Now that I'm up to about 5 miles consistently on my running, I started hitting the hills. Previously, I was running on our waterfront trail which has minimal elevation gain or loss. Saturday I started with the hills and will continue with the hills today.
Hill training builds speed and power, perfect for trail running which requires a lot of power to maneuver obstacles, climb short hills and jump over debris/puddles/etc. I don't like hills, never have; but like vegetables, they do a body good.
Along with the hills, the swim training has kicked in and the gym time is moving from three times a week to two. In a few days, I'll have my cold weather gear and will hop on the bike for, you guessed it, more hills!
Time to go, hill sandwich for lunch today.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Laziness and the art of blogging
Been out of it for a few days. No new posts, which means that anybody reading is wondering where I went. Well, I've increased my training amount to about 8 hours a day and will peak and plateau at 10 hours a day in a few weeks. I'm consistently running, swimming and doing strength training now. It's still a little too cold and wet right now for the bike but I have some gear on the way to alleviate that.
I realized the obvious last saturday, trail running is way harder than flat road running. I know, I know, it should be obvious, but I was up to five miles on a flat waterfront trail. Last Saturday I ran about two miles up-hill on a trail that is literally about 300 yards from my house. The trail is Peabody Creek trail, stays muddy year round and is 2.7 miles uphill one-way. I came back covered in mud and my legs were burning something fierce. You know it's a good workout when the legs are sore.
Also, I've been swimming, which has been interesting. Last week I swam a little over 2000 yards in a series of sets, which by the way is over a mile. My swim in the upcoming XTERRA will ~900 yards. I want to be at the point where I swim the 900 and get out of the pool ready for more. Part of my plan there involves riding to the pool and riding to work after the workout. It will be like a "brick" workout on every swim day. This doesn't really bother me as I used to do it all the time when I was in High School. I swam on the High School swim team and didn't have a car, so I rode my bike home after practice. There were some seriously tough days...
Finally, my registration has been sent in for the July 13th XTERRA in Vashon. That's it. Registration entered, commitment set. I only have a few concerns, namely a trip to Peru on the Inca Trail and a family road trip that will interfere with my training. The Inca Trail doesn't bother me too much because it will essentially be cross-training, but the road trip is another matter.
[Edited for Clarification 01/08/08]
I realized the obvious last saturday, trail running is way harder than flat road running. I know, I know, it should be obvious, but I was up to five miles on a flat waterfront trail. Last Saturday I ran about two miles up-hill on a trail that is literally about 300 yards from my house. The trail is Peabody Creek trail, stays muddy year round and is 2.7 miles uphill one-way. I came back covered in mud and my legs were burning something fierce. You know it's a good workout when the legs are sore.
Also, I've been swimming, which has been interesting. Last week I swam a little over 2000 yards in a series of sets, which by the way is over a mile. My swim in the upcoming XTERRA will ~900 yards. I want to be at the point where I swim the 900 and get out of the pool ready for more. Part of my plan there involves riding to the pool and riding to work after the workout. It will be like a "brick" workout on every swim day. This doesn't really bother me as I used to do it all the time when I was in High School. I swam on the High School swim team and didn't have a car, so I rode my bike home after practice. There were some seriously tough days...
Finally, my registration has been sent in for the July 13th XTERRA in Vashon. That's it. Registration entered, commitment set. I only have a few concerns, namely a trip to Peru on the Inca Trail and a family road trip that will interfere with my training. The Inca Trail doesn't bother me too much because it will essentially be cross-training, but the road trip is another matter.
[Edited for Clarification 01/08/08]
Thursday, December 27, 2007
I must be crazy
I realized my insanity this morning after hitting the snooze button. I'm starting to enjoy this working out stuff. I look forward to long runs. I used to hate running, let alone enjoy a long run. It's been a complete mind shift for me and it feels great. My triathlon seeking self is punishing my lazy self into submission and winning.
Here's how much I like running: I'm toying with the idea of running the OMC Marathon next summer. It's a crazy thought, I've never considered Marathon distance as something worth putting my body through. What I've come to realize, however, is that the human body is very resilient and responds well to exercise. I think these thoughts of distance started to emerge after Christmas when I ran nearly five miles.
With proper training and dedication, a marathon is completely doable.
The question that begs to be asked of course is, why? I'd like to be as snarky as Sir Edmund Hillary who was the first human to ascend Everest and say, "Because it is there" with the requisite english accent and centuries of history behind conquering. Unfortunately, my runner up is simply, "Because I think I can" sounding like the choo choo who could.
I know this all sounds like madness, which is why I think I'm crazy. Mad gibberish only sounds coherent to the crazy.
Here's how much I like running: I'm toying with the idea of running the OMC Marathon next summer. It's a crazy thought, I've never considered Marathon distance as something worth putting my body through. What I've come to realize, however, is that the human body is very resilient and responds well to exercise. I think these thoughts of distance started to emerge after Christmas when I ran nearly five miles.
With proper training and dedication, a marathon is completely doable.
The question that begs to be asked of course is, why? I'd like to be as snarky as Sir Edmund Hillary who was the first human to ascend Everest and say, "Because it is there" with the requisite english accent and centuries of history behind conquering. Unfortunately, my runner up is simply, "Because I think I can" sounding like the choo choo who could.
I know this all sounds like madness, which is why I think I'm crazy. Mad gibberish only sounds coherent to the crazy.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
The fruits of labor
Late last week I increased the weight in the gym by 10lbs. on most exercises and am feeling really good about it.
In more specific news, yesterday I ran 5 miles which is the furthest I've run in a long time. I can definitely feel that that the gym work is helping. My legs feels stronger and have more endurance. The workout plan called for 45min of continuous running with 30sec pick-ups inserted every two minutes or so.
I ran on our local waterfront trail, which is all flat, for 23 minutes in one direction and then came back. After getting home and measuring the distance with http://www.mapmyride.com I found that I ran approx. 5 miles.
Now that I've reached 5miles I can definitely see how I could do 7-10 without much problem. One thing for me to work on right now though is speed. The XTERRA tri coming up is a short sprint distance tri and speed is important for placement. Speed work for me means one thing: hills.
In more specific news, yesterday I ran 5 miles which is the furthest I've run in a long time. I can definitely feel that that the gym work is helping. My legs feels stronger and have more endurance. The workout plan called for 45min of continuous running with 30sec pick-ups inserted every two minutes or so.
I ran on our local waterfront trail, which is all flat, for 23 minutes in one direction and then came back. After getting home and measuring the distance with http://www.mapmyride.com I found that I ran approx. 5 miles.
Now that I've reached 5miles I can definitely see how I could do 7-10 without much problem. One thing for me to work on right now though is speed. The XTERRA tri coming up is a short sprint distance tri and speed is important for placement. Speed work for me means one thing: hills.
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Balance
I recently borrowed an "Indo Board" from a friend to practice balancing. The thought is that by practicing balance, it will translate later when snowboarding, surfing, or other activities. Balance, of course, is important in many sports and vital in others such as surfing.
This balancing has me thinking about balancing family and training. What does it take to balance 6 to 12 hours of training a week with family and a full time job. Certainly commitment comes into play, but I think spousal support is the key here. How much does our spouse put up with the training and can we find a way to make it a family event. I'm still struggling with what is ultimately a selfish activity. Triathlon has fringe benefits such as a healthy lifestyle and self confidence, but when it comes down to it, triathlon ultimately benefits the triathlete.
Balance takes practice, and over time we learn the limits and the rules.
This balancing has me thinking about balancing family and training. What does it take to balance 6 to 12 hours of training a week with family and a full time job. Certainly commitment comes into play, but I think spousal support is the key here. How much does our spouse put up with the training and can we find a way to make it a family event. I'm still struggling with what is ultimately a selfish activity. Triathlon has fringe benefits such as a healthy lifestyle and self confidence, but when it comes down to it, triathlon ultimately benefits the triathlete.
Balance takes practice, and over time we learn the limits and the rules.
Friday, December 21, 2007
Training Plan
I bought a few books some months ago on triathlon specific training. I've been going through the books to build a training plan and so far it feels right.
The one part I'm not used to is the repetitions. Specifically, the plan calls for 20 to 30 reps for 3 sets. What feels good about it is the lactic acid build-up and that I know that by doing these exercises my body will become more efficient at clearing that away. Currently, I'm doing only weight training and running. Starting mid January or early February I'll get back in the pool. Also in February I'll dust off the bike and start attacking some hills, but it's going to be C-O-L-D. Yikes, more than waking up early I hate being cold.
Sometimes I wonder about a few people that frequent the gym. I get to see everything from "light cardio" to speed drills on the weights (meaning, entirely too fast to actually get anything from lifting weight). I think most of these people have a goal of staying in shape, but no idea of what that looks like. In other words, I want to race in a Triathlon, specifically, the Vashon Island XTERRA tri. Ideally, I will finish ahead of the Middle of Pack (MOP). Wishful thinking puts me in the top 10. Having a definitive goal puts me on a plan with a timeframe for results. My brother wants "big guns", he has a training plan to achieve his goal. The others, I feel, are just going through the motions.
I challenge any reader to stop going through the motions and pick a lofty goal - that shouldn't be too hard, right?
The one part I'm not used to is the repetitions. Specifically, the plan calls for 20 to 30 reps for 3 sets. What feels good about it is the lactic acid build-up and that I know that by doing these exercises my body will become more efficient at clearing that away. Currently, I'm doing only weight training and running. Starting mid January or early February I'll get back in the pool. Also in February I'll dust off the bike and start attacking some hills, but it's going to be C-O-L-D. Yikes, more than waking up early I hate being cold.
Sometimes I wonder about a few people that frequent the gym. I get to see everything from "light cardio" to speed drills on the weights (meaning, entirely too fast to actually get anything from lifting weight). I think most of these people have a goal of staying in shape, but no idea of what that looks like. In other words, I want to race in a Triathlon, specifically, the Vashon Island XTERRA tri. Ideally, I will finish ahead of the Middle of Pack (MOP). Wishful thinking puts me in the top 10. Having a definitive goal puts me on a plan with a timeframe for results. My brother wants "big guns", he has a training plan to achieve his goal. The others, I feel, are just going through the motions.
I challenge any reader to stop going through the motions and pick a lofty goal - that shouldn't be too hard, right?
Thursday, December 20, 2007
I Heart Pain
5:15 my alarm goes off every morning, I hate the morning, hit the snooze button, close my eyes... *beep*,*beep*,*beep*.... s#%t! Fine. I roll out of bed and fall into the gym, I'm not even sure how I got here. Eyes still bleary, I take off my coat, tie my shoes and once again step onto the hamster wheel for a 3 mile run.
The ironic thing about this is that when I miss a day like yesterday due to a business trip, I feel incredibly guilty. Like I cheated on a test or kicked a cute puppy. All day long I feel the need, the need to experience the pain of the gym.
In the end it's more the result rather then the experience that I enjoy. I feel better, more energy for the day and a sense of accomplishment. Like knowing that I could have kicked the puppy, but I chose not to.
I can honestly say that I am a goal oriented person, if I am lacking of big goals then I flounder. XTERRA is a perfect reason for me to get out of bed in the morning and punish my body for being fat and lazy. I could probably do any sport event, but XTERRA intrigues me due to a little more challenge and the fun factor of off-road.
The ironic thing about this is that when I miss a day like yesterday due to a business trip, I feel incredibly guilty. Like I cheated on a test or kicked a cute puppy. All day long I feel the need, the need to experience the pain of the gym.
In the end it's more the result rather then the experience that I enjoy. I feel better, more energy for the day and a sense of accomplishment. Like knowing that I could have kicked the puppy, but I chose not to.
I can honestly say that I am a goal oriented person, if I am lacking of big goals then I flounder. XTERRA is a perfect reason for me to get out of bed in the morning and punish my body for being fat and lazy. I could probably do any sport event, but XTERRA intrigues me due to a little more challenge and the fun factor of off-road.
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