Dog Days of Summer

Tonight was ride night. I'm thinking of running a 5K this week-end and I wanted to try to take it easy. Anyone who knows me, knows that I don't take it easy. Tonight was no different. The plan was to ride 20 miles or a little over 1 hour. I had intentions of riding the course that the Wheelfast ride takes but somewhere I missed a turn. I thought I had it under control but...

I kept riding, hoping that I would eventually see a street I recognized and then... GREAT BIG dog comes flying out at me... right in front of the bike. When I say big, I mean 130 lb. rotweiller that looked like he might even be able to eat my bike. I locked up my brakes and almost lost it. I kicked the speed up a few notches and grabbed my water bottle (just in case). The dog eventually retreated and thank god, because I didn't have anything left and he was keeping up with me. Whew! Disaster averted.

I did finally pass a street I recognized but knew that if I kept heading west, I would hit Route 4. After a few winding miles, I recognized a road that would indeed take me to Route 4. At this point, I only had a few miles to go so I got in the aerobars and quickened the pace. I looked down and was riding at 24 mph. That's fast for me. I hit the trail in Chatham and rode a cooldown home with a total of 25 miles and TIRED legs. Thanks Dog!!!

Speed 101

The saying goes... "If you want to run fast, you have to train fast". That's a hard concept to grasp when you show up for your first outside speed workout session after having done most of the miles over the winter at a slower pace while training for a marathon.

I went into this workout, 2 x 1 mile & 2 x 400, thinking I could run the miles in 6:00. At least that is what McMillen was telling me. I ended up running both miles at 6:30 and finished with burning lungs. It is early in the season so I have something to look forward to I guess. The 400's were run for the most part uphill. 1 word... TOUGH!!!

I finished with a mile cooldown contemplating whether or not I could/would attempt to try a half ironman triathlon in October. I'm going to get 2 shorter triathlons in before I make my decision.

A Long Week-end

Actually, the week-end flew by but I did get a lot of miles in. My training has gone to running specific to trying to balance swimming, running, and biking. For the past week, I was only able to run and swim since we were out in California for vacation. I ran long one day and sorta long 2 other days. I swam everyday either doing drills, swimming, or just laying out in the 100 degree weather. La Quinta, California... I could get used to that lifestyle.

We arrived back home on Wednesday evening and were greeted by storms on the drive up from St. Louis. Thursday was business as usual for both work and training. After a LONG day at work, I hit the treadmill for 8 x 400 @ 6:00 pace. It was a little difficult but manageable.

Due to the weather, I decided to run on saturday instead of biking. I managed 11.75 miles and a sore left knee. It felt pretty good until I stopped at a light within a mile from home. Then I couldn't start again. I'll be researching this injury. I had this injury when I started running a couple years ago. Maybe it is due to all the treadmill running and now that I'm hitting the roads, it's acting up.

Sunday was a much nicer day. After completing numerous honey-do's, I hopped on the bike. I planned on 35 but only managed 33.5. I'll take it. I rode from my house to Lake Sanchris and back. Most of the miles were on the same road. Kind of boring but at least I knew I would have the wind at my back on the way home. I finished in under 2 hours.

I have a 5K in site for next week-end to see how my early season endurnace is and then I will be doing my first biathlon on May 30... 3 nile run followed by a 15 mile bike.

A lot has been going on

I've been pretty busy with trying to build somewhat of a base before I embark on my first triathlon training program. I really feel like my running is going to suffer but to try something new will be kind of cool.

Thursday evening I hopped on the treadmill for some speed work. I did 6 x 400 at 6:10 pace with a 200 recovery between repeats. I preceded with 1 mile warm-up and concluded with 1 mile cool down. I love my speed work!!!!

Friday was a day off and will continue to be my day off. Fridays are left as a date/dinner night.

Saturday marning/afternoon was spent helping Kristi and Cameron. Kristi had a show that I needed to help her get set up for. She makes and sells jewelry and is really AWESOME. I might be a little biased but she really is good. I then assisted Cameon in making a science fair project, Pencil Rocket. That was good time we spent together and it actually worked the first time we tried it. Around 4:00, I finally made it out for my long run. The longest I had run prior to this was 6 miles the week before. It felt good to go long but I also felt a twinge in my knee. I'd been doing a lot of treadmill running so I hope it is just a lack of road running that is causing this. I guess I'll find out soon enough. I averaged about 8:37 for the run with the last 2 miles being run at a faster pace.

Sunday morning was spent volunteering at the Try the Tri. It's a great event for kids and adults wanting to try their hand at triathlons. We (me and Cameron) were on the bike course. It was a very fun experience. After the race and cutting the grass, I headed out for a bike ride. The plan was to do 30 miles. I missed a turn along the way but it was ok. It ended up being an out and back on a beautiful day. I eventually logged 30.5 miles in 1:45.

Monday was spent lifting weights. I decided after the weight, that I would hop on the recumbent bike for some strength work. I did 30 minutes of interval training with 4 minutes hard/ 3 minutes easy. My quads were burning when I was done.

Training for next week may be slim as we are headed to California for a few days. First San Diego and then La Quinta which is near Palm Springs. I plan on running and swimming but not much bike unless I make it to gym.

Keeping Me Honest

I guess I need to get back to posting. If anything, it will keep me honest. I have still been training just not as much as I'd really like. I've cut back on the running and replaced it with biking and swimming. I'm going to try my first Triathlon on July 5th. It is a .7 mile swim, 19 mile bike, and 4.5 mile run. My training is going to look something like this:

M- Swim (lunch) & bike (30-60 minutes hard/easy)(AM or PM)
T- Run (Tempo, intervals, or Fartlek)
W- Ride (30-60 minutes) followed by a short run (2-5 miles) (brick workout)
Th- Swim & Strength
F- Rest
Sa- Long bike (90-120 minutes) or run (10-14 miles)

I am currently doing all three but my training doesn't officially start until I return from vacation on May 11.

Last night I rode 25 miles. My legs felt tired. It must have been the 50 miles on the bike on Saturday.

Much needed rest

I have been on a running break for about a week. After my crash at last week-ends Lincoln Memorial, I decided it was time to take a little break. I am feeling better but I still don't have any desire to go running. But I am going to start easy tomorrow (Monday). Instead of running, I have been riding my new bike, trying to get used to it. I purchased a Specialized Allez Elite. It is AWESOME. I rode about 13 miles on Wednesday and decided to ride a little longer on Saturday. I finished with about 22 miles. I did hit the weights last week a bit.

I have been swimming at the pool also. It is an excellent cross training exercise. I finished the beginner triathlon swimming class and on Tuesday, I start the intermediate class. The class is pretty fun and the instructor definately knows what she is doing and talking about.

Hopefully, I can find my passion for running again. I had trained hard for 1.5 years without any rest and my body finally shut down. I'm sure it will let me know when it's ok to start up again.

Almost Race Day

In 4 days, I will be running my 2nd half marathon. It would have been 3rd, but the race in St. Charles, MO last year was cut short by 3.1 miles. I don't quite know what to expect. I've been telling everyone I'd like to shoot for a 1:38 but would be happy with anything better than 1:45. Scott's advice is take what the day give you. Pretty sound advice if you ask me.

So... what have I been doing. Well, last Thursday (March 26) I went and ran @ Lincoln Park and included 5 miles of hills in the cemetary. I paid for those hills at swimming class afterwards. I aveaged a 7:45 pace for the entire run. There are some wicked hills. Thank God I don't live in a naturally hilly area. I totalled 7 miles.

Friday was an off day. I was preparing mentally for the new bike purchase I was about to make on Saturday. I knew what I had to spend and I needed to make sure I stayed to that. I ended up with a Specialized Allez Compact Elite. It is a sweet bike and just what I wanted. I could have gotten more of a bike but I also needed all the accessories. Those things add up. I was stoked after the purchase. I hopped on the treadmill and ended with 3 at nice and easy pace.

My long run was supposed to be Sunday, but due to 6 inches of snow, Scott and I postponed until Monday morning. The snow was gone by Monday and it made for a great morning. We covered 7 miles at an average pace of 8:08. A little fast but it felt REALLY good. I followed that up with 4 easy miles on Tuesday and plan on running 3 easy miles tonight. I'm trying to make sure I feel 100% for the race on Saturday.