Steady As I Go

Gym day. Opened up with 10 min on the rowing machine. This was the first time I’ve used one of these, and I have mixed feelings about it. Maybe I’ll incorporate it into future workouts. Gets the whole body working – this is important for me since I tend to neglect areas other than my legs.

Then 23 min on the stationary cycle. Repeated the 60 second surge workout I did on Tuesday, with no warmup or down, increasing resistance for each consecutive surge. Went something like 10 min steady – surge – 5 min steady – surge – 5 min steady – surge. Steady HR a bit higher, around 170, reaching 187 by the third surge. I felt great on the bike today, I suppose I’m getting more used to it.

Immediately to the TM, where I held true to my plan to keep it easy today. Consistently easy pace, between 8:30 and 8:20/mile. Legs felt tired, but not overtired. Barely noticeable left knee tenderness by mile 4. HR checks:

Mile 0 – 126 bpm
Mile 1 – 172 bpm
Mile 2 – 170 bpm
Mile 3 – 168 bpm
Mile 4 – 168 bpm

Again, focusing on the benefits of recovering on the run. I’m convinced TM physics is much different than the physics of true running, even though they are mostly identical motions. The effect of this difference combined with higher ambient temperatures (indoor), and the fact that I’m coming off of a high-intensity cycling session, could explain the higher-than-average HR for that pace.

MM made me an epic mix to put on the new microscopic mp3 player she got me for V-day. Decemberists, Clor, Manu Chau, among many others. Very exciting. I’m looking forward to this weekend’s runs – hopefully I can find company.

[2 x 25 pushups, 2 x 25 situps, 2 x 10 single leg squats, 2 x 15 lateral leg lifts, 2 x 15 standing piriformis lifts, various stretches]