BIKE: 70 mins and 20.7 miles, 8 mins at race pace, 2 mins rest
RUN COMMUTE: 6.6 total, untimed
The bike was probably sub race pace, if I'm going to be honest about it.
There are many reasons to do a two a day, today mine was to run on tired legs in the afternoon. And I admit, by the time I was 1 mile from home I wanted to walk! That would have defeated the whole purpose!
So Go Me for not walking :) But I was wiped for the rest of the evening. That added up fast.
Did this in the Kinvara 2, probably a little hard on the feet but I don't seem worse for wear. Just yet.
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Puddle jumping at the track
RUN 8.4 miles in 1:15ish, 8x800s (400 rest)
COMMUTE 6 miles
I woke up to rain, wonderful rain. And fo' sho' I was gonna run in it.
The plan was 6-8 800's. According to the pace chart, my recent HM time aligned with the 3:49 time for the 800. If I was a more prepared or anal person, I'd look up a recent entry with 800's and see how I did. If...
I waited for the heaviest of the rain to pass before leaving. I didn't expect many to join me, so being late wasn't a big deal. In the end, only BE stopped by for a few laps. Otherwise I was entirely alone.
Me and the rain. I loved it.
The data is interesting. I included all metrics so I couldn't fool myself into thinking the Garmin mis-measured the track in one direction (first 4 intervals c-clockwise, last 4 clockwise).
The rest intervals were long and full. BE and I ran intervals 3 & 4 together but talked a lot too about gait analysis and band competitions. :) The conversations make the time fly, after he left I was less motivated to go fast, but no closer to quitting. In fact, I went for the full eight intervals instead of just 6.
COMMUTE 6 miles
I woke up to rain, wonderful rain. And fo' sho' I was gonna run in it.
The plan was 6-8 800's. According to the pace chart, my recent HM time aligned with the 3:49 time for the 800. If I was a more prepared or anal person, I'd look up a recent entry with 800's and see how I did. If...
I waited for the heaviest of the rain to pass before leaving. I didn't expect many to join me, so being late wasn't a big deal. In the end, only BE stopped by for a few laps. Otherwise I was entirely alone.
Me and the rain. I loved it.
The data is interesting. I included all metrics so I couldn't fool myself into thinking the Garmin mis-measured the track in one direction (first 4 intervals c-clockwise, last 4 clockwise).
| Interval | Time | Pace | Distance | Ave HR |
| 1 | 3:40 | 6:37 | 0.55 | 153 |
| 2 | 3:42 | 6:41 | 0.55 | 155 |
| 3 | 3:36 | 6:24 | 0.56 | 159 |
| 4 | 3:40 | 6:38 | 0.55 | 147 |
| 5 | 3:56 | 7:57 | 0.5 | 142 |
| 6 | 3:51 | 7:51 | 0.59 | 150 |
| 7 | 3:50 | 7:38 | 0.5 | 152 |
| 8 | 3:50 | 7:40 | 0.5 | 152 |
The rest intervals were long and full. BE and I ran intervals 3 & 4 together but talked a lot too about gait analysis and band competitions. :) The conversations make the time fly, after he left I was less motivated to go fast, but no closer to quitting. In fact, I went for the full eight intervals instead of just 6.
If my goal was 3:49, then I nailed it. But the first 4 intervals (after which I had a long rest) show that I can do 3:39 instead of 3:49!
Sunday, July 28, 2013
IMLP watch and evaluating yesterday's race
Today my buddy LC finished her first IM. We hosted a small watch party, and in the 30 mins before she finished I was glued to the TV. She did an AWESOME job, I think she hit all her goals, and I'm jealously inspired.
What does that mean? I'm jealous that she's doing iron, I LOVE the iron distance--how hard the training is, how it takes a toll, how the focus on the race drives feats of training that just don't seem possible for any other race. No other training makes me so tired, so dedicated, so powerful feeling. And there she is, living it up. She threw herself into the training and succeeded! YAY!
I'm inspired in that after yesterday's race I know I've found another gear I didn't know I had. I didn't know I could run that way--focused and fast. Usually I fade out and find excuses to slow down.
So now that I'm jealously inspired, what's next? I'm thinking an olympic in 2 weeks during a rest week. I'm thinking about what my iron training will look like for next year now that I know this. If I can fix my swim, get back on the bike, and keep improving on the run...what's possible for me?
What does that mean? I'm jealous that she's doing iron, I LOVE the iron distance--how hard the training is, how it takes a toll, how the focus on the race drives feats of training that just don't seem possible for any other race. No other training makes me so tired, so dedicated, so powerful feeling. And there she is, living it up. She threw herself into the training and succeeded! YAY!
I'm inspired in that after yesterday's race I know I've found another gear I didn't know I had. I didn't know I could run that way--focused and fast. Usually I fade out and find excuses to slow down.
So now that I'm jealously inspired, what's next? I'm thinking an olympic in 2 weeks during a rest week. I'm thinking about what my iron training will look like for next year now that I know this. If I can fix my swim, get back on the bike, and keep improving on the run...what's possible for me?
Saturday, July 27, 2013
Route 66 half iron race report
RACE: 5:50:56
YES! sub 5:51! haha!
Songs in my head: Have A Nice Day, Fat Bottomed Girls. haha!
The morning went smoothly, water temps were 79.8F and air temps in the high 60's. No wind, so Yay no water chop! I took everything easy and never felt too stressed, even about the swim. My goals were to keep it easy, and save something for a great run. The only thing I forgot was to take off my rings, which I didn't realize until minutes before the swim.
SWIM 1.2 miles in 53:54 40th/53 in gender; 7/7 in my AG.
OK, so I said the swim goal was just to survive. That I did. But gee whiz my goal wasn't to SUCK! Whatever. The temp was such that you didn't notice the water on your skin. My goggles fogged up quickly, and I think I need new goggles. We were to go north under a bridge to a green buoy, turn back to swim a long backstretch under the bridge to another green buoy, then back to the dock. My swim was seemed very tiny! This was a blessing in the end, the lack of contact allowed me to stay calm. My biggest fear in thinking about this swim was that I'd sink low in the water and spend too much energy trying to stay on top of it. This wasn't so bad in the end, I settled into a rhythm and stuck to it. I turned more than usual to be sure my face wasn't hit with water (I feared if I swallow/inhaled water I'd panic), I took my time sighting, and stayed calm when I couldn't clearly see the turn buoys. No inhalation of water, no panic, and no fear. Overall, great!
The only problems seemed to be some chop (I though it was just me dragging in the water, but other racers said it was chop), my legs dragged low in the water and I couldn't get them up, I kept turning left in the backstretch--so towards the shore and across the other line of swim traffic (TH said there was a current pushing us), and I had one other swimmer swim right into me in the last stretch to the docks. My goggles got smooshed into my face--OUCH-- but I kept going. And at some point in the backstretch I realized the skin on my torso had an itchy-burning feeling. Never did figure that out, but I did have a rash under my shelf bra later on. I'm disappointed with the time, but so happy to have just done it!
T1: 2:11 36/53 and 5/7. I didn't hurry here at all. I jogged to the bike, fighting off disappointment with happiness. Mixed bag. At the bike I saw TH coming up behind me and gave a WHOOP. We talked a bit, loafed a bit, then took off. There were some rack problems with the rail sagging, TH lost most off of her nutrition into her jersey. I couldn't help her, unfortunately.
BIKE 56 miles in 3:02 for 18.38mph ave. 21/53 and 4/7.
The bike was not a major goal here, but I do love the bike segment! In preparation for this race, I probably did only 5 long rides, only a few over 50. So I really can't say I trained for this, I had some prep rides but for the most part my best strategy was to ride at a sustainable pace and not burn up.
I had a brief moment in the first 5 miles of "oh man I'm going to be here for 3 hours". Slow down, pace it, put it in low gear and let the cardiovascular engine idle. It was also hard because the half distance bike racks seemed empty in transition and there seemed to be nobody ahead of me. Usually I get spurred on in the bike by chasing those ahead of me, but no carrots today! Was I really that far behind?! Idle....idle...
The course had out-n-back segments so I started looking for friends. I saw most of them, but they bumped my HR and pace up when I saw them. Ha, not their fault, so I quit looking. Today had one of those headwinds that was everywhere, shouldn't a headwind turn into a tailwind at least in one direction? And the road conditions were rough the first 20 miles. Idle...idle...
Finally in a longer stretch we benefited from less headwind (OK maybe it was a bit of tailwind!). I saw PT with a flat tire, but that was about it. Everyone must be in the loop ahead of me. I got passed by a strong woman in a pink jersey, but otherwise it was me passing everyone. I enjoyed a few small hills in the loop, then back home into the headwind. I was pretty happy with how I managed the wind, sometimes I fight it and mash away trying to maintain speed. Today I just stayed steady, no fighting and no numb feet. Win!
I went through half a powerbar, 2 gels, and 2 servings of Infiit on the bike. I emptied all 3 bottles and took no handups. This is more gels than usual for me, but it seemed a good choice.
T2: 2:11 ?/53 and 6/7. I'm still not hurrying here, and I had big trouble racking my bike. There was no space! I had to move bikes over, and when I did that they threatened to fall off the rail. So I took my time, made sure the bikes were OK, slipped shoes and socks on, then ran out with my belt, garmin, and gels in had. BE was at the T2 exit! Yay a boost! But I had to pee, so I quick stop in the portapotty (the second one as the first had an occupant and unlocked door!). I put on the garmin and belt as I pee'd then dashed off for the run.
RUN 13.1 miles in 1:49:28 7/53 3/7 pace 8:21
I'm pretty sure the timing mats counted me as I exited T2, so I started my Garmin as I exited the potty so as to catch my actual run time. I knew the mat would get my real race time for later. I took off fast, up the small incline to the bridge, over the bridge, an onto the course--fast! The first mile was I think 8 m/m! And so was the 2nd! WTH was I doing?! Well, I'm a runner right now. That seems to be all I do! So....let's run!
I decided that if it felt good, I would keep doing it. If I burn out later and have to slow down, oh well. But what if I could hold it? Time to find out.
The course to my surprise was mostly shaded, and it wasn't city streets but rather more like country roads meandering through trees and houses. I'd expected sun and concrete. This was a pleasant surprise! I started seeing more people I knew, starting saying "hi" and "good job" to everyone, and was enjoying the run.
And enjoying the pace! I was maintaining a sub 8:30 pace when I looked, which I was trying not to do. I took to downhills at full speed (taking what I learned from trail running, lean into it) then paced up the hill comfortably. This was feeling good! Gel at 4 mile with some caffeine. I passed the Club group (they sounded like a frat party!), then another gel at 8, then the turn around. At which point I noted the woman in the pink jersey again. Can I catcher her? Let's find out!
I tried. I did. Even passing by the Club group again wasn't enough. She remained a pink spec in the 100y or so ahead of me. We came back across the bridge, still feeling great considering my pace, running as fast as I could, and hit the finish strong.
The first think I did was seek out the woman in pink, and congratulated her. Turns out she knew I was there and pushed to stay ahead. Win-win for both of us!
I couldn't be sure until the final results were posted, but this run looked to be a PR! My first crossing of the 1:50 barrier! Once I got home I confirmed it--A HM PR by 3-4 minutes! Yahoo!!!!!!!!!
Recovery was smooth, sometimes I wondered if I could have raced harder. I was very surprised to learn I was 3rd in my AG (bumped up to 2nd) with a pedestrian finish time. But the real fun was hanging out at the tent, cheering in finishers, and catching up with friends.
Overall a great day. It has me excited for triathlons again!
YES! sub 5:51! haha!
Songs in my head: Have A Nice Day, Fat Bottomed Girls. haha!
The morning went smoothly, water temps were 79.8F and air temps in the high 60's. No wind, so Yay no water chop! I took everything easy and never felt too stressed, even about the swim. My goals were to keep it easy, and save something for a great run. The only thing I forgot was to take off my rings, which I didn't realize until minutes before the swim.
SWIM 1.2 miles in 53:54 40th/53 in gender; 7/7 in my AG.
OK, so I said the swim goal was just to survive. That I did. But gee whiz my goal wasn't to SUCK! Whatever. The temp was such that you didn't notice the water on your skin. My goggles fogged up quickly, and I think I need new goggles. We were to go north under a bridge to a green buoy, turn back to swim a long backstretch under the bridge to another green buoy, then back to the dock. My swim was seemed very tiny! This was a blessing in the end, the lack of contact allowed me to stay calm. My biggest fear in thinking about this swim was that I'd sink low in the water and spend too much energy trying to stay on top of it. This wasn't so bad in the end, I settled into a rhythm and stuck to it. I turned more than usual to be sure my face wasn't hit with water (I feared if I swallow/inhaled water I'd panic), I took my time sighting, and stayed calm when I couldn't clearly see the turn buoys. No inhalation of water, no panic, and no fear. Overall, great!
The only problems seemed to be some chop (I though it was just me dragging in the water, but other racers said it was chop), my legs dragged low in the water and I couldn't get them up, I kept turning left in the backstretch--so towards the shore and across the other line of swim traffic (TH said there was a current pushing us), and I had one other swimmer swim right into me in the last stretch to the docks. My goggles got smooshed into my face--OUCH-- but I kept going. And at some point in the backstretch I realized the skin on my torso had an itchy-burning feeling. Never did figure that out, but I did have a rash under my shelf bra later on. I'm disappointed with the time, but so happy to have just done it!
T1: 2:11 36/53 and 5/7. I didn't hurry here at all. I jogged to the bike, fighting off disappointment with happiness. Mixed bag. At the bike I saw TH coming up behind me and gave a WHOOP. We talked a bit, loafed a bit, then took off. There were some rack problems with the rail sagging, TH lost most off of her nutrition into her jersey. I couldn't help her, unfortunately.
BIKE 56 miles in 3:02 for 18.38mph ave. 21/53 and 4/7.
The bike was not a major goal here, but I do love the bike segment! In preparation for this race, I probably did only 5 long rides, only a few over 50. So I really can't say I trained for this, I had some prep rides but for the most part my best strategy was to ride at a sustainable pace and not burn up.
I had a brief moment in the first 5 miles of "oh man I'm going to be here for 3 hours". Slow down, pace it, put it in low gear and let the cardiovascular engine idle. It was also hard because the half distance bike racks seemed empty in transition and there seemed to be nobody ahead of me. Usually I get spurred on in the bike by chasing those ahead of me, but no carrots today! Was I really that far behind?! Idle....idle...
The course had out-n-back segments so I started looking for friends. I saw most of them, but they bumped my HR and pace up when I saw them. Ha, not their fault, so I quit looking. Today had one of those headwinds that was everywhere, shouldn't a headwind turn into a tailwind at least in one direction? And the road conditions were rough the first 20 miles. Idle...idle...
Finally in a longer stretch we benefited from less headwind (OK maybe it was a bit of tailwind!). I saw PT with a flat tire, but that was about it. Everyone must be in the loop ahead of me. I got passed by a strong woman in a pink jersey, but otherwise it was me passing everyone. I enjoyed a few small hills in the loop, then back home into the headwind. I was pretty happy with how I managed the wind, sometimes I fight it and mash away trying to maintain speed. Today I just stayed steady, no fighting and no numb feet. Win!
I went through half a powerbar, 2 gels, and 2 servings of Infiit on the bike. I emptied all 3 bottles and took no handups. This is more gels than usual for me, but it seemed a good choice.
T2: 2:11 ?/53 and 6/7. I'm still not hurrying here, and I had big trouble racking my bike. There was no space! I had to move bikes over, and when I did that they threatened to fall off the rail. So I took my time, made sure the bikes were OK, slipped shoes and socks on, then ran out with my belt, garmin, and gels in had. BE was at the T2 exit! Yay a boost! But I had to pee, so I quick stop in the portapotty (the second one as the first had an occupant and unlocked door!). I put on the garmin and belt as I pee'd then dashed off for the run.
RUN 13.1 miles in 1:49:28 7/53 3/7 pace 8:21
I'm pretty sure the timing mats counted me as I exited T2, so I started my Garmin as I exited the potty so as to catch my actual run time. I knew the mat would get my real race time for later. I took off fast, up the small incline to the bridge, over the bridge, an onto the course--fast! The first mile was I think 8 m/m! And so was the 2nd! WTH was I doing?! Well, I'm a runner right now. That seems to be all I do! So....let's run!
I decided that if it felt good, I would keep doing it. If I burn out later and have to slow down, oh well. But what if I could hold it? Time to find out.
The course to my surprise was mostly shaded, and it wasn't city streets but rather more like country roads meandering through trees and houses. I'd expected sun and concrete. This was a pleasant surprise! I started seeing more people I knew, starting saying "hi" and "good job" to everyone, and was enjoying the run.
And enjoying the pace! I was maintaining a sub 8:30 pace when I looked, which I was trying not to do. I took to downhills at full speed (taking what I learned from trail running, lean into it) then paced up the hill comfortably. This was feeling good! Gel at 4 mile with some caffeine. I passed the Club group (they sounded like a frat party!), then another gel at 8, then the turn around. At which point I noted the woman in the pink jersey again. Can I catcher her? Let's find out!
I tried. I did. Even passing by the Club group again wasn't enough. She remained a pink spec in the 100y or so ahead of me. We came back across the bridge, still feeling great considering my pace, running as fast as I could, and hit the finish strong.
The first think I did was seek out the woman in pink, and congratulated her. Turns out she knew I was there and pushed to stay ahead. Win-win for both of us!
I couldn't be sure until the final results were posted, but this run looked to be a PR! My first crossing of the 1:50 barrier! Once I got home I confirmed it--A HM PR by 3-4 minutes! Yahoo!!!!!!!!!
Recovery was smooth, sometimes I wondered if I could have raced harder. I was very surprised to learn I was 3rd in my AG (bumped up to 2nd) with a pedestrian finish time. But the real fun was hanging out at the tent, cheering in finishers, and catching up with friends.
Overall a great day. It has me excited for triathlons again!
Friday, July 26, 2013
Route 66 pre-race
Half day at work then travel to Springfield. TH and I followed our well-honed plan of packet pickup, quiet from-home dinner, and early to bed. Along with lots of pre-race thinking.
What are my goals for tomorrow? It's my first tri this year and my last. Don't get injured. Have a solid day. Nail the nutrition. Don't drown.
I meant to bring the wetsuit, not to wear it but as a joke of a security blanket thing to carry. But while unpacking I realized I didn't have it with me. TH had her sleeveless and offered it, but I was really set on NOT wearing a suit. No matter how nervous it made me.
Is this a good time to point out that the lake was choppy at packet pickup?
As I was trying to fall asleep, I tried running through transitions in my head. What to do, when to do it, and ugh I just couldn't concentrate.
And I ate too much for dinner. haha!
What are my goals for tomorrow? It's my first tri this year and my last. Don't get injured. Have a solid day. Nail the nutrition. Don't drown.
I meant to bring the wetsuit, not to wear it but as a joke of a security blanket thing to carry. But while unpacking I realized I didn't have it with me. TH had her sleeveless and offered it, but I was really set on NOT wearing a suit. No matter how nervous it made me.
Is this a good time to point out that the lake was choppy at packet pickup?
As I was trying to fall asleep, I tried running through transitions in my head. What to do, when to do it, and ugh I just couldn't concentrate.
And I ate too much for dinner. haha!
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Thursday Taper
RUN 4 miles in 38:12, for a 9:32 pace
I skipped the normal Thursday run to do a TGP and back run from home. I just needed to stay focused.
I can't remember if I commuted or not?
I skipped the normal Thursday run to do a TGP and back run from home. I just needed to stay focused.
I can't remember if I commuted or not?
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Let the taper begin
I woke up to a sore neck, pained back, tight feet and knees, and overall "feeling old" feeling.
So I rested! No commute either.
My only complaint is taper tummy--HUNGRY!
So I rested! No commute either.
My only complaint is taper tummy--HUNGRY!
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Full Moon Speedwork
RUN 1hr and 6.6 miles, as 4x1200 at goal of 6 mins per 1200
COMMUTE 6 miles
#1 7:29m/m 140bpm
#2 7:17m/m 148bpm
#3 8:07m/m 152bpm
#4 8:22m/m 151bpm
I ran the last two backwards. Garmin says first two were 0.84 miles and the last two were 0.75 miles.
This was another one of those days in which I didn't think I'd be able to maintain much of anything, but was then surprised when it was all said and done. My legs were tired and heavy, and my tummy was felling full and heavy. For the first 20 mins, I stood around talking more than running! To the point that T from the other group asked if full body stretches were imminent. HA!
I learned about The Eurekan today: Friday sprint tri, Saturday 100 mi ride, and Sunday 10K. All for $130!! That's my kinda weekend :)
Mark this workout as one that was a good lesson learned. No matter how tired you feel, you can overcome it. I'm beginning to think fatigue is mostly a mental state, that the scripting in your head can play a huge role in what you can do that day. Today I learned that tired heavy legs can still run 8 min miles!
COMMUTE 6 miles
#1 7:29m/m 140bpm
#2 7:17m/m 148bpm
#3 8:07m/m 152bpm
#4 8:22m/m 151bpm
I ran the last two backwards. Garmin says first two were 0.84 miles and the last two were 0.75 miles.
This was another one of those days in which I didn't think I'd be able to maintain much of anything, but was then surprised when it was all said and done. My legs were tired and heavy, and my tummy was felling full and heavy. For the first 20 mins, I stood around talking more than running! To the point that T from the other group asked if full body stretches were imminent. HA!
I learned about The Eurekan today: Friday sprint tri, Saturday 100 mi ride, and Sunday 10K. All for $130!! That's my kinda weekend :)
Mark this workout as one that was a good lesson learned. No matter how tired you feel, you can overcome it. I'm beginning to think fatigue is mostly a mental state, that the scripting in your head can play a huge role in what you can do that day. Today I learned that tired heavy legs can still run 8 min miles!
Monday, July 22, 2013
Tired swim, but at least I swam!
SWIM: 1000y in 20-23 mins
COMMUTE 10 miles
I must have really enjoyed Friday's swim to come back again so soon after a big training weekend! I do admit to having crazy thoughts about 5K OWS...those thoughts were tempered by the fatigue I felt this morning. Even though I have energy, I'm awake, and I'm feeling soooooo much better than expected, my back and shoulders were decidedly not ready for too much today. They got weak and sloppy fast. No need to drill bad habits!
I ran in to D for the first time in weeks. I asked about recommended OWS races, and he pointed out something about my endurance training I've never considered before--that I can train to swim 2.4 miles followed by a 112 mi bike and marathon run. So why NOT do a 5K swim with NOTHING after it?! LOL. Never thought of it like that!
So now I'm browsing OWS sites. D mentioned a Swim to the Moon race, and it got me thinking about Googling all the Moon races out there to see which ones I can do. :)
Oh and I should mention it's a FULL MOON night!
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Ride between the Saints
BIKE 38.5 miles in 2:04. 18.6 mph auto-pause pace
RUN 1.0 mile in 9:15
The original plan was to do the Ride of the Saints route, but none of us needed that mileage. I'm amazed at how good this felt for being the day after the Chubby Mary! The cloud cover and cooler temps surely helped.
I dislike driving to that area of the city, but do enjoy the time trial esque routes.
For the brick--my plan was to run 2 miles but I changed it to 1 mile soon after starting. Stuff hurt, and I had nothing to gain by pushing a run out today. Not like I'm going to get faster or build endurance here.
RUN 1.0 mile in 9:15
The original plan was to do the Ride of the Saints route, but none of us needed that mileage. I'm amazed at how good this felt for being the day after the Chubby Mary! The cloud cover and cooler temps surely helped.
I dislike driving to that area of the city, but do enjoy the time trial esque routes.
For the brick--my plan was to run 2 miles but I changed it to 1 mile soon after starting. Stuff hurt, and I had nothing to gain by pushing a run out today. Not like I'm going to get faster or build endurance here.
Saturday, July 20, 2013
The Chubby Mary
RUN 26.3 miles in 5:44, approx 13:00 m/m pace.
I love me some Chubb trail. But once TV saw the trail and we got a taste of the heat, our plans for a Quad Chubb changed to a near-Double Chubb as per normal race conditions. Besides, why spend all that time on the Chubb and not see the whole thing?
First lap. We started off with 2 other runners, one who had a crazy-energy dog that was so fun to watch. I was sweating heavily before we even reached the picnic table!We stayed as a group until the RR tracks at which point they split and T and I had to consider our options.
When I was at the Chubb a few weeks ago the river section was blocked by trees. You'd think it would be open or re-routed by now, so we decided to hold the Quad Chubb on a cooler day and see what the river trail looked like. In the end, this was the better option--the trail was dry and open. Grassy, but open. We went all the way out to the Chubb turn-around. By this time I was getting low on water and started being mentally conservative with drinking. I drank, but not ad libitum. I think this is what threw me off for the return trip. We had water at the tracks near the bluff but not enough for full refills. On the way up the wall, my tummy threatened to return the water I had at the tracks. I think it was swallowed air and increased effort. The few glugs I added before we hit the bluffs were gone by the time we hit the truck, 15 miles and 3:15.
15-20 min rest. Refill and refuel. I was feeling better and wanted at least 10 more. I switched to EFS for this lap.
Second lap. Back up the Chubb to the picnic table, some mental math to calculate the turn-around, down the wall, over the tracks, along the river, to the fire road, then turn-around. This lap was going much better than the first. At the 21 mile turn-around I was feeling great. Light, fast, and energetic. Of course, it was a flat section of trail...
I didn't make the same mistake this time around of drinking a bunch of water right before the climb. And this climb went better for me-I was able to run much more of it, although I walked a chunk of it too. This time we went down Flint to the end.
At the finish, I was hot, dry, achy legs, but awake. And I asked the question I always ask at this point: If today were Race Day, could I repeat what I just did? And if not, what do I need to change so I can do it?
The powerbar I had in the first lap probably wasn't what made me feel sick, although the 2nd lap with EFS was remarkably better. I do need to drink EVEN MORE. My hill pace management is still weak, thankfully the MT50 doesn't have hills like this.
Could I have done it again? Not today!
I love me some Chubb trail. But once TV saw the trail and we got a taste of the heat, our plans for a Quad Chubb changed to a near-Double Chubb as per normal race conditions. Besides, why spend all that time on the Chubb and not see the whole thing?
First lap. We started off with 2 other runners, one who had a crazy-energy dog that was so fun to watch. I was sweating heavily before we even reached the picnic table!We stayed as a group until the RR tracks at which point they split and T and I had to consider our options.
When I was at the Chubb a few weeks ago the river section was blocked by trees. You'd think it would be open or re-routed by now, so we decided to hold the Quad Chubb on a cooler day and see what the river trail looked like. In the end, this was the better option--the trail was dry and open. Grassy, but open. We went all the way out to the Chubb turn-around. By this time I was getting low on water and started being mentally conservative with drinking. I drank, but not ad libitum. I think this is what threw me off for the return trip. We had water at the tracks near the bluff but not enough for full refills. On the way up the wall, my tummy threatened to return the water I had at the tracks. I think it was swallowed air and increased effort. The few glugs I added before we hit the bluffs were gone by the time we hit the truck, 15 miles and 3:15.
15-20 min rest. Refill and refuel. I was feeling better and wanted at least 10 more. I switched to EFS for this lap.
Second lap. Back up the Chubb to the picnic table, some mental math to calculate the turn-around, down the wall, over the tracks, along the river, to the fire road, then turn-around. This lap was going much better than the first. At the 21 mile turn-around I was feeling great. Light, fast, and energetic. Of course, it was a flat section of trail...
I didn't make the same mistake this time around of drinking a bunch of water right before the climb. And this climb went better for me-I was able to run much more of it, although I walked a chunk of it too. This time we went down Flint to the end.
At the finish, I was hot, dry, achy legs, but awake. And I asked the question I always ask at this point: If today were Race Day, could I repeat what I just did? And if not, what do I need to change so I can do it?
The powerbar I had in the first lap probably wasn't what made me feel sick, although the 2nd lap with EFS was remarkably better. I do need to drink EVEN MORE. My hill pace management is still weak, thankfully the MT50 doesn't have hills like this.
Could I have done it again? Not today!
Friday, July 19, 2013
OMG Friday Swim!
SWIM 62 mins and 60 laps--3000y aka 1.7 miles!
COMMUTE 10 miles
I had to do the math on that a couple of times before I believed it. 3000-freaking-yards?! (I just double checked again).
More often than not when I miss the morning swim I fail to make up for it in the afternoon. I really don't like swimming all that much so it's easy to skip. But my race training plan and my to do list have a 1000y TT and a race rehearsal effort on them so that's been on my brain.
So when I missed the morning, rode to work (meaning I had to bring gear on the commute), and had to put up with 90+F temps to get there, it's impressive that I made it to the pool.
I had not clear plan of what to do once there. I had a few of my swim cards (I'm still stuck in the 2000-2999 yellow cards, BTW) but nothing exciting. One plan had 600's, I picked it. But once at the deck, the WU of kicks and drills didn't sound fun, and I didn't have fins with me. So I just jumped in an started. Somewhere in those 1st 6 laps, I decided to alternate 300y swim with 300y pull.
Then somewhere in those alternations I kept ping-pong'ing my plans:
"I should do the 1000y TT!"
"Can't--you're using a pull buoy. It won't count"
"I should do the race rehearsal!"
"Again--you can't."
"This could be my Postal Swim for 2013"
"Um....except it wouldn't count!!"
"What if I just swam as far as I can in 45 mins?"
"Slacker. You feel great. Go for 60!"
"Yeah! I do feel GREAT!" 60 it is"
"See, you're not even breathing hard. Why do you keep pulling from the yellow card stack"
"OMG you're right! I should do a 5K OWS someday!"
COMMUTE 10 miles
I had to do the math on that a couple of times before I believed it. 3000-freaking-yards?! (I just double checked again).
More often than not when I miss the morning swim I fail to make up for it in the afternoon. I really don't like swimming all that much so it's easy to skip. But my race training plan and my to do list have a 1000y TT and a race rehearsal effort on them so that's been on my brain.
So when I missed the morning, rode to work (meaning I had to bring gear on the commute), and had to put up with 90+F temps to get there, it's impressive that I made it to the pool.
I had not clear plan of what to do once there. I had a few of my swim cards (I'm still stuck in the 2000-2999 yellow cards, BTW) but nothing exciting. One plan had 600's, I picked it. But once at the deck, the WU of kicks and drills didn't sound fun, and I didn't have fins with me. So I just jumped in an started. Somewhere in those 1st 6 laps, I decided to alternate 300y swim with 300y pull.
Then somewhere in those alternations I kept ping-pong'ing my plans:
"I should do the 1000y TT!"
"Can't--you're using a pull buoy. It won't count"
"I should do the race rehearsal!"
"Again--you can't."
"This could be my Postal Swim for 2013"
"Um....except it wouldn't count!!"
"What if I just swam as far as I can in 45 mins?"
"Slacker. You feel great. Go for 60!"
"Yeah! I do feel GREAT!" 60 it is"
"See, you're not even breathing hard. Why do you keep pulling from the yellow card stack"
"OMG you're right! I should do a 5K OWS someday!"
Thinking ahead...and thinking about
Is it too soon to be thinking about 2014? I have been. A lot. Mostly thinking about which big races I'd like to target and how to plan them.
This has led to some good emailing between me and TH, mostly me spilling my thoughts into an email, but it has me thinking nonetheless. What's on the brain?
My endurance lifestyle. How do people like EK and JP do it? They seem to either race every weekend or do lots of big races all summer long, but don't seem to hit the burn-out or "meh" that I get. For me, a big race is a Big Build-Up followed by a Big Crash. I lose energy and motivation. That's probably normal--it is a recovery time after all. But it's the mental energy that bothers me the most.
So how in the world can I plan the MT50, 3 Days of Syallamo, MiTi, and B2B for the next 18 months with that problem? By thinking my way through it and trying to figure out what I can make changes.
The problem is that I target a big race as The End of something, instead of a step into something else. For example, I keep thinking the September MT50 is the end of my 2013 race season. It should be a build into 3DOS, with me finishing the MT50 having learned something and improved my fitness, resting, then building into Syallamo. The rest should include cross training like cyclocross and shorter fun races. That's problem #1--big peaks and valleys instead of little rollers.
Problem #2 is that I exclude all the fun stuff because "it doesn't fit my training plan". Stuff like Tour de Donut, a half marathon, a relay, an OWS, hell even cyclocross! I get stuck on the idea that I need specific training to build into these races, but then I don't have much fun. The weekend at LBL is a perfect example. We went, had fun, but kept going in our training. Damn that was a FUN weekend! I need to do that more!
Problem #3 is that training spills over into the rest of my life such that I'm On or Off. I go for a hard run then I want to rest the remainder of the day. I've been yearning for a Lifestyle Change, sometimes I hit it and sometimes I don't. I'm talking about bike commuting instead of driving, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, getting dedicated rest instead of sitting at a desk to rest. Also balancing the training life with the rest of life. Going to visit friends and family more, spending time away from training goals, and the like.
I've mention a few biggies for 2014, what and when are they?
Mid March: 3 Days of Syllamo 50K, 50M, and 20K in one weekend
Late August: Michigan Titanium 140.6
Late October: another 140.6 if it falls on my birthday.
There are 26 weeks between MT50 and 3DOoS. (I just realized that...really?...yup!) So half a year to include recover and build. I have a plan picked out that is for a 100 miler. I like it, it has a F-S-S or S-S running pattern.
To build into an October 140.6 I'd need to start training (according to my plan) one month before 3DOS. That's OK, the fitness from 3DOS will carry over. MiTi could be 24 weeks after 3DOS, and the Birthday Iron 7-9 weeks after that, depending on whether or not it falls on or near the birthday. MiTi is a great time of year for 140.6, similar timecourse as IMWI and Redman, just a little earlier.
This sounds like where I want to go, but I need to get the lifestyle and attitude thinking in line. I keep staring at an Excel planning sheet, filling in the needed half iron prep races and listing those "fun" events I should be doing. These include: Cutting Edge Half in early June, RAIN or RAIL bike rides, 3 State/3 Mountain in Tennessee in May (better yet and cheaper would be Vino Fondo!), and the like.
Maybe I shouldn't skip over the rest of 2013 in doing so! McNot Again 30M is in early November. Cyclocross season starts mid-October.
Lots to think about, not sure how to organize the thinking and goal setting.
Or is over-thinking and goal setting part of my problem?
This has led to some good emailing between me and TH, mostly me spilling my thoughts into an email, but it has me thinking nonetheless. What's on the brain?
My endurance lifestyle. How do people like EK and JP do it? They seem to either race every weekend or do lots of big races all summer long, but don't seem to hit the burn-out or "meh" that I get. For me, a big race is a Big Build-Up followed by a Big Crash. I lose energy and motivation. That's probably normal--it is a recovery time after all. But it's the mental energy that bothers me the most.
So how in the world can I plan the MT50, 3 Days of Syallamo, MiTi, and B2B for the next 18 months with that problem? By thinking my way through it and trying to figure out what I can make changes.
The problem is that I target a big race as The End of something, instead of a step into something else. For example, I keep thinking the September MT50 is the end of my 2013 race season. It should be a build into 3DOS, with me finishing the MT50 having learned something and improved my fitness, resting, then building into Syallamo. The rest should include cross training like cyclocross and shorter fun races. That's problem #1--big peaks and valleys instead of little rollers.
Problem #2 is that I exclude all the fun stuff because "it doesn't fit my training plan". Stuff like Tour de Donut, a half marathon, a relay, an OWS, hell even cyclocross! I get stuck on the idea that I need specific training to build into these races, but then I don't have much fun. The weekend at LBL is a perfect example. We went, had fun, but kept going in our training. Damn that was a FUN weekend! I need to do that more!
Problem #3 is that training spills over into the rest of my life such that I'm On or Off. I go for a hard run then I want to rest the remainder of the day. I've been yearning for a Lifestyle Change, sometimes I hit it and sometimes I don't. I'm talking about bike commuting instead of driving, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, getting dedicated rest instead of sitting at a desk to rest. Also balancing the training life with the rest of life. Going to visit friends and family more, spending time away from training goals, and the like.
I've mention a few biggies for 2014, what and when are they?
Mid March: 3 Days of Syllamo 50K, 50M, and 20K in one weekend
Late August: Michigan Titanium 140.6
Late October: another 140.6 if it falls on my birthday.
There are 26 weeks between MT50 and 3DOoS. (I just realized that...really?...yup!) So half a year to include recover and build. I have a plan picked out that is for a 100 miler. I like it, it has a F-S-S or S-S running pattern.
To build into an October 140.6 I'd need to start training (according to my plan) one month before 3DOS. That's OK, the fitness from 3DOS will carry over. MiTi could be 24 weeks after 3DOS, and the Birthday Iron 7-9 weeks after that, depending on whether or not it falls on or near the birthday. MiTi is a great time of year for 140.6, similar timecourse as IMWI and Redman, just a little earlier.
This sounds like where I want to go, but I need to get the lifestyle and attitude thinking in line. I keep staring at an Excel planning sheet, filling in the needed half iron prep races and listing those "fun" events I should be doing. These include: Cutting Edge Half in early June, RAIN or RAIL bike rides, 3 State/3 Mountain in Tennessee in May (better yet and cheaper would be Vino Fondo!), and the like.
Maybe I shouldn't skip over the rest of 2013 in doing so! McNot Again 30M is in early November. Cyclocross season starts mid-October.
Lots to think about, not sure how to organize the thinking and goal setting.
Or is over-thinking and goal setting part of my problem?
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Opposite of yesterday!
RUN: 10 miles in 1:33 for a 9:17m/m
COMMUTE: 6 miles
SWIM: 1400y in 32 mins
Today was a bit of an eye opener for me. I'm making some changes, based on the recent fatigue, heat, lack of motivation, heat, and slump I've been in. First off, I'm going back to eating more pre-run. For awhile I seemed to feel better eating very little in the heat. My pace and effort never really changed, but my recovery did. Second off, I think I'm chronically dehydrated. As in REALLY dehydrated.
I started at 5:15 before the sun was up, but still by the time we finished it was hot and humid. Even though I wasn't pouring water on me, my Cascadias were wet! I had to take the insoles out to let them dry. I could wring water out of my shorts. While you might say "Congrats, your head adaptation is working!", I'm still surprised at how much water I lost. I send a note to DH telling him to not let me leave the house until I rehydrated.
We've been buying fizzy water for me, it's extra pizzazz encourages drinking much like Nuuns used to do for me. On the way home I drank a water bottle, at home drank 750 ml of Fizzy water, and worked on another water bottle. I wasn't pee'ing right away, that was my first sign. But then I noticed I was feeling MUCH BETTER! As in WOW I'm AWAKE! The rest of the day had better energy. Hmmm...
For the rest of the day, I kept pushing water. And I felt good. This is really something to keep an eye on!
My swim was squeezed in near the end of the day. Another "have a half hour do what you can" swim. I did 200 swim, 200 pull alternating with one 300 swim. I was looking for (and finding!) that elusive long, stretched out, great catch feeling that I need. I was feeling it! :)
COMMUTE: 6 miles
SWIM: 1400y in 32 mins
Today was a bit of an eye opener for me. I'm making some changes, based on the recent fatigue, heat, lack of motivation, heat, and slump I've been in. First off, I'm going back to eating more pre-run. For awhile I seemed to feel better eating very little in the heat. My pace and effort never really changed, but my recovery did. Second off, I think I'm chronically dehydrated. As in REALLY dehydrated.
I started at 5:15 before the sun was up, but still by the time we finished it was hot and humid. Even though I wasn't pouring water on me, my Cascadias were wet! I had to take the insoles out to let them dry. I could wring water out of my shorts. While you might say "Congrats, your head adaptation is working!", I'm still surprised at how much water I lost. I send a note to DH telling him to not let me leave the house until I rehydrated.
We've been buying fizzy water for me, it's extra pizzazz encourages drinking much like Nuuns used to do for me. On the way home I drank a water bottle, at home drank 750 ml of Fizzy water, and worked on another water bottle. I wasn't pee'ing right away, that was my first sign. But then I noticed I was feeling MUCH BETTER! As in WOW I'm AWAKE! The rest of the day had better energy. Hmmm...
For the rest of the day, I kept pushing water. And I felt good. This is really something to keep an eye on!
My swim was squeezed in near the end of the day. Another "have a half hour do what you can" swim. I did 200 swim, 200 pull alternating with one 300 swim. I was looking for (and finding!) that elusive long, stretched out, great catch feeling that I need. I was feeling it! :)
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Boring indoor ride and a wasgonna swim
BIKE 16.5 miles 1 hr indoors
SWIM WasGonna
BORED. Why do I keep riding indoors? The time would have been better spent SWIMMING.
No energy today.
SWIM WasGonna
BORED. Why do I keep riding indoors? The time would have been better spent SWIMMING.
No energy today.
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
6x1000 of mental tricks
RUN 1:13 and 8.2 miles, 6x1000 at the track
RUN TAD:
This run was way harder than usual, but in the end I was pretty happy with the results and how I felt afterwards. I wonder example of a Sessions I Didn't Think I Could Do. Yay! A new tag!
I went out the door feeling sluggy, heavy, swollen, leaden, etc etc all the words for dead heavy legs. The 0.6 mi warm up was awful, luckily it trends downhill. Once at the track, I walked across the grass. Then stood there a few moments. I did 2 warmup laps, still feeling no better. I was inspired by 2 new friends already into their 1000's. They can do this, so can I.
I don't distinctly recall running 1000's before. I'm sure I have, likely as part of a ladder. These were interesting--run a lap then you're almost halfway, by the time you run the next 200y, it's only one more lap to go. The interval breaks down into little manageable pieces. Mental tricks to keep going.
But they didn't seem all that manageable at first. I suffered. High heart rate and sweating. The first two surprised me in that I finished them in just over 5 minutes. I didn't catch the interval pace, but I was encouraged by the time. I reversed for the next 2 intervals, and once those were done I used a few more tricks. "Only 2 more! It used to be 6 more!" and "4 is the cake, 5 is the icing, 6 is the sprinkles!" and the usual "HTFU" other things I tell myself.
What felt the worst were the rest intervals. I did 400m but let myself walk a little bit. That was when I felt the worst--I felt bad the entire time--but this was even moreso.
Monday, July 15, 2013
Bilateral workout
SWIM 20 mins and 800y
This was a late-in-the-evening rest day bonus workout, just did 4x200 with a focus on form and bilateral breathing. I'm having some pre-race anxiety about the upcoming Route 66 OWS without a wetsuit. And I wanted to do something even though it was a rest day. I felt better after the swim than I did before!
This was a late-in-the-evening rest day bonus workout, just did 4x200 with a focus on form and bilateral breathing. I'm having some pre-race anxiety about the upcoming Route 66 OWS without a wetsuit. And I wanted to do something even though it was a rest day. I felt better after the swim than I did before!
Sunday, July 14, 2013
The Castlewood Flats >26.2
RUN 5:10 and 26.3 miles
Check this one off the list? I think so, but read on to hear about my doubts.
I was solo on this one. I would have loved company but in the end I needed this solitude training. I got a later than planned start, but the day was gorgeous and cool for early July. Everything was set and good to go, including a batch of home made energy gel I wanted to test late in the run.
I set out on River Scene, planning to go out 10 miles before turning around. Once at 20 and the truck, I'd find another 6.something to get my >26.2 mile distance. For the first time since I ran it with DC and TK, I found the Nettle trail beyond the RR's private property. Turns out it's a pretty, flat, soft trail that winds along the river. It has a windy path (not like wind and the weather, but rather a meandering...) that reminded me of the flats at Potowatomi. Then I found Sherman Beach, then Al Foster, (saw my inspo JL! she makes it look so EASY)...all the trail connections I've been wanting to find all in front of me. Not clear, the maps and winding paths had me confused, but here they are and finally I get to run them.
I followed the AF and ran into the Rock Hollow path, a paved 2.3 mile uphill that I've run in the January 12 miler. Huh, so that's how it connects to Castlewood! Up the hill, where my need to pee and get more water took precedence over staying on the trial. Siri directed me to a QT 1.5 miles out where I happily emptied and refilled. I was unhappy about being off the trail, but happier to have remedied these issues.
And as a nice coincidence, that put me at 10 miles. But I was staring to have some re-thinking, wondering if I should plan to arrive at the truck at 26 miles so that I didn't skip out those last miles. It is hard to leave again on loops sometimes! Knowing my water status (empty and full) and my nutrition counts, I could keep going to 26. Deal, let's try it, but stay flexible.
On they way back, I recognized better the AF section used in the January race. Another ah ha moment. I was happy to be working these questions out but getting bored and sloppy. Things were starting to go downhill in terms of mood by the time I reached the private property signs at 18 miles. I paused (for what seemed the hundredth time in the last few miles) to think....I need to log more miles before I get back to the truck. When I started out earlier I took the left fork. Now I took the right. I knew there were more trails, I just had to find them!
And I did, the Bluffs trail sign appeared and I got to wondering...if this is going to be a "flats" run, can I count running the "bluffs" trail? This is just an example of how stupid I was getting. To this point I'd been on nice, biked, dirt trails that were fairly un-technical. Suddenly the trail turned to gravel and root, steps and downed trees, and those bluff rocks I see at Chubb--the swiss-cheese looking ones built into the hill around which the dirt is washed away. I ended up walking here, no way I had the brains for running these. Nuts. Because up to now, I'd been holding a PR pace of 52-55-60 minutes per 5 miles. Suddenly I'm 65 plus minutes! Oh well. There was also a lot of overgrowth on this trail. I wasn't a big fan of this loop!
I ran into a cyclist with a yellow ToMO jersey and we started talking to each other like we knew each other. We caught up again later and realized we didn't LOL--cardio brain!
I struggled through here. I didn't know the trail at all, and it seemed to be going all the wrong directions. I learned later from a map that I was on multiple switchbacks. There wasn't much choice except to let it go and do what I had to do-walk if needed. I had unintentionally saved the hardest for last and I realize in retrospect that it's a good training opportunity. I didn't recognize it at the time.
At one point near the end I saw an overlook, walked up, and saw railroad tracks. My cardio brain had some fun processing a sudden change in space--the tracks looked HUGE and spacious and dizzyingly far away. Kind of a fun moment to see just how warped I was getting.
Another thing that marked this trail was that I had to pass through a tunnel, bent over low. A mountain biker rode in hunched over the bars my first pass through. I didn't know it the first time, but it was the RR tracks? The 2nd time through I had a thought that I wouldn't want to be there when a train passed over. Cardio Brain.
Back on the River Scene trail, the crowds were much thicker here and I suddenly had company on the trail. I was happy to be able to "talk" to others, even if they just nodded back to my "good morning" (was it still morning? I don't think so...) or ignored me altogether. Other runners were dropping me fast with their fresh legs. Everyone looked so ... awake.
I was doing OK when I hit mile 24, I just wanted to quit but I kept going. But suddenly I started to get HOT, sweat pouring off me. I'd been sweating a lot all along, but it just seemed that all the sudden the day really heated up. I was about 0.5 mile from the truck and knew I couldn't go back now. I turned left instead of right to wander some more, and found myself on the River Scene trail again? What?! Oh, THAT's that trail connection! LOL. I turned around at mile 25 (I was almost back at the RR bridge to the stairs) and took some water and ... nothing.
I WAS OUT OF WATER?! Am I not paying attention!? I'm only 12-15 mins out, so I'm OK. But the last half mile I walked. I was done. Cooked. Burnt. Toasted. You get the idea.
What happened!? Nothing went wrong. It was a combination of biking the day before, the heat, the higher pace, that's all! I think that although it went bad at the end I still finished the goal distance no matter what and after a brief rest at the truck I did feel much better. I wasn't as cooked as I thought.
Oh and my new gel concoction of instant coffee and maltodextrin? It worked, but didn't inspire me to eat it. I kept wishing I had the EFS. Nutrition overall was a Powerbar, a gel, and 300 calories of the home made stuff. That's it! Oh and a Lara Bar recovery with more dried fruit on the way home :)
Check this one off the list? I think so, but read on to hear about my doubts.
I was solo on this one. I would have loved company but in the end I needed this solitude training. I got a later than planned start, but the day was gorgeous and cool for early July. Everything was set and good to go, including a batch of home made energy gel I wanted to test late in the run.
I set out on River Scene, planning to go out 10 miles before turning around. Once at 20 and the truck, I'd find another 6.something to get my >26.2 mile distance. For the first time since I ran it with DC and TK, I found the Nettle trail beyond the RR's private property. Turns out it's a pretty, flat, soft trail that winds along the river. It has a windy path (not like wind and the weather, but rather a meandering...) that reminded me of the flats at Potowatomi. Then I found Sherman Beach, then Al Foster, (saw my inspo JL! she makes it look so EASY)...all the trail connections I've been wanting to find all in front of me. Not clear, the maps and winding paths had me confused, but here they are and finally I get to run them.
I followed the AF and ran into the Rock Hollow path, a paved 2.3 mile uphill that I've run in the January 12 miler. Huh, so that's how it connects to Castlewood! Up the hill, where my need to pee and get more water took precedence over staying on the trial. Siri directed me to a QT 1.5 miles out where I happily emptied and refilled. I was unhappy about being off the trail, but happier to have remedied these issues.
And as a nice coincidence, that put me at 10 miles. But I was staring to have some re-thinking, wondering if I should plan to arrive at the truck at 26 miles so that I didn't skip out those last miles. It is hard to leave again on loops sometimes! Knowing my water status (empty and full) and my nutrition counts, I could keep going to 26. Deal, let's try it, but stay flexible.
On they way back, I recognized better the AF section used in the January race. Another ah ha moment. I was happy to be working these questions out but getting bored and sloppy. Things were starting to go downhill in terms of mood by the time I reached the private property signs at 18 miles. I paused (for what seemed the hundredth time in the last few miles) to think....I need to log more miles before I get back to the truck. When I started out earlier I took the left fork. Now I took the right. I knew there were more trails, I just had to find them!
And I did, the Bluffs trail sign appeared and I got to wondering...if this is going to be a "flats" run, can I count running the "bluffs" trail? This is just an example of how stupid I was getting. To this point I'd been on nice, biked, dirt trails that were fairly un-technical. Suddenly the trail turned to gravel and root, steps and downed trees, and those bluff rocks I see at Chubb--the swiss-cheese looking ones built into the hill around which the dirt is washed away. I ended up walking here, no way I had the brains for running these. Nuts. Because up to now, I'd been holding a PR pace of 52-55-60 minutes per 5 miles. Suddenly I'm 65 plus minutes! Oh well. There was also a lot of overgrowth on this trail. I wasn't a big fan of this loop!
I ran into a cyclist with a yellow ToMO jersey and we started talking to each other like we knew each other. We caught up again later and realized we didn't LOL--cardio brain!
I struggled through here. I didn't know the trail at all, and it seemed to be going all the wrong directions. I learned later from a map that I was on multiple switchbacks. There wasn't much choice except to let it go and do what I had to do-walk if needed. I had unintentionally saved the hardest for last and I realize in retrospect that it's a good training opportunity. I didn't recognize it at the time.
At one point near the end I saw an overlook, walked up, and saw railroad tracks. My cardio brain had some fun processing a sudden change in space--the tracks looked HUGE and spacious and dizzyingly far away. Kind of a fun moment to see just how warped I was getting.
Another thing that marked this trail was that I had to pass through a tunnel, bent over low. A mountain biker rode in hunched over the bars my first pass through. I didn't know it the first time, but it was the RR tracks? The 2nd time through I had a thought that I wouldn't want to be there when a train passed over. Cardio Brain.
Back on the River Scene trail, the crowds were much thicker here and I suddenly had company on the trail. I was happy to be able to "talk" to others, even if they just nodded back to my "good morning" (was it still morning? I don't think so...) or ignored me altogether. Other runners were dropping me fast with their fresh legs. Everyone looked so ... awake.
I was doing OK when I hit mile 24, I just wanted to quit but I kept going. But suddenly I started to get HOT, sweat pouring off me. I'd been sweating a lot all along, but it just seemed that all the sudden the day really heated up. I was about 0.5 mile from the truck and knew I couldn't go back now. I turned left instead of right to wander some more, and found myself on the River Scene trail again? What?! Oh, THAT's that trail connection! LOL. I turned around at mile 25 (I was almost back at the RR bridge to the stairs) and took some water and ... nothing.
I WAS OUT OF WATER?! Am I not paying attention!? I'm only 12-15 mins out, so I'm OK. But the last half mile I walked. I was done. Cooked. Burnt. Toasted. You get the idea.
What happened!? Nothing went wrong. It was a combination of biking the day before, the heat, the higher pace, that's all! I think that although it went bad at the end I still finished the goal distance no matter what and after a brief rest at the truck I did feel much better. I wasn't as cooked as I thought.
Oh and my new gel concoction of instant coffee and maltodextrin? It worked, but didn't inspire me to eat it. I kept wishing I had the EFS. Nutrition overall was a Powerbar, a gel, and 300 calories of the home made stuff. That's it! Oh and a Lara Bar recovery with more dried fruit on the way home :)
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Bike Race Rehearsal Ride
BIKE: 65.1 miles in 3:38, ave 17.9mph
OOOOOOHHH YEAH! This is what a group ride should be! Invite all your fast friends, challenge them to Drop you (with a capitol D, like G used), and hoowee hang on!
This is my last big ride before Route 66, and probably my last fast ride of the year too. TB, DC, G, BE, and new to my group DF (another IMLP racer) joined in for my favorite Freeburg route (cue the Freeeeeeeebbbuuuuurrrrgggggg guitar riff).
As always, there's the fear that once you put the challenge out about dropping people that the tables will turn and YOU are the one being dropped. I'm OK with that, and not just because I'm the map maven. I love the challenge, and situations like that are about the only time I can really simulate that race anxiety feeling that is so elusive in training.
The first miles were a bit of a warmup on the flats (where we picked up an IMAZ training rider) before the hill on IMBS. My flats speed has come back to me, my hills strength not so much. Seems like I'm gearing down too far and breathing too much. Stuff like that takes time, but I gotta wonder what happens next year when I come back to biking, will I find a plateau of hill ability or a further decrease in it?
The next miles were all push-push. I had moments of YAHOO let's go and moments of UGH I can't keep up. They alternated, and not just with hills-haha but thanks for thinking that.
My nutrition was great, my hydration great, maybe the only change for race day is to stick to liquid nutrition since I don't have much practice opening gels on the bike this year.
OOOOOOHHH YEAH! This is what a group ride should be! Invite all your fast friends, challenge them to Drop you (with a capitol D, like G used), and hoowee hang on!
This is my last big ride before Route 66, and probably my last fast ride of the year too. TB, DC, G, BE, and new to my group DF (another IMLP racer) joined in for my favorite Freeburg route (cue the Freeeeeeeebbbuuuuurrrrgggggg guitar riff).
As always, there's the fear that once you put the challenge out about dropping people that the tables will turn and YOU are the one being dropped. I'm OK with that, and not just because I'm the map maven. I love the challenge, and situations like that are about the only time I can really simulate that race anxiety feeling that is so elusive in training.
The first miles were a bit of a warmup on the flats (where we picked up an IMAZ training rider) before the hill on IMBS. My flats speed has come back to me, my hills strength not so much. Seems like I'm gearing down too far and breathing too much. Stuff like that takes time, but I gotta wonder what happens next year when I come back to biking, will I find a plateau of hill ability or a further decrease in it?
The next miles were all push-push. I had moments of YAHOO let's go and moments of UGH I can't keep up. They alternated, and not just with hills-haha but thanks for thinking that.
My nutrition was great, my hydration great, maybe the only change for race day is to stick to liquid nutrition since I don't have much practice opening gels on the bike this year.
Friday, July 12, 2013
WasGonna swim
NUTTIN.
I had the day off for some work on the house. It was supposed to be a day off work, but not training. I meant to swim but it didn't happen.
I had the day off for some work on the house. It was supposed to be a day off work, but not training. I meant to swim but it didn't happen.
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Base mileage in Forest Park
RUN 1:34 and 10.2 miles, 9:13m/m pace
Started early again and got 3.5 in before joining the group. We had a great group today! EK and MK joined and I ended up running with them the last few miles. I miss seeing them so I'm happy for how it worked out. They have such upbeat conversation and new race stories.
LC is tapering, damn she's gonna rock her race! I'm jealous
Started early again and got 3.5 in before joining the group. We had a great group today! EK and MK joined and I ended up running with them the last few miles. I miss seeing them so I'm happy for how it worked out. They have such upbeat conversation and new race stories.
LC is tapering, damn she's gonna rock her race! I'm jealous
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
More rain! What is it with rain on Wednesdays!
BIKE: 75 mins and 21 miles
I had plans to do this ride on the MCT's, but I awoke to thunder and rain. Nuts.
3 rounds of: 6 min Z4, 3 min Z1, 3 min Z5, 3 min Z1 which added up to a nice 15 minute interval set.
I guess I can't complain, it could be raining on the weekend when I really need the bike time!
I had plans to do this ride on the MCT's, but I awoke to thunder and rain. Nuts.
3 rounds of: 6 min Z4, 3 min Z1, 3 min Z5, 3 min Z1 which added up to a nice 15 minute interval set.
I guess I can't complain, it could be raining on the weekend when I really need the bike time!
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Shorter but faster at the track
RUN 1:10 and 7.65 minutes, time an over-estimate due to talking :)
STRENGTH 40 mins of PlyoX
RUN No Two a day today, too hot and too hungry and not enough time
Great run! Hours later and I'm still buzzing from it. That might also be the dehydration talking...
The goal for me was to continuously speed up the intervals as I came down the ladder, working my way from the 5K to the 1 mile pace. Due to talking and etc, I did two 1200s.
STRENGTH 40 mins of PlyoX
RUN No Two a day today, too hot and too hungry and not enough time
Great run! Hours later and I'm still buzzing from it. That might also be the dehydration talking...
The goal for me was to continuously speed up the intervals as I came down the ladder, working my way from the 5K to the 1 mile pace. Due to talking and etc, I did two 1200s.
| pace | ave hr | |
| 1600 | 6:38 | 152 |
| 1200 | 6:46 | 155 |
| 1200 | 6:37 | 160 |
| 800 | 6:24 | 165 |
| 400 | 6:24 | 164 |
| 200 | 6:02 | 163 |
The 400y started out too fast and faded, the 200 felt better. This was a fasted run too, and I was waning at the end of the longer intervals. But I really don't think the banana I almost ate beforehand would have changed a thing for me. Amazing what the body can do!
Monday, July 8, 2013
11x150 swim, a new favorite workout!
SWIM 1 hr and 2600y as 11x150
I had two plans. One said 10x150y as 100f/50e. The other said 2x [5x150, 85%] swim the first set, pull the second. I blended them: I alternated a 150 at steady race pace and a 100f/50e broken. Every 3rd set was a pull. This way every set was different and it was easy to keep count. I had extra time and threw in a bonus 150.
This was almost another WasGonna, but I made it to the pool later in the day after work started to suck too much. In the end, this was better than going early in the morning because I appreciated the opportunity more :)
My swimming is doing about as expected, considering that this was my 11th hr of swimming (according to Training Peaks) so far this year. I was race-pacing laps just under a minute, and doing the 100y fast at 1:52-ish. Assuming I can hold something similar to 1 min/100y at the race, I'll be at my usual HIM time of 42-ish minutes. Again, about as expected given my investment in swimming so far this year.
I had two plans. One said 10x150y as 100f/50e. The other said 2x [5x150, 85%] swim the first set, pull the second. I blended them: I alternated a 150 at steady race pace and a 100f/50e broken. Every 3rd set was a pull. This way every set was different and it was easy to keep count. I had extra time and threw in a bonus 150.
This was almost another WasGonna, but I made it to the pool later in the day after work started to suck too much. In the end, this was better than going early in the morning because I appreciated the opportunity more :)
My swimming is doing about as expected, considering that this was my 11th hr of swimming (according to Training Peaks) so far this year. I was race-pacing laps just under a minute, and doing the 100y fast at 1:52-ish. Assuming I can hold something similar to 1 min/100y at the race, I'll be at my usual HIM time of 42-ish minutes. Again, about as expected given my investment in swimming so far this year.
Sunday, July 7, 2013
Vacation to Windy City
Weds OFF
Thurs SWIM 2100y in 55 mins, then RUN 10 mi in 1:38
Fri SWIM 2000y in 45 mins, the BIKE 29 miles with the DH on rented bikes :)
Sat RUN 7.25mi in 1:07
Sun OFF
I'd planned my rest week around this vacation, so the reduced hours and mileages were built in to the schedule. I still feel guilty. And lazy. lol.
Weds and Sun were travel days, for some reason sitting on a train is more tiring than a 10 mile run.
Thursday was a swim in that awesome hotel pool DH found--outdoors, under the skyscrapers, 25y with lines and lanes!! WOW that was cool! I did a "shorter but faster" swim of 400-300-200-100 (times were roughly 8:07, 6:15, 4:05, 1:58). After that was my first run along the Lakefront Trail and my first exposure to the downtown Chicago athletic community. Holy cow, the variety of abilities, shapes, sizes, gears, languages, goals, everything! I loved it! Bikers and walkers and runners of every kind all working together in what initially seemed like a target-rich environment for crashes and conflict.
Friday was another swim, this one got sloppy as the yardage accumulated and highlighted my lack of swim endurance. I wanted to quit so bad, so close to just dropping it with the excuse of "I'm drilling bad habits" but I stuck to it. And I'm happy I did. After that DH and I rented bikes to ride the LFT and area. It brought a smile to my face when he called up "Clear Back" at one point. So Proud!! I loved seeing the other bikers on the new Divvy bikes! I imagined that every Divvy rider was someone who wouldn't have been on a bike just weeks ago before the bike share program was launched!
Saturday I wanted to repeat the 10 mile run but slept in and didn't have time. So I sac'd the mileage so we could spend the time together. It's rest week, and more importantly what's 2.75 miles compared to those 30 mins with my DH??
Thurs SWIM 2100y in 55 mins, then RUN 10 mi in 1:38
Fri SWIM 2000y in 45 mins, the BIKE 29 miles with the DH on rented bikes :)
Sat RUN 7.25mi in 1:07
Sun OFF
I'd planned my rest week around this vacation, so the reduced hours and mileages were built in to the schedule. I still feel guilty. And lazy. lol.
Weds and Sun were travel days, for some reason sitting on a train is more tiring than a 10 mile run.
Thursday was a swim in that awesome hotel pool DH found--outdoors, under the skyscrapers, 25y with lines and lanes!! WOW that was cool! I did a "shorter but faster" swim of 400-300-200-100 (times were roughly 8:07, 6:15, 4:05, 1:58). After that was my first run along the Lakefront Trail and my first exposure to the downtown Chicago athletic community. Holy cow, the variety of abilities, shapes, sizes, gears, languages, goals, everything! I loved it! Bikers and walkers and runners of every kind all working together in what initially seemed like a target-rich environment for crashes and conflict.
Friday was another swim, this one got sloppy as the yardage accumulated and highlighted my lack of swim endurance. I wanted to quit so bad, so close to just dropping it with the excuse of "I'm drilling bad habits" but I stuck to it. And I'm happy I did. After that DH and I rented bikes to ride the LFT and area. It brought a smile to my face when he called up "Clear Back" at one point.
Saturday I wanted to repeat the 10 mile run but slept in and didn't have time. So I sac'd the mileage so we could spend the time together. It's rest week, and more importantly what's 2.75 miles compared to those 30 mins with my DH??
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Track Pyramid in the Rain
RUN 10 miles in 1:27
Pyramid workout:
Interval Pace Ave HR
400 6:48 134bpm
800 7:13 142
1200 6:53 150
1600 7:40 153 (few minutes rest here as I said hasta to IT)
1600 7:01 151
1200 7:40 145
800 7:51 148
400 7:48 147
The original plan was just the 400-800-1200-800-400 pyramid, but you know me--I had to add to it under the idea of "I race long distances". But at the halfway point I realized this was better filed under the "lotsa of planning, but little thinking" heading. Because at the halfway point I was approaching 5 miles!!
I woke up to light rain, and the forecast showed a green blob of rain moving in from the east. Yes, the east. It was like watching the weather radar in reverse. Regardless of rain, I was running. Besides, it was only 68F out! In July!
DK and IT joined, not for the full distance but for most of it. DK ran with me through the first half of the first mile--great conversation and a great pace! I missed him for the rest of the workout. After seeing the sprinklers kick in at the track, we got to talking about water conservation methods. You might think that's boring and perhaps in any other setting it could be. But not not here--the distraction was great! Yet at the same time, he won't be there in a race to keep my mind going, and that's what I worked on in the last sets--mental focus.
It's interesting to see how pace and HR do or don't change after a rest interval. But I'm not sure what to make of it.
Pyramid workout:
Interval Pace Ave HR
400 6:48 134bpm
800 7:13 142
1200 6:53 150
1600 7:40 153 (few minutes rest here as I said hasta to IT)
1600 7:01 151
1200 7:40 145
800 7:51 148
400 7:48 147
The original plan was just the 400-800-1200-800-400 pyramid, but you know me--I had to add to it under the idea of "I race long distances". But at the halfway point I realized this was better filed under the "lotsa of planning, but little thinking" heading. Because at the halfway point I was approaching 5 miles!!
I woke up to light rain, and the forecast showed a green blob of rain moving in from the east. Yes, the east. It was like watching the weather radar in reverse. Regardless of rain, I was running. Besides, it was only 68F out! In July!
DK and IT joined, not for the full distance but for most of it. DK ran with me through the first half of the first mile--great conversation and a great pace! I missed him for the rest of the workout. After seeing the sprinklers kick in at the track, we got to talking about water conservation methods. You might think that's boring and perhaps in any other setting it could be. But not not here--the distraction was great! Yet at the same time, he won't be there in a race to keep my mind going, and that's what I worked on in the last sets--mental focus.
It's interesting to see how pace and HR do or don't change after a rest interval. But I'm not sure what to make of it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)