Joy here...Since my big race at the end of
August (the Provincial Time Trial), my coach has told me to take it easy, stay away from the bike, go for a few light runs, and have a little rest.
That sounds like music to my ears.
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| Sometimes you gotta use a treadmill. |
But there's something a little strange about rest weeks...once I found myself out of the cycling training mode, I slipped rather easily into the sittingonthecoucheatingandreading mode.
You see, I'm not normally nor naturally an athlete (whatever that means). I imagine there are people out there who jump out of bed and just can't wait to workout. They can't wait to compete against someone else, and they can't wait to feel their muscles harden and ripple. I'm just not one of those folks. Instead I'm one of those who knows that if I can develop a habit (eating healthy or working out) and force myself to keep to the habit for at least 3 weeks, then it will become a normal part of my life, and I won't have to force myself that hard any more. However, if I let that habit begin to slip, then it feels like I slip back to square one in no time.
That's where I am now: square one.
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| The Man and the machine. |
In 2007 I decided to take up running. I didn't know what the heck I was doing, and so I just ran out my door aiming for a 10 minute run. I lasted 9 minutes. I made it 5 minutes out, turned around, and only lasted another 4 minutes. I remember back then I read a really annoying article in a running magazine, with an interview with the founder of a
running shop franchise here in North America (the Running Room, which first started in Edmonton in the 1980s). In it, this guy's advice to new runners was to aim for 40 minute runs, because, he seemed to think it would be easy to run for 20 minutes, and then once you'd gotten that far, you might as well turn around and run back for 20 minutes. After my 9 minute run, I laughed out loud at the idea that I could just "run 20 minutes." Ha! And it wasn't because I was super out of shape. I played intramural volleyball once per week; I played squash a couple of times a week; I walked everywhere I needed to go. I just wasn't a runner, and it took me a long time to work up from 9 minutes to 20 minutes, and then eventually to an hour and beyond. To this date my longest
run is just over 3 hours (when I did a 30km race).
But now I'm back to 20 minute runs.
So during my rest week, I've been taking it easy and doing little runs...at the gym and outside...and I feel like it'll be a big shock to my system to hop back on the bike and get back into the swing of things.
Fingers crossed that my wee 20 minute runs haven't hampered my ability to ride my bike for 3 hours!!!!
Over and out,
Joy
Rest Week(s) Stats:
MONDAY - rest
TUESDAY -
physio (1 hour) & strength with the trainer (1 hour)
WEDNESDAY - rest
THURSDAY - 20 minute run on the treadmill & strength (a few pushups etc.)
FRIDAY - rest
SATURDAY - rest
SUNDAY - rest
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MONDAY - 20:03 run, 3.36km, 5:58min/km, 156bpm
TUESDAY - physio (1 hour)
WEDNESDAY - 20:03 run, 3.30km, 6:04min/km, 149bpm
THURSDAY - strength with the trainer
FRIDAY - let's hope I get back on the bike!
SATURDAY - ???
SUNDAY -
UCI Grand Prix de Montreal
