Sunday, February 18, 2007

training round-up, week ending 02-17-07

i hit a wall this week. it literally felt like i went headlong into a wall and came to a complete stop.

i don't know what happened.

i just got to this week and suddenly every workout seemed hard, if not impossible.

originally, courtesy of the rain, i'd planned on scheduling another long ride substitute on the stationary bike. but i got on and found it difficult to even get up to the target wattage output. after 90 minutes i actually had to quit, because i couldn't even maintain the lower power levels. pitiful, compared to my schedule, which called for 220 minutes (3 hours, 40 minutes).

i was so freaked out i pushed myself into a heavy weightlifting session for my legs, trying to see if i had magically lost something in my quads and hamstrings. i had a measure of solace in finding my leg strength still at the expected levels for the incline squats, calf raises, hamstring curls, and gluteus curls. but this still left the mystery as to just why i could not maintain power.

the same thing happened with my swim. a basic, "easy" 2600 yard swim seemed like it was a trip around the world. i honestly thought i was going to drown. and the longer 3200 yard session at the end of the week didn't do much to make me feel better.

i don't know what happened. i had my rest week at the end of january going into february, and this week was the 2nd week of a 3-week build block. but, man...dude...this felt worse than the rest week. i just had no energy. and my body was about as puffy as the pillsbury dough boy up until saturday evening--seriously, you talk about bloated, i say i looked like your average drunk frat boy with a beer-belly tire around his waste good enough for a bad case of muffin-top syndrome (and i don't even drink).

i know that sometimes there are those points in the training schedule when you just don't have it. akin to the low points of race day. just like there are highs in the training schedule matching the highs on race day. i know that you're supposed to control the highs and manage the lows, and that in reality you never know when which one is going to occur but just have to ride them out as best you can.

but weeks like this past one are enough to make a person neurotic. now i'm spending sleepless nights and distracted days obsessing over just what is happening with my body, what is going on with my training schedule, and checking my nutrition and recovery periods. but i don't know what the dickens is going on.

hopefully this is just a low point, and things get back to normal next week.

they better, or otherwise i'm going to be in big trouble at Ironman. BIG trouble.

sunday, feb. 11

rest day

monday, feb. 12

morning
  • swim (intervals, 8x200), 2600 yards, aerobic conditioning (zone 3), mcdonald's swim stadium, start time 6:00am
  • weight training (chest & abs), 30 minutes, immediately following
tuesday, feb. 13

morning
  • stationary bike (build), 100 minutes, muscular endurance (zone 3 & zone 4), lyons center, start time, 6am
  • weight training (legs), 40 minutes, immediately following
evening
  • run (recovery), 40 minutes, aerobic conditioning (zone 3), loker track stadium, start time 6:30pm
wednesday, feb. 14

evening
  • weight training (abs), 20 minutes, home, start time 4pm
thursday, feb. 15

morning
  • stationary bike (recovery), 30 minutes, aerobic conditioning (zone 2), lyons center, start time 6am
  • weight training (chest, shoulders, & lower back), 45 minutes, immediately following
evening
  • run (maintenance & technique), 40 minutes, aerobic conditioning (zone 3), loker track stadium, start time 6:30pm
friday, feb. 16

morning
  • swim (build), 3200 yards, aerobic conditioning (zone 3), mcdonald's swim stadium, start time 6am
  • weight training (abs), 30 minutes, immediately following
evening
  • kung fu (active rest), 40 minutes, immediately following
saturday, feb. 17

morning
  • kung fu (active rest), casuda canyon park, start time 10:30 am

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