How about some Triathlon stuff

Yes I originally started this blog because of triathlon. But I like to mix things up because even though triathlon is a big part of my life, there are other areas I like to share with my readers.

But today it is about triathlon. Where is my training lately? If you recall I had a dry spell with my running because of some tight muscles in the hip flexor, gluteous, ITB area. That sucked because I had to bail on my first marathon, Shamrock. It was a good call and I am getting back on my feet running. I've managed some runs between 45 minutes to 1 hour that have felt good at a comfortable pace without pain. Still trying to stretch when possible. Dr. Zak (ART specialist) says the muscle fibers are like leather and need to be broken up so the irritation goes away. Still working on that. He says things are much better than when we started.

During my repreive from running I focused on the bike and swim.

My cycling has always been solid and I feel great so far. I managed to go outdoors yesterday after work and was flying. Temp was about 56F, or 13C. A little nippy but it didn't bother me. Just being outside on the bike was great. All winter is has been hard deciding if the resistance on my trainer was too hard to simulate road riding. Right now I think the extra resistance has improved my leg strength so the open road feels fast at the same HR.

My swimming has been getting better each week. Little adjustments have helped greatly. TJ made a recommendation about how my left hand enters the water, I'm consistantly doing better with that. TriFrog had a good post about Swim golf or golf swimming or something like that. He helped me think more about my glide, extension and efficient swimming. So this morning I hit the pool for 4000 yards and nailed some race pace efforts. The negative 800, race pace 500 and hard effort 300 each had 100 yard times under 1:40, most under 1:35. Cool thing was that I really felt like I was putting forth a good effort while being efficient. My breathing didn't become labored until the 300 hard near the end, but those were all under 1:30/100 yds.

Mornings at the pool have been crazy lately. Tuesday and this morning were packed. This is 5:45AM people, and everyone wants to swim. Go figure. A four lane 20 yard pool and we are fitting 8 people in, without lane lines. But the spoils come to those with patience and persistance. TriSaraTops and I both started early, or as she says at dark:30 (it is getting lighter earlier, but not at 5:30). Anyways, by 6:15 Sara, noodle lady(Ruth) and I are the only ones in the pool. How nice is that?!?! No dodging people, no collisions, just open water. I can resume focusing on my swim stroke and being efficient.

Things are feeling good and the weather is getting warmer. Looking to get some good riding in this weekend.

Game on, the bike and in the water.