Weeks 22 & 23 - 05/31/2010-06/13/2010

OK, I've been slacking from updating my blog.  Between a busy time at work and being in the midst of a 28% workforce reduction (I survived) to a week of vacation on the beach in North Carolina where I forced myself to detach from technology to prepping for my first big race of the year, something had to give.  So I'll provide a brief synopsis of life and training for these 2 weeks in this post...

Week 22 Overview
This was a focus on recovery from the big bike weekend that I put in in Madison over Memorial Day weekend.  It took a few days for the legs to feel "snappy" again but I was amazed at how well I bounced back.  Forcing myself to stand down and listening to my body paid dividends in leading to a safe (injury-free) boost to my fitness.  My "old" self would have continued to push the limits to try to gain that extra ounce of fitness at the expense of of my body screaming for rest.   My more mature, wiser self has learned from these past mistakes and knows that fitness comes from rest and recovery.  The biking and running were pretty limited, but the swimming volume increased quite a bit.  I did get in a half Ironman race simulation on the bike and run just before leaving for vacation which went very well and gave me the confidence I needed going into my first big race of the year (High Cliff Half Ironman on June 19).

This was also a week that put a lot of focus on work.  I was preparing to take a week of vacation which is always a busy time of trying to get ahead of the game on projects and everyday tasks, but it was also complicated by the impending June 3rd announcement of employees who would be severed and those who would be retained in a 28% workforce reduction in my company.  I was fine with either decision that would be given to me but just being around the nervous-energy people that spent way to much time wanting to talk about it added to my stress.  Ultimately, I was retained by the company so it's status quo for now.

Week 23 Overview

Andrea, Drew and I spent this week in Ocean Isle Beach, NC in a beach condo with some very good friends from Greensboro, NC, Scott and Holly Cole and their kids Camden (3) and Bexley (1).  It was our first vacation of the year and was long overdue.  We had a GREAT time living pretty much the same routine everyday: breakfast, beach, lunch, nap, shower, dinner, kids' bedtime, adult beverages, adults' bedtime.  The weather couldn't have been better for a beach vacation...90 degrees, sunny and a little breeze (not a drop of rain all week).  Drew was an awesome traveler and absolutely loved the beach life.  It was great spending the whole week with him - it definitely strengthened our bond.

During our vacation I made a conscious effort to detach from technology for a few days because I felt like the Blackberry, computer, etc. was distracting me from being fully engaged with Andrea and Drew - I definitely didn't want that!  I was a little apprehensive at first thinking that I would be missing something but after the first day I felt a cool sense of freedom and engagement with those around and wanted to continue it.  It allowed me to focus on the important people in my life and fully engage with everyone.  This is definitely something I plan on doing on a consistent basis.

I didn't travel with my bike nor did I rent one, so the focus was on running this week and swim when I could fit it in.  I also started a short 10-day taper for the High Cliff Half Ironman.  The running went OK but was a struggle at times with the heat, humidity and wind which my body isn't accustomed to yet.

Data for Week 22 (recovery from Big Bike Weekend):

Time spent training: 12:37
Time spent at or above FTP on bike: 23'
Time spent at or below LTHR pace on run: 25'
Avg bike Intensity Factor (% of FTP) = .722
Mileage: 161 (Swim: 10.6K, Bike: 131 miles, Run: 23 miles)
Training Stress Score (TSS): 805
Chronic Training Load (CTL): 116 TSS/d
Training Stress Balance (TSB): -22.8 (good recovery from big bike weekend)
Weight: 169.4 lbs
Functional Threshold Power (FTP): 293 watts
Vdot: 54.3

Data for Week 23 (vacation in North Carolina):

Time spent training: 8:53
Time spent at or above FTP on bike: 5'
Time spent at or below LTHR pace on run: 29'
Avg bike Intensity Factor (% of FTP) = .729
Mileage: 86 (Swim: 8.1K, Bike: 51 miles, Run: 31 miles)
Training Stress Score (TSS): 619
Chronic Training Load (CTL): 111 TSS/d
Training Stress Balance (TSB): 4 (a few days into the taper)
Weight: 171 lbs (lost a little focus while on vacation)
Functional Threshold Power (FTP): 293 watts
Vdot: 54.3

Performance Management Chart (PMC) through week 23: