Hi hi hi! Happy Monday!
So, I’ve been doing this CapTex Tri 2023 Training Recaps for a bit now. And today’s post is all about WEEK 13 of training. Which means there are only 3 more weeks to go until race day! Craziness that it’s the final stretch now.
This is my first full-distance triathlon (I did the sprint triathlon last year here in Austin), and so training has been taking up a significant amount of time. Sharing these training recaps with y’all has been a fun way to enjoy the process.
If you missed them and want to see, here are some of my triathlon training recaps from the last few months.
CapTex Tri Week 13 Recap
I’m just going to be really real with y’all:
Finding the time to train at this point is HARD.
I have so much more respect for athletes who are also parents that I every have before. It’s really hard to find the time in the week to squeeze in those out-of-the-house workouts!
Hence the fact that I still haven’t started riding my bike. (Like, an actual bike. On an actual road.)
I’m really thankful for our Peloton, though!
The power zone rides have been excellent training for me. I know it doesn’t translate 100% to cycling on a road, but I do feel a lot stronger on the Peloton than I did 3 months ago. (And my FTP improved a ton, so I have the analytics to prove that I’m getting stronger, too!)
The power zone rides are great! I get so sweaty and exhausted…haha.
Before a ride:
And after…
I slept in a bit on this day, which meant that Milo was awake during my ride. He loves to lay down RIGHT next to the Peloton while I’m doing my ride (haha, hence why I typically prefer just waking up early and getting it done before he’s up.)
But the cute part is that he likes to join me for the post-ride stretch.
Running feels strong, too. I can easily run 5 miles at this point. It doesn’t sound like much on paper, but just a few months ago I could barely finish a mile. So I’m happy with the progress!
Swimming is always the leg that I feel most confident in, thanks to my history with the sport. I love the feel of the water and I’m really excited to swim in Town Lake! I’m training with a local Masters group once a week, so I plan to get in 3-4 more swims before race day.
Something I loved from week 1
Last Saturday at my Masters swim workout, we had to do a 100m all-out timed. A few weeks ago, I would get pretty winded from about 25 yards of easy swimming, so anything “fast” or “all-out” was just out of the equation.
But last Saturday, I was able to actually push it and at least attempt to go fast!
I will absolutely not share my 100 meter time with you. My 14-year-old-self would be appalled at it.
But I think it’s really cool to train for something and see/feel progress.
If you haven’t gotten the vibe from all of these training recap posts, I’m definitely training imperfectly. I’m not planning on “racing” this triathlon so much as I am just planning to finish it strong, feeling good. So the joy of training is in the little wins, like doing a 100 meter swim “all-out” (again, using this term veeerrryyy loosely) and feeling good in the water.
Something I hated from week 13
Brick workouts.
Just brick workouts.
It is incredibly humbling to realizing the there is ALWAYS a next level to reach for in fitness. Whatever you’ve done, whatever the progress you’ve made…there is a next level.
I still have a couple more weeks to get in a few more of these. Maybe after my next 2 or 3 brick workouts I’ll be a bit stronger and they won’t make me feel like death?
I’ll keep you posted.
If you want to read more triathlon training recaps from this year, read them here:
I hope you have a fantastic Monday! XO.
