Sunday - Tuesday

Sunday - had basketbally from 7 pm to 9 pm.  I'm still breaking in new shoes and for the first half hour I felt particulary uncomfortable. Not just the shoes. My knee hurt, sore whenever I tried to pivot or cut. Even when I was in super slo-mo.  Gradually the pain went away and I played poorly, but wasn't because of any specific pain. Haven't got in a groove yet. Shot poorly, too.  We lost both games.

Monday - light spin class with Heather.  Sort of like a day off. 

Tuesday - Masters class today. 

Warmup:  200 yards;

First set:  4 x 50  twice;  fast, medium, easy, fast;  (I skipped #4) did them on 1:00 interval; 

Second set:  8 x 150  = 1200 yards; 

3rd set:  200 pull;  bilateal breathing

total yards:  2,000 yards; 

I felt sluggish today.  Craig said that I'm bunched up.  Said I was trying to go faster by speeding up my arm rotation, but that I need to have my body rotation drive the increase in turnover.  I think he means that the hip rotation should push the arm rotation, instead of the arm rotation pulling the hip rotation. 

Neck is sore;  back is stiff; groin/hernia issue not worse, not better. I will continue to watch it.

There was a good crowd for Masters. Lots of fast swimmers, which makes it more difficult for me as the "slow" lane where I swim has to be shared by fast swimmers. Erica and I are the only legit slow swimmners; today we shared with dave and Katie - but they did longer distances and still finished the big set ahead of me.  Not discouraged, but not encouraged either.  Trying not to make age an excuse.

Wednesday - Saturday

Wednesday:  tempo run in the afternoon;  slow tempo I guess. 4.3 miles in 43 minutes;

Thursday:  Super spin class with Arawa - Thanksgiving special.  90 minutes;

Friday:  spin class with Heather.  50 minutes;

Saturday:  long run:  7 miles in 64 minutes;  9:16 pace overall; about 9 minute pace for last 3 miles; 
                 joined the end of spin class:  35 minutes;

I have a dull ache on the right side of my groin.  Based on my web md research, I'm afraid it might be a sports hernia.  No bulge - just the dull pain that persists;  it doesn't really bother me, but it sounds like it might get worse. 

Probaby need to have Dr. Ali check it out. 

Masters Swim

Monday - easy spin with Heather; a little sore after basketball.

Tuesday - Masters Swim:

Warmup:  200 yards

Prelim set:  4 25s ascending; 1 50 stretching out - 3 times  =  450 yards   all with paddles;  450

Main set  (all with pull buoy)  300;  2 x 150;  3 x 100; 4 x 75;  6 x50; 10 x25  =  1750

Total yards:  2400 yards

Brick Saturday

Drove to the Y and was out on the course by 7:30 am.  It's been super cold here for November, but today it was in the mid 40s.  I didn't need my gloves. I felt pretty good after two days off, no lingering effect from the anesthetic. 

I decided to do a slightly longer run and so I ran all the way south along the Lake to Calvary Cemetery which is on the Chicago - Evanston border.  Went north to Northwestern and then swung back along Chicago Avenue to the Y.  It was about 7 miles and I ran it in 1 hour 4 minutes, which is slightly over a 9 minute pace.

After run, I join super spin in progess and did a light spin workout for 40 minutes. 

Friday: Colonoscopy!

I had my fifty year old colonoscopy in March 2005 when I was 54.  Had the five year follow up exam on Friday.  It was an easy procedure the first time and it's even easier now as they put me to sleep and when I woke up 30 minutes later it was all over. The tough part is the 24 hour fast and all the sodium phosphate that you have to drink to prepare for the exam.  Glad it is over. No problems and won't have to do it again until I'm 70.  Probably won't be racing then. 

Didn't workout Thursday or Friday.

Wednesday: Strength Workout

Spin class with Heather for 50 minutes before workout;

Nibra workout: 

1.  Straight leg lifts;
2. Pushup position with feet on disks in small gym;  bring knees to chest 15x;  push backwards the width of the small bb court; lunge back;  repeat three times;  -

3. shoulder press; high step up (almost waist level) 8 times each leg;  leg curls;  repeat three times;

4. lat pull down; leg curls;

Master Swim Class

Tuesday Masters Swim Class: 

Warmup:  200 yards
Main Set:

                5 x 50  -   hard, medium, easy, medium, hard  - I did my first "hard" in 37 seconds which is about five seconds faster than my previous best;  took a lot out of me and the other Hard I did in 48 seconds.   250

                200 easy

                400, 300, 200, 100

                200 easy

                 300 200 100

total yards:  2400

Tough workout;   

Sunday - Monday

Sunday:  Played basketball for two hours.  No subs.  Used my new basketball shoes and felt good the first game and hurt for the second game. Legs and feet were tired for second half.  Won the first game lost the second. 

Monday:  Easy spin class

Saturday Brick

Got up 6:30 and was out on the run by 7:30.  Ran 5.5 miles along the lakeshore at an average pace of 9:03.  After 10 minute warmup at an average pace of 10:00, I ran about 3 miles at a pace of 8:31;  then I felt some tightening in the right glut and slowed my pace.  Final two miles at a pace of 9:30. 

It was a clear sunny, day with a temperature of 40 degrees.  Had gloves but I took them off after the warmup. 

After the run did 40 minutes of light spinning with Heather. 

Every time  I do one of these runs I try to imagine continuing on for another 21 miles. I'm not cardio tired after the run, but my legs don't feel like they are ready to do a marathon.  And they aren't. I have long way to go.  There are 224 days until CDA.

Wednesday to Friday

Wednesday - visiting at Tom & Karen's in Michigan.  Drove over to Grand Rapids to tour Gerald Ford Museusm. No workout.

Thursday - ran 45 minutes - about 4.5 minutes in Michigan. Cold but good running temp.

Friday - easy spin class with Heather;  then had Nibra workout - tough workout;

First set:  10 lb ball - lift it and throw towards ceiling, catch on bounce and repeat for length of court; return by lifting ball high over head and slamming it to the court for the lenght of court;  then pushup position, walk legs toward hands then move hands out to return to push up position;   - repeated this sequence 3 times;

Second set:  push up position - jump forward so feet approach hands; half the court; repeat 3 times;

Third set:  medicine ball twist sideways and toss ball against wall 20 times both sides; then 50 times with ball lifted high over head bounce against wall; 50x  - did two sets of this routine;

Muscles, especially left inner hamstring are sore.  Got a parking ticket too. 

Masters Swim

Tough workout this morning.  We started with the one arm swim drill again. I'm learning to hate that one. 25 yards with the right arm - breathing on the left, 25 yards with the right arm, 25 yards single switch (totally can't get the rhythm for that drill) and then 25 yards swim.  We repeated four times. Well we were supposed to, but I'm not sure I did a complete 4 sets.  When I use my left arm and breathe on my right, I mostly just breathe water and I'm gasping by the end of 25 yards.  So that's the first set.

then we did  2 25s fast trying to do a rapid turnover (lots of strokes), and then a 50 fast, but with more glide, less strokes.  We did that four times, too.  At 2:00 minute intervals. 

Then the killer:  10 100s descending 1 to 4; 5 to 8; and 9 to 10;   I don't really have four different speeds. I have slow, and not so slow.  I was gasping by the end of the first 4 100s.  Craig took mercy on us slower folks and for the second set we did #5 slow, #6 fast and then #7 slow and #8 fast.  And then we did 200 yards of pulling - which is like dessert. So much easier with that pull buoy.. 

In the slow group today: Len, Erica, Scott N. (but he's not slow).  Erica is slightly faster than me. She finished her last 100 in  1:45; mine was 1:48; 

Total yards:  Warmup:   200
                    Drill:          400
                  25-50:         400
                    100s          800
                 Pull               150

Total:                     1,950  but hard yards because we were sprinting; 

FTP Test - the official start of training

This morning Craig conducted an FTP (Functional Threshold Power) test at the new computrainer place that he and Tony Breitbach have set up.  It's much nicer - more room and on the ground floor - than where we trained last year. 

The FTP test that Craig runs is a 5 minute all-out on the trainer (with a 1 degree incline), followed by ten minutes of easy spin and then a 20 minute all-out.  The 5 minute piece helps us to figure out how much effort we can sustain on the 20 minute leg. The objective is to achieve maximum wattage but without large fluctuations in the power. Especially important (I think) not to fade and finish with much lower power than what you started with.

On the five minute portion I averaged about 265.  My recollection was that when I was tested last December I had a 20 minute score of about 230. (I'll find out soon enough from Craig.)  I was hoping I would be a little higher this year - after a year of training, but of course I've been in sort of non-training mode for awhile.

For the twenty minute test I averaged 232.  I was at 235 for the first ten minutes, but the cum average dropped to 230 after 15 minutes. However I finished strong enough to bring the average back up to 232.  So perhaps a slight improvement over last year.  I was pretty well spent at the end of the 20 minutes so I don't think I could have done much better. I haven't been on the bike pushing hard since Vermont Nationals in August.  Just spinning class.

Hopefully after a couple of months of training the number will be higher.

I took the test with Linc, Mark Kolar, Amy, Scott N., and George. Before the workout starts Craig collects birthdate and weight info for everyone. (more weight makes more power - so when a guy like Scott who only 140 or so puts out 300 watts, that is a whole lot more impressive (powerful) than if I were to do it with my 188 pounds.  His watts to weight ratio was over 2. Mine was 1.23  

Sometimes I confess that I take some comfort in observing that most everyone is twenty years younger. But I know that's an excuse so I try to fight the impulse. 

Oh and to make this test even more fun, I had to get up at 4:30 am so I could be at the center at 5 am.  That's too early.  But at least once I start training there I can keep my bike there and won't have to load that each time. Once I do that I'll be able to sleep until 4:45. 

Friday to Sunday

Friday:  this is my light day. I get to sleep until 6:30 and then I just have the spin class with Heather.  She had a tougher routine today so it was a good 50 minute workout.  Time goes by fast - she always has some wacky problem or issue to discuss. Last week it was if you had to get an STD which one you would pick.

Saturday:  didn't get up until almost 7:30. I couldn't decide what workout gear to wear for my run / spin workout.  It was about 40 degrees out - but sunny so I just wore basketball shorts and underarmour and my Wisconsin Marathon tee shirt. Ran for 40 minutes then did 60 minutes of spin class. 

Sunday:  I am supposed to play basketball today, but Craig has scheduled a fitness test for 5:15 am and it's hard enough to get up at 7 am after 9 pm basketball so I'm going to pass on basketball.

The fitness test will, I guess really mark the beginning of training for the Ironman. It will provide the baseline from which I will have, by race day, hopefully improved dramatically.  It's a tough test. 

Wednesday & Thursday

Wednesday - spin class with Flo.  She provides a rigourous workout. No real downtime. Today we were asked to focus on our hamstrings and quadriceps.  That was to keep our minds from drifting off. I sort of want my mind to drift off - and the last thing I want to visualize are my hamstrings. But I tried to.    50 mins.

After Spin I had my workout session with Nibra.  Started with jumping jack - pushup countdown 10-10-9-9...etc down to 1-1.  Jumping jacks aren't hard, but they are a lot more difficult than when I was a kid. My shoulders were still sore from basketball. 

Next set:  stand on platform slam medicine ball to the ground (triceps); then step on platform dumbbell press for right leg;  curls for left leg step up;  then stand on half ball and row with rubber band strap;  repeat set three times with weights increasing from 8 to 10 to 15; 

Last set:  15 straight leg lifts (abs); weights - arm press;  hamstring exercise - bend over holding on to dumbbells;  repeat set 3 x; 

Thursday:  Master Swim with Joe;

warmup:    200 yards
main set:  3 x 150
                200 pull
               3 x150
               200 pull
               3 x 150 

total yards:  1950

We were supposed to go increase speed on each set of 150s;  I kept pretty much at the same pace of just under 2:00; 

Sunday to Tuesday

Sunday - basketball from 7 pm to 9 pm.  This was my first game since April. I am definitely playing old man basketball now. I am very careful and cautious, trying to avoid any injuries. Which means very little jumping and no quick moves to the basket. More like slow mo moves.  I am still reasonably effective on defense because of conditioning, but I can't stay with the quick players. I can still hold my own against the bigger slower guys.  Got a few baskets just because of knowledge - knowing where to cut to or where to wait for a pass. Short shots. Made a couple of intermediate range jumpers, but mostly I looked to pass - to the guys who had better shots. 

It is a different type of workout. My arms are sore. Legs a little sore. But not too sore. Probably burned about 1,000 calories.

Monday - spin class with Heather. Light spin for 50 minutes. An easy workout after basketball. Better for the body than taking the day off. 

Tuesday - Masters swim - Craig was there. Good workout: 

Warmup:  200 yards

Drill:  4 x75:  single arm swim Left, right, swim  =  300
           5 x 50 = 250 


Main set:  2 x 200 with paddles; 100 swim
                2 x200 with paddles; 100 swim
                1 x 200 with paddles; 100 swim    1,300 yards

total yards:  2050

From the single arm drill - I learned to think about breathing earlier; glide, breathe, return to glide, catch;