Week of Training - 5/15 -20

I've been trying to make sure that I don't look like a fool at my first training race, the Ridgewood Run 5K next Monday, so the week was heavy on running and light on the bike. I started out the week with a nice bike sprint from Saddle Brook to Ridgewood and back, clocking in at a comfortable 54 minutes. The course is almost completely flat and well-paved, with pedestrian congestion the only thing that slows you down. I look at these bike rides almost as a day off from training. Slowly I am building up my swimming endurance, trying to go just a little bit further every time I get into the pool. I did 280 meters on Tuesday and again on Friday, adding a full gym workout after the pool at the end of the week. After next week I hope to be able to swim three times a week, but limited availability at the YMCA pools might work against my plans. For now I'm doing slow, steady laps, focusing on form and breathing technique. I went running three times during the week, taking 11 miles of tread off the bottom of my new New Balance shoes. My pace is nothing to brag about, but I am getting more comfortable each time out. For the first time I ran on back-to-back days. I felt great on Saturday after a nice 4-mile run in cool temps and a light rain, so I thought I'd try it again on Sunday. It didn't feel as good the second time around, but somehow I ran faster and finished about half a minute quicker than I had the day before. This week I plan to run approximately 3-4 miles on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday to get ready for the race, with two pool sessions, a hill workout at Garrett Mountain on the bike, and 2 or 3 trips to the gym.