I am back.

I am back but not in my capacity of either a linguist or a triathlete.  I am back to say that those are goals to be accomplished in the very near future but I am not there yet.

I am also back to keep track of more than just my physical training. I am back to start keeping track of my other training, my mental training and studying.  There are a few fields that I think would valuable for me to start reviewing, for linguistics and whatever other path I go down (well, not Sumerian, that is probably only valuable to linguistics).

So, here goes. Yesterday I read the first chapter of a book Calculus Made Easy and Structural Geology, each which I hope to read a little bit of each week.  Today I will also spend some time setting up a timeline for Sumerian, French, German and Morphology.  I hope to accomplish more now than I have ever before because I seem much more capable of sitting down and getting myself to work for many hours straight and I cannot afford to lose that ability if I mean to keep going with my studies.

Poor rest time.

Ok. I took a few days off. One day was too cool for the bike, one day I was recovering and two days I was just too busy to take a 3 hour bike ride. I wanted to take today off also but I forced myself to go for a run.

Run:
30 minutes of unpleasantness
I was slow, my left knee, both ankles and both feet hurt. I don't know if it is running outside, running in the sun for the first time, heat, humidity, or the pollen, but it was just a bad run.  I am going to try to make time to finally do this long bike ride tomorrow but I have my first QP defense the next day...

So, overall, I have 4 1/2 weeks to be ready. I am not feeling great about it right now.

Recovery

At about 4pm today I realized that my feet had stopped aching and felt fine.  It took about 2 days to fully recover.  I feel fine now.  Tomorrow is a very long (2.5 hour) bike outside for the first time. I am not sure what to think.  It is going to be followed up by a short 20 minute run directly afterwards.  So, about 3 hours or training for tomorrow.  Next week is an 'off' week so a combined total of only 5 hours of training.

Run

10 miles. Slow.  Done.

Run

Tomorrow is a two hour run. I am bringing along three GU packets, 1 Chomps package and a bottle of gatorade.  I think that I need to start at about 6:30 am in order to have time for it tomorrow. Yikes.

Half a day done!

I only managed half of my workout today (or maybe two-thirds?).

I biked for 45 minutes relatively hard and immediately (3 minutes) got onto the treadmill and ran for 30 minutes at a pace a little faster than my usual (that's only about a 9:50 mile right now) but felt pretty good about it.

However, I did not manage to finish my swim. Or start it.  I didn't have the energy and I needed to get work done.

Break day

I took today off. My body was too sore from yesterday and I didn't want to push it.  Here is what I did do though.

I ate:
tall starbucks skinny mocha
bagel and cream cheese
small chicken and rice
some pretzels
pasta and marinara sauce
chocolate milk

Pretty low on the veggies and fiber today but I have a long workout tomorrow and a second medium workout so I am trying to eat high on the carbs but low fiber.  I hope to start keeping better track of this because I have not been losing the weight that I have wanted to.

Completion!

I managed to finish today's workout.  The original goal was to run for 25 minutes, bike for 2 hours and run another 25 minutes. I ended up choosing the shorter version of the suggested workout and only biking for an hour and a half.  So, I ran for 50 minutes and biked for an hour and a half.

1 Gu
1 Chomps
2 servings Gatorade
Water
1/2 Chocolate power bar

and
I lost about 5 lbs of sweat during the workout despite drinking and eating. I felt fine throughout it though right now, about 4 hours later my legs are a little tired and my feet are pretty sore.  I will ice more later, drink water and see how I feel tomorrow.

So, tomorrow's workout is a long swim and there is a very difficult Tuesday and Thursday this week.

I'm late.

Today is a 3 hour workout. I am late, however.  I was supposed to have started already but I woke up late, and still have preparations to do.  My movie is not downloaded, I needed food and some time for it to settle and I still need to get some water.

Here it is:

Run: 25 minutes
Bike: 120 minutes
Run: 25 minutes

Tuesday!

On tuesday I swam for 30 minutes and biked for 45 minutes.

soreness

Today was the first day of real soreness since I began training.  My calves and feet are sore to the point that my walking is slowed and I can feel it while standing up and putting my weight on them.

I ran for 90 minutes yesterday and then biked for 30.  I ran for 45 minutes the day before.  I was tired and a little worn out afterwards but I still felt pretty good.  However, I worry that I didn't take care of myself sufficiently yesterday and I am paying for it today. I did not eat soon enough after finishing, nor did I drink enough water throughout the rest of the day.   Lastly, I didn't ice.  Maybe it was two days of running in a row or maybe it was not being careful enough about my post-workout routine but either way, I can feel it.

[[During the run I ate a chocolate bar, some gummy bears, and drank gatorade]]

I am supposed to swim today but swinging my arms for an hour and half yesterday has left my back sore.  I am going to take today off, maybe swim a little Saturday and get a long workout in on Sunday.  Sunday is supposed to be a short run, long bike, short run.  I should be fine for that.

Done!

3 hours of exercise completed. The swim was a little difficult and interspersed with some short 10 second breaks.  The bike went well and I ran 2.75 on the treadmill.

I ate a bagel, tall mocha, one Gu packet, one powerbar, one Gu Chomps bag, and four servings of gatorade and one bottle of water.

I finished strong and with energy left.  I did feel a little worn out for the rest of the day but no soreness.

I am back.

Ok. I had about a week or so more off and now I am back. I am afraid of what I lost after sleeping for days and not exercising but I will find out tomorrow.  Tomorrows workout is:

Swim 30 minutes
Bike 120 minutes
Run 30 minutes.

So, 3 hours of exercise to test myself.  We'll see how it goes. I treated tonight like a pre-race night, and will treat tomorrow like a normal, if not slightly more relaxed, race day.

Dear Readers....

I have been sick. My recovery has been slow and I am regularly tired. I have little desire to exercise and I am concerned about what a week or so off has done. My race goals might have to be changed from a certain time to just finishing.  Ugh.  Little obstacles.

Swim cancellation!

I am canceling my swim.  I am saying that it is so I can watch some videos on Total Immersion Swimming but really it is because I am in no mood to drive to the gym, get wet, exercise, and then drive back just for a short swim.

Lazy.

The videos are interesting thus far, so it should be useful.

Fewer posts

There have been fewer posts these last few days but I have made up for it with biking. I spent 2 1/2 hours on the bike today and 90 minutes yesterday followed by an easy 30 minute run.  Both days felt pretty good.  My legs feel fine right now after 3 weeks of hard training (minus a 3 days of workouts?).

This upcoming week is an off week. I might try to start adding some more strength training to my routine, and start working harder on my nutrition. I am watching Food Inc. on the bike so I may want to stop eating meat all together after that.   Either way, I need to eat more carefully and spend less money.  

This week ends with a another swim time trial of 1000 meters and a 10k race on Sunday if I can find one.

Goals:
Eat more healthy foods.
Get in 3 days of strength or core training this week.

Weight last night:
203 lbs!

day off

The schedule called for a swim and a run today. I slept in, carted the speaker around, attended meals and meetings and decided to take today off. I have two long days of biking tomorrow and the day after so having some extra time to heal is probably worth it. I feel guilty about it but I could not add in exercise time today without sacrificing some time dedicated to my QPs.

I did bike for an hour yesterday.

Sleepy

I am tired enough that I am losing my fine motor control. When I am really tired my eyes begin to get blur and I stare off into the distance. Keeping one eye closed helps a little because than I don't need to coordinate two sets of muscles at once.

Monday Training

Biked for 90 minutes today.  That is a spin class and a half hour extra.  I am a little worn out.  I am not at Starbucks, perhaps until close, to work on my syntax presentation tomorrow.  I am not so happy with my choice of papers.

Shawn

Part 1 completed

I swam two 600 meter lengths today at 11:20minutes each.  They were not my fastest as far as I can tell but I was experimenting with my form and trying to lengthen my body so I am ok with the results.

Riding Week

This is the beginning of a week of mostly cycling with just a small amount of swimming and running.  Tomorrow is an early swim and a 75 minute bike ride at the end of the day.  A spin class with Jac probably.  

Anxiety

I did not exercise today. It was not a great day. I am trying to use it as a rest day and not worry too much about it.

Monday

Tired. 

I swam today. 400 meter warm up and 10 x 100 meter mixed easy and fast. I was interrupted by a number of people in the middle of it so I took a longer break than I should have when I found a less annoying lane and fewer annoying people.  I didn't have my watch so I am not sure of the times. 

Biking was about 65-70 minutes on the spin bike. Again, I didn't have a watch. I mixed my speeds and gears and really wore myself out. I needed to leave early to avoid a class that was going to use the room. Circumstances prevented me from getting there in time to do the full 75 minutes.  Either way it was about 100 or so minutes of exercise.  Tomorrow is a long tempo run, at the gym, on the treadmill while I watch the rest of Vision Quest.  Good choice, Wells. 

Sunday night

Between trying to work on my second qualifying paper and working out I have time for nothing else. Today I was at Starbucks by 6am, worked until 11am, swam for an hour, and went back until 8pm. I kept reading at home (which I am still doing) and will go to bed within about 10 minutes. I hope to keep up the same pace for tomorrow.

Speaking of tomorrow, I have two workouts.  The first is a swim speed workout in the morning:

400m warm up
8 x100m (Easy, build, easy, hard)
200m cool down

The second, in the afternoon, is a bike:

75 minutes of a pretty easy base with regular accelerations.

That should be about 105 minutes of workout tomorrow.  I didn't go food shopping today so I am not sure what my diet will be like tomorrow. I also need to start considering a trip to the bike store.

Saturday Morning

I ran, biked and swam.  I ended the swim about 5 or 10 minutes early because the pool was overwhelmingly hot.  I was worried about overheating and doing damage.  The rest went as smoothly as I could have helped considering I didn't have a watch, didn't wake up on time, and started with no nutrition.

It's done though.  Tomorrow is a new day.

Friday night

Tomorrow morning is a big day. I had a bad week and I hope to make up for it tomorrow. The workout is supposed to be a half hour run, an hour on the bike, and a hard half hour swim.

Monsters

My anxiety hit me these last few days with a ferocity that I haven't experienced in years.  I am personifying it.  However, I am trying to keep things going after a few days of disruption. My swimming today ended after 4 minutes and two different goggle mishaps. I am using the next two days to plan my schedule, get new goggles, improve my nutrition and mentally prepare.

Here goes.  

schedule changes

I need to make some changes to my schedule this week because I cannot seem to manage the schedule as it is.  I didn't exercise yesterday for a plethora of reasons and I plan on skipping my first workout today for the same reasons.  What was supposed to be a challenging bike ride yesterday will become an easy bike ride this afternoon.

I don't like these changes but for whatever reason I cannot seem to manage anything else these last few days.

Cancellation

I think that I am skipping my workouts today.  I am not sure that I can handle it. I am not sure why but I am just not into it. Maybe I worked too hard during my easy week or perhaps it is because of my school work but I just don't feel ready for it.  A day off may be good so that I can build up some anxiousness to workout tomorrow.
  The plan will be to do Tuesday's workout on Wednesday, skip Wednesday's and complete the planned Thursday workout on Thursday.  I will also need to skip lifting, but that is fine.

best laid plans...

I am not sure if I can do this today.  I just don't feel up to it. I can't tell if I am physically tired, mentally, anxious or what but I am concerned about getting through it all.

Tuesday.

Tomorrow is a new day. I am pretty disappointed with my performance today both athletically and scholarly.  Here is the schedule:

5:30am Study
7:00am Swim speed workout
7:45am Study
9:15am Spin class
10:15am Study
2:25pm Class & presentation
5:00pm Meditation class

And, as of tonight I weigh 201 lbs.

Swim

I swam for twenty minutes today. I was bored and sluggish and just swimming poorly. I quite early. I am telling myself a day without a full workout is fine and that 20 minutes is still a good distance but...

Running

I ran for 60 minutes the afternoon.  5.2 miles at about a 12 minute pace. I breathed through my nose for the first 30 minutes.  My left hip's abductor (?)  hurt at the end of the run when I started walking.  It didn't hurt for long so maybe it won't come back.  Rest for now and my swim week starts tomorrow.

Here is the line up for the upcoming week. Mostly swimming. Each of the next few weeks will be dedicated to some more intense workouts within a single discipline. This week is swimming.  Here is the schedule:

Swim Time Trail. Fail.

I wrote my goal times down on my arm in marker.  1:50, 3:40, 5:30, 7:20, 9:10, 11:00, 12:45, 14:30, 16:15, 18:00. I kept the pace until about 11:00 when I got water in my goggles and a disrupted by something.  I ended up finishing with heavy breathing and a stomach ache at 18:23.  Not bad but not what I wanted.

Swim times.

It is not exactly clear because I didn't label things but I assure you that my times are getting better.  In the last few weeks - 3 maybe?- I have taken off about 30 seconds from my quarter mile time.  That is before working on my form and real speed. I am pretty happy with that.  

200	4:15 minutes
	3:45 minutes	3:45 minutes	3:45 minutes	3:45 minutes
300	6:20 minutes
	5:45 minutes	5:45 minutes	5:45 minutes	5:45 minutes
400	6:20 minutes
500	9:50 minutes	9:45 minutes	9:40 minutes	9:30 minutes
	9:43 minutes	9:24 minutes	9:14 minutes

Tomorrow morning is my time trial.  1000 meters.  My goal is to swim it in under 18:00.  

No lifting today. I worked instead.  I will do it tomorrow instead.  

Friday Morning

I slept in this morning. I slept in because I was tired and needed the sleep.  I also slept in because I forgot to set my alarm.

Today is a 60 minute very easy bike or spin.  I will spin and watch half of a movie.  The problem with the spin bikes is that you can really only measure time and your perceived exertion. There is no way to get distance, or elevation or anything like that.  However, this is fine today because I am really taking it easy.

Also, if I have energy and time I may do a second weight workout. I will need to wait until late afternoon to have enough time to recover from the bike. I am also a little wary because tomorrow is a 1000meter swim time trail, so I would like to feel sufficiently rested for it.  I am not sure what to do yet. Here it is:

one leg squat, 

db handle push up, 

cable lateral cross, in

db shoulder press

lying hip flex, up

Hammer curl,

single calf raise, 

shoulder retraction, 

lateral raise, 

The run

I ran for 30 minutes at a very slow pace. I was barely running and I am sure fast walkers could have stayed on the treadmill.  My knee hurt for the first ten minutes and then the pain went away.  My legs were tired but I was not exactly sluggish.  The interesting thing, for me, was that I breathed through my nose the entire time. I wasn't sure if I would faint or what but I was careful and managed it. I am not sure if there was a point to this little challenge though...

Rest now and then back for a short swim workout in an hour or so. 

Thursday morning.

Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness: DOMS

I have it. My shoulders and legs are sore. Not debilitatingly sore but enough that today will be less easy than it should be.

Weight

200.0 lbs.

Heavy.

Going to bed. I hope the bed doesn't break.

Wednesday Evening

This evening was a short swim workout. I warmed up and swam five two hundred meter intervals. Each was at about 3:40.

Swim: 5 x 200 @ 3:40minutes

I swam beside someone much better than me. It was the first time...ever? He was almost twice as fast as I was. It was humbling and reminded me that I really need to keep training.

In other news, my right knee hurts. Just a little, only for a split second at a time. Sharp, seemingly random pain. I have experienced it before, so it will probably be gone tomorrow.

Tomorrow is another swim. It is supposed to be recovery. I am not entirely sure what that means. However, it is 4 x 300m.

Tomorrow is also a run day. 30 minutes at about a RPE 2-3.

Wednesday morning.

Forgot my bathing suit and decided that my underwear would not be sufficient. Instead I biked (or boke, according to Marlin) and lifted. Results:

Bike - 30 minutes easy on the spin bike

Lifted - 30 minutes:
walking lunge, 2 x 20 x 25lbs
row 2 x 10 x 45lbs
cable hip extension, forward 2 x 10 x 4lbs
dips 2 x10
standing calf raise, 2 x 10 x 95, 75lbs
shoulder protraction, 2 x 10 x 50lbs
cable hip flex, backward 2 x 10 x4lbs
upright row, 2 x 10 ??

Wednesday morning.

I am tired. I look like someone punched me in the face because of the dark circles under my eyes. Getting out of bed may be my greatest accomplishment today.

Extra information

For comparison purposes, as of right now I weigh 199 lbs, still get winded going up one flight of stairs and eat about 3,500 calories a day. The goal is to get down to about 175lbs, get up that flight of stairs and do enough exercise to warrant all of those calories. Good luck to me.

If it goes as planned than I will be about 175 lbs by August.

Tomorrow

Wednesday's workouts:

Morning:
Swimming 5 x 200


Afternoon:
Biking
30 minutes, easy spinning RPE 3


Evening:
walking lunge,
row
cable hip extension, forward
dips
standing calf raise,
shoulder protraction,
cable hip flex, backward
upright row,

Hey everyone!

Like all blogs it is important that I let you know that you should buy me stuff and exactly what you should buy. I have updated my blog to include a link to my soon to be completed amazon race wish list.

Tentative race schedule for 2011

This is the race schedule as it stands, ideally, right now. The blue boxes are the races that I am training for specifically and that I have signed up for already, the green are races that I would like to do, including the Oct. 2nd 1/2 Ironman which would be the third race I train for as a goal. This is subject to change based on schedule, money, training schedule, and new races, including duathlons and running races in the fall.

I would like to run the Bird-in-Hand half marathon again and might try to add some longer runs in there, either a full marathon or some long distance trail races.

Tuesday. Ugh 2.

That was even less productive than I predicted. Without the itouch it was just another cyclist and me trying not to look at each other. My legs were a little weak feeling, maybe because I got a late start or just because of the three weeks of training thus far.

I need to get more clothes so that the ones that I am wearing are not sweaty from last time. I also need new shoelaces because my current ones broke. I need to start making a list.

First breakfast included:
tall non-fat, no-whip mocha
plain toasted bagel with cream cheese

Second breakfast:
Chocolate fat free Stonyfield yogurt
Strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and flaxseed
Organic peach white Honest Tea

I have another short workout in a few hours so now I will sit, study and rest.

Tuesday. Ugh.

I woke up late. I have more work to do for a presentation but I am having trouble focusing. My itouch is at home so biking today is going to be without any distraction which, while indoors, can make it very difficult to keep going. I may just leave now for the gym and get it over with. Maybe it will help me focus for my presentation.

My goal today is a half hour bike at an effort level of about 3 out of 10, followed a few hours later by a run for the same amount of time and exertion.

Monday Training

Nothing! Today was a day off after 3 weeks of increasingly intense training. Saturday was two hours of biking and a half hour run. Sunday was a another half hour run and an hour on the bike. So on Monday, today, I rested. This is a rest week, so I won't have more than an hour on any given day, usually divided into two half hour workouts.

This week looks like this:

triathletelinguist: first post

I have made a preliminary schedule for my races and training for the summer and fall of 2011. I am signed up for two big races, each a 1/2 Ironman, the Mooseman and the Timberman in New Hampshire on July 5th and Aug. 22nd respectively. I plan on signing up for a third 1/2 Ironman on Oct. 2nd, in Eastern Long Island, the Mightyman.

This blog is to keep track of my training, races and results along with trying to schedule everything and make sure that I am prepared, from my transitions and nutrition to making sure that I have all of the items that I need, from GU to the right bike, shoes, and helmet. I will keep track of my training and training schedule, my tentative race schedule, the races, their location, and my results. I hope that by keeping them in one place I can compare them and see what works for training and racing and what does not. Some of my workouts are the same over the course of a few weeks or months so I can measure and track my improvement. What foods I eat before the big days is important too, so I will keep track of that here and figure out what I can and cannot eat before 2 or more hours of exercise.

Right now, I am in approximately my 10th week or so of training. I can bike for at least 2 hours, run for an hour and a half and swim at least 45 minutes or about a mile and half. I might be able to do more, but this is all that my training has called for thus far so I am trying not to over do it.