Snow Blind

I was in pain all day today. It felt like my eyeballz were on fire! Mrs. LoTC didn't even flinch at the opportunity to inflict pain. She's sick like that, enjoying it waaay too much.

January 2011 Monthly Totals

January 2011 Monthly Totals

Swim: 6:00hrs   18.4Km
Bike:   20:30hrs  ~460Km MTB / Trainer
Run:    16:00hrs  147Km

Total:  42:30hrs  
~626Km
~24000 Calories
31 Activities

Week 15 Review

Just another recovery week, but this went horribly wrong.

The last time I screwed up on recovery week, I did so by completely neglecting to do any workouts. This round, it was the opposite. I got all my workouts in but one, this is acceptable however the intensity was waay more than it should have been. In my mind, going out for such a short workout wasn't worth my time so I made up for duration by increasing intentsity and speed. This has not ended well.

My IT Band has flared up. I'd rate it a good 2.5/10 with only a short walk away from becoming a full blown 5/10. It's on edge, very tight and very noticable just walking. I'm tending to it but now I have to get my head straight. I have to throttle waaaay back to stop this from getting out of control. It's harder for me to slow down, than it is to speed up. I'm not wired to slow down when I feel pain, that's my queue to push harder and faster.

Swimming helps I think, I'll give that a try. I just dont know what to do with my upcoming week. If I screw up my routine now, I may never get back to it. It's so hard to get going again once I mess with it. Especially with the cold and dark and a snow storm coming mid-week. I'm worried. Maybe I'll have Mr.s LoTC tie me to the bed to avoid any workouts though. Otherwise I'm gonna run myself to death.

WEEK 15 TOTAL (Set 4, Week 4 - Base Build, Recovery Week)


Swim: 1:30hrs

Bike: 2:50hrs

Run: 3:15hrs

TOTAL:  7:30hrs

Carbon Burn

Ohhh it burns, IT BURNS! More on that later.

Should have stayed home..

Soooo it was a pleasant surprise to come home to find a note at the door saying I have a package to pickup! Yay! I like getting packages, it's like xmas all over again. The last package was my new ISM Adamo Saddle so I had a good feeling I knew what was in this one.

When I got to the postal outlet the lady behind the counter was barely walking with a cane. She came out fumbling my package (I meant the parcel you perv..) and she said she's lucky it was light, otherwise she wouldn't be able to get it for me. How can you work in shipping/receiving if you can't lift things? Seemed strange.

Anyhow, it better be light! The box contained the new shoes for my bike and lightweight is what I was going for! I quickly signed for it and headed to my truck. I mean I signed for it quickly, the box was big and I had only seen one side of it and didn't inspect it. I just trusted that everything was 'OK'. When I got to my truck I seen that there was a huge hole in the side of the box. It had been punctured, it was very hollow and my heart sunk. Oh noes! If something skewered the box, then the wheels must surely be damaged. Grrrrr!

I didn't inspect any closer. I drove home and pretended like I didn't see it. I'll look closer with better lighting. Once home I had my son take video of my opening the box. I don't know if it would have helped, but if something was broken I wanted some kind of evidence showing it was like that when I got it. To my amazement I couldn't find a single scratch on the spokes. I througly went over the hole thing and luckily the wheels were in mint condition. I could breathe a sigh of relief.

Soo my new toys are looking lonely. Obviously I'm not going to put them on the bike to ride on the trainer, so they're just collecting dust for now. I'm looking at ordering some super-light-super-fast tires since I killed the ones on my bike by using them on the trainer. Oops.

On the training front - Saturday was an easy spin. I've recently acquired alot of road racing videos so I watched the first half of Tour du Flanders. It's actually really quite awesome! I'd love to go to Belgium or France to hit those roads myself! Especially the climbs, I want to try the biggest baddest climbs those mountains can dish out!

This brings me to the burrrrrn on Sunday. It was a perfect winter day with bright sun and a good 8 inches of fresh powder on the ground. Why is it EVERY weekend it has to snow, just in time for my long run. I'm getting tired of this. Instead of running on a slippery road I decided to go trail running in the thick of it with the YakTrax. The trail run was tough, tons of hills, and tons of traffic. The trail was semi-well used which meant I kept rolling my ankles on the uneven surfacing. I never hurt my ankles as I always caught myself before applying any damaging weight to them. It was really bright. Really REALLY bright. I didn't realize it at the time. I did get some sporty back and forth 'racing' with another trail runner that looked a good 10yrs older than me. He blew me away. I thought I got away from him and then out of nowhere he was RIGHT behind me. I swear he was a ghost or something because I kept looking back to see if I dropped him, he was nowhere to be found. Then out of nowhere he caught me. Crazy. It bothered me for the rest of the day. How the HECK did that guy catch me? Unbelievable. Anyhow, back to my burrrrrrn.


Injuries Suck.



Snow blindness. Sucks.

Here I am the day after and I can feel my eyes flaring up. I almost didn't come to work today but I really thought it would get better as the day went on. It's just getting worse. Owie!

To make matters worse, my IT Band is done. It's definitely inflamed, I over did it. Crap. Now what? I know it takes forever for it to go away. I've been stretching like crazy, downing the advils  (maybe a bit too much) and massaging it. The snow run didn't do me no favours. While I really enjoyed the run, it has come at cost. IT Band and Eyeballs. I has a sad.

Secret Admirers



At furst, they were Sad tears. THEN I haz a happy tear! :)



Unbelievable. That blows my mind! :)

I tried not to think about it. When I got home from work I tried my RoadID on again to see if I was just retaining-water or something. Nope, still too small. Then before bed I seen it laying there on the dresser and I had a sad. I tried again, still it wouldn't fit. Not the most fitting end to an already bad day. Get it? Did you see what I did there? 'fitting'? Matty-O reads my blog now so I gotta spell it out for him lol.

For those that missed it, I screwed up putting together my RoadID. It has a happy ending though!

Today I receive a most pleasant email surprise. This just makes may day,

Hello John.

Thanks so much for your recent Road ID order. Someone brought your blog post to my attention. I'm sorry to hear about your Elite Band. I'm going to send you a replacement band, free of charge. Just hang on to your ID plate and clasp. We'll get this out to you today. Have a great weekend.

If I can be of further assistance, please let me know.

Be safe out there,

Customer Service

Road ID



Thank-You Sooper Sekrit Admirer & RoadID! :)



I don't know what is more amazing,

1. Someone ACTUALLY reads my blog!
2. One of you tried to help me out! Awww...
3. That RoadID took the time to care!



I haz a happy now! Doesn't that make you all warm and fuzzy inside?

I love companies that use social media like Twitter, Facebook, Blogs to connect with their fans and go the extra mile for customer satisfaction. Now I also have to give credit to the knucklehead that tipp'd them off. Thanks to whoever you are - I love you!

.... Unless it was Matty-O, then I take back all the nice things I said! hah!

On the training front, I didn't bother bundling up for a short easy recovery run. I opted for a quick little jaunt on the dreadmill. Quick and easy and I'm feeling like my body is recovering nicely. I know this because my weight is dropping like a rock again. I usually have a 7lb weight variance, mostly water retention for muscle repair. When I drop to recover duration/intensity workouts, I drop the repair water weight and I can see me down at the lowest end of my weight range. That is when I can see what my true weight is. I also eat like a pig recovery week so my body isn't starving and trying to hoard every last calorie to conserve energy stores. That's my non-scientific guess anyways :) I'm clueless really lol.

TRAINING:

Run - 0:45hrs  (Treadmill, recovery)

BDay Rest

Active-Recovery Engaged!

Oops. That was dumb. I cut my RoadID wristband too short. It's actually too tight. I couldn't find a length that stopped it from sliding and rolling around on my wrist. It's not like a watch that has a bit of weight/anchor to it and stays 'right side' up. It felt 'ok' at first but then when I flex my arm it's way too tight. Uggghhh I feel dumb but it was extremely annoying to leave it to flap around. I tried stretching the band but that material is pretty tough. It's not gonna happen. Maybe I'll look for a different type of band. I'm such a knob.



Happy 50th Birthday Wayne Gretzky



Well I definitely took the 'recovery' advice to heart. Thanks all! I went for a very easy paddle in the FREE pool last night. It was free to get in because it was a special someones Birthday. Apparently some famous guy that comes from my town that built the sports center was letting everyone in for free. My hamstrings are not burning anymore but there is still a slight 1/10 pain on my right one. I think it's from cramping last week. This morning I took a guilt-free pass on my indoor bike session. With the hamstrings JUST starting to leave me alone I didn't want to risk prolonging their recovery. I'm also going to wuss-out on tonight's run and hit the treadmill for 40 minutes. I cannot justify getting all bundled up to just run around the block. That's alot of hassle for a cold stroll that is hardly 'training'. The treadmill will do just fine tonight.

It may seem like I eased off the throttle too much here, but there is a reason for me taking it so easy. This weekend's long run may be in snow again. I need to be 100% repaired by the start, and somehow convince myself to go easy on it. Same with the bike. Next week I start piling on crazy amounts of run in preparation for around the bay race. I'm taking it easy and enjoying myself now while I still can! February is crunch time!

TRAINING:

Swim - 0:35hrs  (Recovery)

Bike -  Skipped it guilt free :)

Toe Tag

Instructions

Oh baby! Look what I came home to today!

My toe tag has arrived! Now the coroner will be able to identify part of my body when they scrape me off the side of the road.

At first I tried it on but it felt a little loose.

<>

Then I tried I made some adjustment and it felt even more loose.

Then I decided to read the instructions, and while it felt more snug... something didn't look right

I think the majority of the cost was the fancy packaging. It's too early to review yet.



Quick Slow

Go faster! No slower. No Faster. No slower. Go go go!

I was going to skip posting today but since I have some time to kill before my early bedtime I'll document a quick boring overview of my last few workouts that I haven't mentioned.

Saturday was a looooong run. Now, it would take alot to top the Blizzard Run From Hell a week prior and this one was bordering similarly bad conditions. At least this time there was much much less snow and as long as traffic co-operated I was able to run down the middle of the lane on a country road for traction. That worked 'ok' but being in the country it meant some killer winds whipping across the fields and caused one heck of a chill. I thought all was fine until I turned the corner 8km in and immediately I began planning my exit strategy to call the wife for a pickup. Before you go calling the whaaambulance on me you gotta consider this is a planned 20+Km run. So for YOU pussies running for a short hour, I can understand that we should be able to suck it up and survive it. HOWEVER, here I was 1 hour into a 2.5hr long slow run and I was being chilled to the bone. No amount of clothing was going to stop this breeze. I could grit the teeth and bare something like that for an hour tops, but after that it gets dangerous. Country roads, unsupported half-marathon and all. Soooo I was lucky that the road was hilly, oh yay for me, and I dipped into valleys JUST long enough to give refuge from the wind. I am happy to say I completed my run but when I finished my outer layer was an absolute frozen crusty iced-over shell. My clothing froze solid!

Sunday was a nice spin on the bike on the trainer. I rode a little over a couple hours to make sure my training hours topped the 10hr mark for the week. I even got some Zone 5 in during the Virtual-Reality climbs of the lake placid spinervals DVD. I love it! Although I need to make time for all the other material I've been meaning to watch on the trainer. I got alot of road racing videos to watch. I don't know much about the road racing scene, so I'm studying up so I can enjoy the next Tour de France and understand it better. If there is one thing that has been consistent my whole life, it is that I'd rather be a racer for a moment than a spectator for a lifetime. I do not watch sports, especially ones I actively participate in but there is some history and culture to TdF that I would like to learn to respect.

What my training runs look like...

This week is SUPPOSED to be a recovery week. 3 workouts into it and I'm pushing harder and faster than ever. Grrrr. I can't seem to throttle back, I'm going waaaay too hard. It's fun, but at this rate I will injure myself or burn-out before IMLP shows up. My hamstrings are already singing to me. I think it's not helping that I am reviewing the race results from last year's finishers. I'm comparing pace and I'm a loong ways off the 'respectable' category. I need to come to terms with the fact I'm slow and stop pushing myself. One of the best quotes that go through my mind is the 'Why suck at one sport, when you can suck at three at the same time!'. That rings true for me lol. I am enjoying the training for now though. I'm surprised I've stuck it out this long, but the routine is working for me. Gees, it's only Base-Building phase and I'm already whining about my pace. I gotta get my head screwed on straight here. It's still early. Mental Health FAIL.

Wait. What happened to a short post? DOH!

TRAINING:
Run - 2:25hrs (Sat.)
Bike - 2:20hrs (Sun.)
Swim - 1:00hrs (Mon.)
Bike - 0:45hrs (Tues.)
Run - 1:00hrs (Tues.)

Week 14 Review

Finally, a perfect week. My routine wasn't interrupted by alcohol or holidays for the first time in a long while! This feels great!! It helped that I took it easy on the first few workouts to allow my body time to recover from the horrible Blizzard Run. I made up for it in speed and intensity later in the week! Perfect!

I'm reaching my limits though. I can handle anything up to -10 no problem but any colder than that and I'm thinking about the dreadmill instead. Luckily the weather forecast says it should warm up to -5 for the rest of the week. Thankfully!

Looking back at this week I think I should revisit my training plan outline. I'm going through the motions and getting my workouts in, but I need a frame of mind for how intense they should be. I see a need to pull back on my weekday runs. My running is getting slower, not faster and I think it's because I'm going too long on the weekdays. I'm going to cut the distance back and pick up the pace. I remember reading that noob runners make the mistake of thinking tons of distance equates to tons of speed, when it's the opposite that is the truth. I'm going to make sure I get quality distance through the week. I think one of my fears was that how can one do 10Km on a weekday run but then survive 20++Km on a weekend? It's disproportionate distance wise. I see that those running plans also expect that you run 5 times a week. Frequent fast short runs followed by a loooong run. I only have time for 3 runs a week so it'll have to do.

Moving forward, next week is a planned recovery week. I'll take it! Every month I have introduced a new peice to my training routine and February calls for strength training! I read alot of articles about how useless strength training is for endurance events. It's simply not needed, and the time spent on them is better off used for something else. I think I agree with this frame of thought, this comes from the 'experts' however I have an alternate agenda. Strength training to me will help sculpt a bit of the flab dangling in the mid section and maybe it'll work wonders for my noodle arms. Probably not, but hey I can try.  I'm not taking anything away from my existing plan, I'm simply adding some extra sessions.

WEEK 14 TOTAL (Set 4, Week 3 - Base Build)

Swim: 1:45hrs

Bike: 4:10hrs

Run: 4:12hrs

TOTAL: 10:10hrs

Johnson Power

My Penii approves of this bike seat.

Scheduled Rest Days WIN!!

Incase you missed my comment on Adena's blog I will educate you. Penii is plural for Penis. When you're this big, you refer to it in plural.

Yup, I just bragged about the size of my Johnson. How sad is that eh? We all know that men who brag about their package are usually the size of a pinky finger. lol. OK class is over, enough cock-talk for one week. hah!

So the morning ride was wonderful obviously! Through the day I spent some time discovering some more material for my Ironman Motivation playlist on You-Tube. I came across some hidden gems. I shared my sooper-sekrit playlist with you in a previous post, you'll have to dig for it yourself. If you're looking to get pumped up and excited about your workout, maybe a little emotional, my playlist is for you!! Great Bike Trainer material!

China. Not close enough.

I'm a little sad that my China-man hasn't responded to my messages yet. At first I thought it was due to Time Zone differences, then I thought maybe my Engrish wasn't clear enough for him, then I chalked his non-response up to the fact he's probably on the assembly line getting whipped by a sumo wrestler-looking dude as he manufacturer's my wife's new bike frame in a sweat shop. At least it's a good deal price wise, this whole China thing is great! Right up until we're all put out of a job of course. hah!  So anyhow, my trust has diminished and I'm looking for a new sweat shop supplier to get me the frame for my wife's bike. It's rare for me to make deal with online sales from someone so far away. One of my pre-requisites for ordering stuff online is that the guy taking my money must be within driving distance from my place so if he runs off with my money and doesn't deliver, I can track  him down and beat him senseless. It's just good business. Oh, and I've done my homework. Before you go spouting off about how buying stuff directly from China is a no-no, I am confident this is a safe bet. That overpriced crap you've been buying can be acquired directly from the back door of any major manufacturing facility in China. You just gotta know where to look, and most of all make sure it's not one of the 'rejects' from the assembly line. Sure there is risk, but it's calculated.

Anyhow, I pounded out a perfect run last night! My pace was spot on, I'm feeling strong again. My energy reserves are back and I have recovered fully from last Saturday's suffer-fest. This is just in time for next week's scheduled Recovery-week. I don't feel like I need a recovery week, but the next set starts to add on strength training and intensity so I better make sure I'm well rested. It's going to get CRaZy!

TRAINING:
Bike - 1:05hrs
Run - 1:10hrs



Here is a small taste of the kind of stuff on the S00per-D00per-Sekrit Training Playlist

Numb Nuts

It's like xmas all over again! A package for me? What could it be?? This is exciting!

When I got home there was a note from Canada Post saying I had a packge waiting to be picked up. Now obviously I ordered whatever it was, so I should have a clue what is in it. On the other hand we've made a couple purchases this past week so it could be one of a few things.

I was really hoping it was the Toe Tag RoadID. I've been looking forward to getting mine and showing it off. When we seen the package however, it was definitely not the size of a RoadID. My new ISM Adamo Racing saddle has arrived! Yay! I didn't realize it at the time, but I actually wanted it to be the saddle more than the RoadID! I could hear my testicles breath a sigh of relief since we got a bike ride to do the next morning!

The package was clear and sexy and had a big check-mark beside the RACING model which made me feel faster already! The ROAD version looked a bit more plush and might be more comfortable but it was hideous looking, even wider than this model. It has to at least look fast, cuz thats the only  think I got going for me out there. :) Once out of the box it was pretty simple really. One bolt and a couple twists to my angle adjuster on the seatpost and I was ready to give it a shot! There are warning labels all over the box that tell you that this saddle is 'different' and you need to consider that when positioning it. I took a few adjustments but I think I may have found the sweet spot. I won't say for sure until I do a long ride and see if the Weiner & Beans go numb. I'm also shopping for a better sized aerobar which I have yet to decide on one.

Gotta cover the Nasty Blue with a M-Dot sticker or something

I little bulky, but not bad



Yes. I wear fluffy puppy slippers.
I got Big Green alien ones too. With Antennas.



After Monday's fiasco with an overcrowded pool for the first time, I made sure we arrive early and got one of the roped off lanes. People are usually less likely to jump into the 'roped off' section. That's usually reserved for the sharks faster swimmers. It was a perfect swim. The electronic clock was working again so I was able to read the numbers from a distance and time my laps. On average I'm holding a confident 1:50 / 100m and if I go a comfortable race speed it's a definte 1:40. I didn't time an all out sprint yet, I was more interested in make sure I'm consistent at a training pace. I'd have to say I'm feeling quite strong in the water but I'd feel better about it if I could get an officially measured swim in. I know I can easily swim 3000m in 60 minutes. So I just swim 60 minutes non-stop and call it 3000m. I don't actually count the laps, I always lose count. So in effect, I'm probably doing closer to 3200m but who knows. I'd like to get an official time that I know I hadn't lost track of how far I went.

Can't believe I got my thumb.
Thats something my Dad would do. Doh!

TRAINING:

Swim - 1:00hrs

I'm Hurt.

You know, you try to be supportive and all she does is insult me. My feelings are hurt lol. :)

Photoz



YakTrax. No Excuse to not Run!



Blizzard. It gets worse fast.



Well I've finally took the time to dump the pics from the camera. I've got a bit of last Saturday's Hell Run 22Km Blizzard. Then last night was a quick 8Km-ish on ice. It was slushing out and got heavy towards the end but I felt great and enjoyed myself. I think the adrenaline was pumping a bit when the weather gets bad and it's easier to get motivated out the door. Sick. I know.

I best sum my evening up in a few words: Hungry Hungry Hippo.

Soooo starving. All I do is crave food. I can't seem to eat enough!!





Blizzard Run Prep



Why is my head so cold?

No Fuel Belt Tonight, Eat the Yellow Snow Instead



Dont look up. It accumulates fast. Mouth Breather.



YAY! New Trainer Material, 8hrs Worth!!



Slushing out Tonight with a slight bit of accumulation...



 TRAINING:

Bike: 0:45hrs

Run:  0:45hrs

Death From Above

Now that I think of it, I'm pissed.

You know one of those workouts that you dragged your butt out to and expect things to just come together as you went along. Once you get going, you'll warm up and have a good workout? Yeh well, this was not one of those nights.

Planned swim, 3000m was going to be a loooong one after I stopped every couple hundred meters to scratch my balls, pick my nose, clear the goggles or stare at the chicks in the next lane. I don't know what I was doing, but I do know what I wasn't doing. Training. My mind was not in it. Everytime I stopped for the dumbest excuse I had to wrestle the wuss-demons to get going again. I made the best of it, had some fun with the wife swimming in my lane. Tried to stay light hearted and tolerate the two ResolIdiots that were trying to bully us out of our tiny lane that was shared by Mrs. LoTC and I since the length swim opened that night. They were really pushing there luck, I just made the best of it. My workout wasn't going so swell anyways, so I almost welcomed the near head-on collisions and asshatery. Our next swim however, there will be none of that. It kinda bothered me that it bothered Mrs. LoTC that these morons were deliberately rude. Nobody gets to bully my woman, EXCEPT ME. I've earned the right to pick on her. She's my punching bag, get your own. Now I'm pi$$ed.

That and the fact I'm tired an irritable. I had a great deep sleep after my swim but woke up at 2am and couldn't get back to sleep. I was starving. I didn't realize it at the time, but I was genuinely really hungry. I eat 2309823095832095 times a day, like wtf?!



U Don't Want To Touch My Lane This Week.



I may need to start counting calories to see how messed up things are. I hate counting calories, its cumbersome and such. I don't know if I'm THAT commited to the nutrition part of things. I've been eating healthier than I ever have in my life. That's a huge accomplishment for me, so I don't want to screw it up by making it a hassle. If I lose so much as 1 more pound, then I'll start counting. I'll allow myself to gain a couple, I can live with that. Just 2 though. I have a feeling, I'm still on the losing side. Quick, someone do the counting for me!!!! I average my weight over a week, it varies significantly so I can't take it on face value on any given day.

TRAINING:

Swim: 0:45hrs

Week 13 Review

STAY HOME IF YOU ARE SICK. kthnxbye.

This was supposed to be the first solid back-to-routine week as there are no more holidays to mess with my training plan. The week started off on schedule and I got some solid workouts in! It all unraveled at the end when I skipped a weeknight run in favour of drinks with a buddy who is heading off to AfGhannyStain to work for a couple years. Regardless a planned 20Km run on Saturday would be the first real-long run of the program. Every weekend from here until March Around The Bay Race will have a brutal long run.

Leading up to the run I was nervous, I mean who honestly runs a half-marathon 'just because'. I've only ever run that distance once in my life and that was at Ironman Muskoka 70.3. Of course this is a long-slow so the plan was to small walk every 10 minutes.
Blizard Alert.

Sooo what now? Cut the distance? Skip the run? Risk doing it anyways? If I wouldn't have skipped Thursday's run then I would have just cut my run in half but now I'm cheating myself if I don't commit. Screw it, I went out anyways. Hardest. Run. Of. My. Life.  I'll gladly do an entire 70.3 before running 22Km in a blizzard any day. It was one of those workouts that you will forever remember as being a 'Suck It Up' survival moment of your life. This one goes in the record books.

Make Me Sick. I dare you.

Suprisingly the next day I still got my long bike in but something felt a bit off. I had IT Band issue but something more like my nutrition was off. I ate like a King and replenished my body with smart choices but still. Ohh baby I cant tell you right now Week 14 is gonna be a test. I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel energy wise. That run took more out of me than I realized. I just need to survive this week and not catch a cold from the million people at the office who all came in sick. If I get sick, I'm gonna go postal on these people. Then again, maybe I shouldn't have assaulted my immune system so bad. But still....

I look forward to the upcoming recovery week. I need it.

WEEK 13 TOTAL (Set 4, Week 2 - Base Build)


Swim: 2:00hrs
Bike: 4:30hrs
Run: 4:00hrs

Strength: nil

Total: 11:00hrs ('Small change' not included above, I can honestly rounds up to this)

Beyond Brutal

That was the Hard Run of my Entire Life.

That hurt. Immensely. I damn near cried. OK, I may have shed a tiny tear. I'm such a pussy lol.

22Km in a blizzard. Snow was deeper than ankles and I wore YakTrax the whole way, they were needed. I'm sorry, but there is no way to explain Saturday's run and do the intensity any justice so I won't bother trying. At 16Km I was done. The snow just kept coming and roads disappeared and it got too deep. Long. Slow. Run. Survival. It was beyond brutal. I didn't fuel properly which is probably a huge contributer to my condition. I didn't expect to be out that long or go that hard. 3hrs of Suck It Up that I don't plan on doing anytime soon. Well, at least not until next weekend's 20Km run. Doh! I hope it doesn't snow. Snow running is phucking brutal.

I ate like a King that night.

Eat Until You Can't Eat no More.

Sunday I woke up with some IT Band issues. Things are tight. I had to make a couple stops on the bike trainer to stretch it out. I can feel the rubbing which will turn into nasty inflamation if I don't get on it right away. I thought my training program said 3hrs bike, but luckily Mrs. LoTC sparked my memory and it was actually only 2 hrs. I would have been happy to do another hour, I was enjoying it but I already blew my load on Saturday, there is no sense pushing it again. Advil is my friend. I found some new stretches online that I think help alot. My physio guy is a moron. His stretch was cheezy and barely worked. I found a couple on You-Tube that hit the spot exact. Don't take advice from your physio or doctor if they look like they couldn't jog around a block if their lives depended on it. I'm sticking to that advice from here on in. No exceptions.



Advil. Not Good for the plumbing eh...



Sunday night I feasted.

Oh, I could get used to this eating thing. I'm lovin' it!



I'm a little nervous about my next run. I wonder how things will feel. Maybe I'll go easy and give the dreadmill a whirl. We'll see.

TRAINING:

Run: 3hrs Blizzard, snow, brutal
Bike: 2:20hrs Tempo

No Garmin data today - their crappy website is down once again.

Missed One

RoadID Will Identify My Body

It was inevitable. An early 5am bike and a meeting with a consultant had me skipping breakfast. I rarely skip breakfast, it was tough sitting through a later meeting while starving to death. A shot of vodka at lunch (peer pressure from my Deli guy) and a couple ceasars after work meant I wasn't going to do my run. I'm only slightly disappointed for missing the run because I know I have a huge long slow run coming up this weekend. It's likely the ground will be snow covered so that it's likely going to kill me! I hate running on snow.

Anyhow, I returend my loaner seat to the bike store yesterday. I had every intention on buying a saddle from them but I choked when I seen the price. It was 50% more than what I seen it online for. Sorry, I'd like to support the local guy but that's just robbery. This was compounded by the waaaay overpriced $100 water bottle cage holder. Yeh, I'll pass on that too pal.

With my saddle on the way, I am only left with getting a water bottle holder for the back of my saddle and a longer set of aero bars. That should do the absolute necessities. The other toys I'm shopping for are to replace my worn equipment - helmet, road shoes, tri suit(one or two peice).

Oh and I got my blood type results back from the doctor. Apparently I'm a a universal recipient. Only something like 0.5%-3% of the population have my blood type but I can accept blood from any of the types lol. Sweeeeet. Now I can order my RoadID as I wanted one of the lines to be my blood type but didn't know what it was.

I forsee this weekends run to look like this

TRAINING:

Bike: 45mins Moderate Speed
Run: Skipped

Mood Swing

I eateded it.

Yes, if it was edible and within my reach I shall consume it! That's my nutrition mantra. I don't feel guilty about the bigass double fudge brownie and chocolate milk snack I had yesterday. I need the calories, although maybe my feeding choices could use some more favourable nutrional value. Bah, screw it. I'll burn it off in no time.

Burned it off I did! I went from the worst day of my training program and followed it up with the best swim I have ever had to date! My fatigue was nauseating but I still managed to get to my swim. I swam between a real life Ironman and some Ironman wannabes. It was awesome! Probably because I won every single race. Well, we didn't declare it as a race but you know what I mean. You know when the person beside you kicks off the wall at the exact moment you arrive. Yeh, it's on baby. Bring it. Smoked them every time and that's ON TOP of a continuous non-stop free for 3300m. My neighbours stopped every 300m like clockwork yet they still couldn't muster up the strength to beat me! It was fun!

My Swim Is Better Than Your Swim.

That fun factor gave me just enough energy to roll out of bed this morning and get a bike in. It was also fueled by the fact it was the last ride on the loaner saddle before returning it to the bike shop. I wanted to make some adjustments and test some more. I rode the last half of the Ironman Lake Placid 'virtual reality' DVD which included some decent hills. With the added intensity I allowed myself to cut the ride short by 15 minutes so I could meet a consultant at the office early morning.

The sad part is I'll probably miss this evening's run. I usually run as soon as I get home but tonight I'm heading out for drinks. A late night run on a school night? I don't know about that one. Maybe I'll just tell the staff I'll be in a bit later in the morning. Considering this has been a perfect training week so far, and the first one back to the normal routine, I shouldn'' be skipping workouts. We'll see how I feel when I get home late this evening.