Mar 30 2026 2026-03-30 2026-03-30 NoComment by Ross

Base Phase – Week 6…

Posted in Cycling, Swimming, Training, Triathlon

This was a planned step-back week because I expected to ski during Spring Break. The skiing didn’t really work out (see the previous post), but I still managed to cross-train enough to keep the week productive.

Mountain biking replaced road cycling, hiking replaced running, and swimming was still swimming—just done at elevation. Not a bad trade overall.

The good news: fitness went up while fatigue and form improved, which is exactly what a step-back week is supposed to accomplish.

Swim 🏊

  • Workouts: 2
  • Total Distance: 4,000 yards
  • Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes (two 40-minute swims)

Swimming at altitude counts for something. Both sessions felt solid and steady.

Run 🏃

  • Workouts: 1
  • Total Distance: 4.01 miles
  • Total Time: 40 minutes

This was the only true run of the week, done once we got home. Everything else was hiking.

Bike 🚵

  • Workouts: 3 (over two days)
  • Total Distance: 16.6 miles
  • Total Time: 1 hour 57 minutes

Mountain biking instead of road riding. Different muscles, different rhythm, but still good aerobic work.

Hike 🥾

  • Workouts: 2
  • Total Distance: 8.04 miles
  • Total Time: 3 hours 16 minutes

Hiking replaced the planned longer runs. It’s not the same stimulus, but it still builds aerobic fitness and time on feet.

Total Training Time 🧮

  • Total Duration: 7 hours 11 minutes

TrainingPeaks Metrics 📈

  • Fitness: 39 (another small steady gain)
  • Fatigue: 64 (down nicely)
  • Form: -10 (much healthier than last week)

All good signs. That’s exactly what a recovery/step-back week should do.

Reflections ✍️

Almost everything this week was done at 6,000+ feet, so I’m happy with the output. The body feels good, the fatigue dropped, and fitness is still trending upward.

Another small win: down 5 pounds. Not a huge number, but it’s progress toward race weight. There’s still plenty to go, but it’s a start.

The bigger picture is encouraging. I’m not traveling again until early July, which means I should have a long stretch of uninterrupted training to stay steady through the rest of base phase.

Feeling good. Moving forward.