Lots of stuff to catch up on. Here's the news in chronological order. Yesterday, 2 spin sessions of 2 hours each - done. Had to catch up on my bike trainer time and give the running legs a break. So 4 hours on the bike yesterday.
Today, my a.m. session was a 13k run. It went like this: warmup 5k, hard 5k, 3k easy. I like to a hard 5k once a month to guage fitness, it's a 90%+ effort and I use it that as an indicator of my current running speed. The good news is that all my focus on running is slowly but surely paying off. Today, I came in at 19:54, which I'm very happy with considering my best time all last year was 20:00 AND I'm in the middle of training camp. I would have been happy with a 21:00 and I broke 20 minutes. This bodes well... and it's only March!
I met two other IronPeople today. One woman who was at the local bike store - will be doing her seventh Ironman this year. Awesome. The other was a guy I met during my p.m. swim session who is heading down to Lake Placid for his second. Very cool indeed. It's always nice to meet people who think what we do is 'normal'.
As I mentioned, my p.m. session was at the pool, which was a moderate effort with a total of 2800 meters. The workout was as follows:
1000 warmup
10X100 on 1:45. First 25m butterfly, next 75m freestyle.
2X400 pull.
This finished up March and my totals for the month are:
Run: 244.5 km
Spin: 30:45 hrs
Swim: 27.7 km
Dryland: 10 hrs
A great month. I'm very happy with where my current fitness level is and this year is shaping up just fine thank you very much. :) I can't wait to race.
Lastly, I have 2 more days of training camp. On tap for tomorrow is 3 hour spin followed by a short run and then a 30k run Sunday. Yay!
Friday, March 31, 2006
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Get shorty
Had a restless sleep last night. Occasionally this happens and it seems to correlate with large amounts of aerobic training. It's like the metabolism gets cranked up for repairs and the result is a tossy turney night. Not sure if this signifies anything of importance, but I'm going to do some research into it.
Today's a.m. consisted of a 17k run. It's really enjoyable to be in shorts in March and running in the morning sun. It's good for the soul. This is my mid week longish run and I could feel my legs as they were still tired from yesterday's hill work. However, I was able to maintain a good steady easy pace for the duration.
Afterwards, I ate 2nd breakfast, did some chores around the house, grabbed a nap, ate 1st lunch, had a snack and got ready for my p.m. session. The p.m. session was a long swim of 4900m and the majority of it felt pretty good. Here's the breakdown:
warmup 1000m
6X400 on 6:15. Each one came in at 5:45 to 5:50
5X 200 on 3:15. Each one was about 2:45.
4X 100 on 1:45. Each one came in on 1:20.
100 warm down.
Overall, a great day and all goals were met. Cheers.
Today's a.m. consisted of a 17k run. It's really enjoyable to be in shorts in March and running in the morning sun. It's good for the soul. This is my mid week longish run and I could feel my legs as they were still tired from yesterday's hill work. However, I was able to maintain a good steady easy pace for the duration.
Afterwards, I ate 2nd breakfast, did some chores around the house, grabbed a nap, ate 1st lunch, had a snack and got ready for my p.m. session. The p.m. session was a long swim of 4900m and the majority of it felt pretty good. Here's the breakdown:
warmup 1000m
6X400 on 6:15. Each one came in at 5:45 to 5:50
5X 200 on 3:15. Each one was about 2:45.
4X 100 on 1:45. Each one came in on 1:20.
100 warm down.
Overall, a great day and all goals were met. Cheers.
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Training camp is well underway
Wow, did I score a good week of vacation. The weather is awesome. Actually did my run in shorts today, yea spring fever, bring it on!
For the rest of the week, each day, I'm doing two seperate workouts. One in the a.m. and one in the p.m. So for today I did a 2 hour aerobic workout on the bike as my a.m. workout. My p.m. workout was a 10.5k run in which I hit the hills. I did 5 hill repeats, each one coming in between 90-92 seconds. It's a long, tough journey in becoming a runner, but I know I'm making progress. I wasn't able to consistently hold 90 second hill climbs last year - so I'm improving. I just wish running improvement wasn't so slow! I'm secretly jealous of natural runners, I realize that I'm going to have fight for every little improvement in my run times. The good news is I've only been doing this serious for 3 years, so after 5 or 6 years I might actually be fast. Mind you, I'll be over the hill then, so it will probably be a wash. :) Seriously, if Ed Whitlock can run sub 3 hour marathons at age 72, I know I'll be coax some extra speed out these legs for some time to come. Ya see? Inspiration is everywhere.
After my run workout I did my Tuesday weight routine. So all goals for the day are met and my legs are tired, but not too tired, which again is part of the plan. I know they will be plenty tired by Sunday. Cheers!
For the rest of the week, each day, I'm doing two seperate workouts. One in the a.m. and one in the p.m. So for today I did a 2 hour aerobic workout on the bike as my a.m. workout. My p.m. workout was a 10.5k run in which I hit the hills. I did 5 hill repeats, each one coming in between 90-92 seconds. It's a long, tough journey in becoming a runner, but I know I'm making progress. I wasn't able to consistently hold 90 second hill climbs last year - so I'm improving. I just wish running improvement wasn't so slow! I'm secretly jealous of natural runners, I realize that I'm going to have fight for every little improvement in my run times. The good news is I've only been doing this serious for 3 years, so after 5 or 6 years I might actually be fast. Mind you, I'll be over the hill then, so it will probably be a wash. :) Seriously, if Ed Whitlock can run sub 3 hour marathons at age 72, I know I'll be coax some extra speed out these legs for some time to come. Ya see? Inspiration is everywhere.
After my run workout I did my Tuesday weight routine. So all goals for the day are met and my legs are tired, but not too tired, which again is part of the plan. I know they will be plenty tired by Sunday. Cheers!
Monday, March 27, 2006
Monday weigh in
As of yesterday, I have 5 months until Ironman Canada, it also marked the official end to base training. Being as it was the last day of a recovery week, I celebrated by doin a short long run of 18.5k. The first half I did at my regular pace of 5:00/km and for the second half I went progessively faster, coming in at 4:36/km.
Here are the stats for week number 12:
Run: 36km
Spin: 4 hrs
Swim 7,500m
Dryland: 1:30
Weight: 164
Recovery week did what it was exactly meant to do, leave me well rested and ready to tackle training camp, which officially begins today. The beautiful thing is Monday is a designated rest day, so I'll be starting training camp nice and slow. The only thing I'm doing today is an easy 1 hour spin followed by a 45 minute stretch/core session. Tomorrow is when the real fun starts.
Here are the stats for week number 12:
Run: 36km
Spin: 4 hrs
Swim 7,500m
Dryland: 1:30
Weight: 164
Recovery week did what it was exactly meant to do, leave me well rested and ready to tackle training camp, which officially begins today. The beautiful thing is Monday is a designated rest day, so I'll be starting training camp nice and slow. The only thing I'm doing today is an easy 1 hour spin followed by a 45 minute stretch/core session. Tomorrow is when the real fun starts.
Saturday, March 25, 2006
A 3 hour tour..
Just doing a little procrastinating before my 3 hour spin session this morning.. Here is the news in order of importance:
1) I'm on vacation. :)
2) Training camp begins
3) My easy week worked. I'm recovered.
Before I expand on the news, I'll tell you what I did yesterday. Friday, I kept my promise and stayed off my legs. I did 3000m at the pool, which involved some I.M. work. (meaning I was swimming all 4 strokes: butterfly, back, breast and free). That was fun as it was nice to mix things up a little bit.
Yes, I'm on vacation and yes I'll be training hard for the week. "You are taking a week off work to train?" Yes, I am. Ok now that we got that out of the way, here is the plan:
Training camp officially begins Monday, which although it is a 'rest day', I will be doing 1 hour of light spinning followed by a good stretch session and core work. This will set me up for the rest of the week. Here are the goals:
Run: ~ 75k
Spin: 10 hrs
Swim: 7500 m
A considerable spike in mileage, but defineatly doable. I may have to follow up training camp with back to back rest days. :)
Back to the present, in a few minutes I'm going to hop on my trainer for 3 hours and watch Return of the King. Sunday, I have a ~17k run planned. Sunday marks the official end of base training. A milestone of sorts. The next 12 week block will feature more hill work and tempo runs.
Ok enough procrastinating, I'm going on a 3 hour tour ... a 3 hour tour.. (everyone sing along).
1) I'm on vacation. :)
2) Training camp begins
3) My easy week worked. I'm recovered.
Before I expand on the news, I'll tell you what I did yesterday. Friday, I kept my promise and stayed off my legs. I did 3000m at the pool, which involved some I.M. work. (meaning I was swimming all 4 strokes: butterfly, back, breast and free). That was fun as it was nice to mix things up a little bit.
Yes, I'm on vacation and yes I'll be training hard for the week. "You are taking a week off work to train?" Yes, I am. Ok now that we got that out of the way, here is the plan:
Training camp officially begins Monday, which although it is a 'rest day', I will be doing 1 hour of light spinning followed by a good stretch session and core work. This will set me up for the rest of the week. Here are the goals:
Run: ~ 75k
Spin: 10 hrs
Swim: 7500 m
A considerable spike in mileage, but defineatly doable. I may have to follow up training camp with back to back rest days. :)
Back to the present, in a few minutes I'm going to hop on my trainer for 3 hours and watch Return of the King. Sunday, I have a ~17k run planned. Sunday marks the official end of base training. A milestone of sorts. The next 12 week block will feature more hill work and tempo runs.
Ok enough procrastinating, I'm going on a 3 hour tour ... a 3 hour tour.. (everyone sing along).
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Run... down
Still feeling a little too tired for comfort. I've been going over the last 12 weeks of training and I'm pretty happy with where I'm currently at. However, it's obvious I need some extra recovery time. It's the smart thing to do, after all, it's the recovery phase that makes us stronger.
For today, I only did one workout which was a 10k run with a 2k tempo run sandwiched in the middle. The tempo part was at my usual tempo speed of 4:00/km. The body can still go through the motions ok, but I'm still feeling the need for extra rest. I did not spin or do any weights today. However, I was able to finish a good book while listening to some Pink Floyd, which in itself is pretty damned good therapy.
Tomorrow I'm going to spend the day off my legs - with the exception of the 11k I walk at work. :) Workout wise, the plan is to do some swimming or do a stretch/core session.
For today, I only did one workout which was a 10k run with a 2k tempo run sandwiched in the middle. The tempo part was at my usual tempo speed of 4:00/km. The body can still go through the motions ok, but I'm still feeling the need for extra rest. I did not spin or do any weights today. However, I was able to finish a good book while listening to some Pink Floyd, which in itself is pretty damned good therapy.
Tomorrow I'm going to spend the day off my legs - with the exception of the 11k I walk at work. :) Workout wise, the plan is to do some swimming or do a stretch/core session.
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
I'm glad this week is an easy week. I've been extra tired and the body is telling me to chill out. So instead of doing something stupid and ignoring it, I'm doing the smart thing and taking it easy. The body is always telling you stuff, it's up to us to listen to it.
I notice I've not posted my workouts for the last few days, so here's an update. Monday - off. Just did stretching and core work. Tues: easy 7.5k run, 1 hour on the spinner doing drills and 30 minutes of weights. Today: swim 4500 meters. I met another triathlete at the pool today, which is always nice. We got yacking about races, so the last 10 minutes of pool time was spent talking instead of swimming. Hey, I did say it's an easy week.. :) We were talking about how addicting triathlon can be and frequently encourage our friend to go out and "just try one." I've seen it frequently when a person tries one and before you know it, they want to try it again or want to go faster. I suppose it's the same in most sports and I guess the bottom line is go get off your ass and do something. We're only the planet once and our time might be up tomorrow - so live in the now and just giver. I never heard of anyone on their deathbed wishing they worked more.
Ooops, went off on a tangent again. Oh well, it's my blog, I suppose I can do that. :) Cheers!
I notice I've not posted my workouts for the last few days, so here's an update. Monday - off. Just did stretching and core work. Tues: easy 7.5k run, 1 hour on the spinner doing drills and 30 minutes of weights. Today: swim 4500 meters. I met another triathlete at the pool today, which is always nice. We got yacking about races, so the last 10 minutes of pool time was spent talking instead of swimming. Hey, I did say it's an easy week.. :) We were talking about how addicting triathlon can be and frequently encourage our friend to go out and "just try one." I've seen it frequently when a person tries one and before you know it, they want to try it again or want to go faster. I suppose it's the same in most sports and I guess the bottom line is go get off your ass and do something. We're only the planet once and our time might be up tomorrow - so live in the now and just giver. I never heard of anyone on their deathbed wishing they worked more.
Ooops, went off on a tangent again. Oh well, it's my blog, I suppose I can do that. :) Cheers!
Monday, March 20, 2006
Monday weigh in
Ended a 3 week build period on a high note. I met my goals for last week and I got my new ride. Can't argue with that. Here is the mileage report week number 11.
Run: 67 km
Spin 6.5 hrs
Swim 3500 m
Dryland 1 hr 30 min
Weight: 164
I've been steadily increasing running mileage and I'm pleased with my progress in that department. Time on the trainer is boring, but since spring arrived a mere 3 hours ago, I know I'll be able to get the bike out soon. Swimming is still in the maintenance phase, I will not add another swim session until mid/end of April. As for weight, I'm a light 164, I'm thinking next week I'll be able to knock that down a pound.
This week is an easy week, the plan is to cut running mileage by 1/3 and bring the spinning time down to an even 5 hrs. I have to get get nice rested for the following week, which is training camp.
Want some free motivation? Check this 2 minute movie trailer of 4 elite level Iron athletes. It's a spine tingler.
Run: 67 km
Spin 6.5 hrs
Swim 3500 m
Dryland 1 hr 30 min
Weight: 164
I've been steadily increasing running mileage and I'm pleased with my progress in that department. Time on the trainer is boring, but since spring arrived a mere 3 hours ago, I know I'll be able to get the bike out soon. Swimming is still in the maintenance phase, I will not add another swim session until mid/end of April. As for weight, I'm a light 164, I'm thinking next week I'll be able to knock that down a pound.
This week is an easy week, the plan is to cut running mileage by 1/3 and bring the spinning time down to an even 5 hrs. I have to get get nice rested for the following week, which is training camp.
Want some free motivation? Check this 2 minute movie trailer of 4 elite level Iron athletes. It's a spine tingler.
Sunday, March 19, 2006
Weekend update
An excellent training weekend. This weekend marked the end of a 3 week build cycle and was my toughest since training started a mere 11 weeks ago.
On Saturday I did 3 hours on the trainer, it was a great session on the new bike. I followed that up with a short 4k run. Yup, my first brick of season is done.
Today, was a 27k long run on tired legs. I broke the run into 3 sections. The first 9k: ok, who stole my legs? Tired, don't want to run, but luckily I found them after 6k. Whew. The next 3k was against the wind. I feel slow, like I'm running in molasses. I check my split at 9k - 5:03/km. Wow... much better than I thought. ( I like to maintain a 5:00/km pace for long runs).
The second third: this part of the run is hillacious. The goal is just to maintain the same pace as the first third. This requires some extra effort because the hills are wearing me down. My pace ended up being 5:06/km. Eep. Slowed down a bit, but not too shaboo. Finally the last 3rd. I was able to pick up the pace to 4:51/km, but I felt like I was running faster. :) Total run 27.3km.
The coming week is an easy training week. Some extra recovery time is on tap and I'm looking forward to it.
On Saturday I did 3 hours on the trainer, it was a great session on the new bike. I followed that up with a short 4k run. Yup, my first brick of season is done.
Today, was a 27k long run on tired legs. I broke the run into 3 sections. The first 9k: ok, who stole my legs? Tired, don't want to run, but luckily I found them after 6k. Whew. The next 3k was against the wind. I feel slow, like I'm running in molasses. I check my split at 9k - 5:03/km. Wow... much better than I thought. ( I like to maintain a 5:00/km pace for long runs).
The second third: this part of the run is hillacious. The goal is just to maintain the same pace as the first third. This requires some extra effort because the hills are wearing me down. My pace ended up being 5:06/km. Eep. Slowed down a bit, but not too shaboo. Finally the last 3rd. I was able to pick up the pace to 4:51/km, but I felt like I was running faster. :) Total run 27.3km.
The coming week is an easy training week. Some extra recovery time is on tap and I'm looking forward to it.
Friday, March 17, 2006
Turn down the wind
Did an easy 11k, that was uphill and in the wind the whole way. Seriously, if anyone could turn down the wind a little bit - I'd appreciate it.
The goal of easy day Friday, is to make my legs just tired enough so that biking on Saturday isn't a cake walk. The goal of long ride Saturday is to fry my legs for long run Sunday. Once that's over - it's on to easy day Monday - a mere two workouts away.
So here is the weekend plan: Saturday - my first brick! In case you don't know, a brick workout is when you run after doing a bike session. Generally, legs do not like it when you do this and it can feel like you are pushing against a brick wall.
The plan is to do 3hrs on the spinner and follow that up with a short run. On Sunday, I have a 27k run planned.
Have a great weekend!
The goal of easy day Friday, is to make my legs just tired enough so that biking on Saturday isn't a cake walk. The goal of long ride Saturday is to fry my legs for long run Sunday. Once that's over - it's on to easy day Monday - a mere two workouts away.
So here is the weekend plan: Saturday - my first brick! In case you don't know, a brick workout is when you run after doing a bike session. Generally, legs do not like it when you do this and it can feel like you are pushing against a brick wall.
The plan is to do 3hrs on the spinner and follow that up with a short run. On Sunday, I have a 27k run planned.
Have a great weekend!
Thursday, March 16, 2006
Tempo Thursday
The first thing I noticed today was that's it's getting light at 5:30am. I'm liking that! Time was the major issue of the day, got home from work a little later than usual and had to get some household chores out of the way. So my designated workout times kept getting pushed back. No biggie, I still got em done. Here's what I did:
11k run - 4k warm up, 3k tempo (3:57 pace - I always like seeing that sub 4 min pace) and a 4k cool down.
spin 1.5 hours.
weights 30 minutes.
I was going to squeeze an extra 30 min on the bike - but ran out of time. I'll still make my spinning goals for the week though - so it's all good.
11k run - 4k warm up, 3k tempo (3:57 pace - I always like seeing that sub 4 min pace) and a 4k cool down.
spin 1.5 hours.
weights 30 minutes.
I was going to squeeze an extra 30 min on the bike - but ran out of time. I'll still make my spinning goals for the week though - so it's all good.
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Trivial complaints
I overheard this awhile ago. Here's the situation: someone is complaining about a rather trivial thing, the person he was whining to said: "you think that's a problem? Cancer is a problem! Now go deal with it."
I love the line and frequently think about it. It came across my mind as I was running into 70km/hr gusts of wind today. This is no biggie, just deal with it. And so I did. End result: 14km. Booyah.
I ran a little farther today to help make up for my missed run yesterday. However, I don't think I ate enough between sessions, because my swim was a tough slog. I sorta mini-bonked. :) I did manage 3500 meters in the pool, which is better than nothing.
Cheers.
I love the line and frequently think about it. It came across my mind as I was running into 70km/hr gusts of wind today. This is no biggie, just deal with it. And so I did. End result: 14km. Booyah.
I ran a little farther today to help make up for my missed run yesterday. However, I don't think I ate enough between sessions, because my swim was a tough slog. I sorta mini-bonked. :) I did manage 3500 meters in the pool, which is better than nothing.
Cheers.
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
New baby has arrived!
Went to Enduro Sports today to pick-up and get fitted for my new ride. Wow, what a difference from my previous bike. Different good? Time will tell. I'll let you know in May when I have a couple 5 hour rides under my belt. It's aggresive, it's smooth and now I just have to ride the snot out of it!
It should also be noted that the people at Enduro are first rate. These guys know triathlon, they have premium products, excellent service and weren't satisified until I was satisfied. Hats off to them.
After I get my new baby home, naturally I set it up on the spinner and settle in for a good 2 hour session. Overall, it was good. The new geometry will take some getting used to - that's a given. I'll put it to you this way, if I can walk away afer a 5 or 6 hour ride and feel as good as I did today, I'll be a happy guy. :)
After my spin, I did 30 minutes of weights. Unfortuneately, no time for a run today.
Monday, March 13, 2006
Monday weigh in
Week number 10 comes to a close, with me hitting my goals plus a little extra. Here are the stats for the week:
Run: 61 km
Spin: 6 hrs
Swim 5000 m
Dryland: 2 hrs
Weight: 164
The basic plan for the coming week is to add an extra 5k on to the run and 30 minutes on to the bike. The swim part could be interesting as they've tweaked the pool schedule for March break. Also, tomorrow I'm picking up my new bike, so that will be cutting into some designated workout time too. It's a bit of a domino effect, you miss a key workout, you want to make it up, but there are only so many hours in the day. I'm sure it will all work out in the end.
Next week is an easy week and then it's off to training camp!
Run: 61 km
Spin: 6 hrs
Swim 5000 m
Dryland: 2 hrs
Weight: 164
The basic plan for the coming week is to add an extra 5k on to the run and 30 minutes on to the bike. The swim part could be interesting as they've tweaked the pool schedule for March break. Also, tomorrow I'm picking up my new bike, so that will be cutting into some designated workout time too. It's a bit of a domino effect, you miss a key workout, you want to make it up, but there are only so many hours in the day. I'm sure it will all work out in the end.
Next week is an easy week and then it's off to training camp!
Sunday, March 12, 2006
Weekend update
Hmm... where to begin? I guess chronologically is the best way to go. As mentioned on Friday, I got my dvd exchanged no problem and was up and spinning by 11am. I decided against doing an outdoor ride - the weather was amazing but the roads were still a little ooky. So I did a solid 3 hrs on the trainer. Now is the time for my favorite epic movies - The Lord of the Rings trilogy, extended versions, of course. The whole session was dedicated to being aero and maintaining a 90+ cadence all while watching The Fellowship of the Ring. I even cranked a tougher gear for the last 30 min, just for the heck of it. Solid.
For today, the only thing on tap was my long run. I woke up and immediately felt a slight twinge in my knee. Great. I notice as my running mileage starts to creep up, my right I.T. band can act up. So I message it (ouch!) and gave it a good stretching and in the end the run went great. The first half was at my regular long run pace of 5 min/km and I brought the second half of the run down to 4:49/km. Negative split. That's the shizzle.
Lastly, I'm currently bikeless! I'm getting fitted on my new ride on Tuesday, so it's just a temporary thing. A good friend of mine came over this afternoon, intent on "checking my bike out" and ended up walking away with it. So I'm kinda sad of letting my old ride go - we went through alot togethor, but I'm defineately pumped about getting new wheels!
For today, the only thing on tap was my long run. I woke up and immediately felt a slight twinge in my knee. Great. I notice as my running mileage starts to creep up, my right I.T. band can act up. So I message it (ouch!) and gave it a good stretching and in the end the run went great. The first half was at my regular long run pace of 5 min/km and I brought the second half of the run down to 4:49/km. Negative split. That's the shizzle.
Lastly, I'm currently bikeless! I'm getting fitted on my new ride on Tuesday, so it's just a temporary thing. A good friend of mine came over this afternoon, intent on "checking my bike out" and ended up walking away with it. So I'm kinda sad of letting my old ride go - we went through alot togethor, but I'm defineately pumped about getting new wheels!
Friday, March 10, 2006
First outdoor bike ride?
The only thing on tap for today was a 10k easy run with a few drills. Not a problem. I'm exactly where I want to be for the week and should not have a problem meeting my goals. Although, I have to get to Future Shop to replace the dvd player I bought a mere two months ago. This is somewhat a necessity because I have a 3 hour spin session on tap. So, that's number one on the agenda Saturday morning. It could be interesting as I'm notorious for not keeping receipts etc - although I can be most persuasive when I want to be. :)
This all maybe moot as there is a possibilty the roads and weather will be good enough for an outdoor ride. We shall see.
On Sunday I have a 25k + run planned, hopefully it will go as well as last weeks.
Ever wonder what the swim of an Ironman looks like? There is about 2000 people swimming in that photo. This picture was taken at Lake Placid last year. All I can say is that I'm somewhere in the foreground. :)
Have a great weekend!
This all maybe moot as there is a possibilty the roads and weather will be good enough for an outdoor ride. We shall see.
On Sunday I have a 25k + run planned, hopefully it will go as well as last weeks.
Ever wonder what the swim of an Ironman looks like? There is about 2000 people swimming in that photo. This picture was taken at Lake Placid last year. All I can say is that I'm somewhere in the foreground. :)
Have a great weekend!
Thursday, March 09, 2006
The Big Melt
The big melt is officially underway. It was 10 degrees with rain today and the forcast is calling for more over the next few days. Yay. All we need is some rain to wash the gunk away and some wind to dry up the place and the bike will be on the road. I'm looking forward to it because spinning is boooooorrriinng.
Today was tempo Thursday. I did a 10k run with a 2.5k tempo. The tempo pace was 4:04/km. I wanted 4:00/km.. but it was windy. :)
The second workout was a 1.5 hr spin session on the bike. I followed that up with my bi-weekly 30 minutes of weights. I'm looking forward to grabbing some quality zzzz's tonight.
Today was tempo Thursday. I did a 10k run with a 2.5k tempo. The tempo pace was 4:04/km. I wanted 4:00/km.. but it was windy. :)
The second workout was a 1.5 hr spin session on the bike. I followed that up with my bi-weekly 30 minutes of weights. I'm looking forward to grabbing some quality zzzz's tonight.
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
200 laps..
Yet another great day. I must be turning into one of those googly-eyed "isn't today wonderful?" freaks. Either that, or I've developed an addiction to endorphins. Bit of a segway here... I was reading an article on happiness, the bottom line is, generally, we are just too lazy to be happy. BOGGLE. It takes a bit effort to be happy and since it's human nature to do things the easy way, happiness continues elude us.
Here's a couple of tricks that work for me. 1) Before I get out of bed, I take 2 minutes to get into the 'zone'. A couple deep breaths and some positive thoughts - might as well start the day right. 2) isolate the negativity. We all have 'em - the 'downer' guy at work, the complainer, the 'why does everything always happen to me?' person etc... Isolate them. Ok, I'm talking mentally put a block up, say something positive and move on. If you hang around the negative long enough - you will become so. If you see yourself as a negative person, do yourself a favour and change. It will take effort, but no one will do it for you.
Ok, I'm off the soap box. Back to the topic. Training today was great. I did a 7.5 k easy run. My second session was an endurance swim set of 10X400m on 6:30. Each one was under 6 min, the last one was a 5:40. Also, that's with 30 seconds less rest than last week. Since I'm only swimming once a week, I'm very happy with that. I rounded out my swim session with 800m of drill work and a 200 cool down. Total 5000m, or 200 laps. It's been awhile since I've logged 5k in the pool in one sesssion. A good swim session indeed. Cheers.
Here's a couple of tricks that work for me. 1) Before I get out of bed, I take 2 minutes to get into the 'zone'. A couple deep breaths and some positive thoughts - might as well start the day right. 2) isolate the negativity. We all have 'em - the 'downer' guy at work, the complainer, the 'why does everything always happen to me?' person etc... Isolate them. Ok, I'm talking mentally put a block up, say something positive and move on. If you hang around the negative long enough - you will become so. If you see yourself as a negative person, do yourself a favour and change. It will take effort, but no one will do it for you.
Ok, I'm off the soap box. Back to the topic. Training today was great. I did a 7.5 k easy run. My second session was an endurance swim set of 10X400m on 6:30. Each one was under 6 min, the last one was a 5:40. Also, that's with 30 seconds less rest than last week. Since I'm only swimming once a week, I'm very happy with that. I rounded out my swim session with 800m of drill work and a 200 cool down. Total 5000m, or 200 laps. It's been awhile since I've logged 5k in the pool in one sesssion. A good swim session indeed. Cheers.
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Terrific Tuesday
Terrific Tuesday indeed. As I've said before, the day after a rest day can be tough, not in the sense as difficult, I mean tough in the sense: "I want to go out hard, but I shouldn't go out too hard, or I'll blow my legs out for tomorrow's workout." So here is what I did today: Run: 9.5k. It consisted of 3 hill repeats (1:40, 1:36, 1:33), I felt great so I picked up the pace on the way home, but tried not to go too hard. (2.5k @ 4:20/km)
Later, I did 1.5 hrs of spinning. It was a solid 90 minutes of aero time, spinning at 90 rpm in a slightly more difficult gear than normal. It felt great. Afterward I did a quick 30 minutes of weights. A very solid Tuesday indeed. :)
Lastly, I'd to wish a very happy birthday to my support crew. My beautiful wife is celebrating today and I certainly could not commit to serious Ironman training if it wasn't for her. Happy Birthday sweetie!
Later, I did 1.5 hrs of spinning. It was a solid 90 minutes of aero time, spinning at 90 rpm in a slightly more difficult gear than normal. It felt great. Afterward I did a quick 30 minutes of weights. A very solid Tuesday indeed. :)
Lastly, I'd to wish a very happy birthday to my support crew. My beautiful wife is celebrating today and I certainly could not commit to serious Ironman training if it wasn't for her. Happy Birthday sweetie!
Monday, March 06, 2006
Monday weigh in
Sorry I missed the weekend update, but my nap after the long run on Sunday took precedence. Post long run naps rule. :) The weekend went well, on Saturday I did 2:45 on the trainer and on Sunday I had a great 24k long run.
It may be early to say, but I think I may have had a bit of breakthrough on my run. The run just flowed. It was very relaxed and I was able to maintain a good cadence for the duration. I remember thinking: "this is what good running feels like." I now have to take it to the next level - make it an unconcious effort. Become one with the run. :)
Here is the stats for the week:
Run: 55.5 km
Spin: 5 hrs 15 min
Swim: 4000 meters
Dryland: 2 hrs
Weight : 164
All planned goals for the week were met. I'm getting good sleep and eating like a fiend. The plan for the this week is run 5 times with a total mileage of 61k, spin 6 hrs and maintain the swim and dryland portions.
That's about it for now, I'm off to do a solid 45 minutes of stretching and some core work. Cheers.
It may be early to say, but I think I may have had a bit of breakthrough on my run. The run just flowed. It was very relaxed and I was able to maintain a good cadence for the duration. I remember thinking: "this is what good running feels like." I now have to take it to the next level - make it an unconcious effort. Become one with the run. :)
Here is the stats for the week:
Run: 55.5 km
Spin: 5 hrs 15 min
Swim: 4000 meters
Dryland: 2 hrs
Weight : 164
All planned goals for the week were met. I'm getting good sleep and eating like a fiend. The plan for the this week is run 5 times with a total mileage of 61k, spin 6 hrs and maintain the swim and dryland portions.
That's about it for now, I'm off to do a solid 45 minutes of stretching and some core work. Cheers.
Friday, March 03, 2006
"You're crazy"
Oh man what a wicked sleep last night. It's funny how a good sleep sets up the next day so damned fine. Today was a scheduled 'easy' day, it's tough to go easy when all you want to do is cut loose. Many age groupers make the mistake of going too hard on their easy days and not hard enough on their hard days. I've been known to make that mistake on the odd occasion too.
So I go for an 8k run, mainly just focusing on form and doing some cadence drills.. no biggie. I pass a smoker who's relegated to the porch, she's freezing but needs her fix. Her expression was as plain as day.. "you're crazy". The funny thing is, the expression on my face was undoubtedly the same.
The weekend is looking mint. Sunny with daytime highs around zero. I'm actually looking forward to my long run. Damn, it's not very often I say that! I'm telling you spring is around the corner.
Saturday I've got 2.5 hours scheduled on the trainer. Sunday is a 24k long run. Stay tuned for the weekend update. Cheers.
So I go for an 8k run, mainly just focusing on form and doing some cadence drills.. no biggie. I pass a smoker who's relegated to the porch, she's freezing but needs her fix. Her expression was as plain as day.. "you're crazy". The funny thing is, the expression on my face was undoubtedly the same.
The weekend is looking mint. Sunny with daytime highs around zero. I'm actually looking forward to my long run. Damn, it's not very often I say that! I'm telling you spring is around the corner.
Saturday I've got 2.5 hours scheduled on the trainer. Sunday is a 24k long run. Stay tuned for the weekend update. Cheers.
Thursday, March 02, 2006
First tempo run
A tempo run is run where you do a good warm-up, typically 20 minutes, run at 'tempo pace' for 8 to 12 minutes, then do a cool down run. Tempo pace is the pace which you can sustain for one hour. I estimate my tempo pace at 4 min/km which equals 15k/hr.
So today I did my first tempo run of the season. It lasted 8 minutes at my 4min/km pace. The total run was 9k. I know running fast doesn't get easier, but I do wonder if there will come a time when running 4 minute kilometers won't seem so hard.
Spinning was also on the agenda, of which I did 1 hour on the trainer and followed that up with my bi-weekly 30 minute weight routine. Not a bad day... I am looking forward to getting some quality zzzz's though.
So today I did my first tempo run of the season. It lasted 8 minutes at my 4min/km pace. The total run was 9k. I know running fast doesn't get easier, but I do wonder if there will come a time when running 4 minute kilometers won't seem so hard.
Spinning was also on the agenda, of which I did 1 hour on the trainer and followed that up with my bi-weekly 30 minute weight routine. Not a bad day... I am looking forward to getting some quality zzzz's though.
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Over the hump
So here I am all pumped because it's March and the light is at the end of the tunnel as far as winter goes... naturally we are expecting some sort of snowstorm tonight. I should have kept my big mouth shut.
Today I did a 6km run - nice and easy. I want the legs recovered for tomorrow's tempo run, the first one of the season. So I'm hoping this snowstorm is minor.
Swimming was also the agenda. The set was similar to last weeks and went like this:
1000m warmup
7X400m each one came in under 6min and I took 1 min rest between sets.
200 cool down.
The total was 4000m. That's 160 lengths, which does get a little boring after awhile. Although back when I was a real swimmer, we logged a hell of alot more mileage than that, so I really don't have anything to complain about.
Today I did a 6km run - nice and easy. I want the legs recovered for tomorrow's tempo run, the first one of the season. So I'm hoping this snowstorm is minor.
Swimming was also the agenda. The set was similar to last weeks and went like this:
1000m warmup
7X400m each one came in under 6min and I took 1 min rest between sets.
200 cool down.
The total was 4000m. That's 160 lengths, which does get a little boring after awhile. Although back when I was a real swimmer, we logged a hell of alot more mileage than that, so I really don't have anything to complain about.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
