Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Well rounded

I went to the gym today for the first time in the new PSU facility at Rec Hall. Every bike and treadmill has its own TV! Huge open room full of stuff. Pretty sweet. I just did a light lifting day to ease myself in, then headed upstairs to the cardio section. I did a 20 minute interval on a recumbent bike, ran a 20 minute interval on the treadmill (which does not go the same speed as the one I have at home when it says it is), then I rowed 1000 meters, which only took 4 or 5 minutes I think, but it was pretty hard. Lots of new muscles in that one, especially in strange places like my shins and hams.
One of the unfortunate problems is that this building doesn't have a pool, so if I want to swim, I need to go to one of the other gyms.
But Craig, I'm sure you're right. I do intend to get some swimming in before I race. I'm just afraid that I will only be able to swim 2 laps right now before I sink to the bottom and drown, so I want to get myself able to stay in my target heartrate range for 20 or 30 minutes at a time comfortably before I worry about the pool.
But you did get me thinking about how my skills will break out. I know for certain that I am not going to be a fast runner. 250 pound guys simply cannot compete with the slender reeds that do these things. I was thinking about high school, and even then, when I was around 200 lbs and quite fit, I still hated running long distances (and by long, I mean over the epic distance of 800 meters), so I'm gonna get killed in the run no matter what, I think. The last time I won a 10k, I was 12.
As for biking, if it were all downhill, I would kick the proverbial bootay, but I imagine I'm gonna have to go up sometimes, so I can't imagine I'll be too fast there either. That was always my best event, but I was much better in flat sprints than the Tour distances.
So swimming might have to be my ace in the hole. Unfortunately it's first. So even if I were to, by some miracle, make it out of the water first, all I would do is watch as the entire racing public passes me in the next two events. Very sad.
But what the heck. I'm just gonna see what I can do. Maybe I'll work on my transitions.

2 comments:

CSquared said...

I will tell the facts about being a 200+ dude. In 2005 I worked my tail off for 5k race. I did interval training, hill climbs, long weekend runs. I entered the race and thought I was running great until the last half mile. When I cramped and the punk 16 year old kids blew by me, one kid right at the finish. None of them could have been a 150 lbs. My only consolation was that I had to have put out way more watts of energy to get my carcass that far that fast.

So, Shawn just think of that, at 250 you will weigh approx. 25 % more than I do, therefore for us to be equal I will have to beat you by 25% faster time, thus equal amount of effort was expended. Energy is equal to Mass X Velocity (E=MV).

Of course base is everything in endurance, because I ran the race a year later and was a good 30 seconds faster and I was passing the large guys like me. Of course I was edged out in the end by what looked to be a 16 year old girl, but I know it was the same punk from the year before in disguise. I'll get him next year.Ha

SJV said...

Aha! This will give me much motivation. So if some guy is 130 pounds, he will have to finish in HALF my time to beat me! I'm gonna kill that punk. There's no way he can put out that kind of effort. This is why I suggest that for the last kilometer, everyone has to carry 100 pounds in each hand. Now how does that 16 year old girl do? Take that, you emaciated little weaklings!