Great Ride

    It was a freakishly warm day today. No rain, warm wind from the south. The air was soft and humid like late spring, but with the musky spice of Autumn. I knew from the moment I opened the back door to let out the dogs this morning, and stood there in my manky robe inhaling mild, fragrant morning air, that I would have to get Joshua out for a ride today. I waited until about 2pm, when my late breakfast of Yamcakes was decently digested before heading out. It felt good to have my brain bucket on and feet in the peddles. I haven't ridden Joshua since the Portland Triathlon more than a month ago, and I have missed him. It was warm enough for short sleeves and rolled up tights. The air moving across my arms and calves, tickling my hairs to attention felt wonderful. The wind in my face was delicious and exhilarating.
    Of course I headed straight for Wildcat Road aka Kick-my-ass-and-leave-me-in-the-ditch-to-die Road. I have only ridden Joshua here twice before, but had taken Fury on it a number of times. I vowed to work it hard today, and did not disappoint myself. Since Wildcat Road has no flats, absolutely none, it is definitely a hill workout. There is no getting around that. But today I made it a sprint workout as well. If I was not hard at a hill climb, or on such a steep down hill that I could not pedal fast enough to engage the wheels, then I was sprinting with all I could muster. I peddled as hard and fast as I was able, whenever I had the opportunity. I pushed myself hard. And it felt great! True, I did have some nausea problems. At one point, just after the turnaround, I thought I was going to have to pull over to puke. Instead I focused on my breathing, let my pace ease just a bit, which wasn't too hard, since I had some nice downhills to bomb down. I managed to get my rebellious stomach under control, and finish strong.
    Now that we have set the clocks back for Winter, I know I won't be getting in any after work rides, so that makes me doubly happy that I got out today. There will not be many opportunities over the next 6 months to get out on dry roads. And to have had such amazingly glorious weather, I could not have asked for a better day to challenge Wildcat Road. It made for a great ride.

The First Mile

    "The first mile is the toughest." You've heard it before, and very likely dismissed it as ridiculous. But it is truth, for me at least. I have noticed this in almost every run, whether training or racing. I am beginning to be disinclined to run 5Ks because it seems as if it takes 4K for me to hit my stride, and feel like I am moving and breathing easy. Seems odd, I know. I haven't had a lot of experience in straight up running races; two 5Ks, a 10K, and a 6 mile trail run. The 6+ mile obstacle run doesn't really count, although the first half mile or so was straight-up running, keyword "up" as this was a very steep course. Everything else has been triathlon, which puts the run into a different category. In both of the 5Ks I felt fatigued for easily the first half of the run, granted, I did not rest and eat quite as well beforehand as I should have. The 10K started oddly for me, as I was running late, and had a fun time sprinting from parking lot to starting line, and across the highway to catch up to the pack. I felt good throughout that race, hitting a bit of a fatigue point at about the 3K point, but then ran through it easily. The trail run was a bit different as well, since the bulk of the race was either hard uphill, or hard downhill. There was not a single level piece of trail on the whole route.
    I have not been able to run outdoors as much as I would like, life seems to get in the way. But I have had several good runs in the last few weeks. Last night I had an easy run in the wilds of Lake Oswego smiling at grim faced cyclists, and dodging bullish Mercedes that do not like giving way to puny runners. I ran decently easy through the entire run, although I did slow to walk a few paces several times. I am trying to be cognizant of my stride and pace, posture, and arm movement. I am feeling more natural as I run. Even so, it wasn't until I had been running for 25 minutes or so that I felt relaxed, muscles warm and breathing easy. I am working towards having the first mile be as easy as the ensuing miles, but not really sure exactly what I can do to make this happen. So I will keep running, eventually I will figure it out.

Seriously? Stomach?

    One annoying roadblock to trying to keep on track and focused as far as fueling the machine that is me, is my recent inability to eat a wide variety of foods due to gastrointestinal distress. It seems as if I can't eat without having some form of digestive dilemma. Frankly, this is pissing me off more than just a little bit. Healthy, amazing foods are often proving too much for my delicate constitution. The list of forbidden foods seems to grow daily. Even when I keep it simple, gluten free, and dairy free, my stomach sabotages me. On the bright side, it does make me uber-conscious of what goes in my face. But when even fresh, delicious, simple foods backfire, it seems so wrong on every level. I mean, seriously Body, what the hell?! I do my damnedest to keep you healthy and happy. Hell, I bend over backwards catering to your finicky requests. Bendfuckingover Backwards! And still you whine and complain, piss and moan, grumble, gripe, and cause me all kinds of pain. I would put you on bread and water, but I can't eat fucking bread anymore. Even black coffee has become problematic, but I will be g'damned if I am going to give up my coffee for you. I have given up so much already. What next? I have reached a point where I think of eating only fresh fruit and raw nuts, and drinking only water. Or just saying "Fuck You," and eating whatever the hell I please. Granted, that would be the this-hurts-me-more-than-it-hurts-you approach, and I'm not really ready to go down that road. Not yet. But c'mon Stomach, give me a break. Please. I am doing my best to keep Body fueled and strong, and to keep you pain free and happy, but you are making it difficult on nearly every level. I am trying. So cut me some slack, m'kay?

No Rub?

    I just realized that my thighs don't rub together when I walk. Okay, that may not sound like a big deal to a lot of people, but to me it is a Big Friggin' Deal. I can't remember a time when I didn't hear the faint soughing of fabric keeping time with every step like a hissing metronome. I am not sure how long my thighs have been Rub-Free, it may have been a little while, it is not as blatantly noticeable when something is missing. So, just to test it out, I did several laps around the office. Yes, I was alone, there were no witnesses. Still No Rub. I will get out and walk the great outdoors soon to further test this anomaly. Hopefully, it is here to stay and not an aberration. Yes, I am tweaking on this more than just a little bit.

Aqua-Jogger

    Just two workouts in and I am kind of enamored of the flotation belt. Aptly named "The Aqua-Jogger" it holds me in a vertical position and lets me "run" and "cycle" on the deep end of the pool. I have been doing 3/4 laps, cycling down and running back, for a solid 20 minutes at a stretch, working muscles and cardio hard. Moving my legs in the circular bicycling motion is working my glutes and hamstrings, as well as hip flexors. When "running" I am working my quads and core hard. An advantage of doing these exercises under water is the added resistance on the "upstroke" of every stride. When running, having the extra strength to lift and move the leg forward is paramount in having an easy stride. When cycling, being able to lift and pull as well as push through the whole circular motion of pedaling will add speed, strength and stamina to my cycling. As I do both strides I am working my arms and core, being cognizant of all the muscles of my body working together to make motion happen. Moving arms and shoulders, activating my core and abs helps to power my legs. I have known this theoretically, and have tried to implement it when running and cycling, but being essentially weightless, and not distracted by incidentals like footing or knee pain, lets me really notice how my entire body is engaged in moving forward. It is revealing, educating, an epiphany. And if nothing else, it is adding another asskicking element to the Winter Regiment.  

Long and Strong

    Winter Workout Regiment has been implemented and active for a week now. Today I am pleasantly sore from head to toe, so it must be working. After monday's Cycle and Run, and Leg Workout I felt fantastic. My legs felt great, my stamina was decent, and my breathing was good. Last night was Swim Night, and I did a repeat of last thursday: swim 20 laps, 20 minutes "cycle" and "run" with float belt, swim 20 laps, 20 minutes with the float belt, swim 10 laps. True, I did fewer laps, but I ran out of time. The last 10 laps were hard, I won't lie, I didn't want to do them. But I tell myself that it is the last few laps, whether swimming or running, that I am almost too tired to complete, that are the laps that really matter when building strength and stamina. It is really no different than lifting weights "to failure." I felt good during my swim and find that I can push myself harder and longer. I was amused to realize that I was almost overheating, I was pushing myself that well. Funny to feel "hot and sweaty" in a cool pool. I think I was doing something right.
    After my swim I came home and broke out the mini Slosh Tubes for 30 minutes of ab and core work. 3 sets, 20 reps each: standing with 5' across shoulders, bending at waist and rotating tube in figure 8; standing, 24" tube in each hand, moving arms  in large figure 8 from side to side;  full sit-up with 5' tube held straight armed and up towards the ceiling; twisting crunch with 5' tube held against chest and rotated in a figure 8; twisting crunch with 24" tubes, touching tube to the floor on either side. I gotta say, after a hard swim it is not easy to get in an ab/core workout. It was fatiguing.
    During each swim I am trying to focus on one small aspect of my technique. Of course, every swim I work on good stroke technique; long, strong and good speed. Last night I also worked on hand positioning throughout the entire stroke, including where and how my hand enters the water. I need to keep my hands relaxed, fingers slightly separated, hand cupped, and "grabbing and holding" the water to pull myself through. Sometimes I get so focused on technique that I almost forget to breathe.
    I am also incorporating Fartlek/Speedplay in some of my laps. To swim faster I know I need to move my arms faster, but I also have to lengthen my stroke. I am trying to find the perfect balance of long, easy stroke, and quick, powerful stroke. For endurance swimming I need to find my Race Pace; a steady, long, strong stroke. I need to use the rotation of my torso in the water, as well as my core muscles to lend power and perpetual motion to my swim. There is so much to be cognizant of for a successful endurance swim that it is nearly mind-boggling. For now, I am focusing on my arms and body, using a pull buoy so that it takes my legs entirely out of the equation. I am trying to build muscle memory as well as strength, power and endurance. I am succeeding, slowly but surely. By next season's first Tri I should be able to kick ass on my previous times. Now to get over the whole Creature-lurking-in-the-murk-waiting-to-drag-me-into-the-weeds-and-suck-the-flesh-from-my-bones Phobia. But one thing at a time. For now, Swim Long and Strong.

Cycle And Run

    In constant pursuit of new things to do to my body in the name of fitness, I am always experimenting with variations on a theme. Last night I put the spare bike up on the roller stand (no, sadly, Not Joshua, his hubs won't fit into the roller's brackets). I confess, cycling indoors is even more tedious than running on a treadmill, but I am adding it to the regiment. I am wanting to run more, but need to be cautious with my delicate knees. The knees have been aching a bit lately, but then so has the rest of my body. I call it "The Princess and the Pea Syndrome," when my whole body gets hypersensitive, even slight pressure can make me ache, and gods forbid I should have a tag in my clothing, it will make me crazy. But as for my knees, I am trying to be gentle, or as gentle as I can be, and continue to train for trail runs and other upcoming races. So, out comes the bike. Yes, I need to train on the bike for Triathlons as well, but it is also a great way to build strength and stamina for running without the impact.
    So last night I decided to do a routine to combine both cycling and running. 10 hard minutes on the bike. Run 1 mile at good speed. 10 hard minutes on the bike. Run half mile with Fartlek/speedplay/hills. 10 hard minutes on bike. Half mile run at near race pace. I was surprised at how hard I worked my legs, heart and lungs. Not to mention that it left me trembling and dripping sweat. It was great! I followed this with some legwork, 3 sets x 15/20 reps: Kettleball swing; wide lunge, knee to floor; front leg lift; jump squat; calf raise; ass to grass prisoner squat; single legged squat; side step with resistance band. Finally 15 minutes of stretching. It was about 1.75 hours of hard work, and left me feeling pleasantly exhausted and slightly queasy, as a good workout should. I think this will be a twice a week routine for a bit, to see how it works for me.
    As the days get shorter, and the rains become constant, I am getting myself set up to have no excuses to slack on either my running or my cycling. Slacking is not an option. So, the bike stays in the living room, on rollers, next to the treadmill. The gym in the garage is progressing, though not quite as quickly as I would like because I am trying to do it right instead of do it fast and dirty. I am building my assortment of "Tools" so I can abuse... errr, I mean Train, my body to the utmost. I do not need a membership to a gym, or a personal trainer, I am my own trainer. Yes, some days I do not push myself as hard as a trainer might, but I am damned consistent. And I push myself hard. I do wish my stamina and speed were increasing more quickly, but I know that I just have to give it time, not push myself to the point of injury, and slowly but surely add to my base. I need to remember to Look at How Far I Have Come, not how far I have to go. And I have Come Far.