Running 44 minutes in 9o air with high winds makes for a frozen chin.

Ran yesterday and rode this morning. Stomach still not 100% but good enough. Finished grouting in kitchen yesterday too.

Merry Christmas!

Trying to get workouts in during holiday festivities and home improvements can sometimes prove difficult.  I swam last night and got great tips for improving my form from the local, expert swim coach.  It is amazing that one hint can do so much.  My average stroke count when down from 19 to 16 for a 25-yard length; this means I am swimming more efficiently which is a very good thing.  Now I need to keep practicing the technique so it will stick.  I rode the trainer this morning for an hour of moderate activity.  Christmas Eve tonight!

Merry Christmas to all!

Kitchen backsplash is done as of 12am. More to do but big stuff is done. Training plan starts soon. Bit over 200 days to IMLP. Swim tonite

It's been a while but I have been busy

Well, I haven't posted anything in a bit because I have been hopping with stuff at home, school and on the exercise front.  At home we are remodeling our kitchen so I took off from training for 4 days; two days were cabinet install days and two days were building the dishwasher enclosure and back of our peninsula.  I had to get things done in a hurry because the counter top guy came to measure last Thursday and everything had to be in place.  I now have all of the puck lights under the cabinets installed and two new lights on the ceiling but still need to do the light over the sink.  The new counter tops will be installed on Friday so I have a bit more painting to do. 

But enough about non-training stuff... I missed a long run two weekends ago but got one in last Sunday.  I re-evaluated my heart rate training zones and found I was probably going a little slow on my runs so I increased my pace and felt pretty good.  Cycling in the basement still isn't too bad; it is nice to know exactly what to wear and not to have to worry about the elements outdoors, I just hope my legs feel good once I get back out on the roads in March (hopefully). 

I ran this morning and will swim tonight (after a little painting action in the kitchen, of course).  Ironman Hawaii is on TV this weekend!

First snow, modified stroke, and spin on the bike

Here is what I have been up to lately...

On Tuesday morning I ran in the first snow of the year and it was beautiful!  What an iconic look Hilton had but sadly by the time I rode by bike to school the roads had turned to slush and by the time I headed home almost all of the snow was gone.  In the evening I swam and thought I was doing so well  with the changes I have made to my stroke over the past year.  But then a fellow swimmer suggested that my hand/arm entry left a bit to be desired and so I spent the last 10 laps trying to get a new feel for the water.  I did have some good intervals but it will take some time.

On Wednesday I was back on the bike/trainer for an hour and did some hard, ten-minute intervals at or above my threshold heart rate (which got the blood flowing).  Finally, this morning I ran and focused on hill repeats- they are a great way to put speed into my legs through running without too much pounding.  Luckily the rain had let up a little so I was just a little soggy when I got back home and not totally drenched. 

On a non-triathlon note, Jen texted and said that our kitchen cabinets have arrived so that will be on my agenda through the next week or so.  Tomorrow is a rest day though!

Cyber Monday or Cycling Monday?

I got 45 minutes in on the bike this morning while a cold rain came down outside (I was warm on the trainer in the basement).  I ran for a little over an hour on Sunday and rode for 1:50 on Saturday morning.  I'm sure I am still behind on burning calories from the awesome Thanksgiving dinner and leftovers but no worries there-they will come off. 

We cut our Christmas tree on Friday and it is another beauty.  I can't believe that tomorrow is already December 1st. 

Thanksgiving was great and I am super excited that the family is hoping/planning to come to the race in Lake Placid this summer.  That would truly be awesome.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I got up and ran for 45 minutes with 25 minutes of hills on the grassy hill behind Quest.  I ran pretty hard for two reasons: one, I am going to eat a ton today; two, I read an article yesterday about how keeping speed work in weekly workouts adds lots of speed on race day (which is only 241 days away now).

I have been having some twinges in my right hamstring for the past few months and so I made a "self massaging device".  I attached a picture of it and will let you know how it works.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Teaching and exercising...

Well, I got a ride and a run in during the weekend and also a ride this morning.  I am starting to get back into the 7 workouts per week and will ease into 8 per week in a month or so.  This morning I watched a race video specifically designed to make my heart rate high- and it did, I averaged 138 BPM.  I am going to run tomorrow morning and swim tomorrow night after Gracie's baton recital.

On a different note, I got the good news today that I am now a National Board Certified Teacher.  Lots of work and time went into the accreditation so I am pleased.  Can't wait for Thanksgiving!

EMS, Cycling, and the Sabres

Well, my EMT test is over with and I think I did well- I took it last night.  This morning I did a quick 1-hour ride before school and tonight Will and I are meeting Uncle Jim to go to the Sabres' game in Buffalo (with box seats!).

I have also been continuing to work on the kitchen and am ready to paint the ceiling tomorrow morning then the walls on Sunday.  The cabinets will be here in less than 2 weeks now!

Before falling asleep the last few nights I have been reading Augie's Quest which is a book about a guy who had ALS.  It is inspirational in much the same way that Tuesdays with Morrie was for me.  It puts the pain I get when training into perspective.

Swimming and running

Finally got back into the pool last night and felt pretty good, except for a bit of a headache toward the end.  Swam 2500 yards and worked on form a little bit at the end- I'm trying to figure out my optimal head position and I keep getting contradictary advice.  Did a short run this morning and boy was it chilly out- very frosty and pretty.

I am going to ride tomorrow morning because I have my EMT test in the evening.

Back in the saddle again

The first workout back felt pretty good. I rode my bike on my trainer in the basement before school for about an hour. I stayed in the small chain ring and kept my heart rate around 120 beats per minute.  It gets kind of boring just riding and staring at the wall so I watched two episodes of "30 Rock" on Hulu.com.  It also gets very hot so I have a box fan pointing at me so that I don't sweat all over my bike.

After the ride I showered and headed off on my mountain bike to school to have a cup of coffee and start the school day.  The whole family got their h1n1 shots today which is a good thing.  I attached a picture of my bike- isn't she pretty?

One more day of rest left to go

Well, I'm almost done with my rest period before I start to get back into training.  I am feeling very rested and all of my little aches and pains have evaporated.  It hasn't been so bad (not being able to exercise) because I have been tearing apart our kitchen to get ready for the arrival of new cabinets on 12/3 and eventually new counter tops.  I have torn out the top cupboards and did some electrical and drywall work.  Next up is finishing the joints and then painting the ceiling and walls.  This work will be tougher to balance once workouts are added back into my day.  Anyway, Monday morning I'm back on the bike.

Day 5 of rest

Well, I'm almost a week into my rest period and am tolerating it pretty well.  I am tearing up our kitchen so that we will be ready to hang our new cabinets when they get here on 12/3, so that is keeping me very busy.  More than anything, I think I am learning that I am getting old because all of my tiredness, aches, and pains that I associated with training are still around after the rest period- I have to look at getting a massage once and a while.  Tomorrow I hope to sleep in until 7 or so which will feel pretty good compared to my usual 5 AM wakeup time to get a long ride in without ruining the day.  I'm off to watch Barbie in the Nutcracker.

Now I'm testing the uploading of pictures. Surely this will be useful when l'm out on training rides, right? The picture is of Indy.

Testing mobile blogging...

266 days to go!

Hello. I am going to use this blog to log my training for the Ironman Lake Placid race on July 25th, 2010 and also to give updates on the fundraising levels. You can donate money to cure ALS here. If you would like to learn more about how the MDA is working to cure ALS (Lou Gerhig's Disease) you can click here. Thanks for checking in.

First exercise update: ran 13 miles this morning and felt great. Heart rate averaged 137 bpm.

Second exercise update: I'm taking the next two weeks off to give my body its last chance to heal up before my training begins in January.