Scattered Updates..

My girlfriend went on some crazy droplet diet. I'm sympathizing by eating healthier. But I'll

be dammed she brought home a maple doughnut and that really cracked Pandora's box. I nearly

purchased a Carl's Junior Jalapeno Burger combo or some Del Taco tonight. BUT I DIDN"T!! YEA ME!!

On Veterans day I went on an epic 40 mile loop through Irvine and Lake Forest. I wanted to test out my new bib tights and cut-out saddle & bike fit. It was a vast improvement. Dude raised my seat about an inch. The crotch pressure is diminished but I am getting closed to a very good fit. Its just strange because I've had this bike for nearly 10 years and I don't recall numbness as I had been recently experiencing it.

Back to the epic ride, damn it was windy at the beginning. I thought I was going to be blown off my bike.

I didn't spot a single cyclist until I hit the trail. That was a sign. It reminded me of taking my motorcycle to San Diego and passing through gusty San Onofre. I survived and I loved it!

The weather kinda tanked so I bought this trainer. I think I'll be going through a lot of tires with this beast. I've probably but about 200 miles on it now. I enjoy it. Although miles on the trainer don't help on the hills.

2000 Hitz

Thank You For Reading!

There must be something of value on here since I haven't posted in months so I'm glad my experiences can be of service.

I've been injury plagued since my last post and the summer is just passing me by.  In the mean time I've been dieting unsuccessfully.  The months have just  flown bye. I just started trying to run again. I do a 30min walk with a very very short jog in the middle. Were talking less than 5 minutes. And that's a stretch..  I might be dehydrated since my neck is getting stiff.

moving IS a workout..

I've been hiking 2 flights of stairs moving boxes between 20-40 lbs and furniture 40+ for the last 3 consecutive days. My ass will so tight after this I could probably destroy walnuts. Magically, I've had zero knee issues other than carpet burn. On a side note, my gf and I painted the new apartment & it looks fantastic for a non professional job.  I'm so proud of our teamwork so I'm sharing.

The ceilings are vaulted and the living room is about 17-20ft. I had to dangerously stand on the top run to get that top edge. We used one of those laser levels to tape off the border.

Purple in the bedroom.. I actually LOVE IT!! It was our compromise. I got blue in the living room instead of gray and I get to keep my sofa chair (provided I get it cleaned).

Bad Puppy..

Oye Vey! what a crazy last two weeks... I've been looking for a new job. Early January I interviewed for a IT job and it was between myself and another candidate. My competiton had more experience, but the manager liked my personality. He even called me a "career guy". Well I didn't get it, but they called me back about two weeks ago with an offer.

Last week I get a call about an analyst job which = dream job hello!!!!  Killed the phone screens & got a face-2-face for the next week, which was Friday (yesterday). I was tested on my programming and then grilled. I'm sad because I don't think I got it. I'm wondering if I can write a persuasive email. It slipped out that I had an offer from another company. Crap right?  To prepare for this interview I actually spent two days in sunny San Diego practicing my coding. So I basically invested about $100 with gas, food, and parking. 

Sounds like good puppy right? Naw.. I stayed with a female friend. We went out to Hooters and took some photo booth pictures. We didn't do anything!!  I didn't plan to try anything!!  Its just my gf makes me feel guilty. The next day I had ice cream with a friend I used to date. Tomorrow its lunch with another female friend.  The real issue is that my friends know of my gf, but my gf doesn't know my friends. She thinks my Facebook is a catalog of girls I used to sleep with.  I used to invite her, but she gets super jealous. I don't really know what to do about it, but I does make me feel bad.

I wanted to swim tomorrow but it will be storming... 

Da Beez Kneez

Despite having only 5 posts last month my chronicles captured 174 visits. Thanks for reading!  I'm moving to a new apartment, looking for a new job, and trying to get back into training. One day at a time...

I have a great bike ride on Saturday and followed with a short weight lifting session for my legs. I did the same on Wednesday, but I did a walk and upper body weights. But on Saturday I went for a walk with my gf to look at paint colors and buy groceries & both knees were killing me. Even as I type they are sore as hell. I took a trip to the hot tub but that relief is only temporary.  What's more odd is my aunt is having knee surgery tomorrow. I don't envy her one bit.

I think I'm going to either just swim(which I have yet to do) or stop lifting weights.

Yahoo Answers

Yes, I am a level 3 answering machine!  16% of my responses are best answers!  Its addicting.

So yesterday my friend and I met at a coffee shop. Getting out of the apt was more helpful then actually hanging out. I'm doing math problems and she's doing her law school stuff. Well, actually, I'm studying and she's complaining about her dog, family, lack of love life. I quasi ignore her. Then she became very adamant about me rating her beauty between 1-100. I told her it made me uncomfortable. I think its because she's considering dating on the internet, but the notion is that older folks or "less attractive" folks use them to find better dating success. I tried it back in 2001, met a  psycho bitch, never ever again.

The coffee shop turned the ac way up. I got cold and we left.  Then of course I come home and my gf is a total bitch to me. Even though I made us dinner and let her monopolize my laptop.  Whatever..

Oh yeah, did some 4am weight lifting. That's why I'm awake.

Stuck in a rut

I go through waves of mild depression for whatever reason. I lay in bed, I don't eat, I don't socialize.. that kinda stuff. I'm meeting a friend today. Hopefully that will cheer me up. I should get ready to go before my gf gets back from work. She will make me feel guilty.

I'm back

I took off for a week in Las Vegas. It took my mind off everything going on with work and workouts. Today marked my "official" return to the sport!  Please, no autographs... 

I took a dedicated walk on the treadmill. Nothing fancy. I set it at 3.5-3.7mph at 1% incline. It was going well until the last 4 minutes. My leg just tightened up suddenly.  I can't even place why such a reaction would occur. I stopped, stretched, and did some ab work.  Tomorrow I'll try bike or swimming.

Oye Vey

I busted up my tendon running up the stairs to my apartment. Hmm.. do groceries really need to get in the fridge 10 seconds faster?  Oh well. Workouts are off limits until pain and inflammation subside (one or two weeks) the a walk to run program. It should take a month to get up to a mile, LOL...  DAMMIT!!!!!!! Just two weeks ago I was doing 3 miles with spring and vigor.  The tragedy is sinking in.. Oh well, story of my life.

Ready, Set, Restart!

I'm back into training!  Did walk/run intervals for 40 minutes with a 15minute warm up.  My left leg was stiff toward the end. Actually it had been stiff all weekend with furniture shopping and long drives. The stiffness starts mid hamstring to top of my calf.  I can feel it in the front of my shins too. Maybe I'm dehydrated? I'll track my food and water consumption for the week.

havinganicevacationweek

I hate to say it but this break from exercising has been good.  My nutrition this week has been excellent, and I survived the Friday junk frenzy. Following through with stretching was easy and actually was quite relaxing to perform just before bed. I restart on Monday. This weekend I'm traveling to Santa Barbara.

Pain, wtf??????????

I was doing so well, but I've developed a slight knee aggravation.  Looking at my training log I can trace it (maybe).

Dec 7th - 19th  I had pain because the bike intervals were too intense and the stationary bike didn't fit right.  I started riding my trek and this improved. I got the giant (I'm fitted for this bike) and pain gone. Although this was my IT band, not my patellar tendon.

Jan 15th Familiar pain under knee cap came back after hard running interval. I'd done the same workout two weeks prior, but had not run since.

Jan 25th Felt a tightness under knee cap during an easy job which is still around today.

I'm not so sure what to do.  I think I'll try to swim with the buoy and if I feel anything I'll give up workouts for the week and just do stretching and massages. Then ease back into the program. This is going to set me back big time.


I'm sad  :-(

Weekly Review: Screaming on the inside

I blew it nutrition wise. Someone dropped off birthday cake in my face during my lunch. I asked the guy to put it on the counter. He didn't... I guess I should have.  So instead I just smelled the German chocolaty goodness. The hens started filing in, raving about the flavors of this cake. I caved, my slice was larger than it needed to be. The next day I the hens were offering me donuts pretty forcefully. I ended up having two.. and an iced vanilla mocha... and two slices of pizza...  and six or seven animal cookies.  I came home and my gf said I smelled like cookies, so I made some hot chocolate to hide my multiple indiscretions.

I was getting fairly consistent with my workouts until my schedule change. Second shift is some kind of torture.  The guys working those hours are freaks. In addition, I was practicing my programming skills for a job interview. So I needed all the extra time I could get. Anyhow, I took several days off- some planned, some not planned. My body actually thanked me for it. I felt good returning to the bike after two days off.  I didn't get to the pool this week. Either I need to wake up earlier or its not going to happen.

Muddy Buddy

I lay awake at 3am envisioning myself on the dreadmill, bashing through another run. I couldn't commit and went back to sleep.  Its noon and the sun is kissing me awake. It was a rather welcoming change from the rain and wind (and apparently tornadoes).

I slipped on my tights and zipped out for a bike ride. I warmed up while heading to the trail head. It wasn't crowded today so I thought it perfect to try for a personal best.  Unfortunately it was super muddy. I was fishtailing through several sections. At one point the mud was too deep. I dismounted and hiked off the trail. Luckily I know the city. I made my way to turtle ridge which is less traveled and looped back home. I wasn't satisfied so I added an extra six miles down portola and back.

The highlight of the ride was during a left turn at an interction. I'm in traffic. I clip out my right foot, but didn't commit to a rightward lean. A leftward teeter begins... crap I can't get out... my right foot magically swung over the handle bar and kept me from totally falling. Super embarasing, but thankfully I didn't scratch the paint on my bike.

Distance: 31.92 miles
Time: 2 hours

I'm Bored...

I can't get this sql batch to work & the "b" key on my laptop is sticking. Its nearly lunch time and I've packed boring pasta with a cookie.

I ran this morning at a 10 minute mile pace. Unfortunately, I had to wear my knee bands again. There was some weirdo going ape shit on the elliptical. Thankfully he finished while I was warming up. At the early am hours the gym is haunted by hardcore regulars and occasional weirdos. Some folks come in just to watch tv. A few weeks ago some psycho was perched on the bench watching cartoons. Whenever I approached he'd half heartily attempt sit ups... 94, 95, 96, and then resume monopolizing the equipment once I left.. prick. My old roommate and I used to do that on the pull bars when girls walked by... 73, 74, 75. Yeah we were douche bags!

Recap: Week 3

This weeks training was just 'okay'.  The recovery from the mountain bike clinic wreaked havoc on my system. I fell three times, once in a rock garden trying to move around someone who'd given up. A rock stabbed my butt pretty hard. The other two occurred as I attempted to negotiate a string of tight uphill switchbacks.

The slicks on my MTB are a fun addition. They are 26x 1.25 and I get about 2-3mph faster on flat roads and loads faster on downhills. I even maintained 30mph on a slight downhill grade for about 2 miles(Culver  & Shady Canyon to Culver & University). This additional speed makes it easier to impale joggers and small dogs so I added a dorky bell. It was necessary evil as most are blasting music so they can't hear anything.

As for my running, I've alwasy found that music distracts me and messes up my stride. Besides, the mp3 adds weight. I skipped a weeks worth of runs. I do my runs at the weeks begining so its closer to two weeks without running. I took care of that on thursday and woke up friday with sore tendons. I read an article in Competitor Magazine that after taking time off, one needs to ease back into that activity. I wish I'd read that first.

My bilateral breathing is going not so well. I get flat, I drink a lot of water, and I noticed I close my eyes like a scared child. Its a weird instinct. Shaving has become a real chore, but the swim brief allows for an even tan so totally worth it.

Because my work schedule is screwed up for right now I've switch from a swim focued BT plan to a balanced plan. So I'll perform each discipline  2x a week with one day off.  I will also add weights into the mix.
  
Week 3 Totals:
Swimming: 
2400.00 M
1h 08m 52s

Cycling:
46.15 Mi
2h 53m 11s

Running: 
2.85 Mi
25m

Strength Training: 
1h 00m

Swim Tastic!!

Another great swim in the books. Strange, I went from dreading laps in the pool to enjoying it. A BT member recommended swimplan.com and based on my current ability, the site recommended this routeen. This also made for a gentle introduction to bilateral breathing. Good thing I was thirsty...

• Warm Up
• 2x50
• Base(4x)
• 1x25 left
• 1x25 right
• Core
• 6x50 emphasis distance per stroke
• 6x50 emphasis pace
• Cool Down (I changed this part for more bilateral practice)
  
• 1x50 left
• 1x50 right
  

Distance:1000m

Time:33m 47s

Overall I'm quite pleased with myself!. In the not so distant past I could barely make a length. My initial schedule would have me at 500m per session so I'm 2x that. The downside is now I'm limited to 2x per week with my new schedule.

Swim breathing video

I asked a swimmer friend to watch me. Apparently, I poke my head up too high. A member from my BT mentor group posted this video and its pretty good.

Maple glaze doughnut; have I earned it?

My training has been consistent thus far. However, I've reached a point where I'm mildly addicted to the workouts, which could be dangerous. I was 'supposed' to take Friday off but instead tried a pilates workout. Sunday was apartment hunting. My Saturday bike clinic was rEdiciLous!!  Naturally,  I'm debating a real day off, aka the maple doughnut..


Orchard Hills Summit (my image stitching is horrible)

I swapped my Saturday long bike ride for a MTB skills clinic.  It began with instruction and drills in wheelies, body position, and braking. Then we head off for the trail. which is four miles of narrow single track that passes through an avocado orchard. The first half was action packed with tight switch backs and steep climbs to the hill top. The trail was gorgeous and the view was worth all the punishment.  The final decent was lightning fast. The steepness was  100% grade in some parts.  I was leaned waaayyy back behind the seat. The finish was a half mile of smooth, hard packed fire trail returning the group to the trail head.

Here is more info about the trail.
http://www.irlandmarks.org/Explore/Orchard-Hills.aspx

Morning Challenge

I was inspired by my group mate to go for a morning run outside. The weather was about low 50's at the start of the run. When I finished it was closer to mid 60's and the sun had begun rising. I forgot how beautiful my neighborhood is and getting reacquainted in the wee morning hours was inviting.

I also forgot how friendly morning joggers were. With so many smiles and friendly hello's it was almost, dare I write, exhausting.  I was doing pretty well until mile 2.4, when I note an older female jogger. She's maybe 30 feet away. I didn't wave, she didnt wave; we were deadlocked.  No matter, I keep it moving...

Oh but WAIT!  I hear a pitter patter on my heels. So were BOTH continuing onto the main trail. Interesting. This is my final mile and its at a slight incline. I give a quick over the shoulder glance. She's getting ready to pass on the outside.  No! No! No!  If I spotted her in the grocery store I couldn't live it down.  I speed up, she pursues, Cat and Mouse has officially begun. 

I hear her foot strike rate increasing.  Is she preparing for another attack? I go for the offensive. She keeps pace.  Damn, I'm thinking she's one of those master runners. I decide to really push this time. The crisp air is burning my lungs as I break into full speed. She gradually fades. Talk about a good morning!!

Distance: 3.5 Mi
Time: 28m 50s
Pace: 8.14 m/Mi