Tim's Training Text

Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired

2009-05-18T17:45:00.000-07:00

I've trying to be more consistent with my workouts, but my body just isn't cooperating. My stomach felt horrible last week and working out was not an option until Thursday. I'm not sure what is was. I laid low for awhile to let things settle.

Thursday: 1 hour - 6.2 miles on the x trainer

Friday: 1 hour 15 min. - 20 miles - Big Easy Road Ride (Slow 15 mph pace. I felt great, and enjoyed being out on the road enjoying the scenery.)

Saturday: 600m swim (Lightning closed pool! How does an indoor pool get closed by weather??) then 25 minutes on treadmill at 10 min/ mi. pace until stomach cramped.

Sunday: Sinus Infection returned!! Again. I haven't felt good on a regular basis since spring break. My personal theory is a combination a snotty 5th graders and poor air quality at school are wreaking havoc on my health.

Monday: Swam 1300m in pool with clogged sinus. Picked up new dose of antibiotics.

Side Note: Watched a documentary on Marathons, and now I plan to start looking at running longer distances. I may consider a 13.1 race by this time next year.

Swim and Bike at the Y

2009-05-05T18:56:00.001-07:00

Decent workout tonight.

Swam 1700m total- 200m warm up, 3 sets of 500m at about 10 min each.

Biked 15.5 miles in 1 hour Avg HR of 125 bpm

My strength is fine, but endurance is down from a lack training regularly. I had a hard time breathing the last 10 minutes on the bike. I still have some issues going on with my breathing, which bothers me. I hope I'm still recovering from sinus stuff and it will go away soon.

The Results are in...

2009-05-04T17:44:00.000-07:00

I ran the 2 Much Fun 5k for Richland 2 on Saturday, and I was very excited by the results. Despite feeling horrible he past 2 weeks and not training much I managed a nice time of 26:03. I placed 42nd overall and 5th in age group of 12 runners.

I started the race hard and quickly had my hr over 170, which is high for me. My lungs felt stressed and I coughed a good bit at the start. I ran the race keeping certain people in sight. The first mile was fairly flat and I ran the split in about 8:42. The second mile started downhill and heading into some woods before heading uphill sharply to start the 3rd mile. Heading over the hill was tough, and as I reached the top I looked to start passing the folks in the group ahead of me. I made it past them slowly over the next mile, and then pushed as hard as I could the last stretch to make sure I did not get passed back, which usually happens to me late in races.

I lost track of the 2nd mile split, and felt if I had run a 27 or 28 min. 5k that would be good for the way I'd been feeling. I forgot to stop my watch at the finish, and looked at it later to see a 26:30, which I new was over the exact time. I was shocked. My hr even hit 180 several times during the race and was over 185 at the finish.

Forced Run Subsides Headache

2009-04-30T16:35:00.000-07:00

I have not run or exercise since Sunday. My sinus issue has kept my head spinning, my chest congested, and my energy low. I visited the Doc on Tuesday and went on the Z Pack. It's starting to help. I planned to ride a tad last night, but when I got home from work, my head began to pound and I lost all energy.

Today, I forced myself to run at the Sandhills. The 2 Much Fun 5K is this Saturday, and I wanted to get some work in before the race. I had hoped to work hard the past three weeks to get ready, but that has been a bust.

I started slow with the pounding head, but ran okay, and pushed on the big hill and the long slow finish climb. My chest still feels like there's a brick on it, and I fought for air a good bit. My nose is not as clogged as it has been this week, so there's hope I will feel better by Saturday.

I did not time myself, so there's no data to report. The good news is that post workout, my headache disappeared. It's great to know a bit of hard work opened my head up, and maybe I'm turning the corner on this sinus infection.

Blocked Sinus, Congested = Slow Run

2009-04-27T07:36:00.001-07:00

Went for another shot at the 5k course for the upcoming race at the Sandhills this Saturday. I was going to run with some other folks from work in the race, but we did not meet up, so I headed out on my own. I had not run solo in awhile so I pushed the pace more to see if I could put a good time together.

Running was labored, and my HR was up to 15o fast. I finished with a time of about 19:30. Not great, but at least I did not stop and walk.

I was thinking I could get a sub 27 minute run this weekend, but now I wondering if that's possible.

What's Going On...

2009-04-23T18:11:00.001-07:00

Went for a training run at the Sandhills today. A change of plans and an offer from my wife, and I ended up switching to running with Amy on a different series of trails.

We were excited to head out and the first mile was a lot of fun, since we left our usual trail for something new we had spotted. I was a nice section - wooded, rolling, and following a stream. Something happened about 20 minutes in and both of us started really struggling. I was short of breath, and my legs just felt dead. I don't know what it was. Maybe it was the heat, time of day (5 pm right after work), over training, air quality??? Who knows. Maybe it was a combination of all factors. I just don't want to ever feel that again. cutting back on running the past month seems to have caught up with me. I enjoy swimming and biking more, and seem to favor those workouts.

In all, we ran - or walked - about 3 1/2 miles. I stopped checking the time and cals burned and don't really care to worry about it anyways.

Cross Training

2009-04-22T19:20:00.000-07:00

Trying to get back into a regular thing again. Tonight was swim and bike at the Y

Swim: 100 - 500- 500- 200m - Total 1300m (I timed one 500m at about 9 min.)

I could the burn in my shoulders from taking so much time away from swimming. My form felt good and I kept a nice ryhthm.

Bike: 15.88mi. in an hour on the bike. I burned about 700 cal.

I felt out of breath the last 10 min and really had to push to get my speed up to try from 16 miles. Not training regularly has caught up with my exercise asthma I believe.

2 Much Fun 5k Training

2009-04-20T17:38:00.000-07:00

Getting set for the district's 5k in May, and ran the course with some folks from work. I'm not a fan of the trail, since the Sandhills has much better to offer. I'm not sure why they designers decided to leave out the most interesting spots

Anyways, I ran the course in about 34 min. (Really Slow!!) My HR was around 140 accept for the big hill and finish. I burned 440 calories as well. Overall, I was not excited by the run today. I have a long way to go to get back to my goal time of 26 minutes for race day. 2 weeks of not running caught up with me fast.

Biking over Spring Break

2009-04-19T19:58:00.000-07:00

During Spring Break, my wife and I took the Boys to Atlanta for a visit to their Aunt. One thing worth mentioning is how much I love the Bike Trail in Gwinnette (SP?). We were able to ride to anywhere in the city with wonderful wooded trails. It was great. I so wish Richland County had something like this.

Also, we learned about the Silver Comet Trail from Atlanta to all the way into Alabama. We are planning to head back soon just to ride a section of the Rails to Trails Project. I sounded great.

Back to Blogging

2009-04-19T19:29:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I've posted. The past Fall and Winter have been productive at work and in training. I haven't stopped training, but definitely felt burned out with all the postings. With the coming of Spring, and in need of some added pressure to start training harder, I've decided to dust off the training blog.

Since I last posted, I've run in 2 5Ks. I ran the March for Meals at Riverbanks again, but this year trained about 20 students from my school. I focused less on my goals, and took on the challenge of getting some kids interested in running. It was one of the best things I've done in a long time.

I also ran the St. Patty's Race in 5 Points, and even set a new PR for the 5K. I broke the 26 minute mark. That had been a goal for quite awhile, so it was nice to finally make it.

I've been riding, biking and swimming, but not logging the results. I have not done much the past 2 weeks with Spring Break and a bad cold. I will be running with a group of teachers from my school in the Richland 2 Just for Fun 5k on May 2nd. I don't want to embarass myself, so it's time to get serious.

Mountain Biking at Sesqui

2008-10-05T11:08:00.000-07:00

It had been a while since I had been on my mountain bike, and I finally got a chance to ride Saturday. I only had time after Bobby's soccer game to ride at Sesqui, so I did a couple of loops. I had a blast, and my heart rate was way up. I averaged 150 or so for the entire ride. My avg speed was a bit under 10 mph. Sand and some tight sections kept my speed down, and I even wrecked in one spot. Overall, I realized how much I have missed riding off road. I've only been riding on a trainer and doing commuted.

Sept. Training Totals

2008-10-05T11:06:00.000-07:00

Biked 90.6 miles

Ran 35.3 miles

Running is way up!. Biking is down a bit. I think I forgot to log some bike training, and I also took over a week off from training due to a stomache issue. I have not swam in over a month??

I feel good about the run, and must get in some more time in the pool.

I'm still Alive!

2008-09-23T17:27:00.000-07:00

OK, it's been some time. Nothing wrong, just been kinda boring. I have not been inspired to share, and work has left me exhausted in the evenings.

On a good note, I have been biking regularly to and from work. I have only missed a few days lately. I really enjoy it, and all the kids at my school think I'm really cool! And, they like to laugh at the shorts!! Occasionally, I a school bus full of my school kids passes me, and the all cheer me on. And, at stop lights, I often get the "That's Mr. Swick!!" double take by sleepy parents and students. Last week, I did a total of about 21 miles on the bike just commuting. My avg. speed is only 15 mph, but I have lots of steep hills and lights. I think it was Thursday morning, too, when I realized that 60 degree weather is cold on a bike. Time to purchase some warmer clothes.

Also, I have increased my running miles last week up to 18. Using the interval trainer off of podrunner on iTunes, has helped push the greater distance. I'm not terribly speedy. I'm doing mostly 10 min. miles, but I like going longer distances. However, they are starting to take a toll on my body. I strained my right groin and ankle running last week. I plan to take it easier this week. I been running on the trails in sandhills more, as well. I like the hills, and soft surface. Plus, I get to see some interesting things a treadmill just doesn't offer. I believe I scared a coyote on Friday when I was running. Just caught a glimpse, but I've heard tales he's back there!

This week so far has been a big bust. I had planned a new urban assault on Sesqui after work one day when I was talking to Amy on Sunday, and then BAM! I've been struggling with a stomache thing ever since. I won't share the details, but tailgating on Saturday, and hitting the Greekfest on Sunday caught up with me. I'm still not ready to do any real training. Yesterday, I got home from work, and had the shakes getting off the bike after riding home. I did NOT ride today, and don't have plans for tomorrow either. Also, I've done no running either. Hopefully, I will feel ready to do something on Wednesday. The pool is open at the Y again, and I have been missing my swims.

Next Goal: 12k in Oct

Current Status: Sour Stomache

Upcoming: Time will tell

Recent Stuff

2008-09-05T18:14:00.000-07:00

Been lazy about getting up to ride into work. I have to leave on the bike before 7 am to get to work in time to cool and change, so I've been opting for the snooze button more. I only rode to work 1 time this week.

I did manage to get up to the Y for some weights and a trainer ride on Thursday. Been a long time since I've ridden the trainers, and I put in 45 minutes with a total of about 12 miles. Not very fast. My knee has been locking up. I watched the Cocks stink up the first half of the Vandy game, and lost motivation to work hard myself, as well.

Today, I headed out for a trail run at Clemson Extension near Sandhills. I've been looking for something new to run, and had a blast running the trails. A bit sandy, and slow, but lots of hills to climb. I ran for about an hour and made about 6 miles. Still doing the interval thing. I ran all over the place in many different directions, and saw a bunch of other runners getting out before any possible storms. I definitely want to do this run some more!

Next Goal: 12k in Oct.

Current Status: Sore and tired

Upcoming: Busy weekend, not sure

August Training Totals

2008-09-02T19:52:00.000-07:00

August has been getting back into the schedule of teaching and fitting in training.

I ran and swam more in August than in July, so that's a good sign, but my bike totals keep shrinking.

I hope to use Sept. and get back into a good solid routine.

Swimming: 6400.00 Yd - 3h 30m
Biking: 133.20 Mi - 8h 44m 07s
Running: 29.85 Mi - 5h 04m 55

More Long Interval Training

2008-09-02T19:39:00.000-07:00

Made another successful commute today! Nice way to start the day, and get home from work without bringing home any of the aggravations. It's only 7.3 miles round trip, but I get some nice hills to work with, and I'm only slightly slower than driving.

Went to the Y for my second long run with the interval training I downloaded. I made through this time, and average running around 10 minute miles. I was just under 6 miles or the whole thing. I can run 45 minutes around 9 minute mile pace, but going 15 more minutes really changes things. I am amazed at how my body struggles when I hit the 45 minute mark. I ran for more than an hour tonight, and hope that by doing this more often I can get more used to running longer distances.

Next Goal: 12k in oct

Current Status: Sore left knee

Upcoming: commute again

New Interval Run

2008-08-27T18:52:00.000-07:00

I've had a 10k interval program on my iPod for some time now, but felt it was too easy to use. With my knee pain, I decided to give it a shot, thinking it would be I nice way to get some miles in and not aggravate the knee too much.

Well, I was wrong about the program being easy. The on and off plan looked simple on paper, but was not. I will most likely use the program more now. It made me run longer and harder even with the brief period of walking. I drank a bit too much water on one walk interval, and along with dinner, I almost choked up a bit of dinner. Not cool in the Y!

My guess for tonight was about 5 miles and I ran for about an hour. My knee was good the 1st 30 minutes, but started to get sore near the end. Actually, I stopped running with one more interval left, so I still have some work to do to complete the system.

I also put in some weight training.

Next Goal: 12k in oct

Current Status: Ready for some Football!

Upcoming: Commute Day?

Inconsistent

2008-08-26T18:15:00.000-07:00

Since my last post, I have not been on my best. Training and schedules have been hard to mesh. I've had the start of school, a little boy's birthday, and neighborhood junk to deal with. I did absolutely no training over the weekend, and started back up at the start of this week.

On Monday, I rode my bike to school (4.4 miles) and then got stuck by the rain. Luckily, wife could make it to my rescue. I made a trip to the Y at night for a brisk 5k run. I planned to train at 85% percent max, and could not do it. I felt horrible running, and backed off and walked for a bit several times. My left knee was very sore. I'm not sure what I did to it, but I could feel a fair amount of pressure running. I hope the poor run was due to the break in training, and that I will get the knee better faster.

Tonight, I skipped a ride to work in the rain! Made it to the Y for a spin class and swim. Spin class was so-so. The left knee was still painful. I worked through the class though. I had plenty of endurance, but the knee made it hard to fight through the heavy work. I got in a swim. A highlight of my recent training. I swam 100, 200, 500, 200, 100. Nothing to report unusual, but have started working some medley swim in the last 100 for a cool down and a change. I swam some backstroke and breaststoke today.

Next Goal: 12k in Oct

Current Status: Bad Left Knee

Upcoming: All depends on the knee

Start of School

2008-08-21T19:13:00.000-07:00

School started back up, and I made it to the Y after day back to teaching. I was worn out from the day, but getting in the class really recharged me. It was a tough class with lots of slow leg burning stuff. Not much to say about the class itself. After the class, I swam in the pool for 900m and had a blast. Swimming is quickly becoming a perfect way to loosen up and unwind from the day. I swam with little effort and really enjoyed just cruising.

Next Goal: 12k in Oct.

Current Status: Sore legs and knees from standing all day.

Upcoming: Medium run

Off and On Work

2008-08-19T19:44:00.000-07:00

Getting adjusted to working and training has not been as easy as I'd hoped. Since my last post, I have only been able to commute one time. I took the entire weekend off with children's parties and the museum's celebration, so my workouts have been spotty.

I did manage a nice 5 mile run on Monday night and a nice 1,000m swim tonight. The run felt great, and I did it on the Ol' home course around the lake in my neighborhood. I ran around a 10 minute pace the whole time and worked hard the last 1/2 mile to feel how the legs would do at the end of long run.

The swim tonight was lots of fun. I felt awesome after a long day and night getting ready for school opening. The swim thing is getting to be a favorite way to workout when I' a tad worn out. After the swim a guy talked to me about swimming, and actually asked how I learned to swim so smoothly. Huh!! Me!! I was not sure what he meant. I never think of myself as the smooth swimmer. He must have confused me with someone else.

If I had not forgotten to bring my sneakers, I would have even ridden on a trainer some tonight. Oh well, I will catch up some tomorrow I hope.

Next Goal: 12k in Oct

Current Status: Wishing I had brought shoes

Upcoming: weights and spinning

Commute Accomplished

2008-08-14T18:59:00.000-07:00

Today, I followed through on a promise from last school year by commuting to and from work. It's only about 4 1/2 miles there, and 9 miles round trip, but still I save a few drops of precious gas. I will try to continue this as much as possible. I will be looking into getting some saddle bags and winter gear if this keeps up.

This morning the ride in was quite cold. I could not believe it, but as I cut through the back of Wood Creek Farms to avoid traffic, I got chilly. I changed at work and started a day of in-service for the new school year. I'm actually excited about getting back to work.

After the static day of one big long meeting, I was prepped to get out and hit the road. It was kinda like that scene in Fight Club, where the guy sits in his cubicle all day and thinks about the beatings he will take. I was ready to get of the school by the end of the day. I rode to the Y, which was about 10 miles from my school, and swam about 1,000m. I swam 100, 200, 500, 200, 100 today. Another tri guy was swimming next to me, and I tried to keep up with his pace when possible. I have no idea if he was even pushing it, but I had a hard time keeping up. I have absolutely no knick! An area to work on.

I rode home after the swim by warm of Lake Carolina and Summit again. The hills still slow me down a good bit, but when I pushed on the flats I topped around 22 - 24 mph. Great way to start a new school year. I was in a super mood when I got home, and did not even mind the neighborhood association meeting I had to attend tonight!

Stats:

Distance: 20.81 miles

Time: 1:15:58

Avg. Speed: 16.44 mph

Max Speed: 35.66

Next Goal: 12k in oct

Current Status: Ready to go again

Upcoming: Commute & maybe a late night run

Medium Run with some weights

2008-08-13T18:54:00.000-07:00

Went to the Y in all the rain today. I thought about waking up early to run this morning and ride this afternoon with a group, but plans changed.

At the Y, I did a medium pace run for about 30 minutes. I pushed around a 9 minute pace with about 4 minutes at 8 1/2 minute pace and 4 minutes at 8 minute pace. The 8 minute pace was tough, and when I finished the run, I noticed my right hamstring was really tight and sore. I may have pushed too hard, but felt good while running.

I also got in a little work with weights. Not much since I ended up leaving to go to the Gamecocks scrimmage tonight. Amy and I took the Boys to see the Cocks play. Joey absolutely loved it. He spent a lot of time demonstrating for us how the players were smashing. Pow! Pow! Bobby was tired, since he did not nap, and was his chatty self, asking questions about every little detail of the event. Why do they have those orange things, Daddy. Why did he not catch the ball, Daddy? And on and on...

Stats:

Run Distance: 3.5 miles

Time: ~ 30 minutes

Avg HR: 145 bpm

Max HR: 159 bpm

Cals: 437

Next Goal: 12k in Oct

Current Status: Sore right hamstring and left toe

Upcoming: Commute to work, maybe swim and finish weights

Adjusting for School

2008-08-12T18:44:00.001-07:00

School starts back for me this week, so I must get back to the real world of training with a full time job. I will not be able to just workout whenever I like anymore. As I get back into a work schedule, I will be getting my training routine back to normal as well. I hope to keep up the conditioning even though I will have less time.

Today was an evening spin class followed with a swim. Amy joined me, too. I think she is getting into the spin classes like I have. Spin class was harder than usual tonight. Lots of climbing and sprint work. Lots of it, and it was harder than usual. On one climb that seemed to last forever, my legs bound up, and I had to back down and sit for a sec. It's been awhile since I have had to quit on a section in class.

After the spin class, I hit the pool. I swam 50, 100, 200, 200, 100, 50. Not a load of swimming, but I want to keep sharp in the pool, and any work is a bonus. The swim was typical except Amy and the Boys joined me. It was fun as Joey cheered me on swimming my laps. "Go Daddy!!," he would yell every time I touched by where he was floating near my lane. Bobby, by the way, has been working on swimming "Like the Olympics!," he claims. It's hilarious to see him breast stroking as he copies Phelps. Currently, he more flash than speed.

Swimming after a workout is such a great way to cool down. I really have been tight since sprinting on Saturday, and swimming loosened me up a great deal. I took an extra day from training on Monday, because of the soreness from the Saturday run at the track. My quads were like tight ropes straight down the center, and my right (outside turning) calf was cramped at the bottom. Walking was not fun at all.

Stats:

Spin Time: 49:05

Zone Time: 44:47

Avg HR: 140 bpm

Max HR: 158 bpm

Swim: 700m (BTW Phelps swam 8300m total yesterday!! He also collected a few medal, too.)

Next Goal: 12k in oct

Current Status: Disgusted by Hardees' commercials

Upcoming: Run and weights or group ride

Sprint Work

2008-08-09T11:15:00.000-07:00

Today's goal: Sprinting

Amy and I hit the track at Spring Valley High School around 11 am in hopes of working on getting faster. It's an experiment based on what I've read about running.

We started with a mile warm up. I did a 9:30 mile pace and Amy was at a 10 min pace. I followed with a plan of 4 400 meter sprints and to finish with another mile. I ran the first three 400s at a 1:30 pace, but the last 400 was too much for me. I hit the wall, and stopped after only 200 m. Amy did not run 400s but was doing 200s and I was using her to pace me. The last 400, she was ahead of me on her 200 and I tried catching up, and lost it.

The sprint work was not fun. I enjoy jogging, but now realize that I hate sprinting. It was all hard work. I did not finish with a mile at the end. The track was hot. Choosing to run in the middle of the day was not the best idea.

Hopefully, doing this a few more time will help me in the longer runs, so I can reach my goals in the 5k.

Next Goal: 12k in October

Current Status: Sore left big toe again! Left shoulder is also strained.

Upcoming: Rest

Medium Road Ride & Family Ride

2008-08-08T18:52:00.000-07:00

I cancelled plans for the group ride tonight, and rode solo around Northeast Columbia. I headed from my house out to Kershaw County and back by way of Lake Carolina and Summit.

Again, I feel like all I did was climb hills all day. I do not recall much of any straight aways other than a few sections. It was just hill after hill after hill. My quads were loaded up, and I could feel plenty of lactic acid building up. The only real straight section I recall was the commuter lane around Sandhills Shopping Center. I hit 20 plus out one way, and 18 mph the other.

So, my average speed is not that great, but I did have some power when I wanted it. If nothing else, I've had some nice hill work the past two days. The overall ride was pretty lame, nothing spectacular to report.

I came home, showered and then decided to ride up to the Sandhills to watch a band and eat dinner. So, one more ride. This time, Amy and I rode with the boys in the trailer and took some back roads by way of the Clemson Extension Agency. Again, I had one very big hill to top, and with the boys in tow, my knees started to feel the work over the course of the day. I took it very slow up and back, but had a great time tonight. The band was great. Dinner was good (Service was slooow), and we had some Italian Ices and rode home in the setting sun. Pretty nice night.

Stats:

Miles: 23.59 miles (Plus more from the dinner trip!)

Time:1:27:11

Avg. Speed: 16.23 mph

Max Speed: 32.73

Next Goal: 12k in October

Current Status: Sore Knees & Tight Quads

Upcoming: Weights and Sprint Work

Bike to Y for Swim

2008-08-07T18:29:00.000-07:00

With a break in the heat (kinda) I decided to ride up to the Y and back with a break for a nice swim at the pool. Heading up was about 4.5 miles from my house, and once I got to the Y, I showered the sweat off and hit the pool. I swam a ladder of 50, 100, 200, 200, 100, 50. It was a nice pace, and I am starting find a nice form in the pool again after such a long layoff. I did not time anything, but after another week or so I will swim a 1,000m with time to see if I'm faster in the pool than in June and July.

I rode home a different way cutting through Lake Carolina and Summit. I never knew there was a cut through until recently, so I wanted to see what is was like heading home that way. It was much longer and hillier, and it hurt my average speed. I was not as fast on the bike as I was back in June. I have not been on the road as much lately, and I think It showed. I want my average speed over 18 mph, and would like to be able to hit 20 mph as average for a 15 mile ride.

Stats:

Swim: 700m

Bike 14.31 miles

Time: 54:01

Avg Speed: 15.90 mph

Max Speed: 31.20 mph

Next Goal: 12k in October

Current Status: Wheezy (I have had to use the inhaler. August Air Quality SUCKS!)

Upcoming: Big Easy Ride at Lake Carolina

New Ground in Running

2008-08-06T18:41:00.000-07:00

Today, I ended up running on the treadmill at the Y. With the heat, I just don't have the nerve to try much outdoors in the middle of the day. Also, I did not want to run late at night either. I have decided to focus on getting ready for a 12k in October. This will be the longest race yet for me, and I decided to see how I would do on a hour long run today.

I started out slow with 11 minute and 10 1/2 minute mile pace to see how my body was doing. I did not feel great at the start. I was not motivated and seemed to have trouble getting going. But, by the 30 minute mark, my legs loosened up and I pushed a 10 minute mile pace. I find it weird, but it was like my body took 30 minutes to warm up! At this point, I cruised the rest of the way through the run until the last 10 minutes. I love running in the zone. I felt like no one else was in the Y. Actually, I was! Literally, everyone had left the health and fitness area. Strange.

On a side note, I discover the treadmills at the Y cut your run off at the 50 minute mark. I guess this is so people like me don't hog them. Anyways, I hit the reset but and finished my last 10 minutes. This was hard, since my legs had stopped! And, they seemed to like it that way. Well, I forced the to go one more 10 minute mile.

The run felt great. I feel like I have been running pain free for a month now, and I am ready to push to a new level. I have no shin pain, and my knees are good. My feet were a bit sore, but that's not a big deal. I just rest a day and then they are good to go. I will try out some speed work on a track next time out for a run. I have not seen myself progress much lately, so I want to investigate with running sprints and see if I can lower my mile pace over the next month or so.

This was the longest and furthest I have ever run. I made it over 5.75 miles in the hour run, and I could have pushed harder. I only ran at about 75 percent.

Stats:

Time: 1 hour

Distance: 5.75 miles

Avg HR 144 bpm

Max HR: 153 bpm

Cals: 761

Next Goal: 12K in October

Current Status: Best day of the week

Upcoming: swim and bike

Swimming Beats Anything in This Heat

2008-08-05T17:47:00.000-07:00

I am still not sure why, but I continue to not feel great. I planned to bike and swim, but forgot I had a neighborhood National Night Out Thing tonight, so I only swam today. I put in about 1000 meters of solid work, and felt fairly good. Much better than yesterday, anyways. I did not time it, or wear a HR band, so I have no real stats. Going Ol' School still has its charm. My arms, shoulders and chest are a bit sore a tight tonight. That's to be expected after not swimming for so long.

Also, tonight a group from the neighborhood got out and walked for the National Night Out. It was very hot, and we debated not going. I felt that we had to do it. I ended up carry my oldest, Bobby, the whole dang way, so now I'm counting the walk as some cardio for the day.

Next Goal: 12 K in October

Current Status: Sore Upper Body

Upcoming: Undecided :(

Worst Workout Ever!

2008-08-04T19:45:00.001-07:00

Felt horrible all day. I was lazy getting up, and did nothing at all today. By the time I got to the Y I had a headache and just felt bad all over. I did some weight training to try and get things going, and felt worse. I rode a trainer for 30 minutes to see if that would clear my head and get me going, and I still felt awful. My knees hurt, and I barely got my HR up to 130. I was very slow and had no motivation. After the bike I almost gave up a 20 minute run I had planned to throw in, but forced myself to do it. I did manage to get through the run at a 9 1/2 minute pace, so that wasn't completely worthless.

In all, this was by far the least enjoyable training I have done to date. I'm not sure if it was the sloth-like morning I had, or if I'm still feeling the heat from the 5k on Saturday. Hopefully things will get better tomorrow.

Stats:

Bike Distance: 8 miles (Ouch!!)

Run Distance: 2.3 miles

Bike Time: 30 minutes

Run Time: 20 minutes

Avg HR: 132 bpm

Max HR: 151 bpm

Cals: 563

Next Goal: 12k or 5k under 26

Current Status: Beat by the Heat

Upcoming: Swim and Bike

Hot August Night Race Results

2008-08-02T19:20:00.000-07:00

The official results have not been posted yet, so I will have to update more later, but I can report that I did not run under 26 minutes. Yet, I did make it in under 27 minutes, which is a new personal record.

Update: Official Results

Time: 26:55

Pace: 8:40

Overall: 191/395

Men: 148/232

Age Group: 14/30

The race was hot, and I know that I faded the last mile. I tried to kick the last 1/2 mile and get in under 26 minutes, but I just did not have it in me. I know I ran all out. My heart rate was over 170 the last 2 miles of the race, which is red line for me! I ran a total of 27 seconds in my training zone, according to settings of my watch, and the rest was over the line.

The first mile I paced with an older guy that had a stride like mine. Actually, he pulled me out of the comfort zone and I ran the first mile in about 8 minutes. This got my hopes up. But, the second mile was hillier, and I know I slowed down to about a 9 minute mile pace. The old guy I was using as a pace setter took off, and I lost some focus. Some folks zipped by me at this point, which made me wonder why the heck they were behind me in the first place. If you can sprint by someone in the second mile in a 5k then you should not be behind them in the first place. I noticed some runners pulling up and walking at this point. My personal favorite was passing about 3 kids from the Ridge View HIgh School Cross Country Team that sprinted away with the leaders of the race. I never saw them again, and I hope they were okay, but they really planned on winning the race and paid the big price for it!

The third mile came and I noticed I needed another 8 minute mile to make my goal. I pushed as hard as I could, and passed some guys I had been behind the 2nd mile. I even caught the original old guy that lead me out the first mile. He hit the wall and barely seemed to be moving. The last mile seemed to stretch forever, and when I made the home stretch I had top gear in place and was hoping to hold on till the last meter in absolute sprint. I noticed the time above the finish line click past 26 minutes and I was still a ways away. I lost motivation and dropped back. I was sucking wind anyways, and would not have been able to sprint to the end unless I knew it meant making my goal. I ended up with a time like 26:40 or 50 something.

This was still and improvement, so I'm not really bummed at all, especially given the somewhat hilly course and high temp. I plan to focus with sprinting more, so I can develop a kick that pushes me into the 7 or 8 minute mile group. Some of the runners seemed to have a gear I just do not have. I had fun and it was nice running through Shandon. Lots of folks lined the road and cheered people on. People had sprinklers aimed at the street, and it was a unique atmosphere to have people around the whole race site. My parents and Amy came to race. My mom, as always, screamed for me. She does not care how many people are ahead of me, and I must admit I like hearing her.

Here are some pics courtesy of my sweet wife, Amy:

Running the last stretch head down is a bad sign! My heart rate was about 180 here.

Getting passed by some guy, who ran like Forrest Gump, I swear! He about collapsed at the finish line and was 2 seconds ahead. Yeah for him! I must say I have much better form even if I was slower.

Cooling off after the race. My shoe was off so I could turn my chip in!

Stats:

Unofficial Time: 26:40

Avg HR: 170

Max HR: 182

Cals: 471

Next Goal: Run a 12k or a 5k under 26

Current Status: Whipped

Upcoming: Road Ride??

Hot Harbison Ride

2008-08-01T12:15:00.000-07:00

I was planning to ride early, but laziness held back, and I did not make it to the trails until later this afternoon around 1pm. I was in a hurry to get back home so I was only going to get one loop of the midlands trail in before having to get back towards northeast. Luckily, too, it was so hot I could not have ridden much more without completely burning up, and with a race tomorrow that is probably not a good idea.

I rode the loop okay. Not as fast as I want, but I have not ridden in the heat much, and its been over a week since I rode Harbison. I felt good on some of the technical sections, but the hills killed me today. I even had to walk the last several yards of the big midlands mountail climb by the bluffs.

My heart rate was high the whole ride, and I was breathing very hard on the tough parts even though I was not trying to push hard today. Most likely due to the heat. I was amazed how much the temperature bothered me. Heading home, I saw another biker getting ready to head out (The only other car in the lot!), and told him good luck with the heat. His reply was, "It's no big deal. You just have to get used to it."

I have no idea how you get used to 100+ heat. I think he's full of BS.

Stats:

Distance: 9.2 miles

Time: 56:52

Avg. Speed: 9.71 mph

Max Speed: 19.18 mph

Avg HR: 150 bpm

Max HR: 167 bpm

Next Goal: Hot August Night 5k under 26 minutes

Current Status: HOT

Upcoming: Race Day

July's Training Totals

2008-07-31T19:04:00.001-07:00

With a week in the mountains and time at the beach, I knew I was not as focused this month. Still, I'm very happy to remain consistent with my training. I want to avoid going heavy and then dropping off totally. With school starting back in August I hope I can keep the stats in the same range.

Here are the totals for July:

Swimming: 4550.00 Yd - 2h 47m 12s
Biking: 157.16 Mi - 10h 39m 07s
Running: 26.00 Mi - 4h 15m 42s

5o more yards of swimming

14 miles less of biking

6 miles less of running

Spin Class & 5K Oops

2008-07-31T18:57:00.000-07:00

I wanted to ride something somewhere, so I ended up with the spin class tonight. I had a great ride. Amy joined in, and hat was nice. I kept my HR around 140 with a high in the 160s. I planned to swim some as well, but storms closed the pool.

But, the big news was I messed up the date on my 5k. What I thought was a race next week is actually this Saturday night. So, I will be racing Saturday! I doubt I will make my goal of 26 minutes, but I'm giving it a shot.

Next Goal: Hot August Night under 26 minutes on Saturday

Current Status: Buzzed on Home Brew

Upcoming: Ride Harbison in the AM before the heat.

4 Miles Under 40 Minutes

2008-07-30T19:12:00.000-07:00

The Oconee trip did not include any runs or rides as I had planned. It was not easy getting away from the campgrounds, and leaving Amy alone on vacation would have been plain rude.

So, tonight was my first real workout in a week. I ended up running 4 miles in about 38 minutes. It felt good to know I had not completely fallen out of training mode from a week off. I did have a hard time getting in the mood to train though. I was going to ride this morning (slept in, and I was going to ride this pm (cancelled due to rain).

Stats:

4 miles

9 1/2 minute pace

38 minutes

150 ish bpm avg

Next Goal: Hot August Night 5k under 26 minutes

Current Status: Glad to be back in the habit

Upcoming: Ride somewhere on something

Oconee Trip

2008-07-23T18:17:00.000-07:00

Amy, The Boys and I will soon be heading to Oconee State Park for a camping trip. I will br bringing the S-Caliber to ride some of the trails up in the area. I believe Isaqueena (sp?) is in the area. Does anyone know what it's like. Does anyone have any other suggestions?

5K Prep Run

2008-07-22T19:13:00.000-07:00

Thinking about the Hot August Night 5K coming up in August, I decided to try and run 3 miles at a 8 1/2 minute pace to see how I'm doing on my next goal. I want to run under 26 minutes in my next race, and I want to see how I've advanced. With the oppressive heat, I opted to run in the Y as well. A nice advantage, but I wanted to see just how fast I could go without worrying about overheating.

The good news is that tonight's run was my fastest 5K yet, by my timing.

The bad news is that I still have about 1 minute to shave off to make my goal.

Tonight's run was just under 27 minutes for 3.1 miles of running. I ran the first mile at 8 1/2 minutes, but the next two I ended up dropping off to a 9 minute pace and back up to 8 1/2 minute pace. Making the move to a 8 1/2 minute mile is like a wall for me. I have little trouble running 9 minute miles at a 4 or 5 mile run, but making the quicker pace is difficult to hold over the 5K distance.

I have a little time left to focus on running faster, so we'll see about making my next goal. This will be a good challenge, and I don't want to change it.

Beach Trip Update

2008-07-22T10:44:00.000-07:00

Got back from Surfside yesterday. I have not updated the blog lately, since internet is sketchy at the beach. Wireless interent at grandma's house is off a borrowed (pirated) signal from the neighbors house, so it's not always available.

Anyway, I was only able to fit in 2 workouts between dodging Tropical Depression rain bands, and beach fun. One run and one bike during the extended weekend.

The run was a 3.5 mile out and back along ocean drive with Amy and her sister Becky. The pace was mild for the first part, but when Amy and Becky turned back early, I decided to play catch-up and see if I could run the down even though the had a 1/2 mile head start. I ran at top speed for the last section. They never got in sight, however, I did find them after my run as they came off the beach. I was not too far behind. Only a minute or so.

The bike was 27 miles round trip around ocean drive from one end of Surfside to Garden City and back a few times. I had trouble with my knee the first 15 miles, and thought about stopping the ride, however, when I stopped for water at Surfside Pier, I stretched the knee out and it felt loads better the rest of the ride. I average only 17 mph the first part of the ride, but after the knee thing worked itself out, I was around 20 mph the rest of the ride. The ride was pretty basic, however, I did almost get slammed by a golf carting family. The cart was going slow and only part on the road, so I was passing on the left. As I passed, the little girl swerved for a left had turn without signalling, and I had to veer into oncoming traffic to avoid being run over. Thank goodness there was no one coming the other direction.

One of my biggest pet peeves is golf carts at the beach. I hate that everyone lets their kids drive the things, and they always seem to talking on cell phones, and not paying any attention to what's going on around them. It used to be only a few family's that had them, but know I see almost as many carts as cars. I wish Surfside would do something to stop it, but as usual I seem to be in the minority with my opinion in regards with what children should and should not be allowed to do.

Big Day - Harbison Distance Record

2008-07-16T18:18:00.000-07:00

Started the day with weight training, and a swim at the Y. Weight training went well, and I put some time in on the rowing machine, which I have not used lately. It's great for just about every muscle group, and I need to use it more often. Did the usual weights, and swam about 500m in different sets. I focused on form, and was very happy with my progress. I was swimming with weight free hands and was able to focus more on breathing to both sides. I swam a few sets of 100s and the rest 50s and 25s.

This afternoon I made it over to Harbison around 3pm for a ride. It's been awhile since I've really had a chance to ride it, and since the last few times with the Harrell's Group, I've wimped out after just doing Lost Creek, I made sure to put in more miles. I wanted to do 15 miles with Lost Creek and the Loop around Midlands Mountain without Spider Woman.

I saw the new section on Firebreak that Jim blogged about. I agree it looks well banked and planned. It will be fast when the trail settles in. I was tentative on the loose dusty surface. I liked the design. Very much like FATS in my opinion.

Starting off on Lost Creek, I had a great ride. I was averaging about 9.5 mph, and had hopes of doing 10. I saw some neat wildlife (Deer, Rabbits & a Squirrel even jumped right over my front tire), and felt good. About 1/2 way in a rested a bit, and the rest of the ride back doing the loop clockwise was much tougher and technical. I slowed down, and lost my legs on a hill and ended up walking to the crest. My riding technique is not great, and it always shows on the LC. I bounced over roots, and could not hold speed. My back started tightening up, and I started to feel beat up and spit out by the trail. The average speed dropped down to 9 mph by the end of the trail. I did make it through the up & Down Switchbacks at the end without much trouble (Great or ME!!), but bailed on the dry creek bed that has that teeny little channel to guide the front tire through. Man, that section is getting tough, since the tire sized channel is getting so deep. I needed to have more speed, and hop the tire over that part, but lacked the nerve and skill.

As its been lately, I felt like cruising back to the parking lot, but I forced myself to stay out. I rested at the edge of LC and took in some Gu, and fluids. I watched jealously as a few other riders zoomed past. Man, I have no idea how some folks speed through the trail. I must spend more time trail riding. Focusing on the Triathlon meant more road work, but the trail work demands so much more.

After the rest, I headed out to Midlands Mountain Trail. I practiced using my tall front gear more to get the speed up, but I bounced too much downhill, and rode poor lines in the curves, and backed off in tougher spots. The full suspension is a godsend, but I could stand to work more on balance to improve overall bike handling. I crested the 2 tough climbs on Midlands in granny gears sucking wind, and rested at the top of the last one by the Bluffs. Feeling the back getting really tight, I laid down on a bench and drained the rest of my Bladder Pack, wishing I had thought to mix up some Heed for the ride. I could have used it there. I enjoyed the shade for a bit, and was treated with some time watching a humming bird zip around in the forest. I thought about riding down to the river or a splash, but headed down the home stretch instead.

Making may way back on Firebreak I wanted to try and get my average up to 10 mph. I was around 9.25 at the time, and really tried to crank hard the last few miles. I did go faster. I usually ride this section well, since it's not too technical, but my quads just did not have the power, and I could only hold 14 mph for a few minutes at a time before small hills broke my cadence and downshifting dropped the speed back down.

I ended up riding more miles than I ever remember doing at Harbison - 15 exactly, but unhappily only averaged 9.5 mph. I had a great time. Just wish it was faster. Finished of the day with a splash in the pool with my boys. I must say. The weather was great, and this was on overall exceptional day filled with lots of fun.

Bike Stats:

Trail Time: 1:50:35

Bike Time: 1:35:13

Rest Time 15:20 ( I needed it, too!!)

Distance: 15 miles exactly!!

Avg. Speed: 9.45 mph

Max Speed: 18.23 mph

Avg HR: 147 bpm (Would have been higher without the rest!)

Max HR: 168 bpm

Cals: 1492

Next Goal: Hot August Night under 26 minutes

Current Status: Glad to be getting in better shape

Upcoming: Mowing the lawn, heading to the beach. Rest.

Back in the Groove

2008-07-15T18:26:00.001-07:00

After a 2 day break, today was my first training since the big race on Saturday. I made it a spn class a tad late after swimming a few extra minutes with the Boys at our neighborhood pool. The class was tough. I did not feel very powerul, but I had plenty of stamina. I don't know if it was the bike or not, but I had trouble going fast. I did better with the hills than the sprints. I may still be tight from the race though.

When I came home, Amy and I decided to run around the lake a few times, and I stuffed the Boys into the Bike Trailer and converted it to a jogging stroller. It was about their bedtime, and they already had the PJs on. Bobby fell asleep before we even made it 1/2 way around the first time. Pushing the Boys was extra hard. I could not pump my arms, and I had to shorten my stride because of the stroller's weight. Hills were tough. It was likely running, when I still weighed about 230ish 6 months ago.

It was nice doing a brick today, and I was glad Amy and I got to run together. We did a tough hill by her folks house, and cruised home. I made us power shakes, and we put the boys to bed.

Next Goal: Hot August Night 5k under 26 minutes

Current Status: Back in Training

Upcoming: Morning Swim and Weights; Afternoon ride at Harbison

Tri the Pee Dee Race Results

2008-07-12T09:52:00.000-07:00

Going into this race, I have been very nervous. I have been getting ready for a triathlon seriously for about 2 or 3 months, and I have only recently been comfortable with longer type swims. I headed out from the hotel at 6 am, and got to Emerald Lake to setup. I found my transition spot, and setup for stuff for the race. Then, I had about an hour to wait for Amy, the Boys, and my Folks to arrive and for the race to begin. I walked around the site, and made myself familiar with the layout.

Swim

Being in the novice group meant leaving last for the swim. It is not fun being as nervous as I was, and having to wait for everyone else to go ahead of you. I know it makes sense for the faster racers to go first, so us slow pokes don't get in their way. I'm just saying, it's not fun. The Open group of men and women were finishing their swim, as my group headed out. I must say overall my goal for the swim was to just get it over with. The water temp was fine, but I found the lake very murky. I had trouble seeing, and couldn't see my hands in front of me. I knew to expect to kicked and pushed a lot, but I was still not ready for it when it started. I tried staying out of people's way, but that did not good. Embarassingly, at one point I even swam back to shore, and ended up getting way off course. I stuck my head back in the water and headed back out to the buoys marking the path. My goggles were fogged up, and I had trouble seeing anything in the water. Eventually, as I turned back for home on the loop swim course, I developed a sort of technique for open water swimming. I found that swimming only freestyle was hard, and ended up mixing in breast stroke to sight my path better. I still swam very zig zag though. I felt like I was in the very back the whole way, and swam like hell just to get it over with and out of the water. As I came out of the swim and headed into T1, I looked at my watch, and saw I swam the course under 18 minutes. I was floored.

Transition 1

Not much to say other than it was a long way from the lake to the bike racks, and I was ragged out from the swim. I noticed my HR was over 180 (A new Max for me) and was awfullt shaky and not thinking straight. I wasted a lot of time and saw many other racers come and go. A bad sign.

Bike

Once I got on the bike, I felt more relaxed, and headed out on the dread dirt road. I followed a slower rider most of the way, and gained composure from the swim. My HR was still over 170 for the first mile. As I headed to the Highway paved portion of the ride, I took in some Gu, and dropped into high gear. Bang! My chain poppes off. I've had this bike since I was in high school, and never once has the chain come off. I tried back pedalling and adjusting the gears, but still no luck. I got off the bike to fix the thing, and for a few tense moments thoughts I was gonna have to give up, while other racers zoomed past. Eventually, the thing took hold and I was off. I held mostly 18 mph over the whole course with a few moments in 19 and 20!! I was happy with my pace, and kept thinking "Just keep pressing." I passed about 15 people on the bike, and felt good for the first time in the race. I caught all the riders that passed me and few more that were not even in my group. The ride was flat, and easy as advertised. I made this section under 53 minutes. Although my bike speed was averaged at 17.77 mph, I know if not for the dirt road, I would have been into 18+ zone.

T2

Not as bad. Faster. Took Gu and water then off.

Run

The run was a 3 lap loop around the lake that I swam earlier. As I headed out, I could see Amy cheering, and that got me pepped up. My legs took a bit to adjust, and I ran a medium pace the first lap. My side started to tighten up and I held back a bit to gauge the seriousness of the pain. Lap 2 was much the same as lap 1. The course was sandy with no hills. Just like running at Sesqui. As I started lap 3, the pain went away, and I pushed hard to make my 30 min goal. I felt great the last leg, and kept wondering how much I still had in the tank. The last lap Bobby and Joey surprised me with signs, too. They were cheering loudly, and I really got it going then. As lap 3 ended, I veered off to the finish line in full sprint. Some folks near the end thought it a tad strange someone in the back of the pack was running this hard, but I wanted to make my 30 minute goal. I felt it would be close, since the first 2 laps were about 10 minute miles by my watch. Ending the race, I met up with family and I felt great to be done, and share my time with them. I will always remember my boys running to hug me after the race. Especially because Joey immediately proclaimed me as too wet to touch.

Stats:
Swim - 17:12 (Yipee)
T1 - 3:57 (Too Long!)
Bike - 52:32 (Good)
T2 - 1:33 (Not bad)
Run - 29:08 (Good)
Total - 1:44:21 (Yess!
Max HR - 183
Avg HR - 160
Cals: 1540
117 out of 139 Men Racing
6 out of 10 Novices Racing (The winner was in at 1H 28 Min!!!)

Overall

I have no idea where the swim time came from. I had planned a 25 minute swim, and thought that may be a tad too much. If not for the off course suff, I could have been faster. I must say the swim terrified me, and that was the motivation to swim like I did. I must channel that next time. The bike was great. I needed a section to feel good about. I'd like to be as fast as a 20 mph average mext time, but what I did today was above my training, so I'm happy. The run was good, but boring. Not much to look at, and running 3 laps was nerve racking. I kept thinking about what lap I was on, hoping my brain was still working. If I can, I'd like to lower this to 28 minutes, too! My goal was under 2 hours, and I did that by more than 15 minutes. I'm extremely happy about that. Next time I'd like to be into 1 hour 30 minute category. I'm exhausted. My stomache is still tight from the race, but I feel good otherwise. I'm taking 2 days of rest, and then I will start focusing on my next race.

Pics of the Race: http://web.mac.com/tswick/iWeb/Site/Tri%20the%20Pee%20Dee.html

Last Chance Workout

2008-07-11T07:35:00.000-07:00

Today was my final workout before heading to Florence for my first Triathlon. I rode about 25 minutes and covered a tad less than 7 miles. I thought getting on the bike today would be a godd last minute check that the bike is in working order. Everything was okay.

I wanted to keep it light and averaged less than 15 mph. It was hard not pushing for more speed. It killed me to see such a low average speed, but I keep telling myself that I'll have the power tomorrow. I rode out and back to my house down Bookman Road. I thought it'd be a flat course, but when I headed down Cherokee Lane it got extremely hilly. I ended up with more of a hill climb than cruise day.

I'm getting packed up, making sure I have everything I need. Thank goodness I have a checklist from a book I've been reading, otherwise I'd likely freak out about whether or not I have what I need. I have a race meeting tonight at 5 and I want to get my race packet as well later. The race starts at 7:30 and I plan to be there by 6:30. If all goes well I should wrap this thing up tomorrow by about 10:00. My group leaves last so I will likely hit the water by 8:00 if everything goes as planned.

Next Goal: Tri the Pee Dee Tomorrow under 2 hours

Current Status: Hoping the smooothie I made is not poisoning me. (Wierd Taste??)

Upcoming: RACE DAY

Light Run Day

2008-07-10T09:17:00.000-07:00

Went to the Y this morning for a loght run, but for some strange reason my left toe was killing me. I decided to run on an elliptical machine instead. I did not want to aggravate the toe any more with the race two days away.

I'm not sure what I did or what is wrong with it, but I hope it heals fast and is ok by Saturday Morning.

Tomorrow I will take a quick ride in the morning and check that the bike is ready to go before heading out to check in for the race in Florence.

Light Swim Day

2008-07-09T17:39:00.000-07:00

Went to the Y this morning, and did my light swim. This was my last day in the pool before the Tri on Saturday, and I wanted to take it easy and feel confident about form.

Mission Accomplished. I swam a 100 warm up and cool down, and just worked on Zipper Drills, and light hands, keeping my body balanced. I felt great in the water, and really focused in on swimming ahead rather than underneath to keep my body from sinking low in the water.

I swam a total of about 25 minutes. Although I will not know for sure until the day comes, I feel pretty good about taking on an open water swim in the Triathlon.

Next Goal: Tri the Pee Dee on Saturday under 2 hours

Current Status: Confiden swimmer?!

Upcoming: Short/ fast run

Light Bike Day

2008-07-07T19:19:00.000-07:00

Very light bike ride today. I kept the pace low and only spun for about 30 min at the Y. I did about 7 miles.

Sill feeling the affects of the big workout from yesterday. My stomach has not felt great.

Next Goal: Tri the Pee Dee

Current Status: Recovering

Upcoming: Light Swim

Triathlon Trial Day

2008-07-06T17:54:00.000-07:00

Finally fit in a full test run of the triathlon distances for next Saturday Morning. I have not rehearsed the transitions yet, since that is kinda hard to do at the Y. I will do that sometime this week.

Starting the swim was not easy, since the pool was full today. Luckily someone left and I moved to an open lane. I swam 1,000m just under 25 minutes, which is my informal goal. I felt good, and did not try to push it at all. I swam easy, and looked for ways to coast through strokes as much as possible. I felt my form was better at the end than at the beginning. Leaving the pool, I took some Heed swigs and a Gu pack while changing for the bike and run upstairs.

Once I got in the Wellness Center, I found a bike and started off at a 16 mph pace. I set the trainer on cross country mode, which includes several medium to hard climbs. I focused on keeping my speed above 16 mph for the whole hour. I did not have much fun on the bike portion today. I felt slow, and my left knee was sore some of the ride. I took about 57 minutes to complete 16 miles, which was just under my 1 hour goal for the bike.

Quickly, I washed down my sweat laden bike and moved to a treadmill. I started at a 10 minute mile pace, and quickly realized running the 5k under 30 minutes would be hard. I drank a Heed bottle on the bike, and only had 1/2 a Heed bottle left from the pool transition. I felt tight starting the run. Jason was right my hips took about 2 minutes to loosen up from the ride. After the first mile, I ran a 9 minute pace for the second. By the end of the second mile, my body started shutting down. I ran out of water, and wished I had brought more Gu. A second Gu before starting the run would have been nice. I backed down to a 10 minute pace and finished the 5K at exactly 30 minutes.

Overall, I was happy to complete the trial in all the goals I have set for next week. I feel good about going into next Saturday, and will scale way back on my training this week. Nothing over 30 minutes, and I will keep the intensity light. My body was not used to the length of workout, and I felt my energy falling away the last 10 minutes of the trial today. Plus, I feel that my test run indoors will be easier than open water swim, and outdoor run and bike next week.

About 2 hours after the trial run today, I felt a complete drop in energy. I have eaten plenty and drank a bunch, but still I feel very worn down and lethargic. I guess that's usual for such a taxing training session, but I was not planning on feeling this drained. Also, my face is chapped from the constant wiping I did with a towel on the bike and run to keep the sweat off my face. I had not even thought about that. My face is awfully red and sore tonight.

My left knee only hurt for about 20 minutes on the bike leg. It went away near the end of the ride, and did not hurt at all on the run. My left calf felt great on the run, too. It was a tad sore for the first mile, but went away completely after that. My shoulder did not hurt in the swim either. My body seems good to go for next week, once I gain my energy back. No lagging injuries to worry about seems good news.

Bike Stats:

Time: 57 min.

Distance: 16 miles

Avg Speed: 16.84 mph

Run Stats:

Time: 30 min.

Distance: 3.1 miles

Pace: 9.68 min/mile

Total Bike/Run HR Data

Avg. HR: 138

Max HR: 155

Cals: 1091

Next Goal: Tri the Pee Dee under 2 hours

Current Status: Whipped!

Upcoming: Very light 20 minutes workout

Changing Plans

2008-07-05T19:04:00.000-07:00

I had hoped to do a brick on Friday. Cancelled due to a Zoo Trip.

I had planned to ride a bunch at Harbison this morning. Cut short. I brought a friend who is new to cycling, and he did not make it very far. I felt bad. I was trying to go slow, and be a gracious host. As I heard more and more obscenities fly through the trail, I knew he was not having fun. We turned around after only a few miles on Firebreak. I think he believes I was trying to kill him.

I did get some good biking in this afternoon. A package of new stuff I ordered for the Triathlon arrived, and I wanted to test it out. So, I spun around the sandy trails that dot the landscape of the Sandhill's Research Center by my house. I had to be creative to make it interesting. I looked for new trails, and did a lot of doubling up on my favorite sections. My new equipment worked great. I got new shorts specific for Triathlons, and riding glasses. Also, I tried out some Gu, and was not totally grossed out by the Vanilla flavor.

The last half the ride, I tried using my tallest front gear more for power, and I built more speed than usual. I went from averaging 10 mph in sections to 13 or 14 mph. Big difference and I did not feel much more strain either. I need to try using the big gears on my bike more. I tend to hold back in the middle range, and forget the advantage of owning a 27 speed.

Still wish I had been able to ride more at Harbison. I miss fun trails. Sesqui and Sandhills just don't cut it.

Stats:

Ride Time: 1:09:03

Distance: 11.54 miles

Average Speed: 10.04 mph

Max Speed: 24.66 mph

Avg HR: 138 bpm

Max HR: 158 bpm

Next Goal: Tri the Pee Dee under 2 hours

Current Status: Missing Harbison

Upcoming: Tri Test Run (For sure this time!!)

Spin Class Special

2008-07-03T19:04:00.000-07:00

Made it to my spin class tonight. I had hoped to bring Amy as well, but after Bobby freaked out in the KidWatch Room (See her blog for the story), I ended up going solo. Tonight, Wendy, who is an armed forces vet, and whose husband is currently in the Air Force, had a special July 4th Tribute to those who have and are serving our country.

It ended up being a great change of pace, and her song selections were great. We started with the theme from Iron Eagles (remember that movie!!) by Queen, and it really got me excited. I mean I loved that movie. I always secretly wished my Dad would get kidnapped by Arabs, so I could borrow an F-15 with armed warheads, and rescue him, too. I'm downloading that song tonight!!

Other songs included the theme from Top Gun, Born in the USA, and a teary "I'm Already There" military tribute with overdubs of voice messages for troops stationed in Iraq. And, of course, we ended with "I'm Proud to be an American." Wendy thought it was a cheesy idea, but I really got into it, and I loved the songs anyways.

I pushed hard tonight, and gave the Heed another try. I only used half the dose as last night, and still I'm not sure about using it. It just tastes weird, and I feel a bit edgy. Plus, I don't feel any advantage over plain water. I have some gel packs that I will test out tomorrow instead. The Y is closed on the 4th (I forgot), so I have changed plans and will bike and run Sesqui instead. Amy may even come along for the fun.

Stats:

Time: 47:58

Zone: 44:32

Avg HR: 138

Max HR: 160

Cals: 577

Next Goal: Tri the Pee Dee under 2 hours

Current Status: Patriotic

Upcoming: Sesqui Brick

I Have This Thing About Locker Rooms By Request

2008-07-02T19:40:00.001-07:00

I have this thing about gym locker rooms. It's the old guys. It's the old guys that just hang around naked - ALL DAY!

When I was first out of college, I joined an athletic club for the first time. The day I toured the club before I joined, I noticed a group of naked men in the locker room. They were in the whirl pool, in the steam room, in the hot tubs, sitting at card tables playing poker. And, yes they were all naked. After I joined, I swear the same old naked guys were in the locker room everyday. They never left, and I never once saw them working out. They would come in each day, get naked, and hang around the gym locker room. It creeped me out so bad, that I stopped using the locker room, and would change and shower at home instead. Which, I guess is what they wanted.

Well, anyway, When Amy and I joined the new Y, my immediate concern was when the ugly old naked guys would move in. That was this week.

Everyday, the same Ugly Naked Guy has been haunting the locker room. He sits on the stools and benches naked with his bare ass grinding away. Everday, he walks around naked, doing nothing!

What makes this worse, is that he's a naked talker. He constantly engages complete strangers in conversation. Yesterday, he cornered another Y-goer in the back stretch of lockers in a conversation about putting shirts on after a shower.

"How did you do that?," Ugly Naked Guy questionned. The poor guy had nowhere to go. The exit was blocked.

"When I put mine on, it always stick right there," he added turning, stretching to point to a spot in the middle of his back. You know... The spot you can't reach. And, of course, as Ugly Naked Guy demonstrated, the scene only worsened.

Today, I was assaulted by Ugly Naked Guy. As I changed into my Speedo for my swim, he bolted out the door of the sauna, sack swaying, and breathless. In a manner much unlike his age and body suggested, he blocked my exit from locker room, and in one swift motion grabbed the top of my skin tight suit, pulled back, and asked "Where did you get that thing? I've been wanting one just like it."

I was speechless. First, I was mere inches from being exposed by a complete stranger. You just dont go around grabbing people's bathing suits. Do you?? Second, I had no idea he was even around. I though the caost was clear. Lastly, I was frightened by the possibility of seeing him in a Speedo, too!

To make a long story short, Why is it that every locker room is over run by hordes of naked old guys with nothing better to do, than hang around naked?

Really, something must be done.

Morning Swim/ Afternoon Bike Ride

2008-07-02T18:28:00.000-07:00

Swam a the Y this AM. I spent about 45 min. in the pool. I started with drills as usual to work on form. Today was a lot of practicing turning and breathing. In all I swam about 1200m. I even did two sets of 500m free swims. I actually tried to swim them slow, so I could watch if I was bobbing down too much. Felt great in the pool. I'm starting to feel more relaxed.

This afternoon I rode with a group from Summitt Cycles. One of the owners talked me into it yesterday when I came in to size my road bike up. I did not feel comfortable when I rode at the beach. I ended up getting a new seat, raising the seat about 1 inch, and rotated the handle bars down a tad. I felt much better in the saddle. Also, I picked up some hanner gel, heed mix, and water bottles for the race.

The group left out and basically looped from two notch out past Lake Carolina through Summit. We ended up in Kershaw and headed around the new Y and back. It was a 20 mile ride, and I enjoyed it a lot. I did not have trouble keeping up, and in fact ended up passing people who just could not hold a pace up any hills. I like to hang back and just watch the others ride and stay out of the way, but several times, I just had to climb. My mountain biking work really paid off on the hills. Most the roadies would click-click-click down shifting all the way up a climb, and I never felt the need on my trusty blue steel 12 speed.

Met some Tri Guys on the ride. They were nice and wished me luck next week. They had the light tri bikes with aerobars, and zoomed downhill. Man, those things make a big difference. They went dead leg down hill, and passed people spinning full out.

Tried Heed for the first time. Not sure about it. Sticky, sugary? Not sure it made any difference. I will try mixing a half scoop instead next time and bring a bottle of just water. I got the flavorless kind, but being so sweet maybe the orange would have been better? I felt kinda jacked up getting off the bike, and my body seems just a tad strange. Not sure about the Heed.

The bike changes seemed to help a lot with power tonight. I felt great climbing the hills, and could have pushed much harder.

Bike Stats:
Time: 1:11:35
Distance: 20.10 mi.
Avg Speed: 16.85 mph
Max Speed: 38:16 mph (Lake Carolina Hills are fast!!!)
Avg HR: 144 bpm
Max HR: 166 bpm
Cals.: 909

Next Goal: Tri the Pee Dee under 2 hours

Current Status: Sore Right Shoulder; good otherwise

Upcoming: Light Day Spin Class only (Friday will be a full Tri Trial)

Solid Workout Starts new Month!

2008-07-01T09:30:00.000-07:00

Headed to the Y, and absolutely enjoyed a swim and run today.

I was not swimming distance, but working on form using the drills from my Total Immersion book. Today was drills to work on balance in the pool. I did three different drills with and without fins to help. I swam some laps with a buoy, and then swam 300m on my own. I have to work on keeping my head in position when breathing. I tend to bob down on rotations to breath. I especially have trouble rotating to the right. I liked swimming with fins. Man, I was soo fast, but I don't want to do too much and forget how it feels with my feet.

After the swim, I moved upstairs for a run. I wanted to run a 5k distance, and for some reason, I am still fixated on running faster, so I ended up pushing my first mile at a 9 minute pace, the second at 8, and the last at 9 with a quarter mile sprint to finish. I ran the 5K under 27 minutes today. That's at least 1 minute off my Riverfest run from May. So I am getting faster!

My left calf cramped up a bit, so I'm icing it. Not a shin pain as I've been getting. More of a lower back calf. Likely from the heavy work in the fin and run. More calf strain than I've done lately.

Run Stats:
Distance: 3.1 mi.
Time: 26:34
Pace: 8 1/2 mile/min.
Avg HR: 155 bpm
Max HR: 164 bpm
Cals.: 388

Next Goal: Tri the Pee Dee under 2 hours

Current Status: Solid but ice on left calf

Upcoming: Maybe ride with J? Maybe Big Swim? Maybe Harbison? It Depends

June's Training Totals

2008-06-30T10:35:00.000-07:00

Since July Starts tomorrow, I decided to check my totals for the past month. It's fun seeing month by month comparisons for growth.

June's Totals
Swim: 4500 yd - 3h 12m
Bike: 171.44 m. - 12h 49m
Run: 32.15 mi - 5h 18m

Total Training Time: 21h 19m

In June, I swam twice May's total; biked more than 60 more miles; and ran more than twice June's distance. Gotta say I'm a tad impressed with myself.

Tri Swim & Bike Trials with Some Race Goals

2008-06-30T10:12:00.000-07:00

Testing out myself this week to see how race ready I'll be by next Saturday. I want to push hard this week and get confident for the triathlon, and then go easy next week and put plenty of rest in my schedule.

Today, I started with a trial bike ride. I rode about 17 miles total. I figure I rode the 15.56 miles that I will race in about 55 minutes. I rode on a trainer so I'm not exactly sure, but it seems about right. I average around 16 - 17 mph, which is exactly what I averaged at the beach.

After the bike, I swam about 1,000m at the pool. The race is only 700m, but I know the pool is easier than open water, so I'm training over that distance in the pool. My stroke is only serviceable, and I have a lot more work to do on form, but I got the job done. I lost track of laps, so I may have only swum 950m, but that's ok by me. I made the swim in about 22 minutes. I could feel the stroke fallinig apart at the end.

I was getting worn out by the end of today's workout. So, the triathlon will be a big test next week. With only 11 days to go, I will likely not see much improvement in conditioning. This will be the body I race with. My overall goal is to finish, but I know myself and I need some times to shoot for. I'd like to do the whole thing in under 2 hours. I hope to do the swim under 25 minutes, the bike under an hour, and the run under 30 minutes. But, I'd like to just finish with a smile.

Stats:
Bike
Time: 55:29
Distance 16 mi.
Avg Speed: 17 mph
Avg HR: 135 bpm
Max HR: 148 bpm
Cals.: 644

Swim
Time: 22:25
Distance 950-1000m
Avg Speed: 2:32 min/100 yard
Avg HR: 140 bpm
Max HR: 150 bpm
Cals.: 277

Total Cals.: 921

Next Goal: Tri the Pee Dee under 2 hours

Current Status: :)

Upcoming: Drills for Swim Form & Running Speed Work

Going for Speed

2008-06-29T19:52:00.000-07:00

After running at the beach for the last week and feeling slow in the wind, I wanted to test out my pace on the home course tonight. I felt like I have been getting faster using the interval training, but then at the beach I felt very slow.

Tonight, I was going to run three time around the lake at a good 150+ bpm. I wanted to try and really give my legs a push, and see how they responded.

The run felt good. My legs felt strong. My breathing felt good, even over the hills, and I ran pain free. All great signs! I did not feel overly hot, either. I made the first lake lap at 12 minutes. The second lap at 23 minutes, and I stopped the third lap a hair shy at 33 minutes to get a coold down walk in so I would not have to double back going home. So, I ended up not getting a full three laps.

I figure I ran 3.5 miles at a 9 1/2 minute pace. Not faster than I ran my last 5k. So, I have not gotten faster after all. I do feel better conditioned. I know I can run longer distances. I'm just not faster.

I sprinted the last several hundred yards, and got cookin' just to give a finishing kick. I need more sprint work I feel. I will look into fitting this in after the tri on July 12. On the upside, I had a higher HR for the workout, and I'm pushing the higher limits of my training zone.

Stats:
Distance: 3.5 miles
Pace 9 1/2 minute/ miles
Time: 33:00
Zone Time: 21:14
Avg HR: 155 BPM
Max BPM: 170 BPM
Cals.: 510

Next Goal: Tri the Pee Dee in 12 Days

Current Status: Still Nervous

Upcoming: Pee Dee test swim and bike
Max HR: 170

Tri Bike Trial Run

2008-06-29T19:38:00.000-07:00

On Saturday morning at Surfside, I decided to take a morning bike run to try out the distance of the Pee Dee Triathlon. I was searching to see how much speed I can hold over 15.56 miles. The course is advertised as dead flat, and being at a flat beach, I had the perfect area to try out my pace for the race.

I set out heading to the far end of Garden City Beach on Ocean Drive from 10 Ave S. in Surfside. Immediately, I noticed I was heading into a full breeze easily about 10 to 15 mph. I could feel the pressure constantly, and even more on gusts around big building fronting the ocean. I could hold about 14-15 mph into the wind without killing my quads. I wanted to set a labored but not exhausting pace, so I could get some information that may be helpful for a triathlon.

Reaching the edge of Garden City and turning around I felt the advantage of the wind. I shout up to 19-20 mph with at the same effort as before. I'm not sure how much aid I was getting, but I believe it was a fair amout. I saw a Harrell's Smurf jersey on a mountain bike that waved going the other direction. I did not recognize the face. Anyone know who it was??

I pedalled down to the far edge of surfside holding the same 19-20 mph the whole way, and turned around again into the wind. As I reach the 12 mile mark and had to labor in the wind, I began to strain fairly heavy to hold my pace up. I having not been training at 15 mile rides, and I could feel my body giving out at the longer ride.

I reach the Garden City Peir as my bike computer showed 15.56 miles. Weird huh! Exactly 15.56 miles. right at the Peir. I was tempted to get off the bike and play some games, but had no money stashed in my riding bib. I rode home at an easy pace.

Stats:
Distance: 15.56 miles
Ride Time: 57:55
Avg Speed: 16.13 mph
Max Speed: 22.93
Avg HR: 146
Max HR: 156
Cals.: 697

Next Goal: Tri the Pee Dee in 13 Days!

Current Status: Tight Quads

Upcoming: A good hard 30 minute run

Bike Trail at Huntington Beach State Park

2008-06-26T18:41:00.001-07:00

Rode the bike trail around Huntington Beach State Park today with ALL of Amy's family. We road the paved trail that leads from Murrell's Inlet to near Pawley's Island. We did not bike the whole thing, but did manage about 7 miles together. It was nice. Especially on the paved sections that ran curvy through the maritime forest. Not to hot, until we got out of the cover of the forest, then BAM! Heat!

Not a very aggressive ride considering the folks that came along, but hey, I was riding a bike. We were a funny site all seven of us on our bikes. We took a wide variety of bikes from my twelve speed to a hybrid bike to a couple of mountain bikes, and Amy's Mom's cruiser bike. The boys held on in their trailer. We saw lots of gators on the causeway of the park. Kinda a strane being only a few feet from something that usually sits behind a cage.

After the ride we ate lunch, and walked around Atalaya. Lunch was nice under the shade of hemlock tree and we listened to the sounds of the surf and ocean birds gathered nearby. I have a funny picture of all of us on our bikes near the dunes that I will upload later.

Next Goal: Tri the Pee Dee

Current Status: Cooling Off from a hot day in the sun

Upcoming: Morning Ride around Surfside and Garden City

Beach Run

2008-06-25T12:43:00.000-07:00

Ran about 3.4 miles this morning according to MapMyRun.com. I ran slow to start, but picked up the pace on the way back. I started out running with Amy, and her sister, Becky but they bailed out earlier than I was planning. It was hot and sticky, and I was drenched by the end.

Body feels good. No shin issues at all!

Stats:
Distance: 3.4 Miles
Time: 33 minutes
Pace: 10 minute miles
Avg HR: 151
Max HR: 167
Cals: 450

Next Goal: Tri the Pee Dee

Current Status: :)

Upcoming: Bike the OD

Fitting It All In

2008-06-24T19:11:00.000-07:00

Getting to the beach today to be with my family was my first priority, so I knew I would have trouble getting on the bike today for some work. I ended up taking the boys around surfside and Garden City Beach on the trailer for a workout.

I feel like I rode about 10 miles total. I have no idea of anything else, but pulling the boys against a beach breeze is not easy! Man, I felt like I had a kite behind me for about half the ride. I rode at just below pain level, and did a few minutes as hard as I could to work the muscles a good bit.

I am very saddle sore after the ride last night and today. I rode in regular shorts, and I think that made the difference today. My behind hurts bad! Also, after yesterdays's swim, bike and weights, I feel awfully sore all over. After riding tonight, I felt pretty wasted.

Next Goal: Tri the Pee Dee

Current Status: Saddle Sore

Upcoming: Long Run?

Update: Crap I just checked the mileage online for the ride, and it was only 7 miles. Shuck, I thought it was further.

Getting Race Ready

2008-06-23T19:15:00.000-07:00

Now that I have to et ready for my first triathlon, my workouts seem to have more importance!. I hit the hits weights and went through each major muscle group three times. I take it easy on the shoulders now since swimming hits them hard. I have put legs in the workout again. I hope to develop more power this way

It was getting late, and the Y closes at 10, so I had to force a quick spin in the trainer. I made up 27 minutes and 30 seconds before the lights got cut off. I rode exactly 8 miles. I averaged about 18 mph I think. I want to push this the next few weeks. I have a 25k (about 15 miles) bike in the race to do. I want to be able to make a good time in the bike. I hope to do it under 45 minutes. But, this being my first race I'll be happy with anything!

Overall, my body feels good. No nagging injuries other than the pesky left shin, but it's been worse. My knees feel strong and I want to get them in top shape! My shoulders feel good. The right shoulder seems a tad tight, but that's to be expected from the swim today. I want to push my HR up the next couple weeks. My max seems a bit low, and I wonder if I'm just not pushing hard enough in the workouts. I seem to top out at 170. I'd like to make it to 180.

Next Goal: Tri the Pee Dee Sprint Triathlon

Current Status: Excited, nervous about my first triathlon

Upcoming: Beach Bike

500m Swim! & The Next BIG Goal!

2008-06-23T10:51:00.000-07:00

Back in Columbia, while the family enjoys Surfside, to finish my class. Went to Y, and swam. At first, I was just going to swim my usual laps, but after swimming a warm-up and 200m with a buoy, I started my freestyle laps without support. I just kept going, and soon realized I was about 300m in. I went for more, and made it to 500m. I was so excited. It was a big moment, and I had no one to celebrate with.

Anyway, I can cross off another goal. It wasn't the best 500m swim ever, but I did it. Also, I know I can go further. I was not totally spent. My breathing is good to the left, and I am workingon the right side. I am getting more rotation in my stroke, too. I am not high in the water like I want yet, but it's much better than before. Plenty of more swim work to do, but it's time for a new goal.

I have decided to put up or shut up about the whole Tri thing. I just registered for the Tri the Pee Dee Triathlon on Saturday, July 12. Amy doesn't even know yet. I hope we don't have plans.

That gives me about 2 weeks of prep. So, I'm a tad nervous. The swim is 700m in a small lake. The bike is dead flat, and the overall event sounds ideal for a beginner. This is the time! I will be racing as a novice. I guess that's the right category.

I'd like to celebrate my decision, but with the family away at the beach, I will just go back to the Y tonight for more training.

Next Goal: Tri the Pee Dee Sprint Triathlon

Current Status: Ready to Celebrate

Upcoming: Weights and Cycle tonight

Beach Run

2008-06-21T18:36:00.000-07:00

Amy and I ran together at the beach for 30 minutes. We started at an easy pace, but on the way back, we ran some 'pacers.' At least that's what I call them. Amy would run out ahead full sprint and slow down for the catch, then we'd switch. We did this a few times, and really picked up the pace on the way back. It was fun catching someone on the full kick. Nice change of pace from the typical run.

Nothing remarkable about the run. Amy really pushed it hard, and I was proud. My shin is sore again after 2 days of running, so I will hold off for a few days.

Stats:
Run Time: 29:23
Zone Time 27:22
Distance: ~ 3.25 miles
Pace: between 9 and 10 mile/minutes
Avg HR: 146 bpm

Next Goal: Swim 500m

Current Status: Ready for a Break

Upcoming: Rest Day; followed by Swim and weights
Max HR: 164 bpm
Cals. Burned: 388

Swim Break Through

2008-06-21T18:29:00.000-07:00

On Friday, before heading to Surfside for the weekend, I put in a quick swim, and had the best swim yet. I felt great, and worked through some of my breathing issues. I swam well over 800m total and swam easily for 200m in 2 different stretches. I feel the stroke coming together. Learning to rotate more in the freestyle, and breath, while perpendicular in the water has been the missing key. I'm note perfect, but this is the big difference I've been waiting for. I felt comfortable, and easy for the first time since starting this Tri thing months ago. Stinks tis happens a day before the Tri the Midlands Race, which I wanted to compete in, but oh well. I expect to soon cross my next goal off the list soon.

Also, when I got to Surfside, I ran a tad. I ran for about 20 minutes at a hard pace. I ran as hard as I could go for 2 intervals, and easily ran around an 8 minute pace maybe even less. I was worn out, and did not do a 3rd inteval as I was thinking. Swimming really took a lot more out of me than I realized. My legs felt heavy.

No Stats to report.

Next Goal: Swim 500m (Soon to be acheived! I Hope.)

Current Status: 'Spitz' like

Upcoming: Moring Run at the Beach

Spin; No Swim

2008-06-19T18:03:00.000-07:00

Got in a spin class, but the pool was closed for a swim meet.

Spin class was just okay. I did not get my HR up as high as I wanted, but I felt the climbs in my legs. I am probably still feeling the workout from yesterday, so I was not too disappointed. The class was not as long as its been lately either.

On another note, I have been trying a new post workout drink that I found in a book about triathlons. I had one yesterday and today, and it tastes great. Time will tell on the value it adds, but I felt good all day considering the "Brick" I did.

Here's the recipe:
6 oz oj
2 oz milk
handful frozen strawberries
2 handfuls ice
2 tbl Egg Protien
1 pinch salt
Add 1 tbl sugar for workouts over an hour
Blend

Stats:
Spin Time: 48:55
Zone Time: 42:38
Avg HR: 135
Max HR: 155
Cals Burned: 567

Next Goal: Swim 500m

Current Status: Feeling Good

Upcoming: Swim and Fast Run

Doing a 'Brick' Session

2008-06-18T19:03:00.000-07:00

After two days off to work on projects around the house, I really wanted to crush myself today. Add to that the perfect weather. I was in for a great workout. I put together a ride and a run at Sesqui Park today. As soon as I got home from my class, I headed out.

This was my first mountain bike ride in over a week, and I felt it right off. The road rides and training rides just don't match what trail riding asks. Even an easy trail like Sesqui. Immediately, my HR was over 160, and I was gassed. I made it through 2 loops of the bike trail. The sand is so bad, there is no way to carve through turns. The sand is at least 6-8 inches deep in many areas. I had to slow down for every turn o the single track section. It killed my speed.

After the ride, I changed and off I went for a run. It's been years since I ran at Sesqui. I planned to run for about 40 minutes. I caught a great stride early, and felt like I could run forever. I pushed hard, and the uphill section at the end that usually kills me was not as bad as I remembered, so I pushed further and ran up the paved hill that leads up to the ranger station at the front of the park. A serious climb! Much worse thean Ol' Atascedero. It hurt bad. I cruised through the whole workout, but the last 6-8 minutes up the hill, pushed me past my comfort zone.

Overall, I was excited about the 2 hour Brick workout. I was excited by my conditioning. After the workout, I felt sure that I could have done the Tri the Midlands Triathalon this weekend, if only my swim technique was better.

Stats:
Overall Time: 1:58
Bike Time: 1:07
Run Time: 0:40
Transition Time: 11 minutes
Bike Miles: 10.7 miles
Run Miles: ~4 miles
Avg Bike Speed: 9.58 mph
Avg Run Speed: ~10 minute/miles
Total Cals Burned: ~1500
Avg HR: ~150 bpm
Max HR: 169 bpm

Next Goal: Swim 500m

Current Status: Waxed

Upcoming: Spin and Swim

Keeping up with Projects

2008-06-16T19:35:00.000-07:00

Had to cancel my workout. I'm behind on a personal project I promised to complete this week. It's an birthday movie slideshow thing. Tomorrow is a spin and swim day.

Strong Run

2008-06-15T19:17:00.000-07:00

Made up for the run I missed yesterday. Tonight's goal was for 2 intervals of 18 minutes at a medium pace. I wanted to keep my HR between 140 and 150. Amy ended up joining me, as well.

From the start, I felt great. The whole night, I felt like I could run forever. It was not as hot as it's been lately, and from the hard runs I've added, I am starting to feel like 140 is an easy pace. It's nice to see the intervals doing their job in my training.

Amy had a hard time running on the 2nd interval. She doesn't like starting and stopping, and cut the run short. I felt bad, but she said to keep going. Other than that, I had one of my most enjoyable runs ever. Body seems great, and I'm ready for a long run on Wednesday.

Stats:
Run Time:38:01
Zone Time: 37:24
Run Distance: ~3.5 miles
Pace: 10 mile/minutes
Avg HR: 146 bpm
Max HR: 160 bpm
Cals Burned: 504

Next Goal: Swim 500m

Current Status: Strong

Upcoming: Strength and Bike

A Good Swim; No Run

2008-06-14T19:17:00.000-07:00

Swam this AM; held off on the run.

After Joey's swim lesson this morning, I got in a great swim. I swam a total of 800m. More than I usually do, and I worked a great deal on form. The Zipper drill really seems to help out. My balance is starting to come. I need more work on breathing, and I will start to feel like I am making good progress. Slow and steady seems to be the key, but as I struggle for more air I swim harder for some reason. I can swim fast and short fine, but long amounts are not my thing yet.

I had planned a run, but after drinking a beer at dinner, and some ice cream out with the family, I lost the feel. Beer, ice cream and running don't mix. I'll make it up tomorrow.

Got a good book about training for a Tri, and I may be following its workout plans soon. I will read more, but I already like the post workout protein drink it suggests. The milk J suggested tasted great, but did not sit well on my stomach. Made me gaseous. The book's recipe is Egg Protein (Expensive Stuff!) and fruit based. The plans are pretty basic so I think I can skip ahead. The book offers a 12 week program. I will start somehwhere into the second month. I was hoping to get some swim advice from the book for a beginner. All the book says about form is getting a swim coach. Literally, what the heck. I don't need a book for that advice. Duh! The book also suggests using more exercise drinks, and liquid supplements over Protein bars, since bars take too long to get into the system. I will cut back on bars, and try out Heed and Gu, instead for short and medium workouts.

Next Goal: Swim 500m

Current Status: Slothlike?!

Upcoming: Medium Pace Run (I will try for 4 miles)

The Big Easy

2008-06-13T19:17:00.000-07:00

Met up with a large group at Lake Carolina Tonight for my first group road ride. It was a neat experience to say the least.

First off, it was a large group of about 30 people. I decided to stay in the back the whole way. I did not know any of the other riders, and wanted to stay away from any problems. Having not ridden in a pack, I was not sure how to operate, or truly, how the others would operate. I was not happy seeing riders in groups of 3 or 4 wide on the road. We should have formed pace lines, I believe, but nobody seemed to feel it was important.

Second, the ride was a "Big Easy" ride. I was drafting most of the way, and had little or no trouble hanging on. I could have pushed much harder, and was just happy coasting along. I only cranked down a few times. One tough hill that I rode in the wrong gear, because I was hanging back for a slower rider. One real fast stretch that for some reason everyone rode hard on, and at the end when I decided to let it hang out and pushed hard to catch a group about a 1/2 mile ahead of the folks in the back. I just wanted to see how fast I could get going, and then I caught a nice curvy downhill section full bore. It was awesome shooting around bends at about 30 mph. My bike handled great. The old Miyata kept up with everybodies newer flashy carbon techno rides.

Third, the weather was absolutely perfect. A nice breeze. Almost no heat or humidity. Some nice cloud cover. And on top of that, we rode some of the best terrain. Spinning along country Kershaw county roads surrounded by horse pasture and calm country homesteads was inspiring. At one point, I tried imagining that this was like gliding through the French country side. My reverie was interrupted by the southern drawl of the guy next to me.

Fourth, I hit the streets in style. I got new duds to ride in for Father's Day, and I got my first chance to ride the way cyclists are supposed to. I had gloves, bibs, and a jersey. Wow, the bike shorts were comfortable, and I did not slide in the seat. My butt stuck where I put it!. The gloves were nice, and they even had a some spot that was great for wiping sweat. The jersey was soo much cooler to ride in, and it had pockets. I had a place for my stuff, and I did not have to get off the bike. What a great idea. All I need know or some good glasses.

Stats:
Ride Time 1:19
Zone Time: 1:09
Trip distance: 19.65 miles
Avg Speed: 15.31 mph
Max Speed: 31.80 mph
Avg HR: 133
Max HR: 161
Cals Burned: 908

Next Goal: Swim 500m

Current Status: Ready to Ride Again

Upcoming: Morning Swim; Night Run

Not My 'A' Game

2008-06-12T18:41:00.000-07:00

Clipping in on the spin bike, I knew within a few minutes I did not have "IT" tonight. I felt tight, and could not keep up the pace on tension climbs. My Quads would burn after only a few seconds of hard work. As a result, I backed down a lot tonight. My HR was lower than usual, and I just did not get as much out of spin class as I usually do.

I worked up plenty of sweat, and did complete the class, even though, I never really got going. I think the weights are still in my legs. Or, my short, fierce commutes of less than 2 miles have been building up. When I rode to work this week, I did not really warm up, or cool down. I have noticed some tightening, since I never really got going.

I lost my HR data. Somehow I clicked the start button again. Dang! But, My avg was about 130, and I burned only about 500 calories. Not my usual.

Followed up the the spin class with a swim. I have not been swimming in a while, so I was looking forward to getting in the pool. My shoulders felt good, as well. I tried a new swim technique called "The Zipper" that forced me to work on slowing down my stroke to keep one hand in front at all times. I really had to rotate side to side, and I felt a difference. I swam a total of 600m spread out on several different techniques. I will try and swim again on Saturday to make sure I get a second swim in for the week. I want 2 swims a week at least for a while. I hope this helps make a difference. I'm getting frustrated by a lack of progress in the pool.

Next Goal: Swim 500m

Current Status: Worn out legs

Upcoming: The Big Easy Group Ride

Bike Commute Rundown

2008-06-11T19:43:00.000-07:00

Well, I have to go the Cayce the next two days for Writing Class, so I guess cycling is out the rest of the week, and that means my week of biking is over.

It's kinda neat riding in and being the only one to make it there by their own power. I like that I may have saved a bit of pollution. And, by my calculations I saved 2 dollars in gas! Most importantly, my two sons think it's cool.

Happily, no incidents on the road. Taking only 5 minutes to get to my destination helps.

Overall, I biked 8.81 miles for a total of 24 minutes with an average speed of 14.72 mph and a max of 25.10 mph. I really want to go faster. I'm kinda bummed (to borrow J's word) about being so slow.

But, as my wife stated, "Lose some weight. I bet you go faster then!"

Ain't she a peach.

I plan to bike with a group Friday. It's a no drop ride. I just hope I don't change that!

Tonight's Theme: Pain

2008-06-11T19:23:00.000-07:00

Heading to the Y tonight, I wanted to up the ante on the whole strength training thing. I was downtrodden by the poor work I did earlier in the week, and I want to get more power on my road bike.

I will attempt to strength train twice a week now, and I am adding back in leg exercises that I cutout for running and biking training, hoping not to push to hard. I pushed my reps to the limit in most areas. The leg stuff was especially painful. Not in a bad way. I cranked the reps to the spot right where it verges on being considered torture. I even worked on the hamstrings. I've not done that ever. They seemed especially weak. I wanted to get to a point where moving my arms and legs seemed an effort.

So, I put just about every muscle group on notice tonight. I think its time to push to a new level. The only thing I avoided was shoulders, cause I don't want to strain anything again, and I plan to swim on Thursday.

After the strength stuff, I did fast intervals tonight. I made it through 3 x 8-minute legs at about a 8:30 mile pace. After the lifting, that really put a burn on. I pushed the second leg the hardest, and really felt my legs starting to give out.

Also, I am thinking of putting some muscle building supplement in my training. Now that I'm getting older the muscles don't react like I want, and maybe science will help me out a bit here. Not sure if this is a waste of time and money, but I'll give it a shot for a bit, and see what happens.

Note: The cheap running headphones, really are cheap! Spend the extra money.

Stats:
Run Time: 28:18
Zone Time: 14:46
Distance: ~3 miles
Avg HR: 152
Max HR: 166
Cals Burned: 403

Next Goal: Swim 500m

Current Status: Tight

Upcoming: Spin and Swim

Being A Dad, Instead

2008-06-10T18:30:00.000-07:00

Ended up taking the night off. When I got home from class, I decided running errands with Amy, and going to the pool with the boys was more important that training today. Besides, one of the errands was picking up a Father's Day gift for me, a pair of riding bibs!

Plus, I decided after yesterday's struggle, I should throw in some rest time. This also gave Amy the chance to workout tonight instead of me, so she could get a workout in. This meant that I put both boys to sleep without her. Quite the accomplishment! Both are asleep, and with minimum tears and cries for Mommy!

So, in all, I've been a Dad tonight. No real stats to report.

Next Goal: Swim 500m

Current Status: Feeling like a Dad

Upcoming: Fast Run and weights

A Hard Day's Night

2008-06-09T19:19:00.000-07:00

First off, I actually rode my bike to work today. Okay, it was only 3 miles round trip and back, since I'm taking a writting class at Bookman Elementary, which is just down the road, but still, I actually commuted by bike. Also, I got some awefully strange looks when I arrived by some ladies running the front desk of the school. They were shocked that someone would ride a bike instead of taking a car.

Next, I hit the Y tonight for a workout. I cancelled the swim, since my shoulder is not yet 100 percent. I did do some strength training. It's been about 2 weeks, since I've done any, and boy did I feel a differnce. All my reps and weights were down, and I struggled the whole way through. This could be combined with heat and hard work I put in yesterday, but I'm not sure.

I also rode the bike trainer for 45 minutes tonight to cap off the training for the day. I really had a hard time there as well. Sweat poured off me more than I have ever seen. I felt bad as I watched a pool of salty perspiration collect under my bike. Steady streams ran down my arms, over the handlebars, and off to the floor, not drips, but stream! I hope I didn't gross anyone out. My quads burned a lot more than I'm used to, and I did not get the pace I wanted either.

I just lacked power. My left knee was a tad tight and sore, too, so I'm icing it down tonight. Hopefully this was one of the days that will help me out in the long run.

An important note to recall later:
1) Don't ever wear the short the running shorts to the Y ever again. They seem okay at home, but in the mirrors at the Y, I kinda realized I looked a little too much like Richard Simmons next to the long baggy style every other male was wearing.

Stats:
Bike Time: 45:48
Zone Time: 40:55
Total Distance: 11.5 miles
Avg Speed: 15.33 mph
Avg HR: 131 bpm
Max HR: 147 bpm
Cals Burned: 504

Next Goal: Swim 500m

Current Status: Feeling weaker than I did this morning

Upcoming: Spin Class and Swim night

Home Course Distance Record

2008-06-08T19:49:00.000-07:00

Riding home from the pool with Amy on her bike, and the Boys in the bike trailer tonight, I was swamped with heat, and sweat in just a few minutes of low speed pedalling. Immediately, I began thinking of cancelling tonight's run. Mentally, I wrestled back and forth several times, before deciding to just gut it out, and deal with heat. I think Amy was a tad worried since I had already ridden in the heat earlier, and I was planning a long run. Several times she tried to talk me out of it. I like that she cares.

My goal tonight was for 3 laps of the Lake Route at a slow pace. I was hoping to keep my heart rate around 140 or lower, and put on some miles to build up my endurance.

On the first lap, I focused on keeping my hands low, and breathing easy. I wanted to feel like I was barely jogging. I focused on my left leg as well, and really concentrated on hitting heal first. I seem to drag my left a tad, and this may be the cause of the left shin issues. I didn't break a sweat until about half way around. The first lap of 1.29 miles took about 15 minutes. I was exactly where I wanted to be.

The second lap started just as the first. I started picking up the pace without realizing and my heart rate picked up a bit, but I slowed and dropped back to my goal. Sweat factor started to pick up, and as the second lap ended, I could feel a pit develop in my stomach. It was as if the bottom had fallen out. If I owned any Goo (sp?), I would have used it then for sure. My arms and legs felt fine still, so I knew I was okay. The second lap took about 16 minutes.

The third lap was a nice challenge. Sweat covered my body, and pools would dribble over my bushy eyebrows and down the side of cheeks almost constantly. Keeping a good form really paid off and I felt down right speedy. The lake wind across the dam was a welcomed sight as I neared the end and headed towards the end. I picked it up, and raced over the last hill just to see if I had and kick, and I was surprised how much I still had in the tank. The third lap was under 15 minutes. Crazy, but yes, the last lap was the fastest. I kinda let go of the whole slow thing, huh?!

As long as my body holds together tomorrow morn when I wake up, this was a great run. No real shin issues, but I did ice just in case, and I will take some Advil before bed as well. Knees felt good, too. My feet were a tad worn out, but I did not see any blisters or other ailments that will last through my next run day. My only real injury issue is that my right shoulder is strained from something I did in the pool. I tweaked it somehow, and the past 2 days its had limited use.

Stats:
Run Time: 46:12
Zone Time: 44:33
Distance: 3.9 miles
Avg HR: 144 bpm
Max HR: 165 bpm (on the last hill during the sprint)
Cals. Burned: 599

Next Goal: Swim 500m

Current Status: Lovin' the cold post run shower

Upcoming: Weights & Swim (If shoulder feels better)

On the Road Again!

2008-06-08T09:55:00.001-07:00

Took the Miyata on its first run today. I've been excited to take it out, since I had it fixed.

Riding on the road is way different from trail riding. I forgot how smooth and continuous it is. I hoped on, road around the block to check for fit, lowered the seat, and then headed to the Y and back for test run.

Strange riding on the road. Cars will take getting used to. No close calls or anything, but still a tad unnerving. The bike geometry is totally different. The balance is higher, and holding speed is easier, so climbing hills is more about a good cadence in the right gear than raw muscle power.

I road at noon, and boy the heat was bad. It was baking hot! I spun as hard as possible on the way back to keep a nice breeze going. Ha!!

Stats:
Temp: ~95 degrees (probably hotter on the road)
Distance: 9.63 miles
Time : 38:38
Zone Time: 25:10
Avg Speed: 14.96 mph
Max Speed: 30.08 MPH
Avg HR: 151 bpm
Max HR 167 bpm
Cals. Burned: 525

I plan to run again tonight. I will go slow, and try for 3 laps around the lake! I plan to run for about 45 minute - 1 hour.

Don't Worry, Drink a Homebrew

2008-06-07T18:58:00.000-07:00

Took Joe for his 1st swim lesson this morning. He was great, even though he was cold. Bobby and I went in the pool too, and he showed off swim new skills. He can swim about 10-15 feet now!

Here's a pic of Joey refusing to blow bubbles. (Which he does all the time in the tub!)

I meant to swim and lift, but errands filled up the time. J Crew came over for dinner, and we cooked burgers. It was great to have his family over. He helped true a wheel for me, using his MacGyver skills! We also checked out my ol' road bike that I had redone. I plan to start road riding now. I bought the bike used when I was in high school. It's a Miyata 112 twelve speed with a Chro-Moly frame, with shifters on the frame. Old School! Built around 1988 or so.

Finished the night off with a cold bath with the boys, and drank a homebrew. My first in about six months! I've been avoiding the brews, because of calories, but I could not resist on such a sweltering summer night. It seemed the perfect ending to a great day. I forgot how great a true malt beer is. Especially, a hand crafted, aged brew made by yours truly! The hops, malt, wheat, yeast were perfeclty blended.

I missed my workout, but spending a day with family and friends is definetly more worthwhile than being a slave to training. I'll just make up for it later.

Next Goal: Swim 500m

Current Status: Buzzed

Upcoming: Swim or run, I may even ride the road bike to the Y for extra work

Sharing the Trail and a Medium Run

2008-06-06T18:59:00.000-07:00

Amy's sister Katy came into town tonight with her new mountain bike, and we both took a spin through Sesqui. She was not up to the whole trail, so we cut it off short. We rode around 6 miles. It was different being the fastest one in the group. I just hope I was as good a guide as others have been for my slow self. I think Katy enjoyed it, and I hope she keeps riding. She had ridden on the rode earlier that day, and thought 6 miles would be as easy. I think she was shocked how different 6 miles on a trail actually is.

When I got home, I put together a run. My plan was to do a medium pace workout in two intervals. I wanted to put down some miles. I wanted to do about a 5K today.

The heat was still oppressive even though I ran at 9pm. I went shirtless after only two minutes of jogging. Rivers of perspiration bounced off my arms, back, nose, and even my knees (weird??). I felt great in the pace I set. I did not feel as jagged as I did when I ran full out earlier this week. It was nice knowing I could go up a gear if I needed. I believe I have recovered from Wednesday's Harbison Ride. However, my abs were very sore from slamming my handlebars on one of the many wrecks. I could really feel them tighten on the second interval of my run.

My left shin is still not 100 percent. I keep icing and stretching it as much as possible. If it does not get better soon, I will see the doctor. It may be a stress fracture.

I ran two 1.5 mile intervals at about a 9:30 mile/minute pace.

Two items of note:

1. When you stop running at night in the summer heat, bugs will find you, and dive bomb you!

2. I came up with a joke:

It's so hot today...

I ran into a sprinkler to dry off! (Okay, I know... It stinks... But I made this up while running!)

Stats:

Run Time: 33:33

Zone Time: 30:59

Run Distance: 3.25 miles

Avg. HR: 148 bpm

Max HR: 161 bpm

Cals. Burned Running: 453
Total Cals. Burned:about 800

Next Goal: Swim 500m

Current Status: Enjoying an Ice Cream Sandwich

Upcoming: Weights and a Swim/ & Cook Burgers for the J Crew

NADA

2008-06-05T17:37:00.000-07:00

Still feeling a tad strange from the ride in the heat yesterday.

Called off the workout.

I think my body's telling me to rest. So, I'll listen.

Hot...Hot...Hot

2008-06-04T19:45:00.000-07:00

Met J Squared (Jim & Jason) at Harbison today. Rode Lost Creek Trail and that's about all I could stand. I have no idea how J Squared kept riding while I headed back to the parking lot. The heat killed me, and leaving when I did was good call. As I sat in my car pulling out of the forest, my stomache started cramping hard. Most likely a start of dehydration.

I drank all the fluid I brought, which included a full CamelBak, and a bottle to boot, and still did not have enough. That's as much as I had when riding FATS last Saturday! Sweat poured out of me so fast, I could not have kept up enough fluid and still rode.

Lost Creek was tough. I came off my bike about 4 times, the last time actually counts as a wreck. Twice I shot through turns too fast or off line. Once, I bailed out on a root that threw me off balance. The last time I ended colliding with a tree as I attempted to shoot down and up a dry creek bed. I needed speed to get through the obstacle, but lost control.

Here's a pic of my awful injury:

Not as much as I wanted to ride, but I felt fairly good on Lost Creek, when I was not falling. I did not loose sight of folks as much, and I don't believe they had to wait too long either.

Stats:
Total Time: 1:26
Ride Time: 1:14
Zone Time: 0:45
Trip Distance: 11.69 miles
Avg. Speed: 9.46 mph
Max Speed: 22:15 (On a gravel rode warming up!)
Avg. HR: 151 bpm
Max HR: 169 bpm
Cals. Burned: 1022

Next Goal: Swim 550m

Current Status: Glad I have A/C

Upcoming: Run or Spin Class with a swim

More Interuptions...

2008-06-03T17:52:00.000-07:00

Thwarted again on the Ol' Commute. I forgot I was supposed to bring cake for a teammate's B-Day Party Today. So, seeing as how I can't ride carrying cake, I had to call off the ride to work again. Tomorrow's off too, since I have to make an extra trip to get Bobby to swim lessons in the morning.

Spin class was good, and I swam after for the double duty Spin & Swim as intended.

Some great music tonight really got me in the mood, even though I still feel tight and sore from Saturday's ride. My legs seem stronger a bit, but it does not last for long. However, I ot through the whole class.

I have never mentioned it before, but strangely, I have a small white square about 1in by 1 in that sits above and left of the instructor. It's become a habit to stare at it while riding. I zone out easy, and get my mind off the pain I'm inflicting on my leg muscles. If I get my form correct, and tune out, the square actually helps me crank up to higher levels. I know this may seem strange, but still I do it every class without thinking about it. It's there, and it just happens.

The swim tonight was not as good. Lots of people in the pool. School's out! You can tell by the new faces in the pool tonight. My circle swim lane was clogged with a group of people that seemed to think the pull buoys and water aerobics equipment is there for them to float on, while blocking others from swimming in a straight line.

I was not as motivated, and I had trouble with form again tonight. I just can;t get the hang of breathing. Someone suggested looking into a program called Imersion Swimming. I checkied it out on the web, and he said he'll send my a copy of the DVD's to preview. I've got to try something. I just have not made much progress.

Bike Stats: (These are estimates. My HR monitor did not store my data for some reason)
Total Time: ~1:00
Zone Time: ~:50
Avg HR: 134 bpm
Max HR: 155 bpm
Cals. Burned: 775

Next Goal: Swim 500m

Current Status: Annoyed!

Upcoming: Bike Harbison

Commute Interupted

2008-06-02T18:32:00.000-07:00

So, I gleefully dashed out the door this morn with full intentions of riding to work. I grabbed my old bike (Specialized POS), and down the road I went. I made it over the first climb, and through a nice straight section leading to a red light. Happily, my legs started feeling ready to roll, and as I started back on the bike to cross Two Notch Road, I cranked it up to ... Crunch!

My chain, and pedals seized. I darn near shot over the handle bars in the middle of a four lane road. I looked down and noticed... well, didn't notice a rear derailleur(sp?). It was gone. Well, not entirely, but mostly. It had sheered in half and I was stuck.

Here's a pic of the damage. Don't know if you can tell, but the bottom half of the mechanism is wrapped up it the chain. I have no idea how this happened.

I ended up walking back home, and taking the usual way to work. Which, by the way, took 14 minutes. The same time it took me to ride the route yesterday.

I'm taking the bike in to be fixed, and will take my new bike (S-Caliber) tomorrow instead. Hopefully things will go better.

Non-Sequitor Daddy Moment of the Day:

Bobby started swim lessons today. He was great, and I had fun watching him. Chances are pretty good he will swim 500m before me! Here's a pic.

Next Goal: Swim 500m

Current Status: Price shopping cheap derailleurs (sp?)

Upcoming: Double Duty Spin and Swim at the Y

New Running Plan

2008-06-01T19:38:00.000-07:00

I've decided to change up my runs. Lately, I have been searching for something new to push me to higher running levels, and I want to cut down on running related injuries, specifically the left shin.

I plan to split my runs into 3 categories and rotate between them weekly. That's 3 runs a week at 3 different paces. I will run early week at full bore, mid week at regular pace, and late week for endurance.

Tonight I started by running 2 intervals (fartleks) at 8 minuntes each. I believe I ran around a mile for each section, and split the runs with 3 minutes of walking.

I was really winded running, and thought I could do better. Maybe the big ride yesterday is still affecting me? I could feel the muscles groups yearning for rest. My back was as rigid as two steel I-beams. My breathing was eratic. I made it through and even finished on a big climb. Almost hurled for the first time ever running!

My left knee has felt great all day. My left toe is perfect. My right to is back to normal. And I aonly had a slight twinge in the left shin post run. I'm icing it and repeated streching it.

Stats:
Run Time: 18:33
Zone Time: 5:01 (Mostly Above!)
Distance ~2.25 miles
Pace: ~8 min. /miles
Avg HR: 158 bpm
Max HR: 171 bpm
Cals. Burned: 283

Next Goal: 500m Swim

Current Status: Ready for Rest

Upcoming: 5th Grade Recognition Night & Neighborhood Meeting means plenty of rest

Scouting Mission

2008-06-01T10:16:00.000-07:00

Next week is my last week of school for the year. Since I only teach with students for 2 - 1/2 days and then have inservice or work days the rest of the week, I decided to ride my bike to school next week as much as I can with weather permitting.

To gauge my distance and riding time, I rode to and back from school today. I rode to school one way and back a slightly different way, cutting through some neighborhoods when possible.

Round trip it was about 6 miles, and very hilly! I liked the longer way through the neighborhoods best, since I do not have to worry about traffic as much.

Stats:
Temp: 90 degrees
Total Distance: 6.20 miles
Trip Time: 28:55
Zone Time: 23:47
Avg. Speed: 12.88 mph
Max Speed: 32.25 mph
Avg. HR: 145 bpm
Max HR: 163 bpm
Cals. Burned: 375

May's Training Totals

2008-05-31T18:34:00.001-07:00

I've been tracking my stats this month.

Here's my first month's totals

Swimming:2100 yd
Running: 14.98 miles
Biking: 110 miles

Something to go by for June!

Riding the Red Clay Roller Coaster

2008-05-31T18:07:00.000-07:00

Fats is PHAT!

Riding FATS today was a great experience. Amazingly fast and smooth compared to anything I've ever ridden. I had to force myself to hold back, so as not to get the Monty Jinx, and be able to make my date tonight with Amy. Even though I tried to stay Earth bound, several times I found my wheels escaping Sumter National Forest's red clay terrain.

First ten miles was loads of rollin', rockin', high speed fun. I learned a lot about conserving and producing speed without using my pedals. New experience. My back actually is more sore than my legs from all the pumping I did all morning. I was out of the saddle as much as I was in it. Different than how I normally ride.

After a quick stop, the second 5 miles started to get harder. My back tightened up big time, and I started to loose speed. The humps were harder to ride seated than standing. Lost a lot of momentum.

The last 5 miles were a total blur. I completely lost track of what trail I was even riding. At one point I thougt I was still riding the second loop at FATS. Having never ridden that far before, my body started doing strange things. Losing complete trust in my riding ability, I was forced to slow even further to eliminate the chance of jumping off the trail into oblivion.

I actually had to get off the bike, and walk a few times the last mile, since any uphill at all was beyond what my brain to handle. I seemed to have some kick left, but the ol' noodle was unreceptive to any idea of cranking out extra power to crest even the slightest mound in my way. Sadly, I walked up to a waiting Jason with only .3 miles left for the day.

I loved the ride completely. I drank my entire water bladder, and a bottle of Gatorade. More fluid than I have ever consumed riding. I also discovered a great need for actual riding shorts, and a pair of gloves. I wore my skin out in several places, if you catch my drift.

I hope I didn't hold J-Man up to much today. I can't wait to go back.

Stats:
Total Time: 2:41
Riding Time:2:11
Zone Time: 1:32
Avg HR: 151 bpm
Max HR: 175 bpm
Cals. Burned: 2294
Avg. Speed: 9.07 mph
Max Speed: 17.55 mph
Total Distance: 19.96 miles

Next Goal: Swim 500m

Current Status: Whipped!

Upcoming: If my body is willing, a run of Sunday

Resting... Resting... Resting...

2008-05-30T19:38:00.000-07:00

Spent the night getting ready for FATS.

Hooked up the new bike computer. Broke the first rubber thingy getting it on, and had to improvise (You were right J). Spent an hour getting the stupid magnets close enough together, and then measured the wheel to make sure he whole thing is ready to go.

Packed up for a big ride. I am so excited. This will be my longest ride yet on the new wheels, and I am stoked to see what I can do. I will come fully equipped for a full scientific review.

Tomorrow is my wedding anniversary, and I will be riding. I hope this does not get me in trouble. On a good note: I have an actual date planned for the evening to celebrate with Amy, so that should help.

Double the Pleasure

2008-05-29T18:04:00.000-07:00

I wanted to try and double up tonight to gain in my efforts to train for a Triathlon.

Started with a Spin Class at the Y, and Wendy, the instructor, had revamped her workout. She added a much faster pace for her 8,4,2's song (Don't ask!). Also, she upped the big climb, and moved it to the end of the workout.

I was tight at first from the riding last night, and I was off my pace for the first 10 minutes, however, after that, my body rebounded for a strong middle and finish. Rode like heck, and could've gone higher, but held off for the second round to follow in the pool. The 8,4,2's song about killed me, and the steep climb at the end was rough as well, but I liked the changes overall.

After the ride, I showered and changed, and off I went to the pool. I swam a 600m workout. Started with 100m of warm up (All Crawl), then paced through 100m of kickboard, right only, left only, and a paddle swim. I finished with 100m of crawl, and timed my laps. I made the swim under 2 minutes, so now I have a benchmark to go by. I felt great in the pool, and finished strong. My shoulders felt great, and my stroke was smooth (for me!). My kick is coming along, but still weak.

I was too nervous to take the HR monitor in the pool, so I only have spin stats. Note: I turned the monitor on as soon as I got on the bike. Pedaled about 5 minutes before starting the class, so avg HR is likely low.

Spin Stats:
Total Time: 1:07:41
Zone Time: 00:40:44
Avg. HR: 134 bpm
Max HR: 172 bpm
Cals.: 771

Next Goal: Swim 500m (Getting closer!)

Current Status: Psyched about the double

Upcoming: Rest Night to get ready for FATS on Saturday

A New Toy Tested

2008-05-28T19:28:00.000-07:00

I had planned on riding at Harbi tonight, but after hearing from Jason about likely storms, I revamped my plans. Since I was able to get home earlier with no tutoring in the schedule, I talked Amy into taking me to get a HR monitor (Birthday Present). Of course, now that I had a new toy, I had to test it out.

Off I went in to the Land of Y to weight train and work a 45 min training bike session. The weight training was labored at best. Not very enjoyable. This may be due to the fact that the weight scale that I stood on right before starting, showed several added pounds from a weekend at the beach, I guess! What the heck!!

Did the usual weight thing. Must add that I hate doing crunches or any ab work. This might explain my stubborn belly, however, I worked this area harder than any other. Yet, still I hate crunches.

Between weights and biking, I met a guy that is training for his first triathlon as well. He's been on it for 4 months, and will do his first next month at the Tri the Midlands in Lake Carolina. I had thought about doing this as well, but with lagging water skills, I have postponed my first triathlon. The dude tore it up on a bike and run in the wellness center, and he said he'd swum as well for a full tri tonight. He was in amazing shape, and I found it a tad intimidating to think we both are starting Triathlons. He's way above my ability right now, but I did feel better when he added that he to struggled with swimming at first, and just about sucked at it as bad as I do now. So, that was good news.

On the bike, I felt great, and pushed it hard to get some feedback using the HR machine. I saw a few times when the watch lost signal so my final stats are a bit off (I think they should be higher).

Stats:
Time = 45:00
Total Distance = 12.3 miles
Avg. Speed = 16.4 mph
Avg HR = 134 (Low in my opinion)
Max HR = 158
Time in Zone = 36:58 (Low in my opinion)
Cals. Burned = 494 (Low in my opinion)

Next Goal: Swim 500m

Current Status: Left Shin feeling better, Left Knee on ice

Upcoming: Hopefully a Spin Class and maybe a swim too!

Non-Sequitor Note:
Fav. Daddy Moment of the Day: Looking one way while walking in Target, my mind in a fog, and feeling my son's had slip into mine. Instant Happiness!

Surfside 4 Miler

2008-05-26T18:34:00.000-07:00

Ran at the beach again this morning. I planned to run yesterday, but things got busy, and I was only able to fit in a few minutes of tennis with Amy, during the boys' nap.

This morning, Amy, Becky and I ran the loop we invented earlier in the week. I decided to stretch the loop out and try to go twice. The complete run was about 4 miles, the most I've run to date.

I wanted to challenge by putting up more miles, since running a 12K is in the plans for the Fall. I definetly felt the effect of added miles. My left shin splint came back, my left toe is sore, and when I finished running I felt worn out from head to toe. This was the first time my upper body was sore afer running.

I think the shin splints are from running twice at the beach with only a day of rest. Lately, I have been cross-training more. The added miles aggravated my shin, too. I plan to cut running out the rest of this week, and I'm looking at altering my run training. I saw some plans that cut down miles in a week, but add sprnts instead.

My left toe is probably strained from walking on the sandy beach yesterday. I recall slipping in the sand, while walking over a dune, and my left toe kept me upright. I felt a twinge, which I believe I aggravated running today. Sad injury story, huh.

Well, I hope my training blog stops becoming an injury blog. Writing about these silly injuries is annoying, but they do hold me bacl from what I want to accomplish.

Here's a map of my run:

Next Goal: Swim 5oom

Current Status: Sore Left Toe, Sore Left Shin, Sore Left Knee

Upcoming: Big Field Trip at school to the beach, likely no workout :(

Surfside Run

2008-05-24T07:02:00.000-07:00

I'm at Surfside for the Weekend, and went on a morning run.

Took Amy and Becky, her sister, with me.

We went 2 miles and I forgot to time it! Fun run. I will probably go longer tomorrow.

Next Goal: Swim 500m

Current Status: Ready for the Beach

Upcoming: More Miles tomorrow

Running with My Spouse

2008-05-21T19:44:00.001-07:00

My Mother' Day gift to my wife this year was a new pair of running shoes. We wanted to buy them from Strictly Running, since I have loved my pair. Tonight was our first chance to head into town to buy them.

So, tonight became a Home Course Run with the Wife. Amy wanted to try out her new kicks, and I was looking forward to a running partner. I have read that no one should train and run strictly solo, and after tonight I agree.

Usually running at night is a solitary thing, which is fine, but having Amy with me tonight was comforting. We have both been working hard at getting into better shape. We have both been training consistently at the Y. We have both made running 5Ks a goal for the year. It has been about 6 months since our commitment, and tonight was special for me, because as Amy bounced along beside me, I thought about how much we've changed since December.

We ran for about 28 minutes covering 2 laps of the lake for about 3 miles of training. Amy wanted to work on running hills, which she feels hurt her in the last race, so tonight was a new challenge for her. We started off at an easy pace for the first lap, but I could tell my wife's competitive edge was kicking in the second time around, when the pace quickened.

I was happy just cruising along for a nice easy jog tonight, but that changed in the hilly back section of our second lap. Amy's Be-Boppin' Bouncin' style of running started picking up. Soon I had a hard time even keeping up. I wasn't mentally planning on pushing it, and now I was tailing behind at times by a couple of strides.

Of course, I wasn't going to let her beat me.

My competitive edge took over, and I made sure to keep shoulder to shoulder the rest of the way around.

However, as the last minute of our program chimed in across our headsets, we both took off. Knowing what the other was planning, we both laughed, realizing the nice easy stroll was no longer an option.

It was officially on.

Stretching my gait into a sprint, pushing my hips forward to maximixe form, and straightening up to pull in extra O2, I pushed into the red zone and barely kept up.

My entry stops there.

You'll have to conclude this one on your own.

I will say this running with your spouse is fun, but hazardous to your ego.

Next Goal: Swim 500m

Current Status: Fullfilled

Upcoming: Busy Schedule will demand a day of rest. Heading to the Beach for the weekend, so I will likely take off from training until Saturday.

Birthday Spin

2008-05-20T20:02:00.000-07:00

Celebrated my birthday with a spin class tonight!

Yeah, that's right! No fancy dinner or party. I had more fun sweatin' it out in a room full of folks I barely know.

Not much to report, but tonight's spin class was extra difficult. Some triatheletes were in the class tonight, and I think the instructor kicked it up a notch to impress them. Because I'm 35 today, I really pushed hard, and made tonight extra difficult.

Talked with the instructor after class, and got some good ideas for the pool. She's a great swimmer, and offered some advice. I will adjust my stroke a bit, and use the hand-paddles more.

Ate some cake that Bobby and Joey made for me when I got home. This was very sweet of them, but eating gooey chocolate cake on an empty stomache after burning 900 or so calories in under an hour is not recommended.

Gut Buster!

Next Goal: Swim 500m

Current Status: Intestinally challenged

Upcoming: Swim or run (Depends on Amy's schedule)

Workout Addiction ???

2008-05-19T19:10:00.000-07:00

Great workout tonight.

Also, I may be getting addicted to training.

All I could think about today at school was getting home, and getting to the Y. I felt like crap all day. My allergies may be a cold instead, and I felt drained and achy at lunch and didn't eat.

However, when I got to the Y tonight, all of that went away. Immediately, I was more energized, and the swampy feeling that engulfed me all day was gone.

I started with some weight training: Lots of abs (crunches, situps, etc), and the regular exercises for arms, shoulders, and back. Also, since Amy's Dad was there, I had someone to spot me, so I did some free-weight bench presses. The last time I benched about a month ago, I could barely push a set of thirty-fives for 8 reps. Tonight, I pushed the same weight for an initial set of 10 reps, and followed that with 40 pounds on each end with a set of 8 reps.

Not incredible weight or anything, but I felt great seeing a quantitative change in such a short amount of time. I figure I was benching around 115 lbs tonight. Someday, I'd like to be able to bench my weight. As Amy pointed out, I could either loose lots more weight or get stronger. Probably I will end up with a combination of both.

After the training session upstairs, I went down to the pool. Tonight's swim workout included: 100m of warm up switching between the crawl and breaststroke wihout rest, 100m of kickboarding, 100m of left arm, 100m of right arm, 100m of crawl with leg floats, and 100m of mixed crawl and breastroke without rest to finish for a total of 500m of work.

My form and style felt much improved tonight, but for some reason, my breathing was more labored. When I swam the 100s without rest, both times my lungs started burning for more air that I could not get in. My asthma is acting up tonight as well, so I think this is related to the allergies/ cold I'm experiencing. If I can get the breathing worked out, I will change up the swim workout to include longer swims without rest.

On the way out the Y tonight, I felt great as I realized my body was spent. From head to toe, my muscles felt well-used, but not tight or over-strained. Walking to the car was an effort that required thought. Picking up my arms to put my son in the car took real effort. Strange how great that feeling can be.

Next Goal: Swim 500m without rest

Current Status: Wishing I had Greg LeMond's Lungs

Upcoming: Tuesday night Spin Class.

Update: I almost forgot! Tomorrow is my 35 Birthday. In some races, that means a new age group!

Dropping the Canine Hammer!

2008-05-18T19:42:00.000-07:00

Heading down the steep hill that is my driveway, what looked like a full moon illuminated my journey towards Lake Briarcilffe. I should have known then.

Despite achy nasal passages, and sore joints from yard work all afternoon, I was determined to get my run in today, so I could start this week off right. Last week was a wash, and as my triathlon training chart demonstrates, my foot issues last week hurt my conditioning and training.

Oddly, my run started off great. I got in the zone quickly with the help of some great tunes on the iPod, and cruised along the dam of the lake. Taking in the beauty of a post-storm breeze and a glowing night, I strode uphill and around the backside of the lake on my run.

My nasal passages were clearing. My soreness was gone. My breathing was not too bad, considering this was my first run in over a week. Thinking about form, forcing my hips forward, and concentrating on a heal-toe jog to alleviate my reoccuring shin splints, I felt like a "real" runner.

For only a moment.

When suddenly my brain registered that the distant sound of a barking dog was not all that distant. Turing in alarm, my view focused on white teeth, red gums, and black hair jumping at the heel of my Mizunos. As most of you know, I run at night with a flashlight and a wooden hammer. The flashlight for sleepy drivers, and the hammer is reserved for the nosey canines that roam my neighborhood at night.

Swinging around, wooden weapon at arm's length, I struck a skull-bashing stance. The mongrel kept coming at me, low and snarling. "Giyit!" I hollered at full volume. Those of you that know me, know I am louder than most people, but what you don't know is that usually I am actually attempting to be somewhat quiet. Bellowing at full force, I screamed several more time in hopes that I would not have to resort to killing a dog on such a peaceful evening.

Lights on porches started blinking on, surrounding me in pale yellow light. Husbands, wives, and children jumped up from couches for at least several hundred yards.

"Whoever owns this dog better come git him!" I continued. The dog's owner ambled down his front deck and grabbed the retriever's collar.

Upset that my run was interupted, I continued along. Turning about a minute later, I saw the dang mutt coming at me again! I stopped, gave the owner a "What the..." shoulder shrug, and waited for him to corral his pet a second time.

Heading back to my run, I was upset that my pace, and concentration were blitzed.

The story should end here, right?

Well, on my second loop, I noticed a slow moving white SUV coming from behind me. Worried that the dog's owner might be tracking me down, I slowed down to get a good look. Mentally, I wrote down the license tag, and kept going. The car drove up about half a block, swung around with it's brights on and headed right at me.

Heart rate soaring, I ended up shielding my eyes, because of the stark light glaring directly at my head, and I ditched into someone's front yard. The car passed without incident, and I got back into my pace yet again!

Then, bright lights swung back around. Popping the ear buds out, I jogged sideways, as the white vehicle slowed to match my pace. A powered window eased down.

"Do you know how to get to the Bi-Lo?" asked a woman.

Next Goal: Swim 500m

Current Status: Wondering if watching "Disturbia" has warped my sense of reality.

Upcoming: Swim Night

Sesqui Ride and Picnic

2008-05-16T19:02:00.000-07:00

Headed to Sesqui after work with the Boys and Amy. I made a quick loop around the bike trail, and then caught up with Amy and the Boys at the playground.

The ride was a blast. Rode the first few miles in almost top gear, because I thought I downshifted on an uphill, but evidently forgot. Kept riding and pushing thinking I was in a shorter gear. Went much faster than normal and just thought it was a higher cadence, but when I looked down after 2 miles I was realized I was pushing in my highest front gear. Felt better in the bike, and balanced through turns better than usual. I even sorta did a track stand to make it through some really squelchy sand.

After the ride, Amy, myself, he boys and Amy's Parents cooked some burgers, and had a picnic. The plan was to do a second loop through the park with Amy on her bike, but some rain cancelled the extra ride.

We did a fun group ride instead, and we all rode casually around the joggin trail until it got dark. Lotsa fun even though it was not the biggest workout ever. We saw our first lightning bugs of the year, scared a few dear, and Bobby tore down a bumpy hill at full blast.

Next Goal: Swim 500m

Current Status: One Happy Daddy

Upcoming: Nothing on Saturday (Wedding Dinner for a friend, and I need to clean up the yard, too). Plan to run on Sunday.

Good News, Bad News

2008-05-15T19:07:00.000-07:00

Ok, first, the Doc in a Box said its not Gout. Great! But... They have no clue why my foot hurts??

Anyway, went to the USC game tonight.. Should have worked out! 13-0 Gamecocks Lost

I'm Baaack!

2008-05-14T19:30:00.000-07:00

Whoot! I was able to get in a workout tonight for the first time since last weekend.

I got home from work and tutoring, and took the boys in the trailer to the Children's Garden at Clemson Extension Service off Clemson Road. The Boys love it there, and I packed Bobby's Pump Bike in the storage area. He likes riding around the park when we get there. Amy ended up joining us there, after her tutoring gig cancelled, and we all decided to ride around the trails at the park. I stowed Joey in the trailer, and Bobby tagged along on his bike, while Amy and I biked.

I must say I love the trailer we got for our bikes. It's is easy to use, converts to tons of different uses, and even has suspension. It's made by a company called Chariot, and we have the XC model for 2 kids. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in a child carrier system. It's a bit pricey, but worth it. Check out their website if you are interested: http://www.chariotcarriers.com/english/html/index.php

I had a great time watching Bobby lead the way through the trail. He stops to inspect every ant hill, and jabbers on about how much he likes riding the Daddy does. He moves awfully fast considering he has only 1 gear, his feet. He made it over every hill, and sandy spot (which he likes to hit and fall into). We ended up racing to see a train, which passed to quickly, and then I raced Amy home, and lost. Dragging 60+ pounds in the trailer cuts down top speed!

Ended up making it to the Y, too. I got in a good weight training session. Here's a breakdown: Lots of abs stuff, curls, tricep extensions, chest presses, lat pull downs, flies, and some back lifts.

Rode 45 minutes on a bike trainer after that. Set up the XC mode and started spinning away. Pushed it a good bit, becuase I was feeling strong, however, I soon started to crash only 15 to 20 minutes in. Amazing how fast the conditioning level disappears when you don't workout. I struggled to keep going, and beared down, as the Blue Man Group drummed away on my iPod.

Feel great to work up a sweat again. My foot is not 100 percent, but it's getting close. On a side note, I'm still waiting to hear back from the Doc in a Box for the blood test results on my foot. I was supposed to get the info in a day, and it's now 2 days and counting.

Bike Stats: 12 miles in 45 minutes for an avg. of 16 mph

Next Goal: Swim 500m

Current Status: Overjoyed

Upcoming: Rest Day to attend Gamecock Baseball Game

One More Day

2008-05-13T16:28:00.000-07:00

Started taking the meds last night, and my foot is starting to look human again. The labs have not come back to confirm, but seeing as how the gout pills I have are doing the job of healing me up, it sounds like that's what I have.

Not sure how I got, or how to prevent it again.

If everything continues to heal up, I plan to get back on the bike tomorrow and ride on the trainer at the Y.

Next Goal: Swim 500m

Current Status: Looking Ahead

Upcoming: Trainer Bike Riding at the Y I hope!

Where Time Stands Still

2008-05-12T18:44:00.001-07:00

Just got back from a 4 1/2 hour visit to Doc in a Box. Couldn't get an appointment with my regular physician, and I couldn't stand the pain in my foot any longer, so I spent my afternoon reading magzines, while I waited to be seen.

I have to wait for a blood test to confirm, but it sure seems like I have the gout. Almost all my toes are red, purple and swollen now.

This so totally stinks.

Next Goal: Swim 500m

Current Status: Serious Foot Problems

Upcoming: TBA

On the DL

2008-05-11T18:30:00.000-07:00

Okay, I had all the intentions of fitting in a run tonight despite the gail force winds, but around 1 pm this afternoon I started feeling a shooting pain in my left big toe. I ignored the pain at first, but soon I started to feel some swelling, and ended up taking my shoe off so I could walk without pain.

Mind you, this is not associated with any of the exercises or workouts that I have been doing, so I'm at a total loss for what's going on. The pain increased for a while, and now my toe is much larger than it should be. Since, I cannot walk without stumbling, as I attempt to keep my toe off the ground, I decided to call off the run and take another rest day.

At this point, I figure the toe is a result of one of three things: 1) I hurt it while working bare foot yesterday with the pressure washer. 2) The old shoes I wore today, becuse my good ones are soaked from the pressure washing damaged my tissue, or 3) I have the gout. yeah, the gout?

My wife's mother figures I have the gout. I keep repeating this, because I just can;t believe it. I thought only old, fat people got the gout. If the pain does not go away tomorrow, I will visit my GP.

Anyways, I am officially on the injured list. This stinks!

Next Goal: Swim 500m

Current Status: Embarassed, bummed, and limping

Upcoming: TBA

Brrmm...Brrmm...Brrmm...Brrmm...

2008-05-10T17:40:00.000-07:00

Decided to take a rest day instead of doing the planned run. Worked all day at the neighborhood pool getting it clean and ready for the summer. I think I pressure-washed just about every piece of brick, tile, or wood that's down there. My back is tight from bending over, and I got a sunburn on my neck. Also, I think I might hear the rattle of a 6hp Honda OHC engine in my sleep tonight.

Brrmm... Brrmm... Brrmm...

It felt good to make the subdivion look nicer, and I enjoyed meeting some new folks that turned up to help out. So I guess the effort is worth missing a workout.

Brrmm... Brrmm... Brrmm...

On a side note, my left shoulder is feeling wierd. I will cut back on swimming next week to rest it some. I will either take an extra run or bike to make up for it. Also, from my triathlon reading, it is time to a "Brick" workout by running and biking during the same training session.

Brrmm... Brrmm... Brrmm...

Next Goal: Swim 500m

Current Status: Left Shoulder pain, and Brrmm....Brrmm....Brrmm... goin' off in my head.

Upcoming: Rest Day.. 2 in a row??!!

Tim's Training Text

Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired

Swim and Bike at the Y

The Results are in...

Forced Run Subsides Headache

Blocked Sinus, Congested = Slow Run

What's Going On...

Cross Training

2 Much Fun 5k Training

Biking over Spring Break

Back to Blogging

Mountain Biking at Sesqui

Sept. Training Totals

I'm still Alive!

Recent Stuff

August Training Totals

More Long Interval Training

New Interval Run

Inconsistent

Start of School

Off and On Work

Commute Accomplished

Medium Run with some weights

Adjusting for School

Sprint Work

Medium Road Ride & Family Ride

Bike to Y for Swim

New Ground in Running

Swimming Beats Anything in This Heat

Worst Workout Ever!

Hot August Night Race Results

Hot Harbison Ride

July's Training Totals

Spin Class & 5K Oops

4 Miles Under 40 Minutes

Oconee Trip

5K Prep Run

Beach Trip Update

Big Day - Harbison Distance Record

Back in the Groove

Tri the Pee Dee Race Results

Last Chance Workout

Light Run Day

Light Swim Day

Light Bike Day

Triathlon Trial Day

Changing Plans

Spin Class Special

I Have This Thing About Locker Rooms ** By Request **

Morning Swim/ Afternoon Bike Ride

Solid Workout Starts new Month!

June's Training Totals

Tri Swim & Bike Trials with Some Race Goals

Going for Speed

Tri Bike Trial Run

Bike Trail at Huntington Beach State Park

Beach Run

Fitting It All In

Getting Race Ready

500m Swim! & The Next BIG Goal!

Beach Run

Swim Break Through

Spin; No Swim

Doing a 'Brick' Session

Keeping up with Projects

Strong Run

A Good Swim; No Run

The Big Easy

Not My 'A' Game

Bike Commute Rundown

Tonight's Theme: Pain

Being A Dad, Instead

A Hard Day's Night

Home Course Distance Record

On the Road Again!

Don't Worry, Drink a Homebrew

Sharing the Trail and a Medium Run

NADA

Hot...Hot...Hot

More Interuptions...

I Have This Thing About Locker Rooms By Request