A (training) week in the life of Kristin – Life PT MD
Exercise has been a big part of my life for as long as I can remember. Mum was always a ‘health Nazi’ ( I love you Mum!) and made sure that my sister and I ate well and encouraged us to participate in sport/exercise.
Moving forwards, I then spent a portion of my life working towards being a professional athlete in the sport of road cycling. I’d ride 600 – 1200kms per week and raced every weekend in Adelaide and around Australia.
These days, I’m just as passionate about exercise but I’ve recognised that in addition to keeping me physically fit, it provides me with a great way to clear my head and have enough energy to operate a business, keep up with my 5 girls and contribute to my community. My main priority for exercise for the last few years has been consistency – to be able to get my routine ‘done’ each week in an environment of competing priorities.
No where to hide now – here goes…….
Monday 25/9
It’s the start of the week and the thought of ‘hear we go again’ briefly goes through my mind when the alarm goes off at 5am. It’s straight onto a spin bike for a 30m session with a block of 10 x 10s sprints. A quick breakfast and then off to a morning yoga session with my friend Chris Martin who works at Power Living Adelaide. I’ve been doing yoga 1 x week for around 3 years now and find it a really helpful way to work on my mobility/flexibility especially around my hips, spine and shoulders. Must be a consequence of turning 40 this year……
Tuesday 26/9
Alarm goes off at 4:20am and I ease myself out of bed, put down 5 Weetbix and then head out for my ‘Tuesday’ ride. The group I ride with has standard routes for each riding day – the less decisions to make the better that time of the morning! Tuesday’s ride is up Old Norton Summit Road, down New Norton Summit and then up Montacute road before heading back to the City down Greenhill Rd for post ride coffee. It is a super windy morning and I put in ‘firm’ efforts up both climbs as the main conditioning component of this session, clocking up just over 50kms.
On Tuesdays, I also complete a weights session working on upperbody strength and also some core/pelvic stability work. This means sets of 6 – 10 repetitions on the weights, heavy as I can go. The stability work takes the form of a few single leg exercises – squats, straight leg dead lift, etc. As much as I love cycling, it doesn’t really cover off on strength, good posture and bone density – weight training (when done correctly!) is perfect for this.
Wednesday 27/9
I hit the road at 5:10am for my bike ride this morning heading up Windy Point to Belair and then another effort up the Old Freeway to Mt Lofty. Beautiful and warm morning and a magnificent sunrise at Mt Lofty before the fast decent down Norton Summit Rd for the Hutt st coffee debrief. Another 50+kms under the belt……
I back this up with a short session in the gym working on glutes (our bum muscles which go to sleep from all of the sitting that we do!) and core strength. Exercises such as bridging, crabwalks and core extensions are all favourites that I use in this session which keeps my body moving well.
Thursday 28/9
Woke up to a wet road when the alarm went off this morning – cyclists don’t like wet roads! After putting down the standard 5 Weetbix, I’m on the road by 5:10am to put in 2 hill climbing efforts – first one up old Norton Summit and the second one up new Norton Summit Rd. 47kms covered for the morning and a slight tail wind up the climbs today which is always motivating. I always feel satisfied once Thursday’s ride is done – 3 hard days in a row and I’m now looking forward to an easy training day tomorrow.
Friday 29/9
Early wakeup for me today – on my spin bike by 4:10am for a 30m recovery spin on the ergo before a 5.30am client start. Goal of this session is simply to get a mild sweat up and ride some of the soreness/fatigue out of my legs from the past 4 days so that I’m ready to go for a big ride on Saturdays. The other focus for me on Fridays (besides working!) is eating……my Saturday ride is typically 5 hours through the Adelaide Hills so being well topped up with carbohydrate is critical and this preparation starts on Friday.
I also managed to squeeze in a short mobility session today – dynamic stretches, foam rolling, massage release ball, etc
Saturday 30/9
Cool start today as I roll out from Life Pt Hutt St @ 5am for the ‘Saturday ride’. Saturdays are my biggest ride of the week and do require some preparation. I always find this ride a bit mentally imposing to start with – it is a long morning in the saddle with lots of climbing and it comes at the end of the work week when I always find I’m a little weary. The ride today heads up Windy Point to Belair, back down Old Belair Road to climb the Old Freeway to Mt Lofty, back down Norton Summit and back up Greenhill Road to Mt Lofty, through Piccadilly Valley to Balhannah, Woodside, Mt Torrens, Birdwood and then back down the Gorge Rd for Coffee in Rundle St at 10am! For those who want more detail – https://www.strava.com/activities/1207857602
Saturdays is about pacing your effort – an endurance ride of 150kms/2000+ vertical metres of climbing which also works on building mental strength. It’s a great way to start the weekend and I’m always satisfied (delirious!) once it is done.
Sunday 1/10
Rest day! Sleep in (6am – thanks kids/daylight savings!), eat, drink and enjoy letting my body recover.