Our 100th Post Calls for Masterpiece!

MONDAY

Elle's 2800m Swim Workout
w/u - 50m swim, 100m kick, 50m swim
main sets: 400m, 300m, 200m, 100m } @ moderate pace (:20)
                 300m, 200m, 100m} neg. split (:25)
                 200m fast (:30)
                 100m fast (:30)
                 4 x 150m pull (:20)
c/d: 100m easy
total - 2,800m

Webb's 3050m Swim Workout
w/u - 200m easy swim, 2 x [100m swim, 100m kick, 100m buoy]
main1 - 5 x 300m [odds build every 300m, evens Tpace]
main2 - 10 x 50m sprint on 1:30
c/d - 250m easy swim
total - 3,050m

Webb: This swim was harder than I expected. The warm-up and main sets are mostly derived from a TriathleteMag Half-Ironman plan. The first substantive variation is the replacement of the generic kick set with a drill I call the Verzbicas Kick. That is not really fair since it was actually comes from swim expert Genadijus Sokolovas, or Dr. G. He turned Lukas Verzbicas America's fastest young runner into America's most promising ITU athlete.

I'm not going to try to describe the drill. Instead, I encourage you to read about it here. The point is to learn how to use your hips and core to generate propulsion. I had done this a couple of times prior to this workout and each time it became a bit more familiar and easier.

What made this workout tough though were the 10 x 50 sprints. I was able to do all but the last in :40, allowing me :50 to recover. I needed all of those fifty seconds. Thanks to the Verzbicas Kick drill, I was definitely able to use my hips to generate more power. This extra power had a secondary effect of shortening my stroke. If I want to continue to lower my stroke rate, then I'll need to learn how to ride that propulsion rather than churn my way down the lane.

Elle: My swim went well.

Webb: Really? That's it? Fine.

TUESDAY: Recovery Bike on the Trainers (easy spin whilst watching Inspector Lewis)
Elle: We decided to an easy, 1+ hour, recovery ride on the trainers. We wanted to find something engaging to watch while we did our spin, and what better than Masterpiece Theatre? Yeah, we're dorks. So Inspector Lewis it was. The episodes run over an hour, so that was perfect. Also, before we started, I put together one of our staple meals: rice/quinoa and vegetables. We have a big rice cooker, so I just throw some brown rice and/or quinoa in there, cut up whatever veggies I have in the fridge, which can be a lot and quite a variety, due to our Boston Organics deliveries. Then hit 'cook' and about 1.5 hours later, yummy, healthy dinner!

Elle: Oh, so I heard about this race in Rockport, so we signed up!

The Public Body crew @ Blackstone Park

WEDNESDAY
Elle's W/O: Public Body
I was really excited to start Public Body, as I really need to work on my strength. As promised, it was a fun, challenging workout. We started at the SEAC store, and ran to nearby Blackstone Park. The locals and dog walkers had a fun time watching us sweat and work our butts off. The best part was when one of the loose dogs sneakily got close enough to snag an exercise band and run off with it. He was pretty excited about his big score, it was cute.

Webb: I am not doing Public Body. There is just no way I can get there on time, which is a total bummer because it sounds like a great workout.

THURSDAY - SEAC Track, or Running in a Sauna
w/u - 1.5-mile jog
main1 - 3 x 200m
main2 - 1 x 1200m
drills - lunges, lower-leg drive, backwards running, dynamic stretching
c/d - 1.5-mile jog

Webb: Dan instructed us to run the 200s fast, as in FAST! Our reward for our near all-out efforts would be a 100m walk recovery before jogging the next 100m into the next 200m interval. After our 200s, the group would reconvene and then set out for the 1200m interval at a 1-mile effort.

The 200s were indeed fast. I ran them in :34, :35 and :34. Not too long ago I ran 10x 200m where my fastest 200m was at :38. You could say I was pleasantly surprised. During the warm-up I had my doubts about this workout. I wasn't feeling it. I was lagging well behind the group and had no desire to put forth any effort to catch-up, much less keep-up.  The 200s, on the other hand, felt great. My legs felt loose and strong. I could feel the force as I drove into and off the track. I actually awakened an old memory of running in spikes. <heavy sigh>

The 1200m was a different. I launched into the first lap and quickly realized I was moving too fast. My goal (aka mile effort) was to run at or below a 6:00/mile pace. I looked down at my Garmin and saw I was running at 6:24. Hmmm. That sucks. So I turned up the heat and looked down again. This time I saw 5:42. Much better. Or was it? Having smashed myself against the 200m hashmark earlier, I had to pull back or concede defeat. That means walk. I pulled it back and tried to cruise the next 800m at closer to a 5k effort. My breathing became increasingly rapid and less in control. I held on, focusing on my breath and foot turnover. Breathe. Feet. Breathe. Feet. Breathe. It wasn't long until there was 150m left. I wanted it over so I picked up the pace and finished strong with a 6:12 average. Not bad. Slower than my mile and faster than my 5k.

Elle: Yeah, it was tough.
Then we had post-run club dinner at CODA. Mmmmmmm.....

Webb: Again? Really? That's it? 

FRIDAY
Elle: I've been having some aching pain in my legs for awhile now, and I've read that it's good for triathletes to get massages to break up facia and help with some of the soreness, so I finally booked one. I went to the no-frills, Massage Envy. I ended up registering for a 6-month membership, so that means I'll be scheduling one massage a month for the next 6 months. I'm pretty excited about that.

Webb: And while Elle was getting the big rub down, I was at work late. I was so happy for her.