Ka-Boom

Yet another Tuesday, and another workout with Coach Troy. And once again, I got all kinds of blown up. I got a pretty good workout, and mostly hit my targets, but could barely pedal during the recoveries. It was way too much of a fight to get through. I've figured out part of the problem, though. See, I looked at last week's workout, and planned my numbers for tonight. For some reason, I figured that every rep should be 10-30 watts higher than last time. That would be an improvement of 3-10%. How could I possibly reason that I should improve by 5% in a week? Most people would be happy to improve 5-10% over the course of a season, and I expected that in a week? That's just insane. So next time I cycle through a set of workouts, I need slightly more realistic expectations. Blowing myself up every couple of weeks chasing impossible wattage can't be that good an idea.

PS- I think I scared my wife and father-in-law during the workout. They were both more than a little concerned that I was doing myself some damage. I think they were right.

Run: 2.5 miles, ez

Bike: Spinervals 3.0 - Suffer-O-Rama, 60 minutes

Just a brief recap

Swim: w/u - 200yds each free, non-free, pull
3x300, 30", 1&3: ez free, 2: pull w/paddles
4x25 sprint on 1'
100 ez non-free
3x200, 20", 1&3: ez free, 2: pull w/paddles
4x25 sprint on 1'
100 ez non-free
3x100, 10", 1: ez free, 2: pull w/paddles, 3: ez non-free
2x25 sprint on 1'
c/d - 100 ez pull
Total: 3000yds

Run: 2.5 miles, ez

Inspiration

I hope everyone was able to watch the internet coverage of yesterday's Hy-Vee triathlon, and I would expect that everyone Canadian in the audience was running extra fast today. I know I was. If you missed out, set your VCR/DVR/alarm clock for Sunday when NBC will be showing the races. You will not be disappointed. When I grow up, I want to be Simon Whitfield.

So based on that, I set out for my morning run, about 8 miles on the flats. My pace was probably a bit faster than the strictly aerobic running I usually intend on the weekends, but I can let it slide every so often. Even still, I wasn't going anywhere near race effort, just pushing a solid sub-tempo speed. I could really feel it when I was gathering my form together, because things would get easier, and at the same time I'd go a little faster. I'm pretty sure my 21:59 is the fastest I've covered my 3.15 mile loop, and it's sub-7 min/mile pace. Not bad for not working too hard. You can't complain about days like that.

Run: 8.4 miles, 24:27/16:28/21:59

Speeding up by slowing down, Part Two

I wanted to try something a bit different this morning. I was a little disappointed with my run from last week, and I was left wondering if my pedaling cadence may have been the culprit. Coming from a cycling background, I often pedal at 90-100 rpm, which, according to some theories, may compromise my running. So this morning I tried going at a lower cadence. I wasn't going to be running afterward, but I wanted to see how it felt.

There was a pretty solid (25+ km/h) wind coming out of the NNE. Normally this would slow things down a bit, but instead I was still grooving along. I was averaging over 36 km/h heading east, 44 km/h (easily cruising at 50+ for a while) heading south, and 38 km/h going west. I was feeling really strong. I may have to try this out next week in the race, and see if I can recover a better run.

Bike: 120 minutes, ~60km

The goggles ... they worked!

We had a bit of a crowd this morning for swimming. Due to the strike, we've been forced into a 25 yard pool for the time being, so when we get the usual crowd for Fridays, the pool can be a little congested. I tried to treat the day like an OW swim, and managed to only suck up about a quarter of the poolwater.

I also got better tension on the goggles this morning, and everything worked out better. I'll give them a few more days before I give the glowing review, but so far they've been pretty good.

My lunchtime run went exceptionally well. Even with some stiffness left over from last night, I seemed to be clipping along at a good rate without any real stress. Usually I'll do my 2.5 mile run in 19:00-:15, but today I cruised in at 18:30. The body is a weird machine sometimes.

Swim: w/u - 200yds each free, non-free, pull
3x300 as 1: 25 head-up/75 free, 2: 100 hard/200 ez, 3: ez pull, 30"
3x200 free, HIM pace, 30"
200 ez non-free, 30"
3x100 free, sprint race pace, 15"
100 ez non-free, 15"
3x100 pull w/paddles, 15"
c/d: 100 ez non-free, 100 ez pull
Total: 3200 yds

Run: 2.5 miles, ez

Run drunk

It's been a long time since I could say that Jack Daniels was killing me. And I'm pretty sure tomorrow morning my legs will feel hungover. By the end of tonight's run, I was absolutely blotto.

I can't even really say why this run was so tough. It didn't even seem that much worse (if at all) than my last I-pace workout. Last time was 4x5 minutes, tonight was 5x4. Sure, the pace was up, but only by 0.1 mph, so it shouldn't have been the case that I would be struggling. But there I was, having to fight my way through all the reps. I made it, although I had to take some extra rest (90-120 seconds) after the third rep. (Nature called ... and texted ... and faxed ... and emailled. Nature was not to be ignored.) I have to do this two more times in the coming weeks, so I hope to see some big improvements.

Run: 2.5 miles, ez

Run: 55 minutes, w/5x4 minutes @ 10.1 mph + 3 minutes @ 7.5 mph

The goggles ... they do nothing

Another pretty good swim this morning. I really felt like I was moving, so all is good there. However, I continue to have bad luck with goggles. Just prior to this weekend, I found a crack developing in the nosebridge of my present goggles. This is the third pair in a row that have gone bad early on me, after one pair lasted over a year. Since I had some time on Saturday, I stopped by the Swim and Sports tent, and got fitted for some new goggles. I waited until today to try them out. I think the issue is just that I didn't have the strap done tight enough, but these things filled with water within 75 yards every time. Either eye. It was more than a little frustrating. They'll get one more shot on Friday, then I may have to go look for something else this weekend.

Swim: w/u - 200yds each free, non-free, pull
400 free as 200 hard/200 race pace, 30"
100 ez non-free
300 free as 25 sprint/50 ez, 30"
100 ez non-free
300 free as 25 head-up/50 ez, 30"
100 ez non-free
300 free as 150 ez/150 hard, 30"
100 ez non-free
100 ez pull
3x200 pull w/paddles, 30"
Total: 3000yds

Run: 2.5 miles, ez

Run: 4 miles @ 7.5 mph

More schedule changes

This weekend I had a pretty good race, much better than I expected, and because of that, I scored a few points in the OSS standings. Enough points, in fact, to move into first place at this point in the season.

Note: It's ridiculous that I won a race, and beyond ridiculous that I would be leading a points series. I'm just not that good. Has the swine flu stricken everyone but me?

Further note: My position at the front right now can be equated to leading the train into the last 500m of a TdF finish. Sure, right now I'm winning, but I'll be swept under in a few seconds.

But anyway, that's the position I'm in, and I admit it's a bit of an ego stroke. But now I also feel like I need to defend it a little. A while back, I said I was dropping Peterborough from my schedule so that I wasn't racing all the time and dragging my wife all over the province. Well, now it looks like I'll race Peterborough. It's a sprint on the same day as a HIM, so again I'll be facing a somewhat depleted field (which is a huge part of my strategy to score points :). It looks like a fast course, so we'll see how things turn out.

Why am I so competitive that you can dangle anything in front of me (medals, points titles, etc.) and completely suck me in?

Good hard work will pay off

I got in my usual quick run at work, and after a hot ride home, it was onto the trainer to once more face Coach Troy. This time, it was one of the earliest workouts, Spinervals 3.0, Suffer-O-Rama. The workout alternates set of short, high-intensity bursts, and longer tempo sets. The short bursts go from 60 to 30 seconds, with approximately equal rest. I don't hit them at quite 100% intensity, at least not for the first interval. My goal is to be able to do the last one at the same power as the first, and I was able to manage that. Not by much, mind you, but I dragged myself through. The tempo sets were a bit tougher for me today. I'm not sure why I had as much difficulty as I did, but I would have expected a slightly higher power output. I'll see about raising that the next time. I did disregard the calls to alternate standing and sitting, and instead kept low and powered through. I'll be back next week to try again and see how much stronger I've gotten.

Run: 2.5 miles, ez

Bike: Spinervals 3.0 - Suffer-O-Rama, 60 minutes

Membership has its priveleges

We had a location change for swimming this morning, due to the city union strike. Luckily we were able to get an alternate spot, so at least we could keep getting our time in the water (or a portion of it).

Lots of 400s, with some head-up, sprints, and paddle work tossed in. Except not for me. As a new member of the Winner's Circle, I only had to do the easy swimming.

(Truth be told, everyone who raced this weekend got the same orders, but it sounds better to say "Race winners get an easy day.")

(OK, this is the last time I'm going to mention/brag. Promise.)

(Until I get the result tattooed on my forehead.)

So I got to do a bunch of 400s and stretch myself out. It felt really good. I did some reading over the weekend about front-quadrant swimming, and that it's less about a long glide phase (counter-productive), and more about a fast recovery, so I tried something a bit different for a couple of lengths. Rather than finishing my stroke and starting in unison, I kind of whipped my hand through the end of the stroke into the recovery, so that things were a little of sync (recovering hand was just shy of my shoulder when the stroke started). I don't know if this is right, though. Any swimmers who can tell me if I'm potentially screwing everything up here?

Swim: w/u - 200yds each free, non-free, pull
5x400, 30" (1: 25 scull/75 pull, 2: 25 thigh scrape/75 free, 3: ez free, 4: 25 quick/75 free, 5: 25 non-free/75 free)
3x100 pull, 30"
c/d - 100 ez non-free
Total: 3000yds

Run: 2.5 miles, ez

It got hot

This was a bit of a shock to the system. We've had such a cool spring that I really haven't had to do any runs in particularly hot weather, but today it was already approaching 20 degrees in the morning, and getting warmer. Add in the rain over the last couple of days, and it was hot and muggy morning.

Things didn't feel too good just wandering the house, but once I was on the run, I was actually surprised by the jump I had. I wasn't going to be setting any records, but I did keep up a really good pace. However, I was sweating like a demon. My shirt was soaked through before I finished my first five loop. I really could have used a second water bottle, but I didn't think of it before heading out. I'll set things up better next week. I did pick the pace on the second loop, and ended up having a good run considering I raced the day before. I just have to keep working at this and maybe next time I won't just have to barely hang on by 3 seconds.

Run: 10.5 miles, 41:12/38:59

The rest of the day was pretty much crashed. I picked up a new pull buoy after the cat attacked my other one while we were away, and took my wife to the garden nursery. While we were there, I got pretty much knocked on my butt by the heat. I guess I didn't get enough fluids back into my system after the run, and my temperature regulation had gone haywire. Once we got home, I power-drank about 3 glasses of water, then relaxed for a bit, and was feeling much better. The pulled pork and baked beans helped too.

Ride It Like You Stole It - The Guelph Lake I Sprint Triathlon Race Report

The weather reports for today weren't great. They weren't horrible, but it wasn't going to be sunny and clear. There were thundershowers in the morning, with showers continuing into the afternoon. With a race start at 1pm, we should only have to deal with the showers. We actually got even luckier than that, with only a bit of mist by the time the gun went off. I was in the second wave, men 30-44, so among a lot of people but not racing all of them. Guelph Lake uses a beach start, so there's always a bit more madness at the beginning.

Swim:
I took a position up front, with the intention of finding good feet early and cruising through the swim. With the gun, we sprinted into the lake, taking some high steps, then it was off in the swim. I started a bit faster than I would want, putting more pressure on than I would care to. Lots of bumping and banging on the way to clearer water. I was finally able to get some feet, and followed along for most of the course. On the stretch back to shore, I pulled out and started to move up, chasing other white swimcaps. When I stood up at the shore, the time was 13:XX, but there's a long stretch from the water to transition. You have to run up the beach, up a hill, behind transition, and through the run exit. This would explain why my time was closer to fifteen minutes.

T1:
Went much better than last race. I popped right out of wetsuit, slapped on my shoes, race number and helmet, and was off for a bike ride.

Bike:
My ride didn't start as well as I would hope. I didn't have my pedals quite lined up, so when I did my flying mount, it took some fumbling to get going. Then in the first kilometre, an SUV pulled out of the parking lot (likely a Try-A-Tri participant), which I got stuck behind for a few seconds. I pulled around the left side after losing a couple of places, and with a newfound anger, I set off. We found out last year at Milton, I ride pretty fast when I'm angry.

There really isn't a lot to report on the ride. It's a mostly flat, slightly rolling course, only 19km long. Because of the rain, my computer was acting funny. The speeds it was reporting changed every few seconds from 40 km/h to 22 km/h and everything in between. I probably ended up going a bit harder than I should have, as my heart rate was pinned at 165-175 bpm, but my legs and lungs never felt bad.

Since I never know where I stand coming out of the water, I also never know how many spots I've moved up, or what position I'm in at the end of the ride. I knew I did a lot of passing, and no one passed me, so I figured I got myself a decent spot.

T2:
It seems I got a bit more than a decent spot. When I got back to transition, there were no other bikes on the M35-39 rack. None. I was the first to T2. (The folks at Slowtwitch would be proud.) Normally I'm in the role of the chaser, which is something I revel in. Today I was the chased.

Run:
So now I had to go. It's an out and back course, and I saw the first returnee as I was just past the 1km mark. I passed a couple of runners, then was in a bit of a No Man's Land. I tried to keep the pace up as best I could, but my legs weren't as good as I wanted. When I hit the turnaround, I timed how much of a gap I had to the next runners. Thirty seconds. Given that a lot of guys will be running 3:50 or so per km, and I was fighting for 4:00-:05, that might not be enough. But I had a guy in front of me, and I just tried to key off him. As long as the gap was the same or shrinking, or had to feel OK. With just over a kilometre to go, I was passed. A quick glance, and I knew he was much younger than me. Check the calf, and yep, we can let him go. I did a shoulder check a couple of times, and didn't see anyone moving too close. (Turns out I had a blindspot.) The finish was a the bottom of a mild grade, so I tried to keep the pace up until I hit the line. I was hurting pretty bad, trying to dig out what I could. I know there's more speed there, but it wasn't available this afternoon.

After finishing and getting some food, and waiting a while for results to be posted, I found the good news: Seventh overall, first in the age group. Not a bad way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

Official Results:
Swim: 14:48 (1:58/100m), 6/44 AG
T1: 1:12
Bike: 31:15 (36.5 km/h), 1/44 AG (4/542 overall!!)
T2: 0:59
Run: 20:27 (4:06/km), 4/44 AG
Total: 1:08:32, 7/542 overall, 1/44 AG

OTS Points: 0, Series Points: 40
OSS Points: 100, Series Points: 140

Looking at the results now, I barely held on. It was only three seconds to the next place. He crushed me on the swim and run, but luckily that's not the only part of the race. Somehow I put together a top-notch bike ride, enough to give me the cushion needed to win. This amazed me, since running should be a strength, and I'm not doing that much bike work so far this year. I'll have to keep working on my run, and maybe next time I'll be able to open the gap instead of running for my life.

Now I can relax for the night, wearing my "Race Winner" cap and fondling my plaque. (Was that out loud?) Then wake up bright and early tomorrow morning and head out for a ten mile run to get some running legs before the season ends.

A bit tight

With the race tomorrow, I just needed to get in a quick little swim this morning. The way the workout was set out (two cycles of a bunch of work), I knew I could get out after the first cycle and have had a good day. The workout went well, I felt pretty good, although some tightness started to build up in my shoulders. I don't think this was from the work, so it might just have been some stress from yesterday hanging around.

Midway through the warm-up, the strap on my goggles broke. This necessitated a quick change to some back-ups (which fogged up every 50m), and after the session I changed straps so that I could use my good ones again. I'll have to do a test run before the race to make sure everything works right.

Swim: w/u - 200m each free, non-free, pull
4x50 free as 25 hard/25 ez, 10"
4x50 free hard, 1'
100 ez non-free, 15"
500 ez pull, 1'
3x200 pull w/paddles, 30"
c/d - 100 ez non-free, 100 ez pull
Total: 2400m

Run: 2.5 miles, ez

Stretching it out

All I had today were a couple of short runs. Lots of stress at work and other places, but I was still able to get in the miles. The second run included some pick-ups to race speed, which helped to stretch me out. It felt good, and I think I'll be ready for Saturday.

Run: 2.5 miles, ez

Run: 3 miles @ 7.4 mph, w/2x90s @ 9.2 mph + 3 minute recovery

A jumble of workouts

There was a little bit of everything today, but nothing too difficult. (I emphasize the too because the sprints during the swim were, at least, a little difficult.) My form still seems to be holding together at swimming, I got a nice easy jog in at work, and a light spin after work. It's not so much I feel knackered at all, but enough that I'll get a good night's sleep.

Swim: w/u - 200m each free, non-free, pull
2x500 ez free, 1' (1: long strokes, 2: 25 fists/75 free)
2x200 pull w/paddles, 30"
200 ez non-free, 30"
2x200 pull w/paddles, 30"
2x100 hard, 30" (1:45, 1:46)
100 ez non-free, 30"
2x100 hard, 30" (1:42, 1:39)
100 ez non-free, 30"
2x100 hard, 30" (1:39, 1:40)
100 ez non-free
Total: 3500m

Run: 2.5 miles, ez

Bike: 30 minutes, z1-2

A nice little jog

Another really good run day. My staying power through these tempo efforts is getting better every week. Tonight was another 20 minute effort, same as last time on the treadmill, and I had it grooved the whole way. I kept relaxed 4-4 breathing through the first 5 minutes, and did the last minute of each five minute block at the same. No real stress whatsoever. You've got to like that.

Run: 2.5 miles, ez

Run: 50 minutes, w/20 minutes @ 9.2 mph

Settling back in

Given that so many people were racing this weekend, today's workout in the pool was mostly easy work. That worked well for me, since I've been out of the water for ten days. I was actually pretty happy with how the swim felt. I kept pretty good form, and I was finishing my stroke. My times on the hard parts were a bit behind what I'd prefer to do, but I can live with it after a week away.

Swim: w/u - 200m each free, non-free, pull
500 ez free, 1'
400 pull w/paddles, 1'
300 as 100 back/100 breast/100 free, 30"
200 blast (3:24), 1'
100 ez non-free, 1'
500 ez pull, 1'
400 free w/paddles, 1'
300 as 100 back/100 breast/100 free, 30"
200 blast (3:28), 1'
100 ez non-free
Total: 3600m

Run: 2.5 miles, ez

The Nail

Tonight the hammer was dropped on me. I don't know if it's all the late nights and the time change, I don't know if it's the pressure change from flying earlier in the day, I don't know if it's the week away from any cycling at all. But I do know that I had nothing (NO-thing) to offer on tonight's ride.

I was back for another visit with the Spinervals workout, Dropping the Hammer. I actually felt pretty good during the warm-up sets, but during the long intervals, I crapped out. During reps two and three, I had to take breaks to get through it. Just sad. I made a little comeback during the killer minutes, but I was trading off pretty good intensity during the set with barely pedaling during the rest. Usually I can at least keep my feet moving during recovery, but it was just sad. The hammer had been dropped on me.

I've been doing this long enough to know I'll snap back pretty quick, and I'll still knock out a top ride next week. But it sucks not hitting the numbers this time.

Bike: Spinervals 29.0 - Dropping the Hammer, 60 minutes

River City Miles

Surprisingly, I was able to get up easily this morning. The night didn't go nearly as late as I'd expected. We definitely had some fun, as our family is wont to do when we get together. All those cousins, aunts and uncles in one space, with a new generation coming up, and good times are bound to happen.

Anyway, this morning I wanted to get 11-12 miles, so I hit the greenway trail I found yesterday. Unfortunately, it ended earlier than I expected, so I turned back, but I was able to cross over and head for the university. A few blocks of neighbourhoods, past the golf course I stumbled through many times back from the bar, and then I was on campus. I ran around the main road, and found myself by my old dorm. I had a quick glance up at my old window, ran through some wistful memories, and was on my way back to the hotel. I felt really solid all run, and I was able to pick up the effort a little in the second half. By the end I was starting to feel the effort, all these miles this week, with no real recovery work, was starting to catch up. Hopefully a few days of moderate work and some time on the bike and in the pool with get things straightened out for next weekend, when we toe the line again.

Run: 85 minutes, ~ 18km, zone 1-2

Keep moving

It was up bright and early after a bit of a late night. We're in Winnipeg for a wedding, and that meant the pre-wedding party. Lots of chatting with relatives I hadn't seen in years, but stuff like that can leave you drained. Once I was up, I had time to get in 40-45 minutes of solid running before heading off for the official festivities. Just off one of the major routes in town there was a greenway trail that gave me nice uninterrupted running. Everything felt good, so tomorrow (if I can drag myself out of bed) I'll get in my weekend long run.

Run: 45 minutes, zone 1-2

Last day on the home trails

Since we head out today for Winnipeg, and the visit home is over, I did a longer run today, and added in a twenty minute tempo effort. It was probably a shade over tempo, since I got well over 3 miles in the time, but it was nice to move at a good clip. I'm feeling much better than I was after the day of rest.

Run: 65 minutes, w/20 minutes tempo

Short

I decided I was right about an easy day, so I let my legs and hips recover by just doing about 3-3.5 miles, around 25 minutes, nice and easy. I'll be back tomorrow.

Run: 25 minutes, Z1-2

A bit longer

If yesterday I added some faster running, I responded by making today a bit longer. I kept it to zone 1-2, but went again for the better part of nine or ten miles, another 75 minute run. I'd spent the day rolling around Riding Mountain National Park, so it was good to get some blood pumping in my legs. I think I'll take tomorrow pretty easy, maybe a light 3 miler, since I'm starting to get a little tight. Even though I run daily back home, I have my recovery rides, swims to loosen up, and less mileage, so this is tougher for my body to recover from. One easy day, then I think I'll be able to string together another 3 days of good running while I'm here.

Run: 75 minutes, 9-10 miles, Z1-2

Shaking things up

Another little run today. Just a quick 5 miler, getting stuff done if I can't ride or swim. I threw in about four pickup of 2-4 minutes each. That added a bit of fun to the proceedings. It's been enjoyable running along the paths I used to spend so much time on.

Run: 40 minutes, zone 1-2, w/4x2-4 minutes @ Z4

Running back home

It's been a very long time since I slept in this late. We were up far too late last night after visiting cousins, and then setting out for a 2.5 hour drive. With the time change, we were up even later than expected. So slept was a high priority. I was able to drag myself out long enough to put on some shoes and roll out for a 10ish mile run. I didn't do anything to pick up the pace at all, just cruise along. It was nice and relaxing, and the perfect answer after a day of travel and long hours.

Run: 75 minutes, Z1-2

Before I head off

I'm about to head to Manitoba for a week of vacation and family visiting, so I wanted to get in a good ride before I left. I won't get to ride again for over a week, so I really wanted to hammer myself pretty good. I set out for 60km, and just kind of put my head down and went after half-Ironman pace. It was a lot of fun, and left me properly drained. Not completely shattered, but nicely exhausted. I'll have a nice nap on the plane now.

Bike: 120 minutes, ~60km

That's how to get ready for a week off

On the one hand, after a morning like this, I need a break from the swimming. The coach hammered us pretty good. On the other hand, I have five fingers.

Actually, on the other hand, I want to get right back at it, since this was my best swim for a while. It took a while to get into it, but once I did, everything clicked. During the warm-up, it really felt like my legs were dragging kind of low. It may just have been a dead feeling from last night's tempo run, but it wasn't good. But after we started the real sets, that sensation went away, and I was moving pretty good. I kept a good pace at a relaxed effort during out longer sets, then I put together one of my best sprint days on somewhat short rest. I was crushing times I did last year with twice as much rest, so we know something good is going on. I really hammered on the long strokes, and my triceps are definitely feeling it now. Good day.

Swim: w/u - 200m each free, non-free, pull
6x50 as 25 thigh scrape/25 free, 10"
300 ez free, focus on technique
300 free as 25 head-up/75 ez free
100 ez non-free
4x200 free, 30", HIM pace (3:40-3:45)
300 as 100 ez non-free/100 pull/100 ez non-free
4x100 free, 1', sprint (1:33-1:35)
300 as 100 ez non-free/100 pull/100 ez non-free
2x50 free, 90", sprint (0:42, 0:48 - fried)
c/d - 100 ez non-free
Total: 3600m

Run: 2.5 miles, ez

That wasn't so bad

There continues to be an ever-growing pile of evidence that my running legs are coming back in force. Tonight I was due for a twenty minute tempo session, which can be a bit nerve-wracking, and with some residual fatigue from Sunday and Tuesday still present, I was interested to see what I could dig out. This was also to be the fastest I've done a T-pace workout, adding to the excitement.

And so, cool as can be, I knocked it out of the park. I was under a minimum of stress during the whole run. I definitely could have kept the pace up for quite a stretch more, and just clipped right along. I'm loving days like these. I have legs again!

Run: 50 minutes, w/20 minutes @ 9.2 mph

On the clock

A lot of fast swimming today. We were doing a lot of sets on 1:50, which is the fastest we've ever had to do repeats. Granted, we get a recovery break after every few, but it's still tough once you're past the first couple of reps. I was able to hold 1:38 or better, giving me 12+ seconds of rest on each, which was just enough to be ready to go again. I tried to focus on keeping a good long stroke and getting speed from that, rather than upping my turnover and not finishing. It worked, so I like getting the reinforcement of what's working.

Swim: w/u - 200m each free, non-free, pull
6x50 as 25 drill/25 free, 10"
4x50 as 25 quick/25 ez free, 10"
4x100 free on 1:50
100 ez non-free
100 ez pull
3x100 free on 1:50
100 ez non-free
100 ez pull
2x100 free on 1:50
100 ez non-free
100 ez pull
100 free on 1:50
100 ez non-free
100 ez pull
Total: 2900m

Run: 2.5 miles, ez

Run: 4 miles @ 7.4 mph

Droping the hamer

I can't say that I was fully recovered from Sunday yet. For a race that only lasted 1:41:51, I've sure been tired for a couple of days. But I don't really have time to take a lot of rest, with another race in three weeks, and I'll be out of the province (and consequently, off the bike), for all of next week, so I needed to get in my scheduled bike session today. And up on the menu was another of the new (and unwatched) Spinervals DVDs, 29.0 - Dropping the Hammer.

It's always a bit disconcerting to go into a workout completely blind. I never really know how to pace those first few sets so that I'm still getting something worthwhile out of the last few. Based on the description, I figured that this workout was going to have lots of short, really hard intervals. That's not quite how it plays out. After the customary warm-up, there's an acceleration set for further warming up, then a block of 3x6 minutes (2 minutes). This are to be done at slightly over threshold effort, or at such a pace that the last minute of the first rep will suck, the last two minutes of the second rep will suck, and the last three minutes of the third rep will suck. Or at least that's how it seemed. Then we got into a set of Killer Minutes, adding a bit more power. I messed up the first one, and petered out at 40 seconds, but for the rest I was able to find a groove. And then there were sprints to end the day. By the time I cooled down, I was well and truly shattered. If a hammer had been dropped today, I was the nail.

That said, a great workout. I'm actually a bit disappointed that I did it at this point in the season. My rough plan was "raise the left, fill the right", meaning my focus would go from sprints, to short hard efforts, to progressively longer reps. If I knew that I'd get into a block of 3x6, I would have set this for later in the summer. Lessons learned, I guess. Not that it isn't of benefit now, either. And now that I've gone through it once, when I hit again in a couple of weeks, I'll be able to crank up some of the parts where I know I left gas in the tank.

Run: 2.5 miles, ez

Bike: Spinervals 29.0 - Dropping the Hammer, 60 minutes

It's a "crawl" for a reason

I got a decent amount of rest yesterday post-race, so I decided it would be good to be back in the pool today. I'll be missing all of next week, so I wanted to get in as much work before then as I could. The legs were a little tight, but nothing to stress over. Luckily, it was a relatively easy workout on the board, perhaps a little bit of sympathy for those of us who raced.

4x400, then 4x300, almost all of it at a slow pace. I liked this. Just cruising along and stretching out the muscles. There were a couple of "sprints" in there, and I upped the pace, but I don't think anyone would call what I was doing a sprint. Now I'm feeling a whole lot better, and should be 100% by tomorrow morning.

Swim: w/u - 200m each free, non-free, pull
4x400, 30" (1: 25 thigh scrape/25 free, 2: ez pull, 3: pull w/paddles, 4: 200 ez non-free/200 sprint)
4x300, 20" (1: 25 thigh scrape/25 free, 2: ez pull, 3: pull w/paddles, 4: 100 ez non-free/200 sprint)
c/d - 100 ez non-free
Total: 3500m

Run: 2.5 miles, ez