Week Ending April 15th in Review (Build 1C) – Focus!

 Big breakthrough week, in my mind.  Although the run is virtually at a standstill, the bike and swim are progressing rapidly.  A reduced volume week, but nonetheless intense in its own respect.  I definitely experienced a new sense of focus this week that I had drifted from in the several weeks past.  It was all about taking one effort at a time and staying in the present, in effect “drifting” through the effort regardless of how hard it felt.  Started off the week with a very positive criss-cross 95%/105% on the trainer.  Executed very well.  Much better than last week.  The swim test was amazing.  I was so pleased with the result and the ability to buckle down and get it done.  Near perfect execution.  I was planning a long ride on Saturday.  With nobody to ride with and a somewhat low morale to head out on my own, I decided to bag it and shoot for Sunday.  Although Saturday turned into a later-than-expected night, I was able to get up and out by around 7:15.  Still wasn’t too excited about getting out there solo, but that subsided as strength grew over the course of the ride.  Turns out, I rode pretty well.  235 NP for 3:17 over 63 miles.  Down rt. 18 all the way into Freetown.  The last hour was intended to be 85-95% threshold.  I rode right on the high-end of that at 254 NP, averaging over 21mph.  Average speed over 19 mph.  Very solid ride.  The rest of the day I felt pretty trashed, but was up and ready to go Monday morning.  Really great week on the swim and bike.  Next week we need to get back in the game on the run.  Matt is happy with the progress.  He believes we’ve found a good balance between recovery and work, thus enabling very solid workouts.  He says, “this is how its supposed to feel” indicating that most athletes work most of the time in fatigue and without enough recovery.  I’m really happy with his approach.  Clearly my progress is evident throughout these efforts and couldn’t do it without his guidance.  Next week, intended to be recovery, is going to shift in plan and build back up.