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Geneva Triathlon Training– Pleased

This evening I traded in my running shoes for spa flip flops in honor of my upcoming vacation and a triathlon training treat! My feet haven’t enjoyed a pedicure since May so tonight’s treatment was definitely needed!

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Last week wasn’t perfect as I missed my speed workout but overall I am still pleased with my training. This week is the triathlon so come Monday 100% of my focus will be on the Berlin Marathon! But, until then, I have 5 days of triathlon training and a mini taper between me and the triathlon on Saturday.

Monday: I did a much needed 5 mile tempo run after work. There is nothing better than a sweaty run after a long conference which includes sitting in a dark room all day! I kept an average pace of 9:14 which considering the humidity means this training is working!

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Tuesday: The Tuesday night 90 minute power yoga class never gets old and regardless the focus of the class, each one leaves me limber and thankful for investing the time. Last week wasn’t the best week for inversions or balances but I was able to go deeper than normal in my twists and chair pose.

Wednesday: Rest day

Thursday: I squeezed in a 15 minute yoga for runners session in addition to 10 minutes of arms & abs at home while watching Friends season 4.

Friday: My 14 mile long run wasn’t perfect but I finished feeling strong and was pleased with my average pace of 9:55. I learned a lot this week including the fact that I need to bring more water or plan my route along water fountains.

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Saturday: Does walking more than 7 miles around Paris count?

Sunday: Triathlon training has helped me fall back in love with physical activity in a whole new way. Last year after a morning of travel I would come home and relax on the couch all evening. Yesterday, while I was looking forward to more Friends episodes, the thing I wanted to do first was bike and swim. Who am I? I did a reverse brick workout including biking & swimming. I rode 17 miles by myself before open water swim practice. Our practice was cut short due to weather but I still squeezed in around 1200 meters freestyle including a few sighting and triathlon simulations! I couldn’t stop smiling after this workout!

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Your turn – What are your tips for first time triathletes? I’m going to do a post dedicated to this topic later in the week! This home girl appreciates & needs any and every tip she can get!

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Geneva Triathlon Training – Stronger

Not every day of training will be perfect. I sat down to write this post and saw that there were many areas I could stress over in regards to last week’s training. One of my runs didn’t happen at all and another one of them was on the treadmill instead of outside. But, at the end of the day I have to take a step back and remember a few things.

I have come SO far from where I was this time last year.

I am mentally stronger than I’ve ever been.

My body is stronger than it’s ever been.

(source)

I am giving myself a bit of a break between now and July 19th when I will complete my first triathlon. I know that my marathon training will not be perfect between now and then. For one thing, next weekend I will not have a long run as I’ll instead spend nearly two hours swimming, biking and running in the actual triathlon. But, I hope to take the confidence and overall strength that I’ve developed during this “out of my comfort zone” training and apply it to my marathon training to ensure that my final two months of training are the strongest yet.

So, now that we have cleared that up, let’s get down to business and take a look back at last week’s training.

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: Another great Tuesday two a day including a 6 mile treadmill tempo run during lunch followed by 90 minutes of power yoga in the evening.

Wednesday: I did a 45 minutes pre-programmed hill workout on my gym’s upright stationary bike. This workout quickly proved to me that you CAN in fact get a killer workout on this under utilized piece of gym equipment.

Thursday: Rest

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Friday: Due to hail and inclement weather I ran 13 miles on the treadmill after work. Even though it wasn’t nearly as enjoyable as my lakeside runs, I lived to tell the story and even learned a few tricks which I shared in Friday’s post; 5 Tips for Making Treadmill Long Runs Easier.

Saturday: Bo and I had great plans to do a brick workout including a 30 minute open water swim followed by an hour bike ride. I’m going talk more about our adventures and misadventures in triathlon training later this week but needless to say, one flat tire derailed our plans quite a bit. I ended up having a great 1,000 meter open water swim but only biked for 10 miles.

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Sunday: We joined the Geneva Runners Club evening swim practice for a 1.5 hour open water swim which included about 15 minutes of pre and post swim triathlon tips and coaching. The actual workout included about 1 mile of open water swimming including a 600 meter warm-up and lots of drills. I really enjoyed the sighting and breathing drills, in light of my upcoming triathlon. Bo and I biked to and from practice for a total of another 7 miles on the bike. This amount seems like nothing but every little bit helps me become more confident though I’ve learned from two side falls that clipping in while navigating Geneva’s crowded sidewalks isn’t a smart move. 

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How about you? What are you thanking your body for this week? I’m thankful for a stronger, more positive mind than I’ve had previously. This mindset is allowing me to overcome fears, slowly but surely and push through mental exhaustion.

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Geneva Triathlon Training– Goodbye June

June was a pretty great month training wise. I ended the month feeling stronger than ever! Hopefully this trend continues into July. Right now the month isn’t off to a great start after over sleeping by 3 hours this morning and missing my morning run along the lake. But, I didn’t make excuses and squeezed it in this afternoon. July’s mantra is going to be “no excuses” but we’ll talk more about that later. Now let’s recap last week’s training!

Monday: I’m having an issue waking up early Monday mornings which means tempo runs on the treadmill. I really can’t stand the treadmill these days but being able to squeeze in a 6 mile tempo run during lunch is definitely nice. My prescribed pace was 9:23 for the 4 tempo miles which felt tough but not impossible. Later in the evening my tired legs headed to the pool for my first swim meet! We did about 400 meters warm-up before the actual event which was the 100 meter relay. This meet was a huge non-scale victory which I’ll talk about more in a dedicated post but I can’t believe that just 4 months ago I’d never swum more than 100 meters!

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Tuesday: There is a substitute teaching the 90 minute power yoga class this Summer and dare I say I love her just as much as our regular teacher, Patric. They have totally different styles but her Mumford & Sons heavy playlist was the perfect music when paired with lots of long holds, inversions and hip openers.

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Wednesday: This 5 mile run included 3 miles of speed which was definitely a challenge! It was a speed pyramid with each interval getting faster paced. My “slowest” interval was 1200 meters at an 8:26 pace and my “fastest” interval was 400 meters at an 8:12. While these speeds weren’t as fast as previous workouts the length of the intervals made it tougher. I’m also finding that the 1 mile warm-up helps me get into the groove of speed work. Historically I often skipped the warm-up because I didn’t think it was “important.” Trust me, if you’re shirking on your warm-ups or cool-downs try focusing on them for a week and your legs and body will thank you!

Thursday: I headed to the gym during lunch to do some biking only to find the bikes occupied. Instead of leaving I hopped over to the weights area and did a 30 minute strength workout sprinkled with 5 cardio intervals. I ended the session with pull-up practice and arm hangs.

Friday: Rest day!

Saturday: I think I’m still smiling from the Mt. Blanc 10k trail race! It was seriously so much fun! imageSunday: The weather forecast in Geneva was 100% rain with the chance of severe thunderstorms and hail. When we woke up to the sound of rain we agreed that it may end up being an rest day or a perfect day to break out the yoga mat and pull out an old DVD. But, around 4:30 when the rain paused and the sun broke through we decided to head over to the pool. Things worked out and we had the lanes all to ourselves for an hour of drills. Bo helped me with my form and led me through some kicking drills. By the end of the session I swam 1,500 meters and realized just how much I enjoy swimming outside versus inside. Hopefully we can squeeze in more outdoor swim practices this month!

How was your June? Do you have something you’re focusing on this month to help keep your training on track during vacations or the Summer heat?

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