Yoga!

Highly beneficial local yoga.  I note that my back is considerably more sore today than it was all week, which tells me that I need to restrict time at my computer!

1.5hr yoga

Run!

Indescribably glad to be back at home in my normal routine.  Just ran short and easy as calves are stiff, back is a little sore and it is coming into the time of the year when a mid-morning run on my usual route is uncomfortably hot - either I need to go out earlier (or early evening) or else switch to the shadier but hillier Central Park route.  Bit of both, probably. 

I'm about 14 weeks out from my big race of the year.  I'm actually really excited about it - I was undertrained for it last year, and then the course was (perhaps mercifully!) cut short due to weather-related damage to roads and trails, but this year will hopefully be the full-on experience.  Lauren's doing it too, and it is actually a race that suits me well psychologically - get the bike over with FIRST, then lots of beautiful bucolic point-to-point swimming and running in lakes and on groomed trails.  I will be one of the slowest if not the actual final finisher, and looking at past years' times puts me potentially around the eight-hour mark, so I'll basically be using a modified version of a half-iron/full-iron training plan and shooting for regular fifteen-hour weeks with a couple six-hour training days (rule of thumb of doing entire projected race duration over one or two days at least a couple times in training).  Week anchored on three-hour indoor bike on Saturday mornings (one hour on my own then double spin class), easy two-hour run on Thursday and a 1 one-hour run with zone 3 intervals; one additional run, quite a bit of spinning and some outdoor riding if I can make it happen; three swims a week if I can manage it (2 short technique, 1 long easy).  There's less biking and more swimming in this race than would usually be the case, so I am licensed to make swimming a bit more of a priority than I might otherwise.  Keep up the boot camp for a couple more months but figure yoga is more of a priority.  I'm just going to go for consistency in the training week rather than doing a very calculated build; travel will be slightly disruptive.

:44 (c. 4 miles)

Back home

and really I think too tired to exercise this evening, but here's a link with pictures and even a bit of video from Sunday's long walk.

4:21:54

We walked the half-marathon in Ottawa today with B.'s father, who's had a good deal of bad luck when it comes to the health cards he's been dealt but who remains, at 83, an extraordinary walker.  In his youth, he regularly performed epic feats of walking and swimming, and he continues to walk several hours a day, weather permitting.  It was my conviction that if just a few things fell into place we could have a really lovely day out there, and that was exactly what happened!  There is something very special about spending the day doing some sort of endurance event with family and friends - it is like nothing else.  I don't have a picture, but will post one if I can get a good one from the race site.

Beast/spin!

Back still slightly sore, but it was a good pair of workouts regardless...

1hr boot camp, 1hr spin

Long run of arduousness!

OK, that was hard.  Long damp slow shuffle is more like it.  My lower right back has been hurting a bit this week; it was sore right away, much worse in second hour.  Won't go to yoga this evening, it would be too much, but will shoot for at least half an hour of stretching, concentrating on calves and lower back.  It was already sore enough on Tuesday that I dug out the foam roller, which I don't usually bother with; more of that might be helpful also.

NB I had the most amazing animal sighting!  Along Cherry Walk the bike/pedestrian path runs right next to the highway, with just a narrow strip of greenery and rocky bank right down to the water.  It's been so rainy all week, there are tons of birds pecking up grubs from the ground.  I spotted a beautiful black cat - very yellow eyes, a long distinguished face and Roman nose, shaggy long black fur - stalking two birds about five feet away.  They were oblivious, alas, with sad consequences for one of them - a short dash, a pounce - a satisfying huge mouthful of feathers and meat....

1:55hr 'run' (c. 10 miles)

Workout!

I ran my mile warmup and there was still noone else in evidence - when I found G., he was game for doing the session for me solo, but in fact my left hamstring was bothering me a bit last night and I want to run long tomorrow, so we agreed I would do a core/upper body workout on my own instead.

1:05 strength

Beast/spin!

1:10 boot camp, :55 spin

Yoga!

Good class (local yoga studio).  Bona-fide 15-hour week of exercise; will continue to exercise hard through Friday, then some days of disruption as I go to Ottawa Saturday to Wednesday.  In theory we are walking a half-marathon on Sunday morning, but I am a little worried about arrangements - we will take things as they come!

1.5hr yoga

Double spin!

Been a while since I did that - forgot how taxing it is...

2hr spin

Beast/spin!

Took the spin class relatively easy, to 'flush out' legs as they say.  Weather is beautiful - nice bike ride down here.  Might have a short swim, might not - pleasantly lazy/undecided...

1:10 boot camp
53min spin

Long run!

Must be about the most beautiful running weather ever - mid to upper 50s, clear and sunny.  I think I actually would have bailed if the weather had still been like it was yesterday, i.e. grotesquely foggy and damp and hot.  This was amazing.

1:40, c. 8.5 miles

Beast!

1:10 boot camp
10 miles bike (round trip, Chelsea Piers)

Yoga!

New teacher in this time slot - I liked the old one quite a bit, but this will work...

1.25hr yoga

Short run

c. 3 miles easy.  Slight drizzle, not too warm: actually pretty nice running weather, though I am ready for lower humidity and less dankness in life in general.