Wednesday, February 10, 2010

4 hour bike, 40 min running

Really killed it today. Had the type of day where after I was done training all I could do was stare at the wall. I didn't even have the energy to eat. Super beat and super happy!

I knew I'd have to take advantage of not having work today because of the snow, so I slept in a bit, got up around 8, had some coffee and breakfast, then got to work. We got about a foot of snow throughout the day so I had to be a bit creative with the training. I decided the best way to go about it was to start on the trainer for an hour, go out for a 10 min run, come back in, ride again for an hour, run for 15 mins, go outside for an hour on the 'cross bike, come back in to the rollers, and finish it up with another 15 min run.

If you didn't follow that, basically I transitioned between biking and short runs for around 5 hours. I kept the runs short as not to overdo anything with the foot. Today is the first day that it's been absolutely and positively 100% pain free. Usually I can make it sore in some way just by moving it in a certain way or walk on it just right, but today I couldn't even do that. Very happy, very happy.

The biking, with the exception of the ride outside was a mix of zone work and big gear intervals. As much as I hate training indoors, I have found it to be a very important element of my development. The control you have over your workouts and intervals is invaluable. Not to mention you're really "on" for the whole time. There's no coasting, stopping at red lights, etc. It's all pure crank-turning work. I love it!

Also, riding the 'cross bike in the snow is fun! Most of the roads had about an inch of snow on them and I really got the chance to work on some of my bike handling skills. My 29er really floats over the snow and the wider tires make it almost as easy as riding on loose dirt or gravel. With the 'cross bike's more narrow tires, you really have to work on balance. Climbing was also a lot of fun. It's really a great training tool to use. I'm lucky I have it.

Tomorrow is a 4k swim. It'll be nice to be in the water again after beating myself down so much today.

2 comments:

  1. Dave!

    Thank you SO much for your support! You have no idea how much it means to me!

    What races are you doing this year? I really hope to meet you at a race or 3!

    Jaakko

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  2. Jaakko,
    No problem! I think it's great when good people do big things and I get a lot of inspiration from reading your blog. Keep up the good work!
    As far as races go, this season I'll be doing the REV3 half in Middleburry CT, and Ironman Louisville. I'll also be doing the American Zofingen duathlon (F1 distance) in New Paltz, New York. There will also be a few local races mixed in there and possibly one other "big"race. My hope is to get to Kona in October, but we'll see.
    I haven't added any international races to my calender, but I'm definately looking to. I'll be in Spain from February 20th to March 2nd for a training camp with my coach.
    What's your calender of races look like this year?

    Happy training,
    Dave

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