9/3/09

4:15 am - Walk Dog
5:00 am - Ran 6 miles

Ran zigzag route twice through.

The moon was full and bright.
Fluffy clouds dusted the dark sky.
Orion was trying to peek between the clouds to watch me.
I love running in the darkness of the morning...

1:00 pm - Walk 2.5 miles

6:00 pm - Bike 12 miles
7:00 pm - Boot Camp Abs DVD

9/6/09

5:30 am - Walk dog
6:45 am - Bike 30.75 miles

Plank Road. Took the by pass to get there since early morning Sunday traffic is light. But we used the cutoff through the woods to come back. This is about a mile off-road trail including sandy patches that require getting off the bike and walking it through.

Had a granny smith apple and a protein powder drink before leaving and ate one Gu drop during the ride in hopes of having a better run afterwards. Drank one Nuun tablet during the ride.

9:15 am - Run 3 miles

Brick off the 30.75 mi bike. Wow, much better than that gosh awful run last time off the bike. Did not have the calf discomfort this time and I was able to find pace early on. Last time I could not find a pace until more than 20 min into the run!

Let's look back and see what it was. Wow, I ran a 10 min mile last time under the very same conditions.

I wonder if that Gu drop made the difference or if I'm actually getting fitter!

Oh, I almost forgot to say...

I feel good.
  
9/7/09
YMCA closed for Labor Day - No swim

Well, today is a day off work, so I decided not to go to the YMCA at 5:30 a.m.  Now I feel guilty about not swimming today.  I'm not even sure if the Y is open on Labor Day.  Maybe I'll call and find out.  Ah good!  The Y is in fact closed today so now I don't have to feel guilty about not going.  But I feel like I should be doing something.  Maybe that something is reading a book.

6:30 pm - Strength Training

Kathy Smith DVD

20 min upper body
one arm rows - 10 lbs
dead lifts - 10 lbs
push ups - 30
round boys - 5 lbs
lower traps
two arm rows - 5 lbs
chest flys - 10 lbs
bicep curls/standing - 8 lbs
hammer heads - 8 lbs
tricep dips
bicep concentration curls - 8 lbs
tricep kickbacks - 5 lbs
French press - 10 lbs
military press - 5 lbs
side lateral - 5 lbs

20 min lower body

squats
side leg lifts
one legged squats
squats w/ side leg lifts
glutes (lift leg back)
lunges
quads (front leg extentions w/ lunges)
inner thigh squats
calves (up on toes)
hamstrings (lay on floor with feet on chair and lift)
pelvic tilt

10 min - abs & back

9/9/09

4:15 am - walk dog
5:45 am - swam, 1 hr (2050 yards)

YMCA - Laddered up 5 laps (750 yards), then swam 1200 yards, then two breast stroke.

Towards the end there were a lot of people in the water close together doing everything from breast, to butterfly, to crawl. It made quite a current! Made me feel like it was an OW mosh pit... not that I would know since I've never done an OW Tri. First one THIS Saturday!

Good Luck! Have Fun!

Thank you!  Yes, can't wait to do it again.  Next one is October 4!

9/14/09

5:40 am - swam 1:10, 2200 yards

YMCA - Workouts in a Binder, Endurance 1
W/U - 200
MOD - 400, 300, 200, 100
N/S - 300, 200, 100
Fast - 200, 100
C/D - 100

Workouts in a Binder finally came in the mail! Wow, that was a tough workout and I didn't even do the 400 yards with a pull buoy that I was supposed to. At least now I will be getting more out of my swim sessions.

Also got a new sporty bathing suit so I don't have to wear the old baggy JC Penny suit anymore. And I bought a silicon swim cap which I like WAY better than the latex. It's earier to put on, does not pull my hair so much, and does not irritate my skin. AND, I now have the Lady XP googles which look way cooler than the Seals (but I still love the Seals). So I'm all set for some serious swim workouts.

And after seeing how far out those buoys were for that Olympic Tri, I better work harder!


9/15/09

4:30 am - walked dog
5:00 am - ran 5 miles in 47:06 (9:25 pace)

Used forerunner to track distance, but I need to learn to use the heart rate monitor on it so I can start working out in a heart rate zone. I don't think I've been pushing hard enough and I'm getting to be a lazy runner. I tried to push the pace harder today. It was like my old slow pace was right in front of me and I had to keep pushing it forward to make way for a faster pace to come through. Slowing down is not an option.

It was a perfect morning for running. The dark sky was speckled with stars and Orion was ever watching over me. The cresent moon hung low in the sky in preparation for the approaching longer nights.

And I alsmost tripped over a rabbit that darted out in front of me!


I feel good.

i love reading your workouts, maria. very impresive, and i love the addition of your elegant writing about the moon and stars on your run.

I love the early morning hours!  No so much today though...

I got up today with a limp.  My right knee was being disagreeable.  I decided to go ahead and walk the dog and see how I feel.  It was raining lightly.  I walked the dog in the rain, pondering about my knee and trying to decide if I should run or not.  Today was supposed to be 7 miles.  The longer we walked, the harder it rained.  I decided to give my knee a break and not run.

Well this is a rare statement...

I feel sad and down.

9/19/09

8:30 am - Bike 27 miles (1 hr 10 min)

American Tobacco Trail - Off Road, hard packed, fairly flat with low merciless inclines <ughh>.

Went road bike shopping and decided on a Trek 2.1.  It's a 2009 model on sale for end of year so I did not have a choice in the color.  It is called dreamsicle (orange!)  I did not hate the color, but did not particularly care for it at first either.  It's actually two different shades of orange, a lighter and a darker.  I've been talking myself into liking it.

1.  It's the color of Sunshine!
2.  It's unique.
3.  It stands out (esp. in the transition area of a Triathlon so I can find it!)
4.  Orange represents success, determination, happiness, health, strength & endurance.
5.  Orange is the color of Fall, my favorite season.
6.  Orange is the color of a Cheetah, and I am a Cheetah in training!