Decadent day of exercise!

(Not perhaps QUITE as outrageous as it sounds in terms of self-indulgence, as I first got up at 5 to finish revisions on a review and also was able to read the pages for our eighteenth-century discussion group, which met at 3 today, during the spells between classes, but it is luxurious that I can so often do as I like!)

1hr Beast ("stretchy day," as some of us are racing tomorrow)
1hr gentle yoga
:45 spin (2 x 8min climb, with 8min "flat ride" in between)

Skype 3s!

3 x (4 x 3:00 work, 1:00 rest)

First set seated in easy gear, second set standing in heavy gear, third set seated in heavy gear (in theory Z2-3, but really the second set is much in Z4)

1hr total

Beast/yoga!

I heard the siren song of possible DOUBLE BEAST SESSION, and got there for the first class - but after an intense hour-long workout, common sense prevailed and I realized I truly did not need to attempt a second hour! Consulted with my teammates about our race on Saturday (1pm start time, but logistics are slightly complex and we'll meet up at 9:30 at Chelsea Piers to head in M.'s car to New Jersey), then ran a couple more miles (running is easy compared to a lot of the other stuff we were doing, including the dreaded 200m bear crawl with tethered ankles and pushing 2 25-lb plates!). Breakfast in the cafe, and time to finish my reading for class; then gentle yoga at 9:30.

1hr boot camp
2 miles run
1hr gentle yoga

Box!

This is an incredible workout - I'm extremely glad I signed up for this class. Was glum indeed last week when illness prevented me from attending!

1hr boxing conditioning

Phew!

Yesterday I was definitely still kind of under the weather, but it is a huge relief to be able to go out for a run this morning. Having a cold is not enjoyable - I depend on exercise for mood regulation!

1hr, c. 6+mi.

Just a quick note

to say that the cold inevitably DID descend into the lungs and become a minor bronchial ailment: not nearly as bad as some I've had, but any training is contraindicated, and I suspect it will be a couple more days still of recovery. It is KILLING me not to be running during this beautiful fall weather!

Spin!

Down with a cold for last couple days, but very much a more minor one than I have traditionally suffered, with no lung involvement to speak of. I credit the fact that I've been getting allergy shots once a week since the spring - it's made an enormous difference, and I wish I'd done it sooner. (The five high-priority allergens I'm getting stuck up with: spring pollens, fall pollens including ragweed, dust mites, cockroaches and CAT!) Had a good Skype workout with Lauren; I picked one from the sweat-proof volume that included short high-intensity power intervals rather than the longer kind that put more strain on the lungs. Still bummed out at missing such perfect running weather today and at not being able to have the build week I had intended, but that's OK, really I'm lucky it wasn't worse (particularly happy that I ran on Tuesday before realizing I was getting sick!). Felt very good to warm up the body and break a sweat!

50min spin: 3 x (5 x :15 all out, 1:45 RI, with 5:00 set rest)

(Irked

to have to note, as postscript, that it is definitely a tiny cold rather than allergies! Several sneezing episodes and an increasing feeling of heaviness in the sinuses clued me in over the course of our midday department meeting. Alas, this means I have to SKIP the boxing conditioning class, that is so sad! Am instead going to drink tea with lemon and honey and try and make a dent in the pile of letters of recommendation.)

Run!

Overcast but not actually raining, brightening up a little as I ran - beautiful morning for a run along the river. Having some post-nasal drip that is either allergies or else a slight cold, probably the latter. Feel good otherwise though.

c. 6mi, 1hr

Run!

Jogged over to the gym at 106th St. and met up with Mark for our long-awaited run! He is a much faster runner than I, but doesn't run much (costs muscle mass!), so really we had a highly satisfactory outing along the river. I was huffing and puffing mightily. I had a short warmup and cooldown on my own, and we took a slightly different route than I usually do, but I think I can say that this was the fastest six miles I've run for several years. He's off to Haiti in a couple days to do promotion and performances for his new album, but I hope we'll have some more runs together in coming months...

c. 6.2mi. (59:00)

Run!

Still a bit warm for my taste, but it's a beautiful clear morning after a disgustingly muggy rainy week - nice easy 4 miles.

Spin!

Very good Skype date with Lauren. Another of the Workouts in a Binder (that volume is a hugely valuable purchase for anyone who ever does a self-inflicted indoor bike workout):

3 x (4 x (3min work, 1min rest)): first set as seated/easy/high-cadence, second set as standing/heavy gear, third set as seated/heavy gear

1hr total

Beast/yoga

Good boot camp class, though unfortunately we couldn't use the sand volleyball court to practice rope-climbing, cargo net, etc. as actual volleyball players were using it!

1hr boot camp
1hr gentle yoga

Box!

I couldn't resist signing up for this class at the Columbia gym! Haven't had a CU gym membership for a long time - it's not expensive, but it's also inadequate, and Chelsea Piers plus TNYA swim meant it was no longer worth braving for the horrendously crowded evening lap swim hours. But I got a membership for the semester because the Columbia Triathlon Club was offering guaranteed entry to the NYC Tri next summer if you were a dues-paying member of the club, and club membership also entails gym membership - anyway, I'm determined to improve my punching competency so that I can enjoy the Combat Fitness class as much as the Commando Fitness class at the Boot Camp Cayman gym. I've never done any of the boxing classes at Chelsea Piers, but they've got a lot of good options there too, and I'm thinking that I will switch over to that for my non-triathlon non-yoga workouts after the Tough Mudder race is done - I like the Beast class very much, but it is not realistic for me to get downtown for 7am!

1hr demanding jumprope, abs, punching

Run!

As it is a recovery week, I indulged myself by doing the flat run along the river rather than Central Park hills - it is very pleasant running along the water. Happy to see that I am finally (I don't have exact distances) running at or just under 10-minute pace in zone 2 on a flat course on a not-hot day. I was past the 59th St. pier at the 30-minute turnaround mark; that is good for running morale.

1hr, 6mi (zone 2)