3-29-08 (35 of 92) Tri again

Today was supposed to be a SwiB (26/53), but it turned into a longer day and a little over a full Sprint Tri.

I did the 26 minute swim (50 laps, but I think I may have miscounted) - 1250 meters. I did the laps slowly and with no breaks (the flip turns feel a lot smoother).

I brought my bike so I wouldn't have to get on the stationary bike again. That worked great, my bike was easier on my sore rear than the stationary. I'm glad I'm getting out on the bike - - different in so many ways from the stationary. I also enjoy being outside more. I did 53 minutes and covered 12.3 miles.

mile 1 = 4:07
mile 2 = 3:17
mile 3 = 5:08
mile 4 = 4:15
mile 5 = 3:29
mile 6 = 3:56
mile 7 = 4:25
mile 8 = 4:52
mile 9 = 4:22
mile 10 = 4:10
mile 11 = 4:51
mile 12 = 5:30
mile 13 = 2:24 (.38 miles)

After the ride, I decided to hit the track to see how my leg reacted. They did not disappoint. I ran 3.31 miles in 28:18 (the 5K time was 27:17). I was pretty worn afterwards (obviously), but it's comforting to do full length training sessions - it feels like it builds confidence.

Totals:
Swim = 26:00
Bike = 54:23
Run = 27:17

= 01:47:40 ( + transition times)


I also experimented with a few more gels. The Gu is great (tastes just like chocolate pudding - really thick). The Hammer Gel Orange was vile - don't want that one again.

I also think I've found my bike. It's going to cost more than I initially planned to spend, but after doing a lot of reading and talking to some bike people, it seems that I had probably set unrealistic expectations. I stopped by Mike's Bikes in Columbus, and Lewis at the shop was extremely helpful. It looks like I'll be getting a Scott Sportster P6.

3-28-08 (34 of 92) Run w/Steph

I ran with Steph @ the rails2trails tonight. She is still in prep mode for the race on Saturday. She wanted to do another practice run. We did the run in 27:05 (5K). I kinda botched the pace on the last mile and over ran Steph a little, but she still finished very close to the pace.

3-27-08 (33 of 92) SwiB - and a crowd

21/42 SwiB today, but the gym and pool were extremely crowded.

When I got to the gym, they were having a swim meet and appeared to be using most (if not all) of the lanes. So I decided to do my biking first. Since they'd already started, I thought they'd be done by the time I did my dailies, and pedaled for 42 minutes - no such luck.

The bike time was pretty uneventful again, but the crowd picked up pretty well. When I came into the gym, there were 2 people on the treadmills, and one person using equipment. I did my push ups/sit ups/pull ups/dips/leg-lifts, and moved to the only upright stationary bike. The stationary bike is getting to be a problem. I don't mind riding indoors, but I'm learning that a stationary, bolted down cycle is probably not the best thing for me.

By the time I left the gym, all the treadmills were being used, both the recumbent bikes had riders, both of the ellipticals were in use, and there were about 4 people moving around on the equipment (probably just killing time until the treadmills freed up).

- I'm starting to get saddle sores from the seat. I tend to workout fairly hard on the bike. I try to shoot for a about 3:00 to 3:15 per mile, and keep my heart rate up pretty high. The problem is that when I get to pumping pretty hard on the pedals, the seat doesn't sway with my body, so I'm rubbing on the seat and bouncing as I accelerate. Early this morning, while half asleep, I inadvertently scratched at the scabbed over, healing spot and thought I'd drawn blood. I woke up yelling, and it still hurts to bend too far.


Since the weather is better, I'm going to start taking my bike to the gym and just pedaling up the road after my swim (or before). I've also decided that once school's out, I'm going to try biking to and from work - save some gas money, too.

The swim went pretty well. They were still swimming heats when I got ready to swim, and I was able to find a clear lane through all of the 'floaters'. However, I got a little (more than a little) annoyed because towards the end of my swim, the kids who were finished with their races started playing in the pool in the lane next to me. Every lap I swam, they got encroached more and more on my lane (no lane ropes, as the roped off lanes were being used by the swim meet). By the time I was doing my last laps, I was swimming around 10 yr olds on Styrofoam noodles, and having to stop to toss play-debris out of my way. It's pushing me more and more towards doing open water swims at the dam.

The crowd is getting thicker at the pool and the weight room and assume it's just because the weather is getting pretty. Steph said the place where she gets her hair done told her that the tanning beds were getting busy, too. I guess bathing suit season is finally getting here.

3-26-08 (32 of 92) - Another Quick Run

I was scheduled to run for 16 minutes, so I planned on doing it after church last night. Once I was lacing up my shoes, I decided to go for 2 miles in that 16 minutes (8 minute pace). I reasoned that that would be adequately fast and still achievable. I set the GPS for the correct pace, and took off. The result -

Mile #1 = 7:21
Mile #2 = 7:18
slow jog for remaining 1:20

Good run, at about a 7:20 pace for 2 miles. Did a good stretch on my calves after the run, and took some time for a cool down walk.

3-25-08 SwiB (31 of 92)

)Kinda goofed up my scheduled workout today, but not too badly.

I was supposed to do a 16/28 SwiB workout, but I did a 23/35 SwiB - don't know how I got the numbers that mixed up, but I did. Usually, what I do is set my timer on my watch for each section (e.g. - 16:28 for a 16/28 SwiB), but I didn't do it this time. Add insult to injury, my watch band broke almost as soon as I hit the pool, so I swam counted laps instead of time (46 laps). I also had to take a few rest breaks @ 10 and 20 laps- still got to work on my breathing.

I didn't use any gels because I want to get my body used to using what fuel it has (fat cells), and I really just wanted to make sure that the gels wouldn't make me sick. I'm going to try a few more kinds (different brand) to see if I like them better, but I'll probably only use them in training for longer workouts 1.5+ hrs.

The bike portion was pretty uneventful. I'm currently looking for a new bike ( or at least new to me). I've been watching the want ads, and few internet resources, because I want to get a decent bike that can be used for racing (something lighter than the mountain bike I'm using now). I could buy a road bike I saw at wal-mart, but after some research, I think I may be able to get a decent used bike of much better quality with a little searching.

3-24-08 (30 of 92) Run...Quick!!!!

This is how I felt today:


Today was a test. I was scheduled to run for 19 minutes. It's not a recovery week, so I was planning on pushing it anyway //// faster, must go faster!!

Steph suggested I try to do my goal of a 5K in 25 minutes. If you'll remember (start flashback music) - I missed that goal at the Midnight express by 6 seconds. I can stop worrying about that six seconds now. I set the GPS for 5K, and set the imaginary runner on a 25 minute race pace....Then I CRUSHED him!!. I started out fast and pushed for 5K. Today may have possibly been the fastest 5K I've EVER run, including high school XC. If I remember: my best XC time in high school competition was 24:??.

Today, the time was:

23:20!!


I felt bullet-proof at the end of the run.

1st mile - 7:20
2nd mile - 7:26
3rd mile - 7:30

I beat the virtual runner by 1:40, and nearly a 1/4 of a mile. It felt amazing to move that fast.

But now the same old problem, when I run my next race - - what kind of goal to I set....I think I could have done 23:00 pretty easily if it had been a flat course. The end of the park we ran on had some pretty serious hills, and I was running into some strong winds.

3-22-08 (29 of 92) Easter weekend training (not really)

Holiday's suck when your in training - the food is too easy to get to, and the gym is closed. The gym has been closed since Friday, so no swimming at all.

Today, we decided to load up the bikes and take a slow easy ride around Callaway Gardens - didn't work out. I aired up the tires on Steph's bike and by the time we got to park, they were flat again. So we just walked around the park. It was a beautiful day and we had a great time, but it was a total training washout.

Monday will be good, because I'll get to run again. Steph suggested that I set the GPS and try to hit my 25 minute 5K goal at the park. I think I'll do that, but I still want to do it in a race, too. need the number with the time on it to feel like I've met the goal.

3-21-08 Run (28 of 92)

Was supposed to run for 19 minutes today, but we're also trying to get Steph ready for her first race in about 2 weeks. She's set a goal of 27 minutes for the race in Beulah 5K (which I'm sure is completely do-able), and she wanted to do a 'test run' with me and the GPS, so instead of a 19 minute run, we ran a 5K at race pace. The GPS has a virtual training partner feature that lets me set a time/distance pace, but I still have a hard time balance the virtual runner's pace, and mine and Steph's pace. I tend to bolt out too quickly to get a lead on the GPS runner, and then I can try to stay ahead of him. At one point we were 400 ft ahead of the virtual runner, but it was killing Steph. We still managed to finish the 5K in 27 minutes (even with some gnarly hills). It would have probably been easier on Steph if I'd been able to pace a little slower early on in the run. She said it was pretty rough. We only beat the virtual runner by about 10 feet. The 400 foot lead eroded pretty quickly during the last mile. But we did it. She's convinced she'll be able to do it on race day now.