3/30/2006 Bicycling

I decided to forgo spinning class for some actual bicycling yesterday. It was an awesome 70 degrees and sunny outside. How could I possibly pass that up? I went after work, so I decided to hit a bike trail, and to save time it had to be Lunken Airport trail. It was a bit crowded as I thought it would be, but it was well worth the minor inconvenience.

Distance: 20.43 miles
Time: 1:17:22
Avg: 15.8 mph
Max: 21.2 mph

It is a very flat 5 mile loop. There is only one short, steep hill on the loop. I was riding the loop so that I went up this hill on each lap. The rest of the loop is almost entirely flat. I was able to maintain a speed between 18 mp and 20 mph. The lower average is due to slowing down to pass walkers and runners on the narrow path and that hill. It was a great ride and a beautiful day.

3/29/2006 Strength Training & Assessment

eliptical = 10 minutes on Fat Burning
JC BandsLunges with rows, 12 each side.
Wall sit w/15 lb. wts.
bicep curls = 1 minute
shoulder press = 1 minute
walking lunges = width of court/back doing lat raises with 12lb. wts
hip adductor=2 sets/12 reps 80 lbs.
hip abductor=2 sets/12 reps 80 lbs.
lower leg raise w/overhead 8lb (abs) 2x25

That is, of course, the strength training information from today's workout. I want to take a moment to assess where I am and where I am going in training and workouts. I think it is really important to do this now, because I've reached a point where I am getting a little bored or maybe frustrated because I'm not seeing any big results. I'm hoping my performance at the race last weekend will help me turn that tide and keep moving forward. I have a change in racing schedules, as I'll have to dump the duathlon for April, but I'll be picking up the Flying Pig Marathon Relay in May.

Let's take a look at how far I've come first. I was looking at the last two races of last year. I ran the Mercy Metric 10k at 52:59 and the Thanksgiving Day Race 10k at 50:15. I took the first 5 miles of the Heart Mini and the last 1.3 miles and came up with a time of 51:44. This may a bit of an unfair comparison, but I think it definitely shows an improvement. Added on to the difference in mileage I would say that the Heart Mini course was more difficult in terms of hills than either the Thanksgiving Day race or the Mercy Metric race. Add on to that the fact that it is only March is a real bonus. If I can stay on track I should see a nice improvement in those two races later this year.

My short term goals are to keep working toward the Little Miami Triathlon and now the Flying Pig Marathon Relay. I want to shift to more outdoor workouts now that the weather is getting nicer. I will concentrate more on bicycling and running with 2 strength training sessions per week. I would also like to find at least one 5k to do in April and a cycling event in the spring. I will also have to do some brick training sessions and kayaking to prepare for the Triathlon.

My longer term goal is to not get frustrated in times like these. I want to keep working out and exercising despite set backs to maintain a fitness level over a longer period of time.

3/26/2006 Heart Mini-Marathon 15K

It is now one day past the Heart Mini-Marathon, and holy crap am I sore! It was a tough race, very hilly with one monster of a climb up Torrence Ave. that was to mile 6 hence the drop in time to 9:11 for that mile. I must say though I am thrilled with the results. I can't believe I maintained a pace around 8:30 miles for the entire race. I have, once again, underestimated my own abilities. I thought for sure I would hit mile 6 and just bonk. I was fully expecting to be crawling the last mile. To my surprise, I felt reasonably strong the last couple of miles. Don't get me wrong it hurt. The legs started to get stiff and achy and maintaining pace was more of a challenge, but the thrill of the end of the race really kept me moving.

I saw a number of friends at the race. This is always a pleasent surprise, since I have been going to these races for years and hardly see anyone I know. I also got an invite to participate in the Flying Pig Marathon Relay, which is awesome. I love that race and am thrilled to take part. Here is a quick break down of the race and total. I will put some more thoughts down on the race later. I just wanted to get my initial thoughts down for now.

• 1: 8:19
• 2: 8:12
• 3: 7:56
• 4: 7:46
• 5: 8:19
• 6: 9:11
• 7: 8:30
• 8: 8:36
• 9.3: 11:12
• Total : 1:18:07

3/20/2006 Running

As I'm prepping for the Heart Mini-Marathon I've increased the running mileage to 6 miles for Monday's run and made it really, really hard. That's how I role. I ran the usual course on our road for the first 2 1/2 miles. It was a hilly 2 1/2 but nothing major. I then decided to run the 3 mile course that I ran when we first moved to our street. It is a quarter mile down a very steep grade hill then on to a fairly flat stretch of road for about 1 1/2 miles. It then turns and goes up a steep hill that is close to 1/2 mile long. It then finishes on a 1/2 mile flat run. With a little extension it is a very challenging 6 miles in 56:02. As of this moment I have 3 days and 17 minutes until the race. I'll probably do one more run this week on Thursday or Friday and stay rested until Sunday. After the race I need to assess where I am in training and get focussed for upcoming duathlons.

3/15/2006 Strength Training & Bicycling

A busy Wednesday of working out. I found myself with some time and an awesome day, so I took full advantage. After dropping my daughter off at school I had some time before a meeting I had to attend. It was enough time to squeeze in a strength training session. After the meeting it was so nice outside that I could not possibly turn down the opportunity to get out and ride my bicycle. Here are some of the details:

eliptical = 15 minutes on Fat Burning
JC BandsLunges with rows, 12 each side.
Wall sit w/15 lb. wts.
bicep curls = 1 minute
shoulder press = 1 minute
walking lunges = width of court/back doing lat raises with 12lb. wts
hip adductor=2 sets/12 reps 75 lbs.
hip abductor=2 sets/12 reps 75 lbs.
lower leg raise w/overhead 8lb (abs) 2x25

I added the 12lb. wts. to the lunges to get in a little more work on the upper body. I must like pain, because that was hard. I also forgot my weight on hip adductor/abductor and did 75 instead of the usual 85 lbs. It was probably for the best though, because with the added bike ride I think I got plenty of a workout.

Ride details:

Distance: 30.25 mi
Time: 1 hr 53 minutes
Avg: 16 mph
Max: 32.3 mph

It was a great ride. I rode from our house to Milford by Rt. 222 and Rt. 50 through Old Milford to the Bike Trail. It was such a great day that I decided to go up the Trail a few miles to make the round trip a nice 30 miles. I came to a realization as I was riding on the trail, and that is kind of boring. Don't get me wrong, the trail is great. I'll definitely be using it more this spring and summer, but I actually prefer riding on the road. Despite all the crazies out there and the threat of death road riding is more fun, then again, maybe I'm a freak and it is because of the crazies.

3/13/2006 Strength Training

Here is a quick entry for today's workout. There is nothing particularly new today. It poured down rain the last couple of days, so no new cycling or any outdoor activities. say la veee...kidding of course.

10 minute eliptical to warm up and fat burning
composite leg press 110 lbs 2x12
seated row 70 lbs 2x12
chest press 70 lbs 2x12
shoulder press 65 2x11
front pull down 60 2x11
alternating dumbell curls 20 2x12
cable tricep pulldown 60 2x12
lower leg raise w/overhead 8lb (abs) 2x25

3/06-3/10/2006 Catching Up

I have been slacking on my fitness blog for the last week. It is pretty representative of how I've been feeling about my work outs the last couple of weeks. I feel like I've been in a bit of a rut in my workouts, which actually reflects how I have felt about my life. Hmmm...I guess you could say it's blog immitating life? That's pretty lame. Anyway, I feel like things turned a corner today. I'm starting to get pumped for the Heart Mini-Marathon, and the other events that are coming up over the next couple of months. I might be suffering from a touch of the SAD to so with the improving weather things are looking better everyday.

So let's get caught up:

3/06/2006 Strength Training

15 minute eliptical to warm up and fat burning
composite leg press 110 lbs 2x12
seated row 70 lbs 2x12
chest press 70 lbs 2x12
shoulder press 65 2x10
front pull down 60 2x10
alternating dumbell curls 20 2x12
cable tricep pulldown 60 2x11
lower leg raise w/overhead 8lb (abs) 2x25

3/09/2006 Strength Training, Core Class, Spinning

JC BandsLunges with rows, 12 each side.
Wall sit w/15 lb. wts.
bicep curls = 1 minute
shoulder press = 1 minute
walking lunges = width of b-ball court and back
hip adductor=2 sets/12 reps 85 lbs.
hip abductor=2 sets/12 reps 85 lbs.
triple threat = 2 sets/12 ea.

30 minute Core Class was paaaainful. It had been a couple of week since I took the last class and I was paying for it! The work on the Bosu Ball continues to be the most painful and difficult. I am also starting to see some results from all the pain, so yeaaaaaah! This was followed up by a 50 minute interval spinning class. I wasn't quite there mentally last night, which can make for a tough class. I toughed it out though and felt happy with completing the class, even though I may not have put forth 100%.

3/10/2006

I've been pushing up my running miles per workout in preparation for the Heart Mini and today I got a nice little ego (?) boost from a good run. I was able to put in a 6 mile run in 53:17 which I feel is exceptionally good. Last year I ran a 10K and a 5 mile run each coming in just over 50 minutes. So, running that time in a training session in February gives me high hopes for the year to come. So, as long as I'm talking runs I should set a goal for the Heart Mini. It's a 15K which is about 9 miles, so I should be able to do it in under 2 hours definitely. I'm not sure if I want to set that as my goal, or challenge myself a little more. I'll have to give it some thought.

3/02/2006 Spinning

Endurance Spinning. Uuuuuuuuuuugh...It was a tough class tonight. After taken the week off I am finding it hard to get back into the work routine. I was feeling stiff on the bike last night and in the last 5 minutes of the class I had a cramp in my right calf that is still aching today. Wow, I haven't had one of those in a long time.

I skipped core class, because I just didn' t make it on time and I didn't feel like rushing. I spent an extra 15 minutes on the spinning bike before class began. With the 45 minute class I ended up with a solid 60 minutes of spinning.

Here's hoping for some warm weather tomorrow. I would love to get out for a nice long ride.

2/27-3/01/2006 Running & Bicycling

2/27/2006 Running

After almost a week break for a short roadtrip and a rest I got back to running on Monday. The run didn't really go that well. I felt sluggish and tired, so knowing that I was short on time I cut the run a little short. The ran took about 30 minutes and I put in 2.3 miles. It didn't amount to a great run, but it's all good. These days will happen I just can't let it bring me down.

3/01/2006 Bicycling

Woo Hoo! The stars have aligned and the temperature rose high enough that I could get out on my bike. After a disappointing ride I took the bike back to the shop for some adjustments. I got it back the other day, and was pleasantly surprised with the bill, or lack of bill I should say. Reser knows how to take care of his customers. Anyway, I got out today for a ride. I went the same route as I've been using lately. The stats are as follows:

Distance: 18.9 mi.
Time: 1.13.49
Avg: 15.3 mph

The ride was not perfect. I felt a little stiff for most of the ride and out of breath. It was probably a mixture of cold and lack of food. I was a little hungry, because I skipped breakfast in order to get out the door and to the dentist on time. The front derailleur is acting up a bit as well. The gearing still isn't quite right, but I managed. I might have to get a little repair lesson. I've got some time before the first race of the season to get this straightened away.