Bike 60 minutes with 15 x (30 sec max effort++/30 sec easy)
Great Northern/Shoal Creek on triathlon bike
Swim 4200yd
6x400@5:59,6:02,6:02, 6:03, 6:06, 6:06 (30 seconds rest between)
10x100 (50 hard/50 easy with 15 seconds rest)
[1:13 total time]
Deep Eddy Pool
Today was bike to work day. My morning ride conveniently went by one of the breakfast stations and I picked up a free Kerbey Lane egg and potato taco on the last lap of my intervals. If there are a lot of people like me who are highly motivated by free breakfast tacos, I'm thinking that it would be worth developing a program for tacos for bike commuters every morning. The Austin transportation department is working on strategies to reduce traffic congestion but have they thought of this? I'd definitely bike more often if I could get free food on the way to work.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Thursday, May 20, 2010
joyful running
4 x 5 miles@43 min, 44 min, 39 min, 40 min
[2:50 total time => 8:30/mile pace]
This was a great run and a very solid performance. Why was it great? The joy of running. I filled my iPod with new songs, sang along (out loud on the trail), noticed nature, and made a point to smile. Yesterday I was in a complete funk about how grueling and hard this training is, but Teresa and Mo helped me turn it around and be positive. My mind gets in an Ironman performance rut and I forget to step back and realize how amazing it is that I am doing what I am doing. It turns out that my body is capable of awesome things.
The result: today I enjoyed every minute of my run and felt lucky to be able to spend 3 hours on the trail. At mile 14 I felt slightly sad that the run was going to be over soon. I smiled in mile 17 as the soreness was starting to set in. I sang Guns n' Roses to the people on the trail at mile 19 as I pushed myself to the very edge of a conversational effort. This was FUN, and that's what it's all about :)
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
fresh yet tired
Run 7.3 miles
[2x1.5 miles@11:07,11:06 - 1:02 total time]
Early morning run around Town Lake. I had the odd sensation of feeling fresh, yet tired. Rested and not sore after my rest day yesterday, but tired like a deep sluggishness that didn't go away once I got warmed up. My interval pace was about 7:20/mile and even though that's pretty slow, it's all I could do today. I had a good attitude about pushing as hard as I could no matter what my pace turned out to be.
Swim 3650yd
[1:01]
MS: 5x200, 6x150, 6x100
Again it was that fresh, yet tired feeling. My muscles weren't sore and my upper body felt almost too rested. However, I couldn't lock down a good form and I had no strength. When I know early in the workout that I've got nothing left, do I stop or do I continue just to get through the miles? That usually goes on a case-by-case basis. With this swim, I decided to just get in the distance however I could. I added some pulling with paddles to mix things up. I didn't push the effort because it felt pointless to do that. Sometimes I think I have better swims when I am a little sore because it is easier to feel the muscles working.
Strength Session
For time:
50 pushups
50 situps
50 squats
50 lunges
50 pullups
50 kettlebell clean and jerk
[17:38]
I missed a week of strength training last week and have been easing off on it in general. It has come to the point where I am losing some of the strength I built from all the hard work I did on Crossfit earlier in this 20 weeks of training. This workout was harder than it used to be. I feel weak. It's really important that I stay consistent with this stuff so I continue to have a strong core foundation and prevent injury.
Food issues.... I am fighting weight gain in a serious way right now. Lots of cardio = lots of low-grade inflammation = cortisol = my body hanging onto fat. I am logging my food to control calories in versus calories out, aiming for about a 300 calorie deficit per day to lose 2-3 pounds. I slacked off for a while and some non-ideal foods crept in for the sake of convenience. I found out from my food log that I had been eating too much. It is so easy to do that when you are hungry all the time. Managing calories and getting back to gluten-free and dairy-free are my main strategies right now.
[2x1.5 miles@11:07,11:06 - 1:02 total time]
Early morning run around Town Lake. I had the odd sensation of feeling fresh, yet tired. Rested and not sore after my rest day yesterday, but tired like a deep sluggishness that didn't go away once I got warmed up. My interval pace was about 7:20/mile and even though that's pretty slow, it's all I could do today. I had a good attitude about pushing as hard as I could no matter what my pace turned out to be.
Swim 3650yd
[1:01]
MS: 5x200, 6x150, 6x100
Again it was that fresh, yet tired feeling. My muscles weren't sore and my upper body felt almost too rested. However, I couldn't lock down a good form and I had no strength. When I know early in the workout that I've got nothing left, do I stop or do I continue just to get through the miles? That usually goes on a case-by-case basis. With this swim, I decided to just get in the distance however I could. I added some pulling with paddles to mix things up. I didn't push the effort because it felt pointless to do that. Sometimes I think I have better swims when I am a little sore because it is easier to feel the muscles working.
Strength Session
For time:
50 pushups
50 situps
50 squats
50 lunges
50 pullups
50 kettlebell clean and jerk
[17:38]
I missed a week of strength training last week and have been easing off on it in general. It has come to the point where I am losing some of the strength I built from all the hard work I did on Crossfit earlier in this 20 weeks of training. This workout was harder than it used to be. I feel weak. It's really important that I stay consistent with this stuff so I continue to have a strong core foundation and prevent injury.
Food issues.... I am fighting weight gain in a serious way right now. Lots of cardio = lots of low-grade inflammation = cortisol = my body hanging onto fat. I am logging my food to control calories in versus calories out, aiming for about a 300 calorie deficit per day to lose 2-3 pounds. I slacked off for a while and some non-ideal foods crept in for the sake of convenience. I found out from my food log that I had been eating too much. It is so easy to do that when you are hungry all the time. Managing calories and getting back to gluten-free and dairy-free are my main strategies right now.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
10 x 12 minutes... think about that
Bike 3 hours with 10 x (12 minutes hard / 3 min recovery)
[52 miles, 2:52, Parmer Lane out and back]
Brick Run ~3 miles
[28 minutes (15 out/13 back neg split)]
It was a tough ride today with all those long intervals. It was a good way to make myself focus on steady effort for the entire ride. Riding this way, I was 8 minutes faster than when I did intervals on this same route a couple weeks ago. It's definitely something to think about as a race strategy too because I was close to my half ironman bike time even with the warmup, cooldown, and 3 minute recoveries. Running off the bike... yuck. After 5 minutes I wanted to stop because I was hardly moving and my legs felt terrible. I forced myself to keep going, and as usual my legs came around and I was able to run at a normal pace after about 12 minutes.
I was eager to get this done and still have some weekend left, so I got up at 6am and was on my bike at 6:45. It's still just noon and I am done, showered, stretched, eaten, car unpacked, and workout logged. I am looking forward to a whole half day of freedom.
Stick a fork in week 14 of training. It's done! On to week 15, aka 6 weeks left.
Volume this week:
Swim 10,4000yd (3:00)
Run 32.5 miles (4:30)
Bike 162 miles (9:30)
Total time: 17 hours
[52 miles, 2:52, Parmer Lane out and back]
Brick Run ~3 miles
[28 minutes (15 out/13 back neg split)]
It was a tough ride today with all those long intervals. It was a good way to make myself focus on steady effort for the entire ride. Riding this way, I was 8 minutes faster than when I did intervals on this same route a couple weeks ago. It's definitely something to think about as a race strategy too because I was close to my half ironman bike time even with the warmup, cooldown, and 3 minute recoveries. Running off the bike... yuck. After 5 minutes I wanted to stop because I was hardly moving and my legs felt terrible. I forced myself to keep going, and as usual my legs came around and I was able to run at a normal pace after about 12 minutes.
I was eager to get this done and still have some weekend left, so I got up at 6am and was on my bike at 6:45. It's still just noon and I am done, showered, stretched, eaten, car unpacked, and workout logged. I am looking forward to a whole half day of freedom.
Stick a fork in week 14 of training. It's done! On to week 15, aka 6 weeks left.
Volume this week:
Swim 10,4000yd (3:00)
Run 32.5 miles (4:30)
Bike 162 miles (9:30)
Total time: 17 hours
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Horseshoe Bay
Bike 70 miles [4:15]
Around Horseshoe Bay Texas
Mo and I stayed at the Horseshoe Bay Resort as part of a work thing she was doing and it was one of the nicest places I have ever stayed. Seeing people relax made me realize that I never relax. Hearing her colleagues talk about staying up to play mini-golf followed by poker made me realize that training requires that I go to bed early every night and I miss out on these things. It was a reality check on how hard I am working right now. After my ride today, we had a nice lunch and hung out by the fancy pool... no lap, no goggles, no cap, no workout cards, just playing around and lounging. After this weekend - 3 more weeks then 3 weeks of taper.
As for the ride, I put my head down and got 'er done. Nutrition today was reliably good using combo of natural solid foods and EFS products. The scenery was among the prettiest of any of the rides I have done this year. The weather was perfect, and I found out later that it poured all morning here in Austin so I really lucked out on being out of town :)
Around Horseshoe Bay Texas
Mo and I stayed at the Horseshoe Bay Resort as part of a work thing she was doing and it was one of the nicest places I have ever stayed. Seeing people relax made me realize that I never relax. Hearing her colleagues talk about staying up to play mini-golf followed by poker made me realize that training requires that I go to bed early every night and I miss out on these things. It was a reality check on how hard I am working right now. After my ride today, we had a nice lunch and hung out by the fancy pool... no lap, no goggles, no cap, no workout cards, just playing around and lounging. After this weekend - 3 more weeks then 3 weeks of taper.
As for the ride, I put my head down and got 'er done. Nutrition today was reliably good using combo of natural solid foods and EFS products. The scenery was among the prettiest of any of the rides I have done this year. The weather was perfect, and I found out later that it poured all morning here in Austin so I really lucked out on being out of town :)
Friday, May 14, 2010
run swim tacos
Run easy 3.5 miles with 6x30 sec sprint up hill/jog down
Hill repeats the day after my long run... seriously?? I don't usually use running as a recovery for running but I am sticking to my training schedule this week. Amazingly I felt a lot better after this recovery run than before. The hill repeats were short enough to be energizing and not draining.
Swim 3700yd [1:02]
MS: 3x1000, 1x500
This was going to be 4x1000 (60 rec) to simulate an Ironman swim but it started lightening and the pool was cleared halfway through my last interval. I was solid and steady but in the second half I really needed to think about my form in every stroke in order to stay on pace. Based on my pace today, I think I am looking at a 1:05-1:07 IM swim. 1:07 is my current PR.
Then... Torchy's breakfast tacos! (eaten too quickly for photos)
Up at 5:45am for multiple hours of training for the 4th day in a row... I am an Ironman workhorse zombie.
Hill repeats the day after my long run... seriously?? I don't usually use running as a recovery for running but I am sticking to my training schedule this week. Amazingly I felt a lot better after this recovery run than before. The hill repeats were short enough to be energizing and not draining.
Swim 3700yd [1:02]
MS: 3x1000, 1x500
This was going to be 4x1000 (60 rec) to simulate an Ironman swim but it started lightening and the pool was cleared halfway through my last interval. I was solid and steady but in the second half I really needed to think about my form in every stroke in order to stay on pace. Based on my pace today, I think I am looking at a 1:05-1:07 IM swim. 1:07 is my current PR.
Then... Torchy's breakfast tacos! (eaten too quickly for photos)
Up at 5:45am for multiple hours of training for the 4th day in a row... I am an Ironman workhorse zombie.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
long run
Run 18.5 miles [2:36 => 8:23/mile pace]
6am, 75 degrees, 70% humidity
Workouts, workouts, and more workouts. This training is a grind. Eat sleep train. I still love my long runs though. I started from my house (in the dark), ran to Town Lake, did the 5 mile loop and returned to my house. It was mostly downhill on the way out, and uphill on the way back. I traveled light with two gels and a flask of water that I refilled at every water fountain available. I didn't take my ipod (unusual for me) and I didn't miss it. I didn't take my watch because it is broken and I haven't gotten a new one yet. I enjoyed being free of "stuff" and just focusing on running. Running without my watch was nice and I think I ended up going faster because I had no idea about the numbers. Perhaps I am faster than I think when I just run on feel. This was a good solid run. It was supposed to be 17 miles but I miscalculated the route a bit.
6am, 75 degrees, 70% humidity
Workouts, workouts, and more workouts. This training is a grind. Eat sleep train. I still love my long runs though. I started from my house (in the dark), ran to Town Lake, did the 5 mile loop and returned to my house. It was mostly downhill on the way out, and uphill on the way back. I traveled light with two gels and a flask of water that I refilled at every water fountain available. I didn't take my ipod (unusual for me) and I didn't miss it. I didn't take my watch because it is broken and I haven't gotten a new one yet. I enjoyed being free of "stuff" and just focusing on running. Running without my watch was nice and I think I ended up going faster because I had no idea about the numbers. Perhaps I am faster than I think when I just run on feel. This was a good solid run. It was supposed to be 17 miles but I miscalculated the route a bit.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
one advil to the rescue
Tuesday
Run 5 miles with 3 x 1 mile hard [42 min]
Ugh. I am tiiiiired. My body can't seem to catch up.
Wednesday
Bike 90 minutes with 6x hill repeats
Did 3 x Far West, 3 x Mesa
Experimented with standing vs. seated climb.
It's been a long time since I've done these hills as repeats and am excited to report that I have gotten significantly faster on less recovery than when I did them regularly in 2008. Great workout today. I didn't let myself do less than what was planned even though those bargaining devils entered my head a few times.
Swim 3200yd [57 min]
MS:
4x300@4:18, 4:17, 4:15, 4:22 on 5:00
2x400@5:56, 5:52 on 6:30
1x500@7:29
I went into this swim tired and irritable from being stuck in traffic. I killed it. My arms were strong and I swam faster than threshold for all the repeats. Ok, I admit I took one Advil this morning because I have been feeling lingering inflammation throughout my body. Since I only take Advil as a complete last resort and have probably only taken 15 total in my life, this was kind of a big deal. One little ibuprofen pill has a huge effect on me. Two great workouts today. Hmmm.
Run 5 miles with 3 x 1 mile hard [42 min]
Ugh. I am tiiiiired. My body can't seem to catch up.
Wednesday
Bike 90 minutes with 6x hill repeats
Did 3 x Far West, 3 x Mesa
Experimented with standing vs. seated climb.
It's been a long time since I've done these hills as repeats and am excited to report that I have gotten significantly faster on less recovery than when I did them regularly in 2008. Great workout today. I didn't let myself do less than what was planned even though those bargaining devils entered my head a few times.
Swim 3200yd [57 min]
MS:
4x300@4:18, 4:17, 4:15, 4:22 on 5:00
2x400@5:56, 5:52 on 6:30
1x500@7:29
I went into this swim tired and irritable from being stuck in traffic. I killed it. My arms were strong and I swam faster than threshold for all the repeats. Ok, I admit I took one Advil this morning because I have been feeling lingering inflammation throughout my body. Since I only take Advil as a complete last resort and have probably only taken 15 total in my life, this was kind of a big deal. One little ibuprofen pill has a huge effect on me. Two great workouts today. Hmmm.
Monday, May 10, 2010
chocolates in my hat
Swim 3500yd [1:03]
MS:
6x150@2:04-2:07 on 2:30
8x100@1:18-1:24 on 1:45
8x50@0:39-0:43 on 1:00
Bike 45 minutes, hill intervals, trainer
Run 2 miles easy with sprints [18:00]
The countdown begins... 13 weeks down, 7 weeks to go. I surprised myself with the swim intervals today- I haven't done short repeats in a while and I have gotten faster. 1:18 was my previous 100yd PR and I matched that today on several of the repeats without specifically trying to sprint for a PR.
Training is kind of like this classic Lucy clip... it starts off real nice and manageable when you are 20 weeks out but becomes complete chaos by the end. I'm in damage control mode and am nearing the point where they start putting chocolates down their shirt and in their hats.
MS:
6x150@2:04-2:07 on 2:30
8x100@1:18-1:24 on 1:45
8x50@0:39-0:43 on 1:00
Bike 45 minutes, hill intervals, trainer
Run 2 miles easy with sprints [18:00]
The countdown begins... 13 weeks down, 7 weeks to go. I surprised myself with the swim intervals today- I haven't done short repeats in a while and I have gotten faster. 1:18 was my previous 100yd PR and I matched that today on several of the repeats without specifically trying to sprint for a PR.
Training is kind of like this classic Lucy clip... it starts off real nice and manageable when you are 20 weeks out but becomes complete chaos by the end. I'm in damage control mode and am nearing the point where they start putting chocolates down their shirt and in their hats.
Sunday, May 09, 2010
Armadillo Hill Country Classic
Bike 108 miles [6:41], road bike, 15-20mph wind
Run 3.5 miles [29 min]
Today I joined the Armadillo Hill Country Classic ride in Liberty Hill TX and did the longest route they offered, 108 miles. The weather was cool (low 70s) and mostly cloudy with a 15-20mph wind. The wind was a factor from the beginning and I kind of dreaded going out because even my car was getting blown around as I drove there. It turned out not to be too bad. Many sections were shielded with trees, and the course changed directions many times so there weren't too many extended periods directly into a headwind.
The aid stations were well-stocked and I enjoyed the squares of PB+J on squishy white bread at every opportunity. I also supplemented my food with Larabar, EFS electrolyte drink, and EFS liquid shot for a total of about 1500 calories and 4 bottles of water.
I met a guy, Andy, around mile 35 and we stuck together for the rest of the ride, working together to draft and taking turns blocking the wind. Later on we joined a larger group of ten riders for more help with the wind. As for the distance, it was easy and enjoyable until mile 45, additional focus was needed for miles 45-75, and I really needed to bear down and concentrate through the discomfort for miles 75-108. I went through a rough patch of near calorie-bonk around 75 but was able to fix it by taking a good big drink of the EFS liquid shot. The strong sweet vanilla flavor of that can be hard to get down and I learned that I may not be able to rely on it for as many calories as I was planning. Solid food is most appealing to me while riding.
After 108 miles I was ready to get off the bike, but was not totally spent. My butt and back were the most sore and my quads were tired, as expected. Next up was an easy pace 3.5 mile run on a flat route around my neighborhood. After the initial stiffness was worked out, my legs felt good. Well, as "good" as they could have. This is a good sign that my nutrition worked. I went into this long day short on sleep and am happy with the solid result.
Post-Workout:: smoothie, ice bath, stretching, rolling, FOOD!
Run 3.5 miles [29 min]
Today I joined the Armadillo Hill Country Classic ride in Liberty Hill TX and did the longest route they offered, 108 miles. The weather was cool (low 70s) and mostly cloudy with a 15-20mph wind. The wind was a factor from the beginning and I kind of dreaded going out because even my car was getting blown around as I drove there. It turned out not to be too bad. Many sections were shielded with trees, and the course changed directions many times so there weren't too many extended periods directly into a headwind.
The aid stations were well-stocked and I enjoyed the squares of PB+J on squishy white bread at every opportunity. I also supplemented my food with Larabar, EFS electrolyte drink, and EFS liquid shot for a total of about 1500 calories and 4 bottles of water.
I met a guy, Andy, around mile 35 and we stuck together for the rest of the ride, working together to draft and taking turns blocking the wind. Later on we joined a larger group of ten riders for more help with the wind. As for the distance, it was easy and enjoyable until mile 45, additional focus was needed for miles 45-75, and I really needed to bear down and concentrate through the discomfort for miles 75-108. I went through a rough patch of near calorie-bonk around 75 but was able to fix it by taking a good big drink of the EFS liquid shot. The strong sweet vanilla flavor of that can be hard to get down and I learned that I may not be able to rely on it for as many calories as I was planning. Solid food is most appealing to me while riding.
After 108 miles I was ready to get off the bike, but was not totally spent. My butt and back were the most sore and my quads were tired, as expected. Next up was an easy pace 3.5 mile run on a flat route around my neighborhood. After the initial stiffness was worked out, my legs felt good. Well, as "good" as they could have. This is a good sign that my nutrition worked. I went into this long day short on sleep and am happy with the solid result.
Post-Workout:: smoothie, ice bath, stretching, rolling, FOOD!
traveling this week
Tuesday
Long Run - 14 miles [1:52]
Swim 4200yd [1:12]
MS: 2x500, 3x400, 4x300 @ 1:30/100 pace
Wednesday
REST Day
Thursday
Run - 2x1 mile@7:11, 7:09, treadmill, 5.5 miles total, 45 min
Strength Workout
5x20:
Pushups
Situps
Squats
Chair Dips
Friday
Swim 2000yd, 35 min
MS: 1x400, 2x300, 1x200@ 1:32/100 pace
Massage
I went to New Orleans for a conference for work on Wednesday and Thursday. I was operating on very little sleep, long days, plane travel, different foods than usual, and standing on my feet for hours. It was very obvious to me how the quality of my workouts depends on a delicate balance of reduced stress, mental calm, rest, and diet. I scrambled to catch up on sleep for the weekend and ended up with 9 hour nights on Thursday and Friday.
Long Run - 14 miles [1:52]
Swim 4200yd [1:12]
MS: 2x500, 3x400, 4x300 @ 1:30/100 pace
Wednesday
REST Day
Thursday
Run - 2x1 mile@7:11, 7:09, treadmill, 5.5 miles total, 45 min
Strength Workout
5x20:
Pushups
Situps
Squats
Chair Dips
Friday
Swim 2000yd, 35 min
MS: 1x400, 2x300, 1x200@ 1:32/100 pace
Massage
I went to New Orleans for a conference for work on Wednesday and Thursday. I was operating on very little sleep, long days, plane travel, different foods than usual, and standing on my feet for hours. It was very obvious to me how the quality of my workouts depends on a delicate balance of reduced stress, mental calm, rest, and diet. I scrambled to catch up on sleep for the weekend and ended up with 9 hour nights on Thursday and Friday.
Tuesday, May 04, 2010
link between inflammation and fat
Chronic stress begets chronic inflammation, which chronically elevates cortisol, which induces insulin resistance and belly fat accumulation.
-from MarksDailyApple.com
I don't agree with everything about the Primal lifestyle on Mark's Daily Apple, but I do think the above statement is 100% true. It backs up what I have observed in myself about hormone levels and fat during hard endurance training. The best way for me to reduce the effects are to aim for an anti-inflammatory diet.
-from MarksDailyApple.com
I don't agree with everything about the Primal lifestyle on Mark's Daily Apple, but I do think the above statement is 100% true. It backs up what I have observed in myself about hormone levels and fat during hard endurance training. The best way for me to reduce the effects are to aim for an anti-inflammatory diet.
Monday, May 03, 2010
good workouts
Strength Workout
30 lat pull warmup (55-70)
30 jumping pullups with controlled down
30 burpees
30 box step ups for each leg (24 inch box)
30 side lunges with 25 lb plate held at chest
20 push press (started at 45, maxed at 55) - no improvement here, status quo
30 deadlift (started at 45, maxed with 15 reps at 75lbs) - yikes, found my weakness here!
40 bench press (started at 45, maxed at 85) - haven't done this one in a while, big improvement
4x30 seconds plank - I should be better at this. Needs work to hold longer.
Bike
45 minutes, spin class with: [3x (4x30 sec max/30 sec rest)]
Run
30 minutes, 3.7 miles, treadmill
[10 min@8:30 pace, 10 min@7:20 pace, 5 min@7:40 pace, 5 min@8:30 pace]
The 7:20 pace run was the hardest part of today. I was nearly anaerobic and really had to work with my mind to keep it going. I chose to do this on the treadmill because I knew it would force me to get the workout done as planned, no cheating on the paces.
My renewed warrior mindset went to the test today and I won. When I let myself off the hook by cutting a workout short or doing fewer intervals or going less intense, I am only hurting my own race performance. I need to challenge my body to do things it doesn't want to do when I am training so that I am prepared to do that when I am racing.
30 lat pull warmup (55-70)
30 jumping pullups with controlled down
30 burpees
30 box step ups for each leg (24 inch box)
30 side lunges with 25 lb plate held at chest
20 push press (started at 45, maxed at 55) - no improvement here, status quo
30 deadlift (started at 45, maxed with 15 reps at 75lbs) - yikes, found my weakness here!
40 bench press (started at 45, maxed at 85) - haven't done this one in a while, big improvement
4x30 seconds plank - I should be better at this. Needs work to hold longer.
Bike
45 minutes, spin class with: [3x (4x30 sec max/30 sec rest)]
Run
30 minutes, 3.7 miles, treadmill
[10 min@8:30 pace, 10 min@7:20 pace, 5 min@7:40 pace, 5 min@8:30 pace]
The 7:20 pace run was the hardest part of today. I was nearly anaerobic and really had to work with my mind to keep it going. I chose to do this on the treadmill because I knew it would force me to get the workout done as planned, no cheating on the paces.
My renewed warrior mindset went to the test today and I won. When I let myself off the hook by cutting a workout short or doing fewer intervals or going less intense, I am only hurting my own race performance. I need to challenge my body to do things it doesn't want to do when I am training so that I am prepared to do that when I am racing.
Sunday, May 02, 2010
ironman race nutrition
I have never nailed my Ironman nutrition in a race, but I think this time I have it down. Proper nutrition is so crucial to having a good race. The distance is just too long to wing it, and if you make a mistake, you are going to suffer. I have practiced this two weeks in a row and is working! Here is the plan for Ironman race day:
Breakfast - oatmeal with protein powder, flax, almond butter, banana, green tea
Pre-race - Justin's PB squeeze pack, PowerGel (chocolate w/ caffeine) - 300 calories
Bike - 2000 calories and 6 bottles of water as:
Solid food mix - fig bars, raisins, raw dates, almonds, Larabar - 1000 calories
FirstEndurance EFS Electrolyte drink - 200 calories
FirstEndurance EFS Liquid Shot (diluted in one water bottle) - 800 calories
Run - 1000 calories and water every mile
100 calories every 3-4 miles as gel or whatever looks good at aid station
Alternate water/Cola at aid stations
Breakfast - oatmeal with protein powder, flax, almond butter, banana, green tea
Pre-race - Justin's PB squeeze pack, PowerGel (chocolate w/ caffeine) - 300 calories
Bike - 2000 calories and 6 bottles of water as:
Solid food mix - fig bars, raisins, raw dates, almonds, Larabar - 1000 calories
FirstEndurance EFS Electrolyte drink - 200 calories
FirstEndurance EFS Liquid Shot (diluted in one water bottle) - 800 calories
Run - 1000 calories and water every mile
100 calories every 3-4 miles as gel or whatever looks good at aid station
Alternate water/Cola at aid stations
reality check
I was pretty down about my result from Galveston 70.3. It wasn't a PR and was my second slowest 70.3 next to my first one 5 years ago. My placement in my age group was disappointing. When hard work doesn't appear to pay off, I start to wonder why I am doing all of this. Earlier this week, I was having serious doubts about myself as an athlete and was even starting to think about just doing Ironman TO FINISH. Seriously... to finish? That is giving up. I don't give up and I don't give less than 100%. Ever.
Bottom line - at Galveston I should have gone harder on the bike, and I should have put sunscreen in my transition area so I wouldn't have fried on the run. Things have to go wrong in order to learn. I learned about pacing. I learned that 90% effort is not good enough. That race is done, it's over, and it's time to move forward.
I start fresh right here, right now. I have my fitness and my attitude. I will go into the final 8 weeks of Ironman training with a renewed warrior spirit and a belief that I can and will do whatever I set my mind to.
Bottom line - at Galveston I should have gone harder on the bike, and I should have put sunscreen in my transition area so I wouldn't have fried on the run. Things have to go wrong in order to learn. I learned about pacing. I learned that 90% effort is not good enough. That race is done, it's over, and it's time to move forward.
I start fresh right here, right now. I have my fitness and my attitude. I will go into the final 8 weeks of Ironman training with a renewed warrior spirit and a belief that I can and will do whatever I set my mind to.
lots o miles
Saturday
Bike 91 miles steady riding [5:38 as 2:24 out/3:14 back], road bike
Sunday
Bike 53 miles with intervals [3:00], tri bike
I did a lot of biking this weekend. Yesterday I joined the Austin to Shiner G.A.S.P. ride, doing 45 miles with them and then turning around to go back 45 miles on my own. The event is a 100 mile point-to-point ride and had 2000 riders, and lucky for them, they had a tailwind the whole way. For me, I had that tailwind only for the first half of my ride. Doing events like this makes a huge difference in getting the work of these long rides done because there are so many people out there to chase and try to keep up with.
Today my ride was all work though - 3 hours on my triathlon bike, aero position, intervals. I went out early to hammer it out on Parmer Lane, and the time actually went by really fast. It was cloudy with not too much wind - excellent conditions. My intervals were 2x15 minutes hard (5 min easy riding), 2 x 25 minutes hard (5 min easy riding). Once my legs were warmed up, I felt great. These are the kinds of efforts I should have been putting out in the race last weekend.
Bike 91 miles steady riding [5:38 as 2:24 out/3:14 back], road bike
Sunday
Bike 53 miles with intervals [3:00], tri bike
I did a lot of biking this weekend. Yesterday I joined the Austin to Shiner G.A.S.P. ride, doing 45 miles with them and then turning around to go back 45 miles on my own. The event is a 100 mile point-to-point ride and had 2000 riders, and lucky for them, they had a tailwind the whole way. For me, I had that tailwind only for the first half of my ride. Doing events like this makes a huge difference in getting the work of these long rides done because there are so many people out there to chase and try to keep up with.
Today my ride was all work though - 3 hours on my triathlon bike, aero position, intervals. I went out early to hammer it out on Parmer Lane, and the time actually went by really fast. It was cloudy with not too much wind - excellent conditions. My intervals were 2x15 minutes hard (5 min easy riding), 2 x 25 minutes hard (5 min easy riding). Once my legs were warmed up, I felt great. These are the kinds of efforts I should have been putting out in the race last weekend.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Race Captain for Marathon Nation
Marathon Nation is a new online running community started by Patrick McCrann, the founder of Endurance Nation. When you join, you get a training plan, a community of supportive friends, all the training information you could ever want, weekly video chats with the head coach, and a lot more. The training plans emphasize very specific workouts that help runners get stronger and faster... i.e. lots of speedwork and drills. Recovery and core strengthening techniques are also included.
So... here's the news.... I'm the race captain for the Marathon Nation Philadelphia Marathon team (Nov 2010)... what does this mean? Well for one it means that after Ironman Coeur d'Alene I will rest and then train to do that race myself using the MN training approach (can't wait!). MN will have a special Philly race group that I will be in charge of. I will answer daily training questions, keep up with everyone's progress, and create special challenges to make the training more fun. I will host a group gathering/dinner on race weekend.
I'm excited to be part of this community and to help people achieve their running goals. I ran the Philly ING Distance Run last year (and set a big PR) and did the full marathon a few years ago. The fall scenery is beautiful, the course is pretty flat, the weather is cool and not-humid (unlike Austin), and the pro-field is world class. It's a great race.
If you are already in Marathon Nation, consider running Philly with us! If you have never heard of it, take a look at the website. We are friendly to all types of runners.
So... here's the news.... I'm the race captain for the Marathon Nation Philadelphia Marathon team (Nov 2010)... what does this mean? Well for one it means that after Ironman Coeur d'Alene I will rest and then train to do that race myself using the MN training approach (can't wait!). MN will have a special Philly race group that I will be in charge of. I will answer daily training questions, keep up with everyone's progress, and create special challenges to make the training more fun. I will host a group gathering/dinner on race weekend.
I'm excited to be part of this community and to help people achieve their running goals. I ran the Philly ING Distance Run last year (and set a big PR) and did the full marathon a few years ago. The fall scenery is beautiful, the course is pretty flat, the weather is cool and not-humid (unlike Austin), and the pro-field is world class. It's a great race.
If you are already in Marathon Nation, consider running Philly with us! If you have never heard of it, take a look at the website. We are friendly to all types of runners.
this week is a breather
I'm done whining. 5 days have passed since the half ironman and I am starting to feel normal again. I decided to abandon my training plan this week and just do whatever I am in the mood for based on how I am feeling each day. This is helping my mental state because I don't like feeling boxed in by a strict plan. I don't mind doing the work as long as I don't feel like a train wreck.
Tuesday
Swim 4000yd, 1:13 at Deep Eddy pool
MS: 200, 300, 400, 500, 400, 300, 200 - all at 1:30/100 pace steady
Deep Eddy is COLD! The water felt awesome on my sore muscles. I had no trouble holding my threshold pace for this.
Wednesday
Run 7 miles, 59 min - Town Lake loop
Ugh, legs not horrible but not quite back to normal.
Thursday
Swim 3000yd, 53 min
MS: 10x133 in 2:00 on 2:15, 10x66 in 1:00 on 1:15.
Big Stacy pool - so yes, the lengths are strange. Basically repeats of 2 laps and 1 lap. Nice swim. I went under my goal pace for many of the laps.
Friday
Run 10 miles, 1:26 with last 2 miles at 8:14 pace.
Strength workout
This is a modified version of the Crossfit Spartan Challenge:
25 pullups
50 pushups
50 box step ups on 20 inch box
25 lying leg raises
25 tick-tocks with broom stick
50 kettlebell clean and press with 20lbs
25 wall ball with 12 lbs
[18:03]
3x10 seated leg press machine@130 (not hard, just a reminder to my legs)
Tuesday
Swim 4000yd, 1:13 at Deep Eddy pool
MS: 200, 300, 400, 500, 400, 300, 200 - all at 1:30/100 pace steady
Deep Eddy is COLD! The water felt awesome on my sore muscles. I had no trouble holding my threshold pace for this.
Wednesday
Run 7 miles, 59 min - Town Lake loop
Ugh, legs not horrible but not quite back to normal.
Thursday
Swim 3000yd, 53 min
MS: 10x133 in 2:00 on 2:15, 10x66 in 1:00 on 1:15.
Big Stacy pool - so yes, the lengths are strange. Basically repeats of 2 laps and 1 lap. Nice swim. I went under my goal pace for many of the laps.
Friday
Run 10 miles, 1:26 with last 2 miles at 8:14 pace.
Strength workout
This is a modified version of the Crossfit Spartan Challenge:
25 pullups
50 pushups
50 box step ups on 20 inch box
25 lying leg raises
25 tick-tocks with broom stick
50 kettlebell clean and press with 20lbs
25 wall ball with 12 lbs
[18:03]
3x10 seated leg press machine@130 (not hard, just a reminder to my legs)
Monday, April 26, 2010
whining
Bike 45 minutes (spin class, recovery)
Strength 15 minutes (lat pull, deadlift, pullup)
My hips and inner thighs are sore, and the rest of me is kind of tired, but the worst part of recovery from yesterday is the sunburn. I have a few really painful spots that hurt when my shirt rubs against them. I wish I would have thought to reapply my sunscreen before I started the run. Hello lots of aloe.
I am feeling kind of deflated today about triathlon. It really bugs me when I work so hard at something and still end up being an average middle-of-the-pack finisher. I feel beat up inside and out by that race. It felt more like work than fun. Thousands of Type-A triathletes in a small space is not an energy that is fun to be around. Why am I doing this again? I am optimistic that Coeur d'Alene will be better because the conditions won't be so brutal, and the course is nicer. I am going to do some hard thinking about what it will take to push myself to the limit in a positive way at that race.
In the spirit of this negative post, I may as well get it all out at once.... I have gained back the 3-4 pounds that I lost in the off season. It's not a lot in the grand scheme of things but it is enough that I feel it and notice it in my clothes. It is probably affecting my performance too. I think I tend to use food as a reward for really hard workouts, or fall into the trap of thinking that just because I have an Ironman on the calendar I can eat whatever I want. It's time to put some restrictions back in place:
1. 12 hour fast every night. i.e. All eating done by 7pm so I can eat breakfast at 7am. I will not die if I go to bed hungry.
2. Eat roughly Paleo with starchy carbs only immediately pre and post-workout3. Portion control
Strength 15 minutes (lat pull, deadlift, pullup)
My hips and inner thighs are sore, and the rest of me is kind of tired, but the worst part of recovery from yesterday is the sunburn. I have a few really painful spots that hurt when my shirt rubs against them. I wish I would have thought to reapply my sunscreen before I started the run. Hello lots of aloe.
I am feeling kind of deflated today about triathlon. It really bugs me when I work so hard at something and still end up being an average middle-of-the-pack finisher. I feel beat up inside and out by that race. It felt more like work than fun. Thousands of Type-A triathletes in a small space is not an energy that is fun to be around. Why am I doing this again? I am optimistic that Coeur d'Alene will be better because the conditions won't be so brutal, and the course is nicer. I am going to do some hard thinking about what it will take to push myself to the limit in a positive way at that race.
In the spirit of this negative post, I may as well get it all out at once.... I have gained back the 3-4 pounds that I lost in the off season. It's not a lot in the grand scheme of things but it is enough that I feel it and notice it in my clothes. It is probably affecting my performance too. I think I tend to use food as a reward for really hard workouts, or fall into the trap of thinking that just because I have an Ironman on the calendar I can eat whatever I want. It's time to put some restrictions back in place:
1. 12 hour fast every night. i.e. All eating done by 7pm so I can eat breakfast at 7am. I will not die if I go to bed hungry.
2. Eat roughly Paleo with starchy carbs only immediately pre and post-workout3. Portion control
Lonestar 70.3 Race Report 2010
Galveston is a strange place. It's still struggling to get itself back together after Hurricane Ike. Many houses and buildings have boarded up windows and some still have blue tarps on the roof. The sun there is very intense and it is ultra-flat, and windy. There are miles and miles of beachfront on the Gulf of Mexico, with lots of resorts, but while it seems like it may have been nice at one time, it is now kind of rough around the edges.
And so was the Lonestar 70.3 Half Ironman. It was in the 80's, clear and sunny, and with a relentless 15 mph wind. My age group (30-34) put me in wave 14, which meant that I started at about 8:10, over an hour after the first athletes. This gave the wind and sun an extra hour to intensify. The point-to-point swim in the bay had a choppy headwind the entire way. At some points I felt like the waves were sucking me backwards. My swim was well-executed but it took me a slow 40 minutes to muscle through the 1.2 miles.
The bike was 56 miles of the flattest road I have ever biked. It was an out-and-back route along the coast, which meant beautiful views of the ocean the whole way. I looked up once in a while to make sure not to miss that. The super flatness gave no terrain variation so I could use different muscle groups or stretch. My inner thighs cramped up at mile 20 and I had to fight cramps the entire way. I wasn't sure how that would play out since I have never had muscle cramps there before. The bike was 3 hours down in aero-position cranking out steady power... with a 15 mph crosswind the entire way. There was nothing to block the wind or provide any shade. I took it a little conservative on the way out and hammered the way back. I should have gone harder the whole way - that was a good lesson in pacing learned the hard way. Lots of women passed me, and I shouldn't have been so ok with that. I wasn't going hard enough. On the plus side, my nutrition worked perfectly: 900 calories and 3 bottles of water in the form of Gatorade, EFS drink, and my special mix of Larabar, fig bars, walnuts, raisins. The solid food tasted good and I had no trouble digesting it. Final time: 3:02.
I was glad to get off the bike to relieve my hip flexors and inner thighs from all that aero-time. I headed out on the run course for 4 laps through Moody Gardens. They use the word gardens loosely because it is a commercial resort and the entire run was on concrete with no shade. My game plan was to work the bike out of my legs on lap 1, find a steady pace on lap 2, work through lap 3, and push it on lap 4. All those laps were mentally hard, but the nice part was that there were aid stations every mile. I needed them badly in the heat, and walked through every one taking all the cold sponges and water I could get. I also had Gatorade or some other calories at every other mile. I didn't have quite enough and started to go into bonk mode. I got real cranky and was so spaced out I started bumping into other runners by mistake as I passed too closely. The heat got to me and by this point I could tell I was getting a nasty sunburn. I had a decent pace for the first two laps but after that it was a fight, a death march - one foot in front of the other... just make it to that next sign post...ok, now get to the next one, etc. Seeing a lot of spectators and all the runners on the course made it bearable. Final time: 1:52.
Reflections
There was nothing I could have done to make my swim faster given the water conditions. I should have biked harder the whole way. I should have used a slightly harder gear and just pushed it. I should have gone to war with that. A+ for good bike nutrition today. My body isn't used to the Texas heat and direct sun yet, even though I have lived here for a few years. It really got me on the run. When I get overheated in a race, my mind goes. I had trouble keeping my thoughts positive and adjusting my run nutrition to the conditions on the fly. I did ok at this but not optimal which is why my run time is ok but not what I am capable of.
Finish time 5:38
18th of 89 in age group female 30-34
[previous half iron PR 5:22]
And so was the Lonestar 70.3 Half Ironman. It was in the 80's, clear and sunny, and with a relentless 15 mph wind. My age group (30-34) put me in wave 14, which meant that I started at about 8:10, over an hour after the first athletes. This gave the wind and sun an extra hour to intensify. The point-to-point swim in the bay had a choppy headwind the entire way. At some points I felt like the waves were sucking me backwards. My swim was well-executed but it took me a slow 40 minutes to muscle through the 1.2 miles.
The bike was 56 miles of the flattest road I have ever biked. It was an out-and-back route along the coast, which meant beautiful views of the ocean the whole way. I looked up once in a while to make sure not to miss that. The super flatness gave no terrain variation so I could use different muscle groups or stretch. My inner thighs cramped up at mile 20 and I had to fight cramps the entire way. I wasn't sure how that would play out since I have never had muscle cramps there before. The bike was 3 hours down in aero-position cranking out steady power... with a 15 mph crosswind the entire way. There was nothing to block the wind or provide any shade. I took it a little conservative on the way out and hammered the way back. I should have gone harder the whole way - that was a good lesson in pacing learned the hard way. Lots of women passed me, and I shouldn't have been so ok with that. I wasn't going hard enough. On the plus side, my nutrition worked perfectly: 900 calories and 3 bottles of water in the form of Gatorade, EFS drink, and my special mix of Larabar, fig bars, walnuts, raisins. The solid food tasted good and I had no trouble digesting it. Final time: 3:02.
I was glad to get off the bike to relieve my hip flexors and inner thighs from all that aero-time. I headed out on the run course for 4 laps through Moody Gardens. They use the word gardens loosely because it is a commercial resort and the entire run was on concrete with no shade. My game plan was to work the bike out of my legs on lap 1, find a steady pace on lap 2, work through lap 3, and push it on lap 4. All those laps were mentally hard, but the nice part was that there were aid stations every mile. I needed them badly in the heat, and walked through every one taking all the cold sponges and water I could get. I also had Gatorade or some other calories at every other mile. I didn't have quite enough and started to go into bonk mode. I got real cranky and was so spaced out I started bumping into other runners by mistake as I passed too closely. The heat got to me and by this point I could tell I was getting a nasty sunburn. I had a decent pace for the first two laps but after that it was a fight, a death march - one foot in front of the other... just make it to that next sign post...ok, now get to the next one, etc. Seeing a lot of spectators and all the runners on the course made it bearable. Final time: 1:52.
Reflections
There was nothing I could have done to make my swim faster given the water conditions. I should have biked harder the whole way. I should have used a slightly harder gear and just pushed it. I should have gone to war with that. A+ for good bike nutrition today. My body isn't used to the Texas heat and direct sun yet, even though I have lived here for a few years. It really got me on the run. When I get overheated in a race, my mind goes. I had trouble keeping my thoughts positive and adjusting my run nutrition to the conditions on the fly. I did ok at this but not optimal which is why my run time is ok but not what I am capable of.
Finish time 5:38
18th of 89 in age group female 30-34
[previous half iron PR 5:22]
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