BIKE 1:30 and 26 miles, 3x18 mins at 75% (2 mins rest)
RUN 16x400 (100) hard, then run to work
The bike was indoors so I could get the ride done. Puppy's tire was still flat so biking outdoors hard to do anyway.
The run was going to be shorter, but I just kept running. "Hard" probably wasn't hard enough, but it's done. Then I ran to work. Not sure yet if I'm running home or not.
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Monday, September 29, 2014
Evolve hard 100's
SWIM 50 mins and 2200 y
COMMUTE 5 miles bike and 1 mile walk
Another low attendance swim, then SM put only me an CT (the people who still have races coming up) together in a lane and gave us non-drill swimming.
I focused the best I could. "Hard" probably wasn't hard enough, but I did it.
I got a flat on Puppy while getting ready to turn from TGA under the overpass. Another flat! This time a pothole. I wasn't mentally up to fixing it there, so I walked home.
COMMUTE 5 miles bike and 1 mile walk
Another low attendance swim, then SM put only me an CT (the people who still have races coming up) together in a lane and gave us non-drill swimming.
I focused the best I could. "Hard" probably wasn't hard enough, but I did it.
I got a flat on Puppy while getting ready to turn from TGA under the overpass. Another flat! This time a pothole. I wasn't mentally up to fixing it there, so I walked home.
Sunday, September 28, 2014
Long run with TH
RUN 2:15 and 14.5 miles in FoPa
I woke up with bad nausea again, that OMG imminent get-to-a-bathroom feeling. What the heck is causing that?! So I didn't eat much, and didn't think I'd be able to run much.
I otherwise felt OK, so I went to the run thinking I could stop at one loop if needed. TH's goal was 2:15 and I had doubts for me on that. Wrong! I downed a few gels in the run, kept it easy, and really enjoyed catching up with TH. So much to talk about!
Felt better after the run, tummy settled.
My 10 day Peak Week is OVER!
17:52 hours
8200 yards swimming
159 miles biking
32.9 miles running
18 miles bike commute
I woke up with bad nausea again, that OMG imminent get-to-a-bathroom feeling. What the heck is causing that?! So I didn't eat much, and didn't think I'd be able to run much.
I otherwise felt OK, so I went to the run thinking I could stop at one loop if needed. TH's goal was 2:15 and I had doubts for me on that. Wrong! I downed a few gels in the run, kept it easy, and really enjoyed catching up with TH. So much to talk about!
Felt better after the run, tummy settled.
My 10 day Peak Week is OVER!
17:52 hours
8200 yards swimming
159 miles biking
32.9 miles running
18 miles bike commute
Saturday, September 27, 2014
2nd century post MiTi
BIKE 6:02 and 103 miles
My goal for this ride was to hit the 100 mile mark under 6 hours. Last week I had to scramble hard to hit that mark, and missed it. Today I wanted to hold a better pace overall and be more steady.
I wrote a new route to Marissa IL, some familiar roads but mostly new. New cities, parks, roads, corn fields...yay! But I was riding alone today, still no takers even though I posted a 40 mile and 70 mile option. And don't forget that I posted that "I'm selfishly holding to my pace". No wonder I ride alone.
Another perfect day for weather. If only I could be so lucky for B2B! I wanted to test my new PI Shrug but it was too warm. I got a late start to the ride, my 8am goal turned into a 9am actual since I didn't charge the Garmin and hung around with DH while he had breakfast. That's time better spent!
I had my usual 'why am I so weak' warmup period, I've learned to ignore it but it still worries me. I sometimes blame the bike, maybe the hub is tight or a brake is dragging. But it's me. Takes time to get into it. Once I did, all was well. I stuck to my schedule of eating every 30 mins and for the most part alternating EFS and a bite of powerbar. I was getting hungry towards the 4hr mark. I had those rice cakes but they were too dry and unpleasant to eat on the bike. Had to eat them another time.
Last week I started to crack around mile 65, of course the headwinds and rough roads had a lot to do with that, but I should know how to push past that. Today I did, helped by much smoother roads and more favorable headwinds that were at the start of the ride and not the way home.
My first stop was 50 miles in Marissa where a local Tootin' Marissa ride was happening! By luck I stopped in the same park the ride staged out of and was able to meet a cyclist who filled me in on the ride. I got lost briefly in a little town called Lenzburg, could NOT find a road I was supposed to take. Didn't matter in the end. Stopped in Freeeeeeburg at 76 miles, noted the heat and fatigue. Passed through Smithton again and was faced with a choice: take the usual ride home on the "PS" route or turn north and ride the Freeeeeeburg route backwards. I wanted to take the northern route for a different scene, but at the same time wanted to forced myself to stick to the plan. I skipped the turn at Lunch, but changed my mind at High Prairie. Took the northern route and added maybe 2 miles to the route.
I happily hit the 100 mark before getting to Cherry Hill! I did a cool-down through Columbia, and no ride for me. Get home!
This ride was great, and probably my last century before B2B.
My goal for this ride was to hit the 100 mile mark under 6 hours. Last week I had to scramble hard to hit that mark, and missed it. Today I wanted to hold a better pace overall and be more steady.
I wrote a new route to Marissa IL, some familiar roads but mostly new. New cities, parks, roads, corn fields...yay! But I was riding alone today, still no takers even though I posted a 40 mile and 70 mile option. And don't forget that I posted that "I'm selfishly holding to my pace". No wonder I ride alone.
Another perfect day for weather. If only I could be so lucky for B2B! I wanted to test my new PI Shrug but it was too warm. I got a late start to the ride, my 8am goal turned into a 9am actual since I didn't charge the Garmin and hung around with DH while he had breakfast. That's time better spent!
I had my usual 'why am I so weak' warmup period, I've learned to ignore it but it still worries me. I sometimes blame the bike, maybe the hub is tight or a brake is dragging. But it's me. Takes time to get into it. Once I did, all was well. I stuck to my schedule of eating every 30 mins and for the most part alternating EFS and a bite of powerbar. I was getting hungry towards the 4hr mark. I had those rice cakes but they were too dry and unpleasant to eat on the bike. Had to eat them another time.
Last week I started to crack around mile 65, of course the headwinds and rough roads had a lot to do with that, but I should know how to push past that. Today I did, helped by much smoother roads and more favorable headwinds that were at the start of the ride and not the way home.
My first stop was 50 miles in Marissa where a local Tootin' Marissa ride was happening! By luck I stopped in the same park the ride staged out of and was able to meet a cyclist who filled me in on the ride. I got lost briefly in a little town called Lenzburg, could NOT find a road I was supposed to take. Didn't matter in the end. Stopped in Freeeeeeburg at 76 miles, noted the heat and fatigue. Passed through Smithton again and was faced with a choice: take the usual ride home on the "PS" route or turn north and ride the Freeeeeeburg route backwards. I wanted to take the northern route for a different scene, but at the same time wanted to forced myself to stick to the plan. I skipped the turn at Lunch, but changed my mind at High Prairie. Took the northern route and added maybe 2 miles to the route.
I happily hit the 100 mark before getting to Cherry Hill! I did a cool-down through Columbia, and no ride for me. Get home!
This ride was great, and probably my last century before B2B.
Friday, September 26, 2014
Second swim of the day: 4.5K loco
SWIM 1:52 and 4500 yard loco, see picture for details
This morning over my coffee and PreWO I lamented my lack of swimming so far this week. I'd missed my Thursday swim completely, and only did 30 mins of the Wednesday swim. With swimming being my weakness, and the B2B swim being a potentially crazy challenge, you'd think I'd put more effort into it.
Well, today I did! I had the option to do this swim right after the lesson, but wanted to keep them separate so I didn't cut the 4.5K short by adding in the lesson yardage. So all day long I was looking and planning ahead to this swim. I worked on the loco layout above over brekkie and lunch, rewriting it 2-3 times before settling on what I ended up doing.
A few tricks worked in -- like putting the kick on each side of the 500's to give me some rest, and leaving the last 500 as easy breezy small intervals that would be too hard to put aside. If I'd had stopped at the last 200, I'd still have a 4.5K for today working under the assumption that this morning's lesson had at least 500y in it.
I took a gel right before the swim, I usually don't do that. And had another gel for the halfway point in the 500's. I admit to having a little of that second gel, a salted caramel, before I even started ;)
I mentally broke the swim into 3 parts: a 1500 WU, a 1500 main set, and a 1500 CD. Once I realized that's all I had to do, it seemed less of a challenge. The first 1500 flew by. The set of 3 500's did too, but it was in those 500's that my attention started to wane. Yay for salted caramel!
My lane was mostly empty until the halfway point when I woman joined me, asking if I could share because the guy next to me wouldn't. Serious? Or a joke? I looked at him and realized I might know him! Sure, whatever, share, I'm not getting involved in this. She took his lane when he was done, but she was replaced by an older guy who had a disaster of a swim. (Finally I was faster than someone in the pool this afternoon!). The woman asked me at one point if I'd been clobbered yet, no, "he's a really nice guy, but he swims the middle of the lane." Not yet, but again I didn't want to get involved. But sure enough, I got mildly clobbered shortly thereafter -- OUCH! Then a 3rd swimmer joined the lane, no asking or anything. Thankfully by this point I was in the 90th lap --DONE!!
My "continuous" swimming form felt great, the muscles might complain tomorrow but they'll be resting on the aerobars, no complaining if you're not working! Unlike the 5-1-5-0 swim I did for Michigan, I didn't fall apart in this round. No cramps, no mental cheerleading, no lack of motivation at the end. I did it! Next up a real 5K! Next weekend maybe.
DrND swim lesson, a breakthrough?
SWIM 1hr lesson, maybe 500-600 yards? More? Probably more on the order of 700-800.
My concerns going into this morning included the discomfort I'm feeling in my left shoulder in extension, and the feeling that I'm going so slow.
First off the shoulder. It's not so much pain but more of an "I'm aware" of something I feel when the left arm is fully forward in extension and starting the catch. Turns out I'm sweeping my left arm out too far, it's drifting out with a big elbow bend. It's happening because the hand is pausing in front of me, giving the hand/arm time to drift out. The drill fix for this is continuous motion, don't stop moving. Every time I pause, I need to kick or get restarted somehow, he pointed out how much this happens over 2.4 miles and how much energy it takes.
This was harder than expected! It felt windmill-ish, like I had many many extra strokes, and I was short of breath. One thing at a time here...I counted my strokes and it was exactly that same! I would have bet $ otherwise! As for the breathing, he thinks (no doubt rightly) that I'm not stomach breathing. I'm rib breathing. Some discussion about how I swallow air in fast sprint sets has him thinking I might be upper throat breathing then! But that's another problem. I need to think (but not over think) "stomach or diaphragm" breathing, still get a nice HOOOP of air but not the HIC that I usually do? Hard to explain, but when I practice it I can feel a difference.
Doing that drill was amazing -- aside from the lack of breath -- I could finally feel the figure-8-ish roll side to side, the feeling of getting my weight to shift such that it works with my arms to propel me! I only feel it for brief bursts though.
Second, my right arm is swinging wide over the water. So the fix drill is high elbow fingertip drag. Ah, this settled my weight on my side and helped that figure-8 feeling even more.
Next up, fist drill. Don't worry about stroke count, in fact add more strokes. Don't kick to compensate. Oooh, out of breath, but it requires good rotation in order to work and it really forces the issue. I've always heard the fist drill as a way to learn to catch water, not as a way to encourage rotation! New to me!
In my final 100's I was feeling more and more of that synchony, the figure-8, the roll side-to-side-to-side fluidity I'm so unfamiliar with. He liked it, said keep doing it! So even if I feel it only 30% of the time right now, that'll get better!
Off to work, so I can get out early. Because I have a 4.5K loco later today?! Should I subtract out this morning's yardage?! Think about it. Better yet, make the call later today. And rewrite the 4.5K loco plan to incorporate the new drills.
My concerns going into this morning included the discomfort I'm feeling in my left shoulder in extension, and the feeling that I'm going so slow.
First off the shoulder. It's not so much pain but more of an "I'm aware" of something I feel when the left arm is fully forward in extension and starting the catch. Turns out I'm sweeping my left arm out too far, it's drifting out with a big elbow bend. It's happening because the hand is pausing in front of me, giving the hand/arm time to drift out. The drill fix for this is continuous motion, don't stop moving. Every time I pause, I need to kick or get restarted somehow, he pointed out how much this happens over 2.4 miles and how much energy it takes.
This was harder than expected! It felt windmill-ish, like I had many many extra strokes, and I was short of breath. One thing at a time here...I counted my strokes and it was exactly that same! I would have bet $ otherwise! As for the breathing, he thinks (no doubt rightly) that I'm not stomach breathing. I'm rib breathing. Some discussion about how I swallow air in fast sprint sets has him thinking I might be upper throat breathing then! But that's another problem. I need to think (but not over think) "stomach or diaphragm" breathing, still get a nice HOOOP of air but not the HIC that I usually do? Hard to explain, but when I practice it I can feel a difference.
Doing that drill was amazing -- aside from the lack of breath -- I could finally feel the figure-8-ish roll side to side, the feeling of getting my weight to shift such that it works with my arms to propel me! I only feel it for brief bursts though.
Second, my right arm is swinging wide over the water. So the fix drill is high elbow fingertip drag. Ah, this settled my weight on my side and helped that figure-8 feeling even more.
Next up, fist drill. Don't worry about stroke count, in fact add more strokes. Don't kick to compensate. Oooh, out of breath, but it requires good rotation in order to work and it really forces the issue. I've always heard the fist drill as a way to learn to catch water, not as a way to encourage rotation! New to me!
In my final 100's I was feeling more and more of that synchony, the figure-8, the roll side-to-side-to-side fluidity I'm so unfamiliar with. He liked it, said keep doing it! So even if I feel it only 30% of the time right now, that'll get better!
Off to work, so I can get out early. Because I have a 4.5K loco later today?! Should I subtract out this morning's yardage?! Think about it. Better yet, make the call later today. And rewrite the 4.5K loco plan to incorporate the new drills.
Thursday, September 25, 2014
Thursday burnout. Distracted, stressed, way too tired.
RUN 9 miles in 1:20
SWIM zero!
I woke up feeling OK for the run, had a good first loop of 55-56 mins. LC brought fruit for IT's bday and I noshed a banana and strawberries (gotta watch those fruit servings!). Then I took off again alone planning to only run 8 miles. But as I ran I realized I wasn't going to swim. I was cold, tired, fuzzed, unfocused. It'd be better to swim later when I'm feeling better, right?
Is that good rationale, or The Blerch?!
I went to work knowing I had only a half day ahead of me with the services for P in the afternoon. This weighed on my mind all day, a sadness I couldn't shake. I thought I'd swim on the way home, but didn't. I was tired, weak, wanting something I couldn't define. Probably food. I was getting hungry so when I got home I started with my usual veg salad and protein, then moved onto creating some rice cake things for the ride this weekend. The carbs probably did me good, but it was a crutch. Deep down I was still fatigued.
Being sick again on Monday really took the run out from under me. It left me "off" all week and still today I'm feeling it! Can't have that!!! But it's Peak Week, of course I'm tired. Or is that me rationalizing things?
Either way, weight was too low this morning (dehydrated from not drinking when I feel sick) and that always messes with my head. Makes me feel like I'm not strong enough. Drink more!
I then thought I might swim after the services, but I was still weak. The carbs were a crutch of energy that was just a front.
Once home, dog walked, and dinner done I started or more rice cake things. My success in the first round encouraged me, but these were a fail. They came out bad (water from the carrots?) but I ended up eating a bunch anyway, leaving my tummy in a too-full upset mode. Why do I do that to myself?!
One month to B2B!
SWIM zero!
I woke up feeling OK for the run, had a good first loop of 55-56 mins. LC brought fruit for IT's bday and I noshed a banana and strawberries (gotta watch those fruit servings!). Then I took off again alone planning to only run 8 miles. But as I ran I realized I wasn't going to swim. I was cold, tired, fuzzed, unfocused. It'd be better to swim later when I'm feeling better, right?
Is that good rationale, or The Blerch?!
I went to work knowing I had only a half day ahead of me with the services for P in the afternoon. This weighed on my mind all day, a sadness I couldn't shake. I thought I'd swim on the way home, but didn't. I was tired, weak, wanting something I couldn't define. Probably food. I was getting hungry so when I got home I started with my usual veg salad and protein, then moved onto creating some rice cake things for the ride this weekend. The carbs probably did me good, but it was a crutch. Deep down I was still fatigued.
Being sick again on Monday really took the run out from under me. It left me "off" all week and still today I'm feeling it! Can't have that!!! But it's Peak Week, of course I'm tired. Or is that me rationalizing things?
Either way, weight was too low this morning (dehydrated from not drinking when I feel sick) and that always messes with my head. Makes me feel like I'm not strong enough. Drink more!
I then thought I might swim after the services, but I was still weak. The carbs were a crutch of energy that was just a front.
Once home, dog walked, and dinner done I started or more rice cake things. My success in the first round encouraged me, but these were a fail. They came out bad (water from the carrots?) but I ended up eating a bunch anyway, leaving my tummy in a too-full upset mode. Why do I do that to myself?!
One month to B2B!
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Still indoors, but it's working for me
BIKE 90 mins and 26 miles, 2x20 hard
SWIM 30 mins and 1200y, 100's of drills focus
COMMUTE 6 miles
Another up early but not on the trainer early morning. The slow burnout is beginning I fear, that "ugh am I done yet" feeling? Not quite yet. But it's not terribly exciting to ride the trainer so I drag my feet a bit. Also a problem is that due to my long weekend hours last weekend I don't have any of my foods prepped. So each morning is going thru the chop n cook motions to get lunch and brekkie packed. That's my excuse anyway.
Ride was 2x20 mins hard. I was aiming for an ave of 20 mph in the intervals but my bad math had me thinking 6 miles per interval when it should have been 6.6. I was watching the speed numbers and kept seeing 19-20, sometimes 18, but when the first interval was done I was confused by the distance. Took some thinking, and later on I realized that my 6.3 and 6.2 miles covered in the interval was correct, and I didn't have the wrong start number. So not as fast as I wanted, but good effort.
The swim was a lunch swim, poorly motivated and unorganized. My tummy and energy are still off. I had mild stomach pains in the swim and was worried about them getting worse. I know I should swim before the bike so the most important workout (for me anyway) is done with fresh energy and focus. But the ideal schedule gets in the way and I become more concerned with saving time and getting places.
SWIM 30 mins and 1200y, 100's of drills focus
COMMUTE 6 miles
Another up early but not on the trainer early morning. The slow burnout is beginning I fear, that "ugh am I done yet" feeling? Not quite yet. But it's not terribly exciting to ride the trainer so I drag my feet a bit. Also a problem is that due to my long weekend hours last weekend I don't have any of my foods prepped. So each morning is going thru the chop n cook motions to get lunch and brekkie packed. That's my excuse anyway.
Ride was 2x20 mins hard. I was aiming for an ave of 20 mph in the intervals but my bad math had me thinking 6 miles per interval when it should have been 6.6. I was watching the speed numbers and kept seeing 19-20, sometimes 18, but when the first interval was done I was confused by the distance. Took some thinking, and later on I realized that my 6.3 and 6.2 miles covered in the interval was correct, and I didn't have the wrong start number. So not as fast as I wanted, but good effort.
The swim was a lunch swim, poorly motivated and unorganized. My tummy and energy are still off. I had mild stomach pains in the swim and was worried about them getting worse. I know I should swim before the bike so the most important workout (for me anyway) is done with fresh energy and focus. But the ideal schedule gets in the way and I become more concerned with saving time and getting places.
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Much better today, fantastic in fact!
BIKE 1:45 and 30 miles, 2x30 mins (10) 75%
RUN 1:17 and 9.3 miles, 400-800-800-400 (800) specifics below. ave 7:10 pace over 1.5 miles
Wow, so much better feeling than yesterday when gut pain and problems dominated the afternoon. What happened yesterday? I can think of a few possibilities, included here for the record. The swim had sprints and maybe I swallowed air. DH and I ate out the night before and had different foods. I ate half of a Japanese eggplant at breakfast. I'm feeling some mild stress over JP and P all weekend, waiting to hear the bad news.
The symptoms I had can be attributed to accumulating too many "points" -- from food, activity, stress -- and once that threshold is passed I have problems. Eggplant has been suspected as a source of problems for me, they are FODMAP "avoid". We had eggplant the night prior at dinner, and that dinner maybe have had onion and/or garlic. I know swimming can bother me, but those symptoms tend to come earlier in the day and not in the 1-2pm range of time. But it's cumulative, remember that!
Either way, I managed to find a place to recline at work and within 10 mins I was feeling better. My ride home was uncomfy and pained, and I pushed down dinner so I could train today. And as for today, so far so good! No problems today (aside from lots of gas this morning!! LOL).
The bike was indoors because of the late sunrise. I didn't intend to do the entire thing indoors, but after Saturday's relatively slow ave pace I wanted to focus on improving that aspect. I had a goal of holding 18mph in each of the 30 min intervals. Did it!! But it took most of the morning indoors for that. Couldn't have done it outside. I cut the 2hrs short to get moving so I could get to work before I was too terribly late.
The run was fantastic! One thing I changed today was eating more "fast carbs", and I added a powerbar to my mid-PW meals. Did that help? Maybe, because I had great energy heading out the door to the track. Stark contrast to Sunday's heavy-feet no-energy slugfest. I bee-bopped to the track in the cool morning air, and rolled right into my WU of builds on the straightaways.
The details 3x [400 @ 80%; 800 @ 85%; 800 @ 80%; 400 @ 85%) with 800 rest. So 1.5 mile work and 0.5 mile rest. This is a fun workout! I did the 80% as "pushed" and the 85% as "double pushed". It took 10:49 (7:16 m/m) for the first and second intervals, 10:43 for the 3rd. (7:09 m/m).
The sky was so clear, the clouds so impossibly far away, wispy like brushstrokes. The air was clean, clear, crisp. My body was tall and strong. My feet and legs zippy, light, and fast. Appreciate!!
Tonight is a new moon. One month ago I set some goals that I'd hope to accomplish by now. I'm still a work in progress. And there's another new moon coming up in the next month :) I've made some progress, but not steady or consistent. Keep going!
RUN 1:17 and 9.3 miles, 400-800-800-400 (800) specifics below. ave 7:10 pace over 1.5 miles
Wow, so much better feeling than yesterday when gut pain and problems dominated the afternoon. What happened yesterday? I can think of a few possibilities, included here for the record. The swim had sprints and maybe I swallowed air. DH and I ate out the night before and had different foods. I ate half of a Japanese eggplant at breakfast. I'm feeling some mild stress over JP and P all weekend, waiting to hear the bad news.
The symptoms I had can be attributed to accumulating too many "points" -- from food, activity, stress -- and once that threshold is passed I have problems. Eggplant has been suspected as a source of problems for me, they are FODMAP "avoid". We had eggplant the night prior at dinner, and that dinner maybe have had onion and/or garlic. I know swimming can bother me, but those symptoms tend to come earlier in the day and not in the 1-2pm range of time. But it's cumulative, remember that!
Either way, I managed to find a place to recline at work and within 10 mins I was feeling better. My ride home was uncomfy and pained, and I pushed down dinner so I could train today. And as for today, so far so good! No problems today (aside from lots of gas this morning!! LOL).
The bike was indoors because of the late sunrise. I didn't intend to do the entire thing indoors, but after Saturday's relatively slow ave pace I wanted to focus on improving that aspect. I had a goal of holding 18mph in each of the 30 min intervals. Did it!! But it took most of the morning indoors for that. Couldn't have done it outside. I cut the 2hrs short to get moving so I could get to work before I was too terribly late.
The run was fantastic! One thing I changed today was eating more "fast carbs", and I added a powerbar to my mid-PW meals. Did that help? Maybe, because I had great energy heading out the door to the track. Stark contrast to Sunday's heavy-feet no-energy slugfest. I bee-bopped to the track in the cool morning air, and rolled right into my WU of builds on the straightaways.
The details 3x [400 @ 80%; 800 @ 85%; 800 @ 80%; 400 @ 85%) with 800 rest. So 1.5 mile work and 0.5 mile rest. This is a fun workout! I did the 80% as "pushed" and the 85% as "double pushed". It took 10:49 (7:16 m/m) for the first and second intervals, 10:43 for the 3rd. (7:09 m/m).
The sky was so clear, the clouds so impossibly far away, wispy like brushstrokes. The air was clean, clear, crisp. My body was tall and strong. My feet and legs zippy, light, and fast. Appreciate!!
Tonight is a new moon. One month ago I set some goals that I'd hope to accomplish by now. I'm still a work in progress. And there's another new moon coming up in the next month :) I've made some progress, but not steady or consistent. Keep going!
Monday, September 22, 2014
Evolve swim, peak week continues
SWIM 2000y in 50 mins
COMMUTE 6 miles
Yay, I got my 20 laps in! Wait, some bad math there. This was 40 laps. Whatever.
I woke up feeling a little stomach sick, whether it's from training or eating out last night or learning the terribly sad news about P just before dinner last night, hard to say. That awful crampy feeling back again.
But the swim went great, only 4 of us showed leaving me and another swimmer to swim sides. This is calming for me. The main sets were fun: 800, 600, 400. In the 800, the 4th and 8th 100 are sprints. In the 600, the 3rd and 6th. In the 400, the 2nd and 4th. The session ended halfway through the 400 which is too bad because I was feeling great.
I paid my way to swim through the beginning of December. Hopefully this motivates me to keep swimming after B2B.
I had a tummy attack in the afternoon, not sure why. The eggplant in brekkie (only half a Japanese eggplant!), the stress, the eating out last night, the cumulative damage of all factors? Nuts. This was the first bad attack I've had since going low FODMAP in June. :(
COMMUTE 6 miles
Yay, I got my 20 laps in! Wait, some bad math there. This was 40 laps. Whatever.
I woke up feeling a little stomach sick, whether it's from training or eating out last night or learning the terribly sad news about P just before dinner last night, hard to say. That awful crampy feeling back again.
But the swim went great, only 4 of us showed leaving me and another swimmer to swim sides. This is calming for me. The main sets were fun: 800, 600, 400. In the 800, the 4th and 8th 100 are sprints. In the 600, the 3rd and 6th. In the 400, the 2nd and 4th. The session ended halfway through the 400 which is too bad because I was feeling great.
I paid my way to swim through the beginning of December. Hopefully this motivates me to keep swimming after B2B.
I had a tummy attack in the afternoon, not sure why. The eggplant in brekkie (only half a Japanese eggplant!), the stress, the eating out last night, the cumulative damage of all factors? Nuts. This was the first bad attack I've had since going low FODMAP in June. :(
Sunday, September 21, 2014
4K Loco swim
SWIM 4000y in 1:36, Loco!
RUN 10 miles in 1:26, speedwork from last Tuesday:2000-1600-1200-800-400
I met with RyMe for the swim. FYI -- the Y pool doesn't open until 8am on Sundays. That wasn't too bad a thing, it gave us a chance to talk about his new job and house. We didn't get to talk in the pool, so this was a great break.
This swim is part of a planned build-up to a 5K and a 5-1-5-0, they are penciled into the calendar. For MiTi, I just did a 5-1-5-0 and it nearly broke me. This time I want to be stronger for it.
RM did his sets and was done, right when I hit my halfway point at 46 mins. I took note of this to see if my latter half slowed. It sure did! Gotta work on that.
After the swim I lost a lot of momentum. I wanted to run at noon, then noon-thirty, then...Ugh...so I ran my shopping errands and didn't get to run until 2:30pm! There should be a word for the stress that an unfinished/unstarted workout causes, that feeling of "OMG I've GOT to do this workout but I don't WANT to but I DO want to but..."
The bridge just closed on our street, so I got some extra mileage running to the track, 1.3 miles instead of the usual 0.6. Who am I to complain about extra mileage? But did it have to come on a day when I was tired, hot, no energy, no momentum? HTFU and RUN!
Once at the track, I still struggled to find energy. But I did it. Slow, but done. The 1600 was something like a 7:24m/m. Oh well. I kept cheering myself on, actually giving myself a sly High-5 at the end of each set, and slogged it out. Realizing how close I was to 10 miles led me for another few cooldown laps at the end. Then I slogged it home.
So if'n I can do at least 20 laps tomorrow at the Evolve swim, then over the weekend of training (or at least the training I did between leaving work Friday and coming back Monday) I did 100 miles bike, 100 laps swim, and 10 miles running.
Week summary:
SWIM 7350y
BIKE 176 miles
RUN 26 miles
17.5 hours, not including bike commute of 2 or 3 days.
This all coming right after the MT100 pacing last Sunday. Not bad!
RUN 10 miles in 1:26, speedwork from last Tuesday:2000-1600-1200-800-400
I met with RyMe for the swim. FYI -- the Y pool doesn't open until 8am on Sundays. That wasn't too bad a thing, it gave us a chance to talk about his new job and house. We didn't get to talk in the pool, so this was a great break.
This swim is part of a planned build-up to a 5K and a 5-1-5-0, they are penciled into the calendar. For MiTi, I just did a 5-1-5-0 and it nearly broke me. This time I want to be stronger for it.
RM did his sets and was done, right when I hit my halfway point at 46 mins. I took note of this to see if my latter half slowed. It sure did! Gotta work on that.
After the swim I lost a lot of momentum. I wanted to run at noon, then noon-thirty, then...Ugh...so I ran my shopping errands and didn't get to run until 2:30pm! There should be a word for the stress that an unfinished/unstarted workout causes, that feeling of "OMG I've GOT to do this workout but I don't WANT to but I DO want to but..."
The bridge just closed on our street, so I got some extra mileage running to the track, 1.3 miles instead of the usual 0.6. Who am I to complain about extra mileage? But did it have to come on a day when I was tired, hot, no energy, no momentum? HTFU and RUN!
Once at the track, I still struggled to find energy. But I did it. Slow, but done. The 1600 was something like a 7:24m/m. Oh well. I kept cheering myself on, actually giving myself a sly High-5 at the end of each set, and slogged it out. Realizing how close I was to 10 miles led me for another few cooldown laps at the end. Then I slogged it home.
So if'n I can do at least 20 laps tomorrow at the Evolve swim, then over the weekend of training (or at least the training I did between leaving work Friday and coming back Monday) I did 100 miles bike, 100 laps swim, and 10 miles running.
Week summary:
SWIM 7350y
BIKE 176 miles
RUN 26 miles
17.5 hours, not including bike commute of 2 or 3 days.
This all coming right after the MT100 pacing last Sunday. Not bad!
Saturday, September 20, 2014
First century since Michigan
BIKE 100.6 miles in 6 hours and 3 mins
It wasn't the original plan to ride 100 miles. I'd been saying "I'm riding 90" in the days prior. The 100 Carrot was just too much to resist!
The route was brand new to me, cobbled together from other MMR routes I could find, routes I've done, and familiar MCT sections. I was riding alone, I put out a light feeler but nothing serious. There was no shorter route option, and I think most of my friends are done with long stuff for the year.
The day was gorgeous, a bit cool to start but with promise to warm up to the low 80's! I fueled last night and this morning with a lot of rice (I was devoid of energy last night, needed a fuel intervention) so I went out with hopes that rice works for this. Why wouldn't it?
Started off in Drost and headed to C-ville. From there, new roads! They were rough, evidently chip-sealed this summer and not smoothed out yet. At one point on Rose I was in loose chip! After a mile or two I pulled out the phone to look for an alternative route. None! So I took a gamble and kept going, the gamble paid off -- but not until the bottom of a big down hill -- and soon enough I had smooth(er) road again. I was ticking along and feeling really good, I'm thinking the day off yesterday, the rice, my fitness...
...no it was a tailwind! The first 30 miles were mostly eastbound and I had a strong SW wind pushing me. Oh great, as the way home was a weave-up of north and west, with lots of west bound segments. Oh well, I had some apprehension about this but knew it was good for me.
Stop in Breese, ride to New Baden. Along the way I'm thanking the corn for being so tall as it blunted the headwind :) All summer I was Appreciating! how green and how fresh the corn smelled. As I like to say, you can smell the corn growing. Now it was turning to fall colors, light tan, husky, and now I could smell the corn drying. Lots of semi's hauling harvested grain, a few golden colored corn spills along the roads...fall is just around the corner. (Starts Tuesday, in fact). Normally I'm not out riding this late in the season so this is new for me.
Speaking of racing in Sept, Redman is today! And I'm cheering for JM who's doing the full!
And at the same time I'm praying for JP and P :(
The west bound segments of headwind and rough road started to wear on me around mile 65. I started counting the miles left, watching the garmin, and thinking about pulling over to rest. But I didn't, I think it but never do. By the time I got back to the truck at 73, I was committed to at least 90 miles. So I was cooked but not finished. And I most certainly did NOT want to do a brick run.
I headed out on the MCT westbound with the plan of riding the required mileage then turning around for home with a tailwind. The Blerch kept talking at me -- just ride a few miles then turn around and keep repeating that little segment. He wanted me to ride by the truck again in temptation to quit! That fat little f^ck! No way!
In fact, before I reached my planned turn around mileage, I'd committed to 100! It's only another 5 miles out into the headwind. The math bit struggled in my head...carry the 2...haha...but eventually I came up with 87. If I turn around at 87 I'll get 100. Thankfully 87 came before the Madison parking lot on the bridge over 203. Hehe, I didn't even want to ride the extra yardage to the parking lot. I was DONE.
Then I realize I have 13 miles in 5:27. I hit 10 miles to go around at 5:30. Can I crush it back to get to 100 by 6 hours?! I'm gonna try! I pushed, the push waxed and waned over the miles but I was able to push. My ave speed thus far was 16.5 mph, and now I'm doing 19.7. Weeee!!!!!!!
I came to close, finished the 100 in 6:01 or 6:02. SWEET!! But I'm done. My toes HURT for a few mins, and I still had no desire to run.
Nailed nutrition and hydration, didn't mash too much into the headwind, stayed calm in the headwind. Nice century :)
It wasn't the original plan to ride 100 miles. I'd been saying "I'm riding 90" in the days prior. The 100 Carrot was just too much to resist!
The route was brand new to me, cobbled together from other MMR routes I could find, routes I've done, and familiar MCT sections. I was riding alone, I put out a light feeler but nothing serious. There was no shorter route option, and I think most of my friends are done with long stuff for the year.
The day was gorgeous, a bit cool to start but with promise to warm up to the low 80's! I fueled last night and this morning with a lot of rice (I was devoid of energy last night, needed a fuel intervention) so I went out with hopes that rice works for this. Why wouldn't it?
Started off in Drost and headed to C-ville. From there, new roads! They were rough, evidently chip-sealed this summer and not smoothed out yet. At one point on Rose I was in loose chip! After a mile or two I pulled out the phone to look for an alternative route. None! So I took a gamble and kept going, the gamble paid off -- but not until the bottom of a big down hill -- and soon enough I had smooth(er) road again. I was ticking along and feeling really good, I'm thinking the day off yesterday, the rice, my fitness...
...no it was a tailwind! The first 30 miles were mostly eastbound and I had a strong SW wind pushing me. Oh great, as the way home was a weave-up of north and west, with lots of west bound segments. Oh well, I had some apprehension about this but knew it was good for me.
Stop in Breese, ride to New Baden. Along the way I'm thanking the corn for being so tall as it blunted the headwind :) All summer I was Appreciating! how green and how fresh the corn smelled. As I like to say, you can smell the corn growing. Now it was turning to fall colors, light tan, husky, and now I could smell the corn drying. Lots of semi's hauling harvested grain, a few golden colored corn spills along the roads...fall is just around the corner. (Starts Tuesday, in fact). Normally I'm not out riding this late in the season so this is new for me.
Speaking of racing in Sept, Redman is today! And I'm cheering for JM who's doing the full!
And at the same time I'm praying for JP and P :(
The west bound segments of headwind and rough road started to wear on me around mile 65. I started counting the miles left, watching the garmin, and thinking about pulling over to rest. But I didn't, I think it but never do. By the time I got back to the truck at 73, I was committed to at least 90 miles. So I was cooked but not finished. And I most certainly did NOT want to do a brick run.
I headed out on the MCT westbound with the plan of riding the required mileage then turning around for home with a tailwind. The Blerch kept talking at me -- just ride a few miles then turn around and keep repeating that little segment. He wanted me to ride by the truck again in temptation to quit! That fat little f^ck! No way!
In fact, before I reached my planned turn around mileage, I'd committed to 100! It's only another 5 miles out into the headwind. The math bit struggled in my head...carry the 2...haha...but eventually I came up with 87. If I turn around at 87 I'll get 100. Thankfully 87 came before the Madison parking lot on the bridge over 203. Hehe, I didn't even want to ride the extra yardage to the parking lot. I was DONE.
Then I realize I have 13 miles in 5:27. I hit 10 miles to go around at 5:30. Can I crush it back to get to 100 by 6 hours?! I'm gonna try! I pushed, the push waxed and waned over the miles but I was able to push. My ave speed thus far was 16.5 mph, and now I'm doing 19.7. Weeee!!!!!!!
I came to close, finished the 100 in 6:01 or 6:02. SWEET!! But I'm done. My toes HURT for a few mins, and I still had no desire to run.
Nailed nutrition and hydration, didn't mash too much into the headwind, stayed calm in the headwind. Nice century :)
Friday, September 19, 2014
Cancelled swim, turned into a day off
COMMUTE 6 miles
I needed the day off. And by the time I got home, I had ZERO energy. Made some rice. Ate a LOT of it.
I needed the day off. And by the time I got home, I had ZERO energy. Made some rice. Ate a LOT of it.
Thursday, September 18, 2014
Big Ole Sammie with Commuter Points
RUN 10 miles in just over 90 mins
BIKE 18 miles in 60 mins
RUN 3 miles in just under 30 mins, to work
RUN 3 more miles in about 30 mins, to home
Whew! The last run isn't done as I type this, but there's little question in my mind that I'll do it. Unlike something along the lines of yesterday's swim. I wouldn't let myself log the day until after I'd succeeded or failed the swim!
I skipped the usual Thursday run so I could maintain my own pace and schedule. They go faster than my goal pace for a session like this. I ran from home, starting at 630 (the plan was 6am!) and the sun was up just enough I didn't need lights. To TGP, around MoBot, back to TGP, trying to keep it different and fresh.
I didn't push a pace, but I was hoping for better than the 10m/m I started out at. Happily the day got warm and I was able to shed to a t-shirt. And happily I was able to fish my Camelbak handheld lid out of the hole in the ground next to that fountain in TGP. Blame the gloves for dropping it! Hehe. This felt good. No residual soreness or pain from the MT100 weekend.
Once home I was behind schedule. I'd already re-arranged the sessions to move time from the first run to the commute runs. So I stayed indoors (ugh) so I could have the mostest miles in the leastest time. No way I'd get 18 miles outdoors in one hour.
Then off to work, pushing the pace on this just a little more. Some right hip pain, most likely fatigue pain.
The run home might be tough, but I've done it before I can do it again.
BIKE 18 miles in 60 mins
RUN 3 miles in just under 30 mins, to work
RUN 3 more miles in about 30 mins, to home
Whew! The last run isn't done as I type this, but there's little question in my mind that I'll do it. Unlike something along the lines of yesterday's swim. I wouldn't let myself log the day until after I'd succeeded or failed the swim!
I skipped the usual Thursday run so I could maintain my own pace and schedule. They go faster than my goal pace for a session like this. I ran from home, starting at 630 (the plan was 6am!) and the sun was up just enough I didn't need lights. To TGP, around MoBot, back to TGP, trying to keep it different and fresh.
I didn't push a pace, but I was hoping for better than the 10m/m I started out at. Happily the day got warm and I was able to shed to a t-shirt. And happily I was able to fish my Camelbak handheld lid out of the hole in the ground next to that fountain in TGP. Blame the gloves for dropping it! Hehe. This felt good. No residual soreness or pain from the MT100 weekend.
Once home I was behind schedule. I'd already re-arranged the sessions to move time from the first run to the commute runs. So I stayed indoors (ugh) so I could have the mostest miles in the leastest time. No way I'd get 18 miles outdoors in one hour.
Then off to work, pushing the pace on this just a little more. Some right hip pain, most likely fatigue pain.
The run home might be tough, but I've done it before I can do it again.
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Monday recovery
COMMUTE on Puppy
I missed the Evolve swim, but I'll make it up later this week. It has a 500y TT!
I'm tapering, but also recovering from the last 4 days of travel and lack of schedule. I'm excitedly tired.
Today was a huge stress-ball day until I had "the conversation" with my boss. I'm feeling good about how it went, and looking forward to seeing just how much of my gut pain issues lately can be tied to stressing about this whole topic.
Regarding the above, it led to some Monster stress in the morning, dammit I hate that! Stop!
And more regarding the above above,
I missed the Evolve swim, but I'll make it up later this week. It has a 500y TT!
I'm tapering, but also recovering from the last 4 days of travel and lack of schedule. I'm excitedly tired.
Today was a huge stress-ball day until I had "the conversation" with my boss. I'm feeling good about how it went, and looking forward to seeing just how much of my gut pain issues lately can be tied to stressing about this whole topic.
Regarding the above, it led to some Monster stress in the morning, dammit I hate that! Stop!
And more regarding the above above,
Haha -- I WIN BLERCH
BIKE 23.5 miles in 90 mins: 5/5, 4/4, 3/3, 2/2, 1/1. Did multiple 5/5's. Indoors.
COMMUTE 6 miles on Puppy
SWIM 2400y in 60 mins: 30x50 session
YES! The Blerch LOST this round. I didn't get moving fast enough in the morning -- I used the "want to see the DH" excuse I so commonly use in the morning. It's true, I do want to see him. But if I left the house by 500 like I plan and get home by 7, I might could see him.
Then I think well I'll swim during the day. That didn't happen! So I was proud of myself for riding home, getting a bite to eat, walking the dog, and LEAVING FOR THE POOL!
Lotsa kids getting lessons today, I was able to share a lane with a young girl swimming on her own. It was the 30x50 workout: 10 50's descending pace, 9 50's of kick/sprint, then the last 11 at race pace.
This schedule worked for me, I wasn't cold after running. I was fueled. And it was thrilling to get it done. It wasn't the best feeling swim as measured by how my form felt, I did 300y of drill work is all, but I hope this swim style is working for me.
COMMUTE 6 miles on Puppy
SWIM 2400y in 60 mins: 30x50 session
YES! The Blerch LOST this round. I didn't get moving fast enough in the morning -- I used the "want to see the DH" excuse I so commonly use in the morning. It's true, I do want to see him. But if I left the house by 500 like I plan and get home by 7, I might could see him.
Then I think well I'll swim during the day. That didn't happen! So I was proud of myself for riding home, getting a bite to eat, walking the dog, and LEAVING FOR THE POOL!
Lotsa kids getting lessons today, I was able to share a lane with a young girl swimming on her own. It was the 30x50 workout: 10 50's descending pace, 9 50's of kick/sprint, then the last 11 at race pace.
This schedule worked for me, I wasn't cold after running. I was fueled. And it was thrilling to get it done. It wasn't the best feeling swim as measured by how my form felt, I did 300y of drill work is all, but I hope this swim style is working for me.
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
How to rebuild peak week
BIKE 2hrs and 34 miles, 20-16-12-8-4 at 75% (4)
No run today, I'm still hurting too much and need the rest. Although I admit that by the afternoon I'm feeling much better already. But no, I'm still in a fragile body state. Don't fall for it!
And quit shopping for 100 milers for next year! There really should be a moratorium on race shopping for so many hours after finishing a big event :)
I did the bike though, my original plan was to reverse the Tues and Weds bikes but once I got started I switched back to the longer Tues ride for today figuring that by not running I'd have some extra time. Still a late morning getting to work! Gotta be more efficient in the morning and not get busy like I did today with chores. Only a few more weeks of long mornings like this though.
Keeping a 75% effort wasn't as hard as I thought it could be. It helped that I did this indoors (too dark out!). But being indoors kept me more stable and required less of my tired back muscles. Today all that hurts is my calves, upper hips in the back, and my back. And some very tired shin muscles.
I thought about swimming this afternoon, but I lost time being a Blerch (but not on the internet like usual). Probably wont' happen.
So I'm thinking peak week will start Thursday and continue for 10 days, instead of this week being the 19hr peak week. Still rebuilding it. But that's what I'm thinking.
No run today, I'm still hurting too much and need the rest. Although I admit that by the afternoon I'm feeling much better already. But no, I'm still in a fragile body state. Don't fall for it!
And quit shopping for 100 milers for next year! There really should be a moratorium on race shopping for so many hours after finishing a big event :)
I did the bike though, my original plan was to reverse the Tues and Weds bikes but once I got started I switched back to the longer Tues ride for today figuring that by not running I'd have some extra time. Still a late morning getting to work! Gotta be more efficient in the morning and not get busy like I did today with chores. Only a few more weeks of long mornings like this though.
Keeping a 75% effort wasn't as hard as I thought it could be. It helped that I did this indoors (too dark out!). But being indoors kept me more stable and required less of my tired back muscles. Today all that hurts is my calves, upper hips in the back, and my back. And some very tired shin muscles.
I thought about swimming this afternoon, but I lost time being a Blerch (but not on the internet like usual). Probably wont' happen.
So I'm thinking peak week will start Thursday and continue for 10 days, instead of this week being the 19hr peak week. Still rebuilding it. But that's what I'm thinking.
Monday, September 15, 2014
Evolve swim: Cold, tired, cold, and sore
SWIM abt 30 mins and only 950y
I woke up and to my surprise wanted to swim. Already my body was hurting from yesterday -- calves, back up my upper hips, my back, surprisingly not my quads or hammies or any of the injuries I thought I'd racked up yesterday. I wasn't this sore after MiTi! But none of it is "injury sore", it's just sore. And I was damned tired, quite like I was after MiTi.
But I didn't do so well at the swim. I was slow to get in the water. I did 50y of the 200WU, and did the 4x100 drill sets, and did only a few rounds of 50's with the ankle band before switching over to the pull buoy. My back just didn't have the strength today to do ankle band work. By the time I climbed out of the pool, though, I was whole body shivering and miserable cold. SM was worried about me, hated to say that this is pretty typical for me :( I need to HTFU.
Later in the day, I did feel better, but no appetite. Could be the oversized, protein-powder based (YUCK, WTF?!) brekkie. I didn't get hungry again until 6pm!
Also later in the day I visited JP and P. I was so hesitant to go, not sure of what I'd say, worried I'd say something wrong, and feeling self-conscious. At one point I wanted to turn around and not go! But I did, and I'm glad I did. If it's hard for me, think about how hard it is for them -- living this, not just visiting it. I happily shared some of my pacer stories with them, feeling kinda guilty about how much fun I was having while he couldn't. I think it's normal to feel that? I think about them so much, I should quit just-thinking and visit more.
I woke up and to my surprise wanted to swim. Already my body was hurting from yesterday -- calves, back up my upper hips, my back, surprisingly not my quads or hammies or any of the injuries I thought I'd racked up yesterday. I wasn't this sore after MiTi! But none of it is "injury sore", it's just sore. And I was damned tired, quite like I was after MiTi.
But I didn't do so well at the swim. I was slow to get in the water. I did 50y of the 200WU, and did the 4x100 drill sets, and did only a few rounds of 50's with the ankle band before switching over to the pull buoy. My back just didn't have the strength today to do ankle band work. By the time I climbed out of the pool, though, I was whole body shivering and miserable cold. SM was worried about me, hated to say that this is pretty typical for me :( I need to HTFU.
Later in the day, I did feel better, but no appetite. Could be the oversized, protein-powder based (YUCK, WTF?!) brekkie. I didn't get hungry again until 6pm!
Also later in the day I visited JP and P. I was so hesitant to go, not sure of what I'd say, worried I'd say something wrong, and feeling self-conscious. At one point I wanted to turn around and not go! But I did, and I'm glad I did. If it's hard for me, think about how hard it is for them -- living this, not just visiting it. I happily shared some of my pacer stories with them, feeling kinda guilty about how much fun I was having while he couldn't. I think it's normal to feel that? I think about them so much, I should quit just-thinking and visit more.
Sunday, September 14, 2014
MT100 Pacer's Report
RUN/HIKE/WALK 25 miles in just over 9.5 hours
Hoo boy. Long day, long report. A better word for these "reports" is probably "narrative" but that doesn't alliterate with "race" ;)
I drove to Potosi Saturday afternoon and unfortunately missed TV as he started his 3rd lap. Turns out he's moving faster than anticipated. So I set up my tent, talked to MV about my sleep plans, and ate a dinner of 2 eggs, orange, and some of my pre-run bucket. To be prepared (and warm), I put on all my clothes for the run: long bra top, Craft baselayer, armwarmers, Brooks fluoro long sleeve, yellow windbreak jacket, compression socks, Mizuno tights, Cascadias. I brought along an assortment of head and hand options, decided on a head band and beanie top, and my mini-gloves with the Brooks mitten shell. My goal was to layer as much as possible so I could change it up as needed. As I lay in the tent under a blanket, I was getting warm and started thinking I could be overdressed!! I'm glad I didn't change anything...
I settled to sleep shortly after 7pm, not really sure I'd be able to sleep with the cowbell, generators, people walking by, and lights. But I did doze off. Woke up around 930, dozed off again, woke up to the 11pm alarm. MV and I predicted TV could come through around 11:30, so this time was to be used eating and waking up. I woke up OK, had my pre-run, and waited...but decided against standing by the finish line. Went back to the tent, wrapped up in a blanket, and listened for cowbell. I might have dozed here a bit, not sure.
Cowbells announced runner's arrivals, and soon enough TV came in. Turns out he overpaced and "the wheels fell off around mile 65". He was apologizing for the fact that I was joining him for a long walk in the woods. No need to apologize, I'm in for whatever! Although I have to admit, it was looking like a long cold night.
We took off with a lot of f-bombs and moaning from TV as he re-warmed up. I had some trouble in the first mile just warming up my head, I didn't have coffee or a caffeinated gel as planned, thought I'd see what I needed and go from there. But once moving, I was OK. Cold, but OK.
Not gonna write this up mile by mile, don't worry! Gonna hit the highlights as I think of them.
My knuckle lights worked great, I'd had some doubts after a practice with them Thursday morning. They fit fine with gloves. I did get some left elbow muscle soreness, maybe from holding the light? My headlamp hurt after a few hours on the head, but it worked perfectly.
My clothing was almost not enough! When we went down into the valleys it was cold and humid. One layer less and I would have really struggled. At one point around 3:45am all I could think about was a fleecy heated blanket set to eleven.
My nutrition was better than expected. I'd planned for a 7-10hr trip and tried to bring both run and walk fuels. The run fuel being gels and powerbars, the walk fuel being banana-quinoa waffles and powerbars. So unfortunately I carried a lot of gel weight that went unused. My camelbak was STUFFED with gear and food, when morning rolled around and I started shedding layers I didn't have much room for it. I ended up ignoring the 30-min Garmin alarm and ate as needed. I ate all the waffle (banana, quinoa flakes, 2 eggs), a powerbar, a banana in pieces at various aid stations, some baked potato with salt, and 2 ginger chews. That's it!!! When we finished I was hungry, that's it.
My hydration was as needed, I used the garmin alarm to remind me, and tried to drink whenever TV did, much like I learned to do running with TH. I had to pee at every aid station (every 5 miles) so I think I did OK.
My legs suffered, they aren't trained to walk this! I stumbled over every rock it seemed, as if I didn't have trail footing. More likely it was fatigue and the distracted focus of running in the dark. My left knee started hurting about 2/3rds of the way in, the same pez animus pain I had one year ago in the MT50. (it didn't hurt much at all once the race was over).
My body did OK in a cardiovascular sense, I've got the endurance for this. But my mind suffered the most. This wasn't my race, so the 'burn' to finish that TV had wasn't as strong for me. I had soooooo many moments of "god I wanna quit"-- even though I never would have -- the urge and fight was strong.
My pacer job I think went OK. He led the loop to set his own pace. I learned to stay quiet in technical sections so he could focus. I was able to fast walk and keep up with his shuffle-run with only having to run a few sections the entire way. I pointed out when he was leaning, hunched, stutter-stepping, staring to much at his watch, not peeing, and sitting too long. He thought he wouldn't remember most of the loop, and I've yet to ask.
We joked about pet rocks, naming the rocks on the course, listened attentively for generators, celebrated the upcoming aid stations, he became a bit fixated on trail litter and mushrooms. We had a dry crossing at Brazil. We were passed by LeeD after the 2nd aid station. I asked if he was seeing things (only a root that looked like a skull). We talked about Michigan, his trip to the west coast, anything and everything. But mostly we were quiet and focused in the dark.
We looked forward to the sun coming up mostly. At first it was just a lightening of the sky. Then we could see the tree silhouettes, then details of the trees to our left and right. What a change to not see just black. Then before you know it, the sun is up!
I learned a lot this morning. I learned that yes I put my mind to something that's 'not mine' and finish it though suffering (I kept thinking, if I hurt this bad how does he feel!). I learned that preparation and planning can pay off. And I learned what it might be like when I run my own 100, this was like a preview of what I might be facing in 2015: dark, lonely, fatigue.
Can I do it? Do I want to? Tough questions. Maybe I should recover first!
Hoo boy. Long day, long report. A better word for these "reports" is probably "narrative" but that doesn't alliterate with "race" ;)
I drove to Potosi Saturday afternoon and unfortunately missed TV as he started his 3rd lap. Turns out he's moving faster than anticipated. So I set up my tent, talked to MV about my sleep plans, and ate a dinner of 2 eggs, orange, and some of my pre-run bucket. To be prepared (and warm), I put on all my clothes for the run: long bra top, Craft baselayer, armwarmers, Brooks fluoro long sleeve, yellow windbreak jacket, compression socks, Mizuno tights, Cascadias. I brought along an assortment of head and hand options, decided on a head band and beanie top, and my mini-gloves with the Brooks mitten shell. My goal was to layer as much as possible so I could change it up as needed. As I lay in the tent under a blanket, I was getting warm and started thinking I could be overdressed!! I'm glad I didn't change anything...
I settled to sleep shortly after 7pm, not really sure I'd be able to sleep with the cowbell, generators, people walking by, and lights. But I did doze off. Woke up around 930, dozed off again, woke up to the 11pm alarm. MV and I predicted TV could come through around 11:30, so this time was to be used eating and waking up. I woke up OK, had my pre-run, and waited...but decided against standing by the finish line. Went back to the tent, wrapped up in a blanket, and listened for cowbell. I might have dozed here a bit, not sure.
Cowbells announced runner's arrivals, and soon enough TV came in. Turns out he overpaced and "the wheels fell off around mile 65". He was apologizing for the fact that I was joining him for a long walk in the woods. No need to apologize, I'm in for whatever! Although I have to admit, it was looking like a long cold night.
We took off with a lot of f-bombs and moaning from TV as he re-warmed up. I had some trouble in the first mile just warming up my head, I didn't have coffee or a caffeinated gel as planned, thought I'd see what I needed and go from there. But once moving, I was OK. Cold, but OK.
Not gonna write this up mile by mile, don't worry! Gonna hit the highlights as I think of them.
My knuckle lights worked great, I'd had some doubts after a practice with them Thursday morning. They fit fine with gloves. I did get some left elbow muscle soreness, maybe from holding the light? My headlamp hurt after a few hours on the head, but it worked perfectly.
My clothing was almost not enough! When we went down into the valleys it was cold and humid. One layer less and I would have really struggled. At one point around 3:45am all I could think about was a fleecy heated blanket set to eleven.
My nutrition was better than expected. I'd planned for a 7-10hr trip and tried to bring both run and walk fuels. The run fuel being gels and powerbars, the walk fuel being banana-quinoa waffles and powerbars. So unfortunately I carried a lot of gel weight that went unused. My camelbak was STUFFED with gear and food, when morning rolled around and I started shedding layers I didn't have much room for it. I ended up ignoring the 30-min Garmin alarm and ate as needed. I ate all the waffle (banana, quinoa flakes, 2 eggs), a powerbar, a banana in pieces at various aid stations, some baked potato with salt, and 2 ginger chews. That's it!!! When we finished I was hungry, that's it.
My hydration was as needed, I used the garmin alarm to remind me, and tried to drink whenever TV did, much like I learned to do running with TH. I had to pee at every aid station (every 5 miles) so I think I did OK.
My legs suffered, they aren't trained to walk this! I stumbled over every rock it seemed, as if I didn't have trail footing. More likely it was fatigue and the distracted focus of running in the dark. My left knee started hurting about 2/3rds of the way in, the same pez animus pain I had one year ago in the MT50. (it didn't hurt much at all once the race was over).
My body did OK in a cardiovascular sense, I've got the endurance for this. But my mind suffered the most. This wasn't my race, so the 'burn' to finish that TV had wasn't as strong for me. I had soooooo many moments of "god I wanna quit"-- even though I never would have -- the urge and fight was strong.
My pacer job I think went OK. He led the loop to set his own pace. I learned to stay quiet in technical sections so he could focus. I was able to fast walk and keep up with his shuffle-run with only having to run a few sections the entire way. I pointed out when he was leaning, hunched, stutter-stepping, staring to much at his watch, not peeing, and sitting too long. He thought he wouldn't remember most of the loop, and I've yet to ask.
We joked about pet rocks, naming the rocks on the course, listened attentively for generators, celebrated the upcoming aid stations, he became a bit fixated on trail litter and mushrooms. We had a dry crossing at Brazil. We were passed by LeeD after the 2nd aid station. I asked if he was seeing things (only a root that looked like a skull). We talked about Michigan, his trip to the west coast, anything and everything. But mostly we were quiet and focused in the dark.
We looked forward to the sun coming up mostly. At first it was just a lightening of the sky. Then we could see the tree silhouettes, then details of the trees to our left and right. What a change to not see just black. Then before you know it, the sun is up!
I learned a lot this morning. I learned that yes I put my mind to something that's 'not mine' and finish it though suffering (I kept thinking, if I hurt this bad how does he feel!). I learned that preparation and planning can pay off. And I learned what it might be like when I run my own 100, this was like a preview of what I might be facing in 2015: dark, lonely, fatigue.
Can I do it? Do I want to? Tough questions. Maybe I should recover first!
Saturday, September 13, 2014
Should have just stayed indoors.
SWIM 2600y in 1hr (YAY!)
BIKE 17.8 miles in 90 mins, broken ride and broken bike (sorta)
The swim was going to be the 2nd workout, but it was so COLD this morning that I opted to hold the bike until later in the day, hoping it would warm up. The swim plan was 3x (300-200-100), increasing intensities in each interval. I did 300 swim, 200 pull, 100 harder swim. The WU was 4x200 with lots of drills. And I was surprised to find that with my 'new' rotation, pulling isn't as easy or fast as it used to be. But damn it felt good to get a real swim in finally.
The ride was a time waste in the end. Well not entirely. I came home from the swim telling myself to HTFU and ride outdoors. It really was nice out, but I was facing a time crunch. I still had to pack and prep foods for tomorrow's pacing at MT100, and here I am out swimming and biking. In the end, I convinced myself to ride outside and combined an errand to the vet with it.
Gorgeous as the day was, I wasn't enjoying it. I hate riding in town even on short rides like this. Commuting -- fine. Training -- not fine. Go. Stop. Go. Stop. Dodge Car. Go. Stop. Ugh.
By the time I'd reached CaronPark, I'd nearly been backed over by a car in a lot, was tired of the ride already, and was disappointed to see that only 20 mins had passed. I jumped down to the RivDesPer trail, looking forward to turning around and just finishing the ride indoors (can you believe that!) when WHAM I hit a sharp edge on a trail bridge. Sure enough, a front flat tire. SOB!!!
I tried to fix it, but failed. I was out of CO2 and tubes and couldn't figure out the problem. The tube wouldn't hold air at all, got me thinking my CO2 device was not working? When another rider came by with a different device, it revealed that my tire had a hole, apparently this was more severe than I thought. I'd already called DH for a ride and he took me home.
And I finished my ride indoors. Nuts. Lost a lot of time with this ordeal.
Left for the MT100, missed TV on his 2nd-3rd loop transition, set up my tent, and got ready for something unlike what I've ever done before! See the Pacer's Report for details :)
BIKE 17.8 miles in 90 mins, broken ride and broken bike (sorta)
The swim was going to be the 2nd workout, but it was so COLD this morning that I opted to hold the bike until later in the day, hoping it would warm up. The swim plan was 3x (300-200-100), increasing intensities in each interval. I did 300 swim, 200 pull, 100 harder swim. The WU was 4x200 with lots of drills. And I was surprised to find that with my 'new' rotation, pulling isn't as easy or fast as it used to be. But damn it felt good to get a real swim in finally.
The ride was a time waste in the end. Well not entirely. I came home from the swim telling myself to HTFU and ride outdoors. It really was nice out, but I was facing a time crunch. I still had to pack and prep foods for tomorrow's pacing at MT100, and here I am out swimming and biking. In the end, I convinced myself to ride outside and combined an errand to the vet with it.
Gorgeous as the day was, I wasn't enjoying it. I hate riding in town even on short rides like this. Commuting -- fine. Training -- not fine. Go. Stop. Go. Stop. Dodge Car. Go. Stop. Ugh.
By the time I'd reached CaronPark, I'd nearly been backed over by a car in a lot, was tired of the ride already, and was disappointed to see that only 20 mins had passed. I jumped down to the RivDesPer trail, looking forward to turning around and just finishing the ride indoors (can you believe that!) when WHAM I hit a sharp edge on a trail bridge. Sure enough, a front flat tire. SOB!!!
I tried to fix it, but failed. I was out of CO2 and tubes and couldn't figure out the problem. The tube wouldn't hold air at all, got me thinking my CO2 device was not working? When another rider came by with a different device, it revealed that my tire had a hole, apparently this was more severe than I thought. I'd already called DH for a ride and he took me home.
And I finished my ride indoors. Nuts. Lost a lot of time with this ordeal.
Left for the MT100, missed TV on his 2nd-3rd loop transition, set up my tent, and got ready for something unlike what I've ever done before! See the Pacer's Report for details :)
Friday, September 12, 2014
Lesson #2 with Dr ND
SWIM about an hour, 1000y?
Does this count as a workout? Hehe, it's time spent training, and I did swim, so I guess it does.
Today's focus was still on my rotation, with a few new drills:
1. one-armed swimming
2. more of the 3-stroke, 6-kick
3. focus on keeping hips and shoulders moving together, not separately
4. hand splash drill to remind me to use the full length of the pull, and not stop at the hip
....I'm sure there was more, I should have written this down sooner....
Does this count as a workout? Hehe, it's time spent training, and I did swim, so I guess it does.
Today's focus was still on my rotation, with a few new drills:
1. one-armed swimming
2. more of the 3-stroke, 6-kick
3. focus on keeping hips and shoulders moving together, not separately
4. hand splash drill to remind me to use the full length of the pull, and not stop at the hip
....I'm sure there was more, I should have written this down sooner....
Thursday, September 11, 2014
Another missed swim!
RUN 8.4 miles in 1:13. First 6.6 miles in 55 mins with group, in which I did 3 miles at ave 8:06.
SWIM ARG!
A pretty misty morning run, getting chilly out too! I tested my new Knuckle Lights today, they aren't that comfy or that bright, one more test this weekend on the trail then we'll see.
The tempo interval felt great, at points I thought I was going to trip and fall. LC and DT took off and I tried to follow but never caught them. Felt good to finally get fast!
My stomach is still upset, but not pained cramps like yesterday. Now it's mostly that heavy, "gotta go", pressure feeling. Especially during the run.
I rounded out the last few miles alone in the mist, and ran a bit extra to enjoy the Patriot's Day flags set up around the Art Museum Hill. Fun little excursion, but not what I was hoping for -- to run between the flags.
I left for the pool and once I got there my momentum DIED. I ate a gel to see if it would help. I got as far as the showers, but I stood in the shower for 15 minutes before giving up. It just wasn't in me to get this swim done! Tired, foggy, weak, shaky, not thinking clearly. Jara finished her swim and saw me toweling off. She got worried, said I looked pale and tired. Kindly offered a banana, or help to the sauna. Suggested I go home to sleep. All great advice, but I declined.
Can't believe I got as far as the showers to swim, then still didn't swim!! So many times this past winter I stood in the showers for minutes just to warm up from the outdoor cold, but I still swam. There's a first time for everything, yet I hate to set the precedent or break the seal on something like this. NUTS.
Went to the truck, ate brekkie, took some time. Got my liter of fizzy water from DH's car, swapped out my coconut milk lunch fat for the ghee he brought me, headed to work. With a meal and water in me I started feeling much better. Not energetic but at least awake. I'd like to think that I'll swim this afternoon, but I probably won't be able to. Got a work seminar at 4pm that will kill my motivation (except motivation to be somewhere else!).
Have a plan (finally) for my MT100 nutrition with TV. I was nervous this week given my pains and problems, but I have worked out some ideas of what to eat that will be light, safe, and easy to eat in the dark. See how it goes!
SWIM ARG!
A pretty misty morning run, getting chilly out too! I tested my new Knuckle Lights today, they aren't that comfy or that bright, one more test this weekend on the trail then we'll see.
The tempo interval felt great, at points I thought I was going to trip and fall. LC and DT took off and I tried to follow but never caught them. Felt good to finally get fast!
My stomach is still upset, but not pained cramps like yesterday. Now it's mostly that heavy, "gotta go", pressure feeling. Especially during the run.
I rounded out the last few miles alone in the mist, and ran a bit extra to enjoy the Patriot's Day flags set up around the Art Museum Hill. Fun little excursion, but not what I was hoping for -- to run between the flags.
I left for the pool and once I got there my momentum DIED. I ate a gel to see if it would help. I got as far as the showers, but I stood in the shower for 15 minutes before giving up. It just wasn't in me to get this swim done! Tired, foggy, weak, shaky, not thinking clearly. Jara finished her swim and saw me toweling off. She got worried, said I looked pale and tired. Kindly offered a banana, or help to the sauna. Suggested I go home to sleep. All great advice, but I declined.
Can't believe I got as far as the showers to swim, then still didn't swim!! So many times this past winter I stood in the showers for minutes just to warm up from the outdoor cold, but I still swam. There's a first time for everything, yet I hate to set the precedent or break the seal on something like this. NUTS.
Went to the truck, ate brekkie, took some time. Got my liter of fizzy water from DH's car, swapped out my coconut milk lunch fat for the ghee he brought me, headed to work. With a meal and water in me I started feeling much better. Not energetic but at least awake. I'd like to think that I'll swim this afternoon, but I probably won't be able to. Got a work seminar at 4pm that will kill my motivation (except motivation to be somewhere else!).
Have a plan (finally) for my MT100 nutrition with TV. I was nervous this week given my pains and problems, but I have worked out some ideas of what to eat that will be light, safe, and easy to eat in the dark. See how it goes!
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Rainy day feeling, not feeling good
BIKE 1:20 just over 22 miles, indoors for rain
SWIM None!
The bike was 12-9-6-3 (3) at 85+% with each interval getting harder. It was hard alright, I'm still struggling to hit fast or hard intervals. Gotta be patient with my body!
It was raining and storming so I didn't get to the pool right off the bat. No need to go if it's going to close for lightning, but in the end I think I could have squeezed it in. I think I didn't want it bad enough...
I rode into work with DH so no commute. The plan was to swim after work, but after a long day at work and stomach problems (cramping again) I just didn't have it in me. Also more lightning after work! So the swim just didn't happen. Always tomorrow, right?
What happened to my tummy? We're thinking maybe canned coconut milk. The google searches give conflicting answers about it, some say it's low fodmap, some say it's high. Then there's the guar gum which is not fodmap friendly. Could that be it? Or could it be the half avocado? Or the combination of the two?
Either way, pained all morning. Got dehydrated probably. Tired, dizzy, fatigued, motivation up and down. Hard to focus. Always tomorrow, right?
SWIM None!
The bike was 12-9-6-3 (3) at 85+% with each interval getting harder. It was hard alright, I'm still struggling to hit fast or hard intervals. Gotta be patient with my body!
It was raining and storming so I didn't get to the pool right off the bat. No need to go if it's going to close for lightning, but in the end I think I could have squeezed it in. I think I didn't want it bad enough...
I rode into work with DH so no commute. The plan was to swim after work, but after a long day at work and stomach problems (cramping again) I just didn't have it in me. Also more lightning after work! So the swim just didn't happen. Always tomorrow, right?
What happened to my tummy? We're thinking maybe canned coconut milk. The google searches give conflicting answers about it, some say it's low fodmap, some say it's high. Then there's the guar gum which is not fodmap friendly. Could that be it? Or could it be the half avocado? Or the combination of the two?
Either way, pained all morning. Got dehydrated probably. Tired, dizzy, fatigued, motivation up and down. Hard to focus. Always tomorrow, right?
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
Fartlek type of day. And will I Evolve next year?
BIKE 1hr and 17 miles, indoors due to dark
RUN 1hr and 7.1 miles, fartleks
COMMUTE 3 miles
COMMUTE 5 miles to meet SM
BIKE 30m and 8 miles, indoors due to dark and rain!
Full moon day with late afternoon thunderstorms.
Due to the later sunrise, I have to change up the schedule a bit. Instead of the 6am track run, I started off with a ride indoors. I didn't plan on doing a full hour but it worked out that way with the cloudy skies. So it wasn't until 7:20 or so I started the run. I was warmed up, I guess!
And tired! Geez it seemed like a struggle to get going, both mentally and physically. I'm always "tired" when I start out, then once I'm rolling it's not hard. Today it seemed to take a little longer than usual.
The plan was 2x 1000-600-800-200 with 200 rest between intervals, and 800 between intervals. Once I got going this got easier, but it was another one of those days where the workout seemed overwhelming at first, but that was ALL MENTAL.
Rough times for the 1000's 5:20, 600's 2:40?, 800's 3:30?, 200's 50s. I should look those up. They do matter!
I biked to work with the plan of getting the last 30-40 mins in afterwards. By the time I met up with SM though it was darkening and raining a bit still. Nuts. By the time I got home, it was too dark and so I finished up indoors. Ugh, boring, but I gotta do what I gotta do.
I need to be thinking about coaching. Key questions: what are my goals, can I trust her as a coach, and can I let go of the planning control I'm so used to?
RUN 1hr and 7.1 miles, fartleks
COMMUTE 3 miles
COMMUTE 5 miles to meet SM
BIKE 30m and 8 miles, indoors due to dark and rain!
Full moon day with late afternoon thunderstorms.
Due to the later sunrise, I have to change up the schedule a bit. Instead of the 6am track run, I started off with a ride indoors. I didn't plan on doing a full hour but it worked out that way with the cloudy skies. So it wasn't until 7:20 or so I started the run. I was warmed up, I guess!
And tired! Geez it seemed like a struggle to get going, both mentally and physically. I'm always "tired" when I start out, then once I'm rolling it's not hard. Today it seemed to take a little longer than usual.
The plan was 2x 1000-600-800-200 with 200 rest between intervals, and 800 between intervals. Once I got going this got easier, but it was another one of those days where the workout seemed overwhelming at first, but that was ALL MENTAL.
Rough times for the 1000's 5:20, 600's 2:40?, 800's 3:30?, 200's 50s. I should look those up. They do matter!
I biked to work with the plan of getting the last 30-40 mins in afterwards. By the time I met up with SM though it was darkening and raining a bit still. Nuts. By the time I got home, it was too dark and so I finished up indoors. Ugh, boring, but I gotta do what I gotta do.
I need to be thinking about coaching. Key questions: what are my goals, can I trust her as a coach, and can I let go of the planning control I'm so used to?
Monday, September 8, 2014
Evolve TT: 5x100 (10) in 9:51
SWIM about 50 mins and 2000y, with the TT
COMMUTE 6 miles
Drove out to the pool with a near-full moon hung low in the night sky. Beauty.
Today was the start of a new Evolve swim session so we had new peeps! (And missed a few usuals who changed their sched, boo). SM said we'd have a test, and it turned out to be a 500y as 5x100 on 10s rest, TT all-out effort. I did mine in 9:51! And that includes the 4x10s of rest intervals.
So can I subtract the 40s from the time ;)
Compare that to my June 500y TT at 9:17!
COMMUTE 6 miles
Drove out to the pool with a near-full moon hung low in the night sky. Beauty.
Today was the start of a new Evolve swim session so we had new peeps! (And missed a few usuals who changed their sched, boo). SM said we'd have a test, and it turned out to be a 500y as 5x100 on 10s rest, TT all-out effort. I did mine in 9:51! And that includes the 4x10s of rest intervals.
So can I subtract the 40s from the time ;)
Compare that to my June 500y TT at 9:17!
Sunday, September 7, 2014
First long ride was a STRUGGLE
BIKE 56 miles in 3:20
It's hard to see that long time. I can do 56 miles under 3 hours in a race. Today was certainly not a race, it's recovery! The same pattern of fatigue and struggle occurred after IMCDA as I prepared for Redman. Again, I know what's going on, but it's still hard to see.
I rode the MCT's because they're 'safe', and probably a good thing I did. I was mentally fuzzed right away. Crossing intersections, navigating the trail barries, squinting in the sun, all of it took a lot of mentally energy. I wasn't hurting, but I was fuzzed. Counting the miles. Talking myself through it. Encouraging myself.
At one point on the way out, my SavageMan bottle popped out of the rear rack, happily I found it on the way back. Most of the way back I was sitting up out of aero. Now I'd promised myself that I'd just take this ride easy, but that's getting it too easy. I needed to push just a little hard, and TRY -- just like the song stuck in my head all morning.
The way back seemed so long...but one thing about riding these trails is how many memories I have on them. Just a few weeks ago I did my 200K ride in which I cracked. As I passed that point today, I looked back on that and smiled. Happily I was no where near that point today! And amazing to think that just weeks ago, this was the turn-around for my ride!
14 hr week!
It's hard to see that long time. I can do 56 miles under 3 hours in a race. Today was certainly not a race, it's recovery! The same pattern of fatigue and struggle occurred after IMCDA as I prepared for Redman. Again, I know what's going on, but it's still hard to see.
I rode the MCT's because they're 'safe', and probably a good thing I did. I was mentally fuzzed right away. Crossing intersections, navigating the trail barries, squinting in the sun, all of it took a lot of mentally energy. I wasn't hurting, but I was fuzzed. Counting the miles. Talking myself through it. Encouraging myself.
At one point on the way out, my SavageMan bottle popped out of the rear rack, happily I found it on the way back. Most of the way back I was sitting up out of aero. Now I'd promised myself that I'd just take this ride easy, but that's getting it too easy. I needed to push just a little hard, and TRY -- just like the song stuck in my head all morning.
The way back seemed so long...but one thing about riding these trails is how many memories I have on them. Just a few weeks ago I did my 200K ride in which I cracked. As I passed that point today, I looked back on that and smiled. Happily I was no where near that point today! And amazing to think that just weeks ago, this was the turn-around for my ride!
14 hr week!
Saturday, September 6, 2014
First weekend back at long training
RUN 12.6 miles in 2:08
BIKE 16.5 in 1hr
The goal for today was just to get back in the groove. No high HR, no heavy breathing, no intervals, just go easy. Just get it done.
We woke up to the power being off and having to cancel a service call for our alarm system. This messed up my schedule a bit and delayed me. I ended up probably eating too much waiting around! So I ended up waiting a bit for my stomach to empty, and waiting for BRR to open so I could see if they have the handheld lights I've been wanting.
So to kill some time, I started out on the bike (indoors due to rain, even though I declared the trainer boring when RM asked what I was doing today...) with 40 mins and 11 miles. No TV, so I watched my new-found Youtube binge addiction Extreme Weight Loss Makeover somethingorother.
Then out for the run. It was still lightly raining :) Once I settled in to an easy pace, things felt pretty good. I was enjoying it, wandering around the MoBot, through TGP, through the neighborhoods around the Y, then off to BRR. Got my lights, and by this time I was starting to wear down. I also wasn't eating much, figuring I had the fuel 'onboard' from my big brekkie. But I'd started counting the distance, working block to block, losing momentum.
This is normal, I'm not surprised or disappointed. I know this is part of the recovery process.
Once home I rounded out the ride to stretch the legs. I felt really good the rest of the day too, good energy and bouncy. Nice to have some of that back!
BIKE 16.5 in 1hr
The goal for today was just to get back in the groove. No high HR, no heavy breathing, no intervals, just go easy. Just get it done.
We woke up to the power being off and having to cancel a service call for our alarm system. This messed up my schedule a bit and delayed me. I ended up probably eating too much waiting around! So I ended up waiting a bit for my stomach to empty, and waiting for BRR to open so I could see if they have the handheld lights I've been wanting.
So to kill some time, I started out on the bike (indoors due to rain, even though I declared the trainer boring when RM asked what I was doing today...) with 40 mins and 11 miles. No TV, so I watched my new-found Youtube binge addiction Extreme Weight Loss Makeover somethingorother.
Then out for the run. It was still lightly raining :) Once I settled in to an easy pace, things felt pretty good. I was enjoying it, wandering around the MoBot, through TGP, through the neighborhoods around the Y, then off to BRR. Got my lights, and by this time I was starting to wear down. I also wasn't eating much, figuring I had the fuel 'onboard' from my big brekkie. But I'd started counting the distance, working block to block, losing momentum.
This is normal, I'm not surprised or disappointed. I know this is part of the recovery process.
Once home I rounded out the ride to stretch the legs. I felt really good the rest of the day too, good energy and bouncy. Nice to have some of that back!
Friday, September 5, 2014
Swim lesson with DrN: I'm too rigid!
SWIM 1 hr uncounted distance. Not logging this as a workout :)
First swim lesson with DrN, and so far so good. Summary:
1. His first observation is that I'm too rigid. Mechanical. Stiff. And that doesn't work with water, it works against water. I've done the SwimSmooth website thing and it said I was The Overthinker. So this all makes sense, but I didn't think of it as me being too mechanical and not fluidic. I'm constantly thinking when I swim -- why am I so slow, what's wrong with my form, drill, review, fix, thinkthinkthink. DrN says that I'm past a fear of OWS, I have the mechanical knowledge. But I'm overthinking.
His recommendation -- play music, either in headphones or mentally in my head. Since I don't use headphones, I need to play a song in my head. I did a 100y of this, and oof it's hard for me. The goal is to forget I'm swimming, off my 3 sports I'm unable to do this while swimming. So this is one of my drills: forget I'm swimming by distracting myself.
2. Work with a kickboard to develop my kick. I use fins, he says that is good for ankle flexibility but uses different muscles than kicking with a kickboard. Ugh, I dislike the kickboard.
3. His second major observation is that I'm not rotating. Huh? I've been told before that I have a good rotation, and I lost it? With some thought, I think I know what's going on. I've been so focused (overthinking!) my drills from the Evolve swims of the 10-2 hand entry and fixing my cross-over that I quit rotating. So I'm not using the right muscles, and I'm not taking advantage of the full extension that my arms could get.
His recommendation -- the 3 stroke/6 kick drill. Take 3 strokes then a 6 beat kick. This is tough since I sink and I can't breath too well on my left side, but that's not the point. Instead I'm supposed to feel that feeling of 'about to roll over', like I'm about to capsize. Sure enough, I can feel it. When I'm not thinking about other things to do with my swimming :)
We meet again next week! I'd hoped to swim again in the afternoon, but didn't make it. Hopefully tomorrow or Sunday.
First swim lesson with DrN, and so far so good. Summary:
1. His first observation is that I'm too rigid. Mechanical. Stiff. And that doesn't work with water, it works against water. I've done the SwimSmooth website thing and it said I was The Overthinker. So this all makes sense, but I didn't think of it as me being too mechanical and not fluidic. I'm constantly thinking when I swim -- why am I so slow, what's wrong with my form, drill, review, fix, thinkthinkthink. DrN says that I'm past a fear of OWS, I have the mechanical knowledge. But I'm overthinking.
His recommendation -- play music, either in headphones or mentally in my head. Since I don't use headphones, I need to play a song in my head. I did a 100y of this, and oof it's hard for me. The goal is to forget I'm swimming, off my 3 sports I'm unable to do this while swimming. So this is one of my drills: forget I'm swimming by distracting myself.
2. Work with a kickboard to develop my kick. I use fins, he says that is good for ankle flexibility but uses different muscles than kicking with a kickboard. Ugh, I dislike the kickboard.
3. His second major observation is that I'm not rotating. Huh? I've been told before that I have a good rotation, and I lost it? With some thought, I think I know what's going on. I've been so focused (overthinking!) my drills from the Evolve swims of the 10-2 hand entry and fixing my cross-over that I quit rotating. So I'm not using the right muscles, and I'm not taking advantage of the full extension that my arms could get.
His recommendation -- the 3 stroke/6 kick drill. Take 3 strokes then a 6 beat kick. This is tough since I sink and I can't breath too well on my left side, but that's not the point. Instead I'm supposed to feel that feeling of 'about to roll over', like I'm about to capsize. Sure enough, I can feel it. When I'm not thinking about other things to do with my swimming :)
We meet again next week! I'd hoped to swim again in the afternoon, but didn't make it. Hopefully tomorrow or Sunday.
Thursday, September 4, 2014
Tired! And I need to re-think my workout priorities
RUN 9 miles in 1:20
SWIM 1200y in :30
My training plan says to do my weakness sport workouts first. I don't do that with swimming, and maybe I should. Weds and Thurs I do the bike/run first, then swim. This is mostly a problem on Thursdays, I show up that pool running out of steam and don't always feel great for the swim. That's what happened today. Unfortunately, the Thurs group run and a Y master's class will keep me from changing that. Unless I swim in the afternoons instead, but that makes the swim all the less likely to happen overall!
I was sooooooo tired for the run, but didn't really feel like stopping. My mind kept suggesting walk breaks but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Nor did I think I needed it. And besides, IT was running fine so what was my excuse!?
Took a gel after the first loop then went back out. Got to the pool, took a few sips of coffee and another gel (salted watermelon is yummy!), talked with D and Mike about the upcoming Big Shoulders, talked to the BHB (who's is going gray again) and wasted a lot of time just sitting on the deck. I thought a few mins to let the coffee and gel ingest would help? Reason or Excuse? I decided to do at least 30 mins and go from there. By that time, I was done and running late for work. I finished my run around 7:30 and started my swim at 8:30. Really?! Really?! Think about that!
Tomorrow morning I have my first meeting with DrND about swimming. At least I won't be running or biking beforehand!
SWIM 1200y in :30
My training plan says to do my weakness sport workouts first. I don't do that with swimming, and maybe I should. Weds and Thurs I do the bike/run first, then swim. This is mostly a problem on Thursdays, I show up that pool running out of steam and don't always feel great for the swim. That's what happened today. Unfortunately, the Thurs group run and a Y master's class will keep me from changing that. Unless I swim in the afternoons instead, but that makes the swim all the less likely to happen overall!
I was sooooooo tired for the run, but didn't really feel like stopping. My mind kept suggesting walk breaks but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Nor did I think I needed it. And besides, IT was running fine so what was my excuse!?
Took a gel after the first loop then went back out. Got to the pool, took a few sips of coffee and another gel (salted watermelon is yummy!), talked with D and Mike about the upcoming Big Shoulders, talked to the BHB (who's is going gray again) and wasted a lot of time just sitting on the deck. I thought a few mins to let the coffee and gel ingest would help? Reason or Excuse? I decided to do at least 30 mins and go from there. By that time, I was done and running late for work. I finished my run around 7:30 and started my swim at 8:30. Really?! Really?! Think about that!
Tomorrow morning I have my first meeting with DrND about swimming. At least I won't be running or biking beforehand!
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
Foggy ride in TGP
BIKE 20.5 miles in 80 mins, 4x7 mins pushed (3')
SWIM 2200y in 50-ish mins, 2x800
COMMUTE 6 miles from Y to work, then work to home
I meant to get a decently early start today but failed. I'm up at 4:45, pack lunch and brekkie, make preWO brekkie, have coffee, pack, bathroom....but I'm not out the door until 7am?! WTH?! Why did a few weeks off schedule disrupt my usual pack-the-night before planning? I could have been packed and ready when the sun came up and saved 40 mins! Humph!
Granted, last night was disrupted schedule too. The doggie had yet another trip to the vet, then I had a 1 hr ride that I had to do indoors, I had two dinners (pre and post ride), then I couldn't fall asleep right away. I could (and should) have packed but I was mentally fuzzed. No...I was LAZY.
Anyway, very pretty morning with fog! As I was riding south to TGP I could see the fog down the street on Grand, it seemed to migrate north to the park, and in a moment of Appreciate! that I normally don't indulge I took a picture of it. My glasses fogged up, beads of water accumulated on Puppy, my hands were a little slippery, the hair on my arms had a silvery look, and it had that odd fog-taste. Instead of a Whisper of Rain, it's a Whisper of Fog -- another form of water Ulmo might not have foreseen.
I had some trouble getting "fast" in the intervals, but I did OK considering the fatigue (mostly gone!) and the gearing on the bike. I made each interval a different route too, so hard to compare numbers. In the 2nd interval, I was crossing the only street in the park and was nearly hit by some woman who failed to LOOK LEFT. Maybe she was distracted by the fire truck coming from the other direction? I was lucky to stop on the slick street. I did try to use my anger to fuel a faster interval, but in all honesty I didn't get that all worked up over it. Fog had me happy :)
However the park was soon flooded with smoke (later learned it was garage fires near the park). After my shower at the pool my jersey smelled of smoke too!
The swim was better than expected, probably because instead of pulling on the first 800 I pulled both! LAZY! Haha! In the first one I did a hard effort every 4th 25. In the second I did the same every 4th 50. Things felt good, although I could feel a twinge in my left shoulder, multiple twinges maybe? One left over from the MiTi bike ride, another from something about how my left shoulder extends forward during my stroke.
Second day at new job...and I roll in at 10am...my punishment was no brekkie until noon! Plan better!
SWIM 2200y in 50-ish mins, 2x800
COMMUTE 6 miles from Y to work, then work to home
I meant to get a decently early start today but failed. I'm up at 4:45, pack lunch and brekkie, make preWO brekkie, have coffee, pack, bathroom....but I'm not out the door until 7am?! WTH?! Why did a few weeks off schedule disrupt my usual pack-the-night before planning? I could have been packed and ready when the sun came up and saved 40 mins! Humph!
Granted, last night was disrupted schedule too. The doggie had yet another trip to the vet, then I had a 1 hr ride that I had to do indoors, I had two dinners (pre and post ride), then I couldn't fall asleep right away. I could (and should) have packed but I was mentally fuzzed. No...I was LAZY.
Anyway, very pretty morning with fog! As I was riding south to TGP I could see the fog down the street on Grand, it seemed to migrate north to the park, and in a moment of Appreciate! that I normally don't indulge I took a picture of it. My glasses fogged up, beads of water accumulated on Puppy, my hands were a little slippery, the hair on my arms had a silvery look, and it had that odd fog-taste. Instead of a Whisper of Rain, it's a Whisper of Fog -- another form of water Ulmo might not have foreseen.
I had some trouble getting "fast" in the intervals, but I did OK considering the fatigue (mostly gone!) and the gearing on the bike. I made each interval a different route too, so hard to compare numbers. In the 2nd interval, I was crossing the only street in the park and was nearly hit by some woman who failed to LOOK LEFT. Maybe she was distracted by the fire truck coming from the other direction? I was lucky to stop on the slick street. I did try to use my anger to fuel a faster interval, but in all honesty I didn't get that all worked up over it. Fog had me happy :)
However the park was soon flooded with smoke (later learned it was garage fires near the park). After my shower at the pool my jersey smelled of smoke too!
The swim was better than expected, probably because instead of pulling on the first 800 I pulled both! LAZY! Haha! In the first one I did a hard effort every 4th 25. In the second I did the same every 4th 50. Things felt good, although I could feel a twinge in my left shoulder, multiple twinges maybe? One left over from the MiTi bike ride, another from something about how my left shoulder extends forward during my stroke.
Second day at new job...and I roll in at 10am...my punishment was no brekkie until noon! Plan better!
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
The real first day of training
RUN 7.1 miles in 74 mins, 12x 2'fast/1'easy
BIKE 16.5 miles in 60 mins, indoors with big ring commercials
COMMUTE 6 miles
The first speed work of this B2B session! And to think that I only have maybe 5 or 6 more of these before the season is over?! This felt good, I concentrated not on speed but rather on good form, fast feet, and keeping it clean. No sluggy or messy running. I'm also keen to NOT compare this workout to the one I did for MiTi, although it's awfully tempting....maybe later.
I didn't get the bike ride in until 7pm. New job meeting at 9am, then doggie to vet in evening, I did what I could. Happily I broke the 2hr ride into 2 days, so I did the first hour yesterday and the second today. I knew I wouldn't get the 2hrs into today with a 9am meeting. It was almost a junk hour, but I made the best of it with big ring commercial work.
By the end of the day I was really tired, but for once the MiTi fatigue haze is clearing and I'm feeling normal again. Weak and tired, but more normal.
BIKE 16.5 miles in 60 mins, indoors with big ring commercials
COMMUTE 6 miles
The first speed work of this B2B session! And to think that I only have maybe 5 or 6 more of these before the season is over?! This felt good, I concentrated not on speed but rather on good form, fast feet, and keeping it clean. No sluggy or messy running. I'm also keen to NOT compare this workout to the one I did for MiTi, although it's awfully tempting....maybe later.
I didn't get the bike ride in until 7pm. New job meeting at 9am, then doggie to vet in evening, I did what I could. Happily I broke the 2hr ride into 2 days, so I did the first hour yesterday and the second today. I knew I wouldn't get the 2hrs into today with a 9am meeting. It was almost a junk hour, but I made the best of it with big ring commercial work.
By the end of the day I was really tired, but for once the MiTi fatigue haze is clearing and I'm feeling normal again. Weak and tired, but more normal.
Monday, September 1, 2014
Recovering from recovery: B2B training begins
SWIM 15.5 minutes and 550y (there's a good reason for this!)
BIKE 55 minutes and about 13 miles, no garmin
I'm feeling sluggy. Heavy, weighted, tired, fuzz-brained, in a fog. My body and mind aren't recovered from the race, but the pendulum is now starting to swing the other way. Now I'm tired of resting, my body needs to do something. I don't need speedwork or intervals, I just need to move. I'm out of my usual element. I realized yesterday that I haven't had a sweet potato since race weekend!? My fave food! lol
The swim had to be squeezed in before the Y closed for Labor Day, it closed at 1pm and by 11 I was only getting ready to leave the house. I should have left earlier, but there was a small part of me that wanted to milk the last day off and spend the morning getting stuff done. So I cooked up the last of the cook up veggies all morning. So I get there and oooof the BHB is there, telling me about the 20 (no really, she said 20) jobs she's applied for and all the requirements and waiting and locations and ... ugh... I was in a good mood, and I talked, er, I listened since she does all the talking.... 10 mins lost.
I got in, the water fresh and cool from the 2 week pool shut-down. The first 100 I timed at 1:57, not in a hurry and not pushing. Just coasting and stretching out, so that was good to see. I got through a 440 swim and a 350 kick before a few things happened. First off during a brief pause at the shallow end, I heard a loud splash -- a lifeguard had jumped in to help a kid she was watching. While waiting to see that all was well, the overhead lights go out! For that we had to leave the pool. I waited 5-10 mins, but at 12:15 I stopped waiting and showered. Of course, on the way out of the pool at 12:30 the lights were back on...nuts...
I finally got that 3rd floor wall painted!! A process that started in 2010 during my IM Wisconsin build, and came back in 2012 with the leak and waited all 2013 for the fix and now in spring 2014 it's repaired again and finally in fall 2014 it's painted and DONE! Happy Dance! Which for me is a bike ride :)
It was a wonderful day, overcast with some sun, cooler than the past few days, light winds. While driving (driving, ugh, what about Puppy?) to the pool it seemed everyone else was out enjoying the park and riding bikes. (ugh, driving...) So I got my chance at 5pm. The plan was 1 hr or 3 loops in TGP, easy, just to get moving. The park was full of picnics and walkers and it was wonderful!
There's definitely a change in the air today. I marked today as the first day for B2B training. It seemed for like fall today, cooler and cloudy. For the past week, I've been trying to jump on the Whole30 eating template, snacking is hard to avoid, but I'm for certains eating more balanced meals. It's like a new start sorta!
BIKE 55 minutes and about 13 miles, no garmin
I'm feeling sluggy. Heavy, weighted, tired, fuzz-brained, in a fog. My body and mind aren't recovered from the race, but the pendulum is now starting to swing the other way. Now I'm tired of resting, my body needs to do something. I don't need speedwork or intervals, I just need to move. I'm out of my usual element. I realized yesterday that I haven't had a sweet potato since race weekend!? My fave food! lol
The swim had to be squeezed in before the Y closed for Labor Day, it closed at 1pm and by 11 I was only getting ready to leave the house. I should have left earlier, but there was a small part of me that wanted to milk the last day off and spend the morning getting stuff done. So I cooked up the last of the cook up veggies all morning. So I get there and oooof the BHB is there, telling me about the 20 (no really, she said 20) jobs she's applied for and all the requirements and waiting and locations and ... ugh... I was in a good mood, and I talked, er, I listened since she does all the talking.... 10 mins lost.
I got in, the water fresh and cool from the 2 week pool shut-down. The first 100 I timed at 1:57, not in a hurry and not pushing. Just coasting and stretching out, so that was good to see. I got through a 440 swim and a 350 kick before a few things happened. First off during a brief pause at the shallow end, I heard a loud splash -- a lifeguard had jumped in to help a kid she was watching. While waiting to see that all was well, the overhead lights go out! For that we had to leave the pool. I waited 5-10 mins, but at 12:15 I stopped waiting and showered. Of course, on the way out of the pool at 12:30 the lights were back on...nuts...
I finally got that 3rd floor wall painted!! A process that started in 2010 during my IM Wisconsin build, and came back in 2012 with the leak and waited all 2013 for the fix and now in spring 2014 it's repaired again and finally in fall 2014 it's painted and DONE! Happy Dance! Which for me is a bike ride :)
It was a wonderful day, overcast with some sun, cooler than the past few days, light winds. While driving (driving, ugh, what about Puppy?) to the pool it seemed everyone else was out enjoying the park and riding bikes. (ugh, driving...) So I got my chance at 5pm. The plan was 1 hr or 3 loops in TGP, easy, just to get moving. The park was full of picnics and walkers and it was wonderful!
There's definitely a change in the air today. I marked today as the first day for B2B training. It seemed for like fall today, cooler and cloudy. For the past week, I've been trying to jump on the Whole30 eating template, snacking is hard to avoid, but I'm for certains eating more balanced meals. It's like a new start sorta!
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