Well i'm a slacker, yesterday i didn't workout and i ate semi crappy because iw as at a convention all day. Tonight i'm going to bike for 45 minutes and elipse for 45 minutes. I've eaten well today, but not much. Check out my fitday results, so far at 1pm i'm only just over 1000 calories. :( i'll see if i can't get that up a bit.

GOALS:
Eat right
WORKOUT

Well i tried to complete my last goal of yesterday...get decent sleep by going to bed at 10, but the phone rang 4 times till midnight and i couldn't get to sleep after that. last time i looked at the clock it was a few minutes to 1. I'm not tired today but i am a little sore from lifting.

Something to mention about my lifting session last night, i was pretty focused. Some of my old 'beastly focus' came back from my earlier days of lifting and i started concentrating on the muscle groups and squeezing the shit out of them. It definitely worked on my shoulders because they're pretty tight today.

Today during work i gotta go to a Photoshop convention so i'm not sure what i'm gonna be able to eat. Also, i'm supposed to bike today and i'll go to Bally's and do the stationary for 45 minutes or so. I may even do an additional 1/2 hour on the elipse. I'm pretty stoked about losing 4 pounds last week. It's a lot of weight, but i'm not concerned about it since it's my first week of weight loss. If i drop 4 this week i won't be overly concerned, but if i drop another 3-4 the week after i'll start looking into why i'm losing so fast.

Ok i did all my goals so far, the pool was closed so i did 45 minutes on the elipse, then lifted. It was cool to see 2 of my old lifting buddies from when i was a hardcore super duper uber lifter. My knees hurt from doing squats though, not sure if i'm gonna keep up with that one.


ALso: Jumped on the scale before my workout...234...down 4 pounds from last week. thats good. funny thing is when i got on the scale after it said 230...? i'll go with the 234.

My trainer shipped today, hoping to get it next monday. I feel much better today. I'm going to swim and lift today at the gym.

I'm about to go to Moe's for lunch because i didn't cook lunch last night. I'm gonna get a chicken burrito with no sour or guac. I'll try and estimate my calories and crap on my fitday site, but it won't be ALL that accurate. I brought some shakes into work so i'll drink one down at around 5 for pre workout build up.

Cyberswimclub ends at the end of this week and i think i'm going to just take the last 5 weeks and repeat them. I've spent enough money on traithlon for this year, i can't afford to renew.

I'm gonna do a 20 mile ride this saturday in preperation for the century ride this sunday. I've come to the conclusion that i MUST NOT worry about the century and just do it. Worrying about it will put me in a bad mindset and that'll doom me.

Goals for the day:
Good diet the rest of the day!
SWIM AND FRIGGIN LIFT DAMNIT!
Get decent sleep.

Oh and here's the trainer i got.

CycleOps Fluid2

I'm in a really pissy mood today, can't quite figure it out. I can't satisfy myself it seems. Ideas, hunger, awakedness....nothing is satisfying today. Can't seem to smile. Hoping tomorrow i'll be over this. The weather is good, friends are good...just...not happy in the place i am right now. I am a little tired but-

So last week was good...i had a good diet, exercised every day except sunday...first week down. Now not to screw up this week. ;)

I went to see Bowling for Columbine...go see this movie. It's amazing.

I have a lot more to say but deadlines at work are screaming...

Last night my legs started feeling really beat up again. Just aching and painful. I went to bed this way. I woke up this morning to a relatively fresh set of legs, but my upper body (shoulders and chest) are really beat up now...but from experience i can attribute THAT to weight lifting. I'm really glad i only did one set of each exercise, otherwise i'd be really hurting today. I"m debating whether or not to go to the gym and do the eliptical or to run anywhere.

I'm really going to be careful this coming Sunday at the 102 mile horrible hundred ride. I know i can complete this ride, but i don't really want to suffer too early so i'm going to make sure i have plenty to eat on the bike. Nutrition is the last thing i should have to worry about. I'm officially putting my time at 7 hours. I don't care whether i go over or under, thats just a realistic estimate i'm giving myself.

I really can't wait till the doors open for me to become a coach, i really want to coach people, i really want to get out of the 'office' life. Get active for a JOB for a change, do something i REALLY enjoy, be my own boss. Have intimate relationships with athletes who will depend on me to bring them success.

Looks like i could turn another leaf in my life, if Diane is willing to show me the ropes.

Just a quick note: I was feeling really beat up...like post race beatup. I decided to go and rent a movie, and get some food in me. When i ate the sandwich and salad i felt SO much better. Really had a bad case of mal nutrition today starting with my workout. Definitely gotta get more food in me, specially if i'm doing ANYTHING for 3 hours.

I just burned 2400 calories...oh my god. I drove an hour this morning to meet Diane at the Van Fleet trail. This is a VERY boring trail. No turns, No hills, no nothing but trees for 30 miles.

Let me just say, i LOVE riding with women! It's nice to be able to talk to these women with no alterior motives (sex) at all. We're totally honest with each other and their views on life are so much different and interesting then the guys i know. MOstly because i can predict my friends probably, but it's a really nice change. Found out Diane has had an incredible life, and she can help me get T3 going...even help me get certified and start getting started as a coach! that would rock!

So we ended up with 40 miles, at 14.8 avg. I tell you, this trail is so friggin flat my ass hurt at the end. I had to keep standing up to change positions. A few things contributed to my last 10 mile semi-bonk.

I didn't have enough fuel for this 3 hour ride. i only brought enough for 2 hours.
I lifted for the first time in forever yesterday so my legs were a litlte achy as were my traps and tri's.

No big deal...i can't believe i'm going to do 100 miles next sunday. But you know what? I havn't really hit a WALL in a long time, and i'm either gonna hit it or complete it. I'm actually looking forward to pushing myself to a limit i've never been to before. I'm thinking it'll take me 7 hours. Thats a long time to be in the saddle.

I also broke my chain on the trail, but quickly fixed it. It didn'ttake me more then 10 minutes to fix which is good. It would have been quicker but i put it through my deraillur wrong and had to re-do it.

Overall i was glad the ride was done, but also very glad i did it.

I got some work to do now, and also think i'll take a short nap. hehe.

I don't know why, but watching other people weightlift pisses me off to no end. 8 out of 10 of these dolts have the worste form in the friggin planet. Here's a guy with 45 pound dumbells in each hand, doing the "S" swerve with his body just to get it up to his shoulder. He's gonna break his fucking back one of these days. And the sad part is, the poor sap could probably barely put up 25 pounds with proper form. And here's another poor sap, on the bench: 2 45 plates and 2 25 plates on each side. He's a decent sized guy but with proper form he could never lift that, everytime he pushes the weight up his back arches like the McDonalds arches. I'd rather see someone do half reps then bad reps. Pisses me off so bad, just can't figure out why...why should i care?? BAH.

Anyway i ate a yogurt at 4 pm and started having stomach cramps by 5. I went to the gym and started doing some very nice swim work when the cramps were just too much. Every stroke and breath hurt. So i got out, changed and got on the eliptical. I had spent 15 minutes in the water so i spent half hour on the elipse. Then i did my full body circuit that i found on www.trinewbies.com under weight lifting. NIce program so far. Eager to get to the good stuff. A few friends of mine have done the whole 25 week program and seen gains in their power so i figure i'll do it.

I bought two boxes of protien light meal replacement shakes. That should last me awhile. I'll replace my dinners' with that.
I was a little suprised when i finished my workday 9-5 with only 1300 calories today. seems very low. I'll see what happens when i put my shake and shrimp on there.

Tomorrow i'm riding with Diane at a new trail, probably 60+ miles. that'll be good, then i gotta go into work and do some crap. Sunday i may go and hang out with francine but who knows.

I completed my goals for today...mission accomplished!

I got my helmet! I got my helmet! OMG OMG OMG it's SOOOOO comfortable! and sexy! I can't wait to ride with it tomorrow. I'm at work and i have it on...heheh.

Lunch: Ate my Boston Market, i was a good boy! Consistency Jed, CONSITENCY! Gotta stick to it.

Ok lets start out with my goals yesterday:
GOOD DIET: besides lunch (chinese) i did this well.
1 HOUR ON ELIPTICAL: Check.

Alright now goals for the day:
Boston market for lunch, white meat, a veggie no corn bread.
Swim, eliptical, full body circuit, go home go to bed.
No eating crappy.

My calvees are actually sore from the elipse last night. Thats crazy because when i run or bike for 3 times the amount of time they don't get sore. : shrug : progress i guess. Started my calorie counting...and as soon as i figure out how to make it public, i'tll be a link on the left. Oh yeah, I GET MY HELMET TODAY!!!! YAY!!! i can't wait! omg omg omg. anyway, tomorrow i'm going with Diane to a new trail to ride about 50 miles or longer. Then on Sunday i think i'll ride again. I bought my trainer today and should get it late next week, Cycle Ops Fluid2 Pro. 224 buckeroos! i've been saving for it, and it retails for 325 so i'm getting a good deal. Can't wait to spin every friggin morning on my own bike.

Also on the agenda: Buy shakes and snack bars. That'll be the staple in my diet again.

So i'm going back to my roots. I jumped on the scale today at the gym and i gained two pounds in the last few weeks. I'm PISSED! My eating habbits don't suck that bad, and my exercise habbits don't suck that bad...it's time to crack the fuck down. Back to the old fitness days when i was lifting and doing cardio religiously. IN an effort to maintain the sanctity of triathlon i thought i could run bike and swim my way to a nicer weight, but i can't bike becuase it gets too dark and now i can't run because my foots' fucked up. So i jumped on the eliptical trainer and was pleasantly suprised at how easy it is to just keep going on that thing. I used to do 2 hours a day, now i remember why. It's a very smooth machine.

I'm going back to shakes and veggies with chicken for dinner. Eggs in the morning. From this point on i'm going back to counting every friggin calorie that goes into my body and comparing it with my output. I'm going to be using the fit site to track my calories.

I'm just really dissapointed with myself, plus i can't stand my roomates any longer, i'm moving out at the end of next month and i can't bloody wait!

Well it's not Mortons Neuroma...it's a metatarsal that's pushed through the fat pad on the bottom of my foot and is pressing against the sensitive part of a nerve. I got xrays and this could be cured with an orthotic, or i may have to have surgury. Surgury would suck bad. Francine had surgery on her foot and couldn't do any weight bearing activity for 9 weeks! holy suck batman!

We'll find out soon enough. Today i blew one goal....i went and had chinese for lunch. :( I SUCK! just for that no 'off diet day' this weekend.

Holy crap it's cold here! It's like.....50 degrees! heheh. I think all the heat training i did this summer really thinned me out because i'm from Maine and i shouldn't be freezing in 50 degree weather.

As for my goals yesterday, i completed them all! Biked on the stationary for only 1/2 hour becuase my hamstrings hurt from teh uncomfortable seat (never thought i'd take my tiny racing seat over a big ass soft seat, but it really pushes against my hamstrings in my forward position and it hurts) then lifted upper body for a little while, then went home and played games.

Goals for the day:
GOOD DIET
GO and either RUN (depending on podiatrist app. today) Or go on the eliptical for one HOUR.

Forgot to mention: I'm going to see the podiatrist thursday. This 'hotspot' and numbness in my foot is not going away when i run so it's become a problem i can't handle anymore. This was my plea on coolrunning.com:
Ever since i raced at Disney i've had this recurring problem running.

I've been on these brooks Beasts for 3 months now and they've been a godsend in terms of no achilles pain or ankle pain. BUT, right between the two meaty parts of my left foot, The ball and the left meat 'pad'...DIRECTLY in the center is a spot that gets 'hot' after running for a short while. After a few minutes of this my pinky toe and part of the left side of my foot get numb, then the 'hot spot' starts to hurt with every foot strike.

I have no idea where this developed but it's really painful, even after running for an hour and fifteen minutes, i take my shoes off and the 'hotspot' hurts to walk on for a few hours after. When i rub it it seems like there is a bone close to the surface of the skin that's getting irriatated.

Any thoughts on how to prevent?

Or more importantly whats happening?



Someone suggested it's this:

Morton's Neuroma is a common foot problem associated with pain, swelling and/or an inflammation of a nerve, usually at the ball-of-the-foot between the 3rd and 4th toes. Symptoms of this condition include sharp pain, burning, and even a lack of feeling in the affected area. Morton's Neuroma may also cause numbness, tingling, or cramping in the forefoot.
Morton's Neuroma is a foot condition caused from an abnormal function of the foot that leads to bones squeezing a nerve usually between the 3rd and 4th metatarsal heads. Symptoms of Morton's Neuroma often occur during or after you have been placing significant pressure on the forefoot area, while walking, standing, jumping, or sprinting. This condition can also be caused by footwear selection. Footwear with pointed toes and/or high heels can often lead to a neuroma. Constricting shoes can pinch the nerve between the toes, causing discomfort and extreme pain.

The first step in treating Morton's Neuroma is to select proper footwear. Footwear with a high and wide toe box (toe area) is ideal for treating and relieving the pain. The next step in treatment is to use an orthotic designed with a metatarsal pad. This pad is located behind the ball-of-the-foot to unload pressure, and relieve the pain caused by the neuroma.

Last night it poured so bad, that a 1/4 inch crack in my window let in enough water to soak the PASSENGER seat as well as everything between. Anyway half way to the gym i realized i forgot to print my swim workout and forgot my sneakers. SO i had to improvise a swim workout and not lift. My swim workout was ok, but only lasted 20 minutes; here's why.

A hispanic lady who couldn't speak a lick of english was up at the front desk trying to get some sort of attention. This happens all teh time in Florida and i thought nothing of it. I walked in, changed jumped in the pool (not heated anymore...brrrr!) and started swimming. Now i have a problem with swimming now. My first 200 or so meters are so smooth, perfect, i mean i can really feel the water flowing over me and my body stay straight and high. But as i tire my form breaks down and i get angry and it breaks down even more. You wouldn't notice a difference if you were watching me ffrom poolside, but i can FEEL parts of my body pushing water and i can't stand it. I get frustrated and i just need to calm down and relax.

Anyway i'm resting between a set of 100m and i see that hispanic chick barge into the pool room, walk all the way around the pool and head for the emergency exit. I'm thinking, "People don't actually use those exits do they? The big red ALARM WILL SOUND usually causes them to find alternate ways of exiting a building" But not this smarty pants. She looks at the door for a second then just pushes through it. The alarm goes off.

This alarm SOUNDS like a fort knox alarm, but the response time is zero. It's just going off....and off....and off....in an effort to curb the annoying sound i started swimming but everytime i went for a breath it was in my ear. So i got out, changed, talked to some people, and left...and it was still going off. No one cares. : sigh :

So i went to Michelles (She's wanted me to stay at her place for a few days because 3 girls got raped near where she lives on seperate occaisions lately) and did some laundry, and went to bed early. Like 10.

One thing i want to add is i will be posting DAILY goals on this site, then tell you whether i met them. They will be VERY repetitive, but they will discuss the decisions i have to go through each day.

Goals for the day:
I started the day off so far with a french dip sandwich.
I will eat the rest of my healthy food today, nothing fried when i go out to lunch. I have to go out to lunch becuase my car needs dropped off at the mechanic.
I forgot my biking stuff for the gym. I will go home, get my backpack and go immediately to the gym. NO SLACKING OFF.
I will bike on the stationary bike (My arch nemesis is the stationary bike) for OVER AN HOUR.

Where to begin.....lets rewind time back to last Thursday.

I took care of all my crap and went home in preperation for my ride on Saturday. A nice thing to note on Saturday is that after i took my bike apart and put it back together it shifts better then before. I no longer have to upshift two gears, then down one to get it to shift properly. It's more 'on demand' shifting now.

Saturday went as described below.

Saturday night i arrived at Rex's place for the LAN party. Had a hugely fun time there, but forgot my network cable on my return trip home so i couldn't log onto the internet sat night or sunday.

Sunday i went and saw Jackass, funny movie, and ran for 1:15. I have a trouble spot on my foot that keeps hurting real bad and i have to figure out how to deal with it soon. It's directly in the middle front of my foot, between the ball and the outer edge. It's a sharp pain and after a little while the left side of my foot starts to go numb. Not good. I was however chased by a dog on more then one occaison while the owners looked on and smiled. Not my idea of fun and i was close to just fighting the dog and killing it (which i've done before) just to prove a point to the owner.

Today: Day off. I finally did a weekend where i biked AND ran. I'm proud of myself.

Oh yeah and last night i went to this new restaraunt and had a ceaser salad...just plain jane. They put so much cheese on thsi thing that it looked like it was snowed upon. I couldn't even taste the lettuce or ceaser. It was nasty. :(

What a beautiful day and a beautiful ride with some beautiful women. When i got to the trail it was 8:30 and i saw phil. I talked with him for a half hour before getting on my bike and starting my ride without Diane who i was supposed to meet. About half a mile up the trail two women come up on either side of me and say, "What's your name?" I replied, "Jed."

Oh, i'm diane and this is francene.

Diane is a 44 year old Ironwoman who's not trained or raced in a few years. she's very nice and good humored and a decent rider.
Francene is a 31 (i thought she was 25 MAX) year old woman who does adventure racing, she's not been on her road bike in a long time. Regardless she held up very well. The beginning part of the ride avg was 15.2 for the first 15 miles. Once we hit the horse farm though, i put it in my big ring and did some sprints. Francene thought it was fun trying to keep up with me and egged me on to keep going fast. Diane dropped back after finding another friend she knew and Francene and i sped off. She's got a very good sense of humor and i had her laughing quite a bit. The great thing about this ride was that it was over before i knew it. Thtas the benefit of riding with people, you talk and boom, hte ride is over.

Diane wanted to go to Clermont next weekend to ride hills, and thats cool with me. We'll see who else joins us but it should be fun.

Now i'm going to a LAN party at my friends house to play Unreal Tournament 2003 till the wee hours of hte morning, then running tomorrow.

Well even though today i took the day off from work, it's sorta sucked. The bank had a problem with direct deposit and didn't get the money into my account till 2 pm. Here i am at WORK printing out some flyers for a freelance client i have, just to pass the time. Oh well. At least i got to sleep in a little. I wanted to ride for a few hours today and i just might do that, but after dropping off these flyers, and going to the bank, then going to the bike shop for the parts i need to re-assemble my bike...it may be too late. Either way i confirmed meeting Diane tomorrow at the trail so that should be good.

I bought a Bell Ghisallo Large Yellow (the odds of finding that on ebay are so slim, i had to buy it!) helmet that i've wanted for a few months now. They retail for $140 and i got it with buy it now for $85. Some good. So now i've got my helmet and trainer...i'm good to go!