DAY 1: SufferFestukah - The Festival of Lights and Suffering

THE WORKOUT: TheSufferfest.com's "Downward Spiral"

See the menorah on top of the armoire?!?

This workout is basically two sets of descending intervals where recovery time equals work time. The intervals are at max effort and if done correctly should increase your power output. Ideally over time, you'll get to the point where you can link the efforts together in a race and establish a new PR. Read the full review in an earlier post.

Webb: Such an awesomely painful turbo session. I posted not long ago about doing this workout and my experience didn't vary much. It was nice to have my suffer-partner alongside me this time. I love it when TheSufferfest commands you onscreen to go HARDER and I can hear Elle's windtrainer kick up. I'm on a fluid trainer so I get to fake it with well-timed grunting and cursing.

Warming up...

Elle: It's always great to be back in Sufferlandria. And equally great to leave...

Webb: Ha ha! Elle Schlecked on a trainer!

Elle: It's true, mid-way through the workout I pulled a Schleck, and dropped my chain. I guess I was pretty excited to be shifting from my big chain ring to the small one. And I would have thought that Contad... I mean, Webb would have showed some freaking sportsmanship and waited for me, but no, he took the opportunity to surge ahead. I guess the yellow jersey was calling his name...

Webb: I've mentioned before how good the music is, but I sometimes wonder if it isn't just about the tempo or energy. On interval 2/8 of the second set, there is  a song called "You Don't Know Me," by Art of Dying. I actually thought to myself,
This type of workout can teach you something about yourself - as you are dying.
And then I nearly forgot myself all over the floor during interval 3/8.

Elle: So, as you can see from the photo, without a lot of room for Sufferlandria, I sit pretty close to the TV. Webb is to my left. That's how we roll.

Webb: This is going to be the best Chanukah evah!