First Sunday Run

Happy Belated Thanksgiving to all.  Like most people, Christine and I spent our Thanksgiving with my family in NY, and like most people, put on a few additional pounds thanks to the traditional thanksgiving feast.  Our feast consisted of Turkey, honey baked ham, red skin mashed potatoes, tofu and stringbeans, and salad.

As much as I love visiting home and eating lots of great food, it is much harder to maintain a consistent and disciplined eating and exercise routine.  Luckily, I'm still in the "pre-season" stages.  Today, I made sure I got out on the track to baseline my running.  Christine and I went to a local high school to use their track.  Some quick stats:

Warm-up
4:35 minutes
800 meters
153 average heart rate

Stretch

Workout
14:33 minutes
1.5 miles
175 average heart rate

Cool-down
400 meters

Stretch

All me to make some excuses up before you mock my time and heart rate, it's my first time on the track in a while! :)  The funny thing is, each time fI passed Christine on the track, my hear rate monitor was beeping, telling me that I was over the zone of 160, and each time, Christine laughed but at the same time cheered me on.  Thanks Christine :) 

I purchased a Polar FS1 hear rate monitor off amazon.com for about $50 or $60.  We didn't want a fancy one, at least not until we knew what our equipment needs were going to be.  The watch/monitor takes a little getting used to.  It is definitely a basic monitor without many fancy features.  It'll monitor your heart rate, and workout time, and store the latest workout - which is all you really need.  Some monitors will provide additional features such as running pods to monitor distance and rate, or a cycling pod which monitors speed, cadence and distance.  These watches can get very expensive, upwards of $300 or more, plus the additional pods are extra.  The Polar FS1, while it does its job, is not the most comfortable wrist monitor.  The plastic is hard and digs into my wrist.  Lucky for me, its winter time, so I can put the monitor over my long sleeve.

Anyone have experiences with other monitors?  I would appreciate your input on alternative monitors, especially for triathletes.

I still have yet to get into pool, I hope to baseline my swimming during this week, before the official practices start next week.  Stay tuned!

Easy Sunday Ride

First day on the bike in several months.  Took some time to dust the bike off, and lube the chain and cleats.  Luckily, I live close to a trail, so I just hopped on the bike and headed down the street and onto the trail.  So, whats my gear?

I'm riding a Cannondale CAAD9-6 w/Shimano Tiagra Components thanks to the knowledgeable and friendly folks at Conte's Bikes in Arlington.  I wanted to get a bike that was versatile and a good performer.  I also wanted a bike that I could grow into.  At the time of my purchase, about 1.5 years ago, I was just getting into cycling and triathlons, and Jody (one of the owners) suggested the Cannondale over the Specialized.  I tested both, and felt like there was less pressure on my hands and wrist, and I felt more stable on the Cannondale.  I'm really glad I purchased the Cannondale.  I don't see any new bike purchases anytime soon, though I do wish I could upgrade the components.

Speedplay Zero Pedals which I got on sale at Spokes in Vienna.  I purchased these because I could clip in however the pedal is oriented.  I do like the pedals, the only downside is, if I wanted to take the bike out without the cleats on, I can't.  The pedal is just too small, I can't wear sneakers with the bike.  I'm still mixed on the float, I think I may play around with decreasing the float on these pedals.

I only have one additional add-on which is a set of Profile Designs Carbon Fiber Aero Bars, not much to say here, I did have to swap out my drop bars because the stock drop bars were not aero bar friendly.

Since much of the training will be in the winter, I need some winter riding gear, which I still need to find.  If anyone has any suggestions for pants and/or a winter riding jacket, I am all ears.  I picked up a pair of wool socks and winter riding gloves.

My ride today was good except half way into my ride, whenever I tried to push it hard, my gears kept switching on me, unsolicited.  Luckily for me, Spokes was not far off the trail.  I dropped in, and they were kind enough to check out my problem, which turned out to be loose chain tension.

My ride stats:

Approximately 36:13 minutes, 8.68 miles, 14.3 AvS

This is just the beginning, hopefully we'll see some serious improvement over the next five months! Next up, the pool! I just need to figure out where I can swim, and figure out how to get my butt out of bed at 0500 :)  In the next few weeks, I'll post up my training schedule, for anyone interested.

DC "Help the Homeless" Walkathon

This past Saturday, I had an opportunity to begin my triathlon preseason training with a 3 mile walk as part of Fannie Mae's "Help the Homeless" walkathon.  With the company of some good friends, and many D.C. Metro companies, organizations, schools, and residents, we walked 3 miles through the streets of Washington, D.C. beginning at the national mall, in support of ending homelessness in D.C.  This was the scene at the national mall, with the Capitol Building in the background.

Weather was nice (for November)

company was great

and best of all, the legs felt great.

Triathlon Training for Leukemia and Lymphoma

Dear Friends,

Two weeks ago, I became a member of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team In Training, whose mission is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.  For the next 5 months I will train daily - swimming, biking, and running - to help find a cure for these diseases.  With the help of my Team members, contributions from the public, and the support of my wife, I will swim .9 miles, bike 26 miles, and run 6 miles at the St. Anthony's Triathlon in St. Petersburg, FL on April 25, 2010 in honor of a close family friend and honorary teammate Winnie.  Winnie was diagnosed with stage IV Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma this past September.  Her strength and courage through these trying times inspired me to join Team In Training and compete on behalf of her and all other Leukemia and Lymphoma patients.

I won't be able to train for this event alone, and I would be honored if you would help me.  My minimum goal is to raise $4,200, but my personal goal is to reach and exceed $6,000.  No matter how small or big, your contributions help.  Donations are tax-deductible and need to be received no later than March 19, 2010.  I invite you to join me in my journey, as I train in support of a cure.

Visit the Facebook group "We Love You Winnie Liang!" and leave Winnie a word of encouragement.

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=162258426346&ref=ts

Follow me through my journey in this blog, as I train to cross the finish line.
http://hoona2010.blogspot.com

Donate online at:
http://pages.teamintraining.org/nca/anttry10/sjungp

Thank you so much for your support! See you at the finish line!

Sincerely yours,

Scott