Training day

I am a fan of routines. I like to have a checklist and make sure I stay on track so that I can see when I slack off and yell at myself. I also believe that people should only run 3 days a week (you might see that I break this rule often, but it's because I run HARD for more than 5 miles 3 days a week while on the other days I will only run for 30 minutes or less, if I run). I sincerely believe in cross-training by doing anything that doesn't simulate running on pavement- elliptical, boxing, spinning, cycling, swimming...

Anyway, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays are my running days while Saturdays are my road cycling days and all the days in between I cross-train for a couple of hours doing anything else. Even more specifically, Tuesdays are my speed days, Thursdays are my longer tempo run days, and Sundays are my easy long runs. As for now, the longest distance I have on my running calendar for a race is a half marathon in April, so you won't be seeing any 20 milers, unless I get a wild hair and do something crazy.

Today I've got a quick run- 10 minutes warmup, 2 miles fast, 2 miles faster and 10 minute cooldown. It's going to be coooold. I was hoping to make it to the track, but if it's icy, I'm not taking the chance and I'll do it on a treadmill. That's right, the treadmill. So many runners frown upon doing anything on the treadmill, but honestly? It's very useful!!! When it's cold outside, it will take me an hour to layer on all my clothes, and to finally get the nerve to go outside, then I'll run 3 times slower and not push myself simply because I'm scared to death of falling and getting a concussion on the ice. Therefore, it is much smarter for me to simply run on the treadmill and get a good run in. They're also very good for pushing your pace and forcing yourself not to slow down. Always make sure your incline is at a 1.5 or higher, in order to simulate running a little more... and it will also save your knees and lower back. After my run I'll do a spin class for 1 hour. That's right, cross-training on a training day, but several hours later. I'm really working on my cardiovascular endurance to get it back to where it was, and I can't do that simply by running further because I haven't been running much in the last few months and I'm not about to get a stress fracture. It's perfectly fine to do two-a-day. Ask any personal trainer, some of them, like me, might even do a three-a-day. Just make sure to do your main training regiment first, then the cross-training after so you can get your hard run in and not be saving any energy for your next workout. Have fun!