GMAT done + Week of Recovery

The GMAT is finally over! The test went pretty well and I'm happy to move on with the rest of my life (including the entire b-school application process in addition to my training). Last week's near 30-mile run total had me pretty wiped out, so this week was devoted to my last couple days of test prep in addition to some much needed recovery for my tired legs. 29.35 miles might not be a lot for you seasoned triathletes and runners...but it sure was a lot for me at this stage of my conditioning. My 13-mile run from last week took a full 2 days to recover from.

There's not much to update you on in terms of weekly mileage as it was pretty slim...but here's the short summary anyway:

Monday-Wednesday: Zip, zero, zilch for workouts (but tons of studying).

Thursday- SWIM: 2500 meters (not yards): broken into 5X500 meter swims- 0:41:53 total swim time (excludes rest)

Friday- Nothing again (rest before Saturday's test)

Saturday- Post-GMAT stress relief run: 4.17 miles, 0:37:59, 9:07 mile pace

Sunday- First bike/run brick in ages broken down as follows:
BIKE- 20.00 miles, 1:09:02, 17.4 mph average
RUN- 3.00 miles, 0:26:42, 8:54 mile pace

Total Swim: 2500 meters, 0:41:53
Total Bike: 20.00 miles, 1:09:02
Total Run: 7.17 miles, 1:04:41
Total Time: 2:55:36

My body was definitely happy to scale back my run mileage drastically for the week. Up until this week my long run had been increasing consecutively for the last six weeks, and I was in need of some rest for my legs. On a positive note, I was really pleased to get one swim and one bike ride in for the week. This will be a weekly must for me throughout my Philly marathon training.

On one last note, I figured I'd personalize this blog a bit more by posting a pic of my trusty ride. It seems like most triathletes have a pretty hip name for their bikes, and I just so happen to think my ranks right up there too. Without further ado...here's my bike...Cookie Monster.

HRM Recommendation Needed

Can anyone recommend a good heart rate monitor? I've been noodling with the idea of whether or not to get a heart rate monitor for my training for awhile now, and I think I'm finally at a point where I'm ready to pull the trigger. Being a bit of a novice in this area, I don't really know which features are really important to have, and which ones you can live without. It seems like Polar makes about a thousand different models, and specifically recommends four to triathletes (s625x, s720i, s520, s150). It also seems like Garmin is getting more and more popular lately, but I don't know much about Garmin versus Polar in terms of quality. Are there any other brands worth considering besides the two I've already mentioned? Thanks for the help!

Why is this blog important?

One simple word: Accountability

This journal holds me accountable for my training like never before. Take today's run for example. I ran 13 miles, which just so happens to be the longest run of my life if anyone's keeping track. However, after about 8 miles I was in a fair amount of pain with some pretty cramped legs. Without this blog it would have been much easier to stop and call it a day. Then I thought about how in last week's post I mentioned that I was really looking forward to running 13 miles during my next long run. This blog keeps me honest, which in turn makes my training that much better.

With that said here's the week in review:

Tuesday-RUN- 1:15:15/7.74 miles/9:43 mile pace
Thursday-RUN- 35:42/4.17 miles/8:34 mile pace
Saturday-RUN- 40:22/4.44 miles/9:05 mile pace
Sunday-RUN- 2:04:13/13.00 miles/9:33 mile pace
Total- 4:35:32/29.35 miles

Again, no swimming or biking which is a bit of a let down. GMAT studying is definitely a big consumer of my free time, so the past couple of weeks have been void of any swims or bike rides. Luckily my exam is this coming Saturday (wish me luck!). After I have that test out of the way I plan on trying to incorporate at least one swim and one bike ride a week in addition to my running.

That's about all for now. Thanks for reading.

Finding the Time

I'm quickly discovering that fitting training in with the rest of my life is nearly as challenging as the training itself. Throw in a few late nights at the office and some much needed studying for my upcoming GMAT exam, and before I know it I've managed to take 4 days off from working out this week. All in all, the week was pretty much a bust in terms of volume, but the quality of the workouts I did manage to get done felt great. Completely opposite from last week, the weather could not have been better for running. I didn't manage to get any cross training in, but my three runs all felt pretty solid.

Here's the short summary:

Tuesday- RUN: 36:49/4.32 miles/8:31 mile pace
Friday- RUN: 53:39/5.95 miles/9:01 mile pace
Sunday- RUN: 1:51:21/12.00 miles/9:17 mile pace
Total- 3:21:49/22.27 miles

Although this week was a bit of a let down in terms of total volume, I was really pleased with each of my runs. Today's run was the longest run of my life and I felt good pretty much the entire way through. I'm looking forward to bumping up the long run to 13 miles next Sunday.

Stretching your boundaries is such an amazing feeling. Redefining "possible" is what Ironman is all about.

Run volume increasing...

The past week went well in terms of building up my run base for my upcoming 1/2 and full marathon runs. The weather in Philly was crazy oppressive over the past week and outdoor runs were a real challenge with the heat.

Here's the run down:

Monday- Rest (much needed after my 11 mile run from the previous week)

Tuesday- SWIM - 1:00:41- 2 miles - Decided to stay indoors and go for my first swim since the Philadelphia Triathlon. It went pretty well considering it was my first dip in over a month.

Wednesday - Rest - Second day off this week...decided I would put in a strong effort during the rest of the week and really focus on increasing my run volume.

Thursday - RUN - 0:55:36 - 5.57 miles - 9:59/mile pace - Thursday was another scorcher outside and I paid a huge price because of it. The route was a combo of some neighborhood streets and some trails in Valley Forge with one HUGE hill.

Friday - RUN - 1:00:00 - 6.85 miles - 8:46/mile pace - Nothing too exciting here. Just an hour run on the treadmill at the gym. First 30 minutes easy, second 30 minutes with increasing intensity.

Saturday - RUN - 0:34:54 - 4.17 miles - 8:22/mile pace - Decided to dial up my speed a little bit and keep my legs fresh for my long run on Sunday.

Sunday - RUN - 1:54:35 - 11.00 miles - 10:25/mile pace - Same route as last Sunday. The main difference between this week and last week's long run was my pace on the second half of the run. Due to my increased mileage this week I decided to play it safe on the way back and really take my time. Overall I felt okay and am looking forward to bumping up my long run distance next week.

SUMMARY -
Swim Time - 1:00:41
Run Time - 4:25:05
Total Time - 5:25:46
Swim Distance - 2 miles
Run Distance - 27.59 miles

'05 Ironman World Championship on tomorrow...

If you've never seen the Ironman World Championship on TV, I highly recommend watching tomorrow. It's on at 3:30pm on NBC. I am a complete Iron geek and love watching these races. Even if you're not a triathlon fan, you will get sucked in by the human interest stories they always feature.

Note: There will be no lava fields in Lake Placid for me to deal with...just hills, hills and more hills.