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

How Long

Workouts were rowing, elliptical, spinning, Shoulders and Arms with Ab Ripper X. (Take a look at blogs from March 2009 for complete P90X, P90X+ and 1-on-1 workout overviews)

Trying to get some cardio this week, I did some unorthodox workouts, at least for me.

I started off with a combination of rowing and the elliptical, 15 minutes each. Rowing was a bear. I kayak during the summer, but this was different. It worked a different group of muscles. My back was feeling it after about five minutes. It was great. After that, I jumped on the elliptical for a little bit. I kept it at a nice pace. I was able to get up to about a 6 minute mile pace, but I tried not to hold it for long. Over all, it was a halfway decent cardio session. Better than nothing.

Next was 20 minutes on the bike. I felt no pain here which was good. I stayed at a 16-18 mph pace. I didn’t want to push too much. I had the big chain ring in front and about 15 in the back. Another small cardio session that helped build my confidence slightly.

Shoulders and Arms were next up. This was a great workout. A+!!! I tackled this with everything I had. I went heavy on all exercises and I only had to take a couple mid-set breaks. I felt great when I was finished. I haven’t had a quality workout like this since before the injury.

Well, I have the ankle appointment in a few days. Hopefully the news will be good. Hopefully I am on the mend.

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

Slowly

Workouts were Yoga X, Chest and Back with Ab Ripper X. (Take a look at blogs from March 2009 for complete P90X, P90X+ and 1-on-1 workout overviews)

I am slowly making my way back, but just to make sure, I have an appointment set up with the doc in a few days. I want to come back strong and make sure I do not cause more damage.

I did yoga as best I could. There were certain moves that I could not perform without risking too much on the ankle. Instead I just skipped them and did what I could. If this was a couple of years ago, I would have pushed myself to do it all even though it caused pain. This is another reason for my visit to the doc. I have been known to do stupid things.

Next up was chest and back. Again, I was coming back from some time off and I did not want to push too much. Also, my workouts are going to become less intense as I transition to more triathlon training. That being said, I kept up pretty close to the numbers from my previous C&B.

I am still all over the place on how to schedule the rest of my week. I want to get a few cardio workouts in without compromising the ankle. I am hoping to be able to ride the bike and maybe get another walk in.

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

On The Mend

Workouts were Shoulders and Arms with Ab Ripper X and a swimming session. (Take a look at blogs from March 2009 for complete P90X, P90X+ and 1-on-1 workout overviews)

I am slowly coming back from my ankle injury. It has been two weeks and I still have some pain, but definitely not what it was. I am going to be careful with this one and start back very slowly. First, I will walk a mile or two and base where to go next on how I am feeling. I do not want to make things worse especially with triathlon specific training right around the corner.

I started back with a solid Shoulders and Back workout. I was able to go heavy and keep pace with my previous S&B workout. Looking back, I was actually very fresh. Maybe the time off was a blessing in disguise.

Next was some time in the pool. I wasn’t planning on using my legs at all. My workout consisted of 18 laps using the pull buoy, 9 with hand paddles and 9 without. After the first 7 or 8 laps, I really felt it in my chest and shoulders. I was able to get somewhat of an aerobic workout as well as upper body. After I was finished, I did 3 laps of running. This was the first time I have tried any pool running. It wasn’t easy, but it felt good to get some movement in the legs.

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

Benefits Of Yoga

Yoga has definitely made its way into the workout routines of athletes. Athletes, as well as trainers, have become more open minded and are willing to try anything that can improve performance. Yoga can definitely accomplish this. It increases balance, strength, flexibility and muscle tone. It also teaches focus and relaxation, integrating mind and body. Endurance athletes know all too well the importance of mental and physical strength.

Endurance athletes use yoga as part of their strength training routine. This is key component to avoiding injury. Yoga also is a nice break from high impact training sessions. Yoga will help in loosening up tight muscles and joints.
Some athletes use short yoga sequences as warm-up and/or cool-down. As most of us have been told or read in the past, breathing exercises center the mind and steady the pulse. Stretching increases range of motion, which supports and stabilizes the skeletal system, further preventing injury. Quiet meditation allows the athlete to focus on the task at hand.

The yoga workout that is recommended and used by our athletes comes from the P90X at home workout series. It is 90 minutes of love it or hate it fun. It focuses and everything, strength, balance, core, flexibility and relaxation. This is definitely not an easy routine and will take some time to get use to, but the benefits are well worth it. Also, the workout is broken up so that if you don’t want to do all 90 minutes at once, you can do the first 45 and come back later for the last 45. There are plenty of take aways that can be used before a race as well. There are plenty of breathing, relaxation and flexibility exercises that would allow you to come up with your own pre and post race routines.

Go outside your comfort zone and reap the benefits that yoga can have on your performance.

Namaste.

www.eeathlete.com
joe@eeathlete.com

Confused

Today was an overall upper body workout. (Take a look at blogs from March 2009 for complete P90X, P90X+ and 1-on-1 workout overviews)

I had my first workout since the basketball injury. I figured even though I can’t do any cardio right now, I can still hit the weights. So that’s what I did. My initial thought was to do a P90X workout. Instead I went with an upper body workout, 4 sets per muscle group. It was frustrating not being able to do my kettlebell workout. I cannot have too much weight on the injury foot. It was also a perfect day to run outside. I tried to stay focused on my workout and not worry/think about the injury, easier said than done. I know the rehab process will be slow, but what are you going to do. I am going to try to get on the bike this weekend and spend some more time in the pool. It might be a good time to build these two disciplines with triathlon training right around the corner.

The remainder of the week is still up in the air. I am looking at fitting in another weight session and possibly a swim. I am not sure yet. My good judgment is telling me to rest a couple more days and my bad judgment is telling me to get moving.

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

Ouch

Workouts were 20 mile bike, 4 mile run, Yoga X, Legs & Back with Ab Ripper X and Basketball. (Take a look at blogs from March 2009 for complete P90X, P90X+ and 1-on-1 workout overviews)

Well this is not going to be a positive blog. I have been knocked out of any cardio for the next few weeks. I will get to that later.

My 20 mile bike/4 mile run session was great. During the bike, I mixed up the pace and went through a bunch of different chainring combinations. A solid bike overall. I was able to keep up a great pace on the run. I mixed up the incline and speed throughout the 4 miles. This broke it up nicely. I cut it to 4 miles because I wanted to get some basketball time in.

I had a great yoga session. I held the poses well and my vinyasa work was top notch. Then came Legs and Back with Ab Ripper. Ab Ripper was solid and I had my best pull-up total to date. I kept 25 lbs again throughout the workout. Next week, I will increase the weight to 30. I cranked out my best pull-up total for this round, 150. My arms were gone by the time I was done. It didn’t matter. I was on a pull-up high.

Basketball is where it all fell apart. I had a solid 2 ½ hours of playing. My arms were gone from the pull-ups the day before, so I really wasn’t worried about my shooting. During the last game, I went up for a rebound or block and came down right on someone’s foot and rolled my ankle bad. It was very painful and I know I will be out a couple of weeks. The swelling has gone down, but the bruising has started. I will have to switch up my workouts next week. I am not exactly sure how I am going to rework it yet.

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

Bad Form

Workouts were Interval X and Back & Biceps with Ab Ripper X. (Take a look at blogs from March 2009 for complete P90X, P90X+ and 1-on-1 workout overviews)

Well, back to some cardio. I definitely did not lose much from the cardio side of things during my week off. I was able to keep up just fine with this one. No extra breaks needed. I had my heart rate up pretty high. I definitely got a good burn.

Now, back to the reality of taking a week off. I was pretty sore from my chest, shoulders and tri’s workout a couple of days ago. I knew that wasn’t going to help things. Back and Biceps is a tough workout to begin with. Add in some soreness and a week off, that’s a recipe for pain. I started off strong. I kept up with my previous B&B numbers. Actually, I was able to keep up with the numbers throughout. Around ¾ ‘s of the way through, the mid-set breaks started. I was also compromising form, which is something I don’t like doing. I was so hell-bent on keep up with my numbers that I didn't care. I made it through ok, but I know tomorrow I will be very sore.

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

Feeling Better

Workouts were a 5K and Chest, Shoulders and Tri’s with Ab Ripper X. (Take a look at blogs from March 2009 for complete P90X, P90X+ and 1-on-1 workout overviews)

Well, after a week off due to illness, I am back.

I planned to start off slow since I am not feeling 100%. I decided on a 2 miler to get me back into the swing of things. That 2 mile run turned into a 5K. I felt good during the run and kept about a 7:50 pace.

The next day was Chest, Shoulders and Tri’s followed by Ab Ripper X. This is where I definitely noticed that the time off hurt. Every weight I lifted felt like it was 5-10 pounds heavier. The push-ups were also brutal. My strength was definitely not there. I took a bunch of mid-set breaks. It probably would have made sense to lower the weight, but I wanted to stick with my previous workout. I was able to accomplish that which was a goal in itself.

I do not know how the rest of the week is going to play out, but I know I am going to skip the pool and opt for a bike session instead.

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