Week in Review (2/19 - 2/25)

This week was my recovery week in my three week cycle. I actually completed all workouts according to plan for a change!!!!! I did have to make some adjustments due to bad weather over the weekend. I ended up shifting time from my run to my bike to minimize treadmill time for my "long" run. Had hockey a hockey tournament all week but was able to pull things off despite that.



The Good
Finally - a successful week! Am beginning to see some improvements in my run based on my coaches feedback. Still doesn't seem quite natural as I'm going more from a "swinging leg" stride to a "lifted knee" stride. When I focus on lifting the knee it causes my foot to swing into a much better position for landing flat footed. Still needs lots of work but it's getting there. Foot speed is up as well - though not quite the 90 turnover my coach wants. In time.... One good thing about running on icy roads - it forces you to run more flat-footed.

The Bad
Crashed while running on Tuesday. How does one accomplish this you ask? Two words - black ice. I was running along having a good time and suddenly the world slanted by 90 degrees. Knee and elbow were banged up a bit (of course it had to be the elbow I'm already having trouble with), but was able to dust off and complete the run - though I paid a lot more attention to the pavement after that.

The weather Sunday sucked. Roads were reasonably clear but it started raining (sleet and freezing rain combo) about three miles into the run. Running with the wind was ok but running into the wind was painful because I was only wearing tights. By the end of my run I had to ring the doorbell with my forehead because my fingers wouldn't work right anymore.

The Ugly
Groin pull flared up big on Monday and Tuesday afternoon, to the point where I was considering pitching my Wednesday run. Looking back on my logs I noticed that on days where I didn't stretch as well after the run I got a flare up. Spent some time Tuesday night warming and then stretching so Wednesday was still a go. Seems reasonably under control now - just have to make sure to stretch thoroughly before letting it cool. Elbow flared on Thursday's swim as well. Once I warmed up things seemed to get better, though again I was considering pitching the swim. Seems ok today - will see how it feels this week.

Luck

A little while back I was commenting to one of the regulars at the club that I was having some issues keeping weight on. The guy in the locker next to me looked up and said "Man, I wish I had that problem. Guys like you have no idea how lucky you are to be so skinny."

Luck? Luck has nothing to do with it. Workout 15 hours a week at mostly aerobic levels and see how much weight you drop if you keep your diet the same (barring any medical conditions of course!). The fact that I weigh 150 soaking wet and have about 10% body fat has little to do with luck and everything to do with a whole lot of hard work.

And yet, there is some luck involved here. I'm lucky to be gifted with a body that can handle the punishment of training year in and year out (though it's been protesting a bit lately). I'm lucky to have an extremely understanding family who can put up with my training time needs and my occasional trips for events and "camps". I'm lucky to possess the self discipline and determination to continue to do this week after week, year after year. I'm lucky to have found a sport that has given me several vehicles for self development on multiple levels.

The results part is not where luck lies. Being astute enough to recognize opportunities to use your gifts effectively is where the luck really lies. The results are what happens as a consequence of luck. That and a lot of hard work.

Week in Review (2/12 - 2/18)

This week was supposed to be a "big" week but a costly mistake during Tuesday's morning workouts derailed me. Was supposed to hit 19 hours of workouts this week but only managed to churn out 8:45.



The Good
I did complete my swim workout on Friday (only workout I fully completed this week!). The swim started out pretty rough but after I warmed up and got dialed in it was all good.

This past Friday I had my VO2 max tested (still waiting for official results to be emailed) and my running form analyzed. Turns out that I'm a bit of a "heel striker", which means that I tend to land more on my heel than the flat of my foot. This causes me to "brake" briefly each time I touch down as well as send a nice impact shock throughout my body. The coach gave me a few exercises to help teach me how the correct strike should feel as well as instructions on how to gradually bring the new technique into my running.

The Bad
See my previous post on the "Little Things". My midweek workouts were a wash, and I had to scrimp a little on my long bike and run over the weekend due to time constraints. Overall this week has been my worst yet in terms of making the numbers.

The Ugly
Had a nasty shin splint on Tuesday but that has fortunately healed though I had to take most of the week off to do it. My groin pull is still present but my elbow issue is nearly gone. At this point I'm beginning to think that my groin pull issue may actually be a hernia. I'll be scheduling a visit with a doctor this week to see what's going on as ignoring it doesn't seem to be getting me very far.

Little Things

It's funny (or not so much in this case) how the little things can affect the big things.

It started about a week ago. A slight pain in my right big toe while running. A blister. I haven't had toe blisters since I stopped running on treadmills. Yet another thing to add to my "Why I Hate Treadmills" list. Ok, just a blister so no biggie. I lanced and drained it and then forgot about it. At the time I didn't associate it with my strange ankle pull later in the week.

It bugged me a bit during my long run on Sunday. More of an annoyance than anything else. I had a look after the run and sure enough the blister had reformed. A little bigger this time. Ok, just a blister. Lance, drain, forget.

Yesterday I felt the pain again while spinning and then on the treadmill. That's when I messed up. I was determined to get my hour run in. The pain from the blister was enough this time to cause me to shift my stride slightly - to roll a bit more on the outside edge of my right foot. I broke one of my cardinal rules of training - if an injury causes you to break form then stop.

By the end of the run I could feel a nasty shin splint developing. Work through it I thought. My gait changed a bit to accommodate the pain. Another violation of the rule. My ankle was stiff and sore by the time the run ended. By mid morning I had a full blown shin splints. It was so bad that I couldn't drive because I couldn't pull my foot back to operate the brake.

This of course torpedoed my planned workouts for yesterday afternoon (Tuesdays are my 2-a-day days) as well as my mid-range run for today. This was supposed to be a 19 hour week and instead will probably be more like 2. All because I didn't pay enough attention to a wee little blister.

Lesson learned. A single missed workout or two is better than trashing the whole week. Sometimes I hate being type A.

Week in Review (2/5 - 2/11)

First week of "base" training. Overall the basic pattern remains the same but my volumes are creeping up from 13 hours during prep to 15:40 for this week. Workouts are also shifting from mostly zone 1 to some zone 2/3 work. No interval work yet though. You can see all my workout details on my Training Peaks public site.



The Good
Long swim on Friday was the best I've had in weeks. My rotation and pull-through felt terrific. Despite the swim being a 4K straight set I felt smooth, strong, and fast through entire set. Ended up finishing earlier than planned and through in another 500 yards of form sets (18 yards with 15 seconds rest - focus on perfect form, balance, and rotation).

The weather warmed up (all the way to 5 degrees!) on Sunday so I ran outside. Was a bit cold at the start especially into the wind. I'll have to invest in some wind proof glove shells I think. Kept it slow and steady - between a 10 and 11 mpm pace. Messed up my timing a bit so I was short by about 10 minutes or so.

The Bad
NIHL hockey playoff game was on Tuesday evening so my double on Tuesday got axed. Wasn't able to squeeze in another 1:30 worth of workouts as it was a pretty busy week so as a result I was under for plan vs. actual. The other bad bit is that the weather has ABSOLUTELY SUCKED this week - no higher than -5 degrees in the morning every day this week so I had to bite the bullet and hit the treadmill for my mid week runs.

The Ugly
Backing off pull based weight training has helped my elbow issue a bit but it's still an issue. Will continue dropping pull based strength training this week as well. My groin injury flared up again as well - thought I had that one licked. After Thursday's treadmill run I developed a nasty pull on the back of my right ankle. Walking around Friday hurt a lot until it loosened up. I tested it out again during Saturday's bike and it only hurt when I stood on the pedals. I was worried that I'd have to pull up short on my Sunday run but aside from it being a bit tight at the start it didn't affect my form so I toughed it out.

Week in Review (1/29 - 2/4)

Yet again - sorry for the lack of posting. It's funny how life comes at you in waves sometimes. Last week and this week a number individual "life waves" have converged into a single giant crest that consumed all of my time. I'm getting on the backside of the crest now so I can get back to some of the other lower priority stuff.

This was my last week of prep before I start entering into the official base phase of training. Starting today I'm going to start stealing Bolder's Good/Bad/Ugly format here as I like the way it allows me to summarize.



The Good
Physically I'm still holding up well. I'm not thoroughly wiped out and I have yet to catch any of the colds that are going around. I'm also getting better at focusing on the prescribed workouts (though I have to tailor the swim workouts a bit to fit my time availability) and keeping my heart rate where it needs to be. I successfully hit all workouts except my long run.

I was having some issues with too much weight loss but with a little more attention to my diet that has stabilized.

The Bad
Yeah, back to that long run thing. This weekend the jet streams freaked and sent polar air down our way. Air temp for Sunday morning was -4. Plus it was windy so -25 with wind chills. I'm nuts but not that nuts. In addition our last hockey game of the regular season was on Sunday and I've also started going to church. Excuses, excuses. Bottom line is that I didn't do the run because I just couldn't stomach being on the treadmill for two hours.

Rest assured that I will beat myself up mercilessly over the coming week for missing this workout....

The Ugly
Still having some elbow pain. For next week I'll completely eliminate any exercise that pulls at the elbow (bicep curls, lat pull downs, etc.). Pushing doesn't seem to be the issue - I only feel it when I pull. The good news though is that it doesn't affect my swim stroke at all.

Week in Review (1/22 - 1/28)

This is my fourth prep week period. One more week of prep before I begin bumping up the volumes as I progress into my first build phase.

Overall I'm still feeling solid - though definitely not as peppy as when I started. Since the holidays I also lost nearly ten pounds. I had gained about seven or so over the holidays and now I'm three below my "fighting" weight of 150. Apparently I need to start eating more! I plan to start doing more eating directly after workouts to help with recovery and also throw in a few more snacks during the day.

This weekend turned out to be a bad one for training - had to flip my long run and bike days and then was only able to get half the time I had wanted on the bike on Sunday. The skip was partially due to things I had no control over, though I think that with better planning I could have found a way to get the whole workout in.



Still doing fairly well with the heart rate zones. Numbers probably would have been better had I completed my long bike on Sunday but overall things are about where they should be with a majority of my time being spent in zone 1.



Injuries

Groin injury: Definitely getting better, though I'm still a bit sore after my long run.

Lower back - left side: Still a bit weak though definitely getting better due to focusing on stretching in that area. I think also that going to single limb based workouts during strength training (single leg lifts, single leg squats, etc.) has helped to balance things out a bit.

Right foot: No Planchar pain at all this week. I suspect that the issue was my running shoes. I picked up a pair of Asics 1110's to gain a bit more cushioning which probably helped.

Left elbow: My joitn pain is not getting better. I think it's a touch of tendonitis. It's not affecting my tri-specific workouts but I can definitely feel it during some of my strength training and throughout the day. This week I plan to cut back on any any strength exercises that put a lot of stress on the elbow and see how it goes.

Next Week's Adjustments
For next week I plan to adjust my nutrition and bump my swim times up a bit. I'm finding I don't have enough time to complete the prescribed swim workouts so I'll try to start a bit earlier and see what I can fit in. Will also be adjusting my strength training to not stress my elbow. Finally, the big goal next week will be to complete all workouts as prescribed.

Catchup and Tag

Ok, so first I have to apologize for posting so infrequently over the last week or so. Last weekend we had a new addition to our family - a 16 month old golden lab named Luke. To say he's been a handful is a tremendous understatement. We're the third family he's had and he's had little to no training and needs a lot of work. The good news though is that every once in a while we get a glimpse of the dog he'll become and we know he's going to be worth it.

As it turns out I've been tagged by Sheila! So here are my responses to the tag questions:

1. Describe a memory from your first triathlon ever. During my first open water swim at the Lake Zurich tri I remember thinking "that's it?" as I hauled myself up and onto the beach. Before the triathlon began I remember looking out at the 1K course and doubting that I'd actually be able to make it. The turn buoys looked so far away. Fortunately it was a time trial start so I didn't have to worry about a mass start. Despite that though I was consumed by doubt and trepidation as the official gave me the nod and I reluctantly waded into the water. In the end the swim went by much faster and much easier than I expected - proving once again that the anticipation is much worse than the reality.
   
2. Describe a memory from your most recent triathlon. At the Deer Creek tri I remember turning a corner and being blown to a standstill on the bike. The winds that day were some of the worst I've ever encountered during a triathlon.
   
3. What's the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you in a tri?. I once started out of T1 without my bike. Somehow I momentarily lost my mind after putting on my helmet and cycling shoes and thought I was starting the run. A volunteer saw me coming towards the run course entrance and began laughing hysterically. It was then that I realized that not only was I going the wrong way, but I was also missing my bike!
   
4. What's the most thrilling thing that's happened to you in a tri? Turning the corner and seeing the finish line at Ironman Wisconsin. Added bonuses were seeing that my time was under 13 hours and catching sight of my family cheering wildly moments before I ran across the finishing line.
   
5. What is something you discovered about yourself by doing triathlons? I discovered that a lot of decisions I've made were based more on fear avoidance than personal fulfillment. Fear of failure. Fear of not being accepted. Fear of not measuring up. Triathlon has taught me to face and exorcise fear which has empowered me to make decisions for more significant reasons than simple fear avoidance.
   
6. What is The Big Goal that you're working towards? The Big Goal this year is Ironman USA. Every day I make sure that I'm doing something to contribute towards the achievement of that goal.
   

Week in Review (1/15 - 1/21)

All workouts continue to be solid. I'm getting a lot better at focusing on the goals of the workouts on my training plan, though it's difficult to follow them to the letter, especially the biking workouts since I'm doing spin classes. This was week 3 of my prep phase - another two more before I start adding more weekly hours as I move into base training.



My time in zone 1 is getting better as well due to a lot of focus keeping my distance workouts in lower heart rate zones. I still think my current heart rate zones are not correct though. My tri club has a coach that offers LT testing so I'm going to arrange a time with him to do that as well as a gait analysis of my run.



I missed my run target this week by a little over ten minutes, though in the grand scheme of things I don't think this will hurt me! My long run was tough because of the weather conditions - snowy and pretty slick. I used this to my advantage though. If you strike with your heel in slick conditions you end up on your butt pretty quickly. So the conditions forced me to focus on running flat footed during the entire run, which will hopefully help my run form along.

Another positive this weeks is that an old groin injury that has been plaguing me for months is starting to go away as is some left side back pain that started creeping in a few weeks ago. I think that switching my stretching routine to yoga and mixing up my core routine has definitely helped, as has dropping the intensity of my workouts due to the prep/base training nature of the workouts.

Anticipation

Sometimes our minds see mountains where there are really mole hills, especially when anxious anticipation is in play.

Over the past couple of weeks I've had a weekly meeting at work that I dread every week. Without getting into details I'm basically spearheading an effort to standardize the use of a particular technology across our division. The other participants in the group are very senior engineers (most more senior than me) whom I have little to no control or leverage over. Despite this I'm expected to drive the team to institutionalize the adoption of technology that many of them would rather not have to deal with.

As the meeting date draws near I begin obsessing over the agenda items. I try to anticipate all the issues and arguments that will arise and how I'll deal with them. I try to be completely prepared for anything because I don't want this particular group to think I'm a fool. Particularly because many in that group will be involved in determining whether or not I get to progress up the company ladder. The morning of the meeting my mind is spinning with various scenarios and agonizing over what I may have forgotten or prepared insufficiently for.

This sounds an awful lot like the run-up to a triathlon doesn't it? You spend tons of time agonizing over your training schedule, your taper approach, your pre/during/post race nutrition, and your gear selections. My wife loves teasing me over the fact that I spend more time obsessing over what goes into my tri-bag than what goes into my suitcase for week long family trips. I have to laugh because she's totally right. And those of you that are OCD like me don't see any problems with this either!

And yet despite all of my obsessing over this meeting I've performed just fine. Many contentious and difficult issues have come up (most of them things I didn't anticipate or prepare for) and yet I've handled each of the issues with calm and controlled ease, coming up with spontaneous solutions or negotiating compromises with the ease of a seasoned politician. My frazzled, overwhelmed "pre game" state is replaced by my intense and focused "game time" state as soon as I enter the room.

I'm able to do this because I've learned to by training for and competing in triathlons. Sure, I'll continue to obsess insessently at ridiculously silly details and scenarios leading up to game time. Did I bring enough clothing? Do I have enough tubes in my tri-bag? What if it rains? Snows? On and on it goes. And yet when I hit the line I'm prepared to accept and deal with whatever the day brings whether I'm fully prepared for it or not.

Week in Review (1/7-1/14)

Overall I'm feeling pretty dang good. Still in prep phase so this week looked a lot like last week. The good news for me was that my energy levels didn't suffer too much this past week so my body is reacting ok to the sudden 30% increase in weekly hours. I've been doing more Yoga to help compensate for the additional load. It's actually accomplishing two things - keeping my fairly limber, and increasing my body awareness - which helps big time when doing form workouts.

I really need to focus on reigning in my Tuesday and Thursday bricks - keeping them at the heart rate I'm supposed to be at. When I feel good I tend to push a hard but I still have a few more weeks at this level before I start adding more time so if I don't reign it in I'll implode soon. Fortunately the overall percentage of time spent going gonzo on the spin bike is low compared to my overall averages - thoguh I don't have data for my swim heart rate so the results may be a twitch off. Graphs show that overall I did a better job of keeping my heart rate more towards zone 1 and minimizing the time spent above zone 3.

Long swim on Friday felt extremely good despite my poor fueling choice the night before (see the Sea Monster post). I had really good balance and rotation throughout the 3K straight set and had enough in the tank to go hard for the last 300 yards or so.

This weekend the weather turned bad so I did three hours of spin bike on Saturday for my long bike (back to back classes plus I showed up an hour early). While not as much fun as being on the road it certainly beat the hell out of sitting in my basement.

Messed up on my navigation for Sunday's long run. At a certain point on the great western trail I had a choice between heading back or heading deeper using an untried route. Of course, I took the untried route, which added 1/2 hour to my planned 2 hour run. I kept the pace pretty slow to avoid causing too much damage though. Good news is that I now have a new 15 mile route which I can reuse later as I move into by base and build phases.

Gory details available on my Training Peaks public site.

Training Time Per Week


Heart Rate Zones

The Sea Monster

While stretching my shoulders a bit after my swim this morning I noticed the woman in the lane next to me was looking at me and desperately trying to suppress a giggle. When she saw me glance over she couldn't contain herself and burst into uncontrollable giggles - her eyes welling up with tears. I quickly tried to decide if she was truly amused or just plain nuts.

"I'm sooooo sorry - I couldn't help it!" She gasped in between giggles.
"Help what?"

More giggles, starting to shake now. I glanced around the pool evaluating possible escape routes.

"It sounded like I was swimming next to a sea monster!" she replied and then launched into an absolute fit of laughter.

Nuts was looking like the right call at this point. And then I got it.

For the record, Indian food the night before a long swim is not a good idea. In fact, it's a very, very bad idea. My stomach was a burning caldron of bubbling marsala chicken and curry laced dal. As I swam I kept having to burp underwater. I guess my burping was a bit louder than I thought.

I promptly joined her in hysterical, shrieking laughter that caused waves to ripple across the pool. What a great start to my day - a 3K TT swim and spontaneous shared laughter with a complete stranger - priceless.

Negative Thoughts

We've all heard it at one time or another. That little voice or thought that whispers in your ear. "You can't do it." "You can't go any further." "You're not fast/strong/good enough." In the midst of struggle and adversity it slithers up from our personal pit of fears and manifests as a thought that invades our consciousness, erodes our resolve, and undermines our confidence.

One thing I've learned from practicing Zen is that these thoughts are really just that. Thoughts. No different from any other thought that rambles its way through our consciousness. They only have meaning to you if you decide to give them meaning. They only affect you if you choose to let them affect you. Thoughts by themselves can't harm you if you don't let them. It's what you do when you get them that determine their affect on you. Do you solider on? Do you quit?

In Zen meditation the idea is not to block all thought. The idea is to not be affected by them. If you can do this then you've essentially blocked the affect that negative thoughts can have on you by not reacting to them. The thoughts will still be there. They still continue to slither through your consciousness like the dark snakes they are, looking for opportunities to snuff out the fires of determination. But you just choose to not be affected by them. You choose to let them come and go without having an affect on your mental state. Do this and you'll take away all the power that negative thoughts have. Master this and you'll master the mind.

Week in Review (1/1 - 1/7)

Last week was my first week of "serious" training in preparation for Ironman USA. I ended up about 40 minutes above plan - due to a bit of floor work on Monday which is normally my off day. I was a bit concerned at how my body would hold up given the sudden increase in workload. I had been working out somewhere in the order of 8 to 10 hours a week but my new plan called for being at 13:20 for my prep period (shooting for 800 annual hours of training). To get there I added an additional bike/run brick on Tuesday evening, a midrange run on Wednesday, and bumped my long bike on Saturday. Everything else remained the same.



Despite the additional load I felt very strong, had good energy, and my form felt solid on all workouts. I did have a tough time keeping my heart rate reigned in on the zone 1 and 2 workouts - especially during my long run on Sunday. Overall though my training graphs show most of my work being done in zone 1 and 2 which is good.



I had been having some issues with my groin and lower back which I now believe were due to inadequate stretching, as well as poorly focused strength training. I've revamped my core/circuit/stretching block to more of a functional strength training approach - mimicking the movements of triathlon under weighted resistance, as well as working on strengthening the supporting muscles in order to avoid imbalances. In addition I've incorporated a lot of Yoga into my stretching routines. This should help me remain relatively injury free through the season. Guess we'll find out!

The gory details on my workouts and results can be found by selecting the "My Training Peaks Data" link on the sidebar.

Tacking

Back when I first moved to the Chicago area I crewed on a J24 racing sailboat for a couple of summers. For a while I played the role of rail monkey (which essentially involves scrambling from side to side as the boat tacks in order to counterbalance - everyone starts here) before "graduating" to managing jib and finally the spinnaker (the big and often colorful sail used when running with the wind - takes a ton of concentration and skill to deploy, fly, and recover).

In order to navigate swiftly around a course it's necessary to periodically perform a maneuver called tacking. This is essentially a combination of changing the heading of the sailboat, redistributing weight, and readjusting the sails to maximize the amount of air they're catching. It's a frantic time - the helmsman steering and shouting orders, the rail monkeys scrambling across to the opposite side rails and trying to avoid getting whacked by the boom as it swings across, the sail owners (those assigned to manage particular sails on the sailboat) adjusting any sails that need to be adjusted, getting them up, getting them down, etc. But once the tack is complete and the sails are trimmed the sailboat leaps forward like a greyhound after a rabbit.

During a tack there's always a point where the sails go slack. The air that once filled them and propelled the sailboat forward is dumped as the sailboat angles head on to the wind at the midway point of the tack. Once the tack is complete the sails are quickly trimmed up by the crew to maximize the amount of air in the sail for the new heading. Failure to properly trim the sails will turn you into a bobber - bouncing up and down on the waves until the sailboat can swing around and pick up the wind again.

I was reminded of all this during today's workouts. The last few weeks I've been midway between a tack. Surprisingly I've gotten in a lot of my "planned" workouts but I've kept them at an easy, relaxed pace, and didn't sweat it when I missed a workout or overindulged a bit at dinner. My sails ruffled in the air and my momentum slowed.

But now I'm on a new heading - my prep period. I've completed the tack and I'm trimming the sails by committing to my plan and bringing the right amount of intensity and seriousness to my workouts and my nutrition. Everything I do from now until July is in preparation for Ironman USA. I can see that particular buoy bobbing up and down in the distance. There will be several tacks needed in order to reach it. From prep, to base, to build phases. During each transition there will be an ever so brief period of slack in the sails as I readjust the heading. But once the tack is complete the sails will be quickly trimmed and I'll be off - running with the wind as alternating splashes of pleasure and pain wash over me.

Feel

Once upon a time in my youth I took classical guitar lessons. I wanted to be a rock guitarist but the only place in my town that had lessons had classical guitar lessons. So I signed up.

One song that gave me a particularly hard time was a beautiful arrangement of Dear Prudence by the Beatles. What made it particularly difficult was a finger picking technique that went with the chords. The chords progression was simple but the finger picking technique was intricate and had a flowing rolling rhythm that looked and sounded simple but was anything but. My teacher warned me that I would struggle with it.

He was so right. I struggled with it every day for weeks. I scrutinized the sheet music thinking the answer was there. I watched my teacher intently as he demonstrated the technique and still it eluded me. I just couldn’t get it. I was frustrated to the point of quitting. My teacher told me that no amount of explaining or demonstrating would work – it was just something I would have to learn to feel.

Feel? What the hell is that? Man this sucked. I began to wish I'd taken up the drums.

But I kept at it. And then one night it just happened. I was sitting on the edge of my bed practicing and suddenly my fingers slid from labored and off-kilter to an effortless flowing rhythm. I stared stupefied at my fingers as they wove magic over the strings. Feel. I had it. It was in my fingers. And it felt fantastic.

I learned an important lesson that day. A lesson that continues to serve me well whenever I find myself struggling with my swim, my spin, or my run. Some things you can’t arrive at by analysis. Some things only come by feel. It can't be taught. It can’t be shown. But when you get it right, you know it. It’s a frustrating process that takes all your persistence and determination but when you finally get it it’s definitely worth the trip.

Schedules

Tonight is Daddy-Daughter date night. Once a month Pip and I go out on a "date". Usually this ends up being dinner with a trip to Baskin Robbins for Ice Cream afterwards. This is a "tradition" that started a few months back when I began to realize that Pip and I just weren't spending a lot of quality time together. We spend a lot of "family" time together, just not a lot of one-on-one time. The kind of time that strengthens relationships. The kind of time that if I don't take advantage of it now, I'll regret it later.

The fact that this is "scheduled" time doesn't lessen it's relevance to Pip and I. It's not a have to - it's a want to. However if we didn't schedule the time it would be easily overlooked. Easily postponed. Sort of like workouts. If you don't schedule them then other things in life will press in and fill the space, leaving you with an empty "where did all my time go?" feeling at the end of the week.

We're usually pretty good at scheduling work meetings, doctors visits, and workouts. These are the "mechanics of life" things, the have to's, and are a necessary part of life. However it's also just as important to set aside time for the fun things. Dates with your kids or spouse. A night out with good friends. A surprise family vacation. The want to's. The "Joire de Vivre" things. These are the things that will make you smile when you ask yourself "where did all my time go?" at the end of the week. These are the things that make the have to's worth it.

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Workout Summary
No more summaries - I've recently setup a Training Peaks website to plan and manage my workouts. All my workout plans and results will be posted there from now on.

Bubbles

This time of year it seems I always cast about for things to add to my life as I continue my endless quest for self development and fulfillment. Unfortunately the pattern of my life is pretty full. It's a complicated framework of little bubbles that continuously expand and contract over time. The whole framework fits neatly inside of a box which defines my boundaries. If I want to expand one bubble I have to collapse another in order still fit everything inside the box. If I don't do this then the bubbles will begin squeezing together tightly causing tension. Sometimes I have to take a bubble or two out of the box to relieve the tension. If the bubbles are permitted to expand uncontrollably then the tension will become to great. "POP!" For the record, popping is bad.

Making more room in one bubble is a process of give and take. This time of year the family bubble expands as holidays and hockey fill the pattern. To compensate my workout bubble shrinks a bit. Come spring and summer there will need to be more workout time as I prep for Ironman USA. More bubular adjustment.

This is a great system except for one thing - certain bubbles don't like to contract. They get accustomed to their size and relative importance within the box and don't want to be tampered with. My workout bubble is definitely one of those. Unfortunately this time of the year requires other bubbles to grow so I have let some air out of my workout bubble.

The air exits in a loud and defiant squeal. This of course wakes up Dennis who uses the opportunity to try to redirect some of the lost air into the guilt bubble. Guilt bubbles have a special property - any air that is added to them doubles in volume. Due to this property guilt bubbles grow very large very quickly resulting in lots of tension inside the box. Dennis loves the sound of popping. He eases back in his recliner and prepares for the fireworks, his lips twisting into a smug satisfied smile. Fortunately for me the nameless one is very smart. Right side shoulder angels are like that. He has installed a clever little release valve on the guilt bubble. At first it expands and causes tension inside the box. But then the guilt bubble slowly deflates and the tension is released. Dennis looks puzzled and scratches his head unable to comprehend how this could possibly be. He's not very bright. Left side shoulder angels are like that.

Popping is bad. Manage your bubbles well. Especially that guilt one.

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Workout Summary

5 mile run - LSD (Wednesday)

20 minute swim - S&D (Thursday)

45 minute spin class - endurance (Thursday)

5 mile run - LSD (Thursday)

30 minutes circuit/core/stretch (Thursday)

3000 yd swim - LSD (Friday)

2.5 hour spin class - mixed (Saturday)

11 mile run - LSD (Sunday)

2160 yd swim - LSD (today)

45 minute spin class - endurance (today)

4 mile run - LSD (today)

30 minutes circuit/core/stretch (today)

Obviously my blogging bubble has been contracted a bit lately!

Had great energy on all workouts last week. Thursday's brick featured another run in single digit temps with below 0 wind chills. Good times. For my long swim Friday I went a little harder than I should have but I was getting great rotation and pull and felt great in the water so I went with it. Shoulders were a bit sore later as a result. Lifetime Fitness in Schaumburg added another spin class to their morning schedule so I went out and did the two back to back. Will continue this until the weather improves and I can get back outside. Sunday's long run felt great as well - all in all a good solid week into the Ironman account.

Todays workouts had a bit less energy - likely due to lack of sleep. My daughter got scared by the rain last night and climbed into bed with us at about 2:30. Did I mention she snores and grinds her teeth?

Ignorance is Bliss

Somedays it works out better if you don't know what's coming.

In a previous life I lived in Hong Kong for a couple of years where I was working as a field implementation manager. I frequently had lunch with my install and technical crews - all of them locals. We'd usually stop at out of the way, off the beaten path places for lunch. We'd eat Chinese style - they'd order a ton of dishes which were placed in the middle of the table, then everyone would grab whatever they wanted. Most times I recognized what I was eating but occasionally I'd grab something that I didn't recognize. When I'd ask the guys what it was they'd smile, bob their heads, jabber in Chinese for a bit, chuckle and then say "you really don't want to know.". It didn't matter - whatever the heck it was it was great.

Much later I learned what it was that I was eating. Usually it was pretty mundane - chicken, beef, or vegetables and the like. However there were also few that weren't so mundane - snake, shark fin, chicken feet, various organs, etc. Had I known what many of them were I'm sure I wouldn't have tried them. Turns out I really like snake a lot. Fish cheeks are another favorite. Who would have guessed.

I missed the weather report before I headed out for the health club this morning. I did my usual swim and spin class, and then got on my tights and layered up for my run outside. I got a lot of "you've gotta be kidding me" looks from the regulars. I popped out the doors and hit the road.

About a mile in to the run my run watch began updating itself in slow motion - apparently the liquid crystal was turning to sludge. My iPod bagged it at mile 2. My goatee, eye brows, and the front of my hat were covered by a layer of frost by the end of my 3.5 mile run. Despite all this I was quite comfortable and had a great run. Must be in the 20's I thought.

Back at the health club I caught the weather on TV while I was walking by. 4 degrees. -2 wind chill. Had I known that it was that cold before my run I might have punted. I would have come up with dozens of excuses why I shouldn't run outside. Dennis would have been thrilled to help out - he's great at coming up with excuses to bag a workout. As it was, I didn't know. By not knowing how cold it was, I didn't think about it. Didn't stress over it. And it was great. Kind of like snake but a little more slippery.

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Workout Summary

3060 yd swim (Saturday)

13 mile run (Sunday)

30 minute swim - S&D

45 minute spin class - High tension intervals

3.5 mile run - LSD

Development

On one of my run loops the sidewalk abruptly dead ends into a small undeveloped grassy field. The sidewalk picks back up on the other side of the field, so for about 200 yards I have to run in the street, praying that the throngs of under-caffeinated drivers notice me in time to avoid running me over. It's a very stressful 200 yards. On days when the traffic is really bad I bite the bullet and run through the field.

Over time myself and others have worn a thin path between the sidewalks. Not much more than trampled grass with an occasional glimpse of the ground underneath. It's still uneven and lumpy enough that you have to be extremely careful to avoid twisting an ankle.

This morning I noticed that the trampled grass path has been replaced by a much wider, dark, muddy path. Overnight the sidewalk fairies visited and cut a wide groove across the field that will eventually connect the two sidewalks. Soon there will be a gravel base, boundary stakes, and other evidence of construction. Eventually will come fresh, virgin concrete. At last the two sides of my route will become seamlessly united. No more dodging the under-caffeinated. No more stressed looks over my shoulder.

It occurred to me that we all start off with a big, empty, undeveloped field. Then we make a commitment. We decide to become triathletes, doctors, husbands, fathers. At first it's just a wish - starting out as a thin uneven grass covered path across our field. If we fail to work on the path it will become overgrown and reclaimed by the field. If instead we commit ourselves the path will become wider, more worn, more established. Eventually the path will pass from transience to permanence. From wish to reality. From trampled grass to concrete.

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Workout Summary

45 minute swim - S&D

45 minute spin class - hills

4 mile run - LSD

30 minutes circuit/core/stretching

Despite the fact that it makes me feel like a total slacker, I'm really loving the S&D swim sessions. The obvious benefit is that it's helping to improve my stroke mechanics, but it's also affecting my mental state as well. When I get out of the pool it feels mentally like I've just completed a yoga class; I'm calm, energized, and mindful. This mental state carries over into my other workouts making them more enjoyable and productive.

Did a lot of high tension seated climbing in spin class today - great for reinforcing all the little muscles that are needed to produce a smooth spin. During recoveries I did one legged drills to further improve my spin.

Had a great run despite another day of totally crappy weather. About 10 minutes into the run it started raining and sleeting. My turnover and rhythm were spot on. At many points I had this really odd sensation of having a giant hand pushing me from behind - likely due to style adjustments I've made based on the Pose Technique.

Felt strong once again during circuit and core. Finished up with about 10 minutes of yoga.