Thursday, November 27, 2008
The race itself!
So the full contact sport of open water swimming began! I just sorta moved forward as the fish in the front of the pack took off. When the gun started I was in the back but there were a ton of people behind me as well. I swam doggy, breast and free with my head up until I could get some space..... then I went to a free with my head in, would pull up quick to avoid people and search for space. In the first 300 meters I was kicked, swam over, squeezed out by people, hit with hands, elbows and fists. I would get a little space and then jam up....it was like a slinky for the first 1000 meters. The most damaging blows was a deadly accurate kick to my nuts and vicious kick to the face that knocked my goggles from their seal and left a noticeable slash across my face (I didn't notice until Ed pointed it out at the finish line). It was pretty cool though and I was trying to pick my spots...
I swam parallel to the edge of the wall and as the lake opened up to the right I somehow found myself up against the buoys and pulling left..... went of course a bit but not to bad...... The first left turn was a mad house and I just breast stroked through it....swam to the turn and was pumped to be on my way to the end of the swim. Found some good space here and swam the best I could..... I had a little trouble before we got back to the starting line..... this was the longest I have ever swam and conditions were tough..... I kept pushing though and got passed the bridges and could see the finish line...... I pushed hard...made that last left and headed to the line................So happy to get to the stairs....took me second to pull myself up once I latched on. (my watch read 1:30 ...a huge sucess for me but my official time is 1:32) A guy helped me up the stairs and directed me where to go because I had no idea...he explained that the wet suit strippers would get my wetsuit off and to sit down..... I was pretty disorientated and they pulled my suit off w/out me undoing my calf zippers...... I thought I was cold when I got out of the water.....that was nothing compared to when my wetsuit was off and I was just in my swim shorts. I starting shivering uncontrollably and was walking towards the transition tent...I started to jog to try and warm up.......got my bag and went into the tent..... the tent was a mad house!
Found a seat, sat down and ripped of my shorts and put biking shorts on...I wanted something dry on! I put the HR monitor strap on and my tri top.... I slowly put socks on and my shoes.....my ear flaps fell off again and I was so pissed.... it took me forever to get them back on since my hands were shaking. I took my time applied chamois again figuring it was a long day and a long transition was allowing me to get my sorts about me after that swim.... I finally made it out of transition and on my bike in 13:24. I know that is crazy long but o-well!
It took me about ten minutes on the bike to not be freezing anymore.... the sun was starting to really shine and was warming me up! I cruised out of town feeling pretty good but felt something pushing against me...almost a resistance....what the hell!...it was the wind that wasn't suppose to be there! It was at about this time I realized I had left my Garmin in my bag at the transition area. Not a horrible thing though b/c now I turned to pain threshold with my leg to gauge my effort. The wind was trying to push me back down the bee line but my will would not falter! I forged ahead, determined to get to that first turn around. Guys were flying coming back and I needed that boost to my morale.
About a mile from the turn around I noticed my brakes were scrapping the tire...great!...I had been cycling with resistance for 18 miles.... I stopped and fixed the brakes and felt stronger....at the turn around point I felt like I was unleashed and bolted down the beeline...at times I was hitting over 30MPH........ Back down in the city I navigated through the streets to complete my first loop.... and at the turn around Joanna Zeiger blasted by me! This was not the first nor the last time I was passed by a girl that day so my fragile male ego handled it well! First lap was 2:14:58...not good for 38 miles but I was still working it!
I pushed forward on my second lap and told myself I was feeling stronger b/c I was going faster up the beeline this time....in all actuality the wind had reversed and was now pushing us up the beeline.....50 Miles dropped quickly, I knew my average pace was slow but thought I would have energy in the last lap to "turn it on". I stopped to pee around mile 54. My legs felt so heavy though and there was just no pop. I also began to stress because I had planned for my special needs back at 3:00 (both bottles of perpetuem were 3:00 bottles) and wasn't going to get it until 4:00 b/c my time pace was so slow.... I reverted to gel and enduralytes until I got the bottle at special needs. I knew I wasn't going as fast down the beeline this time and just tried to push forward. Saw Chris McDonald and Chris Lieto flying through the course...was pretty cool. This lap finally ended at 2:20:27 and I pushed into the final lap just wanting the bike to be over.
I felt some twinging in the hammy this lap so I didn't push it. I had thought I would be faster the second 56 miles but it just didn't happen. My quads felt heavy and the hammy was not working for me but it was aching either so it was holding..... I wanted to make sure I finished so I didn't push it. I had to pee again during this lap but just held it..... I just kept grinding out those miles and my morale was sky high when I hit the final turn around... My strategy the entire bike was to brake it down into 6 lengths so during that finale length I definitely picked it up. Of course I had never gone over 90 miles in my life so hitting 100, 105, 110 and pulling in at 112 was a pretty significant accomplishments for me. That lap was 2:14:42 for a total bike time of 6:50:05...16.4 average pace... I had felt I would at least maintain 17MPH the entire time but just couldn't............my legs just didn't get it done but at least my hammy held and I made it through.... My nutrition was fine and my stomach felt good coming off the bike.... perpetuem, gel, eduralytes and water only.
I got of the bike and felt pretty damm fresh. I pulled my bike shoes off and jogged to get my bag, made a very quick transition, then spent almost a minute in the toilet peeing and was then off on the run course! (T2 4:21)
I had pop in my legs and my stide felt good.... I saw Meg as I left out on my first mile and waved. Ed's friend Lane came yelling at me and encouraging me to push on. I hit the lap button on my watch to track my run as best I could without my garmin (left in my swim to bike bag by mistake).... I believe I was at about 8:25 or so when I started the marathon. My nutrition plan was Gatorade at every station, gel every 30 minutes and water when needed for the run. My first mile was 8:30 which I know was way to fast and I brought it back down and averaged 8:45 the first two miles. I know, I know, this was too fast a start but without a Garmin I had trouble monitoring my pace. I was moving just fine but started to have stomach issues. I was trying to monitor my pace and knew I was running strong (physically at a 9:15 or so pace but it did seem to start slipping as my stomach worsened....
I saw Ed at my miles four or so and we passed encouragements...he looked great and was cruising. I stopped taking anything in at mile seven hoping that my stomach would settle..... I saw Meg at mile 8.5 (start of second lap) and again at mile 11.5 but my stomach was doing me in and beginning at mile 11 I started to get light headed.... I knew coming off that bridge I was in trouble. Initially I was thinking of running until my leg wouldn't let me anymore.....but my hammy never limited me on the run...then I was thinking a 4:00 marathon, then 4:30 as my stomach started to get bad and then I just thought about survival.
At the special needs run bag site at mile 12 (at that point I was 1:57 into the run) I sat down for second thinking I was going to pull my long sleeve shirt out but left it there, put my sun glasses and came to the conclusion that I better start taking in nutrition or I would DNF. So I walked up the hill telling myself walk the hills and run the flats and downhills...my stomach revolted and I was resigned to walk.
I took in water, Gatorade at the first aide station I came upon and never stopped walking, I then tried oranges and it was then a guy riding his bike by the run course started chatting with me.... he was a coach and monitoring 11 of his athletes out on the course. I explained to him my stomach issues and he told me I looked good physically and should try bananas and water since oranges and Gatorade may upset my stomach b/c of the acidity. He was very encouraging and told me I had made the right decision to walk so I could take in nutrition. He said 4 of his athletes had already fallen out of the race.... He made me feel better as I pushed on walking faster now. I drank water and had a banana piece at every rests stop. I was determined as ever to finish and stating that last lap was tremendous for my morale.
I walked the rest of that second lap and when I got past aide station number one I saw a 72 YO and 56YO guy walking and talking and then I saw them jog. It motivated me to try jogging......my stomach revolted and I started to walk again..... I tried it again on the other side of the bridge on the downhill and felt OK.... I then started walking two light posts and jogging one, I progressed to one and one, then jog two, walk one and then jog three and walk one...... I continued to play this game making sure I walk up every hill, ran down all hills and walk/ ran the flats..... while listening to my stomach.... I still ate bananas, drank water and tried some other stuff but my stomach never really settled.... but I was no longer light headed.
I kept passing the same people and then they would pass me..... heading to the back side I knew there were only 5 miles left..not sure of my exact time but realized I needed to push it if I was going to brake 14:00. Kept run/walking while managing the stomach. At mile 4, I somehow calculated that there was no chance I could brake 14:00...my morale was crushed but I still was determined to get the finish.
Somewhere on the back side of that course in the span of about 5 minutes two things happened................ The first was that I hit the three mile mark at 13:20 and realized I had 40 minutes for the last 3.2 miles in order to brake into the 13:00s. The second was a girl who I had been passing and being passed by started walking faster and then ran up the biggest hill on the course...as she passed me I said "great job: and she replied "thanks, have a good race" as she pushed ahead of me!.....right, I know......like I wasn't going to see her again! Can you believe that? I should thank her though b/c those two incidents pushed me over the edge.
At the top of the hill I ran all the way to the aide station at the bottom...it was my longest spurt yet. I got some nutrition and started run/ walking again. I caught her at mile 23 and then buried her as my running became faster and my walking became shorter. As I crossed the final bridge I knew I would brake the 14:00 mark and was wondering if I could brake 13:50. I ran a almost the entire finale stretch to the swim start ignoring all aide stations. I walked about 25 feet before the bridges for my finale spurt to the finish. At the fork in the road I was thrilled to be going left towards the finisher shoot. I bolted to the finish line not realizing just how far it was and that it was up a small hill....it took everything I had not to puke as I was running but I crossed that line running!... a women handed me a blanket and I refused at first telling her how hot I was and then puked at the finish line....nothing came up though as I looked at the volunteer and just smiled saying "nothing in there!".
She determined that I was OK, by this time I wanted the blanket, saw Meg and went to over to her...Ed and summer were there waiting for me as well.
Awesome sense of accomplishment. While I was out there I told myself I would never do this again. Of course if you know me you know I am full of crap! I love the pain and suffering...... I thrive in it!
If your still reading this, thanks for all your support and encouragement through the past year. I look forward to getting healthy and coming out strong next year!
I swam parallel to the edge of the wall and as the lake opened up to the right I somehow found myself up against the buoys and pulling left..... went of course a bit but not to bad...... The first left turn was a mad house and I just breast stroked through it....swam to the turn and was pumped to be on my way to the end of the swim. Found some good space here and swam the best I could..... I had a little trouble before we got back to the starting line..... this was the longest I have ever swam and conditions were tough..... I kept pushing though and got passed the bridges and could see the finish line...... I pushed hard...made that last left and headed to the line................So happy to get to the stairs....took me second to pull myself up once I latched on. (my watch read 1:30 ...a huge sucess for me but my official time is 1:32) A guy helped me up the stairs and directed me where to go because I had no idea...he explained that the wet suit strippers would get my wetsuit off and to sit down..... I was pretty disorientated and they pulled my suit off w/out me undoing my calf zippers...... I thought I was cold when I got out of the water.....that was nothing compared to when my wetsuit was off and I was just in my swim shorts. I starting shivering uncontrollably and was walking towards the transition tent...I started to jog to try and warm up.......got my bag and went into the tent..... the tent was a mad house!
Found a seat, sat down and ripped of my shorts and put biking shorts on...I wanted something dry on! I put the HR monitor strap on and my tri top.... I slowly put socks on and my shoes.....my ear flaps fell off again and I was so pissed.... it took me forever to get them back on since my hands were shaking. I took my time applied chamois again figuring it was a long day and a long transition was allowing me to get my sorts about me after that swim.... I finally made it out of transition and on my bike in 13:24. I know that is crazy long but o-well!
It took me about ten minutes on the bike to not be freezing anymore.... the sun was starting to really shine and was warming me up! I cruised out of town feeling pretty good but felt something pushing against me...almost a resistance....what the hell!...it was the wind that wasn't suppose to be there! It was at about this time I realized I had left my Garmin in my bag at the transition area. Not a horrible thing though b/c now I turned to pain threshold with my leg to gauge my effort. The wind was trying to push me back down the bee line but my will would not falter! I forged ahead, determined to get to that first turn around. Guys were flying coming back and I needed that boost to my morale.
About a mile from the turn around I noticed my brakes were scrapping the tire...great!...I had been cycling with resistance for 18 miles.... I stopped and fixed the brakes and felt stronger....at the turn around point I felt like I was unleashed and bolted down the beeline...at times I was hitting over 30MPH........ Back down in the city I navigated through the streets to complete my first loop.... and at the turn around Joanna Zeiger blasted by me! This was not the first nor the last time I was passed by a girl that day so my fragile male ego handled it well! First lap was 2:14:58...not good for 38 miles but I was still working it!
I pushed forward on my second lap and told myself I was feeling stronger b/c I was going faster up the beeline this time....in all actuality the wind had reversed and was now pushing us up the beeline.....50 Miles dropped quickly, I knew my average pace was slow but thought I would have energy in the last lap to "turn it on". I stopped to pee around mile 54. My legs felt so heavy though and there was just no pop. I also began to stress because I had planned for my special needs back at 3:00 (both bottles of perpetuem were 3:00 bottles) and wasn't going to get it until 4:00 b/c my time pace was so slow.... I reverted to gel and enduralytes until I got the bottle at special needs. I knew I wasn't going as fast down the beeline this time and just tried to push forward. Saw Chris McDonald and Chris Lieto flying through the course...was pretty cool. This lap finally ended at 2:20:27 and I pushed into the final lap just wanting the bike to be over.
I felt some twinging in the hammy this lap so I didn't push it. I had thought I would be faster the second 56 miles but it just didn't happen. My quads felt heavy and the hammy was not working for me but it was aching either so it was holding..... I wanted to make sure I finished so I didn't push it. I had to pee again during this lap but just held it..... I just kept grinding out those miles and my morale was sky high when I hit the final turn around... My strategy the entire bike was to brake it down into 6 lengths so during that finale length I definitely picked it up. Of course I had never gone over 90 miles in my life so hitting 100, 105, 110 and pulling in at 112 was a pretty significant accomplishments for me. That lap was 2:14:42 for a total bike time of 6:50:05...16.4 average pace... I had felt I would at least maintain 17MPH the entire time but just couldn't............my legs just didn't get it done but at least my hammy held and I made it through.... My nutrition was fine and my stomach felt good coming off the bike.... perpetuem, gel, eduralytes and water only.
I got of the bike and felt pretty damm fresh. I pulled my bike shoes off and jogged to get my bag, made a very quick transition, then spent almost a minute in the toilet peeing and was then off on the run course! (T2 4:21)
I had pop in my legs and my stide felt good.... I saw Meg as I left out on my first mile and waved. Ed's friend Lane came yelling at me and encouraging me to push on. I hit the lap button on my watch to track my run as best I could without my garmin (left in my swim to bike bag by mistake).... I believe I was at about 8:25 or so when I started the marathon. My nutrition plan was Gatorade at every station, gel every 30 minutes and water when needed for the run. My first mile was 8:30 which I know was way to fast and I brought it back down and averaged 8:45 the first two miles. I know, I know, this was too fast a start but without a Garmin I had trouble monitoring my pace. I was moving just fine but started to have stomach issues. I was trying to monitor my pace and knew I was running strong (physically at a 9:15 or so pace but it did seem to start slipping as my stomach worsened....
I saw Ed at my miles four or so and we passed encouragements...he looked great and was cruising. I stopped taking anything in at mile seven hoping that my stomach would settle..... I saw Meg at mile 8.5 (start of second lap) and again at mile 11.5 but my stomach was doing me in and beginning at mile 11 I started to get light headed.... I knew coming off that bridge I was in trouble. Initially I was thinking of running until my leg wouldn't let me anymore.....but my hammy never limited me on the run...then I was thinking a 4:00 marathon, then 4:30 as my stomach started to get bad and then I just thought about survival.
At the special needs run bag site at mile 12 (at that point I was 1:57 into the run) I sat down for second thinking I was going to pull my long sleeve shirt out but left it there, put my sun glasses and came to the conclusion that I better start taking in nutrition or I would DNF. So I walked up the hill telling myself walk the hills and run the flats and downhills...my stomach revolted and I was resigned to walk.
I took in water, Gatorade at the first aide station I came upon and never stopped walking, I then tried oranges and it was then a guy riding his bike by the run course started chatting with me.... he was a coach and monitoring 11 of his athletes out on the course. I explained to him my stomach issues and he told me I looked good physically and should try bananas and water since oranges and Gatorade may upset my stomach b/c of the acidity. He was very encouraging and told me I had made the right decision to walk so I could take in nutrition. He said 4 of his athletes had already fallen out of the race.... He made me feel better as I pushed on walking faster now. I drank water and had a banana piece at every rests stop. I was determined as ever to finish and stating that last lap was tremendous for my morale.
I walked the rest of that second lap and when I got past aide station number one I saw a 72 YO and 56YO guy walking and talking and then I saw them jog. It motivated me to try jogging......my stomach revolted and I started to walk again..... I tried it again on the other side of the bridge on the downhill and felt OK.... I then started walking two light posts and jogging one, I progressed to one and one, then jog two, walk one and then jog three and walk one...... I continued to play this game making sure I walk up every hill, ran down all hills and walk/ ran the flats..... while listening to my stomach.... I still ate bananas, drank water and tried some other stuff but my stomach never really settled.... but I was no longer light headed.
I kept passing the same people and then they would pass me..... heading to the back side I knew there were only 5 miles left..not sure of my exact time but realized I needed to push it if I was going to brake 14:00. Kept run/walking while managing the stomach. At mile 4, I somehow calculated that there was no chance I could brake 14:00...my morale was crushed but I still was determined to get the finish.
Somewhere on the back side of that course in the span of about 5 minutes two things happened................ The first was that I hit the three mile mark at 13:20 and realized I had 40 minutes for the last 3.2 miles in order to brake into the 13:00s. The second was a girl who I had been passing and being passed by started walking faster and then ran up the biggest hill on the course...as she passed me I said "great job: and she replied "thanks, have a good race" as she pushed ahead of me!.....right, I know......like I wasn't going to see her again! Can you believe that? I should thank her though b/c those two incidents pushed me over the edge.
At the top of the hill I ran all the way to the aide station at the bottom...it was my longest spurt yet. I got some nutrition and started run/ walking again. I caught her at mile 23 and then buried her as my running became faster and my walking became shorter. As I crossed the final bridge I knew I would brake the 14:00 mark and was wondering if I could brake 13:50. I ran a almost the entire finale stretch to the swim start ignoring all aide stations. I walked about 25 feet before the bridges for my finale spurt to the finish. At the fork in the road I was thrilled to be going left towards the finisher shoot. I bolted to the finish line not realizing just how far it was and that it was up a small hill....it took everything I had not to puke as I was running but I crossed that line running!... a women handed me a blanket and I refused at first telling her how hot I was and then puked at the finish line....nothing came up though as I looked at the volunteer and just smiled saying "nothing in there!".
She determined that I was OK, by this time I wanted the blanket, saw Meg and went to over to her...Ed and summer were there waiting for me as well.
Awesome sense of accomplishment. While I was out there I told myself I would never do this again. Of course if you know me you know I am full of crap! I love the pain and suffering...... I thrive in it!
If your still reading this, thanks for all your support and encouragement through the past year. I look forward to getting healthy and coming out strong next year!
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
IM Arizona 2008 race report
I slept good on Saturday night. Meg and I went to dinner with Ed and Summer at PF Changes and I was asleep by 9:00PM. I awoke at 0340. What I didn't mention before is that I was having my typical digestive issues and had taken four digestive "assistance" pills the day before and spent 1/2 the early evening on the toilet. It seemed to work in my favor though as I was able to take care of business that morning and I felt fine.
That morning I ate:
2X ensure (500 calories)
1 cup of coffee (50 calories)
1 Kashi bar (190 calories)
1 Banana
Water
Ed had suggested a liquid breakfast so I tried to follow suit as best as possible. I had put my stuff together the night before so I was ready to go that morning. I grabbed my two frozen Perpetuem bottles from the freezer right before I left the room. (Both Ed and I froze both bottles but wrapped one in a towel and place it in ice for our bike special needs bag.... would recommend one or the other.... it was cold right away but warm up pretty quick...do not need to wrap it in an "ice" towel and put it on ice in a plastic bag..too hard to unwrap during the race)
Ed and I rolled and arrived a little before 5:00AM. We parked across the street in the garage and made our way to our bikes. We had to stage our bikes the day before so I checked my bike (Lucy was fine), put my first bottle of perpetuem in a cage, extra enduralytes, some race cap supreme pills Ed gave me and some 800MG Motrin, 1 Hammer flask and then just sorta surveyed the area................ incredible to take in all these awesome bikes and sleek looking athletes!
I then went to the transition bags with Ed to place some stuff. IM race are different than all the races I have done in that you transition not on your towel but with a pre-positioned bag that is handed to you and you make your transition in a tent. In my swim to bike bag I put:
tri shoes
socks
biking shorts
tri top
Aero Helmet
Sunglasses
Chamois Cream
HR Strap
Garmin 301
In my bike to run bag I place:
socks
Newton Running shoes
Hat
visor
I then hit my special need bags and placed:
Bike:
Frozen bottle of perpetuem in the bag of ice
Run:
long sleeve shirt
hammer flask
I pumped up my tired to 155 (Max pressure is 165 but I wanted to play it safe with the expansion of the tires). I sat for a while... arranged my stuff....chatted with a few folks and then as time got near I put my wet suit on....I was freezing though as the ground was very cold... I dropped my bag with all the cloths I had been wearing and went to find Ed. He was still in his socks so I used his shoes to keep my feet of the ground..... his buddy Joel found us and we finally made that finale journey toward the water's edge. We looked for Summer and Meg but couldn't find them... I was watching everyone just jump into the lake it all seemed so confusing and the announcer was saying we had only five minutes to the race started....
I started to get nervous and knew I want some time to get acclimated to the water....we edges ourselves towards the water and we sashayed ourselves onto the dock like structure...lost track of Ed and Joel. Heard the announcer say three minutes to the star and I jumped into the water!......................so cold! Moved forward..not sure what stroke you would call it to the start line. Had no clue where Joel and Ed were....we all had blue caps swim caps on! Saw some smart folks on the edge of the lake holding on to the side and envied them for being so sly.... Was trying to get orientated and I my heart dropped as I heard the loud boom of the starting gun go off as a foot came out of no where and wrapped me in the left leg and before I knew it I was moving forward! Please, if you have never experience what I am about to describe..... go to Utube and punch in IM AZ swim start and watch the video...it is crazy! I will try to describe it but you have to just watch it to appreciate it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUC2qDrg-Lk
Here are a couple pictures of Ed and I putting our stickers on the bike....
Will finish the rest tomorrow and post pictures from the race!
IM AZ in reflection
1st you should all know that I am starting this race report Wednesday night and am drinking from my M Dot pint glass... it is full of Harpoon Winter Ale!
Although I have an M dot pint glass and IM AZ coffee mug I will not be getting the M Dot Tattoo.... I prefer to be more subtle with my bravado but could not resist a small M-Dot sticker for my car! (no offense to all that have that tattoo b/c you deserve to artfully place that symbol of pride on your body forever!)
With that said I will tell you that I have an overall sense of accomplishment and feeling of pride for grinding though my first IM. I am proud of "soldiering though" my injuries, gaining the IM experience and making some good decisions on race day in order to accomplish my ultimate goal of finishing. While I know I have a low 12:00 in my body... I am at peace with a sub 14:00 finish. Arizona was awesome, my buddy Ed had a sub 11:00 finish, the race was a one crazy day for me and the trip was one hell of an experience.
I am going to write a race report now............might take me a day or so to give the experience the proper retrospect so be patient!
Although I have an M dot pint glass and IM AZ coffee mug I will not be getting the M Dot Tattoo.... I prefer to be more subtle with my bravado but could not resist a small M-Dot sticker for my car! (no offense to all that have that tattoo b/c you deserve to artfully place that symbol of pride on your body forever!)
With that said I will tell you that I have an overall sense of accomplishment and feeling of pride for grinding though my first IM. I am proud of "soldiering though" my injuries, gaining the IM experience and making some good decisions on race day in order to accomplish my ultimate goal of finishing. While I know I have a low 12:00 in my body... I am at peace with a sub 14:00 finish. Arizona was awesome, my buddy Ed had a sub 11:00 finish, the race was a one crazy day for me and the trip was one hell of an experience.
I am going to write a race report now............might take me a day or so to give the experience the proper retrospect so be patient!
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
13:50:45
It wasn't pretty but I made it! I am flying back to NC this morning and will post a race report later this week!
Thursday, November 20, 2008
In Arizona
I am know officially checked into the race! I am the proud wearer of a silver bracelet!
Arrived yesterday, got the rental and waited for Ed to get in from Seattle. We went and drove the bike course and then went to his buddy Joel's work and then to his home. We ran 54 minutes...not sure the distance but definitely over 6 miles....hammy felt OK, not great...not sure if the run was smart but right now I feel OK so who knows..... the run wasn't taxing for me though so....... Grabbed some dinner and racked out.
I slept pretty good but woke about 0400 (0600 my time) and had thoughts about the race running through my head...nodded back off and got some more sleep.
We rolled to the race site for a swim, check in and bike pick up..... pretty cool walking up to the swim start and Andy Potts was there giving swim instructions..... starting taking out my stuff and realized I had forgotten a swim cap....walked around and found out that we didn't need one and was putting on my wetsuit when an older women asked me for some anti- chaffing aides..... normally I wouldn't share my stick of body glide with an unknown but she had a cool accent and was real sweet.... they were from the Netherlands and were very nice..... she gave me a really nice swim cap from her Dutch Tri club when I mentioned I didn't have one with me..... very nice couple.
The water was cold! I think we swam about 1000 meters or so just trying to get our bearing and sighting.....also trying to understand the course and identify some sighting points..... weird but sometimes I felt great out there others times it felt so weird.... tons of people out there swimming in every direction did not help! Its funny though the distance didn't freak me out like I thought it would..... we'll see race day though!
Saw they were giving out massages so I got some work on my leg/hip and buttocks..... Joel has this thing called a DMS (Deep muscle stimulator that I have been using that just kicks ass) the leg felt good after the work.......... we changed and talked with a female pro triathlete and her husband (name I will remember later) and then walked by in the in and out sport tent and spied my Lucy in the bike rack calling my name....
Line way too big for check in so we browsed the tents... I bought Meg something.... and then we got back in line... I checked in (rather seamlessly) and then went to the Community Fund Section to get the additional paraphernalia you receive for paying all that extra money.. (thank god for the Bush rebate checks last spring).. Got a sweet running jacket, LS shirt and visor. I then went and freed Lucy from the clutches of the bike racks.
Joel took her home and Ed and I went and grabbed some lunch. We returned after lunch and Ed got his bike out of tri bike transport. We ran some errands and headed back to Joels to check out the bikes.... I noticed there was some play in my top tube/ front fork area..... not sure how this could have happened but not stressing about it... I made some cosmetic changes to the bike and we went on about a 15 mile ride stopping at the bike shop to get Lucy fixed. It took the dude like 30 second to fix and we went cruising.... Ave pace was good and I even picked it up once to 30MPH on the flats. Still not sure about the hanmmy but we will wait and see.
Had dinner with some of Ed's friends tonight..... I am pretty damm tired tonight. We are planning a light swim tomorrow (all the buoys will be up) and another message on the leg. We have the pre race meeting and Meg gets in at 5:00 PM. Will report in when I can and take some pictures tomorrow for posting.
Arrived yesterday, got the rental and waited for Ed to get in from Seattle. We went and drove the bike course and then went to his buddy Joel's work and then to his home. We ran 54 minutes...not sure the distance but definitely over 6 miles....hammy felt OK, not great...not sure if the run was smart but right now I feel OK so who knows..... the run wasn't taxing for me though so....... Grabbed some dinner and racked out.
I slept pretty good but woke about 0400 (0600 my time) and had thoughts about the race running through my head...nodded back off and got some more sleep.
We rolled to the race site for a swim, check in and bike pick up..... pretty cool walking up to the swim start and Andy Potts was there giving swim instructions..... starting taking out my stuff and realized I had forgotten a swim cap....walked around and found out that we didn't need one and was putting on my wetsuit when an older women asked me for some anti- chaffing aides..... normally I wouldn't share my stick of body glide with an unknown but she had a cool accent and was real sweet.... they were from the Netherlands and were very nice..... she gave me a really nice swim cap from her Dutch Tri club when I mentioned I didn't have one with me..... very nice couple.
The water was cold! I think we swam about 1000 meters or so just trying to get our bearing and sighting.....also trying to understand the course and identify some sighting points..... weird but sometimes I felt great out there others times it felt so weird.... tons of people out there swimming in every direction did not help! Its funny though the distance didn't freak me out like I thought it would..... we'll see race day though!
Saw they were giving out massages so I got some work on my leg/hip and buttocks..... Joel has this thing called a DMS (Deep muscle stimulator that I have been using that just kicks ass) the leg felt good after the work.......... we changed and talked with a female pro triathlete and her husband (name I will remember later) and then walked by in the in and out sport tent and spied my Lucy in the bike rack calling my name....
Line way too big for check in so we browsed the tents... I bought Meg something.... and then we got back in line... I checked in (rather seamlessly) and then went to the Community Fund Section to get the additional paraphernalia you receive for paying all that extra money.. (thank god for the Bush rebate checks last spring).. Got a sweet running jacket, LS shirt and visor. I then went and freed Lucy from the clutches of the bike racks.
Joel took her home and Ed and I went and grabbed some lunch. We returned after lunch and Ed got his bike out of tri bike transport. We ran some errands and headed back to Joels to check out the bikes.... I noticed there was some play in my top tube/ front fork area..... not sure how this could have happened but not stressing about it... I made some cosmetic changes to the bike and we went on about a 15 mile ride stopping at the bike shop to get Lucy fixed. It took the dude like 30 second to fix and we went cruising.... Ave pace was good and I even picked it up once to 30MPH on the flats. Still not sure about the hanmmy but we will wait and see.
Had dinner with some of Ed's friends tonight..... I am pretty damm tired tonight. We are planning a light swim tomorrow (all the buoys will be up) and another message on the leg. We have the pre race meeting and Meg gets in at 5:00 PM. Will report in when I can and take some pictures tomorrow for posting.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Flying tomorrow morning.
I am leaving work at lunchtime to get my affairs in order. I fly tomorrow. Not sure if I'll be able to but will try to post some updates while in Arizona.
I stopped working out last Friday with the intent of maximizing the healing process in my body. I swam on Sat, nothing on Sun, Yoga on Mon and am doing Yoga today at 1200.
Not sure how the leg feels.......sometimes good other times not great...... we shall see!
I am not nervous yet...might have to do with me lessening my expectations upon myself...maybe that is a good thing? Again, my only goal is to finish....anything more than that is just icing.
I stopped working out last Friday with the intent of maximizing the healing process in my body. I swam on Sat, nothing on Sun, Yoga on Mon and am doing Yoga today at 1200.
Not sure how the leg feels.......sometimes good other times not great...... we shall see!
I am not nervous yet...might have to do with me lessening my expectations upon myself...maybe that is a good thing? Again, my only goal is to finish....anything more than that is just icing.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
My Day!
How nice of the Government to set aside a day to celebrate me! Why did I get up at 0600 if this is my day?
Last week:
Wed:
PM: Yoga
Thurs:
AM: Swam 3800 yards........longest ever.....epic swim...couldn't pull the last 200 more but o-well... so tired at the end! Shld felt great though after swim!
Lunch: 60 min ride
PM: Yoga.....did some crazy ass extension that hurt my shoulder...great, I get hurt at Yoga!...shoulder still not right
Fri: Core/ weights
Sat: rode 2:56, 52 miles...bit more spirited than my norm
Sun: Rode 1:04.....pretty sure it was 19.3 but clock said 18.3...confused/..going to verify this afternoon
-swam a bit in the afternoon but my shoulder hurt.
Mon: Yoga X2 sessions
Tues: Yoga/ core
Drove to Cary to drop of my bike yesterday. Also sent a bag with, so was scrambling around the house yesterday morning before Yoga throwing it together!
Strategy this week: Run, swim, bike X2 this week........no huge effort.....maybe 2- 2 1/2 this weekend on the bike. Rest and try to heal for next Sunday....yes thats right I said next Sunday! I feel better and am going to try the strategy of resting this hamstring/ glute muscles as much as possible over the next two weeks.
I realize that running long this weekend will not do anything for me......the fitness I have is what I have..........I would rather heal and try to save it all for IM.... I am going to run tomorrow to see how it feels while running...every day it seems a bit better but haven't run on it in three weeks. I am hoping my shoulder feels better as well by tomorrow.
Last week:
Wed:
PM: Yoga
Thurs:
AM: Swam 3800 yards........longest ever.....epic swim...couldn't pull the last 200 more but o-well... so tired at the end! Shld felt great though after swim!
Lunch: 60 min ride
PM: Yoga.....did some crazy ass extension that hurt my shoulder...great, I get hurt at Yoga!...shoulder still not right
Fri: Core/ weights
Sat: rode 2:56, 52 miles...bit more spirited than my norm
Sun: Rode 1:04.....pretty sure it was 19.3 but clock said 18.3...confused/..going to verify this afternoon
-swam a bit in the afternoon but my shoulder hurt.
Mon: Yoga X2 sessions
Tues: Yoga/ core
Drove to Cary to drop of my bike yesterday. Also sent a bag with, so was scrambling around the house yesterday morning before Yoga throwing it together!
Strategy this week: Run, swim, bike X2 this week........no huge effort.....maybe 2- 2 1/2 this weekend on the bike. Rest and try to heal for next Sunday....yes thats right I said next Sunday! I feel better and am going to try the strategy of resting this hamstring/ glute muscles as much as possible over the next two weeks.
I realize that running long this weekend will not do anything for me......the fitness I have is what I have..........I would rather heal and try to save it all for IM.... I am going to run tomorrow to see how it feels while running...every day it seems a bit better but haven't run on it in three weeks. I am hoping my shoulder feels better as well by tomorrow.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Last ditch efforts to get healthy
Mon PM:Yoga
Tues AM: 2200 Yards
Lunch: Rode 16 miles with one of my Lieutenant who just bought his first bike. Pace was at a snail but my leg wasn't feeling great so that was fine.... we had to stop a couple times so I could make some adjustments on his bike. He did the right thing though and bought a nice bike instead of going cheap......will be good to have someone at work to ride with once he gets some time in the saddle.
Wed: Aqua jogged 40 Min and then did Yoga right after.
Last night I spent almost five hours at Gregg's house getting my bike fitted w/ the RETUL system and the following:
-Range of Motion Assessment
-Muscle and Pelvic Asymmetry Assessment
-Foot and Arch Assessment
-Prescribed Body Balance Exercises
-Prescribed Physical Therapy Exercises to Address Pelvic Asymmetry
-Core and Yoga Exercises
-Prescribed Self Treatment Techniques for Myofascial Release and Trigger Point Therapy
If you are interested I have Gregg's link on the blog.
Prognosis: Bike fit way to aggressive.......not comfortable. Moved my Aero bars in, moved my cleats back, took out the shim in my right left side, moved my handlebars, flipped the stem, and lessened the angle on my saddle so I don't slide of the bike anymore. I am chopping at the pedals, I am inflexible, Pelvic is not aligned which causes my legs not to align perfectly when bent and I have a neutral foot.
Gregg, thinks my problem may lie in my buttocks area and I may have some myofascial tissue in the hammy. The butt is where, when I apply pressure there is a tremendous amount of pain...not in the hammy...they hammy is a result of the symmetry issue in the pelvic region. I just returned from the store where I bought a softball and baseball to use as a rudimentary tool for trigger release until I order something better. I am considering a few options. I will start the PT exercises he prescribed tonight.
Today my hammy feels great but my hip hurts......... Gregg said there would be discomfort if I can brake up that myofascial tissue...I hope that is what is happening.
I am doing away with pain relievers...no mas! My dream is for all this stuff to fix me and me be 100% right before IM.... I am a realistic though but I can't hope that it helps heal me a bit so I can at least complete the journey.
Let this be a lesson to you all..........get flexible and work on your posture now before you end up like me! I am making a civilian Chiropractor appointment to get the pelvic thing realigned.........it takes 21 days to see a military chiropractor......this my friends is the downfall of socialized medicine!
Tues AM: 2200 Yards
Lunch: Rode 16 miles with one of my Lieutenant who just bought his first bike. Pace was at a snail but my leg wasn't feeling great so that was fine.... we had to stop a couple times so I could make some adjustments on his bike. He did the right thing though and bought a nice bike instead of going cheap......will be good to have someone at work to ride with once he gets some time in the saddle.
Wed: Aqua jogged 40 Min and then did Yoga right after.
Last night I spent almost five hours at Gregg's house getting my bike fitted w/ the RETUL system and the following:
-Range of Motion Assessment
-Muscle and Pelvic Asymmetry Assessment
-Foot and Arch Assessment
-Prescribed Body Balance Exercises
-Prescribed Physical Therapy Exercises to Address Pelvic Asymmetry
-Core and Yoga Exercises
-Prescribed Self Treatment Techniques for Myofascial Release and Trigger Point Therapy
If you are interested I have Gregg's link on the blog.
Prognosis: Bike fit way to aggressive.......not comfortable. Moved my Aero bars in, moved my cleats back, took out the shim in my right left side, moved my handlebars, flipped the stem, and lessened the angle on my saddle so I don't slide of the bike anymore. I am chopping at the pedals, I am inflexible, Pelvic is not aligned which causes my legs not to align perfectly when bent and I have a neutral foot.
Gregg, thinks my problem may lie in my buttocks area and I may have some myofascial tissue in the hammy. The butt is where, when I apply pressure there is a tremendous amount of pain...not in the hammy...they hammy is a result of the symmetry issue in the pelvic region. I just returned from the store where I bought a softball and baseball to use as a rudimentary tool for trigger release until I order something better. I am considering a few options. I will start the PT exercises he prescribed tonight.
Today my hammy feels great but my hip hurts......... Gregg said there would be discomfort if I can brake up that myofascial tissue...I hope that is what is happening.
I am doing away with pain relievers...no mas! My dream is for all this stuff to fix me and me be 100% right before IM.... I am a realistic though but I can't hope that it helps heal me a bit so I can at least complete the journey.
Let this be a lesson to you all..........get flexible and work on your posture now before you end up like me! I am making a civilian Chiropractor appointment to get the pelvic thing realigned.........it takes 21 days to see a military chiropractor......this my friends is the downfall of socialized medicine!
Monday, November 3, 2008
20 days and counting!
Sitting on the couch yesterday drinking a beer I realized that in three weeks I would be enduring the most pain I have ever felt in my life............ I had my first dream about Ironman on Saturday.....can't remember the details but I think I will be having more of them in the next few weeks!
Sat: rode 20 miles....went real slow first 20 minutes to test out the leg.......it loosened up and I had no troubles.
Aqua jogged 45 min
Sun: Rode 52 miles, 3 hours. My legs didn't really feel decent until after the 2d hour. I felt fine after the ride though.........not tired in the least.
Mon: Did an hour of core/ weights to include leg exercises.
This morning was the first morning I have felt zero pain when I woke up. I feel a discomfort now but not major pain........I haven't taken any pain medicine today. The discomfort is high on the hamstring around around the buttocks.
I want to believe I am getting healthier but who knows. I would like to go 5 hours on the bike this weekend but will have to wait to see how I feel. I plan on riding during the week as well but staying in the pool to jog.
Sat: rode 20 miles....went real slow first 20 minutes to test out the leg.......it loosened up and I had no troubles.
Aqua jogged 45 min
Sun: Rode 52 miles, 3 hours. My legs didn't really feel decent until after the 2d hour. I felt fine after the ride though.........not tired in the least.
Mon: Did an hour of core/ weights to include leg exercises.
This morning was the first morning I have felt zero pain when I woke up. I feel a discomfort now but not major pain........I haven't taken any pain medicine today. The discomfort is high on the hamstring around around the buttocks.
I want to believe I am getting healthier but who knows. I would like to go 5 hours on the bike this weekend but will have to wait to see how I feel. I plan on riding during the week as well but staying in the pool to jog.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Will & Heart square off against my ailing body
I've come to terms with the fact that I will not be able to give 100% of myself in three weeks...... I will be under trained and not 100% physically ready...........with that said my only goal is to finish Ironman Arizona.
My hammy has hurt all week........
Mon: Core
Tues: AM: swam 2200 yards.....30 min aqua running
PM: Yoga
Wed: AM: Core
PM: Yoga
Thur: Same as Tues
Fri: AM Core
PM: Going to Yoga
Note that there is no biking going on........... I hope to test out the leg tomorrow and see how it feels.... if it reacts positively I will go longer on Sun. I am planning a decent swim (around 2500) and a long aqua run.
After consulting a few friends who helped reinforce my decision I am going to lay of the next three weeks in hopes that my hammy will make huge gains over the next few weeks. So basically I am starting my taper early and what I have in the tank is what I will take to IM with me........ If (when) I blow up my hammy it should be in Arizona and not here in NC training!
I had hoped to do a 100 miler this weekend but to do it on a strained hammy just so I can say I did it makes no sense...... of course I was still planning to do it up until yesterday....... I am such a guy!
I hope to put 5 hours in on the bike this weekend (in two days) but I am going off of feel. I am taking Motrin and Flexeril right now but want to get of them next week. The hammy feels so much better than earlier this week but it isn't great.
I'll tell you though, I'm tired or working out and would just like to go into hibernation mold to let my hammy heal..........I have been struggling with it since Apr, thought I had kicked it in Aug.......it came back end of Aug and has really been kicking my ass since The Dukeman 1/2. I am so looking forward to the off season so that I may heal my body.
Its been a long time since I was sick of working out........ I can't wait until this is over and I can choice to work out or not. I wish I were more excited..... I mean I am excited but it would be such a special thing if I were healthy and could give it my all..........What I mean is, I'll give it my all but my all won't be what I know in my heart I have to give.
Don't worry, my morale is still fine and if I start to feel better it will sky rocket. I have the will and heart now I just need the body to cooperate!
My hammy has hurt all week........
Mon: Core
Tues: AM: swam 2200 yards.....30 min aqua running
PM: Yoga
Wed: AM: Core
PM: Yoga
Thur: Same as Tues
Fri: AM Core
PM: Going to Yoga
Note that there is no biking going on........... I hope to test out the leg tomorrow and see how it feels.... if it reacts positively I will go longer on Sun. I am planning a decent swim (around 2500) and a long aqua run.
After consulting a few friends who helped reinforce my decision I am going to lay of the next three weeks in hopes that my hammy will make huge gains over the next few weeks. So basically I am starting my taper early and what I have in the tank is what I will take to IM with me........ If (when) I blow up my hammy it should be in Arizona and not here in NC training!
I had hoped to do a 100 miler this weekend but to do it on a strained hammy just so I can say I did it makes no sense...... of course I was still planning to do it up until yesterday....... I am such a guy!
I hope to put 5 hours in on the bike this weekend (in two days) but I am going off of feel. I am taking Motrin and Flexeril right now but want to get of them next week. The hammy feels so much better than earlier this week but it isn't great.
I'll tell you though, I'm tired or working out and would just like to go into hibernation mold to let my hammy heal..........I have been struggling with it since Apr, thought I had kicked it in Aug.......it came back end of Aug and has really been kicking my ass since The Dukeman 1/2. I am so looking forward to the off season so that I may heal my body.
Its been a long time since I was sick of working out........ I can't wait until this is over and I can choice to work out or not. I wish I were more excited..... I mean I am excited but it would be such a special thing if I were healthy and could give it my all..........What I mean is, I'll give it my all but my all won't be what I know in my heart I have to give.
Don't worry, my morale is still fine and if I start to feel better it will sky rocket. I have the will and heart now I just need the body to cooperate!
Monday, October 27, 2008
I will never learn!
Thurs: skipped bike to let hammy rest.......... did some core/ weights
Fri: Ran with one of the companies.......not my choice......obligation....ran a little over 3.....too easy...no issue. Went to Yoga after work and much to my dismay it was cancelled.
Sat: Had a huge day in the pool......3500 Yards.......that's right, I swam 2 miles in 1:34.......... I felt decent doing it but was drained by the end.... I am only .4 away from the IM swim...........am going too take it easy this week and then go long again next weekend.
Sun: Bike 72 miles, 4:03............went on the same route as cranking for crones last weekend. I didn't realize I had a tail wind until about 1/2 way to the turn around.....I should have known it was too easy.... I was cruising and feeling great the first two hour. I turned around at 1:58 knowing that a headwind faced me for 36 miles...........it wasn't as bad as last week though....
Stopped for water at 2:10..........some mini van full of church goers cut me off going into the church parking lot at 2:15........I came within a foot of being a hood ornament........I was so pissed!
For some reason I thought I could maintain the same pace going back as I had going to the turn around point..... I was working way too hard..... I started to feel twinging in my hammy...... I ignored it though and pressed on......I finished w/ an ave pace of 17.5 which is slow for me if I were healthy but good for me with my hammy.....I felt fine yesterday afternoon but it started to hurt last night...........it was throbbing when I woke up this morning.............I am such an idiot......
My plan is to rest it today and see how it feels tomorrow. I did core this morning and will do Yoga tonight. I want to go 100 miles this weekend. I have 3 more weekends to train before IM AZ.
Fri: Ran with one of the companies.......not my choice......obligation....ran a little over 3.....too easy...no issue. Went to Yoga after work and much to my dismay it was cancelled.
Sat: Had a huge day in the pool......3500 Yards.......that's right, I swam 2 miles in 1:34.......... I felt decent doing it but was drained by the end.... I am only .4 away from the IM swim...........am going too take it easy this week and then go long again next weekend.
Sun: Bike 72 miles, 4:03............went on the same route as cranking for crones last weekend. I didn't realize I had a tail wind until about 1/2 way to the turn around.....I should have known it was too easy.... I was cruising and feeling great the first two hour. I turned around at 1:58 knowing that a headwind faced me for 36 miles...........it wasn't as bad as last week though....
Stopped for water at 2:10..........some mini van full of church goers cut me off going into the church parking lot at 2:15........I came within a foot of being a hood ornament........I was so pissed!
For some reason I thought I could maintain the same pace going back as I had going to the turn around point..... I was working way too hard..... I started to feel twinging in my hammy...... I ignored it though and pressed on......I finished w/ an ave pace of 17.5 which is slow for me if I were healthy but good for me with my hammy.....I felt fine yesterday afternoon but it started to hurt last night...........it was throbbing when I woke up this morning.............I am such an idiot......
My plan is to rest it today and see how it feels tomorrow. I did core this morning and will do Yoga tonight. I want to go 100 miles this weekend. I have 3 more weekends to train before IM AZ.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
One month, 1 Day
That's right........ IM Arizona is creeping up on me! My enthusiasm is guarded though due to my ailing hamstring. It just isn't right and I know I should be resting it instead of training on it but w/ 140.6 miles in my future.......what choice do I have. I do know one thing...........I will crawl over that finish line if I have to. It does feel like it is getting better though so maybe I should rest it?
Monday: Yoga
Tues: AM: Freezing ass cold.... well not really but the coldest its been....sub 40 degrees..... Bike: 1:32.....25 miles, slow, cold and 45 minutes of darkness..painful
Lunchtime: 2000 Yards, 1823 meters in the pool.......was suppose to do more than that but I am weak. Plan to do a big workout on Thursday.
Wed: AM: Ran 3.66 in 30 min, 8:24 pace........felt it in my hammy........ go to straight aqua running the rest of the week.
I think I will lessen the long bike this weekend and put 4:00 in.....and then go to 6:00 the week after. I might also do both Sat and Sun 3:00.........not sure yet. It sure would be nice to have someone to ride with....... I could really use the partner in the swim though.
Monday: Yoga
Tues: AM: Freezing ass cold.... well not really but the coldest its been....sub 40 degrees..... Bike: 1:32.....25 miles, slow, cold and 45 minutes of darkness..painful
Lunchtime: 2000 Yards, 1823 meters in the pool.......was suppose to do more than that but I am weak. Plan to do a big workout on Thursday.
Wed: AM: Ran 3.66 in 30 min, 8:24 pace........felt it in my hammy........ go to straight aqua running the rest of the week.
I think I will lessen the long bike this weekend and put 4:00 in.....and then go to 6:00 the week after. I might also do both Sat and Sun 3:00.........not sure yet. It sure would be nice to have someone to ride with....... I could really use the partner in the swim though.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Cranking forCrones!
Dead Last..........that is what place I came in on Sunday for the Cranking for Crones Metric Century Charity Ride. Are there places for a charity ride? Still though, last place.......this has never happened to me.
I was actually using the ride as a change up to my training and to help a good cause. The ride started only five miles from the house.
So I am up by 0700 on Sunday and out the door for a 13 mile warm up before the ride. I get to the race site, check in and then chat with Gregg for a while. There is about 30 people doing the ride and some people looked very serious. I had thought about wearing my new helmet but was afraid to be ridiculed by skinny guys with shaved legs bragging about their power output so I left it at home. I did show up to the race on my tri bike though. The course was an out and back and my goal was 17 MPH but truthfully my legs were pretty sore, I was not going to work hard and I just wanted to get miles in.
At the start a few groups formed and I made a conscious decision not to stick with any group. I wanted to ride my own ride and not try to keep up with people and put undo stress on the hammy. I hit the first rest stop at 30K and kept cruising..... I was feeling great and we had a tail wind for the out section of the course. I was cruising at over 19MPH without any great effort. About 5K from the turn around point I realized the SAG truck was right behind me and I wasn't sure why. I stopped to get water at the turn around point and the guy told me I was the last one...........I was confused and then realized about 1/2 the folks doing the ride were Sally's and turned around at the first aid station....how weak is that!
Since I knew I was 6 minutes behind the closest group and they were pace lining..... I knew it would be a long, lonely ride back. I think that 35-55 were the worst miles..... the wind was gusting over 30MPH .......as we got close the terrain closed up a bit and the trees afforded some protection from the wind..... I was barely able to maintain 15MPH (not sure if I did) but I pushed on and as we got closer I got stronger..... the 3:00-4:00 on the bike was a tough time for me. I kept telling myself 80 would be good for the day........maybe 75...man some crazy things can go through your head on that bike!
I pulled into the park (76 miles total so far) mentally drained and telling myself I would make a beeline for home.....but seeing the other athletes there stuffing their faces motivated me so I helped myself to some goodies..... put my SAG bag in my vest pocket, said good bye to Gregg and gritted out 16 more. The last two were in my neighborhood but the end result was a 90 Mile ride in 5:24.......Ave MPH isn't impressive but I feel good today (hammy sore) and am proud of my accomplishment......... a huge confidence booster just getting the miles in and as a bonus my stomach felt fine as a I had no issues with nutrition.
Sat: Huge day in the pool (for me). I decided not to go to the lake to save time so off to Healthplex where I completed 3000 yards (2743 meters) in the pool in around 1:20. At 2600-3000 all I could muster were 100s but I am happy with the swim.
Bike: 20 miles.......easy with the new helmet on. I used the visor to check it out. I am going to take it off and use sun glasses this week to see which I like better.
Totals last week:
Swim: 4743 2 workouts
Bike: 137 3 workouts
Run: 4.5 1 workout
Aqua run: 30 Min
Yoga: X2
Core/ Weights X2 45 min
There was frost on the ground this morning so I think my lake days are over. Sad but I will gain over an hour to my day.
I was actually using the ride as a change up to my training and to help a good cause. The ride started only five miles from the house.
So I am up by 0700 on Sunday and out the door for a 13 mile warm up before the ride. I get to the race site, check in and then chat with Gregg for a while. There is about 30 people doing the ride and some people looked very serious. I had thought about wearing my new helmet but was afraid to be ridiculed by skinny guys with shaved legs bragging about their power output so I left it at home. I did show up to the race on my tri bike though. The course was an out and back and my goal was 17 MPH but truthfully my legs were pretty sore, I was not going to work hard and I just wanted to get miles in.
At the start a few groups formed and I made a conscious decision not to stick with any group. I wanted to ride my own ride and not try to keep up with people and put undo stress on the hammy. I hit the first rest stop at 30K and kept cruising..... I was feeling great and we had a tail wind for the out section of the course. I was cruising at over 19MPH without any great effort. About 5K from the turn around point I realized the SAG truck was right behind me and I wasn't sure why. I stopped to get water at the turn around point and the guy told me I was the last one...........I was confused and then realized about 1/2 the folks doing the ride were Sally's and turned around at the first aid station....how weak is that!
Since I knew I was 6 minutes behind the closest group and they were pace lining..... I knew it would be a long, lonely ride back. I think that 35-55 were the worst miles..... the wind was gusting over 30MPH .......as we got close the terrain closed up a bit and the trees afforded some protection from the wind..... I was barely able to maintain 15MPH (not sure if I did) but I pushed on and as we got closer I got stronger..... the 3:00-4:00 on the bike was a tough time for me. I kept telling myself 80 would be good for the day........maybe 75...man some crazy things can go through your head on that bike!
I pulled into the park (76 miles total so far) mentally drained and telling myself I would make a beeline for home.....but seeing the other athletes there stuffing their faces motivated me so I helped myself to some goodies..... put my SAG bag in my vest pocket, said good bye to Gregg and gritted out 16 more. The last two were in my neighborhood but the end result was a 90 Mile ride in 5:24.......Ave MPH isn't impressive but I feel good today (hammy sore) and am proud of my accomplishment......... a huge confidence booster just getting the miles in and as a bonus my stomach felt fine as a I had no issues with nutrition.
Sat: Huge day in the pool (for me). I decided not to go to the lake to save time so off to Healthplex where I completed 3000 yards (2743 meters) in the pool in around 1:20. At 2600-3000 all I could muster were 100s but I am happy with the swim.
Bike: 20 miles.......easy with the new helmet on. I used the visor to check it out. I am going to take it off and use sun glasses this week to see which I like better.
Totals last week:
Swim: 4743 2 workouts
Bike: 137 3 workouts
Run: 4.5 1 workout
Aqua run: 30 Min
Yoga: X2
Core/ Weights X2 45 min
There was frost on the ground this morning so I think my lake days are over. Sad but I will gain over an hour to my day.
Friday, October 17, 2008
The dancing dogs!
Was so tired and beat down yesterday afternoon........had planned to ride but the traffic was insane, I was exhausted (and weak) so I oppened up a bottle of wine instead........yes, I know I have an IM in six weeks!
On a postive note though...........I ran for the first time in a month this morning......4.5 miles.......didn't feel too bad..... not going to push it though. I will try to get a longer run in next week. Lots of biking and swimming planned for the weekend!
$16.50 a minute
That is what my new helmet cost.......... I need those eight minutes though!....OK, I don't need them...but I certainly want them! Man that helmet looks good! $132 for the Synton Comp........ I can justify a million different ways (in my head at least!) but what it comes down to is that I simply wanted it so I bought it life is short!
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Such a frustrating week.
I should be out riding right now..........but I am not b/c Megan's car wouldn't start yesterday so I took it this morning to get it checked out this afternoon.........my pump is in my car.........normally wouldn't be huge deal but I got not one... but two flats on my ride Tuesday morning and my front tire held enough air to get me back......it is low this morning though...... definitely not capable of a 1:30 min ride. So Monday is a day off (drove back from Georgia)...........I start Tuesday w/ two front tire flats....luckily someone stopped and gave me a tube since I only carry on (that will never happen again)..... and I am almost late to a ceremony........I started Wednesday off with Megan's car not starting at 0520 in the morning so instead of going to work I went to the gym with her, dropped her off to work and then picked her up.......This morning........she takes my keys to work and leaves me hers' so I can't get into my office.......I break in only to see my front tire low...... and I had forgotten my hand pump on the counter and my good pump is in the jeep.......... I can't wait until Friday afternoon!
My computer at home went down last week (another issue I am dealing with) and work went nuts so there was no time to update last week. Last week workouts looks something like this:
Mon: Yoga
Tues: 1:30 Bike/ core
Wed: Swam 800M...... aqua jog 40
Thurs: Bike 60 min/ Swim 1800M (jumped Wednesday afternoon..rough landing)
Fri: Yoga/ aqua jog 50
Sat: Bike 1:40
Sun: Rest
Mon: Yoga
Tues: Bike 1:30
Wed: Aqua jog 30/ weights/ core
Need to figure out how I am going to swim and bike this afternoon. I will run on pavement tomorrow for officer PT (first time in a month)........not sure how the hammy will react......should be interesting. I am planning a long bike this weekend followed by a long aqua run in the pool on Sunday....one day this week I need to get out to the lake for a long swim..........my shoulder has been bothering me again though. I am going to go do my own Yoga in the office now so I don't waste the workout time.
My computer at home went down last week (another issue I am dealing with) and work went nuts so there was no time to update last week. Last week workouts looks something like this:
Mon: Yoga
Tues: 1:30 Bike/ core
Wed: Swam 800M...... aqua jog 40
Thurs: Bike 60 min/ Swim 1800M (jumped Wednesday afternoon..rough landing)
Fri: Yoga/ aqua jog 50
Sat: Bike 1:40
Sun: Rest
Mon: Yoga
Tues: Bike 1:30
Wed: Aqua jog 30/ weights/ core
Need to figure out how I am going to swim and bike this afternoon. I will run on pavement tomorrow for officer PT (first time in a month)........not sure how the hammy will react......should be interesting. I am planning a long bike this weekend followed by a long aqua run in the pool on Sunday....one day this week I need to get out to the lake for a long swim..........my shoulder has been bothering me again though. I am going to go do my own Yoga in the office now so I don't waste the workout time.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
So I aqua jogged for 32 minutes on Friday. I also did about an hour of Yoga.... the class was much better than Wednesday. I will be committing myself to Yoga from now on.
Saturday was a monster day for me. I woke up at 0700, ate 1 cup of oatmeal, a yogurt drink and some coffee.....and prepped my equipment for my 5:00 ride.... I rolled about 0800, but turned around after 1/4 a mile...I was freezing.... I couldn't find my arm warmers and started in just a short sleeve shirt......bad call..... I threw on a wind breaker and full length gloves and got back on the road. (I finally found my arm warmers Sunday night). So I finally get out of the neighborhood, drop into my Aero bars for a down hill and notice my water bottle and Perpetuem is missing..........so again I turn around and head back to the house.... a very inauspicious start to the ride!
Hour one goes well... a little slower than I would have wanted but no worries... The weather is nice but chilly...the sun is starting to kick up though so it is warming up.... nothing exciting ....just grinding out those miles..... At 2:15 I stopped to take off my jacket. Again, I am not really sure of my exact location but I have an idea..... I find that same gas station I was at last week at about 3:00.... I go in and get a couple bottles of water and some fig newtons...... I scarf one, 100 calorie bar down, mix some perpetuem and roll....
I am feeling good, pace is around 17.0, a little slower than I hoped but I am fine with it considering my injuries and set backs. I loop back into the farm roads around Raeford and finally start heading home about 3:50. It took a lot of mental strength to do that extra loop at 4:30 to get my time in the saddle but I didn't want to regret not doing it.... I even did an extra lap around the neighborhood to get a full 5:00 in..... I was not a happy camper 4:20-4:50 though. Nevertheless, I got it done and as I turned into the driveway at 5:00, my computer said 84.6. I was spent........ My nutrition was the best yet....
First 3 hours...... 2 1/2 hour bottle of perpertuem...one gel at 2:40....48 ounces of water. sip of perpetuem every 20 min followed by water.
Fig Newton at 3:00 and 4:00....every 20 minutes Perpetuem except when I ate the Newtons.... water same as above........minimal issues with the stomach... I need to assess again with a long ride but it seemed pretty good... not great 3:00 to 4:00 but not bad....water seems to flush out the issues pretty good.
Overall I was very happy with the ride. Riding that long alone sucks though.
Sun: Swam breaststroke and kicked for 1100 yards... shld feels much better...did not want to risk it though
Aqua job for 44 mins (I can't wait for my aqua shoes)
Overall a pretty solid week for me...my first solid week in a few.... I look forward to the days I can run outside again but am willing to spend my time doing it in the pool in hopes that I am fully recovered by Nov.
Saturday was a monster day for me. I woke up at 0700, ate 1 cup of oatmeal, a yogurt drink and some coffee.....and prepped my equipment for my 5:00 ride.... I rolled about 0800, but turned around after 1/4 a mile...I was freezing.... I couldn't find my arm warmers and started in just a short sleeve shirt......bad call..... I threw on a wind breaker and full length gloves and got back on the road. (I finally found my arm warmers Sunday night). So I finally get out of the neighborhood, drop into my Aero bars for a down hill and notice my water bottle and Perpetuem is missing..........so again I turn around and head back to the house.... a very inauspicious start to the ride!
Hour one goes well... a little slower than I would have wanted but no worries... The weather is nice but chilly...the sun is starting to kick up though so it is warming up.... nothing exciting ....just grinding out those miles..... At 2:15 I stopped to take off my jacket. Again, I am not really sure of my exact location but I have an idea..... I find that same gas station I was at last week at about 3:00.... I go in and get a couple bottles of water and some fig newtons...... I scarf one, 100 calorie bar down, mix some perpetuem and roll....
I am feeling good, pace is around 17.0, a little slower than I hoped but I am fine with it considering my injuries and set backs. I loop back into the farm roads around Raeford and finally start heading home about 3:50. It took a lot of mental strength to do that extra loop at 4:30 to get my time in the saddle but I didn't want to regret not doing it.... I even did an extra lap around the neighborhood to get a full 5:00 in..... I was not a happy camper 4:20-4:50 though. Nevertheless, I got it done and as I turned into the driveway at 5:00, my computer said 84.6. I was spent........ My nutrition was the best yet....
First 3 hours...... 2 1/2 hour bottle of perpertuem...one gel at 2:40....48 ounces of water. sip of perpetuem every 20 min followed by water.
Fig Newton at 3:00 and 4:00....every 20 minutes Perpetuem except when I ate the Newtons.... water same as above........minimal issues with the stomach... I need to assess again with a long ride but it seemed pretty good... not great 3:00 to 4:00 but not bad....water seems to flush out the issues pretty good.
Overall I was very happy with the ride. Riding that long alone sucks though.
Sun: Swam breaststroke and kicked for 1100 yards... shld feels much better...did not want to risk it though
Aqua job for 44 mins (I can't wait for my aqua shoes)
Overall a pretty solid week for me...my first solid week in a few.... I look forward to the days I can run outside again but am willing to spend my time doing it in the pool in hopes that I am fully recovered by Nov.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Injury balance
So now that that my hammy is starting to feel better my shoulder is acting up again. I've had about a month of injury free swimming and was hoping that changing my technique would prevent this nagging injury from flaring up. Its not full blown right now so I am hoping for a quick recovery. I started to feel it a bit this weekend...last week was just too much..... I called of my swim yesterday afternoon b/c I could feel it and by the end of the day it hurt pretty bad. Its not as bad as it has been so I am hoping by next weekend to be good. I am still swimming this afternoon but will breast stroke.
On a different but similar front my hammy feels the best it has in a month..... so I going to go straight out and run on it.........wait, no, I am going to go to the pool again and aqua run! See, I do learn.... I am going to continue to assess and hope to hit the pavement late next week sometime.
Wed: Aqua jog for 17 minutes: Only one lap lane has suitable depth for jogging w/out touch the ground. It was full when I got in but asked for permission from those using it to do my thing in the deep end and stay out of there way..... I used an aqua running waist pad thing they had there (shoes not in yet) and went at it barefoot. I feels weird but I will get the hand of it eventually. Today I am going 30-40 and will use the IPOD in my hat technique to help with the boredom.
Also went to Yoga...not overly impressed with the class.... spent a lot of time watching others do things..... I didn't get what I wanted from it but will try again. I spent a lot of time doing my own thing (stretching) during the class.
Thurs: 60 minutes core and weights.......did lots of legs.
Lunchtime: 61 min spin.... 17.8 miles.. Leg felt really good here.
I am very encouraged by my leg.... I will continue to nurse it, stretch, Yoga and stay of it (non road running) until I wake up pain free. I want to heal now and make sure I can get some long runs in, late Oct/ early Nov....
My goals for IM AZ are shifting but my main goal is to still simply finish.
On a different but similar front my hammy feels the best it has in a month..... so I going to go straight out and run on it.........wait, no, I am going to go to the pool again and aqua run! See, I do learn.... I am going to continue to assess and hope to hit the pavement late next week sometime.
Wed: Aqua jog for 17 minutes: Only one lap lane has suitable depth for jogging w/out touch the ground. It was full when I got in but asked for permission from those using it to do my thing in the deep end and stay out of there way..... I used an aqua running waist pad thing they had there (shoes not in yet) and went at it barefoot. I feels weird but I will get the hand of it eventually. Today I am going 30-40 and will use the IPOD in my hat technique to help with the boredom.
Also went to Yoga...not overly impressed with the class.... spent a lot of time watching others do things..... I didn't get what I wanted from it but will try again. I spent a lot of time doing my own thing (stretching) during the class.
Thurs: 60 minutes core and weights.......did lots of legs.
Lunchtime: 61 min spin.... 17.8 miles.. Leg felt really good here.
I am very encouraged by my leg.... I will continue to nurse it, stretch, Yoga and stay of it (non road running) until I wake up pain free. I want to heal now and make sure I can get some long runs in, late Oct/ early Nov....
My goals for IM AZ are shifting but my main goal is to still simply finish.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Was down on myself yesterday.... hammy is draining my spirit.... Had a good talk w/ Greeg yesterday, (Swim 2000 M, 55 Min 5X400 open water) and he mentioned aqua jogging... had a good bike about 26 miles) this morning.... Found the below article on tri fuel and it inspired me to take action:
Just ordered my shoes and belt...joined a gym for getter pool access...will run tonight in barefoot until my shoes arrive. Check out this article though......if I like it...it may become a permanent fixture in my training. I put the link on my blog so you can check out the authors site.
All About Aqua Jogging: AQX Aquatic Shoes, Underwater Mp3 Players, Speedo Belt, and a Workout!
September 23rd, 2008
Recently, I’ve been plagued with an injury while preparing to race the Ironman World Championship of triathlon in Kona, Hawaii. The injury is called “IT Band Friction Syndrome” and requires low-impact or non-weight bearing exercise to maintain fitness until the knee is pain-free (alternative, highly non-attractive option is to run through the pain and destroy your knee forever).
We’re talking about creating, non-traditional methods to maintain peak aerobic fitness without causing damage to an injury. Research has shown that non-impact water exercise offers this benefit, and this activity is utilized by quite a few pro triathletes and marathoners. Consequently, at my triathlon training and racing blog (http://bengreenfieldtri.blogspot.com), I have quite a few workout entries that include the term “Aqua Jogging”. So what exactly is aqua jogging (AKA water running) and how do you do it?
There are two different types of aqua jogging: 1) running in a deep water where you cannot touch bottom of pool; 2) running in shallow water with feet touching bottom of pool.
The first method of aqua jogging is the “non-impact” version that I highly recommend and that I will introduce in this post. The second version is relatively low-impact when compared to running, but can still cause pain in the knees during the initial stages of something like an IT band injury.
Non-impact aqua jogging requires a few different pieces of equipment:
1) Aquatic Shoes. I wear the AQX Aquatic Training shoe (pictured left). With strategically placed vents and fins,these shoes allow you to achieve 2-3x the cardiovascular intensity when compared to simply running in your bare feet. Trust me, I also tried wearing an old pair of running shoes and they were soggy, heavy, and very non-fluid. They actually hurt the knee. These shoes make it so easy to actually get your heart rate up and keep it there, which for me was one of the more frustrating aspects of water jogging before I started wearing them. In bare feet, you have to pump…and pump…and pump the legs at a very high turnover to achieve any type of training effect heart rate. The shoes fix this, and providing resistance, flow impedance, and increased muscular recruitment.
2) Flotation Belt. Some pools actually have these available, typically somewhere near to the pull buoys and kickboards. I personally use the Speedo swim belt (pictured below), which is comfortable and doesn’t leave the little rubbing marks and blisters on my stomach like some of the belts at the pool. A belt is a must, since you must ensure that a part of your torso is above the water or you will spend too much energy attempting to stay afloat.
3. Tunes. In my opinion, audio is a must, since there’s not much to look at while aqua jogging (although I have been tempted to bring all my aqua jogging gear to a local lake on a sunny day…). Here is what I do:
-take a small sandwich ziplock bag
-drop an mp3 player inside the bag
-thread the headphones out the top of the bag
-seal the bag
-then affix the bag to the side of my head with my goggles strap
This homemade solution works pretty well. Another option is an actual underwater mp3 player. The newest one on the market, the Nu Technology 2 GB Waterproof MP3 Player is pretty cool because you can also use it while freestyle swimming, and it doesn’t actually mess with the audio quality like some of the other brands.
I would consider Nu Technology the cadillac of underwater mp3 players. But check out this link for a wide range of other waterproof/underwater mp3 players.
OK, now you’ve got all your gear and you’re ready to aqua jog! Let’s make sure your form is sound - the last thing you want to do is explain to your friends that you pulled a muscle running in the water! The AQX Aquatic Training shoes include a DVD that teaches proper form for regular deep water running, deep water cross-country skiing, and shallow water plyometrics/running drills.
Here’s the basics of proper deep-water running form:
-Lean forward.
-Bring the knees up towards the chest and kick back through full range of motion, exactly as you would when running, but slightly more exaggerated. Imagine you’re running up a steep hill.
-Pump the arms vigorously, but leave the fists closed.
-Avoid a straight up-and-down posture with a piston like up-and-down movement of the legs. This is more like bicycling, and won’t stimulate the running muscles as much as leaning forward and kicking through the range of motion.
-And yes, for those of you wondering, you can jog in a stationary space, but it is more interesting and beneficial to actually move forward, such as down and back in a lap lane.
———————————
Finally, let’s look at a sample workout for aqua jogging. This workout offers multiple benefits - it works on running form, intensity, and muscular strength:
5 minute warm-up (i.e. 3 laps running)
1 HARD exaggerated running effort at max capacity for 1 length of the pool, then easy jog back
1 HARD “heel-to-butt” kick effort for 1 length of the pool, then easy jog back
1 HARD “high-knees-running” effort (knees come all the way up to chest), then jog back
1 HARD “cross-country ski” effort (straight legs, straight arms), then jog back
Repeat these HARD efforts as a circuit, going 2, 3, or 4 times through. Workout time will range from 15-30 minutes, depending on how many circuits you perform. Cool-down jog for 5 minutes.
———————————
And that’s it. The beauty of aqua jogging is that it can be intense, but very forgiving on the body because of it’s non-impact nature. If your form is good, you can perform hard aqua jogging workouts on consecutive days and maintain fitness, VO2 max, and lactate threshold without risk of overtraining or injury.
So get out there and hit the pool for a great winter cross-training workout!
Just ordered my shoes and belt...joined a gym for getter pool access...will run tonight in barefoot until my shoes arrive. Check out this article though......if I like it...it may become a permanent fixture in my training. I put the link on my blog so you can check out the authors site.
All About Aqua Jogging: AQX Aquatic Shoes, Underwater Mp3 Players, Speedo Belt, and a Workout!
September 23rd, 2008
Recently, I’ve been plagued with an injury while preparing to race the Ironman World Championship of triathlon in Kona, Hawaii. The injury is called “IT Band Friction Syndrome” and requires low-impact or non-weight bearing exercise to maintain fitness until the knee is pain-free (alternative, highly non-attractive option is to run through the pain and destroy your knee forever).
We’re talking about creating, non-traditional methods to maintain peak aerobic fitness without causing damage to an injury. Research has shown that non-impact water exercise offers this benefit, and this activity is utilized by quite a few pro triathletes and marathoners. Consequently, at my triathlon training and racing blog (http://bengreenfieldtri.blogspot.com), I have quite a few workout entries that include the term “Aqua Jogging”. So what exactly is aqua jogging (AKA water running) and how do you do it?
There are two different types of aqua jogging: 1) running in a deep water where you cannot touch bottom of pool; 2) running in shallow water with feet touching bottom of pool.
The first method of aqua jogging is the “non-impact” version that I highly recommend and that I will introduce in this post. The second version is relatively low-impact when compared to running, but can still cause pain in the knees during the initial stages of something like an IT band injury.
Non-impact aqua jogging requires a few different pieces of equipment:
1) Aquatic Shoes. I wear the AQX Aquatic Training shoe (pictured left). With strategically placed vents and fins,these shoes allow you to achieve 2-3x the cardiovascular intensity when compared to simply running in your bare feet. Trust me, I also tried wearing an old pair of running shoes and they were soggy, heavy, and very non-fluid. They actually hurt the knee. These shoes make it so easy to actually get your heart rate up and keep it there, which for me was one of the more frustrating aspects of water jogging before I started wearing them. In bare feet, you have to pump…and pump…and pump the legs at a very high turnover to achieve any type of training effect heart rate. The shoes fix this, and providing resistance, flow impedance, and increased muscular recruitment.
2) Flotation Belt. Some pools actually have these available, typically somewhere near to the pull buoys and kickboards. I personally use the Speedo swim belt (pictured below), which is comfortable and doesn’t leave the little rubbing marks and blisters on my stomach like some of the belts at the pool. A belt is a must, since you must ensure that a part of your torso is above the water or you will spend too much energy attempting to stay afloat.
3. Tunes. In my opinion, audio is a must, since there’s not much to look at while aqua jogging (although I have been tempted to bring all my aqua jogging gear to a local lake on a sunny day…). Here is what I do:
-take a small sandwich ziplock bag
-drop an mp3 player inside the bag
-thread the headphones out the top of the bag
-seal the bag
-then affix the bag to the side of my head with my goggles strap
This homemade solution works pretty well. Another option is an actual underwater mp3 player. The newest one on the market, the Nu Technology 2 GB Waterproof MP3 Player is pretty cool because you can also use it while freestyle swimming, and it doesn’t actually mess with the audio quality like some of the other brands.
I would consider Nu Technology the cadillac of underwater mp3 players. But check out this link for a wide range of other waterproof/underwater mp3 players.
OK, now you’ve got all your gear and you’re ready to aqua jog! Let’s make sure your form is sound - the last thing you want to do is explain to your friends that you pulled a muscle running in the water! The AQX Aquatic Training shoes include a DVD that teaches proper form for regular deep water running, deep water cross-country skiing, and shallow water plyometrics/running drills.
Here’s the basics of proper deep-water running form:
-Lean forward.
-Bring the knees up towards the chest and kick back through full range of motion, exactly as you would when running, but slightly more exaggerated. Imagine you’re running up a steep hill.
-Pump the arms vigorously, but leave the fists closed.
-Avoid a straight up-and-down posture with a piston like up-and-down movement of the legs. This is more like bicycling, and won’t stimulate the running muscles as much as leaning forward and kicking through the range of motion.
-And yes, for those of you wondering, you can jog in a stationary space, but it is more interesting and beneficial to actually move forward, such as down and back in a lap lane.
———————————
Finally, let’s look at a sample workout for aqua jogging. This workout offers multiple benefits - it works on running form, intensity, and muscular strength:
5 minute warm-up (i.e. 3 laps running)
1 HARD exaggerated running effort at max capacity for 1 length of the pool, then easy jog back
1 HARD “heel-to-butt” kick effort for 1 length of the pool, then easy jog back
1 HARD “high-knees-running” effort (knees come all the way up to chest), then jog back
1 HARD “cross-country ski” effort (straight legs, straight arms), then jog back
Repeat these HARD efforts as a circuit, going 2, 3, or 4 times through. Workout time will range from 15-30 minutes, depending on how many circuits you perform. Cool-down jog for 5 minutes.
———————————
And that’s it. The beauty of aqua jogging is that it can be intense, but very forgiving on the body because of it’s non-impact nature. If your form is good, you can perform hard aqua jogging workouts on consecutive days and maintain fitness, VO2 max, and lactate threshold without risk of overtraining or injury.
So get out there and hit the pool for a great winter cross-training workout!
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Two spokes short!
Did you ever wonder if you could ride without two spokes on your wheel, ummmm....me either! But I found out this weekend!
Need to update workouts first and then I will explain:
Thurs: Was a wash...was in Atlanta then travelled back to Fayetteville that night.
Fri: Was going to swim that morning at the lake but dark, cold, gloomy and rainy....swam in the afternoon for 1:15...2800M.. that was my longest ever. I was a mess the last few hundred meters though.
Sat: Went out for a quick four hour ride before I head to the coast for my leaders conference. 45 minutes into the ride I am not paying attention and slam right into this huge pot hole....I thought I was going over the bars. I stop and check out the bike, spokes, tires, etc and everything seems fine. So I roll back out not pushing too hard as I didn't want to aggravate my leg. I was still trying to assess what i could do. So I am 2:15 in and am searching desperately for a gas station as I started out light on water and needed water badly. Its then that I hear a pop.... I slow down and take a look at he bike and everything seems fine so I am thinking I simply hit something.... so I continue on with my search for water.....So at about 2:25 I see that CITGO sign over the hill and speed towards it... as I hit the parking lot I hear another pop and as I roll in I hear a horrendous clanking noise...I stop and two of the spokes had broken..... Not cool! I go in, get some water and try to figure out what I am going to do.....Some thoughts:
-Ummm, where am I? I had an idea of my general location but not a clue where I actually was
-Can you use a wheel that's missing two spokes...I do not want to crash this bike!
-How can I direct Meg to come pick me up if I don't even know where I am?
-Meg is going to kill me if she looses and hour of her morning to come get me while is is getting stuff ready to go to the coast.
-I am loosing riding time on this already tight time line I have.
So I decide to make a beeline for home in the general direction I think it is and risk the crashing...I took it very easy....After 15 minutes I am in familiar territory and it takes me another 50 to get home. So if you ever wondered.....if you are missing two you are OK....three I am not sure and hope to never find out! I ended up doing around 3:35, a little over 60....... my leg was pretty good though so I was happy with that. Nutrition was one 3 hour bottle of perp and water.
Sun: Swam in the ocean for 30 min.....estimate 1500.
Biked 20, 68 Min
Mon: Off
Tues: Core at lunch..headed to the lake after work.
Its weird but my leg feels better when I am doing stuff on it. I haven't tried running since the 15th.... I am going to put a full week of biking and swimming though and try to use the elliptical machine for my run workouts this week to see how it feels. I am considering hitting the doctors tomorrow but the procedure to get an appointment in the Army makes me not want to bother.
Need to update workouts first and then I will explain:
Thurs: Was a wash...was in Atlanta then travelled back to Fayetteville that night.
Fri: Was going to swim that morning at the lake but dark, cold, gloomy and rainy....swam in the afternoon for 1:15...2800M.. that was my longest ever. I was a mess the last few hundred meters though.
Sat: Went out for a quick four hour ride before I head to the coast for my leaders conference. 45 minutes into the ride I am not paying attention and slam right into this huge pot hole....I thought I was going over the bars. I stop and check out the bike, spokes, tires, etc and everything seems fine. So I roll back out not pushing too hard as I didn't want to aggravate my leg. I was still trying to assess what i could do. So I am 2:15 in and am searching desperately for a gas station as I started out light on water and needed water badly. Its then that I hear a pop.... I slow down and take a look at he bike and everything seems fine so I am thinking I simply hit something.... so I continue on with my search for water.....So at about 2:25 I see that CITGO sign over the hill and speed towards it... as I hit the parking lot I hear another pop and as I roll in I hear a horrendous clanking noise...I stop and two of the spokes had broken..... Not cool! I go in, get some water and try to figure out what I am going to do.....Some thoughts:
-Ummm, where am I? I had an idea of my general location but not a clue where I actually was
-Can you use a wheel that's missing two spokes...I do not want to crash this bike!
-How can I direct Meg to come pick me up if I don't even know where I am?
-Meg is going to kill me if she looses and hour of her morning to come get me while is is getting stuff ready to go to the coast.
-I am loosing riding time on this already tight time line I have.
So I decide to make a beeline for home in the general direction I think it is and risk the crashing...I took it very easy....After 15 minutes I am in familiar territory and it takes me another 50 to get home. So if you ever wondered.....if you are missing two you are OK....three I am not sure and hope to never find out! I ended up doing around 3:35, a little over 60....... my leg was pretty good though so I was happy with that. Nutrition was one 3 hour bottle of perp and water.
Sun: Swam in the ocean for 30 min.....estimate 1500.
Biked 20, 68 Min
Mon: Off
Tues: Core at lunch..headed to the lake after work.
Its weird but my leg feels better when I am doing stuff on it. I haven't tried running since the 15th.... I am going to put a full week of biking and swimming though and try to use the elliptical machine for my run workouts this week to see how it feels. I am considering hitting the doctors tomorrow but the procedure to get an appointment in the Army makes me not want to bother.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Can I will away my injuries?
For some reason I still believe that if I want the injury to go away bad enough........ I can make it happen.... although lately I have tried to act my age and have taken to listening to my body......... I feel under pressure though b/c I have a lot of time and money invested into IM AZ in Nov. I know there will be other races in my life but this is Ironman brother, and I am signed up!
So I figure taking some time to heal now is better than trying to heal four weeks from now. Although it would be easier if I knew what was wrong with me exactly!
Mon: Swam for 55 min open water.........good swim, probably around 2000M
Tues: Core/ weights
Wed: Bike 1:20.......23 miles...easy.....listening to my body . I felt fine but could tell that my hammy is still not right.
I leave for Atlanta today.... I plan to do weights tomorrow, swim on Fri and ride long on Sat......... I hope to get four hours in at a snails pace......
I can't lay completely off but am taking it easy, Motrin and ice/ heat.
Hopefully it will get better.......its hard for me to tell if it is getting better or not....I want to tell myself it is but can't honestly tell.
Gotta go ice it now!
So I figure taking some time to heal now is better than trying to heal four weeks from now. Although it would be easier if I knew what was wrong with me exactly!
Mon: Swam for 55 min open water.........good swim, probably around 2000M
Tues: Core/ weights
Wed: Bike 1:20.......23 miles...easy.....listening to my body . I felt fine but could tell that my hammy is still not right.
I leave for Atlanta today.... I plan to do weights tomorrow, swim on Fri and ride long on Sat......... I hope to get four hours in at a snails pace......
I can't lay completely off but am taking it easy, Motrin and ice/ heat.
Hopefully it will get better.......its hard for me to tell if it is getting better or not....I want to tell myself it is but can't honestly tell.
Gotta go ice it now!
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Hamsting woes!
My right Hamstring is still not right.......I am not sure whether to try and train through it or just take time off....w/ IM Arizona two months away this is not the time to be loosing fitness. I am opting not to run at all this coming week and just bike and swim.........stretch, ice and heat.... we will see how it goes this week. I hope to get my long ride in next weekend.
Sat: Swam for 1:10 open water. I estimate at a 2:40 pace I went a little over 2500M. That is the longest I have every gone..... I am going to build on that next week. The last 500 were tough but 95% was freestyle. Meg and I went to the lake....she did awesome swimming with me for her first time in open water......we need to buy her a wetsuit. She liked it enough that I think I can get her out there next weekend.
I also biked for an hour......not sure how long..probably 17-18.
Sun: I biked for 1:53 (33 miles)today to test out my leg.......It didn't feel great but not bad either.....my effort was minimal.
I am going to swim/ bike 3X this week with two weight workouts..... I need to assess how my leg is doing......I don't want to blow it up.
Sat: Swam for 1:10 open water. I estimate at a 2:40 pace I went a little over 2500M. That is the longest I have every gone..... I am going to build on that next week. The last 500 were tough but 95% was freestyle. Meg and I went to the lake....she did awesome swimming with me for her first time in open water......we need to buy her a wetsuit. She liked it enough that I think I can get her out there next weekend.
I also biked for an hour......not sure how long..probably 17-18.
Sun: I biked for 1:53 (33 miles)today to test out my leg.......It didn't feel great but not bad either.....my effort was minimal.
I am going to swim/ bike 3X this week with two weight workouts..... I need to assess how my leg is doing......I don't want to blow it up.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Back From DC
Normally I am better about this blog but this past week has been a blur and my hammy is just not right after Duke man last weekend.
Mon I took the day off and my right leg was in a lot of pain....the rest of me felt fine.... I planned to swim out at the lake on Tuesday but it rained and we had lightening. I did jump though on Tuesday and it was like landing in a pile of sand. I landed on my left side so not to mess with the right leg.
Wed: Ran 5 with the officers..........I wish I didn't run but sometimes we don't have much of a choice in the Army.... I also swam in the afternoon but felt like hell so I only did 800M.
Thurs- Fri: I left at 0530 for DC. We drove up to Walter Reed Medical Center to visit Soldiers from our unit and other military police (MP)units injured in the war..... very powerful visit.........I don't do well at funerals, hospitals, etc. but to see double amputees working on walking again truly makes me cherish all that I have and makes me realize how lucky I was to walk away from my time in Iraq injury free. We also went to a remembrance ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery for all of this years fallen MPs. Stopped by the Pentagon (I met the Under Secretary of the Army (2IC of the Army) and got home last night. So as you can imagine Thurs and Fri were a wash.
Meg and I are heading to the lake in a bit for some swimming and then I am going to ride for an hour or so to test out my leg. I am very concerned about my leg and my not sure what to do. There is no consistent pain but it isn't right. I am going for all easy effort today and hope to ride longer tomorrow.
Mon I took the day off and my right leg was in a lot of pain....the rest of me felt fine.... I planned to swim out at the lake on Tuesday but it rained and we had lightening. I did jump though on Tuesday and it was like landing in a pile of sand. I landed on my left side so not to mess with the right leg.
Wed: Ran 5 with the officers..........I wish I didn't run but sometimes we don't have much of a choice in the Army.... I also swam in the afternoon but felt like hell so I only did 800M.
Thurs- Fri: I left at 0530 for DC. We drove up to Walter Reed Medical Center to visit Soldiers from our unit and other military police (MP)units injured in the war..... very powerful visit.........I don't do well at funerals, hospitals, etc. but to see double amputees working on walking again truly makes me cherish all that I have and makes me realize how lucky I was to walk away from my time in Iraq injury free. We also went to a remembrance ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery for all of this years fallen MPs. Stopped by the Pentagon (I met the Under Secretary of the Army (2IC of the Army) and got home last night. So as you can imagine Thurs and Fri were a wash.
Meg and I are heading to the lake in a bit for some swimming and then I am going to ride for an hour or so to test out my leg. I am very concerned about my leg and my not sure what to do. There is no consistent pain but it isn't right. I am going for all easy effort today and hope to ride longer tomorrow.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Dukeman 1/2 IM 14 Sep 08
Why was Sat and Sun in the 90's and the days surrounding them in the mid to lower 80's...........what's the deal with that?
Sat night my hamstring still didn't feel great (yes my right side) but I was hoping it would subside and I will be able to manage the pain during the race. I went to bed around nine and fell to sleep pretty quickly.
I awoke at three pretty chipper made some coffee, ate a bagel and listened to the news. As I was loading the car I was still hoping to use the bathroom but couldn't.... I had that problem in Florida this year as well and went the whole day without going...... I wasn't going to re-live that nightmare. We left at 4:15 and stopped at the drugstore for some assistance with my issue...... We got lost once and had to pull the Tom Tom out..... back on track it took us about an 1 & 15 minutes to get to the site. When we arrived I didn't need my purchased assistance and went right to the porta pottie............thank god!
Checked in, set up my stuff and then I heard that announcement I didn't want to hear........water temp was 79 degrees...not wetsuit legal. They announced that you could wear it if you wanted though but wouldn't be eligible for prizes.........umm no problem since I wouldn't be anyways! I tried to rationalize this in my head:
Wear it:
- Shoulder still not the best, wearing it will make it less rough on the shoulder
- IM AZ is a wetsuit legal race..... this is a trg race for IM.....train as you race
- I could use a good swim for my confidence
Don't wear it:
- I could be the only person wearing it
- people will make fun of me (in their heads)
- I am a guy
Sensibility (for once) won out and I wore the wetsuit! I also encouraged another guy who was hemming and hawing about it to his family..... I let him know he would have another wetsuit brother out there!
Swim start was floating which was fine for me since I could float! I was in the third wave. The course was a triangle with the three sections that looked pretty even. A messy start with people swimming all over me and me on them..... For some reason I went to the left and went way off course....that trend continued all the way to the first turn. I sighted very well on the 2d leg and felt good. Was trying to concentrate on fluttering my feet, pushing my head and chest down, entering the water early and rotating. On the third leg I drifted to the left again...sighting was a challenge due to the sun..... In hindsight I definitely would have been faster if I swam a somewhat straight line.... I was like a ping pong ball out there and need to sight more. Overall though I was not tired one bit getting out of the water and am sure I could have gone father (Maybe not another whole lap though!) which gave me great confidence that I could work my way up to IM distance. Total Swim time: PR 43:43
Short jog to transition: Shoes, helmet, glasses, turn on Garmin, grab bike and I was out.... 1:35
The bike was pretty challenging..... lots of rolling hills and a few steady long climbs. I felt great the first hour and average 20.2. Although I could feel my hammy twinging I was trying to ignore it..... the 2d hour was pretty hilly and my pace dropped significantly.... I was still doing well though. I hit over 40 MPH in the Aero bars for the first time ever...I almost chickened out but kept thinking to myself...why do you have a tri bike if you aren't going to stay in the bars? I kept playing..... I pass you...you pass me with the same people the entire bike until the end when I hammered down. I stayed very Aero for the first couple hours only coming up for steeper climbs. Into the 3rd hour my stomach felt queasy and I popped up more often but continued to pedal hard. My hammy was not doing well but I pushed on determined to PR the bike since I had just PR the swim. I knew I would pay for this later but was hoping I could rely on the strength (relative) of my running to bring me home as thoughts of a PR danced in my head! My Ave HR was down the 2d 1/2 of the bike as I couldn't turn the cranks fast enough anymore.... it began to get painful. I pulled into the the transition area and my time was 2:55:09........19.3 Ave not a PR for me but it was in the range if my hammy had been feeling better......
Nutrition: 2 Bottles of HEED, Gel every 30 minutes and water as needed.... this is what I used last year with no issues but this year I had stomach issues coming of the bike......not sure what is going on with nutrition.
Made a quick change at transition (1:29) and am 1/2 way out of the transition area when I realized I had forgotten my Garmin. Ran back, grabbed it and took off.... I felt great the first mile except for the knot in my side and stomach...... I had thoughts of a PR day but soon realized that wouldn't happen as I turn onto the dirt track for the first hill. I would say it was uphill for at least 3/4 of a miles and it hurt a lot. I got to the top, grabbed some water and had to hit the wood line. Up until then I was pulling 8:34 but that would be the highlight of my run! My right leg was not firing on all cylinders and the course was challenging.... Although I think the course in STL was harder, this one just sapped me.... My stomach was a mess, my leg was killing me and the heat and humidity were defeating.... I took a Gel at mile 3 and thought it was coming back up...I tried some fritos...coke...anything to settle my stomach. I was able to run the entire first lap in 1:01. So very painful to have to go back out on that course for a second loop.
My right leg was heavy, no spring and was killing me. I was still on track for a solid day but made a tactical decision to walk that first uphill..... My Hr was sky high that first lap and I told myself once it got down to a decent level I would run again......it didn't work out quite as planned. From then on I walked the uphills, ran the downhills and ran 90% of the flats. I really pushed hard that last mile to keep my total time under 6 hours. I finished that lap 17 minutes slower but I finished it! My run time was 30 minutes slower than last year in STL but still, I finished and was happy with myself.
Run time: 2:16:57
Nutrition: Water/ Heed every stop, water on head every stop...Gel at mile 3..... I think I did one at mile 8 but can't remember.....I drank coke the entire 2d lap...... it was not pretty!
Total time: 5:58:52
I drank some water and a mountain dew, ate a cookie and some oranges....stretched a bit and tried to feel normal.... My stomach was going nuts....and there was no shade to get out of the sun. Our car was blocked in so we weren't going anywhere. I went to the jeep and laid in the back for a bit with the A/C on. I was there about 15 minutes and could feel myself going, so I got out and instantly puked once, twice and then three times.... I felt much better though! Meg and I went to collect my stuff...she was a huge help as my stomach started to revolt on me again. As I was loading the car my stomach went nuts and I had to sit and rest.....and then it went again...once then twice and I didn't even care that it had hit my toes! Now that I was pretty sure I was cleaned out we were able to get out of the parking lot and Meg drove home.....
We stopped at Sonic to get a slush and I was able to drink it and keep it down.... I still wasn't good when I got back and I tried to do an ice bath for my hammy but we had insufficient ice and I didn't get the effect I wanted. I made some ice cubes overnight though so will try it again tonight.
Today I feel fine except for a little uneasiness in my stomach and my right hamstring is a mess..... It is definitely the lower portion of my hamstring. The rest of my body feels fine and I will be swimming tomorrow afternoon after our jump.
As I finish this blog and add some photos over a couple beers....my leg feels better... I took a muscle relaxer and some Motrin. I have to run on Wednesday (Officer Physical Training) but plan on staying away from the running for a couple weeks. I am proud of myself for gutting the race out and look forward to a day that I am injury free!
Saturday, September 13, 2008
The wait........
Sitting here w/ some coffee Saturday morning waiting to see if they post the water temperature..........someday I hope to not worry if it is wetsuit legal or not..........not that I can't finish the swim without a wetsuit......but it sure makes me more confident!
Thurs: Off
Fri: 38 Min open water swim... felt great.......lunch time 40 min ride
Sat: ride 30.....run 10 Stretch PCI (Pre Combat Inspection for you non military folks) my equipment!
It is going to be in the 90's tomorrow.......great......its September! Just keep telling myself...the quicker you get done the less the weather will effect you...
Legs don't feel quite right this week........went to the chiropractor yesterday and he said it may take a few months to get back to 100% even though I don't feel anymore pain .....I am just hoping I find my legs out there tomorrow and do well.
Fortunately my brother - in- law plays LA today so I have a good excuse to sit on my butt this afternoon!
Hopefully I will be back tomorrow night for a positive race report!
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Training plan cross road!
I am at a cross road with my training plan......... I had been doing a 3 week build followed by a fourth week of recovery.......things were working great until my body broke down last week (week 3 of 4). In fact I had an awesome week 2. I know that week 3 is the toughest week but I just couldn't get my legs to go...... So now I am pondering:
#1 Why did I break down week 3:
- simply too much for my body w/out enough recovery
- went to hard on week 2 workouts (did speed on bike and run and went too fast on my 55 mile ride)
#2: Should I hold the plan I have while taking an extended week of rest or should I go to a 2 week build followed by a one week recovery........not sure what to do!
Any one have any thoughts?
Once thing I am pleased with is that I recognized my body falling apart and made modification to the plan for the weekend however I wished I had seen the signs prior and laid off a bit week 2.
Tues: Biked 45min/ 13 miles / PM: met Gregg at the lake..no lesson just swimming... we went 40 minutes. (estimate it to be about a miles)
Wed: Ran 32 min this morning, did core at lunch
Gregg sent me some more video... I will see if I can get it posted...
I should have a new camera by tomorrow so I will be able to post some photos up.....
Duke 1/2 IM this weekend...........we w/ see how it goes....pray for a wetsuit legal race.
#1 Why did I break down week 3:
- simply too much for my body w/out enough recovery
- went to hard on week 2 workouts (did speed on bike and run and went too fast on my 55 mile ride)
#2: Should I hold the plan I have while taking an extended week of rest or should I go to a 2 week build followed by a one week recovery........not sure what to do!
Any one have any thoughts?
Once thing I am pleased with is that I recognized my body falling apart and made modification to the plan for the weekend however I wished I had seen the signs prior and laid off a bit week 2.
Tues: Biked 45min/ 13 miles / PM: met Gregg at the lake..no lesson just swimming... we went 40 minutes. (estimate it to be about a miles)
Wed: Ran 32 min this morning, did core at lunch
Gregg sent me some more video... I will see if I can get it posted...
I should have a new camera by tomorrow so I will be able to post some photos up.....
Duke 1/2 IM this weekend...........we w/ see how it goes....pray for a wetsuit legal race.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Monday morning uneasiness!
Sat: Took the entire day of less a core/ weights/ stretching workout. Would have skipped this as well but Meg really wanted me to go to the gym with her and I owe her for being such a good sport all the time. Hurricane Hanna hit us but was only a tropical storm.
Sun: Went out to the lake and met Gregg. He took some more film, showed me a couple drills to work on my roll and we swam about 800M. Also worked on sighting. Shoulder felt pretty good and I am working on entering the water earlier and keeping that 10 degree bend to lessen the stress on my shoulder.
We had a snack and then rode 49 miles....2:54.... slow pace and I felt good at the start but my lack of fueling up, soreness and inadequate supply of liquid on the bike did me in after 1 1/2. It was also pretty darn hot. Awesome riding out in the Southern Pines/ Carthage area.
Mon: Ran five miles this morning in just under 45. HR 149
Last night when I got back I had a snack and was waiting for dinner but got this piercing headache........don't know what happened but I had to go lay down.....Meg let me sleep for 45 minutes and I woke up to a much lesser headache and it finally dissipated after a while.... it had to be my poor fueling yesterday coupled by the heat and lack of fluids.... although I did drink 40 ounce of water on the drive home...... anyway I was still two pounds lighter today than when I woke up yesterday and my stomach wasn't great this morning. My HR was way to high for the pace this morning and the same thing happened to me yesterday on the bike....very weird.... Normally I would never ride at 17.4 MPH and have a 150HR. I am still attributing it to fatigue and the fuel issue.....
I am going full bore with recovery this week. Only 45 min bikes and 30 minute runs the rest of the week. I am going to take either Thursday or Friday completely off. I am going to the lake at least twice this week. I am going to make sure I eat right as well. These are my pledges to myself!
Sun: Went out to the lake and met Gregg. He took some more film, showed me a couple drills to work on my roll and we swam about 800M. Also worked on sighting. Shoulder felt pretty good and I am working on entering the water earlier and keeping that 10 degree bend to lessen the stress on my shoulder.
We had a snack and then rode 49 miles....2:54.... slow pace and I felt good at the start but my lack of fueling up, soreness and inadequate supply of liquid on the bike did me in after 1 1/2. It was also pretty darn hot. Awesome riding out in the Southern Pines/ Carthage area.
Mon: Ran five miles this morning in just under 45. HR 149
Last night when I got back I had a snack and was waiting for dinner but got this piercing headache........don't know what happened but I had to go lay down.....Meg let me sleep for 45 minutes and I woke up to a much lesser headache and it finally dissipated after a while.... it had to be my poor fueling yesterday coupled by the heat and lack of fluids.... although I did drink 40 ounce of water on the drive home...... anyway I was still two pounds lighter today than when I woke up yesterday and my stomach wasn't great this morning. My HR was way to high for the pace this morning and the same thing happened to me yesterday on the bike....very weird.... Normally I would never ride at 17.4 MPH and have a 150HR. I am still attributing it to fatigue and the fuel issue.....
I am going full bore with recovery this week. Only 45 min bikes and 30 minute runs the rest of the week. I am going to take either Thursday or Friday completely off. I am going to the lake at least twice this week. I am going to make sure I eat right as well. These are my pledges to myself!
Sunday, September 7, 2008
two drills not to forget
I need to write down these two drills so I won't forget them............
- 3 stoke/ 4 stroke back stroke
- keep arm on side for extended time to emphasis the twist in my body
These were incorporated into my swimming regiments by Gregg to work on my roll. My plan is to work strictly on form this week and see if I can maintain it for next weekend. I feel like I am gliding faster on the water but then again it may be the wetsuit!
Shoulder a little sore but not bad.
- 3 stoke/ 4 stroke back stroke
- keep arm on side for extended time to emphasis the twist in my body
These were incorporated into my swimming regiments by Gregg to work on my roll. My plan is to work strictly on form this week and see if I can maintain it for next weekend. I feel like I am gliding faster on the water but then again it may be the wetsuit!
Shoulder a little sore but not bad.
Friday, September 5, 2008
My first swim Lesson!
Take aways from my first swim lesson:
- Twist/ rotate my entire body.....shoulder out of water.... body should be turn so you don't have to turn your neck to breath
- Keep my head down...eyes looking down not forward
- Work on sight w/ out lifting my entire head..... at an angle
- Enter the water right above my head/ do not extend and lock my elbow....maintain a 10 degree bend in my arms .... less stress on my shoulder!
Now lets see if I can incorporate them!
Swim lesson was great and I can tell Greg is a great guy.... (I put his link on the site) I am psyched to find someone to work with me....... The ride to get there is about 60 min from the house but once or twice a week for a few months is worth it to me to improve my swimming efficiency and technique. Plus now I know about an open water swim spot and will definitely be using it for the next few months in preparation for IM AZ.
Here is the tape that Greg took of me:
- Twist/ rotate my entire body.....shoulder out of water.... body should be turn so you don't have to turn your neck to breath
- Keep my head down...eyes looking down not forward
- Work on sight w/ out lifting my entire head..... at an angle
- Enter the water right above my head/ do not extend and lock my elbow....maintain a 10 degree bend in my arms .... less stress on my shoulder!
Now lets see if I can incorporate them!
Swim lesson was great and I can tell Greg is a great guy.... (I put his link on the site) I am psyched to find someone to work with me....... The ride to get there is about 60 min from the house but once or twice a week for a few months is worth it to me to improve my swimming efficiency and technique. Plus now I know about an open water swim spot and will definitely be using it for the next few months in preparation for IM AZ.
Here is the tape that Greg took of me: