Weekly Workout Recap: Week of May 26th

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As I mentioned last week, I am going to start my weekly workout recaps again to help hold me accountable.  I am excited to be back to working out twice a day and can tell my sessions with my trainer have really made me stronger.  I can tell a difference in the pool.

Monday:

Rest.  J and I were heading back from the lake on Memorial Day.  We were on the road most of the day so I decided to take a rest day.  We instead picked out a new refrigerator. 

Tuesday:

Personal Trainer session and 8.53 mile bike ride.

My personal trainer session was much needed.  I am starting to get some stress regarding our move so I was really glad she pushed me.  We focused on a full body workout and even did some tire flipping. In the past flipping the tire was too challenging and I had to limit my reps but I made it through the entire set!  Woo hop!

After my training session, I loaded up the bike and headed to Route 66 park.  The park is near our new house so I wanted to give it a go.  It is a little under 2 miles for the loop.  So I did 4 loops and added a little bit at the end to make sure I made it over 8 miles.  I was a little slower than I had been in the past (i.e. last fall).  But I have only been on the bike once since last fall so it make sense that I was slow.  I am hoping the more I ride I will get back to my normal speed.

Wednesday:

30 Day Shred and 900 yard swim.

My training plan calls for strength training Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.  (I plan to switch to 1 day a week with the personal trainer).  Since my plan called for strength training, I decided to knock out 30 Day Shred.  I did level 1 and I have to say it was easy (actually too easy).  I need larger weights but that will have to wait until after we move so I will continue doing lighter weights until that happens.  I may go to the gym and then swim to get in a better strength training workout.

The 900 yard swim was brutal.  My arms and shoulders were pretty sore from Tuesday's session with the trainer.  I powered through the swim but it wasn't good.  I can tell it has been a long time since I have been in the pool.  My first 300 was great probably one of my fastest and that was a relief.  But the next 600 was a struggle.  I wanted to do 1000 but my shoulders would have none of it.

Thursday:  

20 minute elliptical and a personal trainer session.

I kind of forgot how my legs felt when training for my first triathlon but I remember clearly now.  My legs felt tired a lot of the time.  Thursday mornings elliptical was a tiring cardio session.  My legs felt tired but as I ran they definitely loosened up.  

My personal trainer session was much better than the elliptical run.  My legs felt better but my mid back was tight.  We did some back stretches which helped.  We then did a lot of upper body moves and I left feeling refreshed.

Friday:

30 Day Shred and 1000 yard swim.

I woke up on Friday with my middle back not feeling great.  I think the mixture of packing and starting triathlon training was really draining it.  I tried to keep up my workouts but I definitely didn't push myself completely.

I knocked out 30 Day Shred and then headed to the pool.  I did swim one of my fastest 300 yards in a while and was able to swim the additional 700 yards without problem.  So that was a plus.

Saturday:

Saturday I had a run scheduled.  But J and I woke up early with J's mother then went back to bed.  When we went back to bed we ended up waking up pretty late.  I decided to cut my run because I knew I needed to start packing.  We were able to knock out a huge portion of our packing so I felt much better.

Sunday:

Bike 9.63 miles followed by a 15 minute run.

J and I headed to Route 66 park to knock out our first Brick of the training season.  We completed 9.63 miles on the bike.  I am still slower than I wanted but I felt better than I did on Tuesday's ride.  J rode lead so he pushed me a little harder especially in the headwinds.  I now have 6 weeks to get faster on the bike.

15 minute run.  I know the runs are always going to be hard after riding the bike.  But it wasn't too bad.  I am still slower than I would like but I kept my form the entire time which is really what I am most concerned about right now.  

Overall, I am really happy with my first week of knocking out two workouts a day.  I also was happy that I wasn't starving the entire time.  Last year when I trained I was hungry 24/7.  So I am hoping to do better with eating this time around.  

Total Workout Time:  3 hours 45 minutes

What workouts did you do last week?

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My Longest Ride

I did it!  I road my longest ride and I didn't freak out and I did it all by myself!  Sunday I loaded up my bike and headed to Oak Point Nature Preserve.  

The nature preserve is a quick drive to our house and offers a ton of different trail options so I knew I could ride a lot of miles without having any issues.  Little did I know it would go as well as it did.  

I wore my knew cycling shirt from The Clymb and it worked out perfectly!  It had a pocket in the back for my gel, cell phone, and keys.  

I made two loops around the park and although it was crowded in a few spots, I still managed to go 15.04 miles in 1:07:56.  I still have a lot of work in the speed department but my average pace was a lot faster than I have went before and it was the farthest I have even went.  I really enjoyed the ride and plan to make oak point nature preserve a weekly regular.  

My New Bike



If you saw my workout schedule on Monday, you may remember that I planned on riding my bike this week.  Well to ride a bike you have to own a bike and I do now!  After my last doctor’s appointment for my knee, I was a little disappointed.  The doctor stated that I really needed to run 5 times a week to be able to run a half without causing issues like my IT band problem.  Unfortunately with my back, I can’t run that many days in a row.  I can handle 3 times a week but 5 times not going to happen without me being in a ton of pain.  So I was pretty upset with the fact that I would not be able to run long distances.  I knew running 3-6 miles was not enough exercise for my body so I wanted to step it up a notch. 

I started deciding what I was going to do.  That’s when my husband suggested triathlons.  I thought he was nuts and I thought triathlons were long distances for running, swimming, and biking.  But then I learned there are sprint triathlons.  A sprint triathlon is a short distance triathlon.  Typically, you swim 750 meters, bike 20-K, and run a 5K.  I started reading more about them and looking for races near my location.  I have found several in the area but wasn’t sure if I would be able to handle it. 

So I started riding a stationary bike at the gym and liked that.  This made me think I probably would like riding outside more.  I then started doing a lot of bike research.  I am still no expert, but I felt pretty good about everything.  Plus, my husband started researching as well.  We then went to three different local bike shops to get a feel for everything and suggestions.

The first stop was Richardson Bike Mart.  My husband and I came into the shop not knowing much about bikes but hoping to have great customer service and learn more about bikes.  Let’s just way we met that goal.  The sales person was knowledgeable and very friendly.  He guessed by height pretty accurately and told me that I would need a 54cm bike.  He showed us several different models and told us that the Specialized Allez Compact would be a great bike for me.  I took it for a spin in the parking lot but did not feel super comfortable on the bike.  I felt very wobbly and had issues turning.  I took that for not being on a bike like that ever in my life time.  The sales person suggested I rent a bike to see if I would enjoy it.  My husband and I liked that idea.

The next stop was Plano Cycling and Fitness. We decided to go to another place to see what they suggested and see if I found a bike I liked more.  The sales person was very helpful.  The first thing he suggested was a women’s bike.  He said that even though I am tall and have the size to ride a man’s bike like the Allez, I would likely feel more comfortable on a women’s bike.  He did an electronic measurement of my body to determine the bike size I would need.  He too said I would need a 54cm bike.  He suggested the Specialized Dolce Compact the shop did not have the entry level bike in my size so I test road the next level up in the Specialized Dolce.  As soon as I started riding, I could already tell the difference between the Allez and the Dolce.  I felt more comfortable on the bike but still wasn’t completely sure.  I still had problems with my steering.  We left the shop happy with the store and suggestions.

The last stop was the Bike Mart in Frisco.  The shop is super close to our house and had a great selection.  Our sales person was also very knowledgeable.  He too suggested a women’s bike and said I would need a 54cm bike.  He showed us Specialized bikes as well as Trek Bikes.  He stated the Trek would be a great entry level bike and they had a Trek Lexa Sport on sale.  The bike was a step up from the entry level bike which means it has a carbon fiber fork which will help wen riding on not smooth surfaces.  I immediately liked the price of the bike since I was getting a better bike for my money, but I still wanted to give it a test ride.  So I took it for a spin in the parking lot.  I immediately felt better.  I could steer better and I felt more confident.  The salesperson said that I could steer better because the Trek bikes have a shorter top tube than the Specialized brand.  I took the bike for another loop and knew I really wanted it.  My husband and I asked the salesperson to put the bike on hold while we went to lunch to discuss the bike.  We did our research at lunch to make sure we were getting a good deal and decided to buy it.  We returned to the store and added a water cage, computer to help keep track of cadence and mph, and a helmet.  I decided to pass on bike shorts and shoes until I became use to the bike. 

I took the bike home and took some laps on it while basketball was at half time.  I realized then I should have bought bike shorts.  My butt was killing me!  The weather has been terrible this week but I am looking forward to breaking in my new bike and training for my first sprint triathlon!