Labor Day Weekend '08

So my plans to get in two rides, a swim and a run have devolved into a good run on Friday, a good run yesterday and a decent ride in the afternoon.  I didn't get my swim in yesterday even though I was at the pond.  flying solo with even one kid negates the ability to swim for even 15 minutes.

I went out Sunday morning and ripped a 26:02 for 3.3 miles.  I think that's my best at that distance by about a second and I felt pretty good.  It was a good run because I didn't give to fatigue and I didn't get lazy -- I kept pounding it out and just let myself run and breathe. I've had this weird head thing where I keep telling myself you shouldn't be winded, you shouldn't be tired and that's been impinging on my running. Just run and breathe, baby.

I went out in the late afternoon on my bike and went to a pond and trail near my house.  I did a loop around the pond, saw some sick hills into which other mtn. bikers have carved some gnarly, steep tracks.  Needless to say, Mr. Timid here didn't tackle those.  I did tackle some interesting single track along the Charles river and through some interesting marsh land.  There were some parts of the trail that were very challenging due to rocks and some really intense root systems that made the going tricky.  I passed between 8-10 fot marsh grasses on wooden boardwalks and even through a creepy tunnel under a Commuter Rail track. It was cool and I started to feel more comfortable on the bike but not completely yet.  I kept repeating the mantra keep you feet moving, keep pedaling, keep moving.  Much of the single track was fairly rock/root free.   There is one sort of steep section that was covered in roots that now that I've seen it once and walked my bike up it I think I'll try and tackle another day.  I did fall once, into some bushes, no biggy. One final thing about the ride -- I was on the bike for about 50 minutes and it did not add that much to my workout score on my HRM -- if I'd run it it would have been an out of control workout.  Bikes are different.

Two for One

I set my alarm this morning and rolled out of bed around 6:25 AM.  Both kids were up and starting to goof around so I joined in as well for a few minutes then rousted them outside and threw them in the stroller.
We went out for my usual stroller-run out and back through the center of town covering about 4.5 miles.  It was fun and both kids were chattering and singing with only minimal violence directed towards one another.  I came back faster than I went out and covered the distance in 39:26.  It was a lot of fun.

I've got to go swimming this wekeend and plan on taking my bike into the woods for a couple fo rides to get more comfortable on the new pedals.  One thing that I was thinking about my last ride was that with the exception of one decent sized climb I was never gassed on the ride.  My CV fitness is good right now and even after that climb I recuperated quickly.  I was mainly slow because I was tentative.  My crash tri-training has broght some fun and variety into my regimen and it's much appreciated.

Evening Session

SO, I went out and did my evening session.  I feel pretty good from a workout perspective but got pretty banged up on the ride . . .

I swam 450 yards -- over-distancing again -- and then got on my bike.  I went with a group that was going quicker because they were covering more of the race course.  I was not terribly comfortable on the bike and should have gone with the slow-pokes.  The leader of my group circled back and was giving me some advice, some of which was to bail on the last mile or so of the ride (chagrin, kind of).  I went down hard in one spot, landed square on a boulder got a beautiful abrasion and charlie horse on my left upper thigh, tweaked my ankle and because of the wierd wrenching motion of the fall got a horrible cramp in my calf.

The ankle is sort of swollen -- an hour of icing between 3 AM and 4 AM helped -- in an area near the where the leg joins the ankle, so it's just on one connector, but it doesn't really hurt, just sort of feels aggravated; the thigh and calf are sore.  I'm not terribly hobbled, though a bit humbled, however I must say that I did OK for not having ridden off-road for nearly a decade.  Mrs. Agricola and I are both wondering about the wisdom of adopting toe clips at this time and I'm wondering if maybe I should I have started my tri-life with a road-tri rather than an off-road-tri.  A bit of practice this weekend should help me get more comfortable on the bike though I predict getting smoked on the bike, and none of my bumps and bruises are so bad as to keep me off the road tomorrow, I don't think, though I'll play it be ear.

Morning Session

Today is a cool day for working out -- literally and figuratively.  I actually wore a long sleeve running shirt today to fight the chill a bit.  Of course, I was the only runner in long sleeves but I was happy for them as there was a little bit of that late summer chill in the air.  I had told Child One & Two that I would take them both with me but Child One was sleeping so soundly that I didn't have the heart to wake her up.  Child Two and I headed out and he chattered and sang the whole way.  He asked to have the sun roof unfurled on the Chariot and I complied even though I find it a huge impediment to conversation.  We saw a neighbor on a constitutional and other runners, one with a stroller and child that was in front of us and elicited many questions about the age, gender and name of the child -- all of which were impossible to answer because the we saw them from a distance, and only from behind.

We only went out for 30 minutes this morning, and not our usual 40 and this is where the figurative coolness of the day comes in.  I'm bailing from work on the 4:40 PM train and then heading to the pond for a swim and trail ride workout.  I got new tires and toe clips/biking shoes for my ancient mountain bike.  I'm really looking forward to the swim/bike brick and will attempt a ride/run brick sometime this week as well.  Next Tuesday we put all three disciplines together at the workout so I want to do some practice this week and weekend.  I practiced on the toe clips last night and only fell once, on the pavement.  I think I've got them down and am pumped for the workout -- I'll post about it tonight.

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.

Climbing The Hill, Again

Rolled out of bed at 6:10 this AM, tok my stuff downstairs and got dressed in the kitchen.  I headed out for about 36 minutes and really focused on just staying within myself and enjoying the run.  My quads and hammes were tight today -- a sure sign of decline.  I've given back much of my hard work during the spring and am feeling in less than excellent shape.  It happens.  Something has to give sometimes in my life and family time and work are non-negotiable.  I'm going to go tomorrow for a short run, and see what happens on Saturday.  I'm taking a vacation at home next week and totally looking forward to it.

Embarrassing Disappointment

I "ran" Falmouth yesteday.  I broke an hour, but it was ugly.  If you want to see my time check out the race website.  I'll not recount anything here because it was a total disaster of a run and personally embarrassing.  I basically broke down at 5K and struggled the rest of the way.  I didn't train properly and if you want to do well you've got to train.  I didn't hydrate or eat right.  I completely misjudged the heat.  It was a total disaster.  I only ran about two minutes slower this year than last year and it's amazing how awful those two minutes feel.  My pace was a mess, my heart rate was sky high and my breathing was all over the place.

I heard some fat woman on the last hill say, "he's dying" as I ran by . . . I heard the same thing two years ago, same place, same person no doubt, and it steamed me then and it's steaming me now.  If you get on the last big hill as a spectator, only to call out others' pain don't camp out there, you useless piece of crap.  Put down your ciggy, put down your mimosa, and try it.

Oh well, there's always next year, and tomorrow, to get better.  Tomorrow I'm going to go to a tri-training thing at our pond.  Ever onward.

Weekend Report

I did a hilly, 33 minute run on Saturday AM.  I went at it pretty hard and it felt good.  My legs were actually sore yesterday and bit today as well.  I went out this morning for a quick run and it felt good to get out in the AM.
Life is normalizing a bit for me, and the pressure is lessening at work so hopefully I can get out and run more at the tail end of summer.  I've identified a tri to try -- in September, 400 yard swim, 5.5 mile trail ride and 2.3 mile trail run -- it should be fun, I'm going to get trail tires for my bike and try and train some for it over the next month.