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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nWhile I will maintain that I would much rather have swingy weather in the winter than just *cold* – it was very weird to be sweating up a storm biking outside on Monday in the 80 degree weather and then have spent Wedensday night through today barely above freezing. IDK, I just shut down when it gets this cold for this long. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Work also did the thing where I didn’t think it could get more hectic, but it did, building day over day. The next few weeks threaten to be the same. I spent the last two weeks being meticulous about my training and in the last few days, the wheels fell off:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Monday: 1.5h bike, 1100 yd swim, shoulders<\/li>
- Tuesday: 45m bike<\/li>
- Wedensday: circuits,
1000yd swim<\/s><\/li>- Thursday: off<\/li>
- Friday:
push, 45 min bike<\/s><\/li>- Saturday: 2h bike 4 mile run<\/li>
- Sunday: off<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Not the most successful week, but it was what it was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We’re now approaching 9 weeks to the race. I’ve made a half ironman build from pretty much nothing in this time, so I’m feeling okay about things, because I am very much not building from nothing this time, but I can’t have weeks like last week if I want to progress. So, I need to plan better. I know mornings are key (when I don’t have early meetings), lunches are possible (though generally early in the week is better), and after work is just a stupid idea until the time changes and I can drag myself outside after work and go play bikes. So, for now, what does that look like?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Monday: pull AM, lunch 1200y swim<\/li>
- Tuesday: bike 45m AM, run 5k lunch (or vice versa depending on the weather)<\/li>
- Wednesday: circuits lunch<\/li>
- Thursday: AM run or bike, birthday hike<\/li>
- Friday: legs<\/li>
- Saturday: 1.5h bike, 5 mile run<\/li>
- Sunday: 1200y+ swim<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
I need to accept that until we’re in the office, leaving the house a few days a week for the commute, it’s going to be heckin’ tricky to swim and I may need to give up my Sunday off to make it happen. No full days off either there, but two days are just weights so that’s pretty close!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since it’s the end of February, let’s check in!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Get back to the pool 1x week when it\u2019s reasonable to do so. <\/strong>I’ve been to the pool twice. I’ll take it. Plan is to keep at it.<\/li>
- Continue doing some level of speedwork almost every ride and ride 3x week.<\/strong> I have been doing this and it’s been working, but no FTP test yet. Because, reasons. Moving this goal to March (but like, soon. Not end of March)<\/li>
- Run 2-3x week short and speedy. <\/strong>I had to cut this a bit mid-month to rest my heel, but I’m back! I’m still in the 11 min\/mile but starting to feel better about my running stride.<\/li>
- 3x week weights.<\/strong> Get back to the gym as soon as it feels safe to do so, but maintain at home until then.<\/li>
- Follow a training plan.<\/strong> When I fail to plan, I really plan to fail. I do much better when I schedule myself time to workout because if I don\u2019t, I\u2019ll push it from the morning to lunch, munch my lunch procrastinating, and then after work I\u2019m just wiped and don\u2019t wanna. If I know I need to bike before work on Wednesday because it\u2019s the time I have to do it, I\u2019m way more likely to actually do it!<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Thankfully, this hasn’t meant that I’ve been throwing caution to the wind with my nutrition goals. I’m at 1480 calories avg\/day over the last 7 days, and two of those included 2+ hour workouts (so I ate closer to 1700-1800 those days). It felt like my weight loss was slowing, and it looks like that’s the case per trendweight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/adjustedreality.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/image-9.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe trend is still going in the right direction; I just need to keep at it. I was hoping to be regularly in the 180s by March, and I’ve hit 189 a few times, it just seems to be one of those “thermoclines” that is difficult to break through. I know how to do it – through patience and persistence. I am committed to make relentless forward progress here. There is just no other option. Even if it goes slow, it is better than giving up. I had two years of pretty much eating whatever the eff I wanted, now it’s time for penance so I can achieve my goals, one low calorie frozen microwaved meal at a time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since we’re at the end of February, it’s time for a goals check in on other stuff too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
#1 – Work Life Balance or some ish<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Making myself a daily checklist of non-work things<\/strong> \u2013 <\/li>
- Giving myself 1 hour per day (and a half day on Friday) true focus time<\/strong> \u2013 slightly less successful than last month day to day, but I was able to clear up a Friday to tackle a big project I’ve been putting off for months and find enough time to put it together into a presentation a few days later. I expect next month is going to be hell in this regard, and then it gets exponentially better in April. I just need to hang on<\/li>
- Enforcing shutting down my work computer at least once a month for a fresh start <\/strong>\u2013 I complained incessantly about not being able to find a few things right after restarting but it did wonders for my ability to focus\/not getting lost in the sea of documents and tabs. <\/li>
- Using a daily cut off time where work ends and I\u2019m unavailable<\/strong> \u2013 hasn’t felt too bad. I’ve had a few ridiculously late days but also plenty of days where I walk away at 5 and barely pay attention to work chat just to make sure nothing is on fire and not engage the chats that can wait that I don’t want to if there are any.<\/li>
- After hours chats<\/strong>\/Carrying work \u201chome\u201d with me<\/strong> \u2013 Joel and I have been pretty bad about taking work to the couch after hours. I’m thinking next month we’ll try what worked occasionally in January – if we find conversation straying to work, set a timer for like 30 mins. Get all the work talk out. Then, put it away for the evening.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
March is going to be a challenge, but there is actual, real, not just potential light at the end of the tunnel. <\/p>\n
- Giving myself 1 hour per day (and a half day on Friday) true focus time<\/strong> \u2013 slightly less successful than last month day to day, but I was able to clear up a Friday to tackle a big project I’ve been putting off for months and find enough time to put it together into a presentation a few days later. I expect next month is going to be hell in this regard, and then it gets exponentially better in April. I just need to hang on<\/li>
- Continue doing some level of speedwork almost every ride and ride 3x week.<\/strong> I have been doing this and it’s been working, but no FTP test yet. Because, reasons. Moving this goal to March (but like, soon. Not end of March)<\/li>
- Get back to the pool 1x week when it\u2019s reasonable to do so. <\/strong>I’ve been to the pool twice. I’ll take it. Plan is to keep at it.<\/li>