Monday, March 30, 2009

Trying Something New

Lately I have had a real tough time setting my butt down in front of the computer and chronicling my latest training episodes. It’s not from a lack of anything to write about. I have definitely gotten back to firing on all cylinders on the workouts. Last week I was above the 14 hour mark with significant workouts in all three disciplines. It just seems that my days have been drifting away so quickly that there seems to be little or no time to jot down a few notes. Which then leads me to my solution, perhaps that it what I need to do. When I think of something just put it down and then all I would have to do is cut and paste it into a blog later on. This is the first attempt at doing that.
As mentioned last week I was back on track logging just over 14 hours with a definite increase in the cycling. I managed to do a mind-numbing 3 hour plus session on the trainer this Sunday. Although it is not the most interesting way to do your cycling it is necessary and also yields great benefits. Fortunately for me the weather co-operated on Saturday and I was able to do my 2 hour run outside. Other than getting chased by a stupid dog, the run was uneventful. I was a little slow; partly because of some of the trails I chose and partly because I was just slow and probably the largest contributor, not a drop of water. I have never been very good at carrying anything with me but I really need to carry at least a little drink of water. At the end of the day I managed to run 16.27 miles in 2:02.
The start of a new week and I am off to a good start with a 3,000 metre swim under my belt already. I was expecting a pool full of people today since it is Spring Break, but it was actually not too bad. Hopefully everyone has gone away on holidays!
Have a great week!

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

A Write Off!

I think the cold is behind me now, and while last week was a bit of a write off, I am stoked to fly at it again this week.
Monday I was off to the pool for a good 2,900 metre swim. I felt really good in the water and my work out was 800 metres of warm ups and drills. Then it was 20 x 100 with 10 seconds rest and a brief 100 metre cool down.
The evening run was 7 miles in 48:00. I would really like to do a race sometime soon, but there hasn’t been anything available. There was a ½ marathon a couple of weeks ago in Edmonton but it was sold out. The next events are in May which is going to be a busy month so I am hesitant to sign up for anything right now. For all the good things about living out in a smaller community that is the one complaint I would have. Most of the events are in either Edmonton or Calgary which are 2 ½ hours and 5 hours away. I have driven in before to race but it means leaving here at 5:00 a.m. for an 8:00 a.m. race if it is in Edmonton. It doesn’t necessarily leave you poised to run your best!
At lunchtime today I was able to squeeze in a little over 8 miles in just under an hour. The trails are still a tad icy so the footing was tricky. I was over dressed as well so together they conspired against me running any pace.
With 13 weeks to go to Coeur d’Alene, my focus needs to shift to more cycling and a few longer runs. The running doesn’t concern me as I know with a few more mid-distance runs I will be okay for that section of the ordeal. It is the damn bike again! Further complicating things is that it is still going to be awhile before I can get the bike on the road. So I will just have to do the best I can and hope my discipline can get me through a few long rides on the trainer.
Have a great day!

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Relapse

After a brief stint of feeling better, my cold came back resulted in some half-hearted and missed workouts this week. Not to worry though, I am sure I will be back up to speed sooner rather than later.
This cold has dragged on though, and it probably doesn't help that I continue to push through it. Hopefully it is not a sign of anything more sinister.
Today I finally felt some strength in my legs and I was able to knock off an even eight miles in just over 55 minutes. We'll see if the legs agree with me tomorrow.
There are also some promising signs that spring may be on it's way. Temperatures were in the double digits today and on the plus side to boot! The sun is also beginning to feel like it has a little more strength in it and did a good job polishing off the last of the snow. I am really hopeful that I can get on the roads pretty soon with the bike. The trainer rides, while highly efficient and effective, do start to wear a little thin right about now. As much as I despise fighting the wind outside, I am actually looking forward to it now.
So while this week won't be the banner week I was looking for to kick off the final phase of training, it will have to do. I am feeling optimistic about the next few weeks and I should be able to start making up some ground.
I just got a bunch of new books from Chapters this week so I will fill you in once I start reading them. I just started reading "The Logic of Life - The rational economics of an irrational world", by Tim Harford. It looks interesting and appears to be an easy read.
Have a great week!

Sunday, March 15, 2009

It was inevitable!

With all the coughing, sneezing, and runny noses around our office it was only a matter of time before I would catch a cold. And sure enough I did! By Wednesday of this week I was a sniffling mess with a red nose and bleary eyes. Usually I am pretty lucky and manage to avoid catching colds, but this time it was not to be. But after a few days rest I seem to be back to normal today. I managed to run 8.5 miles today in 62 minutes so I think I am on the mend.
Prior to catching the cold I was doing quite well with couple of runs a bike ride and a swim under my belt by Tuesday, but that was it until Saturday when I managed to run an easy 5 miler.
But I am feeling good now so I should be able to pick up pretty close to where I left off. With 14 weeks to go until Ironman Coeur d'Alene I am starting to get to the real meat of the training. The weather should be improving as well so I can start getting some riding done on the roads. That will be a welcome change from the trainer which can often be a challenge to get through the longer rides on.
Have a great week!

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Boring!

I have kind of felt that way about the blog lately. Nothing really exciting to report on and I feel like blabbing about the same old workouts wears thin after awhile. It's not that I am bored, not by any stretch of the imagination! Life is great! The workouts are progressing along just dandy and I have never felt better about wear I am at this point in the cycle.
Work is great with lots of interesting things happening. Having my younger brother here now has also been nice. It is good to talk with someone who can give you a frank assessment of the operations and people. By and large I think he has generally been impressed but he also sees a lot of opportunity for us to improve.
Wedding plans are also moving along at an appropriate pace. Everything is booked, invitations are out, cake ordered, all that is left is for Mom and Dad to pick up some new duds! It is going to be a family affair with about 60 people at Pyramid Lake Lodge in Jasper, Alberta. Unfortunately with the untimely recession and resulting uncertainty some of my family will now be unable to come. The recession is the first one that has gotten personal as two operations where I have family working have permanently closed. That sucks big time! However, as previously mentioned I have one brother already here and another one interviewing next week, so who knows they may all end up out here.
Anyway back to the blog and lack of inspiration. I read a lot of really good bloggers out there. People who seem to be able to turn the mundane reporting of workouts in spell-binding reading. Unfortunately I have not been similarly blessed. Mine reads more like an article out of the Accountants Today Journal! However I will keep trying and maybe I will get struck with some new and creative ideas!
Okay, now back to the numbers, the week went down something like this:
Swam 4.7 miles
Biked 91.6 miles
Ran 35.3 miles

Total of 11 hours and 42 minutes.

I am starting to get some decent cycling sessions in now and my swims have been really good. It is interesting to see that people who were cruising past me in the pool are now sucking my wake! I seemed to have really improved my pull and my average stroke count is between 16 and 19 per length. All good stuff.

Have a great weekend!

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Making Progress

Over the last few days my training has started to feel like I am making progress again. I was especially pleased with my Saturday ride and then a hard Sunday run. They were good tests of my fitness and I would say I passed.
On Saturday I did a 2 hour ride on the trainer with relatively high resistance and was able to average 21 MPH and 91 RPM for the workout. My legs felt good and I was good about taking on lots of fluids and one gel. Generally I am guilty of not looking after myself in that regard, but I am making an effort to correct it. Also I have been using a different sports drink, NUUN which is a tablet that mixes up nicely and has a mild flavour. The tablets look like Alka Seltzer and fizz up like them as well.
Sunday I came back with a hard run, doing 13.2 miles at an average pace of 6:51 / mile. Again the legs didn’t complain too much and everything seemed to be working fine on Monday.
So with those two workouts under my belt I feel quite encouraged at this point as to where I am fitness wise. Now it is about increasing the volume without getting injured. Always a tricky balance, but it is somewhat easier with 3 sports as opposed to just 1.
Wedding plans are starting to become front and centre over the last few weeks. Thank goodness Nicholas and Nicole are so laid back and not into a royal wedding. They just want a good family party, lots to eat and drink! That makes planning a whole lot easier and the lodge in Jasper has been very helpful in setting up menus and all the other stuff that has to happen. The wedding falls right about the time I should start tapering, May 28th so it won’t hurt if I take a little bit of time off during then. So far it looks like we are going to have almost all of my family here including nieces and nephews. We are very thrilled about that!
Music wise there has not been a lot of new stuff out that has interested me. I did pick up the new Red Jumpsuit Apparatus – Lonely Road and it is kind of interesting. I also got an old Crossfade album.
Have a great day!