Sunday, February 28, 2010

day 56

Ran with Rich and Bry this morning. The rest of the cult was there, too...but they run faster than we do so they went off and did their own thing. Bry turned around at 30:00, and rich and I went out to 45:00. He has done many interesting things over the course of his life, and I love to talk about them while we run. Today, he was telling me the story of how, on his THIRD (!), trip across the country (East to West that time, which he will "never do again"), he was hit by a car in Des Moines, Iowa. They took him to the hospital, and the people of the town rallied around him to make sure he knew that they cared. His nurse was a special woman, whose husband was an Iowa State Trooper. When Rich was released from the hospital to fly back to NJ, the trooper gave him a police escort to the airport. Nice touch. Anyway, a year later, after recovering from his injuries, he flew back to Des Moines, and finished what he started a year earlier.

RUN- 1:31:08, 8 miles, 130bpm, 1195cals

Saturday, February 27, 2010

day 55

worked 10 hours today. Was going to blow off workout, just to give my back an extra day. Found some time, and worked out an easy 45:00 on the trainer. It was just a spin, and my HR was low low low. No worries. Back ok. Planning on running tomorrow at 8am.

bike 45:00, 16.8 miles, 96bpm, 114watts

Friday, February 26, 2010

day 54

skipped, due to back. I can barely walk, let alone run. Lets hope the chiropractor has 4wd to get thru the snow.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

day 53


Long day today...alarm went off at 5:25am, and I got on the bike at around 5:45. I rode for an hour, and when I got off, my back was really bothering me. My chiropractor is off on Thursdays, so I have to wait til Friday to get cracked.

Went down to Rowan after work to get some swimming in (tri class was cancelled due to snow). I had every intention of doing a straight 2500, but my back was too tweaked. I decided to dial it down some and do an easy 1250. (50 laps). I finished in 22:24, which isn't bad, considering my back was bothering me, and I was taking it easy. Afterwards, I had a nice talk with my "mentor", Rich, about some things that I'm going to have to prepare for. He helps me with confidence, and he's very positive when he talks about my abilities. Sometimes, you need to hear these things.

part 1 (6am)- BIKE (z1)- 1:00:00, 24.28 miles, 110bpm, 98rpm, 110 watts
part 2 (6pm) SWIM- 1250 (22:24)

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

day 52

BIKE- 45:00, 17.76 miles, 211 watts
RUN- 15:00, 1.27 miles

1:00:00, 134bpm, 834cals

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

day 51

swim, 200wu, 4x25, 4x50, 4x75, 1x300, 4x75, 4x50, 4x25, 200cd
RUN- 1:00:00, 143 bpm, 911 cals

Monday, February 22, 2010

HOLY CRAP ITS DAY 50

well..woke up today weighing 223 on the scale, which is good for me. Had to deviate a little bit last week, THIS TIME due to head cold that I picked up from, maybe Thursday night thru SUnday. I was able to get workouts in, just didnt go as long as I was supposed to. No problemo.

THIS WEEK-

MONDAY- REST
TUESDAY- SWIM, RUN 1:00 z2
WEDNESDAY- BIKE 45:00 transition to RUN 15:00
THURSDAY- SWIM, BIKE 1:00 (z1 @ 100rpm)
FRIDAY- RUN 1:00 z2
SATURDAY- BIKE 2:00 z2
SUNDAY- RUN 1:00 z1 to z2

Sunday, February 21, 2010

day 49


Woke up with the head cold in tact...still wanted to get something in, so I decided on something different. Gave Steve a call at Caffeinated Cyclist, to see if I could come over and use his Computrainer. He has the IMLP course on there, so I figured that would be cool to try. Plus, I haven't really been on my bike since I got the powertap installed...so the information was uploaded and everything is working with that. So, thats good news as well.

I rode about the first 27 miles or so of IMLP course, trying to keep my HR pretty low. I think I did ok, I definitely could have pushed harder, but its all about keeping things at a steady pace. I doubt by July I'll be in a position to go out and bomb the course, so we'll just focus on getting through this one.

Thats the course profile up at the top. The part I rode was, ummm...to about the middle of the 20 and the 40 mile mark. Yes, the fun starts after.

BIKE, 1:38:03, 28.04 miles, (which felt like 48.04 miles), 124 bpm, 1151 cals

DAY 48

Weighed in at P-shop on saturday morning. 230. thats a (-3) as far as the contest goes. I'm at somewhere around 8% loss. The contest there started a week after I started my training plan, so for official weight, I have been going by my start date, since that will continue long after the contest is over.

Had a bit of a head cold, and Nicole had a swim meet in West Chester that we had to be to by 11:15, so I decided to go to swim in the morning instead of bike. I have to work a few Saturdays coming up, and I don't want to miss too many time trials in the pool. (I like them). Today was another 100. I did a 1:07. I felt myself starting to fade a bit (tired from cold?), so a 1:07 is pretty good. "PDF" as Nick told me. (Pretty Damn Fast)

SWIM- 400wu, 100 TT (1:07), 4x25, 2x50, 2x100, 1x200, 1x300, 1x200, 2x100, 2x50, 4x25, 200 cd

Friday, February 19, 2010

day 47

eh...Fridays are cursed for me I think. Dealing with a bit of a stuffy nose...probably NOT a sinus infection. I'm tired, run down, and I had a weird pain in my hip.

RUN 20:00

Thursday, February 18, 2010

day 46

No Nick at class tonight. We were on our own to do a 7x300 workout. I decided to do a straight 2500 instead. Felt good during, my shoulder are just a teeny bit sore after. Finished the night with a 1:00 spin at low heart rate.

SWIM, straight 2500 (around 40:00)
BIKE, 1:00, 116 bpm, 639 cals

day 46

No Nick at class tonight. We were on our own to do a 7x300 workout. I decided to do a straight 2500 instead. Felt good during, my shoulder are just a teeny bit sore after. Finished the night with a 1:00 spin at low heart rate.

SWIM, straight 2500 (around 40:00)
BIKE, 1:00, 116 bpm, 639 cals

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

day 45

BIKE, 45:00, 17.11 miles, 122 bpm,
RUN, 15:00, 1.35 miles, 130bpm

TOTAL: 1:00, 123bpm, 728 cals

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

day 44

Back on the wagon. Last week is behind me. Tonight, felt strong....mentally, physically. No doubts about finishing.

SWIM- 300wu, main set= 2x25, 2x50, 2x75, 2x100, 1x200, 2x100, 2x75, 2x50, 2x25 , 200 cd
RUN- 1:00:00, 141bpm, 896 cals

Monday, February 15, 2010

day 43

Well, I'm glad that week went down the drain. All in all, it totally sucked. Yes, I was able to muscle through some workouts, but very disappointing as far as 1)weight loss, and 2) stamina during workouts. I guess I just have to look more forward than back.

I ate like shit this weekend. I didn't even weigh myself this morning, so...sorry...no update on weight loss. You probably don't like to assume, but you can assume that my weight loss was not good.

Heres what this week has in store:

MONDAY- REST
TUESDAY- SWIM, RUN 1:00 (z2)
WEDNESDAY- BIKE 45:00 (z2) transition to RUN 15:00
THURSDAY- SWIM, BIKE 1:00 (z1, 100+rpm)
FRIDAY- RUN 1:15 (z2)
SATURDAY- BIKE 2:30 (z2)
SUNDAY- RUN 1:15 (z1 to z2)

Sunday, February 14, 2010

day 42

(unscheduled) SWIM- 200wu, main set- 500, (2) 250's, then (5) 100's (on 1:45).
RUN - 30:00, 136bpm, 430 cals

Felt a lot better today.

Saturday, February 13, 2010

day 41

Well, I had a good run. I made it 40 days without skipping a workout. This week has been tough, though, and I've decided to "listen to my body", as they say. I'm feeling a little run down...tired...hungry...weak. I pushed through a couple of workouts this week, and had less than stellar results because of it. So, I figured it was just best if I leave today alone, skip it, and try to rest for tomorrow.

I think there are a few reasons for this:

1) SNOW- Over the past 7 days, we've received over 40 inches of snow. This last storm was the heavy, icy kind of snow, which made shoveling the driveway an effort. Also, working outside in the cold weather, constantly bundled up, takes its toll on the body...even when you're NOT training for an IRONMAN.

2) DIET - Since I'm almost 20 pounds lighter, I've decided to reduce my daily caloric intake by about 200 cals. I'm not sure this was such a good idea, since I only went down a pound at this weeks weigh-in. I think my body is retaining things that it wasn't before. (My non-scientific diagnosis, anyway).

3) LACK OF SLEEP- For some reason, I'm having a hard time sleeping. Its like my mind is always "on". Part of it may be from being on the run so much...it just feels like my first chance of relaxation comes after 10pm on most nights.

I think all of this is piling up, and pulling me down. I'm hoping to snap out of it...but I just constantly have the feeling of needing a cup of coffee to pick me up. Hopefully, I will have better news tomorrow about how the old body is feeling. Maybe I can even get a good workout in to raise the spirits. Hope so.

Friday, February 12, 2010

day 40

Run/Walk 1:00, 120bpm, 680 cals

Thursday, February 11, 2010

day 39

So, the snow closed the Rowan campus, which closed the Rec center, which canceled my tri class for tonight. Wasn't able to get my swim on tonight, but was able to do the bike part of the workout on the trainer. I'm kinda bummed about the swim, since I have to work Saturday and I'm going to miss out on Saturdays class/time trial already. Bummer. I guess i will go in on sunday and swim a little maybe, then run on the track for an hour.

BIKE, 1:00:00, 24.87 miles, 114bpm, 100 cadence (NOTE: this is a zone 1 workout), watched the second half of the cycling classic film, American Flyers.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

day 38


BIKE 45:00, 16.8 miles, 211 watts
RUN 15:00, 1.3 miles

1:00:00, 132 bpm, 821 cals

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

day 37

The plan called for a swim + 1:00 run. I felt fine during my swim warmup, then a feeling of lightheadedness kicked in, but I pushed through anyway. I swam like an angry fish during the main part of the workout (3 broken 300's, 100+ 2 50's + 4 25's), with the 100's in the 1:14- 1:20 range, the 50's in the 32-35, and the 25's as low as 14 seconds. I pushed, and I knew I wasn't feeling that good...and I knew I had to run after, which I totally wasn't looking forward to. When I got upstairs to the run portion, I sucked as bad as expected. I managed about 40 minutes, of flat out muscling through, before I said "fuck it" and gave in to myself. I struggled the whole time with thoughts and questions about whether this whole thing is a good idea or not. Maybe tomorrow will be better. I can only hope.

SWIM, 12oo wu, (3) broken 300's, 100cd
RUN, 40:00, 138 bpm, 589 cals

Monday, February 8, 2010

day 36

Weight: 225 this morning. Thats (-23) from day 1.

Seems like this next week we'll be stepping it up. My BE IRON FIT training program is getting all serious on my ass. Since I try not too look too far ahead, this was the first I've looked at it. I'm just going to focus, and put the base that I've laid down into play.

WEEK 6

MONDAY- REST DAY
TUESDAY- SWIM, RUN 1:00 (z2)
WEDNESDAY- BIKE 45:00(z2) w/transition to RUN 15:00 (z2)
THURSDAY- SWIM, BIKE 1:00(z1) @100+rpm
FRIDAY- RUN 1:00 (z2)
SATURDAY- BIKE 2:00(z2)
SUNDAY- RUN 1:00 (z1 to z2)

Total hours= 9:00

Sunday, February 7, 2010

day 35

RUN, 1:00:00, 137 bpm, 855 cals

Saturday, February 6, 2010

day 34

Ran out of CYTOMAX. Had only one bottle cyto, 2 bottles water. I think it made a difference.


BIKE, 1:45:00, 39.79 miles, 124bpm, 198 cals.


Watched Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back while on the trainer. Oh yeah, today was a massive snow storm. 26.7 inches. Watch this clip:

Friday, February 5, 2010

day 33

Wasn't really feelin it this morning. I guess I was still tired from a long day yesterday...I might have to make note of this. (trying to do a long morning run AFTER a workout the previous night). I got a solid 35 mins into the run, then stopped to walk for a second because I felt I was pushing it too hard. I never really got back on track after that. Ended up walk/run the rest of the way. No biggie. Its better than nothing.

RUN 1:00:00, 121bpm, 615cals

Thursday, February 4, 2010

day 32

BIKE (6am) 45:00, 16.95 miles, 124bpm (z1), 164 watts
SWIM (pm), 100wu, 6x300 w/1:00 rest, 200 cd

1:00 run in am tomorrow. Ugh.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

day 31

BIKE 30:00, RUN 15:00

dammit, forgot to turn my HRM timer off again, so no HR info. Was pretty steady in the zone though.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

day 30

part 1 (6am)- SWIM, 200 wu, straight 1650 (29:54)

part 2 (5:30pm), RUN 45:00 @ Veterans Park in GT. Lost my heart rate info, because the chest strap fell down on me, and it was too cold out there to adjust it. I guess this is a good thing.

Monday, February 1, 2010

day 29

REST DAY! And its February. New inspirations.

Weighed in today at 227, which is (-21) from where I started on day 1. Very happy to get to the 20 lb mark in weight loss. I stayed on the mark for the 4 weeks, and the results are showing. I feel pretty good, for the most part, but I've been tired. These rest days are really something to look forward to and make the most of.

I was very happy with my time in the 100 the other day. 1:07.5 is my personal best to date. I will have one more chance to improve on that before we move on up to 200's and beyond. Also, did a 1:00 run yesterday on the treadmill. While I was not setting the world on fire with my pace, I was able to keep my heart rate down where it needed to be, which is ultimately the point at this stage.

Week 5 ramps things back up again. Here is what we're looking at:

MONDAY- REST DAY
TUESDAY- SWIM, RUN 45:00
WEDNESDAY- BIKE 30:00 w/transition to 15:00 RUN
THURSDAY- SWIM, BIKE 45:00 (z1 @ 100+ rpm)
FRIDAY- RUN 1:00 (z2)
SATURDAY- BIKE 1:45 (z2)
SUNDAY- RUN 1:00 (z1 to z2)