NicoleEver have one of those days where your training just clicked? This past Thursday was one of those days for me. Not only did the workouts go well, but the conditions were such that I absolutely had a blast and I could hardly wipe the grin off my face. Here’s how it unfolded. My training schedule contained a 30 minute endurance run and a 90 minute bike ride on the schedule. My evening plans were a Pikes Peak Triathlon Club board meeting, so that meant I had to do one workout in the morning and one mid-day. Since the temps were projected to be in the mid-60s…in January…in Colorado – I opted to do my ride mid-day and my run in the morning first thing.
I started my run at about 5:45am and ran through my neighborhood. I relied on street lights for illumination and just ran nice and easy as I basically had just rolled out of bed. My typical 30 minute run is a double out and back along a neighborhood road. While there are a few people on the roads, but for the most part it is very quiet. I am up on a hill so I can look south and see the lights of the Air Force Academy and Colorado Springs. When heading north I can see the houses of the next town on the hills. The sidewalks were clear, though the grass still had some remaining snow. It was just this amazing calm being out, getting the heart rate up a bit, and enjoying the beauty of where I live. On the stretch home, the blue glow was starting to appear above the hills of the black forest. Complete beauty to start my day!
When lunch time rolled around, I was ready to head out on my bike. True to the forecast, it was 64 degrees, hardly any wind and bright (and I mean bright!) blue skies. I donned my Punk Rock Racing jersey and pedaled away. The legs felt great and I did my intervals on the open road. The trip south is slightly downhill and the trip north slightly up, but for Colorado standards, it was flat road. When I reached my turn-around I stopped to take some pictures. The cows were mooing and there was some sort of drill going on at Ft. Carson as I could hear intermittent gun fire. The view towards Pikes Peak to the west and the open ranch land to the south and east were fantastic.
(go here for more photos)
I hammered my way back and the rest of my day was fantastic knowing I had two amazing workouts, two workouts that I really enjoyed, done for the day. I will use that day to draw upon for positive imagery when days aren’t so good.
What’s your best workout that you’ve had when conditions seemed perfect?
Do you use that memory to get you through “not so good” workout conditions?
Nicole
