Half way to the Half

I'm officially half way through my half marathon training. I pulled off an 8-mile run on Saturday, which is tied for the longest I've ever done on foot. Jessica met me at the Weber River Parkway in Riverdale and we went for it.

The sweet bottle-opener medals
for the half. I'm excited to earn one.

The last time I ran eight miles was more than two years ago -- the first time I attempted to train for a half marathon -- and it ended badly. That day was when my knee pain first arrived, so naturally, I was nervous about Saturday's run. However, I managed the whole thing without too much discomfort. Some pain arrived in the final half-mile or so, but I'm feeling good in the immediate days after, which is a good sign. Running with Jessica was also nice, as we are very closely matched as far as pace and distance goes.

This week's "long" run is only five miles, so that will give me a nice recovery before jumping up to nine miles next week. Also, this semester's swim class begins tomorrow, so I'll be more vigilant about doing my cross training like I'm supposed to.

Anyway, there's not a ton of new stuff to report other than that. I did hit the 500-mile mark last week, which certainly is an accomplishment when stacked on top of the swimming and cycling mileage I've covered since starting this blog.

Weekly total distance: 13 miles running

Half Marathon Training: Week 2 Report

Last night, Jen gave me the biggest confidence boost I've heard in many years. I was changing after getting out of the shower, and while feeding Cooper on the other side of the room, she said, "Matt, I can see your abs right now." Although I certainly don't have defined abs or a six pack, her unsolicited compliment really lifted my spirits. I guess over time, you may eventually see a small measure of results if you stick to your training and diet.

Jen stroked my ego, complimenting my abs. This is probably what they really look like.

Anyway, I'm more than two weeks into my half marathon training plan, and all is going according to schedule, so far. I haven't missed a single workout and my times continue to improve. For example, in Week 1, I ran a 2-mile speed interval in 18:45. Today (Week 3), I ran it in 17:33. I pulled off my first 5-mile run in 53:54, and on Saturday, I clocked my second one in 50:30.

Swim class ended last week, so for the next two weeks -- until the next swim class begins -- I'm going to have to find an alternate cross training method. It shouldn't be an issue, as there are all sorts of things I can do.

I officially registered for the Huntsville Half Marathon today, so there is no backing out at this point. Even if the knee pain re-emerges, I'll have no choice but to at least walk the entire race. But so far, my knee his holding up OK, although I haven't logged any serious (6-to-11-mile) runs yet. Saturday will be the next test at six miles.

Weekly total distance: 10 miles running, 1,500 yards swimming

New kicks and new training plan

Last week, I officially started my half marathon training. Jen bought me a new pair of running shoes for my birthday, which I badly needed. We went to Striders in Layton and got my feet, positioning and running style checked out, as they fitted me with a pair of shoes that fit me best. Hopefully, that will limit the knee pain I've been plagued with during long runs this past year.

My new kicks. Probably the most money I've spent on a pair of shoes since I was in high school.

I mapped out a nine-week training plan, that involves five workouts per week leading up to race day. I will do two shorter runs (3-5 miler, 2-3 mile speed run) and a long run (starting at 5 miles, working up to 11) on Saturdays. Two days a week will be devoted to swimming and two days are for rest. I think stretching and using my foam roller regularly will be key to not injuring myself in training. That's what I did last time I attempted to train for a half, as I was running too much, too fast. This will be a gradual increase and not actually reaching the full 13-mile run until race day itself.

Anyway, I started training while on a work trip in Boston and tested out the new shoes on the treadmill in the hotel gym. I wanted to go out and about and run around the city, but I was instructed not to run outside in the shoes until I tested them out, or else I wouldn't be able to return/swap them out for different ones. Everywhere I went, people were constantly running up and down the sidewalk streets and through the parks. Running seems to be a big "thing" in Boston, which I suppose makes sense, considering the most popular marathon in the world is held there every year.

I knocked out the first "long" run on Saturday with five miles at Planet Fitness, and the shoes passed with flying colors. My knee was a little bit uncomfortable toward the end, but not painful.

Total distance (for the week): 10 miles running, 1,100 yards swimming

200th Blog Post!

Although I've been backing off with daily updates of mundane workouts, today marks my 200th blog post since starting "Swimming Upstream" in October 2011. It really has been a fun way to keep track of my progress (and regression) throughout the years, even if it comes at the cost of annoying my friends and family on Facebook every time I share a link to a post. To that end, I'm sure I have been "unfollowed" on many people's social media feeds. Oh well ... I use it as an accountability tool. I don't really expect people to read through my musings about my personal health. It's incredibly narcissistic and kind of weird, I know.

A fist pump for 200 blog posts!

Anyway, today was another day of swim class and another day of me sucking wind. Since Cooper was born about six weeks ago, my diet has completely fallen apart and my exercise has mostly been limited to my twice-weekly swim classes. That has resulted in me gaining back 7 of the 12 pounds I lost during my 12-week diet and decreased stamina in the pool. I need to get back on the wagon soon, as the Huntsville Half Marathon is sneaking up on me and I have to take training seriously. At the same time, I need to continue working with the Weber State Masters team to prepare for the SDRC Meet in November.

Jen will get the OK for exercise from the doctor any day now, so we are excited to start setting new goals together and help each other out with our eating habits. It's so much easier when you and your spouse are on the same (or similar) page.

Total distance: 700 yards swimming (butterfly day)

New swim bag

On Sunday I got an unexpected treat. Jen's parents bought me a new swim bag for my birthday and I got to use it for the first time, today. It came just in time as my old one was falling apart at the seams, the zippers were broken, and it was an all-around piece of crap. This new one is actually geared for swimmers, rather than a cheap generic gym bag.

It's the AquaSphere Wet/Dry Swimming Duffel and it has two sides. One is for dry clothes and the other is for wet items. Having that waterproof barrier is fantastic and the "wet" side (wet and dry are labeled on each side) even has a small vent in the bottom of the bag, so the items won't necessarily stay wet and get all stinky inside of the pocket. Within the wet side is a smaller pouch for goggles and other small swim items. The bag is super roomy and I don't even have enough stuff to fill it out, so as I accumulate more swim gear, I will still have extra room.

It opens up much larger than this image show, but you can see the smaller pocket for goggles and what-not within.

Nifty little vent in the bottom corners of the "wet" side.

I took it with me to class today, and could barely fit it in the locker as it was so big. I guess that's a good problem to have. As far as my swim goes, we worked on unconventional strokes, which I'm not a big fan of. Combining dolphin kick with breaststroke pull and whip kick with backstroke pull isn't my idea of a good workout. I can see the merit in mixing it up in order to work on my timing and coordination between my kicks and pulls, but in the end, I just wasn't feeling it. Hopefully, Thursday's class will be better.

Total distance: 500 yards swimming

Weber State Masters

Today I did my first swim with the Weber State Masters team. I plan on joining their team in the fall, but for the remainder of the summer, I'm going to stick with my swim class workouts.

I let my U.S. Masters Swimming membership expire this year and I was previously registered as "unattached," being that I wasn't affiliated with any particular team. Josh, Chad, Gords and Goody have since started the Salt Lake Open Water team (ironically dubbed SLOW), and in years past I would have definitely been a member with that squad. However, since I now work for Weber State, I swim there regularly and I'm not doing much open water training in the near future, I figured the most appropriate option would be to join the new masters club at my alma mater. I'm excited to train with them regularly and compete in the South Davis Recreation Center meet in November, which I missed out on last year.

Anyway, here is the swim I logged with them this morning.

Warm up
3 x 100 freestyle
2 x 100 your choice (breast)

Main set
6 x 100 freestyle (50 drill, 50 sprint)
1 x 400 IM kick (w/fins)
5 x 100 choice sprint (rest :30)

Cooldown
2 x 200 your choice (free then breast)

Total distance: 2,400 yards swimming

Jen's ultimate endurance feat

Sorry it's been a while since my last post. A couple of weeks ago (June 8 to be exact), Jen and I finally welcomed our first child. Poor Jen labored for over 17 hours before our son -- who we named Cooper -- arrived during a beautiful Saturday afternoon. I'll tell you what, the endurance Jen exhibited during the labor process trumps any marathon swim I've ever seen, and I know some hardcore open water swimmers. My apologies to Gords, Josh and Goody.

Jen's 17-hour labor process made my Bear Lake crossing look like a stroll in the park.

We had a bit of a scare when Cooper was delivered, as the umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck and he came out of the womb completely lifeless. Jen and I watched helplessly as the emergency unit at McKay Dee Hospital revived him on the table a few feet away. They were true pros and had him up and running withing a minute, but it felt like a lifetime. It was probably the most traumatic thing I've ever experienced. Although I briefly considered trying to talk Jen into doing an at-home birth (my hippie granola side), I'm so glad we didn't. After Cooper's birth, I can't imagine not delivering in a hospital as he wouldn't have made it if we weren't in such close proximity of doctors. Despite my massive distrust of doctors and the healthcare system as a whole, when it comes to my child's life, it truly isn't worth the risk, regardless of the benefits of being in your own home.

Cooper has long limbs, and gigantic hands and feat. Already a swimmer in the making. I'm so excited to get him into the water with me.

We spent the weekend in the hospital and I lived off a diet of greasy cafe food. It was tasty, but it took a toll on my body. I literally felt sluggish and gross after eating cheese fries and bacon burgers. Our families brought us dinner every night for a week and I didn't exercise once. It was incredibly generous of them and we are so lucky to have such a wonderful support system, but this week, I'm glad to be back into a routine of preparing my own meals (for the most part).

Anyway, swim class was good this week. I worked on my breaststroke a lot, which is by-far my worst of the four strokes. Already, I feel like I've taken massive strides and I'm moving through the water much faster. I'm still not piling up a ton of yards, but paying special attention to my technique is paying dividends.