Diet, Staleness & Soreness

While searching for ways to help reduce my cholesterol last year I came across some interesting information about the Glycemic Index which has become the basis for my entire diet, which I've used to reduce my cholesterol from 166 to 127 and consequently shed about seven pounds and totally elilminate real soreness after my workouts.

It's true, I haven't been sore since last year. Now of course, my long run is only 9.5 miles, but still, I've done intervals and also rode 40-50 miles, and no real soreness.

The key to reducing soreness after a workout is to eat immediately following your workout, much like what Wil's coach said on GYGO! #6. What I don't think he said is that it needs to be a food with a moderate to high glycemic index and also a little bit of protein. A perfect post workout meal (which you often see at triathlon's here in Carolina) is a peanut butter bagel. My standard post workout meal is that plus a banana and some Gatorade. I've read in some places that chocolate milk is also an excellent recovery drink, but haven't tried it.

As I mentioned in my cookie cutter plan post, despite their ominious schedule my workouts are leaving me refreshed and wanting more. Part of that is due to my diet and maintaining a reasonable level of glycogen stores.

See, using the going "logic" that you shouldn't eat before bedtime, I used to eat around 6-7 pm, then not eat again until after my morning workout. But then I never wanted to get out of bed. The beginning of every workout sucked because my glycogen stores were depleted leaving me without energy or motivation. As Jeff Galloway said in one of his marathon books, low glycogen levels allow negative thoughts to enter the brain. Sounds crazy, but SO TRUE!

The PowerBar or snack I had before the workout was just enough to get me through the workout. But then, I would usually skip breakfast or eat a small breakfast because of lack of time and my glycogen stores would never get replaced until much later in the day, which allowed for soreness to set in.

But, if I had eaten a snack with low glycemic index (which means your body absorbs it more slowly -- just what I want to maintain those glycogen stores through the night) I would have woken up ready to go, like I do now. Then, if I had eaten that good recovery meal with high glycemic index it would have quickly replaced those stores and eliminated soreness and helped keep me from getting "stale".

If you workout in the mornings, eating a snack before bedtime and a post-workout recovery meal immediately following a workout is the best thing you can do to keep from being sore and getting stale.

Cookie Cutter Plans

I finished up my run-focused week this morning with a 1:30 run on hills. The workout said to find "some hills". I did. I ran almost the entire 1:30 around the Northridge Golf Course on Rainwater, Hunting Ridge and Harps Mill Roads. This is a solid routine for hills... Brett knows what I'm talking about! I finished with 9:46 pace. Very solid considering my normal has been around 10-11:00 up until this week. Average HR was 147. Super solid for the hill effort. As usual, I felt strong and had to talk myself out of doing another half hour.

That aside, I know most people have coaches or are coaching themselves. But I have to tell there is something to be said for these cookie-cutter plans. Takes all the guess work out of it and while I may not be getting the specific focus for my weakest discipline, I'm pretty darn close.

In addition, I have never been tired, sore or injured. The 1/2 IM Plan at Beginnertriathlete.com brings you along nice and easy. If you've been following my blog you know I've been HR training and have seen some nice gains in my run time while keeping my HR down.

Finally, the way the daily workouts are scheduled and employed within a periodization framework doesn't just work well for physical improvement, but mental as well. Each new week I think, there's no way I can get all these workouts in... but true to my blog, I focus on only that one true stroke, pedal or step. Then just prior to my final workout in the week, like this morning, I think, damn, I did it. I freakin' did it! And that alone is all the fuel I need to knock out that last workout.

On that final workout of the third week, just before my recovery week, I can't stop the smile from stretching across my face... another one down... ROLLIN', ROLLIN', ROLLIN-N-N! Just like we sang in boot camp, and yeah, sometimes I sing it when I'm training.

Never completely trusting the Weather Channel, I stuck my head out the door yesterday morning: 42 degrees and pouring rain. Being one of the few days with only one workout scheduled, I took the liberty of postponing my hour easy run until the afternoon.

By 10 am, the rain broke and by noon it was sunny. Then it warmed. Sweet!

I sped home like a bat out of hell trying to take advantage of the remaining daylight. It lingered I think just for me. Just for this run. I parked the car and ran into T1 (my house) practically ripping off my tie and unbuttoning my shirt as I bounded up stairs. I was changed in a flash and after a few quick stretches I was out the door.

Low fifties, sunlight, shorts, a long sleeve shirt and a cruise down Raven Ridge in hopes of making it to the lake before sunset. I crested the last hill and knew I had made it. A flock of geese honked overhead and the lake bugs were making their evening racket as if it were summer. I stopped for just a second to appreciate the otherwise silent view amongst the surrounding pines while the sun set here in North Carolina.

I could have run all night.

Sobering Up

I was really inspired by IronBenny's recent post to get my head together about Ironman Florida.

See, I've been letting myself get swept up in all the happy-happy joy-joy karma that's floating around our blogs. I blow smoke up my ass after listening to everyone talk about how great we are just for "getting out there" and training. As if that means something. I tell myself how great I am because I can swim for x-number of minutes or ride x-number of miles. I compare myself to non-triathletes and secretly smile, but the fact is, I'm not racing my co-worker.

Even worse, I extrapolate. I have a secret pace. A time goal. Like IronBenny prior to his recent ride, I want to average a certain speed on the bike. But in reality, these things are for sprints and oly's and maybe even half's.

Ironman is a fight. There is no "sub 14" finish or dare I reveal my true goal, a sub.... No, it's me against the course. Winner... or loser. Come November Ironman will be a war of attrition on my physical and mental state. It will grind me, I will not grind it. Today I stop patting myself on the back. I will buckle down and face this race for what it is... an enemy that wants nothing more to tear me down and make me quit.

Run Week & Zicam

Sandi has the flu and bronchitis, CJ a double ear infection and Claudia some type of cough and chest congestion. This has been going on since last week and it occurred to me that while I haven't fallen prey to sickness myself, my body might be fighting off the little bastard germs anyway. Could be the reason I had trouble with the 750's on Friday.

So, it's day by day as far as my workouts go. While I feel fine, I don't want to stress my immune system too much with two-a-day workouts. I skipped Monday's swim, but did the bike. My temp run was the only thing scheduled yesterday and I did that. I did today's 30-minute run and my 2 x 1200 swim is pending.

While at the pharmacy yesterday, Sandi picked up some Zicam for me. It's supposed to stave off and minimize cold and flu symptoms if you take it at the first sign. Since my throat felt a little scratchy yesterday, I started using it. Basically, it's a medicated swab you stick up your nose for a few seconds. Strange, I know. But it can't hurt, I guess.

Run Week: Tempo Run

Today's workout was a 60-minute tempo effort. I did a 10-minute warm-up at RPE 2-3, ran 5 x (6t, 2r), then 10-minute cool down at RPE 2. In case you're wondering what the algebra equations means, it's 6-minutes tempo, 2-minutes recovery. I averaged 9:16/mile for the entire run, with my best pace 7:29. I don't know how long I held the 7:29, but its pretty irrelevant since my run was entirely on either an incline or decline.

I am really happy with two things:

1) My average HR for the entire run was 151. Considering a month or so ago I was averaging 10-11:00/miles with a 149 HR, I am super pleased with the 9:16 at 151.
2) My HR was never super high and out of control. Between every tempo effort I brought it back down into the low 140's.

In other news I had off yesterday and rode outside for 75 minutes! On the same course of rolling hills where I averaged 16.1 mph last year, I averaged 17.6 yesterday!

In both today's run and yesterday's bike, it's nice to finally see some real gains.

Run Focus Week

Though there isn't a run on my schedule today, this week's training is RUN focused. You can check out my workouts at beginnertriathlete.com under the Half IM Program, Week #11.

First Treadmill Run... Ever!

Tracing the blue lines into the unknown, I got the urge to call in sick and book some extra tickets from Raleigh's train station. Surely we could not make it to that city deep in Canada by the Hudson Bay. Snow would have to stop us somewhere and with the Arctic 100 Miler on my mind, I was willing to find out exactly where that was. But, with Claudia in my arms and Carson with Sandi, I realized this wasn't France and we couldn't just point to a location on the map and go there. No, this was a well-planned trip to Pennsylvania for my Aunt's surprise birthday party.

Fortunately, I wrapped up my swim focus week Friday morning, as I couldn't find a pool in Reading, PA. Unfortunately, I only completed three of the 4 x 750's the main set called for. Though I did my 1,000-yard time trial at a comfortable pace without stopping earlier in the week, for some reason I had a hard time finishing the first 750. The second was tough and the third was a test of discipline. Had I not run out of time (we had a train to catch!) I would have battled through the last, though I probably should have quit anyway.

Later that morning as we waited for the train in 60 degree weather, I held Carson up to the blue Carolina sky. This is it, kid. It won't be 60 degrees in P-A. It wasn't and the 15 degrees that it was forced me into the hotel gym for my first ever treadmill run... ever! After 30 minutes on it, I realized why in 17 years of running I never set foot on one. After that I put in 30 minutes on the recumbent bike to finish two-thirds of my scheduled reverse tri.

During the weekend, we got to visit my Aunt Marge and Uncle Jere and show Claudia where I lived after the Marines. We fed Sampson a few carrots in the barn and I showed Claudia the tractor I used to ride... I thought about telling her about Winter, the tabby cat that used to jump up and sit on my shoulders while I fed the horses, or Jordy, the blind kitten I saved. And also about Jake and Solomon, the two dogs that kept me company during the cold Pennsylvania winters while I lived there alone content and happy with my service in the Marines at an end and my future waiting. But I kept those to myself and eventually, I will forget them again until I return once more.

Later that night, we surprised my Aunt Shirley for her birthday and got to see my Aunt Jeanette and Uncle Louis as well. We also saw Uncle Clarence, cousins Karen, Ann and Vicki, not to mention my sister and her husband Roger and my mom (frequent anonymous commenter) and dad. It was a good weekend.

From my hotel window Sunday morning, I watched the sun rise over the mountain and shine down on the city and house I lived in for the first 17 years of my life. I pointed out the factories to Claudia and the "Castle on the Hill" that was the high school to me and the roughly 3,000 other kids that attended it back in 1986-87.

Afterwards, we packed up and rode the train back to Raleigh via the 30th & Market Street Station in Philadelphia. (Note the cool Uwharrie shirt... just had to work that in once more. I loved that race!) And finally, it's good to be home... my pillow is calling!

Jack London, Eat Your Heart Out!

One of my favorite stories of all time is Jack London's "To Build a Fire". But this... this is just KUH-RAZY! Check the site for live updates... after all, the race is like 8 days long.

Yukon Artic Ultra

By the way, swim focus week continues at lunch today. Main set is 16 x 50, descend 1-4, 5-8, 9-12, 13-16.

Swim Focus: Day 2

Yesterday was a "long" day in the pool and it went fine. You can read about the particular workout and ladder I did at Week #12 on beginnertriathlete.com. Today's workout was this:

S: speed day
wu: 400 continuous. last 50 in each 100 is kick
main: 9 x 100 EBEH (each 100 = 25Easy, 25Build, 25Easy, 25 Hard)
cd: 6 x 25, each slower than last

I've been having a lot of trouble counting laps lately, so today I decided to simplify things and do the 100's on 2:00. It's much easier to track than starting and stopping your watch continuously. My 100's were basically anywhere from 1:42 - 1:45, giving me about 15 secs or so rest between each. My last two were 1:43 and 1:42. I think Brett's advice about doing kicks while on your back is helping me out a lot. See his "Kick in the Pants..." post.

Idea for Speedo: invent a goggle that senses your change in direction and counts laps for you. Information could be displayed in the lens somehow.

Recovery Week Concludes

I finished up the week with an hour run yesterday morning. In covering my 5.4 miles at an easy 11:06 pace, I had an exceptionally low heart rate for the run, most of which was under or at 140. I don't have the exact number as I accidentally cleared my run before saving it (don't ask!). It was a good week in that the shorter workouts allowed me to space them out during the day, not to mention allow me to get about 1-2 extra hours sleep a night. Ahhh... recovery!

Today begins a base building month where each week I focus on a different discipline. This week it's the swim. Next week, the run and the following week I focus on the bike. After that, I get to do another swim time trial, not to mention a 10k. I'm really psyched to be able to get another time trial under my belt for comparison purposes. I am TOTALLY psyched to finally be able to run a 10k and get a better picture on what all this low heart rate training is doing for my real pace.

What it's All About

I did a 1,000 yard time trial in the pool this morning, but first let me tell you about my family...

It was cold and drizzly when I left the pool, about 34 degrees which is the coldest its been here in a long while. Overtime and other committments had the cupboard pretty bare in our house, including being out of soy milk for my Grape Nuts. We were also out of fresh strawberries for Claudia's typical breakfast of strawberries and a 100% whole wheat bagel. So, I decided to surprise everyone with some treats from Dunkin Donuts.

I got coffees for me and Sandi, a smoothie for Claudia and a half dozen donuts, something we've done maybe once since Claudia was born. She was very excited for the smoothie, but when I offered her half a donut, she asked for strawberries and a bagel instead. At 2-1/2 years old, my daughter is already making smart food choices!

And for me, that's what it's all about. I love that kid!

Oh yeah, the time trail...

I did 1,000 yards in 18:20. As part of my overall plan to not dwell on Ironman, I'm not going to extrapolate that out to anything. It is what it is. Hopefully, it will be faster after I complete this weeks swim-focused training! But for now, it is what it is.

The Ultimate NC Season

When I started putting together this season's race schedule, I overlapped my training schedule with a list of races. Whenever I came across a race, any race, I added it to the schedule just to see what was out there. I've got a huge list now, several races deep for just about every weekend from March through October, almost all in North Carolina. I've got trail runs, open water swims, short road races, duathlons, triathlons, cycling events and odd races like the Coach Bubba 20k and Kure Beach Double Sprint Triathlon (a race that ends with a sprint across the beach after an ocean swim).

Most don't fit my Iron and Half Iron training schedule, though, and since I won't do an Ironman in 2007, I started wondering. What would be the ultimate Multi-sport race schedule for a North Carolina triathlete? If wanted to run a season full of races that typified the North Carolina multi-sport scene, what would they be? I'm not just talking degree of difficulty, but maybe uniqueness to this area. Something varied, too, not just tri's.

As you can guess, I've already decided the Uwharrie Mountain Trail Run is one of the races, but what else? Probably the Blood, Sweat and Gears race and maybe an ocean swim triathlon, though I'm not sure which one I'd pick.

How about it North Carolina athletes? What's the Ultimate NC Multi-sport season?

The Uwharrie Trail Cookie

Okay, I promise this is the last thing about Uwharrie. I just have to let everyone know that this race is so cool, it even has it's own cookie. That's right. Check out the Dolcirazza site to find out about the Uwharrie Trail Cookie. And thanks for all the comments about looking good on the run! Quadzilla and his daughter Kidzilla (CB's nickname from her terrible two's) appreciate it!

Uwharrie: The Course

Though not indicative of the entire course, this is a great pic of some of the things the trail at Uwharrie throws at you, besides rocks, streams, roots, etc. That's me by the way! Still able to smile for the camera at about mile 7.

http://www.photoreflect.com/scripts/prsm.dll?eventorder?photo=0EH5000Z000321&start=0&album=0&adjust=-1

Mental Preparation

I try not to think about my races too much, especially Ironman Florida. But my last outdoor ride made me realize one thing. I have to prepare myself mentally for a 112-mile bike ride through wind. There has got to be some degree of wind at all times on the course since its so close to the Ocean, or Gulf or whatever. I don't give up in wind, but then again I don't ride well in it either. Lots of negative thoughts. I have to change that.

Uwharrie 8-Mile Trail Run Report

Those who have read my blog for a while know how I dog my Mizunos, possibly, the best sneakers I ever had. But, you don't know my other dark secret: buried in the deep recesses of my car trunk exists a hungry pair of beasts... my New Balance trail shoes.

For more than a year, they survived without stimulation. No grass cutting, no hiking, no plain old kicking around, and certainly no running. In fact, I forgot they were there... until Uwharrie. Driving through my second rain shower on the way to the 500 million year old mountain range, possibily the oldest in the world, I grew worried for my pretty-boy Asics, having never seen a speck of mud. Then I remembered my New Balance, sitting in the trunk just waiting for the right moment... waiting for Uwharrie.

Like my New Balance, the Uwharrie Moutains have seen better days. Once more than 10,000 feet, the Uwharrie's now rise only a 1,000 feet at their highest peak.
That's not to say there isn't some elevation gain in the race. We were reminded by the director early on not to leave it on the first ascent. Congestion on the narrow double track of that first hill caused most to resort to walking.

Though time has worn the mountain down nearly 9,000 feet it's trail reminded me that my 36 years on this planet meant comparatively little to it. Rocks and roots and trees and streams were obstacles at every turn. The quick footwork I developed with my early cadence work this season proved invaluable in thwarting the mountain from tripping me. Keeping my eyes on it's trail nearly the entire race, I slipped only once when I looked over my shoulder to check on another runner who fell. I never took my eyes of the trail again.

Techincally, it was a difficult run. My heart rate surged and dropped dramatically as I encountered peaks, passed runners, and eased my way down slippery slopes. Passing in itself required great skill and tactics as you never really looked up until you saw someone's sneakers at which point you were too close for a clear view of the single track trail. Quite often I'd catch up to someone, then back off to pick my lane for passing, if one was available. Sometimes, I just had to hang back and wait. Truthfully, I welcomed every one of those opportunities!

Nearing the five mile mark and only aid station on the 8-mile course my calves felt dead. I was certain I could sustain my pace but not so sure I could keep up the fancy foot work that kept me from stumbling like so many others I witnessed. I hit the aid station at exactly 50 minutes for a 10:00 per mile pace... truly amazing considering I walked the first ascent.

A small cup of Gatorade, an orange slice and less than a quarter banana later, my legs were back. Concerned about dead legs for the last ascent, I cooled down to a more moderate pace and 170-something heart rate when I caught up to a woman from Chapel Hill.

We talked about kids and daycare and triathlons and ocassionally her older son would pass us then drop back until eventually he moved ahead for good. Then a guy from Salisbury, NC caught up and we all ran together single file through a couple of streams and up some difficult climbs. We almost lost the trail once but, luckily I spotted the white blaze to our left.

We all cruised in together and shook hands over oatmeal cookies and Gatorade and thanked each other for the conversation on those last few miles. I never got the woman's name, but the guy behind me was Dave from Salisbury, NC. Waiting for the "Dead Legs Express" to transport us back to our cars, we met up with Rich from Hillsborough, NC, I believe.

Throughout the entire race, my New Balance trail shoes played bodyguard for my ankles protecting me from several possible twists and turns.
I couldn't have asked for a better performance from a pair of shoes I keep in the trunk of my car. For their effort, I took their picture with probably the most unique finisher's medal I've ever received: a handcrafted clay medallion.

Without a doubt, Uwharrie will see me next year at the 20 or 40-mile distance. And I can't help but think that a November Ironman just might be adequate training for the 40-mile effort in early February 2007.

Blood, Sweat & Gears

If Lance says I live within a few hours of the best place to train in the United States, I guess I ought to train there, right? Check out the cycling event tentatively added to my race schedule this summer: Blood, Sweat & Gears. Also check out fellow Raleigh Triathlete Jamie's On The Road Again blog... thanks for the links on your site Jamie!

Revenge of the Nerd (Swimmer)

Could be the best $5.99 I ever spent.

That's what I told myself when I purchased my new "retro" Speedo goggles. According to the box, they are made for narrower faces like mine. But, I'll be darned if the nose piece doesn't cut into the bridge of my nose. But wait! There's always a solution. How about some, dare I think it... tape? Like the white medical variety? Yep, that'll do it. A little bit over the nose piece and viola! A Nerd Swimmer.

But hey, at least I'm a comfortable Nerd Swimmer. And arguably, some might say the tape only makes it official.

Infectious

Oh man, he didn't just say that, did he?

That was my initial thought when I first read Comm's "No Limits" post. Having an Army man tell a former Marine to train with no limits can be a dangerous thing. It reminded me of the infamous "mud run". While training at an Army base, a young motivated Marine corporal was determined to show the dogfaces just how hard core Marines really were. More accurately, however, he lead a platoon of Marines on a dangerous run through a swamp and a waist high creek during a torrential down pour. After a good chastising from the Master Gunny, the corporal (not me by the way) was reminded: train smart, not hard. There is a fine line between the two.

So, I have to admit, I originally dismissed Comm's challenge. Last thing I needed was to injure myself while trying to live up to someone else's challenge. But after a refreshing two-hour long conversation with my sister (my first chat with her in weeks) on the only night in two weeks I was home before 8 pm, I was faced with the prospect of missing two key workouts in my biggest base building week, yet.

Infected by the challenge (and the fact that today is a scheduled rest day anyway), I did it. I trained with no limits and wrapped both workouts up at midnight. Hopefully in the future I'll be able to manage work and home life in a way that I don't have to train that late. But, for now, No Limits it is.