Weekly catch up THREE WEEKS TO GO

Three weeks, how is that possible?!  I am almost embarking on taper - it's a week earlier than I really should, but I am moving house and that puts a spanner in the works!

Several things to talk about today.

1. Moving house.  Stressful at the best of times, but when you've been messed around by bank, surveyors and your removal men, you end up feeling pretty wrecked.  Hopefully it will all go through now, and I just have to go through with it (as the monkey said, when his tail was caught in the mangle).
How am I going to make training work around this?  By being realistic.  I will get in what I can, and that will have to do.  I am likely to try to train on Friday morning if I can, so that I can take Saturday as my rest day and use it as unpacking.  Whilst I'd ideally have liked to have got in a final 56 mile + bike ride next Sunday, I am sure that 45 miles or so will suffice.  I've sorted out the kit that I need to take to Austria into a plastic trug, and will be putting that into my car, along with various other things that I really don't want to go missing (library books, reading material for Austria, precious china, and file of documentation), and I'll be able to operate out of that for my training requirements for my remaining workouts.

2. Injuries.  I've managed to make it this far without anything major, and that's still pretty much the case.  The shoulder has niggled and still niggles, but there was a bit of a panic this week as I thought I had injured my ITB.  A common, yet scary, injury.  Fortunately, a quick trip to the osteopath revealed that it was actually a small muscle that helps hold my glutes together.  Unfortunately, one trip hasn't entirely sorted it out, so I'll be back on Tuesday for another session, and she'll give my shoulder some treatment then too.

3. Did my final 56 mile bike ride today (see above), went out with Mr Tuna for some hills.  There was a lot of headwind, I had a headache, and it was definitely HARD and HURTY, but I averaged 13.9mph which is a PB for that distance without drafting (Mr Tuna got shouted at when he tried to drop in front of me to take off some of the wind at one point), and 56 miles were completed in 4h 4 minutes (just over 4h of "moving  time").  I wonder, I just wonder, if I could slip in under 4h on the race day.  Possibly not without entirely wrecking my body for the run.

4. What still has to be done before I go away?  Apart from move house obviously.  And get through what maybe a fairly stressful fortnight at work. I need to buy a hat or a visor to wear on the run (to keep the sun off my head if it's nice, and the rain out of my eyes if it isn't).  I need to take the bike in to be serviced.  I need to get a sports massage in the final week.  I need to buy a few more bits of food to make sure I've got enough verityfriendly food to last an 11 day trip into Europe.  I need to complete my final workouts.  Less triathlon related, I need to get my hair cut and pack.  Not sure how many of those things will get done in the coming week but hopefully some progress can be made in the one after...

So, finally:

What did I get up to this week?
Monday: 3k technique pool swim am, 1.9k time trial (exactly 30 minutes) in the pool pm, plus 100m warmdown.
Tuesday: 10k run am
Wednesday: 3.75k pool swim am, osteopath pm, 1h pilates class pm
Thursday: 3.75k pool swim am, 20k bike am
Friday: off
Saturday: 3k pool swim (was supposed to do a swim race, but having been off sick from work on Friday I just wasn't well enough to get up early and drive)
Sunday: 92k bike

What's the plan for this week? 
Monday: am pool swim, pm pool swim
Tuesday: am run, pm osteopath
Wednesday: am swim, pm short bike, pm pilates [afternoon off hopefully today instead of morning off on Thursday due to removal men coming to pack on Thursday...]
Thursday: am swim
Friday: am swim
Saturday: OFF
Sunday: 60k bike.