This morning the alarm clock went off and I rolled over and thought "oh no, it's hill day". I know this is the wrong attitude but I have to be honest. My blog would lose all of its integrity if I told you I wake up every morning ready to take on the world. I should not call it the alarm clock but the opportunity clock and when I heard it this morning I should have thought "Yes! I have the opportunity to get stronger and show those hills who is boss". Too over the top??? We'll that's where I need to go to beat those hills :)
Today was scheduled to be a hill repeats workout. Hills are tough on fresh legs and kill when you're getting deeper into your training and running them with tired legs. I don't know what the bigger challenge is; managing the burn in your legs and the fire in your lungs or the mental games you play with yourself to get through, just one more. Today I ran six, 800-metre hill repeats and given how tired I was when I woke up this morning I am pretty darn pleased with my effort.
Given that I'm not working full time I thought I would be able to do some really great training but I have found myself faced with a new challenge. The challenge is that of teaching 8 to 10 fitness classes per week and training for the Amsterdam 1/2 Marathon at the same time.
I like to keep a training journal so that I can track my progress and review it for motivation for race day. When I woke up tired this morning I realized something was up. I usually jump quite happily out of bed in the morning. I apologize to those who have experienced a morning with me who aren't morning people but I love to get an early start on my day. I decided to take a look at my training program and factor in the cross training I've been doing. I realized I've been doing over 8-hours of cross training a week including teaching spin and aerobics classes, plus biking and walking everywhere. I realized, I'm over doing it! I was tired this morning because my body is trying to tell me to take it easy. I was a little embarrassed about my over site as I tell friends and clients that more volume is not always better and that QUALITY wins out over QUANTITY every time. I've decided to give up my shorter run days and aim for better quality training days.
Nick and I have decided to make a real weekend of the 1/2 Marathon and check out Amsterdam. We are planning to visit the Anne Frank Museum, take a historic walking tour - Dam Square, Magna Plaza, Torensluis Bridge, Theater Museum, Westerkerk, 9 Straats, Canal Houses, Spui, Bloemenmarkt, Golden Bend, Nieuw Spiegelstraat, Museumplein and the Red Light as well. We will see what we can get to and plan a second visit if we need to. On another note, somewhat related, I just finished reading "The boy in the striped pajamas". It was a really great book and took a really interesting perspective, a young boys, on the holocaust. I highly recommend it if you're looking for something to read.
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