Hi everyone. It's taken far too long, but I've finally managed to get this blog moved to something I like better.
Please go to www.amphibops.wordpress.com and update your bookmarks and feeds.
Thank you!
Darin
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Annual Training Plan Review
Spring is springing, and it looks like we are getting an opportunity to get outside now with something other than skis.
That means it's time for a review of your annual training plan!
If you followed a good template for writing an annual plan, you created some phases in your training plan. If you started in November, December, or January, then you probably put some basic base/foundation training in your plan. Well, it's time to look honestly at those goals.
Below is what a plan review might look like. I'll show you mine from this year at the end of this post, but let's just say the review is pretty easy and simple because I haven't done much.
In this example of a plan review, the goals are written in red and the review comments (which you keep in a file somewhere for reference years from now to remind you of how good/bad you were!) are in blue. You can see that the goals generally have some specific measurements in them that can't be rationalized....you met the goal or you didn't.
General Goals
1. Keep weight under 180 pounds.
* Failed miserably. Currently at 192 because of all the holidays and cookies.
2. Consistency is the key. Maintain a focus on triathlon and hit 90% of my scheduled workouts.
* Completed. 92% of scheduled workouts completed.
Swim:
1. Swim 6,000 meters per week to build endurance for my 1500 meter swim in the July race.
* Completed. Averaged 6,400m! Minimum in one week was 1,200 when I was on a business trip. Maximum yardage in a week was 8,600 meters.
2. Get my 500 meter Swim TT to 7:50 from 8:15.
* Just barely missed. My last 500m Swim TT came in at 7:54. I feel much better when I'm done wit the TT than when I did the 8:15 back in early December.
Bike:
1. Bike 120 miles per week to build endurance for the 40ki in July race. The weekly breakdown is 3x24miles 80%MHR, 1x40 miles 65% MHR, and 1x 8 miles 95% MHR.
* Almost but not quite. I averaged 110 miles per week, hitting various workouts, mostly the 24 milers.
2. Get my 20k TT on the trainer to 31:30.
* Completed. Last 20k TT was 31:09.
Run:
1. Run an average of 20 miles per week. This is five runs of four miles each every week.
* Completed. Ran 5x4 miles every week.
2. Monitor leg turnover to maintain 84 RPM.
* Completed. When I monitor, I am hitting 82-86 RPM.
So what does my personal review look like? Not pretty, but here it is:
1. Maintain focus on my training (and blogging!). Fail. I don't even know right now where my plan is written down.
2. I know I wanted to learn bilateral breathing this winter. Completed. I did that at the Master's Swim Practices! I also swam about 7,500 yds / week when I was in town. That's a lot of swimming for me. And then all that swimming and early mornings were tough to recover from, so I didn't do anything the other mornings.
3. I wanted to keep my weight under 185. Fail! Currently 193 somehow, lowest in several months, and got as high as 198.
4. Wanted to run four times a week or something like that. Fail! Ran maybe four times in last four months.
5. Wanted to bike 120 miles per week. Fail! Had three good weeks of 90-110 miles in January, then that fell apart because I started the swim program and could never really recover for consecutive early morning workouts. But I did get my wife onto the trainer on her mountain bike, and she likes it!
But I'm happy with where I'm at somehow! My kids are getting up too early to facilitate beginning at 5:30am, so I have to move it to 4:45 or 5:00, and that doesn't work very well......but I'm getting great quality time with my kids in the morning!
I figure if my races are in August instead of June this year, then I'm pretty much on the same schedule as last year, starting a program five months prior to the race. And I won't be burning out two months prior to the race like I have in the future, so I'm excited about that, too.
So, in a nutshell, my annual training plan is getting a 100% refresh this week, and I'm happy with where I'm at and where I can get to given the time available before my races. Right now, my swim is good (and bilateral!), my running is starting back up nicely, and I'll get on that bike beginning in April really ready to hit it hard.
That means it's time for a review of your annual training plan!
If you followed a good template for writing an annual plan, you created some phases in your training plan. If you started in November, December, or January, then you probably put some basic base/foundation training in your plan. Well, it's time to look honestly at those goals.
Below is what a plan review might look like. I'll show you mine from this year at the end of this post, but let's just say the review is pretty easy and simple because I haven't done much.
In this example of a plan review, the goals are written in red and the review comments (which you keep in a file somewhere for reference years from now to remind you of how good/bad you were!) are in blue. You can see that the goals generally have some specific measurements in them that can't be rationalized....you met the goal or you didn't.
General Goals
1. Keep weight under 180 pounds.
* Failed miserably. Currently at 192 because of all the holidays and cookies.
2. Consistency is the key. Maintain a focus on triathlon and hit 90% of my scheduled workouts.
* Completed. 92% of scheduled workouts completed.
Swim:
1. Swim 6,000 meters per week to build endurance for my 1500 meter swim in the July race.
* Completed. Averaged 6,400m! Minimum in one week was 1,200 when I was on a business trip. Maximum yardage in a week was 8,600 meters.
2. Get my 500 meter Swim TT to 7:50 from 8:15.
* Just barely missed. My last 500m Swim TT came in at 7:54. I feel much better when I'm done wit the TT than when I did the 8:15 back in early December.
Bike:
1. Bike 120 miles per week to build endurance for the 40ki in July race. The weekly breakdown is 3x24miles 80%MHR, 1x40 miles 65% MHR, and 1x 8 miles 95% MHR.
* Almost but not quite. I averaged 110 miles per week, hitting various workouts, mostly the 24 milers.
2. Get my 20k TT on the trainer to 31:30.
* Completed. Last 20k TT was 31:09.
Run:
1. Run an average of 20 miles per week. This is five runs of four miles each every week.
* Completed. Ran 5x4 miles every week.
2. Monitor leg turnover to maintain 84 RPM.
* Completed. When I monitor, I am hitting 82-86 RPM.
So what does my personal review look like? Not pretty, but here it is:
1. Maintain focus on my training (and blogging!). Fail. I don't even know right now where my plan is written down.
2. I know I wanted to learn bilateral breathing this winter. Completed. I did that at the Master's Swim Practices! I also swam about 7,500 yds / week when I was in town. That's a lot of swimming for me. And then all that swimming and early mornings were tough to recover from, so I didn't do anything the other mornings.
3. I wanted to keep my weight under 185. Fail! Currently 193 somehow, lowest in several months, and got as high as 198.
4. Wanted to run four times a week or something like that. Fail! Ran maybe four times in last four months.
5. Wanted to bike 120 miles per week. Fail! Had three good weeks of 90-110 miles in January, then that fell apart because I started the swim program and could never really recover for consecutive early morning workouts. But I did get my wife onto the trainer on her mountain bike, and she likes it!
But I'm happy with where I'm at somehow! My kids are getting up too early to facilitate beginning at 5:30am, so I have to move it to 4:45 or 5:00, and that doesn't work very well......but I'm getting great quality time with my kids in the morning!
I figure if my races are in August instead of June this year, then I'm pretty much on the same schedule as last year, starting a program five months prior to the race. And I won't be burning out two months prior to the race like I have in the future, so I'm excited about that, too.
So, in a nutshell, my annual training plan is getting a 100% refresh this week, and I'm happy with where I'm at and where I can get to given the time available before my races. Right now, my swim is good (and bilateral!), my running is starting back up nicely, and I'll get on that bike beginning in April really ready to hit it hard.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
20% off Sufferfest new version of Downward Spiral
Cycling training video - Downward Spiral | The Sufferfest
Click the link for info on updated version of Downward Spiral. Use the code "FEELSLIKENEW" for 20% off. Good deal if you don't have this video yet.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Marine Corps Water Aerobics
I haven't had the opportunity to partake in this new USMC physical training (PT) program. It seems my Marine Corps has developed a "kick your butt" water aerobics program. Me, personally, when I think of the incredible pools at Camp Pendleton, why would I ever do anything but laps in an eight-lane, outdoor 50m pool? But here is a new way of doing things.
"Sanctioned water cadence workouts require Marines to wear foam flotation belts, keeping their bodies submerged only up to their collarbone. Your nose and mouth must be above water at all times, officials said.
After a brief warm-up, Marines alternate between short bursts of high-intensity running in place and low-intensity “rest” periods that still require some movement. A related exercise, known as shallow-water running, requires that Marines be submerged only up to their waist or torso and allows them to push off the bottom of the pool with each step. It can incorporate weights.
Though easier on your joints and bones, either workout can be more strenuous than traditional road running, said Sherry Powell, the aquatics director at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, Calif."
I'll agree that you can get your heart rate up for a bit while running in water.
The Marine Corps played it well when asked about a Marine running underwater with ammo cans when the spokesMarine said "That could be deadly." No kidding! But it's a funny sight to think of. I googled "Marine underwater with ammo cans" but didn't find the image they were talking about.
In any case, I'm going to stick with basic lap swimming even if the coach is onto me about swimming a USMC survival stroke for the breaststroke.
Monday, February 6, 2012
Useful swim video analyis
I guess swimming is on my brain because all my posts are about swimming? What about running? What about biking? What about weight training? What about nutrition? Oh well....here comes another post about swimming.
But I can guarantee that some running and biking posts are coming up. Without such little long, aerobic workouts the past few months, my weight is ballooning. I was only half-pound from Clydesdale this morning! So, I'm definitely going to start getting the long, weight-loss activities back into a priority. I'm not exactly fat, and I cruised up the mountain Sunday morning on my skis with a backpack, so I'm not out of shape. I just don't like the thought of what it's going to be like to carry all this weight during runs and bikes!
So........onto the swim post and something of true value!
Wouldn't it be great if all of us could get a good underwater video analysis of our swim stroke?
Here's a great video that compares a great triathlete Chris McCormack against arguably the greatest swimmer ever, Michael Phelps. Watch and learn!
But I can guarantee that some running and biking posts are coming up. Without such little long, aerobic workouts the past few months, my weight is ballooning. I was only half-pound from Clydesdale this morning! So, I'm definitely going to start getting the long, weight-loss activities back into a priority. I'm not exactly fat, and I cruised up the mountain Sunday morning on my skis with a backpack, so I'm not out of shape. I just don't like the thought of what it's going to be like to carry all this weight during runs and bikes!
So........onto the swim post and something of true value!
Wouldn't it be great if all of us could get a good underwater video analysis of our swim stroke?
Here's a great video that compares a great triathlete Chris McCormack against arguably the greatest swimmer ever, Michael Phelps. Watch and learn!
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Yurt / Backcountry Ski report
Back from the yurt. We made it a short trip to keep our wives happy or at least closer to happy that if we had been gone early Saturday to late Sunday. Oh yeah, I guess I have a super bowl party to go to, too.
Swam Saturday morning before the yurt trip. About 2,400 yards. Lots of breast-stroke, which I'm not a fan of but it's still swimming. So, the swim workout wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.
Home at 9:15 from swimming. Out the door to the yurt trip at 10:55.
AWESOME weather for the trip! Sunny and no wind. It was like a nice spring day instead of early February when it is normally blowing snow and cold and generally really crappy weather. Hike up to the top from the lift was good. Saw the guys who had the yurt the night before; thanked them ahead of time for shovelling all the snow that I thought (and was confirmed) probably hit the area in the last week or so.
Ski'd down with our packs on. I kept my pack light this time. Snow was ok, but there was still some rocky areas that we had to look out for, and this was at 7,500 - 8,000 ft! Beautiful day though!
We found the yurt, if only by following the tracks of the guys there the night before. Finding the yurt can always be tricky if you haven't been there before. The backup plan was to use a GPS, of course. No need for that this time.
We took a break and then climbed up to nearly the top of the mountain again for nice run in the afternoon. This was about 1,600 vertical feet. Not alot by some standards but a nice rise for sure. That took an hour. We took our time on the way down and got in some nice turns.
Dinner and relaxation, then night ops! We did four runs on a nice little stretch of open area. The 75% illumination from the moon lit the place up like the night time! Quite awesome, and that's what I love about yurting. Crisp and cold in the moonlight with nobody but the Yetis within many miles.
Sunday morning we woke up and got going right after 9:00am. I figured it would take one hour twenty minutes to get to the ridgeline 1,900 ft above us, and that's what it took me. The wind picked up near the top and cooled it off, but before that the early morning sun in the still air felt hot while skinning up the hill. Then we skied down through the trees to link up with the lift-served side, which we bombed down. My legs were fried when we got down. Cheeseburger and fries before heading home!
AWESOME skiing! Not as out of shape as I thought! Looking forward to a couple more yurt nights. I'm taking Paul to a yurt with cross-country skis in early March.
Swam Saturday morning before the yurt trip. About 2,400 yards. Lots of breast-stroke, which I'm not a fan of but it's still swimming. So, the swim workout wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.
Home at 9:15 from swimming. Out the door to the yurt trip at 10:55.
AWESOME weather for the trip! Sunny and no wind. It was like a nice spring day instead of early February when it is normally blowing snow and cold and generally really crappy weather. Hike up to the top from the lift was good. Saw the guys who had the yurt the night before; thanked them ahead of time for shovelling all the snow that I thought (and was confirmed) probably hit the area in the last week or so.
Ski'd down with our packs on. I kept my pack light this time. Snow was ok, but there was still some rocky areas that we had to look out for, and this was at 7,500 - 8,000 ft! Beautiful day though!
We found the yurt, if only by following the tracks of the guys there the night before. Finding the yurt can always be tricky if you haven't been there before. The backup plan was to use a GPS, of course. No need for that this time.
We took a break and then climbed up to nearly the top of the mountain again for nice run in the afternoon. This was about 1,600 vertical feet. Not alot by some standards but a nice rise for sure. That took an hour. We took our time on the way down and got in some nice turns.
Dinner and relaxation, then night ops! We did four runs on a nice little stretch of open area. The 75% illumination from the moon lit the place up like the night time! Quite awesome, and that's what I love about yurting. Crisp and cold in the moonlight with nobody but the Yetis within many miles.
Sunday morning we woke up and got going right after 9:00am. I figured it would take one hour twenty minutes to get to the ridgeline 1,900 ft above us, and that's what it took me. The wind picked up near the top and cooled it off, but before that the early morning sun in the still air felt hot while skinning up the hill. Then we skied down through the trees to link up with the lift-served side, which we bombed down. My legs were fried when we got down. Cheeseburger and fries before heading home!
AWESOME skiing! Not as out of shape as I thought! Looking forward to a couple more yurt nights. I'm taking Paul to a yurt with cross-country skis in early March.
Friday, February 3, 2012
Good and bad of a non-existent winter...Yurting trip!
Winter has never really arrived in the valley here in Pocatello. There's plenty of snow above 6,000ft. I don't have to mow, and I don't have to shovel. Life is good, right?
I like to have snow on the ground in the winter. And I like to see my breath when I walk out to the car in the morning in February. That hasn't been happening.
But it's nice not to freeze my butt off on my way to a dark, early morning swim workout!
If only I was taking advantage of warm lunch hours and running 4-6 miles every day. Then I'd be making some progress towards my goals. However, it seems like there is always something going on at lunch the last couple of weeks.
This weekend is the annual yurt trip! I'm very excited about the trip. But I'm not excited about probable bad snow. And I'm sure I'm not in the aerobic condition of years past that allowed me to cruise uphill with no problems.
I haven't been running in a month, and my biking has been minimal; mostly because I can't recover properly from the swim workouts, and getting up at 0430 every day isn't working very well. And if I did wake-up, any workout would be interrupted for 15 minutes while I change and feed Noah at 5:22 or 5:46 every morning (those are his standard options for wake-up times; very strange that the clock always seems to say one of those times!).
My dilemma is if I go to swim practice before I go to on the yurt trip. I could hit swimming from 8-9 Saturday, and then leave the house at 10 for the yurt trip. That would put us at the lift at 10:30. We take the lift up most of the way to the top, skin to the top of the mountain, then ski down to the yurt to drop our gear, then skin back up about 2,200 feet for another run. If we do that 2,200ft climb three times, we'll be more than ready for bed at 8pm! Hopefully we'll have enough left in us to get in a short night run under a bright half-moon sky.
Yurt details if you're interested: http://www.isu.edu/outdoor/yurtcabin.shtml
I like to have snow on the ground in the winter. And I like to see my breath when I walk out to the car in the morning in February. That hasn't been happening.
But it's nice not to freeze my butt off on my way to a dark, early morning swim workout!
If only I was taking advantage of warm lunch hours and running 4-6 miles every day. Then I'd be making some progress towards my goals. However, it seems like there is always something going on at lunch the last couple of weeks.
This weekend is the annual yurt trip! I'm very excited about the trip. But I'm not excited about probable bad snow. And I'm sure I'm not in the aerobic condition of years past that allowed me to cruise uphill with no problems.
I haven't been running in a month, and my biking has been minimal; mostly because I can't recover properly from the swim workouts, and getting up at 0430 every day isn't working very well. And if I did wake-up, any workout would be interrupted for 15 minutes while I change and feed Noah at 5:22 or 5:46 every morning (those are his standard options for wake-up times; very strange that the clock always seems to say one of those times!).
My dilemma is if I go to swim practice before I go to on the yurt trip. I could hit swimming from 8-9 Saturday, and then leave the house at 10 for the yurt trip. That would put us at the lift at 10:30. We take the lift up most of the way to the top, skin to the top of the mountain, then ski down to the yurt to drop our gear, then skin back up about 2,200 feet for another run. If we do that 2,200ft climb three times, we'll be more than ready for bed at 8pm! Hopefully we'll have enough left in us to get in a short night run under a bright half-moon sky.
Yurt details if you're interested: http://www.isu.edu/outdoor/yurtcabin.shtml
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