Thanks for reading this (if you are) and keeping me honest and off the couch. Actually, I don’t have a couch, but metaphorically speaking...
This was my second and final "base skills" week. In the coming two weeks, I’ll be pushing harder but still not paying much attention to speed so that I don’t get myself all mentally wound up about improving on time, which usually leads to me forgetting about form and pace and ending up hurt.
I’ve decided not to include the daily Wileywalkies in my training log since I do it every day and it’s nothing extra to my routine.
Sunday 20 May: I started the week with a 3.3 mile ralk through my hilly neighborhood, slightly longer than the 5K I’ll be doing at the triathlon.
Monday 21 May: Pilates in the morning. After class, I ralked for 1.1 miles on the indoor track at school, really just to warm up for half an hour of upper body weight training, followed by a half-hour swim.
Tuesday 22 May: nothin’! (Well, aside from the aforementioned not-to-be-mentioned walkies.) A "rest day."
Wednesday 23 May: Pilates in the morning. I had planned to get a quick ralk in before picking up Cerdic at the bike shop, but my afternoon class ran late and I had the choice of either a 15-minute workout, and a rush to get to the store before they closed, or going straight to the store. I opted for the latter.
Thursday 24 May: 3.25 mile ralk followed by half an hour of upper-body weight training. I noticed something interesting about the indoor track at school, and would welcome comments from Dr. Virago and any other runner reading along. Our track is a measly 1/12th of a mile, so I do a lot of turns (I prefer running on it, though, because it’s easier on my knees and ankles). And, like most indoor tracks, there’s a post about doing alternate directions: counter-clockwise Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, clockwise the rest of the time. I find that when I ralk clockwise, I hurt less and am much faster (about a minute per mile). I decided it’s because, in that direction, my dominant leg (the left one) is on the outside of the turn, giving me more power. Weird, huh?
Friday 25 May: Despite the psyche-scarring circumstances , I managed a decent 45 minute swim. Earlier in the day, I had also planned to take Cerdic out on the road for a spin. Alas, on the very first hill, I shifted wrong and the chain popped off. With much grumbling, I took it back to the bike shop where they showed me how to fix it (ridiculously easy) and explained, once again, the concept of shifting to me (easier said than done). Yeah, yeah. It was at this point that I decided to name my bike, hoping to foster some kind of connection between me and it, other than hatred and dread, that is. When I got home after swimming, I decided I’d had enough traumatic workouts for the day and didn’t bother taking Cerdic out for another test run.
Saturday 26 May: Pilates in the morning. In the late afternoon, I strapped on the helmet that makes me feel like Queen of the She-Dorks and took Cerdic out. Gulp. On the plus side, I live in a very hilly area, so I can’t avoid learning how to shift. Unfortunately, since I don’t know how to shift, or at least don’t have a feel for it, the meager four miles I did were hell. I will say naming Cerdic is helping me tremendously, at least emotionally. I am terrified of riding a bike and my cycling skills are on par with a three-year-old’s, but it does help talking to Cerdic as if we’re in this thing together. It also helps that I live in a very rural area. I didn’t have to worry about anyone other than a couple cows and a rather shocked rabbit hearing me call Cerdic the "son of a pig-eating whore" when I popped the chain off again going uphill.
This time I got off the bike, fixed the chain, got back on and sallied forth.
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1 comment:
Your guess is as good as mine about why you hurt less going clockwise, and your guess sounds logical to me. I hate tracks and try to avoid them, except for speed work. Our indoor one is 1/6 of a mile, and I try to use the local Jesuit high school standard size one whenever I can, weather permitting. It's rubberized, too. It's awesome as far as tracks go.
Oh, btw, I was thinking about your biomechanics the other day and wondering if maybe you need a motion control shoe. The Saucony model you're wearing now is a stability shoe. Next time you're shopping for shoes, see if you can find a Saucony Grid Stabil in your size and try it on. Just a suggestion. The name's not as cool, I'm afraid.
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