Working Out On The Road (ATM Training)

This week brought my first of four business trips this month, and my first of three weeks in a row of driving up to my son’s college (Parent’s Weekend, fall lacrosse tournament, Fall Break). Still, it was pretty easy to stick to my training plan for the Army Ten Miler.

Monday (Strength Routine)
I started with my current plank routine:
0-1:30 ~ 27 sec front plank on elbows/3 sec rest X 3
1:30-2:30 ~ 8 sec side plank on elbow, top leg raised/2 sec rest X 6
2:30-3:30 ~ 8 sec side plank on elbow, top leg raised/2 sec rest X 6 (other side)
3:30-5:00 ~ 27 sec front plank/3 sec rest X 3
5:00-6:00 ~ 8 sec side plank on elbow, top leg raised/2 sec rest X 6
6:00-7:00 ~ 8 sec side plank on elbow, top leg raised/2 sec rest X 6 (other side)
7:00-8:30 ~ 27 sec front plank on elbows/3 sec rest X 3
8:30-9:30 ~ 8 sec side plank on elbow, top leg raised/2 sec rest X 6
9:30-10:30 ~ 8 sec side plank on elbow, top leg raised/2 sec rest X 6 (other side)

I also did my full strength routine with three sets of 12-15 reps of different strength moves.

Tuesday (Easy Neighborhood Run–4.25 miles; 41:05, avg. pace 9:34 min/mi)
My legs were feeling my weekend bike ride (20 miles!) and Monday’s strength routine, so I just went for an easy run–choosing a mostly flat or downhill neighborhood route.

Wednesday (Strength Routine–Doubletree Chicago)
I was pleased to see a full set of weights in the hotel gym.

After warming up on the fancy elliptical I did my planks and my full strength routine.

Thursday (Treadmill Speed Intervals)
After warming up for 15 minutes (5 min walking, 10 min running) I did 30 minutes of 2 minute speed intervals with a 1 minute recovery interval at 6.0 mph:
3 intervals @ 6.7 mph
3 intervals @ 6.8 mph
3 intervals @ 6.9 mph
1 interval @ 7.0 mph
I had to refill my water bottle halfway through and I was still sweating after my shower! 😛

Friday (Planks & Yoga)
I wasn’t in the mood for my full plank routine, so I did a few planks using the morning news to time my segments. I did three front planks for 1 story each, and 2 sets of side planks for two commercials each. Then I did the Twists program from my Rodney Yee AM Yoga For Your Week DVD.

Saturday (Long Run)
My friend was sick with a chesty cough, so I was on my own again this weekend. I decided to try a different neighborhood route with even more hills than usual. The first and longest hill was 0.6 miles. Other long hills were 0.4 miles, 0.4, miles, 0.3 miles, and 0.5 miles. I got back to my neighborhood at 9.25 miles, so I ran up the last hill–the same hill as my first hill–for 0.25 miles, ran down, and ran back up. That should be good practice for the overpass at the end of the Army Ten Miler course.

Garmin Data:
Total Distance: 10.14 miles
Total Time: 1:36:37 (Avg. Pace = 9:32 min/mi)
Spilt Times: 9:40, 9:46, 9:15, 9:26, 9:41, 9:27, 9:42, 9:36, 9:09, 9:35

We didn’t have enough ice for an ice bath, so I did a warm epsom salt soak. While it was a pleasant experience, it certainly didn’t feel as refreshing.

How do you decide whether to run through a cold?

Have you tried epsom salt baths?

Have you entered my Popchips giveaway?