For the last two years i have been doing brick interval workouts on tuesdays. When I was training for IMFL in 06 I took a 45 min spin class and then jumped on the treadmill for a speed workout (usually 45 min-1 hour). Last year when I was training for Kona I did an hour swim and then ran either outside or on the treadmill. Now it is 2008 and I am still doing intervals but I have decided to run first, then swim. Now that I am back and enjoying the process of getting back speed (I love to push myself and feel the burn!) I live for Interval Tuesdays. One thing I like about doing intervals on tuesday is that I feel fresh after having Monday as my "recovery day". I usually do something active on mondays (swim, bike or walk..no running) but I just do whatever I feel like. If I want to just rest and not do anything, then I just do nothing. I don't like to say "off" day but rather an active "recovery" day is what works best for me. I'm sure others can understand but after having a day off from hard training, it is nice to start off the week with something not boring and something intense. Not training for one day can kinda take a toll on your mentality (especially if you are training for an event) and doing intervals on tuesday (day after recovery day) gives me the push that I need to start off the week feeling ready to give it my all for 6 more days. Also, I find that if I know I am doing something intense on tuesday morning (early tuesday morning) I don't want to eat crappy on monday. Of course after two days of long training (sat and sun are most people's long workout days) you are probably like me and emphasize a bit more carbs to replace what was burned. I'm sure everyone knows how big I am with protein (now I am eating tofu at least once a day for even more protein in my vegetarian diet, in addition to my 4-6 egg whites a day) but after a long brick on the weekend, I'm totally enjoying my french toast or pancakes (portioned controlled of course). So when it gets to monday and I'm not really doing anything which would upset my GI system or make me worry about having a bad workout (since I am not training that day) I want to be sure I am back into a solid diet of high protein, good sources of complex carbs. I watch my snacks on monday (since I tend to eat several mini meals on sat and sun since I am getting home around 10 or 11am from my training) and I am sure to not overeat on monday night. I think a lot of people tend to do well in the morning through lunch on their day off but then in the evening it is almost like you feel you haven't eaten all day. Well, I try to focus on what I am eating on sat and sun to replace the used fuel and repair the muscles and tissues I damaged so that when it comes to mon I am not starving for food and ultimately I avoid overeating on mon evening. So, those are the two big reasons why I love doing intervals on tuesday. Here's the morning's workout, which started at 6am on the treadmill:
5 min walk, 5 min at 7.2 mph. First set: 5 x 30 sec at 7.8 mph, 30 sec at 7.4 mph. Next set: 10 x 1 min at 8.5 mph, 30 sec at 7.6 mph Next set: 5 x 2 min at 8.1 mph, 1 min. at 7.6 mph Last set: 5 x 45 sec. at 8.7 mph, 15 sec. straddle the treadmill. Total: 6.5 miles, 51 min.
Then to the pool. 800 warm-up swim, 200 pull Big set: 4 x 125 on 1:50 (made the first one on 1:38!!), 4 x 100 on 1:25 (made the first one on 1:14!!!), 4 x 75 on 1:05 (made the first one on 54!), 4 x 50 on :45 (made the first one on 37!), 4 x 25 cool-down. Total: 2500
I was sweaty, tired, a little out of it..but loving every minute of it!!!
5 min walk, 5 min at 7.2 mph. First set: 5 x 30 sec at 7.8 mph, 30 sec at 7.4 mph. Next set: 10 x 1 min at 8.5 mph, 30 sec at 7.6 mph Next set: 5 x 2 min at 8.1 mph, 1 min. at 7.6 mph Last set: 5 x 45 sec. at 8.7 mph, 15 sec. straddle the treadmill. Total: 6.5 miles, 51 min.
Then to the pool. 800 warm-up swim, 200 pull Big set: 4 x 125 on 1:50 (made the first one on 1:38!!), 4 x 100 on 1:25 (made the first one on 1:14!!!), 4 x 75 on 1:05 (made the first one on 54!), 4 x 50 on :45 (made the first one on 37!), 4 x 25 cool-down. Total: 2500
I was sweaty, tired, a little out of it..but loving every minute of it!!!