Death by 10 Meters.....

What the heck is that??? Today was a great training day. I spent the afternoon in a running clinic that instructed on POSE running technique. At teh end of the day and sending 4 hours doing drills, the coach had a workout for us. He claimed it was a real treat and led uis to the gym to get set. Here is the routine....

Set a 10 meter distance market and get a stop watch. When teh watch is started, you have 1 minute to run 10 meters. If it takes you 4 seconds, you have 56 seconds of recovery. When the next minute starts you must do 20 meters, again, it may take you 10 seconds which means you have a 50 second rest. Not bad for the first 10 minutes, tehn you have to start to hustle. The goal is to complete the greatest number of lenghts that you can qwithin a minute and still have time left. When you get into teh 13 to 14 range you are down to no rest time at an all out sprint. WOW! It is a tough drill and it hurts. Loved every minute of it!
The clinic was very interesting. The POSE style of running is about posture and landing on your toes. The claim is it is more efficient and leads to far less injuries. Many of the worlds leading sprinters practive it since it was introduced 20 years ago. The verditc is still out from my perspective as it takes some training to evaulate. I will admit you do feel much lighter and efficient even with the ackwardeness of a different body position and momeutum. I will keep you posted on the progress if I do make a decisoin to make it mine through training and practice.
The waether today was awesome, I wish I had been able to get out on my bike, oh well, lots of time and 1000's of kms to come, I can afford to miss a workout now in order to focus on the parts that are tougher for me!
All around this week has been great. I managed to shake my cold, a great week of training, got all of the fall yard work done and had a chance to relax and enjoy life a little. It is a week that provides the personal satisfaction of having grown both physically and mentally! I look ofrward to many more of those kind of weeks as this jourmney continues.
I ma heading up north tomorrow for CSIA Proffesional development day. SHould be a great day as it si the symbolic launch to the ski season. Great speakers will be presenting and Brian Stemmel is speaking at the end of the day. As one of Canada's leadng legendary speakers from the Crazy Canucks era, it shoudl be very exciting. I also get to enjoy a rest day after 7 consecutive days fo training. That will be a challenge, however I will enjoy it as I am tired from a primarily anearobic day today!
Enjoy your Sunday as it is supposed to be awesome weather, and afterall it is a day to realx and enjoy life!
Cheers

Holy Yoga Batman Part II

So, once again if you have not tried Power Yoga you have to come out with me one night and do a session!  It is the greatest Yoga session you will finish.  It has a great (gruelling, if you choose to) physical element as well as a great spiritual flow to the class.  I am no Yoga guru, having been to 3-4 different studios, but this one wins the 'best of' award!  Go to www.poweryogacanada.com and check out the schedule, let me know if you want to drop in.  The studio is right around the corner from my house, we could do a good 'workout' and then head out for a rewarding cold pop.
As you might notice I have had a great week of workouts and training.  Today was a perfect day for a long slow run.  The weather was awesome, the temperature was great and my head was in the groove.  I hope in 10 or so months that I am in the same space and run through the finish line as satisfied with my efforts.  I am writing this week in the mental note book with a big highlight as I no there will be a lot of weeks next summer where I won't be saying anything positive at all.  All part of the experience I suppose, and a great one it will be.

The weekends are now starting to get action packed.  For those who know me, the winter chaos is starting. Between trips up to Collingwood, events for the CSIA that I have coordinated and must hire staff and attend(and training this year) the fun is now beginning.  It is kind of a crazy way to carry on, but somehow I get more energy from it.  I have however made a decision to tone it down a bit as my training gets into high gear in the spring.  One great thing that I may be doing is helping lead a running clinic.  It would be a great compliment to my training over the summer.  It will be productive to run with athletes and talk about technique and the importance of various factors when training, as it will serve as  a good reminder of what I need to be doing!  I hope the opportunity comes together.

Well, after a hard week it is important to keep it all in perspective.  So, I am going to go and have a relaxing dinner with my wife and then out for a beer with friends!  As you know I will keep you posted on the weekends activities as time permits, in the mean time.......have fun, stay healthy and don't get stressed about it!~!

It's been a good week!

It is weekend eve and I am feeling quite good after a week of diligent workouts.  I am paying attention to the fact that this is theoretically off season and I should not be on a program, however, the non-program I am on seems to be providing some results.  I had a great workout this afternoon, spent about 1:15 in pool and did 2700m.  A good mix of drills and lengths to build on all areas of my weakness.  Probably one of the more satisfying workouts that I have had to date.  On my way into the pool tonight, Hugh was at the front chatting with Bryan.  It was great to see Bryan from http://trainingpayne.blogspot.com as he has been fighting the flu only a week before the 70.3 worlds in Clearwater.  He seems to be over the hump and ready to pack for his race next week.  Hope he keeps getting better and kicks some personal goal butt next weekend!  wanted to head out for some more power yoga tonight, but, beer got in the way!  Trish had the girls over for the monthly wine night that they share, so I went out to the pub and had a beer and some bad food with the guys!  Oh well! Plan on going tomorrow night and getting another great workout!
Time to get to bed, tomorrow starts at 5 with a run and then a ton of work to do tomorrow!
Hope everyone had a good day, hey! and remember, have fun because life is to short!

Holy Yoga batman!

Have you ever done Power Yoga??  it is about the hardest workout that I can remember.  I never figured that your heart rate would get to 150 doing a stretch class, but.....yeah!  If you have a chance to try it, highly recommend.  Trish and I went to www.poweryogacanada.com, it is a great gym!  A great Yoga class was the finish to a good day.  I had a great pool workout today, did about 1500m in a 40 minute drill and length session.  Even though my cold has my breathing a little off, the swim felt good and relaxed.  Each time I am in the water I am finding it a little easier than the prior workout.  I am now starting to prepare my workouts before going to the pool and increasing my distance per workout.  With the water being my achilles it will be a big point of focus for me.  I am back at the poo tomorrow with a 2500m workout to keep the momentum going.  I think I m also going to go back to poweryoga tomorrow as well.  As well as a good workout it is a darn good stretch which I need to benefit from as much as possible.
I finally was able to connect with Mike today to talk about his IM training experience.  He did a 10:30 on his first race so I value hi training feedback.  ON Sunday we are going to connect and he will share his nutrition log and training note books with me.  Should be an enlightening experience.
Had a great work day today.  The company has redone its compensation for sales reps.  It is a great deal, as those who sell stand to make a lot more money than in the past.  In a down economy it is a good deal to work for a company that values its staff and creates an environment that provides for equal risk and reward for both the company and the sales staff.  As well as the money bonus, there are many future opportunities as the company is in a build mode to become the biggest and the best at our game.  As the current leader it is exciting to be on the ship as it begins to steam ahead!
Another great hing about the day!  It is getting cold and that means snow is not far off!  I have already put all my winter programs in place and hired more than 50% of the staff.  Now all I need is snow and I can get out on the hill and have some fun.  this weekend is the symbolic start of the season with the professional development day.  We are also picking up the keys for our winter rental, so winter here we come!
Well, dont want this cold to get an idea that it can takeover, so it is rest time!
Have a great night and think healthy happy thoughts!

I am a geek....

OK, there is one to admit!  seems that each day I spend time researching how I might become faster, leaner, lighter, what gear is good.....Ahh! It is a lot of fun and I hope in the end that it makes me a stronger IRONMAN in 11 months!  If not, i will have learned a ton of new things to share with tri-friends!
As I have been fighting this cold for a while, I have been successful, it has not broken out into a terrible cold and my training has been strong throughout.  I hope I am not talking to soon.
Since this obsession started, I have been paying attention to what I eat and trying to lead as healthy a existence as possible.  Seems it must work.  I dropped 25lbs really quick while I was counting calories, and I am still losing today even though I am eating a ton more than before.  I'll stick with it and see where it brings me.  I hope I dont drop a ton more because I just had all my clothes adjusted to the tighter belt loop and dont want to have to do it again!  I guess my problems could be worse.
Started my morning with a great run with the Oakville coffee shop group.  Most of the group was recovering from the Hamilton marathon on Sunday so they were a little worse for wear today.  As I only rode the course, I was in good shape to go.  I had a great tempo run.  I am feeling the benefits of my training to date as I did the 9k run in 4 less minutes than last time, love those results.  Still a ton of work to go to become a fast runner, but, any progress is good progress!
To continue along with a good day, work was good today.  A huge project seems to be on the rails now!  Started last week as a bit of a wreck, but with a little massaging it seems that we will get this thing done ahead of schedule and paid for it before we know it!
On the other geek part of my life, I spoke with Rossignol today(my ski supplier) and my gear for this season is in the mail.  WOW!  It wont be long now and the snow will be flying so, time to get the gear in and get it set up.  Looking forward to this winter.  The benefit of all the training should pay off for my skiing this winter.  Although I have no courses on my schedule, I should be able to do some awesome refinement on my technique.  I am also looking forward to my long runs after skiing on Saturdays.  It will be a great way to unwind and with our new winter chalet, the hottub will be an great treat at the end of the run! I guess the only thing stopping the winter fun is the snow!  Bring it on!
Time to sit and have some quality time with Trish and then heaad out to visit a friend we have not seen in a while.
Have a great night, great rest and stay healthy!

Ahh, rest day is so great!

No, I think it is great because I dont have to do a workout, because I am at the point that I want and enjoy my workouts.  I enjoy rest day as it is Yoga night! The time spent is great in many ways.  First and foremost the stretch benefits(seeing as I am not as diligent as I should be otherwise) and secondly, the relaxation  is a 10 out of 10!  I am lucky having an ability to tune out the world in order to relax, but, this one hour a week is a great time to get into a deeper zone than usual!  Another successful Monday!
 So, teh cold I have been fighting has managed to work its way in.....damn!  But, I am not letting it take over.  I have been mindful to rest, drink lots of water and eat healthy.  So far it seems to working.  Many other friends and family are getting knocked off their heels with it. Bryan at http://trainingpayne.blospot.com is currently resting, my brother in law is in ICU with pneumonia that came on like a freight train!  I hope that I can continue to fight my way against this.  The next couple of days are gradually heavier training so I will have to make certain to pay attention.
Today I started my proper research for another heart rate/GPS monitor.  I have a POLAR CS200 for y bike which tracks great data from a bike perspective, but I want something to track accurately for my runs and rides for distance and elevation.  I was looking at the GARMIN 305, but Bryan(same as above) suggested the 310XT as it is water proof as well.  I will check into both and make a decision soon.  After all, Christmas is coming and I have been a good boy this year.  MAybe he will leave it under the tree for me! If anyone reading has suggestions please let me know your thoughts and experiences.
Time for bed, 5AM comes along quick and tomorrow is a run morning and swim PM, need my sleep.
Cheers and stay healthy!

Got my mojo today!

I dont know if it is the post Halloween affect, or if it is that ski season is closer, but, today was a great day all round!
Started the morning bright and early with Trish(sherpa) riding our bikes out to the Hamilton marathon route to support some friends doing the race.  Other than a little cool, it was a perfect day for a ride.  We headed out to the finish and rode the course backwards.  this allowed us to see all of the leaders as they raced along.  As you can imagine, most of the leaders were kenyan.  The focus that they show as they race is absolutely crazy.  As they make their way screaming down the road, their eyes could burn holes through stone.  It is such a great thing to see such commitment to the goal that they are chasing!  Overall the race was quite entertaining.  it is a small and new race(3 years old) and has a great variety of runners.  My main purpose today was to support and pace Hugh in his race.  He did awesome with another PB, finishing with a 3:02:57.  That is now 4 races in a row this year with a PB at each.  If he could only pay attention to nutrition he could break 3 hours.  Amongst our group of friends were some impressive finishes today.  Peter had a 2:47 and Jen was the second lady to cross with a 2:57  It is great to be around such great runners to keep me wanting to train to run faster.  We had a great time at the race with an opportunity to catch up with a lot of friends that we have not seen in quite a while.
The day got even better when we got home.  I had that 'kinda good' feeling today.  even though the cold has got the best of me, I still felt quite strong and ready to go. As the pace ride was an easy cruise it certainly did not take anything out of me today, so, I put on my shoes and headed out for my run.  It was a 13k LSD run using my new zones.  I set out and had a bit of a high rate to start.  However, by 4k, my  hear rate was dropping and my speed was still consistent.  In the past on my long runs I usually am reverse of that, my heart rate usually does a gradual and consistent climb.  I am certainly not  fast runner, but the base I have put in so far seems to be leading to more consistency and comfort than  in the past!  I will keep going with it and I am certain it will give me a sub 4 marathon and a good finish for the fun part of IM!  I must say I enjoyed the run more than most I can recall!
Well, with the time adjustment and a full day, time to go and get some sleep!  This cold has not been to bad and I am going to keep fighting it!
Cheers and Happy Training!