Last night was the usual track workout at DVC, but not like usual Wayne was not there. That was kind of a bummer, especially since his replacement seemed to be in a very very bad mood :(
We spent a long time in the beginning doing strength and conditioning stuffs such as plank, side plank, push ups, crunches, one leg squats, balancing on one leg, one leg hops... I'm sure there were others but I forget at the moment. We did all that, and then we repeated it 3 times which is why it took forever.
Well I thought it took forever because I was really looking forward to the running. It was supposed to be a tempo run - 10 min easy, level 3-4 then 20 min hard @ level 7-8 and then finish with another 10 min easy @ level 3-4. Too bad we only ran for a total of 25 min before Coach told us to wrap it up so we could do stair steps for the last 10 or so min. Boo... but I guess it was good because my heart rate was def. in the anaerobic zone and I'm not sure how much more I could have sustained.
The calendar says today is a rest day, but I think that I have done enough resting this week. I wish I had time to swim or something, but I really don't forsee that happening :(
Tomorrow is a bike/run brick in Half Moon Bay. I really hope someone pitches in last minute and covers my aid stop duties, I really want to do the workout instead of just sitting there!!
Like what you have read so far? Please support my training and help find a cure for Leukemia and Lymphoma by donating today
Friday, February 19, 2010
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Valentine's weekend adventures
So much for biking this weekend, I spent it either running or hiking up hill...
Saturday:
Alex and I hit the gym mid-morning to get our busy day started. Alex went to swim because he missed it on Friday and I decided to do Sunday's workout, which was run for 60 min. I don't think I have ever run for 60 solid minutes without walking, but I was determined to make it. It was such a nice day out so instead of pounding it out for an hour on the treadmill, I took it to the Iron Horse trail. I ran all the way from the 24hr Fitness in San Ramon, along the Iron Horse trail, all the way out to Sycamore Valley road and back. It took me 34 min to get to Sycamore Valley road, and as I was running along the trail, I found that I was sustaining a sub-10 min/mile pace. Whoo hoo!! Now I only wish I had the Garmin 310XT so I could really know how far I went, but based on my mile times, I guessing I ran a total of 6.5 - 7 miles that morning. Maybe I can justify getting it, since I have and Ironman coming up and all... By the time I got back, my watch read 1hr 9min, which I thought was kinda odd since the distance did not get any shorter coming back, I thought I was running slower because I was trying to keep my heart rate from spiking, AND I got stuck at the light on Crow Canyon road coming back (I got lucky and made it going out) so I don't really know how that happened other than I really wasn't running slower even though I was trying to (which definately explains why I couldn't get my heart rate to drop...)
Sunday:
Alex and I each ate our body weight at an awesome Valentine's Day brunch. There was soo much food of every kind. We justified our gluttony by saying we had to fuel up for our first back packing trip (together). After brunch we went to Point Reyes to start our trip. We hiked out to Glen Camp and it must have taken us 2-3 hours. We got there right as the sun was starting to set, but we didn't get to see any kind of sunset because we were in a little valley on to of a mountain. It felt like the entire hike was all up hill, and it probably was, save for one small part in the beginning.
Monday:
When I woke up I wasn't sure exactly how I was going to manage to hike since I was pretty sore from running on Saturday and all the up hill yesterday, but I motivated myself by saying "it can't go up hill forever"... FAMOUS LAST WORDS. Because it did go up hill forever... We were trying to get to the coast to see Alamere Falls, but by the time we hiked all the way down into Wildcat, we realized the only way out was back UP the super massive hill we just came down, and the waterfall would add at least another 2 miles to our already long 8-10 miler that day, and we were running low on food and fuel, so we cut our losses and headed home. I don't even know how it happened, but I swear we spent at least 75% of the entire trip going up hill. It was awful and by the time we got back to the car, we were pretty pathetic looking and really really sore :(
Tuesday:
I don't care what the training calendar says, TODAY IS A REST DAY!!!!! I'm so sore I'm barely even able to limp around the office :(. Next time I back pack, less miles and less hills for sure
Today:
The calendar says to swim and I think thats all my body can handle right now... My left calf is still very tender to the touch and my legs are still very tight. Running wouldn't really happen, but at least I can walk normally today. Biking is a maybe, but I don't think I'll be able to warm up into it, so in the water I go after work. Hopefully the pool isn't too crowded.
Like what you have read so far? Please support my training and help find a cure for Leukemia and Lymphoma by donating today
Saturday:
Alex and I hit the gym mid-morning to get our busy day started. Alex went to swim because he missed it on Friday and I decided to do Sunday's workout, which was run for 60 min. I don't think I have ever run for 60 solid minutes without walking, but I was determined to make it. It was such a nice day out so instead of pounding it out for an hour on the treadmill, I took it to the Iron Horse trail. I ran all the way from the 24hr Fitness in San Ramon, along the Iron Horse trail, all the way out to Sycamore Valley road and back. It took me 34 min to get to Sycamore Valley road, and as I was running along the trail, I found that I was sustaining a sub-10 min/mile pace. Whoo hoo!! Now I only wish I had the Garmin 310XT so I could really know how far I went, but based on my mile times, I guessing I ran a total of 6.5 - 7 miles that morning. Maybe I can justify getting it, since I have and Ironman coming up and all... By the time I got back, my watch read 1hr 9min, which I thought was kinda odd since the distance did not get any shorter coming back, I thought I was running slower because I was trying to keep my heart rate from spiking, AND I got stuck at the light on Crow Canyon road coming back (I got lucky and made it going out) so I don't really know how that happened other than I really wasn't running slower even though I was trying to (which definately explains why I couldn't get my heart rate to drop...)
Sunday:
Alex and I each ate our body weight at an awesome Valentine's Day brunch. There was soo much food of every kind. We justified our gluttony by saying we had to fuel up for our first back packing trip (together). After brunch we went to Point Reyes to start our trip. We hiked out to Glen Camp and it must have taken us 2-3 hours. We got there right as the sun was starting to set, but we didn't get to see any kind of sunset because we were in a little valley on to of a mountain. It felt like the entire hike was all up hill, and it probably was, save for one small part in the beginning.
Monday:
When I woke up I wasn't sure exactly how I was going to manage to hike since I was pretty sore from running on Saturday and all the up hill yesterday, but I motivated myself by saying "it can't go up hill forever"... FAMOUS LAST WORDS. Because it did go up hill forever... We were trying to get to the coast to see Alamere Falls, but by the time we hiked all the way down into Wildcat, we realized the only way out was back UP the super massive hill we just came down, and the waterfall would add at least another 2 miles to our already long 8-10 miler that day, and we were running low on food and fuel, so we cut our losses and headed home. I don't even know how it happened, but I swear we spent at least 75% of the entire trip going up hill. It was awful and by the time we got back to the car, we were pretty pathetic looking and really really sore :(
Tuesday:
I don't care what the training calendar says, TODAY IS A REST DAY!!!!! I'm so sore I'm barely even able to limp around the office :(. Next time I back pack, less miles and less hills for sure
Today:
The calendar says to swim and I think thats all my body can handle right now... My left calf is still very tender to the touch and my legs are still very tight. Running wouldn't really happen, but at least I can walk normally today. Biking is a maybe, but I don't think I'll be able to warm up into it, so in the water I go after work. Hopefully the pool isn't too crowded.
Like what you have read so far? Please support my training and help find a cure for Leukemia and Lymphoma by donating today
Friday, February 12, 2010
Perpetuem and Hammer Gel vs. Gatorade and PowerGel???
Last night, Coach Wayne gave a lecture on nutrition and it was really helpful. He talked about what you need to sustain your energy over several hours during an endurance event and what you should avoid (mostly eating at every aid station during century rides... just because there are PB&J sandwiched and boiled/salted potatoes at every aid station does not mean you should be eating them every time). He stressed the importance of trying your fuel plan several times before race day and making sure that it is enough of what your body needs. That got me thinking about what I really need - am I getting enough electrolytes? enough carbs and protein? enough fat? Too much fat???? I haven't yet discovered what my minimum energy needs are but I think that I know what works for me. I can usually get by on just gatorade for about 3 hours and then I crash and if I mix in some PowerGels, I can make it a bit longer. Wayne was saying that if this works for me, just keep doing it, but in his experience, Gatorade has too much sugar and not enough electrolytes. He was really promoting electrolyte tabs, such as Enduralytes, because you can easily adjust your intake. The only problem that I was seeing with that was that you had to take 3-6 tabs EVERY HOUR!! That's crazy! I can't imagine having to pop a pill and wash it down with water every 10-20 min AND eat on a regular schedule AND still cycle... Wayne said that when he was doing Ironman Arizona he ate an entire bottle of Enduralytes on the bike... Thats like 100 tablets!!!!!
But the nutrition talk was useful and got me thinking... am I getting enough electrolytes? I dont really want to have to take a whole bottle of tablets but at the same time, Gatorade does not have all the critial components (like magnesium) needed to help your body absorb the fuel you are putting in. So first things first, I need to determine my minimum calorie/carb/protein/electrolyte needs and then build my nutrition plan from the ground up. I am also thinking of switching from my current Gatorade and PowerGel regimine to Perpetuem and Hammer Gel for my longer distance trainings. Perpetuem is a complete fuel formula designed for endurance activities lasting longer than 3 hours and each "scoop" of the unflavored powder has 135 cal, 110mg sodium, 28.5g of carbs, 3.5 gram of protein, and 2.25g fat. It also has other electrolytes in it, but no real flavor, so I also got some Espresso flavored Hammer Gel to flavor the Pertpetuem and give me a boost of caffine :). I can't wait to try it out!!
After I got home from Walnut Creek I hopped on my bike hoping to spin for an hour. I only made it 45 min, but thats better than last time. My foot fell asleep early on and after 45 min I couldn't take it anymore. O well. I still would like areo-bars for my bike, but then I think I would have to move the seat more forward and that might affect how it rides as a road bike.
This morning I got up (late) and decided I would swim before I had to be at work at 1. When I got to the pool, it was pretty empty, but as soon as 10 rolled around everybody and their brother showed up. It was really weird... The swim was supposed to be 3500m, but I think I only made it ~2000m before I felt like I was starving, even though I had oatmeal for breakfast. That is at least the second time that has happened, so I think I'm taking oatmeal off my pre-workout foods list. I got out of the pool and went home to do some core strength and conditioning. I wish I had been thinking ahead and brought gym shorts and a sports bra with me so I could have done strength and conditioning there, but I didn't. Live and learn I guess.
Like what you have read so far? Please support my training and help find a cure for Leukemia and Lymphoma by donating today.
But the nutrition talk was useful and got me thinking... am I getting enough electrolytes? I dont really want to have to take a whole bottle of tablets but at the same time, Gatorade does not have all the critial components (like magnesium) needed to help your body absorb the fuel you are putting in. So first things first, I need to determine my minimum calorie/carb/protein/electrolyte needs and then build my nutrition plan from the ground up. I am also thinking of switching from my current Gatorade and PowerGel regimine to Perpetuem and Hammer Gel for my longer distance trainings. Perpetuem is a complete fuel formula designed for endurance activities lasting longer than 3 hours and each "scoop" of the unflavored powder has 135 cal, 110mg sodium, 28.5g of carbs, 3.5 gram of protein, and 2.25g fat. It also has other electrolytes in it, but no real flavor, so I also got some Espresso flavored Hammer Gel to flavor the Pertpetuem and give me a boost of caffine :). I can't wait to try it out!!
After I got home from Walnut Creek I hopped on my bike hoping to spin for an hour. I only made it 45 min, but thats better than last time. My foot fell asleep early on and after 45 min I couldn't take it anymore. O well. I still would like areo-bars for my bike, but then I think I would have to move the seat more forward and that might affect how it rides as a road bike.
This morning I got up (late) and decided I would swim before I had to be at work at 1. When I got to the pool, it was pretty empty, but as soon as 10 rolled around everybody and their brother showed up. It was really weird... The swim was supposed to be 3500m, but I think I only made it ~2000m before I felt like I was starving, even though I had oatmeal for breakfast. That is at least the second time that has happened, so I think I'm taking oatmeal off my pre-workout foods list. I got out of the pool and went home to do some core strength and conditioning. I wish I had been thinking ahead and brought gym shorts and a sports bra with me so I could have done strength and conditioning there, but I didn't. Live and learn I guess.
Like what you have read so far? Please support my training and help find a cure for Leukemia and Lymphoma by donating today.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
I will not slack on the updates....
... much :)
Monday evening I went back to the gym and did a bunch of lower body strength and conditioning. I'm still feeling it... It hurts to sneeze, cough and laugh. I couldn't even ride my horse yesterday because my abs were on fire and I had to half-halt 20 times a second since Roxy had a hot date or something.
Tuesday I swam in the morning. It was hard to get out up when my alarm went off at 5, but I eventually hauled myself out of bed by 5:15. I was at the gym and in the pool by 6. I like going to the pool tuesday mornings because Ironteam is also there and its nice to see other Team in Training people. I drilled for a bit, maybe 15 min or so and then I started on the main work out which was 2 x 1000m. I've decided that since I'm doing Boise 70.3, I need to up my workouts to the "advanced" level. The intermediate would have been 2 x 750m, but I think that when you are swimming those distances, 30 or 40 laps is all the same. Just keep swimming, just keep swimming...
Today is a bike day - 60 min for the advanced level... Last night I was thinking that I could easily do it in the morning, like what I was orginally thinking on Monday. And also like Monday, I had another fight with that "voice"... but this time my will was weaker. I was feeling really tired all yesterday and so I think that I made the right choice by getting an extra hour of sleep this morning. And there is always tonight, at home with my super swanky new trainer. But I am also helping Colby move in tonight out in Foster City, so we will see what time I get home. And there is always tomorrow night, after Wayne's lectures at Sports Basement. Usually Thursday's are DVC track work outs, but Coach Wayne decided to hold lectures on Nutrition and other tri stuffs this week. Apparently an article he wrote just got published in "Triathlon" magazine, or whatever publication USAT puts out. Maybe I'll try and find that article and link it here...
So I can always try and find an hour tomorrow to spin... All is not lost, but I do need to do it. I think that the bike is my weakest part, definatly where I could use the most improvement. Whenever I bike I always feel like I don't have enough power and that I'm forever in the back of the pack. I need to build up my quads I think and that will really help me. And thats why I have a trainer :)
Like what you have read so far? Please support my training and help find a cure for Leukemia and Lymphoma by donating today.
Monday evening I went back to the gym and did a bunch of lower body strength and conditioning. I'm still feeling it... It hurts to sneeze, cough and laugh. I couldn't even ride my horse yesterday because my abs were on fire and I had to half-halt 20 times a second since Roxy had a hot date or something.
Tuesday I swam in the morning. It was hard to get out up when my alarm went off at 5, but I eventually hauled myself out of bed by 5:15. I was at the gym and in the pool by 6. I like going to the pool tuesday mornings because Ironteam is also there and its nice to see other Team in Training people. I drilled for a bit, maybe 15 min or so and then I started on the main work out which was 2 x 1000m. I've decided that since I'm doing Boise 70.3, I need to up my workouts to the "advanced" level. The intermediate would have been 2 x 750m, but I think that when you are swimming those distances, 30 or 40 laps is all the same. Just keep swimming, just keep swimming...
Today is a bike day - 60 min for the advanced level... Last night I was thinking that I could easily do it in the morning, like what I was orginally thinking on Monday. And also like Monday, I had another fight with that "voice"... but this time my will was weaker. I was feeling really tired all yesterday and so I think that I made the right choice by getting an extra hour of sleep this morning. And there is always tonight, at home with my super swanky new trainer. But I am also helping Colby move in tonight out in Foster City, so we will see what time I get home. And there is always tomorrow night, after Wayne's lectures at Sports Basement. Usually Thursday's are DVC track work outs, but Coach Wayne decided to hold lectures on Nutrition and other tri stuffs this week. Apparently an article he wrote just got published in "Triathlon" magazine, or whatever publication USAT puts out. Maybe I'll try and find that article and link it here...
So I can always try and find an hour tomorrow to spin... All is not lost, but I do need to do it. I think that the bike is my weakest part, definatly where I could use the most improvement. Whenever I bike I always feel like I don't have enough power and that I'm forever in the back of the pack. I need to build up my quads I think and that will really help me. And thats why I have a trainer :)
Like what you have read so far? Please support my training and help find a cure for Leukemia and Lymphoma by donating today.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Back on the blogging bandwagon...
Ok... I dropped the ball on my blogging for a while but now I have re-newed interest in it. Not only am I helping Alex train for his first ever triathlon, but I am also training for my first ever half iron distance race the will be coming up on June 12th in Boise ID!!!
Most recent notable events and milestones:
January 30th - Ran my first 10K race and placed third in my division. It was a trail run in the beautiful (and muddy!!!!!) Briones regional park. The views were breath-taking and I had a blast!! The event was hosted by Brazen Racing and they did a really great job. I can't wait to do the Wildcat race that they are organizing on April 24th. I haven't signed up yet and I havent decided if I want to do the 10K or the Half Marathon. I have to run a half marathon for the Boise 70.3 but thats not until June 12th, over a month after the Wildcat race... We'll see
February 6th - Alex did his first open (salt) water swim in SF Bay. It went as well as could be expected and definately better than his last open water swim at Shadow Cliffs. The water in the bay wasn't as cold as I thought it would be which was a pleasant surprise but definately just as salty and foul as I remember. There were no surfboards or kayaks so we didn't swim far (around the cigarette bouys) but rather just along the shore line and practiced doing mass starts into the waves. Poor Alex, as he was swimming along in the mass start, John (one of the other Winter participants) knocked off his goggles and they sank to the bottom of the ocean :( :( But luckily Nancy saw and ran to get him one of her spare pairs so he could keep swimming. He still needs to learn how to relax in the cold because he couldn't figure out how to breath into the ocean water. He would hold his breath for several strokes and then take his head completly out of the water, gasp for a bit, take a really big breath and then swim a few strokes and repeat... Lucky for him, HI has much warmer water. Not so lucky for me as the projected water temp in Boise is about 60 degrees (warmer than the bay, but you still need a wet suit)
So onwards with my training... I'm trying really hard to get up in the morning and work out before I have to go to work so that way, I have the option of going to the gym again after work, but I won't feel bad if I don't make it. So this morning I made good on my training plan (sorta...) I wanted to get up at 5 and spin for an hour (on my cool new trainer!!!) but when the alarm went off that little voice in my head started to reason with me: "If you get up now and start spinning at 530, you will be done at 630... that's 1/2 and hour before you need to be in the shower... So why don't you get up at 530 and spin from 6-7 and then you can sleep an extra half hour?" Stupid voice, but you got to admit I (?) had a point, and 30 extra min of sleep was sounding pretty good... So I did get out of bed at 530 and put of my gear, went down stairs for a light breakfast and to make some gatorade and then got on my bike just before 6. I started to spin but only made it to 630 before I was dead tired and decided to cool out. And of course the voice was there: "30 min is better than nothing... And besides, today is a rest day so why are you pushing yourself?" Because I was supposed to ride my bike for 2 hours yesterday and then run a short little bit but instead I went to the gym and swam ~2300m (which I was supposed to do on Friday...). Whatever, there is still tonight to make up for it. I'm planning on hitting the gym tonight for sure because I need to strength train...
In the future, I need to have a plan when I spin... maybe even write it down so I can see it and not let the voice in my head win. And I need to work on building my endurance when swimming in my wetsuit because I just get so darn tired...
Like what you have read so far? Please support my training and help find a cure for Leukemia and Lymphoma by donating today.
Most recent notable events and milestones:
January 30th - Ran my first 10K race and placed third in my division. It was a trail run in the beautiful (and muddy!!!!!) Briones regional park. The views were breath-taking and I had a blast!! The event was hosted by Brazen Racing and they did a really great job. I can't wait to do the Wildcat race that they are organizing on April 24th. I haven't signed up yet and I havent decided if I want to do the 10K or the Half Marathon. I have to run a half marathon for the Boise 70.3 but thats not until June 12th, over a month after the Wildcat race... We'll see
February 6th - Alex did his first open (salt) water swim in SF Bay. It went as well as could be expected and definately better than his last open water swim at Shadow Cliffs. The water in the bay wasn't as cold as I thought it would be which was a pleasant surprise but definately just as salty and foul as I remember. There were no surfboards or kayaks so we didn't swim far (around the cigarette bouys) but rather just along the shore line and practiced doing mass starts into the waves. Poor Alex, as he was swimming along in the mass start, John (one of the other Winter participants) knocked off his goggles and they sank to the bottom of the ocean :( :( But luckily Nancy saw and ran to get him one of her spare pairs so he could keep swimming. He still needs to learn how to relax in the cold because he couldn't figure out how to breath into the ocean water. He would hold his breath for several strokes and then take his head completly out of the water, gasp for a bit, take a really big breath and then swim a few strokes and repeat... Lucky for him, HI has much warmer water. Not so lucky for me as the projected water temp in Boise is about 60 degrees (warmer than the bay, but you still need a wet suit)
So onwards with my training... I'm trying really hard to get up in the morning and work out before I have to go to work so that way, I have the option of going to the gym again after work, but I won't feel bad if I don't make it. So this morning I made good on my training plan (sorta...) I wanted to get up at 5 and spin for an hour (on my cool new trainer!!!) but when the alarm went off that little voice in my head started to reason with me: "If you get up now and start spinning at 530, you will be done at 630... that's 1/2 and hour before you need to be in the shower... So why don't you get up at 530 and spin from 6-7 and then you can sleep an extra half hour?" Stupid voice, but you got to admit I (?) had a point, and 30 extra min of sleep was sounding pretty good... So I did get out of bed at 530 and put of my gear, went down stairs for a light breakfast and to make some gatorade and then got on my bike just before 6. I started to spin but only made it to 630 before I was dead tired and decided to cool out. And of course the voice was there: "30 min is better than nothing... And besides, today is a rest day so why are you pushing yourself?" Because I was supposed to ride my bike for 2 hours yesterday and then run a short little bit but instead I went to the gym and swam ~2300m (which I was supposed to do on Friday...). Whatever, there is still tonight to make up for it. I'm planning on hitting the gym tonight for sure because I need to strength train...
In the future, I need to have a plan when I spin... maybe even write it down so I can see it and not let the voice in my head win. And I need to work on building my endurance when swimming in my wetsuit because I just get so darn tired...
Like what you have read so far? Please support my training and help find a cure for Leukemia and Lymphoma by donating today.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Lavaman Training Starts!! (Yesterday...)
Yay!! Training has officially began for Lavaman, 2010 in Kona HI :)
At least the w/o was easy - run 20 min (4 x 4' run x 1' walk). Honestly, the hardest part of the workout was getting there... Since it's frowned upon to run near work on my lunch break, I had to drive away from work to the Alameda Creek Regional Park. This might become a problem b/c I only have an hour for lunch, but I have to run then since it's dark when I get up and it's dark when I get home and there are no street lights out in the sticks :(
Tomorrow is a swim day, I hope I can get to the pool early enough in the AM to finish my workout and be on time to work!
At least the w/o was easy - run 20 min (4 x 4' run x 1' walk). Honestly, the hardest part of the workout was getting there... Since it's frowned upon to run near work on my lunch break, I had to drive away from work to the Alameda Creek Regional Park. This might become a problem b/c I only have an hour for lunch, but I have to run then since it's dark when I get up and it's dark when I get home and there are no street lights out in the sticks :(
Tomorrow is a swim day, I hope I can get to the pool early enough in the AM to finish my workout and be on time to work!
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Aids Lifecycle 9
I just signed up for Aids Lifecycle 9. The event is June 6-12 and its a 543 mile (!!!) bike ride from SF to LA. Once training begins I'll post my work-outs here so you all can follow along so stay tuned :)
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