11/25/2006 Dog Jog/Long Run

I considered taking the entire weekend off after Thursday's race, but I just couldn't bring myself to do nothing for 3 days. It was a great sunny day outside, low 40's and an expected high for the day of 60 degrees F. How could I let a day like this slip by when we are quickly moving into winter season when there will be less and less of these days. Sticking to my intentions of getting Gracie out at least once a week the morning started out as a dog jog. I found the harness that we bought for Gracie last year that I had completely forgotten about. It was a huge help and made the run a lot easier. Just having it on seems a signal to her not to pull on the leash. I highly recommend picking one up of dog joggers. We dog jogged 2.3 miles that is Filager and Meghan's Run. After that Gracie was wiped out, so I dropped her off and ran the 222/132 loop for another solo 3 miles for what I'll call my long run. The entire run took about 48 minutes.

11/23/2006 Thankgiving Day Race 10K

It's the final race of 2007! It's been an incredible year, and it's a bit sad to see it come to an end, but here's looking to another great year in '07! Before we begin to talk about plans for next year I want to put this year to rest right, not in this entry, but soon. For now it's all about the Thanksgiving Race.

My goal for the race was to keep it close to 7 minute/miles and possibly beat the my 10K PR set in September of 43:41. I had tempered my expectations for this race thinking the weather would be colder, and knowing that there would be friends there that I might want to run with during the race. Mostly I just wanted to have a good time, enjoy the beautiful day and burn some calories, so I could enjoy the multiple thanksgiving meals that I would be attending later in the day.

As with all races as the start drew closer thoughts of hanging out and running with friends disappeared and the call of the race took over. At the start line I decided I wanted to run the best race possible and let the rest take care of itself. During the race I was able to find a good pace, and a steady runner to keep an eye on and pace myself off, and I was using the chrono on my watch to mark my miles. I didn't really dwell on that during the run. I just wanted to keep a pace that was pushed just to the edge of being uncomfortable. It was an incredible run with the following results:

mile 1 & 2 13:08
mile 3 6:56
mile 4 6:56
mile 5 6:59
mile 6 6:44
mile 6.1 1:22
Total: 42:07.58

overall: 412 of 10559
division: 26 of 505
gender: 378 of 5196
Official Time: 42:05
pace: 6:47

For the last race fo the year I was so excited to exceed my own expectations and goals. It looks like 8 weeks of interval training really did payoff in a big way. I will never question the power of the interval again. I look forward to applying what I've learned here to my cycling and running next year.

11/21/2006 Strength Training & Running

Strength Training

Elliptical = 15 minutes on Fat Burning
JC Bands Lunges with rows, Grey Bands - 12 each side.
Wall sit w/20 lb. wts.
2 sets bicep curls = 60 seconds each
2 sets shoulder press = 60 seconds each
Walking lunges = width of court/back doing lat raises with 15lb. wts
Hip adductor=2 sets/12 reps 100 lbs.
Hip abductor=2 sets/12 reps 100 lbs.
Clamshell crunch w/overhead 8lb ball 2x25

Running

Two days before Thanksgiving Day 10k and one last run. Tomorrow will be a rest day so I wanted to take it easy, but not that easy. I'm feeling edgy and excited, so not doing anything was simply not an option. I decided to hit the gym for some strength traininng and a 30 minute run on the treadmill. I kept the pace nice and easy starting at an 8 minute/mile bringing up to a 7:30 minute/mile after about 1/2 mile and holding that for 3.1 miles. After that I eased back and jogged it in to finish up the 30 minutes.

The goal for Thanksgiving Day Race 10K is going to be 7 minute miles and to have a good time during what is my last race of 2006. I want to end the racing year on a good note.

11/18 - 11/19/2006 Dog Jog & Long Run

11/18/2006 Dog Jog

As winter starts to rear its ugly head here in Ohio it is going to get harder and harder to get myself motivated to get out and run. It hasn't been bad so far, but I can feel the cold weather coming and I am not a fan of the cold at all. This spells bad news for our poor dog Gracie too. Since the winters in Ohio consist mostly of cold rain, a little snow here and there, and more cold rain the yard is almost always soggy and muddy, which aren't very good conditions for an indoor dog. Well the dog doesn't mind so much, but we don't like to have a muddy house.

In order to help Gracie out I'm gonna start taking her on jogs at least once a week. It's not something I'm particularly fond of doing because she is the worst on the leash. She jerks, pulls, tries to chase squirrels and birds and is generally a pain in the butt. It will be good for her though, so I'm gonna take a running day to do this for a while during the winter. On the first day we ran the 3.3 mile route along Filager and Meghan's Run

11/19/2006 Long Run

The Sunday prior to race day I wanted to get out for a run to calm the nerves and relax. I decided to keep it relatively short and at an easy pace. I ran my 6 mile route around Meghan's Run, 222, 132 to Filager in about 50 minutes. It was a nice easy run that left me feeling good about the upcoming race.

11/15/2006 Strength Training & Tempo Run

Strength Training

Elliptical = 10 minutes on Fat Burning
JC Bands Lunges with rows, Grey Bands - 12 each side.
Wall sit w/20 lb. wts.
2 sets bicep curls = 60 seconds each
2 sets shoulder press = 60 seconds each
Walking lunges = width of court/back doing lat raises with 15lb. wts
Hip adductor=2 sets/12 reps 100 lbs.
Hip abductor=2 sets/12 reps 100 lbs.
Clamshell crunch w/overhead 8lb ball 2x25

Tempo Run

The treadmill tempo run was 3.25 miles. I was pressed for time today, so I didn't get in as long of a run as I would have liked, but I'm happy with the run. I started out with a 8 min/mile pace for the first mile. At beginning of the 2nd mile I ran it up to a 7:15 min/mile and up to a 7 min/mile for about a half a mile. In the last 1.25 miles I eased it back down slowly until I walked the last .25 miles. The total run took about 25 minutes.

11/13/2006 Riding Hills

Another gloriously cold day of riding hills. It was about 39 degrees out and sunny, so it was a perfect day to bundle up and do some hill work. I did the same route that I did last time, but changed the number of intervals. I hit the Benton hill first which is .4 miles long and very steep. I hit this one twice. I then moved on to Rt. 50 hill, which isn't as steep but is 1.5 miles long. This was a two timer as well. After climbing that one for the second time I rode over to 132 hill. By this time the fatigue is starting set in, the cold is seeping into my feet, and I'm starving! I really just wanted to ride up the hill hang a left and go home, but I will not be defeated! I rode the .65 mile hill that is moderately steep twice. After cruising back down I pedaled to 2 miles to the final ascent. The final is the shortest at .3 miles, but what I used to think of as the steepest. If that were the case it should have been the toughest climb of the day, but it wasn't. I cruised up the final .3 miles in the saddle fairly comfortably. It was a good end to a tough ride.

Odo: 1,874.03 mi.
Dist: 24.35 mi.
Avg: 14.61 mph
Max: 38 mph
Time: 1:40:00 (Estimated)

11/12/2006 Long Run

I used what has become the normal 8.5 mile course for the run. It was fairly cool, on the verge of cold maybe high 30's so, I was in long pants and and long sleeved undershirt. I threw on my orange short sleeve running shirt so cars would see me. I was very comfortable for the run, so if we have similar conditions on Thanksgiving I'll probably run in that outfit.

The run itself was great. I was very comfortable the entire time. I was aware of my pace and picked it up a few times just to test the comfort limit. I wasn't pushing hard, but kept the pace up slightly to see how it would effect how I felt and my time. At the end of the run I felt great! Actually I had to reel myself in, because I thought about adding on another mile and half. I convinced myself that there wasn't really anything positive that could come of it in the training. I'll have plenty of time to push my mileage limit starting in January as I start training for the Flying Pig. Feeling that good and beating my previous time by a solid 4 minutes while only raising my avg hr. by 2 bpms. Awesome.

One last thing. I finally remembered to split out the 132 hill. .65 miles at 5 minutes 37 seconds which is a 8:38 pace, with an overall pace of 7:42.


Avg. HR 157
Peak HR 179
Min HR 78
Total Cal 1070
Rcl 1: 39:32.56 Avg HR 153
Rcl 2: 05:37.39 (Rt. 132 hill .65 miles) Avg HR 173
Rcl 3: 20:21.43 Avg HR 162
Total: 1:05:31

11/09 - 11/10/2006 Core, Spinning, Intervals & Transition

11/09/2006 Core Class & Spinning

Core Class

It was my first visit back to core class in a while. Unfortunately I showed up late, because of traffic. 15 minutes of ab burning work is better than no minutes. This was the class that I despised last winter, but knew was very beneficial, so I stuck with it...somewhat. It was actually kind of fun today, maybe it was because I haven't done it in a while, but I think it was more due to the fact that I am in much better condition than I was last winter.

One thing I did realize now was issues with my back. When ever we do bosu ball work it kills my back. I thought it was just because of my weak muscles, but I realize now that is not the case. I'm going to talk to the instructor, and modify the workout or find out if it is a problem with my form. I don't want to hurt myself.

Spinning

60 minute Endurance Class
This was a bittersweet return to spinning class. The spinning instructor, and fellow multisport athlete, is leaving the facility to start her own business at another location. I'm very happy for her, but I'm also sad to see her leave. She help me set up the program I'm using for training, and has been a huge source of information and motivation for me. I owe her so much for helping get my ass moving over the last year.

That leads me into the topic of transition. I am moving into a new phase of my life in physical fitness, and racing. The last year has been all about changing my lifestyle, losing weight, and building a base. I think we can say that the base is officially built. Now I need to figure out where to go from here. I kind of know what my goals are for the next year: marathon(s) and triathlons that will lead up to a half Ironman in '07 and Ironman Louisville in '08. Now I just have to figure out how I'm going to get there. I know I'm on the right path in getting started on the swimming now, because that is going to be my weakest leg. Over the next 2 months I'll be putting together a new workout plan to meet my new goals. The big challenge for me is going to be to take my time, not get started too early, so I don't get burned out by next spring.



11/10/2006 Running Intervals

I did my intervals outside for the first time today. Well, it's not the first time I've done intervals outside, but the first in this particular program. It was a much different experience than doing them in the controlled environment of the gym treadmill. On the treadmill I set the pace and am forced to keep up with that pace, or slow it down. I'm always hyper aware of the speed at which I'm running. On the road all I had to rely on were my experience with the stretch of road that I used and the trusty stopwatch/hrm. It was an interesting experience, and it will be useful for future interval training sessions. I now know that on flat ground I run the 400 in about 90 seconds give or take a few seconds, so if I want I don't have to run up and down Filager. I also learned that I can't count. I was supposed to do 10x400 this week, but due to my ADD mind I ended up doing 11x400 according to my stopwatch.

Avg. interval time: 1:30
Total Time: 52:38

13 days to Thanksgiving Day Race!

11/08/2006 Strength, Tempo, Swimming

Strength Training

Elliptical = 15 minutes on Fat Burning
JC Bands Lunges with rows, Grey Bands - 12 each side.
Wall sit w/20 lb. wts.
2 sets bicep curls = 60 seconds each
2 sets shoulder press = 60 seconds each
Walking lunges = width of court/back doing lat raises with 15lb. wts
Hip adductor=2 sets/12 reps 100 lbs.
Hip abductor=2 sets/12 reps 100 lbs.
Clamshell crunch w/overhead 8lb ball 2x25

Tempo Run

The treadmill tempo run was 4.5 miles. I started out with a fairly easy 9 min/mi pace and worked up to a 6.5 min/mi pace. I reached the top speed at 1.5 miles and held it to 3 miles. After 3 miles I tapered down until I walking at 4.25 miles. A quarter mile walk finished off the run that took about 40 minutes.

Swimming

Because strength training and running just wasn't enough I decided to jump into the pool for some laps. I did 20 laps with no breaks mixing up the strokes: 4 crawl, 4 breast stroke, 4 side stroke, 4 backstroke, 4 crawl. It was really tiring doing it after the strength training and the run. It was encouraging though that I felt fairly comfortable in the first 5-6 laps. I was really concerned that I would not like the swimming at all. I'm not really sure where that reservation was coming from, because I've always enjoyed swimming.

I will be swimming with the Masters Swim Team which is very exciting. I had a chance to talk to the swim coach yesterday to find out if it would suit my needs. He is a very nice guy, and encouraged me to come in and check out the sessions. I will be able to get the coaching and motivation I need to make this a good winter of training. The other cool part is that they make some trips to East Fork Lake to do some open water swimming during the summer. perrrrrrrfect.

11/5 - 11/6/2006 Long Run & Cycling Hills

11/5/2006 Long Run

As I'm getting closer to the Thanksgiving Day Race I'm getting pretty excited about it. The 8.5 mile run is getting easier, so I know with the workouts I'm doing I should be able to improve upon my 43:41 PR. One of these days I'm going to start splitting out 132 hill, so I can start working that hill over.

8.5 mile run
Avg HR: 156
Peak HR: 240
Min HR: 84
Total Cal: 1129
Time: 1:09.47

11/6/2006 Cycling Hills

Cycled the new hill course that I started using last week. Unfortunately the computer wasn't working, probably because of the battery, but I was able to get the information I needed from the gmap-pedometer. I did the same route that I did last week, but not the same number of climbs per hill. I may not know the exact stats on the ride, but the legs know...oh yes, the legs know.

Dist: 18.3 miles
Avg: 12 mph
Time: 90 minutes: This is an estimate, as I didn't time myself.

11/2 - 11/3/2006 Swimming & Running

11/2/2006 Swimming

It's my first day at getting back into swimming. I'm going to try and get in to do swimming at least twice a week. Hopefully I'll be able to swim with the Masters Swim Team, so that I can have some structure in my workouts, get some advice and coaching on stroke, and some much needed motivation.

The pool I'll be working in is 25 yards per lap.

For my first workout:
5 laps freestyle warmup
2 laps each of side stroke (right & left), breast stroke
5 laps with the kickboard
5 laps freestyle
2 laps backstroke (legs only)

45 minutes

11/3/2006 Running

This was a 3.3 mile run along Filager and Meghan's Run. I wasn't shooting for any particular speed. It was just a run.

3.3 miles
Avg. HR 153
Peak HR 176
Min HR 71
Total Cal 444
Total Time: 28:22

10/30 - 10/31/2006 Tempo, Strength & Intervals

10/30/2006 Tempo Run

A nice steady, easy pace around Meghan's Run. I then picked up the pace going down to 222 and held that pace until I got back up on Filager. I lost the timing and heart rate info since I've been slacking on the blog a bit lately. I ran it in about 38 minutes and it's approximately 4.3 miles.

10/31/2006 Strength & Intervals

Elliptical = 15 minutes on Fat Burning
JC Bands Lunges with rows, Grey Bands - 12 each side.
Wall sit w/20 lb. wts.
2 sets bicep curls = 60 seconds each
2 sets shoulder press = 60 seconds each
Walking lunges = width of court/back doing lat raises with 15lb. wts
Hip adductor=2 sets/12 reps 100 lbs.
Hip abductor=2 sets/12 reps 100 lbs.
Clamshell crunch w/overhead 8lb ball 2x25

Intervals + no music = no fun. I did my 9x400 week, which took about 33 minutes and 4.1 miles. It was fun going up and down between 5-6 miles per hour and 10-10.5 mph. I do find it interesting to do the intervals on the treadmill. It really forces me to maintain the paces instead of just running on the track or road and trying to maintain. It's definitely still more fun to run outside, but I think the treadmill is more productive for building speed, when working alone.

I guess time will tell..

10/27 - 10/29/2006 Run Like Hell & Cycling

10/27/2006 Run Like Hell

It was pouring down rain up until the start of the race. It was by no means cold, but cool enough that the drenching rain could be really uncomfortable if it were not for the excitement at the starting line. Despite the rain hundreds of people showed up, some in costume, for the Friday night race. The best costume I saw this year was the couple that ran as babies in baby walkers. They were awesome with the diapers, bonnets and these huge walkers made from pvc pipe.

The course is rolling hills, not a single inch of the course is flat. You are either going up hill or down hill. Despite the tough course and the crummy weather I ran a very good race. I would say great, but I was really hoping to achieve two things in this race, and I did neither. First, I wanted to finish a 5k this year with a sub-20 minute time. I didn't quite make it, but with a time of 21:21 I am happy. Actually, it is a 5k PR, so I should be really happy. Next year I'll be shooting for sub-20's. The other goal I was shooting for was to finish in the Top 50 men. I missed the 50th spot by a couple of places and 14 seconds! I knew I was going to be close, but had no way of knowing exactly where I was during the race. I ran the best race possible that night, so it's all good, but 14 seconds! It's now on my list of goals for next year.

Mile 1 – 6:27
Mile 2 – 7:18
Mile 3.1 – 7:35
Total: 21:20

10/29/2006 Cycling

Cycling hill repeats. Started with .5 mile hill on Benton seated, moved on to Rt. 50 hill a 1.2 mile hill not very steep grade, seated. Rt. 132 hill twice, steeper than Rt. 50 hill but shorter at .5 miles. First run seated, second half seated then half out of saddle. Finished up with Filager Rd hill very steep, but short at .35 miles. This was done in the saddle.

Odo: 1831.3 miles
Dist: 20.02 miles
Time: 1:24.29
Avg: 14.2 mph
Max: 36.6 mph