Build Cycle 2 - Check!

This week's workouts:

Mon:  Rest

Tue:  Swim 1,850 yards (main set = 12x50y); Bike 50 min. (last 20 hard)

Wed:  Run 6 miles easy pace (10:20/mi)

Thu:  Swim 1,850 yards (main set = 5x150y); Bike 50 min easy

Fri:  Run 40 min (main set = 10x1 min hill repeats)

Sat:  Run 11 miles

Sun:  Swim 2,300 yards; Bike 50 miles + 10 min. brick (run)

Total miles:  101.36

This week (week #7) was the last build week in the 2nd cycle, which means next week is a recovery week.  Training is now 35% done in terms of time, although there are a ridiculous number of miles to come.

This week my brain has been full of random thoughts which I journaled each day:  

Tuesday – 1,850 yard swim (main set = 12x50 sprints).  Started with a warm up, pulls, kick board, and paddles before the main set.  As I was finishing up my 10^th sprint set, some joker jumps into the lane that I am already splitting, despite several lanes with only one swimmer in them.  Seriously?  Circle-swimming when you don't have to?  I don’t think so!  I did what she should have, and moved over one lane to finish it out.  Sheesh.

Bike ride – 13 miles on the trainer with 20 minutes “comfortably hard”, which – although I know what it means – seems like an oxymoron.  Can’t be hard yet comfortable at the same time!  I did get to check out the Ironman race day and volunteer video from IM Texas, so at least the first 15 minutes of the ride were entertaining.

Wednesday – easy run, 6 miles.  Nope, just wasn’t feeling it.  Fought myself from blowing off the workout and got out the door by 5:10.  At mile 4 I could tell that I hadn’t eaten anything before the run – my stomach was feeling pretty empty and upset.  It was also a warmer day with a higher humidity, so I was soaked by mile 5, and just happy to hold on and get it done.  I’m now at work and I have to get up every 30 minutes or so because it feels like my hamstrings are going to explode.  The glamorous life of a would-be Ironman.  Sitting at my daughter’s band concert for 2 hours became painful – my right hamstring was not happy with me.  I foam rolled it before heading to bed.

Hello old friend! 

Thursday - woke up with a sore back (must not have moved all night) and felt so bad that I considered bagging the swim, but I thought swimming would actually help to loosen things up, which of course it did.  The workout today was 1,850 yards again – did a warm up, pulls, and paddles before hitting my main set of 5x150 yards.  I felt really slow today – perhaps tired, or perhaps just one of those days.  But, I got it done!

Bike ride – 13 miles – “easy pace”.  I know that mindlessly spinning on the trainer brings you little to no training benefit, so I always incorporate drills into my workouts – spin-ups, one-leg drills, scrapes, etc.  I have grown to tolerate the mid-week rides on the trainer, mostly because it is one of the only times I can catch up on my favorite TV shows via the iPad. 

Friday – the workout called for a 40 minute run with the main set being 10x1-min. hill sprints.  I ran just over a mile from home to a good hill and got to work.  I sprinted the hill and jogged back down, repeating this until I was done.  I finished with an easy jog until I hit 40 minutes.  Hills are not my favorite, but I know they’re good for me in the long run.

Physically I’m feeling my first stress of training as my right hamstring is sore.  Not horrible, but I notice it.  I first noticed it Wednesday night, so I’ve been focusing some attention with the foam roller, and I brought “The Stick” to leave in my office which I’m using throughout the day.  Hopefully it will settle down before this weekend’s long run.

Saturday - long run day.  Felt some twinges from the hamstring in the morning.  I did some cross training by playing infield/outfield at my son's little league practice in the morning.  That counts, right?  After lunch I foam rolled again and hit the road for 11 miles (can you tell from the picture how excited I was to run alone?)  I decided to run from home to Grant's Trail and get my miles in there instead of wandering around Kirkwood again.  The temperatures were reasonable (79 degrees, 37% humidity), so I thought the trail would be a good mental test - straight line running, not much shade, etc.

I worked again on my plan for the marathon in Louisville, running 9:1 intervals - averaging about 10:00-10:30 on the run portions of the interval.  I did not look at my watch for pace during the run - I tried to let my legs and how hot I felt dictate my speed.  When I did think of speed, I tried to pull it back.  The theory is that I will be faster running a slow speed with intervals than I will be if I run the first 10 and crawl the last 16.2 on race day.  My hamstring, by the way, was fine.

One thing I tried this week was raisins as one of my nutritionals as suggested by a dietitian that I have seen in the past (and will be consulting again soon).  They were maybe not as convenient as a Gu, but they tasted good and went down just fine during the run.  Something to consider going forward.

Sunday - started out with a 2,300 yard endurance swim.  I got in, zoned out, and got it done.  When I felt tired or winded, I rolled over and backstroked or breast stroked for a length, but I didn't stop.  After a few hundred yards I settled in, focused on form, and thought about the things I need to get done next week.  Kind of like an aquatic planning session.

After lunch, it was time to ride.  We had storms in the morning, but they looked to be done, so I headed out for a 50 mile local ride instead of driving to my original location for the day.  The rain was gone, so the sun came out and the humidity was cranked up.  It was 66 degrees when I started, but it quickly reached the 80's.  That, coupled with 83% humidity, spelled trouble for someone who wasn't completely focused.  

By 10 miles, I was pretty sweaty.  By 15 miles I was HOT.  By 20 miles I remembered that I forgot to use my Chamois Butt'r, and my rear end wasn't feeling too great.  Although I kept stopping to refill my water bottles, I wasn't prepared for this ride, and I paid for it.  The last 15 miles were no treat, and I was ready to write off my scheduled 10-minute run brick.  My foot hurt a bit, my arm was tingling, and I had a crappy mental attitude.

It took every ounce of will power that I have in me to lace up my running shoes and go out, but I did it.  Once I started running, everything loosened up and I felt better.  My pace off the bike was in the mid 9's, so I consciously pulled back and took it easy.  I walked a few seconds during the run, but it seemed to be more mental than physical.

When I was done, I had some of those same demons in my head - it's going to be too hot, there's no way you're going to finish...why did you do this...do you really think you can run a marathon after a 112 mile bike if you can't run 1 minute after a 50-mile bike?

One of the rules of Team Honey Badger is:  "those who engage in negative self talk will be mocked and ridiculed."  Luckily after I got home and took a shower, things became clear as I was laying on my bed with my calves cramping.  This wasn't an issue of not being able to do it - it was an issue of not being prepared and letting myself become dehydrated.  So while I know how to deal with the dehydration, I don't know what to make of my left arm which was tingling after the run and I still don't have full strength back now - 26 hours after the ride.  From the research I've done, it seems to be an issue with my bike fit.  I did ride up on the handles a lot yesterday instead of tucking in aero position (aero isn't very safe on city streets), so I'm sure that didn't help.  I need to take my bike in for a check / tune-up, so I'll mention it to them and see if they can't make an adjustment.

 Beer Sunday!  Thanks to my wife / the best Ironmate ever for a great recovery dinner!

Next week is a recovery week - it couldn't come at a better time.

89 days go go.  Gulp!

Week 6 - 30% Done

Last week’s workouts:

Mon:  Rest

Tue:  Swim 1,750 yards (main sets = 8x50; 8x25); Bike 45 min. (main set = 8x1 hard hill efforts)

Wed:  Run 6 miles (easy pace)

Thu:  Swim 1,750 yards (main set = 4x200); Bike 45 min. (easy pace)

Fri:  Run 45 min. (30 easy + 15 min. comfortably hard)

Sat:  Bike 45 miles

Sun:  Swim 2,000 yards; Run 10 miles (both endurance workouts)

Total miles for the week:  92.13

  

At this point training is 30% complete (week 6 of 20 in the books).  I've logged 14.8 swim miles, 352.5 bike miles, and 99.4 run miles so far for a total of 439.6 miles - roughly the distance from Glendale to Atlanta.  I track this only because I'm a nerd for data and metrics - not for any bragging reasons.  The fact that I'm charting the weeks should also reinforce my nerd status.

After my horrendous long run from last Sunday, I resolved to dominate my schedule this week and I'm happy to report that I was successful, although the weather played a large part.  In any case, I'll take it as a confidence booster.

This was build week 2 of 3 in this part of the training cycle (after next week I will get a recovery week where the mileage drops in advance of the next build cycle).  So far I am tolerating the distances well, and I am used to the training/sleep schedule now (to the point where I’m waking up on my own at 6:30 on days when I get to "sleep in").  

Fooling around with the GoPro on Wednesday

6 miles done - home sweet home!

 I feel like my bike is dialed in.  My “just out for a ride” pace remains between 18-21 mph and I’m climbing with relative ease.  Everything just feels smooth.  The big addition to the bike this week is the XLab Sonic Wing rear hydration system, which carries two bottles and has a bag big enough for a spare tube, patch kit, tire levers, and my phone.  I’ve also installed the “sonic nut” (huh huh) which holds two CO2 cartridges and the inflation nozzle.

Also, my bike kit from the Melanoma Research Foundation came in this week.  I proudly wore it during Saturday's ride.

The highlight of my week always seems to be the long workouts on the weekend.  Since we had little league on Saturday morning, I got my long ride done Saturday afternoon on the same route as last week (Grant’s Trail, River Des Peres Greenway, Francis Park, Carondelet Park).  I added loops at Francis Park to add on 4 miles, and added a mile through Kirkwood on my way back in.  The one negative about my ride is the lack of hills – there are a few overpasses which count as short climbs, but there’s also a lot of flats or minor grades.  Perhaps I need to put in some time at Babler to work on my hill legs. Some pictures from the ride:

Newly opened trail at the River Des Peres Greenway 

 Carondelet Park - St. Louis

Clydesdale Park - St. Louis County 

Legs with dirt and bugs is a telltale sign of a good ride 

On Sunday morning I did my long swim for the week – 2,000 yards.  I viewed this swim as a success because I was able to zone out and had logged 1,125 yards before I even thought about it.  My mile pace remains around 38 minutes, which is a few minutes faster than last year.  One thing I’ve noticed is that I am hungriest after I swim.  To the point that I need to pack a snack in my bag to eat as soon as I’m out of the pool.

My long run started around 1PM on Sunday.  Fortunately the temperature was 70 degrees with a cool breeze.  Unfortunately, the temperature was 70 degrees with a cool breeze.  There was to be no heat training this week.  It looks that will change this week.  Some pics from the run:

I realize that I'm not fast, but this feels like taunting 

Beautiful church and landscaping on Harrison in Kirkwood

Eventually I will actually train with my Team Honey Badger training partners.  Maybe.  Someday!

96 days, 10 hours, 19 minutes until go time.

Ending the Week with a Thud

Last week’s training:

Mon:       Rest

Tue:        Swim 1,650 yards (main set = 10x50); Bike 45 min (w/last 15 min. comfortably hard)

Wed:       Run 5.5 miles easy (10:16/mi)

Thu:        Swim 1,650 yards (main set = 4x150); Bike 45 min easy

Fri:          Run 40 min. (main set = 6x1-min sprints)

Sat:         Bike 40 miles

Sun:        Swim 1,850 yards; Run 9 miles

Total mileage:  85.05 miles

I was bad at journaling this week.  I don’t have one single picture from training to show for the 85 miles I logged, despite numerous photo opportunities.  I will do better this week so that I have more to look back on than memories and words.

My weekday workouts have been consistent – there really hasn’t been anything remarkable about them, with the possible exception that some of the swim workouts seem harder than others.  It doesn’t have anything to do with the length or the sets, just some days swimming feels like work, and other days it doesn’t.

On Friday I left work early to get my 40-min speedwork run in since I skipped the morning workout due to rain.  It was pretty warm, but I felt good – settling into a comfortable sub-10 pace and pushing hard on my 6x1-min sprints.  When I finished, I could tell that I was working harder than I would have if I ran in the morning – a prelude to the weekend.

I slept until 7 on Saturday (a rare treat!) and loaded up for a solo 40-mile bike on a course I plotted along Grant’s Trail and the newly refinished River Des Peres Greenway, along with side trips to Francis Park and Carondelet Park.  The trails were crowded so I held my speed down – averaging just below 16mph for the ride.  I have noticed that my “easy” pace has crept up from about 16mph last year to between 18-20mph this year, which is a good sign.  My race plan for Louisville features the first 90 minutes at a “just out for a ride” pace.

On Sunday, Amy and I went to The Lodge to get a Mother’s Day workout in.  For me, 1,850 yards in the pool, and for her some time on the elliptical.  After that we ran some errands without the kids, which is probably one of my favorite things.  It isn’t like a fancy date night, but it’s time we get to spend together just messing around.  We finished our errands up around 11:30, I took an hour rest, and by the time I had all my gear, hydration, nutrition, etc. assembled it was 1:15pm before I got out the door. 

The temperature for my long run was 89 degrees with some humidity and bright sunshine.  This was my first long run in the heat of the day.  The plan was to run 10:1 intervals (10 minutes of running followed by 1 minute of walking to lower the heart rate and give the legs a rest).  I was feeling the heat during the first 2 miles, but tried to avoid it mentally.  I haven’t seen the mile splits from my watch yet, but I feel like my average despite the walks was right about 10:00/mile. 

From mile 2.5-4, some cloud cover rolled in which, coupled with the breeze, was a nice relief from the heat.  I stopped around mile 5.25 to refill water bottles and I was a bit dizzy, so I took a few minutes to recover before heading out.  Things were never quite right again after that.  I got going, but ended up walking a bit before mile 6, and thought that if I had my phone, I might tap-out.  I walked the entire interval starting at mile 6 (11 minutes) and then did some light running after that.  My intervals were probably 5:2 for a while until I felt better around mile 7.5 and ran the majority of the way until mile 9, walking some of the tougher uphills.  I finished with an average pace of 11:39/mile.

During the time between mile 6 and 9, I spent a lot of time talking to myself.  Why did you sign up for this?  Do you really think you can finish this race?  You have no shot, etc.  I was glad that I didn’t meet up with any of my teammates for this run, as I would be the one who bonked and they would all be strong.

I made it home and laid on the front porch for a while with a few popsicles until I cooled off, and then took a long shower.  When I checked Facebook, I saw that nearly ever runner in my group had the same type of day.  Decent start and then hang on for dear life.  That helped me clear my mind and regain focus.  If Ironman were easy, everyone would do it.  I was delusional to expect great results on the first hot run of the year, and this is why I’m running on Sunday afternoons, so that I can handle whatever August 24^th throws at me.

This run reminded me of a quote I read recently:  “Pain doesn’t tell you when you ought to stop.  Pain is the little voice in your head that tries to hold you back because it knows if you continue, you will change.  Don’t let it stop you from being who you can be.  Exhaustion tells you when you ought to stop.  You can only reach your limit when you can go no further.”

I started today, my rest day, completely worn out, but I have rallied, both physically and mentally.  I am ready to work and dominate the week.

103 days to go