Killed it!

Howdy! So I started this post way back Monday the 7th. Monday seems SO long ago. I’ve been wanting to post about so many different things related to my training but this little thing called work kinda got in the way. Argh… if only I was super fit & fast & awesome enough to do this Ironman thing full time!!

Anyways my swim test on Monday provided KILLER results! On my very, very first IM workout I had a swim test. It consisted of 3x300’s swimming at the highest average speed possible and keeping all 3 within 15 seconds of each other.

My times were:
1. 5:16
2. 5:14
3. 5:14

The ended up being a 100 yard average of 1:45.  So I had the consistency gig down, but the speed? Not so much. I’ve never done a swim test before so I didn’t really know what to expect or how to pace myself. I will confess, I was huffing and puffing by the end of them.

Fast forward to this past Tuesday where I had to repeat the test. Guess who improved??
1. 5:00
2. 4:50
3. 4:46

Just 5 weeks later I have a 1:37 average!!! That’s huge in swimming! First of all, I’ve never thought I could break 5 minutes and I did. Then I smashed my average down and the kicker was that I wasn’t dying like the first swim test. Well, maybe the last 300 was pretty hard but still! I’m shocked at what I’m seeing myself do in the pool and I can’t wait to see my times come down even more!

My running efficiency test was also this week. Way back in week one I had to do a run 1.5 miles keeping my Heart Rate (HR) at 164.

WEEK 1 results: 1.5 miles @ 164 = 13:04

WEEK 6 results: 1.5 miles @ 164 = 12:28!

So another solid improvement! I was happy with this because I knew after all the long hours spent at work and the lack of sleep would probably make my HR higher. I think it did to an extent. My legs also felt a little heavy but after about 35 minutes (of course this was AFTER my run test) I finally started to feel like my running self. The only thing I’ve been having trouble with is running in a Zone 2 HR range. My HR should not exceed 149… but I was running a slow 930/minute pace and my HR was 152. This was even after a 1 minute walk break after the test. I don’t know if it’s my ego, but I’d rather not run 10 minute miles if I don’t have to! **I’m totally not saying there’s anything wrong with this. It’s just a personal preference for me and honestly, the faster I go the quicker I’m done!! I respect anyone who runs, walks, jogs, or crawls!!

So if you’ve noticed I haven’t talked much about my biking. I’ve been hitting every workout, trust me, but besides posting sweaty photos of myself (which are getting old) I don’t really have much to say about indoor trainer rides! I did check out Troy Jacobsen’s Lake Placid Course DVD….. he got kind of annoying after a while but it was a nice distraction from my ipod. This past Sunday I biked while watching Cash Cab. Love that show! So that kept me entertained and Simon approved of me “enhancing my brain instead of wasting it on the other trash I watch”. Yes, that’s his actual quote – hah! This past Tuesday I had another cadence session which I felt some improvement there as well. It’s just so hard to track improvement on the bike when you’re stuck indoors. But don’t worry, my Coach said she’ll be giving me biking tests once the weather clears up and it’s not 18 degrees out!!

I still need to post my Week 5 totals but I think I’ll wait til the end of this weekend. It’ll be Double Whammy Weekly Totals with 5 & 6!