Go slow to go fast.

15 Miles - 48:45 - 18.4mph - HR: 146 avg - Elevation: 1074 FT

Took my new single speed out for another enjoyable spin today.  

I'm loving the single speed for some reason.  Its fun to be out of the saddle climbing straight up hill for a mile or two at a time.  Shifting up is for pansies.  (ok, I admit I would totally shift up to an easier gear if I had the option readily available, but can't you at least just let me pretend to be tough this one time?) 

6.5 Miles - 1:02:49 - 9:40/mile - HR: 151 avg - 1750 FT Elevation gain/loss

That was nice!  Felt so great to be out running again.  There were huge winds in the valley but running on the Mesa Trail in the foothills of the front range there was hardly any wind and it was an epic sunny afternoon.

That is a fantastic trail.  It climbs about 900 FT in the first 2 miles from 5600 to 6500 FT, so its steady climbing but not insanely steep.  Then the trail rolls up and down along the foothills at about 6500 FT.   

My foot is a little sore from the work done on it yesterday, but didn't hurt while I was running.  I'm going to roll it with a tennis ball and ice it now per doctors orders. 

Tried out some P90X this morning...very good stuff.  Kicked my butt.  

Then I did a quick bike ride over to a house we just bought that happens to be near mine.

My heal started hurting tonight out of the blue...it was weird.  The pain on the side of my foot went away, and was replaced with sharp pain just in front of my heal when I put pressure on it.

 11.28 Miles - 42:13 - 16 MPH - HR: 127 - 670FT

Went to Richey the ART therapist this morning.  

He said my bursae in my foot was probably inflamed with too much fluid for some reason causing my heal pain.  Told me not to run on it for a couple days and see how it feels.

Didn't have much time this morning after waking up late and having meetings to be in with my employees at 9:30. 

So I got a quick 35 minute ride in on my broken road bike.  Felt good to get out and move a little at least.

 In the evening I bought P90X from someone for $60...I'm looking forward to the diversity of getting into better all around fitness.  I know a number of people who have been swearing by P90X so I decided to check it out. 

Did the p90x yoga today for 90 minutes and learned something new...

THAT I AM A TOTAL FREAKING WIMP!!!

I couldn't even do HALF the crap those people were doing and I was dying.  And my flexibility is basically ZERO at this point.

I am convinced at this point that my core strength being completely pathetic is not helping my ability to run far distances.

So I am excited to take on the challenge of working on my overall strength each day.  I'm going to start the 6 day per week/1-1.5 hour per day p90X program on Monday, in addition to running (as soon as my foot will allow again) and biking a few times each week.  I'm really looking forward to it.

p90x for 1:15 - Arms, Shoulders, Core - Felt great.   My core is pathetic.  That is my main focus for the next couple months.

No running today, my left heel is still a bit sore, getting a little better each day though. 

Did P90X plyometrics today for 1 hour.

Everyone told me, including the p90X people, that it was the 'mother of all workouts'.

not true.(for me)

The yoga kicked my butt twice as hard as the that.  I did double time on some of the plyometrics segments just to make it harder.  It's probably because the plyometrics is all in the legs and lungs and that happens to be the only part of my body that I consistently work out and I'm already strong there.  Whereas yoga is all core strength in which I have never consistently worked and at which I am currently a completely pathetic weakling (that I am going to change however).

In any case, it was still a great workout and worked muscles I would not normally have worked.  P90X is proving to be a pretty great overall strength/core workout...I'm digging it.

Average HR for the plyometrics hour:  133 (including warmup and cooldown)

I couldn't resist running barefoot in my shorts and tank top in the 60 degree sun afterward!  The inflamation in my heel is gone and it felt great to get out and run again after another week off.  I took it easy and ran on the sidewalks and grass around the neighborhood...it was a nice reward after solid workout.

Run stats: 3 miles - 26 minutes - 8:40/mile - HR: 147 avg - 331FT 

P90X Chest/Back and Core today 1:10

Did a total of 240 various types of push-ups, 50 door jam finger pull-ups (because I didn't have my pull-up bar yet until today).  Then did the Ab/core workout that kicks my butt each time and which I can only do about half of.

My left foot is kind of sore in the cuboid area.  Its weird because the pain went away there when I had a weird heel pain for 4-5 days.  Then the heel pain went away and the cuboid pain is back.  Unfortunately Richey is gone for the weekend so I have to wait until next week to get it worked on again.  But the good thing is that it gives me a good excuse to work on my core strength right now and build a better foundation, which I really need.  So I'm taking it as a blessing. 

90 minutes of P90X Yoga today.  Kicked my butt as usual.

P90X this morning, working legs and back.

Basically did hundreds of squat variations and about 100 pullups of different varieties.

Awesome workout, my gluts loved it, my upper body loved it.

Finished off with 15 minutes of Ab work which is just crazy hard, I only get through about half the moves, but it leaves me feeling fantastic the rest of the day. 

------------------------

saturday

P90X - Shoulders/Back/Abs 1:10

P90X plyometrics - very good workout, and really good for the gluts and quads. - 1 hour

Ran 3 miles afterward in 8 min pace.  Ran in my new balance 790's because I'm trying to give my left foot as much cushion as possible as I'm letting the cuboid issue fully heal.  It is almost gone, I don't ever feel it getting worse and its only vaguely ever noticeable anymore, so that makes me happy.

Now my right knee cap hurts though.  It's pretty minor, and I know what the issue is, its a tight quad, so I've been rolling it like crazy and I'm getting some ART tomorrow for my foot and right knee now.  It started getting tight a month or so ago when I climbed Green mountain 3 times in 1 week, and I neglected rolling it for too long I think.

 It seems like my body has been going through an entire phase of little growing pains over the last 4-5 months.  Once one thing goes away, another follows.  Maybe once I've made my way through every body part then I'll be some kind of bionic invincible man or something. 

p90X - shoulders/arms/abs/core - 1:15

p90X - Yoga - 90 minutes - kicked my butt as usual

p90X - Shoulders/Back/Abs/core - 1:15.

Did the workout in the hotel in LA after feeding the kids breakfast.  Then we went to Disneyland with the kids.  That was a much more challenging endurance event than I would have imagined.  Good memories, but not a relaxing vacation by any means.

That was an exhausting but good day.

We took the kids to Disneyland all day again today from about 9 am to about 6:30 pm.  My step-brother works as a cast member there and got is in free both days which was really nice.  We had a lot of fun with the kids, they loved splash mountain and space mountain and the other rollercoasters and stuff.  

But wow...were we ready to be done with that place by the end.  So exhausting.  Huge crowds of people, tired kids, out of their routine, battling through multiple different meltdowns.  A lot of highs and lows out there, a lot of (too much) stimulation for our little kids I think.  Any way, some good memories now, but not easy to come by, that's for sure.  And the excess and waste that goes on there is kind of unsettling for Nan and I. 

 Anyway, at the end of the day, after Nan and the kids were in bed at about 9 I went to the fitness center and did a really tough 4 mile run in 40 minutes.

I kept the pace at 10:54/mile for the first 2 miles, but every quarter mile I raised the incline by 2.5 until at mile 1.25 I was running at the full incline of 15.  That was maxing me out for sure.  I did 3 minutes of that and then progressed down by 2.5 per quarter mile until when I was nearly flat I started increasing the speed.  Ran the last mile at 7.5 mph (8:30/mile).  It was a solid workout and felt great.  

Then I rolled out my right quad on the edge of the hot tub that has a rounded stone edge, which worked amazingly well. 

Did a nice 5.5 mile run this morning on a trail around a lake by our friends house where we happened to be staying the night.

Missed P90X today, just couldn't squeeze it in.  Busy day after missing a few days from vacation. 

I did manage to get 15 minutes of Ab Ripper X in, which is pretty sweet.  I do it monday, wednesday, and Friday at the end of each p90X session and it is ripping my abs to shreds.  I almost have Heman abs already, its sweet.  Now if only I could get rid of all the flab over them you could actually see how awesome they are.

Seriously though, my core is already MUCH stronger than it was a month ago when I started.  I'm feeling pretty good about it. 

Double duty on the P90X today.

Got going at 6:30 am (which is CRAZY INTENSE EARLY for me) 

Did Chest and Back routine for an hour - 234 pushups and 65 pullups and a bunch of back exercise pulls with bands.

Then did Plyometrics for an hour - bunch of jumping and squats.

That was a pretty solid  workout, felt awesome.

HALLELUJAH FOR SPRING!

What a glorious morning/day it was today.

I kicked it off with a butt kicking arms/shoulders workout for 1 hour.

Then 15 minutes of Ab Ripper X.

Then I couldn't resist heading out into the 60 degree sunshine in nothing but a pair of shorts and for a 25 minute barefoot run.  IT GOT ME SO EXCITED FOR RUNNING SHIRTLESS THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS THIS SUMMER, IT'S GOING TO BE SO MUCH FUN!

Just dripping with sweat, getting odd stares from just about every car that passed me...always staring at my feet.  What's the big deal?  Is it really that weird?  I love how it feels to run barefoot, and I think its also kind of funny and odd how everyone is always so surprised when they see a mostly naked guy running down the street.  OK...I guess I shouldn't be that surprised.

Did 90 minutes of Yoga with Nan in the evening. 

That p90X yoga routine always gives me a solid core beatdown and feels really good. 

p90X Legs and Back routine for 1 hour - included a total of 110 pull ups.

Ab Ripper X for 15 minutes

Rolled out my right quad, which is my problem area at the current moment.  I think I'm nearly over it, but not quite.  I'm quite sure I over did it by running Green mountain 3 times in a week about a month and a half ago and that is what the issue with my quad/knee is right now.

Fortunately, it doesn't hurt when I run, just when I step deep up or down stairs occasionally, but each day it gets better.  And I'm taking it easy because I want it all the way better as soon as possible.

Because Nan and I are taking a 3 day 'kid'less trip for our Anniversary to Crested Butte next weekend, and I want to be able to run the trails A LOT there.  And I want to be all healed up so I can run 30 miles in the mountains on June 5 for the Golden Gate Dirty Thirty.