Posted by Chen
Before
we get to my weekly recap, I just have to say one thing. It’s something I’m
sure my fellow female runners have noted and commented about time and time
again, but now that I’m blogging, I’ve decided it’s my turn to officially whine
on the interwebs: Runner dudes (not all of you, but some of you, and you know
who you are) – there are going to be female runners who are faster than you.
They’re not trying to prove anything to you. You’re just running slower than
they need to be running at that moment, and so they’re going to pass you.
THEY’RE NOT CHALLENGING YOU TO A RACE, SO CALM THE FLYING F*** DOWN.
And
for the record, if you do decide to challenge me to this little game, I will
continue to pick up my pace until you can’t keep up anymore. And then you might
feel even more dejected than when I first passed you. Choose wisely.
Ahem.
<Stepping off soap box…>
Back
to our regularly scheduled programming, as Rachel and I have been mentioning,
this week was cutback week. Although this week started strong with my longest
swim workout ever (5000 yards) on Monday and a glorious rest day on Tuesday,
the rest of my week was mostly pretty poopy, and I fear that I’m leaving
cutback week more tired than when I entered it.
It all started on Wednesday when I attempted a track workout for the
first time since February and nearly vomited after 4x400m. Dejected, I was
determined to at least get some decent mileage in, so I headed into the park
for some easy miles to round out the run at 9.2 miles. I then got on the
trainer and continued to try to make up for my failed track workout by doing a
fast spin workout and averaging 17mph (which is pretty hard for me to do on my
trainer). By the end of this workout, I felt somewhat redeemed, but little did
I know that my over-eagerness would proceed to make my next three workouts feel
extra crappy.
Thursday morning’s swim was sluggish, and Thursday evening’s run felt
like it occurred in slow motion. It probably didn’t help that I had scarfed
down an entire Indian dinner prior to running, thanks to my company constantly
giving us free food. I could literally hear my stomach sloshing around as I
ran. It was a real treat.
Friday morning’s swim was the real kicker, though, when I felt like I
could barely keep myself afloat. I should have given up after the first few
hundred yards, but the irrational part of me wanted to hit 10,000 yards for the
week, so I forced myself to 2200 yards, at which point I finally gave up and
went to go sit in the hot tub. For the record, those 10 minutes in the hot tub
were quite possibly the highlight of my training week, so… bonus?
I continued to feel particularly weak and tired that day, so much so
that I thought I might be coming down with something, so I left work early and
tried to sleep it off. Turns out it wasn’t actually a bug, which I guess is
good, though part of me just wants to get sick and get it over with, because it’s
bound to happen at some point this training cycle, and I’d rather deal with it
now than a week before the IM. Guess I can’t really control that one, though.
The weekend consisted of a decent bike ride yesterday, when I thought
my poopy streak might be over, but then my legs once again felt like bricks for
the second half of today’s run, and now I sit here exhausted as I type this.
I know that any training cycle comes with its ups and its downs, and
I’m hoping this week was just one of those regular downs (and not something
more serious, like signs of overtraining). I’m planning to take this coming week as
easy as I need to in order to ensure I arrive at the starting line of my first
tri on Saturday feeling as fresh as possible (or at least as fresh as one can
feel during week 9 of Ironman training).
Here’s to hoping I make like Stella and get my groove back in time!
IM Canada Week 8
Recap:
Monday:
- PM: Swimming 5000 yards
(longest to-date!), including swim, pull, and paddle work. Definitely
over-did it on the paddles (1500 yards), which left my arms super sore/tired
for the rest of the week (average pace of 1:47/100yd)
Tuesday:
- REST. Glorious rest. In
retrospect, I could have used more rest.
Wednesday:
- PM: Running Kezar / Golden
Gate Park – the infamous track bail that may have started it all. 9.2
miles (~8:15 average pace)
- Immediately followed by a
trainer ride with fast spin intervals: 17.05 miles (17.0mph). This
combined workout may have been aggressive for a cutback week.
Thursday:
- AM: Swimming 3000 yards
including swim and pull work. Arms were tired from Monday’s session, so I
kept the effort easy (average pace of 1:50/100yd)
- PM: “Easy” run at Kezar /
GGP: 6.1 miles (~8:44 average pace). Pace may have looked easy, but effort
was not.
Friday:
- AM: Swimming 2200 yards
including swim and pull work (average pace of 1:50/100yd). Mostly hot-tubbing, though.
Saturday:
- AM:
Biking from San Rafael to Point Reyes Station and back: 41.7 miles,
~1800ft gain, 16.9mph. Brandon, Katie, Matt, and I met up with four of
Brandon’s friends for an easy group ride. Having done most of my rides
through the hills of the East Bay so far, it was nice to mix up both the
terrain as well as the scenery. Brandon’s friend also showed us an option
for a 60 miler up there, so I’d love to go back there again and try it
out. After a poopy few days, this ride actually felt really good, and I
had fun pushing the pace on the flats and gradual declines.
Sunday:
- PM: Long run in Golden Gate Park: 15 miles, ~8:37 average pace. I wish I could say that after a rough cutback week, this run was all sunshine and rainbows, but then I’d be lying, and lying seems wrong. Next week is a new week…
I completely understand your rant, although I've noticed there are women out there who do it, too. I don't understand why people would want to "race" someone who is passing them at a slow easy pace. People speed up when getting passed driving on the highway too though, which can be equally annoying.
ReplyDeleteI just had the worst swim or 2nd worst swim of my training cycle today, which reminded me of a string of bad workouts I had about 4 weeks ago which reminded me that you said "you're going to have some bad workouts when you're doing 8-12 per week". And it's true, so I wouldn't worry about last week. Although I can't condone the double you did Tuesday or doing 15 miles on tired legs during a so-called "recovery" week. 15 miles is a long run, Chen :p
I suppose women do this too, but to a far lesser extent. Regardless of gender, it's super weird behavior. Stop being weird, people.
DeleteSorry to hear about the sluggish swim! But you're totally right, and I appreciate the reminder - it's not all going to be a cake walk! I suppose if it were easy, people wouldn't look at us with such bewilderment when we say we're doing an IM...
And I know. I knew you'd mention the 15-miler. I irrationally wanted to hit 30 miles for the week because I still can't get over my drop in weekly mileage. #psychorunnerproblems
- Chen
UHG! That dudes getting chicked thing is crazy. I am not fast enough to experience that often, but I imagine you fast ladies must run into that a lot (haha run into that... see what I did there). Anyway, clearly that is sexist and not okay and you should drop all wannabe racers in your dust. Go Chen go!!
ReplyDeleteAlso, you looked strong on Saturday despite your less than ideal week, I am confident you are going to have a good race this weekend!
-Katie
Hahaha, I see what you did there, and I liked it. Because nerdy puns are kind of the best.
DeleteAnd thank you for your vote of confidence, K.Megs!! You have no idea what that means, because so far, I'm envisioning a panic attack during the swim, multiple flats during the bike, and complete bonking during the run. Hoping I make smart decisions this week to avoid such a fate...
- Chen