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Well, my training just took a big 180. No more 2 a days. No more easy runs. No more master's swim during the week. This is partially because of my schedule (currently working in the pediatric ICU), and partially because it's time to move away from base, and towards some workouts that are going to make me faster. For the most part this will be just one key workout per day.

A little birdie landed on my shoulder and gave me the workouts to put in my back pocket from now until camp, in 7 weeks. When I saw the first one, my jaw dropped

run-
30 min Zone 2
20 min Zone 4
10 min Zone 2

So, using my best 5k time (21:50), and Daniel's running formula I got my paces:
Zone 2- 8:58
Zone 3- 8:00
Zone 4- 7:30

I told the little birdie- there is no way I can run on a treadmill for 20 minutes at 7:30 pace!

He said- Yeah you will

Let me tell you. Those were the hardest 20 minutes of run training in my life. By 4 minutes into the interval, my heart rate had hit its plateau of 192 bpm. By 15 minutes I started looking around for a place to vomit. At 18 minutes, I glanced behind me to see what I was going to hit when I went flying off the back of the treadmill. But I made it!

Then today the schedule had me doing 8 x 4 minute zone 4 intervals on the trainer.

Me, to little birdie: I can't do zone 4 on the trainer!

Little birdie: You'll find a way

I can assure you that it was painful, but I somehow managed to keep my HR at 180 for all 32 minutes of the intervals. Thanks in part to my ipod and some really corny dance mix songs...

But on Thursday I get what I haven't had in about 8 weeks. A rest day! Granted, I have to work from 7am Thursday to 1pm Friday, then go to a meeting from 2-3, then do a trainer ride. I call it active recovery!

And some great news! My Mom had her surgery today. It went great, the surgeon was very pleased with the margins of the resection of the cancer, and he sent her home already tonight! Yay Mom!