Tuesday gym workout

The last couple weeks have been a bit of a disaster, schedule-wise: not exercise-wise, I'm certainly basically on track in most substantive respects, but my running schedule in particular just doesn't seem to quite get sorted out...

Had a good hour-long workout at the gym just now with the trainer. He's great--I like doing strength-type stuff, but it doesn't particularly have a hold on my imagination, and I find I skip it if I don't do it with him (also of course you work twice as hard...). Prudence dictated that today wasn't an especially strenuous one, since I've been so short on sleep.

(Last week I felt pretty weird during the workout, very unusual for me--slightly light-headed--and thought it might be wise to take it a little easier this week.)

We always do great core stuff, though. I thought I would then do three miles on the treadmill, but though I felt OK I realized just as we were getting started that this was distinctly not sensible, already swam for 75 minutes this morning, 60 mins workout plus 10 mins walk each way plus 10 mins warmup on ARC trainer is enough.

(Doing three miles on the TM instead of a real outdoor run of 5 or 6 is OK for a couple weeks as a once-a-week stopgap measure, but will not do for the longer term. I'm only running three days a week--the coach I've done these running classes with is strongly on a low-mileage model with a lot of cross-training, not exactly like this but along these lines. Her half-marathon training plan, for instance, involves three days a week running, two days cross-training--weights and/or biking or swimming--plus an optional fourth day of running, usually just 3-4 miles. I'd like to add the fourth day, and it wouldn't be bad to have that just be a treadmill run, but as long as I'm only doing three they need to be all for real, as it were...)

(So common sense also said that I really only have time this semester for once a week with the trainer. CU yoga starts up again next week, so that gives me one PT workout and one yoga weekly, I think that's good enough though of course I would like MORE. Also as of next week I'll switch the PT appointment to Monday morning, which frees up Tuesday afternoon/evening for a proper run--basically this is going to solve the schedule problem.)

I've still got a bicycle-shaped willpower problem--borrowed a stationary trainer from my swimming teacher--only after much wrangling with the wretched thing I believe I need a different skewer, not usable as is, got to go to the bike store with my friend R. and purchase relevant item (could certainly go by myself only I think I am more likely to get the right part if I go with someone knowledgeable). In other words, a large bicycle-shaped problem more generally--I have to do a 45-mile ride next weekend and I am completely unprepared! Arghh.... Not unprepared in terms of general all-round fitness, I'm sure it will be fine in that regard; but I can only imagine how stiff and uncomfortable I'll be by the end. It's just been one of those times--I literally had to get out two different book manuscripts in the last week and a half, incredibly unfortunate timing, actually fairly insane, plus the first two weeks of school and getting classes properly going and stuff--and I wasn't willing to give up on the running or swimming in order to make a place for cycling.

I expect it will be rather horrible, but as it's a supported charity bike ride, there's kind of no worst-worst-case scenario--I think I will be able to do it in any case, but if I can't, I will just stop and the van will come by and take me to the other end and I will wait for the rest of my team there! My only hope is that it does not make me stiff or sore in some way that has a horrible negative impact on my half-marathon the week following--but there is a full week between them, so we will just have to hope for the best...

(Will do the run tomorrow morning immediately following swimming, that's basically the only way to deal with it. Will just do 3-4 miles, but will do it outside, I think--will try it with little nylon backpack thingie to put bathing suit and goggles into. Because though I have not exactly tried it this way before, it seems to me that stopping at home to change and drop stuff off will mean a fatal loss of momentum, especially given the way that my building has the slowest elevator in the world--once you're home, it's coffee and online news, not heading straight back out for a run!)

(Once I get the trainer set up, I think I can add in some not-too-long trainer bike workouts either after swimming--like after the Friday-morning one for instance--for before running--like before the Tuesday and Thursday runs. Then try and do a long bike on Sunday, keep Saturday for long run.)