Training and Life Recap: Week of June 1

Wow, I can't believe we are a week into June already! Time is really flying and the first race of the season is almost here.  Well, things have potentially changed for me in the past week and my first race of the season now comes with some modified goals and a modified distance. After learning that I may have a stress fracture (waiting to get some official confirmation via imaging), I'm off of running.  With the Mont Tremblant 5150 only 2 weeks away, I decided to switch the sprint distance from the Olympic.  I figure that if I am cleared to run by then, a 5k will be a bit gentler on my body than a 10k, especially after the very hilly Tremblant bike course.  For now, I'm feeling okay swimming and biking, so my last week included a lot of #bikelove and a lot of perspective and reflection.  When you're healthy and uninjured, always remember to thank your body for all that it does for you and make sure you take care of it!! Now that I may be injured, I'm thankful for what I can still do and making the most of it by focusing on the positives - like, cycling has always been my weakness, so now I have an opportunity to really focus on it! A friend shared this post from pro Linsey Corbin that helped too.

Monday: Rest day as usual.

Tuesday: Swim in the morning felt awful. Mentally, I felt awful all day. So I booked a chiro appointment for Wednesday, and I took Tuesday night off instead of doing a bike time trial.

Wednesday: An early morning appointment with my chiro to determine what might be going on with my leg. I had been thinking it was a tendon issue, but after a full examination, he gently told me that I may have a stress fracture. The muscles, tendons, and nerves all seemed fine, but I winced in pain every time he touched my fibula. In the evening, I joined the HPS for a ride in Gatineau Park. We did a cat and mouse type game and I was lucky to have Coach Dave hang back with me. We ended up pushing pretty hard at times, and I felt great! This was a big test for my fibula, as I was able to determine that it didn't bother me during or after the ride, and I didn't experience any swelling which might have indicated something other than a stress fracture.

Thursday: Another chance to get out on my bike! I was happy that my stomach settled towards the late evening (I stayed home from work since it was really not doing well in the morning, yuck!). I got out for some interval work in the park, and I even got to see the women pass by twice during the Grand Prix Cycliste Gatineau. It was so cool to see these super fast women racing, especially since I actually follow some of the riders and teams on Instagram. It definitely gave me some motivation for my own ride. Again, my fibula felt good during and after the ride.

Friday: I barely made it to swimming, but reminded myself that even if I was late, it was better than skipping. We did a pretty easy workout with two times through of 8x75 best average with lots of rest. I pulled for most of practice since kicking seemed to aggravate my leg a bit.  After work, I drove up to Mont Tremblant.

Duplessis is tough, but super pretty!

Working on my selfie while biking...

Saturday:  A gorgeous morning for a ride in Mont Tremblant! I got to ride the course twice, each time getting to know the ups and downs a little bit better. My mantra for Tremblant will be, "let your downhills carry you uphill." There were a few moments where I felt a bit sorry for myself and thought, "what's the point?" since my race plans for Tremblant may have to change significantly (i.e., it could be my first DNF). BUT, no feeling sorry for myself allowed, because I CAN ride my bike, and I CAN demonstrate my fitness, and I CAN get out and enjoy the absolutely beautiful scenery in Tremblant via two wheels.

Sunday: A late afternoon bike ride from Old Chelsea to Wakefield on the bumpiest road ever.  I almost turned around at a few points because the road was so awful, but I continued on and finished my ride. Along the way I had a chance to think up a few metaphors for life and training: "You'll hit a lot of bumps in the road, but you just have to keep riding," or, "if you focus on the bumps in the road, you may miss the beautiful scenery along the way."  Good reminder to enjoy the journey and focus on the good stuff rather than dwelling on the negative, and to always keep going! After, I did my first open water swim of the season. It took me longer to put my wetsuit on than it did to swim, haha. It wasn't as cold as I expected, but since I was alone, I didn't want to spend too long in the water.