7/29 - 7/31

So I am almost finished with my swim heavy week and I have noticed some really good gains. I have decided to skip the run heavy and bike heavy weeks because I don't think it is very safe. So Wednesday started off with a banana and some water then off for a Tempo run. My goal was one hour, but I ran the second half a little faster and finished 6.3 miles in 55:16. The first 15 min were easy, then for the next 25 I increased to a hard yet sustainable effort, followed by 15 easy. Felt good and pain free and finished the run off with a 10 min soak in cold water. During lunch I went for a swim. Today's workout was short, fast efforts. After my warm up I did 20 - 50 yd repeats on every minute, followed by a cool down. I was wiped out afterwards. Total swim was 1400 yd in 31 min.

Thursday I woke up, had a banana and some water (this has become my meal before shorter workouts when I don't have time for the food to digest, otherwise its a pb sandwich and coffee) then went out for a ride. Today I focused on cadence trying to keep a high RPM. When I finished my legs were not as tired, but my lungs defiantly got worked harder. Thursdays ride was exactly the same time and distance as Tuesdays (17 miles in 54:47) - weird. After work was another swim. Today's swim was a long constant swim. I warmed up for 200 yds, then swam 1700 straight. I had never swam that far without stopping before, and I did it much faster than I usually swim - 1:41/100 pace rather than the 2:00/100 I have been sitting at for the past several months. It was a great confidence builder.

Today is a rest day and I plan on doing absolulty nothing!

July Totals Are In!

July's totals:
Bike: 15h 39m 23s - 275.11 Mi

Run: 9h 25m 19s - 63.31 Mi

Swim: 8h 00m 43s - 22000 Yd

This was a pretty heavy month, but it will only get tougher in August.

7/27 - 7/28 - Swim Week

So this week is a swim focused week. So I get to go to the pool everyday! Which is kind of nice cause I like the new pool. Monday I really started to feel like I got over the cold and my energy levels and sleep are back to normal. Monday morning I went for a 5am run. I am starting to feel really good when I run and am having no real pain. I ran 3.6 miles in 30:37. I didn't eat or drink any calories before the run and was starving about 20 minutes in. After work I went to the pool and swam. My workout was a 1650 yrd ladder interval, where I start with 275 yds, then 250, all the way to 25. I kept each interval at a 30sec per 25 yd pace and noticed that I am starting to be able to swim much faster. The total workout with 200 wu and 150 cd lasted 41:21.
Today I woke up, ate a banana and went for a ride. I have been trying to ride harder each week and I have noticed some nice gains in my bike fitness from it, I even reached 35.5 mph today! I rode for 17 miles in 54:47 for a 18.62 mph average. After work it was off to the pool for another swim. Todays workout was 10 x 100 yds every 1:55. I was able to keep a pretty steady pace of 1:30 per 100, leaving about 25 sec of rest between each one. Maybe its swimming in the sun, but I have been swimming so much better at the new pool.

Time flies while we're having fun!

5 weeks til I'm in STL celebrating Ellie's birthday!

9 more weeks until the Nathan's Olympic triathlon.

10 more weeks until Kristi's wedding (just a couple days after your race and we'll both be in St Louis!)

13 more weeks until the Soma Half Ironman.

19 more weeks until the Vegas/ Fiesta Bowl Half Marathon.

25 more weeks until the Chang's.

Make sure you're getting enough rest and recovery in... the next few weeks are gonna FLY BY!

7/25 - run, swim, and beer

So yesterday I woke up at 3:30am and could not fall asleep, so a little after 4 I got out of bed and got ready for my run. By the time I got out the door at 5 it was already 94 degrees with 40% humidity, it felt pretty gross. I ran for 60 minutes today starting with 20 easy, then 20 tempo, and 20 easy to finish. I felt good during the tempo portion, got into my rhythm and was able to go at a pretty fast pace. After the run I went to the gym for a 1000 m time trial. I did it in 19:47, but felt pretty crappy during the swim. My arms were sore and my legs were dead, but I am still happy I finished in under 20min. For lunch we went out to watch the Cardinal game, and once it turned bad in the 6th inning the beers went down faster. Once I got home I was exhausted and was asleep at 6pm, I'm not much fun anymore.

7/23 & 7/24: Sickie

So I started feeling a little sick on Wednesday afternoon, so the last few days have been pretty easy. Thursday I got up for a run, but only lasted 25min before deciding I needed more rest. The rest of the day I just got worse and by 8pm I was asleep. Today I felt better, but still not 100%. This morning I went for a relatively easy ride. I felt pretty good, but I held back in case I have over trained my body. Total ride was 17 miles in 58 minutes. After work I went for a swim at the aquatic center. I felt good during the swim and have been noticing that the swimming has been getting easier the last few weeks. I swam a total of 1,600 meters in 33 minutes. Tonight we took it easy, watched an odd movie, and will probably be in bed before 8pm again. I am hoping tomorrow I am feeling good enough to watch the Cards game at a pub.

7/20 - 7/22

So this week is a recovery week. Monday I took completely off, and it felt good to not wake up before 5. Tuesday I planned to ride and run for 30 minutes each before work, but there was a storm coming in with lots of lightning, so I only rode. 30 minutes at an easy pace, covering 9.1 miles. Tristin asked me not to run in the lightning, so I ran on the treadmill in our fitness center after work. I ran for 25 minutes and covered 3 miles. Running on the treadmill started to hurt my knees, so I didn't go the entire 30 minutes.
Wednesday morning I went for another easy 30 minute ride, covering 8.4 miles. Had to stop at a lot of lights this morning. I can tell my legs are tired so I hope this week will give them enough time to recover. This afternoon I went to the aquatic center during lunch for a 30 min swim. I really like these pools - the lanes are huge, they are outdoor, and they have lifegaurds to save me cause I can't swim well. I think I will have to cancel the gym membership soon, they also have a gym at the centers.

7/17 - 7/19

So this weekend went pretty well. Friday morning I went for a ride before work. I tried to go harder than usual, but still felt pretty good. I rode for 57 minutes and went 17 miles. My average mph is improving and the hills don't kill me like they used to. After work I decided to try out the nearby aquatic center. Once I got to the door I saw they changed their hours (but not on their website) and are closed at 3pm on Fridays. I was a little upset and started to head to the gym. On my way I remembered there is another aquatic center near the gym, so I decided to see if they were open. They still followed their hours that were posted online, so I paid my $3 (it would have been $2, but I never changed my license to show I am a Scottsdale resident) and put in a 30 minute swim. The center was real nice and had lots of lanes and not a lot of people. I only swam for 30 minutes because it was outdoors and I had no sunscreen. It was a good swim, I did 100m repeats at a faster than normal pace.

Saturday was a rest day and I took advantage of it. Tristin ran a 5k in the morning and after it was finished we came home, ran some errands, then I slept for several hours. It was nice.

This morning was tough. I woke up early and started my ride at 6am. I rode for 1:51:26 at a 18.99 mph pace for 35.26 miles. I felt good and was able to practice my race day nutrition. After the ride I changed my clothes and with in 5 minutes was out the door for a run. The first 5 or so minutes my legs felt numb, but after that I felt good. It was pretty hot (much hotter than when I usually run) and I should have brought water with me, but it was no big deal. I ended up running 3.4 miles in 29 minutes. Now the rest of the day is going to be filled with laziness and eating. Next week is a recovery week and I am very much looking forward to it.

LONG and HARD DAY Sunday 7/19/2009

Okay, so we've got our workouts in. Well I have... you're still out on your 2+ hour bike ride, and still have to run several miles... and maybe even swim. So in just 1 more hour... we're gonna have SOME FUN! WHOO HOO!!! SUNDAY FUN DAY!

(thanks for being such a super trooper and taking pics yesterday. I complained about running in the heat, but it must have stunk just as bad to stand in it, with the grass being watered and the extra humidity. So you get the weekend awesome trooper award!)

7/15 & 7/16

Wednesday was my hard effort for the week. I was scheduled for a long, slow run. I ran for 1:25:09 and covered 9.2 miles for a 9:16 min/mile average. My knee started hurting about 30 minutes in, but never was more than a dull ache. Other than the knee I felt pretty good. At that pace I felt I could have kept running for hours. My plan was then to swim during lunch since I was working from home, but at 11:30 I had to go into the office, so Wednesday was a run only day.

Thursday I got up early and went for a ride. My legs were a little tired from Wednesday so I decided to stay away from the hills and take a new route. This was not a good idea, I had to stop at lights every 1/2 mile and the ride pretty much sucked. My HR never passed 130 and I averaged 112. I rode for 43:38 and covered 12 miles, then off to work. After I work I went to the gym to make up yesterday's swim. It the most crowded I have ever seen it. I had to share a lane and only got in 20 minutes. Tomorrow I am going to check out the aquatic center, and if is less crowded I am cancelling the gym membership. Overall, today was a pretty frustrating training day.

Tristin and I registered for the PF Changs full marathon in January, and got this sweet shirt for registering early.

7/13 & 7/14

So Monday I went for a morning run. It is not cooling off at night anymore and is 90+ degrees when I am out the door before 5am. Anyway, then run went well, a relatively easy pace since Wednesday will be difficult. Totals were 3.7 miles in 30:09. After work I went for a swim, I was crowded so I only got 25 minutes in. I tried to add a little more speed into the workout and did some 100m intervals (25 easy, 25 build, 25 easy, 25 hard). They are more fun than just swimming laps and I really need to work on my speed.

This morning I went for a ride. Felt good, my sitting area was pretty sore from Sunday, but not a big deal. in 57 minutes I covered 16.5 miles - I like how I am seeing some good progress on the bike and run, my swimming is still not coming along as well as I would like though. Tonight I made a few more bike adjustments, I removed one of the spacers on the handlebar lowering a quarter of an inch. I am hoping this will give me a more aggressive position without sacrificing too much comfort.

Tuesday 7/14/2009 Bike!

I got to see you on your bike this morning. You sure take those round-abouts FAST. YOU ALMOST HIT ME! EEK! (I am just teasing, I just wanted to give you a heads up that is a pedestrian crosswalk.) Anywho, you look good riding. Good to see you. It sure was hot. But I bet it wasn't as bad on the bars.
(PHOTO: You playing the Xbox. Now that you don't have school you have more free time for fun stuff! YAY!)

Totals for 7/5 - 7/11

So last weeks totals are in. I need to stop skipping swim workouts.
Swim: 4550.00 Yd - 1h 39m 44s
Bike: 77.25 Mi - 4h 32m 29s
Run: 14.70 Mi - 2h 06m 37s

7/10 - 7/12: Weekend

So I have decided to add an extra bike workout each week. Since the bike is low impact, and the longest leg of race, I can add an extra workout without killing my body too much. So Friday morning I went for a ride up and down 96th street. I didn't want to do any hills today so I just rode up and down 3 times. I rode 13.5 miles in 46 minutes. Friday night Tristin and I went and got happy hour sushi from South Beach on the way home from work - I love $3 rolls! I had to work Saturday so we watched a movie after dinner then called it a night.

Saturday I woke up early and went for a short run. I wore the nike frees and didn't have any pain today, it was nice. I ran 3.7 miles in 29:23 for a 7:56/mile. My lungs burned today, it was strange as they haven't felt that way in a long time, I think I have been forgetting to take my asthma medicine or something. After my run I worked. It was so much fun. After that I went to the gym for a swim. I swam slow and steady and covered 1850 m in 42:17. The start of the swim sucked, but I then found a rhythm and felt pretty good and efficient. After the swim we went to Rock Bottom for some pretzels and beer, watched a movie, then went to sleep.

Sunday I woke up too early - our cat has been a noisy little sh!t every morning so I feel like I haven't slept in weeks. After I ate my bagel and pb I went for a ride. I felt really good today and rode almost to Cave Creek. I got to use a new hydration system I purchased yesterday. It mounts on the aero bars so I all I have to do is put a straw in my mouth when I want water. It worked out pretty good. I rode for 1:50:03 and covered 33 miles for and awesome 17.99 mph average. Hopefully by October I can maintain a 19+ mph average!

FRIDAY FUN!

We get to go out for sushi tonight! I'm excited! I'm also excited about those pretzels tomorrow, I've already started drooling! YUM! Though, I'm sorry you have to work this weekend, but at least you'll get a 3 day weekend coming up...

also I'm glad you like the Bob Harper yoga dvd I got you. That makes me happy. Maybe I'll do it with you sometime. :-)

7/9 Ride

So yesterday I was doing some adjustments to my bike in order to help this pain in the back of my knee. So I lowered the seat post slightly and adjusted the aero bars a little until it felt good. So I go out this morning for an hour ride and when I finish I realize I averaged more than a mile per hour faster than usual all while maintaining the same effort. I was pretty excited! The total ride lasted 1:00:17 and I went 17.75 miles for a 17.67 mph all while maintaining an average hr of 123 bpm. Just to compare, Tuesday was 57:26 and 15.5 miles for 16.19 mph with an average hr of 122 bpm. I plan to take it easy tonight and ride again in the morning.

July 8, 2009 Swim ~ Run

Wow! That sounds exhausting, to say the least. I'm glad you are having fun with it, and that you find yourself improving. I cannot believe that in just 11.5-15.5 weeks you're races will be over, and you'll be training with me for the marathon come January. You really know how to push the body to the limits. The good thing is that my pace is about 2 min/mile slower than yours, so it will feel difficult at first but a few weeks in, and you'll be on easy street!

7/8

Today was a tough one. I woke up this morning had a hand full of Lucky Charms, got my gear ready, and went for a run. This my long run for the week, and the hard effort of the week also. I warmed up for 20 min at an easy pace, then for 35 minutes went 3 hard, 2 easy, then easy until I got home. My total time today was 1:09:08 and I went about 7.5 miles. I had thought I would have gone further, but I guess I'm just not that fast. I brought with me two bottles of water and two of Cytomax, and ended up going through all the Cytomax and most of the water. I hate wearing the hydration belt, but I guess I need it. After the run I was pretty sore, my right knee was bothering me again today, so I took a 10 min ice bath.

During lunch I went for a swim. My legs still hurt from the run and my calves were cramping during the swim, so the workout wasn't very good. I warmed up for 200 yds, then did 3 - 500 yd repeats with 1 min rest in the middle. My pace was pretty consistant at 2 min per 100 yds. Total time in the pool was 37:49. Pretty tough day, but kinda fun in a strange way.

7/6 and 7/7

Monday was a runday. I got up early and went out for a slightly harder effort run with strides every 5 minutes. The humidity has now gone down to normal, so it felt a little better. It was still hot, but I didn't need to bring any water with me. I ran 3.5 miles in 28:06 for an 8:02/mile pace. I felt pretty good but didn't want to push it too hard because Wednesday's run will be tough and I want semi-fresh legs.

Tuesday called for a hour long bike at an easy effort, but since the bike is easier on my body I tend to push myself a little harder than it calls for. I rode my normal route up Thompson Peak Pkwy and got 15.5 miles in 57:26. I like the hills on this route (i got up to 33mph today!) and the scenery is nice the deserty. I also got to see my first Arizona deer - dead on the side of the road.

July 7, 2009

I got to see you on your ride this morning! How cool is that! Be careful later on today, there is a heat advisory in effect! (Basically there will be the rest of the summer!) I'm looking forward to the quesadillas tonight... YUM!