excited by the improvement. I'm hoping by race time I'm seeing averages well below 1:20/100 in training, below 1:10 or more in races, sprints especially.
My running is easily showing the most improvement. Last season, I was thrilled to see a training run dip into the 7s for an average time. At this point that's routine. Right now I'm averaging between 7:30-7:50/mile on all my runs. I'm seeing best mile times hitting 5:15 (in short bursts, these aren't maintained times), and routinely below 6. My race times last year all ended up below 8:00/mile. Some by more than others, but all above 7:45/mile. I truly think this year I may see low 7s/mile, possibly below 7 on some shorter sprints. I may be a little hopeful in that, but time will tell.
My cycling is improving. I don't have as much hard data to prove this, but I can feel it in my legs and my chest. I've done a better job of late of getting on the bike and doing the workouts I need to. I'm hitting speeds I haven't before in short bursts, getting my heart rate higher than I have before on the bike, and I'm riding for longer periods than I have before in the winter. While I don't see the data now, I believe the work I've put in this winter will show up on the road.
I'm looking forward to this season even more than I was before, and my excitement continues to grow as the weather starts to warm up. With the snow melting and the sun shining later into the day (thanks, daylight savings time... I guess.), all signs are pointing towards spring. We in Indiana are just a couple of weeks and a big rain away from taking bikes off the trainers and getting them tuned up to go on the road.
More updates to come in the next couple of weeks, taking my training on the road in the next couple of months, and building into a fun and busy summer! Until then...
Later on!
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