PEDs

So as I think I alluded to earlier, my allergies are absolutely positively killing me right now. I have all the classic hay fever symptoms -- watery, itchy, eyes, congestion, uncontrollable sneezing fits -- it has just been miserable. Finally I gave in and called my sister (the family doctor), who prescribed three different drugs for me (eye drops, some pills, and another thing that comes in an inhaler -- I cannot be more specific since I do not have the stuff here in the office).

Today was my first day on the new drug regimen, and I feel 1,000% better -- no sneezing, no congestion, nothing. It is a good thing they do not test age groupers for performance enhancing drugs, because I am fairly certain that some part of my allergy medication cocktail has steroids in it or something else illegal. Anyway, I hit the gym today for a short brick -- 40 minutes on the spin bike, followed by 15 minutes on the treadmill at 7:13/mile pace. The workout felt surprisingly easy, especially the run portion, which I was very happy with. With just over two weeks to go before my first race, it was nice to feel sharp and fit.

Heat and Hills

Yesterday I did a 20 mile bike ride early in the morning. I basically just followed JFK Boulevard north, which was nice from the perspective of avoiding those brutal hills right by the George Washington Bridge on River Road, but kind of sucked because every half mile or so I would hit a red light and lose all of my rhythm. I ended up averaging 18.3 MPH for the ride, which I was very happy with considering all of the stopping and starting that I had to do. Afterwards I took my bike to the local bike shop to have the computer repaired and my annual tune up -- it should be ready by mid-week.

Today I went for a five mile run, which in hindsight was not a great idea. It was close to 90 degrees when I started, and I ended up running a route with some major hills. To put it simply, the run did not go well. My average pace ended up being fairly respectable, but I definitely stopped a few times along the way, which I have not done for a long time. No use beating myself up over it -- I just think given the conditions, I simply bit off more than I could chew. At least I got the workout in. The big test for this week will be Saturday -- I am planning an 18 mile ride/3 mile run brick, which will essentially be a simulation of the final two-thirds of the duathlon on May 17th. It should be interesting to see where my fitness truly is right now.

Good Week

This has been a pretty good training week. After a kind of brutal five mile treadmill run on Tuesday (the fan on the machine was not working, so I was sweating like a whore in church), I did light weights (chest and triceps) on Wednesday. The last couple of days I have done 45 minute rides on the exercise bike at relatively low intensity (130-140 BPM heartrate). Tomorrow I am either going to ride early in the morning or lift weights again. The weather is finally becoming really nice here, which I am excited about. With my first race in just over three weeks, logging some outdoors training time, while not absolutely crucial in my opinion, certainly cannot hurt.

Darn Allergies!

So yesterday I did a nice easy three mile run with the better half, which is just what the doctor ordered after three straight days of intense workouts. Today I was planning on either riding or doing a brick workout at lunch, but my allergies have been just killing me all day! My left eye is red and swollen, and this morning I went through almost an entire box of tissues sneezing my head off. I felt a bit better by the afternoon, but figured it would be no fun for me (or anyone else in close proximity) if I sneezed my way through a workout.

Unfortunately now I will have to play "catch-up" the rest of the week with getting workouts in, but I think I probably made the right decision. Hopefully I feel better tomorrow. On an unrelated note, I ordered some new parts yesterday for my bike computer. It has not worked (no speed or distance readings) since late last season, and I definitely want to have it fixed before the Queens Biathlon on May 17th. I may need to send my Forerunner 205 in as well -- one of the arrow buttons does not seem to work, which is a real pain...

I Have Signed Up For A Race!

O.K., I know that I have been neglecting the blog lately -- just been caught up with other various and sundry things (fortunately, training has been one of them). The last several weeks of training have been pretty consistent -- two runs, two spin/bike rides, one or two days of weight training. The last two weekends I have actually ridden outside for the first times this year. I have been pleasantly surprised by my bike fitness -- I have been averaging around 18 MPH on some pretty challenging rides (i.e., lots of hills, some of which are brutal), without going "all out." I think that anyone who does not think riding the spin bike or taking spin classes helps build/maintain cycling fitness is basically an idiot.

O.K., on to more important things -- I just signed up for my first multisport event this season, the Queens Biathlon on May 17th. The race consists of a 3 mile run, an 18 mile bike ride, and a 3 mile run. Since running and biking are my strengths and once again I have utterly and completely neglected my swim training this year, I am really excited to see how I do. If past results are any indication, assuming the next four weeks of training go well, I should be in the running for a podium spot in my age group (I probably jinxed myself just by typing that)...