I've finally gotten back to a regular training schedule these past few weeks. I still have a persistent stuffy nose at night but who knows. I'm blaming it on the cold weather. Sure it could be related to the illness that destroyed the whole month of November but why stop? I'm seeing my times slowly come down to where I was in October. Good enough for me.
The holidays are almost here and I'm considering taking a two week hiatus from training because I'm annoyed with running in the dark, spinning on my trainer, and swimming endless laps in the pool. I've come to the conclusion that the off-season blows. I'm taking part of the NCC with my triathlon club and every time I login to update my mileage I cringe when I see the Triathlon Club of San Diego kicking our collective asses. Let's forget the fact they have 62 members to our 12. But they are in San Diego! I'm completely jealous. I ran four miles tonight in 23 degree weather with 9 mph winds while they're at a balmy 56 degrees. I need to move.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Sickness
I'm sick of being sick. For the past two weeks my training has been spotty at best.
It all began with a flu that started the day before Halloween. For the second time since becoming a triathlete I can remember the exact moment I knew something was wrong. And both times were immediately following a tough tempo run. What starts as body aches turns into severe fatigue and a continual search for warmth. I was wrapped in blankets for four days this go around. I also developed a touch of broncitus.
By the tenth day I was feeling up to an easy run. I set out for five miles on this new course I had developed, which incorperates a new lengthy hill I've eyed for some time. Halfway up the hill I thought I was going to cough up a lung. At the very least I figured this was a good way to get rid of the leftover phlem. When I got home I knew something was wrong, again.
The next morning I woke up with new symptoms... sinus headache, stuffy nose, sore throat. I had developed a cold overnight. It seems I've beaten my immune system pretty bad lately. I haven't fought off the broncitus yet and I can't shake this cold, now six days old.
I just want to train!
It all began with a flu that started the day before Halloween. For the second time since becoming a triathlete I can remember the exact moment I knew something was wrong. And both times were immediately following a tough tempo run. What starts as body aches turns into severe fatigue and a continual search for warmth. I was wrapped in blankets for four days this go around. I also developed a touch of broncitus.
By the tenth day I was feeling up to an easy run. I set out for five miles on this new course I had developed, which incorperates a new lengthy hill I've eyed for some time. Halfway up the hill I thought I was going to cough up a lung. At the very least I figured this was a good way to get rid of the leftover phlem. When I got home I knew something was wrong, again.
The next morning I woke up with new symptoms... sinus headache, stuffy nose, sore throat. I had developed a cold overnight. It seems I've beaten my immune system pretty bad lately. I haven't fought off the broncitus yet and I can't shake this cold, now six days old.
I just want to train!
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Charlottesville Course
My short race season is over and its time to think about the off-season. But before I commit to another training plan I'm going to take some time to relax and enjoy workouts at my own pace.
With the weather rapidly cooling down and the days getting shorter I was lucky to get a beautiful day of riding in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains along the Charlottesville International course. I would have preferred to ride the Crabtree Falls route I frequent but my legs haven't been up to the task since the crash. I've realized showing restraint and moderation in my workouts is a good thing. So with that in mind I kept to the shorter 23.5 mile bike course I hope to ride next July.
The goal of the day was to push the pace and get a feel for the hills. I figured there would be a few steep sections and wasn't disappointed. I also wanted to get a good effort in the books to see where I stacked with this year's finishers.
23.5 Mile Bike - 1:14:38 (18.8mph)
This was a difficult course. The start of the ride is an eight-percent, half-mile climb just out of the parking lot. Once you get settled in you have two more decent climbs before you hit four miles. By the fourteenth mile I was kicked. Clearly I lacked the stamina I had built up back in May. I took it easy on the back stretch and powered home on the last climb. Here's how my Garmin recorded the ride:
I must confess I had to stop along the course twice to take photos to share with everyone. It was a picturesque ride on a warm October afternoon. I was also amazed with the clear, flat water of the lake. I regretted not packing my wetsuit.
With the weather rapidly cooling down and the days getting shorter I was lucky to get a beautiful day of riding in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains along the Charlottesville International course. I would have preferred to ride the Crabtree Falls route I frequent but my legs haven't been up to the task since the crash. I've realized showing restraint and moderation in my workouts is a good thing. So with that in mind I kept to the shorter 23.5 mile bike course I hope to ride next July.
The goal of the day was to push the pace and get a feel for the hills. I figured there would be a few steep sections and wasn't disappointed. I also wanted to get a good effort in the books to see where I stacked with this year's finishers.
23.5 Mile Bike - 1:14:38 (18.8mph)
This was a difficult course. The start of the ride is an eight-percent, half-mile climb just out of the parking lot. Once you get settled in you have two more decent climbs before you hit four miles. By the fourteenth mile I was kicked. Clearly I lacked the stamina I had built up back in May. I took it easy on the back stretch and powered home on the last climb. Here's how my Garmin recorded the ride:
I must confess I had to stop along the course twice to take photos to share with everyone. It was a picturesque ride on a warm October afternoon. I was also amazed with the clear, flat water of the lake. I regretted not packing my wetsuit.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Giant Acorn RR
Two weeks after Sandman it was time to attack my final triathlon of the season on Lake Anna at the Giant Acorn. Joining me for the race was my roomate Ryan. I had been looking forward to this race ever since last year's finish. My only goal this year, given the circumstances this past summer, was to beat last year's finishing time of 1:14:27. I figured the swim was a wash but my bike and run fitness was superior regardless of missing ten weeks of training. 750 Meter Swim - 14:32 (1:56/100m)
I've never enjoyed the swim portion of a triathlon before this race. I didn't have any expectations in terms of time so I relaxed and swam comfortably. And for the first time I believe I swam a straight line point to point. This is the only reason I can justify why I matched last year's swim of 14:34.
T1 - 1:39
Not bad for me.
12.5 Mile Bike - 33:55 (21.2mph)
As usual I had a difficult time settling into the bike. This time I decided not to force the issue and was content with relaxing and hovering in the 22mph range when I found long flats. Having beautiful weather in the 70s coupled with the moderate hills, turns, and scenery made the course enjoyable. And best of all I finished 1:34 faster then last year.
T2 - 1:38
Same old story... Eat a GU and hit the pavement.
5K Run - 18:51 (6:05/mile)
Since I had slacked off on the swim and bike I wanted to focus on the run to turn in a respectable time and maybe grab a spot in the AG. I missed my split at the first mile marker but felt confident as I passed the second in twelve and change. Fueled by finally seeing Ryan I dropped the hammer and rolled home 1:55 faster then 2007's run of 20:46.
Total Time - 1:10:34
I'm pleased with the result especially since I beat my previous effort by 3:53. An AG place would of been nice but 5th in my AG and 34th OA isn't bad. It was a good way to finish off the season.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Sandman RR
With four weeks of training in the books since my return I felt good enough to race the Sandman sprint triathlon in Virginia Beach, VA. Now when I say good enough I mean I had been running well and without pain. And I had been seeing some fast times on the bike but not much endurance. That's to be expected after a 10-week layoff. I can't forget to mention the fact with my wrist/shoulder still in pain I neglected to swim a single yard in preparation for the race. I figured it was only 1000 meters. Huh, what was I thinking...The week before the race I tried to grab a short ride and flatted eight miles in, which was my second flat in two weeks. Luckily both times I had my roommate with me and he rode back to the car to pick me up. On the last occasion we put my tri bike on the roof rack for the ride home. When Tropical Storm Hanna begun to drop rain on us we became distracted and forgot my bike was on the top of his new Lexus. As we entered the garage I heard the crunch of my bike and the scratching of the rack digging into his car. Not pretty at all. The car had a few dents and my Adamo Saddle was toast. The aluminum bike frame appeared solid though. After some tense moments at the Contes in Arlington I was able to acquire a new seat the Thursday before Sandman. I fitted everything that night but didn't get a chance to ride the bike until early race morning. A few minor tweaks was all it needed I thought.
During the five mile ride to the race site I fiddled with my positioning a few times but couldn't get it right like I had been training on. I also noticed my cadence wasn't working anymore. I probably should have rode the bike after the garage crash.
1000 Meters Swim - 18:30 (1:51/100m)
This was my first time doing an ocean swim and it wasn't pretty. The swim consisted of going out 25m and passing three orange buoys by swimming parallel with the beach before returning back to the sand. My wave was full of red caps that looked much like bobbing orange buoys in the distance. My goggles didn't help much when they came off as I dove into a wave and then fogged up several times during the swim. Throw in the fact I was way out of shape for 1000m and you get a crappy time. No shocker there.
T1 - 2:02
Nothing to report other then having to pass too many women from the wave before me that walk their bikes in the transition zone.
14 Mile Bike - 39:28 (22.4mph)
I was excited to finally get a chance to bike on a flat course after all the training in the mountain I had done back in May. During the race I found out why my cadence wasn't working when the bike computer fell off a mile from T1. I stopped and wasted two minutes or so going back to get it and then waiting to merge into bike traffic. If you subtract the extra time from my bike split I was more in the neighborhood of a 23mph average. I was quite pleased with the time but felt I had more power in my legs. With the bike positioning I setup that morning I was unable to get comfortable, thus lacking the power I was used to.
T2 - 1:41
Uneventful here. Notwithstanding I need to work on it.
5K Run - 20:47 (6:42/mile)
By the time I hit the boardwalk along the oceanfront the sun had come out and started baking everyone. I stopped at every water station for a cold drink and a second glass for over my head. I'm proud to say I had a decent time posting the 3rd best run in my AG and 10th best OA.
Total Time - 1:22:29
I felt going into the race I had a chance to place in my AG but the swim was terrible and I lost too much time on the bike. Overall I was happy placing 7th in my AG and 42nd OA on only a few weeks of training. I look forward to getting in a few more weeks before closing out my short racing season at the Giant Acorn in October.
Monday, September 22, 2008
March of Dimes 5K RR
Three weeks after I began training again I thought I'd get out and run the local Bolt for Babies 5K out of Ballston in Arlington, VA. Since the course ran directly past my backyard I figured I'd kick myself for not being out there if I saw them race by. So without a taper and a few drinks the night before I signed up.
While race-day registering I started looking around at the competition. A few guys looked pretty quick so I knew I needed to go and go hard at the gun. I also knew the course had a few hills so if I could manage a decent first mile downhill and gut out the last two miles mostly uphill I'd be doing good.
The race unfolded as planned however the guy infront of me took off like a bat out of hell. I didn't even try to keep pace with him because I thought for sure I'd catch him in the hills. A mile into things I was surprised to see a 5:24 split. I didn't think my legs could move that fast anymore. With the lead runner still in view the second mile came in around 5:45. By the third mile first place was about 0:20 ahead of me and I wasn't interested in trying to catch him. I had just rattled off a tough 6:00 uphill and decided to coast home for a second place finish and maybe break 18:00, which was the goal to begin with.
The final results had me at 18:01 and second overall (I told you it was small). I won a three-month membership to Gold's Gym for my efforts. After the race my roommate and I went for a nice easy ride through DC to stretch the legs.
While race-day registering I started looking around at the competition. A few guys looked pretty quick so I knew I needed to go and go hard at the gun. I also knew the course had a few hills so if I could manage a decent first mile downhill and gut out the last two miles mostly uphill I'd be doing good.
The race unfolded as planned however the guy infront of me took off like a bat out of hell. I didn't even try to keep pace with him because I thought for sure I'd catch him in the hills. A mile into things I was surprised to see a 5:24 split. I didn't think my legs could move that fast anymore. With the lead runner still in view the second mile came in around 5:45. By the third mile first place was about 0:20 ahead of me and I wasn't interested in trying to catch him. I had just rattled off a tough 6:00 uphill and decided to coast home for a second place finish and maybe break 18:00, which was the goal to begin with.
The final results had me at 18:01 and second overall (I told you it was small). I won a three-month membership to Gold's Gym for my efforts. After the race my roommate and I went for a nice easy ride through DC to stretch the legs.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Still In Recovery
Its been 15 weeks since the crash and I'm still dealing with shoulder and wrist issues relating to MoM. But as an impatient triathlete I decided five weeks ago I'd get back to some minimal bike/run training. The shoulder has ached far too much to attempt any lengthy swim sessions so I've stayed out of the pool. Even spending time in my aerobars tends to aggravate the shoulder. Even running simple repeats at the track can make it go numb.
The biggest change in my life since the bike crash has been the relocation to the Washington, DC metro area. Just before MoM I interviewed for an amazing position with a municipality in that area. And it wasn't until I was doped up on Vicodin and laying on my couch all busted up a week later that I learned I got the job. Then three weeks later I was loading a U-Haul and kissing Newport News, VA goodbye.
Since this is a triathlon blog I think its important to mention moving to a new city can completely throw your training off schedule. Besides the whole time factor (moving, setting up your place) you have to learn where all the new places are to train. For example... Where can you run? Where is the nearest public pool and what is the schedule? Are there any bike clubs to join for weekday rides? All important questions, however being unable to train due to injury gave me plenty of time to contemplate them. Is it lame that I considered those questions when I chose where to live?
I've found out Washington, DC is a wonderful place to be a triathlete. There are several triathlon clubs, running clubs, and group rides. Thanks to Google they're just a few keystrokes away. During my return to training I've hooked up with a nice group of runners that meet up in downtown DC. Check out where I run my five mile loops at now:
One of the nicest features to the area is the plethora of commuter trails in Maryland, Virgina, and DC. If I'd like to ride to West Virginia one afternoon I could walk out my back door and take a bike trail to Harper's Ferry, WV. Pretty sweet.
The biggest change in my life since the bike crash has been the relocation to the Washington, DC metro area. Just before MoM I interviewed for an amazing position with a municipality in that area. And it wasn't until I was doped up on Vicodin and laying on my couch all busted up a week later that I learned I got the job. Then three weeks later I was loading a U-Haul and kissing Newport News, VA goodbye.
Since this is a triathlon blog I think its important to mention moving to a new city can completely throw your training off schedule. Besides the whole time factor (moving, setting up your place) you have to learn where all the new places are to train. For example... Where can you run? Where is the nearest public pool and what is the schedule? Are there any bike clubs to join for weekday rides? All important questions, however being unable to train due to injury gave me plenty of time to contemplate them. Is it lame that I considered those questions when I chose where to live?
I've found out Washington, DC is a wonderful place to be a triathlete. There are several triathlon clubs, running clubs, and group rides. Thanks to Google they're just a few keystrokes away. During my return to training I've hooked up with a nice group of runners that meet up in downtown DC. Check out where I run my five mile loops at now:
One of the nicest features to the area is the plethora of commuter trails in Maryland, Virgina, and DC. If I'd like to ride to West Virginia one afternoon I could walk out my back door and take a bike trail to Harper's Ferry, WV. Pretty sweet.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Week 24 Recap / MoM RR
Going into the long weekend I knew I'd max out on bike mileage while on the trip. So I kept the week's activities to three swims and one run.
When Saturday arrived I felt great and was ready for the easy 38-mile Wilderness Road Ride that would precede the big event. I spent the untimed ride relaxing with my triclub and eating everything in sight at the rest stops. After the ride I went for a beautiful open water swim across Claytor Lake in Radford, VA.
On Sunday morning the crazy Coastal Racers (myself included) started the century ride dubbed Mountains of Misery. I would soon learn the ride would live up to it's name. For most of the morning Joel Bell and I stuck together with a small pack of guys. Joel, being a tremendous triathlete, would occasionally drop us but we'd meet up shortly at the next rest stop. By Mile 50 we had averaged around 20mph, which was decent considering the course. When the ascent up the first serious mountain began at Mile 60 it became clear I should have bought another gearing setup. My standard 25 forced me to do a ton of mashing. Halfway up the mountain I told Joel I'd have to catch him later. Once on the top I rested a minute before the descent. I though perhaps I'd catch Joel since we'd been stopping for five or so minutes at every scheduled break. Around Mile 70 I was all alone in aero cruising the flats and enjoying the day. I felt great and was ready to climb the last mountain and finish the ride in 6:30 or so.
I caught up to two guys and decided to take a rest and draft off them. After another group went by, our group picked up speed (22ish) to try and add to their line. At the same time, two cars passed us but not the other guys. Our lead guy got spooked when the last car hit his brakes. This caused the guy I was behind to jam his and quickly move left cutting me off. The next thing I know I was flying over my handlebars and tumbling down the street. I landed on my back on the side of the road. The guy who wrecked me came back and blotted my chin while his buddy called 911 on his cell. All the one guy could say was, "Sorry man. I did you so wrong." Shortly afterward a member of my club showed up and convinced me I should take the ambulance to the hospital. I'm glad I did.
As far as my injuries go, besides my pride, I have a fractured thumb, six stitches in my chin, a sprained shoulder, and two very swollen, road-rashed knees. At this point the thumb will not require a screw (depends on if it rotates any further over the next two weeks). If my shoulder doesn't improve I'll be heading back for an MRI. Basically this means no training for 4-6 weeks. That mean's I'll miss the Yorktown and Bath County sprints.
Here's a look at my thumb x-ray:
When Saturday arrived I felt great and was ready for the easy 38-mile Wilderness Road Ride that would precede the big event. I spent the untimed ride relaxing with my triclub and eating everything in sight at the rest stops. After the ride I went for a beautiful open water swim across Claytor Lake in Radford, VA.
On Sunday morning the crazy Coastal Racers (myself included) started the century ride dubbed Mountains of Misery. I would soon learn the ride would live up to it's name. For most of the morning Joel Bell and I stuck together with a small pack of guys. Joel, being a tremendous triathlete, would occasionally drop us but we'd meet up shortly at the next rest stop. By Mile 50 we had averaged around 20mph, which was decent considering the course. When the ascent up the first serious mountain began at Mile 60 it became clear I should have bought another gearing setup. My standard 25 forced me to do a ton of mashing. Halfway up the mountain I told Joel I'd have to catch him later. Once on the top I rested a minute before the descent. I though perhaps I'd catch Joel since we'd been stopping for five or so minutes at every scheduled break. Around Mile 70 I was all alone in aero cruising the flats and enjoying the day. I felt great and was ready to climb the last mountain and finish the ride in 6:30 or so.
I caught up to two guys and decided to take a rest and draft off them. After another group went by, our group picked up speed (22ish) to try and add to their line. At the same time, two cars passed us but not the other guys. Our lead guy got spooked when the last car hit his brakes. This caused the guy I was behind to jam his and quickly move left cutting me off. The next thing I know I was flying over my handlebars and tumbling down the street. I landed on my back on the side of the road. The guy who wrecked me came back and blotted my chin while his buddy called 911 on his cell. All the one guy could say was, "Sorry man. I did you so wrong." Shortly afterward a member of my club showed up and convinced me I should take the ambulance to the hospital. I'm glad I did.
As far as my injuries go, besides my pride, I have a fractured thumb, six stitches in my chin, a sprained shoulder, and two very swollen, road-rashed knees. At this point the thumb will not require a screw (depends on if it rotates any further over the next two weeks). If my shoulder doesn't improve I'll be heading back for an MRI. Basically this means no training for 4-6 weeks. That mean's I'll miss the Yorktown and Bath County sprints.
Here's a look at my thumb x-ray:
Monday, May 19, 2008
Week 23 Recap
Last week's minor shin injury put a slight damper on my training. With the Memorial Day weekend trip looming I figured it would be best to keep myself healthy at all costs. And with that, I reduced my running for the week to the whenever I feel like it plan, which wasn't much. Although the injury felt good by Wednesday I kept off of it till Friday just in case.
Training volumes for the week came in around 7 1/2 hours with 5660 yards swimming, 99 miles biking, and 5 miles running. I had planned for 10 hours but skipping the long run on Sunday for much neglected lawn care was nice. I even got around to planting a tree.
I'm pleased with my biking progress over the last six weeks. Lately I've been able to expand my volume by roughly 10% as planned (72,90,99). I'll reach my ultimate goal of 130 by mid-June. My rides have been a mix of quality but mostly quantity without care for pace. I figure the hills I've faced have been all the strength training I've needed during this build phase. When biking flats and rollers I've concentrated on keeping my cadence around 100. I find this keeps my legs feeling energetic when I ride more than 40 miles. In the past this was where I typically dropped in speed on race day.
Training volumes for the week came in around 7 1/2 hours with 5660 yards swimming, 99 miles biking, and 5 miles running. I had planned for 10 hours but skipping the long run on Sunday for much neglected lawn care was nice. I even got around to planting a tree.
I'm pleased with my biking progress over the last six weeks. Lately I've been able to expand my volume by roughly 10% as planned (72,90,99). I'll reach my ultimate goal of 130 by mid-June. My rides have been a mix of quality but mostly quantity without care for pace. I figure the hills I've faced have been all the strength training I've needed during this build phase. When biking flats and rollers I've concentrated on keeping my cadence around 100. I find this keeps my legs feeling energetic when I ride more than 40 miles. In the past this was where I typically dropped in speed on race day.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Week 22 Recap
With the Mountains of Misery trip being roughly two weeks away from the date of this post I knew this past weekend would be the last chance to test the legs. I headed back to Charlottesville, VA for another climb near Crabtree Falls. This time I decided to bike the course in the opposite direction of Week 20's 44-miler. By doing so, I didn't have to attack the steepest part of the entire ride right out of the gates. Instead I had to face a short yet challenging climb six minutes into the ride (800 feet of elevation). From there I rode a mix of rollers and flats until I climbed for a solid 53 minutes up the valley (2000 feet of elevation) to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Here's an idea of how I taxed my body during the long climb (note one rest stop for a snack at 1:27, and anaerobic @ HR > 170):
I knew the magic number on my Garmin was 39 miles, Reeds Gap. From here I held on tight and dropped 1700 feet of elevation over five miles in nine minutes. Whew!Even though I've been feeling some deep fatigue lately and had a big ride on Saturday I felt decent enough to try a 13-mile romp around the Yorktown Battlefields on Sunday. I took a little extra time to make sure I was stretched before setting out. Nine miles into the run I felt something give below my right shin. It appears to be a ligament I overused between the two days. It was so painful the front of my leg cramped up while I jogged back to the car. I don't think it’s serious but I'll be taking it easy this week just in case.
The injury is disheartening considering I was on a training roll. Week 22 featured some tough workouts and had great results. I put in just over 10 hours of training with 5100 yards swimming, 90 miles biking, and 26 miles running.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Week 21 Recap
Call it a post-mountain ride hangover or possible overtraining but I lacked the motivation to accomplish my training goals for the week. I'm specifically talking about my lack of swimming, largely in part to the constant discomfort I'm feeling in my shoulders. Usually after I finish my speed/tempo runs I head to the pool for 2500-3000 yards. Lately I've been slack because by 6PM I'm overwhelmed with visions of an ice pack, couch, and dinner. I live an exciting night life as you can see. This week I'll focus on getting in swimming. But for now I'll have to stare at the fat zero in the swimming column of my training plan. I still worked a bit over 8 hours this week with 79 miles biking and 28 miles running.
I've developed an urge to eat 24/7 with my recent increases in mileage. While this makes perfect sense I still dropped close to 5 lbs this week. This puts me officially at the 140 mark, which is 5 lbs off what I weighed when I started college more than 10 years ago. This is 30 lbs off what I started with last year.
And for those who wonder if I eat enough... Here's what I had this weekend:
Friday
Two packets of oatmeal w/ground flax seed
One green tea
Half a medium peperoni pizza
Outback 9oz sirloin
House salad
Broccoli side
Mashed garlic potatoes side
1-1/2 Loaf of Outback's bread
Saturday
Bowl of Total
Two Powerbars
12oz Can of Coke
16oz Bottle of Accelerade
Footlong Subway sandwich (turkey/ham)
Two hand fulls of Wheat Thins
Entire large portion of chicken and broccoli w/ white rice (it was probably meant for two people)
Five Oreo cookies
8oz Skim milk
Sunday
Bowl of Total
One Powerbar
16oz Bottle of Accelerade
McDonalds Quarterpounder w/ cheese
Med fries (was craving the salt)
Med Coke
Spinach salad w/ cucumbers and carrots
Macintosh apple
1/2 Cup of wild rice
8oz of Baked cod
8oz of Cranberry juice
Two hand fulls of Wheat Thins
I've developed an urge to eat 24/7 with my recent increases in mileage. While this makes perfect sense I still dropped close to 5 lbs this week. This puts me officially at the 140 mark, which is 5 lbs off what I weighed when I started college more than 10 years ago. This is 30 lbs off what I started with last year.
And for those who wonder if I eat enough... Here's what I had this weekend:
Friday
Two packets of oatmeal w/ground flax seed
One green tea
Half a medium peperoni pizza
Outback 9oz sirloin
House salad
Broccoli side
Mashed garlic potatoes side
1-1/2 Loaf of Outback's bread
Saturday
Bowl of Total
Two Powerbars
12oz Can of Coke
16oz Bottle of Accelerade
Footlong Subway sandwich (turkey/ham)
Two hand fulls of Wheat Thins
Entire large portion of chicken and broccoli w/ white rice (it was probably meant for two people)
Five Oreo cookies
8oz Skim milk
Sunday
Bowl of Total
One Powerbar
16oz Bottle of Accelerade
McDonalds Quarterpounder w/ cheese
Med fries (was craving the salt)
Med Coke
Spinach salad w/ cucumbers and carrots
Macintosh apple
1/2 Cup of wild rice
8oz of Baked cod
8oz of Cranberry juice
Two hand fulls of Wheat Thins
Monday, April 28, 2008
Week 20 Recap / Charlottesville, VA
With the recovery week at hand I tried to keep my level of effort low and volume of training about half. I noticed a possible trend in my training log that indicated I get sick and/or injured every five weeks so I wasn't taking a chance. Everything was going well until Saturday arrived and I headed up to Charlottesville, VA to have my first experience cycling in the mountains.
Thanks to the Charlottesville Bicycle Club I printed out a ride map ahead of time. Not being one to wuss out on a ride I selected Crabtree Falls - Devils Knob. This route offers an option of 44/53 miles with 115/120 feet of elevation per mile respectively. Here's a look from Google Earth and a profile I made using my Garmin:
I started from Beech Grove as recommended but rode the route in reverse because I wanted to challenge myself early while I was most fit. In hindsight this was not a great idea. I later found out my first test was Reeds Gap (elev. 2637). About five miles and one hour later, and 1700+ feet higher than I began, I was standing at the top contemplating what would be a very quick decent to the car. But I thought, who goes to the mountains just to ride 10 miles? I also thought about how my heart almost exploded during the climb. Against my better judgement at the time I proceeded but skipped the extra 9 mile leg that had promised killer climbing.
I easily cruised the picturesque Blue Ridge Highway for 10 miles until I reached Big Spy Mountain Overlook (elev. 3200). I snapped off a few pictures to give readers an idea of the beauty I enjoyed along the way.
About Mile 20 I learned riding in the mountains can be spectacular as well as extremely dangerous. Decending from 3200 feet is a frightful ordeal when the slope is steep and the roads are curvy. What makes it worse is when you're trying to keep it under 40mph and then realize your brakes are too hot to be effective. To say the least I was happy to make it down without incident. I even managed to stop near Crabtree Falls for a picture of the river.
After it was all said and done I took a dip in the frigid water.
When I added the trip to the workout log I ended up with a total of 6 hours. That put me at 2200 yards swimming, 62 miles biking, and 10 miles running for the week. It was a good recovery most of the week and concluded with a solid test of my legs on the bike. I proved I'm ready for serious hill training in preparation for MoM.
Thanks to the Charlottesville Bicycle Club I printed out a ride map ahead of time. Not being one to wuss out on a ride I selected Crabtree Falls - Devils Knob. This route offers an option of 44/53 miles with 115/120 feet of elevation per mile respectively. Here's a look from Google Earth and a profile I made using my Garmin:
I started from Beech Grove as recommended but rode the route in reverse because I wanted to challenge myself early while I was most fit. In hindsight this was not a great idea. I later found out my first test was Reeds Gap (elev. 2637). About five miles and one hour later, and 1700+ feet higher than I began, I was standing at the top contemplating what would be a very quick decent to the car. But I thought, who goes to the mountains just to ride 10 miles? I also thought about how my heart almost exploded during the climb. Against my better judgement at the time I proceeded but skipped the extra 9 mile leg that had promised killer climbing.I easily cruised the picturesque Blue Ridge Highway for 10 miles until I reached Big Spy Mountain Overlook (elev. 3200). I snapped off a few pictures to give readers an idea of the beauty I enjoyed along the way.
About Mile 20 I learned riding in the mountains can be spectacular as well as extremely dangerous. Decending from 3200 feet is a frightful ordeal when the slope is steep and the roads are curvy. What makes it worse is when you're trying to keep it under 40mph and then realize your brakes are too hot to be effective. To say the least I was happy to make it down without incident. I even managed to stop near Crabtree Falls for a picture of the river.
After it was all said and done I took a dip in the frigid water.
When I added the trip to the workout log I ended up with a total of 6 hours. That put me at 2200 yards swimming, 62 miles biking, and 10 miles running for the week. It was a good recovery most of the week and concluded with a solid test of my legs on the bike. I proved I'm ready for serious hill training in preparation for MoM.
Friday, April 25, 2008
Swim Stroke Analysis
One of the perks to joining the Coastal Racing Team is having access to training seminars provided by Joel Bell of SISU MultiSport & Endurance. Last March Joel was kind enough to video and analyze my swim stroke for free at the local dive shop. Here's what I learned...
From above the water the important things to note are head position, a high elbow, relaxed recovery, and where the hand enters the water. I have all of the above except my hand enters too close to my head. I've indicated where it probably should first touch the water.
When observing your stoke from below the crucial thing to look for is body position. To swim streamlined you need to be level. As you can see, my body is parallel to the water surface. To do so I continually remind myself to "lay on my lungs" thanks to Terry Laughlin and his Total Immersion DVD. This helps keep my body well balanced. Also, you may notice my leg kick is a bit wide. I was told it should not exceed the "hole" in the water my body passed through.
Apparently my largest stroke deficiencies are in the catch and pull. In the picture you can see I keep a relatively straight arm. Proper arm position (shown in green) keeps the arm bent in an almost 90 degree bend. This allows you to catch more water while utilizing your stronger lat muscles. To correct this issue I need to concentrate on hinging at my elbow and then keeping that elbow higher during the pull.
Shortly after the analysis I purchased swim paddles to help strengthen my lats. They also help technique by forcing your arms to follow the correct path. Without the wrist strap the paddle will fall off your hand unless you use the good form. So far I enjoy the paddles but I haven't noticed any gains in my swim times.
From above the water the important things to note are head position, a high elbow, relaxed recovery, and where the hand enters the water. I have all of the above except my hand enters too close to my head. I've indicated where it probably should first touch the water.
When observing your stoke from below the crucial thing to look for is body position. To swim streamlined you need to be level. As you can see, my body is parallel to the water surface. To do so I continually remind myself to "lay on my lungs" thanks to Terry Laughlin and his Total Immersion DVD. This helps keep my body well balanced. Also, you may notice my leg kick is a bit wide. I was told it should not exceed the "hole" in the water my body passed through.
Apparently my largest stroke deficiencies are in the catch and pull. In the picture you can see I keep a relatively straight arm. Proper arm position (shown in green) keeps the arm bent in an almost 90 degree bend. This allows you to catch more water while utilizing your stronger lat muscles. To correct this issue I need to concentrate on hinging at my elbow and then keeping that elbow higher during the pull.
Shortly after the analysis I purchased swim paddles to help strengthen my lats. They also help technique by forcing your arms to follow the correct path. Without the wrist strap the paddle will fall off your hand unless you use the good form. So far I enjoy the paddles but I haven't noticed any gains in my swim times.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Week 19 Recap
Week 19 was, like the past two weeks, excellent. I've been able to achieve the volumes I'm targeting in preparation for the looming Memorial Day weekend ride at MoM. I rounded out the week with a shade under 9 hours of training. That's 4500 yards swimming, 69 miles biking, and 27 miles running. The amazing part so far is the fact I don't have any serious injuries. It's a nice change from last year's constant battle with my hamstrings. My IT Band has been annoying but constant icing and anti-inflammatory medicines have done a good job keeping me moving.
I had hoped to break 10 hours this week but the weekend didn't go as planned. Mother nature decided to drown me a mile into my 15-mile run. Since the weather report said the temperature would be 58 with light rain I had opted to wear pants. When it was all said and done I only finished 13 miles. When I got home I discovered my outfit weighed 10 pounds soaking wet. At that point I had enough of rain, and water in general, so I didn't get my third swim of the week in. My mental toughness had been tested enough by sticking out the downpour for almost two hours. It must have been a sight to see.
Next week should be a nice recovery although I think I could have taxed myself awhile longer. But I'll play it safe and stick to the plan.
I had hoped to break 10 hours this week but the weekend didn't go as planned. Mother nature decided to drown me a mile into my 15-mile run. Since the weather report said the temperature would be 58 with light rain I had opted to wear pants. When it was all said and done I only finished 13 miles. When I got home I discovered my outfit weighed 10 pounds soaking wet. At that point I had enough of rain, and water in general, so I didn't get my third swim of the week in. My mental toughness had been tested enough by sticking out the downpour for almost two hours. It must have been a sight to see.
Next week should be a nice recovery although I think I could have taxed myself awhile longer. But I'll play it safe and stick to the plan.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Garmin Forerunner 205 / Google Earth
Given that the Garmin Forerunner 205 is a GPS reciever it only made sense when I learned you can view your workouts overlaid on spacially referenced maps such as Google Earth. Here's what you need:
1) Garmin GPS unit with data logging capabilities
2) Garmin Training Center software
3) Google Earth Pro
4) ForeConv (freeware)
Once you've completed a workout and downloaded the data into Training Center you need to export your history to a TCX file. Then use ForeConv to convert the file to a KML file. From here you select File>Open in Google Earth Pro. Under Places you should notice a folder called History-Data Garmin. All you need to do now is select the workout you want to view. You'll end up with an image like this one of the Noland Trail in Newport News, VA.
At first glance the accuracy of the data looks quite impressive. But a closer look may discourage you from relying on a GPS receiver all together. I noticed substantial deviations or 20 feet or so from the start. As the run continued the margin of error only increased. By the conclusion of my second mile I was around 50 feet off the path, which can be seen below.
When I crossed the final long bridge a little after 4 1/2 miles I'd estimate the receiver had me 200+ feet off course.
It's tough to say at this point if the Garmin Forerunner's poor data collection is the culprit for the errors or if Google Earth's aerials are true orthophotography.
In one of my earlier posts (February 2008) I stated I had difficulties duplicating distances on clear days during the winter while tree cover was minimal. Based on the randomly weaving data points on straight, open sections of the course it is pretty evident something is up with the Garmin GPS receiver. I still maintain the unit is good for letting you get a decent idea of how far you've run on easy and long run days. The Noland Trail is five miles long and the Garmin Forerunner 205 has always given me a similar mileage total. With a tool like this you can run aimlessly through town, into a park, and down a street you’ve never been on with reasonable accuracy.
1) Garmin GPS unit with data logging capabilities
2) Garmin Training Center software
3) Google Earth Pro
4) ForeConv (freeware)
Once you've completed a workout and downloaded the data into Training Center you need to export your history to a TCX file. Then use ForeConv to convert the file to a KML file. From here you select File>Open in Google Earth Pro. Under Places you should notice a folder called History-Data Garmin. All you need to do now is select the workout you want to view. You'll end up with an image like this one of the Noland Trail in Newport News, VA.
At first glance the accuracy of the data looks quite impressive. But a closer look may discourage you from relying on a GPS receiver all together. I noticed substantial deviations or 20 feet or so from the start. As the run continued the margin of error only increased. By the conclusion of my second mile I was around 50 feet off the path, which can be seen below.
When I crossed the final long bridge a little after 4 1/2 miles I'd estimate the receiver had me 200+ feet off course.
It's tough to say at this point if the Garmin Forerunner's poor data collection is the culprit for the errors or if Google Earth's aerials are true orthophotography.
In one of my earlier posts (February 2008) I stated I had difficulties duplicating distances on clear days during the winter while tree cover was minimal. Based on the randomly weaving data points on straight, open sections of the course it is pretty evident something is up with the Garmin GPS receiver. I still maintain the unit is good for letting you get a decent idea of how far you've run on easy and long run days. The Noland Trail is five miles long and the Garmin Forerunner 205 has always given me a similar mileage total. With a tool like this you can run aimlessly through town, into a park, and down a street you’ve never been on with reasonable accuracy.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Week 18 Recap
I'm not sure what's changed but I've been able to rock all my training sessions for the past two weeks. My volumes for Week 18 came in at: 5000 yards swimming, 72 miles biking, and 28 miles running. This equated to 9 1/2 hours of solid training.
Early in the week I was able to score a nice 33-mile ride through the hills of southeast Connecticut with my buddy Jeff. It was a treat since I had to board an airplane back to Virginia three hours later.
On Friday I headed over to the 1/2 mile hill I've been killing myself on for the past few months (see weeks 4, 10, and 13). My PR for a single interval had been 2:55 until this week's 2:51. I had hoped to do six repeats but my IT band had other ideas. I kept the workout short so I could ride comfortably the next day.
Saturday's group ride turned more into a time trial. I found myself alone twice, battling the strong wind, and riding 20-22mph trying to bridge the gap between pace groups. It was a great workout. I felt so good afterwards I ran three miles to stretch my legs.
Early in the week I was able to score a nice 33-mile ride through the hills of southeast Connecticut with my buddy Jeff. It was a treat since I had to board an airplane back to Virginia three hours later.
On Friday I headed over to the 1/2 mile hill I've been killing myself on for the past few months (see weeks 4, 10, and 13). My PR for a single interval had been 2:55 until this week's 2:51. I had hoped to do six repeats but my IT band had other ideas. I kept the workout short so I could ride comfortably the next day.
Saturday's group ride turned more into a time trial. I found myself alone twice, battling the strong wind, and riding 20-22mph trying to bridge the gap between pace groups. It was a great workout. I felt so good afterwards I ran three miles to stretch my legs.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Week 17 Recap
Since I felt like I had been in a perpetual taper for the last month it was time to get back to serious business. I've decided to skip the two VTS circuit races I had planned to focus on building my cycling base. I mapped out a plan that increases mileage approximately 10% a week for the next 10 weeks. The goal is to be fit enough to comfortably ride Mountains of Misery with my tri club during the Memorial Day weekend. To give you an idea of the pain that awaits me; the course traverses 125 miles and contains 13,000 feet of climbing. Sounds fun doesn't it?
I knew this week would be a bit short on volume due to a mini-vacation I took on Friday to Connecticut. But I went ahead and worked out as planned and hoped to get at least a long run in while I was gone.
From Monday to Saturday I felt like a million bucks. Everything I threw at my body was well received. I had the minor aches and pains of a triathlete but nothing worth mentioning. On Wednesday I substituted my Yasso 800 workout for 4x1200s. I read that I should be looking for longer intervals given the distance and pace I'm aiming for. I'll probably continue with this line of thought for a few months and see how things go. On Saturday I got the opportunity to take a leisurely 10-mile run along the Thames River and through Gales Ferry Village. It was a peaceful, sunny morning. Sunday afternoon I had planned a 20-30 mile ride with my old high school buddy who's gotten the extreme road biking bug but we had to postpone it to Tuesday.
Instead of riding on Sunday I decided to relax and get a deep tissue massage from a serious Sports Massage Therapist that works with the WNBA's Connecticut Sun. She's a friend/coworker with a member of my family so I got a sweet deal. All I can say is, "Ouch!" I got worked in places I didn't even know were sore. She attacked my IT Band for a solid five minutes of excruciating pain. I hobbled around for the remainder of the day. But the next morning I wasn't sore anywhere. And for that reason, I would recommend getting a good massage anytime you get that deep fatigue in your muscles. It's magic.
Even with two days off this week I logged a shade under 7 hours. I cranked out 4800 yards swimming, 28 miles biking, and 24 miles running.
I knew this week would be a bit short on volume due to a mini-vacation I took on Friday to Connecticut. But I went ahead and worked out as planned and hoped to get at least a long run in while I was gone.
From Monday to Saturday I felt like a million bucks. Everything I threw at my body was well received. I had the minor aches and pains of a triathlete but nothing worth mentioning. On Wednesday I substituted my Yasso 800 workout for 4x1200s. I read that I should be looking for longer intervals given the distance and pace I'm aiming for. I'll probably continue with this line of thought for a few months and see how things go. On Saturday I got the opportunity to take a leisurely 10-mile run along the Thames River and through Gales Ferry Village. It was a peaceful, sunny morning. Sunday afternoon I had planned a 20-30 mile ride with my old high school buddy who's gotten the extreme road biking bug but we had to postpone it to Tuesday.
Instead of riding on Sunday I decided to relax and get a deep tissue massage from a serious Sports Massage Therapist that works with the WNBA's Connecticut Sun. She's a friend/coworker with a member of my family so I got a sweet deal. All I can say is, "Ouch!" I got worked in places I didn't even know were sore. She attacked my IT Band for a solid five minutes of excruciating pain. I hobbled around for the remainder of the day. But the next morning I wasn't sore anywhere. And for that reason, I would recommend getting a good massage anytime you get that deep fatigue in your muscles. It's magic.
Even with two days off this week I logged a shade under 7 hours. I cranked out 4800 yards swimming, 28 miles biking, and 24 miles running.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Week 16 Recap / Smithfield RR
Instead of training through the Smithfield Sprint I decided to let my IT Band relax for the week before the race. I did 30 minutes of easy spinning, which brought my total cycling mileage for the year up to an anemic 81 miles. Then I hit the track one day for 800s and 400s to get my 5K pacing set. This brought my total running mileage for the year to 256 miles. My final workout was a quick tune-up at the pool that featured a few intervals with 300 yard recoveries. By Friday I had a hard time trying to keep my legs still. I was ready.
Virginia's beautiful weather in the 70s and 80s turned into low 50s and windy on Saturday. Not exactly what you want to ride your bike in after swimming.
Swim 300 Meters - 5:27 (1:49/100m)
Being my first in-pool start I wasn't sure how this was going to work. I was however optimistic I could pull off a great swim based on the times I do while training. I conservatively seeded myself with 1:40 per 100 meter. It turns out SetupEvents needed a 100 yard time. Regardless, I felt I was in the appropriate time range and wouldn't clog up the lane. Starts were staggered every :15 and ordered by race number (predetermined by submitted swim time). I was 232. The race officially began at 10:00:00 and I hit the water at 11:08:00. It became abundantly clear I was in for a terrible swim when I caught my first swimmer within the first 100 meters. Apparently the mix of my conservative/screwed-up time and other athlete's optimistic times created a traffic jam in the pool. I wasted a good deal of time waiting for the right moments to pass while swimming under lane lines. By the end I passed five swimmers, two of which finished 2:13 and 3:14 after I left the water. Yes, after! This guy even cuts me off after I passed him in the water.
T1 - 2:39
I'll admit my transitions need work. I opted for warmth and decided I'd spend an extra minute drying off and putting on pants and a windbreaker.
10 Mile Bike - 30:58 (19.4mph)
I figure I got what I put into bike training and that wasn't much. The course was relatively flat and windy at a few points where the road opened up to fields. My legs didn't warm up until mile three and I wasn't pushing it. I was still pretty steamed about the swim and began thinking this was going to be a training race, thus lacking the intensity I wanted to bring. Overall I was pleased with the time all things considered. I might reconsider the jacket idea though.
T2 - 1:36
The transition was pretty uneventful. I took an extra moment to take off the windbreaker and throw on my Coastal Racing shirt.
5K Run - 20:32 (6:37/mile)
I approached the run with a moderate effort. My legs were a bit rubbery, as would be expected coming off the bike, so I didn't have a good understanding of my pace. My first mile split of 6:39 felt good so I settled in. I glided into the second mile at 6:51 and capped off the race with a 6:23 mile split plus :39 for a tenth.
Total Time - 1:01:11
This race turned out to be somewhat of a disaster for me. It hurt my pride because I know I am capable of so much more. I'm thinking Smithfield was a good learning experience. And if nothing else, this race has certainly renewed my desire to train hard for Timberman.
Virginia's beautiful weather in the 70s and 80s turned into low 50s and windy on Saturday. Not exactly what you want to ride your bike in after swimming.
Swim 300 Meters - 5:27 (1:49/100m)
Being my first in-pool start I wasn't sure how this was going to work. I was however optimistic I could pull off a great swim based on the times I do while training. I conservatively seeded myself with 1:40 per 100 meter. It turns out SetupEvents needed a 100 yard time. Regardless, I felt I was in the appropriate time range and wouldn't clog up the lane. Starts were staggered every :15 and ordered by race number (predetermined by submitted swim time). I was 232. The race officially began at 10:00:00 and I hit the water at 11:08:00. It became abundantly clear I was in for a terrible swim when I caught my first swimmer within the first 100 meters. Apparently the mix of my conservative/screwed-up time and other athlete's optimistic times created a traffic jam in the pool. I wasted a good deal of time waiting for the right moments to pass while swimming under lane lines. By the end I passed five swimmers, two of which finished 2:13 and 3:14 after I left the water. Yes, after! This guy even cuts me off after I passed him in the water.
T1 - 2:39
I'll admit my transitions need work. I opted for warmth and decided I'd spend an extra minute drying off and putting on pants and a windbreaker.
10 Mile Bike - 30:58 (19.4mph)
I figure I got what I put into bike training and that wasn't much. The course was relatively flat and windy at a few points where the road opened up to fields. My legs didn't warm up until mile three and I wasn't pushing it. I was still pretty steamed about the swim and began thinking this was going to be a training race, thus lacking the intensity I wanted to bring. Overall I was pleased with the time all things considered. I might reconsider the jacket idea though.
T2 - 1:36
The transition was pretty uneventful. I took an extra moment to take off the windbreaker and throw on my Coastal Racing shirt.
5K Run - 20:32 (6:37/mile)
I approached the run with a moderate effort. My legs were a bit rubbery, as would be expected coming off the bike, so I didn't have a good understanding of my pace. My first mile split of 6:39 felt good so I settled in. I glided into the second mile at 6:51 and capped off the race with a 6:23 mile split plus :39 for a tenth.
Total Time - 1:01:11
This race turned out to be somewhat of a disaster for me. It hurt my pride because I know I am capable of so much more. I'm thinking Smithfield was a good learning experience. And if nothing else, this race has certainly renewed my desire to train hard for Timberman.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Shamrock Half Marathon
If you read my Week 14 Recap you already know I ran the Shamrock Half Marathon 2008. I learned the race photos were now available so I surfed over to check them out. It's interesting to see the difference five miles can make in my mood.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Week 15 Recap
This week was all about recovery from the Shamrock Half. I can't believe I slept close to 22 hours Sunday and Monday combined. I didn't realize my true level of fatigue until I tried running on Wednesday. By Friday I had only logged 2 1/2 hours between running and biking. I attempted a swim session one day but the pool was evacuated for kiddie poop (again) before I even dipped my foot in.
The only excitement of the week was on Monday when I met up with a guy from Final Kick to have my Trek Equinox finally professionally fit. He shortened and lowered the neck to get me in an aggressive position. I also opted to switch out my taint busting saddle for the Adamo, which I'm enjoying.
I took the newly fitted bike on my first outdoor ride of the year on Wednesday. The wind was brutal but the temperature was in the 70s. I'm happy to report I averaged 18 mph without much effort. I'm hoping with a little training I'll be in the 20-21 range in a month. I don't think any of this would have been possible without the great fit I got. Kudos to Dani!
The only excitement of the week was on Monday when I met up with a guy from Final Kick to have my Trek Equinox finally professionally fit. He shortened and lowered the neck to get me in an aggressive position. I also opted to switch out my taint busting saddle for the Adamo, which I'm enjoying.
I took the newly fitted bike on my first outdoor ride of the year on Wednesday. The wind was brutal but the temperature was in the 70s. I'm happy to report I averaged 18 mph without much effort. I'm hoping with a little training I'll be in the 20-21 range in a month. I don't think any of this would have been possible without the great fit I got. Kudos to Dani!
Monday, March 17, 2008
Week 14 Recap / Shamrock RR
The goal of the week was to prepare myself for a tough run at the Shamrock Half Marathon. Given this was my first half marathon race outside of a half-Ironman triathlon I intended on putting forth a good effort despite my minor injuries. I had trained hard this off-season and a good race was going to be my payoff.
When race day arrived the weather took a turn for the worst. The forecast was miserable with temperatures in the 40s and 15-20 mph winds. Luckily the rain ended before the race began. I registered a time of 1:45:00, which I felt would be a great achievement since my PR from the Duke Liver Half triathlon was 1:57:13. This time put me in the first coral with some serious distance runners. I decided not to toe the line with them. Instead I huddled with a mass of individuals that appeared to be more my speed. The plan was to draft off the pack as long as I could before braving the wind alone.
Once the horn sounded the pack separated rather quickly and I chose to stay with two particular guys. I had spoke to them pre-race and knew they were shooting for 1:40ish. When I reached the first mile marker I was surprised to see 6:57 appear. The pace felt good, almost unchallenging, so I decided to keep it although it was out of my planned range. Before the second mile marker, the small pack began to separate when someone blew past. I thought we had slowed down too much so I made a move. My second mile came in at 6:51, which was much faster than I wanted to go, but I was feeling great. I continued to click off 7:00 or so miles to the halfway mark. I thought once I had the wind at my back I could ease up and coast home at the same pace.
At mile eight I began to feel my hip tightening and my IT band soon followed. I noticed I had begun to lean forward from exhaustion. The poor form not only hurt my legs but my back as well. I had to concentrate on my posture for the remainder of the race. Once I reached eleven miles I was ready to walk but didn’t want to ruin a good race. I had somehow managed to run a 7:00 pace for eleven miles so another two and change was nothing. A guy noticed me laboring and tried to coax me to break 1:30 but I wasn’t having any of it. I didn’t want to blow out my knee on the first race of the season.
I ended up finishing with a PR of 1:31:33 (7:00 pace). I placed 25th out of 380 in my age group. Not bad for my first half marathon. My splits were as follows: 6:57, 6:51, 6:59, 7:00, 7:05, 6:55, 6:59, 7:00, 6:59, 6:55, 6:59, 7:55
By the end of the week I logged 4100 yards swimming, 6 miles biking, and 17.1 miles of running in 3 1/2 hours. If I can manage to get my biking up to par I should be good for the Smithfield Sprint in two weeks.
When race day arrived the weather took a turn for the worst. The forecast was miserable with temperatures in the 40s and 15-20 mph winds. Luckily the rain ended before the race began. I registered a time of 1:45:00, which I felt would be a great achievement since my PR from the Duke Liver Half triathlon was 1:57:13. This time put me in the first coral with some serious distance runners. I decided not to toe the line with them. Instead I huddled with a mass of individuals that appeared to be more my speed. The plan was to draft off the pack as long as I could before braving the wind alone.
Once the horn sounded the pack separated rather quickly and I chose to stay with two particular guys. I had spoke to them pre-race and knew they were shooting for 1:40ish. When I reached the first mile marker I was surprised to see 6:57 appear. The pace felt good, almost unchallenging, so I decided to keep it although it was out of my planned range. Before the second mile marker, the small pack began to separate when someone blew past. I thought we had slowed down too much so I made a move. My second mile came in at 6:51, which was much faster than I wanted to go, but I was feeling great. I continued to click off 7:00 or so miles to the halfway mark. I thought once I had the wind at my back I could ease up and coast home at the same pace.
At mile eight I began to feel my hip tightening and my IT band soon followed. I noticed I had begun to lean forward from exhaustion. The poor form not only hurt my legs but my back as well. I had to concentrate on my posture for the remainder of the race. Once I reached eleven miles I was ready to walk but didn’t want to ruin a good race. I had somehow managed to run a 7:00 pace for eleven miles so another two and change was nothing. A guy noticed me laboring and tried to coax me to break 1:30 but I wasn’t having any of it. I didn’t want to blow out my knee on the first race of the season.
I ended up finishing with a PR of 1:31:33 (7:00 pace). I placed 25th out of 380 in my age group. Not bad for my first half marathon. My splits were as follows: 6:57, 6:51, 6:59, 7:00, 7:05, 6:55, 6:59, 7:00, 6:59, 6:55, 6:59, 7:55
By the end of the week I logged 4100 yards swimming, 6 miles biking, and 17.1 miles of running in 3 1/2 hours. If I can manage to get my biking up to par I should be good for the Smithfield Sprint in two weeks.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Coastal Racing Club
I've basically trained for a whole year now and learned a wealth of information in that time, much from my NC triathlon connection (thanks Scott). I can honestly say 98% of my training has been done alone. I initially thought this was a good thing since nobody will be there on race day to draft off of. To me, triathlons are about you and the course. There didn't seem to be a need for anyone else.
On Monday I made a great decision to join the Coastal Racing Club in Virginia Beach, VA. It's a bit of a drive for a Newport News resident such as myself but I think it's worth it to hangout and learn from like-minded athletes. Triathlon is not only a sport, it's a lifestyle. It will be nice to chat with people who feel the same way.
I look forward to making new friends and participating in all of our planned group trips, training seminars, meetings, and socials. It feels great to be part of a team again.
On Monday I made a great decision to join the Coastal Racing Club in Virginia Beach, VA. It's a bit of a drive for a Newport News resident such as myself but I think it's worth it to hangout and learn from like-minded athletes. Triathlon is not only a sport, it's a lifestyle. It will be nice to chat with people who feel the same way.
I look forward to making new friends and participating in all of our planned group trips, training seminars, meetings, and socials. It feels great to be part of a team again.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Week 13 Recap
Another solid running week in the books. And now just a little closer to the Shamrock Half Marathon in Virginia Beach, VA on March 16. It's nice to think I won't have to swim or bike before I race on Sunday, although the ocean is right there...
There's plenty else to worry about before the race, namely my newest injury, the dreaded iliotibial band. I've suffered through this moderate pain several times in my career as a high school/college runner and never though twice about where it came from. Until a few days ago I didn't even know there was a name for it, which is ITBS. In the past I kept running and the pain would eventually disappear. However this time the pain has remained. It probably has something to do with my recent increase in run intensity and poor bike positioning. Prolonged efforts in both disciplines induce acute pain on the outside of my right knee. I foresee a week of rest, ice, compression, and elevation in my future.
Week 13 was, for all intents and purposes, a taper week so my volumes were down to 6100 yards swimming, 10 miles biking, and 13 miles running. That equates to just over 4 hours of work.
The toughest workout session of the week was four hill repeats on the same 1/2 mile stretch of hill used in Week 4 and 10. Much like the previous workout I forgot to check my times for the course before heading out. After an easy mile warm-up I struggled to run 2:55, 3:00, 2:59, and 2:58. These times were exactly on pace with Week 10's efforts so it wasn't too bad considering I recently went close to two weeks without serious training.
Early in the week I tried getting in some much needed biking on my trainer. Yet for some reason, both 20 minute sessions seemed extremely difficult. I began to wonder how much damage I had done to my biking abilities by neglecting it for months. A few days later I decided to do a little maintenance on the bike and noticed my rear brake had been knocked into the tire. It had been continually rubbing for who knows how long. I heard this happened to Lance Armstrong during his 5th Tour de France victory.
There's plenty else to worry about before the race, namely my newest injury, the dreaded iliotibial band. I've suffered through this moderate pain several times in my career as a high school/college runner and never though twice about where it came from. Until a few days ago I didn't even know there was a name for it, which is ITBS. In the past I kept running and the pain would eventually disappear. However this time the pain has remained. It probably has something to do with my recent increase in run intensity and poor bike positioning. Prolonged efforts in both disciplines induce acute pain on the outside of my right knee. I foresee a week of rest, ice, compression, and elevation in my future.
Week 13 was, for all intents and purposes, a taper week so my volumes were down to 6100 yards swimming, 10 miles biking, and 13 miles running. That equates to just over 4 hours of work.
The toughest workout session of the week was four hill repeats on the same 1/2 mile stretch of hill used in Week 4 and 10. Much like the previous workout I forgot to check my times for the course before heading out. After an easy mile warm-up I struggled to run 2:55, 3:00, 2:59, and 2:58. These times were exactly on pace with Week 10's efforts so it wasn't too bad considering I recently went close to two weeks without serious training.
Early in the week I tried getting in some much needed biking on my trainer. Yet for some reason, both 20 minute sessions seemed extremely difficult. I began to wonder how much damage I had done to my biking abilities by neglecting it for months. A few days later I decided to do a little maintenance on the bike and noticed my rear brake had been knocked into the tire. It had been continually rubbing for who knows how long. I heard this happened to Lance Armstrong during his 5th Tour de France victory.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Week 12 Recap
As promised in my last blog I returned to solid training on February 25th. My breathing still wasn't quite right but I figured running would help clean out the remainder of the phlegm in my lungs. It did. On the other hand, I felt like I was training at altitude because I became light-headed easily. I guess I wasn't getting the proper oxygen absorption due to the bronchitis.
The week's workout plan featured another trip to the track for Yasso 800s. Since I was a bit under the weather I kept it down to six repeats. I certainly didn't set any PRs that day but I managed to keep all of them under 3:00. I can't wait to run my first 5k at the Smithfield Sprint.
Although my swim times have been steadily declining, especially now that I do more kick drills, I've decided to use a new plan structured by Chuck Burr. He maintains a thread at the US Masters Swim Forum. I've linked to it on the right. If you're not a swimmer, you'll have to decipher the swim lingo before using the workouts. I still ask a collegiate swimmer friend of mine what everything means. So far the training has been tough but manageable.
It was a good week coming off an illness. I logged another 6 1/2 hour effort covering 6900 yards swimming, 5 miles biking, and 30 miles running.
On a semi-sad note I played my last rec soccer game this past weekend. I've retired. The constant injuries from flagrant fouls have worn me out. Now I can concentrate fully on triathlons. I can also ease my mind and legs each Saturday because I'll not be taking a beating from some hack.
The week's workout plan featured another trip to the track for Yasso 800s. Since I was a bit under the weather I kept it down to six repeats. I certainly didn't set any PRs that day but I managed to keep all of them under 3:00. I can't wait to run my first 5k at the Smithfield Sprint.
Although my swim times have been steadily declining, especially now that I do more kick drills, I've decided to use a new plan structured by Chuck Burr. He maintains a thread at the US Masters Swim Forum. I've linked to it on the right. If you're not a swimmer, you'll have to decipher the swim lingo before using the workouts. I still ask a collegiate swimmer friend of mine what everything means. So far the training has been tough but manageable.
It was a good week coming off an illness. I logged another 6 1/2 hour effort covering 6900 yards swimming, 5 miles biking, and 30 miles running.
On a semi-sad note I played my last rec soccer game this past weekend. I've retired. The constant injuries from flagrant fouls have worn me out. Now I can concentrate fully on triathlons. I can also ease my mind and legs each Saturday because I'll not be taking a beating from some hack.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Week 11 Recap / Heart Rate Training
After having the death flu for a week I'm not even going to mention anything concerning training from 2/10-2/17. My immune system couldn't have taken any abuse that week. But I am finally feeling better and plan to resume serious training on 2/25.
So this leaves us with this past week, which I'll call Week 11. Since I was still coughing up strange things when elevating my breathing I decided to keep all my workouts indoors. When I was in high school I had a similar illness and had to run indoors at the YMCA's 25 meter walking track for two weeks. It was pretty ridiculous. Lucky for me they've invented the elliptical machine since then (I don’t care much for the treadmill). I find it’s great for getting the legs moving and the heart rate into the desired range. For me, that range is 140-150 BPM for an easy “run” workout.
There’s not much to report about my adventures with the elliptical machine so I’ll take a moment to talk about how I use my heart rate to train. I’m not a doctor and I didn’t stay at a Holiday Inn last night. Take this information for what it is; just some random triathlete sharing how he approaches training.
First off it’s important to know what my resting heart rate is. I found this out by laying in bed a few minutes after waking up and then, while still lying down, counted my beats for a minute using my alarm clock. I’ve got a near death RHR of 43 BPM. Once my resting rate is known I needed a maximum rate for cycling and running. The two are not the same. The best way to figure out my MHR was to perform several maximum effort intervals. I was sure to warm-up good to lessen the chances of injury. By the final interval of five I was peaking. I won’t lie, finding my MHR was hell. Another less accurate method is to use this generally accepted formula:
MHR = 205.8 - (0.685 * age)
When I use the formula my MHR is calculated as 185. This is off a slight bit from my MHR (from intervals) of 190 and 184 for running and cycling respectively. Heart rates are a function of genetics and age so there is a ton of variability. That’s why I put myself through the ringer to get my MHRs.
Once RHR and MHR was known I created an exercise zone chart by percentage. The math is simple.
(MHR – RHR) * (%) + RHR
For each percentage (50 to 100) I calculated my target heart rate, shown here:
I use Zone 1 mainly for a warm up. Sometimes my warm up creeps into Zone 2 because I’m impatient. But for the most part Zone 2 is an easy/recovery day effort. Zone 3 takes up the majority of my time because it’s great for endurance building. I’ll typically do 8+ mile runs and 40+ mile rides in this area. Zone 4 and 5 are my interval zones. I’ve found it difficult to keep my HR monitor on during run intervals so I go by feeling. When the lactic acid burn begins to rear its ugly head I know I’m pushing myself to the right level. Cycling is a different story, but when I’m going that fast I don’t feel comfortable looking down at my watch. Again, I have to go by feel.
There are other ways to monitor the amount of work I’m performing (such as a power meter on a bike) so I’m not cheating myself or wasting time. Though I find the HR method is not only easy to understand but to use. It’s also nice when the weather sucks or illness strikes and I can hit up the gym to get a good workout at the right intensity.
So this leaves us with this past week, which I'll call Week 11. Since I was still coughing up strange things when elevating my breathing I decided to keep all my workouts indoors. When I was in high school I had a similar illness and had to run indoors at the YMCA's 25 meter walking track for two weeks. It was pretty ridiculous. Lucky for me they've invented the elliptical machine since then (I don’t care much for the treadmill). I find it’s great for getting the legs moving and the heart rate into the desired range. For me, that range is 140-150 BPM for an easy “run” workout.
There’s not much to report about my adventures with the elliptical machine so I’ll take a moment to talk about how I use my heart rate to train. I’m not a doctor and I didn’t stay at a Holiday Inn last night. Take this information for what it is; just some random triathlete sharing how he approaches training.
First off it’s important to know what my resting heart rate is. I found this out by laying in bed a few minutes after waking up and then, while still lying down, counted my beats for a minute using my alarm clock. I’ve got a near death RHR of 43 BPM. Once my resting rate is known I needed a maximum rate for cycling and running. The two are not the same. The best way to figure out my MHR was to perform several maximum effort intervals. I was sure to warm-up good to lessen the chances of injury. By the final interval of five I was peaking. I won’t lie, finding my MHR was hell. Another less accurate method is to use this generally accepted formula:
MHR = 205.8 - (0.685 * age)
When I use the formula my MHR is calculated as 185. This is off a slight bit from my MHR (from intervals) of 190 and 184 for running and cycling respectively. Heart rates are a function of genetics and age so there is a ton of variability. That’s why I put myself through the ringer to get my MHRs.
Once RHR and MHR was known I created an exercise zone chart by percentage. The math is simple.
(MHR – RHR) * (%) + RHR
For each percentage (50 to 100) I calculated my target heart rate, shown here:
I use Zone 1 mainly for a warm up. Sometimes my warm up creeps into Zone 2 because I’m impatient. But for the most part Zone 2 is an easy/recovery day effort. Zone 3 takes up the majority of my time because it’s great for endurance building. I’ll typically do 8+ mile runs and 40+ mile rides in this area. Zone 4 and 5 are my interval zones. I’ve found it difficult to keep my HR monitor on during run intervals so I go by feeling. When the lactic acid burn begins to rear its ugly head I know I’m pushing myself to the right level. Cycling is a different story, but when I’m going that fast I don’t feel comfortable looking down at my watch. Again, I have to go by feel.
There are other ways to monitor the amount of work I’m performing (such as a power meter on a bike) so I’m not cheating myself or wasting time. Though I find the HR method is not only easy to understand but to use. It’s also nice when the weather sucks or illness strikes and I can hit up the gym to get a good workout at the right intensity.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Week 10 Recap
In Week 4 I performed my first good hill workout on a 1/2 mile stretch I've found in Yorktown, VA. In my blog I described running those intervals in "adequate times." This was two months ago. Until Week 10 I had been unable to make it out to the location due to the lack of sunlight after work. As you'll soon see my return was a triumphant one.
On Tuesday I was standing at the bottom of the hill, all warmed up, properly stretched, and mentally prepared to kick my own ass. Then I began to wonder what type of times I ran last December. Nothing came to mind so I decided to challenge myself but not over do it on the first repeat. 3:09. I thought not bad, but had to have been slower than before. 3:08. "Okay so maybe this is all I've got in the tank today." 2:59. "Whew, where did that one come from?" 2:55, 2:55. "Wow, it's time to cool down." I was losing sunlight quickly and I didn't feel like getting hit by a car.
The next day I added the data to my workout journal and noticed my previous efforts of 3:26, 3:21, 3:15, 3:37. All I can say is I must be doing something right to drop, on average, 0:26 off a split.
The rest of the week was going well until I felt sick on Saturday. I played the full 90 minutes of a soccer game and then immediately afterwards ran the trail for 7 miles. I had to force myself to run the last 2 miles. The whole time I contemplated how much fitness I was gaining from a meager 2 miles more and if it was worth it. After the run I ate lunch as planned and thought I could sleep my way through an easy 2500 yard swim. I had a headache and my back was aching a bit so I figured I’d take a nap and stretch some before the swim. Once my body hit the couch training was over.
Sunday's soccer game was out of the question, along with the remaining training I had planned. My body ached from head to toe. My chest and stomach hurt from coughing. A trip to the doctor’s office on Monday revealed I had the flu and bronchitis. I had felt miserable since Saturday afternoon and had continued to feel so until last night. I’ve probably only been awake 16 hours in the past five days. Thank codeine. I won’t be working out till next Monday so Week 11 training is a complete bust. I've also decided to cancel my adventures in Hal Higdon's marathon plan for some much needed time on my bike trainer.
Even with a reduced amount of training I put 6 hours in over 6800 yards swimming, 9 miles biking, and 22 miles of running.
On Tuesday I was standing at the bottom of the hill, all warmed up, properly stretched, and mentally prepared to kick my own ass. Then I began to wonder what type of times I ran last December. Nothing came to mind so I decided to challenge myself but not over do it on the first repeat. 3:09. I thought not bad, but had to have been slower than before. 3:08. "Okay so maybe this is all I've got in the tank today." 2:59. "Whew, where did that one come from?" 2:55, 2:55. "Wow, it's time to cool down." I was losing sunlight quickly and I didn't feel like getting hit by a car.
The next day I added the data to my workout journal and noticed my previous efforts of 3:26, 3:21, 3:15, 3:37. All I can say is I must be doing something right to drop, on average, 0:26 off a split.
The rest of the week was going well until I felt sick on Saturday. I played the full 90 minutes of a soccer game and then immediately afterwards ran the trail for 7 miles. I had to force myself to run the last 2 miles. The whole time I contemplated how much fitness I was gaining from a meager 2 miles more and if it was worth it. After the run I ate lunch as planned and thought I could sleep my way through an easy 2500 yard swim. I had a headache and my back was aching a bit so I figured I’d take a nap and stretch some before the swim. Once my body hit the couch training was over.
Sunday's soccer game was out of the question, along with the remaining training I had planned. My body ached from head to toe. My chest and stomach hurt from coughing. A trip to the doctor’s office on Monday revealed I had the flu and bronchitis. I had felt miserable since Saturday afternoon and had continued to feel so until last night. I’ve probably only been awake 16 hours in the past five days. Thank codeine. I won’t be working out till next Monday so Week 11 training is a complete bust. I've also decided to cancel my adventures in Hal Higdon's marathon plan for some much needed time on my bike trainer.
Even with a reduced amount of training I put 6 hours in over 6800 yards swimming, 9 miles biking, and 22 miles of running.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Garmin Forerunner 205
For the last month and a half I’ve been using the Garmin Forerunner 205 GPS receiver watch on all of my easy and long runs. At first I borrowed it from a friend for the trip to Europe. Once I got back she stated she wasn’t using it due to her pregnancy and that I could try it out on a few local commonly used run/walk courses. Both of us had been curious to see how the watch faired against a specific course in particular, that being the 5-mile loop of the Noland Trail in Newport News, VA.
The course is a packed dirt and sand trail that winds along Lake Maury. Along the way the trail includes fourteen bridges, scenic lookouts, benches, water fowl, a million squirrels, turtles sunning, and importantly 1/2-mile markers. The trail is heavily wooded and has some relief but nothing I consider challenging. I’m guessing the largest “hill” has an elevation of +25 feet. However a few locations could be considered steep, especially if you do all your running in southeast Virginia.
After two measured runs on the Noland Trail the GPS unit indicated the course to be approximately 0.2 miles shorter than published. If you’re running a 10 min/mile pace this means you’d need to run an extra two minutes on the course to get your distance in. I believe 0.2 miles is a substantial difference if you want to gauge future performances off trail times using the existing markers.
I wondered where the mileage discrepancy occurred so I began to keep a lap count for each 1/2-mile. This is when the watch began to give some oddball answers. Over two consecutive sunny days this winter (no leaves on the trees) I ran 18 miles combined on the trail. By doing so I was able to record at least three pieces of data for each segment of the trail. The results showed 9 of 10 markers to be shorter than 0.5 miles. I averaged each segment length and summed the total distance, which was surprisingly 4.6 miles, not 4.8 as previously measured on continuous runs. The fact that the data points for each segment showed a variation of approximately 0.05 miles was troubling. If you’re running a 10 min/mile pace that’s a difference of 30 seconds per half mile.
The point I’m getting at is that the Garmin Forerunner 205 is not as accurate as most people would like, at least not on the Noland Trail. I am concerned it is difficult to consistently replicate a distance over a known course with this watch. Yet I do believe it is a useful tool for 1/2 marathon and up training.
What the watch is good for is letting you get a decent idea of how far you've run on easy and long run days. It would appear that the discrepancies even themselves out over larger distances. With a tool like this you can run aimlessly through town, into a park, and down a street you’ve never been on.
The course is a packed dirt and sand trail that winds along Lake Maury. Along the way the trail includes fourteen bridges, scenic lookouts, benches, water fowl, a million squirrels, turtles sunning, and importantly 1/2-mile markers. The trail is heavily wooded and has some relief but nothing I consider challenging. I’m guessing the largest “hill” has an elevation of +25 feet. However a few locations could be considered steep, especially if you do all your running in southeast Virginia.
After two measured runs on the Noland Trail the GPS unit indicated the course to be approximately 0.2 miles shorter than published. If you’re running a 10 min/mile pace this means you’d need to run an extra two minutes on the course to get your distance in. I believe 0.2 miles is a substantial difference if you want to gauge future performances off trail times using the existing markers.
I wondered where the mileage discrepancy occurred so I began to keep a lap count for each 1/2-mile. This is when the watch began to give some oddball answers. Over two consecutive sunny days this winter (no leaves on the trees) I ran 18 miles combined on the trail. By doing so I was able to record at least three pieces of data for each segment of the trail. The results showed 9 of 10 markers to be shorter than 0.5 miles. I averaged each segment length and summed the total distance, which was surprisingly 4.6 miles, not 4.8 as previously measured on continuous runs. The fact that the data points for each segment showed a variation of approximately 0.05 miles was troubling. If you’re running a 10 min/mile pace that’s a difference of 30 seconds per half mile.
The point I’m getting at is that the Garmin Forerunner 205 is not as accurate as most people would like, at least not on the Noland Trail. I am concerned it is difficult to consistently replicate a distance over a known course with this watch. Yet I do believe it is a useful tool for 1/2 marathon and up training.
What the watch is good for is letting you get a decent idea of how far you've run on easy and long run days. It would appear that the discrepancies even themselves out over larger distances. With a tool like this you can run aimlessly through town, into a park, and down a street you’ve never been on.
I think one feature that could be removed from the watch is the pace function. It consistently indicates I'm running 2-3 minutes per mile slower than I end up running for the whole workout. It has never been a reliable source for pace information. You can only deduct that information from the watch by looking at lap times on key intervals and multiplying in your head. But even that's not accurate because the mileage can easily be off 0.1 or 0.2 miles. But it’s something, which in some cases is better than nothing.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Week 9 Recap
With each recent passing week becoming a personal best in terms of mileage I welcomed Week 9, a recovery week. I'm sad to report that all the running has begun to burn me out a little.
I took Tuesday off of work for a me day, which was very nice indeed. I slept in late, made a big breakfast, napped, and then set off to get some training done. Six Yasso 800s and 2500 yards at the pool were on the schedule. Since I was ahead of my usual after work training hours I was not a bit surprised to see the local university holding track practice. I proceeded to stretch and scan the competition. Eventually I asked the coach if he minded me jumping in for some repeats. The athletes were running what appeared to be race-pace efforts of varying distances (2-3 miles) so I felt I wouldn't disturb them much. Coach didn't mind at all. By my fifth 800m (5:40/mile pace) I had gathered a bit of attention from the students, one whom asked if I was interesting in running track. For fear of getting runoff, not being a student and all, I politely told him I'm a triathlete and kept running. Makes me wonder if I have any eligibility left...
My swimming volume took a big hit this week because it's little kid swim lesson season. A swarm of children will infest the pool for several hours at a time over the next month and a half. I don't necessarily mind having to wade through kids in the locker room or on the pool deck. What I do mind is the countless times I've had to clear the pool for turds and vomit. Tuesday was one of those days.
The rest of the week was rather dull in comparison. I finished up with a total of 5550 yards swimming, 5.2 miles biking, and 31 miles running in 6 1/2 hours. I was hoping my legs would rebound with the reduced amount of mileage but they haven’t felt right all week. I’ve got maybe four good weeks of training till the Smithfield Sprint so I may shift my focus away from the marathon plan and into biking.
I took Tuesday off of work for a me day, which was very nice indeed. I slept in late, made a big breakfast, napped, and then set off to get some training done. Six Yasso 800s and 2500 yards at the pool were on the schedule. Since I was ahead of my usual after work training hours I was not a bit surprised to see the local university holding track practice. I proceeded to stretch and scan the competition. Eventually I asked the coach if he minded me jumping in for some repeats. The athletes were running what appeared to be race-pace efforts of varying distances (2-3 miles) so I felt I wouldn't disturb them much. Coach didn't mind at all. By my fifth 800m (5:40/mile pace) I had gathered a bit of attention from the students, one whom asked if I was interesting in running track. For fear of getting runoff, not being a student and all, I politely told him I'm a triathlete and kept running. Makes me wonder if I have any eligibility left...
My swimming volume took a big hit this week because it's little kid swim lesson season. A swarm of children will infest the pool for several hours at a time over the next month and a half. I don't necessarily mind having to wade through kids in the locker room or on the pool deck. What I do mind is the countless times I've had to clear the pool for turds and vomit. Tuesday was one of those days.
The rest of the week was rather dull in comparison. I finished up with a total of 5550 yards swimming, 5.2 miles biking, and 31 miles running in 6 1/2 hours. I was hoping my legs would rebound with the reduced amount of mileage but they haven’t felt right all week. I’ve got maybe four good weeks of training till the Smithfield Sprint so I may shift my focus away from the marathon plan and into biking.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Week 8 Recap
I considered titling this post as Bringing the Pain because that's what I actually did to myself. Pure punishment was dealt over 8 hours in the form of 7500 yards swimming and 37 miles of running. That's right, no biking this week due to fears that my hamstrings couldn't handle it.
The effects of my first 16 miler were felt way into Week 8. The level of fatigue was compounding with each run. I ended up taking Wednesday and Thursday off as a result. On Friday I dusted off the running shoes and resumed training feeling 80%. Then Saturday's race-paced 7 miler followed by three hours of tackle football did me in. When Sunday afternoon rolled around I forced myself to get out there and run.
Sunday was 43 degrees with a chilling 10 mph wind so it felt more like below freezing. I suited up, stretched good, and started off well. After four miles I began to feel a dull ache coming from both femurs. I thought maybe I was going too fast yet I was right on pace. I tried to ignore it but by mile five I realized there was a problem. I had just dropped a 10:18 mile split. Eww... Since I was now five miles from my car I persuaded myself to try running back. After some light stretching I got back at it. My next two miles felt reasonable and were only :15 off pace. It was at this point I told myself I needed to go the distance. The dull ache eventually faded and I was able to gut out the run without an injury to anything but my iPod. You'll be missed.
Some time ago I asked my buddy Scott if he'd rather do a 70.3 or a marathon. To my surprise at the time he answered the triathlon. After Sunday's 17 mile ordeal I'd have to agree. I can't imagine having to run an additional 9.2 miles.
The effects of my first 16 miler were felt way into Week 8. The level of fatigue was compounding with each run. I ended up taking Wednesday and Thursday off as a result. On Friday I dusted off the running shoes and resumed training feeling 80%. Then Saturday's race-paced 7 miler followed by three hours of tackle football did me in. When Sunday afternoon rolled around I forced myself to get out there and run.
Sunday was 43 degrees with a chilling 10 mph wind so it felt more like below freezing. I suited up, stretched good, and started off well. After four miles I began to feel a dull ache coming from both femurs. I thought maybe I was going too fast yet I was right on pace. I tried to ignore it but by mile five I realized there was a problem. I had just dropped a 10:18 mile split. Eww... Since I was now five miles from my car I persuaded myself to try running back. After some light stretching I got back at it. My next two miles felt reasonable and were only :15 off pace. It was at this point I told myself I needed to go the distance. The dull ache eventually faded and I was able to gut out the run without an injury to anything but my iPod. You'll be missed.
Some time ago I asked my buddy Scott if he'd rather do a 70.3 or a marathon. To my surprise at the time he answered the triathlon. After Sunday's 17 mile ordeal I'd have to agree. I can't imagine having to run an additional 9.2 miles.
Friday, January 25, 2008
2008 Off-season Plan Revised
Just like I mentioned during my initial post concerning the 2008 Off-season plan; sometimes life gets in the way. An avid reader of the blog would know I was lucky enough to take a vacation to France and Germany during the holidays, thus suspending training for a while.
I've re-worked a huge portion of my original plan to show the new schedule, which leads up to the Shamrock Half Marathon and then the Smithfield Sprint Triathlon. You'll notice there has been some substantial changes to the biking and swimming portions but I've held rather firm to the running plan.
I've re-worked a huge portion of my original plan to show the new schedule, which leads up to the Shamrock Half Marathon and then the Smithfield Sprint Triathlon. You'll notice there has been some substantial changes to the biking and swimming portions but I've held rather firm to the running plan.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Week 7 Recap
When first recording the song The Distance I doubt the band Cake realized the level of empowerment it can instill in an endurance athlete such as myself. I ran a new PR of 16 miles on Sunday and was driven by the continual thought, "he's going the distance." With two partially swollen knees and a stiff groin from Saturday's soccer game/mud bowl, I almost stayed home to heal knowing I had MLK Day off of work. Instead I braved the small injuries, 27 degree weather, and a fresh snow covering to get the long run in as planned. I'm glad I did because the 13 miles of Yorktown Battlefields I ran on were beautifully glistening in the sun all afternoon. This kept my thoughts entertained with something other than the fatigue welling in my legs.
The rest of Week 7 was rather uneventful. I skipped my 5 x hill workout and replaced it with 4 x Yasso 800s due to daylight issues. I like speed work. Also, I did manage to hop on the fluid trainer for a total of 40 sad minutes. I've got to start somewhere, right?
Total volume for this week: Swim - 6200 yards, Bike - 10.2 miles, Run - 37 miles, all in roughly 8 hours.
The rest of Week 7 was rather uneventful. I skipped my 5 x hill workout and replaced it with 4 x Yasso 800s due to daylight issues. I like speed work. Also, I did manage to hop on the fluid trainer for a total of 40 sad minutes. I've got to start somewhere, right?
Total volume for this week: Swim - 6200 yards, Bike - 10.2 miles, Run - 37 miles, all in roughly 8 hours.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Week 6.1 Recap
After the two week vacation from training I thought I'd take it easy during my first week back. To do so I ran and swam short distances every other day without paying too much attention to pace. During the workouts my legs felt great. However I didn't open it up knowing full well what punishment awaited me next week in the form of a 16 mile run. I didn't want to over do a thing and risk hitting a big week injured. To close off the solid week I put in an easy 12 miler, if there is such a thing.
I was pleased with the week's efforts and put another 30 miles running and 7100 yards swimming in the books. All of it in 6 1/2 hours. Although I maintained an easy pace for each run I consistently dropped 30 seconds off my normal pace without feeling it. It seems the break was just what I needed to re-energize the legs.
During this past week I finally spent some time fitting my new TT bike. And I'm excited to announce that Week 7 will include some long overdue biking on the fluid trainer. The training should give me a good chance to catch up on my Tivo'd Mythbusters.
I was pleased with the week's efforts and put another 30 miles running and 7100 yards swimming in the books. All of it in 6 1/2 hours. Although I maintained an easy pace for each run I consistently dropped 30 seconds off my normal pace without feeling it. It seems the break was just what I needed to re-energize the legs.
During this past week I finally spent some time fitting my new TT bike. And I'm excited to announce that Week 7 will include some long overdue biking on the fluid trainer. The training should give me a good chance to catch up on my Tivo'd Mythbusters.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Europe Training
Sure, call me naive for thinking I would run while vacationing in Europe. You'd be right because I didn't even give it serious consideration. My constant need for sleep kept me all warm and inside. The freezing temperatures outside weren't helping my motivation either. Sure I was losing fitness but I didn't care.
I underestimated the amount of jetlag I'd incure flying six hours to Germany from the Atlanta, GA airport. Not only that, the six-hour time change was brutal. Probably the most prudent way to handle the travel without lasting effects would be to sleep as much as you can on the transatlantic flight. But that can certainly be difficult when the posterchild for Satan's spawn is sitting behind you doing everything possible to annoy you.
Once I landed in Germany the sun was up and the day had begun. There was only time for a quick nap before heading out to view the country. I spent the remainder of the vacation playing catch-up with my sleep. And then to boot, I was fighting off the beginnings of a cold. Running 16 miles was last on my list.
With two weeks basically lost I'll need to adjust my off-season plan considerably. I figure I'll take an easy week to get back into the swing and then pick up with Week 7 on January 14th.
Oh, and I missed the sign-ups for White Lake Half. Grr... We'll see how the wait list goes.
I underestimated the amount of jetlag I'd incure flying six hours to Germany from the Atlanta, GA airport. Not only that, the six-hour time change was brutal. Probably the most prudent way to handle the travel without lasting effects would be to sleep as much as you can on the transatlantic flight. But that can certainly be difficult when the posterchild for Satan's spawn is sitting behind you doing everything possible to annoy you.
Once I landed in Germany the sun was up and the day had begun. There was only time for a quick nap before heading out to view the country. I spent the remainder of the vacation playing catch-up with my sleep. And then to boot, I was fighting off the beginnings of a cold. Running 16 miles was last on my list.
With two weeks basically lost I'll need to adjust my off-season plan considerably. I figure I'll take an easy week to get back into the swing and then pick up with Week 7 on January 14th.
Oh, and I missed the sign-ups for White Lake Half. Grr... We'll see how the wait list goes.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Week 6 Recap
I had been looking forward to Week 6 since I knew I could relax on mileage and would have an opportunity to run more speed work on the track in the form of Yasso 8s. I also had enough use-or-lose vacation time to take before Jan 2008 to take most of the week before Christmas off. This meant I could sleep in and then workout at convenient times.
The week started off nicely with a terrific session at the track. Higdon's plan called for 5x800s at 6:00/mile pace. This proved to be quite easy and a real confidence builder. My swim plan was to take the extra time available to me and gently up the total volume to 8000 yards.
Training was going well until I began to feel chills and body aches on Friday afternoon/evening. On Saturday I didn't have my usual soccer game. I thought since I had a good night of sleep I might as well run an 8k at race pace. Hal Higdon asked for 7 miles but I didn't think my body was up to the task. It turns out I was right. Once I finished the run (in good time) I had a resurgence of the illness I had felt the day before. It worsened over the next two days only to break for Christmas. Needless to say my training for the remainder of the week was shot.
Due to the flu I only logged 17.5 miles of running and 6200 yards of swimming in just over 4 hours. I know... Pitiful.
The week started off nicely with a terrific session at the track. Higdon's plan called for 5x800s at 6:00/mile pace. This proved to be quite easy and a real confidence builder. My swim plan was to take the extra time available to me and gently up the total volume to 8000 yards.
Training was going well until I began to feel chills and body aches on Friday afternoon/evening. On Saturday I didn't have my usual soccer game. I thought since I had a good night of sleep I might as well run an 8k at race pace. Hal Higdon asked for 7 miles but I didn't think my body was up to the task. It turns out I was right. Once I finished the run (in good time) I had a resurgence of the illness I had felt the day before. It worsened over the next two days only to break for Christmas. Needless to say my training for the remainder of the week was shot.
Due to the flu I only logged 17.5 miles of running and 6200 yards of swimming in just over 4 hours. I know... Pitiful.
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