Not much to report. I'm getting in all my workouts and I feel strong, like chomping at the bit strong. It was nice to have a speed workout today and let loose.
Here's my most recent workout:
Swim (speed day)
wu: 300 continuous. concentrate on form weaknesses
main: 10 x 100 descend 1-5 and 6-10
cd: 200 continuous, alternate 50 kick, 50 swim
Here's a breakdown of my warm-up and main set:
Warm-up = 5:56.29
Main set (15 secs rest between each)
1. 1:50:22
2. 1:48:66
3. 1:43.42
4. 1:45.16
5. 1:47.78
(1 min rest)
6. 1:47.48
7. 1:46.99
8. 1:43.25
9. 1:40.66
10. 1:37.88
As you can see, despite wearing myself out on my first descend (my first ever!), I didn't sandbag the second. I started off with a better 100 than the first and worked my way down to what must really be my PR, 1:37.88, since that was like the hardest I have ever swum (swam?). I don't know how I came up with 1:30 the other day.
Question: Should I have taken rest between 100's in the main set? How is this type of workout typically done?
Friday, December 30, 2005
Thursday, December 29, 2005
Runner or Triathlete?
Up until my second triathlon since the comeback (Mission Man 2004) I had done nothing (besides running the races themselves) to influence my daughter to be interested in triathlons. But, after the Kerr Lake Olympic, she started asking for her own "number". This past summer after buying her a bike, I finally obliged and gave her one.
I'll have to admit, compared to other kids her age, she was kind of wobbly (much like the new fawn in her favorite movie, Bambi!) compared to other kids her age. But then we took to chasing the dogs throughout the house on a regular basis (my vain attempt to her wear out so she would go to sleep before 9 pm!). Soon, it became our after work ritual: daddy gets home, changes clothes, and then CB says, "Daddy... LET'S RUN!" and we proceed to run laps around the house, with or without the dogs.
Over this weekend, she asked to run, but given it was so nice outside I asked her if she wanted to run outside. She did, and we did a whole lap around the block, only stopping to sit on the curb as cars passed (something she and the other kids in the neighborhood are required to do).
The other day we were going to go for a ride in her new car, when she suddenly jumped out and said, "LET'S RUN!" I put the car back in the driveway and we ran... around the block again! Well, today I G-Mapped our route to find that little 2-1/2 year old CB had run a .6 mile loop with only a few short rests while waiting for cars to pass. All in all, that's 1.2 miles (not included in my totals) for this week!
The question is: Will she be a triathlete like her Daddy? Or a runner like her Mommy and Auntie Lori?
I'll have to admit, compared to other kids her age, she was kind of wobbly (much like the new fawn in her favorite movie, Bambi!) compared to other kids her age. But then we took to chasing the dogs throughout the house on a regular basis (my vain attempt to her wear out so she would go to sleep before 9 pm!). Soon, it became our after work ritual: daddy gets home, changes clothes, and then CB says, "Daddy... LET'S RUN!" and we proceed to run laps around the house, with or without the dogs.
Over this weekend, she asked to run, but given it was so nice outside I asked her if she wanted to run outside. She did, and we did a whole lap around the block, only stopping to sit on the curb as cars passed (something she and the other kids in the neighborhood are required to do).
The other day we were going to go for a ride in her new car, when she suddenly jumped out and said, "LET'S RUN!" I put the car back in the driveway and we ran... around the block again! Well, today I G-Mapped our route to find that little 2-1/2 year old CB had run a .6 mile loop with only a few short rests while waiting for cars to pass. All in all, that's 1.2 miles (not included in my totals) for this week!
The question is: Will she be a triathlete like her Daddy? Or a runner like her Mommy and Auntie Lori?
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
These are My Grape Nuts...
These are my grape nuts. There are many like them, but these Grape Nuts are mine. Without me, Grape Nuts are useless. Without Grape Nuts, I am useless...
Possibly only Batman, any Marines who may read this, and anyone else who remembers Full Metal Jacket will get that, but it's true. I finished off a box of Grape Nuts and Soy Milk Monday and haven't yet replaced them. I paid for it today. A bowl of oatmeal was plenty of energy for an easy 60-minute bike (more testament to the fact that's It's About the Run! ) but was totally inadequate for this morning's run-swim brick.
I ate a bowl of oatmeal at 4:30 a.m., then stretched and headed out for an easy 30-minute run. That went fine, though my heart rate was a little high (149) since I was working on cadence and hitting a few hills as well. I chugged a Gatorade on the way to the pool and then started today's swim workout:
w/u: 5 x 50, odd sets breath on side, even bilateral
main: 2 x 500 RPE 4, RPE 6
cd: 1 x 250 easy
Nothing spectacular about the session. I did flip-turns throughout pretty comfortably and the bilateral sets were okay, not great. For the main set, it was probably more RPE 6, RPE 6.
But then I was STARVING. BAD. I had a Boost! with me, but decided to hold off as I am trynig to stay away from artificial foods. Once home, I made a two-egg white and whole wheat bread sandwich and when that didn't work I scarfed down to slices of cold pizza. Stomach was appeased. But, Mind reminded me, however, that had I had Grape Nuts and Raisins with Vanilla Soy, the pizza would not have happened.
I have to get my Grape Nuts back.
Oh yeah, just in case you missed the above link, here's the Rifleman's Creed. Also, even though I can't remember what my plans are for this weekend, see #36 from my 50 Things Post, I still know my Rifle Serial number from boot camp!
Possibly only Batman, any Marines who may read this, and anyone else who remembers Full Metal Jacket will get that, but it's true. I finished off a box of Grape Nuts and Soy Milk Monday and haven't yet replaced them. I paid for it today. A bowl of oatmeal was plenty of energy for an easy 60-minute bike (more testament to the fact that's It's About the Run! ) but was totally inadequate for this morning's run-swim brick.
I ate a bowl of oatmeal at 4:30 a.m., then stretched and headed out for an easy 30-minute run. That went fine, though my heart rate was a little high (149) since I was working on cadence and hitting a few hills as well. I chugged a Gatorade on the way to the pool and then started today's swim workout:
w/u: 5 x 50, odd sets breath on side, even bilateral
main: 2 x 500 RPE 4, RPE 6
cd: 1 x 250 easy
Nothing spectacular about the session. I did flip-turns throughout pretty comfortably and the bilateral sets were okay, not great. For the main set, it was probably more RPE 6, RPE 6.
But then I was STARVING. BAD. I had a Boost! with me, but decided to hold off as I am trynig to stay away from artificial foods. Once home, I made a two-egg white and whole wheat bread sandwich and when that didn't work I scarfed down to slices of cold pizza. Stomach was appeased. But, Mind reminded me, however, that had I had Grape Nuts and Raisins with Vanilla Soy, the pizza would not have happened.
I have to get my Grape Nuts back.
Oh yeah, just in case you missed the above link, here's the Rifleman's Creed. Also, even though I can't remember what my plans are for this weekend, see #36 from my 50 Things Post, I still know my Rifle Serial number from boot camp!
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
Training & Listening to my Body
Today's workout is a 60-minute bike in the little (middle) ring at an easy gear and consistent cadence (85-95) and also a 30-minute run. I decided to set up my trainer (it doesn't have a permanent home in the house) last night so I would be ready to go first thing in the morning, which I did. But then, I got caught up in setting up the remote control tension adjuster thing and then just had to put my relatively new (birthday present from November) Cateye Astrale 8 on my bike. End Result: didn't get to bed until midnight when I could have been asleep by 10 pm.
My alarm went off at 4:50 am and I turned it off, rolled over and got up. Strange thing was that when I got up it was 5:55 am! Somehow I lost an hour simply by rolling over. Funny how time works in the morning, isn't it?
Anyway, I took it as a sign that my body needed the rest and convinced myself that it was a positive and not a negative for the day. Down stairs I made the gutsy move of opting for the bike instead of the run, since I only had enough time for one workout. I say "gutsy" because my rule of thumb for this training plan is to never miss a running workout. By doing the bike this morning, I am saying that no matter how late I work, no matter what transpires with the kids and dinner, no matter what in general, I will run tonight.
I will.
More and more I'm starting to believe "It's About the Run!"
So, for the bike: 60-minutes, maintained 90 rpms throughout and also did some spin-ups to 120. Average HR of 112, which made me feel good since I average about 140+ when riding my typical 35-40 miles on the open roads here, which are generally some consistent rolling hills and never flat for more than 2-3 miles, I'd guess.
Also, thanks to Sheila for some good information on cadence for both the bike and run!
My alarm went off at 4:50 am and I turned it off, rolled over and got up. Strange thing was that when I got up it was 5:55 am! Somehow I lost an hour simply by rolling over. Funny how time works in the morning, isn't it?
Anyway, I took it as a sign that my body needed the rest and convinced myself that it was a positive and not a negative for the day. Down stairs I made the gutsy move of opting for the bike instead of the run, since I only had enough time for one workout. I say "gutsy" because my rule of thumb for this training plan is to never miss a running workout. By doing the bike this morning, I am saying that no matter how late I work, no matter what transpires with the kids and dinner, no matter what in general, I will run tonight.
I will.
More and more I'm starting to believe "It's About the Run!"
So, for the bike: 60-minutes, maintained 90 rpms throughout and also did some spin-ups to 120. Average HR of 112, which made me feel good since I average about 140+ when riding my typical 35-40 miles on the open roads here, which are generally some consistent rolling hills and never flat for more than 2-3 miles, I'd guess.
Also, thanks to Sheila for some good information on cadence for both the bike and run!
Monday, December 26, 2005
Tagged
Steven has tagged me for this "Things You Don't Know About Me". So, here goes, in no particular order...
1. Though I hate chain e-mail and generally any e-mail that asks me to reveal things about myself, which I never respond to, I secretly like being "tagged" on my blog (thanks Steve!).
2. I read the horoscopes for my 2-1/2 year old daughter and 4 month old son almost everyday. I rarely read mine, but when I do, it's accurate.
3. During my life I've been a Marine, a journalist, a steelworker, and an accountant.
4. I was once snowed in on a farm for three days. Although I had a TV, it received only three channels and two were the same. I read the book Less than Zero twice and watched the movie Presumed Innocent (among others) twice. In my wildest dreams, I couldn't imagine that anyone could figure out that ending. Years later, I would learn that my wife could.
5. I never saw a war movie until after I graduated boot camp.
6. At 22, I turned down a $24,000 bonus and got out of the military because the Marine Corps would not send me to combat. It says so in my record book.
7. I was an assistant to a real magician as a child and eventually performed my own shows. I was saving the money I made to buy a dove for my act, but spent it on a catcher's mitt instead.
8. Outside of magic shows and shoveling snow, I never worked a real job until I joined the Marines.
9. I had a 1220 SAT score and was in the top 5% of a class of more than 1,000 kids. Over 3,000 kids went to my high school.
10. I never played organized athletics.
11. The following TV show theme songs make me sad: Taxi, Hill Street Blues and Cheers.
12. I never saw an episode of Seinfeld until it was syndicated.
13. I have a vivid memory of sitting on the concrete in my back yard twirling a blue plastic "3" from a birthday cake in my fingers. I don't know if I am three in the memory, or just holding the number as an older child, but I remember the moment.
14. I've never had a flying or falling dream that I remember, but I once had a dream that I fell through a railing on a pier and despite knowing how to swim, I just kept sinking.
15. As a teenager I had a recurring dream of running on the top of an old iron fence that criss-crossed through an immense field of tall bright green grass. Behind me, I could see the tails of beagles following me in the grass and it made me laugh and I kept running and laughing as the dogs chased me.
16. I and another person saw a ghost or natural phenomenon together at the same time. It was a black cloud that hovered above our bed and eventually floated into the vent. I have gooesbumps writing about it now.
17. One of the best moments of my athletic life was hitting an over-the-fence home run in softball. I have a hard time believing that finishing an Ironman could feel better than that, but am interested to find out.
18. While once fishing in a West Virginia river with my best friend, the sole of my Teva's split. I used a pair of pliers to make a needle out of a fish hook and then sewed my Teva's back together with fishing line just to resume fishing.
19. I love dogs and have lived with them almost my entire life, but have never had a dog that belonged to me alone.
20. I don't like electric razors.
21. I pick out all of my own suits, ties, shirts, shoes and belts. All of my work clothes are tailored.
22. I only wear Banana Republic boxers (until this Christmas!).
23. Other than the boxers, I am not tall enough to shop at Banana Republic. I am just barely 5' 9''.
24. I get a lump in my throat at the end of Rocky, like every time.
25. I have an older sister.
26. I almost always catch the biggest fish when fishing in the ocean.
27. My wife and I were once stranded in Amish country in Pennsylvania one Sunday night when her Escort broke down. An elderly couple took us in for the night as there weren't any garages open nearby to fix our car. Their names were Audrey and Gibbs and they treated us like old friends. Audrey made a great breakfast for us the next morning including freshly squeezed orange juice and Gibbs and I sat in his recliners drinking beer and watching basketball. Years later Audrey came to our wedding.
28. We almost named our daughter Alizee for a northerly wind that blew up from Spain into southern France. It's believed to make it possible for the only decent surfing conditions in France at a town named Biarritz, a place we didn't get a chance to visit while there. Only after we returned to the states did we realize it was also the name for a liqueur.
29. For three years in a row, starting with John Wettlend in the Braves-Yankees series, I correctly picked the MVP of the World Series prior to Game One.
30. I've never lost more than $20 gambling.
31. I've never gambled more than $40.
32. I love potato chips.
33. I've never had a near-death experience.
34. It took me less than an hour or so to decide to join the Marines.
35. When I realized that it was unlikely I would ever see combat, it took me less than an hour to decide to get out.
36. I have terrible short-term memory.
37. Even after two marathons, I've never been injured running (not even a blister! ever!).
38. I want to fly in a glider and ride in a hot air ballon one day.
39. I saw Nirvana in concert.
40. Surfing is one of the best experiences I've ever had. I dream about it.
41. Sometimes I will read voraciously for weeks on end, then not pick up a book a again for years.
42. I've lost nearly 40 pounds since 1998 while trying to lower my cholesterol. All of it was lost during periods of inactivity and in fact, I find it harder to lose weight while training. I ran each of my two marathons at 181 pounds. I now weigh 162.
43. I don't plan on exercising for the rest of my life. Like reading, I do it voraciously and one day I will just stop, never knowing if I will again.
44. I want to rock climb one day.
45. I have no tattoos or piercings or body alterations of any kind and have no interest in getting any, though if I did, I would get a tattoo of a great blue heron.
46. I don't believe in symbols.
47. I hate cold weather.
48. My roof caught fire one night and after calling the fire department I tried to put it out with a garden hose, but the pressure was not great enough to reach the roof. So, I climbed on top of our deck railing to try and put it out from there, but could not see the flames as I was too close to the house. I then got my wife to stand in the yard and guide me while I put out the fire. There was no damage to the roof.
49. I like Sleepytime Tea.
50. From my living room, I once solved a puzzle on Wheel of Fortune prior to Vanna turning over a single letter.
1. Though I hate chain e-mail and generally any e-mail that asks me to reveal things about myself, which I never respond to, I secretly like being "tagged" on my blog (thanks Steve!).
2. I read the horoscopes for my 2-1/2 year old daughter and 4 month old son almost everyday. I rarely read mine, but when I do, it's accurate.
3. During my life I've been a Marine, a journalist, a steelworker, and an accountant.
4. I was once snowed in on a farm for three days. Although I had a TV, it received only three channels and two were the same. I read the book Less than Zero twice and watched the movie Presumed Innocent (among others) twice. In my wildest dreams, I couldn't imagine that anyone could figure out that ending. Years later, I would learn that my wife could.
5. I never saw a war movie until after I graduated boot camp.
6. At 22, I turned down a $24,000 bonus and got out of the military because the Marine Corps would not send me to combat. It says so in my record book.
7. I was an assistant to a real magician as a child and eventually performed my own shows. I was saving the money I made to buy a dove for my act, but spent it on a catcher's mitt instead.
8. Outside of magic shows and shoveling snow, I never worked a real job until I joined the Marines.
9. I had a 1220 SAT score and was in the top 5% of a class of more than 1,000 kids. Over 3,000 kids went to my high school.
10. I never played organized athletics.
11. The following TV show theme songs make me sad: Taxi, Hill Street Blues and Cheers.
12. I never saw an episode of Seinfeld until it was syndicated.
13. I have a vivid memory of sitting on the concrete in my back yard twirling a blue plastic "3" from a birthday cake in my fingers. I don't know if I am three in the memory, or just holding the number as an older child, but I remember the moment.
14. I've never had a flying or falling dream that I remember, but I once had a dream that I fell through a railing on a pier and despite knowing how to swim, I just kept sinking.
15. As a teenager I had a recurring dream of running on the top of an old iron fence that criss-crossed through an immense field of tall bright green grass. Behind me, I could see the tails of beagles following me in the grass and it made me laugh and I kept running and laughing as the dogs chased me.
16. I and another person saw a ghost or natural phenomenon together at the same time. It was a black cloud that hovered above our bed and eventually floated into the vent. I have gooesbumps writing about it now.
17. One of the best moments of my athletic life was hitting an over-the-fence home run in softball. I have a hard time believing that finishing an Ironman could feel better than that, but am interested to find out.
18. While once fishing in a West Virginia river with my best friend, the sole of my Teva's split. I used a pair of pliers to make a needle out of a fish hook and then sewed my Teva's back together with fishing line just to resume fishing.
19. I love dogs and have lived with them almost my entire life, but have never had a dog that belonged to me alone.
20. I don't like electric razors.
21. I pick out all of my own suits, ties, shirts, shoes and belts. All of my work clothes are tailored.
22. I only wear Banana Republic boxers (until this Christmas!).
23. Other than the boxers, I am not tall enough to shop at Banana Republic. I am just barely 5' 9''.
24. I get a lump in my throat at the end of Rocky, like every time.
25. I have an older sister.
26. I almost always catch the biggest fish when fishing in the ocean.
27. My wife and I were once stranded in Amish country in Pennsylvania one Sunday night when her Escort broke down. An elderly couple took us in for the night as there weren't any garages open nearby to fix our car. Their names were Audrey and Gibbs and they treated us like old friends. Audrey made a great breakfast for us the next morning including freshly squeezed orange juice and Gibbs and I sat in his recliners drinking beer and watching basketball. Years later Audrey came to our wedding.
28. We almost named our daughter Alizee for a northerly wind that blew up from Spain into southern France. It's believed to make it possible for the only decent surfing conditions in France at a town named Biarritz, a place we didn't get a chance to visit while there. Only after we returned to the states did we realize it was also the name for a liqueur.
29. For three years in a row, starting with John Wettlend in the Braves-Yankees series, I correctly picked the MVP of the World Series prior to Game One.
30. I've never lost more than $20 gambling.
31. I've never gambled more than $40.
32. I love potato chips.
33. I've never had a near-death experience.
34. It took me less than an hour or so to decide to join the Marines.
35. When I realized that it was unlikely I would ever see combat, it took me less than an hour to decide to get out.
36. I have terrible short-term memory.
37. Even after two marathons, I've never been injured running (not even a blister! ever!).
38. I want to fly in a glider and ride in a hot air ballon one day.
39. I saw Nirvana in concert.
40. Surfing is one of the best experiences I've ever had. I dream about it.
41. Sometimes I will read voraciously for weeks on end, then not pick up a book a again for years.
42. I've lost nearly 40 pounds since 1998 while trying to lower my cholesterol. All of it was lost during periods of inactivity and in fact, I find it harder to lose weight while training. I ran each of my two marathons at 181 pounds. I now weigh 162.
43. I don't plan on exercising for the rest of my life. Like reading, I do it voraciously and one day I will just stop, never knowing if I will again.
44. I want to rock climb one day.
45. I have no tattoos or piercings or body alterations of any kind and have no interest in getting any, though if I did, I would get a tattoo of a great blue heron.
46. I don't believe in symbols.
47. I hate cold weather.
48. My roof caught fire one night and after calling the fire department I tried to put it out with a garden hose, but the pressure was not great enough to reach the roof. So, I climbed on top of our deck railing to try and put it out from there, but could not see the flames as I was too close to the house. I then got my wife to stand in the yard and guide me while I put out the fire. There was no damage to the roof.
49. I like Sleepytime Tea.
50. From my living room, I once solved a puzzle on Wheel of Fortune prior to Vanna turning over a single letter.
Christmas & Training Update
As you can see from the picture we've converted our living room into a drive-in theater over Christmas. We had a quiet Christmas here with a rainy morning that ended in a beautiful day, even nicer this morning as the temperature was 44 when I left for the pool at 5:20 a.m.On the schedule for today was both a swim and a run...
Swim:
w/u: 6 x 100, concentrating on a different part of the stroke each 100
main: 4 x 400 (alt. 3 x 400)
cd: 2 x 150, pull.
I had no idea how to break my stroke down into anything besides kick and pull, so I decided to try bilateral breathing and flip turns, as well as focusing on my kick and pull. My mom insists (and she's probably right) that I used to demonstrate how to do flip-turns for swim classes at our local pool when I was a little kid, so I figured I should get back into doing them like the Kahuna suggested a while back.
Unfortunately, the flip-turns and bilateral breathing did not work out together. My bilateral "breathing" for the most part resulted in me taking half the breaths I normally would as I couldn't seem to get my mouth above the water enough not to drink it on my right side. The flip-turns also cut short my breathing at the wall and by my third 100 I was flailing wildly in the pool and considered standing up in the middle of the lane to catch a breath. Even worse was the flip-turn itself which I soon abandoned for fear of injuring my back or foot (pushed off the edge of the pool once!). To make things even worse, for like the first time ever in my life, water seeped into my ears and closed both up completely. As a result, I gave up focusing on anything but a better all-around stroke and finished out my warm-up. I never quite got it back together after that point.
Per my usual easy-does-it training style, the plan was for the alternate 3 x 400 main set. But when I finished that, I realized I had to stay and finish at least one good 400 (especially since I had the day off from work).
Not only did I do one more 400, I did it with flip-turns (sorry, bilateral breathing will have to wait!) and just rocked. I set a PR for the 100, everaging 1:30 for the last four (shattering my previous best of 1:53 without flip-turns, of course). The additional 400 also pushed my total yards over 2,300, for another PR. I'm starting to believe my mom about teaching flip turns!
Then, as I got out of the pool my left ear opened. Had I been any luckier, the right would have opened as well, but no dice. I took it as a lesson in handling a race's little uncertainties and decided to knock out my 40-minute run, closed ear be damned.
I took a quick drive to Shelley Lake to take advantage of a predominantly flat surface and was happy to see that the weather had warmed into the fifties. The scheduled 40-minute run included a 10-minute warm-up and 20-second strides every five minutes. I knocked it out while the sun came up, enjoying the warm weather and running in shorts for the first time since October.
Good day. I wish all my training were bricks.
In other news, I got outside on Saturday for an easy 90-minute bike through some local, but scenic, backroads near my house. More beautiful weather. What can I say, Carolina is awesome!
Also, it was cool to hear both the Kahuna's and Wil's voices this weekend!
Friday, December 23, 2005
Top 3 Reasons "It's About the Run!"
3. You finish the race on your feet, not your tires.
2. It's about running off the bike, not biking off the run.
... and the number one reason It's About the Run...
1. You can't buy speed with a $3,000 pair of sneakers.
2. It's about running off the bike, not biking off the run.
... and the number one reason It's About the Run...
1. You can't buy speed with a $3,000 pair of sneakers.
Quick Training Note
I missed Wednesday's swim because of some aforementioned problems with sleep and the dogs and a little too much indulgence. I also missed Thursday's run because I just couldn't get my butt out of bed, then had another party last night. So, I made up the run this morning. 60 minutes, RPE 3 effort based on the Half IM plan at BeginnerTriathlete.com . Without paying attention to cadence, my average HR was 144 at an 11:50 pace. I'm happy with that.
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
Crazy Diet & Great News
So after nixing the bike yesterday I decided to capitalize on my free time and go out for pancakes and drop off some dry cleaning prior to heading into work early. The plain pancakes I ordered at Courtney's were HUGE. I ate half of the stack of three and was literally stuffed the rest of the day. I didn't eat anything again until about 8 p.m. at our Christmas Dinner party with all our friends at Bonefish. In addition to the Mahi Imperial, I had a Rum & Coke while we were waiting to be seated and two Yeungling's with dinner. Not having drank much in the past year or so... I. WAS. ROCKED.
Before going to bed I drank a Gatorade and took a few Motrin, which usually does the trick. When the dogs got me up at 3 a.m., I felt fine, but went back to sleep and did not get up until 6:40 a.m. ... way too late to hit the pool for today's workout and get to work on time. What sucked even more was that I knew I would have to work late today, not to mention attend a second office Christmas Party for lunch, which would invariably take up a couple of hours and keep me at work even longer.
Knowing that I still had yesterdays healthy lunch at work, I skipped breakfast in hopes of making up some time there. Well, I was so busy at work, I didn't get to eat anything but a banana until lunch, which was at Sullivan's. I had the filet, potatoes au gratin, mixed vegetables, a glass of red wine (Joseph Alexander Merlot, 2001 I believe) and the creme brulee.
On about 6:30 pm, I still hadn't eaten dinner and was getting in a pissy mood. Rather than eat my healthy lunch for dinner I started snacking on the holiday goodies everyone made... two pieces of fudge, some type of raspberry cookie bar and some spiced pecans. When I finally got home and put Claudia to bed, I ate some more holiday goodies as I wasn't really hungry anymore... a bite of the coconut chocolate carmel thing, and some cranberry bread.
Oh yeah... did I mention that MY TRAINER ARRIVED!!! Sandi gave me the go ahead to open it and I set it up and put in an hour riding. So, I made up for yesterday's missed bike and only have today's swim workout to makeup!
Diet the past two days, however, has been a catastrophe... I ate two more pieces of fudge after the bike and another raspberry cookie bar, not too mention some Moravian spice cookies.
No worries. I've got a solid diet routine and will get back on track ASAP.
Out.
Before going to bed I drank a Gatorade and took a few Motrin, which usually does the trick. When the dogs got me up at 3 a.m., I felt fine, but went back to sleep and did not get up until 6:40 a.m. ... way too late to hit the pool for today's workout and get to work on time. What sucked even more was that I knew I would have to work late today, not to mention attend a second office Christmas Party for lunch, which would invariably take up a couple of hours and keep me at work even longer.
Knowing that I still had yesterdays healthy lunch at work, I skipped breakfast in hopes of making up some time there. Well, I was so busy at work, I didn't get to eat anything but a banana until lunch, which was at Sullivan's. I had the filet, potatoes au gratin, mixed vegetables, a glass of red wine (Joseph Alexander Merlot, 2001 I believe) and the creme brulee.
On about 6:30 pm, I still hadn't eaten dinner and was getting in a pissy mood. Rather than eat my healthy lunch for dinner I started snacking on the holiday goodies everyone made... two pieces of fudge, some type of raspberry cookie bar and some spiced pecans. When I finally got home and put Claudia to bed, I ate some more holiday goodies as I wasn't really hungry anymore... a bite of the coconut chocolate carmel thing, and some cranberry bread.
Oh yeah... did I mention that MY TRAINER ARRIVED!!! Sandi gave me the go ahead to open it and I set it up and put in an hour riding. So, I made up for yesterday's missed bike and only have today's swim workout to makeup!
Diet the past two days, however, has been a catastrophe... I ate two more pieces of fudge after the bike and another raspberry cookie bar, not too mention some Moravian spice cookies.
No worries. I've got a solid diet routine and will get back on track ASAP.
Out.
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
30-Minute Run
Today's workout was a 30-minute run, RPE 2-3 per the scale at BeginnerTriathlete.com . Also on the schedule is a 60-minute bike, small chain ring effort (I take this to mean the middle ring for those with a triple).
It's 6:15 am and I just got back from the run. Average HR 140 with a 12:09 pace. I'm pretty happy with that.
As for the bike... I allotted enough time for it this morning, which is when it must happen, but it's just not light enough. I should have known this, but never really pay attention to the time when I get out in the morning. As for lights on my bike, I'm just too afraid of getting hit on a dark country road early in the morning. So, the bike is not going to happen today. Nothing my new trainer won't fix when it arrives sometime this week!
I'm not upset about the bike. Even though the bike is the biggest part of a triathlon, there is a short training curve in attaining fitness on a bike which is fairly easy to maintain.
Running on the otherhand... steep curve that ends in a cliff. I have to maintain my level of running (which I have) year long, or I will lose too much fitness and have too much work to peak again.
That's it for today.
It's 6:15 am and I just got back from the run. Average HR 140 with a 12:09 pace. I'm pretty happy with that.
As for the bike... I allotted enough time for it this morning, which is when it must happen, but it's just not light enough. I should have known this, but never really pay attention to the time when I get out in the morning. As for lights on my bike, I'm just too afraid of getting hit on a dark country road early in the morning. So, the bike is not going to happen today. Nothing my new trainer won't fix when it arrives sometime this week!
I'm not upset about the bike. Even though the bike is the biggest part of a triathlon, there is a short training curve in attaining fitness on a bike which is fairly easy to maintain.
Running on the otherhand... steep curve that ends in a cliff. I have to maintain my level of running (which I have) year long, or I will lose too much fitness and have too much work to peak again.
That's it for today.
Monday, December 19, 2005
Training Begins
According to plan, I started my training today (well, I consider last night as the start since I prepared all my gear and packed my lunch prior to going to bed.) For the first part of my two-peak season plan, I'm using the 20-week Beginner Half IM plan from BeginnerTriathlete.com, which called for a swim and run workout.
The swim workout was:
w/u: 200 sw, 200 kick, 200 pull, 200 sw
main set: 1 x 1,500 (alternate 1 x 1,000)
cd: 4 x 50
The run workout:
40 minutes very, very easy
I set my alarm for 4:55 with the understanding that if either the dogs or kids got me up before that, I would take care of them first and rather than go back to sleep, I would run, then swim. As luck would have it, I "slept in" until 4:50 and got up just prior to my alarm.
I chose the 1,000-yard main set instead of the 1,500 since the total yards in the latter would have been a life-long record for me. Not that I couldn't do it, I'm just trying to train smart. But then the main set was going so smoothly for me, I forgot that I was supposed to stop at 40 laps and hit 44 before starting my cool down.
As I said, I was really planning on an evening run, but I felt so good and pumped after the swim, I sped home and got out the door to run by 6:45 am. It was cutting it a little close for work, but I had fun and averaged 144 bpm on my run at an 11:30 pace without worrying about my cadence.
Todays Diet:
5:00 am: Banana and coffee
6:30 am: Two dried plums, 16 oz Gatorade
7:30 am: 1 cup Grape Nuts w/ Vanilla Soy Milk and Raisins
10:30 am: Just over 1 Tbsp Natural Peanut Butter on 100% Whole Wheat Bread
12:00 - 5:00 pm: Spinach Salad with sliced almonds and dried cranberries, less than 1 Tbsp low-fat balsamic vinagrette, medium bag baby carrots, 1 granny smith apple, small cup blueberries, another banana, small bag of grapes and one Yo! Baby Peach yogurt (my all time favorite!)
6:00 pm: Whole Wheat pasta with milled flax seed and Barilla spaghetti sauce, three small meatballs, 2 slices Texas Toast.
7:00 pm: One bite of some chocolate coconut caramel bar someone made for me at work.
The swim workout was:
w/u: 200 sw, 200 kick, 200 pull, 200 sw
main set: 1 x 1,500 (alternate 1 x 1,000)
cd: 4 x 50
The run workout:
40 minutes very, very easy
I set my alarm for 4:55 with the understanding that if either the dogs or kids got me up before that, I would take care of them first and rather than go back to sleep, I would run, then swim. As luck would have it, I "slept in" until 4:50 and got up just prior to my alarm.
I chose the 1,000-yard main set instead of the 1,500 since the total yards in the latter would have been a life-long record for me. Not that I couldn't do it, I'm just trying to train smart. But then the main set was going so smoothly for me, I forgot that I was supposed to stop at 40 laps and hit 44 before starting my cool down.
As I said, I was really planning on an evening run, but I felt so good and pumped after the swim, I sped home and got out the door to run by 6:45 am. It was cutting it a little close for work, but I had fun and averaged 144 bpm on my run at an 11:30 pace without worrying about my cadence.
Todays Diet:
5:00 am: Banana and coffee
6:30 am: Two dried plums, 16 oz Gatorade
7:30 am: 1 cup Grape Nuts w/ Vanilla Soy Milk and Raisins
10:30 am: Just over 1 Tbsp Natural Peanut Butter on 100% Whole Wheat Bread
12:00 - 5:00 pm: Spinach Salad with sliced almonds and dried cranberries, less than 1 Tbsp low-fat balsamic vinagrette, medium bag baby carrots, 1 granny smith apple, small cup blueberries, another banana, small bag of grapes and one Yo! Baby Peach yogurt (my all time favorite!)
6:00 pm: Whole Wheat pasta with milled flax seed and Barilla spaghetti sauce, three small meatballs, 2 slices Texas Toast.
7:00 pm: One bite of some chocolate coconut caramel bar someone made for me at work.
Sunday, December 18, 2005
Tsoks & Tsaks
I came across these interesting products today:
1. Tetrasok or "tsok" featuring AIS (Anatomical Interface System). Who else but triathletes could complicate something as simple as a sock by building a system into it?
2. Think tsoks are cool? Read Scott Dunlap's idea of how to apply the AIS to prevent chaffing in other areas of the body. It's called the Nut Tsak and is for Men Only.
1. Tetrasok or "tsok" featuring AIS (Anatomical Interface System). Who else but triathletes could complicate something as simple as a sock by building a system into it?
2. Think tsoks are cool? Read Scott Dunlap's idea of how to apply the AIS to prevent chaffing in other areas of the body. It's called the Nut Tsak and is for Men Only.
Friday, December 16, 2005
Yogi Pooh Pooh
First of all, I can say "pooh pooh" because I am a dad and all dad's say pooh pooh at some time or another. Second of all, I am giving away my age and yours if you get the "That's Incredible!" reference.
Years ago the show highlighted incredible people and animals and also featured the great "Yogi Kudu" on a regular basis. The Yogi Kudu was incredible because he could slow his heart rate down to like 5 beats per minute. Typically, he would do this with his legs wrapped around his head, locked in a glass container filled with water while submerged in a pool for overkill (let's see David Blaine try that!) for two minutes.
I realized this morning, that I must be the Yogi Pooh Pooh. Typically, when I wake up my heart rate is 10 beats per minute faster than when I am struck with the divine inspiration that places my butt on the can for about ten minutes. Give me a good book and I can slow my heart rate down even more while taking a dump.
However, the divine inspiration was absent this morning and as a result my heart rate for my run averaged nearly 15 beats per minute higher than usual. I'm sure this had nothing to do with the fact I was up at 2 am for my daughter, 3 am for the dogs, 4 am for my daughter again, then 5:45 am to finally get out and run. Not that this hasn't been the normal routine at my house for the past two weeks anyway, but I digress.
More meditation is required. One more cup of coffee and the Yogi Pooh Pooh will be ready.
Years ago the show highlighted incredible people and animals and also featured the great "Yogi Kudu" on a regular basis. The Yogi Kudu was incredible because he could slow his heart rate down to like 5 beats per minute. Typically, he would do this with his legs wrapped around his head, locked in a glass container filled with water while submerged in a pool for overkill (let's see David Blaine try that!) for two minutes.
I realized this morning, that I must be the Yogi Pooh Pooh. Typically, when I wake up my heart rate is 10 beats per minute faster than when I am struck with the divine inspiration that places my butt on the can for about ten minutes. Give me a good book and I can slow my heart rate down even more while taking a dump.
However, the divine inspiration was absent this morning and as a result my heart rate for my run averaged nearly 15 beats per minute higher than usual. I'm sure this had nothing to do with the fact I was up at 2 am for my daughter, 3 am for the dogs, 4 am for my daughter again, then 5:45 am to finally get out and run. Not that this hasn't been the normal routine at my house for the past two weeks anyway, but I digress.
More meditation is required. One more cup of coffee and the Yogi Pooh Pooh will be ready.
Thursday, December 15, 2005
Winter Arrives in a Day
Winter arrives in a day, yet the pine trees are oblivious. Whether it's spring, summer, fall or winter, the pines stay green. Snow may frost their limbs in the winter, but still they remain green. And on a warm day, even in the winter, you can still smell them. That's why I love it here in North Carolina. Though I hate the snow, part of me wants to see it on the trees as I run down the road with my lucky blue hat and new gloves.
As I do every year, I keep telling myself that this is the year I learn to ski, or snowboard maybe, but then the temperature drops and I can only manage to get outside to run if I promise myself some warm coffee or tea or hot chocolate when I return. Maybe get up early and relax by the fireplace at Starbuck's and watch people go to work.
I dream of the brasseries in France where I ate the hearty plat du jour with red wine for lunch and watched people a la Hemingway, finishing each meal with a cup of strong black coffee, imagining that I too am an expatriate from some war fought for a reason that eludes me. Or while travelling through the countryside, enjoying a croque madame with a nice beer in the early afternoon at a road side bar.
I am not so much a triathlete as I am an adventurer. Like the pine trees, I remain the same despite the seasons.
Winter arrived in a day this year.
As I do every year, I keep telling myself that this is the year I learn to ski, or snowboard maybe, but then the temperature drops and I can only manage to get outside to run if I promise myself some warm coffee or tea or hot chocolate when I return. Maybe get up early and relax by the fireplace at Starbuck's and watch people go to work.
I dream of the brasseries in France where I ate the hearty plat du jour with red wine for lunch and watched people a la Hemingway, finishing each meal with a cup of strong black coffee, imagining that I too am an expatriate from some war fought for a reason that eludes me. Or while travelling through the countryside, enjoying a croque madame with a nice beer in the early afternoon at a road side bar.
I am not so much a triathlete as I am an adventurer. Like the pine trees, I remain the same despite the seasons.
Winter arrived in a day this year.
Friday, December 09, 2005
Pimp My Training
In reading Phil's post, I realized that I am also heinously guilty of training without any idea of how to use my Heart Rate Monitor. In terms of Triathlon Training Crime, I am public enemy number one. I need help.
I couldn't find a Pimp Master of Ceremonies for tri-gear, so I turned to the internet for help.
So, what can you get to really pimp your HR training? How about a Lactate Pro? For about $475 US dollars you can get the Lactate Pro Analyzer Starter Kit and also the Windows XP software to analyze your results. Though the Lactate Pro has been approved by the FDA it's not sold in the US yet. The closest distributors are in Canada. So, you'll have to convert the prices to US dollars.
Obviously, you need the Lactate Pro to measure your lactate threshold (LT). Of course, you can get your LT amongst other things measured at any sports clinic, like Duke Sports Medicine or Meredith College's Human Performance Lab for prices ranging from about $75-$175. So, why shell out $475 to test only your LT?
Because, (and here's where the HRM training comes in) your HR zones and LT change as your aerobic fitness increases, which makes the Age-Based Formulas even more inaccurate over time. With the Lactate Pro, you can measure the lactate build-up in your blood at any time in a matter of seconds. Getting real-time data on your lactate level is the only true way to measure whether your training is aerobic or not. And with the starter package, that means 25 tests, for $475. What's 25 x $175? Let's see 25 x 175 = A Lot. And that's lab data, not real world data.
Sound crazy, or maybe I'm not explaining it right? How about this for an explanation: Lance uses one.
'Nuff said.
Unfortunately, I have already maxed out my Triathlon Gear budget for 2006 with race and hotel registrations and the basic gear on my Birthday and Christmas Lists have been filled, I'm hoping. But next year, you can be certain my gear may get pimped a little with a PowerTap and possibility a Lactate Pro.
We'll see.
I couldn't find a Pimp Master of Ceremonies for tri-gear, so I turned to the internet for help.
So, what can you get to really pimp your HR training? How about a Lactate Pro? For about $475 US dollars you can get the Lactate Pro Analyzer Starter Kit and also the Windows XP software to analyze your results. Though the Lactate Pro has been approved by the FDA it's not sold in the US yet. The closest distributors are in Canada. So, you'll have to convert the prices to US dollars.
Obviously, you need the Lactate Pro to measure your lactate threshold (LT). Of course, you can get your LT amongst other things measured at any sports clinic, like Duke Sports Medicine or Meredith College's Human Performance Lab for prices ranging from about $75-$175. So, why shell out $475 to test only your LT?
Because, (and here's where the HRM training comes in) your HR zones and LT change as your aerobic fitness increases, which makes the Age-Based Formulas even more inaccurate over time. With the Lactate Pro, you can measure the lactate build-up in your blood at any time in a matter of seconds. Getting real-time data on your lactate level is the only true way to measure whether your training is aerobic or not. And with the starter package, that means 25 tests, for $475. What's 25 x $175? Let's see 25 x 175 = A Lot. And that's lab data, not real world data.
Sound crazy, or maybe I'm not explaining it right? How about this for an explanation: Lance uses one.
'Nuff said.
Unfortunately, I have already maxed out my Triathlon Gear budget for 2006 with race and hotel registrations and the basic gear on my Birthday and Christmas Lists have been filled, I'm hoping. But next year, you can be certain my gear may get pimped a little with a PowerTap and possibility a Lactate Pro.
We'll see.
Friday, December 02, 2005
Power & Aero Position & Question about a Trainer
I've been reading about the tradeoff in power experienced in a more aero position. I mentioned this question to two bike shops and they advised me that I needed a Power Meter which runs around $800-$1,000. One of the shops was InsideOut Sports. But then I came across this Kurt Kinetic Trainer on eBay for $339.99.
My question is, is a Watt Computer the same thing as a Power Meter?
I can't really tell from the description, but I was wondering if I could use this trainer to evaluate my power output (watts?) in different aero positions. Or is a watt computer (as sold with this trainer) something entirely different?
Also, if I can't evaluate my Power Output on a trainer in this price range, I'm thinking I would really only want the cheapest wind trainer or magnetic trainer on the market. Is that a bad idea? Or should I at least have a magnetic trainer?
Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!
My question is, is a Watt Computer the same thing as a Power Meter?
I can't really tell from the description, but I was wondering if I could use this trainer to evaluate my power output (watts?) in different aero positions. Or is a watt computer (as sold with this trainer) something entirely different?
Also, if I can't evaluate my Power Output on a trainer in this price range, I'm thinking I would really only want the cheapest wind trainer or magnetic trainer on the market. Is that a bad idea? Or should I at least have a magnetic trainer?
Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!
Thursday, December 01, 2005
On the Half Shell?
Canuckrunner.com has been one of the better resources I've found for seeking out Half Marathons. One race that is not on there however, is South Carolina's "On the Half Shell 1/2 Marathon" which I stumbled on at Guy Avery's blog. In seeking out a link to the race site, I could only come across Tim Root's site and thank God I did -- the course is entirely on the beach! Not exactly what I want to do to my calves a month and a half out of Florida.
Note: The new training/race schedule is coming together nicely. Thanks for all your advice and encouragement!
Note: The new training/race schedule is coming together nicely. Thanks for all your advice and encouragement!
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