Weeks 5 & 6 Catch up

Betty Squad 19 Kit

I'm a little bit behind on my posts for last two weeks as its been super hectic getting back into the full swing of life since the holidays ended. Attempting to find the sweet spot to balance the training, work and sleep that I need to fit in continues to be a challenge! I have lots to cover, so apologies in advance for the lengthy post. The biggest and most important news of the week is that I finally received the highly anticipated PINK PACKAGE from Betty Designs!! My BETTY SQUAD 2019 KIT finally arrived and I absolutely adore the bright colors!!! I cant wait to represent the Team and all the Bad Ass Beauties in my upcoming races. Keep an eye out for the bright pink racing suit, I promise you wont miss it... :)

#bettysquad19

Even with the hectic agenda, I would say that I am hitting 95% of the workouts I plan for the week and this is hugely due to the flexibility work has given me to log in remote two days a week. I've switched my coaching days to Tuesdays and Wednesday mornings, with swim sessions on Tuesday instead of Thursdays this season. Getting the big swim (over with) early in the week has proved to be beneficial to my training longevity per week. It has allowed me to have more power and focus in the pool. I can feel myself improving with each session. I owe this improvement mostly to my coaches Nick and Bart with 3433 Sports Performance Team. The fact that I can finish a 4000 metre swim without drowning is a miracle in itself!

The one area I've been trying to focus more time on is my running. Previous to the past two weeks, most of my training time was on either swim or bike and I was really missing my long runs. In order to remedy this gap, weeks 5 and 6 were focused on clocking some good distance. The goal was to do 60k total for week 5 and 70k total for week 6.

MEC half marathon warm up

Week 5 also included my first half marathon of the year. It was a brisk 21.1km around the river pathways for MEC Road Race ONE.  I was able to keep my training numbers for swim/bike/run at a decent level on the days leading up to the race and had a two-day taper before the event on Saturday. I also experimented with upping my food intake the day before and morning of the race. Im always concerned about eating too much and feeling heavy but understand the need for carbs and energy. Its such a delicate balance...When the gun went off it was -17 degrees and frosty but at 5km in I knew it was gonna be a good race. I felt strong and super focused, legs were fresh and I had my nutrition dailed.  I crossed the finish line in just over 1 hour 45 mins, 3rd female over all and 2nd in my AG. Not a bad way to start the season. I was very happy with the result! I proudly wore my medal for the rest of the day and was given a free MEC Race as a prize! Sweet deal!

3rd Place overall Female

I was frozen and exhausted post race. After a huge meal, I went to bed to warm up and slept until Sunday morning. I woke up feeling proud of the race results and I was determined to finish out the training goals for the week. So, off I went, back to Repsol Sports Centre to wrap up the week with a 15km run and a 25km spin around London on Zwift... then I was DONE. I hobbled over to my parents place for dinner where I ate everything I could get my hands on. Then another huge sleep on Sunday night.

Week 5 totals:

Swim: 3.5km
Bike: 80km
Run: 60km
Strength: 1 hour
Yoga: 1 session

Proud Betty

Going into training week 6 I knew I wanted to up the numbers again with the main focus to spend more time running. I set the goal for 70km. I also wanted to see if I could hit 100km on the bike.. pretty lofty but since I didn't have a race planned and no need for a taper, I figured it should be possible.

The week started off well, got in my long swim as planned. On Wednesday, we did a time trail on the bike with coach Greg at 3433 and I impressed myself with a power increase from 180 to 215 watts since September. Thursday and Friday were also great days where I was feeling good and hitting all the targets. Then Saturday came.. and I hit the wall.

I should have listened to my body when I didn't wake up until 7am that morning - usually I am up at 430 am like clockwork. I dragged myself to the gym to get to hot yoga for 830 am and just kept telling myself I would feel better once I got moving. Well I didn't. I suffered all the way through the class, couldn't focus, couldn't hold the poses and was hating on everyone around me. It didn't help that the lady beside we was actually taking multiple calls on her apple watch throughout the class. I honestly wanted to smack her... so I left the class before it ended. I've never had to actually bail like that. I decided to go get a nice hot drink while picking up a few items at the grocery store on my way home. BAD IDEA. I wanted to fight everyone at the store, the usually yummy hot golden milk latte tasted like shit and I couldn't decide on anything to buy for groceries! What a nightmare. I  ditched the latte and the basket of items I had collected and went home. Boo.

When I got home I tried to make some food then went to bed. Before I passed out, I was plagued with stress, anxiety and guilt. It really came out of no where... I was beating myself up big time for failing my plan. It's scary how fast that switch can come on. Thankfully, I had some great people reach out and talk me down off the ledge. After a long sleep - like 13 hours- I had some clarity and time to reflect.

I know we as athletes, talk about how important rest and recovery is but do we actually practice it? Most endurance athletes I speak with all have the same thoughts on recovery days, and that is that they are harder than any training or race day. Most of us have this 'thing' about sitting still, becoming stagnant and missed training. Recovery and rest can be like the worst type of torture for us. Obviously we need to rest, but why is it such a hard thing to do? Why do I feel guilty when my body is telling me to stop, why do I continue to push myself and then end up at the bottom of a pit of despair and wonder 'why?!' and 'how?!' Now looking back on the events of Saturday, I can laugh a little at how dramatic I was being, but in the moment I was really struggling.

I continue to learn with each passing week how important the mental part of endurance training is. My brain can be my biggest advocate one day and my worst enemy the very next. Anxiety, insecurity and depression can be lurking behind any corner. When I'm fatigued, stressed and emotional I am at risk. I am grateful that I've learned enough to know I need to reach out for help to get through these moments.  Each week, I learn more about my body and what its capable/not capable of and I continue to learn that I have SO MUCH MORE to learn. This weekend was a humbling experience that I hope doesn't happen too often, which means I need to pay better attention to what my mind and body are telling me.

Sunday training schedule

On Sunday morning, after a long sleep, I woke up feeling much better. I felt good enough to get back to the gym and try to complete the workouts that were missed on Saturday.  After a slow treadmill session at Goodlife I was feeling pretty good, good enough to get on the bike and do some training on Zwift at home. I managed to complete both workouts and was feeling so good for getting moving again. I looked at my numbers for the week and realized I was very close to hitting the targets.. I decided to take a break, eat and then get back at it. I managed to fit in the last 10k outside. The pathways were slick, slushy and the wind was a nightmare. I was slow but I got it done. The final 11.5 km on the bike went by fast and I loved every minute of it. Time on Zwift doesn't feel like training at all..

So, after a weekend of highs and lows, I did manage to make my targets for the week after all! It took some support from you guys and pretty much the whole day on Sunday but here is what the week came to:

Week 6:

Swim: 6550m
Bike: 100k
Run: 70k
Strength: 2 hours
Yoga 1.5 sessions

YEASSSSSSS.

Now it's Tuesday. I've caught up on sleep and I'm taking it easier (got in 4.2km in the pool this morning tho ), no guilt, no stress, no anxiety! One of these days maybe I'll figure out some balance.... maybe. Until then, I'll keep learning and moving forward, little by little.

Have a great week!
Amy

For fundraising details please visit:
http://www.gofundme.com/amy-im70-3-2019