Back to Being Me - Cycle 6

I was pretty sick at the start of this cycle, or I should probably say I was in the beginning stages of getting over being pretty sick.  I was forced to take a few days completely off towards the end of the last cycle.  The down side of it all was that the days I had to take off were on my off days which are reserved for longer workouts.  My long workout are the key workouts for each cycle.  They are the heart and soul to my training.  The up side is that its still very early in my training.  The workouts I missed were minor relative to the time I will need to put in come June, July, and August.  But, still I hate missing any time, no matter how minor.  I started this cycle by changing up my routine with a lighter, easier strength session on day 1.  This was actually what I had scheduled for the day since I had a full day of training from 0700-1500 and then had to work 3rd shift that night from 2200-0600.  I was still aching all over and my chest was still very congested.  The next morning I had a swim and bike brick workout scheduled.  There was no way I was going to be able to get that workout in with how hard it was to breath, let alone breath at a higher rate.  I did an easy ride in the basement on my spin bike that morning.  The next day I was back to being on schedule, though.  I managed to get through a full 5 mile run (indoors of course) with only moderate amounts of coughing.

So ultimately, I either had to make changes to my training plan or completely miss a workout due to being sick 5 days.  I only took 2 days of completely no training and 3 days with tweaked workouts.  Really, that's not too bad looking back on it, but man, did it suck when I was going through it.  I was still able to complete 2 key running workouts and an indoor triathlon this past cycle.

My diet has been spot on this past 9 days.  I began keeping a journal to hold myself accountable to what I put into my body.  I also began keeping the journal to help my get into a routine and better learn how to fuel my body working the odd shift that 3rd shift forces me to work.  I want to find out how to get my body thriving and running like a finely tuned machine with the stresses of living a 3rd shift lifestyle.  I track everything I put in my body, when I put it in, and how I feel before and after.  I also track my sleep duration and quality based on a personal rate of sleep quality.  So far - So good!


This cycle I haven't eaten any processed foods - no breads, crackers, chips, really anything that comes in a box.  I didn't have any refined sugars or treats.  The only alcohol I had was a few glassed on wine with dinner the night before the indoor triathlon.  I really keyed on fruits, vegetables, healthy fats, and fish/seafood.  If I found myself craving extra food later at night or between main meals, I would have an orange, carrots, or an apple.  When I craved a dessert after dinner and I knew I had eaten well throughout the day, I would treat myself to a banana with peanut butter.  Some foods that I tried this past cycle that will quickly become staples in my diet are sauteed sweet potatoes topped with coconut flakes and tuna mashed up with an avocado.

I am determined to keep up with my resolutions that I put into action on January 1st.  Sarah and I went on an official date on Saturday night.  We lined up a babysitter (thank you Auntie Lisa and Uncle JD) and we went out for our very favorite dinner - Sushi!  We went to TJ's Japanese Steakhouse and ordered some of the best sushi I've had in a while.  I even ordered some tradition Sashimi.  It was the first time I had sashimi and there was something simplistic to it that made it better than all the fancy sushi we ordered.  We ordered a tuna and smoked salmon sashimi.  The smoked salmon was some of the best tasting salmon I have ever had. It was such a clean and savory flavor.  After our dinner we went over to Buffalo Wild Wings for a beer.  It was the first beer I had since New Years Eve.  I ordered a Sam Adams Lager, it was just as good as I remembered!  We ended then night by sharing a small bowl of Cold Stone Ice Cream.  It was really a great way to end a great week of training!

Brief Recap

Like I said, my training took a hit at the beginning of this cycle, but I was back into the thick of my plan by day 3.  I had a couple key running workouts this cycle.  The first was 800 repeats.  800 meters is approximately a half mile.  I do a workout consisting of 800 repeats every other cycle building up to 10x800.  I did 4 repeats in the middle of a 7 mile run this cycle.  It went surprisingly well considering that I was still kind of congested.  The second key workout was my long run.  I am trying to work in more race specific pacing in my long runs this year.  This was the first time this season I had a race pace long run workout.  The workout I had scheduled was a 12 mile run with 4 miles done at goal race pace.  I structured it to be 7 miles at an easy pace, followed by 4 miles done at my goal race pace of 6:49/mile, and ended with 1 mile done at an easy pace to cool down.  I ended this cycle with my first "race" of 2013.  I participated in the Oshkosh YMCA Winter Indoor Triathlon.  I won't delve into how the race went here, but you can read my race report HERE.  Let's just say it was a flawed race and I wasn't too pleased at the end, but at least got a decent workout out of it.

Favorite Workout

My favorite workout would have to be my race pace long run.  I had to make some minor tweaks to my schedule due to the indoor triathlon I did on day 9 of this cycle.  Normally I do my long runs on one of my off days which I do not work the night before.  I do this so I can get a good NIGHTS sleep.  With my work schedule I only get 2 opportunities to get a FULL NIGHT's rest.  The other nights I am either working, or adjusting my sleep pattern to allow my body to sleep the next night, or get back into the routine of sleeping during the day.  But this cycle I scheduled my long run on my first day off, which means I had to work the night leading up the morning when I did the run.  So I was getting myself worked up over the fact that I would be tired going into the workout ever before I even left work.  The weather was pretty bad too that morning.  It was the first full day without snow since our latest snow storm and the temperatures dropped dramatically low to near zero.  I learned my lesson from running in the freezing temps from last cycle when I was knocked out with my sickness.  So I did the workout inside at the Heart of the Valley YMCA.  I planned on breaking up the monotony by splitting the run to half on the indoor track and the other half on the treadmill.  I ran the first 6 miles at an easy pace on the indoor track and averaged about a 7:40/mile pace.  I then went right downstairs and jumped on a treadmill and started the second half.  I ran 1 mile at 7:30/mile pace, followed directly by 4 miles done at 6:49/mile pace.  It actually worked out nicely doing this portion on a treadmill, because it allowed my to dial in my pace perfectly.  The 4 miles went by quickly and I felt relaxed and comfortable throughout the entire duration.  I then dialed it back down to a 7:40/mile pace for the final mile.  I felt great throughout the entire run.  I had no residual chest congestion issues from being sick and I never even got tired from working the night before.  

Moving Forward

The next cycle is my first "recovery" cycle.  I get to cut my volume down from my previous training cycles.  I have no two-a-day workouts and every day is relatively easy.  The only exception is a 10k run test I had pushed into this cycle which was originally scheduled into the previous cycle.  I pushed it ahead one week due to being sick.  Also coming up this next cycle is my monthly "free day."  I decided that as long as I strictly eat properly and avoid refined sugars, gluten, processed foods, and over-doing the alcohol I will allow myself to have one "free day" each month.  I conveniently scheduled my first "free day" on Super Bowl Sunday.  It's a day that I don't track ANYTHING in my journal and can eat anything without guilt or reservations.  Needless to say, I am looking forward to having a few beers and a couple sweets!  But come Monday, its back to the grind and I will need to refocus on the task at hand!

Be fast, be strong, and carry on!