I often require my students to write a paper of reflection regarding their achievements throughout the semester. I explain to them that such reflection helps them identify their week points, while also boosting confidence regarding goals that they achieve. It occurs to me that such reflection might be quite useful to my training as I begin working toward my 2010 racing goals.
Nutrition
Christmas week might not be the best time to reflect upon one’s commitment to healthy eating. Let’s just say this commitment was tested severely over the past few days. This past week was particularly destructive to the healthy habits I’ve acquired through the years. So, I’ll summarize by saying: next week MUST BE better, especially since I’ll be working into my first ultramarathon (PHUNT 50k in Elkton, MD). I’m slamming glasses of water right now in the hopes that it will flush out all of the red wine, cookies, lasagna, meatballs and more that I’ve enjoyed so heartily.
Workouts
Because my nutrition was so pitiful, my workout quality has not been great either. The highlights of the week: Wintry blizzard conditions made for interesting conditions, allowing for an adventurous 5.5 mile run on Monday, during which I ran in snow that came up to my knees. I was high steppin’ through the drifts, launching over ice patches, and in general, feeling like a little kid playing in the snow. That was a fun day. Saturday’s run, however, was not like that at all. I ran in windy, rainy conditions. I felt like the wind was coming from at least 3 directions, and the cold driving rain made it difficult to warm up completely. While this run was not one of those days that made me feel great, I still mark it as a highlight because it was an excellent mental toughness day. I wanted to turnaround during the first 10 minutes, but made it through to complete the work out.
Summary*:
Running total: 27 miles, 295 minutes
Bike total: 108 minutes (distance n/a – on trainer)
Swim total: 1400 yards
Specific details about individual workouts can be found by clicking the link to my training log, in the right sidebar.
*Because I am running an ultra in a week, workout totals for this week are relatively low to allow proper recovery before the race.
