Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Tapeworm?

My weekend workouts all went really well. The big brick workout on Saturday went great. It was a little chilly and cold, but I survived and had a great run off of the bike. Monday I took a day off to recover and yesterday I had a bike ride with some hard efforts. I didn't feel up to the task of fighting with a bitterly cold wind so I rode the trainer while I watched a movie. Today was a race simulation swim set with an easy bike. The bike ride was outside, but still cold and windy. I hate riding in cold and/or windy conditions but I guess sometimes it has to be done.

And I have a feeling that I either have tapeworm, an overactive metabolism, I haven't been eating enough (which I don't believe), or the scale at the pool is broken. Exactly 2 weeks ago, I weighed myself after my swim and I weighed in at 164 pounds which is right in my normal range of body weight. I have always weighed myself after a swim workout simply because they have a nice scale at the pool. All year my body weight has been between 161 - 167. Very rarely am I ever out of this weight range. I haven't weighed under 160 pounds in almost 3 years. Last Monday (two days after my illness) I weighed in at 159. I kind of expected that because of how much came out of my body that Thursday night, and how little I ate on Friday. So I made it my goal to eat a little more than usual last week to get back up in my normal weight range. Last Friday I weighed in at 158. Even though I was eating like crazy, I still lost a pound. Today, I got out of the pool and headed to the scale. I turned it on and stepped on the scale only to be shocked at the number that would pop up. It said 154. There is NO WAY that I have lost 4 more pounds in 5 days. I ate 2 large bowls of chili, two large helpings of cornbread, a large bowl of veggies, and two large brownies last night. This morning I had 3 bagels from Panera. I only eat 3 on the mornings that I'm extremely hungry (which happens most mornings, ha). I am still in disbelief about the weight that popped up on the scale today. I don't think it's possible for me to lose 10 pounds in 2 weeks. I talked to a UK swimmer who said that scale says he's lost 30 pounds since the beginning of the summer. He did say he is lighter but he doesn't think that he's lost 30 pounds. So, I need to find another scale that has recently been calibrated.

That's it for now. Only 10 more days til Clearwater.

T

Saturday, October 25, 2008

This Week

I have completely trained myself into the ground this week. The Long run and easier ride on Tuesday started the series of hard days. Wednesday was a hard swim and a hard bike. And the windy condition here in Lexington didn't make the bike ride any better. Thursday was a 40 minute tempo run and a moderate swim. That morning was in the mid 30's and the coldest weather that I've run in since the spring. So doing a 40 minute effort in that weather was not my idea of fun at 7 a.m. but I needed to get it out of the way for the afternoon workout. And the afternoon swim was going to be a garbage yardage set until I ended up in the water with the HS club team that practices at my pool. I ended up swimming 4500y with a lot of butterfly (which I hate). Yesterday was an easy swim and a trainer bike ride thanks to the rain. It was my first trainer ride since May so I guess I can't complain. And riding the trainer is good practice for the flat roads in Clearwater.
Today I have my last significant brick workout with my last longer run tomorrow. I can't wait to go outside and ride in the cold, haha. But 50 degrees isn't too bad, it just feels cold out on the bike. But I'm really looking forward to the afternoon of watching college football in my warm apartment. It will make it sooo much sweeter after my ride. Maybe the CATS can pull off an upset over the Gators even though we have lost two of our star players of the last two weeks (Locke, Lyons Jr.)

GO CATS

T-Bird

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

The Adventures of Tony

So it's been a few days since I last posted and there have been all kinds of little things that have happened to me. Starting with last Thursday, I was riding my commuting bike back from class and I clip the sidewalk wrong and I crash, haha. Nothing serious, just more of an embarrassing moment for me since there were several cars passing right when I did it. Not 2 hours later, I'm out on a training ride and I almost get in a fight with a passing car. If I were not on my good bike, then there would have been a fist fight in the middle of the road. Some kid tried to run me off the road several times, we had a few choice words with each other, and I got in the last shot by spitting on his windshield as he made a left turn onto a road where I was making a right turn (haha, classy I know). During the altercation, I thought better of what I was doing ONLY because I was on my good bike. If I were on my older bike, I would have just thrown it aside and gone after this guy.

Anyways, that evening I managed to eat something that didn't sit well on my stomach. I spent most of the night and some of the morning in the bathroom "praying to the porcelain gods." I did not teach any classes on Friday, and as a matter of fact, I didn't even leave the apartment. I laid on the couch all day long, either sleeping or watching tv. I didn't eat anything until about 4 pm and that meal consisted of a little dry cereal. So I didn't work out Friday or Saturday since I was recovering from this illness.
Saturday I had a big day planned with my sister, Bethany. She came up for the day and we went to Keeneland and then the UK/Arkansas football game. This was a really exciting day even though I lost a little money at the horse track.
Sunday I had a long ride to deal with and I wasn't sure how it would go. I rode with two other guys and I rode 65 miles at a pretty easy pace. It wasn't a bad ride considering what I had gone through 2 days before. However, I did miss my longest long run which was scheduled for Saturday so I had to make it up yesterday morning. I ran 15 miles and it was one of the best long runs I've ever ran. I did a 5 mile loop three times so that I could stop for liquids and gels at the 5 and 10 mile marks. I ran the loop faster every time with the last 5 miles being run at close to 6:12 pace. The avg. pace for the whole 15 miles was just under 6:30 pace, which is faster than I usually run for long runs.

And I also rode my bike yesterday, and I happened to log enough miles to pass my car in the OFC. My car now has 470 miles compared to the 482 miles I have on my bike this month. I have several more rides this week so I should stay ahead of my car.

Sorry for the long post but it's been a few days since I last blogged. Hope you enjoyed.

Tony

Thursday, October 16, 2008

October Fitness Challenge Update

As of 6:30 pm on Thursday the 16th of Oct. The car is winning. The car has 422 miles compared to the 374 miles I've put on my bike this month. I have made two out of town trips in my car with another possible one in about a week. But I also have 100+ miles planned for the bike in the next two days. So I feel like I'm doing pretty good for the amount of out of town trips I will end up making in my car.

Training has been going pretty well lately. My best friend (and my coach's husband) called me a masochist meaning that I like to torture myself or that I enjoy pain. I had a bike ride on Tuesday that was 2 x 30 minutes at race pace effort. It was supposed to be a 40 - 45 mile ride that ended up being 61 miles. All of my workouts have been a little harder/longer this week than they have supposed to have been. This morning was a track workout that was pretty easy compared to some of the silly workouts that I've done. I did 8 x 800 at a pace that I usually hold for mile repeat workouts. I'm used to running AFAP during workouts and I end up really hurting towards the end, or I end up cutting the workout short. But some of my running workouts lately have been pacing (still a pretty fast pace) workouts which turn out pretty well in the end.

My legs are a little tired right now but tomorrow isn't a horribly hard day and I have a big ride with a short run on Saturday. My longest run before Clearwater will be on Sunday with a recovery swim in the afternoon. So I'm excited about everything that is going on. I haven't worried about motivation or anything, I have just been waking up without a second thought and lacing up the shoes for a run. This afternoon was dark and dreary and I still just came home from class and went for a bike ride without even thinking about skipping it. So I guess that means that I have a lot of motivation right now, ha. I just have to keep this up for 3 more weeks.

Tony

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Motivation Levels

My four huge days are over and I'm looking forward to my recovery day tomorrow. I ended up running 11.7 miles yesterday at a pretty decent pace. I was worn out after this run so I ended up just eating some french toast, scrambled eggs w/cheese, bacon, hashbrown cassarole, and baked apples, and then taking a nap while watching some college football. But I made up for the missed workout today. I ran another 10 miles this morning and then went for an easy 2 hr. bike ride with two of my buddies. Somehow I ended up at the pool for an easy afternoon swim around 3:30. I just finished some school work and am now ready for my second supper. I've eaten enough food this weekend to feed a small nation.

Motivation Level is what is hardest about training for these big races. I know that I want to do well, but sometimes when the alarm goes off in the morning, or you are tired from a previous workout, all you want to do is sleep. So here is what my motivation levels looked like all weekend.

I was excited about the big weekend ahead of me so they started out good.
Friday morning before the long ride - Motivation Level (ML) - around 95%
ML after ride/before run - 65% (so I ended up running even though it was only 1.5 miles)
Saturday morning before long run - ML: 90%
After run - ML: 10% ended up cancelling my afternoon workout
Sunday morning before second long run - ML: 60% just enough to get me out the door
Before bike ride - ML: 50% only this high because I was riding with others
At 3 pm after waking up from a nap, right before my swim - ML: 15% ended up swimming because I told someone I would meet them there

Somedays I just wake up and go without thinking about what I'm doing, but others, I lay there and think about my schedule and when I would be able to squeeze in this workout if I skipped it. If I can squeeze it in at a later point in time, then a lot of times I'll skip it. Most weeks I'll end up skipping 1 to 3 workouts per week. All depending on the motivation levels, haha. I never skip a "key" workout though. The skipped sessions are usually easier rides, swims, and runs.

Hope you enjoyed.

Tony

Friday, October 10, 2008

Home, Sweet, Home

October Fitness Challenge Update: Car - 304 miles vs. Bike - 228 miles
Right now I'm losing miserably to my car, but this includes two days on the road with another to come tomorrow. The next two weeks should be pretty good since my biking miles will be up and I will not be making any out of town trips.

Right now, I'm in my home town of Corbin. I travelled down here to get my car worked on (by a trusted person, not the dealer who tried to get 1,500 dollars out of me about a month ago, all for tires, shocks, brakes, and power steering fluid), watch my sister cheer at a HS football game, and to hang out with the fam. I got in a great ride this morning, going almost 62 miles in just over 3 hours of riding. I love the roads around here. And I got in a short run of 1.5 miles after the ride just to loosen up. Tomorrow I have a longer run of 10 - 11 miles with my bro, an easy bike ride, college football to watch, and a trip to the soccer fields to watch my sis play.

Today was day two, of the 4 days from hell. Yesterday consisted of a running workout of around 10 miles, a swim of 4,000 yards, and a bike ride of 30 miles. Today was the long ride and a short run. This weekend is another easy bike, two long runs (both around 10 miles), and a longer swim on Sunday. I guess the weekend won't be too bad, but I'm pretty tired from yesterday and today. We'll see how those two long runs go. Then it'll be time for an active recovery day on Monday. Too bad that I have class all day, allowing me no time to lay around and sleep, haha.

T-Bird

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Tri For Sight Race Report

Today I competed in the Susan Bradley-Cox Tri for Sight here in Lexington, KY. I have won this race in the past, but I have also finished 2nd to my good friend, and training partner David Kuendig, who was also racing this year. I woke up at 4:35 am and drank some coffee and ate my good ole banana and peanut butter sandwich for breakfast. Coffee is a must on racing mornings. And, I live only 2 miles from the transition area, so I just rode my bike to the race from my apartment.

The race consisted of an 800 meter swim (in a pool), 18 mile bike, and a 4 mile run.

I was seeded 4th in the swim and would enter the water 30 seconds behind the leader. Each swimmer had 10 between them and the other swimmers, as this was a time trial start. I felt extremely comfortable during the swim and went through the 400 m mark under 5 minutes, which is pretty fast for me. I wasn't making up ground on the UK swimmer and Dave, but I had already passed the guy who started right in front of me. I was hurting a little towards the end of the swim, but I finished in just over 10 minutes. My last 800m swim I ever did was in 10:46. My official time was 10:16 but that included a little run from the pool to the chip timing mat.

I passed the UK swimmer in the first mile of the bike and was aiming for Dave. I was feeling good, but I felt like I wasn't making up ground on Dave. I had ridden almost 6 - 7 miles and still didn't see him. I was hammering hard since it was only 18 miles, and was fortunate enough to see Dave about a mile before the turn around. I passed him about a mile after the turn around and there was no looking back. I finished the bike in 44:10 (for 18.4 miles, 24.9 mph avg.). I was hoping to break 44 minutes but I was satisfied with the effort.

I took off onto the run in first place, and I felt like Dave was close behind. I felt horrible for the first mile but then I settled into pace and finished the run feeling strong. I realized about 2 miles into the run that Dave wasn't close. I finished the 4 miles in 21:44.

The finishing time was 1:19:00, a new course record, breaking Dave's old record. I'll make sure to let him know several times this week, haha. Now back to training for Clearwater. I've got a rest day tomorrow, an easy day on Tuesday, then a hard five days of training before another recovery day. Thanks for reading.

Tony

Results link:
http://www.besttimescct.com/results/Sight08.txt

Friday, October 3, 2008

Boredom

So today is the 3rd day of October and I'm dominating my car (mileage wise) in the October Fitness Challenge. I have ridden 46.7 miles on my bikes compared to the 16.6 miles I have put on my car. I did not drive at all today or the first day of October. If I just stop taking girls on dates, then I won't need a car at all, haha. I have a shorter ride planned tomorrow and the Susan Bradley-Cox Tri For Sight (http://www.triforsight.com/) on Sunday. We'll see if I can keep this up all month.

Training has been going pretty good lately. I've had some good workouts, and I've backed off a little this week for the race this weekend. Today was an easy swim. Tomorrow is just a loosen up day, and then the race on Sunday. My goal for the race on Sunday is to break 44 minutes on the bike. The course record is 44:35, which was set by my buddy Eric Bell at last year's race. I went 44:55 two years ago, and I feel that I'm a much stronger on the bike, and I'm riding a much nicer bike. But we'll see how the weather is Sunday morning. Obviously, the main goal is to win the race.

And it is Friday night, and I'm bored out of my mind. I am sitting in my living room, watching a "That 70's Show" marathon on ABC family, and I'm writing on my blog. I will end up going to bed early, but I hate just sitting around doing nothing on nights like this. I'll probably hit the sack soon since I have to wake up at like 4 am on Sunday morning.

Thanks for reading.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

SFC Update

The September Fitness Challenge is officially over, and I failed miserably, haha. The swimming part of the deal ended almost as soon as it began. However, I was cutting it close with the running challenge all month. And I left it all up to the last day of Sept. to close the deal. I usually do not run twice in a day, but did several times during this month because I do enjoy the occasional two-a-day. However, on the 30th of Sept. I needed to run twice to finish the 27 runs. I had an exam at 12:30 pm and a bike workout (which was the key workout of the day), so it looked highly unlikely that I was going to do it. And I didn't, haha. I woke up to get in a short morning run, but remembered that I needed to study for the exam. I did run after my bike WO so I ended up with 26 runs in Sept. which is a lot more than the previous several months. I only ran 17 - 18 times, avg. about 25 MPW in August. July was only 16 runs, avg. in the low 30 MPW. So, the challenge did encourage me to run a little more than I have been lately, I avgeraged over 40 MPW, and also had some really good workouts.

Off to school.

Tony