Endorphins!

I finally got my fix. Oh yes, I got my fix!

After about two weeks off (not counting last Sunday's 1/4 mile swim), going back at it felt AMAZING! After being pretty much shut down for that long, nothing can quite describe how pumped up I am right now, so I'm not even going to try.

Since I've been a bad blogger lately, here's a summary:

• Finals are DONE!
• Exercises for my knee are a go
  
• Swimming works again
• I don't have a care in the world
• I'M GOING TO HAWAII IN SIX DAYS!

I thought I could make a full post about how pumped I am right now, but nope, not quite. Just know that I am. This thing is turning around.

Life is good.

Bwick!

I've been a triathlete in training for several months now, but I've never actually submitted myself to doing a brick (bike + run) workout just yet. And, technically, I still haven't. But I'm getting closer.

Today I HAD to take advantage of the beautiful weather. It was a requirement that was written in the stars. I absolutely had to be outside today. Since I just ran on Saturday, the only option was biking. So I hit the bike for 10 miles. Not so much as a peep from my knee; there hasn't been much noise from it lately!

But that wasn't all on the agenda today. I also wanted to get in some water running before class so I headed to the pool with my chlorinated Mizuno's and got to work. So, lets call it a "bwick"!

Judging from the time and his pace, I'm pretty sure I was doing the water running while Bill was tackling the Newton Hills in Boston; I sent him some good thoughts. Once again, not so much as a peep from my knee even after 30 minutes of water running. Right on!

Clock check.

Fifty minutes til class. I'm not tired. I'm in the pool. Conclusion? It's swimming time.

I started swimming, then decided I was feeling good and did 8x50 on a one minute interval (for non swimmers: that means one minute to both swim the 50 and rest). The interval was 5 seconds faster than I did a couple weeks ago, so I'm seeing some improvement. Right on (again)!

All is good in my world for now, even with it being dead week. I get my Garmin back tomorrow. My next run is scheduled for Wednesday; planning 1.5 miles at an easy pace. Will push it to 2 miles this weekend if all goes well.

Keeping my yap shut!

Today I got out on the bike again for 10 miles. Damn does it feel good to move! Maybe even too good, judging from the numbers I saw early in my workout.

Yesterday I posted all about keeping it under control. Reigning it in. Stop pushing so hard and spend the next several months staying aerobic. Today at the start of my workout, I caught myself doing the exact opposite just because it felt good. My heart rate was constantly pushing 160 and approached 170 into the wind or going up hills.

I was pushing too hard already. Begging for a relapse a day after setting my goals!

I started watching my heart rate meticulously to try and keep it under control, trying to make an effort to use less effort. No matter what, though, just trying to try less wasn't working for me.

Then, I figured it out. It was simple. I gotta keep my yap shut!

By just breathing through my nose, my legs don't have enough oxygen to push too hard. My heart rate immediately fell to 150 and stayed there. Whenever it got back up towards 160, I couldn't sustain the effort while breathing through my nose.

So, theres the trick to me staying aerobic, and healthy. I don't need a heart rate monitor to tell me. I don't need numbers. As long as I know how to listen, my body can tell me exactly when I'm in the right zone.

Post ride my knee is feeling good. I even jogged across the parking lot at the YMCA and it felt healthy. So long as I'm patient and can keep my yap shut during workouts for the next couple months, I might just be able to build back up injury free!

Image: Chanimal.com

Weekly Recap 03/31/08 - 04/06/08

Monday: Pushed through the wall during my swim. Great sense of accomplishment, but....

Tuesday: Right shoulder hurt bad, took it easy.

Wednesday-Saturday: Ditto.

Sunday: Swam in the morning, got fit for my bike in the evening. Right shoulder is better and knee is really shaping up!

Total swim: 1.5 miles

Resting heart rate: 65

------------------------

A few days ago, I was frustrated. You might have been able to feel the bad vibes from where you're at, I wouldn't be surprised. However, today things turned right around!

Yesterday, my shoulder was feeling back to normal. But I woke up today to it being a little bit sore again. However, I was going to the pool.

No. Matter. What.

Even if I was going to get in the pool, cringe in pain for a lap, and get out, I had to try. So, I went to the pool. I was nervous about getting in, because who knew what was going to happen once I started working my shoulder. But I got in and I got it done.

It felt good. Know why? Because in my haze of worrying about my shoulder, I forgot I need to use the pull buoy to salvage my knee. I got in, and I swam normally. My knee didn't speak up. Let me reiterate that: my busted knee no longer yells at me when I use it.

I didn't push myself AT ALL today. In fact, most of the time I was just doing 50 yards and stopping. I did 100 once. But it felt easy. Just as easy, if not easier, than using the pull buoy. So all that pulling translated over to real swimming, thankfully!

Fast forward to this evening. I got fit for my bike, which I've been meaning to do for a couple weeks now. Eric moved my seat forward and adjusted my cleats too. I rode for a while on the trainer while he watched my form. He took videos to send to a friend of his who fits people professionally, too.

After being fit, I went for a ride around the block. Normally, this wouldn't be a big thing at all, but this is the first time I've moved my body at faster than a walk in the last month. It felt so. damn. good to zip down the street again, whether its by foot or by bike!

Tomorrow, I hit the bike for 10 miles. Nice and easy. No pushing it. Just enough to nudge the knee back into working order. If biking goes good this week, then running resumes next week.

Finally, thanks to E.V.E.R.Y.O.N.E. for all your encouraging words the past couple weeks. It means a lot. I really, really appreciate it.

Weekly Recap 03/17/08-03/23/08

Monday: Ran less than a mile. Found out this knee isn't in working order yet.

Tuesday: Swam half a mile with the pull buoy.

Wednesday: Rest

Thursday: Swam half a mile with the pull buoy. Had Tracy look at my knee, she thinks its ITBS and has me doing a lot of work to fix it up.

Friday: Swam a mile with the pull buoy, more below. Ab workout in the evening.

Saturday: Swam a mile with the pull buoy.

Sunday: Rest day, pool is closed for Easter. Boo!

Total run: 0.77 miles
Total bike: 0 miles
Total swim: 3 miles

------------------------------------------

Despite the disappointment early in the week when I found out my knee wasn't better, my attitude has really taken a turn for the better these past couple days. Why? Its the swimming.

This injury is from biking or running, or some combination of the two. Which leaves me right where I should be anyways: in the pool. With regards to triathlons, I have no worries about the running. Thats what I do. It's what I'm good at. My biking has some room for improvement, but I can tough through a bike ride. I've done it in the past and I can do it again.

Swimming is where I need the work. I haven't even completed the race distance yet in the pool, but I've done so several times with the bike and run. The pool is where progress is going to be made. Not just in terms of time, but in terms of being able to finish a race.

So I hit the pool. I swam with TNT using that damn pull buoy for a half a mile two days. I hated it. Each time, though, my knee felt better afterwards. It was like a 30 minute ice bath.

Then I mixed things up: I swam on my own, without the team. I swam when I had no obligation to do so. I swam for me, and it was amazing! I actually enjoyed it. I got in the pool with an intent of pulling 300 yards non-stop, which would have been tied for my longest yet, but after a several week break. Bam! 300 yards. Then I kept going: 350, 400, 450, 500.

I stopped at 500, but was starting to "get it." I started to see what it meant to be in the zone while swimming. If I swam too fast, I could simply slow down to recover, rather than needing to stop. I was able to fade out, but have my body do what I've taught it these past several months.

Next week? Lots of swimming. I'm going to focus all my energy on it. Once I can swim without the pull buoy, I'll think about giving running a shot again. Until then, I got a date with the foam roller!

Turning Back Around

For a while there, it seemed like everything was working against me. I couldn't run, bike, or swim. Homework was piled up, and grading was just the icing on the cake. Luckily, all that is turning around.

The school work is finally subsiding (or will be on Monday). I'm starting to get grades back from midterms, too, and lets just say this semester is strongly resembling my last one. I have nothing to grade. Let me reiterate that: I have nothing to grade. I even got to go home for several days last week, which was phenomenal since I got to see my cousin for the first time in a year since he also drove to Illinois for the weekend.

To top it all off, I think this knee is getting better.

I made it out for a run this morning, which was great! I decided to only run around the block, which was about 3/4 of a mile. There's no point in pushing it. It was only a little test run to see how my knee reacted. It did react, a little bit. I could feel it a little bit at the top on the right side of my right knee, but it was a very dull pain.

More importantly, I didn't feel as though I regretted it afterwards. My body didn't say "ohhh, you shouldn't have done that!" I'm considering myself on the mend and am planning to swim Tuesday night, then run again on Wednesday morning assuming all goes well these next few days. Update: I woke up today (Tuesday) and my knee is hurting again. Back on the roller coaster, I guess? Ugh.

Despite the good news, I'm officially canceling my half marathon for the spring. Sure, I might be able to do it, but it's a really bad idea at this point and simply begging for a relapse. Everything else is still on, unless this knee takes longer than expected to heal.

And don't think I forgot: Happy St. Patricks Day!

Confidence Building Exercise

No, I'm not talking about a breathing technique, or some cheesy mental trick to make me hold my head higher. I'm not talking about an exercise that builds confidence, I'm talking about exercise that builds confidence.

That was precisely the goal of my run this morning. Build confidence for Saturday, without demolishing my legs. My confidence had been waning a little bit, since I hadn't really run hard since 9 on the 9th. Most of my runs have been either easy or moderate since then, so I had to check I'm actually capable of pulling off the time I want.

Well, let me tell you. It worked. It worked big time. I can confidently tell you I'm going under 19 minutes on Saturday unless something goes horribly, horribly wrong. Hills? Please. My legs will eat those hills for second breakfast. I'm ready for the lactic acid storm. I'm ready to run down a victory.

The run this morning was pretty simple: 3 miles warm-up, 2 miles hard, 1 mile cool down. Just enough to wear me down without killing my legs for a few days. Here's the numbers. Just a warning: they're scary fast.

7:36
7:31
7:34 (Get ready for it....)
5:59 (GO!)
5:58
7:32
(and some change)

Thats right, I'm breaking out of six minute land. The second hard mile had a good uphill, too, it really pushed me. However, the good news (or bad news for those running the race on Saturday) is that I had enough left in me for another mile, and this is also after yesterday's ride.

Now, to take it halfway (sorta, kinda, maybe...) easy for a couple days to get ready for my first race in five months.

Conquering my Fears, Pushing my Limits

This morning my alarm decided to go off right in the middle of a REM cycle. The result? I woke up feeling groggy and slow. I checked the weather, since yesterday it was forecast to be about 40 degrees and sunny. Not so much. Try 31 degrees and cloudy. Now, normally I draw the line at 35 degrees for riding outside, but I decided to suck it up. What's four degrees?

I was loading the bike up on my car to head out to the country to ride, when a prissy looking sorority girl walked by me. She gave me a look that distinctly said "Oh my god, don't you know its totally like the arctic out here like?!"

Once I got out there, the ride started out like any other. The game plan was 21 miles, as usual. I had a strong focus on cadence, I worked a little bit on riding with one hand to learn better balance to make nutrition easier, I tried to keep my heart rate below 160. You know, the usual stuff.

Right when I was finishing up, though, something happened. The parking lot was to my left, but there was all this road ahead of me.

Forget it. I'm not done yet. Not today. I have unfinished business out here today. I have fears to conquer. I have limits to beat into the ground. I'm not turning in yet.

That decision was huge. Why? Let's recall the last time I rode 30+ miles. I bonked. Hard. At points I was debating calling someone to give me directions back to town, because my group had dropped me ages ago. After somehow finishing, I was demolished for the rest of the weekend. My legs were dead, my ass hurt like nobody's ass should ever hurt, my energy was completely drained miles before I even finished that ride.

I've had every reason to fear the distance. It left me raw and exposed to the elements, and left my limits laying all over the road. I knew the moment I decided to keep going, I might be in for the exact same mess all over again.

I was ready for it.

It never happened. I stayed strong the entire time. Not once did I feel like I was in over my head. Not once did I consider stopping.

Afterwards, my legs feel fine. My ass doesn't hurt. I've been completely functional all day; it had no effect whatsoever on my energy level. If this isn't progress, I don't know what is.

Here are the numbers for the day:

Distance: 30.99 miles
Time: 1:49:29
Speed: 17.0 MPH
Cadence: 96 rpm
HR: 157 bpm
Garmin Data

It's good to be back to my healthy self.

Double Digits!

Lets take a trip down memory lane. Two months ago I ran 10 miles in one week for the first time in ages. I was absolutely pumped about it, actually being able to run again! Since then, the post-injury firsts have been coming left and right. Bam, bam, BAM!

Today another one: my first 10 mile run post-injury. The amazing part about it all, is that it wasn't a challenge. No struggle. No praying afterwards that my hip will somehow hold itself together. No worrying that I overdid it and would have to take time off. It was just another run.

The realization that it felt like 'just another run' was almost as rewarding as the run itself! This hip thing is in the past. Completely. 100%. It is out of my mind.

This morning I ran to the Arboretum to meet up with Team in Training, ran four miles with the Tri team, and ran back. With TNT, I ran with Anna who was able to keep up with me better than I thought! I honestly had anticipated running alone once I got out there.

It was a fairly relaxed run, and Gimpy held up so here's the stats:

Distance: 10.27 miles
Pace: 7:44/mile
Avg HR: 155 bpm

I was glad Gimpy held up and didn't turn off during the run, although he did a few times before I started. I have an RMA to send it in soon, but I want to see if I can at least get this evenings bike ride done before I send it in!

Afterwards there was a nutrition and hydration clinic with Team in Training. I expected most of it to be old news to me, but maybe pick up a tip or two. It ended up being a waste of time, but I'll get over it. The lady talking gave the presentation as a "do as I say, not as I do" since she constantly told us habits about the bad things she does. If I was a beginning athlete, I don't think I would have listened to her advice.

Everything has been going absolutely perfect for me lately, although I'm hoping not to jinx it. I got my first project wrapped up and aced my Compilers exam. Then the other day my cousin and I finally patched things up (we hadn't spoken for nearly a year, something small had snowballed). Running is going great. Constant breakthroughs in swimming. Making progress on the bike. Some other stuff too. Basically anything that could go my way, is going my way. I'm not sure what I did to deserve it, but I'll take it!

Finally, I almost forgot to mention, Bill has the Myrtle Beach Marathon today! It looks like he has absolutely PERFECT weather: high of 61 degrees, party cloudy and a light breeze. He's finished by now, but they haven't posted the results yet. I'm sure you rocked it Bill!

Staying Honest

Yesterday I posted that I'm scratching my ultra-fast tempo runs. I'm replacing them with 'honest effort' runs where I run relatively hard, but still far from being an all out effort.

I know everybody is still going to call this "ultra fast," but I swear its not! The difference? Heart rate. On my previous tempo runs my heart rate would be 180-185 bpm; indicating I'm past my lactic threshold. Today, however, I kept my heart rate lower, 170-175 bpm. As a result, I still felt surprisingly fresh at the end, as opposed to wanting to keel over!

Call that my disclaimer. Call these the numbers:

7:37 (152 bpm, warmup)
6:43 (170 bpm, lets rock!)
6:28 (173 bpm)
6:23 (170 bpm)
6:11 (174 bpm)
6:58 (170 bpm, cooldown... sort of)

'Honest' HR: 172 bpm
'Honest' pace: 6:26/mile

Things I noticed:

• Perfect negative splits. Every mile got faster. Right on!
• Very similar to my tempo run a few weeks ago, but I didn't have to work as hard!
• Running fast is fun!
• I always get 'velocitized' on quick runs, unless I go 100% all out. Its like getting off the express way and accidentally speeding through town. I tend to do that on cool downs. And when I get off the express way.

The bad news? I think I could run like that for 9 miles. On the 9th.

Progress Across the Board!

Yeah, thats right! I used an exclamation point in the subject line, you know you're in for it today!

These past few days have spelled progress in all three sports. All of them! Remember the Driven post I had a few days ago? Yeah, the engine is going full steam! Here's the breakdown:

Swimming

Thursday night we did a bike-swim session with TNT. I rode my ass off on the trainer for about an hour, then headed straight for the pool (don't worry, I rinsed off!). I got in. It was just another day. Then my coach said five extremely obvious words that completely made things click: "relax your arms on recovery." Duh. Perfectly obvious, right?

Relax when you recover, so you can recover. As soon as I started doing this, it knocked my stroke count down to 14-15 per lap, even when I was swimming hard! The real kicker? Swimming got a lot easier. Its amazing how 5 words can change your life!


Running

This morning I headed out to Todd's Road to run with everybody. Once again, a new post-injury milestone: 8 miles, 100% pain free. I finished feeling completely fresh. I could have kept going, easily! However, I'm increasing nice and steady just to make sure I don't have a relapse, or cause some new injury. This was also my first run that lasted more than an hour (barely). Here's the numbers for today's run:

8:22
8:02
7:57
7:24
7:27
7:12
6:57
6:57

Avg HR: 163
Garmin data


Biking

I also had a new high average speed for biking! The kicker? I did it just a few hours after an 8 mile run. I set out with the intention of just riding really easy. The result? I paced myself better because I was focusing on high cadence rather than high speed! The wind was killer on the way back in, too, but I managed! Here's the stats:

Time: 1:12:24
Distance: 21.23 miles
Speed: 17.6 mph
Cadence: 93 rpm
HR: 160 bpm

Garmin Data


Needless to say. I'm revved up. Progress feeds the engine, right?

Rainy Tempo Run

My alarm went off this morning and my brain sounded like an excuse machine.

"Bed warm. Outside cold."
"Bed dry. Outside wet."
"Sun sleeping. You should too."
"Yesterday ride hard. Today run easy."

But I got my feet on the floor, grabbed Nancy's club, got some food in me, and headed out the door. My legs were tired from yesterday, and I was expecting a bad run, but that didn't stop me from pounding out a hard tempo run. Here's the numbers:

7:56 (warmup)
6:24
6:02
6:15
0:34 (0.1 miles)
7:35 (cooldown)
2:25 (0.32 miles)

Tempo pace: 6:12
5K time: 19:15
Tempo HR: 181

After having every excuse in the book, this turned out to be one great run. I cut 30 seconds off my time from two weeks ago, and its also worth noting my 5K split was faster than a 5K race I ran this time a year ago. Lets get this party started.

The Thaw

Ahhh, finally! The weather is warming up!

These past few weeks have been rather cold, cold enough to keep me indoors on the bike, at least. Although it doesn't take THAT much, since I can't afford all the winter gear for biking (like the windproof shoe covers that cost nearly $100). Regardless, I finally made it out on the bike today. Out as in outside. As in not inside. It was amazing.

Looking at the forecast, this shouldn't just be a one time thing, either! We're looking at mid 40's for at least the next week. The only bummer is that the official TNT bike practices are going to be group sessions on trainers until it really warms up, but I'll at least be able to get outside twice a week on the bike.

Today's ride was great; I had a new high average speed for my 21 mile route, and also started to get the hang of riding one handed. The one handed thing is a big step for me, since currently my balance is atrocious if I remove my hands from the bike; something I need to learn so I can eat and drink without stopping! Here's the stats for today:

Time: 1:13:39
Distance: 21.23 miles
Speed: 17.3 mph
Cadence: 92 rpm
HR: 160 bpm

It's obvious the stationary bike and real biking don't even come close to comparing. I know wind resistance and hills play a roll, but there still has to be some additional error on the stationary bike, because thats a huge difference from the 27 MPH I clocked a week ago!

Tomorrow is my second tempo run for the year, and its supposed to rain. You know I love running fast. And I love running in the rain. Tomorrow is going to be good.

Bunch of Arrogant Exercisers!

Yup. Thats exactly what we are.

Last week a group I run with, Todd's Road Stumblers, was brought up in a complaint letter to the sheriff of the county we run in. Someone brought in a copy of the letter today, both to inform people and to poke a little fun at. Why poke fun at such a serious situation?

Because of the style of writing. It was perfectly obvious the author had a lot of bottled up rage and was trying his hardest to keep it there, but couldn't quite do it! About halfway through he slipped by calling us "a bunch of arrogant exercisers going around like the own the road!" (not an exact quote, but the 'bunch of arrogant exercisers' comes straight out of his letter)

From what I hear, we get about two of these every year and nothing ever happens. It is usually someone who wants to drive 70 MPH around a blind turn and could probably use a couple miles out there with us.

For example, last year there was a report that "hundreds of people were out running well before dawn with flashlights, trying to blind the drivers!" What were they talking about? Yeah, Judy and Mark (count 'em: one, two) were out on a long run to beat the summer heat and brought flashlights for their own safety.

When we get a complaint the sheriff always comes out to make sure we're following the rules of the road, which we do. In fact, we have them posted on a rather large poster inside the clubhouse, and always remind new members to look at them; we know who wins in a car-runner collision!

This morning the sheriff drove past me four separate times during my 7 miler; each time I hugged the shoulder as tight as possible, smiled, and waved (with all five fingers). It is a good thing, really, to make sure everybody does get through their runs safely. Maybe a few people trying to fly through the blind turns will take heed too!

Thats all I got about that. Here's this arrogant exercises numbers for the day:

Run:
7:53
7:45
7:28
7:13
7:20
7:24
7:15
(and change)

Pace: 7:28
HR: 163 bpm

Then I came back, ate some food, cleaned up, took an hour nap, and then jumped on the stationary bike:

Time: 1:00:00
Distance: 25.42
Speed: Oh come on, I biked exactly an hour. I don't have to tell you this do I?
HR: 152 bpm

All in all a great day. I felt really strong through everything. It was great to talk to everybody from TRS again; I caught a few people I missed last week! Its good to be back!

What up Doc?

This post is just a bunch of random bits of information. Even though most my posts turn out that way, this time its on purpose!

• I made the decision to switch to the PhD program. Although I still have to apply, I see no reason they would reject me. But that does mean I have to jump through the hoops of getting recommendations again; oh the joys!
• My healthy diet is turning into habit. Yesterday, my Aunt sent me cookies. This huge tin of wonderful chocolate chip cookies! I ate 3 of them when they got here, and they're absolutely amazing. But, I have no urge to eat them. At all. I see bananas or cookies and consistently choose a banana. I look at my workouts the next few days and feel as though I can't afford to put crap in the tank. A good shift, but even I'm taken aback by it a little!
• Today is a rest day, which means I'm bored out of my mind; I don't feel like I need it, but I scheduled it so I'm taking it! I've had 10 workouts (13 if you count ab workouts) in the past six days, and I'm not feeling it at all. Adapting? Maybe!
• I'm scheduling a massage for next Friday to work any kinks out of my legs that are starting to show their heads; I figure its good for me physically and mentally, so why not? I'll call it a "treat" for working so hard lately.
• Tomorrow has seven miles on the schedule; the farthest I've run post injury! I'm optimistic about it, as always! My hip is feeling stronger than ever, and I'm ready to push it a little bit farther. 9 on the 9th, here I come!
• Finally, an endorsement for Vanilla over at Half-Fast. He's organizing a "Shave Your 5K" challenge. The idea is to see who can cut the most time, or percentage, off their 5K this year. See his post for the official rules. Go participate, even if its just because of his swawesome logo!

Okay, thats a lot more random than I thought I had; but its too late now; I hope everybody has a great weekend!

Thank You For Smoking

My run this morning was simply amazing. It wasn't the weather. Nope, not a blistering fast pace. Not even good company, I was running alone. In fact, I didn't even see another runner on the roads. Everybody was tucked in their nice warm beds, missing out on all the fun!

The run was good for another reason: the things I saw. A lot of things I normally don't notice.

• Some sweet statues by a few houses I run by every day
• A group of 5 squirrels darting every which way at the sight of me
• One indecisive squirrel that changed directions 5 times, not sure exactly how to get out of my way
• A few people that smiled as if to say "Yeah. I get it!"
• A smoker

"Wait, what? How is a smoker a good thing?" you ask? I'll tell you! I was running through campus at a nice relaxed pace, just enjoying my run when I started coming up on another guy just minding his own business, sucking on a death stick.

Once I got close, he jumped! I scared the guy, me being the behemoth I am! In the process, he dropped his cigarette, and bent over to pick it up. The poor nicotine addicted fellow then saw the most awful thing in the world: his cigarette landed in a puddle. I. Laughed. My. Ass. Off. (Thats an LMAO, Marcy, I'm never sure if I need to translate for you!)

You're welcome, Mr. Smoker. I added 3 minutes to your life and you didn't even thank me, but at least you made my day! You better watch out, if I'm feeling generous next week I might do it again!

Game On

Just finished my first tempo run of the year. Here are the numbers to improve on:

7:46 (warmup)
6:23
6:18
6:28
0:36 (0.1 mile)
7:26 (cooldown)
2:43 (0.36 miles)

Tempo pace: 6:22
5k time: 19:45
Tempo HR: 180 bpm
Garmin Data

Game on. Who wants to play?

Productive Saturday

Unlike most Saturdays, this one turned out being crazy productive. I'll save you the BAM!'s, but I got a ton of stuff done both with working out and school.

My alarm went off at 6am. I swore at it, but managed to crawl out of bed without hitting snooze. After the morning routine, and scraping ice off my car, I was en route to Todd's Road to meet up for a run; my first group run in four months!

Surprisingly, at 7am on a Saturday morning on a day with below freezing temps and really thick fog, around 40 people showed up to run at Todd's Road! I got to catch up with some old friends and put in six miles or so at a pretty good clip. Since nobody at my pace was running the six mile loop, I just ran 3 out with Jim, and 3 back on my own. Here's the splits:

8:13
7:41
7:33
6:56 (Later Jim!)
6:58
7:00
0:26 (0.07 miles)

Average pace: 7:23
Average heart rate: 167
Garmin data

This run had me worried about my hip. Last night after stretching, there was a little pain in my hip on occasion, but it didn't hurt to run or walk 99% of the time, so I toughed it out. After the run it felt fine, so I'm not too worried. I did a few stretches I don't normally do, so I'm attributing it to those, and they aren't happening again! Also, this was my longest run in over 3 months!


Later this evening, I jumped out on the bike for a little bit. I decided beforehand I was only doing 10 miles since I already ran today. The result? I was completely fresh at the end; I should have gone 20! Next week, I'll know better! Here's the (growing) list of stats:

Distance: 9.89 miles
Time: 32:31
Speed: 18.2 mph
Heart rate: 162 bpm
Cadence: 89 rpm
Garmin Data

This was my first ride with my cadence sensor, and I'm a whole lot better with cadence than I thought I was; unless I'm just behaving myself now that I have a number to keep me in line! One thing I'm disappointed in is that MotionBased doesn't show the cadence data. It appears in the Garmin software, but not online. Bummer!

Ryan - The spill actually came closer to mile 11; the HR spike you're talking about was a hill, I think.

Marcy - Oh, its not that bad. You see, its my job to convince you to get a bike and clipless pedals. You know why? Because your average post is pretty entertaining, but the world will be an even funnier place once you get clipless pedals and tip over! I mean.... *cough* when you get clipless pedals and are able to brag about never falling!

Teaching an old dog new tricks

Yep, its doable! Today the UPS guy delivered my Garmin cadence sensor for my bike, and now my Garmin does new tricks!

I got it all hooked up to my bike after class, and tested it out a little bit in my apartment (pedaling backwards, not around my kitchen table). Seems like it works, now I have even more numbers that should help me train just right on the bike!

Last night I went swimming for the first time in over a week, and it went fairly well. I only swam for a little over 30 minutes, but right now I just need to get in the habit of getting in the water again. Also, with my time split between swimming, biking, and running now, my energy level is a lot lower when I'm actually in the pool than it was before break. Over time, my endurance will get better, though, just gotta be patient while my body gets used to the workload.

Today was finally a rest day, and I needed it! My legs were starting to feel rather worn out the past couple days, but this day off is just what the doctor ordered. I'm still going to do a core workout in a little bit, so the day isn't a complete bust.

Following the rest day, though, is a pretty grueling weekend. Saturday I run in the morning and bike in the evening, then Sunday I'm swimming in the morning and running in the evening. Lots of busting my tail, but my carefully calibrated schedule seems like it will let me balance school and working out ump-teen times a week!

Ready, Set, ....

Alright guys, this next semester is staring me square in the face now! Break buzzed by, but I'm finally starting to get out of this mental vacation I've been on the past month. Today was unlike any I've had for the past couple weeks: crazy-productive!

My alarm went off at 8am. So I hit snooze. It went off again, so I turned it off, put my head under the covers and finally crawled out of bed around 9. Bad start, but I can still save it!

I jumped into my running shorts and flew down the stairs, up the hill, up the next hill, and into the wind. Four and a half miles later we have....

7:21
7:15
6:55
6:53
3:53 (for 0.56 miles)

It was a great run that got me ready to rock for the rest of the day.

BAM! Haircut!

BAM! Spent $300 on books!

BAM! TA Meeting!

BAM! Scheduled due dates, etc for the class I'm teaching!

BAM! Setup my website for my class!

BAM! Setup the laptop for class tomorrow!

BAM! Ate dinner!

BAM! Wrote a blog entry!

BAM! Said BAM! ten times!


If I can keep this crazy momentum going, I think I might graduate by next Thursday (as opposed to May 2012). That is, if people don't kill me from saying BAM! all the time!