Tuesday, September 3, 2013

August 26-September 1: Free Pass to Skip? As If.

My gym sends me something funny every August 26.

The first year that I got it, I'd just come home from running 14 miles as part of training for my first marathon. Last year, it showed up while I was at about Mile 20 of the bike at IM Louisville. 

Funny how that works.

So while I had this pass on Monday, I can't think of a better way to celebrate another year than to do what I love most - SWIM!

Monday: 33x100 yards of swimming at MIT’s pool to celebrate my 33rd birthday. Made up for spending the rest of the day in a dark meeting room.
 
Tuesday: Nothing, save some morning walking in Boston before more meetings and flying home.

Wednesday: About 5 miles of a run threshold workout, untimed because I’d drained the battery in my Garmin (probably for the best). Added 18 miles of biking between home, work, and the track.

Thursday: 3100 yards of untimed swimming on my own, and about 12 miles of biking between home, the pool, and work.

Friday: 12 miles of bike commuting while Metro’s red line was paralyzed (win), a 55 minute pilates class at Athlete Studio.


 (Photo and butt-kicking workout courtesy of Athlete Studio)


As stubborn as I am, I rarely give up on a workout, no matter how hard it is. The glute work, however, did me in and I actually thought I was going to rip a muscle in half, and had to pause. Talk about humbling.

Saturday: A two hour brick, starting with 25 miles of biking, and wrapping up with 3.28 miles of running. The biking was not so great, and my power average was pretty low, but I managed to pull off 9:08/mile pace in my first timed run since IM Mont Tremblant. Not too bad.

Sunday: A 4000 meter swim with about half the triathletes in the DC area, with Kendra as our ringleader. 16 miles of biking there and back because driving in downtown DC around any holiday is awful.

7 comments:

  1. Haha, no chance with that card, eh? It's the same for me - I always think 'well, my body doesn't know it's my birthday.' There isn't some rule whereby sitting around and eating sugar won't make you feel crappy on your birthday just because it's a 'special' day. I just think using that as an excuse is one step towards becoming even fatter and more out of shape (in my case).

    Amazing swim workout - what a way to celebrate. I don't know how I missed that it was your birthday :/ Sorry for being such a crappy person - I have to say 'Happy Birthday' now and I'll do 33 pushups as punishment ;) (oh, believe me I'd rather go out and run 33 miles though!)

    xxx

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    1. You aren't a crappy person! It's just one day, I don't make a big deal out of it since I'm, well, above the age of 8.

      I think for your next birthday, you should run your age in miles :).

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  2. Bike commute beats metro commute, any time, any day, even if metro is working smoothly!

    Happy Birthday!

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    1. At this point, I would rather "Walk on Hands on a Hot Sidewalk" commute than metro commute.

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  3. Loved our pool party!! More to come! -Kendra

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  4. 33x100 sounds just mind-numbing. It is 'only' 3300y in total but just going back and forth like that will drive me up a wall. Let's also keep that theory in not doing it since I turn 40 this year and 40x100 sounds much worse.....haha!

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  5. Happy belated birthday! Thirty-three 100s sounds like a good way to celebrate… may have to do that for 34 late this year :) Pretty certain Pilates would kick by butt, too!

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