Still Under the Weather

Well, I took Sunday off from training.  I still wasn’t feeling well, and I wanted to put in a good effort.  So, I just didn’t think going hard was a good idea. 

(It worked out well.  I spent Sunday with my kids.  We went to the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History, ice skating, and to Noodles & Company (their favorite restaurant).  It was a wonderful day.)

I was hoping that I’d feel better this morning, which I did.  I felt a little congested, but overall much better this morning, so I decided to give the workout a go.  But I told myself that if my heart rate didn’t respond that I’d have to give it up. 

Thankfully everything went well.  It was a solid workout. 

Unfortunately, I’m paying for it now.  I think I went a little too hard ’cause I’m sitting here at lunch with my head pounding and my eyes itching again. 

Well, there it is — still under the weather.

Sick and Tired

It’s been a week since I submitted a post.  As far as my goal, I have taken another huge step backward. 

I spent the past week in Jacksonville, FL on business.  When I travel, I work pretty much from the time I wake up until the time I go to sleep.  If it wasn’t for meals, that would literally be true.  That said, I am really, really tired.

Anyway, to top it all off, I caught a cold while away.  So, I’m literally sick and tired.

Today, I slept more during the day than I have in years.  I spent the morning with the kids – we went to the library and then ran some errands.  Then I took a nap.  When I woke up, we went to the park – it must have been about 50 degrees today.  Then I rested some more. 

I eventually found enough energy to spin for an hour and 20 minutes, but I definitely took it easy.  I don’t want to get worse.

Anyway, I’m starting to babble.  Hopefully I will feel good tomorrow and I can get in a good workout.

3-Second PR

My boy took 3 seconds off his best time in the 50-meter backstroke today.  About a month ago, he set some goals for himself.  One of those goals was to learn his stroke count and swim aggressivley to the wall before his flip turn and his finish.  

He worked hard and accomplished that goal.

On top of it all he swam this race after two disappointing races.  He swam poorly in the 100 freestyle and the 100 butterfly.  

The video below is from his butterfly today… he’s a bit embarrassed, but I don’t think he should be.  He was able to acknowledge the disappointments, let them go, and then move forward.  I’m very impressed with his maturity and very proud of his mental strength.

I think every athlete — meaning me — should take note of what my son did today.  Congratulations!

Couple of Good Workouts

The past couple of workouts have been good. Not too interesting, so I won’t write much.

Sunday I pulled out the single speed. Fixed-gear riding is a blast. I don’t know why, but not being able to shift or stop pedaling makes the ride more fun. (Sick, eh?)

(My brother asked me to post the picture of my single-speed below — I added this on 01/16/2008.)

The weather for the ride was sunny, 40 degrees with just a hint of a breeze – so much nicer than the view from my corner of the garage. While riding I kept looking at the deep snow on the mountains , the ponds all frozen over, and the snow drifts that haven’t melted since our last snowstorm — An absolute wonderland.

I think I rode about 1.5 hours… the loop I took is between 20 -25 miles. I don’t have a computer on that bike… and I didn’t take a watch or the heart-rate monitor. I just wanted to ride.

To boot, every time I stood out of the saddle, I felt great. I think I’m going to be happy with my power come spring. I just need to address my overall endurance.

Today, I spun for 1 hr 20 min. in the garage. Nothing to note except that my legs felt pretty good.

Over the next week, I plan on working really hard with very little rest. Next Tuesday I travel to Jacksonville, FL for business meetings. I’ll be there for 4 days. So, I hope to be good and tired before I get on the plane ’cause I don’t think I’ll have much of a chance to workout while I’m there.

That Internal Drive

Some people have a really strong internal drive.  Now that I’ve said that, I bet everyone has that drive, it’s just if people ever find what “drives” them. 

Me? I’m driven to move: skate, cycle, run, jump, whatever… it doesn’t matter.  My wife is driven to create (print, paint, draw, dance).  And my boy is driven to daydream (sounds silly, but it’s amazing to watch).  My daughter takes after me.

Today was a friend’s birthday.  A group of friends met in downtown Boulder to ice skate and have dinner.

Now, my daughter grew up watching me skate.   When we lived in Utah, her mom brought her to the Olympic Oval. She would sit on the pads and watch.  She’d yell, “Daddy skates, Daddy skates.”

Today, she couldn’t wait to lace ‘em up and get out there.  She’s only skated a few times.  This time, she was driven to skate by herself.  I don’t know how many times she fell today – she just didn’t care.  She just kept trying.  Before we left to eat, she actually skated maybe 20 feet from me to her mom

The video clip below makes me so proud.  No, not because of the wonderful video quality, but because you can see her flailing her arms to get away from me so she can just skate.

(I know the feeling baby girl…. I know the feeling!)

Antidote

 This is a bizarre quote, but it does – at times – speak truth in my life. 

“The only antidote to mental suffering is physical pain.”
Karl Marx (1818 – 1883)

Last night I slipped into a ’bit’ of a depressed state because of a number of things, which I won’t go into here… those demons are a bit too personal.  

Because of it I just didn’t want to do my scheduled workout this morning — the same workout I missed yesterday because I overslept.

But habits are hard to break.  So I dutifully went to the garage to complete my interval workout. 

At the completion of each set, I felt better mentally as my body crumbled physically.  After my last set, I felt like I’d tip over; but I was mentally ready to tackle the day… odd, huh?

Thank God for the simple gifts he gives us.

Overslept – Not a Great Start

Well, I overslept this morning. 

I woke up to the sound of my daughter climbing out of bed.  Her night-time ritual includes climbing into our bed at some unknown hour to kick me, punch me, and/or push me out of bed.  I don’t know how my wife sleeps through it all.

This morning, when she climbed in I checked the alarm to see how close it was to 5 AM.  My hope was to just get up and avoid my daughter all together.

It was almost 6:30 AM!

I swear I set the alarm.  And I sure don’t remember turning it off.  I was so dejected – I got up and took the dog out and got ready for work.

Last night, I went to bed ready to work out hard this morning.  I guess work and family is making me more tired than I thought.  It’s really getting in the way of my goal.  (Thank goodness those things are more important than riding a bike.) 

But I’m not off to a great start.  At this point I’ll be lucky to come within 20 min. of my best time on Mount Evans; not beat my best time by 20 min.  Sigh….

Well, that said, maybe I can get in some intervals tonight after work.

Morning Skate

Just to follow up on yesterday’s post.  I went to the hockey rink again before work for a quick skate.  This time I actually got on the ice. :-) 

It was – as always – wonderful.

No Pay, No Play

Yesterday, I did a dryland workout.  I continue to do these workouts to maintain leg strength and power. (And they’re fun.)

Dryland workouts consist of off-ice exercises (jumping, simulated skating, etc.).  These workouts are extremely important to speed skaters.  They build strength and endurance off ice because the amount of on-ice training is limited.  Once a speed skater’s too tired to skate technically, the workout is over.  So dryland supplements the workout. 

Speed skating is such a technical sport.  Someone who knows how to apply power to the ice correctly can always go faster than someone who is muscularly and/or aerobically better trained but can’t apply that power as efficiently.  (This is personal experience talking… and oh is it frustrating.)

Anyway, because of the workout, I really wanted to skate, and I thought I’d take it easy today. 

There’s a hockey rink on my way to work (Boulder Valley Ice). I can pop in and skate for 20 – 30 minutes and still get to work on time.   So, I threw my skates in the car.   

Below is a picture taken from the webcam on the BVI website.  

I walk into the rink and there are only two people on the ice.  And the ice looks fast.  People who train in Salt Lake City won’t believe me, but the ice at Boulder Valley Ice is as fast – if not faster – than the Utah Olympic Oval.  It’s so cold and so hard that the glide is amazing.

I go to pay, and (AAAAHHHHHGGGGG) I can’t find my wallet.  I searched all my pockets – nothing.  I sheepishly excused myself from the front desk to go look in the car – nothing.  What a let-down.  I climbed into my car, and drove off to work.

No Pay, No Play

There is a feel to speed skating that is indescribable – addictive.   If I don’t skate regularly, I really start to jones for it.  I just want to cruise around the rink… play with my edges, and maybe even pick up some real speed.  It’s just play time.  Much better than ANY recess or holiday.   It always puts me in a different mood. 

BTW, Beth – my wife who puts up with all this garbage – now tells me that my wallet is sitting on my desk at home.

A Much Better Effort

Today’s workout was very different from the workout a couple of days ago.  A couple of days ago it was frustrating; today encouraging.

The weather is warm.  I thought I’d ride outside, but there’s too much melting snow and strong winds.  So, back to the garage… at least it wasn’t cold. 

Here’s a picture of my bike nestled in the corner of the garage.  This is where I’m trying to “ride out” the winter months.  Lovely, eh?  I do like the puddle of sweat under the front tire. :-)

I did some simulated climbing intervals.  Both mind and body were ready to go.  I pushed myself to my limit and recovered repeatedly for 1.5 hours. 

The entire workout lasted 2 hours 10 minutes, which is mind numbing when you’re going nowhere.  Thank goodness for the Washington Redskins/Seattle Seahawks game.

Anyway, I feel good both physically and mentally.  I’m looking forward to getting a gauge on my fitness this spring.  It’s funny how one bad workout can make you doubt yourself, and how one good workout can bring you back. 

“Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 – 1882)