A mere 10K

Today I took advantage of the fact that campus is deserted today (a holiday in summertime) and, instead of heading out into the wilds southeast of campus, I rode the brain (the loop around the main campus) 7 times. That made about 10 miles. I decided to do this because I'm a little sore from yesterdays run and I didn't feel like wagging war on the Murry Hill Road and the like (vertical climb!, well, almost). The brain has a some inclines and descents but it's as close to level as I can get (without a stop sign every ten feet). Also, I figured I'd try to do work on speed and technique on the less hostile terrain. It took me 42 minutes! Not bad for an amateur on a mountain bike.

When I got back to the building, I realized I'd forgotten my key to the outer door (which was locked because today is holiday). Fortunately, Stacie was in the building and she came down to let me in. Thank the Gods for cell phones.

I was thinking of Saffy and her impressive 50K. I've never biked 50K in my life. Perhaps after coercing Saffy to do the tri, Saffy can coerce me into doing some mad cycling event.

Once again, Patsy is my inspiration.

Patsy's done it again. I don't know what it is, but after every one of her visits I find myself sweating a lot and getting in much better shape. Somehow, I'm doing what I truly never thought would happen-- training for a tri! I hate running! I can't swim! What am I doing? I have no idea, but the way Pats described her first tri experience was truly inspiring. As always, she impresses the hell out of me and manages to motivate me in a way none of my other friends can. Thanks for that, sweetie!

Thus, having only seven weeks to get my fat rump in shape, I've chosen to jump right in. Yesterday I rode in to Central Park and did a couple of laps with my DH/de facto cycling coach. We worked on climbing techniques and some spinning. Yikes have I got a long way to go! Managed to crank out 50k for my trouble but sheesh! last summer I was doing metric centuries without too much difficulty. Nothing like a little reality check, eh, folks? So, 50k on the bike yesterday, and a very painful 2 mile run today. I really do hate running especially when it feels like I have a small person sitting on my chest the whole way. DH was invaluable as he rode his bike alongside me with cold water bottles and lots of encouragement. Tomorrow will be a busy day, so I won't have time for much other than some yoga and some weights. I still have to find a pool to swim in- I'm thinking West Side Y (conveniently located but expensive!) or perhaps the aquatic center at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park (not quite as convenient but 1/15th the price of the Y). We shall see. Cheers for now!

Recap - running

I ran a hilly 5 miles with Stacie on Friday and then a hilly 6.5 by myself on Sunday. Both runs were with my new (amazing) sneakers. Today I'm planning to take a bike ride. That's all I got to report.

Another quick update

Here's the log:

Monday 5/24/10 - 6 mile bike ride (short but painful - very uphill for 4 miles, followed by a terrifying descent).

Tuesday 5/25/10 - 1,200 swim, including 8 50 yd springs (time between 47-52 seconds). I'm swimming in a fancier pool now (they're renovating the building I used to swim in) which has digital clocks all over the place so now I can get an idea of my pace.

Wednesday 5/26/10 - 2 mile walking/callisthenics work out including stairs, lunges, squat thrusts, crunches, push-ups and other miscellanea.

I'm still waiting for my new running sneakers to arrive so I can't run (even walking in the old ones was iffy). I've also been busier at work so I'm really trying to get as much cardiovascular intensity as I can in a 25-30 minute workout.

Sloth and Gluttony

Ugh. So, I ran a slow 3.3 on Thursday but aside from that I just took little walks with the baby and ate massive quantities of food. Well, vacation is over and I'm back to healthy living. And in a few days, I'm sure my pants won't be too tight. Augh. I'm still waiting on my new running sneakers (that's my excuse for not running much over the long weekend) and until I get them I'll have to take it easy on the track. Augh. I hope to have better news tomorrow.

Quick Update

Before I forget, let me log my training:

5/12/10 - 4 mile run with Stacie (including the less imposing half of Murray Hill Road)
5/13/10 - Evening calisthenics in front of the TV after eating my weight in nachos.
5/14/10 - 5.5 mile run (felt fast but who knows because I forgot to time myself).
5/15/10 - About 3 miles with the baby stroller. Started to have IT band pain and realized my sneakers were kaput. No running 'til I get a new pair.
5/18/10 - 10 mile bike ride (Old Murray Hill/Powderhouse Road route). Had some IT band pain by my left knee but otherwise I was O.K. I used the toe cage things the whole time. I think my calves got a better workout as a result. I am most unenthused about the IT band pain.

Intervals, longer ones this time

Well, I'm about take a 5 day weekend during which I'll only be able to run (pool and bike will remain on campus) so I kind of wanted to do a non-running activity today (tomorrow, my last day before the vacation, I have plans to run with Stacie). I really wanted to swim but the pool's schedule conflicts with my students' final exam. I thought about biking but I was afraid of getting lost (what are the chances?!) and being late for the final. So, I decided to do an interval workout.

It was a 4 mile workout:
1 mile warm up
2 x 400 (with 200 yd cool down)
2 x 600 (with 200 yd cool down)
1 x 800 (with 400 yd cool down)
.5 mile cool down

So, the 600s and 800 were as hard as I remembered. I don't know how we did it in high school track. Now I'm enjoying my post work-out snack so I don't crash in an hour.

Latest update (bike then swim)

So, on Thursday, I set out to do a 10 mile ride (designed by moi). I ended up getting lost a couple times (kept missing turns) and doing about 3 miles (mostly uphill) more than I'd planned. Still, I was able to do it (my thighs were on fire)- and next time I won't miss those turns!

Today, 5/10/10, I got into the pool and swam a total of a mile. I did 1,000 yds and then did 6 50 yard sprints, followed by a 300 yd cool down. I felt good, except that I often felt like I wasn't getting enough air. Not a great feeling but it wasn't debilitating. I think my swimming top might be to tight. I'll try an alternate next time.

Swim!

I swam one mile today. The fast lane looked a little too organized so I was in the 2nd fastest lane with bad-swim-etiquette guy. That actually worked out well because I had to think about passing him, staying ahead of him and not letting his bad manners screw up my flip turns - all of which I did. I did flip turns on every single lap (they weren't always the best flip turns, but I did 'em). The swim took about 35 minutes. Not bad. I really need to think about using my legs more. I feel like I just drag them. Once I get more comfortable at the pace I'm swimming, I'll concentrate on form. It wasn't bad swimming with other people - it keeps my mind of the unbelievable boredom of swimming laps. Tomorrow, I bike!

Log update

Saturday 5/1/10 - 6 mile run (50 minutes)
Monday 5/3/10 - 3.5 mile run