Why?

Why am I doing this?  That is the question that I asked myself this morning at 4:25AM, with my neck still hurting (officially a week as of this morning), my legs still a bit sore, and now my right wrist feeling like I sprained it (I have no idea why it hurts).  Why am I getting up well before the sun rises to get in a swim workout?  Why do I leave the house on Saturday mornings at 5:15AM for my long ride?

To be honest, I don't really have an answer right now.  If you had asked me a week ago I had an answer, but this morning at 4:25AM I couldn't come up with one.  My mind was blank and all I wanted to do was crawl back into bed and rest a bit.  Then I thought to myself that one day of missed training can lead to two days.  Then two days can lead to three days and then the spiral begins.  I have suffered through one marathon (back in 2002) due to lack of training or rather having too many excuses not to train.  I can't imagine suffering through an Ironman, that would make an already long day, a long and miserable day.

So I still haven't answered the question, why am I doing this?  Why did I make a commitment back on November 20, 2009 to sign up for Ironman Arizona?  Here is what I have come up with thus far:

• To challenge myself by competing in what I consider to be one of the most difficult races there is...a full Ironman
• To do something I swore four years ago I could never do...swim 2.4 miles
• To stay in good physical shape, and not end up looking like so many over-weight guys my age (or younger)
• To be a good example for my daughters, so they see me as a healthy person who has worked extremely hard to achieve something great
• Because I can
• Because my sports doctor talked me into it last year after I pulled my groin muscle and was getting treatment.

That's about it for now.  I have made a doctor appointment for tomorrow morning to have everything checked.  I just haven't felt right for the past three or four weeks.  Of course I have been self-diagnosing online, so of course I think I know what it is.  I hoping it isn't Lyme Disease, although if it is at least I can start taking medication.  I just want answers!  Ciao!

Wet & Wonderful Weekend

Actually it wasn't all that wonderful, but it was wet.  The forecast for Saturday was two to three inches of rain and winds that could exceed 50 MPH; Sunday was supposes to be very similar.  What was on tap for me?  5 miles plus 6 x 100M on Saturday and 11 miles on Sunday (actually found out afterwards that it was supposed to be 10 miles).  I didn't even have to look out the windows to know that it wasn't going to be whole lot of fun running in the elements.  I should state here that I do have a treadmill in my basement; however, I am banned from using it because back in 2007 I cracked the platform on it when training for the NYC Marathon.  It actually isn't a bad thing that I am not allowed on it, it forces me outside to run, which ultimately I enjoy anyway.

So on Saturday morning, after eating my bagel with jelly and downing some Gatorade G2, I go dressed and headed out the door, into the monsoon.  The first quarter mile or so always sucks when running in the rain and wind.  I assume this is so because you are warm and dry and you are suddenly thrust into a completely different enviroment.  After that period of acclimation I tend to forget about the rain and wind and just run.  Of course on this day whenever I came upon a puddle (and there were plenty of "puddles" or rather spontaneous lakes) I did everything possible to avoid soaking my running shoes.  This proved to be an impossible task, by the end of the first mile my feet were sopping wet.

The run itself went pretty well, a bit slower than I expected but good not the less.  The first two miles I ran around a 7:40/mile pace, if not a little faster.  The wind was at my back and I was just cruising, not really feeling the ill affects of the weather all that much.  Then it came time to head back home....HOLY CRAP!  My nice jaunt in what not seemed like mildly wet weather turned bad.  I was now running straight into the wind and pounding rain.  My 7:40 pace turned to 8:30 and I was getting soaked.  I trudged on and despite the head wind on the way back I still managed to finish the five miles in 40:05 (8:01/mile).  Then it was time for my 6 x 100s, of course all back into the wind.  I pushed myself pretty hard and my times were between :16 (with the wind) and :19 (against the wind).  I was happy to have it over and done with....time for a hot shower

I hoped that the rest of my day would be spent lounging around the house, just vegging out.  No such luck.  My four year old daughter had a birthday party at "Let's Bounce Around", the local hot spot for birthday parties.  Off we went around 3:15PM, into the hurricane like conditions.  The party was....well, it was a bunch of four and five year olds running around crazy, followed by pizza, juice and cake.  I think it should be done in the opposite order....pump them full of sugar, then let them run around and be crazy.  Of course that would probably lead to a whole lot of vomitting on all of the equipment.  My daughter had a blast.  The drive home was nuts, the four or five mile drive took us over 25 minutes, there were lakes and rivers where I have never seen a lake or river.  There were trees where I had never seen trees.  The road were a mess....just crazy weather!

Sunday wasn't any better, actually it was a bit better, the wind had died down significantly.  The rain did not.  I had to go through the same hemming and hawing that I did on Saturday before finally man-ing up and geting out there for my "long" run.  Overall, it was good, a little slower than I wanted to go.  11 miles in 1:30:45 (8:15/mile), with my splits all over the place.  It was a relatively hilly run so my mile splits are all over the place (mile 1 - 8:07 vs. mile 4 - 9:15 vs. mile 11 - 7:43).  Again, I was estatic just to have it over and done with and get get a nice hot shower.

So that was my weekend.  What does this week hold?  Ironman training is suppose to start today but I am rethinking my training program.  I was going to follow a 36 week plan but now I am thinking about a 30 week plan.  The reason is that I am training for a half marathon now and the Ironman plan would be a bit of a step back for where my run is right now.  The other option is to modify the plan a bit until after my race in April.  I am going to review my plan options again tonight.  Oh, I did get in the pool this morning, a little late, but I did get in a quick 1,000M (21:11).

Work time has arrived, must earn the money.  Cheers!

I Like Bill

Bill is the other guy that I run with at lunch (see picture to the right).  I like Bill.  He is the one that always keeps everything light and funny.  Some days he'll show up hating everything that is going on around him and he just rips into anyone and everyone, but in a good and humorous way.  Other times he is just a guy, a self proclaimed "traditionally handsome" guy that just does guy things, talks about guy things and thinks about guys....err, rather things about guy things.  What are some of the other reasons that I like Bill?

• Every 5K I have run with Bill I have beaten him (even by as little as a couple tenths of a second)
• The inevitable flatulance that occurs on every run
• He becomes my running partner when Chris leaves us behind
• We complain about the same things when running
• He is a sprinter like me and he has the same hatred of Chris' easy stride that propels him along at a pace much faster than us
• He can push me in the 100M repeats we do
• He thinks like a guy and that is a good thing
• He jokes, but doesn't complain when either Chris or I are late.
• He will do any workout that Chris or I come up with without asking questions, he just smiles and does it.

So Bill is a good guy and he is good to have out on those lunch time runs.  There should be a couple times this spring and summer where we face off at a 5K....I hope that I can continue my dominance over him.

What has been going on since Tuesday?  Well, I did finally top the 2,000M barrier in the pool on Wednesday morning (yeah!).  I think it took me around 44 minutes to complete it all...I was actually following the plan up on the white board on the pool deck (it was the swim team's daily practice).  I was definitely spent at the end of it.  I was supposed to get on the bike later on that night but I was wiped, I had nothing left after a long day of work and travel.  I believe I passed out around 9:30PM.

Yesterday was a good day.  I had the job of getting my oldest on the school bus and my younges to Pre-K, which meant I got to sleep in until 6:20AM.  It is a much better way to start the day, sleeping "late" and spending it with your kids, rather than splashing around the pool at 6AM (not that I don't enjoy becoming a better swimmer, but let's be honest).  We had a good morning that included some tears when Mommy left, but ended with us all laughing and having fun.

Work was work, I am so busy, I need an assistant or two.  I did manage to get out for a strong run out at lunch.  It was an easy .5 mile warm-up, then 4 miles at half-marathon pace (7:20/mile), an 800M recovery (8:30/mile), then 1 mile at 10K pace (7:05), followed by 6 x 100M strides.  All in all it was about 6.5 miles and all of it hurt.  I must say that as much as it sucked when I was doing it, when I finished I felt like I was going to puke....actually I felt great that I had completed a tough workout, one that is going to make me a stronger/faster runner.

Today I was back in the pool and I managed 2,050M (500M warm-up; 1,000M straight swim; 400M pull buoy; 150 cool down).  I believe it was in 44:23; I wanted to go a bit longer but my strong was deteriorating fast and I thought it best to just get out while I was ahead.  I really felt my stroke during the 1,000M portion, I stayed a consistant 2:13/100M through the entire swim.  I didn't start out too fast and then fade, I managed the same pace for the first 800M and even picked it up for the last 200M (2:10/100M).  I am getting better in the water, I am trying to swim more relaxed, and focus on swimming "downhill" and having a good pull (ah, so many things to have to think about, why didn't my parents get me on a swim team when I was a kid).

Nothing on tap for tonight, although a bit of time on the bike would be a good thing.  I have a decent weekend on tap, training-wise, 5 miles plus 6 x 100M strides on Saturday and 11 miles on Sunday.  Then.....dun-dun-dun.....Monday starts WEEK 1 OF IRONMAN TRAINING!!!!!  Holy cow, it is actually here.  This is where things are going to get interesting.  Work time, peace out!

Just Running

It amazes me how quickly the seasons change and I go from training for three separate disciplines to only one. Every year it is the same thing, I swim May to early September, then I pack up the goggles and shorts until the next year; I bike from April to October then clean my bike, and bid it adieu until next season. Then it is only running....running for the next five or six months straight with no real variation. I seem to have entered into this stage already and I am not happy about it. The weather here in the northeast U.S. has been absolute crap the past two weeks which has led to my not being able to get on my bike at all (I did manage a ride last Sunday, but that has been it really for the month).

This is all going to change over the next month or so as I purchase an indoor bike trainer and join a gym (for the pool and swimming). I am actually pretty excited to get the bike trainer because I miss getting on my bike and just spinning away. I have DVR'd about six or seven past Ironman competitions that aired on Universal Sports over the past two months, so I will have tons of inspiration when I am pedalling away this winter. I am very excited to join a gym and get my swimming on track....I also hope to just get fitter by lifing some weights and getting in better overall shape.

I am looking at this off-season not as a way to just work on my running as it has been in years past, but rather to improve my speed on the bike, better my swimming technique, and as a result improve my overall fitness level. I think as a consequence my running will improve as well. Here's to a good "off-season", which will probably be tougher than any in-season I have ever had.

Here's the past couple days:

Friday: 4.69 mile run, 36:49 (7:51/mile), 160 BPM - Felt great!!!
Saturday: 3.33 mile run, 26:31 (7:58/mile), 156 BPM - Would have been faster if my dog didn't tire after 1.5 miles. I had to "drag" him for the last part of the run. He is very much out of shape.
Sunday: 6.06 mile run, 50:24 (8:19/mile), 157 BPM - I was a little tired and decided not to push it. I also really wanted to got for about eight miles but it wasn't in the cards. It was a good day to run and the route I ran was beautiful, all of the leaves changing colors.
Monday: 4.12 mile run, 32:57 (7:59/mile), 158 BPM - Awesome day out there, I could have gone faster, but didn't. Ran with Chris and Bill at work, great weather and lots of laughs.

This should be a good week. I am working from home on Wednesday because I am the "Mystery Reader" for my daughters 1st grade class. I am really looking forward to going in and surprising her....I hope that I don't embarrass her. Happy training!