I’m finally returning to some proper training this week. Two weeks is a LONG time to miss training, but I’m trying to resist the temptation to cram as much as possible into this last month before Challenge Vietnam.
I’m heading off to Cebu by Friday this week for the Ironman 70.3 Asia Pacific Championship. No, I’m not racing, but I have friends who are. I’m also covering the race again for Witsup.com and doing the IronGirl event as well as a Ceepo ride out. The entire triathlon community in the country converges in Cebu every year and I just didn’t want to miss it.
I do miss the local racing scene. That’s why I’ve signed up for the Aboitiz Tri which is a week before Challenge Vietnam. Perfect lead-in and will help me sharpen up my racing. If I can’t race fast in Nha Trang, at least I can minimize mistakes by treating the Aboitiz Tri as a rehearsal. Also Aboitiz Tri will have some of the coolest people around. Will write about that later this week!
I had a 10K race kit for Milo Marathon yesterday, but made the wise decision not to start. I’ve been tracking resting heart rate through my Fitbit Charge HR. My usual RHR hovers around 58 beats per minute, but starting from when I got sick it’s risen and peaked at 76 bpm. It’s been on a downward trend starting midway last week, but was still above 70 bpm by Saturday — not a great sign since it meant I would be straining my heart if I raced. In my state, it’s still better to DNS than to DNF.
Did you know endurance athletes like marathoners and triathletes tend to develop cardiomyopathy — a disease of the heart muscle where it becomes enlarged, thick, or rigid, reducing its capacity to work. This happens when you put yourself through grueling workouts even when sick! That’s what I am trying to avoid.
So what’s on the training schedule this week? I did a few crosstraining sessions last week and my legs are still sore, haha! But I’m starting to feel like myself again and will ease back today with a short jog.
I’ll try not to worry about the races on the horizon and just focus on putting one foot in front of the other. For now.
