Monday
Training weeks start on Mondays. I had a run scheduled for the AM (before work) and a weight lifting session scheduled for the PM (usually my lunch break).
Well, I didn’t sleep well the night before. I believe sleep is ESSENTIAL and is the foundation of health. If you are sleep deprived, your immunity decreases, as does your body’s ability to repair itself. I could go on and on, but suffice it to say that sleep is one of my top priorities.
I decided not to get up at 5:30 and give myself a little more shuteye. I had plans that night so I couldn’t shift a workout to the evening. Therefore, I decided to combine workouts by run and weight workouts at my midday (lunchtime) workout.
I ran on the treadmill for 40 minutes in zone 2 (medium to light effort). Then a break, some stretching and ab work, followed by strength training (slightly shortened due to time constraints, but I got it done).
Tuesday
Up at 4:30 am for a swim workout. I swam. For almost an hour. That’s all I feel like saying about swimming.
The second workout of the day was cycling. This week was to be the first official Conte’s Tuesday Night Ride of the season. This ride is killer. Perhaps in a future post I will share with you the joy I experienced (not!) at my first Conte’s ride. (Would it surprise to hear that I got lost? Sensing a theme?)
I have a love-hate relationship with this ride. I know it is good for me, but it is so darn difficult because of the killer hills that I really dread it. But I go. Call me a glutton for punishment.
This would be my first Conte's ride as a team member and I was excited because Coach Ed promised me I would get some coaching. I got home and quickly got ready to go. I pedaled up the steep ramp of my parking garage, hit the street and whoosh, the wind hit me. It felt like a freakin’ tornado was coming. And it was drizzling. I turned right out of the garage, right around the building, right again, and then made a final right turn back into the parking garage. Ugh!
I was so frustrated. I needed a bike workout. Was I just being a wuss for not wanting to ride over to Conte’s? I flashbacked to the awful, grueling, ride I did in the freezing rain just a few weeks ago. I was NOT doing that again. No way.
So I rode around the garage for a few minutes as I mulled it over. And then about 10 minutes had passed and I thought, okay, I’ll just put in a good 20 minute ride and then go upstairs and cook dinner.
I rode up and down the garage ramps. I wove around the parked cars and poles. I got to 20 minutes and I was having a pretty good time. I was in a groove. I remembered how just a year ago those ramps *killed* me. Seriously. Sometimes I would take Ms. Piggy up the elevator to avoid the incredible effort that was required for me to make it up the ramp. I was began practicing pedal stroke, gearing, and I was flying. Woo-hoo.
I kept going until I got to 40 minutes. I spent the last 10 minutes zooming around the garage working on handling around the beams, and practicing getting into and out of the aero position. (I have aero bars (see below) on my bike which allow me to lean down on them and become more aerodynamic. In other words, I go faster. It takes a lot of practice to be comfortable here and I’m making progress.)
This would be my first Conte's ride as a team member and I was excited because Coach Ed promised me I would get some coaching. I got home and quickly got ready to go. I pedaled up the steep ramp of my parking garage, hit the street and whoosh, the wind hit me. It felt like a freakin’ tornado was coming. And it was drizzling. I turned right out of the garage, right around the building, right again, and then made a final right turn back into the parking garage. Ugh!
I was so frustrated. I needed a bike workout. Was I just being a wuss for not wanting to ride over to Conte’s? I flashbacked to the awful, grueling, ride I did in the freezing rain just a few weeks ago. I was NOT doing that again. No way.
So I rode around the garage for a few minutes as I mulled it over. And then about 10 minutes had passed and I thought, okay, I’ll just put in a good 20 minute ride and then go upstairs and cook dinner.
I rode up and down the garage ramps. I wove around the parked cars and poles. I got to 20 minutes and I was having a pretty good time. I was in a groove. I remembered how just a year ago those ramps *killed* me. Seriously. Sometimes I would take Ms. Piggy up the elevator to avoid the incredible effort that was required for me to make it up the ramp. I was began practicing pedal stroke, gearing, and I was flying. Woo-hoo.
I kept going until I got to 40 minutes. I spent the last 10 minutes zooming around the garage working on handling around the beams, and practicing getting into and out of the aero position. (I have aero bars (see below) on my bike which allow me to lean down on them and become more aerodynamic. In other words, I go faster. It takes a lot of practice to be comfortable here and I’m making progress.)
By the end, I had ridden around in circles for a total of about 10 miles. Not too shabby. If you had told me that I would have such a good workout in the garage I wouldn’t have believed you. And if you’d suggested it, I would have dreaded spending that much time in the dark garage riding nowhere. But it was fun. Yay for me for making the most of the situation.
[By the way, it turns out Conte’s cancelled the ride because of the thunderstorm. I learned this through various facebook status updates which indicated that the riders had instead gone out for fajitas and beers. Ha!]
Wednesday
Wednesday morning means track workouts. Yay! Or Boo. Okay, yay. These are a nice change of pace for me. [Thanks Coach Ed for succumbing to my plea to make the workout earlier.]
Team Z offers 16 different training plans – which one you choose is based on your goals and your base training level. This week’s workout for me read
10’ w/u, 4 x 20” sprints, Full R, 3 x 1 mile HZ3/LZ4, R/2’, W/D.
In English, that means warmup for 10 minutes, do 4 20-second sprints (recovering fully between each one), then run a mile in heart rate zones 3 and 4, then recover for 2 minutes, then do two more miles the same way.
It was a great workout. The sprints were fun, and are something I haven’t really done since HS track practice. [The secret is out: I was on the HS track team. I was best at the triple jump because of my background as a gymnast. I was also a sprinter. None of this prepared me for my six marathons or triathlons.]
Wednesday afternoon was supposed to be the second strength training session of the week. However, I was stuck at a conference and couldn’t get the gym for my usual lunchtime break. My plan to lift after work went out the window when I got home and decided that there would be a greater benefit to my well-being if I took the hour to clean and straighten up my condo. I "cooled down" by watching some Oprah on the DVR.
In any case, this weekend is a race weekend, and I didn’t want to risk having sore muscles for the race. [I am veering from the team's workout/race chedule for this one.]
Thursday
Thursday AM – another crack of dawn swim. This time I managed to get a coach to give me some helpful pointers. It was beneficial. Still, the 60 minutes dragged by. Slowly.
Thursday PM – The schedule called for an interval workout (10’ W/U, 5’ SLD, 2 x12’ Z4/5a R/2’, 10’ W/D) but since I am racing this weekend (Richmond Duathlon) I decided to take it easy and do 40 minutes (zone 2) on the spin bike.
Friday
Ah, the beloved rest day. Sleep in. Go out to lunch. Let those tired muscles recover. This week it is my quads and abs that are talking to me.
Saturday
Usually, Saturday is the long run day. The schedule calls for a 13 mile, zone 2 run. Since I am racing, I will do an easy brick (30 min bike/15 min ride) instead.
Sunday
Sunday’s schedule this week calls for a 50-mile bike ride in the morning, and a swim workout in the evening. I think I’d rather do the scheduled workouts, but I am already signed up for the Richmond National Duathlon (10k run, 25 mile ride, 5 k run), so that will be it for me.
Now you don’t have to wonder why: a) I’m tired; b) you haven’t seen/heard much from me lately.
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