Run Forest Run!

Treadmill hill workout

10 min warmup

5 min @ 2%

5 Min @ 4 %

5 min @ 6 %

5 min decreasing from 6%

5 min. @ 6:30 mile pace

10 min cool down

On treadmill: 1 hour 30 minutes; 30 minutes warm up easy; alternating 10 minutes @ lactate threshold/ 10 minutes easy

Off

10 minute warm up

3 mile tempo @ 90-95% max

2min @ 5:45mile pace

2 X 1 min. @ 5:45 mile pace

4 miles on elyptical trainer- 30 minutes @70% max heartrate

20 minutes on bike

Quite a workout today! 10 minute warmup, 5 minute intervals increasing the elevation 2% up to 6%, then 5 minutes to decline, 5 minute tempo at level.....25min of hard tempo hill running!

The did 3X1 minute farlek at 5:45 mile pace....10 minute cool down

Felt tired and legs felt a little trashed so took it easy. Nice easy pace on an ellyptical trainer for 4 miles in 32 minutes plus did some weights and sit ups.

Have had sore knees over the past couple of days. Felt a dull ache today after a very light 5mile jog, and decied to cut off at that point ( I usually do 10 mile on Sunday). Will give my legs a couple of days off and see how they feel on Wed.

Rest Day...had a test too so wasn't so restful.

Wasn't much of a workout today. Took it really easy as my knee was still sore. Went on a rowing machine for 15minutes and on a stationary bike for 15 minutes. I don't think my heartrate made it above 110 BPM. Did weights for 45 minutes and called it a day. Hopefully by taking it easy now I will be back into the swing of things later this week.

Took it easy again today because of the kne. I went on a treadmill and did  a brisk walk for 10 minutes, slow jog for 10 minutes and then walker briskly for 7-8 minutes. Went to the elyptical trainer for 15 minutes and cut it off there. Felt tight on the IT band, particularily on the right side of my right knee. Back of the knee felt slightly swollen. I'll take it easy for the rest of the week, ice the knee at night and continue to do lots of stretching.

After the light cardio, I did 45 minutes of weights- upper body only. Lots of sit ups!

Sigh....more cross training today. 34 minutes on an elyptical trainer and 20 minutes on a stationary bike. My heart rate was at 65-70%, so it wasn't an altogether bad workout- started to break a bit of a sweat. The only soreness I had was tightness of the IT bad around the knee.

Decided to try a 3 mile run on the treadmill. Started out easy- brisk walking pace and eventually had it at 8:30 mile. Everything felt good, except for a little IT band tightness. Went on the stationary bike and rode it for 20 minutes to get a little more cardio in. No real time off this week except for reduced long run mileage. I'll likely take it easy tomorrow- some biking and weights. Sunday look at doing a split long run- 45 minutes on the treadmill and 45 minutes on an elyptical trainer. See how my legs feel at teh end of the weekend.

I wrote in my blog yesterday I thought I would "take it easy" for my Saturday workout. It didn't quite work out that way. I hopped on the bike and did 20 minutes hard, and then the elyptical for 3.5 miles at a decent rate as well. I had my heart rate up to 80%-85% of max, so an overall ok workout considering the knee issues through the week. Only thing I felt was some tightnness to the top of the IT band in my hip.

Really wish I didn't have to do cross training today- it was the beast weather we've had here in a while- 9 degree celcius and sunny. Would have been great to do a nice 8-10 km jog outside on the Ganachio Trail. Oh well, if I feel no soreness tonight, I might try my long run outside. I could always cut it short and continue it at the gym it all does not go well.

Did 10 mile on the treadmill. Still boring considering the great weather we are having this weekend, but wanted to have an easy bailout if I had problems with the knee. Fortuneately, my knee felt great and was able to do the entire long run without tighness or soreness. I did have some tightness/soreness in my left hamstring- they are feeling sore after doing weights yesterday. Had a great nap this afternoon too!

A few hours after my intial post, my kne was feeling a little sore- nothin g major though. Will ice it tonight and do some addtional stretching.

Off- rest day

Tempo run in the treadmill. Not too overly hard- at 85% or so of max heartrate. Couple of miles warmup and cool down. HIt the weights for 30-45 minutes as well.

Leg was feeling ok through the tempo. Still a little tightness in the leg but still progreesively gettign better.

It wasn't  a hard-core workout today, but it felt just as good- 5 miles in about 40 minutes on the elytical trainer, 10 minutes on the bike and then weights for 45 minutes with high reps. Felt great!

Hill work on the treadmill. Total 25 minutes from 2-4-6% then 2 minutes at 5-4-3-2-1

Heart rate at 170-175 BMP- 90-95% max.

Off- spent the weekend at my brother's house helping him with some home renovations.

Day off from running but it was quite an intensive weekend phsically. After helping my brother install flooring and trim I was exhausted each evening! My legs were actually sore from running up and down the stairs and going repetitively from kneeling to standing. Temped top put in some mileage!

Tempo run on the treadmill for 6 miles with 1 mile cool-down. Went at 85-90% of max for most of the 6 miles. Only medium gard. Felt pretty strong afterwards and did an upper body workout on the weights.

  Decided to forgo the Sunday longrun as I will have a race on Saturday. A 3 hour snowshoe orientation race- should be fun!

Did 6 miles at an easy heartrate on the elyptical trainer but it felt like I was really working- really sweating bullets the whole time! Felt strong afterwards and did a good upper body and ab workout for about 45 minutes or so.

Hill workout tonight:

1 mile warmup, 5 minutes @ 2%, 4% and 6% keeping at 85 up to 95% max heartrate, 1 mile cool down. Legs were feeling a little tight so did some extra stretching- only 3 days till the snowshoe race- hope there is still snow!

Really easy 4 miles today....wanted to be rested up for the race this weekend. Tomorrow will be off for travelling.

Off- rest and travel day for the race in Barrie

Sorry, will post some race details when I get a chance!

Easy recovery day: quads and calves are a little sore today from snowshoeing up cliffs yesterday.

Off- rest day

Easy on the treadmill with a bit of light speed at the end.

2 mile warm up then 5 miles at 85-95% max heart rate plus 1 mile cool down on an elytical trainer. My achilles was still tender so decided to do a speed workout on the eliyptical rather than a treadmill/outside run. Still a good quality workout.

Did weights afterwards with high rep- upper body for 45 minutes or so. Came home and had a HUGE plate of pasta and chicken to celebrate!

Easy day today...light pace.

Took a extra day off which I usually don't do. Legs were still not feeling 100% and took a 3 hour afternoon nap which I usually never do as well (but it was a pretty sweet nap though!!). Warning I haven't recovered yet from the snowshoe race.

Did 8 miles nice and easy. The achilles was feeling a little sore during it but not too bad. Did weights for 45 minutes afterwards. REALLY hungry right now- cooking a supper of pan fried talapia, penne in a tomatoe port wine sauce with asparagus, greek salad and a fresh french baguette. Bon appetite!!

Easy miles on an elytical trainer- achilles still bothering me. Tried to go on a stationary bike but felt it aching a little so tried the elyptical. Did not ache during but did afterwards.

Think I'm going to have to switch to the cross-training set up  on here. I went for a swim for the first time in about 2 years. Did lengths for 50 minutes- was a great workout! Forgot how much I enjoyed swimming- its nice to break up regular training and give the legs a break while still getting a good cardio worout. I did some light weights afterwards- ab workout plus worked the quads and hamstrings with high rep sets.

  I have not the slightest idea how far I went in the pool- counting it as 6 miles for the time and intensity.

did another swim- 40 minutes and was feeling tired by the end. Still hadn't recovered from yesterday's swim- the arms and shoulders were a little  tired still even at the beginning. Did a good leg workout, abs and then  some back exercises- total about 45 minutes or maybe a little more.

Off- Had to make a cake for a birthday!

Swam for 50 minutes, 20 minutes on an elyptical plus weights for 1/2 hour mostly concetrating on legs.

50 minute swim and 40 minutes lower body weights. Did a few chest and shoulder exercises as well.

50 minute swim and some weights. Felt tired in the upper body- the weights I did the day before likely the culprit.

Had a great workout today. After some stretching, went on an elyptical trainig and had my heartrate at lactate threshold for 30 minutes. Then, did weight circuit training for 20 minutes- alternating between a lower body exercise and upper body exercise, 20-30 reps each, no breaks between sets. Turns it into a quasi-lactate threshold workout- a great strength/endurance exercise to do. Then ended it off with a 30 minute easy swim.

Feeling tired tonight as I write in my blog! It was nice to be able to do a lower body workout on the elyptical and not feel a strain in my achilles and not have it feeling sore afterwards. Should be on my way to recovery- I'll give it another week likely before getting into my regular running routine. I have enjoyed the swimming and will continue with it in my regular training. I'll have to add in some swimming drills though to keep it interesting and to get a better cardio workout. I was suprised by how my body reacted to the swimming this week. I had not swam in a couple of years much less swimming for 50 minutes wach day for a week. I initially though my arms and upper body would bonk after a day or two, but they stayed strong. Also wasn't sure how my body would respond to a different type of cardio workout, but it felt good all week.  

Off- rest day

Tried a light 20 minute run on the treadmill. Didn't feel too bad- although my achilles felt tight. Decided not to overdo it and went to the elyptical and did 25 minutes hard as I could handle it. Went on to do 20 minutes of weight circuit training. Overall not a bad workout.

Had full intention of going in for a nice easy swim but after about 5-10 minutes of easy swimming it became boring and I cranked it up. One of those days where I could have just kept going full tilt for another hour. Cut myself off at 50 minutes so I would have energy for a speed workout tomorrow.

@ miles easy on the treadmill and then 5 miles whatever I could hahndle on the elytical. THe achilles was feeing a little looser and it felt ok to increase the spee a bit on the treadmill.

Finished off with my regular upper body and abs workout. Arms weere still a little tired from yesterday's swim.

Went for a 40 minute swim and felt tired and dragged out through most of it- don't think I had recovered from the lactate threshold training yesterday. Did a few weight as well just on the legs.

Off- was travelling and my mileage was good for the week.

What a gorgeous day for a run! Did a nice 4 mile jog around my old stomping ground in Whitby. Sunny and warm- spring is on the way! Achilles were feeling a little tight but loosened up.

I did a 3 hour walk-not exactly sure how far we walked or how much it should count towards weekely mileage so I put in 8 miles.

Had a great tempo run along the Ganachio Trail. Almost 20 degrees celcius, sunny with a light breeze and many familys out enjoying the great weather!

Legs felt good- wasn't going at 100%. Achilles were still a little bit tight at first- did a little extra stretching after 2 km and they loosened up. Right knee was a little bit sore- I was not wearing the knee brace during the run. It went away after the legs warmed up so all was good.

Swam for 55 minutes...didn't do my usual weights afterwards but did do some leg stretches afterwards. Have to work on some catering tonight and wanted to have some energy to throw at it!

Off- busy with catering

Off- still busy with catering

Mileage is week took a hit but put on a great afternoon tea for a group of 75 ladies. Got a lot of compliments and could of passed out 20 business cards easily if I was interested in expanding the business.

Menu- dainty sandwiches, french pastries, orange marmalade gateaux, and fresh fruit.

Was thinkning about going out for a run afterwards but was too tired- Wed-Fri I got home from my day job and worked until 9-10:00 pm ot get things ready.

Was still feeling a little dragged out from the catering but went to the gym anyways. Did a 40 minute swim and then hopped in the treadmill for 4 miles. Did a couple of 1/2 mile pickups- not at my usual speed. Not a really hard workout but glad I got back into the swing of things. The achilles wasn't bothering me at all during the pickups which was great. One goal I have in the short term is to get out to the track for some short distance speedwork. I'll likely start it this week.

Went for a swim...felt tired through most of it. Was going to go for 40-50 minutes and thought I would feel better after warming up. This didn't happen so I listened to my body and called it a day at 30 minutes. Had a evening lass and almost fell asleep

Warmed up for a mile then 25 minute tempo run at 90% of max heartrate. Cooled down for about 4-5 minutes and then did 4X400m repeats hard.

My knee was bugging me earlier in the day and my chiropractor threatened to stick me with needles. Next thing I know, there's 5 sticking out of my knee and I felt like something out of the movie Hellraiser. Made me sit there like a pin cushion for 15 minutes. Darnest thing it worked and I hard a great speed workout. Nice work Todd!

Went for a nice 40 minute swim- 1/2 easy and 1/2 as hard as I go stand it. Did some upper body weights for 30-40 minutes or so.

Great weather today- warm and sunny. Got the mountain bike out and went for a hard 55 minute bike ride then turned it into a brick workout by adding a 2 mile tempo run in after I got back from the bikeride. I had forgotten how stiff legged you can get during the transition from the bike to the run!

Tried something different with the swim today- did a easy warmup for about 10-15 minutes and then did 4X100m as hard as I could stand it. Was REALLY breathing hard at the end of each one. Great V)2 max workout. Did a few easy laps in between sets. Finished off with 10 minute cool down- 45 minutes all together.

Starting to notice my system is really getting adjusted to 40-60 minutes of exercise per day. Not really feeling burned out or low on energy although I do sleep like a log at night...do logs sleep?  I've set a goal for the upcoming month to increase my mileage to the 35-40 mile range on average.

Hard tempo run on the treadmill. Followed it up with weight circuit training for 25 minutes.

This is the first week in some time my milege has hit the 40 mile/60km mark. Part of it is swimming and biking but regardless, my conditioning threshold is increasing. A few months ago 25-30 miles plus weights through the week was exhausting by the time I hit the weekend. Right now, I'm feeling great. Even with a couple of hard runs, swims and a hard bike ride through the week!

March mileage has averaged out to 32 miles/week=51km/week with higher intensity.

February was averaged out at 31miles/week=50km/week with less intensity.

Went out on the mountain bike for about 1 hour 5 minutes. It seemed no matter which direction I went, I was pedalling into a serious headwind. This is ok on a workout point of view but didn't seem like I was getting anywhere fast! Heartrate went from 70-75% so all in all not bad.

Was going to head for a swim in the afternoon, but have to prepare for a test tomorrow evening.

Off- had to study for a test.

Tempo run for 25 minutes. Could have pushed harder but didn't want to overdo it with the achilles still a little sore. Pace was around a 4 min/km (6.5min/mile?). Heart rate was around 85-90% of max. Not too bad.

Did upper body workout and a great ab workout.

Did a 40 minute swim- 1/2 really easy concentrating on really good form and efficiency; second half a a quicker pace. Finished the swim and thought," Hey why not try out a spinning class?". Thought I would take it easy during the class to see how it was run and also thought I would be too tired with the speedwork yesterday and 40 min. swim as well. "Take it easy" didn't happen once the class started- off guns blazing. Legs were screaming the entire hour and heartrate mazed out. sigh.........not in my nature to take it easy........

Turned out to be a great workout day!

Legs a little tight from the spinning class yesterday so took it easy on the run....2 miles east then 1 mile@ 6:30 pace and 1 mile@ 6:15 pace.

50 minute swim with 5X100m as hard as I could go.

Really nice day outside here- 12 degrees celcius and sunny- great day to run through the park!  Went out at with my heartrate at around 80% of max- which was 4:10 km/6:40 mile which did not feel like I was exerting myself too much. Conditioning is definitely getting around where I want it to be for racing. Just need to hone my vo2 max with some short distance track work and I should be ready to rumble!

Summary for the week:

Swimming   40 minutes and 50 minutes with 6X100m speed=90 minutes

Biking 65 minutes mountain bike and 60 minute hard spinning class=120 minutes

Running  25 minute tempo plus 2 mile warm up cool down, 4 mile- 2 easy 2 hard; 5 mile semi-tempo; not sure the time here- 75-80 minutes?

285 minutes/4.75 hours training plus 25 minute circuit training and 45 minutes weights

Not including weights, averages out to around 47 minutes per day- not too bad.

Speed workout today:

twice around the park to warm up- around 1 mile per lap

Sets of 1km repeats, 2 min. recovery then 700m hill,jog to base of hill to recover

4 sets completed. Times were:
3:50km (6:08 mile) lap/ 3 min hill
3:50km (6:08 mile) lap/3 min hill
3:44km (5:58 mile) lap/3 min hill
3:47km (6:03 mile) lap/3 min hill

2 mile cool down jog'

Could have done another set, but the legs were achy and didn't want to overdo it. Good quality speed workout.

50 minute swim- half easy concentrating on form and efficiency. Second half hard but not full out.

Finished off with weights for 1/2 hour.

Noticed my calf muscle has a slight strain in the soleus in the right leg. Will ice it tonight and see how it is feeling tomorrow.

Lower legs were still sore from Sunday speed workout, so I started out on the elyptical- 7-8:00 minutes warm up then 25 minutes with heartrate between 165-170 BPM. Tried a mile on the treadmill and was glad I went on the elyptical for most of the workout. Soleus was tight on my right leg and both shins were a little tight as well.

Did a good ab workout and called it a day. Will be doing a swim plus a spinning class tomorrow.

50min. swim + 1 hour hard spinning class=1 tired Darren....

Great workout today. Really want to get my biking legs in shape. Good endurance adding the swim in before the spinning class with 1/2 hour recovery in between.

Good bike ride- really nice outside. Legs were still tired from the spinning class. Had a nap prior to the bike ride- energy level was low. Total ride time was 1 hour 5 minutes on the mountain bike.

Felt a little tired and the legs felt a little draggy as well. Was going to do a fast tempo run, but held back and just had a nice jog.

Pace: approx 7:10 mile

Off- rest day for the holidays in Sarnia

Mud run! Went out on the mountain bike with my brother and scooted through mud puddles in Sarnia at the Wawanash Wetland. Had a really good time and was a nice relaxing workout- although muscling it through a few mud puddles was not too bad. Total time was about 1 hour.

Note to self: not a good idea to try a tempo run after 2 days of drinking, eating and shooters.....
Tried a 3.1 mile tempo run with a 1 mile warmup/cool down. First 1.5 mile was good then utterly painful. Tried to bear through it. Was a little under 20 minutes. Max heart rate wasn't that high- just my system was feeling horrible.......Happy Belated Easter All!

Not really easy miles, but not quite threshold miles either. Medium run on the treadmill. Had a horrible night sleep and don't think I'm feeling 100% after the Easter festivities from the weekend.

Finished it off with 45 minutes full upper body weight training.

Spinning class 1 hour plus went out on my new bike for a quick tour of the neighborhood to see if everything was adjusted properly. Will be out for a longer bike ride tomorrow!

Went out easy and back hard. The new road bike is great!!!! Very smooth ride and very quick. 40km ride: 1 hour 20 min.

Did a brick workout and did a quick 20 min. jog at the end.

Swim workout:

20 min warmup
8X100M speed sets with 1 min recovery
10 minute cooldown

75km long bike ride- took 3 hours.  The head wind was pretty intense.

3 miles easy- 8 min/mile pace
3 miles slghtly higher pace- 7-6:30 min/mile

Swim workout:

20 minute warm up- long strokes focusing on form
9X100M @1 min 40-45 seconds each with 1 min 15 sec. recovery
10 minute cool down

speed workout
2 miles warm up
3 sets of: 1mile repeats hard (times 6:29, 6:11 @1% incline, 6:00 @ 1% incline) and 6 min 30 sec hill at 6% and 7:30 min pace. 2.5 min recovery between repeats
1.5 mile cool down

Swim workout:

20 minute warm up
6X100m @1:40-45 with 1 minute recovery
10 minute cool down

Bike ride: 50 km. Went out easy and came back harder. 1 hour 50 min total.

Out at 35 minutes.

Off- rest day

Speed work:

2 mile warm up
5 km tempo- 19:45
2 mile cool down
We though 3 mile at 18:55= estimated 5 km race time

Later on in the afternoon went out for an easy bike ride.
Had heavy rain andwind while 1/2 way out.

Swim workout:

20 minute warm up
10X100m @ 1:45 pace with 45 sec recovery
10 min. cool down

Easy bike ride for 1 hour 10 minutes later on at night.

2 mile warm up
1 mile X 3 repeat @ 6:00-6:15 pace
6:30 min hill @ 4-6% incline
8 mile pace
2 mile cool down

Full upper body workout- 35 minutes

Spinning class- mostly hill climbs- great workout on the quads!

Easy swim- no speed sets. Needed a light recovery day

Run along the Ganachio trail. Started getting shin splints after 2 km. Tried running on the grass which helped. Considering I really had to hold back, the time was good. Never remotely came close to LT.

Off- visiting with family

Easy run with my 2 brothers, and brother's girlfriend. Starting to taper for next week's 1/2 marathon.

35km bike ride...little windy but kept it above 30km/hour on the open road. The biking legs are starting to get strong.

Went out with a newly formed running group tonight "Running Miles"! Looks like it will be a great group- they are meeting every Tuesday evening with focus on a Fall race. All experience levels and a pretty easy going group. Should be fun!

We did an easy run tonight- out to a park and did a couple of laps to see where everyone's fitness level was.

Off- did some landscaping at a friend's house.

1 mile easy- 8 minute mile and then 2 miles at 6:50 mile- around the pace I would like to race at if all goes well. Heartrate was ok. My legs had been a little sore and tight and was wondering why and then it hit me- need new shoes. I went to National Aports which is near the gym and tried on a pair of Asics 2140s. Took a litttle jog around the store and shook my head at myself- my old shoes were shot. Picked up the shoes. I will be taking the next couple of days off and I should be good to go for the race on Sunday morning.

Off- rest day tapering. Travelled to Guelph for the night.

Off- rest day for tapering. Drove into Mississaugua to pick up my race kit and on to Whitby to stay with some friends for the night.

First race I've done in 3 year! Didn't train for it- I haven't even done a long run in about 4-5 months and haven't run over 10 miles in 3 years. Really wasn't sure what to expect going in.

A friend was running her first race since having her child, and she was aiming for a sub 2-hour race. I started the race at the back of the pack with her, and ran the first mile or so with her- it was at a 9:36 min mile. I decided before the race I wouldn't "race" the entire distance. After 1 mile, I picked it up to my Fall marathon pace goal- 7:12 min mile. My heartrate was at about 155 for this pace and felt very comfortable. Starting near the back of the pack was challenging- had to dodge around alot of runners for most of the race. My gun time was almost 5 minutes slower than my chip time.

For the race, they had "pace bunnies" which are runners with a hat on which has bunny ears attached. Written on the ears is the race time they are pacing for. After I passed a race bunny, Elmer Fudd's voice jumped into my head and said "Its wabbit hunting season!!!" It then became my goal to chase down as many of these frickin wabbits as I could! At 5km I was at 23:30 mins.

The miles passed by, and the temperature and the course were great. Very scenic and about 7-8 degrees celcuis. Had on a long sleeve shirt and shorts and was a comfortable temperature- almost could of had a short sleeve shirt on. I hit the 10 km mark 47:11 which was ok considering I lost a min. or 2 from the beginning mile- my marathon goal pace was consistent for the rest of the distance.

After 11km, it was time to pick it up- my pace increased to around a 4:15-4:20 min km. or 6:48-6:56 min mile. Still felt very strong. Hit 10 miles at 1:11:50. When I hit the 16 km mark, I decided it to push it for the last 5.1 km. This was the only part of the race where I really felt like I was working it. Total time for the 5.1 km 21:36 and I don't think I stopped my watch right on the finish line.

I thought it was a positive race- pacing for my marathon goal was spot on an felt comfortable. If a couple of minutes were taken off for the slow start on the first mile, time would be down to 1:31. I definitely think I have it in me now for a sub 1:30 half marathon. Next thing to work on is incorporating a long run into my training. Really happy to be back at racing! Felt a little emotional at the 11km point and at the end thinking about it!

Energy level was low at work today and legs were sore from the race. Dranks lots of gatorade and ate fruit but still low. Went for an easy swim at the gym after work for 40 minutes and did a really good stretch afterwards. Energy level was better after that and the legs felt a little more limber. The soreness is a great reminder through the day that you did something and put a good effort towards it. Nice in a weird kinda way. 

Ran with the good folks of the Running Miles group tonight- 1 lap around the park, 3 hill repeats pacing a few people then 2 laps cool down at an easy pace. Legs were still a little tight but not too bad.

Spinning class- didn't go fulll out though- the legs were still a touch sore from the race.

Off- rest day. Was feeling tired through most of the day and felt I needed a full day off to let my body bounce back.

Really focusing in on my bike for the upcoming triathlon in late June. Was going to go for a hard bike ride but forecast called for rain. Went to the gym for a spinning class- only 3 people in the class. Actually hard one of the hardest bike workouts in a long time. At the end I was light headed and slightly nauseous which I find is a very hard state physically top get on a bike. My heartrate usually doesn't get that high. Pretty sweet workout! There's no way I'' be doing a 45 minute 20km bike again at the upcoming tri!

Was hoping to get in a good long bike ride but it  was raining with thundershowers : (

Went to the gym and did 1 hour swim with 20 minute warmup, 8 X 100m with 45 sec recovery with 15 min cool down. Went on the treadmill afterwards and did 3 miles- 1 mile @ 8min, second @ 7:30, third mile @6:40.

My brother from Sarnia called, and he mentioned "tequila" which I thought went pretty well with a long weekend, so I hopped  in the car to Sarnia.

In Sarnia, went out for a nice long bike ride. Went oout for 2 1/2 hours for 71km- beautiful day and the ride took me alongside the lake. I was cruising along and a falcon started took off from a tree. It flew alongside me no more than 20 feet away for about a minute! Very cool!

Out on the bike- 1 hour 15 min easy bike ride.

35km

Speed work
2X2 mile repeats @ 6:00-6:15 min mile pace
5X300m hill repeats

40 minute swim- easy

1 hour spinning class

Went to the gym for a swim-1 hour total

15 min warm up
12 X 100M @ 1:40-1:45 pace
15 min cool down

Got home and felt like going for a run- 10 km easy- around 50 minutes.

Easy swim- 50 minutes. Tired to throw a couple of 100m in but was feeling tired.

Total times for the week:

Bike 285 minutes

Running- 95 minutes

Swiming- 150 miuntes

Total 8 hours 50 minutes

Have been throwing a bit of focus at the bike to get my leg strength and speed up It has been my weak point when doing triathlons.

Long bike ride out to Belle River and past. Rode along the triathlon course running next weekend. 70 km out and back route. total 2 hour 25 min- 29km/hour

Swim at the gym-

15 minute warm up
drills for 15 minutes
8X100M @ 1:45 pace with 45 sec recovery
10 minute cool down

Speed work night- 
4 miles tempo
8 X 300m hills
2 mile cool down

Swim at the gym:

10 min warm up
drills for 20 min
steady swim for 20 minutes

Easy swim for 40 minutes followed by 4 miles on a treadmill at the gym.

Off- rest day- tapering for race on Sunday

Really easy 1/2 hour of cycling. Practiced transition to and off the bike. All set to do the Belle River Duathlon tomorrow! 5km run, 30km bike, 5 km run!!

First tri/duathlon race I've done in 3 years! The race was 5km run/30 km bike/ 5 km run. My goal was to do the bike in under 1 hour and finish the race in under 1 hour 40 minutes.

5km run- time 21:38 (4:20min/km). Went out tentatively for the first 5km- wasn't sure how hard I could push the pace of the first run and without blowing my legs out for the bike and the next run.

30km bike- time 56:56 (31.6km/hour) Was very happy with the bike portion. Got into a great rythym and pressed my speed.

5km run- time 21:15 (4:15 min/km) The run went good- it was the 4th fastest overall time on the last run. Legs needed a kilometer to adjust from the bike. Passed 4-5 people who were doing the duathlon and my confidence increased. Managed to hold a decent pace and got a negative split from the first 5km.

All the time include transition times of about 1 minute, so it makes the bike and last 5 km times even better. I hit my goal of under 1 hour for the bike and under 1:40 for the race. It was a great confidence builder race. Things to improve upon: transition could be faster- it took too much time to undo laces/tie laces before and after the bike. Also feel I could have been more aggressive in the first 5km leg of the race. Looking forward to racing triathlon now!!

Light swim- still feeling tired from the race.

Little hill work:

3 easy miles warmup
6X1mile loops around a hill @ medium hard effort
1.5 mile cool down

45 minute easy swim followed by 1 hour spinning class. Always a good workout!

Bike ride- 1 hour 25 minutes. My spedometer wasn't working. Estimating it was 44km.

Swim workout:

10 minute warmup
12X100m @ 1:38-1:40 pace
20 minute cool down

My form is improving- use to be difficult to maintain 1:40 for all 12 repeats. Now I was ending up at 1:40 on the 12th.

medium run...was feeling tired and not too energetic trough the run but it was a really nice day outside. Total time around 48 minutes.

Had my best training week so far-

240 minutes biking- 70.62 miles/113 km

187 minutes running- 25.54 miles/40.86km

150 minutes swimming- 6000 yards

Total 577 minutes/9 hours 37 minutes. Considering there were some good quality workouts in each discipline with a strong race on Sunday,  I'm very happy.

Bike ride at noon: 51km/1hour 48 minutes

Easy on the way out for 10km
5X3km hard with 2km recovery

Easy for the remaining distance.

Went out for an easy 4 mile run at aroudn 5:00pm. Wanted to go further but the knee was a little sore so cut it off earlier.

Sprint distance triathlon in Leamington, Ontario.

Swim-750m @ 16:22 minutes: My goal was to complete the swim in under 15 minutes. After the gun went, I found I really couldn't get into a rythym. The water was very murky and got wacked in the face a couple of times by other swimmers. Never really got comfortable and had troubleskeeping pointed in the right direction. For the next race, I'm going to have to get in open water swims.

Bike- 20km @ 39:31: Went into the transition area and stripped my wetsuit off. Grabbed my helmet and bike and was off. Had my shoes attached to the pedals already with elastic bands holding them in position. I did a running hop onto the bike and was supposed to slip my feet into the shoes and off I go. Worked very well in the duathlon I did a few weeks prior. BUT my head was still woozy and balance was way off from the swim. Hopped and cut off another biker and almost crashed into the curb. Tried to get off again but same thing- had real problems with balance due to the transition from the swim. Managed to get off and running. Had a strong bike ride. It was supposed to be 20km but it was actually 21km. THe time on my bike computer had 38 minutes- the bike ride time included both transtions from swim to bike and bike to run. My speed on the bike was 33km/hour which wasn't bad I thought. Had much better luck on the transtion to the run. I took my feet out of the shoes when apporaching the dismount area, swung my leg over while still running and did a pro dismount and run off the bike into the transition area. It was my saving grace!

Run- 5km @ 20:43: Ran into the tranition area and tossed my bike on the rack. Slipped ojh my shoes and tightened up the new elastic laces I bought. Worked like a charm and I was off. This was the first race I have done without socks and didn't have any problems. Did the first km in about 4:10 and the second in about the same time. Got into a nice rythym and passed alot of people. There was a duathlon and tri running at the same time so it was difficult seeing who you were competing against. Had very little problems with the legs tighening up after the bike- felt great!

18th of 76 pverall, 4th of 8 in my age classWell, I dropped 4 minutes off my previous result 3 years ago which is good. My goal was to finish it in under 1 hour 15 minutes which I was dissappointed with initially, but in retrospect this is the first triathlon I have done in a while and I have only been training for a few months for this. The swim and the transition from bike to swim needs some work for the next race. Lost too much time and would have hit my goal by including an open water swim once per week. Looking forward to my next race!!!!

Felt tired and unmotivated through this run. Ran at a around 7:05 pace.

Out on the road bike- 45 km in 1 hour 32 minutes

REALLY hot day today for along run but I wanted to get out there and tough it out for at least one long run for mental toughness while being smart about it. Currently 39 degree celcuis with humidity (102 degrees F with humidity for all my friends south of the border)

Ran 10miles around a 1mile loop around a hill drinking at least 500ml of water per 3 loops. Pace was at 8minutes per mile which is slow but ok for the conditions. Finished with an easy 1.5 mile "cool down" on even ground. Wanted to get 12-13 miles total but did not feel it would be of any benefit in the heat. 1 hour 30 minutes total.

2km run: 7:37  - strong opening run. Could have gone harder but didn't want to blow my legs out this early in the race. Still a good time in

20 km bike: 35:01 - very strong bike ride. The course was tow loops around a provincial park. The route was shletered by trees so no wind at all. Very flat, road in good condition and very fast!

5km run: 20:17 - this is the fastest I've done a 5km during a sprint distance triathlon. The legs felt very limber after the bike rise. Had a quick transition and first km was at 3:59. It was a shletered dirt road- no direct sun and flat- very quick again!

Great course and very well run event. Scenic area- would gladly do this event again next year!

Easy bike ride- 32km in 1:10. Legs still feeling tired from the race.

Ran 7 loops around a 1 mile hill loop with the Running Miles Club. Felt Strong through most of the run except for the last loop. Still not 100% after the race but energy is better. Finished with 1 mile flat to cool down. Total 1:02 for the run.

Off- body was feeling run down. Haven't recovered from the race so took a day off training. Always kicking myself a few days after a race that I should have taken the day after the race off to recover and then get back into training.

Was going to do a run tonight but looked at the weather and saw it was going to rain tomorrow so thought it would be better to get a bike ride in tonight. Out for 1:34 and went for 47km. Nive ride-tail wind on the way out and head wind on the way back . Overcast day and a little cooler. Got a bit of a drizzle of rain on the way in.

Long run out in Sarnia. Felt great for the first 10.5km then left outer calf started to get progressively sore. Ended up walking the last 4 km back in it was that bad.

Cross training- easy 30 km bike ride...think it took about 1 hour to 1 hour 5 minutes.

Really easy laps at the track with the running club. Walked 4 laps to see how the legs were feleliong. Wasn't too bad so started a light jog. The legs weren't too bad except  a sore right calf.

Cross training out on the bike again. Went out along my usual route down to Riverside Drive, up Lesperance, across Baseline and out into the country side. Had a decent tail wind on the way out which was super quick but make for a slow ride on the way back.

50 km total in 1 hour 38 min

Out to the hill/park for a run. Thought if I ran a loop if something started ging wrong with the legs I could easily bail. Legs felt good though the first lap of the park so started to pick it up to about a 6:30 mile pace for the last 2 laps. Did 3 hill laps X 1 mile each and the right knee started feeling a little sore so did a cool down lap of the park and called it a day.

Went out cycling. Easy ride- 32 km in 1:12. Right kne was a little sore on the way back.

With the knee a little sore, I decided to give it a days rest. It is heavily painful for me to go into the gym, but went anyway. Did laps for 45 minutes.

Decided to give my knee an extra day off. Was going to do a race tomorrow but letting my leg get back to 100% is more important to doing a good 1/2 marathon in October. Went to the gym and hopped into the pool again. easy 15 minutes to warm up and then did 120meter intervals to get my heart rate up (arounf 2-2 1/4 minutes per interval) with a minute of recovery. Did this for 35 minutes and and did 10 minute cool down.