Morning loop w/ Jen - 4 mi.
Total Time: 35:09
AP: 8:48
Ran the first four miles of Jen's 11 miler with her this morning. I was hoping to do five with her but we got a bit of a late start. It was overcast so the temp was a bit warmer than it has been on previous morning runs. By the end my left hamstring was feeling a bit tight so I made sure to stretch it out right after the run and again in the shower. By the time I was walking to the train it was not bothering me at all. Might be due to my shoes, good thing the new ones will be here in a few days. Overall it was a good run. Tomorrow I'm heading up to spin class then I plan on running Thursday and Friday mornings.
So I found a couple of races that I am thinking about doing next spring/early summer. Still haven't found an Olympic/international distance but I will keep looking. That's the nice thing about CA, there is always a race somewhere near by.
May 2008: SUN MAY 4th, 2008
NAPA VALLEY SPRINT TRIATHLON™
10th annual
1/2mi swim, 15mi bike, 4mi run
Lake Berryessa, Napa
June 2008 with Jen: SAT JUNE 7, 2008
Vineman Showdown at Sundown 2007
1/4mi swim, 9mi bike, 3mi run
San Rafel, CA
The Showdown at Sundown (gotta love the name) can be raced as an individual or as part of a team so we need to decide which we want to do before registering. We would race as part of the Forward Motion Racing Club (still need to sign up) depending on how many others are going to be at the event.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Monday, October 29, 2007
Out with the Group
Sunday Ride w/ Cyclepath Group - 40 mi.
Total Time: 2:22:23
Avg mph: 16.9
This weekend I did get out for a ride on Saturday but it was on the old bike since I accompanied Jen on her 20 mile run in the South Bay. It was a leisurely pace for me so I didn't really think of it as a "ride", but it was fun to go with her (and we went out for a great breakfast when we were done). That night we went out for a really good dinner at Ruth's Chris Steak House with a couple of friends (one of them was celebrating his birthday).
Sunday morning I got up and headed over to meet up with the Cyclepath group for a ride. They were doing the same ride as the last time I was there so I knew I was in for some climbing and some nice descents. This time I rode with the A group and there was about 25 people to start. After about 7 miles there were 10 or 12 of us in the pace line, then it dropped to seven, then four, then there were three. We were keeping at around 19/21 mph but slowed a bit before beginning the climb. This time the pace on the climb was a bit faster and I think we averaged around 12/13 mph. When we were about 3/4 of the way up the climb one other person caught up to us and then I fell about 150/200 feet behind on the final ascent. We stopped at the top and waited for the rest of the group to catch up; I took off my arm warmers at this point too since the sun was out and I was warm from the climb. A few folks headed back but around 15 of us decided to go a bit further. At this point the road was rolling but consistently climbing; it gave me a good chance to practice cornering with some speed then standing up out of the saddle to carry the speed into the next climb. One thing I have really noticed when riding with the group is that I pick up a lot from just watching the more experienced guys riding with me. I've learned some riding techniques as well as some of the common hand signals such as obstacle in the road, slower rider or walker on the side of the road, and stopping - along with verbal signals such as gravel!, stopping! (when suddenly stopping), car up!, and car back!. (I'm sure I will learn a lot more as I join in on more group rides). At mile 20 I stopped to turn around since I wasn't sure how much further the group was planning on riding; turns out they were just going another 500 yards or so but I was fine with where I stopped since the views over the valley were spectacular. After getting a drink and eating a couple of clif blox the group came back by and I joined up with them for the ride back to Pleasanton. The descents were great and I got in some good cornering practice by riding in a line behind the more experienced guys and watching them take the same line into each corner. Once we hit the steeper hills the group spread out quite a bit and I was riding alone for a while so I took the opportunity to practice picking my own line into the corners. I'm not quite confident enough to get into my drops on the really tight corners but I did get down in them for some of the softer corners.
When I got back onto the rolling stretch at the bottom of the hill I was by myself and was trying to push it hard to catch up to the pace line. After a couple of minutes I noticed a helmet shadow on the ground under my bike and I knew someone had come up behind me. I continued to pull for another minute then pulled out to the side (after looking for cars) and moved back in to draft for a moment. This was the first time I really appreciated drafting. I had been going along at around 19/20 mph but now we were up to 23/24 and when he moved to the side and it was my turn to pull I was able to keep that pace. We rotated a few more times then he (I later found out his name was Tim) fell back and I was on my own for the final 8 miles back to the starting point.
Friday am swim at 24 hr. - 750m
Total Time: 14:12
Friday morning I was up at the gym to get some laps in since I have been slacking on the swimming lately. My speed didn't really suffer too much but I could definitely tell that I have not been in the pool much lately. I will try to get up there a couple times this week and maybe once on the weekend. After the swim I was looking forward to taking a nice steam but the steam room was out of commission so I settled for a few minutes in the sauna.
Total Time: 2:22:23
Avg mph: 16.9
This weekend I did get out for a ride on Saturday but it was on the old bike since I accompanied Jen on her 20 mile run in the South Bay. It was a leisurely pace for me so I didn't really think of it as a "ride", but it was fun to go with her (and we went out for a great breakfast when we were done). That night we went out for a really good dinner at Ruth's Chris Steak House with a couple of friends (one of them was celebrating his birthday).
Sunday morning I got up and headed over to meet up with the Cyclepath group for a ride. They were doing the same ride as the last time I was there so I knew I was in for some climbing and some nice descents. This time I rode with the A group and there was about 25 people to start. After about 7 miles there were 10 or 12 of us in the pace line, then it dropped to seven, then four, then there were three. We were keeping at around 19/21 mph but slowed a bit before beginning the climb. This time the pace on the climb was a bit faster and I think we averaged around 12/13 mph. When we were about 3/4 of the way up the climb one other person caught up to us and then I fell about 150/200 feet behind on the final ascent. We stopped at the top and waited for the rest of the group to catch up; I took off my arm warmers at this point too since the sun was out and I was warm from the climb. A few folks headed back but around 15 of us decided to go a bit further. At this point the road was rolling but consistently climbing; it gave me a good chance to practice cornering with some speed then standing up out of the saddle to carry the speed into the next climb. One thing I have really noticed when riding with the group is that I pick up a lot from just watching the more experienced guys riding with me. I've learned some riding techniques as well as some of the common hand signals such as obstacle in the road, slower rider or walker on the side of the road, and stopping - along with verbal signals such as gravel!, stopping! (when suddenly stopping), car up!, and car back!. (I'm sure I will learn a lot more as I join in on more group rides). At mile 20 I stopped to turn around since I wasn't sure how much further the group was planning on riding; turns out they were just going another 500 yards or so but I was fine with where I stopped since the views over the valley were spectacular. After getting a drink and eating a couple of clif blox the group came back by and I joined up with them for the ride back to Pleasanton. The descents were great and I got in some good cornering practice by riding in a line behind the more experienced guys and watching them take the same line into each corner. Once we hit the steeper hills the group spread out quite a bit and I was riding alone for a while so I took the opportunity to practice picking my own line into the corners. I'm not quite confident enough to get into my drops on the really tight corners but I did get down in them for some of the softer corners.
When I got back onto the rolling stretch at the bottom of the hill I was by myself and was trying to push it hard to catch up to the pace line. After a couple of minutes I noticed a helmet shadow on the ground under my bike and I knew someone had come up behind me. I continued to pull for another minute then pulled out to the side (after looking for cars) and moved back in to draft for a moment. This was the first time I really appreciated drafting. I had been going along at around 19/20 mph but now we were up to 23/24 and when he moved to the side and it was my turn to pull I was able to keep that pace. We rotated a few more times then he (I later found out his name was Tim) fell back and I was on my own for the final 8 miles back to the starting point.
Friday am swim at 24 hr. - 750m
Total Time: 14:12
Friday morning I was up at the gym to get some laps in since I have been slacking on the swimming lately. My speed didn't really suffer too much but I could definitely tell that I have not been in the pool much lately. I will try to get up there a couple times this week and maybe once on the weekend. After the swim I was looking forward to taking a nice steam but the steam room was out of commission so I settled for a few minutes in the sauna.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Spin on Wed, Recovery Run on Thurs
Wed am Spin at 24hr. - 1 hour
Was up early on Wednesday for the 5am spin class. It was hard but fun just like last week. I arrived about 5 minutes early this time instead of 20 minutes early like last week so I didn't have to stand around at all.
Thurs am recovery run w/ Jen - 5.5 mi
Total Time: 49:59
AP: 9:05
Jen joined me this morning since she had to do 12 miles again and we kept a nice pace on our loop around the neighborhood. My legs were a bit sore from the spin class yesterday but after about a mile or so they loosened up and felt great. I had planned on just running 5 with her but we ended up at 5.5 so I was scrambling to make it to the train on time (My schedule in the morning is pretty tight; a delay of even a few minutes throws me off). It was a nice clear morning and the moon gave us a little extra light on the streets that were lacking lamps.
Was up early on Wednesday for the 5am spin class. It was hard but fun just like last week. I arrived about 5 minutes early this time instead of 20 minutes early like last week so I didn't have to stand around at all.
Thurs am recovery run w/ Jen - 5.5 mi
Total Time: 49:59
AP: 9:05
Jen joined me this morning since she had to do 12 miles again and we kept a nice pace on our loop around the neighborhood. My legs were a bit sore from the spin class yesterday but after about a mile or so they loosened up and felt great. I had planned on just running 5 with her but we ended up at 5.5 so I was scrambling to make it to the train on time (My schedule in the morning is pretty tight; a delay of even a few minutes throws me off). It was a nice clear morning and the moon gave us a little extra light on the streets that were lacking lamps.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Saturday Bike Ride, Tuesday am run w/ Jen
Saturday Bike Ride - 31 mi. - Tiburon Loop
Avg mph: 17.5
Hills, Hills, and more Hills! I rode the loop we normally run in Tiburon on Saturday while Jen did her 18 mile run. It's about 6 miles of slow steady climbing with a couple of short but steep climbs mixed in. The nice thing about this ride is that after gaining all that elevation you lose it in about 3/4 of a mile on a steep descent - I hit my fastest speed yet on the bike, 40.6 mph. I also used my new arm warmers for the first time and they worked great! I ended up leaving them on for the whole ride which was nice because I didn't need to stop by the car to put on sunscreen. After the ride I drove the car up to our breakfast spot where Jen met up with me a short time later. That evening we went to a Halloween party with our friend Maritza and her boyfriend Matt.
I was planning on going for a ride with the Cyclepath group on Sunday but ended up going into the city with Jen to check out the Nike Women's Marathon (she ran it in 2005 as her first ever marathon). That afternoon we ran some errands then watched the Red Sox beat the Indians.
Tuesay am run w/ Jen - 6 mi
Total Time: 46:10
AP: 7:42
Jen joined me for 6 miles this morning (she was doing 12 total) so I changed the morning loop a bit to add some distance. We ended up having to do some small loops at the end to get in the last .4 mi. so I need to figure out a way to add that distance on so we can avoid that next time. As usual it was nice having someone with me, it always makes the run go by faster. Jen had her GPS so I am looking forward to hearing our mile splits since I have a feeling we sped up toward the end. It was on the cool side this morning but not really "cold".
Avg mph: 17.5
Hills, Hills, and more Hills! I rode the loop we normally run in Tiburon on Saturday while Jen did her 18 mile run. It's about 6 miles of slow steady climbing with a couple of short but steep climbs mixed in. The nice thing about this ride is that after gaining all that elevation you lose it in about 3/4 of a mile on a steep descent - I hit my fastest speed yet on the bike, 40.6 mph. I also used my new arm warmers for the first time and they worked great! I ended up leaving them on for the whole ride which was nice because I didn't need to stop by the car to put on sunscreen. After the ride I drove the car up to our breakfast spot where Jen met up with me a short time later. That evening we went to a Halloween party with our friend Maritza and her boyfriend Matt.
I was planning on going for a ride with the Cyclepath group on Sunday but ended up going into the city with Jen to check out the Nike Women's Marathon (she ran it in 2005 as her first ever marathon). That afternoon we ran some errands then watched the Red Sox beat the Indians.
Tuesay am run w/ Jen - 6 mi
Total Time: 46:10
AP: 7:42
Jen joined me for 6 miles this morning (she was doing 12 total) so I changed the morning loop a bit to add some distance. We ended up having to do some small loops at the end to get in the last .4 mi. so I need to figure out a way to add that distance on so we can avoid that next time. As usual it was nice having someone with me, it always makes the run go by faster. Jen had her GPS so I am looking forward to hearing our mile splits since I have a feeling we sped up toward the end. It was on the cool side this morning but not really "cold".
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Catching Up
Ran 3.4 mi Thurs am
Total Time: 27:12
AP: 8:00
Cut the run a bit short on Thurs because Jen was heading out of town and I wanted to get back to the house before she left for the train station. It was cool so I wore one of the long sleeve technical shirts we picked up at Primo's for placing in the top 50 in our races last Sunday.
Today (Saturday) I rode my bike in Tiburon while Jen ran her 18 miles. Will post about it tomorrow or Monday. I hope to get out with the group again tomorrow but we are heading to a Halloween party tonight w/ an open bar so we will see how chipper I am tomorrow at 8am.
Total Time: 27:12
AP: 8:00
Cut the run a bit short on Thurs because Jen was heading out of town and I wanted to get back to the house before she left for the train station. It was cool so I wore one of the long sleeve technical shirts we picked up at Primo's for placing in the top 50 in our races last Sunday.
Today (Saturday) I rode my bike in Tiburon while Jen ran her 18 miles. Will post about it tomorrow or Monday. I hope to get out with the group again tomorrow but we are heading to a Halloween party tonight w/ an open bar so we will see how chipper I am tomorrow at 8am.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Stationary Saddle
5am Spin class at 24hr.
Last night I set my alarm for 4:35am and got my stuff together thinking that I would get to the gym a few minutes early in case of a crowd. When the alarm went off I got right up, threw on my clothes, grabbed my water bottle and keys, and headed out the door. A couple minutes later I was in the car and based on the time I walked out the door I figured I had about 18 minutes to get to the gym. Once I was in the car I glanced down at the clock - 4:28. Huh? Looked at my watch - 4:29. Huh? Now sometime yesterday the power went out so the clocks were screwed up when we got home last night. I was soooooo happy that I didn't have to reset mine since I have the battery backup, but now I am questioning it's ability. Either the world went back in time about 15 minutes yesterday afternoon around 3pm (time of power outage) or somehow the battery backup pushed my clock ahead. Either way I ended up arriving at the gym about 20 minutes early; getting a bike was no problem.
The class was great. I remember the last class I took nearly killed me but on the train ride into the city today I realized that when I took that class it was because I thought I needed to get some cardio (I was only lifting at the time) and had not done any running, biking, etc. for months (I would run now and then but obviously it did not prepare me for spinning). We started out just spinning then we were up out of the saddle, back down, back up, spinning fast, spinning slow, out of the saddle, back in, back out, back in, etc., etc. for 50 minutes. By the end my shirt, hat, and shorts were soaked with sweat, my legs were burning, but I felt great! It was really nice to have fast paced music and someone changing up the workout every few minutes. Much better than just going to the gym and riding the bike.
Last night I set my alarm for 4:35am and got my stuff together thinking that I would get to the gym a few minutes early in case of a crowd. When the alarm went off I got right up, threw on my clothes, grabbed my water bottle and keys, and headed out the door. A couple minutes later I was in the car and based on the time I walked out the door I figured I had about 18 minutes to get to the gym. Once I was in the car I glanced down at the clock - 4:28. Huh? Looked at my watch - 4:29. Huh? Now sometime yesterday the power went out so the clocks were screwed up when we got home last night. I was soooooo happy that I didn't have to reset mine since I have the battery backup, but now I am questioning it's ability. Either the world went back in time about 15 minutes yesterday afternoon around 3pm (time of power outage) or somehow the battery backup pushed my clock ahead. Either way I ended up arriving at the gym about 20 minutes early; getting a bike was no problem.
The class was great. I remember the last class I took nearly killed me but on the train ride into the city today I realized that when I took that class it was because I thought I needed to get some cardio (I was only lifting at the time) and had not done any running, biking, etc. for months (I would run now and then but obviously it did not prepare me for spinning). We started out just spinning then we were up out of the saddle, back down, back up, spinning fast, spinning slow, out of the saddle, back in, back out, back in, etc., etc. for 50 minutes. By the end my shirt, hat, and shorts were soaked with sweat, my legs were burning, but I felt great! It was really nice to have fast paced music and someone changing up the workout every few minutes. Much better than just going to the gym and riding the bike.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
General Training
Tuesday am run - 4 mi
Total Time: 32:00
AP: 8:00
I got up this morning to do my before work loop and just ran and maintained a pace that felt easy. Since I don't have any events planned any time soon I am just going to try to get in a little bit of everything each week. Tomorrow I am planning on getting up early to make it to the gym by 5am for a spin class. I haven't done one for a couple of years and last time it nearly killed me so we'll see how it goes. I think I will look for a couple more running events in my area over the next few months before gearing up for my first full Tri season. Not sure what tri events I will do this year - any suggestions would be appreciated.
Total Time: 32:00
AP: 8:00
I got up this morning to do my before work loop and just ran and maintained a pace that felt easy. Since I don't have any events planned any time soon I am just going to try to get in a little bit of everything each week. Tomorrow I am planning on getting up early to make it to the gym by 5am for a spin class. I haven't done one for a couple of years and last time it nearly killed me so we'll see how it goes. I think I will look for a couple more running events in my area over the next few months before gearing up for my first full Tri season. Not sure what tri events I will do this year - any suggestions would be appreciated.
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