Thursday is usually a rest day for me. Since I took last Sunday off after the half marathon, I decided to work out this morning. I took it relatively easy, focusing on core strength exercises and some rowing. Using the rowing machine isn’t something we do usually but I recommend it at least twice a month if you have access to one. It provides a break from the routine and utilizes a different set of muscles than you might normally use. Rowing is also a big part of any crossfit program. You can check out the program we did below.

Warm Up as many rounds as possible in 10 minutes of:

• 10 Wall Ball Toss
• 10 Push Ups
• 25 Sit Ups

Core Focus: 300 Crunches

CFE Conditioning four rounds of:

• Row 400 Meters
• 20 Squats
• 20 Dips

Having completed the run portion of my goals this month I will not be doing a long run this weekend. However, I will go for exactly a 6.5 mile run the middle of next week to try and get to a total of 60 miles for the month. I still have about 70 miles left of cycling to complete in the next 7 days. So, my task this weekend will be to try and tackle a 50 mile bike ride and take a big swipe out of that remaining balance. As for swimming, I should be done with it as of tomorrow since I only have a mile left of swimming to do.

Not sure if I will blog my way through that effort, but I may keep a running journal and post it all at once in a single post at the end of the month. I also went running shoe shopping today, for Tyler, and below is a list of my top 3 running shoes I recommend for everyone. Most of these are transition/minimalist style shoes, so they come with a learning curve. Don’t just buy them and expect to run a marathon the next day. Start with a couple of miles and build up your endurance and correct your form and then you will see the benefits from them in the long run.

1. Nike LiveStrong Free 4.0 V2 (Road) – OR – Nike Free Run + 3
2. New Balance MT 110(Trail) –
   • NOTE: The MT 101’s are even better, with a stronger rock plate, and cheaper, if you can still find a pair.
3. Saucony Hattori (Road)

All in all, I am feeling pretty good. This third attempt at 281.2 has been the charm and I think the idea of competing in an IronMan is not so daunting anymore. I feel especially motivated, knowing that a friend will be entering an IronMan race next June and this is a guy who used to swear off anything longer than a 5K race. The swim portion still remains the skill I need to work on the most and I already know that next month’s attempt at 10 miles will be truly exhausting but I have to do it if I am to get better.

Lastly, the picture below is of the party at Oglethorpe University tonight commemorating the destruction and replacement of our million old student center. The new building will have a bowling alley, Starbucks, and lots of other bells and whistles. I may enroll again and use that final year of NCAA eligibility.