Thursday's workout went off without a hitch....4 mile aerobic run with a HR in the range of 150-155. My hip was tight but felt good toward the middle of the run. I am becoming more convinced that a thorough warm-up prior to the start of my events is critically important for my hip. In the past, my usual routine has been to slow jog for 3-4 minutes....and, now I know I have been "short changing" myself. I always had a fear that doing more than that would, to some degree, tire me out prior to the event starting. Now I realize it is a very good investment! I had a really nice strength training session immediately following the 4 miler. My usual upper body work was coupled with some rigorous core/abs work...tons of planks, side planks, side plank crunches, side plank dips, and various leg lift (6 inches) drills. Total training time for the day = 1 hr and 20 minutes.
I focused back to the bike yesterday....completing a 50 minute tempo ride at 22.5 mph. I was happy with the ride and the fact that I carried that speed for the entire 50 minutes. Many people have a difficult time "calibrating" their bike trainers...I have a set-up that I can repeat perfectly that mimmicks riding outside, on flats, with no wind (I know, I know...perfect conditions!). I calibrated my trainer based on HR measurements, and then knowing exactly how I have the tension "dialed" up. With that being all set, all I have to do is make sure I train with 110 psi in my rear tire and I'm calibrated! This is particularly important for measuring training gains week to week. I like to compare my average HR for a particular distance while holding a similar average speed. I can confirm a "training gain" when my average HR is lower than prior workouts. Today was that day....my HR for the 50 minute ride was 3 beats per minute lower for the average reading! Since HR can be impacted by several other factors (stress, hydration, sleep, nutrition, etc), I'll be looking to confirm my training gain by doing another 50 minute ride in a day or two.
Following the 50 minute bike training session, I bricked into a 10 minute run at a pace of 7:30 min/mile. That's a nice fast pace for me coming off the bike...and in 10 minutes I had covered just over 1.3 miles. The run felt good! I love brick workouts...I do a lot of them because I think they really prepare you well mentally for making the transition from the bike to the run. Having the confidence that you can do it makes it easier from a physical perspective.
Today will be all about speedwork....3 X 1 mile repeats with a target pace of 6:45 min/mile. Thats a tough pace for me, but it's been several weeks since I did mile repeats...I'm anxious to see how it goes.
I'm hoping for a good hip day today....I need a good hip today....gee whiz, I deserve a good hip day once in a while right?!
I'm hoping you have a great training day too. Let's start at the same place...let's start by preparing ourselves mentally for a good day. Tell yourself...talk to yourself...convince your mind...and will your way to a good day.
Your mind is strong.....let it do some of the work today.
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