I alluded, in my last post, to being in a multiple-workouts-a-day mode. This is in part to the cycling groupon C and I purchased for this month. Next week is our last week of the groupon, and I am bound and determined to get our money’s worth! We definitely have – if you’re local to Albany, you should really drop in for a class at Real Ryder in Motion. C and I are both big fans of Brenda’s classes, but really all of the instructors there are terrific.
Anyway, my workout schedule from the past few weeks looks a little like this:
Monday, 8/26:
AM – Real Ryder (AM Express Ryde)
PM – Tawasentha XC 3
Tuesday, 8/27:
AM – 3m run with Team Peer Pressure
PM – Zumba class
Wednesday, 8/28:
AM – REST
PM – Real Ryder
Thursday, 8/29:
AM – Real Ryder (Climb it!)
PM – STRS at Schodack Island
Friday, 8/30:
AM – REST
PM – REST
Saturday, 8/31:
AM – 10m training run
Sunday, 9/1:
AM – Zumba class
I may add something in on Friday morning (I’m thinking perhaps a short (20min) strength DVD … I’ve been neglecting my upper body lately), depending how I feel after Thursday. Brenda is hosting Climb it! (which is basically a 45 min cycling workout that is all virtual hills), and I know it’s going to be a tough workout. I’m expecting jelly legs and therefore a slow and steady amble through Schodack Island’s trails with the ARE later that evening. I’m running the SEFCU 5k on Monday morning, and I really want to try for a PR in this race, so we’ll see if this endurance loading will help or harm this goal.
My legs were definitely feeling more tired than usual during my run at Tawasentha on Monday night. Jen Is Green has a great writeup of the course and the run over at her blog. I chose the last week to run it, and even with Jen’s warnings, I still was not prepared for the intensity level. In addition to the water crossing, there were a lot of really tough hills, one in particular that was simply too steep and muddy to run up OR down safely. (At least, in my sneakers.) Still, I knew I wouldn’t be pushing for any PRs at this run given how tired my legs felt, so I decided to slow down and enjoy myself, and not push myself as much as I have been recently.
After I finished, I was drenched – both in sweat and muddy creek water – so I grabbed a nectarine and a cup of water then headed straight to my car to go home. A little while later, Jen tweeted at me to tell me that I had placed second in my age group! I was surprised – 12 min/miles generally don’t garner those sorts of honors – but it still made me feel really good. I may or may not have called my grandmother to brag about her once nerdy, slow, and unathletic granddaughter is now the type of woman who places second in her age group. Of course, I soon learned that I places 2nd out of 3rd, which is not nearly as exciting an accomplishment. Grandma doesn’t need to know that part. 🙂
Two workouts a day are not sustainable as an everyday thing, at least not at this intensity, but I’m enjoying challenging myself by doing two or three days a week of this kind of push, even if it is a bit exhausting. Next week will be my last week of this pace and intensity, in particular, at least until after the half marathon. C and I joined the Ciccotti Center as of September 1, and I am excited to start incorporating some new and different cross training into my routine, particularly the water aerobics. 🙂
The Fox Trotter 