Runner's High

Having such great weekends makes it really tough to return to work on Mondays, but I'll take it over the alternative. Saturday was a planned group ride out and back to Tannehill State Park. Prior to heading out the weather was fairly mild which made me reconsider taking extra layers and some knee warmers. Thankfully, "better safe than sorry" kept rolling through my head, and I brought the extra gear for as soon as we rolled out a nice little front moved in and dropped the temps and brought in some mist. I was shocked to see how the temps could drop over the course of the ride.
In the group were three girls, and honestly I would ride with these three girls any day for any type of training ride. They were in great shape and could pull their share of the load. It was great to see. The tempo stayed hot throughout the ride and we cruised into the parking lot covering the 56 mile loop with just over a 20 mph avg. Not bad for a ride that included some slow sections through town. This was definitely the hardest ride I'd been on since my IM and my legs totally felt it.
Sunday was the long run. I decided the run the Mercedes course downtown again to see if I could drop my time again. The plan was to run 7:50's until mile 8 and then drop the hammer. Mile 8 marks the high point of the 13.1 course so the remaining 5.1 miles are mentally and physically a snap. This plan worked really well as I was feeling fresh and ready to go when the 8th mile came. By mile 11, my spirits were soaring as I looked to see the pace hovering around 7:05. I was definitely experiencing the runner's high. I wrapped up the run at a 7:36 pace. It was a good run for me and one that I can build on.
One thing to note, I tried dissolving a power gel in water and keeping it on my fuel belt rather than having to suck on a packet mid-run. This seemed to work really well although the solution tasted a bit sweet. Will have to work on the gel to water ratio.
Next week's goal will be to run the first 8 miles at a 7:36 pace and drop the hammer from there. We'll see how it goes. You gotta have goals right?

Great Weather Weekend

Despite the colder than normal temps, this was the first weekend in FOREVER where it hasn't rained which made getting out imperative. Saturday morning, Dr. Nitrous and I started our planned "hard run" at the pre-dawn hour of 5:45 with full expectations that it would be daylight by the time we returned. We were hoping to be able to get on the bike and ride, but it was still dark when we finished. Not being crazy about riding in the dark, we had to wait until just after 7 before we could start. This was too cool.
Except for my snot machine working overtime throughout the ride, the route was enjoyable. I still don't have the sustainable speed, but I can still find good endurance over the course of the ride. But right now, I'm not looking to be fast.
Sunday, I met up with my good friend Lary, a newbie triathlete, to run the Mercedes 1/2 Marathon course in downtown Birmingham. My goal for this run was just to keep the pace around an 8:00 and enjoy the surroundings. I was happy to find this pace to be easier than expected. As I've mentioned, I haven't had many long distance runs under a 9:00 pace as I was training for IM. That's pretty embarrassing seeing it in print.
So, my plan is to continue working that pace down to a more respectable number. Lary had a great run. It's great to see such improvement in someone who is coming into their own as an athlete. He truly has come a long way. Can't wait to see what he can do in the future.

Who Needs a Goal?

The last 5 weeks since my IM race have been pretty uneventful as far as training goes. I guess that's the way I should have handled recovery anyway, but damn it sure is boring. With nothing on the calendar at all the remainder of the year, it's been difficult to make myself get out and get some work in. The "want to" has been there, but unless there's a "have to" certain responsibilities get in the way. I'm learning more and more that I need a goal. I need a carrot. There needs to be a reason for all of the training for me to really get after it. Trying to maintain a certain level of fitness just doesn't cut it.
I've been spending a bit more time in the gym these days. Getting back to basics and trying to add some muscle to my frame has been a fun process. After not having lifted much at all this year, every workout leaves me sore and feeling like a big ole sissy. As I'm bench pressing my 25 pound weights as many times as I can in one set, I look over to see the guy I used to be throwing down 3-4 reps with as big as a weight that he can find. These guys' routine of chest and triceps on Monday or back and biceps on Tuesday enable them to rest one muscle group while working on the other. This is no different than our approach to training. I see these guys with the huge biceps and well defined backs, but I have to ask, "What are you going to do with that"?
Then, as I rerack my weights after doing deadlifts, I look at myself and ask, "Ok, now what are you going to do with this." Right now, I don't have an answer. Right now the calendar is open and it's killing me!
So where do I go from here? I'm too broke from buying baby accessories to shell out $30 for a 5K or a late season duathlon. And there's really no way to tell whether or not I'll have time to fully train for an end of the year Marathon. What I can do is set small/short term goals that can be reasonably attained. A nice list of things to check off. So where to start? Well, I am embarrased to say, but tonight I will put my tri bike back together since I've yet to reassemble it since the flight home from Plymouth. I will hook it up to my trainer and tomorrow morning I have a goal of finishing disk 2 of the first season of 30 Rock. Now there's a goal I think I can live with. After that, who knows. I'll work that out over disc 3.

Let's Get Outdoors!

Wow, Birmingham has started cooling down, and I'm loving it. This is an old pic that I found among a stash of pictures I took on a hiking trip a few years ago in Jackson, WY. Actually, this may actually be in Idaho. Any way, it along with the change in temperatures here has really got me jonesing to get outdoors. Give me a campfire, good friends, and something to poke the fire with and I'm a happy camper.

I'm almost out of chances to do so. Our first child is 5 weeks out so I'm about to be out of free weekends. Here's hoping.