Hottest and Longest Run of Year To Date

After a weekend spent back in Indiana with family which pretty means eating around the clock, I woke up this morning and knew I had to get some mileage in early this week. I head to Dave Matthews Band concerts this weekend for the annual guy trip and therefore I need to get my mileage in before leaving because I doubt any running will be had while tailgating and dancing to the shows!

This morning I slept in a bit and around 9:30 I headed out. It was already a bit hot and very little breeze. I had not hydrated well all weekend so I knew I had to be careful, but also I knew I needed to get out for a longer run.

I did not feel too bad at first taking things nice and easy. My goal right now is not pace, but just getting back to enjoying running again. I have been in a year slump of hating running. I have decided to tackle the challenge of enjoying the run again and therefore I am running several times a week to get back in the flow.

As the miles went on I became hot. I soon remembered how this body does not take heat well. Around mile 5 I was able to stop at a water fountain and splash water on my face and head to cool down. This felt great. At this point I did not feel terrible.

Around mile 6 I stopped sweating which is never a good sign. I made myself finish up that mile and mile 7 I forced myself to walk .2 miles to just cool down a bit and not push too hard. I was able to finish up strong.

This was not an easy run. This is actually the longest run I have done all year. How sad is that? Here it is June already and this is my first 8 miler. Looking back on my training plans from 2011 when I ran my first marathon did help me. I was looking at things and noticed that I was not too far off in terms of training and point in the year compared to 2011 and actually this was when I started riding my bike for the first time. I was riding a Schwinn bike and only riding 4-10 miles. Despite my frustrations of not being in the shape I wanted to be in this year I have to take a step back and remember that I cannot burn myself out and was right in this spot two years ago. Baby steps is what I have take and I will slowly get myself back to where I want to be. I have to remember to keep pushing, but not to the point where I burn out and put myself back in the position I am in.

After water, smoothies, and a good lunch I will get my legs and mind ready to keep running for the next three days to get my mileage in for the week. I need to get to 26 miles. A nice easy run tomorrow and another long run Wednesday.

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.

Finding the joy in exercise, creating routine, and taking a break from school

This summer I have found myself all over the place. I have a long list of things to do and just seem to be in an unorganized mess. After a week of doing nothing, I have slowly turned things around. A lot of new things developing and a fresh look on my future as things have come my way.

The last two weeks I have found myself at the highs and lows of life and just trying to make sense of it all. Amanda and I have been decluttering our house and despite being a bit tense as we do things a bit differently it feels good to get rid of stuff.

I have also found the joy in exercise again. I have been off and on lately starting up with training plans for this race or that. I hit a wall. Hard for me to admit, but I lost the love of training. I still felt the benefit of exercise, but was not excited.

Over the weekend I swam at Lake G for the first open water swim and really enjoyed that. I ran the other morning nice and easy with a great friend and this morning had a killer swim workout in the pool. I just need to get back to enjoying these things because my life seems much more in harmony that when I am being active.

I have not posted much on the blog this summer and have just a few random things online here and there. It has felt good to step back a bit and just get away from it all. I still lurk and still bookmark things of interest. I am not going completely nomad style, but just recharging my batteries to get ready for another round of awesomeness.

I hope that others are enjoying their summers and time off. So much to do, but don't forget to take that time for yourself.

Things I plan on doing.

1. Recording my exercise here on the blog again to help with accountability.
2. Continue to downsize all the stuff I have
3. Plan out the next round of #coffeechugPLN chats
4. Get ready to start sharing out new projects and ideas
5. Enjoy the summer!

The goal is to do more with less

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 

My Blog Won A Award! Yahoo!!!!!

Yesterday I received a wonderful email from the website Pace Per Mile.

They emailed me to let me know that they have chosen my blog for providing great content, frequent updates, and more. They are going to list my blog on their website and tweet out my posts to all of their followers in which they have a large following of 28,000+

How cool is this!

Beyond cool, like super AWESOMESAUCE!

And it will also be featured on their Facebook page of 17,000+ fans

This just made my day. After a long week of of some ups and downs, battling illness in my family, and trying to get back into training mode after finding many excuses this was exactly what I needed.

Some good old positive reinforcement is so nice. This is a great reminder to spread positive vibes to other people, students, family, and friends.

What an excellent way to end my week. I am working to getting back into training for triathlons as well as the daunting task of my second marathon. I will pledge to continue to work harder than ever to provide quality content on my blog for people.

Please check out Pace Per Mile on their website, Twitter, and Facebook. They are doing something right with all of their fans and followers. I feel very honored to be recognized by them.

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 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.

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.

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!

Out Season: Week14 Bike Test go BOOM!

Last week was technically week 14  and the last week of my out season training. However a lull in motivation, busy work, and a CrossFit workout that left me sore for days pushed my test days to this week. A week in which I am to be resetting my brain and mind for the next phase of training.

Monday I had to stay home with two of my kids who were sick. This is never a fun day, but it is what it is. Ava finally went down for a bit of a nap and I decided to get on the bike and get this bike test done once and for all. I won't lie I am not feeling the greatest either. I have a major sinus infection and just feel worn out. I have felt worn out for a couple weeks so I hope I don't have something worse than just a head cold!

The bike test is simply on paper, but a monster in real life.

Bike Test, for Power Athletes ONLY!

WU: 10' easy, then 8' building from 50% FTP to 100% FTP in 2' increments, 2' easy. Fine to use estimated FTP if this is your first test. The intent here is to get in a good warmup, so use your best judgement. 

Test 1 -- Vo2 Max Test: ride 5' at the best (hardest) effort you can sustain for the full 5'. A good target is 120% of your estimated FTP.

 Recover 1: 10' easy spin, stretch, recovery. 

Test 2 -- Functional Threshold Power (FTP) Test: time trial for 20' at the best (hardest) effort you can sustain for the full 20'. 

Recover 2: Minimum 5' easy spinning

Rides - TrainerRoad http://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/rides/199304

I will be honest in that these tests make me nervous because I have worked so hard over the last 14 weeks and my fear is not seeing improvements. I have struggled the last few weeks with getting all workouts done and eating healthy. However, the results show that WORK, WORKS! I know that doing these bike workouts I have rode harder than ever before

So here is my progress over the 14 week Out Season on the bike. I am quite happy with the 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

Week 14
VO2: 288
FTP: 95% of 252 = 239

As soon as I finished the 20 minute FTP ride I had to stop and get Ava. She only slept about 30 minutes. Later in the day when she slept again I jumped back on to finish the workout. I ended up riding an extra ten minutes so I got 70 minuted done.

Tuesday morning(today) I was going to swim, but I am not feeling good at all after going to bed at 8 pm. I think I have been hit with the bug after being with my kids all day. I hope to run test tomorrow if all goes according to plan!

Out Season: Week 13 - End is Near and All I Do Is Bike?

So things have.......what shall I say, "fallen off the bandwagon".

I have been focused on diet and training after being spotty in early January.

Last Saturday I had my Lego Robotics State Competition with my students. That day and some other family matters sent my focus in a whirlwind. Making excuses, yep! But it is called life and life is something we all deal with.

Saturday I fell off track eating and ate like a pig, like 12 cookies, chips, 8 sanwiches of Jimmy John's platter, and various other debris of unhealthiness.

It tasted so good! This pretty much ended my eating clean process of the AdvoCare 24 day challenge. I was doing so good up until this point. I was good with cravings out the window and a system in place. From that point on I could not get back on track. I ate good from that point on, but each night I fell apart eating chocolate, drinks, or Cinnamon Toast Crunch before bed.

Added to that my treadmill quit working and I hit a wall of fatigue.

Monday I did the weekend bike workout that I missed out on from being out of town.

MS: 2 x 18' (4') @ 95-100%/Zone4/Hard, 1 x 10' @ 95-100%/Zone4/Hard. Remainder of any time you have available (if any, not required) @ 80-85%/Zone3/Mod-Hard.

On Tuesday I was back on track

MS: 12' (4') @ 95-100%/Zone4/Hard, 18' (4') @ 95-100%/Zone4/Hard, 12' (4') @ 95-100%/Zone4/Hard.

Due to feeling extremely tired and worn out, a busted treadmill, and super busy schedule of life I did not get anything done Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday. Saturday I got the bike workout out done, but did not have time to run

MS: 2 x 18' (4') @ 95-100%/Zone4/Hard, 1 x 12' @ 95-100%/Zone4/Hard. Remainder of any time you have available (if any, not required) @ 80-85%/Zone3/Mod-Hard.

Sunday I was to do an Indoor Triathlon, but snow, ice, and sleet kept me from traveling. Not the best of training this week. Life deals you cards and you have to deal and adapt. The good thing is that my races are not until the summer and fall. The bad news is that I test next week and I have not ran in 12 days. I will see where I am!

AdvoCare 10 Cleanse Over - 11th Day Results

Okay, the first of two big moments of the AdvoCare 24 Day Challenge. After the 10 Day Cleanse we step on the scale and remeasure ourselves. I was not sure what my results were going to be. I felt like all I did was eat, eat, and eat during the last ten days. All very clean and healthy with no slip ups which I was surprised to not have one cheat meal.

This morning I was up at 4:15 and ready to weigh in before my bike workout. I stepped on the scale and was surprised to see my results. To be honest I don't feel much different in my pants or clothes so I was worried my results would be nonexistent.

Day 1 Weight: 222.6 lbs
Day 11 Weight: 216.4
Difference: -6.2 lbs (BOOM!)

Waist 1: 38.75
Waist 11: 37.25
Difference: -1.5

Hips 1: 43
Hips 11: 42.5
Difference: -.5

Neck 1: 16
Neck 11: 15.5
Difference: -.5

Right Thigh 1: 26.75
Right Thigh 11: 25
Difference: -1.75

Left Thigh 1: 26.5
Left Thigh 11: 25
Difference: -1.5

Right Arm 1: 13.75
Right Arm 11: 13.25
Difference: -.5

Left Arm 1: 13.5
Left Arm 11: 13.5
Difference: 0

Right Calf 1: 16.5
Right Calf 11: 16.25
Difference: - .25

Left Calf 1: 16.75
Left Calf 11: 16.5
Difference: - .25

I forgot to measure chest and shoulders as there was not enough time this morning to ask Amanda for help.

I am quite pleased with these results. Today we enter the Burn and Refuel Phase for the next two weeks. This will be tough. During the Burn days I am going to try and go without fruit which was the key to me surviving during the cleanse phase. If I struggle really bad, then I will eat fruit. My biggest concern is finding enough food to replenish my body during my training. I have to monitor this very carefully. Very important as I enter the final two weeks of my out season training.

Discipline and healthy eating go hand in hand. You have to be disciplined. It is not easy to change habits. Trust me I crave things like you would not believe. I am trying to wrap my mind around other things to eat, but it has not really helped yet. When this whole challenge is over it will be all about moderation and keeping things in perspective.

Here is to the next 14 days!

Out Season: Week 12 Wednesday Night Run

I had to dig deep to get this run done. I really did not think it was going to happen. After getting the kids to bed we had to figure out the next phase in the AdvoCare 24 day challenge and what we can and cannot eat. I finally made it down to the treadmill around 8:30 and took some time to get set up and took off.

My treadmill is struggling lately. It kept jerking as I ran. It hurt my knee by the end of the run, but after about 30 minutes it finally stopped the sudden stop motions. I started off watching the pilot episode of American Horror Story, but had to change because that opening sequence was too much for me handle before bed. I hate scary movies and shows so this was not a wise choice. I went back to Breaking Bad and knocked out the workout.

The workout was a 60 minute run consisting of

MS: 1 x 200, 1 x 400, 3 x 800 all at @ IP/6:39/Very Hard with full recoveries between each.

Tip: Build your pace across each repeat here so that your final set is your strongest.

 My 800's were 6:17, 6:18, 5:58. I was way below my 6:39 pace, but it felt easy and for some reason my watch was not showing these numbers. It kept bouncing around at an above 6:39 pace. This was a blessing to see for me personally to see that numbers this low. I have not seen numbers this low in training ever!

I felt good to get this workout done. I know this weekend will be tough to get both workouts in as I am out of town with my robotics team competing at state. Trying to manage and coach ten 5th - 8th graders is a workout itself.

My knee was sore and I hope a rest day will do it some good.

Out Season: Week 12 - Tuesday Bike Workout

Woke up early this morning knowing that I had at least a 75 minute bike workout. I did not look ahead at the workout as my new system is just to figure out that morning of so I don't back out. Today called for only 70 minutes, but it was tough. My legs were tired from the Sunday run and getting after it in practice yesterday. I get so fired up coaching. If I could bring that passion and fire into running I would be winning races!

I had to finish up a couple loose ends on my Netflix watching. I finished up Coach Carter. That movie is great. It was even better not knowing it was based on a true story until the end. I thought it was just a good feeling type movie and not based on a real world team. Very cool! I finished the final episode of The League and am sad to not have more to watch. I started watching It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia or something like that. It is okay, but not worth the hype that some have made it out to be.

Enough of movie watching and onto the workout. Here was the plan

MS: 10' (4') @ 95-100%/204 - 215/Hard, 18' (4') @ 95-100%/204 - 215/Hard, 10' (4') @ 95-100%/204 - 215/Hard. 70 minutes

Rides - TrainerRoad http://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/rides/159605

I had to work to keep in the zones today. My legs were tired and you can I had times where I very quickly dipped and had to regather. I had issues with my bike seat. It became loose on the ride and kept moving up and down which was a real pain. I did not have time to stop and fix it as I have a very short window to train in the morning before all three kids wake up and need breakfast, lunches, milk, etc. Thank goodness for a great wife.

I felt great when I was done as I always do. If only I could bottle that feeling of greatness after a workout and sell it I would be a millionaire.

My eating has continue to be healthy. Still struggling with snacking but Thursday I weigh in after the 10 day cleanse phase of the AdvoCare 24 Day Challenge. I hope that I see some results.

Now to mentally prepare for the run workout tomorrow which I am sure is going to be a joy!

Out Season: Week 11: Sunday Long Run Late At Night

I was not able to get up in the morning early enough to run. I have found that despite the struggles to train at night when the family is sleeping is tough, I think sleeping in a bit on Saturday and Sunday has kept me on the right track by not sacrificing sleep.

Tonight I got off to a much later start than planned. I was not able to run in the afternoon. I had to much too do and still have not got everything done quite yet.

The workout called for a 75 minute run  consisting of

MS: 4 x 800 (3'), 1 x 1 mile all @ TP/7:05/Hard (5').

Creating a 75 to 90 minute run from this run, where personal and physical bandwidth allows, is recommended. Simply settle into a pace between LRP/Zone 1/Easy and MP/Zone 2/Steady.

My zone 1 pace right now is 8:49 and my Z2/Marathon pace is 7:32.

I started off running much earlier like around 8:15 but was having troubles getting my foot pod to connect to my watch. I have to have data. Plain and simple. No just getting out and running. I have a plan and goals and I must visually see them. After running on and off trying to calibrate and such I realized that the battery in the foot pod was dead. I scrambled around the house and found another watch battery and was good to go. Hopefully this solves the mystery of inaccurate readings of my Garmin.

I watched the majority of the movie Coach Carter. I don't know how it ends, but I cannot wait to find out. I thought about only running 60 minutes, but decided to stay tough and get the 75 minutes done. No more excuses with this training.

I feel good. I am glad to get it done. I had some minor tightness in my right hamstring, but other than that I felt great. Off to the pool for some easy swimming just to get back in the flow before my first race in two weeks. Off to cool down and bed.

AdvoCare 24 Day Challenge - Days 4-6

Well, Saturday(Day 6) is just about done for me as I cool down from my run and get ready for bed. I know, what an exciting life I lead!

After reflecting through almost one week I have many thoughts running through my head.

1. This is much harder than what I imagined. I like routine and being in a comfort zone. I thought eating the same things would work well for me. I am discovering I need variety. I feel like I eat the same egg, chicken, turkey, tomato, salsa, onion concoctions over and over. I have tried new things which I will post about soon, but I have found these to be my next problem.....

2. Domino Foods - I have found some healthy options for snacking which I think are good for me to implement. However, they are domino foods as I keep eating and eating. For example, almonds. I have found these to be so delicious with sea salt. The problem is that a serving is 1/4 cup. That does nothing for me. I could and have eaten easily 1 cup of almonds no problem. This one cup is more calories than a Whopper. I am not kidding check the calories. I eat a cup of almonds and am still starving where I could eat the garbage of a Whopper and be full for hours. I understand the health benefits, but the issue I have is that I when eating almonds I will just move on to another snack item. Am I really being healthy? I don't know, but it is something for me to monitor.

3. After a few horrible days of days 3 and 4, I am starting to feel much better. I was at a low for those couple days. I felt tired beyond tired and just was not digging things. I stuck it out and did not lose focus, but I was ready to pack it in. My ultimate goal is to create healthy habits to lead to me racing well in my triathlons this year as well as getting back to race weight. I have about 22 lbs to drop to get to race weight and I have a long time to get there, but as I feel so tired I worry about not replenishing my body properly with my training. My training has not changed. I am putting the same time into my training as before this challenge, but before I was cranking out 7 workouts and gaining weight. That is not good.

4. I am quite curious about my measurements and weight on day 11. I want to know if anything has changed with my eating.

Here is my food diary
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1a-xEHcf9q-ZiA8YloGPPEIHcEiZy4-5ge1FaX1T322U/edit

5. I have found 6:30 - 9:00 to be the hardest part of my day. I want snacks, carbs, and drinks. To not have these has been brutal. I miss creamer in my coffee at 4:15. I miss my chocolate. I really miss all my dairy.

6. I think when it is all said and done the key comes down to the thing that everyone knows - self control. Anyone can follow any cleanse and diet and anything will work if kept in moderation. For me it will be all about not going right back to bad habits, but incorporating the habits I am slowly creating during this challenge. Greek Yogurt will not hurt me. The massive amount of cheese that I ate prior to this does hurt me. A bag of pretzels will hurt me, but a handful would be okay.

7. I struggle with different views of this challenge. Some say yes to one thing while others say no. They say to avoid fake sweeteners, but it is in all the product. I like things precise and I know everyone does things differently, but this is one aspect that is making it hard for me to stay the course when I feel like I can always find an exception somewhere.

This challenge has been good for me mentally. I have made it through the hardest part of the weekend of Friday and Saturday. I snacked a bit too much today, but I did not jump to the darkside of bad choices, but I had too many servings of certain foods.

I head back to the grocery store tomorrow and get ready for another week of this challenge. Stay strong everyone!

And don't forget water. Keep drinking water. I think that was a big issue with they days I struggled. I drank a ton of water the last two days and have noticed a change.

Out Season: Week 11 - Saturday Run and Bike Workouts

Today around 12:30 I was able to get on the bike. My legs were sore still from the workouts this week and they were tired. I think the AdvoCare 24 Day Challenge is working me a bit more than usual. Without all my snacking and junk food I am seeing a difference in recovery. I am not saying my junk eating helps me recover, but my prior eating kept my glycogen stores up for sure. I need to eat healthy and I am only 6 days into the cleanse so my body is adapting. I know the end result will be good as I slim down and continue to fill my body with healthy foods. This week has been a tough one.

The workout today called for

MS: 2 x 15' (4') @ 95-100%/204 - 215/Hard, 1 x 8' @ 95-100%/204 - 215/Hard. Remainder of any time you have available (if any, not required) @ 80-85%/172 - 182/Mod-Hard. 90 minutes on the bike.

I was able to hit the zones once again but it was tough. I moved my bike to the main basement so I could watch college basketball. I love college basketball! I watched the Hoosiers hang on to win and also Duke lose. Lots of great things to take away for my own coaching.

Rides - TrainerRoad http://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/rides/156258

After the kids went to bed I had to pry myself out of bed and head to the basement to run. I started watching Coach Carter and started up the treadmill. This bad boy was struggling tonight. It was real choppy at first and I about blew my knee out a few times. Finally, it was able to get going and I could start the workout.

Running at 8 mph on a treadmill at 2% incline is equivalent to 7:13 mile pace. When I run sub 6:39 for my interval workouts I run at 8.5. Tonight for some reason my watch was not converting and it was making me mad. I needed to run at a 7:32 pace.

MS: Steady run as MP/7:32/Steady out and back. If bricking, do 20' only.

You can see that as I picked up the speed on the treadmill the time was going slower for my mile pace. I know I ran at least 4 miles. I know I should not let something like this bother me as I know I put the work in, but this kind of thing drives me insane. I NEED to see the data. It is just the way I am.

I toughed it out mentally and got both workouts done. It feels good to stay committed. Tomorrow I head out for a 75 minute run to end another great work of training. I need to hit up the pool next week on the rest days to make sure I am ready for my race in two weeks. Woo-Ha!

Out Season: Week 11 - Thursday Bike VO2 Workout

Woo-Ha, gotcha all in check! Today was a tough one. What a week of workouts. Period. This week has been no joke.

Today the workout called for:

MS: 10' (4') @ 95-100%/204 - 215/Hard, 15' (4') @ 95-100%/204 - 215/Hard, 10' (4') @ 95-100%/204 - 215/Hard.

Remaining of ride should be Zone 3/173-182

Rides - TrainerRoad http://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/rides/153044

I hit all intervals except for #2 where it read 258. I missed it by one. My legs were burning today. They were tired from the previous workouts. I had to dig deep to hit my goals. Flat out tough ride. Love it! When I preach to my players about going hard I had to do the same! I have to live by my words.

I am so excited for a rest day tomorrow.