I ran to Thompson community Centre (20min) and then did a 45min workout in the gym.
The last time I did a gym workout was Dec 22 which explains why I was sore for two days after this workout. I also loaded a little more weight on the bar for my squats, and boy oh boy, could I feel my quads.
I did a 35 min strength workout and 20 min of Yoga before the Zaber christmas party. We had a very nice dinner with excellent company and good wine. After dinner, we walked home. It was a good night.
After work, the couch monster surrounded me, pulled me into its pillowy depths, forced me to watch hockey, and showed no signs of letting me go. But now that I’m a triathlete (an ironman one at that) I seem to have gained special powers. Somehow, I’m not really sure how, I pulled myself out of the grips of the couch, and reversed the brainwashed feelings of lethargy.
I ran to Thompson Community Centre (23 min) and then ran another 7min on the treadmill for a 30 min run. The night was a very cold night (probably -1oC, positively frigid for here in Vancouver). Because of my battle with the couch monster, I felt crisp and triumphant on the run. At the gym, I did a 35 min gym workout that included several sets of squats and an increase in weight lifted across the rest of the exercises. I followed this strength workout with 10-15min of stretching as I waited for Torb to come give me a ride home.
I swam for 45min after work today. The last time I was in the pool was on September 30th and I definetly felt it. 45 minutes didn’t feel that long in the summertime. I must say the pool sucks, it’s my first swim indoors and I already miss the outdoor scenery, the fresh air, and feel itchy all over from the chlorine. I can’t wait til we can get back outdoors.
After the swim, I went to the gym for 25min. If you count my ride on Sunday, I think this might be my biggest stretch of days following the training program this Fall (I might even make 6 days in a row). It’s been an interesting challenge balancing the school semester with training. All of my major lecturing commitments are now done, so things should be looking up.
I worked at home today – I would have taken the day off, but I had a few things that really needed getting done. Needless to say, it was still a much lighter work day. As a consequence, I had a lot more energy for the Wednesday run workout. I think I was also running with some extra intensity because of my dismal performance in the race on the weekend.
We did loops around Trafalgar park combined with strength exercises. I’m feeling the benefits of my extra gym work (but I was also feelin a little sore)
[1 loop @ tempo pace, 3 x strength exercises ] x 3
run workout stats
easy spin on trainer
30 min home gym workout
10 min stretching
Somewhere I found the energy to get this workout done. I felt good afterwards and basically went straight to sleep as soon as I was done. It’s mentally challenging to stay on the trainer for more than about 45min. It helped for me to think that I will be on my bike way longer on the IronMan day.
Friday Sept 22nd – gym workout at watermania, followed by swim
I spent a couple of hours at watermania first doing the full gym workout that Andrew’s made up for me and then doing a full swim workout.
Saturday Sept 23rd – 3.5hr bike, Richmond – UBC – Steveston loop followed by 20 min run
An entertaining ride with Benny, Heather, and Rebecca but I felt pretty fatigued afterwards and wasn’t up for the run. A gorgeous day.
Sunday Sept 24th – am – 40min swim at Sasamat – pm – 1.5hr run in Kerrisdale
This was a very good day for training. I swam by myself at Sasamat – Torbin and Penney made the trip with me but stayed on the shore. Actually, Penney did swim but not around the lake. The lake was actually really cloudy with some kind of tree pollen floating on the shore. It was cold but not as cold as our swims in June. In the evening, I went with Torbin to his hockey and went for my long run. I ran along the train tracks from Kerrisdale arena down to 57th by all the community gardens. After briefly exchanging comments about spaghetti and pizza with an older italian couple tending to a garden full of tomatoes, I turned around and headed back down to Kits on the train tracks. This trail is a wonderful discovery, especially for a run at sunset with it’s westward views to the water from up on the bluff. I looped around the Kits community centre, ran back to 57th, the looped back to the arena. I showed up just in time to watch Torb score his first goal. Way to go Torb!
Monday Sept 25- off
I didn’t sleep very well this day. Work/school stress, a few glasses of wine, a dinner party, house guests and a very early start on Tuesday were all likely contributors.
Tuesday Sept 26 – 20 min easy spin, core strength workout at home
This day was a killer long day at work, so motivating myself to do this workout was really tough. I finally got off the couch to spin on the bike about 1hr before bed time. It only takes me about 25min to do my home version of the strength workout.
It’s only week two of the semester and it already feels like months. My work days are filled to the brim with questions from students, teaching in class, preparing lectures, and updating the course WebCT site. The shift to early mornings and commuting has also been a shock to the system.
As for workouts, it’s going to be a challenge to keep to the my training plan during the week. The weekends will be my chance for quality work.
Last Saturday:
This workout felt good, easy on the bike and fast on the run. It’s definetly getting easier to do these runs off the bike.
Last Sunday
Afterwards, I spent the day with Mum. We had a good afternoon. I went a little crazy in my kitchen cooking up the harvest from the garden in the evening. Ok, I admit it, I over did it – but we’re really going to enjoy the fresh pesto, blanched spinach & kale, fresh soup, slow cooked vegetable harvest meal, zuchinni muffins, and root vegetable medley!
Monday – Off – thank goodness.
Tuesday
Wednesday
It’s back to school and all of a sudden life is really busy.
Workouts this week have included:
Wed run
Thursday spin
Friday