Running & Soccer

I suck, simply said, I suck.  I was on a role last week, running and biking, playing soccer, getting exercise every day.  Monday of this week rolls around and I decide to take a rest day, this is totally acceptable and encouraged by most coaches and training books.  We move on to Tuesday and I tell my wife that I would like to go for a run when I get home from work, she agrees to my plan.  Here is where it all starts to unwind....I walk in the door and my wife tells me that she has to run next door to talk to our neighbor about some issues their daughter and my oldest daughter are having.  No problem, right?  Well, she was gone for about 20 minutes at which time I decided I should eat dinner with my middle daughter, lest she will eat alone.  That puts us at around 6:30PM, and I can't go running after having just eaten dinner (a salad with chicken on it); I need at least an hour of digestion to occur (ideally two hours). 

So, I spend some time with the family, play Yahtzee with the girls, get them upstairs and ready for bed, and next thing I know it is 8:30PM.....time to go running.  Well, not so fast, my oldest daughter can't fall asleep and the baby is still awake.  Looks like I been assigned the "get our oldest daughter back in bed duty".  For an hour I have to continually coax her back into her bed and ultimately deal with a hysterical little girl who is feeling like her world is collapsing around her (she is 9 year old, she is a bit of a drama queen).  Eventually she falls asleep at 9:30PM, the baby is just about to fall asleep and I have no desire to drag my butt outside to go running in the 25F weather.  I curse at myself and go to bed early.

I woke on Wednesday morning feeling like a complete cad.  How was I so weak as to of not gone running the night before.  I would make up for it later.  I had soccer that night and thought it would be a good idea to get in a 15 - 20 minute run prior, to ensure that I get a full work out in.  It ended up being a relative quick two mile run (16:20 for 8:10/mile pace), at least quick for me lately.  Then it was off to soccer where we had our final regular season game against the team tied with us in the rankings.  I ran my ass off, sprinting everywhere and playing my heart out.  We emerged victorious (4 - 2, I scored the 4th goal with four minutes left) and I was wiped out, completely spent from the experience.

So here I am on Thursday morning, I slept in a bit and took a nice hot shower to try and loosen up my achy body.  I will be running tonight when I get home for sure, I have to otherwise I will start to slow descent into fatness yet again (I am gradually pulling myself from its clutches).  I need to remember that I need to stick to this loose schedule for at least three weeks.   I am hoping that on Friday night or sometime this weekend I will join the YMCA and get into the pool.

That is about it for now....well, two things to note:

#1 - I will be writing a review of a new racing shoe purchase, the K-Swiss Blade-Light Race, which I managed to get for 50% thanks to "Schwaggle" (see below). 

#2 - I am on the cusp of ordering a new running watch, the Garmin Forerunner 910XT.  My current Garmin Forerunner 305 is on deaths door, thanks to some water getting under the glass (caught in a heavy rain storm).  Once I get it ordered, receive it and use it a few times I will post a review for that as well. 

Happy training everyone.  Ciao!

I Suck at Blogging

Ugh, I am a horrible blogger.  Actually, I'm not a bad blogger when I am blogging.  It's the getting to the blog and writing in the blog that I am not so good at lately.  The problems are stemming from the fact that I have very little time to blog about and have few blog-worthy activities to mention here.

I will sum up the past couple weeks here as succinctly as possible:

Hurricane Irene - I was luck in that my home escaped Irene with no damage what so ever.  Also, my parents managed only a few problems, flooding in their garage destroyed a refrigerator and cabinets and wind knocked out their hot water heater.  Yes, it cost money to fix/replace, but otherwise the house is OK.

Soccer - Both of my daughters are playing soccer and for the first time in three years I am not coaching either of their teams.  It is driving me crazy not being involved.  I am turning into "that Dad" who complains, etc.  I have decided that I am going to abstain from saying anything about the coaching and be a cheerleader for my girls and photographer.  Below is a picture of the the girls new cleats, very stylish, eh?

Surfing - Ugh, so many good waves between Labor Day and September 7th....and I suck at surfing.  I tried and even though I failed I was still out there.  I crashed more than I rode, but I was brave and tried to take of on a lot of waves.  I really want to get better at surfing next year.  Here are some pictures of sunrises from Labor Day weekend.

Pregnancy - Whew, my wife is big, and I mean that in a good way.  She is in her 31st week I think and the due date has been set for the third week in October.  I need to start banking sleep now because those first few months are going to be rough.  I suspect I will be getting back to doing my morning work-outs thanks to 4AM wake up calls.  A little tidbit of information about me:  When my wife was pregnant with our second daughter I weighed the most I have ever in my life....220 LBS!!!  I am not that heavy now, but I feel close to it.  Below is a picture of the first day of school for my girls.

Work - I have been all over Maryland and DC the past couple weeks and I am going to be down in Richmond and Virginia Beach soon as well.  I hope this travel turns into dollars for me!!!

Training - Nonexistent at this point.  I actually went ten days between runs recently.  TEN DAYS!!!  That is unacceptable.  I need to get out and run on the weekends, maybe even get out and ride my bike.  I think a gym/pool membership is much needed.  I need to set up my bike trainer in the basement and get back to my evening training sessions.  If I am going to be sitting around watching TV, I might as well be burning calories, right?

I hope to spruce things up here soon, maybe liven things up a bit.  Cheers!

Just Like Jerry Seinfeld

For me lately things (training in particular) are going in all different directions.  I can't explain it really, maybe it is a different mindset on some (swim), or a lack of fitness (run), or being in a rut (bike).  Whatever the case I am trying to stay positive and realistic about where I am with triathlon at the present moment.  I kind of feel like Jerry Seinfeld, specifically from "The Opposite" episode.  My run lately has been horrible, I just can't breathe well, can't get my legs to turn over, it is just bad.  On the other hand, my swim last night was tremendous for me.  Every 100yd I swam was at or around 1:40, easily 10 seconds faster than it has been for the past few weeks.  I even managed to get into the 1:37/100yd range.  Lastly my bike has been steady and consistent.  I would like it to be better, but I know that I need to lose around 10 lbs in order for me to get faster and be a better climber....I am just carrying too much weight.  So there you have it:  Run - DOWN; Swim - UP; Bike - SAME.

Reality Check:  I am nine months removed from doing IM Arizona and have finally come to grips that I am kind of starting out at square one.  I dealt with a bunch of bothersome injuries from December 2010 through March 2011 and despite my delusions, I know that I am kind of starting again.  Gone are my days of heading out and running an easy 5 mile run at 7:45/mile pace...now it is more like 8:20 or slower.  My swim stroke made a surprise appearance last night, on a night that I almost didn't even head to the pool.  I have a race in two weeks and my expectation have been tempered by this "revelation".  I am going to be racing for fun, not for a PR.

Weekend Wrap Up

• Friday - 1:15 ride on my bike trainer in the basement.  My in-laws were over, so I wasn't able to do my ride outside, no worries I did it after everyone went to bed. 
• Saturday - I was able to get out for a 45 minute run prior to breakfast and the pool.  Again, not a stellar effort but I did manage to pick up the past for the last two miles or so.  My heart rate has been through the roof lately.  I think a visit to my doctor is in order.  Around 10:45 I went to the pool with my father-in-law and two daughters.  We spent the entire day there, not leaving until after 5:00PM.  I can not even tell you how many times I went of the diving boards at that pool.  I must point out that I did conquer one giant fear....I DOVE off of the the high dive (3 meter spring board).  I'm not saying that I "jumped" off of the high dive, I actually did a "dive", hands first into the water dive.  Yee haw!!!
• Sunday - I had every intention of getting up and going for a bike ride at 6:00AM but I was just too tired and ended up sleeping in until 7:30AM.  After a breakfast I got the OK from my wife to go and play soccer with a bunch of "old" guys like myself at our local park.  It was a lot of fun, but I was hurting afterwards.  The rest of the day I thought was going to be a full on training day, but it didn't happen.  My wife had planned to take both of my daughters to a birthday party, but at the last minute she decided not to take my youngest.  No worries, after I cut the lawn, the two of us headed over to the pool.  We had fun splashing around in the water together, something I can't really do when my oldest is there.  It was nice to spend the day with her.
  
  The training highlight of the day was during my swim session at 8:00PM that night.  I had to force myself over to the pool to get a much needed swim in.  A quick note, on the numerous swims in the diving pool on Saturday I noticed that I was swimming very "choppy".  Also, before getting in the pool, I saw a friend of mine swimming and his stroke was looking really inefficient.  So I decided to try and lengthen my stroke and swim easier.  Well, it worked.  I completed my 300 yd warm-up in five minutes flat (1:40/100yd).  For my main set I did 5 x 100s followed by 6 x 50s.  For each of the 100s I was at or under 1:41/100 and for the 50s I was right at :47/50.  Again, for many a good swimmer that would be slow, but for me I felt great and know that I am capable of improving.

So there was my weekend, notice that there was no bike ride in there.  Sometimes you have to do things that make you happy (play soccer) or with people that make you happy (six year old daughter) or for people to make them happy (chores around the house for my wife).  I'll try and get the ride in tonight, but I am not going to fret if I can't get it in.  It is going to be a busy night and my family comes first.  Peace out!

Father's Day Weekend +

It is Wednesday morning and I am still a bit sore, actually my lower back is killing me.  The past few days have left me feeling not so great, but such is life for a nearly 40-year old man who is holding on tightly to his youth.  Sometimes I fail to realize that I am not longer a 20-something guy who can just go and go and go.  My body has taken a beating over the past 40 years, thanks to soccer, lacrosse, running, biking, tennis, golf, etc.  Every morning that I wake up I am paying the price for it, or so it seems.

Enough of the complaining.  I should be happy to be alive and happy to have had a great Father's Day weekend.  Here is what I did:

• Saturday - I was up and out of the house at 7:00AM for a mountain bike ride with my friend Trevor.  Our daughters were in the same 2nd Grade class and play on the same soccer team.  I hadn't been "mountain biking" in a long time, primarily because my front shocks are shot (not suspension at all).  Regardless, we headed out and did a ride around Doylestown, trying to find any trail we could to ride on.  It was a lot of fun, cruising around and talking.  It was good to be riding with someone rather than solo as I normally do.  We probably put in about an hour and half of riding before we had to call it quits.  After the ride, I ate some breakfast and then it was out to mulch the yard (it was hot and it sucked). 
  
  Around 11:30AM I got cleaned up and headed out to a semi-annual coaches soccer game, which was a ton of fun; that is if you don't count the potential Grade 1 concussion I received, thanks to a mis-timed and unsuccessful bicycle kick.  I was definitely seeing stars afterward. 
  
  After soccer it was back to mulching....again, sucked!  I finished up the day by heading to the pool with my family where I pretty much just say in a chair and watched my girls play in the water.  I was wiped out, just so tired.  Plus, my head still wasn't quite right from the soccer game.
• Sunday (Father's Day) - I was up early again, this time for a 6:00AM ride with another friend of mine (J.P.).  I know him from our pool and some mutual friends.  I headed out for my first group ride (four of us) and we put in 2.5 hours, heading down to the rived and then up Federal Twist and through NJ.  It was a bitch of a ride, but it was great to be out riding with other guys.
  
  I had to peel off a bit early from the group because I wanted to play soccer at 9:30AM with some fellow Father's.  I was definitely feeling a bit sore from the ride, but I soldiered on and played for about an hour and a half.  Oh, for the first time ever, I had both of my groin muscles cramp up on me after the game.  It was a bitch trying to get my cleats, socks and shin guards off.  So much fun playing though.
  
  After the game I headed home for a shower and some time with the family.  My girls gave me my presents (two bathing suits, a pair of plaid shorts and a t-shirt....thank you Laura for helping them pick out the presents for me) and then I took a nap on the couch with my oldest lying on top of me.
  
  Around 2PM we headed to the pool and I had fun with my girls.  My youngest is finally going underwater again (and swimming), and my oldest is kicking butt on the diving board.  It is so great to see them swimming around in the water, like little fishes they are. 
  
  We finished up the night with a trip to Dilly's for dinner (met my in-laws there), a nice hamburger & french fries, followed by my youngest left over ice cream.  It was a great Father's Day!
• Monday - I was invited to play golf as part of a work function out in York, PA.  I was really sore from the weekend; so much so that I had to wear an Icy/Hot pad on my lower back for the entire round.  The first two holes were rough, but then I settled in and ended up shooting a 90 (not bad for my first round of the year).  Golf was followed by a great dinner, where I had calamari for the first time ever in my life (I probably won't have it again).
• Tuesday - Back to work and then to the pool afterwards for a my longest swim workout in six months.  I put in a very respectable 1,400yds.  I wanted to swim for longer but I needed to get home to my wife who was waiting for me.  No worries, I was just happy to feel good swimming again.

So it is Wednesday and I had planned to run this morning but my lower back was just too tight and I couldn't imagine running with it feeling like that.  Instead I opted to head into the office early and get a jump on the day (I was in Philly by 7:15AM).  I am going to probably head out of the office around 3:30PM to get home and get a run or bike in before my evening swim.  It is a good day!

Finding My Place

I have been absolutely horrible at updating this darn blog lately.  With my new job and everything else that last think I am thinking about is documenting what is going on with my life and training.  Also, I started this blog to track my progress to IM Arizona and now that it is over I am trying to reposition it a bit....to what, I have no idea. 

I have been less than stellar with my training for the past two months or so.  I have done my best to get out and run four days a week, but cycling on the trainer has pretty much stopped since about two weeks ago and swimming is not going to be happening for a while since I don't currently belong to a pool.  I have gone from dedicating about 15 months of my life to training for a an Ironman race to now trying to figure out what is next.  I know that I have a half marathon in the middle of April that I am woefully underprepared for and the Broad Street Run the beginning of May, but other than that I don't have anything concrete.  This is definitely a weird feeling and I am having a tough time grasping the non-structured life I am now leading.

I guess what I need to do is lay out a plan for the next nine months, a list of definite races that I will be doing (what I had posted a month ago was more of a wish list).  Then I need to lay out a training program that will get me to the finish line of that last race in October.  I find it rather comical how my not having a training schedule is driving me nuts.

As for P90X, I techincally started that on Tuesday night, but now I realized that I need to probably reset how I am going to do it on a day-to-day basis.  Since I have soccer on Wednesday nights (which I am totally kicking ass in) I shouldn't be doing plyometrics that day.  I am going to have Monday's be the day I start the week, instead of Tuesday's like I planned.  No worries.

That is it for now.  I have to get out and do a solid speed workout tonight since I am totally slacking on the running lately.  I have four days of pounding the pavement ahead of me, or at least three with a spin session the bike (Friday)....and P90X every night.  I am determined to get down to a good weight for the race season and be stronger as well.

Cheers!

Back At It...Sort Of

It seems that the more things change, the more they stay the same.  The past week and a half has been a very good one, but with that said it hasn't been without its not so great parts.

On Monday, February 7th I started my new job with Chartis (AKA AIG) down in Philadelphia.  It is a sales job, a position that I have never done before.  After the issues I had with my prior employer/manager, I am extremely excited to be starting fresh and looking forward to "competing" against my former employer for business.  My first day in the office was akin to starting at a new school half way through the year.  I had been with Chubb Insurance for over 10 years and had grown very comfortable there, almost to a fault.  To move to a new company has been a very unique and mildly stressful experience.  All of the little things that I had grown accustomed to were now different, such as:

• Working in a city as opposed to a very rural setting in western NJ
• Commuting an hour and 20 minutes (or more) on I-95 as opposed to 50 minutes on country roads.
• Employing systems/programs that are a bit more archaic (e.g. IE 6.0)
• Using a new laptop that is a step down from my old one
• Having to buy lunch everyday instead of bringing it in (I am trying to eat breakfast before leaving the house

Yest things are different, and it may seem like they are worse from the list above, but trust me I am much, much happier than I was a month or two ago.  Once I get used to things here and start spending more time out on the road and less in the office, things will improve greatly.

Now for the training portion of the is post.  Ugh, I can not seem to get healthy!  My back is finally back to normal, or at least I think it is.  That is a good thing.  Last Wednesday I started playing indoor soccer with some friends; I was really looking forward to it.  I could tell within the first five minutes that my hip flexors were not 100%, so I decided to take it somewhat easy for fear that I might reinjure them.  Things were going well, I had scored two goals and we were winning pretty handily.  With about 10 minutes left in the game I landed a bit awkwardly on my right foot and my heel really started to hurt.  I kept running around, trying not to let it bother me. 

Well, flash forward to today, a full week later and I am still feeling some pain in the heel.  I have not idea what the heck I did to it.  I have dealt with Plantar Faciitis before and I don't think that is it (the pain isn't on the inside near my arch).  The pain is on the bottom/outside of the heel, I think I may have bruised it or the padding.  I am going to try tapping it before playing tonight, hopefully that is all I need. 

As for actual "training", I have been limited to cycling on the trainer for the past two weeks or so.  I did go running a week and a half ago, but that was for all of 25 minutes (coming off of my back issues).  Swimming has been no existent for the better part of the past month since I don't presently belong to a gym, although I am hoping that my wife and I can agree to signing up for a family membership at the YMCA.  Sooner than later would be ideal!

I definitely need to get out running again soon as I have a few races coming up that I have to get ready for and the fact that I have not done a run over four or five miles over the past two months is a concern.  I am anxious to get back to serious training and losing some of the excess weight I have put on over the past two months.

That is all for now.  Peace out!

How Not to Train for an Ironman (Nutritionally)

It is Monday morning and I am exhausted.  It was a long weekend of activity and I don't necessarily mean with regards to my training.  There was just a lot of stuff going on and I can't believe I am about to say this....I am happy that it is Monday.  REST DAY!!!!  Let me recap....

Friday - Awesome Training Day
Great training day for me!  Seriously....it was great.  I got my swim in early as usual, done and out of the water by 6:40AM.  3,400m in around 1:07:30...it was the absolute best I have ever felt swimming, everything is starting to come together, at least I hope that is the case. 

3,400m = 500m wu, 8x50 drills, 6 x (50 + 100 + 150) @20sec, 8 x 50 drills, 300m cd

At lunch I slipped out a bit early and did a very solid 1:14:33 run, the first hour in Z2 at 8:00/mile pace, then 10 min in Z4 at 6:56/mile pace, and 5 min cool down.  That adds up to around 9.4 miles and I felt really good afterwards, like I put in a solid effort.

Saturday - Soccer, Running, Spinning
I knew that I wasn't going to be able to get my bike in on Saturday because of my daughters soccer game (10AM) so I swapped days, ergo it was a long run day with a spin on the bike.  I was able to sleep in until 6:45AM, when my oldest daughter decided to wake my wife and I up.  I think I actually stayed in bed until around 7:30AM though (yee haw!).  I didn't have enough time to get my run in so I made break fast for everyone, then got ready for my daughters soccer game, while my wife took our little one to her first dance class (she was super psyched).  Soccer went well, we won 2 - 0 and the girls played really well even though we only had one practice a two weeks ago.  My daughter played well, a little rusty, but she had fun which is the most important.

After all of that we headed home, did some work around the house, washed my filthy car and waited to go for my run.  Finally around 3:00PM I made it out the door.  I felt great for the first hour and 15 minutes, running around 8:15/mile pace.  Then I started to crash a bit, I think the result of my not having enough fluids on me.  In hindsight I should have done a two loop run and refilled my water bottles.  I ended up running two really slow miles before picking it up for the last one.  Total run:  2:00:00, 14 miles, 8:34/mile pace

After that it was dinner time, my wife made an awesome lasagna and I ate a lot.  My night was not over though, I still had to get in an hour spin, 100+ RPMs in Z1.  So it was off to the basement for me at 8:15PM.  Not much to say about this except that I got it done.   For whatever reason I was up until around midnight, not smart!

Sunday - The Trainer, Fasting, Painting
What a crappy day.  My daughters soccer was supposed to be at 2:00PM, which meant I had to get my bike ride in early, but it was pouring outside and they were calling for thunderstorms.  I made a very tough call, one that took me a long time to decide on....I would have to do my four hour ride indoors on my trainer in the basement.  In preparation I set up my laptop in front of my bike with live coverage of Ironman Wisconsin streaming from UniversalSports.com, had the TV on and ready to go for when the Liverpool soccer match kicked off at 11:00AM and I started my ride to nowhere.  The ride had little to no variation, no "climbing", no fast downhills, it was pretty much straight ahead "riding" for four hours (aside from my one potty break), remember I was on my trainer.  However, I still feel like I got something out of it, I kept my cadence high for the entire ride, right around 95 RPMs and my heart rate right around Z2.  I picked up the effort a few times while listening to "Closer to the Edge" by 30 Seconds to Mars (great song).

After my ride, I immediately headed out the door for my 45 minute run (actually 45:30).  I started out a bit slow, at around 8:15/mile pace and gradually picked it up and finished 5.6 miles at 8:08/mile pace.

Side note:  The only thing I had to eat prior to my ride were Pop-Tarts.  During my ride I downed four 20 oz. bottles of Gatorade and three sleeves of Clif Shot Bloks.  During my run I took in 20 oz of water.  When I returned from my run I chugged two glasses of chocolate mile an immediately hit the showers.

I promised my wife that I would help her paint the kitchen and adjoining hallway after my workout (since soccer was cancelled due to the rain).  So at 3PM we started to prep the area....and as a result I kind of forgot to eat.  Flash forward to 7:30PM and all I had eaten was another batch of Pop-Tarts and downed some Dr. Pepper, as I was trying my best to get all of the painting done.  It was at this point that I delved into an apple pie that my wife had made.  I was so hungry, lightheaded and generally feeling like crap, but I didn't want to stop because I promised my wife we would get it done.

Finally at 9:30AM we finished!  I took a shower and then drove over to Wendy's to get a double cheeseburger, large fries and large soda.  I was starving so why not eat one of the least healthy meals possible right before going to bed.  The way my night was going I figured it was the right call, and by "right" call I mean the complete and utterly wrong call.  I felt like crap after eating it.

So, I learned a very valuable lesson from yesterday, after sleeping horribly and waking up this morning feeling equally horrible.  After a tough workout, i.e. ~5 hours of training, take the time to refuel properly otherwise you are going to pay for it on more than one level.  I made a lot of mistakes Saturday yesterday:

• I didn't eat a solid breakfast either day
• I didn't fuel properly on my long run or long bike (more gels/shot bloks and more fluids)
• My post-workout meals were lacking big time.  The only think I did right was down some chocolate milk.
• I stayed up way to late each night....but I did mange to sleep in each morning.

So, here I am, 69 days out from Ironman Arizona, ready to start week 21 of my training program.  I have made some really great strides with my training, I feel stronger and faster.  However, with regards to my nutrition, I have a lot of room for improvement.  I have ten weeks to figure it all out....just being smarter will probably take care of most of my issues though, eh?

Adios!

Soccer, Soreness, & Super

I woke up this morning really sore, and not just any ole sore, soccer sore. Yup, that's right I played soccer on Tuesday night and I was paying for it. My quads were sore, my calves were aching, the muscles behind my knees were hurtin', heck even the muscles in my feet were giving me giving me problems. I believe that I am going to be officially giving up soccer until after my triathlon training is over, it just isn't worth the price that I pay.

The worst part about playing soccer is that no one on my team will get me the ball. Most of my team is made up of Spanish speaking guys, which leads me to believe that because I am not fluent in Espanol, I am not going to be getting the ball. So frustrating knowing that I am one of the better players on the team and they choose not to utilize me. That makes my decision all the easier.

Today
As I said already, I woke up in pain, but I wasn't about to let that interior my training for the day. So I made sure that I got in my 45 minute ride (about 14 miles, 19.1 MPH) followed immediately by a 15 minute run (about 1.85 miles, 7:56/mile pace). The best part about my work-out was that my heart rate never really got above 150 BPM. I think that I am definitely improving my fitness.

That is it for now. I am home alone with my little ones and it is dessert time. Tomorrow it is back into the pool in the early AM and then an hour on the bike at lunch. I'm looking forward to a good day. Cheers!

Soccer & Early Mornings

I am a little sore this morning, I am really not in soccer shape at all.  I ran about four miles during lunch and then I played soccer last night with a team I played with last year.  I was called into duty by the team "owner" because they were playing their arch rivals, who happen to be a bunch of guys I played with when I was younger....a lot younger.  Anyway, the game was a lot of fun despite the fact that we got beat 4 - 0.  I started out at center midfield and then moved over to left midfield/wing about midway through the first half.  I had a hard time getting the ball as the boys on my squad had a tendency to just clear the ball with reckless abandon and dribble until they had it taken.  There was not a lot of one or two touch soccer, so not quality.  That part was a little frustrating, but I didn't make too big a deal or a fuss because I was just a visitor to their game, there to help out where ever possible.

I wasn't on the field for the first two goals, neither of which was what I would consider to be of any quality.  I was actually subbed out with about 15 minutes left in the 1st half.  I didn't go back in until around 30 minutes left in the 2nd.  I hustled my ass off but I wasn't able to make anything happen despite my best intentions.  I am looking forward to playing in a 3 v. 3 tournament this coming Saturday.  Last night was a good tune up for that.

As for this morning I was up at 4:35AM and immediately went down into the basement for a 45 minute session on the trainer.  I can't believe how quickly the time went.  First I caught up on the season finale of "How I Met Your Mother" and then I finished up the last 20 minutes of my ride with the 2006 Ironman World Championships.  Watching the beginning of that was just so inspiring.

Time to get the girls on the bus and to school.  Hope to get in the pool tonight for 2,500M or so....haven't gotten in yet this week.  Cheers!

Soccer Night

Two mornings later and I am still feeling it in my legs.  I forgot how sore one can get from playing a sport (e.g. soccer, lacrosse, basketball, etc.), so many different muscles used, so many places that can hurt.  Let me explain the reason(s) for my pain.

Tuesday was the first day back from a very long weekend (Memorial Day weekend) and I was ready to take on the week.  I woke up at 4:30AM and made it to the pool for my 2,500 of lap after lap of swimming.  I felt good in the water and emerged feeling confident and happy.  I swam relaxed and as smooth as possible for me.  The day was shaping up well thus far. 

Work was work and I did what I needed to do.  I decided to go out for a run at lunch despite the 90F-plus temperatures outside and 80% humidity.  I was scheduled for an hour run, but since I was supposed to play soccer later on that night, so I opted to just run four miles (33:40 or so)....I was tired and it was hot.  I was also having a bit of a tough time breathing which I will get to later.  I toughed it out and was happy I did so.

Flash forward to Tuesday night at 6PM and I am up at Herbst Field, the local soccer/lacrosse complex.  I coach my daughters soccer team and the head (Neil) of Smart Soccer, Central Bucks Athletics Associations soccer education partner, put together a year-end scrimmage for all of the coaches of the rec leagues.  The weather wasn't exactly cooperating early on as the rain dumped on us numerous times, but we managed to finally find a window to play.  About 15 or 16 guys showed up to play, of varying skill levels, all ready to kick the ball around and get a run in.....and run we did.  Neil decided that we could play full field 7 v 7, which in hindsight was probably a bit off, maybe a smaller field would have worked a bit better considering the different fitness levels of all the players.  Regardless, we played and had a great time. 

About 20 minutes into the session I was reminded of how completely different it is to play a contact sport vs. training for running, biking, or swimming.  I was jogging slowly one minute, then in a dead sprint the next, only to slow to a jog and then sprint again.  I spent my whole life playing soccer and lacrosse, yet having not played those sports much recently, I forgot that there is a different kind of fitness that goes along with them.  It was tough, fun, but tough. 

After about an hour or so of playing we called it quits and I was so glad that I played.  I had a really good time and can't wait to get out and play again (hopefully next Tuesday night).  The one thing that I wasn't so happy about was the aches that I was starting to feel in my legs; my quads, hamstrings, calves, and groin were all screaming at me, "Why did you do this to us?"  I didn't have an answer for them.  All I could do was head home, shower up and get to sleep.

Wednesday I fortunate to be working from home and my body thanked me for it.  I was able to sleep in, if you call waking at 5:30AM and lying there looking at the ceiling for an hour sleeping in.  I do like the mornings when I get the girls ready for school, just the little extra time with them in the morning is special. 

Once they were gone I was banging out changes to my companies intranet site and trying to respond to a plethora of emails.  Around 11:45AM I decided to get my training in for the day, a 45 minute ride followed immediately by a 15 minute run.  Even though it was over 90F, the session was awesome.  I rode really well, felt strong and came off the bike feeling good.  For the run I was conscious of the fact that I needed to keep my heart rate in Zone 2, which was tough.  My legs just wanted to go and I had to pull it back a few times.  Despite my attempts to slow down, I still managed 8:03/mile pace for the run and my average heart rate was right around 150 BPM.  I should also note that my quads and groin muscles were still hurting from the prior nights soccer game.  OUCH!!!

The second half of my day was spent going to a couple doctors.  The first was an ENT (Ears, Nose, & Throat) to have my ears checked.  I was told a few weeks ago that I have bumps in my ears and I should have them checked out.  The ENT doctor diagnosed them as Exostoses, and told me that I don't have to worry about them unless I start to have some issues with my hearing.  I also asked him about my nose and subsequent allergy issues.  He told me to try switching my allergy medicine to Singulair and if that didn't work, Zyrtec.

My next doctor appointment was with my family physician.  I scheduled this one because I have been having trouble breathing when the weather gets hot and humid.  I have continued to take my allergy medicine, but haven't had any luck eliminating the symptoms.  About 5 minutes into my runs I just can't take a good deep breathe, it feels like my chest just won't take the air in.  I have dealt with this for a long time and I finally needed to do something about it.  In short, my doctor told me that I probably have exercise-induced asthma.  Although when it happens to me doesn't really coincide with all of the typical triggers (e.g. cold, dry air), the one that could be causing it would be my allergies.  He prescribed an inhaler for me to use 10 - 15 minutes prior to heading out for a run or ride.  I am praying that this will help me out and eliminate the shortness of breathe and unusual fatigue that I suffer from in the warm Spring/Summer months.

That is about it for now....oh I did get in a swim this morning (2,400M) and it went really well.  I have a big night ahead of me, my little girl turned five years old today so we are going to be having pancakes for dinner (her choice) then cake for dessert.  I can't believe that my youngest is now FIVE YEARS OLD. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY LITTLE E-ROCK!!!

Rain, Rain Go Away, Come Again Another Day

The word of the day is rain. The drive into work this morning was wet and miserable...granted I was in a car, but still it was just depressing. Even though it hasn't been raining every single day, it does seem like it and it is having a negative effect on my psyche. I am somewhat dreading my afternoon run today and as I look at the weather for the rest of the week it seems that there are going to be quite a few dread-filled afternoons of running.

On a more positive note, the past two days of running have been amazing. Not so much because of the running but more so because of the weather and the scenery. I went for a somewhat easy 7+ mile run on Sunday morning and it was just perfect out, 49F and sunny. The leaves are all changing color now, all red, yellow and orange. It was just a great day to be alive and outside. Yesterday was the same, except it was a bit warmer out. I do love running when the temperatures drop a bit and the leaves change colors, it is so energizing.

How do I plan on managing with the weather? Well, I think on Friday I am going to order my indoor bike trainer, most likely the Kurt Kinetic Road Machine.

The more I've thought about going out and buying a kick-ass model, my thinking is now along the lines of keeping it simple and just getting a good price on a solid trainer. ia m actually realy looking forward to getting it, setting it up in my basement and going to town on it either at night while I watch my DVR'd network shows (The Office, Heroes, etc.) or in the early mornings when I can watch all of the classic Ironman Triathlon's I have recorded over the past month.

Past runs:
Friday - 4.62 miles, 36:00 (7:48/mile), 161 BPM - Nice day, ran with Bill and Chris at work.
Saturday - Off....coached my daughters soccer game. It was a lot of fun, my daughter had a great pass to set up our first goal.
Sunday - 7.2 miles, 59:23 (8:14/mile), 158 BPM - Great day for running, I was tired the middle part of the run, but it was just so nice out.
Monday - 4.61 miles, 37:47 (8:12/mile), 157 BPM - Another great day. I was still a bit tired from the previous day, but it was fun running with Bill & Chris.
Today - 4.66 miles, 37:49 (8:07/mile), 155 BPM - Wet, but not rainy run. I was alone and went at an easy pace as my hamstrings are a bit tight.

That is it for now, things are pretty mellow...actually I have a ton of work to do so I better get to that....need to earn a living!