I'm flat. My motivation to workout escapes me.
So what? Is it wrong to sign up for an Ironman and then never show up? YES. Limited number of spots. God, I need to start running. My new wetsuit arrived a few days ago. Had to send the first one back - a little too tight. I'm now the proud owner of an Orca full body wetsuit. It feels thin when I have it on. I wanted the perception of thickness and warmth for this Alcatraz thing coming up June 5. I've been getting emails from the event organizers, with comments like "the sharks stay below the surface of the water in the Bay, and they only grow to be about 4 feet long". That's nice. Thank goodness. Sharks greater than 4' long might scare me. What about the old ones? The ones that are a little senile? Near death? Crazy like a bee in the fall, hovering near a trash can full of partially empty pop cans, eager for sugar. What is to stop some overgrown near death shark from going to the surface? Just to check out those things flailing against the substance?
The other statement was "when you dive in the water your system is going to be shocked". I hate those brief seconds when I turn off the hot shower and have to reach for the towel. I absolutely hate jumping into the YMCA pool due to the temperatures - even with all the little babies and kids heating it up so naturally. More chlorine please. I've heard that urine is sterile though, right? Still I think of it as I swim lap after lap, remembering my youth. So apparently the San Francisco Bay is really cold. It's only a mile and 1/2 swim....hopefully out of the water in about 30 minutes depending on how well I read the current and the waves. And the curious octogenarian sharks.
I've allowed myself to break out of the routine. I've been consistant with my personal trainer, three times per week, but I have not been hitting many two per day workouts, or cycling, or running, or swimming. I've been doing a fair amount of sitting. Soon it will come over me again - the drive.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Update
Thursday: March 17th, swam 3,000. Hooked up with some guys at Summit Middle school pool. Very nice.
Friday: March 18th, a day I'll never forget. In AM did upper body workout, later in the day ran 8 miles.
Saturday: Indianapolis, rode 20 miles. Almost killed by Carmel driver in a round-a-bout. They don't look for cyclist in those things.
Sunday: Fort Wayne, Jorgenson Y, swam in a pool filled with kids, got hit by rubber ball twice - 1,500 yards
Monday: Bike 25 miles, nice ride. Saw a live skunk walking along the side of the road interestingly. Surprised is wasn't a rat.
Tuesday AM: weights. Upper body. After the workout, when I thought we were done, he said, "OK, now I want you to do as many push-ups as you can until you can't do them anymore".
Friday: March 18th, a day I'll never forget. In AM did upper body workout, later in the day ran 8 miles.
Saturday: Indianapolis, rode 20 miles. Almost killed by Carmel driver in a round-a-bout. They don't look for cyclist in those things.
Sunday: Fort Wayne, Jorgenson Y, swam in a pool filled with kids, got hit by rubber ball twice - 1,500 yards
Monday: Bike 25 miles, nice ride. Saw a live skunk walking along the side of the road interestingly. Surprised is wasn't a rat.
Tuesday AM: weights. Upper body. After the workout, when I thought we were done, he said, "OK, now I want you to do as many push-ups as you can until you can't do them anymore".
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Bench Press
It's all I can do to type. This morning was upper body day with my trainer. The name of the place is Absolute Results. I'm becoming a believer.
Being the fish out of water that I am in a gym full of weights, I was a bit trepidus when we approached the formidable looking bench press. My former football player trainer smiled and said, "we're going to see what you're made of now". This is week three, and there I was finally looking up at a cold iron bar and 45lb plates on each side. The bar came down and only slightly crushed my chest before I heaved it back to starting position on rep one. Repetition two was good, and three, actually all the way to ten. I'm a good meat-head after all.
We did it all today. As we approached the bench for the final round he had me do some odd move at the end where you lower the bar to your chest as slowly as possible, then push it up fast. Repeat four times....then jump down on the ground and do as many push-ups as you can until complete fatigue. I felt physically sick at that point, but it was kind of nice to finally collapse on the floor. It was over.
Being the fish out of water that I am in a gym full of weights, I was a bit trepidus when we approached the formidable looking bench press. My former football player trainer smiled and said, "we're going to see what you're made of now". This is week three, and there I was finally looking up at a cold iron bar and 45lb plates on each side. The bar came down and only slightly crushed my chest before I heaved it back to starting position on rep one. Repetition two was good, and three, actually all the way to ten. I'm a good meat-head after all.
We did it all today. As we approached the bench for the final round he had me do some odd move at the end where you lower the bar to your chest as slowly as possible, then push it up fast. Repeat four times....then jump down on the ground and do as many push-ups as you can until complete fatigue. I felt physically sick at that point, but it was kind of nice to finally collapse on the floor. It was over.
Monday, March 14, 2011
diversity in the water
I took the swimming diversity tour at the meet I swam in this weekend. Did the 100's of each stroke. I've always been impressed with swimmers that could do anything - and I tried to develop myself into an all around swimmer when I was in college. I did well, better than I hoped. Placed in the overall first position in each stroke. Managed to hold off a few twenty year olds' after all. I think my strength training over the last few months has served me well in the water, particularly with fly.
Fly - .59
Back - .58
Breast - 1.08
Free - 53.02 (almost a .52)
These times aren't so bad for a guy turning 40 this year I suppose, but I see that I'm getting slower. Like an old gray Labrador. Master's swimming is great - it's no different than any level of swimming. Everyone wants to win. I was as nervous as ever prior to the first race; feeling as if I was expected to win, some remnant of long ago mental imagery.
Yesterday I ran 6 miles. This morning I rode 25 miles on my trainer.
Fly - .59
Back - .58
Breast - 1.08
Free - 53.02 (almost a .52)
These times aren't so bad for a guy turning 40 this year I suppose, but I see that I'm getting slower. Like an old gray Labrador. Master's swimming is great - it's no different than any level of swimming. Everyone wants to win. I was as nervous as ever prior to the first race; feeling as if I was expected to win, some remnant of long ago mental imagery.
Yesterday I ran 6 miles. This morning I rode 25 miles on my trainer.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
From head to toe
well, not really. My toes are fine. But I'm sore every where else. It's a good feeling to actually use your muscles. I rode my trainer last night for 20 miles on squat jump tired legs. I felt pretty good actually - did some big gear work out of saddle. I can feel the last several days though when I shrug my shoulders. Every time I hear the word shrug I think of Atlas Shrugged. One of my old favorites.
This weekend I'm planning to swim in a Masters swim meet, walk-on deal. Probably hit all distance events - 400IM, 500FR, 200FR, but I kind of want to slack up and just do the 100's. Recovery time is so much faster. We shall see. And, I don't want to be beat by some 20 year old kid either (I say full of myself). I know that day is coming...but not this Saturday hopefully. I'll be depressed all weekend if I lose the 500 freestyle.
This weekend I'm planning to swim in a Masters swim meet, walk-on deal. Probably hit all distance events - 400IM, 500FR, 200FR, but I kind of want to slack up and just do the 100's. Recovery time is so much faster. We shall see. And, I don't want to be beat by some 20 year old kid either (I say full of myself). I know that day is coming...but not this Saturday hopefully. I'll be depressed all weekend if I lose the 500 freestyle.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Jump Squats - Burpies - Riding in the Rain
Monday PM: I had a good run. Finally. Monday night I hit the park, which has dried slightly, and did 5 miles - 3 miles of it were miles for time with 15 bootcamp style Burpies at the end of each mile, then rest, then repeat. I was spent running back home. Burpies, or Daisy's as my wife prefers to call them are a good all around test of fitness.
Tuesday AM: - trainer, upper body workout. I told him I wanted to look like Brad Pitt in the movie Fight Club. "You're going to need to start putting in some more time", he said. I was so sore at the end of the workout I couldn't put my arms above my head with 8lb weights. Loved it.
Tuesday PM: it was warm enough to ride and I went for it - even though the skies looked a little rainy. Sure enough at mile 10 it started to rain. It was grey out, about 5:45pm, I'd forgotten to put my little blinking light on the back of my bike. I was wearing all black, starting to feel stupid. I turned and headed for home, and lived to write about it.
Wed AM: Trainer. Leg workout. We did this really fun thing called wide-leg squat jumps, then narrow-leg jumps, then lunges, then jumped up and down on a big wooden box two feet in the air, and then did it all again a few times and threw some other stuff in and now I can barely walk to the fax machine. But really, how many faxes do you send these days?
Tuesday AM: - trainer, upper body workout. I told him I wanted to look like Brad Pitt in the movie Fight Club. "You're going to need to start putting in some more time", he said. I was so sore at the end of the workout I couldn't put my arms above my head with 8lb weights. Loved it.
Tuesday PM: it was warm enough to ride and I went for it - even though the skies looked a little rainy. Sure enough at mile 10 it started to rain. It was grey out, about 5:45pm, I'd forgotten to put my little blinking light on the back of my bike. I was wearing all black, starting to feel stupid. I turned and headed for home, and lived to write about it.
Wed AM: Trainer. Leg workout. We did this really fun thing called wide-leg squat jumps, then narrow-leg jumps, then lunges, then jumped up and down on a big wooden box two feet in the air, and then did it all again a few times and threw some other stuff in and now I can barely walk to the fax machine. But really, how many faxes do you send these days?
Monday, March 7, 2011
Robins and Cummings "In Just"
I ran this weekend, 6 miles on Saturday. The world was like an E.E. Cummings poem. It was mud-luscious and puddle-wonderful. In my efforts to circumvent the flooded river I ran deep into the public golf course which looked deceptively dry in spots, until running in it. The earth was like a sponge. A cold deep sponge. I trod along in the pursuit of health, rather enjoying the cold wet feet for a change.
The fowl were quite happy as well and out in numbers. Parts of the park were covered in new vast lakes only a few inches deep. There were geese and mallards, and plump robins splashing about. Come to think of it - I saw some type of hawk standing on the ground, fearlessly, with another flailing bird underneath it caught in the talons as I ran to the flooded park. Who needs an iPod when you have action like this before your very eyes? It's a wild kingdom out there. I did not see anyone else at the park. Just birds.
Sunday I put in a good swim at Jorgenson. Had my own lane so I did some butterfly. My workout consisted of 200 free, 200 kick, 200 IM, 200 Back. Then 4 x 50 kick Fly, then 4x25 all out of each stroke, better described as a 400 IM with 5-10 seconds rest between each length. Not a lot of quantity, but super quality. Heart rate was pushing 180 at completion. There's nothing like high intensity interval work. I felt sick for an hour.
The fowl were quite happy as well and out in numbers. Parts of the park were covered in new vast lakes only a few inches deep. There were geese and mallards, and plump robins splashing about. Come to think of it - I saw some type of hawk standing on the ground, fearlessly, with another flailing bird underneath it caught in the talons as I ran to the flooded park. Who needs an iPod when you have action like this before your very eyes? It's a wild kingdom out there. I did not see anyone else at the park. Just birds.
Sunday I put in a good swim at Jorgenson. Had my own lane so I did some butterfly. My workout consisted of 200 free, 200 kick, 200 IM, 200 Back. Then 4 x 50 kick Fly, then 4x25 all out of each stroke, better described as a 400 IM with 5-10 seconds rest between each length. Not a lot of quantity, but super quality. Heart rate was pushing 180 at completion. There's nothing like high intensity interval work. I felt sick for an hour.
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