Runner Leana (the retired blog)

First things first...I have to clear something up! A few folks got all excited when I said I had a swim date with DGB. D is my friend and coworker Debbie. We've done a few races together and she is my partner in crime for the Great Lunch Swap project. So...sorry folks...no exciting date story to share!

Speaking of the swim date...I was tired last night. I had picked out a fun sprint workout that I had really enjoyed the last time I ran through it. Last night the mind was willing but the body wasn't. I just couldn't muster very much of a sprint and I wound up calling it a night at 1500m. Oh well, at least I got out and got something done! It just goes to show that minimal sleep results in sub-par workouts though...

A peek at the weather forecast this morning indicated a 0% chance of precipitation for the day. That's the first time in a week or two that I've seen that and I knew I needed to take advantage. Time to bike into work! It was pretty brisk in the morning at -3C (27F) but I dressed pretty appropriately so it didn't feel too bad. I tried to keep my cadence over 90 rpm as much as possible and the ride was fantastic.

Since yesterday's canceled ride was supposed to be all about hill repeats I figured that my uphill ride home would be a half decent substitute. I also thought I'd include some hill repeats on the big hill into my neighborhood...that I normally try to avoid. I left behind my backpack at work, left behind my extra warm clothes (since it had now warmed up) and anything else I didn't need. I didn't want any extra weight, I just wanted to ride. Last year this ride home would just kill me. I found it so hard! Now that I've got a bike computer with cadence on it I'm finding that it is really helping my riding. Last year I was just trying to push big gears which would be okay on the flats, but it would tire my legs out and the hills would be so hard. I really noticed today that if I focused on 90 rpm for as much as possible I was riding quickly and efficiently, and I was taking the hills like nobodies business. I went through three hill repeats and would have loved to do more, but I could see some nasty clouds in the distance (0% chance of precipitation???). I wanted to get home and get a brick run in before things got nasty. Here's the elevation profile for my ride home:

When I got home I threw on my running shoes and headed out for my 20 minute brick run. At first my legs felt a bit wooden but they sorted themselves out reasonably quickly. After the ride home I was floored by my pace - 2.27 mi in 20 min, which is an 8:49/mi pace. That's a bit faster than I normally run! So all in all...a great day for workouts!!

Now off to bed so that I can be up and raring to go for my swim tomorrow morning!