Back in the Saddle?

New post...new style Blogger...this is only a test...

Wow, has it been forever since I posted to this Blog page...I need to get back on the feckless meandering bandwagon...

Green Commute Week – Day One

I've been all talk, and no action, for the past year or two on commuting to work. I've thought of just about every excuse not to, but those finally ran out. Green Commute Week (this week) was my opportunity to run through those reasons (bad weather, too cold, too hot, not the right gear, can't carry all my shit, etc…) and finally get on my horse and ride.

Today was cold on the way in, but I had plenty of layers. The only precipitation was in the form of puddles on the bike path. Other than some of the complexities in getting things ready, I have no excuse. I'm committed to the full week, but I do reserve the right to NOT ride if it's raining…I don't have any rain gear!

14 miles in the book today, by the time I get home…that's a savings $2.04, which is roughly the cost of a ½ gallon of gas. The Camry still gets about 25 miles to the gallon!

Dreadmill, Dreadmill – Oh how I hate thee…

Schedule constraints on Wednesday forced me to get in my 5 miler indoors. We have a GREAT fitness facility here at work, so the only inconvenience is…well…there really is none.

I jumped on and set my warm up pace. My plan was to do about a ½ mile at a comfortable pace, and finish out the run with a "slightly" faster than Marathon race pace. The belt was loose on the treadmill directly in front of the ESPN television feed, which is the PRIME slot for dewds. It was bugging the crap out of me for the first ¼ mile of my warm up. I bailed.

It's better that I jumped on another treadmill, really. With the only TV of interest to my left, I was forced to simply stare out into space and listen to my Podcast. If I look to my left or right, I tend to drift…this is never good for me.

Five miles of SUCK later, my knee hurt, my toe hurt and my groin was sore. Why do people run on these things?

Marathon Training – Day One

Doe day one really count? Most plans, unless you do the ultra-aggressive training plan, start out with a fairly low mileage day. Today was 3 miles. I've been running at least 4 miles per outing for the last two months, though not too many per week.

The anticipation of starting the plan is pretty exciting, and I've been looking forward to heading towards May 8, 2011. The 3.2 mile effort (overachiever, I know) seemed a bit too easy…I'm sure I won't be able to say that much longer!

Blogging with Word

First post using MS Word…strictly a test drive…nothing more to share at this time.

 

Did it work?

Riding from the Sidelines

I got in a great ride today. Probably would not have happened, had I not hurt my hammy earlier in the week during a run. My left Biceps Femoris muscle got a bit pissed off at me and locked up. Felt like a cramp at the time, so I thought I could run through it.

I walked the last mile home...that's a lonely feeling.

So, Billy worked it over a bit on Thursday and told me to stretch and take it easy for a while. I'm going back to see him on Monday, then try to run again Tuesday/Wednesday...stay tuned.

I'm 6 weeks into my Bayshore Marathon training program, and things are going well. Until this injury, it had been the first time I've never missed a plan's workout...I was right on schedule. Hopefully, I won't be on the sidelines long, though I will have about 6 weeks to get back on schedule for the marathon, worst case...that should be good enough...right?

2010

I follow so many fellow Triathletes and Cyclists through their BLOG posts and Twitter accounts that it's difficult for me to make it through the day with out at least a little bit of motivation. As I think about it, that's what drew me to the multisport lifestyle in the first place...the Community.

There is so much support within the Triathlon community, I think it stands out well above any other singular sporting endeavor - at least those I've experienced. Sure, there are douchebags in every group...that can't be avoided. I speak only of anecdotal evidence, rather than scientific study. I've been to my share of road races and cycling events over the years and I can honestly say, I feel more at home amongst the Triathlon crowd.

That being said, perhaps this will be the year I give back to the Tri community as much as I take...we'll have to see how that plays out...Stay tuned.