My last big week before taper is complete! And not a moment too soon… I seem to have developed my first ever saddle sore. I’ll spare you the details, but OUCH! Time to rest up and let this bad boy heal. I just dropped my bike off for a tune-up, so the timing is good for some time off the saddle – hopefully not too much!

Monday 8/20 – Rest!

Tuesday 8/21 – Started the day with the 5am crew for a run. It’s hard to get out of bed, but I’m always glad I did. I then squeezed in another frantic lunch-hour swim, and finally finished off the day with an easy ride after work.

Wednesday 8/22 – Despite puppy protests in the morning, I bike-muted to work and back on my hybrid, and added a short run off the bike in the morning. I love it when I wheel my bike into the office, then see the look on my co-workers’ faces when I turn around and head right back out to run.

Thursday 8/23 – Another lunch-time swim, followed by the marathon clinic that evening. We headed to the track for some intervals and and I finally broke in my Boston tank!

Friday 8/24 – Went for a swim at the lake after work and wore my wetsuit. The water is getting a lot cooler with the cold nights rolling in and we will definitely be wearing wetsuits at the 70.3, so I want to make sure I am comfortable wearing it. This summer I’ve been swimming more without it and then it feels pretty restricting when I put it on for a race, so I’m hoping to avoid that feeling. Had a good swim despite some chop. (1500m in 30:00)

Saturday 8/24 – I had a big ride on deck and rallied up some company at the last minute. I met my friend Paula at her place and we rode to the lake and back. It turned out to be my longest ride yet (by quite a bit) – 117K (73 miles) in 4h12m. We stopped mid-way for a refreshing dip in the lake before making the trek home into the wind. When we finally made it back to the house, I quickly swapped shoes and headed straight out for a 20-minute run, even though what I really wanted to do was lay down in the shade – or on Paula’s kitchen floor! All in all, I felt great and gained a lot of confidence for the longer distances I will be facing next year. Let me tell you, that cold shower felt good after!

Sunday 8/25 – I winced at the 5am alarm on Sunday. Sleeping in would have felt good, but alas I had a long run on deck. Our group took a new (to me) route along some country roads and the scenery was great, although it felt like we were continuously going up and down. I didn’t expect my legs to show up after the 4.5+ hour workout on Saturday, but I ended up feeling pretty good. Lowering my expectations and backing off the pace slightly on Sundays (although we ended up pretty quick overall this time) has done wonders for how I feel on the long runs.

Week 7 Totals:
Swim 3x for 4700m in 1:39:18
Bike 4x for 198.6 KM (123.4 mi) in 7:08:03
Run 5x for 52.8 KM (36.2 mi) in 4:58:00
Total Time: 13:45:21