Hmm...I'm awake. It's Tuesday night around 2:30 AM. And I have a sharp pain in my stomach. Let's roll over and...oh...no, let's just lay still. Or as still as I can when my whole body is shivering and my teeth are chattering. Under 3 layers of blankets.
This...is not good.
Two weeks ago was my scheduled rest week. And rest I did, with a vengeance. Due to VIP Photo Booths' engagement with the Columbus Crew, we had a super busy schedule in the evenings, and my day job wasn't any lighter. I got in what I could, but a few workouts fell by the wayside. No problem, though. That's what rest weeks are for, and a couple missed recovery spins wouldn't kill me.
But then came Tuesday night. That afternoon, I had already nixed a ride because of the recurring knee pain I'd been having. I'd later get to the doctor and be diagnosed with Patellofemoral Syndrome, which I had in college. The verdict? Ice, physical therapy, and raise my bike seat (love having a triathlete as a doctor). But no break in training! That was good news indeed. I'll still have some pain to deal with, but them's the breaks.
Now, my stomach was in rebellion as well. Tuesday became Wednesday. Wednesday turned to Thursday, and then Friday. No solid food to speak of, and not a chance in the world of training. Did I say "one" rest week? Let's make that "two". Sigh. My mental state was really not good. I have a race coming up! It's really kind of long! And I felt completely beat down and unready.
Friday night, the tide finally began to turn, and on Saturday I had an appetite again. I did a 40 minute test ride, and survived, albeit with a light head when I got done. I'll chalk that one up to lack of nourishment and a headwind.
Sunday was the time to really see where I stood. It was back to the pool for a "real" workout again. 2500m of fun and drills. I could feel the lack of endurance brought on by two weeks off, but I still wanted to see where I stood, and what I had lost. I made it through the majority of the workout, and had one "hard" 150m left. Time to let it all go and see where the chips fall. I spun around after touching the wall and found the second hand on the pool clock...2:15. Holy cow, that's the same pace as my best 100m! And I found out that PRs in the pool taste surprisingly like a slice of red velvet cake roll a few hours later.
Guess we might still be on track for that pesky race in June after all.
Monday, April 06, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Weekend Getaway
What better place than Chicago, under the watchful eye of my coach? On Friday we packed up (for a two week safari, from the look of our bags) and drove to Chicago for a weekend of training. I was going to hit the Computrainer for a long ride, and plenty of other fun would ensue!
Proper nutrition is a bit hard to come by when on the road. I had one water bottle on the way, but probably left myself under-hydrated for what was to come. We got my bike set up Friday night, then hit the bed (and watched the end of the OSU game).
On, Saturday morning, we got an early visitor when our hosts left for masters swim. Boss greeted us with an army crawl into our bedroom, and spent the morning with us lounging around and playing with his squeaky carrot. For the carrot's own good, we had to lock it away from Boss, lest it be furless by the end of the morning. Soon enough, it was time to ride! But first, we measured my weight and hydration to judge my nutrition plan. When that was done, it was on the bike and off to see the course. The first hour was fairly flat and straightforward; a few hills gave me the feel of the trainer. Legs were good, head was good, and all was right with the world.
Hour two - the course heads out of town and up into the hills. On the trainer, some of these hills were nasty. Rather than a gradual build to a hill, it was like hitting a wall. I stayed seated for them, and "spun" my way up in the single digit speeds. Even though my average was suffering, I was still feeling good.
Hour three - Up, down, up, down, repeat. The rolling hills at the top of the CDA course were plentiful, and felt nothing like rollers around home. Still, I was feeling decent. I've done 3+ hour rides before, and though this one was tougher, it was still in my comfort zone.
Hour four - Uh-oh. Somewhere around 3:15 or 3:30, the wheels started coming off. I was putting in about the same effort, but my speed and cadence were dropping. My quads were getting a little tight, and at some point I even got off the bike to stretch them. It was really frustrating to be feeling so bad, and to know that there was still over an hour to go. And it was worse to know that I was on probably the easiest part of the course and still feeling that way.
Hour five - Pure survival. My speed was absolutely shot, and I was just turning the pedals to get done. I think I averaged somewhere around 11 mph for the part where I started the second loop. Hope that's not the case on race day, or I'll be hard pressed to make it to the run!
Once the fun on the trainer was wrapped up, it was time to take my measurements again to see how I did nutritionally. Well, not only did I maintain my weight despite being a heavy sweater, I gained 3 pounds over the course of those 5 hours. Hmm. Not exactly sure how that works, except that I was dehydrated beforehand. Done now? Nope, down to the treadmill for a 10 minute run. The GOOD news: my legs felt absolutely fine once I got to running. I held a 9:40 pace, which is just fine by me after that long a ride. Given some time to get the legs warmed up, I can usually pick it up a bit too.
Meredith and I snuck out for a quick bite to eat after the ride, since we were both starving. She had done some pretty tough strength and speed work while I was riding. And what sounded good to us? Well, when we came back in, Liz had but two accusing sentences: "You went to McDonald's, didn't you? I can see it in your eyes." We couldn't deny the truth. But the truth tasted awfully good.
On Sunday morning, Meredith and I headed to the nearby arboretum for long runs. Despite two cranky knees, my legs felt pretty good. After 30 minutes, the knees were warmed up, and I was able to hold a decent pace. I came in at 10.77 miles in 1:45, right around a 9:45 pace. Not bad for a hilly course and the day after a long ride. After the run, we hit the pool for a few pointers and a welcome soak in the hot tub!
Sadly, we had to say goodbye to Liz and Chris (and Boss, who made one last ditch attempt to join us for the return trip) and head home on Sunday. Back to work and normal life, but it was a great weekend! Thanks guys!
Proper nutrition is a bit hard to come by when on the road. I had one water bottle on the way, but probably left myself under-hydrated for what was to come. We got my bike set up Friday night, then hit the bed (and watched the end of the OSU game).
On, Saturday morning, we got an early visitor when our hosts left for masters swim. Boss greeted us with an army crawl into our bedroom, and spent the morning with us lounging around and playing with his squeaky carrot. For the carrot's own good, we had to lock it away from Boss, lest it be furless by the end of the morning. Soon enough, it was time to ride! But first, we measured my weight and hydration to judge my nutrition plan. When that was done, it was on the bike and off to see the course. The first hour was fairly flat and straightforward; a few hills gave me the feel of the trainer. Legs were good, head was good, and all was right with the world.
Hour two - the course heads out of town and up into the hills. On the trainer, some of these hills were nasty. Rather than a gradual build to a hill, it was like hitting a wall. I stayed seated for them, and "spun" my way up in the single digit speeds. Even though my average was suffering, I was still feeling good.
Hour three - Up, down, up, down, repeat. The rolling hills at the top of the CDA course were plentiful, and felt nothing like rollers around home. Still, I was feeling decent. I've done 3+ hour rides before, and though this one was tougher, it was still in my comfort zone.
Hour four - Uh-oh. Somewhere around 3:15 or 3:30, the wheels started coming off. I was putting in about the same effort, but my speed and cadence were dropping. My quads were getting a little tight, and at some point I even got off the bike to stretch them. It was really frustrating to be feeling so bad, and to know that there was still over an hour to go. And it was worse to know that I was on probably the easiest part of the course and still feeling that way.
Hour five - Pure survival. My speed was absolutely shot, and I was just turning the pedals to get done. I think I averaged somewhere around 11 mph for the part where I started the second loop. Hope that's not the case on race day, or I'll be hard pressed to make it to the run!
Once the fun on the trainer was wrapped up, it was time to take my measurements again to see how I did nutritionally. Well, not only did I maintain my weight despite being a heavy sweater, I gained 3 pounds over the course of those 5 hours. Hmm. Not exactly sure how that works, except that I was dehydrated beforehand. Done now? Nope, down to the treadmill for a 10 minute run. The GOOD news: my legs felt absolutely fine once I got to running. I held a 9:40 pace, which is just fine by me after that long a ride. Given some time to get the legs warmed up, I can usually pick it up a bit too.
Meredith and I snuck out for a quick bite to eat after the ride, since we were both starving. She had done some pretty tough strength and speed work while I was riding. And what sounded good to us? Well, when we came back in, Liz had but two accusing sentences: "You went to McDonald's, didn't you? I can see it in your eyes." We couldn't deny the truth. But the truth tasted awfully good.
On Sunday morning, Meredith and I headed to the nearby arboretum for long runs. Despite two cranky knees, my legs felt pretty good. After 30 minutes, the knees were warmed up, and I was able to hold a decent pace. I came in at 10.77 miles in 1:45, right around a 9:45 pace. Not bad for a hilly course and the day after a long ride. After the run, we hit the pool for a few pointers and a welcome soak in the hot tub!
Sadly, we had to say goodbye to Liz and Chris (and Boss, who made one last ditch attempt to join us for the return trip) and head home on Sunday. Back to work and normal life, but it was a great weekend! Thanks guys!
Monday, March 23, 2009
T-Minus 3 Months
Under 100 days to go now. Yikes!
Biggest Challenge This Month:
The bike miles! I'm pretty confident that once I get to the run, I'll be able to finish. Even on a bad day, I think I can drag myself through 26 miles. But ramping up the bike time has been a whole new challenge. I think 3 hours is sort of my limit of being comfortable right now, but I'll be working to change that.
Biggest Success This Month:
Health, maybe? Even with the increased mileage, I've only missed a couple workouts this month. One was due to a sore knee after a long ride, and the other because I had to work some really long hours last week at times.
I also put in a 3:45 outdoor ride, with the first half uphill and generally into a decent headwind. At the time, that was my longest ride, and by far the most challenging one I'd done. The feeling of turning around after struggling along at 13 mph for an hour and suddenly going 23 is a nice one! It's also sort of fun to see the course map from the Garmin zoomed out so far to show the whole thing! The only bad thing about the ride was that when I mapped out my course, I picked a small airport as my turnaround. I finally got to the road that led to it...and it was gravel. Not just chip seal, gravel on dirt. So my ride was a few miles short. :)
How I Feel About Training:
Like I want the race to be here! (No, I don't. Not yet. Forget I said that.) Still enjoying it, but it's getting hard to fit everything in sometimes. I'm thinking I'll be doing some less time-intensive training for a while post-Ironman.
How I Feel About The Race:
Confident about the swim. Feeling pretty good about the run. And I think I can get through the bike. That's definitely the order of confidence.
What's Next?
A big training weekend with coach (okay, it's technically already done, but it wasn't during this month, and I'll blog about it next). Then it's time to continue ramping up the miles!
3 Months Out Theme Song:
I was introduced to this one by my wife this month. Yes, I know it isn't actually a 3. But it has one, just with a bunch of zeroes after it. :) Plus, I like to think the tempo will match the bike course - uphill for a while, then down down down! (Hopefully, I navigate it a bit more successfully than the driver)
Biggest Challenge This Month:
The bike miles! I'm pretty confident that once I get to the run, I'll be able to finish. Even on a bad day, I think I can drag myself through 26 miles. But ramping up the bike time has been a whole new challenge. I think 3 hours is sort of my limit of being comfortable right now, but I'll be working to change that.
Biggest Success This Month:
Health, maybe? Even with the increased mileage, I've only missed a couple workouts this month. One was due to a sore knee after a long ride, and the other because I had to work some really long hours last week at times.
I also put in a 3:45 outdoor ride, with the first half uphill and generally into a decent headwind. At the time, that was my longest ride, and by far the most challenging one I'd done. The feeling of turning around after struggling along at 13 mph for an hour and suddenly going 23 is a nice one! It's also sort of fun to see the course map from the Garmin zoomed out so far to show the whole thing! The only bad thing about the ride was that when I mapped out my course, I picked a small airport as my turnaround. I finally got to the road that led to it...and it was gravel. Not just chip seal, gravel on dirt. So my ride was a few miles short. :)
How I Feel About Training:
Like I want the race to be here! (No, I don't. Not yet. Forget I said that.) Still enjoying it, but it's getting hard to fit everything in sometimes. I'm thinking I'll be doing some less time-intensive training for a while post-Ironman.
How I Feel About The Race:
Confident about the swim. Feeling pretty good about the run. And I think I can get through the bike. That's definitely the order of confidence.
What's Next?
A big training weekend with coach (okay, it's technically already done, but it wasn't during this month, and I'll blog about it next). Then it's time to continue ramping up the miles!
3 Months Out Theme Song:
I was introduced to this one by my wife this month. Yes, I know it isn't actually a 3. But it has one, just with a bunch of zeroes after it. :) Plus, I like to think the tempo will match the bike course - uphill for a while, then down down down! (Hopefully, I navigate it a bit more successfully than the driver)
Friday, March 06, 2009
Movie Quote Game!
Well, this has been floating around Facebook and Meredith's blog, so I figure it's time for me to play the game. I'll list 20 quotes from some of my favorite movies. Meredith and I decided it should be movies that you'd leave on the TV if you noticed they were on, and with at least one quote you could recite from memory. (Thus eliminating some favorites like Memento or Schindler's List) There are some pretty obscure ones, some really famous ones, and a lot from my childhood.
Your job is to comment and match the name of the movie to the numbers you know! I put them in roughly what I think is the order of difficulty. :)
So, without further ado:
1. "Snakes. Why'd it have to be snakes?"
Raiders Of The Lost Ark
2. "Well, that is your name, isn't it? Calvin Klein? It's written all over your underwear."
Back To The Future
3. "There was Dallas, from Phoenix; Cleveland - he was from Detroit; and Tex... well, I don't remember where Tex come from. "
Forrest Gump
4. "It's a trap!"
Return Of The Jedi / The Empire Strikes Back
5. "Listen, strange women lyin' in ponds distributin' swords is no basis for a system of government."
Monty Python and the Quest For the Holy Grail
6. "Surely you can't be serious!"
"I am serious, and don't call me Shirley."
Airplane!
7. "Sam... I'm glad you're with me."
Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
8. "Once again, things that could've been brought to my attention YESTERDAY!"
The Wedding Singer
9. "Have fun storming the castle!"
The Princess Bride
10. "How's your wife and my kids?"
11. "So the combination is... one, two, three, four, five?"
12. "Luuuke... Luuuke! I am your father!"
13. "The game starts now. You have to score one thousand points. If you do that, you take home a tank with a big gun. Each day we will announce the scores from that loudspeaker."
Life Is Beautiful
14. "Necktie...Neckturn...Nickel...It's an 'N' word, it's definitely an 'N' word!"
15. "Spatula City, we sell spatulas...And that's all!"
UHF
16. "Communism was just a red herring."
Clue
17. "EASTMAN! He came from the east, to do battle with the amazing RANDO!"
18. "What is that?"
"One grain of sand. It is all that remains of my vast empire."
The Neverending Story
19. "Hey! Hold it right there!"
"Yes."
"What do you mean, 'yes'?"
"Yes."
"Is that all you can say?"
"No."
20. "Tell us everything! Everything!"
"Everything. OK! I'll talk! In third grade, I cheated on my history exam. In fourth grade, I stole my uncle Max's toupee and I glued it on my face when I was Moses in my Hebrew School play. In fifth grade, I knocked my sister Edie down the stairs and I blamed it on the dog... When my mom sent me to the summer camp for fat kids and then they served lunch I got nuts and I pigged out and they kicked me out... But the worst thing I ever done - I mixed a pot of fake puke at home and then I went to this movie theater, hid the puke in my jacket, climbed up to the balcony and then, t-t-then, I made a noise like this: hua-hua-hua-huaaaaaaa - and then I dumped it over the side, all over the people in the audience. And then, this was horrible, all the people started getting sick and throwing up all over each other. I never felt so bad in my entire life."
The Goonies
Your job is to comment and match the name of the movie to the numbers you know! I put them in roughly what I think is the order of difficulty. :)
So, without further ado:
1. "Snakes. Why'd it have to be snakes?"
Raiders Of The Lost Ark
2. "Well, that is your name, isn't it? Calvin Klein? It's written all over your underwear."
Back To The Future
3. "There was Dallas, from Phoenix; Cleveland - he was from Detroit; and Tex... well, I don't remember where Tex come from. "
Forrest Gump
4. "It's a trap!"
Return Of The Jedi / The Empire Strikes Back
5. "Listen, strange women lyin' in ponds distributin' swords is no basis for a system of government."
Monty Python and the Quest For the Holy Grail
6. "Surely you can't be serious!"
"I am serious, and don't call me Shirley."
Airplane!
7. "Sam... I'm glad you're with me."
Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
8. "Once again, things that could've been brought to my attention YESTERDAY!"
The Wedding Singer
9. "Have fun storming the castle!"
The Princess Bride
10. "How's your wife and my kids?"
11. "So the combination is... one, two, three, four, five?"
12. "Luuuke... Luuuke! I am your father!"
13. "The game starts now. You have to score one thousand points. If you do that, you take home a tank with a big gun. Each day we will announce the scores from that loudspeaker."
Life Is Beautiful
14. "Necktie...Neckturn...Nickel...It's an 'N' word, it's definitely an 'N' word!"
15. "Spatula City, we sell spatulas...And that's all!"
UHF
16. "Communism was just a red herring."
Clue
17. "EASTMAN! He came from the east, to do battle with the amazing RANDO!"
18. "What is that?"
"One grain of sand. It is all that remains of my vast empire."
The Neverending Story
19. "Hey! Hold it right there!"
"Yes."
"What do you mean, 'yes'?"
"Yes."
"Is that all you can say?"
"No."
20. "Tell us everything! Everything!"
"Everything. OK! I'll talk! In third grade, I cheated on my history exam. In fourth grade, I stole my uncle Max's toupee and I glued it on my face when I was Moses in my Hebrew School play. In fifth grade, I knocked my sister Edie down the stairs and I blamed it on the dog... When my mom sent me to the summer camp for fat kids and then they served lunch I got nuts and I pigged out and they kicked me out... But the worst thing I ever done - I mixed a pot of fake puke at home and then I went to this movie theater, hid the puke in my jacket, climbed up to the balcony and then, t-t-then, I made a noise like this: hua-hua-hua-huaaaaaaa - and then I dumped it over the side, all over the people in the audience. And then, this was horrible, all the people started getting sick and throwing up all over each other. I never felt so bad in my entire life."
The Goonies
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
T-Minus 4 Months
Really a few days shorter, since I'm late with the update. That number keeps shrinking! Now we're into month counts I'm more used to from marathon training.
Biggest Challenge This Month:
The fact that neither Meredith nor I can stay healthy! We were doing great until this winter, and now all of a sudden it seems like one or the other of us is sick. Right now, it's me. We're crossing our fingers that it stays that way until after Meredith's race this weekend.
Biggest Success This Month:
Racing! Not only did I take my first top 10 overall spot at a race (8th at Last Chance 10K), I took my second as well! (6th at Lifetime Indoor Tri) Kind of crazy how far things have come since last spring. It's a big mental transition for me to think about pushing myself farther than a comfortable pace; up till now, I've just worried about finishing. I still don't really think much about "how do I compare to others" during the race, but I'm starting to concentrate on being the best I can be on that day.
How I Feel About Training:
When I'm healthy, really good! It was great to actually get to see some results, and know that all these hours are paying off. I'm a little intimidated by breaking 4 hours on a trainer, but I suppose it's only 30 minutes more than I've done to this point.
How I Feel About The Race:
A little more confident than before. The part that still scares me the most are all the hills, since I don't have a lot of experience on them. When the weather breaks, I think it'll be time to find some of the few we have in central Ohio and get to know them intimately. :)
What's Next?
Still need to find a half in the spring. Other than that, no races planned at this point. I was originally going to do the second indoor tri in town here, but I think we'll be out of town. No big deal, as I got the first one in.
4 Months Out Theme Song:
Well, I couldn't come up with anything great, so this one's a bit of a stretch. But I think it might need to go on my iPod. :)
Biggest Challenge This Month:
The fact that neither Meredith nor I can stay healthy! We were doing great until this winter, and now all of a sudden it seems like one or the other of us is sick. Right now, it's me. We're crossing our fingers that it stays that way until after Meredith's race this weekend.
Biggest Success This Month:
Racing! Not only did I take my first top 10 overall spot at a race (8th at Last Chance 10K), I took my second as well! (6th at Lifetime Indoor Tri) Kind of crazy how far things have come since last spring. It's a big mental transition for me to think about pushing myself farther than a comfortable pace; up till now, I've just worried about finishing. I still don't really think much about "how do I compare to others" during the race, but I'm starting to concentrate on being the best I can be on that day.
How I Feel About Training:
When I'm healthy, really good! It was great to actually get to see some results, and know that all these hours are paying off. I'm a little intimidated by breaking 4 hours on a trainer, but I suppose it's only 30 minutes more than I've done to this point.
How I Feel About The Race:
A little more confident than before. The part that still scares me the most are all the hills, since I don't have a lot of experience on them. When the weather breaks, I think it'll be time to find some of the few we have in central Ohio and get to know them intimately. :)
What's Next?
Still need to find a half in the spring. Other than that, no races planned at this point. I was originally going to do the second indoor tri in town here, but I think we'll be out of town. No big deal, as I got the first one in.
4 Months Out Theme Song:
Well, I couldn't come up with anything great, so this one's a bit of a stretch. But I think it might need to go on my iPod. :)
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
The Results Are In!
Last night, the results were posted for the indoor tri.
Swim:
24 lengths (600m total)
1:40/100m
5th (tie)/78 overall
3rd (tie)/26 men
I was quite happy with this pace. It happened to be exactly my goal before the race, so here's to knowing what your body is capable on race day!
Bike:
16.4 "miles" (32.8 mph)
3rd/78 overall
3rd/26 men
Yeah, right. :) Going by the place, though, I was surprised and pleased with the result against the field. I don't really consider the bike a strength, but I've had nothing to compare it to since almost all my IM training has been indoors so far.
Run:
1.18 "miles" (16:57/mile)
Umm...
So, I was NOT happy when I saw this result. I had been in 3rd place overall after the swim and bike, and then my official run time beat nobody. Okay, there were two people who didn't do the run; I did beat them. I know this race isn't my target, and it was just to get a good workout, but I felt sort of ripped off that I had worked hard and didn't get the chance to evaluate myself on an even playing field.
I sent off an email to the director asking about it, and he let me know that the "overflow" ellipticals that I was on were supposed to have mileage tacked on to compensate for the difference in difficulty, but the numbers didn't get added in as planned. So, it looks like my actual run will be marked as 2.68 miles, which is probably pretty accurate as to what I could have done. Kudos to the Lifetime Fitness team for being willing to take time to review the results, and for doing as well as they could on race day given the circumstances!
Overall:
Current:
20/78 overall
10/26 men
Don't know exactly where I'll end up once the run is corrected since I wasn't the only one that needed an adjustment, but my guess is somewhere around 6th overall. I really wasn't expecting to do quite that well (I was silently hoping for top 10), so now I'm really excited to get outdoors and see where the training has me for real!
For fun, let's take my paces in this race and see how I'd do in the Ironman if I held them.
Swim: 1:04
Hey, I'd certainly take that!
Bike: 3:24
Hmm...a little over an hour faster than last year's fastest biker in Coeur D'Alene? Yeah, I'd take that too. ;)
Run: 7:24
Hehe! Well, fortunately, the run is last, so thanks to my blazing bike time I'd still make all the cutoffs.
Total: 11:52
An unorthodox way to get under 12 hours to be sure, but if I finished under 12, I wouldn't complain. :)
Maybe I should just trust my training plan instead. Yeah, that might be the way to go.
Swim:
24 lengths (600m total)
1:40/100m
5th (tie)/78 overall
3rd (tie)/26 men
I was quite happy with this pace. It happened to be exactly my goal before the race, so here's to knowing what your body is capable on race day!
Bike:
16.4 "miles" (32.8 mph)
3rd/78 overall
3rd/26 men
Yeah, right. :) Going by the place, though, I was surprised and pleased with the result against the field. I don't really consider the bike a strength, but I've had nothing to compare it to since almost all my IM training has been indoors so far.
Run:
1.18 "miles" (16:57/mile)
Umm...
So, I was NOT happy when I saw this result. I had been in 3rd place overall after the swim and bike, and then my official run time beat nobody. Okay, there were two people who didn't do the run; I did beat them. I know this race isn't my target, and it was just to get a good workout, but I felt sort of ripped off that I had worked hard and didn't get the chance to evaluate myself on an even playing field.
I sent off an email to the director asking about it, and he let me know that the "overflow" ellipticals that I was on were supposed to have mileage tacked on to compensate for the difference in difficulty, but the numbers didn't get added in as planned. So, it looks like my actual run will be marked as 2.68 miles, which is probably pretty accurate as to what I could have done. Kudos to the Lifetime Fitness team for being willing to take time to review the results, and for doing as well as they could on race day given the circumstances!
Overall:
Current:
20/78 overall
10/26 men
Don't know exactly where I'll end up once the run is corrected since I wasn't the only one that needed an adjustment, but my guess is somewhere around 6th overall. I really wasn't expecting to do quite that well (I was silently hoping for top 10), so now I'm really excited to get outdoors and see where the training has me for real!
For fun, let's take my paces in this race and see how I'd do in the Ironman if I held them.
Swim: 1:04
Hey, I'd certainly take that!
Bike: 3:24
Hmm...a little over an hour faster than last year's fastest biker in Coeur D'Alene? Yeah, I'd take that too. ;)
Run: 7:24
Hehe! Well, fortunately, the run is last, so thanks to my blazing bike time I'd still make all the cutoffs.
Total: 11:52
An unorthodox way to get under 12 hours to be sure, but if I finished under 12, I wouldn't complain. :)
Maybe I should just trust my training plan instead. Yeah, that might be the way to go.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Race Report - Lifetime Fitness Indoor Triathlon
Or, "A Comedy Of Errors"
To get the day off to an appropriate start, I woke up before my alarm this morning. The alarm was set for 6:15. I woke up at 12:20. Standing by my alarm clock. It took me a few minutes to convince myself that no, I didn't really need to be up yet. Back to bed. And then it happened again around 1:30. Pre-race nerves, anyone?
At 6:15, I did get up to my alarm, and was up and ready to go. I had already packed up the night before, so it was a pretty simple morning of eating and getting on the road. I got to the gym in plenty of time to register, get set up, and check out the venue. After watching one of the earlier swim heats, I went back out to the desk to make sure my shoes would clip into the bikes. A woman out there confirmed that they would work.
And then, the power went out.
Not a blink, not a light off here or there. The whole gym, and from what I later overheard, the whole street. The staff's faces fell, and from downstairs you could hear a collective groan from the first wave of athletes, who were about two minutes into their 20 minute run. We were informed by a race director that the race would proceed, but we would be moving the run to the ellipticals because they don't require power. Yuck. I know they didn't have a choice, but I can't stand the elliptical. But, it would still be a level playing field, so the best I could do was accept it and go on with the day.
I got changed and made it out to the pool with a few minutes before my heat. There was just enough time to swim down and back for a warm up, and then it was time to go. We all had to share lanes with one other person, and the girl sharing my lane wasn't (by her own statement) much of a swimmer, but she did a perfectly good job of staying on her side. I went out a little harder than intended, but I think I held on pretty well! The swim director was calling out times and when to stop, but I never really heard her. I sort of heard people clap, and then noticed everyone standing at the end of the lanes. Guess we're done. I think I made it somewhere around 24 lengths, or 600m, in the 10 minute swim. That would be a 1:40/100m pace, and a perfectly good start to the day.
On the way out of the pool, a woman was nice enough to hold the locker room door for me.
And I was halfway through the door, thanking her, before I realized that I was walking right into the women's locker room. Oops. The doors at this gym are backwards from the one we go to, and I'm so used to the door on the right, that I just followed the pack. :)
It was certainly the darkest transition ever in the locker room as I got ready for the bike. I must have taken my time, because by the time I got up there, the director called out 90 seconds until the start. I wasn't the only one, as everybody scrambled to get onto the bikes. I got my bike shoes on and got the iPod on my arm, just in time to start up. Then I tried to clip in. Hmm...can't get the right shoe in, let's try the left. No luck there either! I called over the director, who didn't know much about the clips, and said we'd wait for the staff member running the bike portion to check in on me.
So, I started pedaling with bike shoes on, on top of pedals with the wrong kind of clip. Let me tell you, that's no fun. My feet kept slipping off, and since they were spinning bikes, the pedals kept right on going. I'd have to wait for the pedals to stop before I could start up again. Probably 5 minutes of this went on before I had had enough. While pedaling with my right foot, I reached down and undid my left shoe, tossed it to the side, and slipped my foot into my running shoe. I did have to briefly stop to get the other one, and then one of the staff was kind enough to help me get into the toe cages and let me know I was scaring her to death. :) The bike specialist did come by, and informed me that I had the wrong kind of Shimano clips. Sigh. I let him know that the email they sent out just said Shimano. Twenty-five more minutes of running shoe, seat slightly too low cycling ensued, and at the end, it said I had gone 16.4 miles in 30 minutes. Heh. I wish. When I'm finishing the bike portion of Ironman in 3.5 hours, I'll be sure to remember this race. ;)
When they called the finish, I gathered up my stuff and hustled over to the run, intent on having enough time to get settled. I took my gel as planned, went to take a drink, and realized I left my water bottle on the bike. Time for more hustling, as I ran back over, grabbed the bottle, and went back to the ellipticals, which were now all full. A staff member directed the three of us without machines back to some of the older models, which felt more like "stair climber" ellipticals. Nonetheless, it was time to work for 20 more minutes. Before the start, they asked us for our estimated time on a treadmill so they could try and convert the numbers to more run-like distances. I estimated an 8 minute pace, while the guy next to me estimated 10:00s.
Since I didn't really want to know how slow I was going compared to treadmill pace, and so I could just concentrate on working hard, I threw a towel over the machine's display. It had been months since I'd been on an elliptical, so it was a foreign skill to me. I did my best, and just held on as best as I could for 20 minutes. (Of course, 10 minutes in, the power came back on. :P) There wasn't a staff member over by us, and those of us on the leftover ellipticals had started about a minute late, so to make sure it was fair, I hopped off the machine right at 20 minutes so I wouldn't get credited for extra mileage.
And then, before the staff could come mark down our distance, my machine turned off. With my towel still over the distance.
I have no clue how far I went on the "run" during this race. With no way to retrieve the number, they suggested using the distance from the guy next to me. I know I was going faster than him, but I didn't see any other option.
So, it was a comedy of errors. To their credit, I think the Lifetime staff did the best they could given the circumstances, and were very polite and apologetic. That didn't make it less frustrating, though. The good things I took out of this race were:
1. My body was really ready to go - the times all seemed short, and I was able to keep my effort level high the whole way through.
2. Mentally, I was able to calm myself down before the swim and get a pretty efficient stroke going. I believe I led my heat of 10, or came in second at the worst.
3. I didn't have anyone in front of me for most of the bike, so I could watch my form in the mirror. There was certainly less bouncing around going on that most of the other participants. It was hard to judge exactly, but it looked like I had one of the faster cadences, and since all the resistances were set equally, that should mean I had one of the longer distances travelled in my heat.
4. I put together a great, if very eclectic, playlist that kept my mind off the fact that biking and...um...ellipticalling indoors really isn't all that exciting.
This event was scored by your place. 1 point for the shortest distance in an event, 2 for the next shortest, and on up to points equal to the number of competitors for first place in an event. Total the three scores, and that's your overall score. I don't know my official swim or run distances, nor anyone else's, so your guess is as good as mine as to how I placed. Results are supposed to be up by Tuesday at the latest, so I'll post an update when they arrive!
To get the day off to an appropriate start, I woke up before my alarm this morning. The alarm was set for 6:15. I woke up at 12:20. Standing by my alarm clock. It took me a few minutes to convince myself that no, I didn't really need to be up yet. Back to bed. And then it happened again around 1:30. Pre-race nerves, anyone?
At 6:15, I did get up to my alarm, and was up and ready to go. I had already packed up the night before, so it was a pretty simple morning of eating and getting on the road. I got to the gym in plenty of time to register, get set up, and check out the venue. After watching one of the earlier swim heats, I went back out to the desk to make sure my shoes would clip into the bikes. A woman out there confirmed that they would work.
And then, the power went out.
Not a blink, not a light off here or there. The whole gym, and from what I later overheard, the whole street. The staff's faces fell, and from downstairs you could hear a collective groan from the first wave of athletes, who were about two minutes into their 20 minute run. We were informed by a race director that the race would proceed, but we would be moving the run to the ellipticals because they don't require power. Yuck. I know they didn't have a choice, but I can't stand the elliptical. But, it would still be a level playing field, so the best I could do was accept it and go on with the day.
I got changed and made it out to the pool with a few minutes before my heat. There was just enough time to swim down and back for a warm up, and then it was time to go. We all had to share lanes with one other person, and the girl sharing my lane wasn't (by her own statement) much of a swimmer, but she did a perfectly good job of staying on her side. I went out a little harder than intended, but I think I held on pretty well! The swim director was calling out times and when to stop, but I never really heard her. I sort of heard people clap, and then noticed everyone standing at the end of the lanes. Guess we're done. I think I made it somewhere around 24 lengths, or 600m, in the 10 minute swim. That would be a 1:40/100m pace, and a perfectly good start to the day.
On the way out of the pool, a woman was nice enough to hold the locker room door for me.
And I was halfway through the door, thanking her, before I realized that I was walking right into the women's locker room. Oops. The doors at this gym are backwards from the one we go to, and I'm so used to the door on the right, that I just followed the pack. :)
It was certainly the darkest transition ever in the locker room as I got ready for the bike. I must have taken my time, because by the time I got up there, the director called out 90 seconds until the start. I wasn't the only one, as everybody scrambled to get onto the bikes. I got my bike shoes on and got the iPod on my arm, just in time to start up. Then I tried to clip in. Hmm...can't get the right shoe in, let's try the left. No luck there either! I called over the director, who didn't know much about the clips, and said we'd wait for the staff member running the bike portion to check in on me.
So, I started pedaling with bike shoes on, on top of pedals with the wrong kind of clip. Let me tell you, that's no fun. My feet kept slipping off, and since they were spinning bikes, the pedals kept right on going. I'd have to wait for the pedals to stop before I could start up again. Probably 5 minutes of this went on before I had had enough. While pedaling with my right foot, I reached down and undid my left shoe, tossed it to the side, and slipped my foot into my running shoe. I did have to briefly stop to get the other one, and then one of the staff was kind enough to help me get into the toe cages and let me know I was scaring her to death. :) The bike specialist did come by, and informed me that I had the wrong kind of Shimano clips. Sigh. I let him know that the email they sent out just said Shimano. Twenty-five more minutes of running shoe, seat slightly too low cycling ensued, and at the end, it said I had gone 16.4 miles in 30 minutes. Heh. I wish. When I'm finishing the bike portion of Ironman in 3.5 hours, I'll be sure to remember this race. ;)
When they called the finish, I gathered up my stuff and hustled over to the run, intent on having enough time to get settled. I took my gel as planned, went to take a drink, and realized I left my water bottle on the bike. Time for more hustling, as I ran back over, grabbed the bottle, and went back to the ellipticals, which were now all full. A staff member directed the three of us without machines back to some of the older models, which felt more like "stair climber" ellipticals. Nonetheless, it was time to work for 20 more minutes. Before the start, they asked us for our estimated time on a treadmill so they could try and convert the numbers to more run-like distances. I estimated an 8 minute pace, while the guy next to me estimated 10:00s.
Since I didn't really want to know how slow I was going compared to treadmill pace, and so I could just concentrate on working hard, I threw a towel over the machine's display. It had been months since I'd been on an elliptical, so it was a foreign skill to me. I did my best, and just held on as best as I could for 20 minutes. (Of course, 10 minutes in, the power came back on. :P) There wasn't a staff member over by us, and those of us on the leftover ellipticals had started about a minute late, so to make sure it was fair, I hopped off the machine right at 20 minutes so I wouldn't get credited for extra mileage.
And then, before the staff could come mark down our distance, my machine turned off. With my towel still over the distance.
I have no clue how far I went on the "run" during this race. With no way to retrieve the number, they suggested using the distance from the guy next to me. I know I was going faster than him, but I didn't see any other option.
So, it was a comedy of errors. To their credit, I think the Lifetime staff did the best they could given the circumstances, and were very polite and apologetic. That didn't make it less frustrating, though. The good things I took out of this race were:
1. My body was really ready to go - the times all seemed short, and I was able to keep my effort level high the whole way through.
2. Mentally, I was able to calm myself down before the swim and get a pretty efficient stroke going. I believe I led my heat of 10, or came in second at the worst.
3. I didn't have anyone in front of me for most of the bike, so I could watch my form in the mirror. There was certainly less bouncing around going on that most of the other participants. It was hard to judge exactly, but it looked like I had one of the faster cadences, and since all the resistances were set equally, that should mean I had one of the longer distances travelled in my heat.
4. I put together a great, if very eclectic, playlist that kept my mind off the fact that biking and...um...ellipticalling indoors really isn't all that exciting.
This event was scored by your place. 1 point for the shortest distance in an event, 2 for the next shortest, and on up to points equal to the number of competitors for first place in an event. Total the three scores, and that's your overall score. I don't know my official swim or run distances, nor anyone else's, so your guess is as good as mine as to how I placed. Results are supposed to be up by Tuesday at the latest, so I'll post an update when they arrive!
Monday, February 16, 2009
Race Report - Last Chance For Boston 10K
Well, how about that? An impromptu sign-up for a distance I've never run before, and it turns into my best placing ever in a running race!
Things started off with a 5:45 wake up call. Unfortunately, Meredith was still feeling sick, so it was just me. I wasn't very excited about heading off into the cold, but I didn't really have any excuse not to go. So, I packed up about 4 different combinations of clothes, not knowing how cold it would really be. Got my number picked up, and I headed out to the course. Before the race, I had 30 minutes of easy warm up to get in. Easy was the key word, as I didn't quite even get in three miles.
Before I knew it, it was time to line up. This race has a full marathon, half marathon, 10K, and 5K, and the course is a one mile loop (plus a 0.2 or 0.1 mile spur at the start). The 10K and marathon start together, so I was lined up with Andrea and Helen, who were both doing the marathon, for the start. As much as I wanted to try and hang with them, I knew I needed to stick to the plan and not go out too hard. I even turned my Garmin to only show heart rate so I wouldn't constantly be checking my pace; instead, I'd concentrate on keeping my heart rate in the right zones.
And for the first lap, I did just that. I kept my legs in check, and my heart rate was nicely settled into zone 2. When the Garmin clicked off the first mile, it was around an 8:20 pace. Whoa! Nothing wrong with that. Since things were feeling good, I decided to just hold my pace and see how it went. And though it doesn't make for an interesting race report, I did just that. My fastest and slowest miles were only separated by 28 seconds, which I'm not sure I've ever done before. My heart rate did keep creeping up on me, though. By lap 2 or 3, it was parked in zone 3, and I had to ease up just a couple times. On the last lap, I finally gave myself permission to run a little harder, and went all out with about 1/4 mile remaining. That turned into my fastest mile, an 8:12. I crossed the finish line, and surprise, surprise, I was in the top 20 men!
Post race, there wasn't time to rest. I still had another 27 minutes of cool down. Three more loops around the course, and I could call it a day...until I had to hop on my bike later. :)
Mile 1 (+.2): 10:28
Mile 2: 8:38
Mile 3: 8:40
Mile 4: 8:37
Mile 5: 8:32
Mile 6: 8:12
Total: 53:05 (8:32/mi)
7/30 Men
9/74 Overall
Things started off with a 5:45 wake up call. Unfortunately, Meredith was still feeling sick, so it was just me. I wasn't very excited about heading off into the cold, but I didn't really have any excuse not to go. So, I packed up about 4 different combinations of clothes, not knowing how cold it would really be. Got my number picked up, and I headed out to the course. Before the race, I had 30 minutes of easy warm up to get in. Easy was the key word, as I didn't quite even get in three miles.
Before I knew it, it was time to line up. This race has a full marathon, half marathon, 10K, and 5K, and the course is a one mile loop (plus a 0.2 or 0.1 mile spur at the start). The 10K and marathon start together, so I was lined up with Andrea and Helen, who were both doing the marathon, for the start. As much as I wanted to try and hang with them, I knew I needed to stick to the plan and not go out too hard. I even turned my Garmin to only show heart rate so I wouldn't constantly be checking my pace; instead, I'd concentrate on keeping my heart rate in the right zones.
And for the first lap, I did just that. I kept my legs in check, and my heart rate was nicely settled into zone 2. When the Garmin clicked off the first mile, it was around an 8:20 pace. Whoa! Nothing wrong with that. Since things were feeling good, I decided to just hold my pace and see how it went. And though it doesn't make for an interesting race report, I did just that. My fastest and slowest miles were only separated by 28 seconds, which I'm not sure I've ever done before. My heart rate did keep creeping up on me, though. By lap 2 or 3, it was parked in zone 3, and I had to ease up just a couple times. On the last lap, I finally gave myself permission to run a little harder, and went all out with about 1/4 mile remaining. That turned into my fastest mile, an 8:12. I crossed the finish line, and surprise, surprise, I was in the top 20 men!
Post race, there wasn't time to rest. I still had another 27 minutes of cool down. Three more loops around the course, and I could call it a day...until I had to hop on my bike later. :)
Mile 1 (+.2): 10:28
Mile 2: 8:38
Mile 3: 8:40
Mile 4: 8:37
Mile 5: 8:32
Mile 6: 8:12
Total: 53:05 (8:32/mi)
7/30 Men
9/74 Overall
Thursday, February 12, 2009
It's Race Season!
40 minutes of fast run + will be at a race with a 10K anyway = 1st race of 2009!
I convinced coach that I would do my warmup and cooldown as planned around the race, so it's time for the season to kick off with the Last Chance For Boston 10K! Meredith is running the half marathon, so I was going to be there already. Now, I can get in my run and then get to watch her smash her PR! My only instructions are not to go out too hard. I'm 0/1 on that in races so far since I started working with Liz, so I'll try to do better this time around.
Also coming up is my first tri of the season, the Lifetime Fitness Indoor Triathlon. It's a 10 minute swim, 30 minute bike, and 20 minute run. I've never done an indoor tri, so it should be a new and interesting experience. It's silly, but I'm getting nervous thinking about it. From looking at last year's numbers and my current fitness, I should stand a decent chance of being in the top half of the field - I'm not used to that, so I think it's making me even more nervous! :) If I like this one, there's another one at the closer Lifetime in town next month that I'll sign up for too.
Other than the upcoming races, training has been pretty steady so far this month. I've missed a couple workouts here and there, but haven't "fallen off the wagon" or anything. I did set a new 100m PR the other day - 1:27! I'd never tried one with a 6-beat kick; I'm more of a 2-beat kick kind of guy. The extra kicking did get me there faster, but I think it would probably tire me out too much in a longer swim.
We also had a huge windstorm last night! Somehow, we acquired a grill cover. It was wrapped around our air conditioner! Our neighbors had one of their patio chairs blown right through their fence, and we got woken up by a car alarm that the storm set off. Here's hoping I can get through a long swim this afternoon on some marginal sleep. :)
I convinced coach that I would do my warmup and cooldown as planned around the race, so it's time for the season to kick off with the Last Chance For Boston 10K! Meredith is running the half marathon, so I was going to be there already. Now, I can get in my run and then get to watch her smash her PR! My only instructions are not to go out too hard. I'm 0/1 on that in races so far since I started working with Liz, so I'll try to do better this time around.
Also coming up is my first tri of the season, the Lifetime Fitness Indoor Triathlon. It's a 10 minute swim, 30 minute bike, and 20 minute run. I've never done an indoor tri, so it should be a new and interesting experience. It's silly, but I'm getting nervous thinking about it. From looking at last year's numbers and my current fitness, I should stand a decent chance of being in the top half of the field - I'm not used to that, so I think it's making me even more nervous! :) If I like this one, there's another one at the closer Lifetime in town next month that I'll sign up for too.
Other than the upcoming races, training has been pretty steady so far this month. I've missed a couple workouts here and there, but haven't "fallen off the wagon" or anything. I did set a new 100m PR the other day - 1:27! I'd never tried one with a 6-beat kick; I'm more of a 2-beat kick kind of guy. The extra kicking did get me there faster, but I think it would probably tire me out too much in a longer swim.
We also had a huge windstorm last night! Somehow, we acquired a grill cover. It was wrapped around our air conditioner! Our neighbors had one of their patio chairs blown right through their fence, and we got woken up by a car alarm that the storm set off. Here's hoping I can get through a long swim this afternoon on some marginal sleep. :)
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
I'm An Omelet
Er...an anomaly. Sorry, the stomach got excited and took over the fingers for a second.
Swimmers, I need your help. I always knew I had a poor kick, but I never quite realized just how bad it was until yesterday. Or, at least, I think so.
Here's the test to try for me:
25m with a kickboard. Not "all-out" gasping for air at the end, but a nice solid effort.
25m of one-arm swimming. NO KICK AT ALL.
I clock in around 40 seconds for the kick, and 30 seconds for the one-arm swimming. My mind says this can't be normal, but I need a better sample size. Give it a try, and let me know which is faster for you!
Swimmers, I need your help. I always knew I had a poor kick, but I never quite realized just how bad it was until yesterday. Or, at least, I think so.
Here's the test to try for me:
25m with a kickboard. Not "all-out" gasping for air at the end, but a nice solid effort.
25m of one-arm swimming. NO KICK AT ALL.
I clock in around 40 seconds for the kick, and 30 seconds for the one-arm swimming. My mind says this can't be normal, but I need a better sample size. Give it a try, and let me know which is faster for you!
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Yakety Trax (Out and Back)
You know what I love about running? It's such an easy sport to come home, grab your stuff, and go! Here's a list of the things that went with me on my run today. (In order of appearance)
See, it's amazingly simple! I didn't take my iPod, mainly because I was so tired of grabbing stuff to take with me.
Today was a 95 minute run that ended up being through about 1-4 inches of snow. I think it should count as a strength workout as well, because that much extra resistance really puts a hurting on the quads, and especially on the ankles from the bad footing. Tomorrow may not be pretty, but today I was happy with my effort. Best 10:28s I've ever run!
- Undies
- Heart Rate Monitor strap
- Short sleeve shirt
- Socks
- Tights
- Long sleeve shirt
- Track pants
- Long sleeve shirt with collar and thumb holes
- Winter hat
- Running jacket w/hood
- Shoes
- Reflective vest
- Head lamp
- Blinky light for my back
- Watch
- 3 8-oz water bottles
- 3 gels
- Baggie to hold gel wrappers
- Gloves
- Mitten shells to go over gloves
- House key
- Yaktrax
See, it's amazingly simple! I didn't take my iPod, mainly because I was so tired of grabbing stuff to take with me.
Today was a 95 minute run that ended up being through about 1-4 inches of snow. I think it should count as a strength workout as well, because that much extra resistance really puts a hurting on the quads, and especially on the ankles from the bad footing. Tomorrow may not be pretty, but today I was happy with my effort. Best 10:28s I've ever run!
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
T-Minus 5 Months
Happy 2009! The days are getting longer, it's (theoretically) going to get warmer soon...right? Also, happy birthday to my Mom today!
Biggest Challenge This Month:
My headcase of a mind. I don't know if it's because I'm now past the length of a marathon training schedule, the cold, or what, but it's been hard to focus for the last few weeks. I've kept the missed workouts fairly low, but that doesn't mean I've been excited to get on the treadmill or trainer.
I've also started having some issues with my shoulder. These are nothing new, but have been in control for the last couple years. It's just irritation as the tendons cross over, common in swimmers, tennis players, and anyone who swings their arm overhead a lot. To combat this, I've begun to modify my stroke a bit. From what I read, 80% of the strain on one's shoulder is during entry and recovery, and only 20% during pull. So, I now leave my thumb up during the first two, and only rotate it over to catch the water during my pull. Seems to be working pretty well so far - a couple weeks ago, I thought I was going to have to take some significant time off in the pool, and now the worst it's been is a dull ache from time to time.
Biggest Success This Month:
Let's see. I cracked three hours on the trainer (thank you, "Batman Begins"). The time went by pretty fast, but I was really tired at the end of it. Coach assures me that it will be easier outside on the roads. That's good, because I definitely could not have done two of those and then a marathon that day.
I also have continued to improve my swimming. My last timed swim came in at 1:52/100 over 1000m. I had hoped for a little better, but it wasn't supposed to be an all-out test; rather, it was a race pace swim. Since I don't yet have a race pace, I just picked a speed somewhere beyond easy, but not quite hard, and stuck with it. I actually have another swim test today (3x300), so we'll see how that goes!
How I Feel About Training:
Like I said, the indoor stuff is starting to grind on me. What's keeping me going right now is the continued improvement, and the hope that winter will someday end.
How I Feel About The Race:
Yikes! Now that it's 2009, it seems like it's on top of me. I have to keep reminding myself that there's still 5 months to train and improve. That's more than I'd spend training for a marathon from scratch, and I certainly have a nice base built up now.
What's Next?
Coach just approved my participation in the Lifetime Fitness Indoor Triathlon on February 22 and/or March 22. Rather than by distance, you're scored by your ranking in each sport. It seems to reward balanced athletes, since even if you beat the field by 5 miles in the run, you'd only get one more point than the second place guy. The event is a 10 minute swim, 30 minute bike, and 20 minute run.
I'm also supposed to find a "warm up" Half Ironman race in the spring, but haven't done so yet.
5 Months Out Theme Song:
"A Flowery Song", Five Iron Frenzy. It's physically impossible not to tap your foot or run along to this song. (Seriously. Scientific studies prove it.) Time to make sure it's on the old iPod!
Biggest Challenge This Month:
My headcase of a mind. I don't know if it's because I'm now past the length of a marathon training schedule, the cold, or what, but it's been hard to focus for the last few weeks. I've kept the missed workouts fairly low, but that doesn't mean I've been excited to get on the treadmill or trainer.
I've also started having some issues with my shoulder. These are nothing new, but have been in control for the last couple years. It's just irritation as the tendons cross over, common in swimmers, tennis players, and anyone who swings their arm overhead a lot. To combat this, I've begun to modify my stroke a bit. From what I read, 80% of the strain on one's shoulder is during entry and recovery, and only 20% during pull. So, I now leave my thumb up during the first two, and only rotate it over to catch the water during my pull. Seems to be working pretty well so far - a couple weeks ago, I thought I was going to have to take some significant time off in the pool, and now the worst it's been is a dull ache from time to time.
Biggest Success This Month:
Let's see. I cracked three hours on the trainer (thank you, "Batman Begins"). The time went by pretty fast, but I was really tired at the end of it. Coach assures me that it will be easier outside on the roads. That's good, because I definitely could not have done two of those and then a marathon that day.
I also have continued to improve my swimming. My last timed swim came in at 1:52/100 over 1000m. I had hoped for a little better, but it wasn't supposed to be an all-out test; rather, it was a race pace swim. Since I don't yet have a race pace, I just picked a speed somewhere beyond easy, but not quite hard, and stuck with it. I actually have another swim test today (3x300), so we'll see how that goes!
How I Feel About Training:
Like I said, the indoor stuff is starting to grind on me. What's keeping me going right now is the continued improvement, and the hope that winter will someday end.
How I Feel About The Race:
Yikes! Now that it's 2009, it seems like it's on top of me. I have to keep reminding myself that there's still 5 months to train and improve. That's more than I'd spend training for a marathon from scratch, and I certainly have a nice base built up now.
What's Next?
Coach just approved my participation in the Lifetime Fitness Indoor Triathlon on February 22 and/or March 22. Rather than by distance, you're scored by your ranking in each sport. It seems to reward balanced athletes, since even if you beat the field by 5 miles in the run, you'd only get one more point than the second place guy. The event is a 10 minute swim, 30 minute bike, and 20 minute run.
I'm also supposed to find a "warm up" Half Ironman race in the spring, but haven't done so yet.
5 Months Out Theme Song:
"A Flowery Song", Five Iron Frenzy. It's physically impossible not to tap your foot or run along to this song. (Seriously. Scientific studies prove it.) Time to make sure it's on the old iPod!
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Dave's Foolproof 12 Step Program For Successful Flip Turns
Normally a $19.95 value, but free for my readers!
Repeat as necessary!
- Swim across the pool using your favorite stroke.
- When approaching the wall, make sure to get a deep breath.
- Take one more breath, just to be sure.
- Seriously, one last breath.
- Put both arms back and duck your head.
- Use your abs to pull your head down and around. Ideally, it should be below the rest of your body at some point.
- Push off the wall if you happen to be close enough. (Optional)
- Get at least one hand (preferably two) on the floor of the pool to steer. As you get better at this, try keeping your hands out in streamline position. This will allow you to use your chest/belly on the floor instead.
- Spin over so you're right side up. Bonus points if you can do a full barrel roll.
- While gliding off the wall, count the lane lines to make sure you're still in the same lane.
- Apologize to neighbor for intruding on their lane.
- Duck the rope, blow the water out that went up your nose, take a big breath, and continue.
Repeat as necessary!
Friday, January 16, 2009
New Swim Milestone!
To this point, my longest swim has been 2800m. I was supposed to have a 3000 swim a couple weeks ago, but I missed it due to illness. Yesterday, it was time to blow that out of the water, and go straight to 2 miles! (3250m, to be exact)
After a mixed warmup of drills and kicks, it was time for the main set. To start off, I had 4x400, and for a kicker, I had to swim one length of each 100 with my head out of the water! For those who haven't tried it, it's like slamming on your brakes. By the end of the set, my core was too tired to hold both my head and legs up, so I was dragging my feet pretty badly. I wasn't quite able to hit my goal times for these, but I was only a few seconds off.
Next came a 3x200, picking up the pace a little more. And then was the final 4x100, all out, suffer-and-like-it sprint. The goal here was to go at the pace of my last swim test, 1:45/100m.
And not to pat myself on the back too hard, but I knocked it out of the park.
1:37
1:41
1:40
1:36 (!)
My arms were absolutely toast and I was gasping for air at the end, but I was thrilled when I finally saw my times. Plus, I think I had plenty of juice left that I could have finished off the last 0.4 mile (slower) without a problem.
I'm having some issues with my right shoulder, so now the challenge will be to keep it healthy as I go forward. Lots of ice and PT exercises! I do think the core and strength work I'm doing is paying off big time in the pool. And next time my swim test comes up, I'd love to try and crack 1:40/100!
After a mixed warmup of drills and kicks, it was time for the main set. To start off, I had 4x400, and for a kicker, I had to swim one length of each 100 with my head out of the water! For those who haven't tried it, it's like slamming on your brakes. By the end of the set, my core was too tired to hold both my head and legs up, so I was dragging my feet pretty badly. I wasn't quite able to hit my goal times for these, but I was only a few seconds off.
Next came a 3x200, picking up the pace a little more. And then was the final 4x100, all out, suffer-and-like-it sprint. The goal here was to go at the pace of my last swim test, 1:45/100m.
And not to pat myself on the back too hard, but I knocked it out of the park.
1:37
1:41
1:40
1:36 (!)
My arms were absolutely toast and I was gasping for air at the end, but I was thrilled when I finally saw my times. Plus, I think I had plenty of juice left that I could have finished off the last 0.4 mile (slower) without a problem.
I'm having some issues with my right shoulder, so now the challenge will be to keep it healthy as I go forward. Lots of ice and PT exercises! I do think the core and strength work I'm doing is paying off big time in the pool. And next time my swim test comes up, I'd love to try and crack 1:40/100!
Monday, January 12, 2009
Tri Wars
Last night, I had a ride on the trainer for two and a half hours. After that, I had to get on the treadmill for another 25 minutes. Lately, I've been timing my long workouts to be during sporting events, so I have something to distract me. Sunday night at 8:00 PM? No interesting sporting events that I could find.
Spike TV to the rescue! They were showing the original Star Wars trilogy, which is probably my favorite series of movies (minus the revisionist scenes they stuck in after the new movies...grr...but I digress). I tuned in around the middle of The Empire Strikes Back, and by the time Meredith and I were drinking our recovery hot chocolates (well, mine was for recovery, hers was just for the sake of hot chocolate), the rebels were assaulting the second Death Star.
So, in honor of last night's training sessions, here are the top 10 Star Wars quotes to use in your triathlon training and races:
10. Would it help if I got out and pushed?
9. We seem to be made to suffer. It's our lot in life.
8. Well why don't you outrun them? I thought you said this thing was fast?
7. How do you get so big eating food of this kind?
6. Rest I need. Yes. Rest.
5. The told me they fixed it! I trusted them to fix it! It's not my fault!
4. Watch your mouth kid, or you're gonna find yourself floating home.
3. You have your moments. Not many of them, but you do have them.
2. Do...or do not. There is no try.
1. One thing's for sure, we're all gonna be a lot thinner.
Spike TV to the rescue! They were showing the original Star Wars trilogy, which is probably my favorite series of movies (minus the revisionist scenes they stuck in after the new movies...grr...but I digress). I tuned in around the middle of The Empire Strikes Back, and by the time Meredith and I were drinking our recovery hot chocolates (well, mine was for recovery, hers was just for the sake of hot chocolate), the rebels were assaulting the second Death Star.
So, in honor of last night's training sessions, here are the top 10 Star Wars quotes to use in your triathlon training and races:
10. Would it help if I got out and pushed?
9. We seem to be made to suffer. It's our lot in life.
8. Well why don't you outrun them? I thought you said this thing was fast?
7. How do you get so big eating food of this kind?
6. Rest I need. Yes. Rest.
5. The told me they fixed it! I trusted them to fix it! It's not my fault!
4. Watch your mouth kid, or you're gonna find yourself floating home.
3. You have your moments. Not many of them, but you do have them.
2. Do...or do not. There is no try.
1. One thing's for sure, we're all gonna be a lot thinner.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Don't Call It A Comeback
The cold is finally on it's way out! As of yesterday, training is back underway at long last.
Meredith and I braved the elements after work for a run in the snow and ice. We were supposed to get up into zone 2, but we pretty much had to run at the pace the ice would allow. Still, it felt great to get outdoors and get the blood pumping a little.
Today, it was back to the pool, and it was an adventure! I had 400 of a mixed warmup, which went fine. Then, I forgot how to swim. I don't know what happened, but all of a sudden, everything was a struggle.
I fought through the next 1000, and decided to call it a day. 1100 meters short of my target.
But I just couldn't do it. I took a deep breath, gathered myself for a couple minutes, and then set off for my main 1000. The goal was a steady swim at race pace. Since this will be my first Ironman, I don't have a firm grasp of what that is. But it's got to be somewhere between easy and hard, right? Checking my watch every 100, I crawled my way up and down the pool, and somehow, I remembered how to swim again! My times were consistent, and when I finished, I had done it in 18:46, or 1:52/100m. Not my fastest ever, but not bad for not swimming as hard as I can like in a time trial!
Now it's time to stay healthy for a while, and get back to some consistency. Spring is just around the corner, right? Right?
Meredith and I braved the elements after work for a run in the snow and ice. We were supposed to get up into zone 2, but we pretty much had to run at the pace the ice would allow. Still, it felt great to get outdoors and get the blood pumping a little.
Today, it was back to the pool, and it was an adventure! I had 400 of a mixed warmup, which went fine. Then, I forgot how to swim. I don't know what happened, but all of a sudden, everything was a struggle.
I fought through the next 1000, and decided to call it a day. 1100 meters short of my target.
But I just couldn't do it. I took a deep breath, gathered myself for a couple minutes, and then set off for my main 1000. The goal was a steady swim at race pace. Since this will be my first Ironman, I don't have a firm grasp of what that is. But it's got to be somewhere between easy and hard, right? Checking my watch every 100, I crawled my way up and down the pool, and somehow, I remembered how to swim again! My times were consistent, and when I finished, I had done it in 18:46, or 1:52/100m. Not my fastest ever, but not bad for not swimming as hard as I can like in a time trial!
Now it's time to stay healthy for a while, and get back to some consistency. Spring is just around the corner, right? Right?
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
I'm Sick, Ernie!
Not the way to start the new year.
I helped Meredith work the Columbus Bride show this weekend, which was a smashing success for her new company. My training took a backseat for the weekend, which was fine. But now?
Coach has prohibited me from training until I'm "sparky", so this week is sort of a dud. Here's hoping for a quick recovery so I can get back on track! Other than these issues, the training is going well. I've got a bit of a twinge in my shoulder, so maybe I'll do some PT exercises and ice it down while I'm out of commission.
I helped Meredith work the Columbus Bride show this weekend, which was a smashing success for her new company. My training took a backseat for the weekend, which was fine. But now?
Coach has prohibited me from training until I'm "sparky", so this week is sort of a dud. Here's hoping for a quick recovery so I can get back on track! Other than these issues, the training is going well. I've got a bit of a twinge in my shoulder, so maybe I'll do some PT exercises and ice it down while I'm out of commission.
Monday, December 29, 2008
T-Minus 6 Months
Hey, we're under half a year until the race! Sorry for the delay in posting...the holidays, training, and life all got in the way.
Biggest Challenge This Month:
Now that I'm pretty used to the multiple workouts a day thing, I'd say it's ramping up the difficulty and length of the training sessions. I'm pretty consistently doing 2800m in the pool, and I'm up to 2:30 on the bike and 1:40 on the run. Fortunately, coach does a great job of giving intervals during those long sessions, and it helps keep my mind off the duration.
Another challenge this month was training during the holiday season. I'm happy to say that I kept going right on through (including a hill run on Christmas!), so I didn't lose any progress going into next month.
Oh, and finding reasonable accommodations in Coeur d'Alene! Happily, I did finally get a place reserved this month, so that's one stress off my mind.
Biggest Success This Month:
I learned to flip turn! Though I'm still awful at it, there have been a few successful ones in there, and I'm not getting water up my nose the majority of the time.
There was also the success at the Thanksgiving race, and a couple runs in the last week where I've really seen the improvement in my fitness.
How I Feel About Training:
Excited to see the change in my results! It also helps that the weather has taken a brief but dramatic turn for the better, and I've gotten to be outside the last couple days.
I also got some pretty cool running and biking gear from my family, so I'm eager to see how it all does. So far, everything I received has been great!
How I Feel About The Race:
Obviously still pretty nervous, as I started thinking about it during my run yesterday, and was completely stressed out by the length. I'm definitely making progress, though, and my training distances are now nearing (or surpassing, in the swim) half the race distance. Mentally, that's a big thing for me to know: even on a training day when I'm already worn out from previous days, I could finish half the race.
What's Next?
More strength work, and continued building of duration and distance. I don't have any races on the horizon right now, so it's just a matter of getting in the hours and staying healthy.
6 Months Out Theme Song:
Swim
Bike
Run
Work
Eat
Sleep
Biggest Challenge This Month:
Now that I'm pretty used to the multiple workouts a day thing, I'd say it's ramping up the difficulty and length of the training sessions. I'm pretty consistently doing 2800m in the pool, and I'm up to 2:30 on the bike and 1:40 on the run. Fortunately, coach does a great job of giving intervals during those long sessions, and it helps keep my mind off the duration.
Another challenge this month was training during the holiday season. I'm happy to say that I kept going right on through (including a hill run on Christmas!), so I didn't lose any progress going into next month.
Oh, and finding reasonable accommodations in Coeur d'Alene! Happily, I did finally get a place reserved this month, so that's one stress off my mind.
Biggest Success This Month:
I learned to flip turn! Though I'm still awful at it, there have been a few successful ones in there, and I'm not getting water up my nose the majority of the time.
There was also the success at the Thanksgiving race, and a couple runs in the last week where I've really seen the improvement in my fitness.
How I Feel About Training:
Excited to see the change in my results! It also helps that the weather has taken a brief but dramatic turn for the better, and I've gotten to be outside the last couple days.
I also got some pretty cool running and biking gear from my family, so I'm eager to see how it all does. So far, everything I received has been great!
How I Feel About The Race:
Obviously still pretty nervous, as I started thinking about it during my run yesterday, and was completely stressed out by the length. I'm definitely making progress, though, and my training distances are now nearing (or surpassing, in the swim) half the race distance. Mentally, that's a big thing for me to know: even on a training day when I'm already worn out from previous days, I could finish half the race.
What's Next?
More strength work, and continued building of duration and distance. I don't have any races on the horizon right now, so it's just a matter of getting in the hours and staying healthy.
6 Months Out Theme Song:
Swim
Bike
Run
Work
Eat
Sleep
Saturday, December 06, 2008
Wild Goose Turkey Chase
I just got back from my run today. Yes, I ran on my birthday. We just saw a story on Michael Phelps in which his coach said he trains on his birthday, so I figured I'd better get out there if I'm planning on winning any gold medals.
Today called for a hilly run, so I hit the trails at a nearby park. It was a nice, peaceful, snowy run in the woods, and I was just listening to some music and enjoying the afternoon. The trail was slippery, so it was a slow pace, and I was looking down at my feet a lot. I came around a corner, and saw movement on the trail in my peripheral vision. I pulled up, and suddenly saw what it was.
A GIANT wild turkey. Seriously, the thing must have been up to my waist. And after another look, I saw there was another one right behind it. And then I scanned the woods. Three, four...all the way to 17 turkeys surrounding me. I waited until the two on the trail moved away, then slowly walked through. Around the bend, there were another 6, bringing it to 23 turkeys. Good thing it wasn't whatever their version of Thanksgiving is, or I might have been dinner.
On my way back, I usually take another trail, but I looped back that way to see them again. They were gone, leaving nothing but their huge 4-inch turkey tracks in the snow.
Today called for a hilly run, so I hit the trails at a nearby park. It was a nice, peaceful, snowy run in the woods, and I was just listening to some music and enjoying the afternoon. The trail was slippery, so it was a slow pace, and I was looking down at my feet a lot. I came around a corner, and saw movement on the trail in my peripheral vision. I pulled up, and suddenly saw what it was.
A GIANT wild turkey. Seriously, the thing must have been up to my waist. And after another look, I saw there was another one right behind it. And then I scanned the woods. Three, four...all the way to 17 turkeys surrounding me. I waited until the two on the trail moved away, then slowly walked through. Around the bend, there were another 6, bringing it to 23 turkeys. Good thing it wasn't whatever their version of Thanksgiving is, or I might have been dinner.
On my way back, I usually take another trail, but I looped back that way to see them again. They were gone, leaving nothing but their huge 4-inch turkey tracks in the snow.
Monday, December 01, 2008
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