Midweek Exercise Update

To help hold myself accountable I am back to sharing my exercise in the quest to get back into the shape I was once in this time last year.

Monday - I started back to running. I need to find the joy I once had with running. I think I burned myself out from running by worrying about pace and time and splits all the time. I need to get back to just remembering the simple joy of running. One foot in front of the other.

I am jumping into a marathon plan, but not worry about pace, time, or actually even running a marathon. I needed a basic structure to follow to give me some guidance.

I ran 4 miles which was a great starting distance to get back into the swing of things. It helps to have Chad running with me so we can keep things easy and allow us to just chat about stuff. This really helps pass the time and keeps you out of your own head.



Tuesday - After an open water swim Sunday I knew I had some more work to do in the pool. Swimming is probably my strongest sport right now as I  have not missed a swim workout in a while.
Today I decided to mix it up and did a workout I saw in Triathlon magazine to do something completely different from what I have been doing. This was a tough workout. I have not crossed the 3000 yard swim barrier in a very, very long time.

800 warm up - 200 free, 200 kick x2
12 x 25 on :30 working on descent of stroke count - My stroke count was high hovering at 15-16. I was able to get that down to 13-14 by the end. This is way too high.
500 - 25 fast/75 normal - This was a gasser
4 x 150 on 3:00 - I did one set free, one kick, one free, one kick to work on swimming with tired legs
500 pull with 3/5/7 breathing - I did 50 at 3 breath, 50 at 5, 50 at 7, etc. 7 was a tough. I hate that panic feeling of not having oxygen. It was good for me to work on this.
8 x 50 - 3 fast at every :50 and 4th one easy at 1:10 - It is amazing how fast the time goes between sets. I would finish roughly around 40 seconds so the 10 seconds flies by.
100 cool down kick




Wednesday - Today was another 4 mile run. Felt much better despite more humidity and heat. Feels good to get out and run. I don't always want to do the run in the morning, but feel really good afterwards.

Thursday Run and Friday Rest

Below you find my track run session that I did Thursday morning.

Last night I fell asleep at 8 pm. I was exhausted. I woke up this morning and instead of training like I needed to do I had to get a video all prepped for my 5th grade students that I did not get done due to falling asleep so early.

Perhaps a day of rest my first week back is a smart thing. I look forward to getting out for a longer run this weekend and hopefully getting my bike back so I can ride.

MS: 2 x 800 (2'), 1 x 1 mile (2') @ z4/TP/Hard.
Coach Notes: WU and Main Set only. Can extend to 60' if you feel good.

!. 800 @ 7:35
2. 800 @ 7:31
3. 1600 @ 7:33 

18 Weeks Until Rev3 - Swim workout #2

Whew doggies! I slept terrible last night and was beyond tired and sore this morning. I hate to really fight the urge to skip, but finally at 4:40 I got up to get this done!

I am glad I did because I feel much better. I need to work on my mindset to fight through not wanting to get up and be lazy. I know the first few weeks will be the hardest, but once I get my groove back I will be fine.

I hit up the pool again today since my bike is in the shop. This week will be run and swim focused. I was sore from the run yesterday so decided to skip the planned run and swim instead to be safe and not risk injury. I will run tomorrow instead of a bike workout and be right on track.

Here is what I did today. Most happy with the 6 x 100 where I swam each one faster. I was enjoying see my times go down each lap.

My biggest focus right now are my feet and keeping them up on the surface of the water. My feet sink big time. Every lap that is all I am focusing on. I hope to get this fixed over the next few weeks and then move to another aspect of my swim that needs work - rolling!

WU: 500
MS1: 100, 200, 300, 200, 100, with 20" rest between each. Count strokes on all ODD number laps, as a tool to help you focus on form. Set Total: 900;
MS2: 6 x 100 (20"), negative split Set Total: 600;
MS3: 8 x 25 (20") Hard, but keeping the same stroke counts you've held consistently above. Set Total: 200.
CD: 100-200 easy. Total: 2400
Coach Notes: Technique Focus: head position -- neutral head position, not looking up or down; breath straight to the side, to 9 or 3, with no head lift. Think "one goggle out," minimizing head roll.

Running is so hard! 18 weeks until Rev3

Got up this morning for my run.

Yep, I am sure I was not pretty looking this morning.

Run gear was a bit snug

I was breathing as if I was in labor

And I was not moving fast

And I realized I counted wrong and only have 18 weeks instead of 19 weeks until Rev3

Happy Tuesday!

My run workout today consisted of

MS: 2 x 10' (3') @ z3/HMP/ModHard. Remainder of time z1/LRP/Easy to z2/MP/Steady. 

I did a 10 minute warmup and then hit my strides. My Z3 is right around 7:47, but today I was happy to be right around 8 minute mile pace. It will get there. The rolling hills kick my booty today

Here is Episode 7 of the Getting It Done Journey

Ironman Journey Resumes after 3 month of Nothing, Rev3 Cedar Point Here I Come

Alright, I have hit the highs and lows of motivation, training, and nutrition the last six months. I hit an all time high of fitness from Nov - Jan. I hit an all time low from Feb - May doing nothing and being a mess.

Back in October of 2012 I started this journey to complete my first 140.6 triathlon.

I am back. I have 19 weeks to get ready for Rev3 Cedar Point.

Last night I attended swim clinic to find what I need to work on after a long time of no swimming.

Today I hit up the pool for a technique swim

My training has completely changed due to me not following my plan set by my coach. I am now on a 20 week Ironman plan. These next four weeks are just about getting back in the groove.

I will have another 4 week block and then a 12 week intense, locked in training block to get ready.

Today I did the following

Warm Up - 100 free, 100 pull, 100 kick hard, 100 paddles

Drill Propulsion Progression
MS: 2 x 50 (15") Swim Golf; 2 x 50 (15") for each of the six Propulsion Progression Drills; 2 x 50 (15") Swim Golf. Focus Swimming: 2 x 50 (15"), focus on front quadrant: lead hand is extending until recovering hand is about at your ear. 2 x 50 (15"), focus on catch: think "finger tips down. 2 x 50 (15"), focus on catch: think "over the barrel." 2 x 50 (15"), focus on best form you can maintain. 2 x 50 (15") Swim Golf.

I wrapped up with 100 kick, 100 paddles, and 200 free set.

Total: ~1800

I will be sore tomorrow. I was sore this morning.

Here is Ironman Journey Episode 6





You can catch the first five episodes here -http://coffeeforthebrain.blogspot.com/p/1406-triathlon-video-journey.html

Get Faster Week 2 Wednesday Swim Workout Ladder

Back to the pool today. I had the following workout. My T-Pace is 1:45

WU: 400 - free, pull, kick, free

MS1:
100 (10") @ T-pace - nailed it at 1:44
200 (20") @ T-pace - Fell behind somehow swimming a 1:47 pace
300 (30") @ T-pace - back on track at 1:45
400 (60") @ T-pace - finished strong at 1:45
300 (20") @ T-pace minus 2"" - missed this by dropping only one second and not two
200 (20") @ T-pace minus 3"" - swam 1:39 so was way down cutting 6 seconds off
100 Sprint Set - Swam 1:38 so much better
Total: 1600
I added 100 of kicking just to cool down a bit.
Total: 2100

Feeling much better in the water. Things are slowly coming back bit by bit. Feeling much better today compared to the super soreness I felt yesterday.

Get Faster Week 2: Tuesday Night Bike Workout 2x15

Tuesday night I jumped on the bike as the kids went to bed and Amanda was on the couch sick. This is my fourth workout in two days. My legs were quite sore from running so I was not sure how things were going to go.

My workout was the following

WU: 10-15', then 3 x 1' (1') @ Zone4/Hard, to open up your legs. 
MS: 2 x 15' (4') @ 95-100%/Zone4/Hard.
CD: 5-10' @ 65-70%/Zone1/Easy

I popped in the movie, Perks of Being a Wallflower, and took off. The movie is great so far as well as the workout. The bike workout really loosened up my legs and took away any soreness that I had.

I had to hit my Zone 4 power of 210-221. I was able to do just that. My legs were tired, but in a good way. It felt good to get in another workout.

The hardest thing I have to deal right now is always being hungry. I forgot how during my training I always want to eat. After the bike workout I pigged out right before bed eating chips, peanut butter and jelly sandwich, grapefruit juice, water, crackers, and jelly beans. I then crashed hard and slept all night and missed out on Amanda puking her brains out all night.

Get Faster Week 2: 2 Run workouts in 12 hours

I am back in the game people!

Monday morning I got my swim on.

Monday evening before Amanda had to tutor I jumped outside and completed an interval run workout.

The workout called for
MS: 2 x 1 mile (4') @ TP/z4/Hard. 

My zone 4 pace right now is a slow 7:35, but you have to start somewhere. Despite not being where I want things, this is far from easy for me. I did a nice mile warm up and started off. It was nice to run in the sunshine, but the wind was rough and gave me a wonderful earache afterwards.

The first mile interval I nailed running a 7:29 pace. I was right on track. I felt pretty good. I did the four minute rest and set out for the second interval. I ran 7:28, but during this mile my quads became sore and tight. I can tell I am out of shape. I knew that continuing the run for a total of 60 minutes was not in the cards for me. It is about quality over quantity at this stage in my training and no use to risk injury. I also knew I wanted to run in the morning so I cut the course short and headed home to finish under 5 miles in less than 40 minutes.

I came home and stretched, but knew I would be sore. My ankles hurt the worst! They are tender.

This morning(Tuesday) I headed to the Y for the 6B46 group run. It was just Jane and we took off and had a great talk. I had a hard time talking and breathing, but once I settled it was much better. I still am getting back in shape. My legs were sore from the run, but it felt good to battle through and loosen them up. I talked a bit about this new book out on training and fitness and we talked family life. It was a good run.

So, in less than 13 hours I knocked out two runs. I have barely ran two times in a week in the last six weeks. As the day wore on I became super sore.

Tonight I jump on the bike for a bike workout. This shall prove interesting to see how the legs adapt. A couple days of double workouts before heading out of town and giving the body a break. I forgot how sore you feel when working to get back into not only shape, but race shape. There are two major differences between the two. Each week I continue to work on better eating. I have to go in stages in order not to burn out.

I will report back in a few hours after my bike workout when the kids go to bed. Until then........

Training Day 8: Get Faster Block - Week 2 Swim

Here is my workout I knocked out this morning. Felt much better in the pool this morning. I have not had time to look at my swim times, but worked hard on pushing pace while maintaining form. I did not fatigue as bad throughout this session.

WU: 400 - 100 Free, 100 pull, 100 kick, 100 free

MS1: 8 x 100 (30"), as 50 Sprint, 50 Easy 8 x 50 (15"") as 25 Sprint, 25 Easy 100 Sprint 
Set Total: 1300 
*During this set the pool became busy and we had to circle swim. During my easy sets I had to swim super easy to not run into the lap swimmers I was in a lane with. A bit frustrating because it was clear I was the only one in the entire pool doing speed sets and he still chose my lane. It worked out well and we had to adjust, but that is life.

MS2: 2 x 200 (20"), any pace you like, counting strokes and focusing on form. Set Total: 400
I did one set with pull buoy to work on technique. However, I only swam 150 yards as I was messed up with the circle swimming. My next set was 250 doing just free working on really holding my position.

CD: 100 easy Total: ~2200 

Tonight I plan on doing a run workout to get my mile intervals in. I will be doubling up these next few days to get my workouts in before being out of town.

My weigh in this morning was not too terrible. Despite eating a mass amount of food and candy this weekend I was still able to knock out .5 of a pound. I am hoping for better results this week by staying the course much better than last week. I did not eat the best, but am merging towards cleaner eating in stages :)

Training Day 6&7: Get Faster Block, Rest, Food, and Cycling

Saturday I was to get in an interval run, but with the late night of attending Green Day the night before and preparations for Easter at our house I did not get the run in. To be honest I was okay with it because my body was sore from the first week back into training. I cannot get in the habit of skipping workouts, but at the same time talking with my coach I have to ease back into routine and training to get back on the bus.

Today, I attempted the bike and run workout. The bike workout called for the following over a two hour period. I was not able to ride for two hours, but I was not expecting to be able to hold the bike for 120 minutes the first week back. I also did not get the run in. It just did not work in the schedule. I typically workout early in the morning, but today being Easter I did not want to be out running or riding when the kids woke up for their Easter egg hunt.

Here is what I knocked out in the bike workout. I hit all my marks to day which felt good. My legs were twitching by the end.

WU: 10-15', then 3 x 1' (1') @ Zone4/Hard, to open up your legs.
MS1: 2 x 15' (4') @ 95-100%/Zone4/Hard.
MS2: 8' of ""ON"" time This set is a Vo2Max set -- ride equal parts of ""ON"" and ""OFF"" time. ON is at 120%/Zone5/Hard. OFF is at 65%/Zone1/Easy.

 

So for my first week back after a six week block on grossness I feel pretty good. I missed two workouts which happened to both be running. I still hate running. I don't know why I hate it so bad, but I do. I have hated it for about 1.5 years now. The nice weather will hopefully bring me back. Overall, a good week. I completed all tests to see how much I lost and how much I need to work to get back on track. I hit up a few more good workouts this week with this 90 minute ride.

Below are my test results. Nothing amazing, but by sharing I am hoping it will keep me fueled to improve all my times. This week is a huge week of training. I am hoping to get everything in and not miss any workouts. I am out of town for two days this week so that will be a bit challenging, but I will hopefully make it all work.

I really dread stepping on the scale tomorrow. The numbers won't be as good as all the eating I have done, but this was a great weekend with family and friends and well worth it. Off to bed to get ready for a big swim workout, first day back after spring break to teaching and night run.

Training Day 5: Get Faster Block, Friday Swim Workout

I thought my arms would fall off.

Any why did nobody remind me how terrible 200 yard intervals are?

Aside from that I love swim workouts. It is a shock about the work involved to get back into shape. This whole week has been a real eye opener.

Today I had the following workout

WU: 400 MS1: 200, as 50 sprint, 150 easy, 20" rest 200, as 100 sprint, 100 easy, 20" rest 200 sprint, straight into an easy 50 Repeat two more times Set Total: 1800 MS2: 400, any pace you like, counting strokes and focusing on form CD: 100 easy Total: 2700

My warmup I did the following: 100 free, 100 pull, 100 kick(that long 2 minute rest on my watch!), and 100 free.

MS1: These were brutal. Not going to lie.
50 sprint, 150 easy - This was not bad, but a reminder on how swimming fast takes it out of you. I could handle this one.

100 sprint, 100 easy - This one I could always feel on the 75 yard mark and had to hold one for the last 25 sprint.

200 sprint - Not sure I could call my swim for this a sprint, but I swam as fast as I could for this distance. I was reminded of the terrible feeling of dead legs, lactic acid, heavy breathing,  and all while underwater. I hate it!

After each of these sets I only had a 20 second rest which flies by amazingly fast when you want to rest. If only time went this fast when running.

I did have to take breaks between each of the three rounds of this workout. I could not go back into the top again without a breather. I am out of shape and had to adjust. I tried to limit is a bit, but it is what it is. I had to do three rounds of what I mentioned above.

MS2: I did adjust this a bit. I overswam one of these sessions and added two 50's in between each of the three rounds. By this point my legs were dragging and my arms felt like they would fall off. I did 100 kick, 150 pull, and 100 free to wrap up.

All in all I swam 2700 yards and my total time with rests was 54:39. Not too bad for next to zero swimming in the past 5 months. Woo Ha!

Training Day 4: Get Faster Block, Run Test

Holy Dry Heave Batman!

I knew I was out of shape after seeing my times in the pool and bike this week. I knew my run would be the worst. I was not ready for how terrible my body would feel. I apologize to the house I was dry heaving in front of after my run as I tried to regain some composure to jog home for my cool down.

On Feb. 6th I ran a sub 20 minute 5K on a treadmill

Out Season Week 14 Run Test 2/6/13 - http://coffeeforthebrain.blogspot.com/2013/02/out-season-week-14-reflection-and-run.html

Today I was not quite there. I was right where I thought I would end up.

I did about a mile warm up and then right at 53rd I took off for the test. I started off good running a sub 7 minute mile the first mile, but things continued to slow a bit. I refused to look at my watch and just run. I did not want to get into a mental battle with the distance. About halfway through I felt my body slowly smack into the wall and begin to slide down it. I was able to hang out to finish with a 23:07 time in 3.23. I did run a bit over the 5K time.

Regardless I have lost major ground.

Back when I started training in November of 2012 after a long break in the action my progress over the out season was

Here is my Out Season Test Recap

Week 1: My time was 20:52 with a 6:43 pace
Week 8: My time was 20:33 with a 6:37 pace.
Week 14: My time was 19:28 with a 6:17 pace

I sit here today looking at my time of 23:07 and vDot of 44.09 and I am really behind. It will come back. I know it will, but this is frustrating because I look at where I was. Today I could barely sustain this and it was not that long ago I was cranking about intervals faster than this pace while watching Netflix. It is all good motivation to not fall behind.

The numbers never lie and this has been a great reality check. 

Training Day 2: Get Faster Block, Bike Test

Well, I knew going into this bike test that I was not going to be happy with my numbers. My lack of doing pretty much anything the last six weeks is showing up. However, it is an incentive to get back on track.

I was planning on riding this morning, but I was tired so I slept in a bit. I am on Spring Break so I knew I had time to get it done during the day.

After finally getting Ava down for a nap I jumped on the bike. It did not take long for my butt to get sore. I lost my tolerance for the little bike seat. Being a tad overweight is just adding more pressure to the good old boys.

Here is my data from the end of my out season back in February

Out Season Week 14 Bike Test 2/4/13 - http://coffeeforthebrain.blogspot.com/2013/02/out-season-week14-bike-test-go-boom.html

Here are my previous results

Week 1: 24.9 mph 40 minute test @ 149 HR

Week 5: I converted to Power and tested again
VO2: 245
FTP: 202

Week 8:
VO2: 270
FTP: 215

February 4th (end of out season block) Week 14
VO2: 288
FTP: 95% of 252 = 239


Today was a bit discouraging, but I have nobody to blame but myself

Get Faster Week 1
VO2: 274

This is not terrible. A bit of a drop from February, but higher than my week 8 results when in full training mode.

FTP: 95% of 233 = 221.35

My conditioning is terrible and I just could not hold on. I gradually got faster when you check the chart, but you can see to many ups and downs throughout. This can only get better.

I am in a alright place. I have my work cut out for myself if I want to hit my goals of new PR's this year. This has been another wake up call!

Training Day 1: Get Faster Block, Swim T-Test and Preparing for the Season

I am back. I thought I was a back a few weeks ago, but just did not have the mojo to be real about things. I have been off the beaten path for about 6 weeks now getting in a few runs here and there, but basically I have lost everything I worked so hard at during my 14 week outseason.

Today I return. Today I have things mapped out. I have a vision. I have goals. I will share my season soon once I finalize the plans, but I think I will be ready.

Today despite being my spring break I was up at 4 am getting ready for the first day back. I have to establish all my base lines to figure out my training zones for the future workouts. Today was the swim test. I have only swam maybe 3 times this year so my hopes were not great. Before jumping in the pool I did weigh in and take a few snapshots of my body. I always find it useful to do this so as the season progresses and I have those times when I don't feel like things are paying off I can see my progress and remind myself that it works.

It felt good to be in the pool. Using my new Garmin watch is awesome because I no longer have to count laps. My watch does it all. The only thing it does not do is record when I kick with a board. The workout states 1600, but it was really 1800.

I warmed up doing: 100 free, 100 pull, 100 kick, 100 free, 100 pull. I then did the test which is a 1000 yard swim. This will establish my T-Pace which is my time per 100. This will drive my swim workouts in terms of what pace I should swim for the structured aspects of training and trying to become faster. Technique is everything in swimming. However, my technique work days are behind me and now it is more about fitness. Race season is right around the corner.

I am pretty happy with these results. I did this test in February and swam 17:05. 
My time this test was 17:30 so I lost about 25 seconds which is not terrible considering how disgusting I have eaten and how poorly I have treated my body.

I won't lie, looking back at where I was this time of year last year is frustrating. I have blog posts where I was crushing goals and setting new PR's in the pool and the bike and run. I was swimming 3000 yards a workout in March last year. I cannot let the past bother me.

In some respects I think I might be better off in the situation I am in. Last year I felt like I had peaked too early in the season and by the time my races came around I was burning out and on my way down the mountain. Perhaps by starting later in the season I will be peak when needed. Who knows. I am excited to push my limits and mind. I am excited to continue to learn and grow in my fitness and training. I learned a lot last year and suffered from some serious mistakes. I am sure I will have these moments again, but in then I hope to be fitter, faster, stronger, and creating some new PR's.

Now the real test begins. Being home and not eating garbage food all day!

Ironman Training Slump: What is going on?

I am currently in week 3 of a 6 week bike focused block of training. This comes after my 14 week out season where I made huge strides in the bike and run. However, I have fallen apart big time the last three weeks only working out a few times, battling an injury, and having zero desire to train and workout.

What is going on?

I honestly don't know. I have a lot on my plate, but so does everyone else. I have been incredibly tired lately. Actually, fatigued is more like. I feel exhausted all the time feeling tired down to my bones. Amanda suggested seeing a doctor. That might be in the cards if I don't shake this soon. Not sure what is going on, but it needs to change.

It will change. We have our ups and downs. I have plans for a big season this year, but right now I am struggling just to find energy to make it through the day.

So, that is where I am. It is where I have been and the reason my training updates have not been around.

Time to find myself and resolve some issues and hopefully get back on track.

Training Put On Hold

I don't know what I did, but Tuesday night after coaching my basketball game my right ankle started to bother me a bit. By the end of the night it was hurting pretty good. I have no idea what happened or what caused it as I did not do anything.

Wednesday morning when I woke up I planned to get my bike workout done, but I could barely walk. My ankle was on fire and hurt something fierce. Throughout the day it just got worse, started to swell a bit and the pain moved to my heel and calf.

Today the pain is still there. I am taking another rest day and the pain is now more the heel, but if I rotate my ankle it hurts and the swelling has also increased.

So, I was back on track, but have a little setback. I need to get to the doctor so hopefully Monday I can make a quick trip over to see as I am busy today and out of town all weekend. The joys of getting old.

Run Focus Block: Week 1, Day 2 Run

Today is the second day of the 6 week run focused block of my training. I did not need to do the 5K run test as I just tested last week to end my NOS. Instead I had a 2 x 1 workout at Zone 4. My new Zone 4 pace is 6:43.

5k test for vDOT. WU: 15' including 4 x 30" at 5k pace.
MS: Run a 5k Time Trial. Find a relatively flat course (or track) for your test. Goal is to hold a pace you can sustain for the full duration of the test without blowing up and without having a lot left to kick at the end. The ideal course is one you can test on repeatedly. CD: Walking, jogging as needed, etc.

Note: If you don't NEED to test, do 2 x 1 mile (4') as your workout. 

I decided to finally suck it up and run outside. I have not ran outside this year so I thought it was time to get outdoors. IT was not too bad out. I was cold the first 10-15 minutes, but as I continued to run I warmed up just fine. I started off nice and easy running a 8:16 pace to get loose for about 11 minutes. I then moved to a stretch of road perfect to start the mile interval. I was spot on running the mile in 6:42.

I took the four minute rest going nice and easy to recover. My legs were heavy after this point, but it was soon time for the second mile interval. You can see below I ran that one in 6:36 so a bit faster. This was due to being properly warmed up and also probably a bit of small downhill descent to start the run. This helped to set the pace. I felt really good during this mile and actually overran a bit to run 1.17.

I was pretty tired and my legs were fatigued. I decided to run two more miles nice and easy to begin to build up some base and slowly expand my time on my feet. I have not ran long in a long time due to the focus being on speed. It is time to begin to slowly build.

I love my new watch! Look at all this cool data and this is not even all of it! So worth the purchase. Very happy I splurged. I hit my groove and realized I need to to work on my run. I am glad I chose the run focus because it is needed.

6 Week Run Focus Block: Day 1 Swim Test

I decided to get the swim test out of the way first thing this morning. I was not in the mood for the treadmill or the high winds outside. I needed to get a swim test done as I already have my run and bike data from the November Out Season. And I was anxious to test out my new watch. I broke down and despite not having the money for it I purchased the Garmin 910XT.

Today I had to do the following:

T-Pace Swim Test This test will establish your “T-pace," which we will use as a reference for future interval work. This is also your initial swim test, to gauge your improvement across this plan.

WU: Start slow and gradually build pace/effort. 100 swim, 100 kick, 100 swim, 100 kick, 100 swim.

MS: After the warm-up, swim 1000 yards/meters at a constant pace and good effort—as if racing.

Record your average pace per 100. This pace is your "T-pace," will be used as a reference for future interval work. 

I tested out my watch and it was amazing! It is worth every penny to have a watch monitor my swim stroke count and how far I swim. I no longer have to think about laps, but just technique. That is a game changer right there. I felt pretty good in the pool. I have to back and look at my swim times from last season to see how I compare, but I don't think I was too far off from last season despite only swimming 3-4 times since August.

When I got home I synced up my watch and my brain turned to ooze when I saw all this data recorded. I did not have time to process it all, but being the nerd I am I cannot wait to sift through it all. All the more for me to look at and analyze. I love it!

I swam the 1000 yard test in 17:05 for a T-100 test time of 1:42/100. Not the fastest by any means, but at least it is a start towards a new plan and goal to being faster this year.

Here is more info! Gotta love it!

Out Season Week 14: Reflection and Run Test with a Double BOOM BOOM

I finally got my butt moving for this run test. Fear is not even close to what I was feeling. I had to overcome a mental block like you would not believe.

A block knowing that I could have trained better.

A block knowing that I have been chicken to running outside since converting to treadmill training in my basement before it broke.

A block not wanting to see my final time.

A block in just not enjoying running period.

Today I got up and forced myself to the Y to run on the treadmill there. My last two run tests have been outside, but since I have been training on a TM over the last month I decided to stick with the TM. I got to the Y and after signing up for one of the new TM's I made my way over to find a young couple taking the very one I signed up for. This made me mad, but I decided to just move to another treadmill. An older one.

I did my warm up and just was not feeling it, but tried to tell myself to get loose and focus. After one mile of gradually picking up speed, I stepped off to stretch and get ready.

I cranked the TM to 9 mph and tried to hold that pace at least until the 1.5 mile marker. That was the plan. My hamstrings felt tight, but I got into a real nice groove. A groove so nice that that TM decided to short out on me and turn off. I went from 9 mph to 0 in .5 seconds. Talk about a disruption of flow. I was about .3 of a mile in and had to quickly move to a new TM. Needless to say that a 6'4" 220 lb man coming to an abrupt stop like that caused a lot of people to stare.

I moved down and started back up. There was about a 30 second lull in the running, but I figured that since I was only a little bit into the run it was not a big deal so I just continued forward instead of starting over. I was out of whack from this point on. I tried to maintain the 9 mph which my watch read as being sub 6:10 mile pace. I was doing good until around the 1.5 mile mark when I had to stop for a quick cramp stretch. I had a 10 second break in the action to stretch my hamstring. I know it is not recommended  but it is what it is. I had to move the pace down to about 8.5 and 8.0 mixed in back and forth to be able to finish and keep my hammie from going crazy.

In the end I hit my goal. I ran the 5K under 20 minutes. I was quite happy. I know that I would be able to do this even if I did not have to stop twice. I was at 19:28 so even if I slowed down a bit more I would have been under 20 with no stops. This was a great sign. Perhaps this is what I needed to reignite my running goals.

This is my second fastest time. Last year I ran 19:!4 at  4.21.12 : PROJECT RENEWAL 5K

I know with a bit more mileage and run focus I could get below 19:14 in a race. I need to seek out a race in about 6 weeks after this next training block of 6 weeks of run focus.

So, this is a double BOOM BOOM. I am quite happy with the results. Reaching goals is always a great feeling. The hard work and getting up every morning early has paid off.

Here is my Out Season Test Recap

Week 1: My time was 20:52 with a 6:43 pace
Week 8: My time was 20:33 with a 6:37 pace.
Week 14: My time was 19:28 with a 6:17 pace

A few things I have learned through the Out Season.

1. Mileage - I have gotten away from the notion of worrying about getting so many miles each week. Rather, I have finally begun to shift to work on the actual workout at hand. Run for 45 minutes with the intervals instead of just an easy 7 mile run. I am adapting my thought process to put in quality instead of quantity  Last year I thought the more miles, the better. It is QUALITY that matters and this Out Season has proven that idea.

2. Rest - You have to listen to your body. Even though I had workouts to do six days a week there were times when my life and schedule were just too busy to do it all. The body wears out if you don't take care of it and sometimes that means taking an extra day here or there. The journey is long so if I have to sacrifice a workout here or there it is worth it to stay healthy and injury free.

3. Rest and Nutrition - Two more important things especially this time of year. Getting good sleep is huge. As I work on eating more balanced and eliminating foods that I don't really need(this does not always happen :)) my sleep has improved. I realize the importance of getting enough rest. I also realize the importance of proper nutrition. They work hand in hand and do make a difference. Sometimes you don't notice right away, but charting data long term you can see the results.

4. Spice It Up - during the Out Season I hit a low in motivation. I had to change things up. I did a CrossFit workout during my test week. Probably not the best week to do this, but it was needed. That change of pace changed everything. Sometimes we have to go against the grain, against the standard protocol and do something different to reignite our passions. I plan to do CrossFit once I am done coaching. It will be a good break of action from SBR(Swim, Bike, Run) and keep me going. The key will be balance and not wearing the body out. Don't be afraid to try something new.

So there you have it. My first Out Season is in the books. I made massive gains that I am so proud of. I look forward to training hard and seeing where it takes me this year in my races. I will enjoy the rest of this rest week by mixing things up with some swimming and lifting and then move on to  a six week run focus training program before hitting up my Ironman training. Time to sign up for the races!

AdvoCare 24 Day Challenge: Results and What I Learned

After the 10 day cleanse of this 24 day challenge I was down 6 pounds. I was happy seeing the weight drop off. I was in a groove after struggling for most of those ten days. I finally got over the hump and had the cravings finally subside.

After one weekend for state robotics things fell apart for me. I had no food choices to stay the course and I went all in. I did not eat in moderation, but ate like a pig and put down so much food and none of it was on the plan. After that day things completely fell off track for me.

The next 9 days I tried to get back on track. I would be on track for about 85% of the time. I would fall apart and tear up my cravings. I struggled. By day 24 I weighed in and found that I was still at my 6 pound loss. I had not gained, but did not lose more.

At this point in time about a week later I am close to being back to my starting weight of 222. Am I bummed? Not really. I took away many great things.

1. Eating super clean all the time is not for me and will lead to burn out. I know myself and my body. I must have my chocolate and candy from time to time. It is what it is. This challenge proved what I knew would happen. Once I gave in to a craving it was over. I went overboard. Instead of eating one cookie I ate 12. I have to have those cheat meals built in.

2. I can go without dairy for the most part. I need my Greek yogurt at least once a day and cottage cheese every once in a while. I am able to give up the rest. I don't have my cheese cravings to put cheese on everything like I once did so that is good. This will pay dividends down the road.

3. Bread - don't really need it either. I will have bread or grain on my cheat days when I eat pizza and such, but I no longer crave the slices of bread or chips. I still need to work on this, but this won't be hard to do.

When it is all said and done. I feel better about myself right now with the weight back on. I feel fitter and in better shape. With my training and adding some CrossFit in a few weeks I will be feeling even better.

What is next?

Next is to go after the Four Hour Body system. I am not dieting. No way. But I like this method of eating clean and having one day a week where you eat whatever you want, however much you want, and then eat good the other six days. I will make one change and that will be that I will continue to eat fruit even though it says no fruit. I just need to eat fruit with my smoothies and all that. If I can keep my cheat meals and snacks to one day I will be where I want to be.

Additionally, in some ways I am glad I failed. I don't want to be down to race weight right now. I don't need to be there until this summer/fall. So if I carry around an extra 15 pounds it will only help with my training. I will be that much faster and my body will think it will be easier come race day when I am 15 pounds lighter.

I did not quite make it the whole 24 days, but I learned a great deal about myself and where I want to be. I take it as a success. The key is eating whole nutritious food. It is not taking some pill or wonder drug. Supplements are not the game changers. Habits are the game changers. Period. Having the self discipline to get the habits to form is the hardest part of a lifestyle change.

When it comes to March/April I will stripping away weight to get ready for some road races and I will be doing this without supplements or some pill magic concoction. I will be curious to see how things pan out. AdvoCare 24 Day Challenge works. It works for a ton of people. It has helped to open my eyes to what I need to work on and what works. I will continue to use certain AdvoCare products, but I know I don't need them all. The key is find what works for you as an individual. We are all different and all need different things to reach our goals.

For me I just need to stay the course with my training. I will be fine. When I put in the work it only makes sense to not jeopardize all the hard work by feeding my body junk. If I want to perform well I must eat and hydrate well. Pretty simple concept, but at times very hard to do in a society that surrounds each person with junk food and fake sweeteners. I will GET IT DONE! and this year will be a big year of hitting PR's and reaching my goals. This was a good kickstart to get things going!