Vacation days

Oh, its great to be on vacation for the rest of the year.

It is nice being able to do 2 workouts in a day now that I have some time. I started with a 2.5 mile run that I never really got into the groove of or I would have pushed further. Tonight I just finished a .5 mile swim. I'm a little sore from my weights yesterday, but I plan on pushing through tomorrow and doing 2 more workouts. No idea what ones thought yet.

I probably need to buckle down and get more consistent on my running. I have a lot of miles to make up if I plan on making my December goals. I am at 20% for my running, 25% for my swim, and have yet to get on the bike.

Tomorrow looks like the rain will clear up and I may go get some decent miles and time in the seat. Im getting really anxious to get back on the bike, I hate not being able to ride.

I also picked up a couple new books. "The Triathletes Training Bible" by Joe Friel and "Trizophrenia" by Jef Mallett. I'm working on Friel's book right now, but man is it technical. Its all about heart rate zones and lactic acid thresholds. Its awesome. It is hard to make use of all his workout knowledge without a heart rate monitor... so I guess that is next on the list. Im looking at a Garmin Forerunner 410xt or 310xt. A Forerunner 910xt would be baller, but I do not think I can afford the 500-600 price tag.

Well, Im off to go read some more of my book. Ill make sure to talk about anything that I find interesting.

P.S. Make sure to check out the latest issue "Outside" magazine. They have a great breakdown of some of the Kona athletes from this year and has a good story about the Kona Ironman. They also have a good section on debunking workout myths. Such as, static stretching is not really good for you, work on dynamic stretching. Also, a core workout is not as esssential as everyone makes it out to be. If you are practicing for any specific sport, the abs will come.

Getting wet

I'm still feeling a bit sore from my weights on tuesday. I plan on getting back to the gym on Monday and then probably wednesday or thursday. I obviously need to be focusing on weights since I am soo sore. 

I took yesterday off. Had some depressing news yesterday and decided not to workout and spend time with a loved one. I got back at it today. I knocked out a short 1.5mi warmup run and a 600m swim. Im feeling better and more relaxed in the pool finally, I just start to get nervous and overthink everything after the 500m mark. That will get better with time. I am well on my way to meet my december swimming goal though, so yippie!

I've had a seriously upsetting revelation this week. Im back to being a fatty. My new 32 waist pants are starting to feel tight, I've crept back up to 205 lbs, and I look horrible. Nothing like a triathlete.

I've written about a diet and starting to get healthy. This was the kick I needed to really focus up. It also didn't hurt that I realized I would need to buy a XXL wetsuit at my size. Anything with an X in it is unacceptable in my mind. I've never had to buy anything in an X size, and I really do not want to. I still feel fat buying larges. So yea. Goodbye awesome food and eating out at lunch. Also, goodbye soda during the work day. 

I am hoping that by starting with making healthier lunches, taking healthy snacks like carrots, eating small breakfasts in the morning instead of skipping and eating junk from the vending machine and cutting out soda (at least at work for starters) will help. 

I also have great help from my friend on facebook. I mentioned my wetsuit dilemma and they all pitched in with their thoughts (both literally and not-so-literally calling me a fatass). That always helps...

I'm gonna try and get a long run in tommorrow of about 6 miles. 

Updates

I just wanted to let everyone know that I am not going to be posting alerts to new post anymore unless they are worthwhile post. I don't want to be letting everyone know I've posted, and sticking it in all their feeds when it sjust me bitching about how much I want Taco Bueno or how sore I am.

When I have something worthwhile, or when race season picks up again, I will probably start posting more and putting alerts back on twitter, facebook and G+.

I still plan on posting hopefully every couple of days about the things I come across when trying to adapt to offseason training and stocking up on the gear I need.

I hope I am doing a good job with this blog and have not scared everyone short of my girlfriend and mom away. Feel free to comment or email me if you have any issues with the blog, want to share a story or link (and Ill go ahead and tell you no, I do not want a free Ipad 12. Keep the spam to yourself) or have any advice you think will be useful. I welcome discussion.

Hello soreness my old friend...

Took the ol' strength training workout for a spin yesterday. Yep. Im sore.

Im uber sore. I forgot how deep the soreness can reach into your thighs and lats. While it makes it difficult to not look constipated at work, it means its working to some extent. 

I definitely feel it will be better once I split it into 2 days. It will also probably be better once I never go back to the Midwest City YMCA, that place is ghetto and ill-laid out. When I am trying to super set squats with leg extensions and leg curls, I do not want to try and meander my way through the treadmill forest and cross a 3 lane track. Just saying.

Despite the soreness, I got in a 500 m swim today. This is the last time I will exit a pool at 500 m. My short days need to get longer and I need to get some 1+ mile days in the mix. Its going to be so boring, but I have to get started on training for the international tri in June.

I did some research today on cold weather clothing and It did not make my "more clothing vs. trainer" decision any easier. To purchase a wind jacket, baklava, gloves, arm warmers, leg warmers and shoe covers, I can jsut purchase a used fluid trainer... and thats if I get the cheapest of all the above items, not even the nice stuff. Good thing is we have a few days that should be in the 50's and 40's so I will probably go purchase some gloves and a baklava and head out for a ride. I need to be out on the bike since I will probably be too sore to do anything else.

Well off to bed. Hopefully I can find a cheap pair of gloves and baklava tomorrow at Sun & Ski. I do not feel like spending 150 bucks on just those two items at Schlegels Bike.

Don't call it a comeback

So yea, November happened. I've talked about it enough. Time to learn from my mistakes and kick December's ass.

I've nailed down a strength training schedule that I think will work for now. I plan on adapting it more for my needs after a couple weeks, but I found one that basically worked what I wanted so I am going with it.

I'm using a plan outlined on active.com by a man named Mark Allen. If you have not heard of Mr. Allen and you are a triathlete. Google it. Now. You could also go check out a book "Iron War" by one of the writers for the Triathlete magazine. Its an amazing story about how he and Dave Scott legitimized this whole crazy sport of suffering that we all love. They pushed this sport to the mainstream, while also pushing the limits of human endurance and performance. They are quite heroes.

The original article can be found here, along with his outline on how to work into this workout. How I am using it is below:

SS = Super set (run the excersises on top of each other without a break in between. Rest between sets) 

SS:   Wide grip bench press 2 x 15 reps
        Lateral Pulldown 2 x 15 reps
SS:   Barbell squat 2 x 15 reps
        Leg extensions 2 x 15 reps
        Lying leg curls 2 x 15 reps
SS:   Tricep kickbacks 2 x 15 reps
        Lying tricep overhead extension 2 x 15 reps
SS:   Curl 2 x 15 reps
        Dumbbell lateral raise 2 x 15 reps
SS:   Backwards lunge 2 x 15 reps
        One leg, weighted calf raise 2 x 15 reps (each leg)
Leg Press 2 x 15 (this is a great way to blast out the finish of a good workout.)
Sit-ups (one set. Focus on center, left then right abs)
Plank 1 x 60 seconds minimum

90 second rest in between each particular set or SS; 45 sec rest while inside a SS 

This is a pretty large single workout, especially since I haven't weight trained since August. I will most likely add in some more cardio/core to the end and split this into 2 workouts. Maybe add some more focused sets where I lack. I plan on trying this out for a few weeks; focusing on form, not weight. The goal is not to look like an ed hardy d-bag, but to tone up and prevent injury in the spring. This will also help me cut down on my weight.

I am curious if I will have the same aches this go around with the training. When I was last training, I had some crazy pains in my forearms during curls that I could never identify a cause for. Hopefully that is gone. I still have a ton of articles to read that pertain to strength and developing the physique of a triathlete, I will filter that knowledge in later in the month.

As for my goals, I have decided that I will start where I left of in November for my running. While I only managed a measly 36 miles in November of running (my girlfriend will knock that out in a week, not even in peak training.... ugh) I will, not will try, will get to 100 miles. So 64 miles in December.

As for cycling, I'm still out. I got 3.5 hrs last month and almost 60 miles, but I would rather try and tell a crossfitter that crossfit is stupid than ride an indoor bike again. (PS. If you have never met a crossfitter and heard them talk about their cult gym, consider yourself lucky. They are obsessed to the 10th degree. Not a bad thing... but not an awesome thing either... sorry guys) I am working on getting a trainer or rollers and will makeup for my lack of cycling then. It is Oklahoma though, so it may get warm enough to ride soon. Who knows.

Swim is still at 4 miles. This was easy. I only knocked out a 1 mile last month, that was only due to laziness. I will get 4 miles easy this time.

Another great site to get tri specific training information is trifuel. Here is a link to an aggregated strength training list.

I also vow, right now, to stop sneaking Taco Bueno lunches at work. It has to end. Im going to miss those party burritos. Diet, or at least a more conscious observance of food and nutrition, starts now.

The key is knowledge. Knowledge of how badly I burn out. Knowledge of how I need to warm up prior to a swim to make it more effective. Knowledge that my half marathon is only 5 months away, and my international distance tri is only 6 months away. Knowledge that my new shoes seem to be broken in finally and my new compression sleeves for my legs work magic. Knowledge that I can do this. That I will do this. I will not give up, go too hard, overcompensate, race old men on the treadmill, use the cold as an excuse, fail to embrace the suck and pain.

December is so going down.

(check in throughout the month to see whether I epic-ally win this, or epic-ally burn out and become obese)

November Failures

Ugh.

This is not what I wanted to be writing in December. I didn't even get to 50% on any of my goals and Im currently still sick, as I have been since thanksgiving.

This was not how I was supposed to begin the off season. Almost no real, insightful research done. Almost no advancement in any area of the multi-sports. I guess that I need to call this character training and move on with my life. Whining and refusing to look at my November spreadsheet do not make this past month any less real.

I am going to post my December goals tonight. Its already the 5th and I need to get them down and started. Sickness be damned.

I will admit that I have learned to be more realistic. I tend to be a little too aggresive (read: delusional) when setting goals or benchmarks for myself. Going from a high workload prior to my tri in September, to a fairly lazy October, to a hyper active November was terrible. I developed pain in my legs and right knee from overuse (I think). I burned out on all my goals. I lost control of any glimpse of a diet I was holding.

Long story short; too much, too fast can be detrimental. I know that probably everyone knows this already, but its good for me to write this down and look at it. I need to be more conscious of my decision, and their long term effects.

I plan on getting back into the flow of things and hitting the gym later this week. I am fairly depressed of how cold it is already. I despise riding the bikes in the gym, and just want to be out on my bike. I have debated buying a trainer to ride indoors, but its not really in the budget right now. Next year.

The solutions is to buy some shoe covers, full gloves, helmet cover, gator and wind jacket so I can ride in the 40's and 50's. I tried to ride around in the high 30's (with none of these things) following my girl around the Tulsa Marathon route while she ran, but could not feel any of my extremities afterwards. It was awful.

Sidenote: There is a fine balance between going fast to finish a ride because it is cold, and going slow because it is WAY colder when you ride over 20mph...

I will get my goals posted later and update the graphs at the bottom tonight after work. Maybe I should print out my progress in November and put it on my wall. A not-so-subtle reminder to get the work done and not try and overdo it at the beginning.