Passion and Purpose

Good training day yesterday! I did three separate workouts....a 5k hard run, a 45 minute swim workout, and a strength training session. Fortunately, each workout went well and felt great.

My training day started with a 10 minute warm-up followed by a hard and fast (for me) 5k run. I completed the run in 22:53...which felt like a good hard effort but certainly not all out. I had trouble getting my hip to respond to the warm-up and stretching, and finally just gave up and started the run. The first half mile or so was tough...I had a hard time relaxing and finding my groove. By the 5 minute mark of the run it felt pretty good and I was able to stride better and relax. I feel pretty confident in terms of transitioning my run from the treadmill to outside. I'll try to continue to run outside as much as possible from here through the rest of the season. The treadmill is a great tool...but it just isn't the same as the real thing!

Later in the day I completed a swim workout full of 100 and 200 meter repeats. I did 6x100 meter repeats at a pace of 1:50 with 30 seconds recovery in between. From there, I moved into 4x200 meter repeats at 3:45 with 1 minute rest/recovery between sets. I finished my workout with a 400 meter cool down (untimed). I feel so good after a good swim workout...surely exhausted but somehow refreshed at the same time. My hip felt wonderful coming out of the pool!

Finally, I finished with a late night strength training workout....short and sweet and to the point. I focused on the usual upper body muscle groups and finished with 15 minutes of core and abs.

Today brings another day of important training. I've already completed my swim workout earlier this morning...arriving at the pool at 6:30 and drilling for 45 minutes. What a great way to start the day! Later tonight I'll be busting a very hard 18 mile bike ride with a target average pace of 25-26 mph on the trainer. I'm excited for tomorrow...weather forecast is for clear, sunny skies and 70 degrees! My bike will come off the trainer for my first real ride of the season.

The season is nearly upon us....and training is getting intense. Stay focused on your plan...the planning that you do to lead to quality training sessions. Every session must have a purpose. Ask yourself...."what do I expect to gain from this session?" Anyone can workout....but only the dedicated few can train with a passion and with a purpose.

Is your planned training session for today purposeful?

Or, are you....just working out?

TJ