More from the champ

So yesterday was an unscheduled day off, similar to Tuesday. My calf is still a bit problematic, so I bagged the run. I don't like missing workouts, so this is kind of frustrating, but I'll be back at it. After work today I picked up the Lower Leg Trigger Point Therapy kit so hopefully that will clear things up. It's not that I can't run on it, I just know it needs to heal a bit to be 100%.

And then this morning we had another swim coached by Tereza. We always get different type of workouts from her, and today was no exception. Today were mod-hard efforts that had to stay within 2 seconds of the first one, or else there were punishment laps. I guess under pressure, you won't let that drop-off happen. It's always amazing how with the shorter mileage we cover, I'm always more tired after her sessions than the others. When I woke up yesterday, I felt like someone had beat me across the upper back with a baseball bat. I think that's a good thing, in its own way. Let's see what happens tomorrow.

Swim: w/u - 200 free, 4x50 as 15 fast/35 ez, 200 non-free
2x50 ez free, 30" (:46, :48)
5x50 free on 1' (:43, :44, :43, :44, :44)
400 pull w/paddles, 30"
3x50 free on 1:10 (:42, :41, :42)
300 pull w/paddles, 30"
5x25 sprint, 20"
75 ez free
500 free as 25 hard/25 ez/50 hard/50 ez/75 hard/75 ez/100 hard/100 ez
c/d - 100 ez non-free, 100 ez pull
Total: 2700m

Run: 2.5 miles, ez

When Your Coach is an IM Champ

We had a "guest coach" this morning, finally returning from months away at various training camps and races, our assistant coach, Tereza. Of course, Tereza is the newly crowned IMUSA champ, after destroying the field in Lake Placid. And I guess this morning we got a little taste of what it takes to be the first pro out of the water, male or female.

What it takes is a set that doesn't look that bad, but is. Repeated over and over. Until it's worse. It honestly seemed simple, some sprints to get the blood flowing, a "moderate" 200, and an easy pull set. The design is to simulate somewhat the start of a race, with that initial shot to get in a pack, then a hard block to stay in, and then you can cruise. Since I'm now in my new lane, the moderate effort was a bit closer to "hard" that first pass through. After our second set of sprints, we were informed that expectations are that the times should go down for the 200 repeats, and when the champ says times go down, you but the effort in to get them down, even if "moderate" is thrown out the window. I tried to ease back the sprints a little, but competitive nature still made them 95-98%, which didn't save me much. I did descend through three 200s, but the last one I was spent. In the third attempt I employed the strategy of not swimming hard, but swimming well, and it worked for my fastest time. When I tried it again, I was on fumes and the time reflected it.

Swim: w/u - 200 ez free, 2x100 ez pull, 4x50 as 25 drill/25 free
4x(4x25 sprint on 40"
200 moderate free, 20" (3:16, 3:12, 3:10, 3:21)
200 ez pull)
c/d - 200 ez non-free, 100 ez pull
Total: 2900m

Run: 2.5 miles, ez

I was supposed to run 4 miles after work, but I tweaked something in my calf on Sunday that just hasn't cleared up entirely. I could run through it, but I'd rather let it heal and hit my hard run tomorrow at 95-100% than it still bugging me and at 80-90%. So instead I laid on the couch and ate Oreos. Life is hard.

Mission aborted

Tonight was supposed to be another round with Coach Troy. But unforeseen circumstances ended that plan. Thins were good through the warm-up and calibration, but as I was doing some warm-up stretching, my rear tire flatted. No biggie, it happens. I made the quick change, but then for some unknown reason couldn't get the wheel remounted straight. I released the brake completely, nothing. I deflated the tire, nothing. I messed with it for upwards of a half-hour before finally bagging the ride and walking away before someone got hurt. After dinner I went back, toyed with it some more, and got things right. I used the opportunity to do a full clean, and moderate tune of the ride, so nothing like this would happen again. So I'll be well-rested tomorrow.

I'll probably shuffle some stuff around next week to get the session in.

Run: 2.5 miles, ez

Entrenching myself a little deeper

I'm not just hanging on by my fingertips anymore. It's surprising what a little push can do for you in your training. I guess I really stagnated a little leading my lane for so long, since I've already worked up to solidly sticking with the group in my new lane. Some of the longer stuff is faster than I might choose, and the easy work is closer to "easy+", but I'm there. I put a real effort into waiting to leave the wall to avoid getting a draft and seeing if I could keep pace, and for the most part I could. So things are always getting better.

Swim: w/u - 200m each free, non-free, pull
400 free as 25 head-up/75 ez, 1'
400 pull w/paddles, 1'
400 as 100 each ez free/back/breast/pull, 1'
200 free as 25 hard/175 ez, 15"
200 free as 50 hard/150 ez, 15"
200 free as 75 hard/125 ez, 15"
200 free as 100 hard/100 ez, 1'
5x100, 20", odd: ez back, even: sprint free
c/d - 100 ez pull
Total: 3200m

Run: 2.5 miles, ez

Thick air

Last night was a bit late, followed a 2am wake-up call, then up for real shortly after 7. Not enough sleep, but it was time to hit the road. There are thunderstorms potentially on the way this afternoon, so I wanted to get done early. The problem now is, the air is thick with humidity preceding the storms, so my run was tougher than usual.

But still, I got out and knocked out two hilly loops of 5.25 miles each. The first was relatively mild, and went by in 40:26. I think that's one of my fastest first laps ever. The second was a bit more of a struggle. I tried to keep the pacing in check, and felt relatively good in the legs. It was just some shortness of breath that was getting me, and the humidity could be blamed for that. I still got around in 38:23, not a record by any stretch, but a good pace all things considered.

Run: 10.5 miles, 40:26/38:23

Good luck to all my teammates who are racing at IMLP today. There's a bunch of them out there, so hopefully the weather is better than last year. At the moment I'm writing this, my assistant swim coach, is leading the women's race by 13:30 through 60 miles on the bike. What a hammer! Even more impressive, she was first out of the water. Not first woman ... just FIRST. Next time she has a clinic I'll make sure I attend. Go Tereza!

Throttle's open

On this morning's ride, I was solo, since a bunch of folks are off at Lake Placid, or home to watch the deciding Tour stage. (Thank goodness for Tivo.) Since I didn't have to wait for anyone, I did my 60km loop, and could spice things up by hitting it hard a few times. Over the course of the ride, I added in three shots of 8-10 minutes at close of sprint race effort. Depending on terrain and wind, I was 37-42 km/h in each of those. The legs are feeling really good this last couple of weeks since I took the rest. If I can keep seasoning them just right for the rest of the season, I'll keep with some top tier bike splits. Once I add a decent run, I'll move another rung or two up the ladder.

Bike:~60km, ~1:40

Earn my stripes

"Just jump right in."

It's almost like a scene out of high school, going to sit at the cool kids' table. It's one thing if you're invited to join them, but altogether different to just pull up a chair. But that's the scenario that played out in my head on the pool deck this morning. I know everyone in the lane, we've joked in the locker room and over the lane lines, I've joined them for a few workouts, but what if I can't keep up? What if I get sent back a lane? Will I ever get over the embarrassment? (Do I sound like an insecure fourteen year-old girl yet?)

Well, there's only one way to find out, so I dropped my toys at the end of Lane Two, and started the warm-up before anyone could say anything. And just like any parent of a teenager could tell you, it was all built up more in my head than it ever could be in real-life. I was more than welcome in the lane. In fact, I was called on to lead a set or two. I proved to myself that I could hang, maybe not lead like before, but I belonged. I wasn't the fastest, but I wasn't the slowest either. It took most of the season, but I've moved up another lane.

Now I have six weeks to get to that last one.

Swim: w/u - 200m each free, non-free, pull
400 free as 25 thigh scrape/75 ez, 30"
2x100 free, HIM pace, 15"
100 ez non-free, 30"
400 free as 25 10&2/75 ez, 30"
2x100 free, Olympic pace, 15"
100 ez non-free, 30"
400 free as 25 head-up/75 ez, 30"
2x100 free, Sprint pace, 30"
100 ez non-free, 30"
400 free as 300 w/paddles/100 ez, 30"
2x100 free, max, 1'
100 ez non-free
Total: 3400m

Run: 2.5 miles, ez

Iron Head

It been verified yet again that I'm just not cut out for the highest end of speed work. Based on my estimated VDOT, I can easily hit the recommended E-pace, M-pace doesn't seem too bad, and T-pace is a good workout. But I-pace just kills me. The last block with it was among the hardest things I've done. Luckily, I'm on another T-pace block right now, so I get solid work without feeling crippled for the next couple of days.

By the end of the run, I had 30 minutes worth of T-pace running, done as 5x6 minutes, with 1 minute recovery. One minute is not very long, especially when it takes a few seconds for the treadmill to slow down, then wind back up again. (I turn the speed up with 8 seconds before the interval start time so it's at speed when the clock starts.) So I really get closer to 45 seconds recovery. Still, I made it through the workout feeling pretty good. I had to work, but I wasn't killing myself. I think this is one of the better ways for me to build my speed.

I was a bit extra rested since I didn't do my lunch run today. I decided for this block (and probably the next one) to skip that run so that I can be fully fresh hitting my hard runs. Also, it was raining. I hate training in the rain. I love racing in it, but training, not so much.

Run: 55 minutes, w/5x6 minutes @ 9.3 mph + 1 minute @ 7.5 mph

Almost official

It has taken all season, but I think I may have finally cracked into the next lane. For the third time in four sessions, I got the call to move up. It was definitely a bit of a struggle to hang in, going from leading my lane to trying to draft as much as possible to not upset the rhythm of the group. I was right on point for the paddle sets, but when called on to lead a 200 set at "sprint" pace, I got blowed up in a big way. But it was a good day, and I can't feel bad about unsuccessfully leading the lane when no one else was stepping up. I will see if I should just join them from now on, and I'll keep chipping away. I'll be a bit disappointed at the end of the year when the program shuts down, since I'd like to think that with some more time and practice I'd work my way into the fastest lane.

Swim: w/u - 200m each free, non-free, pull
400 free as: 25 hard/75 ez/50 hard/50 ez/75 hard/25 ez/100 ez, 30"
2x100 ez non-free, 15"
300 pull w/paddles, 30"
300 free w/paddles, 30"
2x100 ez non-free, 15"
4x200 free, 30", 1: IM pace, 2: HIM pace, 3: sprint pace, 4: all-out
c/d - 100s ez non-free/pull/free/non-free/pull
Total: 3300m

Run: 2.5 miles, ez

Run: 4 miles @ 7.5 mph

Flattening the hills

I guess I'm supposed to be pretending to go uphill. That's the point of the Spinervals DVD Hillacious. And that's all well and good, but I know I can climb. Instead, I stayed down in the drops, and was grinding my way through. This is one my favourite workouts, starting with two long intervals, then into a set of "rollers", and finishing with some steep climbs/big gear work. I also actually remembered part of my training plan for the year during this workout: on the first attempt with one of these workouts, it should be "go hard, but not killer hard", so that the next week I can push that much more. So far this summer I've pushed too much on the first pass, and been shattered the second week. That's no good, so the intensity was right tonight. I got off the bike knowing that I had worked, but I could still stand up. We'll call that a win.

Run: 2.5 miles, ez

Bike: Spinervals 24.0 - Hillacious, 70 minutes

A good day after

I guess going at 100% intensity for over 90 minutes will take some energy out of you. Last night I was pretty much useless, and not a whole lot better once I woke up this morning. But wake up I did, and in time to get to swimming, where I found a pleasant surprise.

With a number of members prepping for IM Lake Placid, this is the last taper week for them, so we got a nice easy workout today. That works for me, since I can always use more drill work. Nothing too long, nothing too hard (although I did pick up the effort pretty good on the "sprint race" pace sets), talked some race strategy with the coach. Got out of the water feeling really good.

The run this afternoon was a bit stiff, but I didn't bother with the time or effort and just let my legs work themselves out over 2.5 miles.

Swim: w/u - 200m each free, non-free, pull
2x50 10&2 drill/100 ez free, 15"
2x50 thigh scrape drill/100 ez free, 15"
2x(100 fists, 10"
100 ez free, 10"
100 free w/paddles, 10"
100 ez non-free, 30")
200 free, IM pace, 30" (3:38)
200 free, HIM pace, 30" (3:30)
200 free, sprint pace, 30" (3:21)
200 ez non-free, 30"
200 free, sprint pace, 30" (3:17)
c/d - 100 ez non-free, 100 ez pull
Total: 3200m

Run: 2.5 miles, ez

Underdogs

Blatantly stolen from Chuckie V's blog:



From the movie Miracle: "That's what you've earned here tonight. One game. If we played 'em ten times, they might win nine. But not this game. Not tonight."

Little Doubt Goes A Long Way - The Belwood Sprint Triathlon Race Report

Friday night, my wife and I drove out to the Belwood area to meet up with some friends to go camping for the weekend. Since we're not really "campers", we opted to rent a cabin (read: shack) instead of tenting it, but spent Friday and Saturday hanging out with good friends. We got lucky that the planned campground and weekend matched up with my race schedule, and we were right across the lake from the race site. I had planned to pre-ride the course on Saturday morning, but the local roads aren't really well-designed for cycling, so I got an extra rest day instead.

Sunday morning was another early morning (it just can't be avoided) and after some Lyle Lovett and some Lamb of God on the car stereo, I was ready to race. The forecast had been for sunny and a bit cooler than seasonal, but we were welcomed to overcast and a cold breeze. We haven't had a lot of luck with race mornings so far this season. Once my transition area was set up, I hustled off to the port-a-potties. The lines were too long, so I put on my wetsuit and hit the lake for a warm-up swim. (I won't explain how those last two sentences go together.) Then it was time to hit it.

Swim:
This was the longest swim of the season for me, and I just never found a good rhythm. I didn't swim poorly, I'm actually relatively happy with my time, but I know I didn't go as hard as I could. I saw a bunch of swimmers get away really quick, but couldn't get any feet, and couldn't find any more speed. My stomach went a little funny once or twice during the loop, I tasted a bit of bile, so mentally I just said, "This is only the first part. Swim well, not hard, get to shore, and chase them down." So that's what I did. I stood up at 18:00, which is a good time for me, and a long run to T1 made my official time a little longer.

T1:
I had a couple of seconds trouble getting my ankles out of my wetsuit. Thinking about it now, I forgot to Bodyglide my ankles, and that's the issue right there. Still, I grabbed my bike, followed the crowd out to the line, and went on the hunt.

Bike:
I knew this was going to be my chance to shine. The course is an L-shaped out and back, starting to the east then heading south. The East-West stretch is mostly flat and well-protected from the wind, so I was topping 38-40 km/h for the whole stretch, picking off lots of riders. Once we turned south, we picked up a good tailwind, and over rolling terrain I never went below 36 km/h, and spent a lot of time in the high 40s and low 50s. It was also along here that I did something that's a little out of character. As I was coming up on some riders, I had watched as one had been parked in the draft for a few minutes. Once I caught up, I saw he was 66 years old, so obviously the leader (or close to it) in his AG. Usually I'd leave it alone, but it ticked me off that he's using young legs to cheat his competitors, so as I passed, I simply asked, "Getting a good draft?" Then I dropped him like a hot rock.

Once we hit the turnaround, the wind that was so helpful on the way out was a slap in the face coming home. I kept my head down, and butt in the saddle, and continued up the field. I wasn't seeing many people from M35-39, so I didn't really know where I was in the race. After the left turn to the homestretch, I got the speeds back up around 40 km/h and planned to finish hard. I could feel the effort in my legs, so I was a bit worried about what I could dig out for the run. I haven't raced 7k since Milton, but I got the cadence over 90 rpm for the last few kms, and that helped to wake my legs up.

T2:
Two racks for M35-39, do a bike count. One ... two ... and the guy I just followed in. That puts me in fourth. Trade the helmet for a cap, pull on the shoes, and away we go.

Run:
The run is all on packed dirt roads, so not a great surface, especially with race flats. You'll feel everything under your feet. I left transition a few seconds behind the one guy from my AG, with a couple M30-34 between us. I tried to take my own advice from earlier and run with a positive mindset, which helped considerably. Every time I hurt, I smiled and sped up. As good as that worked, it wasn't enough to make up for a difference in talent. He was running away from me, and at about 3.5k in, another from my AG ran past. I tried to go with him, but he was just that small step too quick. OK, fifth. That's the podium, let's stay there. I passed a lot of athletes from other age groups, so I knew I was running well. At about 4.5km, the course turns off for a quick out and back, where the road was really rough, and then just past the 6km marker it's back out on the main path, on a straight shot to the finish. I could see the two competitors from my age group up the road, but I wasn't going to be there. A valiant battle, and I'll be in the mix next year.

Official results:
Swim: 19:01 (1:51/100m), 13/52 AG
T1: 1:27
Bike: 48:49 (36.9 km/h), 2/52 AG
T2: 0:43
Run: 28:29 (4:04/km), 6/52 AG
Total: 1:38:27, 33/463 overall, 5/52 AG

OTS Points: 82.5, Series Points: 122.5
OSS Points: 55, Series Points: 255

Another race, this time with the big boys, and another podium. I keep getting better, and it's hard to complain about that. I could have swam a bit faster, but realistically that might have gained me 30 seconds, and not moved me up a place in my AG. But it was a competitive race, and I made my impression. I need to keep taking advantage of my bike splits to keep/put me in races, and sharpen my shorter run to finish stronger. I could have held that running pace for twice as long, at least, but I couldn't get any more. I'm built for the long race, and anything under a half-marathon seems to be my weakness. But Jack Daniels and I have a plan to fix that over the next couple of years.

One of the things I was thinking about today while I was racing, when not thinking about the race itself, was my Uncle Tiny. He was recently diagnosed with metastasized kidney cancer, and things don't look good. It was just last summer that he, I guess a bit inspired by me, took part in a 10 mile race. He wasn't fast, but he finished, and that's the most important thing. And now this. Things can turn so quickly. So today was for Uncle Tiny.

Rolling 300s

I would love to say that I rolled 300 in bowling, but instead that's just an apt description of today's swim workout. It was assigned as 10x300, which due to time, became 9x300. Once again due to numbers, I got called up a lane, and once again, I held my own. Because we had so many, it was impossible to not be in the draft, unless you were leading, so I'm sure that helped my case. I did end up leading one set of paddle work, so that was a good showing. I went back to my old goggles, and they seemed to do the trick today, as long as I took the time to set them right. One set I didn't, and 25m later I had a left eye marinating in pool water.

I added the usual lunch run just to feel the road under my feet. A bit of rain seems to be on its way, and I just beat it back to the office.

Swim: w/u - 200m each free, non-free, pull
300 free, IM pace, 30"
300 pull w/paddles, 30"
300 free as 25 head-up/75 ez, 30"
300 free as 25 hard/75 ez, 30"
300 ez as 100 back/100 breast/100 pull, 30"
300 free, IM pace, 30"
300 pull w/paddles, 30"
300 as 150 hard free/150 ez non-free, 30"
300 free, IM pace
Total: 3300m

Run: 2.5 miles, ez

Keep it loose

Just a couple of short runs on the schedule today, my usual quick lunch run, and another few miles with some pick-ups after work. I can feel a few little niggling bits of stiffness/soreness, but that's actually a good thing. It means my legs are healed enough that I can actually notice that, instead of the dead wood feeling that I usually have. All in all, I'm feeling pretty good by now.

Run: 2.5 miles, ez

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

Race psychology

Yesterday during my trawling of various triathlon/endurance sport blogs, I came upon a very interesting read in Matt Fitzgerald's blog. It's a discussion on a recently published paper on the role of emotions on pacing strategies and performance. I highly recommend the post for a full viewpoint, but I'll give you my main takeaway message.

As he discusses, there is an interesting relationship between emotions and performance. The physical effort can affect your mood, as anyone who has done a hard workout can attest. But on the flip side, emotions (whether positive or negative) can impact performance ("this sucks"=slow down, "I feel great"=go faster). Simply put, the physical affects the psychological, and the psychological affects the physical. And from my last couple of races, I think this may be part of my issue during the run legs.

I can testify that this phenomenon caught up with me at Clearwater, and it may be catching up with me now. I don't think I've been paying enough attention to how it feels to be running fast (uncomfortable, but fun when you're flying), and instead just counting down the miles. I do the same thing during interval training, focusing on the minutes/seconds left. This negative psychology ("only three more kilometres to hurt") can't be doing me any good. Part of the problem is that I'm a better chaser than chased. When I have people in front of me, I can go get them. When they aren't there, I focus on how much longer I have to keep away. As I get better at this game, I need to change my psychology.

So, outside of any time/place goals for the weekend, I want to have a day where my head is in the right place during the run. If I can see them, I'm going to run them down. If I can't see them, I'm going to focus on "enjoying" the work being done and the sensation of moving quick.

Getting sharper

The swim went really well. After the warm-up, I got moved up a lane to balance some of the numbers. I held my own there, definitely not leading the lane, but I could hang on. The second 500 wasn't at IM pace, closer to Olympic effort, but close enough for today. The swim mask continues to have a couple of small issues, so Friday I'll go back to my goggles to see if they'll work well enough for the weekend.

After work, I threw in a nice little ride, mostly at an easy pace, but just to put a bit of an edge on, added five minutes just sub-threshold. It wasn't very taxing, I was working but not struggling at all, so I think I'll be ready to go at the end of the week.

Swim: w/u - 200m each free, non-free, pull
500 free, IM pace, 30"
100 ez non-free, 15"
100 free, blast!, 15" (1:29)
100 ez non-free, 15"
2x400 pull w/paddles, 30"
2x100 ez non-free, 10"
500 free, IM pace, 30"
100 ez non-free, 15"
100 free, blast!, 15"
c/d: 100 ez non-free, 100 ez pull
Total: 3300m

Run: 2.5 miles, ez

Bike: 30 minutes, z1-2, w/5 min @ 300w

Almost back

My (mild) summer cold that started last Wednesday is pretty much gone, and everything else is starting to feel a lot better. I'm sleeping really well and not in a near-zombie state during the day, I have no "dead legs" sensation, and my energy is good. A few more easy days and I think I'll be ready to rock my next race.

Run: 2.5 miles, ez

Run: 3 miles @ 7.5 mph

The Mask

A quick review of the Aquasphere Seal Mask: I need more time with it. It's not the ultimate solution, we know that much at least. I still had some leakage issues, but that might be my fault in set-up, so I won't go so far as to give a negative review quite yet. Optically, I will give full credit. Clear vision, and you really notice how much you're missing peripherally with regular goggles. I'll keep playing with it and give more results later.

Other than that, good swim. Lots of variety, lots of paddle work. Not too much of a crowd. I'm a bit sore from yard work yesterday, but I'll get over it quick.

Swim: w/u - 200m each free, non-free, pull
500 pull w/paddles, 30"
400 ez as 100 back/100 breast/200 free, 30"
300 free w/paddles, 30"
200 ez as 100 non-free/100 free, 30"
100 free, blast!, 1' (1:29)
500 as 100 ez back/400 as 25 head-up/75 ez free, 30"
400 ez as 100 back/100 breast/200 free, 30"
300 pull w/paddles, 30"
c/d: 100 ez pull
Total: 3400m

Run: 2.5 miles, ez

It's a beautiful morning

I really don't think it could have been much nicer on the run this morning. By the time I got out, it was maybe 15 degrees, just enough of a wind that you'd notice when you turned into it, but not so much it would actually slow you down. And because of that, and because my legs are slowly coming back around, I had a really good run.

Today was eight miles, three on the flats to get warm, then 5 hilly miles with the pace picked up, but still fairly aerobic. That pace would be probably marathon pace give or take a bit. I fell into a good rhythm right away, and finished my 3.15 miles in 23:26 (7:26/mile pace). Then, inspired by watching a repeat of the Hy-Vee triathlon, I clipped along for another 5.25 miles. I felt really good, I was on the cusp of actually working, but had lots of speed left in reserve. By the time I was back at the house, 37:17 had elapsed. A new PR, and 7:06/mile. Not bad in the hills at less than all-out, eh?

Run: 8.4 miles, 23:26/37:17

A small opening

I slept in (6:20am), drank a nice cup of Kicking Horse 454 Horsepower coffee (the new official coffee of this blog), and set out for a nice little ride. Sticking with my plan of reducing the mileage and time at intensity of my workouts leading to Belwood, my plan was only to ride out from Lake Wilcox for 45 minutes, turn around, add a small taste of speed work, and call it a day. A very nice morning, just a bit overcast with little wind. Once I made the turn, I set off for 10 minutes at approximately race intensity. Over gently rolling terrain, I averaged 40.6 km/h from a dead start, so I still have some strength in my legs. Will I be able to hold that for ~50 minutes, and still be able to run, when I race a week from now?

I say, "Yes."

Bike: 90 minutes, z1-2, w/10 minutes @ z4 (40.6 km/h)

Indy 500

I know it's not race weekend, but this morning was just a big set of 500s, with some variation on how each was done. Each set to itself got a little boring (I mean, how many times can you count to 20?), but the workout went by pretty quick. I felt comfortable, not quite flying as I was on Wednesday, but at the end of a week, I'll take it.

I did recently discover that Belwood is going to have a 1km swim. My day just got a little tougher, since I'll have that much more ground to try to make up over the next two disciplines. They just won't make this easy for me.

Swim: w/u - 200m each free, non-free, pull
500 free, IM pace, 1'
500 pull w/paddles, 1'
500 as 100 ez non-free/300 ez pull/100 ez non-free, 1'
500 free as 25 sprint/75 ez, 1'
500 pull w/paddles, 1'
c/d - 100 ez non-free, 100 ez free
Total: 3300m

Run: 2.5 miles, ez

A little seasoning

Sticking with my theme of "less work, but still the same style of work", tonight I hit the treadmill for a quick 5 miler. Normally this workout would be 55 minutes, almost 8 miles, with 5x4 minutes hard, and three minutes recovery. Tonight was 40 minutes, a shade over 5 miles, with 5x1 minute hard, 4 minutes recovery. So I got the speed up to where I wanted, the legs got a taste, but nothing was so stressful that I'll set back any recovery I'm making. Feels good.

Run: 2.5 miles, ez

Run: 40 minutes, w/5x1 minute @ 10.1 mph + 4 minutes @ 7.5 mph

Start the recovery here

So I admit I'm a little beat up now. I think by mentally admitting that, my body has decided to take advantage and let me become more aware of some of the problems. I feel a bit of soreness that wouldn't normally be around, and I'm starting to get a scratchy throat. I should be able to kick this in a few days, so I'll be more than ready by my next race.

The swim this morning was good, and I felt really comfortable all the way through the workout. I added my couple of runs during the day, lowering the mileage a bit to start the resting process. I need to let my body do its thing and get right so before I start back to hammering it in any way.

Swim: w/u - 200m each free, non-free, pull
3x500 IM effort, 30" (1: free (8:35), 2: pull (8:00), 3: free (8:25))
4x50 ez non-free, 10"
2x(3x100 free, sprint race pace, 30" (~1:38/100)
2x100 ez non-free, 30")
c/d - 100 pull
Total: 3400m

Run: 2.5 miles, ez

Run: 3 miles @ 7.5 mph

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Two things are changing in my schedule, one starting immediately but only lasting a short while, the other not changing for a few months but could have a big effect.

First, after last night's failed workout and my (somewhat) disappointing race on the weekend, I'm starting my upcoming rest period about five days early. I don't have a good reason for why things are going downhill right now, but my best guess is that I'm on the cusp of overtraining. I'm lucky that in my daily life I almost never have a reason to miss a workout, but that also means sometimes I may end up doing too much. The major symptoms of overtraining haven't shown up yet, but with two months left in the triathlon season, I'd rather not go looking for them. Instead, I'm going to slightly cut the mileage and duration of intensity for the next week and a half leading to Belwood. I'll still go after the same speeds/intensities, but not for as long, more just to season the legs than work them over. As an example, Thursday's run will go from 5x4 minutes at I-pace to 5x1 minute. I'll still get to feel the speed, but won't risk falling off the treadmill. Hopefully these changes will let my body get caught up, and I'll be good to go again. I guess I could be a little concerned with the race coming up, but if I had to choose, I'd rather show up a little undercooked than burnt out. In June, I took a week without cycling or swimming, then a rest week, then had my best race of the year, so I should be OK. Once through Belwood, I'll be back on my usual schedule for the rest of the year.

Second, my swim coach is leaving the program at the end of the season. He'll be starting another in a different part of the city (probably too far for me to attend), so in the winter I'll have to look at other options. I don't know yet if NYAC will find another coach for the triathlon program or if it will be abandoned. I may have to look at finding a new place to do my swimming, and I don't think Douglas Snow during public swims will be a reasonable option. If it weren't for this program, I wouldn't have enjoyed swimming as much, and I definitely wouldn't have made the improvements I have in the last two years. So I have two months now to get as much useful information and progress out of Adam as I can before I'm left to the wolves.

Went past E

Tonight's ride was another trip with Coach Troy, this time the threshold test which I first performed about seven weeks ago. I went through the numbers from last time and set up what I believed to be appropriate targets. Everything was going pretty well through the first part of the workout, and even through the initial part of the main set (20 minutes all-out). But pretty much right after I passed the 10 minute mark (averaging 325w), I was on Empty. Everything just shut down. It wasn't a gradual decrease, I just lost the ability to turn the pedals with any strength. I took about 60-90 seconds soft-pedaling, then went back at it, but could only get up to 280-300w. Even though my heart rate was low, I couldn't dig any more out of my legs. I got crushed. My final average wattage was ~300w, but it should have been much higher.

Run: 2.5 miles, ez

Bike: Spinervals 27.0 - Threshold Test and Sufferfest, 60 minutes (Test: 300.2w average)

More goggle issues

I thought maybe things had finally worked themselves out. I had a good swim yesterday with the goggles, no leaking and no fog. But today was just a mess. I don't know if the strap isn't holding, but it always seems like I have to tighten it up every few lengths. The leaking wasn't horrible this morning, but it was an ominous warning of what's to come. And after just two weeks, now they're starting to fog. I've been good and haven't touched the lenses, and all the other things I was told by the salespeople, but it has still started. Why do I have such trouble getting a decent pair of goggles? I now have the Seal mask on order, so I'll be trying that out hopefully by the end of the week. If this doesn't work, I may have run out of solutions.

Other than that, though, it was a pretty good swim.

Swim: w/u - 200yds each free, non-free, pull
500 ez free, 30"
5x100, 15", 1-4: pull w/paddles, 5: ez non-free
400 ez pull, 30"
4x100, 15", 1-3: free w/paddles, 4: ez non-free
300 ez pull, 30"
3x100, 15", 1-2: pull w/paddles, 3: ez non-free
c/d: 100 ez free
Total: 3100yds

Run: 2.5 miles, ez

Was This Pretty Good? - The Peterborough Sprint Tri Race Report

It was a beautiful morning, not too warm but all sunshine, with a bit of breeze coming in. I had to wake up early to make the drive, but had time for a quick warm-up swim before the gun. What I found was a forest of weeds all the way out to the first buoy. It was an absolute mess to swim through. If it was going to be like that the whole way, it was going to be unpleasant.

Swim:
I tried to mark the guy I barely beat last week, but within 100m I was cut off by another swimmer, who ended up being a bit too slow. Still, I kept a good effort all through the swim, but since the homestretch was directly into the sun, I got a bit off course coming back. I probably lost about 5-10 seconds, a nuisance more than anything. When I popped out of the water I was in the mid-13 minutes, although my swim time includes the run to transition. I never know if the 750m includes the run (which means I'm still slow). Transition was mostly uneventful, and I was off on the bike.

Bike:
This was a simple L-shaped out and back. I tried to keep the effort up all the way, and did a bunch of passing. I felt like I had a good ride, although my speed into the wind wasn't as good as I may have liked. But I figured I was moving up. I had a really good T2, and attacked the run.

Run:
A good part of the run was on grass, which I've never been a big fan of. The footing is always a bit unsure, and I never seem to get my best speed out of it. Based on the split times I was marking, I had a good run through 3km (4:01, 3:57, 3:57). I slowed down a bit for kilometre 4 (4:11), and then must have gotten shot or lost or something in the last km, since I went 5:06. And that's after actually (thinking I was) speeding up the effort for the last bit. I really believed I was looking at a sub-20 run, but it turns out I was over-21. I don't know what happened.

Official results:
Swim: 14:24 (1:56/100m), 7/51 AG
T1: 1:03
Bike: 32:36 (36.8 km/h), 5/51 AG
T2: 0:40
Run: 21:12 (4:15/km), 7/51 AG
Total: 1:09:53, 14/480 Overall, 4/51 AG

OTS Points: 0, Series Points: 40
OSS Points: 60, Series Points: 200

So, I guess I should be pretty happy about the day. Another placing, more hardware. Not that I could really expect to win, since that's unlikely, but I kind of wanted to. Or at least be a lot more competitive. I was almost 2 minutes out of 3rd, and my bike and run were both way off where I would expect them to be. Admittedly, this race wasn't on the original schedule, so I trained through this, instead of taking my pseudo-taper I have before. And maybe two hours was too long yesterday, even if it was mostly easy. Either way, what felt like the the right effort wasn't giving me the types of speeds I normally would expect.

And so, in summary, it was a good result, but I have a sneaking suspicion that it could have been much better (maybe not in places, but I could have been in the thick of it). Two weeks until Belwood, and that one will get the mini-taper. Let's see if that makes for a better day.

Easy to set things up

Just a nice easy spin this morning. About 2 hours, 60ish kilometres. I didn't take the pace up too high at any point, although it could be argued that the tailwind section at 47.5 km/h and 112 bpm heart rate was "up". I kept a HR cap of 140, and barely went over 130 for most of the day. There were still a few kinks to work out, but things should be just fine tomorrow morning.

Bike: 120 minutes, ~60km, zone 1-2

The next day

I was pretty stiff when I woke up this morning, but still made my way to the pool. The swim went pretty well, although it's a mess when we have a bunch of people in the 25 yard pool. Even during races I don't have as many problems getting a breath without swallowing a wave.

My lunchtime run was good, I kept a nice pace, and some of the stiffness started to work itself out. An easy day tomorrow should set me up nicely for Sunday.

Swim: w/u - 200yds each free, non-free, pull
500 free as 25 head-up/75 ez
3x100 free on 1:45
4x50 non-free, 10"
2x200 free, hard, 30"
3x100 as ez breast/back/free
3x100 pull w/paddles on 1:45
4x50 non-free, 10"
c/d - 200 ez pull
Total: 3000yds

Run: 2.5 miles, ez

Not there yet

I must be over-reaching a little bit with these running workouts. Once again, I was left absolutely shattered by my I-pace workout on the treadmill tonight. I'm proud to say that I made it all the way through without any extra rest, but that was some kind of fight to get to the end. I don't think I'll be moving up my VDOT for the rest of the triathlon season. We'll see how the T-pace work goes in a few weeks, but this really high-intensity stuff is putting the hurt on. I'd imagine it's helping, although I haven't had a really good run in a race yet. Maybe this week.

Run: 2.5 miles, ez

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

Happy Canuck Day

With a day off work, it was a day to relax (a little), and do some work around the house (a little). Since swimming was cancelled, I got to sleep in until almost 6am, which was a nice treat. After watching the end of The Wire (the all-time greatest television drama of all time), I set out for a nice easy five mile run. No watch, no HR monitor, just some water and nearly empty streets. It was warmer and muggier than I expected, but I enjoyed chugging through my miles. Given how stiff I was sure I'd be from last night's ride, I think this went pretty well. I'll shake my legs out again tomorrow with a hard run, and we'll see what I can bring out on Sunday.

Run: 5.25 miles, ez