athlete foods only

REST Day

Yesterday's massage has helped my legs immensely. They are starting to feel back to normal. My massage therapist always tells me that she has her work cut out for her when I am on her table. This is no surprise because by the time my monthly massages come around, I am always sore and knotty all over. She says my forearms feel like tapioca before she works on them.

I had a few days last week where my eating was not so good. It is so easy to slip back into eating too much bread and cheese (i.e. pizza, lasagna, etc) and sugar (ice cream, popsicles). My recovery sucks when I do that. Right now, I am strictly restricting myself to athlete foods only. In the past day, my diet has included oatmeal with flax meal, eggs, sweet potatoes, lentils, beans, banana, grapes, carrot-beet-spinach juice, broccoli, tortilla with pb+j, odwalla organic energy bar, and water, water, water.

I read that Natascha Badmann drinks carrot-beet juice as her recovery drink so I am all over that. It sounds strange, but is actually very sweet and delicious.

jitters

Run - 3 miles, 27:08 - easy with 10 strides
Swim - 2000m, 41:02 - easy
Massage

This was my last real workout day before the half marathon on Sunday, and both workouts were easy. Even so, I am not feeling fully recovered yet. I drank four bottles of water today, hoping to flush out some of the lactic acid buildup in my legs. Personal issues have started to mess with my head and I know I have to try my best to put it aside and not let it ruin my confidence. I need to make sure the next few days are restful and rejuvenating.

just a ride

Bike - 32 miles, 1:57 - UW Campus to Paoli and back

Nothing special about this ride today. I didn't have any specific workout in mind, I just rode at a comfortable pace. It was warm, humid, and windy and felt like summer for the first time this year.

no time to go to work

Swim - 3000yd, 1:03 - main set: 2 x [25hard/25easy, 50hard/50easy, 75hard/75easy, 100hard/100easy, 75hard/75easy, 50hard/50easy, 25hard/25easy]
Run - 5.4 miles, 45:58 - including 4 x 400 @ 7:15 pace, 4 x 200 @ 6:40 pace
Strength workout

Some days there is too much working out to be done to go to work. I took the day off today and became a professional triathlete. This all took from 7:30am - 4:30pm including eating, an afternoon nap, and giving a friend a swim lesson. Of course, most days I have to squeeze it into a work day but I don't get the good recovery food and nap on those days.

I loved that swim ladder workout this morning. Two sets of 800 were perfect for training for a sprint triathlon. The hard efforts totalled 400, the same distance as the race. Going back and forth between hard and easy with no rest allowed me to really understand the difference in what I am doing to go hard. I need to focus on not simply kicking as hard as I can, but also to pulling faster and harder and maintaining good form. It is easy to get sloppy. I am seeing that kicking hard is more tiring than it adds speed. That might be part of my problem in going out too hard in races.

I am addicted to the song Passive by A Perfect Circle and listened to it during my entire run. I had a great speed session thanks to that song. It's funny how a 7:15 pace isn't feeling killer hard anymore, and even 6:40 is do-able.

[5/24/06 Monday]
REST Day

race dress rehearsal

Bike/Run - 43 miles bike/1.5 miles run, 2:45 total - 3 x (15 miles bike, 5 min transition run) including 6 x 5 min max bike effort, 2 reps on Lake Mills triathlon course, last lap through Arboretum

After the race specific preparation yesterday, I got in the mood to practice my transitions some more. I built it into this workout which was primarily supposed to be a long bike. It was great to get on the Lake Mills course and after doing two laps of the out and back route, I feel like I know it really well. I practiced my sprints out there and that should come in handy on race day. My goal was to go 2 miles in each 5 minute interval. For some of them I came close, for others I had trouble staying focused. It is a flat course, so unlike all the hilly routes that I do, it has to be a consistent hard effort. This means not letting up and not letting the mind wander. It is a different kind of challenge. The route goes on back roads through local farmland and there were lots of tractors out there today. I had to ride slowly behind a few. There was also gravel on the road on the curves in the road, and dirt around tractor entrances and exits. I hope that gets cleaned up a bit. I felt hesitant to take the turns at full speed for fear of wiping out on gravel.

I got new tires to start the racing season - Michelin Pro Race in yellow to match my bike, and I used them for the first time today. I had Vittoria Diamante tires before, but these seem very similar. I used my race season during-workout-nutrition-mixture today for the first time. Nothing brings me into race mode like a perfectly mixed chalky concoction of calories in a water bottle. My mix includes Hammer Sustained Energy, Hammer Endurolytes powder, and raspberry Hammer Gel. I also wore my race outfit to complete the spirit of race dress rehearsal.

I lost it mentally after the second lap and wanted to be done. I drove back to Madison and did the last part on my familiar route through the Arboretum. I was planning on doing a cold water acclimation swim but didn't feel like dragging on the day any further (it was already 3pm) so I skipped it.

swim starts

Run - 8 miles, 1:12 - flat route, easy pace with 38 min/34 min negative half split

Strength workout - 3 x 8 minutes circuit style: agility ladder, med. ball throw, jump rope, deadlift ball swing, skaters, side lunge with resistance, forward sprint with resistance

Swim - 26 minutes, Lake Wingra - 1000m??

Today's swim was more of a race preparation than a real swim. The water was in the mid 60's and I am glad I have my new neoprene cap because the covering on my ears really helps me stay warm. It took about 5 minutes to get used to the water temperature and then I was fine. I swam some easy laps of a set course near the shore and practiced my sighting in order to swim straight. Then I swam some laps at a hard effort. Then I got out of the water and did a running start, sprinted one lap (probably about 150m), ran out of the water and sprinted about 100m on land while taking off my cap and unzipping my wetsuit. I got some funny looks from sunbathers and picnickers on shore as I sprinted in and out of the water, but I wasn't paying much attention. This was transition practice at its finest. I feel really good about my preparation today.

My biggest concern about my upcoming sprint triathlon (Lake Mills) is the swim start. I am worried about the point where I have just started my stroke and gotten into oxygen debt by going hard. It seems to happen about 50 meters in. In all sprint triathlons I have done, this has been an issue. I end up having to turn over onto my back to catch my breath for a moment before resuming my stroke. This wastes valuable time in the already short swim and gives the other swimmers a chance to get ahead of me. With some practice in running sprint starts, hopefully I can fine tune the effort I should give in the beginning of a race in order to not run out of air.


[5/19/06 Friday]
REST Day

As I was moving a chair on my porch today, I klumsily ran into a brick post and hit the side of my face. I didn't notice it at the time, but I must have really slammed into my eyeball because the white part is now bright red like blood on one side. It looks pretty gross but doesn't hurt at all and I can still see normally. My eyeball is the same color as the Ironman logo.

walking 4 miles in bike shoes

Swim - 3000yd, 1:00 - main set: 2x200@2:59, 3:06, 3x100@1:29,1:28,1:28, 5x50@41,42,42,42,42 (hard effort)
Run - 8.5 miles, 1:13 - 1 mile warm up, 2 miles hard@14:23, 3 minute recovery walk, 1 mile hard (uphill)@9:15, 9 minute recovery jog, 1.5 miles moderate hard@13:05, 1.5 miles cool down

These were some intense workouts as both included some near all-out efforts. I had an hour nap in the middle of the day to try to get some recovery and I think that was key to making it through the run. My legs were pretty trashed to start. I am in week four of a four week training buildup instead of the typical three weeks because of the scheduling of the Mad City Half Marathon. This would normally be a rest week and my body is definitely ready for that.

My swim intervals gave me a good sense of where I am at. I am satisfied with the times for my 50yd repeats but slowed down noticeably on the longer distances. Similar situation with my run. I was all over the place in the intervals that I did, and I slowed down at the end. I was planning to do 2 three mile repeats at a hard pace, but my knee was starting to hurt and it just didn't seem smart to try to push my pace through that. I have some challenging goals in my mind for my two upcoming races and I think it will be pretty miraculous if I can pull it off.

[Wednesday 5/18/06]
Bike - 1:05, 14 miles - on Horribly Hilly course
Walk - 4 miles in bike shoes in the rain with flat tire

I had high hopes for getting in a good 30-35 hilly miles on the Horribly Hilly course today, but ended up having to cut it short thanks to a flat tire. I had a spare tube and CO2 cartridge on me and I know how to change flat tires, so it could have all worked out fine. After I got the tire on and inflated, I couldn't get the CO2 pump off and deflated the tire as the nozzle was pressed down. I only had one cartridge on me and no hand pump. I had no choice but to start walking. Soon it started raining and lightening. The weather was strange where it was sunny on one half of the sky and black rain clouds with thunder and lightening on the other half. It was scary to be out there. Four miles into my walk, a guy was getting home, saw me walking my bike and asked me if I needed help. We tried to pump up the tire but couldn't and we figured that it was probably punctured by gravel or something while I was walking. He gave me a ride four more miles back to my car, for which I was extremely grateful. I was already annoyed at having to waste the energy to walk four miles in bike shoes when it was not directly benefiting my training in any way. It was a disappointing day with wasted time and energy. I guess these things happen sometimes.

consistent 800s

Run - 5.8 mi, 1:05 - 2 mile warmup, 4 x 800 @ 3:20 w/ 3:30 rec (on treadmill), 4 x 400 @ 1:42, 1:46, 1:45, 1:43 w/ 2:30 recovery
Strength - 5 min w/ 15 sec on, 15 off : cable shoulder press, squats with weight, body rows, hanging leg raise
Swim - 4500yd, 1:25 - main set: 9 x 75 w/ every third Back, 15 x 125 w/ every fifth with sighting and 15 sec rec

Thanks to the treadmill I was able to push out consistent 800's at 3:20. My 400's on the track weren't quite as consistent.

It was a good swim. Doing 15 x 125 somehow made the long set go by quickly. It has been a few days since I have swam so my arms were feeling fresh.

riding in the rain

[Sunday 5/14/06]

Bike - 3 hours - 1 hour spin class, 2 hours outside (27 miles, ave sp 13.4)

The weather was a bit cold and rainy today but turned out ok for a 2 hour ride. My bike and I were covered in dirt by the end. It was really pleasant riding with a friend who I don't ride with very often. Through all our chatting I hardly noticed the hills. I have said it before, but I continue to amaze myself that I can just keep churning out the long workouts day after day.

workout overhead

[Saturday 5/13/06]

Run - 13 mi, 1:56 - ran Mad City Half Marathon course, moderate pace with some harder intervals
Strength workout - circuit style with 3 x 20 (cable curl, cable punch, cable pull, swimmer, lunges, plank on fit ball @ 40 sec, skater squat)

I knew starting out that my legs were in questionable condition to be running long today. I had to push through some unpleasant feelings in my legs towards the end. I forgot how hilly this course is. They added another major hill in place of a downhill from last year. Today's run was much slower than I intend to race. I am nervous about that since it was pretty challenging, but I hope that fresh legs off a taper and race day energy will help me out. Despite my worries, a few times while I was out there I thought about how grateful I am to be able to run long and how nice it is to just sink into my pace and listen to my music with nothing but the present moment.

post-workout routine:
- eat half a powerbar, finish water bottle
- take warm shower (it was freezing today!)
- eat two eggs and a bagel with peanut butter
- sleep for 30 minutes
- go to the gym and do strength workout
- do stretch routine
- sit in hot tub for 15 minutes while massaging legs and stretching more
- eat second half of powerbar (why do i buy these things? they are sickeningly sweet)
- go home and eat bowl of plain yogurt and cereal with two glasses of orange juice
- roll legs and back on foam roller
- lay around house and finally get on with the day ... this all took from 7-2:30

workout "overhead" can take all day.

easy brick

[Friday 5/12/06]

Bike - 60 min indoor - hill ladder workout: 3 min/5 min/7 min/5 min/3 min hard seated climb with 2 min recovery between each
Run - 1.5 mi, 12:09 - transition run immediately off the bike

This was an easy workout, but that was what it was supposed to be since I am getting ready for my long run tomorrow morning. I haven't done any transition runs in a while so it was nice to remember what they are like. My legs didn't feel tight or dead, and I could go at a good pace right away thanks to my hour warmup on the bike.

Something funny is going on in my left arm. I think I may have pulled something when I was doing pull ups on Tuesday. It hurts on my lat in the area just behind my armpit when I attempt to put my arm straight up. More importantly, that is also the position I use to pull with my swim stroke. I thought I was just very sore, but now I am not sure because my other arm is not sore the same way. Argh. Hopefully it will fix itself.

4000m!

[Thursday 5/11/06]

Swim - 4000m, 1:26 - 50m pool, slow and steady long swim with even 1000m splits
Run - 3 mi, 26:35
Yoga - 60 min

Woo Hoo! I made it to 4000m! Ironman is 3800m and I feel like 4000m needs to be my bare minimum long swim at any given point in time. I had worked up to 4000 before going to Hawaii, but then after a three week break from any significant swimming, it took me a while to work back up. I tend to be overly cautious about increasing swim volume because I am doing some pretty intense upper body strength stuff right now and don't want to get injured.
6000m long swim here I come!

david blaine and ironman

[Wednesday 5/10/06]

Swim - 3200m, 1:15 - 50m pool (300 free, 200 pull, 100 kick, 4 x 100 @ 1:32, 1:40, 1:41, 1:39 on 2 min, 200 pull, 8 x 50 @ 45-49 sec on 1:15, 200 pull, 8 x (25 @ 22 sec/25 easy) on 1:15, 200 pull, 8 x 50 B3/B5/B7/B9 on 50s, 200 kick, 200 pull cool)

Bike - 26.5 mi, 1:50 - on Horribly Hilly route in Blue Mounds area

The goal of my swim today was practicing at paces that I would like to do for the Lake Mills sprint triathlon. For a 6 minute 1/4 mile swim, the 100m pace is 1:30. That is what I attempted for the main set of this workout, but came up a bit short. I put this workout together myself and it was a good one. It helped me to know exactly where I am at with my short distance pacing. I have some work to do, but it doesn't seem totally unreasonable. The long course pool is helpful in preparing me for the lake swims where there will be no wall to push off of every 25m.

I biked a section of the Horribly Hilly route that I have never done before. I am practicing the 100K course in small manageable pieces and increasing my time out there for each ride. It continues to amaze me how strong I am on the hills this year, and this early in the season. Somehow I was able to do all the hills today, even the steep 2 mile Mounds Park Rd at the end of my ride, and still feel like I had some energy left at the end. I was breathing really hard and struggling to get air while still pushing the pedals around (did I mention I have a standard 53-39 gearing?), but I practiced relaxing my body and trying to calm down my breathing. For the long hills, I came up with a mental plan of attack before each one - I would eyeball random markers some distance in front of me like a certain tree or something, and at each marker I would start imagining myself as a different pro-triathlete climbing the hill. I mean, would any hill in Blue Mounds tire out Natasha Badmann or Peter Reid? I don't think so. It kept me going and gave me something to take my mind off my screaming legs and my breathing.

I watched David Blaine's Drowned Alive show on TV where he lived in a sphere of water for seven days and on the final day attempted to hold his breath for 9 minutes. (He only made it to seven minutes before they had to rescue him.) The show showed how he trained himself physically and mentally for it. His will and determination to get through extreme mental challenges like that has been inspiring to me. Triathlon is so much mental and learning how to feel comfortable in times of discomfort, just as David does in this and other stunts that he does. I suspect that his internal psychological reasons for having the need to do extreme things has much in common with the psychological motivations behind people doing Ironman. To generalize, I think it has a lot to do with a desire to conquer physical and mental pain through one's own choosing as a way to compensate and feel control over for serious pain that one has suffered elsewhere in life. Essentially they are alternative spiritual practices.

all wound up

[Tuesday 5/9/06]

Run - 7.2 miles, 1:02 - warm up, 5 x 1 mile @ 7:30 w/ 0.3 mi recovery jog/walk, cool down
Strength workout - Power focus/Drop Sets - 3 x [9 Push Ups, 9 Pull Ups, 10 Side squats, 8-10 Ab throw-downs]

It was an amazing run this morning on the treadmill. It is nice to do a canned run like that every once in a while to tune up my pacing. I was able to hit the 7:30 pace for all 5 1 mile repeats. I thought about my breathing and relaxing into the pace. It was a challenging pace, but not that difficult to handle for 5 repeats. I could have done more. I wanted to nail this workout so I put it as the first one of the week after my rest day.

The strength workout was good too. I did as well as I could on the normal (non knee) pushups and assisted chin ups, though these are always hard. My massage therapist who is 6 feet tall commisserated with me the other day that it is always much harder for tall women to do pushups. The lever is longer and there is more weight to push.

I have been engaging in some retail therapy lately... I got a new polyester swimsuit, neoprene swim cap, deluxe sports bra, running top, large container of Sustained Energy, cushion inserts for my running shoes, water bottles. While I was at the bike shop I continued my research on improving my bike gearing situation. The options are a compact crank, a triple chainring, or a larger cassette. I have now decided that it will either be the compact crank or the larger cassette. I have to look on eBay for some good deals on those parts and check out the relative weights compared to what I have now with my Dura-Ace road setup.

[Monday 5/8/06]
REST Day

I went in Lake Monona for the first time today. I am aware that this is slightly nuts. It was cloudy and in the upper 60's with the water temperature probably in the mid 50's. It was really cold!! I would like to get my body acclimated to the cold temperatures because I am going to do the Lake Mills sprint triathlon. My goal today was to stay in for 6 minutes. I tread water for 5 minutes and then swam for 3 minutes. It was so cold it hurt my hands and took my breath away when I put my face in. I can say that I began to get used to it though. By the end it wasn't quite as cold. I wonder if I was the first person this season to get in that lake from the Ironman Wisconsin swim start line. I was certainly the only one out there today.

early IM bike loop practice

[Sunday 5/7/06]

Bike - 43 miles, 2:47, Ave Sp. 15.6 - rolling hills to hilly
One loop of WI Ironman course (2:33):
Verona to Mt Horeb - 53:18
Mt. Horeb to Cross Plains - 38:31
Cross Plains to Verona - 1:01

It was a beautiful morning to do this ride - cool and sunny. There were a surprising number of bikers already out on the course at 7am. My speed for the loop today puts me on track for a 7 hour Ironman bike split, which is the minimum I am aiming for. I went at a comfortable pace and my legs were not fresh to start after yesterday's run. I need to practice that last segment from Cross Plains to Verona more and I definitely need to get my nutrition down. I was below empty at the end of the ride today.

some good encouraging workouts

[Friday 5/5/06]
REST DAY

[Saturday 5/6/06]
Run - 12 miles, 1:53 - around Lake Monona @ comfortable pace
Swim - 2000yd, 36min (300 free, 300 pull, 8 x 125 as 25 kick/25 back/75 free build, 400 pull)
Strength workout (mostly upper body) - circuit style 2 x 15: pull ups, body rows, cable pull, push ups, down dog shoulder press, butterfly cable pull, hanging knee up, thinker, skater squat, side step, monster walk

Today's workouts were encouraging after all the mental trouble I have had this past week. The 12 mile run went really well and though it was the furthest I have run in a long time, it was not a big deal. I felt some soreness in both knees towards the end but it seemed to be more fatigue than injury. They bothered me more while running on a road that sloped down at the edge. I tried to stay on flat ground as much as possible. It is a relief for me to know that I am on track for a good half marathon performance at the end of this month. Now all I need to do is add an increasing number of long speed intervals into my runs.

I felt strong on the swim and it felt good to stretch out my legs and get the blood flowing again after the run... though it was kind of a bummer to go inside to the pool on a beautiful saturday afternoon. I stuck my hand in the lake this morning to test out the temperature and it seems just a little insane to attempt an open water swim when it is still pretty frigid.

positive mantra makes the day

[5/4/06 Thursday]

Run - 5 miles, 47 min - including 3 x 1 mile @ 7:55(partial uphill), 7:33(partial down), 7:50
Swim - 3500m, 1:19 (600 swim, 400 pull, 100 kick, 100 swim, 8 x 50 w/ 25 sprint/25 easy, 800 pull, 8 x 50 mod hard on 15 sec RI, 200 back, 400 B3/B5/B7/B9 on 100s, 100 kick) - long course pool 50m

My quads and pecs were still really sore from Tuesday's strength workout, but I was determined to have a decent workout day despite that. I hoping to hit 7:30 on the mile repeats of the run, but couldn't quite make it. Considering how sore I was, I am satisfied with my times for that. The swim was slow with my sore pecs, but I was determined to get through it no matter what. My mental mantra for the day was to push through it for love, not anger or hurt. Things like that can make the difference between finishing and not.

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Current favorite workout songs:

Hurt - Rapture
Kelly Clarkson - Walk Away
10 Years - Wasteland (acoustic)
Nickelback - Savin Me
Annie Lennox - Thin Line Between Love and Hate
Nine Inch Nails - Every Day is Exactly the Same
Theory of a Deadman - Santa Monica

hard mental day

[5/3/06 Wednesday]

Bike - 75 minutes, recovery ride - mostly flat with a few rolling hills
Swim - 2000m, 44 min - main set: 10 x 100 on 2:00 @ 1:50 pace

I did this workout as a brick in the middle of the day, leaving work to do it. I was trying to avoid rain (and was feeling trapped and unproductive at my desk), so I got up and went. The bike ride was fun. I really love biking these days. I haven't attempted to do a double workout in the middle of a work day and then go back to work and get anything done. It didn't work out today. When I got back, I spent a while eating lunch and staring blankly at my computer screen. I did a small task then decided it would just be better to take the afternoon off and go home for a nap. I didn't even bother to ride my bike home... I left it at work and took the bus.

I was disappointed with my swim today. I wanted to do 3000m with my main set as 15 x 100 @ 1:42 pace, but was too tired to make the pace. I only held it for the first couple repeats. 1:42/100m is the pace needed for a 1:05 Ironman swim. I was so depressed that I couldn't do it for short intervals today, that I gave up on the whole swim. I imagined my personal trainer Katy telling me to keep going to the end and not give up no matter what, like she does when I am doing pushups, but it only worked for a little while. I just didn't want to continue. I am so sore from my strength workout and hilly bike ride yesterday that it made today's workouts really hard. It turned out to be a rough mental day made harder with some unrelated personal issues going on in my head at the same time.

loving the hills

after a little break from writing here, i am back. in response to that last post, i have decided it doesn't matter if someone thinks this blog is boring. i am writing it for myself. there is nothing boring about ironman training. every day is different and every day is a new challenge.

[5/2/06 Tuesday]
Run - 3 miles tempo run on the treadmill with 1 mile at 7:30 pace, 26 min total
Bike - 90 minutes, 21.5 miles - Cross Plains/Blue Mounds area Horribly Hilly route
Personal training session - Squats, Cleans, Push Ups, Core Twist x 120 reps of each

I am getting ready for two races right now: the Mad City Half Marathon (May 29) and the Horribly Hilly 100K Bike (mid-June). My priorities right now are long distance run speedwork and strength for doing lots of very steep hills on the bike. Today's ride on the Horribly Hilly course was my first time out there this year, and I am so obviously stronger than last year I am amazed with myself. I powered up all the hills without stopping to rest, walking my bike, giving up mentally or getting cranky. I am much more confident on the downhills too. I really enjoyed this ride.
At some points my cadence got down to 30 and I must have been really close to VO2 max, but I just thought happy thoughts and kept pushing on. Hawaii did wonders for my fitness and my mental skills.

I am conflicted about whether or not to get a compact crank for my bike. A triple chainring is out of the question because it is too complicated to install with my aerobar bar-end shifter setup. A compact crank could be changed in and out. The Horribly Hilly course and the Wisconsin Ironman course are both easier with the easier gears, but then I sacrifice the harder gears for the flats and the chance to make my legs really really strong. I have heard mixed reviews about compact cranks.

Blog R.I.P., for now

This blog is now being discontinued due to existential questions such as:
1. what is the point of writing a blog anyway?
2. why not just record my workouts in a notebook?
3. is this the world's most boring blog?
4. if it is, does that mean that i am i boring?
5. who cares how far i swam, biked, and ran today?

I am still training hard as usual, I'm just not going to keep posting a record of it here.