PM:
On a spur of the moment, I decided to join some people for a track workout, something my legs haven't seen or even thought about in a long time. I got there a bit early so I could get in a decent (and slow) warm-up by myself then ran with Scott and Jocelyn (and later the always cheery Chris Cummins) before the workout. Scott and Jocelyn were doing 2x1.5 @ 6:10 pace and then a 1 mile so I decided that sounded like it would be fun and joined in for some slam bang fun.
Note: I have not 'abandoned' the HR training plan, I've just started modifying it to gradually include more threshold work and higher intensities so by the time February rolls around (first race) I'll be able to lay down a pretty good time while still peaking for New Orleans (in an ideal world, of course).
Jocelyn, being the excellent pacer that she is, led everything on pretty exact pace for the first one (9:16) and then a bit faster for the second (9:11). She and I did one more mile and for whatever reason I decided to progress each lap and ended up with a 5:55. It's amazing how different those paces feel. 6:10 feels very comfortable. My breathing is regular, controlled and I don't experience any acid buildup in my legs. I guess speed-work really does have it's benefits. All told got in 9.75 with warm up and cool down today. I think I'm going to shoot for 60 this week, not 55.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Monday, December 8, 2008
12/8/08
AM:
2nd coaching session with Lance at 8am in Huntersville today (NOMAD); I felt a lot better about my stroke today than I did last time. I feel as though if I practice enough and everything clicks this will make me much more powerful and efficient. My stroke count is already down (per 25 yds) but I feel awkward and choppy. Got in maybe 500-600 yards during the lesson.
PM:
Went to the Harris Y to work through some of the new drills Lance gave me but I forgot a couple of my pool 'toys' and consequently couldn't do everything I wanted. I was pretty exhausted from the earlier session which, even though it was 'light' was still tiring. The South Meck HS swim team was practicing or something in 3 of the 6 lanes (about 5-6 per lane) so the water was extra choppy which was moderately annoying. Plus, half of them goofed off a good bit and the coach did nothing but talk on the phone and give them the workout. I was not impressed, although a lot of them were a good bit faster than me. Oh well.
Ran from the Dowd Y with Cummins, Jocelyn, and Pete for 6 miles but really slogged through it as I felt pretty tuckered out...the swimming today really left me hurting for any energy and I just felt super sluggish on this run. I was originally planning on getting there early and doing 2-3 beforehand but the Panthers MNF game caused a ton of traffic so my late(r) arrival nixed that idea.
2nd coaching session with Lance at 8am in Huntersville today (NOMAD); I felt a lot better about my stroke today than I did last time. I feel as though if I practice enough and everything clicks this will make me much more powerful and efficient. My stroke count is already down (per 25 yds) but I feel awkward and choppy. Got in maybe 500-600 yards during the lesson.
PM:
Went to the Harris Y to work through some of the new drills Lance gave me but I forgot a couple of my pool 'toys' and consequently couldn't do everything I wanted. I was pretty exhausted from the earlier session which, even though it was 'light' was still tiring. The South Meck HS swim team was practicing or something in 3 of the 6 lanes (about 5-6 per lane) so the water was extra choppy which was moderately annoying. Plus, half of them goofed off a good bit and the coach did nothing but talk on the phone and give them the workout. I was not impressed, although a lot of them were a good bit faster than me. Oh well.
Ran from the Dowd Y with Cummins, Jocelyn, and Pete for 6 miles but really slogged through it as I felt pretty tuckered out...the swimming today really left me hurting for any energy and I just felt super sluggish on this run. I was originally planning on getting there early and doing 2-3 beforehand but the Panthers MNF game caused a ton of traffic so my late(r) arrival nixed that idea.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
12/7/08
PM:
Ran a bit on the treadmill to get to 50 miles for the week and just kind of get rid of some of the built up laziness in my legs from the lack of activity on Saturday. Did the run 5 minutes, walk 1 on repeat until the Saints game was over. Didn't feel spectacular, but that's fine.
Did the ODS in the pool today. I think I'm starting to feel how everything is supposed to work together but a good stroke still feels as though it is a long way off...I'm impatient. I'm having a hard time getting my rotation down but I know that I can work it out; hip rotation used to be a key component in what I believe was an excellent golf swing (long gone sadly) and I just need to get that muscle memory going again.
Ran a bit on the treadmill to get to 50 miles for the week and just kind of get rid of some of the built up laziness in my legs from the lack of activity on Saturday. Did the run 5 minutes, walk 1 on repeat until the Saints game was over. Didn't feel spectacular, but that's fine.
Did the ODS in the pool today. I think I'm starting to feel how everything is supposed to work together but a good stroke still feels as though it is a long way off...I'm impatient. I'm having a hard time getting my rotation down but I know that I can work it out; hip rotation used to be a key component in what I believe was an excellent golf swing (long gone sadly) and I just need to get that muscle memory going again.
Friday, December 5, 2008
12/5/08
PM:
Went for a run with the intention of it being a pretty average easy run (and by easy I mean very easy). I just started going and kept my HR super low (high 130s to low 140s when it's usually high 140s to low 150s) and time just kind of sped right by...
So I ended up doing 12.9 miles, not too bad. It felt very easy and my legs only became fatigued around the 1:20 mark. I remember at one point looking at my watch and I was 35 minutes in and then the next time I looked I was at 1:22. That pretty much wraps it up for the week in terms of running; I'll do ~4 miles on Sunday when I get back from South Carolina to bring me up to 50 for the week. Next week I'm going to hit 55 (hopefully, of course) and then an increase again the week after. It'll be fun.
Went for a run with the intention of it being a pretty average easy run (and by easy I mean very easy). I just started going and kept my HR super low (high 130s to low 140s when it's usually high 140s to low 150s) and time just kind of sped right by...
So I ended up doing 12.9 miles, not too bad. It felt very easy and my legs only became fatigued around the 1:20 mark. I remember at one point looking at my watch and I was 35 minutes in and then the next time I looked I was at 1:22. That pretty much wraps it up for the week in terms of running; I'll do ~4 miles on Sunday when I get back from South Carolina to bring me up to 50 for the week. Next week I'm going to hit 55 (hopefully, of course) and then an increase again the week after. It'll be fun.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
12/4/08
PM:
Ran 2 loops of 3.72 miles with the group. First one was a little faster than I intended but this was one of my 2 days/week where I don't have to care about my HR so I went with it. We ended up averaging 6:45/mi pace really only just pushing on the hills. That's faster than I have run in a long time (3+ months I think) and it felt very good and very easy...not bad. Second loop was a little less intense; it started drizzling a little bit but it wasn't cold (~50) tonight so the rain felt nice. I think some of the best runs I've ever had have been in the rain and almost all of them involved getting over a mental rut. I would be having a down week or two and then I sacked up and went out for a run in less than ideal conditions and ended up really digging it. Today wasn't really like that because my running has been going pretty well but it reminded me of those moments so it was extra cool.
One thing that really annoys me is when people pull up to a light but pass over the intended 'stop line' and/or over the cross walk. I mean, is it really gonna save you that much time, that 5' of space you don't have to traverse when the light turns green? There's definitely a reason 'stop lines' are painted on the roads. The worst is when you're trying to turn left and this car is basically a full car length over where it should be and you have to swing wide and go into the other lane or do something crazy. I like to pass very close to these cars and maybe give them a hint that they're idiots. Plus if I make a mistake and hit them I can just say they pulled into the lane of traffic and sue the s*** out of them. That would be a real lesson.
Ran 2 loops of 3.72 miles with the group. First one was a little faster than I intended but this was one of my 2 days/week where I don't have to care about my HR so I went with it. We ended up averaging 6:45/mi pace really only just pushing on the hills. That's faster than I have run in a long time (3+ months I think) and it felt very good and very easy...not bad. Second loop was a little less intense; it started drizzling a little bit but it wasn't cold (~50) tonight so the rain felt nice. I think some of the best runs I've ever had have been in the rain and almost all of them involved getting over a mental rut. I would be having a down week or two and then I sacked up and went out for a run in less than ideal conditions and ended up really digging it. Today wasn't really like that because my running has been going pretty well but it reminded me of those moments so it was extra cool.
One thing that really annoys me is when people pull up to a light but pass over the intended 'stop line' and/or over the cross walk. I mean, is it really gonna save you that much time, that 5' of space you don't have to traverse when the light turns green? There's definitely a reason 'stop lines' are painted on the roads. The worst is when you're trying to turn left and this car is basically a full car length over where it should be and you have to swing wide and go into the other lane or do something crazy. I like to pass very close to these cars and maybe give them a hint that they're idiots. Plus if I make a mistake and hit them I can just say they pulled into the lane of traffic and sue the s*** out of them. That would be a real lesson.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
12/3/08
AM:
Just kidding. No way I'm waking up to run at 5:30 when it's 20 degrees out unless I've got a really, really good reason.
PM:
Did the same run as yesterday except almost 2 minutes faster. My 3rd lap of booty netted me a 6:59 average pace which is pretty sweet. I was definitely going faster than 'easy' pace but it was still 'easy' if that makes any sense. I like that my breathing is basically the same anywhere from ~7 to ~8 minute pace. I'm pretty excited about my running potential for next year. I think I could take some fairly significant leaps with the base I'm building right now in my legs. 16:30 5k? Who knows, anything is possible (not really, but it makes you feel better if you tell yourself that. Go ahead, try it)
Our softball game was canceled as the other team was a no-show which is always a huge pain in the a** because we all go out there, get warmed up and then have no game. I could have gone swimming 30 minutes earlier if I had just known...ugh those lazy pricks. So I went to the Y and got in a short 1100 yard swim doing a lot more freestyle than I've been doing with my ODS. The new stroke definitely changes the muscle groups I work which will require some significant adaptation but it certainly feels smoother if I put it all together correctly. I haven't timed anything yet because it would be silly to compare times at this stage. There were these two high school guys a couple of lanes over that swam for a while and then raced each other (they were definitely not swimmers) and it was funny because they were working really, really hard but going really, really slow. It's the exact opposite of what I'm trying to do! So cool!
.....not
Just kidding. No way I'm waking up to run at 5:30 when it's 20 degrees out unless I've got a really, really good reason.
PM:
Did the same run as yesterday except almost 2 minutes faster. My 3rd lap of booty netted me a 6:59 average pace which is pretty sweet. I was definitely going faster than 'easy' pace but it was still 'easy' if that makes any sense. I like that my breathing is basically the same anywhere from ~7 to ~8 minute pace. I'm pretty excited about my running potential for next year. I think I could take some fairly significant leaps with the base I'm building right now in my legs. 16:30 5k? Who knows, anything is possible (not really, but it makes you feel better if you tell yourself that. Go ahead, try it)
Our softball game was canceled as the other team was a no-show which is always a huge pain in the a** because we all go out there, get warmed up and then have no game. I could have gone swimming 30 minutes earlier if I had just known...ugh those lazy pricks. So I went to the Y and got in a short 1100 yard swim doing a lot more freestyle than I've been doing with my ODS. The new stroke definitely changes the muscle groups I work which will require some significant adaptation but it certainly feels smoother if I put it all together correctly. I haven't timed anything yet because it would be silly to compare times at this stage. There were these two high school guys a couple of lanes over that swam for a while and then raced each other (they were definitely not swimmers) and it was funny because they were working really, really hard but going really, really slow. It's the exact opposite of what I'm trying to do! So cool!
.....not
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
12/2/08
PM: Ran 8.65 miles on the booty loop today and felt pretty snazzy. I felt a little fatigue in my quads on the last lap (of 3) but other than that it was fine and dandy. Not too cold, maybe only 35 "real feel" which isn't really that bad. I wore shorts and under armor with a wind vest (plus the requisite gloves and beanie) and felt great. Added some new tunes to my running mix (MGMT's Kids, Time to Pretend and Disturbed's Land of Confusion) and all were great additions to what is already a stellar running mix. Thought about swimming afterward but I was feeling a little tired as I didn't get much sleep last night.
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