BIKE: 67 mins, 20 miles 3x3.1miles at 75%. 1st in 9:31, ave HR 124. 2nd in 9:31, ave 124. 3rd in 9:28, ave 128.
RUN: 7 miles in 60 mins, 8:40-ish min/mile. Did this in the afternoon with a fellow club member, we did the route Monday BRR backwards.
I've said this before, there's nothing like good peer pressure. Knowing I was busy, I'd emailed the other club member and asked if they were running at 5pm. It's one thing to tell yourself that you're running at 5, it's another to tell someone else you're going to meet them to run. That and I ran at a better pace with someone else.
More snow again today, but it was a windless snow that fell quietly. The temps hovered just over freezing so only the bridges were snowy. Tomorrow will have more accumulation. I'd been blaming the snow for the snow pace on my long runs, and I wonder now how much was excuse and how much was reality. Cuz I ran just fine on the snow tonight!
Monday, February 8, 2010
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Slow Sunday Swim
SWIM: 900 meters in ?? time.
I got tired just swimming from one end of the pool to the other. My hip and quad muscles are tight and a little sore. I feel fine otherwise, but any exertion just wears me out. awesome.
Summary of this week:
SWIM: 2984 yards. A little week on the swim
BIKE: 68 miles
RUN: 29.58 miles
10 hours and 56 minutes A little long on the hours.
Next week:
Goal time of 9.5 hours, start of the 1st week of the 2nd pre-season cycle. And it's a rest week on the run. This means two things. First, I'll be all nice and recovered by the middle of the week and feeling jittery. Second, it means I'll be Hungry! Yeah!!
I got tired just swimming from one end of the pool to the other. My hip and quad muscles are tight and a little sore. I feel fine otherwise, but any exertion just wears me out. awesome.
Summary of this week:
SWIM: 2984 yards. A little week on the swim
BIKE: 68 miles
RUN: 29.58 miles
10 hours and 56 minutes A little long on the hours.
Next week:
Goal time of 9.5 hours, start of the 1st week of the 2nd pre-season cycle. And it's a rest week on the run. This means two things. First, I'll be all nice and recovered by the middle of the week and feeling jittery. Second, it means I'll be Hungry! Yeah!!
Saturday, February 6, 2010
20 miles, 1st of 3
RUN: 20 miles in about 3:25. Time is hard to say, since I'd stop every now and then or walk and the Garmin would keep counting. I didn't walk much at all, it was more pausing at intersections. But I will say up front that I'd hoped for a better time.
As it did last weekend, it snowed Friday night. There was only 0.5 inch of the crunchy type of snow, but there was lots of ice and slush. And as last weekend, my pace was dictated by the slick conditions. It's just hard to get up to pace when you feel your feet sliding under you. So again I took my time, focused on a low heart rate, and kept good form. The weather was much better too, 33F at start with some sunshine by the end of the run.
There was a 9.3 mile race in FP which is 4-5 miles from home. The original plan was to run from home, do the race, then run home after tacking on some extra tenths in the park to get an even 20 miles. But once I got to the park at 5.22 miles, I decided against waiting in the long lines to get a race number. I kept jogging while waiting for the bathroom lines to clear and re-filled the water bottles before heading out westward.
The day was looking good. I found myself on the marathon course as it heads into Clayton. Seeing an opportunity to review this end of the course, I followed a few turns of the course before turning around and heading back at 9.25. I'm glad I did this, I had forgotten just how hilly the course's west end is! Not that I mind hills, but it's nice to know they are there.
I don't usually run "in town" on short blocks with storefronts and traffic. A majority of my miles are paths, parks, or streets that I've picked for the low traffic. Clayton is full of intersections and stoplights. It breaks up the run and ruins the pace, but it's fun to look at all the stores. Especially the First Watch--mmmmmm food!
The run was mostly uneventful. I guess it's a good thing, but my mind was on a problem at work, so it's possible that the time flew by because I was pre-occupied. There were many times I'd forget I was running. That might just be the best thing you could say about a run. It felt so good I forgot about the hunger, pain, and fatigue.
In fact, the only discomforts was wet shoes, sore feet, and a runny nose. I always get a drippy nose in the cold, and it's never much--just a slow drip. But when you're running, the easiest thing to do is wipe on your gloves. And most running gloves have a soft area around the thumb and 1st finger for just this reason. It's not like it's a snotty drip, it's just water. Today I messed up though. Usually I dedicate one hand to nose and one hand to mouth, to avoid cross-contamination. But I wasn't paying attention, and realized I'd lost track of which hand! So I decided to use 1st finger for nose and thumb for mouth. Genius! haha!
I made it back to FP at 13 miles, tooled around there until 16, refilled the water and took a bio-break. I was determined to drink and eat more on this run, and I was more successful. Three gels, and 3-4 small waters, and 2 cytomax bottles. Still not enough, but I need to work my way up to find what the tummy can handle. At 16.5 I took in a 2x caffeine gel, which I credit for the lift in my spirits for the next 4 miles. That or the fact that the roads were drier. I felt great going home, almost as if I could have done the 26.2 today! Mile 19.5-20 was mostly down hill, but that left me still .75 uphill miles from home. Although I felt like I could keep going, I walked it home. No need to get injured pushing up a hill in bad form.
This run felt fantastic, and so much easier than last week's 18! Differences? I ate more fat with dinner and breakfast beforehand, and less pure carbs. I took Friday completely off of training. The day was warmer and I wasted less energy keeping body temp regulated. And I didn't lose my hat!
Recovery was a breeze--Ensure, oranges, bananas at first. Then out for a meaty omelet, more fruit, some potato chips for a salt craving. Then dinner out as promised for the hubby. My salt content is HIGH today! NSAIDS again, stretching, feet up. I'm 9 hours post run sitting on the couch with a bounding heart beat, I can feel it in my chest. Heart rate is elevated in the high 50's. I've had this bounding feeling before after a long run, so I'm not worried.
Summary: I bumped the Lap button on the Garmin each time I opened the bathroom door:
Lap 1: 5.79 miles 10:33 min/mile ave heart rate 147.
Lap 2: 10.48 miles 10:17 min/mile ave HR 146
Lap 3: 3.73 miles 10:24 min/mile ave HR 147
MUCH slower than I wanted to go, and even slower than last weekend. HR was pretty constant, but I think a little higher than goal HR. Hopefully the next 20-miler won't have snow!
NEXT: Recovery week 4x6miles only.
As it did last weekend, it snowed Friday night. There was only 0.5 inch of the crunchy type of snow, but there was lots of ice and slush. And as last weekend, my pace was dictated by the slick conditions. It's just hard to get up to pace when you feel your feet sliding under you. So again I took my time, focused on a low heart rate, and kept good form. The weather was much better too, 33F at start with some sunshine by the end of the run.
There was a 9.3 mile race in FP which is 4-5 miles from home. The original plan was to run from home, do the race, then run home after tacking on some extra tenths in the park to get an even 20 miles. But once I got to the park at 5.22 miles, I decided against waiting in the long lines to get a race number. I kept jogging while waiting for the bathroom lines to clear and re-filled the water bottles before heading out westward.
The day was looking good. I found myself on the marathon course as it heads into Clayton. Seeing an opportunity to review this end of the course, I followed a few turns of the course before turning around and heading back at 9.25. I'm glad I did this, I had forgotten just how hilly the course's west end is! Not that I mind hills, but it's nice to know they are there.
I don't usually run "in town" on short blocks with storefronts and traffic. A majority of my miles are paths, parks, or streets that I've picked for the low traffic. Clayton is full of intersections and stoplights. It breaks up the run and ruins the pace, but it's fun to look at all the stores. Especially the First Watch--mmmmmm food!
The run was mostly uneventful. I guess it's a good thing, but my mind was on a problem at work, so it's possible that the time flew by because I was pre-occupied. There were many times I'd forget I was running. That might just be the best thing you could say about a run. It felt so good I forgot about the hunger, pain, and fatigue.
In fact, the only discomforts was wet shoes, sore feet, and a runny nose. I always get a drippy nose in the cold, and it's never much--just a slow drip. But when you're running, the easiest thing to do is wipe on your gloves. And most running gloves have a soft area around the thumb and 1st finger for just this reason. It's not like it's a snotty drip, it's just water. Today I messed up though. Usually I dedicate one hand to nose and one hand to mouth, to avoid cross-contamination. But I wasn't paying attention, and realized I'd lost track of which hand! So I decided to use 1st finger for nose and thumb for mouth. Genius! haha!
I made it back to FP at 13 miles, tooled around there until 16, refilled the water and took a bio-break. I was determined to drink and eat more on this run, and I was more successful. Three gels, and 3-4 small waters, and 2 cytomax bottles. Still not enough, but I need to work my way up to find what the tummy can handle. At 16.5 I took in a 2x caffeine gel, which I credit for the lift in my spirits for the next 4 miles. That or the fact that the roads were drier. I felt great going home, almost as if I could have done the 26.2 today! Mile 19.5-20 was mostly down hill, but that left me still .75 uphill miles from home. Although I felt like I could keep going, I walked it home. No need to get injured pushing up a hill in bad form.
This run felt fantastic, and so much easier than last week's 18! Differences? I ate more fat with dinner and breakfast beforehand, and less pure carbs. I took Friday completely off of training. The day was warmer and I wasted less energy keeping body temp regulated. And I didn't lose my hat!
Recovery was a breeze--Ensure, oranges, bananas at first. Then out for a meaty omelet, more fruit, some potato chips for a salt craving. Then dinner out as promised for the hubby. My salt content is HIGH today! NSAIDS again, stretching, feet up. I'm 9 hours post run sitting on the couch with a bounding heart beat, I can feel it in my chest. Heart rate is elevated in the high 50's. I've had this bounding feeling before after a long run, so I'm not worried.
Summary: I bumped the Lap button on the Garmin each time I opened the bathroom door:
Lap 1: 5.79 miles 10:33 min/mile ave heart rate 147.
Lap 2: 10.48 miles 10:17 min/mile ave HR 146
Lap 3: 3.73 miles 10:24 min/mile ave HR 147
MUCH slower than I wanted to go, and even slower than last weekend. HR was pretty constant, but I think a little higher than goal HR. Hopefully the next 20-miler won't have snow!
NEXT: Recovery week 4x6miles only.
Friday, February 5, 2010
For sentimental reasons...
I keep you...for sentimental reasons...
It's hard to convey music across a blog, but sing the above line to Nat King Cole's version of the song, then think of my closet.
It's full of shoes. Not dress shoes, boots, flats, summer shoes, winter shoes, and more. Rather, it's full of running shoes. While the average women might want a shoe for every occasion, or have to go out and buy shoes to match an outfit, I only have a pair of everyday sneakers, a pair of black dress shoes, and a pair of boots. It's probably safe to say for the average triathlete the occasion is a race and the outfit equates more to gear or sport. And my closet is a good example of the gear accumulation of a triathlete.
Two things yesterday brought this to mind for me. First, I cut the tags on a new pair of Saucony's. Second, I finally bought a new pair of road shoes for the bike.
In digging out the new Sauc's, I had to do a little digging in a pile of Sauc boxes and old shoes. Old Sauc shoe boxes are my sorting system throughout the house, proof that I've been through a lot of these shoes. But here's the roster on the closet floor:
Omni 6: 2008, white laces, 500+ miles, retired, marathon training shoes
Omni 6-2: 2008, dark blue laces, 500+ miles, retired, marathon and Great Illini shoes
Omni 7: 2009, light blue laces, 450+ miles, light use only, Racine and Redman shoes
Guide 1: 2009, white laces 400-450 miles, light use only
Guide 2-1: 2009, yellow laces, 270 miles, default shoe
Guide 2-2: 2010, dark blue laces, 6.48 miles, future marathon shoes
Yes, I buy duplicates so I need laces to tell them apart. And the usual limit on shoes is about 500 miles. That list does not include the Brooks trail shoes, the Sauc non-running everyday shoes, and the other pair of Sauc "gardening" shoes in the basement. But I'm proud to report that I've cleaned up the closet. Both Omni 6's are gone. Looks much different in there now-haha. But it's funny how I can look at a pair of shoes and remember a race in them. It also helps that the Redman shoes still have red mud stains on them. But the miles put on these shoes are memories, and I tend to keep them around like momentos of previous seasons.
Regarding cycling shoes, I've been meaning to buy new road shoes for 2 seasons. I'm not sure what I was waiting for? But I tend to be cheap and want to wear out gear as much as possible before replacing (see running shoe list above). I've had the Nike mountain biking shoes since late 2005, they were a cheap pair of shoes purchased before I knew just how hooked I'd get on cycling. My other cycling shoes are the Sidi's, Italian tri-specific shoes purchased for about $200 in 2008. I love these shoes, and besides, every woman should have a really sweet pair of Italian shoes, right?
Last night I finally committed to buying replacements for the Nike's. Cycling shoes don't accumulate mileage like 
running shoes, but I still didn't intend to buy expensive shoes. But when I take into consideration the fact that I keep cycling shoes for years, why not go big? Oh, and go big I did! I started off in $100-$120 shoes, but didn't like them. Stiff. Uncomfy. Then I tried the Mavic Pro Road shoes. Not only do they look nice, they are NICE. Light, carbon soles, well-vented, nice wrap around the foot. And yes, expensive. But I've yet to ride in them, that's for this weekend. That will be the true test.
running shoes, but I still didn't intend to buy expensive shoes. But when I take into consideration the fact that I keep cycling shoes for years, why not go big? Oh, and go big I did! I started off in $100-$120 shoes, but didn't like them. Stiff. Uncomfy. Then I tried the Mavic Pro Road shoes. Not only do they look nice, they are NICE. Light, carbon soles, well-vented, nice wrap around the foot. And yes, expensive. But I've yet to ride in them, that's for this weekend. That will be the true test. The salesman really knew what he was doing--show me the el cheapo's first, then the el guapo's next. Slick business! But my feet ain't complaining.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Thursday run
RUN: 6.48 miles in 57 mins, abt 8:55 min/mile. A little slower than usual. First run in the new ProGrid Guide 2 I bought a few months ago. This is I think my 3rd version of these shoes, the previous being yellow, these are blue. My current Guides have close to 300 miles, so it's time to rotate in a new pair. They had a few problems today--heel slip and misaligned orthotic in the right shoe.
The effects of the crossfit workout set in last night--sore, tight muscles. It hurt to stand, walk, sit, pick something up, etc. I almost bagged the run, worried about doing further damage but peer pressure is hard to beat even at 4:30am. And I knew from experience that while it might hurt a bit I would survive.
It was 30F with a cold front moving in, so it was a damp, windy 30F. I miss the days where I go out in shorts and bra top. Days like this it's a hat, gloves, bra top, t-shirt, long sleeve shirt, jacket, insulated tights. My laundry pile is huge this time of year.
I knew the run would hurt, and it was actually OK until about 45 mins in, at which point I realized I was spending more energy worrying about getting dropped from the group. I wouldn't get dropped, they would wait for me, and that is even worse than getting dropped. So for the last 2 miles it was a head game. Really though, it was a battle of body over mind! My legs and lungs were on board to finish but my drive to keep going was slipping. But as always I finished. Again, peer pressure is hard to beat. Running alone I would have slowed a bit.
Tomorrow is a DAY OFF my first in a while. I'm resting up for the 20-miles on Saturday.
The effects of the crossfit workout set in last night--sore, tight muscles. It hurt to stand, walk, sit, pick something up, etc. I almost bagged the run, worried about doing further damage but peer pressure is hard to beat even at 4:30am. And I knew from experience that while it might hurt a bit I would survive.
It was 30F with a cold front moving in, so it was a damp, windy 30F. I miss the days where I go out in shorts and bra top. Days like this it's a hat, gloves, bra top, t-shirt, long sleeve shirt, jacket, insulated tights. My laundry pile is huge this time of year.
I knew the run would hurt, and it was actually OK until about 45 mins in, at which point I realized I was spending more energy worrying about getting dropped from the group. I wouldn't get dropped, they would wait for me, and that is even worse than getting dropped. So for the last 2 miles it was a head game. Really though, it was a battle of body over mind! My legs and lungs were on board to finish but my drive to keep going was slipping. But as always I finished. Again, peer pressure is hard to beat. Running alone I would have slowed a bit.
Tomorrow is a DAY OFF my first in a while. I'm resting up for the 20-miles on Saturday.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Long ride of the week
BIKE: 34 miles in 1:50. 3 x 9.3 miles aiming for 75%, aerobic pacing goal.
1st: 29:05 ave speed: 19.3 mph, ave bpm: 122
2nd: 28:33 19.6 mph, 122 bpm
3rd: 28:21 19.7 mph, 120 bpm
The goal is to see how this compares to a similar ride in a month or two.
Skipped the run, just didn't need it.
I'm not sure what magic happened, but my cadence monitor worked this morning?!? So when I say 34 miles, I really did 34 miles! And now that I have my HR monitor working I'm all set, except that I need to figure out what my zones are.
1st: 29:05 ave speed: 19.3 mph, ave bpm: 122
2nd: 28:33 19.6 mph, 122 bpm
3rd: 28:21 19.7 mph, 120 bpm
The goal is to see how this compares to a similar ride in a month or two.
Skipped the run, just didn't need it.
I'm not sure what magic happened, but my cadence monitor worked this morning?!? So when I say 34 miles, I really did 34 miles! And now that I have my HR monitor working I'm all set, except that I need to figure out what my zones are.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Catch up post
Monday:
BIKE: ~21 miles in 75 mins, 4x8mins at 75% (2 min recovery)
RUN: 3.1 miles in 27 mins, afternoon run on the BRR short route. Felt surprisingly good!
Tuesday:
STRENGTH: 1 hr xfit: 3x[10 toes to bar, 20 shoulder presses, 30 bar squats, 40 lunge/twist], then 8x20 crunches (10s). Oh this hurt, all 19:49 of the main set, but oh did I LOVE it.
SWIM: 2000 y in abt 55 mins, 10 laps WU then 3x500 Locos: 25 hard/25 easy; 50 hard/ 50 easy; 75/75, 50/50, 25/25. Loved this interval, made the 500 go by fast. Although it was really only 9 laps...so I have something wrong. Whatever.
BIKE: ~13 miles in 45 mins. "recovery effort" 27 min TT at 75%, 40 mins total.
I've got the HR monitor working, this last bike ride was ~115-119 for 75% RPE. Now I gotta get the cadence monitor working.
BIKE: ~21 miles in 75 mins, 4x8mins at 75% (2 min recovery)
RUN: 3.1 miles in 27 mins, afternoon run on the BRR short route. Felt surprisingly good!
Tuesday:
STRENGTH: 1 hr xfit: 3x[10 toes to bar, 20 shoulder presses, 30 bar squats, 40 lunge/twist], then 8x20 crunches (10s). Oh this hurt, all 19:49 of the main set, but oh did I LOVE it.
SWIM: 2000 y in abt 55 mins, 10 laps WU then 3x500 Locos: 25 hard/25 easy; 50 hard/ 50 easy; 75/75, 50/50, 25/25. Loved this interval, made the 500 go by fast. Although it was really only 9 laps...so I have something wrong. Whatever.
BIKE: ~13 miles in 45 mins. "recovery effort" 27 min TT at 75%, 40 mins total.
I've got the HR monitor working, this last bike ride was ~115-119 for 75% RPE. Now I gotta get the cadence monitor working.
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