Hey, I'm not going to complain. In fact, I'm going to thank you. It wasn't you that gave us the 0F temperature and 20 mph winds...giving a wind chill of -30C. I'm too lazy to do the convert to F...actually, just too tired.
Tonight was another speedwork sesssion - 15 min warmup and then 6x1km sprints with 90 seconds rest in between, followed by a cool down. Seriously? Who needs a cool down at -30?? Just stop moving for longer than that 90 seconds and you are taking your life into your own hands!! I actually stuck close to home for the sole reason that I didn't want to be too far away should 'anything' happen.
I signed up with a coach for many reasons, one of which is the accountability factor. I know we are all intrinsically motivated and that's real nice and all, but when it's this cold and you are tired before heading out the door, there is no amount of intrinsic motivation that would have been enough to make me do it. Tonight, I credit both my coach (as I know he would have run without complaint, leading by example), and my fellow tri-bloggers. There are so many of you that get out there and 'do it' no matter what. So far, I am in that camp with you, but I have to say thanks for setting a good example. Whether you are in Ohio, Maine, Michigan, Wisconsin, Burlington, or whatever....you've done the tough slugs and that's where tonight's inspiration came from.
I didn't get a chance to post yesterday because work was nuts, BUT, I was able to do the 60 minute easy trainer ride last evening, right before heading to the pool for my swim. I watched the first half of a movie while peddling and were it not for the fat I had to bolt for the pool, I would have kept riding just so I could finish the movie! It'll have to wait until tomorrow at this point.
Last night's pool session was decent, though we closed with 800m continuous free, 400 of which was with paddles and pull buoys. Nothing like extra resistance to tire out your arms and shoulders! I've learned my kick is exponentially stronger than my lane mates, but my overall swim is about the same. I mentioned before I can't believe I am in the fast lane, not having had any real swimming experience prior to a year ago. There is a 'super fast' lane reserved for 2 girls who are in our class who must have been competitive swimmers in college or something. It's the only lane in the pool you'll find dolphin kicks and flip turns.
I've been pleased with my nutritional choices of late and I can already and visibly see the pay off. I'm seeing the extra winter buffer starting to melt away and can attribute it to both healthy eating and increased exercise. While yesterday was a good day nutritionally, the plate of spaghetti I had for supper did not sit well with me by the time my 9:15 pm swim start. I didn't repeat that mistake tonight as I couldn't. I was out running at dinner time and made an amazing protein shake upon my return, consisting of soy milk, peanut butter, chocolate flavored protein, and a banana. It was like drinking dessert. I followed it with some stretching and a hot bath. I really needed to reset my internal temperature gauge back to "normal". For my actual meal, I had a salad and found I needed to top it off with an eLoad sports drink.
One thing I've never mentioned is that I have to give kudos to Pearl Izumi for making the most amazing clothing. I run in their Elite Softshell jacket and pant and find I am practically never cold. I only wear 2 layers under the coat - a Fleece T-neck and a wicking T shirt - and nothing under the pants, except my skivvies of course! Despite the high winds tonight, I was never really "cold" in them but given I tend to sweat, at least at a low grade, I could "feel" the cold when I stopped running, in between intervals. Anyway, this has been my go-to outfit all winter long. If you are going to run in north country, better invest in some quality gear and that'll make sure you really have no excuses when it comes to winter running.
Off to the pool now, and YES, I will be drawing on your perserverence, because guess what? I'm actually really tired and yawning right now. I'll feel better once I'm out there, though!
Speedwork - 60 mins, 9 km. Average pace each km: 5:01
Ride - 60 mins easy
Swim - drills, drills, drills
No comments:
Post a Comment