Monthly Summary – August
Here’s August:
Swim: 13,450 yards
Cycling (outdoors): 22.6 miles
Cycling (indoors): 3:15 (hours)
Run: 80 miles
Strength Training/Yoga: 4 sessions
Approximate monthly total training/racing time: 23:45 (hours)
Weight: 165.0 pounds. Same as last month. I think this is a good, stable weight for me.
It’s been a strange month. Lots of recovery time and then some struggles to get back into training and some physical struggles once I did. I feel like my fitness level has decreased dramatically since the Ironman, which is a tough pill to swallow. I’m still in better shape than at any point in my life other than the few months before the Ironman and right before the NY Marathon, but now it feels like a “tonic” level of fitness (as described by Chris). I can go out and run 10 or 12 or 15 miles without too much struggle or recovery time (barring the hip and foot issues), but I’m not doing it as smoothly or as fast as I know I can do. It also feels more like something I need to do rather than something I want to do. I think that the injuries – and worries about re-aggravating them – is taking some of the fun out of it. Also, I’ve let my guard down some and have been getting less sleep than I’m used to, so I’m pretty tired. I have these competing thoughts, first I tell myself that to get better I need to relax and lay off a bit, but then I think that it’s only through the exercise and training that I feel better. I expected to feel more energized and re-invigorated at this point. I’d say that maybe I need a break from training, but I felt worse during those couple weeks right after the Ironman when I wasn’t training.
The business trip to Denver went well. It was busy, with meetings that lasted all day both days, but I actually wasn’t working that hard. I got up early each morning and went for a nice run on this running path along Cherry Creek. It’s a great path that starts right downtown. We had beautiful, perfect weather – not that I was outside all that often, but for my morning run and the other times I did manage outside, it was pure joy. It got a little hot during the day, but not humid at all, which really made a difference in how it felt. The Hotel (the Hyatt Convention Center) had a great gym – one of the best I’ve seen at a hotel – and a two lane, 20 yard lap pool. There are people running, walking and cycling everywhere. While we sat outside eating lunch yesterday I gave a few moments of serious consideration to moving there!
Labor Day weekend. An extra day off work. And no big plans, except getting in a few runs and hopefully some good sleep!
Bike – August 28
Time: 45 minute
Average heart rate: 121
Indoor ride
Swim – August 28
Distance: 3,000 yards
Time: 55 minutes
Run – August 29
Distance: 3 miles
Time: 25 minutes
Average heart rate: 148
Course: Cherry Creek Path – Denver
Conditions: Great running weather, sunny, mid 60’s
Run – August 30
Distance: 3 miles
Time: 25 minutes
Average heart rate: 146
Course: Cherry Creek Path – Denver
Conditions: Great running weather, sunny, high 50’s
Run – August 31
Distance: 3 miles
Time: 25 minutes
Average heart rate: 146
Course: Greenwich Village
Conditions: Overcast, low 70’s, a bit humid
Swim – August 31
Distance: 3,050 yards
Time: 1:00
cherry creek area is awesome, isn’t it? did you go to peets coffee??
coming off of your ironman training, race, and full experience, i think it would be hard, mentally, to get geared up about more races so soon. i just think that an event like that was so phenomenal in terms of all you put into it, physically, emotionally, and mentally. i am not suprised to hear some of your thoughts/feelings as you tell them….i think it’s just a good idea to keep allowing yourself to have the space for all of it.
and yes, if you are injured or bugged about physical issues, it sure can take the fun out of it.
i hope all my comments make sense. i hope you have a great weekend and sleep well. so important. i love sleep.
looks like you had a decent month even with the physical struggles. thanks for stopping by – jfk here we come!