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!