Triathlon Training Day 11 & 12: Stength Training + 4 Mile Run

Sorry I didn't post yesterday. I had a LOOONGG day working and got my workout in and hit the sack. Yesterday was a little different for me. I wanted to go cycling but it was dark by the time I got home. I also wanted to watch the "Biggest Loser" that I DVR'd a couple of days ago. So, I brought my dumbbells into the Family room and did about 40 minutes of Shoulders and Arms with the dumbbells. I used all of the P90X exercises while watching TV and it went pretty well! It was good to layoff the cardio for a day and get in some strength training. The P90X workouts have taken a bit of a backseat since I have started preparing for the Triathlon, but that needs to change because I really don't want to lose all the definition in my arms and back!

Today was another long ass day working but at least i was home before dark! So, I did a 4-mile run. I am getting stronger each time out and am really starting to enjoy running. My split at the first mile was 7:24 and my Heart Rate was 155 BPM at the 1 mile mark. My split at the 3.1 mile mark was 24:49. This is my best time yet and about 6 minutes better from when I started running a couple weeks ago. My only problem was that at about the 2-mile mark my HR was at 169BMP. I blame my new playlist on the iPod! I have been using the Lance Armstrong Jogging Mix that my wife found on iTunes. It was a bunch of moderate paced type songs. Perfect for running while focusing on your HR. But for some reason I used my own selections - "Let the Bodies Hit the Floor" by Drowning Pool and "Through the Fire and Flames" by Dragon Force (from Guitar Hero III) - in the middle of the playlist and they really got me going. I think I am still a couple of weeks away until I can training with these types of songs!

Tomorrow I am going to swim again and do ARX. I'm enjoying doing ARX and with all the running, swimming, and cycling my core is pretty strong right now.

One thing that I am looking forward to is getting back on my BSN supplements. I have been cold turkey for 3 weeks now and could use the boost they give me. In 7 days I am going to start again and I cannot wait! I am probably only going to use No Xplode and Nitrix because the P90X Recovery Drink has come back into my life. Since Annie started doing P90X she needed a recovery drink so it came back and I love the taste of it so it is going to stay at least until the tub is finished!

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

Triathlon Training Day 10: Ab Ripper X + Swimming Drills

Today was a very wet day! First, I woke up and my city was pretty much underwater. We had 11-inches of rain in a 24 hour period and the flooding was just awful. Of course, i had a bunch of appointments scheduled on the NW side of the city and had to go drive in this stuff - not good times!

So that was the wet part of my work day and after such a lovely day of sloshing around I had the urge to go to the pool and try out my new swim techniques I learned from the book, "Total Immersion". I got to the pool and did a couple of laps the "old way" to get warmed up. Then I started on the first Drill the book has me working on. It basically has me learning to float on my back comfortably. I was able to do this pretty quickly and then focused on doing it while on my right side and then my left side. This took some more effort and got frustrating but I eventually became comfortable doing this. Then I would swim a lap on my back. Then one on my left side. Then one on my right side. Next thing I know I was at the pool for over an hour! In between doing the drills I would do a couple of laps and try to focus on what I had learned - which was learning how to use my body as a buoy and swim on my side.

Before it was time to leave I did 6 quick laps trying to focus on the new technique and I cannot believe the difference after only one day of doing drills! My form still needs a ton of work but for the first time my freestyle stroke didn't feel like "work" to me and felt really natural. I could have jumped on my bike and rode 14 miles easily and I bet I did over 30 laps at the pool.

Today was the first day I enjoyed swimming and cannot wait to go back again!

If any of you reading this are thinking of taking up swimming I highly recommend - Total Immersion: The Revolutionary Way to Swim Better, Faster, and Easier. By Terry Laughlin -- Thanks again to Boomer for recommending this book! This $12 paperback isn't quite as compelling as most Dan Brown novels but the content and theory is beyond solid and it should become a great reference for as long as I keep swimming.

Also, I just finished up Ab Ripper X. I absolutely blew through this today! I did extra reps on every exercise and finished up Mason Twists with 65 reps - just killed it and my abs are screaming a little at me now - but it was worth it!

Tomorrow is Cycling and Core Synergistics! I'm loaded up with appointments so I might get up at 5:30am and Cycle and then do Core Syn tomorrow night!

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

Triathlon Training Day 9: REST DAY

As I move through this training schedule I am going to have to make adjustments based on how my body feels. Today I was going to go swim and do Chest, Back and ARX and Wednesday was supposed to be my Rest Day. But I feel pretty beat up from all the running the last couple of days. Running really does a number on your joints! What is weird is that my legs and knees feel fine but my shoulders and neck feel tired?

Anyways, I am about halfway through my swimming book and am excited to try out some of the drills tomorrow to make my body a buoy! Should be fun!

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

Triathlon Training Day 8: 5K Run

Today I wanted to do a 5K run and get in the P90X Chest & Back workout. Well, I was able to do the 5K run but my body was not ready to do Chest & Back. When I did the Brick yesterday I felt very good afterwards. However, today I was feeling a little tired. I probably just should have done Chest & Back but Annie wanted to jog so I did that first thinking I could do P90X when I was done but that did not happen!

The run today was one of my better efforts despite being sluggish. I started out rather strong doing my first mile in 7:53. Once again the wind was blowing at 30 mph. It doesn't bother you as much as it does when on a bike but it still requires you to work a little harder. When we were done Annie looked at me and said, "that wind was a bitch"! She was so right!

Anyways I did the 3.1 miles in 25 mins and 43 secs today. This is by far my best time and I am happy that each time out running I am getting stronger and stronger. When I first began I was running on the lower range of my target 147-155 heart rate. Now, as I feel stronger, I am keeping the BPM right at 155. Sometimes I catch myself up around 160 and have to back off but for the majority of the runs I am staying in the aerobic zone!

Today I am schedule to swim. I may not do this and Chest, Back, and ARX instead. The reasons are that I really want to get a P90X workout in and I am in the middle of reading, "Total Immersion", a book about Freestyle swimming techniques. So far this book is awesome and has totally changed the way I view swimming. It has a bunch of drills for me to practice and will probably end up changing my entire workout schedule for the better! I just need to finish the book so I can figure out how to incorporate my new fish-like swimming technique!

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

Triathlon Training Day 7: BRICK - 14Mile Cycle + 5K Run

Got up this morning and had a protein shake and a whole wheat bagel with some peanut butter. I wanted to have some fuel to burn in me before I tried my 14 mile Cycle and 5K run!

I surfed the web for a little bit, watched some SportCenter and then went out to the garage and setup m "Transition Area". My plan was to drop the bike off in the garage and slip on my running shorts, hat, some more sunscreen, towel off, iPod, hydrate a little, and then start the run. I tuned up my bike, put air in the tires, and started to roll. It was a perfect 73 degrees when I started. I made the turn out of my cul-de-sac and BOOM! The wind hit me right in the chest. Dammit, is the only thing I could think of at the time. I put my head down and just pedaled! I have a 7 mile route mapped out in my neighborhood that I have been doing. On this route their are 3 pretty good straight-a-ways that let me make up some serious time that I lose at stop signs. I can usually average about 25mph on these straight shots. Well, today I did my 7 mile route 2 times and of the 6 straight-a-ways, 4 had the wind blowing directly in my face!! So, instead of averaging 25 mph on these, I was struggling to do 15-16 mph. The good news is that most of the ride is up and down tree lined streets so the wind is only noticeable on these wide open straight-a-ways. And my Triathlon is scheduled for August 2nd. For those of you that have ever been to Texas in August know that wind is not an issue at this time of the year!

I hit my garage right at the 14 mile mark and looked down at my watch and my time was 49:42 secs. Not great, but not real bad either! I was pretty happy with the time but more importantly I still had energy to do the run! So, I got to the garage/T1 and tossed off my helmet, parked the bike, slipped on my running shorts over top of my tri shorts, put on my hat, clipped the iPod to my waist, and grabbed a towel to dry off the sweat and ..... YUK!!! I was covered in Pug fur! I accidentally used the same towel that was used to dry off the Pugs when they were in the rain two days ago. It was all over my face and in my mouth -- this really sucked. Not to be discouraged I calmly walk to the side of the house and turned the garden hose on myself! Problem solved - should have done this in the first place - it felt great! Ran into the house and grabbed a new, clean towel and was off again!

I started to run and my watch had me right at the 55 minute mark. That means my first transition was 5+ minutes - not good - but 3 minutes was wasted on Pug hair removal and I am going to guess this will not be a common occurrence!

Now I am running and I feel all goofy and uncoordinated. This is when I realize that my legs still think they are cycling! I slowed a little and just focused on putting one foot in front of the other - sounds elementary but it was necessary. After about a 1/2 mile my right calf started to cramp up. I stopped and stretch it out on the curb for about 10 seconds and it felt fine the rest of the way. It took me about a mile in to find my "groove" running. But after that I kept my HR between 150-155 Bpm and before I knew it I was rolling back into my garage.

My total time was 1 hour, 24 minutes and 35 seconds. My HRM said I burned 915 calories during that time and even though I was a sweaty mess I still felt pretty good!

Overall I really enjoyed doing this and got one heck of a workout in. I am ready for the Cycle portion of the tri, P90X really got my legs ready for this portion. I am getting better at the running portion. Each time out I improve and by the time August comes around I am optimistic that my time will be closer to 24 to 25 minutes in the 5K. Swimming is my challenge right now. I think I could swim 500 meters and probably still do 14 miles on the bike. No way could I do a 5K after that right now. Swimming just takes too much out of me, but with training, practice, and education I am hopeful that I will be a competent swimmer by the time my event rolls around.

First Week Down!

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff