The weather in Southern California has been hilarious recently, very warm, too warm, and in my neck of the woods, very windy. Thankfully, my legs bounced back just fine after the marathon, only feeling slightly creaky that following Monday, but no pain at all, and by Tuesday they were back to their usual bounce, just not for very long. I didn't run over thirty minutes at all last week. Even though my legs, heart, and bod “felt” good after the lengthy jaunt they cranked out in Surf City, my mind (and coach) knew better, and made sure to allow enough recuperation to ensure a healthy dose of rejuvenation to take on the next challenge, BIKE CAMP!!
Spinning against the wind in Porter Ranch last Thursday.
With the insanely hard bike course at Ironman St. George looming in early May, and a similarly tough, but shorter outing at Ironman Oceanside, 70.3 rapidly approaching in early April, the current theme of the season is BIKES! BIKES! BIKES!
Therefore, the goal for this week is to ride 300 miles any way I want, which is my favorite kind of challenge, a chance to pile on the miles with a creative touch.
Although 300 miles is more than a decent amount of riding, certainly above my weekly average during Ironman (or any) type of training, I feel more excited than overwhelmed. Historically, my large and lengthy legs can absorb a lot of volume, and since we rode a handful of long and difficult rides at camp last month, this week’s thumping shouldn’t be too much of a shock.
But it will make an impact.
Hence, the key to keeping my head above the potential tsunami of fatigue is diligent recovery practices.
This is where living plant-based really comes in handy.
I simply won’t have the time for my digestive system to bog down energy or commandeer my blood’s attention. Rather the focus needs to be seamless digestion and muscle repair in order to be ready for every workout.
Naturally, as an intrepid student of the endurance lifestyle, I am using this week as a massive learning opportunity to test what food choices work best, when is the optimal timing to take them in, the amount, etc. I do not have all the answers, but I believe consistent quality fueling is a vital piece of the puzzle to maintain *this* level of training, and since my last race of the year is in December, gulp, sustainability is the priority.
Bike Camp buds! From Left: Lynne Fiedler and Jess Zaiss, and yours truly rolling up and down PCH last Saturday.
Also, I finally invested in a pair of Hyperice NormaTec boots (my dog Blue chewed up my old Recovery Pump Boots a few years ago) and I strap those suckers on every night at 9P while logging another hour of reading before heading to bed at 10-10:30P.
If you're curious if I added cold showers back into my daily routine, not yet, but I did listen to an early and inspiring Rich Roll podcast episode last week where he interviewed the fitness fanatic, Ben Greenfield, so my non-frigid mornings may be numbered… Stay tuned.
Speaking of “must listen” podcast episodes, these two are absolute gems!
Triathlete Hour Podcast: In 66 Ironmans, Hillary Biscay Never Walked – Triathlete
Unsurprisingly, I was in heaven watching the Superbowl Half-Time show last Sunday as I am a huge fan of all of those artists, and I was born in 1979, but the one song and performance that punched me harder than all of the others, was the live version of this powerful tune...