Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Training Log 12/1-12/15

I managed to survive the first session, but wasn't quite able to meet the potentially overachieving goals I had set and am now a little banged up.  I had to skip one run and one racquetball session because of a bothered left knee and sore right ankle... probably from overdoing it a bit, but it is feeling almost back to normal after skipping those two harder-on-the-joints workouts.  I haven't managed to rile up any motivation to do any cycling yet, but I'm working up to it.  On the positive side, weightlifting seems to already be helping with swimming - I'm already up to half the triathlon distance and my speed is awfully close to my fastest times of the year.  The other positive thing - I managed to drop four pounds in the first two weeks.  Hopefully I can manage to maintain through the holiday season. 

Goals for next session: 4 runs, 4 swims, 2 racquetball, 4 lifts, 2 cycling sessions.  No basketball this period because the gym in closed and most of the group is in holiday travel mode. 


Run 4/3 (Goal/Actual)
Hills
12/4 -  Hospital Hill - 3.5 miles, 38:07 (10:52/mi) (garmin stats)
12/11 - Hospital Hill - 3.4 miles, 36:12 (10:45/mi) (garmin stats)
Distance
12/7 - Macken Park 4.3 miles, 45:37 (10:34/mi)- horrible run (garmin stats)


Swim 4/4
12/5 - Total 20 laps - 3 sets of 2 laps (~1:50/set), 3x 3 laps (~2:50/set), 1x 5 laps (5:00)
12/7 - Total 25 laps - 3x 2 laps (~1:50/set), 3x 3 laps (~2:50/set), 1x 10 laps (10:32)
12/12 - Total 26 laps - 3 x 2 laps (1:48, 1:49, 1:50), 3x 3 laps (2:52, 2:51, 2:47) 1x 10 laps (9:58), 1x 1 lap sprint (43.6)
12/14 - Total 30 laps - 3x 2 laps (1:45, 1:50, 1:49), 3x 3 laps (2:56, 2:53, 2:53), 15 laps (15:20)

Bike 2/0

Basketball 2/2
12/2 - 90 minutes - half court
12/9 - 90 minutes - full court - exhausting

Racquetball 2/1
12/6 - 2 hours, cut-throat - dominated

Weight Training 4/5
12/1 - 3 sets of 10 of each: curls, shoulder press, shoulder raise, rows, fly, chest press
12/4 - 3 sets of 10 of each: curls, shoulder press, shoulder raise, rows, fly, chest press
12/8 - 3 sets of 10 of each: curls, shoulder press, shoulder raise, rows, fly, chest press
12/11 - 3 sets of 10 of each: curls, shoulder press, shoulder raise, rows, fly, chest press
12/14 - 3 sets of 10 of each: curls, shoulder press, shoulder raise, rows, fly, chest press



Current
Weight - 239 (last week - 243)
Distance capability - 6.2 miles (11/29/2011)

10K time - 1:02:50 (11/29/2011)
5K time -30:10 (10/12/2011)


Year-To-Date Mileage (Jan 1 - Dec 1 2011)
Run - 225.6 miles
Bike - 279.8 miles
Swim - 19.3 miles


PRs
Distance - 8.7 miles (4/7/11) - Macken Park Training

5K (official) - 28:14 (7/9/11) - Grayslake 5K
5K (unofficial) - 28:03 (5/2/11) - Macken Park Training
10K - 62:04 (4/28/11) - Macken Park Training
Half-Marathon - N/A
Olympic-Distance Triathlon - 3:38:57 (5/22/11) - KC Triathlon

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Pre-2012 Training Post

It's been a long while since I've posted anything on this site... a long while.  As of now at work, I am writing a methods section for my next paper, so my writing style may currently be pretty academic.  I'll work on that as I go. 


I wasn't terribly happy with my performance in the 2011 KC Triathlon.  I believe the blame lies at least partially on not starting training until February and then having several setbacks including back problems related to being out of shape.  When the triathlon rolled around, I was relatively ready, but the open water swim killed me, just as it did in 2010.  I apparently learned nothing.  Ugh.  I did however finish the triathlon about 5 minutes faster than the year before at a weight almost 20 pounds heavier (in better shape despite being almost 10% heavier?). 
 
Since I feel like I have gotten overweight and maybe a bit out of shape, I am going to start my triathlon training much earlier this season.  As an added difficulty this season, on top of training for the 2012 KC Triathlon on May 20, I am going to simultaneously train for the Wisconsin Half-Marathon on May 5th in Kenosha (booyah, Kim, I'm making it official!).  I plan on posting updates on the 1st and 16th of each month with an abbreviated log of my workouts.  For each period, I will be aiming for 4 runs (2 distance, 2 hills), 4 swims, 2 cycling sessions (indoor unless it is warm and clear enough to bring out the road bike).  Instead of running sprints (to begin with anyway) I am going to substitute participation in sporting events, so, I will aim for playing both basketball and racquetball twice for each period.  On top of all this, I would like to mix in 4 light weight-training sessions in addition to of regular core and stretching routines.  When the weather does not cooperate, I will replace runs with cycling or Plyo X workouts, that is, unless my weight drops low enough to use the apartment building's treadmills, in which case... I'll be replacing runs with, well, runs. 

My 2012 goals will be to 1) drop about 25 pounds, 2) take almost 40 minutes off of the 2011 triathlon time to finish in 3:00:00, or less, and 3) complete the Wisconsin Half-Marathon in 2:11:00 (10 minutes/mile pace). 

In order to reach these goals, I would like to get my weight to a maximum of 220.  This means that I will be giving up soda again (good bye rum and coke...dammit) and trying to take control of my diet (lame) while increasing the number and frequency of workouts.  I have been running a bit and playing basketball/tennis somewhat regularly, so I'm not a complete disaster going in to it this time.  In fact, I can still run a 10K, which I unexpectedly found out on Tuesday (decided to run 4 miles, then just kept going).  I believe I will be in good position to have some monster effects on my distances and times based on where I am now.


Current
Weight - 243
Distance capability - 6.2 miles (11/29/2011)

10K time - 1:02:50 (11/29/2011)
5K time -30:10 (10/12/2011)



Year-To-Date Mileage (Jan 1 - Dec 1 2011)
Run - 214.4 miles
Bike - 279.8 miles
Swim - 16.4 miles


PRs
Distance - 8.7 miles (4/7/11) - Macken Park Training

5K (official) - 28:14 (7/9/11) - Grayslake 5K
5K (unofficial) - 28:03 (5/2/11) - Macken Park Training
10K - 62:04 (4/28/11) - Macken Park Training
Half-Marathon - N/A
Olympic-Distance Triathlon - 3:38:57 (5/22/11) - KC Triathlon


Friday, May 20, 2011

Triathon Training Weeks 6 - 14 MEGAPOST

I kinda got a little behind in the triathlon training updates.  So, to my reader (intentionally singular), my deepest apologies.  I'm pretty sure that I will owe a beer to anyone that reads this entire post.  Anyone willing to take on the challenge?

WEEK 6 

Monday, March 21 - Basketball, 90 minutes.  Same as last week, only full court this time.  I have been playing better since triathlon training started - might be helping my game. 

Tuesday, March 22 - Recovery day from basketball.

Wednesday, March 23 - Swinney Lap Swim - I forgot to toss my Garmin watch in my gym bag... so no stats on this swim. 

Thursday, March 24 - Macken Park Run - Working on speed, picked set distances and went as fast as possible. Started with 1 mile run - 8:37, 1/4 mile walk, 1/4 mile run - 4:34 (didn't feel good during this), 1/4 mile walk, 1/4 mile sprint - 1:57 (good), 1/4 walk, 1/4 sprint - 2:01, 1/4 walk, then finished with a 1 mile at comfortable pace - 10:13. Total - 4 miles 43:12.

Macken Park Speed Run - 4 miles by daskaff at Garmin Connect - Details

Friday, March 25 - AbRipperX

Saturday, March 26 - Swinney Lap Swim - 3 sets of 10 laps (500 yd sets - 1500 yd total). Each set is 450 yd freestyle, 50 yd breaststroke. Sets were - 11:10, 11:41, 12:00.  Total time - 34:51. Sprints were each 1 lap (50 yd) - splits - :49, :49, :50. Finished with 2 lap (100 yd) - 2:15. 1 mile total swim distance.

Swinney Lap Swim + Sprints by daskaff at Garmin Connect - Details

Sunday, March 27 - Platte Brooke North Trail + Hills.- Miles 1 and 5 are on the flat trail. Miles 2 and 4 are the smaller hill. Mile 3 is the monster. Splits are 11:24, 11:06, 11:19, 10:57, 10:15, 1:04 (0.1 mile 10:39/mi pace). Total time - 56:09, distance - 5.1 miles. 

Platte Brooke North Trail Run + Hills by daskaff at Garmin Connect - Details

Totals for Week 6
Swim - 1.90 miles
Bike - 0 miles
Run - 9.1 miles
Other - Basketball, AbRipperX


WEEK 7

Monday, March 28 - Basketball

Tuesday, March 29 - Recovery from Basketball

Wednesday, March 30 - Swinney Lap Swim - 3 sets of 10 laps (500 yd sets - 1500 yd total). Each set is 450 yd freestyle, 50 yd breaststroke. Sets were - 10:55, 11:29, 11:30 Total time - 33:54. Sprints were each 1 lap (50 yd) - splits - :49, :49, :50. Finished with 5 lap (250 yd) - 5:28. 1 mile total swim distance.  

Swinney Lap Swim by daskaff at Garmin Connect - Details

Thursday, March 31 - Rest

Friday, April 1 - Rest

Saturday, April 2 - Macken Park 10K - Split times - 9:52, 9:56, 9:56, 10:01, 10:32, 10:05, 2:03 (0.2 miles, 9:43/mi pace). Total 10K time - 1:02:27.

Macken Park 10K by daskaff at Garmin Connect - Details

AND

Swinney Lap Swim - 3 sets of 10 laps (500 yd sets - 1500 yd total). Each set is 450 yd freestyle, 50 yd breaststroke. Sets were - 11:01, 11:09, 11:26 Total time - 33:36. Finish with 5 lap (250yd) standard set - 5:46. Total distance - 1 mile.

Swinney Lap Swim by daskaff at Garmin Connect - Details

Sunday April 3 - Rest

Totals for Week 7
Swim -  2 miles
Bike -  0 miles
Run - 6.2 miles
Other - Basketball


WEEK 8
Realized that I am still heavier than i would like to be for the triathlon and decided to add an extra workout during the week, so no recovery day after basketball days.  Also, worked on improving eating habits.

Monday, April 4 - Basketball

Tuesday, April 5 - Platte Brooke North Trail + Hills - 5.1 Miles- Miles 1 and 5 are on the flat trail. Miles 2 and 4 are the smaller hill. Mile 3 is the monster. Splits are 10:11, 10:41, 10:59, 10:33, 10:13, 1:02 (0.1 mile 9:47/mi pace). Total time - 53:41.  Ultimately, this was a stupid idea - running the day after basketball really bothers my knees and ankles.  


Platte Brooke North Trail + Hills by daskaff at Garmin Connect - Details

Wednesday, April 6 - Swinney Lap Swim - Speed Workout - Started with 5 lap (250yd) standard set (90% freestyle/10% breaststroke) 4:57, 2x 2 lap (100yd) sprint - 1:54, 1:45, 1 lap (50yd) sprint - 0:46, 2x 3 lap (150 yd) regular pace - 3:05, 3:09, 2x 1 lap (50 yd) sprint - 0:50, 0:49, finish with 2 lap (100yd) sprint - 1:51.  Total distance - 0.6 mi.

Thursday, April 7 - Macken Park 8.74 Mile Run - Total run 8.74 miles, no walking - 90 minute total time. Splits - 10:22, 10:13, 10:16, 10:18, 10:16, 10:19, 10:18, 10:19, 7:38 (0.74 mi - 10:24 pace) 

Macken Park 8.74 Mile Run by daskaff at Garmin Connect - Details

Friday, April 8 - Rest

Saturday, April 9 - Rest

Sunday, April 10 - Swinney Lap Swim - testing modified technique - Trying out a modification to freestyle stroke. Series of short distance sets. Total of 20 laps, started and ended with a 3 lap set (150yd) with 7x2 lap sets (100yd) between. Splits were - 2:49 (150 yd) 1:54, 1:56, 1:57, 1:54, 1:59, 2:01, 2:58 (150yd).  Total distance - 0.6 mi.


Swinney Lap Swim - testing modified technique by daskaff at Garmin Connect - Details


Totals for Week 8
Swim -  1.2 miles
Bike -  0 miles
Run - 13.8 miles
Other - Basketball


WEEK 9

Monday, April 11 - Basketball

Tuesday, April 12 - Rest

Wednesday, April 13 - Macken Park Run 4 Mile Trolley Run Tune-up - 4 mile run pushing to increase speed. Splits were - 9:50, 9:37, 9:25, 9:05. Total time - 37:59

Macken Park Run 4 Mile Trolley Run Tune-up by daskaff at Garmin Connect - Details

Thursday, April 14 - Swinney Lap Swim - applying modified stroke to distance - Ignore map/elevation, indoor swim. 3x10 lap (500yd) sets with rest between then 5 lap set to total of 1 mile. Sets are 90% freestyle, 10% breaststroke. Splits are - 11:04 (+1:24 rest), 10:50 (+1:39 rest), 11:44 (1:25 rest), 5:19 (5 lap - 250yd). Total 1 mile - 43:36

Friday, April 15 - Rest

Saturday, April 16 - Swinney Lap Swim - 3 sets of 10 laps (500 yd sets - 1500 yd total). Each set is 450 yd freestyle, 50 yd breaststroke. Sets were - 10:29, 10:55, 11:18 Total time - 32:42. Finish with 5 lap (250yd) standard set - 5:49. Total distance - 1 mile in 38:33.  


Swinney Lap Swim by daskaff at Garmin Connect - Details

Sunday, April 17 - Kansas City Trolley Run - 4 mile run with Dad, Steven, Kim and Eddie. Race was almost exclusively downhill. Splits were 11:14, 11:43 (with water break), 11:12, 11:17, 1:05 (0.07 mi) - total time - 46:31.  Although it was slower than I was trained for, it was nice to run with a group.  Most hilarious moment from the Trolley Run experience - being approached by a rugby team representative - "have you ever thought about playing rugby?"... "not until I was just asked that question."  I'll have to revisit the concept of playing rugby, but not until after the KC Triathlon.


Kansas City Trolley Run by daskaff at Garmin Connect - Details

Totals for Week 9
Swim -  2 miles
Bike -  0 miles
Run - 8 miles
Other - Basketball


WEEK 10

Monday, April 18 - Basketball - Awesome experience in basketball this week - our group of science nerds, ended up facing off in a scrimmage game against the university's women's basketball team.  Matchups were pretty even from position to position.  I was guarding the center who was only 1 inch shorter than me - which is taller than the guy who normally guards me - haha!  They were clearly more polished as a team, but we I'm pretty sure we surprised them with our skill level... for science nerds.  Girls win 2 games to 1, but all games were within 2 points.  Awesome time!

Tuesday, April 19 - Rest

Wednesday, April 20 - Swinney Lap Swim - 0.6 mi - 10 lap (500 yd) set followed by 5 lap (250yd) set (90% freestyle, 10% breaststroke). Then freestyle only - 5x50yd at slightly under sprint speed. Ended with 2 lap (100yd) set. Splits were - 10:22 (500yd), 4:57 (250yd), 50yd speed laps - :53, :52, :52, :53, :46, 100 yd - 2:00.  

Swinney Lap Swim - 0.6 mi by daskaff at Garmin Connect - Details

AND

Platte Brooke North Trail + Hills - Miles 1 and 5 are on the flat trail. Miles 2 and 4 are the smaller hill. Mile 3 is the monster. Splits are 9:22, 10:06, 10:10, 10:06, 9:58, 1:01 (0.1 mile 9:33/mi pace). Total time - 50:46.  Total distance - 5.1 mi.  

Platte Brooke North Trail + Hills by daskaff at Garmin Connect - Details


Thursday, April 21 - AbRipperX

Friday, April 22 - Rest

Saturday, April 23 - Downtown Airport 25.7 Mile Bike - 25.7 mile bike = 7 laps (3.7 miles/lap) of Downtown Airport. Lap times were - 12:43, 12:46, 13:12, 13:27, 13:36, 13:25, 14:03. Total time - 1:33:26. Triathlon distance 25 miles - 1:30:53.  Checked pace against last year's time for this same route/distance - almost identical.  Ready for the triathlon????  Well, probably as ready as I was last year anyway


Downtown Airport 25.7 Mile Bike by daskaff at Garmin Connect - Details

Sunday, April 24 - Rest

Totals for Week 10

Swim -  0.6 miles
Bike -  25.7 miles
Run - 5.1 miles
Other - Basketball, AbRipperX


WEEK 11

Monday, April 25 - Basketball

Tuesday, April 26 - Rest


Wednesday, April 27 - Rest

Thursday, April 28 - Macken Park 10K - Split times - 10:00, 9:57, 10:01, 10:01, 10:02, 9:59, 2:00 (0.21 miles, 9:39/mi pace). Total 10K time - 1:02:04.  10K time is the same as last year's pre-triathlon pace, but feel much better about the distances than last year.  

Friday, April 29 - Knee is bothering me... taking a few days off.

Saturday, April 30 - Rest

Sunday, May 1 - Rest

Totals for Week 11

Swim -  0 miles
Bike -  0 miles
Run - 6.2 miles
Other - Basketball


WEEK 12

Monday, May 2 - Macken Park 5K - Splits - 9:25, 9:02, 8:43, :51 (0.1mi 8:14/mile pace).  Working on speed and quite happy that the 3rd mile was well under the 9 min/mi pace.  Speed is picking up!  


Macken Park 5K by daskaff at Garmin Connect - Details

Tuesday, May 3 - Knee is acting up again.  More rest for the near future.

Wednesday, May 4 - Rest

Thursday, May 5 - Does 16 hours in a car count as endurance training?

Friday, May 6 - Rest

Saturday, May 7 - Baseball at park... pretty sure this doesn't count as cardio or really anything though, but it was fun!

Sunday, May 8 - Rest

Totals for Week 12

Swim -  0 miles
Bike -  0 miles
Run - 3.1 miles
Other - None


WEEK 13

Monday, May 9 - Macken Park 5 Mile Run - Hot, humid, tired from 4 straight days of being up past 3am, sore legs, poor eating habits for last week, partially dehydrated. Splits are 10:17, 10:27, 10:27, 10:39, 11:09 (some walking). Total - 53:03.  Attempt at returning from sore knee, and didn't go so well.  After this, I was getting worried about being able to even attempt the triathlon that's less than 2 weeks away.  I was really hoping this run was a fluke - see list of excuses.  

Macken Park 5 Mile Run by daskaff at Garmin Connect - Details

Tuesday, May 10 - Swinney Lap Swim - Total of 38 laps - 1.1 mi. 5 lap (250yd) standard set - 90% freestyle, 10% breaststroke - 4:54, 3 (150yd) lap freestyle - 3:03, 30 lap (1500yd = full tri-distance) freestyle - 33:23.  This swim started very poorly.  I couldn't find the right rhythm and after Monday's run, I was almost certain that this was going to be a giant FAIL.  But then, I found the right stride and blew through the entire distance in one set!  I'm back, baby!!!!!!

Swinney Lap Swim by daskaff at Garmin Connect - Details

Wednesday, May 11 - Rest

Thursday, May 12 - Macken Park 7 Mile Run - Attempted to average 10:10/mile for more than 10K - Splits were - 10:02, 10:02, 10:05, 9:59, 10:10, 10:05, 9:54. Total - 7 miles in 70:17.  Monday's run was definitely a fluke, because this was my fastest run over more than a 10K distance.  Definitely feeling better now.  



Friday, May 13 - Rest


Saturday, May 14 - Rockfest!!!  Standing/walking around for 8 straight hours counts as exercise, right?

Sunday, May 15 - Rest

Totals for Week 13

Swim -  1.1 miles
Bike -  0 miles
Run - 12 miles
Other - Rockfest


WEEK 14

Monday, May 16 - Basketball - After 2 weeks off, we finally got to play again.  This counted as my running for the week... lots and lots of full court sprints.  The real plus is the fact that I didn't feel tired during the games or after. 


Tuesday, May 17 - Longview Lake 13.5 Mile Bike - Trial run for Sunday's KC Triathlon. Got lost a little in miles 6 and 7 and had to stop to read the map for the correct route, so ended up going an extra mile. Didn't push much during the route but didn't struggle with the hills either. Overall, speed was a little slow, but not too worried about the bike portion of the triathlon. Splits were - 4:06, 4:04, 4:37, 3:27, 4:18, 7:39, 6:35, 3:18, 3:32, 5:06, 2:47, 3:43, 3:56, 2:23 (0.48 mile - 4:59/mi pace).  Checked pace against times from the triathlon last year and they're pretty comparable, despite lack of effort during this practice run.  


Longview Lake 13.5 Mile Bike by daskaff at Garmin Connect - Details



Wednesday, May 18 - Rest


Thursday, May 19 - Swinney Lap Swim - 0.6 mi - Final tune-up before the triathlon! All laps were freestyle. 8 laps (400 yd - 8:04) - tweaked left shoulder on the last lap of this set, so paued for 40 seconds, then continued with 12 more laps (600 yd - 12:32) while protecting the annoyed shoulder. Shoulder felt alright in the 12 lap set with a shortened stroke and also was ok afterwards and no pain the next morning, so I'm good to go.

Swinney Lap Swim - 0.6 Mi by daskaff at Garmin Connect - Details

Friday, May 20 - Rest

Saturday, May 21 - Rest and Packet Pickup Day and time for glorious carb-loading meals.

Totals for Week 14

Swim -  0.6 miles
Bike - 13.5 miles
Run - 0 miles
Other - Basketball

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Quotes for the Week #99

"What in the name of pre-paid venereal disease do you think you're doing?" - Malory Archer

"Yes!  I love banter... but I hate witty banter." - Kevin Malone

"It's weird to see an animal that is known to eat it's own vomit, be stripped of it's dignity." - Joel McHale

"I'll give you the same advice my father gave me the night I lost my virginity: just pick one, they all cost the same." - Pierce Hawthorne

Monday, April 18, 2011

Quotes for the Week #98

"Well... you're not pregnant in your mouth." - Joel McHale

"That's where we're at with the Tea Party?  You can't even support good deals now?  Well, it's a good deal, but some poor people remain hardly unfucked, so my constituents won't have it." - Jon Stewart

Monday, April 11, 2011

Quotes for the Week #97

"I love Dick Morris.  It's like if cholesterol and bile had a baby... and let Harvey Fierstein do the voice-over." - Jon Stewart

"Yes, Obama duped young people by not doing everything single thing they want.  So now, they'll all vote republican.  It's like, when I want some bread, I will not settle for half a loaf, I will instead have a muffin made of broken glass." - Stephen Colbert

"Oh honey, don't take this the wrong way, but I have almost no faith in you." - Claire Dunphy

"What?  This is like O. Henry and Alanis Morrisette had a baby and named it 'this exact situation'." - Sterling Archer

"And I love that I have an erection... that didn't involve homeless people." - Dr. Krieger

"Maybe you just want to fly the plane yourself.  Well, good luck pressing 'takeoff' then 'autopilot' then 'land'." - Carol

Monday, April 4, 2011

Quotes for the Week #96

"I thought we understood that you were never to think that I understand anything." - Liz Lemon

"I vanquished you in one day.  I was trapped in a world of wet-wipes and rectal thermometers... then the babies came and life changed." - Devon Banks

"Roman?  Roman doesn't know anything about anything.  The other day he asked me what the letter q was." - Ben Donovan

"So, my Japanese girlfriend broke up with me, but that's ok, there are plenty more of them in the sea." - Mike M.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Quotes for the Week #95

"I just want to get the work over as soon as possible so I can do some fishing.  Fishing relaxes me.  It's like yoga, except I still get to kill something." - Ron Swanson

"That's like comparing apples to... Nazi oranges." - Cyril Figgis

"And if there is one thing I have learned in all my years as a spymaster, it's that you keep your friends close and possible genetic clones of Adolph Hitler closer." - Mallory Archer

"That's what he's best at...putting a bow on a turd, marking up the price and selling it so hard you want it, even though you know it's just a turd with a bow on it.  America is that turd.  It's time to let Donald Trump come in, put some gold leaf on the border and marble columns around Florida, throw up his names in big lights over the midwest and sell this whole place to the Chinese before they realize it's half broken.  This is what I've been waiting for my whole life, a president who's not afraid to tell the truth... about being a lying asshole.  Trump 2012!" - Lewis Black

Monday, March 21, 2011

Triathlon Training Week 5

Monday, March 14- Basketball - 90 min.  Same as last week, guarded the other low-post player and got pummeled with elbows... but wasn't quite as rough as the week before. 

Tuesday, March 15 - Recovery from basketball

Wednesday, March 16 - Swinney Lap Swim.  30 lap total swim (distance - 1500 yd) 10 laps, short rest, then back to back 10 lap sets.  Splits were - 11:05 (+ 1:19 rest), 12:00 and 12:23.  This is the triathlon distance.  Total time - 36:49.  Each set of 10 laps consisted of 85% freestyle swim and 15% breaststroke for recovery. 

Swinney Lap Swim by daskaff at Garmin Connect - Details

Thursday, March 17 - Macken Park 6.8 Mile Run.  Stupidly, I hadn't charged my Garmin watch in a while... and the battery died during this run, so I only have the first 2.27 miles of the run.  I did manage to break my personal distance record (of 6.7 miles on 3/5/11) by a whopping, 0.1 miles!  The splits were -10:20, 10:32, 11:00*, 11:00*, 11:00*, 11:00*, 8:48* (0.8 mile - 11:00 pace).  Total time - 73:40*.  I'm pretty sure that I was going faster than the 11:00/mile pace, but I have no proof, so I'll just have to make sure to charge the watch so it can stay on for the whole run. 
*Estimate based on average laps from previous 10K run at Macken Park 12 days earlier

Macken Park 6.8 mile run - partial record by daskaff at Garmin Connect - Details

Friday, March 18 - Rest

Saturday, March 19 - Rest

Sunday, March 20 - 10K run in Ames.  I was in Ames for Saturday and Sunday and happened to stay with my old college roommate, Craig, who ran a half-marathon last year in Des Moines.  Since he's training for that again this year, I brought my running gear along for the trip and joined him for a 10K around Ames.  It was a pretty nostalgic run.  We started at Craig's place, went along the south side of Campustown, up University Ave, around the stadiums, then back down Lincoln Way, which is along the south side of the Iowa State University campus, back to our starting point. We managed to run negative splits, except for one mile that we missed by 2 seconds because of a couple hills which also coincided with when it rained on us for a bit.  All in all, easily the best run of the year!  Thanks, Craig!  Split times were -10:40, 10:26, 10:14, 10:10, 10:11, 10:04, 1:52 (0.21 mi - 9:08 pace).  Total time - 63:37.

Ames 10K run by daskaff at Garmin Con63:3nect - Details

Week 5 Summary  I had decided with the successful brick from last week, that I could take it somewhat easy this week.  I want to stay off the bike for at least this week to try to drop a few more pounds, but definitely wanted to get back in the pool.   This week's successes were doing the full distance swim with only minimal rest, extending my running personal distance record and cutting 4 min 23 seconds off my 10K time.  Wow!  That's not too bad for a taking it somewhat easy week. 


Totals for Week 5
Swim - 0.90 miles
Bike - 0 miles
Run - 13.0 miles
Other - Basketball

Week 6 Goals  I would like to get in two swims, two runs (one focusing on speed at Macken and one focusing on distance at the hills of 68th St), one bike, the regular basketball session and do the AbRipperX workout.

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Quotes for the Week #94

"If I cared about what you do on the weekend, I'd stick a shotgun in my mouth and pull the trigger with my toes." - Malory Archer

"Why do I have to go to a French movie?  I didn't do anything wrong." - Phil Dunphy

"While Claire watched one of the most highly-acclaimed films of the year,  I sat through a badly made schlockfest with absolutely no redeeming value... and it was awesome!" - Phil Dunphy

"There's no proof she's being stalked by ninja squirrels either, but if she's scared of them, as her boyfriend, it's your job to figure out how to help her feel better." - Dr. James Wilson

Monday, March 14, 2011

Triathlon Training Week 4

Monday March 7 - Basketball, 90 min - Guarded the other low-post player and got beaten up by repeated elbows to the arms and chest.  Definitely need a day or two to recover from that.  Ugh.

Tuesday March 8 - Rest

Wednesday March 9 - AbRipperX - Up to almost 50%

Thursday March 10 - 5K + 1.75 mile run.  So, I wanted to see what my 5K time would be if I tried to run fairly quickly, just to see where I was compared to 5K runs from last year.  Turns out, I'm not too far off of last year's paces.  I kept all three miles under 10 min/mi pace and had neg splits - 9:56, 9:48, 9:26, 0:56 (0.1 mile - 9:05/mi pace) for a 5K time of 30:06.  Pacing wise, this was 37 seconds/mile faster than the last 5K I did last year - The World's Maize-iest Maze Race in Spring Grove, IL (race recap here via IlaxStudio, because I was too lazy to write one myself).  I ended up tacking on a 1.75 mile (very slow) jog to this run, because I had nothing better to do that night.  My ankle started bothering me after the 5K and I wanted to see how I could compensate for it should this injury come up in an actual run.  It was annoying, but it wasn't that big of a deal.

Macken Park 5K + 1.75mi Slow Run by daskaff at Garmin Connect - Details

Friday March 11 - AbRipperX - Passed the 50% mark. 

Saturday March 12 - Bike/Run Brick - 14.8 mile bike/3.7 mile run.  It was finally warm enough on a weekend day that I could get my bike out for a test ride.  Last year at this time, I had yet to even own a bike, so simply getting it out means, by definition, that I would be ahead of last year... right?  My first brick of 2010 wasn't until about mid to late April, so if I bike then run, I should be WAY ahead of last year... maybe.  The Downtown KC Airport is a great place to bike - it's a 3.7 mile loop around the airport with minimal traffic and there's a couple hills, but mostly straight and flat.  The downside, since there is no cover at ground level, is the wind, which you have to eat for about 1.5 miles straight.
The ride was alright, the seat was uncomfortable (as usual) almost immediately, which (along with the wind) reminds me that I need to lose about 25 pounds.  Excess weight and the loose clothing I had to wear because it was somewhat chilly, killed my speed during the straight away facing the wind.  I ended up doing 4 laps of the airport for a total of 14.8 miles.  Splits were - 15:50, 15:59, 16:19, 16:24.  Total time - 64:32.  My average speed for the ride was only slightly slower than last year.  
When I finished the bike portion, I tossed the bike back in the car, drank some water, then ran one lap around the airport (if only the airport threw a small lake in there somewhere, I could practice the whole damned thing).  The 3.7 mile run took 39:45.  Splits - 10:34, 10:55, 10:53, 7:23 (0.67 mile - 10:59 pace).  Again, the times weren't that far off of my triathlon pace from last year and my endurance isn't terribly far off of last year either.  Today's bike and run were each 60% of the distance of the full triathlon distances.  

Bike/Run Brick - 14.8 mile Bike/3.7 mile Run by daskaff at Garmin Connect - Details

Sunday March 13 - Rest

Week 4 Summary  I had been pretty worried that I was months behind in my training compared to last year.  At this time last year, I had focused almost exclusively on swimming (because I was basically a beginner), didn't own a bike, and had run about 10 miles.  I felt like I was in shape and weighed 215 pounds.  This year, I only have been playing a lot more basketball, only have about 3 swims in, but almost 50 miles of running and now 15 miles of biking as well as the experience of last year's triathlon.  I feel like I am in adequate shape, but weigh 230 pounds (started 2011 at almost 240 though).  After this week, I honestly feel better about my position in training than I have at any point this year.  I now have proof that my endurance is still there and my weight is going in the correct direction.

Totals for Week 4
Swim - 0 miles
Bike - 14.8 miles
Run - 8.6 miles
Other - Basketball, AbRipperX x2

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Quotes for the Week #93

"Airlines are considering charging for reclining seats.  Also, your scrotum now counts as a carry on bag." - Stephen Colbert

"That's not fair.  I slept with that hot girl and you want me to pretend I slept with Connie?  That's like going to Led Zeppelin and telling everybody I saw Styx." - Larry Munsch

"I'm sorry if this is your wake-up call, but being an ugly woman is like being a man... you're gonna have to work." - Daniel Tosh


"What part of Europe is he from... Pretentioustan?" -  Mitchell Pritchett

"Well, here's a good reason.  You ever go the bathroom and find parsley in your teeth that your friends hadn't told you about?   Now, imagine your teeth are a uterus and that parsley is a half-Chinese baby." - Pierce Hawthorne

Friday, March 11, 2011

Community - Chang vs Rich

I wanted to put this in the "Quotes for the Week" but it's waaaaay too long. If you're calling me lazy for just posting this clip... Guilty as Chang'ed.


Monday, March 7, 2011

Triathlon Training Week 3

Monday Feb 28 - Basketball 90 min. Somewhat strange team divisions, but the games were competitive. Back felt tired, but not sore. I just kept stretching it out through the rest of the day and it felt alright. Progress!

Tuesday Mar 1 - Rest

Wednesday Mar 2 - Rest. My back feels pretty well healed, but want to give it one more night of rest before testing it out.

Thursday Mar 3 - 3.6 mile run. My back still feels good, so it's time to test it with an easy-ish run. Macken Park is completely flat and not very busy after dark, which is when I get a chance to go. I kept the pace kind of slow, but my back didn't tighten up, so I sped up (slightly) for each 1 mile lap. Finished with 3.6 miles and no tightness! I could be ready to get back into training then... but should take it easy for the next week to try to not make things worse.  Times were 10:19, 10:16, 9:58, 6:01 (0.6 miles). 
Distance/Time - 3.6 miles/36:35

Macken Park Run - Easy Pace 3.6 miles by daskaff at Garmin Connect - Details

Friday Mar 4 - Cold and rainy day, so didn't really want to do anything outside. Ended up doing the AbRipperX workout from P90X. And by "doing", I really mean "tried" as in I probably did 1/3 of it. Yeah... not prepped to do well in that workout yet. But, you have to start somewhere.

Saturday Mar 5 - 6.7 mile run.  The goals for the run were A) increase distance (hopefully out to full 10K - the distance of the run for the triathlon) and B) keep the pace slow to ensure I can finish the 10K but also establish a slow enough time that basically any future 10K completion would be faster than this.  It was much colder than Thursday's run (25 vs low 50s), but tolerable.  I kept a pace of about 11 min/mile throughout the run, which was almost too slow of a pace to maintain and I was barely ever breathing over a normal rate.  My left hip flexor started getting tired in the fifth mile (no biggie) and my left ankle got a little sore in the sixth (also no biggie).  I ended up finishing the 10K in 1:08:00.  To prove I still had something in the tank, I decided to run an extra half mile at a much faster pace.  Actually, I got the half mile point way before I expected, but I decided that was enough.  My back never tightened up or even felt tired.  I might actually be over that injury
Total time/distance - 1:12:50/6.7 miles
Laps were - 10:43, 11:06, 11:05, 11:00, 11:00, 10:51, 2:15 (0.2 mile).  Bonus (0.52 mile) - 4:48 - 9:16/mile pace
Macken Park 10K+ by daskaff at Garmin Connect - Details

Sunday Mar 6 - Rest.  With basketball in the morning tomorrow, I decided to take it easy after that long run.  Ended up just doing two different stretching sessions, but nothing taxing. 


Week 3 Summary - Injuries are basically not a problem by the end of the week.  I'm pretty happy that I managed to run a 10K+ nonstop.  The time (1:08:00) was slow - purposefully, but is (after some checking) 7 minutes slower than my final practice 10K before last year's triathlon.  So... maybe I'm not too far behind last year's training after all. 

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Quotes for the Week #92

"The pressures of public life has made me lose sight of what is really and truly important... and that is drinking.  I love alcohol and I need to recommit myself to the consuming of it.  After this is over, I intend to check in to the Super 8 motel off on I95 and I'll have an entire case of Wild Turkey.  Thank you.  That is all.  I love drinking." - Sen Dave Tillis (the nations first openly drunk senator)

"Absolutely, but it's not your fault. You are genetically predisposed to compete against other women for the attention of strong, powerful men like myself, or others very similar to me, for example: Hercules, The Highlander, or a... God." - Jack Donaghey

"That won't make any sense. An urgent marketing message? Oh, my God, the bobbleheads aren't stupid enough." - Ben Donovan

"Who am I, Count Bullets-ula? Like Dracula? That was bad. Come back to me, I can do better." - Sterling Archer

"There is no explanation.  There is no excuse... I just want to know why?" - Cameron Tucker

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

The Onion News Network - Chickens Choose Oscar Winners Amid PETA Protests

"Madison, you must love this... everyone buzzing to your one little area of knowledge." - Brooke Alvarez

"It is simply inhumane to expose an animal to decisions involving movie soundtracks, or who may, or may not have won best supporting actress in a motion picture that year. God knows I wouldn't subject a person to that kind of treatment." - Cam Silver


PETA Protests Use Of Chickens To Randomly Pick Oscar Winners

Monday, February 28, 2011

Triathlon Training Weeks 1 and 2

Last year I trained for and completed my first Olympic distance triathlon. I had several people helping to keep me motivated to train last year... this year, it's all me, and I'm waaaaaay behind where I was at this point a year ago. To keep myself honest, I'm going to post my training log here (since I barely use this site for anything other than a repository for humorous quotes I come across in watching endless hours of television in my boredom). I have found myself wanting to post more, so possibly, posting any information here will encourage me to return to the usage of this site and the hordes of readers, who have been weeping at my absence, shall rejoice!


Week 1 - Finally seemingly over my back problem induced by lack of core workouts, I am back into training.


Monday Feb 14 - Valentine's Day - regular basketball session is canceled because some people have lives... lame. I end up spending an hour in the gym doing a shoot-around instead - 1 hour


Tues Feb 15 - Rest


Wed Feb 16 - Rest


Thurs Feb 17 - 45 min shoot around, then Rec-league game on Thursday night - best game of the season


Friday Feb 18 - I chose to ditch friends... to do a 3 mile / speed run workout. I did a 1-mile run at fast pace (sub-9 min - geez, I'm slow compared to last year, but that's what 20 extra pounds does to somebody, I guess), followed by a 2 mile alternating quarter mile walk/run.

Macken Park Run - Speed Training by daskaff at Garmin Connect - Details

Saturday Feb 19 - 20 lap speed training swim (27:30 total time) at the university pool. Start with 7 lap (350 yd) freestyle swim at faster than normal (for me) 6:46 - normally average 1:05 per lap, so I'm pretty happy with that. Another 7 lap (350 yd) freestyle (6 lap) and breast stroke (1 lap) combo - (7:44) which is still fairly fast for me. 2 lap breast stroke (2:44), then a series of freestyle 'sprints' - (50 yd - 57") (100 yd - 1:47) and (50 yd - :49)

Swinney Lap Swim by daskaff at Garmin Connect - Details

Sunday Feb 20 - 5.1 mile run in the hills of Platte Brooke North. It's pretty windy but in the 50s so I got to run in shorts and a long-sleeved shirt...in mid-February. WTF? The first mile is relatively flat on the trail. Miles 2-4 have giant hills that are a real struggle. Mile 3 has the absurd 130 foot climb in 0.4 miles, which I have yet to be able to run through. Overall, a decent run and my back feels alright. Last time I did this run, my back felt like shit and I couldn't run for at least a week.

Platte Brooke North Trail Run + Hills by daskaff at Garmin Connect - Details

Week 2


Monday Feb 21 - Basketball was back on this week. 90 min. Ended up guarding only much smaller opponents, which ended up putting a lot of pressure on my ankles, chasing guards around the court. Probably had my best performance (offensively especially) of my life... until the next to last game, when I pulled down a rebound, faked a shot to get a defender in the air, then raised to take the shot only to have the faked-out defender came down on my shoulders on my way up... re-fucking up my back. I managed to finish the day but suffered the rest of the day, having to shuffle my way through the rest of the work day - still worth it though.


Tuesday Feb 22 - Rest. Walking better, back improving.


Wednesday Feb 23 - Rest. Feeling at least 90%


Thursday Feb 24 - 30 minute shoot around before rec-league game. Ankles feel fine, back is somewhat weak, but good enough to play in the night game (last of the season). Played the rec-league game but my back tightened up early and got worse as the game went on. Pushed through it, but definitely needs some rest to heal.


Friday Feb 25 - Rest (lame). I wanted to run, but I know damn well that a run will only make my back worse... and the weather is ultra-shitty, so outdoor run is not possible (and I'm still too heavy for treadmill run, so that's pretty much that).


Saturday Feb 26 - Rest - Back is feeling better but will wait until at least mid-next week to run again. Both ankles have healed.


Sunday Feb 27 - Reluctantly resting again. Lame. Training is not getting off to a good start. I've already postponed starting training because of injuries about seven times already in the last two months. And guess what... another injury. Not happy.

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Quotes for the Week #91

"I don't want to die in a place like this. People shouldn't die in the same place as People magazines do." - Annie Edison

"Vengeance? Haha, I was never one to hold a grudge, Jeffrey. My father held grudges... always hated him for that." - Pierce Hawthorne

"Good luck to those girls. Raising a child by yourself is one of the hardest things in the world... along with fending off laugh-lines and making the news seem interesting." - Brooke Alvarez

Friday, February 25, 2011

The Onion SportsDome

Here are two clips from the fantastic Onion SportsDome show on Comedy Central on Tuesday nights.

The Gatorade B-Force announcement - combining the benefits of electrolytes and meat via Gatorade's patented "three I system" - ingestion, injection and and immersion. Anyone claiming 'strawberry barbecue' sounds anything but delicious... is lying.




While this clip does have a Royals-centric portion... the true gem is the Joe DiMaggio rant.  Hilarious.


Saturday, February 19, 2011

Quotes for the Week #90

"We're celebrating our fifth anniversary this week and we couldn't have done it without all of you at home on your couches, sitting in silence, absorbing every word I say, navigating your lives around the information I feed you. I'd say 'thank you', but really, you're the ones who should be thanking me. Now, let's get on to our top story..." - Brooke Alvarez

"It's a baby shower... for the bastard child you humped into a filthy whore." - Malory Archer

"I am telling everyone here that there's no way I could be pregnant because I have had my period for the last sixty-one days." - Liz Lemon

"So much of television is really not fit for children, or Christians, or the elderly, so what if there was a black bar on the lower half of your TV screen that kept you from seeing bad things, like nudity or soccer." - Kenneth Parcell

"Homie, you always mean to say the nicest things." "Well, it's not easy with you talking all the time." - Marge and Homer Simpson

"Holly and I are like Romeo and Juliet and this office is like the dragon that kept them apart." - Michael Scott

"I never sleep on planes... I don't want to get incepted." - Jack Donaghey

"Yes, my daughter is Canadian-American, but I'm going to treat her just like a human baby." - Jack Donaghey

Friday, February 11, 2011

Quotes for the Week #89

"I think the new guy is a badass...he wears Wranglers." - Bridg3t Bi3r$mith$mash

"It doesn't matter how long you've lived in New York, it's still fun to look up and pretend all the buildings are giant, severed robot penises." - Liz Lemon

"This is my last show before Sunday's Super Bowl and I have already started preparing my seven layer dip: beef, cheese, sour cream, chili, peppers, pancake batter and Lipitor." - Stephen Colbert

Monday, January 31, 2011

Quotes for the Week #88

"The less I know about other people's affairs, the happier I am. I'm not interested in caring about people. I once worked with a guy for three years and never learned his name... best friend I ever had. We still never talk some times." - Ron Swanson

"OK guys, that's is your fifteen second warning to wrap up your break... I'm looking at you Cleveland, you're supposed to be installing cable in a house, not cheese danishing your mouth." - Tim The Bear

"Sorry, this arctic chill has given me a little tickle in my throat. I've got a homemade remedy, it's one part bourbon... and it really helps." - Stephen Colbert

"I'm also kicking your ass at gloating." - Dr. Gregory House

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Quotes for the Week #87

"Cheers, poopface!" - Kim Skaffilax

"You cheated on me with choreography... and that is the worst kind." - Cameron Tucker

"That was an exquisite briefing, detective.., beautifully enunciated. You are an artiste and briefs, your medium. Though, I suspect you could squeeze into a small if you had to." - Shawn Spencer

"Now you're just being silly. Wolverine's never displayed the slightest interest in helping others prevent prostate cancer." - Dr. Sheldon Cooper