This is how my legs feel after a brick run!
Week of August 12, 2012:
Saturday: Short bike ride for groceries (otherwise, a rest day)
Week of August 19, 2012:
Sunday: Brick run! Bike ride to work and back with a 35-minute run in the middle
We had a storm roll through the area last night, which cooled things off considerably. The cool, cloudy morning is the sort of thing that one dreams of seeing after days of temperatures topping 100 degrees F, so it was an absolute pleasure to be outside exercising today.
I had a quick something to do at work this morning, so I rode my bike over to the lab, took care of business, then rode the bike back to my favorite park. I hopped off the bike and trotted off on a neighborhood loop to do a 35-minute run. Now, 35 minutes is not a particularly long run, but it certainly felt long enough when I realized that I was doing a real brick run: a run directly following several miles of biking. Indeed, my legs felt a bit bricklike: kinda heavy and not as fast as I would have expected after an easy running day (Friday) and an almost-rest day (Saturday). Brick legs are not necessarily a bad thing: I figure that heavy-feeling legs are a sign that I’m building endurance. Nothing hurt, so I wasn’t worried about injury, but I knew that 35 minutes was the right interval for this run.
I’ve spent the rest of the day alternating between the kitchen (homemade pizza for dinner!), doing science work on the computer, and pleasure reading. My favorite piece I read today was from Already Pretty, a reflective post on “The ‘Treat Yourself’ Mentality.” It got me thinking about life as an academic and how our profession really cultivates the feeling and attitude that “there’s no real end in sight.” I think I’m in a much better place professionally than I was a year ago, but my goodness, that feeling that you can never be working hard enough and adding enough lines to your CV can be very demoralizing. This topic is one that I need to explore in greater depth, as I begin to juggle the demands of revising a grant, writing my paper, a little teaching(!) and oh yeah, continuing to do experiments for my project…
I haven't done a brick in forever. And I probably won't for awhile since I don't currently own a bike.... It sounds like a truly excellent Sunday.
ReplyDeleteIt was! What's funny is that my days in the lab have become so hectic with running around and multi-tasking that a few hours spent at home, analyzing data, felt very relaxing and restorative. Part of me is looking forward to the writing and revising because it will involve sitting in one place for more than five minutes :-)
DeleteDo you think you'll be getting a new bike any time soon? I know you used to have one...I assume it was sold or donated before the move?
Sitting in one place for more than 5 minutes is good - unless it's sitting on a plane for 7.5 hours and then it is bad. :)
ReplyDeleteI sold my bike on Craigslist before the move. I want to invest in a nicer and better bicycle for here - probably a hybrid. I think I'll wait until the spring, though, because I want to do some more research on models. Plus, I need to get back into the habit of not making major purchases every week, as it seems like has been the case this summer between the house, some new furniture for it, the move, and being in an expensive city like New York.
Hee hee! Yes. I like sitting intervals > 5 minutes and < 7.5 hours. I'm glad you arrived home safely.
DeleteI totally hear you on the move. Moving is crazy expensive when it is a major relocation, and I think buying things for your new home is an important part of settling into the new space. Plus it will feel like such a treat when you finally do buy a new bike!
I've been pacing myself as I upgrade my furniture from "dorm room chic" to "an adult lives here." I'm ready to think about a bedroom set, but I had some other expenses this year, so I'm holding off on buying big furniture until 2013. This month I went a little stir-crazy with buying smaller things, but spending $100 more than planned is a different magnitude than spending $1000 on new stuff.
PS I've been really enjoying Already Pretty, which I thought you might like, since you used to be a prolific style blogger yourself.