last day of Jan

0:33 run at lunch, I'll say ~3.5 miles. knee bugging me a bit after the run but otherwise I feel much better than yesterday.

riding the trainer tonight. ok, got home, at dinner, decided I would rather go swimming, what with the knee and all. so I did 2500 in the pool at a pretty good clip.

fatigued...

well, I was feeling things a bit this weekend and now, on Monday, I'm a bit of a walking zombie. lucky that I was on the SEM today. looks like an early night and an easy week.

long run

1:55 long run today, so I get about 11 miles for that. went to Samaga and back--I think about an hour one way to Helen's--a good option for when my midweek runs need to be longer.

pool was closed on friday for a swim meet, so I missed my pool time. dang. high school swim season will be over soon.

a bit of a chilly morn

0:30 (no watch) or so this morning on the usual route to Helen's house. 27F ambient temp + some stiff wind meant that I was mighty glad to get indoors upon my arrival. lay down on the couch and put my feet up.

1:00 trainer ride tonight, so about 15 miles. threw in a little big gear stuff but kept it nice and comfy.

swim-run bricky thingy

not really a brick. parked at OakMarr (my pool), ran 0:45 on the trails around there, then did 2100yds in the pool. two workouts in a row = early to bed for me tonight.

on the way back to OakMarr on my run I ran right by (~10ft) a young buck deer with an enormous tail. I think he was a whitetail. Kind of tame, but around here, not a big surprise.

learning how to train

0:36 run today; I get 3.5 miles for that. I really need to find out what my comfortable aerobic pace is, because I have a sneaking suspicion that even averaged out for hills and whatnot, it's a bit faster than 10 minutes a mile.

I was thinking about where I was last year about this time. Obviously I have a better base this year, but by far the greatest advantage I have over last year is that I've learned a lot about how to train. and I don't mean how to schedule workouts, or set up a season, or use HR zone, although some of those things might be true. what I mean is that I'm much better about holding back when I should rest even though I feel ready to go out and do a monster workout, better at not doing the monster workouts at bad times, and maybe even a little better about getting out the door to run or swim or ride when I really don't want to. Lots of improvement to be made, for sure, but I'd say I've come a long way.

1:00 spin, nice and easy, all small gear. my knees have been feeling a little stretched the last couple days and it felt good to get them warm. I think they're looking very forward to taking some weight off in the pool tomorrow.

and last, it's worth taking a look at Gordo's wrap-up post for Epic NZ. lotta good stuff in there, some of which I've thought about a good deal.

a great long run

great run today. felt really good. took the Fairfax connector trail north towards Great Falls. Mostly trail running in the woods along Difficult Run (that's a little stream, for you West Coasters). really nice to be away from people and pavement--balm for the soul. turned around at a horse corral. I think I accidentally ran a few miles further than I was supposed to (2:07 total time).

I felt like my form stayed pretty solid. took about 2/3rds of a gel at 1:00 and the remaining 1/3 at 1:45 or so. those were the times that I was feeling it and it definitely helped. maybe half a gel every 45 minutes during the marathon? I'll have to try it when the long runs get longer.

NOTE: I looked at maps today (Tuesday) and it looks like this run may have actually been more like 15-16 miles. ah well. it looks like the body is taking it in stride, but I'll be watchful this week.

"cross training," 21 Jan 06

did 1:15 of yoga this morning, then headed out to Lake Fairfax for a frisbee game. we won this one, unlike the last one. the other team was a lot of fun to play with, except one girl who really didn't know the meaning of spirit of the game. I have a feeling that it's probably not confined to frisbee for her. But all in all, a beautiful day to be out and a great game.

20 Jan 06

2500m with Loren. sooo much easier to get the distance done swimming with someone else. then we went for fabulous mexican/salvadorian food. mmmmm.

19 Jan 06

~3.5 mi run in early AM.

1:40 (~25 mi) spin in PM

Backing it up

I've been following Epic Camp like a junkie and Scott Molina posted this. this is awesome.

"Resilience.
This is one of the main physical and mental characteristics one needs to be successful at this sport.
You have to work through plateaus.
You have to train when injured sometimes (often for older athletes).
You have to train when sick sometimes.
You have to train when tired or crappy weather threatens to de-rail you.
You have to train when you just don't feel like it.
You have to do it consistently week after week, year after year.
This is what Cam Brown calls "backing it up".

18 Jan 06

did a 38min run at lunch--I'll call it 4 miles.

after dinner went to the pool and swam 2200yds with the main set of 1000 continuous. tried that new Doug Stern kickboard drill and it's great, can definitely tell that my left arm catch and pull needs a lot of work compared to the right.

I was a lazy bum and didn't get my run in on tuesday. it was only a 3 mi run, but frequency is important. gotta work on "backing it up" (see post above).

14 Jan 06

did 1:15 of yoga this morning. Dave was absent because he hurt his knee in a skiing accident, but the sub did some really great leg stuff. and, according to her, the secret to happiness is to live in the moment.

later went and played ultimate for a couple hours. cross-training, I suppose.

This shining moment in the now

"When I work outdoors all day, every day, as I do now, in the fall,
getting ready for winter, tearing up the garden, digging potatoes,
gathering the squash, cutting firewood, making kindling, repairing
bridges over the brook, clearing trails in the woods, doing the last
of the fall mowing, pruning apple trees, taking down the screens,
putting up the storm windows, banking the house—all these things,
as preparation for the coming cold...when I am every day all day
all body and no mind, when I am physically, wholly and completely,
in this world with the birds, the deer, the sky, the wind, the trees...
when day after day I think of nothing but what the next chore is,
when I go from clearing woods roads, to sharpening a chain saw,
to changing the oil in a mower, to stacking wood, when I am all
body and no mind...when I am only here and now and nowhere
else—then, and only then, do I see the crippling power of mind,
the curse of thought, and I pause and wonder why I so seldom
find this shining moment in the now."
--David Budbill, This Shining Moment in the Now 

hello

Just getting this started. Mostly will be a training log. Hopefully I'll get a few pictures on here too.