Recovery Month of Fun!

The month of April is commonly known as "Recovery Month" for Tri Alliance. It is a rest period after 6 months of racing over the warmer months of the 2011/2012 season. There is a few who are still racing (Port Mac IM, Busso 70.3, IM St George, Cairns 70.3) but for the core athletes, we take it nice and easy. This month not only gives a chance for our bodies to rest and recover, it also gives our minds a rest from the OCD routines of training.

As you may have read from my previous entries, I timed my tonsilectomy in recovery month so I am able to take a break from training without compromising my build to Shep. My first training session with Tri Alliance started on Saturday when I joined the group for Tour De Latte. This is a fun ride which gives the newbies a chance to learn how to ride in a bunch, use your gears and ride a bike on the road with the protection of Tri Alliance. I remember doing this ride in 2010 when I first joined the squad and these rides were priceless. I learnt the meaning of drafting, sticking to someone wheel and more importantly, signalling. One thing I want to see more as part of buying a bike is that people need to learn about signally before they ride their bikes. It doesn't matter if your bike is only for the neighbourhood bike paths, you still need to learn signalling.

On Saturday morning, I left the house at about 7am and rode up to Elwood Life Saving Club. I knew that this ride would be a slow one and there is a chance that we will be riding on the small chain ring so I used the chance I had (as I was riding by myself) to ride at my own pace and time trial where I could. I ended up reaching ELSC in about 30min. The ride from ELSC to Mordialloc was a good one. Nice a easy 20-26km/hr pace so that we could ride in a group as much as possible. Greg made us pair up with a beginner so that we could teach them about signalling, bike safety and how to use their gears at different sections of Beach Rd. When we reached Mordialloc, we had a coffee and cake stop before heading back towards ELSC. I decided rather than riding straight home, I would ride up to the Black Rock roundabout so I would total about 60km in the ride which was not a big deal. I didn't track my calories, cadence or speed. This was just to tick the legs over. Riding for the love of cycling.

On Sunday, it was off to the Dandenongs for the 1000 steps session. I have been to the steps on several occasions outside of Tri Alliance and this year was the first with the group. I decided to try out using the hydration pack (rather than bringing a water bottle or waist belt) as I am still sorting out my gear for my trail runs. The hydration pack, I have to admit worked a treat! The only down side is that my back did get sweaty.

We did 2 reps of the steps with the 2nd rep down the trail rather than the steps. Rather than running down the trail which is what I usually do, Darren wanted us to walk down the trail as much as possible as it works your calves, core and quads more and boy it did! As I am typing this entry, I am still wearing my calf compression leggings under my pants for relief.

Tri Alliance @ 1000 Steps

I have to admit, I didn't feel too exhausted from the steps and surprisingly I was able to walk up the steps without stopping, taking a break or running out of breath. It was a lot shorter than what I remembered ths steps to be too. The scenery was beautiful and it will definitely be something I will do more often for fitness and to break up the (sometimes) boring routine of running on bitumen.

After the session, we headed over to Darren (and Kylie's) house for breakfast. It was a chance for the newbies to socialise with the core athletes and learn and thing or two about the benefits of training with a great bunch of people.

Next weekend will be another ride and fitness session. The ride will be from ELSC to Williamstown. I might add a bit more and ride from my house and ride back (it may add up to 90km). Sunday is a mountain bike session at Lysterfield and it will be my first session on the mtb. If I like it, it might expand my multisports to off road events.