Day 12: It is 72 degrees in Boston ...

Webb: ... and we ran on the effing treadmills.

THE RUN WORKOUT
45:00 aerobic interval run as: 
1:00 on, :30 off,
1:00 on, :30 off,
1:00 on, 5:00 off
repeat until done.

Webb: The 1:00-intervals increasingly bumped the HR ceiling each time; however, the top HR range was 155, which is pretty damn low. It was frustrating trying to keep the HR in range, both during the recovery efforts and working efforts. What made it all the more difficult was that my Garmin apparently has at least a :15 lag between what my actual HR is and the display. I had never noticed it before because I had never attempted :30 recovery intervals on a treadmill. Towards the end of the workout I would step off the treadmill and watch the Garmin. It would appear frozen at 150 for :15 or more and then drop immediately to 135. I've been considering the new 910XT, but now I think I'll check out Suunto and Polar monitors. Perhaps they all have this serious lag time or maybe they have improved in the 5 years since I bought my 305.

Elle: The treadmills at SEFC aren't the most glamorous, they are in a room with no windows and the fans only hit on some of them, and partially at best. The one benefit is the mirrored wall that you stare into as you run - some may not like being forced to gaze at their own full-body reflection for 45 minutes, but I like to use it as a time to focus heavily on my running form. I'm hoping this form study will come in handy during the 1/2 marathon at Timberman.

THE SWIM WORKOUT
w/u - 300 swim, 100 kick with fins, 200 buoy, 100 swim
drill - 200 ankle buoy drill as 2x100 50 drill/50 swim
main - 300 swim at TPace
total - 1200m

Webb: Ahh, the ankle buoy drill. This is a good one to work your abs and adductor muscles. The primary purpose of the drill is to take the sway out of your stroke. You have to squeeze your inner thighs together to keep the buoy in place between your ankles as you swim. Meanwhile, the buoy is holding your feet up. If you don't contract your abs and push your chest down into the water, your hips will sag. The overall effect is to get you on top of the water and streamlined. It is a great drill.

Elle: Ok, so I'm starting to feel a bit tapped at this point. 12 days of working out without a break, I have to admit, I'm feeling it. But I'm still pushing, working, trying to get the most out of every workout, "putting money in the bank." I'll be glad once we hit the half-way point of this month...