Training Log: 2/18-2/23/2013

Monday:  Swam for about 60 minutes at the Wes Deist Aquatic Center in Idaho Falls.  I am starting to get the hang of this swimming thing and really enjoying it.  Why didn't I do this in high school?

Tuesday:  Walked for 65 Minutes.  30 minutes of cycling at lunch.  First day of doing things in one day.  We will see how long two a day workouts last.

Wednesday: Swimming in the morning and cycling at lunch.

Thursday:  Cycling at lunch, Keena's swim class.

Friday: Ran 4 miles. Cycled for 20 minutes before physical therapy.

Saturday: 10 mile bike ride.

As you can see I did not do much running this week.  Some nagging things in my feet made me drag my carcass into Orrock Mendenhall Physical Therapy.  It is nothing serious.  Unlike many runners, I am a believer in prevention and will see a PT to work through things before I get sidelined.

I also decided to experiment with two-a-day workouts.  These are killer but great.  Doing them everyday is not realistic and exhausting.  By Friday I think I had totally depleted my body's electrolyte stores.  Thankfully I have a large can of Gatorade mix at work.  After a couple of bottles I was feeling great.  Also, my weight is down to 244.6lbs.  This is the lightest I have been in years.  Onward to the 230s.

And now, your shoe of the week.  The Altra Instinct.  About two years ago I was messing around with minimalism and bought these shoes.  I am not at all ready to make this transition but these are great shoes for everything.

Weekly Training Log: 2/9-2/16/2013

Monday: Walked two miles then ran two miles.  Praxis prep course and lack of planning limited what I could do today.

Tuesday: Swimming- 45minutes

Wednesday: Walked 2 miles then ran 3.  Had parent teacher conferences from 2pm-7pm.  Did my workout really early this morning at the Smith Field House at BYU.

Thursday: Took today off.  Tina and I celebrated Valentines day and then drove up to her parents in Idaho Falls.

Friday:  About 4ish miles.  Not really sure.

Saturday:  8 mile long run.  For this long run I incorporated some intervals.  I ran a mile, walked .25 miles and then repeated these intervals for 8 miles.

Thoughts:  I have had much better weeks.  The thing that killed my training this week was lack of planning.  Plus I unintentionally dialed things back to let some minor problems heal.  The upcoming week will be better because I sat down and mapped out what I am going to do and when I am going to do it.  Also, I am going to cross train this week and then do an easy six miles next Saturday.  From here on I am going to run go back to my original training plan of two, quality, runs a week and three days of cross training instead of two days of junk miles and a poor Saturday long run.  I think my body will thank me for this and I will see results similar to what happened between the Top of Utah half marathon and the Haunted Half.

And now, the shoe of the week.

The Montrail Fairhaven.  This is my favorite shoe for long runs.  It is being replaced however its' replacement, the Fluid Balance, has what appears to be a better upper.  If you are interested, you can pick up a pair for pretty cheap on Back Country or Amazon.

Training Log 2/3-2/10/13

Monday: Ran five miles.  No problems

Tuesday:Swam for an hour.

Wednesday: Ran 5 miles

Thursday:  Swam for an hour.  This is by far the hardest swimming session I have ever done.  The coach had the class swimming laps in an Olympic length pool without fins.  It was hard, but because of the improvements I have made in my form, I was able to get through it.

Friday:  Today my goal was to run seven miles.  Unfortunately my body had other plans, so I went for a leisurely two mile walk in a snow storm.  I was reminded that rest is an important component of any workout program.

Saturday: Ran 7 miles.  The path that goes around Orem Community hospital is a great option for winter running.  Orem city does a great job of keeping the path snow free.  It was downright hot out there.  Thankfully I finished before the clouds blew back in and the snow started falling again.

Thoughts for the week:  I am going to go back to my own variation on the Galloway Method for marathon training and racing.  My plan is to run a mile and then walk a quarter mile to rest.  My body reminded me that I have not reached my target weight and need to change the way I am doing things.

And here is the shoe of the week.  Behold, the Montrail Badwater Hybrid.  Yes, I own a pair.  They are great.

Log 1/28-2/2

Monday:
I intended to run 5 miles but accidentally ran 7 miles.  This happened because I prefer loops to out-and-back courses.  The loop got too big.  I also freaked out my wife because I was gone for so long and forgot to bring my cell-phone with me.  I did this run with a heart-rate monitor and successfully kept my heart-rate my aerobic zone.

Tuesday:
Swam laps for 30 minutes at the Orem Rec. Center.

Wednesday:
Today I went for a 5 mile night run on an undisclosed multi-use path currently under construction.  I don’t know who plowed it, but I was sure glad they did.  It is going to be really nice once it is completed.  I saw around twenty deer eating the vegetation in various backyards along the way.

Thursday:
Swam laps for 60 minutes at my weekly swim class.  I am surprised at how much I have improved in just one week.  Swimming is great cross training and really works the anaerobic system and is great strength training.

Friday:
This morning disaster was narrowly averted.  There is a cool path which circles Orem Community Hospital here in Orem.  The path is just over a mile long and really nice.  My original plan was to run 5 miles on the path but I chickened out.  It was just too dang cold at 5:30am.  So I went to the Orem Rec. Center.  Once I get there I realized my towel was still at home, drying from last night’s swim class.  Despite the cold and lacking a towel, I decided what the heck, there’s a pullover in my bag that can double as a towel.  I ran 5ish miles on the Rec. Center indoor track.  My heart-rate did not leave my aerobic zone until the very end of the run.

Saturday:
Swim Class.  Swam laps and did various drills for 60 minutes.

This has been a good week.  I got in six quality workouts.  Excited for next week.