Thank God for 3 Day Weekends (Weekly Recap)

So week four is in the books! It's so funny to look back at the first weeks of my training plan from last year and see where I was. For Instance, here's Last year's weeks 3 & 4 compared with this year's week's 1-4

Aside from the race - I'm definitely putting in about the same time but maybe not quite as fast. It's good to have goals! So lets look at this past week:

This Week in Training

So the big discrepancy is the lack of my long run on Saturday. I had a wedding Saturday night and had the in-laws in town at the same time. Before they left Sunday morning they took us to a big brunch at my favorite breakfast place. Needless to say, the long run was out. Instead we went to the zoo (!!) and spent 2.5 hours walking up hills and sweating in the heat. I loved every minute of it. The polar bear - Qannik! - put on quite a show for us. I didn't add it in, but I think it helped make up the lost time. 

Other than that and a missed swim (alarm malfunction), I had a great week! I managed to get in my brick session this week and I'm pretty proud of myself. I had to get up early and do the bike on the trainer but it's better than nothing. I'm really starting to feel good on the bike. Lately on the trainer I've been able to maximize my pedal stroke and really get some power going. Saturday morning I headed out early for an hour ride. I decided to stick around our parks since the in-laws were here and "easy" seemed best. I really had a great ride! it was the kind of ride where I really did have to stop and say, "Wow, this is perfect. Thank you". I managed to keep the pace in the 13mph range which is great for me right now. Bonus Points: I nailed last week's challenge of making all of my rides this week! I also managed to get in one strength session. Boom. 

This Week in Food

I stuck to my meal plan this week - no random eating out! The only exception was Wednesday Lunch. I had an invitation for lunch from Mom and no court, so I was excited. However, I managed to find a good spinach and salmon salad that definitely was high in protein and low in fat. Bonus Points: I avoided candy at the office this week. I had maybe 2 M&M's but that was it. HUGE accomplishment. I also said 'no' to dessert during the week. Both of these seemed like big challenges at the beginning of the week but I'll be damned if I didn't get it done. 

This week's menu is very similar in terms of breakfast and lunch. I pre-made my overnight oats for the week and have all of my dinner's prepped and ready. I could've cooked tonight but it just seemed easier to stick to our new Monday schedule. 

Challenges for Next Week:

- Stay away from the candy again - no dessert except Weekends!

- Make all Rides again

- Make all Swims

Happy Running!