One Month In: Getting Back into the Groove

Training officially began three weeks ago.  Did I mention my new job started just four weeks ago?  I am truly blessed with a job that offers great work life balance.  Starting a new job is always tough on the schedule, getting to a new spot, meeting new people and fitting in training.  The new spot is only 5 miles from home (woot to a bike commute), but it has meant a change in masters and a 7AM start time every day...so that means if a morning workout is to occur, the wake up call comes at a MAX time of 5:00AM.  This is a pretty big adjustment for me and I am not quite yet used to going to bed at the necssary 9PM every night to make this all work out smoothly.  So I will continue to work on it, and try not to let the alarm go off so that my sleeping beauty of a husband gets his rest!  Enough with the job nonsense?  Here we go... First with a pic of Coach and I ringing in the New Year!

So three weeks of training in and this next week is a lower volume week to reap the benefits of the last three weeks of HARD work.  It takes rest to get faster right?!!  And we all know, Coach Mark is a BIG fan of recovery...I always have to beg for more sessions to be added, to which the normal reply is "if you are asking for more, it means you aren't going hard enough when I tell you to!"  The man tells it like it is, of that there is NO doubt.  I wouldn't have it any other way. 

Coach Mark at the Races...loving him some CX

I am trying to not panic like I do every year around this time about "I have to do MORE work, I MUST get faster NOW"!!!  Mark tells me to ease back into things and build it up right.  So that is what I have done, first week around 14 hours, 2nd week at 15 and this week I finally hit the 16 hour mark.  Most of the time I won't go above 18 hours of training in a week.  Why?  Well, we try to work on speed as we already know that I am a diesel endurance engine, and to get faster, I must train faster.  And that takes up a lotta energy.  What I was thinking about this weekend during my marathon bike ride, TRX, swim, and long run fest with super freak of nature friends MBK and Jess is that nearly half of my volume is done on the weekend...thank God I have amazing friends to train with, it's like a sufferfest party all weekend long!

I am SO excited that this next weekend is bringing us the annual Coast Ride.  It is Mark and I's first time along this 380 mile bicycling extravaganza, and I am pumped for 3 days of hard core cycling.  Talk to me on Tuesday and I may be singing a different tune, one about large saddle sores and some very tired legs.  but I can almost guarantee that this is going to boost my early season cycling fitness and get some miles in the bank.  Even MORE exciting is that this is an opportunity to hang out with friends from San Diego Beth and James and many other friends from SF that we haven't seen in a while.  I'll be sure to post the pics after the ride and show you all just how amazing California really is...as if you didn't already know!

The juicer and the pulp it creates, you can make veggie burgers from it...or put it in the compost heap.

Lastly as this has gone on way too long and I am sure if you are still reading, you've got your compression socks on and your feet up is we got a "slow" juicer.  It's not actually slow, but it refers to the type of juicing it does (masticating to be precise).  We got a Hurom juicer and it crushes the fruit/veggies and smashes the juice out at a low speed so it does not produce a lot of heat, which can destroy the juices nutrients.  I have been having fun all week long making us beet juice, carrot juice...let me tell you first thing in the morning or right after a workout, juice is awesome.  Perfect for recovery right, with all those carbs?  Add a protein shake later and you are good to go. 

I will have some VERY exciting sponsor news in the coming weeks, so hold your breath as it is good and I couldn't be happier to have some more super supporters on my team.