Final touches for the Birthday Quadrothon

Thursday, April 12, 2012
This was to be my final day of exercise before the big birthday quadrathon, so I was definitely thinking I should take it a little easy.  I started as I always do…with push-ups, but they were the pure, rigid plank-style and I knew I needed to get to at least 57 by Saturday.  As I hit 40, I knew I’d make it and managed to squeeze out 60…a new pr.  I made my way through the remainder of the workout pushing hard on every set.  I was thinking that I’d follow the workout with a ride…it was cool but not too bad…and so I hurried, minimizing time between stations with some jogging. 

I finished the workout by cutting across the field where all the rugby programs meet…and where the duffers come to practice their golf swings.  Most of those duffers are having a hard time finding all of the balls they hit, so I’ve pretty much made it my job.  I have a box in the trunk with a couple of hundred in it already, and found another 13 on my way to the car.  That’s a very good day.

Once home, I quickly suited up for a ride.  I was thinking of doing around 90 minutes when it finally occurred to me that I didn’t really need to do more preparation and that a 90-minute ride at this point would only steal something from my legs for Saturday’s event.  And it was kind of chilly.

I went back inside and decided that since I was done exercising that maybe I should begin carbo-loading for Saturday.  Carbo-loading refers to an old practice utilized my long distance, aerobic athletes like runners doing a marathon or cyclist in long races loading up on pastas and other carbs to be sure that they had enough in their muscles for the coming event.  Muscles fire on glycogen, which is the name given carbohydrate stored in your muscles, and there is about enough for around two hours of continuous exercise when you begin.  Carbo-loading is a practice that actually allows you to store even more and thus prevent “hitting the wall” or “bonking”…two expressions commonly used by runners and cyclists to describe what happens to them when they run out…and slow WAY down.  Been there…done that…and it’s not pleasant.

So anyway…cookies and candy left over from Easter…you know – sugar – is, of course, carbohydrates.  I ate what was left in the house for a snack before wolfing down a couple of large plates of Holly’s wonderful tuna noodle casserole.  I was totally loaded by the end of the evening…though I would probably need to do a little more the next day.  Preparation is everything.     
                                                                                         
Survival Workout: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 100-150.
Calories burned:  600.