Traincation with a training partner

June 9, 2024Trimarni

I've known Jen for several years. She lives in Jacksonville, FL and we used to live in Jacksonville. During Gulf Coast 70.3 in May, she ran passed me during with a phenomenal performance, winning our age group. After the race, I messaged Jen and asked her if she wanted to come to Greenville to train with me for a "traincation."

Jen and Stephen are training for Challenge Roth on July 7th. Karel is preparing for his first XTRI event, Stonebrixiaman in Italy on June 29th and I am preparing for XTRI Norseman on August 3rd.

She talked to her partner Stephen and was able to plan a week away from her three boys to spend in Greenville, SC.

Although Jen and I are both in our early 40's, we are both still experiencing improvements with our performance. It's really cool to get older and to still feel like you have more fitness to unlock.

From Wednesday until Sunday we accomplished:

4 run workouts (35.8 miles)
3 swims (2 pool, 1 open water, 9782 yards)
3 bike workouts (179 miles)

Over five days, we pushed each other. It wasn't a competition, it was teamwork. We motivated, supported and encouraged each other. We pushed each other to surpass limits that we never thought were possible. Neither one of us wanting to be the weak link in our workout sessions helped us find strengths that we could not have discovered on our own.

I love swimming and biking with others but I always run alone. This was the first time in a very long time that I had a run partner. Jen showed me that I have more in me that I thought was possible with my run fitness.

Sharing workouts with someone like-minded next to me, going through the same fatigue, purpose and soreness, had such a positive impact on my training over the past few days and I am so excited and motivated to continue with my training. We each have strengths and weaknesses and these differences brought out the best in both of us.

WEDNESDAY

AM RUN
1:13, 8.70 miles
4 mile warm-up.
Main set: 8 x 2 min (1-4 steady, 5-9 descend to very strong)

PM BIKE
1:45hr, 27.7 mile road bike bike
Overachievers group ride (over and down Paris Mountain)

THURSDAY
AM Bike and Run (tri bike)

BIKE:
3:25hr Interval bike (route), 69.2 miles
Main set #1: 5 x 8 min strong efforts w/ 2 min EZ
Main set #2: 17.5 mile Half Ironman effort

RUN:
29:12, 3.63 mile hilly run

PM SWIM
43:28, 3000 yards
MS:

15 x 100 as (4 steady, 1 EZ, 3 steady, 1 EZ, 2 steady, 1 EZ, 1 steady, 1 EZ)

FRIDAY
AM SWIM
Masters swim group
1:06, 4757 yards (converted from long course meters)

SATURDAY
AM BIKE AND RUN (road bike)

BIKE
4:52hr bike, 82.8 miles
Started as a group and then Jen, Stephen and I split from the group and did our own ride.
Karel rode 130 miles! And followed up his 7.5 hour ride with a 1 hour run (averaging 7:07 mile pace).

RUN
1:01hr, 7.46 miles
1.5 mile warm-up

MS: 3 x 1 mile Ironman effort (turned into half IM effort) w/ 90 sec rest between