“Only staying active will make you want to live a hundred years” - Japanese proverb
Over the last couple of months and even through January, with running capability still hamstrung - due to lingering tendonitis - cycling volume has been consistently quite large, relatively speaking. Over the summer it’s been easy to rack up hours and kms in the saddle, as the ~40km commute to work can be completed alongside the rising sun on the Auckland Waterfront and up through Devonport, following a short ferry break.
I’ve also targeted cycling ‘the long way’ back from work at least once a week, weather permitting, which is an additional 50km one way.
More significantly, however, saw the opening week of the month feature some New Year’s inspiration, with perfect conditions opening themselves up for a 200k very slow ride from Auckland to Coromandel Town. Doubling my PB in both distance and time.
There’s plenty to be taken away and learned from that ride; not least an understanding that if I’m struggling to reach 30km/ph on downhills, it is far less likely to be a me problem, than it is to a bike (mechanical) one.
Unfortunately for me, it took until 100km for me to come to that realisation. Stopping at the well known Pink Cafe in Kaiaua for a toastie and coffee to try and recalibrate - not understanding why my quads were so cooked having been going so slow - I flipped the bike and spun the wheel to find it struggle to manage two rotations before completely stopping, thanks to the brake pad.
The less said about the time it took to address the issue (and therefore my mechanical ineptitude) the better.
It should also be stressed that irrespective of how much back and backside discomfort one may be in - deep heat is best avoided around sensitive areas.
Where previously cycling had been a necessary evil to compensate for the lack of running and a means to maintain some semblance of fitness, it has now become a mainstay in training, and will resume even when a full running schedule is picked back up.
There were some concerns about cycling not transferring in any feasible way to running fitness and performing under fatigue as is required for Hyrox. However, a Hyrox Doubles simulation completed at F45 Onehunga provided a well needed confidence booster that my cardio was still intact.
Despite some awkwardness with the setup of the simulation; such as the pull rope being connected to the sled via resistance bands, Corey (my doubles partner) and I managed the simulation in 58 minutes and in otherwise less than favourable weather conditions.
Training up until then had also only ever seen stations rehearsed in isolation; the simulation being the first time I’d tackled them on running legs.
Large parts of my training were based on preconceived ideas and misconceptions about Hyrox and how strength focused it actually is. In reality, it’s just a running race, with a few technique based, heart-rate boosting obstacles along the way.
Technique and engine capacity seems to be the name of the game. Thankfully, cycling has preserved some of that engine.
Molly, too, has been taking me to her ‘Ceremony’ and ‘Hyrox’ Les Mills classes where possible. Though they do not include any running, they are high intensity classes that have helped with conditioning me to working stations under fatigue.
A change of gym to a more Hyrox geared one, M45, has also provided access to a 25m pool, a sauna and steam room. The sauna, in particular, has been seeing fairly extensive use, mostly in 15’ segments.
The pool is an entirely new learning experience; having never really swam much or otherwise learned how to swim ‘properly’. Rather than ‘blowing bubbles’, habit (or inability) had always been to breathe with every stroke. The gym pool, though, mostly goes unused by other gym-goers. So it has allowed me to run ‘drills’ and practice the rhythm of breathing and swimming without the fear of embarrassing myself too much.
My use of the word drills is probably a slight stretch, as all i’d really do would be to hold on to the edge of the pool, extend my legs and kick while practising the rhythm of blowing bubbles and breathing.
This has enabled my first length of 25m. Not pretty. Not efficient. But 25m of ‘proper’ swimming. And another means to cross train away from the elliptical certainly can’t hurt.
Whilst tendonitis has still been an underlying issue throughout the month I can see, clearer than ever, an end. Whatever morning pain has plagued me over the last 6 months has largely subsided. I’m now comfortably running just under 3 hours a week with a session included.
Though far from the intensity and speeds of old, the sessions and intervals have been especially gratifying; with the sessions being built around Molly and her aspirations of running a sub-20 5K mid February.
Equally gratifying is the first 60' run since August, which was entirely pain free. And with the reintroduction to running and actual workouts, there’s a sense of optimism and enthusiasm for February.
Though with the conclusion of Hyrox on 1st February, a conscious effort will need to be made to not overload the body with running too much too soon. Thankfully, though, the cycling and swimming can mitigate and offer an alternative to big miles for now.