Day 35

So I got back into full tri training mode again after a week of basically just taking it easy to rest my body. I felt good after everything today and still energized.

The new drill that I'm practicing to keep my hips from sinking
Made me me feel like I'm back to day 1 with swimming. I know Ill be fine
And just be patient and just keep on keepin on. It just sucks when I'm almost ready to do full laps non-stop, I get hit a draw back. Oh well.

Anyway I'm blogging from my phone so the workout will not be billeted.

Swam for 35 mins. Doing nothing but drills.

Biked for 30 mins. At a moderate speed or the most part but sprinted a couple of times.

Ran for.... U ready? Lol 4 miles straight with no rest... Did it in 37.34 mins. On 2% incline and speed that got up to 6.8

Day 34 (weight train)

Yes I made it through this week. I've sort of slacked this past week only because I have just been feeling fatigued. I feel great now and ready to go back at it on monday.

• Did some wide pull ups
• Single arm pulls
• Single arm chest press
• Dumbell scaption
• Front plate raise
• Front squats
• Leg presses
• Swam today for 45 mins practicing to keep my hips high by tucking my chin in. I'm learning something new which is why laps will be pushed back a week from this coming monday. 

Day 33

• Swam for 50 mins trying to fix my hips. They are sinking too low causing drag. Gotta fix that before monday so I could be more efficient in the water.
• Biked for 0 mins lol
• Ran for 4 miles in 37.30 mins.

Day 32

Hello!!!!!!!!!! I really do not have much to say about today but why do people with hairy bodies creep me out?
I only biked for 10 mins but I made sure I get my swim and 4 mile run in.

Today's workout (moderate):

• Swam for 50 mins today trying to focus on speed. Man I feel like a fighter plane speeding through clouds lol. I'm not saying that I'm fast like that by any means but I think I have some type of speed. 1 lap (50 yds) under a min =)
• Biked for 10 mins lol
• Ran for 4 miles. Made it in 37.33 mins. I cant wait to start running outside!!!

4 days till hell...

Just thinking...

How does one get to where he/she wants to go in life or just reach his/her goal? By going after it at full speed... Procrastination is your worst enemy when trying to achieve something. One thing a person should take into consideration though is that preparation should not be confused and/or mixed up with procrastination.

I can't stand people who have excuses for anything and everything. Just preparing myself for the weeks ahead. I will be starting swim laps by monday. 35x25yd... Full on triathlon mode...

Day 31 (today)

I must say I felt lazy today getting up. Not only did I snooze my alarm 5 times, I only cycled for 15 mins. I had to get enough time for the 4 mile run. Swimming was okay though. The red wine I took a shot off the night before made me feel groggy and tired waking up eventhough I slept for more than 7 hours. And also, I binged the night before so I basically went to bed full and a tad tipsy. Just an FYI lol my cheat days for eating are Saturdays 12 am through all of Monday (lol dont judge me).

Todays summary:

• Swam for 45 mins concentrating on whether or not to keep my hands shooting down on an angle going in the water or streamlined with my body. 
• Cycled for 15 min. AGh!
• Ran for 4 miles finishing it in 38 mins. 

Day 30 (saturday)

Did some weight training that day. I mostly worked on my back putting more emphasis on the pulling motion. This will strengthen my strokes as I push my hand back underneath me in the water. Hence swimmers have very wide upper backs.

I also did some leg extensions, squats, and leg presses. This will help me with my cycling. The workout at this point in time was done with light weights as I'm trying to avoid gaining muscle mass. Remember, the more muscle you have, the faster you will be tired, and more lactic acid build up. That's something an endurance athlete would not want during an event.

Here's the breakdown:

Back

• Wide pull ups
• Straight arm lat pull downs in the front
• Single arm wide lat pull downs
• Dumbell rows

Chest

• Barbell press

Shoulders

• Standing front presses & behind the neck 

Quads

• Leg extensions
• Squats
• Leg presses

Abs

• Decline bench sit-ups
• Weighted side bends
• Hanging leg raises
• Planks

Day 29 (over trained)

I   A M   E X H A U S T E D!!!

I may have over trained today. I was at a point where I would sink in the pool and feel very tired after 3-4 laps. I couldn't even finish 2 miles running without stopping and feeling tired... I walked alot. I am Debating whether or not I should lift tomorrow. I guess we'll see when I wake up. I'm just happy I'm off from training and work this weekend. 

• Swam for 35 min. I did not feel productive at all in the pool. I felt tired and was sinking alot.
• Cycling was easy but only did it for 25 min. I did more climbs than yesterday, and also did longer sprints.
• I ran for 4 miles that felt like 25000 miles. I was practically dragging my feet as I ran. Started walking by the 2nd mile and 3.2 mile. All in all I finished 4 miles in 40 mins. Such a big difference from the past couple of work outs.

Day 28

Did I ever mention that I hate waking up early in the morning? Alarm clock is set back to 855 am now. That's about 5 mins earlier that usual. If you haven't looked at Amino Energy by Optimum Nutrition, you should really start doing so. This thing is so much better than coffee. These are the supplements that get my day started:

plus...

Then finish off with this:

 Anyway... This is today's breakdown of my work out:

• Swam for 40 min. Did nothing but drills as always (until 2/28). I come out feeling fresh all the time. My legs don't cramp anymore. Stretching helps alot and getting you muscles used to the work load will help as well.
• Biked for 35 min. I did alot of climbs and sprints. I'm trying to mimic riding on an actual road.
• Ran for 4 miles... I was able to finish 2 miles in 15 mins, 3 miles in 25 min. 4 miles in 34.44 min. I did not stop to take a break until I hit 3 miles. I rested for about 0.01 mile. Elevation was kept at 2%

Sneaker Dilemma

So it turns out that I have a weird sized foot. At road runners today, I was told that your thumb should be able to fit in between your longest toe and the tip of the shoe. This type of fit makes my foot very uncomfortable that by the end of the day, front part of my foot starts to hurt.

I first went with the Air Pegasus but  have decided that it was just not the right shoe for me. Instead I was given Air Vomero 5 from the air zoom line. Gonna give it a try during tomorrows training and will be sharing my review (if I could remember lol) on my next blog.

Nike Air Vomero 5

Day 27

Oh yeah my cardio is just getting better and better.. I think. I don't want to syke myself up but I feel like my cardio's been better.

• Swam for 40 min. I think. Practiced swimming on my side more and breathing. Momentum really plays a big role in swimming. Anything that gets me off that momentum makes me feel like I will fail.
• I tried to time an actual lap swimming which is 2x25 yards. And I was able to do it in just under a min. That's fast for me... I gotta take in to consideration that I wasn't really tired, and I wasn't really doing laps when I timed myself. But I think I can be consistent as long as I put my heart into it.
• Biked for 30 min. Did alot more climbs today and longer sprints. My legs felt fresh when I got off.
• Ran for 4 miles. I finished 2 miles in 15 min.  3 miles in 25 min. and 4 miles in 35 min. I literally raised my hands up right after that run hahha...

Day 26 (4miles ) woot woot!

Got me some new running gear. Bought a pair of air pegasus. My feet feel fine. My legs do not feel too worked considering I did 4 miles today. Yep thats right... 4 freakin miles hahaha.

Btw has anyone gotten into trance mode while swimming? I'm talking about feeling good while swimming and your mind and body are just so focused in swimming... okay enough!

Great Stuff

Today's breakdownnnnn..

• Swam for 40 min. today all the more feeling more comfortable with my stroke. I have about 2 more weeks left to start laps. I have to swim about 35 times back and forth x 25yd (= about 0.5 miles). 25 yards is about the length of the pool I've been training in @ the gym. 
• Biked for 35 min. w/ climbs and sprints included. I felt so fresh getting off that bike. I guess it was the way the seat was positioned. 
• Ran for 4 miles today (what the event requires) in 39 min. I could have done it faster but that 2% incline is oh so tough. I did finish 2 miles in 18 min. flat and 3 miles in 34 min. Yes I know it got slower and this is because I rested 2x by the 2nd mile and 3.5miles.

Day 25

Finally... Last day for this weeks training sessions. Been going at it for 4 days in a row now, and I definitely feel fatigued. It's quite tough to not have a day off in the middle of the week. Anyway I'm just glad I made it through this week. I'm supposed to be weight training tomorrow, but instead, I have to go to work.

• Swam for about 45 min. today and I have added a drill which is the single hand drill stroke. By doing this I can better time my stroke and kick together on one side and focus streamlining on the other. I also did a few laps at the end.
• Biked for 30 min on a light resistance but adding more sprints.
• Running was great! I was able to finish 3 miles in 27 mins and 3.5 miles in 33 min.

Thanks for reading... My feet hurt!

Day 24

So It's been the 3rd day in a row training and have not had a break. One more tomorrow and I'm off from training all weekend (only because I'm working). My legs have been so sore this week. This is because I have increased my training load.

Today's breakdown:

• Swam for 45 mins. and still concentrated in walking the zipper drill and focusing on the "catch." It is when you feel like you have a big ball of water under your lead hand then stroking it back soon as the other hand goes in.
• Cycled for 35 mins. With a few climbs, and sprints included.
• Ran for 3.5 miles in 35 mins. A bit slower this time because I have increased the incline level to 2% and kept it there throughout the whole run. This way it actually gives you a better feel for  running outside. Speed stayed around 6-7. I did start walking to rest during the 2nd mile and the 3rd mile. I felt more spent this time around because of the incline. I felt good right after though, but crashed hard at work lol.

Side note: I have a feeling I will be getting shin splints tomorrow.

Day 23

Damn I'm exhausted! Caffeine and food after training sometimes does not really wake me up anymore lol. Anyway I am not bitching in anyway... Just saying. I'm off from work today so training was longer than usual.

• Swam for 1 hour today just practicing zipper drills back and forth. I also did a few laps during the last 15 mins. I swear I did not wanna get out of that pool.

 

• Cycled for 35 mins. which included a couple of sprints and a couple of easy climbs. The rest was done moderately and fairly fast.
• Ran for 3.5 miles today that I finished in 33 mins. Not fast enough but I'm progressing.

Can someone buy me these pls

Brooks Adrenaline GTS 10

 

...or these. (

Nike LunarGlide+

One thing that bothers me when I run is the left side of my lower back hurts after awhile. I get that feeling of tightness. Not sure if it is from the shoes but It has always been an issue of mine when I run.

Day 22

Started my day off without snoozing the alarm more than twice lol. I don't know why I take forever to get ready in the morning when it should only take me 15 min. BTW. one of my pet peeves in the gym is, when ppl chit chat. I am there for a reason just as much as the gym is there for ppl who work out. It is not a social place for ppl to gather and bullshit.

Moving along with today's work out lol:

• Nothing but drills again today. But did them for 50 mins. I focused more with "lengthening my vessel,"  and my stroke.  I must have done 50,000 laps today. Seriously lol
• Cycled for 35 mins. This included sprinting a few times for a few seconds.
• Ran for 3.2 miles and did it for 31 mins. Although I could have done it a lot faster, I had to walk for a little bit to rest after 2 miles of which I broke in 18.3 mins. My legs were numb during the 3rd mile but I was so relaxed and could have gone till 4 miles.

Day 21

Strength training today was focused mainly on back exercises... Trained with a friend today who is alot stronger than I am. IMO it is always better to train with someone who is better than you(yes Ocon I'm talkin bout you haha). This way not only will I get motivated to push harder, but also will feel comfortable lifting something heavy knowing someone will be there to spot me.

Workout:

• Dead lifts- 4 sets pyramiding the weight all the way from 135 lbs to 245 lbs w/ 2-14 rep max range
• Wide grip pull ups- 3 sets w/ a total of 24 reps.
• Dumbbell rows- 4 sets pyramiding from 60 lbs-90 lbs w/ 6-10 rep max range.
• T-bar rows- 4 sets pyramiding up from 45 lbs- 115 lbs. w/ 8-15 rep max range. I then reduced the weight down to 45 lbs and rowed till complete exhaustion.
• Squats- 4 sets pyramiding the weight from 135 lbs to a max. weight of 225 lbs. w/ 2-10 rep max range.
• Bench press- 4 sets pyramiding from 135 lbs to 185 lbs. w/ 3-20 rep max range.
• Standing shoulder press- 4 sets pyramiding from 95 lbs- 135 lbs. w. 4-12 rep max range.

BTW if you have not tried this when you excercise, I suggest you do now. It's an awesome product. It's like gatorade on steroids lol.

 

My Fundraising Page. You may click if you please =) 

 

Progress pics

Jan 06 2011

Jan 21 2011

Feb 4 2011

Day 20

So I just calculated that I only have 49 training days left. 14 of those will be focused mainly on drills in the water. Alarm clocks earlier now which gives me more time to train. I set it back 5 mins earlier... Day 1 was at 945am and now its at 912am lol

Todays workout:

• Swam for 35-40 mins and I swear I did not wanna get out of that pool.
• Did nothing but drills, drills and more drills... Gonna keep doing this for 2 more weeks then continuous laps from then on until May.
• Biked for 25 mins.on a steady pace of 115-122 rpm. I did 12 miles. 
• Ran for 3 miles for 27 mins. I could have kept going for 2-3 more miles but I still had my ab routine and I was running out of time.

Here is one of the drills I have been practicing...

Day 19

Swimming's been fun lately. I just wanna get in a pool all the time now. I actually want to start swimming in open water. Today's workout was still focused on drills. I will be doing this for the rest of the week then I will start to do laps and all laps by Monday. This way I will be conditioning my body and breathing better. Got a couple of head bumps today from swimming off my back lol. I did not realize how close I was to the wall.

Todays workout:

• 35 mins total time in the pool. First 20 was for swimming off my back and mastering my sweet spot.
• Started swimming and rolling back to my sweet spot (off my back to rest) to breath then back to swimming again.
• Did a few laps in the end almost close to being effortlessly. But then again who knows what could happen when I actually start doing laps.
• Cycled for 25 mins. Alternating between sprint pedaling for a minute while increasing the resistance and decreasing the resistance the next.
• Ran for a total of 2.6 miles while breaking 2 miles in 17.2 mins and completing 2.6 in about 23.04 mins

I am now contemplating if I should workout tomorrow.