The week in training

What a fun week! On the not great side, our Crossfit gym's power was out last night, so no go there. I'm starting to really enjoy my current Crossfit gym and look forward to the challenge. Instead, we went home and had a positively killer bike trainer workout. Lots of cursing was involved doing this YouTube video. I hated every damn minute, but I suppose that's what training is for.

One training session I loved this week was riding through the vacation towns of Michigan during the holiday weekend. We did a 62-mile ride around Torch Lake, which features every cutesy tourist cliche ever, and was absolutely adorable. Plus, the elevation was no joke. In looking at the data, we topped out at 35+ MPH plus on the downhills, and had about the same total elevation gain as the Ironman Wisconsin course. Coupled with the previous day's half-marathon run in ridiculous humidity, I'm feeling pretty good about my cardio.

This morning's swim also felt pretty good. It's been a few weeks since I took a swim lesson that completely changed my stroke, and I feel like I'm finally starting to reap the benefits. Basically, the coach told me I need to reach wider to engage more muscles in my back, and focus on keeping my hands flat rather than rotating my wrists. It felt awkward at first, but now the movement feels a bit more smooth.

Next up is a double loop of the Ironman Wisconsin bike course, which will be a big weekend workout prior to Esprit de She Naperville June 12. I've been an ambassador for the program (you can still use GEDS16AMB068 to save $5 on registration) from the start and am looking forward to my third year competing in the sprint. I'm hoping for better weather than last year!