Time for a Breather!

I personally designated this past week as a mental recovery week for myself. I've been starting to notice things building up and cast aside as a result of all my training and constantly being on the move. Laundry, errands, overloaded To-Do Lists, and most importantly the need to recharge my batteries and spend some time for and on myself -- apart from work, training, and my other obligations. And man, was it the breath of fresh air I needed!

The week started off great, with a fun Tuesday night spin session at Captain Tony's Studio (that makes him sound like a superhero) in Oakland, with Rocky and Phil. We got some solid speed intervals in, and followed up with some much needed foam rolling, stretching and a little bit of core exercises. Gotta love those guys. And suffice to say, we've now bonded and know each other a little better after that experience.

I wrote earlier about my Wednesday night swim, a workout I was very pleased with, amidst the on-and-off showers and wind that the evening brought.

For the end of the week, I promised one of my teammates, Kathryn, to volunteer and put myself up for bid for her fundraiser: A Date Auction for LLS. All went well! Will, another one of my teammates, was the lucky winner. Here are a few of us up for bid at "The Green Party": Jennifer, myself & Johnny...



As a last-minute decision, I decided to take Saturday off for a mental health day (which I deemed "normal Saturday") and I was so relieved to give myself a few more hours in the week. Wrapped up the day with a great dinner in the city, catching up with friends from college whom I haven't seen since starting Team in Training in 2008.

By today, I was back in the swing of things. I got together with some of the gang: Kristie, Belinda, Marina, Tiffany, Mary, Cori, Helen, Nick, Mike, Stephanie, and Martina ~ to all meet for a run through Clayton, followed by a fantastic brunch at Captain Jen's lovely home.



The weather was beautiful for a run through the town and trails of quaint Clayton. We saw llamas & emu as we broke a sweat under the sun and completed anywhere from 6.5-7 miles at our easy/long pace. I also followed Kristie's lead and tried a new run/walk strategy (4 mins run / 1 min walk). I'm experimenting with this now so I can get comfortable with my pacing for the marathon during my Ironman. I know those walks are certainly going to come in handy especially getting off of the bike with "fresh bricks" for legs.

Our meal post-run was simply the best. Great company, savory food and delightful mimosas on a Sunday afternoon. Today just couldn't be beat.





Up next and looking forward to...

- Saturday, 3/13: Aquatic Park ~ yes, IronTeam will be swimming in the San Francisco BAY next weekend! Can we say brainfreeze? (that one's for you, Rocky)

- Sunday, 3/14: Marin Metric Century Ride Route ~ can you believe it? My first metric century (that's just over 62 miles) through the rolling, and from what I've heard STEEP hills of Marin County. This should be an adventure! I'm trying to calm the nerves of my quads and hamstrings. They're getting awfully nervous for those hill climbs.

- Friday, 3/19: We take off for yours truly's FIRST camping trip ever. M-dot meets wilderness. This should be good.

- Saturday, 3/20: HALF-IRONMAN DISTANCE TRI at Lake San Antonio (a.k.a. The Avia Wildflower Course)


Phew! Makes that little bit of downtime worth it... and what already seems like a dream ago!


***
Week #17 Workout Summary: [Personal Getting My Head Back On Straight Week]

Swim: 1 hour and 15 minutes
Bike: 1 hour and 15 minutes
Run: 1 hour and 45 minutes
Core/Strength: 0 hours and 15 minutes
Total Workout: 4 hours and 0 minutes