One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

It seems like every time I get to a certain point these days, something knocks me down.

I got to my recovery week and BAM! I get some awful virus that has kicked my butt for 5 days now.

I am not exactly sure what I am going to be able to do this week, but I thought I would post the schedule any way. So far, I am not going to work out on Sunday, Monday and I am guessing Tuesday. Hopefully I will be ok by mid-week.

Workout schedule:

Sun - Back & Bi's w/Abs

Mon - Plyo X

Tues - Core & Stretching

Wed - Yoga X

Thur - Chest, Shoulders & Tri's w/Abs

Fri - Swim/Bike 40 minutes total

Sat - 3.5 mile run

In Good Health,
Joe
joe@eeathlete.com
www.eeathlete.com

One Week Complete

First week went well. The P90X workouts were pretty light, but overall I felt good. The ankle felt strong, the knee is on the mend after a mishap playing with the kids and the shoulders are feeling strong. The biggest thing I was worried about was my plyometrics workout. After not doing it for sometime, I was worried about how I would hold up. It was tough, but I know it will get better each time out.

I had to skip my swim last week due to the pool being closed. I had to stick with just the bike.

Workout schedule:

Sun - Chest & Back w/Abs

Mon - Plyo X

Tues - Core & Stretching

Wed - Yoga X

Thur - Shoulders & Arms w/Abs

Fri - Swim/Bike 30 minutes total

Sat - 2.5 mile run

In Good Health,
Joe
joe@eeathlete.com
www.eeathlete.com

The Comeback

Well, it has been a long time since I have blogged. The new addition to the family is taking up a lot of time. There doesn't seem to be enough time in the day. That being said, starting 1/1/2011, I am going to try my best to post weekly.

What have I been up to?

I completed another round of P90X, dealt with a couple of small nagging injuries and crossed over into the Newton running.

What is on deck?

The past two weeks I have really focused on stretching, yoga and core. Next week, I will get back to some light training. Starting January 1st, I will begin preparing myself for another 70.3 Ironman. Hopefully I can leave out the 2 months of physical therapy that plagued me last season. Unfortunatly, I signed up for the 3-on-3 basketball tournament again.

Next weeks schedule:

Sun - Chest & Back w/Abs

Mon - Plyo X

Tues - Core & Stretching

Wed - Swim/Bike 30 minutes total

Thur - Shoulders & Arms w/Abs

Fri - Yoga X

Sat - 2 mile run

In Good Health,
Joe
joe@eeathlete.com
www.eeathlete.com

Going Insane!

I ended my P90X phase 1 on a good note. I feel my strength coming back. Using the Bosu on alot of the shoulder and arm exercises really makes a difference. Not only are you building strength in the arms and shoulders, but you are really engaging the core. The other big change I made was on pull-ups. I started using a band that wraps around the bar and assists you by putting your knee in it. It cuts some of your body weight out of the exercise while still making them challenging. My reason for doing this? I wanted to really focus on good form. I was able to do a lot of pull-ups, but I was sacrificing form. Now, I could careless about the numbers and want to focus on slow and smooth movement. I actually used that philosophy for my push-ups as well. I wanted slow and smooth movement. Not so slow that you only get a few in before time is up.

I have now transitioned into my Insanity phase and after only a few days, I am impressed. The workouts are short, but the are also very tough. I have yet to get through one without having to take a break. I will give a full review once I complete week 1.

In Good Health,
Joe
joe@eeathlete.com
www.eeathlete.com

Back To The X

I am finally back into full swing of P90X workouts. Things have been progressing slowly and I am concentrating more on form than weight and numbers. I am also replacing some of the exercises with my own. Not a lot of them, just one or two here and there. As much as I like doing push ups, I miss pressing weight. So, I am adding some incline, decline and flat bench presses.

I am also using the Bosu when possible. I stand on it for 75% of the exercises during shoulders ad arms. I also have switched out a couple of the exercises and added preacher curls and shrugs.

Finally, I have also changed a few of the ab exercises. I added a couple of exercise ball moves, as well as decline ab work.

I have taken a solid 6 weeks off from anything triathlon related. I am allowing my ankle and shin splints to completely heal. When I come back, it is going to be slow. I will be starting this weekend with a 1.5 mile run.

I have another two weeks of P90X and then I will be swtiching over to Insanity for a few weeks. I am looking forward to seeing what that is about.

In good health,
Joe
joe@eeathlete.com
www.eeathlete.com

End Of A Season

My triathlon season has ended. I battled through a bad injury, shinsplints and a new baby. I took the season for what it was worth.

I am in the middle of two solid weeks off to rest some injuries. After that, it will be a light week of upper body strength training. This will be followed by a light week of total body strength training.

I am doing this to give my ankle and shin splints some solid time to heal.

Once this period is over, I am starting a mix of P90X and Insanity. I will be replacing some of the moves with new ones I learned during my 2 month stay at physical therapy. These exercises will incorporate more core and balance while still giving my muscle a quality workout.

I will post the schedule soon and point out what moves I have changed.

In Good Health,
Joe
joe@eeathlete.com
www.eeathlete.com

To Tri To X

Things have been crazy over the past few weeks. Lots of outdoor house work, the new baby, etc.
I had my first of two triathlons a couple of weeks ago and given the conditions, it went well. It was rainy, hot and the trail run was a hilly mudpit. Even with all that, it was fun. I love triathlons in Lake Geneva.

Now all I have left is my 1/2 Ironman at the end of the month. I feel like I am not as prepared as I should be, but with the new baby and the ankle injury I am taking it for what it is. I'll do my best and forget the rest...

This leads me to my next topic. I am missing my P90X workouts and cannot wait to get back. With all this triathlon training, I haven't had a chance to really do any strength training. One more month to another hybrid p90x routine.

In good health,
Joe
joe@eeathlete.com
www.eeathlete.com

Where You Been?

After an extended absence, I am back. I was off enjoying the birth of my third child.

That being said, I have been keeping up with my triathlon training as best as I can. I have decided to take it easy the rest of the year. I am not going to match my times from last year with my ankle injuries and late nights with the new baby. I have been pushing myself too much and I am paying the price with shin splints and pain under the left knee.

After my Half Ironman, I am done for the year, take some time to heal and then it is back to the P90X.

This year has definitely not gone as expected, but hey, does anything?

In good health,
Joe
www.eeathlete.com
joe@eeathlete.com

Brick #1

This week has had some challenging workouts. Between the wind and heat, I have gotten a little of everything.

The Brick
My first of the year! I knew this workout was going to be tough once I hit the run portion with temps in the 80’s. This was the most comfortable I have been on the bike to date. I got into a smooth rhythm right from the start. The 30 miles flew by. Up next was the 4 mile run. I forgot how crappy your legs feel when you start the run. First couple miles were ok, after that it got hot. Luckily I had enough fluid to dump on my head as well as drink. Overall, not bad. I still have some work to do.

Swim(drills)

Same as usual. Hand paddles with the pull buoy, kick drills with the zoomer fins, 1-arm drills, fist drills and speed drills. I am slowly building up the length of my swim drill days. I do not want to risk shoulder injury. The ankle has me all paranoid. This is the first time in my triathlon career that I have swam more than once a week and I want to do it right.

4 mile run
Another hot one. I went at a nice pace. Right between 8:30-9 minute miles. The ankle felt good. Slowly making progress with the injury. I am still not going to push it. I am going to keep this pace for at least another week.

Swim 1.2 miles
This was straight laps. After about 5 laps, I fell into a nice pace. Nothing spectacular to talk about here.

In good health,
Joe
www.eeathlete.com
joe@eeathlete.com

Here We Go Again

Ok, I have been out for a while dealing with another rolled ankle. I was not a happy camper. I am back, but running slower and giving the injury the time it needs.

Here is this week’s schedule

Sunday – Brick, 30 mile bike/4 mile run
Monday – 45 minute swim (drills)
Tuesday – 4 mile run
Wednesday – 1.2 mile swim/20 mile bike
Thursday – 20 mile bike
Friday – off
Saturday – 10 mile run (hills)

Hopefully I can stay the course. First triathlon of the year is 4 weeks away.

In good health,
Joe
www.eeathlete.com
joe@eeathlete.com

Ok

30 mile bike
I had to keep this indoors on the trainer due to the weather. I worked my butt off. I averaged about 24 mph for the 30 miles. Yes, they are trainer miles, but they still produced a pool of sweat that leads me to believe that I burnt a ton of calories. Afterwards, I got a nice stretch in. My legs were a little sore from the previous days 5k, but nothing that didn’t loosen up after about 5 miles on the bike.

Strength Training
Well, this was my last strength training session until after race season. I think I have built up enough to get me through the next 3 months. The workout was all upper body and core, no legs involved. I worked semi-hard and moved fast from one set to the next. I am going to replace these workouts, with another day in the pool.

3 mile run
I have mentioned before that I am starting to feel a shin splint on my left calf. I am guessing this is from coming back to quickly from my ankle injury, as well as favoring the ankle when I first got back to running. The run was good. I mixed it up with some speed/hill intervals. I averaged 7:30 per mile. Unfortunately, I was forced to use the treadmill.

1 mile swim
Surprisingly, I felt strong in the pool. I thought it was going to be a so-so swim because I was still sore from my strength training session. This was the first time this year that I felt some gains in the pool. The mile was nonstop laps. Kind of boring, but the work needs to get done.

My midweek grade is a B-. I would have liked to been outside for my bike and run, but I can’t control the weather and it’s a little too cold for me to be running or biking in the rain so early in my training. This will change as the weather warms up.

In good health,
Joe
www.eeathlete.com
joe@eeathlete.com

A New Season

5k went well. A total time of 22:35, a 7:17 pace. I was right where I wanted to be.

Here is this week’s schedule:

Sunday – 30 mile bike
Monday – Strength Training
Tuesday – 3 mile run
Wednesday – Swim 30 laps
Thursday – 20 mile bike
Friday – Rest
Saturday – Run 8 miles (hills)

In good health,
Joe
www.eeathlete.com
joe@eeathlete.com

A New Start

Now that PT is all done, I am in full triathlon training mode. Starting this weekend I will begin posting my schedule.

I have been progressing slowly. I think I may have done too much, too soon. I feel some shin splint pain. I need to keep an eye on that.

I am running twice a week, biking 2-3 times a week, swimming once and strength training once. P90X has been put on hold for a while. My strength training is just an overall body workout lasting about 40 minutes.

I have my first race coming up in about 5 days. It’s just a 5k, but it will help in seeing where I am at.

In good health,
Joe
www.eeathlete.com
joe@eeathlete.com

Going Up!

Things have gone in a positive direction this week. I had a solid 30 miles on the bike, some good runs and strength training. I got killed at my last PT session, lots of sprints and plyometrics.

I finally made my way out to the hills. I went a total of 6 miles at an 8:45 pace. I didn’t want to push too much considering it was my first time out. I climbed a total of 889 feet and descended a total of 882 feet. The ankle didn’t swell too bad. The following day the legs felt heavy.

I also ran 3.1 miles at a 7:29 pace. My ankle felt strong throughout the run.

Things are improving!!!

In good health,
Joe
www.eeathlete.com
joe@eeathlete.com

Moving Forward

Things are progressing nicely. I had a 5.5 mile run at an 8:30 pace and also a 5k at a 7:58 pace. The ankle is still swelling a bit and a little sore, but I think I need to expect this for a while. I am going to tackle some hills this weekend and see where I am at.

I am getting ready to switch up my strength training routine again. I will probably add some core synergistic and intervals from the P90X series.

I rode 30 miles on the trainer and am looking forward to getting outdoors. Triathlon training is starting to take over. I still need to build some more endurance. I am not exactly where I want to be. I will try to push it as much as possible without being stupid.

In good health,
Joe
www.eeathlete.com
joe@eeathlete.com

Extended

Just when I thought things would be coming to an end, they get extended. Three more weeks of physical therapy. Luckily I get to cut down to once a week.

I am hoping to start making some progress soon and start getting a more set schedule. Once therapy goes down to once a week, it will be easier to manage.

I am up to running 3 miles outdoors and got the ok to bump it up to 4. I also started doing some hill intervals. I have to walk the hills and they are only a 5% grade, but its movement in the right direction.

Swimming is also increasing. I am getting close to ¾ of a mile. So far there have been no problems with the foot in the water. Regardless, I am pacing myself. On the bike, I am staying at 20 miles until I am able to get outside. I am not trying to go crazy with the speed on the indoor trainer. Again, just pacing myself.

I have completely taken a break from all things P90X and shifted to the Bowflex for the next 3 weeks. I figure it would be a nice change of pace and really throw my muscles off.

Next week will start some solid triathlon training.

I still can’t believe how long this ankle is taking to heal.

In good health,
Joe
www.eeathlete.com
joe@eeathlete.com

Bored

I get to take a break from physical therapy this week. Hopefully next week will be my last. The ankle still gets sore and the progress seems to have slowed.

I am up to 2 miles running at about a 9:15 pace. This weekend I am shooting for three miles and then I will slow things down a bit.

I am also back in the pool. I started at a ½ mile and will build from there.

My bike workouts have been good. I have stayed at about 20 miles. On the weekends, I have been doing a combination ride and lift. I ride the bike for a couple of miles, pop off and then do a set of some form of strength training. I have been enjoying this. It breaks things up nicely.

I wish I had more to discuss, but things are not too exciting right now. I need to start building my workouts. It is almost time to start focusing strictly on triathlon training and endurance. I really need to get my running miles up to 6 or 7 by the end of the month.

In good health,
Joe
www.eeathlete.com
joe@eeathlete.com

Progress

Things are still progressing slowly. As each week progresses, I know I am losing more endurance. I am trying to focus on the bigger picture and not let it get to me.

The weight training is going well. I am sticking with a mix of exercises from the P90X routines and throwing in some BOSU work. I am up to an hour on the bike which is good. I am keeping my fitness there. I am using the elliptical once a week and pushing myself. I am hoping this will help with the running endurance.

I have definitely lost a lot of my plyometric lungs. I performed some simple exercises at physical therapy and was winded on a few of the moves. This did not make me happy. I am up to 4.9 mph on the treadmill and it looks like I will be running at my next PT appointment. Yippy!!!

In good health,
Joe
www.eeathlete.com
joe@eeathlete.com

PT

First week of physical therapy in the books. I had the wrong impression. It definitely is work with some of it being difficult. I am hoping for a speedy recovery.

My workouts have been focusing more on cardio, what cardio I can do. I have been sticking with 2 days on the bike, 1 day in the pool, 1 walking workout, 2 days of strength training and 1 yoga workout. PT is two days a week, so I just use those as rest days.

I will set up a concrete schedule this coming week. I am trying to do as much triathlon training as possible, as well as keep my endurance up. My strength training days are going to be a mixture of exercises from P90X, P90X+ and Tony’s 1-on-1 workouts. I will also start posting some of my swim workouts as they will be becoming more intense.

In good health,
Joe
www.eeathlete.com
joe@eeathlete.com

Uh-Oh

Today was 1 mile walk and Chest, Shoulders & Tri’s with Ab Ripper X. (Take a look at blogs from March 2009 for complete P90X, P90X+ and 1-on-1 workout overviews)

The only workout I have had in the past few days has been Chest, Shoulders and Tri’s with AB Ripper X. I started off with a 1 mile walk on the treadmill. The workout was a burner. I pushed hard and got out some good numbers without sacrificing my form.

And now, the bad news.

Well, not all that bad. The ankle is not broken, but is in need of more time to heal. It is a high grade ankle sprain. The doc was twisting my ankle in ways it shouldn’t be able to twist. The ligaments are not feeling too good. I cannot run or swim without the pull buoy. In two days, I will be starting physical therapy twice a week for 1-2 months. Things will be reevaluated after that.

So, for now, it will be all upper body stuff and lots of time on the bike.

In good health,
Joe
www.eeathlete.com
joe@eeathlete.com