Went to put my bike on the car so I could ride at lunch, and the tire was flat. I put on the car and went to work anyway, figuring I'd just change the tire at work. I wanted to ride the hills during lunch, and nothing was gonna stop me!
Right before lunch, I talked to Tera and was reminded I had to watch Paul beginning at 6, an hour after work. Well, that meant no run after work. The weather was fair (sunny, cool, and windy) so I decided to run at lunch, and the tire fix would wait til after work...I could teach Paul how to change the tire!
The run went well. I did a five mile loop and had a good time. Came in at 7:30 miles with an average heart rate of 154. This wasn't quite a race effort but harder than I normally go. I'm happy with the time because my legs are feeling tired, especially after yesterday. Interestingly, this time was about 30 seconds slower than when I ran for a time at race effort (but no bike) in mid-March. The difference in splits is interesting; in mid-March I ran fast the first mile of downhill and died the last mile going uphill. Today, I kept it moderate for that first mile because I hadn't decided to run for a time yet, and the last mile was a minute faster today than mid-March.
I've been telling myself I need to practice changing the back tire at some point so that the first time I do it isn't during a race. Each R/R week I've meant to do it, but just don't get to it. So, the practice was forced on me. It was actually easier than expected. Much easier than my mountain bike! While I was at it, I cleaned up the chain a bit, too. Paul seemed somewhat interested.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Swim and speed work for the run
Slept in again. Damn! Had to combine swim and run at lunch. Swam a 2x750 with 10:59 and 12:02 splits and a one minute rest. Not bad, considering I haven't been in the water for ten days. From the pool, ran down to Davis Field (half mile?) for speed work. 1x800 on 3:10 (so slow, hurt so much!), 1x400 (1:22) 1x200 and 1x100. I really don't like the 800. My legs felt tired on the run to the track, and I knew that 800 would hurt, but it went beyond my expectation. Honestly, though, I wanted to do two sets of each today, but time didn't allow. A second 800 would have come in at about 4:00 probably. My run is definitely suffering from the extra focus on the bike.
Bike to work starts Friday (May 1). From then on, it's bike to work til mid-September maybe, and at least til Labor Day. It's only a 1.5 miles to work! Last year I hit 100% bike to work, and I rode in the rain a few days. Hope to match that this year.
Bike to work starts Friday (May 1). From then on, it's bike to work til mid-September maybe, and at least til Labor Day. It's only a 1.5 miles to work! Last year I hit 100% bike to work, and I rode in the rain a few days. Hope to match that this year.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Weather breaks and random thoughts
Caught a couple breaks in the rain today. Took Paul and Sooner for a run in the cruiser and got in one 3 mile lap before the rain hit...well, about half of the lap and ran the other half in a light mist before a short downpour hit. Of course, then it didn't rain for a while but the timing was good because I had a work call I had to be on.
Then I decided to bike after dinner, which I've never done before. Still raining while I picked up my mountain bike from an annual tune-up after work. I did NOT want to ride inside today, so the skies were either going to clear up or I was going to bail on the bike workout. As we ate dinner, the rain stopped. I decided to go for it, keeping open a few options for a shorter ride if it started raining. Once I passed the last turn for a short ride, I was committed to a 40k, but the skies were clearing. The last stretch home was in a bright sunset....that beautiful kind of sunset right after a rain. It was AWESOME! The ride time felt slow and I felt weak in the legs, but my time was better than average. Very little wind, too!
Some random thoughts:
Now I know why you should always wear some kind of glasses on the bike. I didn't tonight because there wasn't a lot of bright sunshine (til the end, anyway), and my eyes are hurting from the wind. I go so fast that there is always a 40mph wind in my face!!!! Ha!
My ski buddy is full of good quotes, like "You don't know til you go." Just like tonight. I thought of that as I decided to go for the ride with the possibility of getting rained on. I'm a fair weather biker. It paid off tonight!
How can I ski a full season and never have cold toes, but any bike in temps under 50 degrees my toes freeze? How is that possible? I even wore wool socks tonight, thinking I'd be able to keep my feet warm as I departed in 46 degree weather. I couldn't wait to get hot water on them when I got home because they were nearly completely numb. I can ski in any temperature and not get cold feet, but 46 degrees on a bike and they freeze.
Sometimes it's good to get out of a routine. I have never ridden after dinner before. Now it seems like that's what I'll be doing as long as there is sunlight. I get to hang out with Paul an extra 90 minutes, and Tera gets a much calmer evening. If it makes Momma happy, it makes everyone happy.
Hill workouts is where it's at on the bike for me. I'm not good at hills...well, I'm not a good bicyclist yet, either, but hills are certainly my weakest point on the bike (excepting corners, which I've never really had to deal with it). Just getting out there and doing a few hill repeats is reaping immediate noticeable improvements.
My run is beginning to suffer because of my bike focus. At this point, I'm depending on the theory that biking helps the run more than the run helps the bike. And I'm missing a few swim workouts, too. But that's the concept I've decided to use this year, so I'm sticking with it. A ten percent improvement in the bike is far more time off the overall time than a ten percent improvement in the run or swim, both of which I'm probably close to maxing out given my overall abilities.
Then I decided to bike after dinner, which I've never done before. Still raining while I picked up my mountain bike from an annual tune-up after work. I did NOT want to ride inside today, so the skies were either going to clear up or I was going to bail on the bike workout. As we ate dinner, the rain stopped. I decided to go for it, keeping open a few options for a shorter ride if it started raining. Once I passed the last turn for a short ride, I was committed to a 40k, but the skies were clearing. The last stretch home was in a bright sunset....that beautiful kind of sunset right after a rain. It was AWESOME! The ride time felt slow and I felt weak in the legs, but my time was better than average. Very little wind, too!
Some random thoughts:
Now I know why you should always wear some kind of glasses on the bike. I didn't tonight because there wasn't a lot of bright sunshine (til the end, anyway), and my eyes are hurting from the wind. I go so fast that there is always a 40mph wind in my face!!!! Ha!
My ski buddy is full of good quotes, like "You don't know til you go." Just like tonight. I thought of that as I decided to go for the ride with the possibility of getting rained on. I'm a fair weather biker. It paid off tonight!
How can I ski a full season and never have cold toes, but any bike in temps under 50 degrees my toes freeze? How is that possible? I even wore wool socks tonight, thinking I'd be able to keep my feet warm as I departed in 46 degree weather. I couldn't wait to get hot water on them when I got home because they were nearly completely numb. I can ski in any temperature and not get cold feet, but 46 degrees on a bike and they freeze.
Sometimes it's good to get out of a routine. I have never ridden after dinner before. Now it seems like that's what I'll be doing as long as there is sunlight. I get to hang out with Paul an extra 90 minutes, and Tera gets a much calmer evening. If it makes Momma happy, it makes everyone happy.
Hill workouts is where it's at on the bike for me. I'm not good at hills...well, I'm not a good bicyclist yet, either, but hills are certainly my weakest point on the bike (excepting corners, which I've never really had to deal with it). Just getting out there and doing a few hill repeats is reaping immediate noticeable improvements.
My run is beginning to suffer because of my bike focus. At this point, I'm depending on the theory that biking helps the run more than the run helps the bike. And I'm missing a few swim workouts, too. But that's the concept I've decided to use this year, so I'm sticking with it. A ten percent improvement in the bike is far more time off the overall time than a ten percent improvement in the run or swim, both of which I'm probably close to maxing out given my overall abilities.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Bike hills workout + missed swim, missed run
Changing schedules...what to do?
I had to change up my schedule a bit today, and it didn't work very well. First, the swine flu required some additional time at work. I work in public health emergency preparedness/response, so the swine flu has us busy.
Tera had a meeting after work at 5:30, so I figured I would just swim in the morning, then bike at lunch, and run after work. I normally swim at lunch and bike after work on Mondays, leaving the biking to Tuesdays and beyond. I've refocused my biking efforts, so I wanted to do a bike today, too.
The swim in the morning? Hah, what a joke! That's why I don't schedule Monday morning workouts. I didn't make it.
Bike at lunch went well. This was the first time I've taken my bike to work for a bike at lunch. I researched some hills near work, and found a 1.5mile hill with 500ft elevation gain. I did it twice to get a feel for the timing so I can schedule it again. Two times up, each just over 9 minutes, and then up the big hill back to work in 3:33. Total of 30 minutes out. I can add one more time up the hill and still make it back to work on time. That's good to know. So, today was a good workout (albeit a bit short) and I know I can schedule that workout plus one more time up the hill for lunch workouts.
The run? Didn't happen cuz I was at work later than normal. And if I had taken Paul then (because I had baby duty cuz Tera was at a meeting), then he would have fallen asleep in the cruiser, making it difficult to get him back to bed asleep. I simply didn't want to play that game, so no run.
I hope I can make up the run tomorrow and still get in the Portland-simulation hill three times. We'll see. Weather is supposed to be rainy, 70% chance of rain, and thunderstorms.
I had to change up my schedule a bit today, and it didn't work very well. First, the swine flu required some additional time at work. I work in public health emergency preparedness/response, so the swine flu has us busy.
Tera had a meeting after work at 5:30, so I figured I would just swim in the morning, then bike at lunch, and run after work. I normally swim at lunch and bike after work on Mondays, leaving the biking to Tuesdays and beyond. I've refocused my biking efforts, so I wanted to do a bike today, too.
The swim in the morning? Hah, what a joke! That's why I don't schedule Monday morning workouts. I didn't make it.
Bike at lunch went well. This was the first time I've taken my bike to work for a bike at lunch. I researched some hills near work, and found a 1.5mile hill with 500ft elevation gain. I did it twice to get a feel for the timing so I can schedule it again. Two times up, each just over 9 minutes, and then up the big hill back to work in 3:33. Total of 30 minutes out. I can add one more time up the hill and still make it back to work on time. That's good to know. So, today was a good workout (albeit a bit short) and I know I can schedule that workout plus one more time up the hill for lunch workouts.
The run? Didn't happen cuz I was at work later than normal. And if I had taken Paul then (because I had baby duty cuz Tera was at a meeting), then he would have fallen asleep in the cruiser, making it difficult to get him back to bed asleep. I simply didn't want to play that game, so no run.
I hope I can make up the run tomorrow and still get in the Portland-simulation hill three times. We'll see. Weather is supposed to be rainy, 70% chance of rain, and thunderstorms.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
R/R done
This shortened R/R week is done. I had a nice weekend and I feel refreshed. I should because I ate about 3,000 calories Saturday night a fundraiser for my church's school. I haven't been able to stop eating the past few days. So much for finally getting rid of some of the winter weight.
Tomorrow will be the first day that I try to bike at lunch instead of swim. My wife has a meeting at 5:30pm, so I'll run after work instead of at lunch, when I normally swim. My swim will be in the morning, which about two months ago I decided I didn't want to get up on Monday mornings anymore. We'll see how it goes. I'm trying to work in more bike workouts because I'm feeling like I'm actually making some good gains on the bike now that I'm out on the road and can think about what it will be like on race day.
I'm pretty excited about getting into another three week groove. Not too many schedule problems in the way of a good cycle at this point.
Tomorrow will be the first day that I try to bike at lunch instead of swim. My wife has a meeting at 5:30pm, so I'll run after work instead of at lunch, when I normally swim. My swim will be in the morning, which about two months ago I decided I didn't want to get up on Monday mornings anymore. We'll see how it goes. I'm trying to work in more bike workouts because I'm feeling like I'm actually making some good gains on the bike now that I'm out on the road and can think about what it will be like on race day.
I'm pretty excited about getting into another three week groove. Not too many schedule problems in the way of a good cycle at this point.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
R/R Period
Taking a break. I extended the last week to 10 days of workouts, now taking four days off or R/R. Nice days, but I need to take a break. Break time planned to coincide with a trip to Austin, TX for work. I didn't feel like I was wasting time on the airplane because I wanted to just sit anyway. Weather looks rainy all next week except Monday.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
First Race Distance Brick of the year
Completed the first brick of the year with Olympic distances: 40k bike and 10k run. Came in at 2:11, without the swim. Kind of slow, but that's pretty much where I was at for the last tri race of the year last year in September. I also give myself a few extra points because I was on very tired legs and the bike was incredibly windy today, and it was coming from all directions. The wind in the Portneuf Gap really is crazy.
At some point, I screwed up the splits on my watch, so the times are questionable. That really sucks because I wanted to use this as my baseline for the year's training. The time on my bike computer and the splits on my watch didn't match, which is really strange. My watch said I finished in 2:02, but I'm pretty sure it's more like a 2:11. The mess up came somewhere between my last bike split and start of the run.
Bike 40k: 1:14
run 10k: 57:10 (about .2 miles longer than actual 10k and has hills)
The bike was good except for the wind. One of the side winds almost blew me over. Crazy.
The run was much slower than I figured it would be, and the split time problem really puts this time in question. I was running slower than normal, but it didn't feel that slow. This time would give me a minute per mile slower than normal. But it was a nice run, except on one of the hills I really felt like walking (I kept up the pace though).
I got this one out of the way, and the first one is always the hardest.
At some point, I screwed up the splits on my watch, so the times are questionable. That really sucks because I wanted to use this as my baseline for the year's training. The time on my bike computer and the splits on my watch didn't match, which is really strange. My watch said I finished in 2:02, but I'm pretty sure it's more like a 2:11. The mess up came somewhere between my last bike split and start of the run.
Bike 40k: 1:14
run 10k: 57:10 (about .2 miles longer than actual 10k and has hills)
The bike was good except for the wind. One of the side winds almost blew me over. Crazy.
The run was much slower than I figured it would be, and the split time problem really puts this time in question. I was running slower than normal, but it didn't feel that slow. This time would give me a minute per mile slower than normal. But it was a nice run, except on one of the hills I really felt like walking (I kept up the pace though).
I got this one out of the way, and the first one is always the hardest.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Long run in beautiful weather
Took advantage of another beautiful day. Nine miles pushing Paul. Great run. I think I even got a bit of sunburn.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Awesome Day for a bike ride!
Great spring weather is still holding. I'm supposed to be on a R/R week, but I feel like I'm in a good groove, I'm not tired, and I can't waste this good weather while it's here. It's supposed to get cool and rainy late Thursday and into the weekend. So I'm repeating last week (Build 3 Week 3) until I leave for a trip for work on Thursday afternoon. The weekend will be my rest period.
Got a good swim in at lunch. It was hard not to run instead, but I can run tomorrow with Paul but I can't swim tomorrow. I did my sprints, and upped the 100's to 4 sets and 50s to 8 sets, then dropped the 25s to 8 sets from 12. Time is the main factor here because I have only one hour to get to the pool, swim, and get back to work during lunch. The swims sets went well, and best of all I was the only one in the pool for about 80% of the swim! Wooohooo!
After work, I did the route that simulates the hill at the Portland tri. The race is three loops, but I did only two. The part I'm training for is a 3 mile hill that is the first 40% of each lap. To get to that area, I have to go up a huge hill, so that counts as an extra hill for this workout. Anyway, I did the hill for the first time in 13:30 or so, and the second time up was in 11:33. The first time I did this last week, I got up in 15:45. So, clearly, just getting out there and doing it is making me faster! I found out today where the sweet spot is for my cadence on this hill; it's about 93-96 cadence. That's much higher than I expected, but I can't argue with the times, so that's what I'm going with. All in all, this is exactly the type of stuff that "race specific training" is supposed to do. I'm still trying to figure out what my times up that hill will have to be to get me into the 1hr5min category for the race. I know I have to do 22 minute laps to get a 1hr 6min in three laps. The issue is I don't know how fast I can go down the hill on the course because I don't know the grade, the wind, and the curves.
Got a good swim in at lunch. It was hard not to run instead, but I can run tomorrow with Paul but I can't swim tomorrow. I did my sprints, and upped the 100's to 4 sets and 50s to 8 sets, then dropped the 25s to 8 sets from 12. Time is the main factor here because I have only one hour to get to the pool, swim, and get back to work during lunch. The swims sets went well, and best of all I was the only one in the pool for about 80% of the swim! Wooohooo!
After work, I did the route that simulates the hill at the Portland tri. The race is three loops, but I did only two. The part I'm training for is a 3 mile hill that is the first 40% of each lap. To get to that area, I have to go up a huge hill, so that counts as an extra hill for this workout. Anyway, I did the hill for the first time in 13:30 or so, and the second time up was in 11:33. The first time I did this last week, I got up in 15:45. So, clearly, just getting out there and doing it is making me faster! I found out today where the sweet spot is for my cadence on this hill; it's about 93-96 cadence. That's much higher than I expected, but I can't argue with the times, so that's what I'm going with. All in all, this is exactly the type of stuff that "race specific training" is supposed to do. I'm still trying to figure out what my times up that hill will have to be to get me into the 1hr5min category for the race. I know I have to do 22 minute laps to get a 1hr 6min in three laps. The issue is I don't know how fast I can go down the hill on the course because I don't know the grade, the wind, and the curves.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Bike n Ski...no run, though
Last day of cross-training! Got in a 90 minute uphill ski of about 3000 feet. One short run on the Pebble backside with fair snow. Then we came down from the top into South Bowl. Again, the snow was a bit heavy and the turns were pretty tight amongst some of the trees, but who cares what the snow is like on a day like this? Sunny skies, very little wind, and about 50 degrees on the mountain. This little adventure wrapped up the ski season for the year. I think I finally have it out of my system for a few months!
This morning I did a 40k bike ride. I didn't push real hard and came in at 1:21. Going out, I averaged 22mph, and when I turned around I realized why it was so fast....the wind was pushing hard. On the way back, I averaged only 15.75, and I took a couple breaks along the way to just kind of cruise and enjoy the incredibly awesome morning, sunny skies and snow in the local mountains.
I got a late start because I wanted it to be at least 45 degrees when I started, so I didn't get going til 9am. My toes still froze, and I'm glad I wore pants and a long sleeve! I didn't run because there wasn't enough time between the bike and departure for skiing.
All in all, this is my kind of day. Bike, ski, and tonight Tera and I are going out for dinner and a play at Century High School. Woohoo! Grandma and Great Aunt get to take care of Paul tonight.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Nice weather!
Standard workout day but missed my run. Paul wokeup two minutes before my alarm clock was to go off to go to my swim. Totally ruined my concentration, so I went back to bed. I guess that balances out the good I did by running in the snow on Tuesday. I'm REALLY BAD when I can't just get up and go in the morning.
Swam at lunch, though, instead of going for a run. It was tempting to run instead of swim, but I had made that decision already in the morning when I didn't take running gear to work. Swam 1x1500 in 22:39. My splits look like I counted laps right, so I have to put that in the "slow" category. I need that number to be around 20:30 at the end of May. Cutting two minutes is going to be tough. But I need to concentrate on the bike, so I can't really up my workouts for swimming.
After work, the weather was great and I biked 13 miles, a standard short route I use when I have something planned for later in the night. Avg mph came in at 19.98, which I consider good for today because I didn't push very hard and there was a fair amount of wind.
Tomorrow I'm doing a full race distance bike and run. I don't plan to go hard, but I want to do it because this is the end of a build week and next week is R/R, so I want to be tired. I also want to use it as a starting point for my training to see where my run endurance is at. I don't feel like I have a good run base right now, so I need to figure out the real deal on that. And the weather is supposed to be awesome.
Tera's mom and aunt are here, so I have all day Saturday to myself. And the weather is supposed to be great. And there is alot of new snow in the local mountains. That can mean only one thing: I'm getting in another ski day for the year! The lift is closed, so we have to hike up. I will be tired from my brick workout, so I don't know how many climbs I'll have in my legs. But even just one run will be worth it.
Swam at lunch, though, instead of going for a run. It was tempting to run instead of swim, but I had made that decision already in the morning when I didn't take running gear to work. Swam 1x1500 in 22:39. My splits look like I counted laps right, so I have to put that in the "slow" category. I need that number to be around 20:30 at the end of May. Cutting two minutes is going to be tough. But I need to concentrate on the bike, so I can't really up my workouts for swimming.
After work, the weather was great and I biked 13 miles, a standard short route I use when I have something planned for later in the night. Avg mph came in at 19.98, which I consider good for today because I didn't push very hard and there was a fair amount of wind.
Tomorrow I'm doing a full race distance bike and run. I don't plan to go hard, but I want to do it because this is the end of a build week and next week is R/R, so I want to be tired. I also want to use it as a starting point for my training to see where my run endurance is at. I don't feel like I have a good run base right now, so I need to figure out the real deal on that. And the weather is supposed to be awesome.
Tera's mom and aunt are here, so I have all day Saturday to myself. And the weather is supposed to be great. And there is alot of new snow in the local mountains. That can mean only one thing: I'm getting in another ski day for the year! The lift is closed, so we have to hike up. I will be tired from my brick workout, so I don't know how many climbs I'll have in my legs. But even just one run will be worth it.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Taking the day off
Wow, sometimes life just catches up and you have to do other things than workout. The last few days of great workouts have caught up to me, and I'm whooped today. And I had to make a trip to Boise yesterday; got home at 1:30am. Had a work presentation Tuesday night, and another work committment tonight...kind of seems like I'm doing the night shift this week. That's not good for my workout schedule.
Yesteday was great, though. I did my swim, 2x700. Finished in 11:06 and 11:38, and I think I counted right on the last set but not sure. I upped the swim from 3x500 to 2x700, forgetting that it should actually be a 750. Oh well. And there's a big difference between 500 and 700 yards when going at a near-race-pace. I'm used to the 500s, and the last 4 laps of the 700 (the extra 200 yards) is something I had to struggle through. The struggle means I have room for improvement, so that's good. And I still have to make it a 750 instead of a 700. And I have to get it down to about 10:20ish to meet a 20minute 1500 race time goal.
From the pool, I ran down to the track to do my run sprints. 1x800, 1x400, 1x200, 1x100 and run back. I wanted to double this set this week, but it just wasn't there, and the rain started during my 100. I really hate that 800. The 400 is doable. The 800 simply hurts alot. If I could get mentally ready for a second 800, I know I could do the rest of a second set. Running is mostly a mental game of pain management for me....some days I win, some days I lose.
Still planning a day of skiing on Saturday after a brick of 40k bike and 10k run. Lifts are closed, so it's a hike up the hill. After that brick, my skiing might be cut short from being tired. We'll see!
Weather is supposed to turn nice for a few days beginning Saturday. Whoohoo!
Yesteday was great, though. I did my swim, 2x700. Finished in 11:06 and 11:38, and I think I counted right on the last set but not sure. I upped the swim from 3x500 to 2x700, forgetting that it should actually be a 750. Oh well. And there's a big difference between 500 and 700 yards when going at a near-race-pace. I'm used to the 500s, and the last 4 laps of the 700 (the extra 200 yards) is something I had to struggle through. The struggle means I have room for improvement, so that's good. And I still have to make it a 750 instead of a 700. And I have to get it down to about 10:20ish to meet a 20minute 1500 race time goal.
From the pool, I ran down to the track to do my run sprints. 1x800, 1x400, 1x200, 1x100 and run back. I wanted to double this set this week, but it just wasn't there, and the rain started during my 100. I really hate that 800. The 400 is doable. The 800 simply hurts alot. If I could get mentally ready for a second 800, I know I could do the rest of a second set. Running is mostly a mental game of pain management for me....some days I win, some days I lose.
Still planning a day of skiing on Saturday after a brick of 40k bike and 10k run. Lifts are closed, so it's a hike up the hill. After that brick, my skiing might be cut short from being tired. We'll see!
Weather is supposed to turn nice for a few days beginning Saturday. Whoohoo!
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Strange days
So it snowed today! Go figure. I don't put the shovel away til May 15 anyway.
I watched the snow all morning, mixed with rain but no wind. I thought "Today is the day that I'll workout and somebody else won't, and when we meet, I'll win." The fact that there was no wind helped alot. I put Paul in the cruiser, wrapped him up nice and warm, grabbed the dog, and off we went on our usual 2.7 mile lap, planning two laps. The dog was tired after the first lap, and Paul was sleeping soundly. I dropped the dog off at home, and headed off on the second lap. By now, I was thinking "If Paul stays asleep, I'm going for a third lap." I did a nine-miler on Monday last week and decided I wanted one long run like that each week. Today was the day cuz I biked on the trainer Monday night instead of running because of weather. I finished the third lap, and Paul woke up half way through and just kind of sat there like he always does (I wish I could tell if he actually likes it or not!). So, a good 8.7 mile run, and I felt good about it.
Then I did a Spinnerval 28 workout at 5:30. I didn't expect alot from it because my legs were really tired Monday night (I just eased through a 45 min steady ride). And I knew I would have to cut it a bit short because I had a work committement; I had to be off the bike at 6:15. This was my best Spinnerval 28 workout yet. I cranked out the high gear with the highest cadence and lowest (relatively) heart rates yet. I was mentally prepared, but I'm suprised by what was in my legs. Maybe it was the shot of hammer gel before the workout that I normally don't take but it was leftover from the weekend race and I didn't want it to go bad. Anyway, I am very happy with that workout.
I bought some melatonin last week to try to help me sleep. There are no known major side affects, but I did read everywhere that it can cause lucid dreams. The first night I took it, I slept great and woke up very refreshed. The second night I took it, I had a very crazy dream. I haven't taken it since. For five bucks, I got 300 5mg pills. Now I have 298 I don't plan to use but have available. I really did sleep great with it, but the dream was a bit much. I normally don't remember my dreams, so it's doubly suprising that way.
Swim speed drills on Monday were good. I'm using a competition suit now instead of the usual running shorts with an open pocket on one side. I think that one open pocket is causing a muscle imbalance to begin, and I think it's creating bad form. So, I made the switch. Splits were about 15 seconds faster on the 100s! So I added one 100, 2 50s, and 2 25s. Felt great
I watched the snow all morning, mixed with rain but no wind. I thought "Today is the day that I'll workout and somebody else won't, and when we meet, I'll win." The fact that there was no wind helped alot. I put Paul in the cruiser, wrapped him up nice and warm, grabbed the dog, and off we went on our usual 2.7 mile lap, planning two laps. The dog was tired after the first lap, and Paul was sleeping soundly. I dropped the dog off at home, and headed off on the second lap. By now, I was thinking "If Paul stays asleep, I'm going for a third lap." I did a nine-miler on Monday last week and decided I wanted one long run like that each week. Today was the day cuz I biked on the trainer Monday night instead of running because of weather. I finished the third lap, and Paul woke up half way through and just kind of sat there like he always does (I wish I could tell if he actually likes it or not!). So, a good 8.7 mile run, and I felt good about it.
Then I did a Spinnerval 28 workout at 5:30. I didn't expect alot from it because my legs were really tired Monday night (I just eased through a 45 min steady ride). And I knew I would have to cut it a bit short because I had a work committement; I had to be off the bike at 6:15. This was my best Spinnerval 28 workout yet. I cranked out the high gear with the highest cadence and lowest (relatively) heart rates yet. I was mentally prepared, but I'm suprised by what was in my legs. Maybe it was the shot of hammer gel before the workout that I normally don't take but it was leftover from the weekend race and I didn't want it to go bad. Anyway, I am very happy with that workout.
I bought some melatonin last week to try to help me sleep. There are no known major side affects, but I did read everywhere that it can cause lucid dreams. The first night I took it, I slept great and woke up very refreshed. The second night I took it, I had a very crazy dream. I haven't taken it since. For five bucks, I got 300 5mg pills. Now I have 298 I don't plan to use but have available. I really did sleep great with it, but the dream was a bit much. I normally don't remember my dreams, so it's doubly suprising that way.
Swim speed drills on Monday were good. I'm using a competition suit now instead of the usual running shorts with an open pocket on one side. I think that one open pocket is causing a muscle imbalance to begin, and I think it's creating bad form. So, I made the switch. Splits were about 15 seconds faster on the 100s! So I added one 100, 2 50s, and 2 25s. Felt great
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Easter Day. He is risen!
No workout today, unless you count pushing Paul in the swing as a workout. It was a beautiful day today. I ate way too much!
Here are a couple of pix from today.
Me and Paul on beautiful Easter Day
Tera and Paul today, Easter 2009
Me and Paul after the Bengal Tri on Saturday.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
First Bengal Tri
Happy Easter everyone! He is risen!
The first Bengal Tri is in the books. It was a really well-run race. I met alot of the people I see around the gym and on my running routes. It was mostly local folks, but a few people from Salt Lake, including a couple of Air Force Academy guys home for the weekend. The weather turned out to be great! Clear skies and no wind in the morning.
The race itself went well for me. I did about what I expected to, although my bike was slower than I wanted. I kind of feel like I wasted three months of winter training because I didn't see any gains today; I went a half-mile per hour slower for half the distance than I did at the Bear Lake Brawl in September 08. But it's early and I was in pretty good shape for that September race. I'll take it as a success in maintaining that bike capability over a long winter.
The picture is me and Paul after the race. He's already getting into it! We got to run through the Bengal at the finish line, and it was neater than you'd think.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Various thoughts
This post will be a hodge podge of thoughts.
My neck and back are sore from the new bike position. That should take about two weeks to get used to. I got a small massage at Costco today, where I go to hang out with Paul because he tends to fall asleep there. Anyway, I found a massage recliner that is AWESOME. The "fingers" get both sides of the spine, right next to the spine and all way down your back. It doesn't get the neck very well, but my lower back is usually the sore spot anyway. I sat in there for about tweny minutes while Paul slept. I'm sure it was a wierd site for people to see an empty cart with a sleeping baby in it in the middle of the aisle, and then they would see me sitting in the chair in the racks. But it felt great!
My abs are sore today. Probably from a combination of the uphill biking and the sprints I did yesterday. I always find my abs are sore after either of those, and I did both within a 24 hour period.
The sprints were a good but very short workout. I did a 800 warmup, then a 800 run on 2:57, then a 400 on 1:21, then a 200 and 100 (I forget the times). The 800 really sucked, and I positive splitted by about 16 seconds (1:21 v 1:36). The last 150 yards were brutal and hurt alot. The 400 went alot better, and I died on only the last 50. The 200 and 100 went 100% the entire way, which is nice. I figure I can do two sets of these during a standard lunch hour, but I really don't like the idea of how much that second 800 is going to hurt! There is a middle school with a track right by my work that will work great for sprint workouts once school is out in Mid-May. I like the idea of that workout once a week, but like I said the second 800 is going to be really painful.
I went for a 3 mile run with Paul again today. It was supposed to rain this morning and clear up this afternoon, so I waited to run til this afternoon. Of course, it started raining halfway through the run. So I bailed on a second lap. Paul fell asleep during the run, which I guess is good. He sure sleeps better at night when he takes naps. Funny thing is that he only sleeps 30 minutes at a time, and you get set a watch by that 30 minutes!
I swam yesterday morning. Was supposed to be 3x500 but I only did 2x500. On the last lap of my second 500, I hit a ladie's paddle with my arm during recovery, and it hurt. She was kind of pissed off about! But I was sharing a lane and she wasn't, so why she wasn't in the middle of her lane I don't know. Anyway, I just didn't feel like swimming another 500 after her attitude kind of ruined my morning. The other thing about that workout was that I couldn't count laps for anything. How hard is it to count laps?!?!?! Well, it's not simple when you get into your little happy place while swimming laps. I did a 8:40 and 8:55, and I figure I had to have done two extra laps, but that would be a 7:10 or so on the first lap, and I'm not that fast, but it was certainly faster than a 8:40, counting the extra laps as my usual 40second laps. Who knows?! I'm just chalking it up to a bad workout.
I got a new pair of googles. They are AquaSphere and are marketed as having 180 degree vision. We'll see if that's true. I need something that gives me more visibility in open water, and I figure these should work pretty good. They are "guaranteed" not to leak. Ha! I'll believe it when I see it.
And I'm changing to some competition swim shorts for my workouts. I think I'm getting some bad form by using my standard running shorts because the pocket on the back creates an uneven drag, making it harder to pull with my right arm than with my left arm. Maybe I'm overanalyzing again, but that's my thought. I'll find out tomorrow morning.
Weather is not cooperating again for outside biking. It's supposed to be rainy for the next few days. I just don't like biking in the rain. For one, I don't feel safe because the tires are so skinny. Second, I don't think others can see me as well. And third, I don't simply don't like it. But I supposed I need to get out there in the rain some day so that I know what to expect if it's raining on race day sometime.
Tomorrow is the swim portion of the Bengal tri. It's a 700 yarder. No sweat; I just want to do the race for the heck of it. Then Saturday morning is the bike and run. That will count as my first all-outdoor brick, which I had planned to do anyway very soon. For $10, I get to meet the other triathletes in town, a cool shirt, and a reason to bike in the rain. It'll be worth it, but I might not like it.
My neck and back are sore from the new bike position. That should take about two weeks to get used to. I got a small massage at Costco today, where I go to hang out with Paul because he tends to fall asleep there. Anyway, I found a massage recliner that is AWESOME. The "fingers" get both sides of the spine, right next to the spine and all way down your back. It doesn't get the neck very well, but my lower back is usually the sore spot anyway. I sat in there for about tweny minutes while Paul slept. I'm sure it was a wierd site for people to see an empty cart with a sleeping baby in it in the middle of the aisle, and then they would see me sitting in the chair in the racks. But it felt great!
My abs are sore today. Probably from a combination of the uphill biking and the sprints I did yesterday. I always find my abs are sore after either of those, and I did both within a 24 hour period.
The sprints were a good but very short workout. I did a 800 warmup, then a 800 run on 2:57, then a 400 on 1:21, then a 200 and 100 (I forget the times). The 800 really sucked, and I positive splitted by about 16 seconds (1:21 v 1:36). The last 150 yards were brutal and hurt alot. The 400 went alot better, and I died on only the last 50. The 200 and 100 went 100% the entire way, which is nice. I figure I can do two sets of these during a standard lunch hour, but I really don't like the idea of how much that second 800 is going to hurt! There is a middle school with a track right by my work that will work great for sprint workouts once school is out in Mid-May. I like the idea of that workout once a week, but like I said the second 800 is going to be really painful.
I went for a 3 mile run with Paul again today. It was supposed to rain this morning and clear up this afternoon, so I waited to run til this afternoon. Of course, it started raining halfway through the run. So I bailed on a second lap. Paul fell asleep during the run, which I guess is good. He sure sleeps better at night when he takes naps. Funny thing is that he only sleeps 30 minutes at a time, and you get set a watch by that 30 minutes!
I swam yesterday morning. Was supposed to be 3x500 but I only did 2x500. On the last lap of my second 500, I hit a ladie's paddle with my arm during recovery, and it hurt. She was kind of pissed off about! But I was sharing a lane and she wasn't, so why she wasn't in the middle of her lane I don't know. Anyway, I just didn't feel like swimming another 500 after her attitude kind of ruined my morning. The other thing about that workout was that I couldn't count laps for anything. How hard is it to count laps?!?!?! Well, it's not simple when you get into your little happy place while swimming laps. I did a 8:40 and 8:55, and I figure I had to have done two extra laps, but that would be a 7:10 or so on the first lap, and I'm not that fast, but it was certainly faster than a 8:40, counting the extra laps as my usual 40second laps. Who knows?! I'm just chalking it up to a bad workout.
I got a new pair of googles. They are AquaSphere and are marketed as having 180 degree vision. We'll see if that's true. I need something that gives me more visibility in open water, and I figure these should work pretty good. They are "guaranteed" not to leak. Ha! I'll believe it when I see it.
And I'm changing to some competition swim shorts for my workouts. I think I'm getting some bad form by using my standard running shorts because the pocket on the back creates an uneven drag, making it harder to pull with my right arm than with my left arm. Maybe I'm overanalyzing again, but that's my thought. I'll find out tomorrow morning.
Weather is not cooperating again for outside biking. It's supposed to be rainy for the next few days. I just don't like biking in the rain. For one, I don't feel safe because the tires are so skinny. Second, I don't think others can see me as well. And third, I don't simply don't like it. But I supposed I need to get out there in the rain some day so that I know what to expect if it's raining on race day sometime.
Tomorrow is the swim portion of the Bengal tri. It's a 700 yarder. No sweat; I just want to do the race for the heck of it. Then Saturday morning is the bike and run. That will count as my first all-outdoor brick, which I had planned to do anyway very soon. For $10, I get to meet the other triathletes in town, a cool shirt, and a reason to bike in the rain. It'll be worth it, but I might not like it.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
First go at Portland Tri rehearsal route
I'm doing the Portland Tri in August, and it has a big hill in it (450ft in 3.23 miles). I suck at hills, which I found out during the Bear Lake Brawl last year (and those were small hills). So I found a hill with a similar profile in terms of elevation gain and distance; there is probably a small difference but this is the one I'm "rehearsing" on for the Portland Tri, which is going to be my biggest race of the year.
Today was the first day I did this hill for a workout. I only did the hill once, but the Portland Tri is a three-loop bike route, which means I have to do the hill three times. But I needed to find out what it felt like. I averaged 12mph up the hill, which I have no idea if that's bad or good. I don't remember any significant wind but there was a breeze into my face on the uphill. It was good to get the first go at this hill out of the way. Now I know how long the workout will take if I do it three times, including the route there (up and over a different big hill on the way out and back, too). The weather was great! 70degrees and sunny! If I average 12mph on the up, I have to average 32 (unrealistic!) on the down to come out at 22mph overall average, which is 2mph shy of my goal. So I guess I have to get that hill speed up to 14 three times in a row. 14mph on the up with a 30mph on the down averages 22mph, too. Maybe I shouldn't over-analyze.
Bike stem update: the new 80mm stem is certainly shorter, but I still didn't keep my hands at the end of the aero bars, which is where they are supposed to be. A 50mm is probably where I would be most comfortable, and that is 1.2 inches shorter. I'm not going to spend another $30 on a stem this year, so I'm stuck with a good-enough-but-not-perfect setup for this year. I could definitely feel that I wasn't sliding forward on the bars, and I think my legs felt better because of it. Also, there was certainly less pressure on the pressure points on the seat, which is always good. My back and neck felt some additional strain from the new position, but I'll get used to that. It's a bit harder to hold my head up with the shorter stem.
Also did an easy 3 miler with Paul in the cruiser earlier in the day. It's nice to just go for a jog (not run) with Paul and Sooner (my dog) on a beautiful day.
I also finally tried something to help my calf muscle pain, which is a recurring pain (not really an injury) every spring that eventually goes away at some point about half way into the summer. I tried the old rolling pin trick, and it worked great. That pain is about completely gone when I walk, and I couldn't even feel it on the run today. I'm going to keep doing it for several minutes several times a day.
Today was the first day I did this hill for a workout. I only did the hill once, but the Portland Tri is a three-loop bike route, which means I have to do the hill three times. But I needed to find out what it felt like. I averaged 12mph up the hill, which I have no idea if that's bad or good. I don't remember any significant wind but there was a breeze into my face on the uphill. It was good to get the first go at this hill out of the way. Now I know how long the workout will take if I do it three times, including the route there (up and over a different big hill on the way out and back, too). The weather was great! 70degrees and sunny! If I average 12mph on the up, I have to average 32 (unrealistic!) on the down to come out at 22mph overall average, which is 2mph shy of my goal. So I guess I have to get that hill speed up to 14 three times in a row. 14mph on the up with a 30mph on the down averages 22mph, too. Maybe I shouldn't over-analyze.
Bike stem update: the new 80mm stem is certainly shorter, but I still didn't keep my hands at the end of the aero bars, which is where they are supposed to be. A 50mm is probably where I would be most comfortable, and that is 1.2 inches shorter. I'm not going to spend another $30 on a stem this year, so I'm stuck with a good-enough-but-not-perfect setup for this year. I could definitely feel that I wasn't sliding forward on the bars, and I think my legs felt better because of it. Also, there was certainly less pressure on the pressure points on the seat, which is always good. My back and neck felt some additional strain from the new position, but I'll get used to that. It's a bit harder to hold my head up with the shorter stem.
Also did an easy 3 miler with Paul in the cruiser earlier in the day. It's nice to just go for a jog (not run) with Paul and Sooner (my dog) on a beautiful day.
I also finally tried something to help my calf muscle pain, which is a recurring pain (not really an injury) every spring that eventually goes away at some point about half way into the summer. I tried the old rolling pin trick, and it worked great. That pain is about completely gone when I walk, and I couldn't even feel it on the run today. I'm going to keep doing it for several minutes several times a day.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Great day...AWESOME weather
A good start to Build 3 Week 2. I recovered nearly 100% from yesterday's ski. And I've embraced the idea of not scheduling a Monday morning workout; it's great.
Hit the pool for sprints today at lunch. 200wu, 2x100, 4x50, 8x25, 200 cooldown. Short and sweet. Average heart rate was about 150, which is high for me but normal on the springs. Interesting that my hard sprint on the 50's came in on 40-41 seconds, but my cooldown times for each 50 were 44-45. With such a significant difference in effort level, I was expecting a more significant difference in times. But that 4 to 5 seconds is 8 to 10 percent, so it kind of makes sense...but not entirely.
Was planning a hard 5.4 miles after work. All day, I looked out the window at the most awesome spring day weather so far. So I upped the mileage to 9 miles just to spend more time outside and kept up a good pace. This 9 mile route is on the local trails and has some significant hills. When I stepped off, I decided I wanted to see if I could do 9 minute mile average. I came it at 1:21:47, averaging 9:05 miles. The best part was getting out on mostly dry trails under a warm sun. A nice run. It would have been great, but my right calf muscle started "paining" again. That always happens when I run steep hills. Hurts on both the up and down hills, but no pain on the flats. Not sure what it is, and stretching only helps a little. I think it is simply a muscle imbalance.
This was the longest run of the year, and probably the longest I'll do to train for olympic distance; 9 miles is almost 50% longer than race distance. But it's only half of the distance I'm doing for the Pocatello 50; given that today didn't really hurt, I'm fairly certain I can grunt out the last half of the 18 miles because it is mostly downhill (yeah!).
Weather changes again on Wednesday, back to cool and wet/snow. But tomorrow is supposed to be almost as nice as today.
And I'm pretty sure I'll do the Bengal Triathlon just for the heck of it. That's this weekend. Certainly a "C" race. I'll just count it as my first outdoor brick.
And I got a new stem for my bike this past weekend. I went with an 80mm cuz it's the shortest they had on hand and felt good. We'll see tomorrow when I get on the bike!
Hit the pool for sprints today at lunch. 200wu, 2x100, 4x50, 8x25, 200 cooldown. Short and sweet. Average heart rate was about 150, which is high for me but normal on the springs. Interesting that my hard sprint on the 50's came in on 40-41 seconds, but my cooldown times for each 50 were 44-45. With such a significant difference in effort level, I was expecting a more significant difference in times. But that 4 to 5 seconds is 8 to 10 percent, so it kind of makes sense...but not entirely.
Was planning a hard 5.4 miles after work. All day, I looked out the window at the most awesome spring day weather so far. So I upped the mileage to 9 miles just to spend more time outside and kept up a good pace. This 9 mile route is on the local trails and has some significant hills. When I stepped off, I decided I wanted to see if I could do 9 minute mile average. I came it at 1:21:47, averaging 9:05 miles. The best part was getting out on mostly dry trails under a warm sun. A nice run. It would have been great, but my right calf muscle started "paining" again. That always happens when I run steep hills. Hurts on both the up and down hills, but no pain on the flats. Not sure what it is, and stretching only helps a little. I think it is simply a muscle imbalance.
This was the longest run of the year, and probably the longest I'll do to train for olympic distance; 9 miles is almost 50% longer than race distance. But it's only half of the distance I'm doing for the Pocatello 50; given that today didn't really hurt, I'm fairly certain I can grunt out the last half of the 18 miles because it is mostly downhill (yeah!).
Weather changes again on Wednesday, back to cool and wet/snow. But tomorrow is supposed to be almost as nice as today.
And I'm pretty sure I'll do the Bengal Triathlon just for the heck of it. That's this weekend. Certainly a "C" race. I'll just count it as my first outdoor brick.
And I got a new stem for my bike this past weekend. I went with an 80mm cuz it's the shortest they had on hand and felt good. We'll see tomorrow when I get on the bike!
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Last ski day?
A most AWESOME and BEAUTIFUL day here in Southeast Idaho. The weather man had been forecasting this day since last Sunday, and the rain/snow he was forecasting during the week came, too. So the plan since last week was to go skiing today, thinking it's probably the last of the year. There will definitely be enough snow for at least three weeks, but the lift is closed after today, which means that it's a one hour hike up the hill.
Anyway, we got in two runs plus the lift-side run back down to the car. The skies were blue and there was NO wind. Incredible day! Snow was good. Not great, but good. And on a day like this, who cares what the snow is like? It's just great to get on the skis under blue skies finally.
So I logged 3.5 hours of cross-training today w/ average heart rate of 140. Quads and hamstrings got burned up pretty good, and my face would have been sunburned but I put on sunscreen three times and my face still got a bit red.
So I think that the skiing is out of my system now but I'm still holding out for maybe a couple of hours next week.
Next weekend is the Bengal Triathlon in Pocatello. It's a really early season triathlon. Pool swim of 700 yards on Friday night followed by sprint distance bike and run on Saturday morning on the same routes that I workout on. Still not sure I'll do it. I guess I'm waiting to see what the weather is supposed to be like....I'm definitely a fair-weather biker, and I draw the line for running at a heavy rain and high winds w/ temps under 40 degrees.
For anyone not in Pocatello, the photo shows what the standard slope looks like:
Anyway, we got in two runs plus the lift-side run back down to the car. The skies were blue and there was NO wind. Incredible day! Snow was good. Not great, but good. And on a day like this, who cares what the snow is like? It's just great to get on the skis under blue skies finally.
So I logged 3.5 hours of cross-training today w/ average heart rate of 140. Quads and hamstrings got burned up pretty good, and my face would have been sunburned but I put on sunscreen three times and my face still got a bit red.
So I think that the skiing is out of my system now but I'm still holding out for maybe a couple of hours next week.
Next weekend is the Bengal Triathlon in Pocatello. It's a really early season triathlon. Pool swim of 700 yards on Friday night followed by sprint distance bike and run on Saturday morning on the same routes that I workout on. Still not sure I'll do it. I guess I'm waiting to see what the weather is supposed to be like....I'm definitely a fair-weather biker, and I draw the line for running at a heavy rain and high winds w/ temps under 40 degrees.
For anyone not in Pocatello, the photo shows what the standard slope looks like:
Friday, April 3, 2009
Dropping weights..Good swim and run
I've decided to drop the weight lifting from my PT schedule for the foreseeable future. I felt much stronger in the pool Wed and Frid (this morning), and I'm pretty sure it's because I wasn't lifting weights and was a getting a good recovery.
My 1x1500 swim this morning was 24:30, which is slow for me. I looked at my logs from Aug 08, and I was swimming 1500 in 21 minutes, when I wasn't lifting. So at this point, I'm jumping to the conclusion that it's because I wasn't lifting weights last summer.
Foreced myself to run today. 5.3 miles. Cool and windy. I really didn't want to run, but I reminded myself that I'm now into true race-prep phase and I need to get in the run miles. These were not "junk" miles. I did it simply to ensure I can do the 18 miles during the Pocatello 50 in six weeks! Times were the same as I was running in January but I ran it at a bit less effort level. Average heart rate today was 141 versus a 154 for the same time in January.
It's snowing right now. I think there is more snow in the local mountains now than there has been any other time this winter. What's up with that?! So I'm going skiing on Sunday, and it's supposed to be sunny and 50-60degrees with just a bit of wind. I'm pumped. I might have to go next weekend, too! Cross-training should be done at this point in my annual training plan, but I can't say no to what should be some great powder after the weather we've had the last several days.
And I called up the bike shop today. I should be able to test out a 70mm and 80mm stem, and purchase for $40-$80. I need to make that happen so I can get used to it in the 2 1/2 months I have before my first race.
Weather on Monday and Tuesday is supposed to be nice. Sunny and 50. Woohooo! I might have to add bike workout to Monday to get out on the road. Wednesday and later look cool and wet.
My 1x1500 swim this morning was 24:30, which is slow for me. I looked at my logs from Aug 08, and I was swimming 1500 in 21 minutes, when I wasn't lifting. So at this point, I'm jumping to the conclusion that it's because I wasn't lifting weights last summer.
Foreced myself to run today. 5.3 miles. Cool and windy. I really didn't want to run, but I reminded myself that I'm now into true race-prep phase and I need to get in the run miles. These were not "junk" miles. I did it simply to ensure I can do the 18 miles during the Pocatello 50 in six weeks! Times were the same as I was running in January but I ran it at a bit less effort level. Average heart rate today was 141 versus a 154 for the same time in January.
It's snowing right now. I think there is more snow in the local mountains now than there has been any other time this winter. What's up with that?! So I'm going skiing on Sunday, and it's supposed to be sunny and 50-60degrees with just a bit of wind. I'm pumped. I might have to go next weekend, too! Cross-training should be done at this point in my annual training plan, but I can't say no to what should be some great powder after the weather we've had the last several days.
And I called up the bike shop today. I should be able to test out a 70mm and 80mm stem, and purchase for $40-$80. I need to make that happen so I can get used to it in the 2 1/2 months I have before my first race.
Weather on Monday and Tuesday is supposed to be nice. Sunny and 50. Woohooo! I might have to add bike workout to Monday to get out on the road. Wednesday and later look cool and wet.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Weather sucks, biked inside
Well, I was hoping to be biking outside at this point, but that's not happening. Today's primary workout was the steady state ride bike, 1x45mins and 1x20mins. It went ok but not great. I added resistance to my trainer, so I don't have direct comparisons to earlier in the season anymore, but the trainer is now a closer representation to what gears I used on the road. I started in my gear 8 for 14 minuts, moved to gear 7 for 10 minutes, then down to gear 6 for the next 25 minutes; the resistance make the much of a difference. The final 20 minute set I used the gear 6 and had cadence of 85, which matches almost exactly where I'm on my 40k road route. Overall, my hearrate was 153, and that is pretty close to what I get on a road route. Right now I'm thinking my lactacte threshhold is at 158-160 for the bike. My run LT is 164, which I found last Monday during a 10k TT. I'm thinking the difference between the run and bike LT should be more.
Weather sucked again today: cold, windy, with snow. So no run with Paul. I really need to be getting in some run miles right now!
Here's my workout stats for Jan to end of March. Lots of cross-training from yurt trips and cross county skiing....keeps me from burning out on the trainer.
Swim 8.45hrs 7.54%
Bike 25.55hrs 22.80%
Run 16hrs 14.28%
Combo 7.75hrs 6.92% (hottub, stretch)
Cross 52hrs 46.41% (mostly skiing)
Weights 10.75 hrs 9.59%
Weather sucked again today: cold, windy, with snow. So no run with Paul. I really need to be getting in some run miles right now!
Here's my workout stats for Jan to end of March. Lots of cross-training from yurt trips and cross county skiing....keeps me from burning out on the trainer.
Swim 8.45hrs 7.54%
Bike 25.55hrs 22.80%
Run 16hrs 14.28%
Combo 7.75hrs 6.92% (hottub, stretch)
Cross 52hrs 46.41% (mostly skiing)
Weights 10.75 hrs 9.59%
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Good swim today
If you noticed, I posted my standard workout schedule for this phase in the right column. I put in the run speed work on Wednesday at lunch, but that is a tentative every week because of the weather. Today....didn't do it.
Swam the 3x500 today on 7:38, 7:55, and I think about 8:15. My last 500 I lost count and came in at 9:44, so I figure I did two extra laps (45 second laps x 2 = 1:30, how I got the 8:15 time). In any case, the swim felt great again. I concentrated on long and strong pulls and snapping my hip. The hip snap is something I read about a couple of months ago and have been working on. It really does work! And I did this workout at lunch, so I was awake and had time to get mentally up for it. My morning swims lack alot of intensity because I'm just waking up. The pool water is normally in the mid-80' (yes, mid 80's!) but it is now at 79, which also makes it a bit easier to maintain some intensity. Swimming hard for 30 minutes in 86 degree water is like running 90 minutes in 100 degrees. So the swim felt pretty good, and I know I kept a good long strong pull because my arms and lats are feeling.
Here's a hilarious video I found via trifuel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3S0wu4Zbfk
One of my goals for this phase is to increase the intensity. I have definitely done that! Unfortunately, another goal is to hit all my workouts, and I've already missed two of seven scheduled.
Swam the 3x500 today on 7:38, 7:55, and I think about 8:15. My last 500 I lost count and came in at 9:44, so I figure I did two extra laps (45 second laps x 2 = 1:30, how I got the 8:15 time). In any case, the swim felt great again. I concentrated on long and strong pulls and snapping my hip. The hip snap is something I read about a couple of months ago and have been working on. It really does work! And I did this workout at lunch, so I was awake and had time to get mentally up for it. My morning swims lack alot of intensity because I'm just waking up. The pool water is normally in the mid-80' (yes, mid 80's!) but it is now at 79, which also makes it a bit easier to maintain some intensity. Swimming hard for 30 minutes in 86 degree water is like running 90 minutes in 100 degrees. So the swim felt pretty good, and I know I kept a good long strong pull because my arms and lats are feeling.
Here's a hilarious video I found via trifuel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3S0wu4Zbfk
One of my goals for this phase is to increase the intensity. I have definitely done that! Unfortunately, another goal is to hit all my workouts, and I've already missed two of seven scheduled.
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