Catch up. Weeks 12 and 13

When we left off, our hero (ahem, me) had developed an ITB/Knee pain problem and was hoping that a combination of Physical Therapy, strength training and adapting workout schedules would help solve the problem. The past two weeks have seen improvement and regression. Sigh.

As you can see, I went ahead on week 12 and took my time to rest the knee more, switching a run for a  45 minute trainer ride on the Monday. Tuesday, I played it smart and  ran a super easy 5k on the treadmill during my lunch hour. The knee felt stiff, but not bad, actually. Still being smart, I did a pre-PT ride on Wednesday and was happy with the way things felt.

Upon hitting PT, my therapist attacked my problem leg and I seriously almost had to ask her to give me a moment the (good) pain was so intense. I joked that I never knew she could hurt me so good. HAHA. I took Thursday off to allow my legs to recover, meanwhile I had been adding in clamshells, leg lifts, butt bridges etc all week to increase strength. By Friday, I decided that I needed to run to at least test my knee before a planned long and hilly run the next day. The run was okay, but that day I headed to the pharmacy to grab a knee brace (ended up being too small) and adhesive spray for my KT tape. I taped up my knee and met up with Jamie Saturday for a challenging, but lovely 27k run around Milton.

Jamie has this way of getting people to agree to climb all of the biggest hills around. I do admit that the view from the top of the escarpment was worth it though! A combo of KT tape, Aleve and a slower pace made the run bearable and I knew I'd be okay to run Around The Bay on April 3rd, but racing it was still in the air. That good feeling was tempted right away when I heard from Sam that she had sprained her ankle on her long run. Man! What is with us training for marathons together!?!?!

Week 13 started well.

It is a privilege to grow older. So many don't get the chance.

A photo posted by Nicole (@macnic05) on Mar 21, 2016 at 3:42am PDT

I turned 39 on Monday and so I took off at 4:36am and run the year. My knee held up really well (with tape, but no Aleve) until about 12k and then it "seized" a bit. I was able to run through and finish. The pain is so weird. It comes and its horrible, but then it just ... goes  away as I run. I have no idea how to temper it.

Tuesday I rested in order to ... rest my knee. I also went back to PT and she used shockwave on me this time. CRAZY! But oh so good! She was telling me that I'd be better pretty much right away and she wasn't wrong! I ran on Wednesday (a treadmill 8k, with 4 at 5:11/km) and had ZERO pain! Again, playing things smart, I decided to hit the bike for a short, if intense ride on  Thursday.

One way to wait for the Swiss Chalet to arrive. #trainerroad

A photo posted by Nicole (@macnic05) on Mar 24, 2016 at 4:14pm PDT

It was all systems go for the now traditional Good Friday Road Races. Per usual, Alasdair was running the 1k but this year Fergus joined in the fun. I like that they stagger the kids races by age, so Alasdair took off with his hockey friend and a few minutes later, Fergus and I were off as well. Both kids put in great efforts with Alasdair coming in 7th (his friend came in 3rd!). Alasdair and I will be running his first 5k race sometime this summer for sure.

Top is Fergus, Bottom is Alasdair. I may not keep up on our 5k!

My friend Kelly came to run the 5k and blasted to a 4th overall victory and 1st in our age group (30-39) with a blistering time of 21:03, netting her a personal best for the distance and a massive truffle filled, chocolate egg as a prize. I forgot to change my 910xt from the display above and ended up running by feel for an average pace of 4:55/km. I'm very happy with the effort, especially considering I managed to call Swiss Chalet with my new blue tooth headphones in the 2nd KM and ended up walking to hang up my phone. I bettered my placement from last year and was 6th overall for F30-39. Net time for 5.11km was 25:07. My knee didn't bother me at all.

On Saturday Ivanka, Sam and I met up to run a double out and back to ensure that neither Sam's ankle, nor my knee would cause us further problems. We ran a very easy flat route in Burlington and kept the pace reasonable. I didn't tape but I did take an Aleve pre run. Not taping was a mistake. My knee was bothersome pretty much throughout the run, even if the weather and company was spectacular. I struggled through the last 8k especially. Sigh. I've got to figure out how to get back into PT this week and I must ensure my knee is taped VERY well for the race on Sunday. But you know what? You can't beat these  morning views.

My knee was horribly painful for the rest of the day and night. Waking up on Sunday didn't offer any relief either. Still, I jumped on my bike for a 45 minute recovery spin. When I got off, the knee pain was gone and hasn't yet returned. Hmm, who knew? This week will likely spell more rides of similar effort and intensity before heading into my fifth consecutive 30k race at Around the Bay. If nothing else, I'm looking forward to crossing  my favourite finish line on Sunday.  I'll be back to set up the goals once they are solidified. Until then, please do some anti-wind dances for us for Sunday, okay? The weather is looking BRUTAL.

Catching up!

Hello! So much to catch up on! I've been absent the past while due to vacation. First, there was the hustle in getting ready to go on vacation, then the vacation itself and finally, being back at work and settling back into a routine. That's been tough. I haven't even grocery shopped yet, so I've been stealing enjoying my kids lunchtime snacks as my own (goldfish crackers and cheese strings anyone?).

We are on the #disneyfantasy #disneycruiselines #mywintervacation

A photo posted by Nicole (@macnic05) on Jan 30, 2016 at 9:51am PST

That's about half of our 22 person group, ready to cruise on the Disney Fantasy (Yes, we were on the sailing that had mechanical problems and skipped Castaway Cay). The trip was awesome! This is was our third sailing with Disney and even before the discount we received as a result of the malfunction, we were already thinking about our next trip!

Let's catch up on running a bit, shall we?

Week 5 went well, very well. I ran 73.94k over 5 runs, including my long 24k run with Amy. It was a great run, but unfortunately, we saw a coyote hit by a car right in front of us and die. We stopped and called the humane society and they came to pick up the animal. the driver didn't even stop!!! There was a lot of damage to the front of the drivers vehicle as well, so I'm shocked that they just kept driving! I also hit the trainer for one ride, putting in 17.6k on Carter +1.

#seenonmyrun #nofilter Worth the early hours.

A photo posted by Nicole (@macnic05) on Jan 22, 2016 at 6:49am PST

Week six was the week were leaving on vacation, driving to Buffalo on Thursday evening, flying to Orlando on Friday and sailing on Saturday! I front loaded my week, but running the first half marathon pace run on Sunday which allowed me to take a bit of pressure off. In the end, I only fit in two runs, a 12k and a 26k, but that 26k was an epic run: All Treadmill! The last 16k was done at pace and the run actually went amazingly. I got a whole lot of support for this run from Emma and Sam which also made it easier. I couldn't quit as people were waiting for me to finish

 Then, we left on vacation.

Dry month also came to an end!

For the week of vacation, I ran three times! They were all on the boat and they all felt great!

Can't beat these views (Tortola)

Cool map from my 5 mile run as we docked in Tortola

While we were unable to make it to Castaway Cay, we still got a chance to run the race, around deck 4 of the boat on the running tack. I started with the first wave and even though I had no pace feedback from my garmin (it would pause and not track things correctly, for example a 4 mile run became 19k!), I still managed to run faster than half marathon pace for first place female!

Not quite the view I had hoped for upon finishing my second Castaway Cay 5k, but I'll take close to PR effort and first female. Thanks for the great shirt @redshirtrunning #mywintervacation #disneyfantasy #disneycruiselines #justrun #likeagirl

A photo posted by Nicole (@macnic05) on Feb 5, 2016 at 6:04am PST

We got home last Saturday night and I still managed to fit in a short run on Sunday, even though I could really feel that my "land legs" hadn't come back yet. That 6k brought my weekly total up to a respectable 25.5k run on the week! 

And now, we are back home and I'm tackling week 7 of the plan. With the success of the 26k treadmill run and the 5k at faster than half marathon pace behind me, I decided to pull the trigger and finally signed up for the Goodlife Toronto Marathon. Whew! In 78 days I'll toe the line at marathon #5 and BQ attempt #3. Let's hope this one sticks.

In the meantime, I'll continue to bask in the memories of another awesome family vacation as I run through cold, wind and snow.

What a good looking MacFamily. #mywintervacation #disneyfantasy #disneycruiselines

A photo posted by Nicole (@macnic05) on Feb 5, 2016 at 4:25pm PST

Week Three: Bring in the Winter!

So week three was last week. I had super high hopes for this week after how well everything worked for me in week two. There was only one high stress workout on the plan with Thursday's run scheduled to be 13k with 6k at half marathon pace. I've resigned myself to the fact that I will be hard pressed to PB a half marathon in the late winter (when I'll be racing at Chilly), so my goal for these paces right now is to not fall below 5:05/km. I was pumped and ready to go on week three!

Monday: I knew the night before that the morning would be freezing and so I planned to get to the gym early and throw down as much as I could out of the 16k on the plan before work, making up the rest in the afternoon. Yup, two sets of clothes, two towels, two shoes etc, etc. Mainly because, two runs, two different gyms. I love my Goodlife all gym membership.

Run one of two today. Plan calls for 10 miles total. #bqorbust #treadmill #justrun #likeagirl

A photo posted by Nicole (@macnic05) on Jan 11, 2016 at 3:58am PST

Plan called for 10 miles. So run 10 miles. #justrun #likeagirl

A photo posted by Nicole (@macnic05) on Jan 11, 2016 at 2:27pm PST

16k in 1:31:03

Tuesday: Poor Fergus was home sick, so I stayed home as well. It was snowing all day on and off, so it ended up better for me as I didn't have to do the 3hr round trip commute. When my husband got home, I took to the clear bike lanes and ran my 6k as scheduled 33:11

Wednesday: I took it to the bike and repeated Goddard 45 on Trainer Road. Man, this felt amazing! I'm getting better on the bike for sure! 17.4k, 45 minutes.

Thursday: The aforementioned high stress day. I decided that I couldn't take another 8 miles on the treadmill in the week and figured that I'd be fine on the bike path again, so decided to hit the roads early (aka 0420 alarm) and get it done. Well, real winter had other ideas and it snowed overnight, rendering everything snow covered and slippery and gross and I barely broke 6 minute kilometers while slugging through 9k in 53:28. The run was a huge disappointment at the time, but I've since decided that one run (which wasn't even bad, it was just thwarted by weather) won't a bad training cycle make. Also, it yielded my most liked 2016 Insta so far.

Safety first. Overnight snow cut my run short and cut speedwork completely this morning. Neither roads nor paths were clear. Still, I got in 9k and the temps were beauty. #bqorbust #teamnuun #justrun #likeagirl

A photo posted by Nicole (@macnic05) on Jan 14, 2016 at 2:49am PST

Friday: Rest day!

Saturday: Run the hills! Met up with Gerald, Sam, and Emma and ran the Northshore Hills out and back. These easy long runs need to be done on this route as its part of Around the Bay, which is my goal race. With limited to no plans to run hill repeats within my plan, I need to prepare for this race and doing it on a Saturday morning with friends is the best way possible! 23k, 2:11:02

The #teamnuun that runs together, stays together. Great 23k with fellow ambassadors @egrrrl and @sammykaye71 today and Gerald. Northshore both ways. #obvs

A photo posted by Nicole (@macnic05) on Jan 16, 2016 at 6:39am PST

Sunday: Don't ask me why (though the answer is probably that Trainer Road is somehow a cult and I've been assimilated), but I wanted to ride a bit longer and a bit tougher on Sunday. I found a ride called Blackcap and Emma assured me that it was a good one to try. I believe she calls these rides REWARDING. Well, she's not wrong. The ride felt difficult after a super busy day, but after 75 minutes on the bike (my longest trainer ride to date), I felt awesome! I'm super happy about this! Total KM were 29.2.

Total KM: 100.68k (62.55mi), Time: 7:08:44
Run: 54.08k (33.6mi)
Bike: 46.6k (28.96mi)

There is more snow and cold on schedule for this week, so I'll have to determine if that means more treadmills or risking the roads, but my head is settled back on straight after Thursday and I'm ready to tackle week four with renewed vigour! I hope your training is going just as well!

Week two of ... maybe marathon training

Ah, week two!

Of... maybe marathon training.

If you ask me right now, I will 100% be toeing the line of the Toronto Marathon on May 1st. The week that I had went so well and ended with one of the most confidence boosting runs I've had in a long, long while. Of course, have the great support of my friends and the social media community on Instagram and Strava really help a whole bunch. Here's how things shook out.

Monday: It was a coooooold morning to start the week. -19c with wind chill or something stupid like that. I was ready though:

Run forecast for tomorrow's dark o'thirty run? Real feel -23c. #justrun #likeagirl

A photo posted by Nicole (@macnic05) on Jan 3, 2016 at 6:39pm PST

So I hit the road bright and early and was able to NAIL my workout of 10x100m. I actually used the workout feature on my Garmin 910XT for the first time and it was awesome to just run hard or slow down once the watch buzzed. I don't know why I haven't used this feature before. HAHA. 13k, 1:15:56

Tuesday: Rest day. I had a 45 minute trainer ride on the plan, but my son's had hockey and we didn't get home until after 730 and I still had to eat dinner and prep everyone's lunch for the next day. That's the way it goes at times.

Wednesday: An even EARLIER morning with the 0420 alarm, but the plan called for 16k. I had a great run and was very happy to run by a friend twice on the run as it gave me some much needed boosts to know that I wasn't the only crazy early bird getting my run on. 16.64k, 1:34:23. As a note, this is a 5:40/km pace. These runs are supposed to be "aerobic" however the prescribed pace is low for the work my heart is supposed to do, so my attempt will be to nail these runs at 5:40-5:45 pace.

Thursday: Upper box and abs at the gym at lunch. I really don't like lifting weights all that much, but I know that upper body strength will go a long way to helping me run a successful and quick marathon, so I suck it up and go.  40 minutes in the weight room. Once I got home, I hoped on the trainer and road the 45 minute ride I had skipped on Tuesday. It was a good ride and I got in 17.85k

Friday: Rest day! My goal is to keep Friday's as rest days as much as possible.

Saturday: Bring in the reinforcements! Sam and Ivanka agreed to meet in Milton to run the 21k we had on plan. I knew Henro is usually happy to join in  as well and  to my surprise, Gerald (my friend from my Running Room days) messaged me looking for a run as well. So, the ladies started at my place and ran 4k to meet up with the men. At that point, the work began as the plan called for 13k at goal marathon pace (5:20/km), the run was a big loop and having a group plus running around Milton in the daylight helped to make it fly by. Before we knew it, we were back at the meeting point having nailed our pace work and running the 13k at 5:13/km on average! WooHoo! Only 29.2k more like that and we'll be booking our tickets to Boston! 21k, 1:53:18 (I think this is the fasted half I've run in almost two years).

Sam: Jump! Ivanka & me: Wait. What? #runnersmakethebestfriends #instarunners #justrun #likeagirl

A photo posted by Nicole (@macnic05) on Jan 9, 2016 at 7:57am PST

Sunday: I had big plans for the pool on Sunday, but my bed was way more comfortable. I've decided to  only swim if I really want to. I'm NOT training for a triathlon (though it would be nice to try one this summer) and the goal is 100% the BQ,  so no guilt on missing the third sport. Instead, I had a relaxing morning with my family, watched Fergus' hockey game, went grocery shopping and then came home and rode my final ride of the week, Monitor 30. Brutal (yet rewarding as Emma says) workout of 4x6 minutes in the sweet spot with only :30seconds of rest. I nailed it. The mental game I'm gaining on the bike is really going to help me during those tough runs as well. 12.5k total

And that's it. Week two. All workouts were done and executed well. If today was April 1st, I'd be signing up for the marathon. However it's not and I plan to keep up the work over the coming weeks so that I am in a place to do so at that time.

Total: 81.01km (50.3mi), Time: 6:38:37
Run: 50.66km (31.5mi)
Bike: 30.35km (18.9mi)

I hope your training is going just as well as mine!

Let's get at 'er: 2016 week one and goals

Boom! Off season is dunzo!

Last week, I started my new training plan which will (hopefully) take me to a marathon in May! Its true, I have yet to officially sign up for a spring marathon. After evaluating my past two seasons, I decided to train as if I was going to run one and then use the 30k race at Around the Bay as the final test before I commit any money to the cause.  Once again, my partners in crime include the best racing partner ever Sam, triathlete extraordinaire Emma, and the super lovely and funny Ivanka! I'm looking forward to many great Saturday mornings spent in Burlington and Oakville running the beach strip and northshore hills bitching about enjoying the cold and wind.

Not helping with the crib. But one of the best gifts this year! Thanks @sammykaye71 #runnersmakethebestfriends

A photo posted by Nicole (@macnic05) on Dec 26, 2015 at 7:37pm PST

My dreams are once again BIG for 2016. As with the past two years, I'm still chasing that elusive Boston Qualifier Marathon. The bonus this year is that I will be running to qualify for the 2017 race, when I will be 40. This means my time has gone up to 3:45! WooHoo! Of course we all know that its super difficult to get into Boston now with a time just inside of the cut-off, so the aim will be a 3:42xx and fingers crossed. I really hope I finally am able to put together a good marathon!

Since I started going after the big BQ, my goal has been to qualify before I'm 40, so this is my final year to meet that goal. Hard and consistent training will help me to get there and in week one I'm off to a great start.

Monday: 13k with 6k 3k at half marathon pace. I was not in shape to handle this yet, plus I had a persistent headcold to battle with. 3k was enough. This was run with Sam and fellow hockey mum, Kelly.

Here we go again. How amazing is it to find the perfect running partner?! First run of the plan that will hopefully lead us to Beantown. I'm more than ready to make this one stick, @sammykaye71

A photo posted by Nicole (@macnic05) on Dec 28, 2015 at 6:51am PST

Tuesday: Trainer Road! The key to my cross training this cycle (PUN!) will be the bike. I rode Ericsson for 45 minutes and 18.1k. Getting faster!

Wednesday: Mid-week long run of 14k. This cycle, I'm using a plan from Advanced Marathoning and it calls for mid-week long runs. This was done in the afternoon on a nice day after snowfall. I got it done. It was fine.

Thursday: Trainer Road Carson. The only 1 hour ride of the Sprint Triathlon plan I'm following. I rode this well and enjoyed* all of the simulated hills and seat transitions. 23.5k

*clearly, Trainer Road has somehow worked its magic on me

Friday: Rest day! We were in The Blue Mountains for New Years Eve with my husband's brother and family and while I didn't have a drop of alcohol**, there was no time to fit anything in with the drive home. Besides, it was a rest day on the plan.

**My husband and I have gone dry for a month

Saturday: Starting the New Year right with an out and back on the beach path in Burlington/Hamilton with a great group of people! We ran 20.16k and all stopped our watches perfectly! 1:53:32

photo credit: Emma's husband

Sunday: 30 minute Taku recovery ride on Trainer Road. The day didn't work out to be conducive to a swim (I slept in too late for the morning swim and hockey got in the way of the noon swim), but I didn't want to do nothing, so this short ride for 10.9k it was!

All in all, it was a fantastic week! I got in all of the runs and cross training I was supposed to do while still enjoying my time off with my family. We had a great New Year and I'm ready to tackle the BQ goal again. Glad to have you along for the ride.

Run: 47.17km (29.3mi), 4h23m30s
Ride: 52.5km (32.6mi), 2h15m

Total: 99.67km (61.9mi), 6h38m30s

Week Seven: Festive Special

Well, it turned out that week seven ended up being a bit of a reduced week. I didn't realize how busy I was at the tail end of the week and as a result, I was not able to hit all of my workouts. I spent a good amount of time celebrating the year with friends though, so that is always a plus!

On Friday night, some of the mum's I've met through my older son's hockey teams got together for dinner and drinks. The company was awesome of course, as was the food, but the restaurant took over 2 hours to bring out our mains! Unfortunately, quite a few ladies didn't make the trip down the road to the bar for last call. But I did!

Long run may not go well tomorrow. #drinkingmanhattans

A photo posted by Nicole (@macnic05) on Dec 18, 2015 at 8:41pm PST

Saturday evening, we had our team hockey Christmas party. It ended up being at our house and it was so much fun! At one point, almost all of the kids (and parents) were pulling out their "Whip-Nae-Nae"

Hockey Party. #merrychristmas

A video posted by Nicole (@macnic05) on Dec 19, 2015 at 5:20pm PST

As a result of two big nights (aka not a lot of sleep), I didn't get in any swimming this week! And I also didn't do any strength training, not even a single push-up! I'm finished work on the 23rd though and don't go back until January 4th, so I hope to fit in a lot more during the office closure period. Here's how this week shook out:

Monday: Off
Tuesday: 8 minute test on Trainer Road. My FTP went from 160 to 193. I'm ready to work! 21.9km total in 1hr
Wednesday: Off - my calves were sore in the AM and no time in the PM/at lunch
Thursday: 9k in the AM, running and 45 minutes with Goddard (17.3km) in the PM as I wasn't sure if I'd fit it in on Friday before my dinner with the ladies.
Friday: I got home early after driving downtown to work (and paying way too much to park for six hours), so I asked Zindine for an easy TR workout. He came through with Carter. Except I picked the +1 version and made the 45 minutes a lot harder on myself! I rode 45 minutes for 17.6km
Saturday: I fit in a 7k run, mid-morning between hockey and shopping and cleaning up a bit before the party
Sunday: More hockey for both boys and a mission to get my nails done resulted in a "long run" of only 9k. But my nails look good!

Christmas nails > long run. 🎅💅 #justrun #likeagirl

A photo posted by Nicole (@macnic05) on Dec 20, 2015 at 2:18pm PST

Totals for the week:
Run: 25.1km
Cycling: 56.8km

Total: 81.9km, 4h51m25s.

Despite the fact that its Christmas this week, I think my mileage will see increases for my last off season week! If my calves cooperate - they are so tight. I need to ensure I get on fixing that before more problems (PF!) arise!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday's to everyone!

Week Six of Off Season!

Sailing right along in this off season thing! I've made a firm decision this week in regards to swimming and took a foot off in terms of cycling, but I still managed to fit in what I wanted.

In terms of swimming, I had originally planned to get to the 9pm lane swim on Thursday nights. After four weeks of thinking that this would happen and not, I decided that the stress and guilt of planning for this swim time wasn't worth it. I will likely NEVER make it to a 9pm anything on a week night. Let's face it, in order to get a good 7 hours sleep, I will need to be in bed most nights by 930pm at the latest. That swim time just doesn't fit with my lifestyle. And I'm not even training for a triathlon. Letting that go and realizing that I may only make a swim time once a week if I'm lucky really gave me some extra energy to go and attack things again. In the end, I swam on both Saturday and Sunday as my sons both had hockey schedules which cooperated with the lane swim times. The thing is, when I swim, I really enjoy it.

In terms of cycling, this was the final week of my sweet spot base building plan and I decided to skip the final 90 minute spin. I just wasn't feeling it and I wanted to take some extra time back for myself (and sleep, let's be honest). In the end, this was the right decision as I was able to attack my long run on Saturday and due to running with some speedier friends, the back half of the run was rather quick!

Here is how week six shook out:

Monday: TR Black - a consistent effort for an hour. Not all out, but no lovely 60% breaks either

Tuesday: Rest

Wednesday: Slept in. Ran 7k at the gym at lunch with 5x2 mins fast, 2 mins slow (Coach Phaedra special), this felt great! In the evening, I was supposed to repeat TR Black, but instead I used my home selector weights to fit in my strength training.

Thursday: 8k early AM run before meeting friends/colleagues for breakfast prior to work. My stomach was slouchy like I had drank too much so I kept it easy.

Seriously, this weather is awesome!

Friday: After work, I hit the trainer for the second Black session of the week. This time, I was prepared and it felt better. Then, I met up with a whole bunch of my running friends for dinner and left with a sweet pair of #runnerd socks (no photo, sorry)

Once I retake the FTP test, something tells me I won't be so off target

Saturday: Long run day! While I was supposed to meet up with Sam, Ivanka, and Amy at my place at 7, only Ivanka showed as the others were not feeling well. We left right at 7am and ran about 5k to Kelly's place (fellow hockey mum), where she joined in. Around 10k, Henro joined us and the foursome was complete. Once we met up with Henro, our pace dropped to about 5:30/km, but it felt good and we kept up the conversation. I love running with people it makes the time fly. Ivanka and I ran 20k total with Kelly putting in her longest run ever at 15k and Henro continued past my house and home to his own place for 14k. Great day (no photos! - that was Sam's job!).

After I got home and showered, I noted that Alasdair's hockey practice and lane swim time were at the same time, same place! With no time to spare, I made the decision to go swimming. This worked out well and I swam for 1,000m - feeling good the entire time.

Lying swim cap

Sunday: The day started slow when I turned off my alarm and decided not to run. HAHA. I knew I wanted to get back to lunch lane swim, so I ate a bigger than normal breakfast and then headed out to church and to get groceries with Fergus while my husband took Alasdair to hockey. After everyone was home, it was time to swim. I planned to be in the pool for an hour and I did. I managed to swim 50m at a time (HUGE!) and ended up with 1,200m.

I got home in time to dry off and eat before changing again into running gear. I ended up getting my run in, taking the long way to Fergus' 2:30pm hockey game. YAY for fitting everything in!!! And we put up our Christmas tree!

Total distance for the week: 84.96k, lower than "usual" this off season, but I skipped about 45k on the bike (two rides) and that was the right thing for me.

Total time: 7h16m59s - YAY for fitting it all in!

This week should be interesting. I need to decide if I'm going to take another easy bike week or re-take my FTP test (which is highly anticipated among my pushy triathlete friends). Seeing as longer mid-week runs will start in two weeks, I should likely up my run distance as well in individual runs. Finally, I would love to get back in the pool twice. Oh, and strength training. Ya. I guess I shouldn't forget about that.

Have a great week!

Off Season, Weeks 4 & 5: One step forward, Two steps back...

So, weeks four and five have come along in the off season! I had a bit of a lag last week, but such is life. Week four was pretty special! I got back into the pool with a coach and I got in a great run with the girls!

Monday: TR Tunnabora. This started with Isolated Leg Drills which I hate, but I did this in the living room as my husband was away and I brought the trainer up to watch TV while I rode.

Tuesday: Off

Wednesday: 30 minutes strength training in the afternoon, TR Geiger in PM. I really pushed myself in this one.

Thursday: Treadmill lunch run with 1.5 miles at BQ pace just for some leg speed. I didn't want to do this, but got it in! Total was 5 miles.

Friday: TR Warlow. 1.5 hours of workout before heading to book club to undo it all with wine and appetizers.

Saturday: 18.5k with Sam and Ivanka in Burlington. Great times! So great to run with people again! Then 40 minutes easy spinning with TR Recess.

Sunday: Irina came out to Milton and coached me through lane swim. What a difference in my speed by the end! I need to find more time to swim. Then I rounded out the week with a 6.61k run.

First an awesome coached swim with this beauty (including her entire bag of tricks), and then a lovely catch up over coffee. Endurance sport has brought such amazing people into my life. I am such a lucky gal! #swimbikerun #likeagirl

A photo posted by Nicole (@macnic05) on Nov 29, 2015 at 8:24am PST

Total: 122.62km and 8h10m29s of training. Whew!

Week five started out just as strong! But life and the BLAHS just got in the way!

Monday: Once again, my husband was away, so the trainer came up to the living room and I rode while my boys and I watched Nightmare Before Christmas for the first time. Cute movie and a perfect length for a 1 hour trainer ride.

Tuesday: Off

Wednesday: Alasdair had a 6am hockey practice, but my dad was picking him up to bring him back to my folks and feed him breakfast/get him to school. So after I dropped him off, I went for a quick 5k run. At lunch, I hit the gym for more Strength trainer, but I really didn't want to do anything. I used the machines for this session and was there for 35 minutes total. That night, I switched up my trainer ride and rode the 90 minute Palisade ride. Whew!

Thursday: I finally got out for an early morning run! 8k easy and steady which was simple after the hard bike the night before!

Seriously you guys! December 2nd, no hat, no gloves! 5k in the books. #justrun #likeagirl

A photo posted by Nicole (@macnic05) on Dec 2, 2015 at 3:38am PST

Friday: I had the day off because we were hosting our annual Christmas party on Saturday and I wanted to do the majority of running around. The problem is, I couldn't bring myself to get out for my planned long run. I did my running around and missed lane swim. So, I hopped on the bike for the 1 hour Tallac workout in TR. At least I did something.

Saturday: Sigh. My alarm, which I had thought I set correctly, didn't go off. No long run. I did manage a 6k run after my party running around was completed.

Revoy girls #selfie

A photo posted by Nicole (@macnic05) on Dec 5, 2015 at 4:29pm PST

Sunday: HAHAHA. I was a bit of a zombie on only 5.5 hours sleep but I did ride 40 minutes recovery on the bike.

Total: 111.11km, and 6k34m36s of training. Whew. Not quite the 111.13 that Sam did though.

This week, I am REALLY hoping to hit the pool twice! The long run needs to be at least 20k and I'm in the final week of my Trainer Road plan! Let's hope the piles of left over food and wine at my house don't derail me throughout the week! After that, its time to build up a bit harder before distance training begins!

More Off-Season, More sleep

Off-season continues to truck along in these parts. As mentioned last week, one of the things I've been trying to keep on top of in this off-season is my quality sleep. Let's face it, I'm a busy person. I commute 2.5 hours a day and I'm frequently attending my son's sporting events at the hockey rink. Fitting in quality workouts mean that I need to get up early at times. Even on the weekend. 0430 alarms are not new for me.

One of the best features of my Fitbit Flex is that I can set it to track my sleep. Once my sleep is activated, the Flex will also track my sleep, restlessness and awake time (when Fergus comes into my room at 3am and has me take him back to his room). I set my goal of 7 hours of sleep this off season. I've been trying to follow this religiously and thus far, I'm doing well (don't look at Saturday night, I stayed up too late reading and we had to be up early for a hockey game).

Quality sleep allows for good workouts and a repaired body. You can Google the studies yourself, but you know its true. The goal in off-season is to set up good habits which will see me through the spring season strong and healthy. Sleep will go a long way towards hitting these goals.

Last week went really, really well! I'm still in love with the trainer and have rediscovered my love for the pool!

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: TR - Ericsson, 60 minutes - Single Leg Drills and Spin-Ups at 5am YAY!

Wednesday: 8k run, early AM

Thursday: 30 minutes free-weights at lunch, TR - Carson, 60 minutes PM - hill drills! Finally got my big ring on!

Friday: Early AM 15k long run. My son was in a hockey tournament Friday, Saturday, Sunday. They came in third.

Saturday: TR- Eclispe. 90 minutes of riding with 60 of that in the sweet spot. This was tough.

Sunday-Funday: Ignoring all my advice about better sleep yielding more energy and better results:

40 minutes free ride on the trainer
35 minutes of swimming
7k running

So, last week was a win! I hit my goal of increasing my run distance and getting back into the pool. I also didn't skip my weight training (but I wanted to!). Not a bad week, not at all:

7 hours, 36 minutes of activity
1.2k of swimming
30k of running
89.5k of cycling

This is without a doubt, the best off season I've had.

Off Season, Week Two

Well, off season, week two has come and gone and I'm quite happy with the way it all went down.

My huge focus this week was eating better and getting quality calories in. While I think I did a good job, my scale had me UP in weight this morning. Frustrated doesn't even begin to explain how I feel. I feel like I made good choices all week. I logged everything on My Fitness Pal. I was at or under my calorie goal the entire week. Sigh. Back to the drawing board I guess.

Thank you for breakfast, Google!

In terms of workouts, I met my arbitrary goal of increasing my run mileages this week and I managed to get my strength workout in at the gym as well. Man, do I dislike lifting weights. I know its good for me though. I really will need that core and upper body strength to push through the final stages of the marathon (if I run one again in the spring - jury is still out). 

2016 Around the Bay race is on the schedule for sure

I hit all of the bike trainer rides this week and even added a fourth, 30 minute recovery ride on Sunday. To say that I am enjoying the trainer would be understating it. I love that I can get up on it and get a workout done at any time (even at 5am like this morning). I love that Trainer Road does all the work for me. It has built the program and workouts, I just need to select the next one on the list and start to spin. 

Next investment? Aero bars. 

In other exciting news, my husband even got HIS road bike up on the trainer for a quick spin to test it out. I'm really hoping we can both improve and include date rides in our summer plans moving forward. We'll likely need to modify our roof rack in that case. 

Our truck on the right. We only have one bike attachment currently
(and two road bikes, one real mountain bike, one mum bike and two kid bikes).

All in all, it was a great week depsite the number on the scale going in the wrong direction.

Monday: 1hr TrainerRoad Goddard, PM. Introduction to Isolated Leg Drills. They suck

Tuesday: Rest

Wednesday: 30 minutes lifting weights, upper body and abs at lunch, 1hr Trainer Road Monitor, PM

Thursday: 7.25k run in the AM

Friday: 1.5hrs TrainerRoad Antelope, PM

Saturday: 12.11k run in the late AM. Glorious day!

Sunday: 7k recovery run in the late AM on another beauty day and then 30 minute free ride on TrainerRoad, early PM

Total: 113.17k, 6hr58minutes.

Let's see if I can actually make it to the pool this week as well!

I'm really happy with this big change in routine this off season. Part of that is because I'm really watching my sleep as well. More on that in another post. 

And now for something completely different

Ahh, the off season. Realistically, this is my 5th off season since I starting running distance races in 2011. Every off season sees me with the same basic goals: Get in more strength training, Lose weight.

2015 will be no different of course. Based on being pretty lazy during the summer, I'm at my highest weight since my post partum season in 2011, so dropping the weight is a major priority. So much so, that I'm currently on a 56 day streak on MyFitnessPal, tracking my food (and booze) intake. I don't track my water (but I drink it) and I never track my cup of morning coffee (I use some cream, but no sugar). I'll friend anyone within reason as I'm an open book about stuff like this (I started at 142lbs), so find me as macnic.

But what of the difference for this particular off season? Well, it started with this:

That, my friends, is a Fluid Force bike trainer and last week, I started a six week base building program on Trainer Road. Trainer Road is the program that so many of my triathlete friends use, that I had to give it a try.  Emma was kind to give me a code to get my first month free, as well as continually encourage and help me figure out the static bike thing. Irina and her husband, Zindine have also given me loads of pointers and tips. I'm a lucky gal. I fully feel that sticking to this program will make me a stronger runner at the end of the six weeks.

I can now post fancy graphs that mean nothing to non-trainer people!

My first week is completed and I'm happy with how it went. Of course running is still in the mix and swimming will also be added. I still have to figure out how I'll make the weight training part of the mix, but these things have a way of working themselves out.

Monday: 1hr bike trainer - FTP test to set up my program
Tuesday: Off
Wednesday: 1hr bike trainer, first workout of the plan
Thursday: 7k run in the AM, I felt great!
Friday: 1.5 hrs on the bike trainer before work. I'm particularly proud of that one
Saturday: 12k Group run with Zindine, Sam, Hockey mum Kelly and Irina on her mum-bike
Sunday: 6k glorious run in the early AM with the first frost.

Total: 101km on the week. Not a bad start to off season! And I lost a tiny bit of weight. I really hope to be under 140lbs by next week. I just have to stay away from the Halloween candy!

So, biking, friends and salad. Its what the off season is about for me this time around.

Photo by Irina