Friday, April 13, 2012

A double workout day. A double weather day.

Thunderstorms in California?  Yep, they blew through the Bay Area last night.  Thunderstorms were a common Springtime occurrence when I lived in the Northeast but since moving West in 2006 they've been few and far between.  The fireworks were gone by this morning but the dynamic weather was not (sun, rain, sun, rain.....).

This morning I ran 9 miles on the roads at just over 7 minute pace and focused primarily on technique.  It can be easy for moderate runs like this to become mindless "junk miles" so while my cardiovascular system wasn't be taxed I thought about several aspects of running form.

- Cadence. 86 to 87 strides per minute, light, quick and consistant.
- Arm swing & knee drive.  Drive the elbow back as the knee drives forward.
- Strong, stable core. Navel to spine.  A powerful, efficient stride starts with the abdominal muscles.
- Soft, supple and relaxed head, neck, shoulders, upper spine.
- Complete stride, engage & push with all core and leg muscles.  Feel each stride start and the core and end with toe push off.


Equipment list: Due to intermittent rain I opted for a tight fitting Salomon EXO top.  Still smarting from a little chaff after Tuesday's long run in the rain.  XR Crossmax shoes, XT 2 Light shorts, light hat and gloves.


This afternoon I went out for a 24 mile road bike ride with a 85% hard effort up Page Mill Rd from Arastradero to Moody.  I completed that 2.5 mile segment (670' climb) in 12:01 - short of my PR of 10:50 but a good hard & controlled effort.  With two bike races coming up next week at the Sea Otter Classic I really need my bike rides to have some quality (hard) efforts.

No rain this afternoon but the wind was up and dark clouds over the higher elevations looked threatening.  Thank goodness for the sun because the air temp today was only in the 50's and coming downhill was a chilly affair.  Note to self: bring a darn vest next time.


Equipment list: My Iron Data Thirsty Bear Cycling Team kit.  SIDI road shoes from 2005 (time for new shoes??), Rudy Project glasses and helmet, MASI Evoluzione with Dura-ace.

No comments:

Post a Comment