Okay, combined summary. The last three weeks were a little goofy and I didn't get a chance to pull the data together.
The main driver was a trip to Spain for TechEd Europe (more on that later). I managed to get a fair amount of training in over there, so I don't think it had a real impact fitness-wise.
We swam in the Olympic pools in Barcelona (site of 1992 Summer Games), which was very cool, and we got some good riding around Girona and the coast. And lots of running. Barcelona has great beach fronts with promenades that go for miles. Totally smooth, totally flat, very nice. Sunrise runs along the ocean are mighty easy to get used to.
The training is going very well and I'm having a lot of fun. The volume is starting to pick up and I'm realizing what an impact that's making on lifestyle. Especially when it's dark out most of the time.
As I mentioned in my last entry, I'm really starting to see the fruits of this training protocol, especially when running. I'm running about a minute-per-mile-faster now at a given HR than I was a month or so ago. Wow, that's huge. And the low-intensity training is...well...it's fun. It's not terribly mentally taxing becuse it doesn't hurt very badly, even with the volume. There will be plenty of suffering down the road, so I've got that to look forward to. But as I start to get faster, it's taking more discipline to keep within my HR zones. You'll feel the surge of new fitness and you want to harvest it and really start flying.
My weight has stabilized as well. I picked up a few pounds over the first for weeks or so. My body fat numbers didn't change, so it was mostly some bulk from the weights and swimming. I've actually been lighter again lately, which makes no sense after being in Spain for 2 weeks eating (and drinking) everything in sight. Mmmmmm....cheese....
Had a bit of a scare over the last week or so though. The main scary issue I still have is my right Achilles, down by the heel. It's been pretty good but gets sore easily. Not so much from biking, or from running, but mostly from walking around a lot. So, when travelling you do a lot of that. My PT gave me some exercises to try to work through this issue and finally put it to bed. I started getting sore in Europe, and in classic Shawn-style I started doing the exercises, but I kind of over did them and started getting *really* sore. I decided to be super-conservative with it; skipped two runs, iced a bunch, and stopped the exercises and it's fine now (I've run since without problems). Phew. The PT worked up a new program for me to start on after a few more days that should be a little less stressful.
Alright, here's the numbers.
|
| Week 5 Totals |
| Type |
Distance |
Duration |
| Weights |
|
01:00 |
| Bike |
74.0 mi |
05:35 |
| Run |
17.0 mi |
02:42 |
| Swim |
5400.0 yd |
01:55 |
| Total Duration: |
11:12 | | |
| Week 6 Totals (Travelling) |
| Type |
Distance |
Duration |
| Weights |
|
00:30 |
| Bike |
75.0 mi |
04:45 |
| Run |
19.1 mi |
03:02 |
| Swim |
2000.0 yd |
00:45 |
| Total Duration: |
09:02 | |
| Week 7 Totals (Travelling) |
| Type |
Distance |
Duration |
| Weights |
|
00:45 |
| Bike |
81.0 mi |
04:45 |
| Run |
10.5 mi |
01:40 |
| Swim |
5500.0 yd |
01:55 |
| Total Duration: |
09:05 | |
| Season Totals |
| Type |
Distance |
Duration |
| Bike |
499.6 mi |
34:08 |
| Weights |
|
07:30 |
| Run |
109.1 mi |
16:41 |
| Stretch |
|
02:15 |
| Swim |
38100.0 yd |
13:20 |
| Total Duration: |
73:54 | |