Tuesday, April 24, 2007

A comparison of fitness and health

Job hunting is in full swing. The interview I had on last Tues (my b-day), they hired someone with more industry experience...(nuts). What can you do except get back on the saddle.

Today I met with an employment agency. I have two more appointment with different agencies. One tomorrow and one Thrusday. I don't get much result from them but hey, at least it is something to get me busy.

Tomorrow I am meeting with a woman from church. She was telling me to go spam the company in Mississauga. That's how her son got a job. I am going to sit down with her and have her look over my resume. I figure since I am into the field of marketing I might as well market MYSELF.

Anyway...back to training. Today I had an amazing session. Bike for 1:05 and it went like this:

Warm up: 10 min
Main Set: 3 X 10 min in just below Z4 (w/ 5 min spin)
Cool Down: 10 min

My bikey is in for tune up so I went to the local gym. I had very little confidence in myself for doing this session. My legs were a bit achy from Mon's workout. As it turned out, my body surprised me. It handled the main set very well. I grinded the 10 min and the legs kept on giving. I literrally poured on their trainer. I wiped afterwards (of course).

As I was doing my swim tonight, I was comparing myself from exactly last year.

Overall - last year I train more consistent than this year. With leading fellowship, going back to Hong Kong and coming up with a stomach flu, my schedule is all over the place. Last year though, I did experience a few times that I almost burn out. This year, I try to keep things on the conservative side. I don't think it worked well considering I am getting burn out from other life stuff.

2007 I also started training in zones and in lower heart rate than 2006. I hope to see some improvement from the low end.

Strength - last year I was stronger. Why? B/c this year I did not went to the gym at all! Weight training was the first thing out the door when my schedule is packed. I am going to start doing some maintenance work to keep the injury at bay.

Swim - last year I would be in joy if I swim 2 km. This year, my volume had gone up. Each time I hit the pool, I swim at least 2 km. This year, I stop seeing my swim coach ($$ reason) and so my technique hadn't improve significantly.

Bike - last year by now, I did a 200 km. This year, not much. Although this year, each time I spent on the trainer is significant longer than last year.

Run - About the same, last year my long run stretches to 2 - 2.5 hr from Jan till Apr. This year, I only start amping up that kind of long run around March.

Health - Doctor told me my liver number is normal. It hadn't been normal for a year and a half. Blood pressure is normal as oppose to high. So overall is good. Diet wise, last year I am way more discipline in jotting down everything I eat and keep the junk food away.

Weight - Last year, I weight around 147 lbs. Right now I weight 144 lbs. This doesn't mean my diet is working. When I had my stomach flu, I lost 8 lbs (dropped to 140 lbs). Weight, alone, can be deceptive. I don't recommend doing what I do to lose weight. But since the weight is off, I plan to keep it off (as long as I eat healthy).

2006 Jan - Apr - I push much harder. More consistent. In general, I almost burn out.
2007 Jan - Apr - I should have push a bit more. Not as consistent. Right now, I am very motivated to get back into the game. My goal is to keep this motivation in the next few weeks as I continue to increase the volume and build up the engine for Ironman.

Going to bed now......tomorrow is a busy day.

7 comments:

Dances with Corgis said...

Keep at the job hunt. You know persistance is the name of the game with that... and networking.

BuckeyeRunner said...

Training is always a ebb and flow. Sounds like you are hitting it pretty hard!

Rachel said...

Sounds like you're going through a rough time. Don't underestimate the drain stress has on your body. Keep plugging away at the job search! You'll land one soon enough. Also, respect the stomach flu. It can leave LONG-lasting fatigue that takes awhile to get over. Until your weight returns to what it was, you will be tired. Also, it doesn't help comparing this snapshot in time to last year's performance. You'll bounce back. Stop beating yourself up and over-analyzing. Just keep chipping away at it. Right now, just listen to your body and do what you can without overdoing. Now if I can just take my own advice...

TriDaddy said...

I've always had a nack for good resumes and have helped a few friends get interviews. I can also offer soome interview tips as well. I'd be willing to take a look at your resume if you want. send it to me at tarheeltri@aol.com.

By the way... I also like to listen to the same song over and over!

Wrenched Photography said...

Good luck buddy. Let me know if I can help with anything

Robin said...

Nice way to keep things moving, even if different from last year ---you have had a lot going on & still do. You are balancing it all overall very well, I think. Good job, Cliff.

And good luck on the job front. Keep at it and you'll get something meant for you! :)

Unknown said...

It is neat how you reflected back on where you where in comparison last year.

Keep at the job hunt...the right one is waiting for you..