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January 20, 2007
Catching Up
So yeah - it turned into winter here and I think for good. No more 50 degree weather in the forecast. We have definitely had a cold snap for the past couple days but when I looked on weather.com this morning I think I realized that the cold is here to stay. At least for a while. I guess it is January afterall. And I live in Pittsburgh, not San Diego.
Anyway, this morning it was 22 degrees with a windchill of 8 and it had snowed about 1 inch making the roads slushy and wet and a bit icy and all that translated into was the fact that there was no way I was riding outside. Running outside in that weather of course, riding outside in that weather, no chance. So I set up the trainer in the living room, turned on the tv, positioned Roxy on the couch and started riding. And I rode for 1 hour and 55 minutes. It was mostly an easy ride with some 10 minute intervals in zone 2 (which is still relatively easy) and so it wasn't so bad but I still say that 1:55 is a long time to be on a trainer, even if there are old Julia Robert movies on tv. :)
After the 1:55 on the bike I ran upstairs, peeled off all my wet, nasty biking stuff and put on as much winter gear as I could and headed outside for a very short 20 minute transition run. And it was cold. Wicked cold. The wind felt like it was literally slicing me in half and the run really wasn't long enough to get warmed up but other than the cold factor I felt good! The bike to run transition is becoming easier and easier for me. I do recall when I first started this thing called triathlon and getting off the bike and starting to run and feeling like my legs were jelly. Or feeling like I didn't really even have legs at all.
So that was today. Yesterday I swam and ran, first a 2700 yd swim at the Y were I did my 2x300 with the pull buoy (still hate that thing), 1x300 swim and 1x300 with fins (still love those things!). Then in the afternoon I braved the cold for a 1:30 hilly run wherein I saught out the biggest hills in our area that I could find and tried to piece them together for a 12 miler. I felt really pretty good on my run yesterday. I did a little time check on the track to discover I was running about 7:20 pace which I was delighed with since I felt comfortable and like I wasn't pushing too hard. I definitely wasn't running 7:20 pace up some of those hills though. :)
So that's my story for the past several days! O has been at a high school indoor track meet all day so Roxy and I have been hanging out and not doing too much. You never have to worry about her and I working too hard. I did have to yell at her though because when I was on my 20 minute transition run she chewed my cycling shoes. And she emptied the garbage can. And she ripped my shirt. But then she did something cute and I just couldn't be mad at her anymore. I do surmise that's how she's gotten through in life - unbelievable cuteness = forgiveness. :)
Week summary:
Sunday - off
Monday - 4000 yd swim in am w/4x50,3x100,2x150,1x300,2x150,5x100, weight session in am
Tuesday - 3000 yd swim in am w/5x300, 60 minute run w/8x20 sec striders in pm, plyometric session in pm
Wednesday - 3000 yd swim in am w/10x200, 1:15 trainer ride w/5x6 min intervals in pm
Thursday - 1 hour trainer ride w/5x5 minute in big gears in am, weight session in pm
Friday - 2700 yd swim in am w/4x300 (pull/swim/fins), 1:30 hilly run in pm, core/feet exercises
Saturday - 2:15 brick (1:55 on trainer, 20 minute run), 2x25 pushups and 2x100 crunchers
Pretty good week - close to 13 hours total. Can't wait to see what next week holds!
Posted by beth at January 20, 2007 4:05 PM
Comments
If you ever have children, they are going to be so spoiled like your dog. Unless they're ugly -- maybe you could discipline them then. ;)
Posted by: B at January 20, 2007 7:07 PM
How could Beth and O have ugly kids???? :-) Hey guys, how are you? Seems swell!
Let's just pretend y'all are having us over for coffee (and cookies for my children who have bought a bone for Roxie and play with her nonstop because, especially the little guy, Edoardo, just loves dogs!) Anyway, today, you would have one smiling family over because, mom is not working and dad just ran his 10K barefoot pr at a 10.34K race! No injuries, no aches, no pain, just ordinary friction soreness... around 38mins we worked out, that's about 30 seconds off the previous of 38:34 (the race actually took 39:23)
And as we make our way back home, after a lovely afternoon, on the doorstep I would say: "Beth, you know I am not a wood chopper myself, more of a slicer I think, yet today, after the race I thought of your thoughts and I decided that it, the race, felt like chopping wood. In fact I thought that I have also been chopping some wood for some time, but maybe the difference is that i don't stack it up like you do... I just sorta chop it and leave it the yard... :-)
The irony of this metaphor-laden comment: a minute after I crossed the finish line, a huge pine tree came down, part of it on the track where the race finished! Luckily, maybe a miracle, nobody was hurt... talk about chopping wood :-) Maybe there was a whole bunch of running lumberjacks out there :-) Anyway, thanks for the coffee and cookies, next time you guys and Roxie come over to our place... Sincerely, Corrado and family.
Posted by: corrado giambalvo at January 21, 2007 8:54 AM