It is amazing how life can get so busy that I don't seem to have even a moment to sit down and get thoughts pecked out into readable script. I have worked my ass off this week, in my opinion. Yes, I could work out longer, harder, but I have to take my real life responsibilities into account when scheduling in my workouts. True, I have always managed an hour or two a day for my personal fitness so it's not like I am really adding in anything new. Just harder.
The crux of harder workouts are the demands it makes on my body. I need more food. I need more sleep. I hit the bed exhausted at my normal 11pm and crash hard, barely able to wake with my 6am alarm. I know I should be getting to bed earlier, but there are so many things that always need doing. All the mundane chores that keep my life clicking along with reduced stress and increased beauty. I need to maintain my surroundings in order to maintain my sanity. But damn, there are only so many hours in a day. Not for the first time am I envying the professional athlete. I would love to have a few sponsors that would pay me to train and compete. What a pipe dream! But I don't, and likely won't. So I will just keep pounding ahead, spending too much time at a job to pay the bills, getting home and jumping into a 2 hour workout, try to have some energy for my daily tasks, and hopefully some energy to tackle the overly long To-Do List of a home owner. I am wearing myself out.
But, on the plus side: Gdamn I am working out like a beast. Adding distance and duration to every workout be it swim, bike or run. I have done a few combo workouts as well, run and cycle. I have ran 5 of the last six days, increasing distance every day. Last night I ran 3.25 miles on the treadmill (don't tell coach) with only three 30 second walking breaks, followed with some extensive stretching. Today I am extremely pleased to announce the fact that my calf muscles are not screaming at me. I have been running either barefoot or scantily shod, and this really works the calf muscles. I've been trying to head into it with some common sense and not cripple myself with my zeal, but I have had a few uncomfortable days. I think I have gotten over that particular hump now.
So this week:
Monday: Ran about 2 miles, then cycled for an hour on my newly acquired rollers.
Tuesday: Had an epic swim! Swam 15 laps nonstop and decently strong. One minute break, then 10 more laps nonstop. One minute break while stretching, 5 laps, one minute break while stretching, then 5 laps at an easy pace to cool down. Total swim of 6000ft or 1828 meters. I was wiped out. Stopped at the store for a few supplies and was eating peanut butter out of the jar while standing in the checkout line. I can only imagine how I looked, wet hair, bloodshot eyes, a little shaky and eating PB with my finger. People likely thought I was tweaking.
Wednesday: Ran 2 miles, barefoot in the grass for first half mile, then scantily shod. Followed by a 12 mile ride on moderate hills and trying to keep my rpms up. It tired me out a bit, but I want/need to start doing more dual workouts.
So, I know I can swim, bike and run the distances I need to for a sprint, and nearly enough for Olympic length. But singularly. Can I do all three back to back? The thought makes my stomach do little flip-flops. But I still have three weeks to train, so I will keep pushing myself. I will train hard, fuel the machine, and hope that on race day the gods of battle are with me. I can do this.
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