Tuesday, March 8, 2011

The Anatomy of a 6 Hour Workout

Training took a gnarly turn for the ridiculous Sunday - to the tune of 44.2 total miles and 6 hours of training. In the rain.

After an 80s themed pub-crawl turned dance/pizza party in Oakland that ran well 'til 4:30am Saturday night/Sunday morning, I was more than a bit skeptical about undertaking what would end up being 6 hours of hell (with some awesome thrown in there). Regardless, I was up and on my way back to SF before 9:00am and by 10:15am I was out the door ready to take on the rain for the rest of the morning and the better half of the afternoon.

Here's what I headed out the door with today and carried on my back (or in my belly) for the duration:

- REI Backpack
- 100 oz. Camelbak full of water
- Pack of Strawberry GU Chomps (w/caffeine)
- Chocolate Brownie Clif Bar
- One pita bread
- A bag of dried cranberries
- One Tecate (seriously)

After three and a half of hours of bike loops in Golden Gate Park, I came back to my house to "quickly" transition to the hour and a half run. I'm planning on these transitions being a bit easier during the race since I (hopefully) won't be completely soaked and covered in road grime. In all, the transition only took about 8 minutes - mostly due to the soaked clothing and changing time. I had to change shoes as well, which always messes you up.

Out the door, I was ready for lunch on the run - literally. I cooked some pasta as soon as I got home in the morning, and it was waiting for me when I got back to the house to transition. Nothing fancy - just a sandwich bag full of pasta, olive oil, a little salt and a little pepper. I washed this down with the Tecate I had in my bag. A good move, since the alcohol helped to numb a little bit of the pain, and the additional carbs sure didn't hurt either. Most of the details of the run were pretty boring, although I did head up through Pac Heights and down (and back up) the Lyon Street steps. Planning my mileage accordingly (about 8 miles), I was at the Market Street 24 Hour Fitness just as the run/trek portion was up - luckily too, as my Camelbak had run dry about 20 minutes before.

Once checked in, I moved to the rowing machine and did a 30 minute moderate paced workout which left me feeling reenergized though I was feeling a bit of stiffness in my right lateral collateral ligament. Completed and exhausted - but being only a mile and a half from home, a warm shower and the rest of the day on the couch, I headed out and interspersed slow jogging and walking the rest of the way home. I ended up eating again as soon as I got home and passed out for about an hour on the couch. Before waking up and eating again. Here's why:

Six Hour Workout Totals:

- Miles: 44.20
- Average Pace: 8:15/mile
- Total Ascent/Descent: 7,557 ft
- Hydration: 133 oz water/12 oz Tecate
- Piss Stops: 9
- MP3s Played: 92
- Calories Burned: 5,048

Race is in two and a half weeks. No turning back now.

Note: As much as it completely sucked being out there in the rain, for the better part of what most people my age refer to as either a "lazy Sunday" or "Sunday Funday," I definitely had multiple points during the workout where I completely forgot I was working out and actually enjoyed myself. Most of this came during the run/trek portion, but it was a very surreal experience - one most people will never understand since it takes a certain level of idiocy and slight retardation* to do things like this.

*I know. We're not supposed to use this word. Though, I'm using it to refer to myself in relation to definition 4b. from dictionary.com: i.e. a person who is stupid, obtuse, or ineffective in some way.

Shame on me.

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