Week 2: 7 Mile Scenic Loop

Oh wow…this is going to be a fun week! Looking at my T3 training schedule for the week, I see that I have to complete 13.5-14 hours worth of workouts! Holy cow…Let the fun begin. I’ve basically scheduled 4 runs, 3 bike rides and 3 swims. It may or may not happen, so I’ll just take it one day at a time. This is also the week that Mother Nature will unleash her fury (since I’ve been in full PMS Bloat for a week now!) God knows, I really don’t feel like hard workouts when I feel like a stuffed sausage. Even my “fat” jeans are feeling tight these days!

I skipped the Gazelles Circuit workout this morning and decided to do a quiet solitary 7-mile Scenic Recovery loop this morning. A few reasons dictated this last minute change of plans. First of all, we had a VERY RICH dinner last night with some friends that included salads, bread, huge main course, wine and dessert. I (we) felt that after all of the hard work of moving, we deserved a little decadence! Hell yes, we did! Well, of course, I paid for it. I felt full, heavy and lethargic all night and this morning. Can you say, “Godiva Chocolate Lava Cake?” Brutus was also whining most of the night in his “temporary” home so I didn’t get much sleep. Also, I was running about 5 minutes late this morning and wasn’t really in the mood for a circuit workout anyways. I did, however, want to get some mileage in so the 7-mile loop seemed slightly challenging and relaxing all at the same time. I ran it in about 1:07 for a very slow recovery pace of 9:34 per mile. Honestly, I was slightly disappointed with that time because I thought I was running faster than that. By the same token, the hills didn’t seem to take it out of me as much as they normally do. I’ll just see how the week progresses and lay low if I have to. I also have to remember that an 18-mile run on Friday, 45 mile bike ride on Saturday and physical labor on Sunday isn’t exactly a vacation.

Heading back to the condo one last time tonight to vacuum, dust and leave a bottle of wine for the new owners. After that, I’ll only have to focus on moving to our new place which is 5 minutes from downtown, work, the trail and everything else that I take advantage of on a daily basis.

Through my work with Thundercloud Subs and The Turkey Trot, I met with a nutritionist last week who works with Thundercloud on “healthy eating” via The Zone Lifestyle (40% carbs, 30% protein, 30% fat). She has a lot of wonderful insight to eating in the real world, and after reading through lots of her material and recipes, I’m happy to report that I’m on the right page for the most part. I’ll probably begin journaling my food intake again next week. Again, it will also help when Shawn and I are in the new house because, as it is now, we eat out at restaurants at least 5-6 days a week. We typically make decent choices, but it’s still too much. It will be such a relief to go home and just have food in the fridge that won’t go bad immediately. That was my main issue as a single person who is NEVER home. Most veggies, lettuce, fruit, etc that I would buy would go bad before I could consume it. Excuses...Excuses... Visit www.tracyspicks.com for more information on her classes! Very insightful!

Tomorrow—swim workout and an hour on the bike.