Last Weekend of Bike Patrol

The new routine will be a bit altered the next couple nights to squeeze in my last two patrol rides. It being Holloween weekend and all, there should be plenty to see as long as it stops raining. Its been like a monsoon season here the last few days and it's getting old. I'm begging for a little sun. Hopefully the weekend is nicer for Holloween and me mum's 70th birthday party on Sunday. Tiffster and I will be making the trip over for that as part of our long weekend.

My first Simple Fit session went great Wed night. It was my record for max reps on 1/1 with 38. As long as I'm smart and dont overdo things I will really have a jump on 2010 in terms of base and overall fitness. I will be including some benching to the mix too though for the remainder of the year, simply to test for another specialty position at work. I'll probably throw in some other cross training activities as well that may help me for the test.

A New Beginning

Break time over! I start on 2nd shift tomorrow and a new training schedule will commence. It will be a lot of trial and error early on, but we'll get the bugs worked out soon enough. I'm really jacked up about going again too. It helps the motivation factor when you get to check out your new tri bike at the shop. I have to go in next week so D can get everything adjusted accordingly. It is sweet! Probably too fast for the motor right now, but I expect to fix that over the winter.

The general plan is to get my swim/bike/run sessions in after I wake up in the mornings. After work I''ll be hitting the Simple Fit and core or some simple yoga emphasising either strength or flexibility. That all sounds great, but I have to start really cleaning up the diet and eating good. Oddly enough, I'm actually hoping to put on some muscle mass over the winter and shed some fat. I'm really hoping to be sitting at about the 215 lb. mark next season. And it all starts back up again with purpose and focus tomorrow.

My 2009 Season is Over

And I'm happy to say that it ended on a positive note. The Farmdale race went pretty smooth. I didnt set any land speed records but I had a blast and ran it pretty much pain free, including the hills. I got everything out of it I was hoping for and then some. I'm taking it easy for the most part this week and doing a little planning towards 2010.

I'll have my schedule change starting next week and it will only be good until the new year, so I've use that time to experiment a little bit and see what works and what doesnt. I plan on starting some strength training and will continue to run and ride 3-4 times per week. I hope to have one "long" ride or run per week and get a head start on my base training. I will also be starting some pool time and making it a regular part of my training, probably in the mornings. I got the new tri bike ordered yesteday and it should be at the shop by the end of the week. Hopefully I can sneak some rides in on it before the wather gets nasty and cold.

Now I can Relax

In about two weeks I'll be going to 2nd shift. I got the position at work I put in for. It will be a lot of work early on, but the benefits from this position are huge. As long as I do good work, it will put me in a prime position for advancements later on. It will take some adjustments to my schedule, but I've thought it through for a long time and am finding some advantges, especially with training. As far as Tiffster goes, it really wont change a thing. Same days off and instead of us both going off to bed, I'll be going to work. As long as I am diligent with a routine of getting up in the mornings by 7:30 or 8 things will be good. The crucial step will be winding down after work so I can get to sleep at a decent time.

But first things first...Farmdale. My goals for this race are simple. 1)have fun 2)run smart and 3)kickstart my training for 2010.

Farmdale Trail Run

Four days out from the Farmdale race, the unofficial end to my season. A season that really ended back in July. Once the Farmdale race is in the books I can start really planning and working towards 2010. My motivation right now is low for this race and I'm almost looking past it towards next year. This season has just been a grind on me both physically and emotionally. I will be happy to see it end. That said, I need to find some focus for Saturday or it will be a miserable experience. Any small victory will allow me to end it on a positive and help springboard me towards next year. It's a stressful week already as I wait to interview for a new position and attempt to kick the chew...again. I'm not dealing well with any of it right now. I'm moody and short tempered. Maybe a nice run through the woods will be good for me.

Flu Bug

It seems that I've been truck by the flu the last couple days. I went to work Saturday night feeling...not myself. By the end of watch on Sunday morning I was becoming miserable with chills and gi distress. I slept most of the day Sunday and decided to tough it out at work. That was probably a mistake. The horrible bloat was the worst I'd ever had. It hurt to even hit bumps in the road. At about 0400 on Monday I was beginning to get some relief. I went out of sevice at home and again went right to bed. When I woke up I finally felt much better. I have a slight lingering headache but I'm attributing that to all the sleep and probably a little dehydrated. I've been sipping Heed all day and was finally able to eat this afternoon...some scrambled eggs. Unfortunately I'm working OT tonight and tomorrow so I'll need to manage my rest and hydration accordingly. I really need to get a very short, fast run in tomorrow just to loosen my legs for my FIT test bonus on Wednesday morning. I know I can get it in my sleep, but I still like to be prepared.

I've decided to continue on course for the Farmdale Trail Run. At its conclusion, I'm going to start adding some strength training back to the mix. There's probably going to be an opportunity for a position at work for 2010 that I'm interested in and I want to be prepared when its time to test for it.

Finally....Back to Some Speed Work

Albeit very minimal. I did 6 short intervals today on the treadmill. That's the first real speed work I've done in over 3 months and I feel pretty good. I followed it up with some nice stretching and really targeted the hamstring. I feel great actually. I had to stop myself at the 6 though. I was doing 12 prior to the wheel going bad on me and I decided I'd do as many as I could comfortably, but no more than 6. Farmdale could end up being one of my better races of the year!

I also got my sign up in for the River Trail Classic at the end of November. That was a great race for me last year and set the tone for my early season training. Today I'm off to see the boys at Little Ades to do some checking on a possible Tri bike and maybe even a 29er singlespeed.