small space yoga flow + week in training
More miles than I intended, including a very difficult but character-building half marathon, and some serious saddle-soreness after a long Saturday endurance ride – just a quick summary of this week’s sessions. Since I return to my job in a couple weeks and thus won’t have the temporal capacity to put in these long hours on Pittor or the road, I’m trying to (within reason) compile a solid base of work before shortening yet simultaneously streamlining sessions. I’m still waiting for my left ankle to completely calm down before considering more organized speedwork, though I have played with some faster progressions in shorter runs!
As for yoga? This flow is great for us quarantiners. I practice in a tiny swath of wood floor in front of our television, and unless I decide to move my mat over a bit I usually try some rendition of these gentle and nurturing postures to take advantage of my limited space while still having a wonderful session. Yoga requires so little, and even people in confined apartments can cultivate a home practice with a mat, a comfy corner, and an open heart.
Monday, 4/20: 4.17 miles, 10:40 pace + 55 min leg circuit
Oof, the wind! Super hot and headwinds of 20+ mph threw my heart rate up early, but surprisingly my legs shrugged off the troublesome conditions and I ran three out of the easy miles well into 10s. Splits were 11:07, 10:44, 10:23, and 10:25. Not too shabby!
I really liked the strength routine I drew up for the day. Circuits make weightlifting speed by, which I certainly prefer – since, as it may be well established, I usually dislike resistance sessions.
E2MOM – each superset completed every two minutes, with 1 min additional rest in between circuits. 4 sets. All with a 25# dumbbell except for the lunges and jump squats.
- #1: 10 weighted lunges per leg/8 skullcrushers
- #2: 10 step-ups per leg/8 single-leg calf raises
- #3: 15 glute bridges/12 deadlift
- #4: 8 single-leg deadlift/10 jump squats
- #5: 12 goblet squats/20 calf raises
- #6: 20 hydrants per leg/15 shoulder press
Tuesday, 4/21: 6.24 miles, 10:56 pace + 31.19 miles, 15.6 mph cycling (120 min)
Sore legs but bouncy heart. The sunrise was just so beautiful in the morning that I had to enjoy the changing hues for as long as I could tolerate. Around the two mile mark I opted to continue and shoot for 10km if it continued to feel good, which it did.
Post-breakfast tempo/threshold ride that HURT, though probably more mentally than physically overall. Granted, the final 20 minutes sucked majorly on all fronts. Oof. Great session, though, and very encouraging.
- 10 min easy warmup
- 60 min @ 83-85 RPM
- 20 min @ 85-88 RPM (I maintained 86-87 pretty consistently)
- 20 min @ 83-85 RPM
- 10 min easy cooldown
Wednesday, 4/22: 33.81 miles, 15 mph cycling (135 min) + 61 minute full body circuit
Long aerobic morning ride with some 1-3 minute hill spurts, otherwise a steady effort from start to finish. Nothing terribly thrilling, though I did indulge in a Clif Dark Chocolate Mocha bar which gave me some joy as I spun.
Post-breakfast lifting circuits satisfied and challenged! I practiced some Turkish Get-Ups with an 8# dumbbell after the main workout just to get a feel for the form – if we had a heavy kettlebell, I’d certainly program them into my strength days.
Circuits: 4 times through, E2MOM (every two minutes on the minute), 1 minute rest after each circuit.
- 12 single-leg rows per side + 1 min plank
- 25 dumbbell swings + 30 plank butt-ups
- 5 push-ups with shoulder tap + 1 min plank
- 12 single-arm curl to press per side + 6 jump lunges
- 8 windmills + 20 behind back press + 30 mountain climbers
- 15 reverse flies + 30 X toe-taps + 10 band face pulls per side
Thursday, 4/23: 5.45 miles, 10:57 pace + 25.96 miles, 15.6 mph cycling (100 min)
Easy miles in a brisk but pleasant wind, though I came to realize my Bostons need an upgrade. 300 miles have passed through those shoes since September, and my knees and feet certainly began letting me know it’s time for retirement. I’m probably keeping on the Boston route, but am eyeing the Adidas Adios or the New Balance 1080v10 as well – thoughts?
Fun ride followed during which I channeled some pretty angry corona-related thoughts into some high powered intervals. I reached a trainer speed of 18.4 mph at the end, which is probably equivalent to 21-22 mph outside. Woo!
- 10 min easy warmup
- 24 min steady, build to zone 3
- 6 x 3 min @ 90+ RPM/3 min easy
- 20 min steady
- 10 min easy cooldown
Friday, 4/24: 3.3 miles, 8:56 pace (5km time trial) + 19.76 miles, 15.8 mph cycling (75 min w. 60 min time trial)
A rather disturbing storm blew through early in the morning, and the ferocious lighting discouraged me even from waking when I usually do to ride on the trainer – we have the bike set up next to a big window, and at the time were under a tornado morning. Opted for an extra couple hours of sleep instead. Felt glorious! So I got a late start to my workouts and opted for a couple of hard sessions to test my progress.
I failed to warm up decently before the run, since I feared another incoming storm (thankfully, dodged any hard rains), so I eased into the first mile before letting it loose. Very fatiguing splits and my heart rate soared immediately. 9:28, 8:31, 8:37, with the final .1 miles at 8:18. Oof. So hard.
After a prolonged transition – I wasn’t in a huge hurry – I got on the bike for my spin session. 5 minute warmup, 45 minutes @ 83-85 RPM, 15 minutes @ 86-88 RPM, 10 minute easy cooldown. Averaged around 16 mph for the effort section, which probably equates to 18-20 mph outside. Not bad! Legs definitely protested in the final 10 minutes, but I’m proud for pushing through.
Saturday, 4/25: 52.99 miles, 15 mph cycling (210 minutes)
Aside from some serious saddle soreness, this ride went pretty well. Hung out in zone 2 except during three sets of 4 x 3 minutes around 60 RPM (to build leg strength). I’m exceptionally miffed that I didn’t round to 53, though I’m going to say the light spinning I did for thirty seconds after stopping my Garmin makes it add to a full mile.
Before: Nuun Ginger Lemonade with caffeine
During: 2 scoops Skratch Lemon Lime in water, plain water, 1 x Clif Coffee Dark Chocolate Mocha bar, 3 Clif Bloks in Ginger Ale
Sunday, 4/26: 13.15 miles, 11:16 pace – Big Sur Tribute Run
In a different world, I’d be in California and on Sunday I would’ve run my second Big Sur Marathon, J’s first. Alas, not in the cards (and truthfully I’m not sure I would’ve tried given my ankle and calf), so we agreed that I’d run 13.1 miles and J pick up the remaining 13.1 on the bike. This run nearly pulled me through the ground. I struggled mentally more than anything, and I can’t quite pinpoint why. Though hot, the temperature didn’t bother me as much as I could claim. I nearly called it quits after 10km, but some force within my mind pulled me to try another loop, which brought me to 8 miles. I just kept going, and hit 13 miles at the top of a bridge close to home. I near sprinted the downhill to complete the .1 needed to accomplish my mission. This run took me nearly 2.5 hours and doesn’t even breathe upon my PR, but I felt more victorious for the grit I scrounged up and gratitude for legs that moved despite screaming to halt. A very lazy day followed, as you might expect.
Total running mileage: 32.31 miles
Total cycling mileage: 163.71 miles
