Another week closer to Steeple Chase

This week's recap:
1. Hard to say I had a good week with all the tragedy that surrounds us, but considering just running and my training it was.
2. Trended down on my weight (last week 156 lb.- this week 153.64) Net loss 2.36 lbs.
3. Worked on maintaining intensity ((Stride, cadence, and breathing)
4. Hopefully will be ready for Steeple Chase 8K 5/7/11

Sunday, 5/01/2011 6:15 AM, Bike 17.16 miles, 1 hr 02 min 49 secs, Average speed: 16.4 miles/hr, wind and seat post problems hindered performance

Saturday, 4/30/2011 6:55 AM, Long run 16.06 miles, 2 hr 00 min 42 secs, pace: 7:31 min/miles, ran close to home because Pt Mallard Trail was flooded. Managed sub 8 minute pace and increased distance.

Friday, 4/29/2011 11:30 AM, Bike (Road bike), 14.81 miles, 52 min 53 secs, average speed: 16.8 miles/hr, warm day, but a good ride.


Thursday, 4/28/2011 12:00 noon, Hill intervals, 5.51 miles, 41 min 12 secs, pace: 7:29 min/miles, strange day, no power, no phone, makes us appreciate the basic things we do have... Good run, but Garmin cheated me on the mileage.

Wednesday, 4/27/2011 11:00 AM, Swim 0.56 miles, 20 min 55 secs, pace: 37:21 min/miles
Swim cut short by storms.

Tuesday, 4/26/2011 5:30 AM, Run (Tempo run), 7.4 miles, 51 min 51 secs, pace: 7:00 min/miles, 60F 93% humidity, 3rd week in a row at the same tempo pace.

Monday, 4/25/2011 5:25 AM, Bike (Road bike), 14.68 miles, 54 min 03 secs, average speed: 16.3 miles/hr, finally resolved that my newer bike the K2 is not any faster then the 20 plus year old Schwinn Mirada. 2 split laps Mirada (27:05) vs K2 Astral 3.0 (26:57)

Week of 4/18 to 4/24

This week was a short week of training.
1. Lost a little ground on the weight 156 lb up .82 lb. Actually a little ahead of last week for starting Monday.
2. Another good long 15 miler. Sub 8:00 minute pace.

Sunday, 4/24/2011 12:00 AM, Run (Tempo run), 7.49 miles, 54 min 50 secs, pace: 7:19 min/miles,

Idle Friday and Saturday on family trip.

Thursday,4/21/2011 7:50 AM, Swim (Pool)1.42 miles, 53 min 56 secs, pace: 37:59 min/miles, sometimes you just hope to make it through the workout at any intensity, but then things just click and you have a great workout. Able to swim with intensity through the whole swim.

Wednesday, 4/20/2011 8:05 AM, Long run, 15.09 miles, 1 hr 56 min 19 secs, pace: 7:42 min/miles, perfect except for the water. Shoes were soaked at water crossing before first half mile, temperatures 59-68F.

Tuesday, 4/19/2011 5:25 AM, Bike (Road bike)17.74 miles, 1 hr 04 min 50 secs, Average speed: 16.4 miles/hr, pretty good ride although it was humid.

Monday, 4/18/2011 5:30 AM, Hill intervals, 5.6 miles, 40 min 51 secs, pace: 7:18 min/miles, great run this AM on a course that really challenges me. I shaved some seconds off last week's time.

Another Week

This week's goals:
1. Continued trending down on my weight (net loss of .65 lbs.)
2. Pushed the pace envelope some more (stride, cadence, and breathing)
3rd week with a sub 8:00 15 miler. I am close to pushing the long run a little more. I will either increase the pace or distance. Tempo is right on the 7:00 minute pace bubble.

This week by the numbers:

Sunday, 4/17/2011 AM, took the day off and did not ride the bike. I thought it was going to be windy. It was 38 degrees and that is a little brisk.

Saturday,4/16/2011 5:10 AM, Long run 15.01 miles, 1 hr 56 min 48 secs, pace: 7:47 min/miles, A few miles were around 8:03 by the Garmin, but the average was right where I wanted it. 3rd week of sub 8:00 minute pace. Now I can add distance or speed to the run.

Friday, 4/15/2011 5:30 AM, Thunder means no swimming so I was idle today.

Thursday, 4/14/2011 5:30 AM, Run (Tempo run, 7.41 miles, 51 min 55 secs, Average pace: 7:00 min/miles, Garmin a little short this AM, so I ran a little further to give me 7:41 miles.

Wednesday, 4/13/2011 11:00 AM, Swim (Pool), 1.53 miles, 1 hr 00 min 21 secs, pace: 39:27 min/miles, The Dome was hot. I got pretty gassed the first 500 yards and decided to swim a slow pace for the rest.

Tuesday, 4/12/2011 5:25 AM, Bike (Road bike), 17.21 miles, 1 hr 03 min 23 secs, Average speed: 16.3 miles/hr, slow start, I think due to under inflated tires. Stayed on the easier part of the course.

Monday, 4/11/2011 5:30 AM, Hill intervals, 5.65 miles, 41 min 46 secs, pace: 7:24 min/miles. Running was hard and it took a lot of effort. It did not seem any faster, but the Garmin was generous and I managed a little increase.

Slow start but a great week

Last week's goals were met.

1. Weight was down from 56.86 lb to 155.79 this week.
2. Other then a slow interval run Monday my pace has been good. I managed a 15 miler at a sub 8 minute pace for the second week in a row. If I make it to 3 weeks in a row I hope to own the improvement.

I am still having some motivation issues, but my energy level is starting to return. It is getting a little easier to go out there and run, ride, or bike. Running progressed and my biking and swimming are also improving. Seeing some improvement has helped my motivation. My early Sunday ride (6:10 AM) was the longest and fastest since last fall. I hope to continue to maintain the improvement. I am considering the following races: Cotton Row, Jesse Owens, and Steeple Chase 8K. I should be ready to attempt a PR in May on theses races.

Next week's Goals to continue the plan:
1. Continue trending down on my weight. 155.79 lb last week.
2. Push the pace envelope some more (Stride, cadence, and breathing)

Pushing the pace or 1 step forward and 2 steps back

This weeks goals:
1. Start trending down on my weight. 56.86 lb average last week.
2. Hopefully push the pace some.

Sunday, 4/10/2011, 6:10 AM, Bike (Road bike), 20.19 miles, 1 hr 12 min 49 secs, Average speed: 16.6 miles/hr, Bike: K2 Astral 3.0, really good ride and my first 20 miler and the fastest pace of the season. Really good finish to the week.

Saturday, 4/09/2011 AM, Run, 15.02 miles, 1 hr 56 min 50 secs, pace: 7:47 min/miles, good run by the numbers 7:33, 7:39, 7:51, 7:53, 7:58, 7:43, 7:52, 7:47, 7:59, 7:53, 7:43, 7:46, 7:48, 3:50+3:51, 7:38, Garmin was generous with 15.10 miles.

Friday, 4/08/2011, 7:50 AM, Swim (Pool)1.47 miles, 56 min 36 secs, pace: 38:30 min/miles, Good swim with a little soreness in my left shoulder. It has been a good week so far. I will skip the 10K and run a 15 miler in the morning. Hopefully I will be through to watch the race and cheer my friends.

Thursday, 4/07/2011, 5:30 AM, Tempo run 7.36 miles, 51 min 41 secs, pace: 7:01 min/miles, I was able to push the pace a little this AM. If the Garmin had not shorted me .04 of a mile, I would of had a sub 7:00 average. Still not sure if I will run River City 10K on Saturday.

Wednesday, 4/06/2011 7:50 AM, Swim (Pool), 1.42 miles, 54 min 21 secs, pace: 38:16 min/miles, I have really started to enjoy swimming the last part of the workout at a relaxed pace. This week I have been feeling my energy levels returning.

Tuesday, 4/05/2011 5:20 AM, Bike (Road bike)17.54 miles, 1 hr 04 min 55 secs, Average speed: 16.2 miles/hr, NW Wind 7 MPH, The wind was a little factor. Not a bad ride but a little slower than I would of liked. Took the dogs to Pt Mallard trail and walked 3.5 miles. (hour and 10 minutes)

Monday, 4/04/2011 5:30 AM, Hill Internal Run, 5.6 miles, 41 min 57 secs, pace: 7:29 min/miles, not a great pace. 2 weeks off from interval training and weight gain have taken its toll. I really tried to push the pace but nothing worked well.

Beyond McKay Hollow

Assessing where I am.

McKay Hollow was canceled last Saturday. I had used McKay as an excuse to not run fast. I was content to run hills instead of pushing my pace. I do regret the race being canceled. I did show up and received a great shirt, but I am a little reluctant to wear it. This is the kind of shirt that you earn by finishing. Some people did run it the next day unofficially. I was unable to run it Sunday and it was not convenient to run it later in the week. Some like Eric ran it that day and Dana ran it Monday. Check out their posts. My hat is off to those individuals. By now the markers are gone and I might run the risk of getting lost. Take a look at Trent's post about getting turned around.

With McKay behind me I have started to force myself to run faster and harder. My motivation has been hard to summon for several weeks. Even running seems to be hard for me to find motivation. I would have to promise myself an easy run and I would throw some hills in to make me feel like I was really getting in a useful workout.

This week I turned a small corner on the way back. I worked on a quicker cadence, shortening my stride, and breathing. I have had some really good runs this week. Next week I will continue to work on being more consistent in the areas of cadence, stride and breathing. If I have a good week I may run the River City 10K on Saturday.

I have been working on my swimming . Because I am a drowner I swim like the sharks are nipping at my toes. Just get me across the pool as fast as possible. I realize now that I can swim slower without getting panicky. I have started swimming the last 200 to 500 yards at a slower relaxed pace. This will give me more confidence in the fact that I can slow down and rest and not drown.

My weight has been edging up for the last 6 months. I really would like to lose 7 to 8 pounds before summer. My metabolism has slowed down a little and I think I will need to compensate for that. Eating everything I see has not helped. Holidays and family birthdays are over and it is time to get focused on the food I consume.

So next week I will be focusing on completing some solid runs and improving my swimming. Hopefully I will feel strong enough to enter the River City 10K..

Last week by the numbers:

4/03/2011 2:30 PM, Cross training on the infernal spin bike (52 min)

4/2/2011, Took the day off to go to a math tournament with my daughter

4/01/2011 8:10 AM, Long run, 15.02 miles, 1 hr 57 min 23 secs, pace: 7:49 min/miles
8:10, 7:59,7:47, 7:45, 7:44, 7:53, 7:53, 7:46, 7:43, 7:42, 7:46, 7:52, 7:49, 7:46, 7:33, :09,

3/31/2011 7:45 AM, Swim (Pool), 1.42 miles, 54 min 42 secs, pace: 38:31 min/miles

3/30/2011 11:40 AM, Hill tempo, 8.08 miles, 57 min 32 secs, pace: 7:07 min/miles
7:14, 7:03, 7:08, 6:55, 7:05, 7:15, 7:14, 7:05, 423'=6:13,

3/29/2011 7:50 AM, Swim (Pool), 1.36 miles, 52 min 52 secs
Average pace: 38:52 min/miles

3/28/2011 5:30 AM, Tempo run, 7.4 miles, 52 min 26 secs, pace: 7:05 min/miles
6:57, 7:11, 7:01, 7:02, 7:01, 7:05, 7:00, .49=6:21