Scored some quality zzzz's last night, woke up feeling great. Excellent. I have a solid 4 hour mid-week workout planned, it's good to start it off on the right foot. I zipped through work and starting fueling up on the way home, got to top up those energy stores!
So I get home and I'm getting ready for a 100k ride, then BOOM! 'What the hell? MORE frikin thunderstorms..' Crap, I check the short term forcast and the next 6 hours we're expecting off and on thundershowers. Grrrrr... The Gods must be angry.
Time to pull out the trainer... again! Sigh. So I pop in coach Troy's Tough Love and do 3 hours on the spinner. You know what? It wasn't that bad, time flew by and before you know it, I was done. Fastest 3 hour spin session I've ever done.
So after my 'ride', there was a clearing on the horizon and I was able to get in a quick 10.5k run, before the next round of thundershowers hit. Your probably thinking ' ewww, I bet that run was tough..' Well, you'd be wrong. I mean it wasn't easy, but it was strong and fast. It felt great!
I figure the spin session was worth a good 100k and the run was 10k+, so I did get my 100/10 in for the day. Mission accomplished.
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Hump day update
Tuesdays are the beginning of my workout week and this being a 'hard' week, I wanted to set myself up for some punishment. You know, something to set the tone for the rest of the week. So yesterday I did a 14k run that comprised of 10 hill repetitions. The hill I climb is roughly 400m long and it's a good steady climb that takes me 90 to 95 sec to run up. I only had 8 on the agenda, but ended up doing 10. Why? Cuz I'm tuff! rar! The good news is I actually felt strong. All the hill repetitions, weight training and extra attention to running is slowly but surely starting to pay off. It's very satisfying to see and feel the dividends.
My second workout yesterday was a 2 hour session on the trainer which consisted of time trialing, drill work, big gear work and some more time trialing. Yup, fried the legs right some good yesterday.
For today, workout number one was an easy 11.5k trail run. My second workout was a brutal endurance swim session planned ... 15X400 @ 6:00 (!) - but the powers that be cancelled my lane swim! So I had to use all my charm (cough) on pool supervisor and I actually fandangled 30 minutes of pool time out of her. Most cool. Well, cool in the from aspect my swim workout wasn't a total bust. So I jumped in and did a quick 2k - better than nothing, but it's a far cry from the 6k I had planned. Oh well.
To help make up for the lost k's from my swim workout, I did an upper body weight routine and some core work.
You know that half Ironman I've been thinking about doing? I mentioned it a few posts ago.. Anyway, I'm leaning towards doing it - what the hell, you only live once. So my routine until Ironman Canada would like:
This week: hard. bike /run focus.
Week 2: easy. Race on July 9
Week 3: recover week
Week 4: build week
Week 5: cycle focus (last 2.5 hr long run)
Week 6: moderate/hard week - all 3 sports.
Week 7,8 and 9. Taper.
At least this way I can get another race in, test another nutrition strategy and still get a few good weeks of training before taper time.
My second workout yesterday was a 2 hour session on the trainer which consisted of time trialing, drill work, big gear work and some more time trialing. Yup, fried the legs right some good yesterday.
For today, workout number one was an easy 11.5k trail run. My second workout was a brutal endurance swim session planned ... 15X400 @ 6:00 (!) - but the powers that be cancelled my lane swim! So I had to use all my charm (cough) on pool supervisor and I actually fandangled 30 minutes of pool time out of her. Most cool. Well, cool in the from aspect my swim workout wasn't a total bust. So I jumped in and did a quick 2k - better than nothing, but it's a far cry from the 6k I had planned. Oh well.
To help make up for the lost k's from my swim workout, I did an upper body weight routine and some core work.
You know that half Ironman I've been thinking about doing? I mentioned it a few posts ago.. Anyway, I'm leaning towards doing it - what the hell, you only live once. So my routine until Ironman Canada would like:
This week: hard. bike /run focus.
Week 2: easy. Race on July 9
Week 3: recover week
Week 4: build week
Week 5: cycle focus (last 2.5 hr long run)
Week 6: moderate/hard week - all 3 sports.
Week 7,8 and 9. Taper.
At least this way I can get another race in, test another nutrition strategy and still get a few good weeks of training before taper time.
Monday, June 26, 2006
Monday weigh in
Summary of last week:
Run: 48k
Bike: 337k
Swim: 9k
Dryland: 1.5 hrs
Weight: 160
For what was suppose to be an easy/moderate week, I wound up doing some decent mileage. My body recovered pretty fast after last Sunday's race, so I just went with it and logged some miles. I'm starting to flirt with sub 160 in the weight department and I gotta tell ya - I just love being a regular Pac-man and losing weight at the same time. :)
The plan for the upcoming week is to up the running kms to ~70k and add an extra bike session. I'd like to see 400k on the bike this week, but I see thundershowers in the forecast, and that means trainer time. :/
Today was my slacker day, I did a full body stretch routine, which takes about 45 minutes, then followed that up with some core work and upper body weights. Cheers.
Run: 48k
Bike: 337k
Swim: 9k
Dryland: 1.5 hrs
Weight: 160
For what was suppose to be an easy/moderate week, I wound up doing some decent mileage. My body recovered pretty fast after last Sunday's race, so I just went with it and logged some miles. I'm starting to flirt with sub 160 in the weight department and I gotta tell ya - I just love being a regular Pac-man and losing weight at the same time. :)
The plan for the upcoming week is to up the running kms to ~70k and add an extra bike session. I'd like to see 400k on the bike this week, but I see thundershowers in the forecast, and that means trainer time. :/
Today was my slacker day, I did a full body stretch routine, which takes about 45 minutes, then followed that up with some core work and upper body weights. Cheers.
Sunday, June 25, 2006
Ironman-in-a-weekend. Part 2.
Hehe.. I didn't really plan on logging serious distance it just.. umm... sorta happened. The weather was perfect, I had nothing on the agenda except hang with Sal, the pooches and train. What a great weekend. Here's the low down:
Fri: run 11.5k (trails)
swim: 4k. (10X400m on 6:00) Great set, felt strong.
Sat: Bike 187k A fairly flat route, legs started to get cranky at the 5 hr mark. Finished in 5:50 for an average speed of 32.1 kph. If you're interested, here's the route.
Sun: Run 29k. Thought I was on my 30k route, but the Garmin only registered 29k.. jypped myself a kilometer. Last 5k was tough, total time was 2:28.
The astute will notice that technically I didn't quite make the running portion. A marathon is 42.2k I only managed 40.5k. I figure the extra 7k on the bike and the extra 200m on the swim makes up for the lack of running k's. (plus I walk 10-12k for work). So as far as I'm concerned it's a wash. :)
One of these days, I'm going to attempt to put into words why I do this - explain 'it'. In the meantime, please take a few minutes and read Thursday's post by Sheila. She does a pretty damned good job explaining 'it' - or as she puts 'The Drive'. Enjoy.
Fri: run 11.5k (trails)
swim: 4k. (10X400m on 6:00) Great set, felt strong.
Sat: Bike 187k A fairly flat route, legs started to get cranky at the 5 hr mark. Finished in 5:50 for an average speed of 32.1 kph. If you're interested, here's the route.
Sun: Run 29k. Thought I was on my 30k route, but the Garmin only registered 29k.. jypped myself a kilometer. Last 5k was tough, total time was 2:28.
The astute will notice that technically I didn't quite make the running portion. A marathon is 42.2k I only managed 40.5k. I figure the extra 7k on the bike and the extra 200m on the swim makes up for the lack of running k's. (plus I walk 10-12k for work). So as far as I'm concerned it's a wash. :)
One of these days, I'm going to attempt to put into words why I do this - explain 'it'. In the meantime, please take a few minutes and read Thursday's post by Sheila. She does a pretty damned good job explaining 'it' - or as she puts 'The Drive'. Enjoy.
Friday, June 23, 2006
Feelin' Fine Friday
I'm feeling pretty much recovered from last Sunday's race. I know this is suppose to be a fairly easy week, but the weather for the weekend is looking good, I'm feeling pretty good, it's Friday, I already have run 11.5k (trails) and I'm about to hit the pool.... perhaps another Ironman-in-a-weekend?? I'm not saying it's going to happen, but the cards are falling in place.
Yesterday I did 90k on the bike. I went looking for some new territory and found a nice 20k flat section road. I usually do a fair bit of hill riding, so this was something a bit different. The beautiful thing about this stretch of road was that only ONE car passed me for the whole 20k stretch. So as I'm cruising along, passing farms, saying 'Hi' to the cows and rescueing the odd tortoise/turtle crossing the road, I see these massive wind turbines off in the distance. Very impressive. I don't why, but they filled me with wonder. It just seemed so cool, these huge structures, spinning away, generating clean power for the community. Hmm.. a municipality that is actually taking responsibility - I suppose that's the reason why I was awestruck. A single person that takes responsibility for their actions is pretty damned cool, but seeing a whole community do it is downright awesome.
I'm off to do 4k in the pool. Have great weekend!
Yesterday I did 90k on the bike. I went looking for some new territory and found a nice 20k flat section road. I usually do a fair bit of hill riding, so this was something a bit different. The beautiful thing about this stretch of road was that only ONE car passed me for the whole 20k stretch. So as I'm cruising along, passing farms, saying 'Hi' to the cows and rescueing the odd tortoise/turtle crossing the road, I see these massive wind turbines off in the distance. Very impressive. I don't why, but they filled me with wonder. It just seemed so cool, these huge structures, spinning away, generating clean power for the community. Hmm.. a municipality that is actually taking responsibility - I suppose that's the reason why I was awestruck. A single person that takes responsibility for their actions is pretty damned cool, but seeing a whole community do it is downright awesome.
I'm off to do 4k in the pool. Have great weekend!
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Regroup Refocus
Did an easy 60k on the bike yesterday, felt good. Today I did a 7.5k trail run and an endurance swim workout. Here's the swim workout:
4X400m 15 sec rest.
2X(4X200m) 10s rest
4X(4X100m) on 1:40
Total: 5k
Each set was a build set, the goal being to get progressively faster through each set of 4. I felt strong and was thinking: ' why couldn't I feel like this on Sunday?'
Speaking of Sunday's race, Sally says I'm too hard on myself. I've come to the conclusion that she-who-must-be-obeyed is correct. But in my own defence, I'll just say that I really dislike being hampered by external issues - like this pesky tummy problem. Hey, if I'm outgunned by a more experienced, fitter, better athlete, I'm totally cool with that. I'll tip my hat to them and say to myself: 'I'll get ya next time..' That's the kind of stuff that makes me smile inwardly.
Regroup, Refocus. The topic of the day. Here's the plan from now until IMC.
Rest of this week: an easy build week.
Week 2: moderate/hard week, add an extra bike session
Week 3: easy week
Week 4: build week, running focused
Week 5: build week, cycling focused
Week 6: even split between 3 sports. Last 2.5 hr run
Week 7: taper commences, but will spike the swim mileage.
Week 8, 9 and 10: Full time taper mode.
About the only thing that may put a crimp into the plan is there is a Half Ironman in 2.5 weeks that I would like to do, at least to test out another nutrition strategy. My problem is that if I enter the event, I'll end up racing it and the subsequent recovery puts a crimp into the above 'plan.' What to do.. what to do..
4X400m 15 sec rest.
2X(4X200m) 10s rest
4X(4X100m) on 1:40
Total: 5k
Each set was a build set, the goal being to get progressively faster through each set of 4. I felt strong and was thinking: ' why couldn't I feel like this on Sunday?'
Speaking of Sunday's race, Sally says I'm too hard on myself. I've come to the conclusion that she-who-must-be-obeyed is correct. But in my own defence, I'll just say that I really dislike being hampered by external issues - like this pesky tummy problem. Hey, if I'm outgunned by a more experienced, fitter, better athlete, I'm totally cool with that. I'll tip my hat to them and say to myself: 'I'll get ya next time..' That's the kind of stuff that makes me smile inwardly.
Regroup, Refocus. The topic of the day. Here's the plan from now until IMC.
Rest of this week: an easy build week.
Week 2: moderate/hard week, add an extra bike session
Week 3: easy week
Week 4: build week, running focused
Week 5: build week, cycling focused
Week 6: even split between 3 sports. Last 2.5 hr run
Week 7: taper commences, but will spike the swim mileage.
Week 8, 9 and 10: Full time taper mode.
About the only thing that may put a crimp into the plan is there is a Half Ironman in 2.5 weeks that I would like to do, at least to test out another nutrition strategy. My problem is that if I enter the event, I'll end up racing it and the subsequent recovery puts a crimp into the above 'plan.' What to do.. what to do..
Monday, June 19, 2006
Muskoka Race Report
The 5 words or less version: humbled?, queasy, #$%%! hot, good.
The plain vanilla short version:
Place: 11/102 Age group. 75/745 overall
Swim 2k: 29:12
Bike: 55k: 1:30:02
Run: 15k: 1:11:23
Time: 3:13:00
The extended version:
I'll try not to get too long winded for this race report. However, there are few things I'll have to get off my chest.
First and foremost, a GREAT race put on by the folks at Subaru and the town of Huntsville is fantastic - the people and the businesses really get into it. Overall, as a venue, I give the Muskoka Triathlon top marks.
Secondly, the chase format makes for a really exciting race. The pro women were given an 18 minute head start of the pro men. Then it's up to the men to to chase them down. Whoever crosses the finish line first receives 10 grand! Of the 26 pros at the race, there some big names: Simon Whitfield and Lisa Bentley were amongst the field. As a lowly age grouper, it's cool to compete against an Olympic Gold medalist and a 10(!) time IronWoman Champion. Very cool indeed.
The nitty gritty:
I went into this race with a 9 day taper, so I was expecting a strong, solid performance. I'm stronger than I was last year and more fit, so I wanted to use this race as an opportunity to test myself. Let's see how it worked out:
My latest pre race routine involves getting up at least 3 hrs before the start and consuming 2 cans of Boost. When racing, it's possible I'll experience stomach issues (nausea), so I'm trying an all liquid breakfast.
2k swim: My swim was merely OK. About the biggest thing that happened in the swim occured at the 500m mark. I was actually grabbed and pulled back. That's never happened to me before and I was quite shocked. My initial thought was to punch the guy in the head. But that's way bad karma, so I just motored passed him and let it slide. At the 1200m mark I said to myself, 'hmm.. I don't feel like I'm swimming well.' My pace was off, the water was very murky, I was sighting way too much and just I just felt off. The numbers: 29:12 or a 1:28/100m pace. I was looking for a sub 1:28, so in the end it wasn't too bad. Just not quite as fast as I wanted.
55k bike: T1 was smooth. I hop on The Spirit of Koo and settle in to a good spin. I can feel some mild nausea at this point, but it's not a big deal. It's feels like the Boost I had 4 hours ago is still sitting in my gut. I take the first 20 minutes at a moderate effort just trying to settle the gut down and to some extent I'm successful. My main problem with fighting nausea while racing is what the the hell do I do with my hydration requirments? Drinking liquids while nauseous can have disasterous results. But not drinking is equally as bad or worse. It's a catch-22.
I fight with the mild nausea throughout the bike and in the end I'm able to consume just over half of litre of InfiniT (sports drink).
The bike portion itself was rather nice, plenty of rollers and a couple of decent climbs through scenic roads. The time on the saddle was 1:30:07 at an average speed of 36.7 kph. Again, on the low end on what I was aiming for.
15k run: Think quick cadence. Make the run flow. Relax. Get in the groove. I think these when I run. It didn't help. Within the first 2k I knew I was in trouble and thought I was going to be sick. Damnit, I have to walk to try settle my tummy. I end up running the majority of the route at a slow, steady pace and managed to not barf. I ran the route in 1:11:23 for a 4:46/k pace. Ok, I'll be honest, that split ticks me off. Five weeks ago, I ran a decent half marathon with a 3 day taper. I train more/harder and get additonal rest and can only manage 1:11 for a 15k run. Damnit, my Sunday morning 30k jaunts are that fast.
Sorry, I promised I wasn't going to whine, but I did have to vent a bit there.
Synopsis
Ok, was the race as bad as I think? No it wasn't. For two reasons: 1) May have been over zealous about my run goal? Possibly. 2) I have to realize heat just kills me and perhaps this is the culprit of my nausea?? (Anyone feel free to chime in here, I'm really starting to grasp at straws.)
The good:
I don't mind being humbled. If analyzed, it can provide an opportunity to learn about yourself. I'm still trying to figure what I learnt from this race. I do have another nutrition strategy I'm going to try and if it works, I'll have this race to thank for it. Hmm... what else was good? Oh yea, I qualified for Ironman Canada and secured my spot. That's pretty cool too.
The plain vanilla short version:
Place: 11/102 Age group. 75/745 overall
Swim 2k: 29:12
Bike: 55k: 1:30:02
Run: 15k: 1:11:23
Time: 3:13:00
The extended version:
I'll try not to get too long winded for this race report. However, there are few things I'll have to get off my chest.
First and foremost, a GREAT race put on by the folks at Subaru and the town of Huntsville is fantastic - the people and the businesses really get into it. Overall, as a venue, I give the Muskoka Triathlon top marks.
Secondly, the chase format makes for a really exciting race. The pro women were given an 18 minute head start of the pro men. Then it's up to the men to to chase them down. Whoever crosses the finish line first receives 10 grand! Of the 26 pros at the race, there some big names: Simon Whitfield and Lisa Bentley were amongst the field. As a lowly age grouper, it's cool to compete against an Olympic Gold medalist and a 10(!) time IronWoman Champion. Very cool indeed.
The nitty gritty:
I went into this race with a 9 day taper, so I was expecting a strong, solid performance. I'm stronger than I was last year and more fit, so I wanted to use this race as an opportunity to test myself. Let's see how it worked out:
My latest pre race routine involves getting up at least 3 hrs before the start and consuming 2 cans of Boost. When racing, it's possible I'll experience stomach issues (nausea), so I'm trying an all liquid breakfast.
2k swim: My swim was merely OK. About the biggest thing that happened in the swim occured at the 500m mark. I was actually grabbed and pulled back. That's never happened to me before and I was quite shocked. My initial thought was to punch the guy in the head. But that's way bad karma, so I just motored passed him and let it slide. At the 1200m mark I said to myself, 'hmm.. I don't feel like I'm swimming well.' My pace was off, the water was very murky, I was sighting way too much and just I just felt off. The numbers: 29:12 or a 1:28/100m pace. I was looking for a sub 1:28, so in the end it wasn't too bad. Just not quite as fast as I wanted.
55k bike: T1 was smooth. I hop on The Spirit of Koo and settle in to a good spin. I can feel some mild nausea at this point, but it's not a big deal. It's feels like the Boost I had 4 hours ago is still sitting in my gut. I take the first 20 minutes at a moderate effort just trying to settle the gut down and to some extent I'm successful. My main problem with fighting nausea while racing is what the the hell do I do with my hydration requirments? Drinking liquids while nauseous can have disasterous results. But not drinking is equally as bad or worse. It's a catch-22.
I fight with the mild nausea throughout the bike and in the end I'm able to consume just over half of litre of InfiniT (sports drink).
The bike portion itself was rather nice, plenty of rollers and a couple of decent climbs through scenic roads. The time on the saddle was 1:30:07 at an average speed of 36.7 kph. Again, on the low end on what I was aiming for.
15k run: Think quick cadence. Make the run flow. Relax. Get in the groove. I think these when I run. It didn't help. Within the first 2k I knew I was in trouble and thought I was going to be sick. Damnit, I have to walk to try settle my tummy. I end up running the majority of the route at a slow, steady pace and managed to not barf. I ran the route in 1:11:23 for a 4:46/k pace. Ok, I'll be honest, that split ticks me off. Five weeks ago, I ran a decent half marathon with a 3 day taper. I train more/harder and get additonal rest and can only manage 1:11 for a 15k run. Damnit, my Sunday morning 30k jaunts are that fast.
Sorry, I promised I wasn't going to whine, but I did have to vent a bit there.
Synopsis
Ok, was the race as bad as I think? No it wasn't. For two reasons: 1) May have been over zealous about my run goal? Possibly. 2) I have to realize heat just kills me and perhaps this is the culprit of my nausea?? (Anyone feel free to chime in here, I'm really starting to grasp at straws.)
The good:
I don't mind being humbled. If analyzed, it can provide an opportunity to learn about yourself. I'm still trying to figure what I learnt from this race. I do have another nutrition strategy I'm going to try and if it works, I'll have this race to thank for it. Hmm... what else was good? Oh yea, I qualified for Ironman Canada and secured my spot. That's pretty cool too.
Sunday, June 18, 2006
Good news, bad news
A quick update. I'll do a more detailed report tomorrow. Since I'm an optimist, I'll post the good news: I was fortuneate enough to secure my spot for Ironman Canada. Yay!
Now on to the bad stuff: For me, Muskoka was a very mediocre race. Once again, I was plauged by stomach issues. This, combined with the heat made for a mediocre swim, an OK bike and a very sub par run. I'm kinda bummed about by performance, so I'll try not to whine about it too much in my race report tomorrow. :)
Now on to the bad stuff: For me, Muskoka was a very mediocre race. Once again, I was plauged by stomach issues. This, combined with the heat made for a mediocre swim, an OK bike and a very sub par run. I'm kinda bummed about by performance, so I'll try not to whine about it too much in my race report tomorrow. :)
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Execution
Not sure if I'll have time to update between now and post race. So I'd thought put my strategy in writing now. The primary goal for Muskoka is to secure my Ironman Canada spot, that's of foremost importance. I've looked at previous years qualifying times and I don't foresee a problem, however, since I've not raced yet, this is still in the 'theory' stage.
My secondary goal for this race is to break the 3 hour mark. This is realistic but difficult. Here's a breakdown of my execution strategy:
swim 2k: about <28 minutes. I'm aiming for a 1:24/1:25 pace.
bike 55k: I hope to come in at 1:28. This is a 37.5 km/hr pace. Not entirely sure how this is going to pan out, I could be as low as 36.5 or as high as 38.5 ... so I picked right smack in the middle.
run 15k: sub 1hr. Perhaps my toughest split and it's going to take some guts. If I can maintain sub 4 min kms after a hard bike, I'll be a happy camper.
Add 2 minutes for transitions and the total time comes in at 2:58. Eep, a mere 2 minute fudge factor to come in under 3hrs. It's going to be close!
My secondary goal for this race is to break the 3 hour mark. This is realistic but difficult. Here's a breakdown of my execution strategy:
swim 2k: about <28 minutes. I'm aiming for a 1:24/1:25 pace.
bike 55k: I hope to come in at 1:28. This is a 37.5 km/hr pace. Not entirely sure how this is going to pan out, I could be as low as 36.5 or as high as 38.5 ... so I picked right smack in the middle.
run 15k: sub 1hr. Perhaps my toughest split and it's going to take some guts. If I can maintain sub 4 min kms after a hard bike, I'll be a happy camper.
Add 2 minutes for transitions and the total time comes in at 2:58. Eep, a mere 2 minute fudge factor to come in under 3hrs. It's going to be close!
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
A quickie
Hey guys. Just a quickie today... got a case of the 'I'm feeling tired syndrome.' Not sure why, getting lots of zzzz's and the workout load has been cut way back. I'm feeling good.. just tired, like sleepy tired. Maybe something to do with tapering? Shrug.
Workout update:
Yesterday did an easy 60k on the bike, nothing crazy and the legs feel good.
Today, I hit the pool and got 3k in. 1k warmup, 5X100 hard with 100 easy in between each (the hard ones came in @1:05-1:07), 1k drill work.
It was kinda fun doing the sprint work, it's been a long time since I've done any that. Even though it's been almost 20 years since I could call my self a sprinter, I was pretty happy with my times. Next week I'll be back to the long, boring endurance work. Cheers.
Workout update:
Yesterday did an easy 60k on the bike, nothing crazy and the legs feel good.
Today, I hit the pool and got 3k in. 1k warmup, 5X100 hard with 100 easy in between each (the hard ones came in @1:05-1:07), 1k drill work.
It was kinda fun doing the sprint work, it's been a long time since I've done any that. Even though it's been almost 20 years since I could call my self a sprinter, I was pretty happy with my times. Next week I'll be back to the long, boring endurance work. Cheers.
Monday, June 12, 2006
Doubtful Monday weigh in
Here is the weekend report:
Taper officially began on Saturday with an easy 100k ride with Cliff, followed by a short 4k transition run. The weather was mediocre (windy and cool), but that's the beauty of meeting someone for a ride - there is no wimping out.
Sunday was a short long run of 14k. I kept the pace controled, even though the legs 'wanted to go' for the last few k.
Here are the stats for the week:
Run 43.5k
Bike: 177k
Spin: 2 hrs
Swim: 8.2k
Dryland: 1.5 hrs
Weight: 161
I look at a week like that and part of me says, 'jeez, you aren't doing nearly enough' and the first inklings of doubt set in. I know it's irrational and I understand that, but I still feel it. This is just part of the tapering process, I must decrease mileage even though I want to do more. So, to help alleviate and keep Mr. Doubt at bay, I tallied this year's total, here is where I'm at:
Run: 1124.5k
Spin: 93.5 hrs
Bike: 1083k
Swim: 96.3k
Dryland: 36hrs
This is from Jan 2/06 to June 11/06. Commentary: Running has been a major focus this year, basically increasing the frequency of runs (upto 6 times per week) and consistency. I've been able to do this and maintain an injury free status. So, even though I believe total kms are a tad low, I've met my goal as far as running is concerned. Is it enough? Bah, is it ever enough?
Spinning: that's some serious spinning time. Roughly 40 more hours on the trainer this year compared to all of last year.
Biking kms: Ok, this one looks bad and it is concerning. But I must remember, that the spinning hours count for alot and that up until July, running will/has been the primary focus. So, once again, I must tell myself all is going according to plan. Hopefully between now and IMC I can get 2k kms in.. then I'll feel better.
Swimming: way low kms, but this is not a problem. Coming from a swim background, the ONLY thing I must remember in Ironman Canada is to NOT NOT NOT hang with the fast guys. Even though I have that capability, I must not, I will not go out too fast. Discipline.
So what does this tell me. I guess it tells me things are going according to the master plan I set out in January. I ask myself 'am I training better/smarter then last year?' and I believe the answer is yes. Will there always be some doubt.. should I be doing more? Could I be doing more? During a taper it is natural to question all your previous prep work, I must remind myself of this and stick my plan. It hasn't steered me wrong so far.
Thanks, I'm glad we had this discussion. Cheers.
Taper officially began on Saturday with an easy 100k ride with Cliff, followed by a short 4k transition run. The weather was mediocre (windy and cool), but that's the beauty of meeting someone for a ride - there is no wimping out.
Sunday was a short long run of 14k. I kept the pace controled, even though the legs 'wanted to go' for the last few k.
Here are the stats for the week:
Run 43.5k
Bike: 177k
Spin: 2 hrs
Swim: 8.2k
Dryland: 1.5 hrs
Weight: 161
I look at a week like that and part of me says, 'jeez, you aren't doing nearly enough' and the first inklings of doubt set in. I know it's irrational and I understand that, but I still feel it. This is just part of the tapering process, I must decrease mileage even though I want to do more. So, to help alleviate and keep Mr. Doubt at bay, I tallied this year's total, here is where I'm at:
Run: 1124.5k
Spin: 93.5 hrs
Bike: 1083k
Swim: 96.3k
Dryland: 36hrs
This is from Jan 2/06 to June 11/06. Commentary: Running has been a major focus this year, basically increasing the frequency of runs (upto 6 times per week) and consistency. I've been able to do this and maintain an injury free status. So, even though I believe total kms are a tad low, I've met my goal as far as running is concerned. Is it enough? Bah, is it ever enough?
Spinning: that's some serious spinning time. Roughly 40 more hours on the trainer this year compared to all of last year.
Biking kms: Ok, this one looks bad and it is concerning. But I must remember, that the spinning hours count for alot and that up until July, running will/has been the primary focus. So, once again, I must tell myself all is going according to plan. Hopefully between now and IMC I can get 2k kms in.. then I'll feel better.
Swimming: way low kms, but this is not a problem. Coming from a swim background, the ONLY thing I must remember in Ironman Canada is to NOT NOT NOT hang with the fast guys. Even though I have that capability, I must not, I will not go out too fast. Discipline.
So what does this tell me. I guess it tells me things are going according to the master plan I set out in January. I ask myself 'am I training better/smarter then last year?' and I believe the answer is yes. Will there always be some doubt.. should I be doing more? Could I be doing more? During a taper it is natural to question all your previous prep work, I must remind myself of this and stick my plan. It hasn't steered me wrong so far.
Thanks, I'm glad we had this discussion. Cheers.
Friday, June 09, 2006
Taper & Koo
Well it seems blogger is back to normal. Everytime I went to update over the last couple of days, some sort of maintenance was being performed. Ok.. first things first, here are my workouts for the past few days:
Wed: Run 10.5k (trails), swim 5k (4X400, 8X200, 16X100, cooldown)
Thurs: Taper begins. 2 hours of hard work on the trainer.
Fri: Run 7.5k (trails), swim ~3k. (not sure .. as I'm heading to the pool after this post.. but the plan is to do 3k)
Notice I did say taper. I'm doing a 9 day taper for my race next Sunday, backing off on the mileage and getting lots of rest. Race? Did someone say race? Yea I'm excited. I'll tell you about my race plan next week.
You say :' Why is the word 'Koo' in your title?' An excellent question. Koo was our nickname for our dog Kuma. The word Kuma is Japanese for bear. Here's a pic of Koo and you can see why the name fits:
Actually, his registered name was Yuki-Kuma, which translates to snow bear. You can see why he just got 'Koo' most of the time.
Koo was the type of dog, that very few people actually knew errr.. knew well. Sally and I loved Koo for a multitude of reasons but one of the main ones was his spirit. During Koo's life he had multiple health issues, but his spirit always shone and he pulled through. Everything was always a big 'event' for Koo. Didn't matter if it was getting brushed or going for walk, these were HUGE events in Koo's life and he really didn't care what was going on.. just as long as he was hanging with you.
I could ramble on lots and lots about Koo.. but I do try to keep this blog on topic - most of the time. :) So what does this have to do with triathlon? Well the connections is a bit tenuous, but 'bear' with me.
A year ago, we unexpectedly had to put Koo down. Man that sucked. It still amazes how much Sally and I talk about him and of course miss him. He really did have a profound effect on us.
Many triathletes name their bikes.. well you guessed it, the name of my new ride is The Spirit of Koo. (it's '06 Cervelo Dual for those that don't know)
Eep.. must be off, going to be late for my swim...
Wed: Run 10.5k (trails), swim 5k (4X400, 8X200, 16X100, cooldown)
Thurs: Taper begins. 2 hours of hard work on the trainer.
Fri: Run 7.5k (trails), swim ~3k. (not sure .. as I'm heading to the pool after this post.. but the plan is to do 3k)
Notice I did say taper. I'm doing a 9 day taper for my race next Sunday, backing off on the mileage and getting lots of rest. Race? Did someone say race? Yea I'm excited. I'll tell you about my race plan next week.
You say :' Why is the word 'Koo' in your title?' An excellent question. Koo was our nickname for our dog Kuma. The word Kuma is Japanese for bear. Here's a pic of Koo and you can see why the name fits:
Actually, his registered name was Yuki-Kuma, which translates to snow bear. You can see why he just got 'Koo' most of the time.
Koo was the type of dog, that very few people actually knew errr.. knew well. Sally and I loved Koo for a multitude of reasons but one of the main ones was his spirit. During Koo's life he had multiple health issues, but his spirit always shone and he pulled through. Everything was always a big 'event' for Koo. Didn't matter if it was getting brushed or going for walk, these were HUGE events in Koo's life and he really didn't care what was going on.. just as long as he was hanging with you.
I could ramble on lots and lots about Koo.. but I do try to keep this blog on topic - most of the time. :) So what does this have to do with triathlon? Well the connections is a bit tenuous, but 'bear' with me.
A year ago, we unexpectedly had to put Koo down. Man that sucked. It still amazes how much Sally and I talk about him and of course miss him. He really did have a profound effect on us.
Many triathletes name their bikes.. well you guessed it, the name of my new ride is The Spirit of Koo. (it's '06 Cervelo Dual for those that don't know)
Eep.. must be off, going to be late for my swim...
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Holy crap, I'm flying
Ever have one of those days, when your mojo just seems to gel? I had one of those workouts today. It was a brick workout with the primary goal of simulating an upcoming race. I wanted a hard/fast bike to build up some lactic acid in the legs, a quick transition and a run afterwards. I got what I wanted.
I was smoking on the bike, h0t damn it felt good. I was climbing like a goat and was a bullet on the straight-a-ways. Totally in the zone - yea that's the shizzle.
After 77k, I did a quick transition and put on my racing shoes for a 7.5k run. I went sockless for this run - wanted to see if the feet could handle it. I did have some blistering occur, so it looks like I'll have to waste 20 seconds in the transition to put socks on. :) Other than that, the run was aces. Relaxed. Good cadence. Felt strong. I think in another year or two, I'll actually be able to call myself a runner!
Gotta go, bedtime!
I was smoking on the bike, h0t damn it felt good. I was climbing like a goat and was a bullet on the straight-a-ways. Totally in the zone - yea that's the shizzle.
After 77k, I did a quick transition and put on my racing shoes for a 7.5k run. I went sockless for this run - wanted to see if the feet could handle it. I did have some blistering occur, so it looks like I'll have to waste 20 seconds in the transition to put socks on. :) Other than that, the run was aces. Relaxed. Good cadence. Felt strong. I think in another year or two, I'll actually be able to call myself a runner!
Gotta go, bedtime!
Monday, June 05, 2006
Monday weigh in
After a tough weekend, I really enjoy my Monday off day. Monday is the day to catch up on stuff around the house, chill out, maybe grab a nap or just hang out. It's totally unstructured, IF I do a workout, it's mega easy - there is no pressure. If I want to sit on the couch, watch a movie and eat pop-corn - then so be it. It's my recharge day. I like Mondays.
Here are the totals for the week:
Run: 73k
Bike: 259k
Spin: 1 hr
Swim 5k
Dryland 1.5hr
Weight: 161
I'm logging pretty consistent mileage and that's the key. Consistency. I'm eating well and sleeping well, which goes a long way in helping recovery. The weight just might come down another pound soon - a bonus indeed. One less pound to cart around is always a bonus. Hey, there are bike-wienies out there who will pay large dollars just to shave a few grams of weight from their bike. I'd rather shave a few grams of body weight and save the coin. :)
Here are the totals for the week:
Run: 73k
Bike: 259k
Spin: 1 hr
Swim 5k
Dryland 1.5hr
Weight: 161
I'm logging pretty consistent mileage and that's the key. Consistency. I'm eating well and sleeping well, which goes a long way in helping recovery. The weight just might come down another pound soon - a bonus indeed. One less pound to cart around is always a bonus. Hey, there are bike-wienies out there who will pay large dollars just to shave a few grams of weight from their bike. I'd rather shave a few grams of body weight and save the coin. :)
Sunday, June 04, 2006
Ironman weekend #1 .... done!
Me: Ok you two, listen up, you got roughly 6 hours of work to do today, I want you to suck it up and just deal with it. I'll tell you what, you get through today, I won't make you do this again for awhile. Deal?
LL (left leg): damnit, aren't you ever happy? We gave you a pretty good long run yesterday...
RL (right leg): yea! You tell him lefty!
Me: That's it, no more lip from either on one of ya.. or I'll make you climb the ski hill.. twice!
RL: hey Lefty, we better shut up... he's just crazy enough to do that.
Me (quiet to myself): how am I ever going to get through this ride. It's windy, it's hilly and frankly, I don't want to play anymore.
LL: I should start acting up.. maybe he'll take a short cut home...
RL: Yea! Oh wait better not, remember last time when I made the ball of his foot hurt? He made us run afterward!
LL: eep.. ya forgot about that, man that sucked.
Me: Quiet you two! Keep pumping!
And that's how my day went. 182k... done and my first Ironman in a weekend is down for the count. I'm feeling a little like:
I'm off to go refuel the engine and spend some quality with my number 1 supporter.
Cheers!
LL (left leg): damnit, aren't you ever happy? We gave you a pretty good long run yesterday...
RL (right leg): yea! You tell him lefty!
Me: That's it, no more lip from either on one of ya.. or I'll make you climb the ski hill.. twice!
RL: hey Lefty, we better shut up... he's just crazy enough to do that.
Me (quiet to myself): how am I ever going to get through this ride. It's windy, it's hilly and frankly, I don't want to play anymore.
LL: I should start acting up.. maybe he'll take a short cut home...
RL: Yea! Oh wait better not, remember last time when I made the ball of his foot hurt? He made us run afterward!
LL: eep.. ya forgot about that, man that sucked.
Me: Quiet you two! Keep pumping!
And that's how my day went. 182k... done and my first Ironman in a weekend is down for the count. I'm feeling a little like:
I'm off to go refuel the engine and spend some quality with my number 1 supporter.
Cheers!
Saturday, June 03, 2006
Weekend update
Woke up this morning, checked the forecast, yuk, thundershowers. But I looked outside, it didn't look so bad... hmm what to do, what to do. Procrastinate some more, eat some food, drink liquids, I'm going to something epic, just not sure what. Ok, maybe not epic, but the plan is to do a big weekend. The forecast for Sunday looks better, I think I'll switch my long run and long ride - be flexible. The idea of cycling in thundershowers for 6 hours just wasn't appealing. So, I did my long run.
Today's long run was just under 30k. A nice steady 30k jaunt, with the last 10k being the fastest. The first 10k was a little bit faster than usual (48min), so I knew the last 10k would be nice and tough. (it was) At the 25k, mark there are few rather brutal hills, which made it tougher, but I was able to make the last 10k faster than my first 10k, so mission accomplished. A good, hard, tough run.
Here are Friday's workouts:
Trail run: ~11.5k
Swim: 5k. Check out this set: 50X100 @1:35 Each one came in on 1:24 or 1:25, excpept for the last 10 which were 1:25 or 1:26. The arms were getting a little tired by the end. Bad ass set though. :)
So, if I get a good 180k ride tomorrow, I'll have my first Ironman weekend done. Stay tuned..
Today's long run was just under 30k. A nice steady 30k jaunt, with the last 10k being the fastest. The first 10k was a little bit faster than usual (48min), so I knew the last 10k would be nice and tough. (it was) At the 25k, mark there are few rather brutal hills, which made it tougher, but I was able to make the last 10k faster than my first 10k, so mission accomplished. A good, hard, tough run.
Here are Friday's workouts:
Trail run: ~11.5k
Swim: 5k. Check out this set: 50X100 @1:35 Each one came in on 1:24 or 1:25, excpept for the last 10 which were 1:25 or 1:26. The arms were getting a little tired by the end. Bad ass set though. :)
So, if I get a good 180k ride tomorrow, I'll have my first Ironman weekend done. Stay tuned..
Thursday, June 01, 2006
Monthly totals
Want to read a good race report? Sheila competed in last week's IM Brazil... sick. Yes, I said sick. She got some bug a couple of days before the race and still managed to get through an Ironman. That's tough. Big kudos to her. Check her blog and report here.
Yesterday we had nasty thunderstorms and tornado warnings, so I had to bail on my long swim. The reason? My dogs were terrified and I could not in good concious leave them be. So instead, we hung out togethor, I did an hour of spinning followed by weights and core work. Earlier in the day I did an 11k run. Even though me and the pooches were hunkered down, I did manage some decent workouts.
However, today is another matter. Tuesdays and Thursdays are my hard days and since I did two workouts on Wednesday that primarily focused on the legs, today's hard workout was just not going to happen. The plan was to do some running hill work, rest for a bit, then get on the bike for some time trial work. Well I did manage the hill work, but I could tell right off that legs weren't up to par. It was a real struggle. I managed 8 repeats and the total run was 13k. As for the bike workout, I bailed. Yup, not too often I can say that. I do have a large weekend planned, so the extra rest will do me good.
Here are the totals for month number 5. Jeez, can't believe it's 5 months since I officially started training. Time flies.
Run: 237.5k
Bike: 600k
Spin: 10hr 45min
Swim: 30.8k
Dryland: 6hrs
A pretty solid month, decent mileage, a race, I'm healthy and life is good. I have nothing to bitch about.
Yesterday we had nasty thunderstorms and tornado warnings, so I had to bail on my long swim. The reason? My dogs were terrified and I could not in good concious leave them be. So instead, we hung out togethor, I did an hour of spinning followed by weights and core work. Earlier in the day I did an 11k run. Even though me and the pooches were hunkered down, I did manage some decent workouts.
However, today is another matter. Tuesdays and Thursdays are my hard days and since I did two workouts on Wednesday that primarily focused on the legs, today's hard workout was just not going to happen. The plan was to do some running hill work, rest for a bit, then get on the bike for some time trial work. Well I did manage the hill work, but I could tell right off that legs weren't up to par. It was a real struggle. I managed 8 repeats and the total run was 13k. As for the bike workout, I bailed. Yup, not too often I can say that. I do have a large weekend planned, so the extra rest will do me good.
Here are the totals for month number 5. Jeez, can't believe it's 5 months since I officially started training. Time flies.
Run: 237.5k
Bike: 600k
Spin: 10hr 45min
Swim: 30.8k
Dryland: 6hrs
A pretty solid month, decent mileage, a race, I'm healthy and life is good. I have nothing to bitch about.
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