Running a little behind schedule at the moment. No time for any earthshattering revelations this morning, but I can tell you this. The other night during my run, I was listening to a podcast about "patience" and how necessary it is in order to really enjoy both life and endurance training. I actually turned my ipod off and spent a little time thinking about how to increase my level of patience as quickly as possible. It took me several minutes to realize the serious fallacy of my thought process. I had obviously missed the point -- I wanted the patience without being patient. I have a lot to learn.
*** Last night I did a hard spinning session on the bike trainer, 1 hour 20 minutes.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
Hooray, it's Monday.
I just got finished with a great weekend. Did some yard work, completed both of my long workouts, played outside with Bryce and Jessi, and even had time to go to a dinner party. My long run last night was probably the most miserable long run of all time. It wasn't physically hard, I felt great the entire time, I just really didn't want to be doing it. I just wanted to be home hanging out with the family and watching "ming ming tuck" (Wonderpets).
I spent almost the entire run thinking about how I'd rather be doing this, or that I wanted to do that, before finally realizing in the last few miles that I had to remain present, patient, and enjoy what was going on at the time. I wasn't out running for the fun of it, the run had a purpose and was scheduled several months ago. Even when I'm not doing exactly what I would like, my life is pretty good and I should always be aware of that.
*** Saturday afternoon I rode my bike trainer for 3 hours and 20 minutes. I rode moderately hard the entire time, going to harder gears and smashing during commercial breaks. It was incredibly boring, but when else can you watch this much t.v. and not feel lazy.
*** Sunday night I ran 10.4 miles in 1:41:XX. I ran another almost half mile without my Garmin turned on (My rate of equipment operator error is incredible) so I won't count it.
I am going to try and get in 2-3 two-a-day workouts this week and see if that helps either my energy level (which has been dragging a bit lately) or time management skillz. I am also in negotiations with Jessi to have her take me to Alabama this weekend, drop me off, and let me ride my bicycle back home (she seems to think of this as a strange request).
Later.
Danny.
I spent almost the entire run thinking about how I'd rather be doing this, or that I wanted to do that, before finally realizing in the last few miles that I had to remain present, patient, and enjoy what was going on at the time. I wasn't out running for the fun of it, the run had a purpose and was scheduled several months ago. Even when I'm not doing exactly what I would like, my life is pretty good and I should always be aware of that.
*** Saturday afternoon I rode my bike trainer for 3 hours and 20 minutes. I rode moderately hard the entire time, going to harder gears and smashing during commercial breaks. It was incredibly boring, but when else can you watch this much t.v. and not feel lazy.
*** Sunday night I ran 10.4 miles in 1:41:XX. I ran another almost half mile without my Garmin turned on (My rate of equipment operator error is incredible) so I won't count it.
I am going to try and get in 2-3 two-a-day workouts this week and see if that helps either my energy level (which has been dragging a bit lately) or time management skillz. I am also in negotiations with Jessi to have her take me to Alabama this weekend, drop me off, and let me ride my bicycle back home (she seems to think of this as a strange request).
Later.
Danny.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Full Speed Ahead
Okay, so here we go into another weekend of long workouts. Unfortunately, my other workouts are increasing to the point that my long workouts are not that much longer than my other stuff (and they are actually easier than some of the high intensity stuff). Today was my first Friday workout in a while. My training plan up to this point had included a rest day (and I haven't been swimming in several weeks). But from now on we are full speed ahead 7 days a week. My workouts are getting longer and harder, but at the same time I need to be careful because an injury at this point could really affect my plans.
I heard an interesting quote last night that seems to really relate to both life and my triathlon/endurance training. "Good judgment comes from experience, experience comes from bad judgment." Take from that what you will . . . .
***Anyway, last night (Thurs.) I ran 6.5 miles in 1 hour. This morning (Fri.) I got up, did a hard 1 hour session on the bike trainer and then ran 2.25 miles in 19:XX. It wasn't very long, easy, or pretty, but it was completed. I guess it was more of a briquette than an actual brick (bike workout followed by run).
This morning was my first morning workout in a while. It feels really good to get a workout before work.
Later.
I heard an interesting quote last night that seems to really relate to both life and my triathlon/endurance training. "Good judgment comes from experience, experience comes from bad judgment." Take from that what you will . . . .
***Anyway, last night (Thurs.) I ran 6.5 miles in 1 hour. This morning (Fri.) I got up, did a hard 1 hour session on the bike trainer and then ran 2.25 miles in 19:XX. It wasn't very long, easy, or pretty, but it was completed. I guess it was more of a briquette than an actual brick (bike workout followed by run).
This morning was my first morning workout in a while. It feels really good to get a workout before work.
Later.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Necessary Skillz
Apparently there is more to triathlon than being able to complete the distance with everything going smoothly. You also have to be able to complete the distance if everything goes wrong. As important as endurance training, is the basic skills needed to change tires and tubes, do simple bike maintenance, and I'm sure there is other stuff I just haven't needed yet.
Last night on my trainer ride, I got a flat tire (which seems like it really shouldn't happen). Anyway, I had no spare tubes so I got to play with my patch kit and actually made it work. I guess having a flat and not being able to fix it keeps you from finishing a race just as quickly as falling over on the side of the road from lack of conditioning. Got to prepare for everything.
*** Last night I rode the bike trainer for 1:45:00 with a flat tire interruption some where in the middle.
Later.
Last night on my trainer ride, I got a flat tire (which seems like it really shouldn't happen). Anyway, I had no spare tubes so I got to play with my patch kit and actually made it work. I guess having a flat and not being able to fix it keeps you from finishing a race just as quickly as falling over on the side of the road from lack of conditioning. Got to prepare for everything.
*** Last night I rode the bike trainer for 1:45:00 with a flat tire interruption some where in the middle.
Later.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Time to get a little more serious
I had a good workout last night, it was fairly short, but hard. In fact, my training schedule has more of this type work in it for the next 4-5 weeks. Up until now, I have primarily been building base mileage, but starting this week should be including much more speedwork and other hard effort drills. I have also decided that I need to be putting in more hours each week (Jessi wasn't necessarily thrilled with that, but was understanding. . . it's only 7 more weeks after all). I am planning to keep my evening workouts about the same as they have been, but add in some second morning workouts as well.
Today I have no pearl of wisdom, but do have an interesting observation from the track last night. Another man came out to do some walking, and instead of parking in the parking lot, he drove his car all the way up onto the sidewalk to the edge of the track. The only reason I can imagine for this method of parking is so he wouldn't have to walk the distance between the parking lot and the track. But he was going walking.
***Anyway, last night I did a 45 minute track workout and ran about 4.5-5 miles (of course I forgot to charge my Garmin and my battery died). I ran a 1 mile warm up, 3X800 hard with 400 easy in between, 1X400 hard, 400 easy, and a 1-1.5 mile cool down. Tonight I am scheduled for a bike ride with a short run afterwards (assuming the rain ever stops).
See ya.
Today I have no pearl of wisdom, but do have an interesting observation from the track last night. Another man came out to do some walking, and instead of parking in the parking lot, he drove his car all the way up onto the sidewalk to the edge of the track. The only reason I can imagine for this method of parking is so he wouldn't have to walk the distance between the parking lot and the track. But he was going walking.
***Anyway, last night I did a 45 minute track workout and ran about 4.5-5 miles (of course I forgot to charge my Garmin and my battery died). I ran a 1 mile warm up, 3X800 hard with 400 easy in between, 1X400 hard, 400 easy, and a 1-1.5 mile cool down. Tonight I am scheduled for a bike ride with a short run afterwards (assuming the rain ever stops).
See ya.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
I'm back, and ready. . .
I took the weekend off of training and went on a camping/canoeing trip with a few of my good friends. We had a really good time, cooked on a fire, slept in tents, and canoed 20-some odd miles over the weekend. It is hard to imagine these days, but we spent almost an entire 48 hours without cell phone service.
Now I am back, and ready to begin my final training push. I have decided without a swimming pool available for the next couple weeks, I am just going to double up my regular workouts and hit the pool as much as possible for the final 3 weeks prior to the event. (I had made that decision in my head, but when I just wrote it out, it doesn't look very smart and I'll probably continue to think about it).
My life thought for the day pertains to the old discussion of wants versus needs. A lot of Zen, Walden, Simple Living type stuff revolves around this concept, but I had an experience with it this weekend. When loading my pack for my trip, I informed Jessi that since I was roughing it, I would only take the things that I absolutely needed and would definately use. Now, after spending two days on the river and returning home, my backpack sits in my living room with 95% of what I packed untouched. Overpacking seems to be a common theme for me whether I'm going on vacation, a camping trip, or doing something work related. It appears that I never need as much as I think, and even the stuff I want tends to do nothing but weigh me down.
*** Last night I ran 7 miles in 65:30. I ran 6 miles at a 9:30 pace, and ran my final mile in 8:30. Tonight I have a running track workout scheduled.
Later.
Now I am back, and ready to begin my final training push. I have decided without a swimming pool available for the next couple weeks, I am just going to double up my regular workouts and hit the pool as much as possible for the final 3 weeks prior to the event. (I had made that decision in my head, but when I just wrote it out, it doesn't look very smart and I'll probably continue to think about it).
My life thought for the day pertains to the old discussion of wants versus needs. A lot of Zen, Walden, Simple Living type stuff revolves around this concept, but I had an experience with it this weekend. When loading my pack for my trip, I informed Jessi that since I was roughing it, I would only take the things that I absolutely needed and would definately use. Now, after spending two days on the river and returning home, my backpack sits in my living room with 95% of what I packed untouched. Overpacking seems to be a common theme for me whether I'm going on vacation, a camping trip, or doing something work related. It appears that I never need as much as I think, and even the stuff I want tends to do nothing but weigh me down.
*** Last night I ran 7 miles in 65:30. I ran 6 miles at a 9:30 pace, and ran my final mile in 8:30. Tonight I have a running track workout scheduled.
Later.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Another day at the park
I'm really enjoying the longer days that come along with springtime. I got off work yesterday and went with Jessi, Bryce, and a couple kids next door to the park. Bryce had a big time and played on every piece of equipment down there. I also learned that he has a new skill. If you pick him up and let him get a good grip, he can hang from the monkey bars. I'm not sure if that is actually impressive or not, but I thought it was cool.
Anyway, after the park, I went for a 4 mile run. It took 37.XX minutes. During this time I listened to a podcast about conceit (I'm not sure what's up with all the self-help stuff I'm listening to these days, but be patient). Obviously, conceit exists when you think you are better than someone else. However, there is a completely different type of conceit that I have never realized -- when you think someone else is better than you. This type of anti-conceit is just as, if not more, burdensome than the traditional sense of the word.
In reality, the most fulfilling life, and the life most true to yourself, is when you can look at yourself without any type of benchmark set by others. I don't really think I'm too bad about this, but I am going to focus on it for the next week or so. When you really get down to it, comparing yourself to others is unhelpful, ultimately disappointing to someone, and results in wasted time and energy.
*** Last Night - 4.03 miles, 37.XX minutes.
Anyway, after the park, I went for a 4 mile run. It took 37.XX minutes. During this time I listened to a podcast about conceit (I'm not sure what's up with all the self-help stuff I'm listening to these days, but be patient). Obviously, conceit exists when you think you are better than someone else. However, there is a completely different type of conceit that I have never realized -- when you think someone else is better than you. This type of anti-conceit is just as, if not more, burdensome than the traditional sense of the word.
In reality, the most fulfilling life, and the life most true to yourself, is when you can look at yourself without any type of benchmark set by others. I don't really think I'm too bad about this, but I am going to focus on it for the next week or so. When you really get down to it, comparing yourself to others is unhelpful, ultimately disappointing to someone, and results in wasted time and energy.
*** Last Night - 4.03 miles, 37.XX minutes.
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