Three reasons and more why Short workouts ARE worth it!

Until last year, I had a bad habit of ditching a workout if I figured only had 30 minutes or so. This was especially true on the cold mornings when I wanted to sleep in and kept resetting my alarm!

But there are good reasons to do a 30 minute workout, many of them outlined in the Triathlete.com article "Twenty Minute Workouts" at http://triathlon.competitor.com/2012/04/training/20-minute-workouts_24024

I think the most meaningful reason to do a 20-30 minute workout, especially if it's the only thing your going to do for the day. Specifically...

1. CONSISTENCY factor plays a role.

2. Maybe you need to have an active recovery day.

3. Maybe you are just having scheduling problems but want to do something.

In any case, it is indeed worth it to put your gear on and do a 20 - 30 minute workout.

A few additional types of workouts are included in the Triathlete.com article I mentioned.

But what kind of workouts can you do in 20-30 minutes? Here's what  Triathlete.com has to say...

The Filler – Simply swim, ride, or run at an easy tempo for 20 minutes. This is a great workout to do when you want to avoid the guilt of doing nothing but you’re not mentally or physically ready for anything challenging.
Tabata Intervals – Swim, ride, or run at an easy tempo for 16 minutes, then complete 8 x 20-second all-out sprints with 10-second passive recoveries between sprints.
Fartlek Intervals – Sprinkle 5 to 10 fast 30-second efforts throughout an otherwise moderate, steady-pace workout.
Threshold Session – Warm up for five minutes at a comfortable tempo, then go for 15 minutes at anaerobic threshold intensity (the fastest pace you could hold for one hour in a race).
Progression Workout – Swim, ride, or run for 15 minutes at a steady, moderate pace, then blast the last five minutes.
Time Trial – Swimming: Warm up, then swim 800 meters (875 yards) as fast as you can. Cool down as long as necessary to make the total workout 20 minutes. Cycling: Warm up, then ride 5 km as fast as you can. Cool down as long as necessary to make the total workout 20 minutes. Running: Warm up, then run 1 mile as fast as you can. Cool down as long as necessary to make the total workout 20 minutes.

They left out a basic weight-lifting session, which should normally NOT be done on a single-time-only basis, so I can see why it didn't make their list. One 20-minute routine I use the weight-lifting routine the 20-60-40 Weight Training Routine for Olympic and Sprint Triathlon. Full disclosure that I wrote that book. But I really do use that routine for a 20-minute workout at lunch. It is fast and easy and provides consistency during the winter, no matter what the southeast Idaho mountain weather will bring.

Another option is to take a look at some of the Yellowstone Time Trials videos that are about 25 minutes long. I made these specifically for those cold mornings that I didn't want to get up and get on the trainer. I have an additional advantage that I get to relive the awesome warm, sunny days that I did the video capture, but I think anyone will appreciate the beautiful weather I had on at least one day (the other day was quite smoky from fires).

Motto for 2012: "Here and Now"

My motto for the year is "Here and Now." It means to live in the here and now. Previous years' mottos were "loose" and, when that didn't work out quite as I thought, I went to "looser."  

Anyway, here are some things you can do "here and now," as in TODAY, to be well on your way to a healthier  lifestyle and faster triathlon times.

1. Cut out soda. Here are the progression steps for someone drinking several cans of Coke per day:
    1. First month:  Switch to diet.
    2. Second month: Cut intake by 1/2
    3. Third month: Cut that 1/2 by 1/2
    4. Third month: Completely switch to water, adding Lipton Iced Tea drink mixes as desired.

    ** This will help you lose about ten pounds pretty easily, and it will do wonders for your overall health.

2. Minimize alcohol. Follow the same steps as above to minimize your alcohol intake. This will help you lose some weight, too, without completely killing your social life.

3. Plan for consistent workouts. If you have to dial down the intensity to get in a workout, do so. Don't blow off a workout simply because you're tired.  Take an hour for each day that is a standard workout time that is easy to get to (ie it's not at 4am).

4. Mix it up. When you hit a plateau or you are getting bored, mix up your workout a bit to shock your body and get out a rut. This includes using a cross-training period in lieu of a scheduled workout, like going cross-country skiing instead of a run. It's important to keep your mind and body fresh during a training program lasting several months.

5.Track your progress. Write down your workouts and track your progress. For instance, I do a standard 10k run at lunch (see the one hour concept in #3). I track my time all season, and it is incredibly motivating to see the times go down as the training progresses. That motivation helps build a burning desire for consistent training, too.

Here's to great training and fast racing in 2012!!

MapMyRide.com personal information...update

It seems Traci from MapMyRide.com read this post about my not wanting to put even more personal information into their servers. I thought it was a marketing thing, which I understand but was just kind of irked about at the time. I have personal information everywhere. Heck, my sex and age are on every race results page! But I just didn't feel the need to give it to them.

So, according to Traci in a note back to me (it was in the "spam" comments section so not seen by everyone), "The reason we ask for date of birth is due to the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which means we do not knowingly collect any information from users under the age of 14."  OK then. I'll give up the information and keep using the service, which I really do like and find useful to be able to share routes right inline with text. Not to get too political..but that's what we're talking about here....the laws are out of control; there has to be a better way to protect minors rather than ask everyone for their age.


I just deleted a long rant about politicians. My apologies to MapMyRide because you are obviously caught up in the mix of restrictive laws. I'll stop now concerning politics.


Going fishing tomorrow. I get to stand in the Lamar River in Yellowstone National Park. It is a top ten activity in my life, so I'm quite excited.

New personal info required for MapMyRide, MapMyRun, etc

I was going to write about how tomorrow is a great day to get back into a good workout routine because it's the first of the month and a Monday. I'm excited about doing that because I've let myself go for the ENTIRE month of July and I feel like crap.  But......

I went to log-in to MapMyRide.com tonight. Up pops a window that says they "need some more information" from me, like birthday and whether I'm male or female. I understand the marketing side of a free site, but I'm not giving up that information when they didn't need it before. So I go over to MapMyRun.com, hoping that somehow that new requirement isn't there, too, but no luck. So I found their survey and told them I'm no longer using the site until they drop that requirement for additional personal information.  I'll just use Google Earth or something until that happens. Til then, I can't share a route easily in the blog. But I'm drawing a line on personal information being on everyone's server. Maybe I'll change my mind down the road, but for now I think it's too much.

Recovery complete?

If you read Friday's post, you know that I kind of crashed. I haven't really figured out if it was all mental or physical or whatever combination, but I know that there was no exercising to be done on Friday or Saturday. I was ready and willing to go today, but I decided to hold off. I felt like one of those race horses in the holding area right before they are released for the race.

Instead, I played with Paul alot today, and I worked on my other book, "Yellowstone's Backcountry Cutthroats." If you haven't figured it out or you don't follow this blog much, I also enjoy fly-fishing in Yellowstone National Park. That is a primary fun time with family and the great outdoors, and is really alot of the reason I love living in Pocatello so much. In any case, I got that book finished up finally and submitted it to the publishing process at www.smashwords.com. In about a week, it will be available. I've also got going on the blog at www.backcountrycutts.blogspot.com and www.backcountrycutts.com as a companion website. Hopefully I'm not biting off more than I can chew by getting those going.

On another note, as I was on smashwords.com the self-publishing website, today, I noticed that 46 of the weight training e-books have sold.  All along, I've been seeing "2" in the sold column, but that was the two sold on smashwords.com only. Another 44 have been sold on different network sites. I ain't getting rich, but it's interesting to see how the book goes about. I really just hope it is helping people!

Winter Training Season is here.

October is here. That means winter training season started today. Actually, it starts tomorrow because this morning I didn't get up because I got back late from drill last night and needed to sleep in.

My winter training plan is simple for the most part:
- Keep running 10k at lunch every day M-F at a moderate pace. Theoretically, that moderate pace will get faster over time. I have six months for that to happen.
- Bike in the morning. For October, it's a simple matter of getting up every morning and being on the bike for an hour at whatever intensity level seems right for the day. I want to get into the habit of morning workouts. In November, I'll start the workout earlier and then get in a 30 minute swim or weights session before I go to work. December through March is a matter of increasing intensity for the same amount of time during the specified workout.
- I'm going with a hard/short, moderate/moderate, and long/easy approach to workouts for swim, bike, and run. I did that with the run last year, and it worked pretty good, at least when I was consistent with it. The details aren't done yet, but that's the strategy I'm going to take. October is simply maintaining a consistent schedule at moderate intensity.

This past race season really fell apart at the end of June. I had great plans and expectations for the August races and then the September Xterra in Park City. Then I had to go to Korea for USMCR active duty training, and it all fell apart because my motiviation went out the window because I was really bummed about missing the August races (that's when I went to Korea). I could have kept up the training for the XTerra, but it just wasn't happening.  Oh well, the two races I did in June were nice. The Cache Valley was a great race. The Janet's Tri fell apart when I flatted, but that's my own fault because I was cheap and didn't get a new tire when I absolutely knew I needed a new one....I rolled the dice against the odds and lost.

Here's to a good winter training season!

Summer is here!

Summer is finally here! A long, wet, cool spring was long overdue to go away. The weather seemed to break in time for the Janet's Triathlon.

Now it's hot! Last week I was in Boise and did my first long run (11 miles) in the heat. It hurt.

Saturday, I did my longest bike so far...48 miles out to McCammon and back. First 36 miles were great, then it started to hurt. I do twice the race distances for swim and run workouts, but I've never done a bike twice the race distance. Now I konw why I always die on the bike. I certainly need to do at least a few 36 milers, although I've gone 2 hours on the trainer and logged 40 miles according to that setup (I don't completely trust the reading, though).

Now, I'm back into a nice training schedule for a couple of weeks while I decide if I want to do the Twin Falls race. It was GREAT to do an easy 15 miler in the heat today....I forgot how much I really like to ride on a hot day.

General training insights

So here are a few training insights I'm thinking about. I'm trying to get away from the boring "I did this workout today" and add in some thought-provoking stuff.

1. If you're at a plateua in your run training, try increasing your swim volume. It's been working for me the past two months. I went from avg weekly swim volume of 4500-5000yds to 7000-8000yds, and my six mile time is coming down fast. Dropped from 52 minutes in March to 46  minutes today. Some of the improvement can be attributed to steady running and some hill repeats, but I think most of it came from the swim increase. Something to do with oxygen levels, I think, but I'm no scientist.

2. The weather is not cooperating for my bike leg! The end of April and nearly all of May seems like it has been 75% cold/windy/wet/snow. I'm an admitted fair-weather-biker, so I'm still on the trainer. Not good. My first race is just south of Logan, UT, and I figure alot of Salt Lake folks will be there. They've probably been biking outside since March, and they're going to crush me on the bike.

3. Hill repeats are great for the run! I started doing hill repeats on a 45degree hill that is about 400 yds long, and takes 2:45minutes to 3:15 to finish going at a very hard pace (but actually is quite slow). I think these are equivalent to 800 yard runs, but I get more out of them in about the same time.

4. Mixing length and intensity is important. This is the first year I've mixed up the training between long/easy, medium/medium, and short/very hard. It seems to be working. All the times on my standard courses are coming down. And the variety makes it much more interesting.

5. I've found that I like triathlons because of the variety in training. There is never a week that I get in all the workouts, and I do specific workouts only once each week, except a few easy runs that I throw in when my schedule requires it (ie I can't do a scheduled workout). When I was training for the one and only marathon I've done in my life, I got so incredibly bored with running that I almost decided not to do it (but then I realized that that was the important part of being able to finish a marathon...running a very long time and dealing with it mentally). Each workout feels like a fresh beginning because it's been a week or more since I last did it.

6. Consistency is definitely the key. Just getting out there and doing something...anything...is better than nothing.

7. I think I'm getting close to figuring out what my body needs for improvement. There is so much information out there, much of it contradictory! You just have to take the time to figure out what's best for you, and that could take a couple of years. You end up trying a basic training philsophy for an entire year before you know if it's working. Of course, changes in mid-season are always warranted if something is definitely not working, but that is usually just a minor tweek of the overall philosphy for the year. I suppose that's why the most competitive age group for men is generally the 40-44 olds...they've had a few years to figure out what training works the best for them. So, I've got this year to figure it out before I get into that age-group.

8. I turned 39 on Sunday. But I feel like I'm 25 again! I'm positive it has to do with moving to Pocatello and getting into a more active lifestyle, specifically not stuck in a car during commutes to/from work, and being able to get outside and be active right from the garage instead of fighting traffic on the weekend to get somewhere (again, more time sitting in the car!). If anyone reading this is wondering if the small town life is truly better...YES IT IS!. Don't worry about missing all the big city stuff; it will be replaced with much more activity that simply makes you feel better. You'll add time to your day to do stuff you've always wanted to do because the commute is generally much shorter, and life is all about time to do the things you want to do and be with the people you love.

"Choose to win" and point system ratios for intensity

I've found myself a nice little mantra to provide that extra push to do a workout or to keep going hard if I start backing off the effort. I tell myself to "choose to win" today, and it works pretty well. Last week when it was cold, windy, and snowy/rainy, I "chose to win" simply by going out for the run. Then I ended up getting a PR on that timed run workout. Beautiful!

The point system I'm using now is providing some extra motivation, also. Instead of using hours to provide goals for volume, the point system is much better because it's a bit more objective...you either did the volume or you didn't...you can't cheat the volume by going slow and just putting in time. I haven't figured out how to create an intensity factor for the points yet, but I'm thinking about it. Something easy like using the base point system (100yds swim = 1, 1 mile bike =1, 1/4mile run =1) multiplied by a certain factor that includes intensity. So, a 6 mile hard effort run would be 6 x 1.2 = 7.2 points total instead of just 6. I'm not sure what to use for the intensity factor, though, and I would like it to be as close to "real" for my body.  Honestly, a hard six miles is a bit harder on the body than an easy nine miles, so that hard run should be worth more than points.

Because my three key workouts for each discipline are hard/short, medium/medium, easy/long, I guess the medium/medium is the baseline point system. What ratio for the others, though? 1.2 for hard, and .8 for easy? That would put the six mile hard run at 7.2, and the nine mile easy run at 7.2, but the hard run takes more out of me and is definitely harder to recover from. Hence, my dilemma. Maybe just go with 1.3 for the hard  and .8 for the easy. In any case, I'll need to figure out an easy way to update all my workouts in the spreadsheet to see where I'm at.  I can see improvements, so I don't want to mess with my workout schedule right now...I'd do the updated points ratio just to see where everything comes out.

Waiting for the lake to fill so I can get the OWS in.

Waiting on good, steady weather for good biking.

Running is coming along very well, even with inconsistent weather. I hate running the track workout, but I really like the 6 mile TT run and the 9.7 mile easy run.  Now I want to throw in some easy to moderate three-milers in the mornings.

I also want to start swimming in the morning to get used to that for the morning OWSs in May. So far, I'm completely out of the morning routine that I did all winter. Every spring, I get into a rut where I want to sleep in every day. I need to stop that, obviously. I do manage to get up for the nine mile run, though, mostly because I know it won't hurt like getting up to do a swim or bike workout will. It's simply difficult to get my heart rate and intensity up early in the morning.

Sick during recovery week

This week is supposed to be a recovery week, after a five week push of good, consistent training weeks. Now I'm sick. I normally end up taking one sick day a year, and today is the day. I'm not sure I'm actually recovering this week, but I'm certainly not working out. Beautiful day today, too....sunny and 60.

Last Friday's run turned out to be 11.6 miles in 1:23:30, that's about 7:15 miles. I didn't run really hard, but I pushed it a bit. This is supposed to be a long and easy run, but I ended up pushing because I felt so good....there's lot of air to be had at sea level!

Hopefully I can get over this cold/flu/whatever soon. I want to get in my last day of skiing on Saturday, and maybe a bike ride this weekend, too, if the weather holds.

End of winter training...well-timed!

So, at least my plan is working out, even if I'm not working out the plan.

My annual training plan says winter training ends this weekend, timed with the beginning of Idaho State University spring break. Suprisingly, spring sprang this week with some really nice temperatures. And I got in my first open water swim today...not in Idaho but in California at Camp Pendleton, where it was sunny, 70 degrees, and little wind. Anyway...

The past two weeks provided a great transition period from winter training to spring training. I got the bike outside a couple of times, and I got in the OWS today. I ran in shorts and a t-shirt twice last week on one of the warmer days of 45-50 degrees. Woohooo! But I also ran in the morning with pants and jacket a few times because it's still cold when it's dark. I also did a bike race, one of the ICE 10k TTs on a Sunday afternoon two weeks ago...I didn't know it was a race until I got there....I thought it was just a group ride of some sort (which I've never done, either).

Anyway, now it's time to turn up the intensity. My dog isn't going to like that much, because she's getting old and can't do much faster than a 9:30 mile. Paul might like it because I'll start pushing him more outside; he loves being outside! I won't get to swim in Idaho until the start of May, although I'm thinking I might try it towards the end of April just to see how early I can actually do it.

The only problem I have now is that the sun still isn't up til 6:45am or so, so I can't ride outside in the morning. That leaves me on the trainer in the morning and then a possible afternoon ride. That means I'm screwing with the trainer alot, which I'm not particularly fond of because it's harder than it really should be to get on and off the trainer.

I really need to turn up the intensity on the running ALOT. I'm just been jogging along at 8:30 miles all winter. I might have endurance, but my lactate threshhold is sure to be fairly low. But I can feel the endurance increases from the 9-10 mile runs.

ICE TTs:
The Idaho Cycling Enthusiasts bike club hosts two very informal race series each year. One is a 10k TT on a nice fairly flat section of road, although the wind can blow pretty hard (30-40mph) on this section fairly regularly. There is also a hill climb up local Scout Mountain, about five miles and 2,500feet. I'm planning on doing alot of those races, as much as a "cost-to-race" money-saver as a training method. I also want to get to know a few more people who bike. I'm very much a lone biker, which is ok for what and when I train, but it will be cool to meet some new folks and extend my horizons a bit. Like I said, the races are very informal, almost a show-n-go type thing but with a manual timer and some results, and the results get tallied at the end of the series to see who won. I'm certainly not there to win; maybe I'll see if I can't get last while I learn something and meet some people.

I'm looking forward to a good, well-balanced summer of events. It doesn't include the races I really want to do, but I'll certainly expand my horizons.

Last push in winter training

Winter training has gone well so far, and now it's time for a final push of bike-traininer training, building volume on the run, and getting into the pool in a serious way. In a few weeks, I'll start transitioning to outdoor riding (as soon as the sand gets cleared off the roads). Til then, I'll continue increasing the resistance on the trainer and pushing hard.

Today I did my first nine mile run (9.65 actually). This year, I want to follow a 3-6-9 running plan: run hard 3 miles, 80% race pace for 6 miles, and really easy for 9 miles once each week. I'll add in a few other short runs, too, I think. My 9.65 mile course is as flat as I can find around here while staying off roads and keeping it mostly flat and interesting. I came in at 1:24:55 (about 8:50 miles), and I'm quite happy about that for my first run and an average heart rate of 142. I was hoping for something between 1:20 and 1:30 with heart rate of 140, so that result is dang near perfect. Also, so far I don't feel any major issues from pushing my single-run volume up so fast: three weeks ago, my longest run since October was 3 miles, two weeks ago, it was six miles, and then this week was 9 miles.

My swim form is coming along nicely. I swam 3000 yards this week with no issues. Amazingly, my times are equivalent to where I left in August! I'll take that any day. Now it's a matter of cutting some time (from 1:30/100yds to 1:15/100yds), and I'll be where I want to be.

I'm anxious to see what my 40k TT route comes out during the first go in late March (hopefully). That's when I'll see if this winter's work was actually worth it.

Sufferfest videos

My first double-post day!

I recently downloaded the Sufferfest trainer videos from www.thesufferfest.com. I love these videos, and they never fail to make my legs sore for 48 hours. I prefer the Fight Club video because it has longer interval sets, which is what I need to focus on. The price is right at $10 each. It's a download, so you don't have to screw around with DVDs and such. This is definitely the way to go if you're looking for some 60 minute trainer videos. Both videos use clips from real races, interesting communication from the video-maker to keep things interesting, and cool warm-up and cool-down videos.

February update

Winter training is going well, and the focus on the bike is really paying off. I don't use a power meter, but I can tell from the increased cadences at the same resistance and gears and heartrates that I am making progress. This week, I increased the resistance on the trainer another full turn, so I'm now working the same workouts a full two turns more resistance than last year at this time. That's progress.

I wanted to start swimming at the beginning of February, and I did actually start. BUT....I had some "crunching" in my shoulder that shouldn't be there and has never been there before, so I put off the start two weeks to make sure that doesn't come back. I think my strength training worked better than expected, especially the "swim pull" exercise, that my muscles are stronger than the stabilizers in the shoulder can handle. Also, I've always had a bit of cross-over in my stroke and not enough hip roll, so it's a matter of getting new and improved form before summer workouts begin. With better from, specifically not crossing over the center line, my hand entering the water flat rather than thumb-first, and a better hip roll combined with bi-lateral breathing, that "crunching" should go away. The 500's I swam before the crunching arrived were at about 7:45, and I swam two of them, so my times are better than normal for this time of the year. That leaves me some extra training time to continue focus on the bike and work on the improved stroke form.

With the swim shoulder problem, I've stopped lifting weights earlier than expected, and I'm filling that 45 minutes with running. I'm doing a definite training no-no by basically doubling my run volume in a week's time, but so far my body is handling it. I'm really tired, but my body is handling it. The runs are doable and close to my times in October, so that's good. All the biking is keeping my run times down pretty good. Unfortunately, I'm not doing enough back-country skiing to match last year, and that skiing is a really good endurance workout....only three days on the slopes so far this year because we didn't have enough snow until early January.

Overall, I'm really excited about where my bike is at, and satisified with my run. I'm anxious about what will happen with my swim, though.

As far as race planning, I have three races picked out right now. My reserve drill schedule is putting a huge damper on the races. My big races are normally at the end of August, but this year I'll be on my two-week training exercise at that time. So, I'm doing the Janet's Tri in West Yellowstone in June, followed the next week by a race in Jordanelle, UT that I'm excited about. I"m thinking about a race in Idaho Falls in mid-July, but the course is kind of strange....a 1,000ft climb on the bike and a six-loop run with a 300ft climb in it.....definitely not what excites me but could be painful in a good way....last year's winner had a 2:35 in the Olympic Distance so it's definitely challenging.

This weekend is three days of cross-country skiing with the family in Island Park and Harriman State Park. Last year was awesome, and this year should be better because Paul is a bit older!

Body clock changed successfully

I have managed to change my body clock. I'm now completely ready for bed at 9pm instead of 11pm. Of course, this helps me get up at 0445 for morning workouts. I've found that I'm much more consistent now, and I am doing all of my workouts. With lunch and after-work workouts, something would always come up that shortens the workout or completely cancels it. Consistency is my goal this year, and I think I've found my answer.

Last week was really cold, but I still got out and ran after the morning bike workout. It's a matter of gear and being warmed up. There's no way I could get out of bed and go run in -10 degrees, but I can get up and ride the bike for an hour and then be warmed up and ready to go outside in the cold. I got in three runs last week this way!

Interesting that as my body gets used to morning workouts, it gets easier to get my heart rate up. In early November, I couldn't get ready mentally or physically to get my heart rate much above 145 or so. After six weeks, I can get it up to 170 now and the intensity is close to what my afternoon workouts were. This should probably help come race day when I need to be "on" early in the morning.

Snow is here, and I can't wait to get in some backcountry skiing!

December going well so far...SNOW!

The December training schedule is going well. I've added a bunch of details for here on through Spring Break in March. The focus is on the bike, and I'm doing one workout of each type each week: M=power (slow cad, big gear, low heart rate) T=hard interval set, W=easy spin and spin-ups, R=hill repeats, and F=steady state at 75% LTR. I'm running 1.5-3 miles after the M,W,F workouts to train my legs for running after the bike, and I like that I have an entire winter and spring to do it. The distances are short, but it's the consistency I'm after; and it's damn cold in the morning now (avg about 5deg), so I like to keep it short. It's much easier to run in the morning after you've had a good workout because it's easier to get out in the cold with a working body rather than one straight out of bed.

I'm lifting weights at lunch on M,W,F, and swimming at lunch on T,R. All in all, the average scheduled hours is 9-10 hours, of which I hit about 7-8, with missing hours because of work, life, etc.

And there is now snow on the ground. In a few days, that measn ice on the roads. The running will be difficult, but it will force a shorter, faster cadence. My goal is to get to an average cadence of 84 on the run this winter, so I guess the conditions help that.

This past weekend I was at Camp Pendleton for my drill weekend. I liked the warm sunshine, but I simply didn't do any workouts other than a bike spin on some rusted out stationary bikes in the Del Mar gym. Next drill periods, I resolve to do lunch and after-work-hours workouts like long runs instead of sitting in front of a tv.

I also got the video analysis of my bike tonight (Thanks, Tera!). Everything looks good. I have a bit of a "snake" action in my core that I don't know if it should be there or not, but it sure looks like it shouldn't. Also, my right heel doesn't come down like it should, although the left ankle action is looking pretty good. The Cobb seat is AWESOME!

Great week so far....

The only consistency is my inconsistency.

Last week's workouts sucked. This week I'm on a roll. I've done all my workouts this week, morning bike trainer rides and runs at lunch. If...no, when, I hit tomorrow's workouts, I'll have done 100% of my schedule. That doesn't happen often. I don't think it has ever happened. So I'm on a roll there, and I think I'll hit 20 miles running, too.

USMC Birthday was Tuesday night. We had a great dinner with the local Marines, all retired except me and a Corporal. I have absolutely no discipline when it comes to Marine Corps Birthday Cake; I ate at least four pieces, probably six, I lost count!

Looking forward to some snow and getting into the backcountry on skis! The seasons are at point right now that I don't do anything on the weekend. Kind of relaxing, actually.

Not a great week.

This past week was not so great. The only workout I got was a three mile run. No bike at all. Wow...what happened? Still not sure, but I know I was really tired and needed sleep, so I wasn't getting up in the morning. Tera and Paul were both sick all week, so I think that was affecting me, and my body must have been successfully fighting it off. I didn't get sick, but I got really tired for sure.

I haven't called about the V-flow seat yet. Still looking into it and pretty sure it's going to happen.

This upcoming week is an important time for me to get back into the swing of morning workouts and daily runs. I was doing pretty good in October and need to get that enthusiasm back. With November here, I am to a point where I shouldn't be too worried about burn-out anymore. I took off alot of September and workouts in October were pretty low-key. At this point, I'm losing important time on the bike that will get me down to the 1:08-1:10 times I want next summer.

In December, I want to start getting into the pool for about 2,000 yards a week and three days of weight lifting.

And Tuesday is the 234th birthday of the United States Marine Corps. Happy Birthday Marines!

And everyone have a safe Veteran's Day....say thanks to a veteran and also to his/her family because it's tougher at home when a family member or good friend is deployed.

PFT results and a V-Flow Max?

This past week became a bit of a recovery with a test week. I got in only three trainer rides and no training runs. I was quite tired all week...maybe it's something in the house because both Tera and Paul are a bit sick, and they're both really tired and sleeping alot.

On Saturday, I did my Physical Fitness Test (PFT) for the Marine Corps. It turned out to be a nice day. With a 1000 start, it had warmed up to around 45, maybe 50, degrees. Very little wind. I ran the 3 mile run on a track, and I was worried about getting bored. This "race" for time was more of an administrative requirement than any real evaluation tool for promotion. Therefore, I didn't go 110%, but I did put out at least 95%. I consider running 90% mental, so the mental aspect is important. Anyway, I ran a 20:22, with my first 400 at 1:30 and last at 1:38, with an average close to 1:45 for the rest. I thought it was a good run, and I'm happy with it.

I got 15 dead hang pull-ups. Not bad for not doing any training for pull-ups and being 10 pounds heavier than I like.

I got 85 crunches in 2 minutes. I'm suprised how my crunches have deteriorated. I always got 100 (the max) prior to 2008. I have a solid core, but it doesn't help when doing these crunches. Or, maybe I'm just kidding myself about my current core training, and I really do need to work on that.

I'm up to 185 pounds! Yikes! Too much birthday cake and other crap, I guess. No need to worry about right now, other than the fact my goal is to be at 178, and one month ago I was at 175.

Finally, I'm about to buy a V-Flow Max saddle. I figure something has to be better than this stock saddle I'm on. This current saddle isn't terrible, but it doesn't let me get up on the nose for more than a a minute or so without some serious issues. If I sit back, it's actually quite comfortable. On the trainer, if I get up on the nose, I can really feel alot more power. This seat should help me stay up there without any issues. Cobb offers a 180-day trial period, so that is the deciding factor over an Adamo, which is very much the same except for the nose. Most reviews consider them very similar except for the Adamo being a bit wider at the back of the seat. I'm excited about it.

Week in Review and a few notes

What happened this week?

1. Goal was to ride for 60 minutes each day Monday through Friday. I did it Monday through Thursday, then had to watch Paul Friday morning when he woke up early. I did the ride on Saturday morning, so I met that goal.

2. Run 15 miles. I got in 14 miles. Missed the Saturday run when Paul woke up early (again!) and couldn't run after the bike. Was going to run during a BEAUTIFUL Saturday afternoon, but I took a nap instead. I was really tired and really cranky. I very rarely take a nap, and I can't remember when the last time I took a nap was. Original goal from the annual training plan was 20 miles this week, but I dropped it to 15 miles to avoid any injuries from too much volume too fast. So far so good. Next week is 20 miles. I had absolutely no problems this week.

3. On Slowtwitch, I saw a post that included the opportunity to demo an Adamo road saddle. I pm'd him, and he'll send me some details. I'm pretty excited about it.

4. I got a blue-lamp this weekend, and I'm going to use it for the hour in the morning while I'm biking. I generally have lots of trouble getting up in the morning during the winter, and more trouble getting going when I finally wake up. I hope that this solves the problem.

5. I'll drop my handlebars by one spacer after I get done with this post. With no problems all week from the change in the cleat position, I'm going to call that a good change, so I'm ready for the next change....dropping the handlebars.

6. I also got some Acai and Green Tea drink mixes to drink during the day. I've been using an Acai powder for about 10 years (before the big hype started), and the Green Tea is always something I've thought of. Today at Costco, I saw some handy drink mixes that I'll try out.

7. Ski season is about two months away!