*Base Build - 13*

I have gotten behind on my blogging these last few days.  Things have been busy at work and home and I just haven't had 5-minutes to sit down.  So, where did I leave off...

Tuesday morning I went to the Y and swam my usual 35x50's.  I felt good.  My breathing was easy.  My stroke was slow but correct.  And I felt oxygenated:)

Yesterday I went to the Y and ran 7-miles on the treadmill.  That is kind of pushing my limit for what I find tolerable on a treadmill - I would much rather run that distance outside.  Oh well.  I did it.  It is further than I have run in quite some time, but it felt good and easy and is a good starting point for building a weekly "long run".

*Base Build - 12*

Yesterday I ran in the cold - about 15 degrees with a wind out of the north.  Aside from a little face stinging, it wasn't too bad.  I ran 5-miles (the same course as yesterday), and managed to avoid the ice patches this time.  Good.

I have an interval bike set planned for this afternoon - hopefully my new saddle will show up today so I can give it a whirl.

*Base Build - 11*

This morning I rode intervals on my bike for 50-minutes.  I did a good job hitting my target heart rates for the various intervals.
Later in the day I ran 5-miles outside.  The roads and paths were 98% clear and dry.  The 2% darn near got me more than once however.  I was lucky to have stayed on my feet.  I kept my effort level low and felt pretty good when finished.

*Base Build - 10*

Hello friends and adoring fans!  Hello?  Anybody out there?  Oh well...

Today I went to the Y an ran 6-miles on the treadmill.  I had wanted to get outside for a run, but with the warm-up in weather and today's thunderstorm, the streets were a flooded mess.  Ok.  I ran my miles at a zone-2 pace and may have actually stayed in zone-2 the entire run.  Good boy.

After the run (yes after) I swam 35x50's bilaterally with 10-seconds rest.  I concentrated every set on my form and I happily report that breathing to my left is getting quite comfortable - at least for the short sets that I am doing.  That is okay, though.  There is lots of time to stretch those sets out.  I am making little improvements with every swim.

After the swim, I did a little strength training to balance out the freestyle stroke - just some lats, shoulders, and triceps today at high reps.  Oonce!  Go Homey!

*Base Build - 9*

So yesterday I woke up at 5:00, swung my legs out of bed, and oh boy, was I sore!  That snow run the day before really tightened me up!  I guess all of those little stabilizing muscles had been working double time to keep my butt off the ground.  Oye.

I jumped on the trainer anyway, but my mission changed from "intervals" to "recovery and loosen".  I biked for only 30-minutes at a steady pace of low to moderate intensity.  I did feel somewhat better after and today I feel 100%.

This morning I went to the Y (5:00 am) and swam.  I continued my routine, swimming 35x50's, bilaterally, with about 10-seconds rest between sets.  It took me a while to get into a groove - I was certainly fighting the water for the first dozen or so, but then I settled in and stroked along pretty comfortably.  When I was finished I was actually fairly tired.  Weenie.

*Base Build - 8*

Yesterday I biked 50-minutes on the trainer.  It was the same interval workout that I have done in the past - a warm-up followed by 3x10 minutes with a heart rate build over the three sets and cool-down.  My heart rate elevated to 150, 160, and 170 over the three sets.  I was able to get it down to around 130 between sets and felt pretty good the whole ride.

Today I ran 5-miles outside with my new Garmin GPS watch.  The paths were snow packed and I had to run very gingerly to keep my balance.  To be honest, it kind of sucked.  My Garmin measured the run at 5.09-miles and my average pace at 9:09 with an average heart rate of 160.  Yup, too much effort to go that slow, but with the bad conditions, what could I do?

*Base Build - 7*

This post is a little behind - the last few days have been pretty busy.


Friday of last week I managed a short bike ride -an intense 30-minutes on the trainer.  There isn't much to say about it except it was too short a ride.


This weekend my boys had a swim meet in Indianapolis.  We left the house at 3:00 am Saturday and returned Sunday afternoon.  I had planned to get in a ride or run when I got home but I ended up just sacking out on the couch instead.  Hmph!


Today I got back at it and...

*Base Build - 6*

This morning I got my booty out of bed and was at the Y by 5:15 to swim.  Getting into the water I noticed that my previous masters swim coach was swimming in the next lane over.  We chatted for a few minutes about swimming (what else) and he asked about how things were going with Ian (which I appreciated).  Soon after, I jumped in and began my 35x50's.  I ended up swimming them pretty hard - I guess I didn't want to look to pathetic in front of coach, although I likely failed in this effort.  Regardless, I did feel pretty good and my breaths came easier than in swims past.  I even left most of the water in the pool and as a result, had plenty of room for a hearty breakfast when I was finished:)

*Base Build - 5*

Another blizzard.  Another snow day.  Another day on the treadmill.

I headed over to the Y at lunch and snuck in a 5-mile run - at a leisurely 9:05 pace.  With the slow pace and nothing good on the TV's, I darn near fell asleep (not really).  I wore my HRM to verify that I stayed in zone-2, which I did for the majority of the run.  Toward the end my heart rate crept up a bit and ended in low zone-3, but that's okay for now.  My mileage is quite low so recovery certainly isn't a problem:)

I'm heading home here pretty soon and then over to the University to watch the kids swim.  In my tag-line I state that one of my purposes with Ironman training is to inspire my boys.  The reality is, I am inspired by them nightly.  The work that they are doing is really quite something and I am constantly impressed by their dedication to their sport.  At some point my training will rival and surpass theirs, but right now I am not even in the same ballpark...

*Base Build - 4*

Today I swam at the Y - 30x50's with 10-seconds rest.  Like my previous swim, the goal was good form and bilateral breathing (which I did).  I felt somewhat more comfortable than last time but still ended up drinking too much pool water while breathing left.  Ugh.  I hate to think of all of the goodies in YMCA pool water :)  I imagine at some point this will get easier and when that happens I will start stretching out the intervals - but I'm just not ready yet (and I've got time).  Baby steps.

*Base Build - 3*

Yesterday I ran 5-miles at 9:05 pace.  I felt smooth and relaxed and within minutes of finishing, I felt like I could jump on the treadmill and do it again.  I guess that is the benefit to running slow:)

This morning I biked on the trainer for a whopping 30-minutes.  Although short, my moderate effort was hard enough that I was sweating pretty heavily and my legs felt worked by the ride's end.

In other news, my rump is still uncomfortable after longer rides  and my "man parts" are still going numb - as in, "oh crap, I think it's dead... no wait, it's still working...".  I'm not quite sure what to do about it.  I would be interested to try a split end or stub-nose seat and see if that helps.  I'll keep my eyes open and see if I can score a used one at some point.  My rides won't get "real" long for a while - so I have some time...

*Base Build - 2*

Yesterday was a light day.  I biked (trainer) and ran (treadmill) for a total of less than an hour.  Okay, a very light day.  I was actually pretty sore from swimming the day before so it felt good to just go easy and get loosened up a bit.

Today I biked for 50-minutes on the trainer.  The workout called for a 5-minute warm up at 120bpm, 10-minutes at 145 bpm, 5 @ 130, 10 @ 155, 5 @ 130, 10 @ 165, and a 5-minute cool-down at 120 bpm.  Overall it went well.  I hit my mark on all but the last set.  For some reason my heart rate wouldn't budge past 161.  I felt like I was really cranking away, but no dice.  Oh well - I'll get it next time:)

Oh yea - by the way - Happy Birthday to Me!!!