Last day of January

Jan 31 Workout
9 degrees this morning, and since I have a race next weekend (my first ever) I thought I should get outside. I wore a fleece hat, sunglasses, a Patagonia base layer, with a fleece jacket and rain jacket on top, and rain pants. I was warm, but had to unzip the jackets after about 10 minutes [Try the fleece vest next time]. It was a shock to breath in the cold air, but I used a fleece headband over my mouth and this helped.

2 miles total, 20 minutes. I ran 8 minutes, and then walked 2 minutes. The run/walk worked for me. My legs are sore from yesterday’s gym session, but sore in a good way.

Weight Workout
- designed to be done at home or the gym.
- Upper Body
Pushup x2 Till failure
Neck x2 15/15
Lat Pull down x2 15
Seated Row x2 15
Pullover x2 15
3 way shoulder x2 15
- Lower Body
Hip in x2 50
Hip out x2 50
Leg extensions x2 15
Leg Curl x2 15
Walking Lunges x2 15 ea
Calf raises x2 20
Toe raises x2 20 ea
Wall Squat x4 30 sec on/off
- Core
Crunch x2 25
Side Bends x2 20 ea side
Reverse Crunch x20
Bicycle x4 30 sec on/off
Plank raised leg x4 30 sec on/off
Side Plank x8 30 sec on/off
Superman x10
Seal x10

Jan 30 workout

After not going to the gym this week I was a bit worried, but felt great. I guess the rest helped. My ab workout is coming together nicely, and I really like doing my entire weight workout at one time. The pool water was very warm today, and it made swimming hard, so I was surprised I did a 100 in 1:05, especially since I didn’t feel fast.
Weights
10 min on the bike at level 5, 100 rpm
Looseners
Treadmill
- 4 miles; 1.5% grade; 43 min (10 min run, 1 min walk)
- Left shin, inside, felt sore while running
- Left hamstring sore
- Feet feeling a bit warm, need to watch this as miles increase
- I wore the maroon REI shirt, not scratchy like the other one
10 min of stretching
Swimming
100 s, 100k
200 s, 100k
300 s, 100k
400 s, 100k
500 s, 100k
2x100 fast swim on 2:00; did 1:08 and 1:05
2x100 kick on 3:00
100 easy
2500 total

Marathon Miles for Jan.

I ran a marathon in January, it just took the entire month to do it!  Looking at my total miles for the month I am amazed. I went from no running in 2009, to nearly 30 miles in January. It is hard to believe. And I actually enjoy it.

When not working out I've been reading running related books from the library. I just finished "Marathon Method" by Tom Holland. I liked it. Practical advice for a new runner and a few great stories. His workouts are good too.

Jan 26; An easy day

I took Monday off (except for an hour of yoga on a DVD I have). 

My wife is at a conference so I have the kids and can't go to the gym.  It also means no outside running.  So the next three days will be easy.  Today I did 30 min of yoga and then my weight workout; opting to do all of it and not break it in two.

Jan 24 workout

What a great day at the gym, my wife joined me. 

Weights
Looseners
19:30 on the treadmill; 1.5% grade; 2 miles
- Worked on my bob, but even when I focus on staying level I still bob
- Felt really good
Streatched for a bit
Swimming
100 swim; 100 kick
200 swim; 100 kick
300 swim; 100 kick
400 swim; 100 kick
100 down
1500 total

Jan 23 and no outside running

Today I awoke to a frozen driveway, the second time in a few days. Seems our temperature is hovering around 34 and after is rains a bit, drops below freezing. I was excited about an outside run today, but decided a rest day wouldn't hurt. I did manage to do an hour of yoga and ice my leg a few times.

Left Leg Issues:
Last week I thought I injured my shin muscle from slipping on the ice. Now I am revisiting that idea. When I run on the treadmill it sounds like thud, THUD, thud, THUD.... Big THUD right leg, little thud left leg. And I bob up and down more then I would like. Then this week I took an awkward step and felt my left leg muscles, they were very sore (much more than the right, in fact my right leg feels great). I realized I push off with my left leg. This is doing two things. First, it causes me to overwork my left leg muscles. And second, I push myself upward slightly so that I impact the ground harder with my right foot (and the loud THUD on the treadmill).

To counter I need to concentrate on peeling my left foot off the ground, not pushing off. Lets hope it works.

Weight Workout

I hope to stick with this for a 6-8 weeks before I change it. I take turns doing 1, then 2. Since I only make it to the gym 3 times a week, I'll get to do one of them twice a week. I do 2 sets of 15 reps.

Workout 1
Leg Curl
Leg Extension
Shoulder Press
Neck bends (while on your back)
Hip Adduction (in)
Hip Abduction (out)
Seated Row
Pullover

Workout 2
Bench
Side Bends
Bi
Tri
Calf
Pulldowns
Incline Bench
3 way shoulder

Jan 21 Workout

What a great workout. My shin is feeling much better after the slip on the ice. My right shoulder was sore swimming, probably from the pullover machine I did (new to my weight workout).

Weights
10 min on the bike at level 4
2 miles on the treadmill at 6-7 mph (19 min); 1% grade
Streatching
Swimming
100 sksk
5x100 on 1:30
5x100 on 1:25
5x100 on 1:20
- I made them all, the last 5 at 1:16 to 1:18
100 down
2000 total

Jan 19 Workout

My Sunday run was great, getting outside and off the treadmill was a real treat. The downside is I slipped on some ice. The slip either caused or aggravated a developing injury, and now my left shin is sore. I've been icing and keeping the leg elevated (when I can) and it has improved a bit. To be cautious I didn’t run Monday, moving my gym workout to Tuesday. I still didn’t feel good today, so I skipped running and did an easy swim workout.

Weights
10 min on the bike at level 3
Swimming
100 Swim; 100 kick
200 Swim; 100 kick
300 Swim; 100 kick
400 Swim; 100 kick
500 Swim
100 down
2000 total

Jan 17, Outside running

My first try at running outside. Not nearly as bad as I thought. The ground was snow/ice, but since it was still morning it was frozen. I thought running on the frozen ground would be better than slush in the afternoon.

39 min total
3.4 miles total (per runningmap.com)

Jan 16 Workout

After reading Blogs and a few Running magazines from the library I changed my gym workout. I put weight lifting back in and added a 5 min bike to warm-up (instead of walking on the treadmill). My running will be more focused on gradually increasing speed and distance.

Weights
5 min on the bike, easy
Looseners (from the ChiRunning book)
Treadmill
1% Grade
6.3 mph
3 miles total
31 minutes
Notes:
- Felt really good, no tension in the hamstrings or neck
- Slight pain in the Rt knee but upping my cadence helped
Swimming
200 swim, 100 kick, x2
5x100 kick on 2:30; did 1:40, 1:35, 1:35, 1:30, 1:33
100 easy
3x200 descend on 3:30; 2:42, 2:38, 2:28
3x200 descend on 3:30; 2:48, 2:39, 2:35
100 down
2500 total

First Race Confirmed

I signed up for my first race, The Frigid 5 on Feb 7. I'll run the 5k. I also signed up for the the St. Patrick's Day Human Race at the University of St. Thomas (I'll run the 8K). You can find information on both races at http://www.tslevents.com.

Jan 13 Workout

I did weights today, and plan to do a combo of upper and lower body on days I go to the gym (Sat, Mon, Wed).
5 min on the bike for a warmup
Treadmill
I did the 5k program at 1% grade, it went up to 2% during run
3.22 total miles
27:56 total time
Avg speed 6mph
notes:
- I upped my speed every few minutes, but when it hit 2% grade I really felt it and had to slow down. It was a struggle at about the 15 min mark, but I didn't walk. However, avg speed was 6mph so I would have been better to stay at 6 till the very end, and then speed it up.
- Less bobbing at 7mph
- Rt knee hurt in front when I started to lose form
- When tired I crane my neck up
Swimming
100 sksks
200 IM (3:15) then 100 k (2:45); repeat 5 times
- IM's held 3:00
100 easy
3x100 IM (2:00); did 1:20; 1:18; 1:20
100 down
2500 total

Jan 11 Workout

Treadmill
1.5% grade
3 miles total
5 min walking
25 min running; 6-7 mph
notes:
- Increased grade and noticed I didn't lift my legs (so I was scrapping the belt), helped focus on relaxed ankles
- After 10 min running, increased pace till I did the last 5 min at 7 mph
- Hamstrings very sore from Sunday leg workout
- Rt foot lands funny, focusing on rt knee helps get things back in order
- Treadmill heart rate monitor had me at 179 bpm

Swimming
100 sksks
16x50 no breath on :50
8x50 2 breath on 1:00
100 easy
4x100 4 breath on 2:30 (did 5, 4, 5, 4)
200 down
2000 total

Jan 9 workout

Treadmill
1% grade
2.8 total miles
5 min walk for warmup
25 min run at 6mph
notes:
- The gym was busy so I didn't get to do my looseners
- My back felt good, without a lot of focus on posture
- As a new runner I've fully embraced ChiRunning, and I can do it without thinking (it helps that I have no prior form to revert to)
- Again, I watched TV and my neck was a little tight

Swim
100 sksks
5x300 on 4:00; try to hold 1:15 pace
- Didn't hold pace; 3:48 to 3:50 ea
100 easy
3x100 kick fast on 2:00
- held 1:40 each
100 down
2000 total
notes
- Felt sluggish today; could be from not doing anything Fri but read, ice, heat, repeat

Training Overview

Sat, Mon, and Wed are run/swim days
- For swimming I change my daily focus, with Sat a distance day, Mon for IM, and Wed for sprint
- I am still working on a plan for running, but will probably keep to a similar schedule as swimming

Sun, Tue, and Thur are my ab and leg workouts
- I can't make it to the gym, so I do a video or two

Everyday I try to do yoga, between 20 min and 1 hour
- I like the Rodney Yee DVD's like "Power Yoga" and "All Day Yoga for Beginners"

Friday is my recovery day and family night

Jan 6 Workout

Treadmill
1% grade
30 min at 6mph
3.5 total miles
notes
- Focused on chin down and neck felt better
- Kept posture more upright and back felt better
- Hamstring was tight, but not sore today
- Still bobbing, but no side to side movement

Swimming
100 sksks
5x50 Fly with 1 min rest between each; did 39, 40, 41, 38, 37
5x50 Back with 1 min rest between each; did 40, 40, 39, 38, 38
5x50 Breast with 1 min rest between each; did 48, 46, 45, 46, 47
5x50 Free with 1 min rest between each; did 31, 31, 31, 30, 30
3x100 fast kick on 2:30; did 1:40, 1:35, 1:35
100 easy
2x100 IM fast; did 1:20 and 1:17
100 down
2200 total

Jan 4 Workout

Treadmill
1% grade
25 min run at 6mph
2.8 miles total
notes:
- Forgot running shoes, ran in Merrells
- I was watching TV during the run and my neck was tighter than usually, even when I focused on my elbows
- Worked on straighter posture to improve lower back tension, but didn't seem to help much, need to try a few more variations

Swim
100 sksks
5x50 fast kick on 1:45 - held :40's
5x50 fast swim on 1:20 - held :30's
200 IM
10x25 fast kick on :55 - held :20's
10x25 fast swim on :40 - held :15's
100 down
1800 total yards
notes:
- Used the ChiRunning hip rotation during kicks; worked great
- should have done x2 200 IM's

Jan 2 workout

Treadmill
5 min walk
20 min run
5 min walk
1% grade
2.5 miles total
notes:
Stomach hurt from to much breakfast
Focused on low elbows to keep tension out of neck and shoulders

Swim
100 s.k.s
1600 swim, target 1:22 per 100
actual time 21:20; pace 1:20 per 100
100 down
2000 total