Off the bike and on to the plane...

It was an action packed day.

Work, then get home early, ride an hour on the bike, pack my suit case and off to catch a plane to Las Vegas.

I sure hope I didn't forget anything!

The ride was good, it was a bike speed workout at tempo speed. I can really tell working harder to get the heart rate up. I'm getting much more efficient.

I looked at my log today and it has been 20 straight days of training . Even after these workouts, back to back and no days off, I can't believe how good I feel.

There hasn't been one workout I haven't looked forward to...

Okay, I lie, I must say the 3 hour bike on the wind trainer is not my favorite.

Gotta go, Vegas is calling!

Realizing the key to making it easier...

When I first started this coached program, I was concerned.

I wasn't sure if I'd enjoy or be able to maintain a training schedule that is given to me, as following structure has never been my strong suit.

I've always thought that my "intuition" was strong and I typically would decide what workout I was going to do the night before or the day of the training session.

I'm finding that I'm rather enjoying this pre-planned program.

What's great is that I don't need to think about what I should be doing. Essentially I don't have to make it up as I go along based on how I feel at the time.

The surprise has been how I feel after the training sessions, especially the next day. Before signing up with the plan, my concern was that it would be too much and I'd burn out.

The cool thing is that I'm seeing how the workouts are scheduled and they have built in recovery periods.

It is really strange, I'm doing more training than I have in my whole life, but I feel like I've been doing the least amount of training from a "body recovery" standpoint.

Case and point; Today I did a moderate hour run which felt effortless, then swam 3500 meters, and I don't feel tired.

Monday and Tuesday combined was about 6 hours of training. Tomorrow is an hour bike, which I consider somewhat of a rest day.

I now look at my schedule and if I see only one training session for an hour or less that day, I truly look forward to it, as it is a rest day in my mind.

I'm one "sick puppy"!

Good news, back news...

The bad news is that I threw out my back yesterday from getting up from a chair.

It never fails, when I sleep or lie down to long, that is when I throw my back out. I've had a chronically bad back since I was 15. I throw it out at least once or twice a year. Yesterday, after 14 hours of sleep, that is what did it!

The good news is that if I move around it tends to get better. Motion is lotion. So I was still able to do my workouts tonight. I rode for 1 hour 45 minutes and I did an hour of weights, then stretching.

I have a couple of people staying with me, so I was really happy that I was able to get this done tonight and still be somewhat of a host.

I must have motivated them because they decided that it would be healthy for them to go for a walk around my neighborhood.

Lots of fun and a Long Run

Last night was a late night and today was a lazy day. I slept 14 hours.

Between staying up late, some cocktails and a week of heavy training, the sleep was just what I needed.

I went for my long run at 8 pm and it was a beautiful night. The weather was nice and because it was a Sunday night, there was very little traffic. It was a very peaceful run.

On the run I found a CD on the street. It's titled "Julies November Mix". I curious to find out what is on it.

This upcoming week is going to be interesting and challenging for my training.

I've got my dad coming in for two days and then I'm off to Las Vegas from Wednesday until Sunday.

Riding, Riding, Riding and a Swim....

Today was my long bike ride, 3 hours, followed by a 2500 meter swim.

It's a good thing I started early. I was up early to watch Reid's hockey game at 7 am. I wasn't looking forward to 3 hours on a bike indoors on a wind trainer, but by 9 am I was on the bike.

The first 2 hours was fairly tough. With me getting in better shape, I need to push more wattage to keep my heart rate up and this caused my legs to get sore early in the ride. For today's ride my heart rate was to be between 119 - 134 bpm.

After hour two, for some reason my legs started to get stronger, or the endorphins were high enough to mask the pain. In either event, by the end of the ride I was getting dehydrated and tired. The amount of sweating I did during the ride was incredible.

I had Alice get me more water and an Heed Electrolyte drink. She couldn't get back fast enough. With 15 minutes before my ride ended I downed two full water bottles.

I finished at noon, stretched, had lunch and went to Cedar Springs for my swim. The swim was easy, I felt real good afterwards. I felt like I had a good workout today, the legs are healthy sore, but not painful. In terms of getting a membership at Cedar Springs? No way! For so many reasons.

I made a deal with Reid earlier this week regarding our diet, er lifestyle, as I like to tell him. I told him that we would each be allowed one day a week that we could eat anything we wanted and we agreed it would be every Saturday, starting today.

For lunch he went to McDonald's, his last visit was July 2007. I decided to eat Carmel popcorn from Kernels and have KFC Chicken for dinner, it has been well over a year since I've had KFC.

I took my time eating, for three pieces of chicken, fries, gravy, coleslaw and potato salad, I savored it for close to an hour. Every morsel was eaten, down to the bone. It tasted so good!

Now that I'm done updating my blog, I'm going to relax, have some beer and chill...

I feel good.

I was looking forward to the Friday tempo run...

Two weeks ago I did my first tempo run at 139 bpm and ran a 9:35 mile. Today, two weeks later, I did the same 139 bpm tempo run in 8:37.

Last week I thought I had a bad tempo run at 8:46 per mile because I had a little to much "party" the night before, but it didn't really effect my time that much when I compare it to this week. It's only a 9 second per mile difference.

About 15 minutes after today's run, while sitting down, my resting heart rate went down to as low as 51 bpm. I'm starting to see and feel improvement! And it's only been just over 2 weeks.

I checked out another health club today that has a 25 meter lap pool open 24 hours a day and is only 10 minutes from my house.

I'm finding that trying to fit my swims into the times that the YMCA has open for lane swimming is difficult and I often need more time than they have allotted.

I cancelled my YMCA membership today. Luckily, because I just signed up, they did not charge me anything.

Going hard in the pool...

It's been a really long time since I've done speed work in the pool for almost an entire swim.

Typically my heart rate during swimming is difficult to get up to 139 bpm or higher, it's just the nature of swimming. It is not as physically draining as running and biking.

Today was different. Many times during the swim, my heart rate was going over 139 bpm and I had to slow things down.

After brief rests and then starting the drills, I felt so strong. Then near the end of the drill, I could feel myself fade until the set was over. Then after a brief rest, the process would repeat itself, strong in the beginning, tired at the end.

It's interesting, the 2500 meter speed work session took me only 10 minutes less than my 3000 meter long swim. The pool session was only an hour and I needed more time to finish, so I had to ask if I could stay a little longer.

After the swim, I did weights. I can really see the difference the weights are making.

I'm determined to get in better shape than I was in my 20's. There is just something that is driving me to do so and I can't explain it.

It is tough because, sadly, I've lost a lot of core body strength, especially in the arms and shoulders, and I think the only way to get it back is through pushing myself hard during weight training.

I did a lot of grunting and groaning tonight!

My cycling is getting stronger...

Tonight was an hour tempo ride on the bike, keeping my heart rate at around 139 bpm.

I can really tell my legs are getting stronger. To get up to that heart rate I had to tighten the resistance on the wind trainer and gear up on the bike, even more than my last ride.

Normally at 139 bpm, the workout is fairly easy. But I'm now starting to find that as my body is becoming more efficient, parts of the ride were actually a little painful. Not a lot, but a little.

I did have to push it to keep the heart rate at 139 bpm.

My legs are getting stronger...and my swimming sucks...

I just got home from swimming at the YMCA. I signed up for a membership and did my long swim.

I was really enjoying my swim until an old lady and a guy with surfing swim trunks were swimming close to my speed or faster for a few laps. For all the swimming I do, you would think I would be faster. It was depressing.

I don't know what the problem is, but I really want to get faster at swimming.

When I was in my early 20's, I swam the Ironman at 1:55 per 100 meters. Last year I was 2:25 per 100 meters during races. With the swim club, I think I've improved to around 2:10 per 100 meters.

My goal would be at minimum to swim as fast as I did in my 20's, and ideally I'd like to swim at least 1:45 per 100 meters.

I found out that there is a weekend "swim immersion" clinic at McMaster University in February, but it is full. I signed up on the waiting list. This clinic is 1 coach to every 6 students and they use video taping, classroom lessons, etc. It is a two day, all day event and a proven system put on by a company from the United States.

I hope someone cancels because I need something to help me.

My run was good. I did 50 minutes and I could feel my legs getting stronger. In the past, to get fast, I would run everyday. My body would respond by my runs getting faster as my legs got sorer. It sounds strange, but it's true.

I purposely have not run everyday because of my chronic calf problem and I figured it would be best to rest it and not run everyday.

Although with the new training program I'm not running everyday, but combined with the other workouts, I'm getting the old leg building soreness I used to get that helped improve my speed.

Overall, with the biking, running, swimming and most importantly the weight training, my body is feeling stronger.

As a matter of fact my weight is going up due to new muscle growth.

The the second week of the program begins...

I'm pretty happy with how my training is going so far. I did the first week on my new program, and my body and mind feel fairly natural. I don't feel stressed, overwhelmed or dreading the next day's workout.

I was tired today before I worked out, but that was because I had to get up a couple hours early this morning and drive Reid to a 6:40 am hockey practice.

Today I had 1 hour and 45 minutes on the bike, followed by a total body weight training session.

The ride was good, I watched the movie "Mr Woodcock". I can really tell my aerobic base is building and the weight training is helping. On the bike, I had to put it up about 2 gears and I tightened the tension just to keep my heart rate in the 125 bpm range. I generated more wattage at a lower heart rate than last week.

I did the weights at home on my home gym. I much prefer doing all my training at home, as opposed to a health club.

When I do it at home, it feels like I'm at home with my family, even if I'm training. For example, I lifted weights and watched "American Gladiators" with my daughter. It was good family time and I didn't have to miss a workout.

Plus, I hate the inefficiency and extra time required to drive to and back from a health club.

Sunday...fun day?

I had my morning swim with the club, afterwards I relaxed for a while at home, organized the songs on my ipod, then went on my long run at 3pm.

It was cold outside for Toronto. It was -21 C with wind chill and the winds were 47 km per hour, gusting to 61 km/ph.

The minute I left the house I could feel the wind. I did an out and back route, and for the entire way there it was a dead on head wind. At times, especially going up hill, I could hardly run. I shuffled.

I can tell things are improving from last week because I was able to keep my heart rate under 139 bpm without having to stop, even on the uphills with the wind at my face. I ended up doing just over 10 miles at a 9:47 pace. Last week it did the long run at a 10: 16 pace.

Last week I was also dressed lightly, as it was pretty warm outside. This week I had two pants on and lots of shirts and a heavy jacket. So all things considered the run was much better.

Once I hit the turnaround point, I could really feel the difference the wind made at my back. It seemed like I was being pushed up the hills and on the down hills I was flying, it was effortless and the heart rate stayed under 130 bpm.

On the return of the run, I had negative splits, it was so windy that I ran from the turnaround point home in 6 minutes less than it took me to get to the turnaround point.

It was cold. I took water bottles and they froze. I was able to get water out of 2 of them by screwing the tops off. I did have to stop for a bathroom break so I knew I was well hydrated.

I love running in the cold. It is a neat feeling knowing you are one of the few runners out running today. On the picture I posted above, it was cold enough for an icicle to form on the side of my hat, yet the scenery along my run looks warm.

People where looking at me, bundled up, and I knew they thought I was "nuts"!

I also "officially" finished my first week of my coached program. I did 13.25 hours of training for week one for my 1/2 Ironman race in May. I can't imagine what my training weeks will look like for my Ironman race in August.

Long ride...flat legs

Today was my long ride. I was on the wind trainer for 2.5 hours.

My legs were flat from the 30 minute mark, but I pushed through it. When I finished, I did not have any sort of a "bonk" feeling like last weekend. I felt pretty good.

As the ride went on, after 1.5 hours my legs actually started to feel better. My heart rate was around the 125 bpm mark and my rpm's were high.

I did notice that after the last couple of long rides, that if I get up from a sitting position too fast, I get a little light headed until I get enough carbohydrates in me.

Overall it was a good ride!

I'm actually glad I'm doing the hours on the bike now so my legs are better prepared for racing. I'd rather pay the moderate pain price in training than extreme pain price during a race. I want races to be somewhat enjoyable.

Nothing is more enjoyable than racing hard and not having sore legs afterwards.

Recovery and a run...

I did my speed work at 8:30 pm tonight. I needed the extra time to power nap for a couple of hours and fill up on some food and lots of water.

Last night was party night and Alice and I sat around, had some great conversation and got to bed around 4:30 am.

Somewhere around 2 am and feeling "no pain", my daughter drove me to the 24 hour supermarket to get some pizza and while there, a stock boy let me take a super bowl display home, er..., at least looked the other way. I gave him an honorarium of $10.37 (That's all I had). I figured it would look great in our games room.

The run today was good, my resting heart rate was higher than I would have liked, but that's the price you pay for having fun.

After the run I felt like a new man, ready for this weekends training!

Training around work and family...

Today was a test.

I had to go to Rochester, NY, for a full day conference, which ended at 3:00 pm, and I had my son's hockey game at 8:30 pm, which I could not miss because he was going to play goalie for the first and probably only time. And in between there I needed to eat dinner and do two training sessions.

I left the conference at around 3pm and got home around 6pm. I ate on the fly and was off to the YMCA to do weight training and my swimming speed work session.

Other than the 350 meter easy cool down at the end of the swim, I did all the intervals required, which were not easy, and showed up at Reid's game just as they were going on the ice. I love it when a plan comes together:-)

Thursday is my kick back and have a beer night, which I also planned for earlier in the day.

On the way back from Rochester I picked up 90 Michelob Ultra Light, they don't sell them in Canada and I wanted to make sure I have enough to last me for a while. They only have 2.6 grams of carbohydrates per beer, which will reduce insulin spikes and turn off my fat burning system.

I planned on getting "hassled" at the border, but I told him what I had; that I couldn't get it in Canada; and I'm trying to watch my "girlish" figure. He laughed and let me through without having to pay any taxes or duties.

Now that I think about it, I think I hear one of those beers calling my name...I better go.

Sweating it out....

Today was a lighter day, relatively speaking, with only 1 hour of speed work on the bike. I kept my heart rate around 139 bpm.

To do the ride I needed an hour power nap before I started, I was mentally and physically tired when I got home. It's amazing what a power nap will do, it can make you feel like a whole new person on a whole new day.

The ride was good, I could definitely feel a slight soreness in my legs from this weeks previous workouts. As a matter of fact, when I woke up today, I had to shuffle to the bath room and it took a little while for my legs to start moving fluidly. If you saw me this morning, you wouldn't think I was any sort of an athlete.

On the bike, as I watched "American Idol", I was sweating like mad. It reminded me of when I did a "sweat lodge" in Alaska. I was just dripping sweat for the entire ride. The amazing thing was that my normal weight is 177, this morning it was 174 and after tonight's ride and all the sweating, it was 179.

I had a roller coaster of weight change today.

The only "during the week" big day...

On the training schedule, Saturdays and Sunday's are high volume training days, which is not a problem because I'm not working. But Tuesday's workouts are similar to a weekend workout, without the time.

I had an 1 hour run and a long swim of 3000 meters.

At the last minute yesterday, I found a pool that had enough lap swim time in the evening to allow me to do my long swim workout at night, as opposed to going at 5:45 am. I'm not a morning person.

It was an odd day. I was psyching myself out all day. I wasn't looking forward to the workouts, I was looking forward to finishing the workouts!

I kept thinking about the workouts and how I would feel after the swim. I've never done a 3000 meter straight freestyle swim for at least 10 years. The only swims I've been doing is with the swim club and the strokes change from drill to drill, and we don't do 3000 meters.

I pushed myself out the door on the run just after 6pm. To my SURPRISE, my heart rate was low...I was able to do the entire hour at around 128 - 130 bpm. I didn't have to stop once and my pace was around 9:15 per mile. It was an effortless run. Enjoyable really.

I could tell the training system is already starting to work, I'm starting to get energy from fat.

The swim was also great! I felt good in the pool. It was the first time I've done freestyle continuous and was breathing out both sides. The breathing started to feel natural after a while, as a matter of fact, I now like it better than breathing out one side only.

I could also tell my stroke mechanics and feel for the water has improved from going to the swim club. For the first time this year, I really am starting to understand the benefits of going to the swim club. I did the swim in 1 hour 16 minutes.

For both training sessions, my heart rate was low. The only time it went higher than it was supposed to was when I was sitting in the sauna after the swim. My heart rate monitor started beeping at 140 bpm, so I figured I better get out of the sauna and go home.

I made it through the "Tuesday" workouts and they really weren't that bad!

The "during the week" big day...

Officially the program begins...unofficially it started last Friday.

I officially started my "Mark Allen" coached program today. I had an 1 1/2 hour bike, watching TV and catching up on my reading, and then a weight training session. I'm surprised how good I'm feeling after the workouts, considering I had a full weekend of training.

I did my weights at the Flamborough YMCA. I wanted to check out the pool as they have 90 minute lap swims each evening, which would mean I could do my long swim in the evenings and not have to do them in the early mornings.

I'm just not a morning person. I like working out after 6:30 pm.

The weight training was interesting. The programs is to do 1 set of 12, which I thought would be easy. The only catch was that I was to take 2 seconds to lift and 4 seconds to return the weight. It was a lot harder than I thought and I got a really good pump.

Day one...check...completed.

All in all...I feel pretty good for a slow guy.

Last night I spent at the sleep lab to get re-evaluated for sleep apnea. With the weight loss and the tonsils out, I thought I might not have sleep apnea anymore.

It is never easy to sleep in a lab, I always sleep light and feel I never really get a good nights sleep. They put all kinds of wires on you and it is tough to even move around, plus its strange sleeping in an office building with a bedroom.

I left at 5:30 am. Before I did, I asked and cajoled the technician to tell me if looked like I still had sleep apnea? She reluctantly said "No" based on the readings she saw, but she said the doctor may think differently when he examines all the readings.

This morning I went to swim club and then did a 1 hour 25 minute long run between 119 - 139 bpm. It was tough to keep it there, especially for the first 1/2 of the run. For some reason on the second 1/2 it seemed to stay within range more easily.

I went SLOW. To keep the heart rate down I had to walk at least 10 times, maybe more, I lost count.

I picked a route that had flat roads, rolling hills and steeper hills. According to my training plan, I'm to try and run and bike 1/3 on flats, 1/3 on rolling hills, and 1/3 on hills.

I was concerned that I was not hydrated enough for the run, but it turned out I had to go to the washroom 3 times during the run. Thank goodness for being on country roads.

My final pace was a 10:16 per mile.

Overall I feel great! No leg soreness and no mental fatigue after 4.5 hours of training in two days.

As I ran, I passed by a couple of cycling groups. At 2 C and windy, they were out riding. I figured I might ride outside for my long bike next weekend as well if it is warm enough and I bundle up. Riding outside is always more fun than riding inside.

That's it for today. Tonight I'm not going to hockey, my hand and wrist is still sore. Last week I played hockey before it healed and injured it again.

The Long "Inside" Ride...

Today I had my long ride on the wind trainer. It was 2 hours and 15 minutes. Next week its 2 1/2 hours, then the following week it's 3 hours...

I can't remember the last time I had a ride that long on the wind trainer, or if I'd ever had an indoor ride that long. If I did, it would have been 15 - 20 years ago.

To get ready I took my time and set everything up perfectly. I put the bike close to the bed with a rubber mat under the bike. I put my water bottles, TV remotes, cordless phone and newspaper on the bed beside me. I pumped up the tires, set the tension on the trainer, got a towel and put a movie in the DVD. I was ready...

All in all it was a good ride. I kept the heart rate between 120 - 130 bpm. Afterward I had a good stretch and some protein powder and raisins. I could definitely tell I had a good workout... and this is just the beginning of the schedule...I hope my body can keep up.

Tomorrow is a swim and a long run. Tonight is Pizza night!

I was looking at the future weeks training schedule and "boy" does it get harder...3 hour bike rides then a 30 minute brick run...and that's 12 weeks before the race. I can only imagine what the weeks leading up to the race will be like.

When I think about it and realize that this is just the training plan for the 1/2 Ironman, I don't want to think about what my training plan for the full Ironman will look like.

"It's best not to think about it right now".

What a TEMPO RUN...for an 80 year old!!!

I did my first workout on my coached program from Mark Allen Online. It was my speed work day and the workout was a 50 minute tempo run, not to exceed 139 bpm.

Well...the first 1/2 of the run was okay and I was able to keep it at 139, but it didn't seem like a tempo run that I'm used to, it seemed like a long slow run pace. For the second 1/2 of the run even with a strong wind at my back I had to slow down to almost a speed walk pace just to keep my heart rate under 139 bpm.

Then for the last 250 yards on a very slight incline, I actually had to stop for a few seconds just to keep the heart rate under 139 bpm.

WOW...very humbling! I was very self conscious of someone seeing me, especially any of my neighbors. If they did, they would think it was my first run after open heart surgery. I looked like an "old Man" jogging. I didn't look like a guy who did over 500 miles of running in the last 6 months.

My pace was 9:36 per mile...for a TEMPO run...a pace that is supposed to be just under a race pace.

When I was reading the fine print about the program , it did tell me to be patient. It WARNED me that my speed was going to be much slower, as I need to train my body to burn fat not glucose, and not to despair, as with time, things will dramatically turn around.

Essentially they want me to have faith in their program.

I can't imaging how slow my Sunday long run is going to be. I hope that I don't get passed by an old lady in one of those scooters with the basket in the front.

Laugh time...before the work begins

I took the plunge!

Today I signed up for a training plan from "Mark Allen Online". It officially starts next Monday.

It wasn't cheap, but I figured if I want to do well, I need experienced coaching and a plan on what to do and when to do it. The reason I chose this coaching service over the others was:

a. Mark knows what he is talking about as he has won Ironman Hawaii 6 times.
b. The amount of age group athlete's he coached that came either 1st or 2nd in their groups at Ironman Hawaii was amazing.
c. Before signing up, they were great in getting back to me with answers to my questions.
d. If I miss workouts, they will re-adjust future workouts to make up for the missed workouts.
e If I add races, they will re-adjust the plan to allow them to fit into my training plan.
f. I've met and spent time with Mark Allen in the past and found him to be a decent guy.

The first plan is specifically tailored for my 1/2 Ironman Florida in May. Then after a couple weeks rest, my next plan will be specifically tailored for Ironman Louisville in August.

The start date of the plan is this coming Monday. I'm real curious to see how well it works and how I'm going to feel.

Tonight, Alice and I are going to watch comedian Lisa Lampanelli at Hamilton Place. She's a regular on the Howard Stern Show, she's very raw and funny. Lot's of guy humor. It's been a while since we've seen a good comedian, so I hope she doesn't disappoint.

Swimming with Sight...Hallelujah

Tonight was my first night back at the swim club since November 14th. I saw my good buddy John for the first time in a long time. We're doing Ironman Louisville together.

I met John in September at swim club, we got to talking, and he was the person who was the proverbial "straw that broke the camels back" and got me motivated to register for Louisville. (Hey John it was good to see ya again... finally!!!).

Typically I've always dreaded going to the swim club. I don't mind swimming freestyle for a long time where I can get into a zen like state. But club swimming is constant drills and not relaxed or easy.

A major problem is that I can't see very well when I swim because I don't wear contacts or have prescription goggles. This makes it difficult for me to look at the chalk board to see what drill is next or where the hands on the swim clock are positioned to start drills.

Well all that changed tonight! I went to the swim store today to buy new goggles because my old pair broke.

The girl at the shop wanted to know if I needed prescription goggles and initially I said no because I thought they would cost way to much. But then she showed me prescription ready goggles from Speedo for only $21 and I bought them right away.

I wore them tonight for the first time and couldn't believe the difference they made. Instead of the pool looking hazy, forcing me to squint all the time just to see 4 feet in front of me, I could see the entire pool area clearly. It seemed like a fog was lifted. I could see the light!

I was no longer frustrated that I couldn't see the chalk board and the next drill. Now I was able to do the drill without the pressure of having to try to memorize the entire nights set of drills. I was in heaven! As a matter of fact, tonight was the best club swim I ever attended. It's amazing what difference a pair of goggles can make!

Also, for being out of the pool for so long, I swam well. My aerobic conditioning was great, I was still able to keep up with the others in my regular lane, the only thing bothering me slightly was my wrist and hand from the sprain I got playing hockey, which now that I'm finished "blogging in" I'm going to go ice up.

An excellent Run...

Today was the day. It was my first run after my massive leg weights workout and a couple day rest period.

I knew things were starting off well when I put on my heart rate monitor. It was only 45 minutes after eating dinner, when my heart rate is typically higher due to eating, and it was in the high 50's and low 60's. Remarkable. By resting, my body was telling me through the heart rate that it was feeling better.

Then on the run, my calf did not hurt and my Achilles had very mild soreness and much better than 3 days ago. During the run it became apparent to me that the weights made a difference. Then it dawned on me that I haven't done weights on my legs for years. Perhaps this was a factor to my aches and pains on my calf's and Achilles?

The run was good. It is real nice out, especially for this time of year, it was around 14C. For the first half of the run I was very aerobic and for the last half I was in the 145 - 152 bpm range.

I only did 5 plus miles, but what I'm reading is that the volume of the workout is not critical, that what matters is the volume for the week. That it may be better to do more workouts at less volume per workout.

Overall, I'm very pleased with today's workout.

Thinking about recovery and a plan...

Since I've been doing a lot of reading on training plans, the recovery phase is constantly preached and preached and preached. Today, I planned on going for a run and was looking forward to doing so, but I held myself back.

My body is not injured, but still feels real sore from the aggressive weight workouts I did in Florida. My calf muscles are still tender to the touch, especially my left one. It's not a bad sore, but a good muscle rebuilding sore. It is taking more time than I would like for them to rebuild better, faster, stronger. But if I overdo it, could I end up gaining no benefit or injuring myself?

I'm noticing that my 40's body does not recover as fast as it did in my 20's, which really shouldn't be a major revelation, but it is to me and my psyche. As an example, I had my tonsils out November 21 and just last week was the first time I didn't feel an irritation in my throat. That's just around 7 weeks to total recovery!

All this is forcing me to really look at the variables I can control, such as my training plan and diet. I've been recording my food intake for the past 10 days and the program I use breaks down the calories into fats, carbohydrates and proteins. I'm analyzing what I eat to make sure I have enough protein to repair muscles and enough carbohydrates to replace the fuel in my muscles. This is all new learning to me, even just figuring out the ratios is still a work in process.

I've really decided to focus on racing and performing well and not in just putting in volume without a plan. My goal is to have my 2008 training plan ready by next Monday. I'm finding it is much more complex than I originally thought. Best case is I'll do it myself, worst case is I'll sign up with "Mark Allen Online".

In essence, all I want to do is train, but I'm concerned that if I don't have a plan I may be putting in "garbage" miles. So until I get the plan in place I'm just going to do enough to keep up my current endurance.

Hockey Night in Burlington

It's nice being back home. Today was my catch up on my sleep and relax day before getting back into the daily routine.

I spent most of the day reading about how to set up a training program.

Wow, is there a lot to learn and consider. At one point I figured I should just pay the $35 per week to be professionally coached and be done with it. But if I really try to do it myself I'm sure I'll learn much more. What to do?..What to do?

I've realized how beneficial the weights have been to my legs. With just two hard leg workouts, my legs and calf's are feeling stronger. All the reading I'm doing is saying that weight training is critical, especially for the older athlete and should be maintained throughout the year.

My body was really craving food today. I ate more than usual, but ate well. I'm really focusing on the types of calories I'm eating. I'm using Nutridiary.com and analyzing my fats, proteins and carbohydrates.

Tonight was my first hockey game of the New Year. I took it easy and had a couple beers with the boys afterwards, but no nachos or wings. What willpower! :-)

Home Sweet Home

Today was our final travel day. We made it home safe and sound.

The muscles in my legs are a little sore from yesterdays workout, and when I say sore, I mean it in a good way.

With all the time flying I spent a lot of time reading "The Triathletes Training Bible". What a great book. As I was reading it, I decided to put a training plan together based on the principles in the book.

I realized as I read it (and it described my training style to a tee) I'm old school in my training approach - Volume, Volume, and more Volume.

Rather than logging in as many training hours as possible, I need to work on purpose and be strategic in my workouts. It's also interesting that the book is very focused on making sure you have enough recovery days to avoid injury and burnout. Rest! Something I'm not used to doing and not feel guilty about.

The bottom line is that I've got the motivation to train, but no plan. Now I'm going to put together a plan based on my goals.

It asked in the book if I had a quantifiable goal? Which most triathletes don't but should and is critical to building a plan.

After thinking about it, I decided my goal would be to beat my 1987 best Ironman time of 12:22:01 when I was 21 years old.

There I said it.

I NOW HAVE AN OFFICIAL GOAL!!! GULP!

An almost triathlon....

It was my last day in Jacksonville and the weather was a little warmer in the mid 50's.

I ran to the gym, had an awesome full body workout and really did some heavy exercises on the legs. I did around 9 set of calf raises at different foot angles alone.

When I started to run back to my sisters house, my legs were a little rubbery. In total the run was 40 minutes and the weights took an hour. On the way back I was starting to "bonk" a little.

Once I got home, I fueled up and decided to go for my last bike ride in Jacksonville. I figured I brought it all the way to Jacksonville and even though it is colder outside, it is still better than riding a wind trainer. So I bundled up and off I went for an hour ride. It felt good.

The picture above is the roads I was riding on. The good news was it had a wide bike lane. The bad was the heavy fast traffic and the glass on the road. Not a lot of scenery.

Afterwards it was a mad dash to stretch, pack, eat and get to the airport. My body and mind feel great!

Relaxing, Stretching and Massaging...

It was an easy day. I had an okay sleep. When I woke up my calf muscles were twitching like mad, especially my left one. I did some stretching and massage and decided just to walk through it and not run today. I did some calf raises and it seemed to work well in loosing it up.

We spent the day relaxing at a family friends farm and riding their ATV's. Afterwards I went for a massage and the therapist recommended that I do weights for my calf's. For the past couple of years I've been reluctant to do calf raises because I thought that was the reason for my calf problems initially.

I also have started reading two books. One was recommended by Mark Allen on a website and it is called "The Schwarzein Principle II" and the other is "The Triathlon Training Bible". Both are great. The first one is about diet and metabolism and the second is about triathlon training. The triathlon book also recommends calf extensions for people who are susceptible to calf and Achilles pain. Good diet and sleep is also highly recommended to help repair muscles after training.

A real positive is that I've been eating really well lately.

Tomorrow I'm going to a gym to do some weight training on my legs and calf's.

Taken it easy...and learning

I went for a short 4 mile run today. I couldn't keep my heart rate aerobic and was about 145 - 150 bpm for the entire run which was unexpected. Typically after a hard run or workout it is very aerobic on the next workout.

I'm not sure why it is so high...
a) too much party on New Years?
b)Recovery from Race?
c)Body trying to heal itself of injuries and sickness? or
d) all of the above.

I also went to Barnes & Noble and picked up a couple of books on triathlon training and nutrition and have just started to read them.

I've been eating well from a calorie perspective for the last few days.

It's amazing that after I do my daily logging of food in my log, I don't want to snack because then I'd have to go to the computer and log it in, which is work. It's easier not to eat any more.

Will this year be better than last?

According to my 2007 Training Log, I did a total of 2726.88 miles of training and burnt 240,601 calories.

Of those, I ran 632.84 miles, cycled 2040.52 miles and swam 49.08 miles.

Last night was a late night party. I think I over did it and should have been resting my Achilles. Then today, 8 of us went to the Gator Bowl. My left leg has had no rest.

When I got home I iced it and I'm seriously worried. I noticed that the Achilles being sore has caused me to walk differently and the new walking style is cramping up my calf. I'm wondering if this is how I've hurt my calf over the years.

Hopefully this isn't a sign of things to come for 2008. Mentally, other than the Achilles and calf, I'm ready to have my best year ever.

My New Years resolution for 2008 is to eat healthy 90% of the time. I'm really going to make an effort to learn more about nutrition and limit my beer intake.

The weather is going to be record lows for Florida over the next few days, so I think I'll take the time to rest my leg and read up on nutrition.