The Long One
Some weeks build quietly toward a single session.
This was one of those weeks.
Three rest days in the middle — Wednesday planned, Thursday a bout of nausea that made the decision for me, Friday on call — and then the week opened back up on Saturday and Sunday. Two days, two workouts, and today the biggest session since this rebuild began: 3.5 hours, 245 TSS, average heart rate 117.5.
A long ride. Followed by a brick walk with Olivia.
If you've never finished a long ride and immediately taken a Rhodesian Ridgeback out for a walk, I'll tell you what it's like: she doesn't care how your legs feel. She has her own agenda. The pace is non-negotiable. Somewhere in the middle of it, when the legs are heavy and she's pulling toward something interesting in the brush, there's actually something useful happening — the transition stress, the continued movement, the reminder that the workout doesn't end just because you got off the bike. Olivia is an accidental coach.
The week's numbers tell a story worth unpacking. Four training days, 537 TSS, 8 hours. Average HR across all sessions at 115 — controlled, consistent, right where it should be for this phase of the build. HRV valid and stable on the four days I measured properly: 7.5, 7.2, 7.1, 7.7. Sleep averaging 7.8 hours, which is the best week of sleep in this entire block. Weight fluctuating in the 179-184 range, normal variation, nothing to read into.
The TSS jump — from 366 last week to 537 this week — is significant. That's the kind of load increase that deserves some respect in the days ahead. Gordo Byrn and Alan Couzens both talk about the risk of stacking volume too aggressively, particularly as the build phase gets underway. The aerobic adaptation happens between sessions, not during them. A big Sunday followed by an honest recovery Monday isn't weakness. It's the actual work.
Which brings me to Thursday.
Nausea showed up and I skipped the workout. No drama, no guilt. At 57, with the cardiac history I have, I've learned that the body occasionally sends messages that aren't open to negotiation. Nausea with no obvious cause is one of them. Rest was the right call. The HRV the following morning — 7.7, the highest valid reading of the week — confirmed it.
This is something the data keeps teaching me if I'm willing to listen. Recovery isn't the absence of training. It's an active part of the process. Wednesday off by design, Thursday off by necessity, Friday on call — and the week still produced the biggest training load since the rebuild started. Not in spite of the rest days. Partly because of them.
Twenty-three weeks to Ironman 70.3 Washington.
The long ride is done. The legs are appropriately wrecked. Olivia has been walked and is now asleep somewhere she shouldn't be.
All systems functioning as intended.
Weekly metrics: 4 training days · 8.0 hours · 537 TSS · HRV 7.1-7.7 (valid days) · Avg sleep 7.8 hrs · Avg HR 115 vs. last week: 3 training days · 4.85 hours · 366 TSS