7/09/2006 Caesar Creek Duathlon

Let me begin by saying that I was very, very close to ditching this race. I worked the night before, and didn't get home until close to midnight and had to get up the morning of the race shortly before 6 a.m. I also didn't sleep very well, so the morning of the race I seriously contemplated shutting off the alarm and going back to sleep. I'm really glad that I didn't. Because of the contemplation though, I got a late start and cut it pretty close getting to the race site.

I showed up to Caeser Creek State Park to a packed parking lot with people scrambling around to pick up packets and get prepped for the 8 am start. After a long wait in line to pick up my numbers and timing chip I had just enough time to set my bike up in the transition area and get to the starting line with less than 2 minutes to spare. That left no time for warm up and very little for stretching. Aside from the being physically unprepared it left me feeling a little bit unprepared mentally. I was already getting a bit of a defeatist whisper in the back of my mind. I tried to push it down and concentrate on relaxing and having a good race. My goal was to beat my previous time on this course of 1:34:30 and maybe even breaking 1:30:00. Most of all, I wanted to relax and have a good time, because these times mean jack in the scheme of things, but I want to enjoy these races otherwise there is no reason to be there. I set up my stopwatch/heart rate monitor and let it fly.

I'm not going to analyze this race to death right now. I am very, very happy with the results. Despite the rushed start, and some doubts early on in the race I was able to meet my goals and almost....aaaaaalmost beat the 1:30:00 time. The secret to the race seemed to be something I've been striving for which is to (and this sounds kind of dumb) run smarter, not faster. Here are the official results:

Age Group: 3rd Overall: 27th
1st 5K: 24:11.16 Pace: 7:48 Transition: 01:23 Bicycle: 39:07.07 Pace: 19.0 mph
Transition 2: 01:09 2nd 5K: 24:42.51 Pace: 7:58
Total Time: 1:30:33

I am very happy with the times I posted for the two 5K runs. One of the things I wanted to do was to run a complete race. Often times I come out fast and then fade on the second 5K. I was able to hold back just a bit on that first 5K to save something for the bicycle and the second 5K. I am very happy with the improvement in the bicycle time over the last race. In April I pedaled the 20K course in 41:55 at a pace of 17.7 mph. You can see from the stats above there was a great improvement on virtually the same course. I think the mileage I'm putting on commuting is really helping to improve my cadence and ability to handle the larger gears to push up to faster speeds.

Here are some more stats from my bicycle computer:

Odo: 647.7 miles
Dist: 12.93 miles
Time: 41:07
Avg: 18.9 mph
Max: 31.4 mph

and a whole mess of data from my new toy. I'm not sure how I'm going to put this information to use just yet. It is interesting though to see how my new heart rate monitor can keep all this for me. Maybe after I gather some more information I'll be able to analyze it and get some help in improving training.

Heart Rate in zone: 01:16:00 (Zone 5 169-188)
Avg. Heart Rate: 173 bpm
Peak Heart Rate: 186 bpm
Min. Heart Rate: 93 bpm
Total Calories burned: 1757

Split	Time	Avg. HR
1st 5K mile 1	00:07:06	171
mile 2	00:08:34	178
mile 3.1	00:07:23	182
Transition???	00:01:05	182
22K Bicycle	41:18:17	170
2nd 5K mile 1	00:07:27	172
mile 2	00:09:10	174
mile 3.1	00:07:36	178

The improvement in this race really lifted my hopes for the rest of the year, and raised the possibility of signing up for the series next year. It would be fun to approach the races as a season, and give a real focus to my training over the winter and next spring. Something to think about...

7/07/2006 Commuting by Bike

I finally got back on my bike again after a couple of flat tires and our trip for a commute! Thankfully this one went smooth. I was nervous on the morning commute, because I fully expected the tire to blow, so everytime I hit a bump I checked it. It turned out to be a great ride on a nice cool morning. The average when I reached the hospital was actually 17 mph. It dropped to 16.3 after I got to the hospital and cruised around the hospital to kill a little time and add a couple miles.

Odo: 616.6 miles
Dist: 24.03 miles
Time: 1:28:00
Avg: 16.3 mph
Max: 46.3 mph

The ride home was a little tougher. Well, actually I didn't go home. We decided to go to the movies and dinner, so I rode to Milford. I'm actually glad I didn't have to ride home, because I avoided the 32 hill which is always a killer. I was feeling a bit stiff from sitting all day, and the added weight of the backpack was causing some pain in my lower back.

It was a good ride though. It would be a nice alternate route to come home. It's only a couple miles longer, and I would get to avoid the brutal hill.

Odo: 633.5 miles
Dist: 40.92 miles
Time: 2:34:28
Avg: 15.9 mph
Max: 46.3 mph

7/06/2006 Strength Training

It's been entirely too long since I've done any strength training. I've decided I need to re-commit to my training program so I'll be ready for the Little Miami Triathlon in October. I've been doing a lot of bicycing and running, which is good. I've let the upper body work slide though, so I need to get back into that and working core and back. I'm also having some back pain issues while riding. Usually when I hit 20-25 miles on the bike my back starts to ache. If it's fatigue the workouts should help strengthen the muscles.

eliptical = 15 minutes on Fat Burning
JC Bands Lunges with rows, Blue Bands - 12 each side.
Wall sit w/20 lb. wts.
bicep curls = 1minute
shoulder press = 1 minute
walking lunges = width of court/back doing lat raises with 15lb. wts
hip adductor=2 sets/12 reps 90 lbs.
hip abductor=2 sets/12 reps 90 lbs.
lower leg raise w/overhead 8lb (abs) 2x25

6/30 - 7/03/2006 Running & Running in Muskegon

6/30/2006 Running

Friday morning I decided to get in one last run with Rick before leaving for Michigan. It was hard telling whether I was going to get around to doing anything during the trip. We ran the usual 3 mile course together in about 24 minutes. I finished up the last 1/2 mile for a good 3.5 miles in about 30 minutes.

7/2/2006 Running in Muskegon

I woke up before everyone else Sunday morning. After spending 10 hours on the road on Saturday a run was definitely in order. The house we stayed in was in a nice little subdivision with lots of roads and to run on. I can't say precisely how far I ran, but I ran for 45 minutes at a steady pace, so I'm guessing it was about 5 miles in 45 minutes.

7/3/2006 Running with Eli

Monday morning I took Eli, the border collie, with me on my morning run. He is such a cool dog that stayed right next to me the whole time. Our dog Gracie could learn a thing or two about walking on a leash from him. Gracie yanks and pulls so much that it's just no fun to run with her. Anyway we ran for about 35 minutes for about 3 miles. We had to make a few stops along the way.

6/26/2006 Ditched Run

I don't have a whole lot to say about this run. I got up early to run, and usually once I get out on the road I wake up and feel pretty good. On Monday it didn't quite work out that way. For some reason I felt nauseous the whole time I was running. After about 2 miles I just stopped and walked the remaining half mile or so home. Once I was walking I felt a little better and decided to give it another shot. It just wasn't meant to be I guess. Oh well, not for lack of trying. I ran/walked 2 1/2 miles in 30 minutes.

6/24/2006 Bicycling

I had a nice ride this morning from our house to Milford (about 13 miles one way)to try out the new section of the bike path (a rails to trails project). It was packed with walkers, rollerbladers, and families on bicycles. It was nice new black top, so it was worth the minor inconvenience to have a nice shady smooth 10 miles.

The mystery of the blown tire was solved this morning. The tire was clearly punctured. It looked to be a nail or tack, as it was clean hole punched right through the tube. I also found my computer was down this morning. Either water got in the casing, or the battery just happened to go dead after that ride. I only knew my mileage because I've ridden that route several times before, and the mileage was marked once I hit the bike path. I rode a total of 36 miles in about 2 1/2 hours.

6/22/2006 Running & Commuting

This was my first training run in almost 2 weeks. I got out with Rick early and we did the usual 30 minutes 3.3 minutes. My running felt nice and smooth with no pain. I kicked it up a bit in the last mile and dropped Rick pretty quickly. What can I say? I was feeling good and my legs took over.


The first half of my commute was a nice ride. I used the same trip that I used the first commute day and it seems to be working out pretty well. I did feel some back pain during the last 4-5 miles of the commute. I'm beginning to wonder if it's my positioning on the bike. I'll have to ask Jason about that the next time I go in to have my bike tuned. Other than that is was a smooth ride. The trip home will be tougher today. We're looking at 90+ degree heat and heavy traffic. Good times.

Odo: 513.4 miles
Dist: 21.92 miles
Time: 1:23:20
Avg: 15.7 mph
Max: 46.1 mph

The trip home was quite an adventure. Heavy thunderstorms moved in during the afternoon, but I decided to try to push through anyway. It wasn't too bad really. I got dumped on a couple times, which was actually okay considering the alternative, had it not rained, would have been 95 degree heat. The first time was in Mt. Lookout, where I got pelted with a heavy hard rain. By the time I reached the Beechmont Levy it was completely dry as I had moved out of that storm front. I ran into another one going into Eastgate and once again got pelted with a heavy rain that eased up to a light rain.

It was looking like everything was going to be fine until I blew a tire five miles from home in a down pour. Luckily I was close to some restaurants where I was able to take cover and call for a ride home. I was too wet and exhausted to look at the cause when I got home. My father-in-law thought it might have been the temp differential between the heated up tire and the cold rain. I'll have to check that out.

Total Stats for commute:
Odo: 529.4 miles
Dist: 37.93 miles
Time: 2:25:33
Avg: 15.6 mph
Max: 46.1 mph

6/18/2006 5 For Father's 5K Race

I felt a bit of disappointment over this race for the first time this year. In retrospect, I shouldn't have been too disappointed under the circumstances of the race, and quite frankly I ran a good race. I was able to run a solid race with a kick at the end. Unfortunately I was tired and sore from the previous day, so I didn't run at 100%, and I made a tactical error during my run.

The day prior to the race we spent the day at the river boating, tubing, and riding jet skis. That night we camped out, so the morning of the race I woke up sore and with very little rest. Sounds like a lot of boo hooing and whining, but just wanted to set it down, so when I look at this after the next race I will be confirmed, or look at this and know it had nothing to do with the race. As for the race itself, I screwed up. I didn't have my watch to keep track of my splits during the race which was a bit annoying. I ran a very solid 6:36 first mile. As we went through the 2 mile marker I fell into pace with a runner that seemed to be keeping a similar pace. During that 2nd mile he fell off, and in turn I did to a 7:22 mile. Realizing the slow down during the 3rd mile I picked up that pace and dropped him. Unfortunately I didn't pick it up enough. I finished up the last of the race with a 7:48 finish. This is a race where I wish I had one of those computers that keep pace and distance, so I knew early on when I started to fall off.

Official Results:
Age group: 3/7 Overall: 23/70 Time: 21:46

The most irritating part about the thing was that I finished up just 33 seconds behind the second place finisher in my age group, and I really think if I would have caught the drop in pace earlier I could have corrected it and caught the runner. The thing is, I had no idea who I was running against so didn't know he was even there. In the grand scheme of things, it was a good run.

6/15/2006 Bicycling - 1st Successful Commute

It was the first day of what will hopefully be my weekly commute to work by bicycle. It was a great experience and I definitely look forward to doing it again. The first set of stats were for the commute to work in the morning. The second set is for the full trip. The ride in the morning was really nice in the cool air of the early morning.

Odo: 468.5 miles
Dist: 23.06 miles
Time: 1:23:15
Avg: 16.6 mph
Max: 46.6 mph

The trip home turned out to be the tougher of the two legs of the trip. It was hotter, the traffic was more aggressive and irritable. It made for a more difficult ride, but not bad. The hill coming up Rt 32 out of Newtown is also a much steeper hill than the one out of Batavia.

Odo: 491.4 miles
Dist: 46.01 miles
Time: 2:49:54
Avg: 16.2 mph
Max: 46.6 mph

6/13/2006 Bicycling: A Failed attempt at Commuting

I made my first attempt at commuting on my bike this morning. I got about 3 1/2 miles down the road, actually up the road as in up a big hill, when I realized I forgot something important I needed for work, doh! I had to turn around and go home, and after that there was no way I would've made in time.

The attempt was a good lesson though. I realized the extra weight from my bag is going to be more of a challenge than I thought, especially at the beginning where I'm faced with a mile long hill to climb on Rt. 32. So, even though the ride was only 7 miles I got in two very challenging hills. Due to road construction I had to come up Filager hill instead of going up 132 hill to Filager. Filager hill is grueling on its own, but with an extra 10 lbs. on my back it was extra, extra, extra, super hard. There was an interesting benefit that may come of the commuting though. I found it much easier to stay in my seat to climb rather than jumping up out of the seat. Lifting an extra 10 lbs. will keep me firmly planted which will make me work on my weakest point, the dreaded seated climb. Another realization: it is still very, very dark at 5 am. I thought I would have at least the beginnings of sunrise, but that doesn' happen until closer to 6 am. I rigged up a head lamp that I use for camping on the front of my bike, but it was essentially useless.

Odo: 445.4 miles
Dist: 7.06 miles
Time: 29:27
Avg: 14.4 mph
Max: 37.1 mph


The failed attempt didn't bother me to much; any time I can spend on my bike is time well spent. I'll give it another go on Thursday when I can leave at 6 am in the light.

6/09 - 6/11/2006 Running & Bicycling

6/09/2006 Running

I wasn't really planning on doing any running this week. My knee was bothering me a bit during and after last Sunday's race so I thought I would take a week off the running and let it heal a bit. I really wanted to put in more bicycling time, but after I had to take it to the shop I realized that wasn't going to happen either. So we roll up on Friday evening, and I'm faced with an evening to myself. So what do I do? I let Rick talk me into going running with him! Doh! Ahhh, I probably would have wasted the few hours I had playing on the computer anyway, so it was nice to get outside. We ran 3+ miles in 30 minutes. I say 3+ because I'm not sure how far exactly; I ran to meet him and then we took off together.

It was a good run and much needed. My legs were really sore from Thursday's strength training session, more sore than they have been in a long time for some reason. I think it was because I did it early in the morning and then sat on my ass at work all day. The lack of blood flow to the muscles probably made them ache all the more. Just a guess. Anyway, it was a good run that helped ease the soreness.

6/11/2006 Bicycling - Cincinnati Cycle Club River Rendezvous.

After I got my bike back on Friday evening I was faced with a day of pouring rain. So, there was no riding on Saturday. I was beginning to think there would be no ride today either, because I woke up to more down pours. I decided to pack up and drive on down in hopes of catching a break in the rain. Lucky enough, we did! It spit and sputtered every once in a while, but for the most part it stayed dry. We spent 2 hours and 45 minutes riding the mapped out roads aroung Northern Kentucky. It was a great time. Here is a quick breakdown:

Odo: 438.2 miles
Distance: 42.59 miles
Time: 2:41:36
Avg: 15.8 mph

I was riding with 3 other people of varying ability. One guy was a machine and could easily outride us all. He would ride on up a few miles, slow down to let us catch up or turn around and ride back to bring someone up. He's a tough rider. The two ladies were slightly below my level. Well, one was pretty close to me, but I frequently outpaced her during the ride, so I would say a little below. It left me in an interesting position. Often I found myself fighting to keep up with super stud, or slowing down to let the other two riders. It made for an interesting ride. Actually, just getting out and riding in a group was very enjoyable regardless of how fast or slow we were riding. Having someone to talk to made the miles fly by.

I didn't feel any real discomfort until we hit about the 35 mile mark. At that point I started to feel the typical discomfort and back pain that I get sometimes on the bike after a while. It was concerning me for a while, but I'm beginning to think that it's just fatigue and as I work more core muscles and get stronger it will be less of an issue.

This ride has sparked an interes in taking part in more group rides. It was a lot of fun, and with the right group it could be very productive.

6/06 - 6/08/2006 Bicycling & Strength Training

6/06/2006 Bicycling

I decided to try to commute to work at least once a week, maybe twice if all goes well. The question was, how long would it take me to do it, and which route to take. I could take the back roads which would take longer (not necessarily a bad thing), or I could take a more direct route which would be quicker, yet have more traffic. As it turned out the more direct route is going to be the one. While it does have more traffic it will still be safer. There is a good 5-6 foot area to ride on off the side of the right lane. In the heaviest traffic areas I won't have to be on the road at all. It should work out nicely.

I rode approximately 30 miles in 1 hour 50 minutes. I don't have the details from the ride with me, so I'll come back and edit those in later. It is going to be a good commute of about 25 miles with a good sized hills to climb, including a monster mile long hill at the beginning, and flat runs. I'll be good and awake by the time I get to work, and will allow me to put on some good mileage this year.


6/08/2006 Strength Training

I had to take my bicycle into the shop to have some loose spokes adjusted, so I was unable to start my commuting this morning. In leu of that I decided to hit the gym for some strength training. I didn't have time to do the eliptical work, but I did some stretching after I was done. It felt good.

JC Bands Lunges with rows, Blue Bands - 12 each side.
Wall sit w/20 lb. wts.
bicep curls = 90 seconds
shoulder press = 90 seconds
walking lunges = width of court/back doing lat raises with 15lb. wts
hip adductor=2 sets/12 reps 90 lbs.
hip abductor=2 sets/12 reps 90 lbs.
lower leg raise w/overhead 8lb (abs) 2x25
Stretching = 10 minutes

6/04/2006 Reds Run For Home 5K

I look at Sunday's race with mixed emotions. I am at once happy with my performance, frustrated with the course, and disappointed in my final mile dropoff. Had this been a full 5K the race the time would have been a personal best for me. I ran the race at 20:07 according to my stopwatch. Come to find out after the race though that the course was short. At least that was the word that was floating around the runners after the race. The question is, how short was the course? Judging by my splits I can take a guess:

mile 1: 6:30
mile 2: 5:54
mile 3: 7:05
mile .1: :38
Total : 20:07

I think the 2nd mile was short by probably 30 seconds. I will probably never know for sure. Regardless of this little snafu, it was a good race and even with the added 30 seconds or even a minute I exceeded my goal of 22 minutes. I just need to keep working and pounding away at the minutes. I am still seeing a significant drop in the third mile of my run. If I can (I should say when, not if) get to the point of running 3 solid sub 7 minute miles by the end of the year that would be awesome.

Official Results:
-Overall Place: 103 -Division: M3034 -Division Place: 11 -Sex Place: 91 -Time: 20:10 -Pace: 6:31

I guess my timing was off by 3 seconds, oh well. The race was also a big eye opener as far as the competition. While I may be able to compete in the smaller races, when it comes to these high profile races there is some serious competition out there. I will continue to work toward my own goals. To end on a positive note, I must say that I was happy with my pace setting. I was able to run my own race and not get sucked into pushing to hard at the beginning of the race. I set my own pace and stuck to it. Pat on the back to me.

5/31-6/02/2006 Catching up and Setting Goals for Sunday's Race

5/31/2006 Running

Tuesday night I ended up working overnight, which means I worked from 3pm on Tuesday until 8:30 on Wednesday morning. That, my friends, is a long, long night. I get home take a 3 hour nap, get up do a little cleaning and such and decide I'm going to go for a run. In my exhaustion clouded mind I didn't think about the fact that it was 90+ degrees outside and very sunny. Where am I going with all this? Well, I get about 2.5 miles, and to the top of the first climb of run, into a 5 mile run and the heat and exhaustion hit me like a ton of bricks.

I ended up half running, and half walking the rest of the run. I don't really see this as a big failure, because it was more stupidity and I shouldn't have gone out in the first place. In the end, I finished a 5 mile run/walk in 60 approximately minutes. Not too shabby.

6/01/2006 Strength Training/Abs Class/ Spinning

eliptical = 10 minutes on Fat Burning
JC Bands Lunges with rows, Blue Bands - 12 each side.
Wall sit w/20 lb. wts.
bicep curls = 1 1/2 minutes
shoulder press = 1 1/2 minutes
walking lunges = width of court/back doing lat raises with 15lb. wts
hip adductor=2 sets/12 reps 90 lbs.
hip abductor=2 sets/12 reps 90 lbs.

Abs Class.

What can you say about 30 minutes of abs other than oooouuuuch!

Spinning Class.

This was a 60 minute interval class. It was a nice mix of in the saddle, and out of saddle, sprints beginning with "flat" road and moving into "mountain" sprints. This is my favorite class, well maybe this or race day. Race day is so much fun and I always get really pumped for those days.

6/02/2006 Running

This morning is going to be the last run before Sunday's 5K race. I really wasn't planning on running this morning, except Rick called me out, so I had to answer. We ran a 3 mile run in 26 minutes. It wasn't at a tough pace, but comfortable. I ran on another mile or so back and forth to the meet up point. It was a very nice last run for the race.


The Race: Redlegs Run For Home 5K

I had a personal best during the Tri for Joe on the 1st 5K with a time of 21:25.52 and a pace of 6:55. I was thinking about setting a 21 minute goal for this race. I am beginning to think that is a little unrealistic considering that course was completely flat. I don't know anything about this course, and there is a chance that it could be a flat course if they take it along the river. On the other hand if they take it over the bridges or into the city there could be a lot of hill running. With that in mind, I'm going to set a more manageable goal of 22 minutes. This is running at a 7 minute 4 second pace. I think this is a very reasonable goal.

5/29/2006 Running and Kayaking

It's Memorial Day, a day of rest and relaxation right? No way! It's a day to work out and sweat my butt off. Well, maybe not that extreme, but I did get a couple of nice work outs in. I started early with a 3.3 mile run in about 30 minutes. It was nice to start off the morning with a nice light jog to get awake and loosened up for the morning's events.

The main event was getting out in the kayaks with Rick. We took the kayaks up to Stonelick Park outside of Owensville, which is a nice small lake that doesn't allow motor boats. We didn't stay out for a long time, maybe a little over an hour, but it was long enough to get a feel for the paddles and what I need to do to prepare for the Little Miami in October. We paddled a little over 2 miles. It didn't feel to bad. It seems the core workouts and the program Lisa set up for me is working. I'll have to keep up the workouts and try to get out on the kayak at least twice a month to get prepared for the race.

5/26-5/27/2006 Running and Bicycling

5/26/2006 Running

We did a little switch up in the running schedule on Friday. Instead of running in the morning we decided to do an evening run. I didn't find that I ran that much better or quicker in the evening than in the morning. If anything, I felt more stiff from sitting at work all day. It did feel good to stretch out and run though. It was a long run Friday, because I decided to go ahead and run instead of waiting for Rick.

I ran 6 miles in 51 minutes by myself to start. I stayed up on Filager and Meghan's Run. I ran 2 laps on Filager and then 3 laps on Meghan's Run. After Rick came in I decided to run with him. I didn't run the full distance with him, but I figure I ran another 2 miles in 20 minutes. It was a pretty tough run.

5/27/2006 Bicycling

I hit on an idea that I didn't think of to extend my normal route with out doubling back or starting on a different route. I'm not sure why I didn't think of this before, but it worked out really well. Once I hit Owensville, instead of coming back down 133 to home I continue through Owensville to Rt. 50 and back around Rt. 222.

Odo: 364.7 miles
Dist: 26.90 miles
Time: 1:41:55
Avg: 15.8 mph
Max: 39.4 mph

I wasn't pushing as hard this ride, because I was feeling a bit sore from the running the night before, but it was a great ride. I'm such a stats geek, that it feels good to let go of the stats and the training and just ride.

5/24-5/25/2006 Swimming, Running, Bicycling

5/24/2006 Swimming

I was feeling pretty sore Tuesday after the race. I took the day off Monday and just relaxed, but I did have to a lot of driving, about 2 hours, and worked, which means sitting on my ass for 8 1/2 hours. I did get out and walk on my lunch break, which helped a bit. Tuesday morning I was feeling stiff and really wanted to do something. We took Aiden to our gym and the indoor pool to do some swimming. While they were playing around I decided to do a few laps in the lap pool to see if I have any swimming skills left. I also need to get in some more upper body work this summer to get ready for the fall Little Miami Triathlon.

It was pretty tough. I swam 10 lengths or 5 laps. That would be 250 yards or 228 meters. I'm not sure why this matters, but a sprint distance triathlon is 750 meters. So, if I want to do another tri, which I'm not planning right now, I'm gonna have to get that distance up. It is something that I would like to do again at some point, maybe as a change up when I get tired of the duathlons.

5/25/2006 Running and Bicycling

It was quite a busy day today beginning at 6 am with a run. Rick and I got out and ran our customary route on Meghan's Run and Filager. We pushed Rick's mileage up a bit from the 2.3 miles that he had been running to approx. 2.8 miles with the extra loop on the back side of Meghan's Run. It took approx. 30 minutes, which is shows progress. We are getting closer to getting him under a 10 min/mile which is where he needs to be to get a respectable race time.

I went on to run 3.6 total on Meghan's and Filager and an additional 3 mile loop around 222 and 132. I was able to run 6.6 miles in 61 minutes. I was very happy with the run, and was able to kick it up a bit at the end, which was even better. I split out a time on the 1/2 mile hill and came out with 5 minutes 5 seconds. It is getting easier to climb the hill, and I'm finding that the recovery at the top is easier.

Bicycling

I had some time yesterday while our dog was at the groomer, so I decided to get some cycling in on my old turf in N Ky. I rode from Ludlow out Rte. 8 and back. It's a nice long straight stretch along the Ohio River with lots of rolling hills. I stayed on this road along the river, so there were no major climbs, but the accumulation of the rolling hills was a very good workout and wore me out. Here are the stats:

Odo: 337.7 miles
Dist: 30.72 miles
Time: 1:51:33
Avg: 16.5 mph
Max: 32.2 mph

I found that I started to wear out at about 20 miles, and found it hard to keep up a pace above 18 mph. This isn't bad though, and much better than a cruising pace of 16 mph that I used to fall back on. A new goal I have set for myself for this year is to complete a Century ride, 100 miles in a day. I could probably complete it now, but it would definitely hurt a lot. By the end of the 30 mile ride my back was sore, and I was ready to get off the bike. It was a great ride along Route 8 and I finally got to see where the West direction ends. Lots of fun. :)

5/21/2006 Tri for Joe Race Day!!

I think about the Tri for Joe with a mixture of joy and frustration. I am very happy with my performance and once again exceeded my own expecations and goals set. On the other hand, I go back to look at the results and see that I finished 61 seconds behind the leader in my age group. I see that 61 seconds and I start to tear apart my performance to see if there is anywhere that could have made a difference. In the end though, I realize that I put forth my very best effort, and yesterday he was just 61 seconds faster than myself. I will take this experience and hopefully learn from it for future races.

The goals I had established: 1st 5K= 24:00 Transition 1= 1:00 Bicycle= 60:00 Transition 2= 1:00 2nd 5K= 24:00 Total: 1:50:00

Here are the results: 1st 5K= 21:25.52 Pace= 6:55 Transition 1= 01:06.87 Bicycle= 53:23.48 Avg= 19.7 mph Transition 2= 01:05.85 2nd 5K= 24:25.28 Pace= 7:53 Total= 1:41:27

For the record this was a very flat course. There was an announcement before the race stating that this was the fastest tri/du course in Ohio. This is true in theory, but what this course lacked in hills it more than made up for with head wind.

I decided before the race started that I was going to put it all out there this race and go as fast as I can. The first 5K pace and time pretty much proves that. The first 2 miles of the race I ran a 6:50 and 6:51 respectively. It was the fastest beginning of a race and the fastest 5K that I've run in a long time. It was an excellent beginning.

The bicycling portions of the races are beginning to frustrate me a bit. I am happy with my pace compared to what I was riding at last year and that should be enough. But, when I am out on the course and being passed by people riding at a 22-25 mph pace it gets a bit frustrating. I have to keep in mind that I'm still fairly early in my training. It's all about perspective at this point. I did have a very good ride as shown by the 19.7 mph average. One thing that did concern me was that I started to get some pain deep in my chest about 10 miles into the ride. It may have just been the beginnings of exhaustion but, I will have to keep an eye on it.

The second 5K was a test in pain. I thought I was in big trouble when I first got off the bike and back into my running shoes. My legs were aching and stiff unlike the Ceaser Creek race. It was probably due to the simple fact that I was pushing myself much harder this race. The first mile was agonizing and was making me wonder whether I was going to finish the race. It's all the fun of the duathlon. Anyway, somehow I managed to keep up a sub-8 minute pace. All in all, I am very satisfied with the results!

5/18/2006 Strength Training

It was an early morning strength training session. I added an extra 15 minutes of eliptical after the strength training.

eliptical = 15 minutes on Fat Burning
JC Bands Lunges with rows, Blue Bands - 12 each side.
Wall sit w/20 lb. wts.
bicep curls = 1minute
shoulder press = 1 minute
walking lunges = width of court/back doing lat raises with 15lb. wts
hip adductor=2 sets/12 reps 85 lbs.
hip abductor=2 sets/12 reps 85 lbs.
lower leg raise w/overhead 8lb (abs) 2x25
eliptical = 15 minutes on Fat Burning

5/17/2006 Running & Tri for Joe Race Goals

Rick and I hit our running again this morning. It was quite a nice morning, very cool and foggy. It was perfect running weather. I was coming off a late 2nd shift so I was a bit tired after getting about 4 hours of sleep. The run really woke me up and got me going for the day. We ran our customary 2.3 miles. I don't have a time on it, but I'm guessing it took about 30 minutes. Actually, mine was a little longer as I started to run toward his house to get warmed up. After we finished up I decided to run the 3 mile loop backwards. This means I ran down the .5 mile hill on Rt 132 and then back up the extremely steep .3 mile monster on Filager. That hill hurt... a lot.

I was running up to the base of the hill wondering what the hell I was thinking, and maybe if I walked just a little that would be ok. I didn't give in to those urges. I pushed on up the hill feeling every painful step and trying not to gasp for breath. I'm learning to better control my breathing while I run, which seems to be key to running a good race. If I can control my breathing and keep from gasping I find that I can recover more quickly once reaching the top of the hill and find my pace again. I ran 6.5 miles in approximately 65 minutes.

It shouldn't be an issue this weekend because it is a very flat course. I'm looking forward to seeing how the hills translate into flat speed if at all. I'm also looking forward to testing out the new shoes!! I have set up some very specific for the Tri for Joe.

Tri for Joe Du goals:
24 minute 1st 5K
60 minute Bicycle
24 minute 2nd 5K
1 minute per transition

Total: 1 hour 50 minutes

2005 Race Results

I've been looking up race results from 2005 to compare results and set goals for the races coming up this year. Instead of continually looking up results I decided to gather as many as I could and list them all in one place.

Date	Race	Result 2005	Miscellaneous
11/24/2005	Thanksgiving Day Race 10K	50:15
10/28/2005	Run Like Hell 5K	???
10/2/2005	Little Miami Triathlon - Fall	2:59:48	Jake: 2:54 Chris: 2:53
9/24/2005	Kicks For Kids River Run 5 mile	43:31
9/5/2005	Mercy Metric 10K	52:29
7/23/2005	East Fork Backpack Trail Run	???
7/3/2005	Ft. Thomas Firecracker 5K	???
6/19/2005	Father's Day 5K	26:52	pushing Aiden in a stroller!
6/4/2005	Run For The Gold 5K	25:25

5/15/2006 Bicycling

I am so tired that I am going to keep this short and to the point. I had a nice ride today. It was a bit cold and windy, but otherwise it felt good to get out and ride. Here are the stats:

Odo: 289.6 mi
Dst: 30.31 mi
Time: 1:51:10
Avg: 16.3 mph
Max: 35.7 mph

I was lolligagging a bit and taking some pictures, plus I bonked a little bit at the end so the average was down a bit. That's neither here nor there, it was a good ride. I just noticed as I was looking at the pictures that I still haven't taken the numbers off my helmet from the Ceaser Creek Duathlon. Doh!

5/13/2006 Running

Brilliant run today! I didn't particularly feel up to putting in a tough run today, but once I got out there I was happy that I pushed on. I ran the 4.7 mile loop that includes the .5 mile hill, and then went on to run the shorter 2.3 mile loop with the shorter but steep hills for a 7 mile run with a time of 1:01:38. I ran it through a pace calculator which came out with a pace of 8:48. This was a very descent run for a training run.

Looking forward to next weekend's race.

5/11/2006 Running/Abs/Spinning

Running

Thursday 6 am Rick and I went out for our run. We did our usual 2.3 miles. I am going to suggest we pick it up a notch and add the back loop on to the run. We need to start building some distance for him. I went on to run an additional mile for 3.3 miles in 35 minutes. I kept it short knowing that I would be doing some spinning that evening.

Abs Class

I missed the first half of abs class due to crap traffic. So I got in 15 minutes of abs. I figure it's better than nothing.

Spinning Class

It was a 45 minute Strength Class. I dislike these classes the most, and I probably need these classes the most. I need to work on staying seated while pushing up hill and big gears. As we pedal "uphill" during strength class there is always a portion of the class devoted to seated climbing. It is sooo painful, but I'm guessing so helpful.

We will see next weekend, as I've signed up for the Tri for Joe Duathlon. It's gonna be 5k run 30k bike, and another 5k run. It should be a sweet race as it will be along Rt. 50 which is completely flat. Can't wait!

5/09-5/10/2006 Running/Strength/Bicycling

5/09/2006 Running

I'm feeling pretty pumped after coming off the Flying Pig. I really wanted to get out and do something on Monday, but there just wasn't enough time. I was able to get out early Tuesday morning with Rick to do some running. I ran the 2.3 miles with him at his pace. After he dropped off I went on to run an additional 3 miles for a total 5.3 mile in 56 minutes. I split out a time on the half mile hill which was approximately 4.5 minutes. I'm gonna keep working that hill as it seems to be helping.

5/10/2006 Strength Training/Bicycling

Strength Training
eliptical = 15 minutes on Fat Burning
JC Bands Lunges with rows, Blue Bands - 12 each side.
Wall sit w/20 lb. wts.
bicep curls = 1minute
shoulder press = 1 minute
walking lunges = width of court/back
2x12 lat raises with 15lb. wts
hip adductor=2 sets/12 reps 85 lbs.
hip abductor=2 sets/12 reps 85 lbs.

Bicycling
It was a rainy day yesterday, but there was no way that was keeping me off my bicycle. It had been far too long since my last ride and I was itching to get back on the bike.

Here are the stats:

Odo: 259.2 mi.
Dist: 22.29 mi.
Time: 1:21:00
Avg: 17.1 mph
Max: 32.1 mph

I rode a route that was a little different this time. It was a little more flat and straight than my normal route, but it was a great ride. I'm questioning the distance a little bit, because it seemed that it should have been longer. This just may be because of the fact that it was a more flat ride, that it seemed longer. The usual ride has a mix of hills and flats that breaks up the ride into sections. The rain wasn't bad. It was intermittent, and it wasn't too cold. Lot's of fun!

I'm thinking of adding on a different race to my race schedule replacing the June Little Miami. There is a Tri/Du coming up in a week and a half that might fit in nicely, and it's less expensive. Besides the money factor I haven't touched a kayak yet this year, so I don't really feel very prepared. We will see...

5/07/2006 Flying Pig Race Day!

It was a fantastic day and a fantastic race! I am so happy with the results from this race. I saw a large improvement in this race over the Mini-Heart. It was a very different course, but to go from a 8:30 pace to a 7:44 pace is improvement all the way around. One reason for the faster time is that I felt a little extra motivation since I was running as part of a relay team, and I really wanted to set the fastest pace. It brought out my competitive nature.

There were 4 legs to the race:

Leg 1 6.8 miles: 1:03:57/ pace: 9:24
Leg 2 5.2 miles: 47:57/ pace: 9:13
*Leg 3 7.3 miles: 56:33/ pace: 7:44*
Leg 4 6.9 miles: 57:10/ pace: 8:17

These times were taken from the chip breakdown of the different legs, and then run through a pace calculator for the resulting pace. The *third leg* was the longest leg, and also one of the flatter legs along with the 4th leg, so it may be a little unfair to compare between the legs, but it was not completely flat and had some tough, short, steep hills that I like to call momentum killers. They are deceiving, because they look short, but they will sap you in a hurry. I had faced these hills a few years ago in the Mariemont 5K. They crushed me then, but not this time. I was feeling strong and quick.

Here is the breakdown of the 7 miles from my stop watch. I'm not sure how the .3 worked in because the race started before the 12th mile and after the 19th mile, so it was a little hard to tell where the total leg began and ended with the exchange area.

mile 1: 7:06:78
mile 2: 7:45:88
mile 3: 7:54:69
mile 4: 7:32:57
mile 5: 7:39:00
mile 6: 7:37:46
mile 7: 7:30:82

My goal was to run it in 60 minutes and at a 8 minute pace. I definitely exceeded those expectations, and between this race and the Mini-Heart I have a good base of information to set my goals for upcoming races. My next goal is to do a 5K race with a 7 minute pace. This may be reaching a bit to bring my pace up that much, but I think it's time to start challenging myself.

More information on this race:

Flying Pig Marathon

Sight and Sounds

Cincinnati Enquirer Article

5/04-5/05/2006 Everything

5/04/2006 Strength Training, Abs, Spinning

eliptical = 10 minutes on Fat Burning
JC Bands Lunges with rows, Blue Bands - 12 each side.
Wall sit w/20 lb. wts.
bicep curls = 1minute
shoulder press = 1 minute
walking lunges = width of court/back doing lat raises with 15lb. wts
hip adductor=2 sets/12 reps 85 lbs.
hip abductor=2 sets/12 reps 85 lbs.

I was thinking it was going to be a quick workout today and then on home. Fortunately, or unfortunately, I ran into Lisa and was quickly roped into staying for spinning class. I'm actually glad it happened, because I needed a kick in the ass to get me in gear. I was feeling a little lazy and not wanting to workout at all. The strength training was good; I went up from the yellow bands to the blue bands for the lunges and rows. Everything else remained the same.

Abs class was also good today. I can definitely feel a difference between where I am now and the last time I took the class. All the exercises that require me to hold my legs over my head are still a bitch. It feels like the blood is running out of my legs, and it is nearly impossible to keep them up. I wonder if this is the case, or if I'm just a wimp! It was a 30 minute ab class.

Spinning Class was a 45 minute Strength class. I must admit I went in to it thinking that I was only going to put forth 60% effort. Once I got into the class I probably put out about 85% effort. Get me on a bike and no matter how bad I feel I'm gonna put forth a good effort. Besides, she was playing my song. Actually, she was playing the mix I made for the class, which made me happy. :)

5/05/2006 Running

A very light running day with Rick. I ran the 2 miles with him and called it a day. It was a nice little stretch out after last night's classes.

I am now in resting mode until race day Sunday.

4/30-5/01/2006 Strength Training & Running

4/30/2006 Strength Training

eliptical = 15 minutes on Fat Burning
JC BandsLunges with rows, 12 each side.
Wall sit w/20 lb. wts.
bicep curls = 1
minuteshoulder press = 1 minute
walking lunges = width of court/back doing lat raises with 15lb. wts
hip adductor=2 sets/12 reps 85 lbs.
hip abductor=2 sets/12 reps 85 lbs.
lower leg raise w/overhead 8lb (abs) 2x25

It has been almost 2 weeks since my last strength training session. oops! I'm gonna have to be a little more consistent and try to get in once a week.

5/02/2006 Running

Rick and I ran the first 2 miles again. He's looking pretty good, although it's pretty obvious he's not enjoying this at all. Some people just aren't runners, but I'll keep working with him as long as he wants to. After finishing up the 2.3 mile loop I threw down and decided to go long. I ran the 4.75 mile loop through Batavia by myself. It will probably be my last long run before the Flying Pig and it felt damn good. I'm really looking forward to this race with my buds. The total for this run was 7.05 miles in 75 minutes...approx. once again no stopwatch. It's all good.

4/26-4/28/2006 A Flurry of Activity

4/26/2006 Running and Bicycling

My buddy Rick has decided to possibly give the Little Miami Triathlon another try this fall. We did the race together 2 years ago, and he had a good time, but he really disliked the running portion of the race. In order to get going again he asked me to do some running with him. I'm happy to do it, because it will motivate me to get my butt out of bed in the morning. So he's starting off at a low distance, easy pace and we'll build up from there. We ran together for the first 2 miles on the usual route along Filigar and Meghan's Run and then from there I went on and ran another 3.3 miles around the 222 loop. I'm trying to get used to some hill running. I must say that the hill wasn't as bad this time. I didn't feel completely wiped out at the top of the hill and was able to finish at a good pace. I didn't time it, but the 5.3 mile run took about 55 minutes.

I also decided to do some bicycling. I dropped my car off for some repairs in Amelia and hopped on the bike for a brisk ride home. I felt so good that I turned it into a 30 mile ride out to Greenbriar. It was a very nice, sunny ride.

Odo: 236.9 mi
Dist: 30.33 mi
Time: 2:01:05
Avg: 15.0 mph
Max: 37.6 mph

4/27/2006 Spinning

I finally got back to the spinning class last night. I just realized that it has been almost 2 months since last attending the class, but it has just been so nice outside that I've spent class time outside running a bicycling. It felt good to get back though. It was a 45 minute Strength Class, which is just what I needed. I've been talking about pushing bigger gears and this was the perfect class to get into that groove. I also had a nice little moment when I realized that I was able to get out of my head. What I mean by this is that when I'm spinning, bicycling or running I'll get uncomfortable or in pain and I'll get stuck in my head with the pain and not be able to shake it off. It is hard to explain, but it is demoralizing and makes for a very long workout. Anyway, I was able to pull out of the rut and give the class a strong finish.

4/28/2006 Running

It was the second day of running with Rick. He ran the 2 miles again. This time he was able to finish up the 2 miles with a short sprint to the end. If we can get out a couple times a week. He should be ready in October for the race. I went on to run 3.3 miles in a little over 30 minutes. I didn't time the run again, but that's fine. It was good to get out and do some running after a tough spinning class. I was able to loosen up and relax.

8 days until the Flying Pig Relay!!

4/21-4/23/2006 Bicycling & Race Day!

4/21/2006 Bicycling Leisurely Style

I wanted to get out and do something on Friday to loosen up after spending 9 hours in the car, and 4 hours hanging around the hospital in Cleveland on Thursday. Getting out and cruising around on the bike seemed the perfect solution. It also gave me an opportunity to explore downtown Batavia again after so many years away. Most days I don't go through town at all; it is pretty much jump on the highway to work and back. Even when I do my rides I usually go around the town or the other direction toward Milford. Actually riding around in town was a nice change of pace and brought back some nice childhood memories. I rode for approximately one hour and 10 miles.

4/23/2006 Race Day! Caesar Creek Duathlon

The Stats:
1st 5K Run= 24:37.80 pace= 7:56
Transition= 1:30
20K Bike=41:55.79
Transition= 1:01
2nd 5K Run= 25:26.22 pace= 8:12
Total Time= 1:34:30.81

It was an incredible day for the race. It was absolutely beautiful and sunny on Sunday with the perfect temp for a race, about 65 F at the beginning of the race. I didn't feel really nervous at the beginning of the race, because I didn't have much in the way of expectations for the race. I was excited to be out there though, and was also happy to see Lisa, my Spinning instructor and workout guru at the race. It is always nice to see a friendly face at the course, and I've had a lot of luck with that this year.

The first 5K I was a little nervous, because I was afraid I would push it too hard early and blow up during the last 5K, or worse during the bike portion. I would have been left with nothing but pain during the last run. I completely underestimated myself though, as usual, and could have pushed it a little harder. The breakdown from my stop watch was: mile 1= 7:11 mile 2= 9:26 mile 3= 7:16. There was something screwy going on with the second mile. It was a lot longer than mile 1 or mile 3. I can understand a 30 second drop in time between miles, or even a minute if I'm feeling bad, but there is no reason that it should have taken me a full 2 1/2 minutes longer. I had the same issue with the last 5K, so clearly something was not right with the measurement. They may have shorted the other two miles. I'll probably never know.

The 20K bike broke down like this according to my bike computer: dist: 12.82 mi, time: 41:54, Avg: 18.3 mph, max: 29.6 mph. I was very happy with the ride. It was not an easy ride by any means. There were a fair amount of hills on the course, and it was also fairly windy. It was pretty much a trouble free ride, although I did lose a few minutes when I threw my chain off the front sprocket on a fairly steep uphill climb. I'm gonna have to look into that, because it happens to often. I don't know if it is a problem with the way I am shifting, or if the front derailleur needs to be adjusted. Either way it was a little annoying to get stopped on the side of hill, and have to try to get the momentum going again. I am also gonna have to start pushing some bigger gears, because I felt like I was cruising at a good pace, but I still got passed more than I would have liked. I did some passing too, but still you just don't want to get passed in a race. In the final analysis of the ride, I must say that I am very happy with the outcome. The fact that I maintained an 18.3 mph average on a hilly windy course is very impressive, especially this early in the year. It gives me a lot of confidence for the upcoming races.

The second 5K was the real test of the preparation for the race and my overall fitness level. I must say that I am very happy with the result: mile 1= 7:05 mile 2= 10:25, mile 3= 7:38 mile, .1 miles to the finish= 0:51. You can clearly see the huge discrepency between mile 1 and mile 2 once again. I'm thinking the overall distance was right, but the mile markers weren't placed correctly. When I got off the bike I was fully expecting the brick effect on my calves. I was really getting ready for some pain, but it never came. Well, it came, but not like that. I was definitely a little stiff coming off the bike, but not so much that I couldn't maintain a good pace, as is clearly shown by the time breakdown.

Hitting that second mile off the bike was the only time in the race that I wondered what the hell I was doing out there. It is not unusual for me to have this thought somewhere in the middle or late in a race. That is the moment when I decide whether to coast to the end or have a strong finish. I decided to finish strong, and damn it felt good. I look at the results, and it's easy to overanalyze and think that if I would have pushed a littler harder here or ran a little faster there I could have finished a few places higher, but in the end I am really happy with my performance. I'm really excited about the Flying Pig in 2 weeks!

4/19/2006 Running

I must have been possessed this morning! I wanted to get up and run this morning, but for some reason I got into the racing zone. I'm not sure why, but it felt gooood. :) I ran 3.6 miles at a racing pace. The goal was to finish it under 30 minutes. I just missed it. I ran 3.6 miles in 30 minutes and 7 seconds. I was initially dissappointed, but as I was thinking about it I realized that it was a pretty good time under the circumstances and, like I said, it felt gooood. The circumstances were that I rolled out of bed grabbed a drink of water, and ran. Not exactly optimal preparation for a race. I also pigged out last night on roast, potatoes and carrots shortly before falling asleep. It made me feel a little sluggish and bloated when I woke up. (damn I'm getting old) On top of that I ran a tough course with a lot of hills in the first 2.6 miles and flat the last mile. With all that I convinced myself that it was a good run. Plus, I sprinted the last 100 yards or so, because I wanted under that 30 minute mark so bad! If I can sprint at the end of a 3+ mile run that is a very, very good sign that the fitness level is looking good.

4/17/2006 Strength Training & Intervals

Strength Training

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 85 lbs.
hip abductor=2 sets/12 reps 85 lbs.
lower leg raise w/overhead 8lb (abs) 2x25

Running - Intervals

I haven't done any running intervals in a while and I had some time left over after strength training, so I decided it was time to hit the indoor track at the Healthplex. Each lap on the track is 1/6 of the mile, hence...well whatever. I ran 1 lap slow, 2 laps fast, 1 lap slow, 2 laps fast. I did two sets of these totalling 2 miles for about 20 minutes. I wasn't sure how my body would react to these, since I haven't done them in a while. The good news is, they felt pretty good. At the end of the second set I could have definitely gone on two do one more if I would have had time.

I had a nice little bonus today! As I was getting ready to leave I walked by a chair massage setup. You better believe I was going to take advantage of that! A little 5 minute massage always improves a day.

4/15/2006 Bicycling

It was an absolutely perfect day to get out on the bike. The weather was perfect, with no wind, one for the record books. I was able to get out pretty early this morning, so I decided to put on some real miles today. Here are the stats:

Odo: 181.8 miles
Dist: 41.90 mles
Time: 2:40:30
Avg: 15.8 mph
Max: 34.6 mph

I rode out 222 to Milford. It is about 11.5 miles to the bike trail. I rode 8.5 miles up the trail to Loveland and back. It is mostly flat to rolling hills the entire way. There wasn't a major hill until I got back to our road and decided to ride the .33 mile monster. Before I hit the final hill my average was 16.6 mph if that says anything about the steepness of the hill, probably not, but I'm telling you it is steeeeeep! I'm looking forward to the possibility of doing that race next weekend. Here's hoping....

4/12-4/13/2006 Strength Training & Running

4/12 Strength Training

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 80 lbs.
hip abductor=2 sets/12 reps 80 lbs.
lower leg raise w/overhead 8lb (abs) 2x25

4/13 Running

It was a beautiful, sunny and warm day yesterday, so it was a good opportunity to get outside and run instead of spinning in a dark room. Actually it was on the verge of being hot out. It was about 78 degrees and a bit humid; definitely the warmest day yet this year. I decided to hit the Lunken Park trail again. I ran one loop which took 45:12. I wasn't entirely sure of the distance, so I asked and was told that it was 6 miles. I doubt that it's 6 miles. I would say that it's closer to 5 1/2 miles. I'll have to check it the next time I have my bike over there.

The course is a test of your will because it is soooo boring. It is almost completely flat with the exception of one hill, and most of the path is surrounded by trees. This is nice because of the oxygen that trees and plants give off, but it also obstructs any sort of view. It seems to make it very hard for me to judge the distance on the long straight aways also, which is a bit unsettling for some reason.

4/10/2006 Bicycling

After a week off due to a nasty stomach virus it felt good to get back out today on the bicycle. I did my usual route out Rt132, Rt222, Elklick Rd., Green Briar Rd., Summit Rd., Old 32, Herold Rd., 276, back to Rt132 in a nutshell. The first half of the ride is very hilly and the second half of the ride is very flat, and the bonus is there is very little traffic. It continues to be my favorite route around Batavia right now. I'm hoping I can get out one more time this week if it isn't raining.

Odo. 139.9 mi
Dist. 17.61 mi
Time 1.08.50
Avg. 15.3 mph
Max. 36.9 mph

I have set a goal for the month of April to reach over 300 miles on the odometer. Good luck to me!

4/03/2006 Brick Training

Today was my first day of brick training. If there is anybody reading this probably not, that doesn't know what brick training is; it is getting the legs ready for that painful transition from pedalling the bicycle to running. Brick training: your legs feel like they're made of bricks. It's fun stuff.

Dist: 19.24 mi
Time: 1:18:23
Avg: 14.7 mph
Max: 34.2 mph

The ride was very windy. I followed this up with a 1 mile run.

4/02/2006 Running

I had a nice run today outside. I decided to hit the Batavia loop, which is approx. 5 miles long. I need to get in plenty of hill training to get ready for the Flyin Pig and the Triathlon. If I'm lucky I'll get the flat section of the course for the relay, but I'm not going to count on it. If it comes down to it I'll volunteer for it simply because I was the last person to join the team and I don't have to pay for it. woo hoo! So, I'll pay in sweat and pain, fair 'nuff. So there it is I did a little less than 5 miles at 43:42. I can't remember the exact distance, but it doesn't matter at this point. The next race is a 5k so it is more than enough preparation for that.

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.

2/21/2006 Strength Training, Running

A quick post of yesterday's workout:

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 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.

I decided to follow this up with a little running torture. I'm not saying that running is torture, but running intervals is a low grade torture session. I ran on the indoor track at the gym, and each lap of the track is 1/6 of a mile. I alternated running 2 laps at a jog and 2 laps at a fast pace, just below a sprint. I ran for a total of 3 miles.

2/20/2006 Running

I was reading back over my previous posts and realized that I have only run 4 times (including today) in February. Hmmm, that is only, on average, once every 5 days. I guess that is why I'm keeping this blog, to catch training issues like that. The new goal is to pick up the running to twice a week. A longer day of running, and a shorter speed training day. It is one of my less least favorite training activities, so it will always be a challenge.

Today's run was fantastic! A little Clap Your Hands Say Yeah on the iPod, the sun shining and a nice smooth road. What more can you ask for? A little warmth maybe? Ahhh I shouldn't be a whiner, but it was a little cold. It was probably mid 30's, but hey it was sunny!! On to the details. It was a 5.6 mile run, which is just how the route worked out. Meghan's Run side of the run is hilly, 2.6 miles. The Filager side of the run is flat, 3 miles. So it was a 5.6 mile run at 55 minutes.

2/18/2006 Strength Training

It felt like a bit of a down week this week. I still feel like I got some good workouts in, but it is a test of my motivation. In the past this would have been the start of a slow down in work outs. One week I only go a couple of times, then once in a week, then not at all. I need to keep up the workouts and start concentrating on some running. Some longer distance running. The Heart Mini will sneak up on me if I'm not careful.

15 minute eliptical to warm up and fat burning
composite leg press 110 lbs 2x12
seated row 70 lbs 2x12
chest press 70 lbs 2x10
shoulder press 65 2x10
front pull down 60 2x8
alternating dumbell curls 20 2x11
cable tricep pulldown 65 2x10
lower leg raise w/overhead 8lb (abs) 2x25

2/16/2006 Core Class & Spinning

I'm gonna keep this kind of short today and get to the point. The title pretty much says it all. Core class was a tough one yesterday. We did a lot of work on the bosu ball which is murder on my back. I'm going to ask the instructor about this, see if there is a problem with my form or maybe I'm just weak. That's more likely. 30 minutes of core class.

45 minute strength spinning class. The first 25 minutes of this class was really tough today coming out of core class. My legs felt a little like lead and didn't appreciate the "uphill" spinning. I loosened up after that and the final 20 felt pretty good. That pretty much sums it up. It's going to be a cold snowy weekend, so I'll probably be hitting the gym.

2/15/2006 Bicycling: Adjustments & Issues

Once I get all of the little kinks and issues worked out on this new bike it will be a fantastic ride. I have moments of pure bliss hammering down on that bike, but right now I've been plagued by small problems that has kept me from getting a completely enjoyable ride. I caught a break in the weather yesterday, well more than a break. It was a beautiful 55 degrees and sunny out. It was the kind of day that I'm usually begging for, by mid-February.

I was planning a nice long ride to Milford and then on to the bike path for a while. It has been a long time since I've been on the bike path and I was really looking forward to it. The ride overall was mostly flat with some rolling hills. It is a great ride to get comfortable on the aerobars and just roll. Unfortunately in my haste to get out the door and on the road I did not thoroughly check my tire pressure. I was so caught up in other issues with the derailleur and rear brakes that I skipped one of the most important steps in getting ready to ride. I will not be making that mistake again.

The derailleur and brake issues continue and now compounded by a flat tire. A flat tire that I got 13 miles into the ride. 13 miles from the house. It was a flat tire that I caused as well. I get to the bike path and see another guy getting ready to ride, so I asked if he had a bike pump I could borrow. He was nice enough to do so, so I started pumping. I didn't overinflate, but for some reason I blew out the valve and the tire went flat immediately. That was it, end of the ride.

I ended up walking back about 2 1/2 miles while I waited for my wife to come get me. So it wasn't exactly an excellent riding day. On the other hand it was a beautiful sunny day and I was outside. All things considered, still a great day.

2/12-2/13/2006 Race Day & Strength Training

2/12/2006 Race Day

The Labor of Love Race has become a nice race to begin the racing year and test of my training regiment. I was very happy with the results from this year. Before I get to the results I would like to discuss the conditions and the course. The weather conditions were cold and windy. It snowed and flurried all morning, but not enough to reall cover the ground. The hour or so before the race it cleared up a little and the sun poked out, but it was still cold and windy. The course is a hilly one. There aren't any monster hills that would wear you down right but the accumulation of 2 miles of up and down hills will certainly wear you out.

The goal was to run the race at under 15 minutes, and I more than met my goal. The first mile was downhill than up, so it was bound to be the faster mile. I also got off to a faster start than I had intended. I got caught up in the race day rush. I finished mile 1 at 6 minutes 35 seconds. The 2nd mile was a little tougher for several reasons. The fatigue set in from a fast mile 1 and there was more up hill during this half. The second mile split comes in at 7 minutes 20 seconds.

Race Time: 13:55

I am extremely happy with this time as it is a full minute faster than last year's race. It was by no means perfect though. I need to watch the starts and not get to caught up in the faster runners' paces. I am looking forward to the Heart Mini-Marathon in March.


2/13/2006 Strength Training

A little light strength training for a day after the race.

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 b-ball court and
backhip adductor=2 sets/12 reps 80 lbs.
hip abductor=2 sets/12 reps 80 lbs.
triple threat = 2 sets/ 12 ea.

2/09/2006 Triple Time - Eliptical, Core Training, Spinning

I love Thursdays at the gym. It's almost the end of the week and it is a great way to begin the unwinding process for the weekend and relieve stress. On this particular Thursday I did 30 minutes eliptical on fat burning which means keeping the heart rate around 123. After that was a 30 minute core class which was brutal this week. We did a bunch of exercises that involved holding the legs up in the air for long periods of time. My legs didn't want to cooperate.

Finally was a 60 minute interval spinning class. This has become one of my favorite spinning classes. She splits the class up into two "teams" that are facing each other. The two teams trade off doing intervals. While one team is sprinting or climbing the other team yells and cheers them on. It definitely makes the hour move along quickly. Thursday night spinning is something I always look forward to doing.

I'm taking today and tomorrow off from workouts. Sunday is the Labor of Love 2 mile race and I want to have fresh legs for the race. It is going to be a tough race, because even though it is a short race it is hilly and it is going to be cold. The weather report I heard today was to expect around 30 degrees for Sunday and possibly snow. That will make it interesting. My goal for the race is to finish at under 15 minutes. I think that is a reasonable goal and it will be a nice measure of how my training is going.

2/08/2006 Strength & Running

It was a combo day today. I ended up working a double Monday night, which means I didn't get home until 8 am Tuesday morning. Needless to say I wasn't much for working out yesterday. It felt good to have a day off and an excuse to be lazy, and it is not hard to justify a lazy day when you've been up for more than 24 hours.

Strength Training:

elliptical = 10 minutes on Fat Burning
JC BandsLunges with rows, 12 each side.
Wall sit w/12 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 80 lbs.
hip abductor=2 sets/12 reps 80 lbs.
triple threat = 2 sets/ 12 ea.

The second part of the workout was the run. I didn't have quite enough time to do a long slow 5 miler, so I kept it to 3 miles and mixed it up a little bit. It started out as a tempo run and I threw in a few intervals to keep it interesting. I'll call it a 3 mile tempo run with a time of 26:49.

2/06/2006 Bicycling

Check out that sweet new ride! I finally caught a break in the weather today, and I was able to take the Fuji out for the maiden voyage. Well I sort of caught a break. As you can see by the picture there was still snow on the ground. It was sunny and that is all that mattered. I was determined to get out and ride.

It was a great ride. I was a little leary about riding in freezing temps, because it is something I have never really done before. After the initial shock of the cold air to the face and lungs I was able to settle in and it was actually a very enjoyable ride.
A few quick stats: Distance: 20.3 mi Avg: 14.5mph Time: 84 min.

The stats don't really say a whole lot though. I spent the first 3 miles making adjustments and moving very slow to get a feel for the bike and being careful because the road was pretty slick. The next 7 or 8 miles were flat to rolling hills along the river. This was the best part of the ride as I was still in the valley around town and there was very little wind. This changed after a quarter mile climb out of the valley to the "heights". The remaining 10 miles ranged from slightly windy to very windy. While this is usually my favorite part of the ride as it is completely flat and I can stretch out on the aerobars and pound the pedals the wind made it a little uncomfortable, but I have no complaints.

It's only five days until my first race of the year. It's a short race at only 2 miles, but it will be a great gauge of my training up to this point.

2/04/2006 - Strength Training

I was really hoping to get the new bike out on the road today, but alas, rain all morning that turned into snow. It is still coming down pretty hard. So, off to the gym I go. After a couple days of riding and running it was definitely time for some strength training. rarr. It was a machine kind of day, and here is how it went:

15 minute elliptical to warm up and do a little 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 2x8
alternating dumbell curls 20 2x10
cable tricep pulldown 65 2x10
clamshell crunch w/overhead 8lb ball 2x25

My energy was good today and the workout felt great. I'm going to take tomorrow off and hope the snow goes away so I can get my bike out Monday or Tuesday. Here's hoping...

2/02-2/03/2006 Core, Spinning, Running

February 2, 2006

Thursday is always a busy workout day. I trucked it on over to the healthplex after work and got in just in time for the beginning of core class. 30 minutes of ab work to get the evening started. This is the third class and I can feel the difference that it is starting to make. The first two classes were just pure torture. This class was a little less torture, but still torture nonetheless.

A 60 minute Spinning class followed this up. It was a tough class today. After Wednesday's strength training my legs felt a little sluggish. It was a day to suck it up and push through. It was also tough because there was a substitute instructor in the class. I was having a tough time getting on board with her style of spinning. I don't really want to get into it, but it was just annoying.

February 3, 2006
Early morning run. I decided to toss in an early morning run because I am sick and need help. I bundled up, and hit the street around 6 am for a 3 mile tempo run. It was pitch black, so I had my trusty head lamp on. I thought I measured a 3 mile course, but I'm beginning to wonder. I felt like I kept up a good pace, but it took 35 minutes to complete it. It felt a little better today than my last early morning. It wasn't as cold, so I didn't feel like I was going to hack up a lung. It was just a better overall run.

2/01/2006 Strength Training

Hit the gym for some strength training yesterday. This is only the third time I've done this program, so I'm still getting used to some of the workouts. They require a lot more attention to form than just hopping on the machine and ripping out a couple set of 12 reps. When it is done right I can definitely feel it though. It went like this:

20 minutes on the elliptical on Fat Burn mode. I feel like I do so much at a high level that I need something at that fat burning range, because part of my goals is to drop 10 pounds. I am starting to see a little dent on that front as well. I weighed in at 161. 4 which is down about 2 lbs from a week ago. That's good, but I don't entirely trust it, I know I can range about 2 lbs depending on the time of day, what I've eaten and what not. I'll believe it when I hit under 160.

JC Bands
Lunges with rows, 12 each side.

Wall sit w/12 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 80 lbs.
hip abductor=2 sets/12 reps 80 lbs.

Triple Threat = 2 sets/ 12 ea.