Disney Training - Week 14

This was an excellent recovery and building week for me. Despite my late injuries, I focused on getting some strength sessions in, as well as being consistent with stretching. In addition I got in a swim for some cross training as well. I felt 100% for my Sunday run!

Swimming
I was able to get in a nice thirty minute swim. It actually felt amazing to get back in the water. Although my pace was slow, it did wonders to help loosen me up from my prior day's strength session.

Cycling
I had tried adding a cycling session in after my one strength session, but my back was not having it. So, I hopped off my bike after five minutes and called it a day. Smartest move I could have made. I felt much better the following day.

Running
I was able to get in my "long" run on Sunday. This basically is taper time anyway. After consulting multiple sports medicine and PT's, I decided to not run with my orthotics. It turned out this was the right move. I had no issue during my run, and I felt fine after, as well as the following day.

Strength
I got in two strength sessions. They focused on all of my weak areas. It was amazing how weak my muscles have gotten, but it was good to catch this now and I will keep on working at improving this. This will be imperative for my Ironman training.

Nutrition
I didn't do too well with nutrition, but I also didn't really gain much weight either. For now I am pretty much maintaining, which is something I will focus on changing after Disney.

Final Thoughts
As I completed this week I felt really optimistic about Disney. I am definitely ready and can't wait!

Disney Training - Week 13

This was an awful week. I wasn't feeling well, had lots going on at work, was exhausted almost all of the time, and when I finally ran, I somehow hurt my back. Not to worry though, I have a plan to ensure I will still be 100% for Disney.

Swimming
No sessions this week.

Cycling
No sessions this week, although I really wanted to. No idea what is my mental hurdle on this one. My trainer is all set up, my iPad and TrainerRoad are set up and work. I have done successful rides before. And to top it off, I have the TV mounted now with Apple TV hooked up, so now I can watch stuff while I ride. I need to get over myself and just ride!

Running
As I noted, I got in only a single run this week. It was supposed to be my last long week, but sadly next week will need to be my final long week. I did an easy 10-mile treadmill run, but had to cut it short at 7 miles because I was feeling horrible. My back really flared up after I got home and I was having trouble walking the following day. Even as I write this I am still in immense amount of pain. My theory right now is that since I corrected my running form, having a super high-arch orthotic that is extra stiff is causing more impact than is necessary since I don't have the roll-and-collapse that I used to have; I am not mid-foot yet, but have minimal heel striking now. To further this theory, the last time I ran my longest distance I had actually forgotten to put my orthotics into my shoes, and I felt fine and recovered quickly.

So, once my back is better, I am going to try running without my orthotics and see how I feel. I am pretty confident this will do the trick. Plus not having the orthotic in really makes me pay more attention to good form.

Strength Training
I got in some of my stretching, which helped, but not as much as I should have, plus I skipped all of my strength sessions. After reading up a lot, I think my initial strength plan was too generic and not good enough for what I need for Ironman training. Therefore, I just came up with a new strength plan I am going to try and execute starting tonight. I'll post the details later, as I am still finalizing it.

Nutrition
I snacked this past week like there was no tomorrow. Somehow I only gained half a pound. I think this is due to me having inconsistent meals (or missing meals completely). Definitely not a healthy trend, which I started correcting over the weekend.

Final Thoughts
This upcoming week is going to be really telling as to how well my body is going to hold up at Disney. I really hope I can get over whatever mental blocks have been keeping me from my usual motivation and I can get my workouts done. I know my mind and body will feel much better if I succeed. Wish me luck!

Disney Training - Week 11 and 12

With our other cat going through all of these medical issues with his kidney and us trying to keep him stable for surgery, I fell victim again to there just being no time for much of anything, as I was not around much. It will be like this for another week, but I will keep trying to get my long runs and other supporting runs in as much as possible. The end is in sight for training though, and even though it has not been to my liking, or very consistent or successful in regards to my goals, I know I am ready for the first three races with no problem, and I know I'll be able to complete the marathon without injury.

Swimming
Like the last two weeks, I had no time for swimming.

Cycling
Like the last two weeks, I had no time for cycling.

Running
Week 11 was not a good running week at all. Plus with no strength training, stretching, or cross training, my 5-mile run was a lot tougher than it should have been. In addition, I did my 20-mile long run, which was extremely difficult to complete. I was able to walk around after the run and my legs seemed to bounce back better than expected, but during the run was another story. I hit the wall around mile 16, and I struggled a lot until 20. However, with adding some walk breaks, I know completing 26.2 will be no problem.

Week 12 was another horrible week for running consistency. In addition, I ended up having some serious DOMS from my 20-miler because I never did enough proper follow-up stretching or cross training. I know, this is a recurring theme. Anyway, I got in a 4-mile treadmill run, which again felt tougher than it should have. I also didn't get my long run in, but at least managed to get in my 10-miler on Sunday. However, I should have stretched more before, but I was treadmill running at LA Fitness and was on a time crunch for their closing time. So, around mile 6 my back tightened up and I had trouble the rest of the time. As I write this up today, my back is killing me. However, I will NOT be missing my daily stretches. In addition, I will be adding core work to my daily routine, which I'll cover in the strength session below.

Strength
As I mentioned, I didn't get in my stretching or any other strength training. However, I have a plan going forward to help out with my back and legs. Starting Monday, I will be doing my usually daily stretches, plus I will be adding planks, push-ups, superman, bird dogs, and clam shells. I want to add pull-ups, but I cannot do them during breaks at work, so I'll be sticking with something I know I can accomplish during the short breaks I get.

Nutrition
Overall, I am still doing well with weight loss, despite not always eating some of the healthiest snacks. I did have an issue during week 12 though where I ran out of my usual snacks and found myself visiting the vending machine at work a lot, which did not help at all. I made sure to get out and get my snacks, so that won't happen again.

Final Thoughts
As I mentioned, I am not happy with how training has gone or progressed, but I content in knowing I will be able to complete all four races and that I will have a great base for running when I start my Ironman training 2 weeks after the races. Plus with my cat coming home in a week, I'll be able to have a lot more time to focus on my workouts.

Disney Training - Week 9 and 10

Week 9 was a rough week. My ankle and foot have been acting up, so I had to take some extra rest days. However, I was able to complete my 18-mile long run, which was a really great accomplishment. As usual, I had no time to fit in strength and cross training like I need, which isn't helping my recovery. Week 10 was even worse. Now another one of my cats just got diagnosed with kidney failure, and we spend most of the week at the vet hospital. I at least got two moderate distance runs back-to-back days for the weekend. Although my foot and ankle feel fine now, my legs are extremely sore because I need new shoes. Hopefully they arrive before my next long run, but probably not.

Swimming
I didn't get any swims in.

Cycling
I didn't get any rides in.

Running
Week 9 was plagued with ankle and foot issues. As I noted, I was feeling better towards the end of the week and was able to get in my 18-mile long run. It was pretty tough and I was extremely exhausted afterwards, but I still did pretty well. In addition, even with my foot and ankle giving me trouble, I still managed to get in a 7-mile run with a 3 x 1-mile repeats baked in, as well as a 9-mile run with 5-miles at marathon pace.

Week 10 was spent making trips back and forth from our house to the vet hospital. I just wasn't around enough to have any time to run. Fortunately, I got in back-to-back runs on the weekend, which was really great! I did an 8-mile easy run on Saturday, followed by a 14-mile run Sunday. This is one of the first weekends I have successfully gotten back-to-back runs in. My 14-miler was extremely tough, but I felt good overall and was really excited that when I was done, I knew I could have easily pushed out another 4-5 miles with no problem.

Strength
I didn't get any strength sessions in, but I was able to get a handful of stretching sessions done, which did help a lot.

Nutrition
Despite everything going on, I have been doing a lot better at watching what I eat and cutting out excessive snacking. An interesting thing I noticed is that even though my wife and I did a lot of baking and seemed to eat a lot of that stuff, like brownies, pie and pepperoni bread, by cutting out the typical snacking we do I lost some weight. I am not completely sure why, since I know they are higher calories than what we usually snack on. I'll hack to investigate to figure this out.

Final Thoughts
Overall a very rough two weeks and this week is going to be just as bad. I am not ready for Disney, but I have a 20-miler this weekend and if I can survive that, I will be lined up to do another 20 the following weekend. That should have me ready enough to complete the four races. Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Disney Training - Week 7

The week kind of got away from me. More issues with my cat and battling some major issues with my house. I got in three of my five runs though, and finally got my long run in and completed. I was able to get in my stretches most days as well, which was a huge help. As usual, I didn't have time for anything else. Baby steps I guess; need to stay focused on running with Disney approaching quickly.

Swimming
No time this week.

Cycling
No time this week.

Running
As I noted, I completed three out of my five runs. I was able to get a short run, a moderate run, and my long run completed. I was pretty excited because my plan's long run mileage was only a few miles longer than what I completed. So, even though I have missed some weeks and a bunch of long runs, I still have most of my endurance. Granted, my legs were completely shot afterwards and extremely tired the following day (today as I am writing this). So, although I have my endurance, I don't have the strength needed to handle the impact and quicker recovery. I'll have to keep tossing in hills and hopefully some actual strength training to help this out.

Strength
Like the prior week, I got in all of my daily stretches, but no formal strength sessions. I will keep trying to stop coming up with excuses and get these in.

Nutrition
I logged almost none of my meals on MFP. I really need to figure out how to do this without it feeling like a chore. On a good note though, I am eating much better and the Halloween candy is gone. In addition we have Blue Apron three times a week, which has been helping due to the time constraints with everything else going on.

Final Thoughts
Life seems to always toss new challenges and try to get in the way. The key is to tackle things as they come and be able to quickly adjust. This is something I am always trying to work on. I have a good grasp of everything, so I am confident I will continue to see improvements in health, exercise and life in general. Have a great week everyone!

Disney Training - Week 5

Another well-intended week with house stuff getting in the way. I am definitely disappointed with my training, but we got a ton done at the house, and there is definitely a light at the end of the tunnel now. Therefore, I will keep plugging away at house stuff. This upcoming week, however, I have set a schedule to make sure I don't miss any training workouts. I might miss others, but the primary training ones will not be skipped or shifted.

Swimming
I was able to get in one session. I had tried to use a planned workout, but selected the wrong options and although my swim went well, the tracking was messed up. That's a minor detail though, as the main thing is that I actually swam.

Cycling
I had intended to hop on my bike a couple times, but that never happened. I'll keep trying to get more consistent with that. I would hate my current efforts to fade away.

Running
Two out of five runs isn't that great, but it's better than nothing. On a really good note, I felt great on both runs. Granted my treadmill one was rather rough, but there is always so little to no airflow at the gym, so that was expected.

Strength
No formal strength sessions this week. However, I cannot even begin to count the weight I moved up and down over a dozen stair cases. In addition, I lifted countless boxes. I definitely got a good workout, just nothing formal.

Nutrition
I had healthier habits this week. I was able to cut down a lot of the portions. Plus with Blue Apron I have eaten very healthy for a few nights. I still snack way too much, but ever thought I don't have any chips or pretzels.

Final Thoughts
My focus of getting my house finished is still my top priority. I do have a plan in place now so I can get house stuff done and still have time for my scheduled workouts. The real test will be to see if I can get any other workouts in. Here's to a good upcoming week! Cheers!

Disney Training - Week 4

With my foot doing much better, I decided before I got running that I would work on some endurance and continued with my TrainerRoad program. I completed all three TrainerRoad workouts, although one did not go very well. I was pleased to end my week with getting in a run, which I will go into more detail below. I also got in a strength session, as well as a stretch and light cardio session, which really helped me out as well. Overall, an awesome recovery week for my foot that ended with me ready to get back into my Disney training.

Swimming
I didn't get any swimming in, which, as usual, bothers me and I need to improve on this.

Cycling
I got in three TrainerRoad workouts in. I can honestly say I have never been so taxed on riding my trainer before. This has really opened my eyes to structured indoor training and I love it! My Friday session did not go well though. It had nothing to do with the ride, but rather me. I had not slept well the night before and I consumed an insane amount of caffeine that day, which bit me hard for my ride. I was having severe shakes and my heart was going nuts. Therefore, I had to cut my ride short. Sunday went much better. I am not sure I'll be able to get all three sessions in each week, but I hope to get at least two.

Running
My foot was feeling good at the beginning of the week, but I didn't want to risk anything. However, by the weekend I felt 100% so I went out for a run. It was mostly hills and it felt amazing! For the first time in a long time I not only felt good during and after my run, but nothing bothered me; knees, feet, back, or shoulder. I am definitely ready to get back to my Disney training. Although, I will make sure to alter the distance to ease back into it.

Strength
I was able to get in one actual strength session. It was full body strength with a focus on core. It was challenging and I was definitely a bit sore the following two days. This is just further evidence I need to be getting in more strength sessions because I should not have been sore like I was.

Nutrition
I seem to continue to fight the nutrition monster; myself. Things are starting to get a little more normal with the move-in, and we have some Blue Apron meals planned for next week, so I am hoping to get my nutrition a little more on track.

Final Thoughts
A very good week as I mentioned. I know I have said this before, but I really need to get swimming again and must incorporate more strength training. In addition, I think I need to do actual strength workouts, not just HiiT-style full body workouts. I will probably continue with mostly body-weight strength, but it will be a lot more focused on specific muscle groups.

Disney Training - Week 3

Another busy week with moving in and getting situated. It seems I am more prone to injuries now with non-sports related activities. I hurt my other foot to add to the mix. Fortunately, it's nothing major and my other foot is starting to recover now. I finally got my trainer setup, so I got in a couple rides, which were tough but felt really good. I wanted to toss in some strength, but psyched myself out and I just didn't get any done. I will be working hard to get over this mental hurdle this week.

Swimming
I didn't get in any swims, which was really disappointing. Honestly, I was too lazy to drive to the gym to swim. I won't make excuses this week, that's my plan.

Cycling
As I noted, I finally got my trainer setup. I signed up with Trainer Road to have some structured trainer workouts this time around. In prior years, I primarily just rode on my trainer, with no real strategy, other than volume and some slight variability in resistance. Since my primary focus is still running, I'll be starting a cycling plan, but will be focused on building up my legs and building back my endurance. It will be very interesting to do training with power, even if it's estimated power. I have always just done cadence training and never really seen too many gains.

Running
As you know, my foot is still healing, so I am doing no running at all, even though I have just completed week 3 of training and am onto week 4. With how my foot is feeling right now, I expect to be back to some light running by the end Week 4, and back into a modified plan in Week 5. I definitely need to be careful, since I have lost a good amount of conditioning already. My thought right now is I will start Week 5 with a modified version of Week 2, and assuming I am fine from that, Week 6 I will do a faster ramp-up.

Strength
Not only did I not start my NTC strength plan this week, I didn't do any strength training either. I had one session of rehab work, which was just stretching and core. I am pretty disappointed in myself on this one, as I know the key to faster recovery, improvement, and injury prevention is to have my strength up.

Nutrition
Nutrition was a mixed bag this week. In most regards, I did pretty well with making sure I had less snacks and higher quality meals. However, my portion control was still very poor, I didn't log my food even though I set reminders with MFP, and I still snacked more than I should have. However, I am starting to cook more again, which aided in some of my better decisions this week, so I am going to keep focusing on progress.

Final Thoughts
This was definitely not one of my better weeks and I had a lot of excuses. I really don't take injury well and I need to get over that somehow. As usual I have a good plan, but let's hope I can actually stick with it. Good luck to everyone with the endeavors!

Disney Training - Week 1

This last week started my first week of sixteen for my Disney Dopey Challenge training! I cannot properly express how excited I am right now for this race. For anyone not familiar, the Dopey Challenge is 4 back-to-back days of running; 5k, 10k, half marathon, then full marathon. You run through the Disney World parks and there are tons of spectators and characters cheering you on non-stop. Supposedly during the marathon, there is a point you can hop on a roller coaster during the race. If this is true, I will definitely be taking advantage of this! In typical fashion, I'll be displaying my training in the same format I always do, but my focus will be on running.

Swimming
I had the Rock 'n Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon the prior weekend, so I decided I would hop in the pool Monday to get the blood flowing and loosen up. This worked out really well, as the rest of my week for running went really well. I will probably be pushing to swim every Monday. If possible, I will be shooting for Fridays as well, since that is my other running "rest" day.

Cycling
I had the City to Shore Bike MS 45-miler on Saturday. I really wanted to get in my run as well, but my legs were pretty tired from that ride. I am not sure how much riding I will be doing over the next few months. My plan is to get my trainer set up once I am fully moved into my new house. Then I'll shoot for 1-2 trainer rides per week as some cross training.

Running
I had five runs scheduled this week. I completed four of them, with the fifth not being completed because of my bike ride. Although my body was still a bit tired from my half marathon, I still felt alright completing all of my runs. The only issue I had is that my pace was definitely a lot slower than I would have liked. Hopefully I can get in some more sleep, an extra swim, and some strength training to help loosen, strengthen, and speed up recovery.

Strength
I didn't get any strength sessions in. I am still working on figuring out where to put them into the schedule. I will definitely be doing 2 sessions per week though, since the last time I did endurance training and skipped strength, I got some serious injuries.

Nutrition
I was able to find the time to log all of my food five out of the seven days. Overall, I ate alright, but still lots of room for improvement and I need to get myself off of the mindless snacking. Even though I try and keep stuff out of the house, I find myself grabbing a bag of chips or cookies when I am at the food market without even noticing until I home again. I will keep working on this, as well as logging my food. I need to set reminders with MFP so I log at the end of every day.

Final Thoughts
Overall, a really solid first week of training. I just hope my body keeps the quick recovery pace so I can keep getting in all of these runs each week. Hope your training efforts are going well!

Rock 'n Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon 2017

It's kind of nostalgic that the first race I run after more than two years due to injury, would be the Rock 'n Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon. My first half marathon I ever ran was this race. And aside from the last 2 years, I have run it every year since then. I completed the race, which I was very happy about. However, I did not train enough and suffered for it.

Overview

The race venue had three races; 5k, 10k, and half marathon. The 5k and 10k were both held on Saturday. There was a 30-minute difference between start times, so you could technically have done both, back-to-back. The half marathon was held on Sunday as usual. I did not participate in either Saturday race, so I'll just talk about the Expo and Sunday.



The Expo

The race expo was at the Philadelphia Convention Center as usual. And per typical Rock 'n Roll fashion, they had a great selection of vendors. This is an important thing to me, even if I don't buy anything. I really like seeing trending running gear and attire. I also use this opportunity to get additional discounts to sign up for upcoming races. Plus I just feel it makes the whole experience that much more well-rounded and enjoyable.

Some of my favorite vendors there were Jaybird and Garmin. I was a bit disappointed from Philadelphia Runner, as I was hoping to score some discounted On Running shoes. Oh well, maybe next time. I got to try out the upcoming Jaybird earbuds, the Jaybird Run, which were AWESOME! I will definitely be choosing these, once they are released in October, over than Apple wireless earbuds.

Other than this, the expo was typical and I score a lot of really cool samples and tried some awesome food.

The Race

The weather was a mixed bag depending on the person. For me, the temperature couldn't have been more ideal. However, the humidity was 80% and the dew point was around 70%. Therefore, it made it near impossible for my body to cool properly during the race. Thankfully the sun didn't pop out until the last mile of the race. Anyway, setup was good as always; plenty Port-o-potties, convenient location for gear check, easy entry into corrals. Some people complained about the port-o-potty lines back to the gear check. However, the grass was really wet and already fairly muddy, so I felt it was very thoughtful of the race coordinator to keep everyone from being covered in mud before the race.

There were tons of people as always, and the corrals were packed. They did a really good job at the staggered start, which is definitely an improvement from the last time I ran this race. Not only that, but for the first time in memory, I didn't experience pushy runners at all. Everyone was in a good mood and very courteous. This was very refreshing and helped keep me motivated as the race started.

The course had a few up and downhills. Nothing too crazy, which for someone who actually trained, would have made this a very fast course. I didn't train much, so all it did was tire me out more, haha. The route was really nice, with only one slight out-and-back, which kept the scenery constantly changing. Plus I love the Philly scenery for the races held here. Plus there was a good amount of bands along the way playing pretty good music.

My Race

I started off at what I felt to be a slow pace. I did this because I didn't want to spend the first couple miles trying to sprint around people. This strategy worked to my advantage, since I felt pretty good until mile 8. However, as I hit mile 8, my legs started to tire quickly. By mile 9 I was struggling. Once I hit 10 however, I was cycling through some of my motivational music, and was able to get myself moving. I still had trouble though because my longest run leading up this was 10 miles, but aside from that one run, I had only done one 8-miler, and then a couple 7's and 6's. Overall I didn't have a great base to handle the latter miles. I still pushed out a small kick at the end to finish as strong as I could.

The Finish Line

Even though I finished later than I wanted to, the finish line was very well organized. There was plenty of water, Gatorade, chocolate milk, and snacks. This was refreshing because so many times races will run out of hydration and snacks for the later finishers. There was free beer (1 per registered race participants over 21) and live music. I didn't stay to enjoy the bands playing, but I definitely got my snacks and drinks. I was bummed there were no food trucks, but that's alright, because I was so dead afterwards I just wanted to get home.

Final Thoughts

Overall a very fun race and I am so excited to officially be back to racing. I will be making sure I am properly trained for my Disney Dopey challenge in January. Hopefully my recovery doesn't take too long from this race, but I'll be tossing in some swimming to help promote quicker healing. Hope anyone else who raced had a great time!

Half Marathon Training Starts

Although my Disney Dopey race is about 6 months away, I need to race a half or full marathon before October 3rd in order to make sure I am not put in the last corral, which would mean well over an hour or two delay for race start, which is no fun at all. So, I took the plunge and am signed up for the Rock 'n Roll Philly Half Marathon.

Training
My training plan starts today. I am coming off a full week of consistent exercise and mostly consistent healthier eating. To top things off, I feel GREAT! I was concerned that putting this much stress on my body would cause some issues, but none of them have surfaced. Therefore, I am fairly confident in my 13.1 training plan.

The Plan
I will typically be running 5 days per week. I know in the past I have expressed that you can get away with 3 days a week and have great results. However, I really need to start improving my speed if I ever want to make Boston before I am 40.

I'll typically be doing 2 easy days, 1 speed day, 1 tempo / pace day, and 1 long day. This type of plan is similar to what I used to drop my pace many years ago by over 2 minutes per mile over a 16 week training plan. I don't expect those kind of results here, but I am hoping for at least a 30 second per mile pace improvement in the end.

In addition to the running, I will still be working on 2-3 strength sessions per week, as well as fitting in some swimming and cycling. I don't really expect any gains or intense swimming sessions; although I will be using my swims to help speed up recovery.

Cycling is a different animal. I still need to be riding, but running for now will have to take priority. So the plan is that when I have time AND feel good, I'll go on for rides. However I won't be doing a ride before a run on that same day.

Final Thoughts
Overall I feel really confident with my training plan and I can't wait to continue this momentum of consistency. Good luck to everyone on whatever training or races you have planned.

The Road to Recovery and Changing The Plan

I was recently hospitalized with viral meningitis and "almost" pneumonia (doctors couldn't agree if I did or did not have it). But to make sure I had viral meningitis and not a worse form, like bacterial, I had to get a spinal tap. Sadly, even though the procedure went well, I was a rare case of severe spinal leakage. In short, this put me in the hospital for over a week with debilitating pain and headaches. Finally, I got a blood patch and took almost another week to recover.

During this time I was able to reflect on my 2017 and 2018 fitness plans and goals. Historically, I have not handled injury or sickness well, and it has caused me to fall of the wagon and perform terrible health habits, such as excessive gorging of unhealthy foods I wouldn't usually eat. However, I have been pretty focused this year on not repeating past injuries and other bad habits. Granted I have struggled with lack of time for exercise from the things out of my control, but I at least have made sure I have been eating healthier and have made sure not to gain anymore weight.

So, I didn't let this hurdle trip me up. This did cause me to have to re-evaluate my goals and plans though for this year and next. For example, I want to do my first Ironman next year. I am removing this from my list for now, since selling my house and this recent illness have caused months of setbacks in my training plans. Disney Dopey is set in stone for 2018, as is a century ride for MS later this year. Aside from that though, I have pretty much removed all other races and plans from my schedule.

What is the new focus on? Quite simply, strength and flexibility. Although I had put a good amount of effort into rebuilding my strength, when I got back into running again, I noticed that I was not as fast as I had hoped I would be. From reviewing my runs, I was able to determine that I still was too weak to handle the speed and cadence I wanted. This same issue also bleeds into my cycling, and especially my swimming. Therefore, I need still need to build even more strength and flexibility.

This translates into about 12-14 weeks of building my strength. The general idea is to have 4 strength sessions a week; 2 x Full Body, 1 x Lower, 1 x Upper. In addition to this, I will not be stopping my running endurance progression, which means running 3 times per week as well. The real change here is that initially, swimming is off the list and cycling is going to be mostly optional.

My plan is to do this for hopefully no more than 4 weeks as my body gets re-acclimated to the stress and recovery from strength training. Once that happens, I will be moving towards building my schedule back to doubles in order to get swimming and cycling back into the mix.

For the most part, this puts me at doubles everyday except running intervals for Tuesdays. I won't jump immediately to this schedule, but each week I'll add another activity or two until I get to this schedule. The plan will be to do this until it's time for my Dopey training plan, which starts in September.

As I mentioned already, I won't be doing or planning any other races, except for the MS century ride, a half marathon so I can have a qualifier time for Dopey to prevent from being in the last corral, and then Dopey to start off 2018. Aside from this, I won't be planning on any other races or goals. I am confident this schedule will allow me to get back into racing and ensure I won't be getting injured and will be remain as healthy as possible. Good luck to everyone and their training and racing goals!

Racing 2017

I haven't really done a race post in a long time, since I have been dealing with a multitude of injuries over the last 2 years. But with me healed and rebuilding, it's time to get back in the game!

I am definitely going super light on races this year though, as the main goal is to get a qualifying time for Disney so I am not in the last corral, and then a triathlon to get myself back in the mindset. With that said, this will total 2-3 races planned for this year, with my fourth race technically being next year, although it's right away in January.



Running Races

First off, Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon. As always, this is a fairly flat and uneventful race, which is perfect for me getting back. I am familiar with the course and hope to do well; goal is to run 8:00 min per mile, or a 1:44:00. This won't be my best time, but it will be in the right direction.

I might toss in a 5k somewhere along the line, but I am not as motivated for shorter races, as my ultimate goal is to lead up to an Ironman in 2018, which means marathon for the 3rd leg.

Triathlons

Triathlon is one of those sports that you can't do well if you don't practice AND race. Sure, you can pull off amazing times by just practicing everything; but nothing compares to the stress of race day and especially transition. I really don't want to do short course, but I do really want to get back into the feel of triathlon. Therefore, I am considering Escape Philly Sprint. I am not sure I will be doing another one this year, although I have considered one after my century ride.

Cycling Races

This isn't technically a race, although I will be using this to gauge how prepared I will be for my Ironman next year. The plan is Bike MS: City to Shore Century (100 miles). I completed the 80 last year, but did very little training and struggled a lot at the end. This won't be the case this year. I have already started my cycling training and will be doing lots of training all year.

Final Race

Alright, I know this is technically 2018, but all of my training is leading up to the Disney Dopey Challenge in January 2018. This will be followed by an Ironman mid to late summer.

Final Thoughts

Overall I am pretty excited about the races. I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous and even a bit scared, given my injury history. But that's the kicker this time; I am working my butt off to get consistent with exercise, especially strength training. I am looking forward to a great and injury-free race season.

Building Plan: Week 14 Complete

Week 14 was an interesting week. Although I started out trying to get back into my routine, I found myself not as motivated as usual. I dropped back 2 training plan weeks, and my first run of the week went well. However, my second run was horrible. I had been extra tired and sore from my prior strength day, and knew I should have just done a warm-up run only, followed by a more relaxed strength session. However, I did not do this and could not complete my run. Plus I was so exhausted I did no additional workouts. The following day I had an awesome strength session, but took off Sunday because I just wasn't feeling it. Overall, a decent workout week in regards to consistency, but not too well in regards to success of all sessions. In addition, my nutrition, which I did not log a lot of my meal details, was horrible.

Swimming

I did not have time to get to the pool this week. I really intended to get 2-3 sessions, but my schedule ended up being much different than expected. I am not sure next week is going to be much better, but I am going to make sure I get at least 1 session in.

Cycling

I only completed 1 of my trainer sessions. I had planned on 2, but I did not have time for a double on Saturday, and strength training is more important right now.

Running

I got 2 of my 3 sessions in this week. My first session went extremely well. Despite that though, my heart rate and recovery time was much higher than usual. My second run went horribly. I knew going in that I should skip that day with how I felt; extra tired and severe leg muscle tightness. I tried doing some stretching beforehand, but my run was rough from the get-go. I was not able to complete my planned run, as my foot started acting up. I did not even attempt my third run for the week because my foot was only just starting to feel well again and I decided I wanted a few more days for it to get back to 100%.

Strength

I got in ALL of my strength sessions this week! I was extremely excited about this. I have been slacking the past month or so, only getting a max of 2 strength sessions per week. This was unacceptable, especially since my focus is rebuilding strength. I will continue meeting all of my strength sessions each week.

Nutrition

Not much to say on this. I did horrible with eating, and even worse with keeping track of it in my log. I am focused to change this though, which has been an issue for me for a long time now. I am expecting a really good week of tracking and hopefully sticking close to or right on my caloric goals.

Final Thoughts

I had a rough week mentally and with things going on in my life. This upcoming week is going to be even rougher, but I am determined to not let this get me down and I am going to make sure I press on and get everything done. On a positive note, I am now registered, with my wife as well, for the 2018 Disney Dopey Challenge. I am very excited and can't wait for this. I am going to shoot for at least a half marathon later this summer or early fall. If time, budget, and conditioning permit, I might even shoot for a marathon.

Multi-race and Multi-day Race Phenomina

Are you Dopey? Can you stake claim to a Hat Trick? In addition to multi-sport events, such as triathlons, becoming increasingly popular, another sport is becoming popular as well; multi-race events. I have yet to find a buzz-word for this yet, but basically it means that a race event, usually running races, has multiple runs on the same day or throughout the course of multiple consecutive days.

The pioneer of this is Disney. They started with the Goofy run, which is running the half marathon, then the full marathon the following day. Due to its popularity, Runner's World introduced the Hat-Trick for its half marathon events, which involves a 5k and 10k on the same day, and then the half marathon the following day. More events like this are popping up everywhere. But why are these so popular?

The concept of running multiple events on the same day or consecutive days is nothing new. Many people have done this for a long time. With running such a popular sport for amateurs and pros alike, there are many instances where there are Saturday races and Sunday races. They can be part of the same event or be completely different events in different places. Some people want to do both races, so they do. There is no additional medals for this however; just the personal achievement and bragging rights for having that level of endurance. Other races have a weekend of events, such as the Pittsburgh Marathon, with a variety of races on Saturday, and the half and full marathon on Sunday.

So, with the popularity of these new events, the big question is "How do I train for this?" For the shorter distances, it's not too bad, even for beginners. For long distances, this really becomes challenging, as you are putting your body through a lot in a short period of time.

Shorter Distances

For events where you can do something like a 5k and 10k or a 5 & 5 (5k then a 5 miler), you can basically follow a mix of a 5k and a 10k plan. I won't outline plans, as there are so many available on Runner's World and many other fitness sites. I still may post some training plans at another time, but not in the article. Since the races are short enough, you don't really need to worry about much other than hydration for the races. Which is great, because you can pack light and really just focus on enjoying the races.

Longer Distances

Longer distances are a whole other story. Depending on how long each race is and the time between races, you have a lot to worry about. First, you need to follow a training a plan that is tailored for your max distance you will be running; so if your max distance is a half marathon, then make sure you have a half marathon plan in your training. After this, you have a couple of options. First, you can always just make your later long runs equal to the total distance of all of your runs you will do on race day or race weekend. This is good if you are mixing a half marathon with a 5k or 10k. However, when you start getting into marathons as your max distance, then adding a half marathon and maybe even others to your long run is not really feasible. You might as well just train for an ultra at that point. So, the next option is to have back to back longer run days. So, if Sunday is your long run, say 20 miles, you might want to be doing anywhere from an 8-12 mile run on Saturday, at a little faster pace than your long run pace. The short period between the two training runs will help build up your endurance greatly, and your body will be able to adapt better for recovery. Now, of course, you don't want to overdo anything and you will still need the proper nutrition and hydration.

The good news is that for races like Goofy, if you are already training for a marathon, then the 5k and 10k should not be an issue at all. You will just need to incorporate the second option from above to handle the half marathon after the 5k and 10k, and then doing the marathon the following day.

The Competitors

There are those of your who want to compete no matter what. Therefore, if you are going for time and want to place in these types of events, then you will need to follow a training plan that incorporates everything mentioned above, but also include multiple interval sessions each week. In addition, you will want to make sure your interval sessions vary to cater to each distance you are running. So some weeks you may be doing intervals for your 10k race speed, and another week you may be doing intervals geared towards your marathon speed. You will also want to include training runs where you are doing a race pace run for the short distance, following up with a long run the next day.

Health Notes

As some parting wisdom, don't ever blinding sign up and think you will be able to do the multi-race event with little to no training. You will be putting extra stress on your body than it's used to and it's always good to get a physician approval before embarking on such a tough physical challenge. Also make sure you are getting enough "fuel" and hydration; don't want you bonking on race 2 or 3 because you got over-confident and didn't take those extra water stops. And most importantly have a great time and enjoy your bragging rights when you complete it all!