Sunday, February 27, 2011

Feb 21-27

The focus of the week is recovery.

Monday - I swam an easy 2000 yards in just over 30 minutes. The best part was when an old lady decided to jump in the lane. I was already splitting the lane with another swimmer. I'm glad she didn't run into me.

Tuesday - I had an easy short run in the morning and easy bike session in the afternoon.

Wednesday - 2.1k easy swim.

Thursday - Easy bike and run

Friday - 2.8k easy swim. I also picked up a new sponsor, HONEY STINGER. The organic waffles are amazing. The first time I bought a box, I ate 3 in one sitting. They taste like cookies. You can use them before and during a workout for some extra energy.

Saturday - Easy bike

Sunday - 2k easy swim and easy run.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

The week finally ends with a decent run

It has been a tough week with all of the hard efforts. Yesterday, I had a 90 minute ride. I tried to put in a solid 20 minute effort. My legs did not have any snap. It was a long 20 minutes.

This morning, I jumped on the track. After a 20 minute warm-up, I ran an 800 for time. My legs held up. I have never run an 800, so I had no idea how fast I could run. My goal was 2:30. I ran a little faster than my goal. The week is over. I end on a positive note. Now a few days of recovery and then back to work.

Friday, February 18, 2011

No snow in Dupont

It was a long day at work Wednesday, 13+ hours. At one point I looked outside and saw a mix of rain and snow. I thought we might get some snow last night. Nada.

After work yesterday, I quickly grabbed the dogs for a short run. I felt even better than Tuesday. It was partly cloudy in the low 40s. It sprinkled a couple of times. I finished up with 4.4+ miles.

I jumped on the bike 3 hours later for another hard effort. I started strong and felt good until about the half way mark. Maybe I was a little ambitious. Sometimes you have to lay it on the line to see what really happens. I actually kept it together better than I thought. It felt so hard on the second half.

This morning I rode for an easy 30 minutes then headed to work. I squeezed in 2.1k of easy swimming. The week is almost over. It has been a tough week.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

D?

Another morning of fast swimming. This morning after a 900 warm-up, i had 200 for time. I had good splits and went 2:22.7. Then some easy swimming with a few minutes of rest .1000 for time. It was horribly bad. I was towing a piano for 700 meters. My splits slowed every 200. I was very frustrated. I had nothing left.

I guess I need:
A. more recovery between the high efforts
B. a higher fitness level
C. swim a slower 200
D. all of the above

it would've been ugly

Yesterday, I had to be at work early, so I saved my short run for lunch time. I felt really good and the dogs were happy with 4+ miles and some sun.

Have you ever seen a dog fake pee? Fina used to do it. Kona has decided to carry on the tradition. Sometimes she will squat 4-5 times and nothing.

After a few hours of down time, it was time to jump on the bike. The workout was fairly easy except for the short all out effort. At the end of the interval, I could barely make the my legs move around in a circle. If I would have tried to get off the bike, it would've been ugly. It took me a couple minutes before I could generate decent power.

Monday, February 14, 2011

Fast swimming I

This morning I had a couple of fast swims in the pool. I swam 1:06.5 and 6:36 for the 100/500. I wanted to be a little faster on the 500. I think the tough bike ride from yesterday maybe have been a contributing factor. My legs felt heavy for the last 300. It was still the fastest time I have posted in meters by 8 seconds. It was a short workout of 2k.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Feeling strong after racing

In the past, if I ran a hard 5k my body would want a few days rest. I felt strong in the pool this morning. The effort was low and the speed was high.

I chilled for the next few hours then jumped on the trainer. It was a tough workout. My legs did not have any snap during the warm-up. During the main set, I felt pretty good. Another solid 30 minutes of 300+ watts. I knew I was done at the end as my numbers were drifting slightly downward. At the end, I puked in my mouth.

5k at Green Lake

I decided to sign up for a 5k at Green Lake. It was time to see how my body was responding to training.

I pulled into Green Lake around 8:30AM. I wasn't sure what the weather was gonna do, so I packed everything from tights to shorts/t-shirt. Surprisingly it was partly sunny with clouds and 50 degrees. I warmed-up with the dogs. Mental note: Never, ever, NEVER, EVER forget the choke collar for Kona. She is a solid 50lb muscle dog. Kona was pulling me all over the place.

I lined up at the start line just in front of the sub 6 minute sign. There was hardly anyone in front of me. That was until about 2 minutes before the start because all of the cheetahs were finishing up their warm-up. I wanted to start out controlled and really push the pace near the end.

Bang! The race was in motion. I felt good. It is so hard to watch so many people taking off in front of you. I told myself to be patient. After a half mile, I started to pass people. MILE 1-5:56.

My left quad tightened up after the first mile and never released. Nothing like having your left leg burning for 2.1 miles. I was still into a good rhythm and passing people at a steady pace. Mile 2-5:56.

A little after the 2 mile mark, a mole decided to push some pavement up and create a small mound. I am not sure what happened, but I tripped and stumbled. I almost landed on my face. I kept myself upright. I could not regain the rhythm. I watched the 2-3 people in front of me slowly start to pull away. Mile 3-6:01.

I finished with 18:32. I was definitely happy with my pacing. I wanted to be a little faster. It's only February.

Friday, February 11, 2011

Tired dogs = Happy dogs

I felt good in the pool this morning. The main set was 3x (5x100 with short rest). Each 100 was progressively faster. I swam better than last week and a hair slower than 2 weeks ago.

After work, I had a short bike ride with a few hard efforts. What happens when you start too agressively on a set of hard repeats? The piano drops hard on the last repeat. I will start smarter next time.

I took the dogs to the field and wore them out.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Track today

I hit the track today. It was sunny and 44 degrees. I took me a couple of faster repeats to get up to speed. Once there, I felt like a speeding bullet. I was faster than last week and my legs felt better overall during/after. My first one was the slowest, then gradually increased speed every couple, and finally finished with last one fastest.

The goal for the rest of the day is to get the dogs out to play in the sunshine.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Consistency

After a couple of tough swims, I am back on track. Today the main set was broken 200s with short rest. I held them all at 35 and even finished the entire set with a 34. Does this mean I should be able to swim a 2:20 200SCM?

No more workouts today. Tomorrow, I head to the track.

Consistency is so important.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Sunny with cold wind

After work, I jumped on the trainer to some serious work. I felt really good through the entire workout. I actually started smart and built my efforts all the way through. I grabbed the dogs for a quick run in the sun. The nice thing about starting into a head wind is the free ride back. My little brother decided to join me for the run. He ran much smarter this time.

Monday, February 7, 2011

Slow going in the pool

This morning, I did not feel great in the pool. The workouts from the weekend finally caught up with me. I had no juice. It was hard to swim fast today.I finished with 3.5k.

It looks like the sun is coming back for a few days.

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Another great run, no mouse

I headed out early this morning before heading to work. I felt great. As good as last weekend. I finished with 10+ miles in 70 minutes.

No mouse today. I just hope he has found a new residence.

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Mouse I & II

I took the dogs out yesterday for a bathroom break. A blur caught my eye. I thought nothing of it. Fina was quick about her business, so I put her away. Kona has to smell the roses and the wind has to be blowing in a certain direction before she takes care of business. As I waited, I watched a mouse run down the sidewalk to the street. Kona looked at the mouse then me and then back to the mouse.

This morning I jumped on the trainer for the toughest workout of the year so far. During the warm-up my legs felt heavy. They loosened up after fifty minutes. I spent the next 30 minutes pushing 300+ watts. Everything is coming along nicely.

This morning I saw a mouse. It might be the same one or another one. Lucky me?

Friday, February 4, 2011

Warshington

It's funny how the weather forecast at the beginning of the week was calling for sunshine all week. If you live in Warshington, you learn to cope. Supposedly. Maybe. Possibly. Hopefully.

I swam 3.2k this morning. My legs felt tight and heavy walking down me stairs. I didn't expect much especially since my warm-up swim was 9 seconds slower than normal. I performed better than expected. My times were only a second slower than last week.

Sometimes you swim feel great and perform poorly. Sometimes you feel horrible and perform well. Most of the time you are somewhere in between. The key is consistency in training.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

No more sun

I had a nice easy run this morning. I think there was some residual from the workout last night

After work, I jumped on a trainer for another short hard workout. My numbers were much higher than last week. It isn't easy to bike fast.

I wore the dogs out today. They ran this morning. I took them to the field twice. They met a German Short Haired Pointer, Dutch. He was about the same age as Kona, except a lot bigger. Kona was so tired after the second round of ball chasing that she was still laying down in the kennel when I opened the tail gate.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Another nice day in Feb

I had to sit it an 8 hour class today, so I squeezed my workouts in before and after.

This morning I swam 3800 yards. I felt okay. My speed faded each round of the main set. I didn't have it today.

It was another sunny day. I ran just before the sun disappeared. It was my first track workout of the season. I felt strong.

Kona is still not 100%. I have kept her on the meds. She is still her normal crazy self. Hopefully, Kona will be healthy

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

First day of February 2011

I had a short easy run yesterday morning. I felt a little tired from the great workouts on Sunday. I also managed to swim 3.7k. Lots of short fast stuff. I still put up some decent times under some fatigue.

This morning it took me awhile to get warmed up. Probably because it was 27 degrees. I finished with 5 miles in 35 minutes. After work and a nap, I jumped on the trainer for a tough session. I held strong for most of the workout. I had nothing left in the tank on the last 2, complete muscular failure.

Kona is almost back to normal from her poop holiday.