I don't have a lot of time to write today's blog, so I'll keep it short. I rode the bike this morning, thinking it wouldn't hurt my knee like running does. I didn't have any pain until about 45 minutes in and I stopped right there, so I wouldn't aggravate it further. I wanted to go for an hour, so I lifted weights for a little longer than usual to make up for it.
Tomorrow is my last swim of the month. Looking forward to it...
Total distance: 13.2 miles cycling
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Latest exercise injury
Lately, I've been noticing some pain on the outside of my left knee after long runs. It usually doesn't hurt until later that night and during the following few days. It was still tender from the run I did with Wes on Monday, but I decided to give it a go at the Ogden River Parkway again today.
I went with Jen, Kelly and Jessica. Kelly was attempting another personal high of 12 miles and once again, I just wanted to see what I could manage. I was a bit nervous about Jen coming, because she doesn't run and quite honestly, hates it. I had to talk her in to coming, because I wanted to spend some time with her before I went into work. Anyway, Jessica and I kind of stuck together and we ended up leaving Jen in the dust. Kelly passed both of us after about 2.5 miles, which was where Jess and I turned around.
The discomfort started almost immediately, but it never really hurt so much that I had to stop. After five miles, Jess was pretty tired and I didn't want to leave Jen by herself anymore, so we all walked a half-mile back to the trail head together. I'm glad we stopped, because my knee was (and still is) hurting, but not so much that I couldn't walk. I did some research online about the specific pain I have and how it hurts the most when I walk down stairs, and the obvious answer online was my Iliotibial band. The good news, it's easily treatable with rest and ice, so I'm going to try one last short run before the end of the month and take it very easy in the running department during the next week.
Ughhh.. If it's not one thing (shoulder), it's another thing (knee). Looks like I will be logging a lot of time on the stationary bike in the near future with both running and swimming as alternate exercise options. That's the only form of exercise that doesn't seem to eat my body alive.
Total distance: 5 miles running
I went with Jen, Kelly and Jessica. Kelly was attempting another personal high of 12 miles and once again, I just wanted to see what I could manage. I was a bit nervous about Jen coming, because she doesn't run and quite honestly, hates it. I had to talk her in to coming, because I wanted to spend some time with her before I went into work. Anyway, Jessica and I kind of stuck together and we ended up leaving Jen in the dust. Kelly passed both of us after about 2.5 miles, which was where Jess and I turned around.
The discomfort started almost immediately, but it never really hurt so much that I had to stop. After five miles, Jess was pretty tired and I didn't want to leave Jen by herself anymore, so we all walked a half-mile back to the trail head together. I'm glad we stopped, because my knee was (and still is) hurting, but not so much that I couldn't walk. I did some research online about the specific pain I have and how it hurts the most when I walk down stairs, and the obvious answer online was my Iliotibial band. The good news, it's easily treatable with rest and ice, so I'm going to try one last short run before the end of the month and take it very easy in the running department during the next week.
Ughhh.. If it's not one thing (shoulder), it's another thing (knee). Looks like I will be logging a lot of time on the stationary bike in the near future with both running and swimming as alternate exercise options. That's the only form of exercise that doesn't seem to eat my body alive.
Total distance: 5 miles running
Thursday, February 23, 2012
My wife rocks!
After today's workout, I got home and like I usually do, I went straight to the freezer for some ice so I could take care of my shoulder. Lately, after I finish icing my arm upstairs while I read, I take the shoulder pack off and leave it on the dresser. But every day, when I get home from the gym, there is my ice pack, sitting by the sink, emptied and ready to use again.
Jen always does this, knowing full well I will be using it again the next day and it's the little stuff like this that makes me really appreciate her and how much she supports my goals, as annoying as they may be. I know it's lazy of me to leave it upstairs everyday, and I don't expect her to take care of it, but somehow, every day it still pleasantly surprises me to see it sitting there waiting for me by the sink.
Anyway, today I went to the gym with no specific workout in mind. I hopped on the bike and rode for about 20 minutes while I watched people swim laps. The pool looked so inviting, like it always does, and I couldn't help myself. Although I swam yesterday, and I promised not to push my shoulder back into action too fast, it felt great and didn't give me any problems after yesterday's swim.
Here's what I did.
Warm up
100 free
Core
10 X 100 free brisk, with calisthenics (push ups, crunches) on the deck between sets
Cool down
100 breast
I didn't do a ton of yards and considered everything today as bonus. So far, I'm very happy with how the week is going in the exercise department. I plan on doing a long bike ride tomorrow, resting Saturday and then going for a monster run with Kelly on Sunday, assuming my knees hold up.
Total distance: 6 miles cycling, 1,200 yards swimming
 |
| My ice pack, waiting for me by the sink, ready to use. Thanks, Jen! |
Anyway, today I went to the gym with no specific workout in mind. I hopped on the bike and rode for about 20 minutes while I watched people swim laps. The pool looked so inviting, like it always does, and I couldn't help myself. Although I swam yesterday, and I promised not to push my shoulder back into action too fast, it felt great and didn't give me any problems after yesterday's swim.
Here's what I did.
Warm up
100 free
Core
10 X 100 free brisk, with calisthenics (push ups, crunches) on the deck between sets
Cool down
100 breast
I didn't do a ton of yards and considered everything today as bonus. So far, I'm very happy with how the week is going in the exercise department. I plan on doing a long bike ride tomorrow, resting Saturday and then going for a monster run with Kelly on Sunday, assuming my knees hold up.
Total distance: 6 miles cycling, 1,200 yards swimming
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
February swim Round 3
With a recent bout of knee pain from my run on Monday, my mind was off my shoulder and I was glad to get in the water today for my weekly swim. As usual, I did some cycling first, so I could get a complete cardiovascular workout and then I hobbled down the stairs to the pool. Here's today's swim.
Warm up
100 free
Core
5 X 300 alternating 100 free, 50 breast (30 seconds rest between sets)
50 fly (Barely managed it. Haha)
Cool down
100 breast
So far, my injury hasn't been hurting during my swims, but I'm still having a difficult time, because I'm simply out of shape. Missing so much time in the pool has set me back to square one and teaching myself to bilateral breath when I swim has been a challenge. I seriously saps my energy twice as fast compared to the way I used to swim. I used to be able to go thousands of yards without stopping and now I am gassed after 100 yards of bilateral breathing. And I still have to start incorporating flip turns. Ugh...
After one more session of doing my sets with legs of 100 free, I'm going to try doing 150 free followed by the 50 breast for a few weeks and then slowly increase the legs. The same goes for the number of swims I'm doing. For February it was once a week and for March it will be twice a week. I'd like to be back to my normal three times per week by April. Hopefully, I can get myself back into good enough swim-shape to be ready for the GSL one-miler in June.
Total distance: 13.2 miles cycling, 1,750 yards swimming
 |
| My two best friends for short swims |
100 free
Core
5 X 300 alternating 100 free, 50 breast (30 seconds rest between sets)
50 fly (Barely managed it. Haha)
Cool down
100 breast
So far, my injury hasn't been hurting during my swims, but I'm still having a difficult time, because I'm simply out of shape. Missing so much time in the pool has set me back to square one and teaching myself to bilateral breath when I swim has been a challenge. I seriously saps my energy twice as fast compared to the way I used to swim. I used to be able to go thousands of yards without stopping and now I am gassed after 100 yards of bilateral breathing. And I still have to start incorporating flip turns. Ugh...
After one more session of doing my sets with legs of 100 free, I'm going to try doing 150 free followed by the 50 breast for a few weeks and then slowly increase the legs. The same goes for the number of swims I'm doing. For February it was once a week and for March it will be twice a week. I'd like to be back to my normal three times per week by April. Hopefully, I can get myself back into good enough swim-shape to be ready for the GSL one-miler in June.
Total distance: 13.2 miles cycling, 1,750 yards swimming
Monday, February 20, 2012
Another long run outdoors
After having a sub par workout week last week (other than my 8-mile run), I wanted to get a strong start this week. My friend Wes and his wife Dani joined me for a run at the Ogden River Parkway. I didn't have any lofty goals other than I want to run 10 miles this week. I also want to cycle 45 miles and swim one.
Wes has always been a fast runner, ever since high school when he ran track, so I knew I wasn't going to outpace him. However, not long after I reached my first turnaround point at Mile Marker 2, Wes stopped to walk with Dani and his dog. I suspect he stopped to keep her company and make her not feel so 'left in the dust.'
After I returned to the start of the trail (4 miles), I was still feeling good, took a swig of water and turned around. I hid my water bottle behind a pavilion this time so nobody would throw it away again. Wes, Dani and I crossed paths again and I told him I was only planning to go back to Mile Marker 1 and turn back around. When I reached it, I felt like I could keep going, but I suspected the two of them didn't want to wait on me, so I flipped around and finished the day with six miles in 1:00.12. It wasn't the long run I did last week, but it was a good start to this week's goal. I think they liked the parkway as much as I do and we are going to go back again on Wednesday.
Total distance: 6 miles running
 |
| A small part of the Ogden River Parkway |
After I returned to the start of the trail (4 miles), I was still feeling good, took a swig of water and turned around. I hid my water bottle behind a pavilion this time so nobody would throw it away again. Wes, Dani and I crossed paths again and I told him I was only planning to go back to Mile Marker 1 and turn back around. When I reached it, I felt like I could keep going, but I suspected the two of them didn't want to wait on me, so I flipped around and finished the day with six miles in 1:00.12. It wasn't the long run I did last week, but it was a good start to this week's goal. I think they liked the parkway as much as I do and we are going to go back again on Wednesday.
Total distance: 6 miles running
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
February swim Round 2
I returned to the pool today for my weekly swim. I warmed up with 30 minutes on the bike, and was feeling confident. With an energy gel pack and some ibuprofen in me, I was certain I'd be able to put together a short swim with little or no pain.
Last week I did two sets of 500 yards, alternating from freestyle to breaststroke every 50 yards. I wanted to swim a little more today, but not too much. Here's what I did.
Warm up:
100 free
Core:
4 X 300 (alternating 100 free and 50 breast)
Cool down:
100 breast
Not a ton of yardage, but I don't want to press my luck. My shoulder ached every day after last week's swim, but I felt good in the water today. The bilateral breathing still feels somewhat foreign to me, and it definitely is more challenging, but so far, I haven't slacked off on a single length of freestyle. I'm not so sure I'll fare as well once I start doing long distances with it. I think I'll stick to one swim per week for the remainder of the month and then jump up to twice-weekly in March.
Total distance: 1,400 yards swimming, 9 miles cycling
Last week I did two sets of 500 yards, alternating from freestyle to breaststroke every 50 yards. I wanted to swim a little more today, but not too much. Here's what I did.
Warm up:
100 free
Core:
4 X 300 (alternating 100 free and 50 breast)
Cool down:
100 breast
Not a ton of yardage, but I don't want to press my luck. My shoulder ached every day after last week's swim, but I felt good in the water today. The bilateral breathing still feels somewhat foreign to me, and it definitely is more challenging, but so far, I haven't slacked off on a single length of freestyle. I'm not so sure I'll fare as well once I start doing long distances with it. I think I'll stick to one swim per week for the remainder of the month and then jump up to twice-weekly in March.
Total distance: 1,400 yards swimming, 9 miles cycling
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
My bad: Forgot to post
I forgot to post about my workout yesterday, but it was nothing out of the ordinary. I rode the stationary bike for an hour before doing some weight lifting and strength training on my bum shoulder. It's been sore ever since my swim last Monday and I hope to get back in the pool for a swim tomorrow. I think once a week is all my shoulder can take right now.
No exercise today, though. Maybe I'll bust out the yoga DVD when I get home from work.
Total distance: 18 miles cycling
No exercise today, though. Maybe I'll bust out the yoga DVD when I get home from work.
Total distance: 18 miles cycling
Friday, February 10, 2012
New personal best at Ogden River Parkway
Today, Kelly and I planned on doing a long run at the Ogden River Parkway. He's still training hard for the Ogden Marathon, while I've been slacking off with no running events in the near future. The Salt Lake Marathon likely isn't happening and I haven't been lucky enough to win an entry to the Ogden Half during the weekly 'Love for Locals' drawings.
Anyway, I decided running with him would help me get my ass in gear and boy did it work. He went for a new personal-best 10 miles and I just wanted to see how far I could go. Kelly ran a half before, but an injury kept him from running the entire thing, so this was his new non-stop running best. The parkway is nice because it has markers every half-mile, although sometimes its hard to enjoy the scenery, because if you aren't watching your feet you are liable to step in dog shit. That stuff was everywhere on the trail.
Once I hit mile-marker two, I decided to turn around, just in case I got too far out and couldn't pull off the long run back. Once I got back to the start, I took a swig of my water bottle and went back out again. I was pretty tired, but once I hit the fifth mile I kind of got over the hump. I decided I had it in me to run back to mile-marker two and go for an 8-mile run (my previous high was 6.25 miles). Kelly and I crossed paths on his way back to the start, because he went all the way out to mile three before his first turnaround. We met again about a half-mile after I hit mile-marker two and I gutted it out to the finish.
However, once I returned, my bottle of water was gone. At first I thought it was stolen, but then I had a suspicion someone saw it and thought it was left there as 'litter' and threw it awy. Sure enough, when I looked in the trash can a few hundred yards up the trail, there it was. Blast! Kelly came trotting in with his dog Luigi about 15 minutes after, pulling off his 10-mile run. Man that guy is a strong runner. He makes it look pretty easy although he admitted he was pretty gassed, too. We refueled with some Quizno's after some light stretching and celebrated our milestones.
Total distance: 8 miles running
 |
| I kind of felt like this after my run, until I discovered someone mistaked my water bottle for garbage and threw it away. |
Once I hit mile-marker two, I decided to turn around, just in case I got too far out and couldn't pull off the long run back. Once I got back to the start, I took a swig of my water bottle and went back out again. I was pretty tired, but once I hit the fifth mile I kind of got over the hump. I decided I had it in me to run back to mile-marker two and go for an 8-mile run (my previous high was 6.25 miles). Kelly and I crossed paths on his way back to the start, because he went all the way out to mile three before his first turnaround. We met again about a half-mile after I hit mile-marker two and I gutted it out to the finish.
However, once I returned, my bottle of water was gone. At first I thought it was stolen, but then I had a suspicion someone saw it and thought it was left there as 'litter' and threw it awy. Sure enough, when I looked in the trash can a few hundred yards up the trail, there it was. Blast! Kelly came trotting in with his dog Luigi about 15 minutes after, pulling off his 10-mile run. Man that guy is a strong runner. He makes it look pretty easy although he admitted he was pretty gassed, too. We refueled with some Quizno's after some light stretching and celebrated our milestones.
Total distance: 8 miles running
Monday, February 6, 2012
First day back in the pool
Today was the moment of truth. Although I don't see my doctor until tomorrow, today marked four weeks since I stopped swimming in order to let my shoulder heal. I was so excited to get back in the water, I honestly couldn't sleep last night. I tossed and turned in anticipation.
When I got to the gym, first, I ran 1.5 miles just to get my blood pumping. I followed it with a 20-minute ride on the stationary bike. I wanted to do these before swimming, just in case my shoulder wasn't ready and couldn't handle it. I wanted to be sure I got at least some exercise.
Once in the pool, I wanted to take it nice and easy, just to gauge where my shoulder and my stamina are at. Here's what I did.
Warm up
100 free easy
Core
2x500 free (alternating free and breast every 50)
Cool down
100 breast
During my warm up, I could feel a twinge of pain every time I pulled with my left arm. Immediately, my worst fears were realized. Before, there was minimal pain during swimming and it usually came later in the day. But this time it hurt like hell during my warm up. However, after some deep stretching, it felt loads better. Perhaps my rotator cuff wasn't used to the crawling motion of freestyle when I warmed up and it wasn't quite used to it. I've been extra careful not to use my arm in that motion and I think it just needed a minute to adjust.
My core workout was simple and I'm not too worried about yardage yet. Just to be sure I wasn't overdoing it with the continuous motion of freestyle, I did two sets of 500 alternating freestyle and breaststroke every 50 yards. My shoulder didn't hurt at all. I was a bit gassed and I'm still not very accustomed to bilateral breathing, but I did it during all of my freestyle yards. I cooled down with a slow 100 breast.
It's been about four hours since my workout and so far, my shoulder isn't aching. I feel a tiny bit of discomfort every now and again, but overall, I'm pleased with the result. I iced it once right when I got home and I'll do it again tonight. I'm in high spirits about it now, but maybe I'll be singing a different tune tomorrow.
Total distance: 1,200 yards swimming, 1.5 miles running, 5 miles cycling
When I got to the gym, first, I ran 1.5 miles just to get my blood pumping. I followed it with a 20-minute ride on the stationary bike. I wanted to do these before swimming, just in case my shoulder wasn't ready and couldn't handle it. I wanted to be sure I got at least some exercise.
Once in the pool, I wanted to take it nice and easy, just to gauge where my shoulder and my stamina are at. Here's what I did.
Warm up
100 free easy
Core
2x500 free (alternating free and breast every 50)
Cool down
100 breast
During my warm up, I could feel a twinge of pain every time I pulled with my left arm. Immediately, my worst fears were realized. Before, there was minimal pain during swimming and it usually came later in the day. But this time it hurt like hell during my warm up. However, after some deep stretching, it felt loads better. Perhaps my rotator cuff wasn't used to the crawling motion of freestyle when I warmed up and it wasn't quite used to it. I've been extra careful not to use my arm in that motion and I think it just needed a minute to adjust.
My core workout was simple and I'm not too worried about yardage yet. Just to be sure I wasn't overdoing it with the continuous motion of freestyle, I did two sets of 500 alternating freestyle and breaststroke every 50 yards. My shoulder didn't hurt at all. I was a bit gassed and I'm still not very accustomed to bilateral breathing, but I did it during all of my freestyle yards. I cooled down with a slow 100 breast.
It's been about four hours since my workout and so far, my shoulder isn't aching. I feel a tiny bit of discomfort every now and again, but overall, I'm pleased with the result. I iced it once right when I got home and I'll do it again tonight. I'm in high spirits about it now, but maybe I'll be singing a different tune tomorrow.
Total distance: 1,200 yards swimming, 1.5 miles running, 5 miles cycling
Friday, February 3, 2012
Yoga on off days?
So Kelly let me borrow his Rodney Yee power yoga boxed set on Thursday. I didn't work out that day, but that morning I tried out the 25-minute 'power yoga' for beginners DVD. I really enjoyed it. It wasn't as challenging as I had hoped it would be, although there were two poses in particular I couldn't do, but I'm sure the longer DVDs are much harder. Still, they were very relaxing and I think I'm going to try doing them several times a week, perhaps on days I don't go to the gym. I'm going to try the 25-minute one again Saturday morning, before Jen and I paint our bedroom.
Anyway, today I wanted to run outside, but by the time I stepped out onto my front porch the wind was howling pretty bad, so I took it to the Roy Rec Center instead. I warmed up with 20 minutes on the bike before seeing what I could muster on the little track. I did 4.5 miles before I was starting to feel a bit light-headed. Having not eaten anything yet, I decided to call it a day and went home to grab a bite to eat.
P.S. I can't emphasize enough, how excited I am to try swimming again on Monday.
Total distance: 5.6 miles cycling, 4.5 miles running
P.S. I can't emphasize enough, how excited I am to try swimming again on Monday.
Total distance: 5.6 miles cycling, 4.5 miles running
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Playing Sherlock and a new cycling best
Today was a great day for two reasons. The first, I think I may have found the reason my shoulder isn't healing as fast as I'd like. The second, I hit a new personal-best on the bike today.
The shoulder: Two days ago, Jen and I bought a new bed. We've been kind of waiting for our tax return to do it, but now that we have the dough, we bought it. It's an upgrade from a full size to a queen and during the past four months or so, I've been sleeping on the floor because it's too crowded with Jen, myself and two dogs. I genuinely sleep better on the floor. However, I'm just now realizing that my shoulder pain almost exactly overlaps the time frame where I've been sleeping on the floor. Being a side sleeper, it makes sense that it could be the reason my shoulder isn't healing right. The inner Sherlock Holmes in me failed to put two-and-two together.
I know it's only been two days on the new bed, but I haven't had even a wince of pain in those two days. I'm going back to have my yearly check up with the doctor next week, so I'll double check to see if that's a possibility. Here's hoping.
The bike: Today, I woke up determined to push myself hard during my workout. I had to wait a few minutes for my favorite bike to get freed up, but I took that time to stretch and warm up on the indoor track. Once I got on, my goal was to beat my previous best distance of 17.5 miles in an hour. I set it for my normal pace (level 8), but this time, every 15 minutes I'd increase it to level 9 for 2 1/2 minutes, then level 10 for another 2 1/2 minutes. Then, I'd drop it down to level 8 again. I did that for three increments of 20 minutes and I think that extra 15 minutes of higher levels did the job, because I managed 17.65 miles before doing a two-minute cool down.
By the end, I was sweating particularly bad, so I knew I didn't slack off. I followed it up with some shoulder work with dumbbells and sat in the sauna for about 15 minutes and did some nice deep stretching. My stupid nose started bleeding in the shower, though. I probably should have hydrated better.
Total distance: 18 miles cycling
The shoulder: Two days ago, Jen and I bought a new bed. We've been kind of waiting for our tax return to do it, but now that we have the dough, we bought it. It's an upgrade from a full size to a queen and during the past four months or so, I've been sleeping on the floor because it's too crowded with Jen, myself and two dogs. I genuinely sleep better on the floor. However, I'm just now realizing that my shoulder pain almost exactly overlaps the time frame where I've been sleeping on the floor. Being a side sleeper, it makes sense that it could be the reason my shoulder isn't healing right. The inner Sherlock Holmes in me failed to put two-and-two together.
 |
| The new bed. Now it's time to paint the bedroom. |
The bike: Today, I woke up determined to push myself hard during my workout. I had to wait a few minutes for my favorite bike to get freed up, but I took that time to stretch and warm up on the indoor track. Once I got on, my goal was to beat my previous best distance of 17.5 miles in an hour. I set it for my normal pace (level 8), but this time, every 15 minutes I'd increase it to level 9 for 2 1/2 minutes, then level 10 for another 2 1/2 minutes. Then, I'd drop it down to level 8 again. I did that for three increments of 20 minutes and I think that extra 15 minutes of higher levels did the job, because I managed 17.65 miles before doing a two-minute cool down.
 |
| Did a hair over 18 miles if you include my cool down. |
Total distance: 18 miles cycling
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)