Steve in a Speedo?! Gross!

My "Back Off Week" (Which Wasn't TOO "Backed Off")

>> Wednesday, March 25, 2026

I noted in my BIG training week post about the week of March 9th that I figured the following week (last week) would be an easier and shorter week, noting I could use a "back off" week. My wife was off work the ENTIRE week, and my oldest was home on spring break - it was just going to be a real "different" week. But it ended up being a decent week!

I noted 2 of the workouts in posts recently: I had a decent track workout on Friday, and then I got out for a nice tempo bike ride on our WARM Saturday!

Everything else was pretty normal. My long run on Monday and Wednesday's easy run were both on the treadmill as we had just gotten a dumping of snow. (OUR TREADMILL IS SUDDENLY BROKEN AS THE SPEED BUTTON DOESN'T RELIABLY WORK!) My upper body workouts were SLIGHTLY on the shorter side, but still good. And then the 2 workouts linked in the paragraph above.

And my treadmill long run had some nice speed in the middle. Here's what went down in my training log:

6 faster miles starting at 9.3 mph and taking extra speed ups at a half mile, around mile 1.5, and then jumped to 10.0 at mile 2 when it wasn't working right. Then normally up to 10.2 and held it there for an extra 1/2 mile, got to 10.4, and did the last half mile at 10.5 I believe:

3:14, 3:08, 3:08, 3:04, 2:59, 2:58, 2:56, 2:56, 2:54, 2:53, 2:53, 2:52

= 35:59 (5:59.83 pace)

In the end, I had a lower week of steps...

But my "intensity minutes" weren't bad, making it 6 weeks straight above 1500 minutes:

So on paper, this "back off" week was actually pretty average. My training log totals all time logged (I log swim, bike, trainer, run, and strength work - everything but walking and generic cardio), and starting earlier this month I had 2 weeks of about 21.5 hours, the big week of 23.5 hours, and then last week was nearly 21 hours of training... pretty normal.

First Tempo Ride of 2026

>> Monday, March 23, 2026

I got out for my first "real" bike ride of the year (meaning on my tri bike and not on my big ole' mountain bike) about 2.5 weeks ago, and that was a nice 37 miler just ridden moderately - staying above a 20 mph ave through 34 miles before dropping. And I've had some good trainer rides and decent weeks in the saddle...

... so when we had record warmth on Saturday, I had to get out in the 70+ degree weather and try to ride hard!

I took off on a very normal tempo route that I've been using over the last few years: River Road to 35E, across the river, down to Big Rivers, up Big Rivers to the end, a little extra on Hwy 13, and then back down Big Rivers (and onto Water Street) until I hit 20 miles. Then limp home like a wounded puppy.

I realized on Big Rivers (around mile 8) that I was going into the wind. This part is uphill as well. So I suffered into the wind until about mile 13.5. My average speed was 21.8 mph around mile 7, 21.0 mph after climbing across the river and slightly into the wind, and then it DROPPED through mile 13.5: it was 20.1 mph on Hwy 13 when I turned around.

I had one big climb left (the dark blue just north of split #3), but otherwise it was slightly downhill and with the wind, so I was trying to get my average back up over those last 6.5 miles!

20 mile tempo through split #4 (they are 5-mile splits).

The red line is where my tempo effort ended: see my speed and heart rate drop?

I finished my tempo at 20.9 mph, and I was happy with that for my 2nd ride outdoor all year! And then my splits TANKED on the rest of the way home: it was 19.7 mph when I finally turned off River Road and more into the wind again, but it still dropped to 19.5 mph on the gritty roads home. I was happy to have gotten in 32 miles with the first 20 being fast!

Snowy Track Workout

>> Sunday, March 22, 2026

I did my first track workout of the year a few weeks back. Then just over a week ago, the track was too icy for a workout. Two days later, we got EIGHT INCHES of snow. And then the sun came out and I was able to hit the track on Friday!

A track that was too icy on Friday, 8 inches of snow a few days later, and then ready for a track workout the following Friday - just a week later and in the SAME week as 8 inches of snow! Wild.

I did a lap before running hard to check on the condition of the track. The homestretch had some pooling in the first lane:

Wet, but not icy. (45 degrees.)

But the first turn was still kinda nasty...

... areas were thick and icy.

These areas were the worst!

Still lots of melting snow from the outer lane along the homestretch.

I did a version of the workout I did a few weeks back (which was alternating 800s and 400s). This time, I didn't alternate and did 4x800 with 2:00 rest, then 4x400 with 90 sec rest.

With the issue of running wide and avoiding the ice on the first curve, I knew times wouldn't be THAT fast. I did my first 800 in 2:45 and was a little bummed. So the goal was to descend times and try to suffer.

When I got to the 400s, my first one was decent at 1:15, and then I thought I'd try to knock them down to 1:11-1:12. But my 2nd one was 1:12, so now I was just trying to hold on. This is what I ran: