Saturday - March 30, 2013
I met some of the guys from the Cincy Express triathlon club for a bike ride. The plan was a 90 minute ride, 45 min out and 45 min back, with a 16-18 mph pace. We met at Lunken Airport at 10:30am and headed west on Kellogg to downtown, crossed the Purple People Bridge and headed east on Route 8 in Kentucky, and headed home. We covered 25.7 miles in 1:37:32, had an average pace of 15.8 mph, avg HR 148, max HR 181, burning 836 calories. Great ride. I had trouble on the rolling Route 8 hills, but it was a great ride. I can't wait to get out again.
Here is my Strava data summary:
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Friday, March 29, 2013
Friday - Mar 29, 2013 - Swim
Friday - March 29, 2013 - Swim
I was going to meet up with a group swim, but that was postponed. Maybe next Friday. So I headed to my usual pool and got in 68 laps (about a mile) in 42:05.65 (I love my lap counter!). I was taking it nice and easy, as I was still dragging after last night's run. My average lap today was 36.65, which is higher than my previous swims (33.73 and 34.29) for the same distance. My goal with swim conditioning now is to get my average, easy pace to be about 30.00 and a sub-1:30 100 dash. But for only swimming 4 months, I'm very happy with how things are coming.
I'm off tonight and have a 90 minute group bike ride planned for the morning with (hopefully) at least one other triathlete. If he can't make it, I might just go solo and try 2-3 hours at an easy pace (16mph). Maybe get a book on tape to listen to or something. I can't believe it's almost April. Tough Mudder is right around the corner.
Tough Mudder photo (not me):
I was going to meet up with a group swim, but that was postponed. Maybe next Friday. So I headed to my usual pool and got in 68 laps (about a mile) in 42:05.65 (I love my lap counter!). I was taking it nice and easy, as I was still dragging after last night's run. My average lap today was 36.65, which is higher than my previous swims (33.73 and 34.29) for the same distance. My goal with swim conditioning now is to get my average, easy pace to be about 30.00 and a sub-1:30 100 dash. But for only swimming 4 months, I'm very happy with how things are coming.
I'm off tonight and have a 90 minute group bike ride planned for the morning with (hopefully) at least one other triathlete. If he can't make it, I might just go solo and try 2-3 hours at an easy pace (16mph). Maybe get a book on tape to listen to or something. I can't believe it's almost April. Tough Mudder is right around the corner.
Tough Mudder photo (not me):
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Thursday - Mar 28, 2013 - Run
Thursday - March 28, 2013 - Run
I went out for an easy run after work. I ran a relatively flat 8.42 miles with nothing in my stomach. I didn't take a Gu (100 calories) with me like I normally do for runs over 6 or 7 miles. I'm also trying to keep my caloric intake low to lose body fat. And my last excuse for this crappy run is that I rode my bike last night for an hour. These are all weak excuses, I know.
But I ran the 8.42 miles in 1:31:14, which is an average pace of 10:50mm, avg HR of 158 bpm, and 914 calories. Garmin Connect says my best pace was 7:31mm, but that can't be right. Max HR of 188 bpm, which was probably on Montgomery between Bethesda North and Weller Road.
I did walk 0.05 miles 2 or 3 times when I wimped out. I have a group swim in the morning, so off to bed early.
Photo of the day (Flash costume):
I went out for an easy run after work. I ran a relatively flat 8.42 miles with nothing in my stomach. I didn't take a Gu (100 calories) with me like I normally do for runs over 6 or 7 miles. I'm also trying to keep my caloric intake low to lose body fat. And my last excuse for this crappy run is that I rode my bike last night for an hour. These are all weak excuses, I know.
But I ran the 8.42 miles in 1:31:14, which is an average pace of 10:50mm, avg HR of 158 bpm, and 914 calories. Garmin Connect says my best pace was 7:31mm, but that can't be right. Max HR of 188 bpm, which was probably on Montgomery between Bethesda North and Weller Road.
I did walk 0.05 miles 2 or 3 times when I wimped out. I have a group swim in the morning, so off to bed early.
Photo of the day (Flash costume):
Tue & Wed - Mar 26 & 27, 2013 - Run/Swim/Bike
Tue & Wed – March 26 & 27, 2013 – Run/Swim/Bike
I have had less time lately to write these workouts up. Here is my new schedule to follow:
Mon – Rest
Tue – AM Bike, PM Run
Wed – AM Swim, PM Bike
Thu – PM Run
Fri – AM Swim
Sat & Sun – long swim/bike/runs (will vary as weekends are busy)
Tuesday – March 26, 2013 – PM Run
This is my first evening run in many months, as I normally do everything in the morning. I ate dinner at 5:30 and hoped that by 7:30 it would settle so I could run. It never really did, and I will run before I eat dinner going forward. I ran my 5 mile route (really 4.71 miles) in 50:16.19 (10.7mm), but this included a few walks as I thought I was going to puke several times. Avg HR was 148 and I burned 451 calories.
Wednesday – March 27, 2013 – AM Swim/PM Bike
Another great day at the pool! Before I left, the bathroom scale said I now weigh 224.6. Boo yah!
I had the pool to myself for at least 15 minutes. The #18 guy from the JCC tri AND the girl that regularly kicks my butt showed up. I need to introduce myself, as it’s weird I’m talking about them and I don’t know them. But they were cruising and it caused me to swim faster than normal, which wore me out after 50 laps or so. I swam 62 laps in 37:23.26. I did several laps with bilateral breathing, which I hope to someday do exclusively. Breathing to my right still seems off and I need to work on my breathing at this longer 3 strokes vs. 2 strokes pattern. A swim site said I burned about 544 calories. Great swim.
Last night I hopped on the bike trainer late, from 8 to 9. I watched some TV and rode for 60 minutes at a moderate pace. Using a HR estimate of 125 to be conservative, probably more like 140, I burned an estimated 724 calories. My saddle area is getting used to the time, so I’m excited for the longer rides as winter is about to break (finally!).
I’ve added “Climb a mountain” to my bucket list. Nothing like Everest, but something with a snow cap that isn’t easy. I might be able to do this later in life, after the kids are through college as it’s crazy expensive. But I think that would be cool to do. So, my current bucket list is: drive an exotic car, finish a full Ironman race, and climb a mountain. The car has been on there since junior high, and I added the Ironman two years ago when I started running. So, with that in mind, here is the photo of the day from the summit of Mt. Everest (random guy in photo)!
Monday, March 25, 2013
Saturday - Mar 23, 2013 - Bike
Saturday - March 23, 2013
My wife and I went out for a short bike ride along the Loveland Bike Trail. The weather was nice, and I saw this as a nice way to get out and tune up our bikes. Finally! An outdoor bike ride.
We had the kids taken to something and only had about 2 hours to ourselves. By the time our bikes were loaded and we drove to the bike trail, we had time for an easy 5 miles out and 5 miles back. About 20 minutes out and 20 minutes back, averaging about 15 mph. I did try for a new top speed on a straight section. In the aero position, pretty much going 100%, I hit 24.7 mph for a half mile or mile. I think I tried this last season in Hilton Head and, besides scaring some older walkers, I only hit 22 or 23. I will try this again at the end of the season, after riding 100's of miles this year, to see if I can break 25. I'd love to get to the point of holding 20 mph for 18 miles.
With basketball in full swing, we sat on the couch and had some drinks the rest of the weekend. No big deal though, the weather sucks and another week of indoor biking and swimming won't kill me.
My wife and I went out for a short bike ride along the Loveland Bike Trail. The weather was nice, and I saw this as a nice way to get out and tune up our bikes. Finally! An outdoor bike ride.
We had the kids taken to something and only had about 2 hours to ourselves. By the time our bikes were loaded and we drove to the bike trail, we had time for an easy 5 miles out and 5 miles back. About 20 minutes out and 20 minutes back, averaging about 15 mph. I did try for a new top speed on a straight section. In the aero position, pretty much going 100%, I hit 24.7 mph for a half mile or mile. I think I tried this last season in Hilton Head and, besides scaring some older walkers, I only hit 22 or 23. I will try this again at the end of the season, after riding 100's of miles this year, to see if I can break 25. I'd love to get to the point of holding 20 mph for 18 miles.
With basketball in full swing, we sat on the couch and had some drinks the rest of the weekend. No big deal though, the weather sucks and another week of indoor biking and swimming won't kill me.
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Wednesday - Mar 20, 2013 - Swim/Bike
Wednesday - March 20, 2013
My wife and I made a new training schedule, and Wednesday's I will be swimming before work, and riding the bike trainer in the evening.
Swim - I was 5 minutes late to the pool. I was able to swim 68 laps in 39 minutes without struggling much. The last 4 laps were "speed" laps and I'm right about at 1:30 for 100 now. Granted, these are yards and not meters. There was a younger female in the far lane from me that looked pretty smooth and fast. I think to break through to sub-1:30 100 times I need to work on my stroke and bi-lateral breathing (I'm still breathing every other stroke on one side). Breathing every third seemed to help my speed as that one extra stroke makes a difference (I think). Plus, bi-lateral breathing will help me stay symmetrical.
Bike - I hopped on the trainer for an hour while I watched another episode of the Walking Dead. The ride felt easy, not too bad.
I have an evening run tomorrow. So far so good on the new training schedule.
FYI - my weight is 228, 21.5% body fat (which is down over a full percent since I got the scale).
Photo of the day (thanks Charlie!), from Tosh.0:
My wife and I made a new training schedule, and Wednesday's I will be swimming before work, and riding the bike trainer in the evening.
Swim - I was 5 minutes late to the pool. I was able to swim 68 laps in 39 minutes without struggling much. The last 4 laps were "speed" laps and I'm right about at 1:30 for 100 now. Granted, these are yards and not meters. There was a younger female in the far lane from me that looked pretty smooth and fast. I think to break through to sub-1:30 100 times I need to work on my stroke and bi-lateral breathing (I'm still breathing every other stroke on one side). Breathing every third seemed to help my speed as that one extra stroke makes a difference (I think). Plus, bi-lateral breathing will help me stay symmetrical.
Bike - I hopped on the trainer for an hour while I watched another episode of the Walking Dead. The ride felt easy, not too bad.
I have an evening run tomorrow. So far so good on the new training schedule.
FYI - my weight is 228, 21.5% body fat (which is down over a full percent since I got the scale).
Photo of the day (thanks Charlie!), from Tosh.0:
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Monday - Mar 18, 2013 - swim/bike
Monday – March 18, 2013
With the race yesterday, I was sore. But after the JCC race, I rested all week and wonder if I get moving again if I’ll recover faster or at least get loose again faster. I have about 5 weeks until my next race, the Tough Mudder, but I am focusing on the Muncie half Ironman. If I’m going to be ready for it, the Tri for Joe and LMT races (on back to back weekends) will be my test site. If I can finish the LMT and feel “strong”, then I think I can do Muncie.
To prep for this, I’m going to start doing 2-a-days. First up, Monday morning swim. I took my new SportCount Red (lap counter) and went for an easy swim. My wife’s new schedule let’s me swim for 45 minutes, versus 30, and at a nice and easy pace I got in 60 laps. Keep in mind, my entire body is very sore from running 13.1 miles yesterday, so I just took it easy. The lap counter told me my average lap was 35.80 seconds, but I missed a lap. After correcting for the double lap, my avg lap was 35.21. My fastest was the first lap, 25:37, though I had a couple at the end close. My slowest lap was 54.52. Probably forgot to pause it while adjusting my goggles or stretching – I was getting an awful side cramp. Anyway, 60 laps in 45 minutes at a very easy pace to get back in the groove.
After I put the kids to bed around 8:30, I changed and hopped on the bike trainer. I was streaming Netflix (The Walking Dead) and got in an easy 25 minute session. My legs were the most sore, obviously, so I took it easy and was just hoping to get them loose and start working to get my seat area used to being on the bike. Like with running, I like to get my body ready for the pounding of running. With biking, the weight is on your crotch, and I want to build that up so I’m not dead after my next long ride. The bike is great, gears work well. It’s capable of good speed if the engine (i.e. me!) gets in shape.
So, Monday’s 2-a-day was nice and easy. I’m going to try to really crank the activity up, because if I don’t Muncie may be a pipe dream. My wife wants to ramp up her training too, and set a PR at her next half (Cap City half marathon in May). I’m sure she can. Her current PR is the 2007 Flying Pig half at 2:00:27, or 9:11mm. Her new work schedule is 8am to 4:30, and mine is 8am to 4:45. We’ll be swapping morning workouts and I’ll be doing at least one of my exercises in the evening.
Muncie, here I come!
And now, your photo of the day (might be a repeat, but I love these eCards!):
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Sunday - Mar 17, 2013 - Mini Heart Half Marathon
Sunday - March 17, 2013 - Mini Heart Half Marathon
This run sucks. My wife signed up for the 15k (roughly 9.3 miles) and I signed up for the half marathon (13.1 miles). The race started at 7:45am, and it was about 40 degrees. It actually snowed at the start of the race for a little bit. I was worried about rain, which would have really sucked. My wife and I found the 2:00:00 half marathon pacer, which is a pace of 9:09mm, and stuck with him. The race headed out 6th street to Columbia Parkway, which is very hilly. I noticed the pacer was going a little fast, but we stayed with him. I could tell the wheels were starting to fall off me almost immediately. I haven't run in 3 weeks because of my foot, besides the 3 miles at the JCC race. At the start of today, my toe was starting to feel a little off, but it held up great all day. The lump on top is a little bigger, so I'll be going to see a foot doctor sometime in the next couple weeks.
But during the run, I didn't hit the restroom before hand and had to go about 2 miles in. I could tell I couldn't keep this pace, so I figured the hell with it. I stopped to pee, which cost me about 30 seconds. I kept going and actually ran into a buddy who was running the 15k. We cruised along in the low 9's for a while. The 15k is an out and back, and at the city the 13.1 splits off and runs to Kentucky and back. So, it's nice that about 3 or 4 miles out you get to see the leaders heading back in. The guy in first was flying. Crazy to see. Very motivating.
My wife stayed with the 2 hour pacer almost the entire way, and I gave her a high five as she passed me. I was a few minutes behind her at this point, as I kept dropping slowly over the race. My 5K time was 29:26 (9:30mm), my 10K time was 1:1:08 (9:52mm), my 15K time was 1:33:50 (10:06mm). I really struggled over the last 3 or 4 miles, as my 13.1 time was 2:20:32 (10:44mm). I remember watching my 13.1 PR time pass me by around the 11 mile mark. Because I gave last weekend's triathlon 100% of my effort AND I haven't run in 3 weeks because of the foot, I was hoping for a PR but realistic that I might not make it. My 13.1 PR is 2:17:22 on a very flat course, so breaking that today was not going to be easy. The Mini course is pretty tough with lots of hills. I ran this same race last year in 2:25:39, so I was about 5 minutes faster today. After the race, my wife reminded me that I really fell apart last year on this race. Much more than today.
I'm excited to have done this race, my 4th half marathon, but I got a wake up call. I need to really step up my training if I'm going to be ready for the half Ironman in July. It's time for two-a-days!
Today, I finished the following:
Overall Place - 1260/1576 (80%)
Division Place - 126/142 (89%)
Gender Place - 773/868 (89%)
My wife did well on her race. She finished the 15K in 1:24:34 (9:06mm), with a 5K of 27:34 (8:54mm) and a 10K of 55:39 (8:59mm). She finished:
Overall Place - 935/3074 (30%)
Division Place - 65/310 (21%)
Gender Place - 377/1802 (21%)
This is my wife and I freezing before the start of the race.
This is the half marathon finisher's medal. The 15k is similar but a little smaller.
This run sucks. My wife signed up for the 15k (roughly 9.3 miles) and I signed up for the half marathon (13.1 miles). The race started at 7:45am, and it was about 40 degrees. It actually snowed at the start of the race for a little bit. I was worried about rain, which would have really sucked. My wife and I found the 2:00:00 half marathon pacer, which is a pace of 9:09mm, and stuck with him. The race headed out 6th street to Columbia Parkway, which is very hilly. I noticed the pacer was going a little fast, but we stayed with him. I could tell the wheels were starting to fall off me almost immediately. I haven't run in 3 weeks because of my foot, besides the 3 miles at the JCC race. At the start of today, my toe was starting to feel a little off, but it held up great all day. The lump on top is a little bigger, so I'll be going to see a foot doctor sometime in the next couple weeks.
But during the run, I didn't hit the restroom before hand and had to go about 2 miles in. I could tell I couldn't keep this pace, so I figured the hell with it. I stopped to pee, which cost me about 30 seconds. I kept going and actually ran into a buddy who was running the 15k. We cruised along in the low 9's for a while. The 15k is an out and back, and at the city the 13.1 splits off and runs to Kentucky and back. So, it's nice that about 3 or 4 miles out you get to see the leaders heading back in. The guy in first was flying. Crazy to see. Very motivating.
My wife stayed with the 2 hour pacer almost the entire way, and I gave her a high five as she passed me. I was a few minutes behind her at this point, as I kept dropping slowly over the race. My 5K time was 29:26 (9:30mm), my 10K time was 1:1:08 (9:52mm), my 15K time was 1:33:50 (10:06mm). I really struggled over the last 3 or 4 miles, as my 13.1 time was 2:20:32 (10:44mm). I remember watching my 13.1 PR time pass me by around the 11 mile mark. Because I gave last weekend's triathlon 100% of my effort AND I haven't run in 3 weeks because of the foot, I was hoping for a PR but realistic that I might not make it. My 13.1 PR is 2:17:22 on a very flat course, so breaking that today was not going to be easy. The Mini course is pretty tough with lots of hills. I ran this same race last year in 2:25:39, so I was about 5 minutes faster today. After the race, my wife reminded me that I really fell apart last year on this race. Much more than today.
I'm excited to have done this race, my 4th half marathon, but I got a wake up call. I need to really step up my training if I'm going to be ready for the half Ironman in July. It's time for two-a-days!
Today, I finished the following:
Overall Place - 1260/1576 (80%)
Division Place - 126/142 (89%)
Gender Place - 773/868 (89%)
My wife did well on her race. She finished the 15K in 1:24:34 (9:06mm), with a 5K of 27:34 (8:54mm) and a 10K of 55:39 (8:59mm). She finished:
Overall Place - 935/3074 (30%)
Division Place - 65/310 (21%)
Gender Place - 377/1802 (21%)
This is my wife and I freezing before the start of the race.
This is the half marathon finisher's medal. The 15k is similar but a little smaller.
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Sunday - Mar 10, 2013 - JCC Indoor Triathlon
Sunday - March 10, 2013
********************************************************************************
3/13/13 - Update
The results for the race are out. My time of 52:25 got me 14th place of 21 males and 21st place of 45 overall racers. This rank wasn't as high as I would have expected, seeing everyone in my heat, but the first and third heat must have had some studs! I did beat the race's average time, which was a little over 55 minutes (55.06 min). The top time was 43:23, or about 9 minutes faster than me. My swim was "awesome" and my bike was about as good as it could get (120 RPM max), so these guys must have had great runs. I would place better in an event with a longer swim, as that seems to be my strongest discipline. My wife's time was 53:03, putting her 8th of 24 females and 24th of 45 overall racers.
********************************************************************************
Today was the 5th year for the JCC Indoor Triathlon, I think. Either 4th or 5th. My wife and I signed up for the race last week, and it is the first "real" triathlon either of us have ever done. The race has three consecutive parts, a swim, bike, then run. The swim is in their 4-lane indoor lap pool, covering 200 yards (8 total laps). They had about 20 Spinning bikes in the hall outside of the pool for the 10 mile bike section. Then, you had to run through their fitness center and up some stairs to get to their indoor track for the 3 mile run (1/8th mile loops, 24 total loops).
The race had 43 total entrants as of Saturday morning, and we were both in the 9:15am wave. There was a walk through at 8:45am and numbering at 9:00am. My wife was #32 and I was #33. Not known to us at the time, but the order we checked in was the order we were numbered and the order we entered the water. Someone started the swim every 30 seconds, until everyone was on their way. Our wave was 18 to 34, so I was near the end. People were swimming serpentine style, so down half of the first lane, then back on the other side of that lane, then down lane two, and so on until the end.
I wore my goggles, ear plugs, and running shorts for the swim. I wore my Timex watch so I could keep my own time for each split (event). They told me to go and I got going. I tried to go about 90% of my 100m effort. My last 100m was 1:40 about a month ago, but it's probably down to 1:30 or 1:35 by now. At the end of the first lane, I turned and headed back to finish my 2nd lap. About halfway through lap 3 I caught up to my wife. I actually stood up and just sort of walked behind her. How was I going to pass her in such a small space? I figured I would do it at the wall. Once she hit the wall to turn around, I took off with a great push and passed her on lap 4. The last guy behind me was pretty far back, so I just used his lane for half of it. At the start of the 5th lap, the lady in front of my wife (#31) came and went for pass number two. By the second half of the swim, people were really struggling, but I felt fine. I wasn't pushing it and could have come a little faster, but I needed to save energy for the bike and run. I finished the 200 yard swim in 3:38.
I dried off with a towel as I jogged out to the bikes in the hallway. During our morning walk through, we adjusted the stationary bikes height and everything. So, when I got to the bike I struggled to put on my socks with wet feet. By the time I had my shoes and socks on and got going my transition time was 2:02. I put on my shirt while I was biking, ate a Gu pack and drank some Gatorade. The Spinning brand bikes have a resistance knob but the harder you make it doesn't let you travel further. Also, the bike computer maxes out at 120 rpm. So, if you are biking 125 rpm, you only see 120 and are wasting energy. I tried to keep the rpm at 118-120. I was 120 about the whole time, and I had to set the resistance up a little to keep me from hopping out of the seat. There was a lot of chit chat with everyone on the bikes, my wife even snapped a photo of me with her phone. Everyone was enjoying themselves, though a few people seemed to really be struggling on the bike. The guy everyone was sort of kissing up to was #18, a couple bikes away. The bikes were along the wall, facing each other, about 10 on each side. He looked young, maybe 25, thin and fast. He must be the favorite, I thought. My 10 mile bike time was 20:37.
I ran off and headed through the fitness center, up the stairs and then walked around for about 10 seconds looking for the track door. By the time I found it, my bike to run transition time was 1:01. I've never ran on the JCC track before, it's pretty nice. I overlooks their basketball courts, the hall the bikes were in, and the water park (lap pool, hot tub, lazy river, kids water park, and the big water slide - great indoor water park!). Here are my thoughts on the run: I suck at running fast. I made up some good time on the swim and bike, but T1 hurt me a little. The track is cushioned, there are fans along the wall to help try to keep it cool, the pool and basketball court overlook helped to break up the monotony, there were windows outside too. They had the track closed for only us, and there were about 17 people scattered througout the 1/8th mile route, so pacing was the hardest part for me. This would actually wind up helping me, as I ran faster than normal and finished the 3 miles in 25:05. By far my fastest run ever! I have previously run 3.1 miles in about 27:30 (about 8:52m/m). 25:05 over 3 miles is about 8:21m/m, way faster than I've ever run. This is encouraging though, as I'll have more confidence for future runs.
Total time today for me was roughly 52:25. While on the bike, I heard that the fastest time in the first wave was "just under an hour". I kept thinking that on my run and was feeling pretty good. Maybe I'll get second place to #18? But then in the hot tub after, I was talking to some other guys, and rumors are there was a 46 minute time. So, I definitely did not win the free 50 minute massage (top male and top female win this), but I think my race went pretty well. My two trouble spots are a bad lower back and my big toes, but both held up perfectly today. No foot pain at all, and my normally sore lower back was fine. I still can't believe I beat my fastest run time by so much, and that previous run time was just a solo run, not after swimming and biking. That's the power of race adrenaline and my competitive side coming out. For anyone keeping track, I crossed the finish line with my wife. Because she started 30 seconds before me, I beat her by 30 seconds. The first time I've ever beat her! What a great day! I will probably do the race again next year and try to do even better in all areas. I'll probably spend a week over analyzing this week's data, which will be replaced by over analyzing next weekend's half marathon race data (Mini Heart half marathon!).
Blurry photo of us after the race:
********************************************************************************
3/13/13 - Update
The results for the race are out. My time of 52:25 got me 14th place of 21 males and 21st place of 45 overall racers. This rank wasn't as high as I would have expected, seeing everyone in my heat, but the first and third heat must have had some studs! I did beat the race's average time, which was a little over 55 minutes (55.06 min). The top time was 43:23, or about 9 minutes faster than me. My swim was "awesome" and my bike was about as good as it could get (120 RPM max), so these guys must have had great runs. I would place better in an event with a longer swim, as that seems to be my strongest discipline. My wife's time was 53:03, putting her 8th of 24 females and 24th of 45 overall racers.
********************************************************************************
Today was the 5th year for the JCC Indoor Triathlon, I think. Either 4th or 5th. My wife and I signed up for the race last week, and it is the first "real" triathlon either of us have ever done. The race has three consecutive parts, a swim, bike, then run. The swim is in their 4-lane indoor lap pool, covering 200 yards (8 total laps). They had about 20 Spinning bikes in the hall outside of the pool for the 10 mile bike section. Then, you had to run through their fitness center and up some stairs to get to their indoor track for the 3 mile run (1/8th mile loops, 24 total loops).
The race had 43 total entrants as of Saturday morning, and we were both in the 9:15am wave. There was a walk through at 8:45am and numbering at 9:00am. My wife was #32 and I was #33. Not known to us at the time, but the order we checked in was the order we were numbered and the order we entered the water. Someone started the swim every 30 seconds, until everyone was on their way. Our wave was 18 to 34, so I was near the end. People were swimming serpentine style, so down half of the first lane, then back on the other side of that lane, then down lane two, and so on until the end.
I wore my goggles, ear plugs, and running shorts for the swim. I wore my Timex watch so I could keep my own time for each split (event). They told me to go and I got going. I tried to go about 90% of my 100m effort. My last 100m was 1:40 about a month ago, but it's probably down to 1:30 or 1:35 by now. At the end of the first lane, I turned and headed back to finish my 2nd lap. About halfway through lap 3 I caught up to my wife. I actually stood up and just sort of walked behind her. How was I going to pass her in such a small space? I figured I would do it at the wall. Once she hit the wall to turn around, I took off with a great push and passed her on lap 4. The last guy behind me was pretty far back, so I just used his lane for half of it. At the start of the 5th lap, the lady in front of my wife (#31) came and went for pass number two. By the second half of the swim, people were really struggling, but I felt fine. I wasn't pushing it and could have come a little faster, but I needed to save energy for the bike and run. I finished the 200 yard swim in 3:38.
I dried off with a towel as I jogged out to the bikes in the hallway. During our morning walk through, we adjusted the stationary bikes height and everything. So, when I got to the bike I struggled to put on my socks with wet feet. By the time I had my shoes and socks on and got going my transition time was 2:02. I put on my shirt while I was biking, ate a Gu pack and drank some Gatorade. The Spinning brand bikes have a resistance knob but the harder you make it doesn't let you travel further. Also, the bike computer maxes out at 120 rpm. So, if you are biking 125 rpm, you only see 120 and are wasting energy. I tried to keep the rpm at 118-120. I was 120 about the whole time, and I had to set the resistance up a little to keep me from hopping out of the seat. There was a lot of chit chat with everyone on the bikes, my wife even snapped a photo of me with her phone. Everyone was enjoying themselves, though a few people seemed to really be struggling on the bike. The guy everyone was sort of kissing up to was #18, a couple bikes away. The bikes were along the wall, facing each other, about 10 on each side. He looked young, maybe 25, thin and fast. He must be the favorite, I thought. My 10 mile bike time was 20:37.
I ran off and headed through the fitness center, up the stairs and then walked around for about 10 seconds looking for the track door. By the time I found it, my bike to run transition time was 1:01. I've never ran on the JCC track before, it's pretty nice. I overlooks their basketball courts, the hall the bikes were in, and the water park (lap pool, hot tub, lazy river, kids water park, and the big water slide - great indoor water park!). Here are my thoughts on the run: I suck at running fast. I made up some good time on the swim and bike, but T1 hurt me a little. The track is cushioned, there are fans along the wall to help try to keep it cool, the pool and basketball court overlook helped to break up the monotony, there were windows outside too. They had the track closed for only us, and there were about 17 people scattered througout the 1/8th mile route, so pacing was the hardest part for me. This would actually wind up helping me, as I ran faster than normal and finished the 3 miles in 25:05. By far my fastest run ever! I have previously run 3.1 miles in about 27:30 (about 8:52m/m). 25:05 over 3 miles is about 8:21m/m, way faster than I've ever run. This is encouraging though, as I'll have more confidence for future runs.
Total time today for me was roughly 52:25. While on the bike, I heard that the fastest time in the first wave was "just under an hour". I kept thinking that on my run and was feeling pretty good. Maybe I'll get second place to #18? But then in the hot tub after, I was talking to some other guys, and rumors are there was a 46 minute time. So, I definitely did not win the free 50 minute massage (top male and top female win this), but I think my race went pretty well. My two trouble spots are a bad lower back and my big toes, but both held up perfectly today. No foot pain at all, and my normally sore lower back was fine. I still can't believe I beat my fastest run time by so much, and that previous run time was just a solo run, not after swimming and biking. That's the power of race adrenaline and my competitive side coming out. For anyone keeping track, I crossed the finish line with my wife. Because she started 30 seconds before me, I beat her by 30 seconds. The first time I've ever beat her! What a great day! I will probably do the race again next year and try to do even better in all areas. I'll probably spend a week over analyzing this week's data, which will be replaced by over analyzing next weekend's half marathon race data (Mini Heart half marathon!).
Blurry photo of us after the race:
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Wednesday - Mar 6, 2013 - Swim
Wednesday - March 6, 2013
We got some snow last night, and the roads were not the best. My kid's daycare was delayed opening for a few hours, but the gym was open. Not surprisingly, I was probably the only member in the entire gym. After about 20 laps, one of the directors asked me about my registration form... Yes, I'm joining my wife for the JCC indoor triathlon on Sunday. My foot was feeling better, though as I write this it's acting up. "Damn you foot!!!" Some have suggested I need to quit this exercise thing before I fall apart completely. To them I say, "Nay!" Hah ha.
I worked on my 'almost flip turns' today. Basically, instead of resting for one second as I turn, I'm doing a sideways turn. It feels faster and I can tell I was resting too much before. This will be my last swim before the race on Sunday. The race is a 200 yard swim, which is 8 laps in the pool, then a stationary bike ride of 10 miles, finished with a 3 mile run on the indoor track. Their track is 1/8th a mile, so it'll be 24 laps. I wonder how they will monitor the laps or if it's an honor system. I ran 10 miles with my foot in full pain mode, I think 3 miles will be fine.
I plan to give a full blog report on the race. Also, I've finished the last two days with calorie deficits. Monday I had 80 calories and yesterday I had 204. Giddy up! And, I received my SportCount lap counter today. Now, I can over analyze my swim workouts, just like my runs! :)
And now, your photo of the day:
We got some snow last night, and the roads were not the best. My kid's daycare was delayed opening for a few hours, but the gym was open. Not surprisingly, I was probably the only member in the entire gym. After about 20 laps, one of the directors asked me about my registration form... Yes, I'm joining my wife for the JCC indoor triathlon on Sunday. My foot was feeling better, though as I write this it's acting up. "Damn you foot!!!" Some have suggested I need to quit this exercise thing before I fall apart completely. To them I say, "Nay!" Hah ha.
I worked on my 'almost flip turns' today. Basically, instead of resting for one second as I turn, I'm doing a sideways turn. It feels faster and I can tell I was resting too much before. This will be my last swim before the race on Sunday. The race is a 200 yard swim, which is 8 laps in the pool, then a stationary bike ride of 10 miles, finished with a 3 mile run on the indoor track. Their track is 1/8th a mile, so it'll be 24 laps. I wonder how they will monitor the laps or if it's an honor system. I ran 10 miles with my foot in full pain mode, I think 3 miles will be fine.
I plan to give a full blog report on the race. Also, I've finished the last two days with calorie deficits. Monday I had 80 calories and yesterday I had 204. Giddy up! And, I received my SportCount lap counter today. Now, I can over analyze my swim workouts, just like my runs! :)
And now, your photo of the day:
Monday, March 4, 2013
Monday - Mar 4, 2013 - Short Bike
Monday - March 4, 2013
I wanted to get in a short bike this morning before work. I have the bike on a trainer in the basement, with a TV. I put on a Mark Allen Online training DVD, and started biking. The kids were up early and playing around me with their toys, as my wife got ready for work. I was only on the bike for 30 minutes, and my HR didn't climb much at all (I'm estimating an average of 125, I didn't wear my HR monitor). During the bike ride, my body did not feel good at all. My shoulders were sore from the weight of my torso when I rode on the aero bars (I might need a fitting). My seat area was sore from sitting on the nose of my seat. I need some serious saddle time before I can tackle the Muncie race in July. My bike is very bad, next to my swim and run. Once it warms up, I will be sneaking out for group rides every chance I get. For now, I'll keep doing short little rides until I build up to more saddle time.
I chased my son around the house last night for a while, and my foot felt fine. I was half chasing him and half seeing how my foot was. It seemed unfazed by the effort, so I think I'll try a short run Wednesday morning. Maybe a 5k before work. Tomorrow will be another swim, and maybe another 30 minutes on the bike Thursday. I ordered a swim lap counter online, so that will be awesome for me - a data geek - to play with once it comes. I ordered the SportCount Chrono 100 red (90000) for $40. http://www.sportcount.com/products.php?category_id=1
Also, so far today I've had 2 packs of oatmeal for breakfast (320 cal), a 611 calorie big salad for lunch, and two honeycrisp apples (307g = 165 cal and 295g = 159 cal), for a total pre-dinner calorie intake of 1,255. (Side note on diet: watch the cream dressings like ranch and caesar, the cheese and croutons! You might think your salad for lunch/dinner is good, but that Ranch alone might be 300 calories! Cheese and croutons are also high in calories for what you get. I use a great fruit based dressing with only 30 calories per 2 TBSP. Also, fat free Italian has even fewer calories and tastes good.) I found a formula on LiveStrong.com for calculating calories burned on the bike indoor, and I estimate I burned 365 calories today. So, I have 1,210 calories left for the day to meet my total of losing one pound per week. I should be able to easily have a few hundred calories left by the end of the day. Like I said before, I'm hoping to get down to 210 pounds by June. It's aggressive, but as you can tell by now, I love to dive right into whatever I'm doing. "Shit or get off the pot" is my attitude.
Here's the calculator for calories burned on a bike trainer:
-55.0969 (given)
+0.6309 (given) x 125 (avg HR)
+0.1988 (given) x 104.326 (my weight in kg)
+0.2017 (given) x 32 (my age)
All of this divided by 4.184 (given) to get calories per minute. Then, multiply that by 30 minutes on the bike to get roughly 365 calories. Save this formula to Excel with a few input boxes, for easy use in the future. This is also close to what MyFitnessPal.com was giving me. I want to be as precise as possible so I'm not waking up in June at 220 pounds wondering what happened! Here is the link for the formula - http://www.livestrong.com/article/307973-calories-burned-bicycle-trainer/.
Happy training! It's already March...
And now, you're photo of the day:
I wanted to get in a short bike this morning before work. I have the bike on a trainer in the basement, with a TV. I put on a Mark Allen Online training DVD, and started biking. The kids were up early and playing around me with their toys, as my wife got ready for work. I was only on the bike for 30 minutes, and my HR didn't climb much at all (I'm estimating an average of 125, I didn't wear my HR monitor). During the bike ride, my body did not feel good at all. My shoulders were sore from the weight of my torso when I rode on the aero bars (I might need a fitting). My seat area was sore from sitting on the nose of my seat. I need some serious saddle time before I can tackle the Muncie race in July. My bike is very bad, next to my swim and run. Once it warms up, I will be sneaking out for group rides every chance I get. For now, I'll keep doing short little rides until I build up to more saddle time.
I chased my son around the house last night for a while, and my foot felt fine. I was half chasing him and half seeing how my foot was. It seemed unfazed by the effort, so I think I'll try a short run Wednesday morning. Maybe a 5k before work. Tomorrow will be another swim, and maybe another 30 minutes on the bike Thursday. I ordered a swim lap counter online, so that will be awesome for me - a data geek - to play with once it comes. I ordered the SportCount Chrono 100 red (90000) for $40. http://www.sportcount.com/products.php?category_id=1
Also, so far today I've had 2 packs of oatmeal for breakfast (320 cal), a 611 calorie big salad for lunch, and two honeycrisp apples (307g = 165 cal and 295g = 159 cal), for a total pre-dinner calorie intake of 1,255. (Side note on diet: watch the cream dressings like ranch and caesar, the cheese and croutons! You might think your salad for lunch/dinner is good, but that Ranch alone might be 300 calories! Cheese and croutons are also high in calories for what you get. I use a great fruit based dressing with only 30 calories per 2 TBSP. Also, fat free Italian has even fewer calories and tastes good.) I found a formula on LiveStrong.com for calculating calories burned on the bike indoor, and I estimate I burned 365 calories today. So, I have 1,210 calories left for the day to meet my total of losing one pound per week. I should be able to easily have a few hundred calories left by the end of the day. Like I said before, I'm hoping to get down to 210 pounds by June. It's aggressive, but as you can tell by now, I love to dive right into whatever I'm doing. "Shit or get off the pot" is my attitude.
Here's the calculator for calories burned on a bike trainer:
-55.0969 (given)
+0.6309 (given) x 125 (avg HR)
+0.1988 (given) x 104.326 (my weight in kg)
+0.2017 (given) x 32 (my age)
All of this divided by 4.184 (given) to get calories per minute. Then, multiply that by 30 minutes on the bike to get roughly 365 calories. Save this formula to Excel with a few input boxes, for easy use in the future. This is also close to what MyFitnessPal.com was giving me. I want to be as precise as possible so I'm not waking up in June at 220 pounds wondering what happened! Here is the link for the formula - http://www.livestrong.com/article/307973-calories-burned-bicycle-trainer/.
Happy training! It's already March...
And now, you're photo of the day:
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Saturday - Mar 2, 2013 - LSD Swim
Saturday - March 2, 2013
The pool opens at 7am on the weekends, and I was the 2nd car in the parking lot at 6:50am. I was hoping to swim all morning, but there was a sign on the locker room that said some pool lap lanes will be closed for lifeguard training today from 9 to something. Great, now instead of having all morning to swim, I only have 2 hours!
About a month ago, I was able to swim 100 laps with a pull buoy (peanut floaty) in 80 minutes. My swim a few days ago was 50 laps without the float in 30 minutes, which felt great. I got to work without the float, and brought a water bottle with Gatorade for the first time. I was there with an older woman, who was doing what looked like synchronized swimming moves or something.
I swam 50 laps in about 35 minutes, as I slowed my pace a hair to cover the extra laps. I took a drink of Gatorade and did another 50. Around 8am they started closing lanes, so I felt rushed and forgot about hitting 150 laps today (which was my goal before I got there). I was happy to cover 100 laps in 67 minutes, which is 13 minutes faster than last month. Even though the pull buoy helps keep a swimmer "up" in the water, it's slow. I now move my legs some, and am getting much better laps times.
I hopped in the hot tub for about 5 minutes. A luxury I normally don't have time for. It was great. My last two laps today were very fast, as they felt smooth. My next goal for swimming is to either get to the point where I can swim 60 laps in 30 minutes or swim 150 laps (or 2.1 miles). 100 laps in the 25 yd pool is 1.4 miles. This burns about 1000 calories, at my pace and weight. Swimming burns about 100 calories per 10 laps, or 10 calories per lap.
Next weekend the JCC has an indoor triathlon that my wife is going to do. It's a 200 yd swim (8 laps), then 10 mile bike, then 3 mile run. It is a wave start, so you won't know who is in the lead until the race is over. My foot is still bugging me, so I'll pass on this one. I'm still resting it for the Mini in two weeks. But it's cool that my wife is going to do a "real" triathlon. Neither of us have actually done one yet. I have two planned for 2013. Except for my foot, I'm feeling better than I did last year and should have a great season. I'm also going to try to lose another 18 pounds between now and June, which is pretty aggressive. That would put me at 210 pounds and I'm hoping the less weight will help with my swimming, biking, and running - especially my foot. Each step in a run has the impact on your body of several times your body weight . Getting down to 210, which I haven't weighted since I was 19 or 20, will hopefully help my legs on runs and maybe help me run a hair faster.
And now, your photo of the day:
The pool opens at 7am on the weekends, and I was the 2nd car in the parking lot at 6:50am. I was hoping to swim all morning, but there was a sign on the locker room that said some pool lap lanes will be closed for lifeguard training today from 9 to something. Great, now instead of having all morning to swim, I only have 2 hours!
About a month ago, I was able to swim 100 laps with a pull buoy (peanut floaty) in 80 minutes. My swim a few days ago was 50 laps without the float in 30 minutes, which felt great. I got to work without the float, and brought a water bottle with Gatorade for the first time. I was there with an older woman, who was doing what looked like synchronized swimming moves or something.
I swam 50 laps in about 35 minutes, as I slowed my pace a hair to cover the extra laps. I took a drink of Gatorade and did another 50. Around 8am they started closing lanes, so I felt rushed and forgot about hitting 150 laps today (which was my goal before I got there). I was happy to cover 100 laps in 67 minutes, which is 13 minutes faster than last month. Even though the pull buoy helps keep a swimmer "up" in the water, it's slow. I now move my legs some, and am getting much better laps times.
I hopped in the hot tub for about 5 minutes. A luxury I normally don't have time for. It was great. My last two laps today were very fast, as they felt smooth. My next goal for swimming is to either get to the point where I can swim 60 laps in 30 minutes or swim 150 laps (or 2.1 miles). 100 laps in the 25 yd pool is 1.4 miles. This burns about 1000 calories, at my pace and weight. Swimming burns about 100 calories per 10 laps, or 10 calories per lap.
Next weekend the JCC has an indoor triathlon that my wife is going to do. It's a 200 yd swim (8 laps), then 10 mile bike, then 3 mile run. It is a wave start, so you won't know who is in the lead until the race is over. My foot is still bugging me, so I'll pass on this one. I'm still resting it for the Mini in two weeks. But it's cool that my wife is going to do a "real" triathlon. Neither of us have actually done one yet. I have two planned for 2013. Except for my foot, I'm feeling better than I did last year and should have a great season. I'm also going to try to lose another 18 pounds between now and June, which is pretty aggressive. That would put me at 210 pounds and I'm hoping the less weight will help with my swimming, biking, and running - especially my foot. Each step in a run has the impact on your body of several times your body weight . Getting down to 210, which I haven't weighted since I was 19 or 20, will hopefully help my legs on runs and maybe help me run a hair faster.
And now, your photo of the day:
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