013109 - Brick gone wrong

I was supposed to do a brick today, but I had a clothing malfunction at the start of my run.  I spent 90 minutes on the bike and wore an old pair of spandex shorts (that I never wear) because both pairs of my bike shorts wore holes in them and I had to throw them out.  Everything was fine on the bike.  I kept my average cadence to 91, my average speed at 18 mph, and my average HR to 153.  I felt really good transitioning from the bike, but I kept those shorts on and put a pair of pants over them.  

When I got outside it was really cold and windy.  I started running at a solid pace and my HR was tracking near 170.  Then all of a sudden, at about 5 minutes into the run, I had a serious chaffing pain in my reproductive region!  I slowed down the pace, but it did not resolve itself.  Therefore, I bagged the run and walked home in a bit of pain.  Now I know why those tri shorts have that chamois bit sewn into them!  I am fine now, but I will not make that mistake again!  I am heading to the store immediately to buy some new bike shorts!

013009 - Bike/New Cadence Monitor

Last night I was happy to get home and see that my new Cateye C2V bike computer arrived.  It has a rear wheel cadence/speed sensor and it was really easy to install.  I was happy to finally be able to bike on the trainer with some new metrics.  I spent 30 minutes on the bike and kept my cadence average at 91.  I also kept an average speed of 18 mph.  My average HR was 148.

013009 - Swim

Got to the pool bright and early on Friday and had a great workout.  Covered 2200 yards in 45 minutes and broke it up with fast 100s and a couple of moderate paced 500s.  I am holding steady at 1:25 - 1:30 per 100s and I noticed that after doing some fast work, I feel pretty good doing the longer sets.  My HR on the 100's was around 150-160 and on the 500s it was in the 140s.

012909 - Missed Workout

Work got the better of me on Thursday and I was in the office until almost 8:00.  Not a good excuse, but that is what happened.  Took advantage of the rest though!

012809 - Brick

Spent 15 minutes on the bike and ran for 45 minutes.  Work was really crazy today and I was happy to get out of the office and to the gym.  My max HR was 142 and my average HR was 130.  I ran the 45 minutes at a 9:30 pace.  

012809 - Missed Swim

I was supposed to swim in the morning, but slept in and missed the workout.

012609 - Bike

Spent an hour and a half on the trainer this evening and I have to say it is so boring to ride on that thing for that long.  I felt really good for the first hour and then my concentration started to go.  In the first hour I did a good job of keeping my cadence high and I spent 1/2 hour in the aero position to try to get used to that.  I have been spending a lot of time sitting up and I figured I need to get used to riding in the aero bars again.  My max HR was 150 and my average HR was 140.  

I also had a successful day on the Zone diet.  I had a nice breakfast (yogurt, cottage cheeze and fresh fruit) and I ate the shrimp salad with fruit that I made the night before.  This evening, I had a really good chicken stir fry with lots of green veggies and for my late afternoon snack I ate a couple of hard boiled egg whites with an apple and banana.  I think the diet is working out so far and I felt I had enough food to get me through the long workout in the evening.  I burned over 1,000 calories on the bike an I think the late afternoon snack helped me get through it with enough energy.

012609 - Run

Ran for 30 minutes this morning before work.  It was cold as ice and I bundled up good and ran at a nice slow steady pace.  I covered just over 3 miles and kept my HR average to around 140-145.  Ran the Reservoir Loop and went around the filtration site to get my time in.  My HR monitor was all out of wack this morning so I do not have accurate numbers.

012509 - Run and The Zone!

It was very cold this morning so the wife and I went to the gym to run on the treadmill.  I ran for 1 hour and covered a little more than 7 miles.  I felt really good on the run and did two 8 minute segments at an 8 minute mile pace.  The rest was at around an 8:30.  My max HR was 164 and my average HR was 150.  Felt better than last night and I was happy to get the run completed before 10 AM.  

The other news of the day is I am trying to get started on the Zone diet.  My nutrition has been poor and I need something to focus on when preparing to eat.  I spent a good portion of this past week reading about the Zone and I went to the grocery store this evening with a detailed shopping list and a week of meal plans.  Over the weekend, I have been experimenting with Zone meals and I think I am going to be able to swing this thing.  So tomorrow, I am going to get an official start to eating on a schedule and keeping in the Zone!  I hope it gives me the energy I need because over the past several weeks, training has been pretty tough!

012409 - Bike and Run

Saturday was a busy day, but I got on the bike in the AM and hit the road for a run in the PM.  I biked indoors for 1 hour and 15 minutes and kept a high heart rate.  My max HR was 174 and my average HR was 156.  I did a steady ride and did a simulated 5 minute hill climb every 10 minutes. I would put it on the hardest gear and stand up for 2 minutes and then sit for 3 minutes.  Then I would put it back to an easier gear and spin at a high cadence while my HR dropped back into the high 140s.  

In the evening, I went outside in the freezing cold to run for 45 minutes.  I ran out of memory on my HR monitor so I am not sure what my HR data was, but I kept it very easy and I think my average was probably around 140.  I was really tired in the evening and it was hard to get myself out there, but I did get my 45 minutes in and finish a steady, but light, run.  I ran two times around the reservoir loop and up 1st street at the end to get in an extra 5 minutes.  Covered 4.5 miles in the run.

012309 - Triathlon Simulation

This morning I was so freakin lazy I could not get my ass out of bed.  I slept in and skipped my planned workout and quickly decided I was going to just get it all in after work.  I got to the gym around 5:45 and hopped into the pool for a 45 minute swim.  I decided to swim continuously and covered 2400 yards in 45 minutes.  I then jumped out, put dry clothes on and went to the gym for a bike and run.  I biked for 30 minutes and kept my cadence to 91-95 RPMs.  My HR stayed in the mid to upper 140s on the bike and when I jumped on the treadmill for a 10K pace run, I started it off at an 8 minute mile pace.  I was supposed to run for 45 minutes, but only got 35 in because the gym was closing and they kicked me out at 8:00 PM.  I kept my HR around 160-165 on the run.

I felt really good accomplishing this today and I am surprised I can keep an 8 minute mile pace after that long swim and steady bike.  I have to admit that in the last 15 -25 minutes of the run I was freakin bored and tired.  Now that it is several hours later, I am worn out and ready for a good nights sleep.  I hope I have enough in the tank for tomorrow mornings bike ride.  I think I am going to head out for some hills in rock creek park!

012209 - Bike

Spent one hour on the trainer this past Thursday and felt pretty good.  Watched the fourth Navy Seals show and that kept me occupied and helped the time go by quicker.  I tried to keep my cadence around 90 RPMs and did a few speed bursts.  I think my HR monitor wacked out in the beginning because it said my HR was at 205 when I got started.  Overall, my average HR was 138.

012109 - Swim, Lift, Bike, Run

This past Wednesday I hit the pool in the morning and swam 2200 yards in 45 minutes.  I was very tired from the long weekend project and I was not ready to get up early for a workout prior to work.  I did about 10 x 100s trying to keep my time below 1:30s and did so successfully.  After work, I went back to the gym for the lift, bike, run session.  The weights were tough, but I got through it easier than last week.  I completed my squats with 130 lbs plus the smith machine bar.  I held onto two 40 lbs dumbbells for the step ups and use 70 lbs plus a bar for the lunges.  During the lifting portion, my max HR was 181 and my average was 133.  After the lifting, I hoped on the bike for an easy 15 minute spin and then ran about 3.5 miles in 30 minutes.  My max HR on the run was 154 and my average HR was 148.

011909 - Bike and Run

On Monday, I needed to get a bike and a run in, and I had to start a painting project at the house.  I rode indoors for an hour in the morning.  Painted all day and then went for a run in the evening.  On the bike my max HR was 154 and I averaged 145.  On the 30 minute run, I hit a max HR of 156 and kept the average to 149.

011809 - Bike

Spent an hour on the bike last Saturday.  Rode indoors on the trainer.  Max HR was 169 and the average HR was 149.

011709 - Brick

Saturday morning was another cold one and I decided to combine my Bike and Run workouts into a Brick.  I hit the bike around 9:30 this morning and spent 1:15 minutes on the trainer.  I kept it on the big chain ring and tried to keep a high cadence.  Every 10 minutes, I would do a five minute simulated hill climb (standing for two minutes and sitting for three minutes).  I would place it on the hardest gear and go.  I would then get in the aero bars and spin at an easier gear for 5 minutes, sit up for 5 and then do it all over again at the next 10 minutes mark.  This really helped the time go faster and when I got finished I had a lot of burn in my legs.  I got changed into warm clothes, remembered to put my face mask on this time, and headed out for a 45 minute aerobic run on the Catholic, Soldiers Home Loop.  My average HR on the bike was 154 and my max HR was 190.  On the run, my average HR was 146 and my max was up around 170 on the hill.   

011609 - Missed my Swim

This cold of mine is still nagging and I just couldn't get myself to the pool on Friday night.  I bagged it and I am going to try to squeeze it in on Sunday instead.  Went home to have an early dinner and get some R & R!  Felt good to take a night off!

011609 - Brick

Friday morning I woke up a little late and got a brick started around 6:45 AM.  The weather outside was quite possibly the coldest it has been this year (10 degrees) and I knew I was going to have to go out for a run after a 30 minute bike.  So I got all my warm clothes together, put on my cycling attire and headed downstairs for 30 minutes on the trainer.  I kept my average HR to 140 and my max HR to 146 on the bike.  I then quickly put on warm clothes and headed outside into the arctic cold to run for 45 minutes.  At first I felt really good on the run.  I thought it really wasn't that bad out and then the wind picked up.  About halfway through it, I thought my face (the only exposed part of my body) was going to get frostbite!  I realized I was pretty stupid for heading out without my face mask.  At the end, I had a ring of frozen sweat on my jacket collar and my black fleece hat was covered with a frozen white spot on the forehead!  I was happy to get finished and into the warmth of the house!  I completed the Catholic, Old Soldiers Home loop in record time and had to add some distance to get to 45 minutes.  All in all, I completed 5.6 miles in 45 minutes.  My average HR was 163 and my max HR was 177.

011509 - Bike

Biked on the trainer this evening after work.  I am still feeling a little sick and I have this wicked sinus thing going on.  I think I am blowing snot out of my nose every 10 freakin minutes.  Despite this, I still got on the bike and spent 1 hour in the basement.  Kept my average HR to 142 and a max HR of 149.  Not looking forward to the early morning brick tomorrow.

011409 - Everything

Last night, the wife and I went out to Brasserie Beck and I think the combination of a late dinner, a few drinks, and a windy evening caused me to have a really hard time sleeping.  My house was built in 1904 and when the wind blows, those old windows really do nothing but rattle!  I don't think I ever fell asleep for more than 1 hour at a time.  

This morning, I was planning to hit the pool before work, but that did not happen!  Therefore, I had to do everything after work.  I have to admit that this morning I was so tired, and feeling so under the weather, that I was going to bag todays work all together.  Thankfully, I started to feel better in the afternoon and I went to the Gym for a very large Lift, Bike, Run, Swim workout.  I feel really good now that I completed this, because I am still on my plan and meeting my objectives!  

It was a victory to get through the whole thing in just over 2 hours of work.  The lifting hurt bad, and when I started running, I thought my knees were going to give up, but I kept my HR around 145 and got 1/2 hour in on the treadmill at a 9 min mile pace and a 1 % grade.  After the run, I jumped in the pool for 45 minutes and covered 2200 yards with an average HR of around 145 - 150.  I did a number of 500's at a moderate pace.  

Overall, I was happy to complete today's work, but I am worried that I may be coming down with a little cold.  The throat is sore and I am going to be pissed if I get sick for the 3rd time this winter.  These nagging colds are really starting to get to me! 

011209 - Brick

I was supposed to bike in the morning and run during lunch, but I was too lazy to get my but out of bed in the morning.  I got to work and it got to me, and the next thing I knew it was 3:30 and I didn't get to the gym for my run.  Therefore, I got home late and did both workouts back-to-back!  I started around 6:45 and biked on the trainer for an hour.  I kept my HR between 140 and 150 and when I headed outside for a run, I kept my HR between 140 and 145.  I was surprised that my HR was a bit lower than usual on the run.  The weather was freaking cold and I was glad after the 1/2 hour run was up.  I covered 3 miles in 30 minutes.

011109 - Run

Headed out the door at 9 AM this morning for an aerobic run.  Ran down North Capital Street, across Penn. Ave, up 12th street and across T street as I made my way back home.  I was happy to run down toward the Capital today, because as I hit Penn. Ave, I was surprised to see a very large group of police, military and people in general.  They were doing a rehearsal for next week's inauguration of President Obama.  It was neat to see the parade dry run and I ran along side the procession as I made my way across Penn. Ave.  I am glad I saw the dry run, because I am staying away from the real deal next week.  Word is we are going to have over 2 million people flooding our great city for the big event.  I am looking forward to hiding out in my house safely away from the ruckus!

Anyhow, back to the run!  I felt really good today and the legs seem to be recovering from this weeks workouts.  I kept an average HR of 149 and hit a max of 179 on the hill up from the mall. I covered 6.6 miles in 60 minutes. 

011009 - Run

Yesterday evening I went for a run outside.  The weather was crap, but my gym was closed so I was forced to run in the cold rain!  It started raining about 15 minutes before I planned to get out there, so I was pissed when I saw it start pissing down!  However, I needed to get a 45 minute aerobic run in so I put on some of my old golf rain gear on and headed out.  It actually wasn't as bad as it looked from inside.  My body warmed up quick and I completed the run feeling great!  My average HR was 147.  My max HR was 165 and I was out covered 4.9 miles in 49 minutes. 

011009 - Bike

Worked out in the basement yesterday morning and got 75 minutes in on the bike.  Felt pretty tired getting started, but woke up after about 10 minutes.  My legs feel shot from this past week's work!  However, My instructions were to keep the HR between 150-160 and I succeeded with an average HR of 157.  While riding, I completed 5 - 5 min. hill simulations by putting it in the small cog on the back wheel.  When doing these, my HR got up to a max of 179.  

010909 - Swim

Got to the pool at around 6:00 this evening and swam 2300 yards in around 45 minutes.  I warmed up with a 300 then did 10 x 100s on 1:30s and 15 seconds rest.  Toward the end, I faded and did the last two on 1:35s.  I felt really tired during this workout, but muscled through it.  I then did a steady 500 and a moderate 300.  I cooled down with a 200 yard swim at easy effort.

010909 - Brick

Got up early this morning for a brick and felt tired and worn out!  My legs were so sore from lifting that it was hard to walk down the stairs!  Despite this, I jumped on the bike for a 30 minute ride and then out for a 45 minute run.  I was surprised that my legs did loosen up and I worked through the pain within about 15 minutes of the workout.  While biking, I kept my HR in the high 140s and then I hit the road for a 10K pace run.  I successfully kept my HR up in the 165 range on the run and covered 5.6 miles in 45 minutes.  

I think the most interesting part of this run had to be the very end.  As I turned the corner of my street and stopped to stretch, I looked down on the ground and spotted a GUN!  I wasn't sure if it was a toy gun or something real, so I picked it up and brought it home and reported it to the police.  They came to pick it up this evening and it turns out to be an air (pellet) gun, but none the less, they were happy to get it off the street.  I guess there are some kids around using these things to scare people when they try to rob them.  Glad I found the gun and not the person using it!

010809 - Bike

Thursday morning I got up before work and spent an hour on the trainer.  It was a really tough workout because of the previous day's lifting!  My legs were very sore and now that I am riding in the big chain ring, my legs were really feeling the burn.  I still do not have a cadence monitor, but I did check my cadence every 10 minutes or so to see if I was in the 90 RPM range.  I found that whenever I did push it to 90 or over, My HR would climb to around 155 and I would slow it down to get back into the right HR zone.  I find that in order to keep my HR below 150 I need to keep a cadence of around 85-88.  Seeing this was supposed to be an active recovery workout, I tried to keep my HR in the upper 140s and ended up having an average HR of 144.

010709 - Lift, Bike, Run

Hit the Gym Wednesday evening and I have to say the past two weeks of light lifting and missed lifting workouts hurt!  I did my normal routine of Squats, Box Jumps and Step ups and then tried a new variation on the lunges to mix up the normal routine.  I felt good doing the work, but I was a bit tired that evening.  My HR peaked at 185 and my average HR was 137.   Following the lifting, I jumped on the stationary bike for a 15 min. spin at a low HR and then Ran for 30 minutes on the treadmill.  I covered over 3 miles on the treadmill and kept my pace at just over a 9 minute mile and my HR average to 148.  I am starting to feel really good about my running.  I didn't do much during the off season, and it feels good to be moving a bit on the legs.  

One bad thing about this workout was the influx of New Years Resolutioners at the Gym.  It is always funny to see them come in droves to ride the bike for 10 minutes or walk at a super slow pace on the treadmill.  One guy took up a treadmill for around 25 minutes and talked on his cell phone the entire time without even breaking a sweat!  I can't wait for a month from now when their will power fails them and I can have my choice of bikes and treadmills!

010709- Swim

Wednesday morning I hit the pool before work for a 45 minute swim.  I felt pretty good and started with a 300 yd warm up.  I then did 10 x 100 on 1:30s and 30 seconds rest.  I did another 300 at moderate pace, a fast 200 and cooled down with a slow 200.  I tried to focus on keeping my HR up in the 155 range and did so during the 100s.  However, I have a hard time keeping a high HR when doing longer sets like a 300.

010509 - Run

Went for a 30 minute run on the treadmill during a late lunch break.  The gym was freaking hot and I a bit worn out from the morning run.  However, I put the treadmill on 6.5 and ran just over 3 miles with an average HR of 144.  Felt good throughout the run and realized that I am able to push a little higher pace and keep my HR in the aerobic zone.  I am ready for my Tuesday of rest and recovery.  Hopefully, I will be refreshed by Wednesday which is LIFTING day!

010509 - Bike

This morning I spent an hour in my basement on the trainer.  I put the bike in the big chain ring and went into a middle back gear and tried to keep my cadence high.  I needed get my heart rate up and I successfully averaged 154.  I have to say I was very tired this morning and it was tough to get through the hour.  My legs were tired and the big chain ring gave them a good burn.  I was glad when the hour was over and happy to head upstairs for a little breakfast and a nice big chocolate milk.

010409 - Bike

Spent 45 minutes on the bike this morning.  Got going around 9:00 AM and stayed inside to avoid the cold weather.  After reading a comment from Max, I took to the workout in the big chain ring.  I tried hard to keep my cadence to around 90 RPM and checked my cadence every 10 minutes to make sure I was on target.  I really need to get a new bike computer with cadence!  Checking out a few models and of course it is always a pain in the A$$ shopping for tri stuff.  Anyhow, back to the ride...

I hit the bike feeling good considering my legs are shot after the past two days of workouts.  I know I spent the past two months in maintenance mode, but I never really had to do any large bikes and runs in the same day.  Once I got my legs moving at the proper cadence, my HR settled into the 145-150 range and peaked a few times around 155.  Overall, my average HR was 145.  I was happy to be able to push the bigger gear and keep my HR where it should have been for this workout.  Looking forward to another two workouts tomorrow!

010309 - Run

Headed out this evening for a 45 minute run.  Kept the HR average to 148 and had a max HR of 180.  The weather was cold, but it felt good to get out.  I covered 5 miles doing the run around Catholic University and the Old Soldiers Home.  The legs were a little worn out after the past two days of work and I am ready to fall asleep to that awesome feel that only exhaustion and restless leg syndrome can deliver.

010309 - Bike

Got out this morning for a nice ride in the 35 degree weather.  Thanks to my wife for the cool weather bike clothes because I need to get outside for some riding.  I headed out for 1 hour and went straight to Rock Creek Park for 4 hill repeats and a ride around the Beach Drive, Ross Drive, Ridge Road Loop.  I kept my HR average to 148, but my HR monitor says my max was 205.  I have to say I really like this route, but it takes about 15 min. of stop and go riding to get to a place where I can move consistently.  That is the situation with City riding, I guess...

I noticed that while climbing the hill, my HR was often in the 170-180 range.  The hill I am doing repeats on is Tilden Street between Beach Drive and Connecticut Ave.  The climb is 1/2 mile and the ascent is 200 feet.  Some of the sections are 12% and 18%  grade and it is a bitch to get up seated.  After doing the four repeats, I hit the loop so I could move at a good clip.  I felt really good on the loop and was able to really power over the small rollers in the park.  

010209 - Brick

Friday evening I did a brick and felt great doing it.  I biked indoors on the trainer for 1 hour and then headed out for a hard 30 minute run.  I kept my HR to around 135-140 on the bike and then went outside for a 4.2 mile run around the reservoir.  Now the plan said to run at a 10K pace so I hit the road and went pretty fast.  I averaged about 7:15 minute miles and saw my HR stay between 165 and 175.  Honestly, though, it was up near 175 for a good portion of the time.  It felt good to cut loose and see how fast I could run the loop (went around twice) and I felt really good after the run.  Thankfully, I didn't kill myself and was still able to manage two workouts on the following day.

010209 - Swim

Had a really good swim on Friday morning and used a great christmas gift in the pool.  My wife bought me a book called:  Workouts in a Binder...Swim Workouts for Triathletes, and I know after today that it will be put to good use.  I picked Endurance Workout 1 from the book and hit the pool at around 9 AM.  Here is what I did:

200 warm up

2 x 200 with 50 yd swim, 100 yd kick and 50 yd swim with 20 second rest.

Then I did 400, 300, 200, 100 with 20 seconds rest in between each

300, 200, 100 with 25 seconds rest trying to swim a negative split 

200 Fast with 30 second rest after

100 Fast with 30 seconds rest after

2x 150 with the pullbouy with 20 seconds rest.

I was psyched to get in 2800 yds in the 1 hour time allotted.  I felt really good and it was good to get back in the water after all of the holiday pool closures.

1st Bike of the New Year

New years day turned out to be a cold one so I spent my 90 minutes indoors on the trainer.  I watched 45 min of the first Navy Seals video from the Discovery documentary and I have to say I was glad to be training in the comfort of my nice warm basement.  Those guys experienced more cold and hard training in one day than I have ever experienced!  I have a lot of respect for those who choose that path.

Unfortunately, or fortunately (depending on how you look at it), I was a bit hot and lost a lot of fluids sweating like a pig in my basement.  I kept my average HR to 141 and kept to the little chain ring.  Tried to keep my cadence high but I definitely need a cadence monitor because I do not think I am where I should be.  After the workout I had a good chat with Max to learn a bit more about my annual training plan.  It felt good to get clarity as to what days I should be working hard and what days I should be doing recovery work.  I am going to make it my new year's resolution to keep my challenging workouts challenging and my recovery workouts easy.  I think last year I really gravitated toward the middle and spent most of my time on easy work and did not include enough intensity.  Here are a few other goals I am going to stick to this year:

1)  Stick to my plan and take it one day at a time.

2) Eat much better and add a lot more of fruits and vegetables into the diet (especially for snacks).  I also am going to try to eat more often and make sure to have healthy snacks in the mid mornings and mid afternoons.

3) Work hard in the pool to make sure I get quality time in the water

4) Get my workouts completed in the mornings whenever possible

Here's to the New Year!!!!