Monday, October 09, 2006

The News, the Progress, the Plan

Okay, so I always enjoy the Good, Bad, and Ugly reports of Bolder each week, but I don’t have the heart to totally rip him off, so I’m just going to kind of rip him off. Sorry, man. It's all about flattery.

My iteration – the News, the Progress, the Plan.

I hope that this won’t be hugely boring for my, er, three readers (including my family, who already start glazing over at the eyes when I talk about training!). But sometimes it’s helpful to recap – touch a little base, rock a little planning, set some goals. You know – what we triathletes do best.

The News

This week, I’m turning another year older (33). What year that is…I plan on keeping to myself (33). Let’s just say, that were I still a lover of the hops and barley, Heineken would be my flavor of the week (33). So, in honor of my not-so-graceful slide into an older chronological age (33), (but not yet a new age group!) I plan on paying tribute to my newfound fitness with lots of fun crosstraining and not as much concern about the numbers (33).

Because clearly, I’m beyond that.

(33)

And, btw, my sister is a total ROCKSTAR! She sent me a pile of gifts for my birthday. A PILE, I tell ya! She shouldn’t have sent anything more than, maybe, a card. But my sister doesn’t hang like that. She is the Martha Stewart of birthdays. Or, in her world, Birthweeks. Now all the purdy packages are sitting on my dining room table, looking tempting and sparkly for me each time I go past. Can’t wait for Wednesday!

More news. This weekend I spent a lovely day with my Dad, Aunt J, and Mighty M out at Chester County Day. This is a day when those in our beautiful county doing tours of the homes of the wealthy and antique-inclined. Voyerism at its best. For fun, there is a fox hunt in the morning, where you can talk to huntsmen (and women) about the history of the hunt and watch their stunning horses at work. A family tradition for us, and Mighty M got his first taste of what it’s like to be pent up in a car with inlaws for about 8 hours.

And he’s still alive, so he must be a keeper.

And lastly, I continue to move forward with IM Able, although progress is behind the scenes right now. Janus Charity Challenge…check. Found just the right company to host the site, so waiting for a little cash flow to set it up. And I will be meeting soon (hopefully this week) with Canine Partners for Life to talk about coordinating efforts. All very exciting!

The Progress

Last weeks goals were almost met, but I did fall short in some arenas. Long run – the ever illusive long run. I totally know that this is essential. But I wish that someone would tell my body that it has to get it together for one. Between blisters and knee pain, it’s always a crap shoot as to whether I can tolerate more than 6-9 miles. But, I’m tending to my minor issues like Florence Nightingale and being smart. Hopefully this week will bring much more success.

I do want to add some more strength work into the mix. My abbreviated upper body lifting last week (aka, at home with dumbbells) made it clear that I have lost some muscle mass during my post-season hiatus. Not a lot, but enough to notice. I blame it on the spinach ban.

The Plan

Okay, this week should look something like this…

Monday
PM – Long Run – shoot for 15 on 12:00

Tuesday
AM – Swim
500 w/u under 11:30
5x50 on 1:00
5x100 on 2:10
5x50 on 1:00
500 under 11:00
PM – Run – recovery, 3.1 miles
Strength – core ½ hour

Wednesday - BIRTHDAY!!! *
AM – sleep in
PM – Run – 6.2 miles (loop 1 on 31 min; loop 2 on 30 min)
Strength – 1 hour – core, lunges, upper body

Thursday
AM – Swim
250 w/u
1000
full recovery
1000
cool down
PM – Bike – 2 hours (approx. 35 miles); L12 hills

Friday
AM – nothing
PM – Run – Intervals on Dreadmill (1-2-3-4-3-2-1)

Weekend
One long bike (40 miles)
One long run (16 miles)
One session core (1/2 hour)

Total Swim: 5250 meters
Total Bike: approx 75 miles
Total Run: approx 45 miles (but that includes 2 LSDs)
Strength: 2 hours
* (33)

8 comments:

:) said...

Have a great birthweek! I am (33) too! (read: young)

:) said...

Have a great birthweek! I am (33) too! (read: young)

Spokane Al said...

You may want to consider evaluating your running shoes and socks. A great place to start is a knowledgeable running shoe store that caters to runners. If your feet are dry you really should not be getting blisters from running. This is supposed to be fun.

Spokane Al said...

P.S. Sorry, I got so overwhelmed by the sight of your blisters, I got off track.

Happy birthday young lady.

Jeremy said...

First things first...Happy Birthday!

That's a helluva week of training you have scheduled...good luck with everything.

Have you heard of the Clif Bar Pace Team for the Philly 'Thon? Here's a link if you're interested: http://www.philadelphiamarathon.com/exec/philly/runners/clifbar.asp

Bolder said...

happy belated birthday!

i know a woman doesn't like to reveal her age though... so, i understand that you wanted to leave us guessing!!

least you're not older than da Flatman... so, you have THAT going for you, which is nice!

p.s. The Good, The Bad & The Ugly is royalty free, although Clint may think otherwise... but, I haven't heard from his, or his lawyers, so each week it's ON!

ShirleyPerly said...

Happy belated Birthday!

Thanks for your kind comments on my blogsite. Having run lots of marathons, I thought I'd chime in with some ideas that might help your running.

Use quality running socks and shoes, as already mentioned above, but also try applying BodyGlide to the blister-prone areas of your feet for added protection.

Also, if new shoes, inserts, knee bands or braces don't help with your knee pain, consider Chi Running (www.chirunning.com). My sister and several others I know with joint and foot pains while running have gotten good results.

I don't do the leaning that Chi Running advocates doing but I do take short quick steps (strive for 180 steps per minute) and that really seems to minimize wear and tear on my soon-to-be 45 year old body.

Good luck in your training!

Anonymous said...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! (And folks it is true...her Lil' Sis is a ROCKSTAR!) Just wait until she tells y'all what was in those purdy packages!