Workout #16

October 6, 2007 in Athletic Clubs, Athletic Facilities, Bike, Training Log
Tags: Bike, goal, Injury, swim, training, volleyball

I traveled back to Portland, OR early this morning in order to see my family and watch my sister, a very talented athlete in her own right, play volleyball. Happily, her team whupped up on the other guys, so I got to see her victory in addition to my mad frequent flyer miles.

Of course, when you’re seriously pursuing an endurance event and traveling, finding a location to work out becomes a top priority. After seeing my sister play on Saturday night, I promptly printed out a 7 day pass to 24-hour fitness and head on over there at 10 pm or so. I have to say that going to the gym at 10 pm felt a little strange – even for me – but I’m really realizing that this year is going to be all about breaking down mental barriers. That’s really the mantra for the year, and part of that means re-evaluating what I, or others, consider “normal” when it comes to time devoted to training, sacrifices made for training, and money spent on equipment. Going to the gym at 10 was just what needed to be done.

Anyways, I did a 34 mile ride. As I’m sure other cyclists can attest, riding on a gym bike is not anywhere close to riding on your own (fitted) bicycle. My knees were sore at the end of it, and I blame it on the machine. I consciously focused on lowering my intensity in order to keep my knees from hurting – my second goal for Lake Placid this year is to train without injury. I finished the workout in about two hours, and finished up with some stretches. I noticed significant increases in flexibility from the week of continuous exercise.

I was stymied in my efforts to get in a double today, however. Ideally my bike would have followed an hour swim, but I’ll accept the compromise in training, as I am home and need to take advantage of that opportunity. Next week will bring greater flexibility in scheduling and I should be able to take on the full training schedule.