Sunday, January 20, 2013

5 Weeks of Crazy

So! I've made it 5 weeks with my new BatShitCrazierThanMe Coach... Haven't seen my plan yet for this upcoming week and not sure I even want to look... I'm just tackling one day at a time right now but so far so good. Thought I'd jot down some things I've learned/observed in case you're interested. :)

~I am capable of a hell of a lot more training than I thought.

~Coach loves the bike. For the past 2 weeks in a row I've ridden more than my biggest bike week of 2012. And I feel the best I've ever felt riding! 55% of my total training volume in the last 5 weeks has been on my bike.

~I always thought- in my heart- that I would thrive on volume. I was right.

~I actually haven't had any seriously big/long training days. But I don't have many short days either. It's really been more about backing up a solid day with another solid day tomorrow and another solid day after that. Frequency is high and therefore total volume is high but no single session has been overwhelming.

~I am generating a lot of laundry.

~Not once have I altered or moved or modified a workout. A+ for following the plan! :)

~The key to nailing hard sessions is making sure your easy sessions are easy. I know we've all heard this one before but right now I am LIVING it and can vouch. Nalani saw it this weekend too- yesterday we rode HARD. Today we rode EASY. La la la... Just some chit chat catch-up time while pedaling a bike today.

~I used to hate easy recovery days. I am learning to love them. Seriously. LOVE.

~This might sound crazy, but I think I always resisted rest/recovery before b/c I was never really working hard enough to feel like I needed it. I distinctly remember at the end of that training camp I did with Hillary Biscay last March thinking, "I do not work hard enough in normal training..." This year so far every week is like a training camp week. Seriously. So when I do happen to have an easy session, I cherish it. :)

~I thrive on seeing a schedule that makes me think No Way can I do that... but then doing it anyway.

~Those Recovery Pump Boots are worth their weight in gold to me. I am testing their limits and very pleased so far.

~I've been eating a mostly plant-based diet for the last 3 months or so. Not quite 100% vegetarian, but close. I don't feel the slightest bit deprived. I have not been able to give up eggs. I love hard boiled eggs. I'd really like to find a local source where the hens are not abused.

~I don't feel fat anymore. I'm not weighing myself often but I weighed myself some over the fall and managed to put on quite a bit of weight (like 8-10lbs!). OK so I was never really 'fat' but I was too heavy to run well and I just generally felt like a cow so that wasn't good. Pretty sure that's all gone now b/c I just don't feel fat anymore. That was one of the things Nalani and I chatted about today while we were soft pedaling- given that I feel awesome and am hitting great numbers in training and my pants fit loosely again, I don't feel the need to see a number on a scale to validate what I'm feeling. It's all good.

~I am pretty surprised that I haven't cracked yet. I keep thinking that one of these days I am going to CRAAAACK but so far I've been ok. I've had a few runs that could be called UGLY for sure but not like to the point of sitting down on the side of the road and calling it quits.

~Sometimes I wonder if coach writes a week schedule in for me and thinks to himself "I wonder if THIS will crack her??" Lol.

~When I ride in the rain a lot, like for 2 weeks straight, I find myself incredibly happy when the roads are finally dry.

~Coach is more into effort than numbers (HR, pace, power, etc) but I have not yet given up my training data. Seeing objective evidence of improvement (vs just thinking 'I felt stronger today') is highly motivating to me (yet I don't need to see objective on a scale? Interesting.) And when the numbers aren't there I just think Duh, I'm trashed and don't stress about it.

~Ok I just checked Training Peaks and saw the schedule for the upcoming week... Had a hot flash. Here we go again! 8 weeks 'til Cabo!

5 comments:

Damie said...

I wish I could write under you bullet points. Yes, I agree with the "I can handle and thrive on more." Yes, I left camp feeling the same, same way. Yes, I never need a scale to just know when I am fit and firing on all cylinders. I too, gained 10 pounds over the fall with all of my changes with coaching, getting sick, etc. 8 weeks- AWESOMENESS!!! I just can't wait. So excited for you!

mmmonyka said...

I love the good influence your coach has on you:) Not that I didn't like what I saw in TP before but I like it even more now. Although I swear (usually mutter wtf under my breath when i read my daily assignment) more now than I used to.

I too feel too big to run well. Not fat but like a cow (good analogy). But i honestly do not know whether a 6' female can ever feel like a distance runner.

I am now considering doing Hillary's training camp to see the difference between how I train and how should train.

mtanner said...

#redefiningBatShitCrazy!

Love it but you know that already!

cherelli said...

I'm interested to see how this TBB style training works for you; so far, awesome! Sounds like a neat change of scene and refreshing in terms of building more mental strength (and forces you to take the day by day approach...live in the moment)....

Kiet said...

You definitely sound manic right now, the training must be good. Always thought the TeamTBB philosophy would agree with you.