Sunday Summary on Thursday

My typical Sunday Summary is way late due to the holidays and everything associated with them. It has been nice to be off work and spend time with family. It has not been nice to gain so much weight. I really was thinking I had been temperate in my eating and intemperate in my exercise, but the scales do not agree with my perception. I finished the week before Christmas with

Run- 20.37
Walk- 3.26
Bike Trainer- 138.5 minutes
Swim- 10,347 meters with one cold water (57) swim.
Weight on Sunday morning = 163.6 (scream!!!)

That wasn't enough to stave off body expansion. It seems that now I don't even have to eat the food; just being in the same house with it is enough.

So far this week, I haven't swum. Tuesday Masters was cancelled for Christmas and Randy, my only open water swimming buddy and cold water wanna-be, has had the flu. To make matters worse, it is now very cold here in the Magnolia State. Even to think about swimming outdoors causes me bodily pain. I know, I know, but remember I am the one who calls himself a cold-water-sissy. I haven't received a reading on the ponds today, but my guess is low forties or colder. My all-time record is 54, and right now that sounds outrageous.

One thing I have been doing differently is riding the bike trainer and then running. In 2010, I did thirty rides of 100 or more miles. Last year, I  scarcely touched my bike. I hope for the upcoming year to be somewhere in the middle of 2010 and 2011. A while back, I purchased a collection of twenty Alfred Hitchcock movies. I'm thinking that if I can watch all those films while pedalling my Trek in my little man-cave, I may be able to contend with Randy Beets at the Heart O' Dixie Triathlon next year. Last year, he defeated me easily as did most of the fat ladies. I'm tired of getting beat by fat ladies. Really, several of them passed me on the run going up a hill. That hurt.

Another change for next year involves more running. That has been a goal for the last several years. For four years in a row, my running has been compromised by Achilles heel issues. Just recently I had a mild flareup. It seems the main thing that causes me problems is to try to run fast. By fast (blush here) I now mean anything approaching eight minutes per mile (sigh).

Recently I reviewed my training diary for 2012. I was thirty-four weeks into the year before I was able to pull off the first twenty-mile week. How I ran as well as I did is astounding when I check the numbers. I manged to place in two of the few events I entered. For me, twenty-miles per week has always been the tipping point. Good running, begins with that modicum of training volume. Twenty-five is better than twenty and thirty is better than twenty-five. But at twenty miles per seek and no speed work, I have always been able to beat the fat ladies. This week I am working on my eighth consecutive twenty-mile week (whu hoo!!!), but it has been primarily old man shuffling. Still, old man shuffling is better than sitting at home dreaming about back in the day.

So far this week, I have done trainer rides/runs three straight days. From now on, I will refer to these workouts as Trans. Today I plan another Tran and tonight we have Masters swim. It's about time.