Staycation Week

I'm psyched to see so much activity on the blog in my off-week.  I completely unplugged starting on 8/15 and didn't log-in again/open a computer until this morning with the exception of 15 mintes to pay some bills last Wednesday.  That said, I had a pretty good week of exercise.  I'm doing a mini-tri (400 yard swim, 5.3 mile mountain bike trail ride and a 2.3 mile trail run) on 9/7 so you'll notice some more activities creeping into my regimen.

Sunday 8/17
This day marked a big shift for me -- I left New Balance and purchased a pair of Mizuno running shoes.  I'd not been psyched with my NB 1222s (they've been replaced in the NB lineup by the 1223s) but I ran on them a long time and ran them into the ground.  I'd loved the 1221 but felt it was time a for a change so I didn't just make the jump to the 1223.  I purchased the Wave Inspire 4 They are light and fit great and offer moderate support.  My older sneakers had been giving more support but my visit to Marathon Sports and a gait assessment revealed that the mechanics of my footfall are solid.  My over-pronation is only moderate and the fact that my shins are slightly bowed outward helps to  minimize the pronation.  I'm happy with the shoes.

I did a short swim of about 110 yards to test out the muscles and see how it would feel to swim a bunch.  Cardio-vascularly speaking it was fine, but my muscles -- esp. the deltoids -- were screaming.

Monday 8/18
I tested out my new shoes and took a 36 minute run.  The shoes felt good and I felt good.

Tuesday 8/19
We belong to a pond about 15 minutes from home and there is a triathlon training group meeting there prior to the tri which will take place on the pond and in the reserve.  We started with a 400 hundred yard swim (the tri distance) and then transitioned to a 30 minute trail run.  The swim was hard on the muscles but I never felt in danger of drowning.  I threw in a couple laps of breast stroke to rest the afflicted freestyle muscles.

I thoroughly enjoyed the run.  I went with a group of folks who were going for 3+ miles and we kept a nice pace.  I was near the front of my group and loving the trail run -- it's so much more vivid than the roads because you've got to be really aware of the ground etc.  It was fun and I felt good.

Wednesday  8/20
Rest Day

Thursday 8/21
I ran by myself for 31 minutes on the trails.  My pace was problematic and my HR monitor wasn't working great -- it wasn't recording my date for nearly half the run, though it was on.  Anyway, the run, alone in the woods, was cool but I was lucky to make it back and not get lost.  I'm not actually sure how I actually navigated my way back to the return trail but I did.  I mention my pace because on the group run I felt good and felt like I was back to my old self.  This run made me question my fitness level again and I'm not sure what's up.

After returning from my run I did a 450 yard swim.  I did only two lengths of of breat stroke and 8 of freestlye.  I felt stronger and tighter in the shoulders and chest and feel good about the swimming.  I added in an extra length for good measure -- just to over-distance a bit so on the day of the tri I won't be crying at 375 yards . . .

Friday 8/22
Museum of Science butterfly room and dinner with friends.  I managed to undo some of my good work during the week with Dark and Stormies and a cigar!

Saturday 8/23
I did a 450 yard swim again.  I felt even stronger and more confident after this one -- it took about 17 minutes.  I'll not be setting any world records but I'm enjoying the swimming.

Sunday 8/24
I headed out Sunday AM and did a 40:47 minute road run.  I'm not sure of the distance, it's somewhere in the range of 5 miles.  I did my out and back on which I usually take Child Two but I ended up going further.  I got to my normal turning point at 18:50 and so went a bit further out.  I went out in 20:43 and back in 20:04.  This is where the pacing thing got weird.  In the middle of the out-leg I focused on my stride and my push-off.  I felt as if I were gliding.  On the way back I felt slow and gassed.  I don't know what's up.  I feel as if I'm trying to bite off more than I can chew right now and putting pressure on each run to get back in better form even though I know that I can't do that.  It's odd, running is sort of up and down for me right now and that may be why I'm enjoying the swimming so much. 

Tomorrow, 8/26 I'm doing a swim bike workout at the pond and am psyched -- I got new off-road tires and invested in toe clips.  I'll be outside tonight and practicing on those.