Rest week!

I was looking at my season plan for 2009 the other day. It's crazy to think that this long journey started way back in November, and how it's really almost over. I know, I've got 6 weeks left before Kona, but I'm pretty sure that 6 weeks is going to go by mind-blowingly fast, as those kinds of weeks tend to do when I wish I had more time to train. It's not only amazing to see how far things have come in this stretch - taking me from a hopelessly far-gone out-of-shape flabby mess back to Kona-qualifying age grouper - but to realize that I have now been "on the program" for 41 weeks. No wonder I'm so tired! Sure, there were rest weeks built in like always, which included more training than many people consider their peak weeks, and there were two weeks - one after St. Croix, one after Lake Placid - which included very minimal training, but other than that, it's been swim, bike, run, swim, bike, run, maybe some lifting, more swim, bike, run... day in and day out.

I know that sometimes triathletes can get a little crazy when they have a rest week coming up, but I was very much looking forward to mine. Especially this time around. I had that very easy week after Lake Placid, and then it was four straight weeks of building back up to big volume training to prepare for Kona. I am not one of those people who comes off an Ironman and can just magically start training like crazy right away and not feel the effects. I was freakin' tired for a considerable amount of time after that race. I swear my legs still feel like lead weights when I try to run most of the time. Yesterday was a split run: one hour run, zone 2 for 33 minutes at the end, a 2-hour ride and then another 1-hour run. The first run went great, actually. For most, the pace I finished up with would have been considered a dismal failure. For me, it was a great improvement, so I was happy with it. I felt like I had worked hard and kept my heart rate exactly where it needed to be, building the whole time.

The bike ride started about 90 minutes after the first run. It started out ok, I guess, but later on I was just trying to get through it, wondering how exactly I was going to get through that second run. I didn't give myself much time to think about it as I transitioned from bike to run and hit the road once again. It seemed right from the beginning that my rest week would be starting at least an hour later than I needed it to. My heart rate was astonishingly low due to the fact that I was physically incapable of running any faster than what most would consider a brisk walk. I was only slightly above recovery run pace. Usually when runs go badly I try and pinpoint exactly why I am feeling so terrible. Any pain? No. Lungs burning from breathing so hard? Definitely not. Too hot out? Nope, fall appears to be here, gorgeous weather. Bonking? I don't think that's it, either. I really have no idea what it was. I just had nothing. I wanted nothing more than for that run to be over. I willed myself to continue for the first 30 minutes, considering stopping many times throughout. Finally I did stop, on a rural back road shaded by the trees. I slowly paced back and forth, trying to look like nothing was wrong so any cars passing wouldn't wonder what the heck I was doing. I still couldn't figure out what was wrong. My quads just felt incredibly tight, like solid bricks I was trying to move. My feet were tired of smacking against the pavement.

I walked back and forth for probably 3 minutes or so, before I finally decided that there was no way home but to run there, so I might as well get going again. I didn't know how to get myself through this one, and it seemed so unfair to end on such a bad note after having such a good run earlier in the day. Finally it somehow dawned on me that maybe it would help if I counted my strides to check my cadence. It at least gave me something to do and took my mind off of all of the miserable thoughts I was having. So I counted. One minute at a time, over and over. Coach put an emphasis on cadence way earlier in the season, but I hadn't really thought about it much lately. I'm supposed to do my runs at a cadence of at least 88. Well, first count had me at 84. So now I had something to do: try to get the cadence up. It took me several tries, but I did finally manage to get it consistently up to 88, and I'm not sure I could've gone much higher. My heart rate went up and my stride just felt incredibly choppy, and I'm not even sure that it made the pace any faster. But like I said, it at least gave me something to distract myself and get through the last 20 minutes of the run. I'm not sure my long legs were designed to run at such a high cadence and actually make it anywhere. Proportionally, they are out of control - my inseam is longer than that of my 6'4" brother.

But hey, at least I was done. I didn't like ending on a sour note, but I also knew that either way I still got that rest week, and more importantly, two consecutive days without running, which was much needed. I still had an easy 90-minute ride today as well as an open water swim. It appears that the fall weather is upon us as it was barely 70 I think today, and quite breezy. The lake was warmer than the air and it made me not want to get out. There are leaves starting to change already.

Now that today's workouts are done, tomorrow is a total day off. I am definitely looking forward to that. After this rest week there are two BIG weeks of training and then it is basically already time to taper, which just seems crazy. I have no idea how much time off I'll be getting at the end of this season, but I will say that I am looking forward to a bit of a real break. You know, not like one of the ones I've had earlier this year where I had to come back and do another big race very soon after, but a serious break where I don't have to be back on form for months. Don't get me wrong, I'm already excited about training for next season and have a full slate of races lined up, but I think I will be more physically and, more importantly, mentally prepared to attack that training after a good, solid break! That said, I'm definitely still excited to go to Hawaii and race again! But for now, I'm going to enjoy a rest week and some sleeping in tomorrow.