Tomorrow is the South Carolina Half Ironman. The training is done and the taper is complete - and I can't wait to start this race. Here's a look at what my last 3 months of training added up to leading into this race.
Swim - 30 miles
Bike - 1,500 miles
Run - 265 miles
131 hours and 20 minutes of total training time - if only I got paid for it! This is 30 hours more than I put into training for White Lake in the 3 months prior to it.
There are a number of things I learned at and since White Lake.
1. Use a liquid diet with gels. Nutrients get to your body faster and electrolytes don't get tied up in your stomach in digestion - this is what happens when you eat a lot of heavy solids.
2. Eat a normal breakfast
3. Eat a protein packed meal the night before.
4. Start out each leg of the race nice and easy and build.
5. Don't over ride the bike - keep in mind the 13.1 miles I have to run afterwords.
6. Maintain distance per stroke on the swim, long and efficient. Focus on swimming straight.
7. Don't look at the bike computer and watch...to much. Rely more on how I'm feeling rather than trying to hit a time.
8. Be careful of over hydrating - this can dilute your electrolytes.
The goal here is to race smart and with in my limits - relying on my training rather than trying to bully my way through it to a fast time.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Saturday, August 30, 2008
the run...
The last few days have been all about the run. Friday night after work I took Scout out for a short trail run at Yargo. She is definitely getting stronger every time we go and seems to take less breaks to smell and do other things. Can dogs become more focused runners? Scout seems to be! I felt good also - I really wanted wanted to set myself up for Saturday where I would go for a 2 hour run.
This morning I had to get my run done early because Naomi and I had plans to go to Athens to watch the game. I got started by 7 and I eased into a sub 8 minute pace. I was very consistent through out the 15 mile run with the exception of the last mile. A slight up hill through out mile 14 caused me to tie up. I went through the 13.1 mile mark (half marathon) at 1h 42 minutes which put my pace at about 7:46. It felt pretty comfortable for the most part. I'm hoping to hold 8 minute miles for my half iron and also for my marathon.
Tomorrow I wrap up the week with a big brick before work starting from Buford at 7:00 AM.
This morning I had to get my run done early because Naomi and I had plans to go to Athens to watch the game. I got started by 7 and I eased into a sub 8 minute pace. I was very consistent through out the 15 mile run with the exception of the last mile. A slight up hill through out mile 14 caused me to tie up. I went through the 13.1 mile mark (half marathon) at 1h 42 minutes which put my pace at about 7:46. It felt pretty comfortable for the most part. I'm hoping to hold 8 minute miles for my half iron and also for my marathon.
Tomorrow I wrap up the week with a big brick before work starting from Buford at 7:00 AM.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Recovery...Unrecovery...
Last week I finally reached a much needed recovery week in the training. It went well and I do feel pretty strong as I work on my final three weeks of max training. Although, I realized today that my goal of getting up near 15/16 hours of training per week is just to much at this point. My body simply does not have time from one workout to the next to make this type of training load productive. I seem to be right at home at around 12 hours per week, I always feel like I get stronger from one week to the next with this type of training load. So for this last cycle I'm just going to go with that. I mentioned early that I did approach 18 hours in a 7 day period inadvertently and I've really paid the price since then. Over training is something that I need to be more aware of.
So far this week has gone well. Monday I swam and had a good 6 mile run in the evening. Wednesday I rode 30, and today I went for a long ride of 54 miles. I have a 2 hour run and a 3 hour brick to wrap up the week.
My strain behind my right knee has been slowly getting better each day. I've stepped up my post workout stretching and it has helped a lot. I was worried for a little bit - training through injury is so frustrating.
In other news, during my ride today I got to watch my odometer tick over 1,000 miles on the new bike, exciting stuff!
So far this week has gone well. Monday I swam and had a good 6 mile run in the evening. Wednesday I rode 30, and today I went for a long ride of 54 miles. I have a 2 hour run and a 3 hour brick to wrap up the week.
My strain behind my right knee has been slowly getting better each day. I've stepped up my post workout stretching and it has helped a lot. I was worried for a little bit - training through injury is so frustrating.
In other news, during my ride today I got to watch my odometer tick over 1,000 miles on the new bike, exciting stuff!
Monday, August 18, 2008
over training....
From a August 6th to the 12th I had two training weeks that somehow ran together and I ended up with an 18 hour training week. My body is now letting me know that that was to much to fast! The week was epic with 230 miles on the bike, 30 miles running, and 4 miles in the pool but somewhere in there I strained up my upper calf on my left leg behind my knee. It's just a bit sore. I went out of town for work the 13th to the 15th and was unable to find time to train - possibly a blessing in disguise. Upon returning I went for a 14 mile trail run on the 16th and also a 20 mile bike. My leg was still pretty sore. The plan was to train the week in 8 days using Monday through Monday but after that last trail run and short ride my leg wasn't feeling so great. I figured it was best to call it a week, take Sunday off, and get started today (Monday the 18th) with my planned recovery week. Hopefully the low training hours this week will give my leg a chance to rest up. It's not a horrible pain, more like a permanent sore muscle. I imagine if I don't manage it properly though it could turn into something more serious.
One thing is for certain, during a max cycle I need to be aware of how the weeks connect and make sure the pattern of when I do my longer workouts is consistent so that they don't string together to much training in a short amount of time.
I kicked off the recovery week with a swim to lay of my leg for another day. It seems to feel alright so I'll be working in shorter bikes and runs the rest of the week, and hopefully get a few more swims in.
One thing is for certain, during a max cycle I need to be aware of how the weeks connect and make sure the pattern of when I do my longer workouts is consistent so that they don't string together to much training in a short amount of time.
I kicked off the recovery week with a swim to lay of my leg for another day. It seems to feel alright so I'll be working in shorter bikes and runs the rest of the week, and hopefully get a few more swims in.
Monday, August 11, 2008
8/4 to 8/10 recap
I've been a little lazy with my training journal, so I'm going to do a recap of last week.
I put in 13 hours of training last week, which was my most ever for one week. The key workouts went very well - most of which came later in the week. I think Thursday through Sunday I put in 10 of those 13 hours!
Thursday - Long run - 1 hour 40 minutes
- I ran this at Fort Yargo on the trails and it's always a tough workout, usually a little more than I bargain for. Trail running is to road running as mountain biking is to road biking, you work twice as hard to only end up going slower due to the terrain. The humidity was very high so water and electrolyte losses were up. I ran with a bottle full of Accelerade and it seemed to work pretty well. I think it makes the biggest difference in the last 1/3 of a long workout, I just feel less drained when I take in fluids, carbs, and electrolytes during any workout that approaches the 2 hour mark.
Friday - Long bike - 3 hour 15 minutes
- The weather for this ride was fantastic. I was accompanied by Mark. We made our way out of Lawrenceville headed toward Winder where we made a large loop behind Winder, heading back to L'ville. The pace was moderate to easy averaging 17.3 mph but I felt strong. I did a nice job of packing a lot of food for the day, including a post ride snack to eat on the way to the pool for my swim. I think that helps a lot as far as recovering from one day to the next.
Sunday - Brick (Ride 2 hours 45 minutes, run 30 minutes)
- I started this workout from work at 7 AM because I had to be at work by 10:45. The bike ride was pretty solid but I could feel all of the hours I had put in that week in my legs. With this being said, I was still able to average 19mph on an up and down route. I think I could have done a better job of spreading my nutrition over the course of the ride - I don't think I ate for the first hour. The run was exciting because I discovered a greenway not a half mile from work that I could run too. Using my new Garmin Forerunner 50 I was able to get mile splits and HR for this part of the workout. The data is helpful and one thing always seems to get me, I always go out to fast on the run. I need to start working on building the run coming off the bike. I'll have 13.1 miles to pick up up at South Carolina so whats the rush?
One observation I've made this week is that I'm recovering relatively quickly from the 3+ hour workouts that used to wreck me for the entire day. I only did a handful of workouts over 3 hours before White Lake and I think that may have hurt me toward the end of the race, my body was simply way outside it's limits. The more 3 to 4 hour efforts I put in, the easier they seem.
I put in 13 hours of training last week, which was my most ever for one week. The key workouts went very well - most of which came later in the week. I think Thursday through Sunday I put in 10 of those 13 hours!
Thursday - Long run - 1 hour 40 minutes
- I ran this at Fort Yargo on the trails and it's always a tough workout, usually a little more than I bargain for. Trail running is to road running as mountain biking is to road biking, you work twice as hard to only end up going slower due to the terrain. The humidity was very high so water and electrolyte losses were up. I ran with a bottle full of Accelerade and it seemed to work pretty well. I think it makes the biggest difference in the last 1/3 of a long workout, I just feel less drained when I take in fluids, carbs, and electrolytes during any workout that approaches the 2 hour mark.
Friday - Long bike - 3 hour 15 minutes
- The weather for this ride was fantastic. I was accompanied by Mark. We made our way out of Lawrenceville headed toward Winder where we made a large loop behind Winder, heading back to L'ville. The pace was moderate to easy averaging 17.3 mph but I felt strong. I did a nice job of packing a lot of food for the day, including a post ride snack to eat on the way to the pool for my swim. I think that helps a lot as far as recovering from one day to the next.
Sunday - Brick (Ride 2 hours 45 minutes, run 30 minutes)
- I started this workout from work at 7 AM because I had to be at work by 10:45. The bike ride was pretty solid but I could feel all of the hours I had put in that week in my legs. With this being said, I was still able to average 19mph on an up and down route. I think I could have done a better job of spreading my nutrition over the course of the ride - I don't think I ate for the first hour. The run was exciting because I discovered a greenway not a half mile from work that I could run too. Using my new Garmin Forerunner 50 I was able to get mile splits and HR for this part of the workout. The data is helpful and one thing always seems to get me, I always go out to fast on the run. I need to start working on building the run coming off the bike. I'll have 13.1 miles to pick up up at South Carolina so whats the rush?
One observation I've made this week is that I'm recovering relatively quickly from the 3+ hour workouts that used to wreck me for the entire day. I only did a handful of workouts over 3 hours before White Lake and I think that may have hurt me toward the end of the race, my body was simply way outside it's limits. The more 3 to 4 hour efforts I put in, the easier they seem.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
hot 100
Friday: 35 minute run
Saturday: 5 hour ride, 101.4 miles.
I finished this past week up with a short run on Friday, and then I completed my 2nd Covington Century on Saturday . My total training hours for the week were 12. The century went as well as I could have hoped for it to go in the kind of heat I was riding it. Temperatures were well into the 90's for most of the ride and the humidity was the typical Georgia variety of A LOT. I started out to fast..again...but I was able to get a hold of myself before the entire day turned into a disaster. I was 22.1 mph avg through the first 25 miles. After this point I realized with the rising temps there was no way I was going to hold that - so I took it easy for a while pulling some 17's and 18's then got into a pretty good groove around 20-21 mph. Most of which was not in a pace line, especially after the mid point. People start to get to spread apart and pace lines are a lot less common. After hitting a sag at mile 65 - the point at which were I totally lost it last year - I ran into a section of long gradual climbs for the next 12 miles or so - In my state of delirium I convinced myself I had taken it out to hard again just like last year and this was the beginning of the end. My average had dropped to around 20.2 mph. I made it to the sag at mile 76 and put my head under the hose - this seemed to really help me feel better. I got back on the bike with 16 miles to the final sag and surprisingly had a lot left in my legs. I made it to the final sag at mile 90 with a 20.0 mph average - still hanging on. I cooled my head off again and headed out for the final 10 miles. 3 to 4 miles later my legs finally had had enough, I was able to hang tough at around 17-18 mph for those last 6-7 miles so I ended up with a 19.8 mph average for the day. I really wanted that 20 avg and sub 5 hour century but I guess I will have to go for that another day.
Saturday: 5 hour ride, 101.4 miles.
I finished this past week up with a short run on Friday, and then I completed my 2nd Covington Century on Saturday . My total training hours for the week were 12. The century went as well as I could have hoped for it to go in the kind of heat I was riding it. Temperatures were well into the 90's for most of the ride and the humidity was the typical Georgia variety of A LOT. I started out to fast..again...but I was able to get a hold of myself before the entire day turned into a disaster. I was 22.1 mph avg through the first 25 miles. After this point I realized with the rising temps there was no way I was going to hold that - so I took it easy for a while pulling some 17's and 18's then got into a pretty good groove around 20-21 mph. Most of which was not in a pace line, especially after the mid point. People start to get to spread apart and pace lines are a lot less common. After hitting a sag at mile 65 - the point at which were I totally lost it last year - I ran into a section of long gradual climbs for the next 12 miles or so - In my state of delirium I convinced myself I had taken it out to hard again just like last year and this was the beginning of the end. My average had dropped to around 20.2 mph. I made it to the sag at mile 76 and put my head under the hose - this seemed to really help me feel better. I got back on the bike with 16 miles to the final sag and surprisingly had a lot left in my legs. I made it to the final sag at mile 90 with a 20.0 mph average - still hanging on. I cooled my head off again and headed out for the final 10 miles. 3 to 4 miles later my legs finally had had enough, I was able to hang tough at around 17-18 mph for those last 6-7 miles so I ended up with a 19.8 mph average for the day. I really wanted that 20 avg and sub 5 hour century but I guess I will have to go for that another day.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Welcome to the jungle...
Run: 1:28:15
Just finished my long run for the week at Yargo, and boy was it steamy. The humidity lately has really added an extra challenge to my workouts. Mostly to make sure that I'm prepared nutritionally and hydration wise before I head out. Today I did not feel prepared but I was able to grit this one out. If it was a 2 hour run though I may have been in a lot of trouble. I've got to start planning ahead what I'm going to eat and drink before I start my long workouts.
Just finished my long run for the week at Yargo, and boy was it steamy. The humidity lately has really added an extra challenge to my workouts. Mostly to make sure that I'm prepared nutritionally and hydration wise before I head out. Today I did not feel prepared but I was able to grit this one out. If it was a 2 hour run though I may have been in a lot of trouble. I've got to start planning ahead what I'm going to eat and drink before I start my long workouts.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
monster month
AM Run: 45 mintues
PM bike: 1 hour 1 minute, 30 seconds. (20.3 miles)
After yesterday's unplanned day off and some training schedule re-arranging for the week, I got back on track today with a run in the morning and a ride in the evening. Both were just mileage workouts. Although the bike turned into somewhat of a speed workout with the impending storm moving in over my head as I passed the halfway point of the ride. This month has been my most training hours for triathlon ever with over 41 hours logged, and I still have one day left in July. This week I'm wrapping up with the Covington century (100 miles) on Saturday so my hours for the week will be nearly 14. Covington should be fun, last year there were around 700 cyclist!
I also signed up for the Philadelphia Marathon yesterday. I'm pretty excited about it - the goal is to really see what running the distance is like and contemplate weather I am capable of the full Ironman distance, which concludes with the marathon distance...after a 2.4 mile swim and a 112 mile bike ride. What the hell am I thinking? We'll find out I soon enough I guess.
PM bike: 1 hour 1 minute, 30 seconds. (20.3 miles)
After yesterday's unplanned day off and some training schedule re-arranging for the week, I got back on track today with a run in the morning and a ride in the evening. Both were just mileage workouts. Although the bike turned into somewhat of a speed workout with the impending storm moving in over my head as I passed the halfway point of the ride. This month has been my most training hours for triathlon ever with over 41 hours logged, and I still have one day left in July. This week I'm wrapping up with the Covington century (100 miles) on Saturday so my hours for the week will be nearly 14. Covington should be fun, last year there were around 700 cyclist!
I also signed up for the Philadelphia Marathon yesterday. I'm pretty excited about it - the goal is to really see what running the distance is like and contemplate weather I am capable of the full Ironman distance, which concludes with the marathon distance...after a 2.4 mile swim and a 112 mile bike ride. What the hell am I thinking? We'll find out I soon enough I guess.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Edurolytes
Brick- 3 hours
Ride: 2h 27m - 19.4 mph avg - 47.0 miles.
Run: 31:49 - 4 miles
Endurolytes saved my butt today. Those tiny capsules of just the right amount of electrolytes seem to do the trick when your losing lots of fluids. I'm not so sure I adjusted my fluid intake enough as the temperature came up through my workout this morning. To much fluids and your electrolytes of diluted to much to be useful, to little and well - just dehydration sets in. I wasn't far off today, maybe another 20oz bottle of water thrown in somewhere would have been helpful especially with the temperature in the 90's by the time I hit the run. I did discover a type of power bar that goes down more like a smoothie than a solid. Which is why they call it "smoothie" I guess. It seems to melt in your mouth a good bit as you chew it and goes down pretty easily. I'm trying to get away from to much solids for refueling during long workouts and my races. I don't think the nutrients are broken down and utilized by the body fast enough. I'm looking for that perfect combination of mostly a liquid diet and a small amount of semi-solids (gels perhaps). All in all it was a good workout and I felt very strong on the bike but I think the heat started to get the best of me on the run.
Ride: 2h 27m - 19.4 mph avg - 47.0 miles.
Run: 31:49 - 4 miles
Endurolytes saved my butt today. Those tiny capsules of just the right amount of electrolytes seem to do the trick when your losing lots of fluids. I'm not so sure I adjusted my fluid intake enough as the temperature came up through my workout this morning. To much fluids and your electrolytes of diluted to much to be useful, to little and well - just dehydration sets in. I wasn't far off today, maybe another 20oz bottle of water thrown in somewhere would have been helpful especially with the temperature in the 90's by the time I hit the run. I did discover a type of power bar that goes down more like a smoothie than a solid. Which is why they call it "smoothie" I guess. It seems to melt in your mouth a good bit as you chew it and goes down pretty easily. I'm trying to get away from to much solids for refueling during long workouts and my races. I don't think the nutrients are broken down and utilized by the body fast enough. I'm looking for that perfect combination of mostly a liquid diet and a small amount of semi-solids (gels perhaps). All in all it was a good workout and I felt very strong on the bike but I think the heat started to get the best of me on the run.
Weekend re-cap
I finished out my recovery week with a run on Saturday and a bike ride to work on Sunday. The run went fine - I brought Scout along for the 37 minute jaunt. She really enjoys going for runs but does much better at Yargo on the trails where I can let her off the leash. She can stop and smell..among other things..with out interrupting my run.
The bike ride into work was pretty draining for a number of reasons. I was up late the night before for Naomi's party - "dirty hippie fest". It was really humid out and the ride is just plain hilly. On top of all of it I was wearing that back pack again. I had planned on riding home but after getting their I decided that this would be outside of the relm of what I would call recovery. So I took Naomi out to dinner for her Birthday instead. Monday would be a big day with a 3 hour brick on the training plan.
The bike ride into work was pretty draining for a number of reasons. I was up late the night before for Naomi's party - "dirty hippie fest". It was really humid out and the ride is just plain hilly. On top of all of it I was wearing that back pack again. I had planned on riding home but after getting their I decided that this would be outside of the relm of what I would call recovery. So I took Naomi out to dinner for her Birthday instead. Monday would be a big day with a 3 hour brick on the training plan.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Friday Swim
Today I hit the pool up for about a 45 minute workout. I've been feeling very good in the water lately - really ever since the Chattanooga race. I think doing some short fast stuff to build strength has really helped. My main set was 12 x 100's on 1:30 alternating freestyle and backstroke. I held around 1:11's on the free and 1:15's on the back. I think this is a good set to test my limits on and I'm going to try to do some 100's on faster and faster intervals as we go. I'd like to be able to make them on 1:10 to 1:15 easily. I logged around 2500 total yards. The weekend I will wrap up my recovery week with a 2 hr bike and an hour run...taking it pretty easy of course.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Bricky McBrickington
This morning I had a fantastic brick with Naomi. She is really improving on her riding and our average speed when we ride together is getting much faster lately. We started our brick with a 20 mile bike ride and averaged about 17.5 mph - I think previously our fastest together around this distance was right around 16. We picked up another training buddy for the run...Scout! So the three of us set out on a 30 minute run at a nice easy pace. The weather was warm today but unusually the humidity was pretty much non-existent. This really made the difference in that the breeze actually helped cool you off.
I'm off to the pool later to get a swim in.
I'm off to the pool later to get a swim in.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Mt. Mineral Springs
This morning I rode into work. The ride is about 23 miles and you gain about 400 feet in altitude - so it's mostly up hill. I wore a back pack that weighs about 20 pounds with all my clothes and lunch in it. It really makes me work hard! It gives me some incentive to maintain my weight, I can't imagine riding as much as I do weighing 190 pounds. Even this basic 20 mile or so ride to work was pretty tough.
This afternoon I'm looking forward to a short, mostly down hill ride to my parents house where I'm meeting up with a family friend to help me get the flat tire on my motorcycle fixed.
This afternoon I'm looking forward to a short, mostly down hill ride to my parents house where I'm meeting up with a family friend to help me get the flat tire on my motorcycle fixed.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
max cycle number one complete
So I've set my last 13 weeks of training up into three cycles. Three "on" weeks followed by one recovery week done three times. The last time I end with the taper into the South Carolina Half Ironman. I just finished the first cycle and it was pretty successful. I completed weekly training hours of 9, 10, and 11. The middle week included an Olympic distance race at the Chattanooga Waterfront Triathlon. My swim and bike were very solid, but I sold out on the run and made excuses the entire time. I was 21:33 for the mile swim, 1:09:34 for the 26 mile bike (22.5 mph avg) and then an awfully slow 48:59 for the 10k run. I'm fully capable of low 40's for the run. I made the mistake of squeezing a hammer gel into my mouth right at the start of the run with out washing it down with any water - it caused some stomach cramping through out the run. My legs felt fine but I let the stomach issues get in the way of running fast. Even though I've completed some 30 triathlons I'm still learning things every time I race.
Last week, the final week of the cycle, was pretty tough. It included a 3 hour brick, a 11 mile run, and a 3 hour ride. The brick and run were solid - but the run took placed on Thursday night, followed by a brutal day on the bike Friday. I rode 55 miles to work on a hilly route, then rode 24 home from work after standing up all day. My legs were dead! I'm feeling very strong this week though on the recovery week which will only total 8 hours. Then we'll be back on it next week picking up my next three week cycle of 11, 12, and 13 hours.
Last week, the final week of the cycle, was pretty tough. It included a 3 hour brick, a 11 mile run, and a 3 hour ride. The brick and run were solid - but the run took placed on Thursday night, followed by a brutal day on the bike Friday. I rode 55 miles to work on a hilly route, then rode 24 home from work after standing up all day. My legs were dead! I'm feeling very strong this week though on the recovery week which will only total 8 hours. Then we'll be back on it next week picking up my next three week cycle of 11, 12, and 13 hours.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
feels like burning
I got up before work this morning and head out for 20 miles on the bike. It was the first ride with the fabulous new wheels. They make the bike accelerate and hold the turns so much nicer. I went for it a little bit and averaged just a touch under 20 mph on a pretty hill route. I definitely was feeling better towards the end when my body started adjusting to the lactic acid it was producing. I think it's also time to add those aero bars back on - sitting up and letting the wind catch my wide shoulders is getting old. My last three workouts of the week happen to be my longest - mostly due to my work and coaching right now, there's just not time during the week to get 2 hour + workouts in. I have a 70 minute run, a 2 hour bike, and a 2 hour brick to wrap up the week. I have tomorrow and Sunday off work and no swimming so it shouldn't be an issue getting this done.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
swimming!
Had a fun little workout with the summer league team I coach this evening. It's nice to workout with others even if they are half my age. It was a good mix - did some 100 repeats with some speed play involved and also some really short stuff - which really isn't to my benefit but the kids need it! I'll take the pool time and mileage any way I can get it. Tomorrow I'm hoping to get 30 miles in on the bike along with the long run for the week of 70 minutes.
Weekend + Mon to Wed
This past weekend the training went pretty well. I ended up with a 38 mile bike on Saturday with Naomi. We started off by riding up to Lanier to watch Tracy compete in the Irongirl triathlon. It was fun to watch someone else do the racing and it always gets the competitive juices flowing. Tracy did great - I think she's going to be addicted to triathlon. That same evening I went to Yargo with Scout and ran 8 miles on the trails. I felt sluggish - it was pretty sticky out though.
Monday AM I got on the bike for a 75 minute ride and logged about 24 miles. I'm still adjusting to that new crank size on my bike. I think in the long run it will make me stronger but right now it just hurts. There is no spinning right now and coming from a compact crank when I spun everything, it's a big change. The idea is to get to the point where I feel like I'm spinning the bigger crank therefor I'm probably going to be moving a lot faster than I was with the compact.
This morning, Wednesday AM, I headed to Yargo again with Scout for a 6 mile run before work. I felt much better than Sunday's run but still not great. I think the hours I'm up on my feet at work plus coaching swimming is making my legs feel a bit lethargic on my workouts. Coaching is over in a few weeks though, so I'm hoping be able to devote that time to recovering from workouts instead of standing up an extra 12-15 hours a week.
In other news, my new wheels came in for my bike yesterday - super excited! Maybe I'll post some pictures of the complete bike with new wheels on here after I put them on today.
Monday AM I got on the bike for a 75 minute ride and logged about 24 miles. I'm still adjusting to that new crank size on my bike. I think in the long run it will make me stronger but right now it just hurts. There is no spinning right now and coming from a compact crank when I spun everything, it's a big change. The idea is to get to the point where I feel like I'm spinning the bigger crank therefor I'm probably going to be moving a lot faster than I was with the compact.
This morning, Wednesday AM, I headed to Yargo again with Scout for a 6 mile run before work. I felt much better than Sunday's run but still not great. I think the hours I'm up on my feet at work plus coaching swimming is making my legs feel a bit lethargic on my workouts. Coaching is over in a few weeks though, so I'm hoping be able to devote that time to recovering from workouts instead of standing up an extra 12-15 hours a week.
In other news, my new wheels came in for my bike yesterday - super excited! Maybe I'll post some pictures of the complete bike with new wheels on here after I put them on today.
Friday, June 27, 2008
70.3 - part II
This is hopefully this first of many successful entries into my training blog. My ultimate goal is to complete a full ironman triathlon. This will consist of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and a 26.2 mile run. This past May I completed my first half ironman, the White Lake Half, in White Lake, NC. after 1.2 miles swimming, 56 miles biking, and about 9 miles running my hamstrings cramped up on me - forcing me to run/walk the last 4 miles. This finish only left me hungry for more and I learned a lot about what is involved in getting yourself to keep moving in a race that lasts over 5 hours...some of it learned the hard way, but sometimes that's the only way. I've entered another half to gain some more experience at the longer distance races. It is the South Carolina Half Ironman in Greenwood, SC, on September 28th. Next year I'm hoping to jump up to the full ironman distance - so I'm using these half distance races is tools to build confidence and also figure out how to make this possible. I have exactly three months until race day.
Today was my most training hours in one day so far for this race. I started the morning off with a 38 mile bike ride from my parents house up to the lake lanier area and back. It took around 2 hours and 2 minutes. It was a solid ride for the most part. My bike mileage has been down a little bit lately because I was waiting on my new bike to come in (I sold my Scott). This bike is a much different set up. I went to a regular double (bigger gears) as opposed to the compact (smaller gears) and also went a size up in frame. The gears are going to take some getting used to. It's forcing me to be always putting torque into the cranks, and not doing so much spinning. The goal is to get strong enough to be able to feel like I'm spinning even with the larger gears (ahem...Lance Armstrong).
After work I headed over to Bogan Park to log an hour in the pool. I was able to rack up 3,100 meters - roughly 2 miles - in just about an hour. Surprisingly I felt decent in the water. I can definately tell that less than 50 days ago I was in the best triathlon shape of my life - It hasn't all gone away. I took it real easy for about 3 weeks to recover (2-3 workouts per week). Then built back into it with several 5-7 hour weeks. I feel like I've really set myself up nicely from one training cycle to the next. This is a good feeling, I think I can actually build from where I finished my last cycle of training.
So 3 hours on the day and I'm up to about 6 for the week. I have an 8 mile run and a 2 hour brick (bike/run) to finish off the week for a total of 9 training hours. I hope I can find time to squeeze it all in!
Today was my most training hours in one day so far for this race. I started the morning off with a 38 mile bike ride from my parents house up to the lake lanier area and back. It took around 2 hours and 2 minutes. It was a solid ride for the most part. My bike mileage has been down a little bit lately because I was waiting on my new bike to come in (I sold my Scott). This bike is a much different set up. I went to a regular double (bigger gears) as opposed to the compact (smaller gears) and also went a size up in frame. The gears are going to take some getting used to. It's forcing me to be always putting torque into the cranks, and not doing so much spinning. The goal is to get strong enough to be able to feel like I'm spinning even with the larger gears (ahem...Lance Armstrong).
After work I headed over to Bogan Park to log an hour in the pool. I was able to rack up 3,100 meters - roughly 2 miles - in just about an hour. Surprisingly I felt decent in the water. I can definately tell that less than 50 days ago I was in the best triathlon shape of my life - It hasn't all gone away. I took it real easy for about 3 weeks to recover (2-3 workouts per week). Then built back into it with several 5-7 hour weeks. I feel like I've really set myself up nicely from one training cycle to the next. This is a good feeling, I think I can actually build from where I finished my last cycle of training.
So 3 hours on the day and I'm up to about 6 for the week. I have an 8 mile run and a 2 hour brick (bike/run) to finish off the week for a total of 9 training hours. I hope I can find time to squeeze it all in!
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