A little more, a little less

Second session on the bike this week, and it was almost the same as the first. 65 minutes, planning on hitting zones 1-3. By the end of ride, I discovered I had put out a little more power than Tuesday (about 5 watts on the average), with my heart rate averaging about 3 bpm less. Last time I tickled zone 3, this time I got close enough to look at it, but didn't really cross over.

I know there are many people who argue that HR is not as good a measure as power, and some even believe that it is at best misleading or at worst flat-out useless. I'm not of that school of thought. I use HR in my training, specifically for the lower-intensity work. It helps to rein in my effort so that the easy stuff remains easy. If my HR spikes at an effort that should be easy (5-10 bpm higher than normal) than I know that I need to back off, and perhaps take some extra rest. If my HR is low for a given effort, and there's consistency across a few workouts, then I take that as proof of fitness improvement, and can readjust my paces.

But things change when looking at high-intensity work. For intervals and harder work, I guide the effort based on power, pace and RPE, and HR is only tracked. The HR zones are so tight, that any small change could easily lift me out of a zone, so as a "on-the-fly" measure, I don't find it nearly as useful. In retrospective analysis, I can track fitness changes, but that's how I use it. With the LSD work I'm doing now, I can regard a session like tonight, and say more power at lower heart rate is indicative of a fitness boost. And that's always nice tosee.

Bike: 65 min, zone 1-2 (lots of upper zone 2)
Run: 2 miles @ 7.0 mph

Post-marathon running

After work tonight, it was off to the treadmill for my first "real" run since WDW. Not that tonight was particularly far, or fast, but a good run to clear out the legs. The pace was good, breathing was relaxed, and the heart rate stayed low. Near the end, I could feel a little fatigue, but that's why I'm keeping the runs short for now. It's nice looking at the schedule and knowing that I won't be doing anything even as fast as marathon pace for over a month. Just nice short easy runs while I build my legs back up.

Run: 4 miles @ 7.0 mph

Could have been slower

With crappy weather fast approaching, I didn't ride to the pool this morning. Instead I got in my car for the session in the water. Things are continuing to progress, although I'm not blowing anyone's doors off anymore. Those initial gains are through, so now I really have to do the work. Luckily, I have no issue with that. Doing the work is one of my favourite things. (Resting after doing the work is another.)

It's very rare that the time ourselves for anything, but there was a little today. We did a hard 100 yards, which I did in 1:38. That's not going to get me to the Olympics, but it's something. It wasn't a sprint effort, but I gave it a good run. I could feel my pace dropping in the last 25, but I probably could have held that for a while longer. The coach broke down the times for the lanes as 1&2 at 1:15, 3 at 1:25, 4 (my lane) at 1:40, 5&6 at 1:55. So there is a wide chasm for me to cross to get to lane 3. I plan on picking up the mantle of Evel Kneivel and attempting to jump that gap. I also checked my time for the sprint 25s, and was consistently about 18 seconds. Farfromblazin.

You know what sucks? Doing head up drills when the lane beside you is doing the hard 100s, and creating a bunch of chop. At least it's a good simulation of what it will be like in race conditions.

Swim: w/u - 200yds free, 100 non-free, 100 pull
3x(25 scull/25 pull/25 scull/25 pull), 10"
500 ez free, every 4th length hard, 30"
400 ez pull, every 4th length breast pull, 30"
300 as (25 head up, 75 free), 30"
200 as 100 hard!/100 ez non-free
4x25 sprint on 1"
300 as (25 head up, 75 free)
c/d - 200 as 25 breast/25 back
Total: 2700 yds

Slowly getting less slow

Another session on the trainer tonight. I'm ramping up the intensity a little bit, doing more work in zone 2, and edging into zone 3 for a few minutes. My position feels pretty good, although around the hour mark it starts to get uncomfortable. That's more an artifact of being on the trainer than anything else, I'd figure. Lowering the saddle has worked, with no knee pain tonight.


I should clarify something about my training zones right now. I'm working with the Friel heart rate zones, and basing my LT heart rate on my last FTP test. That seems fair, right? With the different position of the TT machine vs. road, I don't think my FTP will be as high (we'll see in 2.5 weeks), and the HR may be different. So my zones may be mis-prescribed right now. Not that it's a big deal, I'm in the right ballpark, and a few beats to either side isn't going to ruin my September race.


The highlight of the ride was a 10 minute block, with HR remaining in zone 3, at about 230w (i-Magic superwatts, that is), at an estimated speed of 38 km/h. I have to admit that felt pretty good. Give me a few more months, and hopefully I'll be cruising 38-40 for my race, with gas left to run a half-mary. That will be fun.


Bike: 65 minutes, zone 1-3
Run: 2 miles @ 7.0 mph

How many more original titles can I come up with for swim days?

Today we were back with the original coach, and as such, back to the long sets. Lots of pulling, so I'm sure I will feel this later today and tomorrow. That's a good thing, I guess.

I'm astounded some days by how fast some of the others can swim. I've been working pretty hard, and usually lead the sets in my lane (although it's tough to judge how hard everyone else is going ... is my EZ their mod-hard, are they cruising behind my hard pace?), the lane next to us is so much faster. I don't know if I'll bridge the gap this year. Almost every time, they just fly past me, at least one every length. Today, during the fastest part of a set of descending 100s, I was able to hold, then pass, one of them, and as I stopped to rest, she did a flip turn and set off for her fastest 100. My "all-out" barely beat her "cruise". I can taste the humble pie. (Tastes like chlorine.)

Swim: w/u - 100m each free, breast, pull
3x(
400m ez pull w/ gear*, 30"
300m descending, 30"
100m ez non-free**)
* 1) gloves, 2) finger paddles, 3) gloves
** 1) back, 2) breast, 3) back
4x25m ez/25m sprint, 30"
c/d - 50m ez free, 50m breast
Total: 3000m

Rickson by armbar

I think lowering the saddle worked. I didn't notice any developing pain in the back of my knee, which was a good sign. There was still a little tenderness, but I'm pretty sure that was leftover from yesterday.

Since I did still have that tenderness, today's ride stayed in the zone 1-2 range. Granted, I tried to stay high up in zone 2 when I was there, so it felt pretty good. After the easy spin, I put on my shoes for a short run. Other than a five second jog to catch a bus, this was the first run in two weeks. 2 miles, 7.0 mph. Heart rate was a bit high (150-151), but I can live with that.

Viewing choice was Choke, a documentary on Rickson Gracie's path towards the 1995 Vale Tudo world championship. With a (undocumented) career record of 401-0, the man is a BJJ/MMA legend. Watching people get their arms bent in odd directions or being choked out is good way to pass time on the trainer.

Block One, Week One, Day One - It begins

After resting for the better part of two weeks, today starts the actual training for Muskoka. We are 33 weeks out, so it's not like there's a lot of pressure to hit it hard right away, but I'm a big "plan" guy, so I like having everything laid out. There are 11 three week cycles, of 16 days hard, 5 days easy (so weekends are always "on"). The first cycle is, not surprisingly, a continuation of what I was doing last week, just building the cycling time, and adding some running back into the schedule.

Today was a very simple 90 minutes in the saddle, mostly zone 1-2, tickling zone 3 on occasion. As motivation for the ride, I pulled out one of my Christmas presents, the Ironman Roth Ergovideo, and did the first 1:15 of the course. Since I wasn't going hard, I scaled the effort back to -40%. That may have been a bit much, since I found it pretty easy. I'll probably step it up to -30% next time.

Before the ride began, I made a small adjustment to my saddle, getting it perfectly level. Of course, there are no "small" adjustments, and by the hour mark of the ride, I was getting some pain in the back of my left knee. After the ride I lowered the saddle a bit, and will see how things hold up tomorrow. It's always a bit of back-and-forth getting the set-up just right on a new bike. It should only take a few rides and everything will be dialed in. Then we can start to bring out the hammer.

And it's lines like this why it's my favourite book

"Because after the finish all the suffering turns into memories of pleasure, and the greater the suffering, the greater the pleasure. That is Nature's payback to riders for the homage they pay her by suffering." - Tim Krabbe, The Rider

Different coach - different workout

This morning was our first swim the other coach of the swim group, Tereza Macel. I don't really know her coaching background, but it's pretty easy to find her triathlon background: won Ironman Korea and the Muskoka Chase in the last few years, and just finished 5th at IM Western Australia. So yeah, she's kind of fast.

The workout was a big departure from the rest of our training. I don't know if this was on purpose, or if there isn't much communication between the coaches. I'm not saying it was a bad workout, but given that we're supposed to be in the middle of a "volume" block, it seemed out of place.

After a standard warm-up, we went back to some drill work. This was followed with some longer sets, mixing fast efforts into each set. These were fun, but tough. Then we did some more flip turn practice, and finished with a large block of hypoxic breathing sets. I have some understanding of how these might be useful (you're definitely forced to take huge breaths if you only get one every 7 strokes). Then we cooled down. As I said, it seems like a good workout. I am definitely tired, but I don't see how this fits into the larger picture. The model seems to be a block periodization scheme, versus a conjugate periodization scheme, so I don't know.

But I'll keep going back, and doing what I'm told, since just about anything is going to make me faster.

Swim: w/u 200 free, 100 kick, 100 pull, 200 free
2x50, 30" pull
2x50, 30" free
2x50, 30" pull (ankles)
2x50, 30" free
4x150, 15" as:
1) 50 fast/100 ez
2) 50 ez/50 fast/50 ez
3) 100 ez/50 fast
4) 75 ez/50 fast/25 ez
4x50, 20" hypoxic breathing: 3, 4, 5, 7 strokes per breath
25m in 10 (9) breaths (first number is target, second is what I did)
50m in 9 (9) breaths
75m in 8 (15) breaths
100m in 7 (lots) breaths
c/d: 2x25 free/25 breast/25 free/25 back
200 free

Almost time to start training again

The last week, I've been back on the bike. Other than the swimming, this has been the extent of my exercise. (Also should be included is the near-constant jaw movement of all the eating I'm doing. I think that's my favourite part of the two-week post-marathon recovery period.) The goal has been to spend some time in the saddle, getting used to the aero position, and just spin out in zones 1 and 2.

After the ride tonight, I double-checked my resource book, The Perfect Distance to make sure my zones were appropriate. As it turns out, I've been riding in zones 0-1. No wonder I barely break a sweat. I'm assuming that the first "real" ride on Saturday, 90 minutes zone 2-3, will be quite a shock to the system. I'm looking forward to it.

Bike: 45 minutes, zone 1

Dizzy

I admit, I've come to really enjoy this swimming thing. It's such a complete shift from what I'm used to, it's a good group, and I'm definitely heartened by my rapid improvement. But I really prefer the Monday/Friday workouts to Wednesday. Wednesday is in the short course pool, 25 yards, compared to the 50m pool of the other days.

This causes two problems. The first: In the SC pool, we turn so often, it can make you dizzy. Just as you get into the rhythm for a length, it's time to flip and shoot back in the other direction. The second: On long sets, it's really easy to lose count of where you are. This is especially a problem for me, since I'm now seen as somewhat of the "captain" of the lane. I lead all the sets, so when I'm done, the group is done. There are far too many instances where I'll push off the wall and think, "OK, seven ... wait, is this seven, or am I done seven?" My answer, when in doubt, do the extra lengths.

More long sets today, with some quick work mixed in. It was a lot of fun. We didn't quite get to finish all that was assigned, but still got a good bit of distance in. My warm-up was extra long, because my lanemates were a couple of minutes late, so rather than starting the main set and being out of sync for the whole workout, I repeated the warm-up.

Swim: w/u - 100 yds each free, breast, pull; 50 yds free, 100 yds each back, pull, breast
4x(400 ez free or drill, 30", (4x25 quick free/25 non-free, 15"))
For the 400s do:
1) forearm flop
2) gloves
3) free
4) gloves+finger paddles+pull
(Note: on the 4th set, we didn't have time to do the quick/non part)
c/d - 25 back/25 breast
Total: 2900 yds

More easy stuff

Still keeping it nice and easy on the bike. Not too long, either. Tonight was up to 45 minutes, all zone 1-2. I think I hit a high heart rate of 132, with the average about 120. Peak power was 171. Starting Saturday the effort will get picked up slightly, meaning I may actually shift to the big ring.

Bike: 45 min, zone 1-2

That deep ache

Obviously, my muscles aren't used to this. I almost never feel any aches when I'm running. Unless I'm doing really intense intervals, the bike is almost refreshing. But this swim thing, it exhausts me mid-workout.

We are definitely in a volume block right now, and I'm considering this an opportunity to become intimately familiar with every muscle in my back and shoulders. It's not a sharp pain, just a dull throb that says, "Hi, I'm a rhomboid. And I'm tired. That big guy over there? He's a latissimus dorsi. He's tired too. I would say it's a pleasure to meet you, but you seem to be working us pretty hard considering we just met."

But at least they're willing to make their presence known for a while. They'll start drawing attention mid-swim, and keep calling for attention for hours. "Hey, just us. Trying to recover. Want to eat something, and stop opening doors so we can rest?"

Swim: Warm-up: 200m each of free, non-free (2x50 back/50 breast), pull
4x500m, 1' as:
1) 400m free, weakside breathe, 100m back
2) 400m pull, 100m back
3) 400m free descending 100s, 100m back
4) 500m free (25 quick/75 ez)
2x200m, 30" as 50m ez free/50 ez back/50 ez breast/50 hard free
Total: 3000m

Another easy one

Bike: 30 minutes, zone 1-2

WDW Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge Race Report - Part Three

The Executive Summary:

Half-marathon
Clock time - 1:37:35
Chip time - 1:37:26
Overall place - 208/12,288 finishers

Marathon
Clock time - 3:29:23
Chip time - 3:29:12
Overall place - 320/12,964 finishers

Combined - 5:06:38
Overall place - 42/~3000 finishers

An interesting note: Checking the Goofy results, not only was I firmly in the Top 100, but among residents of Canada, I was first. That's right, Canuck #1 across the line. (By a slim margin of 14 seconds; lost 1:45 the first day, got back 1:59 the second)

Photos: Half and Full

Recovery spins

Just an easy ride on the trainer, about an hour. I'll be doing about a week and a half of really easy spins, just to get my legs back underneath me. Running will begin again in a week. If it weren't for the swimming being real workouts, I'd be on two weeks of near-vacation.

Bike: 60 minutes, zone 1-2

Back in the water

After arriving home yesterday, I was back with the early wake-up to go swimming again. I have to admit, this time after the break felt a lot better than the last time. I was swimming pretty strong all day, even with all the long sets. But I could really use the weekend for some more rest.

Swim: 400m warm-up (free, breast, back, pull)
400m as 4x25m head up/75m ez free, 30"
400m as 4x25m quick/75m ez free, 30"
3x300m as 1) gloves, 2) free, 3) finger paddles, 30"
200m descending 50s, 30"
200m breast, 30"
200m descending 50s, 30"
200m back
Total: 2900m

And now we recover

After three days of walking the WDW parks, and today's bit of travel, tonight I got on the TT bike for a brief spin to clean out the legs, and practice my new position. Not too long, 10 minute warm-up then 30 minutes of actual work (if Zone 1 can be considered work). I'll be sticking to these types of workout for another week or so to make sure I'm fully recovered after the big weekend, and to start the training for Muskoka in earnest.

Bike: 30 minutes, zone 1

WDW Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge Race Report - Part Two

I actually had a pretty good night's sleep, or at least as well as you can given the circumstances. We got lucky last night and got into my favourite Disney restaurant for dinner, the Whispering Canyon Cafe. They have an all-you-can-eat skillet, filled with cornbread, smashed potatoes, beans, ribs, fried chicken, and pulled pork. Now that's recovery food.

After another early morning of preparation, I was off to the race site, this time by myself. I didn't consider it a great omen when our bus driver got lost ... twice. We managed to arrive well in time, and I again found myself a spot right up in the first corral, and I waited for the start. I talked briefly with a gentleman from Atlanta who was planning on running a sub-3, so I wished him luck, and made sure I didn't try to pace off him in the early miles. I felt pretty good after yesterday's effort, except I found a blister on my left heel. I was hoping it wouldn't be an issue during the run. Weather was similar to Saturday, maybe a bit cooler, but also a bit more humid. After the anthem and a send-off from Mickey and the gang, about 18,000 people headed off on the day's adventure.

Just like the day before, I wanted to settle into a comfortable rhythm. If anything, I wanted it to feel painfully slow. To meet my goal of a 3:35, I needed to run about 8:10 per mile. Imagine my surprise when I hit the first mile at 7:37. I forced myself back as much as I could handle. Again, my fitness is just much better than I expected. LSD FTW, indeed. I missed a few mile markers along the route, especially when passing through parks, but my pace stayed pretty even. During the initial miles, I was being passed pretty regularly. By mile 10, I was doing as much passing as I was getting passed. From mile 13 on, the ratio was 3:1 or better. A lot of people went out too hard and were coming back to me, while I was still hitting my pace.

This continued until after mile 20. My effort was increasing, but my pace wasn't dropping. Then the wobble set in. I can't say the wheels came off (that was NYC), but the nuts holding them on were getting loose. In the last few miles, my pace slowed appreciably. Part of the problem was the heat, humidity, and the fact I had run 22 miles. Understandable. The other part of the problem was that the course has a few bumps, walking bridges mostly (that in any other circumstance would NEVER be called a hill), that sucked all the speed from me. Any momentum would get shut down, and my legs were too tired to use the downhills to my advantage. These four or five "hills" really took a lot out of me at the end. During the final mile, I tried to pick up some speed, but couldn't get much going. When I made the turn to the finishing straight and saw the clock, I knew I would meet my new goal (decided en route), and just enjoyed those last few strides.

Splits:
Mile 1 - 7:37
Mile 2/3 - 15:57
Mile 4 - 7:39
Mile 5 - 7:54
Mile 6 - 7:46
Mile 7 - 7:51
Mile 8 - 7:49
Mile 9/10 - 15:22
Mile 11 - 8:02
Mile 12 - 7:52
Mile 13 - 7:57
Mile 14 - 7:52
Mile 15 - 7:58
Mile 16 - 7:58
Mile 17 - 8:01
Mile 18 - 7:52
Mile 19 - 7:59
Mile 20 - 8:11
Mile 21 - 7:55
Mile 22 - 8:12
Mile 23 - 8:20
Mile 24 - 7:59
Mile 25/26 - 17:24
Mile 26.2 - <1:50

Before I reveal my finishing time, I have another story to tell. When I got back into running two years ago for the NYC Marathon, I had as my goal to run sub-3:20, the 200 minute barrier. As my preparation progressed, it become clear that I wouldn't accomplish that, so I was shooting for a 3:30. That day, I ran a 3:31:26, a good time (top 8%), but those extra 87 seconds have been niggling at me for over two years. I always felt bad saying that I had run a marathon in about 3 and half hours, because I wasn't sub-3:30. At Disney (here's the cliche coming up), there was something magical happening. I felt fantastic. I hit the half-marathon point at 1:42:37. If I could do the second half in 1:47, I could crack that 3:30 barrier. That became my carrot during those last hard miles. Every stride was to avoid using up the time I had banked. And when I crossed that line at 3:29:12 (3:29:20 by the clock), I had done it. I am a sub-3:30 marathoner, and I did it the day after a quick half-mary. I raised the Guns Up, released a silent scream, and fist-pumped my way through the crowd. The first volunteer I came upon asked, "How are you feeling, Drew?" (our names are on our bibs). "Fantastic." As I had my marathon medal hung around my neck, it got a little dusty in the finisher's corral. I picked up some drinks and water, dumping one on my head and legs to try to clean up and cool off. I thanked every volunteer within shouting distance. I received my Goofy medal, had my pictures taken, walked through baggage check, and met my family. I lack the words to describe the joy, relief and amazement I felt at my own race. I didn't really think I was in 3:30 shape, and I definitely didn't think I was able to do it on the second day. But there it is, now and forever.

Will I do another marathon? Someday, I'm sure I will. Disney? Perhaps. Will I go faster? Almost without question, since I'm finally figuring out the best ways for myself to train. But this day, today, will always be a fond memory, when a result I never could have imagined at the start of the day became a reality.

WDW Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge Race Report - Part One

Early. That's the first thing to note about the WDW Marathon weekend. Everything is done very early. The gun goes off at 6 am. Racers are called to the corrals at 4:45. The last bus to the start area leaves the resorts at 4. All this requires a wake-up around 3 am. So that's when my day started. At 3 in the morning (or night, depending on how you look at it).

The weather was in most respects an improvement from two years ago. Temperatures in the low 60s, with a light breeze. Definitely a step up from the near-freezing temps of last time. Apparently, the weather was even hotter last year, so I was glad about that, but it was still warmer than I'd prefer for racing, and much more humid. The humidity was about 95% when we left the hotel. At race intensity, that's like breathing through soup.

Claire and I met my mom at our hotel for the trip to the start area, and after checking our bags, and calming some nerves, we parted ways around 5 as we headed for the corrals. I was up in the front of Wave 1, while as new racers they were in the last corral of Wave 3. I found a clear piece of turf on the road of Corral A, and sat down to watch the big screen and pass the time until we were off.

My goals for this weekend were pretty simple. I wanted to finish in the top 100 of the Goofy Challenge participants (even though it's not an official competition). My first year, I was 117th. Based on the field, I figured that a weekend of 1:45/3:35 (improvement from 1:52/3:45) should put me in a very good position. Those were the times I had trained the last four months for, and really felt that I should be able to battle my way to them. The flu bug from last week, a lingering cough, and this awful humidity weren't doing much to steel my confidence, but I decided all I could do was hit my paces as well as possible, and if I blew up, then I would blow up spectacularly.

Once the fireworks went off, I tried to get into my rhythm as quickly as possible. My competitive instinct can make it tough, but I had to decide not to race the people around me, and do what I came to do. I can get caught up in the mind games of "I'm fitter than him, I need to pass him and prove my dominance". (This based strictly on appearance, and not a fair judgment at all, but it's what I do.) The crowd helped rein me in over the first mile, but as the field dissipated, I found I was running much faster than intended. However, I was running VERY easily. To say I was cruising is to imply a higher level of effort than was there. I had to make a decision: force myself to slow down in fear of the explosion, or ride this feeling of power as long as I wasn't being taxed.

I went with option number two. If I felt this good, I had to play along. Anything less would be a disservice. We hit all the major attractions, and at each mile marker I knew I was in good shape. I was talking to the crowd, thanking them for their support, cheering them to cheer for the runners. At mile 10, I decided I could open things up a little, just to stretch my legs. I rolled to the line, invoking a big crowd reaction (there's a picture of me at mile 13 waving my arms to the crowd to make some noise), and stopped the clock. I collected my medal, and began the recovery process. Lots of food and energy drink. I found a bench to relax for a bit, talked with some families who were there to cheer their runners, then found a spot on fence to cheer the arrival of my wife and my mom. As good as my race went, the fact that they finished a half-marathon inside the cut-off (well inside as it turned out) was the most special part of the day. I couldn't have been more proud.

The splits:
1 - 7:47
2 - 7:22
3 - 7:27
4 - 7:18
5 - 7:23
6 - 7:28
7 - 7:26
8 - 7:25
9 - 7:34
10 - 7:32
11 - 7:26
12 - 7:19
13 - 7:17
13.1 - <0.49>. Or looking at it another way, I felt that I could hold that pace for another 13, and put up at 3:15 mary. But I needed to keep things in check for tomorrow. That's when the piper gets paid.

Much warmer

Just a little run this morning to open up my legs after being on the plane, and get a feel for the humidity before race day. They have a loop around the hotel grounds that measures 1.34 miles, so I did it twice. The temperatures and humidity are a lot tougher than up in Toronto. I wasn't going hard, and I was sweating profusely. Perhaps all my time in the basement will count as simulation of Florida conditions. Hopefully this won't be a bad omen for tomorrow. The run was untimed, so I have no idea of pace.

Then I went to Disney's Hollywood Studios and walked a few miles between rides. Good times.

Set apart

For the second time, I have completely baffled my swim coach. He pulled me out of water, explained to me what he was seeing, then admitted he didn't know what was going on, or exactly how to fix it. He used to work with the national team, so he knows his stuff, but I guess those swimmers who are destined for the national team don't have the same issues I do.

I'll explain what's going on, and if anyone has a suggestion, feel free to fire away. During freestyle, when I'm reaching forward and rolling my body, there's a jackknifing in my hips. Without a diagram, as I reach forward with my left arm, my torso shifts so that my butt is now left of my left shoulder, there's a bend in my hips, and my legs are pointed back to the right. Make sense? (The description, not why I do it. We've already established that doesn't make sense.) We tried some kicking drills, and adding another focus point during stroking, which seemed to correct things somewhat, but the last thing I need now is yet another mental cue. One thing we established is that is NOT due to reaching too far across my body with my arms. Another idea is that I may have exceptionally tight hip flexors from running and cycling, so after the marathon, I'll start stretching them more religiously. Thoughts?

We got a pretty good swim in this morning, even with my extra coaching. Time was an issue, so some thing got cut short. We tried some new this morning for the sprints. Since the numbers were down, there was enough room for us all to go at the same time, so the sprints were done as 25 yd races. Fun, and tough trying to beat/keep up with the person beside you.

Swim: w/u 4x100 free, back, breast, pull
Special coaching for Drew, including: 2x50 side kick, 2x50 free
1x100 free (joining the group mid-set), 20"
1x200 gloves, 20"
100 back
3x300 free, pull, free, 20"
100 back
200 free, 20"
150 free, 20" (was supposed to be 4x200 getting faster, but out of time)
6x25 sprint
c/d 150 pull
Total: 2750 yds

Later, I'll do a short run after work
Run: 3 miles @ 6.8 mph

Last run of any significance

Well, this was the last opportunity to use a run to do any of the rebuilding I was talking about yesterday. It was an interval session, designed to feel the higher pace after many weeks away, flush out the legs, and hopefully set up some super-compensation over the next few days. All told it's a short run, just 5 miles, but with 3 intervals of 1200m at T-pace, with 400m recovery (or 0.75 miles on, 0.25 off when using the treadmill).

All told, it actually felt pretty good. I'm down to the tail-end of my cold. My heart rate wasn't super-elevated during the hard efforts (actually, it was about where it should be after a number of miles at M-pace), and during the recoveries it went back to high 140s (top end of E-pace). It felt really good to pick things up like that. My breathing was consistently 4-4, except right near the end of the last interval, when it naturally shifted to 3-3 (I was able to force it back to 4-4, but it took more concentration).

Now we're down to the last few easy runs to keep the legs fresh, and some big runs this weekend.

Run: 5 miles, w/ 3x1200m @ 8.4 mph, 400m @ 6.8 mph

On Confidence

(OK, I have some thoughts rolling around in my head, and I'm going to try to get them down here. However, I may end up with a divergence or two, since that's the way my brain works. I'll try to avoid ending up with the Tristram Shandy of blog posts, but this could be a cock and bull story by the end.)

Most athletes at the age-group level, whether they'll admit it or not, are competitive. Some are competitive with others, those who compete for the overalls, or amongst a group of club members. Some are competitive only against themselves, wanting each performance to be a PR or "seasonal best". Either of these are fine forces of motivation. They are the driving forces.

They drive the athlete through race day: noticing they're ahead of PR pace with only two miles to go, passing the guy in the blue shirt who beat you last month. This drive is what gets us to the finish line for our best performances. Even more importantly, though, it's what drives us through all of the training. Every mile in the shoes, every hour on the bike is rooted in this competitive desire. The sacrifices are made so the training gets done.

All of miles in training serve two purposes. First, they prepare the athlete physically to accomplish the task that's set out. A second, and perhaps as important, purpose of the training is that it builds confidence that the job will get done on race day. Every workout that goes well is a message from the body that, yes, we'll be ready to go. An athlete who toes the line after months of good work, who has faith in their program, will not be nervous, worried about what might happen, but instead will be anxious, excited to see the result fall into place. A win or PR isn't in doubt, it will feel almost pre-ordained. Knowing you have the kick, or the tenacity to finish a hard effort, is as important as actually having it.

Unfortunately, there are sometimes setbacks in training. One of the worst situations is when the setback occurs shortly before the event. After months of positive reinforcement, and a steadfast belief that the day would go perfectly, a series of sub-optimal or missed workouts, due to illness or injury, will leave the athlete with nagging doubts. "Have I lost anything? How much have I lost? How will I know, and should I change my strategy?" It's a test of the athlete's mental skills to continue to have faith that if they can get to the start healthy, then everything will be as it should.

Months have been spent preparing the body. It's ready. Months have also been spent banking reserves of confidence. This last-minute setback seems like a giant withdrawal from those reserves. But the supply hasn't been depleted. It's during a time like this when an appraisal is in order. Take stock of all the work that's been done. Use those memories to replenish the bank. Go over the workout logs, see the successes, maintain the plan.

For my first-person account, this is exactly what's happened to me in the last week. Ten days out from an event I've planned for a year, and prepared 5 months specifically for, I caught a flu bug, followed by a slight cold. The flu forced a cancellation of two workouts, and the ones that followed were a little worse than sub-optimal. The first run, at a pace two minutes per mile slower than projected marathon speed, spiked my heart rate into race effort ranges. When I saw this, I was shattered. I'm not too proud to admit that I was in danger of tearing up on the treadmill. All that work was seemingly gone. I was back to levels worse than when I started. So I did as I recommended above.

I went over this blog to note the victories and breakthroughs. I know the effects of illness on training, so I reminded myself that the effect is temporary. I know my body will be ready, if I can get it healthy again, so that became the focus. If runs were cut short, or a bit slower, that's OK. I'll get to the line healthy. Would I like a big piece of cake and greasy food? Yes, but I'll take a thin slice and clean food instead. I'll get to the line healthy.

Are there still doubts and concerns? Of course, but I can't let them consume me. I've spent a long time, setting myself up for a set of time goals for this weekend. With the lingering illness and shaken confidence, it might make sense to scale them back. But I won't. I will set out each day with those targets in mind. I would rather flame out trying to meet what I've prepared for than willingly sacrifice the chance. This is my shot. I won't be doing this race again, at least not for a long time, so I have to take the shot.

And I have the confidence that my shot will be on target.

On an unrelated note, here's the song that's carried me through two marathons, a handful of other races, and countless training runs.

The build begins

So it's time to get back on the schedule of 4:50 wake-up calls. Luckily, this will also be good training for the 3 am wake-up for race weekend. Today, after a good night's sleep, I was up and off for the first session this year in the long pool.

We had a good crowd this morning, I think with the new year, we'll be having some resolutionaries, and more people preparing for the next season. This wasn't a big problem, but if people aren't spacing themselves enough, I get a bit hesitant doing flip turns, since I don't want to fire back into someone. Otherwise, good session. We're obviously doing more volume, and less technical work. Today was shorter than last Wednesday, I guess to allow those people who had been out of a pool for two weeks to get comfortable again. Near the end, I could feel my form starting to suffer, so I had to concentrate more on the basics.

Swim: w/u: 4x100m (free, back, breast, pull)
Main set: 3x(
100m back, 10"
200m as (50m skill, 50m free/pull), 20"
300m ez free, 30"
2x50m (25m sprint, 25m ez free), 30")
Skills: 1) scull, 2) fist drill, 3) forearm flop
c/d: 2x50m breast, 50m free
Total: 2700m

A little better, but not much

So the flu is pretty much passed, with just a lingering cough/congestion, which should clear in a day or two. With luck, I should be in fine form for the weekend. Notice that I'm saying "with luck". Right now, I'm not too sure. This sickness, and the subsequent runs, are not doing much for my confidence.

According to the plan, today should be 12 miles, LSD. Since some errands had to be run in the morning, the run got pushed back to late afternoon. Given my condition and the mediocre weather outside (warmish (~2C), but mist/fog everywhere), I stuck to the treadmill. Unlike yesterday when my heart rate spiked from when I first stepped on, I actually felt pretty good for the first few miles. My pace was about where it should be at that heart rate, and breathing wasn't laboured (although I could feel lunch sitting in my gut. Chili and a sandwich with a ginger ale was a poor choice.) Right about mile 5, my heart rate jumped by about 8 bpm, and it took some serious scaling back of pace to pull it back to the proper range. I know well enough that this is another sign from my body saying it's not quite ready yet, so I cut the run at 8 miles. That will have to do. My last chance to rebuild any confidence comes on Tuesday, with a brief interval session. Things might be "interesting" come Saturday.

Run: 5 miles @ 6.9 mph, 3 miles @ 6.6 mph

Not Down With the Sickness

So, there hasn't been a post for the last two days, and since I've tried to post what I do every day, you might be thinking that's not a good sign. And you'd be right. I got sick. And I don't get sick, so it was something of note.

It may be a bug that's floating around the Toronto area, or it may have come from the NYE party, but my wife got hit very hard by a flu bug on the 2nd, and it caught up with me on the 3rd. No violent symptoms, just a whole-body ache and a level of fatigue worse than after most races I've done. You're not in good shape if you're falling asleep at your desk. After I blinked, and woke up 5 minutes later, with a trail of drool on my chest, I figured I might need to scale back the intensity of Thursday's bike ride. By the time I got home, the ride had been cancelled. I knew better than to force myself further into that pit, with the race just over a week away.

Friday, the consecutive workday streak came to an end. In twenty years in the workforce, I had never called in sick. I had put off surgery until after summer jobs had ended so I wouldn't miss time. My opinion was, either I could go to work, or I was in the hospital. No in-between. But my wife talked me into taking the day to rest. Even though I felt (slightly) better than on Thursday, I spent the day on the couch, floating in and out of naps. All in all, it seems to have helped. I guess I'll have to start a new streak on Monday.

The fatigue had finally passed by this morning. I woke up without the alarm, refreshed, just after 6 am. I forced myself to stay in bed until almost 7, then got up to make preparations for a brief run. The only sickness left is a bit of a runny nose and cough, but that's manageable, and should clear up in a day or two. The plan was for a 6 mile run, at about 7.0 mph. That went out the window pretty quick, as my heart rate spiked very quickly. Even a pace of 6.2 mph had my HR over 150 bpm, which is more taxing than necessary, so I cut the run short at 4 miles. A few hours later, I feel OK, the muscles aren't taxed, but my joints (ankles, knees) are stiff. Tomorrow's plan is 12 miles, but I'll have to see what I can pull off. It will likely be at least 8, maybe 10-12. We'll find out then.

Run: 4 miles @ 6.2 mph

First swim of the new year

(I seem to have a theme to my posts here. Let's see how long I can keep it up.)

Back in the pool early this morning. After the better part of two weeks off, it took a while to get anything resembling a groove going on. I still wouldn't say I was quite back to where I was, but it went pretty well.

The "form and technique" part of our training year is over, and we are now working on volume. This may catch up to me after missing another week to run the marathon next week. The volume was up for today, so if you're going to jump in, do it with both feet. I was almost able to finish the prescribed workout, which was 3x1000yds, in a variety of configurations. I finished at 2950 yards, running out of time during the final bit of cooldown.

Swim: 3x1000 yds as:
400y as 100 free, 100 back, 100 breast, 100 free
300y as ??
200y as 100 breast, 100 back
100y as ez pull
Rest 1-2'
400y as 50 scull, 50 pull
300y as stroke count
200y as 50 fist, 50 free
100y as ez free
Rest 1-2'
100y as 25 sprint/25 ez
200y as ??
300y as 25 head up/75 free
400y as 300 free/100 back

Later,
Run: 3 miles @ 6.8 mph

First run of the new year

Well, the taper has begun. Reduced mileage and moderate intensity for the next two weeks until race day. If it weren't for the jitteriness that taper-madness brings, this would be a nice time of year.

We've gotten a huge dump of snow over night, with more coming down during the day, so it was back to the treadmill. Nothing quite like running in place to make you ponder your place in the universe as you start a new year. :) Only six miles, easy pace, relaxed. Time to get set up for the Gator Bowl, as Tech looks to put a Texas-sized whuppin' on UVA.

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