I am trying to take my triathlon results to the next level, with a goal of not being at the back of the pack in my age group. Part of that is challenging myself in workouts. I have gotten very comfortable working out by myself and I need to push myself more. I have been taking some spin classes, but they aren't always challenging and I prefer to exercise outdoors. Every once in a while I will go running with the Firefighter, which is always fun when he wants to run the same distance - we really push each other for the last couple hundred meters, the rivalry has become an obvious one so that other people on the beach start cheering at us. I have been reluctant to join one of the local running groups, I am not sure why - surely there is someone running my pace that I can also talk to during the run. My training has been going well this year and I need to step it up if I don't want to be last in my age group. This past weekend I completed a 'Brick' workout. This is a triathlon training exercise where you perform two of the three disciplines consecutively. I did the bike/run portion. This is the worst! I have dreaded it so much that I have never done a brick workout - ever. When you complete your first triathlon and you haven't done this for practice you will know what I am describing.
When you get off of your bike, you feel good because you are off of the bike, but once you start to run, your legs feel like jelly or something, the feeling is actually very hard to describe. This is totally disconcerting if the run is your strength. Hello! You can't move and it's not that you are out of breath, your legs just don't work right, but you keep moving because if you don't you will never finish the race (and you are half delirious at this point anyway). I think at this point in the race you are running on pure adrenalin anyway.
After being laid up with a cold or the flu or something that has lasted for about 10 days, I could finally breathe freely so I decided to once and for all to do the brick workout. The weather was fine - as it always is here in San Diego - and I have a morning where I am not doing anything else. I made myself some bacon for breakfast and got ready. I packed my Camelbak, prepared my bike, and set out my running shoes. My goal was to find out how it felt after riding the 12 miles of the sprint triathlon. I rode 12 miles down and back on Coast Highway and changed my shoes, drank some water and took a Gu all in 3 minutes. That's a pretty good transition speed, especially with running up and down the stairs to the house and looking at the dogs for a quick second.
Once I started the run, I felt awful, just like in a race, but I knew that I needed to do this. I decided to do a short run of about 2 miles. I ran down to Moonlight beach and back and an extra time around the block. It felt super slow, but I know that mentally it will help me in the long run. Maybe I will do this another time, to augment my training.
The next challenge is the Master's swim class. I know it will be another adventure, it was the first time! More to come on that in the near future.
What kinds of workouts do you find the most challenging?
