Week 33
August 22, 2016
Day 218
Strength Day
I did bench press today for the first time since the incident (see Day 97 for details), which was nothing short of a monumental achievement in my life. I acted like it was no big deal at the time, but it was a big deal. Most importantly, I retained all of my teeth, so I'd say things are going great.
Day 219
OFF
So I haven't bench pressed since 'Nam, and my shoulders are feeling it. Taking my day off early this week.
Day 220
Exercise: Swim
Time: 1 hour
Distance: 1.7 miles
Still sore from my workout on Monday, so the swim was a little slower than I would've liked. I have to laugh though because six months ago I never would've thought I could swim 3,000 yards pretty easily. Don't get me wrong, I'm tired, but as far as a normal swim workout goes, today was pretty low-key. Which if you think about it, is pretty absurd. The types of workout that are "low-key" when you're training for an Ironman should never be considered as such. Nevertheless, here we are.
Day 221
Exercise: Bike/Run
Time: 1 hour/1 hour 3 minutes
Distance: 15 miles/6 miles
Today, I watched the Olympic triathlon in Rio. Fun fact: the winner finished in exactly half the time I finished the Waco triathlon of the same distance. Yet another Olympian who is literally twice as fast as I am #humbled. The craziest part was that they were running 5-minute miles during the race, which I can barely even wrap my mind around. During my workout today, I tried to push my first mile harder than usual (still not super intense, but hard enough), and it was somewhere around eight minutes. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND HOW SOMEONE COULD GO THREE MINUTES FASTER FOR SIX CONSECUTIVE MILES. Olympians are absurd, and I could not have more respect for the things they do and how easy they make them look. Wow.
Day 222
Exercise: Swim/Bike
Time: 30 minutes/50 minutes
Distance: 1 mile/13 miles
I was supposed to run as well today, but the rain cut me off about halfway through my bike ride. I guess I should be working out rain or shine, but I wasn't going outside without some shine today. Plus, biking in the rain kind of hurts. I felt like I was getting hit with hundreds of tiny needles every two seconds. I don't recommend this.
Day 223
Exercise: Bike
Time: 4 hours 50 minutes
Distance: 75 miles
I used Clif Shots for the first time today, which are the gels that will be at the Ironman race, and they were a game changer. The difference between my long bike ride this week and my ride last week was night and day. 60 miles was brutal, but 75 with the help of nutrition felt phenomenal. I will never exercise for an extended period of time without using some form of nutrition. I'm starting to learn that I have deeply undervalued the importance of nutrition throughout my entire training period, and that is a mistake I will no longer be making.
Also, the song Defying Gravity from the Wicked soundtrack came on while I was riding today, and I think I may have been going upwards of 40mph during the last two minutes of the song. Idina Menzel can get it.
Day 224
OFF
Rain kept me inside for the second day this week. I could easily write another two paragraphs about how I need to be more disciplined, especially as the race gets closer, but I should also recognize how far I've come. Yes, I shouldn't be taking extra days of, but I'm also putting in an extreme amount of miles right now. There's no reason for me to feel guilty today. It was a good week.