A wise person once told me 'if you don't have anything intelligent to say, don't say anything.' So, knowing my own limitations, it's been rather quiet around here.
I do have a few tidbits of news, probably the most important of which is my occasional training partner, Gary, competed in the Miamiman half Ironman and pulled off a rather studly 4:22 - good enough for 2nd overall! I'm super happy for the guy, as he ended his season on a high note and I'm also super happy that he's not in my age group!
So, it's been 21 years since I last competed in a swim meet. Last Sunday I had a chance to rectify that. I was rusty and am obviously no where remotely close (or ever will be) of setting a PB, but I was very happy I went and had a chance to mix it up with other masters. (of which there were numberous tri-nerds). I competed in the 100FR (:59), 100IM (1:12), 400FR (4:50), 50FR (27.2) and 100BK (1:15), I was also signed up for the 100 FLY and 200 FR, but time was running short and Sally and I had to leave early. Well, I was a tad tired too, so I didn't put up too much of fight about having to leave early.
The competition was pretty good, they seed you according to your expected finishing time. So you are swimming with guys who are at or near level. You may have a 24 year old one one side and a 55 year old on the other side of you. It's all according to time. However, your actual placement is according to your age category. I was fortunate enough to get first in the events I competed in, which is primarily attributed of remembering how to swim fast. (now I just have to learn how to swim fast for long periods!) Always learning.
Run update! The 100 runs in 91 days is progressing well. I'm on track, but it's been tougher than I thought it would. Not physicaly.. more of a mental battle. It's day 48 and I've got 53 runs done, not much room for error, but still plenty doable.
Bike? What bike? It's still a distant memory, but hopefully in Decemeber I'll crank it up another notch and start logging the miles. The more I get into training, the more the blog will updated. I promise. :)
Cheers!
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
22/100, making a habit.
22/100 runs done. Target of 100 runs in 91 days still very achievable. Swimming 5 days a week. Whoa, the former 'swimmer', sure is swimming alot these days! Well, not really. I still dread going to the pool, but I'm trying to form a habit. I figure if I can keep up the swimming frequency for another 2 weeks, I'm golden.
By the sounds of it, you'd think I'm training alot. All untrue. My swims are quick in/out affairs lasting 30 to 40 min - just enough time for a quick 2k and I'm outta there. And my runs, well they are all short, averaging 40 minutes each, which in all total is a mere 8 to 9 aerobic hours a week. Two goals are being accomplished here: consistency and frequency.
So I finally got off my duff and registered as an unattched swimmer for Masters Swimming. My first swim meet in 21 years is November 16. Should be interesting. I really hope I've been able to talk some other tri-nerds into going, it'll be a hoot.
A quick congrats to two of my sometimes training partners who ran the Toronto marathon last weekend. Cliff, who not only PB'd, he also beat his goal time (by 6min) AND negative split that sucker. Impressive. Aaron, who missed a PB by a mere 1min and 7 sec, but also somehow managed to raise (how many thousands of dollars for the Princess Margaret Hospital?) By hanging out with people who raise the bar and push their limits encourages me to do the same.
Gotta run.. #23 is next.
Cheers!
By the sounds of it, you'd think I'm training alot. All untrue. My swims are quick in/out affairs lasting 30 to 40 min - just enough time for a quick 2k and I'm outta there. And my runs, well they are all short, averaging 40 minutes each, which in all total is a mere 8 to 9 aerobic hours a week. Two goals are being accomplished here: consistency and frequency.
So I finally got off my duff and registered as an unattched swimmer for Masters Swimming. My first swim meet in 21 years is November 16. Should be interesting. I really hope I've been able to talk some other tri-nerds into going, it'll be a hoot.
A quick congrats to two of my sometimes training partners who ran the Toronto marathon last weekend. Cliff, who not only PB'd, he also beat his goal time (by 6min) AND negative split that sucker. Impressive. Aaron, who missed a PB by a mere 1min and 7 sec, but also somehow managed to raise (how many thousands of dollars for the Princess Margaret Hospital?) By hanging out with people who raise the bar and push their limits encourages me to do the same.
Gotta run.. #23 is next.
Cheers!
Monday, October 13, 2008
Turned "On"
I need triathlon more than triathlon needs me. Since Muskoka, I've managed to gain a very quick and alarming 10 pounds. Not bad, 2 to 3 pounds a week! My metabolism just hasn't caught up with my current activity level and I apparently lack the self control to EAT LESS!
So clearly something had to be done. So, on October 2nd, after my shortest 'off season' ever, I started training. VERY light training, but training none-the-less. It's unbelievable how much fitness one can lose in a very short time when reverting to being a sloth. I needed a goal. Including Oct 2, there are 91 days left in the year, the goal is to run 100 times between now and then. A quick nod to ST's Paul Devashish for doing this last year as it's the catalyst for me this year. (a 'run' must be at least 30 minutes in duration)
I'm currently on run 13 and today marks my first day EVER of doing two runs in a day. Hey, if I'm going to address my limiter, I gotta pay the piper.
A brief outline of my training plan:
Oct, Nov, Dec: run and swim, focus on running. Currently running with a HR cap of 140, which reduces me to walking hills. Ug. Planning on doing a swim meet once a month from Nov-Mar.
Jan, Feb: early season "A" race. Chilly Half marathon. Focus on running speedwork and laying the base down on the bike trainer.
Mar, April: back to base building, and hillwork.
May - Sept: Threshold and Vo2 work. Muskoka Chase will a B+ race, Peterborough Half Ironman will be a "A" race and it looks like I'm going to do Muskoka 70.3, though I'm lolly gagging on registering. Race wise, it's almost a carbon copy of last year.
Cheers!
So clearly something had to be done. So, on October 2nd, after my shortest 'off season' ever, I started training. VERY light training, but training none-the-less. It's unbelievable how much fitness one can lose in a very short time when reverting to being a sloth. I needed a goal. Including Oct 2, there are 91 days left in the year, the goal is to run 100 times between now and then. A quick nod to ST's Paul Devashish for doing this last year as it's the catalyst for me this year. (a 'run' must be at least 30 minutes in duration)
I'm currently on run 13 and today marks my first day EVER of doing two runs in a day. Hey, if I'm going to address my limiter, I gotta pay the piper.
A brief outline of my training plan:
Oct, Nov, Dec: run and swim, focus on running. Currently running with a HR cap of 140, which reduces me to walking hills. Ug. Planning on doing a swim meet once a month from Nov-Mar.
Jan, Feb: early season "A" race. Chilly Half marathon. Focus on running speedwork and laying the base down on the bike trainer.
Mar, April: back to base building, and hillwork.
May - Sept: Threshold and Vo2 work. Muskoka Chase will a B+ race, Peterborough Half Ironman will be a "A" race and it looks like I'm going to do Muskoka 70.3, though I'm lolly gagging on registering. Race wise, it's almost a carbon copy of last year.
Cheers!
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Turned 'off'.
Workouts since Muskoka: 0
Pounds gained: ~2
I guess it's officially the off season. Catching up on lots of stuff around the house, all the things I put off while training throughout the summer. Guess I have to pay the piper sometime.
Other more tri specific things that are on horizon that may or may not happen. I guess you could classify this as mere ponderances at this point.
-starting a Tri-nerd swim club, the goal being to improve our swims and also do a couple of Masters swim meets for fun. Drop me an email if you wish to be updated on this.
-talked with Rich Pady today about the idea of getting a not for profit Triathlon Club/Team off the ground. This could quickly go from a back burner project to a front burner project soon. Hopefully details to follow in the coming months.
Stuff that's going to happen in the near term:
-Octoberfest 100k ride 'for the hell of it'. No HR or power meter allowed! Aaron and I did this last year, it was 5C and rainy - good times. Open to riders of all calibre.
- 3rd Annual Hockley Hike-n-Run. A 22.5k/3.5 hour hike-n-run through some challenging terrain. Probably in the first half of November, traditional pancake lunch at my place afterwards.
Farther down the horizon..
-2nd annual Alton Half Ironman end of January. Upping the entrant cap to 5 this year. With only 5 spots available, you may just want to reserve your spot ASAP, expecting interest to be exceedinly high in '09!!
In regards to training..
-I'm starting to chomp at the bit and I'm looking forward to get back at it, however I've got vacation coming up and lots of non tri stuff to do (possible canoe trip!), so probably won't start any consistant type training for another 2 - 3 weeks. I figure by then, I'll be fat, unfit but raring to go.
Cheers!
Pounds gained: ~2
I guess it's officially the off season. Catching up on lots of stuff around the house, all the things I put off while training throughout the summer. Guess I have to pay the piper sometime.
Other more tri specific things that are on horizon that may or may not happen. I guess you could classify this as mere ponderances at this point.
-starting a Tri-nerd swim club, the goal being to improve our swims and also do a couple of Masters swim meets for fun. Drop me an email if you wish to be updated on this.
-talked with Rich Pady today about the idea of getting a not for profit Triathlon Club/Team off the ground. This could quickly go from a back burner project to a front burner project soon. Hopefully details to follow in the coming months.
Stuff that's going to happen in the near term:
-Octoberfest 100k ride 'for the hell of it'. No HR or power meter allowed! Aaron and I did this last year, it was 5C and rainy - good times. Open to riders of all calibre.
- 3rd Annual Hockley Hike-n-Run. A 22.5k/3.5 hour hike-n-run through some challenging terrain. Probably in the first half of November, traditional pancake lunch at my place afterwards.
Farther down the horizon..
-2nd annual Alton Half Ironman end of January. Upping the entrant cap to 5 this year. With only 5 spots available, you may just want to reserve your spot ASAP, expecting interest to be exceedinly high in '09!!
In regards to training..
-I'm starting to chomp at the bit and I'm looking forward to get back at it, however I've got vacation coming up and lots of non tri stuff to do (possible canoe trip!), so probably won't start any consistant type training for another 2 - 3 weeks. I figure by then, I'll be fat, unfit but raring to go.
Cheers!
Monday, September 15, 2008
Doing the old farts proud.. Muskoka RR.
+1 for the over 40 crowd, but it was oh so close. Six seconds to be exact, which in a Half Ironman, isn't that much!
Rewind...
Putting ones doubts 'out there' for all see, exposes one's vulnerable side, yet I also think it puts a distinctly human perspective on things as it's something we all experience and can relate to. That being said, I'm going to expose myself... (get your mind out of the gutter!), as I was saying, the last 3 weeks before my last and biggest race of year, I was having trouble just keeping it together. Physically, I did OK at keeping some sort training schedule (mostly due to my new found training partner.. Gary - to which I owe a debt of thanks), but mentally I needed break. I was at the point where I didn't know what I wanted more, to race, or to be done racing for the year. It's been a fantastic year, but I really just wanted to chill out for a bit, pack on a few pounds and relax! Yet I had to race, I paid my fee, I said I was going to Muskoka and by golly I sure the hell wasn't going to let some self pity and nagging doubts stop me!
Cool things about Muskoka 70.3:
The volunteers were simply outstanding. A+++++
For an inaugural event, organization, parking, busing of people to the site etc.. again, outstanding.
The course itself, in the words of the Joanna Zeiger (top woman overall): "Brutal".
On the other side of the equation:
The course is.. ahem.. brutal. Ok, the soggy conditions and the intermittent high winds didn't help, the course may not be 'brutal' but make no mistake about it, it's a tough course.
Questionable pavement. Some crappy 'paved' areas and rough sections of road were leaving people covered in specks of tar by the time they got their bikes. You need to be confident on your bike if you plan to do this race next year.
The run course is punishing, and I'm not just talking about the hills. Sometimes you're on pavement, a dirt path, crumbling walkway or just plain gravel.
Being spackled with tar bits, running in the rain on a dirt path I thought I was doing an Xterra race!
Damn, this report is getting long winded. Sorry about that. On to the meat and potatoes:
The Crystal Ball.
After a VERY quick registration procedure (sub 5 minutes has to be some sort of a record), I run into Lisa Bentley manning the Power Bar booth, she's an incredible athlete, but did you know she also can predict the future?? She says, and I quote: " just don't pass me on the bike." I replied: " even if I did, you'll smoke me on the run." Foreshadowing?
The Swim: My age group is wave 4. (did I mention I hate wave starts??) We started 6 minutes after wave 3, which at the time, I thought was plenty. However, after about 1k we ran into wave 3 and had to play a little dodge swimmer. Other than that, uneventful.
Swim 1.9k: AG 3. OA: 35 Time: 29:03.
T1: Uneventful. Ha! Not really. It's long, it's uphill, it's on pavement and by the time I got to the bike I was hoping my feet weren't bleeding! Time 3:40. (no, I didn't stop for a sandwich)
The Bike: Challenging under dry conditions. Very wet roads, intermittent rain and the occasional wind gust made this bike the toughest I've done so far. Rough patches, freshly tarred stretches of pavement and slick cornering compounded the challenge. I took advantage of my new found bike fitness and rode comfortably hard. At one point, I got into a little back and forth action with a young'un who really didn't like getting passed by a 40 year old. He'd hammer up a hill, pass me, and then on the downhill and even stretches, I'd pass him. We went back and forth a bit and I think he realized that he was just smashing himself and eventually let me go. I was pretty sure I had my age group lead at this point, but with the wave starts it can be hard to tell. I started passing some pro women and by the time I hit the 70k mark, the ride was VERY lonely, I was starting to think I took wrong a turn! I think I went for 20 minutes without seeing another rider. In the late stages of the ride, guess what? I passed Lisa Bentley...
Bike: 94k AG: 1 OA: 13 Time: 2:36:58
T2: Mr. Announcer says 'and here we have our first age grouper coming off the bike!' I'm like.. huh? He can't be talking about me, there must be some mistake. Nevertheless, the crowd went crazy and I, for about 2 minutes, felt like a star! Naturally I started out too fast! (but at the time, I didn't care) :)
The Run: Oh, how I envy the people that can run well. They flow, it's effortless and they are fast. I held that flow, for about 8.. maybe 9k and then I could feel wheels starting to fall off. Suck it up, hold it together and don't stop. I get passed once and only once, by guess who?
Lisa Bentley. The prophecy is complete. She's in the zone. So focused. So intense. I borrow some of that strength, buck up and soldier on. The 16k mark is where the real fun begins, in a sadistic sort of way. The brochure says 'run through the gentle rolling terrain of a beautiful Muskoka golf course', the reality is: 'oh my God is this ever going to end, the ups, the downs, the twisty turny... is going on and on. Oh yea, must give honourable mention to the ... rain.
One more twist, one more turn, one more little jaunt up a hill and back down and finally.. finished!
Run 21.1k AG: 5 OA: 41 Time: 1:34:41. (owie!)
Finally the end of this report is almost in sight! Cheers for getting this far. The bottom line:
Time: 4:45:37 AG:1 OA: 17. The kicker: scored top age grouper by a mere 6 seconds. So this race is dedicated to all the 40+ old farts! Yea Babay!
Quick sidestory: Sorry for the name dropping, but this is cool. Briefly, ran into Joanna Zeiger post race and congratulated her on her win. You know what her first words were?? " Thanks!, how did YOU do?" No ego, real humbleness and what appeared to be a genuine interest in a fellow athlete's race. Yea, that's what I'm talking about, man I dig this sport.
Cheers!
Rewind...
Putting ones doubts 'out there' for all see, exposes one's vulnerable side, yet I also think it puts a distinctly human perspective on things as it's something we all experience and can relate to. That being said, I'm going to expose myself... (get your mind out of the gutter!), as I was saying, the last 3 weeks before my last and biggest race of year, I was having trouble just keeping it together. Physically, I did OK at keeping some sort training schedule (mostly due to my new found training partner.. Gary - to which I owe a debt of thanks), but mentally I needed break. I was at the point where I didn't know what I wanted more, to race, or to be done racing for the year. It's been a fantastic year, but I really just wanted to chill out for a bit, pack on a few pounds and relax! Yet I had to race, I paid my fee, I said I was going to Muskoka and by golly I sure the hell wasn't going to let some self pity and nagging doubts stop me!
Cool things about Muskoka 70.3:
The volunteers were simply outstanding. A+++++
For an inaugural event, organization, parking, busing of people to the site etc.. again, outstanding.
The course itself, in the words of the Joanna Zeiger (top woman overall): "Brutal".
On the other side of the equation:
The course is.. ahem.. brutal. Ok, the soggy conditions and the intermittent high winds didn't help, the course may not be 'brutal' but make no mistake about it, it's a tough course.
Questionable pavement. Some crappy 'paved' areas and rough sections of road were leaving people covered in specks of tar by the time they got their bikes. You need to be confident on your bike if you plan to do this race next year.
The run course is punishing, and I'm not just talking about the hills. Sometimes you're on pavement, a dirt path, crumbling walkway or just plain gravel.
Being spackled with tar bits, running in the rain on a dirt path I thought I was doing an Xterra race!
Damn, this report is getting long winded. Sorry about that. On to the meat and potatoes:
The Crystal Ball.
After a VERY quick registration procedure (sub 5 minutes has to be some sort of a record), I run into Lisa Bentley manning the Power Bar booth, she's an incredible athlete, but did you know she also can predict the future?? She says, and I quote: " just don't pass me on the bike." I replied: " even if I did, you'll smoke me on the run." Foreshadowing?
The Swim: My age group is wave 4. (did I mention I hate wave starts??) We started 6 minutes after wave 3, which at the time, I thought was plenty. However, after about 1k we ran into wave 3 and had to play a little dodge swimmer. Other than that, uneventful.
Swim 1.9k: AG 3. OA: 35 Time: 29:03.
T1: Uneventful. Ha! Not really. It's long, it's uphill, it's on pavement and by the time I got to the bike I was hoping my feet weren't bleeding! Time 3:40. (no, I didn't stop for a sandwich)
The Bike: Challenging under dry conditions. Very wet roads, intermittent rain and the occasional wind gust made this bike the toughest I've done so far. Rough patches, freshly tarred stretches of pavement and slick cornering compounded the challenge. I took advantage of my new found bike fitness and rode comfortably hard. At one point, I got into a little back and forth action with a young'un who really didn't like getting passed by a 40 year old. He'd hammer up a hill, pass me, and then on the downhill and even stretches, I'd pass him. We went back and forth a bit and I think he realized that he was just smashing himself and eventually let me go. I was pretty sure I had my age group lead at this point, but with the wave starts it can be hard to tell. I started passing some pro women and by the time I hit the 70k mark, the ride was VERY lonely, I was starting to think I took wrong a turn! I think I went for 20 minutes without seeing another rider. In the late stages of the ride, guess what? I passed Lisa Bentley...
Bike: 94k AG: 1 OA: 13 Time: 2:36:58
T2: Mr. Announcer says 'and here we have our first age grouper coming off the bike!' I'm like.. huh? He can't be talking about me, there must be some mistake. Nevertheless, the crowd went crazy and I, for about 2 minutes, felt like a star! Naturally I started out too fast! (but at the time, I didn't care) :)
The Run: Oh, how I envy the people that can run well. They flow, it's effortless and they are fast. I held that flow, for about 8.. maybe 9k and then I could feel wheels starting to fall off. Suck it up, hold it together and don't stop. I get passed once and only once, by guess who?
Lisa Bentley. The prophecy is complete. She's in the zone. So focused. So intense. I borrow some of that strength, buck up and soldier on. The 16k mark is where the real fun begins, in a sadistic sort of way. The brochure says 'run through the gentle rolling terrain of a beautiful Muskoka golf course', the reality is: 'oh my God is this ever going to end, the ups, the downs, the twisty turny... is going on and on. Oh yea, must give honourable mention to the ... rain.
One more twist, one more turn, one more little jaunt up a hill and back down and finally.. finished!
Run 21.1k AG: 5 OA: 41 Time: 1:34:41. (owie!)
Finally the end of this report is almost in sight! Cheers for getting this far. The bottom line:
Time: 4:45:37 AG:1 OA: 17. The kicker: scored top age grouper by a mere 6 seconds. So this race is dedicated to all the 40+ old farts! Yea Babay!
Quick sidestory: Sorry for the name dropping, but this is cool. Briefly, ran into Joanna Zeiger post race and congratulated her on her win. You know what her first words were?? " Thanks!, how did YOU do?" No ego, real humbleness and what appeared to be a genuine interest in a fellow athlete's race. Yea, that's what I'm talking about, man I dig this sport.
Cheers!
Monday, September 08, 2008
Psssst! Wanna tip?
It's been 5 years since I got off the couch and ran a marathon for the 'hell of it'. In hindsight, that definitely falls in the 'what the hell was I thinking department!'. Running a marathon with 3 months of 'training'.. Is. Not. A. Smart move. I took the lessons learned from that mistake and jumped into triathlon the following year. Made some more mistakes, learned some more lessons and of course, repeated some mistakes. Eventually, (ok, so I'm not the fastest learner) I started making fewer mistakes and as a result, this year has been an excellent year. Why is that? Well, hold on to your chair, because I'm going to spill the beans...
Stuff I learned this year:
1) Protein is your friend. Don't short change yourself in this department, your body needs protein to help rebuild from all the damage we do to ourselves from training. Having a serving of protein with every meal has made a noticeable difference in my recovery and general well being. Less/no sickness, giving the body the fuel in needs for repairs = better recovery, which in turn = more training = more fitness = faster times!
2) Intervals. Holy crap, my cycling has improved HUGE this year. Why? Intervals. Riding fast to get fast. Now keep in mind I have a massive 3+ years of base building, so when I started to incorporate speed work into the plan, the effect was huge. Why? The engine was built, it just needed tuning. Once or twice a week, I'd hit the hills or do interval work. I never really got around to do doing V02 workouts (that's for next year!), but I did get alot of time spent at just below FTP - usually 30 to 40 minute sessions. The result? FTP went through the roof and I'm currently able to sustain much higher speeds on the bike for a longer duration. I had the base, I just now had to teach myself to go fast.
I'm trying to come up with a 3rd thing I learned this year, but I'm drawing a blank. They say you should learn something everyday.. hmmm, I think I'm behind the curve on that one. Anyway, if those 2 things make a difference in your future training - then I'll be a happy guy.
Cheers!
Stuff I learned this year:
1) Protein is your friend. Don't short change yourself in this department, your body needs protein to help rebuild from all the damage we do to ourselves from training. Having a serving of protein with every meal has made a noticeable difference in my recovery and general well being. Less/no sickness, giving the body the fuel in needs for repairs = better recovery, which in turn = more training = more fitness = faster times!
2) Intervals. Holy crap, my cycling has improved HUGE this year. Why? Intervals. Riding fast to get fast. Now keep in mind I have a massive 3+ years of base building, so when I started to incorporate speed work into the plan, the effect was huge. Why? The engine was built, it just needed tuning. Once or twice a week, I'd hit the hills or do interval work. I never really got around to do doing V02 workouts (that's for next year!), but I did get alot of time spent at just below FTP - usually 30 to 40 minute sessions. The result? FTP went through the roof and I'm currently able to sustain much higher speeds on the bike for a longer duration. I had the base, I just now had to teach myself to go fast.
I'm trying to come up with a 3rd thing I learned this year, but I'm drawing a blank. They say you should learn something everyday.. hmmm, I think I'm behind the curve on that one. Anyway, if those 2 things make a difference in your future training - then I'll be a happy guy.
Cheers!
Sunday, August 31, 2008
The 3 least important words, Guelph Lake II RR.
It's that time of the year, blogging obviously is starting to take a back seat. I can't say I'm a particularly good or passionate blogger, but I do try to update semi regularly.
Soooo, what's new?
Not much. Training has been going well, been incorporating interval sessions into both bike and running and it's paying dividends. I've been going pretty hard since January and I'm looking forward to the 'off season'!
Moving on.. to the Guelph Lake II Race Report!
I'm throwing out the standard race report template. I secretly harbour ill feelings towards it, because it's so redundant and narcissistic. I think I should probably entitle this one: "Things I thought were cool at GL II. "
Number 1: my wife accompanies me to every race I do. After 5 years, she's still batting 100%.
Number 2: Mark, Lori, Fred, Joanne and Joanne's nephew Jake from Prince George, B.C. actually took time out of their days to come down and watch the race. (cheers guys!)
Number 3: Trisport. From a race director's standpoint, I think this was probably a very stressful day. As usual, Trisport did exceptionally well. Think about this and ALL the headaches, pressure and stress it would entail: short notice venue change. ie: swim location is now at a different beach, race course, transition zone, parking etc.. etc.. now all must be changed. With the change, people are now arriving late. Start time is now moved up. This obviously has a trickle down effect that affects everything down the line. A man collapses and nearly dies at the finish line. Paramedics and fire are called in and apparently revive him, he's currently hospitalized and is going to be OK.
Number 4: In the women 50-54 category, Sheri Fraser smokes the course in 1:31, placing 22nd overall!
Number 5: The prancing and preening of my fellow tri nerds- gives me a chuckle everytime.
So. Even though this is my blog, sometimes it's not about me, myself or I. Which, coincidentally, are the 3 least important words in the English language.
Soooo, what's new?
Not much. Training has been going well, been incorporating interval sessions into both bike and running and it's paying dividends. I've been going pretty hard since January and I'm looking forward to the 'off season'!
Moving on.. to the Guelph Lake II Race Report!
I'm throwing out the standard race report template. I secretly harbour ill feelings towards it, because it's so redundant and narcissistic. I think I should probably entitle this one: "Things I thought were cool at GL II. "
Number 1: my wife accompanies me to every race I do. After 5 years, she's still batting 100%.
Number 2: Mark, Lori, Fred, Joanne and Joanne's nephew Jake from Prince George, B.C. actually took time out of their days to come down and watch the race. (cheers guys!)
Number 3: Trisport. From a race director's standpoint, I think this was probably a very stressful day. As usual, Trisport did exceptionally well. Think about this and ALL the headaches, pressure and stress it would entail: short notice venue change. ie: swim location is now at a different beach, race course, transition zone, parking etc.. etc.. now all must be changed. With the change, people are now arriving late. Start time is now moved up. This obviously has a trickle down effect that affects everything down the line. A man collapses and nearly dies at the finish line. Paramedics and fire are called in and apparently revive him, he's currently hospitalized and is going to be OK.
Number 4: In the women 50-54 category, Sheri Fraser smokes the course in 1:31, placing 22nd overall!
Number 5: The prancing and preening of my fellow tri nerds- gives me a chuckle everytime.
So. Even though this is my blog, sometimes it's not about me, myself or I. Which, coincidentally, are the 3 least important words in the English language.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Race Pace
Boy have I learned alot this year, umm.. well I've read alot, how much of that actually sinks is another story! As we start to near the end of the season (only 2 races left!), I've already got an eye on next year and what sort of training protocols I'm going to adapt. I'm on the right track, but there will be some serious tweaking.
One of my major weaknesses (and/or strength, depending how you look at it), is that I have a tendency to focus to a little too hard. This can definitely yield results, but I'd rather open my eyes and mind to the possibility that are even better ways to maximize my training time. One of the strategies I'll be implementing next year is more time at 'race pace'. Training faster to race faster, pretty simple. I'll be coming back to the 'plan' at a future date, but I'm really jazzed about next year and this year isn't even done yet!
To give credit where credit is due. I've been picking one of my new training partners brains on exercise physiology, periodization etc.. Gary, recently came back to the sport of triathlon after a 2 year layoff, is very knowledgeable and freely shares his knowledge (it's no wonder I like hanging with him). He's not a coach (yet), but if I were to ever get one, he'd be on the short list.
Random swimming tips for the week:
- flexibility! Yes, I'm a big fan of proper stretching, as I truly believe it's one of things that helps keep me injury free. Swimmers are a flexible bunch and one of the main benefits is that it gives you range of motion to do proper technique. I'm not saying being flexible will give you proper technique, but if you have the range of motion, it's certainly a good starting point. This link has some good shoulder stretches:
http://www.nismat.org/traintip/swimmershld
- masters swimming. Ok that's half the battle, you signed up and are going to practice, the other half of the battle: use the coach. Everyday, ask the coach, "what's the ONE thing I need to concentrate on today?" Use the coach to master the technique, then and only then are you allowed to train fast.
- lastly. Always, always and I mean always... be concentrating on form. Once your form breaks down - you need a rest, otherwise you're only reinforcing bad form. It's easy to swim 'well' fast (although your form will break down very quick), it's much harder to swim 'well' slow. Once you can swim well at a slow pace (a pace you can continually maintain with no rest and no form breakdown) - you'll have the hardest part nailed. Going fast will be easy because now you'll have good form.
Points to ponder..
The week in review:
Mon: swim 2k easy
Tues: bike 75k. 5X10min at Olympic pace. Run 8k easy.
Wed: run 10k, spin 1 hour. (zone 2)
Thu: run 17k. 4X8min @ Oly pace. Swim 2.8k (400's)
Fri: easy 10k run. Spin 30min.
Sat: 3.6k OW swim. Bike 5 min easy, 10 min hard, quick transition run 2k hard (Oly pace) repeat 5 times. (good workout!)
Sun: run long. 22k.
This race pace stuff is fun. Must be the endorphins. :)
Cheers!
One of my major weaknesses (and/or strength, depending how you look at it), is that I have a tendency to focus to a little too hard. This can definitely yield results, but I'd rather open my eyes and mind to the possibility that are even better ways to maximize my training time. One of the strategies I'll be implementing next year is more time at 'race pace'. Training faster to race faster, pretty simple. I'll be coming back to the 'plan' at a future date, but I'm really jazzed about next year and this year isn't even done yet!
To give credit where credit is due. I've been picking one of my new training partners brains on exercise physiology, periodization etc.. Gary, recently came back to the sport of triathlon after a 2 year layoff, is very knowledgeable and freely shares his knowledge (it's no wonder I like hanging with him). He's not a coach (yet), but if I were to ever get one, he'd be on the short list.
Random swimming tips for the week:
- flexibility! Yes, I'm a big fan of proper stretching, as I truly believe it's one of things that helps keep me injury free. Swimmers are a flexible bunch and one of the main benefits is that it gives you range of motion to do proper technique. I'm not saying being flexible will give you proper technique, but if you have the range of motion, it's certainly a good starting point. This link has some good shoulder stretches:
http://www.nismat.org/traintip/swimmershld
- masters swimming. Ok that's half the battle, you signed up and are going to practice, the other half of the battle: use the coach. Everyday, ask the coach, "what's the ONE thing I need to concentrate on today?" Use the coach to master the technique, then and only then are you allowed to train fast.
- lastly. Always, always and I mean always... be concentrating on form. Once your form breaks down - you need a rest, otherwise you're only reinforcing bad form. It's easy to swim 'well' fast (although your form will break down very quick), it's much harder to swim 'well' slow. Once you can swim well at a slow pace (a pace you can continually maintain with no rest and no form breakdown) - you'll have the hardest part nailed. Going fast will be easy because now you'll have good form.
Points to ponder..
The week in review:
Mon: swim 2k easy
Tues: bike 75k. 5X10min at Olympic pace. Run 8k easy.
Wed: run 10k, spin 1 hour. (zone 2)
Thu: run 17k. 4X8min @ Oly pace. Swim 2.8k (400's)
Fri: easy 10k run. Spin 30min.
Sat: 3.6k OW swim. Bike 5 min easy, 10 min hard, quick transition run 2k hard (Oly pace) repeat 5 times. (good workout!)
Sun: run long. 22k.
This race pace stuff is fun. Must be the endorphins. :)
Cheers!
Sunday, August 10, 2008
The fitter you are..
The faster you bounce back. The caveat being.. you probably aren't as fit as you think you are. So smart money says err on the side of caution and rest up! OR.. you could risk injury, over training, burn out... all in an effort of trying to squeeze one more workout that in all likelihood will result in a negative net gain. Hardly seems worth it. Yet we do it. (guilty!) Well at least I try to find the balance - it's a work in progress.
So with an opener like that.. here's what I did this week:
Mon: race (Oly distance)
Tues: swim 2.4k
Wed: bike 72k run5k
Thur: bike 37k, run 11k, swim2.8k
Fri: run 8k
Sat: swim 2.8k open water, bike 70k (rainy, cold and miserable), run 10k
Sun: bike 104k run 10k (to do..)
Signs of over training and /or over-extending myself include: being grumpy, and not sleeping well. The good news is the grump factor is at an all time low and I'm sleeping like a baby - good news indeed.
So I get an email from Aaron entitled: "F the rain- I'm riding on Sunday!!! " Well, after much fence sitting, I buck up and we went for a nice spin. I'm a total froo froo boy when it comes to riding in the rain - oh sure I can suck it up, but I don't have to like it! Training for me is all about maximizing my enjoyment of a given activity and riding in the rain, for me, is generally not fun. BUT.. when you training partner throws down an invite.. you kinda, sorta, haveta rise up to the challenge. It's just the way it is.
By the way, it didn't rain, traffic was nil and the ride rocked. Sometimes the sun shines - even when it's cloudy.
Cheers!
P.S. Phelps's 4:03 in the 400IM = UNfrickinbelievable.
So with an opener like that.. here's what I did this week:
Mon: race (Oly distance)
Tues: swim 2.4k
Wed: bike 72k run5k
Thur: bike 37k, run 11k, swim2.8k
Fri: run 8k
Sat: swim 2.8k open water, bike 70k (rainy, cold and miserable), run 10k
Sun: bike 104k run 10k (to do..)
Signs of over training and /or over-extending myself include: being grumpy, and not sleeping well. The good news is the grump factor is at an all time low and I'm sleeping like a baby - good news indeed.
So I get an email from Aaron entitled: "F the rain- I'm riding on Sunday!!! " Well, after much fence sitting, I buck up and we went for a nice spin. I'm a total froo froo boy when it comes to riding in the rain - oh sure I can suck it up, but I don't have to like it! Training for me is all about maximizing my enjoyment of a given activity and riding in the rain, for me, is generally not fun. BUT.. when you training partner throws down an invite.. you kinda, sorta, haveta rise up to the challenge. It's just the way it is.
By the way, it didn't rain, traffic was nil and the ride rocked. Sometimes the sun shines - even when it's cloudy.
Cheers!
P.S. Phelps's 4:03 in the 400IM = UNfrickinbelievable.
Monday, August 04, 2008
Provincial Champs Race Report!
Owen Sound hosted the Ontario Provincial Champs today for the Olympic distance triathlon. Doing well here means you get to go to the World Championships being hosted in Australia next year, which would be nice, but prohibitively expensive! So here is how the day went down..
Time: 2:05:35
AG placing: 2
Overall: 10
Swim 1.5k: Time: 21:12 AG placing: 3 Overall:17
My age group was in the second wave, which started 4min after the first wave. I immediately fell in line with the top 2 swimmers and the 3 of us basically made a line around the course. I was content on following their feet and we all exited the water very close together.
T1
Uneventful. Wetsuit off. Helmet on. Unrack bike. Go.
Bike 40k: Time: 1:02:17 AG placing:4 Overall: 8
Was looking to to come in about 2 minutes faster but without knowing the course I'm happy with my bike time. Not a particularly difficult course, best defined as a rolling type course with some longer easy ascents - I did have to drop to the small chain ring once. Going out was pretty zippy, nice tail wind and was holding 50kph for some good stretches. Coming back was obviously a tad slower as we had to contend with a headwind. But overall it's a pretty good course.
T2
Tried to rack bike at the wrong rack. Doh. Quickly realized the mistake as I didn't see my shoes there! I was one aisle off - no biggie. Probably only cost 10 sec. Rack bike. Helmet off. Shoes on. Go!
Run 10: 40:34 AG placing: 5 Overall:27
I'm stuck. Seems like no matter what race I do, I can't break the 4min/kph barrier. Becoming a runner has been a long arduous journey and it would appear I still need work! The run is a two looped affair that goes by fairly quickly. Psychologically it's not a far distance, so no matter how hard I'm sucking air, I just tell myself 1 more km! And before I know it, it's done!
Overall I'd give this race a solid 8. Good venue, lots of parking, plenty of facilities, very well organized (as usual Trisport), and great volunteers! This is only the 2nd year Owen Sound has had this particular race, but I can quickly see it becoming a fan favorite, plus it also received Sally's seal of approval - which always bodes well!
Cheers!
Time: 2:05:35
AG placing: 2
Overall: 10
Swim 1.5k: Time: 21:12 AG placing: 3 Overall:17
My age group was in the second wave, which started 4min after the first wave. I immediately fell in line with the top 2 swimmers and the 3 of us basically made a line around the course. I was content on following their feet and we all exited the water very close together.
T1
Uneventful. Wetsuit off. Helmet on. Unrack bike. Go.
Bike 40k: Time: 1:02:17 AG placing:4 Overall: 8
Was looking to to come in about 2 minutes faster but without knowing the course I'm happy with my bike time. Not a particularly difficult course, best defined as a rolling type course with some longer easy ascents - I did have to drop to the small chain ring once. Going out was pretty zippy, nice tail wind and was holding 50kph for some good stretches. Coming back was obviously a tad slower as we had to contend with a headwind. But overall it's a pretty good course.
T2
Tried to rack bike at the wrong rack. Doh. Quickly realized the mistake as I didn't see my shoes there! I was one aisle off - no biggie. Probably only cost 10 sec. Rack bike. Helmet off. Shoes on. Go!
Run 10: 40:34 AG placing: 5 Overall:27
I'm stuck. Seems like no matter what race I do, I can't break the 4min/kph barrier. Becoming a runner has been a long arduous journey and it would appear I still need work! The run is a two looped affair that goes by fairly quickly. Psychologically it's not a far distance, so no matter how hard I'm sucking air, I just tell myself 1 more km! And before I know it, it's done!
Overall I'd give this race a solid 8. Good venue, lots of parking, plenty of facilities, very well organized (as usual Trisport), and great volunteers! This is only the 2nd year Owen Sound has had this particular race, but I can quickly see it becoming a fan favorite, plus it also received Sally's seal of approval - which always bodes well!
Cheers!
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Tabata!
On Tuesday I did my very first set of Tabata intervals. Ummm... to say these are challenging is an understatement. Here's the quick and dirty: 20 sec MAX intensity, followed by 10 seconds rest. Repeat 8 times. Yup, that's it. Sounds easy, I mean that's a whopping 4 minutes of work, it should be cake.... right?
Wrong.
Wrong.
WRONG!
I did a measly 3 and was utterly and completely fried. I think for the first one I hit ~750 watts, the second one I'm not sure, I'd guess maybe 550, the 3rd one I may have peaked around 420 and I was done. I did take a rest and banged off a couple of more, just because I was so humbled by the initial 3 and that I couldn't live with myself by scheduling to do 8 and walking away only doing 3!
Ahh well, now I have something to shoot for, next time I'm going to shoot for 5 in a row - probably a little more realistic.
Training for last week was OK. Bike time suffered a bit, but got some good running mileage in. Sally and I threw a party last night, so today I'm suffering from lack of quality sleep and partaking in a tad too many beverages. I paid my penance though.. by running 22k... it was challenging. The numbers: swim 9.6k, spin: 3 hrs, bike: 50k and run: 75.5k.
This is a scheduled rest week, but I'm mixing it up a bit. Looking to log a bit of bike time Mon-Thurs, then do a 72hour mini taper/rest and then race Owen Sound on Aug 4. Did someone say race? Yes!
Off to sleep now.. I'm thinking 10 hours should suffice.
Cheers!
Wrong.
Wrong.
WRONG!
I did a measly 3 and was utterly and completely fried. I think for the first one I hit ~750 watts, the second one I'm not sure, I'd guess maybe 550, the 3rd one I may have peaked around 420 and I was done. I did take a rest and banged off a couple of more, just because I was so humbled by the initial 3 and that I couldn't live with myself by scheduling to do 8 and walking away only doing 3!
Ahh well, now I have something to shoot for, next time I'm going to shoot for 5 in a row - probably a little more realistic.
Training for last week was OK. Bike time suffered a bit, but got some good running mileage in. Sally and I threw a party last night, so today I'm suffering from lack of quality sleep and partaking in a tad too many beverages. I paid my penance though.. by running 22k... it was challenging. The numbers: swim 9.6k, spin: 3 hrs, bike: 50k and run: 75.5k.
This is a scheduled rest week, but I'm mixing it up a bit. Looking to log a bit of bike time Mon-Thurs, then do a 72hour mini taper/rest and then race Owen Sound on Aug 4. Did someone say race? Yes!
Off to sleep now.. I'm thinking 10 hours should suffice.
Cheers!
Sunday, July 20, 2008
The Genetic Excuse
What's easier?
Saying that you do not have the mental fortitude, desire, time, physical ability, willingness to sacrifice, focus etc...
OR..
"I'm limited by my genes."
It's human nature to take the easy road. It's unfortunate that many of us define our ability before we even get to the start line. Somehow I doubt a true champion does this. I read that the great Peter Reid, didn't think he was genetically gifted and that he only did as well as he did through years of hard, consistent work. (imagine!)
I'm sure you could probably map out the genetic component on some sort of bell curve, BUT and this is a big but, you wouldn't be able to map the mental aspects of what makes a champion. These are the intangibles that will transcend any genetic bell curve and make truly great athletes. So if you want to use the 'genetic excuse' by all means do so, but all you are really doing is self imposing your own limit.
~~
Cycling story of the week.
Was out riding the other day when I saw some sort of black, very stealth looking helicopter skimming the trees. It was buzzing around, disappear, pop back up - it seemed to be flying pretty aggressive. Not something I see everyday and was pretty cool. Something was going on, though I had no idea what. Fast forward....
Same road, about 15k down. A woman wearing pink leathers driving a large Fat Boy Harley passes me. Yea that's cool too. Men on Harley's = obnoxious. Women on Harley's = cool. Anyway, about 10 minutes later, the road comes to a "T" and she's pulled over to the side. Ahhh a damsel in distress... and we're both on two wheels.. even if I'm completely dorked out in cycling spandex. (what have I become...?)
It turns out she's looking for some TV shoot that's suppose to be happening on this very road. It slowly dawns on me that maybe.. just maybe that helicopter I saw way back was involved. She said 'that's it!'. But before she goes, I ask if she'll trade rides - just for a spin. She says, and I quote:
"Well I would, but this one is my Mom's - mines in shop!"
Gee, didn't see that one coming.
Being a TV-o-phobe, I have no idea who it was - but we wished each other a great ride and went our separate ways.
~~
Training.
A solid week. Monday: easy 2.7k swim. Tues:15.5k run featuring hill repeats, 1 hour hard ride. Wed: 3k swim, 12k of interval work on the treadmill. Thurs: run 17, spin 1 hour (4X9min at threshold). Fri: run 8k (treadmill, 7% incline at 7mph, held it to 140 HR), 45min spin (5X3min at 115% of threshold). Sat: O/W swim 2.4k, bike 100k, run 10k. Today: 2.5hr spin (did the Ergvideo of Lake Placid while watching IronmanLive of the Lake Placid race-at the same time, cool.) To do: run 10k before dinner.
But first..
a nap!
Cheers!
Saying that you do not have the mental fortitude, desire, time, physical ability, willingness to sacrifice, focus etc...
OR..
"I'm limited by my genes."
It's human nature to take the easy road. It's unfortunate that many of us define our ability before we even get to the start line. Somehow I doubt a true champion does this. I read that the great Peter Reid, didn't think he was genetically gifted and that he only did as well as he did through years of hard, consistent work. (imagine!)
I'm sure you could probably map out the genetic component on some sort of bell curve, BUT and this is a big but, you wouldn't be able to map the mental aspects of what makes a champion. These are the intangibles that will transcend any genetic bell curve and make truly great athletes. So if you want to use the 'genetic excuse' by all means do so, but all you are really doing is self imposing your own limit.
~~
Cycling story of the week.
Was out riding the other day when I saw some sort of black, very stealth looking helicopter skimming the trees. It was buzzing around, disappear, pop back up - it seemed to be flying pretty aggressive. Not something I see everyday and was pretty cool. Something was going on, though I had no idea what. Fast forward....
Same road, about 15k down. A woman wearing pink leathers driving a large Fat Boy Harley passes me. Yea that's cool too. Men on Harley's = obnoxious. Women on Harley's = cool. Anyway, about 10 minutes later, the road comes to a "T" and she's pulled over to the side. Ahhh a damsel in distress... and we're both on two wheels.. even if I'm completely dorked out in cycling spandex. (what have I become...?)
It turns out she's looking for some TV shoot that's suppose to be happening on this very road. It slowly dawns on me that maybe.. just maybe that helicopter I saw way back was involved. She said 'that's it!'. But before she goes, I ask if she'll trade rides - just for a spin. She says, and I quote:
"Well I would, but this one is my Mom's - mines in shop!"
Gee, didn't see that one coming.
Being a TV-o-phobe, I have no idea who it was - but we wished each other a great ride and went our separate ways.
~~
Training.
A solid week. Monday: easy 2.7k swim. Tues:15.5k run featuring hill repeats, 1 hour hard ride. Wed: 3k swim, 12k of interval work on the treadmill. Thurs: run 17, spin 1 hour (4X9min at threshold). Fri: run 8k (treadmill, 7% incline at 7mph, held it to 140 HR), 45min spin (5X3min at 115% of threshold). Sat: O/W swim 2.4k, bike 100k, run 10k. Today: 2.5hr spin (did the Ergvideo of Lake Placid while watching IronmanLive of the Lake Placid race-at the same time, cool.) To do: run 10k before dinner.
But first..
a nap!
Cheers!
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Focus
There was interesting thread on the board I hang out on but hardly ever post - Slowtwitch. If you didn't read the link, it has to do with "fast guys" and over 40. I thought about this alot during training this week and was trying to come up with some sort of underlying principles.
First, I'm not even going to define fast. It's relative term, what's fast to me might not be fast to you. It's also completely elusive as the definition changes as goals are met and you start entertain new possibilities.
I think one of the primary attributes ANY "fast" athlete has is Focus. Focus trumps all - it encompasses stuff like dedication, consistency etc. When one is 'focused' things naturally start to fall in place; it could be diet, rest, a tough training week etc... I look back on my training log for the last 7 months and I can count on two fingers the number of workouts I've bailed on - solely because I've been in a focused state. (don't worry, I'll go very UN-focused in the fall). The point being, at age 25 I was more concerned about having a good time. Now at age 40, I don't care if I crash at 9pm on a Friday night, I have early Sat morning ride to look forward to!
A willingness to learn and/or try something 'new'. At the beginning of every year for the last four years, I ask myself "how can I train smarter this year?" Most of us have jobs and responsibilities and a result we have limited time to train - using that time as wisely/smartly as possible is a must. Personal experience: for that last 3 years, I tried to 'race' an Ironman and each time I was schooled.. hard. Each year, I'd train 'more', go longer and think I was ready by the time the next one rolled around. I wasn't. I finally got it through my skull, that starting at an Ironman level maybe wasn't the best thing to do. Totally changed my approach this year and have been lucky enough to score a PB in each race I've done. (5/5) Fortunately, I'm *usually* not that slow of a learner! EVERY year, I've changed or tweaked the program. EVERYday, I peruse Slowtwitch and host of elite athlete and coaches blogs and glean very helpful tidbits of information - some I use, some I don't. Ultimately, only you can figure out what's best for you. (though a good coach can help/speed the process up).
Look down the road. Two years down the road. Long term is not 2 months from now.It takes a long time to get good. Most coaches/athletes say 10 years - only then you've made it the first rung. Patience. Re-adjust your focus to the long term, then start taking the necessary steps to get there. One step, one building block at a time.
Lastly, go outside the box. Even at the elite level, athletic formulas and training protocols are always changing. Why? Because someone, dared to go outside a prescribed mode of thinking. Dabble outside the box every so often, who knows what you'll find. My personal 'outside the box' thing is take 4, 6 .. 8 weeks off, completely off. No training, no triathlon, no blogging. Just time to rest, pursue other interests, gain some weight, do whatever. Sure, I'll lose a ton fitness (don't care), but once I start to get that itch to start back up again, the slate is clean, the system is purged and I'm ready to go.
~~
Training for the week:
I'm totally amazed at how fast I bounced back after Peterborough. An obvious function of improved fitness! Monday was an easy 2.1k swim. Tuesday was a short 6k treadmill run and a 1hr spin. Wednesday was 3.3k swim and 9k run. Thursday was back in the groove with a quick 90k ride followed by a 7.5k run. Friday: 10k run, spin 1 hour. Sat: Run 22k, spin 1 hour. Sun: Bike 130k, run 7k.
Totals:
Swim: 5.4k
Spin: 3 hrs
Bike: 220k
Run: 62k
This week the 'plan' (always subject to change) will be tougher than normal. Some mid week 10mile runs and some back to back long rides on tap for the weekend. Have a frikin awesome week!
Cheers!
First, I'm not even going to define fast. It's relative term, what's fast to me might not be fast to you. It's also completely elusive as the definition changes as goals are met and you start entertain new possibilities.
I think one of the primary attributes ANY "fast" athlete has is Focus. Focus trumps all - it encompasses stuff like dedication, consistency etc. When one is 'focused' things naturally start to fall in place; it could be diet, rest, a tough training week etc... I look back on my training log for the last 7 months and I can count on two fingers the number of workouts I've bailed on - solely because I've been in a focused state. (don't worry, I'll go very UN-focused in the fall). The point being, at age 25 I was more concerned about having a good time. Now at age 40, I don't care if I crash at 9pm on a Friday night, I have early Sat morning ride to look forward to!
A willingness to learn and/or try something 'new'. At the beginning of every year for the last four years, I ask myself "how can I train smarter this year?" Most of us have jobs and responsibilities and a result we have limited time to train - using that time as wisely/smartly as possible is a must. Personal experience: for that last 3 years, I tried to 'race' an Ironman and each time I was schooled.. hard. Each year, I'd train 'more', go longer and think I was ready by the time the next one rolled around. I wasn't. I finally got it through my skull, that starting at an Ironman level maybe wasn't the best thing to do. Totally changed my approach this year and have been lucky enough to score a PB in each race I've done. (5/5) Fortunately, I'm *usually* not that slow of a learner! EVERY year, I've changed or tweaked the program. EVERYday, I peruse Slowtwitch and host of elite athlete and coaches blogs and glean very helpful tidbits of information - some I use, some I don't. Ultimately, only you can figure out what's best for you. (though a good coach can help/speed the process up).
Look down the road. Two years down the road. Long term is not 2 months from now.It takes a long time to get good. Most coaches/athletes say 10 years - only then you've made it the first rung. Patience. Re-adjust your focus to the long term, then start taking the necessary steps to get there. One step, one building block at a time.
Lastly, go outside the box. Even at the elite level, athletic formulas and training protocols are always changing. Why? Because someone, dared to go outside a prescribed mode of thinking. Dabble outside the box every so often, who knows what you'll find. My personal 'outside the box' thing is take 4, 6 .. 8 weeks off, completely off. No training, no triathlon, no blogging. Just time to rest, pursue other interests, gain some weight, do whatever. Sure, I'll lose a ton fitness (don't care), but once I start to get that itch to start back up again, the slate is clean, the system is purged and I'm ready to go.
~~
Training for the week:
I'm totally amazed at how fast I bounced back after Peterborough. An obvious function of improved fitness! Monday was an easy 2.1k swim. Tuesday was a short 6k treadmill run and a 1hr spin. Wednesday was 3.3k swim and 9k run. Thursday was back in the groove with a quick 90k ride followed by a 7.5k run. Friday: 10k run, spin 1 hour. Sat: Run 22k, spin 1 hour. Sun: Bike 130k, run 7k.
Totals:
Swim: 5.4k
Spin: 3 hrs
Bike: 220k
Run: 62k
This week the 'plan' (always subject to change) will be tougher than normal. Some mid week 10mile runs and some back to back long rides on tap for the weekend. Have a frikin awesome week!
Cheers!
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Monday, July 07, 2008
Kickin it ... old school.
Peterborough Half Iron Race Report
So I admit, I haven't been around this sport long enough to know what 'old school' is, but I'm certainly 'old enough' to theorize! No heart rate monitor, no power meter, 2 bottles for the bike, no patch kit, spare tire or CO2 -something I don't necessarily recommend - arrive, setup and get to the swim start with 6 minutes to spare - again, something I don't recommend! Instead, I used perceived effort (sometimes known as deceived effort), listened to breathing (I can pretty much tell what HR zone I'm in by how hard I'm breathing) and lastly.. the ol stomach trick (any hint of nausea means back off bucko).
So..
did it work? Read on..
The Swim (2k)
Time: 29:46 AG placing: 2 OA placing: 12.
Actually the guy who placed ahead me only did 1 loop on the swim and DQ'd... so technically the places are bumped up by 1.
My swim was OK. The time includes a fairly long run to the TZ, but in my head I'm wondering why I'm not faster. In the pool, my 'swim all day' pace is 1:27-1:29/100m, so I'm barely just meeting that in a race. I'm seriously contemplating ditching my wetsuit and only using it for cold water swims - but that's a topic for another day.
It was fairly uneventful, there was a long line of about 7 swimmers and we all seemed to be content with following each others feet. Which was basically the way it went for 2 loops.
The Bike (90k)
Time: 2:22 A/G placing: 1 Overall: 7
After a reasonably quick transition, I was on the bike and wasn't exactly sure what position I was in. My strategy was simple: controlled chaos. The first 10 to 20k I wanted to take it easy, get the HR down from the swim, breath deeply and relax. I passed couple of young'uns and was passed by a pro and that was all the traffic I saw for a very. long. time. I never looked back, just buried my head, tried to be as aero and slippery as possible and pedalled away.
I enjoyed the course, it's not super hard, probably best described as rolling type course. A few hills, but I didn't even need to use the small chainring and the weather /wind was damn near perfect.
After the turn around, I was mildly surprised to see about half a dozen guys only a 2 or 3 minutes behind me. It's deceiving, I had no one in front of me the longest time, so it was a kick in the head to see the guys that were chasing me down and they weren't far behind! I counted the guys ahead and was riding in 5th place and was moving at a good clip. I got surprised in the last 8k when a guy passed me, he wasn't hammering, so I just stayed about 50 feet behind him, dialed the effort down a notch and cruised in T2.
In the end, it was zippy bike split and I blew away my own expectations. I was expecting to average to ~37kph and ended up at 38kph on the nose. Was quite happy to see that!
The Run
Time: 1:32 A/G placing: 4 Overall: 20
Ahhh the run. Now comes the point in every race where you start to pay the piper. Did I bike too hard? Are my legs pooched? I leave T2 and immediately start banging off 4min/k - whoa, too fast. I know I'm going to fast, but do I slow down? No, no I don't. I held 4min/k for the first 7k THEN started to pay. Not the smartest move. But I'm running scared. After each turn around I see guys that are breathing down my neck and some of them look STRONG. I'm scared I'm going to blow-up and they are just going to pass me and put me out of my misery. But I held on.
Aaron spots me yells out: "Go Walton, you're in 6th!" Despite being an unhappy camper, I chuckle to myself, he brought me out of the I-feel-sorry-myself-funk I was in and I tried to step it up a notch.
In the end I get passed by a pro and 2 fast young'uns - real runners. I have no chance in keeping up with them. But I can feel the guys in my AG breathing down my neck.. 'just hold it together'.. I say to myself.
4k to go... I think I saw Cliff at this point, but I wasn't in my happy place and couldn't give the props he was due.
3k to go..
they are gaining...
2k to go..
don't look back, just run..
1k to go..
man this going to feel so good to stop..
500m...
ok, look back..
what the hell? I'm safe? SWEET!
Cruise the last 500m.
Time: 4:26:27. A/G placing: 1. O/A: 8.
What the hell? Better than my wildest expectations. My A+ goal was to go sub 4:30, I thought realistically I'd come in the 4:32-33 range. So yea, I'm a happy guy. :)
Mike Woodford scored 2nd place and was a mere 1 minute behind me. Honestly, he just ran out of real estate, he was going to run me down, no question about it. His run was about 4 min faster than mine, but I had enough of a cushion from the swim and bike to hold him off. So, like I said, I was running scared.
Devashish Paul came 3rd in our age group a mere 2 minutes behind Mike! A tough, close race, with 30% of the top 10 overall being of the 40+ crowd! And I thought the 35-39 age group was competitive - these guys are animals!
Cheers!
So I admit, I haven't been around this sport long enough to know what 'old school' is, but I'm certainly 'old enough' to theorize! No heart rate monitor, no power meter, 2 bottles for the bike, no patch kit, spare tire or CO2 -something I don't necessarily recommend - arrive, setup and get to the swim start with 6 minutes to spare - again, something I don't recommend! Instead, I used perceived effort (sometimes known as deceived effort), listened to breathing (I can pretty much tell what HR zone I'm in by how hard I'm breathing) and lastly.. the ol stomach trick (any hint of nausea means back off bucko).
So..
did it work? Read on..
The Swim (2k)
Time: 29:46 AG placing: 2 OA placing: 12.
Actually the guy who placed ahead me only did 1 loop on the swim and DQ'd... so technically the places are bumped up by 1.
My swim was OK. The time includes a fairly long run to the TZ, but in my head I'm wondering why I'm not faster. In the pool, my 'swim all day' pace is 1:27-1:29/100m, so I'm barely just meeting that in a race. I'm seriously contemplating ditching my wetsuit and only using it for cold water swims - but that's a topic for another day.
It was fairly uneventful, there was a long line of about 7 swimmers and we all seemed to be content with following each others feet. Which was basically the way it went for 2 loops.
The Bike (90k)
Time: 2:22 A/G placing: 1 Overall: 7
After a reasonably quick transition, I was on the bike and wasn't exactly sure what position I was in. My strategy was simple: controlled chaos. The first 10 to 20k I wanted to take it easy, get the HR down from the swim, breath deeply and relax. I passed couple of young'uns and was passed by a pro and that was all the traffic I saw for a very. long. time. I never looked back, just buried my head, tried to be as aero and slippery as possible and pedalled away.
I enjoyed the course, it's not super hard, probably best described as rolling type course. A few hills, but I didn't even need to use the small chainring and the weather /wind was damn near perfect.
After the turn around, I was mildly surprised to see about half a dozen guys only a 2 or 3 minutes behind me. It's deceiving, I had no one in front of me the longest time, so it was a kick in the head to see the guys that were chasing me down and they weren't far behind! I counted the guys ahead and was riding in 5th place and was moving at a good clip. I got surprised in the last 8k when a guy passed me, he wasn't hammering, so I just stayed about 50 feet behind him, dialed the effort down a notch and cruised in T2.
In the end, it was zippy bike split and I blew away my own expectations. I was expecting to average to ~37kph and ended up at 38kph on the nose. Was quite happy to see that!
The Run
Time: 1:32 A/G placing: 4 Overall: 20
Ahhh the run. Now comes the point in every race where you start to pay the piper. Did I bike too hard? Are my legs pooched? I leave T2 and immediately start banging off 4min/k - whoa, too fast. I know I'm going to fast, but do I slow down? No, no I don't. I held 4min/k for the first 7k THEN started to pay. Not the smartest move. But I'm running scared. After each turn around I see guys that are breathing down my neck and some of them look STRONG. I'm scared I'm going to blow-up and they are just going to pass me and put me out of my misery. But I held on.
Aaron spots me yells out: "Go Walton, you're in 6th!" Despite being an unhappy camper, I chuckle to myself, he brought me out of the I-feel-sorry-myself-funk I was in and I tried to step it up a notch.
In the end I get passed by a pro and 2 fast young'uns - real runners. I have no chance in keeping up with them. But I can feel the guys in my AG breathing down my neck.. 'just hold it together'.. I say to myself.
4k to go... I think I saw Cliff at this point, but I wasn't in my happy place and couldn't give the props he was due.
3k to go..
they are gaining...
2k to go..
don't look back, just run..
1k to go..
man this going to feel so good to stop..
500m...
ok, look back..
what the hell? I'm safe? SWEET!
Cruise the last 500m.
Time: 4:26:27. A/G placing: 1. O/A: 8.
What the hell? Better than my wildest expectations. My A+ goal was to go sub 4:30, I thought realistically I'd come in the 4:32-33 range. So yea, I'm a happy guy. :)
Mike Woodford scored 2nd place and was a mere 1 minute behind me. Honestly, he just ran out of real estate, he was going to run me down, no question about it. His run was about 4 min faster than mine, but I had enough of a cushion from the swim and bike to hold him off. So, like I said, I was running scared.
Devashish Paul came 3rd in our age group a mere 2 minutes behind Mike! A tough, close race, with 30% of the top 10 overall being of the 40+ crowd! And I thought the 35-39 age group was competitive - these guys are animals!
Cheers!
Monday, June 30, 2008
No Title
Ahhh.. just ate homemade pancakes, a couple eggs and 3 pieces of ham for lunch. I'm sated and feeling fine.
In the news..
-scored a treadmill. It's cool. Nothing beats running outside, but I can feel the benefit that a treadmill will provide. I seem to run 'lighter', cadence seems higher and there is noticeably lesser impact on the ol joints. The 'boy cave', (the one room of the house that's actually mine) is getting a little full though.
-Canucks rocked IMCDA. For a relatively small population, we have some bad ass triathletes. First place men AND first place women were both Canadian.
-watched the US Olympic trials for the Men's 400 IM last night. One of the best races I've seen. Phelps leads after the butterfly and backstroke, Lochte catches him on the breaststroke and they duke it in the freestyle head to head. Both under the world record with Phelps winning. Incredible.
"Other" stuff..
-this year I had the 'revelation' that there will be no 'training races'. Every race I'll be rested the only question is how much rest I get. For lower priority races I'll take 3 or 4 easy days, for a high priority (half IM) I'll do a full 14 day taper. Generally, triathletes have a tendency to get addicted training (guilty!) and always want to squeak just one hard day of training before I race. Resist! We train so much and race so little, make every race count! This small change philosophy has yielded a PB in 4/4 races so far this year.
-is going 'hard' tougher than going 'long'? The last couple of years I went 'long' - well long for me. Keep in mind, this is relative. I think this period was very valuable as it laid down some good groundwork for the future.
This year I've added considerably more 'hard' sessions - especially on the bike and I have to say there are times I believe that a short 1 hour interval session on the bike is harder than a 100k mid week Z1/2 ride. When I went long, I'd zone out and just ride. When I go hard - I suffer. Mental toughness is required - that little imp on my shoulder is always telling me to stop.
-Peterborough Half Ironman is this Sunday and I still have not got my wetsuit back from being repaired. If I don't get it back in time, I'm seriously thinking of going old school and doing the swim in a bathing suit.
By the numbers..
For the week of June 23- 29
Swim: 8.1k
Spin: 4.25 hrs
Bike: 100k
Run: 50k
The key sessions for the week was: Tues: brick- bike 100k moderate effort followed by 7.5k run. Thurs: swim 3.1k, spin 1 hour (27min @ threshold 310watts -upped it by 5W :), run 6.5k. Sat: Ergvideo loop of Lake Placid.
This week is taper week. Rest. Rest. REST.
Tomorrow is..
Canada Day!
Have a great one.
In the news..
-scored a treadmill. It's cool. Nothing beats running outside, but I can feel the benefit that a treadmill will provide. I seem to run 'lighter', cadence seems higher and there is noticeably lesser impact on the ol joints. The 'boy cave', (the one room of the house that's actually mine) is getting a little full though.
-Canucks rocked IMCDA. For a relatively small population, we have some bad ass triathletes. First place men AND first place women were both Canadian.
-watched the US Olympic trials for the Men's 400 IM last night. One of the best races I've seen. Phelps leads after the butterfly and backstroke, Lochte catches him on the breaststroke and they duke it in the freestyle head to head. Both under the world record with Phelps winning. Incredible.
"Other" stuff..
-this year I had the 'revelation' that there will be no 'training races'. Every race I'll be rested the only question is how much rest I get. For lower priority races I'll take 3 or 4 easy days, for a high priority (half IM) I'll do a full 14 day taper. Generally, triathletes have a tendency to get addicted training (guilty!) and always want to squeak just one hard day of training before I race. Resist! We train so much and race so little, make every race count! This small change philosophy has yielded a PB in 4/4 races so far this year.
-is going 'hard' tougher than going 'long'? The last couple of years I went 'long' - well long for me. Keep in mind, this is relative. I think this period was very valuable as it laid down some good groundwork for the future.
This year I've added considerably more 'hard' sessions - especially on the bike and I have to say there are times I believe that a short 1 hour interval session on the bike is harder than a 100k mid week Z1/2 ride. When I went long, I'd zone out and just ride. When I go hard - I suffer. Mental toughness is required - that little imp on my shoulder is always telling me to stop.
-Peterborough Half Ironman is this Sunday and I still have not got my wetsuit back from being repaired. If I don't get it back in time, I'm seriously thinking of going old school and doing the swim in a bathing suit.
By the numbers..
For the week of June 23- 29
Swim: 8.1k
Spin: 4.25 hrs
Bike: 100k
Run: 50k
The key sessions for the week was: Tues: brick- bike 100k moderate effort followed by 7.5k run. Thurs: swim 3.1k, spin 1 hour (27min @ threshold 310watts -upped it by 5W :), run 6.5k. Sat: Ergvideo loop of Lake Placid.
This week is taper week. Rest. Rest. REST.
Tomorrow is..
Canada Day!
Have a great one.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Slid right back into training after last week's race. Mostly zone 1 and 2 work from Monday to Friday and then picked it up on the weekend. The stats:
Swim: 8.8k
Spin: 4 hrs
Bike: 240k
Run: 53.5k
The weekend rocked. On Saturday, I did a 120k ride that featured Hockley Valley hill repeats. I'm not sure what the grade is, but the climb is about 1 mile long and takes me about 8min at 'steady' pace. Not hammering, just grinding. I was finished up repeat number 6 when the skies opened up - quel suprise - with all the sporadic rain/thunder showers we've had lately. Last hour was soggy but mission was accomplished. Later on Sat I ran 11k. Sunday was similar, minas the hill repeats. 10 hours of training in two days. Rar!
This got me thinking.. har har, yea it happens. I may slightly change the structure of my basic week to something like this: Monday: recovery swim, 30m spin. Tues: run ~80min/ ride 1 hr. Wed: swim 1hr/ride or run 1 hr. Thurs: same as Tues. Fri: same as Wed. Sat & Sun: longish ride max 4 hrs / 1 hr run. That's a pretty solid week. The only thing I'm missing is the dedicated long run, but instead make up for it by doing 2 medium long runs. The main benefits would be:
1) 2 longish run = ~34k whereas 1 long run is 22-25k
2) back to back longish rides on the weekend = quality saddle time. Doing 8 hours split over 2 days is much easier than doing one 6 hour stint. Four hours is about my max in terms having fun while riding, anything after that and riding becomes a chore and this I don't want. Plus I can still get an hour run in later in the day.
Other news..
I'm this >< close to getting a treadmill.
Small change in the diet. Fewer carbs, more protein. Been training on much less carbs in an effort to become a more efficient fat burner and more protein in an effort to make sure the old bod has enough for repairs. So the tip of the week is make sure you have some protein with every meal. If you wish read more on becoming a more efficient fat burner browse through Alan Couzens blog - some good stuff there.
Off to play Bubble Bobble with Sally - she's such an addict! :)
Cheers!
Swim: 8.8k
Spin: 4 hrs
Bike: 240k
Run: 53.5k
The weekend rocked. On Saturday, I did a 120k ride that featured Hockley Valley hill repeats. I'm not sure what the grade is, but the climb is about 1 mile long and takes me about 8min at 'steady' pace. Not hammering, just grinding. I was finished up repeat number 6 when the skies opened up - quel suprise - with all the sporadic rain/thunder showers we've had lately. Last hour was soggy but mission was accomplished. Later on Sat I ran 11k. Sunday was similar, minas the hill repeats. 10 hours of training in two days. Rar!
This got me thinking.. har har, yea it happens. I may slightly change the structure of my basic week to something like this: Monday: recovery swim, 30m spin. Tues: run ~80min/ ride 1 hr. Wed: swim 1hr/ride or run 1 hr. Thurs: same as Tues. Fri: same as Wed. Sat & Sun: longish ride max 4 hrs / 1 hr run. That's a pretty solid week. The only thing I'm missing is the dedicated long run, but instead make up for it by doing 2 medium long runs. The main benefits would be:
1) 2 longish run = ~34k whereas 1 long run is 22-25k
2) back to back longish rides on the weekend = quality saddle time. Doing 8 hours split over 2 days is much easier than doing one 6 hour stint. Four hours is about my max in terms having fun while riding, anything after that and riding becomes a chore and this I don't want. Plus I can still get an hour run in later in the day.
Other news..
I'm this >< close to getting a treadmill.
Small change in the diet. Fewer carbs, more protein. Been training on much less carbs in an effort to become a more efficient fat burner and more protein in an effort to make sure the old bod has enough for repairs. So the tip of the week is make sure you have some protein with every meal. If you wish read more on becoming a more efficient fat burner browse through Alan Couzens blog - some good stuff there.
Off to play Bubble Bobble with Sally - she's such an addict! :)
Cheers!
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Muskoka Race Report
What a great day for racing! Who am I kidding, anyday is a good day for racing! Here's the breakdown for the day:
Swim: doh. Terrible! Somehow, while putting on my wetsuit I managed to pop the zipper! A very difficult thing to do and will require a professional to repair it. So now I have no wetsuit and wave starts in 15 minutes... Time to panic? NO! Be calm.... be calm.. think soothing thoughts.
I run all the way back to the transition zone and LUCKILY, D'Ornella's Tri shop had a spare suit they'll rent me. PHEW! The guy, I'm guessing it was the owner, was super cool and totally saved my ass. So a don of proverbial chapeau goes to D'Onella's!
I run back, don the wetsuit and have a quick 5 minute warmup before my swim wave start. Hey, at least I made it.
My navigation was terrible as I forgot set landmark navigation points, having direct sun in the eyes really didn't help so I really was all over the place. All things considered I was about 2-3 minutes off 'my regular' pace.
Swim stats: Distance: 2k Age group placing 4/93th. Overall placing: 39/777. Time: 31:24 Pace: 1:35/100m.
Glad that part is over with... on to the bike..
Bike: For me, the bike was zippy. I'm still learning on how hard to push the bike without blowing up for the run. Now that being said, I decided to push the bike a little harder than usual. Since I started in the 5th wave, there was many people already on the bike course and had I had to pass alot of them! Actually, I was fortunate enough to not get passed once - this made me happy as the work I put in on the bike was starting to show results. I wasn't sure, but I thought I was leading my age group at the end of the bike. (As it turned out I was actually in 2nd)
The stats:
Distance 55k. Age group placing: 2 (!) Overall placing: 18. Time: 1:30:58 . Speed: 36.3
I'm happy with that result as the course is a toughie and it's an improvement over last year.
Run: So, now the question is did I ride too hard? The answer is I did not! Two real highpoints on the run: 1) I was complimented by my fellow athletes 3(!) times on how well I was running! Not only is this a total ego stroke - yet humbling at the same time - it proves to me that even I, a complete non-runner 4 years ago, can transmogrify into an actual runner! Anything IS possible!
The 2nd highlight was when I was passed by Mike Keene, who I noticed was in my age group. Time for battle. It was apparent that Mike can run, so I just wanted to try to keep him in my sights for the last 6k. Soon, he had a 200m lead and no matter what I did, I couldn't bridge the gap. I was running out of steam. The good news is he didn't really extend the gap, so I did have him striking distance - just couldn't close the deal. -This time.
Run stats:
Distance: 15k Age group placing 6/93. Overall 35/777. Time: 1:00:20 (argh, missed goal by 21 seconds!) Pace: 4:02/km.
Final: Time: 3:04:36 Age group placing 3rd. Overall: 21. You know what's funny?? If, me, the swimmer, hadn't screwed up his swim, it would have a 3-way battle royale for the top age group spot! Either way, it was great day and big congrats goes to Eric Fernando who won our age group and Mike Keene who came in 2nd. A big thanks to my wife Sally (my fan!), Canada Post for their continued support, Trisport Canada for putting on a first class event and of course to D'Ornella's bike shop for totally saving my butt today!
Cheers!
Swim: doh. Terrible! Somehow, while putting on my wetsuit I managed to pop the zipper! A very difficult thing to do and will require a professional to repair it. So now I have no wetsuit and wave starts in 15 minutes... Time to panic? NO! Be calm.... be calm.. think soothing thoughts.
I run all the way back to the transition zone and LUCKILY, D'Ornella's Tri shop had a spare suit they'll rent me. PHEW! The guy, I'm guessing it was the owner, was super cool and totally saved my ass. So a don of proverbial chapeau goes to D'Onella's!
I run back, don the wetsuit and have a quick 5 minute warmup before my swim wave start. Hey, at least I made it.
My navigation was terrible as I forgot set landmark navigation points, having direct sun in the eyes really didn't help so I really was all over the place. All things considered I was about 2-3 minutes off 'my regular' pace.
Swim stats: Distance: 2k Age group placing 4/93th. Overall placing: 39/777. Time: 31:24 Pace: 1:35/100m.
Glad that part is over with... on to the bike..
Bike: For me, the bike was zippy. I'm still learning on how hard to push the bike without blowing up for the run. Now that being said, I decided to push the bike a little harder than usual. Since I started in the 5th wave, there was many people already on the bike course and had I had to pass alot of them! Actually, I was fortunate enough to not get passed once - this made me happy as the work I put in on the bike was starting to show results. I wasn't sure, but I thought I was leading my age group at the end of the bike. (As it turned out I was actually in 2nd)
The stats:
Distance 55k. Age group placing: 2 (!) Overall placing: 18. Time: 1:30:58 . Speed: 36.3
I'm happy with that result as the course is a toughie and it's an improvement over last year.
Run: So, now the question is did I ride too hard? The answer is I did not! Two real highpoints on the run: 1) I was complimented by my fellow athletes 3(!) times on how well I was running! Not only is this a total ego stroke - yet humbling at the same time - it proves to me that even I, a complete non-runner 4 years ago, can transmogrify into an actual runner! Anything IS possible!
The 2nd highlight was when I was passed by Mike Keene, who I noticed was in my age group. Time for battle. It was apparent that Mike can run, so I just wanted to try to keep him in my sights for the last 6k. Soon, he had a 200m lead and no matter what I did, I couldn't bridge the gap. I was running out of steam. The good news is he didn't really extend the gap, so I did have him striking distance - just couldn't close the deal. -This time.
Run stats:
Distance: 15k Age group placing 6/93. Overall 35/777. Time: 1:00:20 (argh, missed goal by 21 seconds!) Pace: 4:02/km.
Final: Time: 3:04:36 Age group placing 3rd. Overall: 21. You know what's funny?? If, me, the swimmer, hadn't screwed up his swim, it would have a 3-way battle royale for the top age group spot! Either way, it was great day and big congrats goes to Eric Fernando who won our age group and Mike Keene who came in 2nd. A big thanks to my wife Sally (my fan!), Canada Post for their continued support, Trisport Canada for putting on a first class event and of course to D'Ornella's bike shop for totally saving my butt today!
Cheers!
Thursday, June 12, 2008
We have a contender..
for idiot of month. Incidentally, I just bypassed the idiot-of-the-day and idiot-of-the-week award and went straight to idiot-of-the-month. This guy is just begging for a Darwin Award.
The award goes to a cyclist who:
-was riding on the wrong side of the road.
-was not wearing a helmet.
-was talking on a cellphone.
Now fortuneately (or not, depending how you look at it), he didn't hurt himself during the brief time I saw him. However, it would have been supremely funny if he ran into a telephone pole. Congrats on the award.. you idiot.
Yet another pseudo funny story happened today. I was out for a quick ride and was grinding up a hill when I saw these two mountain bikers pushing their bikes up the hill. So being the smart ass that I am, I casually said: "ummm.. you do know your suppose to ride them.. not push them". I was obviously joking and he got the gist of it right away.. she, however, didn't seem to like my smarty pants comment and said: "Give us a break, we rode all the way from Elora!!" (a town about 40k away). I was dutifully impressed, her ego was assuaged and we both went our merry ways.
Cheers!
The award goes to a cyclist who:
-was riding on the wrong side of the road.
-was not wearing a helmet.
-was talking on a cellphone.
Now fortuneately (or not, depending how you look at it), he didn't hurt himself during the brief time I saw him. However, it would have been supremely funny if he ran into a telephone pole. Congrats on the award.. you idiot.
Yet another pseudo funny story happened today. I was out for a quick ride and was grinding up a hill when I saw these two mountain bikers pushing their bikes up the hill. So being the smart ass that I am, I casually said: "ummm.. you do know your suppose to ride them.. not push them". I was obviously joking and he got the gist of it right away.. she, however, didn't seem to like my smarty pants comment and said: "Give us a break, we rode all the way from Elora!!" (a town about 40k away). I was dutifully impressed, her ego was assuaged and we both went our merry ways.
Cheers!
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Sometimes I'm too dumb...
to follow my own advice.
Rewind.
a) What can I do?
b) What should I do?
When training always opt for option b. When racing always opt for option a. Pretty simple.
So last week, I scheduled in a 17 k run with 5X6min hard, 2 min rest interval session. The problem was the previous week was a heavy training week, capped off with a HIM. I should have taken an easy 48 hours to recover. Instead, by Tuesday I'm out there ripping it up. Consequences? Yup. A minor pull in my right calf. Dumb, dumb, dum. So, no running for 72 hours just because I chose the wrong time to push the envelope. The good news is it was very minor pull and now 1 week later - all is good. Lesson learned.
Again.
Stats for the week:
Swim: 10.4k
Spin: 3.5 hrs
Bike: 110k
Run: 47.5k
Did OK, considering I was a dum dum. Thursday was a good session on the trainer. The ol 2X20 min @ threshold on the trainer. I fired up the Ergvideo, set my threshold to 300w (gotta retest that.. soon), and had a great time. Yeah, that's a fun set.
Had a zippy, albeit short swim on Friday. Did a 1k warmup, 10X100m free on 1:30, was banging those off in the 1:15-1:16 range. Easily 2 seconds faster than 'normal'. I blame the pool. It's a newer facility that I occasionally get to and it is a 'fast' pool. Seriously.
Looking forward..
Taking it pretty easy this week as it's a scheduled easy week and I'm hoping that will set me up for the Muskoka Chase which is in .. oh.. what.. 5 days?
Yes!
Rewind.
a) What can I do?
b) What should I do?
When training always opt for option b. When racing always opt for option a. Pretty simple.
So last week, I scheduled in a 17 k run with 5X6min hard, 2 min rest interval session. The problem was the previous week was a heavy training week, capped off with a HIM. I should have taken an easy 48 hours to recover. Instead, by Tuesday I'm out there ripping it up. Consequences? Yup. A minor pull in my right calf. Dumb, dumb, dum. So, no running for 72 hours just because I chose the wrong time to push the envelope. The good news is it was very minor pull and now 1 week later - all is good. Lesson learned.
Again.
Stats for the week:
Swim: 10.4k
Spin: 3.5 hrs
Bike: 110k
Run: 47.5k
Did OK, considering I was a dum dum. Thursday was a good session on the trainer. The ol 2X20 min @ threshold on the trainer. I fired up the Ergvideo, set my threshold to 300w (gotta retest that.. soon), and had a great time. Yeah, that's a fun set.
Had a zippy, albeit short swim on Friday. Did a 1k warmup, 10X100m free on 1:30, was banging those off in the 1:15-1:16 range. Easily 2 seconds faster than 'normal'. I blame the pool. It's a newer facility that I occasionally get to and it is a 'fast' pool. Seriously.
Looking forward..
Taking it pretty easy this week as it's a scheduled easy week and I'm hoping that will set me up for the Muskoka Chase which is in .. oh.. what.. 5 days?
Yes!
Saturday, June 07, 2008
Would you ... cheat?
Ok, the title may be a little mis-leading, or is it? Here is the scenario: Subaru, puts on a damn fine triathlon here is southern Ontario, they also give the option for 'swimmers' to start in earlier waves. (wave starts are done by age group and there is usually 2 minutes between each start.) Personally, I hate wave starts, I'd much rather see a mass start and just let us hash it out. However, I'm biased because the swim is my best event and I get to avoid alot of the thrashing that occurs in the mid pack.
The problem with wave starts is that if you're a good swimmer, you very quickly catch up the wave in front of you and end up swimming up, over and around the poor slower guys from the earlier waves. So the question is:
If given the opportunity would you cede yourself in the early wave?
Pretty innocuous question, but remember this is coming from a guy who will actually put on his brakes in a race to avoid even looking like I'm drafting. I try to race ethically well and I can't help but wonder if cedeing yourself in an earlier wave is .. well.. ethical. I suppose ultimeately I'm the one that has to live with decision and if there is any ambiguity, I should just start with my age group and be done with it. The flip side says, the opportunity is afforded to anyone who can swim 'fast', so it's not like you are being given special treatment. The two advantages you get by cedeing early are: no swim traffic to deal with and a cleaner T1 transition with less people being in front of you on the bike.
I'm still not sure which way I'll go, but by this time next week, I better have it figured out.
What do you think??
The problem with wave starts is that if you're a good swimmer, you very quickly catch up the wave in front of you and end up swimming up, over and around the poor slower guys from the earlier waves. So the question is:
If given the opportunity would you cede yourself in the early wave?
Pretty innocuous question, but remember this is coming from a guy who will actually put on his brakes in a race to avoid even looking like I'm drafting. I try to race ethically well and I can't help but wonder if cedeing yourself in an earlier wave is .. well.. ethical. I suppose ultimeately I'm the one that has to live with decision and if there is any ambiguity, I should just start with my age group and be done with it. The flip side says, the opportunity is afforded to anyone who can swim 'fast', so it's not like you are being given special treatment. The two advantages you get by cedeing early are: no swim traffic to deal with and a cleaner T1 transition with less people being in front of you on the bike.
I'm still not sure which way I'll go, but by this time next week, I better have it figured out.
What do you think??
Monday, June 02, 2008
Check!
Lots of checks this week.
Swim 11+k. Check.
Run Hills. Check.
Bike LT session. Check.
Bike Hills session. Check.
(Aaron and Cliff would have enjoyed this: Hockley Valley ski hill X2, Old Base Line, Forks of the Credit switchback, McLaren and Mississauga ski hill. 92k of leg smashing goodness.)
Do a Half Ironman. Check.
It was one of those weeks where you JFT'd. Don't complain. Don't whine. Just F'n Train. Weekly Total:
Swim 11.2k
Spin: 4.25 hrs
Bike: 187k
Run: 64k
So as I was working on building my mitochondrial density and trying to improve my body's ability to burn fat as fuel, I was begining to wonder about how much (if any!) I'll improve this year. Realty check time. Up until this year it's been about building the aerobic engine, essentially, just logging miles. This year, it's more about improving muscular endurance (hill reps!), working lactate threshold and improving speed. Obviously, like anyone, I want a MASSIVE improvement and I want it NOW. But, hold on there bucko, is that realistic? Not really. Let's take the improving run speed component. Including races and weekly run speed workouts, I'll be lucky if I can hit maybe 20 sessions... for the entire year. Clearly, a monumental breakthrough isn't going to occur with just a paltry 20 sessions. However, the year in, year out, tweak the program here and tweak the program there is obviously where it's at. Hopefully improvements will just follow, at least for a few more years. :)
Lastly..
(bet you thought I forgot!)
The Oakville Inaugural Half Iron Race Report!
My day began at 5:13 am. There is a part of me that can't comprehend that I'm actually a person who will wake up at 5:13am on a Sunday, drive for an hour just to do a Half Ironman for 'fun'. Twenty years ago if you told me I'd the 'that guy', I'd say your crazy now pass me a beer. Now, it's just Sally who roles over and has the bed to herself who says 'your crazy' and goes back to sleep. Just like what a normal, rational person should be doing on a Sunday morning.
Since this is the event's first incarnation, only two of us managed to show up and 'break the event in'. We decided to forgo race numbers, though in my mind I assigned the host as number 1 and since I was the only other person there, I went with number 2. This will bode well, as at least I'll place in the top - overall.
Transition was top notch. Lots of space, pebble-free surface and very secure. Couldn't ask for more. The cheering section as incredible, it was basically a 1:1 ratio of cheerers and athletes.
The swim: We make our way to the pool and.... there other people there! It's actually busy! This is an odd experience for me. There are short, fat, old, young, swimmers and non swimmers. There is a flipper lady. With all these people, there was things.. umm.. oh yea, they are called waves. I felt like I was open water swimming. I chose 5X400 fr set and capped it off with 300m of drill, so the swim was a bit long, but it was my own doing. Can't blame the race director on that.
The bike: Aaron hopped on his brand new P2C and immediately started showing off by blowing past me, hammering through a green light and by the time I got there it had already changed. Oh. So that's the way we are going to play. Mr fancy-schmancy pants sporting his brand spanking new carbon frame bike with sparklers shooting out the seat post. (ok, he had no sparklers, but I have to admit, that would be a bad ass upgrade). Oh, if it sounds like I'm jealous, it's because I am.
The bike route was great, lots lof hills, LOTS of wind and many, many other bikers 'out and about'. This was a real treat for me, even though I fantastic cycling all around me, I rarely see a guy up the road I can give chase too. This was decidely different. Example:
Me: See that guy up there? Let's chase him down!
Aaron: OK!
(ramp up speed, blow past guy)
Me: See that guy half way up the hill?
Aaron: Let's get him!
Once we blew past a roadie and with in 2 seconds he was hung on my backwheel and we had an impromtu peleton cruising at 50kph! Drafting schmafting!
THIS is what cycling is all about and it was a hoot.
The Run
Primarily all trails. The perfect crushed stone kind. Ravine setting. Plenty of ups and downs and lots of rollers. Not sure we could have had a nicer run. We ran for 1:40, which either means we were insanely fast or the course was a tad short. I'm going with insanely fast. (ha!)
Post Race
The cheering section came out full force and we felt like super stars. I had a beer that was probably in my top 5 beer moments of all time. Yes it was that good. A don of the proverbial chapeau goes to Val, who chapperoned the cheering section and is understanding enough to put-up with a 'crazy' husband. (Thanks Val!)
In conclusion, I HIGHLY recommend you check this event for next year. The price is right and there is post race beer! Post race beer! Post race beer!
Cheers!
Swim 11+k. Check.
Run Hills. Check.
Bike LT session. Check.
Bike Hills session. Check.
(Aaron and Cliff would have enjoyed this: Hockley Valley ski hill X2, Old Base Line, Forks of the Credit switchback, McLaren and Mississauga ski hill. 92k of leg smashing goodness.)
Do a Half Ironman. Check.
It was one of those weeks where you JFT'd. Don't complain. Don't whine. Just F'n Train. Weekly Total:
Swim 11.2k
Spin: 4.25 hrs
Bike: 187k
Run: 64k
So as I was working on building my mitochondrial density and trying to improve my body's ability to burn fat as fuel, I was begining to wonder about how much (if any!) I'll improve this year. Realty check time. Up until this year it's been about building the aerobic engine, essentially, just logging miles. This year, it's more about improving muscular endurance (hill reps!), working lactate threshold and improving speed. Obviously, like anyone, I want a MASSIVE improvement and I want it NOW. But, hold on there bucko, is that realistic? Not really. Let's take the improving run speed component. Including races and weekly run speed workouts, I'll be lucky if I can hit maybe 20 sessions... for the entire year. Clearly, a monumental breakthrough isn't going to occur with just a paltry 20 sessions. However, the year in, year out, tweak the program here and tweak the program there is obviously where it's at. Hopefully improvements will just follow, at least for a few more years. :)
Lastly..
(bet you thought I forgot!)
The Oakville Inaugural Half Iron Race Report!
My day began at 5:13 am. There is a part of me that can't comprehend that I'm actually a person who will wake up at 5:13am on a Sunday, drive for an hour just to do a Half Ironman for 'fun'. Twenty years ago if you told me I'd the 'that guy', I'd say your crazy now pass me a beer. Now, it's just Sally who roles over and has the bed to herself who says 'your crazy' and goes back to sleep. Just like what a normal, rational person should be doing on a Sunday morning.
Since this is the event's first incarnation, only two of us managed to show up and 'break the event in'. We decided to forgo race numbers, though in my mind I assigned the host as number 1 and since I was the only other person there, I went with number 2. This will bode well, as at least I'll place in the top - overall.
Transition was top notch. Lots of space, pebble-free surface and very secure. Couldn't ask for more. The cheering section as incredible, it was basically a 1:1 ratio of cheerers and athletes.
The swim: We make our way to the pool and....
The bike: Aaron hopped on his brand new P2C and immediately started showing off by blowing past me, hammering through a green light and by the time I got there it had already changed. Oh. So that's the way we are going to play. Mr fancy-schmancy pants sporting his brand spanking new carbon frame bike with sparklers shooting out the seat post. (ok, he had no sparklers, but I have to admit, that would be a bad ass upgrade). Oh, if it sounds like I'm jealous, it's because I am.
The bike route was great, lots lof hills, LOTS of wind and many, many other bikers 'out and about'. This was a real treat for me, even though I fantastic cycling all around me, I rarely see a guy up the road I can give chase too. This was decidely different. Example:
Me: See that guy up there? Let's chase him down!
Aaron: OK!
(ramp up speed, blow past guy)
Me: See that guy half way up the hill?
Aaron: Let's get him!
Once we blew past a roadie and with in 2 seconds he was hung on my backwheel and we had an impromtu peleton cruising at 50kph! Drafting schmafting!
THIS is what cycling is all about and it was a hoot.
The Run
Primarily all trails. The perfect crushed stone kind. Ravine setting. Plenty of ups and downs and lots of rollers. Not sure we could have had a nicer run. We ran for 1:40, which either means we were insanely fast or the course was a tad short. I'm going with insanely fast. (ha!)
Post Race
The cheering section came out full force and we felt like super stars. I had a beer that was probably in my top 5 beer moments of all time. Yes it was that good. A don of the proverbial chapeau goes to Val, who chapperoned the cheering section and is understanding enough to put-up with a 'crazy' husband. (Thanks Val!)
In conclusion, I HIGHLY recommend you check this event for next year. The price is right and there is post race beer! Post race beer! Post race beer!
Cheers!
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Do 'it' well
So I was out grinding hill repeats today and stopped at 9 reps. Why 9? Why not just do the 10 and be done with it?? I have yet to do 10 this year, my max so far has always been 9. The fact is I'm saving 10, maybe for next week. Actually, I just may blow past it and crank out 11, any dial that goes to 11 is obviously much better than one that goes 10.
It's unfinished business, as long as I don't max out the hill repeats, I'll have to make room for yet another hill session and maybe, just maybe next time I'll hit the double digits. I have a feeling that once I do that my hill training for this season will be 'done', however, as long as I have unfinished business, I'll just keep plugging away.
Did a 22k run on Sunday. As a side note, I'm really enjoying 'the-I-don't-HAVE-to-run-for-2.5hrs-because-I-have-an-Ironman-coming-up-mode' I'm currently in. Not having an Ironman scheduled this year is nice, not feeling compelled to log crazy mileage in Zone 1 is refreshing. I also find intensity training more rewarding. If I choose, I can totally shell myself on the trainer in less than an hour - at times it just seems more productive.
Anyway, during my run, as always I'm trying to run 'well'. Not fast, that wasn't the goal for the workout, just run well, keep HR down and concentrate on form. Soft landing of the feet (can hardly hear them!), high cadence (90 strides/min), relaxed upper body (shoulders, neck, face - yes face, no sense wasting energy grimacing), deep regular breathing... and I noticed that running well is finally becoming a habit. (ha, it only took 4 years to finally get 'it') Now I just have well and fast. (sigh... another 4 years?) The lesson is: whatever you do, do it well. This whole running thing is rather humbling.
Last week's training:
The good news: hammy is 100%.
The bad news: been fighting some sort of bug that seems to want to reside in GI tract. Enough said. (it's not serious)
Despite that challenges did OK training wise:
Swim:6.3k
Bike: 100k
Spin: 3 hrs
Run: 54.5k
The only real highlight was a bike threshold session: 10min @305W, 8 min @310W, 6min @315W, 4min @320W and 2 min @325W. That's 30 minutes of threshold work in a 1 hour trainer session...
talk about bang for the buck!
Cheers!
It's unfinished business, as long as I don't max out the hill repeats, I'll have to make room for yet another hill session and maybe, just maybe next time I'll hit the double digits. I have a feeling that once I do that my hill training for this season will be 'done', however, as long as I have unfinished business, I'll just keep plugging away.
Did a 22k run on Sunday. As a side note, I'm really enjoying 'the-I-don't-HAVE-to-run-for-2.5hrs-because-I-have-an-Ironman-coming-up-mode' I'm currently in. Not having an Ironman scheduled this year is nice, not feeling compelled to log crazy mileage in Zone 1 is refreshing. I also find intensity training more rewarding. If I choose, I can totally shell myself on the trainer in less than an hour - at times it just seems more productive.
Anyway, during my run, as always I'm trying to run 'well'. Not fast, that wasn't the goal for the workout, just run well, keep HR down and concentrate on form. Soft landing of the feet (can hardly hear them!), high cadence (90 strides/min), relaxed upper body (shoulders, neck, face - yes face, no sense wasting energy grimacing), deep regular breathing... and I noticed that running well is finally becoming a habit. (ha, it only took 4 years to finally get 'it') Now I just have well and fast. (sigh... another 4 years?) The lesson is: whatever you do, do it well. This whole running thing is rather humbling.
Last week's training:
The good news: hammy is 100%.
The bad news: been fighting some sort of bug that seems to want to reside in GI tract. Enough said. (it's not serious)
Despite that challenges did OK training wise:
Swim:6.3k
Bike: 100k
Spin: 3 hrs
Run: 54.5k
The only real highlight was a bike threshold session: 10min @305W, 8 min @310W, 6min @315W, 4min @320W and 2 min @325W. That's 30 minutes of threshold work in a 1 hour trainer session...
talk about bang for the buck!
Cheers!
Monday, May 19, 2008
Key workouts
A key workout for me, usually requires an extra day of recovery. So I schedule them on Tuesdays and Thursdays and on the weekend. The purpose of the key workout is to walk the fine line doing something difficult, but not so difficult that a) you can't workout the next day and/or b) you miss your next key workout. If you screw up and miss either one of those, you went too hard, time to dial it back.
This week featured plenty of dialing it back. The last two races strained my left hamstring, very minor, but just to be safe I did no running. Swimming, biking and walking were all fine but if I tried to run there was definite, minor, 'bad' pain. I was able to do an easy 7.5k recovery run today and the hammy is about 85% and feels good, so it looks like a I dodged a bullet. I did manage an excellent 'key workout' for both the swim and bike and the weekly numbers look like this:
swim: 9.2k
bike: 214k
spin: 4.25 hrs
Swim highlight: Friday's 3.6k swim featured 10X100m on 1:30. Was coming in on consistent 1:18's or faster. My zippiest set so far this year. Followed that up with 10X100 IM, don't why, but I just love IM.
Bike highlight #1: did the Ergvideo Lake Placid and averaged 251 watts! Another season high. This was the same workout I did 2 weeks ago and failed, so I was pretty happy nailing it this time around. My FTP is still consistently marching upward, and this is a good thing.
Bike highlight #2: completely disassembled my entire drive train. Degreased and cleaned to the FD, RD, crank and couple of cassettes, threw on a new chain and the bike is like new - silky smooth.
So for a rest week, I managed a bad ass swim set and some decent saddle time - not bad. This week, I'll be getting back into 'regular mode' with a definite eye on the hammy. I'll play it very safe and make sure it's 100% before doing anything too crazy. Promise. Less than a month to the Muskoka Chase, looking forward to my first tri of the season - I can't wait!Cheers!
This week featured plenty of dialing it back. The last two races strained my left hamstring, very minor, but just to be safe I did no running. Swimming, biking and walking were all fine but if I tried to run there was definite, minor, 'bad' pain. I was able to do an easy 7.5k recovery run today and the hammy is about 85% and feels good, so it looks like a I dodged a bullet. I did manage an excellent 'key workout' for both the swim and bike and the weekly numbers look like this:
swim: 9.2k
bike: 214k
spin: 4.25 hrs
Swim highlight: Friday's 3.6k swim featured 10X100m on 1:30. Was coming in on consistent 1:18's or faster. My zippiest set so far this year. Followed that up with 10X100 IM, don't why, but I just love IM.
Bike highlight #1: did the Ergvideo Lake Placid and averaged 251 watts! Another season high. This was the same workout I did 2 weeks ago and failed, so I was pretty happy nailing it this time around. My FTP is still consistently marching upward, and this is a good thing.
Bike highlight #2: completely disassembled my entire drive train. Degreased and cleaned to the FD, RD, crank and couple of cassettes, threw on a new chain and the bike is like new - silky smooth.
So for a rest week, I managed a bad ass swim set and some decent saddle time - not bad. This week, I'll be getting back into 'regular mode' with a definite eye on the hammy. I'll play it very safe and make sure it's 100% before doing anything too crazy. Promise. Less than a month to the Muskoka Chase, looking forward to my first tri of the season - I can't wait!Cheers!
Monday, May 12, 2008
Goal setting.
What's your long term goal? (2 year or more time frame)
What's your goal this year?
What's your goal for this training block?
What's your goal for this month?
What's your goal for this week?
What's your goal for tomorrow?
What's your goal for your next work-out?
Run down the list. Now run up the list. When you ask yourself the questions working up, do they actually help you accomplish your long term goal? The long term goal you set should be realistic, yet difficult to attain. Failure is a possibility. Though I really don't believe in failure in the conventional sense. If you learned something during the journey and still didn't reach your goal, that could hardly be considered a failure.
I'll share a few of my goals.
Sub 10 IMC in 2 years.
Sub 4:30 at a half iron this year.
Increase speedwork this training block.
Bike more this month.
Recover this week.
Bike outside tomorrow.
Hop on the bike for an easy ride after this post.
Each year I learn a little more, train a little more and more importantly train a little smarter. (hopefully). Lastly, goals can be revised and should be revisited regularly, but it's really all about the journey!
Last week's numbers:
Swim:10.8k
Bike: 98k
Spin: 4hrs
Run: 60k
Swim: is feeling downright great. 'nuff said.
Bike: can you ever bike enough? Did a solid 98k ride followed by a 35 min run on Tuesday. Thursday featured a 2 hour trainer effort with 4X9 min at just below threshold intervals, plus a 11.5k run.
Run: highpoint was yesterday, did Misissauga half marry.
Mississauga Half Marathon Report:
Goal: sub 1:24
Actual: 1:24:45
Negative splitting is #$%^! hard. I did run a very evenly paced race, but wasn't quite able to negative split. Having raced 31 k's in the last 8 days and putting in a solid week of training, I knew the legs were going to get cranky.
The good: pretty even splitting from start to finish. Heart and lungs have more to give, legs need some additional speedwork and some extra rest certainly would hurt either. Oh yea, PB'd by...
6 sec.
Hey! it counts! I don't care if it's only 6 sec, it's still a PB. :)
The bad: The PB's are getting harder to come by now. I think, gone are the days of massive time drops. Still almost 5 minutes away from my lifetime goal of sub 1:20.. maybe in 2 years? Possible.
Enough rambling, gotta go spin the legs out.
Cheers!
What's your goal this year?
What's your goal for this training block?
What's your goal for this month?
What's your goal for this week?
What's your goal for tomorrow?
What's your goal for your next work-out?
Run down the list. Now run up the list. When you ask yourself the questions working up, do they actually help you accomplish your long term goal? The long term goal you set should be realistic, yet difficult to attain. Failure is a possibility. Though I really don't believe in failure in the conventional sense. If you learned something during the journey and still didn't reach your goal, that could hardly be considered a failure.
I'll share a few of my goals.
Sub 10 IMC in 2 years.
Sub 4:30 at a half iron this year.
Increase speedwork this training block.
Bike more this month.
Recover this week.
Bike outside tomorrow.
Hop on the bike for an easy ride after this post.
Each year I learn a little more, train a little more and more importantly train a little smarter. (hopefully). Lastly, goals can be revised and should be revisited regularly, but it's really all about the journey!
Last week's numbers:
Swim:10.8k
Bike: 98k
Spin: 4hrs
Run: 60k
Swim: is feeling downright great. 'nuff said.
Bike: can you ever bike enough? Did a solid 98k ride followed by a 35 min run on Tuesday. Thursday featured a 2 hour trainer effort with 4X9 min at just below threshold intervals, plus a 11.5k run.
Run: highpoint was yesterday, did Misissauga half marry.
Mississauga Half Marathon Report:
Goal: sub 1:24
Actual: 1:24:45
Negative splitting is #$%^! hard. I did run a very evenly paced race, but wasn't quite able to negative split. Having raced 31 k's in the last 8 days and putting in a solid week of training, I knew the legs were going to get cranky.
The good: pretty even splitting from start to finish. Heart and lungs have more to give, legs need some additional speedwork and some extra rest certainly would hurt either. Oh yea, PB'd by...
6 sec.
Hey! it counts! I don't care if it's only 6 sec, it's still a PB. :)
The bad: The PB's are getting harder to come by now. I think, gone are the days of massive time drops. Still almost 5 minutes away from my lifetime goal of sub 1:20.. maybe in 2 years? Possible.
Enough rambling, gotta go spin the legs out.
Cheers!
Monday, May 05, 2008
Welcome to the brotherhood of dorks.
Both birthday wishes came true! I'm now a proud member of the brotherhood of dorks and a I scored a PR on Sunday.
So that's my opening teaser, let's start off with something a little more mundane and build to an exciting finish. (can't you feel the excitement??)
Weekly total:
Swim:7.2k
Bike: 7 hrs (trainer)
Run:37.5k
I pulled my stitches out, so I'm back in the pool on a semi regular basis. The weather was crap last week, so I trained inside. On Saturday, the day before my 10k race, I did the Ergvideo of the Lake Placid loop and cranked that sucker to '11'. Actually went to muscle failure. I gave myself an 'F' anytime I couldn't sustain big watts and have a cadence > 60. Muscle failure occured 4 times, typically in the last 5 to 10 sec of a 130% of threshold hill climb. Threshold was set to 295 watts and I averaged 248 for the ride, a season high, but the goal was to average 250. So I have to find a bit more power to light up a couple more of L.E.D.'s. Something to shoot for.
Needless to say this put my legs in a bit of a funk on Sunday morning. (hey, it's a C priority race, so I wasn't worried)
Quick and dirty Sporting Life 10k race report:
Ok, I'll let the cat out of the bag. This was my first 10k, so basically I could have walked it backwards and still have PR'd. But a PR is a PR and I'll take one anyway I can get it!
This 10k is a total cheater 10k, meaning it is almost ALL downhill. A great venue to go for a PR, but in truth, any PR on this course deserve a big fast asterix*.
For every meter of the race there was 1 person. Nearly 10 thousand people took part, by far the biggest race I've ever been in! Anyway let's get to the meat and potatoes...
Goal time: <36m
Actual: 38:XX
I'm not much for excuses...
But..
At the 8k mark I got a wicked stitch, the kind of stitch that had me doubled over and walking. Had to stop, stretch it out and walk it off. That kind of bummed me out, was totally on track for my goal, but that stitch really took the wind of my sail. C'est la vie. But hey! It's a still PR! :))
So afer the race....
My birthday present was to go to Enduro Sports .... danger! danger! The goal being was to get an aero helmet and offically become a member of the brotherhood of dorks. So without further adieu...
Friday, May 02, 2008
On top of the hill..
I think this is the only day when you can officially say you are on TOP of the hill. I'm not going up the hill, nor down. I'm TDC. (top dead centre) Got it figured out yet? It has to do with aging up...
BINGO!
Turned the big 4-0 today.
So besides peace, harmony and respect for all living things, what do I want? Ug, hate the word want. Nevermind, topic for another day... what would like?
I'd like a PB..
and to officially belong to the brotherhood of dorks.
This weekend, ONE of these is all but gauranteed. Go ahead, guess which one!
In other news..
Just got back from a great set at the pool, which is sort of amazing because my Wednesday's swim was pretty poopy. Today was a 1k warmup, 10X100m FR on 1:30 and 10X100IM on 1:45. At the end of 3k+ swimming I had the bright idea to swim a flat-out 100m just for the hell of it. It's been 20 years, so why not? I was the only one in the pool, the lifeguard timed me and I limped in on a 1:04. Lost pretty much .5 of a second every year for 20 years. On the other hand, if I was rested and not too pooched from the previous work out, I might have been able to get that sucker under a minute.
Now I just have to find a triathlon with a 100m swim....
Cheers!
BINGO!
Turned the big 4-0 today.
So besides peace, harmony and respect for all living things, what do I want? Ug, hate the word want. Nevermind, topic for another day... what would like?
I'd like a PB..
and to officially belong to the brotherhood of dorks.
This weekend, ONE of these is all but gauranteed. Go ahead, guess which one!
In other news..
Just got back from a great set at the pool, which is sort of amazing because my Wednesday's swim was pretty poopy. Today was a 1k warmup, 10X100m FR on 1:30 and 10X100IM on 1:45. At the end of 3k+ swimming I had the bright idea to swim a flat-out 100m just for the hell of it. It's been 20 years, so why not? I was the only one in the pool, the lifeguard timed me and I limped in on a 1:04. Lost pretty much .5 of a second every year for 20 years. On the other hand, if I was rested and not too pooched from the previous work out, I might have been able to get that sucker under a minute.
Now I just have to find a triathlon with a 100m swim....
Cheers!
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Are you ready?
Tiger asked me if I was ready for an upcoming race. I know it's really a rhetorical question because ultimately you are only as ready as your training allows you to be. Think about that for a second. You may have re-think your training if you aren't meeting your capabilities and/or goals. Haha, or even easier, redefine your goals to meet your training, I guess that would sort of be cheating though, wouldn't it? Anyway...
The time has come..
For speedwork. A synopis of the season so far: Nov/Dec: do 'whatever' training, hike, bike, run a bit, rest, just do whatever. Jan/Feb: structured base training. Acclimitize and adapt to the rigours of real training. Mar/Apr: similar to Jan/Feb but with a strength focus. Build strength through lots of hill repeats on both run and bike. May/June: maintain strength through occasional hillwork, add speedwork.
My thinking behind this year's philosophy is that every 8 weeks, I'm slightly changing the stimulas in an effort to achieve a higher degree of fitness.
Recap of the week:
Swim: 2k (!) there is a story here.
Bike: 2 hrs on the trainer + 167k
Run: 76k
Mon: easy 2k swim
Tues: a tough day. 2 hours outside doing hill repeats on the bike, followed by an hour run doing yet more hill repeats.
Wednesday, I rush through work to make it the pool on time, I have a 10X 400m set planned and just want to 'get er done'. Pull into the parking lot, turn off car, go to grab swim gear... doh, forgot it at home. Doh doh doh. Missed swim workout #1. Ran and biked instead.
Thur: midweek 17k run with 4X6min hard with 2 min rest. Easy bike spin for an hour. Hacked finger preparing dinner had to go to hospital to get stitched up. Nasty, gross picture at end of post. Tough workout followed by less than optimal sleep left me bagged on Friday...
Fri: missed swim workout #2 due to stitched up finger. Did an easy 9.5k run on trails. Bailed on bike workout.
Sat: ride with Cliff. Did 113k ride that featured some time trialling. The first one was a short 10k with a very nice tailwind. Totally smoked it in 13:15 for an average speed of 45.1 kph. The second TT was 13k, against a semi ridiculas headwind, on a crappy road with the added bonus of driving rain. Wheeeee! Time to HTFU. 23min, avg speed 35 kph. Owie.
Later, ran an easy 7.5k
Sun: ran 22k in 1:45. First half zone 1, second half zone 2.
Ok, here's the pic I promised. Be warned it's a tad on the gross side. Scroll down if you really must see it.
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Looks like I get a few more days off swimming..
The time has come..
For speedwork. A synopis of the season so far: Nov/Dec: do 'whatever' training, hike, bike, run a bit, rest, just do whatever. Jan/Feb: structured base training. Acclimitize and adapt to the rigours of real training. Mar/Apr: similar to Jan/Feb but with a strength focus. Build strength through lots of hill repeats on both run and bike. May/June: maintain strength through occasional hillwork, add speedwork.
My thinking behind this year's philosophy is that every 8 weeks, I'm slightly changing the stimulas in an effort to achieve a higher degree of fitness.
Recap of the week:
Swim: 2k (!) there is a story here.
Bike: 2 hrs on the trainer + 167k
Run: 76k
Mon: easy 2k swim
Tues: a tough day. 2 hours outside doing hill repeats on the bike, followed by an hour run doing yet more hill repeats.
Wednesday, I rush through work to make it the pool on time, I have a 10X 400m set planned and just want to 'get er done'. Pull into the parking lot, turn off car, go to grab swim gear... doh, forgot it at home. Doh doh doh. Missed swim workout #1. Ran and biked instead.
Thur: midweek 17k run with 4X6min hard with 2 min rest. Easy bike spin for an hour. Hacked finger preparing dinner had to go to hospital to get stitched up. Nasty, gross picture at end of post. Tough workout followed by less than optimal sleep left me bagged on Friday...
Fri: missed swim workout #2 due to stitched up finger. Did an easy 9.5k run on trails. Bailed on bike workout.
Sat: ride with Cliff. Did 113k ride that featured some time trialling. The first one was a short 10k with a very nice tailwind. Totally smoked it in 13:15 for an average speed of 45.1 kph. The second TT was 13k, against a semi ridiculas headwind, on a crappy road with the added bonus of driving rain. Wheeeee! Time to HTFU. 23min, avg speed 35 kph. Owie.
Later, ran an easy 7.5k
Sun: ran 22k in 1:45. First half zone 1, second half zone 2.
Ok, here's the pic I promised. Be warned it's a tad on the gross side. Scroll down if you really must see it.
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Looks like I get a few more days off swimming..
Monday, April 21, 2008
A week of firsts
AND a week of seconds.
Being as we are enjoying some rather bad-ass weather for mid April, actually dare I say perfect weather? I dare! 25C and sunny with no rain in the forecast is pretty much perfect in my books. It was under this guise that I finally took the bike off the trainer and went for the season's first and second outdoor rides.
You are saying 'what? why haven't you been out earlier? - what a wuss!' Guilty as charged. But hear out my excuse! I play a bit of mental game with the trainer (110hrs logged this season and counting..), the longer I wait until riding outdoors the bigger the perceived reward. I frequently play the game "if I do X, then I'll get Y", where 'X' is the task and 'Y' is the reward. The reward might be anything, but typically involves food. (it really doesn't take alot to keep me happy)
But I digress.. the weather was perfect and the first outdoor ride went well. The second outdoor ride went better as I hooked up with Aaron and Stu and hammered the hills. QOTD was from Stu "I knew I was in trouble with you when I agreed to this ride, then I saw Aaron's quads and knew I was in deep." The guy is quadzilla. I think he's doing shh! secrit! training. Both Stu and Aaron did awesome, no matter what I dished out, they ate it up. Going to really enjoy riding with them this year. (just wait until they find out about my next ride... muahahaha)
Later that day...
I thought it would be a good idea to get 1 hr trail run in. The legs had other ideas. Mo Lasses and Leth Argy bitched and complained the whole way. Sucked it up and got her done, so no complaints.
The weekly total:
Swim: 7.4k
Spin : 3 hrs (trainer)
Bike: 190k
Run: 50.5k
I'm still pretty much in the hillacious phase of training. This week will mark the last of the intense hill training, I'll soon be working a bit more on speed work and a bit less on hill repeats.
Cheers!
Being as we are enjoying some rather bad-ass weather for mid April, actually dare I say perfect weather? I dare! 25C and sunny with no rain in the forecast is pretty much perfect in my books. It was under this guise that I finally took the bike off the trainer and went for the season's first and second outdoor rides.
You are saying 'what? why haven't you been out earlier? - what a wuss!' Guilty as charged. But hear out my excuse! I play a bit of mental game with the trainer (110hrs logged this season and counting..), the longer I wait until riding outdoors the bigger the perceived reward. I frequently play the game "if I do X, then I'll get Y", where 'X' is the task and 'Y' is the reward. The reward might be anything, but typically involves food. (it really doesn't take alot to keep me happy)
But I digress.. the weather was perfect and the first outdoor ride went well. The second outdoor ride went better as I hooked up with Aaron and Stu and hammered the hills. QOTD was from Stu "I knew I was in trouble with you when I agreed to this ride, then I saw Aaron's quads and knew I was in deep." The guy is quadzilla. I think he's doing shh! secrit! training. Both Stu and Aaron did awesome, no matter what I dished out, they ate it up. Going to really enjoy riding with them this year. (just wait until they find out about my next ride... muahahaha)
Later that day...
I thought it would be a good idea to get 1 hr trail run in. The legs had other ideas. Mo Lasses and Leth Argy bitched and complained the whole way. Sucked it up and got her done, so no complaints.
The weekly total:
Swim: 7.4k
Spin : 3 hrs (trainer)
Bike: 190k
Run: 50.5k
I'm still pretty much in the hillacious phase of training. This week will mark the last of the intense hill training, I'll soon be working a bit more on speed work and a bit less on hill repeats.
Cheers!
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Food!
A quick and simple obligatory post about food.
Triathletes are passionate about their sport. Which, in my opinion, is all due to endorphins, but that's a whole different post. Because most of us train ALOT, triathletes generally like to eat. ALOT. We are constantly fueling the engine and most of us are pretty aware of the stuff we're eating.
Here's a quick and dirty guide on my personal approach:
1) Avoid anything that has to do with the word 'diet'. Throw out that word and adopt 'lifestyle' instead. The entire diet industry (yes, it's an industry) only becomes more prosperous when YOU FAIL.
2) Common sense. Haha. As they say, the problem with common sense is that it's not so common. If I have to tell you to avoid (avoid, not completely forgo) doughnuts, processed food, simple sugars, pop etc... You need more help than I can provide.
3) Veggies. Take 20 minutes once a week and make a LARGE salad. If you make enough, it will last 4 days in the fridge. Bam, you now have a fresh salad four days in a row. Use a homemade olive oil vinagarette for dressing.
4) Again on veggies. Cut up a bunch veggies, throw them in a tupperware and you have plenty of easily accessible snacks anytime. Prepare time: 15 min
5) Fruit. Do the same thing with fruit! Make a huge fruit salad - berries, pineapple, oranges etc.. will all keep for at least 4 days. Prepare time: 20 min.
6) Shop the perimeter of the grocery store. Why? That's where all the fresh stuff is!
Done. Not so hard. I could certainly expand and talk about buying locally, watch pesticide use, organics, vitamins, red wine etc.. but honestly, if you can follow the very simple above outline, you've already adopted 90% of a healthy 'lifestyle'. Add some exercise, some quality protein, the odd treat and your set. It's not so hard. Really.
Standard disclaimer. I am not dietician. I'm only sharing what works for me. Ok, all this talk about food has me hungry....
Cheers!
Triathletes are passionate about their sport. Which, in my opinion, is all due to endorphins, but that's a whole different post. Because most of us train ALOT, triathletes generally like to eat. ALOT. We are constantly fueling the engine and most of us are pretty aware of the stuff we're eating.
Here's a quick and dirty guide on my personal approach:
1) Avoid anything that has to do with the word 'diet'. Throw out that word and adopt 'lifestyle' instead. The entire diet industry (yes, it's an industry) only becomes more prosperous when YOU FAIL.
2) Common sense. Haha. As they say, the problem with common sense is that it's not so common. If I have to tell you to avoid (avoid, not completely forgo) doughnuts, processed food, simple sugars, pop etc... You need more help than I can provide.
3) Veggies. Take 20 minutes once a week and make a LARGE salad. If you make enough, it will last 4 days in the fridge. Bam, you now have a fresh salad four days in a row. Use a homemade olive oil vinagarette for dressing.
4) Again on veggies. Cut up a bunch veggies, throw them in a tupperware and you have plenty of easily accessible snacks anytime. Prepare time: 15 min
5) Fruit. Do the same thing with fruit! Make a huge fruit salad - berries, pineapple, oranges etc.. will all keep for at least 4 days. Prepare time: 20 min.
6) Shop the perimeter of the grocery store. Why? That's where all the fresh stuff is!
Done. Not so hard. I could certainly expand and talk about buying locally, watch pesticide use, organics, vitamins, red wine etc.. but honestly, if you can follow the very simple above outline, you've already adopted 90% of a healthy 'lifestyle'. Add some exercise, some quality protein, the odd treat and your set. It's not so hard. Really.
Standard disclaimer. I am not dietician. I'm only sharing what works for me. Ok, all this talk about food has me hungry....
Cheers!
Monday, April 07, 2008
New sheriff in town..
and her name is Chrissie Wellington. Three Ironman starts, 3 wins (!) including a little thing called the World Championships in Kona. (!!) Any doubters that thought she was just a flash in the pan, put those thoughts aside.. this is the real McCoy. Just check her splits from Sunday's Ironman Australia race:
swim: 53:27
bike: 5:08:34
run: 3:01:53
Beautiful. There is no weakness. Total race time was 9:03:55 (!!) and obviously won the woman's side of things, but get this, she was also 9th overall, just 8 pro men could beat her. Incredible.
Back to reality..
Last week was my 4th consecutive week of good training and thus my reward for the coming days could be defined as 'slacker'. Yup, gonna just focus on slacking, resting and catching up on other stuff. A week off now, will defineately help keep me fresh for later and help avoid any burn out. I don't want to slack, but I know it's for the best and so it shall be.
Some numbers for last week:
swim: 9.5k
bike: 6 hrs
run: 62k
A couple of highlights: 1) my swim feels great! It's finally back, took almost 3 months, but it finally feels 'right'. My workout last Wed was:
2(400fr, 100bk)
10X100m fr, on 1:30. (1:19's and 1:20's)
100 easy
10X100IM on 1:45 (1:30's)
100 easy
2(3X100 pull, kick, swim drills)
Total:3.8k
The workout was so good, I repeated it again on Friday and dropped my 10X100m free another second. Yay. Still operating above threshold, but didn't care, it just felt good.
Highlight number 2! Saturday, averaged 247w for the Ergvideo Lake Placid loop. Later Cliff came over and wanted to do an LT test on the Computrainer. I think he experienced a new level of pain. Put it to you this way, his *new* LT is almost 10 beats higher than his old level and I even saw his heartrate hit 190(!) towards the end of the test.. yea, the guy is apparently part humming bird or something.
Clearly, that wasn't enough for 1 day, so we went and did some run hill repeats afterwards. I wonder if I'll ever see him again..
Have a great week!
swim: 53:27
bike: 5:08:34
run: 3:01:53
Beautiful. There is no weakness. Total race time was 9:03:55 (!!) and obviously won the woman's side of things, but get this, she was also 9th overall, just 8 pro men could beat her. Incredible.
Back to reality..
Last week was my 4th consecutive week of good training and thus my reward for the coming days could be defined as 'slacker'. Yup, gonna just focus on slacking, resting and catching up on other stuff. A week off now, will defineately help keep me fresh for later and help avoid any burn out. I don't want to slack, but I know it's for the best and so it shall be.
Some numbers for last week:
swim: 9.5k
bike: 6 hrs
run: 62k
A couple of highlights: 1) my swim feels great! It's finally back, took almost 3 months, but it finally feels 'right'. My workout last Wed was:
2(400fr, 100bk)
10X100m fr, on 1:30. (1:19's and 1:20's)
100 easy
10X100IM on 1:45 (1:30's)
100 easy
2(3X100 pull, kick, swim drills)
Total:3.8k
The workout was so good, I repeated it again on Friday and dropped my 10X100m free another second. Yay. Still operating above threshold, but didn't care, it just felt good.
Highlight number 2! Saturday, averaged 247w for the Ergvideo Lake Placid loop. Later Cliff came over and wanted to do an LT test on the Computrainer. I think he experienced a new level of pain. Put it to you this way, his *new* LT is almost 10 beats higher than his old level and I even saw his heartrate hit 190(!) towards the end of the test.. yea, the guy is apparently part humming bird or something.
Clearly, that wasn't enough for 1 day, so we went and did some run hill repeats afterwards. I wonder if I'll ever see him again..
Have a great week!
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Solid work
Phew.
What a week! Some solid training done and I even managed to fart around the house and get some things accomplished in that department too! Everytime I 'attempt' a home improvement project it always gives me so much more respect for the pro, something that would take them 30 minutes to do takes me 2 days and 6 hours of labour! As with training, I guess every so often one must suck it up and get 'er done.
As I mentioned in the previous post, I had the week off, so the whole week was pretty much dedicated to plumbing and training. Plumbing is boring, let's talk training!
Monday: easy day, 1 hr spin and a 8k run
Tues: hard day. swim 3.5k. 2(10X100m free on 1:30. 1:22-1:25 avg lap) Aerobically, swimming feels good, it's just my spindly weak ass arms that are holding me back. Run: 11k (hill repeats). Bike: 1.5 hrs. 3X15 min climbs. 1st at 280w, 2nd at 290w and last one at 300w. A good day.
Wed: easy. spin 1 hr and a 8k run
Thurs: hard day. swim 3.5k same main set as above. Run 17k. Bike 1.5 'steady' @ 250w. A tough day.
Fri: easy. spin 1 hour.
Saturday. The Alton 'Leg Frier'. Stuart came up and we did an easy swim, followed by a bike LT test on the computrainer and afterwards did some run hill repeats. An excellent day!
Sunday: Legs weren't that cranky, ran 22k in 1:48. A good way to cap off the week.
Totals:
Swim: 8.8k
Bike: 7 hrs
Run: 76k
Saturday revisted:
Stu arrived at precisely on time and in short order we unloaded his car and were soon on the way to the pool. I'm always amazed at how easy it is to get along with a fellow tri-nerd. Oh sure, most of the talk is triathlon related, but really what shines through is passion. That's just one of the thing that makes our little niche so appealing, the people and the passion. I guess that's 2 things. Oops sorry for the tanget.. back on topic.
The swim had two goals. 1) log some easy mileage and 2) give any 'helpful' critique to Stu. The critique business was my job, now whether or not it was 'helpful', well that's another story.
On to the bike:
A standard CP30 test. (20 min warmup, 30 min TT, cooldown) I know, I know, doing a time trial test on the tail end of a big week may have not been my smartest move and by the 12 minute mark I almost bailed! The legs were complaing ... loud. The only things that kept me going was 1) I put this training day togethor and would have been so embarrassed if I quit and 2) just knowing Stu was nearby kept those dark thoughts at bay. So I soldiered on. The results:
308 watts, approx avgerage heartate 162. A FULL 10 beats below my usual LT!! This tells me that yes, my legs were pooched from the week's work. I just could not get the HR up any higher. I would hazard a guess I might be able to add 10w or so on fresh legs. Perhaps a retest is in order...
After Stu finished up his test, which I might add, he did very smartly, we hit the local hill, ran some repeats and capped of the day with a 10k'er. Actually, we capped off the day with a pint, which in case you didn't know, is a fantastic recovery drink!
Here's a pic of Stu about to begin his LT test. Don't tell him, but I'm going to steal his bike.
Cheers!
Monday, March 24, 2008
Wanna bet?
So I bet a guy work 100 bucks that he couldn't quit smoking. He looked me in eye, took up the challenge and shook my hand. I figure it's a win a win, if he successfully quits he wins large, society wins (perhaps one less future cancer patient), and I win because sometimes I just liking sticking it to the man. Actually, not bad value for 100 bucks.
Unfortuneately, I 'won'. A sour victory. Maybe he'll go double or nothing..
Training wise, things are going well. Here's the breakdown from last week:
Swim 5.8k
Bike: 7 hrs
Run: 55k
The swim story for the week occured on Wednesday. I was mixing it up a bit with a 2(3X300 IM) set. For the butterfly portion, I'd do 3 left arm strokes, 3 right arm and 3 full strokes. Actually my butterfly is pretty decent, for about 25m. Anything more than that, well let's just say it isn't pretty. Anyway, the curious thing about doing IM sets, at least for me, is that my freestyle always feels amazing and I'm not entirely sure why. Must have to do with muscle firing patterns and the such, try it out sometime and let me know if you experience the same thing.
Also swim related. Here's a Youtube video of the Men's 100m freestyle world record being broken - all I'll say, I never heard of the guy and he's huge. I'm not saying, I'm just saying. I think that WR beats my 20 year old PR by about 7 seconds, which may not sound like much, but trust me - it's huge!
Bike story for the week. Pretty uneventful, not even close to getting the bike outside yet. Averaged 243 watts for an IMLP bike loop.
Run story. Umm, kinda boring here too. Did some travelling to visit Mrs. Inlaw, so a had a bit of difficulty getting the extra K's that I wanted. Made up for it a bit by logging back to back 17k'ers on Sat and Sun.
Looking forward. A heavy week is planned, I have some time off work, just gonna put around the house and train. Stu and Aaron are coming up next Saturday for the Alton leg frier. An a.m. swim following by a bike LT test and then we'll do some run hill repeats just for the heck of it.
Cheers!
Unfortuneately, I 'won'. A sour victory. Maybe he'll go double or nothing..
Training wise, things are going well. Here's the breakdown from last week:
Swim 5.8k
Bike: 7 hrs
Run: 55k
The swim story for the week occured on Wednesday. I was mixing it up a bit with a 2(3X300 IM) set. For the butterfly portion, I'd do 3 left arm strokes, 3 right arm and 3 full strokes. Actually my butterfly is pretty decent, for about 25m. Anything more than that, well let's just say it isn't pretty. Anyway, the curious thing about doing IM sets, at least for me, is that my freestyle always feels amazing and I'm not entirely sure why. Must have to do with muscle firing patterns and the such, try it out sometime and let me know if you experience the same thing.
Also swim related. Here's a Youtube video of the Men's 100m freestyle world record being broken - all I'll say, I never heard of the guy and he's huge. I'm not saying, I'm just saying. I think that WR beats my 20 year old PR by about 7 seconds, which may not sound like much, but trust me - it's huge!
Bike story for the week. Pretty uneventful, not even close to getting the bike outside yet. Averaged 243 watts for an IMLP bike loop.
Run story. Umm, kinda boring here too. Did some travelling to visit Mrs. Inlaw, so a had a bit of difficulty getting the extra K's that I wanted. Made up for it a bit by logging back to back 17k'ers on Sat and Sun.
Looking forward. A heavy week is planned, I have some time off work, just gonna put around the house and train. Stu and Aaron are coming up next Saturday for the Alton leg frier. An a.m. swim following by a bike LT test and then we'll do some run hill repeats just for the heck of it.
Cheers!
Monday, March 17, 2008
The magic number, Etta James
But first the stats:
Swim: 5.2k
Bike: 6 hrs
Run: 58k
Fairly standard build week. The plan is too increase volume this week and further increase the week after. As mentioned in my last post, I'm in a 'hill phase' of my training, yup Tuesdays and Thursday are hillacious. Aaron and Cliff know what I'm talking about as they ran down the sucker during The Alton HalfIron extravaganza back in January. Here's how I do hills: run steady and evenly paced up, bringing HR to 20 beats less than LT, picking pace up at the crest of the hill focusing on a fast turnover. Easy run down, again picking up cadence in the last third.. rinse, repeat. No stopping.
The second part of hillacious Tuesdays and Thursdays are bike hill repeats. Bring the cadence down to low 70's rpm, crank up the tension and peddle away at 20 beats below LT. Just keep in mind this is strength work, not LT work. LT work is later in the season. Thursdays hill session was awesome, I'm now holding 300w at 20 beats below LT. A substantial increase in power in a fairly short time. Logically this is to be expected. For the last couple of years I was very dedicated in keeping my HR at 40 beats below LT and in the process built a decent base. Now that the shackles are off and I'm routinely training at 30 and 20 beats below LT, subsequent power increases are only logical. Logic be damned, it feels great!
For me, the magic number is 10. Ten is where I can feel the physiological changes kick in. Take the hill training example, after 10 hill sessions ( 1 or 2 sessions per week), the strength component really starts to kick in and you can feel the difference. It might be 10 weeks of base training, 10 long rides, or 10 weeks of Yasso's. Perhaps in tribute to Spinal Tap I should change my magic number to 11..
So Saturday was once again my day to do the Ergvideo Lake Place loop and I'm currently up to averaging 239 watts for the loop. I don't cheat, ie increase target power on the downhills, I just dial in what I want average power at the end to be, knowing full well there are easy parts and hard-as -in-I-don't-wanna-do-this-anymore parts. Coasting down the Keane descent is ummm.. well.. very easy, the bad news is your average power number keeps dropping and you're gonna PAY to get that sucker back up to your target. It was during such time I was 'paying' and I needed a little pick me up from the tuneage department. It was clear that Etta James just wasn't gonna cut it. Time to bring out the heavies.. Sandman by Metallica, and yes in this case the amp did go to 11..
Cheers!
Swim: 5.2k
Bike: 6 hrs
Run: 58k
Fairly standard build week. The plan is too increase volume this week and further increase the week after. As mentioned in my last post, I'm in a 'hill phase' of my training, yup Tuesdays and Thursday are hillacious. Aaron and Cliff know what I'm talking about as they ran down the sucker during The Alton HalfIron extravaganza back in January. Here's how I do hills: run steady and evenly paced up, bringing HR to 20 beats less than LT, picking pace up at the crest of the hill focusing on a fast turnover. Easy run down, again picking up cadence in the last third.. rinse, repeat. No stopping.
The second part of hillacious Tuesdays and Thursdays are bike hill repeats. Bring the cadence down to low 70's rpm, crank up the tension and peddle away at 20 beats below LT. Just keep in mind this is strength work, not LT work. LT work is later in the season. Thursdays hill session was awesome, I'm now holding 300w at 20 beats below LT. A substantial increase in power in a fairly short time. Logically this is to be expected. For the last couple of years I was very dedicated in keeping my HR at 40 beats below LT and in the process built a decent base. Now that the shackles are off and I'm routinely training at 30 and 20 beats below LT, subsequent power increases are only logical. Logic be damned, it feels great!
For me, the magic number is 10. Ten is where I can feel the physiological changes kick in. Take the hill training example, after 10 hill sessions ( 1 or 2 sessions per week), the strength component really starts to kick in and you can feel the difference. It might be 10 weeks of base training, 10 long rides, or 10 weeks of Yasso's. Perhaps in tribute to Spinal Tap I should change my magic number to 11..
So Saturday was once again my day to do the Ergvideo Lake Place loop and I'm currently up to averaging 239 watts for the loop. I don't cheat, ie increase target power on the downhills, I just dial in what I want average power at the end to be, knowing full well there are easy parts and hard-as -in-I-don't-wanna-do-this-anymore parts. Coasting down the Keane descent is ummm.. well.. very easy, the bad news is your average power number keeps dropping and you're gonna PAY to get that sucker back up to your target. It was during such time I was 'paying' and I needed a little pick me up from the tuneage department. It was clear that Etta James just wasn't gonna cut it. Time to bring out the heavies.. Sandman by Metallica, and yes in this case the amp did go to 11..
Cheers!
Monday, March 10, 2008
Snotcicles at basecamp
Yes, I live north of 49th parallel. Feel free to insert snowshoe, igloo or muckluck related joke here.
A fair bit of running recovery this week, made up for it by logging some extra bike time. Stats for the week:
Swim: 5.2k
Bike: 9.25 hrs
Run: 18k (season low!)
This weekend turned into a back-to-back-long session on the bike. Sat and Sun were both 2.75 hr affairs featuring the Ergvideo of Lake Placid. Legs were a tad cranky but managed to average 235 watts on both days. Good stuff.
So my season training strategy is looking something like this: 3 months of 'base'. (done!), 2 months of base + mega hill work (starts tomorrow!), now here is where it gets a tad muddled, the original plan was start LT work in May and steadily increase the duration throughout the summer, but after reading Chuckie V's post on Tabata intervals and doing some research, I'm thinking of delaying the LT work and do 6 to 8 weeks of Tabata training.. then moving to the LT work. Luckily I have some time to figure out what I want to do.
Chuckie's theory is build the foundation (base, base and more base. Base building is basically what I've been doing for 2 + years), put the roof on (extending VO2 max by doing Tabata training), THEN do the LT work (ie fill the house).
As usual the more research you do, the less you know. Anyone else feel like a lab rat around here?
All secure at basecamp. Over.
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