Bike and Trail Run

Got out for a nice 40 minute trail run with the dog today. If the wind wasn't blowing 35 mph I would've taken the bike off the trainer and headed out doors as well. Instead I chose to stay inside and spin for 75 minutes.

Knees are still achy but I think it's from lack of stretching. Since I've been moving the last week I've found myself loosening up some. Stretches after runs and rides also help. This will be something I'll have to be continually mindful of when I start tackling that ridiculous weight workout next week.

Few more days to game time. I'm enjoying my last couple mornings of sleeping past 6 am. Soon it will be 4 am and 5 am mornings.

See Trainwreck it's not that hard to blog. You workout and then log it. Simple.

Long Swim

You know it's about time to get to work when the suit feels pretty snug. Got in the pool after work today for a good hour long swim. It wasn't an hour straight. I broke it up into 750, 500, 300s, 200s, 100s and drills. It will take a while for me to build back up to my yardage of old.

Tomorrow will be a 90 minute spin and easy trail run with the dog. Looked at the plan again today. I spent some time with it a few weeks ago but I've been just enjoying the time off since I first peaked at it. I've got a ton to do early and it looks overwhelming. I've got some rearranging to do since I'll be headed to Vermont for a couple of days this week. My big Friday will be moved to Saturday and I won't have Monday off as originally planned.

Good Weekend

Even though I haven't officially started I'm getting back to the routine of it all. This weekend I got in two hour plus bikes, a long swim and a sloppy trail run with the dog.

I'm creaking and cracking, but I can't begin to express how much I've missed that post workout high. It's been a short lay off so hour long workouts in the pool, on the bike or out for a run still seem relatively short. Looking forward to building up my levels to where I was in October.

Spin

It's back to the basement. I thought with the mild temps I could get out for an hour outside but the roads are a mess. Maybe this weekend I can get out. Instead I put the bike on the trainer. It's the first time I've been back on since Florida and it felt good to get back in the saddle. I spun aerobically for an hour. I noticed some pain around my joint areas and I'm hopeful it's just my body getting used to working out again.

The kickoff is in five days so I'm doing low impact work until Jan 1. A early am bike and late day swim is on tap for tomorrow.

Motivation...Mental Prep

In my time time off from training I've been devouring books. I typically don't have much time to read when I'm training so I make it a priority during my time off. This season I've been reading books that focus on heroic feats, crazy endurance records and mental training. Reading these books and being idle is hard since they always light a fire under my ass but as I get closer to kicking off my training I'll recall these stories during the tough times.

A couple of my favorites have been the Lone Survivor by Navy Seal elite Marcus Luttrell. It's a mix of heroic war story, navy seal training methods and endurance for the sake of living. Another is Warrior Elite that describes the ridiculousness that is Navy Seal BUDS training and mental preparation involved to become an elite warrior. Finishing School is another that describes the tactics used by Navy Seals to overcome fear, tackle unbelievable human feats and the benefits of routine and efficiency. And I've also mixed in a couple mental training books by TR. Follow that up with articles about ultra marathoners, elite endurance athletes and you feel like you haven't achieved anything in your life...yet.

One of the most interesting pieces I've read is about how life is based on pain and pleasure. It talks about how what we do is dictated by pain and pleasure. We avoid things that create pain until it comes a time when dealing with the pain will bring us pleasure. It's the recipe for procrastination. Put the pain off, put it off more, and then receive pressure from external sources and that pain now is viewed as pleasure because once we get through the pain (task) we receive pleasure in removing the pressure from external sources. It describes ways of dealing with the pain and overcoming it even when no pleasure is in sight. It reminds me a lot of endurance training. Without the pain we cannot possibly reach our goals. We deal with pain for months on end until we get that pleasurable experience of competing and bringing all that pain to bear for the ultimate pleasurable reward - finishing and IM.

This year I will be dealing with pain everyday as I strive for bigger goals. My hope is to view pain as the ultimate pleasure because it will take me where I want to go. Pain will be getting in long runs in sub zero temps, 4 am mornings, riding endless hours on a trainer, punishing my lower body with weights, running endless hill repeats on broken down legs and pushing over hills with a screaming HR.

All that pain to have the pleasure of lining up on the beach in June more mentally and physically prepared than the next guy.

Low impact...except for when you fall

Today we are getting dumped on again. It just won't stop snowing. What's great about getting more than 6 inches of snow is that it turns the local back roads near my place into perfect XC ski trails.

Without a car in sight I got out and made some first tracks this morning. The conditions were perfect and for once I chose the right wax. After a couple of early falls to shake off the rust I settled into a nice rhythm. I can't believe how demanding XC skiing is. I was out for a little over an hour and was totally soaked through with sweat. I shut it down after the plows trucks started chasing me on their first passes.

Has anyone ever puked doing this workout?

Today I got my first taste of my weight work for the next six months and it came from deep in my gut. Apparently last year my weight work was all wrong. I certainly felt it and got some benefit from it, but the intensity was lacking. I met up with Max at the gym and he put me through the proper torturous paces.

It's all about pain and seeing spots. It starts with the squat rack transitions immediately to box jumps and then back to the weight and step ups. Short rest and hit it again. Do that three times and then three sets of weighted lunges. I only got through one and somewhere on the 13 box jump I started to get dizzy. On the fifth step up my mouth was like a dessert and my heart was banging. It's hell so you know it's doing your body good. Tuesday's will forever suck the next six months.

Then again, there are only a few of us doing this so that will give me huge confidence when it's time to line up on the beach.

And yes, people have puked and I'm sure the next one will be me.

This is gonna hurt...

That's what was waiting in my email box this morning from my coach.

I opened the email and found my IM training plan. Gonna hurt doesn't even accurately describe this plan. Last year's plan doesn't even compare. The workouts are nuts. For example: run the Hubuelin Tower road (a sick mile long hill) for two hours and count the number of summits. At least that won't come until March, but January ain't pretty either. I'll be knocking down 12.5 hour weeks after one week of tune up. That increases to 18 by April. Mix in the medieval weight work and time on the bike, and it's a pure fire recipe of pain.

I guess if you have aspirational goals you have to bleed through your eyeballs. I meticulously picked through the plan wincing as I got closer to spring. Then I realized I was reading ahead and saw the goals tab. I opened the tab and that's when I smiled. These are personal so I'll keep them to myself, but a couple, if achieved, would complete the ultimate journey.

I get a taste of the pain this Thursday and then it's a another couple weeks of enjoying pain free days and then game time. I'm not going to look ahead just knock of each day. Getting through the plan alone is an athletic achievement.

Brushing off the dust

With my training starting soon I figured I better start getting ready. Actually I was told to start moving.

I was supposed to get in two 10 mile runs. One last weekend and one this weekend. I got them in but I don't think they were 10 miles runs more like 8. Today I kept it aerobic and just zoned out for an hour. My fitness is still there but my body is still aching but I'm guessing that it's probably just my joints warming up for the long haul again.

This week will be more consistent with swims, runs and possibly a bike. Creeping back into it. Oh yeah and the IM World Championship was on yesterday and that's just the purest motivation you can get.

Stress Reliever

It's incredible how much SBR helps me deal with stress. Since I've been off my plan, I've noticed I get more stressed at work and tend to get a little micromanagey. But I can fix it all with a good workout or just any form of workout. Got out for nice run last night in the unseasonably warm temps. Getting out again tonight for a longer one in the rain to punish myself for letting stress get the best of me these last couple weeks.

How long? I don't care and I don't know. Reporting that kind of info starts in a couple weeks when it all means something.

Snow

Well it finally snowed that means I'll be back to training soon. No more eating burgers and after work naps. I think I have about two weeks until I start just in time for the holidays. Feels like ages since I've been on my bike. I'll be putting in a few runs leading up to my training. Nice easy runs just one foot in front of the other.

Trying to wrap my mind about doing all that work again but what the hell it's a privilege not a right.