Current Exercise plan

As I stated in the previous post, I am currently focussed on losing weight as my primary goal during these winter months.  Now that it is the 'off season' I can reduce the number of calories I take in and not worry about the impact it would have on my training.  You can't focus on building up speed or strength for a race while at the same time losing weight. 

Of the three activities, swimming, biking and running; I am only going to be doing my spin class for the bicycling during these winter months.  I did set up the trainer in the living room on the off chance that I may get on it, but I am not especially thrilled about this.  My main goals for this winter are to improve my swim technique/speed and improve my run.  To this end, I am doing strength training - weights, and a 'body sculpting -core workout' class at the gym.

Having a good core is the foundation for remaining injury free and being able to have good form in each of the three activities.

Swimming:
Tuesday morning: swimming 1/2 hour - drills: this link talks of various drills that are good to do on a regular basis.
http://www.trinewbies.com/tno_swim/tno_swimarticle_16.asp

Saturday: long swim

PLEASE check out this video (link below)- I had never seen anything like this up until a few days ago.  I tried it for the first time today, and it is quite hard, but it acutely shows you what angle your arm should be in during the recovery phase.  A running analogy may help visualize what I mean: - in running, the general consensus is that as a 'heel striker', you are braking on your momentum forward and thus creating a higher risk for injury, and slowing yourself down.

Swimming a freestyle stroke completely underwater lets you feel the resistance with the water in the recovery part of your stroke, and enables you to shift the hand re-entry to reduce the 'braking' action that would occur with a different angle.  It's hard to explain, but watch this video, and then try it the next time you swim, and you'll see what I mean.
http://www.goswim.tv/entries/6325/freestyle---underwater-free.html


Biking:

Friday morning: bicycle spin class
If I can get my act together, I will commute to work.

Running:

Tuesday evening: speed work - alternating weeks
   week 1:  intervals : run at a fast pace for 5 minutes, then recovery pace for 1 minute.  Alternate for 3.35 miles,  which is 1 loop of the park that I run in.

   week 2: hill repeats - run up the same hill, approximately 1/2 mile long 4-6 times

Thursday morning: 4-6 mile run

Sat/Sun runs 5-7 miles
every other weekend: long run: 10 miles on Saturday or Sunday.

Strength Training:
Monday evening - weights
Thursday evening: body sculpt/core building class at the gym

So, what is your exercise routine? - I would love links to training tips that you have found informative - they always help.  Happy exercising!

Pat.

training songs

I wanted to share my favorite song with you:
http://youtu.be/G6ZjBPXSmnE

This is a popular song for triathlon
http://youtu.be/P3oBZ4_TNys or http://youtu.be/jnqpYKx8Fvk

This song makes anybody move, tho I don't particularly like the video since it seems to contradict the lyrics.
http://youtu.be/vXtJkDHEAAc

you can dance, enyoy the lyrics, AND the video with this one:
http://youtu.be/q1OqrXK-Fws


tell me your favorite songs please!

NYC Tri Bike/Run leg

I've been trying to write about the b/r part of the triathlon but did not feel very inspired about it. I couldn't think of much besides commenting on all the fallen water bottles in the road and numerous people with flats and possibly, I could have pushed myself more than I did. Then this morning I remembered.

Just as I was starting the bike leg, biking up the hill from the river to the West Side Highway there were many people lining the road cheering us on. Throughout the bike/run portion I must have heard 'Go Brooklyn at least 100 times, probably 1000 times. . But in that one spot, winding up the hill, someone said ' lose weight!'. That one comment tainted the rest of my experience with self-consciousness and a variety of mixed emotions. It is not without irony that there were two former contestants from 'The Biggest Loser' in the triathlon. I saw one of them while waiting for the swim to start. She walked by with a film crew following her. I didn't recognize who she was at the time but she looked at me and smiled. After she passed, the woman I had been chatting with told me who she was.

Am I branded? She looked at me and smiled. I felt good about it at the time, but after the 'lose weight' comment, I spent the rest of the race alternately judging myself and trying to push off any negative thinking or negative feeling. 'Since it's true, then how can I feel bad about the truth?' 'He's on the sidelines, and I'm in a triathlon, so who cares?!'. 'Maybe I look worse than I had thought in this tri suit'. ' He's an ass, I wish I could go back and spit in his face'. 'I'm the one that would get into trouble if I tried to get revenge'. 'I must look pretty bad'. 'he was a jerk'. 'why do I ignore 1000 good cheers and get so impacted by one?

I completed the triathlon. But this is definitely an emotional relapse. There is no worse time than being open to joy and hearing a stupid comment. I have spent too many years remaining shut tight as a drum in order to avoid this kind of thing but only I experience the negative consequences of that.

I will somehow let this pass.






-- lemmefineout - Brooklyn