Dec 28 - RUN

This was one cold morning. The wind wasn't so bad - but it was cold. I had to don the face mask thing I bought a few weeks ago that fogs up my glasses. As if running wasn't a pain enough.
I got outside at 5:3oam. The park wasn't that crowded this morning - not a soul was found. A few mornings ago I heard an owl which was nice.

And, this morning as I did lunges in the back yard while my dog chased me around thinking we were playing a game, we caught sight of a lonely rabbit hopping down the ally.

So, to summarize my Ironman training experience thus far: it's been mostly silent time, spent observing nocturnal woodland creatures, in the cold dark, under three layers of polypropylene.

Christmas Eve

Day off from work - not much time to work out though.



I ran 4 miles Tuesday morning.



Swam 3,000 yards Tuesday night.



Ran 6 miles Wednesday morning - outside, cold, icy sidewalks and snow. Right leg seems to be handling added distance fairly well.



January 1st and the scheduled training is soon to arrive. I have a 37 week program that I follow - it has a daily schedule, alternating between swimming, cycling, running and core conditioning/weights. I've been thinking lately about defining why I'm doing all this again? I enjoy it? Even that statement has to end in a question. If I had nothing but time on my hands I would enjoy it much more. The time committment to Ironman carries with it a considerable amount of guilt - time away from family.

I ran a fast lap at Foster this morning, and ran on Christmas day. Not many miles, just maintaining.

Monday - p90X

Plyometrics again...performed better than last week. I finally got my pedals off the Cervelo and on the Felt. Tomorrow AM - trainer ride in full aero position.

Finding it difficult to work out through the holidays and alcohol.

Cheers!

Snow run

What a beautiful morning...I just had a great run in the snow. I live near a park, and over the years I have come to know every detail as I run around it all the time. I really believe that I can tell when things are out of place...detect people, animals, limbs down, etc. This morning it was snowing, still dark out, but the snow brightened everything. I felt like I was running through a Robert Frost poem.

As I rounded into a curve that cuts along a tree line I stopped, abruptly, as in the distance on my path was a large object, or group of objects out of place. The 4 deer stopped also and looked my way, heads high and ears up. We all just stood there and stared at one another for a moment in total quiet snow fall. It was cool.

They sprang away after a minute the way deer do, and I ran my 5 miles.

ive never felt felt that felt like that felt felt

The bike showed up. Thursday night the UPS guy dropped it off at the door and I quickly took the large, weightless box to the basement for close examination.

Ever so carefully I pulled the staples out, the packaging material, removed the self-adhesive bubble wrap from the frames tubes, and reveal a modern marvel. My kids particularly enjoyed that bubble wrap.

I caught sight of the black, gloss coated, carbon fiber interlace of the frames material and my heart skipped a beat. There's something to be said for material goods. I teach my children not to covet, to be happy with what they have, to enjoy the simplistic beauty that's all around us. But when it comes to bikes, I can't stop myself. The quality of bikes today are amazing - buy a good one.

The lines on this bike are so clean. It looks and feels fast. I took it over to a friends house, a bike mechanic, and he ran it through a quick check-up. It's brand new, a few slight scratches near the rear drop outs from taking the rear wheel off - common use. So, I'm good to go. Just need to start riding the thing.

I woke up early today, 5:00 on a Saturday, to run. It snowed last night, about an inch. I'm going for it. I ran 5.25 miles Thursday morning, outside in the cold. Yesterday, Friday I didn't work out.

Wednesday - P90X Morning

The pain hasn't set in yet. I did the plyometrics DVD of P90X this morning. Tony really has a way of proving you're out of shape. I jumped around all over the basement...leaping, twisting, jumping and twisting, and squatting, and leaping. It's ridiculous.

Yesterday I rode 25 miles in the morning on my trainer. All the while watching another DVD I bought for cycling - it's a group of triathletes riding the actual course in Madison. Same course I've ridden and will be riding. It's one of the most boring things I've ever seen. I thought I'd really get into it, start feeling the wind in my hair, and mentally out wit the trainer. No luck.

Running: maybe tomorrow morning? The cold is difficult to overcome - it's really cold in Indiana right now. I may have to go to the Y and run on a treadmill. I'm usually only good for about 20 minutes on a treadmill. Doing exercises that usually propel you forward on machines that force you to stay stationary is about as bad as doing P90X. It's ridiculous.

Monday Swim

Swam 2,000 yards. Another triathlete swam next to me...she kept lifting her head completely out of the pool to catch a breath. At first I thought she was trying to catch sight of someone sitting at the pools edge. Poor thing. The ratio was 3:1. I was just short of a 75 yards when she completed her first 25 yards - 1 length of the pool. Wish I could run that way.

Sunday Run

Finally had a run with no pain - ran 4 miles fairly slow and easy. Nice morning, about 38 degrees, light rain, good running weather.

Yesterday I rode 25 miles on my trainer. The basement was dry, about 68 degrees. Instead of television I read poetry, tried to anyway. It's difficult to do anything when on a trainer. Anyway - read some Billy Collins. I do like his writing.

Friday, December 11th

This week was mostly a loss. I ran two mornings, very light runs. This morning's run was cold...one degree cold, like 31 degrees below freezing. I wore some new partial face mask that covers my nose, cheeks, mouth, and cleverly fastens via a velcro clasp behind my ears. Too bad that with every breath my glasses fogged completely over.

I need contacts. I kept thinking the whole time about last weeks fall. I still have a scab on my elbow and knee. Gross. Interestingly, it does make me feel young though - having a juvenile looking rode rash down one side of my body. Most people don't put there bodies through anything.

I rode my trainer twice this week....mediocre rides. I didn't even really keep track of my workouts. I just rose from my bed, put on some cycling shorts, and started pedaling. One morning I took Zeke, our new puppy, down to the basement with me. That was a total waste. I got off the bike about ten times to remove various Nerf darts, wooden Tinker toy parts, a plastic bag, my socks, and the cord to the boys Playstation II from the dogs mouth. The next morning little Zeke stayed in his crate.

I did not swim this week. Not once. And I was just starting to find my arms again in the water. Honestly, even after only a few 2,500 yard workouts I can still feel a slight pain now and then in my right shoulder. I can pull through the water pretty hard still - but my right arm was damaged throwing Liam in the lake a few years ago. It's never been quite the same since that day.

My big news: I won my Ebay bike. A 2009 Felt B 12. Can't figure out how to put the image where I want ....but there it is at the top in all it's beauty. Except that silly looking seat. I'm going to move that machine quickly along my Indiana rodes.

Descending Swim

Sunday: Swam 2,500 yards. 800 SKPS, 500-400-300-200-100 FREE descending. 200 warm-down.

Weights Immediately following: lat pull down, squats, shoulder press, bench. The usual.

This is a good workout. It's hard to lift weights after swimming that distance. But, some benefit is to be had by pushing already tired arms through different stress. I had an adequate week in some areas - still trying to build on core strength, build into a strong winter of swimming, and put in time for my legs on the bike.

Running. I need to probably go see a physical therapist again. Tomorrow AM I might go run in the cold for a few miles and see how things go.

I placed a bid on eBay for a new bike - a Felt B12. I've been debating eBay vs retail for months. More on this to follow.

2nd Saturday Workout

Swim: 1,500 yards. 800 SKPS, then alternated 100's FR/BA.

Taught some kid next to me how to keep his arms in on the flip turns. I normally don't give pointers to people when swimming - not wanting to come across as if I'm better - but this poor guy was doing full windmills, straight out from his sides, with his arms on the turns. I had to drop a comment for my own protection, as he was crowding me.

I swam hard: achieved my usual post-swimming sick feeling that takes about two full glasses of wine to remedy.

Saturday December 5th

Saturday morning - up at 6:30am. Rode my trainer indoors for 27 miles. I don't have the words to describe stationary cycling. It's probably very similar to the lives of the fish we acquired recently - just swimming in circles, no prospects of seeing anything new, no real progress.

I need to start wearing my heart rate monitor while cycling because I put in good one today - hit 32mph and sustained it for a while, which HURTS.

My running is gone. I took the day off work yesterday with hopes of putting in a long run and catching up on X-mas shopping. I layered up and headed out for at least an 8 mile run, but ended up walking home after only a mile or so. There is something mechanically wrong with my old right leg. It will pass - I keep telling myself. SO, after another running defeat I went to the YMCA and lifted weights. I don't fit in with the weight lifting scene. I've never really had biceps. I did give it my all though and can feel it today. Next time I'm going to try to grimace more, mutter profanities beneath my breath looking for the right 45lb plate and act like the alpha male.

Most Thursday Nights

I haven't put in a serious work-out in days. My wife works Thursday nights so I'm 'on' with the boys - and currently chasing around our new puppy from room to room. His bath was tonight. That was quite an experience.

Tomorrow AM I plan to put in a good swim - 3,000 yards. An Ironman distance triathon is 2.4 miles for the swim. I might hit the basement tonight and ride for an hour once everyone is asleep...but I'm beat. Got up in the night twice to walk the dog. Some weeks of training are good - and others are bad. I need to hook up with others to train...

old sidewalks and rain

Ran tonight in the rain, dark. Started late as we adopted a dog today from the pound. Zeke is now part of the family. He's three months old, a puppy, cute as can be, and apparently a peeing machine. We're in for it.

My exercise guilt got to me so I decided to go for a light run...still favoring my right leg with IT band problems. The rain quickly covered my glasses, and with every breath the lenses would slightly fog over. That's when the sidewalk got me. My toe caught a raised lip of concrete and I couldn't catch up in time - I stopped abruptly. Skidding flat out, forward, length-wise, into wet concrete.

My elbow and knee are bleeding. Even worse, I tore a fairly good hole in my favorite Mountain Hardware gloves. I got up, cursed, and ran on. Probably only did two miles again.

December 1st

Up at 5:30am. Beautiful morning - full moon. But I didn't go outside. I went to the basement to hit the trainer - my wind trainer. Have you ever riding a bicycle indoors on a trainer? It's torture. It's boring, it hurts, you don't go anywhere, time literally slows down. Ten minutes feels like thirty minutes.

Bike: 1:15, average 18.5mph. Totaled near 22 miles. Did some prolonging standing mock hill climbs. Watched CNN. Drank my recovery drink (Hammer Nutrition - Recoverite) and off to work.

Day 2

The alarm went off this morning at 5:10am. I snoozed until 5:30, then forced myself to get my running clothes on and go out into the cold, dark morning.

It was not a good run. I put in some good mileage through most of November - and think I've developed IT band problems (again). So, I'm going to take some time away from running, which is easy for me, as I hate running. I'm working on this hatred though. Running and I will be friends again soon.

After my measly two miles of IT pain I hit the garage and did pull-ups, sit-ups and lifted weights. That was my morning work-out.

PM workout: SWIM. I did 800 SKPS (200 Swim 200 kick 200 Pull 200 Swim) and then 20 x 100 Free/IM alternating. This was a good one. 2,800 yards total at high intensity. There were parents there watching what looked like a toddler swimming class so I had to look like I knew what I was doing.

In the beginning

For some time now I've been thinking of recording my training for the Wisconsin Ironman 2010 via blogging. So, my first entry. This is the end of my paper journal I fear.

I rode 28 miles today. November 29th in Indiana - about 55 degrees, gray, a slight rain began about 15 miles from home. It was a good ride. A rare solo ride with nothing to cloud my thinking...no need to maintain any conversations. Notably, a hawk that stood on a fence post lept into flight as I passed and soared along with me briefly at my side, about 10 yards off the road. Beautiful bird - I watched him, and he seemed to watch me.

Averaged 18.9 miles per hour. I track my rides with a Garmin 405CX watch. I ride a Cervelo Soloist 2007, aluminum. This will be my second Ironman event.