My legs are burning, my heart is beating out of my chest, my lungs are working overtime and there is enough sweat dripping off my face to put out a small fire…I am suffering. Physically this is REALLY challenging…mentally I am focused…physically my legs are shot…mentally I am strong…physically my legs want to take a break and stop moving…mentally I will push through…physically my legs have turned to jello…mentally I will finish strong.
I know that success on race day comes from all of the challenges I will face and overcome in all of the days leading up to the race. So…what was the workout that made me suffer the most this week??? A trainer ride with zone 4 intervals…
0:00 – 0:15 Warm-up
0:15 – 0:24 20 sec sprint / 40 sec recovery
40 sec sprint / 20 sec recovery
60 sec sprint / 60 sec recovery
Spin 5 minutes
0:24 – 0:33 20 sec sprint / 40 sec recovery
40 sec sprint / 20 sec recovery
60 sec sprint / 60 sec recovery
Spin 5 minutes
0:33 – 0:42 20 sec sprint / 40 sec recovery
40 sec sprint / 20 sec recovery
60 sec sprint / 60 sec recovery
Spin 5 minutes
0:42 – 0:48 2 min Z4 / 4 min recovery
0:48 – 0:54 2 min Z4 / 4 min recovery
0:54 – 1:00 2 min Z4 / 4 min recovery
1:00 – 1:10 10 min Z2
1:10 – 1:24 10 min Z4 / 4 min recovery
1:24 – 1:38 10 min Z4 / 4 min recovery
1:38 – 1:52 10 min Z4 / 4 min recovery
1:52 – 2:00 Cool-down
Suffering now = Success later 🙂
What workout(s) has(have) made you “suffer” lately???
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Week #5 (Base Training) Totals:
Swim: 4700 yards
Bike: 63 miles
Run: 15 miles
Strength Training: 2 hours & 15 minutes
Hot Yoga: 2 hours & 30 minutes
Week #5 in the green 😉
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January Totals (successfully completed all scheduled workouts):
Swim: 12.7 miles
Bike: 190 miles
Run: 63.8 miles
Strength Training: 10 hours
Hot Yoga: 10 hours 45 minutes
PushMyLimits 
The title of your blog post is right on! Interval Training kills me every time, but I know it’s the only way.
It is a killer, but I also know it will make me stronger and better prepared for race day. That is when I just push forward 🙂
I had the same interval workout. Something tells me coach Liz had a hand in that one…
Hmmmm…quite possibly, although I though Julie was writing our workout. Something’s fishy 😉
Awesome workout and stats for the last week! I’m just getting back on track after the flu and needed motivation like this to DO IT!
Thanks Laura!! I hope you feel better soon!!
Attempting to do anything so far at my new elevation is suffering. 😉
I DEFINITELY believe it!! I remember that from when we visited out there a few years ago. Think about how strong you will be once you acclimate to that altitude 😉
WoW. loving the blood flow through your face… keep it up Kecia
Thanks…that was a challenging ride 🙂
looking forward to more smiles.. LOL !! have a good weekend while it last.
Thanks!! I will…you too!!
I like this post! Mountain climbs and stupid big hills on my bike are my favorite “suffering” workouts. I can’t always find that perfect gear but when I can get into the zone on a hill I just LOVE it… So I have to wonder, if I dig it so much can you call it suffering? I suppose the answer to that would depend on the day and my attitude.
Thanks Jim!! I agree…sometimes I really like to suffer, but by the end of this workout I could hardly move the pedals. Even if we dig it, it could still be considered suffering. Some of us just like to suffer more than others 😉