October 2017 Training – Racing on Cheesecake

Well, it looks like I skipped talking about my September training which makes total sense because there is very little to report. When we last chatted about it, I was drinking wine. 

Little has changed since then, except now there is an end in sight. I’ll explain in a moment.

What did September/October look like?

I focused on running and group workouts

There is something about fall that just makes me want to run. So I did. I ran alone maybe a few times but the majority of my training was done with my local running group and I just showed up and did the workouts that they had for the day.

I kept it minimal

I went from 20+ hr weeks to not cracking eight hours of training for the past 2 months. I have cleaned and reorganized my entire apartment, am halfway through a course at the University of Toronto and have been cooking up a storm. I am revelling in the new found time. Oh, and I have found PLENTY of time to put my feet up and relax – I am halfway through Girls (again), rewatched The Handmaids Tale and am almost caught up on This Is Us.

I did a race

I ran the Waterloo Classic 5 KM and was pleasantly surprised what some rest, low expectations and a couple weeks of sharpening efforts can do. I ran a personal best of 18:14 and placed 4th OA which was a happy surprise – especially when I won money to blow on Starbucks on the way home from the race!

I have kept the strength training

I probably do about 4 strength sessions a week and I have been attacking weaknesses and working on explosive strength.

But other than that, I have been revelling in sugary treats, wine, tv time and a much-needed break from formal training plans. It is funny how things seem to have a rhythm to them because every year around this time, my pants start fitting snugger, I start missing those early morning workouts and the structured training and I start planning to get back at it.

FOR NOVEMBER

Time to get back at it. Sort of.

This time of year, I always book in with my sports nutritionist and do a cleanse of sorts. Months of gels, protein bars and sports nutrition have culminated in three months of cheesecake, wine and peanut butter. While both lovely and necessary (for me), I normally crack the whip in November and jump back in with my reset regimen. This means all the things everyone knows is good for you (water, veggies, high-quality protein) and none of the things that aren’t (sugar, too much caffeine, processed carbs). So I am super strict for November and then loosen up to enjoy the holidays in December.

I also took an FTP test last week to get a baseline so I can hop back into a build program on the bike. I am really going to be focusing on cycling in the coming months and I am using Trainer Road program (Sweet Spot Base) to achieve a nice start.

Other than cycling 3x a week, I will be running 2-3x a week and doing strength 4 x a week. (My sessions are super short – 30 minutes or less).

I have been swimming 1x a week and this will continue but I am looking to switch pools to something larger, less warm and with  better hours.

Happy training, friends!