Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Week 15: We Begin The Spinervals SUPER 6

Webb: Today we began Coach Troy Jacobson's Spinervals Super 6 program. 6 days a week for 6 weeks. The program seems to be geared more towards improving bike fitness with some running. Triathletes are encouraged to add another day of running. We are going to do that by taking out a cycling workout here and there. Plus, there is no swimming, so we'll need to find some time to do two or three swim workouts a week.

WORKOUT #1: 30:00 Endurance Run
Easy effort staying in HR zones 1-2.

Elle: We did a nice, easy 5k+ route that begins right outside our door and heads out to the waterfront, which, in the summer, is a really nice run. Once I bundled up properly (I had to wear the full-length running tights today), it wasn't too cold, but a blustery wind made it difficult to keep the HR down near the end.

Webb: It feels good to run again. This season we are going to try to focus more on frequency, trading in a long run for two mid-to-longish runs. Also, last year we would put the run workout as the second workout of the day. The thinking, or what others might call the "common mistake," was that the run leg is last in a race, so we should prepare ourselves to run fatigued. We are going with a different approach this season which takes into account that running has the highest risk for injury and running fatigued increases that risk. Running now comes first when the schedule allows.

WORKTOUT #2: TheSufferfest.com's "Angels"
The Super 6 program actually called for Spinervals 21 - an aerobic focused workout.

Elle: My "go-to" pre-workout nutrition is usually the Roctane Gel from Gu (Vanilla Orange), which I loooove - I think it's super tasty. But since it has caffeine, and we started this W/O a little late, we had a sample of Hammer Gel (Montana Huckleberry flavor), which I tried, and it was very tasty. Yum.

Webb: We do not own #21 at this time, so we opted to do "Angels." Coach Troy offers optional workouts for those who do not own the scheduled workout of the day. We considered doing the optional workout, however, when it came around to it, we wanted to watch UCI footage rather than the TV.

Elle: Now that SufferFestukah is over, returning to Sufferlandria is a little bit like going back home. It's nice to visit a familiar place, there are things about it you really like, but soon enough, you're ready to leave. After the first of three sets, I didn't know if I was going to make it it to the second set. After the second set, I questioned if I could make it to the third. But I survived in the end, sweaty and spent. Just as it should be.

Webb: I did my best to stay in HR zones 2-3 as Coach Troy's workout prescribed. It was tough and I ignored it during the attacks. However, it turned out to be a good workout to feel out my RPE (Rate of Perceived Effort) with regard to cadence and resistance.

Elle: I'd like to point out that Angels is one of my favorite Sufferfest videos because:
     1. You get the thumbs-up from Frank Schleck.
     2. There is a great, little cartoon at the end. I won't spoil it for those who haven't done it yet, let's just say it's an extra incentive to push through the workout knowing you get to watch a special treat at the end.

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