Hello again! 4K training kicked off on Monday, which was also my first day of the semester. My start-of-the-year motivation is high so I’m trying to take advantage of that and get myself into a consistent work and exercise routine. In addition to building my biking endurance I’d also like to improve my overall strength, so here’s a look at what I was up to this week:
Monday: Training started off with a 1 hr/15 mi easy ride! I did this one at the gym because it was extremely cold and the bike lanes/trail were not in good shape after all the snow we got last week. It was cold so I wore fuzzy socks on my walk to the gym, and in a sleep-deprived daze trying to get out the door I forgot regular socks for my workout! The ride was good though, and I also did some back and bicep strength training. I’m very new to weights and my upper body strength is essentially non-existent so I left feeling not great, but two hours at the gym on the first day of the spring semester (aka probably the busiest day of the year) was enough for me. I did go for a short walk later, but that was mostly just to get some errands taken care of.
Tuesday: I got to the gym a little earlier so it wasn’t as busy which was nice, but once again this wasn’t great!!! I am very far out of my comfort zone in the weight room and get very in my head about how I look, what I’m doing, etc. I spent the rest of the day frantically researching a PhD program I decided to apply to last-minute, and went on another short errands walk.
Wednesday: Typically I will have a training ride (ideally early and outdoors once the weather gets warmer), a TA meeting from 10-10:30, class from 2-4:45, and study group after class on Wednesdays. I didn’t have study group but I did also have a meeting with a prospective PhD advisor and a 4K Zoom social! I managed to squeeze in the scheduled 1 hr/15 mi tempo ride in between meetings. Tempo rides are meant to be at at quicker pace than a leisurely ride, but not a prolonged maximum effort. Our training plans says “A rider should still be able to hold a conversation even though a little winded.” It was really windy which slowed me down so I didn’t quite hit 15 miles, but I was definitely a little winded! We can’t just put off a day of riding on the 4K for crappy weather (if conditions are hazardous we’ll skip the day entirely and shuttle to our scheduled host for the night in our vans) so I’m trying to be less of a wuss about riding in less-than-ideal conditions.
Thursday: Rest day! I took my cat to the vet in the morning for her annual exam and then drove up to Cincinatti to make some returns at REI and LL Bean. I spent more than an hour just walking around REI scoping out potential 4K gear but was very proud of myself for only spending $20. I took a much-needed trip to the grocery store and spent most of the night prepping ingredients for the rest of the week.
Friday: I didn’t wake up early like I’d hoped and had some mid-day commitments, so I went later in the evening for a 10 mile recovery ride in the cycling studio and a quick core workout before heading home. I usually try to watch something during indoor rides to make the time pass more quickly. Today that was season 2 of Cheer, which I finished later that night– so good.
Saturday: I slept in once again and decided to go in the early evening again instead of mid-afternoon. I wanted to finish my last PhD application before anything else, and I had a tour of my apartment scheduled for 4pm that I didn’t want to be rushed back for. This was another easy 15 mile ride but I threw in some hill climbs to spice up the monotony of an hour on a stationary bike.
Mileage: 54.86 miles/4 rides
Lessons learned:
- I enjoy lower body workouts far more than upper body.
- My upper body strength as a loooooot of room for improvement.
- I have to walk east to get home from the gym in the mornings. BRING SUNGLASSES.
- Keep spare socks in backpack.
Will every week be like this week? No. I didn’t have much at all to work on for school, but I will be writing an entire thesis before May so this will surely be my most relaxing week of the semester. Will every blog post be as detailed as this? No. I’ll hopefully get into a routine that would be repetitive to write about at this length, and again I won’t have as much time to exercise or blog about exercise toward the end of the semester. But I am going to capitalize on this free time and motivation while I still have it!
A side note: the links in the training descriptions above go to the activities logged on my Strava account. Strava is an awesome app for tracking all workouts, not just running or biking (but I only linked rides because everything else is pretty boring, but the maps for outdoor rides can be fun), and I plan to track my rides there over the summer, too. If you’re interested in getting lots of cool metrics about your exercise activities you should check it out!
Until next week,
Lauren
Lauren Bikes America 
Way to go, Lauren…P-pa says you’re becoming an athlete!👍
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Off to a good start! ❤️
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