I did a gym session today instead of running – I didn’t feel like running but felt like doing something. I did 10k on the C2 followed by 35 hard minutes on the spinning bike. For the rowing I started very slow and built as I progressed. My 2000m splits were 8:32, 8:25, 8:18, 8:16, 8:08.
For my spinning set I did 5 min w/u, 2x (3 min mod-hard, 2 min recovery), 6 min mod-hard, 2 min rec, 12 min hard.
I’m hoping for a long run tomorrow – let’s see if it is possible.
I will be running the Ursvik Xtreme tomorrow so did not want to run tonight. I also did not want to rest, so I did a relatively easy 60 minutes on the Concept2: av. HR: 148, Dist: 14350m, av. Power: 173W. I set a cap of 150 bpm that I only crossed a a couple of times – I don’t think I ever went over 151 bpm! By far the most controlled I have been on the rower.
I realise that this, along with last night’s cycle, is not the best preparation for a very tough 15km run tomorrow, but the fact is it is not one of my goals, so it gets no special treatment. I still intend to run all out, and also hope to run pretty well: 66:15 is 4:25/km – I’d be pretty happy with that!
I’ve been wondering since I wrote yesterday’s small entry: was it a good idea to run or should I have taken a rest and done a proper run tonight – Something I currently don’t feel capable of doing today. Or to put it another way:
If the answer is no – then I have wasted two nights training by running for 50 minutes last night!
After some reflection I decided that I would continue training and take a break later in the week. While, at this stage, any training I do in this is not optimal, I believe that piling on the stress will have non-specific benefits to my overall fitness. What becomes more and more important though is rest – I won’t just recover from this type of stress on just a good night sleep.
The training I decided to do was 60 minutes on the Concept2 down in the gym. I did it as follows:
That’s enough for the night. I’m very tired.
I did a pretty hard session on the C2 last night:
Practically fell off the thing. My triceps were sore from last night’s swim – It could be time for a rest.
Because of the way my timetable organised itself yesterday I had to skip my planned run -a common occurence these days!- and instead went back to the gym and rowed for one hour. As is now usual, I planned to just take it easy but after 2000m I got bored and created an interval set in my head that went as follows:
Av. HR: 156, av. Power: 178W, Dist. 14369m
I can now see the possibility of reaching my 15000m/60min goal.
I got sick of being sick and went to the gym with the intention of doing an easy 10k on the Concept2 rower. I did 10k, but it was far from easy:
In the Sauna afterwards I was thinking about the current new fad: sauna as a recovery tool and I began to think about it… Possibly, the effect comes from the fact that the heart is pumping very hard to keep the body cool but the muscles are still. Perhaps this ‘free’ increase in circulation helps to repair the damage done in training. I’ll do some searching on the real answer – this was just my sauna thoughts, nothing more!
One last thing: I hope I didn’t make the wrong choice by training in a semi sick state… tick tock…
I was tired and couldn’d decide to go to the gym or not. In the end I decided to go and do only 10k on the Concept2 – instead of the usual 60 minutes. Also, as a way to further motivate me to get down to the gym, I promosed myself that I would take it very easy on the rower.
As is shown above, I neither stuck to my plan or kept my promise. I started out easy enough – a steady effort with a predicted finish time of 42:30. I soon got bored and decided to do a 500m surge with 6000m remaining. This then turned into an all out interval set that ended up looking like this:
4000m w/u
5 x [500m Hard(210W), 500m Easy(160W)]
1000m build to max (270W)
I then did some leg weights and cooled down on the bike for 10 minutes.
Shower, Sauna and a bite to eat and I’m done for the day.
I won’t say I’m back, but I’m comming around. My second consecutive day training since my sickness seems to have gone pretty well. I did a controlled and reserved 60 minutes on the Concept2: 149 av. HR 14006m. Hopefully it wasn’t too stressful on the recovering body and I’ll be able to run tomorrow lunchtime and swim tomorrow night… Let’s see what a good night sleep does for me.
I managed to get to the gym today and, unusually for me, I managed a little discipline.
My now usual 10k row was done at a controlled and consistent pace/HR/power. I kept the projected finishing time bang on 42:00 and just rowed as was required to do that. My HR -once it leveled out- only drifted from 144-152 for the duration… not too bad.
I hopped off the rower and did 25 minutes of weights and then hit the sauna; A nice and easy day.
I know that I should have gone running tonight but the weather was not cooperating with my plans at all. It’s been snowing since about 17.00 so instead, I headed to the gym and did the following:
10k on the Concept2 (40:55, 158 av. HR)
25 minutes of various weights
5k on the threadmill building to 4:00/km
I have long since suspected -and now, very much hope- that there is a benefit to running on tired legs; legs that have been put through their paces in the gym. I’m assuming that this practice ‘teaches’ me to run on tired legs, and in some small way simulates the latter stages of a marathon. I do see the bullshit in the previous statement, but maybe, just maybe, there’s something to it.