The words to Bon Jovi’s Livin’ On A Prayer have been ringing in my ears today.

… “Whooah, we’re half way there …”

That’s because today is the official halfway point of my half Ironman training cycle for the Beach2Battleship Half Ironman. 10 weeks down. 10 more to go. There’s something very fulfilling about knowing I’ve reached the peak of the mountain and am now on the descent downward toward my goals … even if the training does just get harder.

As I cross over the threshold of the midway point, these are the thoughts and feelings swirling through my brain:

• I’m feeling incredibly strong – much stronger than I did during last year’s half Ironman training cycle. I have been way more disciplined with my training this year, and I love my plan.
• My plan calls for 4 days of biking, but I’m finding 3 days to be more realistic. That fourth day on the bike is proving challenging to conquer, especially while fitting in 2 days of strength training.
• I’m improving significantly in the pool. By adding a lot more speed work and drills into my training, I expect to see a difference in the water on race day. I plan to do several open water swims during the next 2 months in advance of my race.
• I’m planning to sign up for an Olympic triathlon scheduled for September 8. This will be 7 weeks out from my race and will be a good time to see how my training is paying off.
• My strength training is proving to be too much for me. While I am going to keep strength training through the next 10 weeks, I have decided to give up my group training and do it on my own. Trying to manage my training around my group strength schedule has just been too much, and it is wasting energy and money. I’m sad to have to give that up, but I plan to pick back up with my training group in November.

After having a less than stellar ninth week of training, I knew I had to turn things up a notch during week #10. And that’s exactly what I did. Here is what the week looked like.

Monday
REST

Tuesday
AM: Biked 1 hour and 20 minutes on the trainer, including 5 x 3-minute speed intervals at maximum intensity with 3 minutes of active recovery between each (total = 19.5 miles)

PM: Strength training
On Tuesday my group and I did 3 rounds of 4 2-minute stations with a 200-meter sprint between each. At each station, we did the exercise below for 20 seconds on then 10 seconds rest until the total 2 minutes were up. We had 30 seconds to transition to the next station. The rounds looked like this:

• Heavy ropes
• Pull-ups (I did jumping pull-ups)
• Split squats
• Lateral wall run

Wednesday
AM: Swam 2,250 meters. This workout was a real doozie!

PM: Ran 4 miles of speed work. I did a slow warm up and then ran 18 x 30-second sprints at 6:15 pace with 30 seconds of recovery at a 10-minute pace between each. The last 3 sprints were really tough. It didn’t help that my stomach wanted to empty itself on the treadmill. Luckily I survived. The treadmill speed session. And the bathroom.

This week I got to try some new running gear from my friends at Brooks Running: a Run Happy Visor and their Versitle Double Tab socks, neither of which I have ever worn. I must say, I love them both!

I ran my speed work on Wednesday in my new visor, thinking the pain I would inevitably feel from my sprints would be a little lessened with my happy hat vibes. Although I tend to be a Head Sweats visor girl, I really loved this visor. It fits me perfectly and stays in place. It has a light feel and looks great on. The white and black coloring is also versatile enough to go with nearly any running outfit. I give it 2 thumbs up and would highly recommend it.

I wore my new socks on Friday’s run and Sunday’s bike. Although these socks are made for multi-purpose wear, I really liked them. I especially liked them for cycling because they are thin and felt great in my cycling shoes. I’m looking forward to trying more socks in the Brooks’ line.

Thursday
Biked for 65 minutes on the trainer at a steady pace and cadence. I then immediately went to my strength training session, where I knew we’d be doing a little running and replaced that with a formal brick.

Strength training: The Sandwich
This workout may have been called the Sandwich, but Mr. rUnladylike likes to refer to it as the Sandbitch because it is one of the hardest strength training workouts. I did this back in March, and I was strangely excited to see it on the calendar for Thursday. Here’s what it looked like:

• Run 1,200 meters
• 150 squats
• 75 sit-ups
• 50 push-ups
• 25 burpees
• 50 push-ups
• 75 sit-ups
• 150 squats
• Run 1,200 meters

It took me 34 minutes to finish the workout. My average run time was a 7:27 pace (distance actually worked out to be 1.26 miles). My legs were mush after my hour on the bike, but overall I felt good for being a little sore.

Friday
Ran 5.81 miles at an 8:39 average pace
By some small miracle, the weather took a sudden turn to 63 degrees and misting … in the middle of August. It was so wonderful to run in those conditions. I felt more like I was running in the Pacific Northwest than in Atlanta.

Saturday
Swam: 2,000 meters
300-meter warm up
8 x 25-meter drills with 10 seconds of rest between each
4 x 200 meters all out with 30 seconds rest between each
4 x 50 meters all out with 20 seconds rest between each
8 x 25 kick only with 15 seconds rest between each
300-meter cool down

Sunday
AM: Biked 2 hours and 7 minutes on the trainer (31.10 miles)
It has been raining non-stop in Atlanta, so all of my bike time was logged on the trainer this week. I have a love/hate relationship with the trainer. Mostly hate. I figure if I can get through long rides on my evil contraption I can get through anything.

 PM: Ran 7.07 hilly miles at an 8:30 average pace

Week #10 mileage total: 86 miles, 11 workouts, 11 hours and 2 minutes

• Swim: 2.64 (missed one swim but did it this morning)
• Bike: 65.62 miles (missed a 1-hour bike)
• Run: 18.09 miles
• Strength training: 2 hours

This week is going to be a really tough week for swimming and biking because I am leaving to run the Hood to Coast Relay on Wednesday and will be in Washington and Oregon until Sunday. My plan is to have a strong Monday through Thursday of training, including 2 bikes and 2 swims. Friday and Saturday will be all running and Sunday will be a rest day. I will not be able to log the miles on the bike that I need and want to this week, but I hope to be able to do my long ride next Monday evening to keep up with the distance. You know what I like to say … flexibility and discipline = success.

I am a Brooks Running Run Happy Ambassador and receive compensation and free products from Brooks. Everything I write about Brooks is my own opinion and always will be.

How did your training go last week?
Hills: Love them or hate them? What do you tell yourself in your head to help keep you motivated when you’re running or riding hills?