September 28, 2009 - Weekend recap and 10K victory!

This past Sunday was a race day. 10k race in Edgewater, MD around the property of the YMCA. The course seemed a bit longer than 10k, maybe from the rain and all the water that covered the tree-lined trails. The race itself was fun, though I didn't hit my goal of under 38:00. My legs felt really heavy during miles 3 and 4 which I think might be from all the swimming I've been doing as of late. Though my time wasn't what I wanted, it was a nice feeling to win a race (even if it was a small event). Congratulations to my roommate Jonathon for finishing the 5k strong and taking second overall in the 5k!

After the race Jonathon and I threw a football around with some kids that participated in the race. We lost by two touchdowns to Colin, William and Marshall who were some of the toughest and fastest 10 year old's I've ever seen! It was a great active cool-down and a good way to spend an hour while waiting for the organizers to put together the results.

After returning home, I ate a brunch of bacon and eggs with toast, and crashed on the couch for an hour. The focus was to get some calories and electrolytes in my system for my 4 PM hockey game in Laurel, MD. It was our season opener, for the Yokels, and we played hard following an early 3-0 deficit, losing 5-4 with 1.5 seconds left in the game. I had a goal and despite the 10K earlier, felt fresh and quick on my skates. It was nice to be back on the ice!

Overall the last few days have been very exciting. The focus this week is my thesis, followed by daily swimming and running. I love Monday's as they reset the clock on training and work, and allow me to focus on what I need to do to finish my PhD and push myself in training for another week.

Recap of Weekend Training/Race:

• Friday: Morning: light crossfit warmup, swim (~800 meters) PM: Swim (~600 meters)
• Saturday: Rest, 2 hours yard/house work
• Sunday: 10k Race (1st place! 41:30), played football with some 10 year olds, hockey game (lost with 1.5 seconds left- score a goal)

September 24, 2009 - Active Rest

Today is a rest day on Crossfit.com, but I have decided that for the time being I don't take days off. I use the 'rest days' as a day of either a long run, or active recovery. Today is the latter, active recovery.

The idea is to keep loose, get the blood flowing, but not to overdo it. I spent the morning doing some light body weight exercises, and swam around 800 meters in sets of 50 meter repeats. Big race coming up Sunday and I want to make sure I am at peak mental and physical readiness to give it my best. Starting next week I am going to try to work in a weekly yoga session, and also spend more time on post-workout stretching. With the hours of training going up significantly each week, I have to be sure to remain healthy and injury free.

Workouts from the last few days:

Wednesday, September 23, 2009:
From Crossfit.com:

Five rounds for max reps of:
Body weight bench press
Pull-ups
Body weight back squat

My current weight is around 173 lbs, but for good measure I used 185 lbs...

So basically do each exercise to failure, then repeat the circuit. My numbers for each round are below:
Bench: 14, 9, 8, 7, 5
Pull ups: 20, 16, 13, 10, 12
Deadlift: 10, 10, 10, (then went to 135 to work on form), 10, 10

After, I did another 30 or so L-Pull ups, and a set of dips. Finished the day with a pool workout.

Thursday, September 24, 2009:
10 min bike warmup
1000 meter row (3:58)
1 Muscle up, around 50 pull ups, some push ups, abdominal work
800 meters in the pool, some freestyle, some kick board

My plan for Friday-Sunday:
Friday: Crossfit warmup, light swim, light run
Saturday: light run, stride work, long stretch
Sunday: RACE Day, then my first hockey game of the year at 3:00 PM!

Going to be a GREAT weekend :) Happy Thursday everyone!!

September 22, 2009 - Lift, swim, run, eat, sleep, repeat...

Another couple days of exhaustive training...my energy levels during the workouts are great, but I feel rather tired both mentally and physically the rest of the day. I'm eating very healthy and getting 9-10 hours of sleep at night. I think my body is just getting used to the intensity and duration of the training sessions...

Monday, September 21, 2009:
Swim: 800 meters (400 kickboard, 400 stroke work)
Run: 3.25 mile - 23:30

Tuesday, September 22, 2009:
AM Workout:
Bike Warmup
60 pullups (30 "L")
30 pushups
30 squats
30 lunges
Swim: 1600 meters (800 meters kickboard work, 800 meters freestyle with focus on form not speed)
PM Run: 4.0 miles total run: 0.7 mile warmup, then a hard 2.6 miles at a 6:08 / mile pace, finished with 0.7 mile cool down for a total time of 25:45. Very good run overall and makes me believe I can hit my goal of sub-38:00 / 10k this weekend.

I'm basically swimming and/or running seven days a week. Most days I do both! I am loving the time in the pool and on the pavement, but I really need to start working in some cycling before too long. The major hold back right now is that I don't have a road bike to work on! Hopefully once I can afford that I'll be on the road quite a bit...

September 20, 2009 - Race Week - 10K On Sunday 9/27/09

Outstanding weekend of training with a very encouraging 12.54 mile run....

Saturday, September 20, 2009:

Crossfit.com WOD with Francis:

Reps: 21, 18, 15, 12, 9, 6, 3

Handstand pushups
L-Pullups (legs out in front while hanging to work core)

Tough, tough workout. I finished in 28 mins which is an OK time. It's 74 reps of each exercise and I could definitely feel the endurance aspect of the workout kicking in on the 3rd set! After, we ran a little to loosen up and get the blood going. I finished with some Endurox R4, a bunch of water, and bison burgers, grilled parsnips and salad.

Sunday, September 20, 2009:
Rest day on Crossfit.com so I used it for my long run. I'll be doing this every Sunday from here on forward.

Run: 12.54 miles on a very hilly course. I finished in 95:10, so that was a 7:34 pace. I ran the last two miles around 6:30 and had a lot left in me, which is very encouraging. My goal for the March 20, 2009 marathon is 3 hours 7 minutes, or a 7:06 mile / 26.2 miles! I think I'm well on my way to hit that goal.

I felt amazing on the run. It was a reminder of why I love running so much. It's just me and the pavement. Stride by stride, breath by breath. Eyes ahead, arms bent, focused. There is no better way to clear your head than heading out for an hour or more. And the best part is that when you finish, you have never felt so alive.

Life is beautiful...

September 18, 2009 - Exhaustion

Tough, tough workouts the last two days. Too tired to think or type. Race next Sunday (10K) so going into this weekend my focus will be on interval training tomorrow (plus WOD and pool time) and a long run on Sunday (no pool time).

Workouts the last three days:

Wednesday, September 16, 2009:
Pool Work:
300 meter kickboard
300 meter freestyle
300 meter breast stroke

Thursday, September 17, 2009:
"Daniel"

For time:
50 Pull-ups (all strict)
400 meter run (Sub'd 500 meter ROW - 1:45)
95 pound Thruster, 21 reps
800 meter run (Sub'd 1000 meter ROW - 3:55)
95 pound Thruster, 21 reps
400 meter run (Sub'd 500 meter ROW - 2:03)
50 Pull-ups (all strict)

Total time: 35:30

After, Jonathon and I swam for 30 minutes or so just doing some kicking and stroke work. A short drive home and it was 23 minutes of interval training- doing 1:30 full sprint, 1 minute off for around 10 reps. This hard interval training when I'm near exhaustion will help me in the last mile of any longer race. It's good to practice maintaining good form when you're beat.

Friday, September 18, 2009 -
7:30 AM - 1 hour swim session with swim coach
9:00 AM - Gym to do Crossfit.com WOD:
Warmup: bike, 30 pullups, 30 pushups, 30 squats
Then:

Modified from the Crossfit.com WOD:
Five rounds for time of:
30 Glute-ham sit-ups (I did incline situps)
25 Back extensions
8 L-Pullups

Total time: 15:01

I finished the day with a few laps in the pool for an active cool down. I realized I overdid it when my whole right leg cramped during a stroke...luckily I was near the wall and let myself rest before calling it a day...sort of.

Tonight I'll take the huskies on a 4 mile run!

Training has intensified with my focus being on the pool. Swim form is key for a 2.4 miles swim, especially considering that I need to come out of the water in less than 90 minutes and with enough energy to push myself on the bike and run. Speaking of cycling, I need to start adding in some bike work very soon.

It's gonna be a long, exhausting road...but it's keeping me focused in lab, training and life.

Have a great weekend :)

September 15, 2009 - Pasta!

That's right...PASTA!!!

I am back to eating carbs in the form of whole-wheat pasta, whole-grain bread, and brown/wild rice. Bring on the processed carbs!!! The deicison was made for me in the last few days of training where I have had problems post-training with energy level and some lightheadedness. I have been spending 2-3 hours each day running, swimming, biking and lifting. Expending this amount of energy, in the range of a few thousand calories burned total, requires consumption of a lot of calories and ready-to-burn carbs. While I eat a lot of fruit and veggies, it's just not enough to sustain these high intensity, long-duration workouts. My taste buds definitely welcome novel treats in the diet!

Last night it was a big plate of pasta with a meat sauce I made. I followed dinnner with some almond butter on crackers and a giant glass of whole milk. Absoultely delicious! But, in order to allow myself to eat like this, I have to be working hard both day and night.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009:
5 minute jump rope warmup
Modified Crossfit Warmup
From Crossfit.com:
3x3x3x3x3 - Front Squats

That's 5 sets of max weight for each set front squats. I used the following weights:
135
155
185
185
190 (only two reps)

After, I hit the jump rope for 10 minutes, then did 600 meters of kickboard work in the pool.

I then drove home and took the huskies on a 4.01 mile run at a very comfortable husky pace (29:03)!

Two good days of training, and importantly, I'm getting my time in the water up to 5-6 days a week. From here on out, this has to be my focus. My form is improving, but I'm no where near where I need to be. I want to do the 2.4 mile swim in under 1:25:00. While this goal is beyond what I have ever been able to do, I feel it is attainable and am confident that if I train hard, eat well, and listen to my swim coach, I will reach it without issue.

Spaghetti image from wikipedia commons: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Spaghetti.jpg

September 14, 2009 - "never flustered..."

"To live each day as though one's last, never flustered, never apathetic, never attitudinizing - here is perfection of character." - Marcus Aurelius

I used to dread Monday's. The weekends were always filled with tons of food and wine, partying with friends and during football season, tons of nachos, beer and wings from 1 pm - 10 pm on Sundays! Monday's meant that it was all over (minus a few beers and a burger for Monday Night Football!). But now, Monday's are another intense day of training and working on my thesis. I not only don't dread them, I welcome them with open arms. Today was a perfect Monday.

Around 7 AM - Wake
Husky play time
Eggs/Bacon (share bacon with Huskies)
Gym for 2 hours (workouts below)
Go to Lab
Lunch (Salad with tuna, eggs, beets, olive oil)
Snack (banana)
Snack (apple and almonds/cashews/walnuts)
Coffee
Leave lab at 6:45 PM
Home for run
Dinner (grilled veggies/meat, chicken, salad)
Read, Work on blog, Play with Huskies
Lights out...11:30 PM.
Up at 6:30 AM to do it all over again.

A very balanced day- training, lab work, healthy eating, time with friends, husky time, and more...Life is good.

Workouts:
Saturday, September 12, 2009 - 34 minute trail run with my friend Kevin and the huskies. Very steep hills throughout, lots of fun obstacles, great run.

Sunday - Rest day

Monday, September 14, 2009:
Crossfit.com workouts:

"Diane"
21-15-9 reps of:
225 pound Deadlift (I used 185 lbs)
Handstand push-ups

My total time for Diane: 14:55

I also did:

"Annie"

50-40-30-20 and 10 rep rounds of:
Double-unders (Did Row instead, 500, 400, 300, 200, 100 meters)
Sit-ups

Total time for Annie: 13:20

I finished with around 60 pullups, 30 dips, 30 pushups, and a nice stretch before and after. For an active cooldown, Jonathon and I hit the pool for about 20 minutes or so. I plan on being in the water a minimum of 5 days a week from here forward, since it's my weakest event.

When I got home from lab I felt like going for a run. So I did a 4.28 mile run at a strong, but comfortable pace of 28:15 (6:36 / mile).

Today was a fantastic day of training highlighted by a lot of core work and a strong run. I finished the day with a dinner of a fresh salad with olive oil and fig vinaigrette, grilled veggies, roasted beets, grilled NY Strip, and some grilled tofu. My roommate Jonathon and I had to admit after the Crossfit workouts and that dinner....that life really is pretty damn good.

September 11, 2009 - Resilience

"Resilience: an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change"

Today marks the 8th anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center, Pentagon, and Flight 93. A tragic day in American history that exposed our vulnerability to attack on civilian targets. Our fear and subsequent insecurities led to two major wars, lost civil rights, and eight years living in fear for another attack. It's been a long, tumultuous road to recovery, but as a nation we are becoming stronger than we were before due to our courage, will to fight, and the amazing Armed Forces that are working around the clock to fight for our freedom and liberties.

As a nation we are reselieint and as individuals we must also show resilience a time of loss, defeat or injury. Losing someone you love is difficult and it's easy to give up and let yourself drink, abuse your body, and forget about your responsibilities such as your home, work or dogs. But the ultimate measure of character is how you deal with that loss. Whether you take it for what it is, reflect on it, learn from it and move forward stronger, or whether you let your anger and regret push you to act out of character in order for gratification and feeling of security and happiness. While this seems like the easier, more rewarding option, it's likely that you will eventually realize you never dealt with your loss and weren't in touch with yourself, which will make the recovery long and painful.

An injury is quite the same. It's easy to pull a muscle or sprain an ankle when training hard. But one must attend to their bodies signals when pushing themselves to a high level of fitness and health. If you are injured, it's best to take time off to allow yourself time to heal. Eat well, spend time reading, with friends, and focusing on your mental health. Be resilient, allow yourself to adapt to your change in a positive manner. Use the injury as a reason to improve the mental aspects of your training as well as to reevaluate your goals and dreams. Never lose sight of your long-term goals but don't get discouraged that you have a short-term setback. Once you have recovered, take it slow until you are back to near 100%.

Our losses on September 11, 2001 were deep. We lost loved ones, friends, strangers, children, bosses, co-workers, emergency workers, police, firemen, and much much more. We lost buildings, planes, and other infrastructure. Our economy took a downfall, our civil liberties have been torn away, and we lost our ability to board an airplane without thinking back to that horrible day. But, as a nation, we were resilient and have come through stronger. While we're not completely recovered, we're definitely getting there. But what applies to the individual, applies to the nation. We must take time to help ourselves, our domestic policy, our own people who are suffering without food, shelter, jobs or health care. We must take time to reflect on where we've gone since 09/11/2001 and where we need to be on 09/11/2021. We must support our neighbors, friends, and most importantly our loved ones. Through thick and thin, we can never give up on someone if they haven't given up on themselves. There is no greater tragedy than quitting on someone or something when there is still some fight left in them. But, when we're beat up and down, we must take some time to let things heal properly before trying to move forward. It's impossible to show resilience if you haven't taken the time to accept what has happened and allowed time for the wounds to close.

I took Thursday off after a few hard days of running and working out. While it's always important to push yourself as hard as you can when training, it's even more important to listen to your body. If you need a rest day, or two, or week, then take it. Recovery days are essential to muscle growth, injury repair, and overall mental and physical well being.

Today was a tough day. I was out last night until 1:30 AM helping a friend with wine service at a private event. I haven't done much wine/food related stuff in the last 4 months so it was a lot of fun. That said, it wasn't fun to wake up at 7:30 AM to head to a session with my swimming coach then to do the ridiculous workout on http://www.crossfit.com.

Friday, September 11, 2009:
5 minute bike warmup
35 minute training session with swim coach (I have a lot of improving to do!)
Crossfit.com Workout: "Barbara"

Complete 5 rounds of the following, with 3 minute rests between rounds:
20 pullups
30 pushups
40 situps
50 sqauts

Yes. That is 100 pullups, 150 pushups, 200 situps, and 250 squats! This took me nearly 40 minutes and afterwards I felt nauseous and very lightheaded. I went home, drank some water and took a nap. After, I ate eggs and bacon, and finally had the energy to leave the house for work!

Today I realized that my overall fitness is at a very good point, but I really need to focus on pool work. I will be spending at least 30 minutes in the pool 4-5 times per week, plus a 1 hour training session with my new coach. Being the first leg of the Ironman, it's important I come out of the water (2.4 mile swim) feeling as if I had just warmed-up and to be mentally strong from knowing I finished the swim in my goal time. I know I will get to the point where I can swim that 2.4 miles in under 1:20:00, it's just a matter of staying focused, listening to my coach, and working hard for the next 10 months.

Tonight I'll take the huskies for a 4 mile run at an easy pace and to the dog park. I love the time I get to spend with the dogs on the trail as I can tell they really love being in "work" zone. After, they are always exhausted as am I. As we share a post-run snack I can see in their faces that they appreciate our alone time and feel that these daily runs are what has brought us closer as a pack! They really are great dogs and definitely a big part of my family and life!

Have a great weekend everyone. I hope it's spent with people you love and hope you get some time to yourself as well. Never forget what matters most in this world is the people, friends, family, and strangers, that are all around you. Through their support and love, you as an individual, and we as a nation, are resilient. We can conquer any change or misfortune and use our experiences to come through stronger and better.

September 9, 2009 - Be you

"Insist on yourself. Never imitate." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Elementary school, middle school, high school, college, girls, guys, friends, jobs, bills, vacation, partying, finding a job, finding a career, getting married, having kids, kids graduating from high school, paying for kids college, retiring, then realizing you never knew the real you. You never developed your own identity or learned to tune to your own feelings or needs. You never spent time figuring out your life and your dreams. You were too busy doing what you were supposed to be doing. And now that you're 70 years old, it seems like it might be too late.

But it's not too late right now. It's never too late to take a look at your life, where it's been, where it is now, and where you want it to go and decide if what you are doing is really what makes you happy.

In January of this year I realized I was very unhappy with who I was for the last few years. I had focused too much time on wine and food while letting my relationship, my dogs, and my responsibilities at lab and home fall to the wayside. Though I realized it then that something had to change, it wasn't until May, during my trip to Italy, that I made the decision to become the person I was underneath. In having two weeks to myself, driving through the rolling hills of Tuscany, the beautiful cliffs and shoreline of Liguria, and the mountains of Piedmont, I had time to process everything going on in my life by myself. And the conclusion I came to was that it was time to finally live the life I once had and missed dearly.

Upon my return from Europe, I started eating right, exercising daily, and set some very intense personal and fitness goals for myself. In the meantime, I spent my time alone reflecting on my actions and their consequences. I realized that everything I do has some impact on those that I love, and while I can't always try to please them, I must always be considerate of their feelings. That said, I learned that the most important thing is to be true to myself, my ideals and my morals. This includes working hard, staying focused, showing people how much I care for them, being close to nature and never doing anything that isn't what's best for me or my loved ones.

It's been an interesting 3 1/2 months, with some sorrow and regret, but things are looking up. I know that I'm not perfect, nor do I have to be. I will still make mistakes and will still make people upset from time to time. But what's important is that I am true to myself and that I focus my time and energy on things that are important to me. Staying fit, helping others, spending time with my dogs, family and friends and last but definitely not least, staying close to nature.

I challenge you to take a weekend, or longer, to yourself. Spend the time alone thinking about where you are now and how you got there. Consider what your dreams are and how you can attain them. Think about whether you've been honest to yourself, been taking care of yourself, and whether or not you are the person you want to be. It's never to late to change today, but by tomorrow it might be too late. Don't wait another day, hour, or second. Get to living!

Today's Training: From http://www.crossfit.com:

Four rounds for time of:
100 ft Walking lunge, carrying 30 pound dumbbells
24 inch Box Jump, 30 reps
30 pound Weighted pull-ups, 20 reps

That's a total of 400ft lunge, 120 box jumps, 80 pullups...this is a tough workout!

I did the required reps, but didn't use weights. I finished four rounds in 19:58. After, I did some interval training for 10 minutes, then a cool down and stretch with a giant serving of EnduroxR4. Dinner was baked sweet potato chips and a tilapia stew which includes tomatoes, capers, onion, garlic, olive oil and white wine. It was fantastic!

Another great day that defines who I am now. Lots of time with the dogs, a few great meals, and an intense workout. I feel fantastic!

September 8, 2009 - Return to life

When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive - to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love. -Marcus Aurelius

The week long journey through Yellowstone has come to a close and I must say we took advantage of the whole park. We visited all five 'countries' in the park, hiked 60+ miles in 4 days in the back country, did a few nights at a campground, and even managed a night in a nice cabin to let our feet and aching backs heal up. We saw deer, elk, coyote, eagles, and tons of bison. There were many friendly squirrels and chipmunks, a variety of birds, and one night, a chorus of wolves that was too amazing to describe in words. Waterfalls, geysers, cliffs, and rapids that crashed like trains colliding head on. Mother Nature is truly an awesome sight. I am already planning a winter back country trip in order to track a few of the many wolf packs in the park with hopes of getting some amazing photos!

During the week we ate anything and everything we could get our hands on to have enough calories to sustain our hikes. I ate meatloaf, pasta, spam, pounds of trail mix, cheese, bison, and many other delicious, out-doorsy meals. We finished our trip with a giant serving on bison meatloaf, mashed potatoes, corn, and gravy with an ice cold (get ready for this)...beer! It was well deserved and delicious.

As far as Crossfit.com and Ironman training is concerned, I did very little until I returned to Baltimore. My feet were pretty torn up from the hike (Francis had to visit the clinic due to blisters and swelling) and I felt a few days off would do me some good. So after returning Friday night, I spent Saturday with my friend Sarah at a Jimmy Buffet tailgate and concert, Sunday out on a boat and enjoying BBQ, and a relaxing Monday with the huskies in Fells Point! I did get a nice run in with the Huskies on Monday, and hit the pavement hard today:

Training:
9/7/09 - Monday: Ran 4.39 Miles in 32:10 (7:18 pace) - Ran with huskies so couldn't push too hard!
9/8/09 - Tuesday: Ran 5.40 Miles in 37:15 (6:53 pace)

I'm going to start doing more specific workouts for running and endurance.
A few other goals:

• Currently at 175 lbs, I'd like to get to 165 lbs as a maintenance weight. Each pound of extra weight, muscle or otherwise, adds a lot of extra time and energy to a long distance race (such as Ironman). If I want to be serious about how I perform, I have to make this decision now and get to a good maintenance weight.
• September 27, 2009 - 10k Race - I'd like to run it in 39:30 or better. That's a pace of 6:22 / mile which I think is feasible at my current training paces.
  
• Run a sub-5 minute mile by December 1, 2009
  

The trip to Yellowstone is over, my head is cleared and I have never felt so happy about being alive. In the wild, I did a lot of thinking and reflecting. There were many ups, and even more downs as I realized some of the mistakes I made that were foolish, ignorant and irresponsible. I've hurt a lot of people I've loved and put myself in bad situations in pursuit of an escape from reality. But, despite my mistakes, I will move on with few regrets as I have finally found myself and established my purpose (which is the topic for a whole other post). It feels good knowing that from this point forward my life is on the right track and that I control my future successes.

Time to get back into the swing of eating right, training hard, and working on my (often neglected) thesis! I have a few good job prospects if I can just get the last bit of data for my project and start writing! It felt great to be away for a week or so, but even better to be back and moving forward in the right direction.

Life is good...