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End of Feb weekly training recap

I recovered pretty well after the Thomasville Clay (err....mud)100-mile classic. For the 48 hours after the event, I was really tired. The feeling was very familiar as it was like the lethargy/empty feeling that I am familiar with after an Ironman. Thankfully I wasn't too sore. This is one of the (many) great things about cycling (compared to running) in that you can do epic adventures and not destroy your tendons, ligaments and muscle tissue, which means quicker to return back to training. 


With three absolutely beautiful and warm days this week, I felt my mood lifting and the fatigue from the event subsided just in time for me to take my bike and run workouts outside. After a tough morning swim workout on Tues, I joined my new friend Alexi (who is a professional cyclist) and her boyfriend for her afternoon bike workout. The main set was two rounds of 3 x 2 min high power, high cadence efforts up Paris Mountain w/ 5 min EZ recovery between each two minute effort and ~10-15 min EZ between the rounds - ouch, that burned!. We also rode together on Thursday for an endurance ride. I was pretty toasted after the Thurs morning masters swim so the endurance ride in the mountains was just perfect for the soul. Wednesday I "only" had an interval run with 6 x 0.5 mile tempo effort loops w/ 2.5 min EZ between. 

My swims have been tough and I really struggled on Thursday. I acknowledged that I was tired and just focused on my form. Friday is my favorite swim day as it's a 7am swim and my only planned structured workout for the day. It's nice to have the entire day to recover before the weekend.  The main set on Friday was 20 x 100's w/ 1 EZ and 3 strong on 1:30. I was really struggling with my catch in the water so I used my FINIS agility paddles for the set. Although I felt like I was running out of energy in the middle, I managed to squeeze in a 1:10 for the final strong (I think that's more mental than anything when you know you are finished and can really leave it all out there). 


I was really looking forward to this weekend because a friend from my hometown of Lexington, KY was in town for the Greenville Half marathon. Oh to be excited to see someone and to look forward to a get-together. 

Karel went for a swim on Saturday morning and I went out for my long run. My plan was 1:45-2 hours and without looking at my time, I ended up with right at 13 miles and 1 hour and 47 minutes. I rarely look at my watch when I run (mostly for time) so I just let my leg lead the way and I did a nice out and back run with a few last minute turns on the way back (I was feeling good so I decided to add in a little more than I originally planned). My run felt good and it was a cloudy and cool morning - perfect for the running race that was happening. 



After my friend Shannon finished her race (with a PR of 1:38), we made plans to meet at the Greenville Zoo. This was our first time visiting our local zoo after nearly 7 years of living in Greenville. But we timed it right as we got to see the new baby giraffe. Shannon's little girls loved the animals at the zoo (and all of the adults loved the animals too!) After our zoo trip we made a quick stop at Run In to get a few things and then it was time to head home. It felt so unfamiliar but good to actually have a plan and someone to meet up with. 

On Sunday we drove near the Sumter National Forest in Clinton, SC to do a recon of the Southeast Gravel race that is happening on March 13th. We actually pre-rode the course a few weeks ago for my first group gravel ride. It was a perfect day for riding and to my surprise, I overdressed! Our friend Alvi joined us for the ride and I would call this a happy ride. We rode 57 miles of the course in 3 hours and 32 minutes with ~3200 feet of elevation gain. It was nice to see the course again and to ride on the very quiet roads. After the run we did a quick 3 mile brick (out and back) on the gravel to finish off the week/weekend. 









My body has been really tired this past week so it was nice to have a good meal in the evening, give some love to the furry kids and get to bed early for a full eleven hours of sleep on Sunday night - oh did I need it! 



Time is flying by - how is it already March??