Last night I rode around longview again. I got in just over 24 miles. It was an easier pace but I really tried to hit the hills harder.
This morning, I had a 1250 yard swim with a main set consisting of 16x50 intervals. My times for today were right in the 1:35 range. Those were absolutely exhausting from a breathing perspective and some laps I definitely took longer than the 10 seconds of rest I was supposed to take.
Tonight, I went out for a 4 mile run. I was trying to run at a progressively increasing speed. This was a pretty easy run overall but running fast up the big hill on Todd George is a bitch.
Tomorrow is an off day before an 8-10 mile run and 35 mile ride on Saturday/Sunday.
Friday, March 30, 2012
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Run/Swim/Softball
I got a nice 4.5 mile run in the morning. I cut it back from 50 minutes to just under 40 since I pushed it harder on the bike on Monday night.
I swam 1250 yards over lunch. I did 9x100 main set (I accidentally did an extra interval cause I wasn't paying attention). My 100 yard times all fell right around the 1:35min/100 yard pace, which was pretty good. I don't know how much longer I could hold that pace for past 100 yards but I know intervals are helping.
I also played softball last night. My legs didn't work quite as well last night running all over the place. It was slow to take off and there wasn't the same top end speed I am used to but thats what working out in the morning will do to you I guess.
I swam 1250 yards over lunch. I did 9x100 main set (I accidentally did an extra interval cause I wasn't paying attention). My 100 yard times all fell right around the 1:35min/100 yard pace, which was pretty good. I don't know how much longer I could hold that pace for past 100 yards but I know intervals are helping.
I also played softball last night. My legs didn't work quite as well last night running all over the place. It was slow to take off and there wasn't the same top end speed I am used to but thats what working out in the morning will do to you I guess.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Best Recovery Day Ever
Today was the best start to a recovery week ever.
I started off with a swim unlike any other swim I have ever had before. I swam 1000 yards total. My first 300 yards were a variation of pull's and kick training. I then moved into my 10 x 50 yard interval set. All of my intervals were between 1:25 and 1:35 min/100 yards. As of two months ago, I was swimming 1:50-1:55 and as of the last couple weeks I have been swimming 1:40-1:50 so this was a significant speed improvement. I have to attribute a lot of this to the swim class I went to and the pull paddles and bouy.
After work, I went over to Longview Lake for 2 loops. I had considered riding the Martin City Group ride but I needed to get back home ASAP to get some work done tonight before bed and I know if I went to the group ride, I wouldn't get home until 9 or 9:30. In any event, my ride was better than my swim this morning. I rode 20.21 miles at an average speed of 20.6 mph. I did 2 loops around the lake and felt really good the entire time. This is my highest average speed ever and my first time averaging over 20 mph outside.
I am hoping the rest of my recovery week yields some great results as well as my distances are all shorter but the intensity should remain about the same as any other week if not more.
I started off with a swim unlike any other swim I have ever had before. I swam 1000 yards total. My first 300 yards were a variation of pull's and kick training. I then moved into my 10 x 50 yard interval set. All of my intervals were between 1:25 and 1:35 min/100 yards. As of two months ago, I was swimming 1:50-1:55 and as of the last couple weeks I have been swimming 1:40-1:50 so this was a significant speed improvement. I have to attribute a lot of this to the swim class I went to and the pull paddles and bouy.
After work, I went over to Longview Lake for 2 loops. I had considered riding the Martin City Group ride but I needed to get back home ASAP to get some work done tonight before bed and I know if I went to the group ride, I wouldn't get home until 9 or 9:30. In any event, my ride was better than my swim this morning. I rode 20.21 miles at an average speed of 20.6 mph. I did 2 loops around the lake and felt really good the entire time. This is my highest average speed ever and my first time averaging over 20 mph outside.
I am hoping the rest of my recovery week yields some great results as well as my distances are all shorter but the intensity should remain about the same as any other week if not more.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Rock the Parkway Groupie Run
This morning, I did my first ever group run that wasn't a race. The group in charge of Rock the Parkway Half Marathon but on an aided run. The coursed allowed for going outs 8 miles and coming back with gatorade and water every 2 miles. I ran out 6 and came back though. Along the way I met 2 other guys that biked 52 miles yesterday and are training for Ironman Kansas. They had a lot more in the tank at the end of the run than I did though :(
I was shooting for about an 8:30 min/mile pace but I ended up a little faster at 8:22. Iran just shy of 12 miles. My legs were feeling great when I woke up this morning but they were definitely feeling gassed at mile 6. I pushed through though to the end. I missed the negative split today by 4 seconds but I can live with that :)
I am really happy with how this week went. I am coming off of sickness at the end of last week and missing both my long ride and long run last weekend. I also had to convert my 2 weekday rides into indoor trainer rides on Monday and Wednesday because it was raining outside. Overall, I got in 103.02 miles in 9:10:42. This is my second 100+ mile week this month as well as my second one ever.
Next week is recovery week and I am looking forward to that. I start off with a nice easy swim tomorrow morning and a nice 20 mile ride tomorrow night. I might even hit up the Martin City Group ride.
I was shooting for about an 8:30 min/mile pace but I ended up a little faster at 8:22. Iran just shy of 12 miles. My legs were feeling great when I woke up this morning but they were definitely feeling gassed at mile 6. I pushed through though to the end. I missed the negative split today by 4 seconds but I can live with that :)
I am really happy with how this week went. I am coming off of sickness at the end of last week and missing both my long ride and long run last weekend. I also had to convert my 2 weekday rides into indoor trainer rides on Monday and Wednesday because it was raining outside. Overall, I got in 103.02 miles in 9:10:42. This is my second 100+ mile week this month as well as my second one ever.
Next week is recovery week and I am looking forward to that. I start off with a nice easy swim tomorrow morning and a nice 20 mile ride tomorrow night. I might even hit up the Martin City Group ride.
Saturday, March 24, 2012
50 mile ride
Today was awesome. I needed a 45+ mile ride and I got that in easily. I started out a little slow to get everything warmed up for the first 10-15 miles or so. I rode out to long view lake and did 1 loop. Then I started the second loop and really started to pick up speed and felt really good. When I finished that loop, I had about 30 or so miles down. I knew I could ride towards home and head north to finish up the route with some of my favorite riding territory around here.
In all today was a new record distance for me and I did it solo. I kept an average speed of 19.2 mph and that includes a lot of stopping at lights through town and then going again. I have my watch set to autopause when I stop completely, but that doesn't always provide an exact stopping point.
In all I got in 50.5 miles and I am looking forward to my 11-12 mile run tomorrow morning :)
In all today was a new record distance for me and I did it solo. I kept an average speed of 19.2 mph and that includes a lot of stopping at lights through town and then going again. I have my watch set to autopause when I stop completely, but that doesn't always provide an exact stopping point.
In all I got in 50.5 miles and I am looking forward to my 11-12 mile run tomorrow morning :)
Swim/Run
I missed my workouts yesterday due to some crazy stuff at work but I just moved them to today because this was supposed to be my rest day. Thats an easy way to flip flop workouts :)
I started with a 1500 yard swim. Main set was 4x200 intervals averaging around 1:40-1:42 min/100 yards. Good pace with better technique. I can definitely feel it getting easier, more efficient and faster. I also did warmup work with my pull paddles and that helps as well.
Then I showered off the chlorine, put on my running clothes and drove home. I ate an apple and a banana and planned a 5 mile route that I would attempt to average a 9 min/mile for so I could run for a nice aerobic 45 minutes. I ended up running 5.18 miles in just over 45 minutes. It was hard to slow pace down outside. I am so used to letting the treadmill control my aerobic runs but being outside is so much more fun.
Tomorrow, I will be on my bike for a little over 2 hours while I ride for 45 miles. I am still trying to figure out when I am going to fit it into the schedule whether it will be around 10 am or just after 3PM. Those are the best spots for it to fit in, so I'll need to figure that out before heading to bed.
I started with a 1500 yard swim. Main set was 4x200 intervals averaging around 1:40-1:42 min/100 yards. Good pace with better technique. I can definitely feel it getting easier, more efficient and faster. I also did warmup work with my pull paddles and that helps as well.
Then I showered off the chlorine, put on my running clothes and drove home. I ate an apple and a banana and planned a 5 mile route that I would attempt to average a 9 min/mile for so I could run for a nice aerobic 45 minutes. I ended up running 5.18 miles in just over 45 minutes. It was hard to slow pace down outside. I am so used to letting the treadmill control my aerobic runs but being outside is so much more fun.
Tomorrow, I will be on my bike for a little over 2 hours while I ride for 45 miles. I am still trying to figure out when I am going to fit it into the schedule whether it will be around 10 am or just after 3PM. Those are the best spots for it to fit in, so I'll need to figure that out before heading to bed.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
60 minute trainer ride
I was supposed to ride 30 miles outside tonight but it was raining and I try to avoid rides in the rain if possible. I ended up riding for 60 minutes on the trainer. I concentrated on keeping my heart rate over 135 and my cadence over 100. I still am not happy about having to revert to the trainer after riding outside as much as of late, but I think I can make it work for my training plan and not have to kill myself by riding for a long time on it.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Swim/Run
Feeling a lot better today so I was able to get in my swim and run.
My swim had a 10x50 yard kick interval set but seeing as I don't use my legs all that much when swimming, this seemed almost pointless to me and I changed it to a 5x50 yard freestyle set. Overall I swam 1500 yards. It was an awesome swim and I worked on my updated technique quite a bit. It definitely shows as the swim were moderate but I was able to consistently swim in the 1:41/100 yard or less range.
Tonight, it was raining so softball was out, but I still ran outside. This is my absolute most favorite running weather. Anything in the upper 50s and up is awesome to run in. I cranked out a hilly 7.21 miles with an average pace of 7:59min/mile. This run was moderate difficulty and I had an awesome time.
My swim had a 10x50 yard kick interval set but seeing as I don't use my legs all that much when swimming, this seemed almost pointless to me and I changed it to a 5x50 yard freestyle set. Overall I swam 1500 yards. It was an awesome swim and I worked on my updated technique quite a bit. It definitely shows as the swim were moderate but I was able to consistently swim in the 1:41/100 yard or less range.
Tonight, it was raining so softball was out, but I still ran outside. This is my absolute most favorite running weather. Anything in the upper 50s and up is awesome to run in. I cranked out a hilly 7.21 miles with an average pace of 7:59min/mile. This run was moderate difficulty and I had an awesome time.
Rough Weekend
Friday was a rest day so I was hoping to use that for some illness recovery.
Saturday, I was hoping to run, but at that point a sore throat a snuck into my list of symptoms so that pretty much ruled out cardio.
Sunday, I tried to run. I dumped a bunch of chloraseptic spray down my throat in hopes that that would help. I got about .75 miles in, when I couldn't go any further and I walked home :(
Yesterday, I finally was feeling better and my sore throat is nearly gone. I swam 1250 yards in the morning. It was a good swim and I concentrated a lot on good form. My speed was lower but I felt better swimming overall.
I was supposed to ride 25 miles last night but there was a monsoon outside. I really had no desire to ride my trainer whatsoever after riding outside so much lately. In any event, I rode 10 miles with an average speed of 16.8 and 100 cadence. This ride felt more difficult and my heart rate reflected that. I guess on rainy days, these kinds of workouts will be good replacements on the trainer.
Saturday, I was hoping to run, but at that point a sore throat a snuck into my list of symptoms so that pretty much ruled out cardio.
Sunday, I tried to run. I dumped a bunch of chloraseptic spray down my throat in hopes that that would help. I got about .75 miles in, when I couldn't go any further and I walked home :(
Yesterday, I finally was feeling better and my sore throat is nearly gone. I swam 1250 yards in the morning. It was a good swim and I concentrated a lot on good form. My speed was lower but I felt better swimming overall.
I was supposed to ride 25 miles last night but there was a monsoon outside. I really had no desire to ride my trainer whatsoever after riding outside so much lately. In any event, I rode 10 miles with an average speed of 16.8 and 100 cadence. This ride felt more difficult and my heart rate reflected that. I guess on rainy days, these kinds of workouts will be good replacements on the trainer.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Light Day
I felt sick last night after my bike ride. Running nose and congestion are hell on cardio workouts. I was supposed to run before work this morning, but I woke up and decided that wasn't going to happen. I wasn't really sure I was going to do anything today, but I had free swim lesson from another Cerner associate at the pool at the north campus at 5:30, so I really wanted to go to that.
I tried to do my 5 sets of pullups today, but I could tell I was feeling a little weak today, so I only did 4 sets and I will redo that set this weekend. I ended up doing 36, 40, 30, 24 and opted out of an additional set of 40.
After work, I drove up north to the gym and got there just in time for the lesson. It was very valuable and taught by another Cerner associate that has taught high school and college swim teams. I put some of the things he taught me to work after the fact with a 1300 yard swim. I did a 300 yard warm up concentrating on what I was told in the lesson. Then I did 100 yards of kick and another 100 yards with paddles. I finished with an 800 yard straight swim. The overall pace was a little slower today(about 1:48/100 yards) but felt a lot more comfortable and more efficient. I didn't get to do my 200 yard cooldown because the pool at that gym closes at 7 and they came and kicked me out.
I tried to do my 5 sets of pullups today, but I could tell I was feeling a little weak today, so I only did 4 sets and I will redo that set this weekend. I ended up doing 36, 40, 30, 24 and opted out of an additional set of 40.
After work, I drove up north to the gym and got there just in time for the lesson. It was very valuable and taught by another Cerner associate that has taught high school and college swim teams. I put some of the things he taught me to work after the fact with a 1300 yard swim. I did a 300 yard warm up concentrating on what I was told in the lesson. Then I did 100 yards of kick and another 100 yards with paddles. I finished with an 800 yard straight swim. The overall pace was a little slower today(about 1:48/100 yards) but felt a lot more comfortable and more efficient. I didn't get to do my 200 yard cooldown because the pool at that gym closes at 7 and they came and kicked me out.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Pushups and Bike Ride
Today, I took a step backward in pullups since I missed last times set by so much. I did 4,5, 6, 6, 7. This is significantly less than what was required last time but overall went fairly well. I think I will need to keep doing this before I can move up again.
Tonight I got on the road for nice 25.73 mile ride. I averaged 21.5 mph for the first 15 miles with wind at my back. On the way back, my average dropped to 19.5. The wind was brutal for that 10 miles. One of these days, I will keep my average over 20 for a whole ride.
Tonight I got on the road for nice 25.73 mile ride. I averaged 21.5 mph for the first 15 miles with wind at my back. On the way back, my average dropped to 19.5. The wind was brutal for that 10 miles. One of these days, I will keep my average over 20 for a whole ride.
Tough Day
Its becoming more readily apparent that Tuesdays are going to be rough due to Softball being on Tuesdays as well. In any event, I did pushups, running, softball and swimming today.
Pushups went awesomely this morning. It was a test day to see how many I could do total. I did 56 straight before needing to stick my butt up for a small break. I came back down and kept going doing sets of 5-20 with small plank or butt raise breaks to finish the full 100 today. Ideally, I want to be able to do these straight without any plank or butt breaks. But just being able to do 100 without going to my knees was awesome to me.
Then I got in a 50 minute, 5.68 mile run over lunch. I typically start off my aerobic runs around 6.5-7 mph and slowly increase the speed over the course of the run. This run was easy again and I another run on Thursday and a 9-10 mile run on Saturday. This will be the first week of breaking 20 miles of running in a while and I am looking forward to increasing my run mileage.
After work, we had softball. It was really nice out tonight and got in a lot of sprints running around in center field. I also was happy to win our first game tonight.
Swimming tonight didn't go as well as I would have liked. Considering what else I did today though, I can take a small dip in performance in a late night swim. I swam 1500 yards total. More stroke work with pull paddles and kick work before churning out 16x50 yard intervals tonight. Most of those intervals were about 3-5 seconds slower than normal though.
Pushups went awesomely this morning. It was a test day to see how many I could do total. I did 56 straight before needing to stick my butt up for a small break. I came back down and kept going doing sets of 5-20 with small plank or butt raise breaks to finish the full 100 today. Ideally, I want to be able to do these straight without any plank or butt breaks. But just being able to do 100 without going to my knees was awesome to me.
Then I got in a 50 minute, 5.68 mile run over lunch. I typically start off my aerobic runs around 6.5-7 mph and slowly increase the speed over the course of the run. This run was easy again and I another run on Thursday and a 9-10 mile run on Saturday. This will be the first week of breaking 20 miles of running in a while and I am looking forward to increasing my run mileage.
After work, we had softball. It was really nice out tonight and got in a lot of sprints running around in center field. I also was happy to win our first game tonight.
Swimming tonight didn't go as well as I would have liked. Considering what else I did today though, I can take a small dip in performance in a late night swim. I swam 1500 yards total. More stroke work with pull paddles and kick work before churning out 16x50 yard intervals tonight. Most of those intervals were about 3-5 seconds slower than normal though.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Pullups/Ride/Swim
Today start off somewhat bad. I went to bed way to late last night and couldn't force myself out of bed to get to the gym to swim. Then pullups came around at 10. I knew that our set was going to be crazy today as I had been dreading it for a while. The set was 8, 7, 8, 7, 8. Needless to say, there was a big failure in the amount of pullups I could do. I managed to do 8, 6, 5, 6, 4, 4. This was by far the hardest set we have ever done and because we did so poorly, we go back to our last set, do that when and then try this one again. We could be stuck here a while.....
After work went a lot better though. I rode 25 miles out at Longview Lake. I wish I could have ridden Martin City's group ride, but I think group rides will be few and far between for the time being as I need to get distance in and their routes typically only go 20 miles max. This ride went really well though. I average 19.5 mph through some decent hills and light wind. I had to deal with some light back pain in my lower back though. I think that is just soreness from deadlifts yesterday though. As soon as I stopped at a stop light and stretched, it felt a lot better.
I took about 2 hours break to get groceries and come home before heading back out to go to the pool. I swam 1250 yards total. 200 stroke work, 50 kick, and 50 more stroke work as a warmup. I finally got my pull paddles and I can see a lot clearer what my hands/arms should be doing. Then I swam 16x50 yards with 10 seconds rest between. Each lap was right around 50 seconds or 1:40/100yard pace. Then I did a light 150 yard swim to finish up.
After work went a lot better though. I rode 25 miles out at Longview Lake. I wish I could have ridden Martin City's group ride, but I think group rides will be few and far between for the time being as I need to get distance in and their routes typically only go 20 miles max. This ride went really well though. I average 19.5 mph through some decent hills and light wind. I had to deal with some light back pain in my lower back though. I think that is just soreness from deadlifts yesterday though. As soon as I stopped at a stop light and stretched, it felt a lot better.
I took about 2 hours break to get groceries and come home before heading back out to go to the pool. I swam 1250 yards total. 200 stroke work, 50 kick, and 50 more stroke work as a warmup. I finally got my pull paddles and I can see a lot clearer what my hands/arms should be doing. Then I swam 16x50 yards with 10 seconds rest between. Each lap was right around 50 seconds or 1:40/100yard pace. Then I did a light 150 yard swim to finish up.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Weekend Workouts
Lots of activity this weekend.
First I ran 4 miles at the St Patricks Day 4 mile run in Westport with Shari. We had a lot of fun running it, even though Shari likes to tell me to shut up when we are running. She didn't know this, but I was concentrating on a high cadence for the run to help with me leg turnover and I was able to keep it around 86 or 87 when we were running. Then she kept throwing me off with surprise sprints so I had to figure out what to do next. She finished in just under her goal of 55 minutes so that was pretty good. She also managed to run the whole first mile, which was hilly as crap, without stopping in 11:37.
Then we ate some food and I got my bike ready to ride. I met Joe at the downtown airport for some nice flat land riding. I rode 41 miles total. I rode the first 5 laps on my own at 21 mph. Then I caught Joe and rode with him for his last lap. We stopped when he was done and talked for a few minutes. Then I finished the last 5 laps I had for a total of 11. My average dropped on the lap with him but I was able to get it back up to 20 for the entire ride after he left. The airport is fun, gives you the opportunity to ride on some nice newly paved road with minimal hills. It was great for some aerobic training as you are constantly pedaling and can keep a pretty consistent hr. The downside is that you will always hit a wind going one way, so one direction will be a lot faster than the other.
Today, Shari and I went to 24 hour fitness. I needed to run 7-8 miles but it was raining outside and still a little chilly to run in the rain. I ran 8 miles in just over an hour. This run as most runs as of late was still pretty easy. I know that they are definitely going to pay off once I am ready to start the build phase of training and get faster. I finished up with a quick set of deadlifts. They are easily my favorite lift and are very beneficial.
My total mileage last week was 100.82 miles in 8:48:47. This is the first time I have broken 100 miles in my training so that was pretty cool.
First I ran 4 miles at the St Patricks Day 4 mile run in Westport with Shari. We had a lot of fun running it, even though Shari likes to tell me to shut up when we are running. She didn't know this, but I was concentrating on a high cadence for the run to help with me leg turnover and I was able to keep it around 86 or 87 when we were running. Then she kept throwing me off with surprise sprints so I had to figure out what to do next. She finished in just under her goal of 55 minutes so that was pretty good. She also managed to run the whole first mile, which was hilly as crap, without stopping in 11:37.
Then we ate some food and I got my bike ready to ride. I met Joe at the downtown airport for some nice flat land riding. I rode 41 miles total. I rode the first 5 laps on my own at 21 mph. Then I caught Joe and rode with him for his last lap. We stopped when he was done and talked for a few minutes. Then I finished the last 5 laps I had for a total of 11. My average dropped on the lap with him but I was able to get it back up to 20 for the entire ride after he left. The airport is fun, gives you the opportunity to ride on some nice newly paved road with minimal hills. It was great for some aerobic training as you are constantly pedaling and can keep a pretty consistent hr. The downside is that you will always hit a wind going one way, so one direction will be a lot faster than the other.
Today, Shari and I went to 24 hour fitness. I needed to run 7-8 miles but it was raining outside and still a little chilly to run in the rain. I ran 8 miles in just over an hour. This run as most runs as of late was still pretty easy. I know that they are definitely going to pay off once I am ready to start the build phase of training and get faster. I finished up with a quick set of deadlifts. They are easily my favorite lift and are very beneficial.
My total mileage last week was 100.82 miles in 8:48:47. This is the first time I have broken 100 miles in my training so that was pretty cool.
Friday, March 9, 2012
Pullups and 20 mile ride
I did pullups this morning at work. My 5 sets today were 4, 5, 6, 6, 7. Felt a little hard at the end today and Monday is going to be crazy. The sets on Monday are 8,7,8,7,8.
Today, I was making up for the ride I missed on Wednesday. I was supposed to ride 25 miles but I only rode 20. It was getting a little dark and I didn't want to stay out too much longer and risk getting hit. This ride went really well though. I compared it with another ride I did back on July 31, 2011. I averaged almost 3 mph faster on this ride over almost the exact same course. I definitely feel stronger riding these hills.
Tomorrow is going to be really fun. I am running a 4 mile race with Shari in the morning and then I am going to ride 40 miles on at the downtown airport. The loop is about 3.6 miles and is extremely flat. It will take me about 11 laps to complete the mileage but it should be really fun to just ride a flat course that I can average 20+ mph for 2 hours. I don't plan on doing this very often but it will be a nice outdoor aerobic ride.
Today, I was making up for the ride I missed on Wednesday. I was supposed to ride 25 miles but I only rode 20. It was getting a little dark and I didn't want to stay out too much longer and risk getting hit. This ride went really well though. I compared it with another ride I did back on July 31, 2011. I averaged almost 3 mph faster on this ride over almost the exact same course. I definitely feel stronger riding these hills.
Tomorrow is going to be really fun. I am running a 4 mile race with Shari in the morning and then I am going to ride 40 miles on at the downtown airport. The loop is about 3.6 miles and is extremely flat. It will take me about 11 laps to complete the mileage but it should be really fun to just ride a flat course that I can average 20+ mph for 2 hours. I don't plan on doing this very often but it will be a nice outdoor aerobic ride.
Wednesday Pullups - Swim/Pushups/Run Today
On Wednesday, I was feeling some exhaustion and pain from Tuesday so I decided against the bike ride that the training plan called for and pushed that until Friday. I did do pullups though. The 5 sets called for 8, 6, 5, 4, 7+. No + once again on pullups as they are getting really difficult.
Today, I got in a 1250 yard swim. I started with a 200 yard stroke work warmup, 50 yards of kicking and another 50 yards of stroke work. Then I did an 8x100 interval set with 15 seconds rest between sets. I finished with a 150 yard cooldown. Again my intervals ranged between 1:39 and 1:45 today. I guess that means I am just swimming faster now and I am okay with that. I finally bought some pull paddles though so I am hoping my technique will improve even more.
My 5 sets of pushups today were 29, 33, 29, 29, 40+. My 40+ today ended up being 49 for a total of 169 pullups. I have a test day coming up this weekend, so I will probably do those on Sunday.
I finished my workouts today on the treadmill with a 40 minute aerobic run. I am still trying to get my cadence up to 85+ and today I finally got myself to 83. I covered about 4.3 miles. I am really looking forward to quality days coming up in about a month where I will be able to start getting some faster run days in.
Today, I got in a 1250 yard swim. I started with a 200 yard stroke work warmup, 50 yards of kicking and another 50 yards of stroke work. Then I did an 8x100 interval set with 15 seconds rest between sets. I finished with a 150 yard cooldown. Again my intervals ranged between 1:39 and 1:45 today. I guess that means I am just swimming faster now and I am okay with that. I finally bought some pull paddles though so I am hoping my technique will improve even more.
My 5 sets of pushups today were 29, 33, 29, 29, 40+. My 40+ today ended up being 49 for a total of 169 pullups. I have a test day coming up this weekend, so I will probably do those on Sunday.
I finished my workouts today on the treadmill with a 40 minute aerobic run. I am still trying to get my cadence up to 85+ and today I finally got myself to 83. I covered about 4.3 miles. I am really looking forward to quality days coming up in about a month where I will be able to start getting some faster run days in.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Pushups/Swim/Run/Softball
Today involved a lot of activities.
I skipped the morning swim so I could get in a little more sleep instead. I did pushups at work. My sets today were 21, 25, 21, 21, 32+. Again, no + on the pushups and I barely managed to do the full 32 at the end, but I did it without dropping to my knees and with only a few plank breaks after 15 or 20 pushups.
After work, I went to the gym to get in my swim and run for the day. The swim was a 1500 yard interval swim. I started with 300 yards of stroke work, 100 yards of kicking and another 100 yards of stroke work. Then I did 4x200 yard intervals with 20 seconds of rest between. I took some extra time between a couple sets because I needed them. Then I did a 200 yard cooldown. I felt like I was swimming more efficiently and faster and my watch times agreed. My 100 yard splits on the intervals were right around 1:40 which is about 10 seconds faster than normal. I am interested to see if that had to do with pool length though because I swam in a different pool tonight. I guess I will find out on Thursday, when I head back to my normal pool.
I transitioned to the treadmill in about 15 minutes, taking some time to dry off and change into running clothes. This wasn't supposed to be a brick workout but since I didn't swim in the morning, I had to get it in tonight. I had no problem taking a little time between workouts because of that. My run tonight was a relaxed 45 minute run. I covered 4.83 miles at an average pace of 9:20. I don't think I will ever get to the point where I enjoy running right after being in the pool. The chlorine sucks and makes me sweat about 10x more than normal.
After that I had about 45 minutes to get ready to head to softball. We played 2 games over about 1 and a half hours. As usual, we lost but we had fun and I got a little more activity in for the day.
I skipped the morning swim so I could get in a little more sleep instead. I did pushups at work. My sets today were 21, 25, 21, 21, 32+. Again, no + on the pushups and I barely managed to do the full 32 at the end, but I did it without dropping to my knees and with only a few plank breaks after 15 or 20 pushups.
After work, I went to the gym to get in my swim and run for the day. The swim was a 1500 yard interval swim. I started with 300 yards of stroke work, 100 yards of kicking and another 100 yards of stroke work. Then I did 4x200 yard intervals with 20 seconds of rest between. I took some extra time between a couple sets because I needed them. Then I did a 200 yard cooldown. I felt like I was swimming more efficiently and faster and my watch times agreed. My 100 yard splits on the intervals were right around 1:40 which is about 10 seconds faster than normal. I am interested to see if that had to do with pool length though because I swam in a different pool tonight. I guess I will find out on Thursday, when I head back to my normal pool.
I transitioned to the treadmill in about 15 minutes, taking some time to dry off and change into running clothes. This wasn't supposed to be a brick workout but since I didn't swim in the morning, I had to get it in tonight. I had no problem taking a little time between workouts because of that. My run tonight was a relaxed 45 minute run. I covered 4.83 miles at an average pace of 9:20. I don't think I will ever get to the point where I enjoy running right after being in the pool. The chlorine sucks and makes me sweat about 10x more than normal.
After that I had about 45 minutes to get ready to head to softball. We played 2 games over about 1 and a half hours. As usual, we lost but we had fun and I got a little more activity in for the day.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Swim/Pullups/Ride
I swam 1000 yards this morning. This included intervals.
At work I did pullups. The five sets for today were 7, 6, 5, 6, 7+. My last set was only 7 though. Getting the + is getting harder and harder.
Tonight, I rode 16.5 miles at the Martin City Brewery group ride. It was a fun ride and fun route. I can't wait for the daylight to come back though.
At work I did pullups. The five sets for today were 7, 6, 5, 6, 7+. My last set was only 7 though. Getting the + is getting harder and harder.
Tonight, I rode 16.5 miles at the Martin City Brewery group ride. It was a fun ride and fun route. I can't wait for the daylight to come back though.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Weekend Workouts
On Saturday morning, I woke up and decided to run on the treadmill instead of outside. It was in the 30s but more importantly, I wanted to make sure my 50 minutes of running was at a slower pace unlike Thursday's run. I ended up running 5.29 miles in that 50 minutes. Everything went smoothly and I am looking forward to getting in some longer runs next week as I come off these recovery week runs.
I also did pushups on Saturday night. My dad and I both did our sets at my cousin's Lacrosse match in Columbia. My sets for yesterday were 21, 25, 21, 21, 32+. The last set was the first time I failed to complete a full set yet. I only managed to do 28 before my arms gave out. I got back up after a few seconds and did the last 4. After a few minutes, I found a place to do 20 decline pushups and then I was done.
After driving back from Mizzou this morning, I swapped my trainer tire off my bike for my road tire and got ready to ride outside. I planned a route that was about 31 miles. I failed to realize how windy it was until I got out there though. It seemed like whenever I faced North, South or West the wind would just blow right back in my face unrelenting. I averaged about 16.5 mph for the first half of the ride as I rode West and almost 20+ mph riding back east. The 31.13 mile ride consisted of almost 2300 feet of climbing as I tried to hit most of the big hills I know about in Lee's Summit. I still finished the ride in 1:43 for an average just over 18 mph. I hope Lawrence doesn't have much wind in June, cause I want to go fast then.
I also did pushups on Saturday night. My dad and I both did our sets at my cousin's Lacrosse match in Columbia. My sets for yesterday were 21, 25, 21, 21, 32+. The last set was the first time I failed to complete a full set yet. I only managed to do 28 before my arms gave out. I got back up after a few seconds and did the last 4. After a few minutes, I found a place to do 20 decline pushups and then I was done.
After driving back from Mizzou this morning, I swapped my trainer tire off my bike for my road tire and got ready to ride outside. I planned a route that was about 31 miles. I failed to realize how windy it was until I got out there though. It seemed like whenever I faced North, South or West the wind would just blow right back in my face unrelenting. I averaged about 16.5 mph for the first half of the ride as I rode West and almost 20+ mph riding back east. The 31.13 mile ride consisted of almost 2300 feet of climbing as I tried to hit most of the big hills I know about in Lee's Summit. I still finished the ride in 1:43 for an average just over 18 mph. I hope Lawrence doesn't have much wind in June, cause I want to go fast then.
Friday, March 2, 2012
Lift/Swim/Pullups
I started off the morning with some lifting. I did squats (2x15 @ 135 lbs), overhead press (2x15 @ 75 lbs), deadlifts (2x15 @ 135 lbs), barbell curls (2x15 @ 40 lbs) and lunges (2x15 each leg with no weight).
Then I jumped in the pool for a 1000 yard swim. The swim consisted of a 300 yard warmup, 500 yards of straight swimming @ 1:51/100 yard pace, and 200 yard cooldown. I really concentrated on my glide and stroke today. I managed to get my average strokes per length to 10.6 which is down from my typical 11+ average. This is showing some improvements in my efficiency and is good to see. Now I just need to work on power. I would honestly be happy averaging 1:45/100 yard pace for any triathlons I do.
At work, I did pullups. I went in thinking this things were gonna be hard and that definitely showed today even though my form was significantly better. I was able to touch my chest on almost every set. My 5 sets for the day were 5, 4, 5, 6, 7+. Today there was no + for me though. I barely finished the 7. Swimming and lifting in the morning before hand definitely showed.
Tonight called for 20 mile ride, but I was feeling pretty tired and the lifting definitely took a toll on te this morning. I took a nap when I got home and was hoping I would feel a little better for a ride afterwards but that didn't give me enough energy so I decided to take the night off. Its not called a recovery week so you can work to exhaustion :)
Then I jumped in the pool for a 1000 yard swim. The swim consisted of a 300 yard warmup, 500 yards of straight swimming @ 1:51/100 yard pace, and 200 yard cooldown. I really concentrated on my glide and stroke today. I managed to get my average strokes per length to 10.6 which is down from my typical 11+ average. This is showing some improvements in my efficiency and is good to see. Now I just need to work on power. I would honestly be happy averaging 1:45/100 yard pace for any triathlons I do.
At work, I did pullups. I went in thinking this things were gonna be hard and that definitely showed today even though my form was significantly better. I was able to touch my chest on almost every set. My 5 sets for the day were 5, 4, 5, 6, 7+. Today there was no + for me though. I barely finished the 7. Swimming and lifting in the morning before hand definitely showed.
Tonight called for 20 mile ride, but I was feeling pretty tired and the lifting definitely took a toll on te this morning. I took a nap when I got home and was hoping I would feel a little better for a ride afterwards but that didn't give me enough energy so I decided to take the night off. Its not called a recovery week so you can work to exhaustion :)
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Swim/Pushups/Run
I woke up again for a swim this morning. It was another 1000 yard swim. It was a similar workout to yesterday. 200 yard stroke work, 50 yard kick and another 50 yard stroke work for warmup. I followed that up with 10x50 sets with 10 seconds rest between and then a 200 yard cooldown.
At work, I did pushups for the 100 pushup challenge today. Todays 5 sets were 22, 30, 20, 20, 28+. I managed do 33 on the last set for a total of 125 pushups today. I followed that up with 20 decline pushups just for a little extra kick.
The weather outside was 70 when I left work and in the 60s by the time I got out and started running. I ran 5 miles in 40:22. Today's goal was to run at an 8:30 pace for about 40 min. Shortly after I started running, I realized it is tremendously hard to run at an 8:30 pace now. I feel like I am almost walking at that pace and couldn't maintain a pace that slow. I remember a year ago when running at an 8:30 pace was hard for me. I was working on keeping shorter strides with a higher turnover and that went well.
My right foot felt awesome when I woke up and very little pain while running today. I am glad to use this recovery week as an easy week to help it recover more. I will managed to get all my swimming and biking in this week, but I am going to skip 1 run because it doesn't fit in to the schedule well, due to vacation, and I want to give my foot a little more recovery time.
At work, I did pushups for the 100 pushup challenge today. Todays 5 sets were 22, 30, 20, 20, 28+. I managed do 33 on the last set for a total of 125 pushups today. I followed that up with 20 decline pushups just for a little extra kick.
The weather outside was 70 when I left work and in the 60s by the time I got out and started running. I ran 5 miles in 40:22. Today's goal was to run at an 8:30 pace for about 40 min. Shortly after I started running, I realized it is tremendously hard to run at an 8:30 pace now. I feel like I am almost walking at that pace and couldn't maintain a pace that slow. I remember a year ago when running at an 8:30 pace was hard for me. I was working on keeping shorter strides with a higher turnover and that went well.
My right foot felt awesome when I woke up and very little pain while running today. I am glad to use this recovery week as an easy week to help it recover more. I will managed to get all my swimming and biking in this week, but I am going to skip 1 run because it doesn't fit in to the schedule well, due to vacation, and I want to give my foot a little more recovery time.
Swim/Pullups/Ride
After 3 days of no official cardio or strength work, I jumped back in today with a swim, some pullups and a trainer ride. I was thinking I would run today, but my foot felt the best it has in a while and I thought 1 extra day off might be good for it. This is a recovery week as well, so if I have to put less stress on it this week, that is okay.
In any event, I swam 1000 yards this morning. I did 300 yards warm up with 250 yard stroke work and 50 yards of kicking. Then I followed that up with 5x100 yard intervals with 15 seconds of rest between sets. I finished with a nice and easy 200.
My pullups for the day were supposed to be a max set. I think swimming in the morning will always result in me being able to do less pushups/pullups than I could have with no swimming. I was hoping to do 12 but only managed to do 9. I did 4 or 5 more sets to get to 30 total for the day.
The weather was nice out tonight but I didn't have my bike with me so no group ride. It still is a little dark around 6:30 and I don't feel comfortable riding solo then so I stuck with the trainer. I rode 20 miles tonight at 16 mph and a cadence of 95. I am really looking forward to daylight savings time in a couple weeks so I can get outside and ride more on my own when I can't do group rides.
In any event, I swam 1000 yards this morning. I did 300 yards warm up with 250 yard stroke work and 50 yards of kicking. Then I followed that up with 5x100 yard intervals with 15 seconds of rest between sets. I finished with a nice and easy 200.
My pullups for the day were supposed to be a max set. I think swimming in the morning will always result in me being able to do less pushups/pullups than I could have with no swimming. I was hoping to do 12 but only managed to do 9. I did 4 or 5 more sets to get to 30 total for the day.
The weather was nice out tonight but I didn't have my bike with me so no group ride. It still is a little dark around 6:30 and I don't feel comfortable riding solo then so I stuck with the trainer. I rode 20 miles tonight at 16 mph and a cadence of 95. I am really looking forward to daylight savings time in a couple weeks so I can get outside and ride more on my own when I can't do group rides.
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