Up Up and Away!

I am struggling big time right now and already on my second cup of coffee. Nothing can save me.

I figured I would toss out an update as it has been a monumental week for me.

I had the highest training volume week of my life by 30 minutes! 20.5 hours. It may not seem like a lot but when you actually go out and do it, it sure feels like it. I am feeling just over the moon right now. I even decided to live large and eat some fast food. Turns out I can completely understand why America is so portly. Melted cheese is the delightful downfall of the American waistline.

I am at the point in fitness where everything feels like floating not work. My legs are just pistons and don’t give in to the acidic discomfort that usually takes its toll pretty quickly. The burn point is getting more bearable. I am even comfortable in the pool which is sort of like a solar eclipse or the last time you saw Hale Bopp.

I got some major work done that was highlighted by several workouts.
1. A beastly swim with my buddy, Tony. 5 x 500 that I absolutely destroyed and felt like I was swimming down a water slide. Fish-like! He is a great training partner and we push each other, keep each other honest, and it isn’t competition, it is building each other towards a goal. We are a team as opposed to opponents.
2. Long run of 13 miles with Tony as well. We just clicked through it with no issue on a perfect day in Santa Monica.
3. Ridiculous solo 3 hr bike with 4k of climbing in the first 16 miles. I did some major damage to my neck on this ride and properly blasted my legs
4. Solo 400 meter repeats that shattered me and saw me with my hands on my knees, sucking 02. Track work alone is testing. Try it sometime, you find out a lot about yourself when you are alone. Honestly I don’t like what I see some of the time. This time was acceptable but I fell apart towards the end and when the wheels come off in 400’s, that’s pretty much it.
5. Interval ride with 4 x 6 minutes @ 360 watts and felt comfortable. For those of you not watt inclined, those numbers are pretty big but could barely power a handful of lights. Things are relative. I think I might be able to crank about 340 watts over a 40k which will be huge but again would create very little electricity.

I also finished a phenomenal book. It’s called Once a Runner. It gets inside the head of an elite miler. The mile is THE hardest race. No questions asked. Most people have not felt this kind of pain and those who have are scared to feel it again. Milers are brave. That edge is something very few people can tolerate on a regular basis. Truth be told, I am too much of a coward to race this race.
Anyway, it may be one of the most motivational reads ever and is exceptionally well written which few sports novels can claim outside of Jon Krakeur. It talks about his journey, complete with the self doubt, and triumphs. One of the best quotes in it is on my side bar and talks about compromise. That stuck with me… to excel you can’t compromise. I’m working on this.

Outside of training, I am just surrounded by positivity and I feel great. The people around me are building me up and I am trying to do the same. It is contagious and I am really happy. Hope you are too.