Saturday, November 05, 2011

Triathlete- October 2011

This month has been about running, running and more running in preparation for the marathon in January.

The high point for the month was on October 21 when I ran 13 miles in a personal-best time of 1:57. The marathon felt totally doable and I felt on top of the world for the rest of the day. I laughed and sang songs and was pretty annoying in the way that only the truly euphoric can be.

The low point was the following Friday when I was supposed to run another 13 and I bottomed out at 9.5 miles. This was only the second time I've ever hit the wall and wasn't able to complete a scheduled run. I'm pretty sure it was because I didn't carb load appropriately the night before and I was just tired. But poor Karen, who was working from home that day, heard me grumble. My rant sounded something like this:

"Why the heck am I doing this to myself! This is insane! Only crazy people take ice baths. I'm sick of having to do laundry every day to wash our stinky workout clothes. I'm tired having to drink recovery drinks and protein drinks. And look at me! My face is getting all runner's gaunt and I'm getting more and more wrinkles. And I still have all this fat on my belly and tons of cellulite on my ass. It's not fair! This sucks! It's crazy! I'm too old for this shit!"

And on and on. You get the gist.

My sweet wife listened and nodded appropriately and then on Monday, she encouraged me to lace up my running shoes and go for a run.

Training for a marathon has its serious ups and downs. And the loving support of your family can make all the difference.

Here are the stats for October:

I ran 5 miles every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. My average pace for those 5 miles was 8:52 per mile.

On Wednesdays I ran a slightly longer run (but not the long run of the week). This run is supposed to be at a faster pace than the long run.
6 miles in 53:07 8:51 pace
8 miles in 1:16 9:30 pace
9.52 miles in 1:28 9:15 pace
9.6 miles in 1:25 8:54 pace

On Fridays, I ran my long run for the week.
12 miles in 1:54 9:34 pace
12.5 miles in 2:01 9:43 pace
13.02 miles in 1:57 9:02 pace PR!
9.5 miles in 1:28 9:16 pace

The total miles run each week were 32.5, 35.5, 37.57, 34.1 (plus 5 on 10/31) puts my total for the month at 144.67 miles at an average pace of 9:07.

Swim
I had 6 swim practices this month. At one practice, I swam 6 50's, all at 55 seconds or less and with only 10 seconds between intervals. At another practice, I swam 4 100's and they were at 2 minutes to 2:03, again with only 10 seconds between intervals. I'm pleased that I've been able to maintain some amount of endurance with my swims while training for the marathon.

Bike and Strength.
On alternating Sundays, I took in two spin classes. And I participated in four strength training workouts.

Overall, I worked out 24 days and had 7 days off. And my weight stayed the same at 118 (gaunt face and cellulite and all).

Thanks to all of you who take the time to comment on these long triathlete posts. Comments lift me up more than you know. I leave them in my inbox so that I read them over and over.

September 2011
August 2011 summary
July 2011 summary
June 2011 summary
May 2011 summary
April 2011 summary
March 2011 summary
February 2011 summary
January 2011 summary
December 2010 summary


Goal: Triathlon in 2012- initial post from December 2010
One Little Word: Triathlete post

7 comments:

Cheryl said...

You are doing awesome! Keep up the good work. I always think that I am taking time away from the kids to work out and am lazy and don't do it. It just hit me...yep, I am slow, it is teach my kids something: it is important to take care of yourself. It teaches them that activity is important and good nutrition. Thanks for helping me with that lightbulb moment!

Cheryl
www.wemadeit.wordpress.com

Nicole Elizabeth said...

Being a runner my-self and working out like crazy to get down to my idea weight... I can so relate to you when you talk about ice baths when your muscles ache, recovery drinks and protein shakes. On the bright side, just wanted to also encourage you by saying keep up the great workout routine,, you can do it!

Alayna said...

You're doing great! You're totally an inspiration to me and I know that you are going to kick butt when you run your marathon :) Keep up the good work, and kudos to Karen, too, for being so encouraging!

Mary said...

Wow....I am really impressed...you are doing great. I would love to be a runner...but at 62 and "sore" knees...I don't think it it going to happen. I love reading your blog......

E and M, jumpingoutoftrees said...

You are doing great! You will be ready for the marathon!

Unknown said...

Your post made me laugh. I just completed my first marathon in Portland in October. The first time I bonked was on my 18 miler. I had quite the meltdown afterwards.
I also remarked on my dimpled butt and jiggly belly after months and months of training. I guess that is just what I look like and no amount of working out will change it!
Good luck in your marathon! I know you will kick butt!

Kerry Lynn said...

Amazing! I haven't run in about 3 weeks in the hopes that i have rested my sore leg long enough. Now I need to start all over again. :-(