All about timing!

Yesterday I just finished my first brick of the year and it started to snow the second I got back home. It was a great finish to a week that felt a little weak in training. I took 2 days off in a row one scheduled and one work just got in the way of and I couldn’t find or wanted to find the time to reschedule. However, today was a great payoff, felt steady on both the swim and the run.

The swim, after warmup laps I wanted to do 75% for 22 laps and 90% for 2, then back to 75% effort for the last 10 minutes. I felt great and was trying to lap the guy swimming next to me, which you shouldn’t do! But he was young and well built so I couldn’t help it : ) At lap 23 I jumped up to 90% and could really feel the core training from the last month pay off. Felt like work, but when I went back down in pace recovering was quick and I didn’t feel like I pulled more out of the bank than I had.

Time from swim to run was about 8-10 minutes, ran out from the gym to Golden Gardens. Running out that way is pretty flat and I usually use for tempo runs or quick easy run days. Today I was looking for a good pace, steady, but not fast. Half marathon speed plus 15-20 seconds a mile. Out and back is a good solid 6 miles.

I tell you what I like on a good run in bad weather, seeing other runners wave or give the “California head nod”. That split second of passing by each other that says: “Like a little snow was suppose to stop us.”, “It’ll have to rain harder than this”, “ We’re both surviving”, “This isn’t the first or the last”. Be which ever applies at the time, it’s always great to train in sweet fine gorgeous weather. However, there’s nothing like being out in the worst storm of the month or year and looking over at a passing car or coffee store window and seeing people shaking their head at you, with the same thought pouring from their eyes,” YOU’RE FREAK’IN NUTS!” Something about that???


Total week’s totals…..

3 runs 16.22 miles 2.02 hours
3 swims 1.78 miles 1.25 hours
1* bike 14 miles 59 minutes
1 other – core and upper body 30 minutes
8 workouts in 7 days 4.75 hours

AK’s running week
5 runs 16 miles
5 core/stretching 1:30 hours

*SO about a week ago I finally got the new road bike that I’ve been wanting for this next years races. With the weather we’ve been having it’s been a little hard to get out and give it a really good road test. On Monday I got home early from work and took it for a spin. The first thing that came to mind was ‘ damn I’m out of shape’ and the second thing was ‘I can’t be on this bike and be out of shape’ so I’ll park her or him until the end of February when I can bring the right level of fitness and respect to a carbon bike. And believe me it will be so worth it…..

This morning it's sunny and mostly clear and AK and I headed out for a quick run to Carkeek Park and back. Sunny, but frozen in some parts. Kind of how I felt after yesterdays brick : )