Week two is in the books, and there’s one major thing I’ve learned so far in this journey: I’ve gotta give some mad props to triathletes. They’ve either figured out how to clone themselves or they’ve officially cracked the code when it comes to time management.

I always thought I was decent at multitasking, scheduling and being organized. But as I ramp up my training after last week’s 30K, I’m realizing that there’s a huge difference between training for a running race and training for a triathlon — and I mean beyond the obvious focus of “swim-bike-run” versus “just run.”

Maybe it’s because I’ve been doing it for so long, but falling into a weekly running schedule is pretty much second nature. Swap in a few sessions in the pool on two wheels — or worse, the time-intensive “brick” workout — though, and both my mind and body start reeling.

Not only does it take a concerted effort to make sure I space things out properly (avoiding two days of the same thing in a row), but it takes extra time, planning and equipment. I’m also tired. And hungry. Hubby might even go as far as to say I’ve been “hangry” on more than one occasion, so proper recovery and fueling is critical.

Not that I’m complaining…I’m getting closer to finding a good routine and rhythm in training. And I have moments where I feel like things have started to “click” when it comes to swimming and biking — not to mention I feel like I’m discovering new (read: long-unused) muscles each week.

But I also dozed off around 9 p.m. mid-dinner party on Friday evening…which is understandable, considering I had lifted in the morning and did a 45-min. spin class after work. But nonetheless, still slightly mortifying.

So here’s how the week panned out in planned versus actual workouts.

Week 2 Olympic Distance Training Plan – planned & (actual): 

• Swim 45 min. (50-min. pool swim)
• Bike 60-90 min. / Run 20-30 min. off the bike (60-min. spin & 20-min. treadmill run)
• Swim 45 min. (50-min. pool swim)
• Easy run, 45 min. (60-min. runch)
• Rest or active recovery (yoga)
• Long bike, 90-150 min (45-min. spin, strength training)
• Long run, 9 miles (12-mile run)

If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve seen a few snapshots of the week’s workouts in action, but here are some of the highlights, starting with Monday’s 6-mile “runch” with the SweatGuru team and special guest, my pal Pavement Runner!

Then came Tuesday’s yoga session, watching the lovely Jessica Mishra and Jamie Walker balance in the air with the greatest of ease. I mean, how’s this for inspiration during your practice?

My Wednesday bike-run brick was a learning experience. Namely, I’ve got to practice better mid-workout fueling for these longer stretches (I felt super dizzy 15 minutes into the run).

I’ve also got to figure out how to more gracefully ease into the run when my legs are feeling like jello (thanks to Doris Steere for the words of wisdom regarding intervals!).

During Thursday’s pool workout, I kept myself preoccupied with self-taught form drills (focusing on a different body part each lap), as well as some “sprints” (I use the term loosely) thrown into the mix for good measure.

Friday’s aforementioned lift and spin left me a bit sore and worse for wear during Saturday’s run, but we had a break in the rainy weather, so Hubby and I decided to take full advantage of it.

Our planned nine-miler morphed into 12 when we took a detour to the ocean to watch the storms out at sea. It’s days like these that we can’t believe we actually live in such close proximity to all this natural beauty.

By Sunday morning, however, the rain was back with a vengeance, so we wimped out from our planned Aquatic Park open water swim in favor of a second pool session for the week.

Running in the rain? It’s fun to take a day and play. Swimming in the rain? I’m just not there yet.

And that’s a wrap for week two…stay tuned for next week, in which I’ll be announcing a new addition to the family!