The Perfect Workout

I have no idea what brings about the perfect workout. Is it conditioning, nutrition, sleep, weather, or something completely unknown? All I know is that this morning ranks up there with the best workouts I’ve experienced.

6:45 AM in the pool: 200m warm up, 800m race pace swim, 400m of intervals and cool down for 1,400m total.
From the moment I hit the water this morning I was feeling fast. I have adjusted my strength training to include more specialized shoulders/chest/and back work and I have been able to tell a big difference in the water. When I started my 800 for time I panicked because my pace was faster than I would normally begin with, but I decided to just power through and attempt to keep that pace. Total = 800m in 10:20. That’s a 1:17:05 pace for my hundreds. So I absolutely killed the 800, and while my upper body was drained I was still feeling strong through my next set and cool down.

8:00 AM on the track: 1 mile warm up, 600m supersets x 4
It was a quick transition from the pool to the track and I was still feeling fresh. The first mile was slower than my usual warm up, but I felt like I had plenty in the tank. I usually try and predict when I’m going to hit a wall or the hump in a set of repeats (third one of four is a pretty good guess), but today I ran strong through all four of the supersets. Wow! Seriously, this was the best I have ever felt during this workout and that is a good sign with Dawg Days only 3 weeks away.

I’m not sure if it was the cool and overcast morning weather, my strong Gatorade mix, or just being in the perfect frame of mind for today’s workout, but it was one of the best I’ve had in a long time. Mornings like this one are why I’m pursuing this sport, and why I’m looking forward to the starting line in three weeks. I may be a long shot for XTERRA Nationals with the changes to my race schedule, but it won’t be for a lack of effort. Enjoy your weekend!