Relaxed

So Thursday has somewhat become my off training day during the week.  Went in this morning and worked with a co-worker who is needing to drop some pounds.  Was a good core and strengthening work out.  Loosened Me up for the day after the 2500 yard swim yesterday.  Feels good to be I. A place where I know I can take two days a week off from intense workouts and still be excelling at my three disciplines.  Tomorrow will be a good long swim and a good speed run plus I get to do it with my new toy...Timex Ironman GPS.  :)

Changing it up

Normally I would only swim in the mornings.  However part of the reason I think I am stuck on my pace in the water is because of lack of muscle confusion.  Its routine....my body knows what is coming.  With the fact that we now have group workouts in the morning has forced me to change things up.  Had a decent core and upper body workout this morning with co-workers which now leaves my lunch open for something different.  Hopefully the pool isn't too busy today because I plan on occupying one of the lanes for an hour.  Not going to focus on speed.  Just pace and body movement.  It's easy to throw form when the muscles get tired.  Today will be a good check on how well things can be switched up and see how it makes a difference.  With the season kicking off soon the leaner the better.  I mean after all, the less water and wind you displace, the faster you go.....right :)

Keep Tri-ing

http://pages.teamintraining.org/nca/montmntr13/evanzilliox

With age comes the ache

So yesterday was the first actual nice day that we had in the Mid-Atlantic in a couple months.  So an hour long pace run was in store.  7.44 miles and 59 minutes later i felt great.  It was so nice to get outside again and really just let the body run with the wind and road.  A slower pace than I plan on maintaining for my race days but it wasn't the harshest pace that i could have kept so that made me feel good about it.  I kept it under 8 minutes a mile and was ok with that.  However....this morning it is definitely showing that I have not done a run like that in quite a while.  The small hills, dodging of road obstacles, and just going that far for the first time in a few months is being felt today.  I guess at 35 those things are to be expected.  I still came in this morning and conducted the morning exercise routine for my office and we did a practice physical fitness assessment.  I still managed to do a 10:04 mile and half.  I didn't think it was going to turn out that way but felt good once i got through the first half mile and got loosened up.

I'm BACK!

It has been too long since my last post and definitely time to start getting back to this thing.  I have been doing a lot of training with not much bad to say about it.  Team in Training did the "Candy Cane" practice tri this last Saturday and that was a good time.  We did a few exercises to mimic the swim event then did a nice 10 mile bike followed by a 15 minutes run (which i covered just over 2.5 miles in).  It was a lot of fun and definitely a good feeling to be in the final "wave" to start and be the first one to finish.  With that being said, spring season kicks off in just over a month now and the year won't slow down till the big 70.3 in October.  With two sprints and 6 olympics until then, i am stoked to get the season under way and make this winter training pay off.  The team in training thing has been fun.  Doing the training with an actual team has its ups and downs.  The fundraising can be a bit frustrating from time to time but I am gonna start working more with team mates so hopefully that will make it more fun.  Just ready to get out there and put the rubber to the road and see how well I can do at qualifying for nationals in October.....that would be the only thing that will keep me from the Beach to Battleship in North Carolina, and I'm good with that :)

  http://pages.teamintraining.org/nca/montmntr13/evanzilliox

So it does happen from time to time.  The workout "Skip".  This morning when I woke up I realized after a two mile swim yesterday morning and a 6.6 mile run at lunch that i needed a rest day.  I also realized that my running form was not where it should be and where I know it has been because my legs are very sore today.  While a 6 mile run isn't just a hop skip and a jump, it is however something I am used to and have done without hardly a sore muscle the next day.  Lots of heal landing and unbalanced form lead to it I believe.  Those are things that will need to be without a doubt eliminated when April roles around and the races begin.  

Still looking for that perfect Mid-Atlantic Half Marathon to run this July or August in preparation for the ultimate target in October...the Half Iron in North Carolina.  Can't wait to see all the hours on the pavement and in the water pay off in a few short months.

Just another swim

So this morning was distance swim (normal for wednesday).  I try and make sure I hit at least 1.5 miles.  Today I woke up early (when the alarm went off instead of the second snooze) so I had enough time to make it 2 miles.  What was enjoyable about the swim today was I was not done, I was out of time and had to get ready for work.  It is times like that when  you know the training is paying off.  Not when you set a personal best time on something or when you are so exhausted to make that little extra bit.  It's when you know you have plenty left in the tank to go even more but have to stop.  That is a good feeling.  

I am so ready for my "season" to kick off it isn't even funny.  Sorta biting at the bit here waiting to  see how well I can do this year.  If it goes anything like training some goals may start to change :).  That is an even better feeling.  Keep swimming, keep biking, keep running....at the end of the day its the athlete in all of us that wants to push it forward.

Fresh Start

So after a three day break in training (needed to refocus) it was time to get right back into it.  Great weekend with the kiddo and my lovely wife (still battling a cold).  I was going to go running on Saturday, even had the thermal pants and shirt on ready to go but couldn't make myself go out in the snow and do it.  That was when I knew i needed a break from it.  
So with that refocus it was back at it first thing this morning and with a force.  New personal best 1.2 mile swim (33:09, swim is my weakest event).  I have a goal time in mind that I want to swim and its getting closer and closer almost each week it seems.  Looking forward to kicking my season off shortly.  April is right around the corner!!

http://pages.teamintraining.org/nca/montmntr13/evanzilliox