March Recap/April Goal

Well, another disappointing month. In March it was injury, in March, illness.

Totals

Run - 5 miles
Bike - 11 miles
Swim - 2.3 miles
Strength train - 2 times

I was inactive for 19 straight days.

At least I am feeling better, back swimming and on the bike. Hopefully soon, running and only then will I know how far I have set myself back.

My goal for April is simply to be healthy, injury free, and get back in shape.

There is a possible 5K on April 26 at the reservoir, which would be a good target to shoot for. If not, the next target would be a 5K on May 10.

A longer term goal is a 10K on June 1.

I also want to pound out some bike miles.

5 Mile Bike

Rode 5 miles again today also at 10.8 mph. Feeling good. I just wish I had a more scenic or interesting ride.

5 Mile Bike

Rode 5 miles at 10.8 miles an hour, taking about 28 minutes. Felt good. Now to get back running.

1 Mile Bike

Got the bike out, pumped up the tires and did a 1 mile loop. It was a beautiful day, but very windy and colder than it looked. It felt good to be on the bike again. I will bring warmer clothese tomorrow and try to do some real mileage.

750 Yard Swim

Swam easy just to get the feel back. Admit to being a little short of breath at the end. Still a bit of a chest cold, but the GI stuff is over.

Still Ailing

My chest cold must have knocked my immunity down enough to let in a stomach virus. Yesterday was sunny day and I really wanted to be out there running, but I need to take it easy. Hopefully this frustrating rest period will provide me with strength into the triathlon season.

My ankle/feet are okay, but I did have stiffness in the ankle after working on a rainy day.

Oh for Spring.

1.5 Mile Walk

Walked two loops of the circle today at work. I am feeling better, but still have a chest cold with a cough and clear phlgem. With two and a half weeks to go until the 1/4 marathon, it looks pretty unlikely that I will be able to run it.

I will have to set my 10K target date to either May 4 or June 1.

My first 5K will be either April 26 or May 10.

All depending on my health.

At least this break is good for my feet/ankle. I have had no pain or stiffness.

Sick

I thought I was going to make it all winter without a cold, but it finally caught up to me. I can't blame overtraining, but I can maybe blame letting my diet slip a little, not eating my fruits and vegetables.

Its all good thouggh -- this will allow my ankle to heal more and provide me with some good rest.

2 Mile Run/1000 Yard Swim

Ran 2 miles on the treadmill. My ankle has been stiff again and I attribute it to sitting in the ambulance all day for two days straight. It felt very stiff when I started running, but then loosened up and I handled the two miles fairly easily.

I ran at the pool and I have used two of the treadmills there now and they are very bouncy, easy on the feet.

Then I swam 1000 yards, swimming very well, concentrating on gliding and turning from side to side. I was doing 25 yards in 14 strokes with the buoy between my legs and no kicking.

1000 Yard Swim

Swam 1000 yards, mainly swimming with the buoy.

Lift

Went to gym and did a 20 minute weight-lifting workout before work:

Squat/Incline Dumbell Press SuperSet X 2
Leg Extensions X 2
Leg Curls
Dumbell Curl to Press
Dumbell Upright Row
Back Machine
Leg Lift
Pull Downs
Ab Twist
Ab Crunch
Tricept Extension

2 Mile Run

Ran 2 miles on the treadmill this morning. I got a little tired toward the end, but not too bad. Feet felt fine. I had no swelling from my mile run the other day so we'll see how the ankle looks tomorrow.

Overtraining Article

Interesting article in today's New York Times about overtraining:

Crash and Burnout

Run/Lift/Swim

Walked over to the pool complex today and used the gym there for the first time in a long time. I walked five minutes, and then ran a mile at a 10:40 pace, then walked for a few minutes. After two minutes of running, my ankle felt a little funny, but then it went away. I ran easy and wasn't close to being short of breath.

I then did one set of 15-20 repetitions on each of the 8 Cybex machines they have. i was a little disappointed to see no dumbells which I remember them having in the past.

Then I changed into my suit and swam a very easy and very smooth 12500 yards, consistently swimming 25 yards in 16 strokes (8 right arms and 8 left arms).

Feb Recap/March Goals

Perhaps as punishment for an overly ambitious pronouncement of my summer goals, I was knocked down by my first injury in months. I am hoping that my rest from running and biking will pay some dividends later.

Here are my monthly totals for February

Running 3.6 miles
Cycling 38 miles
Swimming 9 miles
Strength training 4 times
Weight - 217
Rest Days - 10

Here are my goals for March

Stay healthy and injury free
Run 15 miles
Swim 10 miles
Strength train 8 times
Cycling - Whatever I can do
Weight 215
Rest Days - 5

And a new category -- it would be great if...

I ran 30 miles and was able to do the Bradley 10K Road Race or was in good enough shape to still be planning on doing the early April 1/4 marathon.