Win the Lottery & Train All the Time

Well, this was supposed to be a continuation of the last entry but I got a little lazy this week with my writing. Well, better late than never. I think that my apply here or is that when I apologize to my wife for trashing the house but not immediately admitting to it?

Sunday's run was great. But I continue to have that slightly hot pain with the sensation of my foot being asleep in my left foot. It usually starts at around 30 to 40 minutes into the run. Sometimes it goes away and sometimes it does not. So far it hasn't shut me down completely so I'll just continue to monitor it. I did 8+ miles in 1 hour and 27 minutes. S-L-O-W I know. But I was trying to keep it in Zone 1 on my HRM which is like trying to walk a tightrope with a 200 pound backpack on. I just can't seem to do it.

Monday was another big day as I hit the pool in the morning for 3000 yards and lifted weights afterwards. It was Presidents Day and I was off from work so I had the afternoon free. It was cool out, maybe 38 degrees, but SUNNY. How could I resist? I mean the bike was still right there by my front door from Saturday's ride. Plus I had a 90 minute ride in the training plan scheduled for tomorrow which almost certainly would have to be done on the trainer. I really don't think there was anything to consider why I shouldn't ride. I mean my wife and daughters were still out of town. What was I going to do anyway? Watch a soap opera? It turned out to be one of those "magical rides" where everything just felt great. The weather was almost perfect. Traffic was light. I was a little tired but I took it slow and got 22 miles in.

Tuesday was an earned day off and much needed. But I think Wednesday it all came crashing down. I hit the pool at 6 AM for a Masters class and I was anything but a master. (Not that I am anything close to one when I am at the top of MY game). I was sluggish at best. But you know, it was all worth it. Outside for two bike rides in three days. I'll take it in the midst of this Winter.

Now I just need to win the lottery so I can train like this all the time.

Big Saturday

What do you do when your wife and daughters are out of town on a Saturday? You train!

I had a big day today and now I'm ready to hit the couch. We hit the road at 8:15 AM with a balmy temperature of 27 degrees and cloudy skies. I had hot packs in both of my shoes and my gloves. They did help but Boy, it was cold! It didn't matter though because I was getting out no matter what today. I haven't been outside on the bike since early December and the trainer was starting to drive me crazy. (Think "the Shinning"). Someday, I have to put a picture up on this blog of my "training room" where my bike sits. I have basically imprisioned myself.

At around 1 hour into the ride, the sun did appear and it warmed up quite nicely. It actually felt great. The pain in the toes and fingers was subsiding. I was glad I didn't blow this off.

After 2 1/4 hours and32 miles, we got off the bikes and ran for 15 minutes. The run is just get the legs to turn over and to feel that heaviness after getting off the bike.

On my way back home, I decided to stop off at my Y and get some laps in. I missed a swim this week plus one was on the schedule for today anyway. I did 2000 yards in under 50 minutes but what really stood out were the two major cramps I experienced. One in the right hamstring and the other in the left foot. Cramps in the pool stink. But, hey, at least I got there.

And now it's either Miller time or crash time. Maybe, I'll see what movies are available via on demand. Either way, I'm in bed early tonight. A long run awaits me for tomorrow.

What else do you do with your wife and daughters out of town? You write a blog entry on a Saturday night. I lead an exciting life!

Heroes

I am a BIG fan of Sully Sullenberger and the rest of the crew of Flight 1549. If you watched the interviews on 60 minutes or Larry King Live, you might agree. There are many parts of this story that make it great. But I guess the most important is that it had a happy ending. The 155 people from that flight are alive today because of the quick thinking of Sully. It's amazing when you start to look at the amount of time he had to make the decision on what to do with the plane. I may be off slightly with these numbers but it was about 2 minutes into the flight when they struck the birds and about 6 minutes in when he put the jet down into the Hudson. It seems like he played out all the scenarios of what to do in his mind like he had a microprocessor crunching all the numbers. It's just amazing that someone can think that quickly and that soundly and under all that pressure. He really had no time to think of his family or the passengers in back. He only thought of what his options were for saving these people and this plane. He had a triathlete's focus and detrmination multiplied to the tenth power.

So, with that I ask you, what is the deal with Alex Rodriguez? How come he couldn't think that clearly before he shot HGH into himself? Or that woman, Jennifer Figge, who claims to have swam across the Atlantic Ocean? Well, it's now come out that it was a hoax. She only swam 250 miles in all. What was she thinking before she let the media publish this story? The world is filled with imposters and "role models" that constantly let us down. We are in need of true heroes.

In the end, I hope nothing bad comes out about Sully and his Crew. I hope there are no skeletons in the closet. Hopefully, he paid all his taxes. Hopefully, his ultra human thinking capacity wasn't enhanced by shooting adrenaline into his veins. Is that stuff banned? If he is who he says he is and I gotta believe he is, then I'd like to see kids wearing Sully Football Jersey's with his name on the back. Or kids playing with Flight 1549 trading cards instead of A-Roid's rookie card. Or maybe what will happen is that this story will make us feel good for awhile but then fade into the background once its' run its' course. That is how a true hero story goes.

We will all remember where we were that day and how Sully and his team made us feel hopeful. A story to inspire a generation.

Sunday Morning

Well, the rusted chain proved too much to handle this morning. I couldn't get myself out of bed at 6 AM in order to give myself enough time to clean it, get it working and meet my friends by 8 AM. The urge to sleep in was really the culprit here. I had to sleep past 7 with a big training week coming up. I just had to. probably a mental thing. Tomorrow morning a swim workout is scheduled and I will attempt to make the 6 AM masters class. We, shall see.

I was looking at my two past training logs for IMLP 2006 and 2007, I have to say I was outside on the bike alot more than I have been here in 2009. It's not that we've had a lot of snow, it's just that it has stuck around a lot longer. The roads are awful. Potholes, salt, sand, rocks. It's a nightmare for bikes. My race bike, being my "best" bike is 7 years old but it's still my best bike. I can't risk taking it out. It would be a mess so I need my R300 in working condition so I can take advantage of these 50 degree days.

But really I am also horrified at the condition of this bike. I am usually very good about keeping my bikes clean and in working condition. But this is just neglect. DIBS is probably on their way to get me right now. (DIBS = Division of Bike Services) Maybe it's this bike itself. It sure has taken a lot of abuse over the years like 3 years ago on the way to Hilton Head. Somehow the bike rack had come loose and I was dragging this poor thing for a few miles. I had to get several new parts including pedals. DIBS let me off easy on that one.

Well, I will try to bring it back to life and if I can't then it's time to see Juan, my trusty mechanic. What a weekend.

Saturday Night

I have a lot of great ideas for new posts but this is not one of them. It's Saturday night and here I am writing on my blog. How exciting!! Shouldn't I be out on the town? Naw, that's not me anymore. I didn't want too much time to pass before my next post so I'm "getting this one in". This is why it's not one of my new, great ideas.

Ok, back to what I need to tie into with these posts: training. Borrrrinnggg again. Actually, I did my long run today with the hope of getting outside tomorrow for my long bike. It is supposed to be 50+ F here in North Jersey on Sunday. But I don't want to ride my race bike since the roads are mucky. Don't want to mess it up. The snow will be melting, lots of salt all over the place as well as rocks and sticks. That will wreck havoc on the bike. So, my next great idea was to drag my Cannondale R300 out of the garage. Dust it off. Literally. It has no pedals, no seat and, I found out tonight, that the chain is rusted. I can fix the seat and the pedals but the chain requires dirty work. Only not tonight. This means, unless I get up early to deal with it, I am riding alone on the trainer again. My friends are meeting at 8 AM and I don't know if I can get the bike operational by then. Sleep is important too!

Ok, my head is hurting. That's enough for this lonely Saturday night. Geez, I hope I can get outside tomorrow.

Ramblings on a Monday

Last week was the 10th week of my training plan for Lake Placid. It was also the 2nd consecutive week of a hard cycle. Unfortunately, because of work, weather and everything else going on, I missed or shorted a few workouts. I know. Excuses! Just excuses.

I do try to keep to the weekend long stuff but this Winter is really starting to wear me thin. I haven't been able to ride outside since early December when we last had a mild day. Normally, I hate the trainer. Or rather can exist only for a short time on it. But I have taken to watching movies from Netflix (www.netflix.com) on my PC. Saturday, I watched Young Frankenstein and was howling. I finished the ride off with a few episodes from The Office. Great stuff. Keeps the mind from realizing what you are actually doing. (Not to mention the numbness)

Then on Saturday evening, I got hit with a tremendous cold. It hit me like a ton of bricks. But being the warrior I am (or at least am trying to be), I attempted my long run. It was supposed to be for 90 minutes but I could only muster 57 minutes and 5 miles. Alot of walking. I felt like crap. No energy whatsoever. I struggled home as Pearl Jam danced in my head.

Let's hope this is a better week although it is lighter in the schedule so that should help. In fact today, I had the day off.