This weekend I wanted to challenge myself. No, I didn’t get out for an epic long run (still working on get going again…starting from square 1). But since I have really been missing the heart pumping that comes with those runs, I wanted to find some other ways to get in a tough workout. So I ended up with a long trainer ride on Saturday, and a hard swim in Sunday.

Saturday morning I spent 2 hours and 15 minutes on my spin bike (I knooow, crazy!). I started before the sun came up, and passed the time by watching a movie (Life of Pi… hadn’t seen it yet). I definitely think having an interesting movie helped pass the time!! Especially one I hadn’t watched before. I kept the resistance at a moderate level, but included a couple long standing intervals at a little higher level. To be honest, I didn’t think this was too bad, maybe because I was mentally prepared for a long time on the bike. I ate a few Clif bloks and finished off 1.5 bottles of water over the time period, then followed the ride up with a tall glass of Lemon Tea Nuun.

Sunday’s swim was also tough! Sure, I have done several 2500-3000 yard swims, but mostly they have just been swimming comfortably while completing the distance. This weekend, I tried my first practice of swim intervals. Let me tell you… trying to swim faster is HARD! My right shoulder tends to feel tired earlier than the left, and this was no exception. It was pretty tired by half way through! But, I dug deep and finished the sets.

If you’re interested, here was my workout. I had printed it out, and put it in a ziplock bag to put next to the pool. That way it would stay readable even if it got wet.

4 x 50 yds very easy warm-up with 10 sec rest
800 yds at AP
4 x 50 yds harder with 15 sec rest
600 yds at AP
4 x 50 yds with 10 sec rest
400 yds at AP
4 x 50 yds with 5 sec rest
100 yds very easy, cool down
TOTAL = 2700 yds
*note: AP (aerobic pace) is somewhere between moderate and maximum speed. You can keep it for a long time without getting tired. As you gain more conditioning, AP will also improve.

In the afternoon, Ryan and I also did a bonus workout! We did this full body workout from Runner’s World, and a few extra minutes of core/ab exercises. It was just something nice to do in the afternoon while the football games were on since we didn’t have to worry about getting ready for work — we both had the day off yesterday for MLK Day.

Please, help me out!
I entered to win an entry into the ZOOMA Napa half marathon. I’ve always wanted to run in Napa, and I’d love to race this for my goal of a sub- 1:45 half marathon. As a bonus, they’ll be giving the winner a second entry for a lucky blog reader (maybe YOU?!)! So, take a second and vote for me here, and you may be able to join me on an amazing adventure! You can vote once per day. Thank you in advance!

How have you challenged yourself recently?