Pale Horse Acopalypse

The last session in the weight room of the year, and the second to last for quite some time. With all the swimming and other activities, I think hitting the weights with any focus is taking too much out of me. I need to build up my tolerance to all the run/bike/swim before I add it back in. So after Friday, it will be all endurance activities for the rest of the year. (Edit: I will continue with the prehab work two or three times a week. I truly believe the reason I've held off leg and shoulder injuries for so long is due to that work.)

After yesterday's long run, I was in a pit of fatigue, that I was barely able to crawl out of this morning. My knees are still somewhat angry, and a muscle in my groin was complaining loudly during some movements. I think the general tiredness was the reason for a less-than-stellar workout today. Everything was going well, but once I hit the pullups, there was no gas left in the tank. I doubt that I put on enough weight over the weekend to cap my abilities at two reps less than last time, although the way I've been eating this past week, I was definitely trying. I'm pretty sure I'll get those reps back on Friday.

Happy New Year to everyone. Celebrate safe, and make sure you get out there tomorrow. That's how you start your resolutions!

Upper body
Bear 2x4/75 lbs
Row 2x8/110 lbs
Pushup 2x8/30 lbs + 80 lbs tubing
Pullup 2x8,6
Military press 2x8/58 lbs
Prehab circuit x20

The Last 20

... for a long, long time. And with this, the preparations for Disney are complete. The next two weeks are reduced volume, no intensity, with the intent of getting me to the start line fully rested and ready to run.

Since my schedule for next year doesn't include any races with a running component over 13.1 miles, I won't have to do any of these extra-long runs for quite some time. I'm glad about that. I enjoy running, but three hours is a long time. Maybe in the summer it will be more tolerable, but right now, I'm over it. I'm also looking forward to getting on the bike for more extended sessions (once I've recovered, of course).

As for right now, I'm tired. I had a brief nap this afternoon, and will probably hit the hay early tonight. Tomorrow's guaranteed to be a long day of celebration, and Tuesday is the Gator Bowl. Guns Up!

Run: 8 miles @ 145 bpm, 12 miles @ 150 bpm

Almost cooked

Two weeks from today is the half-marathon of the Goofy Challenge. Two weeks from tomorrow is the full. That weekend I'll run 39.3 miles (not counting walking to start lines and such) for three medals, because I'm addicted to the bling. Officially, the taper starts on Monday.

I've found that a three week taper is too long for me, so this time I'm going for two. I'll drop my mileage to about 60% of peak next week, then a few easy days to be fully ready on the start line. But there's still this weekend, which is the last weekend of work. Ten miles today, twenty tomorrow. On most weekends, the Saturday run is at (marathon) race pace, with Sunday at a more relaxed speed. That was the plan for this morning, but I stepped up the pace a smidgen, to make up for eating most of the "family-size" bag of Reese's Mini Peanut Butter Cups.

(Aside: How do they define "family-size"? I guess Claire and I are a family, and since she didn't have any, and I had all of them, that makes them family-sized. Similarly, M&M's are now in "bowl sized" bags, and 1.25 lbs. But I dump a bag of plain and a bag of peanut together into a large bowl, and they only take up half the bowl. So that's false advertising.)

So the pace was a bit quicker, but not overly taxing. I really feel like I should be able to hit my goal times, provided the weather cooperates (and if you think I'm not excited that we're finally within Accuweather's 15 day forecast, you don't know me that well). Now I'll watch some hockey, eat a bunch, and get ready for 20 nice miles tomorrow. I picked up a second pair of running pants today, so I should be good outside as long as my fingers don't freeze.

Run: 10 miles @ 7.8 mph

Catatonic

With no swimming this week, and the new habit of very early mornings, I am continuing with the plan of doing my lifting in the mornings, so that it's done and out of the way. It takes a few minutes to get the eyes open and body moving enough to feel OK slinging weights around, but once it starts, we're good to go. The plan originally was to move to sets of 10 this week, but by moving to mornings, and the general fatigue of marathon work, I've stuck to 8s. I'll reconsider this on Monday for next week's workouts.

Upper body
Bear 2x4/75 lbs
Row 2x8/110 lbs
Pushup 2x8/30 lbs + 80 lbs tubing
Pullup 2x8
Military Press 2x8/58 lbs
Prehab circuit x20

I was able to really feel last night's session on the commute this morning. Good thing there was no wind, and the weather was very mild. I was reduced to just puttering along. Hopefully the food today and the rest at work will leave enough to get up the big climbs on the way home. Otherwise, I might still be out there when I'm supposed to run tomorrow.

When time slows

Sixty minutes can be a long time, like when you're waiting for the turkey to be done cooking. Or sixty minutes can be an eye-blink, like when you're writing an exam you've barely prepared for. Tonight sixty minutes seemed like an eternity, but in a very good way. It's hard to complain about extending a fun ride.

Another session on the trainer, and another 60 minute tempo effort. I can understand why some people would get bored doing this type of work, but not me. I love the sensation, where you've hit that perfect pace, and although it's tough, you're not loading with lactic acid or struggling to breathe. As long as you can maintain concentration, the pedals keep ticking over. And you keep getting stronger. Tonight's ride was holding >280w for the duration, which is about a 10 watt improvement from two weeks ago. There was a recalibration of the trainer, and the measurements seemed high for different levels of effort, so I don't know if I necessarily put forth a greater effort than last time, but I know I did some good work, and that's really all that matters.

Bike: 90 minutes w/60 min tempo @ 280w
Run: 2 miles @ 6.8 mph

Work off the chocolate

Just an easy run to keep the legs loose, and burn off a few of the Christmas candies. I must be really skinny right now, because I got about 5 pounds of chocolate as gifts, I suppose to fatten me up a little.

Run: 3 miles @ 6.8 mph

Santa Ten-Miler

It's not an official event. It's not because it's one of the biggest holidays of the year. It's just because it's Tuesday, and I have a marathon (and a half) in two weeks.

After a glorious morning of opening gifts (including the official unveiling of Lightning McQueen) and waffles for breakfast, I took advantage of the reduced traffic and moderate temperatures to get in a nice ten mile LSD run. I felt really good the whole way through. Timed roughly, I did (according to Mapmyrun.com) 10.64 miles in 91 minutes. That's an 8:33/mile overall pace, and I was never stressed the whole run. This bodes very well for the upcoming races, and for next season. My legs are getting pretty good, my lungs and heart are getting pretty good.

Run: 4 miles @ 145 bpm, 6 miles @ 150 bpm

Down with the sickness

Since there's no swimming this week, and so that I could just relax once I got home tonight, I decided to wake up early (but still an hour later than usual) and hit the weights this morning before going in to work. There's was probably too much sugar yesterday, which kept me up a while last night, and I was a bit tired this morning. Also, it's been a while since I've done the "morning lifting" thing, so my body wasn't quite sure how to respond. A decent session, not great, but not bad.

Upper body
Bear 2x4/75 lbs
Row 2x8/110 lbs
Pushup 2x8/30 lbs + 80 lbs tubing
Pullup 2x8,7
Military Press 2x8/58 lbs
Prehab circuit x20

Maybe not

A good night's sleep, after a day of napping and eating, and I was good to go this morning. I had 12 miles on the menu, and the temps were such that I should be able to get outside. I looked out the window and things looked OK, but they were still threatening rain and winds. After I got changed and warmed up, I went to the door, and as soon as I opened it, was welcomed by cold rain and high winds. They came up out of nowhere. So that decided it, back to the basement.

With that, there's little to report. Just another session on the treadmill, LSD work. I wish it was more exciting, but nope. I'm pretty sure Tuesday will be nice enough for me to get outside, with the additional benefit that there won't be much traffic. Next weekend might be clear enough too so that I can get my last 20 miler outside too.

Run: 5 miles @ 145 bpm, 7 miles @ 150 bpm

Maybe tomorrow

The weather may be such that I'll get to run out of doors tomorrow. This week is a "rest" week, meaning a weekend of 6 and 12 miles. The six is at race pace, thus it must be done on the treadmill. The twelve is nice and easy, so I can go outside. It's supposed to stay above freezing, but it's threatening to rain with high winds, so we'll see in the morning.

Today, however, was in the basement. I must be a little beat up, with some residual fatigue, since my heart rate was exceptionally high today. Not a good sign, but I had a nap this afternoon, and will eat to my heart's content (or my stomach's content, as it were), and that should help considerably. I may be fighting an oncoming illness, since I noticed a swollen lymph node in my neck yesterday, and I have a faint T on my chest. (For those who aren't familiar, I have an illness "early-warning system". A few days before, I'll get a rash in the shape of a T on my torso. It's kind of cool.)

With no swims for a week and a half, and fewer bike rides (less work means less commuting), I should be fully recovered for the next big weekend. We're three weeks out, and in general, I feel good, and am more than prepared. Let's go.

Run: 6 miles @ 7.6 mph

Last swim of the year

For the last time of 2007, I was up and moving (slowly) at 4:50 am. Last night's ride/run really beat me up, and I was feeling it still. Beside moving slow, my brain wasn't at full-speed and I forgot my water bottle this morning. No wonder the bag so was light.

Despite that, this morning's swim was really good. All long intervals, with some form work, but mostly just swimming. I guess this was kind of a transition into the start of "volume" that begins in January. Hopefully I won't lose too much in the next two weeks with the dearth of swims.

Swim: 3x200m free, ez, 30" (note: I will no longer point out when we did flip turns, since we do them every time we do free. I'd make an analogy about throwing someone into a pool to learn how to swim, but that seems kind of redundant in this case, doesn't it?)
3x200m as 100m drill, 100m free, 30" (drills w/mitts: 10&2, forearm flop, straight pull)
2x200m free as 25m fast/75m ez, 30"
200m as 100m back, 50m breast, 50m free
4x50m free, sprint, 30"
300m free as descending 100s (continuous set, but each 100 should be a harder effort than the last)
Cooldown: 3x50m back/50m breast
Total: 2600m

We actually finished about 15 minutes early. I think with no sculling or kicking drills, we cover a lot more ground (water?). I was considering doing some more, trying to get up to 3000m, but since I had swam really well all day, I would leave on a high note, and not risk flailing through the last few lengths just to hit an arbitrary number (like stumbling through a two mile run just because I wrote it down).

The commute to work this morning was tough. My legs are pretty shattered. I'm hoping the wind shifts and is at my back for the trip home, or I might not make it back until Sunday.

Later ...
Upper body
Bear 2x4/75 lbs
Row 2x8/110 lbs
Pushup 2x8/30 lbs + 80 lbs
Pullup 2x8
Miltary press 2x8,7/58 lbs (finally admitted this wasn't going up, so I dropped the weight)
Prehab circuit x20

Eggs, mirrors, plumbers and me

What do all of these things have in common? Crack. Which pretty much sums up tonight's bike ride.

The ride shouldn't have been that tough. I'd done similar two weeks ago, although I was picking up the intensity, it wasn't by any great degree. 3x1-4 minute ladders @ 315w (up from 300w). This should not be that hard a session. And it wasn't.

Until it was.

Everything was good the first time up the ladder, and even well into the second. As I was midway through the four minute interval of the second ladder, I knew I was putting in a solid effort. My heart rate was way up (>175 bpm), and it took all my concentration to stay over 315w. After my rest, the third ladder began. One minute hard ... doable ... one minute easy ... two minutes hard ... this hurts ... two minutes easy ... three minutes hard ... I think my legs are numb ... three minutes easy ... four minutes hard ... didn't happen. After about 90 seconds at target effort, there was a small explosion and any strength I had disappeared. The wattage graph for the rest of the interval is kind of interesting, a series of downward trending humps, as I kept trying to pick up the pace, then collapsed again: 315, 290, 300, 275, 280, 250, 260 ... and on for 2 1/2 minutes. I think at the end I was pushing to keep about 240w.

Cooldown was a struggle. There was nothing left in the tank. Then I did my transition run, which may have been a mistake. I was light-headed and getting chills, but I had written it down in my workout log, so it was getting done, dammit!

I am so tired.

Bike: 90 minutes, w/ 3x1-4 minute ladder @ 315w
Run: 2 miles @ 6.8 mph

Last time in the short pool

This morning was the last go-round in the 25 yard pool for 2007. We have all of next week off, then only the Wednesday swim the week after. Then I get two more swims before I leave for Disney, and miss another 3 sessions. I hope I don't lose everything I've worked for over the last few months. Maybe I'll practice floating in the tub. No flip turns, though.

A good workout. It seems a bit short on yardage, but that's more a function of all the sculling drills than anything else. Those take up a fair bit of time. I can't decide if they're relaxing because I get to just kind of lay in the water, or hard work because my arms are going like a hummingbird for any forward progress. I'll let you know tomorrow by how sore I am.

Swim: 3x200 yds free, ez, w/ flip turns, 30"
6x150 yds (25 scull/50 pull), 10" (sculls were: 1) on back, feet first, hands at sides, 2) on back, feet first, hands overhead, 3) on back, head first, hands at sides, 4) on stomach, feet first, hands overhead, 5) on stomach, full scull, 6) on stomach, full scull)
2x200 yds pull, ez, w/flip turns, 30"
8x50 yds free, w/mitts, drills (10&2, forearm flop, straight pull)
Total: 2100 yds

After work, Run: 3 miles @ 6.8 mph

I wish this was exciting enough for a good title, but it's not

Just another quick LSD run after work. I'm getting into kind of the dregs of the schedule. With the holidays and crappy weather, and with all long, "slow" runs, it's tough to get motivated some days, especially days when I have to take the bus. But, I'm not going to get any faster, or have a better race, if I don't get the miles in, so I force myself to do it.

The back-up race packages for WDW Marathon arrived yesterday. Since we just moved, the packages were originally sent to the old address, and I wasn't sure that they would be forwarded, so I had race registration update the address and send extras. Now they have the correct address, and it was some additional motivation. I'm getting pretty excited. I think I should be able to hit my goal times, depending, of course, on weather.

Run: 3 miles @ 145 bpm, 3 miles @ 150 bpm

Everybody in the pool

There was a surprising turnout at swim practice this morning. Given the weather of the weekend, I figured that almost no one would show up, but we actually got most everybody. We're a hearty bunch, us triathletes. (I count myself among the "triathletes" now, because I can swim ... slowly.) Another technique-oriented session, focusing on catching more water.


I may be one of the faster people in my lane, but I can really tell there's a huge gap to get to the next one. On some of the laps, I'd have two people pass me from the other lane. They're a good 10+ seconds per 50m faster than I am. Looks like there's more work to do if I want to keep moving up.


Swim: 3x200m ez free w/flip turns, 30"
2x100m mitts, 100m pull, 30"
2x100m mitts, 100m free, 30"
200m back
3x100m (25 left fist/25 free/25 right fist/25 free), 15"
3x200m free w/flip turns
4x25m free sprint, 25m breast
Total: 2700m

Upper body:
Bear 2x4/75 lbs
Row 2x8/110 lbs
Pushup 2x8/30 lbs+80 lbs tubing
Pullup 2x8,7
Military press 2x6/70 lbs
Prehab circuit x20

And the wheel goes round and round

Still horrible weather. We've had better than 25 cm of snow since last night. There is almost no traffic on our little crescent. Hopefully the plows will come through overnight and get the road clear enough that I can get to swimming (if it's not cancelled). But all this snow once again tied me to the treadmill.

Today was the "fast finish" run. Basically, the run is set up in three parts: 7 miles of really easy pace(~145 bpm), 7 miles of easy pace (~150 bpm), then 6 miles at projected marathon pace. The last time I did this (although the distances were shorter), my paces were 6.2 mph, 6.4 mph, then 7.6 mph. That was in the middle of my speed block, and I'm much faster and fitter now. As such, I knocked out much better speeds. The first two blocks were at 6.3 mph, and 6.8 mph. As it happens, my heart rate was much lower than projected at both of these paces (<140, <145), so for the last block I opened it up a little more: 7.8 mph. Although my actual pace for the marathon will be about 7.4 mph, it felt good, and was a huge boost to confidence. There will be one more 20 miler, but that one will all be at a relaxed pace. This was the last long, fast run. I think I can say with a degree of confidence, that I'm ready. Time to go get another three medals.

Run: 7 miles@ 6.3 mph, 7 miles @ 6.8 mph, 6 miles @ 7.8 mph

Additional work: Three trips outside to shovel the driveway. Better to keep taking layers off than trying to do it all tomorrow morning. All that effort, and I didn't have anywhere to go today.

Hamster weekend

The weather is taking a pretty awful turn this weekend, so it looks like I'll be treadmill bound for both runs. Today was 10 miles, nice and easy. The key was to get it done early in the day, so that I could do some grocery shopping and finish my Christmas shopping before the insanity hit.

Run: 5 miles @ 145 bpm, 5 miles @ 150 bpm

Additional training: trimming the tree

I am teh win!

I may be slow, but at least I'm an intellectual...

Get a Cash Advance

Good after bad

I admit it, Wednesday's swim sucked. Nothing worked. I should have been wearing water wings, for all I was accomplishing in the pool.

That's what makes today's swim feel so good. I know I'm not fast, in any objective sense, but I also know I can swim. I can get from one end of the pool to the other under my own power. I know this. Sometimes I just need to get out of my own head, and let it happen. Relax, put the skills I've been taught to work, and it won't be such a struggle. This is what I promised myself this morning before we started the session.

And it worked. Once again, everything clicked into place. I wasn't flailing. I felt strong and smooth. I led the workout in my new lane. I had fun. With the holidays almost upon us, we're going to have a lot fewer swims in the coming weeks, and with the marathon trip, I'll actually only be in the pool 3 times between the 22nd and January 17th, and I'll miss it. I won't miss the early wake-ups so much, but I'm really enjoying this swimming thing. Maybe I'll have to splash around in the hotel pool in Florida before it's taken over by munchkins every morning.

My flip turns are only slightly better. I had 2 or 3 that were almost spot on, but the majority were either my twist or an ugly flip, and a few were so bad I'm surprised the lifeguard didn't think I was having a seizure and try to save me.

We finished the day with some sprints. I like these. It's like doing strides on the run. The form has no choice but to smooth out. I couldn't think about 10 different mental cues, so I couldn't trip myself up. I was able to strip it down to, "Keep your head down, reach out in front, push all the way through." I think I'd do a little better during each workout if these were thrown in early.

Complimentary side note: During one of the longer rests, one of my lanemates asked me my swimming background. "I took lessons at the Y about 25 years ago, then started again about six weeks before the class started." She said, "You're picking it up quick, and moving through the lanes." I held back from saying, "Aw shucks, ma'am, t'weren't nothin'." But I may have had a little grin when I pushed off from the wall.

Swim: 2x200m free, ez, w/flip turns, 30"
2x100m (50m 3 kick switch, 50m free), 15"
2x200m free, ez, w/flip turns, 30"
2x100m (50m scull, 50m pull), 15"
2x200m free, ez, w/flip turns, 30"
2x100m fist drill, 15"
2x200m free, ez, w/flip turns, 30"
100m back
4x(25m free sprint, 25m breast, ez), 30"
Total: 2500m

Remember when I was struggling to finish 1200m in a workout? Me too.

Later ...
Upper body
Bear 2x4/75 lbs
Row 2x8,7/110 lbs
Pushup 2x8/30 lbs + 80 lbs tubing
Pullup 2x8,7
Military press 2x6/70 lbs
Prehab circuit x20

A little bit better

If it's Thursday, it must be Bike Day. This is a day I look forward to with equal amounts of joy and dread. Joy, because there are few things I enjoy doing as much as riding the bike, especially when it's only once a week. Dread, because these workouts are long, tough, and since I'm only riding once a week, I have to fight that much harder to maintain a degree of strength.

So after a brief spin to warm up the trainer and calibrate, and some one-legged drills (these were tough because I ratcheted up the tension in my pedals, so clipping in/out was exceedingly difficult), it hit the main set: 1x60 minutes @ 270w (~90% FTP). I LOVE long sets like this. It's such a mental struggle to keep the pace. Hit it hard, and keep going. I switched my hand positions every few minutes (6 min in the drops, 3 on the hoods). I probably wasn't in as aero a position as I could have been, but I did what I could. It will be interesting in the new year to spend all my time in the aerobars for a few months.

For the first time in a number of workouts, I hit all my goals, and felt strong. So maybe this marathon training is blunting my high-end, but my threshold and long-range powers are still there. That's always good news.

Bike: 90 min, w/60 min @ 270w
Run: 2 miles @ 6.8 mph

Back to splashing

You ever have one of those mornings where everything just feels "off"? It might even be the case that things aren't off, but they definitely feel that way? That's how it went in the pool this morning. Right from the gun, I just didn't feel coordinated in any way. I keep getting really useful hints on improving my stroke, but my list of mental cues is getting pretty long, and if something isn't natural, there's a long systems-check to get it all back together.

I did all the work I was supposed to, with the exception of the last set of freestyle, when I was pulled out of my lane to work more on flip turns. Let me put this simply, my flip turns suck. What I do at the moment wouldn't even really be called a flip turn, it's more a pseudo-sideways roll. It gets the job done, but is not what we're looking for. It seems that whenever I do a head over heels flip, I end up pushing myself almost into the floor of the pool. Since that sucks, I've developed my hybrid. I'll keep working on this (I am honestly trying to flip when I do my twist, but that's just how it works out), and hopefully it will fall in place soon. Especially in the 25 yard pool, I'll just be getting my stroke fixed (see above about splashing) then I'll have to worry about the wall.

But I did my swim. And I'll do my run later. Then tonight I'll sleep.

Swim: 6x100 yds free, EZ, w/ flip turns
4x100 (25 scull/25 pull)
1x200 free, EZ, w/ flip turns
3x100 (75 fist/25 pull)
1x300 free, EZ, w/ flip turns (was supposed to be 2x200, but I had to use the facilities, then jumped in where I could)
2x100 (25 scull/25 pull), w/ finger paddles
1x200 free, EZ, w/ flip turns
Flip turn practice (was supposed to be 3x200, but I am teh suck)
Total: 2200 yds

Run: 3 miles @ 6.8 mph

I think this is "wintry mix"

With the somewhat crappy weather we've been having, my bike commute has been adjusted to keep me more on major roads, since some of the paths haven't been cleared. This makes things a bit longer, and also a bit hairier, with more traffic. No issues so far, but there's a stretch of road with a bike lane, but I can't ride in the bike lane because that's where the plows dumped all the snow. That's a bit frustrating.

Anyway, after I got home tonight, I headed out for a nice 10 miler. The pace is just relaxed, since we're putting the finishing touches of volume into the system. The weather sort of copperated, with temps around freezing, but that means the precipitation that wsa coming down couldn't decide if it was rain or snow, so it tried to be both. If it was windy, I would have hit the treadmill, but with calm winds, it was actually a nice run. I got to see some of the Christmas lights around the neighbourhood. The pace was a bit slower than usual, but that could be from a combination of factors, including the weather, the commute, and general fatigue. I'm not concerned, though. I'm sure everything will be A-OK for the weekend.

Run: 5 miles @ 145 bpm, 5 miles @ 150 bpm

Keep pushing

This morning was my full first session in the new, faster lane. Just before we got started, one of my old lane mates congratulated me on the move up, which was nice. I have to admit, I had a little bit of nervousness and trepidation as the workout started, especially looking at the board and seeing all these long sets, but I hopped in and did the best I could my hold my place. And what's surprising is that I didn't just hold my place, I ended up distancing myself from the group.

I had been in second spot (just how things fell out), and then person ahead of me got moved to the next lane (his own promotion ... congrats). So I was in first, but the guy behind me, I guess, isn't too good at the kicking drills, so he fell well behind me, causing a logjam, and by the end of the workout, I was almost caught up to the end of the pack. Even more amazing is that I did that while not hammering the pace, just keeping it where I was comfortable and focusing on form. I know I'm definitely not ready for the next lane (those folks hammer), but it feels good to know I not only belong in my new lane, but I'm at the "pointy end of the stick", as Phil Liggett would say.

Swim: w/u: 2x200m ez, w/ flip turns
9x200m (50m drill, 150m free), 30"
Drills: kick left side, kick right side, 3 kick switch, scull, finger/wrist/elbow, 10&2, forearm flop, straight pull, scull
c/d: 2x200m (150m back, 50m free)
Total: 2600m

Edit later to add:
Upper body
Bear 2x4/75 lbs
Row 2x8/110 lbs
Pushup 2x8/30 lbs + 80 lbs tubing
Pullup 2x8,7
Military press 2x6/70 lbs
Prehab circuit x20

Still the short weekend

Day two. If I have to do 18 miles over the weekend, and I did 6 yesterday, what does that mean about this morning? It means 12 miles, easy, outside. Temps were -4, feels like -7, when I stepped out the door. That's kind of cool, but with the proper gear, easily survivable. My fingers got a bit cold (still thawing), but beyond that it was nice. I got to investigate a little bit more of my new neighbourhood. Some nice houses, and a few folks out setting up their lights. The season is upon us.

Run: 5 miles @ 145 bpm, 7 miles @ 150 bpm

Short weekend

Since last week was the 30 mile weekend, this week I get a bit of a break. I wonder how many other people would consider running 18 miles over two days "a break"? Not many, especially when it's below freezing. Luckily, today is a treadmill day, with 6 miles at projected race pace.

Run: 6 miles @ 7.6 mph

Needles

Upper body
Bear 2x4/75 lbs
Row 2x6/110 lbs
Pushup 2x6/30 lbs + 80 lbs tubing
Pullup 2x6
Military press 2x6/70 lbs
Prehab circuit x20

Permanent

When I woke up this morning (if you can call stumbling out of bed at 4:50 "waking up") I was tired, sore, and didn't really feel like going to swimming. But I did, because you do what you have to do when you have to do it. And then things turned around pretty quick. Another morning started with flip turns. I'm still not very good, but I'm better. (We'll get into how not very good in a minute.) Then we began the main set. After 100m, the coach stopped me, and said, "Get on the end of this lane" (pointing to the next lane over). I had mentioned a few weeks ago about a temporary move, just for one part of one day, but I had gone back to Lane 2. But today was the official call-up. Not quite getting called to the "bigs", more of rookie ball to single A move. But it's a step on the journey. And then, even more surprising, I didn't completely throw off the entire lane with my slow swimming. I belonged. Actually, I was a bit too fast through part of it, because I was trying to prove myself, but once I relaxed, all was right in the world.

So, about these flip turns, like I said, I'm not too good. The last block of the workout was 4x200m, doing flip turns. So three turns per rep, two of which were at the shallow end. I'm not really tall, but I'm tall enough that the water level is at my waist when I stand in shallow end. That doesn't seem like a lot of room for flipping, so what I ended up doing was a pseudo-flip/sideways barrel roll/ handplant breakdance maneuver, which did, in fact, turn me around without touching the bottom (with my feet ... my hand kept my head from hitting). I'll need to correct this before the coach watches from that end. At the deep end, I would do OK, except a few times I had almost caught the swimmer in front of me, so I had to wait for him to clear the area, which threw off my rhythm, and the flailing monkey took over. More practice required, but that's what I've been doing so far, and it's already moved me up a lane. So I think I can live with that.

Swim: Flip turn practice
4x(25m scull, 25 pull, 25 scull, 25 pull)
1x200m free, ez, breathe to west wall
4x50m finger/wrist/elbow, 10"
4x50m forearm flop, 10"
4x50m straight pull, 10"
4x200m free, ez, w/flip turns
Total: 2000m

Back on the bike

After a week off due to moving issues, I was back in the saddle. Since I'm in the last leg of the marathon work, I decided I didn't need to hammer myself. Instead, just get some good work done. This thinking goes along with the Daniels principles of doing just enough to work the system you intend to, and not more. Do the minimum needed to derive the benefit. So with that in mind, I did my ladder workout 3x(1-4 minute work, equal rest, @ 300w). I was never struggling, but definitely got a good sweat going, and followed it up with a quick transition run. Good night.

Bike: 90 minutes, w/ one-leg drills, 3x(1-4 min ladder @ 300w)
Run: 2 miles @ 6.8 mph

Ow

With this stretch of cold weather, I haven't been biking to work. It isn't so much the cold, as the wind and road conditions. If it warmed up just a couple of degrees I'd be able to ride without incident, and if the wind calmed it wouldn't be nearly so unpleasant. Instead, I ride the bus. It's not fun. I'm also eating more, which is probably a bad idea if I'm not riding those 70+ miles a week. I think it's just a replacement of calories from the 30 mile weekend. I don't usually get such vicious cravings for sugar (cookies and M&Ms, specifically) as I have the last two days. It's not like I have to be that concerned about my weight, but it's worth noting the phenomenon. With all the activities I'm now involved in, I have to really watch for overtraining.

Another good swim this morning. We did still more work with the pull. I didn't get to finish the workout as written, but I think it was overly ambitious for distance. During one of the sets, I tried to one stroke too many, and jammed my finger HARD into the wall. That's painful. The worst part, though, is that my stroke was looking good, so the coach wanted me to change my hand position. However, keeping your fingers cupped and relaxed is nigh impossible when every stroke brings shooting pain up to your elbow. Relaxed isn't really an option at that point.

Swim: 15 minutes of EZ 100s, doing flip turns (did about 300, I think)
3x100 as (25 scull, 25 pull)
4x50 finger/wrist/elbow
2x150 free
4x50 10 & 2
2x150 pull
4x50 forearm flop
2x150 free
4x50 straight pull
1x150 pull (supposed to be 2x, but ran out of time)
(Not done: 4x25 sprint on 1')
1x25 back, 25 breast (supposed to be 2x50 back, 50 breast)
Total: 2500 yds

Later,
Run: 3 miles @ 6.8 mph

Not much to say ... tired

Run: 3 miles @ 145 bpm, 3 miles @ 150 bpm

Annihilation

The day started in the water. OK, it really started in bed, but by the time I was cognizant, I was in the water. Swimming at 5:45 is tough when it's cold out. Anything is tough when it's cold and the sun isn't up.

As per usual, we began with the flip turns. I'm getting (slightly) better. I still have a tendency to push myself too deep, and I'm not good at transitioning into actual swimming yet, but I'll keep on doing the work. We then did a quick set of balance drills as reminders before beginning a new type of form work.

Today we started learning about what to do with our arms. The movement was split into four parts, and we did drills for each part, focusing on some mental cue. This was followed by long pull sets, trying to piece it all together. I'm sure this will be the flavour of our next few sessions, so I don't feel too bad with being all over the place today. Some things felt good, so did not. Sometimes a drill wouldn't work for a length, but it would click, then it disappear again. Good thing I have nine months.

In the afternoon, after a long bus commute home, I hit the weights. All the arm-focused work of the morning left me deeply fatigued. The session didn't go as well as it has; I hit all the reps I was supposed to, but it was much harder than last week. I'm sure it's just an under-recovery issue. I'll be fine for Friday as long as the swim isn't as arm-intensive.

Swim: Flip turn practice
2x(100m 3 kick switch, 100m back)
4x50m of each drill: 10 & 2, finger/wrist/elbow, elbow drop, straight pull; w/pull buoy
5x200m pull
Total: 2200m

Upper body
Bear 2x4/75 lbs
Row 2x6/110 lbs
Pushup 2x6/30 lbs + 80 lbs tubing
Pullup 2x6
Military press 2x6/70 lbs
Prehab circuit x20

Thanks Jim Henson

Today was the first long run, of the really long runs. The 20s. The runs that bring you to that mental threshold, where only a 10k would be left. If you can finish these with lots in the tank, you can go to the line very confident.

Unfortunately, last night we got hit with a pretty significant dump of snow. There was the better part of 4 inches of the white stuff on the ground. Seeing as I still don't know the neighbourhoods that well, and the extra effort of lifting my feet out of the snow, and uncertain footing, and hills, all this added up to another treadmill session. Twenty miles without going anywhere. Doesn't that sounds like fun?

All told, it went pretty well. I'm sure the basement smelled lovely by the end, but I chugged through my eight hours (the clock claims it was just under 3, but the treadmill causes a tear in the space-time continuum, so it was much longer). The saving grace was my DVDs of the first season of the Muppet Show. 7 episodes, back-to-back-to-back-to- well, you get the idea. If the antics of Kermit, Fozzy and the rest of the gang can't keep you entertained, and a smile on your face at mile 18, then you've got some problems.

But then again, I sing "Happy Feet" to myself while I'm running, so I may be a bit biased.

Milk was a bad choice

This cold weather we're getting is a bit disconcerting. Yesterday, it was announced by Environment Canada that we should expect the coldest winter in 15 years. As someone who likes running outside, and bike commutes to work, this isn't really good news. I may not be able to do anything about the commute (other than ride the bus ... ugh), but I do have the refuge of the treadmill for running on the worst days.

Today, however, was scheduled as a treadmill run, no matter the weather. I like doing my Saturday race-pace runs on the t-mill so I can ingrain the pace, and since I don't have mile markers on my routes, I can maintain exactly what I'm trying to. Today was 10 miles at race speed, and it went really well. When I started this training block, at the same speed, my heartrate would spike into the high 160s to low 170s by mile 3 or 4. This morning, there were a few moments when I went as high as 161, but was mid to high 150s for the entire run. My breathing was 4-4 the whole way. All the LSD work (and some of that horrible speedwork) has made the same pace much easier. That's always nice to see.

Writing this post a few hours later, I'm a bit tired, but I could have held that speed easily for another 3.1 miles, and I don't think another 16.2 would be a stretch. The only issue would be distraction: is the course at Disney as interesting as watching Anchorman (thus the above quote)?

Run: 10 miles @ 7.6 mph

What I've Become

I ended this week pretty tired. My legs feel good, but my upper body is exhausted. That swim this morning has wiped me out. I was able to drag myself through my workout. I need a good night's sleep to get ready for the rest of the weekend.

Upper body
Bear 2x4/75 lbs
Row 2x6/110 lbs
Pushup 2x6/30 lbs + 80 lbs tubing
Pullup 2x6
Military press 2x6/70 lbs
Prehab circuit x20

Hey! I got wet again!

Looking at the analytics of the traffic to this blog (I'm watching you!) my most popular posts, outside of the lovely pics of Lightnin' McQueen, are when I post about swimming. Maybe y'all (I lived in Texas, I can say "y'all") have some kind of sick fetish about watching me drown (or reading about it), but hey, whatever gets some traffic, right? Luckily, there will always be at least posts a week where I might die at the end. Quite the cliffhanger, eh?

And today is one of those days, so after the alarm went off at 4:50 am (still an ungodly hour) and a bowl fo cereal, I was back at the pool. As per usual, we started with flip turn practice. I'm slowly getting better at this, but it's coming about in a weird way. I'll nail my first few, then once a mistake happens, I can never get it back together again. I did 3-4 really good ones, then went through a progression of: too close to the wall (almost pushed myself into the bottom), too far from the wall (nothing to push off of ... a bit disconcerting), then twisting the flip in any number of directions (while still being wither too close or too far). I won't be putting this to use as part of any main sets for a while still.

Then, more kick drills, or more specifically, side-kick drills. With flippers. I hate my flippers. They're killing my feet. The sizing on them is for sizes 8-9. The next size up as 10-11. I'm a 9.5. Since I had to choose, I applied my usual logic and went smaller, since I like a snug fit. Instead of a snug fit, I have the edge of the fin taking large chunks of flesh off my toes. It isn't too bad during the drills, but it's very noticeable in the shower afterward.

After the kicking, we did a new drill, with 50m of sculling on the back, with a pull buoy between your legs, feet first. I think it was near unanimous that this drill sucked. Nobody's favourite. I'm sure we'll see it plenty. You move SO slowly. It's a strange feeling of being relaxed (you're lying in the water, the pull buoy holds your legs so you just have to float your upper body), and working like a maniac to move anywhere (sculling like a hummingbird on meth). I have a sneaking suspicion I'll feel this tomorrow.

Once that drill was over, we got into some straight swim sets. Longer work, but still nice. In nine weeks, I've gone from doing 50m repeats with 30-90" rest, to 3x200m (30") as one of the last parts of a workout. And after it was all over, the coach commented that things are looking much better. I might make my way up to lane 4 (medium-slow, from lane 5, slow-fast) permanently.

I hope I didn't blush.

Edit: Thinking about it, the sculling thing was midway through the straight sets, not before, but I don't want to re-write the post. You'll have to live with it.

Swim: Flip turn practice.
3x(25m left kick, 25m right kick, 50m free), 10", with flippers
3x(100m 3 kick switch), 10", with flippers
3x200m free, 30", breathe to west wall (I tried alternate every 4th and 2nd)
3x(50m scull on back, feet first, 50m pull), 15"
3x(50m back, 150m free), 15"
Total: 2100m

Extra running

Due to some confusion on moving day, I was unable to go for my scheduled bike ride tonight (bits and pieces that should be here are not). Instead, I added a few more miles to this week's total with a nice 6 miler. The intent was to do half outside, then finish inside, but there was a ridiculously cold wind blowing (60+ km/h) so it became an all-indoor run. The first three miles were nice and easy, just cruising. The last three were the fastest I'm going to run until about March of next year (a shade slower than 10k speed), so I better enjoy it. And I did. Tougher work, but was never struggling, which is always key. Now I rest and prepare for my 30 mile weekend, which I won't skip this time.

Run: 3 miles @ 6.8 mph, 3 miles @ 8.2 mph

Longer and faster

Kind of a cold morning. Luckily, the predicted rain/snow last night didn't happen, or it would have been terrifically slick to ride. Instead, I was able to bundle up and pedal to the pool. Those who've never seen it before look bug-eyed then ask the usual questions, "Isn't it cold? How far do you come? What gear do you wear?" Those who saw me arrive for the last couple of weeks just smile the smile of "You're insane, but in a way that I can respect." Nice warm-up for the festivities.

Once we were in the water, we began again with flip turn practice. This is still hit or miss for me. Either I'm too close to the wall and almost fire myself into the bottom, or I'm too far and can't reach the wall. I got a few right, a bunch wrong, but I'm still trying. After this, we started into some drill work to warm-up, then some long sets, and finished with some fast work. The long sets were longer than anything I've ever done before, 3x300 yards. We were to breathe every fourth stroke. I'd be good for the first 150-200 yards, then I'd do every fourth, second, fourth, second, etc. Lung capacity and breathing rhythm need work.

Then the end was 25 yards quick, 25 yards stroke count. My form still can stray if I don't focus on keeping my head down. I think that for eternity that will be my number one mental key. If I do that, other stuff just falls into place. I don't think I got too sloppy during the quick laps, and my glide during the stroke count lengths is much better. 20-21 strokes per 25 yards. Not great, but better than even a week ago (23 per). As long as I keep improving, I'm happy. So today, I'm very happy.

Swim: Flip turn practice, 15 min
2x(25 kick front, 25 kick left, 25 kick right, 25 free), 10" (w/ fins)
4x(50 3-kick stroke, 50 free), 10" (w/ fins)
4x(25 3-kick stroke, 75 free), 15"
3x300, 30" (breathe every fourth stroke)
6x(25 quick, 15", 25 stroke count, 15")
1x100 back, cooldown
Total: 2300 yards

Edit: Added a run after work, 3 miles @ 6.8 mph

Storming the Burning Fields

Today was probably the coldest day of the fall/winter so far. And it wasn't so much the air temperature, it was the 44 km/h (gusting to 66 km/h) winds. Before I left work, I noticed it was 0, feels like -8. That's somewhat unpleasant. So what did I do when I got home? Bundled up and headed out for a 10 mile run.

Since we just moved, I had to familiarize myself with the new neighbourhood, so I spent the afternoon memorizing my Map My Run five mile loop. My intention was to do the five mile loop. If everything was good, I'd do a second loop. If I was getting cold, I'd stop at home and finish on the treadmill. The final result was 5 miles outside, and 5 in, but not for the reasons above.

See, I'm training for the WDW Marathon, which is in Florida, which is flat. In our old neighbourhood, it was flat. There was probably a total of 20 feet of elevation change over multiple loops. So that works for prep. But at our new house, it is not flat. If flatness were on a continuum, with pan-flat at one extreme, and constant, repetitive steep ups and downs at the other, my new runs are definitely right of center. In general, this is a good thing. Running hills makes you strong. I like running hills. And the races I'll be doing next summer all have climbing, so running hills every day is a good idea. However, right now, I don't need the hills. My intention is to run about half of my outside runs outside, then finish on the treadmill, at least until January. That gets me fresh air, and good work, but I can still work on my flat speed. That's why, after the first loop, I pulled in, turned on the Dragonforce, and rocked out 5 miles on the treadmill.

Run: 5 miles @ 145 bpm (attempted, with wind and hills was as low as 132, and as high as 156)
5 miles @ 150 bpm on treadmill (approx. 6.9 mph, 1.5% grade)

Hourglass

Upper body
Bear 2x4/75 lbs
Row 2x6/110 lbs
Pushup 2x6/30 lbs + 80 lbs tubing
Pullup 2x6
Military press 2x6/70 lbs
Prehab circuit x20

Sloppy

First things first. You may have noticed that there were no posts over the weekend. Since I post what I did for training every day, that must mean I didn't do any training. And it does. Instead, I moved. I had full intentions of hitting my 10 and 20 mile runs over the weekend, but with knowing how much still needed to be done, I was better served by taking care of my responsibilities. Play time had to wait. Additionally, I knew that I've been feeling beat down lately, so the stress (both physical and mental) of moving added to the runs would have put my body potentially into a pit of overtraining I'd be hard-pressed to get out of in time for the marathon. So that's what happened. I'll be back on the (running) horse tomorrow. (As of right now, we're also missing the power cable to the computer I use for the bike trainer, so if it doesn't turn up soon, there may be an extra run on Thursday.)

After the weekend, I got to go for a nice swim this morning. We did more flip turn practice (soon I may try it during our main sets), then more kick sets. Today we broke out the fins. I have to say, the fins messed up everything for me, all day. During the front kick drills, the added propulsion made up for a hip drop (actually, my hips dropped so that the kick stayed in the water, making for more propulsion), so my form collapsed, and my kick had to be wider to keep the fins from slapping into one another. The side wasn't too bad, but the free lengths were awkward. It wasn't until the third or fourth "no gear" set that I finally felt like I had things back together again. Breathing every fourth stroke was tough. I could make about 25m, then I'd have to do 4 strokes, 2 strokes, 4, 2, the rest of the way. I guess there's still lots to do.

Swim: Flip turn practice
3x(50m kick, 50m free), with fins
3x(50m left kick, 50m right kick, 100m free), with fins
5x(50m - 3 kick switch, 50m free), no gear
5x(100m free, breathing to the west wall, every fourth stroke)
2x(50m back, 50m breast)
Total: 2100m (I may have done 6 each of the 3 kick switch pass and west breathing pass, lost count, but did 5 at least).

Bound by the Moon

Upper body
Bear 2x4/75 lbs
Row 2x8/110 lbs
Pushup 2x8/30 lbs + 80 lbs tubing
Pullup 2x8,7
Military Press 2x7,6/70 lbs

Two weeks of water

This morning was the sixth swim in the new program. I've now had as many days in the pool in the last two weeks as I did in the previous six (as well as the 20 years before that). Improvements are still coming at a rapid pace. My comfort level in the water is much better. The side kick drills went much better today, even noticeable to the coach. I still don't have great balance on the side, but it's coming. I'm also much more relaxed. During some of the last few lengths, I was getting tired. Before, I would then thrash to the end of the pool, anything to be done. Now, I can calm myself, focus on good efficient form, and finish without panic.

If the 4:50 wake-up call doesn't kill me soon, I should be just fine for the rest of the year.

Swim: 5x100m warm-up (free, back, breast, pull, free)
Flip turn drills
2x(100m kick, scull 30", 100m kick right, scull 30", 100m kick left, scull 30", 2x100 free, 15")
2x150m (as 100m back, 50m breast), 30"
3x100m (as 12.5 m left kick, 12.5 m right kick, 75m free), 15"
Total: 2100m

Loss of power

It's official. I am losing the top-end of my bike strength. There's nothing there anymore. Granted, I'm in a pretty deep hole right now, with swimming, marathon training (including speed work), and trying to move. My recovery is poo, but all of that can't explain the significant drop-off that's happened.

Intervals tonight of 2 min, 1 min and 30 seconds. The two minute block was survived, but just barely. The ones and thirtys sucked. I can barely hold for one minute what I used to do for 3. I can't handle thirty seconds at 50 watts less than where I used to do 30s. I'm not impressed, but everything considered, I have to say, "It is what it is."

I may change things up for the last few weeks before the marathon. Perhaps I shouldn't be bothering with super-threshold stuff right now. With the change in focus, how much time do I really need to dedicate to these efforts? Most important is raising my FTP and 3 hour thresholds. I do believe in "raise the left, fill the right", but I think I'm too recovery-compromised to but the right efforts in on the bike with everything else happening. I can get back to this with a bike-focus block in the spring.

Bike: 90 minutes, w/ 6x2 min @ 340w, 6x1 min @ 400w, 6x30 sec @ 460w (as written, 1 min and 30 sec reps were short and under-powered)
Run: 2 miles @ 6.5 mph

Weather's turning nasty

Another Wednesday, another early morning. The weather kind of sucked, but I had to get to the Glendon pool, which requires the bike. I think a few people were surprised when I showed up in full commuter regalia. I guess most of them have become chained to the trainer by now. I'm trying to avoid it for a while longer.

The swim itself went pretty well. Some more flip turn practice (which I need), then some balance drills. I'm getting very comfortable on my front, but the side-kicking drills are pretty tough. I have quite a bit of work to do to get those perfected. The coach gave me a few pointers, but I'll need more time to get everything straightened out. We finished with some stroke-count drills. My first couple of 50s were in about 46 strokes. Again, the coach pulled me to the deck to watch some of the other swimmers who were in the mid-30s. After seeing how slow and relaxed they were, I did a couple of passes in 41-42 strokes. So a small improvement. I don't know if my times were the same, but that's less important than getting the stroke itself worked out.

After work, I was back on the treadmill for an easy 3 miles, just to work out the kinks from yesterday's speed session.

Swim: warm-up 100yds each free, back, breast, pull
2x50 free (count strokes), 15"
Flip turn practice
2x(100 as 25 kick/25 free + 100 free) on front, 30"
2x(100 as 25 kick/25 free + 100 free) on right, 30"
2x(100 as 25 kick/25 free + 100 free) on left, 30"
3x50 free (count strokes), 15"
1950 yards, including drills

Run: 3 miles @ 6.5 mph

Last day of speed

Tonight was my last session of fartlek work before the marathon. I prefer the idea of doing speed before going long. It matches the "raise the left, fill the right" theory. Once a reasonable base is built, develop the speed. Then, when you start going longer, you're going longer at a higher speed. This should lead to faster race times.

I won't be too sad to see the hard work disappear for a while. It's fun, but it's draining, and with the high-volume approaching (including my first 20 this weekend), my body needs to focus on good efforts during the long runs and recovery. I'll do another speed block in the spring, this one to develop my 5-10k speed, and another mini-block for half-mary speed in the summer. Otherwise, it's all LSD (E to M pace, if you're a Daniels fan).

Run: 10 miles, w/8x5 min 5-10k pace, 3 min recovery

Train of Consequences

Upper body
Bear 2x4/75 lbs
Row 2x8,7/110 lbs
Pushup 2x8/30 lbs + 80 lbs tubing
Pullup 2x8,7
Military Press 2x7,6/70 lbs

Little victories

Last week was about familiarizing ourselves with the pool and lane assignments, and just getting some distance in on the swim (or so I'm told, I was just trying to not swallow the whole pool). This week, we began with some form work, to try to become better swimmers. In my case, it's to become "A swimmer".

After a warm-up (which for me is still almost a workout unto itself), we started learning to do flip-turns. I don't know how much I would put this to use in the future, but I guess it's a useful skill. We worked it as a progression: once we could prove that we could do a somersault in the water, we moved onto doing the somersault with about three strokes lead-in. Once we mastered that skill, it was doing lengths with a somersault every 5-6 strokes. I had just moved to the last part when time was up, so no real attempts there.

Then we did some balance drills (read: lots of kick sets). I'm getting pretty good at the face-down kicking (I'm not being yelled at anymore, so I'll take that as "pretty good"). After a few of those, we did side kicking. These are not pleasant. I have a lot of work to do here to improve my balance. I was exhausted midway on each length. I won't usually touch the bottom on any lengths, but I had to on occasion here. So there's something to work at.

After all that, we got to finish up with some longer sets (2x200 free) and a breast/back cooldown. Here's my small victory for the day. For the 2x200, I was moved up a lane! I was no longer the fastest of the slow, I was slowest of the medium. I know I'm not quick by any standard, but on more than a few lengths, I could really feel things coming together. My balance is better, I feel like I'm catching more water and really propelling myself with each stroke. Maybe in a few weeks I'll move permanently to lane 4 (if 1 is the fastest and 6 is the slowest). My endurance is still improving, and I can swim more relaxed, extending the sets (although I have to admit that the 2x200 was more of an assortment of 50s and 100s, as I was plum-tuckered.

I don't ever see myself getting used to the 4:50 wake-up call, but days like today make it worthwhile.

Long ... Longer ...

It was not a bad morning for a stroll, but three hours is a long time. This was the first time in a few weeks I actually was able to dress appropriately. It was cold enough to wear some cold-weather gear.

The run iteself felt good. I know my pace fell a little in the last few miles, even with the higher heart rate, but a body's going to get tired over 19 miles, especially with 9 at race pace the day before, and a bunch of physical errands. I'm pretty tired at this point. Next week is the first of the 20s, so I've almost reached the higher limit. As much as I enjoy the longer runs, it would be better to get these miles in the summer. I don't know how often I'll want to train for a winter event in the future. It's tough to get out there. On the other hand, the fact that I'm out there when most wouldn't be is another couple of places I'll move up next season.

Run: 9 miles @ 145 bpm, 10 miles @ 150 bpm

Some days work out pretty well

Today's posting comes quite late in the day, considering I was finished the workout just after 10 am. But it's been busy, but a good busy.

The run itself went really well. It's kind of boring knocking out 9 miles on the treadmill, but if I can handle that, I can handle the loneliest stretches of any race I'll do. I got to sleep in until almost 8, so the extra energy may have helped.

The afternoon was taken up with some moving errands, and a quick run to Mississauga to the swim store that sponsors the NYAC program. I picked up some short fins, and a swim cap in the colours of my alma mater. I was also hoping to pick up a special snorkel for freestyle (it would be a lifesaver for kick drills), but they were sold out. When I got home, there was an email from the coach telling us the store was sold out, but would have more in a week or so. Great timing, eh?

Now I'm relaxing, resting for tomorrow's 19 in the cold, and watching some football. I don't want to jinx anything, but so far, so good. Can't complain about that.

Run: 9 miles @ 7.6 mph

Lots more water

I'm slowly getting more accustomed to this 4:50 wake-up call that required for the swimming. It's not easy yet, but not only did I wake up today, I actually got some work done while at the office. So, my brain is still functioning with somewhat less sleep. It was another good session in the pool this morning. It can be a little frustrating as I'm doing my last few laps, and I look over and the fast lanes have been empty for quite some time. I know my time there will come. I have the general fitness, I just need the form.

More long intervals today. Last week I was impressed when I did 100m non-stop. This week I'm doing repeat 200's. I guess there's something to be said for motivation. The tips I'm getting are helping considerably. I can tell that form is better, when I'm focusing on it. It's still not ingrained (it's only been a week, I don't have unrealistic expectations) so concentration is a must. As long as my rate of progress stay here for the next few months, I'll be out of the water MOP next summer, giving me the chance to ride and run down the field.

Swim: (from memory, so there's likely to be errors. Did I mention I'm tired?)
5x100 warm-up (free, kick, pull, back, breast)
3x200 as 25m kick/25m free
4x50 low stroke count
4x200 (1st and 3rd - free, 2nd and 4th - pull)
4x50 back, 50 breast, 50 free
Total: 2700m

Afternoon weight session went pretty well. Rows were a bit off, but I think I pulled something in my neck/traps trying to breathe during the kick sets this morning. Otherwise, a really good session.
Upper body
Bear 2x4/75 lbs
Row 2x8,6/110lbs
Pushup 2x8/30 lbs+80 lbs tubing
Pullup 2x8,7
Military Press 2x7,6/70 lbs
Prehab circuit x15

Hard tempo

Since today was supposed to be a busy day, I took the day off work, and got to do my ride in the afternoon. Right now it seems that this once-weekly ride, along with the commuting, is just enough to maintain my strength levels. I'm not making any huge gains right now, but since this isn't the focus, I can't be too upset. Sure, I'd like to be getting stronger all the time, even if all I was doing was eating M&M's (what a wonderful world that would be), but that's not realistic. Today's session was almost an exact replica of six weeks ago, to within 1.5 watts over the 90 minutes. I probably could have pushed a bit harder at the end, and narrowly beat last time, but the fact is, I'm where I was. We'll see if there are any big improvements once the speedwork is by the wayside.

Bike: 90 minutes, warm-up, one-leg drills, then 2x15 min @ 315w, 1x15 min @ 305w, 10 min rest between, cooldown
Run: 2 miles @ 6.5 mph

Early

It's 8:30. I've been at the office for over an hour. Why? you ask. Because Wednesday swims are about 2 blocks from work, so I can bike commute to the pool, then jet over to the office. The morning bike ride was nice: not much traffic, surprisingly warm. It was cumbersome trying to carry my backpack loaded with swim gear and my messenger bag with work stuff at the same time. I think I'm going to ask for a new XL or XXL messenger bag for Christmas. I love my Timbuk2, but it's a medium, and with more space I could be down to one bag.

As for the swim, it was another good day. It's still unlikely that swimming will ever surpass running or cycling in my heart, but I do enjoy it (when I'm not trying to filter the pool water with my nose and mouth). This swim was in a 25yd pool, so mentally it seemed quicker, just from getting to turn so often. I was next to last out of the pool (although I know some folk left before they did all the work), but I did finish every set on the board. The pointers I got on Monday and today continue to help. I'm really trying to focus on improving one thing at a time, until it's ingrained, then I can move one. Right now, if I try to take concentration away from keeping my head down, say, to focus on the catch, within 6-8 strokes I can feel myself faltering again. Lots of work to do. I don't have natural speed or talent, but I do have tenacity. I'll be at every workout, and I'll finish them all to the best of my ability.

Swim: (sets to the best of my remembering)
100yd each of: free, kick, pull, breast, back
3x(100yd kick, 10" rest, 100m pull, 10" rest)
2x(75yd back/75yd breast, 15" rest)
3x200yd (1st-pull, 2nd-free, 3rd-pull), 30" rest
2x(50yd back/50yd breast/50yd free), 15" rest
Total: 2300yd (holy crap!)

Editted later to add: Ran 3 miles easy (6.5 mph) on the treadmill when I got home. Didn't think it was worth it's own post.

Almost done the speedwork

Today was the second to last speed session in prep for Disney, and the last of the short (painful) intervals. It wasn't as warm out as the weather people were claiming. My hands shouldn't have been that cold in 9 degrees. Still, another good run, and I'm definitely setting myself up well for January. I did find that my HR wouldn't get up to where I'd expect it, although my legs and lungs would argue that I was working at full capacity. This could be an artifact of the cold, or I'm overreaching right now. I don't feel excessively tired, considering the 4:50 am wake-up on Monday, so this is still in the "keep an eye on it" stage.

Run: 9 miles, w/11x2 min @ 5k pace, 3 min jog

Blunt Force Trauma

I had some running around to do this afternoon, so I wasn't holding to my usual schedule, but I still got in my weight workout tonight. I can tell that even with a few hours of recovery, the morning swim will be taking something out of me, at least until my body redistributes its recovery resources. This wasn't my best performance, but I muddled through, and got the work in. If things are still way off on Friday, I'll look into rearranging the plan, but I think I'll be OK.

Upper Body
Bear 2x4/75 lbs
Row 2x8,6/110 lbs
Pushup 2x8/30 lbs + 80 lbs tubing
Pullup 2x8,6
Military press 2x6/70 lbs
Prehab circuit x15

I still didn't drown (The 100th post)

And so, this morning, after weeks of flailing on my own, I got to flail in front of an audience. You can't imagine my joy. Let me start by saying, anything before 5 am, is f-in' early. Not just early, but f-in' early. If the Coffee Time isn't open yet, that may be a sign that nobody should be awake.

After the briefest of introductions, it was into the pool for the workout. We were told to seed ourselves in one of six lanes. I chose the next-to-slowest lane. I chose wisely. The workout was 20x100, with 30 sec rest, of a variety of stuff: free, pull, kick, back, breast. I got some coaching from the coach, and fellow swimmers as we went, and made it through the workout, almost. While the fast people had been finished for a while, the slower lanes just kept plugging along. At the end of the session, I had done 19 of the 20 assigned laps. Considering that I was pretty strict about rest, and if my freestyle time would be ~2 minutes/100, and everything else much slower, my hour was spent in near constant motion. The last few lengths were tough, but what I found was that if I didn't do it right (or as close to right as I'm able as of now), I didn't go anywhere. So I had to do it right(er). I'm quite sure that I'll be feeling this around 2 pm.

Pros: Got a great workout. Learned how to do a kick only drill (bury your head to get the hips up). This helped my free form as well. Right now, to balance, I really have to tuck my head, almost to the point where I'm looking at where I came from, but it gets my hips up, so I can move. That's a trade I'll make for now.

Cons: 4:50 am is early. Took a karate chop to the throat from a passing backstroker.

Swim: 1900m (a new record, and how far I have to go for the 70.3)

Hollywood (No More) Shuffle

It may be cooling off, but I really enjoy these easy Sunday morning runs. No pressure, no time demands, just go out and get the miles, and keep the heart rate down. I get lots of funny looks in my shorts when the temperature is just above freezing, but it's actually quite comfortable. My legs don't get cold, probably because all the blood is there anyway.

My pace is ever-quickening. To keep my heart rate below 150 bpm, a couple of months ago I was shuffling along at almost 10 minutes per mile. I don't accurately time these runs, but according to G-map pedometer, I covered 12.45 miles, in 105.5 minutes. That's an average pace of 8:30/mile. I'm pretty chuffed about that. This speed work thing that almost kills me every Tuesday seems to be paying off. The stride is longer, the breathing is good, the turnover is right where it's supposed to be. I guess all it takes to get faster is some hard work and consistency. Who knew?

Run: 5 miles @ 145 bpm, 7 miles @ 150 bpm

Car Chase City

The race-pace runs keep getting a bit longer. Every mile that I can cover now is another mile on race weekend that will go easier. And I really need things to go easier.

I'm now pretty sure that nothing happened to the treadmill. I know I'm getting fitter, and today the heart rate was only a bit below the previous weeks, so that's good enough for me.

By the way, if you're going to be stuck on the treadmill, you can do a lot worse than listening to Tenacious D for the last few miles.

Run: 9 miles @ 7.6 mph

Save Me

Upper body
Bear 2x4/75 lbs
Row 2x6/110 lbs
Pushup 2x6/30 lbs + 80 lbs tubing
Pullup 2x6
Military Press 2x6/70 lbs
Prehab circuit x15

More ladders

I must say, I really enjoy these ladder workouts. They're a lot of fun, if thinking you're having a heart attack while being clubbed in the legs and blowing snot all over your face is considered fun. And it is for me. I'll probably work these into the anaerobic power building part of next season. I'm still trying to figure out what part of next year that will be.

A moderate improvement from 6 weeks ago, with the effort 10 watts higher. I'll try for another ten next go round. The sprints were kind of all over the place. Somehow I cranked all of the 53x15 sprints over 900 watts (and a peak of 943w), which apparently requires 130+ rpm. That must have used up a lot of juice, because the 53x13 sprints didn't get nearly as high as last time. Still over 900, but there was no threatening a grand this time. All in all, a good ride, and I'll be back to go after that elusive 1000w mark.

Bike: 90 min, w/ 2x1-4 minute ladders (equal rest) + 4 sprints @ 53x15, 4 sprints @ 53x13
Run: 2 miles @ 6.5 mph

Plan the work, work the plan

This is what happens when I get bored at work. I pull out a calendar, a pencil, and I start mapping out my training and race schedule for 2008. OK, not all of 2008, just the part until Sept. 14. That's not too bad, is it?

It's still a rough schedule, because I'm waiting to a few dates to be confirmed, but assuming things take place when they say they will, or on the usual weekend, I know almost all of my races for next year. There's been some talk of doing a triathlon relay with some friends (Team Crocular), which we can coordinate some time in the future. I have a mix of running, cycling and triathlon events. Enough to keep my appetite whet, but not too many for burnout (I hope). What does it look like? Here's the rough version:

January 12-13: Goofy's Race and Half Challenge
May 10: Mississauga Marathon 10k
May 18: Niagara Classic
June 1: Milton Triathlon
June 15: Muskoka Chase
June 21-22: Ride to Conquer Cancer
July 20: Niagara Triathlon
August 16-17: Jewel in the Wilderness
September 1: Oakville Half-marathon
September 14: Muskoka Ironman 70.3

That should keep me out of trouble, eh? I've also started roughing out the training plan. Based on some reading I've done lately, I'm getting away from 4 week blocks (21 days on/7 recover), and switching to 3 weeks (16 days on/5 recover). This will allow me some more recovery, but I'll always be able to keep my long rides/runs on the weekends. Two weeks after Goofy, the first of eleven blocks begins (those weeks will be for full recovery, swimming, probably some light riding, but few if any runs). The first couple of blocks will be about building saddle time, and starting to rebuild some run mileage. Blocks 4-5 will be run focused again, to build early season speed. There will be another run focus in block 9. All of 5 day recovery periods will only have the scheduled swims, bike commuting, and a daily 3 mile LSD run.

There's still lots of detail to work out, but I guess there's also lots of time to do that in. I may be a bit obsessive, but I'm a planner, so this is how I operate. I would assume that by January 1st, I'll know every workout I'll do for the next 9 months. Then I just have to do them, and that's the fun part.

The last uncoached swim

As per the new schedule, I did a quick run after work. Just four miles on the treadmill, nice and relaxed. My wife expressed some concern that my session on Sunday may have burnt out the motor, since she felt that it's not running as fast as it was last week. So I kept an eye on my HR and effort at my usual pace to see if I may have broken the treadmill. My HR did seem low, but my breathing and PE were about the same as usual, and my cadence was in the same range. The HR may have been depressed from the fartlek on Tuesday, so it's still tough to judge. I'll give it another spin after the bike ride Thursday. I'd hate to think I busted it already. I wasn't even going that fast. Just long.

Run: 4 miles @ 6.5 mph

After food and some resting, it was back to the pool for my last swim that won't be guided by a professional. Let me say, I definitely need the guidance of a professional. Things keep getting better, but I have a lot of ground to cover if I want to be competitive next year. Tonight was further than I've gone previously, and I was able to reduce my rest periods, and string together more lengths. The pace was a backed off a bit, but I was more concerned about near-continuous motion. I don't want to show up next Monday, be assigned something like 5x200m, and be left to exclaim, "This isn't Pottery 101! What am I doing here?" It is interesting to note that, in the next two weeks, I'll do as many swims as I have in the last 6 weeks (and 25 years for that matter). There's a metaphor about "sink or swim". Now's the time to see if that works in the no-metaphor sense as well.

Swim: 1500m, w/4x100m non-stop

Title changes

The original title of this post was supposed to be 'Things That Suck'. That was the plan before I even stepped out the door. In fact, I had been dreading this run since I looked at a forecast a few days ago. There were promises of darkness, near-freezing temperatures, high winds, and rain or snow. On top of that, it was another fartlek session. Nine miles of speed work in the cold, wind, and rain. This was truly going to suck.

But it didn't. All the factors above were still there. It WAS dark. It WAS cold. It WAS windy. It WAS raining. I WAS running hard. And I had a blast doing it. As bad as the conditions were, I've been through worse, and going through it again, gets me ready for the next time. If the conditions at Disney are similar to those two years ago, then I'll be prepared. (If they're like last year, then I might run into issues. Cold and wet doesn't prepare you for 85 and humid.)

Somebody I'll be racing next year took the day off today, and I'll beat that person. I don't have many athletic gifts. I'm not naturally fast, or strong, or even have that great of endurance. What I bring to the table is an uncommon tenacity, and a love for the sport. I don't miss training days. If it's in the schedule, it gets done. Every mile, every minute. And I hesitate to ever call what I do "workouts". It's not work. This is my playtime. Intervals in the rain? That's fun. Tempo session on the trainer? I can hardly wait. These sessions are some of the highlights of my days.

Running in the cold and rain doesn't suck. Skipping nights like tonight would.

Run: 9 miles w/ 7x5 min @ 5-10k pace, 3 min recovery

Angel of Death

I'm liking this new resistance training set-up. It's not overly taxing, but I can tell I'm getting good work in, and I can feel some small increases in strength. Since the weight and reps haven't changed, it's more of a sensation that at the end of a set, instead of one rep in the tank, there's two now. Every little bit helps.

Upper body
Bear 2x4/75 lbs
Row 2x6/110 lbs
Pushup 2x6/30 lbs + 80 lbs tubing
Pullup 2x6
Military press 2x6/70 lbs
Prehab circuit x15

Long runs are long

I have in my schedule that every third week, the Sunday long run is a "fast finish" run. I had decided months ago that the best way to do this was on the treadmill. Fast forward to today, and I was on the books to do 17 miles, on the treadmill. Ugh.

It wouldn't be too bad if I could see the TV from my stationary position. But I can't. So I listened to about 8 or 9 episodes of Newsradio, and stared at my NHL figures, the slowly increasing numbers, and the new Cervelo. The worst part is the monotony. The pace doesn't change much over 2.5 hours. To get through, you end up doing all sorts of creative arithmetic gymnastics so that it seems like it's almost over. At one point, I had convinced myself that 5 miles was ALMOST halfway. Turns out, it's not.

But I survived. In three weeks, I have a twenty miler under these conditions (the day after moving ... joy), but that's the last truly long run that has to be done on the treadmill. After completing today, I'm not worried about any runs in the future. I can handle just about anything now.

Run: 6 miles @ 145 bpm, 6 miles @ 150 bpm, 5 miles @ 7.6 mph.

In some good news, today was the last run in the current shoes. (Good thing too since I raised a bit of a blister.) With ten weeks to go, I can pull out the new shoes and get enough miles in them to break 'em in, but not break 'em down. I know I keep talking about Christmas coming early, but these have been in my closet since July, waiting to be unleashed. If you see flames coming from the Downsview area on Tuesday, that will be me burning up the streets.

And in even further good news, I got an email from the head coach of the swim program. The excitement builds! One thing he did mention, was that some folks will skip the group swims until the new year, but since the first couple of months are dedicated to technique, if your stroke is an 'issue', you should make sure you turn up. I think we've established that my stroke is not just an 'issue', it's a bound volume of the last few year's issues, so I won't be missing any swims for a while.

Sometime this week, I'll be unveiling a tentative race schedule for next year. It's a cornucopia of endurance athletics. I guess that's what being a multisport athlete causes.

Cool runnings

The title of today's post has two meanings. First, the temperature this morning was definitely on the cool side. According to weather.com, it was exactly 0 when I walked out the door. I'd prefer to think of it as "brisk", rather than cold. It's always fun to run through the neighbourhood, wearing shorts, with people sitting in their cars waiting for it to warm up. I got more than a few confused looks and second glances.

Second, the run itself went really well. After the bike session on Thursday, I was concerned about overtraining (and will continue to keep an eye on it), but today my HR was down, and the pace was up. It was just a zone 1-2 run of eight miles, but when I checked the clock at the end, I was faster than I expected. So the running is going well. Am I maybe losing some bike strength? Perhaps, I hope not, but even if I am, it's not the end of the world, with the focus on the marathon and run miles right now. I can get that back in the new year pretty quickly. Or, it may just be that I'm under-recovered on Thursdays from the fartlek sessions. That's OK too, and I'll show the improvements when I switch Tuesdays back to LSD work in a few weeks.

Now I'm relaxing, watching Tech on the Gametracker, eating leftover candy, and seriously considering a nap. This is how a Saturday should be.

Run: 3 miles @ 145 bpm, 5 miles @ 150 bpm

Just One Fix

Same as Monday. Nothing of note to report. Hopefully this will leave enough in the tank for the weekend's runs.

Bear 2x4/75 lbs
Row 2x6/110 lbs
Pushup 2x6/30 lbs + 80 lbs tubing
Pullup 2x6
Military Press 2x6/70 lbs
Prehab circuit x15

More tempo

Back on the bike, and back to tempo work. All told, a good session, with a big improvement in wattage. On the other hand, there was a big increase in heart rate, much more than would be expected for the harder effort. I'm hoping that this is from some mild overreaching, and can be rectified with a couple of good nights of sleep, and not the start of more serious overtraining. A second theory is that I'm just not fully recovered from Tuesday (same effect as last week). This is the first time I've seen higher HRs for almost the same level of work. Running,and my other bike workouts, have all shown a decrease in heart at a given pace, so I'll be keeping an eye on this over the next week. Now is not the time for a long break to get out of a training hole. My volume and intensity are not so high that I should be breaking down. I've done more in the past and been fine. Fingers crossed I'll be fine this time. More sleep and food may be required, and given the pile of leftover Halloween candy in the house, I'm OK with that.

Bike: 90 minutes w/ 60 min @ 270w tempo
Run: 2 miles @ 6.5 mph

Another night, another session of splashing

As I've noted before. I'm dropping my Wednesdays weight sessions, so that I don't compromise my recovery. Instead, I'm doing a short, slow run, just to add some miles, and help recovery after the Tuesday speed sessions. Today was the first time through this. It was kind of refreshing to get home, pull on a pair of shorts and hit the treadmill just to work out the kinks. I could feel the muscles loosening over the course of the run, so it's already paid its benefits.

Run: 3 miles @ 6.5 mph

Then, after dinner and some relaxing (and a lone trick-or-treater; disappointing, but more treats for me), it was back at the pool. Once more, the reminder of "good weeks and bad weeks" paid off tonight.

I know that I have a far from perfect stroke, but I also know that it has improved considerably in these few workouts. Tonight, things felt somewhat rougher than last week, but some of that is changing feedback. My speed was faster than any previous night (most of my lengths that I timed were in the 55-58 second range). My endurance was up (on four separate occasions I did 100m non-stop). My breathing was better and more relaxed (multiple lengths using bilateral breathing, only dropping to every second stroke near the end of longer efforts, to avoid splashing from a passing swimmer, or to do off-side work). And for the first time, I was able to slow down and not be going all-out. So why did things feel so rough?

As I clean up various parts of my stroke, I'm becoming somewhat more attuned to where the problems are in other parts of the movement. The cues that I used last week are still not automatic, so I had to remain focused on those to keep the form I could, but as I moved through the water, I could note where things were still not feeling right: I wasn't rotating as much last night, unless I really though about it; I don't glide much; my hips drop more when breathing on my left than right, and I sometimes seem to barely pull with my left arm.

I start with the coach in two weeks. I know that I should be doing drills to work on some of these issues, but it's tough during crowded lane swimming hours. I'm sure the coaching sessions will include drill work, especially for "new" swimmers like me. There's seven months until my first triathlon, and another 2.5 until the 'A' race. Lots of time to figure all this out.

A little bit faster now

Tonight was my second week of speedwork. These sessions always beat the snot out of me, so I can only handle once a week, and only for a few weeks. Speedwork on the run is a lot tougher than on the bike. I end up feeling it in my muscles and joints for at least a day or two, every time.

But, it pays off. Big time.

Everything gets faster when you're doing intervals. Your stride will get smoothed out, you have to hold good body position or you'll breakdown. Turnover gets faster, stride length increases. All these things will carry over to slower paces as well.

And it's fun. At least until the next day.

Run: 8 miles, w/ 9x2 min sub-5k pace, 3 min recovery

Purified

After a weekend of big(ger) mileage, I've been pretty drained. As I noted last week, I think I'm going to have to step back the weight work or I'll compromise recovery in the coming weeks. So today was the first day of that plan. This will be about strength maintenance primarily. There should be some small gains, but since this isn't a focus right now, I won't be pushing that hard.

Bear 2x4/75 lbs
Row 2x6/110 lbs
Pushup 2x6/30 lbs + 80 lbs tubing
Pullup 2x6
Military Press 2x6/70 lbs
Prehab circuit x15

Rainbow in the Dark

In case you didn't know (although if you read this blog, you probably have some interest in triathlon/running), sixteen miles is a pretty long way by foot. A lot further than 8 miles (yesterday's run). Like, almost twice as much.

This was one of those mornings in the fall that are tough to judge what to wear. It was about 4 degrees, with a stiff wind, when I went out the door. Normally, I'd wear a long-sleeve shirt, windbreaker, and shorts, but a thread on Slowtwitch about running tights got me thinking maybe I should pull mine on. So I did. I also wore my heavier gloves.

Both of those decisions were mistakes. It only took a few miles before I was overheated, but being hard-headed, I kept going through the entire run. The westerly wind took a lot of gas out of me over the course of the run. I followed by usual plan of picking up the intensity into a higher HR band, but my the last few miles, that HR got me only a slight improvement over the pace at the start of the run. So there's some endurance work that needs to be done. Luckily, I have 11 weeks and about 350 miles to get that work in.

Run: 8 miles @ 145 bpm, 8 miles @ 150 bpm

I will note that I saw the most amazing rainbow of my life this morning. I think this was the first time I've seen one that had the entire arc visible. It's the stuff like that that keeps me from spending all my time on the treadmill.

If it's Christmas, where's the snow?

And so, after months of reading reviews, and lucking into a clearance sale, and waiting weeks to get a proper aero fit, and waiting another week for the final adjustments to be completed, I finally got to bring my new baby home. After this, I'll probably cover it in a blanket until spring, so I don't spend all my time drooling on it. (Might rust the frame.) I'll have my wife put a ribbon on it and "give" it to me for Christmas. Imagine my surprise!

I'm not usually one for naming bikes, but sometimes they demand a name, and it's obvious what it is. And so, I give you, Lightning McQueen!

Isn't he sweet? Cervelo P2SL Pro. Imagined in Canada, built in China. The upgrades from the regular P2SL are the carbon fork and seatpost, carbon cranks, and upgraded aerobars. So sleek and smooth. Check out the cranks and the aero cutout in the seat tube.

And the view from the cockpit (if I were to try to TT my basement...) Those are new extensions, since my forearms were too long for the stock model. As they say in the climbing world, I have a high ape-index.

I know the position looks a little high, but my back is nice and flat, and I'll be comfortable through the longer distances. If I want to go a bit lower in the future, it's an option, but right now, everything is tuned to perfection (aside from my fitness ... less than perfect, it is). All I need to do now is develop enough speed to earn this ride. I can't imagine anything more embarassing than riding Lightning and getting my doors blown off my some dude on a MTB.

Hungry for Heaven

Running to Dio is always a good thing. Ronnie James Dio is a metal god, so his music is great motivation to crank through 8 miles on the treadmill. So the workout this morning was pretty good. Then I had the displeasure of "watching" Tech lose another football game. (Gametracker just isn't as good as actual coverage.) But then I went to Endurosport.

Pictures coming soon.

Run: 8 miles @ 7.6 mph

Bear Witness Unto

In the near future, I'm going to have to rethink my resistance training. It's all upper body work, functioning as a substitute for swimming. Once I begin the 3x/week, will I need the extra work? Probably not, but I do enjoy my sessions in the weight room? Yes, and I'm not sure I'd want to risk giving up what (little) I've accomplished, especially given my bad shoulders. (They feel much better with regular, good form, resistance work.) But I know my recovery will be compromised if I try to do too much. This would be exacerbated (5 cent word of the day) by my reduced sleep schedule (which I'd imagine will be a product of the 5:xx swim times). So my thinking right now, noting that this plan could change in a heartbeat, is to cut back to two sessions, Monday and Friday. I'm not sure yet how I'll set things up with varying rep ranges, but I'll work something out. Additionally, this will open up Wednesday for a light run. The added volume there (if I keep intensity down) will be a boost for the marathon training.

I spend too much time thinking about these things.

Upper body - horizontal: light
Bear 2x4/75 lbs
Row 2x20/85 lbs
Pushup 2x20/30 lbs

If you've read this far into the post, there's big news. I just called Endurosport, and my ??? is ready for pickup tomorrow. I'll check on the digital camera situation around the house to see if any work so I can provide pics.