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.

The Dream-Day 13

Knocked out 1.5 mile swim in 62 mins. That's 1:39 pace for the 2.4 distance (yah...in a pool). Came out a bit light headed even though I choked down a Clif Bar beforehand. Definitely need to get a handle on my nutrition.

The Dream-Day 12

Now hear this. Running officially bites. It's only my 2nd day on the treadmill, but I'm already bored senseless. That said, it'll be interesting to see how my speed progresses during training. I ran 2 miles at a 10:30 pace. I felt fine yet the thought of doing that over 26 miles...zzzzz. The good news? At least I won't be swallowing pool water.

The Dream-Day 11

I'm back from an epic ski trip and it's time to put up or shut up. Yesterday, I ran for the first time since High School soccer. I think I'm good as long as I don't look down at those hideous shoes. Why do they make them so freakin' ugly anyway?

Tomorrow, I'm getting a spinal cortisone injection and on Wednesday I have a Ramp test at Joe's house. Not exactly sure what to expect but I'm sure it involves a great deal of pain and suffering on the bike. Together with the data he pulled from my swimming fit test, he'll design the first week of training.

After 3 months of grief and doubt I think the real journey is about to begin. Bring it!

The Dream-Day 10

It's been a long 4 weeks since my last post. Since then, I've had an MRI that revealed 3 lumbar herniations, been to a Rolfer, and seen 2 chiros. It's clear that significant recovery will take a very long time. With 7 months and 3 weeks to go it's decision time. Do I bag the event or go on? I've been battling that question for the past 30 days.

Next week, I'm off to Sun Valley, ID for my annual ski trip with my buddies. I'll definitely dial it down (ski wise) and, if I feel ok upon my return to NY, I'll begin training in earnest.

On the positive side, I've been swimming and becoming more and more proficient in the water. Today, my goal was to swim 100 laps total. My plan was to do 50, 30, and then 20. Surprisingly, I swam 1 1/2 miles non-stop (109 laps in a 25 yard pool). The scary thing is the IM is 2.4 miles in open water (i.e. waves, current, 3,000 humans, and the impending threat of becoming part of the food chain).