Tri Tuesday! Six Weeks Until MTWomensTri!

It's Tri Tuesday! I have lots of great stuff packed into this post, including an update on my training and some brief reviews of clothing!

www.mtwomenstri.com

On the training plan for this week was: 3 Runs, 1 Bike, 1 Swim, and one Brick Workout. 

What I did was: All of it! Yay! 

After a long bike ride. Still smiling!

I did my first really tough Tri Brick workout this week. Sure, I had done a mini brick a few weeks ago, but this one was the first workout that really felt like work. The workout was actually suggested by Jeff, since he had a vehicle stashed up at one of our far away farm fields that needed to be retrieved. (When farming and fitness collide...right?) So, we biked up close to where it was (10.5 miles) and then ran from where we parked our bikes the rest of the way to the pickup, for 2.5 miles of running. It ended up being 45 minutes on the bike and 23 minutes of running. I had on my training plan to do 40 minutes on the bike and 20 minutes of running, so this ended up working perfectly with my schedule, sort of by accident. The ride was net-uphill and did feel challenging at times. We maintained a pretty fast clip for mountain bike. I was on my top gear range for most of the ride.

The biggest challenge, I'm finding, with brick workouts is starting the run. Man, do your legs feel weird after biking! My lungs were fine, but it just felt really weird moving my legs in running motion. It sort of feels like your legs aren't even there. I'm moving, but my legs feel like they're not there. It's just an odd sensation. This lasted for about the first mile, then I wouldn't say that my legs felt fresh, but they felt more... normal. The run was also net uphill. The whole thing ended at the highest point of any land that we farm. The view was amazing. You'll have to take my word for it, though, because I didn't bring my phone... because my shorts didn't have any pockets and I couldn't hold it in my hand while I was biking. Jeff had his, so I screen-shot his Strava entries so you'd get another idea of what we did... I was pretty tired after finishing that workout, but I also felt very strong, just in terms of completing it and knowing I can do something hard like that. I'm actually really looking forward to more brick workouts. I guess I'm a glutton for pain!

The bottom map is the bike portion and the top map is the run. 

I also had my first SWIM of my training cycle this week, too! Man, I forgot how much I really love swimming. It went really well. I was a little sore the next day, but surprisingly not that bad at all. Not like I anticipated I would be. Even if I haven't hit the pool in about eight years, I guess my other fitness pursuits have kept me in decent shape that the first pool workout didn't feel like such a shock. Now, I'm feeling even more excited for the next time I get to swim!

For my first swim, I decided to take it a little easy and just see how it felt. So, nothing longer than 100 yards at a time. I did 1200 yards total and alternated between swim, pull, kick, and stroke for each 100. I also tried some flip turns. They were a little rusty, but not bad. Next time, I'll do my warmup, and then start building up toward being able to swim 500 yards with no breaks, and I need to be diligent and commit to flip turns every time.

Quick review of the Oiselle Long Flyte Shorts that I purchased. From the first moment I put these on, I was in love. They are SUPER comfortable, seamless, long but not too long. I tried them out right away on that Brick workout I did with Jeff. The bike is the real test of these shorts. I wanted to see if they were long enough that they would protect my legs from rubbing against my bike seat, and if they'd stay in place and not ride up. They passed both tests! And, they continued to stay in place while I ran, too. They are super light weight, and they definitely wick effectively. They are also seamless, so very comfortable. The only, only thing they are missing is a pocket. No pockets of any kind, probably because they are seamless. Otherwise, these are the shorts of my dreams for running and bike training. They are also pretty inexpensive at $36 full price. I'm now eyeing the other colors... I know I'll wear these puppies out this summer! In case anyone is thinking about ordering a pair, I ordered a Medium, just for your reference, and they are perfect for me. I typically wear a 6 or 8 in Oiselle shorts, depending on the style.

Image source: www.oiselle.com.
I have the black version of these Long Flyte Shorts, but isn't that Podium Blue pretty, too?! 

Also, a few more words about the Coeur Tri Shorts that I also purchased recently. I wrote about these briefly in my last Tri Tuesday post, as I had tried them out on a run. I have now used them on an extended bike ride and on a brick workout as well, and the continue to be amazing. They are very comfortable. I never notice the padded chamois in the crotch area when I run, and it provides extra cushion on my bike. I feel fast and strong when I wear them. They are very grippy at the hem due to a silicone grip. These do have three small pockets at back waist, too. Between these and the Long Flyte Shorts, I've got my bike short needs covered. These will be my go-to for race day. These are more compressive than the Flyte shorts, and definitely more expensive at about $86. (I bought mine with a PayPal credit I had from selling some other gear.)

Post-workout stretching in my Coeur Sports Lakota Tri Shorts!

This week, the workout plan is pretty much the same: 3 runs, 1 bike, 1 swim and a Brick workout. I am racing a 10K this Saturday at Governor's Cup, so some of my distances will be a slight cut back this week as I try to do a mini taper and keep my legs fresh for my race.

Gear I still need: 5-gallon bucket, bike helmet....and perhaps find someone willing to loan a me a road bike?!?

Still haven't done any fueling and hydration testing yet. Need to get prepared and get on that.

On the spending money front, I did buy a 12-punch pass for the swimming pool in Havre for $35.00.  So, my total is now up to around $350.

That's all for this week! See you next week with another Tri Tuesday post! Can't believe it's only about six weeks away!!! :)