Week 52 Wrap-Up

It's now been almost a week since I signed up for IM WI 2006...my emotions have settled down a little--more out of necessity as I'm sure I would've either driven myself crazy or driven those around me insane. I'm still psyched, but my enthusiasm has been channelled into training for the Disney marathon, which is the next big thing on my race calendar. I'm done with week 2 of that training program, and so far, so good.

My parents gave me a trainer as a treat for hitting the 100 lb mark on my weight loss--that arrived this week (CycleOps Fluid 2). I put that together and got my bike on it Friday night--my entry way has become my fitness area, but we do what we must with limited space options. I still need to go bike shopping and try on some wetsuits (ugh)...not sure when I'll fit that in, but I'll get it done at some point over the next few months.

Week 52 training summary:
Swim: None
Bike: 30 min spinning
Run: 26.3 miles; 4:18:44 total time
Strength: 1:20 of weights and core
Total time: 6:08:44

Week 52 key learnings:
1. PACE IS KEY!! I took off like a bat out of hell during the Nike Run Hit Wonder 10K Tuesday night (sub-8 minute pace, which for me is equivalent to a sprint)...almost keeled over after the first mile and a half. It didn't help that the race course took us on lower Wacker--about a mile and a half of stale, hot, stifling concrete before they let us out along the lake again. Rough race...but then I did darn near the same thing today on my 3 mile run and took off too fast. I'll get it figured out...but I need to remember to run my race, not anyone else's.
2. Too much fiber is a bad thing. Before said Run Hit Wonder race, I had South Beach Diet Southwestern Chicken Wraps (15 g fiber) for lunch, a bag of light popcorn (~15 g fiber) for a late afternoon snack, and a Clif bar (5 g fiber) on the way to the race. Lots of "rocket fuel" during the run...but pretty miserable all in all.
3. Sleep is always good. I need to focus on getting enough sleep--I'm notorious for staying up too late, and I'm finding that my body needs more rest these days.
4. A year seems like forever...need to continue to keep my enthusiasm in check so I don't burn out.

All in all...good week...ready for week 51!!