21March 2006 Umm - where are we? I've been stuck at work all of break thus far, as I will be until Thurs... So my plans of a quality backpacking trip over break were clearly out the window. And I really haven't been up to running, but I need to since my real racing season starts in a bit less than a month. Hopefully I'll be able to get out for an overnighter / 2 day photo hike at the end of this week - it's thoughts of that that have kept me slaving away here for the past x number of days... I rode the bike to and from work on Sunday - that was pretty cool, I'd like to be able to ride to and from classes, but there's a boat load of concerns on that - both times would be dealing with rush hour idiots, there's no where really safe to lock up my machine, and I don't have anywhere to hang out my cycling clothes to dry (and I don't have enough to last on 2 kits / day for more than a day and a half or 2 if i can use my cold weather gear. et al...) Anyhow - the important thing is that I got out to ride about 24 miles (pathetic, I know...), I should be able to fit a run in on Thursday, a day and a half or so of pretty rockin' backpacking, then a good endurance run on Sunday. We'll see - we shall see indeed.
16 March 2006 Well - Training has been all over the map since school has been pretty tough on me this quarter - 23 credits will do that to you, I suppose. Running started off doing well, but I just couldn't seem to find the time between everything else. I finished my ice skating lessons - so I am now a USFSA Basic 4 skater!!! I participated in 2 collegiate cycling races in early March - well, I finished last in the road race (in my Cat) and 2nd to last in the next days Crit... seeing as I was on the bike 2 whole times this year prior to that - it was somewhat expected.
15 January 2006 It's been a while - but I will post a link to my blog shortly to catch everyone up on my training, which i was able to restart on 02 January 2006. The knee is doing much better and I am feeling very confident for the Columbus Distance Classic!!! Still aiming for ~2:00:00, and I think I just may be able to pull it off this year - BOO YAH!
12 December 2005 Well - it seems as though I will not be training until at least early January. I appear to have developed ITBS and it has had me sidelined for the past week and a half so far - and likely 3 - 4 more... For that time I have a list of stretches and strengthening movements to do for rehab. Please send your warm wishes for a speedy recovery. I realize this is my fault for not warming up properly when running in ~20 degree weather... hopefully this is a valuable lesson I will not need to repeat.
28 November 2005 Heading back to early September - that weekend really was pretty rock ass! Zaleski was a good time. Since then, I ran 2 PR's - 10k @ No Limits 10K, and 5k @ XTerra Scramble Columbus (this was an off road trail run); I also finished a 1/4 IronMan distance Triathlon @ Deer Creek Pineman. (See my Results page.) My training and proper eating have both been minimalistic. This quarter at school has been somewhat, ummm odd - it's a strange feeling and I'm not too sure what to make of it. Next quarter is going to be very difficult - 23 credits, 3 of which are a research experience - that translates to 9 hours per week in a lab... Lucky for me though, with the exception of Friday - I'm finished by 1230 - I also have to be to class @ 0730; win some, lose some... I'm hopeful to get everything back on track this week starting with Yoga tonight. I intend to do the Holiday Run at Sharon Woods - and that's very quickly approaching (caught me by surprise with how near it is).
02 September 2005 This week's training was virtually non-existent... Monday I skated and put my new wheels and bearings to the test, I did the 12.24 mile trail in 57:00, not too bad seeing as there is a number of streets to cross, so you have to slow and stop for those. Yesterday's (Thursday) ride went well. We did about 35 miles of the Fat Rabbit Racing 1/2 IM course, and fast. Avg. speed was 24 MPH total time was 1:39:51. I was pretty stoked about that, and the fact that I managed to hang with everyone for the entire ride. Tomorrow morning I'm heading out for a backpacking trip to Zaleski State Forest, the total trail is about 22.5 miles long, so it's a nice easy 2 nighter. It could be a 1 nighter, but we're really heading out to test out some gear and camp recipes, and most importantly - to get some bag nights and relax before classes start on the 21st. I'll post once I get back and can tell everyone how rocking the weekend was!
23 August 2005 Got out this past Saturday for my 'long' run; all 4.8 miles of it. The day was about 95F with high humidity, a line of strong storms rolled on through and the temp dropped down to 79F. The humidity was still high, but the run went fairly well. Actually, it was a bit better than fairly well. The combination of the haze from the high humidity, the fairly low angle of the sun, and the space in the canopy from the trees lent a vary dreamy and surreal feeling to the trail. It almost felt like I was running through a Legend of Zelda game! It was a great feeling and one of the most beautiful scenes I have ever ran through. If only I ran with a camera! I've been missing a lot of workouts over the past few weeks though. I haven't been able to get to sleep well, so I've been tired all day and seriously lacking in motivation to get out and work out. I managed to do the skate yesterday, at least I've been able to stay on track with those.
19 August 2005 Well, I finished the Buckeye Classic 10K last Saturday. I took Sunday off since I didn't do as well as I was hoping. Monday the weather wasn't that great, so I only did an 8 mile skate. Tuesday ended up as an off day as well. Wednesday I ran in the morning, it should have been a 4.8 miler, but I struggled through ~3.3. That evening I managed to make it to yoga. Thursday I slept through the morning yoga and I felt pretty bad heading to the ride. I was dropped shortly, got lost, and my onboard computer stopped working... I was not feeling anywhere near a good form. As I write this, it's currently Friday. I didn't swim or do yoga before work, maybe I'll try to swim after, I doubt it, but... Tomorrow I intend to do a short 'long' run of 4.8 and Sunday I'll be happy with about a 50 miler. I haven't meditated in nearly a week and a half, so maybe that will be my goal accomplishment for tonight.
01 August 2005 I try to do at least 3 of the 4 listed Yoga practices each week. My weekday Runs are at a comfortable pace for (currently) around 5-6 miles each, the Saturday Long Run is (currently) from 6-8 miles - I intend to work that up to 9 -12 miles by Winter's end. Thursday's Bike is currently around a 44 mile loop and Sunday's bike is approximately a 58 mile hilly route. Swims include sets of 750 and 1000 meters for an average of 2-3k each swimming day.
In addition to the above listed training, I have recently begun meditating. Training the body can have tremendous results, but the mind needs attention too! (Recall that I am a Psychology student, so the mind/body connection holds a special interest for me.) I try for one session every other day of relaxation and breath counting exercises. Once I feel comfortable with these basic techniques, I will begin to progress to other styles and methods for meditation as well as moving towards a daily session. When I practiced martial arts (Tang Soo Do and Chun Kuk Do) I found an enormous gain in my abilities and techniques following visualization exercises. That is one technique I will begin to integrate into my meditation training as soon as I progress to that point.