January Deep Dive & James Day!

Since diving into my 2011 numbers at the end of last year and really seeing where I stood and what I did,it helped me realized that my workouts were not consistent. So, I figured that I am going to start really looking at what I am doing on a monthly basis. I want to know percentages, times and all that good stuff. So this might be one of the most boringest posts I have ever composed, but I am sure it will enlighten moi. So again, this is mostly for my benefit, but if you read this and see that I am way off with my thinking, then please let me know. (in a nice way)

I think first off I need to look at the overall totals. What did I actually do last month?

Swim 5:47:13      9.9 miles(17425 yds)
Bike  7:13:40      142.7 miles
Run:  6:33:35      43.46 miles

So looking at the pie chart, it appears that things lined up pretty much the way I wanted it too based on mileage. If I look at the percentage of time I spent training, the total amount of time I trained was 19:34. So if I break that down, it comes down to a 30/37/34 percent split, and that doesn't make me as happy. I would have preferred it to be more of a 20/50/30 split between the three disciplines, however; since I am measuring everything in miles according to the graph, I will stick with mileage.

Swimming:
In January, I swam 11 times with an average swim set of 1,584 yards per swim. I can live with that. Now remember, I also had a a recovery week in there, so I need to keep that in mind. My average 100 yd swim based off these numbers was 1:59 per 100 yards. Overall I am happy with where I am at currently in my swim. I was able to bust a 1:38 100 in January which is a new record for me!

Biking:
In January, I biked 8 times with an average bike of 17.8 miles per workout. I had an average speed of 19.7 mph. these miles were gauged by my bike computer being linked up to my back wheel and my bike being on the trainer. So these numbers will be a little misleading, but at least I have something measurable. I missed a few scheduled rides, so those numbers could have/should have been higher.

Running:
January had me running 10 times with an average run distance of 4.3 miles at a pace of 9:04. These numbers include two cross country trail races and a majority of the runs were treadmill runs. I guess I am OK with this, but I hoped my average pace would be better, so that gives me something to work on. February, I 'd like to see this under 9 minutes.

So that is my little deep dive analysis of January. I am wanting to continue this all year so I can really see what my progress is, and then you won;t have to listen to me whine in December about how I don't understand why I never got faster!!! I am preparing for higher numbers in February as my firs triathlon is not until May.

JAMES DAY!
Yes, tomorrow is James Day (or as others like to call it a personal holiday). James day was started last year when I took a surprise day off to do James Day festivities, like swim in the lake or go on a long run. By having a surprise James day, there are no honey do lists to be done or anything. It is quickly becoming one of my favorite holidays!!  I have a long run and bike planned! So please, enjoy James Day!!!  I know I will.

James Day Festivities

Yesterday was James Day! I hope you all had a great day, cause I sure did. James Day is nothing more than a personal day off from work, but it involves no "honey do" lists, it only involves things I want to do, which is what makes it my day.

James Day actually started Thursday evening after work, when I completed my first OWS of the season. Greg, Dave and I met at Dave's house to take advantage of the beautiful lake he lives on. I admit, I was looking forward to it all day. I had almost forgotten the feel of OW and the feel of my wetsuit, so it was great to get back out there and swim. I was a little worried about water temps because we have had so much rain in the past few days, and I had good reason to be concerned. The thermometer read a brisk 64 degrees, not sure if you can see it in this picture.
The water really slapped you in the face once you first jumped in, but after about 10 minutes in the water, it actually felt really nice. We hit a couple of really cold pockets of water in the middle of the lake, but other than that, it felt great! Anyways, I was happy to get that first OWS out of the way, we did 1000yd swim and it felt really easy. I noticed that my swim stroke is a little bit different in OW than it is in the pool for some reason. I feel like in OW I stretch out more and glide more than I do in the pool, and this is something I will have to look at further.

James Day festivities continued on Friday. I was able to wake up, take my older boys to school and then head to the pool for a 1000 yd swim. Afterwards, I was back hoe, changed and took my youngest to his Mother's Day Out class and then I headed out for 6 mile run. Next on the agenda was lunch with my bride. My wife and oldest boy were heading out for a Mother/Son camping trip this weekend, so I was left with my middle and youngest. So we had to go grocery shopping and load up on manfood! Dinner consisted of Mac N cheese for the little guy, a fish dinner for middle son and a nice grilled steak for dad! I ate and watched my MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES beat the San Antonio Floppers, I mean Spurs!

During the second half of the game, I was on my bike on the trainer. I rode fairly hard and felt really good, even after a busy day.

Overall, James Day was a huge success, and I think I need to get another one on the schedule pretty quick!