Originally Posted on Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Nutrition and Crosswinds... an EPIC tale...

Today was a stellar training day... although, in the end, i wish i could have run more (dinner time was fast approaching and i had to cut it short.)

Started off the day with an hour and a half gym session.  Worked chest pretty hard:

- decline press

- flat dumbbell press

- military dumbbell press

- dumbbell flies

- military machine press

It was a little discouraging since when i was last at the gym i could bench 225 and do 85 pound dumbbells.. and this time around i was rocking out the 35 pounders and doing a measly 125 in the decline press.  I guess this is the biggest thing:  when i used to lift, i was doing it to bulk up and get absolutely ripped and jacked... this time around it's specifically to make me faster and strengthen specific muscles for swimming / biking / running.

After the gym and a quick lunch, set out for my cycling for the day.  HOLY HEAD AND CROSSWINDS BATMAN!  There is nothing more frustrating than going downhill where you usually go 30-35 mph, and even with pedaling, only able to pull off around 20 mph.  I HATE HEADWINDS.

But even more so than headwinds... i nearly died in my first experience with a strong crosswind.  I was about 15 miles into my ride when the road suddenly became lined on either side with field rather than the woods and trees that had previously been the case.  oh.  my.  god.  The wind literally threw me to the left side of the road and if i hadn't gotten my foot out of the pedal, i would have bit it... hard.  The next 5 or so miles were spent leaning to my right side, into the wind.  No, seriously... i was leaning into the wind to keep upright.

Overall the ride was frustrating since after a day off, i was feeling good and fast, but turned in a time 4 minutes slower than my best and .8 mph off my best average speed.  Damn winds.

Came home, ate a snack to recharge, and headed out for a quick 3.3 miles on the cross country course.  Felt great, and i wish i could have done more.  (see initial sentence.)

Today is the best i've felt training-wise in a long time, and it was the first day i've kept track of my calorie intake.  It really is unreal the amount you have to eat when you're trying to accomplish what i'm doing.  I just finished dinner and my daily total is up to 5,062.75 calories... so far.

For a taste of what i'm eating (no pun intended) ... here was my dinner for tonite:

- GNC vanilla protein shake mixed with L-Glutamine and milk

- Salad with Italian dressing

- Cauliflower

- 2 ears of corn with butter

- 1 grilled chicken breast

- 1 cheeseburger

- 1 Ribeye steak

... and the weird thing is... i'm still not what i would call "full."

The rest of my intake for the day included 3 bananas, 4 packets of oatmeal, and 3 ham and cheese sandwiches.  I'll tell ya... bananas are a godsend.  172 calories, light, and perfect for before running for some extra energy.

It's crazy how much of a science this all really is.

Back to the grind tomorrow... planning on a 10+ mile run in the morning, arm day at the gym, cycling in the afternoon, and a "cool down" x-country run at night.

God i feel good.

Originally Posted on Sunday, July 6, 2008

My first week of REAL training.

Well... it's been a crazy week.  Hard to believe that just a week ago i was in Florence watching Spain with the EuroCup, and partying with thousands of my closest Spanish friends.  Crazy.  Its been a nice week to start my training though... not too tough.

I wasn't able to train on Monday since i was traveling all day, and Tuesday was only a run day.  I took July 3rd & 5th off from running, and the 4th off from cycling.  I have yet to gain access to a pool, which is seriously getting on my nerves.  I may just have to flounder around in the lake for a bit without distances until i can find something better.

Anyways... my totals for this week alone are:

Swimming: 0 yards (yes.  i'm embarrassed.)

Biking: 88.4 miles

Running: 21.1 miles

Next week expect to see my distances upped.  I'm planning on cycling to Buffalo which is 100 miles alone.

I didn't realize how expensive just training could get!  The amount I eat now is absolutely ridiculous.  I'm also finding that since my muscles are getting toned and changing... i tend to cramp up if i'm sitting or standing a certain way.  It's actually quite annoying.  haha.

It's great to see progress though.  I've dropped 9 minutes off my cycling loop and upped my average mph from 15.5 to 17.3... all this in only 4 sessions!  Hills are easier, i can keep a steady 20 mph cadence along the lake, and i actually topped out at 40.7 mph down one hill.  Mind you, the speed limit for CARS is 35 mph.  Can i get a ticket?  hmm...

It's exciting to see that my lofty goals are actually reachable now!  Can't wait to get out again tomorrow!

A new week, a clean slate.

Originally Posted on Thursday, July 3, 2008

Whew... Gettin' into it.

So I took July 1st off since i was lagged as all hell after an epic journey stateside... but as promised, July 2nd I started at it hard.

Cycled 20.8 miles in each of the past two days and ran quite a bit as well (see totals to the right.)  I think today is going to be a day off from running since my legs are pretty much useless after 50+ miles in the past couple days.

Days of REST are just as important as days of TRAINING.  Write that down.

going to start weight training today at the gym... so i'll be all sorts of sore elsewhere!  woo!

Knees and ankles are feeling great.  I'm a little sore in my upper back from the cycling position (just need to get used to it again,) and i can feel it in my quads and lower abs from running... ah its great to feel like I'm accomplishing something and making progress.

Actually, knowing me... I might get the inkling to go for a run and break my day of rest... oops.

Tip of the day:

When its heavily raining while you're cycling and you need to take a corner, don't slam on the rear brake.  Doing this leads to a frightening fishtail, and if your feet are locked in tht stirrups, you're pretty much looking to kiss the pavement.  I learned this on my ride this morning.

Originally Posted on Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Distances.

So i've decided that i'm going to continuously update my distances on here... my system so that people can see what i've done so i can publicly be held accountable for my training of lake thereof.  haha.  Here we go:

June -

Swimming: 0 yards

Biking: 0 miles

Running: 12 miles.

July -

Swimming: 0 yards

Biking: 2 miles

Running: 4 miles

Stellar June i had, eh?  ::vomit::

Wanted to cycle more today, but i ran a 4 miler before going, and i had some serious cramping issues with my quads.  Just did a light two miles to try and work it out... but to no avail.  Tomorrow will be a cycle first day with a run directly after.  Still working out the details with the gym and various pool and coach availability... so hopefully i'll get that squared away soon.

Man it feels good to be training again.

Originally Posted on Wednesday, June 25, 2008

NATE...

... has not been running for over a week due to the crazy heat and lack of proper training facilities and whatnot here in Florence.

there.  i came clean.

good talk.

Oppressive Heat.

Well, here in Florence it has gotten to that time of year where the heat is just insane.  

95+ degrees.

Coupled with the humidity, lack of proper training facilities and the ability to get water while running... I find it difficult to run these days.  In fact, I haven't been on the road running for nearly a week because of the heat.  The city and all the pavement just creates an oven... it's difficult to sleep at night as well.

Anyways...  we'll see if I can get a few more runs in before my stateside return in a week.  At least I know when I get back, i'll have all the proper gear and facilities at my fingertips.

Then commences the insane distance training...

Neglectful Nate.

So i've been slacking on posting here due to the fact i've been posting on the other site: 

PhillyTriGuys

Here is what you've missed....

1. Originally posted on June 4, 2008

Nate makes it official as well.

Despite the bleak status of my bank account, yesterday I finally registered for two of the final three races I intend to compete in this season.  So officially, the line up is this:

Aug 24: Livestrong 5k - Philadelphia, PA

Sept 21: Finger Lakes Triathlon - Canandaigua, New Y0rk

Oct 11: Under Armour Marathon - Baltimore, MD

I still have to register for the Reeds Lake Triathlon in Michigan on Sept 6, and somehow scramble for $500 to pay the registration for next years Lake Placid Ironman... but at least I have three events officially on the books.

2. Originally posted on June 7, 2008

Running on hold.

Due to a series of unfortunate events that ultimately led to me pulling my left hamstring in a soccer match, any running that I previously planned on doing prior to my return stateside will have to be postponed.

Awesome.

3. Originally posted on June 14, 2008

This Experience...

Trust me, it's paradise.

This is where the hungry come to feed.  For mine is a generation that circles the globe in search of something we haven't tried before.

So never refuse an invitation.

Never resist the unfamiliar.

Just keep your mind open and suck in the experience... and if it hurts, ya know what?  It's probably worth it.  You hope and you dream, but you never believe that something's gonna happen to you.  Not like it does in the movies.

But when it actually does... it lasts forever.

4.  Originally posted June 16, 2008

Progress!

Ah... what a difference a little rest, running shoes and an ipod makes!

Ran yesterday in actual running shoes, with an ipod, and not knackered after soccer training.  The difference was unreal!

Planned on doing 4 miles easy but that quickly changed as i took off like a bat our of hell and decided to do 2 miles fast.  Came through the first mile at 5:20, my fastest time in years, and finished the 2 miles in 11:17.  I've been able to run the mile itself in under 6 minutes since my early high school years, but i've always struggled to get my 2 mile time under 12.  Breakthrough!  Its nice to know that my 5k time is definitely under 20 minutes now!

The songs "Someday" by Flipsyde and "Remember the Name" by Fort Minor provided the PERFECT cadence.  Give it a whirl.

My goal for the Finger Lakes Triathlon is to do better than i did two years ago.  That being said... if i don't come in top 5 this year, i'll be disappointed. :)