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 10th 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.
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.
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