Sunday, March 16, 2008

Winter Wonderland

Well it is sunday morning and instead of being out on our 32km run, we are hanging out in the house, waiting for things to warm up! It is -20 out there right now, but the weather network assures us it is to warm up to at least -10 this afternoon. So we are waiting...
At least the sun is out, and the pathways should be more run-able today with the snow accumulation providing some traction over the ice! 

Friday night we did what was to be a 60min recovery spin- just a light spin of the legs to prepare for the weekend. I was already tired when I got on the bike- I spent 3hrs cleaning this beast of a house and felt like I'd done a day of bootcamp :-) I knew right away that something wasn't quite right on the bike, I drank a full bottle in less than a half hour, and then was nauseous. My back was aching and I literally felt like curling up in the fetal position right next to my bike and sleeping. 
At 50mins in I decided it was counterproductive to continue- I could have gutted through the last 10mins, but recovery rides aren't intended to be gutted through.

It was the right choice because Saturday morning I felt my energy back and was able to have a solid 2 hr ride.
We rented "Gladiator" and although I generally don't like violent movies, there is something about hand to hand/ sword combat that is ok- it is really just the bombing/ shooting/ exploding violence that gets to me. 
I did a 10min warmup followed by 10min/5 min steady state intervals. The 10mins was at low zone 3 and the 5mins mid zone 2. I kept the cadence over 100rpm the entire time, and stayed in aero for the 10min work intervals. The first hour was great, I was sweating up a storm, but my legs were fine- it was definitely more of a cardio effort than strength, but more than anything required serious focus to keep the cadence up and remain smooth. At the 90min mark it became a real effort to keep the legs turning smoothly. I held on and finished the last 10mins as cool down. It was a solid ride, and I felt really good getting off the bike. 

Today I will know how well I did at conserving the strength of my legs, as I will be running at least 3hrs10mins, probably closer to 3:15...I hope it warms up!

Friday TFTD: Bike 50mins
Saturday: Bike 2hrs

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