It's been easy to let this slip from daily to every other day to a couple times a week. Summer is nearly upon us and along with that come the typical distractions I struggle to jam into my already busy life. Looks like I'll be on repreive for a little while here until things settle down a bit. This includes a somewhat structured break from riding until later this summer when I plan to ramp up to a century ride in October. I figure I'll start building for that at the beginning of August, where I'm sure to be in for some hot rides. For now I'll be taking the usual bike commute to work but limiting this to a couple of times a week. For the most part I won't be doing any longer riding until the century build up.
I also have been feeling pretty confident that I can start running gently pretty soon. The plan is to approach it cautiously and take things slowly. Planning this around an early fall century ride will be challenging but should at least serve to prevent me from jumping into running too fast. I still have occasional morning pain in my right foot. This improves throughout the day but can act up if I've been walking a lot. It's certainly much better than it has been but I think it'll be a month or two yet before I can really be at ease about it.
For now I'm looking forward to improving my swimming and incorporating a little more yoga. The latter should hopefully help quell the stiffness in my hips which I'm sure is related to cycling. I'll continue with the climbing, and I may even have a couple of opportunities to take some trips to local outdoor climbing spots.
I'll be around once in a while when the mood strikes me but I'm not looking to update consistently until I get more organized. Enjoy the summer, be careful in that heat.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Short Week
Spent Saturday through Tuesday morning in Rehoboth for Maia's birthday. Absolutely necessary and well appreciated break from reality. Did some ocean swimming but nothing too strenuous.
Returning to work after a break never quite feels as good as I expect it will. I was conscious of that at the gym this morning during a weight session. Just felt like I was dragging a bit. I felt better as the day went on and followed through with my plans to take a swim after work. I never really enjoy PM workouts unless it's a run or a ride but I'm glad I fit it in today.
I picked up a few tips on drills from this website. I'm not sure why I haven't done any of these before but I have to confess that I learned more in the pool in one hour today than I have in the past month. Maybe things are starting to click but I really noticed that my sense of balance in the water is improving which makes things more fluid. I had a blast and I'm looking forward to more in the coming weeks.
Just read an interesting article on barefoot running, written by this guy. Anton's blog is one that I like to check up on now and again. He espouses a minimalist approach that I can relate to and appreciate. And he's an amazing athlete and talented writer, in my opinion. I've got mixed opinions on barefoot running and tend to agree that it's more a tool for personal exploration than a running ideal.
Looking forward to an extended commute into work tomorrow after nearly a week off my bike.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Nostalgic Morning
Strangest dream last night.
My coworker Jonesy (an Ironman in the real world) had somehow convinced me to go to the track for a workout with him. It was early morning, before dawn, and we hopped into his hatchback and took off toward our destination. To my surprise Jonesy grabbed a beer out of the back, out of a case that I had apparently given to him, and popped it open. I remember thinking it odd that he would do such a thing in the morning, before a workout. I mentioned it and he shrugged. Apparently he was trying to relax. As we got closer to the track, I realized that we were in a town I'd lived in during my high school years. In fact, we were going to my high school track. Just before arriving we stopped at the local gas station and I got a call from Maia. She was with her roommate, who advised me to be conservative about the track workout. I responded by saying I didn't really think I was going to run. We pulled into the high school parking lot, which was overcrowded with temporary classrooms, the kind used during expansions or rennovations. Then I woke up.
I don't think I ever ran on my high school track. Maybe a couple of times for a gym class or something. The mile perhaps, when I was a freshmen.
This has got me thinking about all kinds of things, such as wondering why I never explored athletics when I was younger (with the exception of brief soccer and swimming stints), outside of skateboarding, if you consider that athletics. I regret this sometimes, but then it's not like I wasn't enjoying myself back then.
It's also got me thinking a lot about running. The plantar fasciitis in my right foot bothers me less and less. I've been less reserved about the way I use it, during walking and such. The morning stiffness has only gotten to me a couple days this week and even those days were not that bad. The reality of a worry-free run is upon me, and it's something to look forward to. Instead of despairing over how much longer this thing will last I'm starting to realize that it'll end in due time. It's been about 9 months which I think is right on for most cases of PF I've heard about. I'm waiting for a few solid pain-free days, and then I'll count a couple weeks out from that. This sounds conservative, but I want to be rid of this for good.
***
This morning I travelled out to my office extra early. The Metro annoys me, as it usually takes me about twice the time it would if I was riding. But I left my bike at work last night when I went to Rockville.
I had intentions of working hard this morning. I did. I shot out to Darnestown on an unplanned route. All familiar roads. When I got to Darnestown Pike I decided to make it an out-and-back as my odometer read 16.5 at that point. It turned out to be an excellent ride, and again I'm appreciating the lower mileage over the last couple weeks. Altogether, 33 miles, 1:49.
I have a long weekend coming up in recognition of Maia's birthday on Tuesday. Thinking of going for a swim tomorrow morning. After that I won't have access to my bike and quite frankly I need a break anyway, so I'll check back in next week.
My coworker Jonesy (an Ironman in the real world) had somehow convinced me to go to the track for a workout with him. It was early morning, before dawn, and we hopped into his hatchback and took off toward our destination. To my surprise Jonesy grabbed a beer out of the back, out of a case that I had apparently given to him, and popped it open. I remember thinking it odd that he would do such a thing in the morning, before a workout. I mentioned it and he shrugged. Apparently he was trying to relax. As we got closer to the track, I realized that we were in a town I'd lived in during my high school years. In fact, we were going to my high school track. Just before arriving we stopped at the local gas station and I got a call from Maia. She was with her roommate, who advised me to be conservative about the track workout. I responded by saying I didn't really think I was going to run. We pulled into the high school parking lot, which was overcrowded with temporary classrooms, the kind used during expansions or rennovations. Then I woke up.
I don't think I ever ran on my high school track. Maybe a couple of times for a gym class or something. The mile perhaps, when I was a freshmen.
This has got me thinking about all kinds of things, such as wondering why I never explored athletics when I was younger (with the exception of brief soccer and swimming stints), outside of skateboarding, if you consider that athletics. I regret this sometimes, but then it's not like I wasn't enjoying myself back then.
It's also got me thinking a lot about running. The plantar fasciitis in my right foot bothers me less and less. I've been less reserved about the way I use it, during walking and such. The morning stiffness has only gotten to me a couple days this week and even those days were not that bad. The reality of a worry-free run is upon me, and it's something to look forward to. Instead of despairing over how much longer this thing will last I'm starting to realize that it'll end in due time. It's been about 9 months which I think is right on for most cases of PF I've heard about. I'm waiting for a few solid pain-free days, and then I'll count a couple weeks out from that. This sounds conservative, but I want to be rid of this for good.
***
This morning I travelled out to my office extra early. The Metro annoys me, as it usually takes me about twice the time it would if I was riding. But I left my bike at work last night when I went to Rockville.
I had intentions of working hard this morning. I did. I shot out to Darnestown on an unplanned route. All familiar roads. When I got to Darnestown Pike I decided to make it an out-and-back as my odometer read 16.5 at that point. It turned out to be an excellent ride, and again I'm appreciating the lower mileage over the last couple weeks. Altogether, 33 miles, 1:49.
I have a long weekend coming up in recognition of Maia's birthday on Tuesday. Thinking of going for a swim tomorrow morning. After that I won't have access to my bike and quite frankly I need a break anyway, so I'll check back in next week.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Easy Morning
Took it slow this morning on a 20 mile extended commute (another northern crescent). Not that I had much choice in the matter as I didn't have a whole lot of gas in the tank anyway. I was actually a little hungry and I can blame this on no dinner last night. Bad idea. So I just rolled with the punches and enjoyed the scenery. About 1:30.
Picked up a 30 min swim yesterday and figured out that it takes 76 lengths of this particular pool to make a mile. Sounds pretty boring if you ask me. Followed up with some weights. Running on less than optimal sleep yesterday so I was pretty beat for the rest of the day.
Headed to the rock gym in Rockville as I sign off here. Catch you tomorrow.
Picked up a 30 min swim yesterday and figured out that it takes 76 lengths of this particular pool to make a mile. Sounds pretty boring if you ask me. Followed up with some weights. Running on less than optimal sleep yesterday so I was pretty beat for the rest of the day.
Headed to the rock gym in Rockville as I sign off here. Catch you tomorrow.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Long Story Longer
Just a quick update here as I'm pressed for time but don't want to lose hold of some posting consistency of late. Rest of last week was a wash after an epic Tuesday filled with all kinds of craziness. I topped things off Tuesday eve with a 5.11b at the rock gym. Got all the pieces of the puzzle and now it's just a matter of connecting them in a consisten manner. I'll probably try again tonight.
Wednesday I took the short route to/from work as I was feeling pretty wiped out and Thursday and Friday I wound up in Pittsburgh on business. I got home early enough on Friday evening to swim for about 45 min, a refreshing change of pace, especially given the recent high temperatures.
Saturday morning I spent some time lifting. Things are going well here and I'm glad I've incorporated this. Still feel a little out of place in that part of the gym but I'm gradually getting over that.
Sunday morning I picked up a marathon in the saddle along a modified northern crescent route. Began conservatively but picked up the insensity as my legs began to notice the relative rest of the previous few days. 26.2 miles, about 1:30.
Took advantage of the holiday on Monday and got out for a planned 50-miler. I was glad I'd held back in terms of mileage on Sunday because my ride on Monday was absolutely spectacular. The lower overall weekly mileage left me feeling very good and I surprised myself with a pretty decent pace. Ended up with 45 miles due to a pit stop to help out another cyclist with a flat. I regret not writing yesterday about this but the rest of the day got swept away into BBQs and the search for a swimming hole. We failed at the latter but I definitely spent a few hours adding back the calories I'd burned in the morning.
This has turned into a longer post than expected and I should puncuate it here with some thoughts about plans for the upcoming weeks. I liked how the lower mileage week left me feeling over the weekend. At the end of June I'm headed to a cottage on Lake Huron for 10 days and I'd like to take advantage of the large expanse of open water while I'm there. I'll be mixing in some swims, looking for about 3 per week. I've never really been able to swim any significant distance in open water but I'm hoping this summer I can change that.
Wednesday I took the short route to/from work as I was feeling pretty wiped out and Thursday and Friday I wound up in Pittsburgh on business. I got home early enough on Friday evening to swim for about 45 min, a refreshing change of pace, especially given the recent high temperatures.
Saturday morning I spent some time lifting. Things are going well here and I'm glad I've incorporated this. Still feel a little out of place in that part of the gym but I'm gradually getting over that.
Sunday morning I picked up a marathon in the saddle along a modified northern crescent route. Began conservatively but picked up the insensity as my legs began to notice the relative rest of the previous few days. 26.2 miles, about 1:30.
Took advantage of the holiday on Monday and got out for a planned 50-miler. I was glad I'd held back in terms of mileage on Sunday because my ride on Monday was absolutely spectacular. The lower overall weekly mileage left me feeling very good and I surprised myself with a pretty decent pace. Ended up with 45 miles due to a pit stop to help out another cyclist with a flat. I regret not writing yesterday about this but the rest of the day got swept away into BBQs and the search for a swimming hole. We failed at the latter but I definitely spent a few hours adding back the calories I'd burned in the morning.
This has turned into a longer post than expected and I should puncuate it here with some thoughts about plans for the upcoming weeks. I liked how the lower mileage week left me feeling over the weekend. At the end of June I'm headed to a cottage on Lake Huron for 10 days and I'd like to take advantage of the large expanse of open water while I'm there. I'll be mixing in some swims, looking for about 3 per week. I've never really been able to swim any significant distance in open water but I'm hoping this summer I can change that.
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