Triathlon Training Day 42: 4 mile run

Today was my best day running in quite some time. I woke up and had a Whey Protein Shake and then waited about an hour to go run. For some reason I just felt wonderful today. Maybe it was because yesterday was a rest day and my body had some extra time to recover.

It was weird how my time went today. Mile 1 was done in 9:32 - not even near my fastest time! Mile two was done in 8:30, three was done in 8:25, and four was completed in 8:21. Usually, this progression is the exact opposite. My first mile is usually my fastest and I get progressively slower from there on! Part of the reason this happened today was that I ignored my HRM. It was still one of the 4 read-outs on my Garmin. Along with pace, distance, and calories, but I instead just ran on how I felt and not just in the aerobic zone. The weird thing is you would think by being at a higher heart rate for the majority of the run that I would be more uncomfortable. Well, that was not the case. Even after four miles I felt great and my HR was in the high 160's for most of the run?

Maybe it was a combination of the rest day and all the other aerobic training. Who knows, but I hope I feel this way on Race day.

I was going to go for a cycle in the afternoon but instead I did yard work. Annie is having a baby shower for a friend at our house tomorrow and 60 people are expected. That means I had to get the yard in shape. I worked in the front yard for close to 4 hours and I am exhausted. The Texas sun was sitting high and the temperature was in the low 90's. The yard work was probably the most calories I burned all week!

I haven't decided what to do tomorrow yet. Since the baby shower is going on for most of the afternoon I'd like to either swim or cycle in the morning. I might be playing golf with a buddy during the shower and if that is the case I will probably cycle since the swimming exhausted my arms and shoulders which would be a problem for golfing! And riding in the neighborhood on Sundays is usually nice because not much traffic is around. I am definitely doing ARX.

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

Triathlon Training Day 41: Rest Day

Today I did nothing. Not sure how I feel about it. A little stir crazy. Also, for dinner I had a cheeseburger and fries at this local hole-in-the-wall. My eating had become so monotonous that something drastic needed to be done. This is the first cheeseburger and fries I have had in like 8 months! This used to be my diet every other day - weird I didn't even enjoy it that much! Tomorrow morning I will probably feel like hell and I plan on punishing myself with a long run and even longer cycle.

Jeff

Triathlon Training Day 40: Back & Biceps

It is about two months to go until my Triathlon and I am feeling great physically! Since I am only doing strength training once or twice a week I have noticed that some definition in my arms and chest has gone away. Not a ton but I'm not as ripped as I was at the end of P90X. It is more of a vanity thing at this point. You go from being fat and flabby to pretty ripped and you like the way you look.

The cool thing is I checked my BF% today on the digital scale and with calibers and I came in right at 10%. I was hopeful to be around 12% so the 10% was a nice surprise. I was around 17-18% starting my second round of P90X and if I remember correctly (too tired to fact check ..lol) I finished around 13-14%. So, in the 40 days of blasting myself with cardio I have dropped another 3-4% - guess this is why all the body builders do so much cardio before competitions.

Anywho, I did P90X Back & Biceps this evening. I didn't overdo it again and used only the 25lb dumbbells for most of the curls. Even though I haven't been weight training like I have in the past I almost feel stronger -- which doesn't make a lot of sense? Maybe the swimming is the reason because using the Total Immersion technique does give me one heck of an upper body/core workout.

Tomorrow is the last day of the month (fiscal) for me at work - which is always an adventure - I am planning on running tomorrow but I haven't taken a rest day this week so it may happen if things get crazy. I'd like to get up early and go but I have to be on the road by 6:45am so that isn't going to happen. Especially because Annie is working until 11pm tonight and I usually can't sleep until I know she is home. We shall see. If no run tomorrow then a brick on Saturday!

Triathlon Training Day 39: 1 Mile Swim

Did the 1-mile swim today. That is 71 laps of 25 yards each. That is a lot of swimming.

I am quite tired right now. Especially my upper body. Good news is my legs feel fresh and that is great news for my Tri.

Today I focused on my strokes per each lap and breathing. I would try and take a breath every 3 strokes and get some sort of rhythm going. I am going to have to work on this big time. I'd be moving right a long swimming downhill - 1-2-3-4 ...d'oh .... forgot to breath and then I'd have to take a longer one and screw up my rhythm. Practice will hopefully make perfect. I also was able to average about 16 strokes per lap. Quite an improvement from my 25-26 average on day one!

Also got in an Ab Ripper X session before the swim. I used a medicine ball (5lbs) again on the Mason Twists and it is an incredible burn like that! Wish I would have been doing that since day 1.

Tomorrow is going to be a Back & Bicep day and if I have time I might do some Yoga as well.

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

Triathlon Training Day 38: 20 Mile Cycle

I am really beginning to enjoy cycling. However, I am getting bored riding around my neighborhood. Venturing out onto the roads is a rather dangerous proposition considering the large amount of traffic in the area. So, I guess that purchasing a rack for my car is the next best thing. I found a good looking 25 mile ride map here online that is on some rural back roads. This might be how I spend next Saturday morning!

Anyways, I did manage to get in 20 miles in my neighborhood this evening and the wind was non-existent so I averaged 19.4 MPH. My Garmin said I burned 1254 calories but that seems a little extreme to me. I got home from work at about 5pm today and was ready to go but the outdoor temp was 94 degrees - wow! So I waited until 7pm and the temp was all the way down to 89 degrees but at least the sun wasn't as high in the sky and the humidity wasn't bad either. So the ride was actually very pleasant. I was still a sweaty mess at the end but it was still fun.

Also, I am really getting the bug to purchase a Triathlon bike. Right now I have a Schwinn Prelude Road Bike that I got at The Academy for $220 bucks. Overall, the bike is excellent for the price. It is lightweight. It has decent Shimano components. But only has 14 gears. I really feel like this is limiting my top speed. Now the smart thing to do would be to hold off until I finish the Triathlon and see if it is something I'd like to keep doing. And if it is then go buy a nice Tri bike. I keep thinking I need aerobars and clipless pedals but don't want to spend the cash on these accessories when they would be part of the new bike package! Decisions, Decisions...oh, what should I do?

Tomorrow is my scheduled off day but I really want to go swimming. Last swim I did 62 laps and when I got home I realized a mile was 70.4 laps. I missed it by only 8 laps - it has been bothering me ever since and I need to remedy that!

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff