The great day of on-road biking finally arrives! I had a hard time getting up, considering I was arrogant enough to party up till 3 am the night before, but it was good times. :)
I had blown out a tire tube nozzle trying to get it to work with the pump last night, and had to replace it with a new one. Luckily I had all the tools I needed for that, but I still had one slight problem, the tire had no air, and I know I cant blow 100 psi with my mouth!
After layering up on shorts, track pants and couple of pullovers, I loaded the truck with the bike and the rest of the equipment and set off to Hines Park, which happens to be like 40 some miles away. I started out a little late, since I was being lazy getting all my stuff together and drinking tea, but the tea was worth it. I called Bora aka "Mean Machine" to ask him if he had a pump handy, since I was not going anywhere with my bike without the tires having any air in it. MM was supportive as always, and told me he would help me resolve that issue before we started. I reached there just in time when people were grouping up to leave. Our A2 buddies helped get my bike in order and off we went with our bike run. I was having a little bit of brake issues, and seemed to be pedaling way to hard for the speed I was attaining. After looking into it a lil bit, I figured out that the brake was not aligned properly and needed some tools to fix that, which to be honest I was not in any mood for. The coach and I decided just to unhook the rear brake and use the front break to slow down, just to make things more interesting! ;)
The whole clip-on thingy on the bike did not seem to be going to well for Bora and myself from the start, with Bora taking the lead in falling off, and myself close at his heels for seconds. We slowed down to help a couple of team mates who were having mechanical issues, only to find the curb breaking my fall! :(
After that we decided that our body had just about enough of the beating it could take on falling off the bike, so we focused more on trying to stay on the road, a plan I would rather have stuck with from the start. ;)
We came back in style, not only catching up with the rest of the team, but actually passing them to get a lead, and the 6 mile run with Bora was really fast paced. We took a short breather to hydrate ourselves and lost the lead, but the whole getting into the groove of it was very exhilarating, not to mention a huge confidence booster!
I felt quite on top of the world after our bike run, and my butt did not hurt as much as it generally does after bike training. The cold air however had more or less frozen my toes which I was having trouble feeling, so I had to warm up in the car a little bit before I got ready for my run. I ate some sport beans to tank up on sugar and hydrated myself some more, before I started my run with Bora.
The first mile is almost always very painful for me while the body is in the process of transitioning from bike-mode to run-mode. However it seemed today, my body had decided that all this biking was too much and somewhat gave up on me. It was only Bora's continuous support and motivation that made me get through the 3 miles with a couple of 10 secs stops to let my muscles loosen up from cramping. I had cut out on my running for the last week and a half to let me knee repair itself, so on the bright side, my knee was not hurting, partly to the brace I was wearing and partly to the fact it had a chance to repair itself.
Once we got back to the parking lot where the team was socializing, Bora bought a "stick" (not to beat me with, even though I deserved it some for slowing him down), to use it to roll it on my muscles to let the lactic acid out. This helped significantly to relax my muscles which were constantly tensing up on me, every step I took.
I feel that my swimming and biking skills are up to par for the stage I am at, but my running skills need a lot of work for now. I will start running regularly starting this week, and replace some of my swimming sessions with some leg workouts. On the brighter side, I am still very much motivated and ready to rock'n'roll on my next group workout!! :)
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Group Swim Training - Mar 25
I was looking forward to swim training today with the team, and actually felt pretty good, considering I had done a mile yesterday during my own exercise session. Unfortunately Murphys Law have a way of playing themselves into my sessions more often than not! I discovered since the last time I had done my laundry, my swim trunks had a tear in them! What a way to blow fifty bucks! :(
Since those were special tri-shorts, one can only find them at specialty sports shops, so I chose to drive to the nearest one in Sterling Heights. Upon arriving there, Murphy hit me again, since they had all the sizes except the one that I wanted. Reluctantly I drove over to their Royal Oak store, to pick a up a pair that they are had verified was available and then drove to Bloomfield for my training. Suffice to say, I was late and people had already finished their warm ups and were moving on to their main exercises. I did a super fast 200 yd warm up (8 laps), and then we had time trials for doing 1/4 mile stretches with 45 second breaks in between. I was having some trouble breathing properly, for some reason there was water going into my mouth everytime streaming from my head that I came up for air. I could not figure out what was happening, till I finished the warm up and realized that the goggles were somehow off and gathering water which would slide down my face into my mouth everytime I rotated for air. Once I fixed that, things seem to go somewhat smoother. However what I did notice was that the water was really choppy and I had to compensate for shorter breaths than usual.
The second 1/2 mile I timed at 9:30 secs, and the following consecutively at 10:30 & 10:30, which is somewhat slower than last time, but atleast I am consistent. The main reason was that we were taking breaks. Had I kept on going consistently, I would have stayed in rhythm. I also realized I got into a rhythm during the last 1/4 mile, where my breathing was consistent with my rotation and there was no water going into my mouth anymore. I did use my shoulders a lot more because they were sore everytime I finished a set. I still need to work on my form, but I think I am pretty much there with the stamina.
We wrapped up with some drills and a 50 yd cool down that I did lying on my back in the water. I realized I could consistently breathe and keep going, which might be a plan-b if something goes wrong during the race. The 50 yd cool down I did at race speed, but I realized it was not as fast considering I was tired and my strokes felt heavy.
The total yardage covered this week was quite good:
warm up: 1 X 200 yds (8 laps)
sets: 4 X 400 yds (72 laps)
cooldown: 1 x 50 yds (2 laps)
drills: 1 x 200 yds (8 laps)
fast lap: 1x50 yds (2 laps)
Total: 2100 yds (92 laps)
That is significantly more than actual race distance, where I will be doing 1650 yds (0.9 miles or 66 laps), but the idea is to build endurance so that when we exit the water, we have energy in reserve for the rest of the race. The more we practice on our technique, the lower the times will be as well as the amount of energy we spend. I still need to go find a coach to help me out with my technique in the next week or so.
My knee sprain still hurts, but hopefully with the knee brace that I will start using tomorrow while running should help out. Stay tuned to find out what happens! ;)
The idea was to do them at race speed and beat the time I had done last week during the time trials. Since I was so much in a hurry to catch up, I never took the time for the first 1/4 mile stretch that I did.
Since those were special tri-shorts, one can only find them at specialty sports shops, so I chose to drive to the nearest one in Sterling Heights. Upon arriving there, Murphy hit me again, since they had all the sizes except the one that I wanted. Reluctantly I drove over to their Royal Oak store, to pick a up a pair that they are had verified was available and then drove to Bloomfield for my training. Suffice to say, I was late and people had already finished their warm ups and were moving on to their main exercises. I did a super fast 200 yd warm up (8 laps), and then we had time trials for doing 1/4 mile stretches with 45 second breaks in between. I was having some trouble breathing properly, for some reason there was water going into my mouth everytime streaming from my head that I came up for air. I could not figure out what was happening, till I finished the warm up and realized that the goggles were somehow off and gathering water which would slide down my face into my mouth everytime I rotated for air. Once I fixed that, things seem to go somewhat smoother. However what I did notice was that the water was really choppy and I had to compensate for shorter breaths than usual.
The second 1/2 mile I timed at 9:30 secs, and the following consecutively at 10:30 & 10:30, which is somewhat slower than last time, but atleast I am consistent. The main reason was that we were taking breaks. Had I kept on going consistently, I would have stayed in rhythm. I also realized I got into a rhythm during the last 1/4 mile, where my breathing was consistent with my rotation and there was no water going into my mouth anymore. I did use my shoulders a lot more because they were sore everytime I finished a set. I still need to work on my form, but I think I am pretty much there with the stamina.
We wrapped up with some drills and a 50 yd cool down that I did lying on my back in the water. I realized I could consistently breathe and keep going, which might be a plan-b if something goes wrong during the race. The 50 yd cool down I did at race speed, but I realized it was not as fast considering I was tired and my strokes felt heavy.
The total yardage covered this week was quite good:
warm up: 1 X 200 yds (8 laps)
sets: 4 X 400 yds (72 laps)
cooldown: 1 x 50 yds (2 laps)
drills: 1 x 200 yds (8 laps)
fast lap: 1x50 yds (2 laps)
Total: 2100 yds (92 laps)
That is significantly more than actual race distance, where I will be doing 1650 yds (0.9 miles or 66 laps), but the idea is to build endurance so that when we exit the water, we have energy in reserve for the rest of the race. The more we practice on our technique, the lower the times will be as well as the amount of energy we spend. I still need to go find a coach to help me out with my technique in the next week or so.
My knee sprain still hurts, but hopefully with the knee brace that I will start using tomorrow while running should help out. Stay tuned to find out what happens! ;)
The idea was to do them at race speed and beat the time I had done last week during the time trials. Since I was so much in a hurry to catch up, I never took the time for the first 1/4 mile stretch that I did.
Personal Swim Training - Mar 24
So after 4 days of R&R, I was not slacking off, merely resting my left leg. However I have realized the sprain will take longer to heal than just a few days. Today I felt well enough to go for a swim, thanks to my good friend Kerem, who totally motivated me by dragging me out there.
We had to share a lane with a couple of frogger kids, who literally swam like frogs, and fast ones too! Their mom was coaching them for what seemed like an Iron Man, given the Hitler attitude she had barking orders at them. I was somewhat intimidated by her, but I figured I had Kerem around to get my back! ;)
This time I started without a warm up and instead used my training fins to do 44 laps (1/2 mile). These actually went surprisingly well, and I did not feel very tired. The next set of 44 laps (1/2 mile), I did without the fins, and I actually was doing fairly well with my legs. I have slowly started to get my rotation and streamlining my body more naturally, however I need some guidance in getting it more regular.
I will have to look into maybe getting a swim coach to help me one-on-one for a few sessions to get my technique right. I do have the stamina training nailed down fairly well for now, so swimming the mile is no longer a problem, swimming through it fast enough is now the new challenge! (Never imagined the day I would be writing this!!)
If any of you guys/gals have any feedback/suggestions....I am all ears (or eyes)! ;)
We had to share a lane with a couple of frogger kids, who literally swam like frogs, and fast ones too! Their mom was coaching them for what seemed like an Iron Man, given the Hitler attitude she had barking orders at them. I was somewhat intimidated by her, but I figured I had Kerem around to get my back! ;)
This time I started without a warm up and instead used my training fins to do 44 laps (1/2 mile). These actually went surprisingly well, and I did not feel very tired. The next set of 44 laps (1/2 mile), I did without the fins, and I actually was doing fairly well with my legs. I have slowly started to get my rotation and streamlining my body more naturally, however I need some guidance in getting it more regular.
I will have to look into maybe getting a swim coach to help me one-on-one for a few sessions to get my technique right. I do have the stamina training nailed down fairly well for now, so swimming the mile is no longer a problem, swimming through it fast enough is now the new challenge! (Never imagined the day I would be writing this!!)
If any of you guys/gals have any feedback/suggestions....I am all ears (or eyes)! ;)
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Trip to the Doc! :(
After having to limp for most of last week, and the leg not showing any signs of permanent recovery, I decided to heed my colleagues, as well as my friends advice, and headed out to see the doc.
After sitting for 45 mins in the waiting area, looking at the best customer service award on the wall, I was literally falling asleep. Finally someone called a butchered version of my name and I limped inside to the examination room, for another 10 min wait, till the doc came around.
I explained that my left leg has been paining fairly consistently for the last week and a half, and it does not seem to be getting to a full recovery. He had his assistant take a couple of x-rays of my left knee, and as I had anticipated there was no broken bones! (whew!)
The doc advised me to rest a couple of days and prescribed a anti-inflammatory medication to help heal the sprain. I will not be doing any running the next few days, or swimming, but I will make it up with some strength training for my upper body. Keep cheering for me guys, I am still very much in the race!! :)
After sitting for 45 mins in the waiting area, looking at the best customer service award on the wall, I was literally falling asleep. Finally someone called a butchered version of my name and I limped inside to the examination room, for another 10 min wait, till the doc came around.
I explained that my left leg has been paining fairly consistently for the last week and a half, and it does not seem to be getting to a full recovery. He had his assistant take a couple of x-rays of my left knee, and as I had anticipated there was no broken bones! (whew!)
The doc advised me to rest a couple of days and prescribed a anti-inflammatory medication to help heal the sprain. I will not be doing any running the next few days, or swimming, but I will make it up with some strength training for my upper body. Keep cheering for me guys, I am still very much in the race!! :)
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Group Swim Training - Mar 18
Our group swim training is here, and I am hoping all the practice I have been getting the last couple of days pays off today. We started out with a 200 yd warmup which was frankly a breeze. Part of the reason for this was I was wearing my fins, and it was helping me get more streamlined that I normally am without it.
The main course for the day was doing two half mile runs with 30 sec rest in between. I thought it was going to be fun, until the coach told me there were no fins allowed! :(
I guess, so much for my trying to slide through, but he did have a point, that there would be no fins in the actual race. The next interesting part was that we were supposed to beat our times from our run last week. My time then was 45 mins for the entire mile (22.5 mins/ half mile), so I had to beat that.
The first 1/2 mile run was kinda interesting. I had read couple of articles that Coach Ray had sent out earlier in the regarding how to change your center of gravity by having your arm stretched out at nearly all times, and was literally practicing doing that. It took a little getting used to, but I think I had improved my form and my legs were lot more raised than they generally are. I think this run was not a good measure of how I can do, as there was too much traffic in my lane and I was getting a chance to catch my breath. I did however complete the run in 20 mins!!! That is a complete 2.5 mins faster than last time! :)
The next run, I switched to the fast lane with Bora and had him take the lead and followed him through the entire run. I did not stop for a break at all and stayed on Boras tail with a max lead of 3/4 of a lap. I completed the second run non-stop with all the best I could in 19 mins!!! That is 3 mins better than my last time!! I am making progress!! Yayyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!
A couple of things have changed since the last couple of practice days. The first is that I am trying to move my center of gravity further up my body to keep my legs higher. The second is that I have started to kick the way you are supposed to, as opposed to what I was doing before which was actually hurting my feet.
Its quite amazing how in a few weeks, I can not only see progress, but also feel it. I will try to focus on getting my strokes and rotation more regular in my next personal training sessions and hopefully be getting better times next week.
I realize that working on one or max two things at a time help try to focus on those, than trying to worry about the whole enchilada, much as my coach would like me to.
Anyways, I am totally excited about the training today and will most definetly be sleeping really well tonight! Adios!! ;)
The main course for the day was doing two half mile runs with 30 sec rest in between. I thought it was going to be fun, until the coach told me there were no fins allowed! :(
I guess, so much for my trying to slide through, but he did have a point, that there would be no fins in the actual race. The next interesting part was that we were supposed to beat our times from our run last week. My time then was 45 mins for the entire mile (22.5 mins/ half mile), so I had to beat that.
The first 1/2 mile run was kinda interesting. I had read couple of articles that Coach Ray had sent out earlier in the regarding how to change your center of gravity by having your arm stretched out at nearly all times, and was literally practicing doing that. It took a little getting used to, but I think I had improved my form and my legs were lot more raised than they generally are. I think this run was not a good measure of how I can do, as there was too much traffic in my lane and I was getting a chance to catch my breath. I did however complete the run in 20 mins!!! That is a complete 2.5 mins faster than last time! :)
The next run, I switched to the fast lane with Bora and had him take the lead and followed him through the entire run. I did not stop for a break at all and stayed on Boras tail with a max lead of 3/4 of a lap. I completed the second run non-stop with all the best I could in 19 mins!!! That is 3 mins better than my last time!! I am making progress!! Yayyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!
A couple of things have changed since the last couple of practice days. The first is that I am trying to move my center of gravity further up my body to keep my legs higher. The second is that I have started to kick the way you are supposed to, as opposed to what I was doing before which was actually hurting my feet.
Its quite amazing how in a few weeks, I can not only see progress, but also feel it. I will try to focus on getting my strokes and rotation more regular in my next personal training sessions and hopefully be getting better times next week.
I realize that working on one or max two things at a time help try to focus on those, than trying to worry about the whole enchilada, much as my coach would like me to.
Anyways, I am totally excited about the training today and will most definetly be sleeping really well tonight! Adios!! ;)
Personal Swim & Run Training - Mar 17
11:30 am: Considering this was my vacation day, I really should just be relaxing and flipping channels on TV, however the mission I am on requires all the time & effort I can spend on it. Keeping that in mind, I headed out for my swim workout at the nearby gym. I found the pool mostly empty and atleast one complete lane totally open for my occupancy!
I put on my tritan fins & goggles and started with a 20 lap warm up. I realized with the fins, this was fairly easy. The next set was done for 30 laps, and I was still not feeling very exhausted, so I hit the pool for another 30, this time mostly controlled strokes with more gliding. I have noticed that my breathing has improved significantly over how I started a few weeks ago, and the fins are keeping my form much more streamlined.
By the time I got done with my swim workout, I was not exhausted as I generally am, rather I kinda felt good about it. I believe a sense of accomplishment helps getting past the mental factor, which in turn seems to be doing well with the body too.
7:30 pm: Still not content with the fact that I had not yet made efficient use of my vacation day, I convinced my friend Kerem to head out with me to the gym for a run. My legs were bothering me a little bit, but not to the extent that I could not run. when we reached the treadmills, we found them all occupied, so we jumped on some funky looking ellipticals, which were totally not comfortable, neither was I in the mood to figure out all the controls. Luckily a couple of minutes into my warmup, I noticed a treadmill open up, so I immediately made a dash for it (a short speed drill!) :)
I started running at 6 mph and about 0.3 miles into it, my shins started tensing up, and my leg started hurting. It was not still about roughly 2 miles that my legs had gotten somewhat accustomed to running, although they still kept paining me. Since I had slowed down for a little bit, to adjust my gait, I was now lagging behind in covering the miles in terms of time, so every couple of mins, I was increasing my speed to 6.5 mph -7 mph. This really bumped up my heart rate, but it helped get me in about a min or so of my goal run time distance. By the time I got done with my run, my legs felt like bricks and I had to hobble my way to the locker rooms. I think I need a break, but I will have to wait till I get done with swim training on Tuesday night!!
I put on my tritan fins & goggles and started with a 20 lap warm up. I realized with the fins, this was fairly easy. The next set was done for 30 laps, and I was still not feeling very exhausted, so I hit the pool for another 30, this time mostly controlled strokes with more gliding. I have noticed that my breathing has improved significantly over how I started a few weeks ago, and the fins are keeping my form much more streamlined.
By the time I got done with my swim workout, I was not exhausted as I generally am, rather I kinda felt good about it. I believe a sense of accomplishment helps getting past the mental factor, which in turn seems to be doing well with the body too.
7:30 pm: Still not content with the fact that I had not yet made efficient use of my vacation day, I convinced my friend Kerem to head out with me to the gym for a run. My legs were bothering me a little bit, but not to the extent that I could not run. when we reached the treadmills, we found them all occupied, so we jumped on some funky looking ellipticals, which were totally not comfortable, neither was I in the mood to figure out all the controls. Luckily a couple of minutes into my warmup, I noticed a treadmill open up, so I immediately made a dash for it (a short speed drill!) :)
I started running at 6 mph and about 0.3 miles into it, my shins started tensing up, and my leg started hurting. It was not still about roughly 2 miles that my legs had gotten somewhat accustomed to running, although they still kept paining me. Since I had slowed down for a little bit, to adjust my gait, I was now lagging behind in covering the miles in terms of time, so every couple of mins, I was increasing my speed to 6.5 mph -7 mph. This really bumped up my heart rate, but it helped get me in about a min or so of my goal run time distance. By the time I got done with my run, my legs felt like bricks and I had to hobble my way to the locker rooms. I think I need a break, but I will have to wait till I get done with swim training on Tuesday night!!
Monday, March 17, 2008
Personal Swim Training - Mar 16
My cousins left back for Chicago today, so I figured I no longer had an excuse for not training. :(
I convinced Kerem to head out too, and he gladly obliged, which is always good, since he motivates me quite a lot. The only problem was the pool was way crowded by the time we got there by old ladies, kids, and guys floating around in two lanes!
Regardless, I put on my new training fins and started doing my warmup, and amazingly the fins were really helping me keep more streamlined in the water and I realized the number of my strokes had decreased significantly, not to mention my speed increased quite a bit!
I was overtaking most of the people in my lanes both ways, with the fins giving me the extra boost. The only fin I was missing was the one on my back!! ;)
While we did not get to do long runs, I think we got atleast 1500 or so yards in for the day, just a slight warmup for the week ahead!
Tha...Tha...Thats all Folks!! ;)
I convinced Kerem to head out too, and he gladly obliged, which is always good, since he motivates me quite a lot. The only problem was the pool was way crowded by the time we got there by old ladies, kids, and guys floating around in two lanes!
Regardless, I put on my new training fins and started doing my warmup, and amazingly the fins were really helping me keep more streamlined in the water and I realized the number of my strokes had decreased significantly, not to mention my speed increased quite a bit!
I was overtaking most of the people in my lanes both ways, with the fins giving me the extra boost. The only fin I was missing was the one on my back!! ;)
While we did not get to do long runs, I think we got atleast 1500 or so yards in for the day, just a slight warmup for the week ahead!
Tha...Tha...Thats all Folks!! ;)
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Group Bike & Run Training - Mar 15
My 3 days of R&R had come to an end, and man did it feel good!! Although my left leg was still bothering me a little, I felt comfortable enough to head out for training at 8 am in the morning. I did however spent the last couple of days researching swim techniques and also purchased a pair of training fins (tritans) to improve my balance as well as my swim technique, so I was not exactly slacking off! ;)
I will admit, even though I had slept well last night, I was still feeling quite lazy getting out of bed in the morning, but I think it was about time my body started getting back into the swing of things.
The team was all assembled and ready to rock 'n roll for our session today. There were a bunch of people with some seriously bad ass bikes!! Go TNT!!!
We started with a 5 min warmup just peddling to get our muscles warmed up before we really cranked up the gears as well as the speed. Coach Stu told us today was going to be plenty of hill climbs to get our system used to pedaling hard and to control our strokes. He was not kidding, because we really had to control our strokes on very high gear ratios, with my cadence meter showing me speeds of 30 mph at some points, so we were really making good distance. Surpisingly even though I was sweating away like crazy, I did not really feel exhausted or too out of breath at any point in time. I am guessing that is a good thing and don't want to jinx it (touchwood!)! :)
Our changeover to our running gear was fairly quick and before I had even had a chance to plug my ipod earphones in my ears, I found myself running on the tarmac following Ron and Courtney. My left leg had still been hurting, but for atleast the first 2 miles, there were no issues. At some point after that, the duo ahead of me picked up the pace and that is when my legs started to whine some, but more importantly my kindeys were hurting. I think it may have to do with the fact that I did not have enough to eat given the early morning training sessions. I did however keep myself hydrated with gatorade during the biking training, so my legs were not cramping, but I had run out of fuel and my body was prolly trying to scrounge up whatever was left in the system. Regardless, I completed the 3 miles maybe 10 secs behind Ron & Courtney, all sweaty and out of breath, but the sense of accomplishment that follows makes it worth it. The team giving you high fives as you roll in to the finish area ,make it an atmosphere of optimism that is quite motivating.
I now have to focus on getting home and getting myself presentable before my cousins arrive from Chicago. Its going to be a fun weekend!!
I will admit, even though I had slept well last night, I was still feeling quite lazy getting out of bed in the morning, but I think it was about time my body started getting back into the swing of things.
The team was all assembled and ready to rock 'n roll for our session today. There were a bunch of people with some seriously bad ass bikes!! Go TNT!!!
We started with a 5 min warmup just peddling to get our muscles warmed up before we really cranked up the gears as well as the speed. Coach Stu told us today was going to be plenty of hill climbs to get our system used to pedaling hard and to control our strokes. He was not kidding, because we really had to control our strokes on very high gear ratios, with my cadence meter showing me speeds of 30 mph at some points, so we were really making good distance. Surpisingly even though I was sweating away like crazy, I did not really feel exhausted or too out of breath at any point in time. I am guessing that is a good thing and don't want to jinx it (touchwood!)! :)
Our changeover to our running gear was fairly quick and before I had even had a chance to plug my ipod earphones in my ears, I found myself running on the tarmac following Ron and Courtney. My left leg had still been hurting, but for atleast the first 2 miles, there were no issues. At some point after that, the duo ahead of me picked up the pace and that is when my legs started to whine some, but more importantly my kindeys were hurting. I think it may have to do with the fact that I did not have enough to eat given the early morning training sessions. I did however keep myself hydrated with gatorade during the biking training, so my legs were not cramping, but I had run out of fuel and my body was prolly trying to scrounge up whatever was left in the system. Regardless, I completed the 3 miles maybe 10 secs behind Ron & Courtney, all sweaty and out of breath, but the sense of accomplishment that follows makes it worth it. The team giving you high fives as you roll in to the finish area ,make it an atmosphere of optimism that is quite motivating.
I now have to focus on getting home and getting myself presentable before my cousins arrive from Chicago. Its going to be a fun weekend!!
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Group Swim Training - Mar 11
Today has to be one of the defining moments of my training. Our coach started off with a talk about how he felt he was too hard last time about giving us the ultimatum that if we did not get our 300 yd warm ups in, we would have to be deferred to another event. Instead he told us, that we need to do a time trial for the entire 0.9 miles today (that is 66 laps!), yes sir....no kidding!!
My jaw about fell down, because I have been working my butt off swimming the last few days, and this is not the kind of drill I was ready for just yet. Anyways, I got into one of the lanes with my good friend Bora and Don, and we started off with our 8 lap warm up, which while wasn't exactly a breeze, was good to get accustomed in the water. I believe we finshed our warm up ahead of everyone else, so we got the distinct honor of starting the time trial (totally being sarcastic!), so off we went one after another. About 16 laps into it, my heart was beating so fast, I thought the worst, but Bora patted me on the back and said keep going, so I kept at it, and it was not until the 26th lap, that I fell behind 2 laps to Bora, and it seemed every other 6 laps I was lagging behind Bora. I did however have Don to give me company, so I had motivation to keep going!
By the time Bora finished, I was 10 laps behind and Don was 8 laps behind him, so we started covering yardage faster knowing that rest was in sight once we got done. I actually ended up doing a speed drill on my last 2 laps, because I was sooo excited to have accomplished this for the first time in my life...66 laps!!! 0.9 miles!!! :D
This was accomplished in just under 45 mins, with the pros having times of approx 20 mins. The coach said, once I improved my form, I could easily trim 10 mins off this, and put me closer to the 30-35 min range, which is not bad considering I am doing this for the first time!
Here is a breakdown of the yardage completed in the 25 yd pool:
1 x 200 yds (warm up )
1 x 1650 yds (time trial)
1 x 200 yds (drills - kick board and punching)
1 x 100 yds (cool down)
Total: 2150 yds
While we were catching our breath, I was talking to Ron about his flippers and he said that they increased his speed significantly and made it easier for him to swim, so I thought to put it to the test. We both made a speed dash for the other side, and interestingly enough we both got to the end at the same time, making me believe either my swimming is improving, or the fins are really not that effective. In any case I will get those to help me improve my form. I talked to the coach about how I can lift my legs up more and get my strokes right. He gave me a punching drill to work on, to improve my stroke, but since I am breathing on my left side, my right stroke suffers because of lack of proper rotation. I need to start improving on my form more to increase my effectivness, but the good thing is my body is being shocked to improve much needed muscles as well as increased lung capacity. By the time I got home today, I could feel all six individual ab muscles pulsating, along with my shoulders which did a lot of work today. The good thing was I did not have any cramps during the main run, because I kept myself hydrated before and during the run.
I sincerely believe there has been signficant progress from 3 weeks ago when I was struggling to barely get 4 laps in a row in. The combined training with friends has also kept me motivated and consistent and I feel a month down the line, I will be in a much better position and past the mental barrier that has been somewhat keeping me intimidated.
In the words of someone wiser than me...."you have to figure it out"...and guess what I am slowly starting to! ;)
My jaw about fell down, because I have been working my butt off swimming the last few days, and this is not the kind of drill I was ready for just yet. Anyways, I got into one of the lanes with my good friend Bora and Don, and we started off with our 8 lap warm up, which while wasn't exactly a breeze, was good to get accustomed in the water. I believe we finshed our warm up ahead of everyone else, so we got the distinct honor of starting the time trial (totally being sarcastic!), so off we went one after another. About 16 laps into it, my heart was beating so fast, I thought the worst, but Bora patted me on the back and said keep going, so I kept at it, and it was not until the 26th lap, that I fell behind 2 laps to Bora, and it seemed every other 6 laps I was lagging behind Bora. I did however have Don to give me company, so I had motivation to keep going!
By the time Bora finished, I was 10 laps behind and Don was 8 laps behind him, so we started covering yardage faster knowing that rest was in sight once we got done. I actually ended up doing a speed drill on my last 2 laps, because I was sooo excited to have accomplished this for the first time in my life...66 laps!!! 0.9 miles!!! :D
This was accomplished in just under 45 mins, with the pros having times of approx 20 mins. The coach said, once I improved my form, I could easily trim 10 mins off this, and put me closer to the 30-35 min range, which is not bad considering I am doing this for the first time!
Here is a breakdown of the yardage completed in the 25 yd pool:
1 x 200 yds (warm up )
1 x 1650 yds (time trial)
1 x 200 yds (drills - kick board and punching)
1 x 100 yds (cool down)
Total: 2150 yds
While we were catching our breath, I was talking to Ron about his flippers and he said that they increased his speed significantly and made it easier for him to swim, so I thought to put it to the test. We both made a speed dash for the other side, and interestingly enough we both got to the end at the same time, making me believe either my swimming is improving, or the fins are really not that effective. In any case I will get those to help me improve my form. I talked to the coach about how I can lift my legs up more and get my strokes right. He gave me a punching drill to work on, to improve my stroke, but since I am breathing on my left side, my right stroke suffers because of lack of proper rotation. I need to start improving on my form more to increase my effectivness, but the good thing is my body is being shocked to improve much needed muscles as well as increased lung capacity. By the time I got home today, I could feel all six individual ab muscles pulsating, along with my shoulders which did a lot of work today. The good thing was I did not have any cramps during the main run, because I kept myself hydrated before and during the run.
I sincerely believe there has been signficant progress from 3 weeks ago when I was struggling to barely get 4 laps in a row in. The combined training with friends has also kept me motivated and consistent and I feel a month down the line, I will be in a much better position and past the mental barrier that has been somewhat keeping me intimidated.
In the words of someone wiser than me...."you have to figure it out"...and guess what I am slowly starting to! ;)
Monday, March 10, 2008
Personal Swim Training - Mar 10
Today will be a short post, since I was pretty exhausted from yesterday, and apparently my tendons beneath my knee caught up with the beating I had given them over the weekend. I was limping most of the day on my left leg. I am pretty confident its not my knee, since the pain has subsided as I type this, and hopefully it will recover in the next couple of days before I get to group bike & swim training.
Fortunately for me, today I got some swimming in with my good friend Kerem, and we did a bunch of extended runs:
20 x 25 yds = 500 yds
17 x 25 yds = 425 yds
24 x 25 yds = 600 yds
2 x 25 yds = 50 yds (kick board drill)
Total=1575 yds
We also did a speed drill of 25 yd, and it felt good while it lasted, but I doubt we would have been able to continue it further than that.
I am beginning to gain confidence that I am making progress on the swimming end, which I consider my weakness right now. I think the next few weeks, the stamina will be up, now if I can just get my technique right and streamline my form, I should be able to improve my efficiency significantly. Currently my legs are dragging while I swim, but the good news is I am using more upper body strength to get through. One of my colleagues has offered to assist me in getting my technique right when I swim with her, so I am totally ready to take her up on her offer now that my stamina is up to par.
I am just about done finishing up on my green tea, so this will be it for today, before I hit the sack and pass out!
Fortunately for me, today I got some swimming in with my good friend Kerem, and we did a bunch of extended runs:
20 x 25 yds = 500 yds
17 x 25 yds = 425 yds
24 x 25 yds = 600 yds
2 x 25 yds = 50 yds (kick board drill)
Total=1575 yds
We also did a speed drill of 25 yd, and it felt good while it lasted, but I doubt we would have been able to continue it further than that.
I am beginning to gain confidence that I am making progress on the swimming end, which I consider my weakness right now. I think the next few weeks, the stamina will be up, now if I can just get my technique right and streamline my form, I should be able to improve my efficiency significantly. Currently my legs are dragging while I swim, but the good news is I am using more upper body strength to get through. One of my colleagues has offered to assist me in getting my technique right when I swim with her, so I am totally ready to take her up on her offer now that my stamina is up to par.
I am just about done finishing up on my green tea, so this will be it for today, before I hit the sack and pass out!
Personal Swim Training + Fund Raiser - Mar 9
I had to write my entry for yesterday today, because I was fairly exhausted by the last couple of days. The good news is that I am definetly making progress! :)
I recruited a good friend of mine to help me out with my swim training, and ended up reaching the pool at 11:45 am. While it took us a little while to get comfortable in the water, we did end up doing 500 yds back to back without a break, on top of the doing at least another 800 yds stop and go. This literally blows away the 300 yd warmup, so I should be doing fairly well in group training on Tuesday!!
There was a sense of accomplishment as well as as renewed motivation that while the triathlon is challenging task, it is not impossible!
The workout was topped by a dash to the fund raising effort at the Royal Oak grocery stores, where Bora was hard at work pedaling on the bike while still soliciting support for the cause. Kimi was hard at work with her charming personality, although it got her into trouble with an old man, who instead of donating money, decided he was going to donate his time by giving a chronological account of his time since he was in high school all the way up to this 90th birthday!!
I had to give it to Kimi, that she was very patient with him, despite feeling frustrated on the hinderance this was causing to the fund raising efforts. When we got done with that episode, we started into another one, where this one lady questioned what kind of research was being done with this money. Considering neither of us at the place was a doctor (although I think I am one sometimes), we really did not have a specific answer for her. However we did volunteer to take her information and pass it on to our Michigan chapter office for further investigation.
Anyways, after we got done with that, we ended up having a bunch of people donate cans to the cause which kept us busy for a while between myself and Bora till our re-enforcements arrived at 4 pm. Youngkeys sisters as well as his Dad were there to support the cause, and it was quite amazing to see how many people were working towards the cause. I sincerely believe this is one of the best things I have ever been involved in my life! Thanks everybody for supporting me through all this!! :)
I recruited a good friend of mine to help me out with my swim training, and ended up reaching the pool at 11:45 am. While it took us a little while to get comfortable in the water, we did end up doing 500 yds back to back without a break, on top of the doing at least another 800 yds stop and go. This literally blows away the 300 yd warmup, so I should be doing fairly well in group training on Tuesday!!
There was a sense of accomplishment as well as as renewed motivation that while the triathlon is challenging task, it is not impossible!
The workout was topped by a dash to the fund raising effort at the Royal Oak grocery stores, where Bora was hard at work pedaling on the bike while still soliciting support for the cause. Kimi was hard at work with her charming personality, although it got her into trouble with an old man, who instead of donating money, decided he was going to donate his time by giving a chronological account of his time since he was in high school all the way up to this 90th birthday!!
I had to give it to Kimi, that she was very patient with him, despite feeling frustrated on the hinderance this was causing to the fund raising efforts. When we got done with that episode, we started into another one, where this one lady questioned what kind of research was being done with this money. Considering neither of us at the place was a doctor (although I think I am one sometimes), we really did not have a specific answer for her. However we did volunteer to take her information and pass it on to our Michigan chapter office for further investigation.
Anyways, after we got done with that, we ended up having a bunch of people donate cans to the cause which kept us busy for a while between myself and Bora till our re-enforcements arrived at 4 pm. Youngkeys sisters as well as his Dad were there to support the cause, and it was quite amazing to see how many people were working towards the cause. I sincerely believe this is one of the best things I have ever been involved in my life! Thanks everybody for supporting me through all this!! :)
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Group Bike & Run Training + Fund Raiser - Mar 8
Well folks, today has to be the most intense day of training and activity since I started pursuing the triathlon!
For starters, I had to get up at 6:30 am in the morning to get ready and drive almost an hour to our training area in Walled Lake. With snow coming down all night and all through the day, it was impossible getting out of bed, but a cup of green tea & two bananas later, my senses started to respond to my commands.
I organized my bag, put the bike on my shoulders and strutted towards my truck. It was not only snowy, but the temp indicator in my car read 11 deg, is it cold or what?!! I fired my butt warmers in the car and raised the internal temperature control to 80 deg, just to keep my fingers from getting numb. Forty mins later, I am going through the entire routine of taking my bike out and cursing the weather for being so chilly. :(
The team as always was in high spirits, and that motivation just has a way of brushing off on you. Our workout today was quite tough, with lots of speed drills during our regular course, and I was literally melting away in a pool of sweat (so glad I placed a towel beneath my bike)!
Just when we thought life was getting better as we were completing our cool down, our fearless trainer asked how many people wanted to go run after this, and at this point I am looking out at the howling blizzard like conditions, a man walking tilted to keep his balance walking, and wondering what these people had for breakfast in the morning!
Regardless, I changed into my track pants, put my cap on, fired up my ipod and hit the road behind the lead duo. The body received a shock of its life, chilly wind mixed with snow flakes filled my lungs while I struggled to gain traction and maintain balance on the snowy pavement. What made it harder was the wind blowing against me, such that I had to lower my head to keep my form a little more aerodynamic (although the drag coefficient was still high).
the first mile and a half was not bad, but then my shin started to tighten up and the gap between the duo in front of me seemed to be increasing. I increased my pace to catch up to then, but my shin was just getting tighter and tighter. I realized, that if I stopped, I would need a ride back because with the weather conditions, my muscle would cramp even more from sudden cooldown. I made up my mind that I was going to stay on their tail and just keep moving and worry about the leg when I get back. My team mate Brad had shared some words of wisdom with me earlier that gave me motivation.."the pain is the weakness leaving the body"...and by god I kept on going with a hint of limping and lo behold I made it 20 secs behind Ron and Brad!
I was not sure when I got in, what was more important, trying to nurse my leg, or get my body temperature back to normal. A couple of bagels, bananas and some powerade later, life seemed to be getting better. While I was loading my bike in the car back, I could not understand how I had just run 3 miles in this weather, and then I realized that the cause is not just a physical journey, but a very mental one as well. There have been many challenges in my life, but none have been vaguely similar to this one. Anyways, enough of the philosophy, because I have to write about my fund raiser effort I had to report to from 2pm - 4pm at one of the local grocery stores that graciously allowed us to do a fund raiser there.
I arrived after taking an hour nap to recoup myself (not sufficient, given my condition), find Casey dressed up for the Alaskan winter shivering, while Carl and Michelle are holding hands to keep warm (quite touching really). Considering the feat I had performed earlier in the day, I proceeded to bring my bike in and set it up on the trainer and get myself stripped down to my shorts to get pedaling on the bike. A minute into it, and I realized I was going numb in my fingers and my chest was started to act funny, so I put on my dollar hand gloves and my jackets, while still pumping at the pedals to keep the blood flowing. I think the idea was cool, however the execution sucked really bad, with the freezing wind blowing in my face everytime the door opened, and ofcourse to be it seemed perpetually open!
We had some lady donate $10 and she thought we might be fund raising for the comedy club since I was biking in shorts in this weather, regardless she was nice. A bunch of other people were quite excited about this and donated generously, however I had to take a break since I could no longer feel my butt. Ron was going to replace me on the bike, while I ran out and got some coffee for us, so a couple of lattes later, we had some color back in our skin!
During the 2 hours we were there, we did well enough to learn how to talk to people and how to make quick comebacks on some of their witty remarks. Ron did a bunch of bottle collecting and cashing in from the reciepts, which I really appreciated, Thanks Ron!! :)
While the first 30 mins were brutal, the rest of the hour & thirty minute did not feel as bad, especially given the company was good. Brad showed up around 4 pm and then Kim and Don strolled in too to form the next merry bunch and raring to go. Now that is an entry for them to write, as I need to nurse my legs to them to like me again! ;)
For starters, I had to get up at 6:30 am in the morning to get ready and drive almost an hour to our training area in Walled Lake. With snow coming down all night and all through the day, it was impossible getting out of bed, but a cup of green tea & two bananas later, my senses started to respond to my commands.
I organized my bag, put the bike on my shoulders and strutted towards my truck. It was not only snowy, but the temp indicator in my car read 11 deg, is it cold or what?!! I fired my butt warmers in the car and raised the internal temperature control to 80 deg, just to keep my fingers from getting numb. Forty mins later, I am going through the entire routine of taking my bike out and cursing the weather for being so chilly. :(
The team as always was in high spirits, and that motivation just has a way of brushing off on you. Our workout today was quite tough, with lots of speed drills during our regular course, and I was literally melting away in a pool of sweat (so glad I placed a towel beneath my bike)!
Just when we thought life was getting better as we were completing our cool down, our fearless trainer asked how many people wanted to go run after this, and at this point I am looking out at the howling blizzard like conditions, a man walking tilted to keep his balance walking, and wondering what these people had for breakfast in the morning!
Regardless, I changed into my track pants, put my cap on, fired up my ipod and hit the road behind the lead duo. The body received a shock of its life, chilly wind mixed with snow flakes filled my lungs while I struggled to gain traction and maintain balance on the snowy pavement. What made it harder was the wind blowing against me, such that I had to lower my head to keep my form a little more aerodynamic (although the drag coefficient was still high).
the first mile and a half was not bad, but then my shin started to tighten up and the gap between the duo in front of me seemed to be increasing. I increased my pace to catch up to then, but my shin was just getting tighter and tighter. I realized, that if I stopped, I would need a ride back because with the weather conditions, my muscle would cramp even more from sudden cooldown. I made up my mind that I was going to stay on their tail and just keep moving and worry about the leg when I get back. My team mate Brad had shared some words of wisdom with me earlier that gave me motivation.."the pain is the weakness leaving the body"...and by god I kept on going with a hint of limping and lo behold I made it 20 secs behind Ron and Brad!
I was not sure when I got in, what was more important, trying to nurse my leg, or get my body temperature back to normal. A couple of bagels, bananas and some powerade later, life seemed to be getting better. While I was loading my bike in the car back, I could not understand how I had just run 3 miles in this weather, and then I realized that the cause is not just a physical journey, but a very mental one as well. There have been many challenges in my life, but none have been vaguely similar to this one. Anyways, enough of the philosophy, because I have to write about my fund raiser effort I had to report to from 2pm - 4pm at one of the local grocery stores that graciously allowed us to do a fund raiser there.
I arrived after taking an hour nap to recoup myself (not sufficient, given my condition), find Casey dressed up for the Alaskan winter shivering, while Carl and Michelle are holding hands to keep warm (quite touching really). Considering the feat I had performed earlier in the day, I proceeded to bring my bike in and set it up on the trainer and get myself stripped down to my shorts to get pedaling on the bike. A minute into it, and I realized I was going numb in my fingers and my chest was started to act funny, so I put on my dollar hand gloves and my jackets, while still pumping at the pedals to keep the blood flowing. I think the idea was cool, however the execution sucked really bad, with the freezing wind blowing in my face everytime the door opened, and ofcourse to be it seemed perpetually open!
We had some lady donate $10 and she thought we might be fund raising for the comedy club since I was biking in shorts in this weather, regardless she was nice. A bunch of other people were quite excited about this and donated generously, however I had to take a break since I could no longer feel my butt. Ron was going to replace me on the bike, while I ran out and got some coffee for us, so a couple of lattes later, we had some color back in our skin!
During the 2 hours we were there, we did well enough to learn how to talk to people and how to make quick comebacks on some of their witty remarks. Ron did a bunch of bottle collecting and cashing in from the reciepts, which I really appreciated, Thanks Ron!! :)
While the first 30 mins were brutal, the rest of the hour & thirty minute did not feel as bad, especially given the company was good. Brad showed up around 4 pm and then Kim and Don strolled in too to form the next merry bunch and raring to go. Now that is an entry for them to write, as I need to nurse my legs to them to like me again! ;)
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Personal Running Training - Mar 6
I know you have heard enough of my legs being sore already, so I am just gonna cut the chit chat and say that even though I had a crazy busy day, I was still able to squeeze in 3 miles of running at a 1 deg incline! ;)
I am going to be getting plenty of rest tomorrow, and let my legs recover, so I am all set for group training on Sat morning.
I did however spend time talking to our group about fund raising ideas, so I consider that part of training as well. :)
I have some homework to do on my end on a fund raising idea I proposed, now I actually have to put together the plan on paper and get it moving......and I though the running was bad! ;)
Anyways, hope you guys are still cheering for me....I need all the support I can get!
I am going to be getting plenty of rest tomorrow, and let my legs recover, so I am all set for group training on Sat morning.
I did however spend time talking to our group about fund raising ideas, so I consider that part of training as well. :)
I have some homework to do on my end on a fund raising idea I proposed, now I actually have to put together the plan on paper and get it moving......and I though the running was bad! ;)
Anyways, hope you guys are still cheering for me....I need all the support I can get!
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Personal Running Training - Mar 5
My legs have been constantly sore all this week, considering I have not given them any rest till yet. There is a struggle going on between my mind and my body on who lets up first....so far the mind is winning, but the soreness is a constant reminder that wont last long.
I was motivated enough to get my butt to the gym (YMCA-Ren Cen) after work and get in at least 3 miles of running. I did a variation of it this time, as I increased the incline to 1 deg (based on some professional advice) and still maintained 6 mph. When I reached 3 miles, I realized I could probably push on for another mile, but I want to push my body at this point, not break it! :)
So far the soreness is there, but not totally fatigued, so I am guessing my body can deal with it. I think when I take the day off on Friday for exercise, I should be in good condition for next week.
I got some good advice & tips on the actual race, regarding gel packs and hydration drinks from my colleague at work who has been through a century ride before, Thanks!!! :)
Tune in tomorrow to see if I get my running in before my fund raiser....I know just the guilt of putting it here will make me go to the gym! ;)
I was motivated enough to get my butt to the gym (YMCA-Ren Cen) after work and get in at least 3 miles of running. I did a variation of it this time, as I increased the incline to 1 deg (based on some professional advice) and still maintained 6 mph. When I reached 3 miles, I realized I could probably push on for another mile, but I want to push my body at this point, not break it! :)
So far the soreness is there, but not totally fatigued, so I am guessing my body can deal with it. I think when I take the day off on Friday for exercise, I should be in good condition for next week.
I got some good advice & tips on the actual race, regarding gel packs and hydration drinks from my colleague at work who has been through a century ride before, Thanks!!! :)
Tune in tomorrow to see if I get my running in before my fund raiser....I know just the guilt of putting it here will make me go to the gym! ;)
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Personal Bike Training - Mar 4
I am still sore from last night, my calves are still tight, but the spirits are still high!!
It was a nasty drive in from work, snowy, dark, dreary all day....totally depressing. I was excited about catching up on my swim training today, but by the time I got to the pool at 7 pm, open swim hours were over. Apparently they had changed the schedule for this month, and obviously being organized as I am, I had no idea! :(
Anyways, not wanting to waste my day, I got home, put my bike on the trainer, started jamming some tunes on my Media Player and biked 16 miles creating a pool of sweat, which was gracefully caught by the towel I had so meticulously placed under the trainer. My neighbors totally thought I was having a party.....they had no idea of the reality of the situation!
I totally wanted to go for a run after that, but it was snowing like crazy and the roads were super slippery.....seriously I am not making excuses!! :)
I felt somewhat refreshed after the bike ride, but I am still sore from the swimming yesterday, so tomorrow I am going to switch to some running and keep the body working. I figure the more beating I give it regularly, the faster it will learn to adapt as time goes on! :)
Did mention I got a clean bill of health from my doctor?!!!! He said I can go climb Mt Everest if I want to, my engine (heart) is in perfect shape! Yayyy!!!
Anyways, I think this is going to be my activity for the day, I will go to sleep early and be well rested tonight, so I can tackle the day tomorrow and get some running in before I go meet a friend for dinner!
Hope you guys are still rooting for me!!! ;)
It was a nasty drive in from work, snowy, dark, dreary all day....totally depressing. I was excited about catching up on my swim training today, but by the time I got to the pool at 7 pm, open swim hours were over. Apparently they had changed the schedule for this month, and obviously being organized as I am, I had no idea! :(
Anyways, not wanting to waste my day, I got home, put my bike on the trainer, started jamming some tunes on my Media Player and biked 16 miles creating a pool of sweat, which was gracefully caught by the towel I had so meticulously placed under the trainer. My neighbors totally thought I was having a party.....they had no idea of the reality of the situation!
I totally wanted to go for a run after that, but it was snowing like crazy and the roads were super slippery.....seriously I am not making excuses!! :)
I felt somewhat refreshed after the bike ride, but I am still sore from the swimming yesterday, so tomorrow I am going to switch to some running and keep the body working. I figure the more beating I give it regularly, the faster it will learn to adapt as time goes on! :)
Did mention I got a clean bill of health from my doctor?!!!! He said I can go climb Mt Everest if I want to, my engine (heart) is in perfect shape! Yayyy!!!
Anyways, I think this is going to be my activity for the day, I will go to sleep early and be well rested tonight, so I can tackle the day tomorrow and get some running in before I go meet a friend for dinner!
Hope you guys are still rooting for me!!! ;)
Monday, March 3, 2008
Group Swim Training - Mar 3
The all great group swim training..... barely gotten over the beating my legs took yesterday, and here I am hard at it in the pool again!
I was tired all day, my calves were tight and hurting on the right leg, mostly from doing the one legged exercise on the bike yesterday (bad idea!), the weather was gloomy, and the traffic sucked in both ways to work.
Regardless our ever inspiring coach was ready to rock 'n roll with his workout sheet, and he wasted no time in getting us in the water for our 300 yd warm up! (and he has such a smooth way of making it sound easy...we love you coach!!) :)
I think I have started to get a hang of my breathing technique, at least at a
rudimentary level, however I still have a ways to go before it becomes more natural. I still need to practice on rotating my body and swim like a fish (although I am blowing bubbles like one), but baby steps first!
I was unable to complete my entire training routine today, however the only parts I missed were the drills, so I am optimistic that I can cover that yardage during my own personal training. Here was training routine for today (25 yd pool):
1 x 300 yd
4 x 400 yd
1 x 100 yd (drill on pull buoy) ....skipped
1 x 100 yd (drill breast stroke) ...skipped
1 x 200 yd (cool down)
My leg had started cramping up during the cool down phase, however I figured out that as long as I did not try to stand in the pool, I was able to keep moving, so I took a floating break to catch my breath before I hit the laps again. The coach pointed out that I need to have fluid and electrolyte replenishment during the training, so I bought myself some gatorade mix for next time.
My buddy Sharon who I was sharing the swim lane with was totally motivating me after every set of laps I was doing, and that really helped me keep going everytime I thought I was totally going to drop to the bottom of the pool....thanks Sharon!!!! :)
At the end of it, we got out to get our goodbye speech from the coach on how amazing we were, except there was a caveat to it this time....while we did well, if we are unable to do a the complete warm up in a couple of weeks without breaks....we will be looking at doing another event....and I am not even going there!!!
I am going to do this, if I need to live in the water for the next couple of weeks and grow gills to breathe underwater....I am gonna do it!!!
I was tired all day, my calves were tight and hurting on the right leg, mostly from doing the one legged exercise on the bike yesterday (bad idea!), the weather was gloomy, and the traffic sucked in both ways to work.
Regardless our ever inspiring coach was ready to rock 'n roll with his workout sheet, and he wasted no time in getting us in the water for our 300 yd warm up! (and he has such a smooth way of making it sound easy...we love you coach!!) :)
I think I have started to get a hang of my breathing technique, at least at a
rudimentary level, however I still have a ways to go before it becomes more natural. I still need to practice on rotating my body and swim like a fish (although I am blowing bubbles like one), but baby steps first!
I was unable to complete my entire training routine today, however the only parts I missed were the drills, so I am optimistic that I can cover that yardage during my own personal training. Here was training routine for today (25 yd pool):
1 x 300 yd
4 x 400 yd
1 x 100 yd (drill on pull buoy) ....skipped
1 x 100 yd (drill breast stroke) ...skipped
1 x 200 yd (cool down)
My leg had started cramping up during the cool down phase, however I figured out that as long as I did not try to stand in the pool, I was able to keep moving, so I took a floating break to catch my breath before I hit the laps again. The coach pointed out that I need to have fluid and electrolyte replenishment during the training, so I bought myself some gatorade mix for next time.
My buddy Sharon who I was sharing the swim lane with was totally motivating me after every set of laps I was doing, and that really helped me keep going everytime I thought I was totally going to drop to the bottom of the pool....thanks Sharon!!!! :)
At the end of it, we got out to get our goodbye speech from the coach on how amazing we were, except there was a caveat to it this time....while we did well, if we are unable to do a the complete warm up in a couple of weeks without breaks....we will be looking at doing another event....and I am not even going there!!!
I am going to do this, if I need to live in the water for the next couple of weeks and grow gills to breathe underwater....I am gonna do it!!!
Group Swim Training - Feb 28
Yeah yeah...I know this post is out of order, but I totally had to brag about the effort I put in last week during my swim training too.
There was more than 6 inches of snow on the ground and plenty more coming down while I made my way up to the Community Center where our group swim was. I arrived 15 mins fashionably late (ok, I got lost...), just in time for our group photo (also why I am not wearing my team shirt).
The coach was giving us a lot of motivational praises and telling us how good a job we were doing, and I was beginning to feel at the top of the world, till he handed us our workout routine for the evening.........(oh boy!!)
Our initial warm-up was 300 yds freestyle (which is 12 laps back to back in a 25 yd pool)....and that is just the warm-up!!
However, since this was my second swim training, my body had adapted to some of the initial shock from the last session, and while the warm up was by no means a walk in the park, it was still fairly do-able.
As luck would have had it, I ended up being in the fast lane, so I had no choice but to keep moving so that I don't hold other people up...and ofcourse it was not long before my body decided that this was not fun anymore! I had to break for breather, drink some water and have a pep talk with my buddy Don who gave me some encouragement as well as some company, considering we are both at the same level. This helped me get through our next set of 6x100 yds, by the end of which my legs were trying to play catch up with the rest of me.
This was quite appropriate since our next training drill was called "catch up", and I am still trying to catch up on how to do the darn drill. :(
I'll admit, I cheated a little bit on a couple of the drills so I could get the yardage in, but I am hoping next week will be progressively better than this one.
I am definetly still fired up and motivated, let's hope this keeps staying that way!
Group Bike & Run Training - March 2
So I had group biking and running training on Sunday at 9 am, which meant I had to to get up at 7 am, after a night of hanging out with friends till nearly 3 am, giving me a mere 4 hours of sleep to be ready for the next day. That will teach me some discipline for next time (or at least I hope so)!
Suffice to say, rolling out of bed in the morning was a monumental task in itself, and dragging myself into the shower made me feel as if I had already had my workout for the day!
Considering people had shown me so much support, when I initially announced my intentions to participate in this, I felt guilty if I did not at least deliver to their expectations, so if nothing else, I learnt guilt in itself can be a good motivator....all I need to do now is to figure out how I can use it at will next time! :)
The training started out quite nicely, but apparently our trainer had watched some TV on Iron Man earlier, and our workout suddenly transformed into a bike for your life routine! I huffed, puffed and sweated through that gruesome hour, feeling a sense of accomplishment, only to realize I had a 2 mile run waiting for me ahead (talk about short live satisfaction)!
Here is some proof of that.....(yeah that's me back there alright!)...
The first 5 minutes running outside in icy conditions, the wind chill filling my lungs, made me see lights at the end of the tunnel...except those were headlights from a car in front flashing at me to get off to the side of the road. A little boost of adrenaline there, and I was chugging along the side of the road with my fellow trainers, and surprisingly was able to complete the run without my body deciding to give out on me this time, Yay!!
As I write this today, my legs are constantly reminding me of the beating they took yesterday, while my brain is telling me I have swim training in the evening. I am sure this will make for an interesting post tomorrow, provided my motor functions are active enough to be able to do some typing! :)
Suffice to say, rolling out of bed in the morning was a monumental task in itself, and dragging myself into the shower made me feel as if I had already had my workout for the day!
Considering people had shown me so much support, when I initially announced my intentions to participate in this, I felt guilty if I did not at least deliver to their expectations, so if nothing else, I learnt guilt in itself can be a good motivator....all I need to do now is to figure out how I can use it at will next time! :)
The training started out quite nicely, but apparently our trainer had watched some TV on Iron Man earlier, and our workout suddenly transformed into a bike for your life routine! I huffed, puffed and sweated through that gruesome hour, feeling a sense of accomplishment, only to realize I had a 2 mile run waiting for me ahead (talk about short live satisfaction)!
Here is some proof of that.....(yeah that's me back there alright!)...
The first 5 minutes running outside in icy conditions, the wind chill filling my lungs, made me see lights at the end of the tunnel...except those were headlights from a car in front flashing at me to get off to the side of the road. A little boost of adrenaline there, and I was chugging along the side of the road with my fellow trainers, and surprisingly was able to complete the run without my body deciding to give out on me this time, Yay!!
As I write this today, my legs are constantly reminding me of the beating they took yesterday, while my brain is telling me I have swim training in the evening. I am sure this will make for an interesting post tomorrow, provided my motor functions are active enough to be able to do some typing! :)
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