OK, so I thought I'd at least look at the blog and update now that I can finally start to think about a run. The back has settled down. Seeing a Physical Therapist now 3 times a week and he's putting me in traction...........at least I'll be taller after this. I can now walk without too much pain. "Fred Sanford" is officially gone, thank god!
Hopefully will be on a treadmill walking next week and soon will be able to run. Riding hasn't been too bad, even though the PT thinks that might be worse for the back, so I'll just take it slow. Swimming seems to go OK, finally. Will try to compete this weekend!
Daisy is coming back, boys!
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Friday, November 16, 2007
Race Wheels
So today, I started wondering how much time I could save by purchasing a set of aero-wheels for the upcoming ironman, and I'm actually rather baffled by how little a difference they seem to make.
According to a couple of different resources on the web, the savings for a 40k bike ride is something on the order of about 90 seconds (difference between least aero wheels and a full disk in the back/deep rim + min spoke combo). Since a 40k is about 24.2 miles, we're looking at about 4.5 times that amount of just about 7 minutes over the whole bike course.
While I don't disagree with the fact that it works out to be a "free" 7 minutes, I just can't justify the expenditure of several thousand dollars for it right now. It's certainly important for people racing up at the top (elites and age groupers trying to qualify for Kona), but I'm a little far from that point right now.
I could probably save more time by investing some money in a vacuum cleaner and a hypodermic needle to suck the excess flab out of my gut right now.....or at least by committing to pee on myself during the race. I'm guessing that over the course of the ironman, I'll probably spend at least 7 minutes either in or waiting for a porta-potty.....and I've got a long way to go before peeing on myself becomes on option.
Yeah, so I'll revisit the race wheel purchase option at the same time I revisit the bathroom plan.
Drew
According to a couple of different resources on the web, the savings for a 40k bike ride is something on the order of about 90 seconds (difference between least aero wheels and a full disk in the back/deep rim + min spoke combo). Since a 40k is about 24.2 miles, we're looking at about 4.5 times that amount of just about 7 minutes over the whole bike course.
While I don't disagree with the fact that it works out to be a "free" 7 minutes, I just can't justify the expenditure of several thousand dollars for it right now. It's certainly important for people racing up at the top (elites and age groupers trying to qualify for Kona), but I'm a little far from that point right now.
I could probably save more time by investing some money in a vacuum cleaner and a hypodermic needle to suck the excess flab out of my gut right now.....or at least by committing to pee on myself during the race. I'm guessing that over the course of the ironman, I'll probably spend at least 7 minutes either in or waiting for a porta-potty.....and I've got a long way to go before peeing on myself becomes on option.
Yeah, so I'll revisit the race wheel purchase option at the same time I revisit the bathroom plan.
Drew
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Back in Training this week
So, after enjoying a recovery last week, it's time to be back in training this week. I blew off Tuesday's workouts (bad boy)--but have managed to make it through the rest of the workouts so far. Monday a.m. swim workout was coached by Brian, followed by an evening 50 minute run. The earlier sunset is causing me motivational issues and screwing everything up. Whoever came up with the concept of daylight savings time clearly did not take into account ironman training needs in it's design.
Like I said, I blew off Tuesday, so I owe myself a weight session and a bike ride today (which would have been my day off). Wednesday was morning swim practice followed by a 2 hour run. The run was good, ending at just over 10.5 miles--very solid zone 2 effort the whole time. Even with that back off in pace, it still managed to hurt appropriately. I'm interested to see how the concept plays out. Next week is a 2:15 run, and the week after that is 2:30. Following that, the hard training weeks top out at 2:30, and what should happen is that the pace gets faster at the same heart rate resulting in longer runs for the same amount of time.
In any case, it's off to work for me now--
This weekend holds a 50 mile bike/2 mile transition run for us GGW'ers. It looks like we'll be starting at HB Steve's and then having some breakfast afterwards.
Drew
Like I said, I blew off Tuesday, so I owe myself a weight session and a bike ride today (which would have been my day off). Wednesday was morning swim practice followed by a 2 hour run. The run was good, ending at just over 10.5 miles--very solid zone 2 effort the whole time. Even with that back off in pace, it still managed to hurt appropriately. I'm interested to see how the concept plays out. Next week is a 2:15 run, and the week after that is 2:30. Following that, the hard training weeks top out at 2:30, and what should happen is that the pace gets faster at the same heart rate resulting in longer runs for the same amount of time.
In any case, it's off to work for me now--
This weekend holds a 50 mile bike/2 mile transition run for us GGW'ers. It looks like we'll be starting at HB Steve's and then having some breakfast afterwards.
Drew
Monday, November 12, 2007
Spin, Guts ‘n Butts – November 8
Amy Ko (see linked blog) and I decided to attend Spin Class on Thursday evening followed by the Guts and Butts class. Both session are taught by Stacey at Gold’s Gym on Pine Avenue. Stacey rocks, and her work outs rock too.
The spin class was challenging as usual, but Stacey mixes it up and keeps everyone entertained. She’s an entertaining mix of high energy, hip hop inspiration and visionary; we usually go for a mental image ride down PCH or to/in San Francisco with hill and speed work to match.
I’m a “sweater” so by the end of the hour I was perched on my stationary bike above a pool of my own man sweat. Nice. That is usually where the fun ends, but not today. Amy Ko and I had already decided to go to the next class of Guts and Butts. Actually, I was on the fence buy Amy kept poking at me with verbal barbs as sharp as a spear: come on sissy boy, it’s time to get that gut in shape! Or my favorite “my puppy has better abs than you do, Buddha!” So…off the class we went.
We only stayed for the “guts” part. Amy said something about the butt session making her butt into a small, rock-like body part, and she’s not going to impress the ladies with a rock ass nugget. I guess she wants some “back” which is fine; now if I could only find a way to donate her some of mine.
Great combo work out. “Thank you sir, may I have another!?”
Amy Ko (see linked blog) and I decided to attend Spin Class on Thursday evening followed by the Guts and Butts class. Both session are taught by Stacey at Gold’s Gym on Pine Avenue. Stacey rocks, and her work outs rock too.
The spin class was challenging as usual, but Stacey mixes it up and keeps everyone entertained. She’s an entertaining mix of high energy, hip hop inspiration and visionary; we usually go for a mental image ride down PCH or to/in San Francisco with hill and speed work to match.
I’m a “sweater” so by the end of the hour I was perched on my stationary bike above a pool of my own man sweat. Nice. That is usually where the fun ends, but not today. Amy Ko and I had already decided to go to the next class of Guts and Butts. Actually, I was on the fence buy Amy kept poking at me with verbal barbs as sharp as a spear: come on sissy boy, it’s time to get that gut in shape! Or my favorite “my puppy has better abs than you do, Buddha!” So…off the class we went.
We only stayed for the “guts” part. Amy said something about the butt session making her butt into a small, rock-like body part, and she’s not going to impress the ladies with a rock ass nugget. I guess she wants some “back” which is fine; now if I could only find a way to donate her some of mine.
Great combo work out. “Thank you sir, may I have another!?”
Sunday, November 4, 2007
The Big 5-0... and then some!
Today was the GGW first group 50 mile ride, followed by an optional run.
We all benefited from an extra hour of sleep, since we "Fell Back" last night and gained an hour due to Daylight Savings Time. Yea! This was even more appreciated as the Grunion Award Banquet was last night also. The banquet was a great end to another season, and contained all of the necessary elements: laughing, crying, Mexican food, awards, and incessant heckling by rowdy audience members for the emcee award winners to "take it off" throughout the evening.
The plan today was to start at IM Steve's gated compound and Love Shack (baby!), head down to HB and back, logging 50 miles. There would be an optional run immediately following on the Bixby Knolls Cruise Path & Flood Reservoir.
Aside form the extra hour, today was a big day for all GGW for another reason: we were joined by the cheetah-like and glamorous Miss Pop Pee Seed for the entire ride and run. Heads turned all the way down the beach and back; no one stuffs muffins into spandex like Miss Seed. A big group dose of Grunion Love to Pop Pee for her guest appearance and inspiring display of baked goods.
Dastardly "Coastal Eddie" was in town and he is thick. We started off in a virtual fog bank that lasted pretty much until we finished the ride, just over 3 hours and 45 minutes later. While it was a welcome relief to soaring hot temperatures, at least one GGW was Grunion Gone Frostbitten for much of the morning (memo to self: buy some "winter" appropriate cycling gear!).
The cycling was fairly uneventful. Although we remained on heightened German Cyclist Watch, there were no such sightings today. However, Clause van der Hottenfuugen, a vision in white, may have been masked by the fog...
The brick run has become a "love/hate" (mostly hate) event for me and my fellow GGW'ers, I believe. IM Steve sprinted out of the gate with almost giddy exclamations of "it'll suck for the first mile but then it'll be much better! " And with that, and a few skips later, he was gone. That left me, Pop Pee and Mr. Drew Carry Me Away to shuffle through the run. The sun began to peek through the fog and for a moment all seemed good and right for IM AZ training. Then, out of the blue, er, um, clearing fog...BAM! A virtual mental and physical devastating bitch slap: the running path dead-ended down by the "Only Bixby Bad Boys Come Down Here" picnic and butterfly viewing area. The only way out was to retrace our steps out of the bowels of the muddy reservoir, effectively doubling the distance of the run.
Finally, though, we wrapped up another Sunday long ride. Go Grunions--Get Wild!
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Shoes make the man
My new shoes seem to work well--this morning, I ran for 2 hours--started out slowly with the pups for about 2.25 miles, then headed back out and ran out to the turn around point--at some point I got annoyed with trying to keep the heart rate low and just ran....so it turned into a harder run that it probably should have been. In that mode, I was going just under 10min miles, but when trying to keep the heart rate low, it was more like 12min miles.
Since I wound up running faster on the back half than the front half, I was 1 mile from my finish point with 15 minutes left, so I decided to crank back the speed to use it as a warm down. My heart rate had climbed to 180 during the run, and I managed to drop it back under 160 while jogging in the last mile.
Drew
Since I wound up running faster on the back half than the front half, I was 1 mile from my finish point with 15 minutes left, so I decided to crank back the speed to use it as a warm down. My heart rate had climbed to 180 during the run, and I managed to drop it back under 160 while jogging in the last mile.
Drew
Congrats to Daisy!!!!
And sorry to hear that it's getting to you! I hope the trips to the chiropractor pay off soon. But congrats on doing as much as you could at SOMA, and getting through it, and double congrats on backing off when you needed to! Sometimes it's harder to quit a race than it is to suffer and aggravate that injury--
As for me--I'm trying to get back to training today--the 3 days of the early shift (wake up at 2am to get to work by 3:30) knocked me off my schedule. I'll try to run this morning--my foot's bothering me--but hopefully the new shoes will knock out that pain. Then I'll be there for swimming in the evening on Friday--
See you guys soon--
Did you say naked yoga?
Drew
As for me--I'm trying to get back to training today--the 3 days of the early shift (wake up at 2am to get to work by 3:30) knocked me off my schedule. I'll try to run this morning--my foot's bothering me--but hopefully the new shoes will knock out that pain. Then I'll be there for swimming in the evening on Friday--
See you guys soon--
Did you say naked yoga?
Drew
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