Walking as Cross Training

Daily Quote:  "What is one of the secrets of her (double Olympic medalist Yuko Arimori) success?  Listen up, all who venture to run 42k or longer, no matter the pace.  The answer is beyond marathoning.  It's long walks.  That's right walking.  Bob Kennedy had it right when he said Americans train too hard on their easy days.  Japanese runners exercise more restraint."  --P.J. Christman, article "The Marathon Life of Reilly," Marathon & Beyond Magazine, July/August 2010, pg 107.

I found the above quote most interesting, as in the past I would indeed exercise too hard on my easy days and some weeks have no Rest Days whatsoever.  Lately, I've been walking around the airport pit (cab holding area) when taxi business is very slow, my form of extra cross training.

I'm somewhat recovered from Wednesday's 15 miler. Yesterday was a welcomed Rest Day, today is crosstraining day on the upright stationary cycle.  Today's workout is from the book, "Runner's World, Run Less, Run Faster," if you own the book the workout is on page 107, Cross-Training Workout #1 ((XT#2):

1. Mode: Upright Stationary Cycling (45 minutes.)
        Workout: 10 minutes easy spinning as a warmup, alternate resistance between a PE level of 4 (Effort Level 4: Hard. Noticeable increase in breathing; difficult to talk in full sentences.) for 1 minute with 4 minutes of fast spinning at PE level of 1 (Effort Level 1: Easy. No increase in breathing rate; can go all day.); all with cadence of about 95 to 100 rpm. Repeat this six times. Finish with 5 minutes easy as a cooldown.

Note: When I'm cycling at Effort Level 1 (easy), I set the Life Fitness Cycle at setting level 4, and Effort Level 4 (hard) at setting level 13.  I'm improving as I raised my hard setting from level 12 last week.

Average heart rate during the 45 minutes was 158 pm, but cardiac drift due to the intervals was 171 bpm. I'm confident that as I strengthen my cycling muscles my cardiac drift will become even lower and will need to increase the stationary cycling interval level again. This workout is noticeably tougher than my typical recovery run in the past, but didn't notice any soreness from my right hip nor my left plantar fasciitis and has reduced overall physical stress as cycling is a low impact exercise.  Nevertheless, I do miss my recovery runs and hope to eventually return to higher running mileage next Spring.