06/21/07: Ahhh....Much Better....

Two things became official yesterday:

1. Kramer is fully recovered...YEA...he's cleared for his own duathlon this weekend: Swimming and running at the beach (he doesn't seem to do so well on the bike)....I promised him I'd take him to the beach this weekend so he can play and celebrate being a happy, healthy Labrador again.

2. Weight lifting is out. After taking Monday and Wednesday off of the weights, I feel MUCH better. As much as I enjoy lifting weights (which I really do), my body was giving me a message in no uncertain terms that it was just too much.

Last night's bike workout on the trainer felt pretty good, as much as I like being on the trainer. How is it that an hour can seem to drag on for soooo long. The more enjoyable things in life seem to go by in a heartbeat....hours seem like minutes....time disappears...Indoor workouts seem to have their own and very opposite timeframes - minutes seem like an eternity....ok - I'm done whining about it now.

Last night was just over an hour. Started with a 21 minute gearing pyramid warmup, 19-13 (6 minutes in 19 decreasing in each gear to 1 minute in 13). Spun easy for a few minutes and did a cadence drill: 3 x 100, 2x 110, 1x120. Spun easy for a few minutes and did my "favorite" drill: 3x3 ilt.

In English, that's pedalling with one leg for 20 seconds, taking 10 seconds to transition to the other leg for 20 seconds, three times..take a minute off and spin easy, then do it two more times....It hurts a bit once fatigue starts to set in (which is usually by the end of the first set), although it's definitely worth doing....even after just a couple of weeks my pedalling seems stronger and smoother.

Finished with a 21 minute reverse pyramid 13-19

This morning I went for an hour run. Since I didn't lift weights this week, my legs felt much better today. Did mostly a zone 2 run, with 6 x 30 sec accelerations thrown in (a few minutes rest in between to let my heart rate come back down into zone 2). It was a bit misty/drizzly out this morning, which actually felt very refreshing. Keeping in mind that my workout goals are always based on time and not distance or speed, I ran 6.75 miles in just under an hour.

That brings up a point I made to the team I was coaching over and over...Note to self: speed is a function of effort. Effort is reflected by heart rate. Train at the right heart rate intensities, and don't worry about pace. Speed is a result, not a cause. As long as I'm constantly training at the right intensities for any given workout, speed will take care of itself. Plus, at an Ironman distance, I could care less how quickly I run or ride, as long as I manage to make it across the finish line before midnight.

J - you mean there's actually a way out of this silly sport once you get sucked into it?

Which brings up another point: Behind every ironman athlete (and shorter distances too) there are lots of people who put up with our insane and often intrusive training schedules. A very big thank you to everyone who puts up with mine. I really appreciate it and will make it up to you somehow once I'm done with this craziness :)

Speaking of...what the hell am I going to do once I finish the ironman? So far the votes have been climb Mt Everest and go to law school.....Hmmmm.....

As far as Everest goes, I value my fingers and toes, and only have a very limited amount of climbing experience, plus North Florida is not exactly a hotbed of climbing activity. Think I could get ready climbing the wall at the Y?

Law School? Although I've thought about it before, do I really want another 50-75k in student loans? Since I already have a masters degree, do I want to subject myself to three more years of suffering through analyzing way too much case law and other "fun" stuff? If I go to law school, would that mean I have to stop telling lawyer jokes? Hmmmm.....

Stay tuned.....I figured out how to put a "What should Andy do next" vote onto the blog..... I'm open for suggestions :) And remember, as they say during presidential elections, vote early and vote often......

Just think, you could play a part in determining my next crazy (or not so crazy) adventure.