The Training Blog of Lindsey

Went to the doctor today because I am still coughing and this will be the third week. Turns out I didn’t have the flu but had and still have bronchitis. He but me on antibiotics that should get rid of it in the next 10 days.

So I did 22 minutes of full body strength training. I did one set of 12 reps heavier weights upper and lower. Then jog/walk intervals for 1.04 miles. Didn’t last too long because I started coughing again. Still felt great because like Monday I again had a pretty good stride and no shuffling.

Also did some stretching before and after both the weights and run. Now off to bed for some much needed rest!

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 07/09/2008
• Time: 21:09:00
• Total Time: 00:14:00.00
• Distance: 1.04 miles
• Average Pace: 13:27.17/mile

Yesterday I had to put my lab, Labrina down. She is the dog pictured with me on my page. It was so freakin’ hard. I balled like a baby and was very grateful to have my husband at my side and a compassionate vet to take care of it. I held her until the end so that I was the last thing she would see, hoping this would comfort her. She has been such a great friend to me since I was 12, so I know I had to do right by her by making the best choice for her so she wouldn’t suffer.

Our siberian husky, Bandit has been a comfort these last two days. I believe she knows something happened as she is much more calm than her usual spunky husky self. Snuggling me, occasionally kissing my tears, it is all very sweet. Labrina was my first canine companion, very intelligent, had a great personality and I am glad that we had so many great times together throughout my childhood and into my adult life. I am also glad that she could be a great friend to my husband for the last 8 years as well.

I will miss her and hold her memories dear. I am glad that I had a place here to share this…thank you.

Tonight is the first night that I have ever had a stride the entire run and I did not shuffle once during my run. Yay me!!! And it showed in my time because I have a new best time, improved by about 30 seconds I believe, whoohoo!! I am very excited.

I am getting back into the running grove after having been off as stated in my past several posts. So I decided to start with 2 miles and gradually move it up, and start with 5 min run 1 min walk intervals. (I was up to 11 min run before). So I am happy with that especially after I found out my time improved!! Can’t wait for my next run!

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 07/07/2008
• Time: 21:43:00
• Total Time: 00:25:58.00
• Distance: 2 miles
• Average Pace: 12:59.22/mile

I love swimming!!! I know I have said that a million times in my posts but I just do. Didn’t get many laps in today before the lanes closed but it still was great. I wasn’t far enough along in my Total Immersion book to use the new exercises so I did my usual laps. Then stretched afterwards.

Shoulders are a little sore but that is a given since I haven’t been in the pool in two weeks. Tomorrow I am going to the zoo with a few friends so I will have to get to the pool by 6:30am.

Workout:

• Type: Swim
• Date: 07/07/2008
• Time: 12:19:00
• Total Time: 00:36:00.00
• Distance: 900 yd
• Average Pace: 4:00.64/100yd

Workout:

• Type: Strength Training
• Date: 07/05/2008
• Time: 15:11:00
• Total Time: 1:15:00.00
• Average Heart rate: 158
• Calories: 518

I am almost fully recovered from the flu…finally!!!  On Tuesday I had to sub Kickboxing and because I was still dizzy I had the ladies do stations while I watched.  It was so depressing, I really wanted to get in there and join them!  The dizziness finally cleared up on Thursday, it felt so good to feel like my head was cleared up, that I could think straight and that I could walk a straight line…lol.  The hacking cough is also almost gone as well which is also nice, throat is a bit raw as a result.

Anyway, today I can return to my workouts, yay yay yay!!!!!  I have missed the Sweat365 community so much!  I didn’t realize how much it helped to motivate me and just generally how much I enjoyed reading about others workouts and blogs.  This was my first full week back to work and it was very draining but I am so happy to be back to normal.  I have really missed working out.  I have a 5k a week from Sunday that I wont be ready for since I have missed about 2 weeks of training from being sick.  But I am going to do what I can this week and then come Sunday just give it my best!  I am still very excited for it! 

I got my Total Immersion book in the mail so I am going to read as much as I can by Monday when I will get back into my swimming.  I am hoping to start applying what I learn as soon as possible.

Also great news is that I found out after seeing my doctor that the meds I was on for my migraines and the sleep aide was keeping me from loosing weight, making me forget things and making my overeating issue worse.  So I am on a new med for my migraines, off the sleep aides and have dropped four pounds since.  YAY!   It was really frustrating that I was swimming 2 or 3 times a week, jogging 2 or 3 times a week, strengthing training 1 or 2 times a week and not loosing any weight.  I was toning just a little but given that I am over weight I should have been loosing weight.  So in the week that I have changed my meds I have lost 4 pounds so that is very motivating for me.  Most of my flu didn’t have to do with throwing up and nasuea so I am hopeful that it was mainly the med change.  So we’ll see what adding back the training does.

I am going to have to get used to sleeping without the sleep aides again because I am back to 4 hours of sleep on work nights which isn’t good because that leads to more migraines.  So I am thinking about adding in some yoga at night and trying really really hard to force myself to atleast get into the bed by 9:30 or 10pm instead of 11 or 12pm and read because that helps me relax, and no tv!

 The plan is to do strength training today and then a two mile walk/jog interval that I will take it easy on.  Rest Sunday.  And then start my sprint tri training on Monday!!!  Yippeee!!!! Time to get back on track!!! :)

So…. I have the freakin’ flu!!!  Grrraarrrgghhh.  And it is summer!!!!  Never have I had the flu in the summer!!!! 

I had a bit of a sore throat for a couple days and didn’t think much of it until Monday and Tuesday when suddenly I am blowing my nose, hacking, nauseous, throwing up, dizzy and just the simple task of taking a shower practically puts me into a coma.  I missed 3 days of work…3!!  I came in on Friday and by the time I got here the act of getting ready had worn me out and they sent me home…my husband drove me home since I was really dizzy again and I crashed on the couch.  It makes me so angry when I get so motivated and I am in the groove working out and this happens.  I haven’t worked out since last Saturday!!  My 5K is around the corner and I want to be able to run all of it and get a good time.

The mucus (I know…ewwww) is starting to clear up.  No more sore throat and I am coughing less.  I am still dizzy and a bit nauseous though. I am sooooo hoping that by Monday I can get back into it even if I have to take it a bit easy.  I am also scheduled to sub for a kickboxing class on Tuesday and Thursday and I don’t want to miss out on that!!

 Anyway, this post was purely to bitch and moan…..whaaaaahhhhhhggggrrrraaarrrggggghhhh.

Finally, I was able to buy the Total Immersion book by Terry Laughlin. I ordered it on Amazon and hope that it takes less than 14 days to get here!!

Swimming is my most favorite of sports but I really suck at it!!! I am sure I said this in another post but I have always thought that if I was an animal it would be a fish or a dolphin because I have always loved to be in the water and grew up swimming in lakes off the beach, speed boats and docks. I could be floating on my back in a pool full of splashing screaming kids and be relaxed and grinning like a fool.

Anyway, this is the first time that I have ever technically focused on swimming as a sport and not for fun. As a result I can float just fine, do side stroke, breast stroke, etc…(I am sure to the expert it looks like flapping around rather than a good breast stroke) but never have I really done much freestyle.

I have been swimming 1-3 times a week now and really have only done a few laps of it freestyle. Each time I did swim freestyle I swear the lifeguard was watching me, in anticipation, ready to dive in because I looked like I was voluntarily drowning myself.

Anyway, the Total Immersion book was recommended and I can’t wait for it to arrive so that I can try it out. I am sure, from other accounts that I can expect improvement and at the very least the lifeguards won’t be on the verge of a heart attack everytime I jump into the lap lanes.

Great strength training today! Felt great!! I think that strength training is one of my favorites of the weekly routine. I did full body strength training with free weights and a medicine ball. I did two sets of 12 counting: 1-2-3 up, hold 1, 1-2 down, hold 1 and repeat. That always gets me sweating and by the 2nd set, rep 11 or 12 I wouldn’t be able to do another in good form. I also did 15 reps of my butt ‘n’ gut routine…which I really like - I am all about toning my ghetto booty. Stretched about 3 minutes before and 10 minutes after the routine. I love stretching out all the muscles I worked, it always feels great and I always stand a bit taller and with better posture.

I am going to take the advice given regarding my post about the turn around time for the first run after an event. Until the 13 recovery days are up I am going to focus a bit more on swimming and strength training and not do more than 2 miles for each run until the pain subsides or is significantly better. I was glad to read that it isn’t necessary to nix everything…I would hate to waste 13 days of no exercise!!

Workout:

• Type: Strength Training
• Date: 06/21/2008
• Time: 16:18:00
• Total Time: 1:13:00.00
• Average Heart rate: 138
• Calories: 450

I have posted countdown clocks for 3 events.  The first is the 5K Donor Dash, I want to participate in this to get more experience in events and my goal is to run the entire distance and challenge myself for a great average time.  This one also is personal for me as my Mom had a liver transplant 15+ years ago…so this is a great event for me to support.

The second is the Dip and Dash which is a 750 or 1500 yard swim and 5K run, I want to participate in this for experience in more than one sport during an event in preparation for the Sprint Triathlon I would like to do in September.  I have signed up and paid for the Donor Dash and depending on what cash flow looks like at the end of July, beginning of August will determine whether or not I sign up and pay for the Sprint Tri and Duathlon or just the Sprint Tri.  The Sprint Tri is most important to me because that is my long term goal.

Now I am trying to find a good 12 week Sprint Tri training program.  The ones I have found so far on the web and on sweat365 all instruct for times like 20 min. swim or 20 min. run gradually increasing on the time.  I feel like because my runs are usually 45 min. or more and my swim is 60 min. that 20 min. or the times they programs list aren’t enough.  Does that make sense?  So anyway, I think I will choose a 12 week program that works good with my schedule and then increase the times to where I am at right now, or a little less since I would be doing “block training” (I think that is what it is called).

I was also thinking that maybe 20 min. runs, etc is good because that would be jogging the entire time, whereas I do intervals (jog/walk) right now and I am up to 10-11 min. of jogging at one time and 2 min. power walking.  Or maybe I should stick with the interval training and also work on the distances for the Sprint Tri and get to the point where I can do the full distances without walking or having to take breaks??  I don’t know.  But I do know that I enjoy swimming for the full hour and doing my 45 min. + interval runs.

Any input and advise you can give would be fantastic!!