A bit of something, at least

Turns out, I actually had work to do at work today, so no lunch time run. But I was able to get my after-work miles. I considered going a bit longer to make up for missing earlier, but with house guests figured I shouldn't push it.

Run: 3miles @ 7.5 mph

ToT 13k Hard Workout Countdown - #7

And tonight I learned how to just hang on. Although the pace was a bit down from previous workouts, the length of the effort was the highest thus far. One set, forty minutes. Luckily, even Dr. Daniels knows this can be tough, so there is an adjustment to T-pace for the workout. I got an extra 13 seconds per mile, or from 9.3 mph to 9.0. After warm-up, I moved the pace up, and just tried to find a groove.

I was never in real trouble, so that's a very good sign. The last ten minutes or so, I knew I was doing some work, but I could have handled bumping up the pace, if that were part of the program. Noticing the progression of my breathing was interesting, as I went from 4-4, to 3-3, to 3-2 as I was finishing up. It wasn't the 2-2 race effort, so I had some left in the tank. Things continue to progress, and are looking good for Disney.

Due to really crappy weather, no work run today.

Run: 60 minutes, w/40 minutes @ 9.0 mph

Surprising myself

And this morning it was time to run. There was a fair bit of rain overnight, but just overcast and drying through the morning. Fine weather to run in. This was going to be my longest run of the year (I think), at 12 miles or so. I held a nice effort through the first five mile loop, and finished a bit under 40 minutes (like 0.2 seconds under 40), then kept the pace easy for a nice two-miler. Then I set out for another five mile loop. I had the right speed for much of the lap, a few times I found myself pushing a bit too much, but backed off and regathered myself. It wasn't the hills I was gunning, but some sections of the flats. Just overexcited, I guess. I felt pretty strong, although around nine miles in my ankle started to bug me, making descents and turns a bit of a chore, but you just have to nut up sometimes, so that's what I did. I brought it home in 36:57, which is somehow a new record. Things are falling into place, although I admit this was helped by the few "too hard" sections. I'll try this again in a couple of weeks to see if the improvements are for real.

Run: 12.58 miles, 40:00/16:35/36:57 (paces - 7:35/7:34/7:00)

Watching myself race

Or watching a race where I was a participant.

I'm not fast enough to make the actual coverage. (Or look haggard enough, since that's the other way to make the broadcast.) To keep myself entertained during today's ride, I dialed up my tape of the 2008 70.3 Worlds. It IS pretty fun watching a race, thinking "I remember that part" or "Oh yeah, that hill sucked." It makes the time fly by, even when I'm doing a little bit of work, just enough to keep things sharp.

It's a bit frustrating how my power zones change every time I move a bike onto the trainer. My efforts at 240w today felt vaguely similar to about 280-300w on the road bike. I guess I'll need to redo an FTP test and calibrate a new set of training zones for the spring.

Bike: 90 minutes z1-2, w/2x30 minutes @ 240w

Less than expected

I guess since it's a recovery day, it's not really a big deal, but because of work circumstances, I only got one of my runs in. Not surprisingly, I feel pretty rested about now.

Run: 3 miles @ 7.5 mph

ToT 13k Hard Workout Countdown - #8

This was another time through the I-pace work. I really suck at this high-end work. It just kills me every time. Even though this wasn't as hard as some workouts I've done, I could really feel this one, even as I was doing it. Usually it takes until later that night or the next morning to know exactly how roughed up I am. Tonight, I knew at about minute two of the last interval.

But I should be faster now.

I hope.

Run: 2.5 miles, ez

Run: 50 minutes, w/5x3 minutes @ 10.2 mph + 3 minutes @ 7.5 mph

Ticking over

Run: 2.5 miles, ez

Run: 3 miles, @ 7.5 mph

ToT 13k Hard Workout Countdown - #9

I like tonight's workout. It's very simple and straightforward. Warm-up, run 20 minutes fast, cooldown. Simplicity. The joys of the T-pace run.

And that's what I did. Honestly, the effort was harder than last week. Even at the 12 minute mark, I was working harder than I was 12 minutes in last time. Could be fatigue, not likely to be losing fitness if I'm running ~40 miles/week. It may just be mental. No matter which, I still plugged through the run and finished up with a well-deserved sense of accomplishment. I feel pretty god, so I should be ready to go for the next I-pace run Thursday.

Run: 2.5 miles, ez

Run: 40 minutes, w/20 minutes @ 9.3 mph

Storm the Gates

Today was a pseudo-race rehearsal. With a relatively hard ride yesterday, and a bunch of fatigue in my legs, I wanted to see what I could do over a similar distance to the race. The first five miles would be over hilly terrain, but not at any real effort, then the last three would be guns blazing on the flats. At least, that was the plan.

The first loop went well. I purposely held back as much as I could stand, and turned a decent pace (40:20 for 5.29 miles=7:37/mile). And then I took it out as quick as I thought I could manage. It's been a long time since I pushed to that line, even in my last 10k, frustrated with my inability to get the proper speed out, I didn't go hard enough. I tried to keep my form together, similar to swimming where running well as opposed to running fast was actually faster. I couldn't get splits so I don't know if I lost much/any speed over the loop, but my effort was significantly increasing over time.

My rough goal for the ToT 13k is 51:30. That works out as 6:22/mile. Today I got 3.2 miles in 20:22 (6:22/mile). So I can at least go race speed for a while. I think it's a pretty good sign that with this level of fatigue I can run half-decently. I sure hope I can unearth a little more speed in the next 5 weeks.

But first, it's nap time.

Run: 8.5 miles, 40:20/20:22

I thought he'd be bigger

Since tomorrow is a shorter run, today is a longer bike ride. Nothing too significant, since this isn't a time to focus on cycling, but a bit of length and a couple of pick-ups. I watched Roadhouse, which made the time pass quickly. What a great piece of 80s cinema.

Bike: 120 hours, zone 1-2, w/2x30 minutes @ 210w

Once more around the block

I'm still not convinced this is rest.

Run: 2.5 miles, ez

Run: 3 miles @ 7.5 mph

Long-range planning - Post #777

Wow, I've put a whole bunch of stuff out on the interwebs, eh? And to think that of that, there's maybe one or two posts of any real usefulness.

Since this seems like an odd little milestone, I'd add a little comment post, rather than a boring recovery run post (THAT will follow). I guess I've been doing triathlons for two years now, and perhaps I'm still just in the newlywed phase, but I can see keeping this up for quite a long time. Even when I was running or cycling exclusively, I could never really see past the present season. But with triathlon, I can see way into the future. It's even gone so far that not only have I pretty much planned my racing schedule for next season, but I sat down with my wife a while ago to plan my 'A+' races for the next few years. We got to 2017. That's right, I know my major racing goals for the next 9 years.

And because my neurons are constantly firing, and I have too many spare moments at work, I've already mapped 95% of my training for 2010. I'm trying some new ideas, dictated by lifestyle and experimentation. By the end of the year I'll know if it works. What's the worst that can happen? So here we are, with three months left in 2009, and I have my day-to-day set up for next year, and big goals for another eight. Obsess much?

ToT 13k Hard Workout Countdown - #10

Tuesday was long sets of running pretty fast. I'm still a bit sore and tight. Tonight was shorter sets of running really fast. The total time at effort wasn't that much, and none of the sets were particularly long, but the short rest made it pretty tough. The plan, after warm-up, was four times through the following: 2 minutes hard, 1 minute easy, 1 minute hard, 30 seconds easy, 30 seconds hard, 1 minute easy. Then it's back to two minutes hard, and so on.

Unlike Tuesday, where it almost feels easy for the first stretch, tonight was work right from the gun. I could almost recover after each rep, but the accumulation of fatigue catches up pretty quick. By the third time through, I was dreading the two minutes intervals. The only reason the others were manageable is that mentally I could accept up to sixty seconds of suffering. By the time the pain really kicks in, it's only another 20 seconds or so.

An interesting workout, lots of pace changes. My legs feel a little wooden at this point, so I hope that means they're recovering even stronger. It's surprising how a run with only 14 minutes of hard effort can hurt as much as one with 36 minutes.

Run: 2.5 miles, ez

Run: 44 minutes, w/4x(2 minutes @ 10.2 mph + 1 minute @ 7.5 mph, 1 minute @ 10.2 mph + 30 seconds @ 7.5 mph, 30 seconds @ 10.2 mph + 1 minute @ 7.5 mph)

Question

When did two runs totalling over five miles become "rest"?

Run: 2.5 miles, ez

Run: 3 miles @ 7.5 mph

ToT 13k Hard Workout Countdown - #11

We're less than six weeks away from the last race of the year (for me), and so preparations begin in earnest. With swimming off the books and cycling drastically reduced, I'm pretty much a runner now. And so, my schedule now has two "hard" run workouts every week (Tuesday and Thursday, except the last week with only one. Hence, the countdown starting at eleven). There will still be some work done on the bike, and Sundays will always include the long run, but these are the days that will leave me feeling like I got mugged. And will make me faster (I hope).

So we start with T-pace. I've been doing some T-pace workouts for a number of months, but after tonight, I don't think I was doing the right ones. Sure, a bunch of six minute reps on short rest is a good workout, but there isn't nearly as much digging to the bottom to survive the workout as there was this time. I've done 20 minutes straight, I've done 2x12 minutes, but tonight was 3x12, with 2 minute recoveries. Now that racing is over, I can say that this was just like a race in terms of sensation. Next year this will be a core workout. It's exactly what I should have been doing.

Here's where it gets interesting: that first interval is a cruise. You're clipping along, you feel strong, breathing is only a touch laboured. It's a nice rep. Then number two comes along, and everything is good until you get to the 6-8 minute mark, and you notice that you're still clipping along, and the breathing is pretty good, but you're working for sure now. That's when two minutes gets really short. The third rep ... well, the less said about that, the better. Again, you got to rest, so you get two or three minutes of strong running, and then you're in the same place you were at minute 11 last time. And the hole starts getting deeper. You need to fight to maintain form, because if that slips, everything gets exponentially harder. Shoulders down and back, proud chest, light feet, why isn't the clock moving faster? Keep digging, just a minute and half, deep breath, finish strong, sixty more seconds, quick steps, that seemed longer than fifteen seconds, focus, there's the finish line, twenty, relax, ten, almost home, don't slow down early, OK you're done.

Thank goodness for thrash metal or I'd never make it through one of these workouts.

Run: 2.5 miles, ez

Run: 62 minutes, w/3x12 minutes @ 9.3 mph, 2 minutes @ 7.5 mph

A bit too quick means a bit too slow

With big races all over the globe, I was contributing to the effort by knocking out my ten-miler this morning. Rather than two hilly loops, though, I started with a 2 and 3 mile loop of relative flat before a hilly five. The upcoming race is essentially flat, so although it's always good to do hills for strength work, I need to spend more time on level terrain.

My pace to begin was way too fast. I should be starting really easy, but for whatever reason, I was running with effort right from the gun. This caught up with me on the last loop, when I was working much too hard, but wasn't breaking any records. I still came in with a respectable time, but it was almost a minute slower than my best, and with the effort I was expending, not up to par.

I think part of the problem was a bit of time lost to the wind, which was pretty stiff, along with the bad pacing. I'm also really tight through the lower legs right now. With all the races last weekend, I didn't do any trigger point therapy, and I think that caught up with me. I'll be sure to work things out tonight, and probably be hobbling tomorrow.

Run: ~10.6 miles, 16:15/24:04/38:07

Road to nowhere

Since the season is over, it's time to move the tri-bike back to the trainer, and spend the next few months staring at the wall. I'll actually only be doing one session a week on the bike, Saturday mornings for 90-120 minutes (length in inverse proportion to length of Sunday run). Just to keep my mind in the game and try to keep a little bit of cycling strength, I'll be tossing in a couple of longer, mid-intensity intervals. Today was 2x20 minutes at 80% of estimated FTP. I was guessing my FTP was around 300w, although that may be a slight overestimate based on calibration and everything with the i-Magic. (Any time I move bikes back and forth, all of the previous work is meaningless. It's like hitting refresh every few months.) So, I got in a nice 90 minutes, a couple of pick-ups, and felt nicely spent by the end. This should be enough to keep my legs under me while I try to build my run in a big way.

Bike: 90 minutes, zone 1-2, w/2x20 minutes @ 240w (zone 3-4), 10 minute recovery

The end of an era

Due to the holiday and some pool closures, this, our last week of swimming, was reduced to one day. This weekend marks pretty much the end of the local racing season, with Muskoka 70.3, and a few people off at IM Wisconsin. This also marks the end of the work with my present swim coach, who's leaving for other opportunities. I'll admit that it makes me a little sad to have it all come to end. I've progressed a bunch in the last two years, and no small part of that has been the coaching I've gotten. I'll still have training chances next year, and perhaps a new coach will bring me even further along, but that doesn't mean I can't look at the last two seasons and be sad it's ending.

Since everybody left is racing, the workout was pretty short, with a few uptempo chances. Since he's racing this weekend, even the coach decided to break protocol and join the workout. And in doing so, he joined my lane. I was leading, by virtue of being the only one not toeing the line, so the pressure was on to keep the workout quick. At one point, I almost lapped the coach, but that was probably because I was using paddles and pull buoy, and he was just doing freestyle, but hey, every victory counts, right?

The workout ended earlier than I would have liked, so I said my thanks to the coach and goodbyes to the other swimmers, and now I get about six weeks of rest. I wonder how I'll swim when I get back in the pool inn November.

Swim: w/u - 200yds each free, non-free, pull
2x(100 free, HIM pace, 30"
100 free, ez, 30")
3x200 pull w/paddles, 30"
5x100 as 25 back/25 breast/50 free, 15"
4x25 sprint on 1'
c/d - 2x(50 non-free/50 pull/50 free)
Total: 2500yds

Run: 3 miles @ 7.5 mph, w/1 mile @ 8.5 mph

Looks the same

Second verse, same as the first.

Run: 3 miles @ 7.5 mph, w/1 mile @ 8.5 mph

Getting some recovery

With the triathlon season pretty much over, I'm taking this week as rest. I really feel like I need it, with my last race in shambles. This will allow my body to rest and get right before a solid six week run-training block to be ready for the Tower of Terror. So I've been getting to sleep in a bit, and very little work outside of the commute to work.

Run: 3 miles @ 7.5 mph, w/1 mile @ 8.5 mph

No Alibi - Prince Bay 10k Race Report

U-G-L-Y. That is the only description of the race. There are days when you have it, and days when you don't, and today was a day that not only didn't I have it, I owed it to someone who would break legs if I didn't pay up. I would love to just put down the time and call it that, but in case I ever want to revisit this, I'll provide all the gory details.

With a 7:30 gun time, it was an early morning. So early, in fact, that I didn't get any coffee, just a quick breakfast before heading out the door. Maybe that was the problem right there. The drive was much better than the day before, and we were in Oakville a bit before 7. After a quick trip to the port-a-potties, I set out for a nice little warm-up, about ten minutes with a couple of 30 seconds pick-ups. I felt pretty good, and got a nice sweat going. I found a spot in the second or third row, and was ready to move once the horn sounded.

There was a little jockeying for position early, but I got through the crowd, and was moving at a nice clip, maybe a bit fast, but I knew I'd be able to rein things on at the first marker. My goal today was roughly 38:30, so around 3:50/km. Based on the hilly sub-40 in April, and a summer of running, I thought this was more than reasonable. I hit the first sign at 3:32, which was obviously too fast, but I wasn't killing myself, so I just had to pull things back. I did that, found what I thought was about the right rhythm, and hit kilometre two in 4:09. OK, I came back way too far. After that, I tried to get the speed back, but I was never close. 4:04, 4:01, 4:10 all came by, and I was trying to make deals with myself. I was pushing as hard as I could, there was just no pop in my legs. Not only wasn't I flying compared to the spring, I was well behind the pace I could mange then. Somehow I had gotten slower. And the second half got worse: 4:16, 4:11, 4:10, 4:15. I completely sold out in the last kilometre for a 3:58.

I saw my wife as I was approaching the line, and I put the gun to my head to show my disappointment with my race. Maybe they caught it in the race photos. Somehow my result was still 12th overall, second in M35-39, winning me a $10 gift card. I think that says more about the field than about any speed I could purportedly have.

Official results: 40:49.2 clock/40:47.5 chip, 12th overall, 2nd AG

So on Saturday I said that today would answer some of the questions about my running. Well, that didn't happen. It just added more. Sure, racing on Saturday blunted my legs, but two minutes slower than projected? I don't know what else could have slowed me down, but nothing was working. My pace was slower than I've run off the bike on more difficult courses. I guess it should be obvious I'm not a sub-39 runner yet, so I should move back my training paces. Do I need more mileage? Less? More intensity? Longer sets? I feel like I'm at the start of an experiment and have no idea which protocol to follow, but I only get one real chance to make these improvements, so I can't get it wrong.

I think I'll be back next year. It really is a lovely, fast course, and next time I won't race the same weekend. Last year in the half-marathon I almost ruined my foot, this year in the 10k I just ran poorly. Maybe next year I should do the 2k. That might be more my style.

Clear the jets

I just knocked out a really easy hour on the trainer this morning to stretch things out and get the system primed for tomorrow. Stretching afterwards showed some tightness, but I should be good in the morning. Now it's a day for relaxing.

Bike: 60 minutes, z1-2

Make It Happy - The Guelph Lake II Sprint Triathlon Race Report

This was the end of the road, the last triathlon of the year. I wanted to end the season on a good note, so I set out planning on turning in my best possible race. I was a little nervous on the beach because I really wanted to do well, and a little sad that the year was coming to a close. Once things got going, it seems like the summer flew by. I got a good warm-up in the water, slightly delayed because I had misplaced my timing chip. With that sorted, I could get a feel for the water (warm and calm). Once we were called to the start, I looked for my usual competition, and focused on how I wanted to start.

Swim:
I started in the second row, to try to follow some faster swimmers. There was a little bit of bumping in the early going, I took a shot to the head, but that's all part of the sport. I felt really relaxed, with nice long strokes. I was able to maneuver around to a variety of feet, whoever was moving pretty well. At no point, though, was I doing much work. Once we made the turn to home, I pulled out from behind the swimmer, and moved up even faster. This took a bit more effort, but not much. I was moving well and saving energy. I stood up a bit too early at the beach and had to slog out of the water. I need to remember not to stand up until I can touch the bottom. Waist-deep water is too soon. Again, Guelph Lake had the long run to transition, up the hill and behind the whole transition area. This makes my swim time look long, but I was actually out of the water around 13:30, which is really good for me (given that I wasn't working).

T1:
Shoes on race belt on sunglasses on helmet on ... and go!

Bike:
Today was just kind of a "head down, thumbs up, give 'er" day. I pushed really well, but I had some shifting issues. There was some hesitation, so I had to fiddle to find the gear, which cost me some speed, some energy, and some inefficient pedaling. In part because of this, I never really found my groove. My heart rate was in the right zone, but I just never felt like I was on top of the gears like I usually am. I was passed once by a M25-29, but beyond that was just cruising through the field. There are some really fast sections on this course, which makes for a fun day of riding. I made of point of getting my hydration, with the sunny day I knew I'd need it. As I was coming back to the park, there was some traffic at the entrance, and the police officer controlling the turn was standing with arms crossed. Since he wasn't signalling, I missed the turn and only got back when he yelled as I passed him. There were a few seconds gone, but that's part of racing. I did better than usual popping my feet out of shoes, setting up a fast T2.

T2:
Three or four bikes in the rack, so I have some work to do. Shoes and hat and on the road.

Run:
I really wanted to finish the year with a good run, somewhere around 28:00. I was moving pretty well for most of run, knocking out kilometres between 3:55 and 4:05, maybe a bit over desired pace, but still strong. I had two kilometres where things went a little south, the first being kilometre 4, when focus started to fade and after I saw the leaders fly by in the other direction. I was able to gather myself and run two more km's at the right speed, defending my position, before struggling a bit to the end. I dug out everything I could to make the line, but since no one was close to me, no sprint was required. Exhausted I hit the line, then wandered aimlessly before collapsing on a bench to recover.

Official results:
Swim: 14:34 (1:57/100m), 8/60 AG
T1: 1:16
Bike: 49:38 (36.3 km/h), 6/60 AG
T2: 1:00
Run: 28:43 (4:07/km), 5/60 AG
Total: 1:35:09, 23/588 overall, 4/60 AG

OTS Points: 60, Series points: 287.5
OSS Points: 60, Series points: 472.5

All in all, I'm pretty happy with the day. I think this might have been my best swim of the year, at least it felt like it. My bike was off, I don't think I've been out of the top 5 AG on the bike yet this year. I don't know exactly what happened there. My run still isn't where I'd like it, and I need to spend some time figuring out the problem. I'm racing a 10k on Monday, so I'll find out then if I actually have the speed I seem to think I do. It could be that I'm overestimating what I'm capable of. It could be that I'm overcooking the bike and not leaving enough for the run. Or it could be that I'm not doing enough long tempo sets to really feel that suffering that comes at the end of these short fast races. I think those are the only three possibilities, and I hope to have at least some answers soon. At the very least, the next run block in the fall can only help in the long-term.

Today was a lesson on levels. By any conventional standard, I'm pretty fast. Humility dictates an "aw shucks" reaction from me, but I have to admit 5 AG podiums in seven races, top 10 every time, and regularly in the top 5% overall translates into being pretty good. But the gap to the real competition is still big (even if it is shrinking). I was fourth, but second and third were five minutes ahead. So there's a tier above me. Amazingly, first in the age-group was another five minutes up on second, so that's another tier up. And somehow, the overall winner was a further four minutes up the road. So in a race lasting about an hour and half, the top of the pyramid was fourteen minutes clear. There's work left do, and about nine months to do it. Will I pick up those fourteen minutes, or the ten, or even the five? There's only one way to find out: do the work then roll the dice.

Short and sweet

That would describe today's pair of workouts. With most of the club prepping for Muskoka, I was the only person getting the boot early today (minus the recovering Kona-qualifying IM racer), so I put in a good effort, felt really good in the water, then popped out feeling ready to go. During the few quicker efforts, I was doing a hard, but sustainable, 1:30-:135/100m pulling. That's doing all right.

I just got back from my lunch time run, knocked out an easy 2.5 miles in a little under 19 minutes, about 7:30/mile pace. And that required almost nothing, so the legs should be fresh in the morning. Now, we get to leave work early for the long weekend, or for me, two races in three days.

What has two thumbs and wants two podiums?

Swim: w/u - 200m each free, non-free, pull
4x100 pull as 25 scull/25 pull/25 fist/25 pull, 10"
3x200 pull as 100 hard/100 ez, 30"
c/d - 2x200 as 100 non-free/100 free, 15"
Total: 2000m

Run: 2.5 miles, ez

A small taste

Last chance for some speed before the weekend. It was the usual, just a couple of short pick-ups to open things up. I think I should be ready on Saturday.

Run: 2.5 miles, ez

Run: 3 miles @ 7.5 mph, w/2x90s @ 9.3/9.5 mph + 3 minutes recovery

A little of everything

A good mix of activities today. A little swim, a little run, a little bike. The swim wasn't as astounding as Monday with dramatic improvements, but I'll keep trying to groove any gains I can make. The run was pleasant with beautiful weather, and the bike was a good session to clear my legs.

Swim: w/u - 200m each free, non-free, pull
2x(100 back, 30"
200 free as 25 head-up/75 ez, 30"
300 pull w/paddles, 30"
2x200 free, race pace, 30")
c/d - 100 ez pull, non-free, free, pull, non-free
Total: 3100m

Run: 2.5 miles, ez

Bike: 30 minutes, zone 1-2

If it's Tuesday, I must be jogging

Tuesday of race week = a couple of very easy runs. I like this day, it gives me a chance to get my legs under me again, and I can feel the energy coming back.

Run: 2.5 miles, ez

Run: 3 miles @ 7.5 mph