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Happy New Year! Tuesday, January 2, 2007 Well, it's 2007 and things are off to a pretty good start so far! I completed my first double of the new season yesterday, getting a nice (and slow) bike ride in and then running later in the day. It hurt like heck, though... I forgot how drained I usually am after doubles. I ran this evening with the Pharaoh Hounds - we did 10 hill repeats, which I basically ran as a distance run. I picked it up a little on the hills, but not much, and made everything one continuous run - the workout served more or less as muscular adaptation. I'm not running enough to justify working really hard yet, so this kind of workout will serve to prepare my legs for harder running in the future.
A change may be on the horizon for the immediate future, which would increase my happiness level quite a lot. I really don't like my current job much, and I've got an interview with another organization next week. Fingers crossed.
There goes the hip For a moment, I almost wrote Sunday immediately above, because I've had two days off in a row from work. I switched shifts from Monday to tomorrow, so I wonder how screwed up I'd be if I had three days off in a row? Feels like my IT band has decided to give me some grief again. I may need to back off on the run intensity for a little while: I took it up a notch this week, with hills on Tuesday and a tempo run today. I ripped a 17-flat 3-mile effort today, which is not too bad for being fairly out of shape and considering it's still early January. However, I think my hip was not pleased, so it'll be light running for several days.
Looks like the weather is starting to cool off... so I may start riding indoors. I'm not excited by that prospect, but I think I'm ready for it; ever since I burned myself out three winters ago, it's been hard to get on the trainer consistently. I know I need to this year, though - if I want to do well in 2007, I need to get into the right training habits now and build a good base.
Brickalicious Man, I'm not nearly as good about blogging as I ought to be. I'll work on that. Today was my first brick workout of the season: I rode for an hour in the rain, and then got dry just in time to head back outside and run. I forgot how tough running off of the bike can be. My legs were not pleased at all, and I could feel myself start to move into bonking territory by the halfway point in the run. It's been a while, so I clearly need to remember how to keep myself fed and hydrated better on the bike, so I can avoid problems like this.
I'm also going to buy some fenders for my bike. Then maybe wet rides won't be so bad.
A little extra rest The nonstop rain ended yesterday, replaced by freezing cold and light snow. I'm not sure which weather pattern I hate more. However, I have some new equipment that will help me battle the elements; the fenders that I bought did a terrific job on Sunday to keep my backside dry from my own rooster tail, although my feet still got soaked. A new pair of good booties - now I can trash my crappy Performance booties - will keep my feet warm and dry, so they will get a lot of use this winter. I also picked up some wool socks that I am excited to try out, and a thin rain jacket for days like last week when it was really too warm to wear my waterproof winter jacket. I'm pretty much set to rock just about any weather now.
Despite my new gear, I've taken a couple days off already this week to let my hip heal. I ran last night with the Hounds, but my hip started bothering me a lot after I finished. I'm trying to take it easy and not run hard on it for a while, but I guess it needs some extra rest. Good thing this is supposed to be a light running week anyway. I'm going to have to put some muscle into my pedals for the rest of the week, though. I've rediscovered the joy of riding, and I'm looking forward to getting back into it.
Bikeaholic I've been on my bike two days in a row now, even in sub-freezing temps, and I'm proud to say I am re-addicted. I really love cycling, and if it doesn't snow too much, I'm going to ride tomorrow, too. I've got the right gear (a couple more things arriving mid-next week to complete my winter outfit) and riding in the cold is no longer the huge drag that it used to be. I could probably be fine down to about 20 degrees, assuming I could keep my feet warm enough - even with good booties, they still got a little cold today. I'll try layering socks tomorrow.
My hip/IT band is still sore, even while riding. This is getting to be annoying more than anything else. I really want to get through a workout without it hurting. Maybe it'll go away in a month like my other injuries tended to do last year...
Brrr! I put in an hour on the bike this morning, before this snow system hit, and it was one of the coldest rides I think I've ever attempted - 23 degrees F when I got back, not counting whatever wind chill there was. I did alright except for my feet: my toes were pretty well frozen halfway through, despite two layers of socks. I've got a thick pair of wool socks that I rarely use anymore that I will try next time I ride when it's that cold (which could be tomorrow, for all I know).
My hip seems to be a little better now, even after a ride and a short run later in the afternoon. We'll see how it feels tomorrow when I wake up, though.
Tough double Tuesdays are track days, and my body got a rude shock today: 5 x 1 mile intervals. I didn't go very hard - around 6:00 for each - but it's been a while since I have subjected myself to that kind of work. I'm going to be hurtin' tomorrow, especially after having ridden for an hour earlier in the afternoon.
I think I have found the solution to my cold-weather problems: chemical warmers to put in my shoes to keep my toes from freezing. Once my last few cold-weather pieces of gear arrive tomorrow, I will be all set for hours of bike riding enjoyment. I might just take advantage of that, too.
Shelled but stronger Today was a tough day. I rode north of town, into the numerous hills, and really tore my own legs off on roads that were hillier than I'd thought. I was struggling for most of the ride, highlighting how out-of-shape I am, and how unaccustomed to riding hills my legs have become. It didn't help that the roads were wet and that it was snowing, too. After my ride, I jumped into my running gear for a run off the bike. Until today, the running half of my bricks felt terrible: I would be out of energy and be half-bonking, and my legs felt terrible. Today was a little different. For the first time this season, I was tired but not bonking, and my legs, while certainly ripped apart from my ride, still felt strong. I didn't go terribly fast, but I could tell that I'm becoming more accustomed to running off the bike.
Stronger or not, I'm going to be hurting tomorrow morning. That's guaranteed, and I can't wait. I've missed the feeling of training really hard and being shelled a lot. Weird? Yeah, probably.
A couple lists
Things I like:
Things I don't like:
Long cold run With snow covering the track, the Hounds were forced to run on the roads tonight. The weather decided to make things especially miserable, with temps in the teens and howling winds that dropped the wind chill into the single digits. While others did a fartlek workout, I ended up just running a steady pace with one of the other guys, and we went about 9 miles or so, one of the longest runs I've done in a long time.
My left hip seems to be getting better (knock on wood), and as it heals, other things are starting to break down (naturally). Now I'm experiencing some pain in my achilles tendons, which may have been from my ride on Sunday, so I am going to have to monitor that closely. Looks like more nasty weather for the next week or so, which will force me to ride indoors on the trainer - this will give me a chance to do some specific leg work, as well as keep an eye on my legs. In the meantime, my ice pack has become my new best friend (again).
January By The Numbers The inside of my left ankle is hurting now, exactly like it hurt last winter at this time. I don't know what it's from, but since I was able to train through it last year, I will keep a close eye on it now and try to keep it under control with agressive ice/heat therapy. This was my second lowest January volume since I started serious training of any sort about five years ago - only 2004 saw me do less. However, this is not a cause for concern, since I am not planning to peak for any races until late September. In previous years, I would have my first race coming up in just a couple days on Super Bowl Sunday. Despite the low volume, it was not all roses - I have been closely monitoring several injuries to make sure they don't sideline me. So far, so good: my ITB problem seems to be clearing up, and although my ankle now hurts, I dealt with the same problem last year and know it will also eventually go away. The weather has also conspired to make things difficult, with snow and very cold temperatures striking seemingly all of a sudden. Through all of this, though, I managed to make plan every week of the month (first time that's happened in who knows how long), and this sets a good prescedent for the rest of the year.
January 2007: |
January 2007
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