Triathlon Training Days 69 - 72: Run and Run

First, it is nice to be home. I always enjoy going on vacation and it was great to have my sister for a workout partner but being at home has a feeling that is just very comforting! Annie and I made it back on Saturday evening around 8:30pm after 2 days and 25 hours in the car. It wasn't that bad because we had two books on CD and they were pretty good. From start to finish I put 2997 miles on my company car. Why did we drive you ask? Well, I needed to get to 72,000 miles by July 1st to start the clock on getting a new company car - Mission Accomplished - odometer was at 72,221 when I pulled in the driveway!

Anyways, the weather is trying to do everything to make me not enjoy being home! The temperature here in Houston has been just ridiculously hot. We are in the 100's with make-you-sweat-as-soon-as-you-walk-outside humidity. I sooo want to go ride my bike but it is dangerous hot so that isn't going to happen anytime soon.

To recap my workouts: On Friday morning before we began the drive I woke up early and ran 4.0 miles with my sister. We ran at a 9 minute mile pace so it was a nice aerobic workout. Saturday was spent napping in a Fairfield Inn and then more driving. No workout happened. On Sunday I got caught up with work and the DVR and planned to go swim at the gym. I got to the gym at 6:45PM and saw the "Hours of Operation" sign said 7 AM to 7 PM on Sundays. Dammit. I could have swore it closed at 8 PM. I saved all the hours in my BlackBerry so this will not happen to me again. My gyms hours are pretty crappy. If it wasn't the only gym with a pool in the area I'd be elsewhere. It was too hot to run or bike so I missed a day. I did do ARX at home so not a complete loss!

So, with a little anger brewing today I decided to run my ass off on the treadmill for 3 hard miles. I ran between 7.6 and 9 mph the entire time and ended up doing the 3 miles in 22:31 seconds. A personal record by over 2 minutes - I was pretty pumped by this time. A little over two months ago I was having trouble breaking 30 minutes. It is very rewarding to see the hard work pay off in my times. I might even push it a little harder next time on the treadmill. Hopefully, all these gains will not be lost while in Spain next week!

Tomorrow is going to be a swim day. I want to do at least 1000 yards!

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

Triathlon Training Days 66-68: Vacation Recap

Sorry I have been away from the blog the last couple of days. I have been enjoying my vacation and spending time with my family! We are beginning our trek from the Outer Banks, NC back to Houston tomorrow morning. We are going to drive the first 13hours to a hotel right outside of Aurburn in AL tomorrow and get a good nights sleep. Then we will log the last 11 or so hours of windshield time and arrive back to Houston on Saturday evening!

Even though I was on vacation I was still able to get in some great cardio workouts. As I mentioned in my last post my younger sister Liz just finished off her first round of P90X and was ready to Bring It over vacation. We ran on Monday (5 Mi), Wednesday (4.3 Mi), Thursday (4.3 Mi), and we will again early tomorrow before my departure. Also, we rented bikes and the community we were staying in had really nice trails. My mother and wife are spinning mavens so we went out on some pretty good rides to get in some extra cardio. I rode on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. All the rides were only between 5-6 miles, but they still burned some calories!

The biggest calorie burners though were the time spent in the ocean fighting the waves - killer workouts! We went to the beach on Monday and Wednesday and the water was extremely rough, but also extremely fun! We didn't intend to "workout" in the waves but my entire family cannot sit still so we all ended up on boogie boards playing in the ocean. A great time but I was exhausted afterwards!

Now the negative part about vacation was my diet. My mother brought homemade cookies - my all-time favorites, chocolate chips and peanut butter - and I tried to resist. I made it two days and just couldn't resist anymore. And it was worth it because the cookies were freaking awesome. I also had two slices of greasy pepperoni pizza today, my father had some on Sunday (and it looked sooo good) and when he said he was going again today I was all in! I also had a few beers the last two nights. But other than a few slip-ups we all ate relatively clean: Whey Smoothies, whole wheat bagels, pasta, and tortillas, chicken and fish. So, overall not the worst but I could have done better. Darn cookies.

Tomorrow is a long ass drive and so is Saturday. Sunday I am going to reset and plan out a strong week of training, but then I am leaving next Friday night for Pamplona Spain for the Running of the Bulls and yes, I promise to posts tons of pictures of my trying not to be gourd.

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

Triathlon Training Day 64 & 65: 5 Mile Run

Well, yesterday we finally reached our vacation destination. The house was are staying in is beautiful and it should be a nice relaxing vacation!

On Sunday I couldn't find time to get in a workout. Catching up with the family, driving and unpacking just tired me out. The good news was that when we got to the house my younger sister was already there and she was looking rather buff! She didn't tell because she wanted it to be a surprise but she did an entire round of P90X! And she looks great. She was 131lbs before she started an after the 90 days she is down to 119 lbs and extremely lean. I was very proud of her!

This morning my sister, Annie and I decided to get up early and go for a run. The community we are in is very quite and hardly any traffic was present! My sister and I ended up running for a total of 5 miles. The plan was to run for 4 miles but we got lost. We passed the same house 3 times before we realized it! It was just like in "European Vacation" when Chevy Chase and family were stuck in the circle and Chevy kept saying, "Look kids, Big Ben - Parliament" .... the good news was that we eventually found our way home and got an extra mile in! Also I almost stepped on a dead snake. At the time I didn't realize it was dead and damn near jumped on my sisters back. It was a big sucker! By HR went from 164bpm to 185bpm in a matter of one second! This is now the second time I have encountered a snake while running. The first time was much more scary because it was a water moccasin and it was alive and pissed off! My 5K split was 25:18. A very nice pace for me.

My plans of open water swimming in the Atlantic Ocean came to a crashing halt today. We went down to the beach and the waves were huge. Biggest waves I have ever seen on the east coast! So instead I took a boggy board out and tried to ride the waves. Didn't do too well but got in a heck of a workout trying!

Not really sure what tomorrow's workout is going to be. We rented some bikes so it might be that but I really enjoyed running with a temperate of 68 degrees!

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

Triathlon Training Day 61, 62, & 63: Vacation Travel

Hello everyone!

Annie and I are sitting in a Marriott Courtyard Hotel in eastern North Carolina. We will get up early tomorrow and end up at our final vacation destination of the Outer Banks after a short 4 hour drive. Many of you might be thinking 4 hours is not a short drive --- Well, after we just completed a 20 hour drive, 4 hours is nuttin!

We left Houston on Friday night at 8pm and drove straight through the night and day. It really wasn't all that bad. We are listening to a John Grisham book on CD and we packed a cooler.

As for my training: Thursday and Friday were completely wasted days. I spent Thursday and Friday tying up loose ends at work. Also, my tooth pain was still hurting even after I had the filling replaced. I went and saw another Doctor buddy of mine and he did a pano on me and we discovered the pain is coming from my lower right wisdom tooth. It has a nasty cavity in it and is resting right against the nerve, thus causing all the pain in my lower jaw. My problem was that I was leaving on Friday and couldn't get it removed. He gave me some penicillin and Vicodin and told me to use when needed. He is going to remove all 4 of my wisdom teeth on July 13th and I am hopeful I can recover in time for my August 2nd Triathlon.

Anyways, after my 20 hours car ride Annie and I found two treadmills at the hotel and got in a run. My legs were feeling pretty tight from sitting so long so I just did 2 miles. The first mile was done in 8:13 and the second mile was completed in 7:23.

This week on vacation I am planning on training everyday. Swimming in the ocean, running along the beach, and biking on the trails is going to be my relaxation and i cannot wait. And Nutrition-wise we are planning on eating clean. I brought my whey protein and protein bars for the entire week.

We are off to get some dinner and then to bed.

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

Triathlon Training Day 59 & 60: Rest + ARX and Strength Training

The last couple of days have been very frustrating. I had a filling that cracked (tooth #3) and I have been in some pretty bad pain. My mouth has swelled up and any liquid that touches it is really painful. Yesterday I was not able to go to the gym. I was taking pain killers and was tired and groggy from the pills. Also, I weighed myself today because I haven't been able to eat solid food and was down to 155 lbs! Today I was able to get to a dentist and he fixed my filling. My mouth is still pretty tender and I might still need a root canal but we are going to see how this works out before I go that route!

Today I decided I wanted to go get a swim in and work on my Total Immersion form. When I got to the pool lessons were still going on so I did an Ab Ripper X set and then did a bunch of lat pull downs and dumbbell presses on the bench. Real nice chest and back workout! Also, during ARX I used a 10 lb medicine ball for the Mason's twists -- awesome!

After the strength workout I went to the pool and began to realize something almost immediately -- Do not go swimming after receiving dental work! I did one lap and the upper right side of my mouth was killing me. I don't know if it was the pressure from the water or just the water hitting my teeth but it was painful. I am talking made me woozy type of pain. So, I had to stop swimming. I took my time getting dressed and am now at home. I feel better now but have decided to let this sucker heal up until I swim again!

I'd really like to try and get a bike ride in tomorrow evening. The temperature has been close to 100 degrees here the last few days and it looks like tomorrow is supposed to be the same. I have rode the spinning bike at the gym but it just isn't even close to actually riding. If it is still unbearably hot again tomorrow evening then I will probably just run on the treadmill. We have rented a few bikes for our upcoming vacation so I'll at least be able ride a little next week!

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

Triathlon Training Day 58: 5K Run + ARX + Strength Training

Got to the gym late today. I had a real bad tooth ache so I took some painkillers and needed to wait until the effect wore off. Damn tooth aches hurt man. I lost some of an amalgam filling and it is killing me. I don't have time to get it fixed until Wednesday so gonna have to suck it up!

Anyways, in order to give myself some extra energy I took some of the N.O. Xplode prework-out drink. And as usual it got me all jacked up! I crushed a round of Ab Ripper X and then jumped on the treadmill for a 5K run. I wanted to run at a medium to medium-fast pace since the last two days I have really pushed it physically. When I finished my time was for the 5K was 26:30 -- and I felt really good.

So, I went to the free weight section of the gym and did an abbreviated Chest & Back workout using dumbbells and the lat pulldown machine. Glad I did this because I have been slacking on my strength training since I have become Mr. Cardio over the last few weeks.

Tomorrow I have a bunch of appointments all over the city so I have no idea when I will be getting home. But when I do I am going to go back to the gym and try and do an endurance swim (50+ laps).

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

Triathlon Training Day 57: 26.2 Mile Cycle

I got my bike back from the LBS (Local Bike Shop) yesterday and it is all repaired and ready to go! I decided I wanted to go do the 26.2 Mile Trail I found online, the same trail I tried to do last week when I damaged my rear tire.

Anyways, I got up early this morning, grabbed a protein shake and whole wheat bagel, and made the 20 minute drive to the trail. I wanted to get up even earlier but fell asleep reading a book last night and forgot to set my alarm -- dumb! The reason I wanted to get going in the early AM was because the temperature was supposed to be 97 degrees (again) with a heat index of 104! I got to the start point around 8:30am and it was already 87 degrees!

I started out the ride at around 20mph for the first 5 miles. The wind was blowing but it was blowing at my back so I was okay. Until I made the first southward turn -- wind in my face! And it was a blowing hard. I averaged about 14 mph for the next 8 or so miles. My legs were burning up! It went this way back and forth for the entire ride. The good news is I finished and my legs still felt very good. I probably could have done the entire course again, except the temperature was at 93 degrees and I seriously could have been melting.

Overall, I really enjoyed biking on the open road. Only about a dozen or so cars passed me the entire 26 miles and I came across at least 20 or so other people cycling. Nice course. According to my Garmin, I burned 1385 calories. My top speed was 23 mph and my average speed was 16.1 mph. My average heart rate was 145 bpm. The total time on the bike was 1:40 and my butt was a little sore towards the end!

I cannot wait to get out and do this course again. I was using my Garmin as a GPS since this was my first time on the course and I missed a turn two different times. The Garmin beeped at me when I missed these turns - very cool. I'll do better the next time since now I know where I am going! I also am happy that I was able to get through the 26 miles and still feel relatively fresh at the end. For my Tri the bike distance is only 13.8 Miles. This gives me the confidence to pedal hard and fast and leave it all on the course because I will still have enough left to do the run.

I am really enjoying training!

Not sure what I am going to do tomorrow yet. Since Annie and I are leaving for vacation this coming Friday night I need to try and coordinate this week's schedule with that. We are driving to North Carolina and it will take about 23 hours. We are going to stop in the ATL for a night to rest but I will basically be unable to train for 2 days (unless I have the energy to hit a treadmill at the hotel in Atlanta). However, we are staying at a Beach house with my family and they are all very active so workouts will be part of our schedule. The house we are staying at is in a community that has a full gym and pool that we have access to so I will probably get more work in on vacation than I do at home!

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

Triathlon Training Day 55 & 56: Rest + 750 Yd Swim + 5K Run

Yesterday was both good and bad. But mostly Good! Good that the Pens took home Lord Stanley's Cup and Bad that I had to take a rest day.

I got home from work around 4pm and Annie wanted to go see "The Hangover" ... we haven't spent much time with each other lately and we both had LOOONG weeks so I said what the heck. It was playing at 4:25 right down the road. So glad she talked me into it because it was hysterical. It was as good as Old School and Wedding Crashers, maybe even better! My side hurt from laughing.

We had to rush to get home by 7pm so I could watch the hockey game. By the time the game was over I was mentally drained and pretty much exhausted from the week and decided to sit down upstairs and watch last week's episode of "Rescue Me" on the DVR. I feel asleep 20 minutes in on the couch and no workout happened after that!

To make up for it I did a bookend brick at the gym: 30 laps (750 yards) in the pool and 5K on the treadmill. According to the pool lap clock I did the first 550 yards in 12 minutes. I then did a slow 10 laps to work on my form. My breathing has been struggling the last couple of times out so I needed to refocus. I feel like I got a hold of it on the last few laps.

Then I got changed and jumped on the treadmill. No HR monitor, just RPE running today. I started out at 7.5 MPH and did the first two miles in 16 minutes. My legs were feeling some fatigue so I slowed down to a 9 minute mile pace and finshed the run at 25:53. I was really pleased with this time. Especially after a long swim too!

The heat here has been brutal. The last few days have been 97 degree highs with heat indexes in the low 100's. Tomorrow is going to be no different so I plan on getting up bright and early and driving down to my 26 Mile track for a bike ride. I picked my bike up at the LBS today and it is back in good working order. I am itching to get a good ride in!

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

Triathlon Training Day 54: 5K run on Treadmill + Ab Ripper X

Another long day but I was able to make it to the gym. I'd really like to run outside but it was 97 degrees today and the Heat Index was 104 degrees -- Good Times!

So, I hit the gym and set the Treadmill for the 5K Loop. Since I am still a Treadmill newbie as well as a RPE newbie I am never sure how fast to start out. I set the treadmill at 6.6mph and gradually bumped it up during the run. The one thing I like about the Treadmill is that it really seems to promote longer stride lengths which is a good thing! I ended up finishing the 3.1 miles at 8.6 mph and my time was 25:49. I keep getting stronger at the runs and even though I still don't love running it isn't as bad as it used to be.

Tomorrow is a swim day and I think I can pick my bike up from the LBS.

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

Triathlon Training Day 52 & 53: 5K run on treadmill amd missed day!

Working like a madman down here!

I got a 5K in on the treadmill yesterday. I did it in 25:30 - this is my personal best time so far for this distance. I probably could have pushed it a little harder too. Still not used to pacing myself on the treadmill.

Today was just a brutal day with work. I left early and got home late and my ass is beginning to resemble the drivers seat of my Pontiac Grand Prix. Worst part is I still have a couple hours of work to do tonight and a 5am wake up call!

As for todays - My Aunt Nancy, Cousins Gloria, Sarah, and little Nancy came to visit us this evening. They are here from Western PA and I haven't seen them for ages. They stayed until around 9pm tonight before they had to drive back to my other cousin's house in Bastrop. It was really great to see them and catch up so I do not mind missing a workout at all! If you guys are reading we had fun and you are welcome back anytime!

I have another hectic day scheduled for tomorrow but it should settle down by the evening so I can get some work in! I am planning on swimming and running tomorrow. And hopefully I will get my bike back from the LBS so I can ride this weekend!

Thanks for Reading and sorry for the erratic updates!

Jeff

Triathlon Training Day 51: REST DAY

I planned on running this evening but just couldn't do it. I am just exhausted after only sleeping about 2 hours last night. I haven't taken a rest day in a while so it was probably for the best. So, a good nights sleep is in order with some clean nutrition tomorrow and I'll be locked n' loaded again.

Jeff

Triathlon Training Day 50: 1.2 Mile Bike + 1.2 Mile Walk of Bike Back to Car

I'd like to congratulate fellow P90Xer and now Triathlete Boomer on completing his first Triathlon yesterday! He had a great time and even completed his Tri in a very respectable time. Boomer's work ethic and choice to dedicate himself to a healthy lifestyle has been a major inspiration to me and many others. If you'd like to read more about what it was like CLICK HERE for Boomer's review.

Sorry I didn't post yesterday about my 26 mile bike ride! It was mostly out of frustration that kept me from the blog. Here is what went down:

So, I get up yesterday and have a nice protein and complex carb balanced breakfast. It is a beautiful day - not a cloud in the sky and despite the fact that it was in the 90's the humidity was bearable. I put on my cycling clothes and went out in the garage and tuned up the bike. Checked the tires, brakes, chain ..etc and then placed the bike in the back of the SUV and was on my way for a nice morning of riding.

The night before I download this map(click here)to my Garmin 305 and planned on using the GPS map feature and the virtual training since I didn't know the route and I was riding alone. After about a 20 minute drive I got to the parking area and the fun was just beginning. I pulled the bike out and the back tire was flat. Not just low. Flat. I took the tire off and could not find a hole anywhere in the tube. But I was smart enough to have an extra tube in my bag so I used it. I pumped up the tube and placed the tire back on my bike and was ready to go.

I started the Garmin and it was working perfectly! It has a map which showed me where to go and turn and I could toggle to the virtual partner. The virtual partner is a feature that allows you to "Race" against a pre-set time. For example, I set the virtual partner to ride at a pace of 17mph. If I got behind of this pace it showed the partner ahead of me. If I got ahead of the pace then it showed me as that! Very cool feature if training alone. So this was going great and then it happened. I was going down a small slope and some railroad tracks were in front of me. They were elevate tracks, maybe 5 feet higher than the road with a slope going up and another going down. I was going about 20 mph when I approached the tracks and began to slow gradually. The mistake was I slowed too gradually because I hit the tracks and at the top of the downward slope was a huge pothole which was hidden from view until it was too late. I hit this thing hard and my back tire immediately went flat. I felt the impact in my entire body and was lucky my front time missed it because I would have went over the handle bars.

So, here I sit on the side of the road. By this time the sun was high and the once beautiful day was now feeling brutal. The first thought that crossed my mine was, "I already used my spare tire ..crap!". But the second thought was, "no worries you have a patch kit!". I went through the routine of removing the tube from the tire - which I am becoming quite efficient at. It took me a minute but found the puncture hole. It was on the seam but wasn't too big - not a problem! I patched it up, while sweating profusely, and placed the tube back in the tire and grabbed my hand pump and the tire was fixed. I jumped back on the bike and started to pedal and noticed something felt weird. Well, that something was a flat back tire again! This time I was feeling a little aggravated. I went through the entire process described above again. This hole was just next to the seam but was a little larger - I must have missed it initially or so I thought. Jumped on the bike again and again the tire went flat within 3 pedals. This time I was more than agitated, I was pissed.

This time I took the entire tire and tube off the rim and inspected everything. It turns out a shard of metal from the rim was sticking up on the inside of the rim. Probably where the rim made contact with the pothole. I tried to file it down with a couple different tools with no luck. That left me with one option and that was walk it back to the car! The good news is that this back road has very little traffic because not one car passed me on my 15 minute walk to my car. Not a single darn car or truck that could have let me jump in the bed -- good to know for future rides!

I drove straight to the Kingwood Bike shop and left the bike with them. They said they could fix the wheel because it didn't appear to be bent so I told them to fix it and give the entire bike a once over. It will be there until Thursday or Friday.
My Bike is a low quality bike at best (bike pic). I didn't pay alot for it and with the amount of riding I have been doing I am beginning to realize I need something more reliable. Obviously, the pothole would have screwed up a lot of bikes but I have had other problems as well. Mostly flats and slow leaks of the tube. I could purchase better wheels and solve most of my problems but this would be like polishing a turd. I'd rather invest the money into a better overall bike. Here is what I am thinking about: Jeff's Next Bike

The problem is these bikes are expensive. After reading Boomer's review of his first triathlon today I am pretty convinced that I may want to do a few more. If I want to do a few more than a new bike is going to be needed. I get back from Spain on July 11th and if I am not too tapped out financially from that trip I may have to pull the trigger on the Quintana Roo. And, Yes, that just happened. I just reasoned my purchase of a new bike right. That was supposed to be in my head! American consumerism at it's finest!

Today I am going to go running.

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

Triathlon Training Day 49: Swim + Bike Brick + 1 Mi Light Run

I decided to go to the gym and practice doing a Swim to Bike transition all indoors. I set up my locker like I would if it was a towel on the floor. Shoes, socks, hat, shirt, ipod, towel and a water bottle. The only think I will have different at the Tri is some suncreen!

So I did 22 laps in the pool (500 meters) and my time was right at 11:15 seconds. I tried to simulate and actual race and started off rather fast for the first 100 yards or so then slowed down and found my groove. I jumped out of the pool and walked briskly to the locker room. I did the swim in my Tri Shorts so I keep them on but dried off as quick as I could and tossed on my shirt, hat, socks and shoes and made my way out the other door to the stationary bike. I like this bike - it is angled like my road bike and feels very similar. I set the computer on the bike and was off. Total Transition was 2:30 seconds - not bad considering I had to lock up my locker and set the bike computer!

Now the distance of the cycle during my Tri is 13.8 Miles so that is exactly what I did. I must admit I enjoyed going from the pool to the bike. It felt like I just got out of the shower and was all refreshed. It is much better than going from the bike to run! Anyways, I pedaled the 13.8 miles in 46:30 jamming out to my iPod. Being that I have never been much of a gym person I learned today that other people at the gym do not appreciate it when you sing out loud to the songs on your iPod. Heck, I thought I sounded just like Robert Plant when I was belting out "Ramble On" -- the look on the lady's face next to me said other wise!

After I jumped off the bike I was winded but not exhausted. My legs felt all goofy and this is something I need to get used to. Since I was standing right next to a treadmill I jumped on and ran for a mile. I set my pace a 6.7 mph (9 minute mile). It literally took me 3/10ths of a mile until my legs started to not feel like two pieces of concrete. But I need to get used to this sensation so I'll be ready on race day. I thought about doing another 2 miles but I was feeling some fatigue by this point and didn't want to kill myself too much for my bike ride tomorrow (26 miles).

Overall, it was fun to do the swim/bike brick. Since I did it all indoors I probably didn't get the full effects of what it will be like on the 90+ degree race day but at least I know I still had something left!

26 mile cycle tomorrow morning!

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

Triathlon Training Day 48: 5K Run

Another hot day here in Texas. I waited until 7pm to go for a run and I still was soaking wet afterwards. Instead of just running at a consistent pace I decided to mix it up a little and do some speed training and interval running.

I started out basically sprinting. I ran at a pace --according to my Garmin -- that would have me doing a mile in 6:30. I would do this until my HR got up to the low 180's. Once I hit this high I would slow down to a medium pace and then a brisk walk. Once my HR got down to the 120's I'd start to sprint again. I did this for about 2 miles. It is amazing to me at how quickly I recovered to a resting HR compared to when I first started working out. My last mile I just ran at an 8:00 minute pace and then sprinted home strong. Good day!

I didn't take a rest day this week and really am feeling fresh so I am just going to keep going. Normally I like to do either a brick or a long bike ride on Saturdays, but instead I am going to go swimming. If I am feeling strong I might swim and then jump on the treadmill at the gym and get in a few extra miles. I really want to improve my running so I am going to add in more running. This will probably lead to less riding over the next couple of weeks but that is okay since the riding is going so well. And then on Sunday morning I am going to go on a 25-mile ride on a rural route I found - Click Here

Jeff

Triathlon Training Day 47: Swimming 1000 yards + Intervals

Yesterday I went to the gym and did my swimming. I did another 500M (22 laps) timed test and did it in 12 minutes. I was really focusing on getting my elbows high in between strokes and finding the rhythm of the hip rotation. After that I swam another 18 laps practicing my breathing. It went well and I am feeling more and more confident about swimming each day.

After the laps I worked on doing some intervals. Swimming as hard as I could I was able to get down and back (2 laps) in 35 seconds. Now this would be awesome if I could swim like this for an entire 500M but at this point my chest would probably explode.

Today I am going to go for a 4-5 mile run. It is pretty darn hot outside so I might have to go back to the dreaded treadmill!

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

Triathlon Training Day 46: 3.1 Mile Run + ARX

I couldn't get out of bed this morning to do my run. I tried but was sleeping so good I just couldn't do it! So, when I got home from work today I planned on running outside but the severe thunderstorms made me go to the gym and hit the treadmill.

I actually had an enjoyable treadmill session today. I had my iPod and the TV in front of me had Hannity interviewing Rush Limbaugh so I was able to read the text as I was running. It was enough to keep my ADHD self from getting bored soI got in a solid 5K.

Being that I am not a Treadmill person I never know what speed to start with. Today I started at 6.6 mph. I did this for about the first mile and realized I could go faster so I bumped the speed up to 7.4 mph. I did this until about 2.4 miles and still was feeling good so I ended up turning it up to 8.0 mph and eventually finished on 8.4 mph. My total time on the treadmill was 26:53 for 3.1 miles. I was feeling really good but had to go home and eat dinner. Instead of doing another mile I went to the back of the gym and did Ab Ripper X. And as usual, kicked the crap out of ARX. Just for fun I did 35 reps on every exercise!

My running is getting much better since I scraped the "run in your aerobic zone technique". The theory behind this was that if I ran within my Aerobic zone (148-155 BPM) that my time would get better and better. So, if I was running 5K in 30:00 minutes in this zone after a couple of months I'd still be in the same zone but my time would be a 24:00 minutes and would keep going down. I tried this for 40 days and did see some time gains. But the gains were too minimal for my liking so now I am just running until it gets uncomfortable and then I will push it even a little more. This aerobic running would be the way to go if I was training for a marathon but I am training for a triathlon, completely different. Time to change my mindset and start bringing it.

I am an athlete and I am in good shape and I'm going to run like that from now on. Screw you "aerobic zone", we are no longer friends. I am leaving you for your much hotter friend "Anaerobic Zone".

Tomorrow is swimming again and I am gong to continue to time myself and do interval laps.

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

Triathlon Training Day 45: P90X Core Synergistics

Got home around 8:30PM tonight. I wanted to go for a run but didn't want to do it at night. Lighting in my neighborhood is less than desirable and I am not a big fan of getting run over by an SUV!

I ate a quick turkey sandwich and figured I could go to the gym and run on the dreaded treadmill. Well, it was about 9:15 and I got dressed and started thinking to myself, "How late is the gym opened?" -- I checked the schedule and the answer was 10pm. So, I basically would have had about 25 -30 minutes to stretch and run on the treadmill. Not a real good option. So, Core Synergistics it was and I am glad it worked out that way because this is just a great workout. My obliques are still feeling some soreness! And I forgot how much the Superman-Banana is a butt-kicker!

According to my HRM I burned 385 calories and my HR average was 144 so this was a good aerobic workout. But I still need to get my running in so I'm going to wake up early tomorrow and get in 3-4 miles. Then if I don't have to go deal with some real estate stuff (actually hopeful that I do) then a 15-20 mile cycle is going to happen tomorrow evening. Sort of a day/night doubleheader! With my Tri only 60 days away I want to start pushing myself harder than I have been.

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

Triathlon Training Day 44: Timed Swim and Interval Laps (+ My Goals)

Today I decided to time myself swimming 500 Meters to see how I am doing with my Total Immersion Freestyle technique. I used the lap clock that is on the wall of the pool. And my time was 11:00 minutes flat! I focused on just swimming comfortable and did not try and kill myself. I figured this could be a starting point for me to build on and continue to get better. Overall, I was pretty happy with the time. I then checked the results of last years Triathlon and this time would put me right in the middle of the pack of my age group! After the timed swim I decided to do some Interval swimming. I'd swim one lap very slow. Then the next lap a little more rushed and final the last lap as quick as possible. This really got my heart rate going and I am going to incorporate more of this into my training.

Back to my time today. This got me thinking about what I'd like for my goals to be in the Triathlon. Well, when I first began this little journey of mine my goals were twofold: 1 - Just Finish and have Fun; 2 - When standing at the starting line I want my last thought to be, "I am ready" and not, "I wish I trained more!".

But being that I am stat guy and am pretty confident both of the previous goals are going to be accomplished I am now going to add some time per event goals.

Swimming Goal - 10 minutes - Based upon today's time and the fact that I have never done an open water swim (OWS) this is a solid goal for me. In my age group (30-34) wave last years race had 102 people. So chances are I might be a bit freaked with that many people kicking and slapping around and a bloody nose or foot to the jaw may slow me a few seconds!

Cycling Goal - 49 minutes - This is an average of 17 mph over the 14 mile course. From reading the message boards about the race the cycling conditions are not ideal due to the large amount of participants and narrow bike course. I'd be happy to average 17 mph and hopeful I can avoid the crowds and do better than 49 minutes.

Running Goal - 27 minutes - Running right now is my weakest of the three disciplines. If I can average 9 minute miles after swimming and cycling I will be very pleased. I also believe over the next 60 days running is the sport were I can make my greatest gains.

Transitions - 6 minutes - I have been practicing the transitions in my garage on brick days. However, until I do it for the first time I am not sure what to expect! Six minutes for the two transitions is probably more than what I will need but chances are I will screw something up here!

Total time - 1 hour 32 minutes.

Tomorrow is a Running Day. Gonna try and do it in the morning -- bedtime now!

Triathlon Training Day 43: 15 Mile Cylce + ARX

Yesterday was a good Sunday. I woke up and had my usual Protein Shake and then it was on the bike before it got too hot outside.

I ended up getting in 15 miles before I had to go home and help Annie with preparations for her baby shower. I had a pretty good ride. The streets were a little busy so I had to slow down and stop a few times but other than that a good workout was had! I averaged about 18 mph - a little less than what I want but my track is not the most ideal.

Today is swimming. I am confident about my ability to swim the 500 meters, now I need to work on getting a faster with my Total Immersion technique. So for the next few swim days I am going to work on quickening my freestyle stroke.

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff