Went for a pretty painless run

It is very weird. My neck hurts when I look down, but nothing too bad from left or right. I ran 5 miles yesterday at a decent clip and felt pretty good. I am heading out for 10 tomorrow, so we'll see what happens. Keep ya posted.....

OWWW!

I pulled something lifting today in my neck/upper back. It hurts pretty bad, but more than anything I am really annoyed. A couple days off look like a must.

Track workouts

So in order to beat the clock and other racers, I have to run faster. Seems simple, but not really. Yes, you can go out and do a 10 mile training run at a higher heart rate and you will be faster. But the real secret is going to the track and practicing speed workouts. Hard to imagine running hard for a minute and a half, eight times with a jog between will make a big difference. Especially when the run portions of my races are going to be 13 and 26 miles. Funny though, the way my legs feel today, no wonder it makes you faster. I type this chuckling to myself, but it is ridiculous.

Naturally I am built for sprinting. Shorter with power surges as opposed to strength overtime. But I have somehow convinced my body that I am a distance athlete. So when I went to my roots this weekend, I paid the price. Not only did I almost puke/passout, I am actually walking with a slight limp. Limp isn't the right word. Not sure how to describe it, but when both legs hurt, but one hurts more, so I kind of walk in a circular motion. Kind of sweeping the legs to take fewer steps... Its not that bad, but makes for a good story.

Today I am heading out to run 10 miles. Yes I am very sore, but I took yesterday off and this will hopefuly flush any leftover lactic acid. I probably should swim at some point too, but we'll see.

Traveling kinda sucks

I was on a rampage when it came to working out, but a few days in VT and back to FAT city. I was able to lift weights and run, but it is actually when I got back I turn into a slug. I didn't sleep all that well, so when I got back I was wiped.

The other thing was I didn't eat that well. Not terrible, but a lot of red meat. In January is when I need to kick it into another level, but I am trying to prep myself. I did find out there is a YMCA in Burlington that I can swim at though. Very happy about that.


I start back up with my coach November 1st, so that will also help me focus more. Right now I am more or less just picking and choosing what I do. I don't want to burn out before July, so I am very comfortable with picking and choosing.

Swimming and Running

For some reason, cycling has taken a backseat from the other two. Well actually three, weights. I have a hard time climbing on the bike trainer and sweating in my living room. Right now I am only cycling one day a week, but I am cool with that.

Weights have been going well. I am lifting a lot smarter than I ever have. Lighter weights, more reps. I started that in the spring, but fell off at some point. That is not going to be the case this year. I know all this time will payoff when I get to the big hills in Lake Placid.


My swim form has to be improving. I am by no means ripping it up, but I am working on my stroke, so when my training loads increase, I will be ahead of the game. Still working on breathing as well. I can swim forever when I am breathing right, but when its off, I burn out so quickly. SO my goal is to start swimming faster without excerting more energy. Sounds simple enough, but we'll see....

Early mornings are going to be key

In order to be succesful in my goal, early mornings are a must. I am at the point now where sleeping is 630. This is a very good thing. Next step, don't get side tracked in the am. Get up and go. I will try this out tomorrow.

I am very happy with my workouts since coming back from Greece. My eating habits have been steadily improving as well. I know if I try and just go extreme too fast, it won't last. Instead I have been cutting different things out and still eating the things I really enjoy. In the morning I am eating much healthier and more frequently. Huge correlation to my recovery and strength. I would say my biggest downfall is too large of meals at night. I really like to eat large dinners and that is very bad. This is something I am working on during the cooking process. I am trying to make less food, so I won't over eat.