All base - no speed, and my big BMI

I've spent the past 3 weeks building up my base, particularly in cycling, but also in running. This means, lots of long SLOWWW runs, and building up on long bikes. Particularly long bikes, as I was experiencing some serious bonks last month at rides over 60 miles, with tremendous dropoffs in pace and speed.

Since then, I've really focused on cycling, and in particular, improving the length of my long ride. In the past 4 weeks, I've gone 70, 75, 80, and then this week, pullback week of 63. These are pretty long rides, mainly because at least half of those miles are on serious paved mountain roads with steep inclines averaging 7-8%, and reaching 12-15% in the steepest sections. This is pretty steep; in fact, this type of incline would be considered "beyond category" in sections compared to hills on the Tour De France. (Granted, those guys ride these hills over twice the speed that I do!)

These long bikes have been challenging, but extremely rewarding. In particular, I've come to really enjoy the vacation-like scenery of these gorgeous bike rides. Trail runs impart a similar experience, but since you can cover so much more ground on a bike, it really is a more scenic experience for me. I have to admit that at least half of the attraction of the bike for me now is the gorgeous mountain locales with waterfront views that I get to experience in Malibu and nearby. If you took that away from me, and stuck me in a featureless gym, I would never be able last longer than 90 minutes on the stationary bike. In contrast, I've run 20+ miles on a treadmill without too much difficulty, probably because for me, running was nearly all about performance and not about the enjoying the outdoors when I was pushing hard for a PR/BQ.

Lately, I have been trying to strike a better balance between performance and enjoyment. This means in general, more enjoyment and less performance compared to my prior training - it's a bit of a hard sacrifice for me to make, but I think it's important for my long-term success in triathlon or marathon. Running in particular, has taken a big back seat for the first time, and I'm ok with it for now. I've lost a LOT of speed, as I've done very little speedwork for the last 2 months, and I definitely notice on my long runs, which have slowed to ridiculously slow paces of 10-11 minutes per mile. In fact, I cranked out a fast 10k run with a local running group today, going at nearly race pace, and I could barely survive for 5 miles at near my half marathon pace before fading hard. Ugly, but that's what I get for neglecting my runs.

Ok, I'm not this overweight, but I'm at a record-high body weight now for sure!

Another issue that is actually bothering me is my body weight. For sure, I'm not carrying much extra visible fat, but I am now heavier than I have ever been in my entire life, with a weight of 151 lbs and a BMI of 25.9, which is in the overweight category (25-30 BMI). Of course, the BMI calculators do not take into account extra muscle mass, which probably comprises the bulk of my weight, but carrying around record-weight for me is certainly adversely affecting my running , and I definitely feel the extra poundage on my runs. (I race my last marathon about a year ago at 141lbs, or 10 lbs lighter.) Probably 5 lbs of the weight is necessary due to the power needed for cycling as well as swimming, but for sure, I could stand to eat less and shed 5 lbs prior to my goal race in September.

I'm due this weekend for my first Olympic distance triathlon, the Strawberry Fields triathlon in Ventura county, CA. It has an ocean swim of 1500meters (approx 32 minutes for me), a 23.6 mile bike (about 1hr10 minutes with transitions), and a 10k run (about 45-46 minutes - yuk.) After my terrible 10k run today, I'm going in with very low expectations on the run; 8 minute miles are very likely given my lack of leg speed and mileage. I'm hoping that I will excel on the bike, as that is where most of my training has been going, but my #1 goal is not not be DFL (aka Dead-F****** last) on the swim, as I pretty much was on my first triathlon. With my new wetsuit, ample open water experience, and new and improved stroke, I think I have a very good chance to place in the back of the middle pack on the swim. If I could accomplish that, I will consider this race a success, as I know I can dramatically improve my run in the next 8 weeks with more mileage and speedwork.