Category Archives: Training

Back in the water

June 23rd, Saturday

No workout today

 

June 24th, Sunday

On a warm Sunday afternoon I swam and ran in the pool for 1 hour. It is a little strange to be swimming around in circles and running in my new Speedo as the only person  in the pool while a few dozen people lounge around the pool complex.(Watching?)

Good workout!

Stats steady.

Tri fun today!

June 21, Thursday

 

L

My Speedo circa 1980

Today marks exactly one month until my attempt at a triathlon event on July 21st.  Having purchased my first pair of Speedo swimming trunks in about 40 years I decided to try a transition exercise today. Everyone you I have personally spoken to who has run a triathlon was disappointed in the time it took them during transition. So I thought it would be a good idea to practice. I prepared my transition kit  and  brought my bike over to the clubhouse on the back of my car hanging on my new bike rack . I wanted to see how quickly the Speedos would dry and how comfortable they would be on the bike after getting wet. I felt a little shy because I have never worn such a tight fitting pair of swimming trunks in this development among the + 55 crowd. But I bravely entered the pool & immediately began swimming 500 strokes in a circle around the edge of the pool non- stop. I have been trying to figure out how many strokes  it will take me to swim 500 m .  I am beginning with the concept that I would swim 1 meter per stroke . That may be a little too optimistic but it’s a place to start . I can say that swimming did seem a little easier in my new streamlined trunks.  Then I ran for 20 minutes in the deep water. Next I jumped out of the water and headed for my transition area. I put on my socks and shoes and t-shirt + my helmet and sunglasses and grabbed my watch and jumped on my bike. It did seem to take more time that I had anticipated. I will get faster.  The whole exercise was kind of fun. I was in motion for 75 minutes and to my surprise did not feel very tired at all in any stage. But that is only about half of the time it will likely take me to complete the triathlon.

But it was fun!

Stats-

Sleep = 8 hours

Morning HR = 54BPM

WEIGHT = #154

Morning heel pain = 3

Workout = 75 minutes  in motion…20 swim, 20 run in water, 35 bike

 

Back to work

June 16, 17, 18

Rest days.

June 19th, Tuesday

Finally a workout. It has been a very busy 3 days, or was it 4,  that I had no workout. This of course causes me great anxiety. But today I got into the pool for a full 45 minutes swimming and running, and it felt wonderful. I’m sure my muscles appreciated the three or 4 days of rest that they haven’t had in quite a while. I swam and ran with conviction and ease.  I have concluded that a full 72 hours of rest prior to my Triathlon event will be an excellent idea.

Stats-

Sleep = 8 hours

I- Mhd = 4

I-Mad  = 0

a.m.HR = 55bom

Weight  = #154

 

Needed rest

June 15 and 16,  Friday and Saturday

Feeling tired and generally sore for the last two days… So I took off from working out completely. It seemed  like a good opportunity to pamper my troubled heal also.  I think the 40 minute non-stop swim on Thursday took a lot out of me,  more than I realized.

State are stable.

Long swim

June 14,  Thursday

Bright sun,  blue sky, painted clouds and 78* at the outdoor pool today as I swam almost non-stop  for 40 minutes: then a 15 minute whirlpool.  Pretty tired afterward.

Stats – Steady

 

Double work

June 12th, Tuesday

Arlene and I rode our bikes on the Delaware Raritan canal pathway along the Delaware River for about six to seven miles in the afternoon. It was a wonderful day. Then unfortunately Arl had a mishap as she got off her bike at the end of the ride and in the act of falling broke her wrist.  So the next 4 hours we spent in the emergency room at Huntington Medical Center. She has a an appointment with an orthopedic doctor tomorrow  at  9 a.m. to find out what else needs to be done with the wrist.

Bike riding will be on hold for a while.

June 13th, Wednesday

Today I spent at the community workout facility and pool. I rode the bike for 45 minutes lifting weights as I rode. Then I went to the pool and ran for 20 minutes in the deep water. It felt like a good hour of work that I needed.

I followed that with about 30 minutes in the hot tub mostly blowing the Jets on my sore heel.

The heel is getting better each day.

Stats are stable.

 

Catch up blog

June 6th, Wednesday

 

June 7th, Thursday

Road bike at Allaire Park for 6 miles.

June 8th, Friday

Solid water work…

50 minutes of good running work in the pool. That included  10 x my 3-part acceleration sets.  Very exhausting, but still the body adapted well to feel more comfortable with each set.  That is twice I have completed 10 sets in last week.

Recovering

June  11th, Monday

After yesterday’s forced track workout my heel pad/ plantar fasciitis was just about unbearable this morning.  I would rate my index at 9/10.  It has become evident that I need to give my foot some time to recover and heal. So I  have decided to stop any surface running until my heel is totally free of pain. That might mean two full weeks or more. So I will swim and bike and water run during that time and nurse my heel. I will have to accept the fact that I will run the 5K portion of a triathlon on July 21st without pain only if I have given my foot time to totally heal.  It will be very interesting to see how well I can run 5k after having very limited road work for 5 weeks. It is important that I become totally healed because late August and early September are Jason’s run and qualifying for senior Nationals.  New Jersey Triathlon is just for fun.

Stats are stable.  Except for I-Mhd = 9!!!!

No workout today…..

Back on track

June 10th, Sunday

I enjoyed a lovely breakfast this morning with Arlene, Rob and Kristen in Manasquan. It is very rare that we can all get together these days because of their busy schedules.

It was a chilly, rainy day; perfect for a track workout.  I set out for the Jackson Liberty track with the hope I could complete some quicker running on the softer surface without doing damage to my heel which continues to pain. Unfortunately my heel never completely stopped taking during the entire workout but I ran through the discomfort. I am not sure if this is a good idea or not. I guess tomorrow and the next few days will tell. I have a vague memory of previous plantar fasciitis events when the discomfort remained the  same whether I ran or rested. And then somehow it just disappeared without explanation.  I am hoping for that  result.

The 45 minutes on the track consisted a slow warm-up, then a series of pickups run at a seven to seven and a half minutes pace. I did about 8 x 100s, 2 x 200s and 1 x 400m.  Aerobically I continue to feel very strong, hampered only by the soreness my heel from doing much longer workouts.  It did feel very good to get my body in motion on the ground. Swimming and biking are okay, but running I love!

Stats –

Sleep =  6 hours

Weight = #152

amHR = 54bpm

I-Mad = 1

I-Mhd = 3/4 !  After workout = 6/7