the problem...

...with a recovery week is it gives me time to think. I am not blurrily going through workouts and trying to fit everything in and organize my family's life so I can do my workouts. Recovery week is more about just keeping up the schedule but nothing intense. Just easy spinning and steady running. Today was my Wednedsday swim. Not much to report from there...main set was 5 x 400 meters...75% effort; easy; 80% effort; easy; 100% all out. I hung on to JR's feet for that last one like I had a foot fettish! Lost him on the last 100 but holy smokes he was cruising!!

Had a very long talk with Coach Justin yesterday. I had to be honest with him that I wasn't feeling like I was working all that hard. I can't explain it any better than that. I do my intervals in my HR zones and plug along but it just isn't as hard as it was, say, a year ago. He says this is great news!! I am a bit sceptical and keep asking for more.

Well then, Coach Justin says, now we are going to work on pacing. Oh Goody!! A new challenge!! So tomorrow I have some one minute intervals to do and I am to see how fast I can run for one minute...six times...he thinks I can do them down around 5:00 min/km pace...we shall see and I will report back here tomorrow!! And then on Saturday I have a 90 minute run of which 3 x 10 min are to be in my goal pace for the half marathon...focus for a change on pace and not HR...my A. goal for the half, by the way is to be down around 1:50....that would be super cool!!

In other tidbits...I have the go ahead to do the Duathlon in a few weeks. This should be FUN!! Have never done a duathlon before. Run 3km/bike 20km/Run again for 3km.

Matthew starts his skating lessons again tonight. He LOVES skating...so we will continue to take him until he says otherwise. I have to figure out how to post a video because it is gosh darn cute!!!

For Amy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8N7vxuAZsUA

Could you imagine...???!!!!

funny & TRUE!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoGYx35ypus

the wall. I hit it.

After over three weeks of pretty intense workouts, lots and lots of intervals on my bike and in my runs, I hit the wall at swimming today. I know the exact moment. We were doing a set of 4 x 100s; 10secs faster than your race pace, with about one minute in between. The first one was at 1:17ish...the second on 1:20ish...the third on 120ish..the fourth, and I was digging and scraping and my arms and my legs were on fire, and it was around 1:30ish...ooops!!! The last 50 meters of that last 100, I thought "this is the wall!! I am there!! Yippee!!" But still had 50 meters to swim. Did a bit of a warm down, chatted with many people on deck about all sorts of stuff...lots of races coming up and I seem to have gotten myself involved in all of them. I am in charge of the medals, fundraising, race bags for the Kids of Steel triathlon in June....I am helping work on the fundraiser for the Children's Discovery Museum 5km walk/run...I was the co-race director for the local duathlon a few years ago and it was cancelled last year, so I have offered my help to the new director...my buddy Tammy was at the pool today and she runs the Y-Not-Tri it program for ladies only...120 participants have signed up!! Isn't that cool!! So we were sharing ideas and strategies and just brainstorming about race organization stuff. I love organizing...everything...to a fault...

Check this out:

http://www.philridesacrossamerica.com/

wipe out!!!!

Yep. Was a gooder. Just as I was thinking, wow, the paths are in pretty good shape! And I was being all smug thinking...look at me! I have not seen any runners out today!! I am a friggin ROCKSTAR!!!

WHAM!! I am down on the ground looking up at the blue sky. No damage, just my ego, and my first thought was "If I have ripped my new running tights, I will be seriously pissed." And I have tried to take Darren DeReuck's advice and only look a few meters ahead of myself. He said to try not to look to far ahead, especially if you are running up a hill, and I took my eyes off the path for one second to glance across the river and whoa...down and out.

Even with a good wipe out, the run was pretty darn good. The sun was coming up, it was a beautiful morning, had the paths all to myself. 3 times 10 minutes again in my steady state HR the entire run was about an hour and 5 minutes. Treated to myself to a Roastery coffee afterwards. A good start to a Saturday!!

2...to...go...

So I opened my big mouth to Coach Justin this week and said "I want more!! Is that all you got!! I can handle MORE!!!" This week was supposed to be a recovery week but we chatted, he asked me 1 million questions about stuff, and re-arranged my schedule.

Yesterday was a hard run...3 times 10 minutes in my steady state HR...run for an hour. It almost didn't get done. Just busy with the day etc and hubby was supposed to play hockey but it got cancelled so I threw my gear on and headed out the door after supper. I had not got my ass out of bed in the am to do the run cause I watched the movie "Twilight" too late...and by the way, what? was that movie? I have not read the book, but the movie was not great...lots and lots of holes in the plot that I did not really get but I guess if I read the book, it might all make sense...? And that girl actor annoyed me...he is in love with you, you should be smiling (mind you he's a vampire...) but all this teenage angst is making me ill....

Anyway, back to the run...was a really nice night, the sun was going down, the footing was crappy but could still get on some decent stretches of road and got the intervals in. Yey!

Today was yet another 90 minute bike ride. Done. 5 sets of 10 minutes again, in my steady state HR. I did 6 sets cause if I just spin on that bike it is a bit of lalalalalalalalalaaaaa....looking around the house and coming up with all sorts of "projects". I have to keep my self entertained.

Next up is a run tomorrow similar to what I did yesterday and then my Sunday swim. THEN a recovery week...and he says I have to do it no matter what...