Team McAlister

Sorry, I’ve been wanting to use that headline since we launched this thing.

Did 5.75 miles in just over an hour today. I started out with a 4-mile run (46 minutes) and then did 20 minutes of interval running. 1:30 at 7+mph, :40 at 2-3mph. Intervals like that are supposed to be the best way to increase your VO2 max, which Wikipedia tells me is “the maximum capacity of an individual’s body to transport and utilize oxygen during incremental exercise.” In other words, it’s crucial.

I’m not on any sort of “program” as yet. That Hal Higdon guy seems to know what he’s talking about, so maybe I’ll take a look at his marathon training schedules. The thing is, I don’t want to get caught up in training for a marathon. I want to train for a triathlon, and be able to do a marathon as a result of that. Whether that means a different training schedule, or additional stuff on top of the marathon schedule, I’ll have to figure out.

Tomorrow’s another 6 AM spin class followed by a short run and, if I can last that long, some easy weights. And lots and lots of stretching.

Tags: hal higdon, running, schedule, spin

I did spin class for an hour today (at 6 AM, suckers!) and warmed down with a mile on the treadmill. I’m told it’s important to practice that transition if one wants to do a triathlon. It actually wasn’t too trying, but MAN I am not used to the saddle on a spin bike. Next time I may wear bike shorts, but I’m not sure about running with a chamois.

I can already tell a major improvement in my general fitness. A mile on the treadmill used to be a challenge, and now I do it to loosen up after spinning for an hour? At this rate I’ll be a pro triathlete, like, next year.

Tomorrow’s a “long” run. I’m shooting for 4 miles at a continuous jog, hopefully about 5.5 mph. After that, interval training! We’ll see how that goes.

Tags: bike, butt, hurts, run, spin