Blogging in two places… September 7, 2006
Posted by E-Dub in : General , add a commentI’m torn… I blog in two places. I have freinds here and there. I wanted to let my friends know that I’m making an effort to get back… to training… to blogging… to supporting you, in whatever way I can. I’m going to try this… I’m going to blog at [http://ericford70.blogspot.com/], but I’ll be checking in here with my Trifuel friends, as well.
My ‘other’ blog: “It’s my Blog and I’ll Tri if I want to”
See you out there…
~ef
Sunday ride and Monday run… May 2, 2006
Posted by E-Dub in : Training , 1 comment so farSunday afternoon I was determined to get out on my bike (mtb), for the first time since winter hit. I went out to the storage to retrieve my bike and there she sat. Despite a little dust, she still looked well. Ready to go. Screaming for me to take her out… yet silent and motionless. A mass of kinetic energy, just waiting to be released.
I had to clear away the snow blower and some rakes and shovels that were leaning against her, as if cuddled together in the darkness and cold, uninsulated storage room. I was surprised and pleased to find that the tires had retained their air pressure, but I gave them both a shot of fresh air, for good measure. I was planning on being out on the road for a while. It wasn’t to be your typical “ride in the park.”
I was all geared up now. I had on my Team Javelin shorts and top. I had on my heart rate monitor. The bike computer was affixed and ready to calculate. I had some local area maps in the pack, the Helmet was on and my water bottle was full. Plus, I had a protien bar, just in case. It was the late afternoon and my appetite can be unpredictable at that time of day.
I set out for the back country roads that I’d riden last fall. Being that this was my first ride since winter, I didn’t know how far my body would take me, so I really didn’t have a plan or a definite route. My only real goal was to make it as much of a long slow ride, as I could.
It felt so good to be in the saddle again! …but that good feeling went away with the first big hill that I approached. Man! I forget how hilly it is around here! With my goal of keeping my heart rate down during this ride, I geared down and made the climb as easy as possible. I tried staying in the saddle, but it was just going to slow for me. I geared up a couple of clicks, got out of the saddle and pushed through the hill, without over-exerting myself. I needed to keep my heart rate down.
I lost track of all of the hills, but I won’t forget this one hill. It was soooo steep! I was in my lowest gear and I was out of the saddle trying to make this climb! OMG! The good thing is that it wasn’t too long… the bad thing is, it was toward the end of my ride. :-/
With the uphills come the downhills, which can be fun and intimidating… especially on the first rided of the season. I was really getting into some of the downhills and experimenting with my ‘tuck.’ I didn’t use a tuck last fall on some of these same hills, but wow!.. did it make a difference. On one of the longer downhills I reached a speed of 42.6 mph! I wanted to look down to check out my speedometer, as I knew it was getting faster, but I was too scared to take my eyes off of the road. What a rush! Once I got home, I was shocked to see how fast I’d gone.
Overall, it was 15.2 miles over an hour and forty minutes. Average heart rate was 148.
*****
Monday afternoon was the run. I wanted to push myself again. The most I’d run this season was the 2.2 mile loop, that I’ve done a couple of times this season. On my drive home, I mapped and measured out a route that would take me over three miles. Again, I wanted to keep my heart rate in the lower range. That didn’t happen. I didn’t even come close. I took the dog out with me, and not to blame it on the dog, but after a point, I just could not keep my heart rate down. It didn’t bother me, however. I still felt good most of the run. I just would have had to walk in order to keep my heart rate down.
Despite all of the stops (so that the dog could pee on everything!!!), the 3.4 mile route took me 38 minutes. My average heart rate was 171. :-/
It’s a good thing I ran as far as I did, because then we went out for Beer, wings and ice cream!
Happy Training! 
Wait! April 26, 2006
Posted by E-Dub in : Training , 4 comments
I mean, “Weight” …and lots of it… but, NO!… I’m not referring to my love handles… as ‘lovely’ as they may be.
I went to the gym last night to work with weights. When I decided to get back into the training, I wanted to work on my overall strength. So I thought to myself, “Self… what can we do to work on core strength?” That’s when we remembered the four core strength conditioning exercises: Squats, bench press, deadlift, and Clean & Press.
Wow… are my shoulders sore today. I’ve been doing these exercises about once a week, along with other weighted exercises on alternate days, but it’s the deadlift and Clean & Press that is really making me sore. I’ve done plenty of weight training in my lifetime, but never have I incorporated these two particular exercises as I am now.
As you can see, the shoulders really come into play as you lift the weight from the floor. This motion is what is making my shoulder so sore across the trapezius. Also, you can see how this excercise gets many of the muscle groups; from the legs, back, shoulders, arms and of course your abdomin to hold it all steady at the top.
All of this strength training is motivating me to keep up with my yoga, because I don’t want to get too tight and muscle bound.
As the Zen proverb goes, “Only when you can be extremely soft and pliable can you be extremely hard and strong.”
Happy Training!
~ef
Run update April 24, 2006
Posted by E-Dub in : Training , 2 commentsTwo run workouts in three days!
That doesn’t seem like much, but, for this couch potato, it is quite the accomplishment. 
Okay, so couch potato may be overstating it a bit, but running has never been my forte’ and since it is my least favorite of the three disciplines, I’ve been giving it a great deal more attention.
Saturday morning, I woke up around 07:30a and immediately thought about jumping out of bed to hit the pavement for a run. I reached over to the window to pull the shade back enough to see the weather conditions and found that it was raining. 
I had a busy day ahead of me and felt that if I didn’t run this morning, then I wasn’t going to be able to get in a workout. Feeling a little dejected, I sat and had some coffee. I sat there thinking about how I might be able to make it all work today. There was much preparation to do for my neices first birthday party along with the errands that I wanted to get done, before the little celebration. After my first cup of joe, I thought then that I might have some breakfast. My next thought was, “…you should just go get your hair cut…” It seemed a little too early for that, so I made a quick phone call to see if the shop was open… and of course they were open… it’s a barber shop. The kind where you’ll find the older gents (and younger one’s) sitting around reading the paper and discussing the weeks sporting events.
Once I got my hair cut, I noticed that on my drive back to the house that it had stopped raining so hard. There was still a mist, but it definitely not raining. As soon as I got home, I put on my running gear, grabbed the dog and out the door we went. It wasn’t too cool out, so I was willing to get a little wet in order that I get my workout in.
Have you ever run with a dog? This was the first time I’d attempted to run with my German Sheperd, so I didn’t expect it to be easy… and it wasn’t. He likes to sniff and pee on everything, every 50 feet, so I spent a lot of time pulling him along. Then, when he was running along nicely, he would wander into my running path. It was a pain in the butt… Hopefully it will get better. It was kind of nice having a companion with me.
Log 2.2 miles for Saturday and another 2.2 for this morning. Not much to say about this mornings run. I wasn’t feeling sore from Saturday, but once I got out, I noticed that my legs were not happy about running again so soon. I took it nice and slow. I had planned on taking it slow to begin with, because I wanted to keep my heart rate in the ‘fat-burning’ zone. So I could burn off the birthday cake from Saturday… Oh! and Sunday was Greek Easter, so there was more eating and partying… but this is why I workout as I do… so I can eat, eat, eat!
Happy Training!
Yoga night… April 21, 2006
Posted by E-Dub in : Training , 3 commentsWednesdays workout was Yoga. I’ve recently attended a couple of classes at a local yoga studio and I love it. The specific type of yoga is, Ashtanga. Commonly referred to as “Power Yoga”. I’d done other types of yoga, but this type definitely meets my needs and goals for fitness (of the body and of the mind).
A friend had recommended this studio some time ago and I was pleased (ecstatic, really) to find that they practiced Ashtanga. More than that, the studio owner ‘Bobbi’ is a wonderful person. Their studio is very helpful to the newer and lesser skilled praticioners, and not competitive like you might find in other places.
For me, a major goal of practicing yoga is for the stretching and flexibility. I prefer to maintain a more muscular physique (yeah right0, but don’t want to lose the flexibility (not that I have it now). With Ashtanga, I can maintain that physique (because it’s quite strenuous) yet acheive a better flexibility… not to mention, the overall health that comes with the lifestyle.
As I sit here on Friday morning, I am still feeling the soreness and intensity that came from the last yoga session. When one trains for one type of activity, there are many muscles that aren’t used. Yoga is a good way of getting a full body (and mind) workout. Just be prepared for the soreness that comes with beginning anew in yoga… (ouch!) 
I’ve crossed over! April 18, 2006
Posted by E-Dub in : General , 1 comment so farWow! It’s so bright over here! The colors are so much more vibrant!
I’m happy to be here!
~ef
It's been a while…
Posted by E-Dub in : Training , 2 commentsYou may ask where I’ve been… you may ask, “who is this guy?” And I might ask the same of you.
I have been out for a while and for no particular reason. My training has been dormant, therefore my blogging had ceased. They each fueled the other and there was just no fire.
Well, a spark has ignited and the fire is coming back. The triathlon season has been knocking at my door and asking me to come out to play, so here I am again.
Yesterday, I was able to get my big, lazy butt up at 5am for a run. The weather was perfect and I felt absolutely great out there! No pain… no great fatigue… no worries. I got to see the sun rise and it had been a while… it left me all warm and fuzzy inside. (2.2 miles)
Today, I was successful yet again in getting my big, lazy (and sore) butt out of bed to go to the gym. It was kind of a spontaneous decision and I questioned whether I could “git ‘er done”, because it takes a lot of planning to be sure you have all your stuff to get ready for work at the gym, of which I really hadn’t done. I was able to pull it all together and I was only about 7 minutes late of the gym’s opening time of 05:30. I couldn’t decide whether I wanted to swim or do weights. After one of those conversations that one has with one’s self, I came to the conclusion that I needed to swim. Well, that was soon squashed when I found that I hadn’t brought my goggles. I was aware that the gym had loaner goggles, but that just didn’t sit well with me, so I headed off to the weight room.
I did upper body in the weight room, because while I might be training for a triathlon, I’m also training my physique for the beach this summer! I finished up with a mile on the “dreadmill” for good measure, despite my leg soreness.
I look forward to meeting some new people and catching up with my old friends.
Happy Training!
~ef
Happy Valentine's Day!! February 14, 2006
Posted by E-Dub in : General , add a commentHi everyone. I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Valentine's day.
Have a great day!
~ef
guh! February 3, 2006
Posted by E-Dub in : General , add a commentIt was Saturday evening and I feel this itch in my throat. I think nothing of it. I had been out all afternoon washing and polishing my cars. It was a little cool out, but nothing that a sweatshirt couldn't take care of.
Sunday morning, it's there again. No big deal. I go to church and sing all morning (I sing with the worship team… both services). After church, my throat was feeling raw, but I sign it off to irritation from singing.
Sunday night… in the middle of the night… I wake up coughing and by now I'm feeling like crap, with a very sore throat. Sleep was not my friend and going to work was not going to happen.
Monday I laid around and let my body rest. Monday night was a repeat of Sunday night. Again, no sleep.
Tuesday comes and nothing has changed. I stay home, but schedule a doctors appointment to make sure I don't have strep. The good news is that I don't have strep. The bad news is that I have to just ride this thing out.
I made it to work (guilt ridden from already missing two days for a measly cold) Wed., Thurs., and today, but have felt like crap all along. My nights have been filled with tossing and turning, and coughing and hacking. No cough medicine seems to help at all. I woke up last night and turned on the steaming hot water for a while in the bathroom. That worked the best, thus far, and provided me with 5 straight hours of sleep. Yay!!
All that being said, I'm quite irked because this has kept me from getting in any sort or workout this week.
I hope everyone else is having a great week!
~ef
sleepless in PA… January 26, 2006
Posted by E-Dub in : Training , add a commentI woke up with my alarm today… but I didn't jump out of bed. It took me about ten minutes to get myself moving.
I was super tired, but I found some motivation to do a core workout. It was short, but sweet.
I was reminded today that I am so not a morning person. I went to bed later than usual (10:30) and then I didn't sleep well. I also noticed that I was awake at some point before my alarm went off. I was lying there awake thinking, "I need to get out of bed." And then I realized that my alarm hadn't even gone off yet. I can't remember whether I fell back to sleep or not… it sure doesn't feel like it.
During the time I did actually sleep, I must have slept all wrong. My back is out of sorts. My spine, between my shoulder blades, feels knotted. :-/
Some days I really hate getting old.
~ef