hot like haggis*
Swimmage: Did 500 meters yesterday, pushed it a little harder up front, and tried to correct my form all at once. I had to breaststroke laps 7 and 8 because of fatigue, but pushed through 9 and 10 with a moderate crawl. I think I will coast at 500 m for the rest of the break, and just try to build up comfort and speed with that distance. Since 500m only takes about 20 minutes, I need to start adding some running to my swimming days.
However, today I'm taking a break. Last week's schedule went like this:
M - Swim (200m)
T - Swim (300m)
W - Hike (40 min to tables)
R - Run (7 nonstop up-front, 24 min total)
F - Swim (500m)
S - Hike (38 min to tables)
Sun - Break
Except for adding distance to my swims and shaving minutes from my table hikes, there's no method to this madness. So far my rule of thumb for how hard to push it is, go when you feel like it, pick whichever mode of exercise you feel like doing that day, and when various things on your body start to hurt, stop. It's been less than a month since I've been getting out "regularly" - June 20 was the first hike of the Summer Series, and I've been slowly increasing activity since. The most strenuous thing is probably the hiking, because I push myself for speed and get a serious lower-body workout every time. I don't even bother with the clock yet on my swims. And running, well, that's happened once so far. We'll see about running.
S. and I watched the 9th stage of the Tour de France the other night - pure CRAZINESS. How'd you like to be one of those guys squished up in the middle of the bunch? You can't even scratch your nose, or your elbow's gonna bring the whole peloton down! It was way more exciting than I thought it would be - I thought bike races consisted of sweaty guys in tight shorts pedaling their bikes from Point A to Point B. With an occasional crash. But S. patiently explained the thing from beginning to end - how a few guys pull ahead in the beginning to establish a lead, how the teams work together, and the excitement of the end, when everyone starts attacking for the finish line. I'd swap hiking for biking (and therefore maybe be able to work up to a triathlon) but I am not a great driver of things with gears, and split-second decisions are not my forte.
Anyway, the point: I need a break because I feel weird. No muscle aches, nothing's broken, and it's certainly nothing like the 6/26 swimming debacle - I have a weird, general left-side pain that comes and goes, and on top of that, I feel a little bit blah. Like, what do I want to do today? Well, nothing. I feel like I should do something, because as the countdown goes, there are 9 days remaining to this break, including today, but I really think I'm just going to let today go. Pick up a project. Shop for that wedding shower gift. Do my purchase orders for school. Maybe jump in the pool or go for a hike tomorrow.
Mmm, shopping. I've twisted my own arm.
*Post title courtesy of Dan. What the hell is wrong with you, man?
5 comments:
well, i hope you set aside some money for new running shoes. you may need it.
and what? who doesn't like sheep's pluck minced with onions, oatmeal, suet, spices, salt and stock that's all boiled in animal stomach? that's good stuff. you're hot like that.
seeing that i've hiked my running shoes half to death, i need to budget for both running and hiking footwear. fitness is expensive.
what kind of hiking footwear are you purchasing? over-ankle type stuff?
I don't know. I don't think I need anything too heavy-duty, just because the hike I'm currently obsessed with is about the level I'd like to stay at. I'm not looking to increase difficulty w/the hiking. It's a rocky path, but the rocks are pretty smooth. I need something sturdy and solid, that'll keep me standing on the rocks, but that will still let me feel them under my feet. suggestions?
no real suggestions. just that when running shoes wear down, they make for good walking shoes. walking shoes can make for casual hiking shoes too. that's just being cheap.
i've found a few nice hiking shoes, but i dunno about women's type. i will do some research on that.
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