Easy Upright Stationary Cycling

Daily Quote: "Rather than a 30- to 45-minute easy run, you can cross-train at a higher intensity for the same duration.  When cross-training, it is best to base workouts on time rather than distance.  Just as with running, you can have short, intense cross-training workouts made of short high-intensity work intervals interspersed with rest bouts, or you can have workouts that mirror tempo workouts -- a hard 20- to 25-minute effort --or you can have a workout that imitates the long run-- 1 2- to 3-hour, moderate-intensity workout."  --from the excellent book "Runner's World, Run Less, Run Faster," by Pierce, Murr, and Moss, pg 99.

Today's workout is from the book, "Runner's World, Run Less, Run Faster," if you own the book the workout is on page 106, Cross-Training Workout #1 ((XT#1).  Last Tuesday I found that the cycle's Level 10 setting was getting a little easy and had planned to raise the cycle to Level 11, BUT, my body is still sore from yesterday's tough interval session and decided to keep the cycle at Level 10 for today and raise the level next week.

24 Hour Fitness on Decatur & Tropicana, Life Fitness Lifecycle:
1. Mode: Stationary cycling for a total time of 45 minutes.
8 minutes easy spinning, Level 4.
30 minutes moderate, Level 10.
7 minutes easy spinning, Level 4.
Cadence for all levels was 95-100 revolutions per minute...or RPMs

My cardiac drift was only 157 bpm, which helped my recovery from yesterday, but still plan on raising the cycle to Level 11 next Tuesday.  The nice feature of the cycle is that it doesn't irritate my left plantar fasciitis injury and am confident that my right hip is staying healed.  Stationary cycling is definitely a higher intensity than my past short recovery runs, but without the pounding.

Tomorrow I'm planning on my Long Run being 17 miles at 9:08 minute miles on the Precor Treadmill...I'm going to have to get up earlier tomorrow morning to fit in the workout before work.  Next week will be my first 20 miler for the season and won't have enough time to squeeze it in before work, therefore I'll have to return my Long Run on a Sunday.  September 18th will be my next race in the Las Vegas Track Club Competition Series, "The LVTC Forest Challenge 11 Miler," at Mount Charleston's Lee Canyon.  September is going to be a tough training month!