holy hell that hurt

500m row, 3 min rest, repeat 8 times. This was more brutal than I expected (noticing a theme here). Averaged around 1:43 for the first couple sets, slowing down to 1:52 for the last. Not even the sweet melodies of Rammstein could coax any more effort out of me at the end.

Thursday

21 push-ups/ 21 squats/ 500m row, 15 push-ups/ 15 squats/ 500m row, 9 push-ups/ 9 squats/ 500m row. Total time 8:41.

What does HCR, a Ferrari, and cycling and swimming have in common?

Well... me actually (And Mrs. Me. Liz rode w/me on Sat). Moved a bunch of workouts around to accommodate the beautiful weather/scheduling. I rode on both Sat (38 miles) and Sun (45 miles). Sat turned out to be a group ride w/the my corporate "team". Was actually surprised that I was one of the 3 people pulling for the majority of the ride. I guess some of this trainer stuff is paying off early in the season. Sunday I went out on my own to do the 3 miles, rest a min, 6 miles, rest 2 min, 9 miles, rest 3 min, 12 miles. Started off fairly well after a 5 mile warm up to get to my route. Avg'd about 22mph for the first 3 and 6. I went to grab a drink after the 6 mile pull and realized I has unknowingly launched my one bottle of nutrition (I had 2 bottles of water, 1 of concentrated Accelerade, and a back-up gel). Oops. Downed my gel, stretched my back out (having the familiar early season holy-hell-the-aero-position-takes-a-while-to-get-used-to back spasms), and took off on the 9 mile pull which included the Great Falls hill. Yowza. Somewhere around here a yuppy in his new Ferrari almost ran me over. Seriously, if you're gonna drop 150k on a car, splurge for driving lessons. (I also saw a pristine 80's Lamborghini Countach on a Sunday drive- the car of my teenage dreams :) Anywho, I stopped after 9 to stretch again and strip off my base layer shirt, and set off on my 12 miler. About 3 miles in I saw my bottle of Accelerade sitting in the dirt on the side of the road (in the sun, of course). Stopped, cleaned it off as best I could, and drank from the sweet fountain of warm, sticky goodness. It was a little too late though- I ran out of juice at about mile 9 and spent the last 3 in a state of total bonk-ness. Before that I was chugging along at a steady 21ish, which I thought was pretty good for this early in the season. 

So... I finished the workout portion of the ride and leisurely rode home across the National Mall. Leisurely until I ran into the Immigration protests, followed by the Health Care Reform protests. At least 100k people out there. Wow- in the 5 years I've been in DC, I've never seen anger like this. Not just activism, but downright anger. The driveway into the Capitol bldg was lined 10 deep with protesters screaming at the representatives as they arrived. Crazy.

Finally, I swam this morning. 250, 5x50, repeat 3 times. I was fairly consistent the entire time. Each 250 was right at 4:20, and my 50's were all within a sec of :45. Not bad for a slow swimmer.

Finally finally... shoulder press 5 sets of 3. Warmed up w/45#, 65#, 95#, then the 5 sets at 115#.

100 days and counting...

I just looked at the ticker and noticed I'm at the 100 day mark until CdA. All of a sudden it just got a whole lot closer. Today's workout: Row 200/ 21 sit-ups, Row 200/18 sit-ups, decreasing the sit-ups by 3 until you get to 0 and row a final 200. I thought this was one of the easier workouts, although my core was more fatigued than I expected at the start. Doing the sit-ups on the hard floor next to the ERG's didn't feel so good either. But... finished in 12:50.

Riding outside tomorrow- can't wait!

Saturday's workout today

I had a bike today and a lift/row on Sat. Since the weather is supposed to be abso-bleepin-lutely beautiful on Sat, I swapped them. So today was deadlift 1/2 bodyweight 30 times and row 1k for time. 1/2 my bodyweight is somewhere around 90-95 lbs (I used 95)- 30 deadlifts in 1:05, and then the 1k row in 3:42, for a total time of 4:47.  And now, I drink coffee!

I actually passed someone in the pool.

Good swim this morning. As someone who has always been a middle-of-the-pack swimmer, I think I lucked out and wound up in a lane with 2 people much slower than me. It does a lot to boost your confidence when you actually pass someone. Anywho, 1000yd TT in 18:55.

And just like that: cha-ching!

Not sure if I was fueled by my desire to prove that a little fracture in my foot can't stop me, my hatred for Chuck Bass, my excitement over the return of Michael Shumacher to F1, or if this Crossfit thing really works, but I had a great ride. Did my 20K TT on the trainer over 3 min faster than last week. And my HR was a full 10 bpm higher throughout the ride, topping out around 182. Finished in 39:42. Take that, Mr. Foot Fracture.

And the Dr. says... no running.

Well, actually that's not what he said. He said I can run, but it will prevent the fracture in my foot from healing... and that I should start w/3-5 miles per week and increase by no more than 10% week over week... and it would be up to me to manage the pain with Tylenol (apparently anti-inflammatories (sp), such as Motrin or cortisone shots will slow down the healing process in the bone).  We agreed this is not exactly the most appealing of prospects, nor would this strategy do much to get me to the finish line. This was the opinion he said he would give to a "normal", non-training kind of person. Knowing that I go to him because he is a sports medicine guy he didn't actually suggest that I follow this, but noted that whatever I decide to do running-wise between now and the race would be effectively be limited by my own pain management strategy, and that we could fix it for good after the season ends. So, after discussing w/Max, we're gonna give this a go with no running between now and race day. Anyone out there curious to see if an Ironman can be effectively completed without any run training? I am (and honestly, I feel pretty good about it).

As usual, Moose figured it out

Bike 1mile, rest 1 minute, 15X. This did not go as planned. First, the forecast called for rain, so while it was still dark outside I hopped on the trainer. As the sun rose it turned out to be a beautiful near 60 degree morning. Oops. Anywho, after my warm-up I made it through about 6 of the 15 sets and had to call the quits. There was just nothing in my legs. Couldn't quite understand it, and then, after a brief conversation w/Moose I understood. Last night the spousal unit wasn't feeling well- coughing and sneezing. I woke up with itchy eyes and a scratchy throat (but didn't think anything of it). Then, as I was conversing w/Moose I realized his eyes were a bit runny too. Eureka! The massive amounts of moisture from the melting show plus this sudden warm up have led to a mini-bloom of plants and grasses around here. Looks like allergies have come out of no-where. Hydration, vitamin C, and avoiding any kind of refined carbs and I should be good in a day or so.

Morning swim

700 yd swim this morning. Same 2x50 warm-up and 1x50 cool-down (always seems I'm pressed for time in the a.m.) Finished in 12:52- about 17 sec slower than last time. Not too concerned about the speed, as I'm feeling a bit more fatigued and only have one leg available to push off the wall. Crazily, I was the first person in my lane, and when I got out there were only 2 others. Must have been a fire sale at Macy's...

At least I can still ride

20K TT. Good stuff. 10 min warm up followed by the 20K. Maintained a fairly steady high 140's HR for the first 10K, and then high 150's for the 2nd. Managed to get up into the high 160's for my final min push. I felt good about this one- definitely didn't have much left at the end. Finished in 42:48.

The Foot of Woe

Foot is still jacked. I went out to do my 13.1 mi run last night and was fine through about mile 3. Then I started to feel that familiar burning sensation somewhere inside the hoof. By mile 4 it was pretty pronounced, and by mile 5 it downright hurt and the change in my gait was making my knee hurt as well. By the time I got to the top of Capitol Hill (mile 5.6 of the run) I called the quits and opted to save it for another day. Total time for the 5.6 was about 48min, roughly an 8:30 pace (including my 10 min warm-up mile, which put the remaining 4.6 closer to 8 min miles. Not too shabby for me). Earliest Dr. appointment I could get is next Monday morning. Until then, lots of ice and stretching. And biking and swimming and...

"Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son."

*ETA*- I was gently reminded that I should probably mention my lovely wife, who is also using a crossfit based IM plan, did the workout with me.  She said it was the best part of my day, and that I really enjoyed the together time. :-D

Animal House. One of the best movies of all time. Just thought I'd mention it.

Did my 4 x 5K intervals on the trainer yesterday as ordered. 5 min warm-up plus .3 cool down after each interval to make it a nice round number to start the next set from (I'm simple that way). Finished in 44:35.

Ever have that moment where you look at the workout and think to yourself "This one isn't so bad". Yeah, I'm learning to fear those moments. 400m run + 20 burpees, 4 rounds for time. Not so bad. Heh.  So, I slowly ran on my somewhat recovered foot down to The Mall (roughly 1.5 mi) as the warm up. Ran the first 400 in about 83 sec, did my 20 burpees, and went to run my next 400. Yeah, not quite as fast. No idea how fast it was, but it wasn't fast. On burpee #10 of the second set I began cursing all things x-fit. On the 3rd 400 I actually ran a bit with my eyes closed because it just seemed easier than keeping them open (might have saved 1/2 a calorie of energy there). On the 3rd set of burpees my legs felt like cement. The 4th run was excruciating and more of a shuffle. Not sure I even remember the last set of burpees. Total time 14:40. Walked up Capitol Hill and then slowly ran the mile back home as a cool down..

So... this was my first run since testing the foot a couple of days ago. I have no idea what to make of this. Clearly I can run on it without pain. It just doesn't feel right. Out of nowhere it will make an uncomfortable "click" inside, almost like a subluxation (sp) of some random bone I didn't even know I had, and then be fine again. Post run I was experiencing a burning sensation, almost like a sunburn, but from the inside of the foot. But it doesn't hurt- it just feels weird. Grr...

Swimming in the rain...

This was one of those mornings where it took every fiber of my being to climb out of bed, get dressed, and walk to the pool in 30 deg weather, overcast and spitting rain. And we were out of coffee. But I did. Slow day at the pool too- only had to circle swim w/3 other people in my lane while the lone water-walker (heh) had fully 1/3 of the pool to herself. Sigh. But... warmed up with 2 x 50 and set in for my prescribed 700yds. Finished in 12:35. Cooled down w/another 50 plus a walk to Perrigrine Coffee for what could possibly be the worlds best cappucino.

Spin, spun, spent

I really am a workout snob. Seriously- I need a support group. Since my foot still didn't feel up to it I opted for a spin class rather than the prescribed 45 min running TT. I've been to this class before, and the instructor is pretty good. But I can't stand watching people who know nothing about bike geometry, riding position, or what a focused workout really is, just hop on and spin at 130 rpm w/no resistance and their body bouncing all over the place. And the people who feel they need to talk out loud as if they are adding value. Seriously, old guy in the full length spandex and cotton socks- quiet please. I have no idea why I let this irk me, but apparently I do.

Anywho- it was an ass kicker of a workout. Warm-up, max effort 30 sec intervals at 80/90/100/105 rpm (same recovery time), same set at 60 secs, then 90 sec. Cool down and stretch. Broke the 500 watt barrier on most sets, so I consider that a win. Off to find some chamomile tea and calm down...