5/30/07 - Training Day (#8) - 82 days left

Swim

~800m? (Not sure, lost count -- long weekend!)
40min
36 inzone
avg 144
max 165
calories burned 485

5/29/07 - Training Day (#7) - 83 days left

830AM - Wake up
12:00PM - Lunch
Chicken grilled caesar
sweet tea
3:00PM - snack banana
6:45PM - Ran (1.7miles?)
27min
In Zone 24min
avg HR 144
max HR 161
calories 334
9:15PM - Dinner
5oz honey glazed chicken (perdue chicken)
barilla pasta penne
1 cup 4 cheese-mexican
1 cup spaghetti sauce
16oz 1% milk + 3tbl ovaltine

Total time IN-ZONE: 24min
Total % in zone: 88%

5/28/07 - Training Day (#6) - 84 Days left

Holiday: **Memorial Day**

10AM - WAke up
10:30 - Pilates
93cal burned
93 avg HR
103 max HR

Nothing else, it's a holiday. I won't show the food intake either for today!

Hi, meet my "Training Zone"

Mark Allen is a triathlon coach. He has a great article on "building your base" if you're a newbie to intense training or if you've taken off for a few months (to ingest turkey or rip open over-priced boxes with pretty paper on the outside).

The link to his site is here: http://markallenonline.com/base.asp

Obviously there are a few different "zones" for your heart-rate. One of which is the "aerobic" zone. Mark goes into explaining an easy formula to calculate the "zone" for you to train in for 10-12 weeks to build your aerobic base.

The reason why most people don't follow through is because everyone wants to run 10 miles in 2minutes in the gym and impress everyone. Who cares. So as of yesterday, I got a nifty new heart-rate monitor and I set my "training zone" to 121-152. So when I'm within this new zone of mine, I'm working on my base.

From now until another 12 weeks, everytime I reference my "training zone" or "in-zone" .. I'm refering to the 121-152 bpm zone that I have for myself.

I will be focusing on maximizing my exposure to this zone. So if I train for 100 minutes, I'd like to have 80% of that time spent in-the-zone. This will be due to "warm-up" and "cool-down" times that are added into the total work-out time for each session.

5/25/07 - Training Day (#5) - 85 days left

8:45AM - Wake up

9:15AM - Breakfast

• 1 1/2 cups Raisan Nut Bran


• 1 cup 1% milk

11:45AM - Lunch

• 32 oz Sweet Tea, damnit!


• quarter bbq-chicken


• 1oz bbq sweet sauce


• 1/4 cup green beans


• 1/4 cup baked beans


• 1 slice garlic bread, some butter

6:00PM - Snack - 5 chicken wings (from Hooters, nasty!, but chicken nonethless)

6:45PM- Bike

• 20 miles
• 63min
• avg HR 128
• max HR 140
• calories 633
  
• In-zone 52min

9:45PM - Dinner

• 1/4 broiled scallops
• 1/8 lb broiled shrimp
• 1/4 twice-baked potatoe
• 32oz sweat tea (damnit)
• 1/8 lb. broiled red snapper
  

Total time IN-ZONE : 52min
Total % of workout IN-ZONE: 82%

5/24/07 - Training Day (#4) - 86 days left

8:00AM - Wake up
9:00AM - Breakfast

• Chik-fil-a Chicken biscuit with honey!
• 12oz Sweet tea (blah!)
• 15 hash rounds (left them on napkin to drain grease yummy)

11:30AM - Snack -- choc. chip granola bar

2:00PM - Lunch

• 1.5 lb. potatoe
• chives
• 1 tbs lite-sour cream
• 3 tbs bbq-sauce
• 2-3oz grilled chicken
• 2oz tomatoes

6:30pM- Pilates

• duration: 25min
• calories: 99
• avg HR: 93
• max HR: 117

7:00PM - Run

• 2.85miles
• 34min
• max HR 153
• avg HR 129
• In zone: 19min
• calories: 347

9:00PM - Dinner

• Firehouse sub - "Hero" 8in. roast beef, ham, turkey, wheat-bread
• 12oz Chimay beer
• 24 pretzels (rold gold)

10:00PM - Snack - choc. chip granola bar

Total time in IN-ZONE: 19min

Total % of time IN-ZONE: 32%

5/23/07 - Training Day (#3) - 87 days left

8:00AM - wake up
8:30AM - breakfast: bowl of raisan nut bran (1 1/2 cups), 3/4-1cup 1% milk
9:50aM - 2 choc. chip granola bars

12:15PM - LUNCH:

• 4- 5oz chicken terriyaki
• 4oz egg drop soup
• 1/2 cup fried rice
• 1/2 cup boiled mushrooms
• 32oz Sweet tea! (need to stop drinking SWEET tea)

7:00PM - swim 3 x 200M (:60) -- freestyle 26 min

need to start earlier next time. have too much work to do before tomorrow, i'll have to make up the 40min tomorrow

8:00PM - DINNER:

• 1 cup rice
• 1 cup refried beans
• chicken, cheese, wrapped in fajita
• 24oz sweet tea (damnit I need to stop drinking sweet tea!!)

11:00 PM - 14oz 1% milk + 2 tbl ovaltine

5/22/07 - Training Day (#2) - 88 days left

7:30AM - wake up
8:00AM - Pilates (abs) - 27 min
8:30aM - Bowl of Cereal - Raisan Nut Bran (1/2-3/4 cup) 9:00AM - Work
12:30PM - Lunch

• Blackjack's BBQ! haha
• 1/4 chicken -- white
• 3 ribs
• sweet tea!
• 2 pieces of extremely good garlic bread (loaded with dripping butter!)

6:40PM - 2.5 mile run @ 24 minutes. Hauled ass the first 1 mile (probably 7.5min mile) then 1.5mile remaining tappered off. Bad move. 2 things the size of golfballs are coming out above my ankles, need to find out what the hell that is. Also, need a heart-rate monitor
7:10 PM - hot tub, 20min
8:15 PM - dinner: alfredo w/gorgonzola + 6-8oz of steak, minestrone soup, 2 pieces of bread
11:00PM - 14-15oz of 1% milk + 3 tbs Ovaltine

It's all about the Metrics

After the first day of training towards doing an Ironman I realized that I need to get really really specific and track EVERYTHING!

For the bike:

• First and foremost -- I need a new one, but that'll have to wait since they're expensive as hell.
• A bike computer to track speed/distance/time/power generated
• Helmet
  

Running:

• Nothing. Already have new shoes (1 week old)

Swimming:

• Nothing. Already have race-fins, goggles, ear plugs, nose plug

5/21/07 - Training Day (#1) - 89 days left

9:10AM - Wake up
9:15AM - Breakfast - 2 choc. chip granola bars
9:30AM - Work
11:30AM - Snack : 1 choc. chip granola bar
12:45PM -Lunch:

• @ Cracker barrel
• 4 grilled chicken tenders (6-8oz chicken)
• Hashbrown casserole w/onions (6-8oz)
• 2 eggs over-hard
• sweet tea

2:45PM - workout

• Swim : FreeStyle : 250m : 10min -- had to stop, chlorine in pool was terrible on eyes and nose, need to find new pool this week

3:00PM - Snack - 1 piece of aged cheddar
3:20PM - Work
6:00PM - Bike - 8.5mile 35min (stop lights and using a mountain bike) -- 14.5mph
7:30PM - Dinner:

• 1 slice Gouda cheese
• 2 pieces of bacon
• 2 slices of tomato bread
• 3oz turkey
• 1 cup of potato soup
• 4oz french bagette

9:15 - Starbucks : Large peppermint hot chocolate

Why do I want to attempt this?

As of yesterday I've been pumped.

I want to try. Simple as that. I sit in a chair all day and program -- don't get to see the sun much, but I'm trying to change that. I'm going to record what I eat and train daily. I'm going to commit the next 3 months to this blog and training. If I write it and tell everyone about it, i'm sure to stick to it so I don't say things and not follow through.

The goal is to attempt to enter a half-ironman 365 days from now. Next year in Orlando, FL @ Disney. This goal is close to impossible for me to do, but since I'm a tad bit athletic already and have been swimming/running/biking for a short-lived past, I figure I could skim real close to actually attempting it in 12 months. Might have to push it to 18months of training before considering a real race. 12Months should be good enough target though for the moment.

The 70.3 consists of:

1. 1.3 mile swim
2. 56 mile bike race
3. 13 mile half-marathon run

I'll have to start researching how my body reacts to certain training, foods, and how to fix it when it breaks. Any help (comments) on my posts will help greatly!