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 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 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!

Cycling Plan: Week 3 - Complete

Another hectic week with house stuff, helping out at my parent's house, and mother's day cooking. I only got in my spin class, but was able to get all three of runs in, but as the title of this post notes, this is "CYCLING" training, not running training. I actually did plan on riding, but I am trying to learn about bike maintenance and messed up a couple things this weekend. For starters, I bought new wheels, cassette, new tires, and a trainer tire. Unfortunately, I did not buy extra tubes, and for my 1st tire installation, I punctured the tube, so I cannot use the wheel yet. Also, I am having trouble installing the cassette. Basically, my new back wheel is a nightmare right now. Going to pick up some tubes and give it another go tonight hopefully. I am also nervous about swapping wheels, since I haven't done that before, but I am sure I'll get through this.

Swimming
No time as usual.

Cycling
Only got my insane spin class in. It was literally 90% intense hill work, with 80% of that being seated with higher RPM. It was insane, but I felt awesome the next day. Plus it's good to see some of my endurance creeping back, although it would be a lot better if I were doing my actual cycling training.

Running
I got all three runs in this week. It really is so much easier to get my runs in when all I need to do is put on shoes and go. My speed work went well as usual. The tempo run however, did not go as well as I would have liked. The added hills were just too much for me to try and speed up my pace. My long run was alright. I was running a slower pace and cadence initially because the first half was running with someone else. I felt completely fine after the first loop we ran. Then I continued on to do a second loop. I guess I didn't realize how tough the hills on the route was, because I was not able to increase my speed or cadence much on the second lap. Oh well, this just shows I have a long way to go.

Strength
I only got in one legit strength session, and it was pretty tough because it was right after my spin class. I still managed to get the full workout done though and it felt really good.

Nutrition
As you can see, I did alright with logging and macros, but I slipped up Friday night through Sunday. I will be using this new view to help keep myself more accountable.

Final Thoughts
A pretty tough week but still managed to find some extra time to workout. Depending on feedback from realtor, we might be starting to wrap up the sale of our home soon, so I am hoping to have a couple weeks where I can focus on workouts before I get hit with an insane week of moving EVERYTHING to storage and a friend's house.

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 4 - Complete

All moved in! Well, for the most part anyway. But I am done moving stuff from our old house to our temporary housing until the house sells and we find a new home. I was able to get in some workouts, which was super exciting. I also got in some walks as well. I am looking forward to starting my training plan next week for cycling!

Swimming
No time this week, but I will start back next week.

Cycling
I was able to get a stationary ride in, where I mixed high resistance and single-leg drills. Overall it was a good session, but man-oh-man do I need to work more on leg strength.

Running
I got in both a treadmill run and an outside run this week. Even though I felt like I was going to die from my outside run because I haven't done hills in forever, it was so invigorating. I cannot wait to run outside more often with the weather getting so nice.

Strength
As usual, I lifted tons of stuff all week. And as usual, I completely no formal strength routines. It will be nice getting back to them this upcoming week.

Nutrition
Despite the busy schedule, I did alright with eating well. However, I did suffer a little here and there, and also just didn't have time to log most meals. I will be resolving that this upcoming week as well.

Final Thoughts
Overall a very productive week. My upcoming week will have some missed activities due to travel, but I'll get most of my workouts in. So happy spring is here!

Interim Plan: Week 1 - Complete

As I have noted before, I am in the process of selling my house and moving. So this past week and the next week are devoted strictly to that. I still have a workout plan, but I am not in any way trying to force myself to stick with it, because honestly, most of my days when I am not at work at spent from dusk until dawn doing moving stuff. At least I am getting some good strength building with this.

Swimming
I didn't get any swimming in, although there were some days I really wish I had the time. My muscles were achy all week.

Cycling
I was able to get a 30 min cadence ride in this week. I was even able to bump up another level of resistance for almost half of the ride. I am really excited for cycling training to start in 2 weeks.

Running
I was able to get an outside run in. I had the following goals: 1) Run outside 2) Run for 30 minutes without stopping 3) Start retraining myself to gauge cadence and pace. I achieved all of these. I learned that over 1.5 years without running outside, I have lost most of my ability to gauge cadence and pace outside. However, it was a good start and I am hoping for an improvement on my next run. Also, I had forgotten how hilly my route was, and for having run on treadmill at incline 0 for many months now, it was quite a shock to my legs. I maintained good form though and had no knee issues. My feet and legs were completely dead after the run though. Fortunately, I have been doing enough strength training and cardio that my recovery was almost 100% the next day.

Strength
I didn't get any formal sessions in this week. However, I have been lifting 100lb tanks, yard equipment, furniture, building stuff, and the list goes on for my move and home sale, so I got a lot of strength work in, even if it wasn't structured.

Nutrition
I did pretty well with nutrition this week. I did horrible logging it, but I maintained good eating habits and even lost some weight! I hope to continue this progress, but hopefully with being more consistent at logging my food.

Final Thoughts
Overall a very successful week, as I wasn't sure I would have any time to workout. Next week will be the same. I cannot wait for this to be over.

Building Plan: Week 20 Complete

This week concluded my building plan after I had gotten physical therapy for my stress fracture and knee injuries. My base level of strength, flexibility, mobility, and cardiovascular level are all at levels I am happy with. I had hoped for a little better, but I also did miss a lot of workouts due to the impending move. I got in two runs this week, and although I was dead after each, it felt good to exercise.

Swimming
Did not have a chance to even be near a pool. Hope this will change soon.

Cycling
As with swimming, I didn't really have a period of time where I was home long enough and not busy enough to hop on my trainer.

Running
I got in two runs! If it wasn't for the gym temperature, I am certain I could have completed both runs without stopping briefly to walk. My cadence was a little lower than I would like, but with the weather starting to warm up, I need to be outside and starting to work on hills. I will also continue to work on increasing my speed. With the soon shift from treadmill to outside, I am expecting my runs to be much more difficult.

I have found that the treadmill does an amazing job at helping with kick-back, so my form and pace have been pretty solid. I am hoping that I have enough cardiovascular endurance and strength to handle the outside SPM and pace.

Strength
I didn't get any strength sessions in, but I was lifting over 1000 lbs each day, Thursday through Sunday, because of getting ready to move. I am so sore right now.

Nutrition
Eating healthier and better was the theme of this week. I had moderate success and lost a little over a pound thanks to it. I will be trying to keep this going.

Final Thoughts
As I mentioned, this was my last week of my building plan. Since I don't see myself having much time the next two weeks to workout much due to the move, I will just exercise when I feel I have enough energy and won't injure myself. I cannot wait to start cycling training, which is up next after this 2 week taper!!

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!

I am a long distance runner, but those middle distance runs are so tough

I was asked recently by a few runners on my thoughts on why middle distances for long distance runners seem so tough compared to the short and long distance runs. So, I thought about this for a while, checked my personal running logs, and checked out running forums to see what other people were saying.

For the sake of this article, long distance is classified as half marathon (13.1 miles) distance or greater, mid distance is 5 miles to 10 miles, and short is anything under 5 miles. Personally, I lump 5 miles and under as short distance, and anything over 5 miles to 10 miles as mid, and anything over 10 as long. I found that many distance runners lump 10 miles and up as long distance.

There are two factors to analyze here; mental and physical. I will summarize each in the sections below from my personal logs and my research.

After consulting my logs, I noticed that I actually had a much better time with either short or long distances, and had more trouble with the mid distances. This was surprising because I thought my long distance runs were generally a lot tougher. Surprisingly, I found this to be a pretty consistent scenario for a lot of distance runners.

Short Distance Runs
The physical factor is very interesting topic to tackle. With the conditioning, my body barely gets fully warmed up on short runs. This means my heart rate stays a bit lower, even when I am going at a good pace (for myself). Even with my PR races for short distances, my heart rate never really climbed above the lower end of my average heart rate. For most people however, I found that race heart rate for their short distance races were much more elevated than their average heart rate. But across the board, everyone felt the same after the short distance race...not very tired and their bodies were saying "Hey, when does the race start?"

The mental factor is fun to analyze, because a person's training has a lot to do with this piece. For me, the distance is so short that it doesn't seem daunting to me in any way, and mentally seems more like an easy day run, so I have no issue focusing on the run and before I know it, the race is over. This is completely due to my training. I don't listen to music on short runs, and focus on my form and obstructions in the road. For other runners, I found a similar feeling with the short distances; it was over so quickly, there wasn't really enough time for the runner to get psyched out in any way.

Middle Distance Runs
The physical factor here depends a lot on how a person trains and conditions. If you are a seasoned distance runner, then middle distances are typically a little more taxing on your body, but not enough to really cause any real fatigue. For me, I find that I run my fastest times in my mid distances races. I am sure this is due to some flaw in my training...or maybe I am doing the wrong training. But when I finish a mid distance race, or even training run, I find myself tired but I still feel fine physically. This was the same feeling from most distance runners as well.

The mental factor is the key here. For some odd reason, I found from my logs that I had trouble focusing on my mid distance runs, mainly training runs. Basically, my mind was in the "short distance" mode and I was running without music, but when my mind thought I was supposed to be done, I still had a way to go. This kind of psyched me out and my performance at that point saw a huge slide in pace, as well as somewhat large fluctuations for my heart rate. I wouldn't regain my calm until about 85-90% of the run was completed. In researching this, I found that many runners have the same results I encounter, although it appears most of the runners are able to mentally recover a lot quicker than me.

Long Distance Runs
Physically, long distance runs are rough. You train your body to handle the beating it takes both from the impact of running, as well as the depletion of your energy stores. Therefore, a longer run should feel a lot tougher physically. What's interesting from my logs, is that I found that aside from days where I ran in the heat of the day in hottest part of the summer (oops), my body felt pretty good as long as I was staying hydrated and had proper nutrition before, during, and after my race or my run. I had expected that, even on the nicer weather days, my logs would show the runs were extremely tough; this was not the case. In my research, I found that this was pretty consistent for seasoned distance runners as well.

Mentally, this is a different beast. For me, I go into a distance run (not race) knowing I will be running a long time. I usually try and listen to music, or depending on where I am running, I'll take in the scenery and do lots of thinking about things non-related to running, food, or fitness. For races, I go in with a specific goal and focus on that goal the whole race (I also have a plan B in case something unexpectedly bad happens). Therefore, aside from making sure I keep properly hydrated and energized nutritionally, I don't mentally have any issues with long distances. However, my findings for seasoned distance runners was a little more split than I expected. I honestly expected the results to be similar to mine. Although the majority was similar to my experience, there was an overwhelming amount of people who said that the "middle miles" of their long runs or races they fell into a similar mental trap that they did for the mid distance runs. This would result in a lot of mental fatigue and a lot of people said it would take a long time to mentally recover from it.

Conclusion & Suggestions
So, it appears that most seasoned distance runners don't have any mental or physical issues with short distances. For mid distances, no physical issues, but mental issues are pretty common, but most people recover quickly from them. For long distances, there are always physical issues just because it's a high impact activity for a long period of time, and the mental issues are somewhat split between no problem at all and similar issues with the mid distance runs.

There were tons of comments on how people dealt with the mental aspects of mid and long distances runs and races. However, I will just list the top ones.

1. If you listen to music, have your music playlist have really upbeat, fun, or "whatever really motivates you" songs play during the period you usually would get psyched out
2. If you don't listen to music, keep your mind occupied with anything other than the race or the run
3. DO NOT set notifications, timers, or anything similar before you would usually hit that mental wall, as it will usually trigger that mental wall sooner and cause it to take longer to overcome
4. A good one, and one that I like using, is to take a race in blocks
1. This means 1 mile at a time, or for really long distances, maybe a few miles at a time
2. For each "block", mentally set goals and work to achieve them
5. The best method, however, is to improve the quality of your training runs
1. This could mean training you mind to look at mid distance runs like short distance runs
2. Or you could focus more on timed runs, where you are more focused on running for a certain period of time and not the worrying about the total distance (of course you will want to make sure you are getting certain distances, but that should not be the focus)

I do want to note that there are more technical aspects in regards to changes in the body during the course of longer durations of running, but without being able to interview the hundreds of people I read posts from, I figured trying to bring that in to this would not be very accurate.