Not slow

This is a slow time of year for everyone no doubt. I apologize (to any of you still reading this) for slow turnaround on posts, but let's face it - we're living through one of the worst winters I can remember during what coule be described as "interesting" economic times.

The job is changing - more responsibility, authority, and yet no title or salary change. Isn't that how it always goes? Like most of you though I am thankful that I still have a job to go to.

I took little P to the shop last night at the end of the trainer class. He loved it...after he stopped hiding from everyone. He is sure he can ride a bike "fast, fast, fast!" The sucker that Cory gave him was a hit and ended up at his spot at the table so that he could return to finish it first thing in the morning.

Pulling myself inside out at the trainer classes is both great and absolute torture at the same time. I keep finding new bottoms to the well of pain. I have spent a tlot of time hanging out at threashold lately. If you don't know what threshold is I can only describe it this way - Threshold is that place along the spectrum of athletic effort where you are beyond starting to sweat, beyond holding a conversation, beyond wanting to stop, and at slightly short of total shutdown or immediate puking.

If you don't vurp (vomit/burp) a little after about 5 minutes then you're not going hard enough. If you can talk you're not going hard enough. If you're thinking about what you're going to do when you get home, or the chores left undone...then you're not going hard enough. If you can think coherently then you're not going hard enough.

My stream of semi-conciousness goes something like this:

"Time?......2.......min.....utes..............18....left......18!......18!!........saddle......sore......move.....a little. Wa.....ter......quick!....in...between....breaths....GO!....pain....of ...swall....owing.....will....pass....try....to....relax.....stare.....at....something.....is...that........a..........unicorn...?.........it....will....hurt....more...than....this....later.....we....have......what.....2??..more??.....Of?.....These???....."

If you don't end up questioning why you are doing this then you're not going hard enough. If you don't fear that you won't be able to maintain this for the entire duration of the effort....then you're not going hard enough. I think you get the point. For those using Heartrate my LTHR (Lactate Threshold Heartrate) is currently 178. It hurts.

So far we started out with something like 3 minutes @ threshold done something like 15 times. Then it was 5 minutes repeated 10 times (10x5'). Then it was 10 minutes 6 times (6x10'). Then 4x15'<-that sucked. Then 2X20' on Tuesday.

I get to run the class on Tuesday and we're doing 2x25'. The following is 2x30' then 1x40' - the crown jewel. 40 minutes in a state close to hell on earth. A race. A race against yourself.

...then we "start the hard stuff" to quote our team captain.

great.

FWIW - it does seem kind of weird sometimes to be in a room full of a bunch of guys who are lactating.

Hopefully all this means I will do well in the next instalment of the ABD indoor TT series on Sunday. They lined me up this time with a bunch of cat 4 women. Guess I'll have to beat them all. That or start wearing a skirt. At least my legs aren't shaved yet.