It's been a busy few days.
Monday - Swim in the morning. It was fairly tiring because there were lots of fast 25's from the blocks with push-ups after. It really beat me up. At lunch I headed to the gym and hit the weights. Unfortunately after the gym I didn't have time to get through my lunch before a long meeting and I doozed off for a second and I got caught during it! That's never good. I skipped my planned run Monday night in favor of resting.
Tuesday - Run after work. Got some hills in there and a nice long loop around a pond. 7.53 miles at 8:10 average. Just cruising and enjoying sucking in all the pollen. Total time was 1:01.
Wednesday - Swim 3,400. Lift at lunch and then 65 minute lactate threshold workout on the trainer during the thunder showers. Those lactate workouts are pretty tough. I hope they pay off.
Thursday - Today was the day I was worried about, I decided to attempt 10 miles running and I know the jump is more than 10% but I've got to get up there and get it done. I had an all day meeting in East Providence so I headed to the bike trail after that and just followed the mile markers. I went out 5.19 miles in 42:03 and then just tried to descend the miles coming back. I was something like 7:50, 7:42, 7:38, 7:32, 7:36. I can't really remember but the splits are on my other computer. I'll check it out later. I felt fairly controlled but I thought I was going a little faster. I resisted looking at my watch during the run because I didn't want to be influenced by the times. I just wanted to get the miles in. I ended up with 10.38 in 1:22:22. It was a 7:57 average. I at least have confidence that I can run 13.1 miles when I have to. Just don't know if I can do that after 56 miles yet. I'll give it a shot one of these days.
All in all it was a good day and it's been a solid week for workouts. Hopefully I'll be able to keep this up and have enough confidence in my abilities to get under five hours at Vineman.
27 minute swim - 2:40 bike - 1:45 run. That would get my under 5:00 even if I took my time in the transitions and I think it's reasonable.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Super Sunday (Steve)
Today was a good ride. 56.2 miles. 3:08. 18mph, 139avgHR, 3800 feet ascending, 3600 calories gone.
But it was also a great learning experience. I experimented to see what would sit well with me and timed out the nutrition. I started the morning with some OJ and a banana. Then as the ride approached, s pack of Sport Beans and some water about 30 minutes before the ride.
I brought two Power Bar Double Latte gels and another pack of sport beans, a bottle of Accelerade and a bottle of water. I wanted to put down the PowerBar gel at mile 20 regarless of if I felt like I needed it and then the sport beans at 35. At mile 20 I put down the gel and it went down easier than any other gels I've ever had. That stuff was great. I think I really noticed when it kicked in too. Mike and I each put them down at the same time and at the same moment we each commented on how energized we suddenly felt about seven miles later. At mile 35 we put down sport beans. They were harder to eat on the bike but still tastey. I want to drink more when I'm eating them (which isn't a bad thing as long as you have the water) so I might end up saving those just for running because I really like them on the run.
After the ride I couldn't believe how good I felt. I threw on the sneakers and my legs still felt fresh. I wanted to go for a jog but Mike didn't have running gear. He felt just as fresh and we each did the same thing for nutrition. Last week we were each wiped out after 50 miles, today we each felt like champs after 56 miles and loads of hills. Definitely a good feeling and gives me more confidence as we approach Vineman. I know last week the thought of 56 miles scared me after how the bike went. Today I say bring it on. But there's a big difference in riding that in three hours as opposed to trying to hold 20mph for the ride. The nice thing is I didn't feel like everything was bouncing around in my stomach after the ride when I put my sneakers on and jumped up and down a few times. That's how I feel after the Clif Shot so I think I found something that works for me. I'll try to stick to the same sort of plan when we do our century next Saturday.
Now I can't wait for dinner!
But it was also a great learning experience. I experimented to see what would sit well with me and timed out the nutrition. I started the morning with some OJ and a banana. Then as the ride approached, s pack of Sport Beans and some water about 30 minutes before the ride.
I brought two Power Bar Double Latte gels and another pack of sport beans, a bottle of Accelerade and a bottle of water. I wanted to put down the PowerBar gel at mile 20 regarless of if I felt like I needed it and then the sport beans at 35. At mile 20 I put down the gel and it went down easier than any other gels I've ever had. That stuff was great. I think I really noticed when it kicked in too. Mike and I each put them down at the same time and at the same moment we each commented on how energized we suddenly felt about seven miles later. At mile 35 we put down sport beans. They were harder to eat on the bike but still tastey. I want to drink more when I'm eating them (which isn't a bad thing as long as you have the water) so I might end up saving those just for running because I really like them on the run.
After the ride I couldn't believe how good I felt. I threw on the sneakers and my legs still felt fresh. I wanted to go for a jog but Mike didn't have running gear. He felt just as fresh and we each did the same thing for nutrition. Last week we were each wiped out after 50 miles, today we each felt like champs after 56 miles and loads of hills. Definitely a good feeling and gives me more confidence as we approach Vineman. I know last week the thought of 56 miles scared me after how the bike went. Today I say bring it on. But there's a big difference in riding that in three hours as opposed to trying to hold 20mph for the ride. The nice thing is I didn't feel like everything was bouncing around in my stomach after the ride when I put my sneakers on and jumped up and down a few times. That's how I feel after the Clif Shot so I think I found something that works for me. I'll try to stick to the same sort of plan when we do our century next Saturday.
Now I can't wait for dinner!
Saturday - May 12 (Steve)
Saturday was a quick bike ride over to Bryant. It was just a good way to test out the roads for a commute to work and also to see how it would be for riding today. The ride wasn't bad. It was fairly hilly so it was a pretty solid hour workout with a backpack full of stuff I needed to bring to the swim clinic. Rowdy is one enthusiastic guy about swimming. It's great listening to him talk, but he didn't offer anything that we don't already say to the kids, the only difference is kids listen to you when you've earned a gold medal in the Olympics. The funny thing about it all is he didn't even spend a combined 10 minutes on breast/fly, but hey, he was a freestyler and a damn fast one at that. After Mike, Jill and myself headed up to Wheelworks (where I decided on NOT getting the Zenith, I opted for a sleeveless after trying on that Zenith). One thing I can say is if you're thin the Zenith makes you look like the most fit person in the world. I got to model it there once I got the thing on while the other Wheelworks members checked it out. It was actually pretty cool. After we went to ATA Cycles which was definitely one of the best shops I've EVER been in. They only carried high end bikes. Mike and Jill each tried out the Kuota K-Factor and loved it. I want to dump the Giant and get a bike there. Their fit room was awesome too. I want to go there and get a Kuota Kalibur without a doubt. I need to do this before the end of the year. I love that bike.
Friday, May 11, 2007
Finally Friday
Well, I'm glad that my wave at Vineman is going to go off 20 minutes ahead of Matt's. From the looks of things we might cross the line at the same time.
Today was the first time I felt like a swimmer back in the water. It was kind of surprising given my past few days of beating myself up but it actually felt good...good means better than all the other swims to date.
600 swim last 200 - 25Back/25 Free
3x (4x75/4x50/4x25) Evens fast stroke, odds free. One round of each.
800 Pull - I held 1:11 - SCM not LCM
300 K/S by 25
Even after the swim the scale at PC had my at 158. After stepping on the scale I was totally looking forward to the left over munchkins still at my desk. I've never looked forward to getting into the office so much.
Lunch was a good weight workout. I went particularly hard knowing I was going to have an easy evening.
Evening workout was just 25 minutes of core work. Something good and mindless just follow the routine and enjoy it. After that it was time for a huge dinner.
Now with a happy belly and time to relax I'll get my cycling gear ready to ride over to Bryant in the morning and help out with the Rowdy Gaines clinic.
Today was the first time I felt like a swimmer back in the water. It was kind of surprising given my past few days of beating myself up but it actually felt good...good means better than all the other swims to date.
600 swim last 200 - 25Back/25 Free
3x (4x75/4x50/4x25) Evens fast stroke, odds free. One round of each.
800 Pull - I held 1:11 - SCM not LCM
300 K/S by 25
Even after the swim the scale at PC had my at 158. After stepping on the scale I was totally looking forward to the left over munchkins still at my desk. I've never looked forward to getting into the office so much.
Lunch was a good weight workout. I went particularly hard knowing I was going to have an easy evening.
Evening workout was just 25 minutes of core work. Something good and mindless just follow the routine and enjoy it. After that it was time for a huge dinner.
Now with a happy belly and time to relax I'll get my cycling gear ready to ride over to Bryant in the morning and help out with the Rowdy Gaines clinic.
Base 2 Rest week (4/9-4/15) (Matt)
Monday 4/9
Run 42:00 approx
Swim 1300+
300 mix
2 x 150 free k-d-s
4 x 75 50dr-25sw
8 x 50 :55 held 32-33
The 50s were assigned in the training plan. They were hard. I am slow.
Tuesday 4/10
Bike 1:20:34, 21.3 miles, 15.9avg@126HR
8 x 1:00 hill repeats, 2:00 recovery
That was the last of the hill repeats, and I won't miss them!
Wednesday 4/11
Swim 800 various
Thursday 4/12
Swim 1650
600wu
1050 straight free/back loco 1-6
Friday 4/13
Bike to Las Tuna Canyon (but not over hard side of hill)
1:39:18, HR 134avg/167max, 16.7mph, 27.6 miles
Mostly up going there (54 minutes), mostly down coming back (45 minutes)
Saturday 4/14
Run 1:22:07
Long run after work. A bunch of trees were being cut down around my little place here, and I was very upset-so I took it out on the run. That may have been a mistake!
10.8 miles, 151avg/166max, 7:36/mile
Sunday 4/15
Bike easy 59:10, 17.0 avg, 16.8 miles
Run 42:00 approx
Swim 1300+
300 mix
2 x 150 free k-d-s
4 x 75 50dr-25sw
8 x 50 :55 held 32-33
The 50s were assigned in the training plan. They were hard. I am slow.
Tuesday 4/10
Bike 1:20:34, 21.3 miles, 15.9avg@126HR
8 x 1:00 hill repeats, 2:00 recovery
That was the last of the hill repeats, and I won't miss them!
Wednesday 4/11
Swim 800 various
Thursday 4/12
Swim 1650
600wu
1050 straight free/back loco 1-6
Friday 4/13
Bike to Las Tuna Canyon (but not over hard side of hill)
1:39:18, HR 134avg/167max, 16.7mph, 27.6 miles
Mostly up going there (54 minutes), mostly down coming back (45 minutes)
Saturday 4/14
Run 1:22:07
Long run after work. A bunch of trees were being cut down around my little place here, and I was very upset-so I took it out on the run. That may have been a mistake!
10.8 miles, 151avg/166max, 7:36/mile
Sunday 4/15
Bike easy 59:10, 17.0 avg, 16.8 miles
Base 2 Week 2 (from 4/2-4/8) (Matt)
Monday 4/2 off?
Tuesday 4/3
Bike Hill repeats 10x1:00 w 2:00 recovery
total time=1:13:05, wu=26:33, 15.3mph avg, 18.7 miles, HR=128avg/167max
Wednesday 4/4
Run 40:29.1 Hilly loops
wu=1.3 miles, then 3 x ~.8 miles, run back (#3=6:26.5)
total 5.0 miles, HR=149avg/167max
Swim 1500 later
Thursday 4/5
Swim 1600
I think it was on this day that there was representative from Huntington Hospital at the Y, and she had a Tantita Body Fat scale. So I ponied up, and saw these numbers:
Weight 177.6 lbs
BMI 22.2
Fat % 16.5
BMR (Basal metabolic rate) 1840 kcal (calories for the rest of us)
Fat mass 29.2 lbs
FFR (Fat Free Mass) 148.4
TBW (Total Body Water) 108.6 lbs
I used one of these scales when I was in the thick of Ironman training, and I got some absurd number like 4.6% body fat. I don't know if that was accurate, but I do remember a fellow IM guy remarking that I was looking either really sick, or really fit (or both, I guess, depending on your definition of sick). Anyway, accurate or not, I have a different body now, and we've got a lot of work to do!
Friday 4/6
Bike 2:23:21 Large loop, from streets, to bike path/river, back to streets. After warming up for about 56 minutes, I did a "tempo" section, going north on the San Gabriel River Bike Path, from the Rio Hondo Dam to the north dam (can't remember the name). I got a flat tire about 6 minutes in, but after that I went again. The total time of "tempo" was 24:03@142HR. This felt good! For IM I used to train my long steady rides around this pace, so it wasn't exactly hard, but solid anyway. There was another 1:07 to go after that.
Swim
500 wu
18x100 free 3@1:35 pull, 2@1:30 swim, 1@1:25 swim, the 2-2-2, then 1-2-3
200 warm down
2500/40:00
A good day!
Saturday 4/7
Run in AM, before lessons! Like 730am-that's hardcore! Went from home, to Rose Bowl Golf Club and back. It was all made bearable by Kathleen biking along with me.
8.2-8.4 miles, ~1:13, I think. First long run in a while.
Sunday 4/8
Day off, tired...
Tuesday 4/3
Bike Hill repeats 10x1:00 w 2:00 recovery
total time=1:13:05, wu=26:33, 15.3mph avg, 18.7 miles, HR=128avg/167max
Wednesday 4/4
Run 40:29.1 Hilly loops
wu=1.3 miles, then 3 x ~.8 miles, run back (#3=6:26.5)
total 5.0 miles, HR=149avg/167max
Swim 1500 later
Thursday 4/5
Swim 1600
I think it was on this day that there was representative from Huntington Hospital at the Y, and she had a Tantita Body Fat scale. So I ponied up, and saw these numbers:
Weight 177.6 lbs
BMI 22.2
Fat % 16.5
BMR (Basal metabolic rate) 1840 kcal (calories for the rest of us)
Fat mass 29.2 lbs
FFR (Fat Free Mass) 148.4
TBW (Total Body Water) 108.6 lbs
I used one of these scales when I was in the thick of Ironman training, and I got some absurd number like 4.6% body fat. I don't know if that was accurate, but I do remember a fellow IM guy remarking that I was looking either really sick, or really fit (or both, I guess, depending on your definition of sick). Anyway, accurate or not, I have a different body now, and we've got a lot of work to do!
Friday 4/6
Bike 2:23:21 Large loop, from streets, to bike path/river, back to streets. After warming up for about 56 minutes, I did a "tempo" section, going north on the San Gabriel River Bike Path, from the Rio Hondo Dam to the north dam (can't remember the name). I got a flat tire about 6 minutes in, but after that I went again. The total time of "tempo" was 24:03@142HR. This felt good! For IM I used to train my long steady rides around this pace, so it wasn't exactly hard, but solid anyway. There was another 1:07 to go after that.
Swim
500 wu
18x100 free 3@1:35 pull, 2@1:30 swim, 1@1:25 swim, the 2-2-2, then 1-2-3
200 warm down
2500/40:00
A good day!
Saturday 4/7
Run in AM, before lessons! Like 730am-that's hardcore! Went from home, to Rose Bowl Golf Club and back. It was all made bearable by Kathleen biking along with me.
8.2-8.4 miles, ~1:13, I think. First long run in a while.
Sunday 4/8
Day off, tired...
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Brick Day Thursday
I ended up not cycling into work like I wanted. At 5:30 this morning weather.com was saying there was a 40% chance of showers after 4PM. I didn't like those odds since I would have had to ride home with a bunch of stuff in my backpack that wouldn't like to get wet, like my laptop. It was kind of a bummer because I had everything ready to go and I had my route planned. Pretty soon gas will be $5 a gallon and I'll have no choice but to ride my bike so there'll be plenty of time to do it in the future. Instead I headed down to the basement and did a Spinnervals time saver workout. I meant to do the level 7.5 recovery/technique because I was hurting a bit from the lactate threshold workout the night before. Instead I must have selected the level 10 anaerobic threshold workout that consisted of a bunch of 90 second reps above your 40K pace. That one hurt pretty good and I was one sweaty mess after. After a quick shower it was off to work.
Luckily there were munchkins at work right next to my cube. I think I threw down 10 of them before anyone else even knew I hit them. Suddenly people were wondering where all the chocolate ones went.
I bolted out of work at 4:40 so I could get home to do my brick. I headed out on my road bike for 21.43 miles. It hurt. I was feeling the past two trainer workouts and I kept telling myself to back off because I was running after. I ended up with a 19.5 average (1:05:48 ride time). Average heart rate of 140 and 1154 feet of climbing.
After a four minute transition (luckily I'll never have to enter a combination on a padlock, unlock my front door, put my bike inside, get out of my cycling gear and into running clothes in a race) it was out the door to start the run. I sort of felt pretty good on the first mile and was 6:59 for the mile with a heart rate of 159. I slowed mile 2 down to a 7:18 mile but my avg heart rate went up to 165. The next two mile I was 7:28 pace with an avg heart rate still climbing to 168. Then I just warmed down nice and easy.
Run totals were 4.15 miles. 30:38. Avg Pace 7:22/mi. Avg heart rate 165. Total Ascent 503 ft. This leads me to believe the watch couldn't come close to working out the climbing I did Monday because today was virtually flat compared to Monday. One hill Monday was more climbing than everything involved in my run course this evening.
All in all it was a very successful day. I'm going to have to start logging what I eat and get advice on that (I know, first thing will be don't eat 10 munchkins just because they're there), but after my shower I jumped on the scale and it said 154.5. I said that can't be right and did it again and it was the same. I'm eating a lot, I'm getting protein. I have lots of fruits, sports drinks, grains, wheat bread and snacks throught the day so I should at least be maintaining weight. I don't really want to get much lighter unless it's going to make me faster and I don't think that is going to work out for me. So tonight I'm loading up on the ice cream!!!
Luckily there were munchkins at work right next to my cube. I think I threw down 10 of them before anyone else even knew I hit them. Suddenly people were wondering where all the chocolate ones went.
I bolted out of work at 4:40 so I could get home to do my brick. I headed out on my road bike for 21.43 miles. It hurt. I was feeling the past two trainer workouts and I kept telling myself to back off because I was running after. I ended up with a 19.5 average (1:05:48 ride time). Average heart rate of 140 and 1154 feet of climbing.
After a four minute transition (luckily I'll never have to enter a combination on a padlock, unlock my front door, put my bike inside, get out of my cycling gear and into running clothes in a race) it was out the door to start the run. I sort of felt pretty good on the first mile and was 6:59 for the mile with a heart rate of 159. I slowed mile 2 down to a 7:18 mile but my avg heart rate went up to 165. The next two mile I was 7:28 pace with an avg heart rate still climbing to 168. Then I just warmed down nice and easy.
Run totals were 4.15 miles. 30:38. Avg Pace 7:22/mi. Avg heart rate 165. Total Ascent 503 ft. This leads me to believe the watch couldn't come close to working out the climbing I did Monday because today was virtually flat compared to Monday. One hill Monday was more climbing than everything involved in my run course this evening.
All in all it was a very successful day. I'm going to have to start logging what I eat and get advice on that (I know, first thing will be don't eat 10 munchkins just because they're there), but after my shower I jumped on the scale and it said 154.5. I said that can't be right and did it again and it was the same. I'm eating a lot, I'm getting protein. I have lots of fruits, sports drinks, grains, wheat bread and snacks throught the day so I should at least be maintaining weight. I don't really want to get much lighter unless it's going to make me faster and I don't think that is going to work out for me. So tonight I'm loading up on the ice cream!!!
blast from the past (from Matt, who else?)
(This, as I'm listening to some Velvet Underground I have never heard before...and then a quick transition to DEVO's Day My Baby Gave Me a Surprize!)
The last time I updated, sometime in April, I filled in the action thru March 23...ugh. SO, without much further ado, I will attempt to do update one week/day, and I should be completely up to date in about a week!
Sunday 3/25
Bike 3:00:52 w Brandon. 17.0mph, avg HR=133, 51+miles
Mostly easy, except for climbing. Went up Route 39, or San Gabriel Canyon Road. There is no easy way to climb, at least in the shape I was then. Good day!
Base 2 Week 1
Monday 3/26 Day off?
Tuesday 3/27
Bike 1:11:23 17.8 miles, avgHR=129, avg=15.0
But those numbers are deceptive, as this was a hill repeat session. Warmed up for 29:43, then did 8 x 1:00 out of saddle climbing, recovering 2:00 between efforts. I usually couldn't make the entire 1:00 standing, and had to sit the last 15 sec or so. These hurt a LOT.
Wednesday 3/28
Run 40:26.2 5.4 miles HR=155avg/170max
Thursday 3/29
Run 43:16.0 HR=144/164
Swim ~2000
-10x50@1:00 really easy
-1x500 various
-1x900 at even pace 12:05
Just over 1:20/100 on 900, which was fine with me.
Friday 3/30
Bike 1:21:47 127avg/155max 16.7mph 22.8 miles
Saturday 3/31 nothing-at caboom show all day!
Sunday 4/1
Run in Griffith Park w Brook. Kinda hot, but slow pace, so easy. ~1:00, sub 130HR.
The last time I updated, sometime in April, I filled in the action thru March 23...ugh. SO, without much further ado, I will attempt to do update one week/day, and I should be completely up to date in about a week!
Sunday 3/25
Bike 3:00:52 w Brandon. 17.0mph, avg HR=133, 51+miles
Mostly easy, except for climbing. Went up Route 39, or San Gabriel Canyon Road. There is no easy way to climb, at least in the shape I was then. Good day!
Base 2 Week 1
Monday 3/26 Day off?
Tuesday 3/27
Bike 1:11:23 17.8 miles, avgHR=129, avg=15.0
But those numbers are deceptive, as this was a hill repeat session. Warmed up for 29:43, then did 8 x 1:00 out of saddle climbing, recovering 2:00 between efforts. I usually couldn't make the entire 1:00 standing, and had to sit the last 15 sec or so. These hurt a LOT.
Wednesday 3/28
Run 40:26.2 5.4 miles HR=155avg/170max
Thursday 3/29
Run 43:16.0 HR=144/164
Swim ~2000
-10x50@1:00 really easy
-1x500 various
-1x900 at even pace 12:05
Just over 1:20/100 on 900, which was fine with me.
Friday 3/30
Bike 1:21:47 127avg/155max 16.7mph 22.8 miles
Saturday 3/31 nothing-at caboom show all day!
Sunday 4/1
Run in Griffith Park w Brook. Kinda hot, but slow pace, so easy. ~1:00, sub 130HR.
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Wednesday - May 9
Swim - Lift - Bike - Eat.
Today was a good swim, of course I felt as expected after the way things have been going lately. No big deal it was still nice being in the water.
At lunch I hit the weight room and went over my usual circuit which felt pretty good as well. I was dragging a little in the afternoon and it was tough to motivate myself to get on my bike tonight but I did an hour of lactate threshold work trying to keep my heart rate up for 20 minutes with 10 minutes recovery and repeat. By the end I was starving and had to get home and throw down a pizza and some Chips-a-hoy.
Tomorrow I'm going to see what happens if I attempt to ride to work and do an evening brick. We'll see if I actually roll out of bed when the alarm goes off, or if I sleep an extra hour and just drive in. I also have no idea what the roads would be like biking in since I haven't driven them but maybe I'll find out tomorrow.
Today was a good swim, of course I felt as expected after the way things have been going lately. No big deal it was still nice being in the water.
At lunch I hit the weight room and went over my usual circuit which felt pretty good as well. I was dragging a little in the afternoon and it was tough to motivate myself to get on my bike tonight but I did an hour of lactate threshold work trying to keep my heart rate up for 20 minutes with 10 minutes recovery and repeat. By the end I was starving and had to get home and throw down a pizza and some Chips-a-hoy.
Tomorrow I'm going to see what happens if I attempt to ride to work and do an evening brick. We'll see if I actually roll out of bed when the alarm goes off, or if I sleep an extra hour and just drive in. I also have no idea what the roads would be like biking in since I haven't driven them but maybe I'll find out tomorrow.
Tuesday - May 8 Rest Day
Tuesday was a rest day. I went to EP and swam the workout there just cruising around working on what's left of my technique. One nice thing was I got some respect from the triathletes there thanks to my St. Anthony's performance. They also gave me some good advice on building speed for running. Now I just need to get some running technique!
Monday, May 7, 2007
Getting lazy?
Last night I slept like a rock after yesterday's 50 miler. When the alarm went off this morning I was just all confused. Got out of bed, grabbed my work clothes and knew if I went to swim I would probably fall asleep at work. Can't have that so I went back to bed to try and catch a few extra minutes and told myself I'll just go to EP tomorrow night. Now that I'm not coaching I have all this freedom with my evenings!
At lunch today I had a good solid weight workout. I tried to add some lunges with some light weights, just 25's in each hand. I knew I was planning on attempting to run the hills after work.
After work I did make it out to do the hills in Smithfield. I mapped out a nice 6.2 mile course that would take me right back to the parking lot at my building so I could run around the building as a warm-down. I had three large climbs. One I did twice as part of a loop and it is .7 of a mile up and the other was the street my office is on and it's .55 of a mile with a pretty constant grade. I tried to pour on some effort on the last two climbs as I was still recovering from my .55 mile downhill to start off the run. Maybe I should do a few laps around the parking lot to get my legs warmed up before they get all beaten up on the downhill.
Totals for the run were 6.56 miles in 53:20. That's an 8:07 average.
Max speed 9.9mph
Ttotal calories 856.
Average heart rate 157.
Max Heart Rate 175
Total Ascent 955 feet.
Not too sure if my legs would be pleased with me if I did that once a week. Maybe I'll have to do every other week. I felt like my knees took a pounding on those downhills. At least now I can understand how running uphill can help your speed. Boy my heart rate would shoot up when I was trying to crank up those hills.
For the 6.2 miles I was at 50:15, 8:06 average. My end of summer goal will be to do that run 8-10 minutes faster. Not sure if that's possible, but it's a goal.
At lunch today I had a good solid weight workout. I tried to add some lunges with some light weights, just 25's in each hand. I knew I was planning on attempting to run the hills after work.
After work I did make it out to do the hills in Smithfield. I mapped out a nice 6.2 mile course that would take me right back to the parking lot at my building so I could run around the building as a warm-down. I had three large climbs. One I did twice as part of a loop and it is .7 of a mile up and the other was the street my office is on and it's .55 of a mile with a pretty constant grade. I tried to pour on some effort on the last two climbs as I was still recovering from my .55 mile downhill to start off the run. Maybe I should do a few laps around the parking lot to get my legs warmed up before they get all beaten up on the downhill.
Totals for the run were 6.56 miles in 53:20. That's an 8:07 average.
Max speed 9.9mph
Ttotal calories 856.
Average heart rate 157.
Max Heart Rate 175
Total Ascent 955 feet.
Not too sure if my legs would be pleased with me if I did that once a week. Maybe I'll have to do every other week. I felt like my knees took a pounding on those downhills. At least now I can understand how running uphill can help your speed. Boy my heart rate would shoot up when I was trying to crank up those hills.
For the 6.2 miles I was at 50:15, 8:06 average. My end of summer goal will be to do that run 8-10 minutes faster. Not sure if that's possible, but it's a goal.
Sunday, May 6, 2007
Cycling weekend
I didn't get my long run in this weekend like I wanted. I wanted to do a run after one of my bike rides but I ended up hanging out after them or having something to do so tomorrow night will become a run evening I think rather than Tuesday/Thursday. I'll try and bring my stuff to work and do a five mile hill run after work.
Yesterday was an aerobic day on the bike. We went out with Liz and Jill for 30 miles and I just kept the heart rate pretty low and did pretty much the whole ride in the small chain ring. Ideally I would have ran after this ride because I was plenty fresh.
Sunday started off as a colder day, only in the 40's outside and very windy. Wind was supposed to be up to 30mph today but we were determined to get out for 50 miles. Well, we did it and there was nothing easy about it. Once we got outside and saw the direction the wind was going we knew it was going to be a long day because for the most exposed stretches which are usually pretty fast ones, we were going to have winds in our face and what winds they were!
I was trying Clif Blocks on the ride today and I aimed to take three at mile 10 then three more at mile 30. At mile 10 we were battling way too much wind to take the break and have some snacks so it ended up being more like mile 15 and 30. I found out I'm going to need some more nutrition in Vineman because I was pretty dead by the end of the ride. I suppose we only really rode 45 miles because we warmed down the last six miles we rode. Could I have ran 13.1 miles after that ride? Hell no. Run/walk? Maybe, but it would be a struggle. I'm going to have to start shooting for a 50 mile ride each weekend. I'm thinking on the 19th I'll try for a century to see how that goes if the 50 isn't hard next weekend.
Yesterday was an aerobic day on the bike. We went out with Liz and Jill for 30 miles and I just kept the heart rate pretty low and did pretty much the whole ride in the small chain ring. Ideally I would have ran after this ride because I was plenty fresh.
Sunday started off as a colder day, only in the 40's outside and very windy. Wind was supposed to be up to 30mph today but we were determined to get out for 50 miles. Well, we did it and there was nothing easy about it. Once we got outside and saw the direction the wind was going we knew it was going to be a long day because for the most exposed stretches which are usually pretty fast ones, we were going to have winds in our face and what winds they were!
I was trying Clif Blocks on the ride today and I aimed to take three at mile 10 then three more at mile 30. At mile 10 we were battling way too much wind to take the break and have some snacks so it ended up being more like mile 15 and 30. I found out I'm going to need some more nutrition in Vineman because I was pretty dead by the end of the ride. I suppose we only really rode 45 miles because we warmed down the last six miles we rode. Could I have ran 13.1 miles after that ride? Hell no. Run/walk? Maybe, but it would be a struggle. I'm going to have to start shooting for a 50 mile ride each weekend. I'm thinking on the 19th I'll try for a century to see how that goes if the 50 isn't hard next weekend.
Friday, May 4, 2007
Friday - May 4
Maybe it's time to change the description of this blog so I don't refer to myself as a swimmer because I'm convinced I no longer am a swimmer.
This morning started with another swim where I felt like I had no idea what my body was doing, but this time it didn't bother me at all. I've come to accept that my swimming is strong enough to beat most triathletes and triathlon seems to be worth having lousy swims right now. This morning I did feel great when we did the 10 minute pull set. Everything felt balanced and I had better body position thanks to my flotation device and paddles. Next week I'm going to get some inflatable water wings and see if those help.
At lunch I hit the weights and did my best to keep from losing more muscle. Tried to work the legs pretty hard because I think I need to get more strength there to ride faster.
My evening workout was an 80 minute trainer ride. Man did I sweat like a pig (do pigs really sweat?). It felt pretty good anyway and I'm looking forward to heading out tomorrow on the road bike for an easy 35 miler.
By the way, yesterday when I said I was looking to run 10 miles this weekend, I've decided that's a bad idea after some reading and some e-mail exchanges with Jason. I'll probably do something with speed work this weekend instead and next weekend I'll aim for a long run.
This morning started with another swim where I felt like I had no idea what my body was doing, but this time it didn't bother me at all. I've come to accept that my swimming is strong enough to beat most triathletes and triathlon seems to be worth having lousy swims right now. This morning I did feel great when we did the 10 minute pull set. Everything felt balanced and I had better body position thanks to my flotation device and paddles. Next week I'm going to get some inflatable water wings and see if those help.
At lunch I hit the weights and did my best to keep from losing more muscle. Tried to work the legs pretty hard because I think I need to get more strength there to ride faster.
My evening workout was an 80 minute trainer ride. Man did I sweat like a pig (do pigs really sweat?). It felt pretty good anyway and I'm looking forward to heading out tomorrow on the road bike for an easy 35 miler.
By the way, yesterday when I said I was looking to run 10 miles this weekend, I've decided that's a bad idea after some reading and some e-mail exchanges with Jason. I'll probably do something with speed work this weekend instead and next weekend I'll aim for a long run.
Thursday, May 3, 2007
Thursday - May 3
After a day of flip-flopping back and forth on if I should run and coming up with all sorts of excuses not to run, I dragged my lazy butt out for a run. The goal was to get out there and do a recovery type run. I decided to head out on a loop that could either be just over 6 or just over 7 depending on how I felt. I didn't feel great starting off because I had some tight muscles but I figured they'd stretch out over the course of the run. I was going about 7:30's to start off but quickly fell down to an 8:00 average. It was nice being out there just plodding on through the run but I couldn't figure out how to get any speed even though that shouldn't have been the days focus. On the run I wasn't hurting, just having a little trouble with breathing because it was a little more chilly than I would have liked and it was drying me out pretty quickly. I decided to stretch the run to the longer course because I'm training for 13.1 miles now. At mile 5.0 I had a 7:59 average. Over the next 2.5 miles I held just under 7:30's. The run totalled 7.56 miles and the total time was :59:11. Nothing really fast overall, but a good starting point for 7+ mile runs. I might aim for a 10 mile run this weekend just holding 8:00 and see how that goes. That'll be the goal anyway. If I don't do that I'll try and do a brick with a longer bike ride and a shorter run.
Today's average heart rate was a rather high 161 and the max was 174 which came over the last two miles. I can only expect that my swim tomorrow is going to be all sloppy once again but maybe miracles will happen.
Today's average heart rate was a rather high 161 and the max was 174 which came over the last two miles. I can only expect that my swim tomorrow is going to be all sloppy once again but maybe miracles will happen.
Wednesday - May 2
Still feeling the effects from racing, Monday was a rest/travel day. Tuesday was a super easy 35 minutes on the trainer just spinning the legs while watching TV. Wednesday was time to get back in the routine and start focusing on Vineman.
The morning swim was a complete mess for me. Thank God we did some pull with paddles in there.
400 Swim
12x50 :60 4K/S, 4D/S, 4Swim
300 Kick Sprint last 1/4 of each 25
6x25 Kick easy/fast by 25
5x200 Pull or swim 3:00 descend 1-3. 4 Easy 5 Fast
50 Easy
12x25 choice 2 easy 1 fast
300 easy
At lunch I hit the weights and kicked the weights back up after lifting light last week.
It felt okay. I don't feel strong but I don't feel as weak as I do in the water right now so at least I've got that going for me.
The weather was perfect for a ride or run after work but mentally I wasn't there. If I had a workout buddy who would have pushed me into it I certainly would have gone in a second. But I was kind of lazy and a little tired so I got on my elliptical for 45 minutes and did that with very little resistance so it was more like jogging and then did 40 minutes of abs work. It wasn't a workout that totally broke me down but it left me feeling like I had plenty of energy which was good. Today I hope to run. I brought my running stuff with me incase I just felt like running right after work. I've also got my swim stuff incase I want to head over to EP for a swim but I know running is more important right now. Guess I'll have to wait and see what happens.
The morning swim was a complete mess for me. Thank God we did some pull with paddles in there.
400 Swim
12x50 :60 4K/S, 4D/S, 4Swim
300 Kick Sprint last 1/4 of each 25
6x25 Kick easy/fast by 25
5x200 Pull or swim 3:00 descend 1-3. 4 Easy 5 Fast
50 Easy
12x25 choice 2 easy 1 fast
300 easy
At lunch I hit the weights and kicked the weights back up after lifting light last week.
It felt okay. I don't feel strong but I don't feel as weak as I do in the water right now so at least I've got that going for me.
The weather was perfect for a ride or run after work but mentally I wasn't there. If I had a workout buddy who would have pushed me into it I certainly would have gone in a second. But I was kind of lazy and a little tired so I got on my elliptical for 45 minutes and did that with very little resistance so it was more like jogging and then did 40 minutes of abs work. It wasn't a workout that totally broke me down but it left me feeling like I had plenty of energy which was good. Today I hope to run. I brought my running stuff with me incase I just felt like running right after work. I've also got my swim stuff incase I want to head over to EP for a swim but I know running is more important right now. Guess I'll have to wait and see what happens.
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Race Day
Sunday morning came and the alarm went off at 4:35AM. I woke up nervous but had a pretty solid night sleep which is very rare for me. Guess I knew I needed it.
I grabbed my gear and headed down to the van with Jason and his dad, off we went to the race. We got there in the pitch black somewhere around 5:30 I think, maybe a little earlier. Had to find our bikes and then off we went to make sure everything was ready for our transitions.
We had a great morning. Nice and cool at the start, the water was really calm and there was nearly no wind. After battling the wrong lines for worst set of porto-john's I went over to try and unpack my gear as best I could in the dark. Jason and I then grabbed our wetsuits and headed over to the swim start. We got to watch the pro's take off and then got ready to line up for our wave. The sun was just coming up over the water and at 7:10 our wave ran into the water and headed out towards the sun.
Swim-
On the swim I just let Jason go. That was my plan all along and I know no one believed me because they say I'm too competitive to let that happen (right Sam?) but I stuck to my plan because I would have had to kick to keep up with Jason. I didn't want to kick at all since I knew my legs were going to be doing ALL the work after the swim. Might as well be nice to them at the beginning. So I found someone else to draft off for a while but he couldn't pick a line to save his life so I just pulled in front and then swam in and out of the elite women so he couldn't pick my line and draft off me. It was a nice easy swim for me and I just cruised it all. Heading into the transition I was taking my time because I can't run without shoes for some reason. I took the time to put on my watch, grab my helmet, put on my shoes and glasses, then grabbed my spare tube and co2 then off I went jogging my bike out to the transition. Mounted the bike and off I went.
Bike-
I headed out over the brick portion and just seemed to have trouble getting going. Heading out on the course I had a chance to see the pros shoot by on one of the straight aways while they were heading in the opposite direction. It was pretty cool to see them tearing it up like that. I should have been paying more attention to what I was doing rather than them. Eventually I started to feel pretty good, maybe that was half way in and I started picking up the pace pretty good. Wound up finishing with a 22.0 average. Headed into the transition for the run, couldn't find my position on the rack. Ran right by my area and ended up seeing Jason's bike and having to turn around and head back slowly until I found my gear. It sucked because I lost at least 40 seconds. Once I found it I racked my bike, had some Gatorade, put on my socks which I should have done before the bike so my legs wouldn't have been wobbly, threw on the sneakers, race belt, hat and then grabbed some sport beans and put them in my jersey then headed out on the run.
Run-
The run was good and hot and I like the heat. I kept thinking of what Sam told me about starting off that first mile with a high cadence and small steps. That felt pretty good and I was going 6:45 miles according to my watch over that first mile. I was trying to keep that pace up for a while because I saw someone way off in the distance who I thought ran like Jason, but he was without a jersey and I knew Jason had the Wheelworks jersey, I assumed he took it off in the heat. So I pressed on. Eventually I did see Jason and knew he must have had a fantastic bike to be way out there. Big props go out to him for his first two-thirds. During the run my right quad kept feeling like it wanted to cramp up a bit so after the half way point I tried to shut it down a little and cruise out to be sure I wouldn't bonk before the end, because the race was hurting a little! During the run I was eating two sport beans at each mile and throwing some water on my head. The sport beans helped out a lot and they were easy to eat. The longest stretch had to be just before the finishing stretch because you could see the 6 mile marker from far away on the only really straight stretch. After that people were yelling 100 yards more. Since when does 100 yards equal two-tenths of a mile? People are crazy. I ended up sprinting the last 50 yards because I could see the clock at 2:25 so I knew I was going to get a 2:15 which I was pretty happy about.
So there you have it, 2:15:22 which I'm happy with. There were definitely some areas I can pick up so next year I hope to be faster. I can probably take some time off each leg and a solid amount off the transition so I think I could get under 2:10 with some good training and not putting much time into coaching in the future. Racing was fun and I felt pretty fresh after it. I'm NOT looking forward to Vineman, I'm actually kind of afraid by it because the 6.2 miles of running at 7:11 was painful enough I can't imagine what 13.1 will feel like.
So that's how the race went. It was a good learning experience and the Eaddy's were great hosts. I'm looking forward to racing again next year. I wish I could do it again this weekend.
I grabbed my gear and headed down to the van with Jason and his dad, off we went to the race. We got there in the pitch black somewhere around 5:30 I think, maybe a little earlier. Had to find our bikes and then off we went to make sure everything was ready for our transitions.
We had a great morning. Nice and cool at the start, the water was really calm and there was nearly no wind. After battling the wrong lines for worst set of porto-john's I went over to try and unpack my gear as best I could in the dark. Jason and I then grabbed our wetsuits and headed over to the swim start. We got to watch the pro's take off and then got ready to line up for our wave. The sun was just coming up over the water and at 7:10 our wave ran into the water and headed out towards the sun.
Swim-
On the swim I just let Jason go. That was my plan all along and I know no one believed me because they say I'm too competitive to let that happen (right Sam?) but I stuck to my plan because I would have had to kick to keep up with Jason. I didn't want to kick at all since I knew my legs were going to be doing ALL the work after the swim. Might as well be nice to them at the beginning. So I found someone else to draft off for a while but he couldn't pick a line to save his life so I just pulled in front and then swam in and out of the elite women so he couldn't pick my line and draft off me. It was a nice easy swim for me and I just cruised it all. Heading into the transition I was taking my time because I can't run without shoes for some reason. I took the time to put on my watch, grab my helmet, put on my shoes and glasses, then grabbed my spare tube and co2 then off I went jogging my bike out to the transition. Mounted the bike and off I went.
Bike-
I headed out over the brick portion and just seemed to have trouble getting going. Heading out on the course I had a chance to see the pros shoot by on one of the straight aways while they were heading in the opposite direction. It was pretty cool to see them tearing it up like that. I should have been paying more attention to what I was doing rather than them. Eventually I started to feel pretty good, maybe that was half way in and I started picking up the pace pretty good. Wound up finishing with a 22.0 average. Headed into the transition for the run, couldn't find my position on the rack. Ran right by my area and ended up seeing Jason's bike and having to turn around and head back slowly until I found my gear. It sucked because I lost at least 40 seconds. Once I found it I racked my bike, had some Gatorade, put on my socks which I should have done before the bike so my legs wouldn't have been wobbly, threw on the sneakers, race belt, hat and then grabbed some sport beans and put them in my jersey then headed out on the run.
Run-
The run was good and hot and I like the heat. I kept thinking of what Sam told me about starting off that first mile with a high cadence and small steps. That felt pretty good and I was going 6:45 miles according to my watch over that first mile. I was trying to keep that pace up for a while because I saw someone way off in the distance who I thought ran like Jason, but he was without a jersey and I knew Jason had the Wheelworks jersey, I assumed he took it off in the heat. So I pressed on. Eventually I did see Jason and knew he must have had a fantastic bike to be way out there. Big props go out to him for his first two-thirds. During the run my right quad kept feeling like it wanted to cramp up a bit so after the half way point I tried to shut it down a little and cruise out to be sure I wouldn't bonk before the end, because the race was hurting a little! During the run I was eating two sport beans at each mile and throwing some water on my head. The sport beans helped out a lot and they were easy to eat. The longest stretch had to be just before the finishing stretch because you could see the 6 mile marker from far away on the only really straight stretch. After that people were yelling 100 yards more. Since when does 100 yards equal two-tenths of a mile? People are crazy. I ended up sprinting the last 50 yards because I could see the clock at 2:25 so I knew I was going to get a 2:15 which I was pretty happy about.
So there you have it, 2:15:22 which I'm happy with. There were definitely some areas I can pick up so next year I hope to be faster. I can probably take some time off each leg and a solid amount off the transition so I think I could get under 2:10 with some good training and not putting much time into coaching in the future. Racing was fun and I felt pretty fresh after it. I'm NOT looking forward to Vineman, I'm actually kind of afraid by it because the 6.2 miles of running at 7:11 was painful enough I can't imagine what 13.1 will feel like.
So that's how the race went. It was a good learning experience and the Eaddy's were great hosts. I'm looking forward to racing again next year. I wish I could do it again this weekend.
Florida
After arriving in FL on Thursday we put the bikes together, unpacked and then grabbed our running stuff and headed out for a few miles running. It was good to be out since I hadn't ran in a week. We only went three miles but it was good to get use to the heat for a little bit.
We went for dinner after the run which took longer than the triathlon, so our early morning swim plans got changed to mid-day which was fine by me so we could swim in the sun.
Friday morning we got up and went down to the bike course to see how it was going to be. It was a nice course but with traffic the first 7 miles it was a pain because of all the lights, but what are you going to do? The point was just to cruise the course but Jason was feeling good and putting the hammer down for some stretches while the Zipp 808's made love to the road. So it was a pretty fast ride for something that was going to be just cruising. I think we averaged 20.4 or something like that. I've never rode 25 miles that were so flat. I knew after that ride I was going to get my ass handed to me in the bike leg of the race but I had the confidence to know I could probably average 22.
Later we headed to the pool for a swim of 3000 yards which is all anyone ever really needs to do for triathlon.
I know we ended up spending way too much time walking around at the triathlon expo and not resting our legs but it was a lot of fun.
Saturday was a rest day and we went for a bike ride of about 35 minutes with some quick spinning. I definitely felt a little tightness from Friday's ride and I was having front deraillure issues again. Confidence in bike going down.
Once again, we spent way too much time on our feet that day and probably over eating on foods that weren't going to keep us energized and hydrated. I made it a point to drink tons of water Friday and Saturday because of the heat knowing I needed to be well hydrated on Sunday.
We went for dinner after the run which took longer than the triathlon, so our early morning swim plans got changed to mid-day which was fine by me so we could swim in the sun.
Friday morning we got up and went down to the bike course to see how it was going to be. It was a nice course but with traffic the first 7 miles it was a pain because of all the lights, but what are you going to do? The point was just to cruise the course but Jason was feeling good and putting the hammer down for some stretches while the Zipp 808's made love to the road. So it was a pretty fast ride for something that was going to be just cruising. I think we averaged 20.4 or something like that. I've never rode 25 miles that were so flat. I knew after that ride I was going to get my ass handed to me in the bike leg of the race but I had the confidence to know I could probably average 22.
Later we headed to the pool for a swim of 3000 yards which is all anyone ever really needs to do for triathlon.
I know we ended up spending way too much time walking around at the triathlon expo and not resting our legs but it was a lot of fun.
Saturday was a rest day and we went for a bike ride of about 35 minutes with some quick spinning. I definitely felt a little tightness from Friday's ride and I was having front deraillure issues again. Confidence in bike going down.
Once again, we spent way too much time on our feet that day and probably over eating on foods that weren't going to keep us energized and hydrated. I made it a point to drink tons of water Friday and Saturday because of the heat knowing I needed to be well hydrated on Sunday.
Race Week
Okay, so it's been a while since my last post so I want to summarize what happened heading up to St. Anthony's.
Saturday April 21 - Went for a ride with Jason. Good thing too because I discovered that the Tufo tubular clinchers are pieces of crap! If anyone out there reading this doesn't believe me then e-mail me and maybe I'll send you one unused. What a stupid mistake buying those. I'm glad I didn't wait until race day to try them out. At least the Reynolds rims held up and seemed to do a decent job.
Sunday April 22 - Another ride. I think it was 30 miles. Pretty sure that was on my road bike. Can't really remember now.
Monday April 23 - Morning swim and then lift at lunch. Somewhere along the line I realized I was having a deraillure issue and couldn't get into the big chain ring. Had to scramble to get the bike down to Providence Bike before they closed to have the cable changed. They ended up seeing that the bottom bracket was also the wrong size, 19mm instead of 20mm. So I had to get that changed too.
Tuesday after picking up my bike I got on the trainer for 35 minutes to make sure everything worked as expected and then started breaking it down to pack it up.
Wednesday was a swim/lift day and packing up at night.
Thursday was an early morning and then off to FL.
Saturday April 21 - Went for a ride with Jason. Good thing too because I discovered that the Tufo tubular clinchers are pieces of crap! If anyone out there reading this doesn't believe me then e-mail me and maybe I'll send you one unused. What a stupid mistake buying those. I'm glad I didn't wait until race day to try them out. At least the Reynolds rims held up and seemed to do a decent job.
Sunday April 22 - Another ride. I think it was 30 miles. Pretty sure that was on my road bike. Can't really remember now.
Monday April 23 - Morning swim and then lift at lunch. Somewhere along the line I realized I was having a deraillure issue and couldn't get into the big chain ring. Had to scramble to get the bike down to Providence Bike before they closed to have the cable changed. They ended up seeing that the bottom bracket was also the wrong size, 19mm instead of 20mm. So I had to get that changed too.
Tuesday after picking up my bike I got on the trainer for 35 minutes to make sure everything worked as expected and then started breaking it down to pack it up.
Wednesday was a swim/lift day and packing up at night.
Thursday was an early morning and then off to FL.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)