Last work out of 2008 & Looking forward to 2009...

It has been an interesting month, December always is. Training inside on the bike and running outside in the cold and snow is always a challenge, especially when I go back to Winnipeg for a week. I was going to swim today, but when I showed up at the YMCA they were closing in 20 minutes. So I decided just to do my tempo run, after all this is the off season and my coach said not to worry about missing workouts and I didn't mind missing a swim, which I find least enjoyable. When I got home I did my tempo run. It had snowed last night and the side walks were very slippery and it was very windy at 44 kph, gusting to 57 kph. About half a dozen times I had some major slippage and had to run gingerly. I was to do a tempo run and keep the heart rate under 140 bpm, but I couldn't, I decided to turn it into a speed run, after all it was my last run of the year. Near the end my heart rate got up to 166 bpm and I was feeling the lactic acid building in my quads, which I can't remember having happened during my racing season. Although I'm still in great shape, I look forward to next year when I'm in racing shape and I don't ever get sore anywhere, no matter how much mileage I put in. Essentially I'm looking forward to getting in that World Class shape mode. 

Now that I'm done training and updating my blog and training log, I'm going to have a shower, open the beer John gave me and start New Year's Early. Happy New Year to all!!!

Tempo Run - 45:09 / 6.21 miles / 7:16 pace

24b

December Totals

Swim - 3.58 miles

Bike - 275.19 miles

Run - 92.53 miles

Weights -8 Sessions

Totals - 371.30 miles / 29,207 calories

5.422

Jan 1st - December 31st Totals (2008)

Swim -196.15 miles

Bike - 5173.65 miles

Run - 1223.13 miles

Weights - 68 sessions

Total -  6592.93 miles / 10633.38 kilometers

Back to the routine...

Ten hours is what I slept last night. I made sure I got to bed early, I needed the sleep badly. After work I got training early. I was out the door by 6:00 pm to do a moderate run under 130 bpm. Near the end of the run my left hip was bothering me a little, I chalked it up to needing new shoes. My existing shoes have close to 500 miles on them. By the time I got back, I ate dinner and drove to the YMCA to do some weights. On the drive to and from the YMCA I was close to falling asleep. When I got back I got on the bike and did a moderate bike ride downstairs. The time went by relatively quickly because I read virtually every article in two sections of the Toronto Star. After I did my stretching, I was finished by 11 pm. It felt good to get in 3 hours of training because I'm sure I will eat and drink those calories tomorrow on New Years Eve. The best thing today was looking at the Winnipeg weather and seeing that it was -38 C with windchill and that I wasn't there. My - 1 C didn't feel that bad.

Moderate Run - 1 hour /7.06 miles / 8:31 pace

Weights - 30 minutes

Moderate Bike - 90 minutes / 25.2 miles

Coming home to rest...

I didn't get to bed last night until 3:30 am. It was the first night I wasn't partying, but updating my parents computers, setting up iTunes, back up systems, networks and syncing computers to each other and an iPhone. I was up early to get to the airport and catch our 9:15 am flight. It was nice to get home and relax. All of us are partied out and need to burn off those extra pounds. I was surprised that both Alyssa and Alice gained a few pounds. I don't know how much I gained because I refuse to get on the scale for a least a week. I don't want to get depressed. 

After I parked the car in the garage and went to open the house door, I was surprised to see a case of Amstel Light Beer in front of the door with a Christmas Card. I didn't know where it came from or how it got in the garage, but then I remembered I gave John Barclay, my Iron buddy, the code. It was a really nice touch for him to provide me with my FAVORITE sports drink. I plan on drinking it on New Year Eve and toasting John.

I was scheduled to train, but was so tired I decided to shuffle my weekly training schedule and add Monday's workout to Tuesday and Wednesday's. I was actually a little brain dead from setting up our electronic picture frame we got for Christmas and choosing over 600 pictures, which easily took over 3 hours. But it was worth it. 

Training Rest Day

I'm leaving just in time...

Another late night last night and more Winnipeg traditional food. This time it was nips, which are hamburgers from Salisbury House. I'm sick of food and drink. Now I need a week just to get the Christmas paunch off. Today, Alice and I did the traditional drive around Winnipeg to see important places to us, like our old homes, parents homes, schools, etc. Afterwards I dropped Alice off at my parents and went to the YMCA for my long bike ride. It was a good ride and I think I'd feel like much more of a whale if I didn't go. I'm really glad we are heading home, I can't keep up the pace, plus I hear it is going to start getting REAL cold tomorrow with temperatures around - 34 C. 

Long Bike - 2 hours / 35 miles

These holidays are killing me...

I actually had a good sleep even though I got to bed around 4 am. It would have been later if I didn't talk Alice into going to bed, she was still going strong from her night off yesterday. Today was my long run. I got up around noon and took some time to loosen up before I went for a run. It was cold outside, - 26 C with wind chill. I was scheduled to do an 75 minute run but miscalculated the route distance and ended up doing 90 minutes. I was pleased with my 8:05 pace. For the last 6 miles my average speed stayed exactly at 8:05. If I could run and Ironman Marathon at that pace I'd be really happy. My legs started to get very mild cramping because I didn't drink enough water before I left and all the beer drinking has made me dyhdrated. A few times on the ride I had to move over to the extreme side of the road when some trucks drove by me. I find it interesting that cars seem to move over but not many pick up trucks. It seems the bigger the truck, the bigger the asshole. They have no respect for runners. The worst was a tow truck driver who went by me. When I got home I had a good stretching session and then went to the YMCA for a weight training session. By the time I was finished, I was in a sleepy trance like state. We were planning on going out to Alice's sisters house but couldn't make it. We did take all the kids and went to Gondola Pizza for their awesome pizza, it's a Winnipeg tradition. Tonight was another late night, we went to my brothers for some cocktails and ended up sleeping over.

Run - 90 min / 11.40 miles / 8:05 mile

Weights - 25 min

21b

Training never felt better...

Another late night and way to much fun. Alice didn't join me at the Sohor's, she came down with something and went to bed early. Since yesterday I've been so looking forward to training today. I ended up going to the YMCA and did an hour on the bike. I did my workout on a spin bike, I've never used one before and I actually like it better than a Life Cycle. The mat under me was completely soaked from my sweat. Cindy Klassen, the Olympic speed skater was riding beside me. It didn't even look like she broke a sweat. After the bike I did a tempo swim. It was open swim and not lane swim, so there were toys and kids in the way. It was quite the obstacle course. Tonight was another Christmas dinner with Alice's brothers and sisters and another late night. We didn't get home until around 4 am again. I created a custom Whiskey label for my brother and sister in-law and it was a big hit.

Bike - 1 hour / 17.5 miles

Swim - 30 min / 1375 meters

19b

Merry Christmas, I feel like I'm growing...

I had a bike and weights on the schedule for today, but being Christmas everywhere was closed. I decided to make it an off day and do today's workout tomorrow. Waking up today was REALLY tough. Reid had us up at 6:35 am to open his presents. I was there watching from the couch but I was not there. I fell asleep until noon and when I got up I felt much better. For Christmas Alice got me a Ironman iControl watch for my iPod. It allows me to skip songs and to adjust volume from my watch.

The rest of the day was eat, eat, eat and drink, drink, drink. I felt like a whale. My pants were getting tight, but the food was great. I was so looking forward to tomorrows workouts to burn some calories. I was also looking forward to getting to bed early but when the Sohor's called I knew it was going to be another late night, which it was. I think I got to bed at 4:00 am. 

Rest Day

20b

My Ass Froze...

Another late night, another busy day. I decided to do my tempo run later in the day, just before dinner time. By the time I got out the door it was -35 C. I was really surprised how fast I ran considering I was bundled up, it was really cold and the roads were snow packed and icy. I kept the heart rate under 142 bpm and was able to average a 7:26 pace. It felt good. When I got home I jumped in the shower and I didn't let me body thaw out before and sure enough the hot water started to mix with the cold skin and I got burnt from the cold. The worst part was my butt. The sweats I'm wearing have a wind breaker in the front and down the legs, but the back side is regular fabric with very little protection. I'm glad I've been working out, all I've been doing is eating and drinking. Tonight is our traditional Christmas Eve Chinese food that Alice and I buy everyone. We had a really late night hanging out with my brother Bob and the Sohor clan. I even came up with a great way to take my beers with me. I attached the case to my belt. It's amazing how great the idea seemed at the time.

Tempo Run - 45:00 minutes / 6.05 / 7:26 pace

24b

Chilly Willy...

I was feeling a little rough today and decided to split my workouts. I did a run early in the day, then hung out with Alice for most of the day. We went to Sorrento's for their world famous Sorrento salad. When we got back it was off to the Gym with Rich to do some cycling. We went to Chief Peguis, it is a hole in the wall. It is under a school in the Grotto, you can see all the foundation pillars and the mud from the original digging. 

My run was a different story, it was your typical Winnipeg cold weather. It was around - 30 C. It turned out my cycling jacket was able to with stand the cold. I forgot what it was like to run on packed snow for the entire time. It was cold and I kept the heart rate under 135 bpm. Later than night we went to Alice's sisters place and, again, didn't get to bed till around 4 am. I noticed today a cold sore coming on, too much go, go, go.

Moderate Run - 54:10 / 6.38 miles / 8:28 pace

Moderate Bike - 50:00 / 14.5 miles

24b

Happy Birthday Alice...

It was a fairly late night last night and I got to bed around 3 am. I decided to go to the Wellness Institute with my mom and do some weights, then I drove to the Seven Oaks pool and did some laps. It has been a while since I've been to the Wellness, I used to have a membership, but the equipment definitely needs replacing. I've seen home gyms work better, the weights were sticking to the rods. At the pool I had a great swim. Even though I hadn't swam in about 2.5 weeks, I didn't miss a beat. It was a long swim and I did a 400 meter set averaging 1:45 and two 500 meter sets, 1:47 and 1:50 respectfully. It was a nice pool, but the only downside was that the lines on the pool did not have the T style end points to let you know when to turn around. I was lucky I didn't hit the wall a few times.

Afterwards we went out for a Birthday dinner for Alice with the entire family and friends. There was 15 of us. We had a good time, then back to my parents for cake and cocktails. It was another stay up till 3:30 am night.

Weights - 45 minutes

Swim - 2500 meters / 53 minutes

12b

Finally caught up...

The past couple days have been a "whirl wind" of things to do. It's that time of the year. Last night we got home from Johnny's party around 3 am. I tried to sleep in but I also needed to make sure I had enough time to do my long bike ride and pack. 

I had a 2.5 hour bike ride and I was looking forward to it. Even though I had a semi-sore head from the party, I was able to do a half decent ride. I found myself getting stronger as the ride progressed. I also find that with having the laptop set up in front of me, I'm able to surf the web and time really goes by much faster. The ride was a good one and about 50 minutes into it I went into the zone and the time when by fairly quickly. I can't say enough that I'm enjoying the new training schedule, more long training sessions which I like, especially during the holiday season when your eating and drinking constantly, it helps burn those extra calories.  I ended getting everything done and now we are off to Winnipeg for the holiday's. I hope I didn't forget anything and I'm looking forward to catching up on my sleep. 

Bike - 2.5 hours / 42.5 miles 

2.5b

Snow adds life to the shoes...

I was feeling a little rough when I woke up and I really would have loved to have slept another 2 to 3 hours, but I couldn't. I had to drop some stuff off in Kitchener before noon (which is just under a 2 hour round trip), then I had to do my long run, take the kids with me to go Birthday and Christmas shopping for Alice's presents, get Reid to his hockey game by 4 pm and get to Johnny's house for dinner by 6:30 pm. It was go, go, go.

It was the first REAL winter run. The sidewalks hadn't been plowed, so I had to run on the road and it was - 15C outside. The entire run was on snow and slippery snow and it was tough to get any grip. I was actually surprised how good I was running considering my head was hurting a little and the poor road conditions. For the first 1.5 miles I was around a 7:30 pace, keeping my heart rate under 140 bpm. As time went on it was tougher to run in the conditions, but overall I had a great run. There was some great 70's music on the iPod and I REALLY enjoy long runs. I much prefer doing an hour run over a 30 minute run. It was colder out, but my new jacket did a great job keeping me warm and I used my new wind breaking running / cycling tights. This was a great test to see if those clothes have a chance of working in Winnipeg. 

I really like the new Ironman maintenance schedule I got from my coach. It is much more mileage than I've been doing for the last 8 weeks. I need the mileage, it does good things for me both mentally and physically. I'm sure tomorrows long ride is going to be fun after tonight's dinner party.

Run - 55:16 / 6.72 miles / 8:13 pace

14b

Snow day...

Winter has finally arrived to Burlington. We had a pretty good little storm, a 7-8 based on Ontario standards and a 5-6 based on Winnipeg standards. It was tough slow driving. I was scheduled to do a swim but I couldn't get to the pool in time. Everything was at a stand still. It's just as well, I probably would have put my goggles on backward and inside out. I'm just toast mentally from getting up early. My plan was to go to bed early and sleep in tomorrow morning, but Alice and I were having a few drinks and our neighbors John and Lisa came by and I didn't end up getting to bed until 3:30 am and I had to get up by 9 am to make another delivery. So much for catching up on my sleep. Although having a few beers is always a good reset button.

12b

I better do some Christmas Shopping Soon...

Another early morning. I'm done with getting up early! I'm an Ironman, but I can't handle the get up early thing. Last night I woke up disorientated at 1 am and didn't know what day it was or if I got up late, I was panicked. Then when I had my shower I turned the lever in the wrong direction, ouch it was hot! I can't believe how important sleep with a natural, non alarm, wake up is to me.

I was able to do tomorrows early morning delivery tonight, which means I get to catch up on some sleep tomorrow. Plus, we are supposed to get a major snow storm this weekend, starting tomorrow morning and I'd rather not drive in it. When I got home I was spent. I forced my self to fall a sleep on the couch and set my alarm to go off for my hair cut appointment at 7:40 pm. I got up, drove there, and then realized it was tomorrow at 3:40 pm. Like I said I'm not on my game. 

I felt better after the sleep and did a moderate run and then went to the YMCA to do some weights. I looked at my moderate run times from a year ago and I've really improved, I'm now running about 1 minute per mile faster at the same heart rate. I'm glad that I'm going to have a full nights rest because I need to take the kids Christmas shopping and Birthday Shopping for Alice. I also need to pack all my clothes and get ready for our flight to Winnipeg, if we don't get snowed in. Although, truth be told, it is so cold in Winnipeg, this week it has been -35 C to - 44 C, that if our flight was delayed a day or two it really wouldn't bother me.

Mod Run - 41:31 / 5.11 miles / 8:07 pace

Weights - 30 minutes

Going, Going, Gone...

My bike auction ended on Ebay and I came away with $1450 CDN. Not bad considering everyone figured that if I got $1000 I should take it. Truth be told, I think that $1450 is a fair price for it, not to little, not to high. The guy who bought it is from Idaho and he was really happy with what he paid in U.S. dollars. He knew he got a deal. Frankly I thought it would go for $200 more. I've already got his money in my bank account and the bike will be shipping tomorrow.

I went for my new bike fitting today. I really didn't want to go. I was so tired. My whole sleep routine is off balance and I need to get it back in sync. I'm operating at around a 3 on 10. I ended up getting the 2009 Cervelo P2C, it's the same bike Chrissie Wellington won the past two Hawaii Ironman's on. I got it at the 2008 pricing and was able to hold the pricing by buying it on lay away until the season begins. The guys I bought it from are known for being very fair and good to deal with. The deal they offered was by far the best, plus I get a free $150 bike fitting and year long of tinkering. At the fitting, they really pulled my seat up forward past the pedals and added the longest stem on the front to help get my back flat. I guess I won't know until I start riding and racing to see if it works. Because I was so tired it was tough to train tonight, but I "sucked it up" and did it anyways. 

Tempo Bike - 1 hour / 18.87 Miles

I finally got a final plan...

I hate to keep complaining but getting up early is killing me. Because I don't want to sleep in, I'm sleeping very light. It's a good thing this is the off season or my body / mind would have no time to recover. Tonight was a light tempo running session, which was good because it gave me some time to work with Luis from Mark Allen Online and determine my training plan and race schedule for this upcoming season. It looks good, makes sense, and I think the days I decided to do specific workout's on will be better than last year. No multiple workout sessions on Friday's, Saturday's or Sunday's this year. All the multiples are going to be Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. It was very gratifying to finish the plan. I also found out that Jamie registered for Ironman UK which is great, I have someone I train long with.

 I ended up canceling my Ironman tattoo appointment in January. Something just didn't feel right about the artist and I'm now not sure if I even want one at all. I never see any of the pro's with tattoo's. I have my tiny Canadian Maple Leaf on my ankle from 20 years ago, it's subtle and I think "classy". Right now the only place I'd get an Ironman Tattoo is on my "butt" cheek, where only I could see it as a reminder and motivator. Who knows maybe I'll end up getting one there. My run tonight started with clear sky's and within 15 minutes everything was covered in a light, slippery snow. I almost wiped out twice. I guess this is a sign of things to come when we head to Winterpeg for Christmas.

Tempo Run - 30:39 /4.15 miles / 7:23 pace

I pulled the trigger...

When I woke up I checked on the UK Ironman website to see if it was up and running. On the weekend they closed it due to high traffic. It was back online and it was still accepting applications to the UK Ironman, just outside of Manchester, on August 2, 2009. I checked with Alice one last time to see if doing it was cool by her and see said go for it. Her and the kids really want to go to the U.K. 

I guess I'm like a woman who gave birth, at the time they swear they will never have another kid and then they forget about the pain and have another one. Doing the Ironman is like that. When I finished Louisville, I swore I'd never do another one or maybe every 4 years, like the Olympics, and here I am registered for another. Now I'm a little worried because I know if I'm not properly trained it is going to hurt. On the plus side it is not going to be hot like Louisville, the high for that time of year is 22 C and the low is around 16C. I'm not sure the terrain, but I'd love to break 11 hours. 

I did some weight training tonight. In the past week, I've been eating really well. I even made myself a healthy lunch to take to work with me.

Weights - 30 minutes 

Exercise is so good for the body and mind...

Alice and I hung out again last night and even though I didn't have a lot to drink I sure felt slow when I woke up. For most of the day we took it easy and did the regular stuff like grocery shopping, etc. I felt a little sluggish for most of the day. I ended up doing my long bike ride and afterwards I felt much better. It is amazing how exercise can make you feel better. I rode downstairs at the bar and was able to set my computer up in such a way that I could actually surf the web while I was riding. It really makes the time go by faster. By the time I was done, I was physically and mentally done. I had a post workout snack and was asleep by 10:30 pm

Bike - 2 hours / 37.74 miles

Taking it easy...

Today is my scheduled off day. Since I've been taking one day off of training in the off season it always feels strange. Surprisingly, I woke up a little rough, but made sure I got a full 9 - 10 hours of sleep. For the rest of the day I took it easy and in the afternoon watched the Hawaiian Ironman. It was cool to see Christie Wellington win the race on the exact same bike I just put a down payment on. I'm also getting some activity on Ebay for my Quintana Roo. I've even had one guy from Brazil offer me $1350 U.S. for an immediate sale, but unfortunately because I already have a bidder, Ebay won't allow me to sell it until the auction ends. I've got 23 people watching the auction, which means it may really heat up. I'd be happy with $1000 U.S. and I'd be ecstatic if I got $1500 U.S. That would pay for over have the cost of my new bike. I've got a fitting scheduled for Wednesday on my new bike and they are going to box up my old bike for shipping. 

After watching the Ironman I went to Reid's hockey game, he's really starting to play better. I'm still amazed that he didn't know how to skate 18 months ago. He's starting to get into the play and even had a shot on net. For the rest of the night Alice and I hung out, going to a local English Pub for dinner and then home to hang around the bar. I ended up taking a great picture of Reid, I was just messing around paparazzi style and annoying him. I'm still trying to register for the UK Ironman but the site is down due to high traffic. If I don't get in the only other one I could get into is Ironman France, which I'm considering. The only thing holding me back is the cost of the Airfare and figuring out if my air miles would cover it.

Training - Rest Day

01

Am I different???

Just as I was feeling rested again, I find out I have to go back to delivery driving in the early morning. The old driver we have can't see in the dark and said he can't drive mornings anymore. So I have to. I'm glad it's only for a week. 

I have a fairly heavy training schedule on Friday's. I do a bike and a long run. At work our landlord brought pastries and cookies for Christmas and of course I had to have some even though my mouth was frozen from going to the dentist earlier in the day. Eating all those sugary items made me very motivated to work out or at least I justified eating them by saying I was going to be burning a lot of calories so why not indulge. When I got home, the sugar was making me sluggish and I didn't feel like running, but I went anyway. Ten minutes into it I felt great. I had a lot on my mind from work and worked through it on my run. I was so focused on work I didn't even realize I did a run. I started the run biting through steel and I ended feeling like a relaxed wall flower.

After the run, Alice and I went out to the local English pub for a dinner and a few drinks. When I got back I still had a 95 minute bike ride so I decided to set the wind trainer up in the basement at the bar and ride while I had a few beers, watched TV, tried to register for the UK Ironman on my computer and talk to Alice. I was "multi-tasking". When people ask me where I find the time to train, they can always check out my blog to find out my secrets. It's amazing how fast an hour and fifteen minutes went by. I'm not sure if anyone, ever, has tried to mix drinking at a bar with riding a bike, but I think it's a great idea. Next week I might invite some of my friends - BYOB - Bring your own Bike (and Beer). 

I think I'm on to something. If Oprah puts me on her show, it will be big.

Long Run - 1:17 / 9.34 miles / 8:16

Bike 1:15 / 23.59 / 18:87 pace

01

Getting caught up...

It was great to get a full 7.5 hours of sleep last night. I woke up feeling like a new person. It's amazing how important sleep is to me. Since winter has started I'm like a hibernating bear. When I get home from work I'm now taking naps. This summer I rarely took naps, I was usually on the road training by 6:30 pm. Now I get home, I eat and I'm a sleep from 6 - 7:30/8pm. Then I get up and train. I do feel semi-refreshed when I get up.

Tonight I skipped the swim but did weights and then went for a moderate run, keeping the heart rate under 135 bpm. I left home to go to the YMCA and by the time I got home, finished my run, stretched and sat down with a post race bowl of yogurt and berries it was 10:30 pm. I feel good and I'm looking forward to catching up on some more sleep. I've also got a guy from Brazil interested in my bike.

Weights - 30 minutes

Moderate Run - 50:21 / 6.11 miles / 8:15 pace

I need sleep...

Since I started getting up two hours early to do deliveries I'm a basket case. Not so much physically but mentally. I NEED my 7.5 - 8 hours of sleep or I lose it. I'm not near as productive or sharp. What normally takes 5 minutes takes longer and I'm irritable. I actually feel sorry for the people around me. 

Yesterday after my deliveries I did a tempo run in 4 inches of snow. It was like running on sand and definitely worked muscles I hadn't worked before, especially my calf's and core balance.

That night my brother visited from Winnipeg and came to our place for dinner. I was bagged. We had a couple of beers and that perked me up for a while but it didn't take long for it to wear off and I was in bed by 9:30 pm, although I didn't fall asleep until midnight. 

Tonight I was still tired but forced myself to clean up my bike and put it on eBay. It took me until 9:30 pm to get it all done and then I pushed myself to do an hour on the bike. I was actually a little sore in the hips, I don't know why, maybe it was the run in yesterday's snow? I'm really looking forward to a good nights sleep because I traded my early morning shift with the afternoon driver. I'm looking forward to getting up without the ringing of an alarm, that way I know I'm rested.

Tuesday - Tempo Run / 45 minutes / 8:16 pace

Wednesday - Tempo Bike/ 1 hour / 18.87 miles

I had so much fun I'm not feeling that good...

Last evening I wasn't feeling that good. Surprisingly, a 5 KM race took a lot out of me because I went so hard. Alice and I went out for dinner and I started to feel better after I ate. When we got home we went downstairs and had some drinks. One beer turned into a LOT of beers. We had a lot of fun just talking and listening to 70's music. I can't remember what time we got to bed, actually I can't remember much from the tail end of the night. When I woke up I was feeling a little sick and had a headache. No major hangover but I think having a cigar last night made me feel not so good this morning. 

Yesterday I got my bike back from the shop with a $231 bill. They had to replace my worn out chain, plus tune up, brake pads, cables, etc. I'm now on my 3rd new chain for this year. Today I decided to set it up on the wind trainer downstairs. I did a long ride and really noticed how noisy this bike is, lots of squeaking. I watched a Total Immersion swim video and learnt a lot about technique and drills I need to do. Yesterday I decided to sell my Quintana Roo bike on eBay and buy a Cervelo P2C. I'm going to clean it up and will sell it for anything over $1000. I still wasn't feeling good until we ate dinner tonight. We went to the Keg. The service was so bad they didn't charge us for our meals. Our lucky day. 

Bike - 90 minutes / 25.77 /17.8 mph.

Beers - 18 (last night)

Cigars - 1 (last night)

My best 5 KM since my comeback...

I did the 5 KM Santa run this morning. My goal was to break 20 minutes. I had two 5 km races this year where I had the identical time of 20:01 and it was heart breaking not to come in under 20 minutes. 19 minutes and whatever, even 19:59, sounds so much faster than 20. I didn't realize it before I signed up, but the course was not a measured and the race did not have timing chips. It was fairly informal. It started to snow lightly this morning and I was tired when I got up, the heart rate was a little higher than normal, but I went anyway. The streets were fairly clean, but most of the run was on a snowy trail. I figured it was not going to be easy to break 20 minutes because of the lack of shoe grip.

When the race went off I was with the leaders and was in 5th place. Early on the leader missed the turn, poor directions by volunteers and we had to back track about 100 meters. For the first time I ran with my Garmin GPS and an iPod. I went hard from beginning. At times my pace was in the 3:44 per kilometer range. For the first time, since I was setting PR's in my 20's my breathing was laboured and I was gasping for air at times and on steep uphills was closing my eyes to summon up strength. I couldn't catch the 3rd and 4th place guys, they were under 18 years old, but if the race was 10km I would have caught them, they were fading at the end. I finished in 5th place overall and the winner was 18 years old and second place was 36 years old. The winner beat me by about 90 seconds. 3rd and 4th place were under 18 years old. Not a bad race for an old guy. I finished in 19:11 with even going off course, but the course was short. According to my GPS it was only 4.71 km. So after I crossed the finish line I kept running around the parking lot until I hit 5 km, which took me 19:56. I did it!!! I broke 20 minutes.

5 KM Race - 6:25 per mile pace /3.59 per km pace 

02

So far so good...

I'm surprised I'm feeling good even though I got up early all this week. The two hours of driving to and from is actually relaxing. I drive and I listen to Howard Stern. I finally decided later in the day that I'm going to do the 5 km race tomorrow. I'm going to try and break 20 minutes before the end of the year. In preparation I did a pre-race run tonight with about 5 x 10 second surges. My heart rate stayed low, around 126 bpm for most of it. I knew it was going to be a good run because my resting heart rate was around 53 bpm before I left. I wasn't looking forward to going out tonight because it is one of the coldest nights we have had this year. But I knew once I got started I'd warm up and enjoy it. Which is what happened.

Run - 34:27 / 4.17 miles / 8:16 pace

Finally I started early...

I got to bed early last night, around 10 pm because from now on I'm getting up early to make a delivery to Kitchener each morning. On the way back I was able to slip into the YMCA and do my swim and a weight training session. It was a speed work session and for the first time ever, near the end of my 75 x 12 set my arms and legs were getting sore. I've never had that happen to me in the pool. Most of the 75's were between 1:10 - 1:13. I'm finding that swimming only 2 times per week has not had any effect, other than getting faster, on my swimming. I may be going a little too fast or I'm lifting to much weight because my right shoulder is starting to get a little sore.

After dinner and a TWO hour nap I went for a moderate run. The idea was to take it easy and keep the heart rate under 135 bpm. On the run I started thinking about if I should do Ironman New Zealand in March with Jamie. My buddy Steven who lives in NZ dropped me an email tonight and said I could stay at his place. I just don't know if I have enough time to properly train. I am also considering whether or not I should run a 5KM race in Burlington on Saturday. A part of me would really like to break 20 minutes.

Swim - 43:00 /1900 meters 

Weights  - 25:00

Run - 45:31 / 5.71 miles / 7:58 pace

Early to rise..

It's a busy time at work so I've decided to help out for the next month and become an early morning delivery driver. I'm not a morning person and need a good 7.5 - 8 hours of sleep, so this should be interesting. I've got to get up a couple hours earlier than normal, which means I should be getting to bed by 10 pm.

It was an easy training session tonight. I did a 45 minute bike ride. There was a new show on TV called the "secret millionaire", it was a great show. It's about millionaires that go undercover and live with poor people and then at the end of the show they come clean and give away money to some of the people they met that they think really need it. It made the 45 minutes go by quick and can be a real tear jerker. 

I'm actually starting to enjoy the inside ride. It's kinda like a change of seasons. It's reminding me of last year and at a certain point I found I got used to riding inside. It sure is easier getting ready for inside rides. Shorts, Shirt, Shoes and go. 

Bike Tempo - 45 minutes / 14.15 miles

Chomping at the bit...

For some reason, for the last month, I've become really irritable. I'm not sure if it is because I'm not training as much? drinking as much? resting enough? eating to much? the season change? less daylight, or all of the above changing my brain chemistry? The irony is that I've physically never felt better, no injuries of any kind. The body feels strong and whole. I feel like it's 20 years old. The only problem is that I'm irritable and I can't stop napping when I get home. Up until recently, I can't remember when I took regular naps after dinner. 

This morning I was at the hospital because Alyssa had some fairly serious day surgery. Everything seemed to go well and the nurse said she did well as a lot of the girls are in tears of pain afterwards.

Tonight I did a tempo run without exceeding 140 bpm. My running is feeling great. I feel light on my feet and my cadence is much higher. I was able to maintain a 7:25 pace which is much faster by at least 1 minute a mile than last year. It was a nice night but a couple of times there was some black ice that I didn't see and almost slipped on. Afterwards I had a nice stretching session and a glass of protein whey. Right now I'm debating if I should do a 5 KM race coming up...I really would like to break 20 minutes! I also have to get a new pair of runners, I have 443 miles on them and should replace by 500. I guess I know what I'm getting for Christmas. I hope they last that long because I'm starting to rip out the side of them.

Run- 40:15 minutes / 5.41 miles / 7:25 pace

Drum role please...

November totals:

Swim - 7.63 miles

Bike - 286.1 miles

Run - 73.11 miles

Weights - 7 sessions

Total - 366.84 miles / 28,311 calories/ 33.41 hours

Beers - 51

Last year I had my tonsils out and only did 143.46 miles / 60 Beers.

Yesterday I started to focus on my diet again. I gained about 4-5 lbs since I finished the season and I don't want to sound too much like a woman, but I need to get rid of those pounds. The reason I gained has been because of my cravings for sweets. I haven't drank that much, but the sweets is spiking my insulin and causing my body to store everything as fat. Plus I'm not training as much.

After dinner and my nap I did weights and did a long swim at the YMCA. At first I wasn't really into the swim but because my speed is getting better it keeps my interest. Today I did a 400 in 7:02 (1:45.5 per 100), then 400 pull in 7:18 and 3 x 200 (30 second rest) in 3:32, 3:36 and 3:34. I swam at a pace that I felt I'd race at. Once I get going I'm enjoying the feel of the water, it is like I'm floating in space. (No I wasn't on any drugs tonight). I noticed lately that after my swims I get stomach aches like when I was a kid. I'm not sure why, if it is the heavy breathing, or stretching long strokes or what?

Weights - 25 minutes

Swim - 52 minutes / 2500 meters