Run, Run, Run, Run, Run, Cycle, Cycle Too

Quickly, now

Monday – 30 minutes on the rollers in the basement while I watched “Arrested Development” and the beginning of “Kitchen Confidential”. Did the KC show mostly ’cause my roller-fu doesn’t include taking the hands off the bars to grab the remote (yet). 8.3 miles. Heh. The rollers were kind of fun that way – how far, exactly, can I go in 30 minutes? Kind of a free-form expression, yet framed. Beauty.

Tuesday – I started to get cocky, since I hadn’t felt any ill effects from Saturday’s flu shot. Which was odd, since usually flu shots put me out of commission for nigh unto two days. The day after’s usually the worst. Anyway, Tuesday, and I’m feeling goooood, and I’m starting to assume that I’m not going to feel like a horse’s rump.

Yeah, I was wrong. Went to the Y to swim after the boys were asleep. Managed to get out 750 yards, none of it particularly good before I had to get out of the pool. Just felt wasted.

Wed – felt just kind of blah all day, and it was cold and windy, so I didn’t run. Could have, but just didn’t want to bother.

I’m feeling better today, but don’t want to push it. Might go swim tonite if I feel at all decent. The good news? I’m watching the kids this afternoon, so it’s only a half day at work. Plus, it’s the afternoon, so I get a nap with Nate. Yippie!

(Other goal today? Catch up on everyone else’s blogs. Sorry).

More snow tomorrow!

I (heart) Running again

So, it finally happened. Running and I are officially “on” again.

Drill Weekend again, and most of the guys in the unit were amazed at the whole marathon thing. I’ve got to note again that I’m a Navy reservist, where there’s still a decent component who believe that 3 miles a year is a completely sufficient amount to run. Not many, but a few.

Kind of a chilly day – sunny, mid 30’s and windy most of the day. But, somehow I was itching to run. Probably left over endorphins from Friday. Whatever. I was itchin’ to run, and couldn’t wait till the end of the day and the hour of mandatory PT. The other marathon guy wasn’t drilling, so I asked around to see if there were any other takers for a quick trip around the perimeter. No dice. Ah, well, their loss.

What can I say? The run was amazing. The birds sang, the breeze blew (breeze, not wind), and the sun beat down on my ears. Or, would have beat down on my ears if I’d forgotten my cheapo fleece headband from Old Navy, which purposely isn’t the same color as my cheapo fleece gloves from Old Navy. ‘Cause that’d be gay. Not that there’s anything wrong with that..

“Shuffle” on the Nano worked wonders again. The Charlie Brown Christmas Album got a couple of songs played while I was on the perimeter path. Nothing quite like the Vince Guiraldi Trio playing while running through the woods on a brisk day. I half expected to see Snoopy and Woodstock playing hockey in a frozen puddle. Light heart, light feet.

Finished the perimeter loop (which, depressingly, Gmaps tells me is only about 3.5 miles) with a little bit too much time left in the PT period to head straight to the showers (for which I likely would have gotten a pass, since the assumption would have been I was heading off somewhere to watch Army/Navy), so I decided to challenge “Hospital Hill” again.

Hospital Hill won. Or, to keep the positive spin, I decided to continue in my “easy” vibe, and walk/ran up the hill about 50/50. On the way down, though, light feet struck again – Felt good, finished strong. Yippie.

Great time at work. Interesting possibilities opening up there at my part-time job. Good times with the family after work, and quality time with the wife after the boys were in bed. Light hearts.

Oh, and I got the flu shot this morning. I’m sure I’m going to feel like crap on Sunday morning. But, I’ve got peace that there’s at least one disease that my beautiful little vectors can’t pass on to me now.

Good will towards man, y’all.

Lunch

Jeff nailed it a couple of days ago – running at lunch somehow feels like playing hooky. Doubly so when it’s about 40 degrees, breezy, getting colder, and with big, puffy, dark grey snow clouds hovering somewhere over Connecticut.

Headed out for a straight up lunch run on Friday with another guy at work. He’d stuck his head in my office earlier in the morning to see if I’d brought my stuff. (His usual running partner was offsite at a meeting.) I had. The plan was to hit the base gym on the way home, but the offer of company was just too tempting. So, lunchtime, I strap up the shoes and hit the road.

Luckily, he was in the mood for an easy run (this guy is one of the real runners at the office), so we did an easy 15 minutes out, 15 minutes back. Splits out/back were the same, even though we were running into the wind and uphill on the way in. Good to be running with someone else for a change, good to be out of doors.

I’d like to end with a postscript about how I drove home in the snow, but I didn’t. Might snow this afternoon, but right now it’s sunny and mid-30’s.

Usless Stats: 3.4 miles, 30 min, 5 seconds.

Rollers

Busted out the rollers last night. Didn’t feel good enough to head to the Y, but didn’t feel lazy enough to sit on my duff. 30 minutes, 17 MPH average. Not that that means a whole lot.

We rearranged the basement over the summer, so my spot to run the rollers close to the wall doesn’t exist any longer. Getting moving on the bike was kind of scary, but somehow I managed not to break my neck.

Well, that’s about it. Go check out Complete Running – Mark and Aaron have overhauled it. Find someone else’s running blog to run with. Ha, ha, get it? “Run with”? It’s a pun, see?

ADDENDUM

Managed to avoid any and all butter cookies yesterday. Oh, yeah.

Rested

One of the little disease vectors (who I love more than life itself) dragged home some bug. Nothing really nasty, but enough to be annoying.

So, the upside? 9 hours of uninterrupted sleep after I put the boys in bed.

Oh, yeah.

Now, just don’t ask me why I brought a tin of butter cookies into the lab…

Back-2-Back

Went swimming after the boys were in bed. Nothing spectacular, just another night in the pool. The lifeguard was strolling around the pool instead of sitting in the chair, which kind of wierded me out.

The Triathlon Training Book included a couple of drills. Tonight, I tried the “fist” drill – swam 5 laps with my hands balled up as fists. It was pretty amazing to see what a difference getting the arm bent soon after entry into the water made in letting my arm produce thrust instead of counting on my hand. Felt noticeably faster when I started using my hands again.

I did a set of backstroke, too, which was kind of nice. Felt the need to go really fast, since I could gasp for air whenever I wanted. It was also kind of neat – I really felt like I was stretching my arms out well over my head, more so than just in freestyle.

1000 yards – 250 breast, 250 back, 250 freestyle with fists, 250 freestyle, alternate side breathing.

What a day!

50’s, beautiful, and sunny this afternoon.

Yes, indeed, I did sleep in this morning, beginning to be convinced that I was coming down with something. Did some stretching, etc, before work, but completely avoided going to the gym. Since, of course, it’s not M/W/F. Cloudy for the drive in.

But, after a morning meeting, I headed over to get a hair cut (drill weekend, dontcha know), and couldn’t resist busting out a quick 30 minutes during an early lunch break.

The run wasn’t anything spectacular distance or speed-wise. But, I couldn’t help but grin like an idiot most most of the way. Warmed up with a set of pushups and situps, started the stopwatch, and headed out the door, loving the mild weather and wondering if the wind was going to give me issues.

One of the things I’m going to try to get back to is using a HRM, especially during non-speedy runs. Since I don’t have any set mileage targets, and my target “races” for next year are a 1.5 mile PRT and a series of sprint triathlons, I think it’s more important to focus on quality during my runs than on quantity. So, I figure I’m going to be doing a lot of “out-n-back” runs, listening to my body and trying not to drive my heel.

For some reason, I wasn’t able to get my HR into the 135-155 range I ought to be in for “fat burning”. For most of the run it stayed between 155 and 165, though the average at the end was at 155. Not way, way up there, but right at the 85% aerobic threshold. Didn’t feel short of breath at all. Stretched when I got done. Can’t emphasize how nice the run was. Can’t emphasize how nice it is to have marathon monkey off my back.

Speaking of the marathon monkey – darn, have my tendons, etc, been tight since NYC. No, I haven’t been stretching enough. But it’s been kind of building up since the race, to the point where it finally made me start doing a bunch of lower body stretching each morning. Think it’s turning the corner, and I think that starting to bike and run again will help keep my muscles loose; but ouch.

Usless Stats: 29:30, 3.2 miles, 451 calories, 30 sit-ups, 20 push-ups.

Training Planning / Book Reviews.

So, it’s almost December, and nigh on a month plus since I’ve done any real dedicated training. So I heighed me ho to yon Groton Public Library and snatched up a brace and a half of triathlon training books, and dug through the recesses of the Great Library of Jankexandria, where I unearthed a Navy Seal based program that got me thinking about getting fit almost three years ago now. The book links are through to Amazon. It also needs to be noted that these reviews are based on a less-than-thorough reading of the three tri books, and will likely be tweaked.

Triathlon 101
Triathlete’s Edge
The Navy Seal Workout
Triathlon Training

Triathlon 101 – Good stuff. Probably my favorite book in terms of balance of content and detail. Geared towards folks getting off the couch, but with enough meat for people who have been running or swimming or biking for a while. Great big flick book. My biggest gripe? Crummy to nonexistent training plans and minimal detail on stretches, exercises and weight routines, etc.

Triathlete’s Edge – On the initial “read”, this is my least favorite book. I’ll probably grow to like it about this time next year, after a full year of focusing on tri. It’s got great info on non-couch potato training plans. Good selection of stretches for all three sports, great swimming drills. Lots and lots of meat here. Gripes: Not enough pictures when describing exercises. Training plans are completely non-specific; focus on weekly and periodic targets. Again, I can see myself getting into this book in about a year, but for now, it’s a bit over my head. Think I might burn copies of the exercises, though.

Navy Seal Workout – I remember why I like this book: It takes me back over a decade to being yelled at by Marines and loving it. Lots of pictures. Lots of detail on stretches and upper and lower body gravity (as opposed to resistance or weights) exercises. 18 different stretches. 5 different pull ups. 4 different push-ups. 14 exercises for the core. Decent training plans for continuing training, with some info on how to transition from beginner-intermediate-advanced. In my mind’s eye, this is the program for me for the next few months. Gripes: No information on how to kill people with your bare hands. More pertinent, no accounting for overall lack of coordination, and the last straw here – no cycling. So, in practice, this is the program for me for the next few months, assuming I spend the next few months back on active duty and confined to a ship.

Triathlon Training – My favorite book. Shiny and glossy, few words on big pages. Lots of pictures, lots of bright colors. Motivational. The bits on training are a great compromise between Tri 101 and Tri Edge, and the training plans are the way I like them – specific to the day. Good drills for swimming and running. Cycling section includes recommendation to watch old TDF films. Gripes: All the training programs are race targeted; there’s nothing about maintenance or building base.

So, I know that y’all are asking at this point “What’s the plan, Stan?”

To which I answer – still dunno.

What I’m kicking around is something like the following:

First, I’ve got to add some gym time while the weather’s gnasty. Think I’m going to start doing M-W-F mornings at either the Y or the Newport base gym. TT recommends 2-6 weeks of “Muscle Endurance” – 12-15 core exercises per day, 12-20 reps in a minute per set, 30-60 seconds between sets, 2-3 sets per exercise. (Hey, there’s 12-15 core exercises in the Seal Book!) Dec to mid-Jan

Next phase is 4-6 weeks of “Strength-endurance”. 8-10 exercises (doesn’t specify core), 4-6 sets per exercise, 8-12 reps per minute per set. mid-Jan through Feb

After that, it’s strength and power for 4-6 weeks. TT’s got 7 exercises spec’d out – dumbell Bench Press, chin-ups, knee-tucks, inclined leg press, step-up with barbell, prone leg curl, and calf raises. March and April (Hey, it’s time to max the PRT!)

Then, Competition Phase, which in my case is going to be focusing on the Terramuggus Tri series. As soon as they announce the schedule, I can work backwards from the 8 week sprint tri program in TT.

On top of this, I’ve got to keep moving. The basis for the sprint training program is as follows:
Monday – swim
Tuesday – bike
Wed – run
Thu – swim
Fri – rest
Sat – bike
Sun – run

I’ll switch that up a little bit – probably swim Tues/Thurs nights still, and tack on a run or bike to the M/W/F gym sessions. Move the rest day to Sundays. Running intervals Wednesdays. Do one weekday bike of about 40 minutes. Keep the non-interval run to about 35 minutes. Alternate long bike/run on the weekends – bike weather permitting, or run otherwise.

Sweet. We’ve got a plan. If this were Navy tasking, I’d head down to the SK (storekeeper) shack and get a three ring binder to put it in. Got a binder, you’ve got a program. Got a program, you’ve got a fitness report bullet. Got a binder, you’ve got something that can be audited.

BTW, did you notice the intellectual sleight-of-hand that got me permission to sleep in tomorrow morning? Got to squash that.

So the plan needs tweaking, notably specifics as to which exercises I am going to do during each portion.

Great Moments in Parenting / Turkey Trot

So, Jake’s not an eater. Not quite sure exactly how it happened, he’s definitely my kid in pretty much every other ways – loves books, talks too much, gets a dopey grin when he’s busted. But the boy doesn’t like to eat. Honest to goodness, pretty much every evening he’s still working on supper after Missy, me, and Nate have chatted and had dessert. He’s not chubby, so it’s not that we’re trying to feed him too much. The boy just doesn’t like to eat (probably takes too much time away from talking)

Anyway, tonight he starts eating pretty well, but after about 5 minutes, he says “I don’t like this, can I be finished?” Uh, … no. “Um, I meant to say, I don’t feel good. Can I be finished?”

So, up until now, it’s just another evening – Nate, Missy, and I have dessert, and are chillin’ in the living room next to the tree, Jake is at the table pushing his food around the plate. Missy decides to step out and see the lights. Since Jake helped hang them, I drag him out, and the dog cleans his plate in the literally 2 minutes we’re outside. We decide that Jake’s done, what with the holidays and all, and get ready to hang some more ornaments He asks to go to bed.

Oh, crap.

Turns out he’s actually sick this time. Pukes all over the kitchen.

Ah, guilt.

—————

Turkey Trot –

Thursday was chilly, chilly. Snow on the ground when we woke up, rain falling. Dragged the family to the Y, Nate still in his footy pajamas. Jake was bouncing off the wall – slept in his sweats. At the Y, he kept running, warming up and all. They let us mill about the gym and assembly hall. Cute, huh?

Run was really informal – no clocks, no chips. Great t-shirts, though.

The race started well. The first hill, between the rear parking lot and the front was no problem. Jake was flying, and Nate was having a blast in the stroller. As we left the parking lot, one of Jake’s instructors from the Y was officiating, and cheered him on. Really, really boosted his spirits about a quarter of the way into the race to get a cheer.

Over the top of the big hill mid-course, and I thought that all would be well for the rest of the race. Jake really took off on the downhill, and made it about another 30 yards when he took his first walk break. Either that, or he really wanted to stomp that puddle.

The rest of the race was walk/run. He made a huge effort coming back into the Y – ran the whole way from the entrance to the finish. Nate even got into the spirit, saying “Go, bubba” for most of the half mile back. Then – playing at the beach. In the rain. Good Stuff.

Missy had a great race – most likely sub-9’s the whole way. She easily finished in the top half of the field.

Oh, since there’s a beach at the Y, it was a “Turkey Trot and Dip”. Most of the runners jumped in as soon as they finished, carrying a little warmth from the run into the water. Me? I’m having none of that. Chilled with the kiddos about 10 minutes waiting for Missy; Jumped into the Mystic River in late November at room temperature. Yep, it’s cold.

Turkey

Oh, forgot to mention I’m going to be racing again!

Mystic YMCA does an annual Turkey Trot and Dip. Missy’s doing the 3 mile race; Jake is running the 1 mile race, and Nate and I are going to be chasing Jake in with the stroller!

The funny thing? Since it’s my first official mile race, Jake and I are both going to set PR’s!

We drove the course on Sunday after Family Swim; Jake is a little bit intimidated by the hill between the start and the turn-around. I told him he’d be fine…