BR100 Training - Week 4

Week 4 was a big mileage week, even though I missed my run on Tuesday. This was a mini ramp-up week and next week will be down a hair. Which might be a good thing considering the inclement winter weather we're supposed to get. I've been slacking on my cross-training somewhat and need to re-focus. Maybe staying inside the next few days will afford me the opportunity to do just that! Also this week, as can be seen in one of my photo-blog images, my alcohol fast ended. 24 days is a record for me, but it wasn't any fun and wasn't motivating me the way I thought it would. Having been away from it for so long however, I've found that I am appreciating it more. The plan now is to enjoy in strict moderation. There's a balance somewhere for me to find.

I picked up a new headlamp this week on the recommendation of Ladd. The battery life is less, but it puts out a ton more light. And that's what I'm needing: MORE LIGHT! I've also officially determined that I need new running shoes, both road and trail. I'm down to one decent pair and that's just not enough for the kind of mileage I'm doing. I'm looking forward to shoe shopping soon!

Monday - Off
Tuesday - Off
Wednesday - 9.4 mile snowy run PM
Thursday - 5 mile treadmill run PM
Friday - Rest
Saturday - 20 mile snowy run
Sunday - 12.38 mile run


Weekly mileage = 46.78 miles

BR100 Training - Week 3

Once again, a little late. But... better late than never! Right? This week was a little rough as I had to travel to Chicago for two days. Between travelling, meetings, and dining, my workout time on Tuesday and Wednesday was limited. Fortunately I managed a decent run Wednesday morning, but it required me waking up at 4:30. Mileage for the week was scheduled to be down, so I don't feel too bad.

Monday - Abs PM
Tuesday - Travel day
Wednesday - 8 mile treadmill run AM
Thursday - Off
Friday - Off
Saturday - 16 mile indoor track run AM
Sunday - 11 mile snowy run AM

Weekly mileage = 35 miles

Running in Circles

Literally! I was running in circles yesterday at the Rec Center. Weather.com was showing Medina at -5° F and I made the decision that THAT was too cold! I needed 16 miles, so the treadmill was out. What was left? The 1/10th mile indoor track at the Rec. It wasn't so bad, really. I charged my iPod so I had some tunes. The miles actually pass pretty quickly up there if you're not paying close attention. The worst part was all the people! Lots of traffic. Things got gummed up at times. The worst offenders where the people who thought it was OK to stay two and three abreast so they could talk. Hey, Einsteins, when the track is busy, it's time to zip your conversations and go single file!

Anyway, 16 miles in the outside lane on that track is 160 laps. I've already been asked how I keep track of the laps. I worked out a simple system that works well for me. I count on my fingers! As I finish each lap, I move another finger under my thumb. When the right hand is done at five, I switch to my left hand. When ten laps are complete, I take a split on my watch and start over.

I averaged sub 8 minute miles, which I wasn't expecting. Mile splits were: 8:07 / 8:11 / 8:12 / 8:09 / 8:01 / 8:00 / 7:57 / 7:54 / 7:45 / 7:45 / 7:53 / 7:56 / 8:00 / 7:51 / 7:43 / and 7:38. That last mile was supposed to be a cool down, but it doesn't look like it turned out that way. Oh, well, back outside today. It's 10°!

BR100 Training - Week 2

This update is a little late, but there's been a lot going and thing's have been busy. I have a nice afternoon today to catch up on things. So here goes:

Monday - Legs and back AM / 30 min elliptical, Abs PM
Tuesday - Chest, shoulders, and triceps AM / 4 miles treadmill PM
Wednesday - Cardio workout AM / 6 miles treadmill PM
Thursday - Rest AM / 4 miles treadmill PM
Friday - 45 min elliptical AM / .5 mile swim PM
Saturday - Rest AM / 4 miles treadmill PM
Sunday - 21.45 mile run AM / Rest PM

Weekly mileage = 39.45 miles

BR100 Training - Week 1

Training has officially begun! Well, it actually began on New Year's Eve with a nice warm 16 mile run on the APT in Strongsville and North Royalton. But "OFFICIAL" Burning River training began on Monday 1/3. And it was a REST DAY! How good does that get? Training is off to a fantastic start. I'm hitting my daily and weekly mileage goals, eating better, and I haven't had a drop of alcohol since New Year's Eve. Resolutions are sticking. Another resolution of sorts is to keep better track of my training on here. I think a daily update is too much, but a weekly update will be just right. So here is my BR100 Week 1 (of 30) training update.

Monday - 30 minutes elliptical AM / Plyometrics workout PM
Tuesday - 15 minutes elliptical, Ab work AM / 6 miles speedwork PM
Wednesday - Shoulders and Arms AM / 4 mile run PM
Thursday - Core work AM / 5.5 mile run PM
Friday - Rest AM / Back and Biceps, Ab work PM
Saturday - 14 mile long run AM / Rest PM
Sunday - 9.2 mile run AM / Yoga PM

Weekly mileage = 38.7 miles

2010 Year End Review

The final numbers for 2010 are in. No change in swimming and cycling since September, but running edged up a little.

Swim - 46.7 miles

Bike - 1,284.33 miles

Road - 939.83 mi

Trainer - 299.5 mi

Run - 1,140.37 miles

Road - 734.29 mi

Trail - 391.08 mi

Treadmill - 15.0 mi

Those are some decent numbers, especially the swimming and biking. This may possibly be the first year that I have logged more miles in the saddle than by foot in a while! For 2011 I expect run mileage to be WAY up, cycling to be down considerably, and hope swimming won't drop too far. Time will tell...

Although 2010 wasn't the kind of year 2009 was, I'm still very pleased. I was running in pain for much of the winter/spring and had some horrible races as a result. But somehow I managed to get past that, log some serious summer mileage, and go on to finish Ironman Wisconsin. Then the next week, I ran in a 24 hour event! Something had to be going right there! All that training burnt me out so the end of the year pretty much fizzled. Now that I'm refreshed from a break, I can hit the ground running for 2011 and try to avoid some of the things that got me down last year.

Happy 2011!

2010 is over, as 2011 will be in 364 more days! I was able to get one final run in for the year on New Year's Eve. I joined a nice sized group for a run out and back from Bonnie Park in Strongsville to the top of the Ridge Rd. hill in North Royalton for just over 13 miles. Then we did a two mile cool-down in the other direction. We were blessed with a warm front which proceeded to melt all the snow and give us 40 degree temps to run in. SHORTS! That was nice. Running in December in shorts! The temps rose even more later in the day so we took advantage and removed the Christmas decorations and washed one of the cars. Winter weather is supposed to return to normal tomorrow.

2011 is going to bring some changes. All for the better, but changes none the less. As I will be attempting to finish my first 100 mile race this year, my approach to training and diet is going to be more focused than ever before. I'm more worried about what this event will bring than anything else I've ever tried, including Ironman. So, having said that, here are my New Year's "Resolutions":

1. Cutting out all alcohol consumption. This is going to be tough at first, but I think it will get easier over time. I will have special times when it will be permissible for me to drink, like on my wedding anniversary and spring break, but otherwise I'm cutting out these empty calories.

2. Cutting out much of the junk I've been eating. As both the Mrs. and I will be following a better diet, this won't be so hard. The focus will be on consuming more protein as I need to add muscle, as well as also eating more whole foods and less processed foods.

3. Making the time to get my miles in. I have a training plan and I feel I need to follow it as closely as possible to give myself the best shot at finishing within the 30 hour time limit.

4. Making the time to cross train. This includes cycling, swimming, and weight training. I'm still considering getting a personal trainer to help guide me and keep me focused on hitting the weights.

One additional change doesn't affect my training at all, but rather my blog itself. Today I'm going to be starting a 365 photo series. One photo a day for the year. I've seen many others do it and it's something I've been wanting to do for a few years. This should be fun!

I will have some key words for the year too. They include:

Focus

Sacrifice

Effort

Motivation

It's time to get my "eye of the tiger" back. I didn't really have it last year. This year I need to get lean and mean. Any short-cutting will only lead to failure. This should be an interesting year!