A TAD, but no swim

SWIM none
RUN COMMUTE: 6.2 miles 60-ish mins

The pool is closed this week :( Sure I have options for other pools but I'm not taking advantage of them :(
I'm just too tired to make the effort. I trying to sleep in a little more so I run late in the mornings. I tell myself I 'll go over lunch, but HAHAHAHA yea right.

So get this--I'm tired, struggling, not sleeping well at night--so what do I decide to do today? Run to work and back. Yup, I'm tired so I go for a run.

Well there's more to it than that. Tropical Storm Isaac is set to roll through tonight so I can't ride in with confidence that I'll have a dry ride. And I don't want to pay $6 to park. And DH's schedule doesn't fit mine.

So I ran to work. Really, does that make sense?

I secretly hoped to run in the rain, I had a little on the way in but otherwise the only "rain" was my sweat in the humidty.

Thurday run +8 minutes

RUN: 6.6 miles in 62 mins
BIKE: 20.6 miles in 75 mins, 3x12 mins at 80-85%
BIKE COMMUTE: 6.4 miles

I knew within a mile that the run wasn't going to be like the previous weeks. I told LC  that I might cut short or slow down, and by the time we reached Skinker I was already falling off the back.

As much as I hate to, I didn't keep up today. But I'm OK with it. There's no benefit to pushing it right now with all this fatigue. I won't be faster at Redman by running faster today. Besides, this even isn't my main workout of the day.

The bike is! Problem is, I didn't have it in me to hit the effort level. I did what I could. This is really a sign--I need to start watching my energy levels, injury, and rest.

Took another day off

SWIM none
RUN non
COMMUTE BIKE 6.4 miles

Just didn't have the energy today...

Getting burned out?

RUN: 7.25mi in 60 mins 16x400m @ 85% with 100m rest

BIKE: 19.8 mi in 70 mins 3x18min @ 75@ with short rest

I slept awful last night, which is ironic because it was my day off. I should be very well rested and ready to rumble today! Nope. I went to bed before 9pm, woke up around 10:45, then 12:45, then I think slept through until the alarm at 4:45. The first times I woke up were bad—it took a long time to fall back asleep again, I had crazy dreams, and upon awakening I thought it was time to get up! Imagine the disappointment when I realized I had hours to go.

I woke up ok with the alarm but wasn’t exactly in a zippy frame of mind. I took some time to get moving. My back is sore (probably from the long run Sunday) and the bottoms of my feet hurt. Especially the 4^th toe on my left foot, which has had a numb-feeling spot where I think a very deep blister formed about a week ago. Not only does the blister hurt, but also the top of the toe I think in the toenail. So ouch-ouch-ouch this morning.

When it came time to leave at 6am, it was still dark out! First time for that happening on Tuesdays and a sign that fall is coming up fast. I had a few moments at the front door that signaled the first signs of burn-out this year, that feeling of “oh am I really doing to do this again?”.  I really gotta keep an eye on that—it’s also a sign of fatigue.

I arrived at the track a few mins later than normal, DC and BE were already in the intervals. I jumped in after them and struggled to find solid legs right away. No need for a couple laps to pass by before the soggy-leg feeling started. It was there at the beginning! The doubts of doing all 16 intervals started to set in, maybe I’ll only do 12, but I told myself that I didn’t need to decide that until the 12^th interval. So run until then.

In an email BE had broken down the run into something like “run the numbers, then the straights, then the numbers…4 times” and it sounded so much easier that way! I called it a Jedi mind trick, he said “these are not the droids you are looking for” and for some reason that had me smiling the rest of the workout. Still smiling at it, in fact. Such a simple thing, so enjoyable.

I was hitting the 400m intervals at low 7’s pace, sometimes sub 7 (again it depended on which direction we ran!), I stayed consistent but wasn’t able to do the last 4 intervals faster as suggested by the training plan. It was all I could do to just keep my form together, especially since IT and I were the only ones still running at this point. So tempting to stop with DC and BE…but mental power won out today and I did all 16!! OCD trumps this time!

The bike workout was sloggy but done. I aimed for 115-120bpm in the intervals, is that my 75%? I dunno. But I’ve been thinking about my bike pace and how I could probably go faster in a race than I think I can. The bike seems to be my wildcard in my planned 12:30 Redman goal. Swim 1:30, Run 4:30—those seem to be on track as do-able. That leaves me 6.5 hours for everything else—bike, T1, and T2. Can I bike in 6-6.25hrs, which is 18+ mph? That’s the question. I don’t do it much in practice!

FoPa twice, and week summary

RUN: 20.5 miles in 3:20, ave 9:45m/m and 131bpm

This run started out bad. The first 9 miles I felt sick, tired, hot, and just wanted to throw up and get it over with. I couldn’t bring myself to eat or drink. It was probably my breakfast of greek yogurt and fruit? Either way, it was very much like the run at CDA—it seemed as if stomach contents were just seconds from re-appearing and as if something was crawling up the back of my throat. Many times I considered stopping, walking, even quitting until I felt better. But I never did stop, I just kept running. Part of me knew I wouldn’t run later, and part of knew that this is what needs to happen in training so I can handle it in a race!

So I continued, and at 10 miles I made it to the VC (I used Wyd for a few extra miles). I finished off the sport beans and had a caffeinated gel. Some water. A bathroom break. I took my time, maybe 5 minutes? But it was all worth it--I came back “on-line” and had a great next 10 miles!

Lesson learned? I dunno. I showed that I can run aways without needing food or water, but also showed that I can handle a little food and in the end that’s probably what I need.

The run was also a preview of what I see as the Redman Run Boredom Problem. Redman is out-n-back 4 times on the paths along the lake. Four times. Boring! The only salvation I can think of is that I’ll have so much support from friends to look forward to J I can handle the boredom. I’m thinking I’ll have on all or part of the bee outfit after the halfway point, and I can space out while running with ease.

Everything went great for this run, it’s one of the last long ones before Redman!

The week was only supposed to have 15:30 hrs according to the plan, but I came up with just short of 17, and that’s not counting the bike commute times:

SWIM 9000y in 3.5hrs

BIKE 103 miles in 6hrs

RUN 42.6 miles in 6.5hrs

BIKE COMMUTE 28.5 miles time not included in the 16:49hrs

So I gotta be careful next week, I don’t need to be piling miles and hours on the legs unless it’s a beneficial ride, like a cool down or stretch.

Saint to Saint ride

BIKE: 58.5 miles in 3.5hrs Ride of the Saints

RUN: 4 miles just under 36 mins on the Katy

This week was supposed to be a rest week, so I scheduled a shorter bike than usual. Also, I wanted to focus on the long run tomorrow, as I saw that as my major session for this weekend.

This route is pretty flat until the 22 mile point, lots of long, straight, flat sections. It’s also good for practicing in winds, as the headwinds and crosswinds can be brutal, extra so due to the fact that you don’t get to turn out of it much. You just gotta hunker down and aero and stay focused on good form!

The ride out went fast, I either didn’t realize a tailwind or the wind picked up later. Either way, this went pretty slick. My goal was to keep it quick but still easy, no burning out the legs and getting tired. I probably went a little too easy sometimes, but again the long run is the goal for this week!

Turning around, we hit crosswinds out of the south. This broke up the group (we had just 5 riders) and kept us from talking. Once we got to a resting point where B curves towards NT, we marveled at the wind (and the accident we passed a few miles ago!).

While I didn’t push on the bike, I did on the run. I shot for a “pushed” pace that was faster than my expected race pace. I ended up averaging 8:55m/m. No HR data as the HRM died in mid-ride. The run felt great except it really got hot while running and my left shoe orthotic still isn’t in place yet. Add that and the HRM to the to-do list. 

When 3500 is an easy day

SWIM: 3500 in 90 mins
COMMUTE: 10 miles

1000 WU as kicking every 4th 25
MS of 2x 1000 locos: 25easy/25fast; 50, 75, 100, 100, 75, 50, 25. Each of these were done in about 22 mins. I didn't do them for time, but I caught the time as I finished.

I haven't done a 1000y TT yet this year. At least I don't remember doing one...  The last one I remember was just under 20 mins, maybe even a low 19 mins?  I have my sights set on the 2013 Postal Swim in January and I'm wondering how close to 3000y I can get? That's just 3x1000 on 20 mins each. Setting benchmarks in swimming for me is lacking, and I tend to only get the lower distances. This is a reasonable benchmark! I have time to think about it :)

I was tired today and a little sore. And sloppy. Turns out I was sloppiest in the easy segments! And some dude D didn't know was clocking fast laps, even with open turns D couldn't keep up. It was fun to watch.

Gorgeous day, Puppy and I rode to the pool then to work. Yesterday Pup had a soft front tire but it's held ever since. Just what I need before I leave for home--a flat. Bad dog!

Getting even faster!

RUN: 6.6 mi in 53:54, 8:10m/m, ave 150 bpm
BIKE: 75 mins and 21.6 miles, 2x20 hard (aimed for 125+bpm), ave 112bpm
COMMUTE: 6 miles with Puppy

Another amazing morning! I'm tired and worn out, but mentally together and still ticking away at the hours. This run was notable for my end sprint--I tried to catch the guys at the finish, making my move as far back as the last street we cross. By the time I hit the paths to the VC, I was sprinting for all I had at the time.

It felt like flying. There's no drug that can replicate this. Flying.

In other news my facial tick has returned, like it always does when I'm high in hours. And also my appetite is messed up. I'm completely un-hungry, but making myself eat. I crave food, but I'm not hungry. Another sign of fatigue.

5K swim and 5K run

SWIM: 5500y in 2hr 5mins. This is a 5K!
RUN: commute from Y, 29:30 for 9:31m/m pace

It wasn't my goal at the start to swim the 5K. In fact, I wasn't even thinking about it until I hit 4000y. But first the details.

200WU, 200 fins, 9x200 as each 3rd set, 200 fins, 9x200 as 2 easy, 3 mod, 4 fast alternating swim/pull, 200 fins, then 200's to reach 5400, then a 100 CD.

WOW. The swim didn't start out great. I felt sloppy and weak, and just not engaged in the swim. Then during the 2nd fin set I realized I was having a migraine aura! This was distracting to say the least. But it went away soon enough and oddly I felt better afterwards--more clear and focused. Whatever these aura things are, thankfully they only last 20 mins or so and don't have any aftereffects. Unless clear-headed-ness is an aftereffect.

Then at the last lap of the first 9x200 I stopped to talk to DH. During the conversation, he noted that I was the only woman he knows who wears rings to the pool. It is only at that point that I realize I'm missing my "journey of a thousand miles ring"!!! What's that saying about knowing the back of your hand?!  My ring is GONE!!

A quick check found my two wedding rings in place, and then I spent the next few laps watching the bottom of the pool for the ring. WTH?!  Am I that IronFuzzed?! I've had that ring since late Dec 2009, I bought it to commemorate the start of IMWI 2010 training. I first put it on at the IL Valley YMCA on xmas break when the program started. GONE! How could I NOT NOTICE?!

I'm thinking it probably come off recently with my bike gloves, and if I find it at all it will be in a glove or around where the bike is parked.

Then I start the pulls, and in the first lap I bang both knees into the bottom of the pool at the shallow end. Then I have to pee. So now I'm triply distracted: ring, knees, pee. Time to reset--quick pee break and back at it. This was 1hr in.

The 2nd hour just flew by. At one point I looked down to see 1:30 had passed, when I looked again it was 1:48! The 200 is a nice distance, 4 laps, 4 minutes, 10-15s rest. It was when I hit 4300y that I started doing the 5K math. Surprisingly I was able to calculate that 3 miles = 3x1700 + 3x60 =5300. It was the 0.1 that had me stumped. And I was struggling with the math counting the laps. I knew how many 200's I had--I forgot my swim lap counter but had the watch--but I struggled to double the 200 to get total yardage. 200x22 was....duh....4200. Then I though I could just repeat the last 9x200 and add another 1000 to that. Except 9x200 =/= 1000! It equals 1800! So no I can't do another 9x200, even if I felt good enough to do it.

I decided on 5500y. Sure I could have done 6000, but save that for the next time. I was feeling great! A little swim-dizzy, but faster, stronger, and more like I was extending and using more back muscle than arm muscle. The yards and minutes just ticked by! But by the time I was done, I was getting cold and I had to PEE AGAIN!

And I had to get to work! For that it was a run commute, I decided to go just a bit extra to get the 5K on that too. :) Can't be out swimming more than I'm running can I?

Greeeeeen Acres is the place for me!

RUN: 70 mins and 8.4 miles, 3x [400 80-85%; 800 85-90%; 800 80-85%; 400 85-90%] 800 rest between repeats.The intervals totaled 2400, averaged 11:24 mins, 7:39m/m
BIKE: 80 mins and 23 miles
COMMUTE: 40 mins and 6 miles

I woke up with that song in my head this morning, no idea why. Then after seeing a commercial during the bike intervals I had the Tequila song in my head.

Completely gorgeous morning run with DC. Some clouds hid the sun until about 6:20am or so, but they had a beautiful golden lining to them--just picture perfect :)

My hip muscles are still sore from the trail run on Sunday, doing a track workout may or may not have been a good idea but it's done and I'm no worse for wear at the moment. My quads were jelly in the 2nd set. I was certain my times would lag between the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd sets but they stayed roughly the same.

Both today and Sunday I found moments in which I was tempted to quit. When TH and I started back out for miles 14.6-19, I had a few doubts about what I was doing. Same thing today--moments of doubt when I wondered if I could do it. Not whether I should, but rather if I could. These are the moments I need to carry forward into Redman. I needed them for CDA run, in which I was able to keep running physically but not mentally. I didn't have the focus needed to keep going, and I didn't have the heart.

These are my Crucible Moments--defining moments in time, which will transform and challenge me. At those moments, I'm faced with the option of quitting and the option on continuing. I almost always continue in training, especially with a group. But for some reason in CDA I quit pushing the race. I would be running and just come to a walk, and I'm certain it was a mental thing. It was also nutrition--I needed to eat to fuel the brain that I needed to push the run--but in the end it was mental. I needed to make the choice to eat so I could make the choice to run. Am I making sense?

So when Redman rolls around, I need to look back to these moments when I took the harder of the options (to keep climbing the hill and to keep the interval going) and came out ahead for doing so.

Summary of The Big Week

SWIM: 3 hrs and 7500 yards, 2 swims
BIKE: 8:45 hrs and 144.4 miles, 3 bikes
RUN: 6:55 hrs and 36 miles, 4 runs

This was it!!  It totaled 19 hrs and 40 mins. It also had 19 miles of bike commuting in 1hr (I didn't count all the time as "training") that was used to extend the high quality workouts on the bike while saving time. If I were to add the commuting time, I'd hit 20hrs!

WOW! I feel great. For IM CDA this weekend was Triple T. I came back from that race wiped out and didn't really recover from it for CDA. This so far is going better.

What are my goals for the next 30-some days?
1. Get consistent on the swim and get more 4000+y sessions in.
2. Finish a few more century-like rides, including a 120 miler.
3. Keep it rolling for the run, it would be so easy and so unnecessary to over-do the run.
4. Trust the taper and rest in the next few weeks!!

Long run on the Chubb

RUN: 19 miles in 4:30??

I didn't keep good track of the time since I had the autopause turned off. But this is a good guess. It's slower than I would have liked, but that wasn't the goal. The goal was 4.5-5hrs on the feet with Z1-Z2 heart rate. And to play with nutrition. I ate surprisingly little today--half a fufu pancake, a gel, half a banana!

And it showed, my mind was fuzzing on the last out-n-back to the picnic table with TH. Stumbling and not focusing on the rocks--a sure sign of just eat--but we were so close to done and real food. Seems I'm getting sick of gels and bars already! Just a few more weeks and it's all over. Then I'll be back to normal.

But this is normal, really. I shouldn't kid myself. The 2013 race idea is Leadman--5K swim, 138 mi bike, and 13 mi run on the west coast. Yeehaw!!

All good today. My feet hurt on the bottoms like they did on the trails a few weeks ago. My knees sometimes felt "weak" and I worried one of them would just blow out and break but nothing like that happened. Yay.  I live to run another day :)

First 100 since CDA

BIKE: about 6hrs (just under actually) and 100.6 miles

This started off as a multi-distance group ride that split and split until it was just me, LC, and BG--the Calhoun group back at it for another try at 100. In a perfect world, I would have like to have done this fast. But it's not a perfect world, my friends are too much fun, and I love the social aspect of group rides. So I wouldn't have sped up just to keep to my own goals and then ride alone! Also this was LC's century ride, wouldn't miss it. And I had the perfect group to ride with--strong, fun, and always entertaining :) Gawd I love this stuff.

I loved it, I love the new faces, abilities, goals. The new roads, the gravel, the water stops, the hills, curves, dips, bumps...I miss this so much each winter!!

Once we split off for the century around mile 54 our pace picked up. It's easier to hold a faster pace when you know whose wheel is behind yours and that everyone knows the route. You just settle in for the ride, and the focus is on pedaling and not shepard-ing.

Nutrition was great until mile 95, at which time I started to fuzz over but didnt' want to take a gel in the last few mins of the ride. I figured once I got back to the truck and home, real food would be available and I wanted that instead. In a race, I wouldn't have done that!

Nothing else to complain about. Bike fit feels good, feet feel good, maybe only a little discomfort from the tri shorts. I think I need new ones that actually fit skin tight and not just kinda tight.

I need to do this again, and I need to do it faster. The whole ride under ABP conditions. Next weekend isn't perfect for that, but I might could get it to work. The next few (FEW!!!) weekends need to be planned out here soon.

Swim, rush, nothing...

SWIM: 45 mins and 2000y

I was supposed to have a meeting at work this morning, but it was canceled. Of course I didn't find this out until I got to work, having cut a swim short to get there on time...

Kept my nose to the ground on this swim, no mucking around or hanging on the wall to chitty chat.

Thursday long run, faster than last week!

RUN: 6.6mi in 55.5 mins, averaging
BIKE: 21.8mi in 75 mins, 5hard/5easy, 4/4, 3/3, 2/2, 1/1

My speedwork sessions are now the hardest workouts of the week, even harder than the mega long weekend sessions! I kinda see one as work, and the other as play. So when Thursday rolls around after the Tuesday speedwork I'm still recovering. On top of that, the Thursday run is just the warm-up, since I follow it with my quality/speed bike ride. So when I can come out and knock back a "fast" run like this, it feels damned good.

Wednesday long swim

SWIM: 4500y in 1:45; MS of 10x300

RUN: 3.05 miles in just under 30 mins, ave HR 123bpm

DH and I started the day late, not leaving for the gym until almost 730. Damn it feels good to sleep in sometimes. But it also means I get to work late. Plusses and minuses.

I wasn’t super psyched about swimming but I think I start most every swim that way and warm into it. For whatever reason, the water seemed cooler today making me even less eager. But the temp is always the same there, so that’s a mind trick.

My buddy D was there—he just finished his 10K OWS and I was excited to hear about it! Amazingly, he ate only 1 gel at the 5K turnaround!

My set for the day was a 1000y WU with 400s, 200k, and 400p. I skipped the kick to rest the legs—they are pretty beat up from trackwork yesterday. Then the MS was 10x300. This both sounds long and sounds easy at the same time. 10 replicates ain’t all that much, and a 300 is only 6 laps. But it adds up to a 3000y! 

I broke the 10x300 into a 5x[2x300] by swimming the odd 300s and pulling the evens. Then I set goals of smffms (slow, med, fast) or ssmmff or smfsmf for each 300, doing whatever I did in the swim set also in the pull set. The time flew by! I was sloppy today but ticking right along. I also did the pull sets with a “skipped” breath, breathing every 4^th stroke.

Right away though I had a sharp pain in my upper left chest, in line laterally with my shoulder. It only happened when I took a deep breath during an open turn. It wasn’t from using the shoulder on the turn (I tested that) but rather just that I took my deepest breath at the turns. This continued with no other symptoms for the first 2000y or so of the swim. Then my right ITB hurt for awhile, then my triceps, then…mind tricks again! It’s hard to know what’s real and what’s fake sometimes. But a sharp pain in my chest got my attention. A rib? My heart? A rib muscle? My lung? Should I keep swimming or HTFU? Writing this hours later--no sign of the pain at all. 

The last 700y of the CD was a mix of drills and kicking, and finally I just broke down due to a lack of time and just pulled the rest. It was satisfying to see “90” on my lap counter! J

The run was an EASY and SLOW run to work as I did last week, again using the camelback to carry stuff. I did today’s run in the same time and ave HR as before.

My legs were tight and sore last night. I did a few rounds on the foam roller to see what would come of it. I’m wondering if I finally know what a knot feels ilke—I have some painful areas to roll, especially in my quads close to my hips. But the left knee issue from yesterday is gone. But I’m keeping an eye on things. A very close eye. Maybe too close.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1 for the run and bike

RUN: 7.3 miles in 1hr, speedwork

BIKE: 22 miles in 75 mins: 20, 16, 12, mins at 115-120bpm

BIKE COMMUTE: 3 miles, 20 mins in; 40 mins and 9.5 miles in TGP

Today’s speed work was a ladder to be done once thru at 88-92%:

Goal	Distance	Pace	Time	Ave HR
2000	1.41	6:19	8:54	163
1600	1.11	6:09	6:50	167
1200	0.76	6:50	5:12	166
800	0.51	6:50	3:28	163
400	0.28	6:04	1:41	152

 I made an effort to focus on the 1600, it would be the first 1 mile TT I’ve run in …?? Although I tried to be careful in accurately stopping the garmin, it captured a little extra distance.  In ~2007 I ran a 7:34 m/m mile with an injured foot (might have been 2006). Then in 2007 or 2008 I ran a 6:23 m/m and I’ve regarded that as my One Mile PR since. So can I count the 6:09 as a PR today?!?

This was a tough session, the plan warned that the last 2 intervals would be tough, and sure enough they were! My hips were starting to hurt (even though we reversed for the 1200 and 800) and my legs were getting rubbery. But I found that if I don’t focus on the pain, the distance, and the time—the laps just fly by.

Thankfully I had company today—IT, DC, and RE—they kept me honest.

Because of a work meeting, I couldn’t squeeze in the entire 2:15 ride, but I got the best of it on the trainer—the 20, 16, and 12 min intervals at 75%. The 8 and 4 min ones would be done well enough on the commute. So I quickly showered, redressed in fresh clothes for the bike, and took Puppy to work. The plan is to log more time on the way home.

At Vande and TG Ave I started from an intersection and felt a pain in my left knee. Since then it’s felt “out of place” but I’m also focusing on it. I did a turn to it a few weeks ago in the mouse room, and it’s left me fearful that I’ll rip up a knee with all this training, doing something as simple as planting my foot on the ground! But it moves and bends and holds weight without pain, it just feels “off”. 

short swim and attention span

SWIM 1000y in 30 mins

The swim was squeezed in before with, I rode with DH and the plan was to fix Puppy's flat and ride home. So while I was stuck with his morning schedule, it worked best for me because otherwise I wouldn't have swum today. Swum? Swam? Whatever.

I kept it simple: 5x200. 200 swim. 200 pull. 200 pull with paddles. 200 bilateral. Something like that. The pool was super empty and quiet.

At work the rest of the day I was a fuzz brain. Dropping things, doing things out of order, unfocused, addle-brained, you name it. My brain is turned OFF.

And I still have to ride home....

I Scream for Great Rides!

RIDE 94 miles? in 5hrs 46 mins
RUN 2.2 miles in 20 mins

Today was TN's Ice Cream ride. It was cool enough outside that I thought about arm warmers! But went with dry arm coolers instead. It was cloudy all day, one of those days that you couldn't detect time change. The lack of sun kept us cool, and I directly attribute that to the awesome weather. It was so refreshing!

AJ and DC were along for the ride. The loop was 44 miles of fast and flat roads, with only a few hills and gravel sections to break it up. I started off falling off the back of the group, going back and forth mentally between "I should catch up and challenge myself" and "I need to do this at my own pace". Why did I want to give up so easily? Especially when I had just passed a rider wearing a shirt with a Dean K quote, something like "Run if you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must. But never give up". Dammit, don't give up!

I caught them soon enough and decided to break this ride into 2 segments to mimic some conditions for Redman. In Redman the first loop with be crowded with the halfers and the second loop will be more lonely. Very few people will be on the 2nd loop of this ride, so good. I also wanted to see if I could run the 2 loops fast and at the same speed, could I stay that focused and fed? Let's see!

The first loop did go fast, we backed off the speed at the custard shop where the ave mph was 18.6 for the loop. We skipped every rest stop in both loops and the simplicity of the course also contributed to the nice pace--few turns and long straight stretches to settle in on. I didn't eat much in this loop--1 200 calorie serving of InfinIT, 200 calories of my new peach gel, and about half of the new Boompwafels (~400 calories). I wasn't hungry or thirsty, so I didn't push it. Besides, I'd eaten so much the day before, it's not like the tank was empty...

The second loop I only at the rest of the Boompwafels, another 200 of InfinIT. But I was getting hungry! My feet felt great but my butt didn't, a flip-flop of recent conditions for me. I was sitting more forward on the bike, or at least I think I was...so maybe that was the problem? Either way, my foot pains were minimal. The ave speed dropped a bit to 17.6. But it was a comfort to see this, recent rides have been in the 16's but those rides always have stops, waiting, etc to throw the number off even when using autopause.

It was amazing on the ride to see farmers combining corn. In August! Fields have been dead for weeks, I've passed other fields already gone...what a year.

AJ is a great companion to ride with, she rocks the pace, keeps steady, and communicates what's going on. I'm happy to have her as a buddy for the Redman full, we're going to have fun!!

The brick run was about 20 mins after the ride, it was raining lightly and I was really thirsty. Ironic as always.  But run felt good, the quads a little tight, a little foot discomfort, that's all.

Overall, this is probably my best training ride this year in terms of how I felt and my speed. Yay!

Really lost track of time today, not sure how.

Creve Coeur long-ish run

RUN: 13.2 in 2 hrs and 10? minutes
BIKE: 60 mins and ?18 miles?

Not keeping good track of things, am I?

The run was a CCP, starting at the top of the biggie hill because of the dragonboat festivities. IT, TH, AJ, BYK and me for the first loop  and just 3 of us for the last loop. It took longer than expected, we probably had a good pace off the hill but lost time moving up and down it?

My left metatarsels hurt today, I was wearing the 12-2 Adrenalines. Move the orthotic? Did it move itself?

Check!

Somewhere between 10 and 5?

Today was an unintentional day off. I was going to swim in the morning, that got delayed. I then planned to ride to work with Puppy and swim after work, figuring since I arrived early I could leave somewhat early. Then Puppy got a flat I couldn't fix (even after I spent a good part of 2 hrs removing all that damned glue...). Then I realized I didn't pack my swim gear.

Dammit.

"The trick is to keep losing weight until your friends and family ask you if you've been sick, then you know you're within 10 pounds. If they start whispering to each other, wondering if you've got cancer or aids, you're within 5. When they actually do an intervention, you're at race weight." 

Time to shift my thinking on run pace

RUN: 6.6 miles in 56:something for an ~8:29m/m pace

BIKE: 24.6 miles in 90 mins, with 12min, 9 min, 6 min, and 3 min (3 min rest) intervals HARD

Again another night with low sleep—I didn’t fall asleep until at least after 10:30 and I woke up a few times. Would napping make this worse or would it help?

I woke up OK for the run, and swore as I was going out the door that today wouldn’t be a fast one. But define fast, as I like to say. I’ve been doing the 8:30-or-less pace at the FP run for a few months now. Maybe that’s not “fast” anymore, but rather the new normal pace?

My right quad hurt again today, more of a tight pain. It was defined—I could trace the outline of the muscle—so it’s focused to just one. A brief stretch prior to running found both legs to be tight, so that is something else to work on! The muscle is in the front, sort of medial, and could be felt from hip to knee. And speaking of knee, the right knee is also a little tight and sometimes has a tingly feeling. And speaking of the right side, my right foot is painful/tight at the bottom under the metatarsels. Just one pain after another around here.

Even though I was tired and sore, I kept going. I toyed with the idea of cutting short to 4 miles but when the option came up I passed right by without another thought to it. The pain came and went, mostly gone by the end which suggests to me that it’s a matter of taking care of the leg to relax and stretch it, and not really an injury. Yet.

I came home so hungry I ate a large sweet potato with a bunch of honey, salt, and ghee. Oh and a hard boiled egg. I worried it was too much for the ride, but I was too hungry to ride anyway.

I did the bike indoors so I could really focus on the intervals. The first 2 were to be at 88-92% so I aimed for 135-140bpm. My HR shot right up to 140 in no time at all, so I’m probably dehydrated.  Ha, ya think!?  The 6 min interval  was to be at 90-95% so I aimed for 140-145bpm. The last 3 min was 95%+ and I aimed for 145+. This last one was hardest, my mind kept drifting and the HR would drop. And I can’t blame the awful Sci-fi moving I was watching about a sea beast. It was so awful…it was more of a comedy! But the Olympics just had horse dancing and that was even worse.

Rest rest rest now until the long run Saturday. Tomorrow’s swim should be long but not too taxing!

Reading even more on run commuting and TN's shift your commute challenge. This might be a good fall/winter goal for me--to not drive but rather run or ride when I can. Or ride with DH when I can :)

My quads hurt swimming so I went for a run?

SWIM: 3500y in ~90 mins

RUN: 3 miles EASY in 30mins 10:00m/m pace, ave HR 124

The swim was a long 800y WU, then 3 sets of 4x125's (15s rest) track the time of the 125's and they should add up to a 500y time. 200 rest between each set.

My times for the 125’s were on the order of 2:26-2:33, with the fastest being in the first set at 2:16. A 125y interval in 2:30 = 2:00s/100y pace. This is under my goal of a 2:07 pace that makes the minimum needed for a 1:30 at Redman.

My swim friend D is racing his 10K this Sunday, he’s excited about it and I can’t wait to hear how it goes. It’s also nice to know someone doing something crazier than I am!

The run is the first in my run-commute plan. I rode with DH to the pool, left my big back in his truck, used the Camelbak as a light bag, ran to work, retrieved the big pack from the car, and went to work! Count this as $6 saved in parking, to be counted against the cost of the Camelbak.

The swim was OK, I’m really feeling some fatigue in the shoulders, specifically an occasional pain but nothing sustained. It’s hard to tell a mental pain from an injury pain sometimes, but I count the pains that come and go at whim as mental ones. My mind playing tricks.

But my quads in my right leg hurt a bit too. So my body is getting more vocal.

The run was great, I was dehydrated, hungry, and hot. I probably looked like an over-kill runner as I was wearing the marathoner vest, garmin, my new Kinvara 2, RP visor, and my 2XU calf sleeves. I wanted to test them out running instead of recovering. I didn’t notice anything, but it was only 3 miles! Just a test. And the Kinvara’s are the ones I bought 9 months ago on a shoe buy that have been sitting in a box until the K-1’s wore out. I tested them in a NT run a few months ago and didn’t like them much. The toe box felt too wide and “slappy” on the ground. Since then I decided I “didn’t like them”, but it was only a 3-4 mile run! Time to give them a fair shake.

They were OK for the run, no problems noted. But to walk in them is very uncomfortable! Probably like my treadmill run analysis found, the minimalist shoes let my ankles roll too much.

Very hungry all day, I think I ate way too much but never felt full. And my sleep is still pretty poor, I slept through the night but didn’t get much hours. Need to work on that!

Dead legs and a track session

RUN: 8.1 miles in 70 mins
BIKE: 22.1 miles in 80 mins, 1x30 and 1x20 mins at 115-120bpm

As I was preparing for the run, I started wondering at what point I had to reel myself in and rest. A tendon or something in the bottom of my right foot hurt, my right "stablizing" muscles hurt, and my legs were lacking zip. At what point does the balance tip into injury and burnout from improvement and healthy stress? I'm not yet there, apparently.

The session was 2 sets of a descending distance ladder, to be done at 88-92% effort, with 200 rest in between. No HR data today, DH was in the bathroom where the HRM was!:
1000: 6:46m/m 4:48 0.71mi
600: 6:36m/m 2:46 0.42mi
800: 6:26m/m 3:38 0.56mi
200: 6:18m/m 0:50 0.13mi
The second set of intervals should be the same if not faster, after an 800 rest:
1000: 6:17m/m 4:30 0.72mi
600: 6:27m/m 2:41 0.42mi
800: 7:01 m/m 3:36 0.51mi*
200: 6:31m/m 0:54 0.12mi*

I knew in the warm-up that my legs were like dead weight. I took an extra lap to see if some straight-section spin-ups would help...not really. Again I started wondering at what point I take this all too far? What if I stumble on the track and fall? What if an ankle or knee mis-steps and gets torn up? I'm not that far in real fatigue just yet, I guess.

The first 1000 seemed flat and uninspired, but I did fairly well with it. The 200 rest intervals gave me just enough time to recover. The difference between 1000 and 600 seemed huge, and heck an 800 was only 200 more than the 600 I just did, and only a 200? This was a pleasant mental workout as well.

IT joined me starting around the 1st set 600 or 800. He was running faster so I had a rabbit to catch. That might explain the improved times on the subsequent intervals :)

*I ran the last 2 intervals in the counter-clockwise direction, being more careful to stop the garmin at the right point. I think in previous sessions I was stopping it too early and thus making the data look messed up.

In the end I was wiped out, drenched in sweat, and hungry. But I still had a bike ride! So a slow run up the hill to home, hop on the trainer to get the steady intervals, and get in what I can of a 2x30min 75% session. I didn't get it all, but I got a majority.

Day off but still dreamed about triathlon

I haven't been sleeping well lately. I don't fall asleep until late, then I don't sleep through the night. This happens when training hours get high. 16-17hrs last week--yeah, training hours aren't peaked but they are getting high.

The dream was that I had signed up for another ironman before Redman. I think it was Ironman Washington, LOL, least I could do is dream about a real race!

DH and I were there, and we were getting ready for the swim. I realized standing there that I still had my sunglasses on--these are supposed to be in transition, I said! DH grabs them and runs off to put them on the bike and I ran after trying to stop him, I didn't want to be DQ'd for outside assistance. He was soon gone and I was lost. I soon realized I also had my helmet with me! And I hadn't put fuel or water on the bike that morning either! I wandered a bit, lost, unsure, then came back to the swim venue, which was a small quarry pool with swimmers doing a swirl-circle pattern swim.

I didn't want to quit! But I did! I just gave up, and in my head started coming up with all the reasons it was OK for me to quit.

Soooo happy when I woke up.

The Calhoun County "Century"

BIKE: 90 miles in 6hrs. Hills, Hills, and Hills.

Again, as with the trail run yesterday, it depended on whose garmin you asked to get the distance. LC and BG had 91, I had 89. 90 sounds good enough. 90 it is. 

The plan was for a century, and although we didn't hit the distance technically we sure did cover some miles. It was somewhat of a late start at 820 but it was a long drive up. I also got to meet again the other club member doing redman full. We started on some trail, crossed the river on the ferry (Frea's 1st!), and immediately found some great road in Calhoun. These miles were mostly flat, surrounded by fields, light winds, sunshine, great company. What an awesome weekend I'm having! :)

Quick break in Brussels, then off. Our group split up fast, and suddenly it was just LC, BG, BS, and CT with me. We nearly missed our first turn (and I think the rest of the group ahead of us did too--we never saw them again) and thankfully we found it. It was the best hill of the day!

Best hill because it was the worst. Ugh. WOW. We ended up walking! LC and I got part way up before stopping on a false flat. It was so steep we couldn't get rolling again. WOW.

The short route peeps split off soon enough and it was just the 3 of us. Turns out the plan of the day was to ride the vertical roads which were mostly flat and find hills by crossing the bluffs and hills in the middle of the peninsula. One road was along the IL River, the other along the MS River. So every time we turned off the River Roads, we had a climb. And a descent. And you know me, I'd rather be climbing. Lung busting climbs, brief respite at the top, then a white knuckle descent. Flat river road, do it again.

The day was beautiful. Occasionally we'd hit the top of the hills and get a view of the river valley and trees. The sun came out eventually and it heated up. Once this happened, we needed cool water. The first town we  were to hit was at mile 52, and due to little errors were were 6-8 miles off that. So when we hit Hardin for our first stop we needed everything. In that 30 mins, I had a Kind bar, some cashews, and some of the S-bucks Double Shot LC and I got earlier. I was saving it for the halfway point, even though it was warm it was still caffeinated, right?!  It was OK, it did wake me up but didn't taste great. Good to try it, maybe I'd like another flavor and at least now I know I can drink this if needed.

When we set off again, I was much better off. My energy was OK before, but I was losing interest. I needed to eat! We had decided to shorten the route so LC could get home on time. But really, 90 miles is a damned fine ride and with all those hills  and the time it took--this was sssoooooo close!

We need to come back and Conquer!

Looooong trail run. And turtles "doin' it"

RUN: 4hrs and 20 mins in Castlewood.

We've been needing rain for weeks, if not months. So no one was complaining when we woke up to rain, lightning, and thunder. YAY! At least we weren't riding today. Running in the rain is great in my book :)

I'd set a start time of 6am, knowing the sun would come up right then. To do this, I'd need to be up around 430 to leave by 520. Messing up this plan--I slept in! My didn't wake up til 5am. NUTS! I rush out the door with my new Camelbak, some dried apples, dates, and a few gels.

On the drive out, I wonder if the park is open--when I arrive at the park the sun still isn't up. Thunder and lightning still everywhere, but the rain coming and going. I'm running late and in a bit of a hurry, so when I see a fallen branch blocking the road to the park the frustration is starting. It's dark, I have the high beams on, I'm alone on the road...I've seen this movie...

I get a text from TH asking if I know that the park doesn't open until 7am. LOL. Nope! She and another runner (BS) are at another park entrance. I give LC a heads-up, then find the alternate route. We warmed up with 2.5 miles or so on the road waiting for 7am and LC. Once situated in a parking lot and all ready to go, finally we set off.

The rain was light for the most part, at some times it got heavy. But I loved it. The humidity was super-thick, the greens were lush, the trail muddy, the creek full, the company wonderful. We logged miles full of conversation and rain.

One thing I love about trail running is the rugged feel, the strength it requires, the almost raw feeling. Running on a road is boring in comparison. This is fast up, down, turn, up, turn, down, more. A hill, a tree, a creek. LOVE IT.

While on the Grotpeter trail we see 2 turtles in the middle of the trail. TH summed it up best: "they're doin' it".  LOL So Beavis and Butthead.

For fueling I alternated real food with sport food: apples, gel, dates, chomps, etc. I was testing to see if this method allowed my tummy time to digest the real food in what would be double the interval by using the sport food in between. It seemed to work. The foods were easy to grab from the Camelback vest.

LC and BS were with us for 13 or so miles (it depended on whose Garmin you consulted, mine said 12 while BS's said 13). They were done, it was BS's longest trail run and LC's first in many years. A morning of great accomplishments.

But TH and I had more planned. So we continued on. By now the rain was done, but not the humidity. Ugh, it was like swimming.

Things rolled along smoothly. I rolled my right ankle once but no apparent damage. The mud was wearing on my hip muscles, my soles were sore from the rocky surfaces, and my Camelbak was empty! (this was a good thing considering that in the beginning of the run I had trouble getting it to work!). I was ready for the run to end, but I did want to hit goal: 20 miles.

It took some bad math and a road out-n-back to do it, but we made it to 20. And considering the garmin inaccuracy in hills, we probably ran at least 20.

I felt great afterwards. Thirsty, hungry, wet, but great. I also had some chafing over my shoulders from the water pack. I really felt the weight in the beginning and I could also feel the pressure on my shoulder/neck muscles. It got better as the pack got lighter. But when I got home, I had some marks on my neck and sore muscles there. This will take some getting used to. Good time to start!

IM distance swim

SWIM: 4250 in 90 mins? I didn't track overall time but I did get the intervals.

3x600 descending 75%, 80%, and 85%
#1 in 12:46 (2:07) this was a comfy pace, just above "go all day like this"
#2 in 12:28 (2:04)
#3 in 12:16 (2:02) this was a pushing pace but not sprinting

I lose so much time at the turns. I take them carefully so I don't injury or pop an ankle. This is apparently my excuse as to why I'm not faster?!?

The original plan was to just get in the missed swim from Wednesday, a 3300y 3x600. But I was feeling good and just kept going! Lot of the cool down was kicking to rebuild ankle strength and kick ability along with pulling to work on breath control and bilateral breathing.

My lazy butt kept thinking about pulling the 600's. I knew that if I pulled the first one, I'd want to pull the 3rd one in an alternating pattern. So 'no' to that. I knew I couldn't compare times between #1 and #2 if I pulled the 2nd one, so 'no' to pulling the second set. Then in the middle of the second set, I was trying to decide about the 3rd set when I realized that Redman has a possibility of being non-wetsuit! If that is the case, then pulling won't help me here. So I'm happy to report that I did NO PULLING in the intervals!! :)

I also realized in that 2nd set that while I don't always have to Decide on an upcoming set at that particular moment, I can Resolve and make well-intended Plans for the next set. It's sort of like deciding, but it's hard to decide something about the next 600y when you're at the 300y point of the current set for some reason...not sure I'm making sense.

4224y is 2.4 miles, yahoo! Keep it going!

August 2nd full moon

RUN: 6.6 miles at 56-57 mins
BIKE: 22.1 miles in 80 mins, 4x7 mins HARD

Ah the Ironman Fatigue Syndrome. It's coming back. Today's run was great, I was surprised at the leg I had for it. But it started with a gorgeous full moon (not well captured by the phone...), nice weather, and great friends.

The bike was indoors as that was the only way to hit the intervals. I aimed for 125+ bpm and the shorter 7 min intervals were easier to focus on than Tuesday's 20 min ones.

I'm tired again, no surprise there. My mind is foggy, my muscles clumsy and soft. I feel "raw", like every bone and tendon and muscle are exposed. I can feel my core muscles and back muscles engaging when I move.

On top of that, I have a headache probably from dehydration, and my I'm so hungry I'm sick again. I think I'm eating too many carbs and just setting myself up for problems later in the day. I need a solid, quality recovery meal plan to carry me through. And some water!

Aborted swim at South Sh!tty pool

SWIM 16 minutes and ... 750yards?
RUN 58 mins and 6 miles, treadmilled

What a day. The only thing that seemed to go good for me was the run. And even that sucked as I did it on a treadmill.

My swimming has really fallen off. For all the spring and summer up to CDA I was logging the yardage above and beyond expectations. I wasn't necessarily getting faster, but the endurance, comfort, and confidence were there. In the end, my CDA swim was cold but I never tired. So, while still slow, I succeeded in improving that aspect.

Then *BAM*. It comes to a stop. The motivation to even get to the pool died. Once I get to the pool, I'm OK. It's just that I'm not getting to the pool. Besides, I'd rather ride and run than do laps.

My schedule swims are M, W, F, with one of those either being a day off or an easy swim day. Come Monday morning lately, I'm too tired and I take a rest day. Come Weds and Fri and I just want to sleep in, so I do. It's not helping any that DH is leaving the house late too. It just kills my motivation to wake up and not do it right away. I need to just get out the door and git'er done. But I don't.

My GTD challenge hit 100 miles on July 11th and as of today is only 107.59. Only 7.6 miles since CDA! OK, sure, it's a rest period. The progress indicator showed I was 10+ miles behind my 200 miles in 2012 goal. No way that would happen. So I re-adjusted to 150 miles, figuring that come Redman I wouldn't be near a pool again. So now my goal pace is "88.36 miles required as of today" and only 42 miles to go. That just didn't seem right either...but I left it, thinking maybe I'd go back later to split the difference and reset it to 175 miles.

Boring day at work sitting at my desk...so I left early. Brief delay as I swung by BRR to buy some Nuuns and register for the 30K Skippo (I wasn't going to do it, but I fell prey to the excitement!). Got to the YMCA, got dressed to swim, and realized I forgot my running clothes in the truck. I knew that if I didn't run right after the swim, I might not do it. It was damned hot out and had me thinking I'd treadmill to recover for Thursday. So out to the truck. A delay. I get to the deck and the first 3 lanes are FULL of kids, there had to be a 100 of them. Lane 4 had 2 elderly "lap" swimmers moving very slowly. Lane 5 along the wall had the water aerobic elderlies hanging on the wall. I asked the lifeguard which lane, and she whistled for lane 5 to empty--she kicked out the old people! OK it's what I needed but not really what I wanted. I felt bad! They took their time leaving, delays.

Finally I'm in my lane with another guy doing laps with me. My plan was a 3300 with 6x300 sets descending. I wasn't excited about it, but I knew that once I got rolling I'd feel better. While doing the WU, I realized why the GTD challenge seemed too easy at 42 miles to go--I needed to swim those 42 miles before Redman!! So I'm not resetting it to 175!

Right at the end of the first phase of the WU during a turn I see something else in my lane. I push off, and sighted a big woman walking in my lane....back and forth...I swim towards her and realize she's "swimming" towards me. More of a doggie paddle/walk swim...WTH?! My lane mate and I hit the wall and watch to see what happens. She's at the other wall. The lifeguards start explaining "circle swim" to her, but it didn't seem to be going anywhere. It seemed for a few mins that we were going to reverse circle swim, that's new to me! My lane mate is frustrated, saying his swim was never meant to be.

I pushed off to swim to the other and end set an example. I hit the wall...and she was gone to the rec area. Back to "sides". A few more laps, then whistles all around. My first thought was that one of the kids was in trouble. Nope. But it did have to do with the kids. One of them "left an item" that had to be picked out with a net. The pool was closed for 45 mins.

My lane mate was right in the end, the swim wasn't meant to be.

So I left for the treadmill, figuring I might come back later. Instead of the 4 easy miles on the plan, I did 6 at about a 9:30 pace. My mind was wandering, unfocused, and enjoying it. I thought about sweet potato recovery bars...I thought about not licking my lips after the swim...I thought about the weekend's training. Boredom! But Done!