The Return of Hard Week

Having low training volumes in December and January made even the "hard" weeks seem easy. Now hard week is HARD.



(My training program is periodized meaning, roughly, that training intensity and volume build over a three week period that is followed by a week of recovery. Training intensities and volumes making of the build and recovery weeks vary throughout the year so that endurance, strength and speed are gained at the right time of the year to make me race ready.)

This hard week totalled 15 hours of training. Hard weeks in the coming months will push over 20 hours. This week included a "Swim Camp" consisting of 7 swim sessions in 8 days. These sessions included club TT's (Time Trials) last Sunday, Master's workouts and two 1 on 1 sessions with Coach Andrew that totalled about 18k of swimming (with 6k in one day). This camp was hard but I finished it with a strong solo long distance swim yesterday. This hard work should pay off down the road.

Today is my day off and next week is Recovery week. Recovery weeks mean fewer and shorter workouts and lots of sleeping and eating.

Really, the best thing about hard week is recovery week.

Olympic Dreamin' (for sure)

Chris surprised me with a trip to the Callaghan Valley for a two-day ski and Whistler stay. We powered down our computers at 11 AM last Thursday and started our mini-holiday with brunch at C'est Mon Cafe where the all-day breakfast is delicious - every time.

We skied the Callaghan Valley and Olympic Nordic Centre trail systems, which are integrated and offer 100+ km of tracked skiing. Conditions were good, a little slow, and the groomed trails seemed like a dream after blazing trails and combating walkers/snowshoers on the Vancouver beaches in December. We zoomed, huffed and puffed, and laughed our way around the looping routes we chose. We played at the Olympic start line and skied all alone along some of the Olympic race trails - thankful that no one witnessed us side-stepping down one of the hills. We played at being Olympians.

Before and after skiing we ate, slept and laughed some more. The trip reinforced two things for me: cross country skiing is fantastic and holidays, even mini ones, are critical to our well being.

I can't wait to watch the Nordic skiing LIVE during 2010!