Iron Girl Training - Week Three #irongirl

My Week in Review

August 4-10, 2013

Sunday 8/4- I spent most of my morning, which began at 7 AM thanks to my crazy dog Castle, doing laundry and cleaning (took ALL of the curtains down and washed them). After  that I headed over to my friend Anna-Lee's to see that beautiful baby Jesse and get some photos for her. He is now 6 weeks old and already a heart breaker. After I left I headed home to let the dog out and get his dinner going. Then, while he ate, I threw on the workout clothes and headed out on the bike. Originally I planned on 13.1 to get my Doctor Who Challenge in but I spent too much time (and who wouldn't?) with that cutie pie Jesse. However, I was able to get just a smidgen over 5 miles in and discovered one major issue with the bike, the seat sucks. Now before you tell me to get a gel seat, I actually have one, it just kept sliding off no matter how tight I had it on. It was like that bike had it out for me. About a quarter of a mile in and my arse already was killing me but I refused to stop. I wanted to get this ride in bad. Guess what? I did just that. That first half was a steady incline and though it was killer on the legs (a good thing) it was really nice on the way back. Really liked the ride despite the issue with the seat. It felt good to be outside and to enjoy the scenery, much better experience than at the gym right? I also remembered I had a Camelback Hydration Pack so earlier in the day I had prepped that for my ride. It may have sucked for running but it was a joy for riding.

Monday 8/6 - An after work run which I am pretty proud of. It was not because of how fast I ran (I laughed as I typed that) it was more so because I hadn't felt that good running in quite some time. The first mile I had heavy legs but they eased up a bit as I progressed. I did take one minute brisk walk breaks every .5 miles until I finished the 3.17 mile run. My lungs felt good, and in time my legs hit their groove. Pace was slow as usual but I was more concerned with stamina and I think I am inching in the right direction.

Wednesday 8/7 - Despite my hatred of mornings, for anything other then relaxing and drinking coffee, I went out on my bike and did a few laps around the neighborhood. I did the .24 mile route around my house a few times and then a few out and back trips on the main road which are about .50 miles.The good thing about the seemingly crazy route is that on both routes there are hills and inclines. In my neighborhood alone, one quarter of the block is a nice incline and this happens on the return trip on the route outside my development. I kept mixing it up between the two to keep from getting bored, but the workout itself was awesome and my legs definitely felt it. I even did a faster pace with this one over Monday's ride. 

Thursday 8/8 - Rest Day. We had plans to meet up with the in-laws for dinner at Gordon Biersch. I had a great meal - steak frites along with one sangria mojito. Very unique but tasty drink. 

Friday 8/9  - I was up pretty early to get prepared for my social media class (which was a fantastic experience by the way). Later on in the day I went to the gym to do my first brick workout and it was, in a word, AWESOME. Wish I had done this a long time ago even before I decided on the Iron Girl. If you want more information on what a brick workout entails and why it is a great workout even if you are not training for a triathlon check out this article - What Is a "Brick" Workout And Why Do Triathletes Do Them?

I started my brick workout with the plan to do two tenty minute sessions each of the bike and of running. I started with the bike since this will happen first in my triathlon thus helping learn what it will feel like when I transition from one stage to the next. I did this one at the gym so as to shorten the lag time between each section. It went pretty well, the only snag was my right foot slipped off the pedal twice but nothng major. I recovered quickly.

I then moved right on over to the treadmill to do my run. I was pleasantly surprised by how well this went. I have always struggled with my stamina but I am starting to think the biking I have sone lately has helped. I normally have to add a few short breaks but not today. I went straight through. I kept the pace slow on purpose with the intent to increase over the last five minutes which I did - getting up to 10:45 min/mile on the last minute. I will increase the overall pace the next time as well hoping to get my legs to get on board. They were a bit heavy at first as to be expected but overall they felt great and I didn't have any soreness in my knees at all. PROGRESS!

Saturday 8/9 - Vinyasa Yoga Class at Barbara Greenspun with the talented Jen. I really loved her class in the past but after focusing on running and strength training I forgot how helpful yoga was. I was a lot more flexible this time then I had been in the past which was a pleasant surprise. I was so relaxed after that class and I will definitely be adding that back into my reportoire. 

Today my cousin (in-law) Jami  regsitered for the Color Run 5K as well. Excited!

Overview - All in all it was a great week. I had a plan and I stuck to it. I didn't waiver much and when I had to adjust due to work I made sure that I did it properly and didn't just skip a workout. I didn't swim this week because I wanted to focus on getting used to the bike. It seems to be working. My legs are starting to feel more solid. Tonight it date night with the hubby, and tomorrow I will be heading out on the bike again. I also plan to do some strength training as well.

Upcoming Event of Interest:

Jen, the yoga instructor, mentioned the Vegas Gone Yoga! Festival to be held on September 22nd at Springs Preserve. I have a few yogi friends in Vegas that may be interested in this. 

The festival will offer a variety of classes throughout the day including Ashtanga, Vinyasa (flow), Kundalini, classes for beginners, yoga with live music, Power classes, Partner Yoga, Yoga-Pilates Fusion and Deep Relaxation with Aromatherapy Yoga.

Sounds like a pretty cool day, check out their website for more information and to purchase tickets.