With the new family member, our dog Cola, there have been some changes to the training schedule and routines here at the house. First of all, the morning training has been moved to the evening and during the day, long walks and hikes have been added. All of this is great, as it makes the activity level more all-around and versatile.
The week in numbers
With only two runs this week I still managed to scrape together a total of 40.5 km due to the fact that the long run was quite extended.
Total distance: 40.5 km (25.16 miles)
Total elevation gained: 921 m (3021.65 feet)
Breakdown of the week
Monday – Rest
Well, not technically a rest day. A puppy is more than a handful I can tell you that! It was a public holiday here in Hong Kong (Lunar New Year) so the whole family were able to spend quality time with the new dog, letting her get to know her new house and the surroundings.
Tuesday – Hike & Road run
Now come Tuesday it was really time to start the training week.
In the morning I went on a 3-hour hike with my son and the dog, going up quite steep in the mountains before eventually getting on the Maclahose trail. The hike was maybe a little bit too tough for my 7-year old, but we managed to pull through after we came up with an elaborate resting program. Cola, the dog, managed just fine, and she wasn’t even bothered by the cows we ran into up in the mountains.
I did my first evening run in a long time and running after the sun went down felt both unusual and inspiring. There is something about running in the dark, I can’t put my finger on it, but I guess it has to with the fact that I feel more “alone”. It’s just me and the running. I get sort of the same feeling when I run on really desolated trails with no sounds of the city only natures own, hence the comparison.
The total distance was 12.5 km with an average pace of 4:49 / km, which is good. I am always delighted when I manage to keep the average below 5:00.
Wednesday – Hike & Strength training
My son didn’t feel like tagging along for a hike this morning (he is on lunar new year holiday leave), so I and the dog went away.
One really good thing about going out with a dog is that you find new trails and paths that you didn’t know earlier. Some of the trails I will definitely add to my trail running routines. This particular hike was not as long as the one the day before, clocking in on around 2 hours.
After dinner, I went to the gym and did this push program.
Flat dumbbell bench-press x 10
Reduce weight
Flat dumbbell bench-press x 10
Reduce weight
Flat dumbbell bench-press x 10
Rest for 90 seconds
Inclined dumbbell bench-press x 10
Reduce weight
Inclined dumbbell bench-press x 10
Reduce weight
Inclined dumbbell bench-press x 10
Rest for 90 seconds
Side lateral raises 3 x 10
Forward dumbbell raises 3 x 10
Reverse dumbbell flyes 3 x 10
Arnold presses 3 x 10
Rest 60 seconds between each superset
Rope triceps push-downs x 10
Reduce weight
Rope triceps push-downs x 10
Reduce weight
Rope triceps push-downs x 10
Rest for 90 seconds
Overhead dumbbell extensions 3 x 10
Ab exercise 3 x 20
No rest
Stretch 15 minutes
Thursday – Strength training
Another evening session at the gym. I didn’t go out for any long walks or hikes today. I felt that the little dog needed some rest as well and just took her out for a couple of shorter walks. All the new impressions and smells seem to be enough for her since she’s falling asleep immediately after getting home.
This session at the gym consisted of the following pull program.
Deadlifts x 10
Reduce weight
Deadlifts x 10
Reduce weights
Deadlifts x 10
Rest 90 seconds
Barbell rows x 10
Reduce weights
Barbell rows x 10
Reduce weights
Barbell rows x 10
Rest 90 seconds
Lats pull downs x 10
Reduce weight
Lats pull downs x 10
Reduce weight
Lats pull downs x 10
Rest 90 seconds
Seated cable rows x 10
Reduce weight
Seated cable rows x 10
Reduce weight
Seated cable row x 10
Rest 90 seconds
Bicep curls x 10
Reduce weight
Bicep curls x 10
Reduce weight
Bicep curls x 10
Rest 90 seconds
Hammer curls 3 x 10
Ab exercise 3 x 20
No rest
Stretch 15 minutes
Friday – Hike
Back out in the forest/jungle again! This time I and the dig went into the national park and found a really nice trail that should easily be runnable. It took us about 2 hours 15 minutes to complete so it’s not that steep, but the environment is really nice and the path is quite flat and wide.
Saturday – Hike
We had some friends over for lunch (they also have dogs) and went for a hike afterwards. We took the same route as I and Cola did on Wednesday. It was great fun and one of the hottest and stuffiest days of the year so far.
Sunday – Long run
I haven’t done any long runs for quite some time so when my wife took our son for a hike with the dog I went out to the national park. The total run was 28 km, which I am really happy that I managed to complete. The average pace of 5:27 / km is also good, considering how hilly this stretch that I run is. There are 3 major hills to climb where it is hard to keep any pace at all, and some of the downhills are also steep, making it hard to run fast without falling over. One of the downhills also comes after 24 km of running and at this point, I am not trusting my legs will keep up if I let the pace lose too much.
The last 2 km was really tough and I had to really put my mind to it to not quit. The last climb, after 27.5 km of running doesn’t help either. But I managed to get a 28 km total and even though I was exhausted afterwards I still had a good feeling about the run and myself. I think the ultramarathon on Iceland this summer is going to be great!
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Take care, and be safe!
