I love triathlon. I especially enjoy going long. For me, there is nothing like a long swim, bike or run (or all three). Just a great feeling. Almost like being high.
At least, that is what it sounds like... how people who have been high have described it to me.
Anyway, Jessica looked good on the course. She comfortably biked the course 15 minutes faster than her Columbia Tri 2007 bike time. Way to go, kid. Her husband Gary accompanied us and he looked good, too. I think he'll be ready come next month. 41 days to race day! To top it off, tomorrow is their anniversary. Congratulations!
I've switched up my weight lifting routine to a heavy mix of chest/arms one day, legs the next and then shoulders/back. This is followed by a rest day and then do the cycle again. I've been consistent with this through two cycles (started March 31) as well as run, bike and even swim.
I'll be doing heavy weights in April and May. Then, I'll switch it up again. Last thing to report... I'm down to 202 lbs.
:-)
When I first started doing triathlon, I fell in love with the Nike Shox NZ. I think it is a great shoe. It doesn't have a tongue. It fits like a sock. Very light with good support, even for a big guy.
Nike Shox NZ
I loved these shoes. Over my tri career, I bought at least a dozen pairs of them and I have still own two pair. They are too worn to actually wear on a training run, however. Well... I did wear them on a trail run recently. I do wear them at the gym when lifting weights.
Inexplicably, and much to my chagrin, Nike stopped making them. Of course, it was right before a race when I was looking to buy new shoes. So, I had to switch to a Nike Air Max. They do have a tongue. I wore these shoes at Timberman last year and have put a lot of miles on them.
Today at lunch time, I went to Pacers in downtown Silver Spring with my $15 off coupon. Brian Farley (who has a brother named Chris Farley) helped me pick out a pair of shoes and we selected the Nike Air Max Moto+ 5. They feel comfy but do have a tongue, which I'm not enamored with. If found a review of the shoe online.
Pictures of my pair of shoes are below. Now let's see how long I can keep them from getting dirty.
I wore them today for a run after work. I knocked out 6.5 miles in 60 minutes, trying to keep the heart rate in the low zone 2 range, which I managed to do. I ended with an average HR of 133. Shoes felt good and I like them better than the previous pair. But, I still miss my Shox NZ.
A key element to me getting my workouts completed is to get it done early in the morning. This means on some mornings I'm getting up as early as 4:45 am so I can make it to the gym or get out on the bike. I find early morning workouts to be very peaceful. I am more disposed to getting out of bed when it is warm and am eagerly awaiting permanent warm weather in the DC area.
Below is a video of me outside the gym at oh dark thirty.
First weekend of spring. However, temps were still in the 40s. It sleeted yesterday. Nice. Anyway... got a good hour run in Saturday out in Davidsonville... average HR or 135. Easter Sunday started with an hour run (average HR 137) along the Anacostia River Trail south of RFK Stadium down to Pennsylvania Avenue. We also did a loop in the Historic Congressional Cemetery, a place in Washington DC that I have never been before. Followed by breakfast we then proceeded to do a 40 mile ride out MacArthur Blvd. to River Road and back to Capitol Hill. I feel really good on the new bike and notice three big differences... the acceleration (sometimes, it is almost breathtaking), the efficiency of effort when I'm in an aero position and how much easier it is to accelerate up hills. We did hit a couple of hills today including the hill past Old Angler's Inn. I got a cramp in my calf about a quarter of the way up and the group dropped me.
