Yesterday was massage day. I go for a massage about every three weeks. I have extremely tight hamstrings and my legs in general are always very tight. It is from years of exercise and probably not enough stretching. My massage therapist says I shouldn't do anything for at least the rest of the day so I took yesterday evening off and packed for Cuba.
This morning I swam at the pool and there was hardly anyone there. Also, I didn't print off a program from swimplan.com or come with a plan as to what I was going to swim. For me, this is a mistake because I need structure to motivate me. I swam a bit aimlessly for 40 minutes doing a bit of everything-some kicking, using pull buoy, freestyle, backstroke and breaststroke. This will be my last post before going to Cuba tomorrow. I may try to blog from Cuba. I have been going to same resort for years and have a bit of a routine when I am down there. I plan to do at least a couple of long runs (hour and a half). I have a couple of routes where I run on the highway along the ocean in Varadero and there is a nice breeze. Also, there is a good sized pool for doing laps and I usually do 20-30mins of swimming per day. When I was there is February, I had a couple of nice ocean swims. Sometimes the water is too rough but other times it is perfect.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Count down to Cuba
I am a little busy getting ready to go on another vacation. I did my last spinning class yesterday afternoon until fall. I was going to follow it up with a short run outside for a little brick training but I got an offer to go to dinner and chose that instead.
This morning we had our weekly swim class/lesson. Most of what we did today revolved around "feeling the water" with your hands. We did 12- 50s alternating between swimming regularly and then swimming with fist closed. We then swam with different size paddles to feel the difference. We finished with some backstroke and butterfly and I felt like I might be getting a bit better at both. I can actually do a length of butterfly without completely dying. Dave pointed out that I have been bending my arm too much with backstroke. You need to keep in straight to push the water. I was planning to go cycling after work but that is not looking too likely as it is windy and rainy. I am getting a massage today and you are not supposed to work out right after doing that. We'll see. I might go for an easy run.
This morning we had our weekly swim class/lesson. Most of what we did today revolved around "feeling the water" with your hands. We did 12- 50s alternating between swimming regularly and then swimming with fist closed. We then swam with different size paddles to feel the difference. We finished with some backstroke and butterfly and I felt like I might be getting a bit better at both. I can actually do a length of butterfly without completely dying. Dave pointed out that I have been bending my arm too much with backstroke. You need to keep in straight to push the water. I was planning to go cycling after work but that is not looking too likely as it is windy and rainy. I am getting a massage today and you are not supposed to work out right after doing that. We'll see. I might go for an easy run.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Lost wallet
I don't know that loosing my wallet has much to do with my training except that it stresses me out and is distracting. I lost it last week and then found it and now i have lost it again it seems permanently. That is definitely out of character as I am not usually that absent minded. It is also a pain since I am leaving for Cuba on Friday. I thought I had it when I went to the pool yesterday morning so it is possible that it was stolen but more likely that it was just dropped somewhere.
In any event, when I wasn't looking for my wallet, I managed to swim 2000 m again yesterday morning. There were plenty of triathletes at the pool and that is always motivating. I did a 500 m. warmup consisting of 200 swim, 200 pull and 100 kick; then I did 5-200s with paddles and then some 100s and some butterfly and backstroke.
After work, I went for an 8 k. run. It could have been longer but mentally I really did not feel like running. So, as a comprimise with myself, I thought 8 k was better than nothing. Again, when I got about halfway through it I started to feel great and then by the end I was doing sprinting drills. One theory I came up with about this is that I usually run right after work and my job as a lawyer is often stressful and it perhaps takes me about halfway through the run to sort of let things go. Who knows. I decided to relax a bit this morning and skip swimming. I have a spin class this afternoon which is my last one this spring. Its bad when you feel guilty about having only one workout per day. Tomorrow morning is my swim lesson and if it is not raining tomorrow afternoon I am going to try to go cycling one more time before I leave for Cuba.
In any event, when I wasn't looking for my wallet, I managed to swim 2000 m again yesterday morning. There were plenty of triathletes at the pool and that is always motivating. I did a 500 m. warmup consisting of 200 swim, 200 pull and 100 kick; then I did 5-200s with paddles and then some 100s and some butterfly and backstroke.
After work, I went for an 8 k. run. It could have been longer but mentally I really did not feel like running. So, as a comprimise with myself, I thought 8 k was better than nothing. Again, when I got about halfway through it I started to feel great and then by the end I was doing sprinting drills. One theory I came up with about this is that I usually run right after work and my job as a lawyer is often stressful and it perhaps takes me about halfway through the run to sort of let things go. Who knows. I decided to relax a bit this morning and skip swimming. I have a spin class this afternoon which is my last one this spring. Its bad when you feel guilty about having only one workout per day. Tomorrow morning is my swim lesson and if it is not raining tomorrow afternoon I am going to try to go cycling one more time before I leave for Cuba.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Fitting things in (more or less)
Its Sunday night and I have done about 7 hours of training in the last three days as well as quite a bit of socializing. I am a bit stiff and sore which is good, I guess. Friday, I was still feeling under the weather with a cold so I slept ina bit and swam at lunch time. I managed to swim 2000 m. doing a 500 m warm up and 300s with paddles and then alternating with swimming with a pull buoy. I mixed in a bit of backstroke and breaststroke. It was mostly sunny Friday and about 5 degrees so I started to think about cycling in the afternoon. I left work about 4:30 and went home to get geared up for cycling. I got about a half hour into it and it started to rain and it was windy. I turned around and headed home because I didn't want to get wet and I didn't really want to get my bike wet and dirty. But, I got about an hour of cycling in.
After wining and dining Friday night, I did my Saturday morning spin class at 8:30 am. I also enjoy that and I like having to get up early and get going. I had to rush to get to the "Pinch Penny Fair" at Confed. Centre where I was volunteering. I finished that about 1 pm and was determined to get a long run in before another dinner for my friend, Mike's birthday. I ran for about an hour and a half and felt great. (for a change) I ran a bit faster and really enjoyed it. The run ended with Coldplay's "Rule the World" song on my Ipod which I thought was a great song to end with. On a more embarassing note, there is a Celine Dion/Il Divo duet on my Ipod that I find oddly motivating when I run.
Today, I cycled with my friend, Jamie, for about 60 k. and it was great, except that I am quite slow at the moment. I was thinking to myself that all my ironman training over the past couple of years might be making me into a "slow and steady" cyclist. We'll see how things go after a few more rides. I felt I was a bit slower last year as well. When I started cycling and before I got into long distance races, I used to go out for 40-50 k fast rides all the time. That was all I ever did and you get quick doing that. I find now that I am always thinking a bit like I am in an ironman race where I am pacing myself and holding back. I am heading to Cuba (again) the end of this week. I have been doing a lot of travel lately but this will be my last non-triathlon trip for the rest of the year. I will do lots of running and swimming in Cuba. As well, I am going to a resort to be a fitness instructor for a week and am scheduled to teach 21 fitness classes in 7 days. But, its not as impressive as its sounds as the workouts are not very long or intense and sometimes no one shows up.
After wining and dining Friday night, I did my Saturday morning spin class at 8:30 am. I also enjoy that and I like having to get up early and get going. I had to rush to get to the "Pinch Penny Fair" at Confed. Centre where I was volunteering. I finished that about 1 pm and was determined to get a long run in before another dinner for my friend, Mike's birthday. I ran for about an hour and a half and felt great. (for a change) I ran a bit faster and really enjoyed it. The run ended with Coldplay's "Rule the World" song on my Ipod which I thought was a great song to end with. On a more embarassing note, there is a Celine Dion/Il Divo duet on my Ipod that I find oddly motivating when I run.
Today, I cycled with my friend, Jamie, for about 60 k. and it was great, except that I am quite slow at the moment. I was thinking to myself that all my ironman training over the past couple of years might be making me into a "slow and steady" cyclist. We'll see how things go after a few more rides. I felt I was a bit slower last year as well. When I started cycling and before I got into long distance races, I used to go out for 40-50 k fast rides all the time. That was all I ever did and you get quick doing that. I find now that I am always thinking a bit like I am in an ironman race where I am pacing myself and holding back. I am heading to Cuba (again) the end of this week. I have been doing a lot of travel lately but this will be my last non-triathlon trip for the rest of the year. I will do lots of running and swimming in Cuba. As well, I am going to a resort to be a fitness instructor for a week and am scheduled to teach 21 fitness classes in 7 days. But, its not as impressive as its sounds as the workouts are not very long or intense and sometimes no one shows up.
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