Looking Forward to the New Year

My stupid gym was closed today so I wasn't able to do my planned workouts.  I was supposed to swim this morning and lift, bike, run in the evening.  Instead, I ran on the treadmill at work for 45 min. and kept my HR to an average of 144.  I also spent the last 5 min of this run at a 7 min mile pace and felt really good.  While at that pace, my HR hit around 180 and then my HR monitor seemed to freak out.  My HR monitor says my HR hit 195, but I don't believe it.  I felt strong at this pace and enjoyed the speed while wearing a new pair of shoes, trying out the Newtons.  So far I really like them.  Hopefully they will not result in any aches or pains.  

Received a very inspirational email from Max this afternoon about how important it is to take things one day at a time when looking at this year's training plan.  I guess a few of his athletes are anxious when they look at their annual training plans and see all the hard work they have ahead of them.  I don't know why, but I am looking forward to the new year and the hard work.  Last year, I completed my first triathlon season with little to no guidance and just after a few months working with Max, I can tell It is worth it.  I am excited about the new year because my plan outlines more volume and greater intensity.  I am looking forward to varying my routine a little bit and continuing to learn how to train.  I am going to try a lot harder to soak in the knowledge, work on consistency in training, and work on better nutrition in 2009!  I can not believe my off season training  of the past two months is over and I am ready to start my 6 month climb to Ironman CDA.  It seems like only yesterday I was speaking to Max about doing some off season maintenance work and building toward my goal.  I think the two months have resulted in a good foundation and I am eager to get to some harder work.  Can't wait till my first Marathon in March and my second 1/2 Ironman in May.  I find it hard to believe that these items are simply milestones on my journey to Ironman CDA!  I am psyched and looking forward to the training and continued learning.  Look out 2009...Here I come!!!!!

Brick

Today I got a brick in after work.  Work was dead, so I was out the door at 5:00 and hit the trainer as soon as I got home.  Spent 30 min. on the bike and kept the HR just below 140.  I then headed out (in shorts) for a run.  Ran 3 miles in 30 minutes and kept my HR just below 145.  I am anxious about the fact that I am running only 10 min miles, but sticking to my directions to keep my HR in certain zones.  

Sunday Ride

Sunday was an awesome day!  70 degrees and sunny was perfect for an outdoor ride.  I was supposed to go out for 45 min, but spent an hour in Rock Creek Park.  The place was a bit crowded, but I was able to cruise for about 15 miles and get some hill work in.  Riding outdoors is so much better that riding on the trainer.  It felt really good to be out there.  Kept my HR around 140, but peaked near 160 on the hilly sections.  Rode from my house to Rock Creek Park and did the Beach Drive, Ross Drive, Ridge Road loop twice.  

Blogging is hard work!

Dear anonymous commenter,

I have not fallen off the wagon and I am doing quite well with sticking to the plan!  However, this blogging thing is hard work!  For the past week, things have been quite busy with the holidays and all the last minute shopping, traveling and celebrating.  I think the only wagon I have completely fallen off of is the nutrition wagon.  I must admit, I enjoyed a few more cocktails than normal and I certainly ate like a pig, however, I continued to work out every day except Tuesdays and even while home in Western Mass, I was able to do some light lifting (squats, box jumps, step ups and lunges) in my parents basement.  I did not get a swim in last week, but I am eager for this Wednesday to get back in the pool.

Brick

Yesterday I got home from work and was happy to get on the bike for 1/2 hour and run for a 1/2 hour.  The weather outside was awesome (near 60 degrees) and I covered about 3.5 miles in 30 min.  Felt really good to be outside, but I know it was only a tease because it is December and the weather is soon going to be frightful.  I am sure glad I don't live up North any more, but it will still be frightful.  I am looking forward to January to get out for some cold early morning bike rides in the cool weather, but lately I have been a bit of a chicken staying indoors on the trainer.  I have to say thought, now that I am up to 1 hour on the bike, I am going to have to get outside as the rides get a little longer.  However, I am really looking forward to the cold morning rides!  It's all just part of the path to the big day and I guess it is only one way I can toughen up!

lift-bike-run-swim

Yesterday I had a busy day scheduled so I went to the gym at 11:30 and did everything I needed to do in one trip.  I added a little more weight to the lifting portion, now at 80 lbs total for step ups and I continue to see spots today.  I took a nice easy spin on the trainer and ran strong for 15 min.  My max HR on the lift was 187, my average HR on the bike was 118 and my average HR on the run was 139.  I ran at a 6.0 pace and I was surprised that my HR was lower than last time I did this workout.  Maybe the rest day put me in a stronger place.  

I hit the pool immediately after the run and swam for 1/2 hour.  It was really hard to kick off the wall, but I focused on technique and stroke count.  I was able to swim several lengths in only 10 strokes and it felt really good and streamlined.  I think I covered about 1,000 yds in the 1/2 hour, but I didn't really pay much attention to the distance.  

After the pool, I was quite tired, but had to head out to a holiday party and then dinner plans.  I ate some really good spanish tapas and enjoyed every bite. 

Swim

Well, tonight I got back in the swing of things.  I hit the pool and had a great 45 min. workout.  Here is what I did:  

300 yd warm up

3 x 100 on 1:30

300 at medium pace

3 x 100 on 1:30

300 at medium pace

300 at slow pace

50 yd cool down

Felt very good during the workout and my HR was pretty high on the fast 100s.  I even completed 2 of the 100s on 1:20.  HR hit about 170 on the 1:20s.  I would say my average HR was in the 155 range.

Missed a workout

Last night I missed another workout.  I was supposed to bike, but got tied up at work, had dinner plans at 7:00 and I couldn't squeeze it in.  I must say it sucks to be away from the office for several days and then return to the chaos!  One thing I have to make note of was the ridiculous dinner I had instead of the bike ride.  We ate at Fogo de Chao (Brazilian Steakhouse) and it was freakin CRAZY!  Some friends of mine are moving away and this was our last dinner out in DC. My friends and I sat down, headed to the salad bar, turned our food indicator to green and the meat started coming.  Before I knew it I had a plate full of Pork Sausage, Chicken legs, Garlic Sirloin, Filet Mignon, Rib Eye, Parmesan Pork and other amazing meats.  I couldn't help but think that this meal was NOT a well balanced (in the ZONE) meal.  I don't think I had a carbohydrate or vegetable once the food started coming.  It was delicious, but I suffered!  It did not digest so easy!

Lift-Bike-Run

Came back from Chicago today, so I couldn't get a swim in this morning.  I did get to the gym for a serious leg workout.  I upped the weight on the lunges to 30 lbs on each side and I have to say my legs were hurting.  My max HR hit 186 and my average was 141 during the 40 min. workout.  I biked for 15 min. and kept my average HR to 120.  I then ran for 15 min at a 6.0 pace and kept the average HR to 143.  

Brick

Last Monday, I completed an indoor brick at the Westin Chicago River North fitness facility.  I ran for 30 minutes and biked for 30.  Kept the average HR to around 135 on the bike and kept the cadence to about 90 RPM.  Ran at 6.0 pace for 30 min and kept my HR around 145.  Didn't have the HR monitor so I do not have my exact HR averages.

Bike

Headed to Chicago last Sunday for a conference.  Arrived at the hotel in the late afternoon and headed to the gym for my 1 hour bike workout.  Kept my HR to an average of 138 and kept my cadence at around 90 RPM.  Felt really good to get on the bike after sitting on the plane.  The gym was in a cool spot as well.  As I rode the bike, I could see the House of Blues and BIN 39 out the window.  What a cool City!

Swim-Lift-Bike-Run

Saturday was a super productive day.  I hit the pool in the morning and spent 1/2 an hour on drills.  I really wanted to do some of the total immersion drills and work on my stroke.  I felt it was really worth it, because after 20 min. of drills, I was swimming 100s and averaging 10 strokes per 25 yds.  I really liked the feeling of slipping through the water and counting strokes helped me to focus on technique rather than speed.  Remarkably, when I did 1 of the 100s and checked my time, I finished at 1:30.  I didn't really feel I was working that hard, so I was happy with the drill work.  I think I am going to keep doing that on Saturday mornings.  Hit the gym again in the afternoon (after some serious house projects) and did my leg workout.  I am now lifting 65s on each end of the smith machine, doing my step-ups with 35s, and doing my lunges with 25s on a bar.  I felt good in this workout and had no problem on the bike and run.  I even felt good enough after to go out for some Christmas shopping that evening.  

Swim

Last Friday, I hit the pool and was happy that my wife came along.  She is going to start swimming and wanted to give it a shot.  I hit my lane and did about 1400 in 1/2 hour.  

Bike

Got outside on the 4th of December for a nice ride in the warm weather.  The temp was in the 50s when I got out of a professional development class early, so I decided to hit rock creek park for a ride.  I almost went out in shorts, but thankfully did not.  I headed out for an hour and kept my HR to an average of 137.  I rode to Rock Creek and hit the hilly loop to get me started.  I then followed the bike trail back toward downtown and decided I would not do that again, given the poor condition of the trail.  There were tons of frost heaves and my arms took a lot of shock.  I covered about 15 miles in the time I was out and it felt great to ride outside.

Swim-Lift-Bike-Run

Last Wednesday I hit the pool in the morning and felt a bit tired.  I think I covered about 1200 yds in 30 minutes and was happy to get through the workout.  Later that day I made it to the gym for my lift-bike-run sequence.  I started wearing my HR monitor while lifting and found that my max HR hit 189 during the lifting.  My average HR was 146 for that workout and it took me 40 min. to complete the lifting.  I then hit the bike and treadmill for 15 minutes each.  My average HR on the bike was around 115 and I was able to really pick up the cadence a bit.  I was surprised that my legs loosened up quick and I could keep a low HR with a higher cadence than usual.  I recall my cadence being around 75 RPM.  On the treadmill, I was able to keep my HR in range (average HR 145) while running at a faster pace (6.0).  Overall, I felt really good in this workout and think I am seeing changes in my fitness already!

Brick

On Monday December 1st, I spent 30 min on the bike and kept the average HR to 138.  I then headed out into the cold for a 30 min. run.  Kept the HR to 147.  Did my loop around the reservoir and wore my GPS unit.  My average pace was 10:48 and I covered 2.8 miles.  Felt really good to close out the 1st month of off season training, and I am looking forward to bumping the volume up a bit in December.

Bike

I am trying to catch up on the blog, so I am going to make this quick.  On Sunday after the thanksgiving weekend, I got a 45 min ride in on the trainer.  Kept the average HR to 135.