I feel pretty good about my training this week. I rode on the road a total of 91 miles. I rode 10 miles offroad. I went to swim class twice. On the whole that is between 9 and 9.5 hours of training total. Not a record or anything, but for me a pretty good load.
I was talking to Brian today(who owns a presently dismembered Lapierre identical to mine) and I mentioned that I had ridden around 100 miles this week and that today, mainly because of the singlespeed mountain ride, my legs felt sort of dead. He said something like "yeah a couple of weeks ago I did 350 miles in a week, I was toasted."
I immediately realized why he races Master A's and I have been in Master C's. He works much harder. There is just no way that I have the time to do so much riding in a week. I work four days a week. Bridget works two of the other days, and then there is church and other family stuff on Sunday. Plus the boys, I gotta spend my boys! I can see where I could get it up to somewhere in the 150's and still do my swimming class, but dang....you are the man Brian, what can I say.
There is another guy who comes in to the shop a bunch. His name is Robert and he is from Eastern Europe. The dude just rides. All the time. Last weekend he rode 215 miles in one day. It took him around 9.5 hours if I remember right. And he isn't training for anything. He just will decided to ride from Portland down to Cannon Beach and back. Or from Portland to Sisters, Oregon and back. No big deal to him. he just rides to ride. And he does it all with minimal stuff. He rides either his Campy C40 or C50 bikes with full Record groups and with just a bit of food, a tube or two and that is it. Crazy stuff man.
I don't feel too bad. I just have to train smart, and I know that I am continually getting in better shape. I am not discouraged by the fact that Brian can ride so much in a week, but I have a healthy respect for him and that amount of riding. I can see why he is able to hang with the guys in Master A's--and why last year I was in the back third of Master C's.
Showing posts with label training. Show all posts
Showing posts with label training. Show all posts
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Wishful thinking
Last night I had a hard time falling asleep. This has been happening more often recently for a variety of reason. Last night I was obsessing about Vikingman again, but in sort of a good way. I was trying to figure out if there is any reasonable expectation that I could bust a time under 6 hours. I decided that there is some remote possibility but all of the planets have to align and I will have to be feeling it Saturday morning.
Here is how it could be done:
Swim time: 35 minutes. This seems reasonable. Most of the times are at least this fast from last year. So I think it is possible. I am a much better swimming than last year for my first couple of triathlons. I just have to make sure that I am in a good state of mind so that I don't freak out. Last year only 9 of 45 in my age group went longer than 35 minutes.
Transition 1: 4 min 30 sec (Total 39:30). This should be possible. Not sure of the layout of the transition area, but this seems like a good middle of the road time from last year.
Bike time: 2hrs 56 min 30 sec (Total 3 hrs 36 min): This time is figured by my going roughly 19 mph. This would put me right smack in the middle of my age group for time last year. I am a fairly decent rider, I hope I can finish mid pack. During my other shorter tri's last summer I finished either at or near mid pack for men in my age group--and one of those tri's was done with no training for 8 out of the last 12 weeks prior to the tri due to an appendectomy and then bronchitis. So finishing mid pack should be possible here. 19mph is not out of the question, I average faster than that during my practice run in Central Oregon a couple of weeks ago.
Transition 2: 2 min 30 seconds (Total 3 hrs 38 min 30 sec). Seems reasonable. Most of the racers last year finished the transition in less time, so I am going with it.
Run time: This is the biggie. I ran a half marathon last year and exploded because I went out too fast. It was also slightly up hill almost the whole way. That was one bad experience; cramping, felt like I had to crap so I sat on the pot for a minute, a blister on the bottom of my foot. I was lucky to do it in the time I did--about 2hours and 38 minutes. But if I maintain a decent pace, don't blister up, don't blow up, and my bowels stay calm I think a much better time is possible at Vikingman. When I run around the neighborhood there are lots of hills. I have a difficult time gauging what I will do at Vikingman. Even with the hills I do at least 5mph and as well as 5.5 mph. On a track I can run 10:30 to 11:30 for a long time, without my heart rate going too high. I could have pushed it more, certainly. If I run 11:00 miles my total running time would be just over 2 hours and 24 minutes. This would put me over the 6 hour time limit by 2 min 30 seconds. So I have to be running a bit faster. I think 10:45 per mile is possible. The total run time would be 2 hours 20 minutes and 50 seconds. My total time would be 5 hours 59 minutes and 20 seconds. This is possible.
I want to finish. I want to be under 6 hours 20 minutes for a secondary goal. A sub 6 hour time is the stretch goal. Yeah, I can do this. Whether if I do, well, we shall see.
Here is how it could be done:
Swim time: 35 minutes. This seems reasonable. Most of the times are at least this fast from last year. So I think it is possible. I am a much better swimming than last year for my first couple of triathlons. I just have to make sure that I am in a good state of mind so that I don't freak out. Last year only 9 of 45 in my age group went longer than 35 minutes.
Transition 1: 4 min 30 sec (Total 39:30). This should be possible. Not sure of the layout of the transition area, but this seems like a good middle of the road time from last year.
Bike time: 2hrs 56 min 30 sec (Total 3 hrs 36 min): This time is figured by my going roughly 19 mph. This would put me right smack in the middle of my age group for time last year. I am a fairly decent rider, I hope I can finish mid pack. During my other shorter tri's last summer I finished either at or near mid pack for men in my age group--and one of those tri's was done with no training for 8 out of the last 12 weeks prior to the tri due to an appendectomy and then bronchitis. So finishing mid pack should be possible here. 19mph is not out of the question, I average faster than that during my practice run in Central Oregon a couple of weeks ago.
Transition 2: 2 min 30 seconds (Total 3 hrs 38 min 30 sec). Seems reasonable. Most of the racers last year finished the transition in less time, so I am going with it.
Run time: This is the biggie. I ran a half marathon last year and exploded because I went out too fast. It was also slightly up hill almost the whole way. That was one bad experience; cramping, felt like I had to crap so I sat on the pot for a minute, a blister on the bottom of my foot. I was lucky to do it in the time I did--about 2hours and 38 minutes. But if I maintain a decent pace, don't blister up, don't blow up, and my bowels stay calm I think a much better time is possible at Vikingman. When I run around the neighborhood there are lots of hills. I have a difficult time gauging what I will do at Vikingman. Even with the hills I do at least 5mph and as well as 5.5 mph. On a track I can run 10:30 to 11:30 for a long time, without my heart rate going too high. I could have pushed it more, certainly. If I run 11:00 miles my total running time would be just over 2 hours and 24 minutes. This would put me over the 6 hour time limit by 2 min 30 seconds. So I have to be running a bit faster. I think 10:45 per mile is possible. The total run time would be 2 hours 20 minutes and 50 seconds. My total time would be 5 hours 59 minutes and 20 seconds. This is possible.
I want to finish. I want to be under 6 hours 20 minutes for a secondary goal. A sub 6 hour time is the stretch goal. Yeah, I can do this. Whether if I do, well, we shall see.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Trained 23 days out of 30 in May
That is a new record for me. I feel pretty good about that. I hope it translates to a good experience next weekend.
Friday, May 30, 2008
My Last Brick...
sort of sucked.
The water in Hagg Lake was freaking cold. It took my breath away at first, and that was with the wet suit and water socks on. I also had on an insulated cap, but it sucked. It was nice at first because part of my head was spared some of the shock from the water temp. Once I started swimming (and that took some time because I was breathing way too fast until I started to get used to the water) the cap started to fill with water around my ears when I would exhale. Somehow the bubbles would interrupt the seal around my face and allow water to pass through. And the water would go straight into my ear and cap would help to force it into my inner ear. The cap has a chin strap so there is no way to avoid the cap going over my ears. I swam back to the shore and took it off and swam with just a regular swim cap. There is no seal around my ears and despite the water going into my ears it felt fine. At least it could drain out when my head was out of water unlike with the insulated cap. I ended up swimming for about 20 minutes, but I didn't cover much ground. I probably swam 800 yards is all. I spent most of the time trying not to freak out. I mean I could swim fine once I got used to the temp, but every time I got about 50 to 100 yards away from shore I started to panic just a bit. There could be various reasons for this: I was alone, it was cold, I was afraid of getting ran over by a boat (despite a brightly colored cap), and just a weak mental state. Anyway, I swam a final long stretch parallel to the shore. then I got on the bike. That went fine, except that my legs felt sort of dead. I am sure that this was from yesterday's hard run, but it took a while for them to loosen up. After one lap around Hagg lake I transferred to the run. My calves were tight for the first mile but after that I was fine.
Back at home I took a shower and noticed that my shoulders got burned. Pretty darn burned actually. My shoulders were exposed for about 1hr and 20 min. That was enough when I didn't put on sunblock. I am going to have to put on a jersey with sleeves at least for the bike. Oregon has not been good to me for getting any sort of sun exposure this Spring and so this was my first effort in a sleeveless jersey of any sort. Ouch. I am going to have to break out the SPF 100 for my shoulders and upper arms during the run.
Right now it is about 3.5 hours after the end of my brick. I am feeling toasted. This does not make me feel good about Vikingman especially. Recovery better work really well this next week.
The water in Hagg Lake was freaking cold. It took my breath away at first, and that was with the wet suit and water socks on. I also had on an insulated cap, but it sucked. It was nice at first because part of my head was spared some of the shock from the water temp. Once I started swimming (and that took some time because I was breathing way too fast until I started to get used to the water) the cap started to fill with water around my ears when I would exhale. Somehow the bubbles would interrupt the seal around my face and allow water to pass through. And the water would go straight into my ear and cap would help to force it into my inner ear. The cap has a chin strap so there is no way to avoid the cap going over my ears. I swam back to the shore and took it off and swam with just a regular swim cap. There is no seal around my ears and despite the water going into my ears it felt fine. At least it could drain out when my head was out of water unlike with the insulated cap. I ended up swimming for about 20 minutes, but I didn't cover much ground. I probably swam 800 yards is all. I spent most of the time trying not to freak out. I mean I could swim fine once I got used to the temp, but every time I got about 50 to 100 yards away from shore I started to panic just a bit. There could be various reasons for this: I was alone, it was cold, I was afraid of getting ran over by a boat (despite a brightly colored cap), and just a weak mental state. Anyway, I swam a final long stretch parallel to the shore. then I got on the bike. That went fine, except that my legs felt sort of dead. I am sure that this was from yesterday's hard run, but it took a while for them to loosen up. After one lap around Hagg lake I transferred to the run. My calves were tight for the first mile but after that I was fine.
Back at home I took a shower and noticed that my shoulders got burned. Pretty darn burned actually. My shoulders were exposed for about 1hr and 20 min. That was enough when I didn't put on sunblock. I am going to have to put on a jersey with sleeves at least for the bike. Oregon has not been good to me for getting any sort of sun exposure this Spring and so this was my first effort in a sleeveless jersey of any sort. Ouch. I am going to have to break out the SPF 100 for my shoulders and upper arms during the run.
Right now it is about 3.5 hours after the end of my brick. I am feeling toasted. This does not make me feel good about Vikingman especially. Recovery better work really well this next week.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Last One Hour Run Before Vikingman
Ran for an hour today. From here on out I am only running in 30 minute segments until Vikingman. I ran around our hilly neighborhood for about 35 minutes and then ran at the track at Catlin Gable School. I ran 2 miles at the track. The first I ran about the same pace I had been running during the run around the neighborhood and my time was 10:19. Then I ran a mile at a pace that put my heart rate in the mid to upper 160's to see what sort of time the effort would give me. My time was 9:11. This time was near the end of my hour run and so I feel pretty good about it and my ability to hold a decent pace. There is no way that I am going to be able to do either pace during the Vikingman, but I am pretty sure that a 12 minute mile pace is a good conservative estimate, assuming nothing goes horribly wrong.
Everyone tells me to relax about Vikingman. Bridget says my training has been great and that I should have no problem finishing. My swimming during class is great. My running is relatively painfree. The bike seems to be dialed. So I am going to do fine at the Vikingman. I am going to do fine at the Vikingman. I am going to do fine at the Vikingman......I will find an chalkboard and write this over and over a la Bart Simpson.
Everyone tells me to relax about Vikingman. Bridget says my training has been great and that I should have no problem finishing. My swimming during class is great. My running is relatively painfree. The bike seems to be dialed. So I am going to do fine at the Vikingman. I am going to do fine at the Vikingman. I am going to do fine at the Vikingman......I will find an chalkboard and write this over and over a la Bart Simpson.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Taper is On
I never got the chance to do my final long ride before Vikingman. Oh well, I will survive. The bike is dialed in so at least I am not too worried about that part. I had hoped to have gotten in the long ride today, but I got rained out. I have mentioned before that I won't do long rides in the rain and I am not going to start now. I did do a long swim today. 2200 yards and 2000 of it was timed. Including stopping once because to talk briefly to Bridget and another time to fix my new earplugs (which rock, by the way), I swam 2000 yards in just over 44 minutes, or about 2 minutes 12 seconds for each 100. That will do for such a long distance. This is about 12 seconds slower than I do in swim class, but we do shorter distance and get breaks.
I always seem to hate the first 500 to 1000 yards on these long swims. I flip out or I get too winded...something happens that messes with my mental state. Sometimes I even get a claustrophobic feeling in the water for a while. But then once I am in for a bit I can get a handle on things and I do better. I seriously need to figure out how to fix my mind when I am in the water, because I am strong enough to swim Vikingman without much problem, but I get all freaked out when I swim without breaks for a long time.
I always seem to hate the first 500 to 1000 yards on these long swims. I flip out or I get too winded...something happens that messes with my mental state. Sometimes I even get a claustrophobic feeling in the water for a while. But then once I am in for a bit I can get a handle on things and I do better. I seriously need to figure out how to fix my mind when I am in the water, because I am strong enough to swim Vikingman without much problem, but I get all freaked out when I swim without breaks for a long time.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
2 hour run: Check!
I earned this glass of my super secret recovery drink. 
I am now about an hour past the end of my first 2 hour run of the year. I felt great until I had to climb the hills that oscillate ever higher on my way back to the house for the last 30 to 40 minutes of the run.
No significant pain, just some minor discomfort in the knees every know and then. But truth be told, I ran slow. But then, I am guessing that by the third leg of the triathlon that will be my only speed, slow. But no matter, I just want to finish and do it with out having to walk other than to swap water bottles.
I actually ran with my iPod for the first time in over a month. It was nice. I listened to a couple of nerdy NPR podcasts and then yesterday's episode of ESPN's Pardon the Interruption. They were all entertaining and helped to take my mind of the long run along Cornell Road.
Tomorrow I am still on track for the hour swim and the 3.5 hour bike ride. Joel at work requested that I take out one of our Scattante carbon road bikes to see what I think. Darn, I guess I will have to do that. Look for a post ride review soon.
I am now about an hour past the end of my first 2 hour run of the year. I felt great until I had to climb the hills that oscillate ever higher on my way back to the house for the last 30 to 40 minutes of the run.
No significant pain, just some minor discomfort in the knees every know and then. But truth be told, I ran slow. But then, I am guessing that by the third leg of the triathlon that will be my only speed, slow. But no matter, I just want to finish and do it with out having to walk other than to swap water bottles.
I actually ran with my iPod for the first time in over a month. It was nice. I listened to a couple of nerdy NPR podcasts and then yesterday's episode of ESPN's Pardon the Interruption. They were all entertaining and helped to take my mind of the long run along Cornell Road.
Tomorrow I am still on track for the hour swim and the 3.5 hour bike ride. Joel at work requested that I take out one of our Scattante carbon road bikes to see what I think. Darn, I guess I will have to do that. Look for a post ride review soon.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Tired/Rescheduling Workouts
I am just tired. Not sure what the deal is.
Anyway, due to things beyond my control I have to adjust my schedule this week so that I can still fit in the long run and the long bike ride on consecutive days.
Yesterday I did a short run instead my hour bike ride. Today I am not going to ride in an effort to rest for a 2 hour run before work tomorrow, which is why I only ran for a little more than 30 minutes yesterday. It ought to suck. Hopefully not, but I am feeling negative today. Friday is still a 1 hour swim and then a 3.5 hour bike ride. Saturday will be a rest day and Sunday just a short run again.
Also, the new Triathlete magazine does have an article about chocolate milk being a very good recovery drink. Oh Yeah!
Anyway, due to things beyond my control I have to adjust my schedule this week so that I can still fit in the long run and the long bike ride on consecutive days.
Yesterday I did a short run instead my hour bike ride. Today I am not going to ride in an effort to rest for a 2 hour run before work tomorrow, which is why I only ran for a little more than 30 minutes yesterday. It ought to suck. Hopefully not, but I am feeling negative today. Friday is still a 1 hour swim and then a 3.5 hour bike ride. Saturday will be a rest day and Sunday just a short run again.
Also, the new Triathlete magazine does have an article about chocolate milk being a very good recovery drink. Oh Yeah!
Monday, May 12, 2008
Riding buddies
Sorry for this long rambling and disorganized post. But what else are blogs for but to lower the standard of what is publishable and the english language as a whole.
I have long realized that I am a solitary sort of fellow. Big parties aren't my thing unless I know most of the people there. I don't mind going to movies by myself, although I never do so anymore since I have a spouse. I ride a bunch by myself. I run by myself. I actually do occasionally ride with DTP, which this year means that I am riding by myself even if he started with me (Sorry, man sometimes kicking the dead horse can be fun).
Despite my comfort with solitude, I really like being around friends and family. I just usually find that my life doesn't work with riding with others around here lately. Sunday is church day for me and the family, so I don't get out unless it is cross season. I get about 6 or 7 Sundays a year where I can pull the cycling card out and I won't push my luck with the wife to miss church just to go on a group ride or to some road or mtb race. Cross rocks too much to lose any good will built up during the year on these other activities.
I also feel self-conscious about sucking or being an idiot. I have never ridden on a group road ride of more than 3 or 4 people. Usually it is just two of us. I wouldn't know what to do in a large group. If there is anything that will keep me out of an activity it is when I don't know what I am doing in front of strangers. Occasionally, with friends I don't mind acting like an idiot for some reason. Last year's Rick James Super Freak Karaoke solo at a party with some good friends out here is a good example of that. Sorry, it is legendary and those lucky enough to have been there know this to be true. Well there was also a Bee Gee's lip sync last year that I led that sort of rocked too. Anyway, such things rarely ever happen with me. I am way too anxious to do such things normally. And since I don't drink, I have a hard time breaking down my walls to act out my inner idiot freely in front of strangers.
Anyway, back to the subject of cycling.
I really wish I had some more good buddies to ride with here in Oregon. In Utah, Fish was my gateway to a great bunch of guys. Before Fish, there was Rob Pyne and Craig Nebeker who were not only fun to hang with but great to ride with. And with all these people, my wife got along them and their spouses equally well too, bonus. Here, I ride with DTP. And once I went on a ride with guys from the Beaverton Performance at Brown's Camp. I get along with everyone great that I meet at the shop, but the bond is not really deep. But I don't hang with any of them after hours. I miss that sort of stuff. The people I do hang with don't bike. This sucks.
I still cling to Fish a bit in Utah, because I think I get what makes him tick and I think he gets me too. Riding is important and so are friends that you can share experiences with. Riding an epic ride is great when there are people who were right there with you sharing the same hell. Reading his blog brought to a head some of what I have been thinking about for months. This year more than any other has been devoid of this comraderie. Which is probably one reason why this blog exists, it is an attempt to share some of my love for the sport. I miss sharing experiences with friends regarding cycling. My wife is pregnant, DTP has gone off the wagon, and others who I could ride with that I know have totally different schedules than I. Plus this whole half ironman triathlon traing thing means I have to be somewhat rigid in my training/riding compared to what I prefer. I can ride long on Friday and that is about it. Mornings are usually good too, at least until 11AM because I have to get ready to work Tuesday - Thursday and then Saturday. Monday, I watch our kids and I have already written about my Sunday issues.
I mean I have time to ride, I just get to go alone becuase most of the guys I know have real jobs and work during the day. This is usually OK--riding alone. But reading blogs like Fish's and some others make me realize I am missing out on the fraternity of cycling.
I need to find a group to train with occasionally. A group that won't require a huge amount of time becuase of family, church and job responsibilities, but with whom I can feel I have a common bond with. That last part takes time to develop.
In law school there were a group of guys that rode together, a couple are on the Gentle Lovers team. I never rode with them because I felt slow, some what like a poser, and fat. Also, I often felt like with my family, I was being selfish if I did much more than ride to school. My kids and wife hardly saw me during long stretches of time. It was hard on them, so why make it harder by being selfish? Hanging with those guys seemed like the wrong thing to do, too much like playing while my family suffered. Summers have been golden for riding except for this last one when I was studying for the Oregon Bar Exam.
This is not the case now--feeling guilty about riding. I see my family lots and I just need to find time to ride with others that have a weird schedule too. This is why DTP was good to ride with. He has his own company and he can get away pretty much anytime he is motivated to do so. But his refusal to suck it up and do the Vikingman means that we are not on the same page anymore. At least not until after June 7th when I can devote more time to mtb and Brown's Camp. I still like riding with him because his constant bitching is sort of entertaining for some reason. Not sure why this is so, but there it is.
I have some prospects for riding partners. My friend Marcus is buying a singlespeed 29er this week and if he can get his asthma under control it won't be long until he is passing me up. That would be cool. There are a few guys at my shop and at one of the other Performance shops that I would like to ride with again. I get along well with another nice fellow, Mr. Spears, and since I helped him get his latest cross machine, I think he might slum it with me sometime on a ride. I don't mind riding with faster people as long as they don't mind riding with someone a bit slower than they are. I don't mind suffering.
The key is that I need to put myself out there. It is sort of like dating or something. Trying to find people to ride with that I can relate to and wouldn't mind doing things with other than cycling. Yeah, that would be cool. I would love return to the days when friends come over and we have some thick meats grillin' in the backyard as we joke about some ride or another. Yep, good times await, I just gotta integrate.
I have long realized that I am a solitary sort of fellow. Big parties aren't my thing unless I know most of the people there. I don't mind going to movies by myself, although I never do so anymore since I have a spouse. I ride a bunch by myself. I run by myself. I actually do occasionally ride with DTP, which this year means that I am riding by myself even if he started with me (Sorry, man sometimes kicking the dead horse can be fun).
Despite my comfort with solitude, I really like being around friends and family. I just usually find that my life doesn't work with riding with others around here lately. Sunday is church day for me and the family, so I don't get out unless it is cross season. I get about 6 or 7 Sundays a year where I can pull the cycling card out and I won't push my luck with the wife to miss church just to go on a group ride or to some road or mtb race. Cross rocks too much to lose any good will built up during the year on these other activities.
I also feel self-conscious about sucking or being an idiot. I have never ridden on a group road ride of more than 3 or 4 people. Usually it is just two of us. I wouldn't know what to do in a large group. If there is anything that will keep me out of an activity it is when I don't know what I am doing in front of strangers. Occasionally, with friends I don't mind acting like an idiot for some reason. Last year's Rick James Super Freak Karaoke solo at a party with some good friends out here is a good example of that. Sorry, it is legendary and those lucky enough to have been there know this to be true. Well there was also a Bee Gee's lip sync last year that I led that sort of rocked too. Anyway, such things rarely ever happen with me. I am way too anxious to do such things normally. And since I don't drink, I have a hard time breaking down my walls to act out my inner idiot freely in front of strangers.
Anyway, back to the subject of cycling.
I really wish I had some more good buddies to ride with here in Oregon. In Utah, Fish was my gateway to a great bunch of guys. Before Fish, there was Rob Pyne and Craig Nebeker who were not only fun to hang with but great to ride with. And with all these people, my wife got along them and their spouses equally well too, bonus. Here, I ride with DTP. And once I went on a ride with guys from the Beaverton Performance at Brown's Camp. I get along with everyone great that I meet at the shop, but the bond is not really deep. But I don't hang with any of them after hours. I miss that sort of stuff. The people I do hang with don't bike. This sucks.
I still cling to Fish a bit in Utah, because I think I get what makes him tick and I think he gets me too. Riding is important and so are friends that you can share experiences with. Riding an epic ride is great when there are people who were right there with you sharing the same hell. Reading his blog brought to a head some of what I have been thinking about for months. This year more than any other has been devoid of this comraderie. Which is probably one reason why this blog exists, it is an attempt to share some of my love for the sport. I miss sharing experiences with friends regarding cycling. My wife is pregnant, DTP has gone off the wagon, and others who I could ride with that I know have totally different schedules than I. Plus this whole half ironman triathlon traing thing means I have to be somewhat rigid in my training/riding compared to what I prefer. I can ride long on Friday and that is about it. Mornings are usually good too, at least until 11AM because I have to get ready to work Tuesday - Thursday and then Saturday. Monday, I watch our kids and I have already written about my Sunday issues.
I mean I have time to ride, I just get to go alone becuase most of the guys I know have real jobs and work during the day. This is usually OK--riding alone. But reading blogs like Fish's and some others make me realize I am missing out on the fraternity of cycling.
I need to find a group to train with occasionally. A group that won't require a huge amount of time becuase of family, church and job responsibilities, but with whom I can feel I have a common bond with. That last part takes time to develop.
In law school there were a group of guys that rode together, a couple are on the Gentle Lovers team. I never rode with them because I felt slow, some what like a poser, and fat. Also, I often felt like with my family, I was being selfish if I did much more than ride to school. My kids and wife hardly saw me during long stretches of time. It was hard on them, so why make it harder by being selfish? Hanging with those guys seemed like the wrong thing to do, too much like playing while my family suffered. Summers have been golden for riding except for this last one when I was studying for the Oregon Bar Exam.
This is not the case now--feeling guilty about riding. I see my family lots and I just need to find time to ride with others that have a weird schedule too. This is why DTP was good to ride with. He has his own company and he can get away pretty much anytime he is motivated to do so. But his refusal to suck it up and do the Vikingman means that we are not on the same page anymore. At least not until after June 7th when I can devote more time to mtb and Brown's Camp. I still like riding with him because his constant bitching is sort of entertaining for some reason. Not sure why this is so, but there it is.
I have some prospects for riding partners. My friend Marcus is buying a singlespeed 29er this week and if he can get his asthma under control it won't be long until he is passing me up. That would be cool. There are a few guys at my shop and at one of the other Performance shops that I would like to ride with again. I get along well with another nice fellow, Mr. Spears, and since I helped him get his latest cross machine, I think he might slum it with me sometime on a ride. I don't mind riding with faster people as long as they don't mind riding with someone a bit slower than they are. I don't mind suffering.
The key is that I need to put myself out there. It is sort of like dating or something. Trying to find people to ride with that I can relate to and wouldn't mind doing things with other than cycling. Yeah, that would be cool. I would love return to the days when friends come over and we have some thick meats grillin' in the backyard as we joke about some ride or another. Yep, good times await, I just gotta integrate.
Monday Swim Workout / Schedule for the week
Today's swim workout was as follows:
Warm up
-Three 50's free
-One 50 no free (any stroke but freestyle)
Main workout
-Ten 50's @ 1:15
-Eight 50's @ 1:10
-Five 50's @ 1:05
-Three 50's @ 1:00
Cool Down
-Ten 25's with low stroke count. 5 seconds rest in between each 25.
I was swimming too fast at the beginning of the workout. 55 second 50's for the first ten 50's and probably most if not all of next set of eight 50's. Then the wheels started to come off. I have come to know when my doom is close when the pool temperature seems to rise to nearly the level of a hot tub. I didn't seem to be able to get enough air and the wall couldn't have come soon enough. Still, I was swimming each 50 during the set of five 50's at either a minute or better. Then we were at the last set of three 50's when I blew up trying to stay at the one minute pace. I did the first one under the time allotted, but the second one was a couple of ticks slower and then before the last 50 I had to stop and catch my breath. I was nauseated and a bit dizzy. I was overheated--basically my radiator cap blew. After that last lap I rested for a minute or two before starting the cool down portion of the workout.
Still, I have progressed--or at least he is working up harder judging by a previous blog post on a couple of weeks ago.
Training schedule for the rest of the week:
Tuesday: bike one hour
Wednesday: Swim class and run 45 minutes
Thursday: Day Off
Friday: Lap Swim 1 hour and Bike 3.5 hours
Saturday: Run 2 hours.
Sunday: Rest Day
Total time for the week: 9:45
Really there are just a bunch of easy days in preparation of two days of hell, Friday and Saturday. Friday I have off and Saturday I have to go to work after I run. If Bridget works on Saturday, the run will have to be on Sunday.
Warm up
-Three 50's free
-One 50 no free (any stroke but freestyle)
Main workout
-Ten 50's @ 1:15
-Eight 50's @ 1:10
-Five 50's @ 1:05
-Three 50's @ 1:00
Cool Down
-Ten 25's with low stroke count. 5 seconds rest in between each 25.
I was swimming too fast at the beginning of the workout. 55 second 50's for the first ten 50's and probably most if not all of next set of eight 50's. Then the wheels started to come off. I have come to know when my doom is close when the pool temperature seems to rise to nearly the level of a hot tub. I didn't seem to be able to get enough air and the wall couldn't have come soon enough. Still, I was swimming each 50 during the set of five 50's at either a minute or better. Then we were at the last set of three 50's when I blew up trying to stay at the one minute pace. I did the first one under the time allotted, but the second one was a couple of ticks slower and then before the last 50 I had to stop and catch my breath. I was nauseated and a bit dizzy. I was overheated--basically my radiator cap blew. After that last lap I rested for a minute or two before starting the cool down portion of the workout.
Still, I have progressed--or at least he is working up harder judging by a previous blog post on a couple of weeks ago.
Training schedule for the rest of the week:
Tuesday: bike one hour
Wednesday: Swim class and run 45 minutes
Thursday: Day Off
Friday: Lap Swim 1 hour and Bike 3.5 hours
Saturday: Run 2 hours.
Sunday: Rest Day
Total time for the week: 9:45
Really there are just a bunch of easy days in preparation of two days of hell, Friday and Saturday. Friday I have off and Saturday I have to go to work after I run. If Bridget works on Saturday, the run will have to be on Sunday.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Reality: TT is not so bad
...when this is your tt bike. Comfy.
Kidding...
Yesterday I somewhat grumpily got on my Fuji and set out for a 3+ hour tour of Central Oregon. In my jersey pockets were CO2 tire inflator, tube, 3 Clif Shot gels, cell phone, a small multi tool, and a credit card. It was just warm enough that I decided to wear the bib shorts instead of the bib knickers. I did put on some Elite Ozone Thermogel (which rocks for cooler weather) just in case the weather stayed cool or turned bad. I started with arm warmers but about a third of the way through they were also jammed into the rear pockets of my jersey.
This is the road about 5 miles in.
No signals, just one stop sign on my out and back. This is about as close to a real TT or Tri condition as I will ever get without racing.
Here is another part of my route, this time in Black Butte Ranch.
I rode a total of 63.2 miles and my pace was 19.4 mph. The first 5 to 8 miles where not comfortable at all. Everything just felt weird. My legs weren't working and to put it bluntly, my junk was feeling a bit like it was being mangled by the saddle. Then oddly enough from about the 10 mile mark on the junk was just a non issue--at least as far as comfort goes. From mile 10 through 45 everything was great. I realized that I didn't bring enough gels with me. I ended up buying some Shot Bloks at Eurosport in Sisters. Water was fine--I had some Gu electrolyte orange flavored stuff that tasted nasty, but worked well. I was able ration the 48 oz of water I had with me pretty easily. The wind picked up for the last 10 or so miles when I was heading back to Black Butte Ranch. This also happened to be the same time that my lower back started to really give out. Those last 10 miles pretty much sucked; a head wind and a lower back that would not allow me to put much power into my pedalling. Every couple of miles I had to get out of the aero position either to climb a hill or to relieve pain.
This is Black Butte and seeing this means I am almost there.
This was not a part of my route, just a couple of miles further west on Route 20. Weird, snow on the side of road in May
So, I was on the bike for over 3 hours and that is a long time to be alone with ones thoughts. Maybe not as long as some poor sap in prison, but still TT is a very solitary activity. My legs were just endless doing revolutions and my head looking about 30 to 50 feet down the road except for about every 30 seconds when I would glance further down the road for obstructions. Oh yeah, and the constant looking at my aero bar where my computer is located. It is like that stupid cateye was a magnet and my eyes were made of iron.
Some of my thoughts delved into such deep subjects as:
"Why did they decided to make the chainrings 39 and 53? [Seemingly random numbers. One is a prime number and one is not. Is that the perfect ratio when mated with an 11/23 or 12/25 cassette? Why not a 39T and 54T? At least then they are both divisible by the number 3 (53 is a prime number and not divisible by anything other than itself and one)]
How long would it take me to learn the ins and outs of ERISA? [I have a lead on a job where they are looking for someone to deal with a significant amount of ERISA work]
Should I sell this bike and get a normal road bike? [I swear this is my first AND last half-ironman distance triathlon. Would I enjoy another bike more? Should I sell one of my two cross bikes instead?, was a closely related question. I ended up in the negative on these bike questions. I have nice bikes and don't have a desire for any of the bikes I could afford or get any deals on.]
How long is it going to take me to finish the Vikingman? [I figure 6 hours 15 minutes is realistic]
What are we going to name this latest boy we have coming at the end of summer? [We have no idea and I couldn't come up with anything on the ride either]
Anyway, there were lots of other thoughts. I passed a wreck involving a guy and a motorcycle. There were paramedics working on him on a stretcher. I was sort of afraid to look because I get a little ill when I see gore that is real. Luckily for both of us he appeared to be whole and pretty much unscathed.
I am pretty good at finding things to think about. At least until the pain starts--which is why those last 10 miles sucked so bad, I couldn't think about much else by that time.
I will try and get in at least another long ride on the Fuji before the Vikingman. One of my two remaining long road rides before the Vikingman (friday is a 3.5 hour ride and the following friday is a 4 hour ride) will be on the Fuji again. The other may be on the Lapierre if I can figure out how to bring enough water on a bike that has no bottle mounts (hey, it is a cyclocross race bike, what does it need bottle mounts for?).
I think I will be ready for Vikingman. I realize this is not the most positive attitude. I should say, "I know I will be ready." But that wouldn't be honest. I have bad memories of my last triathlon in Idaho. I was truly miserable for that one last summer. I am just not real excited about 6+ hours out there in Idaho being either miserable or almost miserable. Yeah, but when I am done I will always be able to say I did it. That is something, surely.
Kidding...
Yesterday I somewhat grumpily got on my Fuji and set out for a 3+ hour tour of Central Oregon. In my jersey pockets were CO2 tire inflator, tube, 3 Clif Shot gels, cell phone, a small multi tool, and a credit card. It was just warm enough that I decided to wear the bib shorts instead of the bib knickers. I did put on some Elite Ozone Thermogel (which rocks for cooler weather) just in case the weather stayed cool or turned bad. I started with arm warmers but about a third of the way through they were also jammed into the rear pockets of my jersey.
This is the road about 5 miles in.
No signals, just one stop sign on my out and back. This is about as close to a real TT or Tri condition as I will ever get without racing.
Here is another part of my route, this time in Black Butte Ranch.
I rode a total of 63.2 miles and my pace was 19.4 mph. The first 5 to 8 miles where not comfortable at all. Everything just felt weird. My legs weren't working and to put it bluntly, my junk was feeling a bit like it was being mangled by the saddle. Then oddly enough from about the 10 mile mark on the junk was just a non issue--at least as far as comfort goes. From mile 10 through 45 everything was great. I realized that I didn't bring enough gels with me. I ended up buying some Shot Bloks at Eurosport in Sisters. Water was fine--I had some Gu electrolyte orange flavored stuff that tasted nasty, but worked well. I was able ration the 48 oz of water I had with me pretty easily. The wind picked up for the last 10 or so miles when I was heading back to Black Butte Ranch. This also happened to be the same time that my lower back started to really give out. Those last 10 miles pretty much sucked; a head wind and a lower back that would not allow me to put much power into my pedalling. Every couple of miles I had to get out of the aero position either to climb a hill or to relieve pain.
This is Black Butte and seeing this means I am almost there.
This was not a part of my route, just a couple of miles further west on Route 20. Weird, snow on the side of road in May
So, I was on the bike for over 3 hours and that is a long time to be alone with ones thoughts. Maybe not as long as some poor sap in prison, but still TT is a very solitary activity. My legs were just endless doing revolutions and my head looking about 30 to 50 feet down the road except for about every 30 seconds when I would glance further down the road for obstructions. Oh yeah, and the constant looking at my aero bar where my computer is located. It is like that stupid cateye was a magnet and my eyes were made of iron.
Some of my thoughts delved into such deep subjects as:
"Why did they decided to make the chainrings 39 and 53? [Seemingly random numbers. One is a prime number and one is not. Is that the perfect ratio when mated with an 11/23 or 12/25 cassette? Why not a 39T and 54T? At least then they are both divisible by the number 3 (53 is a prime number and not divisible by anything other than itself and one)]
How long would it take me to learn the ins and outs of ERISA? [I have a lead on a job where they are looking for someone to deal with a significant amount of ERISA work]
Should I sell this bike and get a normal road bike? [I swear this is my first AND last half-ironman distance triathlon. Would I enjoy another bike more? Should I sell one of my two cross bikes instead?, was a closely related question. I ended up in the negative on these bike questions. I have nice bikes and don't have a desire for any of the bikes I could afford or get any deals on.]
How long is it going to take me to finish the Vikingman? [I figure 6 hours 15 minutes is realistic]
What are we going to name this latest boy we have coming at the end of summer? [We have no idea and I couldn't come up with anything on the ride either]
Anyway, there were lots of other thoughts. I passed a wreck involving a guy and a motorcycle. There were paramedics working on him on a stretcher. I was sort of afraid to look because I get a little ill when I see gore that is real. Luckily for both of us he appeared to be whole and pretty much unscathed.
I am pretty good at finding things to think about. At least until the pain starts--which is why those last 10 miles sucked so bad, I couldn't think about much else by that time.
I will try and get in at least another long ride on the Fuji before the Vikingman. One of my two remaining long road rides before the Vikingman (friday is a 3.5 hour ride and the following friday is a 4 hour ride) will be on the Fuji again. The other may be on the Lapierre if I can figure out how to bring enough water on a bike that has no bottle mounts (hey, it is a cyclocross race bike, what does it need bottle mounts for?).
I think I will be ready for Vikingman. I realize this is not the most positive attitude. I should say, "I know I will be ready." But that wouldn't be honest. I have bad memories of my last triathlon in Idaho. I was truly miserable for that one last summer. I am just not real excited about 6+ hours out there in Idaho being either miserable or almost miserable. Yeah, but when I am done I will always be able to say I did it. That is something, surely.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Training update 4/28
Last week was hell. We all ended up getting the flu here, but at different times. First me, then the boys and then Bridget. And through it all I never felt 100% back to normal even after the main part of the illness was gone. If I ate anything I felt nauseous for an hour or two. No energy for much of anything. I had planned on getting out Friday, but that was when Bridget was having her time kneeling before porcelain and so there was no way I could get out and leave her with the boys. Saturday was the same, I was lucky to get off to work. Yesterday was too busy for me to get out. So it was a nice week off of training after all was said and done. Whatever, it is not like I was expecting to win Vikingman or anything. However, I would like to not die. I don't think that is asking too much. At least I hope not. [SIDEBAR: Which brings to my mind something my lovely wife said last night while we were having some one-on-one time after the boys went to bed. She was trying to cheer me up after I was feeling down at having a law degree that cost 6 figures and then even passing the bar, but no job other than the bike shop. I get angry and frustrated and feel useless at times. But I was mostly over that and she was cuddling up to me and told me that she never wanted to be without me. Initially this is a very nice sentiment, but then I started thinking that maybe I was going to die or something. I mean why would she be worrying that I am going to go anywhere. Is there something she knows that I don't? I figure I have at least another 40 years here on this planet--I hope. Anyway, I am apparently a half empty sort of person right now.]
Today I planned on going to swim class and then running at the rec center. Yeah, that was the plan. Not going to happen after swim class this morning. That kicked my butt. This was the work out:
-9 50's @ 1:20
-7 50's @ 1:15
-5 50's @ 1:10
-3 50's @ 1:05
-1 50 @ 1:00
-100 yards no freestyle
-150 yards breast stroke
I did all the the 50's in under a minute regardless of the amount of total time we had for each length. Those last 50's were hard though. I felt like I wasn't getting enough air at the end. Still, I made all the times, that wasn't the case for the guy in my lane that is faster than me. We start the workout one at a time. there are 4 people swimming in circles in our lane. We start 10 seconds apart. I start 2nd because I was the second fastest in our lane after the last timed 500. There is another lane with another 4 or 5 people that are all faster than us. Basically we are the Jr. Varsity team in the class. When it got to the three 50's @ 1:05 our lane's fastest swimmer wasn't able to start on time. He had been doing his laps starting 10 seconds ahead of me as stated previously. When we were at the end of the swim he actually ended up delaying me by a couple of seconds because he was gasping for air and had been delaying his start to catch his breath. There others in my lane as well, and they didn't make all of the times starting at the five 1:10's and so they got lapped. I was the only one to keep the pace except for those couple of seconds I was held up. Nice.
Anyway, I still worry about the open water swim. I worry that I will freak and not have enough in the tank to swim for 25 - 30 minutes straight with no break. It actually kept me up for a bit last night worrying about it, I don't know why. Mainly, I guess I don't feel prepared.
But, if I can get these last 5 or so weeks in with some good long runs and rides I think I will be ok...or at least survive.
Observation
It seems like triathlons are the new chick sport. I can't tell you how many women are coming into the shop looking for their first road bike so they can do a triathlon. Probably 2 to 1 over men. Lots of moms and women 35+ it seems.
Today I planned on going to swim class and then running at the rec center. Yeah, that was the plan. Not going to happen after swim class this morning. That kicked my butt. This was the work out:
-9 50's @ 1:20
-7 50's @ 1:15
-5 50's @ 1:10
-3 50's @ 1:05
-1 50 @ 1:00
-100 yards no freestyle
-150 yards breast stroke
I did all the the 50's in under a minute regardless of the amount of total time we had for each length. Those last 50's were hard though. I felt like I wasn't getting enough air at the end. Still, I made all the times, that wasn't the case for the guy in my lane that is faster than me. We start the workout one at a time. there are 4 people swimming in circles in our lane. We start 10 seconds apart. I start 2nd because I was the second fastest in our lane after the last timed 500. There is another lane with another 4 or 5 people that are all faster than us. Basically we are the Jr. Varsity team in the class. When it got to the three 50's @ 1:05 our lane's fastest swimmer wasn't able to start on time. He had been doing his laps starting 10 seconds ahead of me as stated previously. When we were at the end of the swim he actually ended up delaying me by a couple of seconds because he was gasping for air and had been delaying his start to catch his breath. There others in my lane as well, and they didn't make all of the times starting at the five 1:10's and so they got lapped. I was the only one to keep the pace except for those couple of seconds I was held up. Nice.
Anyway, I still worry about the open water swim. I worry that I will freak and not have enough in the tank to swim for 25 - 30 minutes straight with no break. It actually kept me up for a bit last night worrying about it, I don't know why. Mainly, I guess I don't feel prepared.
But, if I can get these last 5 or so weeks in with some good long runs and rides I think I will be ok...or at least survive.
Observation
It seems like triathlons are the new chick sport. I can't tell you how many women are coming into the shop looking for their first road bike so they can do a triathlon. Probably 2 to 1 over men. Lots of moms and women 35+ it seems.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
The Proverbial 2 Steps Forward, 1 Step Backward
I wa sick...for about the third time in 5 weeks. I just get back on track and then something happens. This time the flu. I am pretty much done with it now, but I have no energy. I wrote more about it here, but anyway something positive did result from this latest bout of illness. I lost 7.5 lbs in 36 hours. Now if only that would stay off. Much of it is probably water weight, but not all of it. For the past 18 hours I have been able to keep myself pretty well hydrated.
Anyway, I had planned on doing a 2 hour run on Tuesday, but that obviously did not occur. Hopefully I can get a long ride in on Friday. Anyway, being ill for 2 days is not the worst thing that can happen that is for sure, but it is frustrating.
Swimming update
I seem to have found my stroke. Or at least a better version of it. I can maintain it at least for a while. After a time it falls apart as I get tired. But on Monday I was doing consecutive 100's at about 1:50 to 1:55 with a 20 second rest in between. That is pretty good for me. I just get tired and go anaerobic about about 800 yards of doing it. It is not a secret, I pull with my arms better from the time they are stretched forward to the time that each arm leaves the water when my arm is down around my hip. So I am getting good full strokes and I have suddenly found I can rotate better to my non-breathing side. I am still trying to keep my legs from being too floppy at the knee, but I think that is getting better too. I can feel myself getting faster because the wall of the pool comes at me at a different time than I am used to--quicker and at a different part of my stroke. I almost hit my head on Monday.
I just don't have good endurance yet. My strokes--at least compared to others in the class--are long and slower. Most of those in the class are moving their arms faster than me. Not that they are all faster overall, I am faster than about 3 of the 7 others. But this means I don't take as many breaths compared to those who stroke faster than I. At 800 yards I seem to run out of air. I have to slow down for a bit to survive. I think this will improve though as I continue.
Swimming is so much about technique. Everyone says this. They are right. I have had a hard time getting the technique down. When I was recorded swimming by my swim coach about 2 months ago I thought I was swimming pretty well. At least until I finally got the video from him about a month later. Ugly stroke. I am curious as to what it looks like now. It has to be better. It seems like it should be easy to replicate the proper stroke, as seen in various books I have looked at. Um, not so much. Anyway, things are heading in the right direction here.
Anyway, I had planned on doing a 2 hour run on Tuesday, but that obviously did not occur. Hopefully I can get a long ride in on Friday. Anyway, being ill for 2 days is not the worst thing that can happen that is for sure, but it is frustrating.
Swimming update
I seem to have found my stroke. Or at least a better version of it. I can maintain it at least for a while. After a time it falls apart as I get tired. But on Monday I was doing consecutive 100's at about 1:50 to 1:55 with a 20 second rest in between. That is pretty good for me. I just get tired and go anaerobic about about 800 yards of doing it. It is not a secret, I pull with my arms better from the time they are stretched forward to the time that each arm leaves the water when my arm is down around my hip. So I am getting good full strokes and I have suddenly found I can rotate better to my non-breathing side. I am still trying to keep my legs from being too floppy at the knee, but I think that is getting better too. I can feel myself getting faster because the wall of the pool comes at me at a different time than I am used to--quicker and at a different part of my stroke. I almost hit my head on Monday.
I just don't have good endurance yet. My strokes--at least compared to others in the class--are long and slower. Most of those in the class are moving their arms faster than me. Not that they are all faster overall, I am faster than about 3 of the 7 others. But this means I don't take as many breaths compared to those who stroke faster than I. At 800 yards I seem to run out of air. I have to slow down for a bit to survive. I think this will improve though as I continue.
Swimming is so much about technique. Everyone says this. They are right. I have had a hard time getting the technique down. When I was recorded swimming by my swim coach about 2 months ago I thought I was swimming pretty well. At least until I finally got the video from him about a month later. Ugly stroke. I am curious as to what it looks like now. It has to be better. It seems like it should be easy to replicate the proper stroke, as seen in various books I have looked at. Um, not so much. Anyway, things are heading in the right direction here.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
My secret to running on a treadmill + a bunch of nothing
I dislike running on a treadmill. It is boring.
Sometimes there are some interesting people to watch. One day there was this woman that was running near me and she was running at a 6.5 mph pace. She started just after me and I thought that judging by her weight (which had to be around 200 for a someone about 5'6") this pace would be short lived. um, no. She ran that pace for about 45 minutes (Rock on lady!). Last night there was a guy that was walking next to me--he was thinner than I, but only walking at 4 mph. He was sweating like a pig after about 10 minutes. Weird. Anyway, stuff like that can keep me interested for a little bit. For the most part, no matter what my intentions are when first stepping on to the treadmill, I have to mix it up a bit to stay sane.
Yesterday, I rode with DTP up to Skyline Drive. The original plan was to ride for 2.5 to 3 hours. When his cranks started coming loose I cut that down to just a ride on Skyline to Springville Road, west to Bethany, and then north on Cornell and on to the house. 90 minutes of riding that included a couple of minutes trying to fix DTP's bike and waiting for him a couple of times. This is not to say that DTP is slow, but well, perhaps there is a reason why the guys that we play cards with call him Slow Dave (The dude takes 3 times longer to play a card than anyone else). To make a short story longer, I wasn't too tired after the ride and btw yes, I really enjoy giving DTP a bunch of crap. We got back home in time for me to watch son #1 while Bridget went to a kindergym class with son #2. She would have put him in the daycare, so DTP's bike problem saved us some money.
About 8 hours later, after consuming a Muchas Gracias taco, half-order of Nachos, a Skyline Burger, fries and salad, and a three pack of McDonald's chocolate chip cookies I got around to the treadmill.
As noted earlier, I cannot just be on the treadmill without some sort of disraction. Everyone who has ever run on a treadmill knows this to be true, unless you have the ability to go into some sort of mediative trance. I can't so I do the following:
Listen to my iPod--either Car Talk or Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me on podcast or some music
(1) Wonder why in the hell I don't have the legal job of my dreams yet. I also like to berate myself regarding things that I should be doing but haven't for some reason. I talk down to myself in an effort to shame myself for my incompetence at getting a job. This usually does two things, takes my mind off of the boredom of running on the treadmill and angers me enough to keeping at a decent pace. Self-hate can be a powerful thing sometimes, and it can be used for good oddly enough.
(2) Wonder why I am still gaining weight even though I have been burning about 7000 calories a week working out. Then I remember the nachos, taco, hamburger, fries, cookies, and blue cheese dressing I consumed during the day I and figure it out. This doesn't usually take long.
But my real secret to running on the treadmill is to push myself in intervals.
-Run one mile warm up
-Start the timer on the treadmill again and run 5.5 mph
-At 5 minutes increase pace to 6.1 and run for 75 seconds.
-Return to 5.5 mph
-At 10 minutes increase pace to 6.2 and run for 80 seconds.
-Return to 5.5 mph
-At 15 minutes increase pace to 6.3 and run for 85 seconds. return to 5.5 mph afterwards.
-At 20 minutes 6.4 mph, run for 90 seconds. Return to 5.5 mph.
-At 25 minutes 6.5 mph, run for 95 seconds. Return to 5.5 mph.
-At 30 mintes 6.6 mph, run for 100 seconds. return to 5.5 mph.
This continues until I get to 7.0 mph and 120 seconds. I don't go beyond that. After the interval I head back down to 5.5 mph. After finishing 6 miles of this I then do a cool down--last night that was about 3/4 of a mile. Total mileage was around 7.7 miles. Anyway, that was last nights workout. Other days I do similar intevals, even if it is not this exact one.
My heart rate last night averaged 157 during the 80 minutes I ran. My max was 171. I burned something like 1320 calories. The only negative was that my lower back, near my hip was killing me again during the night. So I probably over did it a bit. Nevertheless, I felt great during the run. The change of pace keeps me interested, and the ever increasing speed during the faster parts are a challenge.
I still worry about the run portion of the Vikingman. My hip still pains me making running at all a concern. I am limiting my running to about twice a week. Hopefully that will be enough to survive. Survival is the only goal at this point.
Sometimes there are some interesting people to watch. One day there was this woman that was running near me and she was running at a 6.5 mph pace. She started just after me and I thought that judging by her weight (which had to be around 200 for a someone about 5'6") this pace would be short lived. um, no. She ran that pace for about 45 minutes (Rock on lady!). Last night there was a guy that was walking next to me--he was thinner than I, but only walking at 4 mph. He was sweating like a pig after about 10 minutes. Weird. Anyway, stuff like that can keep me interested for a little bit. For the most part, no matter what my intentions are when first stepping on to the treadmill, I have to mix it up a bit to stay sane.
Yesterday, I rode with DTP up to Skyline Drive. The original plan was to ride for 2.5 to 3 hours. When his cranks started coming loose I cut that down to just a ride on Skyline to Springville Road, west to Bethany, and then north on Cornell and on to the house. 90 minutes of riding that included a couple of minutes trying to fix DTP's bike and waiting for him a couple of times. This is not to say that DTP is slow, but well, perhaps there is a reason why the guys that we play cards with call him Slow Dave (The dude takes 3 times longer to play a card than anyone else). To make a short story longer, I wasn't too tired after the ride and btw yes, I really enjoy giving DTP a bunch of crap. We got back home in time for me to watch son #1 while Bridget went to a kindergym class with son #2. She would have put him in the daycare, so DTP's bike problem saved us some money.
About 8 hours later, after consuming a Muchas Gracias taco, half-order of Nachos, a Skyline Burger, fries and salad, and a three pack of McDonald's chocolate chip cookies I got around to the treadmill.
As noted earlier, I cannot just be on the treadmill without some sort of disraction. Everyone who has ever run on a treadmill knows this to be true, unless you have the ability to go into some sort of mediative trance. I can't so I do the following:
Listen to my iPod--either Car Talk or Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me on podcast or some music
(1) Wonder why in the hell I don't have the legal job of my dreams yet. I also like to berate myself regarding things that I should be doing but haven't for some reason. I talk down to myself in an effort to shame myself for my incompetence at getting a job. This usually does two things, takes my mind off of the boredom of running on the treadmill and angers me enough to keeping at a decent pace. Self-hate can be a powerful thing sometimes, and it can be used for good oddly enough.
(2) Wonder why I am still gaining weight even though I have been burning about 7000 calories a week working out. Then I remember the nachos, taco, hamburger, fries, cookies, and blue cheese dressing I consumed during the day I and figure it out. This doesn't usually take long.
But my real secret to running on the treadmill is to push myself in intervals.
-Run one mile warm up
-Start the timer on the treadmill again and run 5.5 mph
-At 5 minutes increase pace to 6.1 and run for 75 seconds.
-Return to 5.5 mph
-At 10 minutes increase pace to 6.2 and run for 80 seconds.
-Return to 5.5 mph
-At 15 minutes increase pace to 6.3 and run for 85 seconds. return to 5.5 mph afterwards.
-At 20 minutes 6.4 mph, run for 90 seconds. Return to 5.5 mph.
-At 25 minutes 6.5 mph, run for 95 seconds. Return to 5.5 mph.
-At 30 mintes 6.6 mph, run for 100 seconds. return to 5.5 mph.
This continues until I get to 7.0 mph and 120 seconds. I don't go beyond that. After the interval I head back down to 5.5 mph. After finishing 6 miles of this I then do a cool down--last night that was about 3/4 of a mile. Total mileage was around 7.7 miles. Anyway, that was last nights workout. Other days I do similar intevals, even if it is not this exact one.
My heart rate last night averaged 157 during the 80 minutes I ran. My max was 171. I burned something like 1320 calories. The only negative was that my lower back, near my hip was killing me again during the night. So I probably over did it a bit. Nevertheless, I felt great during the run. The change of pace keeps me interested, and the ever increasing speed during the faster parts are a challenge.
I still worry about the run portion of the Vikingman. My hip still pains me making running at all a concern. I am limiting my running to about twice a week. Hopefully that will be enough to survive. Survival is the only goal at this point.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Day Off
I feel a bit guilty, but I am taking the day off. I should go for a ride, but I left my wheels at work. I don't have any other road wheels built up right now that aren't either carbon tubulars, or cyclocross tubulars. I don't feel like using either for a training ride, even a short one. I don't feel like wearing out the tires on the cross wheelsets (each costs about 70 bucks a tire) and I don't want to mess up my carbon wheelset on some of the crappy roads around here. It is strictly a race day wheelset.
I am also still a bit sore from my 90 minute run. Mainly the pain is in my lower back. So, maybe it is good in the long run to take it easy after such a run. The main thing is that I get used to prolonged efforts even if I am slow. I was hoping to go on a 2 hour run next week. I just picked up a new Fuelbelt Helium. It has 4 8-oz bottles to go along with a little zipper bag that should fit 2 or 3 gels. I haven't run with it yet, but it does seem pretty comfy.
Yesterday, I swapped the Fuji back to TT mode. Joel at work helped get me fit to the bike. We got the saddle (actually a new saddle, the old stock TT saddle was killing one particular area while in the aero position) in a good spot for both power and comfort, but I am going to have to get a different handlebar. My current bar a one-piece stem/bar/clamp-on deal by Vision has absolutely no adjustability. I have stacked the steerer tube with as many spacers as I can and I still can't get the bar up to a proper position for me. My riding position is too low and so my neck is tweaking in order to be able to see down the road. No wonder I was having pain issues last year during my initial 3 months of riding on the bike before I put a road drop bar and shifters on it instead of the stock TT set-up.
So while the stock Vision Tech Trimax Plus Integrated bar set up was cool, it won't work when combined with me and the short headtube of the bike. So I am getting a separate stem with somewhere between a 7 and 10 degree rise and then a simple Vision Tech Alloy base bar and then some sort of clamp on aero bar. Not as clean looking as the integrated bars, but it will work.
I am also still a bit sore from my 90 minute run. Mainly the pain is in my lower back. So, maybe it is good in the long run to take it easy after such a run. The main thing is that I get used to prolonged efforts even if I am slow. I was hoping to go on a 2 hour run next week. I just picked up a new Fuelbelt Helium. It has 4 8-oz bottles to go along with a little zipper bag that should fit 2 or 3 gels. I haven't run with it yet, but it does seem pretty comfy.
Yesterday, I swapped the Fuji back to TT mode. Joel at work helped get me fit to the bike. We got the saddle (actually a new saddle, the old stock TT saddle was killing one particular area while in the aero position) in a good spot for both power and comfort, but I am going to have to get a different handlebar. My current bar a one-piece stem/bar/clamp-on deal by Vision has absolutely no adjustability. I have stacked the steerer tube with as many spacers as I can and I still can't get the bar up to a proper position for me. My riding position is too low and so my neck is tweaking in order to be able to see down the road. No wonder I was having pain issues last year during my initial 3 months of riding on the bike before I put a road drop bar and shifters on it instead of the stock TT set-up.
So while the stock Vision Tech Trimax Plus Integrated bar set up was cool, it won't work when combined with me and the short headtube of the bike. So I am getting a separate stem with somewhere between a 7 and 10 degree rise and then a simple Vision Tech Alloy base bar and then some sort of clamp on aero bar. Not as clean looking as the integrated bars, but it will work.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
And now I am back to running too!
I went out this morning (I am still up, so it is Saturday for me) and went running for 75 minutes. I went and ran around the neighborhood, which means that I ran up and down lots of hills. The only flat part was when I neared the end of my run and I did 5 laps at the outdoor track at a nearby school. By that time I was somewhat toasted. I was running 12 minute miles and my heart rate was still up in the 160's. Maybe I am still fighting a bit of the bug, or perhaps I didn't have much in the tank from the 50 miler the day before on the bike. Or maybe it was all of these hills around here. Many of those hills were fairly significant, and it was hard just to keep running without maxing my heart rate sometimes.
Regardless of the occasional coughing fit and drippy mucus, it was good to have gotten out. It was a gorgeous day. I added a little bit to yesterday's sunburn too today. It is all good.
I need to concentrate on my running, but my body doesn't really like running. My hip hurts afterwards usually, although not as bad as it used to, and my back gets stiff. This is another reason why I think that this may well be my only entry into a 70.3 tri. My body likes the shorter runs. At least right now. A year and a half ago running was great. So maybe it will all heal in time.
Sunday will be a rest day and Monday a return to swimming.
Regardless of the occasional coughing fit and drippy mucus, it was good to have gotten out. It was a gorgeous day. I added a little bit to yesterday's sunburn too today. It is all good.
I need to concentrate on my running, but my body doesn't really like running. My hip hurts afterwards usually, although not as bad as it used to, and my back gets stiff. This is another reason why I think that this may well be my only entry into a 70.3 tri. My body likes the shorter runs. At least right now. A year and a half ago running was great. So maybe it will all heal in time.
Sunday will be a rest day and Monday a return to swimming.
Friday, March 28, 2008
March 28th and it snowed.
I had grand plans of riding for a couple of hours and swimming for an hour. That was what was on the training schedule. But then I woke up and there was an inch of snow on the ground and it was still snowing. That sealed the deal--I was taking the day off from training. Screw it, I was feeling pretty worn down, still fighting just a tiniest bit of a cold, and I needed to do our taxes, and several other excuses that were handy to help me rationalize my way to the easy chair.
Do I feel guilty? Maybe a little, but I did get the taxes done (nice refund, thanks feds), I built a train track with the boys, we made spaghetti with italian sausage and garlic bread, and then watched Bee Movie.
So on the whole, it was good it snowed. By the way, currently watching Dan in Real Life, like it so far.
Do I feel guilty? Maybe a little, but I did get the taxes done (nice refund, thanks feds), I built a train track with the boys, we made spaghetti with italian sausage and garlic bread, and then watched Bee Movie.
So on the whole, it was good it snowed. By the way, currently watching Dan in Real Life, like it so far.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Bike Trainers
I hate them. well, sort of. I have a strong aversion to putting the bike in the trainer even when the weather is poor.
Even though I can watch TV while riding, it just doesn't do it for me at all. I get so bored. There is no wind, no change of scenery, and there is no change of speed--it is always zero.
I guess I should be glad that I could ride for a bit without having to be out in the snow....yes, it snowed briefly this morning. It is the end of March and the weather blows. The past few times I have been able to sneak a ride in during a non-rainy window of time during the day. No so today.
I was supposed to ride for an hour according to the plan, but after 40 minutes I was done riding the trainer. Tomorrow is supposed to be a long day anyway, hopefully the weather is a bit better.
Even though I can watch TV while riding, it just doesn't do it for me at all. I get so bored. There is no wind, no change of scenery, and there is no change of speed--it is always zero.
I guess I should be glad that I could ride for a bit without having to be out in the snow....yes, it snowed briefly this morning. It is the end of March and the weather blows. The past few times I have been able to sneak a ride in during a non-rainy window of time during the day. No so today.
I was supposed to ride for an hour according to the plan, but after 40 minutes I was done riding the trainer. Tomorrow is supposed to be a long day anyway, hopefully the weather is a bit better.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
My body is like a...
Fiat; it runs well for a few days and then it seems like it needs to go into the shop again. Man, is it age that does this or am I really this out of shape? I ache a bit and my hip is acting up and I feel like I am getting a cold again. But I suspect that it is mainly my body just feeling worn down for some reason.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Update: 75 days to go + late night meanderings
With less than 11 weeks before the big race I am feeling like my body is starting to get stronger. This doesn't mean that the race won't be one of the worst experiences of my life, it just means that I think I am starting to turn the corner.
For the longest time this winter I have just felt like I have been in the doldrums. I haven't been able to get into a rhythm, parts of my were breaking down and when combined with my mental issues (December and January my head just wasn't in the game at all) those bad months had resulted in my training lagging behind where it should be for such an event as the Vikingman.
Today was my day with the boys and we had lots of fun while the wife worked. Normally, on Mondays I go to the rec center and drop the boys off in the daycare there. But because it is spring break there is no daycare this week. This kind of threw me off a bit, but the wife was willing to let me go when she got off work.
I ran on the treadmill for 70 minutes. About 25 minutes into the workout a friend from church came in and starting running next to me. He is training for a half marathon the weekend after Vikingman. [I wish that is all I was training for.] He starts up right off the bat at 7.2 mph. Damn, he must be in pretty good shape I am thinking. He doesn't have a HRM, so I have no idea what his heart rate is, but after about 20 minutes his body language is not a smooth as it was when he started. I am just keeping my HR around the low 150's with an occasional hop up to 160 just for kicks and then back down to the upper 140's to low 150's again. This goes on until I hit 55 minutes, when I am still feeling pretty good, but my pace has only been 5.5 to 6.0 most of the time to keep my heart rate where I want it. Dude next to me, his name is Mike by the way, is pumping it up to 7.5 now and he has been running for 30 minutes. I had thought that he would back it down a notch after a bit because he hasn't been training for very long and I didn't think he was this type of runner. However, I am thinking that I was wrong about him. I am feeling a bit like a weenie here doing my heart rate training stuff. While he is thinner than I, I have been training for longer. And I am in my uber-competitive mood at that point. So what to do....
I kick it up to 8.0 mph and turn the iPod on to something that will get me going. Oh yeah, I am flying...or at least it seems that way to me after running over 2 mph slower for almost an hour. I can see both of our reflections in the windows in front of us. I work on keeping my form looking good and not like Magilla Gorilla. Compared to Mike, I think I am looking a little smoother--but that might have just been me in my workout haze instead of reality. I ran at 8 mph for almost a mile. Then I backed it down so that I could have time to cool down properly by the 70 minute mark. My HR got up to 185 at the very end, which is my max according to my rough calculations.
We both finished at nearly the same time. Although he had run at a faster pace during his run on average, I felt like I had done well enough. I ran 2 miles further and ran my fastest at the very end. I really should not have cared what he was running, but I have this competitive problem at times. If I have no shot at competing with someone, I don't care what they do, but if for some reason I think I should be in the same fitness category as some particular friend or associate I have to start a pissing match. Or at least one is going on in my head, not verbally.
I do this every time I go out to Utah to see Fish. I love going out there, but I have to get a little competitive with Fish. It only takes one ride usually--sort of a heat check to see who is going to rule the roost that weekend. DTP is always there too, but he is content to wallow in the back for some reason. One year Fish was en fuego, we could not touch him (I remember him listening to the Shins on his iPod riding up the road to Benny Creek like it was nothing while I was near my limit on my singlespeed try to stay at his pace), but the last couple years I have felt pretty good, or good enough anyway. I don't brag about beating Fish if I do, although I am sometimes merciless with DTP. It is important to me to have a good showing when Fish is around for some reason.
After thinking on this for a bit, I think that with Fish, I goes back to when he rode with me when I was fat and horribly out of shape some years back. I mean I was on the road to an early death. I hadn't done much of anything in 4 or 5 years. I hadn't touched a bike in 3. Regardless, he stayed with on numerous rides and never, ever, gave me a hard time about being so damn slow. I owe him a lot. Nevertheless, it was a goal to actually be able to ride as fast as Fish in those days, and then to ride faster than Fish. I felt that if I could do so then I was probably doing OK physically, and getting healthier. I remember like it was yesterday the time that we were going up near Timpanogos Caves that he asked me what the hell I was doing setting a pace like that when I was at the front. My inner self was beaming, it was the first time that had happened on the road. He had owned me on when riding on the road up to that point. I think it was probably sort of like when a kid finally can outrun is father or something. I know, that is weird, but it is probably true.
So it is that I like to do these occasional heat checks, to see who is going to lead the pack that day. Admittedly, most of the time, I am off the back when riding with people of modest ability around here. Nevertheless, it is fun. I don't ever wish rub it in and make someone uncomfortable riding with me, and if I have, well, I am sorry. Except for DTP though. I mean to make him uncomfortable, mainly because I think he likes it that way.
For the longest time this winter I have just felt like I have been in the doldrums. I haven't been able to get into a rhythm, parts of my were breaking down and when combined with my mental issues (December and January my head just wasn't in the game at all) those bad months had resulted in my training lagging behind where it should be for such an event as the Vikingman.
Today was my day with the boys and we had lots of fun while the wife worked. Normally, on Mondays I go to the rec center and drop the boys off in the daycare there. But because it is spring break there is no daycare this week. This kind of threw me off a bit, but the wife was willing to let me go when she got off work.
I ran on the treadmill for 70 minutes. About 25 minutes into the workout a friend from church came in and starting running next to me. He is training for a half marathon the weekend after Vikingman. [I wish that is all I was training for.] He starts up right off the bat at 7.2 mph. Damn, he must be in pretty good shape I am thinking. He doesn't have a HRM, so I have no idea what his heart rate is, but after about 20 minutes his body language is not a smooth as it was when he started. I am just keeping my HR around the low 150's with an occasional hop up to 160 just for kicks and then back down to the upper 140's to low 150's again. This goes on until I hit 55 minutes, when I am still feeling pretty good, but my pace has only been 5.5 to 6.0 most of the time to keep my heart rate where I want it. Dude next to me, his name is Mike by the way, is pumping it up to 7.5 now and he has been running for 30 minutes. I had thought that he would back it down a notch after a bit because he hasn't been training for very long and I didn't think he was this type of runner. However, I am thinking that I was wrong about him. I am feeling a bit like a weenie here doing my heart rate training stuff. While he is thinner than I, I have been training for longer. And I am in my uber-competitive mood at that point. So what to do....
I kick it up to 8.0 mph and turn the iPod on to something that will get me going. Oh yeah, I am flying...or at least it seems that way to me after running over 2 mph slower for almost an hour. I can see both of our reflections in the windows in front of us. I work on keeping my form looking good and not like Magilla Gorilla. Compared to Mike, I think I am looking a little smoother--but that might have just been me in my workout haze instead of reality. I ran at 8 mph for almost a mile. Then I backed it down so that I could have time to cool down properly by the 70 minute mark. My HR got up to 185 at the very end, which is my max according to my rough calculations.
We both finished at nearly the same time. Although he had run at a faster pace during his run on average, I felt like I had done well enough. I ran 2 miles further and ran my fastest at the very end. I really should not have cared what he was running, but I have this competitive problem at times. If I have no shot at competing with someone, I don't care what they do, but if for some reason I think I should be in the same fitness category as some particular friend or associate I have to start a pissing match. Or at least one is going on in my head, not verbally.
I do this every time I go out to Utah to see Fish. I love going out there, but I have to get a little competitive with Fish. It only takes one ride usually--sort of a heat check to see who is going to rule the roost that weekend. DTP is always there too, but he is content to wallow in the back for some reason. One year Fish was en fuego, we could not touch him (I remember him listening to the Shins on his iPod riding up the road to Benny Creek like it was nothing while I was near my limit on my singlespeed try to stay at his pace), but the last couple years I have felt pretty good, or good enough anyway. I don't brag about beating Fish if I do, although I am sometimes merciless with DTP. It is important to me to have a good showing when Fish is around for some reason.
After thinking on this for a bit, I think that with Fish, I goes back to when he rode with me when I was fat and horribly out of shape some years back. I mean I was on the road to an early death. I hadn't done much of anything in 4 or 5 years. I hadn't touched a bike in 3. Regardless, he stayed with on numerous rides and never, ever, gave me a hard time about being so damn slow. I owe him a lot. Nevertheless, it was a goal to actually be able to ride as fast as Fish in those days, and then to ride faster than Fish. I felt that if I could do so then I was probably doing OK physically, and getting healthier. I remember like it was yesterday the time that we were going up near Timpanogos Caves that he asked me what the hell I was doing setting a pace like that when I was at the front. My inner self was beaming, it was the first time that had happened on the road. He had owned me on when riding on the road up to that point. I think it was probably sort of like when a kid finally can outrun is father or something. I know, that is weird, but it is probably true.
So it is that I like to do these occasional heat checks, to see who is going to lead the pack that day. Admittedly, most of the time, I am off the back when riding with people of modest ability around here. Nevertheless, it is fun. I don't ever wish rub it in and make someone uncomfortable riding with me, and if I have, well, I am sorry. Except for DTP though. I mean to make him uncomfortable, mainly because I think he likes it that way.
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