Wednesday, January 6, 2010

And this is why you hydrate

Rough 12 hours. So last night was supposed to be a 10k TT. I realized going into it that my hydration level wasn't exactly where it should be, but hey, it's just a 10k, right? (mental note- set watch timer to remind me to drink while at work) Normally I would have done this outside, but running through rush hour traffic in the city, in the dark, with the wind chill in the single digits is just not fun for anyone. So... treadmill it was. I managed to beat the 6pm rush to the 'mills and warmed up a bit. The effort started out ok- ran the 1st mile at 8:00, then miles 2-4 at 7:30 (a pretty decent pace for me) and was getting ready to drop another 30 sec for the remainder. And thats where it started to go downhill. I felt a cramp coming on in my left calf, which gradually progressed to a pretty decent stab. This was oddly reminiscent and in the same calf as the "great calf tear of '06": while training for IMCdA the first time around I tore my calf by continuing to train when I knew I should have backed off (immediately after the holidays, too much partying, not enough sleep, dehydrated, etc). This necessitated 6 weeks of rehab on an elliptical. And I HATE the elliptical. So... after trying to run through it for 1/2 mile I decided to leave well enough alone and be satisfied with the thought that, had it not been for Mr. Calf Cramp, I would have put forth a really decent effort. Immediately after I did some serious stretching, and rolled out my legs on the foam roller (mental note #2- find the Trigger Point Massage Ball stuff I have stored somewhere and break it out). 

Fast-forward to this mornings workout of alternating 500m rows and kettlebell swings. I rolled out of bed at a leisurely 0530 and made it to the gym before 6. Unfortunately, both of the ERG's we have were in use, and the kettlebells are kept on a different floor. Rather than trying to fit my swings into the already crowded cardio room, or try and run back and forth hoping the ERG didn't get taken in my absence, I opted for some outside the box thinking (hey- I'm a consultant). I returned home to my own personal 26.5 lb kettlebell, and alternated the swings with 2min (about the time it takes me to row the 500) abdominal efforts on a Swiss ball.   Not a perfect substitute, but at least I feel like I got it in. 

800m swim tonight.

2 comments:

  1. Swiss ball? What about burpees or lunges? :)

    New bike?

    ReplyDelete
  2. What about them? I do love me a good burpee ;)

    ReplyDelete