I'm back from exile!

So after the rash of bad training runs I decided to take a week off. I would love to say it was a hard decision but really it wasn't. I was starting to get bogged down, every run that I either didn't finish or finished by a hair was just pulling me further down. A week off to rest and regroup was just what I needed. I read a lot of training blogs and had time to flip through my runners world magazine. The extra insperation edition they put out last month was just what I needed.

Monday I came back at it with a fresh 4 mile run to kick things off. It went very well and even though I didn't break any great PR, I stopped after 4.3 miles and felt like I could have went further. Today I am set for another 4 mile training run, I have no soreness in my legs but we will see what happens when I go out tonight. To my maybe two readers... wish me luck.

Bad... very bad...

Its been a little while since I posted last. I will admit I really didn't want to make this post. After this weekend I didn't want to make a post about how bad it really was. It really was a good weekend some would say, but from a training point of view... its not my finest hour. Lets start off with the art of running. It wasn't an art for me over the weekend. I would call it the act of thinking I could run but my body had other plans. My three miles were cut short on Saturday from a cramp in my left leg that wouldn't go away. I thought nothing of it, figured I would make up for it tomorrow. Sunday would have been the day to get out and make up for the loss of miles. I had a six mile planned for that day... I didn't even make a move to do it.

That's right... never got up from the couch to go for a run. I could have ran that, but I didn't even try. I am ashamed of myself for that one. Then to top it all off I have to admit I threw my nutrition out the window for the whole weekend. Junk food... sure why not.. soda... yes please. I don't think I ate one healthy thing all weekend.
Things are back on track for this week though. Back to eating clean and pushing through every run. I'm not looking forward to tonight's run but I know it will be better than anything I did over this last weekend.

The weekend

Friday at work was long and I couldn't wait to get out of there. My wife took me back to my old high school for a football game. I haven't seen Elida win a football game since I graduated. I was ever so happy to watch them run up the score on Celina. We even left early cause my wife was getting to cold. I figured 62 to 14 was good enough that Elida had that one in the bag.

Saturday morning started with a run at the gym with the guys. I was having some muscles problems in my right thigh all week and was not looking forward to this run. Its funny though how the runs I am not looking forward to doing always end up being my best runs. I ran my 5k in 30:30... I was happy to have another good time under my belt. Gotta keep on working my distance though. When I got home I wasn't ready to rest, so I jumped on my bike and headed out. I rode up to Crankers bike shop and hung out there for a while, then home. It was a nice 10 mile round trip ride.

This morning was a busy morning but I still found time to ride 13 miles. Its 7 miles to my parents house. Right now I am riding 7 miles in 30 min. Gotta keep working that time down, my phone says I am riding at a 14 mph average. I don't know how accurate that is but I would like to get that into the high teens. Might help to get a better bike but my trusty used 12 speed will do for now. 

Just when you thought it couldn't get any better...

Today I hit a PR, not just any PR but one I didn't think I would get to this quickly. I got off work today and headed for the gym. Today I ran a sub 30:00 min 5k. I came in at exactly 29:42. I was so happy I almost shouted right in the middle of the gym. I kept my composure though and waited till I got in the car to grunt manly over my accomplishment. I might not get back to that kinda time for a few weeks, but now that I know I can do it i am going to strive to make this a regular time. What a great week this has been in training this has been.

A rough work week, but a great week in training

Its been a long week. I have to start by saying that my work place has tried to kill my mind everyday. I don't think there was a day that went by that something wasn't broken. When things break at an ISP calls come in, and when calls come in I have to take them... but what doesn't kill us only makes us stronger and I made it through. I already posted about Monday's run and yoga class. Tuesday was a rest day, but then came Wednesday, and what a mighty run that was... well at least for me. I really didn't even want to go run. I was tired and just wanted to go home, but I bullied myself into going to the gym. I jumped on the treadmill and started my run. I was running along and feeling great, everything just seemed right. My head was clear, my legs felt good. I was running along at a constant pace. Next thing I know I look down to see I have ran at a constant pace for over 23 minutes. You have no idea how happy this made me. I have been trying to run at a constant pace for at least 20 min for a while now.

Armed with my new runners high I slowed down a moment to catch a drink then fired everything back up again. I ran my best 5k at 34:00 min sharp. When I was finished I felt exhausted though, I might have been able to run that a bit faster if I would have eaten something before I went to the gym. I just felt drained, but still very happy with my work that evening.

 I was looking forward to Friday all week. I had the day off, I was going to take the bike over to the bike shop to make sure it was fit to me alright and just have it checked out. I have to start of by saying that Crankers Cycling in Lima Ohio is an amazing place. I pulled up around 9:30 only to see they opened at 10:00. I was starting to swing around to leave and come back later when I was waved inside. The owner was there and opened the bike shop early for me.

I can't begin to tell you how much this shop and the owner rock. If your in the area stop over and see him. The web site for the shop is being worked on but you can find it here. http://www.crankerscycling.com/
Since I was going to be riding my bike home that day I had to get myself a helmet. I found a great helmet that matched my bike.

  

I also had to get a new seat post. I was told the wooden seat post just wasn't the best idea. So I got a new seat post while I was there. 

 It looks much better than the wooden one. Plus I got it adjusted to the correct height. I left the bike shop and headed for my Mom and Dads. I had to drop off my old 55 Plymouth to be stored for the winter. I got the new seat post in with the help of my Dad ( I don't think I would have gotten everything together without him. thanks Dad!)  Hung out with Dad for a while and then it was time to head for home. Jumped on the bike and rolled down the road. It was a quick 7.2 mile ride back home, but I loved every moment of it. I am sad that I didn't get a bike sooner this year. Its getting cold out quick, and I am only going to be able to ride outside for a little while longer.

And now for something completly different

Today should have been a rest day. After spending a week with a cold and not training at all I figured who needs a rest day, I need to get warmed back up. So after a long day at work it was time to hit the gym. I figured I would just work on some abdominal exercises and stick with my normal run schedule. It wasn't long before that was out the windows. I started with 3 sets of 50 crunches, then thought I would run a mile to see how my legs felt after a week off. Was a happy to run that mile dialed in right at 10:00 min. I went back to the floor and knocked out another 3 sets of 50 crunches. Then back up for a light run, just put in a 1/2 mile to see if any pain would flair up if I upped my speed a bit. Then back to the floor for another 3 sets of 50 crunches.

It was safe to say that my abs were worn out when I was finished. I was ready to call it quits and was heading for the locker room when I over heard one of the trainers saying they didn't have enough people for their class. My wife is a trainer at this same gym and I always feel bad when she has to cancel a class cause she doesn't have enough people. So I asked what kind of class it was... turns out I was going to try yoga for the first time. I have always had a thought in the back of my mind that I wanted to try yoga sometime. With all my back problems I thought maybe it could help. An hour later I am sold that yoga is very helpful. I felt great when I walked out of there. After my work out the calm stretching was a nice finisher. So it looks like I may pick up this yoga class on Mondays as an active rest.

Also on the good news side of life I may have a side job coming up soon. Nothing much just a one day thing, but the money it brings in would be great to go toward a bike helmet and a bike trainer. After that I have to find a wet suit, goggles, and a tri suit. Everything is falling in place just have to be patient while I gather everything up.

Dear Body

A little letter I wrote at work today. 

Dear Body

I am writing this letter to you cause I am tired of you being sick. You are making it so I can not have fun torturing you with running and biking. As these are things I now enjoy I expect you to suck it up and get better soon.

Be aware that I am going to make you hurt once you are over this cold. I am probably going to push you a little harder than normal and I expect good results from you with very little back talk. Thank you for your time and your ability to still get up and move. 



Well it turns out I am still sick. This cold isn't horrid but its lingering and making me grumpy. Looks like I am just going to end up taking the rest of this week off from any training. By the time I make it home after work I feel exhausted. Eyes are now set to Tuesday when I will start my run up again.