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.

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

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.

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

Quail Hill Loop

 The Irvine Ranch Conservancy has preserved several hundred acres of land that is near several great bike/run trails. The three I'm aware of are Shady Canyon, Jeffery Trail, and Quail Hill Loop. Quail Hill loop is two miles of groomed off road trail. I think its perfect for a beginner mountain biker or trail runner.  After 10am I noted foot traffic picking up. There is also a small picnic area.

Tall brush and hard packed dirt throughout the trail.

The trail also features a cell phone audio tour. (949) 743-5943  press 7# and it will describe the view in the photo. Not bad for a phone camera?

 

Suggested Links

Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks
http://www.irlandmarks.org/

Not much information, but the idea is to travel out and discover the land for yourself.  Most of the area is restricted without a tour guide and these arrangements are made through this web site.I've noted IPD and IFD patrol at irregular intervals to keep patrons on the main trail.

Dymanic Stretching

With tendinitis, my physical therapist gave me a list of exercises designed to warm up my knees, and to relax my hamstrings. These suggestions have worked "okay" until my workout volume increased with the base cross training involved in triathlon. Our discussion centered around static and dynamic stretching.

My new routine is to wrap warm towels on my knees for a minute or two. Start with a light walk, steadily increase pace to light jog, then squats, leg rotations, leg lifts; movements that mimic the activity am about to engage in a controlled movements using full joint muscle range. Lunges & ballistic stretching are forbidden (for me at least). Then finish workout, and  go static for the cool down.

I tried it with my run last Monday. While my methods fail to draw deep empirical findings, it was my furthest & fastest run to date. I'm also a noob so I suspect most early gains are from increases in my neuromuscular coordination. Anyhow, I'm sticking with it!!


Suggested Links:

Dave Campbell - Form Set Warm up
http://www.ehow.com/video_4958563_offroad-triathlon-run-training.html

Al Lyman, CSCS - Hip Mobility
http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.asp?articleid=1839

Last Workout of the Year

Last nights swim was AMAZING!!   I took a warm shower and really took the time to warm up my body and activate my hips, shoulders, and core. After a 50m breaststroke warm up I began 500m of continuous freestyle bliss.  Hopefully a sign of  higher quality swim workouts in my future..

Data

Duration: 22min

Distance: 500meters

Pace: 04:24/100meters

New Training Plan

Christmas kinda sucked. I'm glad to be back. As of Monday I'm using a beginnertriathlete.com 16 week training plan.I will take me through base volume needed for a sprint triathlon. I chose a swim focused plan as its my weakness. This is my second day on the program and its going well.

With the long run (30min) I actually went further by .14 miles than I normally do. Today was a short bike and short swim. I did the swim as sprints with breaststroke for recovery.  My upper body was pumped afterward. The bike felt was kinda mediocre.  I kept the cadence between 80-90 but in the lower range.  It's just boring on the stationary bike.. 

Here's my rest of the week:

Wed: Swim 30min (long)
Thurs: off
Fri: Bike 50min (long)
Sat: off
Sun: Swim 26min (med), Run 22min (short)

Peter Canyon: Mountain to Sea Trail

I decided on a bike ride instead. It was hard to focus with the wind chill and strong gusts. Despite my best efforts to warm up it was too cold for me. On the return I took pictures.

Sorry, no food here!

I love this trail! Always full of surprise..

 

The End

 

Here is the portion I ride (The map is interactive):

Peter Canyon (Mountain to Sea)

Share your bike routes @ Bikely.com

Here is the full trail map:
http://www.irvineranchwildlands.org/mountains_map.asp#

Holiday Workout Adjustments

I'm out of town so this will be tricky along with weather issues. The weather forecast of my Nor-Cal suburb read 57,35 w/ rain on Sunday. FREEZING!! I think this is the best adjustment:

Tues: swim,run
Wed: swim
Thurs - Sat: resistance tubes
Sun:(long car ride home) evening swim

Training Plan - 13 week base

I read a number of the beginner training plans, before making up my own plan.  I enjoy cycling the most and that's the focus. Swimming is the most difficult for me.  The fighting, the sinking, the cold.. so difficult. I even skipped swimming the first week, unless hot tub recoveries count.  I actually plan to switch swimming to the run days once my cycling mileage ramps up. I'm currently at the end of week 2.

Times

Run: 32:40 for 3.5 miles
Bike: 1:27:11 for 20 miles
Swim: 4 laps haha!!