Life of a Triathlete

Im back...

Sat, 10 Dec 2011 10:40:02 -0500

IM BACK!

The last 6months have been very trying for me. I have a new job, I have applied to PA(physician assistant) progams all over the northeast, I have moved, and had some fairly hard family situations to deal with, with which during that time I wasn’t focused on anything, let alone training, other than myself. But I am back! and ready to get going on my training again.

Last week, to start I Lifted x2, spun x2, ran x2, and swam x1. This was enough to make me sore and yet feel awesome! Can’t wait to get back to wokring out everyday! WOO!

Feel like blah ...

Wed, 04 May 2011 15:01:07 -0400

The past three days I was in Vail Colorado for a job interview and have not been able to work out. The three days before that, I was not able to work out because of work and having to drive home and back. SO its been SIX days since working out. I feel like a blob and all I want to do is eat salads and run/bike/swim/lift, which I will be doing because my new work schedule for the next month is down to approximatly 25hrs a week!!! WOO more time for training! Cannot wait to get my ass outside!

Complacency

Thu, 28 Apr 2011 08:17:18 -0400

I’ve gotten to the point where I am seeing no gains, AND i’m not even overly tired or sore after a ‘hard’ work out. It’s time to up my training intensity/lifting/switch things up. I need to find a new gear to run/bike/swim/lift in. I find that I am getting a little bored with the workouts that I am doing and that is never good, especially seeing that race season is coming up. That will be my new goal for the next week or two, find new ways or find a new level to push myself to, to become a better triathlete.

Any suggestion / favorite workouts that anybody has that they don’t mind sharing?!?!?

JOB INTERVIEW!!!

Wed, 20 Apr 2011 11:30:42 -0400

AAAHHHH!!!! I got a job interview at The Steadman Clinic in Vail, Colorado!!! First of all this is just a sick place to live for a year. Second, I would get to train up in Vail and the surrounding area, not bad either haha. Third, its at one of the top orthopedic clinics in the country! So excited that I got an interview. So, exciting in fact that I added my swim from yesterday and extra run in today, and its only 11:30am!!! WOO!!! I’ve got a really tough bike this afternoon, even though my legs are killing me, I have a feeling that I will be able to get right through it!!!

The only down side, trying to get my girlfriend to take the leap out to Colorado with me. If I could convince her, then it would truely be the best job i’ve ever had!

Rest Day = Rutgers Fest = (read below)

Fri, 15 Apr 2011 14:21:00 -0400

Okay soap Box Time. Since sunday April 3rd, and until monday May 2nd, I will have worked with out a day off. O and before March 25-27th, which is a weekend i took off to go to Baltimore with my girlfriend, I didn’t get more than 10 days off in the past 6 months . I spend a large amount of my time in the athletic training room just covering what we call ‘hours’ just so that it can be open if any athlete needs anything. Usually I just cover the training room and have no complaints because it is after all part of my job. But today is different.

Today is Rutgers Fest, aka Spring weekend, aka everybody on campus goes and gets hammered all over campus and has a great time. So with that being said, football had all thier treatments this morning, and now i am stuck sitting here this afternoon from 12-4pm, and NO athletes will be in, and everybody knows this. My bosses actually laughed at me at 12:30 when they left to go out themselves. So I’ve been sitting here for over 2 hours now and nobody has shown up, will anybody? Probably not. The fact that I have to be here today, really pisses me off. I am so sick and tired of the bullshit that I have to put up with today, that I am going to skip my workout, and I am going to go out. And i’m going to go hard. I have to be at work at 6:45am tomorrow. I am probably going to still be drunk, and I don’t care. No, I won’t drive tomorrow morning, I will be walking, I do only live about a 60 second drive from work so no need to worry. But hell, this is my rebellion to work. I’ll be drunk / hungover, and I don’t care. Screw’em.

Sprint Swim

Thu, 14 Apr 2011 16:32:26 -0400

Today i have a fast swim. Its 18 x 100’s … These are my absolute favorite types of work outs. Short interval bursts that are at a very high intensity. Should be tough today though because there is only 10 sec rest in between reps. For some reason I always feel great and very very very accomplished after I am done with these workouts. I guess its because I love to go fast!!! :D Happy training everybody! OOO and its a beautiful 67 degrees here in Piscataway, NJ. Spring has broken through, at least for now, but I’ll take it!

Rain rain go away ... and DONT COME BACK!

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 12:10:02 -0400

The weather report for the next weeks says that there is a 50% chance of rain for 5 of the next 7 days … I just want it to be warm and nice out so I can train without going inside! Bahh hopefully next week i’ll get lucky with the weather. Had to cancel my swim last night becasue of lightning. O well, this is what training is all about, finding the time/place to get your workouts in.

Run, brick, frustration.

Mon, 11 Apr 2011 19:46:38 -0400

Today it was 86 degrees in NJ!!! It was amazing and inspired me to do a hard run. So i went out and did a 6 mile out and back run. approximately 3 miles were into the wind. and 3 miles with my back to the wind. I ran 6 miles in 42:18, going through the first three miles in 21:10 and the second three in 21:08. I felt great!!! I just need to get back over the hump at running under 7 minute miles when I run longer than four miles. It’ll get there, it’ll just take a little time. Now its time go to spin class, and after to grab a really quick 5k hopefully under 21 minutes.

Need to be careful tho because I felt my left hip/groin/adductors starting to act up again. As much as I work with athletes everyday, and tell them what to do to get better and to get their injuries checked out, I CAN”T EVER GET MYSELF TO DO IT! UGH! why the hell can I tell people to do it, and can discipline myself in three sports, but not get my hip and my eyes checked. I don’t know if it is because I am scared I am not going to be able to workout or what, but i need to do something about it.

ohheychrista: Joggers stop and bounce up and down at stoplights. Runners just stand there and look...

Mon, 11 Apr 2011 19:37:32 -0400

ohheychrista:

Joggers stop and bounce up and down at stoplights.

Runners just stand there and look pissed.

AB ripper X ...

Fri, 08 Apr 2011 08:30:54 -0400

Tried the AB ripper X … not recommended in my opinion for people who don’t work thier core and hip flexors out a lot. I did it two days ago, and yes it worked my core well. But I can barely walk because my hip flexors are so tight. I am going to get in a warm whirlpool at work before I run today just so see if I can loosen up! UGH frustrating. Hopefully I will be able to do the track workout today. 8x800 repeats with coach Keith. Going to be a tough one!

Trail Running!!!

Sun, 03 Apr 2011 12:49:06 -0400

Today, even though it was my day off of work and could have slept in, I got up at 7:45 and met up with my coach at 8:30 to go for a run. We went to Holdem Park in NJ. Here is where the hold the cross country state finals every year. So we ran the XC course and added 1.5 miles on to it. Coach Keith and I then went for a 4 mile exploration on a trail called steeplechase. Well lets just say that its rolling hills in farm country with some wind to boot! After our little excursion we ran the 4.5 mile XC+ loop one more time, ending the day with some very hard hilly trail running. I was worth the two extra hours of sleep I would have gotten for that run! I am so happy that the spring is right around the corner and that I can start to train outside again! aaahhhh such a stress reliever being able to take in your surrounding while you run, allowing you to push a little farther to see what’s coming next! Happy Training to all Triathletes! But remember, when you train solo when biking or running, wear your Road ID, or have some form of ID on you!!! Unfortunately in life we don’t know what will happen sometimes, and it could safe your life by having one!

Time for a shower and an Ice Bath, bbbbbbrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!

To Ironman or not to Ironman ...

Wed, 30 Mar 2011 14:34:00 -0400

I’ve always wanted to do an Ironman, 70.3 and 140.6. This is my first real year of training for triathlonts and wanted to push to do Ironman Pocono Mountains 70.3. SO the big question is, do I do it, or take a full year to get my body where I want it and then persue it next season?!?

Bricks and Sprints

Mon, 28 Mar 2011 11:06:00 -0400

This week of training, days are focused on bricks or sprint work outs, and i’m PUMPED! So here it goes!

Monday: R30+B60+R30. Run 30min @ HRZ -3, Bike 60min (Spin Class), Run 30min @HRZ 2/3.

Tuesday: Endurance/Sprint Swim: 3x(4x100m, :25sec rest): 1min rest between intervals. Set 1 and 2, best effort, Set 3 all out. Then 6x50 all out! BOOM! Bike: Computrainer with coach Kieth.

Wednesday: Tempo Bike ~ 55min. Insert 2x12min @85%, cad @ 90-95. 4min rest inbetween intervals.

Thursday: Pyramid Swim: 100(15”) 200(20”) 300(30”) 200(30”) 100. Step-up pace just below T-Pace. Step down pace, T-Pace. End with 10min steady consistent swimming. Lift: 45min lift, 15min ab ripper X

Friday: RUN: 6x400’s @ best sustained effort. ALL 6 within 3-5 sec of each other. 400m active recovery or 90 sec. 1mile @10k pace

Saturday: B70+R20: Bike 70min, WORK the uphills hard/fast, then run for 20min. Practice Refueling during the bike!

Sunday: Run: RECOVERY RUN! 50min trail/easy run on soft ground, just to get the legs moving.

Total time (approx.) = 8hrs of training

PUMPED for this week of training!

Immersion Swimming!??!

Wed, 23 Mar 2011 22:22:24 -0400

Today for my swim workout I went to an Immersion Swimming clinic set up through my triathlon team (Rutgers). Now I am a pretty decent swimmer, my 100 T-pace is 1:25 +/- 2 seconds, so I am a decent swimmer, not great but not bad. Well let me tell you, I am going to be a faster, smarter, more efficient swimmer come race time.

Immersion swimming is all about body positioning and relaxation. You may say, “relaxation during a triathlon swim?!?! are you nuts?!?” and yes at first it is, but once you learn the technique and get it down it will really have great benefits. This type of swimming I feel is going to help me a great deal because I am a nervous reck in the water, hence the multiple open water swims in the early season to get ready for the tri’s. The body positioning from total immersion teaches you how to correctly use your core and that you don’t actually want to swim on top of the water, but just below it. I really have to learn more about this and obviously keep practicing and changing my technique for this to be effective. But I have been looking for answers about swimming and how to save energy during the swim so that my bike/run can become stronger, and I am hoping that this new technique will help me!

Can’t wait to do a B90+R30 Brick workout at 6am tomorrow! Then going to go to the pool after work at 5:30pm so that I can work on my new technique!

This weeks workouts (3/21/11)

Tue, 22 Mar 2011 16:58:52 -0400

This week is all messed up because I am going away with Michele to Baltimore! So with that being said I moved all the workout around and front loaded my schedule so that I could still get everything in, lets hope I make it through it!

Monday: Swim: 3 x (4x100’s @ T-Pace, 10” rest) 30” rest between sets. 600 steady swim cool down. Brick: Bike - 60min spin class, 20min run.

Tuesday: 60min spin with a 10k time trial worked in, 30min lift (2 sets of spartacus lift)

Wednesday: Swim Clinic for 2 hrs.

Thursday: Brick B90-120 + R30. Swim: Easy Ladder 1-2-3-4-3-2-1

Friday: Run: pick-ups - 45min

Saturday: 60min Lift

Sunday: Run: Easy/Moderate pace - 60min

Total hours this week Approximatly 11hr 30min. This will be the longest workout week of the year so far when breaking it down hours wise. Should be a good one.

Need Motivation ...

Tue, 15 Mar 2011 10:31:48 -0400

This week is going to abbreviated because I have to work NCAA wrestling nationals. So that will make my training a bit difficult considering I have to work thur - sat, 9am-10pm. But we’ll see if I can muster up the motivation to get up in the mornings and get something done, which recently has been very hard. My motivation has been severely laking these last 5 days or so, and I should really change that. I need to find some new kind of motivation tho. Will post again when I can find some!

"‎”The race isn’t won on Sunday morning. The race is won on Tuesday afternoon, when you..."

Mon, 14 Mar 2011 10:46:49 -0400

“

‎”The race isn’t won on Sunday morning. The race is won on Tuesday afternoon, when you don’t feel like another run but you lace up your shoes and hit the door anyhow.”

…. today, is one of these days ….

”

This weeks Workouts.

Tue, 08 Mar 2011 10:41:00 -0500

Tuesday: Computrainer with coach for 73 min. 3x12 min @ 105% with 4x1 min 125% inserted with in the 12min set. 8 min rest between sets. Endurance Swim: 6x75 warm-up of mixed drill and free swim. Main set is 500, 400, 300, 200, 2x300. All at T-pace with 20 seconds rest. the 2x300 get faster with each 100.

Wednesday: 45 min run with 1 min bursts with in run. Try for 6 to 8 bursts.

Thursday: Computrainer Ride/Ride on own. Lifting: Spartacus II workout.

Friday: 50 min hill run. Swim: Main set; 4x500 T-pace.

Saturday: 90 min ride. Insert 2*(4x2min) (2 min sprint at 95%MHR, with 2 min rest) 8 min rest inbetween each set.

Sunday: 60 min run. Easy, try to get 8 miles in.

Pretty easy week. May add an extra run/swim/bike/crosstraining in on wednesday or sunday.

Mind Games: Putting on the Grey Sweat Suit

Tue, 08 Mar 2011 10:28:08 -0500

Mind Games: Putting on the Grey Sweat Suit:

This is a great piece on what it is like to train by yourself, and what it takes to do so. Training alone can be great, challenging, lonely, not motivating, and invigorating. It just makes the end result of finishing a triathlon that much more inspiring!

"Fancy job titles can be taken away from you in a downsizing. Luxury cars can be reposessed. Your..."

Mon, 07 Mar 2011 19:45:39 -0500

“Fancy job titles can be taken away from you in a downsizing. Luxury cars can be reposessed. Your dream home can be foreclosed and taken away from you. But if you complete an Ironman, no one - and I mean NO ONE - can take that away from you. You will be an Ironman for life.”

- Anonymous