Although I've done alot of climbing the past 40 days I have not really been training. For example, if I'm out on a run and a steep climb comes and I feel like walking, I walk. This has been great, but doesn't really fit my personality. I'd rather bury myself for an hour 3 times per week than do the solid base training needed for long distance running. Last weekend I went out and did a run that I wasn't really fit enough to do, but in the end I got through it and was glad to feel a little pain. So, yesterday I thought I'd go out and do 6 intense uphill reps on a 12% grade road that covered 215' in a third of a mile with an easy jog back down. My goal was to max out by effort at the top of each rep and I did with more hurt than I cared to experience. In fact, reps 3,4 and 5 were spent battleing in my head if I'd stop after 5. Funny how I was still battleing myself on the way back down from the 5th rep and just turned around and went up for the 6th rep. I guess that's a good thing. But I did see that I had gotten too soft with all the "easy" effort I've been doing masked by some nice vertical numbers. For the first time in this 100 day effort I feel tired and sore, but that's good. After the recovery I hope to add a little more of this intensity to my runs.
Day 39 - 1,290' by way of 6 x 215'.
Day 40 - 851' very easy up then down.
40% of the days are finished and 41.41% of the vertical is finished.
I have averaged 1.553.1'/day so far, 2,124' ahead of schedule, that's only 1.4 days ahead of schedule and in my book will be called right on schedule. I will have a couple opportunities soon to try and get ahead, and will take full advantage of it.
3 days ago
Yeah - but are you training for anything specific? If the answer is no, then I think having those days in between where it is more "loose" are no big deal. Simply, you are maintaining the habit of moving, climbing, physical activity. That is just fine base - so that when you then do decide to gear into something - BANG. You can rock.
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised you haven't been efforting a little more. That's why I asked you if on some days you feel beat.
ReplyDeleteGZ's right, you're still developing a base, so training it is. What makes me know I'm getting stronger is I'm finding that gear where I can run anything. It may be super slow, but I'm running.
Pretend Maradona is up ahead of you on the hill. Get that (fired) SOB!
Yea, there's definately some base training going on here, and it's pretty fun for the most part, but as a person who was mostly anaerobic for the first 25 yrs of my life I have an over-whelming desire to go hard and get a little impatient. But, yea, this is a fun little project.
ReplyDeleteMatt - it was your comment that made me realise that I may be taking it a little too easy. The vertical numbers look better than the actual benefits I'm getting so I think I want to step it up a bit, so thanks for checking me!
Also, my Maradonna dream is the one where he takes an extra touch to set up with his left, because that's what he always did, and I come out of no where with a 2 foot tackle, clean his clock, get up with the ball and ping a 50 yarder to split the last 2 defenders as lightning fast Matt comes in from the wing, brings the ball down at full stride, 2 touches later he buries into the back of the net!
Dude. You dream on a whole nutha level.
ReplyDeleteBrilliant stuff. Beer is looking for a box.