Week 3 - Moving Closer

Last week was a fall back week, with 2 swims, 2 focused bike training rides with 1 mile brick runs afterward, 2 runs and a big 6 mile / 3 hours paddling in the bay! I also did a little ride on my tri bike to test out the aero bars at Crissy Field on the way to Sports Basement. I finally got some new cycling shoes! Getting a few more little things I need ready for race day. I try to throw in a few minutes of training on my bike commute everyday.

Sunday Best

Intervals and sweet spot training with Trainer Road app. 

Testing out the aero position and hydration on new bike

SUPatraz

6 miles of SUP on the bay supporting Water World swimmers was a full body workout! My arms were still sore from masters swimming. I tried several different positions on the board, including my seated setup. It was a little choppy at times when the wind was gusting. Nothing gets you to be in the moment like balancing atop your board in the water! We had a large group of swimmers and took care of the back section. Some swimmers couldn't catch their breath or keep up and they had to be repositioned. Once they got picked up, I had to go and catch up to the other swimmers in the back. It was a very exciting swim and great to see people crossing it for the first time. The ebb has been very strong.

I was pretty sore after this for the whole weekend, I must admit. I didn't really get another long bike ride as planned, but a 3 hour paddle was beneficial for my body because I feel it has some therapeutic benefits for my back. It feels a lot less sore each time I do these, and great for mental toughness training.

12 more days until USATGNC !

I am completely self-funded for my race. Help me raise funds for Back on My Feet! 

Week 4 - Swim Swim Swim!

Countdown to USAT AGNC! : 19 days! Last week I joined the local masters group SF Tsunamis and did 2 workouts and almost 3 hours of swimming. This is a big improvement. I was able to do flip turns without any sciatica pain, AND hang through the entire session, so that is a good feeling. Better late than never! Plus they are a friendly group. Weekly total: 3 swims, 4 runs, and a long bike. One of the swims was a short open water swim, and one of the runs was bricked after the long bike. I plan on doing some swim-bike bricks this week after getting acclimated to the workouts, and a shorter bike-run brick today. If I put it on my schedule I'm more likely to do it. I commute by bike at least 50 miles per week, with towing heavy cargo up hills (my SUP) on Sunday, so that is all factored in. We've been busy this month at Water World Swim with back to back weekends of events. Getting enough rest and recovery is one of my goals. On Sunday I had an easy day of stand up paddling and stretching. The water felt great for my legs.

7 workouts, getting ready to add an extra rock

Rollin' deep with my Water World Peeps

Masters swim here we go

Long bike, a bit hillier than the race course!

Brick run with my running partner

Nice view from the trails

Half of my runs were with my furbaby on trails, and I did some miles with Back on My Feet Team SoMA.  I'm so proud of our members and volunteers that completed the San Francisco Half Marathon this weekend! This was a first time for many. I am trying to raise money for them so please chip in if you can. Running for a cause has been very rewarding and motivating and they are a fun group to volunteer with.

Running with Back on My Feet

Diet is on point. Eating HFLC lots of veggies and a carb day on the weekend. Adding a little more sweet potato, sprouts and suflower seed butter helped push down the plateau a little more. I managed to lose almost another pound and energy levels are great! Experimenting with putting carb-up day on the long bike day. I have a lot of fun healthy recipes to share when I get more time. I've been on a nuts and seeds trip. Look for me on instagram runrenerun.

I did some homework and took a look at the course I will be doing in a few weeks. The water will be mid 80s (no wetsuit) and the bike course will have some elevation which has me a little bit concerned and doing more research. It will be very hot!  I will try to make my workouts a little more specific and focused to these parameters. Thus, the warm pool swimming!

Week 5 - Ramping up to peak

Last week was week 5 and I realized I was a week behind on my countdown (LOL!). I finally got into the groove of the workout schedule and energy management. I was able to ramp it up this week and finally do a longer bike ride on Saturday afternoon with Kathleen of Forging Ahead. We did the gorgeous Paradise Loop (easy version) and since I normally do the hilly version, I almost forgot how nice and cool it is to just bike around the water. Also, we saw whales from the Golden Gate Bridge on the way back. Perfect! In total, I managed 2 swims, 3 bikes and 2 runs. I've added another rock to my zen garden fitness tracker (7 total) and will add another this week. I'm hoping to add some bricks in there and get some more gear that I need. I am going to go to the SFM expo and check out the deals.

Paradise Loop Ride

Paradise Loop Ride

Paradise Loop Ride

Presidio Ride - Short hilly loops

Cycletrack Ride - speed intervals

In the weight/energy management department, I've been doing HFLC and carb cycling, which is working out great. I'm 7 pounds down since May. I've added sweet potato on mid week and on Friday, and then have high carb on Saturday. This time my carb source was purely homemade sourdough: I had sourdough pancakes with yogurt and farmer's market stone fruit, homemade sourdough bread for lunch which takes 3 days to make, and homemade heirloom tomato and basil pizza with homemade sourdough crust. The sourdough is supposed to be less impact on your blood glucose levels. I also had Halo Top ice cream, which wasn't as much of a sugar bomb than the other kinds. I think it's time to up the carbs a little bit more throughout the week to stay energized.

After talking with a few of my friends and my energy levels getting back up, I am thinking of joining a swim masters program and doing a few workouts. I know I can't get 100% involved in it but a few workouts will help me alot. I'm worried that I won't get enough sleep or recovery time because of the time that it starts, I will check it out and see what I can manage.

Week 6 - Summer of Love Yoga Celebration

This week's training: Almost 7 hours!
4th of July Bike/Run brick workout
2 group runs with Back on My Feet Team SoMa
Morning Ride through Presidio
Open Water Swim with Pedro
Stand Up Paddling
Summer of Love Iyengar Yoga Celebration with Theresa Marks at IYISF
Lots of walks in the park with the dog!

Biking

Swimming

This weekend, I felt I needed to rest and stretch, so I opted for an Iyengar yoga workout. It was a great way to check-in with my past injury and notice how much better my back and hip feels. Hardly any pain. For months I felt like the pain would never go away. My doctor said I am at risk of injury again so that is always in the back of my mind. I don't want to mess it up before the tri. I really like this yoga, it feels really supportive with the use of props. Even though I'm physically active, I am not always in tune with what my body needs. It's hard to stop and rest as I feel I always need to keep on going and do more. Coming back from injury I feel I need to double down, which may not be smart. After yoga I feel a little more connected and tuned in.

Week 7 - Zen Garden Fitness Tracker

This week, focused more on time and quantity of workouts. Each workout will have some kind of purpose whether it's speed, endurance or active recovery. I'm tracking my week with a zen rock garden. Each rock is a workout, aiming for an hour each. I did a swim, a bike, 2 runs and 3 hours of paddling on Sunday around Alcatraz and Aquatic Park which counts as 2 rocks. I was so sore the next day! Next week I will try to add in some brick workouts. Each day I try to do at least one thing that will help me improve or get ready for race day.

Zen Rock Garden Fitness Tracker

Hybrid Sup

Paddle attachment that lets you kayak with your SUP paddle

Beautiful paddle around Alcatraz

Time to get ready!