A few minor injuries

One thing I knew from the beginning and starting to experience is the aspect of injuries that come into play when training. It can be very frustrating because 99% of my body feels great, but that other 1% is pulling me down. My birthday was Monday (The big 33) and it was full of injury prevention / healing tools for my training. Sara bought me a foam roller my Illiotibial Band. I received a gift card to Sports Authority from my dad, which I used to purchase an ice pack / ace bandage combination and a yoga video. When I read the name, I immediately knew it was for me~ Yoga for inflexible people. That is me to a T. I will say, since I have had some leg and shoulder issues, I have taken stretching more seriously and I can see some improvement in flexibility. Before stretching, I could not even come close to touching my toes keeping my legs straight and now, it is close. I'm not there, but it is much closer. It has been confirmed... I do officially hate the foam roller. I've only used it four times now and can't stand it. I say that because it hurts so much. At least I know it's working. It is that love / hate relationship thing going on. I have had the strength and will power to take off a few days from running and biking to let me legs heal. They are on their way. I tried running on Wednesday on a treadmill and had no issues. It was a short 3 mile run. A few days later I hit the road again and did another short and slow 3.2 miler. (I think I averaged 10:32 per mile). I did not have any pain following. Last night, I jumped back on the bike and rode for 30 minutes on the trainer and had no pain this morning. I'm just going to take it slow, stretch, and be patient.

Another week of training in the books...

I had another good training week.

Run: 20.76 miles Good runs this week (4.72, 6.72, 9.25) I had a problem with my run yesterday. After finishing, my illiotibial band started flaring up. Major problem with a large majority of runners. I may have pushed the run a little too far after biking with a high cadence the night before. Someone mention tight glutes for a possible reason and it makes sense b/c of biking the night before. Hopefully that is the case and I can stretch it out.

Swim: 3608 yards Worked more on technique and interval training this week instead of distance training. Ran into some shoulder issues. I have not been bi-lateral breathing, but need to get back to it. I think that is why my shoulder hurts. I have also incorporated flip turns into my swims. I read the amount of distance you save by not doing them is not as important as it is to learn to hold your breath that extra time when doing them. (Greater aerobic benefits).

Bike: 27 miles (all on trainer) Working on proper cadence as opposed to total distance. Trying to keep cadence above 90 rpms on all rides. I found trainer rides to be more difficult than road riding because on the roads, you can coast and have to stop, but don't on the trainer. I guess you could, but I feel like I am letting myself down if I do.

Good training week

I have had a pretty solid week of training this week, covering all three areas. I decided to throw in a second swim workout and will probably do another today. Running has felt really good. I did my long run last Sunday and have run three days since. I've had a couple good bike trainer session as well. I was going to ride outside today, but with the upcoming week being cold, I decided to keep my trainer tire on the wheel instead of switching back to the road tire. Unfortunately I have yet to find another wheel to put my trainer tire on. Most cheap wheels average around $100.00. That is too much to spend for what I am using it for.

In addition to the regular workouts, I have also started incorporating strength training following my swim workouts. I typically work my shoulders, lats and core. I found some great core exercises that I really seem to like.

Some really good news regarding my running.....Since I got my new shoes (thanks SB), I have not had any IT Band issues. It seems like this is posted several times on tri websites asking for suggestions on how to relieve this issue. Most recommendations are to not run for several weeks. I had my right ITB flare up with my old shoes, but nothing yet from the new ones. (Currently knocking on wood.)

I did make my decision regarding hockey. I am semi retiring (more than likely Brett Favre style w/o all the crying. I'll be back. It's just a matter of when.) The way I see it, I could completely negate all of the training I have put in, in one second, by getting hurt. It was definitely a difficult decision considering I have been playing for 10 years and with many of the same people. I might have to go cheer on the guys and drink a beer with them after the game.

Personal best run

After finishing my last keystroke of my last post, I decided to try something. Lately I have been experiencing things that have really mentally knocked me down. Therefore, I decided to try to pick myself up. I set a short term goal to do a 10 mile run. And.......I did it. I almost made it 11 miles. That is a personal best for me.

Sometimes life's a struggle

I have had some trouble keeping my motivation up this week. There have been a few major things that have been dropped on me - mostly at work, but also a few personal issues that are distracting as well. One thing I am learning is how important it is to be able to focus 100% while training. If you are not able to fully commit, your training will suffer. It is pretty demoralizing when physically your body is saying "Alright, let's do this", but your mind holds you back. Sara and I discussed some of the mental roadblocks that I have been having and agree that my training should be my release, but that is not the case. It is hard to believe that I at this point considering a week ago I made a mental commitment to do Ironman Louisville in 2010.

Hopefully this will take a turn for the better in the next few days.........