It’s not often that I get a full day off of rest, unless it’s right before a race or between really hard training blocks. Mondays are like my glorified rest day… I usually do an easy bike in the morning and then have a swim set – it’s usually a solid set, though I’m fine with it because I try to do a lot of pulling and not use my legs since they’re shredded from the weekend. Because we’re 2 weeks away from race day now, the load will be a little bit lighter than last week at about 16 hours and there is no Monday morning bike ride. Generally, I enjoy the “welcome to Monday” bike rides because I feel like it’s a good set-up for the rest of the week, but I’m quite fine not having it this week!
Obviously the load of the previous week is starting to weigh on me; another one of the gems that I’m learning about training is that I have to recognize this and accept that the numbers just aren’t going to be what they were last week!! I know I’ve mentioned this before, but in speaking to other athletes – professional or not – it seems to be a common pitfall we land in that we’re holding ourselves accountable to watts or run pace that just aren’t going to happen due to fatigue build up.. and if you don’t cut yourself a break when you really need to (first, we have to learn what our body’s boundaries and limits really are – when to push through), it can be a psychological nightmare. SO, I try to give 100% of whatever my 100% is on that day!
| SWIM | 5,500 m | 1:30 h |
| BIKE | x | x |
| RUN | x | x |
| STRENGTH | x | x |
SWIM SET – 5,000 meters, Long Course
200 easy
200 / 150 (25 stroke/25 free) / 100 / 50 stroke
MAIN SET:
3 x 200 descending on :20 rest
100 easy stroke
6 x 50 hard on 1:10
3 x 200 descending on :20 rest – beat times from before
100 east stroke
6 x 50 hard on 1:00
SET 2:
200 / 150 (drill/swim) / 100
2 x 300 with pull descending
100 easy stroke
6 x 50 pull hard on 1:10
60 pull hard
Cool Down
NUTRITION
| MEAL | TIME | DESCRIPTION | WHY? |
| BREAKFAST 1 | 8:30am | Homemade vegan banana pancakes
Walnuts and cinnamon |
I slept in and love to make banana pancakes when I have the time; topped with nuts and fresh banana to hold me through swimming |
| BREAKFAST 2 | 12:45 pm
Immediately post-swim |
Protein smoothie | This was a long and tough day in the pool, I pack smoothies to take with me and consume immediately after to help with protein intake and rehydration. I’m also usually hungry!! |
| LUNCH | 1:30 pm | Sauteed chickpeas, onion, mushroom with garlic, curry powder, and garam masala
On brown rice Emergen-C |
This was what was in my fridge and I love Indian spices so this is a super quick, healthy meal
Chickpeas and rice – protein Curry powder – anti-inflam |
| SNACK | 5pm | Nature’s Path raisin bran cereal | Lazy here – but I love cereal as a quick snack |
| DINNER | 7L30pm | Chickpea loaves with BBQ Sauce Mashed sweet potatoes Roasted cauliflower with nutritional yeast |
Just a good solid vegan meal – hearty yet healthy, good mix of protein & carbs with lots of nutritional value |
| SNACK | 9pm | Dark Chocolate | I actually eat a piece almost every day! |