December 28, 2004
quick turn around
I handn't been back home for more than fifteen minutes last night before I was dressed and outside running. Gotta thank my roommate for that. It was dark already and I had just finished a six hour drive. A run wasn't real high on my to do list. But with minimal proding I was out there. Three miles in the dark and cold. I brought a face mask this time around, but didn't need it. It was good.
I need to start pushing myself a little harder on some of these runs, or go for some longer distances.
Posted by ksmith at 03:10 PM | Comments (0)
December 25, 2004
merry christmas
Merry Christmas everyone. I hope today found you and your family in good spirits. I know it did with mine.
What day better than today to go out for a run? Or so I thought. I hadn't been out in almost a week. I have a lot of lame excuses too. They go something like classes, work, and catching up on some R&R.
I received some new running digs from Santa this morning, so I figured I'd give them a shot. I dressed warmly, but I didn't have much in the way for my face, and it was cold. The kind of cold that chills you to the bone.
The plan was to run out to the highway and back, four miles on the nose. Speaking of noses, I couldn't feel mine a couple minutes in to the run. A mile in to it, I thought about turning around, I should have listened to myself. Instead I trudged on, pulling the front of my headband down so it covered my nose. What a strange sight I must have been.
I made it back alright, but I wasn't in the best of spirits. The cold air took so much out of me today. It's so hard to move that dense air in and out of your lungs. It was less than a spectacular run. Normally I enjoy me winter runs, but not this one. I need to remember to cover my face next time I go, or run the risk of loosing my nose to frostbite. That would suck.
That's all for now, have a happy new year!
Posted by ksmith at 09:12 PM | Comments (0)
December 19, 2004
first attempt at snowboarding
Dave, my roommate from college came up this weekend to pick up his new snowboard and hopefully try it out as well. So a few of us hit the local slope to go snowboarding. The only problem is that I’ve never been, that includes skiing. But luckily, everyone going didn’t have much more experience than me. I figured it would be a good chance to get a good portion of my falls out of the way before going to Colorado over New Years.
Let’s just say getting started was a challenge. First off, I had no coordination and couldn’t make it more than ten feet down the bunny hill with out falling. I had the feeling that it was going to be a rough day. After about an hour or so, I started to get the hang of it; which in turn, made me more comfortable on the board. By the end of the day, I was able to go down the intermediate runs pretty cleanly. I wasn’t carving up some of the graceful curves that other were putting down, but I wasn’t falling every ten feet either.
One of the better runs was down the back side of the hill. While coming down, you had to make a big sweeping arc to the right while picking up speed on a decently steep slope. The last few times I was able to take the corner pretty sharply with some good speed.
I’m a little sore today. Mostly in my arms, which is weird. I think it’s due to the evil tow-rope you need to get to the top of the beginner runs. Other than that, I feel good and can’t wait to go again. Maybe next time I’ll strap some skis on for grins.
Posted by ksmith at 10:43 PM | Comments (0)
December 17, 2004
run boy!
I took a couple days off from training. Too many things going on with work and class. Although it came at a good time. After my snow run on Sunday, my shins were starting to hurt. That's usually the first sign that I've been logging to many miles.
The idea today was to do something around three miles. I didn't go out with a watch either, which makes a run go better. Less stress to perform. Plus it's harder to get good times when it's this cold out. Anyway, I just started running and took a new route. I'm guessing it was about three and a half. The bad news is that my shins started to hurt again. I might need some more rest, we'll see.
Posted by ksmith at 04:05 PM | Comments (0)
December 14, 2004
pass, set, spike
I mixed it up a bit today by playing some volleyball in a weekly leauge after work. It’s a nice change of pace, participating in a team sport rather than going it solo. And volleyball is one of the team sports I enjoy the most.
Today was the last match before the holidays. Things start up again sometime mid-January. It’ll be a good way to break up some of the monotony during the winter training. I believe that it wraps up sometime in March, which would give me at least a month to buckle down and focus on the St A’s tri. Plus, I’ll be logging more of my miles outside by then.
Posted by ksmith at 10:35 PM | Comments (0)
December 13, 2004
swim like a rock
Today was our fourth week of swim practice. We always meet as a group to go over some drills and get some tips. We’re also supposed to be swimming once on our own during the week, but between classes and work, I’ve been hard-pressed to find the time.
Actually, I almost didn’t go to practice today. I got back from work 45 minutes before we were supposed to be at the pool. Not enough time to get anything productive done, just enough however to drift in to a lackadaisical funk. After crashing on the couch for twenty minutes, Knight asks me if I still want to go in a kind of ‘I really don’t want to go, so please say no’ way. I initially fell for it as I was still under the spell of the couch. But I soon came to my senses and realized that I’m not going to get any better unless I actually get wet.
Progress thus far in swimming has been slow, but I’ve noticed a slight improvement. My biggest problem is breathing correctly. The runner in me likes to take nice long deep breaths whenever I feel like it. Needless to say it doesn’t like the confined nature of nautical respiration. But I’m getting there, and with time and practice, I should improve.
From an endurance standpoint, I’m in good cardiovascular health. So as long as I can avoid wasting too much excessive energy flopping around in the water, the distance shouldn’t be a problem.
The good news is that the high school we meet at is less than two miles away and I caught wind that there’s open swim Tuesday and Thursday nights. My excuses for not swimming twice a week are dwindling.
One last thing, swimming with fins rules. I felt like an Olympic swimmer with them on.
Time to hit the shower and then finally some sleep.
Posted by ksmith at 10:40 PM | Comments (2)
December 12, 2004
first snow run
I woke up this morning to find that the night had left a dusting of snow a couple inches thick. I figured now would be as good of a time as any to get my first snow run of the season it.
The run kind of went against what my team in training schedule called for. Sundays are supposed to be our day off, especially since Saturdays are usually a longer bike/run brick session. But the snow was here, and it didn’t take long for me to get out the door. Plus, I really haven’t been following the schedule as closely as I should, shame on me.
The goal was four miles, it didn’t matter how fast or slow, just a nice easy four. It always surprises me how rejuvenating a run in the snow can be. Everything has been transformed in to this bright white world that closely resembles the one you used to know. Quite possibly the best part about a snow run is soft crunch of snow underfoot, or maybe the cold surges of air that fill your lungs. Either way, it seems to stimulate the mind as much as the body. Something I’ve needed now that work and classes are picking up.
Time for a dip in the pool tomorrow.
Posted by ksmith at 12:09 PM | Comments (2)
December 11, 2004
welcome to my new site
So here it is, my new and improved triathlon training blog. It’s my intention to update this a lot more frequently than my old one. So please check back often and harass me if I don’t keep my word.
The major reason for a new site is due to my recent involvement with Team In Training, or TNT for short. For those of you who’ve don’t know what TNT is, it’s an initiative by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society that brings people together, regardless of fitness level, and helps them train for an endurance event, whether it be a marathon, a century bike ride, or in my case, a triathlon. In return for all of their help in training, the participants raise money to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
I’m not one to miss an opportunity, so if you’re feeling generous, I would greatly appreciate you supporting our cause by making a donation. You can do so here. A million thank you’s in advance.
I’m really enthused about this opportunity to train and I feel that it will be a great stepping stone in helping achieve my ultimate goal of completing an Ironman distance triathlon. Yeah, that’s right, I’m still crazy enough to want to do that. I’m hoping to complete one in the early 2006 time frame.
The event that TNT’s help us train for, it’s the St. Anthony’s Triathlon down in Florida. This is an Olympic distance event, which means a 1.5 km swim, a 40 km bike and a 10 km run. For those of you who are metricly challenged, that translates to about a mile swim, 25 mile bike and 6 mile run. Not exactly a cake walk, but I have time on my side and some great coaches and fellow teammates to keep me motivated.
One final note about Team in Training, I think that it’s an excellent organization. They have events going on all year long in some really cool locations. So I encourage you to look up your local chapter and check it out.
Happy training!
Posted by ksmith at 10:10 PM | Comments (1)