I participated in the one hour Postal swim last Monday morning at the YMCA. I hope to finish the 2.4 mile swim of the Ironman in 1 hour and 15 minutes.  So, my goal for the postal swim was two miles under one hour without having to work at a high intensity. I was able to keep a steady pace of 50 yards every 50 seconds give or take.  I figure that with a wetsuit and not having the pool turns, I should have no problem reaching my goal during the Ironman. Whew!  Now if it will just warm up so I can get outside to cycle.

Thanks to Coach Elyce Kastigar for creating one of the stronger master’s swim teams in the state and providing great workouts. 

This past week:             Sat. – 11 mile run, Spin Class

Sun. – 5 mile run, Trainer 1.5 hr

Mon. – 1 hour Postal Swim, Spin class, Core

                                    Tues. - 5 mile run, Spin class

                                    Wed. - Swim, 2.5 hr Spin class, Core

                                    Thurs. – 5 mile run, Spin class

                                    Fri: - 2500 Meter Swim – off

My training goals for the month:

Two long swims a month of 2500 to 3000 meters

                        Add one hour of low intensity training each week

If you are interested in structured swim training give Master’s Swimming a try. We swim every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning at 6:00 a.m. at the Barnett Center.  You need to be able to swim a minimum of 50 meters of freestyle.

Keep Training

Craig

The time has come to practice what I suggest to others.  Goals are only wishes until you A. write them down, B. share them with your friends, and C. review them daily.

Now the A:  Aberdash on May 10th, The Fargo Marathon on May 17th, the Deadwood Marathon on June 8th, the Northville 5K on June 14th, the Wecota 4 Miler on June 21st, the YMCA Bull Run 1/2 Marathon on July 26th, the CASA 1/2 Marathon (date being determined), the Steps for Shep 5k on Gypsie Days, and the Sioux Falls 1/2 Marathon in Sept.

Now on the B:  done, shared with friends.

Now the C:  you can rest assured that I will review this daily as to prepare myself mentally. 

This process really does work.  It’s how I accomplished my first marathon at age 40 plus 5 days, some 16 years ago.  Each of these listed Full and 1/2 Marathons will have it’s own separate timeline which will be reviewed daily too.

 Now it’s time to get serious!  Thanks for reading and happy running!

 Gaylan

Man talk about a cold week for running outdoors. It is always sad when the -2° this morning felt like a summer heat wave! Maybe it’s the cold or maybe it is crazy people, but this past week it seems that motorist are having a hard time seeing our group of runners, even in reflective gear. In fact motorist don’t seem to be paying attention at all. For instance, a co-worker’s wife was struck by a car in a cross walk in broad daylight; fortunately she was not injured. So, PLEASE be careful out there; always assume that motorist cannot see you, wear plenty of reflective gear, and always run against traffic. Above all be cautious and be safe.

This past week has been a great training week, even though my runs were a bit shorter due to the extreme cold. Here is a run down of my training:
Sat. – 5 mile run, Spin Class
Sun. – 5 mile run, Trainer 1.5 hr
Mon. - Swim, Spin class, Core
Tues. - 5 mile run, Spin class
Wed. - Swim, Spin class, Core
Thurs. – 5 mile run, Spin class
Fri: - Water polo – off

For next week: I am looking forward to the Postal swim for the US Master’s - swim as many laps as you can in one hour. If you are interested in swimming the Postal Swim – contact Mary Turner.

Keep Training
Craig

Winter training! Which is worse the steady hum of the treadmill, the possibility of growing a Hamster tail, or the thump, thump, thump of frozen running shoes on the cold pavement, I’ll take the cold!

This morning we ran an easy five with the thermometer hanging at a balmy –17. Camille, Rolph, Stan, Gaylan and myself looked like frosty when finished. A lot of people won’t run in the cold but I find if you take it easy and layer correctly the cold is not so bad.

For the season of 2008 I will be training for triathlons and mountain bike races. The season runs from late April to mid September and I usually do around fifteen events. This summer I have three “A” races I will focus on with the help of coach Dr. Camille Thomas and friends.

Xterra in the Black Hills, (off-road triathlon)
Xterra in Montana (off-road triathlon)
Ironman Wisconsin. (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run, thanks Frank)

For now a typical week of training involve about 13hrs

3-swims a week with the masters @ NSU
4-runs per week roughly 30 miles
6-bike sessions either on the indoor trainer or spin class

I have been asked to keep a blog on my training and race results, I’m by far no expert at this, I just enjoy the sport, and the people. And if you have not noticed ENGLISH was not my specialty in school!

It’s off to Spin at the “Y”

Keep Training
Craig

Like many, the incline in training has arrived. After a few comfortable months to rejuvinate muscles…it’s time to step things up in preparation for the racing season! I’ve decided to take on a new adventure; that of adventure racing. To better prepare, I’ve been doing a lot of cross training in the gym by utilizing blocks and steps and the good ‘ol jump rope. Hope this will help me gain more agility and stregthen my knees for the 50 mile trail run I registered for! There’s no backing out now!