Have you ever looked at a brick wall - noticing how there are some bricks in the end that are either turned or cut short to make the pattern end in a straight line? Well, today was a "short brick". The Tour de Cure training plan called for 45 min of easy riding. But with a duathlon coming up on Saturday, I couldn't ignore the need to get some running in - even if something short. And I decided to suck it up, dress for the 45° temps and do it all outside as I am just refusing to accept that it isn't yet spring. At least it was sunny.
The easiest to do easy biking around my house is loops of the industrial area near my house. It is generally flat river bottom land with just a nasty hill to ride up on the way home. I wasn't sure how long each loop took so I decided on three loops with little legs up to the landfill entrance and the Militia Drive intersection. Turned out I could have done two and been fine, but a little extra of that flat stuff doesn't hurt. I rode for 58 minutes and if you believe my GPS (again with some correction as I am losing faith of ever being able to really use the phone app), it was about 13.1 miles. That makes sense as I should be able to easily do 13.5 mph on the flats.
But when I got back, I had to deal with a discipline issue regarding my son (ugh - I hope all this angst doesn't last forever!). Then I had to clean up some things and direct homework and then run my daughter to piano. I voted on the way home (though I had thought about running there). So when I got home, before I even took my jacket off, I took a quick pit stop and then went out the door to knock out a short run. Just to the end of the sidewalk and then home and to the end of my cul-de-sac and back. Ended up about 2.1 miles in about 25 min. Not an awful pace for me. I'm ashamed that I still have to walk sometimes. Really would think I'd build up more endurance than I have.
So it wasn't a long bike ride and it wasn't a long run and it wasn't exactly back to back, but a "short brick" all in one afternoon is sometimes the best this busy mom can do. And I'd better get my ass to the pool in the next few weeks or the tri the beginning of next month will suck. Need to get friendly with my foam roller and work out some kinks tonight. Maybe after a nice hot shower!
YTD:
Swimming = 5800 yds = 3.3 mi
Biking = 297.0 miles
Running = 70.1 miles
You know, first of all, taking walk breaks isn't necessarily a bad thing. A lot of people use run/walk as a strategy. If you want to get away from that, though, maybe try slowing way down for a min or two and then speeding up again? I don't know...what worked for me is the C25k plan's gradual increase of running periods/decrease of walking periods. Not that you never see me walking now...that would be a lie. :)
ReplyDeleteI've read studies that show the run/walk strategy isn't much slower for many runners and they are less sore afterwards!
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