Monday, August 31, 2009

8/31 swim

swim, 30:00, 12x100's

8/30 bike

I got a call from Ben on Saturday afternoon asking whether I wanted to do "3 hours, zone 2/3, no sid". These Sunday morning rides have been pretty good to me these last few weeks, and since I know Ben is a stickler for his zones...I decided to take him up on it. He once again amazed me with his precision routes, and we got back to the house almost EXACTLY 3 hours after we started...and with a HR avg of 135. I guess he's good to have on my side, since when I ride alone I am not nearly as precise. He does keep dodging my offer to ride on my team in the donut derby, though.


bike (w/ben) 3:04:00, 56.13miles,18.5 avg, 135bpm, 2545cal

Saturday, August 29, 2009

8/29 run

Its like this...as much as I LOVE to swim and bike...thats how much I don't like to run. I'm getting there...and I do have almost a year to build.



treadmill 45:00, (10:00 w/u, 30:00 run, 5:00 c/d), 132 bpm, 561cal

Thursday, August 27, 2009

sharks and minnows

So, back to the Rowan pool at 6am this morning. Need to work out the kinks in the routine, though...since I got there at 5:50am and had to wait til 6 to get in. MAYBE, leave 10 mins later. duh.

So, the actual swimming is going well. I feel pretty good about where I am with that, especially considering that I haven't trained for any swim event in almost 2 years. Really, though, I don't expect to know this for sure UNTIL my training class starts, 9/5. I'm pretty excited, and I love to swim.

SWIM, 30:00, 1350 yard(in 100 intervals)

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

no ipod, no sportscenter


rip, Ted Kennedy.

bike (indoor w/morning joe), 45:00, 16.67 miles, 119bpm, 134 watts

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

the cup of joe is key.


Since I was unexpectedly off for today, I decided to sleep in and do my running a little later than usual. I was able to relax some, eat a good breakfast, and drink a cup of joe before setting out to the track at Camden County College. I continued my efforts to train like Bryan said...so after a 10:00 walk to warm up, I ran 10:00 then walked 5:00...I felt ok, although I think the heat from running outside made my HR elevate some. Oh yeah, and I forgot my ipod, which kinda sucked.

run: 52:32, 4.0 miles, 137bpm, 738cals

first swim

Yesterday was my first swim in the Rowan pool...and also my first swim in preparation for IRONMAN USA. Since it would be my first time in the water to train in a while, I decided to just see if I could handle a 30:00 swim, nice and easy. I got in, swam a 100 yard warmup, then took a break for about 45seconds to a minute, then swam 1100 yards without too many problems. I was actually going to stop at 1000 yards, but still had a few minutes left, so I kept going. It was a good first test, and left me feeling good, since I felt as if I was actually getting stronger as the time wore on. I didn't get out because I was tired, I got out because time was up and I didn't want to go crazy the first time out. All in all, very good sign.

SWIM, 30:00, 1200 yards

Sunday, August 23, 2009

HEED me, Seymour!


So, today the plan was to go out for a REAL zone 2/3 ride with Ben. We made our arrangements last night, and agreed to play it by ear as far as the weather went this morning. Well, it turned out ok, and the forecast was for clearing skies through the morning. Very humid, but clear.

I decided I was going to test out my new sports drink purchase, HEED (subtle strawberry flavor). At first, I wasn't sure, since it has kind of a diet-y aftertaste, but it kinda grew on me. Seemed like it worked, as I drank two bottles during our ride and felt pretty good.

The ride itself was great, since we were able to keep Sid Vicious under control. I joked about Ben and I being the Schlek brothers trying to work against Sid in a breakaway situation. Yes, thats what its like. (except for the fact that Andy Schlek weighs like a hundred pounds less than I do.)

Overall, a great ride. Just what I needed for today. TOMORROW will be MY FIRST SWIM WORKOUT, since the Rowan Pool will be open again! I'm pretty excited, and I plan to be there bright and early at 6am.

BIKE: 2:37:00, 48.7 miles, 18.8mph, 128bpm, 1998cal

Saturday, August 22, 2009

cursing Mother Nature


So, after 3 or 4 REALLY nice (although humid) mornings, of course its pouring and thundering on my day off. Even though I read the weather forecast yesterday, I remained optimistic through the night that MAYBE it would only rain, and not T-storm in the morning. Well, weatherman was right. Joe was wrong. So, I took the game inside.

When I first got on the bike, I thought it would be nice to finally watch the training video that came with it. The Science of Power, or some bullshit. Basically it was a waste of time. I watched, and Dr. Allen Lim explained why I should workout using power and HR #'s as gauges. I knew why, i wanted some POINTERS. No pointers. I bet I have to BUY that tape. The one with the pointers.

Anyway, after I shut that off, I switched to ipod. I've noticed something about the iPod shuffle...seems to play one artist MORE during each session. Example: the other day, I heard like 5 or 6 Beastie Boys songs in an hour. Today it was Matisyahu that I heard alot of. Just an observation. I don't really care, because my playlist only has songs that I like, so as not to be stuck with a crappy song while working out.

Oh well. Another one down. Peace.


BIKE (indoor, thanks to Mother Nature screwing me), 1:00:00 (10:00 w/u, 45 min zone 3/4 w/(10) 30sec 300 watt intervals (max watts 578, max hr 164bpm), HR 134bpm, avg watts 151

Friday, August 21, 2009

Power Tappin

So, tonight I went to see my buddies at the Peddler's Shop to get some info on the FREE POWER TAP with purchase of CycleOps PT-300 deal. Seems legit, and I should be getting a free powertap comp (wired) in a few weeks. I will probably ebay it, since I need some other stuff (wetsuit, etc) for tri training.When I was there, I talked to Steve about riding in the donut derby with me (labor day) as a sort of pace setter. Would be a good guy to have on my side, although I'm a little leery about his donut eating abilities/speed combo, and he is definitely a guy that could pull a "Contador" on me and speed off to a win, while leaving me in the dust. ha.

I also talked to Jack about some stuff I need to start thinking about. We were talking about 1 day a week getting together for brick workouts. He wants me to swim 2x a week (which I plan on) and lift shoulders, chest, and arms 3x a week (which i do, but off and on). I told him about what I've been doing as far as running goes, and he seemed to like my plan...telling me to keep it up and build base until January, which was also part of my plan. We talked about doing an Olympic in May, and a half ironman in June...also, something that I was aware i'd have to do. So, it seems like my plan is right on, with the exception of the brick workouts. Its great to get his opinion, because I respect him as a triathlete...and a friend. I know he'll look out for whats best for me.

Monday is day 1 of swim training

treadmill 20:00 walk (with 3lb weights), Ab and Ob workout on bioforce

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Like a hot potato

Getting dropped...

We've all been there. No matter how fast you are, at one point or another its going to happen to you. Because, after all, theres ALWAYS someone faster (even if just for one day, Lance). Anyway, it happened to me in a big time way tonight.

I got a call from this guy Justin, who lives in my development, about riding tonight. I knew he'd been doing a lot of riding with Action Wheels, and he's been getting in a lot of mileage this season. He was just looking to chill, and asked if he could come along to the Wednesday ride. Sure, I told him, explaining about the specifics of the Wednesday ride (there are none, it pretty much depends on who's on it)

We get there, and it seemed like we had (2) choices...the A+++ ride, full of racers...or the C ride, which was full of, ummm...lets just say "non-racers". I decided to take the plunge, figuring that i'd eventually get dropped, but what the hell...maybe I could hang on for a bit,even though I had a solid 30 pounds on EVERY guy there (not in a bad kinda way, but these were some skinny, racing type, mofo's)...ANYWAY, being the guy who takes FOREVER to warm up...and since the A+++ riders like to shoot out of the gate "balls to the wall" style...I lasted about 10 minutes before getting COMPLETELY blown off the back. You gotta laugh, though, when you look at your speedometer and it says 21.0 mph, as you watch the other guys ride away from you like you're some slowpoke. I took a sort of, "it is what it is" type of attitude, and continued on. Eventually, I caught up to another guy who got smoked out, and we ended up riding the rest of the way together. Wasn't a bad ride, wasn't a bad pace...just not as fast as the A+++'ers.

Oh, and Justin? He hung in like a champ. At one point the A+++'ers came roaring past us like we were riding backwards. We were doing 22mph at the time. Sick.

bike (Wednesday night PScycles), 1:20:00, 26.3 miles, 19.4 mph, 142 bpm, 1530cal

The Yellow Jersey

As many of you know, I've been preparing to do a charity ride in Maryland called "24 Hours of Booty". This ride is the only official 24 hour road cycling ride, and an official LIVESTRONG fundraiser. Last Saturday, I held a benefit at a bar and restaurant. We had 81 people come out, and raised almost $1500. With previous donations, this pushed me over my goal of $3000, which puts me into the elite "yellow jersey" club of the ride.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

8/18

bike (indoor) 50:00, 18.45 miles, 122bpm, 146 avg watts

Monday, August 17, 2009

8/17

treadmill 40:00, 10min w/u, 25:00 @5.2mph, 5 c/d. 3.0 miles, 122bpm, 433cal

Saturday, August 15, 2009

anarchy


Since I have been working for 12 straight days without a day off, and since I have my fundraiser for 24 Hours Of Booty tonight from 7-10...I decided to wake up at 6:30 instead of 5:45 and go ride with my brother-in-law, Ben. The *plan was for an easy zone 2/3 ride for 2 hours, which I was totally down for and kinda needed. What *actually happened, was Bens friend, who he refers to as "Sid Vicious", showed up and pushed the pace a bit for both of us.

I realized while riding that I will need to be more in control of my own situation as the race gets closer. I will have to learn to focus on what I need to do, and not so much what everyone else is doing, which might actually be harder than just doing it. (if that makes any sense at all)

Anyway, for now, it was a good ride. VERY nice morning...and even though I didn't quite have "the legs" today, it was fun to mostly sit in (often at 22+mph) and chill for 2 hours.

bike (with Ben and Sid), 2:06, 39.4 miles, 19.2 avg, 140bpm, 1859cal

Friday, August 14, 2009

8.14

Started out on the treadmill, feeling good..but at about the 2 mile mark my knee started to bother me. Its probably nothing, but I decided not to push, so I cut it short at 30:00.

Treadmill, 30:00, 123bpm, 330cal

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

"It might rain on race day."

Had a nice easy day at work, which I figured would be great for allowing me to get off in time for the Wednesday night ride. The only problem was the "usual" Wednesday weather forecast of showers/Tstorms from 5-8. In the beginning of the day, I was very optimistic that the rain would hold off, like it did LAST week. But as the day went on, the clouds started to roll in, and the rain started to fall. I really figured this would end my hopes of getting a ride in tonight. After about an hour, the rain ended at 4pm, and the roads quickly dried, leaving me with that optimistic feeling again. I rushed home, put on the bike gear, threw the bike on the roof, and headed out to Clearview HS to meet up with everyone. On my way out, it started to sprinkle. Then, I get a text from Bryan that says its "pouring" in Deptford, and he's baggin. So, I was still heading out, but I really wasn't expecting to find anyone to ride with. I pull in, and Richard immediately follows me in. I pull next to him and he tells me that Karen is going to go for it, and since he didn't want her to have to ride alone, he would ride with her. That was all I needed to hear. I got off early, dragged myself out in the rain, and now I had people to ride with. Needless to say, it was, in fact, WET...but, we made the most of it, and now that I'm all dried off, it doesn't really matter. In fact, I'm GLAD i went.

bike (Wednesday night P-Shop ride in RAIN), 1:20, 23.87 miles, 17.5 avg, 132bpm, 1060cal

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

motivate me

Unmotivated this morning, possibly heat related since its been super hot..but still making an attempt at..something. Tomorrow I sleep in...with hopes of riding in the PM with the group.

easy treadmill, 30:00 (20 min run), 2.25 miles, 124bpm, 331cal
strength training, chest and abs

Monday, August 10, 2009

bike to run

I was advised by my "Ironman Finisher" buddy, Bryan Mccauley, that I need to work hard on bike to run transitions. So, for now, every once in a while I'm going to throw in an "easy bike to easy run" workout of maybe 45 mins (30 bike, 15 run), just to get that part started.

45:00, bike to run.
bike 10.5 miles, 30:00
run 1.2 miles, 15:00
avg hr 125bpm, 513 cal

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Some Goals for now


1. For now, continue early morning training sessions before work, not so much as part of a "plan", but just to build base and get cardio in, as well as get used to waking up and working out before work.

2. Lose 5 pounds a month, September through December, before starting 30 week training program that will lead up to IRONMAN USA.

3. Swim 2x a week until Christmas, starting September 1.

Chicken Cheesesteak Stromboli HANGOVER


So, last night, after a week in which I've pretty much stuck to the plan regarding my "caloric intake", we decided to order takeout from the local place. Of course, like many people, when given a choice I will choose something bad over something good. I ordered a chicken cheesesteak stromboli, and loved every single last juicy bite of it. Then, after dinner, we watched a copy of THE HANGOVER that someone found and left on my doorstep!

Of course, the chicken cheesesteak stromboli was much better to me 12 hours ago, as my stomach is a mess right now, and I am getting ready to run. Oh well, lesson learned. No chicken cheesesteak stromboli for dinner the night before the race. ha.

treadmill 45:00, with (10) 7mph, 1min intervals (with 1 min rest), 127bpm, 463cal

music: ipod shuffled. apache, yeah.
mood: happy its raining, since I'm working today and would miss the P-shop group ride.

hi-o silver, is what I say.

Saturday, August 8, 2009

slow and low, that is the tempo

cycleops pt300


When I'm talking about an indoor training on the bike, this is what I'm riding. A cycleops PT-300. Power meter, HR monitor, cycle computer...with the ability to upload the results to the computer. For time reasons, I like to ride indoors, since it makes the most of the 45:00 to an hour that I'm putting in, for now. Of course, nothing can take the place of the great outdoors...but there is no coasting indoors.

bike (indoor) zone 1/2, with (5) 300+ watt, 1 min intervals (3 min rest), 126bpm, 146 avg watts, 499 max watts

music= Beastie Boys, Licensed to Ill, unshuffled.

Friday, August 7, 2009

with exposed knees

Ok, so I last night, I'm going through my exercise clothes drawer and I come across this old pair of Nike "basketball" shorts. Mesh, good to run in. So, I put them on, and I realize that they're like 4 inches above my knee!? Did I really wear these to play hoops in? I mean, yes, granted, they're circa 1995...but still.

run (treadmill) 45:00, 3.5 miles, 134bpm, 591 cals

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Me, Myself, and Ironman





Hi. My name is Joe Skelly and I want to be an IRONMAN. Yes, easier said than done, I know...considering that my greatest athletic feat to date is winning the Lehigh Valley Wheelmen's annual DONUT DERBY 2x in a row. Really. Check this out: watch! Now, to defend myself a bit, it takes quite a bit of technique and stamina to win this event. After all, its not that easy to ride 36 miles AND house 28 donuts in less than 2:15. What? Yes, of course I realize that none of this will matter during my training for the IRONMAN USA race in Lake Placid, NY next summer. (Unless, of course, we can substitute the 28 donuts for the "other" 76 miles of hilly terrain) I seriously doubt that, though.

So, I'm in. I went to the 2009 race as a volunteer. I saw a friend of mine accomplish his dream of becoming an Ironman. It was an amazing experience, and definitely one that I think everyone should see at some point in their life. The things you see in that last hour alone are worth the trip.

So...I used my volunteer T-shirt to get me into the preferred registration line for the 2010 event...I paid my $550 registration fee...and I began my journey towards this dream of mine.

My goal is only to finish. Anything more is gravy. I know I have a lot of work ahead of me. But...I THINK I'm ready.