To help hold myself accountable I am back to sharing my exercise in the quest to get back into the shape I was once in this time last year.
Monday - I started back to running. I need to find the joy I once had with running. I think I burned myself out from running by worrying about pace and time and splits all the time. I need to get back to just remembering the simple joy of running. One foot in front of the other.
I am jumping into a marathon plan, but not worry about pace, time, or actually even running a marathon. I needed a basic structure to follow to give me some guidance.
I ran 4 miles which was a great starting distance to get back into the swing of things. It helps to have Chad running with me so we can keep things easy and allow us to just chat about stuff. This really helps pass the time and keeps you out of your own head.
Tuesday - After an open water swim Sunday I knew I had some more work to do in the pool. Swimming is probably my strongest sport right now as I have not missed a swim workout in a while.
Today I decided to mix it up and did a workout I saw in Triathlon magazine to do something completely different from what I have been doing. This was a tough workout. I have not crossed the 3000 yard swim barrier in a very, very long time.
800 warm up - 200 free, 200 kick x2
12 x 25 on :30 working on descent of stroke count - My stroke count was high hovering at 15-16. I was able to get that down to 13-14 by the end. This is way too high.
500 - 25 fast/75 normal - This was a gasser
4 x 150 on 3:00 - I did one set free, one kick, one free, one kick to work on swimming with tired legs
500 pull with 3/5/7 breathing - I did 50 at 3 breath, 50 at 5, 50 at 7, etc. 7 was a tough. I hate that panic feeling of not having oxygen. It was good for me to work on this.
8 x 50 - 3 fast at every :50 and 4th one easy at 1:10 - It is amazing how fast the time goes between sets. I would finish roughly around 40 seconds so the 10 seconds flies by.
100 cool down kick
Wednesday - Today was another 4 mile run. Felt much better despite more humidity and heat. Feels good to get out and run. I don't always want to do the run in the morning, but feel really good afterwards.
Your daily dose of caffeine for the brain with free refills.
Showing posts with label swimming. Show all posts
Showing posts with label swimming. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
18 Weeks Until Rev3 - Swim workout #2
Whew doggies! I slept terrible last night and was beyond tired and sore this morning. I hate to really fight the urge to skip, but finally at 4:40 I got up to get this done!
I am glad I did because I feel much better. I need to work on my mindset to fight through not wanting to get up and be lazy. I know the first few weeks will be the hardest, but once I get my groove back I will be fine.
I hit up the pool again today since my bike is in the shop. This week will be run and swim focused. I was sore from the run yesterday so decided to skip the planned run and swim instead to be safe and not risk injury. I will run tomorrow instead of a bike workout and be right on track.
Here is what I did today. Most happy with the 6 x 100 where I swam each one faster. I was enjoying see my times go down each lap.
My biggest focus right now are my feet and keeping them up on the surface of the water. My feet sink big time. Every lap that is all I am focusing on. I hope to get this fixed over the next few weeks and then move to another aspect of my swim that needs work - rolling!
WU: 500
MS1: 100, 200, 300, 200, 100, with 20" rest between each. Count strokes on all ODD number laps, as a tool to help you focus on form. Set Total: 900;
MS2: 6 x 100 (20"), negative split Set Total: 600;
MS3: 8 x 25 (20") Hard, but keeping the same stroke counts you've held consistently above. Set Total: 200.
CD: 100-200 easy. Total: 2400
Coach Notes: Technique Focus: head position -- neutral head position, not looking up or down; breath straight to the side, to 9 or 3, with no head lift. Think "one goggle out," minimizing head roll.
I am glad I did because I feel much better. I need to work on my mindset to fight through not wanting to get up and be lazy. I know the first few weeks will be the hardest, but once I get my groove back I will be fine.
I hit up the pool again today since my bike is in the shop. This week will be run and swim focused. I was sore from the run yesterday so decided to skip the planned run and swim instead to be safe and not risk injury. I will run tomorrow instead of a bike workout and be right on track.
Here is what I did today. Most happy with the 6 x 100 where I swam each one faster. I was enjoying see my times go down each lap.
My biggest focus right now are my feet and keeping them up on the surface of the water. My feet sink big time. Every lap that is all I am focusing on. I hope to get this fixed over the next few weeks and then move to another aspect of my swim that needs work - rolling!
WU: 500
MS1: 100, 200, 300, 200, 100, with 20" rest between each. Count strokes on all ODD number laps, as a tool to help you focus on form. Set Total: 900;
MS2: 6 x 100 (20"), negative split Set Total: 600;
MS3: 8 x 25 (20") Hard, but keeping the same stroke counts you've held consistently above. Set Total: 200.
CD: 100-200 easy. Total: 2400
Coach Notes: Technique Focus: head position -- neutral head position, not looking up or down; breath straight to the side, to 9 or 3, with no head lift. Think "one goggle out," minimizing head roll.
Monday, May 6, 2013
Ironman Journey Resumes after 3 month of Nothing, Rev3 Cedar Point Here I Come
Alright, I have hit the highs and lows of motivation, training, and nutrition the last six months. I hit an all time high of fitness from Nov - Jan. I hit an all time low from Feb - May doing nothing and being a mess.
Back in October of 2012 I started this journey to complete my first 140.6 triathlon.
I am back. I have 19 weeks to get ready for Rev3 Cedar Point.
Last night I attended swim clinic to find what I need to work on after a long time of no swimming.
Today I hit up the pool for a technique swim
My training has completely changed due to me not following my plan set by my coach. I am now on a 20 week Ironman plan. These next four weeks are just about getting back in the groove.
I will have another 4 week block and then a 12 week intense, locked in training block to get ready.
Today I did the following
Warm Up - 100 free, 100 pull, 100 kick hard, 100 paddles
Drill Propulsion Progression
MS: 2 x 50 (15") Swim Golf; 2 x 50 (15") for each of the six Propulsion Progression Drills; 2 x 50 (15") Swim Golf. Focus Swimming: 2 x 50 (15"), focus on front quadrant: lead hand is extending until recovering hand is about at your ear. 2 x 50 (15"), focus on catch: think "finger tips down. 2 x 50 (15"), focus on catch: think "over the barrel." 2 x 50 (15"), focus on best form you can maintain. 2 x 50 (15") Swim Golf.
I wrapped up with 100 kick, 100 paddles, and 200 free set.
Total: ~1800
I will be sore tomorrow. I was sore this morning.
Here is Ironman Journey Episode 6
You can catch the first five episodes here -http://coffeeforthebrain.blogspot.com/p/1406-triathlon-video-journey.html
Back in October of 2012 I started this journey to complete my first 140.6 triathlon.
I am back. I have 19 weeks to get ready for Rev3 Cedar Point.
Last night I attended swim clinic to find what I need to work on after a long time of no swimming.
Today I hit up the pool for a technique swim
My training has completely changed due to me not following my plan set by my coach. I am now on a 20 week Ironman plan. These next four weeks are just about getting back in the groove.
I will have another 4 week block and then a 12 week intense, locked in training block to get ready.
Today I did the following
Warm Up - 100 free, 100 pull, 100 kick hard, 100 paddles
Drill Propulsion Progression
MS: 2 x 50 (15") Swim Golf; 2 x 50 (15") for each of the six Propulsion Progression Drills; 2 x 50 (15") Swim Golf. Focus Swimming: 2 x 50 (15"), focus on front quadrant: lead hand is extending until recovering hand is about at your ear. 2 x 50 (15"), focus on catch: think "finger tips down. 2 x 50 (15"), focus on catch: think "over the barrel." 2 x 50 (15"), focus on best form you can maintain. 2 x 50 (15") Swim Golf.
I wrapped up with 100 kick, 100 paddles, and 200 free set.
Total: ~1800
I will be sore tomorrow. I was sore this morning.
Here is Ironman Journey Episode 6
You can catch the first five episodes here -http://coffeeforthebrain.blogspot.com/p/1406-triathlon-video-journey.html
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Get Faster Week 2 Wednesday Swim Workout Ladder
Back to the pool today. I had the following workout. My T-Pace is 1:45
WU: 400 - free, pull, kick, free
MS1:
100 (10") @ T-pace - nailed it at 1:44
200 (20") @ T-pace - Fell behind somehow swimming a 1:47 pace
300 (30") @ T-pace - back on track at 1:45
400 (60") @ T-pace - finished strong at 1:45
300 (20") @ T-pace minus 2"" - missed this by dropping only one second and not two
200 (20") @ T-pace minus 3"" - swam 1:39 so was way down cutting 6 seconds off
100 Sprint Set - Swam 1:38 so much better
Total: 1600
I added 100 of kicking just to cool down a bit.
Total: 2100
Feeling much better in the water. Things are slowly coming back bit by bit. Feeling much better today compared to the super soreness I felt yesterday.
Monday, April 1, 2013
Training Day 8: Get Faster Block - Week 2 Swim
Here is my workout I knocked out this morning. Felt much better in the pool this morning. I have not had time to look at my swim times, but worked hard on pushing pace while maintaining form. I did not fatigue as bad throughout this session.
WU: 400 - 100 Free, 100 pull, 100 kick, 100 free
MS1: 8 x 100 (30"), as 50 Sprint, 50 Easy 8 x 50 (15"") as 25 Sprint, 25 Easy 100 Sprint
Set Total: 1300
*During this set the pool became busy and we had to circle swim. During my easy sets I had to swim super easy to not run into the lap swimmers I was in a lane with. A bit frustrating because it was clear I was the only one in the entire pool doing speed sets and he still chose my lane. It worked out well and we had to adjust, but that is life.
MS2: 2 x 200 (20"), any pace you like, counting strokes and focusing on form. Set Total: 400
I did one set with pull buoy to work on technique. However, I only swam 150 yards as I was messed up with the circle swimming. My next set was 250 doing just free working on really holding my position.
CD: 100 easy Total: ~2200
Tonight I plan on doing a run workout to get my mile intervals in. I will be doubling up these next few days to get my workouts in before being out of town.
My weigh in this morning was not too terrible. Despite eating a mass amount of food and candy this weekend I was still able to knock out .5 of a pound. I am hoping for better results this week by staying the course much better than last week. I did not eat the best, but am merging towards cleaner eating in stages :)
WU: 400 - 100 Free, 100 pull, 100 kick, 100 free
MS1: 8 x 100 (30"), as 50 Sprint, 50 Easy 8 x 50 (15"") as 25 Sprint, 25 Easy 100 Sprint
Set Total: 1300
*During this set the pool became busy and we had to circle swim. During my easy sets I had to swim super easy to not run into the lap swimmers I was in a lane with. A bit frustrating because it was clear I was the only one in the entire pool doing speed sets and he still chose my lane. It worked out well and we had to adjust, but that is life.
MS2: 2 x 200 (20"), any pace you like, counting strokes and focusing on form. Set Total: 400
I did one set with pull buoy to work on technique. However, I only swam 150 yards as I was messed up with the circle swimming. My next set was 250 doing just free working on really holding my position.
CD: 100 easy Total: ~2200
Tonight I plan on doing a run workout to get my mile intervals in. I will be doubling up these next few days to get my workouts in before being out of town.
My weigh in this morning was not too terrible. Despite eating a mass amount of food and candy this weekend I was still able to knock out .5 of a pound. I am hoping for better results this week by staying the course much better than last week. I did not eat the best, but am merging towards cleaner eating in stages :)
Friday, March 29, 2013
Training Day 5: Get Faster Block, Friday Swim Workout
I thought my arms would fall off.
Any why did nobody remind me how terrible 200 yard intervals are?
Aside from that I love swim workouts. It is a shock about the work involved to get back into shape. This whole week has been a real eye opener.
Today I had the following workout
WU: 400 MS1: 200, as 50 sprint, 150 easy, 20" rest 200, as 100 sprint, 100 easy, 20" rest 200 sprint, straight into an easy 50 Repeat two more times Set Total: 1800 MS2: 400, any pace you like, counting strokes and focusing on form CD: 100 easy Total: 2700
My warmup I did the following: 100 free, 100 pull, 100 kick(that long 2 minute rest on my watch!), and 100 free.
MS1: These were brutal. Not going to lie.
50 sprint, 150 easy - This was not bad, but a reminder on how swimming fast takes it out of you. I could handle this one.
100 sprint, 100 easy - This one I could always feel on the 75 yard mark and had to hold one for the last 25 sprint.
200 sprint - Not sure I could call my swim for this a sprint, but I swam as fast as I could for this distance. I was reminded of the terrible feeling of dead legs, lactic acid, heavy breathing, and all while underwater. I hate it!
After each of these sets I only had a 20 second rest which flies by amazingly fast when you want to rest. If only time went this fast when running.
I did have to take breaks between each of the three rounds of this workout. I could not go back into the top again without a breather. I am out of shape and had to adjust. I tried to limit is a bit, but it is what it is. I had to do three rounds of what I mentioned above.
MS2: I did adjust this a bit. I overswam one of these sessions and added two 50's in between each of the three rounds. By this point my legs were dragging and my arms felt like they would fall off. I did 100 kick, 150 pull, and 100 free to wrap up.
All in all I swam 2700 yards and my total time with rests was 54:39. Not too bad for next to zero swimming in the past 5 months. Woo Ha!
Any why did nobody remind me how terrible 200 yard intervals are?
Aside from that I love swim workouts. It is a shock about the work involved to get back into shape. This whole week has been a real eye opener.
Today I had the following workout
WU: 400 MS1: 200, as 50 sprint, 150 easy, 20" rest 200, as 100 sprint, 100 easy, 20" rest 200 sprint, straight into an easy 50 Repeat two more times Set Total: 1800 MS2: 400, any pace you like, counting strokes and focusing on form CD: 100 easy Total: 2700
My warmup I did the following: 100 free, 100 pull, 100 kick(that long 2 minute rest on my watch!), and 100 free.
MS1: These were brutal. Not going to lie.
50 sprint, 150 easy - This was not bad, but a reminder on how swimming fast takes it out of you. I could handle this one.
100 sprint, 100 easy - This one I could always feel on the 75 yard mark and had to hold one for the last 25 sprint.
200 sprint - Not sure I could call my swim for this a sprint, but I swam as fast as I could for this distance. I was reminded of the terrible feeling of dead legs, lactic acid, heavy breathing, and all while underwater. I hate it!
After each of these sets I only had a 20 second rest which flies by amazingly fast when you want to rest. If only time went this fast when running.
I did have to take breaks between each of the three rounds of this workout. I could not go back into the top again without a breather. I am out of shape and had to adjust. I tried to limit is a bit, but it is what it is. I had to do three rounds of what I mentioned above.
MS2: I did adjust this a bit. I overswam one of these sessions and added two 50's in between each of the three rounds. By this point my legs were dragging and my arms felt like they would fall off. I did 100 kick, 150 pull, and 100 free to wrap up.
All in all I swam 2700 yards and my total time with rests was 54:39. Not too bad for next to zero swimming in the past 5 months. Woo Ha!
Monday, March 25, 2013
Training Day 1: Get Faster Block, Swim T-Test and Preparing for the Season
I am back. I thought I was a back a few weeks ago, but just did not have the mojo to be real about things. I have been off the beaten path for about 6 weeks now getting in a few runs here and there, but basically I have lost everything I worked so hard at during my 14 week outseason.
Today I return. Today I have things mapped out. I have a vision. I have goals. I will share my season soon once I finalize the plans, but I think I will be ready.
Today despite being my spring break I was up at 4 am getting ready for the first day back. I have to establish all my base lines to figure out my training zones for the future workouts. Today was the swim test. I have only swam maybe 3 times this year so my hopes were not great. Before jumping in the pool I did weigh in and take a few snapshots of my body. I always find it useful to do this so as the season progresses and I have those times when I don't feel like things are paying off I can see my progress and remind myself that it works.
It felt good to be in the pool. Using my new Garmin watch is awesome because I no longer have to count laps. My watch does it all. The only thing it does not do is record when I kick with a board. The workout states 1600, but it was really 1800.
I warmed up doing: 100 free, 100 pull, 100 kick, 100 free, 100 pull. I then did the test which is a 1000 yard swim. This will establish my T-Pace which is my time per 100. This will drive my swim workouts in terms of what pace I should swim for the structured aspects of training and trying to become faster. Technique is everything in swimming. However, my technique work days are behind me and now it is more about fitness. Race season is right around the corner.
I am pretty happy with these results. I did this test in February and swam 17:05.
My time this test was 17:30 so I lost about 25 seconds which is not terrible considering how disgusting I have eaten and how poorly I have treated my body.
I won't lie, looking back at where I was this time of year last year is frustrating. I have blog posts where I was crushing goals and setting new PR's in the pool and the bike and run. I was swimming 3000 yards a workout in March last year. I cannot let the past bother me.
In some respects I think I might be better off in the situation I am in. Last year I felt like I had peaked too early in the season and by the time my races came around I was burning out and on my way down the mountain. Perhaps by starting later in the season I will be peak when needed. Who knows. I am excited to push my limits and mind. I am excited to continue to learn and grow in my fitness and training. I learned a lot last year and suffered from some serious mistakes. I am sure I will have these moments again, but in then I hope to be fitter, faster, stronger, and creating some new PR's.
Now the real test begins. Being home and not eating garbage food all day!
Today I return. Today I have things mapped out. I have a vision. I have goals. I will share my season soon once I finalize the plans, but I think I will be ready.
Today despite being my spring break I was up at 4 am getting ready for the first day back. I have to establish all my base lines to figure out my training zones for the future workouts. Today was the swim test. I have only swam maybe 3 times this year so my hopes were not great. Before jumping in the pool I did weigh in and take a few snapshots of my body. I always find it useful to do this so as the season progresses and I have those times when I don't feel like things are paying off I can see my progress and remind myself that it works.
It felt good to be in the pool. Using my new Garmin watch is awesome because I no longer have to count laps. My watch does it all. The only thing it does not do is record when I kick with a board. The workout states 1600, but it was really 1800.
I warmed up doing: 100 free, 100 pull, 100 kick, 100 free, 100 pull. I then did the test which is a 1000 yard swim. This will establish my T-Pace which is my time per 100. This will drive my swim workouts in terms of what pace I should swim for the structured aspects of training and trying to become faster. Technique is everything in swimming. However, my technique work days are behind me and now it is more about fitness. Race season is right around the corner.
I am pretty happy with these results. I did this test in February and swam 17:05.
My time this test was 17:30 so I lost about 25 seconds which is not terrible considering how disgusting I have eaten and how poorly I have treated my body.
I won't lie, looking back at where I was this time of year last year is frustrating. I have blog posts where I was crushing goals and setting new PR's in the pool and the bike and run. I was swimming 3000 yards a workout in March last year. I cannot let the past bother me.
In some respects I think I might be better off in the situation I am in. Last year I felt like I had peaked too early in the season and by the time my races came around I was burning out and on my way down the mountain. Perhaps by starting later in the season I will be peak when needed. Who knows. I am excited to push my limits and mind. I am excited to continue to learn and grow in my fitness and training. I learned a lot last year and suffered from some serious mistakes. I am sure I will have these moments again, but in then I hope to be fitter, faster, stronger, and creating some new PR's.
Now the real test begins. Being home and not eating garbage food all day!
Monday, February 11, 2013
6 Week Run Focus Block: Day 1 Swim Test
I decided to get the swim test out of the way first thing this morning. I was not in the mood for the treadmill or the high winds outside. I needed to get a swim test done as I already have my run and bike data from the November Out Season. And I was anxious to test out my new watch. I broke down and despite not having the money for it I purchased the Garmin 910XT.
Today I had to do the following:
T-Pace Swim Test This test will establish your “T-pace," which we will use as a reference for future interval work. This is also your initial swim test, to gauge your improvement across this plan.
WU: Start slow and gradually build pace/effort. 100 swim, 100 kick, 100 swim, 100 kick, 100 swim.
MS: After the warm-up, swim 1000 yards/meters at a constant pace and good effort—as if racing.
Record your average pace per 100. This pace is your "T-pace," will be used as a reference for future interval work.
I tested out my watch and it was amazing! It is worth every penny to have a watch monitor my swim stroke count and how far I swim. I no longer have to think about laps, but just technique. That is a game changer right there. I felt pretty good in the pool. I have to back and look at my swim times from last season to see how I compare, but I don't think I was too far off from last season despite only swimming 3-4 times since August.
When I got home I synced up my watch and my brain turned to ooze when I saw all this data recorded. I did not have time to process it all, but being the nerd I am I cannot wait to sift through it all. All the more for me to look at and analyze. I love it!
I swam the 1000 yard test in 17:05 for a T-100 test time of 1:42/100. Not the fastest by any means, but at least it is a start towards a new plan and goal to being faster this year.
Here is more info! Gotta love it!
Today I had to do the following:
T-Pace Swim Test This test will establish your “T-pace," which we will use as a reference for future interval work. This is also your initial swim test, to gauge your improvement across this plan.
WU: Start slow and gradually build pace/effort. 100 swim, 100 kick, 100 swim, 100 kick, 100 swim.
MS: After the warm-up, swim 1000 yards/meters at a constant pace and good effort—as if racing.
Record your average pace per 100. This pace is your "T-pace," will be used as a reference for future interval work.
I tested out my watch and it was amazing! It is worth every penny to have a watch monitor my swim stroke count and how far I swim. I no longer have to think about laps, but just technique. That is a game changer right there. I felt pretty good in the pool. I have to back and look at my swim times from last season to see how I compare, but I don't think I was too far off from last season despite only swimming 3-4 times since August.
When I got home I synced up my watch and my brain turned to ooze when I saw all this data recorded. I did not have time to process it all, but being the nerd I am I cannot wait to sift through it all. All the more for me to look at and analyze. I love it!
I swam the 1000 yard test in 17:05 for a T-100 test time of 1:42/100. Not the fastest by any means, but at least it is a start towards a new plan and goal to being faster this year.
Here is more info! Gotta love it!
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Out Season: Week 14 - Mixing Things Up During Test Week
Alright, another crazy, tired, nonstop week of action. I have not updated my training every day like I normally do as I simply don't have the time. So here is a brief catch up of all things training which as you will see is SO not what the plans call for on the last week of November Out Season.
I will say that I have hit a wall with motivation which is why I have chosen to mix things up. Why did I not just wait one more week you ask when OS is done? I feared that waiting one more week would lead to complete disconnect. That cannot happen. So I made the change this week.
Monday - Swimming!
Since I did not race Sunday due to ice and snow I wanted to swim. I jumped in the pool and knocked about 1500 yards. I can tell it was my 2nd swim in 5 months. I need to get back to the basics and build the endurance up slowly.
Warm Up - 200 free, 200 kick, 200 pull
Main Set - 10 x 50 every 60 seconds
Cool Down - 100 kick, 100 swim with paddles, 100 pull, 100 free
Total 1500 yards
Tuesday - no training due to very poor sleep.
Wednesday CrossFit - I decided to give this a try. I needed something different and a new challenge. This was a great group of people and look forward to finding a way to make this happen more in my training.
Thursday - I could barely get out of bed from Crossfit. Holy smokes I have not been this sore in a LONG time. I can barely walk. Instead of testing my bike today, I decided to hit up the Tuesday workout I missed just to loosen my legs and back up. I am glad I did not test as my legs and mind were not ready.
Tuesday workout done today
MS: 3 x 8' (4') @ 95-100%/Zone4/Hard. Remainder of any time you have available (if any, not required) @ 80-85%/Zone3/Mod-Hard.
There you have it. 3 workouts. 2 not part of the plan, but 2 that I really enjoyed. I plan to do my run test tomorrow. It will have to be on the TM as it will be sub zero here in Iowa. My goal is to break 20 minutes despite not running in two weeks! We shall see what happens. My bike test will happen Sunday to wrap NOS! Here is to Getting It Done! and doing what you need to do to stay the course.
I will say that I have hit a wall with motivation which is why I have chosen to mix things up. Why did I not just wait one more week you ask when OS is done? I feared that waiting one more week would lead to complete disconnect. That cannot happen. So I made the change this week.
Monday - Swimming!
Since I did not race Sunday due to ice and snow I wanted to swim. I jumped in the pool and knocked about 1500 yards. I can tell it was my 2nd swim in 5 months. I need to get back to the basics and build the endurance up slowly.
Warm Up - 200 free, 200 kick, 200 pull
Main Set - 10 x 50 every 60 seconds
Cool Down - 100 kick, 100 swim with paddles, 100 pull, 100 free
Total 1500 yards
Tuesday - no training due to very poor sleep.
Wednesday CrossFit - I decided to give this a try. I needed something different and a new challenge. This was a great group of people and look forward to finding a way to make this happen more in my training.
Part 1)
Dynamic Effort Bench Press
On 45sec interval 3 Reps for 9 sets
50% of 1RM (3 sets at close grip) (3 at med grip) 3 at wide grip)
learn something with this speed!
Part 2)
5 Rounds
On the 2 minute Interval
5 Deadlifts (335/225) (255/175) (185/125)
15 Medball Cleans (30/20) (20/14)
scores are the time it takes to complete each round. score your fastest and slowest.
rest 5 min
50 ball slams for time
Part 3)
Banded Good Mornings
3X25 FAST
Dynamic Effort Bench Press
On 45sec interval 3 Reps for 9 sets
50% of 1RM (3 sets at close grip) (3 at med grip) 3 at wide grip)
learn something with this speed!
Part 2)
5 Rounds
On the 2 minute Interval
5 Deadlifts (335/225) (255/175) (185/125)
15 Medball Cleans (30/20) (20/14)
scores are the time it takes to complete each round. score your fastest and slowest.
rest 5 min
50 ball slams for time
Part 3)
Banded Good Mornings
3X25 FAST
Thursday - I could barely get out of bed from Crossfit. Holy smokes I have not been this sore in a LONG time. I can barely walk. Instead of testing my bike today, I decided to hit up the Tuesday workout I missed just to loosen my legs and back up. I am glad I did not test as my legs and mind were not ready.
Tuesday workout done today
MS: 3 x 8' (4') @ 95-100%/Zone4/Hard. Remainder of any time you have available (if any, not required) @ 80-85%/Zone3/Mod-Hard.
There you have it. 3 workouts. 2 not part of the plan, but 2 that I really enjoyed. I plan to do my run test tomorrow. It will have to be on the TM as it will be sub zero here in Iowa. My goal is to break 20 minutes despite not running in two weeks! We shall see what happens. My bike test will happen Sunday to wrap NOS! Here is to Getting It Done! and doing what you need to do to stay the course.
Monday, January 7, 2013
Out Season: Week 10: Weekend Training - Illness, pain, and getting it done
Friday morning I did my first swim in over 4.5 months. I have not swam since August. I hit the pool as I have a race coming up in three weeks and needed to get used to swimming again. I did standard warm up up of
200 free
200 kick
200 pull
I then swam 800 yards thinking this was the distance for the race. I wanted to see my time and test where I was from a year ago as this race was my debut tri race last year. I swam the 800 yards in 12:56. This is a pretty good time. I got home to realize that the race was actually 900 yards. I figured that puts me at around 14 minutes or so. This would be faster than last year.
I finished with 100 yard cool down and called it. I was tired and could tell I had not swam in quite some time. I was sore the next day as well. It felt great swimming and I forget how much I love swimming. I will swim a few more times to get ready even though I know the OS states no swimming.
This weekend proved to be a challenging one. I have been battling some fatigue and not feeling the greatest the last few weeks with every few days feeling really sick to my stomach and head. Saturday I felt horrible and just did not get anything done. I missed out on the brick workout and just rested my body as it felt terrible.
The training called for the following on Saturday:
MS: 2 x 15' (4') @ 95-100%/Zone4/Hard, 1 x 8' @ 95-100%/Zone4/Hard. Remainder of any time you have available (if any, not required) @ 80-85%/Zone3/Mod-Hard.
MS: Steady run as MP/Z2/Steady out, HMP/Z3/Mod-Hard back. If bricking, do 20' only.
Sunday I felt a bit better and decided to do the Saturday workout. I finished the bike, but did not run. I just felt terrible and knew that the bike workout itself was probably too much too soon. I did knock out the following though
Rides - TrainerRoad http://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/rides/148258
The best part about this whole workout is that my 6 year old daughter walked 2 miles on the treadmill. She begged to walk on it so I said yes while riding. She used my iPhone and jammed to One Direction and just walked and walked and walked. I loved it! I thought she would only last for about 10 minutes but she walked a long time.
200 free
200 kick
200 pull
I then swam 800 yards thinking this was the distance for the race. I wanted to see my time and test where I was from a year ago as this race was my debut tri race last year. I swam the 800 yards in 12:56. This is a pretty good time. I got home to realize that the race was actually 900 yards. I figured that puts me at around 14 minutes or so. This would be faster than last year.
I finished with 100 yard cool down and called it. I was tired and could tell I had not swam in quite some time. I was sore the next day as well. It felt great swimming and I forget how much I love swimming. I will swim a few more times to get ready even though I know the OS states no swimming.
This weekend proved to be a challenging one. I have been battling some fatigue and not feeling the greatest the last few weeks with every few days feeling really sick to my stomach and head. Saturday I felt horrible and just did not get anything done. I missed out on the brick workout and just rested my body as it felt terrible.
The training called for the following on Saturday:
MS: 2 x 15' (4') @ 95-100%/Zone4/Hard, 1 x 8' @ 95-100%/Zone4/Hard. Remainder of any time you have available (if any, not required) @ 80-85%/Zone3/Mod-Hard.
MS: Steady run as MP/Z2/Steady out, HMP/Z3/Mod-Hard back. If bricking, do 20' only.
Sunday I felt a bit better and decided to do the Saturday workout. I finished the bike, but did not run. I just felt terrible and knew that the bike workout itself was probably too much too soon. I did knock out the following though
Rides - TrainerRoad http://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/rides/148258
The best part about this whole workout is that my 6 year old daughter walked 2 miles on the treadmill. She begged to walk on it so I said yes while riding. She used my iPhone and jammed to One Direction and just walked and walked and walked. I loved it! I thought she would only last for about 10 minutes but she walked a long time.
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Ironman Training: Days 12-14
Preseason Week 2
Friday
Friday I had to do my swimming workout that was supposed to be done on Monday.
It was another technique day, but focusing on a different set of techniques and drills. I did not feel very comfortable doing these so that is a sign that I have some work to do.
Warm Up (WU): 200-400 yds/m, your choice
100 free, 100 pull, 100 kick, 100 free
MainSet 1 (MS1): 4 x 50 yds/m “Swim Golf”, as #1, 2, 3 at moderate pace, #4 as hard/sprint.
MS2: 2 x 50yd/m of each drill in the Propulsion Progression
There were seven drills working on hand placement in the water and pulling on the backstroke. These were tough and thinking this much threw me for a loop.
MS3: Repeat MS1. How do the two Swim Golf sets compare?
I swam 100 pull, 200 free(this was tough!!!), 100 pull, and 100 kick
I ended with 2000 yards in 34:50. Not bad considering I overslept and did not get in the water until 7:15.
Saturday
Saturday I jumped on the bike for a 90 minute easy ride. I started off and 45 minutes later I had to stop as we had to pick up Aiden from a birthday party and Ava decided to wake up. I had Ava duty until Amanda returned. I jumped back on after about 20 minutes to finish up this ride
I compared my distance compared to last week when I ran 60 minutes. Last week I ran 61 minutes get 6.38 miles. I ran a 9:35 pace and did not feel good while running this slow.
Today I ran a 9:16 pace for 6.52 miles in 60 minutes. It felt easy. My clean eating and AdvoCare has helped to improve my fitness over the last week. The training plan provided by Endurance Nation also has me on track. I have had to overcome a lot of habits that I did this year. I am running for time and not distance which just throws my brain for a loop.
I feel good after two weeks of preseason. The workouts are short and to the point. Nothing unnecessary to just be training. I train, I move on.
I look forward to week 3. I will have to be disciplined while in Des Moines. I am never good while on the road. This will be a good test for me.
Friday
Friday I had to do my swimming workout that was supposed to be done on Monday.
It was another technique day, but focusing on a different set of techniques and drills. I did not feel very comfortable doing these so that is a sign that I have some work to do.
Warm Up (WU): 200-400 yds/m, your choice
100 free, 100 pull, 100 kick, 100 free
MainSet 1 (MS1): 4 x 50 yds/m “Swim Golf”, as #1, 2, 3 at moderate pace, #4 as hard/sprint.
- Scores of 80, 79, 77, 70
MS2: 2 x 50yd/m of each drill in the Propulsion Progression
There were seven drills working on hand placement in the water and pulling on the backstroke. These were tough and thinking this much threw me for a loop.
MS3: Repeat MS1. How do the two Swim Golf sets compare?
- 76, 74, 74, 70
I swam 100 pull, 200 free(this was tough!!!), 100 pull, and 100 kick
I ended with 2000 yards in 34:50. Not bad considering I overslept and did not get in the water until 7:15.
Saturday
Saturday I jumped on the bike for a 90 minute easy ride. I started off and 45 minutes later I had to stop as we had to pick up Aiden from a birthday party and Ava decided to wake up. I had Ava duty until Amanda returned. I jumped back on after about 20 minutes to finish up this ride
| Sunday Workout #1: 60 Minute Run | |||||||||||
| EP to MP/Zone 1-2/Easy to Steady. Include 5 x 20" Strides. Rolling course. I felt great this morning. I was back to shorts and shirt. There was a light rain and I just took off and it felt great to be out all alone. I did not see a single person. I had my headphones on and just practiced my presentation and thought about other things. | |||||||||||
I compared my distance compared to last week when I ran 60 minutes. Last week I ran 61 minutes get 6.38 miles. I ran a 9:35 pace and did not feel good while running this slow.
Today I ran a 9:16 pace for 6.52 miles in 60 minutes. It felt easy. My clean eating and AdvoCare has helped to improve my fitness over the last week. The training plan provided by Endurance Nation also has me on track. I have had to overcome a lot of habits that I did this year. I am running for time and not distance which just throws my brain for a loop.
I feel good after two weeks of preseason. The workouts are short and to the point. Nothing unnecessary to just be training. I train, I move on.
I look forward to week 3. I will have to be disciplined while in Des Moines. I am never good while on the road. This will be a good test for me.
Friday, October 5, 2012
Ironman Training: Day 5 - Swim Drills
Preseason Week 1
Week 1: Swim Assessment
Today I remembered my goggles, but like an idiot I forgot my pen and my watch to record my data. I will do my best to use what little brain power I have left today.
Today was my first time back in the pool in a long time!
It felt great to be back in the water. I forgot how much I love swimming. It was rough today, but I enjoyed getting back at it in the pool.
Today I started out with the swim assessment workout provided by Endurance Nation. I have decided to fork over some money and get some guidance with my training. I will give this a try and see where it takes me. I am excited to try something new and hopefully learn more about myself and training.
Warm-Up - 200 - 400 yards
I did 400 yards - 100 free, 100 pull, 100 kick with board, then 100 fast. I was gassed one the 100 fast. I did the first 50 alright, but I could not believe how tired the last 50 felt. I have lost a ton of ground.
Main Set 1 - 4 x 50 yard Swim Golf (this is where you take your time and # of strokes to get a score)
Sets 1-3 @ moderate - 75, 75,76
Set 4 @ hard - 72
**This is where I needed my pen and watch. I am trying to remember and had to look at the clock far away so these may not be the most accurate.**
Main Set 2 - 10 set drill progression working on technique
2 x 50 of each drill. I ran through this twice - golf, touch and go, hand lift, 3/4 wait for it, right arm, left arm, single switch, triple switch, hand lift, golf
By the end of this I was tired. I could tell my body was out of shape.
Main Set 3 - Swim Golf again
Sets 1 - 3 @ Moderate - 75, 74, 72
Set 4 @ Hard - 70
I did see improvement after the technique work. I don't know what this all means yet, but I take it as a good sign.
I ended with 200 cool down of 100 pull and 100 free.
This took me 50 minutes to get in the 2000 yards.
I felt pretty good considering. I took AdvoCare Spark and Arginine Extreme before so that helped quite a bit.
Long bike ride assessment and long run this weekend. Slowly getting back to the grind.
Have a great weekend.
I am working on a new training video. If you have any topics you would like for me to cover please leave a comment and let me know. I am not an expert, but would like to share things of interest. Thanks
Week 1: Swim Assessment
Today I remembered my goggles, but like an idiot I forgot my pen and my watch to record my data. I will do my best to use what little brain power I have left today.
Today was my first time back in the pool in a long time!
It felt great to be back in the water. I forgot how much I love swimming. It was rough today, but I enjoyed getting back at it in the pool.
Today I started out with the swim assessment workout provided by Endurance Nation. I have decided to fork over some money and get some guidance with my training. I will give this a try and see where it takes me. I am excited to try something new and hopefully learn more about myself and training.
Warm-Up - 200 - 400 yards
I did 400 yards - 100 free, 100 pull, 100 kick with board, then 100 fast. I was gassed one the 100 fast. I did the first 50 alright, but I could not believe how tired the last 50 felt. I have lost a ton of ground.
Main Set 1 - 4 x 50 yard Swim Golf (this is where you take your time and # of strokes to get a score)
Sets 1-3 @ moderate - 75, 75,76
Set 4 @ hard - 72
**This is where I needed my pen and watch. I am trying to remember and had to look at the clock far away so these may not be the most accurate.**
Main Set 2 - 10 set drill progression working on technique
2 x 50 of each drill. I ran through this twice - golf, touch and go, hand lift, 3/4 wait for it, right arm, left arm, single switch, triple switch, hand lift, golf
By the end of this I was tired. I could tell my body was out of shape.
Main Set 3 - Swim Golf again
Sets 1 - 3 @ Moderate - 75, 74, 72
Set 4 @ Hard - 70
I did see improvement after the technique work. I don't know what this all means yet, but I take it as a good sign.
I ended with 200 cool down of 100 pull and 100 free.
This took me 50 minutes to get in the 2000 yards.
I felt pretty good considering. I took AdvoCare Spark and Arginine Extreme before so that helped quite a bit.
Long bike ride assessment and long run this weekend. Slowly getting back to the grind.
Have a great weekend.
I am working on a new training video. If you have any topics you would like for me to cover please leave a comment and let me know. I am not an expert, but would like to share things of interest. Thanks
Monday, October 1, 2012
Ironman Training Day 1: Hard to Swim With No Goggles
Preseason
Week 1
Day 1: Swim
So I took time this weekend to analyze the preseason workout that will help me establish some numbers to use as goal setting and planning. I went through and shifted certain days around to make it work better for me. I went through and studies various videos about technique work for swimming and the drills I would be incorporating.
I was prepared.
Or so I thought.
I took my Advocare Catalyst and Rehydrate before leaving for the Y. I double checked for my Y card and my towel and my workout card I wrote up.
I was ready.
Or so I thought.
I pull up to the Y and grab my things and then at that moment I realized I had no goggles. I overlooked the most essential swimming piece of equipment.
I had to figure out what to do as I had on some slip on shoes. I was not going to go home and return. I was not going to go home and run and no way am I ready to jump on the bike.
Instead I made the most of the situation. Friday was to be my rest day or a day to lift. I decided to lift today and use Friday as one of my swim days instead.
I hit up some weights for chest, shoulders, arms, lats, and core. I was in and out in about 25 minutes. No messing around.
My first day did not go quite as planned. This was just a small test. One test of about a thousand that will come my way.
I will be trying again tomorrow morning for the run. I won't forget my shoes!
One a side note I did weigh myself in. Surprisingly I have lost a few pounds since a week or so ago. I have put on some weight. I then went back and checked the records and one month ago I was weighing the same. One year ago I was 8 lbs less. Crazy to think that a year ago I was weighing less than my triathlon training days. This just goes to show that my eating habits have not improved which is the main focus to my return.
I locked in the weight on my data sheet. I snapped a few pictures of my body(gross) and will forward to the progress. I did this with my triathlon training. It was amazing to compare pictures because I don't notice things as I live in the body, but to view images each month you can see the progress.
Tomorrow I have a nice slow easy level 2 run for 40 minutes. If anyone is up for a run let me know otherwise I will be running solo with my iPod.
Week 1
Day 1: Swim
So I took time this weekend to analyze the preseason workout that will help me establish some numbers to use as goal setting and planning. I went through and shifted certain days around to make it work better for me. I went through and studies various videos about technique work for swimming and the drills I would be incorporating.
I was prepared.
Or so I thought.
I took my Advocare Catalyst and Rehydrate before leaving for the Y. I double checked for my Y card and my towel and my workout card I wrote up.
I was ready.
Or so I thought.
I pull up to the Y and grab my things and then at that moment I realized I had no goggles. I overlooked the most essential swimming piece of equipment.
I had to figure out what to do as I had on some slip on shoes. I was not going to go home and return. I was not going to go home and run and no way am I ready to jump on the bike.
Instead I made the most of the situation. Friday was to be my rest day or a day to lift. I decided to lift today and use Friday as one of my swim days instead.
I hit up some weights for chest, shoulders, arms, lats, and core. I was in and out in about 25 minutes. No messing around.
My first day did not go quite as planned. This was just a small test. One test of about a thousand that will come my way.
I will be trying again tomorrow morning for the run. I won't forget my shoes!
One a side note I did weigh myself in. Surprisingly I have lost a few pounds since a week or so ago. I have put on some weight. I then went back and checked the records and one month ago I was weighing the same. One year ago I was 8 lbs less. Crazy to think that a year ago I was weighing less than my triathlon training days. This just goes to show that my eating habits have not improved which is the main focus to my return.
I locked in the weight on my data sheet. I snapped a few pictures of my body(gross) and will forward to the progress. I did this with my triathlon training. It was amazing to compare pictures because I don't notice things as I live in the body, but to view images each month you can see the progress.
Tomorrow I have a nice slow easy level 2 run for 40 minutes. If anyone is up for a run let me know otherwise I will be running solo with my iPod.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Post Pigman - Reflections and Goals
As my race seasons begins to wind down with only a handful of possible events left(none of which are triathlons) I figured it would be a good time to think about this late fall/winter when I begin a new year of base training to build for next year. I love triathlons. I find the training and events to be a great challenge to me in every possible capacity. After one year of trying it out I think I can be better.
1. Swim - I would like to be able to swim the 1.2 mile distance at 30 minutes or faster. My two races I was at 33 and 34 minutes. Cutting that much time will require some serious effort on my part, but if I work on my swim technique(time to get back with the swimming coaches) I believe I can get there. I need to find my flaws. I know that I have the endurance, but now I just need to work on pushing that envelope a bit more and develop some speed.
2. Bike - I don't really know. Time frames are tough for the bike because of the course. For me time goals make the simplest form of measuring progress. Based on my two bike splits this year in the 56 mile distance of 2:31 and 2:38 I would like to think that I can ride sub 2:30. My bike training needs some serious overhauling. I put in a lot of miles for my first year of training, but I question the efficiency and benefits of what I was doing. I really need to figure out how to best utilize my time and training when it comes to the bike. Cycling started off as my favorite of the three disciplines when I started triathlon training and I have since lost that love. I need to get that back and part of that is due to my improper training. I never really saw any improvements. I don't know where to even begin to figure this out, but I will. I also know it is time for new bike shoes, possibly a helmet and perhaps tires if I ever am able to save up some money. These items won't replace hard work, but they won't hurt things either.
3. Run - This aspect of the sport has undergone so much change for me this year. Before I started tri training my running was making progress like crazy. I was loving running and enjoying everything about it. As my season went on my running has continued to slowly get worse. I don't know what I did wrong, but something went astray. My goal for next year is to run the 13.1 miles sub 1:45. That is cutting off 15 minutes from Pigman. I ran a 1:38 at half marathon race earlier this year so I know I am capable. I have been reading about Dr. Maffetone and his method of training. I still have quite a bit left to read of his book, but starting in September or October I am going to test out his system. I want to give it at least 5 months and see what develops. If it works, I think my passion for running will return as well as helping me meet my goals without burnout. This is probably the most difficult of my three goals in terms of the three disciplines. My confidence on the run has really declined and I need to get that built back up. There are so many factors that can affect the run during a long course tri, but if things go smoothly I really do believe that I can be much faster.
4. Nutrition - still the 4th wheel of my training that needs work. I need to first and foremost train my body to burn fat and not glycogen. This will help with energy expenditure. Second, I need to continue to fine tune things. Racine I did not have enough and Pigman I felt like I had too much. On a bigger scale eating properly daily will greatly help with things. This has been a constant battle for me and one that I continue to keep on losing. Racing at my weight I raced at this year is not helpful to my goals. 215 lbs of body is a lot. I can knock off some pounds and be so much more efficient. Those extra pounds are from the poor eating choices I make on a routine basis. This is perhaps the hardest part for me in all of this.
1. Swim - I would like to be able to swim the 1.2 mile distance at 30 minutes or faster. My two races I was at 33 and 34 minutes. Cutting that much time will require some serious effort on my part, but if I work on my swim technique(time to get back with the swimming coaches) I believe I can get there. I need to find my flaws. I know that I have the endurance, but now I just need to work on pushing that envelope a bit more and develop some speed.
2. Bike - I don't really know. Time frames are tough for the bike because of the course. For me time goals make the simplest form of measuring progress. Based on my two bike splits this year in the 56 mile distance of 2:31 and 2:38 I would like to think that I can ride sub 2:30. My bike training needs some serious overhauling. I put in a lot of miles for my first year of training, but I question the efficiency and benefits of what I was doing. I really need to figure out how to best utilize my time and training when it comes to the bike. Cycling started off as my favorite of the three disciplines when I started triathlon training and I have since lost that love. I need to get that back and part of that is due to my improper training. I never really saw any improvements. I don't know where to even begin to figure this out, but I will. I also know it is time for new bike shoes, possibly a helmet and perhaps tires if I ever am able to save up some money. These items won't replace hard work, but they won't hurt things either.
3. Run - This aspect of the sport has undergone so much change for me this year. Before I started tri training my running was making progress like crazy. I was loving running and enjoying everything about it. As my season went on my running has continued to slowly get worse. I don't know what I did wrong, but something went astray. My goal for next year is to run the 13.1 miles sub 1:45. That is cutting off 15 minutes from Pigman. I ran a 1:38 at half marathon race earlier this year so I know I am capable. I have been reading about Dr. Maffetone and his method of training. I still have quite a bit left to read of his book, but starting in September or October I am going to test out his system. I want to give it at least 5 months and see what develops. If it works, I think my passion for running will return as well as helping me meet my goals without burnout. This is probably the most difficult of my three goals in terms of the three disciplines. My confidence on the run has really declined and I need to get that built back up. There are so many factors that can affect the run during a long course tri, but if things go smoothly I really do believe that I can be much faster.
4. Nutrition - still the 4th wheel of my training that needs work. I need to first and foremost train my body to burn fat and not glycogen. This will help with energy expenditure. Second, I need to continue to fine tune things. Racine I did not have enough and Pigman I felt like I had too much. On a bigger scale eating properly daily will greatly help with things. This has been a constant battle for me and one that I continue to keep on losing. Racing at my weight I raced at this year is not helpful to my goals. 215 lbs of body is a lot. I can knock off some pounds and be so much more efficient. Those extra pounds are from the poor eating choices I make on a routine basis. This is perhaps the hardest part for me in all of this.
Monday, August 20, 2012
Think it,See it,Start it,Do it,Finish it! Pigman Long Course Race Recap
I am trying to piece together my thoughts into a coherent mesh of reflections and I am just having a hard time doing so. I raced the Pigman Long Course yesterday in Palo, Iowa. This was my last big triathlon race of the year. After racing Ironman 70.3 Racine about 4-5 week ago and stuggling on the run I had one goal of beating my 5:47 race time.
Saturday evening I drove to Cedar Rapids for packet registration. I had a hotel room booked as Amanda was going to come to the race with me, but our kids just needed to be home this weekend after their first week back at school. After grabbing my registration which took all of two minutes I needed to find some dinner. I checked out a few spots, but pasta just was not sounding good at all so I headed to Panera Bread(maybe not the best choice) and had a fruit smoothie, a sandwich, and soup with breadbowl. Being the unsocial person that I am I ate in my hotel room and proceeded to just lay in bed and watch tv and read until about 9:30 when I crashed.
4 am was here before I knew it. I had to get my pre race ritual going. Cup of coffee, breakfast(I changed to yogurt mixed in with cereal), and water. I was really calm which was such a weird feeling as usually I am a nervous wreck. I had things all packed and ready to go the night before so I had some time to just chill and as I started to visual my race and get my race gear on the nerves kicked in. This is why I was happy to have a room instead of driving!
I headed out to the race site around 5:20. It was about a 25 minute drive. It was cold out. It was low 50's when I arrived. Getting to the race site early is something I always do because I stress about being late. I like to get there and take my sweet old time getting prepared. I still have to learn a few things about getting prepared. I know I need to start adding some warm-ups to my pre race plan, but just have not implemented that. The one good thing about getting to the race early is that the porta potties are fresh. I always have to visit these a few times as my nerves make my stomach turn in knots.
I loaded up my bike with my new nutrition plan, got body marked, and set up my area in transition. I picked a bike rack and as I went to put my bike on it the whole thing about fell over. Probably why nobody had their bike on the rack. I got things ready to go and around 7:10 I put my wetsuit on and headed to the water.
The race started at 7:30. The Olympic distance started around 7:30. The would not start the long course athletes until all Olympic athletes passed the first turn. This took forever. I knew we were going to be starting late. The problem with this is that I had the last wave and I did not want to take my wetsuit off as I have a hard enough time when it is dry let alone wet. While waiting I met Josh S. from DailyMile. He was a great guy and had a good race as well. I did some swim warm-ups and knew the swim would be interesting as you could not see anything. It was complete opposite of Racine.
Swimmers went in waves and also single file. You reported your number and then headed out. I don't know my exact start time, but I am guessing it was closer to 9 am. Not a huge deal, but I knew Amanda would be worried because by the time I would call her it would be past my projected time.
The swim went okay. I honestly thought I swam faster than Racine. I swam 34:48. I was pretty bummed seeing this when I finished. I felt like I have been swimming much stronger since Racine. I know I did not swim the straightest in this race. A few times I had to stop my stroke as I suckered punch a couple older ladies while swimming. I was swimming and I could not see anyone and just hammered these ladies with my hand while swimming. I stopped, said sorry and kept on going. The swim field was much stronger than Racine. I was about 1:40 slower than Racine, but getting out of the water I felt good. No cramps for the first time ever. My swim time was the 66th fastest swim so I need to work on this.
Transition - 3:06. Still slow. I need to get more efficient. I struggled getting my shoes on as my hips were cramping. I took a GU which I normally don't do, but thought nutrition and took one. That was not in the plans, but after the cramps I went with it. I then headed out to the bike. I still don't know what I was doing for 3 minutes! Did I sit down for a coffee break? This time is blur. I don't remember much, but this time is stupid slow.
Bike - My legs were just not feeling this bike ride. They felt so blah. They felt this way for the first 28 miles. It was not until the turn around that I had a stretch where I was feeling good and that feeling died out around mile 45. My bike time was slower than Racine by 7 minutes exactly. I rode 2:38 on this course which was the 55th fastest time. This course was not one that I could ever get into a groove. It felt like we were constantly going up a hill and then down. Over and over I felt like all we did was ride over hill after hill. None of the hills were difficult, but like I said I never found a groove. I shifted more in this race than all previous riding combined. I wanted to keep my cadence around 75 or higher. I am trying to get my cadence higher so this was my current goal as I slowly worked on a faster cadence pace.
I don't know what others think of this bike course, but I did not find it easy. If you look at my mile times you can see how they are all over the place. Constantly fast/slow. My cadence overall was 76 so I was happy with that. For nutrition I made myself consume something every 15 minutes with water mixed in between the time intervals. I had to force myself to either eat or drink my nutrition. I never feel hungry during the race. I had to make myself which was not always enjoyable. One point in the race I was not paying attention, hit a bump and I swear I almost flipped over my handlebars. I hit this bump and my arms flew right out of my aerobars. I was dangling in front of my handlebars. I yelled a few choice words and right before things started to look real bad I was able to recover. A few other times I lost focus and about rode right off the road. At the end of this course there was a nasty little hill and when you completed this you turned to the park and had another short hill. Talk about a mental test. I made it off the bike feeling pretty good and was ready for the run. The whole bike ride I just kept thinking about the run and reminding myself to run slow. Don't try to chase, just do my thing. The bike had cloud cover and wind, but when the run started that all went away and we just had sun.
Run - I started off slow.
I had to really force myself to ease up. It was difficult to do so. I kept getting passed and it was making me mad. I just wanted to go. I felt so fresh in the beginning, but I had to remind myself of Racine and what happened. I had to stay the course. My whole goal was to run the whole thing. Run it slow and easy and if I had a good kick towards the end I would pick up the pace. Like I said before the sun started to come out and it was starting to get warm as the race continued. When I finished mile 3 and I still felt good it was a great feeling because that is where everything completely fell apart at Racine. At the turnaround there was a heck of a hill that about did me in. Running back after the turnaround my body was doing good, but my mind started to weaken. I just kept going. I took a gel at mile 2 and another one at mile 8. On the run my gut was killing me. I think I took too much nutrition on the bike or something because I kept dealing with some serious sideaches and just my stomach sloshing back and forth. I took in water at each station. Heading back I started to hit a wall around mile 10. I was hot. I was tired. And that hill was there again to climb to get back into the park. Running up the hill I felt myself starting to get overworked and I was not moving fast. Knowing I had to drive home I stopped and walked 50 steps. This helped quite a bit. I had to run the last bit of the hill, turn into the park and a short hill and the last two miles was just survival. I hit a wall and fell apart a bit. I was hoping for sub 2 hours and just missed it. Looking at my times you can see I just did not have it in me. However, I am happy with this time of 2 hours. Racine I was 2:36. A 36 minute improvement is a good increase and obviously my plan worked out. However, I will admit that I am not satisfied with this time. I want to run 1:45. That is my new goal, but not for this year.
This race was well ran. I will be doing this again. For a cheap registration fee I could not be more happy with the race. Easy to reach, easy to get to places, great food choices afterwards(the best spread ever!), and a good course. My final time was 5:19 placing me 74th overall. This is a 28 minute improvement over Racine. Most of that is off the run. It was a good day. Afterwards, after eating candy, pop, water, fruit, and some bread I was ready to head home. I was not delusional like Racine and drove home.
It was a good day. I will be honest and tell you that I am not completely satisfied, but feel good about this race for sure. It was a good confidence booster to get me to where I want to be. I will be taking some time off this week to let the body rest and more importantly my poor chaffed skin. My body is in rough shape and I won't go into any more detail except I have to walk bow legged and then making a decision about what I will be doing for the QC Marathon. I will be posting more about goals and specific reflections about where I want to be later. This recap is much longer than I wanted it to be. Thanks to everyone who sent me a message or words of inspiration. I don't always respond right away, but I really do appreciate the words. They sure do help reading the messages before the race. Thank you.
Lastly, John Byrne and Rick Fountain tore up Leadville. Thanks to Rick's wife for the updates. They did amazing. These two guys have helped me to keep pushing myself when I think of all of their training, hard work, and the simple fact of running this course. I cannot even process what they just did. Running 100 miles in the mountains is something I think you can only understand if you have been there. Amazing! And don't forget Jeff Paul. He had a great race at Steelhead. Great to see him back on track and excited about racing. Jeff has always been there to help me out and give me advice. I cannot thank him enough.
A great day yesterday. And yes dad I did just what you said - Think it, See it, Start it, Do it, Finish it!
Saturday evening I drove to Cedar Rapids for packet registration. I had a hotel room booked as Amanda was going to come to the race with me, but our kids just needed to be home this weekend after their first week back at school. After grabbing my registration which took all of two minutes I needed to find some dinner. I checked out a few spots, but pasta just was not sounding good at all so I headed to Panera Bread(maybe not the best choice) and had a fruit smoothie, a sandwich, and soup with breadbowl. Being the unsocial person that I am I ate in my hotel room and proceeded to just lay in bed and watch tv and read until about 9:30 when I crashed.
4 am was here before I knew it. I had to get my pre race ritual going. Cup of coffee, breakfast(I changed to yogurt mixed in with cereal), and water. I was really calm which was such a weird feeling as usually I am a nervous wreck. I had things all packed and ready to go the night before so I had some time to just chill and as I started to visual my race and get my race gear on the nerves kicked in. This is why I was happy to have a room instead of driving!
I headed out to the race site around 5:20. It was about a 25 minute drive. It was cold out. It was low 50's when I arrived. Getting to the race site early is something I always do because I stress about being late. I like to get there and take my sweet old time getting prepared. I still have to learn a few things about getting prepared. I know I need to start adding some warm-ups to my pre race plan, but just have not implemented that. The one good thing about getting to the race early is that the porta potties are fresh. I always have to visit these a few times as my nerves make my stomach turn in knots.
I loaded up my bike with my new nutrition plan, got body marked, and set up my area in transition. I picked a bike rack and as I went to put my bike on it the whole thing about fell over. Probably why nobody had their bike on the rack. I got things ready to go and around 7:10 I put my wetsuit on and headed to the water.
The race started at 7:30. The Olympic distance started around 7:30. The would not start the long course athletes until all Olympic athletes passed the first turn. This took forever. I knew we were going to be starting late. The problem with this is that I had the last wave and I did not want to take my wetsuit off as I have a hard enough time when it is dry let alone wet. While waiting I met Josh S. from DailyMile. He was a great guy and had a good race as well. I did some swim warm-ups and knew the swim would be interesting as you could not see anything. It was complete opposite of Racine.
Swimmers went in waves and also single file. You reported your number and then headed out. I don't know my exact start time, but I am guessing it was closer to 9 am. Not a huge deal, but I knew Amanda would be worried because by the time I would call her it would be past my projected time.
The swim went okay. I honestly thought I swam faster than Racine. I swam 34:48. I was pretty bummed seeing this when I finished. I felt like I have been swimming much stronger since Racine. I know I did not swim the straightest in this race. A few times I had to stop my stroke as I suckered punch a couple older ladies while swimming. I was swimming and I could not see anyone and just hammered these ladies with my hand while swimming. I stopped, said sorry and kept on going. The swim field was much stronger than Racine. I was about 1:40 slower than Racine, but getting out of the water I felt good. No cramps for the first time ever. My swim time was the 66th fastest swim so I need to work on this.
Transition - 3:06. Still slow. I need to get more efficient. I struggled getting my shoes on as my hips were cramping. I took a GU which I normally don't do, but thought nutrition and took one. That was not in the plans, but after the cramps I went with it. I then headed out to the bike. I still don't know what I was doing for 3 minutes! Did I sit down for a coffee break? This time is blur. I don't remember much, but this time is stupid slow.
Bike - My legs were just not feeling this bike ride. They felt so blah. They felt this way for the first 28 miles. It was not until the turn around that I had a stretch where I was feeling good and that feeling died out around mile 45. My bike time was slower than Racine by 7 minutes exactly. I rode 2:38 on this course which was the 55th fastest time. This course was not one that I could ever get into a groove. It felt like we were constantly going up a hill and then down. Over and over I felt like all we did was ride over hill after hill. None of the hills were difficult, but like I said I never found a groove. I shifted more in this race than all previous riding combined. I wanted to keep my cadence around 75 or higher. I am trying to get my cadence higher so this was my current goal as I slowly worked on a faster cadence pace.
I don't know what others think of this bike course, but I did not find it easy. If you look at my mile times you can see how they are all over the place. Constantly fast/slow. My cadence overall was 76 so I was happy with that. For nutrition I made myself consume something every 15 minutes with water mixed in between the time intervals. I had to force myself to either eat or drink my nutrition. I never feel hungry during the race. I had to make myself which was not always enjoyable. One point in the race I was not paying attention, hit a bump and I swear I almost flipped over my handlebars. I hit this bump and my arms flew right out of my aerobars. I was dangling in front of my handlebars. I yelled a few choice words and right before things started to look real bad I was able to recover. A few other times I lost focus and about rode right off the road. At the end of this course there was a nasty little hill and when you completed this you turned to the park and had another short hill. Talk about a mental test. I made it off the bike feeling pretty good and was ready for the run. The whole bike ride I just kept thinking about the run and reminding myself to run slow. Don't try to chase, just do my thing. The bike had cloud cover and wind, but when the run started that all went away and we just had sun.
Run - I started off slow.
I had to really force myself to ease up. It was difficult to do so. I kept getting passed and it was making me mad. I just wanted to go. I felt so fresh in the beginning, but I had to remind myself of Racine and what happened. I had to stay the course. My whole goal was to run the whole thing. Run it slow and easy and if I had a good kick towards the end I would pick up the pace. Like I said before the sun started to come out and it was starting to get warm as the race continued. When I finished mile 3 and I still felt good it was a great feeling because that is where everything completely fell apart at Racine. At the turnaround there was a heck of a hill that about did me in. Running back after the turnaround my body was doing good, but my mind started to weaken. I just kept going. I took a gel at mile 2 and another one at mile 8. On the run my gut was killing me. I think I took too much nutrition on the bike or something because I kept dealing with some serious sideaches and just my stomach sloshing back and forth. I took in water at each station. Heading back I started to hit a wall around mile 10. I was hot. I was tired. And that hill was there again to climb to get back into the park. Running up the hill I felt myself starting to get overworked and I was not moving fast. Knowing I had to drive home I stopped and walked 50 steps. This helped quite a bit. I had to run the last bit of the hill, turn into the park and a short hill and the last two miles was just survival. I hit a wall and fell apart a bit. I was hoping for sub 2 hours and just missed it. Looking at my times you can see I just did not have it in me. However, I am happy with this time of 2 hours. Racine I was 2:36. A 36 minute improvement is a good increase and obviously my plan worked out. However, I will admit that I am not satisfied with this time. I want to run 1:45. That is my new goal, but not for this year.
This race was well ran. I will be doing this again. For a cheap registration fee I could not be more happy with the race. Easy to reach, easy to get to places, great food choices afterwards(the best spread ever!), and a good course. My final time was 5:19 placing me 74th overall. This is a 28 minute improvement over Racine. Most of that is off the run. It was a good day. Afterwards, after eating candy, pop, water, fruit, and some bread I was ready to head home. I was not delusional like Racine and drove home.
It was a good day. I will be honest and tell you that I am not completely satisfied, but feel good about this race for sure. It was a good confidence booster to get me to where I want to be. I will be taking some time off this week to let the body rest and more importantly my poor chaffed skin. My body is in rough shape and I won't go into any more detail except I have to walk bow legged and then making a decision about what I will be doing for the QC Marathon. I will be posting more about goals and specific reflections about where I want to be later. This recap is much longer than I wanted it to be. Thanks to everyone who sent me a message or words of inspiration. I don't always respond right away, but I really do appreciate the words. They sure do help reading the messages before the race. Thank you.
Lastly, John Byrne and Rick Fountain tore up Leadville. Thanks to Rick's wife for the updates. They did amazing. These two guys have helped me to keep pushing myself when I think of all of their training, hard work, and the simple fact of running this course. I cannot even process what they just did. Running 100 miles in the mountains is something I think you can only understand if you have been there. Amazing! And don't forget Jeff Paul. He had a great race at Steelhead. Great to see him back on track and excited about racing. Jeff has always been there to help me out and give me advice. I cannot thank him enough.
A great day yesterday. And yes dad I did just what you said - Think it, See it, Start it, Do it, Finish it!
Friday, August 17, 2012
Pigman Taper Week - Friday Swim and Sauna
This morning I am not even sure it was worth the effort to get wet in the pool. I swam 1000 yards this morning because I know I would not get it in tomorrow traveling to Palo, Iowa for the Pigman Triathlon.
I did
100 free
100 pull
100 kick
6 x 50 DPS with 20 sec rest
6 x 50 VO2 with 10 sec rest
100 kick
It felt weird being done in under 30 minutes. It did give me time to sit in the sauna which I no longer have time for now that school has started.
This taper week has not been good for my eating. My eating habits have fallen apart. Part of this is due to going back to school as I forgot how my food cravings double when I teach.
Tonight I will ride for about 45 minutes wrapping up the training.
I will head out tomorrow afternoon to grab my registration for the race. I was going to get up early Sunday and drive, but Amanda told me no. My nerves have not kicked in yet. It is almost like I am in this fog of not realizing I am racing in two days. It almost feels like it has not connected that Sunday is go time.
This race will be my last big race of the year for triathlons. I have been training since January. It will be time to rest and reform training, goals, and strategies.
I did
100 free
100 pull
100 kick
6 x 50 DPS with 20 sec rest
6 x 50 VO2 with 10 sec rest
100 kick
It felt weird being done in under 30 minutes. It did give me time to sit in the sauna which I no longer have time for now that school has started.
This taper week has not been good for my eating. My eating habits have fallen apart. Part of this is due to going back to school as I forgot how my food cravings double when I teach.
Tonight I will ride for about 45 minutes wrapping up the training.
I will head out tomorrow afternoon to grab my registration for the race. I was going to get up early Sunday and drive, but Amanda told me no. My nerves have not kicked in yet. It is almost like I am in this fog of not realizing I am racing in two days. It almost feels like it has not connected that Sunday is go time.
This race will be my last big race of the year for triathlons. I have been training since January. It will be time to rest and reform training, goals, and strategies.
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Pigman Taper Week - Wednesday and Thursday
Wednesday I hit up the pool for my second swim of the week. The yardage backed off once again as I only swam 2000 yards. I completed the following workout
Warm-Up
150 free
150 pull
100 kick
Drill - 6 x 50 DPS with 20 sec rest
VO2 set - 4 x 100 with 20 sec rest
Base Interval - 3 x 200 with 15 sec rest
Kick 4 x 50
Cool Down - 100
This morning we beat the rain. Everyone was on board for a shorter run which was nice as I only wanted to go 4 miles for my tapering. We took a different route and it was great to run with Jen, Ben, Curt, and Emily.
I really need to think about this race. I need to clean my bike, finalize my nutrition plans, and pack. I know that my mom and Amanda are nervous for me going solo based on my Racine experience, but I know I will be fine. I will not feel as bad as I did. I have learned so much since Racine. It is not going to be anywhere near as hot and I will be smart and really ease up if I feel anything close to Racine. Amanda was going to come, but I have asked her to stay behind so the kids don't get so out of whack after their first week back. I don't want them away from us all weekend and not getting home until Sunday evening. They will need their time to just hang out and relax. School wipes them out as well as us parents.
It is 8:00 and bed is calling my name. I need to ride, but I am going to wait and ride tomorrow since I ran today. My tapering plan called for one run this week, but I needed to get out today. I am feeling pretty confident in my run for the race this weekend. I look forward to see my time improve.
Warm-Up
150 free
150 pull
100 kick
Drill - 6 x 50 DPS with 20 sec rest
VO2 set - 4 x 100 with 20 sec rest
Base Interval - 3 x 200 with 15 sec rest
Kick 4 x 50
Cool Down - 100
This morning we beat the rain. Everyone was on board for a shorter run which was nice as I only wanted to go 4 miles for my tapering. We took a different route and it was great to run with Jen, Ben, Curt, and Emily.
I really need to think about this race. I need to clean my bike, finalize my nutrition plans, and pack. I know that my mom and Amanda are nervous for me going solo based on my Racine experience, but I know I will be fine. I will not feel as bad as I did. I have learned so much since Racine. It is not going to be anywhere near as hot and I will be smart and really ease up if I feel anything close to Racine. Amanda was going to come, but I have asked her to stay behind so the kids don't get so out of whack after their first week back. I don't want them away from us all weekend and not getting home until Sunday evening. They will need their time to just hang out and relax. School wipes them out as well as us parents.
It is 8:00 and bed is calling my name. I need to ride, but I am going to wait and ride tomorrow since I ran today. My tapering plan called for one run this week, but I needed to get out today. I am feeling pretty confident in my run for the race this weekend. I look forward to see my time improve.
Monday, August 13, 2012
Pigman Taper Week - Swim Workout
Time to wrap my mind around the fact that soon I will be hitting up another 70.3 Tri course in Palo, Iowa.
I am testing out a different taper approach. This one has me doing a bit more than my last taper, but I think it will work out pretty good.
This morning I swam the following workout. My legs were sore from the long run and concert Saturday along with the bike workout yesterday. This swim did loosen things up quite a bit as I kept swimming.
Warm Up
100 free
100 pull
100 kick
Drill - 6 x 75 (25 right arm, 25 left arm, 25 DPS) with 15 sec rest interval
Pull - 3 x 100 with 15 sec rest
Base Interval - 7 x 200 with 20 sec rest
Kick - 4 x 50 (I actually just did a 200 yard set)
Cool Down - Pull 150 yards
Total Yards: 2800
Total Time: 51 minutes
Time to scramble to get kids and myself ready for school and I need to be there at 7:30. Time to quit listening to Winger and get going.
Have a rocking Monday!
I am testing out a different taper approach. This one has me doing a bit more than my last taper, but I think it will work out pretty good.
This morning I swam the following workout. My legs were sore from the long run and concert Saturday along with the bike workout yesterday. This swim did loosen things up quite a bit as I kept swimming.
Warm Up
100 free
100 pull
100 kick
Drill - 6 x 75 (25 right arm, 25 left arm, 25 DPS) with 15 sec rest interval
Pull - 3 x 100 with 15 sec rest
Base Interval - 7 x 200 with 20 sec rest
Kick - 4 x 50 (I actually just did a 200 yard set)
Cool Down - Pull 150 yards
Total Yards: 2800
Total Time: 51 minutes
Time to scramble to get kids and myself ready for school and I need to be there at 7:30. Time to quit listening to Winger and get going.
Have a rocking Monday!
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Monday and Wednesday Swim Workouts
Monday I never got around to recording my swim workout. The last few weeks I have been working on endurance/aerobic swim workouts with lots of long sets. Monday I decided to mix things up and go with some shorter quicker sets to mix things up.
Monday Workout
Warm up
200 Free @ 3:33
200 Pull @ 3:36
200 Kick @ 3:42
6×50 (3: kick @ 1:15, 3: drill @ 1:05)
6×25 @ :40 drill (finger tip drag drill)
6×75 @ 1:20 swim (descend 1-3, 4-6) (1:11, 1:10, 1:05, 1:11, 1:05, 1:03)
6×25 @ :45 drill (single arm drill)
6×75 @ 1:30 swim (all strong) (1:07, 1:07, 1:07, 1:06, 1:06, 1:08)
6×25 @ :40 drill (catch up/stick drill)
6×75 @ 2:00 swim (ALL FAST) (:57, :58, :58, 1:00, :57, 1:00
6×25 @ :40 pull (smooth)
6×75 @ 1:20 pull (strong) (1:05, 1:09, 1:07, 1:07, 1:09, 1:13
200 cool down
*3500 Total*
Total Time 56:19
This was a tough workout. The 6 x 75 all fast about killed me. My legs were tingling and really taxed. It felt good to mix things up.
*3200 Total*
Monday Workout
Warm up
200 Free @ 3:33
200 Pull @ 3:36
200 Kick @ 3:42
6×50 (3: kick @ 1:15, 3: drill @ 1:05)
6×25 @ :40 drill (finger tip drag drill)
6×75 @ 1:20 swim (descend 1-3, 4-6) (1:11, 1:10, 1:05, 1:11, 1:05, 1:03)
6×25 @ :45 drill (single arm drill)
6×75 @ 1:30 swim (all strong) (1:07, 1:07, 1:07, 1:06, 1:06, 1:08)
6×25 @ :40 drill (catch up/stick drill)
6×75 @ 2:00 swim (ALL FAST) (:57, :58, :58, 1:00, :57, 1:00
6×25 @ :40 pull (smooth)
6×75 @ 1:20 pull (strong) (1:05, 1:09, 1:07, 1:07, 1:09, 1:13
200 cool down
*3500 Total*
Total Time 56:19
This was a tough workout. The 6 x 75 all fast about killed me. My legs were tingling and really taxed. It felt good to mix things up.
Wednesday Workout
This morning I swam again. I started super nice and easy to get my blood flowing again after the brutal bike experience yesterday. I wanted to make sure I was ready to go. As the workout continued I felt better and better.
Warm up
200 Free @ 3:55
100 Pull @ 1:56
100 Kick @ 2:07
Drill 6 x 50
2 sets of catch-up
2 sets of fingertip drag
2 sets of closed fist
Base Interval 5 x 400 (20 sec rest between sets)
7:10, 7:07, 7:00, 6:53, 6:54
Kick 4 x 75 (15 second rest interval)
All four sets at 1:15
Cool Down 200 of pull buoy
*3200 Total*
Total Time 57:34
This swim workout really helped my body feel better. By the end I was back to feeling normal. I was not sure how I would feel after that 5.5 hour nightmare yesterday.
Today is my last day of summer. Back to school tomorrow so things will change and modify slightly as I don't have as much time(which was not much to begin with) as I have had the last few months.
Time to spend time with the kids. Have a great day.
Friday, August 3, 2012
Friday Morning Aerobic Endurance Workout
This is one of the last few mornings I have left before school starts that will allow me to get some big swims in the pool. My training has me doing some long swims in this block of training. Today was another big swim workout. I know many would probably die of boredom doing the workout I did today, but I really enjoyed this workout. I think because I can turn my brain off and just swim. With some crazy stresses in my life right now this workout was needed.
Warm-Up
200 Free @ 3:43
200 Pull @ 3:40
200 Kick @3:57
11:21
Main Set
2000 free @ 36:24 - This was a big swim for me in terms of mentally planning. I am looking at another 70.3 distance race and there is a good chance it will not be wetsuit legal. I know I am much slower without the wetsuit, but seeing this time I know that I can swim the 1.2 mile distance in under 40 without a wetsuit.
1200 paddle set @ 20:57 - My shoulders were tired with this set. I lost major focus as the lifeguards were trying to scoop something out of the water so I lost count of my laps so many times. This set took a bit longer mentally, but I got through it and was glad I held my ground and finished.
Cool Down
200 kick @3:39
Total Yards: 4000 yards
Total Time: 72:21
I will be switching things up next week with swimming going back to more speed work and possibly drills(despite the fact I hate drills). I will have to back my swims back down to an hour total with swim and rest times. The real world is returning with going back to teaching.
This weekend I still have a 13 mile run and 66 mile bike ride. I will be heading back to Indiana to visit my parents so it shall be interesting to get these things done. I am in a crucial training block right now with my potential race being 16 days away. I did not get in a long bike ride last week with the Bix race so getting this long ride in is important to me as tapering will be happening in about one more week.
On another note, I have just received a new endurance book by Dr. Maffetone. I really look forward to studying his method and see if I can better fine tune my training. It is a process. I do some things well and I know I have many improvements to make. During my long run this weekend I will be practicing my nutrition and hydration methods. If you have a system that you use during the run I would love to hear about it. It seems like everyone has their own method that they use, but it is always good to hear what others do. My plan will be to take a Hammer HEED before, Hammer Perpetuem and water at each mile alternating to see how it goes. My goal will be to take in no more than 300 calories per hour and no less than 200. I will see how it goes. Right now this is my biggest weakness as I never take in nutrition on my training runs. It is time to practice.
Have a great Friday and weekend.
Warm-Up
200 Free @ 3:43
200 Pull @ 3:40
200 Kick @3:57
11:21
Main Set
2000 free @ 36:24 - This was a big swim for me in terms of mentally planning. I am looking at another 70.3 distance race and there is a good chance it will not be wetsuit legal. I know I am much slower without the wetsuit, but seeing this time I know that I can swim the 1.2 mile distance in under 40 without a wetsuit.
1200 paddle set @ 20:57 - My shoulders were tired with this set. I lost major focus as the lifeguards were trying to scoop something out of the water so I lost count of my laps so many times. This set took a bit longer mentally, but I got through it and was glad I held my ground and finished.
Cool Down
200 kick @3:39
Total Yards: 4000 yards
Total Time: 72:21
I will be switching things up next week with swimming going back to more speed work and possibly drills(despite the fact I hate drills). I will have to back my swims back down to an hour total with swim and rest times. The real world is returning with going back to teaching.
This weekend I still have a 13 mile run and 66 mile bike ride. I will be heading back to Indiana to visit my parents so it shall be interesting to get these things done. I am in a crucial training block right now with my potential race being 16 days away. I did not get in a long bike ride last week with the Bix race so getting this long ride in is important to me as tapering will be happening in about one more week.
On another note, I have just received a new endurance book by Dr. Maffetone. I really look forward to studying his method and see if I can better fine tune my training. It is a process. I do some things well and I know I have many improvements to make. During my long run this weekend I will be practicing my nutrition and hydration methods. If you have a system that you use during the run I would love to hear about it. It seems like everyone has their own method that they use, but it is always good to hear what others do. My plan will be to take a Hammer HEED before, Hammer Perpetuem and water at each mile alternating to see how it goes. My goal will be to take in no more than 300 calories per hour and no less than 200. I will see how it goes. Right now this is my biggest weakness as I never take in nutrition on my training runs. It is time to practice.
Have a great Friday and weekend.
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