Feeling like a million bucks

I had a solid ride on the trainer yesterday. My pacing was very good.

I woke up in the middle of the night because of a nasty smell. I jumped up into a trail of pool. In my closet there was a pile of it. Nothing like getting up at 2AM to clean poop. UGH!!!

This morning I went for a run. I felt great from the start. I ran a little over 10 miles in 70 minutes. There were several pacing efforts at 5k mixed in as well. I think the dogs were glad to get out and run in decent weather.

After second breakfast and a nap, I headed to the pool for 3.3k. Have you ever jumped into the pool and felt great from the first stroke? That was me today. I knew I was going to have a great swim. My speed was high with very little effort. The main set was 10x100 on 1:30. I averaged 1:18.5.

Today, I felt like a million bucks. It would've been nice to race.

leaky...poop

I had a good workout on the bike Thursday night. The intensity was very high with short rest. You know the legs are done when you arms struggle to hold onto the aero bars.

Kona is still have issues with a leaky butt of poop. Whenever she gets up after laying down, there is a small trail of poop. I can't wash blankets fast enough to keep up with her butt.

I had a great swim yesterday. I felt a little tired during the warm-up. My average was 2 seconds faster than I expected. The rest of the day was dealing with... poop.

I am up early because my bed had a nice puddle.

big dogs - round 2

Tuesday morning I went out for a short run. I left the dogs inside the kennel this time. After work, I hopped on the trainer. The workout had several very hard efforts. I tried to maintain my power for the entire set. After the second one, the power shifted lower until the last one.

Yesterday morning, I had a great swim. I repeated a workout from a couple weeks ago. I improved my speed by 4 seconds per 100. I had a long day scheduled at work, so I went home for a 3 hour break. I walked in the house and smelled poop. I guess the pills Kona got into on Monday were working through her system. I dragged the kennel to the bathroom. I felt bad for Fina. Nothing like having poop crusted in your fur. I washed both dogs and cleaned the kennel. I was getting ready to take the dogs out for a run. Guess what was at the bottom of the steps in front of the door? POOP. At least it was by the door. Unfortunately, she pooped on my shoes too. She also tried to make it back up the stairs, but stopped at the second step for another round. I finally get everything cleaned up and head out for a run. It was partly sunny, a nice change from the normal weather of January. Kona had to make a couple more 3 minute stops. After the run, I had phone calls from work. I cut my break short and head back to work. I didn't get home until almost 10pm. What a long day!

This morning I ran nice and easy. I wanted to make sure I allowed my body enough recovery from the long Wednesday.

I was throwing the ball with the dogs. Kona ran after a ball. I saw a Husky and Rhodesian Ridgeback run in the distance. Kona sprinted back. She dropped the ball and was back in her kennel in 5 seconds flat. Nothing like being chased by a 80 & 110 pound dog to get your adrenaline kicking. No bites today.

Pain is gone

I felt good in the pool yesterday even though the pool was 86 degrees. It was a nice aerobic main set of 5x400s. After the swim I grabbed a bagel to hold me over.

I felt good on the run. Kona was acting a little strange a few minutes into the run. All of a sudden she stopped and didn't need to potty. We started running again and I let her off leash near the trails. She ran next to me. Usually she sprints off. Two minutes later she started limping. Kona had a cut on her paw. I walked back to the house and finished the run. I did a few bursts and managed 9+ miles in just over an hour.

I felt great this morning in the pool. I swam the same set as last Monday, my average speed was a little faster. I ended up with 3.4k.

After work, I headed out for a run with my brother. He decided to run with music. The farthest he had run was almost 17 minutes with an average around 8:30. Our first mile was at 7 min pace. I tried to get his attention, but he was zoned out. He heard me laughing. I told him how fast we were running and he was shocked. One minute later he started breathing hard. The mile split was 7:21. He was breathing very heavy. He ended up stopping 2 minutes later and walked back to the house. I kept going for another mile then turned back around. I caught up to him one minute from my house. He decided to run the last 8 minutes with me. This time at a much better pace 8:30-8:45.

I let the dogs run. They decided to rummage through my backpack and chew up one of my bottles.

Shoulder pain gone

I never understood the pain in my shoulder. Thankfully the pain is gone.

Yesterday, I rode the trainer for almost 2 hours. I had lots of 1 minute repeats with short rest. They felt easy as my average increased 5 watts from last week. I switched out clothes for a short run. The run felt very easy even though my pace was fairly quick. It was nice to run with sun and blue skies.

I am heading to the pool for an easy 3k swim. Then a nice breakfast followed by a solid run. Hopefully the roads will dry up a little. Who invited the precipitation?

Weird pain under my armpit

I started have a weird pain in my armpit. I can't figure out what caused the pain. It hasn't affected my run and bike workouts. I don't think I will swim tomorrow to give it the area a few days of rest.

I felt good on the run this morning. Kona was still traumatized from her dog attack yesterday. She kept looking back behind her shoulder. At one point during the run, she stopped and tucked her tail. I couldn't figure out what spooked her. When I got back Fina was sitting at the top of the stairs with her two paws hanging over the step. She looked so sad. I felt bad. Vet said no running.

After work, I jumped on the trainer for another tough workout. My numbers were 4% lower than last week. It's amazing how adding two more repeats can make the workout that much tougher.

Fina bitten

I felt a little sluggish in the pool this morning. The main was a lot of 100s descending in groups of four on short rest.

I went for a run after work. It was sunny and 47. The dogs were running well and we were cruising along. I turned onto the gate road and saw a guy walking his 2 dogs. No big deal. As I get closer, he hears me then tries to call his dogs over. No luck. A german shepherd ran straight to Fina. He bit her. It was craziness. I was trying to keep Fina and Kona away from his dogs. He grabbed the german shepherd. The other dog looked like a pit mix was hovering around Kona. I kept trying to spin around to keep the dog away. Fina was so freaked out she slipped out of her collar and started heading for the woods. The guy finally got a hold of the other dog. Kona and Fina were shaking. I noticed Fina had a gash in her shoulder. The guy asked which vet I was taking the dogs to so he could call and pay the bill. My initial thought was yeah right. As I was walking home, I got his license plate just in case. I took the dogs to the vet. Kona was fine. Fina needed a couple of staples. Nothing too serious. The guy actually called and gave his credit card to pay the bill. I was a little surprised. It is good to know some people take responsibility for their pets.

Calves - not the moo type

My calves were a little sore this morning. It was a short run. The good news was the roads were dry and I didn't have to wash the dogs.

After a long nap, I jumped on the trainer for several build ups. I felt good. My power numbers are climbing every week.

I got up early for a lot of 50s. I felt really good. The main set was 8x(4x50 descend 1-4) on a short rest send off. I was supposed to take extra rest after each set, but decided against it because 2 swimmers joined me for the workout. 
After the swim, I went for a short run. I stayed dry for most of the run. It was a good day. The rest of the day will be relaxing with my feet up.

Teezer

Teezer (Tease er) n. - When the rain stops long enough to trick you into thinking your workout will be dry.

I headed out this morning to run. I realized it was nothing but a teezer. Five minutes into the run, it started pouring. Oh well. I felt great on the run and the dogs had a blast.

How much rain...

I had a good swim yesterday. The main set was 3x (5x100). It was done with short rest, increasing speed and decreasing recovery progressively. I swam faster each round.

This morning I got on the trainer for a nice solid ride. I felt strong. My power numbers were better than last week. I changed out and took the dogs for a short run. I was surprised at my pace. It felt 20 seconds slower than it actually was. I showered and stretched out. I looked outside and it was pouring. It has been pouring for most of the day. I was so glad to have a dry run. How much will it rain today?

What happens when...

It poured throughout the night. I wasn't looking forward to running early. I managed to luck out as the rain stopped just long enough for me to run. I kept it nice and easy.

What happens when your first repeat of 10 is the fastest one? The rest feel harder and the power slowly dwindles lower. After the last repeat, my legs felt like concrete blocks. I still improved my average from last week.

Powder - Slush - Rain

The powder was awesome last night. I took the dogs out and they started going nuts. I let them off leash and they were in full battle mode. It was hilarious. They were chasing each other sliding all over the place.

I couldn't believe the weather changed so quickly this morning. The snow was slush. The roads were melting quickly. It was 40 degrees when I got to work this morning.

I felt great in the water. It was basically the same set as last Wednesday. The difference was the second set was pull. My average was two seconds faster per 100.

After work I managed to sneak in a quick dry run. The roads were dirty and wet, but no rain. A few pickups and that's all she wrote.

Cold with no snow

Fina looked a little tired from the weekend running, so I left her at home. Kona and I headed out for a nice short run. I felt great on the run. It was a little on the chilly side, 28 degrees.

I jumped on the trainer for a solid ride with several short bursts. Another great workout logged for the day.

It's snowing now. Will it last?

A trace of snow

It was nice to see a trace of snow this morning. I was hoping more for a blizzard, something similar to the dump on the East Coast. Maybe there is still hope.

I felt great in the water this morning. It was a nice quick swim.

5 rounds - The winner...

I was bummed to wake up to no snow. There's a chance it might come sometime this week.

I felt good on my run this morning. As I walking to warm up, a guy passed me. It took longer than expected to pass him back, probably because he picked it up. He was kind of breathing hard as I passed. I think he wanted to stay with me.

The dogs decided to have a title match for Queen of the trails. Kona struck with a few quick taunts then took off at full speed with Fina in chase. Fina gave her the first round. Fina took the second, third, and fourth rounds with lots of body blows. Kona rallied in the fifth with another taunt and sprint away, but it was too little too late. The winner with a unanimous decision was Fina. Kona tried for a rematch later in the run. The champ didn't engage.

Icy morning

Not sure where the cold front came from. It brought a whole lot of ice. It was super icy during my morning run. Most of the run was on the grass/trail. The dogs didn't care.

After work, I jumped on the trainer for a solid workout. The main set was several 1 minute repeats at above threshold with short rest. I was happy with the workout.

Maybe we will get lucky and get some serious snow.

Swim=so so

I felt okay in the pool this morning. The main set was 300pull + 4x50 sprint/ez + 100 swim repeated a few times. I was surprised that I descended the 300s & 100s. The rest of the day will be nice and chill. I will hit it hard tomorrow.

run-blah, bike=good

I woke up early to take the dogs for a quick run before heading off to work. It warmed up considerably over last week. The run did not feel great, but the dogs were happy.

I just finished riding on the trainer. It's amazing how similar workouts can be, but how much harder they are physiologically. My legs have felt this kind of pump in awhile.

swim=blah, run=good

The swim this morning didn't feel to great. The water was 85+, so that didn't help either. The main set was 2x (5x200). I am not sure how, but I descended both sets with the last one being the fastest.

After work, I quickly took the dogs out for another short run with a few pick ups. I felt good. The dogs the command ready/go. They bark and laugh at my so called sprint.

Still cold in the AM

I pushed my easy run to the afternoon. I knew the dogs wanted to run and I think 24 is a little too cold for them. I felt good. The dogs were chasing each other. Fina kept hammering Kona. Finally Kona sprinted by with Fina chasing to no avail.

I had a nice easy spin on the bike. The rain will be back. At least it's warming up. =)

Easy morning

I swam an easy 2k this morning. My body is still not fully recovered from the weekend. I should be good to go with in the next day or two.

2011

I am starting the year off a little under the weather. I took today off. It has been almost 40 days since my last day off.

2010 was good. 2011 will be great!!! I am ready to kick off the season beginning tomorrow. I have big goals this year.