Yesterday, I began my summer training with an official
program and a double workout. I got out
of bed with Terry’s alarm at 5 and was at the trailhead just before daylight
for a 45min trail run. I did my longest
run this year on Saturday at 10 miles so in comparison, this was nice and short
and a good wake up for the legs. I did
have some flashbacks of college basketball practices at 5am and was thankful I
was in the mountains and not in a gym running drills.
My plan was to do a road ride in the evening, but the
skies were dark and rain threatened so I took advantage of a drop in class with
Max Testa Training and did an intense 90 minutes that included single leg
spins, 5 minute progressions, SFRs, and some high cadence intervals. Max taught the class which is always a treat
and ultra informative. Not only does he
explain how our bodies react to each interval, the training benefits, and what
to expect but then he fills the recovery periods with stories about the pro
peloton and his experiences as a team doctor/trainer. Imagine my surprise yesterday when Max just
casually mentions that he asked Levi (yes, that Levi) to join the class since
he was in town training before he returns to Europe. Unfortunately Levi had meetings with the Tour
of Utah folks and couldn’t make it. I
can’t imagine how hard class would have been if he showed up.
Today, I woke up again at 5 and felt surprisingly good
considering I pushed harder than expected in class. It feels so great to wake up strong, healthy,
and ready to tackle the day. Less pollen
in the air and an absence of allergies also makes a huge difference. I didn’t have time for a workout today due to
travel, but am anxious to continue with my program tomorrow and thru the
summer. I only have 3 months before the Mid-MountainTrail Marathon in September but am also trying to maintain my cycling base
since I worked so hard the past 4 months to improve and have a few long rides
planned in June. I decided to take
advantage of having Max and his team in town and signed up for a personal MaxTesta Training program. Last week, we
sat down and listed goals, upcoming events, and training preferences. I already had cycling power & heart rate
zones from February and they analyzed one of my runs on Strava to determine my
running zones. The result is a very
personal and specific training calendar of rides and runs. After years of being coached, I know I’ll
respond to this style of training and it’s a perfect fit for my goal-oriented
personality. Terry is also doing a
personalized plan in preparation for the Park City Point to Point MTB Race also
in September. It will be interesting to
see how the summer progresses.
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| Kelly rocking the Armstrong Switchbacks |
Thanks to all this working out, I get to eat even
more. Sometimes I feel like I eat all day
long, just like Brad Pitt in the Ocean’s movies. Most likely a combination of my whole foods
plant-based diet and my metabolism, but I prefer to eat several times a day
rather than 3 basic meals. With double
workouts, I have to manage my calories a little closer in order to recover in
time but I have lots of options. This past weekend, I spent some time in the
kitchen both mornings before hitting the single-track with my girlfriends. I made several new dishes from my weekly CSA
bounty including kolhrabi curry with tofu, rhubard crumble, and a new favorite
of fava beans, dandelion greens, and onions over pasta. I also made my normal batch of quinoa and
kale. All these, plus on Sunday morning
we had cornmeal pancakes which were even better as pre-workout snacks with a little
peanut butter. Not to mention, we still
had Terry’s potato curry leftovers from the prior weekend. Who needs to eat out with a frig full of
leftovers!
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| Corrie enjoying the 29er and rocking the single speed! |
In other news, the bear that visited last week was back
again the past couple of nights. We didn’t
see or hear it, but the neighbors did thanks to their dogs. He/She has started doing damage to bird
feeders and is very comfortable around humans.
An email has gone out asking everyone to bring in the feeders, garbage,
and watch the bbq. Hopefully we can all
coexist and the authorities don’t have to interfere. We’ll see how things go over the next week.
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| Pollen thick on the porch means we can see tracks from night visitors |
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| Busy Raccoon |
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