Finally done!

Last Thursday I completed my 3 day a week contract position, while the other two days were filled with my new 2 day a week contract position. Which means this coming week will finally be a normal work week! Hurray!!!

I managed a couple runs last week, but would like to make next week my official training start. I feel like I've began this training over and over. But really. No really... This week is it!! 

I'm thinking the two days I'm in Mason I should head to the community center to swim. Tuesdays and Thursdays- nice and spread out. Then for the other days...hmmmmmm This fitting three sports in and trying to balance them correctly is really hard! Here's what I'm initially thinking: 

Su- off or bike

M- run

T- swim

W- bike

Th- run

F- swim

Sa- run long

But I don't know if that's correct. I might need to double up some days. And I really want to get back to spinning again now my schedule's not so crazy. I think the long run is important because it gives me the best endurance training. Should Wednesday have biking and running so Sunday can really be off? Hmmmm...

I'll figure it out. I'm excited!

A Quick Note

One thing is certain: I need to start writing again.

A quick update of highlights:
•  It's almost May.
•  My business partner left in March and I'm struggling a lot to make things work.
•  I have a contract job downtown 3 days a week which is turning kinda terrible for a few very different reasons.
•  I'm now fully diagnosed with palindromic rheumatism and have decided to take the approach that it's no big deal.
•  I signed up for my first triathlon for September 8th and am really really excited!


I hit some sort of bottom last week. I entered into a very ugly fog of awfulness. Nothing on the planet was enjoyable. I was unable to process stress. I'm still kind of there, but the weekend has been full of hanging out with friends and that has been very helpful. I also decided that I need to write to work stuff out of my head and straighten out my attitude.

Nothing has a more proven track record to turn things around than exercise. I think it's because no matter how well or poorly you do something, the fact of doing it trumps all. I did a 10K a couple of weeks ago and haven't done anything since. I am drowning, and it might seem strange to take time to do something like running when I don't have the time to take...but I know that actually this is the only thing that will help. I'm sure there is some sort of idiom for this.

So I'm kicking off this triathlon training in hopes of being able to enjoy things, and myself, again.

I Hate Hurdles

I considered running when I got home Wednesday, but wimped out. The breeze was cool. I really just wimped out and talked myself into doing it the next day and replacing the workout with a Kinect trainer workout.

Running would have been easier.

This is the 8th Nike+ Kinect Trainer workout I've done. I keep "beating my personal best" on many of the exercises, and I do feel like I'm getting better. But there is one exercise I just can't do very well at all: hurdles. You stand on the floor and there are two low hurdles to jump over sideways across the room, as the arrows on the floor indicate. But you have to clear them for them to count. They're probably the equivalent of about 5 inches off the ground? For some reason I just can't do this exercise. I have no ooomph to get over them! Sure I can do a few in a row, but then I just crap out and start hitting them, or have to slow down a lot because I can't breath.

Last night I did the first set somewhat ok. For round 2, after all the other exercises, I had no oomph and I'm not sure any counted! For round 3 I decided making the workout work for me was best and I step-hopped over them with one leg at a time, which isn't how you do them so none counted. But at least I kept moving rather than jumping and landing heavy and feeling like a sack of rocks.

Other than silly hurdles the workout went pretty well! It got me breathing hard. I did a 5 minute short exercise that had dodgeball, split decision, high knees and squats which sealed the fact that I was done.

My legs feel huge. I'm not sure, maybe I'm bulking up somewhat? I haven't been able to run where I'm not sore and tired, so it's hard to gauge if this is helping my running yet. Spinning Tuesday was cake but that could have been because I let the intervals get to me mentally and didn't push hard.

Crafting a Training Plan

I love schedules. And I love making them. I've spent almost an hour or so now on trying to make one for the triathlon and goodness it's difficult! I spent a few hours making a marathon training plan in the past, but I got somewhere with it. For this, I'm just at a loss at how to fit everything in. 3 disciplines makes it tough I guess.

Begin ramble.

I'm not sure if I should bother with swimming all that much. Since it's clearly my weakest. Or...maybe it is that I should bother with that the most. Running is what I do the most, though it's pretty weak. Will it improve on its own? Biking comes pretty easy to me. I think spinning will be a continued benefit (sprints and strength emphasis you don't necessarily get on the road), but I must get out on the road at least one day in addition to that for the endurance and constant toughness that spinning just doesn't provide.

Hmmmm... so maybe 2 days biking, 1 day swimming, 3 days running? No I will never improve with swimming only doing it once a week. 2 days biking 2 days swimming 3 days running. That's 7 days crap. OK so gotta double up the days somewhere. Spinning day also has a run? While I'm at the gym? Ick that would be nasty. Swim after spinning? No, bad pool schedule time. Swimming is definitely going to be the hardest thing to fit in because it depends on the pool schedule so much. I think I'll have to fit that in during the week.

Sketching it out here...

BASE APRIL - MAY:
Monday:  crossfit + run easy

Tuesday:  Spin
Wednesday:  run
Thursday:  crossfit + run
Friday:  off
Saturday:  crossfit + run long / bike outside

Sunday:  crossfit + run long / bike outside


TRAINING JUNE - SEPT:

gym:: Monday:  Swim easy laps 8:00 a.m.
gym:: Tuesday:  Spin / run + bike + run brick every 4 weeks
home: Wednesday:  run (except after brick)
home: Thursday:  off (run on brick weeks)
gym::  Friday:  Swim sprints 7:00 a.m.
home: Saturday:  run long / bike outside

home: Sunday:  run long / bike outside




So this looks pretty difficult to keep, but I'm gonna do it. I think the most important thing is I just do stuff most days. Now the temperatures need to warm up also.

End ramble.

It's April! Hurrah!

If you know me, you know I like the beginnings of weeks, months and years. Well, April started on a Monday this year so...how awesome is that pathetic am I that that really makes me happy ;)

Alas, it is a new month. And to start it off awesomely, a friend on the east coast (Erika) posted that she just signed up for a triathlon. Her first, maybe even her first multi-sport or any-sport race ever! It's fantastic. And...she is trying to get other people to do it with her. I asked for details, she said I should do it, I looked up the race and signed up Sunday night!

I'm going to do my first ever triathlon September 8th of this year!!! Woohooo!! I'm really excited.

It's going to be so fun. I'm really glad to do it with someone, I think that's the best part. It's the Rocky Gap Iron Girl. I don't understand the name at all. I thought she was crazy when I read she signed up for anything with Iron in the name, thinking it was linked to the Ironman franchise. It's not though. It's actually pretty far from that. I'd say they're basing the distance off of sprint distance tri's. It's a half mile swim, 16 mile bike and 2.5 mile run. Kinda short on the run, but longer on the bike. That part of the country should provide some lovely backdrops for the race, and also provide some challenging hills on the course I'm guessing! Happy to be from Cincy...

So, I'm stoked. The race is women only, and has a attitude of getting everyone out there which is awesome. I've done a handful of duathlons now, and multi-sport is a great group of people who are really welcoming. But it's also an intimidating event, and not as easy-going as your local, friendly 5K. So I think this is a pretty cool race series, providing a more comfy environment for people to try their go at something.

I think I'll make Erika a training journal :)

The cost was outrageous. Not sure what that's all about, but whatever.

I've been "getting back to it" the past couple of weeks. Thanks to the Nike+ Kinect Trainer, I'm pretty much constantly sore :)  I'm waiting to kind of crest the hill so to speak and start to see the benefits from the strength training. My legs feel bulky. I know my core is stronger because for the first time ever in yoga last week, I could do the slow roll down in complete control. My upper body still is lacking though. I found the assisted dip machine at the gym and hit that last Thursday. I think if I can get to that regularly, I will finally be able to do pushups eventually.

Today I spinned. It was an interval class. We did pyramids from 30 seconds to 2 minutes long sets of seated base hill, add gear seated hill, add gear jumps, add gear out in 3, add gear out in 3 with last 30 seconds a push. So that sequence at 30 sec each, :45, etc etc all the way up to 2:00 each. It was pretty good class. I didn't push too hard because my left hammy was screaming a bit.

Anyway, going to try to write here again more regularly. Document the triathlon training and whatever else we do this season. I'm trying to get C and G to do a 5k/10k on the 14th at Spring Grove Cemetery.

Rough

It's been a rough month for a whole bucket o' reasons. But, here I am, and I've been rebuilding a lot of stuff, one being my fitness.

I was sick mid-march. It was just a cold but wiped me out a little more physically than the average cold. But, I've had almost two weeks of 'getting back to it' now.

We have the Kinect Nike+ trainer for Xbox. What a mouthful. I'm still trying to come up with what to call it for myself. I keep saying Kinect trainer, because I'd rather associate it with that than Nike I suppose? The program is really quite amazing. After a fitness assessment and choosing what I'd like to focus on (weightloss, toning or cardio I think were the options), a plan is developed. You simply choose the days you want to work out, sign in and do them. You don't even have to do them on your scheduled days, you just can't do 2 workouts in one day.

So I've been doing that since March 9th. Here it is the end of March and I've done 5 workouts now. Again, the sickness was in the middle there. But even after 5 workouts, and some running sprinkled in there, I'm able to tell a difference. We did yoga after a way too long hiatus Tuesday night and low and behold I noticed core strength. During canoe and rolling down into shavasana, I actually was able to control myself. Woohoo! Something else I've noticed is just an overall feeling of being stronger. AND, I ran 5 miles at Sharon Woods last Saturday. Those are hilly miles. This after having run a whopping 4 times in the month prior. Well...I know I went pretty slowly, but I didn't struggle on any of the hills, which was pretty surprising to me. Maybe my legs are getting stronger.

Today I ran 3 miles and did a Kinect workout afterwords. Neither went well. I'm not sure what my deal is today, as I took yesterday off. Meh, happens. Just tired or something I guess.

So...maybe by May I'll be back to some decent shape. I am planning to run a 10K at the end of April. I am happy about the Kinect trainer. It's fun, even though I'm doing a handful of the same exercises I am usually sore afterwords, and it's convenient as hell.

Might spin tonight. I am not sure - that or arms. I'm just doing whatever I can do whenever I can.

Done Being Sick I Think...Moving On

I was doing ok in March, but as it typically goes when I 'start to get back into it' I got sick. Wiped out from acold and I gave in. I'm feeling a lot better today and think I'm at the level to suffer thru run tomorrow. It isn't going to be pretty I know. But all I care about is getting consistent again.

It will be about 30 (I hope) with some gusty wind and sunshine. Bring it!!