Half Marathon Training - Week 3

Had a pretty rough week. Cat was sick again and back in the hospital, so I didn't have time to exercise for most of the week. However, I still got some workouts in and felt really good from them. I'll be getting back on track this week and it will be as though I never missed a week!

Swimming
I didn't get to swim at all.

Cycling
I didn't get to ride at all.

Running
I only got in one of my four runs. Even though it was the only run, I still got in 3.5 miles felt really good. I definitely need to start working on figuring out a way to retain water better, because even on these short distance runs I am needing a lot of hydration.

Strength
I only got one of my three strength sessions in. I had really hoped to at least get my strength sessions in, but I did not. I am sure this week's strength is going to be extra tough because of that.

Nutrition
For the most part I did much better with logging my meals and keeping closer to my calorie limits. I still have a lot of work to do on myself, but I will definitely get there.

Final Thoughts
Overall a bust week, but family first. I still got in a run and strength session and will get back on track this week. I was really happy to progress with at least my nutrition, as that will ultimately help me out with my weight loss goals.

Half Marathon Training - Week 1

I completed my first week of half marathon training. I am extremely pleased to say that I not only got in all of my runs, but I felt pretty good during and after each of them. I am having considerably more back tightness than usual, so I will definitely need to dramatically increase my stretching. I also need to be extra vigilant about getting my strength sessions done. I felt amazing 2 weeks ago when I got in all of my strength sessions; a primary reason I think I felt so well overall this week.

Swimming
I got in 2 relaxing swims. Both were at a much slower pace than I would like, but I didn't push myself either since the whole purpose of the swims were to loosen up my muscles from running. And these two sessions did just that. It felt great!

Cycling
I rode stationary after one of my runs. I went at a fairly easy cadence and resistance in order to help "shake-out" my legs. This worked out well, but not as good as swimming.

Running
I got in 5/5 of my runs; 2 easy, 1 interval, 1 tempo, 1 long. Although my easy runs were at a more relaxed pace, they were still challenging since all but one run was outside and with hills. I'll definitely need to be starting to bring water with me on most runs, but I was able to manage with no hydration for my runs under 5k. Also, I really love using Nuun Energy or Hydration when I run, but I cannot use my small belt bottles for a tab. So, I need to figure out a solution for this.

Strength
I only got in 1/3 strength sessions completed. The session felt really good and I am definitely mad at myself for missing two really important strength sessions.

Nutrition
I have been doing terrible with nutrition. I don't have time to log my food, let alone plan meals. Also, my portion sizes are getting out of control and I have been stress binge eating junk food. On a positive note, I am at least getting back to cooking more, and aside from 4th of July, every meal I have cooked has been super healthy and restricted portion size.

Final Thoughts
I will continue to get my runs in, as well as cross training. I really need to start getting more rides in as well, but I will not miss a run for that. I will also be making sure I don't miss strength training in addition to making sure I stretch more. Aside from that, I will worry about nutrition once I can get more consistent with cooking.

Cycling Plan: Week 2 - Complete

Started off the week motivated and ready to workout. Had an incredibly busy Monday and Tuesday at work, so I didn't have time during the day to workout; at night I just had no motivation or energy. I finally got myself going mid-week and sadly my doubles sessions was too much on my muscles and I was hurting bad for the rest of the week. It was a good eye-opener on how my strength declines so quickly when I lose consistency.

Swimming
I didn't get any swim sessions in this week.

Cycling
I got in one trainer ride for cadence. Since I had to use a stationary, I changed up my goal to keep at a higher-than-usual RPM. This was due to the fact that resistance and effort are so different than when on a regular bike. Overall I felt good, but man are those the most uncomfortable seats ever!

Running
I was only able to get in my interval run this week. However, my interval runs have been quite different than expected. My overall speed is much lower than I want, but I have not been able to run on a track or flat grade at all. Therefore, my interval runs have been with decent hills. I am really liking this type of speed work a lot. I still plan on using a track in the near future, but for now this is really helping my leg muscles.

Strength
I was able to get in two strength sessions. My first session, leg day, was a bit more intense than I expected. I felt tired after, but the following day I could barely walk. This was of course exacerbated by the fact that I did my ride the same night. I'll be hunting for a better workout plan.

Nutrition
I did awful again with nutrition. I may have lost some weight, but I am sure I gained it all back from how poorly I ate all week. I finally went out and bought everything I need to get back in my healthy routine. Now I just need to stay focused and motivated, and then everything will fall into place.

Final Thoughts
Overall another rough week with poor consistency in workouts and nutrition. However, I'll keep adjusting so I can succeed and progress.

Cycling Plan: Week 1 - Complete

Not a good week at all. Work had me pulling overtime and my cat got really sick again. On top of that I was traveling over the weekend. Needless to say, my first week of cycling training was mostly a failure due to lack of time for almost anything.

Swimming
I had no time to get to the pool, which is a shame, because that would have really relaxed me.

Cycling
I was only able to get an insane spin course in for my technical day. My bike is still in storage and needs a lot of work done before I can ride it, so I am going to hit up the same spin class again for Week 2, and make sure I get my bike out of storage and overhauled asap.

Running
I was able to get an interval session and a long run in this week, which was great. Even though my focus in cycling, part of the plan has me slowly building my running endurance and distance. The interval session was really tough and not as fast as I planned. This was because the track was closed because of lacrosse practice and I therefore had to do my intervals on rolling hills. The long run was terrible! 77° and 87% humidity almost did me in. I was having trouble breathing and am still not sure how I completed that. I won't be that bad in the future, but this is my first hot and humid run outdoors in about 2 years.

Strength
Aside from cleaning and moving boxes, I had no strength sessions at all.

Nutrition
I had good intentions, but failed to both log everything I ate and stick with healthier food choices. As a result, I feel awful and will be looking forward to correcting that awful week.

Final Thoughts
Since I am almost settled at my new location, I think I should finally start having a schedule that is a bit more consistent. As long as there is a good amount of consistency, I should be fine sticking with my plan.

Interim Plan: Week 3 - Complete

And another insanely busy week done! My wife got severely sick, so I stepped up my game and was able to finish everything up at the house. Despite her being so sick, she was still able to help out a bunch, which along with the help of my mom, was crucial to get everything done. I had many days of non-structured strength training again. I also managed to get myself severely sick at the end of the week. Oh well, I knew it would it would happen. So, again, no structured workouts for the week plus getting sick, but I still got everything done! Woohoo!



Swimming
I had planned on going to swim to help loosen up, but my ear issues from getting sick would have probably worsened.

Cycling
My bike is in storage right now, so although there was awesome weather, it wouldn't have mattered since I was getting hit with near-flu symptoms plus intense allergies.

Running
Well, I ran up-and-down stairs a few thousand times over the course of the week, so I guess that counts for something, haha!

Strength
The usual box and furniture moving. Although, I lifted a filing cabinet which slipped, bruising the heck out of my leg. However, my legs have been super tough thanks to all of my prior strength training and it didn't slow me down at all. Hurrah for strength training!

Nutrition
Since I got sick and couldn't taste or smell anything, my eating was really good because there was no need or desire for anything unhealthy. Trying to decide if not being able to taste or smell is actually a good thing. Nah, I really like smelling and tasting.

Final Thoughts
I am recovering still today, but I think tomorrow I will have enough strength to get back into things. I am hoping to go for a run and mow the lawn. I am also hoping to figure out a good strength routine to add to things. I will have to push back the start of cycling training a week or so, but it will be worth it.

Interim Plan: Week 2 - Complete

What a crazy week. I had removed any planned workouts from my schedule. I wouldn't have completed any even if I tried. However, with moving, I pretty much got a 6-9 hour strength session almost every day. It's proof that all of the strength training I have been doing, as well as my stretches and cardio conditioning have really paid off. Despite the extreme levels of effort I have put in, my recovery has been very quick and for the most part I am feeling well.

Swimming
As I noted, no swimming this week, but I am sure going to try to get a session or two in next week to help my body recover more.

Cycling
Nothing here either. With the weather getting so nice now, I hope to be riding into work soon.

Running
I didn't run, but my new running shoes arrived and I can't wait to start breaking them in.

Strength
No formal sessions as I mentioned, but I lifted a ton!

Nutrition
Despite moving stuff, I ate fairly healthy this week, with last night being the exception. I didn't have time to log everything, but I'll be good this week about it.

Final Thoughts
Moving is almost over, so mid-week I hope to get back into my workouts. I just hope I don't get sick from all of this.

Building Plan: Week 18 Complete

This week started out really well, but tapered off quickly. All of my workouts went really well though and I felt great. However, with getting ready to list my house and move, that took priority over working out. Then again, I got a pretty insane workout over the weekend from all of the cleaning, repairs, lifting and hauling I did.

Swimming
Finally got a swim in and it felt awesome. I definitely could have pushed myself harder, but it was purely to make sure I could still go 30 minutes without stopping and to loosen up from my prior workouts.

Cycling
Got 2 warm-up rides in. They felt fine as always and I am looking forward to the upcoming week to get in actual rides; trainer rides, but still going to be longer sessions.

Running
I got in one running session, a week 7/8 cadence run. It was really tough. The heat in the gym did not help, but it wasn't just that. I have found that I have really hit a plateau with running. My average cadence is actually going down lately. It doesn't matter if it's a 10 min warm-up or an actual session. Granted, my running consistency in the past few weeks has been sub-par, but I didn't expect to drop cadence this much. I am considering stopping the cadence training and focusing on endurance training while still trying to keep a higher cadence. With my move coming up soon, I am not sure I will get much better at workout consistency over the next 3-4 weeks. But I will try.

Strength
Got 2/4 sessions in and they were awesome. I definitely like the new challenging workouts. I am looking forward to next 3 upcoming sessions.

Nutrition
I am still overeating like crazy, and I don't expect things to get dramatically better until I move, as I will be trying to get rid of as much food in my house as possible before the move.

Final Thoughts
Even though my amount of workouts was low, the quality was really good and I am still seeing great benefits from my workouts, especially my strength sessions. Again, with my impending move and home sale things are rather chaotic and my goal over the next few weeks is to really get as many workouts in as I can, with a focus on strength.

Building Plan: Week 17 Complete

This was a really strange week. I started off perfectly Monday through Wednesday. Then life struck like a hammer, missed Thursday workout, got my Friday workout, got super sick during the beginning of my trainer ride Saturday, and struggled through my run Sunday. I can definitely say my quality of sleep was complete garbage and my nutrition was terrible. I am still happy I got a good amount of workouts though, but disappointed I got sick and couldn't get all of my strength sessions in.

Swimming
I really wanted to swim Sunday, but I felt like I was going to pass out after my run, so I decided drowning was not an effective training workout.

Cycling
I got in one full trainer session. I did really well! I maintained my close to my cadence at the new resistance for almost the full 45 minutes. Sadly, for my second trainer ride, I started off feeling a bit off. As I started, my heart rate spiked up quickly and I within 5 minutes I had huge headache. I tried to keep going, but the pain got so bad that my vision went blurry and then I stopped. I felt severely ill the rest of the night. I currently have no clue what happened or brought it on, but I was fine by Sunday late morning.

Running
I got in one warm-up run and 2/3 cadence runs. The warm-up run was amazing and I had good hopes for the week. My Week 6/7 run on Wednesday was pretty awful. The humidity in the gym was stifling and it was a real challenge to complete the run. With how the temperatures have been in the gym lately, I might be forced to start running outside just to have a steady and reliable temperature, even if it is freezing. My next run on Sunday was no better. The gym was insanely hot and my heart rate spiked up very early, causing the whole run to be very challenging, and not in a good way. I am going back to Week 7/8 training and will be starting out a little slower and building. I am not sure this will help things though since the real issue seems to be the extreme temperature / humidity / lack of air flow in the gym lately. It's almost like running on a 90 degree day with super high humidity.

Strength
I got 2/3 sessions completed. I had no way to complete the 3rd session because I got sick. However, as is the usual trend lately, I keep seeing more and more improvement in my functional strength, which is making my recovery for my cardio workouts much quicker. For example, even though my Wednesday run was awful, I felt fine the following day. Usually a run like that would sideline me for 2-3 days. I am going to be bumping up strength training to start really focusing on the gains I need, as I am now at the base level I wanted to get to.

Nutrition
Not much to discuss here; I ate terrible. I had lots of snacks and overate a ton. Hoping that weekend slow cooker meals will allow for more manageable dinners this upcoming week.

Final Thoughts
Despite everything, I still got in a good amount of workouts. I am also finding I am craving workouts more and more, which is a great sign. I used to love working out and it was a way to cope with stress. As I get more excited for working out, I'll hopefully rely less on food and more on exercise.

Building Plan: Week 16 Complete

What a week! Almost started with getting my workouts in, but then life hit. Had meetings preventing lunch workouts, then was dealing with house hunting and other work things after work. Haven't had a week like this where I legit didn't have time to work out. Sure, I could have tried to wake up even earlier than usual, but I was typically passing out each night from exhaustion, so I am not sure I could have pulled that off. Oh well, it happens, I'll get back on track this upcoming week.

Swimming
Still haven't been getting to the pool. This is becoming a bad habit and I am all out of excuses.

Cycling
I got in a really great trainer cadence ride. I was able to maintain a longer duration at the new resistance while maintaining 90 RPM.

Running
I got in a warm-up run. It felt really good and I had even bumped up the treadmill speed. I didn't expect my legs to get such terrible DOMS from that with the strength session though.

Strength
I got 2/4 strength sessions in despite only 2 workouts this week. They went really well, and I was sad I didn't have time to get the other 2 done. I think I will be repeating this routine, as I saw awesome gains and felt great. I will definitely need to keep working on my adductor muscles though. For some reason my strength + run destroyed them and I was having trouble walking for 2 days after.

Nutrition
For the most part, I did a lot better this week. I was still over my calories almost everyday, but I finally got rid of almost all of the junk food in the house now. And now at my grocery trip tonight I'll only be getting healthy stuff.

Final Thoughts
Despite the hectic week, I still maintained decent overall nutrition and made sure I got sleep. I am feeling much better for it. Hopefully things should be more back to normal this upcoming week.

Building Plan: Week 15 Complete

Another week down! It was a crazy week and I was not home much and my work schedule prevented me from working out at lunch time. However, I was still diligent and got a good amount of workouts in. What is most important is that I didn't miss my strength sessions. My goal for the upcoming week is to not miss any runs, but we shall see, because with any luck I'll be dealing with potentially new home stuff.

Swimming
No time for swimming again. This is still a point of frustration, but my schedule has not permitted me to get to a pool. To make matters worse, I am not sure I'll get to the pool this upcoming week either. I am sure going to try though.

Cycling
I was able to get a cadence ride in last night. I was nervous about doing this because I didn't want to be too exhausted for my strength session. That was silly, because of course I was, but I pushed through and did awesome with my strength session. Also, I am feeling more comfortable than I expected with my new resistance at 90 RPM. I didn't expect to be increasing this for another week or two, but I will be increasing this week.

Running
Although I did not get more than 1 full cadence session in, I still ran 3 times. I have gone back to doing warm-up cardio before my strength sessions. Therefore I was able to get in two 10 minute runs. My cadence was alright for both. With the strength sessions, my legs have been a bit more tired, so it's been tougher to get the turnover I need. This is alright though because my average SPM is increasing even though my legs are tired, showing my strength is improving.

Strength
I hit all of my NTC workouts this week. I feel amazing after doing them, and I keep seeing great improvements in functional strength, mobility, and muscle strength.

Nutrition
I logged almost 100% of everything I ate this week. This was challenging because I didn't always make good decisions; whether it be from stress, needing something quick and easy, or just giving into cravings. However, getting almost everything logged helped me mentally a lot, so I am going to keep focusing on that and with any luck, over the next few weeks my bad habits should start to decrease considerably. On a really good note, my soda consumption is down exponentially! I am no longer drinking or craving Pepsi Max, only drinking Coke Zero when I have Rum and Cokes (a couple times a week), and having a ginger ale when my stomach is upset (this seriously works wonders for me).

Final Thoughts
Overall I am seeing improvements each week. My strength sessions are really having positive effects on all of my cardio workouts. I look forward to keeping up this momentum and once my life schedule isn't as hectic, I'll be able to fit in more cardio sessions.

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.

Building Plan: Week 13 Complete

This week ended up being a recovery week, as my foot was really aggravated and I will do anything to prevent getting injured again, especially my foot. I did not do as much stretching as I should have though, which really bothers me. I need to get back into my stretches. Overall, by the end of the week, my foot was finally feeling better and I am hoping to run during Week 14.

Swimming

I got in three swims, all of which felt amazing! With only swimming once per week typically, I forgot how refreshed and loose my body feels after a swim. I definitely need to increase my weekly swim volume.

Cycling

I got in two rides this week. I had really wanted to get 3-4 rides, but laziness and excuses kept me from achieving that. Overall my rides were really well and I found the cadence a bit easy, so I'll be increasing resistance. It's always exciting to see gains even when that is not the focus.

Running

As I already noted, I did not run at all. My foot would flare up during the week, so I made sure I didn't attempt any running. With my foot finally feeling better Sunday, I am hoping to get some runs in. However, I will be a bit careful and I'll probably set my first run to my Week 5/6 Cadence training plan.

Strength

I did no planned strength workouts this week, which is a major mistake on my part. I had planned on doing my original physical therapy routine 2-3 times, plus stretching everyday. I failed miserably on this and will have to be extra cautious for Week 14 to make sure I don't aggravate my food again.

Nutrition

For the most part, I did alright with nutrition. Super Bowl Sunday was not so good, but I have no regrets because I had a ton of fun cooking.

Final Thoughts

If it wasn't for skipping basically all of my strength routines, I would have said it was a successful week. But, sadly, I still show signs of having trouble to get over injury from a mental standpoint. Going forward, I am going to try and approach injuries like DOMS or general muscle soreness. Hopefully I will then not feel defeated and just do a workout to make it better.

Building Plan: Week 12 Complete

What a week! I started off pretty well, and ended with a minor injury. I started off the week perfectly. I was a bit more exhausted than usual from my Wednesday run, so I had taken Thursday off. For my Friday run, I forgot my usual running shoes so I used a pair I have used in the past, but they did not have my orthotics. This was not an issue since I was running more forefoot and midfoot. However, this caused more muscle impact than I had realized. So when I did my Saturday, lower and thigh intense strength session, I hurt myself. I was feeling too lazy to drive 30 minutes to the gym to swim, so I had done a trainer ride and stretched. However, this only made everything worse and Monday I couldn't do anything. I am still hobbling. So Week 13 is going to be focused on flexibility, blood flow, and being loose.

Swim

I should have swam Thursday to help recovery from my tough Wednesday run. I should have swam Sunday after my legs, back and right foot were doing bad from my Saturday strength session. I did no swimming, and am suffering for it.

Bike

I got 2/3 sessions in. Despite how my legs felt, my 2nd session felt really good and I was able to maintain my cadence with no problem at my current resistance level.

Run

My Wednesday run was rough. The gym was way too hot and I couldn't hydrate quick enough. Overall, it was a decent run though. My Friday run went extremely well, considering I was in different running shoes than I usually wear. Plus I didn't have my orthotics. Overall though, this wasn't a problem since I was fore and midfoot striking. The shoes I was wearing were considerably lighter than my main pair, and I had no issues with turnover, allowing me to easily hit my 180 cadence and have my pace considerably faster than usual. However, I was not able to do my Sunday run due to my injury on Saturday.

Strength

I was able to get 2/3 sessions completed. My second session was focused on lower strength, with targeting of inner thighs and quads. The workout seemed to go well, although extremely tough. However, this workout injured me because I was not aware of how weak my muscles were from my run the prior day.

Nutrition

I did terrible with my nutrition this week. I had a little more stress than usual and therefore at horribly. To make it worse, I did not log most of the junk I ate. I will be working to dramatically improve this issue.

Final Thoughts

Despite the injury and nutrition, it was a very insightful week where I learned a lot about my body, my training, and impacts from workouts and variations in form. Week 13 is going to be treated as a recovery week, and then Week 14 I will get back to running. If I am feeling better later in Week 13, I might try to do a run, but I will be overly conservative on any decision.

Building Plan: Week 11 Complete

So this was a rough week. Monday was an incredibly challenging strength routine. I thought I was doing well on Tuesday, so instead of cycling I ran. Well, I hurt myself a little. Nothing major, but I couldn't do anything for the following two days. I adjusted my schedule though, recovered, and finished out the week on a good note.

Swimming
My shake-out swim was rough. I was spent after my run, but I still managed to get in 800 yards. Had to pound 2 nuun tabs after though to keep me from passing out. Although my swims are designed to just help with my recovery and push myself a little extra, I am happy with how my swims are going. My form has been much better, especially my arm rotation along with my pull and push. It will be exciting later in the year when I start my actual swim training to see what I can do on a fresh swim.

Cycling
I got in a cadence ride this week and it was awesome! I was shocked I could hold my cadence for 45 minutes, which is 15 minutes longer than my previous rides. In addition, I had been having trouble keeping that cadence. I am going to hopefully have another successful cycling week and then I am going to bump up the resistance.

Running
As I noted, my first run was really bad. I started my new cadence training week, 7/8. So aside from it being a lot tougher from that, my legs and body were not remotely recovered from my Monday strength session. Therefore, I was having terrible heart rate spikes and pains all over. My foot is still bugging me slightly. So, I took off 2 days and I waited until Sunday to do another run. My Sunday run was awesome though! I completed it and overall my cadence wasn't too bad. However, it wasn't as good as it could have been because my foot still was slightly bothering me from Tuesday. The gym was also so hot and humid that I was having trouble cooling myself and staying hydrated enough. Looking forward to smarter running and more of Week 7/8.

Strength
Even though I hurt myself, I still got in two of my three strength sessions. They were great as always and I keep seeing more improvement every week!

Nutrition
I am getting better with logging my food. Still not 100% there yet. I have not been too good at quality of food in some cases, but I'll get there.

Final Thoughts
Overall a tough week for me, especially since I don't handle being injured very well. However, I fought through my mental hurdle, recovered, and finished out the week strong. I am so proud of myself for accomplishing that. I look to keep the momentum going into next week!

Building Plan: Week 9 Complete

Another solid week of workouts. I had some extra muscle soreness during the week, so I had to take 2 rest days, but aside from that, I did really well with my workouts. I also did much better with nutrition and logging my meals. I am really pleased with my continued progress.

Swimming

I still have not been able to find time yet to get more swims into my schedule. As my body gets used to my actual planned training schedule demands and my cat gets healthier, I will be able to schedule more time to swim. I was able to get in one swim in this week, although it was short and intended to both push myself after already being exhausted from my run, as well as act as a shake-out to aid in recovery. And it served its purpose perfectly! As I am writing this, I feel amazing. And that was just after a tiny 4 x 100 yd swim. Although, that swim felt like a nightmare though. I was struggling to rotate my arms and kick my legs. I had wanted to get in at least 800-1200 yds, but I had to stop because I felt like I was going to pass out.

Cycling

I got in no cycling this week. It fell on the 2 days I needed to take as rest days. This is fine, however, as my reason for cycling right now is to just cycle and lightly work on cadence.

Running

I got in all three runs! I am so pumped about this. I am also psyched that I did fairly well. I was a bit disappointed that my cadence was so much lower than I really wanted it to be, but that is why my plan is designed to extend an extra week or so if needed. I am expecting my cadence to get closer to my range during Week 10. One thing I am noticing though is that the increased speed and duration are starting to see some strain on my knees. However, it only occurs when I drag my leg back in my kick-back for my stride. This shows a breakdown in my form and thankfully is easy to immediately correct. Once my cadence training is over, I will be starting to adjust the treadmill to incline of 0.5, and then to 1 to more closely mimic the resistance of self-propelling myself forward when running outside on a flat course or track. This might actually be a good article to explain in more detail later.

Strength

I got in 2 out of 3 sessions in this week. I had to skip my 3rd because I had used that as a rest day. My first session of the week was highly focused on legs. And man did that wreck me. I literally could not do a single thing on Tuesday, as my legs were shot. Not going to lie, it was a glorious feeling. I am so excited my legs are slowly getting stronger and I love pushing myself to the max. My second session was mostly hip and back stretches mixed with core strength. I also did a fitness test for my program. It was supposed to take 5 minutes, and it took me 15 and I was having trouble breathing. These fit tests are brutal. I was supposed to end with another leg focus routine, but I was too exhausted from my Friday run. I am going to repeat this program, as it is working really well. I am hoping one more 4 week session of this body weight program and I will be able to start moving to weighted routines.

Nutrition

I logged my meals every day! I didn't really meet my goals much, but I didn't really care about this. I am a stress eater and with the constant trips to the vet hospital every day, I am not going to remove my outlet right now. Once my cat is well, I will be working on changing my stress outlet to something more productive and beneficial.

Sleep

I am adding this section because it's so important. However, my sleep is awful. I have pretty much been passing out from mental exhaustion and my sleep quality is horrible. I don't expect this to change until my cat is better.

Final Thoughts

I going to be shooting for 3/3 for both strength and running for Week 10. Also going to be making sure to keep up with my food logging. Hope everyone is doing well with their goals!

My Running Recovery Plan - Cadence

As a little background, I had a stress fracture in my right foot and have been struggling with various knee injuries over the years. My stress fracture was a couple years ago, and I pretty much hadn't run since. I had been on crutches for over 6 months and the slightest activity would still cause my foot to swell up. However, I was able to start slowly building some strength back, but then my knees started to have lots of issues. Therefore, I had no choice but to head to a physical therapist. From my road to recovery in PT, spawned a running training plan.

Photo from runnersconnect.net

Going back in time, I used to be a sprinter and short distance runner. I was mostly a forefoot runner, with me being a little more mid foot during the "longer" distances. After college, I was in a severe car accident, followed by another bad car accident a couple years later. When I finally was able to run again, my pace was more than twice as slow as the past and I had lost all of my muscle and gained a substantial amount of weight. Ever since this, I have been a heel striker. To make matters worse, even though I did not over-stride, my foot never rolled all the way through, causing all of the impact to go to my knees. Therefore, all of the core strength I had worked on was worthless.

Why Cadence Training?

Cadence is how many steps per minutes, SPM, you take. The gold standard is 180 SPM. If you want more detail, I had a blog post about Running Cadence. When I was given the green light to start running again in mid 2016, the first thing I did was get my running form analyzed. Although my stride length was good and my upper body form was great, my foot strike was terrible. There are many ways to correct how you land or your foot strike, but the one I went with was cadence, as I only became a heel striker after being injured. For me, mid foot striking is more ideal. Keep in mind this is different for everyone. Meb, for example, is a heel striker and is a world-class runner. However, I have terrible joints from all of my prior injuries. Therefore, I need the impact from running to go onto my muscles, not my joints. Therefore, forefoot or mid foot is what I needed.

Cadence training is a great method to use for this, as typically the faster a person runs while keeping the same stride, the more your body will naturally go from a heel strike to a more mid or forefoot strike. This isn't the case 100% of the time, but is usually the case. As a note, cadence training is much easier to start out training on a treadmill, because the moving belt helps with kickback. But it's best to move outside when you can be more consistent.

My Cadence

My cadence was measured around 150. Therefore, going by the golden 180 SPM rule was the plan. As I have progressed in my initial training, I was able to get up to almost 10 minutes straight at just under 180 SPM while on a treadmill. Therefore, it was time for my plan!

My Plan

The plan is technically an 8-week plan. However, it's designed to with the idea that typically it will take 1-2 weeks of each progression. Therefore, the plan is designed to range from 8 weeks to 16 weeks.

Legend: WU = Warm-up | CD = Cooldown

Week 1/2

• WU walk 2 min
• (Run 5 min, walk 1 min) - 3 Sets
• CD walk 2 min

Week 2/3

• WU walk 2 min
• Run 10 min, walk 1 min
• Run 5 min
• CD walk 2 min

Week 3/4

• WU walk 2 min
• Run 10 min, walk 1 min
• Run 5 min, walk 1-2 min
• Run 5 min
• CD walk 2 min

Week 4/5

• WU walk 2 min
• Run 15 min, walk 1-2 min
• Run 5 min
• CD walk 2 min

Week 5/6

• WU walk 2 min
• Run 15 min, walk 1 min
• Run 5 min, walk 2 min
• Run 5 min
• CD walk 2 min

Week 6/7

• WU walk 2 min
• Run 20 min, walk 1 min
• Run 5 min
• CD walk 2 min

Week 7/8

• WU walk 2 min
• Run 20 min, walk 1 min
• Run 5 min, walk 1-2 min
• Run 5 min
• CD walk 2 min

If you feel this will be too easy or not challenging enough, then you can do:

• WU walk 2 min
• Run 25 min, walk 1 min
• Run 5 min
• CD walk 2 min

Week 8/9

• WU walk 2 min
• Run 25 min, walk 1 min
• Run 5 min
• CD walk 2 min

If you feel this will be too easy or not challenging enough, then you can do:

• WU walk 2 min
• Run 30 min, walk 1 min
• Run 5 min
• CD walk 2 min

Again, this plan was to just fix my foot strike. However, the concept of this plan can be used to help run faster, longer. Good luck with your training!

Building Plan: Week 7 Complete

What a week! Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas, are enjoying Hanukkah, or just enjoying some time off from work. I had one of my most successful workout weeks in a while, and I am hoping to keep this momentum. I had great running sessions, although my strength sessions were lacking again. I also did much better with cross training.

Strength Training

I only got in 1 of 3 full sessions. I did my usual daily stretches, but that doesn't make up for the 2 days missed. I will be making a bigger effort to make sure I am getting these strength days, as I feel this week was successful because of strength from last week.

Running

I hit all 3 runs this week! I continued my cadence week 5/6 plan. I'll make a post later showing the training progression plan. However, I will note now, and when I post, that this plan was specifically to help correct a running form issue I developed over the last few years due to my injuries and is not a plan I'll be building on. I will be building on my mileage, but this program was focused on my stride and foot strike.

Sunday I was able to get outside and run at a local track. It was an extremely tough run though because I have not run outside in a long time, so my SPM was much lower than I wanted. I was excited to learn the only open-to-public track in my county is the one somewhat near me. I'll be going here a lot more, as there is no substitute for outside running. Don't get me wrong, I have been making incredible strides with the treadmill, and it has been really good to get me going, but I need to wind, extreme temperature changes, and soon, hills.

Cycling

I was got in a cadence ride on my trainer. These rides are still destroying me. I am not too concerned though, as I have no been focusing on cycling or my cycling cadence much. However, I am not going to just hop on the bike to ride and burn calories, so I chose cadence. I am still hoping that once I get my running and strength consistent, I'll be able to bump up to at least 2 cadence sessions a week.

Swimming

I only did a short swim after one of my runs. It was 10 minutes and I was focused on form, especially arm rotation. I did this for two reasons. The first is that I usually recover exponentially quicker when i swim after my runs. Secondly, I wanted to push my shoulders, as they were already tired from my run. I think I did pretty well, and my goal is to always get in a swim after at least one of my runs, if not more.

Final Thoughts

Overall this is one of the best weeks I have had in a while. I plan on continuing this momentum. I'll definitely be adding another week of my Cadence Week 5/6 to my schedule. Although I don't have any running races or triathlons planned for 2017 yet, my dad wants to do the City to Shore ride again, but with the Century distance (100 miles or 160 km). So I'll be training for that.

Building Plan: Week 6 Complete

Well, this ended up being another week of struggle. Constantly exhausted despite getting more sleep. On a good note, I am still seeing improvements in strength and running.

Strength Training

Got 2 of my 3 sessions completed. NTC really knows how to kick my butt. Since legs and core are so important to me, it's really nice that their programs all have that as the focus. They don't neglect other areas, but the focus is core and legs. I am definitely getting better with more of the advanced routines. I still have a ways to go, but it's nice I can do them now, as I couldn't even partially complete them a couple weeks ago.

Running

I use my Garmin 920xt's workout calendar feature to do my workouts because I easily forget what I am doing each day. It turns out my sync for last week didn't work, and I was supposed to be continuing my Week 4/5 running. I hopped on the treadmill, and started my run. After my 2nd interval, I was expecting to be done after my 2 min cool-down. Nope! Beep, beep, and go! Turns out I had my Week 5/6 schedule in there. Aside from the 41 hour recovery recommendation, I totally killed the run! I averaged 180-181 spm for all three intervals. I will definitely be doing Week 5/6 another week or so though, as I should not have that crazy of a recovery period after the run. I felt really good afterwards and nothing hurt.

Everything Else

I hopped on the spin bike a little and mostly did stretches and foam rolling. I was happy I did that much considering how exhausted and busy I was.

Final Thoughts

As usual, I will be trying to improve consistency. I have been having a heck of a time adjusting my workout schedule to all of the random chaos going on. I came up with a rolling weekly plan that should adjust pretty well to this. Now I just need time and energy. Hope everyone is doing well!

Building Plan: Week 5 Complete

What a week. I was at the vet hospital a ton, I got sick, and I aggravated my knees and right foot. I still pushed through and got workouts in, but I was overly cautious and conservative. I'll go into detail, but I am pretty happy with my decisions. To make thing frustrating though, I have been dealing with some sort of joint or some other issue in my left thumb for months, and it's getting worse. Probably will have to head to get x-rays on it.

Running

I only got my first run in for the week. The following day both knees and my foot were so bad I was limping. I thought maybe I went too hard on the treadmill. However, it's a lot simpler than that. The past couple weeks I have been slacking on my strength training, core strength, and stretching. As I have noted before, these things are imperative to long term injury prevention for myself and keeping my knee and foot issues at bay. I had a nice reminder last Tuesday of this fact. Fortunately, I didn't try and doing any running until my knees and foot were feeling good again.

Cycling

I got in some spin sessions, as well as a trainer session. I am just going to emphasize how ridiculously useless spin bikes are in regards to real bike training. I am going to write a blog article on this later in the week, so you can read more about that then. Anyway, I had, what I thought, were two amazing spin sessions where I was easily hitting 90 rpm at a very decent resistance. But my trainer ride showed me how inaccurate those sessions were. To achieve only 85 rpm average, I was going at a fraction of the resistance and worked at least twice as hard. That is fine though, I will continue to use the spin bike for warm-ups when I need breaks from my running warm-ups. Also, when I don't have time to get trainer rides in I'll use spin bikes for 1-legged drills and sit-stand strength training.

Swimming

It didn't happen. I literally had no time to get over to LA Fitness to get into the pool. Until my cat's health issues are more under control and he has his surgery, I expect this to be an ongoing issue.

Strength Training

I am embarrassed to say I got in 1 strength session, which was just core strength. Not only that but I overdid the session and my left deltoid and trapezius muscles were completely messed up for 2 days afterwards, even with stretching and using a lacrosse ball. This will not be happening again, as I cannot afford to have knees, foot, and other injuries like I did this week.

Final Thoughts

I will be revamping my training schedule to be a lot more basic and not worry about doubles just to get all of my training in. My original intent was to build my strength, get a consistent stretching and core routine, and to build my running back up. I have strayed from this by trying to get cycling and swimming in, causing me to focus on cardio more, strength less, and ultimately scope creep from my plans. Week 6 will be much more structured, but simple. I will probably follow this until real life gets a little less crazy, then I'll start adding back my other cardio.

Building Plan: Week 4 Complete

What a week! Had to be at the hospital a bunch for my cat, so I missed some workouts. However, I got most of my other planned workouts in. I even got myself back in the pool! My eating suffered a lot though.

Strength
I only got in 1 full strength session. I got a partial session in as well, but it was more stretching than anything, as I was completely wrecked from my Thursday cadence run. It was my first real attempt at my Week 3/4 cadence plan. I definitely went too fast on the treadmill. But I'll get into this shortly. Anyway, my strength session was a monster! I had a faster-than-usual warm-up run, so I started my strength session at a fairly elevated heart rate. This session was also continuous sets-focused, so my heart rate stayed rather elevated, with points where I was hitting close to max HR. I had to lay down and foam roll for a good 10 minutes after. Sadly, this was my only real strength workout, which I am extremely disappointed about, as my main focus is improving my strength. This will not happen again!

Running
So, my first attempt at the Cadence Week 3/4 plan was the day after my above strength session. My legs were not fully recovered from that session, but I did the run anyway. I set a whole bunch of PR's, but almost passed out after my run from pushing myself to the absolute max. Happily though, I am pushing myself to my limits, but not going over. I need to keep being vigilant of my form, as I will easily get injured at this level of training. I did my second run over the weekend, on Sunday instead of Saturday. Although I was exhausted, it went much better than my prior run. I was able to maintain a higher belt speed for all 3 intervals while maintaining close to my goal cadence. However, my HR is still way too high and my average cadence is not at 180 yet. Therefore, I will be continuing my Week 3/4 cadence running into Week 5. I could technically move to Week 4/5, but I am not trying to build as quickly as possible...I am trying to make major gains that will stick.

Cycling
I had a nice leg-loosening session the day after my first run. It was pure awfulness, but I felt so much better later that day and especially the following day. I am making it my mission that I never miss some sort of shake-out workout after an intense workout day because this will promote faster healing and recovery. Sadly, I did not get in my long trainer ride.

Swimming
I finally got in the pool. I did this after my 2nd run session, which was Sunday. I swam 800 yards...which felt like 10 miles and I thought I was in the pool for a couple hours. I did 100 WU, 3 x 200, then 100 CD. I needed a full 60 seconds rest between each set. I honestly can't remember the last time I swam and it felt that tough for swimming so little. But guess what? I felt amazing when I got home and today I feel almost 100%. I cannot emphasize how much proper cross training is helping me.

Final Thoughts
I am going to keep trying to be more consistent with my workout volume. I altered my plan a little to be more realistic with my schedule. I am hoping I will be able to succeed more now. I don't think I need another 3 run sessions of the Week 3/4 Cadence plan, but I am going to get them done for good measure. As a note, I am down to a 6:08 mile now!!!!! With my walks between intervals, I am also at a 22:07 5k as well. However, I am not really counting this 5k pace until I can do a 5k with no stops.

My eating is still amazingly awful and I have not only regained all of my lost weight, but I am up a couple pounds again. I am not too worried about it though, as this is still not my major focus yet. Hope everyone is working hard with their goals!