Thursday, July 08, 2010

Adaptation - The Key to Survival And Fitness.

Its been a odd cycling season thus far into the summer of 2010. Most of my cycling focus has flipped to the commuting side as, essentially,I have become a full time bike commuter. Unless it is raining in the morning I generally will cycle to work regardless of the forecast for later in the day.

Factor in my reluctance to train with the usual cast of(fast)characters within the bike club's structure(Saturday mornings)due to high traffic/safety issues along a portion of the route my training has become erratic to say the least.

Generally my commute home is about five kilometres straight uphill so it does offer me the opportunity to do hill intervals by pushing the pace when homeward bound. On the climbs today it occurred to me that I can take advantage of the short,but intense commute home by transitioning to the run soon thereafter. I have been trying to get back into running now that my orthotics are(somewhat)broken in so this is a perfect opportunity to get in some weekday training.

Once home I quickly geared up for the run and managed to do a four kilometre loop of Clayton Park. The legs were well warmed up after cycling the hills of the West end and the running felt good. The best part is I was finished before 4:30pm. Not only does that free up my evening for other non exercise pursuits but also gives me an opportunity to schedule some core(ab) and strength training back into my regimen. The other option to to get back on the bike and do some post run cycling - in effect a mini duathlon.

Like life you have to become adaptable in terms of exercise and manage to factor in your training regardless of how your circumstances change. Going forward my plan for the remainder of the season is this...

1 - Transition to the run at least twice weekly after the bike commute home.
2 - Cycle with a fast(er)group out to Fall River on Saturday mornings to get in some race paced club cycling but then avoid the busy Waverley road by veering off to do some solo hill climbing in Fall River Village/Capilano Estates.
3 - Participate in the Tuesday night club ride along Purcells Cove road.
4 - Sundays are wildcard days. See what opportunities present themselves or take a rest day.

I have also reaffirmed my committment to my diet and WOE. I was starting to "cheat" on a daily basis so I have tightened up my willpower and have stepped back on the paleo nutritional path. Weight remains around 193-195 pounds but the renewed focus on running and diet should help me reach of goal of 190 pounds. The deciding facter will be my beck/neck subluxations and how well the body responds to the training. I am on a maintentance schedule of twice monthy visits with my practitioner and it has kept me balanced and feeling good.

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