My Mind Says "yes!" But My Body Says "Man Sit Down!"

Sometimes your body will tell you things, but we just don't want to listen! This past Saturday I planned on going for a 10 mile run. My big race is on June 12th. That is FIVE WEEKS AWAY!! Every training session counts!

The only problem with that is sometimes your body could care less when it is. If it wants you to take a break that's what you'll do. I'm usually pretty good at listening to my body and taking a break, but it's crunch time. I don't have TIME to take a break, but this weekend I really didn't feel like training. But with the race 5 weeks away, that means I really only have 4 weeks to prepare. So I felt like I HAD to get out there.

Here I am before my run:



I really didn't feel like running, and I even voiced it in my pre-run video:



The day looks like every other in Florida:



My problem is simple: I'm 42, but I still think I'm 25! Yep, I can say it. Then I'm a big sports fan. I see pro athletes like Dwayne Wade & Derrick Rose get hurt then keep plying at high levels. As an athlete, how can a person NOT get pumped to see others struggle thru adversity and prevail??

Well, a really big factor is these guys are in their early 20's. They can bounce back quicker than my old a**! I'm getting like Shaq: He was out for half the season due to an injury. Battled back and played in a game 2 weeks ago. Dude played for FIVE MINUTES before he hurt his calf muscle! The difference between him and Wade? About 12 years. The difference between me & Shaq? About 4. Dammit man! lol

So anyway, I start my run slow, cuz I'm not into it mentally. 15 minutes in I feel a little better. 20 minutes in my Achilles heel starts to hurt. I try shrug it off by stopping to stretch it a bit. I resume running and then it REALLY starts to hurt!! At that point I give up. I turn around and start the long walk back.

Yep, my right Achilles heel is hurting. This is the same foot where I had the plantar fascitis issues last year. I need a foot transplant! I think my heel will be fine in about 2 weeks, but that's 2 weeks I can't run. This really sucks, because I feel like I'm really falling behind schedule.

But I can't worry about that right now. All I can do is focus on what I CAN do, which is bike & swim. I'll deal with the run later. Besides, what will worrying do besides give me more grey hair?? lol

So, on my walk back, I decided to make the best of it and act like a tourist and take pics as I walked. There are some really nice houses on Bayshore & here are a couple of them:







Each house is different, and I've always liked the architecture out here, as well as the water (of course:)



I'm not a fast walker, and since my heel was hurting, there was no way I was going to try walk fast. The last thing I wanted to do was make the injury worse! So I took my time!

My run/walk on Saturday was about 80 minutes. I was far from tired, more aggravated than anything. It's really frustrating when things don't go as planned, but that's how life goes!

Here's my post run vid:



I feel much better as I type this. I can do jumping jacks and walk with minimal pain, but no running yet. I won't try run for AT LEAST 2 weeks. Thelast thing I want to do is reaggravate it and can't run on race day at all. (Walking 13.1 miles while in pain would be TORTURE!!!!) I'll just focus on my bike & swim in the meantime. I had some good runs before I got hurt, so I hope I can keep that fitness level up. If anything, the swim will help my heel because of the water itself. I don't have to deal with gravity and I can really flex my feet while I swim.

But I learned someting VERY important (again:) I know my body. I MUST learn to take a step back when it tells me it needs a vacation day! Well, I'm all ears now! lol

Thanks for reading! Till next time, peace!

Going Vertical

I can't believe it's April 24th. Time is really going by fast! That means my race is getting closer & closer, and that also means every training session counts! In January & February you can kinda slack a bit on your workouts, because you still have plenty time to get it together. But come April, EVERY WORKOUT COUNTS! Every lap in the pool, every mile ran, every pedal stroke. Which brings me to this weekend's workout: Hitting the bridges.

I'm sure I sound like a broken record, but riding hills is tough for me. I'm not making excuses, and I'm not I'm not complaining at all. It is what is is. Kinda like how some have a tough time with algebra. It just means I have to work harder than others to excel at them. Sometimes it's best to know what your weaknesses are so you can work on them.

The plan this weekend was to hit the bridges and ride them for 3 hours. Here I am before I headed out:



As an FYI, I got this jersey before T-Mobile became a household name in the US. Back in the early/mid 90's they were a powerhouse in the pro cycling world. They were the Lakers of cycling:



This team no longer exists, but I still have my kit! LOL



I was feeling pretty good this morning as I got ready for my ride. The bike is the most important aspect of the race, because if my legs are cramped up there's no way I'll be able to run. Unfortunately that's happened tome before & I've had to walk the majority of the run as a result. NOT FUN.

Here's a quick vid before I start my ride:



The plan today was to try different riding styles up the bridges: Sometimes I'd attack & try sprint as fast as I could. Other times I'd sit in the saddle & ride at an easy pace. Other times I'd ride seated, but at a faster pace. The goal is to hit my legs in a variety of ways, in hopes they can recover enough for the next time up the bridge.

Basically I'd just be riding the bridges back & forth, back & forth. I do this to try simulate the rolling hills I'll see on race day. This would be a boring ride, except I really DO like riding hills & bridges. I like the challenge of it. But the views make it that much easier to do:

Here's a pic at the top of 1 of the bridges:




The pics really don't do the view justice, especially on that pic. Going down the bridge is an incredible view of the Gulf of Mexico.

On this pic Mexico is straight ahead (even though we can't see it;)




45 minutes into my ride I'm feeling pretty good. To be honest, I felt like I just got on the bike. Here's a quick vid I took at that point:



Up to this point I'd taken my time over the bridge. I wasn't trying to push it, just taking my time. In Flatwoods I can start off aggressively, because there are no hills there. Sometimes when riding the bridges, I can feel fine, then halfway up I'll get a leg cramp or feel like I hit a wall and can barely pedal and will fall over! So I'm ride defensively on the bridges.

I'm now an hour into my ride & I still feel good. Really good! It's now time to get a tad aggressive on these damn bridges! I start to ride as hard as I can, standing & really pushing it as far as I can up the bridge. I get anywhere from halfway to 3/4 of the way up before I sit and pedal. What I have to work on is my tempo and relaxing AFTER I ride all out. The key for me is to not fight the hill, but try ride WITH it. It's hard to explain, but the more you "fight" the hills/bridges, the more energy you use. I have to work on that.

I've been riding now for 90 minutes and I feel STRONG. I head over to the 2nd bridge now, which is the hardest. I've eaten half a Clif Bar, taken 2 electrolyte pills, and a Gu. I ride the hardest bridge last because that's the best way for me to improve. 2 hours into my ride I want to have to work VERY hard. How else will you get better? You have to keep pushing yourself.

The views from this bridge are just as nice as the other one:





This bridge is HARD!! It's longer than the other one, and seems like it takes forever to make it to the top. When I try stand & pedal I get about halfway up before I have to sit down. It takes me about 2 minutes to get to the top. I guess that would make me a "2 Minute Brotha?" Yeah, but ONLY in this instance! lol



2:15 into my ride I start to feel the effects. My left leg is starting to feel a twinge, like a cramp is trying to come. When that happens, I try to work them out by standing & pedaling at an easy cadence on the flats. I also become more aware of food & drink intake. Luckily I didn't get any cramps today, but I was definitely tired.

After the dust settled, I accomplished my mission today and rode 3 full hours. Here's another quick vid:




I was pretty tired when I shot that one. Riding bridges really wears me out, but it's a GREAT workout!!

I must admit, I was pleasantly surprised that I felt much better within minutes of getting off the bike. That's a VERY good sign. That means my legs are recovering pretty well. That's GREAT, but there's s till work to do. can't get over-confident. Gotta stay focused and can't rest on my laurels!


After my ride I did my customary walk to get rid of the lactic acid in my legs:




This is a great place to train, and a great place to relax AFTER a workout:



The cool thing about living in Tampa is if you like the beach, there are PLENTY spots you can hit. Even find some nice, secluded spots like this one.



Sometimes I like the chillin out more than the actual workout! lol






All in all, I had a great workout. I'm still not fast on the bridges, but that's not my primary goal. My goal is to ride them at a good pace, while still having enough energy to run afterwards. I expect people to pass me on the bike come race day, but I want to pass them right back on the RUN! So I have to make sure I'm fresh starting the run, but still have a good ride. I'm hoping come race day I'll be able to do that. Luckily, I still have time to make that a reality. I don't have a lot of time, but I plan on using every workout forthcoming to make it happen!

Thanks for reading! Till next time, peace!

A Run Extension!

Since the IRS extended the tax deadline to Monday, I decided to extend my run also! lol Sometimes you just gotta go for it, and today I did! I decided to up my run from 7 miles to 10. (OK, it was closer to 9.7, but I like the sound of 10 better! lol)

But seriously, I wanted to up the mileage and see how my body would respond. I need to get some longer runs under my belt, and now is a good a time as any to start. I must admit, I was a tad nervous about going for a longer run, seeing how I haven't run this far since last September. The thing is, running in this Florida heat SUCKS. There's no other way to describe it. The heat just wears you down and can make for a long, tortuous run. lol Running on the treadmill is ok, but I haven't done 1 triathlon where the run was on a treadmill in a nice air conditioned gym. It was ALWAYS out in the heat and this bloody awful sun. I MUST train in this heat.

So, to help compensate for running in HORRID weather, I go run where at least it's a nice place to go and you can kinda enjoy it, even though it's mad hot: Bayshore.




Peep the guy on the kayak:



I do much better running from Point A to Point B, instead of watching the seconds tick by while running on the treadmill. This is a great place to run.

Because it's so hot out here, I always carry plenty of water & Gatorade with me:




Here I am as I head out for my run:



What makes this run different is not only am I running a little further, but I'm wearing my Ironman 70.3 hat. I don't wear this hat often, but I wanted to wear it today to get mentally ready to run a longer distance. Sometimes you have to psyche yourself out, and this was my way of doing it. I wanted to imagine myself in a race today, not out there as a runner, but as a traithlete.



This is how I like to run: Hat low, shades on. You can't see my eyes, and I can't see yours. All can see is the road in front of me. I'm focused man! lol

Anyway, the mental preparation is just as important as the physical preparation, and how a person gets prepared is as varied as their training routines. Whatever works!

Here's a quick vid I took before my run:



I started the run feeling pretty good. As always, I started out slow, just to get the kinks out and see how my body would respond. It was really windy out,which is GREAT for me because it kept me cool. It takes me almost 30 minutes to get warmed up, and at 30 minutes I was feeling good. All systems were go!

I ran to Ballast Point today, since I ran a little further. Bayshore has ZERO cloud cover, but I do get a little when I do the extra distance:



It took me about 40 minutes to get to Ballast Point which is almost 5 miles for the halfway point of my run. Overall I felt good. It was still windy, but I was starting to feel the heat.

Ballast Point is a combination park/fishing pier. There were a lot of people out today having a good time:





Running around places like this also makes running "easier" because my mind isn't on the pain.



It also keeps the workouts fresh, because you never know what you'll see.



After a couple pics, a bathroom break & a water bottle fill up I headed back to complete my run.

Seeing how I stopped, it took me a couple minutes to get back into a running groove. I don't mind that, because sometimes I'll stop during races at the aid stations, or even walk becauseI'm just plain tired. It's good I learn to run hard, stop, then resume running hard. This was an indirect way to replicate what I do in an actual race.

Around mile 9 I start to feel tired. I'm feeling the heat even though it's still windy. The way I felt 75 minutes into the run is how I usually feel 2-3 miles into an actual race. THIS is 1 of the most crucial aspects of my training, and one that's hard to reproduce in training. When I start to feel really fatigued, I can't start walking. I have to learn how to maintain my form and keep running. If I slow my pace that's ok. I gotta keep running.

The thing is, it takes me running 9-10 miles in training to feel how I feel 2 miles into an actual race. That's because in a race I start the run tired. I usually don't start my training runs tired. I start them refreshed and energized. This is why the longer runs are most important. I gotta work on that...

Anyway, I finished my run in about 1:25 minutes. I was tired, but not exhausted. My conditioning is coming along nicely and my confidence is slowly increasing. I'm cautiously optimistic about my race. You can't get too confident, because overconfidence can lead to carelessness. I've done that in the past & each time something bad happened: 1 race I crashed & bruised my shoulder. Another race I wans't properly hydrated and had severe leg cramps on the bike. I barely finished the bike, and had to walk the majority of the 13.1 mile run.

All because I started to believe my own hype. So I gotta make sure I'm fully prepared and treat the race (and training) with the respect it deserves!

Here's a vid I took after my run:



All in all, I had a FANTASTIC run. I felt good pretty much the entire way, and I'm not really tired as I type this. It was a beautiful day out on bayshore today, and I was just feeling really calm, relaxed and happy as I chilled after my run in my usual spot:





Of the 3 sports, running really clears my mind, even though biking is my fav. That runners high is real! lol Today was a good day. I know I can run "10" miles no problem, and that's an important thing to know when preparing for an event.

Monday I'll be in the pool for 60 minutes. Tuesday it's weights. Wednesday is yoga. Thursday I'll be on the treadmill to do some speedwork. Friday is weights at home, and next Saturday I'll be hitting the bridges again for a good bike ride. I havea busy schedulewith work, the PT job, and training, but I wouldn't have it any other way!

Thanks for reading! Till next time, peace!