Double double toil and trouble (and weekly recap!)

[Day 8]

Two double days in a row is usually real rough but we made it work!

Today's AM Workout: CSP practice, IM day
Summary:

• WU: 3 x 300 
• 1 - swim (free) 
• 2 - 50 kick/25 swim (free) 
• 3 - 50 drill IMO/25 swim (free) 
• Main Set: straight through unless break indicated 
• 100 IM fast (1:30) 
• (break) 
• 4 x 50 fly @ 1:00 
• 3 x 50 free @ :50 
• 4 x 50 back @ 1:00 
• 2 x 50 free @ :45 
• 4 x 50 breast @ 1:00 
• 1 x 50 free @ :40 
• (break) 
• 100 IM fast @ 1:40 (1:30) 
• 200 IM fast (3:10) 
• (break) 
• 4 x 50 kick @ 1:05 (back) 
• 50 fly @ 1:00 
• 3 x 50 kick @ 1:05 (back) 
• 50 back 
• 2 x 50 kick @ 1:05 (back) 
• 50 breast 
• (break) 
• 300 IM @ 10 SR 
• 200 IM @ 10 SR 
• 100 IM @ 10 SR 
• WD: 50 easy (lol "warmdown") 
• Total Distance: 3450 SCY

Hit Rate: 7/7 (100%)

Thoughts about the swim:

• I'm starting to mind the bike out and back a lot less. It's hard because I'm tired on the way out and on the way back and none of it feels good per se, but it's nice to be able to do the biking at a relaxed pace and just try to focus on not being stressed out. It's therapeutic transit time I guess.
• I felt sort of bad today because there were two slower swimmers in my lane who were struggling with the pace times and I hate to do that to people, but I don't set the pace times, even when I do lead the lane (which is what happened today)...this is why I prefer lanes and workouts based on base times better since everyone has a better sense of where they stand in a workout, but I guess there's not much to do about that. 
• That having been said, the pace times were mostly pretty forgiving to me. I feel like I probably should have done other strokes during the kick or at least worked on something (like improving my underwaters, which suck) but I just wanted to enjoy getting back into the pool and I didn't want to try that hard this morning honestly. My body's starting to feel much better, I probably should have worked harder, but I just wanted to be in the pool and swim and enjoy swimming. So I did that. I'll probably continue to allow myself to slack off in the interest of having fun for the next couple of weeks since they're just base weeks anyways. Will worry about putting in the actual hard work later on. 
• The biggest places where my core weakness shows through is (a) during fly and (b) when I try to swim freestyle with faster turnover and I wobble in the water. I really need to do more core work. But I hate it so much. God help me.
• My shoulders are also super weak right now. On the 300 IM, by the 75 I felt like such an age grouper, it took soooooo much effort just to get my arms to clear the water. I either have to swim more or lift more or both because that problem also really needs to be remedied. 

Today's PM Workout: Base run w/ Tsehay

Summary: 6.79 mi, 1:05:28, 9:38 pace.

Pace splits by mile: 9:11, 9:31, 9:40, 9:41, 9:43, 9:51, 9:55

Hit Rate: 8/8 (100%)

Thoughts about the run:

• Another swim/bike/run day! (If you count the biking commute to and from practice.)
• Friends are lifesavers. Tsehay and I just talked the entire time while we ran and every once in a while it would register in my mind that I felt awful but I had someone beside me so I just kept going and it was done before I knew it! I felt kind of bad because she was about a step ahead of me the entire time and I'm pretty sure I was holding her back, but I honestly couldn't have run any faster...I did tell her to go ahead up the last hill and she charged away from me which was kind of fun to watch from behind. 
• The weather was great today. In the sense that it wasn't too cold. It was really overcast and I was worried the sky would open up and rain us out but that didn't happen which I'm very happy with. The sun even made an appearance for our last mile!
• My turnover is still terrible. 166 spm again, really need to focus on bringing that up.
• Today has been weird in that my legs hurt markedly less but they feel really exhausted. It's funny how soreness and energy/strength don't always go hand in hand. 
• I MADE IT! Week 1 is done! Rest day tomorrow yay (:

Reflections on Week 1:

• 2 swims, 2 trainer rides, 3 runs, 1 lift with a short extra run for ~9-9.5 total hours.
• Things could honestly not have gone any better. There was the unexpected soreness and the hiccup on Wednesday but honestly that's all so minor in the grand scheme of things. If the next two weeks of base focused work go as well as this week, I'll be in a great place to start ramping things up and start going longer/faster/whatever it may be.
• The major takeaways from this week: sleep is super key (earlier jetlagged days were mentally rougher than they needed to be, sleeping well makes everything better), I need to do more core work and strength work (but that has to come slowly, as evidenced by my body's really negative reaction to Monday's gym sesh), and batch cooking a ton of food on Monday really came through in the clutch for me.
• It's always funny seeing my body realize that we're getting back into training again. I'm normal appetite wise for the first couple of days and then all of a sudden it's like, I NEED CALORIES NOW. GIVE ME ALL THE CALORIES. Basically I'm hungry constantly. -sigh-
• As for next week, I technically have a plan laid out already but I'll revisit it today or tomorrow and make adjustments as necessary and put it all in my schedule (and I'll also work my studying and meal prep time into that schedule). 
• Not too much else to say, other than what a great way to kick off 2016! Really hoping to keep up this great momentum going into next week! (:

Much love,

Jess