2013 Race Schedule

2013 Race Schedule – as of 1/30/2013

1.       Mini Heart Half Marathon – 3/17/2013

This was the first half marathon I ran, back in 2012.  It’s basically an out and back on Columbia Parkway, which has more hills than it seems when driving on it.  In 2012, it was warmer than usual and crowd support was great in a couple areas.  But in most areas, there were no crowds and at the end the water stations seemed very far apart.  Also, you run to Covington and back over the river, and bridges are hills in disguise.  My 2012 time was 2:25:39, and I’m looking to better that this year.  This race is also for a great cause, as heart disease runs in my family.  The race distances are 5K, 15K, and 13.1 miles.  I think there is a 10K walk, but I’ll be doing the 13.1 route, though the 15K seemed to be very popular.  This is not a good 13.1 for anyone, as it’s hilly and boring for new runners and experienced runners alike.  But, the date of the race works well with my 2013 schedule.

http://cincinnati.kintera.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=1024975

2.       Tough Mudder Ohio – 4/27/2013

This is the “king” of mud obstacle races.  This race is 10-12 miles (almost a half marathon) with 25-30 military type obstacles, run in the mud with hills and water crossings.  Basically, this is not for the faint of heart.  One of the obstacles literally shocks you with electrical cords hanging like strings, that you then have to run through.  One obstacle is a large ice bath that you have to move through, complete with a wall in the middle so you have to go under the water to get through it.  I think this will be a lot of fun.  They have beer and music after for a big party.  I am on a team of 7 or 8 so far (if you want to join us, let me know) for the Saturday morning race.  This race is very expensive, in my opinion, at around $100 each with early registration.  My endurance and strength training should help so I can enjoy the race, instead of “die” suffering through it.

http://toughmudder.com/events/ohio-sat-apr-27-sun-apr-28-2013/

3.       Capital City Half Marathon – 5/4/2013

My second 13.1 mile race of 2013, on a new course.  I’ve never run this race before, but some friends suggested it and my wife and I decided to do it.  The course map shows its route through Columbus, Ohio, and it looks like a pretty flat route.  I ran the Columbus Marathon in 2012, and much of the course is the same (flat).  This could be a great PR course.

http://capitalcityhalfmarathon.com/

4.       Tap n Run 4K – May 2013 sometime

I ran this in 2012 with a group in German beer maid outfit t-shirts, with the team name “Beer Naked Ladies”, as in “Bare Naked Ladies”, the band.  It’s a 4k run with a cup of beer to chug at the start and every 1k, so 4 beers by the end.  The race was hot, without any shade, but a complete blast.  My team was awesome, we drank a lot before the race, and really enjoyed ourselves.  I will definitely want to do this again in 2013. 

UPDATE: I just found out this year's Tap 'N' Run is June 1st at 2pm.  The Spring LMT is June 2nd, so I'm going to have to miss this one.  Maybe next year!

http://www.tapnrun.com/

5.       Tri for Joe – 5/25/2013

This could be a great race.  It will be my first, real, triathlon!  With a pool swim.  Being early in the year, the water may be cold, so my wife and are buying wetsuits to wear for the swim part.  The swim is 700m, or about 30 laps in the pool.  The overall winner in 2012 did the swim in about 8.5 minutes!  That’s fast.  The second part is a 20K (12.4 miles) bike on closed roads, relatively flat.  The top times were fast here too, with guys nearly going 30mph.  Then, it finishes with a 5K (3.1 miles) run.  There were guys running this in nearly 18 minutes!  That is really flying.  So, before and after my race I’m sure I’ll be watching the better athletes in awe, as this race seems to attract the good/fast people.  I estimate a time of 1:31:00 here, which in 2012 would rank me 200^th of 240!  Near the end!  But I’m very excited about this race.

http://dsagc.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.event&eventID=573

6.       Little Miami Triathlon Spring – 6/2/2013

Ah, the LMT.  My favorite race.  Spring 2013 will be my 4^th time doing the race.  It’s a 6 mile canoe with partner or kayak solo down the Little Miami River, which is fast in the spring and slow in the fall.  Then, you run 5.5 miles nearly back to the start and then climb “Killer Hill”, the worst part of the race.  This hill is about half a mile, and truly awful.  I’ve never seen anyone run or jog up it.  People are dropping like flies just trying to walk up it.  Very brutal!  The last part is a bike ride of about 18 miles.  Each leg takes about an hour as a goal, my best time is 3:10:35, which had about 10 minutes of transition times.  I want to PR this race in the spring, so anything under 3:10:35 is great, but I’d like 3:00:00 or better, and I’d LOVE 2:54:00 or better (the Bistor family record set in 2012 by my youngest brother, Wade).  This is a small race, maybe 1,000 athletes, with staggered starts.  One guy did it in 2:05:00, though he was a sponsored runner with Brooks.  The roads are not closed to traffic, though it’s out in the country and you might see a dozen cars.  Police direct traffic for you.  My goal for this, besides a good overall time, is to keep up with the “good” bikers.  But again, my favorite race.  Lots of fun. 

http://www.littlemiamitriathlon.com/

7.       Loveland’s Amazing Race – 6/15/2013

This race may be completely different for 2013, as it’s moving from Loveland to Milford because of political BS.  But the last two times I’ve done this, it’s been a blast.  Teams of two (my wife and I) run about 3 miles and bike about 8 miles with events like those on the TV show ‘The Amazing Race’ scattered throughout.  This is completely for fun, though my wife and I were in the top 20% last year of finishers and I hope to get in the 10% or 5%.  In 2011, we were about 50%.  Some events are puzzles, which I’m good at, and others are physical.  The 2012 race sold out in 20 hours, and the 2013 race sold out in 4 hours!  Only 500-600 teams are allowed.

http://www.historicloveland.com/lovelandsamazingrace.html

8.       Muncie 70.3 Half Ironman – 7/13/2013

This is my “A” race, or top priority race, of 2013.  The full Ironman is a beast (2.4 miles swim, 112 mile bike, then 26.2 mile run), and this half is ONLY 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, and 13.1 mile run.  Muncie, Indiana, is about an hour or two north of Indianapolis, and that makes this the closest 70.3 event to Cincinnati.  Total event mileage covered is 70.3, 140.6 is the full Ironman – in case you notice my 26.2 sticker is replaced with a 70.3 sticker July 14^th!  The half has been about 2.5 years in the making, I can’t imagine how long I would need to get ready for the full 140.6 race.  But, the Ironman is special to me.  When I was out of shape and nearly 270 pounds, it was the October 2010 Kona Ironman World Championship race that got me into this world.  It planted a seed, and by June 2011 I was racing with my wife in Loveland.  I watch the Kona races now and it’s amazing that the pros are finishing this 140.6 mile race in about 8 hours.  It’s just crazy!

But I’ve been running since April 2011, and by race time I will have covered 13.1 miles many times.  My swim has come along and I swam over 1.2 miles last week without much trouble.  But, the longest bike ride I’ve ever done is only 59 miles, and that was just one time.  I think I’ve done 25-30 miles a couple times, but the bike is the biggest part of the race (time wise – 4:20:00 cutoff) and it’s my biggest concern now.  I hope to focus on biking this season so I can enjoy this race and have enough gas for a 13.1 mile run after I hop off the bike.

http://www.ironman.com/triathlon/events/ironman-70.3/muncie.aspx#axzz2JP3FiOkt

9.       Warrior Dash Ohio 2 – 8/10/2013

This is the best mud obstacle race for first timers.  My wife and I (and brother and sister-in-law) ran this in August of 2012 and had a blast.  It’s a 5K (3.1 mile) run with mud and military style obstacles.  My wife and I actually did very well and she might be able to get top 3 in her age group in 2013.  My dad is going to join us this time, and I will enjoy seeing him do this, as he never does this type of thing.  But there is live music and beer after, and a big party.  Lots of fun.  I would suggest to anyone doing this, and probably the Tough Mudder, to register for an early time.  We were very early and there was plenty of parking and the course wasn’t a giant mud pit by the time we went through (though it was very muddy).  I imagine by the end of Sunday, after 10,000 people have run the race, it’s very muddy and hard to walk – much less run. 

http://www.warriordash.com/locations.php

10.   Little Miami Triathlon Fall – 10/6/2013

Same race as run in the spring, see above, but this time it’s cooler out.  In 2011, the weather was perfect.  About 60 degrees and clear skies, dry.  In 2012, it was very cold and rainy.  Maybe it was 40 degrees?  I froze on the bike, even crashing at about 20mph at one point.  Though I just somehow slid on my shoe cleat and didn’t get hurt or damage my bike.  The same guy that passed me on the bike in Spring 2012, passed me here in the Fall 2012 race.  My goal is to keep up with him (him being anyone on a top level, carbon fiber, triathlon bike with giant legs – you know, the guys that know how to ride!)  Also in the fall, the river is much lower and slower, so times aren’t as fast as in the spring.  Still my favorite race, just dress accordingly and it’s fine!

http://www.littlemiamitriathlon.com/

Ten races might seem high, but there are no marathons here like in 2012.  So, the training volume will be lower, which I’m looking forward to.  Also, I’m only halfway worried about the 70.3 race, the rest I’ve done and will be fun or I’m chasing a faster time.  Like studying for a test in college, you need to put in the time training so these are enjoyable.  Otherwise, like my first Fall 2011 LMT, it is miserable (physically).

Wednesday - Jan 30, 2013 - Swim

Wednesday - January 30, 2013

I went for a swim today.  I was a few minutes late and didn't get started until 5:50.  But, in about 25 minutes I swam 38 laps fairly easily.  It's getting easier and the laps are feeling shorter.  A guy that gave me some tips told me that with time the pool with shrink as laps get easier.  So, I'm starting to see some of that.  Nice and easy day today. 

Breakfast was fruit and low fat cottage cheese, and lunch was a big salad with fat free Italian.  My wife is out tonight, so I'm planning to eat buffalo chicken wraps with the kids for dinner.  Tasty! 

Since I bought my body fat percentage bathroom scale, here is the change so far:

1/2/13
Weight: 229.8 lbs
Body Fat %: 22.2%
Water Weight %: 58.5%

1/28/13
Weight: 229.0 lbs
Body Fat %: 21.6%
Water Weight %: 58.9%

I may never hit my dream of 205 lbs...  But, playing with these numbers I've lost 1.55 lbs of fat and gained 0.75 lbs of non-fat, probably muscle. 

My scale: Escali Glass Scale

Tuesday - Jan 29, 2013 - No swim

Tuesday - January 29, 2013

I have today as a rest run day, or swim day.  As you know, swimming is my favorite exercise.  But, I was up late after riding the bike trainer and hit snooze today.  No run or swim today!

But, Monday night is our TV night, and I took the opportunity to hop on the bike trainer.  I started at 8:07pm last night and kept going until 9:35pm, so just about an hour and a half.  During the commercials I shifted to my hardest gear, got aero (leaning on forearms on handlebar pads), and cranked full speed/high cadence.  I was sweating like crazy and you could smell burning rubber.  Then, during the show, I would go to an easier gear and watch and cool down.  I did this on and off the entire time and had a decent workout.  I had to adjust the rider's tension three times so the last few commercial breaks in top gear were really taxing (runner's speak for 'tiring').  But, the speed sensor on my rear wheel feeds a Garmin bike sensor that feeds my old GPS watch (Forerunner 305), which was stolen last summer.  So I have no idea how far or fast I rode.  My current computer/speedometer only reads the front wheel, which was stationary the entire time.

This being my first ride on my bike in many months, my saddle area isn't used to riding and that is why I stopped.  I actually wanted to ride for 2 hours, but my saddle area was killing me.  I need to build up to more riding time, which just takes more riding time to get.  One and a half hours is probably my limit for now.  Even though I was cranking, there's no wind in my house or hills, so even the hardest gear after 3 adjustments isn't the end of the world for a 5 minute commercial break.  Another thing to keep in mind is the trainer kills rear bike tires (burning rubber).  So, I'll need a new tire before the season starts if I keep riding indoors, which I plan to do.  Also, riding from 8pm on makes you "AWAKE!" and I had trouble falling asleep.  I played Sudoku on my phone in bed from 10 to 11:30, before finally falling asleep.  Because of the importance of brick workouts, I'll probably move the bike to the basement and ride early mornings before I run so it doesn't wake the family up.  I was surprised that I wasn't more tired.  My legs wanted more.  In high gear, they'd burn and I just smiled and kept going.  It's amazing how running has made other parts of my exercise routine easier.  I feel like twice the athlete I was last year.

Monday - Jan 28, 2013 - Bike/Run Brick

Monday - January 28, 2013

I can't believe it's almost February.  Where does the time go? 

It was raining this morning, so I headed to the gym for a run on the treadmill.  But, I've been thinking it's time to get on the bike, as it's a weakness now.  At the gym I just hopped on a stationary bike with my music playing, not noticing it was an Expresso machine.  I haven't seen one of these before, but you can sign in with an account and basically play a cycling game.  I signed in as a guest and picked the "Mini Mayhem" 2.0 mile route.  The bike steers and has shifters and was pretty cool.  It calculated watts and rpm and all the good stuff.  I need to create an account sometime as maybe I could pull my info up online at home (for moments like this).  I did 2.03 miles in about 7 minutes, burning 81 calories.  I'll have to try that machine again.  When this was over I hopped on a treadmill, turned on Sportscenter, and ran at a 6.2mph which is like a 9.6m/m.  I ran a couple miles and headed home. 

It's hard to do much of a workout unless I have more time.  Monday night my wife and I normally watch TV for a couple hours, so I'll try to put the bike trainer up and get in some "saddle time".  I'm happy with where my run is now, assuming it will get slightly better by race time.  I want to get my bike up now.  Also, my right leg has been bugging me, so the cross training will give it a rest.

Exspresso Bike 

Friday - Jan 25, 2013 - Swim

Friday - January 25, 2013

Just a normal run rest/swim day.  I got to an empty pool at 5:45am, grabbed my pull buoy and got to work.  My highest lap count for 30 minutes was 38 before today.  Going nice and easy, except for the last 4 laps of "sprints", I was able to get in 42 laps.  I didn't use the pull buoy for 4 of the middle laps, just for a comparison.  My waist drops noticeably without the foam peanut, and I can tell the drag slows me down.  This will all come with time though. 

Side note: I'm really hoping for a sub-3 hour LMT in June.  Three segments: kayak 6, run 5.5, and bike 18.  Fun race, low traffic, staggered starts so there isn't a mob of people to fight around (like a running race).  If the water in the river is high, which it should be, an hour kayak is doable.  I have only kayaked twice (2 previous LMT races), so some strength training I'm doing for the Tough Mudder anyway and renting a kayak a few times this spring will help.  My run now is the most solid of the 3 triathlon disciplines.  I might be able to hold 9:00m/m or faster for the 5.5 mile run.  I was actually low 9's in the last LMT and I'm feeling faster now. 

For anyone that's never raced before, the adrenaline gets going and being with others makes you automatically increase your speed.  So, if you run 10's in training, you'll race in the upper 9's without much trouble. 

The bike is my chance to really hammer and save some time.  I have aero bars, so the only thing holding back a killer split time is my training.  I'll be adding trainer time to my schedule to get this up.  I didn't mention Killer Hill, which is about a 1/4 to 1/2 mile "hill".  It's pretty ridiculous at the top and I've never seen anyone go up it faster than a slow, grueling walk.  This is about 4-5 minutes no matter what I do. 

In case it doesn't come across in my writing, the race season cannot get here fast enough.  I cannot wait for March to roll around. 

You start running to lose some weight, then you try to see how far/fast you can go, then you try a race, then you want to race more and go faster/farther.  Before you know it, you're hooked!  Just like me.

Thursday - Jan 24, 2013 - Run/Racquetball

Thursday - January 24, 2013

The last few days have been rough, as I've had a cold in full swing.  I skipped my Wed & Thu morning runs as I was in a NyQuil coma both mornings.  But today I was feeling better in the morning and decided to run at lunch.  Nice, short 5K.  I did want to push the pace, but otherwise it was a normal run.  It was 20 degrees out, but with the wind chill it felt like 9 degrees.  Two shirts, jacket, 2 pairs of pants, beanie, and gloves and I was off.  I could not find my GPS watch, so I used my Timex stopwatch.  The route is 3.16 miles most of the time with the GPS, so I just worried about time and went on run "feel" and not trying to hold a certain pace. 

I ran the first half mile in 4 minutes, or 8:00m/m.  I got to the halfway point in 14 minutes, so I was moving pretty good.  I felt the pain in my side go from zero to daggers in about 0.25 miles.  At 2.25 miles I had to walk for about two minutes.  I finished the run in 31:01.29, including my walk.  Not bad, as this is my 7th fastest time on the route WITH walking.  Without the extra 2 minutes I was near a PR, but 2nd overall on times for this route.  The cramps were my fault.  I was drinking diet soda all morning and eating cookies, just being a fat slob.  I didn't know I was going to run at lunch until around 11am, and all the water I drank wasn't enough to get in my system fast enough.  My afternoon snack is a bag of grapes.  I should have had them this morning!

I'll be playing racquetball tonight for an hour with a co-worker.  Should be fun, though I'm awful.  This will be my second time playing.  Tomorrow is a run-free day, and I'm sure I'll head to the pool for some laps.  I will probably get a lap counter with timer soon so I can forget about keeping track of laps and just focus on swim technique.  Since my 100 lap swim Tuesday, I can't wait to get back in the water.

UPDATE: I got destroyed at racquetball.  He beat me 5 games in a row (we played 5 games), two games he skunked me.  I think I scored 10 points total over the 5 games. 

At this point, I feel of the three triathlon disciplines that my bike is probably the weakest.  Once it warms up I will be sure to get out and bike a lot for a few months so I can try to hang with the big boys during races.  I'm usually one of the better riders at races, but as you may know by now, that isn't where I want to be.  I want to "destroy" people on the bike.  Probably because my run speed is so "average", the bike is the only discipline I can use my size and weight to my advantage.  It's too soon to tell if my swim is good/bad/avg.  I'll assume it's bad now and I'll work toward average.  But I want the bike to be solid as it's the biggest chunk of time in all of my races.  Plus, I'm a speed freak, and would love to average 22-24 MPH at these races (I was around 20 MPH at the last race in October 2012 - I even crashed once).

I found this video last night and watched it several times.  It is making fun of people like me, and they really nailed it.  Hilarious video.  I like his HTFU/Ramones t-shirt, if anyone needs gift ideas for me... :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KTEgLKhjIw

Tuesday - Jan 22, 2013 - LSD Swim

Tuesday – January 22, 2013

I’ve been excited about today for a week now.  My wife has the day off work, and it’s a Tuesday – run rest day and/or swim day.  Finally, a day to swim for more than 30 minutes!  Last night, northern parts of the area were showing 2 hour delays and closings with the storm coming in.  I was getting angry that the gym might not be open on time and I’d miss my “stars aligning” day to swim.  On top of that, I have a cold in full swing.  This started to look like a sign.

But, I got a great night’s sleep (thank you NyQuil) and there wasn’t a flake of snow on the ground this morning.  I was 5 minutes late getting into the pool at 5:50.  The lanes were filling up and I grabbed my pull buoy and got to work.  My goal was to see how far I could go today with a nice, easy pace like last time. 

Lap after lap I went until I hit 38, my current record.  Everything after this ups the bar and becomes my new personal best.  I got to 50 and felt fine.  In the 60’s my shoulders started to feel a little burn, but not bad enough to slow down or stop.  As I approached 70 I knew that a mile in a 25 yard pool is 70.4 laps.  Hitting 71 and I just went a mile!  Laps 70 and 71 came and went uneventfully.  I cruised past 80.  My shoulders never got more (or less) sore.  I felt fine. 

As I swan past 80, I knew that 84.5 laps in this pool was the coveted 1.2 miles – my goal for July’s Muncie, Indiana, Half Ironman.  If I can cover this distance now, I thought, I should be okay in July for sure.  I’m only going to get better.  My first swim was 11/21/12, almost exactly 2 months ago.  Granted, I ran a marathon in October so I knew my aerobic fitness wasn’t bad, I just needed to learn the proper swim technique. 

As I finished my 86^th lap, I was excited but curious.  I glanced at the clock, only 7:00am.  I had another 15 minutes, if I wanted them.  By this time the pool was empty.  People had come and gone, in 2 waves, since I started.  There seemed to be a 6:00am and 6:30am wave, with most people swimming for about 20-25 of my laps before heading off to start their day.  These people are me, normally.  Fifteen more minutes… let’s hit 100.  Before you start to think that I’m full of myself, keep in mind that my pace is a snail crawl AND I was using a pull buoy between my thighs the entire time.  These two things make it MUCH easier. 

As I got through the 90’s, I kept thinking how “okay” I felt.  I remember the lifeguard looking at me at 96.  I imagined him thinking, “Lose the peanut and let’s see how you do.”  I hit 98 and still had enough in the tank for 99 and 100 to be a sprint finish.  Actually, I felt these last two laps were the fastest laps I’ve had yet.  After 80 minutes in the water, I was in a groove, and I felt much faster than normal.  I was probably on a high from my new accomplishment.  Either way, I swam 100 laps in 80 minutes.  Afterward, my eyes had goggle lines real bad.  My shoulders feel like I just hit them in the gym for military press, but otherwise I feel totally fine (minus the cold).  Over the 100 laps, I took a couple stretch breaks for my shoulders, but I kept at it.  No flip turns, but I didn’t stop after each lap like I did 2 months ago.  Actually, the hardest part was remembering which lap I was on. 

I had some oatmeal, blueberries, and a banana for breakfast.  Last night, I made salmon filets and asparagus for lunch today.  Pretty tasty.

I felt like this in the pool today... (Michael Phelps)

But I'm sure I looked like a geek, hogging a lane all day.

Saturday - Jan 19, 2013 - LSD Run

Saturday - January 19, 2013

Today was my weekly long, slow, distance run, or LSD.  I scheduled 10 miles for each Saturday in January for these LSD runs, bumping it up in February to 12 and 14.  After lunch and a nap, I popped a Gu Roctane (Blueberry Pomegranate) and drank a low calorie Gatorade, and took off.  I lubed up with Body Glide and petroleum jelly, put Band-Aids on my chest, wore shorts and a long sleeve tech shirt.  It was about 48 degrees with crazy wind.  I was almost cold, but once I got going I was fine.  I actually had trouble keeping my pace over 10:00m/m the first mile. 

There were several others out running at 4pm when I started.  I took the same route I tried last week, but kept going a little further today.  Going nice and slow felt "easy", almost.  This run was very promising.  I remember running this route 6 to 9 months ago and really struggling, even at this pace and slower.  I popped another Gu after an hour, which has been my "nutrition strategy" for the last year.  I also wore my Fuel Belt today.  I have the model with four 7 ounce bottles, which I filled with Gatorade today. 

After everything was done, I had run 10.51 miles in 1:55:26, which is an overall average pace of 10:59m/m.  I had an average heart rate of 153 and burned 1,088 calories.  This pace over 10 miles felt really easy, even with the strong head wind for the last half.  This is very promising.  I have my first half marathon in about 2 months (Mini Heart Half Marathon) and I'm hoping to set a new personal record (PR). 

Today was a great run.  I'm off tomorrow with 3 or 5 miles of speed work on Monday.  I'm excited that my wife is off work Tuesday, so I don't have to rush home after a 30 minute swim.  I might be able to see how far I can go.  I'm excited!

Friday - Jan 18, 2013 - Swim

Friday - January 18, 2013

After watching Lance Armstrong's interview with Oprah last night, I was up later than normal (ended at 10:30pm).  But I was able to get up and head to the gym for a swim.  I was the only one there at 5:45am when they opened the door to the pool.  I took my usual spot and got to work.  I tried to make each stroke last a hair longer.  This helped my breathing a lot.  Normally, two strokes isn't long enough to exhale fully, and three strokes is just a hair too long.  Doing two longer strokes was perfect.  I felt a little slower in the water, but otherwise I was doing well.  Going a little slower like this helped me not need to "rest" for 5-10 seconds after each lap, and I just kept on going.  No flip turns, those still need lots of practice, but I had a great swim.  In 30 minutes I was able to swim 38 laps, which is a new personal best, previously set at 30 in 30 minutes.  Actually, the last 4 were done much faster and I just cranked them out.  There was an older woman swimming next to me, slightly faster than my slow pace.  During my last 4 laps, I was nearly double her speed.  These were great laps, and I can already feel the "burn" in my tris and lats.  Side note, swimming 38 laps in a 25 yard pool is about half a mile.  It is 0.55 miles, so I'm almost halfway to my goal of swimming 1.2 miles for a half Ironman this summer.  Giddyup! 

Like I said before, swimming before work is the perfect "wake me up" and I will feel fantastic all day.  The impact is zero, unlike running.  Actually, my right hip is very sore from Wednesday's lunch run and my right outer shin (IT area) is always sore.  If I can't run one day because of whatever reason, I can definitely see me swimming instead.  I love it. 

Also, I'm making a bowl of fresh fruit for breakfast and will have a salad for lunch.  I've been coming home at lunch (I work about a mile from home) and eating a salad while I watch YouTube videos of Ironman races, or Tough Mudder races, or CrossFit stuff.  The CrossFit people look fantastic, and I'd love to incorporate more strength training into my routine.  Also, I need to run 10 miles sometime this weekend, probably Saturday morning.  I will make sure I go 5 easy ones before I turn around to avoid another explosion like last weekend.

Wednesday - Jan 16, 2013 - Run

Wednesday - January 16, 2013

For whatever reason, I've been hitting snooze all week.  I skipped my Monday speed work, I skipped my Tuesday swim, and I skipped my Wednesday morning run.  I'm not sure what's going on, but I started to come out of my rut Wednesday morning at work.  I decided to run a 5k at lunch again.  By lunch time, it was 34 degrees out.  I had a tail wind for the first half, and cruised right along.  When I turned around I felt the head wind, making my eyes water. 

According to my Garmin, I ran 3.16 miles in 30:34.21 for a total average pace of 9:41m/m.  I burned 306 calories and had an average heart rate of 164bpm.  My HR maxed at 180bpm.  I actually had mile 1 and 3 at 9:30m/m and mile 2 around 10:00m/m.  I wasn't trying to think about pace, I was just jogging along thinking about the Little Miami Triathlon I'll be doing in June.  It's such a fun race.  I can't wait to PR it.  I'm way ahead of myself from January 2012, so I see lots of fast times this season.  I don't know that my half marathons will get much faster.  I'd love to run one (I have 2 or 3 this season) in around 2:00:00, but that's 9:09m/m pace and I'm still a long way from that. 

I also have my first real triathlon in May, the Tri for Joe.  It benefits down syndrome, and takes place at the Coney Island pool on Kellogg.  It's a 700 meter swim, or about 30 laps in the pool, then a 20k bike ride (about 12.4 miles) and finished with a 5k.  It will be fast.  I cannot wait.

Tri for Joe 2013 link: http://dsagc.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.event&eventID=573

After work I was hanging with the kids and I had them doing pushups and planks before bed.  The week has kind of been a loss, missing 9 miles of running (5 Monday, 7 today, and I only ran 3) and missing my favorite exercise - swimming.  I need to get on the ball!  Each day I miss puts me another day behind!

Sunday - Jan 13, 2013 - Swim

Sunday - January 13, 2013

Crappy, rainy day in Cincinnati.  But, it is still pretty warm out.  I did 60 pushup earlier, before lunch. 

After the kids' naps, we went to the JCC's indoor water park, which is next to the lap lanes.  My wife and I took turns watching the kids so the other could swim.  I got in 20 laps, and practiced doing flip turns at the end.  It is much harder than it looks!  I tried it three times.  The first time I got a nose full of water and flipped out.  The second time I blew out my nose, but wound up at the bottom of the deep end, disoriented.  The third time I was able to push off and head back the right way.  I'll need more practice to get this down.  It's surprisingly tricky. 

We just ate dinner, and I'll do another 40 - 60 pushups and 100 crunches before going to bed.  Tomorrow is speed work.  I'm debating running in the rain, if it's raining tomorrow morning, just so I can stay on schedule.  I hate missing runs and trying to squeeze them in later.  It will either be 3 or 5 miles of "intense" speed work.  I think I'd like to try 3 miles of "intense" speed work, to really kick my butt.  I only get one day of speed work each week, so I need to make it count. 

Saturday - Jan 12, 2013 - LSD Run

Saturday – January 12, 2013

Besides a little rain today, it was a beautiful day.  I went out for an afternoon run at about 4pm, with the temperature at 63 degrees.  I had a short sleeve tech shirt and running shorts on, with my new Brooks visor.  In mid-January!!!  It was a cloudy day, but I wore it in case it rained to keep the rain from hitting me in the face.  Few things are more annoying while running.  I also wore my Fuel Belt with only two of the four bottles, full of Gatorade, and a Blueberry GU Roctaine (worth the extra $$$ over regular GU).  I was only running 10 miles today, and since I ran 7 without any fluids or snacks, I thought this would work.  I would be wrong.

I started out a little strong for a long run (for me) with 10:00m/m.  Normally, in the past, for runs over 5 or 6 miles I try to stay at 11:00mm or higher.  These long, slow runs are supposed to be slow, relative to heart rate.  There is a lot of reason for this, so for LSD runs I need to go around 11:00m/m.  My second mile was better, 10:21m/m.  But then I ran another 10:00m/m and then a 9:24m/m!  What the hell was I thinking?  For a 3-6 mile run, this is fine.  But not for a longer run.  But I know the problem. 

I was running down a large, busy road for these miles.  I was probably sucking in my gut, keeping my chin up, running too fast, trying to look like a good runner.  I pictured Craig Alexander’s Kona runs in my head.  This is fine for short runs, but I was about to hit the wall.  I ran to my turn around point, expecting to see 5.0 miles on my Garmin.  NOPE!  4.12!  What the hell!  "Damn you MapMyRun.com run map creation feature!"  Instantly, I was deflated.  I just spent too much energy thinking I was running 5 miles, expecting to hit a GU and then charge home, but it was only 4.  Pissed because I had to double what I just ran and then add two miles. 

I walked as I eat the GU, and finished the last of my Gatorade.  This took about 30 seconds and then I ran as slow as possible.  After this, all of my miles were over 11:00m/m except the last one (not sure why it was 10:00m/m).  But I only wound up running 8.9 miles, in 1:38:49, which is an overall average pace of 11:06m/m, with an average HR of 155bpm (max of 195bpm), burning 881 calories.  Garmin Connect says my best pace was 7:17m/m, which I bet was along the busy road as I tried to impress people I don’t know. 

I haven’t run farther than 7 miles in over 3 months, so I’m happy with today.  The rain stayed away for my run, and the weather was awesome.  I felt a small blister starting to form on my foot when I finished, but overall it was a great run.  I have only gotten 3 blisters in 1.5 years, somehow. Tomorrow is rest day, but maybe I can get the family to the pool for some laps?  We’ll see.

Friday - Jan 11, 2013 - Swim

Friday - January 11, 2013

Today was a rest day (from running), so I headed to the gym for some laps in the pool.  It was raining anyway, and I try to avoid running in the rain.  I got to the gym and changed by 5:45am (when they open the lap pool) but the lifeguard didn't open the door until 5:50am.  This shouldn't be a big deal, but that's 5 less minutes I get to swim as I HAVE to be home at 6:30am, which means I have to leave the gym by 6:15am.

Anyway, I hopped in a lane on the end and got to work with the pull buoy.  I also received some new ear plugs.  The PlayDoh kind weren't working for me, as water got in easily.  To date, the most laps I have done is 30 in 30 minutes.  With only 25 minutes I was planning to get in 24. 

I started slow and easy, pacing one of the older guys next to me.  By 6:00am there were several people in the pool, even some waiting for an open lane.  New Years Resolution crowd!  I found that going at a slightly slower pace meant I have to stop less often to catch my breath, and I was able to get 30 laps done in 25 minutes.  Also, my new ear plugs worked much better than the old ones. 

I have really enjoyed my time swimming.  I leave the pool feeling "worked out" but not sore all over.  After a run, my legs are often screaming at me to quit the sport.  Also, I've found that swimming in the morning is the perfect substitute to a cup of coffee.  I feel energized, alert, and ready to take on the day.  I cannot say enough good things about swimming.  I'd like to go when I have more time and see if I can go for 50 or 60 laps.  I bet I could.

Since I did my pushups and crunches last night, I think tonight will be a rest night.  I'm scheduled for a 10 mile "long" run tomorrow.  I'll let you know how that goes.


My new swimming ear plugs

Thursday - Jan 10, 2013 - Run

Thursday - January 10, 2013

Since I missed my 7 miler the yesterday, I got up at 4:45am to get it in for the week.  These “longer” runs are important for several reasons to the success of my 2013 race season, so I wanted to make sure I didn’t skip it.  Most important is my 10 mile “LSD” run for this Saturday.  I’ve heard all sorts of reasons for this and that about what’s important in training, but I think in the end you want to make sure you’re getting in long runs if you’re running long races (over 10K) and you want to make sure you’re getting in your speed work for short races (5K & 10K).  This season I’m planning to run three 13.1 mile races (2 half marathons and the end of the half Ironman), a 10-12 mile mud run, then shorter races in the summer and fall.

Armed with a new music playlist on my iPhone, I went out for my run.  It’s great hearing songs I haven’t run to before.  The new shoes are still feeling great.  It was a little chilly, so I kept my beanie on and had my jacket zipped up for the run.  There is a lake in Blue Ash, Kenridge Lake, with some nice houses and great scenery, so I headed for it.  It’s very nice and peaceful running around the lake, which was frozen today.  I saw two other runners at this point, though they were hard to see until I was nearly on top of them.  WEAR LIGHTS PEOPLE!  I then ran between the old Blue Ash Airport and golf course, before climbing the Peppermill hill to my house. 

This is about a 7 mile route.  The Garmin said 6.82 miles today.  Stopping my watch as I cross streets might affect this some?  It took me 1:11:07, which is an average pace of 10:26m/m, with an average HR of 159bpm, and I burned an estimated 767 calories.  This time is about 5 minutes faster than my previous PR for the route, going from 11.2m/m to 10.4m/m.  I’m happy with this because my legs are still acting up from skiing this weekend.  “Suck it up Buttercup!”  “Pain is weakness leaving the body!”  Feel free to insert a motivational quote in the comments below, I actually find myself saying them in my head to get through tough hills or leg pain.

I keep forgetting to do the 100 pushups and crunches at night.  I’ve been in bed, asleep, by 9pm the last few nights.  I’ll try better to get these in, as I’ll regret it if I suck at the Tough Mudder in April. 
______________________________________________________________________________
9pm UPDATE: I just finished 101 pushups (the extra one was just to be a jerk) and 100 crunches!

Breakfast was another giant bowl of fruit and low fat cottage cheese, with Subway for lunch (12” loaded with veggies and chicken and only 700 calories). 

Tomorrow is my rest day!  Woo Hoo!  Since it’s a free day, I’ll probably try to get to the pool for some easy laps.  I think if I slowed down my swim stroke a little, I could do more laps in my 30 minutes.  I may be pushing it too hard now, which causes me to stop for a short break after a lap or two.  I may be able to go continuously at a slightly slower pace, getting in more laps and covering more ground.  Since I’ve only gone swimming 8 or 9 times, I still don’t know what my real pace is, but trial and error will help me get there.


Kenridge Lake in Blue Ash

Wednesday - Jan 9, 2013 - Run

Wednesday - January 9, 2013

I scheduled Wednesday morning runs to be my 2^nd longest run of the week, with Saturday runs being the LSD.  I wanted to get up today and run 7 miles, but at 4:30am when the alarm went off, I heard rain.  I don’t like running in the rain when it’s warm outside, let alone in January.  I reset my alarm, thinking I could snooze a little and then head to the pool for some laps instead.  When 5:15am rolls around the rain had stopped!  Now, I don’t have enough time to run 7, but maybe I could run 5?  I’m making running a priority over swimming now because I only have two races with swimming this year (Tri for Joe – sprint triathlon at Coney Island in late May, and a half Ironman – probably in Muncie, Indiana, in July).

I get my gear on, which I lay out the night before to speed things up, and head out the door.  It is a beautiful morning!  I put my beanie in my pocket and half unzip my light jacket.  It is one of those days when runs feel really awesome.  Surprisingly, I only saw one other runner.  But, about 2 miles into the run I realize that I’m running out of time.  I have a strict deadline of being home at 6:30am so my wife can get to work on time.  I either need to run 3 miles faster, or only run 2 at my current pace.  I started slow (10:30m/m) because I’m easing my legs back into running after skiing all day Saturday (they’re still very sore!).  I wound up running 4.23 miles in 44:57.13, with an average pace of 10:38m/m, burning 457 calories, with an average HR of 154bpm.

It was the first run in my newest pair of shoes.  I bought another pair of Asics Gel-Kayano 18, though in a different color.  I bought them online for $90, saving $60 over the running store price.  I recommend getting a good shoe fitting at a running store, but buying the same shoes a second time I can’t justify the extra cost.  My previous shoes had about 400 miles put on them in 4 or 5 months, and it was time for some new shoes.  I always keep old running shoes and use them for mud runs or things that would trash a nice pair.    

I’ve also never mentioned that I never really stretch, before or after a run.  I just walk outside, half asleep, and take off.  When I’m done, I strip down and hop in the shower, then get the kids and myself ready for the day.  I’m very inflexible, but I haven’t bumped into too many issues from running because I don’t stretch.  When I do speed work, the lactate builds up and I use a roller to get that out, but otherwise I don’t stretch much.  It could be because I run so slow, it’s not really necessary.  I do have lower back pain, and fantasize about the day I stretch regularly to help with that. 

Last night, I read about ANOTHER endurance athlete (former Ironman pro Brendan Brazier) that encourages a plant based diet over processed foods or meat.  That makes around a dozen athletes that all perform at the highest level and say the plant based diet speeds their recovery times, helping them train more/better, and getting to the top of their game.  Several also site American diseases being an effect of our poor diet as a nation.  With that in mind, I had fruit (red seedless grapes, blueberries, and cut strawberries) with low-fat cottage cheese for breakfast.  I will have a big salad for lunch.  Dinner will be regular meat chili, but being good 2/3 of today isn’t bad.  Normally, I have instant oatmeal for breakfast.

I was just thinking of my daily routine.  It’s great having a spouse that does the same hobby as me.  I don’t like that she’s better than me, but I’m working on that.  But with both of us training, it’s hard to find time to do more.  If I exercise, then she can’t and is watching the kids, and vice versa.  This is why the mornings work well for me, as she gets off work at 3:30pm most days, and can run or swim before I get home.  I was just thinking how nice it would be to be able to train more often than I do.  I’d love to go to the pool after work and have more than 30 minutes to swim.  I would swim for an hour, then maybe lift weights or enjoy the hot tub.  Maybe play racquetball with a buddy.  Weekends could be filled with 4 hour bike rides or rock climbing at Red River Gorge.  Maybe when my kids are older I will be able to do these things, but that was a thought I had today.  Kids are the best thing ever, and they take priority over my training any day, but with all the New Year’s Resolution people trying to get motivated to work out I think how lucky they are to have the free time.  I have to write these blogs after the kids are in bed, but I need to get to bed early for my early alarm, but when do I see the wife or read?  It’s the hardest part of my routine: time management.  Running for an hour or two is the easy part, and it's a nice break from the daily grind.  It is the only time I can really clear my head and be to myself. 


Asics Gel-Kayano 18

Monday - Jan 7, 2013 - Run

Monday - January 7, 2013

Last night, I set out my running stuff and planned to get up and run 5 miles of speed intervals.  5:15am came around and my legs were still screaming at me from the skiing.  So, I hit snooze and forgot about it.  I get to work and two co-workers are telling me about their weekends and I was the only one that didn't run.  I knew I had to run at lunch. 

Luckily, for me, I live 0.9 miles (as the crow flies) from work.  So, I can sneak home and change and run, shower, and get lunch on the way back to work, all within my lunch.  I ran 5K (3.16 miles) with dead legs in 31:43.51 (10:02mm avg), burned 330 calories, with a 164 average heart rate.  When I say dead legs, I mean I found myself accidentally dragging the bottom of my shoes at some points.  The muscles surrounding my lower legs just did not want to work.  But again, it's only 3 miles, "Suck it up Buttercup!" 

I used my new bathroom scale before and after the run.  I was curious how much water weight I would lose on the run.  My thinking was I could use that information to monitor my hydration intake/outake at races and runs, etc.  Before the run, in my underwear, I was 230.2 pounds, with 21.6% body fat, and 58.9% water weight.  My weight after the run (and after drying off from the quick shower) was 228.2 pounds, with 21.3% body fat, and 59.1% water weight.  That doesn't make sense to me.  I'm guessing the 2 pounds has to be mostly water weight, and maybe some glycogen stores. 

My triceps are starting to feel the soreness from last night's pushups.  I think I'll just try to do these every other night.  My lower legs are still as sore as they were, so the lunch run didn't seem to make them worse.  I'm hoping for a morning swim - which has turned into my favorite exercise lately. 

Sunday - Jan 6, 2013

Sunday - January 6, 2013

Skiing for 6+ hours the day before really put a hurting on my legs.  It was fun though, and well worth it.  But I had wanted to run 10 easy miles today.  Long, weekend runs are called “Long, Slow, Distance” runs, or LSD.  So, I wanted to “drop a nice LSD” today of 10 miles, but took the day off to give my legs a chance to heal.  I don’t know they don’t say LSR, swapping out distance with run.  Also, a personal best isn’t a “PB”, it’s a “PR” for personal record.  I am not sure why these two acronyms took hold. 

But, with the Murph looming over my head for April’s Tough Mudder, I was able to get some pushups in.  While watching Astro Boy with the family, I did 10 sets of 10 pushups for a total of 100.  I alternated between pushups and crunches, doing 100 of each toward the end of the movie.  I’m debating whether I should alternate days, or do 100 or more pushups each night.  With weight lifting, I always rest 1-2 days between muscle groups.  We’ll see how I hold up.

Saturday - Jan 5, 2013

Saturday - January 5, 2013

I went to Perfect North Slopes today with a buddy for some skiing (he was snowboarding).  We got there around 1 or 1:30 and hit the slopes for about 6 1/2 hours.  The slopes are very small compared to "real" mountains out west or in New England.  I think they're only 300 or 400 feet tall, which isn't much more of an elevation change compared to some of my runs.  But it's the best place around, it's only a 30 minute drive, and it's still a lot of fun. 

Today was pretty nice, with temperatures around 49 until the sun set, then it dropped to freezing.  This turned the melting top layer to ice, making it interesting later in the day.  We hit a few slopes several times, and I fell about a dozen times.  Mostly, I fell trying to avoid little kids that had fallen and were just laying in the way.  But it was a lot of fun to get out and ski.  I was lucky though, my falls were very soft.  I did see my buddy take a pretty bad tumble though.  I hope he can run tomorrow! 


Perfect North Slopes map

Thursday - Jan 3, 2013

Thursday - January 3, 2013

I was dying to get in the pool since the holidays.  I wanted to see what my "100" time was.  Swimming 100 meters takes 4 laps in a 25 meter pool, obviously, and seems to be a good yardstick or benchmark to use to monitor my swimming progress.  My pool is 25 yards, so it's actually 4.4 laps to get 100 meters, but who is counting. 

I swam 2 laps to warm up, then hit the timer for my first 100 yd swim test, ever.  I wore my Timex to get as accurate a reading as I could, though I noticed there is a split second reaction time from when I hit the button to when I lean forward and push off.   And, I'm not diving into the pool like the pros.  But, I got 4 laps done in a time of 2:05.86. I estimated 2:00 before I actually did it, so that time seems about right. I had to stop twice for a very short breath, and one water gulp rescue (I'm not very good breathing on the right side yet).

Now I have my benchmark though to measure my progress. To give you some perspective, the current world record for the 100m is 46.91 seconds, roughly 3 times faster than me now.  I'm not doing flip turns, so that could save me some time in the future.  But I expect my form and technique to develop over time, so this will come down slowly.  I’ll time myself again after a few weeks and monitor my progress.  For more perspective, last summer I could not swim 4 laps.  So, I've already come a long way.

A female that looked my age showed up and rocked a great workout next to me. She was doing 3 laps for every 2 of my “fast” laps. I heard her talking to the lifeguard, and she has trouble working out now that she has a young child. This was her first time back in the water in a while. I’d love to see her at her best. She was crushing me. Normally I’m next to senior citizens and I look like a stud.

I swam a total of 18 laps today in 30 minutes, which isn't a big deal.  I took a few minutes to catch my breath after the 100 meters test, but it was still a short lap day.  I normally shoot for 30 laps in 30 minutes each time. 

Over the holiday weekend I received my new body fat/water weight bathroom scale.  Yesterday morning I weighed 229.8 pounds (remember I'm 6'3"!!), I'm at 22.2% body fat (which makes me nearly obese!), and I was 58.5% water weight.  The body fat is kind of subjective, but this scale will give me a reliable method to track my body fat gain or loss.  Same with the water weight.  I think the water weight feature could be used to help develop a hydration strategy by weighing myself right before and right after runs.  I know I sweat a lot, and maybe now I can figure out how much water to take in how often during runs.

My plan is to run tomorrow night, and ski Saturday.