Will Run for Food

Sometimes vacation can wreak havoc with your exercise regime; sometimes vacation can be the perfect thing for your health and wellness.  Whenever I come to Colorado, I become renewed again.  I’m not sure if it’s the fresh air, the people, or just the overall feel of the state, but I definitely catch on with the attitude of the area and find myself rejuvenated.

I also find that vacation gives people a chance to play around with their training, whether training for a specific event or just working out.  Instead of going through a normal routine (run Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday), crosstrain Wednesday, Friday, etc etc etc, I end up mixing up my regimen.  For example, I arrived in Colorado, at my aunt’s on Friday.  This Saturday I was supposed to run.  As Boulder had received a good 2 feet of snow, my aunt suggested that I try snowshoeing.  Half an hour later, I was drenched and at peace!

I also get to ski when I’m out in Colorado.  The silence and swish of the snow and I swoop down the mountain.  Similar, yet different, from the pounding of the sneakers on the pavement.  A time to think and reconfigure.

“Well, we have this place in [Durango], Colorado.  It’s somewhere I can just get away and relax and think.” ~ Joe Cocker

(Okay… well the original quote says Telluride…. but for me the place is Durango… so there).

This week, as I’m away, my training schedule goes as such.

Monday 2/6: Run 60-90 minutes + Weight training  I skipped my long run on Sunday and moved it to Monday.

Tuesday 2/7: Skiing + 8x400 @ 5K Pace + Running Drills (10sec w/60 sec of lifting knees to thigh height, power skips, running strides) Sadly, no skiing for me as I went to the doctor for a sinus infection instead.  Hopefully I’ll be on the mountain tomorrow though!

Wednesday 2/8: Skiing + Swim 1300y total (100y warm up, 5x50y drills w/:20 rest, Mainset 4x200y w/:30 rest, Sprint 4x25y w/:20 rest, Cooldown 50y) + 35min Recovery Bike Ride + Strength Train I’m really hoping to be on the mountain tomorrow! I’m also re-introducing swimming to my training and hope to be in the pool and hot tub post-skiing tomorrow (perhaps with a cocktail in hand ;-))

Thursday 2/9: Skiing + 4 mile pace run + 20 min bike ride + Weight training

Friday 2/10: Rest

Saturday 2/11: 4 mile pace run + 20 min bike ride + Core Work + Strength Train

Sunday 2/12: 7 mile run + Core Work + Yoga