BASE TRAINING BEGINS

Race Goal: Santa Barbara Long Course Triathlon. 1 mile swim, 34 mile bike, 10 mile run.

For the next 10 weeks, I will be in base training mode. I will be building distance and duration in my training, keeping my heart rate at aerobic level (111-138). I know that during the first couple of weeks of this stage I will be walking more than running, because I know that my run heart rate is pathetically high (155+!). Hopefully by the end of this stage I will be able to at least jog for a prolonged amount of time within the suggested heart rate zone.

So, yesterday after my little *tantrum,* I stretched, did some upper body strength work, and rested. I just didn't have the strength to go swimming for some reason. I ate well, I iced my hips and shoulders and just rested, did some stuff around my condo, etc...just took it easy.

This morning, I tested my heavy legs on the bike for 25 minutes. I did it because I wanted to see how i felt after getting my bike refitted. I didn't wear my bike shoes with the clips because I wanted to relieve the extra load it puts on my glutes during my upstrokes (or uppedal?), as suggested by Dianna. I just put on my running shoes instead and started spinning as I examined my setup on the bike. NOT BAD. I stretched afterwards and went to work. The next couple of workouts on the bike will be short and easy, maybe increasing the time by 5 minute increments every time... I need to condition my body to get reacclamated to the bike, slowly and steadily, instead of shocking the heck out of it by getting right back on to a 2-hr ride with rolling hills. Ugh, what a disgraceful failure that was. Almost humorous.

At 1230pm, I snuck out of my office and went for that swim I skipped yesterday. It was the perfect timing though, since I biked this morning. :) Maybe i was still tired or something, I felt slow and my strokes were not so well coordinated, in my opinion (instead of gliding through the water, I was pretty bumpy). Oh heck, I mixed in some breast strokes and back strokes so that I wouldn't over load my right shoulder with forward motion (right shoulder still quite vulnerable, with frequent jamming in the rotator cuffs, which causes me to squeal underwater). I think I swam for about 35 minutes. Went crazy in the shower to get back to the office on time before anybody started placing a missing person search on me. Right now, my hip feels looser after that swim and I feel like I've accomplished something.

Last week I skimped on lower-body strength training. So this week I'm going to have to get back into that.

I have a 5k race on Saturday (4/5), which I will try to use as training run, staying in my aerobic heart rate zone...so i guess it will be a training "walk." The event is called The Great Race of Agoura Hills, and it is said to have the "Best Post Race Party," voted by racers. Extra motivation always helps.

I haven't really figured out a regular training schedule yet, because I am still working on the right mix of swim/bike/run and strength training, yoga and OFF days. I am thinking of using a 2-week period instead of the usual 1-week period to jam everything in, only because I know i can't squeeze in two workouts/day, let alone daily workouts, like normal healthy people would do. Once I get the hang of that I will try to come up with a weekly schedule. I'll post a sample schedule in the next week or two.