I'm on vacation!!! Hooray for me (and hooray for my family). We need a break and the timing is good. We arrived yesterday at noon and pretty much just chilled out yesterday. So a quick recap of the past few days leading up until now:
Sunday night (at 8:15) I went out for a run. I actually wasn't sure how far I would go when I started, only that it would be somewhere between 8 and 11-miles. So I took off and just went where my legs took me. At 5-miles into the run I was at a very logical turn-around point and so I did. My pace was a comfortable 8:45 to 9:00 and my legs felt pretty solid. It was a nice evening from a temperature standpoint but pretty humid so by the end of my 10-mile run I was soaked like a drowned rat.
Yesterday morning I biked a quick 60-minutes before shutting it down in order to get the car packed and the shown on the road:)
This morning I set the alarm for 5:30 (yes I am on vacation) and got up to ride my bike - I brought it and my trainer. I rode at a decent effort level for 75-minutes. I felt comfortable in the saddle for the majority of the ride and finished just as my family began to rise:)
Still on vacation - last day, though:(
The day before yesterday I biked again for 75-minutes on the trainer - again at 5:30.
Later in the day I went to the health club and ran 8-miles on the treadmill. I really prefer running outdoors but it is quite hot and humid and my vacation location is LOADED with serious hills. I really just didn't feel like wearing myself out so the flat and air conditioned treadmill was the answer. Other than being boring, the run went well.
This morning I biked for 135-minutes on the trainer - my longest trainer ride to date. I broke up the ride into 15-minutes segments (in my mind). I couldn't find the TV remote so I was just staring at a wall (boring) and taking it 15-minutes at a time helped me keep my sanity. My rear end felt great until about 1:45 into the ride and then got a little sore - not bad though. Hopefully next weekend I can get out on the road with a buddy of mine for my long ride - or at least my buns hope I do..
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Sunday, June 22, 2014
*Iron Training - Week 2*
So it looks like I am going to have to give another weekly update as it has been 5 or 6 days since I have posted.
I started the week off well with a solid 60-minute ride on the trainer. My effort level was good and I imagine my power output was as well.
Tuesday morning I lifted weights with Ian. He was pretty cooked from his long day of swim practice the day before so we kept his weights and sets down a bit. I did my usual lift although I must admit I felt tired and had more trouble with some exercises than I normally do.
Later in the day, I went for a little run. I intended to run 11-miles. The trouble was I began my run at noon on a very hot, sunny, and humid day. The route I took was through the hilly portion of town and provided no shade at all. Hmmm. I did bring my handheld bottle and some Shot Bloks. I knew the heat was going to make for a tough run, but I looked at it as a chance to test my patience as keeping my pace real slow would be required. I took off running at 9:00 pace. I was hot, but the pace was fine, and the first 5-miles went smoothly. Soon after, though, the heat really started feeling oppressive. I could feel my energy getting sucked out of me and my heart rate elevating. I slowed my pace and hit my turnaround point in the run (5.5-miles). Things on the way back got worse and at one point I was running up a large hill, feeling like I was on fire, and running a whopping 10:45 pace (barely running). I made the decision to deviate from my route in hopes of shortening the run. In doing so, I finished by running up the biggest hill my town has to offer. Ugh. I finally got back home and immediately turned the hose on and let it run over my head. Ahhh! Sweet relief. The run ended up being 9.7-miles (but felt like 20). It amazes me how badly the heat affects me. Good thing my race is the end of October:)
Wednesday I woke up to ride my bike to sore legs - I assume from the run. I biked for 60-minutes and kept my effort a little lighter than I normally would. The ride helped to loosen me up but I could tell that I was probably going to get sorer before it went away for good.
Thursday morning I lifted weights by myself. Ian was wiped and I had no problem leaving him home. My lift went well (better than Tuesday) with the exception of the leg press. My legs were still pretty tired from my crappy run and burned with lactic acid buildup.
Later in the morning I ran 8-miles outside around town. It was early enough that although humid, the temperature was reasonable. I ran through a flatter part of town and felt at easy and comfortable the whole run. Good.
Friday I biked 60-minutes on the trainer at my usual effort. Not much else to say about that one.
Yesterday I biked for 120-minutes on the trainer. Oddly, I had a tough time getting comfortable on my saddle. I pretty much was shifting around the whole time and was sooooo ready to get off when the 2-hours were up. On the plus side, my effort was good and my legs felt solid and strong.
I started the week off well with a solid 60-minute ride on the trainer. My effort level was good and I imagine my power output was as well.
Tuesday morning I lifted weights with Ian. He was pretty cooked from his long day of swim practice the day before so we kept his weights and sets down a bit. I did my usual lift although I must admit I felt tired and had more trouble with some exercises than I normally do.
Later in the day, I went for a little run. I intended to run 11-miles. The trouble was I began my run at noon on a very hot, sunny, and humid day. The route I took was through the hilly portion of town and provided no shade at all. Hmmm. I did bring my handheld bottle and some Shot Bloks. I knew the heat was going to make for a tough run, but I looked at it as a chance to test my patience as keeping my pace real slow would be required. I took off running at 9:00 pace. I was hot, but the pace was fine, and the first 5-miles went smoothly. Soon after, though, the heat really started feeling oppressive. I could feel my energy getting sucked out of me and my heart rate elevating. I slowed my pace and hit my turnaround point in the run (5.5-miles). Things on the way back got worse and at one point I was running up a large hill, feeling like I was on fire, and running a whopping 10:45 pace (barely running). I made the decision to deviate from my route in hopes of shortening the run. In doing so, I finished by running up the biggest hill my town has to offer. Ugh. I finally got back home and immediately turned the hose on and let it run over my head. Ahhh! Sweet relief. The run ended up being 9.7-miles (but felt like 20). It amazes me how badly the heat affects me. Good thing my race is the end of October:)
Wednesday I woke up to ride my bike to sore legs - I assume from the run. I biked for 60-minutes and kept my effort a little lighter than I normally would. The ride helped to loosen me up but I could tell that I was probably going to get sorer before it went away for good.
Thursday morning I lifted weights by myself. Ian was wiped and I had no problem leaving him home. My lift went well (better than Tuesday) with the exception of the leg press. My legs were still pretty tired from my crappy run and burned with lactic acid buildup.
Later in the morning I ran 8-miles outside around town. It was early enough that although humid, the temperature was reasonable. I ran through a flatter part of town and felt at easy and comfortable the whole run. Good.
Friday I biked 60-minutes on the trainer at my usual effort. Not much else to say about that one.
Yesterday I biked for 120-minutes on the trainer. Oddly, I had a tough time getting comfortable on my saddle. I pretty much was shifting around the whole time and was sooooo ready to get off when the 2-hours were up. On the plus side, my effort was good and my legs felt solid and strong.
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
*Iron Training - Week 1*
Hello, Hello. I have been out of touch for over a week! My crazy life has flung many an obstacle at me but I am still smiling and having fun. Despite a week filled with work, baseball games, and swim meets, I did manage to get in 9-training sessions - lots of biking, some running, and yes, finally, (a little) swimming.
The bike: I am very happy with my biking progress. I am feeling stronger and stronger and even on my long rides I am feeling energetic and comfortable throughout. To date, my nutrition plan is holding up well and I am optimistic about going longer.
The run: My run continues to improve. I look forward to my long runs (currently 11-miles) and my 7-mile supporting runs feel very easy. I have to force myself to slow down on the 7-milers (although occasionally I'll let it rip for a couple miles).
The swim: Ha. I got in the pool last week for the first time in quite a little while and took off like a bat out of hell. My lifting has given me a little strength and I cruised along at a good clip thinking I was a fish - this, however, lasted all of 50-yards before shoulder fatigue set in and I had to slow down considerably. Fool. Man, oh, man. I am out of swim shape. As a result, my swim set consisted of a bunch of shorter intervals which diminished in form as the yards went on. Okay. I have established a starting point and will work from here. No worries:)
The bike: I am very happy with my biking progress. I am feeling stronger and stronger and even on my long rides I am feeling energetic and comfortable throughout. To date, my nutrition plan is holding up well and I am optimistic about going longer.
The run: My run continues to improve. I look forward to my long runs (currently 11-miles) and my 7-mile supporting runs feel very easy. I have to force myself to slow down on the 7-milers (although occasionally I'll let it rip for a couple miles).
The swim: Ha. I got in the pool last week for the first time in quite a little while and took off like a bat out of hell. My lifting has given me a little strength and I cruised along at a good clip thinking I was a fish - this, however, lasted all of 50-yards before shoulder fatigue set in and I had to slow down considerably. Fool. Man, oh, man. I am out of swim shape. As a result, my swim set consisted of a bunch of shorter intervals which diminished in form as the yards went on. Okay. I have established a starting point and will work from here. No worries:)
Sunday, June 8, 2014
*Base Build - 43*
Yesterday my 60-minute bike ride got cut short by 15-minutes due to family obligations. It was a very busy day and we were running around like crazy people for most of it. Fortunately, the time spent on the bike was at a higher intensity than usual so I wasn't quite so disappointed to finish early.
Today I ran 10.5-miles around town. Tour de Valpo. This week the tour took me west and north through the rolling rural hills. I was diligent to keep my pace down as I was a little concerned about my calf tightening up again. Fortunately, it never did. Perhaps the slower pace helped (or maybe I was just better hydrated). I must admit, though, that my legs felt a little achy for about the last third of the run - that surprised me a little. My 10-miler last week felt great so I sort of expected the same. Oh well. It was a decent run and executed reasonably well:)
So... tomorrow officially begins my 20-week program. It will be exciting to work through the schedule I created. My base building went pretty well and both my bike and run are ahead of where I wanted them for the start of the 20-week program. The swim... well, thats another story but I know that I can get it on track. It was a conscious decision to hold off on my swim training. I simply felt that my energy was better spent on building a nice fat base for the bike and run. And so onward we go. Iron Training begins... now.
Today I ran 10.5-miles around town. Tour de Valpo. This week the tour took me west and north through the rolling rural hills. I was diligent to keep my pace down as I was a little concerned about my calf tightening up again. Fortunately, it never did. Perhaps the slower pace helped (or maybe I was just better hydrated). I must admit, though, that my legs felt a little achy for about the last third of the run - that surprised me a little. My 10-miler last week felt great so I sort of expected the same. Oh well. It was a decent run and executed reasonably well:)
So... tomorrow officially begins my 20-week program. It will be exciting to work through the schedule I created. My base building went pretty well and both my bike and run are ahead of where I wanted them for the start of the 20-week program. The swim... well, thats another story but I know that I can get it on track. It was a conscious decision to hold off on my swim training. I simply felt that my energy was better spent on building a nice fat base for the bike and run. And so onward we go. Iron Training begins... now.
Saturday, June 7, 2014
*Base Build - 42*
Thursday Ian and I lifted weights again. He was still pretty wiped - he had another tough swim practice the night before. I was feeling as chipper as I could at that time in the morning and had a good workout - even raised the weights on two exercises.
Yesterday morning I rode on the trainer for an 60-minutes. It was an uninspired ride and I had only one eye open (so to speak) for the first half of the ride. I finished sweaty and annoyed with myself for my lack of effort.
Last night I ran 7-miles around town. I started of running too fast and never really did reel it in. Each mile was at 8:2x pace. Strangely I felt good and easy the whole run, but during the last mile my right calf tightened up and it felt like I was running with a golf ball in my leg (ouch). I stretched it out when I got done but my calf cramped up in my sleep last night too. Not drinking enough water over the course of the day? Very possibly the case - especially now as it gets into summer...
Yesterday morning I rode on the trainer for an 60-minutes. It was an uninspired ride and I had only one eye open (so to speak) for the first half of the ride. I finished sweaty and annoyed with myself for my lack of effort.
Last night I ran 7-miles around town. I started of running too fast and never really did reel it in. Each mile was at 8:2x pace. Strangely I felt good and easy the whole run, but during the last mile my right calf tightened up and it felt like I was running with a golf ball in my leg (ouch). I stretched it out when I got done but my calf cramped up in my sleep last night too. Not drinking enough water over the course of the day? Very possibly the case - especially now as it gets into summer...
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
*Base Build - 41*
Monday I biked for 120-minutes on the trainer. I fueled with Shot Bloks every 10-minutes followed by a couple swigs of water. This seems to work pretty well and I must admit that I like the taste of the Bloks quite a bit and look forward to each one.
I felt pretty good and strong for the ride and rode they second hour harder than the first. By the ride's end my rump was getting anxious to be done, but overall a good ride.
Yesterday morning Ian and I lifted weights. He was sort of dragging (5:15 is pretty early for him still) and was kind of going through the motions. I felt great. I think if I were to look back, the Tuesday workout is always a little off for him. He will likely be a different animal come Thursday.
Last evening I ran 7-miles while the kids swam at the University. Most of the run was executed too fast, but I forced a slowdown the last couple miles and finished very loose. I am please with how comfortable my legs feel on both the long runs and these shorter, supporting runs. Hopefully I will continue to feel this way as the distances continue to build:)
I felt pretty good and strong for the ride and rode they second hour harder than the first. By the ride's end my rump was getting anxious to be done, but overall a good ride.
Yesterday morning Ian and I lifted weights. He was sort of dragging (5:15 is pretty early for him still) and was kind of going through the motions. I felt great. I think if I were to look back, the Tuesday workout is always a little off for him. He will likely be a different animal come Thursday.
Last evening I ran 7-miles while the kids swam at the University. Most of the run was executed too fast, but I forced a slowdown the last couple miles and finished very loose. I am please with how comfortable my legs feel on both the long runs and these shorter, supporting runs. Hopefully I will continue to feel this way as the distances continue to build:)
Monday, June 2, 2014
*Base Build - 40*
The time, the time... where does it go? I have not posted here in a week - between the kids baseball and swimming, work, working out, and late dinners, by the time I finally stop at the day's end, I just want to go to bed:)
Tuesday - In the morning, Ian and I lifted weights. We were both pretty tired from the weekend but we got the job done (with one eye open).
Later in the day, I ran 6-miles at the University campus. My legs felt a little heavy from the 10-miler the day before but not bad and I had to hold myself back from running too fast. I ended up averaging 8:48 pace - okay.
Thursday - A triple workout day. Ian and I started the day out right with a good lift. We were significantly peppier than on Tuesday, and managed to increase a few weights.
Late afternoon I biked for 60-minutes on the trainer at a decent intensity level. My legs felt good and strong so I decided to add a run.
The run was a 6-miler at the University (about 45-minutes after the bike). I started off nice and slow but gradually built speed every mile and finished with a sub 7:30 mile. I have no idea what prompted the reverse split run, but I felt good so why not?
Friday - I biked for 60-minutes on the trainer in the morning. I treated it as a recovery workout so lower in the effort department. It was a good idea and I managed to work out the little bit of soreness that had developed from by bike/run brick 12-hours before.
Saturday/Sunday - I did nothing. Watching my son's baseball game and mowing my yard on Saturday yielded a serious sunburn on my legs and arms. I had intended to bike but my crispy legs just didn't want to bend:) Sunday I went to my kid's swim meet (very early) and then just came home and napped. I had originally intended to take that day off and only felt minor guilt for not using it to make up Saturday's missed ride.
Tuesday - In the morning, Ian and I lifted weights. We were both pretty tired from the weekend but we got the job done (with one eye open).
Later in the day, I ran 6-miles at the University campus. My legs felt a little heavy from the 10-miler the day before but not bad and I had to hold myself back from running too fast. I ended up averaging 8:48 pace - okay.
Thursday - A triple workout day. Ian and I started the day out right with a good lift. We were significantly peppier than on Tuesday, and managed to increase a few weights.
Late afternoon I biked for 60-minutes on the trainer at a decent intensity level. My legs felt good and strong so I decided to add a run.
The run was a 6-miler at the University (about 45-minutes after the bike). I started off nice and slow but gradually built speed every mile and finished with a sub 7:30 mile. I have no idea what prompted the reverse split run, but I felt good so why not?
Friday - I biked for 60-minutes on the trainer in the morning. I treated it as a recovery workout so lower in the effort department. It was a good idea and I managed to work out the little bit of soreness that had developed from by bike/run brick 12-hours before.
Saturday/Sunday - I did nothing. Watching my son's baseball game and mowing my yard on Saturday yielded a serious sunburn on my legs and arms. I had intended to bike but my crispy legs just didn't want to bend:) Sunday I went to my kid's swim meet (very early) and then just came home and napped. I had originally intended to take that day off and only felt minor guilt for not using it to make up Saturday's missed ride.
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