I went for a ride on TK and it was PAINFULLY slow! Oh my goodness! We went somewhere new! The shock of it all nearly did his little walnut brain in!
We went out at a walk and a trot (thank goodness I'm carrying a crop now!) along the railway line for over 30 minutes, until I could stand it no longer! We turned around and walked home. Of course, pointed in the direction of home, he was Mister Speedy Gonzales, and we got back, at a walk only, in less time than it took to get out there.
His hesitation at going somewhere new was a bit of a surprise. I can ride him out alone with no problems, but have been riding similar trails each time - we have a nice 7km loop we do regularly - and he goes along very well. We've also ridden unknown trails with a friend, and had no problems. Even if he wasn't familiar with the other horse, he was happy to have a buddy and carry along at a nice pace.
So, I didn't realise he would be so silly out in a new place alone. He might not be a very good endurance horse after all!
But presumably if we trek down the same road each time he'll get comfortable with it and we'll be able to pick up the pace and increase the distance. That particular bit of track is a pretty nice 20 km with a few wet spots, but not too bad overall.
After I got him home and undressed, I headed to the shops and bought a few things, including a thermometer. Poor TK. To be vetted through an endurance ride, he needs to have his vitals taken. That's pulse and temperature. Wait, POOR ME!! I have to teach him to accept a rectal thermometer!
Anywho! That afternoon I went for a bike ride with Helen and Nic down Police Pools. I am still a lot slower than them, even with my tuned up bike, but I was doing much better than usual. My average was 24.7km/hr and this includes the warm up 3 km that I do at maybe 18km.
When I got home, I paddled for 45 minutes. I am really glad I am doing this practice. As ridiculous as paddling the air in the lounge room might seem, it is developing my arm and shoulder strength. Without this bit of a base of strength, I'd never have a chance of making it through the race. Paddling for that long is tough!
I was going to do a run and then go to Balance, but then thought that I should help Amanda with the stereo settings before Pump (the stereo is often out of whack after events), and I might as well stay for Pump and then do Balance. As it turns out Pump was a bit of a bad idea. I really made my shoulder ache, and it's been pretty good and getting stronger. I avoided the exercises that I knew would hurt, but was really surprised when my arm started to ache when I was holding my bar on my back for squats. Really unfortunate about the shoulder, because it was otherwise such a fun and challenging workout!!
My legs were still shaking in Balance after the killer lunge track! It's the first time in a long time that I've sweated through the whole class!
I crashed and burned that night, and did not get up in enough time to run before work on Tuesday. I could barely open my eyes!
Note to self: five hours of exercise, even with breaks in between, is still a LOT of exercise!So today, Tuesday, I've done an hour of spinning, but that's it.
Tomorrow, back on track with a horse ride and a run - aiming for 10km.
So, it would seem that this week I am not quite doing as much "everything" as last week, but I haven't gotten too far behind at all, and am still feeling really great! I was tired early in the day on Tuesday, but perked up, and ended strong.
I was afraid of over-training, but right now I seem to be 100% on top of things! Woohoo!
Oh, hey, if you've never cooked with fennel, do try braised fennel. I made some the other day and what a yummy simple light dish. Delicious! It's essentially diced fennel bulb and a small amount of the fronds, onion, garlic, rosemary and chopped tomatoes. Heat it all up till the fennel is soft and then dress up the fennel sauce anyway you like, such as baked with breadcrumb and parmesan cheese topping. Lovely!
Hope to post an update tomorrow after my ride and run!
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