The Dream-Day 32

It's 8am. My activities during the past 24 hrs.:
Abs, bi's & back at Golds (1:15 min)
Swim training totaling 1.3 mi (1 hr)
Bike on trainer totaling 28 mi (1:20 min)
Sleep (what's that?)

For the record #1: Biking on the trainer vs watching paint dry...toss up. Suuuuuuucks.

For the record #2 (and totally unrelated): My favorite musical artist is Elvis Costello and I'm rooting for James Durbin to win Idol. Durbs is a far cry from EC, but if he were to perform an Elvis song which one do you think he'd nail? If anyone says Alison, I'll hurl.

The Dream-Day 31

Back from FL and the big man finally adjusted the thermostat and the weather seems to finally be changing on Long Island. However, today I was on the trainer for an early morning leg scorcher. Two sets 20 min long holding 200-205 watts and then 210+ watts. That equates to 22.5 mph on a device who's only purpose is to stop your tire. Huge fun...not. Tonight, it's back to the deck and weights for abs, chest, shoulders, and tricep work.

The Dream-Day 30

Yesterday, I got up a 5am and hooked up with a Masters Swim group for a 6-7am swim at the Palm Beach Gardens Aquatic Center. It was closed for Easter. Yet, 25 or so 40-55 year olds descended on the outdoor pool like a flock of seagulls that just spotted a fresh kill. When we finished they blew out as as fast as they arrived. Guess they thought they were going to be late for the early, early, early bird special.

Closed?  I think not.

Taken at 7am after the workout. I left feeling like I was part of Team Mako.

Got back to the house around 7:30am and then hit the road at 8:30am for a solid 5 mi run. Definitely felt stronger today and managed an 8:15 pace. Still blown away that the dude that won the Boston marathon averaged 4:42 over 26.2 miles. Big time yikes.

Still feeling pretty fresh, I decided to do some unique swim training (see video below). It's a bit unorthodox, but sometimes you need to push yourself out of your comfort zone if you really want results. Disclamer: be sure to have qualified life guards present if you're going to attempt this.

The Dream-Day 29

On Thursday, I worked out at the PGA Resort gym and then my father sweet-talked the manager into bringing a spin bike into the hallway so I could get in a ride.  Remember, this is FL, the land of gripey seniors that make a stink that the wind is blowing from the East because they prefer it coming from some other direction. So, suffice it to say, no way was Dad going to be denied. Sorry about the sweaty carpet.

The Dream-Day 28

Took my act to Florida (visiting Mom & Dad) and this morning ran 4.3 mi at an 8:30 avg pace. Although there were no hills, it was my first run that involved heat and humidity and it felt harder than expected. Since I haven't been training in hot or humid weather, thermo regulation (the body's ability to dissipate heat) is pretty low. That will improve along with better fitness and training in heat.

Late this afternoon, I went to the Palm Beach Gardens Aquatic Center and swam. I scoped out the facility before I left NY. The place rocks, as an added bonus, it's only 10 mins from my parent's place. When I arrived there were about 20 kids with 2 coaches doing drills. A bit later they were replaced by the high school swim team. No wonder the elite swimmers come from FL and CA. They have fantatic training facilities, can practice bascially year round, and have great coaching. I admit being a bit intimidated and almost asked for a set of water wings. On Friday, I'm back here at 6am to train with the Masters Swim Club.

The Dream-Day 27

After a much needed rest day, Joe had me do 2 sets - 20 min each "hard" on the bike trainer with a 5 min recovery in between. I met with Joe yesterday and asked him what he meant by "hard". He said, "pain followed by immense joy when it's over".

I pushed an average of 200 watts (definitly qualified as hard). Started out strong, but the effort got progressively more difficult as the seconds took forever to tick away. The last 2 mins basically approached hell. Funny how the 5 min recovery wizzes by.

The Dream-Day 26

Ah, nothing like getting up at 5:45am on a Sunday for swim training followed by a 4 mi run a few hours later. Have to admit my run sucked. I figure I had about a 13-14 hr training week and I was cooked. Can't be grateful enough to have tomorrow off to recover.

Week 3 starts Tuesday. Training venue moving to FL on Wednesday (aka G-d's waiting room).

The Dream-Day 25

As Dr. Evil said, "It's frikkin' freezing, Mr. Bigglesworth". Rode 30 miles in 20 mph winds and low 40s. Dressed like I was heading off to ski or Siberia. Called a penalty on my inner monologue after it spouted, "What the hell am I doing?".

Showered up quick and took Madzo out to a great breakfast place called Maureen's for some home cooked chow. I think I ate the entire left side of the menu. Then, it was off to the mall to get her some stuff. Couldn't wait to get back home and veg. Need to pass out for a few hours. Chalk outline for sure.

The Dream-Day 24

Ran 4 1/2 miles yesterday morning incorporating some long hill work and felt really good. Then, at night, swam 1.3 miles at the college. I was in a lane with 2 others and Joe had us do various distances at various speeds that focused on certain aspects of fitness such as VO2 max, Anaerobic Work Capacity, Threshold, Tempo, and Endurance. The amount of time I had to complete each distance was based on the Fitness Evaluation I had on 4/3. There were times when I wasn't swimming fast enough which meant I had only a few seconds to recover before the next set. Killer.

It amazes me how far I've come with swimming and how much more improvement I need. One of the other swimmers is close to 60 and the other is very young but working on losing a lot of weight. I was amazed how I seemed to be the only one gassed after each set. I guess it proves how important technique is especially for endurance. My short speed distances of 25m and 50m are very strong, but when it comes to 100m and beyond I'm much slower. Clearly, this is the result of a lack of aerobic fitness and poor swim mechanics. The aerobic fitness will come automatically. As far as the stroke mechanics are concerned, I know what I need to do, but just can't put it together...yet. It's critical that I dial that in as I cannot afford to be toasty heading into the bike portion.

The Dream Day-23

If I don't get outside soon I may go postal. 1 1/2 hours on the trainer bites big time not to mention maaaaajor numbness (guys, you know what I'm talkin' about). Good thing for stellar tunes. Guess it's a good thing training was confined to my den just in case I had another "moment" like last night.

This just in. During my ride I looked outside and believe I glimpsed the Sun. Nahh, couldn't be. Probably electrolyte deficiency.

The Dream-Day 22

Might have to rename today's title "The Wuss-Day 1". It was raining this morning so I opted for the "dreadmill". Some tough guy, huh? Really, what do you expect from a Jewish kid from the suburbs who wasn't allowed to play football, ride a motorcycle, or go in the ocean until 7 mins after eating (who came up with 7 mins anyway?).

"Dreadmill" circa 2156. May resemble my form.

I didn't read anywhere that all this training would sap grey matter. I drove 15 mins to Golds to swim tonight, scored a spot right in front of the building, was all fired up and ready to go, but realized it just might be necessary to have what was in my gym bag that I left behind in the garage. So, after 30 mins back and forth (and a whole lot of huffing, puffing, and shaking of my head in disbelief) I returned for this mess.

Warm Up RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion) 3 or less
4x50 yds
3x100 yds
2x150 yds
(800 yds)

Main Set I RPE 6-7; rest for 2 min after each effort
2x150 yds
1x200 yds
1x50 yds
(1100 yds)
DO THIS 2 TIMES

Main Set II
4x50 yds FAST; rest for 30 sec after each effort
(200 yds)

Total: 2,100 yds (1.2 miles)

The Dream-Day 21

Week 2 is underway. Back on the trainer this morning for 2-20 min sets holding 180-190 watts. This was a relatively hard effort. 180-190 watts translated to an avg speed of 21.4 mph and about 750 cals burned. Joe calls this the "bread & butter" workout as it is designed to simultaneously build power and increase the ability to sustain it over long stretches of time. "Burn & hurl" is more like it.

This afternoon, it's off to the gym for chest, shoulder, and tri work. Not sure when to break it to Joe that I'm incorporating strength training. Can't be looking like Sebastian Coe (Google him).

The Dream-Day 20

Wrapped up the weekend with a solid morning swim and late afternoon run. I had the pool dude, Shane (no, not my Shane) take pics and video at Gold's Islip (see below). I'll upload the vids for Joe to evaluate. I'm probably done training there as I'm migrating to Suffolk Community College's awesome facility to swim 3-4x/wk at night.

I brought my running gear to the last day of the dance competition (a 7 hour extravaganza), did my best impersonation of Superman (no phone booth available) after Madzo's 6th number, darted out and made it back in time to see her last performance.

Today's a rest day. What's with that?
 

Are the Betty's giving me the cold shoulder?

 

Ah, yah, cold shoulder confirmed.



Hope no birds got into the building (see mouth).



Duh, it's supposed to look effortless (or I just may be super slow).

 



The Dream-Day 20A

Couldn't resist. The real athlete in the family. When I grow up I want to be just like her.






Ok, the leg is sick, but the abs? WTF?



The Dream-Day 19

After hitting the gym for abs, back, and bi's I fueled up and rode for 1 1/2 hrs covering 25 miles. A pedestrian 17 mph pace, but lots of hills. Oh, and any time DOT wants to clean up the streets would be appreciated. It's like a freakin' mine field out there.

It was a day of firsts. First ride of the season outside; First time riding with aerobars (definitely takes getting used to); First time riding with headphones (music while riding = awesome). Easy Mom, I could still hear the cars.

More dance competition tonight and all day tomorrow. Madzo (my youngest) scored a Platinum for both solos (highest award) and won an individual award called "Legs For Days." Can you get a scholarship for that?

The Dream-Day 18

Yesterday's training was another bike/swim sandwich. The morning bike had me do 2x 175-195watts for 20min on the trainer. For you HR people out there, it had me on the high end of my aerobic threshold (~86% of max). I gave it an 18 out of 20 on the Borg Scale (see previous post).

Swam at 5pm. This is what Joe gave me to do. As you can see, it's not about winging it. Every workout has purpose.

W/U 4x50 easy then 2x100 easy
Main Set:
5x100 on :20 rest, build effort in each 100
1x50 easy
4x100 on :15 rest, start fast then settle into a comfortable effort.
1x50 easy
1x300 steady pace.
C/D 2x50 easy
1900 yds total: 1.1 miles

Today, I had it easy. Run only. Totalled about 3 mi between brisk walking and running.

Tonight starts dance comp for my little one. Harder to watch than any workout. Crossing my fingers there's no outfit malfunctions and/or any meltdowns.

The Dream-Day 17

Hit the gym this morning for abs, chest, shoulders, and tricep work and did my scheduled run tonight. My left shoe is giving me grief so I'll stop by Runner's Edge tomorrow for them to triage.

I keep adding to my collection of gear. Today's purchase...a water bottle belt with a pouch to hold my iPhone. I know, super "metro" but functional.

Tomorrow morning I'm back on the bike trainer and I'll swim in the afternoon. It would be nice if it didn't rain every day. Where am I, Seattle?

The Dream-Day 16

Last night, I completed the Ramp test (aka heart attack on a plate) at Joe's house. The Ramp test has you on a bike and holding a certain wattage (power output) for a minute. After each minute, I gave my coach a number corresponding to the Borg Scale of perceived exersion and simultaneously increased the wattage. There were a total of 10 increases that maxed out at 280 watts (really hard). The chart is numbered 6-20, but I suggested they left out a symbol representing "the finger". Oh yeah, I flipped that a few times.

Joe and Mike (another coach) crunched numbers that would determine the initial bike workouts which began this morning. After a brief warmup on the trainer, I had to hold 190, 200, 210, and 220 watts for 10 mins with a 5 min recovery in between. Let's just say that during the 220 cycle my heart rate was 98% of max. That's about a 20 on the Borg Scale which is equivalent to I hate Joe more than life itself.

Tonight, I'll swim 5 sets 10 mins each with a 1 min rest in between. I guess that's considered a break. Lucky me.

Panama City IM is 7 months to the day away. Game on!!

The Dream-Day 15

After a long Bat Mitvah weekend for my daughter combined with the poor decision to have chicken wings and beer Saturday night while watching the Final Four and only getting 4 1/2 hours of sleep, I was up yesterday at 5am for a swimming fitness evaluation at the Suffolk Community College Aquatic Center. Never said I was very bright.

The FE is conducted quarterly and consists of 100 meters, 500 meters, 50 meters, and 25 meter lengths to determine various fitness indicators such as VO2 max, endurance, etc. I was last tested in January and my numbers have improved in all areas. However, my endurance figures are hurting and need the most work. Not a surprise given that P90X, Insanity, etc. have focused mainly on anaerobic systems.

After the swim, I came home and crashed for an hour and then rallied for a 3 mi run. This pretty much put me in zombie mode for the balance of the day as I became one with my bed.

This morning, I did abs and biceps. Tonight is my bike Ramp test at my Tri coach's (Joe) house. Joe will use the swim and bike data to determine my long awaited first week of training.

The Dream-Day 14

Cranked out P90X Ab Ripper X + Chest, Shoulders, & Triceps followed by a 2.5 mi "dreadmill" run. Rampin' up the volume.