Crunch time

Don't be confused by the title; there is never time in which I would actually do crunches. Not on purpose anyways. I occasionally compress my abdominal muscles to bend over and pick up an empty pizza box, or to reach for the video game controller, but I hate abdominal workouts.

(Note: I did actually do some core workouts during the winter when weather prevented a trip to the gym. My brain just tried to help me forget it)

Anyways, what I meant by crunch time is the more figurative and common use of the phrase. We're just over 2 weeks from our first triathlon of the season; The New England Season Opener. As we didn't move to Boston until late July last year, I didn't participate in this race; though all of the races I've done so far have been of a similar distance. This race is a 1/4 mile swim, a 10 mi bike, and a 5k run.

I'd done some more running intervals the past 2 days, determined to put down a good time in the area where I can make the most improvement (yes, most is used relatively in that sentence). My times were pretty similar roughly 2.2 miles in 30 minutes. That puts me at or about 42 minutes for a finishing time, assuming I can hit that pace after the swim and bike. Its about 10 minutes slower than I want to be, but I expect that to drop throughout the summer as my fitness level increases.

Today, we finally got out butts out of bed and hit the pool at 6AM. The good news is that after a few weeks away from serious swimming, my 25 yd and 50 yd times are just as quick (at top speed, around 20 and 45 seconds). The bad news is that after about 600 yds, is that my stamina goes down the tubes, and I have to start taking breaks every 25 to 50 yds. Thankfully, this race is a short one. This morning I did 1350 yards in an hour, including some kick and pull exercises. Those slow me down some, but at best I'd have done 1500 today. Thats not going to cut it for Timberman.

We're going to get in some time on the bike today, hopefully 10 miles outdoors this evening.

Weight this morning was 317, so I'm closing back in on my lower numbers.