Saturday, April 10, 2010

weekly catch-up post

Just a quick post to log my workouts for this week:

Wednesday
Rest day and massage. Ooooh, my calves were really tight.


Thursday
Run 5 miles [44 minutes]
easy with 8x30 seconds pickups

Swim 3800
Main set:
300, 3x100, 400, 4x100, 500 (all at threshold pace, close to 1:30/100)


Friday
Swim 4000
Main set: 300 (10 sec), 400 (20 sec), 500 (30 sec), 600 (30 sec), 500

Tuesday, April 06, 2010

bike tt = leg burn at low heart rate

Bike Time Trial
[Time Trial 40 minutes: 13.25 miles = 20mph, HR 137]
Total ride time 1:10
Last time I did this test, I averaged 19.5mph and my average heart rate was 152. That was on my road bike on a rolling course and today I used my tri bike on a flat windy course. I think this result indicates a few things: 1) I am not getting as much power on my tri bike as I do on my road bike, 2) my cardio system is much stronger than my legs. I was pushing my legs to the point of major burn and my heart rate was still amazingly low.

I guess the tri bike gives me more speed at a lower effort level so that's perfect for triathlons. I have also noticed that my brick runs off the tri bike are decent, whereas they are super unpleasant off my road bike.

Brick Run 15 minutes
[1.8 miles]

Strength Session
Set 1: Crossfit "DT"
3 rounds of:
12 deadlifts
9 hang cleans
6 push jerks
(55 lbs)
[7:58]

Set 2
2 rounds of:
10 Step ups each leg with 25 lb plate
10 DB plank row each side with 15 lbs
10 Side lunges each side with 10lb plate

Set 3
40 leg press (110-170, up by 20 by 10's)
50 pullups
50 situps
145 knee pushups

I need to address bike power so I am going to emphasize heavier lower body exercises for a couple weeks. Not going nuts here, just a little extra emphasis.

Sunday, April 04, 2010

honoring the animals

I saw a buffalo grazing while I was riding this morning. He and I had our own private moment because no one else was around. He was eating some grass and looked up when I rode by and we made eye contact. This is the first time I have seen a live buffalo since I added bison to my diet.

I got a bad feeling in my gut because I am struggling with the fact that I am eating animals for the sake of athletic performance. I am eating THIS animal. My heart and actions aren't in agreement. I am consciously aware that I am not being mindful. I console myself by honoring the animals for giving up their lives for me.

Bison

Turkey

Salmon

biking fredericksburg

I drove out to Fredericksburg this weekend to do the Easter Hill Country Tour - two days of riding.  I love organized rides because you don't have to plan a route, the turns are all marked, and there is food and water waiting for you at the rest stops.  I had never been out there before but had heard so many good things about the riding. People were right, it is great riding. It is green and the wildflowers are out, the roads are good, there is not much traffic, the hills are challenging but not impossible, the scenery is varied with fields, "mountains", hills, streams and rivers, trees, etc. It reminded me of biking in southern California or Hawaii. It also reminded me of biking the serene and hilly country roads at home in Wisconsin, and made me realize again how much I miss that.  The roads around Austin just aren't quiet and peaceful like that.

Saturday I got bit by a dog as I was riding up a moderate hill. Dogs are an ongoing issue with cycling back roads but this is a first for me. There happened to be a lot of chaos in front of the dog's yard and my leg was in the wrong place at the wrong time. A group of cyclists were passing me, there was an oncoming car and oncoming cyclists, and the dog didn't like all this commotion going on in her area. She was barking at the whole situation and then took my calf in her mouth and bit down. The skin broke a little but it didn't hurt too bad. It's mostly just a bruise now, a day later. The dog was large and heavy and could have bit me a lot harder. I'm thinking this was more of a "courtesy bite" as a way to tell us all to get the heck away from her yard. I do feel some sympathy for her, but I don't like it that people let their dogs run free when they aren't even home.

And with that, week 8 of training is complete! After some extra sleep and food, I am feeling a lot better than I did last week. This coming week is a rest week. I get two complete rest days and a massage :) Time for some serious recovery.


Friday:
Run 5.5 miles with 2x1 mile 
[2x1mi @6:54, 7:21, 45 min total time]

Swim 3400yd [1:02]
Main set:
4 rounds of
25 fast/75 easy,
50 fast/50 easy,
75 fast/25 easy,
100 fast/50 easy
This was an interesting progression, interesting in that it kept my mind busy the whole time and the recoveries were varied but all active. I liked this.

Saturday:
Bike 70 miles [4:42, hilly]
Kerrville north towards Fredericksburg, very sunny and hot... and wind. Lots and lots of hills.

Sunday:
Bike 36 miles [2:20, rolling]
South of Kerrville, rode in the rain.

Brick Run 1 mile [9 minutes]