127 Days

Today's Workout

• Bike
• 150 min ride, easy to moderate pace
• Results
• 105 mins, 12-14 mph pace, lunch in the middle
• Reflection
• I ended up riding today with my brother and his wife. We had a great time but kept the pace slow and ended up eating lunch on our way back to our starting point. I had done some work on their bikes so they felt it was necessary to pay me back. I won't complain!

Tomorrow is supposed to be an off day but I plan on getting up and putting down a hard hour on the bike to make up for today. It should be great!

Happy training!

Drew

128 Days

OFF DAY!

129 Days: IT Band Issues

A little video on IT Band Syndrome:

I've mentioned it in a earlier post but I have been struggling with an IT band injury. It happened towards the beginning of March and most likely was caused by over training. This can be compounded by improper cycling form, worn out running shoes or general bad form. The day I was in enough noticeable pain I went on a 3 hour bike ride followed by a 1 hour run. After a few more workouts, I opted to readjust my bike and a few days off.

Unfortunately the days off did not help but a knee wrap and athletic tape helped to put pressure on the band to prevent it from becoming inflamed. I then bought a foam roller and researched countless stretches and work outs to help strengthen my ITB.

Today I can say that it is not perfect but the annoyance has been significantly reduced.

And on that note...

Today's Workout

• Run
• 60 mins, hills at HR 3-4, flats at  HR 1-2
• Results
• 47 mins, 40 run, 7 walk, 4.6 mi
• Reflection
• Started out with a solid pace but mid way through the legs fell off and I milked it home. Another disappointing day for running

• Bike
• 60 mins, small gear, following run
• Results
• 45 mins at 16 mph
• 15 mins at 14 mph
• Reflection
• I worked on keeping my cadence high through this ride and manage to hone in on the 80 rpm mark. The ride was solid and I was quite comfortable for having ran so poorly earlier. The bike is figuring the get much better for the next Half Ironman in June. Possibly sub 2:40, which would be great for me.

Tomorrow is an Off Day so don't expect too much from me!

Happy Training!

Drew

130 Days

Let's see...what word best describes today's workout? Lethargic? I think that works to describe it. And with that sort of day/ workout, I once again won't be posting much today. Tomorrow I will hit this blog on the head!

Today's Workout

• Swim
• Warm up
• 300 yd easy
• 6 x 50, 15s rest
• Main Set
• 8 x 100, moderate, 10s rest
• 4 x 50, moderate, kick
• Cool Down
•  200 yard easy, switch 50 pull, 50 swim
• Results
• Everything was completed except for the cool down. I elected to stop following my last kick set and head to the weight room.
• Reflections
• These days don't come often but it was really important for me to grind the workout. Even though it was not a hard day, I still needed to finish it.

• Weights
• 3 sets, 15-20 reps
• Squat, bent-arm pulldown, leg press, seated row, butterflies, leg extensions, hamstring curl
• Core set #2, x2
• Results.
• Completed all sets, 15 reps, increased weight. Core was also completed as written.
• Reflections
• Like stated with the swim, I felt very tired while lifting but pushed through it.

Tomorrow is a run/bike day. Should be very solid and I am looking forward to it!

Happy training!

Drew

131 Days

Today I had my second massage in 3 weeks. It was amazing. I will be touching base on my strategy for recovery one day but today's post is short.

Today's Workout

• Bike
• 60 mins, small chain ring work, easy pace
• Results
• 60 mins, small chain work
• 45 mins, 12-14 mph
• 10 mins, 14-16 mph
• 5 mins, 20-21 mph
• Reflections
• I get very bored riding that in the 12-14 mph range. It's almost painful for me. I don't mean to disrespect anyone who struggles in that speed range because I was once there but now in my current state it is very slow. For that reason, I worked in a few build ups while staying in my small chain ring. I didn't want to ruin the 30 minute massage I got this afternoon by pounding the bike too hard.

Sorry for being brief today. I feel like calling it an early night.

Happy training!

Drew

132 Days: Pre-workout

So true...

I feel like changing the format up today so first I'll start with my workouts:

• Swim
• Warm-up
• 300 yd swim, 100 yd drill
• Main Set
• 300 pull using swim buoy/ 100 drill, repeat for 45 minutes
• Cool Down
• 100 yd swim
• Results
• Warm up: 250 yard swim
• Main Set: 300 pull, 50 with hand paddles, 50 back kicking, repeated 5 times
• Cool Down: None
• Reflection
• Overall the swim went great. I got 50 mins in with a total of 2250 yards. I did the pull efforts slower this week that last due to my shoulders being sore but it still was solid. 

• Weights and Core
• 3 sets, 15-20 reps:
• Squat, Arm Pull down, Leg Press, Seated Row, Seated Butterfly, Hamstring Curls
• Core
• 2 sets of a pre-planned circuit
• Results
• Completed all workouts as planned but kept the squats and butterflies to 10 reps. Everything else was 20 reps for the 3 sets. Core was completed as planned
• Reflections
• My body was feeling quite tired but I was able to push on and get all the training in.

Now onto my topic for this blog: your pre-workout preparation. Every one does things a little different. Some go to the gym straight from work; others wait till after dinner. Myself, I go home after work and take a workout stimulant to increase and sustain my energy levels through each training session. This is somewhat equivalent to drinking a cup of coffee prior to a morning workout for some people. I also go over what my plan of attack for each workout is and the time necessary to be successful.

Some of you may be concerned about this workout stimulant. For the majority of my triathlon career I have used jack3d. It can be found at many nutrition stores, such as GNC, and the cost can vary between $26-$35. I also, as of today, have tried ACG3. Supposedly it is better formulated than  jack3d and comes with more servings per container. After only one day of taking it I have yet to establish an opinion. What these stimulants do in my case are cause an increase in my energy level, mainly due to the amount of caffeine, and concentrate my focus. I am yet to experience any sort of side effect from these products aside from taking them too late in the evening and not being able to go to sleep at normal time.

If you are looking for a boost in your workouts to push you through a wall, maybe one of these products could help. There are plenty of other options on the market so contact a nutritionist to find what is best for you.

Aside from the pre-workout drink, I also key in on certain stretches to preform and in recent weeks, certain muscles to be massaged out. Both have kept me from sustaining injuries during higher intensity workouts and I highly suggest taking the time to get your body warm. Most stretches can be performed at your desk while you finish up the day's tasks.

Everyone does their own thing before, after and during workouts to keep them going but I find what works best for me is a good pre-workout drink, a solid stretch and some great trance music!

Happy training!

Drew

133 Days: Sleep

Today was an interesting day...

I went into work at 2 a.m. to do some inspections on some equipment. I spent about 2 and a half hours there and got back into bed at 5 a.m. Let's just say that middle of the night interruption was more than enough to drain my workout.

I've always heard that getting 7-8 hours of sleep is essential but until you compare 6 hours to 8 hours, you just don't understand the difference it makes. When I get 8+ hours of sleep I feel that I could run all day. My energy level is simply through the roof. Your body doesn't crave food either because it was able to repair and re-energize itself through the night.

For the longest time I was more than satisfied with 6 hours of sleep a night. Now I almost force myself to bed by 9. Granted tonight I am up a little later but I had a fair amount on my to-do list to get done.

If you find yourself not losing weight as quickly as you think you should or your workouts just aren't effective, look into your sleep schedule. I'd be willing to bet that making sleep a higher priority could help you push through your barriers.

Today's Workout

• Run
• 50 mins, hills, high cadence
• Results
• 34 mins, 5 solid hills, cadence in the 80 strides/min, 8:30 min/mile pace, run cut short due to   severe weather
• Reflection
• I was pretty tired for today's run but I made sure to get it in. It took a little planning with the breaks in the storms but I managed a decent 34 minutes. However, my pace was slower than I would have liked and that is quite disappointing. The knee felt solid and gave me no trouble and that was about the best thing of the workout. I wish I could have finished those last 16 minutes but it wasn't meant to be. 

It's time to take my own advice and head to bed. The workouts this week climb a little more in length and intensity. See you tomorrow.

Drew