Quick Update

I don't have a lot of time this morning so I am going to make this short and sweet....then again I always say that and end up writing way more than I planned.

I like to think  I am back in the swing of training, but I say that having only done two days of training in a row.  The real test will be if I am able to run or bike after my daughters lacrosse practice tonight (which I coach as well).  I probably won't get home until around 8:00PM and after getting her cleaned up and the other two in bed it will probably be close to 8:45PM.  That means I am going to have to utilize all of my will power to get me either out the door for a nice 4 - 5 mile run or in to my basement for an hour ride on the trainer.  No doubt it will be difficult, but I am sure that I can do it.  Hell, I was able to do it for eleven straight months in 2010, no reason I can't do it now.

As for the week in training thus far, Tuesday I was all ready to head out for a run, but then life got in the way.  Before I knew it, it was already 9:15PM and I had no desire to go out into the wet weather for a 5 mile run.  Instead of packing it in an doing nothing, I put on my cycling gear and did a 45 minute ride in the basement while watching IM New Zealand.  For me, there is nothing better for motivation than to watch replays of past Ironman's to make me work hard.  I know I am not going to be a professional triathlete, but being a solid age group contender going forward is what I want. 

Yesterday was a gorgeous day and I was able to get out and do a 4.75 mile run right before dinner.  I felt like crap for the whole run, but I think that was largely due to what I ate prior.  It started with a breakfast meeting at Shula's where I consumed a healthy portion of French Toast and sausage.  I then followed that up with a lunch meeting at the White Dog where I had the "Green Meadow Farm Cheddar Burger - Smoked Bacon Mayo, Grilled Red Onion, Brioche Bun" with fries.  I was so full and I think it stayed with me all through my run which was a solid four hours afterwards.  It was warm out (75F) and I was slow, but I got it done.

I had been pretty good about watching what I eat, but then it all fell apart yesterday.  I tried to remedy that this morning by starting my day with a bowl of Cheerios for breakfast.  For lunch today I think it is going to be a Salad Works day and for dinner maybe just some eggs on a bagel (after my training session of course).

That is it for now....the Broad Street Run is only eleven days away.  Sayonara!

Saturday & the Stateliner Spring Classic 5K (not the UNITE)

I woke up on Saturday morning feeling a hell of a lot better than I did on Friday.  Apparently the meds I was prescribed were doing what they were supposed to do.  I had what looked like a very busy day ahead of me and I was ready to get started. 

First up was to take my youngest daughter to dance class at 9:30AM, oh and have my older daughter accompany me so that my wife to do some food shopping and other necessary household duties, all of which keep the household running smoothly.  Dance was pretty uneventful except for the last 10 or 15 minutes when I was able to watch a run through of their June recital.  It is going to be really cute;  about ten 4 and 5 year old girls tap dancing to a song from "The Lion King."

Next up, waiting to see if my oldest daughter was going to have a lacrosse game.  The end result - called off at 11:30AM because of the "threat of heavy rain."  This proved to be a very wise decision.  Upon finding this out, the girls and I decided (actually I decided and they fought the decision) to take a drive to Rutgers to pick up my race packet for the UNITE Half Marathon....the race I would not be running because I was not even close to being in race shape.  We had a good time though, driving and walking around my Alma Mater, despite all of the rain.  They girls were great the whole time.

The rest of the night was uneventful, except for the thunderstorms that kept the girls up a bit later than normal.

Sunday - Stateliner Spring Classic 5K
Stateliner Spring Classic 5K was my first race since Ironman Arizona, and I can honestly say that I don't think I have ever been less prepared for a race in my life.  The only reason that I was even going to do the race was because two of my old friends from Chubb (Bill and Chris) were doing it and it was a chance to catch up with them. 

I have been riddled with injuries and illness for the better part of the past four months and my training has been limited to about three days a week.  I went in hoping for something around 23 minutes and anything lower would be a bonus.  At the start I told Bill and Chris that I was going to try and stay with them for about 1/4 mile and then I would just settle into my pace and try to have fun.....and that is exactly what happened. 

Mile 1 - I was passed by quite a few people, which is a very different feeling for me.  Granted I am not the fastest runner, but I do normally run a 5K at about 6:45/mile pace.  Runners were passing me like I was standing still....I was OK with this.  The first mile is pretty much uphill and I was just hoping to be around 7:30 by the mile marker, and that was about where I ended up, maybe slightly faster.

Mile 2 - The course flattens out there and it was at this point that I started to pass many of the overzealous teens and young ladies that went out like, well inexperienced kids.  My pace improved and I believe I was right around 7:12 for that mile.

Mile 3 - Ah, finally the downhill payback, but why wasn't I going faster?  I guess I just didn't have it in me or just didn't care to push myself too hard for fear of injury or making my "strep" worse.  I chose to cruise down the hill, not getting passed by anyone, but also not catching anyone either.  7:01

The Track - I entered the Phillipsburg track on the heels of another runner with another runner about 20 yards ahead of him.  Any other day I would have busted ass and caught both of them and been dry heaving at the finish.  Today was a different day, I didn't want to be puking at the end, I just wanted to glide in to the finish.  And....that is exactly what I did.  I just glided into the finish, happy to be done and happy to have finished with a time of 22:20, a 7:12/mile pace.

I definitely could have run at a much faster pace.  I definitely could have really bombed the last mile downhill.  I definitely could have caught those two guys on the track.  I definitely could have pulled a hamstring or tore my Achilles tendon.  I chose to take it easy for once in my life and just enjoy the day.  It was a good day for a race.

Post-Race
The three of us hung around for the raffle and awards.  I won two tickets to the Wurst Festival at Shawnee Mountain (they will probably be re gifted).  Chris took second our age group and Bill took third; a solid job by both of them.  After that is was off for a hearty breakfast at the Key City Diner, where I had a much deserved plate of French Toast (so good!).  That was followed with a tour of P-burg and then home.

At Home
On the drive home I tossed around the idea of going for a run with my oldest daughter (she is in the running club at school).  She is supposed to be running during the week and gets to double the miles if she runs with a parent.  So when I got home I asked her if she wanted to go running with me.  She said yes and off we went (with me pushing my 5 year old in the jogging stroller).  We ran to the park near us, they played for a little bit and then we ran home.  It was awesome to be able to go for a run with my 8 year old.  Who knows, maybe it will be another of our things.

That is about it for now.  Work is calling me.  I have about two weeks to get ready to run the Broad Street Run in Philly (May 1st).  That should be an experience.  Adios!

The Roller Coaster Continues

Just when I think I am back, something happens.  Something drags me down and I am forced to start back at the beginning.  When I last left off here I was back to running and doing P90X; I was back in the game and prepping for a strong showing in 2011. Well, things have changed and I am back at square one again thanks to a number of things, ugh so frustratings. 

So, the first thing was my knee.  Three weeks ago when playing soccer I landed on my knee, directly on the turf.  I didn't think it was a big deal until the next day when it swelled up quite a bit.  Turns out I had burst a bursa sac under my knee cap.  I didn't have to get it drained, but I did have to stay off of it for two weeks (translation - NO RUNNING OR BIKING). 

So after a two week lay off I was back playing soccer and luckily I ended the season without any other injuries.  I then started running and biking again, actually biking outside (yahoo!).  My knee was a little sore, but no more swelling or pain.

This week I did an easy 4 mile run on Tuesday, the start of my three week training plan for the Broad Street Run.  Overall I felt pretty good, although much slower than I would like.  Wednesday I did an hour on the bike in the basement since it was late and rainy when I finally had time to go for a run.  No worries, I put in a very respectable ride, I felt good.  Yesterday I was ready to get out on the road and put in a 5 mile run after my daughters lacrosse practice, but I just didn't feel right.  It was then that my wife looked at my neck (which was really sore) and told me I needed to go to the doctor because my lymph nodes were all swollen on the left side of my neck.  I should add that I felt like crap, but would have probably tried to go for a run had I not been told to see the doctor.

Today I went to the doctor and was told that instead of doing a Strep culture, they are just going to treat me for Strep and a couple other things.  The doctor definitely saw the swelling in my neck and wanted to start treatment right away.  She also advised that I should lay low today and all weekend so that I am better by Monday.  So what does that do for my weekend?

UNITE Half Marathon - I decided that I wasn't going to do this race about three weeks ago.  I am woefully under-prepared and it would be more of a death march than a race for me.  I may still head over to Rutgers to get my race bib and shirt.  Shame I'm not running, I got a good number ....699!

Stateliner 5K - I may do this on Sunday, it is a chance to do a short run with some of my good friends from Chubb (where I used to work).  If I do it, I will be taking it easy.

Now, long term, I need to get healthy. 

• I have to get over this Strep-type illness
• My knee needs to get to 100%
• I still have some numbness in my left quadricep that I know I have to see a specialist about.

Upcoming race schedule:

• Broad Street Run - I should be able to do this, but my time is going to be around 1:20:00, not where I really want to be, but it is still early on in the season.
• Lavaman Triathlon (Lavallette, NJ) - I can't do it this year because of my daughters soccer schedule.  I am bummed, this is one of my favorite races
• NJ State Triathlon (Olympic) - I am signed up to do the Olympic distance this year, first time doing that distance at the venue.

After that....I'm not sure.  I am still hoping to do Ironman Pocono Mountains 70.3, but that is still up in the air.  I don't want to pony up for a lot of races only to not be able to do them because of injuries. 

I am off to get some rest and hopefully be back on Sunday ready to go out for run.  Ciao!

Monday is not Fun Day

I am having quite a bad run of luck over the past four months as it relates to injuries.  I have spouted off about everything up to the heel injury I suffered back in early February, so everyone should be up to date.  Well, wouldn't you know that last Wednesday night I was playing indoor soccer (an 11:00PM game) and I made a very innocent tackle on a ball, slipped a bit and hit my left knee on the turn.  I knew that I was going to get a nice turf rash as a result, but I kept on playing and didn't think much of it.  As the game progressed, my knee got a bit more sore, but it didn't seem to be any big deal.  The game ended (we won 2 - 1, I played OK), my knee was a bit sore and I figured I would just ice it when I got home.  Well, I iced it at home, took some ibuprofen and went to sleep.

The next morning it was definitely still swollen, a bit more than the night before.  I was tight to bend it, but it didn't really hurt.  I was going to make a doctors appointment but thought as long as I continued to ice it, take ibuprofen and rest it, the swelling would go away.

Here I am on Monday morning and the knee is still swollen, the pain is minimal, but I know I can't run on it.  I have a doctors appointment at 3:30PM today and I just want to know what the heck I did to it.  Of course I have gone and self diagnosed it (knee effusion) and fear that I will probably have to get it drained and will then be out of commission for a short while.  I am hoping that isn't the case, but you never know. 

Aside from my bad run of minor injuries over the past four months, I am having a tough time getting back into the training groove.  The injuries are definitely making it any easier on me; it is very tough to get into a schedule when I have to amend it due to my unique and varying pain.  I have all but decided I will not be running the UNITE Half Marathon on April 18th (unless I have a great prognosis today and can get back to training ASAP).  It would be silly for me to run it, I would be lucky to run at 8:00/mile pace and would probably be miserable doing it. 

So frustrating!  I just want to be healthy and start training again.  Ugh, I still don't belong to a pool yet which is killing me as well.  Even P90X is tough right now because of the knew thing. 

Enough complaining, time to move one.  My next post will be more positive I hope.  Ciao!

The New Schedule

Postings are few and far between these days and today is going to be short one.  Let me get right to my training rather than BS about a bunch of irrelevant stuff.

If I were to grade myself on my current training schedule it would be a "B-".  If you went back to say September/October I would have given myself an "A"  I seem to be doing as much as I can given my new work schedule and lack of time that I have, but I know that I could be carving out some additional time to do more.  Here is what my week has looked like thus far:

• Monday - P90X-Chest/Back
• Tuesday - P90X-Plyometrics (no run since the Plyo filled that gap)
• Wednesday - Indoor soccer then P90X-Shoulders/Arms
• Thursday - Nothing - I took a couple bad hits during soccer on Wednesday and my leg, ribs and neck were are hurting.  I thought it best to rest
• Today - Planning to run 4 miles and then do P90X

I guess it doesn't look so bad from a high level, but I just don't feel like I am doing enough.  Here is what I think my weeks going forward are going to look like:

• Monday - AM-P90X (Chest/Back/Abs);  PM-Rest
• Tuesday - AM-P90X (Plyometrics); PM-Bike (on trainer)
• Wednesday - AM-P90X (Shoulders/Arms/Abs); PM-Indoor soccer
• Thursday - AM-P90X (Yoga); PM-Run
• Friday- AM-P90X (???/Abs); PM-Bike (on trainer)
• Saturday - AM-P90X; PM-Run or Bike
• Sunday - AM-Run (long run)

On a positive note, I have been eating really well this week.  I have been going with a lot of salad and grilled chicken at lunch, eating tons of eggs and staying away from bad snacks.  I think that I am seeing a slight difference but it could all be an illusion.  Regardless, if I stick with the plan above I should be on my way to building up my body for a strong triathlon season.  All I am missing is the pool work, but that will have to wait until my and my family joins a pool.

Work is calling.....peace out!

Yoga is HARD!

Oh how I used to think yoga was something that only stay-at-home moms did after they got their kids on the bus and headed over to the gym to "work out".  I imagined them joining up with their friends at the local YMCA, having their morning coffee and then sauntering into the yoga studio to do some stretching and meditating, maybe throwing in some breathing exercises as well for good measure.  Of course they would finished it all up by walking gracefully from the studio feeling refreshed and proceed to head off to sit in the steam room before showering up and getting home before the kids got off the school bus.

Well, last night was my first foray into the world of yoga, courtesy of Tony Horton and P90X.  I should start out by saying that before I did the yoga work out, I put in a solid 45 minutes on my trainer.  I wasn't about to go out and run in the torrential down pour.  So, after my ride, I threw in disc #5 of P90X and got down with yoga, assuming that it would be a nice recovery from my ride.  I was wrong.

Yeah the first five minutes or so were very mellow and I was considering just packing it in because there was no challenge.  Slowly the moves started to increase in difficulty and quickly I began to feel the strain that it was putting on my muscles.  Truth be told, I only made it through about a half hour of poses before I called a night.  I couldn't do anymore, I was dripping with sweat, my arms were shaking (thre remnants of Tuesday's Chest & Back work out and the yoga), and my legs were screaming (Wednesday soccer + 45 min ride + yoga = PAIN). The poses all sounded nice, but there were a bitch: Plank, upward facing dog, downward dog, Warrior (then Warrior II and Reverse Warrior), triangle, chair, all caused me to strain every muscle in my body.  I was wrong, everything I though about yoga was wrong. 

I sit here typing knowing that I have a long way to go before I get into superiour shape.  Last night was very humbling and I like that this whole P90X thing is difficult.  I can see why so many people get discourage by how difficult it is and pack it in.  Honestly, by just looking at the website, seeing the infomercials, and watching Tony Horton do the exercises, you would have to assume that it can't be all that hard.  Well, let me tell you that I have done a total of one and a third DVDs and it is a killer.  I am going to stick it out and finish this damn program.  I am also going to do my best to stick to my half marathon training schedule as well.  I am in for a long three months, but in the end it should all be worth it.

So in sumation:

• Yoga is very HARD
• P90X is very HARD
• If I finish the program, I will be in amazing shape

Peace out!

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!