Two Shots and a Beer

A long long time ago I started this blog...

2006-07-28T13:53:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!

It has been a long long time. I have been running, even though I have not been posting. Hmmm, maybe that is why I haven't posted, because I am too busy running and training instead of blogging. This week is a 12 mile run. I have already completed over 10K. I think I will be fine in our relay Tri. As far as the other members, I think they are all doing good. Hopefully, the Beer has had a chance to go float in his new wetsuit. Until next time.

A long long overdue post

2006-03-08T18:58:00.000-08:00

Wow! I feel like I haven't posted in forever! Are there anyone still reading this blog? Is the Beer still swimming? Is the Other Shot still biking? What is going on? Well, I have been doing my best to keep running while on the road. That means getting very intimate with the hotel treadmill. I even made it to Philadephia's Ballys. All I have to say, "Different city, same crappy Ballys". The level of quality is indeed maintained. I guess this whole traveling thing is making it very hard to keep the working out consistent. On top of that, there is an hour difference. You think an hour is not much, but boy is it. So anyways, after working a 10 hour day I am going to only type this much.

How Beer is Like a Fish

2006-02-02T08:47:00.000-08:00

This is a long-overdue update from me, but in my defense this is almost a personal blog. Shots? What's going on? Anyone? Anyone?

Moving on - I took all of last week off from not feeling well, but I've done well this week. I went Monday and fought for a lane, and then went Wednesday, which is what I'll talk about today. First, I totally forgot to read up on the next set of drills, so I was stuck doing the old Zipper Switch again. This isn't too bad, because it's very much like real swimming, but I still got bored with it after 15 minutes or so.

The second part was that there was not one, single other person in the pool. All 6 lanes were empty. Nobody was there when I got there, and nobody came the entire 30 minutes that I was swimming. It was freaky. Bored with my drill I decided to try some actual swimming and see what was going on with the old stroke. First, I just swam the way I always used to, the decent enough stroke I learned in high school: 1 length (25m) took me 25 strokes. Then, I tried a length incorporating what I was learning in the drills: press down on the chest to keep the legs floating, keep one arm out in front of you until the "recovering" arm is at your head and then stroke, keep the body streamlined. Result? Damn, I was flying! It felt like I was gliding along, and after 20 strokes I hit the other wall. That's a 25% increase in stroke efficiency. And I still have 2 lessons left!

I'm sold. Good thing I'm getting more efficient; I'll need the extra energy for the ride on Gin's bike and the run in Vodka's shoes...

Farewell to a Shot

2006-01-18T09:00:00.000-08:00

The Shot recently took a new job, and is in DC this week. Then she'll be somewhere else (I wasn't really listening), and then off to Philly for a long time. Two things I expect from this:

Even less blog entries than before.
Understandable frustration with the crappy hotel gyms that she'll encounter.

Last Thursday's drills went well - the pool cleared out some and people let me do my thing in my own lane. Same with Monday - I think the drills I'm working on actually look more like drills, and not just "why's this dude floating on his back?" Monday I was working on Lesson 3 out of about 5, dealing with the Under Skate and the Skate switch (relearning stroke timing) and tonight I should be working on Zipper Skate (yeah...) and Zipper Switch, which is even more stroke-like.

I'm still enjoying the book, and the drills, and everything. It's made swimming into something that's difficult mentally more than physically. Whether I'll be a faster or more efficient swimmer at the end remains to be seen, but I'm pretty confident.

Hang ups and hang overs

2006-01-11T08:17:00.000-08:00

The beer lives! Went out last night to Red Line Tap up north to see "Sex Fist." As the name suggests they are a bluegrass band, and a pretty damn good bluegrass band at that. Granted, I don't have a huge amount of experience with bluegrass, but they were in tune and stuff, and their (seemingly original) songs were very entertaining. Plus, $2 Berghoff's are a good deal!

All of this is to say I'm NOT swimming today, preferring instead to hunt down, kill, and devour the greasiest burger in a 4 block radius. As far as Monday's swim, it was pretty brutal. This is the time of year when all the freaking New Year's resolution people show up for about 2 months, never to be seen again. I was working on Lesson 3, which is more floating, rolling, kicking, etc. From the side of the pool, I think I look like I'm just messing around because EVERYONE wanted to jump into my lane. First, a coworker who's also training for the triathlon showed up in my lane. He hopped over to another lane, and somebody else jumped in. He then decided to share a lane with somebody who was actually swimming, at which point my 3rd swimming budy showed up. And the whole time I'm trying to do my drills smushed to the side of the lane, trying not to get kicked by the girl in the next lane who only knows breast-stroke...

Yeah, swimming can wait until tomorrow.

Push the Float!

2006-01-04T11:41:00.000-08:00

I'm back! Limitted swimming oportunities in the wilds of Virginia, so I was back in the pool again after a pretty long break.

Over my vacation, I started reading my Total Immersion book. In short the book is written by a swimming coach who figured out that the perfect form and ease that the really great swimmers have can be taught to any swimmer, no matter what level. Paradoxically, people who've done any swimming at all have to unlearn just about everything they were taught, and for that he has a series of drills that are supposed to retrain your muscles to swim correctly.

Today, I floated on my back and kicked. I couldn't really believe it when I was reading it on the bus this morning, and the author goes out of his way to warn not to skip the first lesson. Turns out, it's hella harder than you would think. The goal is to get perfectly balanced in the water on your back, making as small a "hole" in the water as possible. Once the balance was down, I moved on to rolling from side to side, still staying balanced, not kicking too hard, not struggling. Also, after every lap I'm allowed to stand up, take some breaths, drink some water. If I feel like I'm loosing concentration, I can stand up and take a break.

And it's still freaking hard. It takes a lot of concentration, and you can feel your core trying to stabilize everything at once. I'm totally hooked! I started reading up on the next lesson, for Friday. Instead of feeling beat up, I feel energized, and I feel like I've learned a new skill - good balance in the water.

I've been bad

2005-12-16T07:44:00.000-08:00

Sorry for pulling a disappearing act for the past month of so but I've been tied down with work. Worked out sporadically and have been staying in shape....mostly round. I'll hit the gym harder again today and will try to stay with my program once again.

Darn works really getting in the way of my dreams, which is to look absolutely stunning in a pair of biker shorts. Thought about quitting but then realize I wouldn't be able to affort the shorts if I did. Life's a vicious cycle. Curse the man who invented currency...I would've been fine trading three fingers of goat milk for a sweet potato.

Anywho, my apologies to my teammate. Hopefully you two have been keeping up with your routines and will make up for the time lose in the biking event *L*

I Hate Bally's

2005-11-30T12:31:00.000-08:00

This is somewhat unrelated to training, but I feel like I should include it in this blog (just to vent).
Yesterday, I went to my nearby Bally’s Fitness to workout. My routine 5 mile run on the treadmill and pilates class after work. Before going on further, I want to say that I am already frustrated with Bally’s for not having spinning classes at any of their downtowm locations. So I get there, in the small windowless basement dungeon of a gym, immediately signed up for a treadmill and ran into the locker room to change. All was going well on the treadmill. I was monitoring my heart rate and feeling good. Until some Bally staff member comes by to inform me that I have to get off the treadmill because I have been running over 30 minutes. So usually I just get off the particular treadmill and go on another one. (It is just so annoying to do that, doesn’t make any sense. I am determined to get an equivalent of 5 miles, so I do what I have to.) Okay, fine so they are busy, I understand I get off. I am still upset over this though. They are always busy. Why? Because they are a small gym with limited treadmills that are always occupied. I hate that I can only run 30 minutes sometimes. How am I suppose to train for distance? Anyways, I was about to let that slide. I was thinking about getting a treadmill at home anyway. So I do some weights, while waiting for my pilates class. As soon as the Kwando class lets out, I go into the studio for pilates. Only to have the instructor tell me they have cancelled the class, forever. I was in total shock. I was just there last week. There were 4 other people there in the same situation. So the instructor taught the class for free. She is so awesome, but Bally’s suck. Then I find out that they will be closing this location. Some say January 2006, some say later. Are they going to open another one nearby? No one knows. This is very upsetting for me.
I hate Bally’s. Now I have to find an alternative… Until then I guess I just be missing pilates.

How many beats?

2005-11-22T16:07:00.000-08:00

I went to the gym during my lunch hour today. It is also my first time using a HRM (heart rate monitor). Since I don't have an actual idea of what my HR is at certain times through out my exercise routines, this was very exciting for me. I started off on the treadmill with a brisk walk; my HR was at 95, which is almost 50% of my MHR (max heart rate). I am not really sure if my MHR is correct yet. I progressed into a slow jog, which brought me to a HR of 124. This is between 60% to 70%. I stayed at this for about 15 minutes. I then increased my HR to 176, which is a little over 90% of my MHR. I stayed at this for the next 15 minutes. I was definitely challenged. I still don't know what percentage I should be training at to increase my speed. What is the percentage or training program that I should follow, so I can increase endurance and speed? I need to research this more. For the time being I like my new HRM. (Kudos to my hubby for picking this.) I have the TIMEX Triathlon HRM. Follow the link below, to check it out:

http://www.timex.com/bin/detail.tmx?item=753048107742

At first when I got it, I was concerned that the chest strap would be uncomfortable, but it actually doesn't bother me at all. I forgot it was even there. The watch is almost very easy to use, since I am familiar with the TIMEX digital watches. I also have the TIMEX Ironman Sleek:

http://www.timex.com/bin/detail.tmx?item=753048134595

I bought this before for timing my runs and splits. The HRM from TIMEX also has the same usage as the Sleek. So there was almost no learning curve. Just strap on the chest strap and start up the watch.

Though I can see the strap getting really dirty and germy after several runs. I guess throw it in the washer with your gym clothes. Hope it doesn't become worn out. I wonder if they have replacement straps? I guess I will worry about that later.

Overall it was a great 30 minutes of running. (Unfortunately that was all the time I had today.) Having the HRM really pushed me to run harder. I know that I can push a bit more now that I know how my heart is ticking. This is great. I don't know how I trained before without it.
Now I also have to put in place some sort of strength training program. One thing at a time I guess.

I still have to get an accurate reading for my RHR (resting heart rate).

Being Lazy

2005-11-21T13:17:00.000-08:00

I did no exercise over the weekend. I did consume many, many calories. Does dancing while intoxicated for many hours count as endurance training?

Just running

2005-11-18T16:47:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was the first time that I went to the gym to just run. I did nothing else. Got on the treadmill and just ran. I ran 5 miles. It was nice. The whole time I kept on thinking it would be nice if I have a heart rate monitor, of course the treadmill I chose had a broken heart rate monitor. Today, I finally received a HRM as a birthday gift. Thanks hon. I can’t wait to try it out. Along with my new spinning shoes. I think the Other Shot was correct. My feet are actually much better now. Today there was no pain or tenderness. I guess all I needed was getting back into running again. I am thinking about following a targeted heart rate zone training program. I am currently working on figuring out what my RHR and MHR should be. Once I have that figured out, I should be well on my way to having a program. I don’t plan to do any running this weekend. I plan to only celebrate my birthday, by doing nothing and everything. I don’t think I will have time for running or any exercising. Maybe some ice skating on Sunday. Does that count? I think the only thing that will get exercised for endurance is my liver this weekend.

Tender soles and heels

2005-11-16T11:39:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was an exercise day. Back to the marathon training schedule, but with about half the mileage. So about 2 miles of running and then the pilates class. I feel good today. I just have really tender soles this morning. So bad that I actually wore my gym shoes for my morning commute. I changed into my boots at work. My heels feel funny. My feet feels funny. I haven’t done much running lately, so the tender soles are really spooky. Any ideas on why, anyone? My shoes are still in relatively good condition. Probably only have about 150 miles on them. I have never had tender soles during marathon training. Why does it start now? The only thing I have been doing lots of is spinning. That shouldn’t cause this problem right? Any ideas from anyone would be appreciated.

Weekend Routine

2005-11-15T10:58:00.000-08:00

My weekend routine is fast becoming a non-routine. Once again, I wasn't able to get a schedule down for the weekend as I worked on...well, work. I did however got a chance to watch Chicken Little and I must say, they're really slipping on the storyline.

No worries though, winter is fast upon us and I will work up those leg muscles by slipping and sliding down the mountain in my snowboard. You'll be surprised by how strong your quads get after a full season of assuming the "I'm too scare to sit on the toilet seat for a crap so I'll squat" position.

Seriously, I will join a gym that's open on the weekends so I can get some work in on my days off as well. For the time being, I can only bike on weekdays.

Another Week, More Exercise

2005-11-15T10:30:00.000-08:00

We are 9 months and 11 days away from the Triathlon. So what’s our confidence level so far? I am not sure. As the runner, I haven’t done any running at all. So today, I have the choice to do some running. Maybe some running and then the pilates class or just the muscle conditioning class? I am more inclined to run now, that the nightmares of exploding blacken toe nails have subsided. Either way some exercising has to get done. I finally got a pair of spinning shoes last week. I can’t wait until tomorrow’s spinning class. Now all I need is a HRM. I am thinking that I will be getting that for my birthday. With the holidays coming up and the un-cooperative Chicago weather, I think running outside will have to wait until March. In the meantime does anyone have recommendations on how to improve speed for running a 10 K? What’s a good time for a 10 K?

Fine Form, But Frigid

2005-11-11T14:12:00.000-08:00

I flip and flop through the locker room juggling keys, watch and goggles. Pressing on my mind is the fact that the room is being chilled to a uncomfortable 65 degrees, and I am sporting a lot of exposed flesh. After the brief respite found in walking through the hot tub area, the pool room is even more of a shock. Icicles crawl down the floor to ceiling windows, grudgingly releasing drips of blue water when struck by the harsh winter sun. I wrap my watch around my knuckles and punch a Beer-sized hole in the scum of ice forming on the pool, gaze at the dark, freezing water revealed, and prepare my body for the shock.

OK, so there wasn't any ice, but it was damn cold today. I cranked out 40 lengths in 21 minutes, only taking one 30 second breather half-way through. My form felt good, but I need to pick up the pace. Just for fun, I paced the guy in the lane next to me for a couple of laps - he was of the "I am strong, water will fear me!" school of swimming, lots of splashing, legs trailing out below him, but he was still fast! I could keep up with him for a length or two, and I think I was doing about 2 strokes to his 3 (or even 4), but I eventually had to drop off and let him do his thing. At the end of my workout, though, I generally don't feel really tired, or out of breath. This is just reinforcing my plan to swim smart, not hard, and let people tire themselves out and get fished out by lifeguards in Lake Michigan. I'm getting very excited to start reading my swimming books, but "Wicked" comes first. A dear friend has already threatened to disappear it from my house if I don't finish it soon.

On the note of pacing people - guys seem to be really competitive in the pool. I suspect that the guy in the lane next to me was kicking it up a notch whenever we happened to end up side by side - I'd like somebody to come watch me swim sometime and see if that's the case. I'm not the most competitive person, and I still try to lap the person next to me if I can. I would be surprised if that's not the case with other people too. If I don't feel like dealing with it, I'll throw in a lap of breast-stroke to un-synch myself, so I don't have to deal with somebody thrashing right next to me.

Threatened

2005-11-11T10:57:00.000-08:00

I feel very threatened by the amount of spinning you're doing. Are you actively trying to bump me off my position on the team? God knows I can't swim or run and without biking I'm nothing....I'M NOTHING! :)

Workout plans for the weekend

2005-11-11T08:17:00.000-08:00

First off, the spinning class on Wednesday was greattt! Love it! It was my first time spinning at max resistance for some part of the class. How does it feel? Crazy! The next day my glutes and thighs totally felt shot. I love the feeling though. I topped it off with a 2 mile walk home on Thursday to work off some lactic acid. I feel completely fine today. I am really going to get spinning shoes. It is such a great workout for off season runners. My knees love me for it. I need to start going to pilates again. I will do that Tuesday after work. As far as running goes, we will see if it will fit into the crazy weekend schedule. I am happy to see finally the entire team in blogging. It is just fun to know what's up with everyone. So The Other Shot can continue his super healthy diet, the Beer can continue his routine, and me... I don't know continue going to spinning and updating the blog for the world's enjoyment.

Clueless!

2005-11-11T05:11:00.000-08:00

As both of you should already know, I didn't know the blog existed. Hence, I need a little time to catch up. I need to loose a few pounds so I can at least look the part of a biker.

Here's a quick rundown of my diet and exercise routine:

Meals:
Mickey D's breakfast Combo #4 = 1,100 calories
Big Mac = 980 calories
Fries = 770 calories
20 oz pop = 220 calories
Chinese Dinner = ?????????

Exercise:
Biking (10 miles) = -200 calories
Running (2 miles) = -150 calories
Weights (1:15 minutes) = -175 calories

Yep...I should slim down to my biking figure in no time!

Death of a Workout

2005-11-10T09:14:00.000-08:00

For whom does the bell toll? It tolls for thee, Thursday swim... Had a couple of social events last night, and on the way home stopped into the lush's last resort, Friar Tucks, for "one quick beer." Three hours, several drunk text messages and one sloshed phone call later, here I am, not working out.

Tomorrow is a new day, I suppose. The weekend is also wide open. I have high hopes.

Spinning 101, I am the runner really

2005-11-09T12:52:00.000-08:00

Ok, ok, so I didn't go to muscle conditioning class yesterday. Please forgive me. I forgot my gym bag. I will go next week, I promise. Today, now today is a special day. I get to go to spinning class again. I am completely falling in love with this spinning class. I mean how can anyone not? You're in a dark room, pedaling away with so much force and intensity. Listening to music that you usually don't listen to, while at the same time thinking "no guts, no glory". After all this exertion you end up in the same place, almost the same position, sweaty, and shaky. Gotta love it. I so far have a gel seat, the only piece of equipment that I have for the class. I have left this behind on several occasions, but it has always come back to me. I am thinking about getting some shoes for spinning, so I don't have to use the straps on the bike. I don't really like them. I think they don't allow me fully utilize my muscles. Then there is always the HRM that I have been wanting to get. I am hoping to get this for my birthday. (Same model as the Beer) Can someone please forward this link to my hubby, so he can get the hint, just in case he doesn’t know already? At lunch I saw my Pilates instructor, she wonders where have I been. Hmm, yeah I have been ditching Pilates. I should start going again. Ok, next week I will go. There is a conflict though, muscle conditioning at the Multiplex from 5:30 to 6:30pm, one Tuesday, at the same time Pilates at Ballys on Tuesday 6:30 pm until 7pm. Will I be able to make it? Does muscle conditioning include core and glute workouts?

Beatdowns and Heartbeats

2005-11-09T07:56:00.000-08:00

This morning I'm recovering from the island-style beat down I received from Stevie B last night. I may have pushed myself too hard; I don't know if I was suffering from a ton of lactic acid, or if I was just hungry, but I felt pretty nauseous by the time I got home. Felt better after some food, if you can call something cooked in a plastic tray food. The life of a bachelor is harsh indeed.

I've settled on a heart rate monitor, I think. I like the Polar M32 which can save your workout results, has some sort of fancy coded sensor strap, and proports to track heart rate zones and calorie expenditures. I took a look at the instruction manual online - the English portion alone is something like 10 pages. Sweet! I've also convinced the clan to make it my big Christmas gift, so one less thing to worry about.

Now to find a Batman-esque swimming suit...

Tomorrow is swimming day. I think I'll swim easy and try for a minimum of 50 lengths, screw the time. If I'm not too beat up, another swim Friday. If I am, maybe this weekend. I hate to do that, because I tried that last weekend. Half an hour of hungrily waiting for the bus in the cold, and I literally and figuratively threw in the towel and went back home. Coach? If I get a bad time, blame the CTA!

False Promises

2005-11-07T15:48:00.000-08:00

Another weekend has past, but still no time for an hour of exercising. Therefore I have decided to join tomorrow's muscle conditioning class, so I can get my ass kicked. Yeah, that sounds great! Then on Wednesday, I can go to psycho spinning class. Two days of intense exercising, makes me excited! Oh, anyways. It gets dark so early these days, makes me not motivated to go out for a run. I think what I need is a bike. I stopped by Kozy's yesterday, saw a pretty decent bike. Maybe I will get that? In the meantime, I feel like I need a 5K race of something to keep me interested, since August 2006, sounds so far away.

Sore Muscles, Soggy Liver

2005-11-04T10:51:00.000-08:00

Reaffirmed my title of "Da Beer" last night as I wandered around my local Dive Bar(tm), sipping directly from several mini-pitchers like they were mother's milk, 32 ounces at a time. More importantly, I swam again for the first time in awhile. I think the evil Jamaican wore out my triceps, biceps and various other *ceps that I don't even know about, because it was a rough swim. From early in, I could feel the pull in my arm muscles as I went over my head on my stroke. On the plus side, I wasn't that out of breath, but that may be because I was going so amazingly slow. My splits, that I time on 5 laps (10 25m lengths), were over 5 minutes, when I was expecting closer to 4 minutes. Plenty of time, I guess.

I garnered some advice from my favorite message board and I'm going to narrow my choice of heart rate monitor down to a Polar model, preferable one with the factory-sealed chest sensor. Apparently they work better underwater, and you only have to send it back every few years. Coach might prefer one that you can change the batteries on yourself, since she isn't going to swim any time soon. Hi coach!

Now improve your soul with some Kaizen Swimming.

Psycho Spinning II

2005-11-04T10:12:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, one hour of psycho spinning, that was effortless! That was a surprise. I was expecting it to be hell, since I have been slacking on the exercising. For whatever reason, I completely enjoyed it. I am not even sore today. What gives? My body is totally messing with me. Again, I have a need for a heart rate monitor. They keep saying maxing out at 90%. I have no idea if I am, and of course I want to be maxing out at 90%. We did 5 hills. I love the hills. I can almost see them, if I close my eyes. That would be a great trip to go biking in an area that actually have hills. I can finally put the sports package on my Subaru Forester to use. As I first intended, when I saw the Forester. Imagining camping trips, biking, and sking. We have owned the car for a year now and have not done any of that stuff. The most sporty adventure was driving to Starve Rock for a hiking trip. So maybe this weekend, I can either go to a muscle strengthening class or some running, or maybe a core class. I will really try to fit that in this weekend. But a facial also sounds good. Oh the choices.

Triathlon Rookie

2005-11-02T14:39:00.000-08:00

I've added a link on the right to Triathlon Rookie's blog, a hard-core soul who's doing a triathlon by herself. I am proud of her, and a little ashamed of myself.

Haven't read it all, but there seem to be lots of bike-buying comments that could be of use to one of our Shots.

Psycho Spinning

2005-11-02T08:43:00.000-08:00

The Beer, obviously has lots of work to do. I mean, can't you tell? He only has 5 million posts, while the other members only have barely 1. He is probably 30 feet away from me, but I can hear him pounding away on his poor keyboard, all day. He seems very busy? Of course. By the way, I have never harassed him about his swimming! Since I have also been slacking. Ok, I will finally go to the gym today. I will attend the "No Guts No Glory" psycho spinning class at 6:30 pm. Spin until I can no longer walk afterwards and roll down the stairs. I love it! Yeah, I do agree. The bike looks really cool. I also want one, along with gear. That would be cool. Gearing up on a Saturday afternoon for a 30 mile ride along the path. Doesn't get better than that. I am slowly starting to obsess about my obsessive need to exercise. Is exercise the next crack?

Sorry for the Delay

2005-11-01T12:43:00.000-08:00

It's been a couple of hours since I've posted, so I figured it was about time. Just ordered a couple of books on swimming, one dealing with the open-water style in particular. Lot's of non-work-related internet-based research went into these selections, so pay attention!

Total Immersion : The Revolutionary Way To Swim Better, Faster, and Easier
by Terry Laughlin. Focuses on swimming better, not getting stronger, which is more my style. Lots of rave reviews for this.

Open Water Swimming
by Penny Dean, who swam across the English Channel, so I think she knows what she's talking about. This may be overkill for Michigan Pondt, but it was only $14 so what the hell.

Reviews will be forthcoming when I get them and read them and stuff.

Navy Seals Love the Cold

2005-11-01T08:54:00.000-08:00

I swear I have work to do, and I will do it. Just not right now.

Just want to send a very caucasian shout-out to the people at bikesportmichigan.com where I found the tri-bike article. Turns out they also have a guide to wetsuits, which I (re)discovered today. Point 3 on their "what's the big freaking deal about a wetsuit?" checklist:

Warmth. It’s 7:00AM. The water is freezing. Unless you entertain fantasies of being a Navy SEAL, cold water sucks. Your wetsuit will wrap you in a warm cocoon of insulative neoprene. You may never know just how cold the water is. Navy SEALs usually use wetsuits anyway.

Neoprene never sounded so good.

At the very end, they talk about rapid removal of your wetsuit. They seem to think that I'd want to rip it off, hop on a bike, and ride a couple dozen miles. And then cap it off with a leasurly 6 mile run, just to work the kinks out, of course. Who are these people? I'm planning to wrap a blanket around me, wetsuit and all, and take a nap on the concrete while the two Shots go do their thing.

A Sweet Bike

2005-11-01T08:37:00.000-08:00

I've been totally slacking the last few days. I'm going to get back into it after a rough Halloween weekend by going to my class tonight, then carbing up on some naan with my uncle who's in town for a few days. I'm going to start logging my distances and times here so that I remember them, and so Coach will get off my back.

Interesting article on road bikes vs. triathlon bikes. I kind of want a tri bike now - you can't help but look like you mean business on one of these...

A Belated Shot

2005-10-27T17:57:00.000-07:00

Since "The Beer" has been posting all the previous posts. I feel that "A Shot" has to have some representation.

How it all begun for me? Well, ever since I have been training for the 2005 Chicago Marathon, exercise and events such as the marathon and the triathlon has become very interesting to me. I am addicted. On top of training for the Accenture 2006 Triathlon, I am also training for the 2006 Chicago Marathon. I can't wait. So running 6.2 miles in a 3 person relay will be a piece of cake! I don't know what I was thinking when I actually hesitated at the thought of running 6.2 miles 2 months before the 2006 marathon. By then, I would be doing training runs of 14 miles or more, so what is 6.2 miles? It is barely a training run. I will definitely have a piece of cake afterwards too. Unlike the marathon, 2 hours later when I got home I was unable to walk. Every unknown and known muscle in my body hurts. I am thinking that I will really enjoy the triathlon.

I really wish I can swim, that would be great. I can make "The Beer" or the other "Shot" run, but since I have no other skills than running, I am the runner of the 3. I haven't really done much running since the marathon. So I guess I am slacking. I ran 5 miles this Monday, did pretty good too. The week before I went to 2 psycho spinning classes. So I guess I am just keeping up. This week has been very busy. I have the feeling I will not be doing much running or spinning until Sunday. Hopefully Sunday, I can get out for a 8 mile run. That would feel GREAT! I think my black toes are also discouraging me from running. Awhile back I actually had a nightmare, that they exploded during one of my runs and dark purple blood was oozing from my shoes. I think maybe I should also take a visit to the doctor. Nah, that is just too practical. I will just wait for them to explode, bloody in my shoes.

Hmmm, I have to get out of marathon mentality for a while. I love to do long runs of over 8 miles. I truly don't feel like I have ran until I have done 8 miles. Maybe I will do a 5 mile run, but faster than my marathon pace. A 10 minute mile would be nice. Okay, this Sunday, I will do a 5 miles run at a 10 minute pace.

I really need a heart rate monitor too. Then I can be a slave to my heart rate monitor instead of just my watch.

Of Love and Hate

2005-10-26T12:56:00.000-07:00

Last night was what I boldly call my cross-training night; the "strength and conditioning" class at my gym. I am one of 2 males that attends this class regularly out of about 30 people. Feel free to come up with your own assumptions about the difficulty of the class, or my own physical abilities, but I will go out on a limb and say you're probably wrong. These chicks are nuts. They are tough. They come every week, several times a week, and use heavier weights than I do. They don't sweat, they never stop. They scare the crap out of me. I stand in the back and try to stay out of trouble. Not one of the several male coworkers that we've managed to convince to check out this class has ever returned.

In other words, I love it. The leader is a fierce, crazy Jamaican whose loose track suits hide the fact that he's really just a skeleton wrapped in cords of muscle. He feels no shame in telling you that this is the last set, and then adding two more. And then starting you on another exercise that uses the exact same trembling mass of proto-muscle. I hate him, but I try to do all the reps just to spite him. And somehow it works.

Tomorrow I'll swim. I've been trying to breath every 5 strokes, which I think will help my efficiency. (It may be clear here that I haven't learned any terminology yet.) This also forces me to breath on both sides, something I suck at, and it's occured to me that I'll probably want to breath away from somebody swimming right next to me. I'm going to keep doing this, shooting for 250m sets in 4 minutes, until it gets easy. Then I'll have to regroup and see if there's some way to step it up. 250m/4 minutes gets me the mile in about 24 minutes, which I think is good, but doesn't count other people, waves, the wetsuit, cold water, etc. I'll let you know how it goes.

I'm still confused on my options of heart rate monitors and wet suits. I think it can wait a little while, though. If anybody's actually reading this, and loves their wet suit/HRM, throw a little comment in here, it's free.

How it all began

2005-10-25T10:58:00.000-07:00

I have several friends who run in various events, and I've always been jealous. It gives them a goal, an actual reason to work out, and an instant membership card to the Society of Crazy Athletes. You know who I'm talking about - the ones that go home early so that they can run at 8am in February, while you proceed to close the bar down and loose your credit card...

Now, I have various issues with my genetic heritage, but my knees particularly suck (hi mom!). I can run 4 miles on the street or on a treadmill, and spend the rest of the week hobbling around with a knee brace and a bottle of Aleve. Maybe all runners go through this at first, but I highly doubt it (they can't all be that crazy). So it was bizarre when my friend and colleague announced that she was doing a team triathlon - who knew such a thing existed? With training I could passably do the bike or swim segment, and it turned out that the original swimmer was more than happy not to swim a mile through balmy Lake Michigan, so here I am.

This is my very very first competitive event like this, at least since probably high school. I'm not sure how to train for it, I need to somehow find and buy a wetsuit, I think I might want a watch with a heart rate monitor, and someday I'll have to put it all together and actually swim in an ice-flecked e-coli harboring body of open water, strapped into an EKG monitor and 5mm of pliable rubber suit. I'm sure I won't feel like a dork.