Cold Weather Running

There was a group training run this morning and since I knew it was going to be cold, I slept in. I was still motivated enough to want to run, even if it warmed up just a little bit. Apparently it was 19º at 8am. I headed out around 11am and the temps had risen to 29º.

I was bundled up in 4 layers and it took me about 1.5 miles to start warming up. It wasn't too bad until the wind kicked up or when running by a busy traffic area and the cars whizzed by. Once again, I need a wind barrier layer and something that breathes. Even when I got home, the layers that were wet were cold and I had to get out of them quickly.

I noticed when I did my training week in review that I only got 1 run in last week. Although I've been training regularly, I've been slacking on the run. I signed up for a half marathon in March and I know I can do the distance. I don't want to be slower than my previous time. It's the start of a new week and I'm going to try and get a couple more runs in this week despite the cold and snow predicted in the next couple of days.

Training Week in Review

Here's a summary of my training week. I got a couple double workout days in. I also did some core, stretching and resistance exercises. I started feeling a cold coming on with signs of a sore throat on Wednesday. I was able to fight it and started feeling better by Friday. As far as my weight, I've gained 2 - 3 pounds. It should be muscle with the training I've been doing. I haven't changed my diet and was hoping that the training would burn some additional calories. Although the weight has gone up by a bit, I'm noticing leaner parts of my body including arms, legs and waist. I'll have to do some research on proper nutrition & diet while training.

Date	Day	Activity
01/02/11	Sunday	1 hour Cycling - Indoor Trainer
01/03/11	Monday	1 hour Cycling - Indoor Trainer Swim - 1600 meters
01/04/11	Tuesday	1 hour Cycling - Indoor Trainer Run - 7.3 miles (hills)
01/05/11	Wednesday	1 hour Cycling - Spin Class Swim - 1200 meters
01/06/11	Thursday	1 hour Cycling - Spin Class
01/07/11	Friday	Rest
01/08/11	Saturday	20 mile bike ride

Winter Ride

I've been itching to take the bike out and decided to do a ride this weekend. I almost cancelled it because the weather is cold and windy. I then saw a post on our club forum that a group was going for a ride Saturday morning. I made sure to dress in layers. Temps were in the high 30's with 10-15 mph winds. By the time we were done with the ride, temps were in the mid-40's. With the wind chill, we were probably riding in 30-35 degree weather. We're some hard core riders. Did I mention that the other riders were women. It was an easy ride as I was getting used to the saddle, aero bars and aero drink bottle.

Triathlon & Twitter Followup

I posted a couple days ago about how a picture I sent was selected as a winner for some free stuff from Nuun. The package arrived today. I got some stickers, a product information booklet, a water bottle and a tube of Nuun. Not bad for uploading a TwitPic when Nunn requested holiday themed pics of their product. It pays to follow these companies on Facebook and Twitter. They offer valuable nutrition information and every now and then, they give free stuff away. There's another story here about following companies and I'll mention it in a later post. It's too soon to tell what will happen, but this could mean a big opportunity for me. As soon as I have information confirmed, I'll post details.

Anyway, I'll be taking a tube of Nuun to my spin class tonight and drop it in my water bottle. I'll need the electrolytes. Considering it's winter, I'm sweat more in one spin class than on a run during the summer months.

Swimming In A Wetsuit

The pool heater continues to be broken and I've yet to hear when it will be fixed. Luckily I was informed that the water temp would once again be in the low 70º range and we had the option to bring a wetsuit. It's not recommended to use a wetsuit in a pool since the chlorine has negative effects. I'm not sure exactly what happens, but most manufacturers state that this will void the warranty. I took a chance and rinsed it immediately, soaked it once I got home and then rinsed again. Wetsuit still looks new and should hold up as long as I continue to thoroughly rinse it. With that said, I don't want the use of a wetsuit to be a regular occurrence.

So how was my first time swimming with a wetsuit?

Upgrading Saddle

As mentioned in a previous post, I decided to upgrade to a new saddle due to some numbness I was feeling. Everyone is different and the same saddle can feel different to each person. One of the first things I noticed was how much more narrow this saddle was to my previous one, specifically the tail end. Because I was curious, I also weighed both saddles. Not that I'm one concerned with weight, but If I was going to add weight to my bike, the new saddle needed to be comfortable. Turns out the new Profile Design Tri Stryke is 10 grams lighter than the old one. I know Profile makes a lighter one with titanium rails, but I didn't feel like spending over $100 on a saddle.

Resolution Run 10k

Atlanta Track Club Resolution Run 10k
Date of Race: 01/01/2011

Total Time = 0h 53m 03s

Overall Place = ?

Age Group = Male 40-44

Age Group Place = 25/44

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Pre-race:  Race time was noon, so I had plenty of time to get up to Kennesaw. I went out the night before with some friends to a neighbors house for New Year's Eve. I had a couple of beers and then switched to water the rest of the night. I had at least 2 8oz glasses of water and then 16oz from a water bottle when I got home. I made sure I was hydrated so that I wouldn't wake up hung over or feel any effects from the beers I had. Didn't work.