How I PR & Weekend Happenings!

(shoes, fleece leggings, jacket, beanie)

I was not wanting to go out in the single-digit weather (I sent Emilee screenshots of the weather bc it was scaring me ha) but luckily Emilee’s good attitude about it rubbed off on me.  We were also lucky because we could wait until the sun was out and that made the biggest difference.

Frost in my hair occurred along the way which surprised me because I wasn’t feeling cold at all!

This 16 miler went by faster than any 16 miler I have ever done because we were talking about all of the things the entire way.  The first time I looked at my watch we were at 14.27 miles.  The run included some hills but not a lot and we just ran according to feel.  Eleven days until race day!

I celebrated after with a donut.

I am definitely ready for tank-top running weather again!

We started our Sunday off with breakfast burritos and strawberries.

Had the normal day…

And we attempted a nap but that definitely did not happen.

Any time music is turned on, this little guy is dancing.

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Let’s chat about the Peloton!  I have only had mine since October but I have a deep love for it and can’t believe I didn’t buy one sooner than I did.  It lives in my laundry room and makes it so easy to get in an amazing workout in a short amount of time.  I get off feeling ready to conquer the world and love how much the instructors motivate me to push myself to the next level.  I am noticing that it is helping me in my running and it will be a great tool in injury prevention (variation wahoo) for me over the years.

I have found a few things that help me to get a PR (aka your highest total output—> ‘How much work you’ve done over the whole ride.  This is calculated by taking the average output times the number of seconds in the ride divided by 1,000.  For instance, if you average 100 Watts in a 2,700 second ride (45 minutes), your total output will be 270 KJ.  If you want to increase your total output and move up on the leaderboard, you’ll need to keep your output high over the full ride.  This may mean increasing your resistance, possibly even above what your coach recommends.” (source)

(Shorts, tank)

A lot of these things that I do to get a PR on the Peloton are similar to running but I thought I would share specifically what I do when I am reaching for a new PR on the Peloton.

*I take in some caffeine before the ride (my favorite is Nanohydr8)

*I do a warm-up.  I know they have warm-up classes available but I usually just ride a few minutes on my own to wake up a bit and get my legs ready for the class if I want a PR so that I am not wasting time in the class warming up.

*I keep the leaderboard visible.  On a normal day when I’m not going for a PR, I usually hide the leaderboard but on the days I want a PR, I keep it visible.  It will show you where you are at in comparison to your PR and it helps to keep me motivated to stick with my PR or go above it when I have it staring at me the whole time.

*I choose a class with an instructor that I know is going to really push me (I swear it is always Kendall’s classes for me!).  I will also look at what classes my friends PR in and try those classes for a PR.

*I end strong… Usually the last minute of a class is a cool-down, but if I want a PR there is no way I can take the last-minute easy!

*Sometimes you are just going to have to go above what the instructor tells you to do with your resistance (level of difficulty) and cadence (rotations per minute).  Getting a PR for me now doesn’t come as easily as it did in the first few months of having my bike and now I have to go above some of the guided #s from the instructors to get a PR.  My PRs are usually pretty small but I celebrate them like they are much more;)

*Go for a PR when your body loves working out the most… There is zero chance I could PR any time after 9 a.m. ha.

*I shorten the ‘flat road’ portions when I am looking for a PR.  My output drops on the flat roads and if I want a PR that day, I can’t take long breaks so I usually just shorten the flat road portions on PR days.

*Take a class that is playing music that really pushes you.  Music is a huge motivator for me.  Andrew chooses a lot of the classes he takes purely based on the music.

*Take a rest day before you want to go for a new PR on the bike.  It’s just like running in that sense—>  Give your body plenty of sleep, rest and fuel and you will be busting out a PR!

*Focus on pulling up on the pedal. I notice that I naturally want to push down when I want to go faster or increase my resistance but when I focus on pulling up through my pedal stroke, my output increases big time.

*Try taking a live class or joining a session so that you know people are taking the class at the exact same time that you are, seeing that they aren’t quitting helps me to avoid quitting.

*Take a bunch of longer classes leading up to the day you want a PR.  IE if you want a 30-minute class PR, take a bunch of 45-minute classes leading up to it so that you are not only stronger physically but mentally you can really push yourself knowing that you are taking a shorter class than you normally do.

*Remind yourself before you start that it is going to be hard.  There is no way around it.  I think being honest with myself with what is up ahead helps me to stay with it because I am expecting it to really hurt rather than just thinking a PR is going to be handed to me.

*The weeks that I am doing big running speed workouts or long runs = PRs on the bike just aren’t happening because my focus is more on running and I need to use my bike days as recovery days. PRs happened all of the time in the beginning but they definitely don’t happen as often anymore so if that is your case, I think that is very normal!

PS if you want to be friends on there, I would love to follow you too—> Janaebaron

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Any Peloton users that have tips for getting a PR?  Favorite length of class?  Favorite instructor?

What was the best part of your weekend?

Favorite donut?

-Anything with maple frosting (although, I do need to get an apple fritter again soon).

Found any cross-training that you absolutely love?