Bricks!

Freezing cold Wednesday

April 21st workouts

Run

I got a late start, so even though it was about 40 degrees out, and the sun had set, I went for my run between 8:10 p.m. and 8:40 p.m. I drove over to the school where the open swim hours were going to be, left my car in their lot, and took off on Week 5, Run 1. It was hard to judge exactly how far I should go in any direction, so if anyone was watching out their house windows, they probably thought I was crazy, doing laps up and down the block.

Swim

I had a great swim tonight. I did 40 lengths of the pool. I used a kickboard and practiced alternate side breathing while I worked on my kicking. Then I did some lengths where I did the crawl at full speed the whole way, and on the length back I did the breaststroke. I also did some lengths where I crawled halfway and sprinted the last half. I started getting leg and foot cramps about 2/3 of the way through the swim. Which gave me the opportunity to practice covering ground while my leg/foot is cramping. I am wiped out but very happy with how things felt tonight.

Banner Sunday

April 18th workouts

Rollerblading

In the morning I spent 45 minutes rollerblading through a park with the 6-year-old. I have to say, his learning curve is much steeper than mine. He looked like he had no control of his legs when we first started. By the end he was gliding along so long as there wasn't too much loose gravel/stray sticks on the path. I was steadily unsteady. And I somehow skinned my knee through my wind pants without tearing them. I was so careful with safety equipment for the kid, and then all I had was my bike helmet. I'll try to learn my lesson and get some wrist guards before the next outing. That was some great exercise.

Bike

In the afternoon I was able to do a bike ride of about 45 minutes. I wound my way around about 25 blocks to the west, then 8 blocks south, then back 28 blocks east, and then I rode through the park for a while. I practiced shifting and braking, as well as getting my clippy shoes attached to and detached from the pedals quickly. And I strapped my flat repair kit to the bike, so I wouldn't get stranded again. I practiced drinking water while I rode as well. I'm a bit rusty, but there is time to brush up before the race.

I must marvel at the difference the bike makes. I am able to coast on flat road, not just when I am going downhill. I actually am more nervous about going too fast, truth be told. Once I'm more confident about stopping and getting my feet off the pedals so I can catch myself in a pinch, I'll enjoy the speed more, I'm sure.

Run

I capped off the day with the Week 4, Run 3 from the couch to 5k program. It was lovely, and I snapped a few pictures of the gardens I saw along the way. I was pretty tired by the time I got to the running, but it felt good to get through my first brick relatively intact.