RUN: 9.15 miles in 1:19 in FP with LC and SH
BIKE: 9 miles in 31 mins alone around FP and out Wydown
RUN: 6.33 miles 1hr alone
My first sandwich! More easily recognized as a duathlon, ignoring the odd distances. More definitively, a long aerobic workout with a brief bike ride to save the legs from the pounding of running.
It was nice to sleep in until the usual 4:45am, but in the end getting up earlier for these workouts would save me some time. I could get to work at a decent hour or get a nap in instead. Anyway...
The first loop quickly splintered into a faster group and a less faster group (with me, LC, and SH). SH stuck with us until 4 miles in, then she left. LC and I kept a good pace, her goal was 9 miles. Longer than my plan said but it works for me. We did the 9.1 in 1:19, just under 9 min/miles. Not as fast as last week, but that wasn’t the goal. I had a gel around 6 miles, and only a few sips from the fountain.
The first run finished quickly enough and I jumped on the bike after a brief rest. I tooled around FP to stretch out then left the park for Forsyth/Wydown. My goal was to have a relatively fast ride in order to simulate a brick. The cytomax I was drinking wasn’t settling well, so I only got through half a bottle.
The final transition was without much rest, and the legs felt it this time. I was a little stiff, leaving me with short choppy strides until I worked out the kinks. Shortly into the run, I was passed by a loc-celeb, who has an easy, fast cadence and smooth run. I kept the mental image of that in my mind as I ran, with the hopes of using it to improve my form as I fatigued. Another gel 1 mile in, a little more water. My stomach was starting to feel full for some reason. The heat and distance were starting to take a toll on me, but I still felt great.
I decided against another loop of FP, and opted instead to turn around at 30 mins. That way I’d get to run down the S Hill, instead of up it as I always do. It’s a pleasure to run it in reverse, with it’s long slow climb becoming a long fast descent . I figured that was my reward for all this running. Surprisingly, I managed what felt like a decent pace throughout the run, but the Garmin didn’t reflect that. 6.3 miles in 60 minutes is how it felt. But what matters is that it felt good and that I could have gone just a little longer. And if my toes weren’t being bothered by the end of my shoes, I could go more. Looks like I need to get a half size bigger in the Brooks.
Recovery was short, I had to get to work. Sitting at the desk all day long was hard on the legs, and I kept nearly falling asleep. Not much of a post-run high today!
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
YMCA swimming: Y Not?
SWIM: 1750y in about 45 mins
I don’t tend to think of myself as a competitive person, but I think in reality I am. I’ve always said that I’m competitive with myself. I could easily name a few instances in which this competitiveness is a factor. I read race results to races I didn’t do and wonder if I could have beat those times or podiumed. I show up at group training events with the goal of keeping up with certain people who are faster than me. During a race, I pick athletes ahead of me on the course and one by one pass them. I’ll work myself silly to avoid being the SlowZebra in a group event. This is all new for me, so I guess in the past year or two I’ve become Competitive when I wasn’t looking.
I’ve been hearing others say this about me, and so I might as well accept it. I have a competitive side. While it’s a healthy way to be, I don’t think I’ll go too far down that road to where I don’t enjoy a group event because “I lost” or I hesistate to sign up for something because there’s a chance I won’t win. But getting back to my original point...
Lately group events have been the best way to challenge me. Put me in a pack with faster riders or runners and watch the times drop. My best advances in triathlon have come in group events. But note I say only bike and run. There’s no real group event swim in my schedule, and the only option I do have for that is Monday Masters, which has left my crying alongside of the road, broken down and begging for mercy...OK it wasnt’ that bad. But it is an intimidating workout in which I’m the SlowZebra. And I’m sick to my stomach afterwards, which is due to my stress about being able to keep up. Like I said, I’ll work myself silly.
Remember now that my 2 most recent swims...er....my only recent swims actually... have been weak and uninspired. I really didn’t care to be swimming and it showed. So it was with some trepidation that I signed up for the YMCA Masters I class. Thinking it might be a nice medium range challenge, somewhere between swimming alone and Monday Masters. And I knew that if you put me in a pool with other swimmers, I’d swim. As hard as I needed to in order to keep up. In other words, a challenge, a race, a competitive workout. But, would there be a slow lane? Will I have to be able to swim the butterfly? Would it be worth my time, it’s 2x/week and at night of all times. Suck it up, give it a try! So I signed up for the rest of July. $11.75 seemed a deal.
I was first greeted by the workout on a dry erase board: free and IM distances alternating on a ladder from 50y to 250y. About 2000y total. Now for me, IM means Ironman. For swimmers, it means individual medley. Breaststroke, backstroke, butterfly, free? No, wait, butterfly first? Then breastroke? No, it’s butterfly, backstroke, breastroke, free. Oh boy. I took it as the name same said: individual medley=my individual designs on a specified distance. As a triathlete, this meant doggie paddle, backstroke, doggie paddle, free. Cuz heaven knows I can’t do the fly or breaststroke. At least not without catching the attention of the lifeguards.
While waiting for instruction on the class, I was greeted by a woman who said “love your tri tan!”, oh good I’m not the only triathlete! I introduced myself to J, who was also racing the TdD Saturday and looking to improve on her Insbk racing. Getting in the pool, I learned the instructor was not coming tonight so we were on our own to follow the workout set. In chatting with our lanemate, a guy named K, I learned that we were all triathletes! And none of us could really do the fly or breaststrokes! I gave the breaststroke and butterfly my best, but I inhaled more water than I should have. And most importantly, I found that when “chased” by circling swimmers, I can swim. I might work myself up over it, but I can swim. What a relief.
I also soon learned that K is racing not only Racine next weekend, but is also doing IMWI!! What a surprise! I think I’ll be back for this Master’s class!
I don’t tend to think of myself as a competitive person, but I think in reality I am. I’ve always said that I’m competitive with myself. I could easily name a few instances in which this competitiveness is a factor. I read race results to races I didn’t do and wonder if I could have beat those times or podiumed. I show up at group training events with the goal of keeping up with certain people who are faster than me. During a race, I pick athletes ahead of me on the course and one by one pass them. I’ll work myself silly to avoid being the SlowZebra in a group event. This is all new for me, so I guess in the past year or two I’ve become Competitive when I wasn’t looking.
I’ve been hearing others say this about me, and so I might as well accept it. I have a competitive side. While it’s a healthy way to be, I don’t think I’ll go too far down that road to where I don’t enjoy a group event because “I lost” or I hesistate to sign up for something because there’s a chance I won’t win. But getting back to my original point...
Lately group events have been the best way to challenge me. Put me in a pack with faster riders or runners and watch the times drop. My best advances in triathlon have come in group events. But note I say only bike and run. There’s no real group event swim in my schedule, and the only option I do have for that is Monday Masters, which has left my crying alongside of the road, broken down and begging for mercy...OK it wasnt’ that bad. But it is an intimidating workout in which I’m the SlowZebra. And I’m sick to my stomach afterwards, which is due to my stress about being able to keep up. Like I said, I’ll work myself silly.
Remember now that my 2 most recent swims...er....my only recent swims actually... have been weak and uninspired. I really didn’t care to be swimming and it showed. So it was with some trepidation that I signed up for the YMCA Masters I class. Thinking it might be a nice medium range challenge, somewhere between swimming alone and Monday Masters. And I knew that if you put me in a pool with other swimmers, I’d swim. As hard as I needed to in order to keep up. In other words, a challenge, a race, a competitive workout. But, would there be a slow lane? Will I have to be able to swim the butterfly? Would it be worth my time, it’s 2x/week and at night of all times. Suck it up, give it a try! So I signed up for the rest of July. $11.75 seemed a deal.
I was first greeted by the workout on a dry erase board: free and IM distances alternating on a ladder from 50y to 250y. About 2000y total. Now for me, IM means Ironman. For swimmers, it means individual medley. Breaststroke, backstroke, butterfly, free? No, wait, butterfly first? Then breastroke? No, it’s butterfly, backstroke, breastroke, free. Oh boy. I took it as the name same said: individual medley=my individual designs on a specified distance. As a triathlete, this meant doggie paddle, backstroke, doggie paddle, free. Cuz heaven knows I can’t do the fly or breaststroke. At least not without catching the attention of the lifeguards.
While waiting for instruction on the class, I was greeted by a woman who said “love your tri tan!”, oh good I’m not the only triathlete! I introduced myself to J, who was also racing the TdD Saturday and looking to improve on her Insbk racing. Getting in the pool, I learned the instructor was not coming tonight so we were on our own to follow the workout set. In chatting with our lanemate, a guy named K, I learned that we were all triathletes! And none of us could really do the fly or breaststrokes! I gave the breaststroke and butterfly my best, but I inhaled more water than I should have. And most importantly, I found that when “chased” by circling swimmers, I can swim. I might work myself up over it, but I can swim. What a relief.
I also soon learned that K is racing not only Racine next weekend, but is also doing IMWI!! What a surprise! I think I’ll be back for this Master’s class!
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Rest With As Much Intensity As You Train
BIKE: 13 miles in 60 mins.
I’ve been told by my training plan that I should rest with as much intensity as I train. In previous years, with only 70.3’s in my schedule, I ignored any such advice. Rest? Are you kidding? I don’t work that hard! So I’d cut back a few hours and call it a recovery.
Nowadays when I’m told to rest, I don’t question it. Rest is golden. Heaven. A luxury. A good 8-hour sleep is often an elusive phantasmic entity that I look for every night and only sometimes come close to. I eat enough, I train enough, but I don’t get much of that 3rd training component. So when The Plan says to rest, what do I do? Work on the house instead. I should be sleeping!
So it was with this in mind that I skipped speedwork today. Doing 3 to 4 1-mile repeats at 5K pace is not my idea of rest. Besides it sounded damned hard. So instead I worked on trim for the bedroom and I’m pleased to report that the room is almost done!
I’ve been told by my training plan that I should rest with as much intensity as I train. In previous years, with only 70.3’s in my schedule, I ignored any such advice. Rest? Are you kidding? I don’t work that hard! So I’d cut back a few hours and call it a recovery.
Nowadays when I’m told to rest, I don’t question it. Rest is golden. Heaven. A luxury. A good 8-hour sleep is often an elusive phantasmic entity that I look for every night and only sometimes come close to. I eat enough, I train enough, but I don’t get much of that 3rd training component. So when The Plan says to rest, what do I do? Work on the house instead. I should be sleeping!
So it was with this in mind that I skipped speedwork today. Doing 3 to 4 1-mile repeats at 5K pace is not my idea of rest. Besides it sounded damned hard. So instead I worked on trim for the bedroom and I’m pleased to report that the room is almost done!
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Post century run
RUN: 5.5 miles in 52 minutes
BIKE: 13 miles in 63 minutes on the Puppy.
I took off on the run dehydrated and underfueled. While not intentional, in the end maybe it approximates race day? I felt surprisingly good for having just finished a century ride, although my appetite and thirst mechanisms seem off kilter and un-engaged after yesterday. I kept slowing myself down to keep it easy, and actually enjoyed the run.
The bike was a spin on The Puppy to volunteer at a race. Once that was done, I rode home thru TGP taking the trails and bumps for fun. I've yet to take the cross bike out on cross-like trails, why not today? So I tooled around the BotGardens, weaved on some paths. When I got to the ResPark, I climbed the Res hill (certainly much to my neighbor's disdain) and did that loop. Oh the FUN of this bike, I'm really looking forward to the cross season opening! It felt great to just bike for the fun of it, no training and no goals.
NUMERICS: 15 hours training this week!
SWIM: 1400y in 45 mins
BIKE: 178.4 miles in 10.75 hours
RUN: 24.5 miles in 3.5 hours
Lower numbers on the run this week, since I did an extra long run last Sunday.
BIKE: 13 miles in 63 minutes on the Puppy.
I took off on the run dehydrated and underfueled. While not intentional, in the end maybe it approximates race day? I felt surprisingly good for having just finished a century ride, although my appetite and thirst mechanisms seem off kilter and un-engaged after yesterday. I kept slowing myself down to keep it easy, and actually enjoyed the run.
The bike was a spin on The Puppy to volunteer at a race. Once that was done, I rode home thru TGP taking the trails and bumps for fun. I've yet to take the cross bike out on cross-like trails, why not today? So I tooled around the BotGardens, weaved on some paths. When I got to the ResPark, I climbed the Res hill (certainly much to my neighbor's disdain) and did that loop. Oh the FUN of this bike, I'm really looking forward to the cross season opening! It felt great to just bike for the fun of it, no training and no goals.
NUMERICS: 15 hours training this week!
SWIM: 1400y in 45 mins
BIKE: 178.4 miles in 10.75 hours
RUN: 24.5 miles in 3.5 hours
Lower numbers on the run this week, since I did an extra long run last Sunday.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
110 miles on the bike!!
BIKE: 110 miles in 6:20 (actual ride time, not including stoppages)
Finally. I've hit the century mark. Not only hit the century mark, but blew right by it and kept going. I didn't realize when I finished that I'd hit 110, I thought it was closer to 107. I briefly thought that if I knew, I would have gone another 2 miles. But in the end I'm glad I stopped. Save the 112 for the next ride, why reach all the big goals at once?
Best to break this one into segments:
Pre-ride: I'm finding I don't each much before training lately. An egg, a banana, a powerbar. Doesn't seem like much but it's working for me. I do need to drink more water though. Packing list: 3 Cytomax bottles, 1 water bottle, 5 gels, Lara bar, box of raisins, serving of cashews.
0-16 miles: I rode with MEC for the first loop of 76 miles. My biggest goal, aside from finishing, was to keep up and not get dropped. That adds some stress for me, and sometimes I end up worrying more about that than I do on good form or nutrition. But that is the type of stress I'll put on myself during a race--that distracted mentality I get in a race. So while I was distracted by the group in this ride, it was a good thing. I need to learn to eat and drink while being distracted. The miles to the first rest stop were mostly warmup, with me falling back somewhere between the A group and sweeps. I needed a bathroom break, and used the bathroom of a c-store/fishing supply. It was one of those moments that give me a good laugh. Both the store entry door and the back door leading outside from the toilet were open for anyone to peek in, but I didn't care. There were fish tanks in the bathroom bubbling away. And there was no toilet paper. A man's bathroom, apparently.
16-40 mile: Now the group was pushing the pace, and I was really pushing to keep up. The best way for me to do so was to ride the back of the paceline. The ride group and splintered quickly into A group, B group, and sweep. Shortly after leaving the c-store, we hit some bumps on the bridge which worried me about the bottle-launching bottle rack on the back of the bike. After hitting a few of these bumps, I heard the clattering of something falling off of a bike. Mine or somebody elses? Didn't know for sure, but soon enough I realized the rack had come loose and the bottles were sagging down. Again!! First time this year, but all 2008-2009 I was mad at this thing for coming loose. Not again! Knowing I needed those bottles, I started rearranging pockets in my jersey so as to store the bottles there before they fell off completely. I had to slow to do this, with one hand on the bars and the other fidgeting supplies around. This dropped me off the back of the group a bit. Fight to catch up, then more fidgeting. Any other ride there would be stoplights galore, but not now. Open road. Dropped again, catch up again. Finally I was fixed, with 2 bottles in the jersey and the rack loose behind me. If it fell off, I would leave the damned thing behind. Fighting again to catch up, more stressed about being TheSlowZebra than anything else. I dropped in behind the paceline, and the 4 of us buzzed along at 21+mph trying to keep up to the A group. This was much faster than the expected IM pace for me, but this wasn't the IM race. At one point we stopped for a mechanical and I was able to inspect the rack. A seat rail bolt had fallen off, the rack didn't come loose in its usual spot. I used a zip-tie to hold it to the bike for the rest of the ride (thankfully I had zip-ties, good idea to carry those!).
41-65 miles: We breaked at 40 miles, then took off again. While we still held a high pace, this wasn't as bad as the previous section. More relaxed, but still working. We really splintered at this point, with me riding most of the way with one other rider. During this segment, I found that Forever Pace I've been looking for: the pace at which I feel as if I could go all day long and still be comfortable. So this section was enjoyable. I was able to enjoy the roads, scenery, corn, and sunshine. The only problem I had was that the Garmin made a Low Battery claim. I put it on the charger last night, but apparently it didn't charge completely. Nuts.
65-76 miles: At the last planned rest stop, I bought Gatorade, water, and a banana. I knew the Gatorade might not sit well in the tummy, but I needed something with electrolytes and sugar. All the cytomax was gone, and I only had half a bottle of hot water left. We were just over 4 hours in by now, so that means 3.5 bottles of fluids--not a bad amount! It was just getting hot and I wanted something COLD. And I kept reminding myself that although my fellow riders were winding down for the end, I was in for another 30 miles or so. So I didn't hesitate like I usually do in buying foods. I also had to pee, but didn't see a public bathroom at the stop. I could wait 10 miles.
76-91-ish miles: For this section, I was alone. Quick pee, map check, and goodbyes with group. I wanted to keep going while the going was good. I also stopped at the truck to grab my watch, fearing the Garmins demise before I came back. The distance I could check on a map, the ride time I need the watch for, since fueling and logging depend on it. I rolled out on the same course as the morning, planning on riding to the first rest stop and back again. The day had warmed up, but the light winds out of the south had stayed the same. So I fought a small headwind on the way out, but otherwise good. I substantially slowed down from this morning! With no paceline or other riders to gauge off of, I rode my own pace. Tired, warm, but feeling good. At 82 miles, the Garmin gave another Low Battery beep, then died. I was terribly disappointed that I wouldn't see it read 100 miles. But I shrugged and started the watch for time. I wove my way through the rural roads, luckily found the turns even without signs, and took note of a bike-chasing dog. On a hill of all things. A gravely hill. More on this later. I reached the turn around feeling good but on the downhill slide of feeling not so good. And so it begins.
91-ish to 110 miles: I had a tailwind to help in this section (that was part of the plan from the beginning) and I was starting to need it. But I was happy that The Stupids hadn't come by yet, I was still making good decisions, staying positive, and not making mistakes. Good fueling and hydration are key to this, I've learned. But while I was feeling OK, my motivation started to slip a little. I started looking for home. And that dog. I had a plan for that dog, and it involved a mouthful of water from the aerobottle. I knew I'd be climbing a hill with small gravel near the dog, and I knew I'd want to keep my hands on the bars the entire time, and the best suggestion for driving off a dog was a squirt of water from a bottle. And those 2 ideas weren't compatible, I needed to take a hand away to grab a bottle. So I decided to get a mouthful of water from the aerobottle and wait for the right moment. As I approached the farm, not 1 but 2 dogs came running out. Yikes! But they didn't catch me in time. Just as I was about to swallow the water, another dog came out from the neighboring farm! Apparently this brown dog was asleep on my first pass, but this time woke up with all the neighbor dog's commotion. A big brown dog, a particularly fast looking big brown dog. Yikes again! Still holding a mouthful of water, I waited to see what he would do. Well that wasn't hard to guess, he came at my front wheel and shoes. I took aim... and SPLAT...right in face!! Nice shot at 17-18mph!! He stumbled it a bit, looked surprised, but came right back for more! Can I throw in a 3rd Yikes here? YIKES!!! At the same time I went for another mouthful and stoop up to get some speed up the hill. The second shot didn't hit it's mark, mostly because the dog was falling back behind me. Only at the top of the hill did I get a good laugh in. haha, dumb dog.
This brief period of excitement wore off fast. I needed to get home, I was starting to lose interest, a sure sign of dehydration and fatigue. While I wasn't far away, I added to it by taking a wrong turn at one point, adding 1.5-2.5 miles to the trip. Luckily I had the iPhone to guide me back to the route! The last 2 miles were a mix of elation and fatigue. My feet were just starting to tingle. My legs were tired of spinning. And my chest wall and lungs were tired, that same feeling I get after a marathon. Where's the parking lot? Where's the truck? Was I still going to run after this? I'd been asking myself that question for the past hour. Should I run? I don't need to, but isn't that the end goal here? But do I need to today? Will it push an injury?
I reached the truck feeling surprisingly refreshed. I did it!!! And the stupid Garmin missed out on it all. I decided against the run. Why ruin a good morning with a tough run, why push the legs too far on their first century day? Run maybe later, and run tomorrow. I felt good the rest of the day, no more tired than any other long ride. What a rush!
The last 34 miles took 1hr 37 minutes, still 19mph??? Again, this is time without stoppages for breaks and map reading. I'm not sure that is the right time. In fact, the 6hr 20 mins is ride time only. So in the future I need to ride without the stopping. Do I really plan to stop at Casey's in WI? No!
Finally. I've hit the century mark. Not only hit the century mark, but blew right by it and kept going. I didn't realize when I finished that I'd hit 110, I thought it was closer to 107. I briefly thought that if I knew, I would have gone another 2 miles. But in the end I'm glad I stopped. Save the 112 for the next ride, why reach all the big goals at once?
Best to break this one into segments:
Pre-ride: I'm finding I don't each much before training lately. An egg, a banana, a powerbar. Doesn't seem like much but it's working for me. I do need to drink more water though. Packing list: 3 Cytomax bottles, 1 water bottle, 5 gels, Lara bar, box of raisins, serving of cashews.
0-16 miles: I rode with MEC for the first loop of 76 miles. My biggest goal, aside from finishing, was to keep up and not get dropped. That adds some stress for me, and sometimes I end up worrying more about that than I do on good form or nutrition. But that is the type of stress I'll put on myself during a race--that distracted mentality I get in a race. So while I was distracted by the group in this ride, it was a good thing. I need to learn to eat and drink while being distracted. The miles to the first rest stop were mostly warmup, with me falling back somewhere between the A group and sweeps. I needed a bathroom break, and used the bathroom of a c-store/fishing supply. It was one of those moments that give me a good laugh. Both the store entry door and the back door leading outside from the toilet were open for anyone to peek in, but I didn't care. There were fish tanks in the bathroom bubbling away. And there was no toilet paper. A man's bathroom, apparently.
16-40 mile: Now the group was pushing the pace, and I was really pushing to keep up. The best way for me to do so was to ride the back of the paceline. The ride group and splintered quickly into A group, B group, and sweep. Shortly after leaving the c-store, we hit some bumps on the bridge which worried me about the bottle-launching bottle rack on the back of the bike. After hitting a few of these bumps, I heard the clattering of something falling off of a bike. Mine or somebody elses? Didn't know for sure, but soon enough I realized the rack had come loose and the bottles were sagging down. Again!! First time this year, but all 2008-2009 I was mad at this thing for coming loose. Not again! Knowing I needed those bottles, I started rearranging pockets in my jersey so as to store the bottles there before they fell off completely. I had to slow to do this, with one hand on the bars and the other fidgeting supplies around. This dropped me off the back of the group a bit. Fight to catch up, then more fidgeting. Any other ride there would be stoplights galore, but not now. Open road. Dropped again, catch up again. Finally I was fixed, with 2 bottles in the jersey and the rack loose behind me. If it fell off, I would leave the damned thing behind. Fighting again to catch up, more stressed about being TheSlowZebra than anything else. I dropped in behind the paceline, and the 4 of us buzzed along at 21+mph trying to keep up to the A group. This was much faster than the expected IM pace for me, but this wasn't the IM race. At one point we stopped for a mechanical and I was able to inspect the rack. A seat rail bolt had fallen off, the rack didn't come loose in its usual spot. I used a zip-tie to hold it to the bike for the rest of the ride (thankfully I had zip-ties, good idea to carry those!).
41-65 miles: We breaked at 40 miles, then took off again. While we still held a high pace, this wasn't as bad as the previous section. More relaxed, but still working. We really splintered at this point, with me riding most of the way with one other rider. During this segment, I found that Forever Pace I've been looking for: the pace at which I feel as if I could go all day long and still be comfortable. So this section was enjoyable. I was able to enjoy the roads, scenery, corn, and sunshine. The only problem I had was that the Garmin made a Low Battery claim. I put it on the charger last night, but apparently it didn't charge completely. Nuts.
65-76 miles: At the last planned rest stop, I bought Gatorade, water, and a banana. I knew the Gatorade might not sit well in the tummy, but I needed something with electrolytes and sugar. All the cytomax was gone, and I only had half a bottle of hot water left. We were just over 4 hours in by now, so that means 3.5 bottles of fluids--not a bad amount! It was just getting hot and I wanted something COLD. And I kept reminding myself that although my fellow riders were winding down for the end, I was in for another 30 miles or so. So I didn't hesitate like I usually do in buying foods. I also had to pee, but didn't see a public bathroom at the stop. I could wait 10 miles.
76-91-ish miles: For this section, I was alone. Quick pee, map check, and goodbyes with group. I wanted to keep going while the going was good. I also stopped at the truck to grab my watch, fearing the Garmins demise before I came back. The distance I could check on a map, the ride time I need the watch for, since fueling and logging depend on it. I rolled out on the same course as the morning, planning on riding to the first rest stop and back again. The day had warmed up, but the light winds out of the south had stayed the same. So I fought a small headwind on the way out, but otherwise good. I substantially slowed down from this morning! With no paceline or other riders to gauge off of, I rode my own pace. Tired, warm, but feeling good. At 82 miles, the Garmin gave another Low Battery beep, then died. I was terribly disappointed that I wouldn't see it read 100 miles. But I shrugged and started the watch for time. I wove my way through the rural roads, luckily found the turns even without signs, and took note of a bike-chasing dog. On a hill of all things. A gravely hill. More on this later. I reached the turn around feeling good but on the downhill slide of feeling not so good. And so it begins.
91-ish to 110 miles: I had a tailwind to help in this section (that was part of the plan from the beginning) and I was starting to need it. But I was happy that The Stupids hadn't come by yet, I was still making good decisions, staying positive, and not making mistakes. Good fueling and hydration are key to this, I've learned. But while I was feeling OK, my motivation started to slip a little. I started looking for home. And that dog. I had a plan for that dog, and it involved a mouthful of water from the aerobottle. I knew I'd be climbing a hill with small gravel near the dog, and I knew I'd want to keep my hands on the bars the entire time, and the best suggestion for driving off a dog was a squirt of water from a bottle. And those 2 ideas weren't compatible, I needed to take a hand away to grab a bottle. So I decided to get a mouthful of water from the aerobottle and wait for the right moment. As I approached the farm, not 1 but 2 dogs came running out. Yikes! But they didn't catch me in time. Just as I was about to swallow the water, another dog came out from the neighboring farm! Apparently this brown dog was asleep on my first pass, but this time woke up with all the neighbor dog's commotion. A big brown dog, a particularly fast looking big brown dog. Yikes again! Still holding a mouthful of water, I waited to see what he would do. Well that wasn't hard to guess, he came at my front wheel and shoes. I took aim... and SPLAT...right in face!! Nice shot at 17-18mph!! He stumbled it a bit, looked surprised, but came right back for more! Can I throw in a 3rd Yikes here? YIKES!!! At the same time I went for another mouthful and stoop up to get some speed up the hill. The second shot didn't hit it's mark, mostly because the dog was falling back behind me. Only at the top of the hill did I get a good laugh in. haha, dumb dog.
This brief period of excitement wore off fast. I needed to get home, I was starting to lose interest, a sure sign of dehydration and fatigue. While I wasn't far away, I added to it by taking a wrong turn at one point, adding 1.5-2.5 miles to the trip. Luckily I had the iPhone to guide me back to the route! The last 2 miles were a mix of elation and fatigue. My feet were just starting to tingle. My legs were tired of spinning. And my chest wall and lungs were tired, that same feeling I get after a marathon. Where's the parking lot? Where's the truck? Was I still going to run after this? I'd been asking myself that question for the past hour. Should I run? I don't need to, but isn't that the end goal here? But do I need to today? Will it push an injury?
I reached the truck feeling surprisingly refreshed. I did it!!! And the stupid Garmin missed out on it all. I decided against the run. Why ruin a good morning with a tough run, why push the legs too far on their first century day? Run maybe later, and run tomorrow. I felt good the rest of the day, no more tired than any other long ride. What a rush!
The last 34 miles took 1hr 37 minutes, still 19mph??? Again, this is time without stoppages for breaks and map reading. I'm not sure that is the right time. In fact, the 6hr 20 mins is ride time only. So in the future I need to ride without the stopping. Do I really plan to stop at Casey's in WI? No!
Friday, July 2, 2010
I Swam!!
SWIM: 1000y in 30 mins.
Afternoon swim at the Y, the goal was to undo the lingering doubt from Wed's swim. So I planned on doing just a short swim of drills. Stay focused, find problems, try different techniques.
I got out of the pool happy, with a little smile. I've forgotten my swim challenge, which by the calendar ended last week or so. Start again?
Afternoon swim at the Y, the goal was to undo the lingering doubt from Wed's swim. So I planned on doing just a short swim of drills. Stay focused, find problems, try different techniques.
I got out of the pool happy, with a little smile. I've forgotten my swim challenge, which by the calendar ended last week or so. Start again?
Thursday, July 1, 2010
It's already July, turn the page!
RUN: 12.4 miles in 1:40. Yes you read that right! Total PR! The good and the bad below.
After a long Wednesday, you'd think I'd be looking for more sleep. But I didn't hit the pillow until 1030 and after that I slept poorly. Something about knowing I have to be up early keeps getting me up early. And if I think 4am is early and waking up on time for a run makes for poor sleep, wait til Sept 12th when every waking microsecond will remind me of an upcoming race.
Up at 4am, coffee banana raisins, grab gear and out the door to meet up in the park at 5am. All the while I waiting for me legs to wake up--they were dragging on the stairs and not all that peppy. Although two laps were planned, I knew I could always cut out at just one. But I also knew I wouldn't cut it short. I'd drag myself through the loop if I had to. I also wanted to compare this run to last weeks--12.25 miles in 1:50.
Off we went, zipping along and when we looked we were doing right around 8min/mile if not just under. Yikes, I'm good for one lap at that pace but not two. He did most of the talking (was a little hard for me to talk!) and the lap flew by much like last weeks--I was tired but survived: 6.12 miles in 49:53, ave HR 154. Much like last weeks (6.12m 51:33, 154). My repeat was off to a good start.
We had a brief rest, and when no other runner showed for the second loop we took off again. I told myself to tackle it as if it was the first loop of the day. Keep good form, light on the feet, head up, relaxed shoulders. All of those tend to go wrong when I'm stressed (ie racing or falling behind) and only serve to wear me out faster and raise the HR. Shortly into the 2nd loop, we meet tg, who promises to meet up with us on the other side of the park. Oh boy. Tg is one of the first guys I met in the club, we ran Weds nights together for about a mile--his WU pace was my race pace and after his WU he was gone. With my blessings, of course, I was happy just to have that one mile. It was not only inspiring to run with him and his friends, but it gave me a goal to be able to keep up. Knowing we were going to see him in a few miles only spurred me on more. I didn't want him to find only dc on the other side and learn that I was dropped. Motivation enough for me.
The sun was up by now. The air was cool in the high 70's. Again, dc did most of the talking. Actually he did most all of it, thankfully, there was no way I could get more than a few words and it was a wonderful mental distraction. In fact, I spent time later in the day thinking about what he was saying, while I won't go into it here I will say it was an interesting look into business, career, and how to take care of your own interests in that world so foreign to me. In fact, I found the courage to say something to my new boss about my job that I wouldn't have said otherwise! Ah! Off topic...
We met up with tg with about 2.5 miles to go. I warned him that any pace pushing was off limits, jokingly, and he took up position behind/along me and we held on with dc's pace. They started joking about trains that have engines ahead and behind. I was the little car in the middle, being pushed and pulled. I was fine being the little car, but I sure as hell wasn't going to be the girl who was dropped. Now I really dug in to hang on, and surprisingly, it wasn't all that hard to do!
Sure I was breathing hard, my HR monitor said 175bpm, and my legs burned. But I didn't feel any urge to slow down. I blessed each slight downhill, loved each inside corner, and enjoyed every second of it. Again, when we looked--sub 8m/m. That fact also boosted my run, just knowing I was setting up for a PR FP run kept me moving. The biggest surprise came in the last half mile where I found yet another gear and picked up the pace. Strong finish!! 6.29 miles in 50:34, 166bpm. This was 10 full minutes faster than last week, yet the same HR averages!
Fast crash!! Once I'd stopped running, I was done. Goose cooked, just like after a good race. This lasted for hours, well actually the rest of the day, a blissful runners high that left me with a dog-tired saggy look but a little smile on my face. I did it. I kept up. I wasn't dropped.
I would classify this as a Break Through session. To me, one of those sessions that I break through an old goal, learn something new, and set a new PR. Those don't happen every week! Heck they don't happen often at all. What a great way to start July off, turn the page on base training and kick it into IM gear. Start looking for those tough workouts that break me down and build me back up. And what a fast change from yesterday's let-down of a swim workout. Bah, turn the page on that too, fix the problem and move on!
After a long Wednesday, you'd think I'd be looking for more sleep. But I didn't hit the pillow until 1030 and after that I slept poorly. Something about knowing I have to be up early keeps getting me up early. And if I think 4am is early and waking up on time for a run makes for poor sleep, wait til Sept 12th when every waking microsecond will remind me of an upcoming race.
Up at 4am, coffee banana raisins, grab gear and out the door to meet up in the park at 5am. All the while I waiting for me legs to wake up--they were dragging on the stairs and not all that peppy. Although two laps were planned, I knew I could always cut out at just one. But I also knew I wouldn't cut it short. I'd drag myself through the loop if I had to. I also wanted to compare this run to last weeks--12.25 miles in 1:50.
Off we went, zipping along and when we looked we were doing right around 8min/mile if not just under. Yikes, I'm good for one lap at that pace but not two. He did most of the talking (was a little hard for me to talk!) and the lap flew by much like last weeks--I was tired but survived: 6.12 miles in 49:53, ave HR 154. Much like last weeks (6.12m 51:33, 154). My repeat was off to a good start.
We had a brief rest, and when no other runner showed for the second loop we took off again. I told myself to tackle it as if it was the first loop of the day. Keep good form, light on the feet, head up, relaxed shoulders. All of those tend to go wrong when I'm stressed (ie racing or falling behind) and only serve to wear me out faster and raise the HR. Shortly into the 2nd loop, we meet tg, who promises to meet up with us on the other side of the park. Oh boy. Tg is one of the first guys I met in the club, we ran Weds nights together for about a mile--his WU pace was my race pace and after his WU he was gone. With my blessings, of course, I was happy just to have that one mile. It was not only inspiring to run with him and his friends, but it gave me a goal to be able to keep up. Knowing we were going to see him in a few miles only spurred me on more. I didn't want him to find only dc on the other side and learn that I was dropped. Motivation enough for me.
The sun was up by now. The air was cool in the high 70's. Again, dc did most of the talking. Actually he did most all of it, thankfully, there was no way I could get more than a few words and it was a wonderful mental distraction. In fact, I spent time later in the day thinking about what he was saying, while I won't go into it here I will say it was an interesting look into business, career, and how to take care of your own interests in that world so foreign to me. In fact, I found the courage to say something to my new boss about my job that I wouldn't have said otherwise! Ah! Off topic...
We met up with tg with about 2.5 miles to go. I warned him that any pace pushing was off limits, jokingly, and he took up position behind/along me and we held on with dc's pace. They started joking about trains that have engines ahead and behind. I was the little car in the middle, being pushed and pulled. I was fine being the little car, but I sure as hell wasn't going to be the girl who was dropped. Now I really dug in to hang on, and surprisingly, it wasn't all that hard to do!
Sure I was breathing hard, my HR monitor said 175bpm, and my legs burned. But I didn't feel any urge to slow down. I blessed each slight downhill, loved each inside corner, and enjoyed every second of it. Again, when we looked--sub 8m/m. That fact also boosted my run, just knowing I was setting up for a PR FP run kept me moving. The biggest surprise came in the last half mile where I found yet another gear and picked up the pace. Strong finish!! 6.29 miles in 50:34, 166bpm. This was 10 full minutes faster than last week, yet the same HR averages!
Fast crash!! Once I'd stopped running, I was done. Goose cooked, just like after a good race. This lasted for hours, well actually the rest of the day, a blissful runners high that left me with a dog-tired saggy look but a little smile on my face. I did it. I kept up. I wasn't dropped.
I would classify this as a Break Through session. To me, one of those sessions that I break through an old goal, learn something new, and set a new PR. Those don't happen every week! Heck they don't happen often at all. What a great way to start July off, turn the page on base training and kick it into IM gear. Start looking for those tough workouts that break me down and build me back up. And what a fast change from yesterday's let-down of a swim workout. Bah, turn the page on that too, fix the problem and move on!
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