My fastest pace (6:42/mi) for a 15K yet - despite HORRIBLE conditions - 1" of ice on much of the racecourse, strong winds, cold - miserable! Plus I didn't feel well - hardly slept the night before and had a really upset stomach - nearly puked during my warm-up 5k before the race.
Pulled myself together, ran the paces I planned in the first 5 miles with someone right on my shoulder the whole time. Kept surging and couldn't drop him. I found a stretch that would have the full headwind and two sharp turns. Since the footing was bad, I figured I could make a move in the turns, and then hammer into the wind to break him. It took nearly 1/2 mile - but I shook him.
Then it came down to a 3 way sprint for 2,3,4 place - me and two guys in the 25-28 age group. Unfortunately, I couldn't quite match them in the last 400m - but we finished within 10 seconds of each other.
Overall, I was pleased to still PR on a really shitty day. Hated to lose out on the 3-way sprint - that's not like me... but this was a B- race, and I am keeping my eye on the Boston Marathon next month.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
"Beautiful Lie" - Last Spinning class of the year for me to lead
My last session of the "indoor season" was another challenging one! It was filled with full-sprint effort intervals, power grinds and thresold intervals. (Workout and playlist at the end of this)
The group was full of energy and excitement - which helped me. I've been on the verge of overtraining lately, and had a crummy day at work... so when I showed up to the studio to lead the class, I wasn't really myself. But after the first couple of sprints and the intensity everyone was bringing - I rebounded.
As the night went on, the intensity built up, and so did the enjoyment! While the group was holding Anaerobic Threshold pace, I started attacking with unplanned 10-20 second sprints. Group seemed to get into the music and the intensity... and then we went into the last 8 full-out sprints. It was carnage! I turned myself inside-out, and based on the grunts, groans and breathing of the rest of the group - I know they did too!!
I told the class that it was over... then the song "Beautiful Lie" started to play... and I informed the group we were doing one more minute of full out effort. The group responded well and sufered through the last hard minute!
After the class, we had a great time at Harry Buffalo!! Fun group!
As an aside - this was likely my last session of the season. I'm heading off to China and Japan for the next two weeks. I have truly enjoyed the classes - both as a participant and as a leader. Great way to stay insprired and focused during the "indoor season"!
THE WORKOUT AND PLAYLIST:
Warm-up:
"Trip like I do" - The Crystal Method
8 minutes easy, with two 30 second spin-ups (low tension)
First Sprint Intervals:
"Tonight - I'm F***-ing you" - Enrique Iglesias (maybe the theme for the class?)
30 second all-out sprints with 30-45 seconds rest between
"Break" - Three Days Grace
45 second all-out sprints with 45 seconds rest between
"Re-education through Labor" - Rise Against
45 second all-out sprints with 45 seconds rest between
Threshold Work:
Total of 26 minutes at or above Threshold effort with varying tension.
"In Da Club" - 50 Cent
High tension, low cadence - hold HR at AT
"Vertigo" - U2
Lower tension, High cadence - still holding HR at AT
"Only" - Nine Inch Nails
High tension, low cadence - hold HR at AT
"Paint it Black" - Rolling Stones
Lower tension, High cadence - still holding HR at AT - numerous 10-20 second sprints.
"Knights of Cydonia" - Muse
High tension, low cadence - hold HR at AT - numerous 10-20 second attacks
"Breathe" - Prodigy
Recovery:
"New Divide" - Linkin Park
Believe it or not... I put in 4.5 minutes of rest and recovery - but we worked for 26 minutes straight at or above threshold effort. We needed it! Plus - wanted to have everyone ready for the final assault!
Final Sprints:
"Got the Life" - Korn
30-45 second all-out sprints
"Ignorance" - Paramore
45 second all-out sprints
"Pain" - Jimmy Eat World
45 second all-out sprints
Recovery:
"Beautiful Lie" - 30 Seconds to Mars
--> My beautiful lie, was that the class was over! I cranked up the group for one last all out 60 second effort!
The group was full of energy and excitement - which helped me. I've been on the verge of overtraining lately, and had a crummy day at work... so when I showed up to the studio to lead the class, I wasn't really myself. But after the first couple of sprints and the intensity everyone was bringing - I rebounded.
As the night went on, the intensity built up, and so did the enjoyment! While the group was holding Anaerobic Threshold pace, I started attacking with unplanned 10-20 second sprints. Group seemed to get into the music and the intensity... and then we went into the last 8 full-out sprints. It was carnage! I turned myself inside-out, and based on the grunts, groans and breathing of the rest of the group - I know they did too!!
I told the class that it was over... then the song "Beautiful Lie" started to play... and I informed the group we were doing one more minute of full out effort. The group responded well and sufered through the last hard minute!
After the class, we had a great time at Harry Buffalo!! Fun group!
As an aside - this was likely my last session of the season. I'm heading off to China and Japan for the next two weeks. I have truly enjoyed the classes - both as a participant and as a leader. Great way to stay insprired and focused during the "indoor season"!
THE WORKOUT AND PLAYLIST:
Warm-up:
"Trip like I do" - The Crystal Method
8 minutes easy, with two 30 second spin-ups (low tension)
First Sprint Intervals:
"Tonight - I'm F***-ing you" - Enrique Iglesias (maybe the theme for the class?)
30 second all-out sprints with 30-45 seconds rest between
"Break" - Three Days Grace
45 second all-out sprints with 45 seconds rest between
"Re-education through Labor" - Rise Against
45 second all-out sprints with 45 seconds rest between
Threshold Work:
Total of 26 minutes at or above Threshold effort with varying tension.
"In Da Club" - 50 Cent
High tension, low cadence - hold HR at AT
"Vertigo" - U2
Lower tension, High cadence - still holding HR at AT
"Only" - Nine Inch Nails
High tension, low cadence - hold HR at AT
"Paint it Black" - Rolling Stones
Lower tension, High cadence - still holding HR at AT - numerous 10-20 second sprints.
"Knights of Cydonia" - Muse
High tension, low cadence - hold HR at AT - numerous 10-20 second attacks
"Breathe" - Prodigy
Recovery:
"New Divide" - Linkin Park
Believe it or not... I put in 4.5 minutes of rest and recovery - but we worked for 26 minutes straight at or above threshold effort. We needed it! Plus - wanted to have everyone ready for the final assault!
Final Sprints:
"Got the Life" - Korn
30-45 second all-out sprints
"Ignorance" - Paramore
45 second all-out sprints
"Pain" - Jimmy Eat World
45 second all-out sprints
Recovery:
"Beautiful Lie" - 30 Seconds to Mars
--> My beautiful lie, was that the class was over! I cranked up the group for one last all out 60 second effort!
Saturday, March 5, 2011
6 wonderful days in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
Six days in perfect Florida weather was just enough! Amy, Andy, Tommy and I had a wonderful vacation in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, with my brother Paul and his girlfriend Rachel.
We hit the weather lottery! Sunny, breezy and 80-84 each day - could not have been nicer! Beaches, the pool and lots to see every day around Miami and the Keys.
The boys and I were in the pool every morning at least once, and on the beaches most days too!
I was able to experience some world class reef diving - just a few hundred yards off the beach by Paul's house. Normally, you have to pay to charter a boat out to the reefs! Instead, we just went to the beach, and swam out through the breakers, over the sandy ocean floor, until BOOM - the reef!
This was my first ocean snorkeling experience. Paul said the conditions could not have been more perfect! He was right! Bright sun, super-clear, warm water (at the surface). We saw everything! Dozens of kinds of tropical fish, stingrays and I swam a while with a couple of sea turtles!
The reef was only in about 15 feet of water, so even with a snorkel, I could get right down with the creatures! (Ears might have popped just a little, since I'm not used to that). It was such a different world!
At first, it was a little freaky being around so much fish life, in the "wide open ocean"... But I relaxed right away knowing there were no sharks or other creatures that would cause problems there.
Paul was a great companion and teacher for me. We also brought in Amy who was ready to tackle the reef! She swam all the way out, but unfortunately, got a bit seasick in the swells, once she "locked onto" looking at things on the bottom. So she saw some old cannons and the edge of the reef, then had to turn back. Poor girl did all the hard work, and missed out on the payoff! :( Next time, babe!
It was so "perfect", it almost seemed fake! Like swimming in a zoo aquarium or something! Swimming and diving down into the cold waters around the reef was so cool! The schools of brightly colored fish, darting among the swaying plants, coral and other features was so cool! And seeing the little day-to-day struggle of the food chain was so neat to see first-hand!
We went to "Monkey Jungle"... Where the humans are caged and the monkeys run free. WOW! That was so fun! We spent the day feeding all of these monkeys by hand! It was so AWESOME! Their little hands reaching out for snacks! We could touch them, and they were so cute and so SMART!
They also had a big gorilla (KING), and an orangutan (MAY) on display. They were both rescued from crappy situations, and were beautiful to see up close.
Oh, on the way home from Monkey Jungle, we decided to take a detour through the EVERGLADES! We went onto route 41, which pretty much is "Alligator Alley!". As soon as we turned onto 41, we started seeing gators! Drove back into the park a bit... Pulled off in a couple different places to walk around and see stuff.
In one spot, we noticed a gator out in the canal and decided to pull over and check it out. After watching him float around for a while (which we thought was cool), a HUGH gator came out of no where, and chased this one off. Then he noticed us... And became VERY interested!
This big gator came right up to us, did a couple of slow passes just a few feet from shore where we were (at the time too caught up in the "cool factor" to realize we were in a pretty risky situation - especially with the smaller kids (5 & 9)). Suddenly, it stopped in front of the bank, and just hung there, motionless... I realized it was now laying in wait to ambush whichever got too close or careless. It was time to send the kids to the car! We shot some more photos and video of this "dinosaur", soaked in the experience, then headed off. Afterwards, we realized we probably weren't too far from being someone featured on "When Vacations Attack!". Just the right balance of adventure, risk and safety! :)
We really enjoyed the time with Paul and Rachel. They are such a great couple! So happy together! They dated in high school, went their separate way for like 15 years, the found each other again on Facebook! Paul was living in Traverse City, Michigan and Rachel was in southern Florida. They reunited and fell back in love together! This summer, Paul transferred to U of Miami to finish his studies. They found a great waterfront condo! Their two dogs (Morgan and Sophie) get along very well too! I am soooooo happy to see them happy together! :)
Friday, we took a trip down to the Keys while Paul had school nd Rachel was working. What a fun day that was! Gorgeous, easy drive down... Lunch at the Key Largo Conch House... And the afternoon at the John Pennekamp State Park. There were mangrove swamp and tropical hammock (forrest) trails to hike, and 3 different beaches to explore. There were things to see in the water (cannons from a 1715 shipwreck, sea life, etc) and this "abyss" nearby that plunged straight down to a black depth... Freaked me out a little! Amy and the kids found hermit crabs and all kinds of fish right by shore, too!
We also went to "Flamingo Gardens" to see a beautiful botanical and wildlife park. Funny little highlight was feeding I his and Flamingos right from my MOUTH! It was a lot of fun! Acres of beautiful grounds, groves, swamps and other stuff to see.
I'm told I went there as a child one of the times we went to visit my Grandparents when they lived in Ft. Lauderdale. I'm not sure if I remember that or not, but it was cool for my boys to go! We have about 10,000 photos, so I don't think they will be able to forget it! :)
This trip had a lot of great food experiences as well! From kick-butt Cuban food, to Pompano Pizza to Key Lime Pie on the Florida Keys! Plus some unique / fun places to enjoy that food! It was great!!
This trip was the very first time flying for my boys. They did GREAT! I flew with Tommy on all flights, and Amy had Andy. The boys loved flying! The whole "process" from checking luggage to security, to watching take-off and landings to the flight itself. They were perfect little men during the flights! Didn't care about turbulence or anything!
Plus, andy and Tommy got along SO well! They slept in bed together, rode in the back seat together, kept each other company in restaurants while the grown-ups ate and talked! Couldn't ask for better behavior! Thanks boys!!
We were able to do the flights for our family of 4 with miles from my work travels, with plenty left over for Amy and I to fly to Boston in April for the marathon. Thanks Fosbel!
It was another wonderful and memorable family trip for us!
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
"Let the Bodies Hit the Floor" - 2/22/11 SBR Spin Class Workout and Playlist
Tonight was brutal... it was beautiful! There was cheering, there was cursing...
There was a lot of suffering... and 25 very happy and motivated athletes afterwards! I had more positive feedback from people after the session than I ever have before. I have to say, the music + the workout... it just seemed to click! I truly enjoyed the energy in the room, and it helped me motivate myself to my highest HR yet on a bike during the last set of sprints. It was awesome!
This workout was all about improving our AT (Anaerobic Threshold or Lactate Threshold)... a combination of shorter, high intensity intervals and long efforts right at Threshold, but with big variations in cadence (85rpm vs 125rpm) with the intention to work at the same output of effort (HR, watts, etc) under different conditions - to simulate effects of wind or hills on time trial type racing or break-away efforts on the bike.
During the 10 minute warm-up, we did a couple of low-tension spin-ups to 120+rpm. Just to get the rapid firing of the muscles going - and prepare the mind and body for what comes next. 10 all-out sprints lasting 30-45 seconds each, with 45-60 seconds of rest between. Then on to single leg pedaling drills. Next, we worked at Threshold intensity for about 20 minutes, but with 5 songs with very different cadences - so we had to adjust tension to maintain the same HR/watt output. Then, we did three big hill climbs, including one long hill where we attacked (sprinted) during the hill climb a few times - that was tough. To finish ourselves off, we did four more 1 minute all-out sprints, with 1 minute recoveries. We pulled ourselves off the floor, and went out for some well deserved food and drink.
Warm-up (10:00)
5 minutes easy "This is War" - 30 Seconds to Mars
30sec spin-up
1 minute easy "Let the Bodies hit the Floor" - Drowning Pool
30sec spin-up
3 minutes easy
Sprint Intervals ALL OUT SPRINTS - FULL EFFORT! 1:00 rest between
4 x 0:30-0:45 each "Keep Hope Alive" - Chemical Brothers
4 x 0:30-0:45 each "Name of the Game" - Chemical Brothers
3 x 0:30-0:45 each "Indestructible" - Disturbed
Single Leg Drills Very high tension / 60-70rpm cadence. Foucs on "pulling up", not pushing down, to make a smooth circle with each leg.
1:30 each leg "Stereo Love" - Edward Maya
2:00 each leg "Smells Like Teen Spirit" - Nirvana
Threshold Work
It is critical to keep your HR constant and right at Threshold (often about 88% max HR) - the key is varying the tension to keep the effort (HR) the same with the very different cadences below. This helps "program" us to work at the same intensity, under different conditions (wind, false flats, etc).
3:30 at 120 rpm "Raise your Glass" - P!nk
5:15 at 88 rpm "Can I get a **** ***" - Jay Z
3:30 at 132 rpm "Tighten Up" - The Black Keys
3:40 at 90 rpm "Going Under" - Evanesence
3:50 at 128 rpm "Hot in Here" - Nelly
Hills
4:25 seated climb "New Low" - Middle Class Rut
7:40 standing climb/sprints "Trip Like I Do" - Chemical Brothers
(3 hill sprints keyed on the jumps in the music - 30-40sec high intensity)
4:00 seated climb "Lose Yourself" - Eminem
2:00 recovery
Final Sprints (ALL OUT EFFORTS! I'll buy beer for whoever pukes!)
1:00 sprint / 1:00 rest "Stronger" - Kanye West
1:00 sprint / 1:00 rest
1:00 sprint / 1:00 rest "Invincible" - Adelita's Way
1:00 sprint / 1:00 rest
Cool Down
4:00 easy spin down "Drive" - Incubus
There was a lot of suffering... and 25 very happy and motivated athletes afterwards! I had more positive feedback from people after the session than I ever have before. I have to say, the music + the workout... it just seemed to click! I truly enjoyed the energy in the room, and it helped me motivate myself to my highest HR yet on a bike during the last set of sprints. It was awesome!
This workout was all about improving our AT (Anaerobic Threshold or Lactate Threshold)... a combination of shorter, high intensity intervals and long efforts right at Threshold, but with big variations in cadence (85rpm vs 125rpm) with the intention to work at the same output of effort (HR, watts, etc) under different conditions - to simulate effects of wind or hills on time trial type racing or break-away efforts on the bike.
During the 10 minute warm-up, we did a couple of low-tension spin-ups to 120+rpm. Just to get the rapid firing of the muscles going - and prepare the mind and body for what comes next. 10 all-out sprints lasting 30-45 seconds each, with 45-60 seconds of rest between. Then on to single leg pedaling drills. Next, we worked at Threshold intensity for about 20 minutes, but with 5 songs with very different cadences - so we had to adjust tension to maintain the same HR/watt output. Then, we did three big hill climbs, including one long hill where we attacked (sprinted) during the hill climb a few times - that was tough. To finish ourselves off, we did four more 1 minute all-out sprints, with 1 minute recoveries. We pulled ourselves off the floor, and went out for some well deserved food and drink.
Warm-up (10:00)
5 minutes easy "This is War" - 30 Seconds to Mars
30sec spin-up
1 minute easy "Let the Bodies hit the Floor" - Drowning Pool
30sec spin-up
3 minutes easy
Sprint Intervals ALL OUT SPRINTS - FULL EFFORT! 1:00 rest between
4 x 0:30-0:45 each "Keep Hope Alive" - Chemical Brothers
4 x 0:30-0:45 each "Name of the Game" - Chemical Brothers
3 x 0:30-0:45 each "Indestructible" - Disturbed
Single Leg Drills Very high tension / 60-70rpm cadence. Foucs on "pulling up", not pushing down, to make a smooth circle with each leg.
1:30 each leg "Stereo Love" - Edward Maya
2:00 each leg "Smells Like Teen Spirit" - Nirvana
Threshold Work
It is critical to keep your HR constant and right at Threshold (often about 88% max HR) - the key is varying the tension to keep the effort (HR) the same with the very different cadences below. This helps "program" us to work at the same intensity, under different conditions (wind, false flats, etc).
3:30 at 120 rpm "Raise your Glass" - P!nk
5:15 at 88 rpm "Can I get a **** ***" - Jay Z
3:30 at 132 rpm "Tighten Up" - The Black Keys
3:40 at 90 rpm "Going Under" - Evanesence
3:50 at 128 rpm "Hot in Here" - Nelly
Hills
4:25 seated climb "New Low" - Middle Class Rut
7:40 standing climb/sprints "Trip Like I Do" - Chemical Brothers
(3 hill sprints keyed on the jumps in the music - 30-40sec high intensity)
4:00 seated climb "Lose Yourself" - Eminem
2:00 recovery
Final Sprints (ALL OUT EFFORTS! I'll buy beer for whoever pukes!)
1:00 sprint / 1:00 rest "Stronger" - Kanye West
1:00 sprint / 1:00 rest
1:00 sprint / 1:00 rest "Invincible" - Adelita's Way
1:00 sprint / 1:00 rest
Cool Down
4:00 easy spin down "Drive" - Incubus
Training update - February 21st
I just finished a very tough 4 week block. Usually, it is 3 hard weeks and one recovery week... but this block was 4 solid, challenging weeks because I'm headed to Ft. Lauderdale for a family vacation the following week - and I wanted to take it easy then. Man, did that make for one tough final week of the block! Note to self - you really need the fourth week to be a recovery week!
This past weekend (the end of the 4th high intensity week) was torture! My legs were shredded from my 800s on Thursday, and a faster-than-planned 7 mile hill run Friday (it was sunny and 50F, I just couldn't slow down!). Saturday was a 20 mile "water only" run, in very strong winds (30+ mph). My body was thrashed going into it, and the no calorie program (intended to develop more fat burning cells vs combination of fat + glycogen) really caught up to me at the end. Sunday I had a 2 hour session that I survived. I was toast. Monday, I couldn't even think about working out, and had my first rest day in about 2 weeks. Needed it!
Overall, my run training is right where it should be. The only thing I feel I'm missing are speedwork sessions (800s, 1200s) on a proper track, in reasonalbe weather. I've been having to do them on the street, and in cold, snowy, windy weather. So my times aren't where they "should be"... most likely due to the conditions, but I can't help but worry a little that I'm not doing enough in my speed sessions.
My swimming is staying solid, but because of my travel schedule and the Oberlin swim group not meeting as consistenly as I would like, I've missed more of those sessions than I've made, it would seem. 2 weekends ago was a killer session, which included an "unnanounced" 1000y time trial right in the middle of the workout. I posted a good time (for me) and was pleased with my progress. My other swim workouts are going pretty well. I'm getting in 2000-2300yds at lunchtime now, which is helping.
Cycling is on the back-burner, and really is just the group spin sessions with my racing team. There are 4 of us who take turns leading them. Good stuff!
So, all-in-all, I'm feeling pretty good about things going into the last big push for Boston Marathon. 7 weeks to go! WOW! So, 4 solid weeks of good, hard training, then the taper starts! Then, I turn my sights toward the Olympic Distance Triathlon season - my first season competiting in "Elite Open"... which will culminate in the USAT National Championships in August in Vermont.
GAME ON!
Sunday, February 6, 2011
China and Japan - January 2011 (and some of the most weird foods yet!)
I had my 4th trip to China and my 3rd to Japan during this insane 12 day journey. I had 10 flights in 12 days... I was only in the same city (Shanghai) for 3 days in a row - the rest had me going all over China and Japan. Leaving the hotel a 4-5am, flying and driving for hours... visiting plants / having meetings... and back to the hotel at 10pm-midnight. Ugh... Never again will I schedule a trip like that! But I did get a lot done! I was in Shanghai, ZhengZhou, Xinyi, Zibo, Qindao, China... and Kobe and Akashi, Japan.
I had a few objectives in this trip. Visit 4 manufacturing facilities, spend 2 weeks focused and with my "guy" (Cao Xiu) in China to keep his training, mentoring and development going, and determine the strategy to better support Japana, India, Malaysia with the resources in place, and what additional resources are needed.
For the most part, mission accomplished! Like many of these trips, I left with more actions and work to be done than I went to the region with!
I had some incredible and new experiences on this trip!
- my first meal of DOG - which was actually quite delicious - till I realized what it was - then it was hard to go on...
- A delicious platter of stir-fried SCORPIONS, CICADAS and BUBMLEBEES...
- Ate raw SEA CUCUMBER...
- Had an amazing seafood dinner at a 'single-table restaurant' in Japan where we had fresh conch, fish cheeks, perfect miso soup, sashimi and lots of sake!
- Went shopping at local grocery stores in both Japan and China and got some cool stuff for Amy
- Ate my weight in sushi - it's always good - but this was super-fresh, perfectly done sushi!
- Drove through the mountains in China - beautiful and rugged territory.
- Experienced a mega-polluted town in China (Zibo). Whoa... it was like being in a stinky forrest fire smoke cloud all day. Quite depressing. Thankfully, they have cleaned up a lot of the big, coastal cities in China - more work to be done.
- I did manage to get a lot of run training in, despite the crazy schedule. I did have one free day, and I got in a 20 miler. Rest of the days, I was up super early and did 8 - 12 mile runs in China and Japan. I refused to run in Zibo due to the pollution - I figured the little bit of fitness gain, wasn't worth the risk to my lungs!
- I was able to go to the "EXPO" (World's Fair) in Shanghai. It was pretty cool! The most interesting part of the China Pavilion was the exhibit about the incredible changes in lifestyle of the Chinese over the past 30 years. In general, we know there has been a lot of progress - but to see the full size displays of the home 30 years ago, 20, 10 and now was amazing. The dwelling sizes, the lack of modern appliances, etc. was pretty incredible to see... compared to today (which is still quite restricted compared to the USA for example).
My Chinese is improving, but still limited. I tried and tried to work on it while there. Progress... I need to spend more time on my Japanese before I go back in March.
My next trip is scheduled in March... USA to Germany (3 days) to India (3-5 days) to Japan (3 days). Should be interesting! I just hope I can keep my run training on track for the Boston Marathon - in April. Luckily it is relatively easy to run while I'm traveling. That should help.
I had a few objectives in this trip. Visit 4 manufacturing facilities, spend 2 weeks focused and with my "guy" (Cao Xiu) in China to keep his training, mentoring and development going, and determine the strategy to better support Japana, India, Malaysia with the resources in place, and what additional resources are needed.
For the most part, mission accomplished! Like many of these trips, I left with more actions and work to be done than I went to the region with!
I had some incredible and new experiences on this trip!
- my first meal of DOG - which was actually quite delicious - till I realized what it was - then it was hard to go on...
- A delicious platter of stir-fried SCORPIONS, CICADAS and BUBMLEBEES...
- Ate raw SEA CUCUMBER...
- Had an amazing seafood dinner at a 'single-table restaurant' in Japan where we had fresh conch, fish cheeks, perfect miso soup, sashimi and lots of sake!
- Went shopping at local grocery stores in both Japan and China and got some cool stuff for Amy
- Ate my weight in sushi - it's always good - but this was super-fresh, perfectly done sushi!
- Drove through the mountains in China - beautiful and rugged territory.
- Experienced a mega-polluted town in China (Zibo). Whoa... it was like being in a stinky forrest fire smoke cloud all day. Quite depressing. Thankfully, they have cleaned up a lot of the big, coastal cities in China - more work to be done.
- I did manage to get a lot of run training in, despite the crazy schedule. I did have one free day, and I got in a 20 miler. Rest of the days, I was up super early and did 8 - 12 mile runs in China and Japan. I refused to run in Zibo due to the pollution - I figured the little bit of fitness gain, wasn't worth the risk to my lungs!
- I was able to go to the "EXPO" (World's Fair) in Shanghai. It was pretty cool! The most interesting part of the China Pavilion was the exhibit about the incredible changes in lifestyle of the Chinese over the past 30 years. In general, we know there has been a lot of progress - but to see the full size displays of the home 30 years ago, 20, 10 and now was amazing. The dwelling sizes, the lack of modern appliances, etc. was pretty incredible to see... compared to today (which is still quite restricted compared to the USA for example).
My Chinese is improving, but still limited. I tried and tried to work on it while there. Progress... I need to spend more time on my Japanese before I go back in March.
My next trip is scheduled in March... USA to Germany (3 days) to India (3-5 days) to Japan (3 days). Should be interesting! I just hope I can keep my run training on track for the Boston Marathon - in April. Luckily it is relatively easy to run while I'm traveling. That should help.
Above is one of my Japanese colleagues... and below is the man who cooked our "single table" dinner in Japan. That was such a cool experience!
Training and swimming update - 2/6/11
OK - I've been so busy between travel and holidays, I've fallen behind on recording my progress (which is more for me than for anyone reading this...). Sitting down and taking stock for the "big picture" was a good thing to do this week. I need to work on a few things and make sure I'm focused on the right things, with about 10 weeks to go before Boston Marathon.
I needed to be putting in a quality 10 hours/week, and I was only getting about 7.5/week in December and January. I was "OK" with the holidays interrupting things - family needs time to be the priority. But then one local overnight trip, and 2 weeks in China/Japan screwed up my schedule and routine pretty badly! While traveling, I could run a lot (I did about 150km between the 2 weeks) and bike a little sometimes... no swimming. Only avreaged 7hrs/week while overseas - but at least I got most of my quality running in for Boston. I didn't realize how far off target I really was, until I went through things in detail this week.
I've had 2 weeks back in the States - with some measure of "normal"/"routine" - except that I'd been gone for 2 weeks from the family, and rightly so, they wanted me to forego training in favor of family time on the weekends. I did manage to get up to 10hrs and 12 hours this week - so I'm back on track (for the moment).
Swimming wise, I tried to get good quality workouts in these last 2 weeks, to get back up to speed. Last weekend, I was ready to jump back in with the group at Oberlin College, only to find it was an off week, due to the 5k / 10k swim challenge. Another week went by since I was with that group and on my own. I didn't like that too much. Try to push myself pretty hard - and I'm usually successful in getting a lot out of myself, by myself - but it just isn't the same as when you are in a structured workout, with a group.
Today, I rejoined the group, a little nervous about my time away, and the hard workouts the last 2 days. Today's workout was intense, but I'm pleased to say I felt like I did quite well!
The workout was 4,000y total - with the main set a 1,000y time trial (14:20 or 1:26/100y for me is a personal best!) Followed immediately by 3 x (200 @ 2:47, 2x100 @ 1:21, 4x50 @ 0:39). This was a BUTT KICKER! I hit the 200 and 100 paces right on, and like most, struggled holding that pace on the 50s. I FELT GREAT afterwards! Swam fast (for me) and strong, and kept up well with the group - except for Ed - he was FLYING! I'm gonna have to bust my ass to try to hang with him - a new challenge for me!
So, I feel pretty good about my run progress toward Boston, but know I need to bring more daily swim and bike time into the picture to round out my total fitness, and help me drop a bit more weight before Boston.
10 weeks to go - GAME ON!!
I was pretty worri
I needed to be putting in a quality 10 hours/week, and I was only getting about 7.5/week in December and January. I was "OK" with the holidays interrupting things - family needs time to be the priority. But then one local overnight trip, and 2 weeks in China/Japan screwed up my schedule and routine pretty badly! While traveling, I could run a lot (I did about 150km between the 2 weeks) and bike a little sometimes... no swimming. Only avreaged 7hrs/week while overseas - but at least I got most of my quality running in for Boston. I didn't realize how far off target I really was, until I went through things in detail this week.
I've had 2 weeks back in the States - with some measure of "normal"/"routine" - except that I'd been gone for 2 weeks from the family, and rightly so, they wanted me to forego training in favor of family time on the weekends. I did manage to get up to 10hrs and 12 hours this week - so I'm back on track (for the moment).
Swimming wise, I tried to get good quality workouts in these last 2 weeks, to get back up to speed. Last weekend, I was ready to jump back in with the group at Oberlin College, only to find it was an off week, due to the 5k / 10k swim challenge. Another week went by since I was with that group and on my own. I didn't like that too much. Try to push myself pretty hard - and I'm usually successful in getting a lot out of myself, by myself - but it just isn't the same as when you are in a structured workout, with a group.
Today, I rejoined the group, a little nervous about my time away, and the hard workouts the last 2 days. Today's workout was intense, but I'm pleased to say I felt like I did quite well!
The workout was 4,000y total - with the main set a 1,000y time trial (14:20 or 1:26/100y for me is a personal best!) Followed immediately by 3 x (200 @ 2:47, 2x100 @ 1:21, 4x50 @ 0:39). This was a BUTT KICKER! I hit the 200 and 100 paces right on, and like most, struggled holding that pace on the 50s. I FELT GREAT afterwards! Swam fast (for me) and strong, and kept up well with the group - except for Ed - he was FLYING! I'm gonna have to bust my ass to try to hang with him - a new challenge for me!
So, I feel pretty good about my run progress toward Boston, but know I need to bring more daily swim and bike time into the picture to round out my total fitness, and help me drop a bit more weight before Boston.
10 weeks to go - GAME ON!!
I was pretty worri
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