I always find it crazy and somewhat ridiculous some of the goals people set for themselves each year. I am a goal setter for sure so I don't hate on the idea of setting goals, but I cannot stand some of the goals people set. Some are too vague, too unrealistic, too stupid, and sometimes just not practical. Many have the best intentions, but they are missing the boat to success by their perception of what they want. They try to transform too much too fast and end up with undesirable results. I read somewhere that 90% of the goals people set for themselves each year end up in failure. Why do we do that to ourselves? Do we not know ourselves enough or are we simple not tough enough?
For example, a goal of wanting to lose say 30lbs. A bad goal? Not necessarily, but what happens when the person reaches 30 lbs? Do they keep losing and losing until it is unhealthy? Do they celebrate by putting all the weight back on and then some? What a person should do is not set a lb goal, but change the structure of their goal. By changing the phrase of the goal to something more like, "I would like to exercise up to 5 times a week" would lead to a change not only in weight, but also in habits. As you continue to exercise and reap the benefits, the eating starts to change to healthy habits, the mindset starts to reform, and next thing you know your weight is going down properly and things start to fall into place like proper nutrition, hydration, sleep, etc.
I know that not everyone works the same way and for some setting a specific goal might be the best approach. Ask yourself if that approach has worked in the past. If you answer no, then it is time to rethink your goal.
In 2012 I have a few specific goals and notice how none pertain to weight or body image, but these things have happened for me due to my goal setting. I have lost about 20 lbs in the last year by doing things the right way. Losing weight was not a goal, but in my training process I have eliminated some body fat that needed to go by process of elimination. Here are my big three performance goals.
Goal #1: Complete my first triathlon
Goal #2: Conquer my first half Ironman(70.3 miles)
Goal #3: Beat my Bix 7 time from 2011
Goal #4: Beat my 2011 training total of 1500 miles
Gaol #5: A PR in the half marathon
For some personal goals that I plan on working on throughout the year.
Personal Goal #1: Continue my plan of decluttering my life. I read somewhere among all my Tao readings that the less you have/own the less stress you have in your life to clean, organize, utilize, etc. This makes so much sense. We stress about our house being messy. Well if I just eliminated half the crap I own, then it would not be an issue. I have started this process in 2011 and will continue the approach. This applies to my email accounts and computer storage as well.
Personal Goal #2: Saying no to people. There are several times each year that I just have too much on my plate. It never ceases to fail that I say yes to all of these things and then BOOM! it all hits me at once. I have done a much better job of thinking of me and my family first. I will continue to do so and try to be even better at it this mindset.
Personal Goal #3: Staying calm. I am very laid back, but things build up and I just blow up. I have been reading a lot about Tao and the simplicity in life. I hope to continue to use these concepts in my daily life to stay calm and collective. For example, this winter break I don't think I have lost my cool once despite being home for over a week with three kids who have been stuck at home day after day due to illness.
Personal Goal #4: Write my first book. I have put this stupid goal of mine on hold. I have the idea. I have the stuff. I need to put it all together and get it done. This is the year. Do it Coffeechug!!
Last here are just some everyday things that I plan on focusing on that are not really goals, but things I am going to try and work on a daily basis.
- Learn better ways of eating/replenishing my body for longer endurance training. I need to venture out and try some new methods to see what works best. This will be the first year that I spent a lot of time training for extended periods of time beyond an hour. I need to find my preferred system that does not make me puke, poop my pants, or have to pee all the time.
- Continue to drink more water. I do great while at school when I have no choice but my water bottles. However, at home I don't drink enough.
- Work on my hatred of toes. I hate toes, mayo, and hair. My poor wife just wants a poor foot rub every once in a while, but due to how much I hate feet it will never happen. Feet are so disgusting. Yuck. Socks and shoes are a great invention to hide such hideous appendages to the human body.
There it is, a small dose and list of things that are on my mind as I start the new year. All are achievable, trackable, and will allow me to push myself outside of my comfort while not burning myself out.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Coffeechug 2011 Year In Review In Numbers
I know everyone is doing it, but I cannot resist and must take a look back at my year to reflect on all the amazing things that have happened the past 365 days. Take a glance and hope you enjoy. Needless to say I think I accomplished my mantra of GETTING IT DONE! I did not include any education/teacher goals as I feel that is just part of my job of constantly staying ahead of the game and keeping education interesting.
Lastly, none of this would ever be able to happen if it was not for my amazing wife and kids. They are so supportive in all my adventures that I tackle. My wife supports what I do both in training and in my geek world and without her support it would not happen. I only hope that I am good role model for my kids. Speaking of kids......
Kids
It is hard to believe that this year we brought Ava into the world. I cannot remember life without her. It seems like yesterday we were in the hospital and now she is up and crawling and pulling herself up in her crib and eating real food 8 months later. Aiden is now 7 years old today on 12.31.11 in first grade and becoming bigger, smarter, and cooler each day. Addy is 5 years old and continues to bring us the unexpected each day.
Training - I had an amazing year of training. I went from starting out running in 2010 completing my first Bix, half marathon, and Urbanathlon completing about 425 total miles. I thought that was amazing in itself. This year 2011 brought a greater focus and renewed sense of training, enjoyment, and pushing myself. I am currently in the early stages of training for my first triathlon and half Ironman, but in the meantime here is the breakdown of my training for 2011.
1 - week of training over 100 miles. That just so happened to be this week in which I put in a great week of training with 114 miles. What better week than the last week of the year?
1500 - miles of training I put in 2011. Mind blowing. considering I had only 425 in 2010 this is a huge improvement. You can see with my training load towards the end of the year I am in process of having another breakout year in 2012.
6 - The number of races I completed this year
5 - Pairs of shoes I went through. Kinvara 2 light shoes only have 75 miles on them as they are not designed for big people like me. I fell in love with Brooks Ravenna 2 shoes and am currently on my third pair.
1090 - miles of running completed this year in 2011. This is amazing considering my slow start to the year. I never dreamed this possible. Amazing to look at the graph and see what I am capable of doing when I put my mind to it. It is all mental.
391 - Miles on the Bike in 2011 - Not bad considering I just got a bike a few months ago and just started riding regularly about 4 weeks ago. I cannot wait to see how this develops in 2012
17 - Miles of Swimming - Once again not too bad as I just started with swimming about 4 weeks ago. I have a long way to go and only hope to improve in 2012
Online
I have made more things online that I care to admit. Some have taken a backseat, but others are in full force. I am in love with Pinterest - http://pinterest.com/coffeechugbooks/
All my online goodies are located here: http://about.me/coffeechug
I have been testing out many avenues and gathering all sorts of things this year to finally begin my book about my life mantra of GETTING IT DONE(2012 goal)
Twitter
I love me some Twitter. It is nerd paradise for the ADHD. I continue to load up my gmail account with tweets that love. I started small and still have a small following, but I am happy to be around 375 followers. I hope to be around 500 by the end of next year. It is all about the tweets baby.
Books of 2011
I read and reviewed 85 books this year. I was hoping for 100, but my reading tempo slowed down quite a bit the last few months with my training. I just cannot stay awake past 9:00 to read. I did actually read 87 books, but have not written up reviews for them so I will keep my number at 85 books
Blog Stats - I started this blog May of 2009. I only had a few posts as I was experimenting. I really started to blog in August of 2009 with the start of a new school year. It rough and a completely different blog as it was more classroom focused and then merging to book reviews, and then just constantly changing from that point on. I have had a total of 102,000 visitors since August 2009. My audience has changed quite a bit, but I have made some good progress as I now average between 5000 - 8000 visitors a month. I hope to make this improved to 7000 - 10,000 visitors in 2012. I must become a better writer.
Here are my all time posts. You can see that many of my top posts are actually from 2011 which I take as a sign that I am improving on my blogging skills. I still don't know why Alex Trebek is so popular. I made one nerdy post about the man and now my blog appears on the first page of a Google search for Alex Trebek.
Lastly, none of this would ever be able to happen if it was not for my amazing wife and kids. They are so supportive in all my adventures that I tackle. My wife supports what I do both in training and in my geek world and without her support it would not happen. I only hope that I am good role model for my kids. Speaking of kids......
Kids
It is hard to believe that this year we brought Ava into the world. I cannot remember life without her. It seems like yesterday we were in the hospital and now she is up and crawling and pulling herself up in her crib and eating real food 8 months later. Aiden is now 7 years old today on 12.31.11 in first grade and becoming bigger, smarter, and cooler each day. Addy is 5 years old and continues to bring us the unexpected each day.
Training - I had an amazing year of training. I went from starting out running in 2010 completing my first Bix, half marathon, and Urbanathlon completing about 425 total miles. I thought that was amazing in itself. This year 2011 brought a greater focus and renewed sense of training, enjoyment, and pushing myself. I am currently in the early stages of training for my first triathlon and half Ironman, but in the meantime here is the breakdown of my training for 2011.
1 - week of training over 100 miles. That just so happened to be this week in which I put in a great week of training with 114 miles. What better week than the last week of the year?
1500 - miles of training I put in 2011. Mind blowing. considering I had only 425 in 2010 this is a huge improvement. You can see with my training load towards the end of the year I am in process of having another breakout year in 2012.
6 - The number of races I completed this year
5 - Pairs of shoes I went through. Kinvara 2 light shoes only have 75 miles on them as they are not designed for big people like me. I fell in love with Brooks Ravenna 2 shoes and am currently on my third pair.
1090 - miles of running completed this year in 2011. This is amazing considering my slow start to the year. I never dreamed this possible. Amazing to look at the graph and see what I am capable of doing when I put my mind to it. It is all mental.
391 - Miles on the Bike in 2011 - Not bad considering I just got a bike a few months ago and just started riding regularly about 4 weeks ago. I cannot wait to see how this develops in 2012
17 - Miles of Swimming - Once again not too bad as I just started with swimming about 4 weeks ago. I have a long way to go and only hope to improve in 2012
Online
I have made more things online that I care to admit. Some have taken a backseat, but others are in full force. I am in love with Pinterest - http://pinterest.com/coffeechugbooks/
All my online goodies are located here: http://about.me/coffeechug
I have been testing out many avenues and gathering all sorts of things this year to finally begin my book about my life mantra of GETTING IT DONE(2012 goal)
I love me some Twitter. It is nerd paradise for the ADHD. I continue to load up my gmail account with tweets that love. I started small and still have a small following, but I am happy to be around 375 followers. I hope to be around 500 by the end of next year. It is all about the tweets baby.
Books of 2011
I read and reviewed 85 books this year. I was hoping for 100, but my reading tempo slowed down quite a bit the last few months with my training. I just cannot stay awake past 9:00 to read. I did actually read 87 books, but have not written up reviews for them so I will keep my number at 85 books
Blog Stats - I started this blog May of 2009. I only had a few posts as I was experimenting. I really started to blog in August of 2009 with the start of a new school year. It rough and a completely different blog as it was more classroom focused and then merging to book reviews, and then just constantly changing from that point on. I have had a total of 102,000 visitors since August 2009. My audience has changed quite a bit, but I have made some good progress as I now average between 5000 - 8000 visitors a month. I hope to make this improved to 7000 - 10,000 visitors in 2012. I must become a better writer.
Here are my all time posts. You can see that many of my top posts are actually from 2011 which I take as a sign that I am improving on my blogging skills. I still don't know why Alex Trebek is so popular. I made one nerdy post about the man and now my blog appears on the first page of a Google search for Alex Trebek.
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Here are my top pages on my blog. This can be somewhat misconstrued as I am constantly changing my pages on my blog depending on what contest, challenge, or current thing I am working on. However, the Board of Inspiration has really taken off this year.
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Triathlon Training: Week 5 Lactic Acid Threshold Week - Saturday Bike Ride - Holy Sweatdrops Batman....Last workout of the 2011!!!!
There it is! The year of 2011 is over in terms of training. A few hours after my swim workout this morning I jumped on the bike for my last workout of 2011, but the start to an amazing final 27 weeks of Half Ironman training to come in 2012.
The final workout of the week and year called for the following
I have had an amazing week of training and I wanted to push hard on the last workout. Instead of just riding and watching TV, I put in a Bike DVD workout that came with my trainer. Wow, was this ever tough. I pushed hard and this DVD had some real high power intervals throughout that were much longer than 20 seconds. A few of them had me at intensity level 9 or 10 for upwards of 1-2 minutes. I sweated like a banshee.
If you follow my blog, then you know that I realize I struggle on the bike. The only way to get through the struggle is to push. I pushed myself very hard on this workout. It was another great mental test for me to not let up when tired. I know I cannot go hard like this all the time, but it was the perfect way to end my week of training.
I started with a 4 mile warmup watching the 12 minute warmup routine. I then cranked out the 40 minute race day ride by getting in 18 miles during this time. My overall data was 22.14 miles in 50:34 for an avg. pace of 2:17, avg. speed of 26.3, and avg. HR of 133. My max HR was 165 at the very end when I pushed the last minute in an all out sprint and was going 43 mph. My average cadence was 93. This was an awesome workout.
I ended with a 1 mile cooldown.
I feel great. I came over many obstacles and GOT IT DONE! this week.
Happy New Year. Time to spend the rest of the day with the family. See you in 2012.
The final workout of the week and year called for the following
I have had an amazing week of training and I wanted to push hard on the last workout. Instead of just riding and watching TV, I put in a Bike DVD workout that came with my trainer. Wow, was this ever tough. I pushed hard and this DVD had some real high power intervals throughout that were much longer than 20 seconds. A few of them had me at intensity level 9 or 10 for upwards of 1-2 minutes. I sweated like a banshee.
If you follow my blog, then you know that I realize I struggle on the bike. The only way to get through the struggle is to push. I pushed myself very hard on this workout. It was another great mental test for me to not let up when tired. I know I cannot go hard like this all the time, but it was the perfect way to end my week of training.
I started with a 4 mile warmup watching the 12 minute warmup routine. I then cranked out the 40 minute race day ride by getting in 18 miles during this time. My overall data was 22.14 miles in 50:34 for an avg. pace of 2:17, avg. speed of 26.3, and avg. HR of 133. My max HR was 165 at the very end when I pushed the last minute in an all out sprint and was going 43 mph. My average cadence was 93. This was an awesome workout.
I ended with a 1 mile cooldown.
I feel great. I came over many obstacles and GOT IT DONE! this week.
Happy New Year. Time to spend the rest of the day with the family. See you in 2012.
Triathlon Training: Week 5 Lactic Acid Threshold - Saturday Swim
I woke on one of my last days of holiday break to get in my final swim of the week. This is the first time I have done three swim workouts in one week(if I exclude the weeks I have swim class once a month which is not really a workout as much as instruction). I headed to the pool and found it bare and empty which was perfect. I hate a crowded pool.
After my last swim workout I realized that I need some work on my kick and keeping my legs from dragging in the water. When my legs drop it just makes me slower and harder to swim. Before I started adding more and more distance to my swim I really need to address this issue.
My original workout plan was the following
Here is the updated plan after realizing I need more work on my kick and form. I changed up the plan to give me more benefit to my time in the pool.
I kept the total distance the same which is rather high. I woke up thinking that it would not be in my best interest to swim almost 3000 yards, but I kept it at 2950 in case I jumped in the water and hit a power surge.That power surge never came. I felt good in the pool. The warm up got me going. The 4 x 150 sets of kick, stroke count, and building speed was perfect. I kept my stroke count to around 14 which I was really happy with. I was focused on really reaching and turning my body at the hips on each stroke. I feel like I am swimming better, but I won't know for sure until next Sunday at swim class.
From this set I went into the 800 yard swim. This took me between 15-16 minutes. I was swimming faster than earlier in the week when I tested the 900 yard swim, but I could tell I was more tired. I am not ready for more and probably need to dial back and really focus on swimming with good technique at some shorter distances under 800 and build back up. Being a week off from school I really wanted to hammer some endurance.
After this 800 yard swim I knew it would not be smart to continue with this plan. Swimming 2950 would not provide me any benefit. So after the 800 yard swim I modified things up.
Here is what I ended up doing from start to finish
Warm-Up
150 free
100 pull
100 kick on back with fins
4 x 150 of 50 kick(fins, no board, arms at side), 50 count, 50 build
800 swim in 15-16 minutes
100 kick with fins and board to loosen legs and work on technique
100 - 50 of 6 count and 50 of shark
50 swim with fins
2 x 100 - Free
Total 2250
I am glad I took time to recognize that swimming another 700 would not be beneficial. My body was tired and my legs were shot. My kick was my focus. I shifted from a more endurance swim to a more structured drill workout. This change I felt was necessary to work on my swimming weakness. I had a great week of swimming and look forward to continuing to improve.
One more workout left for the day to end the tough week of training and then on to hanging out with my family to celebrate my son's birthday.
Friday, December 30, 2011
Triathlon Training: Week 5 Lactic Acid Threshold Week - Friday Run....HOLY HILLS BATMAN!
Woke up this morning to run with Byrne and Fountain who are both training for Leadville. I have been enjoying these runs as these guys are great motivation and inspiration. They are always so positive while running.
Today was a mental battle with me. We ran all over LeClaire this morning so this was all new territory. While driving over to the meeting spot it was raining. This was a bummer, but as soon as we started the rain was minimal and next to nothing until our second loop.
The first loop was a pretty tough loop for me. My legs and more so my quads were tired from the run and bike yesterday. We were constantly running either uphill or downhill the entire time. We headed out and ran on some back roads out behind the PV Junior High School. Running on gravel was something I have not done in quite some time. We made our way back and my quads were shot. I replenished with some Hammer Perpetuem, Gatorade, and water. We made out way for the second loop which turned out to be brutal.
The second loop we head out on 35th street to Valley Drive, down to the river past I-80 and back. This loop was a mental test the whole way. My legs were tired, my quads were dead, and it started to rain. I took things one step at a time and just pressed on. Coming back up Valley Drive was a major test as that is a .8 mile uphill monster. As soon as we finished that hill we had to remain strong on the little hills all over the golf course. There was one hill on the golf course that I am surprised a golf cart can make it up.
We ended up with 17 miles in 2:42 for a 9:30 pace. This was a big run for me and great way to put an end to a tough week of training for running. I still have a swim and bike workout, but I feel like I have become so much mentally tougher this week and runs like this have helped me learn to stay positive and compartmentalize my mind to stay stronger during times of toughness.
I am off for a hot shower and coffee. The 17 miles in the rain and cold was a big test and I passed. My avg. HR was 140 with max HR of 166. We ascended 1766 feet and descended 1762 feet.
I tried to make a Google Earth Video Tour, but I could not quite figure it out. Maybe later. It was a cool course. Gravel roads, skunks, geese, dogs, I-80 bridge, Mississippi River, and hills, hills, hills. What more could you ask for?
Today was a mental battle with me. We ran all over LeClaire this morning so this was all new territory. While driving over to the meeting spot it was raining. This was a bummer, but as soon as we started the rain was minimal and next to nothing until our second loop.The first loop was a pretty tough loop for me. My legs and more so my quads were tired from the run and bike yesterday. We were constantly running either uphill or downhill the entire time. We headed out and ran on some back roads out behind the PV Junior High School. Running on gravel was something I have not done in quite some time. We made our way back and my quads were shot. I replenished with some Hammer Perpetuem, Gatorade, and water. We made out way for the second loop which turned out to be brutal.
The second loop we head out on 35th street to Valley Drive, down to the river past I-80 and back. This loop was a mental test the whole way. My legs were tired, my quads were dead, and it started to rain. I took things one step at a time and just pressed on. Coming back up Valley Drive was a major test as that is a .8 mile uphill monster. As soon as we finished that hill we had to remain strong on the little hills all over the golf course. There was one hill on the golf course that I am surprised a golf cart can make it up.
We ended up with 17 miles in 2:42 for a 9:30 pace. This was a big run for me and great way to put an end to a tough week of training for running. I still have a swim and bike workout, but I feel like I have become so much mentally tougher this week and runs like this have helped me learn to stay positive and compartmentalize my mind to stay stronger during times of toughness.
I am off for a hot shower and coffee. The 17 miles in the rain and cold was a big test and I passed. My avg. HR was 140 with max HR of 166. We ascended 1766 feet and descended 1762 feet.
I tried to make a Google Earth Video Tour, but I could not quite figure it out. Maybe later. It was a cool course. Gravel roads, skunks, geese, dogs, I-80 bridge, Mississippi River, and hills, hills, hills. What more could you ask for?
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Triathlon Training Week 5 - Lactic Acid Threshold Week - Thursday Bike Ride (Workout #2 of the Day)
After resting up and deciding not get in the bike ride yesterday I incorporated the ride today. I feel really good today. I don't know if my body was just in need of some rest and nutrition or what, but what a night and day difference in how I feel compared to yesterday.
This morning I had an excellent run really feeling great about things. This has been a great week of training. Not a week that I could do weekly, but given the holiday break it has been perfect for me mentally.
This evening I cranked out the bike workout from yesterday. Nothing major as you can see.
I started off nice and easy on gear #2 on the front and in the middle on the back. I slowly made my way up to where I like riding which is the big gear up front and small on the back. I did not get to this point until the last 1/4 of the ride. My goal after about 30 minutes was to get in 28 miles without going crazy, but as I continued to shift I felt really good and finally at the 60 minute mark decided I could get in 30 I wanted it bad enough. I hit it almost dead on as I cranked the pace to a 2:09 and 1:55 mile split the last two miles. I nailed my goal of 30.04 miles in 1:15:01. I made my goal which was good for me after coming up a little short this morning.
I averaged a 2:30 mile pace with an avg. speed of 24 mph and an avg. HR of 125 which is perfect for this type of workout. The one thing I have to figure out is why my feet hurt so bad while riding. After about 20 minutes the bottoms of my feet hurt something fierce. I am not sure if it is the shoes, the placement of the cleats or what. I need to do a little research.
I struggle on the bike. My legs get quite tired. They just are not there yet. I had to call Amanda on her cell phone to have her fill up my water bottle. I tried a new drink which I really liked(I will post more on it soon on a nutrition post I am working on), but I had to have another bottle of water as I sweating like crazy. After the ride I felt fantastic. I actually feel the best I have felt all week. I am glad I rode this evening. I am not sure that riding at 5 pm was the most ideal time to ride, but I wanted to watch Notre Dame play in the bowl game and decided to go for it. Plus, I did not want to ride too late tonight as I plan on going for a long run with the Leadville guys tomorrow morning.
I am off to watch some basketball with Amanda and call it a night. Back up bright and early.
This morning I had an excellent run really feeling great about things. This has been a great week of training. Not a week that I could do weekly, but given the holiday break it has been perfect for me mentally.
This evening I cranked out the bike workout from yesterday. Nothing major as you can see.
I started off nice and easy on gear #2 on the front and in the middle on the back. I slowly made my way up to where I like riding which is the big gear up front and small on the back. I did not get to this point until the last 1/4 of the ride. My goal after about 30 minutes was to get in 28 miles without going crazy, but as I continued to shift I felt really good and finally at the 60 minute mark decided I could get in 30 I wanted it bad enough. I hit it almost dead on as I cranked the pace to a 2:09 and 1:55 mile split the last two miles. I nailed my goal of 30.04 miles in 1:15:01. I made my goal which was good for me after coming up a little short this morning.
I averaged a 2:30 mile pace with an avg. speed of 24 mph and an avg. HR of 125 which is perfect for this type of workout. The one thing I have to figure out is why my feet hurt so bad while riding. After about 20 minutes the bottoms of my feet hurt something fierce. I am not sure if it is the shoes, the placement of the cleats or what. I need to do a little research.
I struggle on the bike. My legs get quite tired. They just are not there yet. I had to call Amanda on her cell phone to have her fill up my water bottle. I tried a new drink which I really liked(I will post more on it soon on a nutrition post I am working on), but I had to have another bottle of water as I sweating like crazy. After the ride I felt fantastic. I actually feel the best I have felt all week. I am glad I rode this evening. I am not sure that riding at 5 pm was the most ideal time to ride, but I wanted to watch Notre Dame play in the bowl game and decided to go for it. Plus, I did not want to ride too late tonight as I plan on going for a long run with the Leadville guys tomorrow morning.
I am off to watch some basketball with Amanda and call it a night. Back up bright and early.
Board of Inspiration 12.29.11 - More a "Card of Inspiration"
I was looking at what my more popular posts have been lately and my Inspiration Board is taking top honors in many categories. I have not posted an inspirational message in a while due to the fact that my whiteboard is on my door at school and we are on break. I decided to try a new approach. I took one of my note cards that I use for training and created a message. Hope you enjoy! I actually pulled this from a book of daily wisdom by Tony Dungy and found it interesting to read this sentence with everything going on in the NFL. I also found it to be inspirational as I continue to test my own belief in myself, others, and faith.
Feel free to make one of your own and send it to me via email at aarmau at gmail dot com.
I will be making more of these. I have many ideas in mind and actually plan on creating some for basketball practice starting next week. Bust our your creativity, photos, markers, stencils, and paint and motivate me and others.
Until tomorrow.....keep GETTING IT DONE!
Triathlon Training: Week 5 - Lactic Acid Threshold Week - Thursday Foundation Run
I needed a good run today for several reasons.
First, I fell off my training plan yesterday. Not because I was being lazy or did something unhealthy. Rather the six days of poor sleep due to Ava having a double ear infection, bronchial infection, and throwing up has caught up to me. Add in the mix of pushing my body pretty hard so far this week and the result ended up with me feeling worn out and almost the sense that I am getting sick.
After the swim workout yesterday I felt pretty good, but as the day progressed my body started to wear out. I had to make some sacrifices. First, I skipped my bike workout. As I was laying on the couch falling asleep around 7:30 I decided it not be best to hammer out a bike ride. Second, I had to withdraw from hanging out with my friends for some cards and basketball. I really wanted to get out and socialize outside of family, but I decided against going after Ava being fussy last night trying to get her to sleep. Needless to say 8:30 I was bed sleeping. Good thing because Ava was up several times last night. I also did not allow myself to get up early and workout. I hate working out later in the day, but I know that sleep was the best medicine.
Today I got up around 7 am, drank some coffee, and read/finished the most amazing book that I have read in quite some time(Training Camp by Jon Gordon). The silence and peace was perfect for my mind and the sleep helped me regain my sense of well being. I felt ready to tackle the day. My mind and body were back on the same playing field. I made the right decisions.
Around 9:45 am I took off for my run
First, I fell off my training plan yesterday. Not because I was being lazy or did something unhealthy. Rather the six days of poor sleep due to Ava having a double ear infection, bronchial infection, and throwing up has caught up to me. Add in the mix of pushing my body pretty hard so far this week and the result ended up with me feeling worn out and almost the sense that I am getting sick.
After the swim workout yesterday I felt pretty good, but as the day progressed my body started to wear out. I had to make some sacrifices. First, I skipped my bike workout. As I was laying on the couch falling asleep around 7:30 I decided it not be best to hammer out a bike ride. Second, I had to withdraw from hanging out with my friends for some cards and basketball. I really wanted to get out and socialize outside of family, but I decided against going after Ava being fussy last night trying to get her to sleep. Needless to say 8:30 I was bed sleeping. Good thing because Ava was up several times last night. I also did not allow myself to get up early and workout. I hate working out later in the day, but I know that sleep was the best medicine.
Today I got up around 7 am, drank some coffee, and read/finished the most amazing book that I have read in quite some time(Training Camp by Jon Gordon). The silence and peace was perfect for my mind and the sleep helped me regain my sense of well being. I felt ready to tackle the day. My mind and body were back on the same playing field. I made the right decisions.
Around 9:45 am I took off for my run
This was the plan. My goal was to run 6 miles in the 45 minutes. I also realized as I took off that I don't really feel comfortable with the strides yet. I need to seek some guidance on how to do these properly. I know it is pretty much an easy sprint, but I feel like there is something I am missing.I decided to skip the strides and instead add some hills. I made my way to Crow Creek Park, ran in the fields, the cross country trails, and the Incinerator hill to get some hill work done.
I felt good on this run. I did not get my goal of 6 miles in 45 minutes, but I did get it done in 46:30 for a 7:45 minute pace. I am happy with this. Had I not done the hills and ran with the wind as opposed to against the wind I know I would have met my goal easy.
It did feel nice to feel good on a run. I pushed a little beyond the easy/moderate level on this run, but I needed this. I knocked out the mile times of
Mile 1: 7:56
Mile 2: 7:44
Mile 3: 7:36(so far keeping true to a tempo run which is what I was listening to....a Tempo Playlist)
Mile 4: 8:07(time dropped off due to the hills that I ran and ran and ran to replace strides)
Mile 5: 7:42
Mile 6: 7:22(finished strong because I felt like it)
Running in the sunshine was nice. It was a great 46 minute escape. I love running as it clears my mind and gets me ready for the rest of the day. Back home to cleaning out our house. It is amazing how much stuff one family can accumulate. GETTING IT DONE! felt great today.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Triathlon Training: Week 5 - Lactic Acid Threshold Training - Wednesday Swim - Flush Out The Lactic Acid
Woke up this morning to get in an optional swim that I had in the training for the week. I have two swim workouts that I need to get in and I had room for a third swim workout if I felt up to it. I decided to put in the optional swim workout this morning and use it for a couple reasons:
1. I am sore from the tough running workout from yesterday. Swimming helps my body feel better by loosening it up without any serious poundage.
2. I need to stay in the routine of working out each morning. I find it easier to work out in the morning. If I wait until later it never seems to get done or it feels like "work". For some reason at 5 am it does not seem like work.
3. I can work on improving my swimming.
Here is the workout - this was completed in about 45 minutes.
1. I am sore from the tough running workout from yesterday. Swimming helps my body feel better by loosening it up without any serious poundage.
2. I need to stay in the routine of working out each morning. I find it easier to work out in the morning. If I wait until later it never seems to get done or it feels like "work". For some reason at 5 am it does not seem like work.
3. I can work on improving my swimming.
Here is the workout - this was completed in about 45 minutes.
This is not a lactic acid threshold workout by any means. Rather it is a workout to flush out the lactic acid. I took things nice and easy. My legs and body were sore and tired so I was not out to push my body this morning. I still have a few workouts left this week to push the body.
Warm up went well. My shoulders always take time to loosen up and by the end of the drill work I was ready. I really struggled during the pyramid base building. I just could not get relaxed enough and therefore my breathing felt much more labored than what it should have been. I struggled on the 200's and the 250 due to my breathing. I was not swimming fast, but one thing I have realized as of late when I swim nice and easy working on base/endurance swims is that my legs don't stay up. I swim at an angle with my legs almost completely submerged in the water. When I swim fast my legs are right on top where they should be. I am not sure how to correct this, but this is something I need to fix as I will not be swimming fast in my triathlons. I will be swimming just to get by and try to make up ground on the bike and run.
After this workout I took it easy in the hot tub. My body needed some down time. I have been pushing my body hard the last few days and it is adapting well. Nutrition is the key. I hope to jump on the bike later tonight and keep going in a big week of training.
Loving Life and working hard GETTING IT DONE! What are you doing?
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
How To Fuel Body After A Workout
A great article on how to properly fuel the body after a good workout. I need to adjust some of what I do.
 | Look inside > |
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| FUEL: Dr. Stacy Sims on Recovery | |
Triathlon Training: Week 5 Lactic Acid Threshold Week - Tuesday Run
Today I was reminded about why I run at 5:00 in the morning. I hate running later in the day. I always feel like crap. The workout just sits on my mind until it is done. It almost stressed me out to not having it done right away.
I had plans of getting this done at 5 am, but a bad night of sleep with Ava and needing to be home at 4:30 this morning to help with Ava prevented me from getting the workout done when I wanted. Around 9:45 I started my workout.
This workout was probably the hardest workout I have done so far in the 5 weeks of training. My body felt good after the two workouts yesterday. I made sure to fuel my body after each workout(I read a great article about how to fuel that has helped) so I was not tired or sore.
This was a new workout for me. I took on a running workout from the highest level of training. My running is at a good place and I wanted to push the body to see what it was made of. This week is perfect because I can rest my body up since I don't have work.
Here is the workout
I had plans of getting this done at 5 am, but a bad night of sleep with Ava and needing to be home at 4:30 this morning to help with Ava prevented me from getting the workout done when I wanted. Around 9:45 I started my workout.
This workout was probably the hardest workout I have done so far in the 5 weeks of training. My body felt good after the two workouts yesterday. I made sure to fuel my body after each workout(I read a great article about how to fuel that has helped) so I was not tired or sore.
This was a new workout for me. I took on a running workout from the highest level of training. My running is at a good place and I wanted to push the body to see what it was made of. This week is perfect because I can rest my body up since I don't have work.
Here is the workout
I decided to do the warm-up as I ran to the high school track. I sprinted on the track and then ran back. This was hard. Here is a breakdown of the workout.
Warm-Up - 1.3 mile warmup to the high school track. I ran on the track to get to an even time on my watch to allow easier monitoring of the intervals. My warmup was 10:30. I was feeling good, but not completely warmed up as the wind was strong. I ran a 8:06 pace for the warmup.
Intervals 1 - 6 - I felt great. I did not go all out as I was not completely warmed up and did not want to risk injury. I was running between 10 - 11 mph which is 5:23 - 5:55 mile pace during these intervals. I started to tire a little by number 6. I had to tell myself I was 1/3 of the way done. I found it hard running down on straightway of the track as the wind was blowing right at me. I had to really push.
Intervals 7 - 12 - I started a little slow on interval 7 going 6:05 pace, but the rest were much faster around 5:39 - 5:59 pace. There was really no rhyme or reason to the pacing times. One was fast and the next slow, next medium, next fast, etc. I stayed in a good zone. I was tired by 12 and remember talking to myself out loud about pushing.
Interval 13 - 14 - Still running good here around 5:38 pace, but it was at this point that I thought about puking. My stomach was on fire, I was winded, and had to mentally stay strong. I thought about stopping at number 14 thinking maybe I was overdoing it by going 18, but I stayed strong and kept going. This is that voice that I will battle time and time again. I have to find ways now to push that voice out of my head and do what I know I can do.
Intervals 15 - 18 - I was all over the place towards the end ranging from 5:45 to 6:18. My active recovery times were much slower over the 8 minute mile pace compared to the 7 minute ranger prior. Each one I had to talk to myself outloud to fight the urge to not push. I was breathing heavy and feeling a puke coming any second.
I finished. It was a great feeling. My avg HR was 186. I know this would have been much higher if my cool down and warm-up were not included so this was a sign that I did what I needed.
I took a 45 second rest of walking off the track before starting my cool down. I needed to gather myself before heading home. I was tanked, but it felt great to complete this workout.
I then ran 1.2 miles at 8:18 pace completing 5.12 miles in the 38 minute workout time. My avg. mile pace was 7:25.
This was a great workout! I came home and fueled the body within 30 minutes and continued my day of cleaning the house and figuring out where to put all of these toys.
Triathlon Training: Week 5 Lactic Acid Threshold Week - Monday Night Ride(Workout #2 of Day)
Last night I felt motivated to get in a good bike ride. It was weighing on my mind not getting in the second bike workout from last week. I dialed in a great training plan for this week and looking at the next level of training I noticed that it called for three bike rides. I figured being my week of school I can handle the extra bike training.
This was a tough workout for me. One I was tired from the swim workout. Two, I still struggle on the bike. It is much harder than I thought it was going to be. I have some serious bike training to do over the course of the next 5 months to get ready for Wisconsin.
This workout called for three tough lactic threshold pushes where for three minutes I had to go all out with a three minute recovery. To keep my motivated I set up my bike in front of my computer and watched the 2011 Ironman Championships as I had not watched the footage yet. At 7:45 I head downstairs to get it done early as Ava has not been sleeping well due to being sick the last four days.
Here is the workout
This was a tough workout for me. One I was tired from the swim workout. Two, I still struggle on the bike. It is much harder than I thought it was going to be. I have some serious bike training to do over the course of the next 5 months to get ready for Wisconsin.
This workout called for three tough lactic threshold pushes where for three minutes I had to go all out with a three minute recovery. To keep my motivated I set up my bike in front of my computer and watched the 2011 Ironman Championships as I had not watched the footage yet. At 7:45 I head downstairs to get it done early as Ava has not been sleeping well due to being sick the last four days.
Here is the workout
While riding both Aiden and Addy come downstairs to play while I biked. I really enjoyed their company. What I found fascinating was how quickly they became glued to the Ironman footage. Despite their moans that they wanted something else they started to glance and watch while playing with their toys and finally towards the end they were standing in front of the monitor. Addy even became a little teary eyed as we watched the courageous and super tough 80 year old doctor fight to the finish. It broke her heart watching him fall down over and over. We talked about how you can achieve whatever you put your mind to. Another older gentlemen stated at one point before falling one someone that he always finishes what he starts. This really stuck in the mind of Aiden. I hope they don't forget how they will be able to accomplish whatever they want. I have been trying to teach them both about believing in themselves. It is a hard concept for them to understand, but one day it will click.
Towards the end of the ride I grew tired. I struggle riding for more than 45 minutes so the last 20-25 minutes was tough especially after knocking out the intervals early on.
I finished the 70 minute ride with 28.5 miles for a 2:28 pace, avg. speed of 24.4, avg. HR of 130 and avg. cadence of 88. During the intervals my HR was in the 150's and I was on the toughest gear pushing 35 mph.
GETTING IT DONE! felt great afterwards. This was a tough workout for me mentally.
Monday, December 26, 2011
Triathlon Training: Week 5 - Lactic Threshold Week....Swimming I Go
Last week I had a great recovery week. I was slightly disappointed that I did not get in my second bike workout, but in the back of my mind I knew that was going to happen so I almost expected it. With traveling for the holidays and ensuring that I gave my body 48 hours of rest after not having a true rest day since December 4th I am very happy with the week. Even though it was a recovery week I had some great workouts.
My week 4 totals last week were
- 27.95 miles running (6.15, 6.4, 15.4)
- 2.34 miles swimming (1.2, 1.14)
- 21 miles biking (21 miles)
Total 51.39 miles
I did not do any weights this week to rest up my shoulder that has been giving me some pain since I lifted last. I will get some weight training in this week. It felt good to take a day off of training, but to take two days off I felt really gross. It did not help matters that I did nothing but stuff my face for two days straight with nothing but junk food. Eating like crap wears on you mentally. I can see how eating poorly leads to feeling bad about yourself and next thing you know you are in this endless cycle of bad self image and bad self indulgence. Last night as I was stuffing my face with Chex Mix I knew that was it. Today starts a day of going back to basics and eating healthy. It will be very challenging as we have all this food in our house that is nothing but bad, but it sure looks good.
I weighed in this morning. I don't normally weigh in until Tuesdays, but I wanted to see where I was starting at prior to this week of workouts. I found myself much higher than expected weight wise. I packed on some serious weight since leaving for Indiana Friday. It was all the motivation I need to get back on track.
Today I woke up early around 4:30 to get my swim in early. I knew if I waited until later in the morning or day it would never happen. I was already somewhat upset that I did not jump on the back last night so I was ready to go. I was very tired getting up as Ava was up most of the night crying and puking. Poor girl has been sick the whole holiday break so far. She is a trooper and a great 7 month old as she was out of routine, sleep patterns, and not having her bed for 2.5 days while puking and having a head cold.
The workout this morning was tough. The whole week this week is all about pushing my lactic acid threshold levels. This swim workout pushed me to my limit. I also added a swim test as I have to submit a swim time for some of the triathlons I want to do. I have not swam very far - 300 yds being my farthest in one go.
Here is the workout I completed. A nice little 2400 yd workout to start the day at 5 am. No time for sleeping in this holiday break!
My week 4 totals last week were
- 27.95 miles running (6.15, 6.4, 15.4)
- 2.34 miles swimming (1.2, 1.14)
- 21 miles biking (21 miles)
Total 51.39 miles
I did not do any weights this week to rest up my shoulder that has been giving me some pain since I lifted last. I will get some weight training in this week. It felt good to take a day off of training, but to take two days off I felt really gross. It did not help matters that I did nothing but stuff my face for two days straight with nothing but junk food. Eating like crap wears on you mentally. I can see how eating poorly leads to feeling bad about yourself and next thing you know you are in this endless cycle of bad self image and bad self indulgence. Last night as I was stuffing my face with Chex Mix I knew that was it. Today starts a day of going back to basics and eating healthy. It will be very challenging as we have all this food in our house that is nothing but bad, but it sure looks good.
I weighed in this morning. I don't normally weigh in until Tuesdays, but I wanted to see where I was starting at prior to this week of workouts. I found myself much higher than expected weight wise. I packed on some serious weight since leaving for Indiana Friday. It was all the motivation I need to get back on track.
Today I woke up early around 4:30 to get my swim in early. I knew if I waited until later in the morning or day it would never happen. I was already somewhat upset that I did not jump on the back last night so I was ready to go. I was very tired getting up as Ava was up most of the night crying and puking. Poor girl has been sick the whole holiday break so far. She is a trooper and a great 7 month old as she was out of routine, sleep patterns, and not having her bed for 2.5 days while puking and having a head cold.
The workout this morning was tough. The whole week this week is all about pushing my lactic acid threshold levels. This swim workout pushed me to my limit. I also added a swim test as I have to submit a swim time for some of the triathlons I want to do. I have not swam very far - 300 yds being my farthest in one go.
Here is the workout I completed. A nice little 2400 yd workout to start the day at 5 am. No time for sleeping in this holiday break!
I felt good in the water today. It actually felt fantastic to be doing something healthy after a two day sloppy binge. I was nervous for the 36 length lap test. I took this nice and easy. I had to test myself to submit the paperwork for an indoor tri coming up in January that I am thinking about doing. I was so happy to be able to complete these 36 lengths. My time was 19:15 for this. I went slow to make sure I could complete. I found a nice rhythm and was able to keep going. I lost count one time so I might have swam an extra lap, but I am not counting it. After this swim test I moved onto the lactic acid thresholds. I swam fast, but I felt fatigued after about the 4th test. I was gassed and was not able to swim as fast as I would have liked. I guess that is the point of this workout. The last swim sprint series was tough with the 20 second rest.
Overall, this was the perfect workout to start my week. I am looking to really get after things this week and test my mental toughness on a few of these workouts.
I hope everyone had a happy holiday. I had a great time with family, but I look forward to getting back to routine. Hard to believe I am already in my 5th week of training.
Friday, December 23, 2011
Triathlon Training: Week 4 Recovery - Nice & Easy Long Run
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| At 4:00 am coffee, GU Drink, and GU gel are the keys to waking up and being able to move so early in the morning. |
I could not pass the opportunity to run with the guys training for Leadville again this morning. I still have one bike workout left to squeeze in somewhere this week(I am thinking it is not going to happen). Prior to leaving for Indiana I wanted to get in one more workout and this fit in perfectly.
I woke up at 4 am to eat two waffles and a cup of coffee then was out the door to meet the crew at the Y at 4:25 to start the first loop at 4:30. We headed out for about 75 minutes and completed almost 8 miles. I felt good during this run. I was a little cold at first as I did not put on many layers knowing I would warm up as we ran. There were four of us running during this loop so it was good to run with others. My quads were tight from the run yesterday and bike ride the night prior. They loosened up and I felt pretty good during this loop.
We made our way back to the Y at 5:45 and was met by Chad and another outstanding endurance athlete. We headed out for the second loop. This loop took me a while to get into a groove. I have never been good at stopping and starting. My hands felt frozen and my legs locked up on me. After about 10 minutes I was able to warm back up and feel good. I ran with Jen and Julie and they ran at a slightly faster pace, but I was talking about Racine, WI and trying to learn a few tricks.
Overall I felt great considering the week I have had. My quads were shot by the end of the run. They went out for one more loop of about 4 miles to get 20 miles, but I opted not to push it too much and called it a day after two loops. I have a long day ahead of me driving and traffic. I hope I don't cramp. My legs are tired which is to be expected, but it is not a tired from doing too much, just adapting to being on my feet for a little over two hours.
I finished up with 15.4 miles in 2 hours 17 minutes for a 8:54 pace with my average HR at 138 which is awesome at this stage in my training. I am feeling really good about things and truly enjoying everything. It really helps to be surrounded by so many amazing people and having a training partner.
I have the next 48 hours planned as rest. I will do nothing but lounge, eat, and be lazy. My days are limited in terms of eating like a slob. Come January it is time to get focused and really focus on nutrition and not splurging on cookies and treats. If I want to be in peak condition I must focus on my diet more. I do hope to get my final bike ride workout in Sunday night to complete all my training.
It has not been the most scaled back recovery week, but it has been enough to not push my body too far. Come next week I have some big workouts planned.
Happy holidays and I will resume posting post Christmas.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Triathlon Training - Reflecting on an excellent question posed to me on Daily Mile.....
About a week ago I asked this question by an amazing person/athlete/father Josiah Campbell who helped me accomplish my first marathon as we ran together.
Going from running to triathlon; how are you adapting from 1 (main) discipline to 3? I'm curious how your body is reacting but also how you deal with it mentally, what's your drive?
This is an excellent question. Such a good question that I have taken over a week to answer it and have decided to make a blog post about it. It has caused me to pause and actually take time to think about myself and what really drives me.
Let's start with the first part of the question: How am I adapting from 1 discipline to 3?
I thought that I would really struggle switching to learning 3 sports. Just little background info on myself. I started running pretty regularly a little over a year ago. Prior to that I did not run much at all, but played lots of basketball and other activities. I do not come from a running background nor do I look like a runner either. So, with that being said I was not sure how I would cope. I am about 4 weeks into my triathlon training and I am finding myself loving what I do each day. I have not had a single day yet where I have dreaded getting up to work out. Part of this is the fact that biking and swimming are completely new to me. I just started riding 4 weeks ago when I purchased my $80 road bike. Swimming is also brand new to me as well. I have so much to learn so each time I jump in the pool or the saddle I feel like I am learning so many new things about myself and the discipline. Things have not become redundant for me.
Surprisingly, the hardest thing I have had to deal with is the running. I am used to running 4-6 days a week and to only run two days a week felt weird and awkward. I felt like I should either be running faster or longer, but had to continue to remind myself that I was working out six days a week so the body was being pushed enough in the water and the bike. I have finally come to terms with not running as often. My running has been greatly benefited by running with others two days a week and now I have added a third run just in the last few weeks with the guys training for Leadville. This has quenched my running needs. As my training volume increases come 2012 I don't think I will have such a desire to run more.
In terms of the second question: I'm curious how your body is reacting but also how you deal with it mentally, what's your drive?
My body has adapted well. I have not been overly sore. My legs are tired from time to time and my shoulders have been sore from swimming and also trying to get in weight lifting session. I have literally zero swimming experience so swimming 2 plus miles a week has taken a toll on the shoulders. The joints are starting to adapt, but that has probably been the hardest part for my body. I must include my butt on the bike as well. I will admit that I have been quite tired since I started training. Part of this is because I wake up at 4:23 each day. The other part is that my body is being pushed in new ways.
My drive is personal. I completed the marathon and needed something new. I lost my drive after I completed my goal. I spent two weeks relaxing and recovering and just could not find the joy in running. I signed up for some fun races like the Living History Farms race to help me get going. Finally, I just went out and enjoyed running again and I decided that I could not run all winter. The triathlon has always been on my mind and now seemed like a great time to give it a try. I have spent all December just getting acquainted with the sports and getting used to finding a training schedule that works. I have taken things nice and easy without any desperate rush to be fit for this race or that. The key is that I have plan. I planned for December to be this way. I am currently following what I call a 12 week sprint triathlon plan. Following that I will then go all in with a 20 week Half Ironman plan getting me ready for mid July race at either Indiana or Wisconsin. Everything I do is intrinsic to see what I am capable of doing. I want to know more about myself and who I am. This training gives me the peace of mind on long runs to gather my thoughts and the challenges to test my stregth and will while on the bike and swim. It allows me to get everything in that I need to keep me at peace with myself which helps my family as well.
I only hope I continue to love training each day. There is such an awesome support group of athletes in the QC area to help me when I have questions or need accountability. When it all comes down to it I just want to represent my motto of GETTING IT DONE! This chapter in my life is what I am working on to do just that.
Going from running to triathlon; how are you adapting from 1 (main) discipline to 3? I'm curious how your body is reacting but also how you deal with it mentally, what's your drive?
This is an excellent question. Such a good question that I have taken over a week to answer it and have decided to make a blog post about it. It has caused me to pause and actually take time to think about myself and what really drives me.
Let's start with the first part of the question: How am I adapting from 1 discipline to 3?
I thought that I would really struggle switching to learning 3 sports. Just little background info on myself. I started running pretty regularly a little over a year ago. Prior to that I did not run much at all, but played lots of basketball and other activities. I do not come from a running background nor do I look like a runner either. So, with that being said I was not sure how I would cope. I am about 4 weeks into my triathlon training and I am finding myself loving what I do each day. I have not had a single day yet where I have dreaded getting up to work out. Part of this is the fact that biking and swimming are completely new to me. I just started riding 4 weeks ago when I purchased my $80 road bike. Swimming is also brand new to me as well. I have so much to learn so each time I jump in the pool or the saddle I feel like I am learning so many new things about myself and the discipline. Things have not become redundant for me.
Surprisingly, the hardest thing I have had to deal with is the running. I am used to running 4-6 days a week and to only run two days a week felt weird and awkward. I felt like I should either be running faster or longer, but had to continue to remind myself that I was working out six days a week so the body was being pushed enough in the water and the bike. I have finally come to terms with not running as often. My running has been greatly benefited by running with others two days a week and now I have added a third run just in the last few weeks with the guys training for Leadville. This has quenched my running needs. As my training volume increases come 2012 I don't think I will have such a desire to run more.
In terms of the second question: I'm curious how your body is reacting but also how you deal with it mentally, what's your drive?
My body has adapted well. I have not been overly sore. My legs are tired from time to time and my shoulders have been sore from swimming and also trying to get in weight lifting session. I have literally zero swimming experience so swimming 2 plus miles a week has taken a toll on the shoulders. The joints are starting to adapt, but that has probably been the hardest part for my body. I must include my butt on the bike as well. I will admit that I have been quite tired since I started training. Part of this is because I wake up at 4:23 each day. The other part is that my body is being pushed in new ways.
My drive is personal. I completed the marathon and needed something new. I lost my drive after I completed my goal. I spent two weeks relaxing and recovering and just could not find the joy in running. I signed up for some fun races like the Living History Farms race to help me get going. Finally, I just went out and enjoyed running again and I decided that I could not run all winter. The triathlon has always been on my mind and now seemed like a great time to give it a try. I have spent all December just getting acquainted with the sports and getting used to finding a training schedule that works. I have taken things nice and easy without any desperate rush to be fit for this race or that. The key is that I have plan. I planned for December to be this way. I am currently following what I call a 12 week sprint triathlon plan. Following that I will then go all in with a 20 week Half Ironman plan getting me ready for mid July race at either Indiana or Wisconsin. Everything I do is intrinsic to see what I am capable of doing. I want to know more about myself and who I am. This training gives me the peace of mind on long runs to gather my thoughts and the challenges to test my stregth and will while on the bike and swim. It allows me to get everything in that I need to keep me at peace with myself which helps my family as well.
I only hope I continue to love training each day. There is such an awesome support group of athletes in the QC area to help me when I have questions or need accountability. When it all comes down to it I just want to represent my motto of GETTING IT DONE! This chapter in my life is what I am working on to do just that.
Inspiration Board 12.22.11
This will be the last inspiration board message until the NewYear when school resumes. Have a happy holiday season!
Triathlon Training: Week 4 Recovery - Thursday Group Run
Another great group run this morning. We had six running this morning. The group of Crazies is staying strong. Nick joined us this morning before swim practice. Jane and Nick started early around 4:30 and met up with us at 5:00. Gaffney, Uhde, Wheeler, and Pancrazio all joined in this morning. It was great to see Phil join us. It is great to see so many active people each morning. The Y really is a happening place and a great source of motivation at 5:00 in the morning. We made our way down Devil's Glen, to the bike path to 23rd, and then back to the Y. The hills were a nice little challenge this morning.
Once again the weather was perfect for a December run. I cannot believe that we have been this fortunate. Last day of school before break. It will be nice to spend some time with family and friends.
I still need to hammer out one more bike ride and possibly a long slow run with the Leadville group tomorrow before the holiday traveling.
Have a great Thursday and keep living the Uncommon Life.
We completed 6.41 miles in 56:11 for 8:46 pace. My average HR was 147 so I was good there. Another great morning. Thanks everyone who came and ran.
So far the legs feel good. I hope they continue to feel this good after the bike and run in the last 12 hours.
Once again the weather was perfect for a December run. I cannot believe that we have been this fortunate. Last day of school before break. It will be nice to spend some time with family and friends.
I still need to hammer out one more bike ride and possibly a long slow run with the Leadville group tomorrow before the holiday traveling.
Have a great Thursday and keep living the Uncommon Life.
We completed 6.41 miles in 56:11 for 8:46 pace. My average HR was 147 so I was good there. Another great morning. Thanks everyone who came and ran.
So far the legs feel good. I hope they continue to feel this good after the bike and run in the last 12 hours.
Triathlon Training: Week 4 Recovery - Wednesday Night Bike Ride(2nd Workout of Day)
I had to double up on workouts Wednesday to make sure I put in for both of my bike workouts prior to Christmas. Wednesday morning I put in a great swim workout. Wednesday night I jumped on the bike for a second workout. I was not sure how I would feel as I have not doubled up before.
For this workout I rode for 55 minutes. Along they way I was to put in 6 x 1 minute hill climbs @ VO2 max/speed with 2 minute recoveries.
I changed things up a little bit riding 3 x 2 minutes hill climbs and not maxing out. The reason for this is I was afraid that if I went all out my trainer would wake the kids up which would not be good as Amanda was wrapping presents. Also, I did not want to wear myself out knowing I would be running early Thursday morning.
I finished with 21 miles in 55 minutes for a 2:37 mile pace on the bike. My average HR was 131 so I was right where I wanted to be. I also kept my average cadence at 90. It was a good workout.
I need to dial in my bike and swim times so I can submit that information to some of the triathlons that I want to do. Next week I will be testing myself in the 600 yd swim and also for some distance time trials on the bike.
Off to the Y for another run. Another post coming soon.
For this workout I rode for 55 minutes. Along they way I was to put in 6 x 1 minute hill climbs @ VO2 max/speed with 2 minute recoveries.
I changed things up a little bit riding 3 x 2 minutes hill climbs and not maxing out. The reason for this is I was afraid that if I went all out my trainer would wake the kids up which would not be good as Amanda was wrapping presents. Also, I did not want to wear myself out knowing I would be running early Thursday morning.
I finished with 21 miles in 55 minutes for a 2:37 mile pace on the bike. My average HR was 131 so I was right where I wanted to be. I also kept my average cadence at 90. It was a good workout.
I need to dial in my bike and swim times so I can submit that information to some of the triathlons that I want to do. Next week I will be testing myself in the 600 yd swim and also for some distance time trials on the bike.
Off to the Y for another run. Another post coming soon.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Triathlon Training: Week 4 Recovery - Wednesday Swim
My regular routine is a bit skewed this week due to Christmas and traveling back home to Indiana. I needed to get my second swim of the week in before Friday as I have runs planned for both Thursday and Friday. We hopped in the pool today hoping for a much calmer atmosphere and no signs of the old crazy lady with the gold chain(although I was secretly hoping she would show up to make things more interesting).
The pool was very calm and not busy this morning. Chad and I went through a 2000 yd workout that was great for loosening up the legs and still providing a couple sets that were challenging.
To start off we did 500 yds of warm-up with 300 being free. This was my first time swimming more than 100 yds. consecutively. I went very slow to warm the body and to also find a pace that would allow me to not be drained. I found the pace. It was slightly faster than a turtle, but at least I was actually moving forward.
The kick set was pretty easy compared to Monday when we had 75 yds in 1:30. This helped knock out any soreness in the legs from running.
The next series I found tough swimming 100 - 75 - 50 - 25 while increasing speed each time. The 20 second rest is amazing at how fast it goes by. This was a challenge for me. My HR was increasing and I was trying to find ways to keep my breathing and stride relaxed.
The 4 x 100 pull was good. I really was able to focus on lengthening my stroke. I hope things are starting to fall into place. I feel better in the water, but it is so hard to determine whether I am actually making improvements or not.
For the cool down we ended up doing 200 yds to even out the workout at 2000. I also swam this consecutively and felt pretty good. I am feeling more relaxed in the water. I feel better and better about things with each workout that I finish.
Next week I am going to put my body through some tough workouts where I will be focusing on endurance. I have a couple plans almost ready. I want to test my 600 yd. swim to get a gauge of my time and continue to monitor my progress at this distance.
We are back outdoors again tomorrow morning for another 6 mile run. I look forward to another great group showing up again. Friday I will run again with the guys training for Leadville. This will be a great finishing run for the week before I leave for Indiana and take two days off. I look forward to two days of nothing. I have not rested since Dec. 4th and it is time to give my body a break. This will be very important as I look to push my body during the week 5 training.
Just wanted to let everyone know that we will be out running again Thursday morning at 5:00 am. We will meet up at the Y and head out from there. We are going to get in another 6 mile run. Great run Tuesday and look forward to another one tomorrow.
The pool was very calm and not busy this morning. Chad and I went through a 2000 yd workout that was great for loosening up the legs and still providing a couple sets that were challenging.
To start off we did 500 yds of warm-up with 300 being free. This was my first time swimming more than 100 yds. consecutively. I went very slow to warm the body and to also find a pace that would allow me to not be drained. I found the pace. It was slightly faster than a turtle, but at least I was actually moving forward.
The kick set was pretty easy compared to Monday when we had 75 yds in 1:30. This helped knock out any soreness in the legs from running.
The next series I found tough swimming 100 - 75 - 50 - 25 while increasing speed each time. The 20 second rest is amazing at how fast it goes by. This was a challenge for me. My HR was increasing and I was trying to find ways to keep my breathing and stride relaxed.
The 4 x 100 pull was good. I really was able to focus on lengthening my stroke. I hope things are starting to fall into place. I feel better in the water, but it is so hard to determine whether I am actually making improvements or not.
For the cool down we ended up doing 200 yds to even out the workout at 2000. I also swam this consecutively and felt pretty good. I am feeling more relaxed in the water. I feel better and better about things with each workout that I finish.
Next week I am going to put my body through some tough workouts where I will be focusing on endurance. I have a couple plans almost ready. I want to test my 600 yd. swim to get a gauge of my time and continue to monitor my progress at this distance.
We are back outdoors again tomorrow morning for another 6 mile run. I look forward to another great group showing up again. Friday I will run again with the guys training for Leadville. This will be a great finishing run for the week before I leave for Indiana and take two days off. I look forward to two days of nothing. I have not rested since Dec. 4th and it is time to give my body a break. This will be very important as I look to push my body during the week 5 training.
Just wanted to let everyone know that we will be out running again Thursday morning at 5:00 am. We will meet up at the Y and head out from there. We are going to get in another 6 mile run. Great run Tuesday and look forward to another one tomorrow.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Book Review: Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff
Book Description
One of the world's great Taoist masters isn't Chinese, or a venerable philosopher, but is in fact none other than A. A. Milne's effortlessly calm, still, reflective bear Winnie-the-Pooh. While Eeyore frets and Piglet hesitates and Rabbit calculates and Owl pontificates, Pooh just is. And that's the clue to the secret wisdom of the Taoists.
Lately, I have been really interested and fascinated about the whole philosophy of Taoism. I have become very intrigued with the reading of the short stories and trying to find the meaning of each one. Living a life of simplicity and harmony has really appealled to me lately.
I came across this book and decided to give it a read. As I continue to learn about Taoism and all the great insights and wisdom that you can derive from Taoism I needed something that would speak to me on a level that made sense. I believed this book did the job.
I found the book interesting and engaging. Using Winnie the Pooh I was to begin to construct a basic understanding of Taoism.
I am currently reading some more books on Taoism and trying to find ways to incorporate more of the beliefs into my way of life. This book was a great entry point for me to begin my learning journey.
There were some poems that I really liked, but in the end I wrote down a few quotes that stuck out to me.
** Knowledge and Experience do not necessarily speak the same language.**
**....isn't knowledge that comes from experience more valuable than knowledge that doesn't**
**one disease, long life; no disease, short life**
**easiest way to get rid of a minus is to cahnge it into a plus**
**Tao does not do, but nothing is not done.**
**flow like water, reflect like a mirro, respond like an echo**
Great stuff right there. I recomend this read. I am also interested in reading more and expanding my thoughts and knowledge.
Triathlon Training: Week 4 Recovery - Tuesday Run With Amazing People
Wow! This morning once again reminded me of why I love running. The running community is such a fantastic group of people. Chad Uhde and I have been training for that last 3 weeks together. Prior to that I was able to get some runs in with some other runners. Due to busy schedules and the flu going around things fizzled out for a while.
This morning things were back on track. An amazing group of us got together for a run. Chad Uhde and I were there as usual, but we were met with Katie Gaffney, Jane Wheeler, and Michelle Russell. The five of us took off for a 6 mile run. The weather was fantastic for December. I was worried about the sleet, rain, snow combo that the news has been broadcasting, but it held off.
When you run with a group it really makes the time go by fast. I experienced this on Sunday running with the guys training for Leadville and again today. With any training, there are days when you just need to go solo, push yourself and find yourself as an individual, and then there are days when you need to run with others and just enjoy the sport and remind yourself of the other great people doing the same thing.
There is something to be said about the power of group running. It is a great reminder about why we fell in love with the sport in the first place. Yes, we all want to stay fit, be healthy, and look good, but there is that bond that you cannot always describe in words. For example, I have not seen Jane in weeks. I don't see her outside of running, but when we meet up for a run the conversation just flows and next thing you know 6 miles have passed us and in between mile 1 and 6 many new stories have been shared.
Once again I have been reminded about being grateful for these opportunities. Not only did I run with a great group of people, but when I stopped to think about it they are also some amazing runners who I can learn from. Russell tore up the Las Vegas Half Marathon and runs the amazing organization LIVE UNCOMMON. Gaffney is a stud runner and coach who has qualified for Boston, and Wheeler just flies all over any race finishing near the top all the time as well as being an amazing coach. Uhde and I are the ones breathing heavy and slapping our feet on the ground trying to keep up.
This morning we knocked out 6.15 miles in 55:07 for a 8:58 pace. My average HR was 146 so I was right where I needed to be. I also weighed myself. I have not done so in a few weeks with all the holiday eating and not wanting to know. Today I jumped back on the scale and was surprised to find myself at the same weight as I was when I weighed in on 11.29.11. This was nice to see. I still plan on not worrying about what I eat(I still eat good, but do indulge in the holiday cookies when around) until the new year. I will then begin to slowly focus on my eating to prep for my big races.
Last, talking with Michelle this morning she was discussing the big plans for LIVE UNCOMMON for 2012. I cannot wait to be part of the REVOLUTION that they have planned. Be on the lookout for some great things coming your way in 2012. It is going to be a great year. I also picked up my new long sleeve LU shirt. I love it! The gear is the best. I just love the design and the attention to the small details like my name along the wrist. I am sporting the shirt to school today. I want more in different colors. My closet is filling with LU gear, but their message is such a positive one and embodies my own GETTING IT DONE! in many ways.
Happy Tuesday and keep doing what you do. Make sure you take time to appreciate the people and the things around you.
Back to the bike tomorrow.
**More pictures of my shirt will be posted once they get uploaded to my Flickr account.**
This morning things were back on track. An amazing group of us got together for a run. Chad Uhde and I were there as usual, but we were met with Katie Gaffney, Jane Wheeler, and Michelle Russell. The five of us took off for a 6 mile run. The weather was fantastic for December. I was worried about the sleet, rain, snow combo that the news has been broadcasting, but it held off.
When you run with a group it really makes the time go by fast. I experienced this on Sunday running with the guys training for Leadville and again today. With any training, there are days when you just need to go solo, push yourself and find yourself as an individual, and then there are days when you need to run with others and just enjoy the sport and remind yourself of the other great people doing the same thing.
There is something to be said about the power of group running. It is a great reminder about why we fell in love with the sport in the first place. Yes, we all want to stay fit, be healthy, and look good, but there is that bond that you cannot always describe in words. For example, I have not seen Jane in weeks. I don't see her outside of running, but when we meet up for a run the conversation just flows and next thing you know 6 miles have passed us and in between mile 1 and 6 many new stories have been shared.
Once again I have been reminded about being grateful for these opportunities. Not only did I run with a great group of people, but when I stopped to think about it they are also some amazing runners who I can learn from. Russell tore up the Las Vegas Half Marathon and runs the amazing organization LIVE UNCOMMON. Gaffney is a stud runner and coach who has qualified for Boston, and Wheeler just flies all over any race finishing near the top all the time as well as being an amazing coach. Uhde and I are the ones breathing heavy and slapping our feet on the ground trying to keep up.
This morning we knocked out 6.15 miles in 55:07 for a 8:58 pace. My average HR was 146 so I was right where I needed to be. I also weighed myself. I have not done so in a few weeks with all the holiday eating and not wanting to know. Today I jumped back on the scale and was surprised to find myself at the same weight as I was when I weighed in on 11.29.11. This was nice to see. I still plan on not worrying about what I eat(I still eat good, but do indulge in the holiday cookies when around) until the new year. I will then begin to slowly focus on my eating to prep for my big races.
Last, talking with Michelle this morning she was discussing the big plans for LIVE UNCOMMON for 2012. I cannot wait to be part of the REVOLUTION that they have planned. Be on the lookout for some great things coming your way in 2012. It is going to be a great year. I also picked up my new long sleeve LU shirt. I love it! The gear is the best. I just love the design and the attention to the small details like my name along the wrist. I am sporting the shirt to school today. I want more in different colors. My closet is filling with LU gear, but their message is such a positive one and embodies my own GETTING IT DONE! in many ways.
Happy Tuesday and keep doing what you do. Make sure you take time to appreciate the people and the things around you.
Back to the bike tomorrow.
**More pictures of my shirt will be posted once they get uploaded to my Flickr account.**
Monday, December 19, 2011
Running Outdoors In Iowa: Favorite Winter Running Gear
We have been spoiled by the weather so far here in Iowa. I have not yet had to break out layers and layers of clothing. This is a good thing because I really don't own much winter running gear.
That is why I am posting this:
I want to run outdoors all winter. I cannot do the treadmill all winter. Nor will I allow myself to go without running until Spring. I want to keep my base and perhaps make some further improvements. I need gear. I would love to hear from the running community what you run in?
Shoes, pants/tights, jackets/shirts, gloves, hats, nutrition, etc.
Thanks for your help
I want to make sure that I am not cold like I was when eating this donut at the Living History Farms Race
That is why I am posting this:
What is your favorite winter running gear?
I want to run outdoors all winter. I cannot do the treadmill all winter. Nor will I allow myself to go without running until Spring. I want to keep my base and perhaps make some further improvements. I need gear. I would love to hear from the running community what you run in?
Shoes, pants/tights, jackets/shirts, gloves, hats, nutrition, etc.
Leave your favorites in my comments. I will be buying myself some X-Mas presents this year to get me outdoors.
I want to make sure that I am not cold like I was when eating this donut at the Living History Farms Race
Triathlon Training: Week 4 - Monday Recovery Swim Workout
Back at the pool this morning. The pool was packed. I think everyone is trying to get in their swims early this week with X-Mas around the corner. It was the busiest I have seen the pool.
My legs were tired. After the run yesterday I knew I would be a little fatigued. Some mild soreness set in yesterday as the day went on, but like always as soon as I warmed up in the pool I began to loosen up and feel good.
This week is a recovery week. Now, I have always had this misconception about a recovery week being a week to slouch and take it easy. However, I am learning as I put the workouts together for the week that this is not the case. Rather it is more of fine tuning the workouts to still get things accomplished, but just not pushing as hard as I have been.
Today we swam 2150 yards. My card was labeled wrong as I have it as 2050.
You can access my workout cards and other Triathlon Training images here: http://www.flickr.com//photos/coffeechug/sets/72157628247907345/show/
The Warm-Up was well needed. My right shoulder has been out of whack since lifting last week. I don't know if I tweaked it during the bench press or what, but today it took a while to get loose to where I could really extend.
I noticed today that I was getting tired much quicker than normal. I was just struggling to get into a good rhythm where my breathing was easy and established.
The fingertip drag drill really got to me. I was struggling like crazy. This is an important drill to add to my workouts. I need work on hand entry, extending, and rotating my torso while swimming. The fingertip drag my form falls apart as I am so focused on my fingers treading the top of the water.
As we moved into the the Kick workout we really had to pick up the pace. I felt great during the pull set of 8 x 50, but the kicks I barely had a 3 second break. I would finish and then have to take off again. In retrospect this was good because I really got myself into a nice routine. I cramped super bad during the first set, but it finally subsided. I cramped right in the arch of my foot.
This was a good workout. I did not feel exhausted when I finished, but I felt like I really put in a great workout.
I should not poke fun at others, but I cannot stop laughing about this incident. My buddy Chad who swims with me was swimming in the first lane. This older woman came in towards the end and just came right on in and started doing her workout despite Chad and another guy in that lane. She was talking/counting to herself and just walking all around the lane. It was crazy! She would just drift back and forth to avoid the guys swimming. I don't know why but I started laughing and could not stop. The other guy in the lane finally was like, "Hey, what are you doing? Get out of here! Get out of my lane.". I don't know what all went down, but she did not leave. They were chirping at each other later while we were in the hot tub. I cannot stop laughing about this. Too funny. You had to be there. You have to love old people who just don't care about anything but getting their way.
Back to the roads tomorrow. Meeting at the Y at 5:00 for a run for anyone interested in joining. Will be done by 6:00 at the latest.
My legs were tired. After the run yesterday I knew I would be a little fatigued. Some mild soreness set in yesterday as the day went on, but like always as soon as I warmed up in the pool I began to loosen up and feel good.
This week is a recovery week. Now, I have always had this misconception about a recovery week being a week to slouch and take it easy. However, I am learning as I put the workouts together for the week that this is not the case. Rather it is more of fine tuning the workouts to still get things accomplished, but just not pushing as hard as I have been.
Today we swam 2150 yards. My card was labeled wrong as I have it as 2050.
You can access my workout cards and other Triathlon Training images here: http://www.flickr.com//photos/coffeechug/sets/72157628247907345/show/
The Warm-Up was well needed. My right shoulder has been out of whack since lifting last week. I don't know if I tweaked it during the bench press or what, but today it took a while to get loose to where I could really extend.
I noticed today that I was getting tired much quicker than normal. I was just struggling to get into a good rhythm where my breathing was easy and established.
The fingertip drag drill really got to me. I was struggling like crazy. This is an important drill to add to my workouts. I need work on hand entry, extending, and rotating my torso while swimming. The fingertip drag my form falls apart as I am so focused on my fingers treading the top of the water.
As we moved into the the Kick workout we really had to pick up the pace. I felt great during the pull set of 8 x 50, but the kicks I barely had a 3 second break. I would finish and then have to take off again. In retrospect this was good because I really got myself into a nice routine. I cramped super bad during the first set, but it finally subsided. I cramped right in the arch of my foot.
This was a good workout. I did not feel exhausted when I finished, but I felt like I really put in a great workout.
I should not poke fun at others, but I cannot stop laughing about this incident. My buddy Chad who swims with me was swimming in the first lane. This older woman came in towards the end and just came right on in and started doing her workout despite Chad and another guy in that lane. She was talking/counting to herself and just walking all around the lane. It was crazy! She would just drift back and forth to avoid the guys swimming. I don't know why but I started laughing and could not stop. The other guy in the lane finally was like, "Hey, what are you doing? Get out of here! Get out of my lane.". I don't know what all went down, but she did not leave. They were chirping at each other later while we were in the hot tub. I cannot stop laughing about this. Too funny. You had to be there. You have to love old people who just don't care about anything but getting their way.
Back to the roads tomorrow. Meeting at the Y at 5:00 for a run for anyone interested in joining. Will be done by 6:00 at the latest.
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Triathlon Training: Week 3 - No Rest For The Wicked.....Sunday Run
Normally I use Sundays as my rest day. However, this Sunday I joined an amazing group of runners/athletes for a nice easy run. Two of the guys are simply amazing as they train for Leadville which is a 100 mile trail run. They have asked others to join them on their long running days so people catch up with them at certain times when they reconvene at their house for refueling. I have wanted to join them the last few weeks, but things just did not work out. Today I wanted to make sure I joined them.
My legs were tired this morning from the bike ride yesterday. I was not sure how they were going to respond. The guys started at 4:30 this morning. I thought about joining them then, but I overslept through my alarm and did not wake up until 4:27. I got up around 5:00 and got ready to join them at 6 as I knew the 6 am loop would be two hours. I fueled up with some waffles, coffee, and water and made my way to their house.
It was a little chilly, but once you get moving it turned out to be a beautiful morning. There is something serene about running out in fields with frost on the ground and watching the sunrise. I have not ran for more than 50 minutes or 6 miles since the Living History Farms Race on November 19th where I ran 7 miles.
The two hours flew by time wise. I could not believe how fast time went by just talking with the guys and enjoying the opportunity that was presented to me. During the two hour loop I did stop my watch during a few walk breaks here and there. We ran 11 miles in 1:47 for a 9:42 pace. I felt really good the entire time. I was very surprised by how effortless it felt.
Finishing the run I am now a little tired. This has been a big volume of training for the week. I am not sure about total time put into training, but this week I
Swam 2.6 miles
Biked 52 miles
Ran 23 miles
Lifted weights 1 time
I am quite happy with 77.6 miles of training for my third week of training. My body is adapting well and I am feeling good.
This week presents me a recovery week. Things don't really feel like a complete recovery week as I still have some serious training, but things are scaled back.
My other little side goal is to build my running back up. I really enjoyed the running this morning. Next week I would like to run two loops with them and slowly build my base with them. I have to be careful to not do too much too soon, but things are going good. I truly enjoy each day of training and none of it feels like work.
I have added my notecards with my daily workout plans for my Week 4: Recovery. I realized last night that some of these workouts might be switched due to X-Mas and my travels. For example I will get my bike rides in before Friday and therefore switch a run to the weekend.
http://www.flickr.com//photos/coffeechug/sets/72157628247907345/show/
Happy Sunday! GETTING IT DONE is in full effect and feeling fine. Live life to the fullest.
My legs were tired this morning from the bike ride yesterday. I was not sure how they were going to respond. The guys started at 4:30 this morning. I thought about joining them then, but I overslept through my alarm and did not wake up until 4:27. I got up around 5:00 and got ready to join them at 6 as I knew the 6 am loop would be two hours. I fueled up with some waffles, coffee, and water and made my way to their house.
It was a little chilly, but once you get moving it turned out to be a beautiful morning. There is something serene about running out in fields with frost on the ground and watching the sunrise. I have not ran for more than 50 minutes or 6 miles since the Living History Farms Race on November 19th where I ran 7 miles.
The two hours flew by time wise. I could not believe how fast time went by just talking with the guys and enjoying the opportunity that was presented to me. During the two hour loop I did stop my watch during a few walk breaks here and there. We ran 11 miles in 1:47 for a 9:42 pace. I felt really good the entire time. I was very surprised by how effortless it felt.
Finishing the run I am now a little tired. This has been a big volume of training for the week. I am not sure about total time put into training, but this week I
Swam 2.6 miles
Biked 52 miles
Ran 23 miles
Lifted weights 1 time
I am quite happy with 77.6 miles of training for my third week of training. My body is adapting well and I am feeling good.
This week presents me a recovery week. Things don't really feel like a complete recovery week as I still have some serious training, but things are scaled back.
My other little side goal is to build my running back up. I really enjoyed the running this morning. Next week I would like to run two loops with them and slowly build my base with them. I have to be careful to not do too much too soon, but things are going good. I truly enjoy each day of training and none of it feels like work.
I have added my notecards with my daily workout plans for my Week 4: Recovery. I realized last night that some of these workouts might be switched due to X-Mas and my travels. For example I will get my bike rides in before Friday and therefore switch a run to the weekend.
http://www.flickr.com//photos/coffeechug/sets/72157628247907345/show/
Happy Sunday! GETTING IT DONE is in full effect and feeling fine. Live life to the fullest.
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