Day 15: A Sore Monday Morning

Calli- Today I woke up with a very particular pain in my knees. We went to the gym and did the workout, but I had to take it easy in order for my joints to rehabilitate. I spent the day icing them. Two years ago, when I did a Triathlon class at my university, the same thing happened. I had to spend that first three months taking it easy with the running so that I could build up the muscle and my joints could handle it with out serious injury. The time has come again to take it slow; if I have an injury then I can’t train at all.  

Jose- Another 40 minutes on the treadmill. Great workout!! I felt especially great today because I reduced my heart rate a lot! I managed to run the 40 minutes at a good pace without going above 160 bpm and actually the average was at 150 bpm. I think I will be able to increase my pace faster than I thought which is great for my immediate goals. The dark side of this morning: 1. Calli being uncomfortable and sore. But we will take it easy to avoid any injury. We want to TRI and not be sore all the time or get injured. 2. This was the last day that I was able to write down my age as twenties… tomorrow I reach the 30′s!! Happy Birthday to me!

“The body does not want you to do this. As you run, it tells you to stop but the mind must be strong. You always go to far for your body. You must handle the pain with strategy… It is not age; it is not diet. It is the will to succeed.” – Jacqueline Gareau, 1980 Boston Marathon Champ

Day 14: A pain in the butt…

Calli- We biked for 90 minutes straight on regular biking machines instead of the more realistic replicas during a cycling class. It was a strange feeling getting off the bikes and walking over to the treadmills. My inner thighs were sore and also my gluts. I hope that I used the right muscles during the biking because we need to preserve our running legs for the last leg of the race. It was easier to overcome the switch this time, but still awkward getting of the bike and walking. As usual the meal after was the best of my life! Have fun out there!

Jose- I’m not used to the bike seats still. I hope that time and also the tri-suit’s pad help me to feel comfortable about being seated for that long! After a whole 90 minutes my legs were pretty sore. Twice as much as the last week. Maybe because last Sunday we moved from the regular bikes to the spinning bikes and we also had the chance to bike while standing on those ones instead of being seated the whole hour and thirty minutes. Again, starting to run was a big challenge, but once you are 3 or 4 minutes into it, your legs get use to it and you can finish strong! I felt great after all… let’s see tomorrow…

“There are no shortcuts to any place worth going”. Beverly Sills

Day 13: The Water is your Friend

Calli- I was sick. To be honest, I started feeling the head cold after swimming this Wednesday. Thursday and Friday were recuperation days for me even though I kept up with the running workout yesterday. I knew that if I got in the pool today all that would be lost so I stayed out and watched Jose swim. He is amazing! I have never seen someone work so hard to achieve something they want. I am really amazed at his progress…keep it up!

Jose- Another successful day at the pool for me. A piece of advice: Fins are the best if you want to you keep your mind busy on the arm technique and the breathing. Since Calli was sick , she had more time to coach me. It was so good that I feel that I improved a whole lot. I started warming up with some regular freestyle laps (My style), and then I decided to go back to basics and concentrate on helping my body feeling more comfortable while rotating for breathing. After a while I felt like I was floating easier than ever and then I finished by doing more freestyle with the fins. Today I really slid in the water! I felt it and I loved it!

“The water is your friend…you don’t have to fight with the water, just share the same spirit as the water, and it will help you move.” -Alexandr Popov

Day 12: Keeping a steady pace

Calli- Today’s run (speed walk) was extremely gratifying. I was surprised at how much I was perspiring during those 40 minutes of just speed walking. It proved to me that endurance can be accomplished through keeping a steady pace throughout the entire workout. Afterwards, I chugged a sports drink….so satisfying.

Jose- Today we finally reached the 40 minutes. Even though 30 min feels very good too, the zone 2 thing makes me feel like I’m not doing enough. However, today after finishing at a steady medium pace I was sweating as if I did one of my fast pace runs, but I was able to keep the form the whole time. Also, I actually had controlled breathing without going far up on the heart rate. It really felt great. Now I can see how good this more controlled way of running is helping to improve my performance!

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” -  Aristotle 

Day 11: Ladies, this one’s for You

So let’s get down to it…the ultimate woman’s health question. Is exercising during your period beneficial or detrimental? I always find exercising to be a good way to relieve cramping and pain, but it is not always the case. It is important to know your body, and what it needs during those crucial times. Here is a quick explanation for a variety of readers. There is also another site that has been devoted to women’s fitness. I hope you find it helpful!

“Know yourself. Never forget where you came from, and reach back to help someone else come forward too.” – Alpha Alexander