Wii Fitness Test

Forget VO2max, forget LT wattage, forget hematocrit...

...this weekend I took the Wii fitness test. My cousin got a Wii Fit balance board and brought it over and we took all kinds of tests to see how fit we are. First we did our "fitness age" which was calculated based on height, weight, age and balance. I got a 33, which is over my real age of 31, but not too bad (though I was still not too happy with the Wii). Poor Becca got a 43 since she was not so hot at the weight shifting balancing test. I was like "isn't there some kind of tube to blow in and show this thing I am actually fit!"

Next we did this exercise where you balance on one foot and move the other leg back and forth. The Wii board said I was a couch potato. Here I am looking as couch potato-ish as I can.



But I avenged this score and got a 100% on the upper body strength test, which was basically pushups and planks.


Outside of the Wii fitness world, my training has been going pretty well lately. I had a nice weekend of workouts with a 2mi swim, a 50mi ride and an 8 mile run. And this week I am not doing so bad so far with running to work.

In other news, I posted the 2009 race schedule. I'll start the season with a couple runs. Then a half iron, then IMCDA. After that is all up in the air, but I'd like to do a fast half (FirmMan) and even shoot for a new marathon PR this fall. Its been two and a half years since I ran a marathon outside of a triathlon, so I should be able to shave some time off the PR. 2:45 sounds really good, and within the realm of reason. Also, for May, my company is putting 3 teams in the co-ed corporate division at the Broad Street 10miler in Philadelphia. Our A team has a decent shot to win, too, so that should be a blast. Becca's joined the team as our woman ringer. It's a downhill point to point course, so I am looking for a 59:59 or better. All in all, it should be good team building and company bonding, plus a fun time racing with Bec.

Confidence Building Ride

I finally got my bike outside this weekend and I went to the Schuylkill River Trail near my house. There were tons of runners and bikers on it, and it was great to actually have asphalt beneath my tires. I felt very good for my first outside ride, which I guess I owe to the computrainer (aka self punishing device), though I haven;t been putting in nearly as many miles as last year. After the first half hour I realized I was averaging almost 23mph. It's true I was headed down-river, but its almost entirely flat, so I think I was just really excited to be outside and also be seeing other bikers. I rode the trail from Oaks to Manayunk just outside Philly, then looped back once I realized it was going to be a lot more urban from there to the city. When I got back to the car at 1h45m I was pretty much cooked, so I rode some loops around to get 2 hours. I ended up with 43 miles, so 21.5mph. That's actually a quite good training pace for me, so it built a lot of confidence that maybe my slacker phase lately hasn't hurt me too much. Next weekend Becca's coming along too, and we'll shoot for a 4 hour ride.

100 days out...thoughts

So I was just reading my wife's blog and realized there's 100 days until IMCDA. I have had a lot of different emotions about this race lately, so I will spew them out here.

I can't say I have felt much like a triathlete training for an ironman lately. I think the weather being so cold, and not doing a whole lot of biking has contributed to this. So, its been hard to think much about the race, and how I'll do there. Part of me knows that if I can post times similar to last year, I might be within reach of a Kona slot, but I am trying not to think about it at all. Putting up those times means I'll have to be in at least as good shape as I was last year, which could be tough to accomplish by June. I'm certainly in decent shape right now, especially for running. But my swimming has been sparse and I haven't been on the bike as much as I should.

But then, there's a part of me that knows life is a balance. I've had so much going on with work, and moving to Pennsylvania, and Elena changing every day. I honestly can't say I'm disappointed in how much I have been training. I've made concious choices to skip workouts here and there, and I am prepared to deal with the consequences. In each situation, there was something more pressing, or more fun, that I chose to do. And if that means I race a little slower than last year, then so be it. I think I have found a balance of training and the rest of life that works for me, even if it means slower times than I might have gotten if trained every spare minute of my life. I've also been watching the way Becca's been training, and I'm thinking maybe she should be the focus of this race, instead of both of us. This is like a welcome relief to think about it this way.

Now, this is all not to say I am throwing in the towel and giving up on my own training. Nope, not for a second. I am simply going to proceed doing the best I can within the balance of life that presents itself to me over the next 100 days. I imagine in a few weeks the weather will be better and I will start to get some solid training, and I might feel differently about all this. But for now, that's what's going on in my head 100 days out.

One other thing...though ironman is like the farthest thing from my mind right now, my subconscious is clearly gearing up: I had my first ironman CDA race dream two nights ago. Frequent readers may remember last year's first dream, of riding up a ski mountain in the middle of the bike course. This time Bec and I were riding the course and there were all these hairpin turns on the edges of cliffs overlooking the ocean (quick geography lesson: Idaho is nowhere near the ocean). And then we were scoping out the transition zone and some big muscled up guy named Vlad was trying to intimidate Bec and I by saying he was going to swim a 48 on race day. That was all, weird dream, and i have no explanation for it!

9 degree run

It was a frigid 9 degrees this morning on my run to work, my coldest run ever. I also ran in yesterday in 6 inches of snow. People at work thought I was nuts, but to be honest, I felt safer running than driving on the roads. Today it was icy, and I had my first wipeout. Thankfully I landed on my butt (lots of padding), and wasn't hurt. Here is my new Brooks running outfit.

Rocking Out

We finally took a break from training and non-stop house projects to cut loose a little this weekend. My cousin Ruth and Aunt Lois came over for Lois' 60th birthday and we had a little party. I drank too much red wine and starting getting crazy on the rock band guitar. Here's a picture of Ruth on vocals, and Becca on drums. I think this was during our rendition of "When you were young" by The Killers.