Recovery Week

I've been quite sore since the Duathlon, so I took it pretty easy this week.  On Monday I headed out for an easy 5km recovery run, but had to stop and walk after 4.6km due to soreness and the swim session on Monday night was cancelled.  Tuesday morning I went for an easy 38km ride and then an easy 10km run Wednesday morning.  However during the 3km swim session on Wednesday night I could feel a little soreness in the legs so I skipped my long run on Thursday and had a rest day on Friday as well.

Based upon my Duathlon results, my running and riding is obviously going well although I need to add a lot more distance.  But now it is time to up the focus on my swimming which is by far my weakest leg.  However even though I am currently only averaging 3 swim sessions a fortnight, my swimming appears to be showing promise.  Two Mondays ago I swam a 700m TimeTrial (TT) in 12m05s, two Wednesdays ago I did a 3.8km session (my longest ever session) and this Wednesday I did my last (of 3) 400m TTs in 6m55s - only 15 seconds off my PB.  I haven't got any specific time goals for my swim, but if I start breaking my swim TT PBs - I'll be very happy.

Following are some pictures of my local training spots.  The first photo shows the road I have to cross from my driveway to get to the bush containing the running track.  On the other side of the bush is the beach.  Even though it is a highway, it is usually pretty easy to cross.






The photo on the left is the running track.  It goes for 5km, so provides a nice 10km loop without having to worry about crossing any roads.  There are occasional walkers (often with dogs), but generally you get a pretty clear run and the path is usually wide enough to get past people without causing any problems.





On the right you can see the path heading to beach.  It is one of the best beaches in Melbourne with beautiful sand and it is usually completely abandoned, although that may change once the temperature heats up.








This is a photo taken while I was standing in the bay to get the cold water treatment on my legs.  I usually do this for 10 minutes after my sessions.

The view shows some buildings in the background which is Frankston - where the Ironman swim leg will be located.




Finally this is the private balcony where I relax after a hard session.

I usually come out here to stretch, but often end up falling asleep.