Bitchin

Well there were a few small setbacks this week.

First, I got home Thursday night after work and noticed that my right shin was completely numb. I started to freak out a bit, and promptly got on Google to see what it could be. Turns out a pinched nerve in my lower back is the most likely culprit.

It also said that it can happen from doing things like sit ups and pull ups. Well on Tuesday I was doing a different set of sit-ups that usual (which I will obviously never do again ha), so I think that is what happened.

Anyway, in classic obsessed triathlete fashion, I wanted to make sure that my leg was ok and there was still circulation going to it. So I ran 13km around Victoria, and then headed to the pool for a couple kms. The leg was fine, other than not being able to feel it. I reasoned that if there was a lack of circulation, it would give out under the workload of running. But I actually ran pretty good, so maybe no feeling in your legs is a good thing for performance!

The next morning the numbness had subsided somewhat, but as soon as I started walking around it was back. Friday at work was not good for it. It was number than ever and I was pretty worried.

I took Friday off working out just to be safe and give my back a rest. After a light swim on Sat, today it feels much better!

Not to bitch too much here, but Commonwealth pool has been getting on my nerves quite a bit lately. It's a great place to train when your on a team, but for drop in laps it is ridiculous! I hate how they come out with a weekly schedule saying that certain pools are open for length swimming all day, and then when you get there, they have a freaking swim meet on! You know they have planned those meets months in advance, but they are rarely on the shedule.

I got there today to find that there was not ONE lane available for public swimming, even though the sched said there was an entire pool available. I ended up switching pools twice, in both cases just making a lane for myself without any lane ropes. I even had to battle a 40 yo lady for space, as she was just floating on her back all over the pool. A little spray to the face on my flipturn did the trick (I'm really not that much of an ass, I swear). I'm just annoyed that they can't get that stupid sched right, so that I don't waste 50 mins of my life driving out there and back.

On a lighter note, the pounds that I put on while traveling are coming off, so I feel a little more like an athlete. I am definitely on a running focus these days, so I can get back in the VIRS ASAP (acronyms anyone?), as well as get ready to be on the HSBC TC 10k team!

Happy training!!

MJ

Update

I finally got internet again at my house! Woo!

I have been using my iPhone to update for the last while, so naturally there has been no motivation to update the ol' blog.

Things are definitely getting better on the workout front. I am not making leaps and bounds, since my new job is pretty consuming, but I am getting there slowly.
I am running about 3-4 times a week, swimming 2 times a week, and biking 1 or 2 times.

The swimming has been hard. I enjoy it enough when I am there, but driving out to Commonwealth has been an issue lately after work. It is just soooo much easier to go for a run or even go lift weights at the rec centre 3 minutes from my place.

Speaking of weights, I am really enjoying my core work lately. It is entertaining how sore I am after ha!

I did my first TNW in a while (thanks to work letting me go early), and I saw some huge gains. I was a little disappointed in the practice however. Without Shane there, there was nobody at the front to hold the pack in check on the recovery sections, to ensure that we actually get our heart rates down. The lead group is an amazing pack of guys, but the competitive spirit diminished the workout a bit too much for me.

I started with the lead guys, but after two intervals of barely slowing below a tempo run on the recovery sections ( we were supposed to do a recovery jog), I decided to run my own workout. It was so funny seeing the lead group on the course. I saw them right before the recovery interval finished before the next hard section, and most of them didn't even change speeds into the fast section! They were just going as fast as they could the whole course.

Meanwhile I was having an amazing workout on my own, even though I would get passed on the recovery sections by 40 y/o ladies (no disrespect ladies) that have 45min 10k times, before I would blow by them on the actual intervals. I think I was one of maybe three people who lowered their times on the last 4 loops. I have to admit though, there have been some amazing PIH improvements. Jogging with the ladies allowed me to see some of the real risers in the group. And don't get me started on Jeff Hunt, who is really seeing his hard work pay off.

I think it could have just been this workout, since most PIH TNWs have walking sections, where everyone is pretty much forced to slow down. I will give it another go next week probably, to see if it's different. Right now though, my Sat morning crew is looking pretty good, where we all work together to push ourselves, and hold back on the recoveries so that we can all start together. Getting the hr down between hard efforts is so crucial for improvement.

I will definitely post more now that I got the net back!

Happy training.

Some consistency

This past week has seen me get back to some sort of a routine. Since I finally landed a job at a bank a few weeks ago, I have been able to put some priority back into training rather than being unemployed. Of course, the holiday season always is disruptive to training, with old friends and family in town and wanting to get together for drinks and food. Therefore Jan 1st saw the start of my life returning to normal.

Since I received a gym pass for my birthday, I have been able to get in the gym quite a bit lately. It is really nice to be able to work on my core and upper body, which lacked in strength last year. I am now working out at least once a day, and eating well again.

My runs and rides have been going pretty good. I am still a long way from being in shape, but it is coming along. The biggest thing that is holding me back right now is my inability to recover from high heart rates. This was evident in my last run with Nick, where my heart rate could just not recover from the hills at cedar hill. I was still in the 180s on the flats between hills. As I told Nick, it's not so much that I am tired, but one can only run for so long with a 180 HR, whether they are in shape or not. The entire run had an average of 173, only 33 beats higher than Nick!

For obvious reasons, I am not participating in the pioneer 8k this week. I don't want to sound too full of myself, but I just wouldn't be able to deal with such a poor result compared to last year. It sucks, because I LOVE that race, and racing really
helps you get in shape, but I'm just not ready, and mentally no good can come from it. I might volunteer at it though.

Swimming is starting slowly, but I am enjoying doing a lot of paddle work. I did a few sets of 100s and had a chuckle, since I was THAT slow.

That's all for now