IRONMAN........ I on my way to earn this title

This is a Journal to my trials and tribulations of my journey to conquer the 140.6 miles of pain and mental anguish.

So, I plan to journal daily.. if you want to be apart of this journey.. follow by blog.. You will see the up and down days of training for an event.. hopefully it will be something that can inspire you to do something crazy.

Friday, September 30, 2011

Another successful day

So, I came home deciding whether to run or not. I sat on the couch watched alittle tv.. Looked outside.. Thinking shit, I need to get my ass moving..

I had to run a different route today, because there a festival going on in the park I typically run through.. Plus, I felt it good to change it up a little.. Route today had some small hills.. Hills that are just enough to slow you down when tired..  Nonetheless, small obstacles..

I had in mind that I wanted to keep a steady pace so I could focus on breathing and active recovery.. First 2 mile split was 19:37  or so. I was happy with that. My legs felt great, physically I felt awesome..  I want to keep same mind set for 2miles back..

As a side note.. Mosquitos were out in full force.. No sooner than I stopped for some adjustments... Fricking a million of those came outta nowhere and had me as main course..

As im being eaten alive, I went out a little faster than anticipated.. I felt ok, so I went with the pace.. Pace started to effect me later, but that was a chance to slow while running to get HR down and breathing under control.. Worded for the most part..  Still was tough, had to stop for about 20 seconds, to take some big yoga breaths.. After that I was back running.. Time was looking good.. I felt a lot faster on back half.. I had a rhythm.. So back 2 miles time was 19:10... 27seconds faster than first half..

Todays route was .10+ miles longer.. Quiet the confidence booster.. Im happy.. Yay!!

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Feeling great

So, I went out for a run today..  Mentally occupied with thoughts and plans..  Sometimes a good combination and other times not to good.. Today, it was not to good.. Why would I say that...??? While my mind was racing with thought, some reason my body tried to keep up.  This is my first solid week of running.. Something are still a little off, like active recovery and HR... So I didnt really notice the speed until I got to about 2 mile mark at 18:40... So I was saying oh shit.. Too fast.. I tried to slow down, but the train had left the station.. So I slowed tried an active recovery with some deep yoga breaths.. Worked alittle.. Its like I have switch.. Soon as I get myself together, the pace picks right back up.. So I paused for the cause.. Stopped for about min.. Then back to races...

So, 38:11, im home sweating like a champ.. Feeling pretty good.. Legs feel ok.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Another day out in the elements..

So, I got another run in.. Felt great to get out again.. It sucked because it was humid as hell out today. On the way back I saw an approaching storm.. Lightning was all over the place.. The winds picked as well.. One would think that would have sped me up, by I didnt..

I was great to get out and run.. But I rated very high on suck factor.. Gotta get it again tomorrow. Good ole speed work.. Not looking forward to it..

Monday, September 26, 2011

First 4 miler

Great run today.. Felt great and strong..  Calf was great and no tightness..

went out pretty fast, probably a little to fast i paid for it around the two mile mark.. abs were tight, HR was through the roof, and breathing was bad but not uncontrollable..  i did some stretching when was finished..  i plan on icing and stretching more before i go to bed..

i want to get out and run again tomorrow...

Friday, September 23, 2011

Cooking with Gas

Oh yeah, i had a very good workout yesterday.. i did intervals on the treadmill.. If my calf would fail it would have done it yesterday.. But i ran strong, felt great..   Only thing that couldn't keep up were my lungs..  gassed and HR was through the roof.. But it didnt matter.. Felt awesome....  Bring the pain.. HOORAH


I swam a little after the run.. to get in the pool and get some work done there as well.. I will finish this week with miscellaneous workouts.. Im gonna mix three workout stragies... my baseline workout is the is HIM plan, because i have some running racing coming up.. i will inter-mingle run workouts for advance 10K and Intermidate Half Marathon training.. speed dates and long runs..  My volumes with increase next week.. 

SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :-)

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Running again... whooooo hooooooo

Yesterday, my calf felt awesome..  no pain what so ever.. I just the stretching, rest, and heat really helped.

I decided to test it out some.. I had a debate with myself, whether to do it outside or on a treadmill.. outside i have no concept of pace but im outside enjoying the elements.. treadmill requires me to be inside, but i can adjust my pace.. people walking around, so i won't get to bored.

So i chose the treadmill. because i can control my pace.. first half mile was great.. no pain.. so i sped up.. felt great.. 1 mile down.. speed came relativily easy.. i was very happy with today run.. because i ran with no pain. and did 2 miles at decent clip considering circumstances.

I will run again today.. another 2 miler.. may push 3.. so 1 mile warm up, on/off interval 400m, 1 mile cool down.. sounds like a plan.. thats what im doing.. afterwards ill go swim..

Thursday, September 15, 2011

On the Mend

I took Tuesday off because of my calf pain.. I massaged, iced and stretched my every opportunity I had from mon thru today..  My calf is definiently feeling a lot better..

Yesterday i swam and biked..

The swim was tough.. but i was determined to do a 1000m.. so with resting it took about 35 mins..  i did 3 x 200s.. the last one was really tough.. 4 x 50s.. shoulders were smoked at this point.. 8 x 25.. with 10 sec breaks inbetween.. the 25s weren't that bad.

So after the pool i decided to get on a spin bike for a half hour. I wanted to test my calf out to see what kinda load i could put on it..  Actual pedaling didnt cause any pain, i added tension after i felt legs were loose enough..  had enough tension to stand.. I felt pain about the 4 'o clock position on the pedal stroke, and it went away after that point...  So, it only hurt at that position.. which makes since.. i only felt running when my foot engaged my calf at the same point..  hhhhhhhmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Im gonna try a short run today, maybe a 2 miler or so.  try to test things out. if it feels ok, Ill run again on fri. maybe add some distance. hopefully by sun i can get back on course with training..

Monday, September 12, 2011

The aches and pains of being an athlete

Well, Ill tell you what.  Its sucks sometimes to be an athlete.. the sucky times are when go through a phase of burn out.. and you come out of it.. you gain unwanted weight, you try to do things to pump you up.. but most of all.. My body aches because its not use to being in the state that its in..  I feel so many little pains and discomforts that I haven't felt before..  Muscles are tighter than normal..  all in all i feel like BLAH..  which is short for i feel like SHHHHHIIIIIIITTTTTTT...

Inflammation flare in the achilles kept me from running more last week.. but i did have a decent week, just not the week i wanted.  Hopefully today will be the week i've been looking for.. some good solid training..  I'd love to get a yoga class in this week.

woke up this morning.. decided to go and ride the bike for a little bit.. felt great to turn my legs.  hopefully today ill get a good run in.

So it was the beginning of great run.  Weather was awesome.. I felt really strong and relaxed.. breathing was good but labored but managable..   so around the 2 mile mark shit went down hill. my calf starting getting very tight.. and hurt like fuck.  so i stopped and stretched it out.. took a break. then picked up running again..  calf started tightening again..  i slowed my pace, seem like it hurt worse when i did that.. but i kept going..  then i really started to hurt..  so i walked til pain subsided, started running again.. then i finally had to stop running because it hurt like hell.. went home stretched it out. heat and ice.. and massage..


FFFFUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

OH Yeahhh

todays run felt good.. physically i felt great.. breathing and HR were through the roof.. run was way harder today than yesterday..  humidity was a 1000%..  i thought i had a little relief because it started drizzling..  but i was teased by it though.. it stopped and it felt like humidity increase..  WTF ..


Swim was horrible. i spent so much on run that i didn't have enough for swim.. but i cranked out something i tried.

Honestly it feels good to be bad on a plan and training with a purpose.

Im hungry for some finish lines..

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

DAY 1..

so run today was better than expected..  It was very humid out today.. i took three short breaks during run.. i felt a little over heat during the run.  but i cranked it out like i intended to do..

Spin bike proved to be very interesting.. it started getting difficult.. really fast.. but i grunted it out.. i started doing 10 mins with a 1 min break.. i grunted the last 30 mins.. because i was looking at tru tv.. the pain that some of the people were going through made my aches look like childs play.

did some minor stretching and some ab work afterwards...

Day 1 felt great...

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Omg.. Tomorrow is gonna suck.

So I registered for the rock n roll half marathon with intention of putting down my fastest time every.. Instead it wi be my slowest time.  Some im plotting a strategy to get this thing completed.  Its gonna hurt no matter what I do..  All in all I just want to finish at this point.. Not pressed about time..  Ill have to kick ass on next one..

Picked up some new shoes.. Felt go to run in them.. So I ran about 3 miles.. Sucked  little warm out today.

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Ok, Yesterday and Today

Yesterday, I ran, it was horrible... for one big reason.. i didn't eat much for the day..  After waking from a 14 hr coma like sleep..  First of all, I never sleep that long.. So I guess physically i crashed yesterday.  All the nightshifts and  a weird hours and minimal sleep.. hit me..  I had to get run done.. oh man.. i tried to start a little slower than usual.. it seems to take more energy to slow down..  crazy.. i did the 10 min runs and 1 min walks..  then it became 5 min run and 1-1:40 min walks.. then just walks.. towards the end.. quads were kinda sore..  Im bracing for the pain of the 4th.. Its going to be a brutal run.. 13.1 miles of carnage.

Todays workout will be the same.. I have to find some way to make this manageable..  GRRRRRRR...
i may add a bike after run to help keep the legs loose.. also today is the 1st day of IM training..  whooo hoooo

I registered for 3 races today.. to keep me running and to build my run base.. Freedom half marathon, cape henry duathlon, and Surfin Santa 10 miler... i plan to throw the turket trot in there as well.. whooop whhoooop...

GETTING PUMPED!!!