New Blog

I have decided to create a new blog. Check it out:

http://shawnstriadventure.blogspot.com/

Almost there!

First off I want to say congrats to all of those who ran the Blessing of the Fleet 10 miler. I will be there next year!!!!

I just rented my wetsuit for the Tri in August. I figured I would rent one this year and then next year buy one. I went with a sleeveless wetsuit since the water temp is around 70 degrees. This afternoon I plan on taking a 10 mile bike ride. Tomorrow morning I will hit the pool at the YMCA and get some laps in. Last night I went for a 3 mile run around Providence. Halfway through the run I started getting side stiches. That sucked! I just slowed my pace down and dealt with it. So lets see, I got a wetsuit coming, I bought my tri shorts and I will be buying a new pair of running shoes either today or tomorrow. I figured 3 weeks should be enough time to break them in. I do need to bring my bike into the shop for a tune up. So much to do.

3 mile run in Providence

I had a great 3 mile run in Providence. It was slow, 3.15 miles in 31.30m but it felt awesome! Ankle pain....what ankle pain. The fact that during the entire run my left ankle didn't hurt was just awesome! I have been waiting for that day. My heart rate was still a little high. The only way to bring it down was to walk and I didn't want to do that so I just tried to relax and control my breathing which brought it down a little. Maybe I just have a natural high heart rate. I mean it was high enough to qualify for someone elses z4 HR. Anyways, with each passing run I feel more and more confident about the Tri in August. I have been thinking about if I should or should not wear a wetsuit for the tri. I don't know if I want to commit on spending lots of money on a wetsuit this year so I might rent one. I know that might sound gross, but I don't have the cash to buy a $300-$400 wetsuit. So until next time.

Great Weekend

This weekend the family went up to Lake Hopatcong and stayed with my wife's uncle who owns a house. We had a great time. The kids loved swimming and fishing. Here are a few pics of Brady and Reese's fish. Reese caught her first fish!


I also took the opportunity to try open water swimming. I didn't go far since I was in a lake and I just couldn't stand up if I was tired. I did stayed close to shore and swam between 2 docks which was around 200 meters. I swam both Saturday and Sunday. Definitely different swimming in open water but I felt great both times. I know I will be ready for the .25mile swim coming up in next months tri. It was a great little vacation for us! Yesterday I ran 2.5 miles around Providence. I had my heart rate monitor on, just to see what my heart rate was. All I can say it was pretty high and I need allot of work to get it down. The run itself was good.

Next Wednesday is my last day of working 2 jobs! Boy I can't wait. The past 6 weeks has gone by fast. I just can't wait until its over!!!!!

See ya

Congrats

A big congrats to Kim and Mark on completing Ironman USA! Awesome Job!!!!!

Finally Did It!

Well here is the proof.

No backing out now. I am actually really excited about this. I have been waiting for over a year to get the chance to participate in a Triathlon. On August 17th I will!!!!!

Now I just need to get my butt in the water and get some swims in!

Hot Day

Went out for a run today during lunch and it was hot! Days like today people would just want to stay in the air conditioning and not come out until winter! I did manage 2.25 miles in a time of 26 mins. I am getting there. I am still finding that the first mile or so is really tough and seems to get easier as the run goes on. I am trying to figure out a way to bring my bike to work so I can ride on the days that I am not running. I would just ride my bike to work, but I have to drop the kids off at daycare at 8:30 and I need to be at work by 9:00. So thats not going to work. Maybe I will just put the bike on the rack and bring it inside with me during the day. That might work. I really need to get on the bike. The family went camping this past weekend and at the camp ground is a really nice pond. The water was so warm, almost the same temp as my pool. I swam around for a few minutes and it felt great. I am glad I brought my goggles with me. I asked the life guard if I could go beyond the rope marker, but she said no. Oh well.

Congrats to all those who participated in Ironman 70.3 Rhode Island. I heard it went very well.

Happy Monday!!!

Good Luck to All

Just wanted to say good luck to all of those who will be participating in the Ironman 70.3 Rhode Island. I hope everyone has a really good time in my home state and will come back next year. Maybe I will tri for it next year...you never know! I also want to say good luck to my buddy Mark who is running a 15K this weekend!

With all of the advice my blogger peeps have given me, I will do the Wild Dog Triathlon in Bristol, Rhode Island. As blogger Sherry pointed out the race could be a very positive and beneficial experience leading up to my tri in September. So all I need to do now is register and get my butt in gear and train for this race!

Have a good weekend everyone!

Could I be ready for a Sprint Tri in August?

Since I have started running again I have been thinking about what races I could do in the next few months. I know I want to do the 3rd Annual Ocean Community YMCA Triathlon in September, but I also think I can be ready to do the Wild Dog Triathlon on August 17th. Not that any Triathlon is easy, but this one would probably rank as the easiest around. Its a .25 mile swim, 10 mile bike and a 3 mile run. So in my mind I could run during the week and then on the weekends hit the pool and get some bike rides in until August 1st. Then after I am done with these crazy 80 hour work weeks, I can add a little more swimming and biking into my training. Am I crazy? Probably, but I really want to do this Tri. These past few months have been so crazy and most of my goals have been washed down the drain due to injuries and job related stuff. So if I can complete 2 sprint triathlons this summer I would be very excited! Wish me luck and would love some words of encouragement...I'll need it!!!!!

Update!

So I have been away from blogging for awhile. I needed to take a break from the running and training to see how my body would hold up to working 80 hours a week, yeap 80 hours. The company I am working for on 2nd shift is closing down and moving to a different state. So I found a job and I decided to work both jobs for the next 6 weeks so I can receive the severance and bonus package from the company that is closing. The first week was a little rough. But last week wasn't too bad. So at the end of last week I decided to start running again and slowly bring the swimming and biking back as well. It helps when the new company I am working for has locker rooms and showers and a few people that go running during lunch time.

Anyways things are going well. I took it slow and ran only a mile today. I will be building distance over the next few weeks and on the weekends hit the bike and pool. Then in the beginning of August (Thats when I will be on a normal 9 - 5 work schedule) I will be increasing my swim and bike training in hopes to be ready for the 3rd Annual Ocean Community YMCA Triathlon. I don't want to go through this year without completing a TRi. That was my goal at the first of the year and I don't want to loose site of it. As for my ankle, I have not seen a Dr. about it and I just took some advil before my run today and it was fine and didn't hurt at all today. Hopefully it will be fine.

Happy Monday!!!!

6 weeks

For the next 6 weeks I probably will not be posting much of anything on this blog. I will be spending a lot of time working. So much so that I will be putting my exercising and training aside. I will explain more after the 6 weeks. I am going to be missing a lot during the next 6 weeks. I will not be able to attend and cheer on my peeps at Lake Placid ( I am really bummed about that one) and I will be missing 3 races. If all goes well, I will get back into training the first week of August, with the hopes of completing a sprint Tri in September. I also will take the time to figure out what is really wrong with my ankle.

Good luck to those who will be participating in the race at Lake Placid. You all have worked so hard and I know by the end of the day you will have accomplished something that is just so amazing and rewarding. For those racing...make sure you are Locked and Loaded for a long day and that Moonpies = good fuel for that long marathon run!!!

Until August.....

If its not one thing its another

Ever since I started running after my Retrocalcaneal Bursitis was healed, I have had pain in other areas of my ankle. I just thought it was from not running for almost 3 months and it would go away with time. BUT....it hasn't. I went for a run the other day and had to turn around after a mile and walk back to my car. There are days I can run 3 or 4 miles with hardly any pain, and others when I can't even finish 1 mile. It has been like this for the past 2 months and I am getting very frustrated with the whole thing. Before the 5K race a few weeks ago, I took 3 advil just in case it hurt during the race. I guess that's sort of a bad thing to do. I have been very down lately because of this mystery ankle pain. I don't even feel like working out anymore. The other day it was so nice out I wanted to go for a bike ride, but didn't. Is it a mental thing...maybe, but I need to do something about this ankle before I just give up on the whole triathlon thing all together. So tomorrow I am going to call the Doctor's office and set up an appointment to have it checked out. What I really want is to have xrays or an MRI done. My guess is that they will tell me get one anyways. The pain only comes on when I run or move my ankle from side to side, and I know it is not tendinitis, my achililes feels great!

I will keep everyone up to date.

4 Mile Run

Today I went for my first 4 mile run since January 1st! I was only planning on a 3 miles, but I was running on the nice and flat bike path and at the turn around point I decided to keep going since my ankle felt fine. I ran the 4 miles in 41 minutes. I was surprised on the time since I did take 2 walk breaks. After the run I felt great! I do have a long way to go before I am ready for the 10 mile blessing of the Fleet run, but I have have 2 months to get ready. On another note, I am part of the Hornet Juice Challenge so before my run today I drank some of the magic elixir and I really didn't feel any different during or after my run. I have a good 2 week supply of the stuff, so I will continue to use it and hopefully I will notice any sort of difference.

I am on the hunt for Tri shorts for my upcoming races this year and I am wondering if anyone has any recommendations on what shorts are the best? Keep in mind that I am a Clyde and skin tight shorts is not really the thing for me. Is there lose fitting Tri shorts out there? Any help would be great!

HAppy Hump day!

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

This weekend is the official start of the summer. I don't know about the rest of the country, but Rhode Island will have some great weather this weekend! Everyone have a fun and safe weekend. And on Monday, please take a moment to remember those who gave their lives for the freedoms we enjoy today.

First Race of the Year

Yesterday's A Race to Grow 5k race a... lets just say a beggining of the race season for me. I knew going into the race that I was not going for a PR, just wanted to get back into racing, hangin out with other runners and enjoying the race itself. The day before I didn't know if I could even run the race. While working in the yard I twisted my ankle, yeap the bad one, yeap the same one from last weekend. So I took care of it and it felt fine Sunday morning. I took a few advil before the race just in case. My ankle felt great during my pre-run so I knew it would not be a factor. I normally like to start up front and to the side in the race, but I knew I was going to be slow right out of the gate so I stuck to the back (actually there were only about 75 people running so I wasn't far from the start). The gun went off and I started at a nice slow pace. I had set my Garmin 305 to alert me if I was going over 6.5 MPH and if I was going slower then 5.8 MPH. So for much of the first mile the Garmin was beeping at me to slow down. As you know, for the past few weeks I have been dealing with a wall that creeps up around mile 1.5 and lasts until mile 2, well I must have missed the wall because I didn't hit it at all during the race. I was really excited about that. Run time - 30min 44 secs for a 9:54 mile. I wasn't expecting any better. My next 5k race is Celebrate Summer 5k on July 19th (that's if I am not going to cheer on my peeps at IMUSA!).

A BIG CONGRATS goes out to Michelle who at the last minute decided to run and placed 3rd in her AG!!!!! WTG!!!!!

So what did I learn at this race? There is no wall, Its all in my head, I know I am faster then 30min 44secs, Take a couple advil before the race, Smile for the camera guy, and I have a long way to go before I am ready for the Blessing of the FLeet 10 miler.

Happy Monday!

Quick Upate

This is a quick update. I hit the pool the other day for the first time in close to a month. Yeah I know I have been slacking on that. I completed 1000m and I felt really good. Everything felt really smooth. I did a TT for 50m, which I set a new best time of 51sec. Running has been pretty good too. Over the weekend I rolled my left ankle on a rock while walking on a path through the woods with Brady on my shoulders. Thank goodness I didn't fall. First thing I thought of was, "Oh crap not that ankle...I have a race coming up this weekend." But I walked it off and the ankle felt fine. Thank goodness for that one. I had a nice run through town today. Still really slow, but I know my speed will increase with time. As for the 5K race this weekend, I really don't plan on going for a PR or any time for that matter. I just want to get out there and race again. Nothing like lining up and running 3 miles with a bunch of people. It is so fun.

Ok, thats my quick update!

Finally Coming Together

I had a decent run today. I was kinda excited about it. I started off doing some Nautilus machines and then a quick 10 minutes on the Elliptical before my run. I figured that should be a good warm up before my run. The first mile of the run was great. Then probably around 1.5 miles I hit a wall. I stopped and walked for about 30 secs and then started running again. Then I hit the wall again 4 minutes later. So again I walked for about 30 secs and then started running. From that point on I felt great! Breathing was awesome and my body felt great. I think I will stop trying to understand how fix this "Wall" thing. I am just going to keep running and I think it will work itself out. I plan on running again tomorrow. I normally don't do back to back running days so I will probably keep it under 3 miles, probably 2.

My first 5K of the year is coming up in 2 weeks. I am kinda excited about running a race again. My last one was back in November. If I didn't have my 3 month layoff from running due to my injury I think I would be setting a new PR in 2 weeks. But I am taking it slow for this race and hopefully I will not be hitting any walls. I have been averaging a little over 10 min miles on my runs lately. Pretty slow compared to where I was back in November. My running will come back and I know I will be better then ever!

Busy Week

This week has been very busy. We are having a party for Reese's 2nd birthday on Saturday so I have been going crazy getting the house ready, doing yard work and shopping. At least I squeezed in a 3 mile run yesterday.

Same thing happened during yesterday's run. I used my Garmin 305 to make sure I wasn't running to fast. I figured keep it at a steady 6.0mph. I still felt like crap until mile 2. Then for the last mile I was running around 7.0mph with no problem. I even sprinted up the death hill leading up to the Y!!! I just can't figure it out. Some one at work thought I might be catching my "2nd Wind". Is there such a thing? I felt like I could have ran another couple of miles. But I am still taking things slow with running. I have felt no pain for the past few weeks so I am good to go and will probably start increasing the mileage.

Happy May everyone!

Running and Other Wonderful stuff

Ok so I went running the other and part of my new pre-run routine includes lots of stretching. On some days I will hit the stationary bike for 10 mins to warm up. Anyways, I started my run and everything felt great. But I could not get into a comfortable pace until mile 1.5 and my breathing didn't settle down until mile 2. Did I not warmup long enough? Should I go longer on the bike? Should I do 2 miles on the elliptical before my run? Or am I just crazy and let my body figure out that I am running again and let everything fall into place. I will probably do the latter. Another thing I noticed is that I seem to be running faster toward the end of my run. I don't feel like I am holding anything back in the beginning of the run, so where is this energy come from? Running is weird, fun but weird.

So for the past week I have been working on a big wooden playset for my kids. We picked up all the parts last weekend and my father-in-law and I spent the past week putting it together. It was not hard at all, just takes allot of time. Here are a few pics.

I still have a few minor things to complete on the playset, but it is pretty much done. The kids enjoy going down the slide and using the swings.

Happy Monday!

New Priorities

I have been holding back some awesome news from all you peeps out there. Today is the day I can tell all of you that my wife is expecting are 3rd child. We are so excited! We have always talked about having 3 and now it is becoming reality. We do want to find out what it is and will keep everyone posted!

There have been other developments that I have been struggling with the past month or so. The company I work for is now downsizing and moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan on or around July 1 (which just happens to be my birthday). I was offered a position there, but I will not leave Rhode Island or the Northeast. Nothing against Michigan, but there is nothing like New England. With that said, I have decided to alter my training and race schedule since my top priority right now is to find a new job. If all goes well my first triathlon will be the 3rd Annual Ocean Community YMCA Triathlon in September. I still plan on a few 5Ks and the Blessing of the Fleet 10 Mile Road Race in July.

So that’s it in a nutshell. Congrats to all of those who completed the Boston Marathon today!

Happy Monday!

Spring Time!

The weather has been awesome lately! Today was in the 60's and with a slight cool breeze made for an awesome run today. I went for a nice 2.66 mile run. Only averaged 10 min miles but I knew if I wanted to go further then 2 miles I would have to keep it slow. It has been a slow process getting back into the swing of running but I have to learn to be patient, which I don't want to! The run went well except for the little pain I felt in my ankles. I think it's because I haven't ran much. I will probably keep the run every other day for now and when I feel better about my running, make it an every day thing. I actually need to get my butt on the bike. I really have been slacking on that.

For the past few days I have been battling some sort of stomach virus. The virus has been winning so far. But I am going to kick it's little butt soon. The only good thing about the past few days is that I was able to drop a few pounds! Talking with my brother last night I told him that this virus was probably a good thing. It has givin me a good chance to cleanse my body of unwanted crap.

Anyways, you peeps up here in the Northeast....Winter is over!!!!!!!

Bike Path Run

Went out for a 20 min run today on the South County Bike Path. It was such a nice day I couldn't pass up the chance. There were a few bikers on the path which made me want to break out the bike from the basement and hit the road, which I might do tomorrow. I ran a little under 2 miles in the 20 mins. Still really slow from where I was at before, but I guess I can't just jump back into running 8:30 miles after not running for 3 months.

So for tomorrow I might ride the bike to the Y, jump in the pool for 1500 meters and then decided if I want to take the Spin class tomorrow or on Friday. Guess we will see.

First Outdoor Run!

I went outside for my first run since recovering from my ankle injury. I ran a little over 1.5 miles. It just felt so good running outside and not on the treadmill. The whole time I was running I was concentrating on my left ankle. Every time my left foot hit the ground I was evaluating if it hurt or not. It was almost to the point were I was concentrating on my foot then where I was going. I am sure that will go away when I get more confident with my ankle. Anyways It was awesome to get out and run!

I signed up for my first 5K of the season, A Race to Grow 5k in May. I can't wait. There is another race at the end of April that I might run, but I will have to see how my running is progressing before I make my decision.

Have a great weekend!

Group Cycle

Today was my first taste of Group cycle or what everyone calls it, Spinning. The instructor told us for the next month the classes will be beginner classes that last 30 minutes long. I liked it alot. I will be attending a class every week now. There were only 3 other people in the class, so I think Wednesdays at 1:00 is a good time. The instructor really didn't work us hard, but she said in the coming weeks she will push us a little more.

Tomorrow I am planning on taking a 1 mile run outside. I really want to start running outside again. I just feel so slow on the treadmill and that feeling of not going anywhere really bugs me. I like running around town and seeing differant things. So I am only planning on 1 mile. All goes well I will do it again on Friday.

Weekend Fun

This past weekend the family and some friends headed into Connecticut for the 2008 Mystic Connecticut's Saint Patrick's Day Parade. We all had a great time and the kids just loved seeing the fire trucks. The highlight of the parade this year were the budweiser clydesdales! Those are some big horses!

And you got to love those Shriner's on their little cars!

Happy Monday!

Spinning Class Will Kick My Butt

Today I went to the Y's orientation class for spinning. Before anyone can take a class they must go through the orientation. So today during class I was fitted for the bike and we went through a couple of different drills and techniques. The whole time I was there I was peddling away trying to get a little work out in. Once everyone was set with their bikes, the instructor gave us a 20 min lesson. Wow! This will be difficult. By the end of the session, I was sweating up a storm and dying for some water. I can't wait to complete an actual class.

Nothing much else is going on. I ran another mile on the treadmill yesterday. It was so nice outside and I just wanted to run on the road, but I don't think I am ready for that yet. I think by the end of next week I will take a crack at running outside. Until then I will suffer on the treadmill.

I am really excited that the weather is getting warmer. I can deal with 40's and 50's. I just hope that we are all done with snow.

Workout Today

Today's WO:

Elliptical: 3.5 miles, 25 mins
Spinning: 6 miles, 20 mins

Ankle still feeling good! I am still a little cautious with my left ankle, who wouldn't be?

Happy Monday!

I hope everyone had a great Easter weekend. Ours was filled with candy, easter egg hunts, family and tons of food! The kids enjoyed the easter egg hunts loved their special easter baskets from the easter bunny. Now Kim and I just need to survive sugar rushes!

Today was the first day of a training schedule that I have developed for the next month. It is just a general schedule filled with running, spinning, swimming and weight training. For the past few months I have really battled with working out and weight control and today I am taking control and going to bust my butt to get back to where I was in December. My mile run on the treadmill felt great! Again no pain. But my ankle was a little sore after I got home. Today's swim was a killer. Has anyone else had those days in the pool were you just felt like a brick and no matter how hard you tried you just couldn't stay afloat or even move forward? I had one of those days. The lifeguard asked how my swim was and I told her I felt like I was carrying a load of bricks while swimming against a rip current. Hopefully that will change on Wednesday. Tomorrow I will be spinning for 20 mins and then jumping on the Elliptical for 20 mins along with some weight training. Oh yeah, I signed up for my spin class orientation on Thursday. I can't wait to try that out!

Friday!!

Not much to report. Had a great time in Florida. I didn't get much sleep, but who does on vacation. I will write more about it next week. I got one work out in this week. It took me a few days to get my butt in gear. So I ran for 10 minutes on the treadmill and rode 20 mins on the stationary bike. I have spent the last few days tweaking my training schedule for the next month. I am very optimistic that I will be ready for my first race of the season, a 5K on April 27th. After yesterday's workout my ankle was a little sore, but my achilles felt fine. I guess I need to work on that ankle a little more. Hope everyone has a wonderful Easter!

Off to Florida

I am off to Florida for a few days. My brother and I are driving my parent's car down for them. On the way down we are stopping off at my dad's house and going to the NHRA Drag race in Gainesville, FL. It is just awesome watching these cars do over 300 MPH!

On the training side, this week I ran 1 mile twice with no pain!! YES!!! I will continue to the take it slow next week and just run a mile and then slowy build after that. Swimming has been great! And I am just starting to get some miles on the stationary bike at the Y. I figure something is better then nothing.

Have a great weekend!

Tagged, Update and Aero-bars!

To start off I complete my 7 random things since I was tagged by IronMin the other day.

1. I served in the U.S. Navy for 4 years. It was a great experience and I am glad I did it.

2. My favorite ice cream is Chocolate and just love the Chocolate Chip ice cream from a little restaurant called Shady Glen’s in Manchester, CT.

3. I was born and raised in Rhode Island. A lot of tourists come to RI for vacations and whatever. So when I was a teenager I would wear a shirt that said “I am not a tourist. I live here and I don’t answer questions.” I didn’t like tourists back then.

4. I have 2 cats, Oreo and Fluffy. Oreo of course is black and white and my other cat Fluffy is an orange tabby. When Fluffy was a little kitten he was really fluffy, hence the name.

5. While stationed in Florida for the Navy I started inline skating and joined an aggressive inline skate team. We would do demo’s and host a clinic every Tuesday night for those who wanted to learn how to rollerblade. I miss those days, but I don’t miss the injuries.

6. For my first job I was a bagger at Stop and Shop.

7. Also while living in Florida a couple of friends and I auditioned for a Techno/Rave dance show at a club in Jacksonville called Club 5. We made the cut, but they only filmed one show that never aired.

So I will pass the Tag to the following peeps:
Moonpie
Chad in the desert
Jennifer – Runnergirl
Michelle
Chris

Onto other things. My ankle is coming along nicely. I hope to begin light jogging by the end of this week or beginning of next week. My physical therapist has been awesome! He also is a runner so he knows I want to get back out there and run ASAP! But he also knows that I need to take my time and start off slowly. I have had no pain for the past 2 weeks which is an awesome sign! I actually hit the Elliptical last week for 10 mins at a really slow pace and felt no discomfort. I will jump on that again a few times this week and start riding the stationary bike as well.

And to finish off I would like to say thank you to Tri-John for picking me to receive a set of Airstryke Aero-bars. Tri-John won these bars from Tri-Geeks Dream website. They wanted to give the bars to a newbie Triathlete. So Tri-John left a comment on why he should get the bars and WON! So this year Tri-John decided to offer the same bars to another Tri-newbie. So I left a comment and over the weekend Tri-John’s wife picked my name out of a hat to win the bars (there was only 2 of us who left comments so pulling a name out of the hat was the best way to decided)! So thank you very much John for the bars. I will definitely put them to good use and after this season I will pass them to another Tri-Newbie.

Tuesday

This will be a short post. Nothing much has been going on. I have gone to PT a few times and I can definitely feel a difference. I think it is a combination of PT and the new sneakers. I have felt little to no pain for the past week which is very encouraging. I can't wait to start running again. I really miss it.

On Monday I went to the Y to hit the weights and pool. It was my first real workout in a few weeks and it felt really good. Tomorrow I plan on trying out the stationary bike. My PT guy said I should use little to no resistance and I should be ok.

Anyone else in the Northeast ready for Spring and Summer?

Retrocalcaneal Bursitis

Thats what the PT guy said I have. Not Achilles Tendinitis, but Retrocalcaneal Bursitis or Achilles Tendon Bursitis. Most likly caused by my over pronation and low arch. So he gave me a few stretches to do and told me to ice it for 7 mins 2X a day. Also, he said I should get new running sneakers, motion control running sneakers. So I went to the local shoe shop and picked up a pair of Brooks Addiction™ 7. I have been wearing them all day and what a differance! These shoes are awesome and my left ankle has not hurt at all since I put them on (KNock on wood). I go back to PT tomorrow. I want to see this guy (David) as much as I can since his specialty is running mechanics. Tomorrow I hope to get to the pool and swim a few laps. I am feeling much better and should get my butt back to the Y!

Recovery

I have been deathly ill since last Wednesday. It just hit me like a ton of bricks. Not a good way to spend a long weekend. Today was the first time I felt better. I still have a cough but it is definately going away.

Since I was sick I missed my PT for my ankle/Achilles tendon. So I will be going tomorrow for my first appointment. I really can't wait to get started. It hurts just as much now then it did a month ago. I really miss running and I hope to be back on the road soon.

Lets Just Go Swimming

Update on my achilles: Nothing has really changed. It is still sore, but not as much. I have been using the arch supports and I guess they are working. I just can't wait to go the PT on Thursday. So in the mean time I will be hitting the pool and bike.

I have been really enjoying my time in the pool lately. I met this other guy in the pool last week who is also training for his first Sprint Tri this year. We have been talking about about drills and breathing and other swim related stuff. It is really cool when you find someone that you can relate with you. Today I did another 1500 meters. I think next week I am going to add another 300 meters to the workout.

I have a question for everyone out there, while running, how much money have you found? I know it is kinda of a wierd question, but I was thinking about how much I have found since I started running outdoors last May. I have found a total $66. A break down of three 20 dollar bills, one 5 dollar bill and a dollar. Now when I run, not recently, I find myself looking for money on the ground. Kinda keeps my mind away from the pain of running and stuff. Just curious.

Achilles Tendonitis

The Doctor said I have a minor case of Achilles Tendonitis which was probably brought on by my low arches and running form. I guess from what he said I should run heel-toe to decrease the stress on my tendon. I have always thought that was not good form, but I will go with what the doc says. I will be attending physical therapy 2 to 3 times a week. He also told me to pick up a pair of arch supports to help relieve stress on the tendon. I asked about biking and swimming and he said I can do both...YES! So for the next few weeks I will be hitting the stationary bike and pool.

Today before the Doctor's appointment I completed 1500 meters in the pool. I have been using the pull buoy alot since my tendon injury, so today I wanted to see how fast I could do 50 meters with the pull buoy, 50 meters - 52 secs. Ok for some of you out there the can swim like a fish, that doesn't seem to fast, but for me, it is my fastest 50 meter time ever! So I figure that if I can go that fast without using my legs, what if I used them, 50 meters - 52 secs. What does that tell me? I am still having problems keeping my body straight, head to high in the water which lowers my legs creating drag.....an endless list of possible things to correct. I will just keep moving forward and correct as much as I can.

Tomorrow I plan on riding the stationary bike for 30 mins and then hitting the pool for another 1500 meters.

Good day everyone!

Hello

Well it seems like I need to have a Dr. check out my ankle. Last week it was feeling much better, but then on Saturday I put on a differant pair of shoes ( I have been wearing my running sneakers for the past 2 weeks) and that night my achilles tendon and surrounding area was very sore. I will be contacting a local Dr. that actually completed Kona this year. I would think he would know something about running injuries.

I went down to check out the Super 5K road race this past Sunday. I really wanted to run that race. Actually the last time I ran was on that course. It was such a beautiful day for a race. I got there around 20 mins after the race started so I hung around to see Michelle set an PR of 23.30! WTG Michelle! Hopefully I will be able to run the 27th Annual CLAMDIGGER 5 mile race in April.

I really have been slacking lately becuase of the injury. I gained a few pounds also. That will all change this week. I jumped on the stationary bike today to see if there would be any pain. I didn't feel any but I am wondering if I should do that. So I figure it will be mostly pool and circuit workouts until I see the Doc.

Congrats to the Giants. I didn't think they would get it done. All the props to them. Bring on the Red Sox!!!

Weekend and Injury Report

I will start with the weekend. We really didn't do to much over the weekend. On Saturday we went up to Boston and went to the Museum of Science. I haven't been there in years, probably since High School. I knew Brady would have a good time and he did. He loved the big dinosaurs and all of the other interactive things they had there. I wanted to see the lightning show, but I thought it would be to loud for the kids. In all it was really fun! We wanted to hit Chinatown and go to Kim's favorite restaurant, Grand Chow Chow, but the kids look like they really needed a nap and Reese practically fell asleep before we even left the parking garage. That was probably the highlight of the weekend. Next weekend will be a different story. We have Kim's birthday and we also get to watch the Patriots win their 4th Superbowl! Sorry Giant fans, your team will not win this one. Better luck next time.

As for my left ankle. I went to the Y today and did a 10 min test run on the treadmill and everything seemed fine. There was no pain so I am very happy about that. After my run I jumped on the stationary bike for a quick 15 min ride and then jumped in the pool for 1200 meters. I will test out my ankle again on Wednesday. The temps will be in the mid 40's on Wednesday, so I will take a short run outside.

Happy Monday!!!!

Sharing the Lane

I went to the Y today to get some laps done since I have been slacking lately. I walk in and check out the pool. Only 1 person in the lap lane, cool. So I jump in and start doing my warm up laps. Oh yeah, the adult swim excersise class started the same time I did, so I had to deal with the strong "Lap Lane Current" or LLC again. It seemed a bit stronger then normal. I guess they had more people in the group today. Anyways, I am doing my laps when a 3rd person joins the lane. Ok I can do circles. So I try to stay kinda fast with my laps since I couldn't look slow. Just as I started to do my last set of drills, 2 more people join the swim. Ok has anyone shared 1 lane with 5 people before??? This was totally new to me. But I did get the chance to feel what a draft felt like. Pretty cool. I skipped the kick board drill and added another 100 to my pull drill. It was very interesting to say the least. Total Swim today: 1200 meters.

Mystery Injury

I know I mentioned in my last post that my ankle was feeling better, well its not. I am getting worried that I might have really messed something up so I will be looking to a find a local Doc to take a look at it. I have looked on tons of differant websites and I can not pinpoint what is going on. From reading it doesn't sound like Achilles tendonitis or Plantar fasciitis. I can walk for about 5 mins before it starts to hurt, then I would move my foot around a bit walk for another 1 min and the pain would go away. Tell me thats not crazy. I guess I will have to leave this one to the Professionals.

I have really be slacking lately becuase of my foot. I know it is ok to swim and it the weights, but I guess I am just being over cautious. So tomorrow I plan on getting some laps done in the pool.

Have a great Tuesday!

Update and Stuff

I woke up this morning feeling better then I have in a couple of days. I have been dealing with a cold that just won't go away. On top of that, I must have slept wrong a couple of nights ago and I woke up with a very sore back. Also I have been dealing with this foot/ankle/tendon pain for the past 4 or 5 days. But I am happy to report that my back is feeling better, the cold is gone and my ankle/foot/tendon is feeling much better. I still plan on taking it easy on my foot and not run for a few more days. I will probably test it out this weekend sometime.

Onto the swim today. Since I am a beginner swimmer, I don't know if I am should stretch before I jump in the pool. I do stretch my arms, shoulders and back alittle, but thats it. Should I do more? There is this one guy in the pool that all I see him do is swing his arms around and hit them against his legs. Apperantly he is the master swim coach for the Y so I guess he knows what he is doing. So I jump in the pool today and I had the lane to myself, oh wait here comes another swimmer, guess I'll have to share. At this time of the day, around 10:30 AM there is 1 lap lane, 1 swim excersise area and an open swim area. At 10:30 on Monday, Wednesday and Friday there is an older adult excersise class in one of the open areas. Today there was probably 18 people in the class. I started to do my warmup 50's and the class started their warmup group circle walk. Well let me tell you, that if you want to practice swimming in currents, come swim at 10:30 at the Y in Wakefield, RI. When they start walking in the circle, it creates a whirlpool effect in the entire pool. So for instance my first 25 meters down was really fast and then on the way back, at a certain point it felt like I wasn't going anywhere. The swimmer sharing the lane with me noticed the same thing and I told her it only lasts about 5 minutes. I was done with my warmup laps and decided to hold off on my drills until after the water calmed down a little. The one cool thing about swimming during the class time is the the instructor has music going which is great to listen too while doing a long set.

The whole swimming thing is getting better every time I swim. I was reading Ironmin's blog yesterday and she scheduled tests this week in all 3 sports to set benchmarks for herself and to look back months from now and see how much she has improved. Well I decided to do the same thing but only for swimming today. I figured I would set a mark for 250 meters since thats about the distance for the 8th Annual Triathlon by the Sea swim, time - 5mins 35 secs. I think I left myself some room for improvement. That is really slow compared to some of the times I have seen from last year race. I also did an all out 50 meter swim, Time - 57secs. So these are my marks that I will break in the coming weeks and months. I will test myself once a month just to see how things are going.

Happy Hump Day!

Hello Monday

I will not be running for another week. I guess I some how hurt my achilles tendon on my left foot. Right now it feels ok, but as soon as I put weight on my left foot, in a certain way it hurts. So I will back off for a week and then go from there. I hit the pool today for 1500 meters which included some kick board drills and it felt fine. So for the week I will be spending most of my time in the pool and hitting the weights in the fitness center.

Thats about it. A nice and short post.

Enjoy the week!

Another Nice Day

It was another great day outside and I took advantage of the nice weather and went down to the Narragansett Pier to run the Super 5K course. It was great to have company for the run. Fellow South Kingstown resident and awesome runner, Chris joined me for the run. Thanks Chris for putting up with my 9:50 min mile pace. After running the course, I could definately see a PR being set for this race, as long as it is not snowing with 30 mph winds!

I also got a chance to use the 305 for the first time. I didn't have the heart rate monitor going but just to see what my pace was and how far I have gone is just awesome. I can't wait to really get into all the functions of the 305. As for a review of the 305, I will have to use it for a few months to get a good feel for this product. So far so good!

On my way home from the run, my left foot felt a little soar and when I got out of the car, it hurt to put weight on it. This was very weird since I didn't feel anything during the run. It doesn't hurt all the time, just when I put my weight on a certain area of the foot. Really crazy. So I will not take any chances and stay away from running for the next few days. So this means more swimming and spinning, which is fine with me.

Happy Thursday!

Finally!

Finally after a few months of waiting, looking for the best deal and just simply trying to figure out which one I wanted, my Garmin Forerunner 305 came in the mail today. I bought it on ebay last week. I was a little nervous buying this on Ebay but I got a really good deal and couldn't pass it up. So I can't wait to try it out tomorrow!

Hit the gym today and rode the stationary bike for 10 miles and then jumped in the pool for 1200 meters. Definately need to keep doing swim drills. Especially the finger drag and fist drills. I just can't hold my form doing those, but I guess after awhile I will get the hang of them. So the pool was jammed today with people. Ever tried doing drills while sharing the lane with 2 other people? And you know I am not MR. Speedy when it comes to swimming in general, let alone trying to finish up my kickboard drill. Thursdays are a little slower in the pool.

Another Day in the 60's

I could definately get use to 60 degree days in January. But I know it will be short lived. Tomorrow will be in the 50's and by the weekend it will be back to normal high 30's low 40's. I am still waiting for that one major snow storm. I bought a snow blower when we moved into our new house a couple of years ago and probably only used it 8 times. Plus snow is really fun when you have kids.

As for my workouts today, I ran 3 miles around town and did 1000 meters in the pool. I wanted to go longer on the run and swim, but I needed to be home at a certain time so I had to fit what I could in a short time.

So in the pool today I started working on drills. Drills are definately hard, but I managed to get through them. I noticed that when I used the pull bouy, that I actually was swimming faster, by a good 6 seconds per 50 meters. I thought that was a little crazy. So when I was doing my cool down laps I just tried to relax my body and allow myself to just float in the water instead of fighting to stay afloat and it felt like I was moving through the water better then before. Does that sound right? Or am I just way off on this whole swimming thing. Also, I felt like a snail when I was using the kick board. I guess thats normal, well at least Moonpie thinks so. I am really thinking about joining a Masters swim class. But I need to find one that is held on the weekend because I work 2nd shift. So I will be checking that out.

Is it May Already?

So, I know it is January 7th, but when I came out of the Y today I thought it was May. It was so nice and warm. The temps were close to 60! IN JANUARY! Tomorrow and Wednesday will also be warm. So I was thinking about jumping on the bike and getting a nice 15 mile ride in either tomorrow or Wednesday.

Yesterday I went for a 5.5 mile run around town. It was a little cool out and I definately over dressed for the run. By the time I got home I was soaked in sweat. I completed the run in a little over 55 mins. Kinda slow, but there is always room for improvement. I really was not prepared for the run. I did not drink enough water earlier in the day and I really didn't eat all that well for lunch, so that sat in my stomach like a brick for the whole run. So I need to be a smart runner and prepare my body before I head out.

As for today, since my legs were soar from the run, I decided to hit the nautilus machines and then jumped in the pool for 1200 meters. Swimming is definately coming around for me. Talking with a local triathalon coach, he said that I need to incorporate some drills into my swims and not just focus on distance. Becuase if I just work on distance with poor technique, I am just hurting myself in the long run. So starting tomorrow or when ever I am in the pool next I am going to start doing some drills. I actually stayed in the pool area after I was done to watch one the swimmers complete his drill work. I was watching this one guy who just glides through the water. His swimming seemed effortless and fast. Come to find out he is the Masters swim coach for the Y. So I will have to introduce myself the next time I see him.

Happy Monday!

Taking A Look Back at 2007

I am trying to figure out how I want to put my 2007 season into words. Guess I will start from the beginning.

In the beginning of the year I was already on a weight loss program. In May, after talking with my old Navy buddy Moonpie, I decided to train for a 5K we plan on running in August while we where in Las Vegas. I also I decided to sign up for the Shoreline Biathlon which was held in September. This was a 5 mile run followed by a 16 mile bike. Since I couldn’t swim if my life depended on it, I decided a biathlon would be a great way to jump into multi-sport racing. So along with the running I dusted the cobwebs off of my mountain bike and started riding.

The training went well and decided to run the Celebrate Summer 5k in July. I finished the race in a time of 31:03. I was very excited about completing my first 5K and couldn’t wait for the Vegas trip in August and to run the Midsummer Nights Dream 5K.

The Vegas trip was awesome. I completed the Midsummer Nights Dream 5K in a time of 32:09. Slower then my previous race, but I would attribute the slow race to the 102 degree heat and the drinking and lack of sleep from the night before. Moonpie had a good run and we both decided that we will never run another 5K in Vegas again.

After the Vegas trip my focus was on the Shoreline Biathlon. I was running and biking as much as I could. I went out and bought a cheap road bike for the race. I really didn’t want to use the mountain bike because I thought it would slow me down and I really didn’t want to look like a newbie out on the race course, I did anyways.

The day came for the race and I was very nervous. First of all the run was 5 miles. I only ran 5 miles twice before the race and I was hoping that I would have enough in the tank to complete the 16 mile bike. Well I managed to pull off my first multi-sport event. I completed the race in 1:47:37. It was a great accomplishment for me. I was really excited and used this event to push me into training for my first triathlon in 2008.

After the race I completed a few more 5k races. I was setting a PR for every race. The last race of the season, Mews Gear and Beer 5K, I had no intention on setting a PR with the course containing a lot of hills, but I did with a time of 27:43. Awesome way to end my racing season.

Towards the end of September I started swimming. Boy it took awhile for me to feel comfortable in the water. It also seemed like it took forever to learn how to breathe. Practice makes perfect.

Going into 2008, I just can’t wait to complete my first Triathlon. I am still trying to figure out my race schedule for the year but my plans are to do a couple of sprints in the beginning of the season, throw in some 5ks, a 5 mile and a 10 mile road race, and end the season with an Olympic Tri and possibly a Half Marathon. We will see how the season progresses but I am really excited for this year. I hopefully will be heading to Lake Placid to cheer on my Bloggers Peeps and Moonpie as he goes for his first Ironman distance race.

So lets hear it for 2007!!!! Woot!! WOOT!

2008 WILL be better!