I've really come to love cardio days. Truthfully, I was always told and always told myself when I was younger that I was a sprinter, not a distance guy. I loved wind sprints, plyometrics, running hills, etc etc but I hated going out for a mile jog. I ran hurtles and sprint relays. I cant seem to get enough of the opposite now. Long runs and rides have become so therapeutic to me..
Post HS and into university between working in the service industry and partying I picked up the delicious habit of smoking. It was awful, as everyone knows. I couldn't even tell you why it started. I wasn't playing any sports or involved in any recreational activities so motivation was nowhere to be found. The only thing that kept me from weighing three hundred pounds was working as a valet parking attendant. Young and dumb. Fast forward half a decade and I've quite smoking, quite drinking any alcohol, caffeine, energy drinks and for the most part eat pretty clean. My diet is definitely not perfect, nobody's is but it's always getting better. This all brings me to my next point. How I feel. Cardio day. I love it. You almost don't even know how really shitty you actually feel or what they mean when they say you are what you eat until you know what it feels like to feel so freakin good.
A few life style changes and I've run a marathon with my eyes set on the Moab 200. Health is your wealth, man. Damn!
Today's cardio day. I walked a mile at the incline of 5 at 3.3mph to warm up which I think got me about 250 ft of elevation gain. It was a speed work day, and I was running so I settled on wind sprints. I ran a total of 4 miles between a 6mph at 8mph pace. My intervals were 30-60sec.
Miles 1 and 3, I ran wind sprints. Mile 1 was 30sec intervals (6mph vs 8.5mph). Mile 3 was 60 sec intervals (6mph vs 8.5mph). Mile 2 and 4 was recovery speed jog at 6mph/ )10min/mi pace).
I know a lot of people hate the tread mill, but I absolutely love it. For the most part, I find slower paced edm and focus on breathing.
I followed my run up with 30 minutes of stretching. I rolled out with the roller and softballs and stretched.
You guys Have a Killer Thursday!