Running With It

Training Update - 3 miles!

This is a bit less formal than usual:

I ran 3 miles this week! I now know that I am capable of running the distance for the triathlon, which is a wonderful feeling.

1 comment October 26th, 2007

Training Update

This training update is in SOAP format, inspired by Art Clarke and his blog.

Subjective:

It seems that this was a breakthrough week for running. I made it up to 2.5 miles on the treadmill. I’ve heard from others in the know that that 2 miles is the bubble to push through and once you get there it gets easier. I honestly believe I will be able to go the distance in the triathlon.

Yesterday I had a crummy day and was really low on energy. I still managed to run 2 miles after a 25 minute session on the elliptical trainer. I must say I’ve come a long way, in a crappy workout is running 2 miles.

I did not do any cycling or swimming last week. These are areas that I’m fairly comfortable in, but I should be paying attention to them. I’m not sure I’ll double up this week, but I will be sure to get swimming and cycling in this week.

Objective:

Running continues to improve. The distances keep going up. The headphones I wear while running keep catching on my hands, so there’s room for improvement there.

My last swim and bike rides were all over the distance I had to go for a triathlon. Since cycling comes after the swim I will be using it as a recovery from the swim, which should leave me in good shape for the run.

Analysis:

I would have liked to be further along than I am at this point. I have high confidence that I will finish the triathlon though and that makes it easy. The training program I’ve created for myself seems to be working well; I just need to stick with it. There is nothing like a triathlon looming to keep me motivated.

Plan:

Continue with training at least 4 times per week. Volleyball on Thursday evenings is allowed if I get a workout in Thursday morning (probably a fast run to build strength) as Friday is a rest day and Saturday is usually a cycling day. My last volleyball session did not leave me particularly sore and I expect that to get better rather than worse.

1 comment October 24th, 2007

Training Update (the 2 mile marker!)

This training update is presented in SOAP format, inspired by Art Clarke (see his blog  Running Naked in the blogroll for more info).

Subjective:

I feel like training is on a sign wave, The peaks are great, and the valleys not so good. After Monday’s bummer of a workout (I identified 2 broken machines at the gym, including the treadmill that was available) I came back in full force on Wednesday with a triple play of elliptical, treadmill, and swimming. My running distance was up. It seems that once I get past 1.3 miles, I can go for quite a while

On Thursday I had planned the usual elliptical/running workout but I happened upon a volleyball game in the gymnasium. For those not in the know, I played on my high school team and still love to play. I was watching for a moment trying to figure out what was going on when I was called into the game. Not one to decline the chance to play (I haven’t played indoor in years) onto the court I went.

The upside is that I had a great workout playing volleyball. The downside is that it wasn’t the intensive cardio running workout that I needed. I followed up volleyball with a 1 mile quicky on the treadmill.

Volleyball uses completely different muscles than running, cycling, or swimming. Certain parts of my body ache. I feel strong. I’m much hungrier than normal.

Objective:

I’ve passed the 2-mile marker!

Wednesday’s workout was a 15 minute warm-up on the elliptical trainer, 2.15 miles on the treadmill, and a 1/2 mile swim. I would have preferred to do the swim first, but the availability of the pool dictated the order of operations.

Pain is still relatively low. The running on sidewalks did hurt a little bit. The treadmill is currently the friendliest surface to practice running on, but I suspect it’s not as good a workout as actual running.

Analysis:

Half of the time my training program is working great. The other half I feel fatigued incredibly early on the treadmill. I’m at the point where swimming and cycling at reasonable paces don’t tire me out much. My cardio fitness is improving though at a potentially slower than planned rate.

Plan:

Continue with 4 sessions per week. Ice knee after running even though it will be a bit annoyin. Swimming and cycling both once per week seems to be working fine, so continue that. (Swimming and running workouts happen on the same day.)

Make sure at least one workout per week involves running a significant distance. This week, break 2.5 miles. Cardio endurance remains the biggest risk.

Find a way to incorporate volleyball into workouts somehow. This will make training for the triathlon harder, but ultimately more rewarding.  Possibly make Thursdays a light run day followed by volleyball.

Set a date to practice swimming in open water (harder and colder than a pool).

If anyone has any advice as to what a proper running speed is, I’m interested. A coworker whose done a number of triathlons suggested that i slow down (I was running at 6.7 mph). This last workout I ran at 5.8, or at least I tried. After a 1.5 miles I couldn’t take it any more and went up to 6.4 mph.

1 comment October 15th, 2007

Training Update

Training updates are in SOAP form, borrowed from Art Clarke at Running Naked.

Subjective:

In some ways things are not going as well as planned. Last week a running workout ended early. Running gets to my stamina in ways that other activities (swimming/running) do not. I came back two days later and met the intended running goal for that day which was great. Yesterday’s run also did not go as planned: the available treadmill was broken, so I ended up just going outside and running. As expected running in the normal way is more work than the treadmill.

Objective:

The last three running workouts were supposed to be 1.6, 1.8, and 2.0 miles respectively. In reality they were 1.0, 1.8, and 1.0. The last 1.0 mile run was non-treadmill run. There is slight pain in the knee after running outdoors.

Assessment:

Running remains the greatest level of risk. Discussions with other triathletes suggest the goal of “just finishing” is appropriate and I agree.

Plan:

• Increase number of training sessions from 3 per week to 4 per week
• Focus on building running endurance. Every session will involve running in some way.
• Swim at least once per week.

1 comment October 9th, 2007

Training Update

Since I’ve found Art Clarke’s (Running Naked) SOAP format for reporting on training so interesting and useful I am adopting it for my own use as well. In short, SOAP is a method used by physicians to aid in treating patients. SOAP is a way to organize thoughts that helps the physician (or anyone really) examine all parts of a problem eliminating natural biases. For an explanation on how and why, read Art’s entry about it.

Subjective:

Overall training is going well. I feel great, although I feel hungrier than I used to, but presumably I’m burning the calories off in training. The bicycle ride on Sunday was harder than I expected it to be (I decided to go fast and see if I could lap my training companions on a 2.2 mile course. I failed, but not by much.) The cycling may be my biggest risk because I have a tendency to hyperventilate that may need to be managed.

Objective:

Running is up to 1.4 miles. Swimming is at 1/2 mile.  I did a cycling workout that was 13+ miles this weekend. No soreness or pain of note to report.

Assessment:

I’m arguably in the best shape of my life. I have no doubts that I will be in shape to finish the triathlon. It is beginning to occur to me that the triathlon is a race and that I may want to be more competitive than previously thought. The original idea was just to finish but the competitive spirit may take over.
Plan:

Keep increasing the running distances; this is the most important. By the end of the week I should have run 1.8 miles. Do at least one swimming workout this week (Friday probably). This week is challenging from a scheduling standpoint, so I’ll have to be creative to stick to it.

2 comments October 3rd, 2007