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.
Monday, April 20, 2009
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.
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