April Round-Up

We all know how March wasn't good. I personally didn't think April was that fantastic on first look back, but we'll see how that thought changes over the course of this post.

The month started out really well, with a two-a-day on Easter and somehow still managing to squeeze in some exercise on a vacation to the desert.

The middle of the month brought struggles in terms of everything but running ... mostly due to the fact that we were forced out of our gym due to renovations and herded to another gym. This other gym had a pool that was almost impossible to get into and about 1329754 people inside it ... thanks to our and another gym being closed for renovations, an old location's members transferring there PLUS all the new sign-ups for it being a fancy new gym. Brandon and I HATED it there and tried to avoid working out there.

The end of the month brought our first race of the season, the Cherry Creek Sneak ... and more off days than I would have liked, mostly due to preparing for Brandon's departure.

Still, there were perks, too:
- bought a wetsuit
- broke down and bought a Timex Ironman watch
- in theory registered for USAT ... and we're still waiting for our crap even though our checks have been cashed
- raced the Sneak, qualifying for BolderBOULDER in the process
- registered for both the BB and for our Olympic Tri, RattleSnake.
- went over six miles for the first time

And now, the numbers:

Running: 37.92 miles (average went down one whole second/mile)
Swimming: 2.86 miles (average went down about 30 seconds/mile. also did a few swim interval workouts)
Cycling: 15.15 miles (average speed went up by about half an mph)
Lifting: three sessions ... two of which were literal crap ... but I guess they still count
Other: one session of Wii Fit, one hike, one yoga session, one softball game

Speaking of the latter, I am on a work softball team again. It's not like I really sweat during those games (oh co-rec ...), but they'll be a good, fun supplement.

Going back to the numbers, there's a few things to notice. First of all, the running. I beat my previous highest month by 12.01 miles. That's HUGE. Secondly, the swimming. My highest month's total in swimming was back in January and even though that's kind of gone by the wayside, it went up from March so small victory there. Thirdly, the cycling. Yes, it's improved. But those numbers need to be a lot bigger than the running numbers. I know that I'm kind of focusing on running FOR NOW due to the BB, but I don't want to leave myself wanting on the bike on race day like I have for the past two years. Finally, the lifting. I know most lifting needs to be done and should be done in the offseason, but I don't think it's too late to try to squeeze in some more strength training.

To finish this post, I think Brandon and I nailed our theme of "Step It Up." May's theme is stolen from a BB shirt from a few years ago - "Altitude Attitude." It fits because of its relation to the BolderBOULDER, our big race this month ... and also because of where we live and train. Brandon's at sea level for most of this month, so he needs to train with the attitude of being at altitude. Me, I just have to deal with the altitude, with the attitude that it's going to make me a stronger athlete.