My Dog Ate My Legs

That's me hunched over with my new aerobar set up!

Joy here...My new coach assigned me a workout that entailed a warm up, followed by three 8-minute sets at a moderate intensity (or tempo) zone, followed by a cool down.  I had to complete this same workout on both Thursday and Saturday.  Thursday came; I did the workout.  Saturday came; I had house-cleaning to do, Olympics to watch, work to catch up on, a dinner party to prepare for...and the list goes on.  But one thing that this new coach has given me is a sense of accountability.  There's just no way that I was going to miss my workout, to have to face him with some sort of lame excuse.  "Um, my dog ate my legs...???"  As an ex-teacher and ex-professor, believe me, I've heard every single excuse in the book (and then some), and I just couldn't imagine myself among the long line of hang dog faces with lame excuses for incomplete work.  He assigned me a workout, and dammit, I was gonna do it!

With enough time before our dinner guests were to arrive, I changed into my workout gear, hopped on my trainer in the basement, and got started.

I had to warm up and then do those three sets.  I was sweating all over my machine, my bike, my new aero bars, and the floor before I even ramped up the intensity!

But the good thing about the new set up with my new aero bars on my bike (that I can't wait to try out at this week's Time Trial...provided the thunder and lighting get lost for a bit), is that it forces me to keep my back more straight than I have been keeping it.  Since I've had that niggling back pain, I figure anything that's going to keep it at bay helps!

Speaking of keeping that pain at bay...I went to see a Massage Therapist...who agreed with the Physiotherapist about the cause of my pain being my lack of appropriate stretching.  But more importantly, I got one heck of a good massage.  In fact, I think I'll have to go again.

Maybe right after I get over that hard three-set workout on my trainer, and after I mop up all the sweat, and after I clean up after my dinner party...

Over and out,
Joy

Ride Stats:
1.)  Warm Up
Time: 34 mins
Avg Power:  106w
Avg Heart Rate:  112bpm
2.)  8-minute Efforts
Time:  8 mins
Avg Power:  165w
Avg Heart Rate:  142bpm