C 130 Rolling Down the Strip

I've been training so much i've forgotten to blog. So here's a recap. Last week was a good one. The highlight of the week was a bike ride sarah and I really pushed ourselves on. I called out sprints with an arm wave using my fun new bike computer. We did .3mi. sprint followed by .3mi. recovery for the back 10mi. of our usual 20mi. ride. Overall, I had big push week with my running... 5 days out of 7 which is a first. :) I only biked once, but it was quality. This week will be more balanced (hopefully)

This week, I've got 8miles in running so far and sarah and I are going to do a killer 30mi. bike tonight (she doesn't know this yet). Then, there's the big 8 mile run planned for this weekend. Neither of us have ever run that far (gasp)... unlike Ms. Ranger and Mr. Marathon who think 8 miles is a walk in the park, we actually expect it to be a challenge. I'm sure both of these events will produce some exciting stories..... stay tuned for some real duzies.
Cozz

p.s. Thanks Ranger for weighing in! You are often my inspiration. You mentioned "C130 rolling down the strip" I thought I'd take a moment to fill the uninitiated in on what exactly that means. While Jessica a.k.a. Ranger, was kicking it in ROTC she learned some really spiffy "songs." Everything is done as call and answer so you can yell back and forth with the lucky person you're working out with. :) If I screwed up any of the words, I hope that J-Hova will correct me.... I'm a little rusty, it's been 3 years!

My personal favorite goes like this:
C 130 rolling down the strip
airborne momma gonna take a little trip
stand up, jump up, shuffle to the door
jump right out and call for more

If my main don't open wide
I've got a reserve by my side
If that one should fail me too
Tell the ground I'm a commin' through

When the army lays me down to rest
Tell my Ma I did my best.


Another classic: (call and answer again)
I wanna be an airborne ranger
Live a life of guts and danger

I wanna be a scuba diver
dive right in that muddy water
scuba diver
muddy water

airborne ranger
guts and danger

I wanna be a mountain climber
Climb those mountains higher and higher

mountain climber
higher and higher

scuba diver
muddy water

airborne ranger
guts and danger

repeat or make up your own as you go along. :)

Rock On!

Hey Girls (and Ryan)!!!!
Finally got my butt in gear with this whole blog thing...got back from Iraq and all of a sudden there's these additions to pop culture...for a lot of it I just nod and smile (blogs being one).
Anyway, CONGRATS to all of you on your incredible training! I read through Sarah's postings and Good LORD! As Cozz said, you guys are certainly setting the bar high, but it looks like you're meeting it more times than not.
I'm sad to report that a recent trail run has seriously injured my left achilles and has put me out of commission for another two weeks (4 weeks total!) I thought I was tough, healthy, and had the ability to "work through" any injury. HA! That attitude and some sketchy guidance from a doctor (the Army's finest) led me to continue swimming, ellipticizing, and occasionally riding with a bum heel. If you guys ever get an achilles injury, sprained, pulled, tendonitis, whatever...DUDES: DON'T DO IT. Whatever "it" is...don't do it. I finally spoke with a real trainer and he gave me the low down. Basically, I'm going to watch the grass grow for the next 10 to 14 days which will drive me insane.
So that's where I am right now. I have races coming up this summer but right now I'm concentrating on rehab. I did want to pass along the name and author of an AMAZING book: The Triathlete's Training Bible by Joe Friel. You probably know the name and may already have the book. This guy is great at breaking each element of the triathlon into the bare bones info--the stuff that will make you succeed and improve. He also has some great guidance on using HR monitors, time trials, blah blah blah. A great read overall.
You guys are almost there! Can't wait to keep reading about your training--stay strong, keep the faith:)
"C-130 rollin down the strip",
Ranger "Danger" Reid

CRAZY!!!

hello everyone!
Well...last week in review...
I ran 15 miles
Biked 20 miles
...and no swimming...again

I took off Friday, saturday AND sunday...my knees needed a break...as well as my body. I am also still hurting from the fall on Thursday...the bruises finally decided to show up on sunday.

Today Lauren and I went for a quick 4-miler, and then came back and did crunches and back extensions...on the deck...enjoying the beautiful weather. I love this place.

Right now, lauren and I are sitting by the fire, we just finished a yummy dinner of grilled chicken and grilled potatoes.

Lauren is trying to convice me to go on ANOTHER run...but i am a little tired...maybe...I will let you know...until then....

Sarah

Killer Bike Ride

Hello Everyone!
I must say that this week I really pushed myself. I have run 5 days in a row, and biked on the 6th day. Yesterday and today I took off...my body needed a well deserved rest.

Lauren planned a great bike ride on Thursday night. We bike 8-miles as a warm up. After that we turned around to head home, but for this 8-miles we did 3 minute sprints and 3-minute recover (not easy, not hard). Our average pace for the sprints varied from 18-24 miles per hour. The recover pace was about 16 miles an hour. After the 8-miles of 3X3's, we rode at a medium pace for another 4 miles or so. We biked 20 miles. Our plan was to go for 25-miles, but it started to get dark out.

A funny story from this ride...Lauren took off in the center of town and I got stuck on the opposite side of the rode. I was waiting for the lights to change, when my bike decided he was going to start to fall towards the right...i was only clipped out on the left and I couldn't clip out quick enough...and i fell!! It was fabulous, all traffic stopped and me on the side of the rode on the ground, trying to get up and get across the street before the traffic started to travel again. HaHa...
I was OK, except that the entire right side of my body feels like one big bruise.

Nor much more to say, runs are getting easier and I am in love with biking now, road bikes are so great. Plan is to hopefully get in a 7-8 mile run tomorrow.

Hope all is well with everyone...

Sarah

Sarah's Goals for the Week

Well...this week has started off crazy...of course...Monday is usually our day off...but for some ODD reason lauren had way too much energy last night. She woke me up at 10:00 on her way home from class...and told me that we were going for a run when she got home. At first I was not doing it, no way, I was sleeping...although i did have my gykm clothes on already! She talked me into it...it took at little dragging me off of the couch, but she did it.

We left the house about 10:50 and went for a 4-mile run. It was great! It was quiet and peaceful, and cool outside. When Lauren and I run when it is quiet out like that, we have great conversations too, it was good quality time where no one else could bother us...and we could just talk and run. One of our most popular subjects is how prous we are of ourselves. If you saw us a year ago, we could barely run 3-miles without walking a little. Now 3-miles is nothing. Now we are pushing ourselves to run 7-8 miles...we tend to never get comfortable in a specific distance because we constently push the envelope...how far can we push our bodies...??

This ties into a post I wrote a few weeks back...you have to WANT it...it is all about DISCIPLINE!! It also helps if you have someone to push you as well. I would have never gone for a run last night if lauren hadn't pushed me to do it. After I did it i was psyched that i did.

Swimming is taking the back burner at this point, since it is my strongest leg...for those of you reading this that are not aware of my past, last August I did the Swim Across the Sound. I swam from Port Jeff, NY to Captains Cove, Bridgeport, CT. 16 miles of swimming...8 hours!! So 1-mile is not a problem for me.

Thats it for now.

Here is my tentative schedule for this week:
Monday: 4-mile run
Tuesday: Run and lift
Wednesday: Swim in the morning
Thursday:TBD
Friday:6-mile run
Saturday: 20-25 mile bike
Sunday: 6-mile run

TOTAL: 16 miles of running; 20-25 miles of biking (may do a double in Saturday or Sunday...if so 40 miles biking); Swimming, depends.

See ya

Sarah

LC's Goals for Week of 4/11 and Review of last week

Hi all,
Ryan, Danielle, Jessica and anybody else who's reading this: how did your week go?
I ran 8 miles and biked 32. A modest week with only 4 workouts. Hopefully, I'll be able to find the time to log more miles this week. Even though I haven't been running as much as I'd like to I do think that Sarah and I are getting much better. Now a four mile run at a 9:30 pace is a piece of cake. That's at a new one for both of us. Right now are long run is at 6 miles which really isn't that challenging other than finding the time to do it. I'm going to convince sarah that we should bump it to seven next week :)

Training notes:
I read that our endurance goals for a 10k run mean that we should be able to run 150% of the race distance at a slow comfortable pace. From there you can move to speed work and strength training. My guess is that by the end of april both sarah and I will be there. Which means that we'll spend may and the first half of june working on strength and speed work to try and whittle that super slow run pace down.

Goals for the week of 4/11
Swim 2 x 3000 yards. (Hopefully I'll actually do it this week. However, i know that my run and bike training is much more important so the swimming is always what gets cut out when I'm short on time or energy!)
Bike 40 miles 2 x 20 miles
Run 20 miles. 2 x 4 miles, 2x 6 miles

This is 8 workouts which is a lot but i like to set the bar high and then try to meet it.
I can work out 6 days this week. I'm going to swim on tuesday and friday morning, and then run and bike each afternoon. I'll save the 2 4mi. runs for days when i'm fried or don't have very much time.
That's all for now,
Lauren

...the weekend was better!

well...last you heard from me i had a bad week, as far as working out goes. But i must admit that i kicked some a#! this weekend.

It was the most beautiful weekend we have had in a long time, so I spent the entire weekend outside. Yesterday I went for a 20 mile ride with Jeff. Later in the day lauren and i went for a 4 mile run. we had to go quick since she was off to the city for the evening.

Today, Jeff and I got up nice and early and ran a 3.5 mile road race in Fairfield. Again, absolutely beautiful outside. I ran my first three miles in 26:15. I am happy to say my miles were under 10 minutes. I finished the race in 30:33...not bad. Lauren and i were supposed to go for a bike, but it was just too nice out. When she got home i was lying out on the deck...so we relaxed...and now me, lauren and jeff are having a little cook-out.

Hope everyone had a nice weekend....

-sarah

Not A Good Week...

Well, this week was not one of my better weeks for training. It got off to a good start.
I hate when work gets in the way!!
So, this weekend will be hardcore training for me. I am going to try to get in a bike today, but not sure that will happen. I have tons of errands to get done. Lauren and I are going to do a 6-mile run this afternoon. Tomorrow i am running a race, its a 3.5 mile race...that should be fun. Then i will come home and go for a bike...i can convince lauren to do that with me too.

thats in for now....sorry it wasn't exciting :)
-sarah

New Addition!

Love this blog:) I guess I am partly to blame for the madness, as I convinced Ryan to join me in this crazy experience and I am so glad that he has roped Sarah and Lauren along.
I have never completed a traithlon before and decided this season that I should go ahead and just do 2 - and make them Olympic while I am at it! First one is only 7 weeks away in Memphis (any takers?!) followed by the Philly experience. AAAHHH!
Off for a run!

Yeah Spring!!

Ahhh...i love spring...warmer weather and longer days!

I was able to get home from work by 6, and lauren and i went for a ride. We wanted to get in 20 miles, but were only able to get in about 12 because it got darker earlier than we had hoped.

It was a good ride...i almost got hit by a truck, it was their fault, they didn't stop at the stop sign...and i forgot for a second that i was clipped in...woops! But the bike and me are OK!

Thats about it for the day. I am going to try to swim in the morning. I haven't been in about a month or so. Thankfully, swimming is my strongest point, and i can concentrate on that a little less.

...until tomorrow...
Sarah

LC's Goals for the Week of 4/4

11 Weeks to go before phili.

I thought I'd publish want I want to do this week so I can't back out of it.
Running: 16 miles total (2 x 6 miles and 1 x 4 miles)
Biking: 40 miles total (2 x 20 miles)
swimming: 6000 yards total (2 x 3000 yards)

This amounts to 7 workouts in either 5 or 6 days. This should be a challenge for me to get done but I really feel like I should be doing at least this much each week to adequately prepare for this race.

Lauren

Sunday Bloody Sunday

Typical Lauren and Sarah Day...
well, we got up at 8am...to realize that it was actually 9am...oh man...we were supposed to be leaving the house at 9 for a run. So, we got up ate some breakfast, got ready and headed out the door at 10.30, another late start.

Our plan at this point was to map out a 6 mile run and a 20 mile bike...in the car of course. That is just what we did, mapped out a GREAT 6 mile loop around Milford, that began and ended at the cottage. Now we left the cottage again to map out a 20 mile bike. We have decided that we are just going to follow the FOS (folks on spokes) route that goes through Milford, West Haven and Orange. While we are driving I remember that Baybrook bikes is having a HUGE sale. So of course we have to stop.

"OK, Sarah, we cannot spend a lot of money in here" -Lauren's quote of the day

We are in the bike shop for about 45 minutes...woops..a bit of a long detour...and we each manage to spend over $60...we needed bike gloves, booties (for when it rains), tubes (in case we get a flat), seat bag (to hold small stuff on long rides) and an odometer...who doesn't!

We have to go home now.

Were home, get all dressed to go for a long bike...we look like the biggest idiots EVER!!!
Lauren gets a flat tire...there goes that idea...
We decide to just go for a run...a 6 mile run it is.

We start off, of course tired and silly now.
Lauren asks me, "When is the last time you did a 6 mile run."
My response "Never!!" HaHaHa

but, WE DID IT!!! WooHoo...we did it.

We both are feeling MUCH better and more confident now.

Our plan moving forward is to keep running this 6 mile loop for about the next 2-3 weeks. We will then move onto an 8 mile loop for 2-3 weeks...and then increase that to 10 miles. This will put us at running a 10 mile loop in about 6 weeks. That will be 6 weeks out from the triathelon. We should be in good shape at this point.

we are also going to start biking before we run. Even if it is a short 10 miler, it will get us used to hopping off the bike and starting to run almost immediatly.

Thats it for now...
I hope everyone who is reading this enjoys it...knowing lauren and i it be quite humerous, considering how silly and wacky we can be...if you could only see us in our outfits...although that may not be far behind, since we have clicked some pictures :)

With all of that said, we would love to hear from all you guys...feel free to post comments.

until tomorrow...
sarah

Sarah's Training...

Lauren is making me look bad...
Monday: 3 mile run/8 mile bike
Tuesday:3 mile run/Lifted (mostly arms)
Wednesday: 2.5 mile run/Lifted (arms and legs)
Thursday: Lifted...too many beers!
Friday: slept
Saturday: 45 minutes spinning/1.5 mile run
Sunday: according to lauren i am going to be doing a 6 mile run
-Sarah

This week's Training

After posting the last blog, i thought it might be useful if we all post our weekly workouts (a little extra incentive not to be a slacker) My workouts this week were pretty modest but I'm working on finding the time and energy to do more.

To kick it off here's what I did this week:
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 5 mi. Run
Wednesday: 3 mi. Run
Thursday: 15 mi. Bike
Friday: Rest
Saturday: 45 min Spinning/ 1.5 mi. run
Sunday: 6 mi run OR skiing

- Cozz

Spinning

So, Sarah and I had a little trouble getting out of bed this morning to make our 9am spinning class at the gym. Training outside wasn't an option because we're getting rained on so badly we've got flash flood warnings. So, we finally get to the gym around noon and we head to the spinning room in the basement of the gym. We proceeded to create our own spinning workout in the dark -- rocking out to a tape an instructor left in the sound system. Sarah thought I was crazy for doing this (she might be right), but it was fun pushing each other and calling out sets.

We spun for a total of 45 minutes and our set was as follows: 5 minute warmup, 5 minute spinning on the flats to kick our heartrates up a bit. 10 x 30 seconds at 95%/30 seconds at 50% with moderate to light tension similar to riding outside on a flat road. Then we did a jump set that sarah called out: 2x up for 8 seconds, down for 8 seconds; 2x up for 4 seconds, down for 4 seconds; 4x up for 2, down for 2 and then back up. After this we did a 6 minute hill increasing the intensity and resistance every 2 minutes. Then we did 10 minutes of 1 minute hard, 1 minute moderate. We finished it up with a 5 minute ride at about 80 percent and then a cooldown.

Then we jumped on the treadmills for 8 minutes at a 10:00/mi. pace to "run out" the biking and we finished the workout up with a 2 minute sprint. In classic form, we immediately drove to Stop and Shop... which is always a bad idea when it's 3pm, you've had no lunch and you just finished a work out. We were so hungry we had opened most of the food we were buying by the time we checked out. That's it for now from me, tomorrow we're either going to do a 6 mi. run or go skiing. Hopefully the weather will be nice enough to ski but it's pouring rain so I doubt it's going to work out.

Back to paper writing for me,
Cozzer