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Geneva Triathlon Training– Overdosing

I still haven’t figured out what to truly call this weekly training recap since I’m currently training for 3 events which all require a bit of a different focus.

  • Mt Blanc 10k trail race – June 28th – Chamonix, France
  • Geneva Sprint Triathlon – July 19th – Geneva, Switzerland
  • Berlin Marathon – September 28th – Berlin, Germany

Regardless what we title it, this week’s post definitely shows how much I overdosed on training last week. I let the amazing weather, great friends, positive peer pressure, and new bikes lure me outside one too many times in addition to my actual marathon training plan.  Monday morning was the first time that training for these 3 events at the same time stressed me out. In fact up until now I’ve looked at training for all 3 as a positive. I feel like both the trail running and triathlon training have helped be build a stronger than normal marathon base both physically and mentally. But, when I woke up Monday morning I realized just how much I pushed my body last week.

It’s Tuesday and my body still feels wrecked from last week’s workouts which isn’t the best way to start a new training week. I’m using this as a learning experience and making sure that I scale things back a little bit. At the end of the day, I want to enjoy these three races though Berlin Marathon is my primary focus. 

Monday: The 6 mile tempo run plan was 2 miles easy – 2 miles at 8:53 – 2 miles easy In the end I ended up running 2 warm-up miles at 9:45, 1 mile at 8:46, 1 mile at 8:56, and the final 2 miles at 9:40. Even in the late afternoon heat I felt strong and really enjoyed this tempo run.

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Tuesday: 1600 meter swim in the morning followed by 90 minutes of hot power yoga in the evening

Wednesday: My Speed workout plan was 1.5 mile warm-up followed by 4 x 400 at 8:08 pace sprints followed by a 1.5 mile cool down. I headed down to the lake for the speed portion since it’s convenient, straight and the views made it a perfect spot.  I was able to maintain 7:40, 7:20, 6:59, and 7:52 pace. Everything clicked for this workout perfectly and I ran the whole thing with a ridiculous smile on my face even during the painful minutes.

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Thursday: 2000 meter swim

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Friday: Rest day

Saturday: An incredibly beautiful 10k trail run through Chamonix valley plus another 10k of trail running and hiking through Les Praz.

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Sunday: A 29 mile bike ride including 3 steep climbs which definitely helped prepare me for the bike leg of the Geneva triathlon!

YOUR TURN: In preparation for this week’s long run, I’m on the hunt for new tunes. What song are you LOVING right now?

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The Biking Date from Hell

Yesterday Bo and I took our new bikes out for their first ride. After sleeping until our bodies woke up naturally, I had a huge smile on my face when I saw the blue sky and sunshine streaming through our window. As soon as I stepped out of bed my quads and calves let me know just how they felt about the idea after Saturday’s hilly trail run. I couldn’t let Bo head out with me and instead requested that we do a flat, scenic ride instead of hills.

Even though we took longer than normal to get our act together by 1pm we were on our bikes ready to go. We had oatmeal and coffee as our pre-ride fuel and each carried a water bottle and some fuel. I grabbed Clif Margarita Shot Blocks along with a small bag of pistachios and dried apricots.

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Before pulling out of our driveway I asked Bo what our plan was for the ride and he said he’d mapped a great 20 mile route that looked like it would be scenic and take us through the French countryside. I told him that I’d assess how I was feeling and may turn back early but I secretly figured the flat ride would help flush out my legs’ soreness.

I didn’t have many goals for the day other than enjoying the scenery and getting comfortable on my bike. I immediately felt a difference riding this bike, which was fitted to my shape and size on Friday night, versus the rental bike. Everything felt so much more comfortable and I felt like I was able to get more power out of every rotation, thanks to proper adjustment. During our first few miles, while we were in a calm flat area, I practiced clipping and unclipping each foot as we were riding. I’ve read on multiple sites that it’s better to practice doing this when you don’t have to so it becomes second nature when you have to quickly unclip.

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At around the 5 mile point we approached the Saleve, which I’ve run a few times but never sumited via the roads. Bo took a moment at a stoplight to study the map and realized that the path he mapped evidently included the Saleve. In that moment I remembered the stories of co-workers who summit it via bike after work and decided that this was as good as any to give it a try. I told him to turn his phone on ring in case I needed to stop and turn around due to tired legs.

From this point we started a 1,000 foot climb including a few hair-pin curves and a few breathtaking view points.

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I think Bo heard my choice words coming out of my mouth before he actually saw me come around the corner. At 11 miles and 1,100 feet of elevation climb my body was done. I felt defeated, annoyed and frustrated. He’d tempted me with this awesome adventure and bike path but my body wasn’t ready for it yesterday. He gave me a huge sweaty hug and reminded me of two things – today was my 3rd bike ride and he’s been spending a lot of time in the spin bike saddle over the past few months since his IT band injury.

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Before turning around to head down the mountain we took the pictures in this post, including the gorgeous vistas and took in some fuel and water. I’m not very comfortable on the bike yet so drinking water while riding doesn’t come naturally.

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As we came to the bottom we decided to start along another path, which we thought would lead us back towards Geneva. We also both thought this would be a flat path. That seemed to be the trend yesterday because just like the previous one, this had plenty of incline as we rode through La Muraz, Annemasse, Thonex, Carouge and finally back into Eaux Vives. Two 300 feet climbs and 17 miles later we found our way back to our flat in Geneva. I was covered in salt, there were tears of exhaustion in my eyes and we both vowed to study maps and trails better before our next long ride.  While riding, this ride felt like the ride from hell. But now reflecting on it a day later I’m thankful for the experience.

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His MapMyRide app captured the entire ride save for the last 3 miles pretty accurately, within 3 tenths of a mile of my Garmin.

Lessons learned yesterday:

1. Always carry more fuel and water than you think you need.

2. Double check your routes using the elevation button on MapMyRide before starting the ride.

3. Wear and bring extra sunscreen with you because it will need to be applied.

If you’re an avid cyclist, what apps do you love?

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Geneva Triathlon Training– A Perfect Week

Even though I was able to squeeze in two rest days, last week was still a perfect training week! I kept up my yoga practice, logged 17 quality miles of running, tested my endurance in the pool, and overcame a huge fear that has loomed over me for three years. While I wish that every week of training was like this I’m a realist and know that over the next few weeks I’ll hit some rough patches. But, one thing is for sure – the rough weeks make the good ones so much sweeter and the good weeks make me feel better during the bad weeks.

Monday: Rest day!

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Tuesday: Another awesome Tuesday double workout including a tough morning swim followed by an evening of yoga.  The AM swim was made a bit easier due to the awesome views from the pool but it was the hardest to date due to more than 1,000 of my 1,700 meters being endurance laps. We had a substitute for yoga and the class wasn’t as solid as normal but an hour of power yoga is always good for the soul.

Wednesday: I celebrated National Running day with a three solo, rainy miles on the trail. It wasn’t a great run but I still left the office and enjoyed the river views and tranquil trail atmosphere.

Thursday: Rest day!

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Friday: The biggest thing I’ve missed since marathon training are my long runs with Emily. Our early morning, pre-work long runs are the perfect venue to catch up, vent about work and talk about our weekend plans all while enjoying beautiful views. This 7 mile long run was humbling and reminded me that one day a week, marathon training is about going long and slow. Yes, I know that’s what she said but that is also what I did not do on Friday. Pace was 9:32 which was 20 seconds faster than prescribed pace. Better luck next time?

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Saturday: In preparation for next month’s triathlon Bo and I enjoyed our first long ride together along the lake. The views were gorgeous, the weather was perfect and I only have one huge bruise on my leg as a result of my first attempt to ride clipped. Theodora has a post coming that will talk about her tips for clipping in but let’s just say it helps to practice with only one foot clipped in, especially if you’re riding in a busy area. The heat and hills made us feel as if we’d gone further but in the end our ride was 15 miles, not as far as we hoped but still a great first ride.

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Sunday: After spending 12 hours enjoying a bit too much wine on Saturday, I discovered that cycling is the perfect hangover workout! I sweat out all the wine while we pushed through a 20 mile bike ride up the lake to Hermance, a nearby tiny lake town. By the end of our ride it was 90 degrees but knowing we had the lake to jump into following the ride helped me push through the last hill. We kept a good for us pace and I was fully clipped for 15 of the miles! Talk about an endorphin high – accomplishing this goal and overcoming my fear of falling was such a huge win for me in the world of triathlon training! I am thankful for Bo’s patience as he helped me practice on Saturday and Sunday!

What was your favorite workout last week? Mine was definitely our bike ride to Hermance!

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