Great Week!

O.K., the blog posts are slowing down -- there simply are not enough hours in the day. I will post when I have time, and otherwise everyone (assuming anyone actually reads this ever) will just have to deal with it! Monday was unseasonably warm (in the low 60s), and with the day off from work I decided to ride my bike outside. I did a 20 mile out-and-back, most of which was on JFK Boulevard north of Hoboken. I discovered that if I just stay on JFK it seems to go on forever -- or at least 10 miles or so. It is a tough route, though -- super hilly and a ton of stop lights. I can tell that it will be a great strength-building workout, though. I also lifted weights that day -- back and biceps.

The rest of the week I got in two treadmill runs at 7:24/mile pace (which felt surprisingly easy -- I am really starting to think my running is going to be strong this year), another weights workout (chest and tris) and a spin class today at lunch. Six workouts in six days -- definitely a nice week, especially coming off last week when I was sick. Oh, and my weight is down to 182.5 lbs -- not a ton of progress, but definitely heading in the right direction! One last thing -- I have been seeing a podiatrist (trust me, you don't want to know why) and he recommended I get orthotics (I am extremely flat-footed). I figure it can only help, so I ordered them. They should get here in three weeks. It will be interesting to see how they affect me (if at all). Below are my training totals for this past week:

• Two runs (1 hour)
• One bike ride (20 miles)
• One spin class (45 minutes)
• Two weightlifting sessions (2 hours)

Sick and Tired

Training got off to a great start this week, with 30 minutes on the elliptical machine in Chicago on Sunday, weights on Monday, and a treadmill run on Tuesday. I felt a bit under the weather during the run, but thought it wasn't anything a good night's sleep wouldn't take care of. Boy was I wrong! I woke up Wednesday morning with a terrible headache, a sore throat, and an uncontrollable cough. Needless to say, training was not an option. I took Thursday off as well before returning to the treadmill this afternoon for a 30 minutes run at 7:30/mile pace. I definitely do not feel 100% recovered, but I got through it. It kind of sucks to have a setback like this just when I was starting to get into a groove, but what can you do? I will see how I feel tomorrow and whether I have time to get another workout in, but I have a feeling just taking it easy the next couple of days is probably the smart move. At least my new running shoes finally arrived.

Spin Class Freak

Wednesday night I hit the weight room for back, biceps, and abs. It was a quick, efficient, pretty uneventful workout. Last night I was planning on going to my Masters swim class for the first time this year, but due to some unforeseen circumstances (well, not all that unforeseen -- I hate swimming), I decided to hit the treadmill instead. I did my third run of the week at 7:35/mile pace with a bit of a speed pick up at the end, and the entire run felt very smooth and easy.

Today at lunch I hit my gym for a spin class. I learned from last week's mistake and made sure to reserve a spot in advance (which still seems ridiculous to me -- I go there to spin, not for a five-course dinner). The class was pretty tough and I was sweating like crazy. The highlight (or lowlight, as it were) of the class was this one really strange woman. She was at least sixty and was wearing a long-sleeve top and leggings. At first she was clapping her hands during the class, which the instructor quickly put a quick stop to. What he could not stop was her swaying and rocking her head to the music and basically doing whatever she wanted rather than following his instructions (I think she was singing a bit as well). Gotta love NYC -- there is never a shortage of freaks! Below are my training totals for this week:

• 3 runs (1.5 hours, or 12 miles)
• 1 spin class (40 minutes)
• 2 weightlifting sessions (2 hours)

I'd Have To Say It Was A Good Day...

I had a really good day of training yesterday -- possibly the best one of the New Year. At lunch I headed over to the gym to lift weights -- chest, triceps, and legs. I used dumbells for flat and incline bench, and was pleasantly suprised to put up 80 lbs six times on the flat bench and 70 lbs six times on the incline bench. The rest of the workout was pretty uneventful, but I was happy to knock it out during work. The weather here was unseasonably warm yesterday (low 50s), so as soon as I got home from work I threw on a long-sleeve shirt (actually my NYC Marathon finisher's shirt, which I love), shorts, and gloves and headed out for a run. I did four miles at 7:27 pace. I used my Garmin Forerunner 205, and the interesting thing is that my mile splits heading north in Hoboken were much slower than they were heading south. I always suspected there was a bit of an uphill going north, but I didn't think it would make that much of a difference. I kicked it in the last mile and ran it in 7:08, which felt pretty good. BTW, loving the Forerunner -- I set it so that it automatically records every mile split, which is great for a ridiculously anal guy like me...

New Shoes -- Finally

I really need to get better at updating this blog on a regular basis! Anyway, the end of last week was pretty uneventful -- another treadmill run at 7:41/mile pace, weights, and 45 minutes of riding a stationary bicycle at the gym when I could not get into the spin class (you have to reserve a spot a day in advance, which I just think is complete crap). Below are my training totals for last week:

• 2 runs (1 hour)
• 1 bike (45 minutes)
• 2 weightlifting sessions (2 hours)

Last night I ran another half hour on the treadmill, increasing the speed to 7:36/mile pace with the last two minutes at 6:44 pace. The first few minutes felt a bit uncomfortable, which probably had to do with the fact I was messing around with the channels and volume on the treadmill TV, which prevented me from getting into a good running rhythm. I also had a faint pain in my lower left leg -- nothing terrible, but it definitely finally convinced me to finally get new running shoes. I ordered another pair of Saucony Omni 6's (pictured on the right) from Amazon.com. This will be my third or fourth pair of basically the same shoes -- I figure if it isn't broken, there is no need to fix it...