Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Something to remember.

This poem is a good reminder of not missing an opportunity to be thankful for our family and friends and to express our love in any way we can as long it is called "today".

Around the Corner by: Henson Towne, Source Unknown
Around the corner I have a friend
In this great city that has no end,
Yet the days go by and weeks rush on,
And before I know it, a year is gone
And I never see my old friends face,
For life is a swift and terrible race,
She knows I like her just as well
As in the days when I rang her bell,
And she rang mine.
We were younger then,
And now we are busy, tired men.
Tired of playing a foolish game,
Tired of trying to make a name.
"Tomorrow" I say "I will call on Jane"
"Just to show that I'm thinking of her"
But tomorrow comes and tomorrow goes,
And distance between us grows and grows.
Around the corner! -yet miles away,
"Here's a telegram sir-"
"Jane died today."
And that's what we get and deserve in the end.
Around the corner, a vanished friend.
If you love someone, tell them.
Remember always to say "what you mean".
Never be afraid to express yourself.
Take this opportunity to tell someone what they mean to you.
Seize the day and have no regrets.
Most importantly, stay close to your friends and family,
They have helped to make you the person you are today,
What it's all about anyway.

I am in the 6th week of my off-season cycling and core workout program and am pleased with my results so far. I've been spinning on the trainer and have gotten my cadence up to 130+ rpms for a typical 6-8 x 20 second intervals. I have never worked at such high rpms before and I'm enjoying the progress.

The core workouts are mainly focused on bike specific exercises and after 6 weeks I feel the difference. I am able to keep up with Graeme as I follow along on the DVDs. And I have to admit a 6 pack is beginning to take shape.

Six more weeks to go and I'll be ready to start planing for my 2008 training and racing schedule.

Enjoy life!

Friday, December 21, 2007

Holiday tunes

In between enjoying time with my family and friends I will try and get some running in, including a run with my local running club and triathlon club, maybe some outdoor biking, and my favorite core workouts with Cyclo-Core.

Enjoy the Holidays with some seasonal sounds - (be sure to click on this link)
Merry Christmas to all!

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Drills, Drills, Drills

I never could figure out why would I waste my time doing drills for swimming, biking, or running when I could be using my time for the "real" workout at hand. Well, this off season I've finally began to incorporate drills into all my workouts and my have my eyes been opened.

Favorite Swim Drills include:
"Single Arm" Is freestyle using one arm at a time. The non-stroking arm is held loosely by your side. I think this will help to even out and strengthen my total arm strokes while swimming normal.

"Push and Glide" Is freestyle swim, pausing at the end of every stroke with arms out-stretched, one held out front, the other held loosely against the body. This reminds of pushing and gliding while ice skating. I feel relaxed and surprised at the ease of gliding through the water and how it takes me less strokes to make it to the end of the pool.

Favorite Bike Drills on the trainer include:
"Runners", while pedaling, you stand up to an upright position WITHOUT holding onto the handle bars. I do this for 15-30 seconds and then return to seat for easy pedaling before I try it again. This drill is not easy but it does challenge my balance and coordination while strengthening my core.

"Single Leg Pedaling", with the chain in a big gear I alternate left and right legs of spinning for 30 to 60 seconds. I like this drill because when the workout calls for fast spinning I can manage the high cadence drills a lot easier.

With "Super Spins", I spin my legs as fast as possible without my butt bouncing in the saddle. The reps last 15-30 seconds long and I can get up to about 135 rpm before my butt bounces all over the saddle.

Favorite Running Drills at the track include:
"Skipping". As a kid, this was easy but doing them as an adult I realize skipping requires strength and coordination. To get a good warm-up before running fast intervals or repeats I would skip around the track in good form with high knees and a relaxed arm swing.

"Running Backwards". I like this because I get to use different leg muscles that don't get used during normal running. If I can run one time around the track while staying in my lane I am happy.

These are just some of the drills I began to work on for the past month. With all these drills, as I do them I realize that I have to focus on what I am trying to accomplish in order to have proper form. Doing drills have kept my off-season training fun, interesting and fresh. And who knows it might even help to improve my swimming, biking, and running.