My legs are starting to get sore from the run. Walking down stairs is not fun.
Mild shin splints, but the real killer are my quads. I guess they took more of pounding than I realized.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Running Man
Even though I did quite a bit of "recreational" running ("Run for fun? ... What's the fun in that?") in college and even did some 5Ks and 10Ks after graduation, the running part of the tri worries me the most. Partly because I am going to have to do it at the end (after swimming and biking) and partly because even though I have run in the past, it has never come easily to me.
So this morning, I ran six miles. Okay, to be more exact, I ran/jogged/walked/lumbered for 6 miles. It took about an hour, which is a pretty slow pace, but hey, this is the first time I've run more than 4 miles in OVER FIVE YEARS.
Derek, who ran a marathon in Alaska last year, recommended that I try "5-1"s, which is running for 5 minutes and then walking for 1 minute. The theory behind this technique is that running and walking use different sets of muscles ... so instead of "running until you drop" and then walking the rest of the way, if you start interjecting some walking earlier in the "race" you will actually be able to run longer and faster.
Anyway, being as out of running shape as I am, I modified this to 4-1's ... which I did for about the first mile and a half ... and then it became 3-1's and then 2-1's and then 1-1's by the end. What surprised me what that my heart/lung capacity was NOT the limiting factor for the run distance/speed; it was my legs that were getting tired. This was definitely not the case when I ran in college. (All that swimming is really helping my cardio!) But I really never out-and-out stopped at all the whole time, so I am happy!
The first run of my triathlon training is behind me. :-)
So this morning, I ran six miles. Okay, to be more exact, I ran/jogged/walked/lumbered for 6 miles. It took about an hour, which is a pretty slow pace, but hey, this is the first time I've run more than 4 miles in OVER FIVE YEARS.
Derek, who ran a marathon in Alaska last year, recommended that I try "5-1"s, which is running for 5 minutes and then walking for 1 minute. The theory behind this technique is that running and walking use different sets of muscles ... so instead of "running until you drop" and then walking the rest of the way, if you start interjecting some walking earlier in the "race" you will actually be able to run longer and faster.
Anyway, being as out of running shape as I am, I modified this to 4-1's ... which I did for about the first mile and a half ... and then it became 3-1's and then 2-1's and then 1-1's by the end. What surprised me what that my heart/lung capacity was NOT the limiting factor for the run distance/speed; it was my legs that were getting tired. This was definitely not the case when I ran in college. (All that swimming is really helping my cardio!) But I really never out-and-out stopped at all the whole time, so I am happy!
The first run of my triathlon training is behind me. :-)
Monday, May 14, 2007
Open-Water Swimming
Since we need practice doing open-water swimming, Derek, Jarrod, and I headed to Grapevine Lake after work to do a route that we found on the Team In Training Yahoo! Group.
The route is about 573 meters each way, but we swam out a little "to the left" of where we were supposed to go so the round trip was probably almost 1,200 meters for us.
Swimming in a lake is a lot different from a pool! The water is murky - no line on the floor to follow - and the current pushes you off course. I had to look up frequently to course-correct, and did breaststroke about 30% to switch it up, but I didn't drown. Bonus!
Next time one of us needs to bring along a watch so we know how fast/slow we are! :-P
The route is about 573 meters each way, but we swam out a little "to the left" of where we were supposed to go so the round trip was probably almost 1,200 meters for us.
Swimming in a lake is a lot different from a pool! The water is murky - no line on the floor to follow - and the current pushes you off course. I had to look up frequently to course-correct, and did breaststroke about 30% to switch it up, but I didn't drown. Bonus!
Next time one of us needs to bring along a watch so we know how fast/slow we are! :-P
Sunday, May 13, 2007
On To Road Biking
It had to happen sooner or later, I'm actually riding a road bike. I probably haven't been on a road bike since riding a ten-speed when I was 14 or 15. Everything since then has been on a mountain bike - off-road or not.
My friend Jarrod was nice enough to give me his old road bike (which he got from his friend about six months ago). If and when I decide to get a new road bike, this bike will definitely be passed on again - continuing its excellent legacy of introducing new riders to the sport.
Road biking in the DFW metroplex is tough. Dallasites drive fast and crazy (I'm somewhat guilty of this myself) and many roads don't have shoulders. Definitely not a bike-friendly place.
So I just biked around my neighborhood, which is not as bad/small as it sounds - my community has nearly 4,000 houses and spans an area that is about 1.25 miles "high" by nearly 6 miles "wide." So in about 70 minutes, I actually covered about 16 miles without retracing very many of the roads.
It took a little getting used the road bike. First, the low position of the handle bars. Second, shifting gears - this old bike has the shifters way down on the lower cross bar of the frame. Third, being clipped into the pedals. I only crashed once during my inagural road bike ride: in a driveway, while stopping for water - couldn't get unclipped in time. I felt like I was falling in slow motion. Luckily, no damage - not even a skinned knee. Greatness ... the biking gods like me.
Jarrod told me that the best way to build up your biking legs is to find a hill and just bike up and down it. So I did the moderate grade hill right in front of my house about 5 times in succession. It wasn't too bad and I never even had to go down from the "big ring" of the front sprocket.
I guess after doing 10+23 miles of mountain biking last week, I was expecting 16 miles of road biking to be no problem. I am happy to say that my expectations were met.
My friend Jarrod was nice enough to give me his old road bike (which he got from his friend about six months ago). If and when I decide to get a new road bike, this bike will definitely be passed on again - continuing its excellent legacy of introducing new riders to the sport.
Road biking in the DFW metroplex is tough. Dallasites drive fast and crazy (I'm somewhat guilty of this myself) and many roads don't have shoulders. Definitely not a bike-friendly place.
So I just biked around my neighborhood, which is not as bad/small as it sounds - my community has nearly 4,000 houses and spans an area that is about 1.25 miles "high" by nearly 6 miles "wide." So in about 70 minutes, I actually covered about 16 miles without retracing very many of the roads.
It took a little getting used the road bike. First, the low position of the handle bars. Second, shifting gears - this old bike has the shifters way down on the lower cross bar of the frame. Third, being clipped into the pedals. I only crashed once during my inagural road bike ride: in a driveway, while stopping for water - couldn't get unclipped in time. I felt like I was falling in slow motion. Luckily, no damage - not even a skinned knee. Greatness ... the biking gods like me.
Jarrod told me that the best way to build up your biking legs is to find a hill and just bike up and down it. So I did the moderate grade hill right in front of my house about 5 times in succession. It wasn't too bad and I never even had to go down from the "big ring" of the front sprocket.
I guess after doing 10+23 miles of mountain biking last week, I was expecting 16 miles of road biking to be no problem. I am happy to say that my expectations were met.
Friday, May 11, 2007
Weigh-in #2
Did the scale thing again this morning. Down 11 pounds from starting weight and another percent body-fat.
I love the little "advisory" sticker on the scale that says "body fat measurement may be inaccurate for extremely overweight or highly athletic body types". I hope that someday that message will apply to me (for the latter reason NOT the former).
I love the little "advisory" sticker on the scale that says "body fat measurement may be inaccurate for extremely overweight or highly athletic body types". I hope that someday that message will apply to me (for the latter reason NOT the former).
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
More Mountain Biking
A glutton for punishment, I decided to bike a second day in a row. Went with Jarrod and Mike to Greenbelt Corridor. Did the 10-mile trail, biked up the road to a Sam Garrett Memorial Overlook Park, and then back to our vehicles. About 3 1/2 hours for the 23-mile trek.
The trail was nice and flat and mostly gravel although we did get a little wet and muddy. Part of the fun I suppose.
The trail was nice and flat and mostly gravel although we did get a little wet and muddy. Part of the fun I suppose.
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Pool Closed - Biking in Grapevine
The pool at North Lake College is closed this week. They are removing the roof of the natatorium to turn the winter indoor pool into a summer outdoor pool.
Since the pool is closed, and since I have to come to grips that there are THREE parts to a TRIathlon, I decided to do some mountain biking this week. (Yeah, yeah, I know there aren't any mountains in Texas, but off-road biking doesn't flow as easily off the tongue).
Don and I did (part of) the Northshore Trail around Grapevine Lake between Rockledge Park and Murrell Park. About 10 miles total. Not a real long distance, but it is a good start. Been almost 5 years since I last rode those trails.
Afterword: My rear is little sore, but not too bad. Between my bike shorts, padded seat, and an extra 1-inch gel pad that wrapped on my seat, I had quite a bit of protection down there!
Since the pool is closed, and since I have to come to grips that there are THREE parts to a TRIathlon, I decided to do some mountain biking this week. (Yeah, yeah, I know there aren't any mountains in Texas, but off-road biking doesn't flow as easily off the tongue).
Don and I did (part of) the Northshore Trail around Grapevine Lake between Rockledge Park and Murrell Park. About 10 miles total. Not a real long distance, but it is a good start. Been almost 5 years since I last rode those trails.
Afterword: My rear is little sore, but not too bad. Between my bike shorts, padded seat, and an extra 1-inch gel pad that wrapped on my seat, I had quite a bit of protection down there!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
