Sunday's Core and Run

Morning activity:

1 mile run
20 jumping jacks
10 push ups
20 slide ups
20 penguins
20 left side
20 right side
5 x 30sec leg raises
5 x 30sec planks
20 slide ups
20 penguins
20 left side
20 right side
40 bicycles
10 pike ups
3 x 30sec scooter rolls


Doug and I this afternoon did a run. It was a casual jog with us picking up the pace towards the end. Good run that neither of us was excited about doing when we started

Beat up

I woke up today feeling pretty beat up. My body just felt tired. So I just did a little over an hour in the pool, to let myself rest and recover.

1000 - (5x200) odds 3,5,7,pretty / evens no fly IM

then we did vertical fly kicking in a streamline position as well as vertical free kicking. I even did a few with a 10 lb diving brick. My legs were really burning. We then moved on to arm sculling on our backs with our knees to our chest. After about 20 minutes of this we move on to:

20 x 50 kicking with fins

• fly kick on back
• backstroke kick

I was going last and giving the person in front of me 15 seconds space and then would sprint kick until I caught them and easy kicked the rest of the way. I had fun doing that but it hurt also.

I pulled myself out at that point. I certainly could have finished the practice but i felt I needed to rest a bit.

Boom Boom Pow

We had 1 hour of core this morning, including over 5 minutes of planks and 5 minutes of leg raises. It was rough. I was completely blown after that. My stomach has never felt so sore yet strong before. "Progress was made today" Then it was off to the pool for about 2100 yards of "core" swimming. It was a great practice for me and an added bonus was that Katy joined me today!

As the day got hotter and hotter I kept putting off my run. Doug ran with out me and I was feeling very unmotivated. I knew however that if i didn't go soon, there was no chance I was going to do it later. I needed a good run and so I gave it a go. I ran the first mile thinking about stretching it out and really trying to lengthen my stride. That got me to do a 7:50 mile and then I dialed it back and ran to survive the heat. At my normal 5k turnaround point I was feeling pretty good, so I continued on. Its funny what the heat and running will do to your mind. I was all over the place with my thoughts. Wanting to walk, thinking about what I want to do on race day...... The one thing that really kept me going was something that Coach Walker says pretty much to us every day. "No one is training the way you are." I was really struggling at this point in my run, but I focused on that point and kept going. No one is doing what I am doing right now. No one is training the way I am training. I kinda slipped into a nice steady pace and ran the 5K in about 27 minutes which was about what I did at the Run for the Roses. The difference being it was brutally hot out. I am much faster and stronger now and only getting stronger. So at the 5K mark I walked for a bit because I was pretty much melting. My headphones were starting to short out in the left ear I was sweating so much but after about .5 miles of walking I started running again. With "Boom Boom Pow" repeating on my Ipod, I started running really strong and stretched out. I felt like I could just keep going and going. 4.65 miles total on the run + 1 mile run during core training today = my biggest running day yet and I felt pretty great (even in this insane heat).

"Hills of Lemont"

I rode with Kaptur this morning on one of his favorite routes. It was VERY hilly and we were riding pretty fast. Great morning on the bike. We started at 6am from Willow Springs and finished just before 9am. My favorite moment of the ride was when we were riding in a paceline at around 25-26mph on the flats of Frontage road and we were actually moving faster than the cars on I55. A couple of people were leaning over in their car to watch us pass them(traffic was pretty heavy), we were flying! Tom and I were pretty evenly matched overall, but he defineatly can out climb me, as I was dropped numerous times.

Here is a bigger map for those of you interested.

"Challenge Day" -- Failed

Today was a "Challenge Day". Here's how it went.

500 free on 7:00 (I went first in the lane and got passed at the 300 mark)
400 IM no fly on 6:30 ( I went 4th in the lane and stayed strong)
300 back on 4:30 (4th and still strong)
200 breast on 4:00 ( started to struggle as I always do with breaststroke)
100 fly on 2:00 ( i got through it better than a lot of them)

10 x 100 free

• odds on 1:20
• evens on 1:30
• the interval was too fast, Scott said it was his fault. It destroyed a lot of us. I was flipping right into the next 100 after about 4

12x50 kick

• odds free kick with sculling to breathe
• evens fly kick on back
• Now I am a pretty solid swimmer when it comes to kicking, but I got lapped with 2 50's to go (I am now toast)

10 x 100 free w/ fins

• odds 1:25
• evens 1:30
• I couldn't even finish the set and pulled myself out of the water with about 3 to go. 7:45am and practice was over for me..................

In the Afternoon, I did a circuit of high rep, low weight dumbell lifting:

2x20 press(on the ball)
2x20 flies(on the ball)
2x20 lateral raises(standing slightly bent over)
2x20 curls(standing)
2x20 tricep kickbacks(one arm on ball)

Then I went on about a 2.5 mile run. My GPS failed me because I had it in my hydration belt and i guess it got poor reception in there, so I won't be posting the screen shot of the course. I basically tried to run the trail but it was still flooded so i just did a loop of LGP. I ran the first 2 miles(about a 8:15 pace is my best guess) and walked the last half mile. It was brutally hot out(5:30pm) and I went through all my water (16oz). I am pretty sure I would be lying on the side of the road somewhere if I hadn't of brought it.

I also had a nice conversation with Coach Walker. We discussed my dryland training schedule and what I should be doing. I am going to do an additional core day on Saturday and then do some high rep work on Tuesdays and Fridays. While I joke about "failing" today, I am actually quite proud of what I am doing. I am really getting in great shape and forming habits that I can't imagine disappearing.

"Get busy living or Get busy dying"

My Monday

5:00 am - woke up and ate a mini cliff bar and went back to sleep
6:00 am - woke up and ate a piece of bread with nutella on it
6:15 am - arrived at the pool and talked to the coaches
6:30 am - dryland training begins

• 1 mile run
• 20 jumping jacks double count
• 20 penguins
  
• 20 crunches
• 5 x 30 second leg lift
• 40 bicycles
• 10 push ups
• 5 x 30 sec planks raising one arm to the ceiling half way through
• The following with a partner rotating after 30 secs:
  
• scooter rollouts
• crunches with medicine balls
• 5x through
• suicides the length of the indoor fieldhouse 4 times

I think that was it on the dryland and the order may be a little off, but it was great.

7:45 am - back in the pool

• 1000 3,5,7,pretty
• 21 x 50 on 1:00
• #1 - fly kick on back with zoomers
• #2 - breaststoke with fly kick
• #3 - thumbdrag dps
• repeat 7x

8:45am to 3:45pm - Working(drywall day)
3:45 pm to 4:00pm - Tarred the roof where it was leaking around a sky light
6:30pm to 8:00pm - Biked with Katy. We really hammered the hills, both up and down. On our way back home we ran into Nora biking as well, it was a nice surprise. My legs are tired..........

Tour of Naperville

After coaching Masters swimming in the morning, we did one of our "classic" routes today, "The Tour of Naperville". It always proves to be a good ride. Lots of good hill climbing with light trafficked roads. I hit 41.9 mph on a down hill even and it felt great to be riding at 40+ mph! I have a "need for speed" when i am on the bike. Once the ride was over we went to the WSSC and I got in about 1500 yards (DPS with paddles) and also got some nice sunburns where I missed a few spots. My stomach is STILL sore from Thursday's core work.

Core Madness

I had swim conditioning this morning and I did 1 hour of dryland and 1 hour of swimming. The dryland consisted of Coach Walker running a "bootcamp" in one of the gyms since OF COURSE IT WAS RAINING AGAIN. We did a few warm up runs back and forth of the gym, running backwards and some high knee running. Then we did some rounds of pushups and jumping jacks counting out as a group(about 50-60 people). Core work was next with some planks and ab work and even some supermans. I am pretty sure his stop watch was broken because those planks seemed like it lasted a little TOO LONG. My whole body was convusing and shaking as I layed in a pile of my own sweat. It was a fantastic workout and horribly painful. My core is weak. We then went up into the bleachers and ran the stands for a little while. I was pretty beat but it felt great, something i always skimp on so it was nice to get pushed.

20 x 100 on 1:50
10 @ 3p6k, 5p6k
10 @ IM

15 x 50
5 sets of 3

#1 25 fast/25drill
#2 25 drill/25fast
#3 50 fast

That 1st 100 we did I experienced the craziest disfunction. I can into the first wall to do my flip turn and i actually could barely get myself to tuck for the flip turn. It was pretty wild how exhausted my core was. I spent the first 5 100's laughing under water on the flip turn in disbelief of the fact that I could barely flip myself over.

Then after a few good hours of demolition work I came home and ran a few errands and then did a 3 mile run with Katy when she got home. It was pretty humid out and I was drenched. My legs are so tight right now! Practice should be fun tomorrow am as I am expecting to be so sore in my core that it will be hard to breathe properly.

Fun Stuff.

2.5 hours of Exercise today + a few hours of Demolition.

Good day but I am toast.

Overcoming My Deformity

I don't know what is happening to me, but I am obsessed with running right now! Never in my life have i enjoyed it so much. It is so pure and straightforward. I even starting to enjoy running with out music, you become so in tune with your body and your breathing. I had a 5 miler scheduled for today but I had mechanical shoe failure 2 days ago and I went to the Cfoot today and got some new kicks(yesterdays new ones are going back) So I decided to run 2 miles and then go on a bike ride with Tom. I ran pretty casually for the first few blocks and was feeling great so I started running pretty fast. The next thing I knew I had run a 7:15 mile! Now I was pretty winded, but it was for sure one of the fastest miles I have ever run in my life ( I vaguely recall a 6:45 in gym class but it might have been a 7:45). After that I switched off jogging and running fast the rest of the way home.

Then Tom and I rode to 290 and back, with a lot of fast, strong efforts along the way. I was doing a lot of hammering on the flats at 25-29mph. I love riding fast though one of the efforts almost made me puke. "Money in the bank" I can't wait for my withdrawal at the Chicago Tri. Not to mention some Chicago Cyclocross Cup races this year!!!

Rain or shine

Doug and I ran about 4 miles today (we walked the last few blocks which = about 3.7 of running). It was raining pretty solidly the entire time, but felt pretty good. I got some new shoes today which i tried out. They weren't as good as my last ones and are very much a trail running specific shoe. Thanks to REI for their great customer service! They didn't have any that really fit me as well, so i went with the trail runners and decided to pay Bokamp a visit at the Cfoot to pick up a pair of daily runners. I really enjoy running these days, even in the rain!

"Camping '09"

We went camping near Kettle Moraine South over the weekend. Hickory Woods Campground was great. Site "N" was our home for the weekend. It rained a little but other than that it was a weekend of good conversation, large fires and some good food and drink.























We did sneak a trail run in, part of which was on the Ice Age Trail. 3.21 miles. Trail running is so much more fun.

Day 4

Its hard to even describe what these work outs are starting to feel like. I am so used to taking advantage of the fact that swimming really comes easily for me, but these workouts have really been a wake up call. Its amazing to think about the workouts I and every other swimmer battled through in highschool and college. It never EVER seemed this hard. I know I am not in swimming shape yet, but I have my doubts if i will ever be able to complete a workout in the way I want to. I did have a moment today when I felt great. The 5x200 pull set was my moment to shine today. I started off third in the lane and in the course of the 1st 100 I passed both people and pulled pretty far ahead of everyone, finishing a half a lap in front for all 5. However that changed very quickly when the 100 set was announced, I knew I was going to be hurting. I did the 1st 100 and had 10 secs rest, 2nd 100 I had 3 seconds rest, and from then on I went from 3rd in the lane to just about last flipping to start the next one with no rest. I was absolutely destroyed. I had nothing left...........Thanks Scott and Doug, you broke me big time this morning!

Day 3

It felt great to sleep in today and give my arms a rest! I hit a few milestones today. I broke the 50 mile mark this season! I have never run so much in my entire life. Today's run was a 5 miler and I did it at a pretty decent pace. The other milestone I broke is unofficial because I'm pretty sure I was dehydrated today. I worked a LONG day and didn't drink nearly enough. BUT with all that said, I WEIGHED 189 lbs TODAY! That is a shocking number for me. Since I moved into our new house(AUG '08) I have lost over 25 lbs! I will go back over 190lbs for the next few days, but it is only a matter of time before I am below 190 lbs for good.

Day 2

Well..........4900 yards today. For the first time since college, I feel like I should have my shoulders packed in ice. I did much better today than yesterday, but I still could not get though the whole workout with out crumbling. The beginning today focused on distance swimming and making us aware of our stroke counts. I stayed pretty consistant with 29-31 strokes per 50 yards. Then we picked up the pace with some all out sprinting. I pretty much fell apart after that. My body update for the day: I ripped open some of my blisters from yesterday and got some new ones, YEAH! I also have on each shoulder a raw area where my chin would rub against my shoulders while i breathe. I guess I am going to need to shave before practice? either that or I need to keep my technique together!

1000 yard swim (per hundred :3p12k,5p12k,7p12k,reg)

3 times:
2 x 50 dps counting
2x 100 dps counting
1 x 200 dps counting

10x 100 on 1:40
#1 1st 25 all out
#2 2nd 25 all out
#3 3rd 25 all out
#4 4th 25 all out
#5 ALL OUT
repeat

20 x 50 IM order on the :50 ( i fell apart here after the first 50 fly, I was blown)



After work today I went on my scheduled 3 mile run with Doug. We ran about 2.5 miles of it and overall it felt pretty good. The pace was on the slow side but I wanted to try to stay fresh for tomorrow's 5 miler. Tomorrow is also a big milestone, I will have run over 50 miles this season! Thankfully on Wednesdays there is no morning swim practice!

Day 1

Swim conditioning started this week. Coach Walker and Coach Eichstaedt are going to be beating on me for the next 7 weeks from 6:30 - 8:30am MTWF. Today's practice was short because of introductions and other day 1 stuff but we still got about 4000 yards in. It was a rough start for me. My feet are covered with blisters from my fins and my shoulders are exhausted. I can't imagine regularly doing 6000+ yards a day, but i am pretty sure that is going to start tomorrow. I might be in a bit of trouble............

The pool is set up as a 50 yard pool right now.

20x50 dps on :50
8x150 free/back/free free/breast/free
6x200 3p12k/breastarmsfreekick/5p12kick/breastarmsflykick
8x50 fly kick on back/backstroke kick

that was it, and I was dead.

12 Weeks Until Chicago Tri

National Trails Day

Katy and I ended up exploring today, being National Trails Day and all, the Centenial Trail and the I&M Canal Trail. Our longest ride of the season so far!
It was a great day out with some of my highlights including electrified water, riding 25 mph with Katy tucked in behind me for a few miles .and some bizarre river monster activity. We even got a little rained on a little bit towards the end. Good National Trail Day!

Upcoming Adventure

Backpacking and a water entry! And some Japanese Garden! I can't wait!

http://www.craterlakeinstitute.com/planning-visit/activities/swimming.htm

http://www.nps.gov/archive/crla/brochures/backcountry.htm

http://www.nps.gov/archive/crla/brochures/pct.htm

http://www.japanesegarden.com/

Some Trip ideas:

http://bp2.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip.aspx?tripId=278769

http://bp2.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip.aspx?tripId=10257

or maybe

http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/viewTrip.aspx?tripId=30816

Game Night

I got a quick 11 mile ride in. I did a few laps back and forth on Spring road working the hills.

TEAM RED IN ACTION TONIGHT!
1-1
Lets go 2-1!

Tuesday 5K

TBM and I did about a 5K in 29:17

GPS failed me again today......poor reception!

Monday's Run

One more week of base training before our 12 week plan of action starts. Today's Lunchtime run was a quick one but a fast one. My GPS data was inaccurate and worthless due to the local weather. But it was about 1.7 miles in 17 minutes. A couple farleks thrown in there for some speed.