Early morning workout

Okay, I know, I know, what the fuck was I thinking, I don't know, besides that the 1100 spinning class in Bellevue was canceled, and the only other option was a 1730 class and I'd have to put my rats in Kid's Club, and I haven't seen them since Monday. Not really feeling that option either, so I grabbed a straw, and I was up at 0530 and in the 0600 spinning class. This one sucked today, my legs are shot and bruised from the past week of workouts, and I can feel my splints. Anyway, enough whining... Spinning from 0600 to 0650, then two miles in 16.08, I'm feeling pretty good!!! Not a half bad brick if I say so myself. :P Although those were treadmill miles. Well, for the next two days I'm takin' it easy on the exercise, and heavy on the 800mg pills of heaven, then Sunday I'm going to benchmark my performance with an indoor version of the Federal Escape. I'll post times when I get finished, but based on my swimming times, I'm feeling pretty confident. The only issues I see is me just getting bored, not really feeling the whole static thing. Also, got a happy little surprise today, after getting off the spinning bike, and walking to the treadmill (apx 1.30min) my hr was 118, then I had to go under a 7.30min/mile to get my hr above 160!!! I'm happy. 1h30m of workout and 800mg Motrin later....

Wednesday

Okay, today was a good day!!! Only swimming, no running, and my legs are thanking me. :D I'm not sure, but I paced out the pool at the Bellevue 24hour fitness, and it was 28 paces, or as close as I can figure, about 25 meters, but I'm not 100% sure. Well, I guess I will have to still train at a measured pool to be sure, but assuming that it is 25 meters, my day is as follows.
100 meters 1.47 min
100 meters untimed
50 meters untimed
100 meters 2.00 min
200 meters 3.42 min (personal best)
100 meters 1.45 min
50 meters .45 min (sprint)
50 meters .45 min (sprint)
50 meters .50 min (sprint)
Total 800 meters
Point of clarification times are written as min.sec I've got cycling and running at 6 am, and I finished the day off by playing almost two hours of beach volleyball with the Buffalos. Much better than running!!!

Trying Tuesday

Okay, good day overall, went had a good workout at cycling, then off to train with the Buffalos. The hill sprints sucked today, and it was fuckin' hot, but I noticed even more that the run up there, since I usually run without anything in my hands, and the run back just felt really strange, not like, hey, you're holding a water bottle, but really just like having that there threw me soo far of my game. It was very strange. Anyway, 45 hill sprints, once around the track, and my left leg is gonna be bruised. Working on low kicks with a couple of fighters, they're coming along though. They've got some good talent, but teaching them to think combos, and making the other person reliably react to what they do is taking some time. Well, that's all for now, my body is beat, and it's swimming tomorrow. -me

Memorable Memorial Day

Okay, today started in the pool, with the following.

1. 100m 2.12
2. 100m 2.44
3. 100m 2.30
4. 50m 1.18
5. 50m 1.15
6. 50m 1.17
7. 50m 1.12

Then off to Alki, new route, 3.14 miles in 24.24 which is a 7.46min/mile pace.

I'm starting to think that I'm hitting over training, and will have to force myself to back off a little, the shin splints are starting to kick up a little more, and I'm having constant pain in my legs. Classic impact injuries from running too much :D. Well, nothing Ibuprofen can't take care of, a little lesson from Uncle Sam, relief comes in 800 mg pills. Okay, tomorrow, it's gonna be spinning, and then to the house o' buffalo.

Grinding, Shineing...

You know what I keep in the lining... Just kidding, today was the long run day, which I guess in retrospect wasn't that long, but it felt good. Today was the bridge, my first time ever running the I-90 bridge. Here's the course Battle the Bridge. I enjoyed this run today, the wind was blowing out of the north, and running in underarmour I was dry until I got out of the wind on the Mercer Island side. I took this course blind, so I had no idea how many hills were on the island, jeez, up and down, up and down... Well, total distance 5.29 miles, time 48.13 which puts my pace time at 9.0688 minute/mile or 6.58 mph over the course of 5+ miles and with some significant hills. I like this course, it's a fast start from the Seattle side, starting downhill, then through the flats, then the suck hits, starting up the bridge on to the island, and the hill just keeps going up, finally topping out, then diving down to 75th, then fairly flat to 77th. Starting back instead of the trail, going straight up the hill on SE 24th, this hill gassed me, but just think of it as a gut check. :D Then it's down hill to the bridge, down the bridge, across the flat, then back up the other side to the finish. My body is better suited to uphill rather than downhill, it's always been that way, short muscular legs take a beating running down hill, but allow me to sprint through the uphill on that last leg of the run. Good day, tomorrow swimming ;).

Saturday

Okay, no running today, I'm happy though. Gym workout, though, quick arms/chest workout, I don't want to look like these skinny ass triathletes... :P Back to the grind tomorrow. :D

Last day of the training cycle... :D

Translated, I get tomorrow off!!! Well off of the run/cycle/swim rotation, still hitting the gym tomorrow. Today I went back to where it all went wrong... Green Lake, the reason that I'm going to do the triathlons this summer. It was interesting, I pushed pretty hard today, put down my first mile in under 6.30, with the entire run at 22.08, this is a considerable improvement over my time two weeks ago, which was 23 minutes. My time today was 7.54 min/mile for the distance, which I consider to be adequate for as long as I have been training, and that I've had a pretty hard training routine for the past 6 days, and I'm sore from the sprinting/hill yesterday. Well, I'm happy to be taking tomorrow off, then it will be a nice slow and long run on Sunday.

With any luck I'll be
Swimming Monday/Thursday end with a run
Spinning Wednesday/Friday end with a run
4+ mile run on Tuesday

Countdown to Federal Escape 9 weeks....

Thursday

Okay, great day!!! I jumped in the pool, after an absence of several (many) years, I read up on a couple things, and reminded myself what I needed to accomplish. I jumped in the pool in surf shorts, not the best to swim in, and got it on. My distance that I need to swim, assuming that I compete at the Federal Escape is 400m, I knocked that down in 8.12. I realize that this is an indoor environment, but also take into account that I was swimming in surf shorts, not the most hydrodynamic wear... :D Okay, if I can swim that distance in 8.12 now, with a little practice, and some open water swims I should be able to dial that number down. Then it was off to the home of the Buffalos, and I took a 3 mile run MMA Run before meeting up with Will, and later Tim for some mini-hill sprints, ugh, those sucked. About a 15ft climb (vertical) and jog down, but here's the killer, it was 3 sets of 15 each. After that, we ran back to the "House 0' Buffalo" and met up with the other guys for a training session. Day was over a little after 8, and back to the house. I'm happy with my swim time today, and now I'm sure that I'll be able to complete these sprint tris. :D

Wednesday....

Okay, today started fairly normally, wake up, make lunches, drop kids off at school, come home, have coffee... However, I called a friend of mine who has been doing tris for a while yesterday, and he returned my call today. I told him that I was planning on doing a few this summer, and I asked his advice. Well, let's just preface this by I'm highly impressed with this person, I have much to learn from him. We've worked together before (we're in the same career field), and I always learn something from him, everytime we talk. Just an amazing person. Anyway, enough of that. He had some great advice for me for begining these, especially with sprints, and how some people are very competitive and amazingly fast, and others just want to finish. I, of course feel that I'm in the latter group. We discussed bikes, and what I should buy, and what he had, (a 6k fricken bike, well, he's been at this a while), what my training emphasis should be on, especially for sprints, positioning myself for the swim, running, and speed work. I also brought up that I don't have a bike yet, and I'm doing my cycling indoors, and asked about spinning classes. Well, apparently that's a good idea. He also said I could e-mail him any questions I have, as he's not always available by phone (see career field...). I appreciate this very much. Well, I head out to my local 24 hour fitness, and I'm in a spinning class at 0930, my first one, thank you... A little different than my cycling workout yesterday, a whole lot lower rpm, (think, not changing gears...), other than that, pretty fun, I'm going to be sore tomorrow, but hey, tomorrow is running in the morning, Mixed Martial Arts in the evening, a friend's getting ready for a fight, and I said I'd spar with him. No, I'm not a grappler, I used to fight as a kickboxer, and a full contact fighter. ;) Well, 60 minutes later, it's over, good workout, not the high rpms on the pedals that I think it should be, but definitely interval training, besides the pedals are moving for 60 minutes. Off of there, quick stretch, on to the treadmill. Start slow, speed up through a quick mile, total mile time 8.15. I'm happy today.

Kickin' bricks....

Well, okay, so maybe not bricks, maybe more like brick... I've never done one before, and I'm not sure that I can even call this one a "real" brick, but I will say that I was more scared of how it would be than it really was. Today was a gym day, so I was in the gym working my arms, and had planned to finish up the day and try a "brick." For all my friends who don't know, and yes, I just learned this, a "brick" is a training rep, that combines two disciplines from the triathlon. Leave it for today for f'n 24hour fitness to turn the damn heat on in the building, the place was like a sweatbox, just working my arms, I was sweating, not to mention the "brick." The brick I did today was stationary biking 5 miles then treadmill running 1 mile, apparently this is a difficult transition for your body to accomplish, from the muscles used in bike riding, to the muscles used in running. To be honest, this had a me a little scared, I have read up on how people had issues making this transition, and how bad these bricks can be. Well, yesterday I got a blister on my right foot from running, not a good thing for today, so that's kind of what pushed me into an "alternate" training routine. Long story short, I jumped on the stationary bike at the gym, and started off, weight 210lbs, level of difficulty 5, random course. I wanted to push myself to see what I could do, pedal rpms were running about 140-160 for 5 miles, approximately 13.30, my heartrate never climbed over 161, which I was very happy about!!! YAY!!!! After 5 miles, I stepped off the bike, and over to the treadmill, approximately 1 minute or so, and started running, starting at 7.1mph, I guess it's about 8.27 minute/mile or so for the first half mile, not too bad, punched it up to 7.5 mph or 8min/mile for a quarter mile, feeling really good, up to 8mph or 7.30min/mile for .15 of a mile, and finishing strong at 8.5mph or 7.04min/mile for the last .10 of the mile. I think I realized today, that as long as my swimming comes along, I can really do this. I'm happy.

Case of the Mondays....

Okay, was going to run this morning, but had an interview at 1100, and I was draggin' ass this morning, most of the night tossing and turning, having bad dreams about ugh... triathlons, and getting lost on the running course??? Anyway, long interview, not to sure about this one, but had to go running to clear my head. So, home by 1530, and I have to pick up the daughters by 1800. I'm cool... Okay, running shorts, underarmour top, I'm driving to alki, gonna go running the alki course. Finally get to alki at 1630 (yeah, had some errands to do) no warmup, no stretch, just throw on the mp3 player, jump out of the truck, and go.... Not too bad, but quickly realized the underarmour top was way too warm for today, overheating isn't fun, it really does slow you down!!! Well first mile 8 min, second mile 8 min 10 sec, now I can stretch, and head back, third mile 8 min 5 sec, fourth mile 8 min 30 sec. Yep, grand total of four miles in ugh... 32.45, I'm not happy. Well, there's always tomorrow.

Sunday, rainy sunday....

Another rainy day in Seattle, okay, today was one of those "you said you were gonna do it, and the easiest thing you can do right now is find an excuse not to." Pouring rain, new running route (running the Lowman-Lincoln Park Route in reverse so that I get the hill climb out of the way first), it puts about a 150ft hill climb into the first 1/3rd or so of a mile the the rest in flats and some small up and downs. The whole route has an elevation change of 184ft up, then back down. Not too bad of a time, 2.85 in 23 minutes, could do a little better on that one though. Well the pic is me post running, soaked through the underarmour, but luckily I wrapped my mp3 player in a plastic bag before putting it in my armband. I hated the idea of going running, and when it was drizzling earlier, I kept putting it off, but I gave myself a deadline that I had to be running by 1800, no excuses. Then the skies opened, and it started pouring. I guess that's when I had to dig deep and accept no excuses. Once I was dressed, things started to get easier, and by the time my key was in the lock, walking out the door, I was over the apprehension, and I was just feeling good about it. Then the cold rain, wet pavement, and a 150ft climb, and I was feeling great, wondering why I procrastinated for so long. Music pounding in my ears, and I knew that even though it was no marathon, and not even close to a triathlon, that today I had won against my procrastination. Today was one small win against myself.

Saturday

Okay, today is gonna be my off day, I've got daddy duty, so we're gonna go walk down on the beach... Tomorrow back to the grinder...

Aloha Friday

Okay, just got back, 3 miles, down at alki, I'm really starting to love that flat course, but I still hate down and backs, I prefer loops. So training today was 3 miles at a leisurely 11 minute/mile running with my friend Kris-mys.

Okay, here goes

So, this is my attempt to record my training and to blog my running, swimming, working out, and hopefully bike riding in my quest to triathlon.... Here we go.... yeah!!!!