Sufferfest Revolver

Indoor Cycling workout this morning.  I decided to do the Sufferfest Revolver; what a great workout!  The workout entailed about a 16 minute warm-up and then it went in to 16 x 1 minutes max effort with 1 minute rest.  It is a tough workout.  I plugged along pretty steady keeping my cadence around 100-105 throughout each interval and during the rest I kept it between 90 – 105.  I suffered through the last half of the video just trying to keep the legs moving.  I am sure I will feel it tomorrow.  I followed the bike up with a 2.5 mile run at just under a 9 minute mile pace.

Bike Details:
Distance: 15.09
Time: 0:50:01
Avg Speed: 18.1
Avg HR: 148 (62%)
Max HR: 183 (85%)
Avg Cadence: 96.9
Max Cadence: 107.1

At lunch I headed to the pool.  I decided today I would swim 15 x 50s trying to keep each lap under 50 seconds.  I felt good in the pool today.  I really want to get me some lessons again to help improve on my form.  I feel as though I am not going to improve much if I don’t get some sort of lessons or join a Masters Class.  I just don’t see the Master Class happening just due to scheduling conflicts.

Swim Details:
Distance: 1300 meters
Time: 0:31:40
Avg Pace for 50m: 1:07.9
Times for each 50m interval: 43.40, 46.10, 48.37, 46.95, 47.21, 47.12, 48.92, 48.41, 48.20, 48.58, 47.60, 47.90, 47.82, 47.80, 47.60, 47.94
 
Happy Training Everyone!

Recovery Run & Lunchtime Swim

"The amount you give will determine the amount you get back." - Luke 6:38.  Jesus is watching you.  How much work are you doing for Christ?  Are you storing up treasures in heaven?

I have been feeling fatigued lately so I wanted to keep it much slower than I have been running.  I ran 6 miles this morning at a 9:30 pace and keeping the heart rate low in zone 1. 

Run Details:
Distance:  6.19 miles
Time:  58:36
Pace:  9:28
Avg HR:  128 (50%)

At lunch I headed to the pool with the Main Set being 8 x 100 meter repeats @ 15 second rest. 

Swim times: 1:39.05, 1:38.48, 1:38.58, 1:39.10, 1:39.72, 1:38.60, 1:40.98, 1:41.42

During the last two sets I was beginning to slow slightly even though I thought I was on pace to keep it under 1:40.00.  I was pleasantly surprise with my times.

Swim Details:
Distance: 1300 meters
Time: 34:13
Avg 50m pace: 1:03.8

Happy training everyone!

12 Mile Long Run

It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God. - 2 Corinthians 3:5.  Isn't it cool that God gives us our talents, we just have to use them to glorify his name.  Whatever you do, do it for God and praise His name through it all.

I was running on little fumes this morning with only a few hours of sleep and two tough days with Wednesday and Thursday workouts.  So I knew going into this mornings run, it was going to be tough.  From the very start of the run I felt as though I was breathing heavy, although the HR wasn't showing it.  I ended up having a pleasent run and kept a pretty steady pace from start to finish only slowing on the two miles that were virtually all uphill.  I didn't want to run hard risking injury.

The Details:
Distance: 12.0
Time: 1:45:57
Pace: 8:50
Avg HR: 142 (55%)
Max HR: 172 (74%)
Elevation Gain: 648 ft
Avg Cadence: 88.5
Shoes: Brooks Defyance 4

At lunch I headed to the pool for 1000 meter swim.  I did mostly drills working on my form with a few 25m sprints at the end of the workout.

Happy Training Everyone.

Spinervals 27.0 - Threshold Test and Suffer Fest

This was my verse for today.  “The Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you.” - 2 Thessalonians 3:3.  I needed this verse today as I was struggling to get through.  God is so awesome! 

I started today off with the Spinervals Workout 27.0, Threshold Test and Suffer Fest and followed that with a 2.5 mile run and then finished my day with a 1900 meter lunchtime swim.  It is amazing how God works to give me a verse on a day that I am completely worn out and I have one more long run and bike for the week.  I know that He will carry me through it though.  He always does.

For the Threshold Test I did much better than I anticipated figuring I had a tough run yesterday.  It just shows how much my body has improved over the past 4 weeks.  I did this same test on December 24th.  Here are the numbers for comparison.

December:
Avg Speed: 19.4
Avg HR: 167 (74% HRR)
Avg Cadence: 89.4

Today:
Avg Speed: 20.0
Avg HR: 176 (80% HRR)
Avg Cadence: 92.4

I am excited about the numbers.  Now if I can just stay consistent with working on my lactate threshold.  The only thing I really need to look at his how much faster I am recover after these hard efforts.  I know today it dropped pretty fast.

Happy Training Everyone.

Thanks you Jesus for another great day.

Mile Intervals

“Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you.” - Psalm 37:5.  Thank you Jesus for my ability to run. 

Speed workout this morning on the track doing 1 mile repeats with 1 minute recovery walk.  I had set my mind that I was going to run about 10-15 seconds faster than I did my last half-marathon which I figure I would run between a 7:00 and 7:15 mile with the first one being the slowest.  It didn’t quite work out that way as the first mile seemed way to easy and I still ran too fast and kept telling myself to slow down.  The first mile was too fast at a 6:52, so I gauged the remainder of my repeats based on the first mile.  Here is what I ran:

Mile :  Pace - avg HR (%) - max HR (%) - cadence
Mile 1: 6:50 – 157 (67%)  -  167 (74%)  -   93
Mile 2: 6:28 – 169 (75%) -   176 (80%)  -   93
Mile 3: 6:20 – 177 (81%) -   185 (86%)  -   94
Mile 4: 6:11 – 183 (85%) -   190 (89%)  -   95
Mile 5: 6:19 – 183 (85%) -   191 (91%)  -   94

The last mile I was struggling to keep the pace going at the low 6’s but I held on as long as I could.  I now have a bench mark to do these 1 mile repeats every few week to work on my speed.  I can do all out sprints so this is the next best thing.

Happy Training

Endurance Leg Speed

“I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and hope.” - Jer 29:11

Only God knows the plans for my life and he will not steer me wrong.  I must remember it is His will and not mine.

This morning's brick workout was 30 miles on the rollers doing the Endurance Leg Speed workout in the book Indoor Cycling.  I had a geat workout but I did cut it a little short since the goal was 30 miles and I didn't want to keep going as I still had to go for my 2.5 mile run.

The Workout:
W/U: 16 minutes
M/S:
  Set 1: 7 times
          5 min in HRZ1
          30 sec spin-up
          30 sec all-out sprint

  Set 2: 4 times
           5 min in HRZ2
           30 sec spin-up
           30 sec all-out sprint

C/D: 5 minutes

The Details:
Distance: 30 Miles
Time: 1:23:39
Avg Speed: 21.5
Max Speed: 32.4
Avg HR: 145 (59%)
Max HR:  173 (77%)


At lunch I swam 1000 meters with 800 free and then 200 kick in 19:30.

Run and Swim Workouts

An 8 mile run this morning at a conversational pace.  I am starting to enjoy getting out there and running with someone, for years I couldn’t get anyone to run with me on a regular basis.  The run included several nice little his that just wore me out this morning for some reason.  I struggle to get up them.  I assume it was because of the temperature and humid or maybe it was because of the way I ate all weekend and I was feeling it this morning.

Run Details:
Distance: 8.25 miles
Time: 1:12:01
Avg Pace: 8:43
Avg HR: 142
Max HR: 172
Elevation Gain: 418

Weather:

Temperature: Min./Max.: 62.2 °F/62.9 °F
Humidity: 90.1%
Dew point: 59.9 °F
Wind Speed: 14.8 mph

At lunch I headed to the pool for a 1600 meter swim.  It has been 5 days since I have been in the pool and I felt every bit of it.  I am happy with my efforts though in the pool.  My times are coming around.

Swim Workout:
W/U: 200 meters free
M/S:
   2 x 500 meters free w/30 sr  (9:06 & 9:11)
   50 meters breast
   200 meters with paddles & Pull Buoy
C/D: 100 meters with PB / 50 meters breast

Swim Details:

Distance: 1600 meters
Time: 32:16
Avg Lap (50m): 60 seconds

Happy Training Everyon!

Necessity to Improve

I titled this post after the name of the workout.  Today I did the Indoor Cycling Workout E6, "Necessity to Improve".  I had a great endurance workout maintain the best I could in the appropriate heart rate zone and I chose to do it on rollers versus the trainer.  I followed this workout with a 2 mile run through the neighborhood.

The Workout:

W/U: 16 Min

MS:
Set 1:
  Repeat 4 times:
        4:30 in HRZ1
        0:30 spin-up
        4:30 in HRZ1
        0:30 all-out sprint

Set 2:
  Repeat 4 times:
        4:30 in HRZ2
        0:30 spin-up
        4:30 in HRZ2
        0:30 all-out sprint

C/D: 5 min easy spin

Bike Details:
Distance: 35.49 miles
Time: 1:40:00
Avg Speed: 21.3
Max Speed: 30.6
Avg HR: 145 (59%)
Max HR: 175 (79%)
Avg Cadence: 95 rpm
Max Cadence: 121 rpm
Bike: Felt B16

Run Details:
Distance: 2.00 miles
time: 0:16:18
Avg Pace: 8:09
Elevation Gain: 193 ft
Avg HR: 144 (58%)
Max HR: 168 (74%)

I also checked my resting HR and it is about 8 bpm lower than it was over the holdiays.

Happy Training Everyone!

Friday, January 20th Workout

12 mile run for me yesterday.  The goal was to keep it steady, but at the same time keep the heart rate in check.  I set the HR monitor at Z2 (164) so it would beep when it got to high.  I was running a course with some hills in it so I knew I would break 164 I just didn't want to continue to push through the hills.  I would slow down but not come to a walk because of the HR though.  The plan was to finish the route off strong toward the end running sub-7 minute miles.  This was also a new route for me so I wasn't exactly sure how long it would be and it turned out to be right at 12 miles.  The numbers:

Details:
Distance: 12.06
Time: 1:38:18
Avg Pace: 8:09 min/mi
Elevation Gain: 533 ft
Avg HR: 154
Max HR: 184
Avg Run Cadence: 90 spm
Max Run Cadence: 101 spm
Shoes:  Brooks Defyance 4

I finished miles 10 and 11 at a 6:44 and 6:37 pace respectively.

Thursday, January 19th Workouts

I am late getting this posted.  But I wanted to post my workouts.  Thursday I did the Sufferfest Downward Spiral  video on the rollers.  It was brutal but I was able to hang in there throughout the entire workout.  I followed the spin workout with a 1.4 mile run.  I am feeling much better running now coming off the bike.  The legs are coming around.

Bike/Run & Swim

I started this morning off with a 20 minute warm-up bike ride on the rollers. I stopped stretch good and then headed out for an hour run with a co-worker. We had a great run at conversational pace.

The Details:

Distance:	6.80 mi
Time:	1:00:34
Avg Pace:	8:54 min/mi
Avg Speed:	6.7 mph
Elevation Gain:	259 ft
Calories:	642
Avg HR:	136 bpm
Max HR:	162 bpm
Avg Run Cadence:	88 spm
Max Run Cadence:	97 spm

Shoes:                          Brooks Defyance 4

At lunch I headed to the pool for a 1600 meter swim.  I felt good today in the pool.  I worked on my breathing as not to rotate too much when breathing.  I concentrated to keep one goggle in the water or just breaking the plane of the water.

The Details:

W/U: 200m with pull buoy

M/S:

50m w/20 sr
100m w/20 sr
150m w/20 sr
200m w/20 sr
150m w/20 sr
100m w/20 sr
50m w/20 sr
200m kick with fins
4x25m sprint with fins w/25m kick recovery

C/D: 200m

I would have to say it was a great day of training. I am looking forward to tomorrow’s workouts.  I am truly blessed by God.

Happy Training Everyone!

Rollers/Run Brick & Lunchtime Swim

Two workouts complete today.

Workout 1
1 hour 15 minutes on rollers followed by a 1.4 mile run.  This mornings roller ride was conducted mainly in HRZ 2 with a few spin-ups followed by a sprint.  The details of the workout:

W/U
5:00 - cadence of 90 rpm
5:00 - steady @ 90 rpm
6:00 - 53x17 @ 90 rpm
1:00 - recovery

M/S
6 times thru
   5:30 - 53x19 @ 90 rpm w/last minute @ 53x17 @ 90 rpm
   0:30 - 53x19 Sprint @ >100 rpm
   2:00 - 53x19 @ 85 rpm

C/D
5:00 - slowly reducing gearing

Off the bike and then a short little run around the block for 1.4 miles @ 8:15 pace.

Workout 2
1600 meter swim with the main set being 6 x 150m repeats with 25 sr.  Each set was between 2:40 and 2:49.  The complete workout was as follows:

W/U
100m breathe every 3 strokes - 30 sr
100m breathe every 6 strokes - 45 sr
100m breathe every 4 strokes - 35 sr
100m breathe every 5 strokes - 40 sr
100m breathe every 3 strokes - 30 sr
100m breathe every 7 strokes - 45 sr (This was tough to make it 100m)

M/S
6 x 150m repeats w/25 sr  (Each set was between 2:40 and 2:49).

C/D
100m easy.

I definitely need to work on my consistency at 150 meters.  I did well at the 100 meters keeping the pace on track.  I wonder how much of my discrepancy was because of someone in the next lane and I would either try and catch up or slow down.  Not sure but a good possibility.

Happy Training Everyone

Hilly Run

What a beautiful sun rise this morning.  I wish I would have had my camera with me.  Everytime I get to watch a sun rise I praise my God for his creation.  It is even better when I can enjoy it while running.  God is great!

This morning's run was 6.3 mile hill work out.  I ran through my neighborhood which is a little over 2.7 mile loop including various distance and grade hills.  So I decided to pick-up the pace up the hills and recover on the downside.  It made for a challenging hill workout.

Details:
Distance: 6.3 miles
Pace: 7:59
Elevation Gain: 362
Avg HR:  158
Max HR:  185

Outfit:
Brooks Shorts
Brooks LS Shirt
Brooks Nightlife Jacket
Brooks Gloves
Brooks Hat
Brooks Defyance 4 Shoes

Weather:
Temp: Min./Max.: 34.5 °F/35.2 °F
Humidity: 86.9%
Dew point: 31.8 °F
Wind Speed: 0.0 mph

Happy Training Everyone!

Run / Swim workouts

I was up early to make it to the pool shortly after it opened.  The plan was to swim 1800 meters and then go for an hour run. The plan didn't quite work out the way I planned.  I arrived at the pool 30 minutes before they opened.  So instead of sitting there waiting I changed and went for my run first.

Run
It was an easy run trying to keep my heart rate in zone 2.  I had great success and ended up running an  8:09 average pace.  It was a bit cold this morning but little to no wind.

Run Stats:
Distance: 7.07
Avg Pace: 8:09
Avg HR: 152
Max HR: 168

Outfit:
Brooks shorts and briefs
Brooks LS Shirt
Brooks Nitelife Jacket
Brooks Gloves
Brooks Hat
Brooks Ghost4 Shoes

Weather:
Temp: Min./Max.: 21.3 °F/21.3 °F
Humidity: 88.3%
Dew point: 18.7 °F
Wind Speed: 0.6 mph

Swim workout:
The swim went much better than anticipated swimming after my run.

W/U:
2 x 50m breathe every 3 strokes w/30 sr
2 x 50m breathe every 6 strokes w/45 sr
2 x 50m breathe every 4 strokes w/35 sr
2 x 50m breathe every 5 strokes w/40 sr
2 x 50m breathe every 3 strokes w/30 sr
2 x 50m breathe every 7 strokes w/45 sr

M/S:
10 x 100m w/20 sr

C/D:
200 meters with Pull Buoy.

The main set went great as I was able to stay pretty consistent finishing each set between 1:48 and 1:50. 

Happy Training Everyone.

Bike / Run Brick

I had all intentions on going out for a 2 hour ride and then a mile run.  I was going to make two out and back loops totalling about 35 miles.  After I set out for my ride, I quickly realized it was quite windy and cold.  On the first outbound leg I knew my right hamstring was not 100%.  When I made the turn back I realized that I would have a headwind most of the way back.  The right hamstring just wasn't feeling it and I didn't want to make it worse.  With the wind in my face and the hamstring hurting I was struggling to ride it back.  My feet were cold, don't know why I didn't put my toe covers on my shoes to keep the toes warm.  As I made my way back to start the second trip I decided I was cold and I didn't want to make the hamstring any worse so I only made it once and then headed out for a short run of 1.6 miles.

Bike Summary:
Distance: 17.25
Avg Speed: 17.8
Avg HR: 158 (68%)
Avg Cadence: 85 rpm

Bike Gear:
Bike: Felt B16
Shoes: Gaerne Tri
Shorts: TYR Tri Shorts

Run Summary:
Distance: 1.64
Avg Pace: 7:58
Avg HR: 156 (66%)

Run Gear:
Shoes: Brooks Ghosts
Shorts: TYR Tri Shorts
Shirt: Brooks LS
Hat: Brooks
Gloves: Brooks

Weather:
Temp: Min./Max.: 39.8 °F/40.1 °F;
Humidity: 58.6%;
Dew point: 26.0 °F;
Wind Speed: 6.0 mph w/gusts to 10-15 mph

Happy Training

Isolated Leg Drills / Brick

A day late posting, yesterdays workout.  The title alone sounds defeating.  Early morning workout scheduled on the trainer to conduct isolated leg drills. The focus was to work on the efficiency of each pedal stroke and identify the weaknesses. This workout comes form the Workouts for Indoor Cycling, Speed Skills 1. I changed the workout slightly from the workout in the book by changing the Warm-Up to include one legged drills versus 80% on effort right/left leg.  During the mainset I added 30 seconds in between the right/left leg and reduced the 1 minute after right/left leg to 30 seconds.

Warm-Up: 17 Minutes
5 min pedaling easy, keeping cadence above 90 rpm
5 min alternating 30 seconds standing; 30 seconds seated
6 min seated altenate 1 minute right leg 1 minute left leg
1 min pedaling easy

Main Set: 21 Minutes
7 X 3:00 maintaining a cadence of 85 rpm
Alternane 1 min right leg; 30 sec both legs; 1 min left leg; 30 sec both legs. I put support
on each side of the bike to place my feet while pedaling with the opposite leg. The focus
was not to push down on the pedal stroke; at the bottom, pull back and up and push
forward at the top of the stroke.

Cool Down: 5 Minutes pedaling easy but maintaining a cadence of 90.

This is virtually the same workout I did in late December (same title).  However, this time I was able to conduct the drills through the entire minute with only 30 seconds between right/left leg.

Upon completion of the isolated leg drills I headed out for a 1.4 mile run to keep my Mile-A-Day-Challenge.

Happy Training Everyone!

Wednesday, January 11 Workouts

I had a great run this morning.  The legs are still sore from the half marathon and the weight lifting so I took it easy again today.  I did run a bit faster than I did on Monday.  I ran 5.25 miles at an 8:11 pace.

This evening when I got home I did some weight training for 35 minutes.  My workout consisted of:

Squats - 20 reps / 3 sets
Bent Arm Pull Downs - 20 reps / 3 sets
Seated Chest Press - 20 reps / 3 sets
Standing Row - 20 reps / 3 sets
Leg Curls - 20 reps / 3 sets each leg
Leg Extensions - 20 reps / 3 sets
Standing Trunk Rotation - 20 reps / 3 sets

Workout#1
This morning I took it slightly easier on the trainer.  I cut the main set in half.  This is supposed to be a cut back week, trying to keep up the intensity just cutting back on the length of the workout.  This morning’s trainer workout was:

Warm-Up

5 minutes easy building cadence above 90 RPMs
5 x 30 seconds standing/30 seconds seated.
6 x 1 min right leg/1 min left leg
Main Set
3 x 2 minutes in Big Chainring @ 65-75 RPMs in HRZ 1 with 1 minute recovery.
3 x 3 minutes in Big Chainring @ 65-75 RPMS in HRZ 2 with 1 minute recovery

Cool-Down
5 minutes easy letting heart rate return to normal.
I followed that up with a 1.4 mile run.  The only real purpose behind the run was to keep my running streak going with the mile-a-day challenge.  Day 10 complete.

Workout#2
I did 1500 meters in the pool today where the main focus was on my breathing.  I varied when I would breathe based on the number of strokes from 3 – 7.  Here is the workout:

W/U: 200 meters with PB

Main Set:
2x through
  2 x 50 breathe every 3 strokes with 30 sr
  2 x 50 breathe every 6 strokes with 45 sr
  2 x 50 breathe every 4 strokes with 35 sr
  2 x 50 breathe every 5 strokes with 40 sr
  2 x 50 breathe every 3 strokes with 30 sr
  2 x 50 breathe every 7 strokes with 30 sr

C/D: 100 meters
Here are my 50 meter times, not that I was seeing how fast I could go.  I just wanted to try and swim consistently.

Strokes	Set 1		Set 2
3	54.36	51.90	52.08	51.27
6	51.02	49.75	50.55	50.15
4	49.97	51.92	52.40	52.42
5	51.37	50.25	52.15	50.62
3	51.32	51.41	52.85	52.72
7	50.47	48.92	51.37	50.14
Max	54.36		Min	48.92
Avg	51.31		Median	51.35

 
Happy Training everyone!

Weight Training - 35 minutes

35 minutes of weight training.  I tried to increase the number of reps to 25 for each set.  I didn't make it for every set, but at least I gave it a shot.  I should be there by the end of the week.   My workout consisted of:

Squats - 25 reps / 3 sets
Bent Arm Pull Downs - 25 reps / 2 sets & 18 reps / 1 set (didn't make it)
Seated Chest Press - 25 reps / 2 sets & 11 reps / 1 set (couldn't do it)
Standing Row - 25 reps / 3 sets
Leg Curls - 25 reps / 3 sets each leg & 20 reps / 1 set (couldn't make it again)
Leg Extensions - 25 reps / 3 sets
Standing Trunk Rotation - 20 reps / 3 sets

Happy Training.

Morning Run - Lunchtime Swim

Workout#1
I went out for an easy 5 mile recovery run.  To help me keep the run slow I set my watch to warn me whenever I went over my 60% HRR (149).  For me running with a HR that low is difficult especially when I hit some of the hills.  I did a fairly decent job at keeping it below 149.  I ended up running 5.25 miles at a 9:21 average pace.  My heart rate averaged 138 but I did spike as high as 159 early in the run.

Nutrition:
Pre-Workout:  Plain Bagel / CeraSport EX1 and Base Amino
Post-Workout: CeraSport EX1

Weather:
Min./Max.: 57.3 °F/57.5 °F
Humidity: 97.5%
Dew point: 57.1 °F
Wind Speed: 3.6 mph
Precipitation: 0.1mm

Workout#2
At lunch I headed to the pool for a swim.   I decided to conduct a 1000 meter time trial to see where I am currently.  I knew it would be off my normal 1000 meter swim since I haven’t been swimming on a regular basis, but I was slightly disappointed in my time.  On the bright side, I have no place to go but up.  Today’s workout consisted of:

W/U: 200 meters steady / 1 min rest

Main Set:
1000 meter time trial / 1 min rest (19:42):  Over 1 minute slower than I anticipated; unless I miscounted my laps, but I don’t think I did.
4 x 50 meters with 10 sr

C/D: 200 meters with PB.

Happy Training Everyone!

Favorite Bible Verses

Here is a bible verse that I came across today that fits for any athlete in training or even for someone trying to lose weight or more disciplined in serving God.

Hebrews 12:11-12 - “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees.” - NIV

 

 

Here are a list of bible verses that I have used over the past several years to help motivate me for training.  During Ironman Louisville training I used Col 3:23 and Phil 4:13.

Philippians 4:13 - I am able to do all thing through Him who strengthens me. - HCSB

Colossian 3:23 - Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically, as something done for the Lord and not for men - HCSB

Isaiah 40:31 - but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” - (NIV)

1 Timothy 4:8 - For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.

Happy training everyone.

Weight Training

45 minutes of weight training.  Made it tough working the legs after running that half marathon this morning.  My workout consisted of:

Squats - 20 reps / 3 sets
Bent Arm Pull Downs - 20 reps / 3 sets
Step-Up - 20 reps / 3 sets each leg
Seated Chest Press - 20 reps / 3 sets
Standing Row - 20 reps / 3 sets
Leg Curls - 20 reps / 3 sets each leg
Leg Extensions - 20 reps / 3 sets
Standing Trunk Rotation - 20 reps / 3 sets

Happy Training.

Red Nose Half-Marathon Race Report

What a great race this morning.

This is an annual race put on by the local running club and is free.  It started about 6 years ago with just a few people wanting to run a marathon to start the year off.  It has graduated since to almost 400 runners this year with just a half marathon option and it is still free to the runners.

My goal this morning was simple.  Start slow (8 min mile) and gradually get fast by 5 seconds each mile there after finishing mile 13 at a 7 minute mile finishing with a time of 1:38:15.  Here is a comparison of my goal pace versus my actual pace.

Mile    Goal   Actual
Mile 1: 8:00 - 7:51
Mile 2: 7:55 - 7:51
Mile 3: 7:50 - 7:46
Mile 4: 7:45 - 7:41
Mile 5: 7:40 - 7:35
Mile 6: 7:35 - 7:30
Mile 7: 7:30 - 7:24
Mile 8: 7:25 - 7:23
Mile 9: 7:20 - 7:13
Mile 10: 7:15 - 7:13
Mile 11: 7:10 - 7:06
Mile 12: 7:05 - 7:03
Mile 13: 7:00 - 7:14
Mile 13.1: 6:55 - 6:32
total: 1:38:15 - 1:37:36

I am was happy with my pace. I was on pace for mile 13 until I made the turn up the (little) hill toward the end and then my pace began to taper until I reached the top.  I really wasn't prepare to run this much faster.  I probably could have run another minute or so faster if I would have run even splits start to finish, but it wasn't the plan.  I also trained through this week with no taper.

Outfit:
Short: Brooks
Shirt: CeraSport Shirt they sent me.
Shoes: Brooks Pure Connect (love them)
and compression sleeve on right calf
hat: Brooks visor.

Weather:
Min./Max.: 47.9 °F/51.1 °F
Humidity: 88.6%
Dew point: 45.6 °F
Wind Speed: 0.1 mph
Precipitation: 0.0mm

Nutrition:
Pre-Race:  1 packet CeraSport EX1 mixed with Base Amino / English muffin and peanut butter / 1 packet PowerBar Blasts
Race:  Carried water bottle with CeraSport EX1 mixed with Base Amino / 1 PowerBar Gel at mile 8
Post-Race: 1 packet CeraSport EX1 mixed with Base Amino / Gatorade Nutrition Shake / 1/4 Blueberry Bagel
Happy Training Everyone

Indoor Cyling - Descending Intervals / Brick Workout

I didn't have a lot of time this morning to get my workouts in so I opted for a shorter more intense workout.  It felt great to be sweating up a storm and burning those nasty little leg muscles.  I did 45 minutes on the trainer spinning nowhere.  I chose to do an interval workout at about 90% effort. 

My Workout"

W/U: 16 minutes
5 Min of easy pedaling at 90 rpms
5 Min alternating 30 seconds standing 30 seconds seated
6 Min alternating 1 min right leg 1 min left leg

Main Set:
2 times
  2 Min Pedaling at > 100 rpms at 90% effort / 2 min recovery
  90 Sec Pedaling at > 100 rpms at 90% effort / 90 sec recovery
  60 Sec ...
  30 Sec ...
  3 Min rest interval before repeating.

I had an abosulte great workout and I think I put everything I had into the workout to keep my legs moving. I couldn't maintain 100 rpms one gear up so I had to stay with what I was in throughout each set.  My speed/(cadence) for each set were: 1st set 22.1 (102), 22.3 (104), 22.1 (103), 22.5 (105); 2nd set 22.4 (104), 21.8 (102), 23.3 (104), 22.1 (104)

C/D: 5 Min


I followed the spin workout with a 1.4 mile run at a 9 min mile pace.

Happy Training Everyone

Indoor Cycling; 1600 Meter Swim; & Weight Training

Workout #1

I spent an hour on the trainer this morning.  I am beginning to love my CycleOps Fluid2 trainer.  It is much tougher than riding outdoors, but I am able to focus on specific types of workout.  When I ride outside I don’t seem to focus on an specific type workout, I just ride.  Once again I used the Workouts for Indoor Cycling book and used the Muscular Endurance workout Tempo Intervals #1. 

W/U:

5 minutes - Pedal easy with a cadence above 90 RPM.
5 minutes - Alternate 30 seconds standing; 30 seconds seated.
6 minutes - Seated, 1 minute right leg; 1 minute left leg.

Main Set:

5 x 6 Minutes in HRZ 3 while sustaining a smooth pedaling cadence above 80 while riding in aero position with a 2 minute recovery between sets.

          avg speed  / cadence per set:   (20.0 / 82.9)  (20.1 / 83.5)  (19.6 / 80.7)  (19.4 / 84.5)  (19.0 / 83.7)

C/D:
5 minutes – Pedal easy with cadence above 90.

I had a great workout.  I maintained the same gear ratio through the first 3 sets and on the fourth & fifth set I had to drop a gear about 4 1/2 minutes into it which equates to the slower speed and higher cadence.   After I finished the bike ride and sweating to death, I changed clothes and headed out for a 1.4 mile run.

Workout #2

I headed to the pool for a 1600 meter swim.  This is the first time I have been in the pool since Ironman Louisville.  I wasn’t looking forward to the workout, but it turned out pretty good day.  I figure my triceps will be a little sore tomorrow. 

W/U:

200 meters

Main Set:

10 x 50 meters with 10 sr

200 meters pull
10 x 50 meters with 10 sr

C/D:

200 meters

I wanted to have each repeat at 60 seconds.  It turned out that I stayed pretty close together during the first set with times varying from 55-57 seconds and the second set they were 56-59 seconds.  I accomplished my goal although I wasn’t sure I would even be able to finish the first set, much less doing the second set.  I guess it is all a state of mind.  I need to work on mindset of “I can accomplish all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Phil 4:13

Workout #3

An hour of weight training.  Most of my time was spent trying to determine the right weight for the given exercise for the right number of reps.  My workout consisted of:

Squats - 20 reps / 3 sets
Bent Arm Pull Downs - 20 reps / 3 sets
Step-Up - 20 reps / 3 sets each leg
Seated Chest Press - 20 reps / 3 sets
Standing Row - 20 reps / 3 sets
Leg Curls - 20 reps / 3 sets each leg
Leg Extensions - 20 reps / 3 sets
Calf Raises - 20 reps / 3 sets
Standing Trunk Rotation - 20 reps / 3 sets.


Happy Training Everyone!

Six Mile Easy Run

Day 2 of a Mile-A-Day Challenge.

The schedule called for a 5 mile easy run and the weather forecast was for the mid to upper 20s this morning.  To my pleasant surprise when I got out there is was quite warmer in the high 30s.  I headed out and was feeling pretty good so I added an extra mile onto my run for a total of 6 miles at an average pace of 8:18.  There was a pretty steady wind to my back running outbound and into my face on the return trip.  Because I was trying to keep my heart rate below 70% it made for a much slower trip coming back.

My splits and heart rate were: 8:11, 132 (50% HRR); 8:02, 148 (61%); 8:19, 150 (62%), 8:20, 148 (61%), 8:21, 153 (61%); 8:41, 156 (66%).

Weather:
Temperature: Min./Max.: 37.8 °F/39.9 °F
Humidity: 67.3%
Dew point: 28.1 °F
Wind Speed: 2.2 mph

Outfit:
Short: Brooks Nightlife
Shirt: Long Sleeve
Pants: Nike Tights
Jacket: Brooks Nightlife
Glove: Brooks
Hat: Brooks

Nutrition:
Pre: CeraSport EX1 mixed with Base Amino and Base Recovery
Post: CeraSport EX1 mixed with Base Amino and Base Recovery

Happy Training Everyone!

New Years Day! Mile-A-Day Challenge

For 2012 I am starting a Mile-A-Day Challenge.  The challenge is to run/walk at least a mile a day for 365 days.  I am excited about this challenge and see how many days I can do this before I miss a day.

Today is normally a rest day, but I got up early before church and went for a mile run around the neighborhood.  I will try and remember to post how many consecutive days I have completed on every post.

Happy Training!