Tapering began in earnest today. (It should have started last week, but I cheated to get more work in following the minimal amount of work I did the week prior in N.Y.) The tri is in less than a week on Sunday; I feel extremely ready for it and am looking forward to getting past it now, getting it done and under my belt. I want to see what my training has done for me (aside from great weight loss!), and put these new skills and equipment to the test.
But first: Quit working out so hard for a week! This is going to be tough. Fortunately I have an understanding wife who has been extremely supportive throughout the process and continues to be so.
So the week of training looks like this: 30 minute light bike ride today, swimming tomorrow, 2-mile run on Wednesday, swimming Thursday, off on Friday and very light 15 minutes bike ride and 5-minute run brick on Saturday. Then it's off to packet pickup and pace nervously until I fall asleep.
Sunday, I'll get up about 5 a.m. for a quick breakfast and then head over to the course for check-in to setup my transition area. Wave swim starts at 6:30, and I may even be done by 9 a.m.
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New shoes
I received an early birthday card with some wish money in it, so I decided to go to Fleet Feet Sports and get my stride analyzed and buy the right shoes. After about an hour with a truly knowledgeable and attentive staff member, I came away with Saucony Hurricane 14 shoes, that I took out for a 6-miler the next morning. They were great. The whole experience was terrific and I look forward to supporting that store as often as I'm able.
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Emotional ride
I wasn't supposed to exercise yesterday, but last night I had some extra emotions to burn off. I took off on the bike for about 7.5 miles until I started to feel winded. I averaged 20-plus mph! Then I took a more relaxed ride back, but still got back with an average speed of 17.3 mph over the course of 58 minutes. And I felt better. I really believe that hard exercise is good for the body, brain and soul.
I also wear the Saucony Hurricanes. They're great for runners with low arches -- I even had to have inserts placed too. Glad you got some good information from Fleet Feet. They're a great resource.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the recommendation to try them. I tried the shoes with and without inserts, after we narrowed down to those shoes, and I liked them better without. They seem so light compared to the New Balance shoes I was running in (following little help from the staff at a chain shoe store).
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