BIKE: 38 miles in 2:40
The rain overnight was wonderful--the temps cooled off to 74F! But the roads were wet, so there was some uncertainty with that. We had a route picked out called The 5 Ugly Sisters. It didn't take a lot to realize that the Sisters = Hills. Really, what else could they be referring to?
We packed up and got started around 8am. Turns out that even though there was no shoulder the roads were freshly paved (like in Brand New paved) and incredibly lightly traveled. There were so few cars...I've never seen so few cars and so few stop signs! Combined with the foggy conditions, clouds, light rain....sort of like a dream. So quiet... :)
The first 15 miles or so were pretty flat. We kept wondering where the sisters were, in the meantime we formed a fast paceline varying between 18-28mph. Couldn't have picked a better group to share this ride with--everyone was strong, confident, loving the challenge, and just buzzing along.
Then we hit the hills. And OMG the hills. Beautiful! And amazing! And OMG Steep!! And I think there were more than 5! I grabbed this pict at the top of one that shows the valleys under a long winding road through the trees.
As much as I love climbing, I'm a descending chicken. If I can see the road out in front of me then I'm OK. But a winding, turny, unfamiliar road scares me enough to keep on the brakes a bit. So I was dropped on the downhills, continuously scrubbing off speed until I got a clear shot of the roadway. And for the next 12 or so miles, that's all it was. These weren't like yesterday's climbs of the long slow variety. These were Babler x 10. Long, steep, Standing-In-The-Granny climbs. Wonderful for SavageMan! Over and over and over :)
My legs were taking this all OK, they had lost a bit of snap after yesterday but still managed to rock up these hills without failing. But I was getting tired. I could tell too that I wasn't eating enough--at one point I just didn't care. Gel! With Caffeine!
We ended strong and just in time before it just got painful. EK and MK went for a 2hr run, while LC AG and I went for Fro-Yo. I knew I should run, but I didn't want to or need to.
What a whirlwind of a weekend! (and I get to do it again next weekend in Louisville!). Things I learned:
1. Recovery is a lot different for me than it is for the others. They eat, shower, nap. I tend to eat, shower, work. Really, I don't rest after a big ride. I work, either at lab or on the house or on club duties. Resting is nice, but I felt like I was being lazy. This was good for me to experience!
2. I need more food variety. Even over this weekend I tended to stick to my same 20 or so favorite foods. I think I'd like food more if I had variety.
3. I'm capable of some pretty vicious hill climbing on Frea. So am I taking Bird or Frea to Maryland?
4. I'm no more or less crazy than my training buddies. We all have our limits, goals, strengths, and weaknesses. And they are all different and just taken in stride. I loved that part of this--that we can all do something different (distance or time or sport) but still be strong and comfortable with ourselves. No comparing or whining about it. LOVED that.
5. I'm in a good spot training wise. I'm tired but still buzzing along. It really helped to leave behind work and club duties. I'm amazed at how caught up in those activities I can get, how diverting and draining it can be. I learned that I can focus on what I'm doing and enjoy it.
And so now I'm finally caught up on last week. Wish I had put more time into some of this week's logs, but just busy.
The numerics:
Planned hours: 13:40 Actual hours: 12:32
SWIM 4001 y in 2.08 hours
BIKE 94.12 miles in 6.7 hours
RUN 21.1 miles in 3.4 hours
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Mega Tough Day 2
BIKE: 41 miles in 3:20! Feet climbed:
SWIM: about .4 miles in about 30 mins
RUN: about .4 miles in...oh...who knows
My goals for this weekend: forget about work. forget about the club. forget about some other underlying personal issues. relax. train.
We woke up in Branson to more heat and lots of hills! We spent the first few minutes of the ride tooling around the Village the condo was in. I had Frea, not really a climbing bike, but I still had the climbing cassette from IMWI. So the Filly could climb, just not always easy.
The end goal was to get on the IM Branson course, a highway just outside the Village. By this point, 20 mins and 4 miles had passed. I wasn't feeling too hyped about the ride just yet. I was tired, a bit down, and already burning up from the heat. EK found the hwy on the other side of some trees, so we 'bikewacked' (is that a word?) across cyclocross style and found the hwy: 2 lanes each way, divided highway, big ass shoulder! Hey ho, let's go!
Let's go, alright. UP hill. A big hill. A big sloooooowwwww climb that required bottoming out the gears to the Granny setting. Oooof. The day had heated up and there didn't seem to be much wind. So all sweat just dripped on me. Over the next 15 miles, I was very aware of just how much water I'd lose in the climbing sections.
But with every uphill, there's a downhill. And oh DAMN the downhills! Big, long, slow downhills. I was thankful for the shoulder and great road conditions. A pothole or bump at 40mph could be dangerous.
We'd descend at 25-35+ mph then climb at 5-10mph. The difference was striking. A rush, then a hill. A rush, then a hill. HOT hills. It didn't take long before the iced water in the bottles was hot on the tongue. Luckily Infinit still tastes good at that temp. Nuun'd water...not so much. Frea was fully loaded with all 4 bottles, and after the 1st loop (~20 miles) I'd emptied 1.5 of them. Not enough!
EK and I took on the 2nd loop. The first time around my confidence on the descents was low. A crosswind buffeted the bikes and caught the aerotubes a lot. This time I was more ready for it and more confident. The 2nd loop wasn't as bad as the first. We found some warm water from fountain at the turnaround and headed home. I didn't mention this yet, but there was also a stiff headwind on the return trips. Funny to be looking down a really big hill yet be only moving at 20mph. It took 3.4 hours for 41 miles!! I was pretty heatsick by the last 10 mins but recovered OK. I think the heatsick was in my head. I was craving ice water!!
Later EK LC and I swam in Table Rock, practicing OWS drills, drafting, swim starts, and other goofy things. Although we didn't swim much, this was a great confidence builder for me. Pigman will be my first long course race in OWS without a wetsuit. A 400m swim in a sprint not being counted.
Then even later the 3 of us went for a run, but by this time my tummy was upset and lunch wasn't settling well. We shared running drills then I cut short for home.
I stayed hydrated and fed (maybe overfed) and slept OK that night, even with the thunderstorms!
SWIM: about .4 miles in about 30 mins
RUN: about .4 miles in...oh...who knows
My goals for this weekend: forget about work. forget about the club. forget about some other underlying personal issues. relax. train.
We woke up in Branson to more heat and lots of hills! We spent the first few minutes of the ride tooling around the Village the condo was in. I had Frea, not really a climbing bike, but I still had the climbing cassette from IMWI. So the Filly could climb, just not always easy.
The end goal was to get on the IM Branson course, a highway just outside the Village. By this point, 20 mins and 4 miles had passed. I wasn't feeling too hyped about the ride just yet. I was tired, a bit down, and already burning up from the heat. EK found the hwy on the other side of some trees, so we 'bikewacked' (is that a word?) across cyclocross style and found the hwy: 2 lanes each way, divided highway, big ass shoulder! Hey ho, let's go!
Let's go, alright. UP hill. A big hill. A big sloooooowwwww climb that required bottoming out the gears to the Granny setting. Oooof. The day had heated up and there didn't seem to be much wind. So all sweat just dripped on me. Over the next 15 miles, I was very aware of just how much water I'd lose in the climbing sections.
But with every uphill, there's a downhill. And oh DAMN the downhills! Big, long, slow downhills. I was thankful for the shoulder and great road conditions. A pothole or bump at 40mph could be dangerous.
We'd descend at 25-35+ mph then climb at 5-10mph. The difference was striking. A rush, then a hill. A rush, then a hill. HOT hills. It didn't take long before the iced water in the bottles was hot on the tongue. Luckily Infinit still tastes good at that temp. Nuun'd water...not so much. Frea was fully loaded with all 4 bottles, and after the 1st loop (~20 miles) I'd emptied 1.5 of them. Not enough!
EK and I took on the 2nd loop. The first time around my confidence on the descents was low. A crosswind buffeted the bikes and caught the aerotubes a lot. This time I was more ready for it and more confident. The 2nd loop wasn't as bad as the first. We found some warm water from fountain at the turnaround and headed home. I didn't mention this yet, but there was also a stiff headwind on the return trips. Funny to be looking down a really big hill yet be only moving at 20mph. It took 3.4 hours for 41 miles!! I was pretty heatsick by the last 10 mins but recovered OK. I think the heatsick was in my head. I was craving ice water!!
Later EK LC and I swam in Table Rock, practicing OWS drills, drafting, swim starts, and other goofy things. Although we didn't swim much, this was a great confidence builder for me. Pigman will be my first long course race in OWS without a wetsuit. A 400m swim in a sprint not being counted.
Then even later the 3 of us went for a run, but by this time my tummy was upset and lunch wasn't settling well. We shared running drills then I cut short for home.
I stayed hydrated and fed (maybe overfed) and slept OK that night, even with the thunderstorms!
Mega Tough Day 1
SWIM: 45 mins, only 1500y
The start of the Branson Mega Tough weekend! I had rested since the xfit Thursday morning run, and starting Friday afternoon the big weekend began.
I was planning to swim outdoors but a storm rolled through and closed the outer pool. I wasn't feeling all that great, my stomach was upset and I felt like I swallowed a lot of air. I had eaten too much for breakfast and was paying the price for it :(
I didn't take a workout with me, that was my next big mistake. So I ended up at the pool not feeling good and without a plan. EK was doing a big swim set, it inspired me to keep swimming but at the same time brought me down a bit. Why? I dunno. Guess it was frustrating to see someone having a good workout while I wasn't. But it did keep me going.
I did 200y sets, focusing on drills. ABC drill. Bilateral breathing. Wide entry. It kept me going, but I just wanted to quit.
Fatigue!
We left around 530pm (after having to get a bag I FORGOT--DUH) for Branson! :)
The start of the Branson Mega Tough weekend! I had rested since the xfit Thursday morning run, and starting Friday afternoon the big weekend began.
I was planning to swim outdoors but a storm rolled through and closed the outer pool. I wasn't feeling all that great, my stomach was upset and I felt like I swallowed a lot of air. I had eaten too much for breakfast and was paying the price for it :(
I didn't take a workout with me, that was my next big mistake. So I ended up at the pool not feeling good and without a plan. EK was doing a big swim set, it inspired me to keep swimming but at the same time brought me down a bit. Why? I dunno. Guess it was frustrating to see someone having a good workout while I wasn't. But it did keep me going.
I did 200y sets, focusing on drills. ABC drill. Bilateral breathing. Wide entry. It kept me going, but I just wanted to quit.
Fatigue!
We left around 530pm (after having to get a bag I FORGOT--DUH) for Branson! :)
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Long run after a day off
RUN: 1:45 11 miles, pace about 9:38m/m
XFIT: 20 mins AMRAP: 25 box jumps, 20 crunches, 1 min plank, 10 burpees, 5 pullups (plank sub'd in for 15 KBS)
It's a rest week, and I don't feel rested just yet. This run was planned as an LSD, no big efforts, easy pace. LC and I started early and enjoyed a cooler morning. I thought about putting a t-shirt on! But I didn't :)
Xfit was refreshing. I thought the box jumps would be harder, OK yeah, they were hard, but surprisingly I wasn't sore from this workout.
It's a rest week! Rest!?
XFIT: 20 mins AMRAP: 25 box jumps, 20 crunches, 1 min plank, 10 burpees, 5 pullups (plank sub'd in for 15 KBS)
It's a rest week, and I don't feel rested just yet. This run was planned as an LSD, no big efforts, easy pace. LC and I started early and enjoyed a cooler morning. I thought about putting a t-shirt on! But I didn't :)
Xfit was refreshing. I thought the box jumps would be harder, OK yeah, they were hard, but surprisingly I wasn't sore from this workout.
It's a rest week! Rest!?
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Weak Wednesday
SWIM: Slept in!!
RUN: Nope!!
Late afternoon brick yesterday, heat, and cumulative fatigue--took a day off. Also needed to rearrange my schedule due to the Mega Tough weekend planned for this weekend!
RUN: Nope!!
Late afternoon brick yesterday, heat, and cumulative fatigue--took a day off. Also needed to rearrange my schedule due to the Mega Tough weekend planned for this weekend!
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Hot Brick with Iron Brick
BIKE 60 mins for 14.5 miles
RUN 21 mins for 2.1 miles
Yowza. HOT. I drove farther to get to the park than I rode once I got to the park. Boo.
RUN 21 mins for 2.1 miles
Yowza. HOT. I drove farther to get to the park than I rode once I got to the park. Boo.
Monday, August 1, 2011
AUGUST!!!!
SWIM: 2100m in 60 mins
RUN: 7 miles in 62:53 mins (squeaked in under 63)
Back to back swimming is not something I do very often. But I run or bike back-to-back, so why not? Answer--because my form falls off faster in the swim when I'm tired. But today wasn't so bad, compared to yesterdays 2000m in 75 mins, and today had 300m kicking. Maybe I miscounted yesterd?
I felt sloppy and slow. I captured the time on one 100 and got 2:27 :( but they weren't all that bad. I'm finding that my form fades off in longer sets. And no cramping--yea!
The run was right after the swim. My body does not need a run in 107F heat index. Plan was 10m WU then 40 mins of 5 mins half-mary pace, 5 mins cruise, then CD. I wasn't entirely sure what cruise was. Should have asked. So I did a "what I'd like to do for half-mary" then HIM pace. I programmed the session into the Training Center, and TC said it send the workout to the garmin...but it wasn't there this morning. nuts. So here's how it went:
Lap Info: shown is pace min/mile (HM=half mary; C=cruise)
WU 9:45
HM 8:09
C 9:05
HM 7:44 on flats--WOW
C 8:52
HM 8:39 up Skinker hill
C 9:04
HM 8:04
C 10:22 had to walk 3 times, getting sick to stomach
HM 8:27 one last effort, but fading
CD 10:12
My best half mary pace is something like a 8:50-8:55 pace. Today's paces were probably closer to a 10K pace, or who knows they could be what I could run a half-mary at if I kept training like this? Too bad to HR data, but I can say by the last 8:04 and 8:27 intervals my HR was HIGH. I was probably going to fast, but as for form it felt really good. And the run was in the Kinvaras with no foot pain at all, used to be 40 mins in my toes would start to go numb. Interesting finding! Is it the new running form, the shoes, or have my feet strengthened?
RUN: 7 miles in 62:53 mins (squeaked in under 63)
Back to back swimming is not something I do very often. But I run or bike back-to-back, so why not? Answer--because my form falls off faster in the swim when I'm tired. But today wasn't so bad, compared to yesterdays 2000m in 75 mins, and today had 300m kicking. Maybe I miscounted yesterd?
I felt sloppy and slow. I captured the time on one 100 and got 2:27 :( but they weren't all that bad. I'm finding that my form fades off in longer sets. And no cramping--yea!
The run was right after the swim. My body does not need a run in 107F heat index. Plan was 10m WU then 40 mins of 5 mins half-mary pace, 5 mins cruise, then CD. I wasn't entirely sure what cruise was. Should have asked. So I did a "what I'd like to do for half-mary" then HIM pace. I programmed the session into the Training Center, and TC said it send the workout to the garmin...but it wasn't there this morning. nuts. So here's how it went:
Lap Info: shown is pace min/mile (HM=half mary; C=cruise)
WU 9:45
HM 8:09
C 9:05
HM 7:44 on flats--WOW
C 8:52
HM 8:39 up Skinker hill
C 9:04
HM 8:04
C 10:22 had to walk 3 times, getting sick to stomach
HM 8:27 one last effort, but fading
CD 10:12
My best half mary pace is something like a 8:50-8:55 pace. Today's paces were probably closer to a 10K pace, or who knows they could be what I could run a half-mary at if I kept training like this? Too bad to HR data, but I can say by the last 8:04 and 8:27 intervals my HR was HIGH. I was probably going to fast, but as for form it felt really good. And the run was in the Kinvaras with no foot pain at all, used to be 40 mins in my toes would start to go numb. Interesting finding! Is it the new running form, the shoes, or have my feet strengthened?
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