Much needed rest

Today is a day of rest. I slept like a rock after last evenings swim class. Tomorrow, probably a combination of swimming, biking and running--running first to ensure that my legs are strong as I build back.

Alas a run

Up at 4:30 AM today, a little earlier than planned. Abs, pushups then--tada--I laced up my new Newton running shoes and headed to the gym. 18 minutes of glorious running. The legs felt pretty good despite the layoff and I loved my Newtons (except for when I struck my bad heel twice on a downhill). Overall, it was a gentle re-entry and I did not forget to stretch after despite the brevity of the run.

Once at the gym I hit upper and lower body weights. My foot is a bit sore and I wish I had an icebag but I'll keep stretching throughout the day.

Tonight, Masters swim with underwater videotaping. The tale of the tape...it does not lie.

Loving the swim

Up at 4:45 AM. Abs, pushups then off to the gym. I was a tad early for the pool opening so I did a few sets in the weight room then hit the pool for 2,550 meters. The 10 sets of 100 really tired my arms out. I was grateful to stop for a bit when my swim cap came flying off.

Tomorrow, a late night swim and I'm hoping my first run and the weight room. The run will be a hair over 2 miles. We'll see how the new shoes, new orthotics, and new foot feel.

Alas some exercise

I think I had a severe allergic reaction to something in the pool yesterday because today my head could not be clearer. On the bike for 80 minutes of time trial effort--high cadence sets of 20, 15, 10 and 5.

Tomorrow I hope to be in the pool but the jury is out on the weight room.

Get the loppers

Up at 4:45 AM intending to get on my bike. I was up all night sneezing and chasing my runny nose. I went back to bed hoping another hour of sleep in lieu of a spin on the bike would be helpful but I just want to lop my head off. My sinuses are pressurized like a jetplane cabin. There shall be no ride today just a trip to the drugstore in the hopes tomorrow is a better day.

I'm hoping to get back in the swing of things tomorrow when I return from my trip.

An unremarkable swim

In the pool today for an hour. My swim was unremarkable. I was still feeling my legs from yesterday's ride so the swim was the best answer to move all of that lactic acid around. I didn't even complain when I shared the lane with someone swimming like Tarzan--a good drill every now and again but once you understand the physics of swimming it's not very effective.

Tomorrow, either on the bike or in the pool. I have to head to NYC for an overnight and I can't figure out what would be better.

The indoor saddle

4 hours and 13 minutes on the trainer today--67 miles. I would have gone 5.5 hours but we were off to the theater to see a production of Ella and I didn't have any more time to give. An incredible mostly zone 3 ride--serious calories burned. Sick, just sick. Of course I would much rather be outside riding.

Today is one month since my ECSWT (extra corporeal shockwave treatment) which means I am closer to getting out running. The foot is still sore but we shall see how it holds up as I incremently add some mileage.

I expect grief

I didn't make it out to Manassass last night but I did swim. The thought of leaving the house to drive 45 minutes in 19 degree temperatures to swim in a cold pool and then make the return trip did not enthrall me. Nonethess, while I expect grief from my fellow swimmers, I did swim. I went to my overheated pool where I knew the air temperature would be 80 and the water not too far behind.

The water turned out to be unexpectedly cooler than usual which was in fact a relief....well, after the first 25 meters that is. I suffered from crippling toe cramps and a calf cramp toward the end of my workout but I did complete it. I have no idea why swimming gives me toe and calf cramps--maybe it is all psychological but it has been the most consistent trait for all of my swimming.

In no certain order, I have an hour bike and an hour swim and a longer ride on my trainer (3-5 hours) scheduled for the weekend. The weather promises to keep my bike locked into my trainer. I would hope to throw a little yoga in as well just to help keep me limber.

Triple play

Up at 4:45 AM today. Abs, pushups then on the bike for an hour. A little better at hitting my zones today but I thought 20 x 1 minute one legged drills would about kill me--this post is proof that did not happen. I followed up with 30 minutes of yoga focusing on flexibility. After fighting with the DVD player I needed a little extra zen.

Tonight, swimming with the Masters.

Believing in science

My new Newton running shoes arrived last night. Of course, I still cannot run but that did not prevent me from trying them on and taking a jog through the kitchen. They have a very unique and odd feel. While I am a forefoot runner these shoe have you so pitched it reminds me of downhill ski boots. I can't wait to get them out on the road.....T minus nine days.

Up at 4:45 AM today. Abs and pushups then off to the weight room for upper and lower body. It was all kind of anticlimactic--no beads of sweat.

Tomorrow, on the bike and the late night swim class.

A moment of zen

Up at 4:45 Am. Abs, pushups then on the bike for an hour. I had trouble hitting my zones today. Despite two days of rest on my legs they were tired and getting into zone 3 seemed an insurmountable task.

After my spin I did 30 minutes of yoga with my yogi Buddy. I don't know why but everytime I lay out my mat for yoga he has to be in the middle of it which makes many of the movements interesting if not more challenging. Full of zen I'm off to work....I feel the buzz wearing off already.

Sunday, Sunday

Great swim today. Sure I was complaining but I finished it and I didn't cheat myself. 2,800 meters of quality pool time.

After my swim I hit the weight room to finish my weights for the week. We are expecting rain today or else it would be a perfect ride day. Sinful.

Junk laps

Abs and pushups then off to the pool for a President's Day swim. The downside to a three day weekend is that there is poor pool management. There were 6 lap swimmers when we arrived and they took our four lane pool down to one lap lane and 3/4 of the pool for the 5 water aerobic students. Pure frustration. Most of the lap swimmers gave up but we were swimming 4 to one lane which is so incredibly stupid. Nonetheless, I allowed this and my tired body to cause me to have a crappy swim. Sure, I completed what was on tap but it was complete junk--nothing gained.

I hit the weight room for the 3rd day in a row. Completely unplanned and unwise. I was, of course, tired. It is in the high 60's nearly 70. A bike ride or some outdoor adventure is necessary. I am so envious of all of the joggers....curses. What a perfect, perfect day.

Going nowhere

A beautiful, sunny day but not quite warm enough to endure a long ride. 3-5 more degrees and it would have been perfect if not a tiny bit chilly.

Off to the gym for the full weight room experience then on the bike for 3 hours. What I'm learning is that you can spend a high percentage of your time in the upper zones when you are on the trainer for an hour. As for three hours, your body keeps you in zone 2 and that is--I'm guessing--the science of how your body reacts to endurance training. After 3 hours of riding to nowhere I was spent and soaked in sweat. I made certain to work on my stretching incorporating a lot of my yoga moves and then I spent time icing my sore foot. Really, I'm trying hard not to complain.

Tomorrow, to the pool and back to the weight room. I thought I had another hour to put in on the bike but I have already completed my third bike this week.

Rest for the not so weary

No workout today and given that my training hours are not exorbitant the rest is almost lost on me. This weekend I hope to be on the bike twice, in the weight room twice, swim at least once and mix in some yoga. Given the long weekend, maybe I can even get a leg up on next week's training--who knows.

Meanwhile, I await the arrival of my Newton running shoes. Perhaps I can at least wear them around the house or just look at them and take in their newness.

When plans change

Up at 4:30 AM. Abs, pushups then off to the gym. Usually Thursday is our evening Masters swim class but JB is down and out for the count with a sprained ankle and I am not sure I can make that late night drive without falling asleep. Thus, I swam this morning. I have a cold coming on and I thought seriously about staying home this morning but the swim (ie. flushing of the sinuses) was very helpful to my cause.

I was using my massager on my foot last night and sadly, the painful spots in my heel are still there. An entire month without running for no gain. What's more, I should in theory be able to run in about 10 days but I just don't feel that my foot is ready. True, the doctor said it would be 3 months before I had a full recovery but don't you think I should feel some difference? Sigh.

Nonetheless, I continue to get ready to re-enter the running world. I had my feet scanned and I ordered new orthotics. Oddly they found that I over pronate badly on my left (the good foot) and I supinate on the right (the bad foot). "Normal people" (these are the doctor's terms) would be consistent on both sides. I said I prefer to be abnormal, it's a more distinguishing character. I also ordered my first pair of Newton Running Shoes (aka the Ferragamo's of running shoes) in the hopes that greater forefoot running alleviates my problems. The doctor recommended these shoes that have a giant spring in the heel (ie. they look like carnival shoes) but I prefer a more "normal" appearance.

Tomorrow is a rest day but we shall see. I'm short a weight room visit and I would hate to take that into the weekend.

Iceland

The ice continues. Up at 4:30 AM and realizing that the Federal Government was on a 2 hour delay--one my employer follows--Buddy and I curled up on the couch for a snuggly extra hour of rest. We were both awoken by a neighbor scraping the ice from his car.

Abs and pushups then on to the bike assuming the Y was closed. An hour and 20 minutes of really good riding. Better yet, I didn't keep turning my watch off and on as I did the other day so I was able to get good data. Over half of my bike time was spent in deep zone 3--very satisfying. Of course the initial 20 x 1 minute one legged drills put me up there quickly.

Tomorrow, well there is the midnight Masters swim and I guess I will go to the weight room. I would love another day in the pool but swimming twice in one day just is not going to happen. I'm tinkering with a cold so the swim will help flush the sinuses--pity those who swim with me.

A quick swim

Up at 4:30 AM today. Abs, pushups then off to the gym. It's election day. I sacrificed some laps for my country and new Democratic (with a capital D) leadership.

The swim was fine but I am so horribly out of breath during the workout. I know this is completely mental. I need a pool distraction, thinking does not weigh in my favor when I am in water.

Tomorrow I hope to get in some weights and a little swim. Not sure this will happen though because we are expecting freezing rain and the Y has a tendency to close during inclement weather--perceived or real.

Living on the trainer

I did a two hour spinerval today. I wanted to try for three hours but I am trying not to overdue the foot. I followed with 30 minutes of yoga--some consistency in that department would help my very tight and inflexible hips.

The hand is still bugging me today, limited flexibility there so no swimming is probably a good thing (when isn't it). Tomorrow, I'm not sure where I might find myself. It is supposed to be cold so getting up to go swim or lift weights may prove mentally challenging. Still, I would hate to ride three days in a row and that is my only alternative.

Trainer redux

Three days in a row now, I think this is a record. Up at 4:40 AM, abs, pushups then on to the trainer for 55 minutes. I accidentally kept hitting the timer on my watch so I really was only able to get interval statistics. Interesting workout today that I thought would be easy but I had no trouble hitting my zones. After some one legged drills, I did 5 sets of 1 minute 90 rpm, 1 minute 100 rpm, 1 minute easy. Then I did 5 sets of 1 min 70 rpm standing, 1 minute 80 rpm, 1 minute easy. I thought I would never get out of zone 2 but I had no problem keeping this in zone 3.

Off the bike I did 30 minutes of yoga. I'm really loving downward dog, cat pose, child pose and some spine twisting. It feels so good.

Tomorrow, no choice but to hit the pool. My hand is feeling better today so let's see what happens when I am back in the water.

There will be other beautiful days

Tempting, so very tempting to ride outside today. The temperature peaked over 50 and the sun was warming. Knowing there would be other nice days ahead I decided to be kind to my foot. I started on the trainer with an hour of biking, then off to the gym for upper body weights and a 2850 swim. I was going to finish with 30 minutes of yoga but I was toast. Shocking, even to myself--my stamina was at an all time low. Also, for whatever reason, my left hand was excruciatingly painful right where I was hit while riding two years ago. I'm hoping this is a fluke and not the start of some arthritic like condition that I have to contend with.

Tomorrow, I want to try for a three hour bike--we'll see if my sensible side wins.

Rest

Off to Detroit today. Thank goodness it is unseasonably warm there. A day of rest today but tomorrow will either be an outdoor ride or my preference, a quadrathlon--swimming, weights, biking and yoga.

Jealousy

I'm jealous of all of you out there who have enjoyed a run in our spring like weather. As if to tease me, I see you everywhere--on my way to the gym, on my way to work, when I'm walking across town to a meeting. Someday soon I will join you but for now I'm green with envy.

Up initially at 4:15 AM as Buddy decided to bat around my watch. My guess is he was hungry. Up for real at 4:40 AM. Abs then on the trainer for an hour. A minor issue on the bike--during my one legged drills I was not paying attention and sent my left heel (the resting leg) into my spokes knocking my magnet for the computer off. This involved getting my glasses and searching my tool box for the correct tool to reinstall it. A girl needs her RPM data when on the trainer. I tried to be a little more alert from then out.

One hour on the bike and 30 minutes of yoga. I'm starting to really enjoy downward dog, what a great stretch on my calves and plantar fascia. An excellent post bike activity.

Tomorrow is an off day and I'm on my way to Detroit for the day for work. The weather is not looking promising for an outdoor ride this weekend so if I had to guess I would say that on Saturday I will swim, lift weights, hit the bike for an hour and do some yoga.

Stop complaining

Up at 5 AM today. Wahoo, extra winks. Abs then back to the pool, again. My workout today was easy compared to most and yet there was the voice in my head complaining, complaining, complaining. If I could fix the mental part of my game, or swim with a pull buouy in a race, the age groupers would have to make room for me on the podium.

Tomorrow, I'm going to get on my bike trainer for an hour--possibly also hit the weight room but the latter requires an early start. The foot was agitated by an accidentally long walk yesterday. Can you blame me, it was 65 degrees--but true, it was not worth the annoyance to my foot. Help me help myself.

Not so bad

Up at 4:30 AM today, the Super Bowl induced sleep deprivation has been restored. Abs then off to the pool to swim with the Masters. My plan today was not horrible but I hate swimming so I definitely was dogging it (i.e. chatting too much). My foot is still yelling at me, can I use that as an excuse for low pool enthusiasm?

I'm thinking about swimming with my HRM at least once. It is completely nerdy and looks horribly uncomfortable but I am very, very curious. Today I was doing a series of 50's and my heart rate was jacked over 180. That does not seem right because I did not think I was sprinting it....maybe because it is so short I was unconsciously moving with speed to finish, not sure.

Tomorrow, I think given my foot, another day in the pool is on tap.

Mama

Up at 4:30 AM today despite watching the glorious NY Giants beat New England. Wahoo!! Abs then off to the gym for a full upper and lower body weight room workout.

I am hurting quite a bit today. My foot is not feeling great. It is talking back from the hill workout yesterday. Also, for some reason my back and shoulders are chiming in with my foot--it's going to be a long day.

Tomorrow, a swim. Hopefully, I can move some of that lactic acid around.

From 30 to 50

I set out for a 30 mile bike ride today but a road was closed en route and we had to reverse course back. While I was trying to avoid hills because of my foot, that is all we did. At the end of the day we hit 50 miles. It is amazing how quickly you can lose your stamina for hills. There were many where I just had to put my head down and focus on turning the pedals.

Back to my heating pad and my bottle of Recoverease. This one is going to hurt.

Back on the bike

The doctor signed off on me getting back on the bike. I still cannot run for a month but at least my legs can be in motion in something other than the pool.

Back in the pool this AM for some badly needed drill work. I'm going to end my comment here because I'm tired of complaining about my swimming.

On the trainer for an hour just to see how the foot feels before I hit the open road tomorrow. A bit of work on one legged drills and high cadence. Ahhhhhhh, it feels so good.

The foot is a bit sore, again nothing compared to the plantar fascitis. When my calf gets tight I have problems so the key is stretching, stretching, stretching.

A day of rest

After last evenings frustrating swim, a day of rest. My form was a mess last night which lead to a struggle in the pool.

We did, however, do some interesting drills--swim 3 x 100 breathe every third on the first 25, every fifth on the second 25, every seventh on the third 25 and every 9th in the final 25. If you want to feel pain try it. You'll think no big deal for the first half and you'll be praying for the wall on the second half. Mercy, mercy.