On the field

anther 7o'clock am start. so, no chance to get a workout in. decided to do a little sprint/field work with the players. nothing real heavy. just a chance to get out there and move around. knee was a little stiff and sore after yesterday. I expect more of the same tomorrow.

Tri cut to a ride

What was supposed to be a Civano tri got cut down to a short ride for me. 7 o'clock am appointment means I only have an hour to ride. Dan's place at 5:30a and done by 6:30a. Dan was going to go ahead and complete the Tri.

Udall swim

Took cyd with me again...

1 x 800 swim
1 x 400 kick
1 x 400 pull
1 x 100 swim
total yardage = 1700 yards

Saw Laura and Bob at the pool again after seeing Laura and her daughter at Sabino registration yesterday. Barb was also at the pool.

School registration

Took my daughter to Sabino to register for her Sophomore year.
signed her up for swimming.

Saw Laura from Udall. She was there registering her daughter who is also a sophomore.

finally... the Arivaca ride

The infamous Amado to Arivaca ride.

Attempted before, but never completed.

Chris, Dan and I. 5:30 at bakers place.
stop at El Guerro on the way home. Free food on my (our) birthday.
stop and walk our bikes across the washes heavy with sand. At least 5 times on the way out. Three times on the way back because we rode through some that we didn't the first time. Chris only twice, because he got through an extra one.

Beautiful green ride. Ride out was mostly a slight climb into the hills where Arivaca is located. Made great time getting back.

Kono's sighting

6 mile run along the beach in San Diego.

saw Kono's
Barb tell's me that I need to eat at Kono's
pace slower than I would have liked. But, still feeling the hamstring issue and not trying to push too hard. this was a bit of a rehab run.

Carlsbad shopping

Today the Carlsbad outlet malls were on the agenda.

Woke up and leg was still sore from yesterday's issues. So, no workout for today.

Sea World

Today Sea World is on the agenda...
a fast mile (under 9 minutes) to the park.
set up to do some 50's. probably about 10 or so.
second 50 pull up lame... right hamstring tightened up.
not pulled. but possibly strained and definitely a cramp.

tried to work it out, but don't want to push it. not feeling great.

decide to do some core work and see how it feels
hip crossovers
forearm to instep lunge
backwards lunge with twist
lateral lunge


jog/walk back to house. long day ahead of Sea World walking. Need to do best I can to be ready for that.

LegoLand

4.5 mile morning run.
South on Bayside down to end. Cross and come back up Oceanside.

stretch
calfs, groin, shoulders, quads, hamstrings
little ab work

Off to San Diego

OnCall right now. Got paged at 2 o'clock a.m. for a problem with the Telalert server. By the time I finished that it was 5 o'clock and there was no point in trying to go back to bed. So, instead, I just finish cleaning the house and make sure I am ready to leave for San Diego later this morning.
morning swim at Udall. Saw Barb at the pool. Only a few minutes to chat, but she tells me I need to eat breakfast at Kono's while I am in San Diego. Never been... will have to check it out.

When I get to Udall at about 6:15a, every lane is full (2 per lane). The Masters team even has a couple of lanes with 3 in circle swim. Barb introduces me to her friends (Laura and Bob) on the Masters team. I think Laura is the "leader" of the team.

Not a great workout. I have to start in the deep end, waiting for a lane to open up. Finally get a lane and just not real into it today. End up doing about 500 yards and calling it quits. It's getting late and I need to get home and finish packing. Prepare the video camera and make sure I have everything for San Diego. My flight leaves at 10:25a, so I would like to be ready to leave my house by 8:30a.

questionable lightning call

running errands, getting everything together for my trip
Sunday night swim at Udall

about 6:40p the lifeguards decided lightening was "too close" and closed the pool for the night.

No lightning in sight. Just LGs wanting to go home a little early, I am pretty sure. a guy in the lane over from me complained. Said, they do this "all the time".

Treadmill run

If you have been following my posts you will know that not too long ago I made a resolution to run more. Well, today I followed through on that (at least in part).

Nothing real special about this morning, just another La Mariposa morning swim practice for my daughter and another morning workout for me. The Trap strain from yesterday is still an issue. My neck was stiff and sore when I work up this morning. Turning my head to the right was no problem. But, turning to the left, well that was a different story. So, the best thing for me to do today was to get a run in. And that is exactly what I did.

Treadmill
4.5 miles / 45 minutes

• 1 mile @ 6.0 mph (10:00 min/mile)
  
• 2.5 miles @ 6.5 mph (9:13 min/mile)
  
• .5 mile @ 6.0 mph (10:00 min/mile)
  
• .5 mile @ 5.5 mph (10:49 min/mile)

Bosu ball lunges - 2x6
Wide-Stance Medicine ball fig. 8's - 1x30

Had a good run. My neck didn't really bother me at all. My left knee on the other hand, was fine during the run, but now is a little sore. No real concerns though. Just trying to slowly get back to a place where I can handle the longer runs.

Side Note: I remembered to wear my HRM chest strap and the gym treadmills are supposed to pick up the chest strap signal automatically. The treadmill I was on never did register my heart rate though. So, I am a little disappointed that I don't know my HR range for today's run.

Musical organization

Spent some time this weekend organizing my CD collection and getting a lot of the CDs added to iTunes. Actually, I spent quite a bit of time on this task. But, I'm not sure if it was that, or the TVSC Premier '92 end-of-season party, or the TVSC Summer Skills planning meeting which did me in. One, or all of the above, drained me this weekend. At least, that is what I am thinking, because I was awful tired and sluggish this morning.

Sometimes, when I am tired and unmotivated, all it takes is one set or two and my energy is up and I am ready to go. Today, this was the case, but to a lesser degree. I had enough energy to make it through my workout, but I have had better workouts before.

I don't think I trained Back last week, so a Back strength training session is the way I decided to open the new week.

Back
Good Mornings - 3x10 @45
PullUps - 6, 4, 3, 3
Lat Pulldowns - 4x10 @125
Lat Pulldowns (to chest) - 2x10 @115.5
Seated Cable Row - 4x8 @125
Roman Chair LowBack Extension - 4x10
ChinUps - 3x6

On the second set of Chin Ups I strained something in my neck. My left Trap was aching and I decided I was done with strength training for the day. But with a little more than 20 minutes until eight o'clock, I needed to find something to do. So, I rode the recumbent bike to get some cardio in.

I think it was a good thing to stop lifting when I did. The pain in my Trapezius is not going away. In fact, it's starting to throb. Looks like I have a ice pack and heat pad in my immediate future. It's never pleasant being injured, so I hope this goes away fast.

Good thing we went early

You ride the same route enough times and you start to get a little bored. It was for this reason that when discussing this weeks Sunday morning ride with Dan we decided to change it up a bit. We were to meet at my house at 6 o'clock. Take Catalina Hwy south to Tanque Verde, west to Sabino Canyon Rd. and head north.

In route to my house, while driving up Houghton, Dan got stuck behind some old guy doing 30mph (been there, done that). When that happens, there is nothing you can do but ride it out. As a result, it was about 6:15a bfore Dan got to my place and about 6:20a when we got on the road.

The weather was great, the traffic was light, and we were setting a decent pace. Having a great ride, until... about a mile up Sabino Canyon Rd. Dan's rear tire blew. Damn it. That sucks. But, in reality, this is the first riding flat we have had in a long time. When Dan first started riding with Chris and I, he had a rash of flats that would shake the confidence of anyone new to cycling. But since then, flats seem to have been extremely few and far between (fwiw, I am knocking on wood as I write this). So, since it's been such a long time since our last flat, it's really hard to complain about this one.

Less than ten minutes to replace the tube, and we were ready to get back on the road. With the tube replaced and Dan putting his rear wheel back in place, these two women ride by us. Hey, they were cute. (I think). Sometimes it's hard to tell with the helmets and the sunglasses and all, but, I think they were cute. By the way, there were a number of other cyclists which passed us while Dan changed his tire, but most of them were male and frankly not worth mentioning.

The two cute cyclists, as I will call them here, turned west onto Cloud Rd. I have never ridden down that way so I don't know what is down there, but that was not be the time to find out. Dan and I kept straight through the Cloud light and again through the light at River Rd. We bared slightly right to stay on Sabino Canyon and climb Sabino Mountain.

Sabino Mountain is a deceptively long hill which kind of winds upward and seems to conceal the fact that it continues to incline around each bend. It had been so long since we had ridden out this way, that I had forgotten just how long that climb was. As I continued up the hill, my quads started burning. OMG, it was like my legs were on fire. I was trying to push myself and I could heard Dan right behind me.

At some point, graciously, we reached the top of the hill and came to the light at the Snyder intersection shortly there after. We decided to continue up Sabino Canyon to the end. We reached the end of Sabino Canyon right around 52 minutes into our ride. I told Dan that I wanted to head home so that we could try and get back by eight. My Dad's birthday was last week and we had a family belated birthday brunch planned.

So we made our way back down Sabino Canyon Rd. and headed for home. Going through the light at Snyder, we picked up a guy on a mountain bike who drafted off of Dan all the way to the Kolb light. Upon arrival he told Dan, "sorry, I just couldn't resist the free ride".

Usually, the most difficult part of this route is making the turn eastbound onto Tanque Verde from Sabino Canyon. Three lanes turning, lots of cars, a cyclist nightmare (at least this cyclist anyway). But, it was early enough today that traffic was still really light, not many people out and the turn was no problem.

Similarly, the rest of the ride was pleasant. Especially the last 1.2 miles which is a slight incline up Catalina Hwy to my street. We tried to finish the ride strong and go hard that last mile. Every time I looked down at my Garmin, we were maintaining a speed of 16.5 mph. That is a very good pace for us.

As desired, we made it home before eight o'clock. A quick shower, throw on some decent clothes and a car ride across town later, we arrived at the JW Marriott Starr Pass for our birthday breakfast brunch. But, this was not the most interesting thing that happend to me today. More interesting is when we came down Tanque Verde at about 10:30am, trying to get home. The TV overpass was blocked off from Tanque Verde and the Wrightsown onramp as well. We weren't real sure what was going on, but had to go down Wrigthstown to Harrison and up to Speedway and finally to Houghton, like everybody else, to get around. Once there we saw more barriers at Tanque Verde and Houghton. What a huge mess. It wasn't until we got home, via the long detour, that we found out about the crazy guy and his cross town shooting spree. Weird, this kind of stuff never happens in my neighborhood.

All I can say is, I'm glad we rode early. I told Dan, we ride much later, and we might have been caught up in a high speed chase. Scary stuff!

Two outta three ain't bad

Six o'clock at the church is the tradition. And once again, that was the plan for today. But, today, like has happened once before in the past, the entrance to the church parking lot was blocked off. So, instead of parking at that church, I had to go to one of the other dozen churches at the Houghton/Old Spanish Trail intersection. I had expected Dan and Chris to arrive on their bikes, so I would just get on mine and ride around the corner to the meet location. However, no more than two minutes after I pulled up, Dan pulled up in his car and parked next to me. Previous experience told us that THIS church was our alternate meet location if the other was unavailable. So, together we both mounted our trusty aluminum and/or carbon steeds (i.e. bikes) and rounded the corner to find Baker their waiting.

The plan for today was the same as one we've done many times before... OST out to CC and back. But this time, to mix it up a bit, I suggested we alternate leaders and see if we could push the pace.

We were doing just that and making good time as we dove down the hill to Jeremy Wash. I am no cycling expert and don't know all the specifics of drafting, but I must have been drafting Baker, because as he was working hard in front, I kept having to break a bit, so as not to overtake him.

We went down through the wash and rounded the corner to head a little more south-east toward the market and Colossal Cave. Just as we were approaching the Rincon Market, Baker yelled that he was going to pull over and needed to stop. Apparently, on his recent trip to Mexico, he stepped on a stingray. And although he had 'boiled' some water and soaked his foot in it (don't ask me... something he read on the Internet) and it hadn't bothered him when he played basketball, apparently, it was killing him to ride. The pedal cleat was pressing directly on the sore point on the sole of his foot and he decided he wasn't going to be able to continue. He sent Dan and I on as he decided he would turn back.

Dan and I started again and I continued to press that pace as best I could. We made it to CC in one-hour and two minutes by my Garmin, but Dan's cyclocomputer had our time as fifty-nine minutes, as it did not include the 3-minutes we stopped and talked with Chris. So, once again, two out of three of us made the ride out to CC in under an hour. Excellent!

The pause at CC this time was extremely short. Right around 5-minutes in fact. Much more downhill on the return ride. And as usual, a much faster time. Another great ride. We completed the entire trip in 1 hour and 53 minutes. Average speed 14.5 mph. Average Heart Rate 120 bpm.

Stability Thursday

Recently, my training has gotten a little stale. I'm riding and swimming. Strength training and lately, even a little more running. But, I haven't kept up with my agility and speed work. Now, it might just be my imagination, or my age, but I feel like I am getting slower. Like I haven't been spending enough time working on quickness. So, along with some stability and/or core work, I added some of that to today's session.

La Mariposa racquetball court:

> Right leg gallop - 8 lengths
> Left leg gallop - 8 lengths
> Shuffle - 30 widths
> Lunges w/ medicine ball figure 8's - 4 lengths
> Standing medicine ball figure 8's - 3x30

Core work
> Bosu ball balance abs - 3x15
> Bosu ball v-ups - 3x10
> One-leg front/back kicks - 3x20 (each leg)
> Crunches - 4x12
> Side bridge w/ pulse - 2x20
> Side bridge rotations - 2x20

Good workout. Just what I needed at this point in my training. The plan will be to incorporate similar session more often.

On my way out, I talked to a girl which I had seen working out the last couple of days. She said, "I notice you doing a lot of stability work. Are you training for a specific event". I told her not really. I am trying to do more stability and core work, because as a general rule, I haven't done enough. It turns out her name is Katrina, and she is from Sahuaro H.S., class of '96. She said she was part of ASU Diving in college. Her husband was Sabino, class of '92. And her husband's brother was Sabino, class of '96. Nice lady. I'm sure I will continue to see her around L.M.

Virtual Tuesday

Monday was Memorial Day. And since I took the day off on Monday, Tuesday became a virtual Monday and Wednesday became a virtual Tuesday. So, today is Virtual Tuesday... which is Leg day. Was all that clear?

In any case...
Legs
Squat - 2x10 @135, 2x8 @185, 2x8 @205, 2x4 @225
Leg Press - 5x8 @180
Barbell Lunges - 3x8 @45
Bosu Ball Squats - 4x10
Easy Jog (around grass area) ~ 1mile

Once again, this was a La Mariposa morning workout. Looks like that will be the status quo for the foreseeable future.

First run in a while

The plan for today was to go on the first run I have been on in at least two weeks. Albeit on a treadmill.

My eldest daughter swims on the La Mariposa swim team. And, now that school is out, swim practice is every morning from 6:45a - 8:00a. Since I am the one who takes her to swimming, I have decided to use that time to my advantage and get my workout in while she is in the pool.

Today was the first day of this new found decision and schedule. So, that made today a good day to run.

The La Mariposa workout room is actually a series of four rooms connected by a small doorway between each. The identical size and shape of each room makes it appear as though they used to be racquetball courts and were converted for weight training use. In this setup, rooms 1 and 2 contain free weights, room 3 is all cardio machines and room four is full of weight machines.

Since I was running today, I spent my time in room 3:

Treadmill - 3.4 miles, 37 minutes
Elliptical - 1.5 miles, 17 minutes

During my treadmill run, I felt good, for the most part. My left knee was a bit sore, but not enough to cause me to stop. After completing my run, I hopped onto the elliptical, almost as an extended cool down.

By 8 o'clock my workout was complete. Cyd was finishing up with her swim, and we were ready to head home. I realize that I have to do a better job of incorporating runs into my weekly training.

Last day of school

Dan called me last night. He wanted to ride in the morning, but didn't have his tire tool to change his flat tire. So, we had to fix Dan's flat tire before we could start today's ride.

We had already decided to ride a different route today but weren't really sure where we would go. So today's route turned out to be a bit of an impromptu one. North on Houghton to Broadway, East to Freeman, South to OST. Out OST to the wash (just before the turn to Rincon Market). Had to make the turn for home so that we could try and get back by 8 o'clock.

For the majority of the ride, the weather was great. Not too hot. And because of the route we took, we got quite a bit of climbing in, which amounted to a good workout. On the final leg home. Heading south on Houghton, down the hill into the wash, the wind picked up. It was a serious cross wind which instantly mad the ride 50% harder. Just as we were reaching the bottom of that hill, Dan in front and me right behind, a huge tumbleweed blew right across our path. With nowhere to go, and nothing he could do, Dan blasted it. Debris flying everywhere, got caught up in the wind. The windiness continued until we got back to Dan's crib ~ 8:05a.

My mental clock got all messed up. I had been planning on trying to finish the ride with Dan by 8 o'clock so that I could get home by 8:15a to take Cyd to school for her last day as a high school freshman. But just as I got in the car to go home, still thinking I was going to take Cyd to school, I got a text message from H asking if I would be home before they left. I replied that I would be home to take Cyd. She replied that Cyd had left an hour ago. OOPS! I really am getting old. Cyd leaves at 7:15a. I know this. Just got completely confused for some reason.

Just like old times

Today, I lifted Back with Matt and some of the old school Gold's guys. What does that mean... slower, longer pace, like we used to do it last year.

Pull Ups - 6, 5, 4, 4
T-bar Rows - 1x10 @90, 3x10 @135
Reverse-grip Lat Pulldown (to chest) - 4x10 @130
Machine Row - 4x10 @180

I was in no rush and the different workout was a nice change of pace. I couldn't do this all the time (takes too long), but it was just what I needed for today.

Just in time

When I got up this morning I wasn't sure if I was going to ride my bike to Udall for my Wednesday morning swim. But after considering it for a few moments, I realized that the difference between driving and riding is only two or three minutes. And, that I feel better when I ride. So... issue solved. Fifteen minutes later I was on my bike and on my way to Udall.

This mornings ride to the pool was a good one, if uneventful. Hit a couple of red-lights, so total ride time was 16 minutes, a bit longer than usual. But, once again, just after six o'clock I was in the water.

600 yrds - WarmUp
6x100 yrds - Swim
200 yrds - Kick
200 yrds - Pull

Total Yardage = 1600 yards

Didn't see Barb this morning. Perhaps she did not make it out of bed.

Just like I promised, I ended my swim a couple of minutes earlier than last time, so that I can try and make it home in time for the school run.

On the ride back I tried to keep a constant pace. Focusing on keeping a relatively high and consistent cadence. Also, concentrating on using the entire pedal stroke for each leg rather than just the down-stroke.

My wife and daughter are already in the car as I pull into the driveway. I made it home just in time to take my daughter to school. Workout complete! Spirits are high! Today promises to be a great day.

Tuesday is ...

Last year when I was lifting five or more days a week, and working out with a group of guys from Gold's, we had a saying: Tuesday is leg day. Hence, every Tuesday we would lift legs. So, I guess in a way, I am getting back to my roots.

Squat 2x8 @135lbs, 2x6 @185lbs, 2x4 @225lbs
Leg Press 4x8 @200lbs
Calf Raises (Leg Press) 3x15 @200lbs
Single-Leg Squat 3x8 (each leg)
Donkey Calf Raises 3x12 @180lbs
Lying Leg Curls 3x12 @65lbs

In and out in under an hour. Today's post workout indulgence is some watermelon, 2-scoop Nitrean protein drink with an Emergen-C chaser. Then, off to bed. See you manana.

Administrivia

Tonight's soccer training session was an abbreviated one; for me at least. Training starts at 6:30 but I had some other things going, so I didn't get to Townsend until a little after seven o'clock. In addition, Fred was sick and in bed, so the boys had to get started on their own. No worries though, they are fairly organized and self sufficient in that manner.

As usual, the boys were good and the session went well. We wrapped up around eight o'clock and before I could hit the gym, I had to go see Fred and complete some paperwork for our upcoming tournament.

Once I got all the soccer administrivia out of the way, I was off to Gold's. It was kind of late and I had already decided that tonight's workout would be a quick one.


PullUps 5, 4, 3, 3, 3
PullUps (parallel grip) 5, 5
Bench Press 8 @225lbs, 5 @245lbs, 6 @225lbs
Incline Dumbbell Press 4x10 @ 50lbs
Pull-Overs 2x10 @65lbs, 2x10 @75lbs
Bench Dips 4x15

So a bit of a Chest/Tris session complete and I was ready for post workout nutrition and bed. Tonight's post workout meal included CotS Tuna Cup, Muscle Milk (Vanilla Creme) and a nectarine. Refueling complete.

Breakfast Scramble

It was Monday morning and I was up... ready to go. But, I still felt a little tired. Most likely, from our long ride yesterday. Followed by the T-ball end-of-season party and the kids vs. parents baseball game we played. Not that I worked real hard during the game, but standing out in the hot sun (and yes it was hot) takes it's toll.

No worries though. I am ready for today's workout. Just like on Friday, I decided to ride to Udall for my Monday morning swim. Realizing that I had a couple of extra minutes to spare, I headed North on Catalina Hwy to Prince, before I turned around and began my journey to the pool.

I arrived at Udall right at six o'clock. Barb was already there. After I gear down to my Quintana Roo Tri shorts (love the QR's) and a quick rinse shower (because I am a good pool citizen), I was in the water.

650 yrds - WarmUp
6 x 100s - Swim (easy, hard, easy, hard) on 10 seconds rest
250 yrds - Kick
150 yrds - Pull
50 yrds - Swim

Total Yardage = 1700 yrds

At 6:55a I had to wrap up my swim. I was trying to get home by 7:15a so I could take my eldest to school. I had a good ride home and could really feel the slight incline of Catalina Hwy as I climbed to where it crests right before my street. Unfortunately, I didn't make it home in time. As I was pulling in, her mom was pulling out, on the school run. I will need to do a little bit better job of budgeting my time next time around.

Workout complete. Time to eat. Today's breakfast consisted of a fresh spinach (an SFM pickup) & ground beef two egg scramble. With just a little Monterey Jack cheese. Good Stuff!

Sunday Morning Ride

Chris and Dan both rode to the church (meet site). I drove. We hadn't even started our ride yet, and I already felt lazy.

It was just after 6 o'clock the sun was already high in the sky. The weather was perfect, but it had already started to get hot by the time we finished. We set a good pace on the ride out OST to Colossal Cave. My legs were still sore, so it took some extra effort on my part to keep up. But I managed to do so, and even finished the last quarter mile with a little push (It wasn't much, but it was everything I had left at that point). Total time, church to CC gate, just under an hour. Solid!

The break at the turn-around point was a little longer than usual. Nearly 30 minutes. Topics covered: Tom Waits, Scarlett Johansson, Jason Bateman, Crocodile Dundee and Aboriginal farming methods.

As usual, we made good time on the return leg. The fact that so much of it is downhill helps tremendously.

Chris got out ahead of us, so I had lost site of him by the time he turned down Melpomene for home (at least I assume he turned for home). I got back to my car right around eight-thirty. With Dan right behind me.

Towards the end of the ride, my back started to get a little tight and a little sore. I think this is something that happens on my first few long rides after a bit of a layoff. I am hoping it will pass with time.

I have a full day ahead of me and now that our morning ride is complete, it's time to get to it.

The first of the season...

For the last three weeks I have been threatening to complete my first ride & swim of the year. Well, the wait is over, because that is exactly what I did today.

When I got up this morning, the wind was blowing. Which means that riding conditions are less than ideal. However, I had decided that I would ride to Udall today for my morning swim and a little wind (or a lot of wind) was not going to deter me.

It had been a while since I had ridden my bike the four miles to Udall, so I didn't recall how long it would take me. I gave myself 25 minutes, which it turned out was way too long. After arriving at Udall more than ten minutes earlier than I planned, I ended up riding around the neighborhood behind the park, while I waited for six o'clock.

As I entered the pool area, I decided that today's swim would be all about distance. So, it was into the water and straight to the task at hand.

2000 yrds - WarmUp/Swim
100 yrds - Kick

Total Yardage = 2100 yrds

So, no ladders. No intervals. No negative splits. All I did was get in and swim 2000 yrds. Like I said, distance day. Simple and sweet.

On the ride home, the wind was even more troublesome then it had been earlier. Especially coming up Catalina Highway. But, 18 minutes after I left Udall, I rolled into my driveway (the trip over took 12 minutes).

All told, I rode for 9.5 miles for a total of 46 minutes. Swam 2100 yrds in 50 minutes. And started my Friday in grand fashion.

Controlled Burn

Took my eldest to swim practice this evening. Weather was great, except for all the smoke. The Forest Service is executing a controlled burn of the Reddington Pass area. The winds must have shifted, because there was a heavy smell of smoke and soot in the air. It was mild and even pleasant at first, but then it became obnoxious and nauseating. By seven o'clock I was tired of the whole deal and glad swim practice was over so that we could head home and get indoors.

Dinner was waiting for me when I got home, a little grilled chicken w/ bell peppers over some pasta with a nice red sauce. FANTASTIC! Took a little time to let that digest, then I was ready for the gym.

Squat 2x10 @ 135lbs, 2x8 @ 185lbs, 2x6 @205lbs
V-Squat 2x8 @90lbs, 2x8 @140lbs
Box Squat Jumps 10, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12
Standing Lunge (Smith) 2x8 @95lbs
Seated Hamstring Curl 2x10 @45lbs, 2x10 @70lbs
Roman Chair Low-Back Ext 12, 12, 12, 12

It had been a while since I had done a leg workout. Two things I know for sure... 1) My legs were tired when I finished. 2) My legs are going to be sore for the next few days. Fortunately, I am ok with both of these things.

Sunflower fruit

I spent a large majority of my night on the soccer field... again. This is the last week for TVSC tryouts, so my schedule should clear up a bit, at least for a little while. After leaving soccer, I had to go by Sunflower Market and take advantage of some great fruit & veggies sales (my wife gave me a list). Wednesday is double ad day!!!

With soccer done. Fruits & veggies purchased. It was finally time to make my way to the gym. Just got a text message from Dan that he will not be able to ride in the morning (Chris bailed earlier...work), so it was even more important that I get to Gold's to get my workout in.

Flat-bench Dumbbell Press 3x10 60lbs, 2x8 70lbs
Incline Dumbbell Press 4x8 50lbs
Wide-Grip-High-Chest Benchpress 4x8 135lbs
Close-Grip Benchpress 2x8 135lbs
Wide-Grip-Low-Chest Benchpress 3x10 135lbs
Cable Crossover 4x8 50lbs
Bench Dips 20, 20

Ended the night with a good pump in my Chest and Triceps.

Going Further?

Barb, of BCJ fame, has suggested that I work to increase my distance. The keen observer would notice that my swim has reached 1 mile (1600 yrds) in each of the last three sessions. So, increase my distance is exactly what I am attempting to do.

Today's "set" consisted of 75 yrd swim, followed by 50 yrd swim (10 seconds rest).
The 75 is: 25yrds Easy, 25yrds Moderate, 25yrds Fast
The 50 is: 25yrds Easy, 25yrds Fast

Workout
800 yrds - WarmUp
75/50's
.. 4 sets (that's 500yrds)
200 yrds - Kick
300 yrds - Pull

Total Yardage = 1800 yrds

So, there you have it. I increased my yardage by 200 yards today. However, I may be reaching an asymptote in my training. I tend to allot 50 minutes for my swim workout. Not sure that I will ever be able to swim more than 1800 yards in 50 minutes. I guess we will just wait and see how it all plays out.

Good Lift

I'm a little late getting to the gym tonight. Attended an educational awards ceremony for my girls, which didn't end until after 8:30p. So, by the time I got home and back to Gold's, it was about 9:30p. Result, I need to power through this strength session so I can get home and get to bed at a somewhat reasonable hour.

Tonight I hit Back and Traps.

Pull-Ups 5, 3, 3, 2, 2
Lat Pulldowns (behind head) 2x10 @120lbs, 3x8 @140lbs
Lat Pulldowns (to chest) 3x10 @140lbs
Straight-Arm Pressdowns 4x10 @60lbs
Cable Row 2x10 @130lbs, 2x10 @140lbs
Bent-Over Dumbbell Row 4x12 @30lbs
Upright Row 2x12 @40lbs, 1x10 @50lbs, 1x10 @60lbs

By 10:20p I was out the door and on my way home. A couple of scoops of Nitrean for my protein drink. A CotS Tuna Cup. And the last 20 minutes of today's PTI and my day is complete. It's bedtime.

No Fins, No Paddles, No Problem

Yesterday was a long day. It started with the Mt Lemmon climb. But, after that, I spent the whole day doing yard work and cleaning house in preparation for mom and the family coming over for a Mother's Day dinner.

With all that activity, I was tired and got to bed early... before 10p. Even still, I was kind of tired this morning. None-the-less, by 5:30a I was up and ready for my Udall morning swim.

500 yrds - WarmUp
Swim
.. 1 x 200 yrds
.. 2 x 100 yrds
.. 4 x 50 yrds
.. 2 x 100 yrds
100 yrds - Kick (no fins)
200 yrds - Pull (no paddles)

Total Yardage = 1600 yrds

As you may have noticed, I didn't have my fins or my paddles. Didn't have my goggles either, had to borrow a pair. This is because I forgot my swim bag at home. In any case, I pressed on and got through my Mile swim.

Mother's Day & Mountain

I am a man with a wife and three kids which means I have Mother's Day obligations. So, an early morning mountain climb should get me through a workout and free to start the rest of my day.

BigDan and I had agreed to ride the mountain today. 6:00am at my crib. Easy enough... or at least that was the plan. Not sure exactly what happened, because I woke up late. That was weird, because that *never* happens.

It was BigDan's text msg which woke me at 6:13a. SH*T! luckily, I had prep'd everything the night before, so I didn't have to delay us any more than I already had. Grabbed my gear, hit the garage door and BigDan was waiting outside. Sincerest apologies.

Not too long at all before we are on our way. I made this trek last week, but this was the first Mt. Lemmon ride for Dan in a while. A brief stop at Mile Post zero (MP0), before we began our climb. We agreed that regardless of who lead, we would stop at mile post two (MP2) for a checkpoint (Dan lead the entire climb).

The first mile kicked my butt. I always seem to forget just how hard mile One is. Not only that, but I missed the MP1 sign, so I wasn't sure when we had passed it. Just when the climb started to get a little bit easier, I saw MP2. We had another brief stop at MP2 to collect ourselves and decide how much further we intended to climb. Mile Three seemed to be the easiest one yet. But by this time, Dan and I had agreed that mile three would be our last and it was time to turn for home.

Nice and easy descent and ride back to the crib. It is clearly the 'season' again. We saw no less than 80 cyclist in the 90 minutes we were out. At least two large groups of 30+.

Was a little tired, but feeling good. I think we will probably climb again next weekend. Next mountain climb will likely have a mileage climb goal of 5+.

Just another mile

Friday is morning swim day. Was feeling a little tired this morning, but once I am up and in the pool, I always feel better. Today was no different. Still have to consider a swim a great way to start the day.

400 yrd - WarmUp
Swim (10 seconds rest)
.. 1 x 200 yrds
.. 4 x 100 yrds
.. 4 x 50 yrds
200 yrds - Kick
200 yrds - Pull

Total Yardage = 1600 yrds

1 pool. 45 minutes. 1 mile. Good Stuff!

Eazy duz it

We'll I'm Eazy-C, I got workouts galore
you may have a lot of workouts, but I got much more...
Anyone else getting nostalgic? Seriously though, tonight's strength training was just about a nice and eazy session to tidy up some loose ends. A little core work, and a little bicep top off to round out the training week.

Workout:
Cable Woodchop 4 x 15 @ 50 lbs
Cable Lawnmower pull 4 x 15 @ 45 lbs
Cable Torso Twist 4 x 12 @ 30 lbs
Barbell Curls 4 x 8 @ 65 lbs
Dumbbell Hammer Curls 3 x 8 @ 25 lbs
Preacher Curls (machine) 4 x 10 @ 80 lbs
Medicine ball Crunch w/ overhead extension 15, 10, 10, 8, 8, 6

And just like that it was all over. Nice, smooth and productive. Just the way I like it. Boy you should have known by now, Eazy duz it.

Inaugural CC ride of '08

It's Thursday morning and once again BigDan and I are embarking on a morning ride. I got to our traditional meeting place and the church parking lot was blocked-off. drat! So, had to pick from one of the other dozen churches on the corners of Houghton and Old Spanish Trail.

I was annoyed with myself, because I forgot to charge the battery in my Garmin 305. So, Dan has to be the keeper-of-time on this trip. Since we have started riding regularly again, this was our first ride all the way out to Colossal Cave.

The weather was perfect. No wind to speak of, which is unusual, especially for the Vail area. About two miles from CC, we passed a group of cattle. Just kind of standing around as we rode by. The group seemed to have gotten larger on our way back. This was an entire heard. One Bull was just standing in the bike lane.

BigDan had a great ride. Extremely strong. He lead the whole way. I stayed with him on the way out, but he dropped me, big time, on the way back. I was about dead by the time we hit Sahuaro National Monument. My back was tight and sore. Lactose build-up in my legs was intense. Thank goodness the majority of the ride from that point is downhill. I had lost total visibility on BigDan at that point.

It's approximately 30 miles, round trip, from Houghton/OST to CC. Finally made it back to the church parking lot. Dan said he completed the entire trip in under two hours. We don't have official records, but by mutual agreement, that was probably our best CC ride ever. Geared down, racked the bike and made for home. What a ride.

After-work crowd

AYSO board meeting tonight. So, I have to get my strength training done before the 7:00p meeting. Hence, the only time available for me to get to Gold's is at 5:30p, right in the middle of the post-work rush. Not thrilled about this, but had to make it work.

Just as I suspected, the gym was packed. No worries. The plan was to get some chest work in and get out as quickly as possible. Slight delay... I ran into Alexis, who I haven't seen in a while. Had to chat her up for a bit. Found out she is still boxing, and just had ortho knee surgery. ouch! Also, saw Paul R. who I seem to be bumping into alot lately (saw him last week at the 5A city track meet at Tucson High). He said he got a 2-week pass to check out Gold's.

So, finally all the socialization is out of the way, and I can get down to business.

Workout:
Flat-bench Dumbell press 5 x 8 @ 65 lbs
Incline-bench Dumbell press 5 x 8 @ 50 lbs
Decline wide-grip-high-chest Benchpress 2 x 8 @ 135 lbs, 2 x 8 @ 155 lbs
Decline Benchpress 2 x 8 @ 135, 2 x 8 @ 185 lbs

Standing behind-head military press 2 x 5 @ 115 lbs
Standing to-chest military press 2 x 6 @ 95 lbs
Bench dips 3 x 20 @ bodyweight

You will notice that in addition to Chest, I threw a couple of compound upper chest/shoulder lifts in there as well. Compound movements FTW!

Completed the final progression right around 6:45p. Just in time to make my exit and head to the board meeting. Brought my Gatorade G2 and protein powder so I could whip up my post-workout shake and enjoy on the way.

Things I like - Tuna

Hope I don't disappoint, but this entry will contain no exercise specifics. I have decided to take an entry or two every once in a while to talk about the things I like. And this, my friends, is the first contribution of that sort. So, have a look, I hope you will appreciate my choices and perhaps, you will find something new that you may enjoy as well.

Chicken of the Sea Tuna Cups
These Tuna Cups come in a two pack. The carton says they are "Premium Chunck Light Tuna in Water. Ready-To-Eat! No Draining Required." And, I whole-heartedly agree. I have taken to eating these as a quick snack in the middle of the day, and/or as my post workout food+protein to begin the muscle recovery/rebuild process. One Tuna cup plus two or three wheat crackers is a fabulous thing.

Serving Size 1 cup (2.7oz/76g)
Calories 80
Calories from fat 10
Total Fat 1g
Saturated Fat 0g
Trans Fat 0g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0g
Monounsaturated Fat 0g
Cholesterol 40mg
Sodium 350mg
Total Carb. 0g
Dietary Fiber 0g
Sugars 0g
Protein 18g

I don't recall the exact price, but I believe during my last purchase, the 2-pack was in the $1.10 range. Well within my budget.

Simple. Convenient. Inexpensive. Tasty. The CotS Tuna Cup meets all my requirements for a must have item in my food arsenal. Not sure if you like tuna; but if you do, the Tuna Cup comes highly recommended.

Wednesday mile

Last night was kind of a late night for me. I didn't get to bed until midnight. But, as usual, I was up by 5:30a to prep for my morning swim.

Still half asleep I guess, because about a mile from my house I realized that I forgot my swim bag and towel. Had to turn around... can't swim without my gear.

Regardless of my absent minded start, I was at Udall and in the water just after 6:00a. The goal today was to swim a mile.

Workout:
450 yrds - WarmUp
Ladder: (10 seconds rest)
... 25 yrds, 50 yrds, 75 yrds, 100 yrds
... 100 yrds, 75 yrds, 50 yrds, 25 yrds
250 yrds - Kick
300 yrds - Pull
100 yrds - Swim

Total Yardage = 1600 yrds

I got my mile done and felt really good doing it. Today was a very good swim for me.

Tuesday is Leg Day

With Udall soccer fields closed for the next two months, we had to relocate our training sessions to Townsend Middle school. That combined with the fact the the U-18s are done, means that my Tuesday is done at 8:00p and I have enough time to make it to the gym to workout.

Back on schedule (somewhat). Which means that Tuesday is leg day. I think I skipped legs last week which is a guarantee that if I work legs with anything more than mild intensity, I will be sore for the next 2 - 3 days. Can't let that stop me though. My legs are due for a intense session.

Workout:
Squat 2 x 10 @ 135 lbs, 2 x 8 @ 185 lbs, 1 x 8 @ 205 lbs
Cleans 5 x 5 @ 135 lbs
V-Squats 3 x 8 @ 90 lbs
LegPress 4 x 8 @ 200 lbs

A post workout snack of Tuna + wheat crackers and a couple of scoops of Nitrean mixed with a cup of apple juice and 2 cups water. Time for bed.

Rare Monday strength

I don't have a soccer training session tonight. So, it was a rare opportunity for me to get to the gym on a Monday. My strength workouts aren't nearly as long as they have been in the past, but all things considered, I think that is a good thing. The objective is to get in, have a good workout and get out. Today is Back day.

Workout:
Pull Ups - 5, 4, 2, 2 (I know the reps aren't impressive, but I'm working on it)
Lat Pulldowns (behind head) - 4 x 8 @ 130 lbs
Lat Pulldowns (to chest) - 2 x 10 @ 120 lbs
Lat Pulldowns (Tri grip) - 2 x 10 @ 110 lbs
Chin Ups - 4, 4
Seated Cable Row - 4 x 10 @ 130 lbs
Bent-over Dumbell Row - 4 x 8 @ 25 lbs
Barbell front-to-overhead Raise - 4 x 8 @ 30 lbs
Upright Cable Row - 4 x 10 @ 30 lbs

Entire workout complete in just under an hour. Perfect! Now I down a little Nitrean protein and my training day is complete.

Monday morning swim

I was in bed at a decent time last night (let's call it 10:30 - ish). Which tends to make it a whole lot easier to get up in the morning. As I think I have said before, I don't tend to sleep much; average a little more than 5 hours a night. So when I do get to bed early, I wake up early as well. This morning I was up at 4:00am. Some of that was because I was hot (the ceiling fan was on... but still). Yes, it's about that time of year in Tucson again. In any case, that just means that I could kick around a bit before I had to get ready and head to the pool.

At 5:45 I'm out the door and on my way. It's already light outside and it won't be long before I should ride my bike to the pool for this three-times-a-week morning swim. In the water shortly after 6:00a and feeling pretty good.

Today's workout:
300 yrds - WarmUp
6 x 100's (1 x 25 - 25%, 1 x 25 - 50%, 1 x 25 - 75%, 1 x 25 - recovery)
200 yrds - Kick
200 yrds - Pull
100 yrds - Swim

Today's total yardage = 1400 yrds

Out of the pool by 6:45a and on my way to start the rest of my day.

Friday 50's

Nothing real fancy or elaborate about today's workout. Basically decided to swim 50's to get some 'sprint' work in. Sprint is in quotes, because my sprint isn't very fast and isn't really much of a sprint. But, none the less, it was a good pace for me.

Workout:
200 yrds - WarmUp
10 x 50 yrds - Swim (10 seconds rest)
200 yrds - Kick
300 yrds - Pull
200 yrds - Swim

Total Yardage = 1400 yrds

Can't think of a much better way to start a Friday. Can you?

Mr. Credit Lyonnais where are you?

Thursday morning. BigDan and I agreed that we would ride this morning, but our typical ride time was 6:30a. Due mostly to cold conditions and darkness any earlier than that. But, since it's starting to get light earlier now, last week we talked about riding at 6:00a in the future. Problem is, it was only a discussion in passing, no specifics. So, I was not sure if I was supposed to meet him at the church at 6:00a or 6:30a. Since we never did confirm 6, I gamble that the old standard 6:30a is still the play.

I arrived at the church about 10 minutes early, apparently only 2 or 3 mins after Dan got there. Good! We gear up and head off, down our normal Old Spanish Trail route. It's a good ride to the Rincon Market and once again, I am trying to 'push the pace' as I come out of the last turn and cover the last quarter mile to the market.

On the ride back, just after we climb the hill out of the Jeremy Wash, a smug guy in a yellow credit Lyonnais jersey passes us. (For the record, I have no reason to call him smug, other than the fact that he passed us.) With Dan just ahead of me, and traffic fairly heavy, I hung back a while looking for an opening. When it came, I told Dan I was going to try and catch Mr. Credit Lyonnais and I took off. By this time, he was way out in front. It took me the entire ride back to Houghton to catch him. I literally passed him about 100 yards before the church parking lot where my car was parked. Mission accomplished! But, to be fair, I think he had started coasting by then. I made up an awful lot of ground in the last mile. But, no worries, it still turned out to be a great ride.

Holy Headwind

Dan and Chris were unavailable to ride today. So, I decided to take this opportunity to make my first trip up the mountain in months. It's was so windy, it was ridiculous. The last 3 or 4 months have been the windiest I ever recall for Tucson.

During my ride, today's wind seems to be either blowing directly in my face, or blowing me toward the edge of the road. Neither of which is pleasant. It is also good to note, that this is my first ride up Mt. Lemmon since getting my shiny new Felt F55. I was hoping to notice a difference in weight when climbing. But, I think the wind has negated any advantage I had hoped to enjoy. I made it to mile post two and considered it a job well done.

Return ride was fine, although I leaned on my breaks a bit. Going fast, downhill, with wind blowing you all over the place can be a little unsettling.

Back home and all is well. Time for a good Sunday breakfast to start the day.

New link from the money man

G$ just sent me a link to a workout logging site.

http://www.buckeyeoutdoors.com/login.html

Looks like most of the loggers are triathletes... my peeps. This might prove useful.

Happy Valley

In northern Phoenix for the AZ Open Cup soccer tournament. Staying at the Residence Inn , Happy Valley. Typical small hotel exercise/weight room. Three treadmills, a bike and and elliptical trainer. Set of dumbells 5 lbs to 50 lbs by 5's.

Incline bench dumbbell curls
Standing dumbbell curls
Incline dumbbell press
flat-bench dumbbell press
seated dumbbell triceps extensions
side lateral dumbbell delt raises
bent-over rear delt raises
single leg squat (one leg back on bench)

Finish up with two sets of Sun Salutations. Decent road workout.