A week ago, I did yet another 7,500 yard swim on Friday, and it was my 12th swim of 6,000+ yards. In building up these long swims, I have needed to adjust my thinking about them in terms of nutrition and hydration, both before, during and after.
Before I began this UMC preparation season, I'd swum 5,000 yards at a pop maybe 3-4 times before my last 2 or 3 Ironman races. This came about once I discovered the outdoor 50-meter pool a few years ago, which made it easy and even pleasurable to swim longer.
Up to about 5,000 yards (but just once a week--not like I was swimming that much each swim), I didn't need to do anything differently nutrition or hydration-wise, but that may have been that I was already doing them during an Ironman build phase, where I've already kicked up my calorie intake in general.
But I also think that you can wing it on almost any workout that is about 1.5 hours in duration, provided it's not an all out effort. If your longest workout is 1.5 hours, and you do that every day, you have a bigger margin of error on your nutrition and hydration. Here I think the post-workout nutrition is most important--you know, some mix of protein and carbs right away.
Move that time up to 2 hours and things get interesting. 2-hour workouts day in and day out seem to require that my tank (glycogen) is full when I start, and I can't have a lot in my stomach when I begin, whether it's a ride, run (especially!) or swim. If it's the only workout I'm doing that day, I can fudge on the during workout nutrition as long as I do a good job once I'm finished.
It's at 2.5 hours where things demand you do things right across the board (for me), and while I've had plenty of years to get that right for biking and running, this season is the first time I'm swimming that long, too.
I can do 2.5 hours a day, even on some work days. If it's split into 2 or 3 sessions, it just means I need to keep eating a couple hundred calories every few hours, but mostly carbs, because fat and protein will take too long to digest before my next workout (although a piece of string cheese or a hardboiled egg doesn't upset my stomach too much between workouts). Most of my fat for the day will come at dinner time, after all the workouts are done.
If I do a 2.5 hour session on the weekend, I'm careful to load up on calories beforehand, during, and I will always have a complete meal afterward.
I don't often do 2.5 hour workouts on work days, though, or at least I don't usually until I am close to an Ironman and doing 2.5 hour runs on Thursday mornings. So it's a new phenomenon to be already doing 2.5 hour workouts (swims) on work days in the winter, and I guess I'm just an old dog learning new tricks, but it's taken me a few tries to get it through my thick head that I need to be as good about my nutrition for them.
The really long swims I've done on Saturdays or days off from work trigger the same preparation as any long weekend workout, making sure I eat plenty the day before, take in maybe 600-700 calories before I begin working out, good nutrition during and after. Why I wasn't doing this for these long swims on work days I have no idea--habit, I guess!
So Thursday I made sure I drank plenty of water and other fluids, ate a pile of carbs and began my shutdown procedure (you know--like shutting down a computer for the day--mine includes preparing my workout gear for the next day and any special nutrition and loading the coffee pot) early enough in the evening so I'd sleep well. Wanting to get as much sleep as possible, I set the alarm for 5AM on the nose. I woke up, fixed one cup of coffee, had a toasted English muffin with orange marmalade (I love jam, sorry I know it's sugar, but oh well I'm not perfect), at 5:30 I drank 200 calories of Ultrafuel and then I suited up and headed for the pool with 2.5 hours worth of Infinit (573 calories) mixed in 64 oz. of water.
I started my swim at 5:55AM and finished about 8:28. I didn't quite drink all the Infinit--but I did get down 486 calories in 54 oz. of water, which is more than I have ever taken in during one of these long swims. Since yesterday's swim was all about getting the nutrition (hopefully) right, I did 10x750 (sort of--the last 3 repeats were 5x150), stopping around every 15 minutes to drink. Now, during UMC I won't want to stop that often for nutrition--maybe every 20 minutes--but this is a start.
I showered and stretched a bit in the sauna and then went home to start my work day. When I got home, I drank my usual Endurox R4 recovery drink and had 2 servings of oatmeal. Again, while I would like to go to non-instant oats and all that stuff, I can't make the time for that so it was Quaker Oats Raisin, Date and Walnut. Yum! So that was about 540 calories post-workout.
I still felt tired after the workout and really wanted to lay down for about an hour, but I couldn't do that because of work and wanting to be done by 5PM for the day. I had stuff oozing out of my eyes most of the day (damn chlorine), but other than that, I felt better than I had the week before, and this morning I feel pretty good, unlike last Saturday.
My next experiment will be in a few weeks when I will once again combine the long swim and ride on Saturday, which means I will get Friday off! It will be a train-through thing, to see if it's any worse to just do both the same day with a day of rest vs. doing the big swim on a work day. What will be key here is keeping up my calorie intake on Friday. For me, the stimulus to eat comes from working out, so if I'm not working out, my appetite just isn't there.
Now that I think about it, my appetite isn't what I would expect it to be. I'm not ravenous, but I also don't feel my workouts are being compromised, so I must be doing OK. I do know that I will start eating more pasta--it seems to be the best way for me to get in more calories without adding significant volume (which is why I don't eat it when I'm not training very much because I will overdo it). As it is, I'm a rice-a-holic, love the fruit and salads, but I need to kick it up a notch.
Once again I find it comical that the issue for me is not in doing the workouts--it's the nutrition and all the other stuff. I have never had issues being motivated to do the work. Since I think I've eaten pretty well to support my training in the last 10 years and am finding I need to work harder at it now, it makes me wonder how many people are really sabotaging their training with crappy diets. Certainly for Ironman training, it's beneficial to be somewhat lean, and if you want to be able to do any intensity in addition to volume, you had better be eating right. Although, I understand one man's idea of hobby is another woman's (!) obsession. I remember back to the first year I trained for an Ironman and did many things wrong, and I suffered because of it. I was overweight, didn't eat right (thought I could eat anything because of how much I was training), looked like crap, and sucked. My how things have changed!
Saturday, February 06, 2010
Friday, February 05, 2010
Inside the Monastery
I have recently started telling people that I am living like a monk. Well, not exactly a real monk, but I am forgoing many things in the name of this Ultraman campaign. Why? Even though several ultra-friends keep telling me that the training is "not much more than for an Ironman," the impact of "not much more" on me is huge.
I am not a lifelong swimmer, and the specter of swimming 10K and then biking (and biking more the next day and running a lot the next) has me wanting to be prepared. Just like it's advisable to go into an Ironman having trained well enough to know that the 2.4-mile swim won't trash you (although there are plenty of people who still do Ironman that are crappier swimmers than me, and I am just MOP, OK?), or at least for me it is, I want to go into Ultraman knowing I won't be lying on the beach moaning for 15 minutes after I get out of the water.
So I am swimming a lot, and I'm not that fast, so the yardage takes me longer than it would for a faster swimmer. But I am OK with that. Funny thing is, acclimating to the swimming I'm doing now is a trick considering I am also keeping up the same or more amount of biking and running than I would be doing this time of year. I am playing with nutrition, since I am just not used to thinking of swimming as a big calorie burner for me, and finding I need to fuel while swimming (the long swims) just like I would if I were biking or running. And hydrate! Even more! I was already used to swimming 1 to 1.5 hours before work 3 times a week, but Fridays are 2.5+ hours, and it's just a completely different animal. I just want to be prepared.
And then there was all that running I did from September through the beginning of January. And then I am doing extra "core" stuff (planks mostly) and pushups and pullups that I presume are helping to support the additional swimming at least, but also running and biking (the core stuff, silly!).
Then there's the job, which has become a little more intense in the last year. Now take all that training, add in :30 of stretching 6 days of the week, 1.5 hours the 7th day for a massage, and consider that I am trying to do, on average, 2 hours more of training a week than I did the prior season.
That 2 hours (even it were just one it's significant because I was already training a lot) is translating into a need for more sleep and more precise nutrition. I am lowering my caffeine intake (except for during training), increasing my fluid intake, increasing my calorie intake, and rarely eating anything remotely resembling junk food. I am cutting down my beer consumption now (it needed to be done anyway), too. I am to the point where I can wake up and be training within an hour, which includes driving to the Y. Once I am running outdoors more, the driving will be eliminated, but then I will be running more anyway! If there's anything I can do to sleep more at this point, I will do it!
So those 2 extra hours of training are giving rise to lots of other changes that require additional time on my part, to think about what I need to do, plan for it, execute it, take notes on it (in case it doesn't work), and most of all, RECOVER FROM IT!
I won't sacrifice sleep (9 hours a night, sometimes more, baby!) for something that is optional. I know this will all be over in 6 months anyway, so that isn't too long of a time to live like a monk, is it? Actually I don't care what anyone thinks. I suppose it's possible that I look back on this someday and think of it as a waste of time, but I doubt it. I'm doing something that for me, right now, is very hard. It is a ton of work and requires much vigilance. But I do get to experience good doses of joy in the process, too.
Really, I'd rather work out than work any day. I know that if I had the means (or lack of concern, anyway) to quit my job and just train, I would be doing even more. There are some people who say I should do less because I will burn out or the stress will get to me. I do have my moments, and I keep learning along the way what I can and cannot tolerate, but I will keep going. For example, I took a rest day on Monday. Wise move on my part! I am also, for the first time in years, going to do a deliberate cycle of 3 weeks build 1 week step back. I have a feeling my body would force me to do it anyway, but I am going to take the chance that I will, in fact, be stronger for it.
Someone asked me today whether I had anything "fun" planned for this weekend. My response was, "besides what I normally do? No." For now, I have some free time on the weekends to, um, relax, and fit in necessary errands and stuff that came up during the week but didn't attend to. So I don't plan for much more besides grocery shopping, cooking, laundry, reading, taking my sweet time doing whatever else needs doing, and then maybe getting an extra hour of sleep. Exciting, huh? On the plus side, I am starting to think about "what happens after Ultraman?" There will definitely be a vacation that does not have a race attached to it. As to triathlon, I can't say just yet. I'm sure I'll find out for sure in 6 months, though!
I am not a lifelong swimmer, and the specter of swimming 10K and then biking (and biking more the next day and running a lot the next) has me wanting to be prepared. Just like it's advisable to go into an Ironman having trained well enough to know that the 2.4-mile swim won't trash you (although there are plenty of people who still do Ironman that are crappier swimmers than me, and I am just MOP, OK?), or at least for me it is, I want to go into Ultraman knowing I won't be lying on the beach moaning for 15 minutes after I get out of the water.
So I am swimming a lot, and I'm not that fast, so the yardage takes me longer than it would for a faster swimmer. But I am OK with that. Funny thing is, acclimating to the swimming I'm doing now is a trick considering I am also keeping up the same or more amount of biking and running than I would be doing this time of year. I am playing with nutrition, since I am just not used to thinking of swimming as a big calorie burner for me, and finding I need to fuel while swimming (the long swims) just like I would if I were biking or running. And hydrate! Even more! I was already used to swimming 1 to 1.5 hours before work 3 times a week, but Fridays are 2.5+ hours, and it's just a completely different animal. I just want to be prepared.
And then there was all that running I did from September through the beginning of January. And then I am doing extra "core" stuff (planks mostly) and pushups and pullups that I presume are helping to support the additional swimming at least, but also running and biking (the core stuff, silly!).
Then there's the job, which has become a little more intense in the last year. Now take all that training, add in :30 of stretching 6 days of the week, 1.5 hours the 7th day for a massage, and consider that I am trying to do, on average, 2 hours more of training a week than I did the prior season.
That 2 hours (even it were just one it's significant because I was already training a lot) is translating into a need for more sleep and more precise nutrition. I am lowering my caffeine intake (except for during training), increasing my fluid intake, increasing my calorie intake, and rarely eating anything remotely resembling junk food. I am cutting down my beer consumption now (it needed to be done anyway), too. I am to the point where I can wake up and be training within an hour, which includes driving to the Y. Once I am running outdoors more, the driving will be eliminated, but then I will be running more anyway! If there's anything I can do to sleep more at this point, I will do it!
So those 2 extra hours of training are giving rise to lots of other changes that require additional time on my part, to think about what I need to do, plan for it, execute it, take notes on it (in case it doesn't work), and most of all, RECOVER FROM IT!
I won't sacrifice sleep (9 hours a night, sometimes more, baby!) for something that is optional. I know this will all be over in 6 months anyway, so that isn't too long of a time to live like a monk, is it? Actually I don't care what anyone thinks. I suppose it's possible that I look back on this someday and think of it as a waste of time, but I doubt it. I'm doing something that for me, right now, is very hard. It is a ton of work and requires much vigilance. But I do get to experience good doses of joy in the process, too.
Really, I'd rather work out than work any day. I know that if I had the means (or lack of concern, anyway) to quit my job and just train, I would be doing even more. There are some people who say I should do less because I will burn out or the stress will get to me. I do have my moments, and I keep learning along the way what I can and cannot tolerate, but I will keep going. For example, I took a rest day on Monday. Wise move on my part! I am also, for the first time in years, going to do a deliberate cycle of 3 weeks build 1 week step back. I have a feeling my body would force me to do it anyway, but I am going to take the chance that I will, in fact, be stronger for it.
Someone asked me today whether I had anything "fun" planned for this weekend. My response was, "besides what I normally do? No." For now, I have some free time on the weekends to, um, relax, and fit in necessary errands and stuff that came up during the week but didn't attend to. So I don't plan for much more besides grocery shopping, cooking, laundry, reading, taking my sweet time doing whatever else needs doing, and then maybe getting an extra hour of sleep. Exciting, huh? On the plus side, I am starting to think about "what happens after Ultraman?" There will definitely be a vacation that does not have a race attached to it. As to triathlon, I can't say just yet. I'm sure I'll find out for sure in 6 months, though!
Monday, February 01, 2010
Stinky Little Race Report
Yesterday was the first of the indoor sprint triathlons. Last year there were 4 of them spaced 2 weeks apart; this year there are only 3 because one of the clubs “didn’t see hosting as within their vision” or some bullshit like that. The races benefit the Multiple Sclerosis Society, and are very beginner-friendly, so how that club came to that conclusion befuddles me.
Anyway, last year I won my AG at all 4, which made me the series winner. I did really well at these last year, and I think this year is the fourth time I'm doing them. Format is 10' swim, 10' T1, 20' stationary bike, 5' T2 and 15' track run. Scoring is based on distance covered, so it favors bikers, and then runners. A very short race indeed! I do them just to get in some speedwork, benefit a worthy cause, kill off some of the winter blues, get a nice little massage afterward, and actually feel like a triathlete!
When I registered, at first I thought the first race was only 2 weeks after Goofy Challenge, in which case I would skip it (or not, who knows?), but I was experiencing calendar dyslexia, and was happy to realize it was THREE weeks after Goofy. Still, I wrote on my training calendar, "I might really suck" since this time around I am training harder than ever, and well, it is 3 weeks after a marathon.
On Friday, I had a pretty good 7500 swim, although I felt like a truck had run me over the rest of the day and into Saturday morning. I conferred with some of my ultra friends, and reviewed what I thought I may have done wrong and here's the analysis:
Are we seeing a pattern here? I swear, the eating thing is HUGE! So that is the plan from now on, eat more, drink more, especially before/during/after big workouts.
I got on the trainer Saturday morning and wasn't sure what I would be able to accomplish, but the plan was to ride for only 2 hours, so I figured I could manage that, even if it was just easy spinning. But it turned out I was able to put out some decent power, then I took my time in changing into running clothes and heading to the Y for a short little transition run. I only ran for 20', but it felt good.
When I finished all that, I still wasn't feeling all that great, so instead of trying to accomplish all sorts of things, I basically rested, but managed to go to the grocery store, stretch and fix dinner. I got myself organized for yesterday, since I'd be doing a good warmup, the race, and then running more afterward.
I had a little trouble falling asleep, and I awoke at least an hour before the alarm went off, but didn't feel particularly bad. I just reviewed the situation, though, and decided I didn't have high expectations for the race.
I got to the club, checked in, and they give us a booklet that talks about the race, sponsors, and then they list the AG and overall winners from the previous year. I did get a nice smile out of seeing my name in there!
I headed upstairs to the treadmills and got on one and started out real easy and it felt REALLY slow, so I guess that was a good thing. I did 10' on it and then since the first wave wasn't yet on the track, I ran a few laps quickly. The stationary bikes were set up inside the track (which is 8 laps to the mile), and I got on the spare bike to warm up. I pedalled really easily for 10' and it didn't feel at all bad, but knew from years past how "not good" the bike would feel during the race.
I went back to the locker room to put on my swimsuit, and walked out on the pool deck, got body marked (yes, even for this they follow the tradition!), and when the previous wave was finished, I jumped in. Wow, a nice, COLD pool! I did like a 300 warmup, but it takes me like 800-1000 yards to warmup, so whatever. While warming up, I could feel a cross current that was pushing me into the ropes. Oh well.
So the horn goes off and we are going. I felt good, felt like my stroke was good, but I just didn't have any speed (500 yds. WTF???). Oh well, at least I didn't suck any worse! The young man who was counting laps for me (although I count myself) had asked me before I started how much I thought I'd do and my response was, "I just don't want to suck!"
Despite not swimming very fast, the effort got the lactic acid going (and yes, I got pushed around by the current and the guy swimming breaststroke next to me), but I had to move on, so I showered quickly, and changed out my swimsuit bottom for bike shorts, socks and shoes, a hat (token-I rarely actually wear it). I was drinking Infinit for this, so I got in a couple of swills, and then got on the bike.
The evil bikes. I was relaxed about it, figuring I'd do whatever I was capable of doing, I would work hard, and it would be what it would be. It was good in that my wave had a bunch of youngsters in it, which to me is more motivating than racing against just my own AG, since I tend to be at or near the lead. I was on bike #5, and started out easy for maybe 30 seconds and then started into intervals. I have found that these bikes favor high RPM's, and in fact one of the men who does really well puts the thing at like Level 1 and just spins his brains out.
Anyway, in this wave, I was not the first to make 1 mile--I was 5th, but that was OK, they were all far younger than me. In watching the time and my mileage, I realized I wasn't doing that poorly, but it still sucked--I HATE those Precor bikes! In the end, I ended up at 6.01 miles, so I was at least glad I hit 6, although last year I almost hit 7.
When I got off the bike I just wanted to lay on the floor for a few seconds, so I threw my towel down and did just that. Of course, someone asks if I'm OK, and yes I am, just leave me be! I found my run lap counting volunteer guy, and I figured him for a triathlete himself due to his lack of fat and general build. He asked how many I thought I'd do, and I chuckled, but before I knew it, we were lining up and the gun went off.
I decided to just run, not look at my watch for lap splits or anything, try not to go out too hard, and just suck it up. It's only 15 minutes, right? Good thing they had one of the back doors open as you'd round the third turn, and that cold air felt really good! I had no idea how fast I was going, but I was behind the young speedsters, and after 1 lap began passing others who had taken off way too fast.
My lap counter guy sensed that I was "not bad" and with maybe 2 minutes left started yelling at me to pick it up a little, and I actually did! I'm sure I scowled at him, but even as bad as it felt, I did pick it up just a little and he even ran out to me the last minute to get me to hit 3/4 lap. I ended up at 14 3/4 laps, which is 8:08 pace, don't laugh I know I am slow! Still, I was surprised, and felt like I'd accomplished one goal for the day which was to not totally suck!
After walking a bit and nearly puking (I got asked yet again if I was OK--so OK I know I am not good looking or anything but do I really look that bad?), I decided I had better go and get my run on before I bagged it and just got a massage right then.
I changed out my top, grabbed some Gatorade, and went back upstairs to the treadmill. Oh boy, this is the part I hate! 2 years ago was the first time where I'd race and then continue running afterwards. I ended up doing 1:15, Z1-Z2, and was ready for a massage, so I headed back to the track for that, then I showered up and changed into regular clothes and went to watch a wave where I knew a few super fast people.
Before leaving, I thought I'd go ahead and check the results, just to see how bad I'd done. They had little strips of paper pinned to a bulletin board, and I guess I thought they were in rank order, as I quickly spotted myself down in 3rd place. But then I looked at the actual results and saw I was actually 1st! I jumped up and shouted, "YESSSS!" I'd actually not done nearly as bad as I though I might do, and it was all sweeter to me considering how hard I've been pushing myself lately.
But then I thought, crap, now I have a streak going, so I am going to have to work hard in 2 weeks at the next race! And I will, as long as it's within my power.
The interesting thing yesterday was going in with no expectations, but knowing that I could push myself anyway. I'd done it Saturday and I did it again yesterday. I remember vividly during both the bike and run (I just can't do it swimming) thinking it's hard, it sucks, but I can do it.
Last week saw me put in um...17 hours of training. This morning I decided I've earned a rest day, so I let myself sleep a bit more. I may still lift weights, but am not going to swim or run. And I think I'm going to do that after the next 2 races. Something tells me I need to back off a little...still complete my long swim, bike and run workouts, but the rest will be what it will be.
Anyway, last year I won my AG at all 4, which made me the series winner. I did really well at these last year, and I think this year is the fourth time I'm doing them. Format is 10' swim, 10' T1, 20' stationary bike, 5' T2 and 15' track run. Scoring is based on distance covered, so it favors bikers, and then runners. A very short race indeed! I do them just to get in some speedwork, benefit a worthy cause, kill off some of the winter blues, get a nice little massage afterward, and actually feel like a triathlete!
When I registered, at first I thought the first race was only 2 weeks after Goofy Challenge, in which case I would skip it (or not, who knows?), but I was experiencing calendar dyslexia, and was happy to realize it was THREE weeks after Goofy. Still, I wrote on my training calendar, "I might really suck" since this time around I am training harder than ever, and well, it is 3 weeks after a marathon.
On Friday, I had a pretty good 7500 swim, although I felt like a truck had run me over the rest of the day and into Saturday morning. I conferred with some of my ultra friends, and reviewed what I thought I may have done wrong and here's the analysis:
- Did I eat and hydrate properly the day before? Yes.
- Did I take in sufficient calories and hydration during the swim? No. My pool was warm (85-ish?), and even though I thought I drank enough, in reality I didn't, and even though I think I'm not burning that many calories swimming, I am, so I will fix those things this Friday.
- Did I replenish my calories sufficiently when I finished? No. Turns out I need to have like a full meal of like 600 calories right when I finish. Ideally, I'd take a nap or at least lay down for an hour, too, but unfortunately this is all happening by 9AM on a work day, so no chance of nap! Although I will try and find a way to at least lay down for 1/2 hour this Friday.
Are we seeing a pattern here? I swear, the eating thing is HUGE! So that is the plan from now on, eat more, drink more, especially before/during/after big workouts.
I got on the trainer Saturday morning and wasn't sure what I would be able to accomplish, but the plan was to ride for only 2 hours, so I figured I could manage that, even if it was just easy spinning. But it turned out I was able to put out some decent power, then I took my time in changing into running clothes and heading to the Y for a short little transition run. I only ran for 20', but it felt good.
When I finished all that, I still wasn't feeling all that great, so instead of trying to accomplish all sorts of things, I basically rested, but managed to go to the grocery store, stretch and fix dinner. I got myself organized for yesterday, since I'd be doing a good warmup, the race, and then running more afterward.
I had a little trouble falling asleep, and I awoke at least an hour before the alarm went off, but didn't feel particularly bad. I just reviewed the situation, though, and decided I didn't have high expectations for the race.
I got to the club, checked in, and they give us a booklet that talks about the race, sponsors, and then they list the AG and overall winners from the previous year. I did get a nice smile out of seeing my name in there!
I headed upstairs to the treadmills and got on one and started out real easy and it felt REALLY slow, so I guess that was a good thing. I did 10' on it and then since the first wave wasn't yet on the track, I ran a few laps quickly. The stationary bikes were set up inside the track (which is 8 laps to the mile), and I got on the spare bike to warm up. I pedalled really easily for 10' and it didn't feel at all bad, but knew from years past how "not good" the bike would feel during the race.
I went back to the locker room to put on my swimsuit, and walked out on the pool deck, got body marked (yes, even for this they follow the tradition!), and when the previous wave was finished, I jumped in. Wow, a nice, COLD pool! I did like a 300 warmup, but it takes me like 800-1000 yards to warmup, so whatever. While warming up, I could feel a cross current that was pushing me into the ropes. Oh well.
So the horn goes off and we are going. I felt good, felt like my stroke was good, but I just didn't have any speed (500 yds. WTF???). Oh well, at least I didn't suck any worse! The young man who was counting laps for me (although I count myself) had asked me before I started how much I thought I'd do and my response was, "I just don't want to suck!"
Despite not swimming very fast, the effort got the lactic acid going (and yes, I got pushed around by the current and the guy swimming breaststroke next to me), but I had to move on, so I showered quickly, and changed out my swimsuit bottom for bike shorts, socks and shoes, a hat (token-I rarely actually wear it). I was drinking Infinit for this, so I got in a couple of swills, and then got on the bike.
The evil bikes. I was relaxed about it, figuring I'd do whatever I was capable of doing, I would work hard, and it would be what it would be. It was good in that my wave had a bunch of youngsters in it, which to me is more motivating than racing against just my own AG, since I tend to be at or near the lead. I was on bike #5, and started out easy for maybe 30 seconds and then started into intervals. I have found that these bikes favor high RPM's, and in fact one of the men who does really well puts the thing at like Level 1 and just spins his brains out.
Anyway, in this wave, I was not the first to make 1 mile--I was 5th, but that was OK, they were all far younger than me. In watching the time and my mileage, I realized I wasn't doing that poorly, but it still sucked--I HATE those Precor bikes! In the end, I ended up at 6.01 miles, so I was at least glad I hit 6, although last year I almost hit 7.
When I got off the bike I just wanted to lay on the floor for a few seconds, so I threw my towel down and did just that. Of course, someone asks if I'm OK, and yes I am, just leave me be! I found my run lap counting volunteer guy, and I figured him for a triathlete himself due to his lack of fat and general build. He asked how many I thought I'd do, and I chuckled, but before I knew it, we were lining up and the gun went off.
I decided to just run, not look at my watch for lap splits or anything, try not to go out too hard, and just suck it up. It's only 15 minutes, right? Good thing they had one of the back doors open as you'd round the third turn, and that cold air felt really good! I had no idea how fast I was going, but I was behind the young speedsters, and after 1 lap began passing others who had taken off way too fast.
My lap counter guy sensed that I was "not bad" and with maybe 2 minutes left started yelling at me to pick it up a little, and I actually did! I'm sure I scowled at him, but even as bad as it felt, I did pick it up just a little and he even ran out to me the last minute to get me to hit 3/4 lap. I ended up at 14 3/4 laps, which is 8:08 pace, don't laugh I know I am slow! Still, I was surprised, and felt like I'd accomplished one goal for the day which was to not totally suck!
After walking a bit and nearly puking (I got asked yet again if I was OK--so OK I know I am not good looking or anything but do I really look that bad?), I decided I had better go and get my run on before I bagged it and just got a massage right then.
I changed out my top, grabbed some Gatorade, and went back upstairs to the treadmill. Oh boy, this is the part I hate! 2 years ago was the first time where I'd race and then continue running afterwards. I ended up doing 1:15, Z1-Z2, and was ready for a massage, so I headed back to the track for that, then I showered up and changed into regular clothes and went to watch a wave where I knew a few super fast people.
Before leaving, I thought I'd go ahead and check the results, just to see how bad I'd done. They had little strips of paper pinned to a bulletin board, and I guess I thought they were in rank order, as I quickly spotted myself down in 3rd place. But then I looked at the actual results and saw I was actually 1st! I jumped up and shouted, "YESSSS!" I'd actually not done nearly as bad as I though I might do, and it was all sweeter to me considering how hard I've been pushing myself lately.
But then I thought, crap, now I have a streak going, so I am going to have to work hard in 2 weeks at the next race! And I will, as long as it's within my power.
The interesting thing yesterday was going in with no expectations, but knowing that I could push myself anyway. I'd done it Saturday and I did it again yesterday. I remember vividly during both the bike and run (I just can't do it swimming) thinking it's hard, it sucks, but I can do it.
Last week saw me put in um...17 hours of training. This morning I decided I've earned a rest day, so I let myself sleep a bit more. I may still lift weights, but am not going to swim or run. And I think I'm going to do that after the next 2 races. Something tells me I need to back off a little...still complete my long swim, bike and run workouts, but the rest will be what it will be.
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