MaXpiXie's Group - CLOSED and Motivated to Train!! :) (Page 9)

Hmmm... everyone is quiet out there.  How was your training week?

I actually managed to get three bikes and four runs in this week, but only one strength training session (and a very short one!).  Today was my long run day, and I'm two weeks away from my HM.  It wasn't a good one.  I've been working a lot, and I think I'm just overly tired.  I'm doing better now that I've had a few days off from work (and not majorly stressed right now), but I'm still exhausted.  I'm not going to let the bad run today affect my mental outlook for the race, though.  So long as work stays calm for the next couple of weeks (and it should), I think I'll be ok for the race.

Cheri

Hi everyone - we were out of town for a few days.  It was somewhat relaxing but being mom means you have to do a lot of organizing before and during the trip.  We also dropped our dog off at the kennel for the first time (trying it out before our trip to Maui in April).  That was kinda hard on mom.  We were glad to pick him up.

I got some short swims in the hotel pool in.  I actually felt like I was doing better with technique.  My husband took some short 'videotape' of me on our digital camera and I was able to see how my left arm sort of flops around more than helping out.

Got my Spinervals DVDs and I really am enjoying Coach Troy's virtual reality Autumn Ride.  I really feel like I'm out there with him in the warm Maryland fall.  It's 52 minutes long and quite challenging.

Now, our weather is improving.  I'm hoping to get some runs in.

Tomorrow I have the day off work (and the kids are in school) so I am going to get a really nice swim done at around 9 a.m.  I can hardly wait!

Have a good week everyone!

I have been lazy the past few days and finally made it back to the gym today for a nice stationary bike ride.   I feel great after my 13.5miles/65 minute ride and surprisingly no achiness or tightness.  I have a run and swim planned for tomorrow.  I guess my motivation is waning a little bit but seeing the scale creep back up is motivation enough to get back to the gym and burn some calories not to mention that I feel better when I do exercise. 

Since I am back to work part time my training needs to be adjusted and it looks like I will have 3-4 days per week that I can make it to the gym so not too bad.  I thought that I had decided to take a break from WW and skipped the meeting on Friday but am still having second thoughts on whether to skip it again this week or not. I guess old habits die hard not so much that it is helping me keep the weight off because the scale and feeling sluggish is enough of a motivator to get me back to healthy eating.

Good going on the bike ride yesterday, and on your swim and run today!  How do you feel now, after running on the track?

I was talking with a co-worker this morning, and he brought up that he needs to get out and exercise.  Then we were able to have a frank conversation about exercising (I never would have brought it up first).  I find that if I don't start out my day with a workout, the chances are that it isn't going to happen at all.  Then I feel out of sorts! 

I guess it's a "routine" thing.  I have friends whose routines are very different than mine (lunchtime workouts or evening workouts), but still are out of sorts if the workout doesn't happen.  I think that if you establish your routine based on your job, then make sure everyone is aware of it (family especially!), you should be just fine.  But remember, you don't always have to visit the gym.  If you only have a half hour (and the weather is decent, of course), go out for a run or a bike ride.

Just my 2 cents...

Thanks Cheri.  My legs HURT today. Like I put in my log, I think it might be time for a new pair of sneakers and a fitting at the local running store is probably the best choice so that I get the right ones for me.  I do need to figure out the pacing (HR was a bit higher than when I am on the treadmill) but am even happy with the pace I did with brisk walking.  It is like starting all over again with the running but I am confident I will be running like I run on the treadmill in a short amount of time. 

Exercise is definitely part of my routine and I do schedule it that way, as a matter of fact yesterday my husband went with me to the gym but I was going whether he was or not.  I have wonderful support from everyone so that is not a concern.  My problem is that if I don't get out to exercise in the morning, I don't normally do it otherwise so on the days that I am working,  I don't get the exercise that I really want because I either don't have the time to get to the Y and then shower and get to work or I go to work first and then don't make it to the Y.  I am lucky that my schedule is fairly flexible with work and I do set it most of the time so there are ways to work it around my training.  I am getting some serious cabin fever especially now that it is getting really cold and windy again.  I just keep telling myself that Spring will be here soon and I do plan to get out and ride my bike and ride outside more.  And yes, it does allow for a good workout with as much time needed that would take otherwise to head to the gym.

Karen - it sounds like you're doing okay.  Ultimately, you have to decide what your focus is, what is going to benefit you most, and then fit the rest of it around that focus.  If you want to be a better runner, then you have to run more (safely!).  If you can do that and be satisfied with just maintaining bike and swim skills, then what you're doing is fine.  When your training time is limited, you have to carve out the most time and be efficient with the one or two things you need to work on the most. 

I have also been skipping the pool in favor of strength workouts.  But thankfully my gym has started "Swim For Fitness" classes - formerly known as Masters - and I'm going to go Thursday.  I hope I can get some advice on my stroke, because I seem to have hit a wall with my swim times that I can't get past. 

kkzimm - 2008-02-19 8:52 PM Not a great week running wise. I'm just starting out, and my whole life have said "I'm not a runner." Last week I had two great runs, this week I'm struggling. So I keep telling myself I can be a runner. How does everyone fit the time in for biking, running and swimming? I've been doing more snow shoveling than swimming, and I end up doing 3 cardio workouts at the gym a week, and 2 strength, with one misc strength at home. It just seems like the cardio workouts aren't that strong - I'm used to biking for 45 min, and have been splitting my workout into 20 min of hard biking, and 30 min of run/walk. Any suggestions? Am I on the right track? Karen

I agree with you -- how does everyone find time for biking, running, and swimming?  I sure have issues with it.  Right now I've been run focused (which is easy for me, since I just have to pop out my front door to run rather than having to go to the gym).  But after my half mary on March 2nd, I'm into training for triathlons, which means finding time for the pool and figuring out how to get on my bike during daylight hours.  Fortunately, daylight savings time will be starting soon so that should help.

I'm not a coach, so I'm just giving you my observations.  Since you are used to cardio workouts already, you mostly need to get your muscles used to running (rather than working on both at the same time!).  In other words, you are lucky!   You say you are doing run/walk right now.  How much of each do you do?  Do you say to yourself that I'm going to run for x time, then I get to walk?  How long do you give yourself for recovery before running again?  And what are your goals?  Are you trying to do all running and no walking?  If so, then you should probably set up a training plan to increase the running over time. 

As far as struggling in your running, that's to be expected.  We all have highs and lows, and you also need to give yourself recovery time.  Since your body isn't used to running yet, your recovery time from running will be longer.  And of course there are other factors like sleep and nutrition that impact your running.  Then there's the mental factor (so stop saying you aren't a runner, because you are proving that not to be true! ).

BT has some training plans available for all different levels of runners and triathletes.  I've been using one to help me gain some speed for a half marathon.  I'm going to switch to a balanced oly distance triathlon after the HM (I think, although I'm not planning to do an oly distance until the fall).  I mostly use the plan as guidance though, and not get wrapped around the axle if I can't fit something in.

Does this help at all, or am I just babbling?

OOUUCCHHH!  In case you did not hear me, OOUUCCHHH!!! Did I say ouch???  Yes, my left heel is killing me as a result of my attempt to run on the track yesterday.  It is stinging and painful.  Stretching, icing, massaging and even advil are just not helping.  I will keep at it though.   I guess it is a good thing that today was an off day.  I have a swim and run on the schedule for tomorrow but I think I will switch the run with a bike ride and give my foot a couple extra days to rest.  After tomorrow, I won't be back to the gym until late Saturday or early Sunday depending on how my foot is feeling. 

I have decided to stick with the treadmill until I can get fitted at the running store for new sneakers and then when I do start outside,  it will have to be at one of the school tracks or on grass (but that concerns me for fear of turning my ankle in a hole- I am not very coordinated at times).  I don't  think the track at the Y is cushioned.  It is an elevated platform suspended over the gym with a no-slip surface but does not give at all when you walk or run on it, it fact it felt pretty hard as I was running. 

Hurray,  my foot only slowed me down for a day...I guess all the stretching, icing and massaging helped. I woke up this morning with not a touch of pain or stinging.  I think I am fighting off a cold or something and was not looking forward to the gym but am glad I made it and am feeling better now.  Hopefully I stay that way.  I went to the gym with no planned workout and ended up running for 50 minutes (6 run/1 walk) on the treadmill then did 30 minutes on the stationary bike so I am pleased with that.  I had brought my bathing suit and debated swimming but decided I did not want to get wet.

I think I am out of the strength challenge for this month...I just am not motivated enough to do the weights right now.  Good  luck to everyone else who is still in it.

Yeah I think I'm out of the strength challenge this week too.  I did some wonderful yoga on Tuesday when I had a day off but I'm just not going to have time to get extra strength work for the rest of the week.

As they say on Seinfeld, "I'm out"...

I'm out too -- haven't been able to keep up with it this month.  Too much else to focus on.

LOL, you guys are too funny.  I'm still strength-ing, but admittedly I've lost count of the workouts (not that I couldn't figure it out from my logs but...) so I have no idea how I'm faring up against my own criteria! 

It's all good - we tend to think of December as tough, with the holidays and all, but I really think February is the worst month for motivation. 

Keep following your plans, ladies, to the best of your abilities.  That's all you can do!

Randi, I'm REALLY glad to hear that your heel pain didn't stick around long! 

I'll start the 'my week' discussion...

Kinda hormone-y.  In a really bad mood a lot of the week.  However, overall I feel like I am coming out of a really long tunnel, a tunnel called winter.  I think I might actually have been suffering from SAD because when the sun is shining on me and it's warmer, I really feel alot better.

I swam a mile!!  It was breast stroke (good news/bad news)  Now I have got to buckle down and try to improve my front crawl.

Started running outside again and I think that will go a long way to making me feel better.

Hope everyone is having lots of fun and making lots of progress.

Tracy

I had a pretty good week running, with a couple of bikes thrown in (including one outdoor 27 miler!).  I felt pretty strong, even though I didn't run all of the time my training plan called for.  I was a little afraid to over train.  These old knees can't take too much.

This week I need to taper, in prep for my race on Sunday.  I plan to get lots of rest (we'll see how that goes...).  I'm looking forward to some balanced training, starting next week!

How did everyone's training week go?  I had a good one -- I was on a taper for today's race, so I did some short runs (4), an outdoor bike, and a trainer ride.  My training time was down, but that's because of the taper.  And... my challenge team, Running with Scissors, won the February challenge!  Everyone in the group met their goal, and quite a few exceeded their goals. 

What's on tap for this week for everyone?  I joined the March Bike challenge and signed up for 12 hours, so I'd better get out there and bike.  I also plan to take a little time off from running (well, not completely, but no long runs for a while) and I NEED to get in the pool.

Nice work!  Congrats on your challenge team win

Last week was pretty low for me - no taper, just a kid with the flu.  All things considered, it was pretty minor, but I spent a few days "working from home" which means double-duty all day with makeup work to do after the kid went to bed.  Ah well, that's the way it goes.

I want to get back on track this week with my running, and do at least a bike and a swim.  I think I've been enjoying the strength a little too much.  Masters swim was supposed to start last month, but I've not seen hide nor hare of an official start date.  Hrm.

I had a good week last week:  a swim milestone 1750 metres.  I was really invigorated by going this distance as I have never in my life swam that far.  The 'downside' was I did it breast stroke.  I was happy with my time though.  Now I've really got to buckle down and try to improve my front crawl. 

I also had a really excellent trainer cycle on Saturday afternoon when one of my kids was out of the house at a playdate, and the other was occupied in the house with a playdate.  Now, I'm looking forward to actually cycling outdoors soon.  I'm a bit nervous about that.  I'm not much of a cyclist; last spring/summer I was cycling part of the way in to work on my mountain bike and was usually being passed by everyone.  We'll see if training indoors in the off season and cycling on a road bike make any difference!

Also, I've got a 5K race in a couple of weeks.  My goal is to finish under 30 minutes.

Hope everyone has a good week.

Tracy

Hey everyone,  sorry I have been MIA lately.  There have been a bunch of things going on with the family and it has been quite stressful.  I have been doing some training but not recording distances and times because I was using it more as a stress reliever but I am back on plan as of today.  As a matter of fact, I just started my new training plan since I finished the couch to sprint plan last week. 

I am now doing a winter maintenance with run emphasis since that is what I really need to focus on but I like that it does not ignore the swimming and biking.  I have read the total immersion swimming book  and picked up a few tips to help improve my swimming and I had a good swim today as a result.

Just a caution -- don't forget how the run upset your training a couple of weeks ago.  Have you gotten your new shoes yet?  And don't overdo the running.  Instead, gradually work up your distances.  Otherwise you risk injury!