High Altitude Training....

Hi all...I am now officially up in the high desert. This is my third summer up here. My husband and I have a small place in Big Valley between Susanville and Alturas. It is high desert, sage brush steppe and sits about 4,000 feet. So I am now getting into my training plan for the summer. I am glad I have a relatively specific training plan as I can just do what it is I have to do that day. It keeps me from either under training or over training. Luckily I am self motivated enough to get myself out there and do it. This is the best kind of training where I can do my "job" each day and then chill for the rest....I feel very blessed in this regard.

So what does my training consist of right now as I prepare for the world championships...you may ask? Swimming will be once to twice a week as I am not near a pool and have to travel to the lake. But I will swim for 30-60 minutes in the open water working on endurance and speed. This will be accentuated by a couple of races this summer to work on race form and speed. The running is very slow and minimal as I am just coming off an injury. Better to be able to do something rather than nothing come September. So I am jog/walking twice a week increasing the amount of time I am out there with lots of walking before and after each jog. The cycling is going well but I still have to be careful about how much pressure I put on my right leg/foot. So I am riding 3-4 times a week with two speed workouts and one-two longer rides working on different aspects of speed/form/endurance. I am also playing with the gears trying to see how much pressure I can take and how fast I can go with less gear. My coach Preben who I mentioned last time has given me these work outs to do to keep me in gear while I am up here and far away!

Well, I will only be posting once a week for the summer..or until mid August. I have to travel a bit for internet connection. At the end of June the tri team is going to Bend Oregon to compete in a few events over the weekend and then in mid July a few of us are going to Donner Lake for the triathlon. I will let you know how all that goes. Oh and last but not least a group will come up here with Preben to ride and train for a few days...it is very fun and great for me who gets a bit lonely. Till next time......