Craving my workouts

I said I was feeling fired up, and my body has started to recover and the numbers are showing it.

Last two days of training have been a dream.  Yesterday I had a double run, both of them at MAF effort (aerobic runs), and today it was a long ride of 5 hours with some intensity.

Run # 1 - 8 miles

Last week my legs felt heavy after my bizarre hunch back-esque running form in Barcelona.  I was disappointed in my run there, a couple weeks earlier I ran 7:40 pace for a 22 mile long run, and Barcelona I end up around an 8:30 pace with legs feeling good but back not cooperating.  It felt so good to have a run where they felt like they were back to their pre-race smoothness.  I chose a hillier route and it felt like everything was just moving in sync.  One of those runs where you feel like you are floating along, just running for the joy of it.  Smiling to myself the whole time, enjoying the feeling.  I just wanted to keep going.

Luckily for me there was Run #2 - 5 miles

Nothing too exciting here, legs felt good from the first step and enjoyed a bit more time on my feet.  Went for a flat course, put it in cruise control and just felt relaxed comfortable effort at 7:40 pace.

Bike Ride!

I've been just loving my time on the bike lately, I'm miles away from where I was a couple months ago.  I procrastinated getting out on the roads to ride, because the small roads with no shoulders in Scotland made me really nervous.  I've been riding for about a year and I stayed on the trainer longer than I should have out of fear of the road, something I definitely had to get over.

Well I'm over it baby.  I looked at my schedule and was excited to see 5 hours on the bike today with some work in Zone 3, and playing with Threshold.  Time to play!

I think I got complacent with my bike riding before Barcelona, I would hit the prescribed watts, but on steady rides I would just go easy on the low end of the scale.  I was not even getting my HR into zone 2 on most rides, but the watts were just inside the prescribed range, no reason really just complacency and lack of focus.  No more of that crap, I realised there is a difference between just doing the workout, and really making the most of the workout.  As long as my body feels good, I'm going to make the most of the workout (listening to my body will still be priority though!).

It was a typical Scottish day (damn do I miss Texas) with some blustery wind and rain.  I started off and my legs felt average, not great, not bad.  Usually I do a weight training session before my bike ride that seems to spark up my fast twitch muscles fibers and usually has me feeling good from the start, but it wasn't on the schedule today because I was planning on swimming in the evening.  So started pretty relaxed hoping they would warm up, I got through my intervals feeling pretty good just enjoying the speed and feeling of my legs turning over.

The last one was 20min just going hard, TT effort.  I have a hard time out on the road doing a TT effort, on my trainer I just put my head down and push until I can barely breath and everything is screaming to stop.  I cant seem to come near replicating that on the road, part of it is I'm still working on being able to apply even power with the constantly rolling hills.  Texas and on the trainer it was easy, just pick a gear and keep pushing it until you are about to explode!

Whew glad thats done with...1.5 hours to go after a hard effort and my legs feel...AWESOME!  Well it only took 3.5 hours but I had this burst of energy, and my legs felt like they were firing on all cylinders finally feeling their usual spark.  So I kept it in my MAF heart rate, but went closer to the high end and just powered along enjoying the hell out of it.  I think this is the 3rd time I've gone over 4 hours (2nd time was last Friday) and so happy to finish something like that feeling great.

90 miles, 4900 ft, 18.4 mph

12 Weeks to Ironman.