The Shamrock Half Marathon is roughly three weeks away and I'm starting to worry about the training I've done this off-season. I've experienced knee tendinitis, a painful IT Band, and falling down a flight of stairs. But besides the lingering effects of the injuries I guess I'm more worried about not running enough to achieve my goal of breaking last year's time. If all goes well before the race I'll have ran approximately 290 miles from November to March. In comparison, this is only slightly less than 2008's log of 318 miles. The reduction in mileage is due to running three days a week verses five. But there is more to consider...
Biking has been my weakest discipline over the past two years so I decided to dedicate myself to spinning at least three times a week and reducing my running frequency. With my history of injuries due to cycling too much and maintaining an aggressive running schedule I decided to keep my off-season workouts mildly easy at best. I followed a strict rule of increasing volume by no more than 10% in all disciplines. I also moved to a two-week "growth", one-week "recovery" routine. With this I still experienced the VMO and hamstring pain of seasons past but it was manageable.
I've now hit the peak phase of my running plan for Shamrock and I'm disappointed with the intensity I've displayed doing Yasso 800s. This is likely due to my complete lack of tempo and hill work. Last year I put one or two of those workouts in each week. This year I substituted it with spinning.
Hopefully by the end of my taper my legs will rebound from all the abuse and I'll be pleasantly surprised with my race results. One could argue I sacrificed my running for cycling but I haven't seen appreciable results in either to say I've gained anything in my off-season training. I can say I haven't lost anything though.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Friday, January 30, 2009
Steep Stairs
Seven months ago I moved to Arlington, VA for a new job. I lucked out and found a three-story home. My first impression about the home was, "Damn that's tall!" And what else goes with a big home? Plenty of stairs. Somewhere around thirty of them. Last Saturday after a run I became intimate with eight or so of those stairs.
It had been a long day of training and I was exhausted, laying in bed, relaxing on the third flood. The doorbell rang so I gingerly got up (I was quite sore) and began my descension to the second floor. I carried with me in my left hand; a snack. In my right; a glass of water. A few steps into things I lost traction in my socks and fell backwards solely on my right butt cheek. I then slid down the stairs on my lower back, racking each vertebrae on eight or so stairs. Before I could figure out what was happening I was in a crumpled mess against the decorative railing at the landing. My water glass was still in hand but completely empty. My snack managed to make the turn in the stairs and land several feet away.
Needless to say I was and still am in pain. My lower back suffered a few scratches and deep bruising. It has recently turned a nice shade of green. My right heel is also bruised from where I can only guess I was trying to stop myself. And lastly, my butt is bruised to the bone on the right side. All of this makes sitting straight up and driving a painful task. And who could forget my triathlon training has been turned in with minimal effort. But I'm blaming that on the ice storm we had.
It had been a long day of training and I was exhausted, laying in bed, relaxing on the third flood. The doorbell rang so I gingerly got up (I was quite sore) and began my descension to the second floor. I carried with me in my left hand; a snack. In my right; a glass of water. A few steps into things I lost traction in my socks and fell backwards solely on my right butt cheek. I then slid down the stairs on my lower back, racking each vertebrae on eight or so stairs. Before I could figure out what was happening I was in a crumpled mess against the decorative railing at the landing. My water glass was still in hand but completely empty. My snack managed to make the turn in the stairs and land several feet away. Needless to say I was and still am in pain. My lower back suffered a few scratches and deep bruising. It has recently turned a nice shade of green. My right heel is also bruised from where I can only guess I was trying to stop myself. And lastly, my butt is bruised to the bone on the right side. All of this makes sitting straight up and driving a painful task. And who could forget my triathlon training has been turned in with minimal effort. But I'm blaming that on the ice storm we had.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Vermont Vacation
There hasn't been much to report except I took some time off to hit the slopes of Vermont for New Years. I thought I might find a place to run but who cares... it was too cold.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Winter Training
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.
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.
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
