SWIM: 400y in 15 minutes (yes you read that right)
BIKE: 25.4 miles in 1:25
There is a timer at work, it looks like a freebie type of timer from a company. On it is the phrase "Time flies, and you are the pilot". Let's add that to another recent phrase heard at a group event: "We all have the same 24hrs, it's how you use those 24hrs". They are saying essentially the same thing--that your time is what you make of it, you are the pilot to your life, and any lack of time or extra time can be considered a stress or a benefit. At least that's how I see it. I tend to be on the "lack of time" side of the equation.
I don't go out much or take an afternoon off to visit a place like the botanical garderns. I don't watch TV, I don't read books or newspapers. Sometimes I flip through a magazine or the funnies while the coffee is brewing. I write to my training log and to this journal, otherwise my internet time is cut down to iPhone surfing over lunch. At least I'm stopping to eat lunch! I hear others talking about their free time and it seems a foreign concept right now. But I'm not jealous. Between the job, IM, and the house my time is overbooked. But the way I see it, I need to what I can, in the time I have, and not worry about the rest of it. One day at a time, one goal at a time, in a first-things-first manner.
That is how I ended up with a Wednesday schedule that ran me into the ground. Up early so as to be at work by 730am. I was going to swim, but I was too tired and short on sleep. All afternoon long I was falling asleep at my desk, even when someone was talking to me. I left around 330pm to get to the pool. Unmotivated, I promised myself to just at least get in the pool, then judge how I felt about it. I managed 8 sleepy laps before calling it quits. Just eight. I barely remember each lap, I just pushed off one wall and found myself at the other a few moments later. There was no way I was going to finish this, so I decided to head home for food and a nap. See even though I was tired, I still wanted to bike the Wed time trial tonight!
I had only 30-40 mins at home. I had a weird meal of sweet potato fries and basil pesto/ketchup (sugar and fat and salt, YUM). Tired as I was, I couldn't sleep so I sat in the kitchen in a brain dazeof thoughtlessness and confusion. I knew I couldn't stay awake for the 60 min drive to St Chuck, leaving me with no workout today or a local ride from home. I chose the latter, I'd already had Monday off.
Feeling more awake with some fuel in me, I set off for my Gravois route. Immediately I woke up (some credit to the hair-raising traffic on that road, wink and you're hit by a car) and although my legs didn't have a whole lot of ooomph I did aim for an ABP ride= Always Be Pushing. The outbound tends downhill before turning alond the RdP with some relatively flat stretches. This is what I needed--wind on my face, road flying by, heart pounding. Here is my drug, and soon enough I was feeling better.
But what a disappointing swim. It's weighing heavily on my mind, a plaque of doubt, a lesion of worry. Just what I need.
And so ends June. The first half of the year:
SWIM 87860y (49.9 miles) in 38.85 hours
BIKE 2249.12 miles in 132.18 hours
RUN 661.98 miles in 100.68 hours
Here comes July!
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Tuesday double
BIKE: 30 miles in 1:50 before work, up midland rd to feefee
RUN: 6.6 miles in 1:00 5x1000m at 5K pace
The bike felt wonderful. I managed to get on the road by 6:30am so as to make it to lab meeting on time. I'm surprised at how long it took me, but with all the stoplights on that road it shouldn't surprise me. I also focused on staying in a low HR/aerobic state. That meant no pushing the hills, staying calm, keeping it easy. But it still took a long time!
I've been discussing with a fellow new IM-er century rides. I'd fully expected to have ridden multiple of those by now!! And not a single one!! Earlier this year, I thought I'd be doing 4-6 100+ rides. Just when do I plan on doing those? This weekend? Why not, find a route and roll it! So what if the training plan doesn't "call for it", what's stopping me?
In the afternoon was speedwork: 5x1000m at 5K pace, but honestly, we just run and try to stay consistent. Just hearing a goal time then missing in each of 5 repeats is frustrating. My goal 1000m time I think was 4:18-4:30 but I kept doing 4:33-4:40's.
When I walked out the door to drive to the track, I seriously wanted to skip the workout. Too tired. Too hungry. Too thirsty. Blah blah blah. I knew I'd feel better afterwards (and I do!) but it's hard to convince yourself of that sometimes. Usually once I get to the track I'm more excited about the run, but still not today. I actually thought about leaving the track after the WU to run around the neighborhood! What?! But my head was in a fog, my thinking wasn't all that razor-sharp, so I ran the workout without every really feeling focused. Sure, my head was in the workout, but I wasn't Focused. Hard to explain. But I pushed through all 5 intervals even though each one was harder and harder. There was an option to just do 4 intervals, but once I started I wasn't going to quit. Especially after someone said that doing all 5 meant doing a 5K workout. (Like I said, I wasn't all that focused).
I met a woman at the track today who had an IM tattoo. I asked what race, she said IMFL07. She said that it was the greatest day of her life, and she hoped the same for me. I love this sport.
Then when I got home my new IM Theme Song was playing on the radio. I stayed in the garage to hear it out.
RUN: 6.6 miles in 1:00 5x1000m at 5K pace
The bike felt wonderful. I managed to get on the road by 6:30am so as to make it to lab meeting on time. I'm surprised at how long it took me, but with all the stoplights on that road it shouldn't surprise me. I also focused on staying in a low HR/aerobic state. That meant no pushing the hills, staying calm, keeping it easy. But it still took a long time!
I've been discussing with a fellow new IM-er century rides. I'd fully expected to have ridden multiple of those by now!! And not a single one!! Earlier this year, I thought I'd be doing 4-6 100+ rides. Just when do I plan on doing those? This weekend? Why not, find a route and roll it! So what if the training plan doesn't "call for it", what's stopping me?
In the afternoon was speedwork: 5x1000m at 5K pace, but honestly, we just run and try to stay consistent. Just hearing a goal time then missing in each of 5 repeats is frustrating. My goal 1000m time I think was 4:18-4:30 but I kept doing 4:33-4:40's.
When I walked out the door to drive to the track, I seriously wanted to skip the workout. Too tired. Too hungry. Too thirsty. Blah blah blah. I knew I'd feel better afterwards (and I do!) but it's hard to convince yourself of that sometimes. Usually once I get to the track I'm more excited about the run, but still not today. I actually thought about leaving the track after the WU to run around the neighborhood! What?! But my head was in a fog, my thinking wasn't all that razor-sharp, so I ran the workout without every really feeling focused. Sure, my head was in the workout, but I wasn't Focused. Hard to explain. But I pushed through all 5 intervals even though each one was harder and harder. There was an option to just do 4 intervals, but once I started I wasn't going to quit. Especially after someone said that doing all 5 meant doing a 5K workout. (Like I said, I wasn't all that focused).
I met a woman at the track today who had an IM tattoo. I asked what race, she said IMFL07. She said that it was the greatest day of her life, and she hoped the same for me. I love this sport.
Then when I got home my new IM Theme Song was playing on the radio. I stayed in the garage to hear it out.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Weekend at home, part 2
BIKE: 52 miles in 3:02 from home to Seneca and back.
RUN: 11 miles in 1:47 on a U-shaped path to N25/178
After exchanging my Sat and Sun plan, I was determined to get a long ride in this morning, but once again the weather threatened to ruin it. A large storm system was brewing in Iowa, how long would it take to get here? Would it still look as ominous after a few hours? Would it even hit here?
I'm no meteorologist, so it was all an optimistic guess. I managed to get on the road around 6:30am before the foggy mist of the morning had even cleared. The temps were perfect, the humidity high, and my propensity to keep pushing the pace consistent as ever.
I kept reminding myself that this was potentially a 75+ mile ride. There was no need to hurry, just a need to get the miles in safely and diligently. Nutrition, hydration, bike comfort, and mental toughness were the goals of the day. Not speed, heart rate, or time. I had to keep repeating this to myself, I think because deep down I knew the weather was going to cut the ride short.
I had found a route on MMR that looked perfect. It traveled mostly eastward (tailwind today), somewhat southerly, then westward (headwind!) towards home. The roads were all rural, quiet, and perfect. I could have ridden forever. But then someonen would have to drive a long way to pick me up!
At 1.5 hrs in, the sky darkened. Thunder could be heard and a very light rain fell. The iPhone showed storm cells coming towards me in advance of the main storm. So at 25 miles out, I turned around. The headwind wasn't so bad, in fact it was enjoyable. I caught some heavy rain in Ottawa and hid under a school building's entrance. While there I met a local who checked the school on weekends. Turns out his oldest son had some some triathlons and his youngest has run the Chicago marathon! Once the rain quit, I continued towards home and stayed dry the entire way.
Once home, I was still feeling pretty good, I was ready for more! Sadly, the radar showed the storm breaking up and dissipating! So I went for a longer run instead, figuring that any residual rain would affect me less on the run. As yesterday, I felt great on the run. No heavy legs, easy pace, and good mental status. I didn't need to do another long run after having already finished one on Thursday, so why did I do this? Don't know. Just wanted the work-out I guess.
Numerics: 12:25 for the week, plan called for 14.5 I think.
SWIM: still a fat zero
BIKE: 127.5 miles in 7.18 hours, this does not include 18 commute miles
RUN: 34.25 miles in 5.25 hours.
Here I am halfway thru the year, how is 2010 looking?
Swim: 87460 yards in 38.6 hours
Bike: 2193.69 miles in 128.85 hours
Run: 655.38 miles in 99.72 hours
These numbers will bump up a bit by the 30th!
BIKE:
RUN: 11 miles in 1:47 on a U-shaped path to N25/178
After exchanging my Sat and Sun plan, I was determined to get a long ride in this morning, but once again the weather threatened to ruin it. A large storm system was brewing in Iowa, how long would it take to get here? Would it still look as ominous after a few hours? Would it even hit here?
I'm no meteorologist, so it was all an optimistic guess. I managed to get on the road around 6:30am before the foggy mist of the morning had even cleared. The temps were perfect, the humidity high, and my propensity to keep pushing the pace consistent as ever.
I kept reminding myself that this was potentially a 75+ mile ride. There was no need to hurry, just a need to get the miles in safely and diligently. Nutrition, hydration, bike comfort, and mental toughness were the goals of the day. Not speed, heart rate, or time. I had to keep repeating this to myself, I think because deep down I knew the weather was going to cut the ride short.
I had found a route on MMR that looked perfect. It traveled mostly eastward (tailwind today), somewhat southerly, then westward (headwind!) towards home. The roads were all rural, quiet, and perfect. I could have ridden forever. But then someonen would have to drive a long way to pick me up!
At 1.5 hrs in, the sky darkened. Thunder could be heard and a very light rain fell. The iPhone showed storm cells coming towards me in advance of the main storm. So at 25 miles out, I turned around. The headwind wasn't so bad, in fact it was enjoyable. I caught some heavy rain in Ottawa and hid under a school building's entrance. While there I met a local who checked the school on weekends. Turns out his oldest son had some some triathlons and his youngest has run the Chicago marathon! Once the rain quit, I continued towards home and stayed dry the entire way.
Once home, I was still feeling pretty good, I was ready for more! Sadly, the radar showed the storm breaking up and dissipating! So I went for a longer run instead, figuring that any residual rain would affect me less on the run. As yesterday, I felt great on the run. No heavy legs, easy pace, and good mental status. I didn't need to do another long run after having already finished one on Thursday, so why did I do this? Don't know. Just wanted the work-out I guess.
Numerics: 12:25 for the week, plan called for 14.5 I think.
SWIM: still a fat zero
BIKE: 127.5 miles in 7.18 hours, this does not include 18 commute miles
RUN: 34.25 miles in 5.25 hours.
Here I am halfway thru the year, how is 2010 looking?
Swim: 87460 yards in 38.6 hours
Bike: 2193.69 miles in 128.85 hours
Run: 655.38 miles in 99.72 hours
These numbers will bump up a bit by the 30th!
BIKE:
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Weekend at home, part 1
BIKE: 24 miles in 1:14. From home to GR and back.
RUN: 6.5 miles in 58 mins. From home to school road and then some.
RUN: 6.5 miles in 58 mins. From home to school road and then some.
I was going to do my long ride today, the one I picked on MMR, but the potential for rain and the need to be home in the early afternoon changed my plans. So I exchanged Sat and Sun plans. So hopefully the weather holds up for tomorrow!
Today was great weatherwise--80's, sunshine, some winds. So much cooler than my last few rides! I knew the ride was only going to be one hour, so I rode ABP with a sweet tailwind. I was ABP on the return trip with a headwind and hit a few points of flat energy, but was otherwise cruising along with no problems. Really hope the weather holds for tomorrow...
The run was right after the ride, just a few minutes for a gel and shoe change. I took off fast, but decided to ABP this one too. Why not, it was only an hour? I was happy to find I can no "brick legs", I'd like to think I've adapted to where I can buzz off the bike and take off on a smooth run. This happened in IMKS too. If anything, I'm taking off too fast. I slowed a bit on the hills, found myself breathing heavy too, but always the HR was in the 150's. The easy temps and rest yesterday helped there. Tomorrow's brick run won't be this fast or smooth. And the weather? I hope it holds!
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Thursday run...cooler!
RUN: 12.25 miles in 1:50
I did the first lap with dc at 5am: 6.12 miles in 51:44 ave HR 154, ave pace 8:24. I knew this first lap would be faster than planned, my long runs are usually more on the order of 9-9:30mm. But I got up early to run with dc, so I kept up the first loop knowing it was going to slow the second one.
A brief pause for gel, water, and meetup with the rest of the group...
The second loop was mostly alone, I ran only the first mile with the group: 6.15 miles in 58:40 and 167 bpm. The pace was 9:35-ish, much slower than the first loop. Interestingly, my HR was on average much higher in the second loop. I can think of a few reasons for this, and they are all worth thinking about.
First off, it was getting warmer as the sun came up. Also I was lower on water in the second loop. I was drinking from my Nathan bottle of cytomax and from the fountains, but the dehydration is still cumulative. Second, I was holding better form in the first loop, and I'm always more relaxed when running with someone else. You'd think I'd relax more alone, since I don't have to think about keeping up and holding a higher pace. But I don't. Also, you'd expect that a slower pace is an easier pace at which to hold good form, but instead when I slow down I get "heavier", my legs don't float as easy and my feet spend more time on the ground.
A more studied analysis of the HR data shows that my HR didn't go up until I dropped off the back of the group in the second loop around mile 7-7.5. Still have to take into account the accumulated time and all, but it's a correlation for consideration!
This is not the first time I've noticed this effect, I have record of runs with bn that are similar--best pace I've ever held and still a low HR. It leaves me wondering a few things. Am I more efficient at a faster pace? What do I do differently when running with someone else? How can I get them to pace all of my races for me...
I did the first lap with dc at 5am: 6.12 miles in 51:44 ave HR 154, ave pace 8:24. I knew this first lap would be faster than planned, my long runs are usually more on the order of 9-9:30mm. But I got up early to run with dc, so I kept up the first loop knowing it was going to slow the second one.
A brief pause for gel, water, and meetup with the rest of the group...
The second loop was mostly alone, I ran only the first mile with the group: 6.15 miles in 58:40 and 167 bpm. The pace was 9:35-ish, much slower than the first loop. Interestingly, my HR was on average much higher in the second loop. I can think of a few reasons for this, and they are all worth thinking about.
First off, it was getting warmer as the sun came up. Also I was lower on water in the second loop. I was drinking from my Nathan bottle of cytomax and from the fountains, but the dehydration is still cumulative. Second, I was holding better form in the first loop, and I'm always more relaxed when running with someone else. You'd think I'd relax more alone, since I don't have to think about keeping up and holding a higher pace. But I don't. Also, you'd expect that a slower pace is an easier pace at which to hold good form, but instead when I slow down I get "heavier", my legs don't float as easy and my feet spend more time on the ground.
A more studied analysis of the HR data shows that my HR didn't go up until I dropped off the back of the group in the second loop around mile 7-7.5. Still have to take into account the accumulated time and all, but it's a correlation for consideration!
This is not the first time I've noticed this effect, I have record of runs with bn that are similar--best pace I've ever held and still a low HR. It leaves me wondering a few things. Am I more efficient at a faster pace? What do I do differently when running with someone else? How can I get them to pace all of my races for me...
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Wednesday...still hot
BIKE: 24.5 miles in 1:20. TT in St Charles 25:3? mins.
The heat is starting to catch up to me--this ride was flat and lacked spark. There was a headwind on the way home, and I had a brief 20-30s mechanical on the bike on the inbound--but there was just no life in this ride. Even during the WU I never felt warmed-up.
Outbound with tailwind: 11:24 with ave HR 154
Inbound with headwind: 13:57 ave HR 164
The heat is starting to catch up to me--this ride was flat and lacked spark. There was a headwind on the way home, and I had a brief 20-30s mechanical on the bike on the inbound--but there was just no life in this ride. Even during the WU I never felt warmed-up.
Outbound with tailwind: 11:24 with ave HR 154
Inbound with headwind: 13:57 ave HR 164
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Tuesday...and the heat continues
BIKE: 27 miles in 1:35, not counting commute home.
RUN: 4.5 miles in 40 mins. 1200/1000/800/400/200 ladder
Oh it's HOT! Still!
I got the bike in before work this morning, leaving from home and taking the Midland route up to Adie. Traffic wasn't bad at that time of morning, so this might become a standard ride for me. Somehow or another I managed to have a headwind both outbound and inbound. How does that happen?
The run was speedwork, and I did all but the 200. I was near puking by the end of the 400. My recoveries were walks, not jogs, and each interval was a rough start. I managed to keep a roughly steady pace, but each lap was about 2 seconds slower than the previous.
Judging by the saturated clothing, I'm very dehydrated but not feeling the effects of it. haha, or maybe I am and I just don't know it! I'd be drinking more if my stomach wasn't so upset right now.
RUN: 4.5 miles in 40 mins. 1200/1000/800/400/200 ladder
Oh it's HOT! Still!
I got the bike in before work this morning, leaving from home and taking the Midland route up to Adie. Traffic wasn't bad at that time of morning, so this might become a standard ride for me. Somehow or another I managed to have a headwind both outbound and inbound. How does that happen?
The run was speedwork, and I did all but the 200. I was near puking by the end of the 400. My recoveries were walks, not jogs, and each interval was a rough start. I managed to keep a roughly steady pace, but each lap was about 2 seconds slower than the previous.
Judging by the saturated clothing, I'm very dehydrated but not feeling the effects of it. haha, or maybe I am and I just don't know it! I'd be drinking more if my stomach wasn't so upset right now.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Weather Advisory Weekend part 2
RUN: 13.1 miles in 2:05-2:10 4x[20 mins 70%, 10 mins 75%}
BIKE: 15 miles in 1hr
OMG was it hot. I didn't get the early start I was hoping for, actually I started at 9am or so. So while not the hottest part of the day, it certainly was hot. Another 95+ day in the end, full sun, and full onslaught of heat.
So needless to say, this run suffered. And so did I. I wore the HR monitor but soon found it reading higher than expected values based on pace. 70% HR is hard to hit running, at least for me. It's almost a crawl. But the plan says 70%, so 70% I will aim for. The goal is to learn that "forever" pace for the IM marathon. Hopefully the IM isn't this hot.
My 20 min intervals were in the 145 bpm range, and the 10 min intervals in 150-165 range. I tried to make the faster intervals not "hard", but just a bit "harder" than the easier portions. The first hour (one loop of FP) went by OK. I had aimed to stop at every water fountain and thus avoid carrying water (no fuel belt for me this week!) but I didn't do well at that. Although I did meet a woman training to BQ at the first fountain, and she shared some IMWI tips learned from her two races up there. Sidetracked...
I stopped to drink when I remembered to, but that was only 3-4 times. So off to get the nathan bottle for me. I hate carrying it because it throws me off balance, but it's that or turn into dried fruit by the end of this run. Tropical fruit Cytomax that was warm. Yum. So much for the cooler and ice blocks.
The second loop was a tough start. I had stopped at the truck too long, then stopped at a bathroom, then walked for a bit. It's hard to re-start after stopping--my form is bad and my muscles are not as warmed up. So when I took off for the 2nd loop, I knew it was going to hurt.
And hurt it did. I walked when I needed to. I stopped to drink now and then. My body felt OK (and I should note my feet didn't hurt!) but my mind was fuzzed and unmotivated. It felt worse to stop, as stopping eliminated the nice breeze generated by running, there was no wind otherwise. I was hot, sweaty, and drained. But I pushed through the last interval and started the cool-down. Unfortunately, I didn't finish it. At 2:05 I gave in and walked the last 5 minutes. My cytomax bottle was almost empty, and my stomach started threatening to do the same.
And I still needed to bike.
I pulled poor Frea out of the hotter-n-hell truck and saddled up to ride. This took longer than it should have, giving me both a chance to rest and my body a chance to stiffen up. I was testing Gatorade this weekend, so I filled the aerobottle with some orange G-ade and took off. The original plan was to meander around FP, but I soon realized that this park stuff wouldn't work for me. Open roads! Or Olive to Midland. About as open as it gets in the city.
The G-ade was delish in the heat. I rapidly sucked down the bottle and craved more. At the turnaround, I stopped in a gas station and bought a bottle of blue G-ade. Note that this is more high fructose corn syrup in one day than I've probably eaten all year! That didn't matter, I was sucking it down fast, sooooo gooooood!!!!! At the gas station, I met a guy racing Branson this fall. I love this triathlon stuff.
The ride home was mostly downhill, helping to cool me off and give a sense of false speed. It also gave me time to suck down the whole bottle of G-ade in 30 mins!! Where did it go?!? Shouldn't my tummy be sloshing?
I didn't do a cool-down stretch or walk. The ride was refreshing, but the hot air once I stopped only encouraged me to get back in the truck and run the AC. First though I had to stop at the LBS to get Puppy's rear tire re-sealed. And buy more Accel Gels. Love those.
So by the time I got home I was gone from 9am to 2:30 pm, most of that time outside. It didn't take long before I felt SICK. Tired, woozy, weak, stomach pains, no appetite, no thirst, no energy. Only now, hours later (7.5 to be exact) am I recovering from the day. I should read up on the symptoms of heat induced illnesses.
NUMERICS: 10 hrs 56 mins. Came up short on the planned week of 15 hrs.
SWIM: Zero!
BIKE: 93 miles in 5.75 hours
RUN: 33.45 miles in 5.18 hours
WOW 33 miles on the run?!?!?!?! I had no idea and had to double check the log!! No wonder I'm so tired!
BIKE: 15 miles in 1hr
OMG was it hot. I didn't get the early start I was hoping for, actually I started at 9am or so. So while not the hottest part of the day, it certainly was hot. Another 95+ day in the end, full sun, and full onslaught of heat.
So needless to say, this run suffered. And so did I. I wore the HR monitor but soon found it reading higher than expected values based on pace. 70% HR is hard to hit running, at least for me. It's almost a crawl. But the plan says 70%, so 70% I will aim for. The goal is to learn that "forever" pace for the IM marathon. Hopefully the IM isn't this hot.
My 20 min intervals were in the 145 bpm range, and the 10 min intervals in 150-165 range. I tried to make the faster intervals not "hard", but just a bit "harder" than the easier portions. The first hour (one loop of FP) went by OK. I had aimed to stop at every water fountain and thus avoid carrying water (no fuel belt for me this week!) but I didn't do well at that. Although I did meet a woman training to BQ at the first fountain, and she shared some IMWI tips learned from her two races up there. Sidetracked...
I stopped to drink when I remembered to, but that was only 3-4 times. So off to get the nathan bottle for me. I hate carrying it because it throws me off balance, but it's that or turn into dried fruit by the end of this run. Tropical fruit Cytomax that was warm. Yum. So much for the cooler and ice blocks.
The second loop was a tough start. I had stopped at the truck too long, then stopped at a bathroom, then walked for a bit. It's hard to re-start after stopping--my form is bad and my muscles are not as warmed up. So when I took off for the 2nd loop, I knew it was going to hurt.
And hurt it did. I walked when I needed to. I stopped to drink now and then. My body felt OK (and I should note my feet didn't hurt!) but my mind was fuzzed and unmotivated. It felt worse to stop, as stopping eliminated the nice breeze generated by running, there was no wind otherwise. I was hot, sweaty, and drained. But I pushed through the last interval and started the cool-down. Unfortunately, I didn't finish it. At 2:05 I gave in and walked the last 5 minutes. My cytomax bottle was almost empty, and my stomach started threatening to do the same.
And I still needed to bike.
I pulled poor Frea out of the hotter-n-hell truck and saddled up to ride. This took longer than it should have, giving me both a chance to rest and my body a chance to stiffen up. I was testing Gatorade this weekend, so I filled the aerobottle with some orange G-ade and took off. The original plan was to meander around FP, but I soon realized that this park stuff wouldn't work for me. Open roads! Or Olive to Midland. About as open as it gets in the city.
The G-ade was delish in the heat. I rapidly sucked down the bottle and craved more. At the turnaround, I stopped in a gas station and bought a bottle of blue G-ade. Note that this is more high fructose corn syrup in one day than I've probably eaten all year! That didn't matter, I was sucking it down fast, sooooo gooooood!!!!! At the gas station, I met a guy racing Branson this fall. I love this triathlon stuff.
The ride home was mostly downhill, helping to cool me off and give a sense of false speed. It also gave me time to suck down the whole bottle of G-ade in 30 mins!! Where did it go?!? Shouldn't my tummy be sloshing?
I didn't do a cool-down stretch or walk. The ride was refreshing, but the hot air once I stopped only encouraged me to get back in the truck and run the AC. First though I had to stop at the LBS to get Puppy's rear tire re-sealed. And buy more Accel Gels. Love those.
So by the time I got home I was gone from 9am to 2:30 pm, most of that time outside. It didn't take long before I felt SICK. Tired, woozy, weak, stomach pains, no appetite, no thirst, no energy. Only now, hours later (7.5 to be exact) am I recovering from the day. I should read up on the symptoms of heat induced illnesses.
NUMERICS: 10 hrs 56 mins. Came up short on the planned week of 15 hrs.
SWIM: Zero!
BIKE: 93 miles in 5.75 hours
RUN: 33.45 miles in 5.18 hours
WOW 33 miles on the run?!?!?!?! I had no idea and had to double check the log!! No wonder I'm so tired!
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Weather Advisory Weekend
BIKE: abt 60 miles in abt 3:20-3:30 with mec.
RUN: 3.75 miles in 30 mins with dc and ek. brick run.
RUN: 3.1 miles in 30 mins alone after driving home.
My first Saturday since April that I had the choice of where and when. So when the invite to ride with mec came in, I jumped on it. I knew I might be slower than the main pack, but like they say if you want to go fast--you have to go fast.
The weather had been hovering around 95-100 the past few days, with HI's over 100F. While the AC was on in the house, I was out in the garage sanding wood quite a bit. I'd like to call that heat acclimatization, but I'm not sure it counts. I stayed hydrated, though, but my appetite wasn't much and the fatigue was building.
However the morning started off cool, giving us the first few hours away from severe heat. It took me a while to warmup, I got myself worked up over the stress of keeping up and the fear of being the SlowZebra. But once I got rolling for 20-30 mins, I warmed up and relaxed. In fact, this ride flew by! At one point I was surprised to find 30 miles and 90 mins had already passed by. It was a great route on quiet roads with hills and flats. At many points on the way home I found new energy and was able to push faster in short intervals. Nothing big, but good to know I still had some kick.
Nutrition and hydration-wise I did OK. I tried cashews again with success, as well as a Lara Bar but with less success. Raisins were good too. Anything but gels, ick, I'm getting tired of those.
And I rode with the Sidi's--no foot pain at all. So I'm going to put blame for last week's foot pain on the Mavics. And make an appt to get them fixed!
DC and EK were up for a run, the goal was a 3-4 mile brick. Still hurting from my injury, and untaped on the ankle, I joined in and hung on while those 2 tore up the pavement. At one point we were doing 7:30's! We recognized that we could slow down, but didn't. While it was hard to keep up, I was able to do it up to the last 0.75 miles. They just dropped me, and I let them go. My heart beat was pounding in my head, and I figured I kept up for long enough. I was reminded by EK of the new group motto: if you want to run faster, you have to run faster. lol, sounds like I might be getting faster if I keep hanging out with a group like this.
RUN: 3.75 miles in 30 mins with dc and ek. brick run.
RUN: 3.1 miles in 30 mins alone after driving home.
My first Saturday since April that I had the choice of where and when. So when the invite to ride with mec came in, I jumped on it. I knew I might be slower than the main pack, but like they say if you want to go fast--you have to go fast.
The weather had been hovering around 95-100 the past few days, with HI's over 100F. While the AC was on in the house, I was out in the garage sanding wood quite a bit. I'd like to call that heat acclimatization, but I'm not sure it counts. I stayed hydrated, though, but my appetite wasn't much and the fatigue was building.
However the morning started off cool, giving us the first few hours away from severe heat. It took me a while to warmup, I got myself worked up over the stress of keeping up and the fear of being the SlowZebra. But once I got rolling for 20-30 mins, I warmed up and relaxed. In fact, this ride flew by! At one point I was surprised to find 30 miles and 90 mins had already passed by. It was a great route on quiet roads with hills and flats. At many points on the way home I found new energy and was able to push faster in short intervals. Nothing big, but good to know I still had some kick.
Nutrition and hydration-wise I did OK. I tried cashews again with success, as well as a Lara Bar but with less success. Raisins were good too. Anything but gels, ick, I'm getting tired of those.
And I rode with the Sidi's--no foot pain at all. So I'm going to put blame for last week's foot pain on the Mavics. And make an appt to get them fixed!
DC and EK were up for a run, the goal was a 3-4 mile brick. Still hurting from my injury, and untaped on the ankle, I joined in and hung on while those 2 tore up the pavement. At one point we were doing 7:30's! We recognized that we could slow down, but didn't. While it was hard to keep up, I was able to do it up to the last 0.75 miles. They just dropped me, and I let them go. My heart beat was pounding in my head, and I figured I kept up for long enough. I was reminded by EK of the new group motto: if you want to run faster, you have to run faster. lol, sounds like I might be getting faster if I keep hanging out with a group like this.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Thursday run
RUN: 8.5 miles in 75 mins. One loop in the park (55 mins, 8:30-ish), then 2 miles extra at a resting pace (10's).
This run for me really drove home the point that I'm not feeling well. I struggled to keep up, even though my training hours have been low for the past week and a half. What's going on? Long hours in the house, very poor eating habits, not taking care of myself. I get up early and starting working around 7am. I work all day, not eating because my hands are a mess, then I wrap up around 9:45 with a shower. I do eat, but it's more of a passing through the kitchen- wash my hands- grab something and go- type of meal. My sleep is good but short. That's a good summary of the last 1.5 weeks.
I laugh to think that going back to work on Monday, thus ending my vacation, will be the most relaxing thing I've done in weeks.
Time to get back on track! Only 3 months to IMWI. As of right now, I don't feel ready for it. I feel like my long rides are too short, my swim is weak, and my run is OK but not marathon ready. But I don't have to be ready NOW, I have to be ready in 3 months. And lot of training can get done in 3 months.
But first I have to get out of this funk. Yesterday was also a wakeup call--that accident was a result of sleepiness and I'll now have the scars to show for it. Time to get the mind back on training, time to focus on what the body needs, and time to give myself the nourishment required for training. Let's make that a goal for the next few days: find a schedule, be mindful, and respect your body. It took a beating yesterday and needs time. Give it.
This run for me really drove home the point that I'm not feeling well. I struggled to keep up, even though my training hours have been low for the past week and a half. What's going on? Long hours in the house, very poor eating habits, not taking care of myself. I get up early and starting working around 7am. I work all day, not eating because my hands are a mess, then I wrap up around 9:45 with a shower. I do eat, but it's more of a passing through the kitchen- wash my hands- grab something and go- type of meal. My sleep is good but short. That's a good summary of the last 1.5 weeks.
I laugh to think that going back to work on Monday, thus ending my vacation, will be the most relaxing thing I've done in weeks.
Time to get back on track! Only 3 months to IMWI. As of right now, I don't feel ready for it. I feel like my long rides are too short, my swim is weak, and my run is OK but not marathon ready. But I don't have to be ready NOW, I have to be ready in 3 months. And lot of training can get done in 3 months.
But first I have to get out of this funk. Yesterday was also a wakeup call--that accident was a result of sleepiness and I'll now have the scars to show for it. Time to get the mind back on training, time to focus on what the body needs, and time to give myself the nourishment required for training. Let's make that a goal for the next few days: find a schedule, be mindful, and respect your body. It took a beating yesterday and needs time. Give it.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Struggling a bit still
BIKE: 70 mins about 18 miles
Believe it or not, I did this one indoors. In June. In sunny weather! I was going to do the TT but an injury working on the house did me in. Not only did I miss the TT, but I'm going to miss swimming the rest of the week as well. Sadly, this will make for 2 weeks without swimming. Maybe by the weekend I'll be healed over enough to go.
So I threw the Bird on the trainer and did 2x15 at 75%+. It was more of a struggle for concentration. My feet are still hurting as well, so I focused on good form to see if poor form was the source of the pain. Right now, they feel bruised. So more time and good care should improve things, but at the same time I think the Mavics need to be readjusted.
I was awful tired today, struggling to stay focused and on task. That is what contributed to the injury.
Believe it or not, I did this one indoors. In June. In sunny weather! I was going to do the TT but an injury working on the house did me in. Not only did I miss the TT, but I'm going to miss swimming the rest of the week as well. Sadly, this will make for 2 weeks without swimming. Maybe by the weekend I'll be healed over enough to go.
So I threw the Bird on the trainer and did 2x15 at 75%+. It was more of a struggle for concentration. My feet are still hurting as well, so I focused on good form to see if poor form was the source of the pain. Right now, they feel bruised. So more time and good care should improve things, but at the same time I think the Mavics need to be readjusted.
I was awful tired today, struggling to stay focused and on task. That is what contributed to the injury.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Tuesday speedwork: 6x 600's
RUN: 45 mins, 5 miles
Continuing the recent trend of The Blahs, I didn't feel excited about this workout. I had another long day working on the house but what helped me get there was a friend needed a ride. She's always excited about speedwork and it was inspiring to go with her. As usual, I didn't look at the workout schedule before going. I kinda like the surprise when I get there.
600's aren't that bad, only a lap and a half around the track. Pacing is the tricky part--600m sounds short so it's easy to go out too fast. I was tired enough that this wasn't a problem. In fact, I felt pretty good the first two intervals. Actually they were all good with the exception of the last one. I consistently stayed in the 2:33-2:40 times (no HR data). The recoveries were tough though. I wasn't recovering very well in the few minutes of rest.
In the end, I felt good after the workout but not refreshed.
Continuing the recent trend of The Blahs, I didn't feel excited about this workout. I had another long day working on the house but what helped me get there was a friend needed a ride. She's always excited about speedwork and it was inspiring to go with her. As usual, I didn't look at the workout schedule before going. I kinda like the surprise when I get there.
600's aren't that bad, only a lap and a half around the track. Pacing is the tricky part--600m sounds short so it's easy to go out too fast. I was tired enough that this wasn't a problem. In fact, I felt pretty good the first two intervals. Actually they were all good with the exception of the last one. I consistently stayed in the 2:33-2:40 times (no HR data). The recoveries were tough though. I wasn't recovering very well in the few minutes of rest.
In the end, I felt good after the workout but not refreshed.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Kansas Recovery Week
Monday: OFF
Tuesday: speedwork, RUN 3 miles 30 mins, 12x300's
Weds: OFF
Thursday: RUN 6.5 miles in 53.5 mins
Friday: OFF
Saturday: BIKE 51 miles 3 hours
Sunday: RUN 11.6 miles in 2 hours
For a grand total of 51 miles on the bike and 21.1 miles on the run in 6.5 hours.
Now that's what I call a recovery week!
I struggled Mon and Tues to get past the fatigue from the race, which was especially hard since I was also tearing into the house. So I'm worn out in all directions! On top of that the heat is wildly hot right now making it all the harder to recover.
Tuesday I ran with group 4 instead of the usual group 3. I figured I'd have a weak g3 run or a strong g4 run. Would I rather hang on the back of g3 struggling to keep up? No. So I did building 300's with g4 and still struggled, I just struggled at the front of the pack instead of the back. I didn't lead each interval but since I was building speed during each one I was usually up towards the front. Running with g4 was a learning experience. They are running at the speed I started at years ago and doing the best they can while I easily kept up. Good eye opener. Wonder if that is what group 2 thinks of me.
Thursday was the usual group run. One of my running mates made a comment about how we all have the same amount of time, it's just how we use it. This has been on my mind a lot the last few days.
Saturday was the last of the NT group events. I wanted to swim, but got out there too late. By the time I showed up I was a bit cranky and had plenty of drive time to stress myself out. So much going on in life right now! Isn't this supposed to be a vacation? I just checked my work email for the first time and found 34 emails waiting! Anyway, I started off and rode with the group that I most wanted to talk to. But in the end I didn't talk to any of them. I split off after 10 miles for PdS. I didn't feel like riding, I didn't have the spark for it that day, but I think deep down I did want to ride. Why else would I stick around for 51 miles in 101F heat index weather?
Right off the bat, my feet hurt in the Mavic shoes. I think the cleats need to be moved. No numbness, just hot pain between toes 1,2,3 on both feet. I handled the pain pretty well until mile 40 or so, then I just lost all concentration. It's not form, it's the shoes. My feet continued to hurt the rest of the weekend too.
I drank all 4 water bottles in that time and the stomach handled it pretty well. It didn't handle a Balance bar so well, left a heavy feeling in the tummy (lots of protein in those). I had purchased cashews to test but they didn't make the trip with me. I did have a too-carby morning, leaving me all the more tired and stressed by the afternoon. I need to work on my recovery meals too, they are hit and miss right now.
Sunday was a long run, planned 1:50. At 1:20 I was supposed to up the HR to 75-80%, but keep it low otherwise. The plan stressed IM pacing of 70% HR. Easy enough, with the heat so bad I wasn't going all that fast anyway. I decided to keep it very easy. The Heights, Lafa Park, Benton Park, then TG Park. Slowly meandering through the 'hoods and past old houses. They are so pretty, but so many are run down and abandoned. The parks were nice too, but not enough water fountains! I went through 2.5 fuel belt bottles in the first hour (not enough!) and tried to refill in BP with a stupid fountain that didn't fit my bottles. Long story short, I had a bit of a rest at 1:06. By the time I reached 1:20, I was actually able to push the pace! I decided that this interval should be done at just above comfortable (wasn't wearing HR monitor to gauge) and at a pace that had a slight push to it. It felt great to pick up the pace, but it wore me out entirely. The last 2 miles home were tough, and even after I got home I didn't feel all that good. It took hours for me to recover from this run, which shouldn't be a suprise--90F weather with a ?? heat index! My stomach is still upset.
Speaking of the tummy, being on vacation has disrupted my usual meal schedule. I'm eating breakfast late, much fewer veggies, grab and go foods to eat in the construction zone. This week should focus on getting back to normal.
This week should also focus on getting past some specific stressors from this last week. Tuesday's appt brought some Mx issues to the surface, they need to be dealt with. But do it later, I can't worry about that too right now.
Tuesday: speedwork, RUN 3 miles 30 mins, 12x300's
Weds: OFF
Thursday: RUN 6.5 miles in 53.5 mins
Friday: OFF
Saturday: BIKE 51 miles 3 hours
Sunday: RUN 11.6 miles in 2 hours
For a grand total of 51 miles on the bike and 21.1 miles on the run in 6.5 hours.
Now that's what I call a recovery week!
I struggled Mon and Tues to get past the fatigue from the race, which was especially hard since I was also tearing into the house. So I'm worn out in all directions! On top of that the heat is wildly hot right now making it all the harder to recover.
Tuesday I ran with group 4 instead of the usual group 3. I figured I'd have a weak g3 run or a strong g4 run. Would I rather hang on the back of g3 struggling to keep up? No. So I did building 300's with g4 and still struggled, I just struggled at the front of the pack instead of the back. I didn't lead each interval but since I was building speed during each one I was usually up towards the front. Running with g4 was a learning experience. They are running at the speed I started at years ago and doing the best they can while I easily kept up. Good eye opener. Wonder if that is what group 2 thinks of me.
Thursday was the usual group run. One of my running mates made a comment about how we all have the same amount of time, it's just how we use it. This has been on my mind a lot the last few days.
Saturday was the last of the NT group events. I wanted to swim, but got out there too late. By the time I showed up I was a bit cranky and had plenty of drive time to stress myself out. So much going on in life right now! Isn't this supposed to be a vacation? I just checked my work email for the first time and found 34 emails waiting! Anyway, I started off and rode with the group that I most wanted to talk to. But in the end I didn't talk to any of them. I split off after 10 miles for PdS. I didn't feel like riding, I didn't have the spark for it that day, but I think deep down I did want to ride. Why else would I stick around for 51 miles in 101F heat index weather?
Right off the bat, my feet hurt in the Mavic shoes. I think the cleats need to be moved. No numbness, just hot pain between toes 1,2,3 on both feet. I handled the pain pretty well until mile 40 or so, then I just lost all concentration. It's not form, it's the shoes. My feet continued to hurt the rest of the weekend too.
I drank all 4 water bottles in that time and the stomach handled it pretty well. It didn't handle a Balance bar so well, left a heavy feeling in the tummy (lots of protein in those). I had purchased cashews to test but they didn't make the trip with me. I did have a too-carby morning, leaving me all the more tired and stressed by the afternoon. I need to work on my recovery meals too, they are hit and miss right now.
Sunday was a long run, planned 1:50. At 1:20 I was supposed to up the HR to 75-80%, but keep it low otherwise. The plan stressed IM pacing of 70% HR. Easy enough, with the heat so bad I wasn't going all that fast anyway. I decided to keep it very easy. The Heights, Lafa Park, Benton Park, then TG Park. Slowly meandering through the 'hoods and past old houses. They are so pretty, but so many are run down and abandoned. The parks were nice too, but not enough water fountains! I went through 2.5 fuel belt bottles in the first hour (not enough!) and tried to refill in BP with a stupid fountain that didn't fit my bottles. Long story short, I had a bit of a rest at 1:06. By the time I reached 1:20, I was actually able to push the pace! I decided that this interval should be done at just above comfortable (wasn't wearing HR monitor to gauge) and at a pace that had a slight push to it. It felt great to pick up the pace, but it wore me out entirely. The last 2 miles home were tough, and even after I got home I didn't feel all that good. It took hours for me to recover from this run, which shouldn't be a suprise--90F weather with a ?? heat index! My stomach is still upset.
Speaking of the tummy, being on vacation has disrupted my usual meal schedule. I'm eating breakfast late, much fewer veggies, grab and go foods to eat in the construction zone. This week should focus on getting back to normal.
This week should also focus on getting past some specific stressors from this last week. Tuesday's appt brought some Mx issues to the surface, they need to be dealt with. But do it later, I can't worry about that too right now.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Ironman 70.3 Kansas
PRERACE: Breakfast was an energy bar, water, coffee, and baked potato. My normal routine is coffee -->wait-->BM, but this is not so easy when you ate all low fiber foods the day before. This caused a little bit of stress for me, I don't "go" so well in a porta-potty when I know other people are waiting. I need 'quiet time'. Did that mean I was empty or there was more for later? Couldn't tell at the time, but I was OK. Good to know for the right?
The TA's opened at 5am, and we arrived shortly thereafter. Luckily we obtained a parking pass for the campgrounds, sharply reducing the amount of walking needed. With the TA's not closing until 6:30, this gave me plenty of time to over think things. First off was T2. All T2 needed was run gear: shoes, socks, 2 gels, sunscreen, and a hat. Transition is usually an organized pile of gear under the bike, so having a bike rack with just those few items kept me staring at the pile. Just didn't look right, but it looked no different than anyone else's.
Off to T1, a long walk downhill to the water. Once down there, the plan was to stay there and not come back up. So I had to have everything right this one time. Double check again, and take off. Wouldn't you know, half way down the hill I get to wondering if my socks were at T2. I forgot socks at Racine last year and it made for a painful run. Surely my socks were there. But it was only 5:30, plenty of time still to check. Surely my socks were there, right? I checked them, right? Nagging doubt now would only be amplified later on the bike. I didn't want to spend the bike ride wondering if my socks were sitting there. So back up the hill against the flow of athletes heading down. Yup, there's my socks! Lost 10 minutes to that! While in T2, I decided to use the facilities before heading back down to T1.
Once to T1, the usual pre-race chaos and jitters kicked in. That is where the crowd had accumulated, so all the noise and gear got me into race mode. Once again, transition looked odd with only half the gear: bike, helmet, Garmin, sunglasses, towel. The bike was carrying the aero bottle with Cytomax, one bottle of plain water, 3 gels, powerbar chews, and gum. I put the Sidi's on the bike with rubber bands after having determined that there was enough flat road out of T1 to slip on the shoes before hitting the hill. With such a simple set up, I was left with extra time. I continued eating a Powerbar, sipped water, and pulled on the wetsuit halfway. And waited a bit more. I walked the route from water to bike to be sure I could find it after the swim, triple checked the bike, and waited.
T1 was supposed to close between 6:15 and 6:30am, and right about that time a minor disaster struck the bike rack behind me--the racks collapsed! Bikes fell like dominoes, knocking each other down as the wheels hit the ground with gear rolling everywhere. Athletes and volunteers rushed in to grab the racks and bikes and there we stood before the race, holding together what we could of 50-75 some odd bikes, including BN's. Full disaster was averted by a quick response from the volunteers, and I was glad I wasn't one of the guys whose bike fell over. Transitions are carefully set up so that all gear is in a planned position on the bike--to come out of the swim and find everything changed would be a wrench in the gears.
More waiting, and during this time I decided I needed to use the facilities again. I thought I had time, so I kept walking around, meeting up with friends, and looking for a bathroom. Long lines at one, so keep looking. I walked the long length of T1 through the waiting crowd of athletes to find short lines but on the other side of the TA fence. Nuts. Walk all the way back, slowly weaving through the crowd. By now I was out of time, only 10 minutes to my wave start. I figured I could pee in the water, yuck, but a time saver.
The minutes before my wave start flew by. We entered the water and immediately swam out to the start buoys for a treading start. The water was a perfectly comfortable temperature so no cold-adapting to do. I thought for sure I'd be able to pee while treading, but it just didn't happen. This was starting to bother me a bit, as I realized that peeing while swimming would be even harder. I picked a position to the back and outside of my wave to avoid the frenzy, and before we knew it the gun sounded! IMKS was underway.
And I had to pee.
The SWIM: 1.2 miles, treading wave start, long counterclockwise rectangle.
It was about this time that I realized that I did absolutely no warm up this morning and very little stretching. So my warm-up was in the water. Thankfully this worked for me, it's not like I take off sprinting in the water anyway. My outside and back position kept me out of the worst of the fighting in the start and I stayed calm. Until my goggles were knocked loose. And I was kicked in the ribs. I lost a few moments emptying the goggles and getting my breath back. Usually this would cause a mild panic for me and my HR would shoot up. Instead, I just calmly got back into rhythm. Just keep going, good form, strong arms. Someone grabs at my feet, just keep going. I swim into someone, just keep going. This is a huge improvement over last year's swimming and just knowing I could brush it off also had a calming effect.
Sighting was tough on this course, the buoys were big but green. Green? On a backdrop of blue sky and green trees! A few were red, but even those were hard to see. So I ended up lifting my head to sight more than I wanted to. About 15 minutes in, the first wave of men started to pass me. This was my biggest fear going into the race--getting run over by the guys on the swim. My positioning in the swim was chosen to avoid this, but there was no way to completely stay out of the way. Most were swimming twice as fast if not more than I was, so while they came and went quickly they also buzzed over me with little regard to my head and body. I was bumped, rolled, and grabbed for what seemed a long time. Thankfully no panic over this, but it was eating up energy and time.
All this time, I was still dealing with the fact that I had to pee. Turns out it takes a lot of focus for me to pee while swimming. Isn't there a flight or fight response that includes peeing? This just never kicked in for me, instead the use of my core muscles for swimming kept me from relaxing enough. That and there was so much going on that peeing wasn't my first priority. I decided that if I couldn't pee in the water, I would use a porta-a-potty before the bike. With that decision made, I forgot about this problem and turned to others.
My trouble sighting the buoys became a problem when I realized that I slightly overshot the first turn. Not by much, but these seconds added up. I hit the second and final turn at 24 minutes. I began to think that my 40 minute goal could be a reality.
Time in a triathlon, however, is easily distorted. The swim back to the beach was even harder to sight with the glare of the sun and a dark blue finish arch. I couldn't see the beach so I followed the crowd. At least I tried to, I kept getting turned rightwards off the course! I usually swim to the left when tired, so why was I swimming to the right?! Double check form, aim for a buoy, and try again. Still turning right! Was there a wave or current pushing me? Whatever it was, I ended up far enough off course at one point for a canoe volunteer to redirect me! Now a very mild worry started to set in. Although I wasn't getting jostled by other swimmers, I was losing energy to sighting and trying to get back on course. I wasn't terribly off course, but enough that I was wasting time. Just keep going.
At last the finish line appeared, as well as the crowd of swimmers. Once again I was pushed, pulled, and rocked around by my fellow athletes as we narrowed our course into the finish chute. More time, more energy, sensing a theme? When I finally stood up at the beach I checked my time. 45 minutes?!? Huge downer, what a disappointment! But if there's one thing I've learned in triathlon, it's that you have to let a segment go once it's done and focus on the next. Next for me was peeing. Quick stop, then dash off to the bike. I was unfocused at this point, a little dizzy from the swim. I heard DH call my name, and that was all it took for my focus to zero back in on the race. T1 was on a parking lot of asphalt with small rocks. Ouch-ouch-ouch! When the pros ran across earlier they made it look easy. Other than that, T1 was smooth and fast.
Swim Summary:
Good: calm demeanor, good form, ankle stayed in place with tape, no cramps.
Bad: worried about other swimmers, swam off course, dizzy after standing up
The BIKE: 56 miles: one loop with out-n-back spurs. Oh, and some hills.
The bike started off good, I pulled my feet into my shoes quickly (even though I haven't practiced this since last year) and I took off up the first hill. What a way to warm up! My HR and stress was high earlin in the ride! This is sort of a self-feeding problem. The HR goes up, you feel it, worry about it, stress about it, then your stress response drives the HR up more. It results in a hard-breathing, panicky feeling. After the disappointing swim, I actually had thoughts of "I can't do this!", "I can't do the bike like this!", "I'm going to wear out, I can't calm down!". Time to rein in the mental fiasco building up. Breath in, breath out, repeat.
The night prior, I re-read some of The Perfect Distance to get some mental cues for the race. One of them was a way to gauge the bike: you should feel like you could turn a harder gear, but you don't. And that is how I rode the course: slightly slow, holding back, and taking it easy. Another reminder was that the measure of a good bike included the run: a fast bike ride is a bad bike ride if you wear yourself out for the run. So I set up a goal of riding for the run--save the legs, save the energy, and ride conservatively.
The plan was to eat something around 20 mins, but as detailed above I wasn't ready to eat by that time. In fact, I didn't eat for 47 mins in! I started to get The Stupids and finally remembered to eat. I had been picking on the PB gel blocks, but at 30 calories each I wasn't getting anywhere. Besides, you can't eat those things. Practiced or not, I ended up spitting chunks of half-chewed blocks, same as I did for the Illini race 2 years ago. First gel at 50 mins with water. Sipped Cytomax every few minutes. Second gel at 1:45, third at 2:30. Not enough!! I need to eat MORE on the bike! Hydration was OK, but calories are LOW. I had purchased cashews to munch but didn't get them to the bike before the race. No let's be honest here, I had them at the bike but didn't have a container to put them in so I passed on them. At the third aid station I needed water and more gels. I successfully grabbed a water bottle and dumped it into the now-empty aero bottle. The gels I saved for later.
The hills were not so bad. Only once did I stand up for a climb and that was for a pass. For a majority of the ride I was surrounded by other cyclists, I did my best to avoid drafting and blocking. This helped and hurt during the race--it keeps your mind occupied but forces some braking and sprinting to avoid problems. Most other riders were polite and conscientious, making for a fun ride. We don't talk much in triathlons so only a few times did I converse with others. Once when we had to dismount to walk around an oil slick on the road ("So is BP our new sponsor?") and once more when a woman at mile 35 commented that was I killing the bike course. (A sign that maybe I should slow down!).
The bike ended well, I was shooting for a sub-3 and would have made it except the last mile on the bike was a no-passing area. The road was shared with the run course. Not that the course marshals made it a no-passing zone, more like athletes in front of me rode down the middle and blocked me. It was a good opportunity to calm down and rest. A 3:03 is still a 3hr ride.
T2 went smooth. I ran with the bike across the grass, racked it, and changed gear. I sat down to put on shoes to avoid a dizzy spell from bending over, and gave up a minute to reapply sunscreen. Grab the gels and go!
Bike Summary:
Good: no mashing, good hydration, comfy fit on bike.
Bad: low calories (600 in 3hrs might be OK for 70.3 but low for 140.6), need practice on eating and drinking while riding.
The Run: 13.1 miles. Two loops partially in campground, one hill done twice.
The run started off with one scare. The day before I slipped on a pair of retired running shoes barefooted to walk my bike to T1. In doing so, I took some skin off the back of my heal. When I retaped my ankle, I took care to add a bandage and cover the area knowing the potential for problems during the race. Before I even left T2, I felt the raw sting of exposed skin. Nuts! I stopped to check, but couldn't see the problem. Keep going, more pain. What the hell!? Stop to check again, still can't see a problem or a fix. Forget it, I'll bleed if I have to like I did in Racine. But to be hurting 0.05 miles in...
The first mile was an out-n-back along the bike course. I was feeling particularly good and took off a bit fast. The first mile flew by and by the time I was a mile 2 I realized I was going too hard. A gut pain appeared, I couldn't tell if it was diaphragm or GI, but a sharp pain under the ribs. Heading down the hill towards mile 3, it became a problem. Now that I have my HR data downloaded, I can see what happened. My HR shot up to the 180's at 8 mins into the run and stayed there until 28 mins before dropping into the high 150's. I'm going to guess in retrospect that it was a diaphragm cramp. Not my first one, so I knew that if I slowed down it would fade, and it did. What's funny about this is that the cramp hit going down the hill, and not on the return climb. Apparently, like the swim-bike transition, I needed a few minutes on the bike-run to settle in. Things were going good once I'd calmed down. The nutrition plan was a gel at miles 3 and 9, water or Gatorade when I could. Otherwise I planned to walk aid stations if I wanted to but keep running everywhere else. My heel pain was gone by now and replaced by toe pain in the metatarsals.
Climbing the hill (same hill first climbed in the bike) was tiring but I recovered quickly and rounded the corner into the campground. The DH was there at the turn, I love seeing familiar faces on the course and hearing my name called. It's such a wonderful feeling and a great way to get refocused. I wasn't familiar with the course of weaving turns and loops through campsite roads. I had no idea of what loop or turn I was in at most times and there was no good way to know when the next aid station or turnaround was coming up. I was feeling strong, but knew I was getting overheated and dehydrated. In a previous race, this situation came up and I over drank to the point of a sloshing stomach. This time I sipped water conservatively, but no amount of ice water can slack the dry mouth feeling I had. It was here I remembered the long ride from a few weeks ago and a similar feeling that was solved by eating ice. At each aid station I grabbed some water (drank some, splashed the rest on me) and a cup of ice. Wonderful!! I crunched ice cubes as the miles passed and dumped some down my shirt--also wonderful! I had no idea a cup of ice would last for so long in a sports bra!
The first 6.22 miles (as per Garmin) were finished in 55 minutes. This put me over halfway done on the run, and within a PR 13.1 time! This was a boost to keep pushing. At mile 9, I realized that if I could cover the next 3 miles in 30 minutes, I'd finish under 5:45!! (ignore my bad math for now). What another big boost to keep pushing! If I finished under that time, I think I'd qualify for Halfmax! How awesome would that be?! Onward and upward, literally as I climbed the big hill for the 2nd time, determined not to walk on it. Now I was watching the time and mileage, mentally adding up the time vs miles to my goal time. Sadly it wasn't until after mile 10 that I realized my bad math. In order to qualify, I'd really have to pick up the pace, and my pace was already high. The mental machinations kicked in: Qualify! No, Wisconsin! Slow down and keep a steady effort! But I could qualify! Let it go! We didn't come here to qualify!
I was passing lots of runners reduced to a walk or slow jog. I realized as I went by that I'm usually one of those people--I would go out to hard on the bike and blow up by mile 10 on the run. Not today, this time I set up just right and had the needed energy after the long bike. What an awesome feeling, so even as my 5:45 slipped away just 0.5 miles from the finish I was still riding high and even picking up steam as the line got closer. I passed Rich one last time and pushed for the line. What a great feeling to finish so strong, to still have a kick, and to not be sick once I got there.
Run Summary:
Good: found a way to keep body cool, good hydration and nutrition.
Bad: toe bones still hurt, would speed up and raise HR too high then have to slow.
The Finish Line! I learned after I was medaled that CW was giving out medals! I wasn't paying much attention after crossing the line, but I don't think it was her that medaled me. Hopefully it wasn't, what an opportunity missed! I felt spent but good at the line, kept walking and unsuccessfully drank a bottle of water handed to me by a volunteer. I couldn't swallow yet, so it just dribbled off my lips.
Recovery was walking, eating, and drinking. I didn't stretch or anything, I think I should though. My stomach was taking solid foods like bananas (as solid as they are!) and grapes in about 45 minutes, and real food just hours later. Sometimes I end a race with bad stomach cramps, I used to think it was race stress but now I think it was all the grains I was eating in granola bars, bread, and other grained-foods.
Overall, a successful race! Finishing top 3rd-ish in my first IM 70.3 is great (and unexpected!). As for IMWI, I have a few things to work on but lots of time to do it. Question now is whether or not I need another long race to continue preparing. Muncie?
By the Numbers:
Swim: 45:38
T1: 4:25
Bike: 3:03:09 18.35 mph, ave HR 134 (perfect!) , max HR 160.
T2: 2:17
Run: 1:53:05 8:38min/mile ave HR 165 (high!), max 199 right at beginning.
Overall: 5:48:34 35th/110 in the W35-40 age group.
The TA's opened at 5am, and we arrived shortly thereafter. Luckily we obtained a parking pass for the campgrounds, sharply reducing the amount of walking needed. With the TA's not closing until 6:30, this gave me plenty of time to over think things. First off was T2. All T2 needed was run gear: shoes, socks, 2 gels, sunscreen, and a hat. Transition is usually an organized pile of gear under the bike, so having a bike rack with just those few items kept me staring at the pile. Just didn't look right, but it looked no different than anyone else's.
Off to T1, a long walk downhill to the water. Once down there, the plan was to stay there and not come back up. So I had to have everything right this one time. Double check again, and take off. Wouldn't you know, half way down the hill I get to wondering if my socks were at T2. I forgot socks at Racine last year and it made for a painful run. Surely my socks were there. But it was only 5:30, plenty of time still to check. Surely my socks were there, right? I checked them, right? Nagging doubt now would only be amplified later on the bike. I didn't want to spend the bike ride wondering if my socks were sitting there. So back up the hill against the flow of athletes heading down. Yup, there's my socks! Lost 10 minutes to that! While in T2, I decided to use the facilities before heading back down to T1.
Once to T1, the usual pre-race chaos and jitters kicked in. That is where the crowd had accumulated, so all the noise and gear got me into race mode. Once again, transition looked odd with only half the gear: bike, helmet, Garmin, sunglasses, towel. The bike was carrying the aero bottle with Cytomax, one bottle of plain water, 3 gels, powerbar chews, and gum. I put the Sidi's on the bike with rubber bands after having determined that there was enough flat road out of T1 to slip on the shoes before hitting the hill. With such a simple set up, I was left with extra time. I continued eating a Powerbar, sipped water, and pulled on the wetsuit halfway. And waited a bit more. I walked the route from water to bike to be sure I could find it after the swim, triple checked the bike, and waited.
T1 was supposed to close between 6:15 and 6:30am, and right about that time a minor disaster struck the bike rack behind me--the racks collapsed! Bikes fell like dominoes, knocking each other down as the wheels hit the ground with gear rolling everywhere. Athletes and volunteers rushed in to grab the racks and bikes and there we stood before the race, holding together what we could of 50-75 some odd bikes, including BN's. Full disaster was averted by a quick response from the volunteers, and I was glad I wasn't one of the guys whose bike fell over. Transitions are carefully set up so that all gear is in a planned position on the bike--to come out of the swim and find everything changed would be a wrench in the gears.
More waiting, and during this time I decided I needed to use the facilities again. I thought I had time, so I kept walking around, meeting up with friends, and looking for a bathroom. Long lines at one, so keep looking. I walked the long length of T1 through the waiting crowd of athletes to find short lines but on the other side of the TA fence. Nuts. Walk all the way back, slowly weaving through the crowd. By now I was out of time, only 10 minutes to my wave start. I figured I could pee in the water, yuck, but a time saver.
The minutes before my wave start flew by. We entered the water and immediately swam out to the start buoys for a treading start. The water was a perfectly comfortable temperature so no cold-adapting to do. I thought for sure I'd be able to pee while treading, but it just didn't happen. This was starting to bother me a bit, as I realized that peeing while swimming would be even harder. I picked a position to the back and outside of my wave to avoid the frenzy, and before we knew it the gun sounded! IMKS was underway.
And I had to pee.
The SWIM: 1.2 miles, treading wave start, long counterclockwise rectangle.
It was about this time that I realized that I did absolutely no warm up this morning and very little stretching. So my warm-up was in the water. Thankfully this worked for me, it's not like I take off sprinting in the water anyway. My outside and back position kept me out of the worst of the fighting in the start and I stayed calm. Until my goggles were knocked loose. And I was kicked in the ribs. I lost a few moments emptying the goggles and getting my breath back. Usually this would cause a mild panic for me and my HR would shoot up. Instead, I just calmly got back into rhythm. Just keep going, good form, strong arms. Someone grabs at my feet, just keep going. I swim into someone, just keep going. This is a huge improvement over last year's swimming and just knowing I could brush it off also had a calming effect.
Sighting was tough on this course, the buoys were big but green. Green? On a backdrop of blue sky and green trees! A few were red, but even those were hard to see. So I ended up lifting my head to sight more than I wanted to. About 15 minutes in, the first wave of men started to pass me. This was my biggest fear going into the race--getting run over by the guys on the swim. My positioning in the swim was chosen to avoid this, but there was no way to completely stay out of the way. Most were swimming twice as fast if not more than I was, so while they came and went quickly they also buzzed over me with little regard to my head and body. I was bumped, rolled, and grabbed for what seemed a long time. Thankfully no panic over this, but it was eating up energy and time.
All this time, I was still dealing with the fact that I had to pee. Turns out it takes a lot of focus for me to pee while swimming. Isn't there a flight or fight response that includes peeing? This just never kicked in for me, instead the use of my core muscles for swimming kept me from relaxing enough. That and there was so much going on that peeing wasn't my first priority. I decided that if I couldn't pee in the water, I would use a porta-a-potty before the bike. With that decision made, I forgot about this problem and turned to others.
My trouble sighting the buoys became a problem when I realized that I slightly overshot the first turn. Not by much, but these seconds added up. I hit the second and final turn at 24 minutes. I began to think that my 40 minute goal could be a reality.
Time in a triathlon, however, is easily distorted. The swim back to the beach was even harder to sight with the glare of the sun and a dark blue finish arch. I couldn't see the beach so I followed the crowd. At least I tried to, I kept getting turned rightwards off the course! I usually swim to the left when tired, so why was I swimming to the right?! Double check form, aim for a buoy, and try again. Still turning right! Was there a wave or current pushing me? Whatever it was, I ended up far enough off course at one point for a canoe volunteer to redirect me! Now a very mild worry started to set in. Although I wasn't getting jostled by other swimmers, I was losing energy to sighting and trying to get back on course. I wasn't terribly off course, but enough that I was wasting time. Just keep going.
At last the finish line appeared, as well as the crowd of swimmers. Once again I was pushed, pulled, and rocked around by my fellow athletes as we narrowed our course into the finish chute. More time, more energy, sensing a theme? When I finally stood up at the beach I checked my time. 45 minutes?!? Huge downer, what a disappointment! But if there's one thing I've learned in triathlon, it's that you have to let a segment go once it's done and focus on the next. Next for me was peeing. Quick stop, then dash off to the bike. I was unfocused at this point, a little dizzy from the swim. I heard DH call my name, and that was all it took for my focus to zero back in on the race. T1 was on a parking lot of asphalt with small rocks. Ouch-ouch-ouch! When the pros ran across earlier they made it look easy. Other than that, T1 was smooth and fast.
Swim Summary:
Good: calm demeanor, good form, ankle stayed in place with tape, no cramps.
Bad: worried about other swimmers, swam off course, dizzy after standing up
The BIKE: 56 miles: one loop with out-n-back spurs. Oh, and some hills.
The bike started off good, I pulled my feet into my shoes quickly (even though I haven't practiced this since last year) and I took off up the first hill. What a way to warm up! My HR and stress was high earlin in the ride! This is sort of a self-feeding problem. The HR goes up, you feel it, worry about it, stress about it, then your stress response drives the HR up more. It results in a hard-breathing, panicky feeling. After the disappointing swim, I actually had thoughts of "I can't do this!", "I can't do the bike like this!", "I'm going to wear out, I can't calm down!". Time to rein in the mental fiasco building up. Breath in, breath out, repeat.
The night prior, I re-read some of The Perfect Distance to get some mental cues for the race. One of them was a way to gauge the bike: you should feel like you could turn a harder gear, but you don't. And that is how I rode the course: slightly slow, holding back, and taking it easy. Another reminder was that the measure of a good bike included the run: a fast bike ride is a bad bike ride if you wear yourself out for the run. So I set up a goal of riding for the run--save the legs, save the energy, and ride conservatively.
The plan was to eat something around 20 mins, but as detailed above I wasn't ready to eat by that time. In fact, I didn't eat for 47 mins in! I started to get The Stupids and finally remembered to eat. I had been picking on the PB gel blocks, but at 30 calories each I wasn't getting anywhere. Besides, you can't eat those things. Practiced or not, I ended up spitting chunks of half-chewed blocks, same as I did for the Illini race 2 years ago. First gel at 50 mins with water. Sipped Cytomax every few minutes. Second gel at 1:45, third at 2:30. Not enough!! I need to eat MORE on the bike! Hydration was OK, but calories are LOW. I had purchased cashews to munch but didn't get them to the bike before the race. No let's be honest here, I had them at the bike but didn't have a container to put them in so I passed on them. At the third aid station I needed water and more gels. I successfully grabbed a water bottle and dumped it into the now-empty aero bottle. The gels I saved for later.
The hills were not so bad. Only once did I stand up for a climb and that was for a pass. For a majority of the ride I was surrounded by other cyclists, I did my best to avoid drafting and blocking. This helped and hurt during the race--it keeps your mind occupied but forces some braking and sprinting to avoid problems. Most other riders were polite and conscientious, making for a fun ride. We don't talk much in triathlons so only a few times did I converse with others. Once when we had to dismount to walk around an oil slick on the road ("So is BP our new sponsor?") and once more when a woman at mile 35 commented that was I killing the bike course. (A sign that maybe I should slow down!).
The bike ended well, I was shooting for a sub-3 and would have made it except the last mile on the bike was a no-passing area. The road was shared with the run course. Not that the course marshals made it a no-passing zone, more like athletes in front of me rode down the middle and blocked me. It was a good opportunity to calm down and rest. A 3:03 is still a 3hr ride.
T2 went smooth. I ran with the bike across the grass, racked it, and changed gear. I sat down to put on shoes to avoid a dizzy spell from bending over, and gave up a minute to reapply sunscreen. Grab the gels and go!
Bike Summary:
Good: no mashing, good hydration, comfy fit on bike.
Bad: low calories (600 in 3hrs might be OK for 70.3 but low for 140.6), need practice on eating and drinking while riding.
The Run: 13.1 miles. Two loops partially in campground, one hill done twice.
The run started off with one scare. The day before I slipped on a pair of retired running shoes barefooted to walk my bike to T1. In doing so, I took some skin off the back of my heal. When I retaped my ankle, I took care to add a bandage and cover the area knowing the potential for problems during the race. Before I even left T2, I felt the raw sting of exposed skin. Nuts! I stopped to check, but couldn't see the problem. Keep going, more pain. What the hell!? Stop to check again, still can't see a problem or a fix. Forget it, I'll bleed if I have to like I did in Racine. But to be hurting 0.05 miles in...
The first mile was an out-n-back along the bike course. I was feeling particularly good and took off a bit fast. The first mile flew by and by the time I was a mile 2 I realized I was going too hard. A gut pain appeared, I couldn't tell if it was diaphragm or GI, but a sharp pain under the ribs. Heading down the hill towards mile 3, it became a problem. Now that I have my HR data downloaded, I can see what happened. My HR shot up to the 180's at 8 mins into the run and stayed there until 28 mins before dropping into the high 150's. I'm going to guess in retrospect that it was a diaphragm cramp. Not my first one, so I knew that if I slowed down it would fade, and it did. What's funny about this is that the cramp hit going down the hill, and not on the return climb. Apparently, like the swim-bike transition, I needed a few minutes on the bike-run to settle in. Things were going good once I'd calmed down. The nutrition plan was a gel at miles 3 and 9, water or Gatorade when I could. Otherwise I planned to walk aid stations if I wanted to but keep running everywhere else. My heel pain was gone by now and replaced by toe pain in the metatarsals.
Climbing the hill (same hill first climbed in the bike) was tiring but I recovered quickly and rounded the corner into the campground. The DH was there at the turn, I love seeing familiar faces on the course and hearing my name called. It's such a wonderful feeling and a great way to get refocused. I wasn't familiar with the course of weaving turns and loops through campsite roads. I had no idea of what loop or turn I was in at most times and there was no good way to know when the next aid station or turnaround was coming up. I was feeling strong, but knew I was getting overheated and dehydrated. In a previous race, this situation came up and I over drank to the point of a sloshing stomach. This time I sipped water conservatively, but no amount of ice water can slack the dry mouth feeling I had. It was here I remembered the long ride from a few weeks ago and a similar feeling that was solved by eating ice. At each aid station I grabbed some water (drank some, splashed the rest on me) and a cup of ice. Wonderful!! I crunched ice cubes as the miles passed and dumped some down my shirt--also wonderful! I had no idea a cup of ice would last for so long in a sports bra!
The first 6.22 miles (as per Garmin) were finished in 55 minutes. This put me over halfway done on the run, and within a PR 13.1 time! This was a boost to keep pushing. At mile 9, I realized that if I could cover the next 3 miles in 30 minutes, I'd finish under 5:45!! (ignore my bad math for now). What another big boost to keep pushing! If I finished under that time, I think I'd qualify for Halfmax! How awesome would that be?! Onward and upward, literally as I climbed the big hill for the 2nd time, determined not to walk on it. Now I was watching the time and mileage, mentally adding up the time vs miles to my goal time. Sadly it wasn't until after mile 10 that I realized my bad math. In order to qualify, I'd really have to pick up the pace, and my pace was already high. The mental machinations kicked in: Qualify! No, Wisconsin! Slow down and keep a steady effort! But I could qualify! Let it go! We didn't come here to qualify!
I was passing lots of runners reduced to a walk or slow jog. I realized as I went by that I'm usually one of those people--I would go out to hard on the bike and blow up by mile 10 on the run. Not today, this time I set up just right and had the needed energy after the long bike. What an awesome feeling, so even as my 5:45 slipped away just 0.5 miles from the finish I was still riding high and even picking up steam as the line got closer. I passed Rich one last time and pushed for the line. What a great feeling to finish so strong, to still have a kick, and to not be sick once I got there.
Run Summary:
Good: found a way to keep body cool, good hydration and nutrition.
Bad: toe bones still hurt, would speed up and raise HR too high then have to slow.
The Finish Line! I learned after I was medaled that CW was giving out medals! I wasn't paying much attention after crossing the line, but I don't think it was her that medaled me. Hopefully it wasn't, what an opportunity missed! I felt spent but good at the line, kept walking and unsuccessfully drank a bottle of water handed to me by a volunteer. I couldn't swallow yet, so it just dribbled off my lips.
Recovery was walking, eating, and drinking. I didn't stretch or anything, I think I should though. My stomach was taking solid foods like bananas (as solid as they are!) and grapes in about 45 minutes, and real food just hours later. Sometimes I end a race with bad stomach cramps, I used to think it was race stress but now I think it was all the grains I was eating in granola bars, bread, and other grained-foods.
Overall, a successful race! Finishing top 3rd-ish in my first IM 70.3 is great (and unexpected!). As for IMWI, I have a few things to work on but lots of time to do it. Question now is whether or not I need another long race to continue preparing. Muncie?
By the Numbers:
Swim: 45:38
T1: 4:25
Bike: 3:03:09 18.35 mph, ave HR 134 (perfect!) , max HR 160.
T2: 2:17
Run: 1:53:05 8:38min/mile ave HR 165 (high!), max 199 right at beginning.
Overall: 5:48:34 35th/110 in the W35-40 age group.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
IMKS Prerace
IMKS was put into my schedule specifically to get ready for IMWI. The goals were to test nutrition, pre-race prep, pacing, and equipment. On all accounts, goals were met and much was learned!
GOALS: Test nutrition, test bike fit, experiment with pacing. Specific goals: 40 min swim, sub 3hr bike, solid run. Fears: getting run over by guys in swim wave after me, blowing up my legs on the bike, and reliving Redman.
Week prior: I reduced the training hours, but not the intensity. Did a 27-mile hilly ride on Monday, ran 1 mile TT on Tuesday, biked 15K TT on Weds, then an easy run Thursday. Took Friday and Saturday off, although I wanted to swim or run a bit I didn't have time. I was not feeling rested as of Thursday, in fact I was pretty wiped out and wondering if I'd done too much. So although I wanted to get a short run or swim in, maybe the best thing to do was just rest and recover what I could of my energy and stamina. When climbing a set of stairs gets your HR up, it's not a good sign.
We drove to Kansas Friday night arriving late, getting to bed until 11:45. So it goes without saying that we slept in, took the morning easy, and got a late breakfast in. A lot of thinking goes into the days before a race, and only on Saturday did I get this focus. Pre-race nutrition should include healthy foods that digest easily so the GI tract is mostly empty for race day. This is sort of a problem in the other direction, as "easily digestible" also means low fiber, and a lack of fiber leaves you with a less than satisfying feeling of "empty" come race morning. In previous years, I would eat mostly carbs the days before a race. Potatoes, bread, fruit, we are told to do this to "carb up" for a race and top off the glycogen stores. I've since learned that I don't need this, instead I'm better off with high-protein and fat meals, with normal amounts of carbs (which for me is low anyway). It wasn't until after I'd fixed my diet that I realized that all those carbs just made me sick--anxious, energy crashes, and bloating from all the water stored with them. So breakfast was an omelet with sausage and mushrooms, lunch was some dried fruit, and dinner was grilled chicken and fruit. Snacks were fruit and Lara bars.
By Saturday afternoon, I had my energy back. But the heat of the day was wearing on me. I was well hydrated, yet losing a lot to sweat. We hung out at the race site campground to set up equipment, get checked-in, and learn the course. Nothing strenuous, but like I said the heat was a huge factor.
This was my first race with 2 transition zones. T1 was down by the water at the bottom of a hill and had bike equipment. T2 was near the finish line at the top of the hill and had run equipment. The bike had to be checked in Saturday, that was easy enough but mentally tabulating the logistics of separate T1/T2 had my mind in a tumble. That and the long walk to T1--if on race morning I forgot something it meant a long walk back to the tent and even longer walk back to the car. The potential for a morning screw-up was high, but avoidable.
I was pretty calm all day, considering the excitement of my first IM race and all the goings-on everywhere. I kept playing the day in my head, looking around the run course gathering mental thoughts for the next day, listing what I might need to tell myself to keep myself going strong. For the first time, I previewed the bike course before a race, and I'm glad I did on this one! I knew it would be hilly, but if I had just jumped on the bike and headed out I would have been shocked by the sight of some those hills. From the car, some were a wall at first. Nothing steep, nothing killer, but a steady up and down of long rollers. By previewing the course I knew where to conserve energy, what to look for in terms of short corners and dangers, and wasn't surprised by anything the next day. Definitely a good pre-race strategy.
I wound down by packing my bags for transition. I had my strategy for the 2 TA's worked out and managed to get everything into one bag to streamline the set-up. Check, check, and re-check everything before wrapping up for the night. My biggest concerns were my race belt with number and the timing chip. No chip, no race, and those little buggers would be easy to lose or forget. Re-taped my right foot, practiced eating the PB gel blocks (more on this later), and planned breakfast.
Got to bed late again around 10:30pm and didn't have the usual pre-race jitters. Normally I'm trying to fall asleep with race nerves keeping me awake. Not so this night, I hit the pillow and was out. And I didn't wake up again until 3:33am (lucky number 3)!
GOALS: Test nutrition, test bike fit, experiment with pacing. Specific goals: 40 min swim, sub 3hr bike, solid run. Fears: getting run over by guys in swim wave after me, blowing up my legs on the bike, and reliving Redman.
Week prior: I reduced the training hours, but not the intensity. Did a 27-mile hilly ride on Monday, ran 1 mile TT on Tuesday, biked 15K TT on Weds, then an easy run Thursday. Took Friday and Saturday off, although I wanted to swim or run a bit I didn't have time. I was not feeling rested as of Thursday, in fact I was pretty wiped out and wondering if I'd done too much. So although I wanted to get a short run or swim in, maybe the best thing to do was just rest and recover what I could of my energy and stamina. When climbing a set of stairs gets your HR up, it's not a good sign.
We drove to Kansas Friday night arriving late, getting to bed until 11:45. So it goes without saying that we slept in, took the morning easy, and got a late breakfast in. A lot of thinking goes into the days before a race, and only on Saturday did I get this focus. Pre-race nutrition should include healthy foods that digest easily so the GI tract is mostly empty for race day. This is sort of a problem in the other direction, as "easily digestible" also means low fiber, and a lack of fiber leaves you with a less than satisfying feeling of "empty" come race morning. In previous years, I would eat mostly carbs the days before a race. Potatoes, bread, fruit, we are told to do this to "carb up" for a race and top off the glycogen stores. I've since learned that I don't need this, instead I'm better off with high-protein and fat meals, with normal amounts of carbs (which for me is low anyway). It wasn't until after I'd fixed my diet that I realized that all those carbs just made me sick--anxious, energy crashes, and bloating from all the water stored with them. So breakfast was an omelet with sausage and mushrooms, lunch was some dried fruit, and dinner was grilled chicken and fruit. Snacks were fruit and Lara bars.
By Saturday afternoon, I had my energy back. But the heat of the day was wearing on me. I was well hydrated, yet losing a lot to sweat. We hung out at the race site campground to set up equipment, get checked-in, and learn the course. Nothing strenuous, but like I said the heat was a huge factor.
This was my first race with 2 transition zones. T1 was down by the water at the bottom of a hill and had bike equipment. T2 was near the finish line at the top of the hill and had run equipment. The bike had to be checked in Saturday, that was easy enough but mentally tabulating the logistics of separate T1/T2 had my mind in a tumble. That and the long walk to T1--if on race morning I forgot something it meant a long walk back to the tent and even longer walk back to the car. The potential for a morning screw-up was high, but avoidable.
I was pretty calm all day, considering the excitement of my first IM race and all the goings-on everywhere. I kept playing the day in my head, looking around the run course gathering mental thoughts for the next day, listing what I might need to tell myself to keep myself going strong. For the first time, I previewed the bike course before a race, and I'm glad I did on this one! I knew it would be hilly, but if I had just jumped on the bike and headed out I would have been shocked by the sight of some those hills. From the car, some were a wall at first. Nothing steep, nothing killer, but a steady up and down of long rollers. By previewing the course I knew where to conserve energy, what to look for in terms of short corners and dangers, and wasn't surprised by anything the next day. Definitely a good pre-race strategy.
I wound down by packing my bags for transition. I had my strategy for the 2 TA's worked out and managed to get everything into one bag to streamline the set-up. Check, check, and re-check everything before wrapping up for the night. My biggest concerns were my race belt with number and the timing chip. No chip, no race, and those little buggers would be easy to lose or forget. Re-taped my right foot, practiced eating the PB gel blocks (more on this later), and planned breakfast.
Got to bed late again around 10:30pm and didn't have the usual pre-race jitters. Normally I'm trying to fall asleep with race nerves keeping me awake. Not so this night, I hit the pillow and was out. And I didn't wake up again until 3:33am (lucky number 3)!
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Am I tapering yet?
RUN: 6.1 miles in 55 mins. 8:59 pace.
After the past two nights of speedwork and housework, I'm tired! With the nightly rains and roof leak, I'm also not sleeping well. I hear anything like a storm and I'm awake. Need to get some sleep in the next few nights.
This is my last big workout before Kansas, I'll probably swim and get some biking in in the next 2 days. Normally I'm bouncing with energy during a taper. Right now I'm dragging and sleepy. Today's run wasn't at a tough pace (and both runners with me were just as or more tired than me), and I expected it to be refreshing. Not so.
Also, the shin pain is gone. Nothing yesterday and today's run didn't re-aggrevate it. yahoo!
I'm starting to wonder if this is how IM training will feel for the summer. Here I am "resting" in a 10+ hour week of training. Last year resting was <10hrs. My training plan kicks into a higher gear next week and starts the higher intensity training that will build me up for the race. This level of training will definitely wear me down, and any of these nagging injuries could flare up. The taped ankle, the bruised shin, the sometimes irritated IT band, the metatarsels, the list could grow or reshuffle on a weekly basis. I've been loving it so far, but I haven't been working Hard, I've been working Long. Things change soon here!
As for prepping for the race, I'm not packed yet. I've set some goals, but don't have the mental preparation in mind yet. I've got a 5 hr car ride tomorrow for that.
After the past two nights of speedwork and housework, I'm tired! With the nightly rains and roof leak, I'm also not sleeping well. I hear anything like a storm and I'm awake. Need to get some sleep in the next few nights.
This is my last big workout before Kansas, I'll probably swim and get some biking in in the next 2 days. Normally I'm bouncing with energy during a taper. Right now I'm dragging and sleepy. Today's run wasn't at a tough pace (and both runners with me were just as or more tired than me), and I expected it to be refreshing. Not so.
Also, the shin pain is gone. Nothing yesterday and today's run didn't re-aggrevate it. yahoo!
I'm starting to wonder if this is how IM training will feel for the summer. Here I am "resting" in a 10+ hour week of training. Last year resting was <10hrs. My training plan kicks into a higher gear next week and starts the higher intensity training that will build me up for the race. This level of training will definitely wear me down, and any of these nagging injuries could flare up. The taped ankle, the bruised shin, the sometimes irritated IT band, the metatarsels, the list could grow or reshuffle on a weekly basis. I've been loving it so far, but I haven't been working Hard, I've been working Long. Things change soon here!
As for prepping for the race, I'm not packed yet. I've set some goals, but don't have the mental preparation in mind yet. I've got a 5 hr car ride tomorrow for that.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Does 15K TT count as a taper?
BIKE: 1 hr, 20 miles. Another TT, this one in 24:44:96. Humph, 24:45 really.
Outbound: some headwind, 21.4 mph ave and 156 bmp ave
Inbound: some tailwind, 23.0 mph, 165 bpm
Had a longer than usual warmup of 28 mins, did multiple 20s fast, 40s rest intervals. The wind was comparably still, so I was gunning for a PR tonight. Also, since I'm tapering, I should be fresher than usual. Right?
The outbound was uneventful, focused on good form and no mashing. The inbound was a different story. I think I saw someone turn around early! A cheater?!? I was just settling back in after turning around and I sighted the road ahead. A short distance up, a rider also turned around and headed for the finish. One possibility is that it was an earlier racer cooling down. If that was the case, I would easily catch him as cool-downs are done at +22mph. I set my sights on catching this guy. I wanted to know if they clocked a time for him, or if he really was racing.
I never caught him. In fact, this guy dusted me and I barely saw him again. And I was tearing up as best I could, likely wasting a lot of energy in doing so. While riding, I tracked the number of riders who passed me (2) and those behind me (2). I took a look at the official's ridesheet, and found that I was rider #29 and there were 34 riders. There should have been a 5th rider. Very suspicious!
A cheater?!? On a fun time trial?!? Granted, it's reported to USAC so the results are made public, so maybe this jerk (assuming he was in fact cheating) wanted good numbers to show? He shaved a good 1-2 minutes of his time, so his numbers would have looked good.
This really fired me up on the drive home. How does a guy who cheats live with himself? Does he have kids, and what does he teach them? Aren't these results now tainted in his mind, does he feel any guilt about this? Why do I care? He's not competing against me, and it's a TT so the race is really about the clock. There's no official at the turnaround, so it's an honesty policy. I care because he's taking advantage of the fact that the people putting this race on week after week trust us to do the right thing, and we trust each other to do the right thing. He's violating the trust granted to him as a participant.
Ugh. I don't want to get all fired up again, so let's drop it. And simply say that I hope it wasn't what it looked like, and that he really was cooling down.
And no, I didn't set a new PR. Still 13 seconds long.
Outbound: some headwind, 21.4 mph ave and 156 bmp ave
Inbound: some tailwind, 23.0 mph, 165 bpm
Had a longer than usual warmup of 28 mins, did multiple 20s fast, 40s rest intervals. The wind was comparably still, so I was gunning for a PR tonight. Also, since I'm tapering, I should be fresher than usual. Right?
The outbound was uneventful, focused on good form and no mashing. The inbound was a different story. I think I saw someone turn around early! A cheater?!? I was just settling back in after turning around and I sighted the road ahead. A short distance up, a rider also turned around and headed for the finish. One possibility is that it was an earlier racer cooling down. If that was the case, I would easily catch him as cool-downs are done at +22mph. I set my sights on catching this guy. I wanted to know if they clocked a time for him, or if he really was racing.
I never caught him. In fact, this guy dusted me and I barely saw him again. And I was tearing up as best I could, likely wasting a lot of energy in doing so. While riding, I tracked the number of riders who passed me (2) and those behind me (2). I took a look at the official's ridesheet, and found that I was rider #29 and there were 34 riders. There should have been a 5th rider. Very suspicious!
A cheater?!? On a fun time trial?!? Granted, it's reported to USAC so the results are made public, so maybe this jerk (assuming he was in fact cheating) wanted good numbers to show? He shaved a good 1-2 minutes of his time, so his numbers would have looked good.
This really fired me up on the drive home. How does a guy who cheats live with himself? Does he have kids, and what does he teach them? Aren't these results now tainted in his mind, does he feel any guilt about this? Why do I care? He's not competing against me, and it's a TT so the race is really about the clock. There's no official at the turnaround, so it's an honesty policy. I care because he's taking advantage of the fact that the people putting this race on week after week trust us to do the right thing, and we trust each other to do the right thing. He's violating the trust granted to him as a participant.
Ugh. I don't want to get all fired up again, so let's drop it. And simply say that I hope it wasn't what it looked like, and that he really was cooling down.
And no, I didn't set a new PR. Still 13 seconds long.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
1 mile time trial
RUN: 4 miles in 35 mins. 1 mile TT on the track: 6:27. Ave HR 158.
Is that HR monitor working? I was ready to throw up by the end of that run! Awesome, right? To run yourself into the ground in just 6.5 minutes--that's fun! A more detailed look at the HR shows that my initial HR was in the 80's, and then I sustained a 150's HR for the most part until the end where I peaked at 172bpm. That was probably the part I thought I would throw up.
My previous mile PR was 6:23. With all the base training, long weekends, etc, I'm pretty happy with today's run. I gave it all I had, to the point where I had no kick at the end.
Only problem--my right shin is hurting. About halfway up right on the front bone, very focal. Hopefully not a stress fracture! Ice!
All the talk tonight was about Kansas. And one club member who was also at Redman was asking if I was hydrating for this race. LOL, not many people can get away with that joke, but he can :) He's right, I need to be hydrating!
Is that HR monitor working? I was ready to throw up by the end of that run! Awesome, right? To run yourself into the ground in just 6.5 minutes--that's fun! A more detailed look at the HR shows that my initial HR was in the 80's, and then I sustained a 150's HR for the most part until the end where I peaked at 172bpm. That was probably the part I thought I would throw up.
My previous mile PR was 6:23. With all the base training, long weekends, etc, I'm pretty happy with today's run. I gave it all I had, to the point where I had no kick at the end.
Only problem--my right shin is hurting. About halfway up right on the front bone, very focal. Hopefully not a stress fracture! Ice!
All the talk tonight was about Kansas. And one club member who was also at Redman was asking if I was hydrating for this race. LOL, not many people can get away with that joke, but he can :) He's right, I need to be hydrating!
Planning for Kansas
I like to review old races while planning for the next ones:
2008 GI: 5:58 S=45:12 B=3:03 R=2:07
2009 SoR: 5:27 S=32:44 B=2:49 R=1:59
2009 Halfmax: 6:07 S=46:31 B=2:59 R=2:15
TAPER: Already started. My biggies for this week include Tues speedwork (only 1m TT) and Wed speedwork, both with plenty of recovery time. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!
SWIM: The swim times sometimes include the run to T1. SoR swim was short. If the NT swims are any indication, my swim has improved to where I can do a 40 min 1.2 miler. So there's my first goal: as close to 40 or under. Calm, good form, get out of the water with a clear head ready to ride.
BIKE: I hear this one is hilly, with flat stretches. I've read some race reports that say the hills aren't that bad. But I like hills, and if today's ride (very little of 150+) is any indication, my HR doesn't climb all that high and I recover fast. I hate to set a time goal on a challenging course. But a sub-3 would be nice. Keep the HR low, don't kill the legs, and drink water!
RUN: The hills profile shows only 2 hills, 2 valleys actually that look to be the same ones run twice. It's described as fast and flat, with a 0.25 mile hill. The forecast is high of 86 so the heat might be building by run time, but the course description also says "shaded". Again, holding myself to a time standard is less ideal. Let's stick to execution standards: First loop at comfy pace (whatever that happens to be), don't get high HR over stress, consume water!
Overall nutrition based on recent planning:
Prerace: banana, Lara Bar, eggs
Just before swim: 1 gel, Powerbar?
On the bike: bring 3-4 gels, salted cashews, cytomax bottles
On the run: bring 1-2 gels, ***, gum
Post: Ensure, banana, PB Recovery
***Gatorade Endurance is the drink provided in IM races. I'd better at least try the stuff and see how it works for me, because if I need it in a pinch for any of these races, I'd hate to find out how it works on race day! I think it was served at the GO!26.2, it was good and didn't upset the tummy. But more testing is in order!
2008 GI: 5:58 S=45:12 B=3:03 R=2:07
2009 SoR: 5:27 S=32:44 B=2:49 R=1:59
2009 Halfmax: 6:07 S=46:31 B=2:59 R=2:15
TAPER: Already started. My biggies for this week include Tues speedwork (only 1m TT) and Wed speedwork, both with plenty of recovery time. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!
SWIM: The swim times sometimes include the run to T1. SoR swim was short. If the NT swims are any indication, my swim has improved to where I can do a 40 min 1.2 miler. So there's my first goal: as close to 40 or under. Calm, good form, get out of the water with a clear head ready to ride.
BIKE: I hear this one is hilly, with flat stretches. I've read some race reports that say the hills aren't that bad. But I like hills, and if today's ride (very little of 150+) is any indication, my HR doesn't climb all that high and I recover fast. I hate to set a time goal on a challenging course. But a sub-3 would be nice. Keep the HR low, don't kill the legs, and drink water!
RUN: The hills profile shows only 2 hills, 2 valleys actually that look to be the same ones run twice. It's described as fast and flat, with a 0.25 mile hill. The forecast is high of 86 so the heat might be building by run time, but the course description also says "shaded". Again, holding myself to a time standard is less ideal. Let's stick to execution standards: First loop at comfy pace (whatever that happens to be), don't get high HR over stress, consume water!
Overall nutrition based on recent planning:
Prerace: banana, Lara Bar, eggs
Just before swim: 1 gel, Powerbar?
On the bike: bring 3-4 gels, salted cashews, cytomax bottles
On the run: bring 1-2 gels, ***, gum
Post: Ensure, banana, PB Recovery
***Gatorade Endurance is the drink provided in IM races. I'd better at least try the stuff and see how it works for me, because if I need it in a pinch for any of these races, I'd hate to find out how it works on race day! I think it was served at the GO!26.2, it was good and didn't upset the tummy. But more testing is in order!
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