Week 10: Mon- 1,500yd swim, 25 mile bike
Tue- 2,250yd swim, 6 mile run
Wed- 35 mile bike
Thu- 1750 yard swim, 5 mile run
Fri-20 mile bike
Sat- 9 mile run
Sun- 55 mile bike
Total: 158 miles
Total mileage so far: 1,082. Equal to driving from Austin through Ft. Collins, and not too far from the Wyoming line!
Wow- only 8 weeks left until the big race! I can not express enough how ready, at least mentally, I am for it to be here. Training every day has instilled some great health habits, but it's draining. The trade-off is that I feel restless and unfulfilled if I don't work out, but then I'm oh so tired a lot. This latter part is probably due more to working two jobs than it is to my exercise routines, but still. I need naps!
This week I took a swim break and mixed it up a little. I am participating in the Ride the Storm endurance horse ride the first weekend in October and I needed to see if my horse, my tack, and my legs were up to snuff. As it turns out, whew! I have been doing all of this cycling and running and swimming, and no riding (boo!) and my legs knew it. I was so sore the next day! This brings up the importance of cross-training and rest days. Make sure you are doing both! You don't want your muscles becoming so adjusted to a few uses that they start to stagnate- mix it up! If you aren't like me with horses, then use rest days for stretching, yoga, lunges, squats, or anything else that gets your legs going in new directions. The soreness in my inner thighs has convinced me to make to include these days, even if it means replacing one of the shorter runs or bike rides. I am confident that I can run 5 miles or bike 25, so spending time with my horse instead is probably a better use of my time.
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| River waiting to join me for a ride. Or food. Probably food. |
The Ride the Storm is part of the AERC racing series and takes place close to home in Dripping Springs, TX. It involved two days of endurance rides, with introductory 15 mile rides, or competitive 25 and 50 mile rides. Since my horse is older and I haven't had the chance to train his lungs as much as I have my own, I'm going to stick to the 15 mile distance because I know he can do that safely. He's a Missouri Foxtrotter, so longer distances at a trotting pace are natural for him. I'm looking forward to a race where someone else's legs to the work! :) Also, there is never a day wasted on the back of a horse, something I think Chuck would agree with, and any time I get to set aside to be in the saddle is something to be treasured. I hope to do some fundraising in person at the race as well, so maybe I'll get a little closer to that goal.
If you're trying to think of good rest- day routines and want to read more about you should (NEED) to schedule them, check out these links:
And there are many more!
What it boils down to is listening to your body- a common theme in endurance training! If you realize, like I did last week, that you're sluggish on normally easy distances, that you're sore for longer, or that you're losing your motivation in general, take a rest day and do something new. The worst thing is getting burned out, and you can avoid it by giving your body a break and finding something to excite it. The next day, you'll feel refreshed and ready to get back in to the grind!
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