Day 5 of Ten Days Running; Brick #2

I am starting to think I can run in my sleep! I also have a certain Pink Floyd song stuck in my head--guess which one?

Today's bike workout was a new type for me. I enjoyed it, because it had many manageable chunks instead of just a few intervals. I don't think I executed it as well as I could have, but I get to do it again on Thursday.

It got HOT here today--crazy summer decided to come back. Last night we had monstrous thunderstorms, and I got a little water in my family room (just seepage, so no sewer germs to worry about!). Things were dry down there until about 9PM when the sky opened up and it rained about 3" in 1 hour. Oh well, at least I didn't lose power--people across the street did, and at one point, I think there were over 300,000 homes in the Chicago area that had lost power. They are saying tonight will be Round 2, but I sure hope not. The creek that is one door away from me overflowed into the road, but came down by about 11AM, and now my sump pump isn't running constantly. We had quite the lightning show, too. I get a little scared during such storms, which is a holdover from when I was a kid and would cower in a corner during thunderstorms, especially if tornado watches or warnings were issued. The winds didn't get THAT bad here last night, and there was no tornado watch, but the thunderstorms WERE severe, and they just dumped rain every which way. I am praying they aren't so bad tonight, especially since they aren't supposed to start until after midnight.
Speaking of praying, I haven't heard back from my friend Matt about his mom. Tough enough that he's going to Afghanistan in 2 weeks, but then this. I spoke with her on Saturday, and her husband remarked how Matt typically calls her twice a day. Talk about your good son! I weep for my friends when they go through things like this, partly because I know the pain of someone close becoming ill and dying but then now I start to acknowledge my own mortality. I guess turning 50 will do that to you.

OK, back to today's bike workout:

WU: 15' Easy, include 3-4 x 30" spinups.
MS: 4 x 30/30's, 4' @ FT, 2' Easy,
6 x 30/30, 6' @ FT, 2' Easy,
8 x 30/30, 8' @ FT, 2' Easy
10 x 30/30, 10' @ FT
CD: 5' Easy

Looks interesting, doesn't it? The 30/30's are done as 30" at Vo2Max watts (I shoot for 220+), 30" easy. As I began the workout in the heat, I thought, huh, I shouldn't have trouble with this. And as it turned out, I didn't. I was able to crank out my FT watts easily (well, as easily as it ever is). I could have done better on the 30/30's, but I used that time twice to fix my contact lenses (there was all sorts of stuff blowing in the wind today) and remove my tank top (I got pretty hot). It was just nice to do a different type of workout. But then, we had to see what running would be like.

I had decided that I was NOT going to use the afterburners like I did on Sunday, as I have a good tempo run to do tomorrow. Besides, even though I didn't have trouble with the bike workout, those things are deceptive, and I knew my run legs wouldn't feel fresh as a daisy afterwards!

When I got home from biking, I was already so pigged out, but I quickly donned running shoes and visor (I'm now using a visor when it's warm, as I read your head cools better and it seems to be true) and got out the door. I didn't feel quite like I did Sunday (shuffling through sand), but it was close, since I did a high-intensity ride. Once again, though, I tried to hold back and not go out too fast, since I was supposed to negative split the run.

Mile 1--8:37. I guess that is the speed I always run my first mile from home no matter what these days. That's a good thing, though, because it means I can run faster than that! Same deal as Sunday, run up to the .75 mile mark and turn around. I picked it up just a bit, but still wanted to turn down the volume just a bit. I was hot, tired and hungry. I ran the last mile in 7:55, so not quite as peppy as Sunday, but I was really expecting over 8:00 the way I was running. Oh well, the joys of no HRM and not being able to really read the tiny little numbers on my new Timex watch!

I'm halfway through my 10 days, and actually I don't feel bad at all. Not that I was expecting to feel bad, but so far, no bad runs. I can't believe I'm doing another brick in 2 days, but I am getting ahead of myself. Next order of business is to lift tonight followed by at least 30' of stretching and a good night's sleep, then a nice swim tomorrow, then we will just have to see how running tempo feels. It should feel fine, why wouldn't it?

Days 3 and 4 of Ten Days of Running

By the way, above is the soccer ball I located and kicked home for 3/4 of a mile on Friday, which was Day 1 of 10 Straight Days of Running. I suppose it's now my icon for the festival.

Yesterday was Day 3 of running, and the first of 4 bricks (I don't call ANYTHING except a bike followed by a run a brick workout, and don't you ever call something else a brick around me) in 10 days. I'll be doing a brick workout every other day now, so yesterday (Sunday), then Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. At least that's the plan.

Coach had written yesterday's bike workout as if it would take 2.5 hours, but when I added it up, it was more like 3.5. Since it was such a nice day, I was good for 3.5 hours, maybe even more. But I'd never done a workout like this, and it looked pretty hard on paper:

Warmup: 30'
Main Set: Repeat this 4 times: [25' at 85-90% of FTP, 12' at FTP, easy 10]'.

I didn't feel great on Sunday morning--it was a combination of having run fairly hard (although not racing), and then eating like crap Saturday night. My good friend, Matt, is being deployed to Afghanistan (and his mom broke her hip yesterday and is touch and go since she already has emphysema), and he had a big party, and I indulged myself in appetizers, jelly beans, fried chicken, cake, miniature eclairs (THOSE were good) and a few beers. I had not so much a beer hangover (I didn't drink that much), but kind of a food hangover. My body just isn't used to that sort of thing.

Anyway, the day dawned cool, but it was warming fast. I popped a couple of Tylenol 8-hour, hoping that would fix me up, and it was good for my head but not my body. I headed out, and the warmup felt fine. I went to my usual stomping grounds (Fermilab) for intervals, and pounded out the first 2 repeats without too much trouble. When I hit the 3rd one, try as I might, I just couldn't muster the required power output. That's OK, I still got repeat #3 with decent power, just not as much as I wanted. Based on how I was feeling, I decided to bag the 4th repeat and just ride "easy-ish" home, knowing I still had to run off the bike. I hope this type of workout feels a bit better this coming weekend, because I have more of the same. This is hard, focused work (big surprise there!).

I frankly felt like shit when I got home, even though I had hydrated well and even ate gels (yuck), so I know I had plenty of calories in me to run on. The order was for 30', negative split the run. OK, fine, so I'll just go out REAL SLOW. I'm no longer wearing my HRM, so without too much time elapsed after getting my bike in the house, I was out and about and "running." It didn't feel like I was running--it felt like I was shuffling through sand. But that was fine. At least I felt like I could tough out 30', which was the main point.

I get to the Mile 1 mark and I'm thinking I'm running 9+ mpm. Nope. 8:40. WTF??? How am I running like that when I didn't get much sleep, I ate like crap the night before, I was losing power on the ride and it just felt like I was running in sand? Oh well, soldier on. I was flummoxed between the way I felt and the speed I was going. Run up to the 15' point and actually a little more since I'm supposed to negative split, and I know I can at least go a little faster on the way home because of one slight downhill. But come on, even just maintaining pace would be fine today.

When I get to the start of the last mile, I'm like, OK, what the hell, may as well try and push it. I'm less than 9 minutes from being done with this bad boy, there's barely any wind, let's just go. So I push what I think is a little harder, and my lungs don't feel any worse, and I feel like the aerobic capacity is certainly there, and I take short steps anyway, and it's a gorgeous day, so I push on and get to my house and voila, 7:40. SEVEN FORTY! How did I do that?

I started my workout late (11AM), ended late, and so I made a promise to myself that curfew was 8PM, to ensure I got some sleep so I could actually wake up and swim early today. I had a little bit of trouble falling asleep because my metabolism was racing, but I got the job done.

This morning, when I awoke, I felt pretty toasted from the last week. 17.3 hours, and that's just training for a 1/2 Ironman! But I got in my 5 hours of running (and great running at that), some high intensity biking and a decent amount (11,000 yards) of swimming. And I'm lifting a bit more already, too, so I'm marching on with my 2006-2007 goals and objectives.

I only swam 2200 yards this morning, just a drill workout. It felt pretty good, though, and then I thought, OK, running AGAIN. Day 4 out of 10. I only had to run 45', with 10' of strides in there. I delayed getting outdoors in gorgeous weather, and then it started to rain. Oh well, off to the Y I go.

Today was my first run on the treadmill without the HRM. What a difference! There was no number telling me how I should or might feel, and it just felt great! I even tested out new pace zones for future use. I was shocked at how good my legs felt.

Maybe it's just a mental thing, but this running stuff is the bomb! Now I know better than to think I will have 10 days straight of great runs, but I will assume they'll be great unless I prove otherwise. As long as I stay on top of stretching, nutrition and sleep, I should be good to go.

The Weather is Here....I Wish You Were Beautiful

I just wanted to use that as a title. The REAL title for this post is:

THE WEATHER IS FINE, MY RUNNING IS FUCKING AWESOME!!!

It's cooled off here in Chicagoland, and I'm biking just a bit less than I had been, so I've amped up/ramped up my running, since I'm doing another marathon in, well pretty much 3 months. I'm back on running 5 times per week or more. Next week, I'm running EVERY DAY, including 3 brick workouts, and I'm pretty pumped for that, and will get in about 40 miles. That will be my run peak prior to MiamiMan, and then I'm sure I'll have another one in mid-December in preparation for Goofy Challenge.

I'm really enjoying running in the cooler weather, and as it gets slightly cooler, I'm running the same routes in less time. But there's something new going on, too. I figure I've bottomed out on my lean-i-tude, but lately when I'm running, I just feel incredibly light on my feet. Lighter than ever before. To the point where even if I'm tired, I'm knocking out a good (for me) pace.

I've figured out a way to be able to run on the roads frequently without getting injured. It's taken a few years to figure this out for myself, but now I've got a system that works. And there's some fairly challenging hills about 2 miles from home, so it makes me strong-like-bull to run them frequently. All good!

Yesterday I only had to run 50', including a stop for 10' of strides. About 3/4 mile from home I spotted a multi-colored, psychedelic-looking soccer ball (I tried to post a pic of it but Blogger is not cooperating--it's a Baden 140) looking all lonesome against the curb. I didn't see anyone looking for it, so I decided to let it keep me company for the way back. I never was a soccer player, but I had so much fun kicking the thing and keeping it straight and catching up to it. It was a good proprioception session, and I know I was smiling or laughing the whole way back. When I reached my street, which has about 1/4 mile downhill, I was wondering if I could keep up with the ball. I didn't kick it so hard, so I did, and some landscape workers got a "kick" out of watching me. I told them I had my own personal soccer game! The ball only slowed me down by maybe 30" for the last mile, but I didn't care, I had so much fun!

Today, I did my long run, since Sunday is supposed to be in the 70's, which will be better for riding. I had 1:50 to do, and I headed to my hilly trail area, Waterfall Glen. Since I've stopped using the HRM, I have to feel my pace, and I guess I was thinking of 9:30 miles today, but when the first (long) mile was 9:30, I thought maybe I can go faster today. So I just tried to keep a nice, relatively aerobic pace, and it looked like I was on about 9:05-9:10 after 6 miles (I made up some time on downhills), so that was that, I had to maintain that speed. About 6 miles in, I encountered another runner that I figured was running 9:30's or 10's, and came up and said the usual hi, nice day, blah, blah, blah. I went ahead, and then he said some more to me and I had to slow down to hear him, so he said he'd catch up. And he did, and then we ran about 3.6 miles (the end of the loop) together. His name is Tom, and it was his THIRD LOOP! The loop here is about 9.6 miles. He'd already run almost 26 miles by the time I saw him. He was worried he was slowing me down, but I was fine, and he was grateful for me picking his pace up for the last part of his run. He's doing the Chicago marathon, and I asked why he was doing 30 miles, and he said, "Because it's such a beautiful day." My kind of guy! I got his last name, and told him to run like the wind at Chicago, and predicted he will go 3:30 (his PR is 3:41, and I know based on how he was doing 30 miles he should have no issue going 3:30 as long as he tapers hard).

I stopped briefly to use the bathroom and then headed out for the last of my run. I felt STUPENDOUS! I basically kept my pace and almost miscalculated how much more I needed to run (I think a 20 miler would have been easy for me to do but stupid considering I need to ride 3.5 hours hard tomorrow). When all was said and done, guess what my average pace was? 9:08. 12.11 miles, not too shabby. I wasn't running hard! While Tom and I ran together, we were chatting like nobody's business, so I know I could have gone faster. My stomach felt off today, but no worries there, I just quit drinking. It's not like I'm going to die of dehydration from running 12 miles, right?

I even managed to swim 1500 yards afterwards to loosen myself up, and did a reasonable amount of stretching. I debated on doing the swim, but I know my legs needed the water massage (the water felt cool to me, thankfully) so I can hit a nasty, nasty bike workout tomorrow (of course followed by a run).

If I make all 7 days of running next week, I will have run 10 days straight. I think I've done that once before without ill effect. I keep thinking I'd like to buy a treadmill so I could run every day, even if it was just 15', but then I think I have enough trouble keeping up with my calorie needs, so maybe I'll wait on it. But as winter looms, I might reconsider, as just driving .6 miles to the Y to use their treadmills adds up.

Oh...and my bike strength remains solid so far. We'll see what happens tomorrow. Something tells me I'll just be thrilled that it's warm and summon up all sorts of watts!

If I can run this well next week, I will be very happy. I'm now tracking my average pace by the week and in aggregate for the season so I can look at how I'm doing on that front and have better data to support my pace work.

2006-2007 Triathlon and Overall Health Objectives and Goals

Looking back, I achieved a number of things during my 2005-2006 training season that have set me up for more highly focused training goals. For many folks, these things can be major limiters to their triathlon performance, beyond the usual fitness parameters. With these things in place, I feel well prepared to go to the next level of training:

• My body composition and weight are as good as they need to be. In fact, I achieved a level I never thought possible through consistent, small changes.
• I have developed a stretching and strengthening protocol that prevents injury, enables me to train intensely in all three triathlon sports and maintains my lean muscle mass.
• While I know I could do better with my diet, it is for the most part very clean. I do have trouble when I’m training more than 15 hours a week, though, avoiding snacks like Cheetos, Pringles and gummi bears—but those treats are on top of about 2,500 calories per day of clean food, so I shouldn’t sweat it. Also, if I wanted to be a purist, I would avoid alcohol altogether, but I do enjoy a beer (sometimes 2) daily. I was on an Ultra Violence kick there for awhile, but my consumption has decreased significantly, and it’s rare that I drink it nowadays.
• I have honed my race nutrition to be quite effective for me. I know how many calories per hour I need to sustain myself, and I am fine with most race-provided substitutes when I don’t bring my own. I am very in tune with my bodily sensations telling me when I need more or less calories.
• I have a detailed history of my training so that I can review things like different taper strategies and patterns that lead to improved fitness and racing. The history also helps me to know what kinds of crazy things I can schedule and fit in with an overall racing season.
  I have a very solid, multi-year training base and detailed training knowledge, enabling me to fudge my training (usually on the higher end) without serious detriment.
  
  

If I can figure out how to get others on the same path, I think I’ll make a great coach!

All this being said, I am nearly 50 years old, and the big question is, can I continue to get faster? Based on this summer, I would say yes. Since Ironman Brazil, my run and bike fitness and speed have improved. Swimming—well, I just haven’t worked enough at it to see improvements this year, and it’s suffered (I’m told by some very good swimmers) due to my very low body fat. I’m OK with that, but I am making a commitment to improve my swim technique, as I know I have many years to work on it!

So here goes. Below is a list, in no particular order, of things I will be (or already am) doing and some quantifiable goals. Feel free to punch holes in any of my statements and to ask me along the way whether I'm performing up to snuff. After all, part of the reason for posting this to my blog is to hold me accountable!

General Physical Fitness Objectives and Goals

• Stay healthy and injury-free
• Get blood work done to check cholesterol and blood sugar readings and any other markers to ensure optimal health.
• Get OB-gyne exam (already scheduled).
  Get annual mammogram (will schedule after OB-gyne exam)
• Get an eye exam. I think my vision actually hasn't changed since a year ago, but I've got the insurance, so why not?
• I suppose I will need to get a colonoscopy, since I'm turning 50
• Retain or increase lean body mass
• Do not gain any fat mass
• Continue stretching at least 1.5 hours per week
• Continue good sleep habits
• Continue getting massage weekly
• Continue good eating habits
• Figure out the vertically oriented tightness in right glute when twisting. This is something I've had for a few years now, and while I've worked most of it out, there's a little that still persists, and I would like to eliminate it altogether.

Strength Objectives and Goals

• Add 1 lb. to each ankle weight. I use ankle weights for my VMO strengthening exercises and I also do some leg lifts while on my stomach. Currently I've got 3 lbs. in each ankle weight, so I'll move back up to 4 lbs.
• Do an additional shoulder/back workout each week through March. The purpose of this is to increase my upper body strength. I could care less about my biceps, and my triceps are very strong. I need to focus on delts, lats and traps (the swimming muscles!). Plus, it wouldn't hurt for me to add a little bit more mass to my delts (OK, so I am vain).
• Mix up the core workout a bit. I just need to try some different stuff. The current routine is a bit boring now.
• Increase from 10 lb. to 12 lb. medicine ball for my abs/core workouts. I've been using 10 lbs. for a year now and it's time to increase the resistance. Perhaps by increasing the resistance the existing workout will no longer be boring!

Swimming Objectives and Goals

• Add a 1000-1500 yard drill session on Sundays through March (cool-down swim after long run). I was doing these swims last winter, but I was just slapping on the pull buoy. It will be more effective to use this session for technique work. So maybe 400 yds. warmup, 800 yds. of drills and 300 yds. of actual swimming.
• During warmups, instead of 200 straight kick, do 50 kick, 1' vertical kick (to improve ankle flexibility and knee bend) . This is at the recommendation of my coach.
  Work with swim coach fall/winter. I've got 1 or 2 really awesome swimmers in the wings that I just need to set up some time with.
• Remember focus points from coach: head position (look down), left-hand catch, rotate more. If I can put these things together, I'll be doing well.
• Reread the freestyle stuff in the Maglischo book. Every year, more aspects of swim technique "makes sense" to me (this being my 7th year of swimming). I am sure some things will finally stick in my pea brain and hopefully translate to improved mechanics in the water.
• Complete a 1:10 IM swim. I have done 1:16, so this seems doable. However, with the increase in bodies at IM nowadays, this might not happen in a race situation, but I will still strive to achieve it in a pool TT.

Biking Objectives and Goals

• Improve FTP from 186 to 200 watts by 3/1/2007. Power to weight (kg) would be 3.93, This is a 7.5% improvement. If you assume this translates into equivalent speed (which is not always true, but whatever), it means I theoretically could go 21.9MPH in a 1/2 IM, which is a time of 2:34??? Hell, I'd be happy with 2:40. Hmmm.....maybe this is harder than it looks! If I meet this goal by March, then I will amend and seek to increase my FTP even more by DATTT. What the heck! 7.5% is doable, given I improved by over 15% last season.

Running Objectives and Goals

• Complete Disney marathon in 4:15 or less. Last year was 4:27 and I was basically cruising, and also wearing a costume which I stopped to adjust numerous times. This time, costume is reserved for the 1/2 mary the day before, and the marathon will be for PERFORMANCE. I've done 4:10 in a solo marathon (September, 2005), so 4:15 seems reasonable. My "out there" goal is to run 4:05 and qualify for Boston. The next 3 months of training will tell me whether I'm on track or not.
• Complete IMLP marathon in 4:45 or less. I've done 5:15 at IMC and IMH and my running is a lot better since then, only I've not been able to execute it in an IM (DNF in 2005, sick in 2006). I base this time on the fact that I ran Disney marathon in 4:27 the day after a not-too-slow 1/2 mary the day before. My "out there" goal for IM mary time is 4:30. I no longer think I lack bike muscular endurance, so I should be able to run an IM mary close to my open time.
• Complete an open half marathon in 2:00 or less. Have done this in training; guess I should prove it in a race? 2:00 is 9:10 pace; on 9/24 I ran 11.3 miles at 8:53 pace (and it wasn't a race), so on a good day, I think I can do 1:55 in a race. Well, assuming I'm tapered. So I'll stick with the 2:00 "some day" even if I'm not tapered for it. I've done 2:05 in a HIM.
• Start treadmill runs at 6.1 or 6.2MPH for "easy" running. Every fall, I have just made myself go faster on the treadmill by doing this. If you want to run faster, you need to (duh) RUN FASTER! I always run slower on the treadmill than I do outdoors, but it's a good thing for me in the winter, because I control my speed much better on the treadmill. In addition to adjusting my starting speeds, I will be upping my tempo speeds, since I've become faster over the summer.
• Stop wearing HRM through December. I have already stopped wearing it because it needs a new battery. I don't need it for biking (the SRM tells me my calorie burn and I don't care about my HR there anyway just watts), and it has just been "interesting" information for running. I can tell already in just a week that even though I *thought* I wasn't adjusting my pace based on the HR number, I probably was. I am at the point where I can run by pace and feel, and I think this will be another banner year for my running. I did buy a new *pink* Timex IM watch, so I will still time myself, but time is time and I don't care about HR now.

Racing Objectives and Goals

• Complete IMLP in under 13 hours. I think this is entirely doable. Let's assume: 1:15 swim (adjusting for the crowd factor), 6:30 bike and 4:45 run. That's 12:30, add :20 for transitions and there you go. Each sport objective is doable with hard work. But it's an IM, so you never know what's going to happen, but on paper I will be testing my fitness along the way to achieve these objectives.
• Survive DATTT and don't be DFL! I don't have particular time or placement goals for this challenge; I just don't want to be last individually or last as a team. This means I have to hold up my end of the deal, and I guess it puts some pressure on Cindy, too. REALLY good athletes tend to show up at this festival. I'm not expecting any PR's; just get through the thing in one piece and have fun at it.
  

Mental Objectives and Goals

• Don't sweat the small stuff.
• It's mostly small stuff.
• Tap into my meditative powers more.
• Continue to care about others, but don't care what they think about me.
• Push through higher effort (pain) barriers. I think this will happen naturally. In training, I am already at the point where when I get faster, the effort is not really harder--I am just faster. I do need to improve, though, on race situations where I know my body is physically capable of a pace that in a racing effort WILL feel quite hard. You know how Zone 3 feels easy in training but not so much in a race? That is my next effort nut to crack.
• Continue to seek improvement yet retain humility in my accomplishments to date. I am not a professional athlete—this is just a hobby!
• Always remember that in whatever I do or say that I am trying to represent the very best aspects of living a healthy and active life.
• Continue to ensure that my triathlon lifestyle fits into and enhances my overall life; i.e., that I don’t neglect relationships and other non-triathlon aspects of my life.
  

GIRLFRIEND!!! (said like Matt Damon on "Will and Grace" when he pretended to be gay)

Welcome to Cindy. She's my Main Triathlete Girlfriend Squeeze (MTGS). And she reminds me of how regular life can also be a lot of fun. One of these days we will get drunk together. Maybe after DATT.

It's time for me to update this blog. There have been changes to my life. I've finished my 2005-2006 season. I'm about to turn the big FIVE-OH (wish it was as in Hawaii 5-0, but sorry, no such luck), meaning I will get to subject myself to all sorts of nasty medical tests (I can't wait), and it's probably a good time to take stock in where I am and where I am going.

As I learned from last year, it is very healthy to go through a few weeks every year where I let the recent past mull about in my brain and consider what's working for me and what's not working. And not just in terms of triathlon, although for me, my life still tends to revolve around training. I still like to ride my bike, and a new thing is that I like to run!

Yesterday I was pretty tired because I had trouble falling asleep the night before (hormones, I think--oh yeah that too--menopause is either here or right around the corner). I debated whether to do any training, but figured a swim at lunch might feel good. I dragged my ass to the pool and got in, and surprisingly, it felt good to swim. Probably because since I was so tired I wasn't thinking so much (in my continued quest to improve my swim technique I have a tendency to overthink what I'm doing at times), and didn't care how fast (er...slow) I was going. I did a drill workout and got through the whole 2800 yards.

I was supposed to run yesterday, too, but I began bargaining with myself after the swim. I could skip the run altogether, or I could do just 20' or 30' and do more today. Any of those options would be fine. I ran pretty well on Sunday (11.3 miles in 1:40 or 8:53/mile--how's THAT for my long run pace????) and thought my legs might be toasted. I ended up heading out at about 5:30 (and it sucked because it was getting DARK), and I was totally surprised at how GOOD I felt. I could tell there was lack of sleep fatigue, but my run legs were sure there. So guess what, I ended up doing the full 50' which is what I had planned for myself. Which goes to show you that you never know how a workout that you are thinking about skipping is going to feel until you start doing it. Which is why, I guess, I rarely miss planned workouts unless I'm actually sick.

Back to my mulling...turning 50 I suppose is making me think about a lot of things. Am I doing what I want to be doing? Job? Relationships? Health? Decade milestones tend to have that effect. In terms of do I feel old, yes and no. Yes--my skin is for crap, and I am not one to invest money or time in a lot of "products," since, hey, it's just age, I need to accept it. But still I don't look bad for my age in terms of my face. And certainly not my body. So I've got that going for me. In terms of my ability to train, let's just say that it's as good thing I seriously took up stretching last year, or else I think I'd be in rough shape. And let's also say that keeping my weight down is a fantastic thing--it is almost a total joy for me to run now--I rarely have a sense of wishing I weighed less when climbing hills.

But you know I think about stupid things--like most of the time I don't care that I look "fashionable." I work at home, so no need to dress up (or even get out of pajamas) there. I have my "going to the gym" clothes that in the winter make me frankly look like a bag lady, and I don't care (during the summer I wear as little as possible which looks pretty good on me so no worries there). I am more concerned with what I wear to work out in than regular clothes!

I'm trying to become a kinder, gentler version of myself. How so? Just be nice. Not syrupy nice (I HATE that)--just mostly keep my mouth shut and smile. There's still this hypercritical side of me that may or may not be connected to competitiveness (but is certainly connected to ego) that is constantly passing judgment on others. Lately, I have just been letting it be and observing the thoughts coming and going. I also think it's a sign that I am critical of myself, because I tend to project onto others. Oh, and to an extent I am a perfectionist (SURPRISE!). But how can I claim to be a perfectionist when I dress like a bag lady? Today's conundrum.

Anyway, look for more ramblings as I make my way through my fall thought process. I have put together my triathlon goals, and I'm almost ready to publish them here. The right time will come to me.

Meanwhile, it's going to be a gorgeous day here in Chicagoland, so I am definitely getting out on my bike for 1.5 hours.

Enjoy your day!

6 Seasons of Ironman Training

If you click on the image, you will be able to see my training breakdowns for the last 6 seasons.

I officially declared 2005-2006 over at the end of last week. I ended it with a bang, putting in 16.3 hours.

One can glean all sorts of information from the numbers. For one thing, I am consistent. For another, I tend to train what some consider "a lot," but I believe the number of annual training hours I put in is typical for an age grouper who wants to be solidly good (although how to back that up I don't know--suppose I could post on Slowtwitch or something).

How did I do for 2005-2006?

First, the good stuff:

1. I had my second fastest Ironman ever, despite a nasty sinus infection and a rough mental state due to the death of my mother.
2. I ran my first and second fastest marathons--the second one coming the day after a half marathon.
3. I had my second fastest 1/2 Ironman at the end of a whirlwind of 8 weeks of racing that included an Ironman, 2 sprint races and culminated in the 1/2 Ironman.
4. I PR'ed in one sprint race, a half marathon training run and at the 10K distance.
5. I put in 850 miles on my bike during August, managed to get stronger on the bike because (or in spite) of it (including two 200K rides at PR pace), and my running improved.
6. I made a concerted effort to stretch more regularly. I didn't include it in the chart, but on average I stretched almost 2 hours per week.
7. I embellished my core workout and executed it twice weekly almost every single week of the season.
8. I had ZERO down time due to biomechanical issues. Think this has anything to do with #6 and #7? I do!
9. I managed to get an average of 8.5 hours of sleep per night.
10. I dropped 4 lbs. and went down from 12.5% to 10% body fat (and am maintaining that as we speak).
11. I improved my bike Functional Threshold watts a tasty 18.5%, and when you combine my weight loss with higher watts, my power to weight ratio improved by 20.5%! That is significant!
12. I believe I improved my mental focus which enabled me to train better. I'm not saying I didn't have blips in my ego or mental state (I certainly did), but overall I feel better about my mental state (and not just in regards to training) than I ever have.

Now, for the bad stuff:

1. My Mom passed away. But I am healing up mentally. I still miss her terribly, but I find that spending more time with Dad helps us both enjoy our lives more.
2. My swimming sucked. I even got a little slower. I think it was because overall I swam less, and I need more swim volume to keep or increase my speed, and also because I just didn't focus on it; whereas I totally gave myself over to running and biking. My swim endurance hasn't suffered a lick, though.
3. My eating habits could have been better.

Stay tuned as I put together my goals for the 2006-2007 season. While it might be hard to top this past season, I am optimistic I can continue to make gains that will be realized more under racing conditions. If nothing else, I will structure things to ensure that I continue to enjoy training as much as I have these past 6 years!

Ironman Wisconsin Draft Marshall Report

My report is below.

I had to add to this that a friend of mine, Adam Brown, finished in 10 hours, and I think he got a Kona slot. I have had the privilege to ride my bike with Adam a few times, and I am so thrilled he had such a great race. I just hope he remembers me once he turns pro :)

I was a draft marshall yesterday from 7:30-5:15. It was a new way to "participate" in an IM for me.

I did IMWI last year, DNF'ing at Mile 70 of the bike, as my body was not doing well in the heat. So when looking at the forecast for the weekend, I was happy for the racers, as anything less than 90 degrees would appear to be easy by comparison.

I haven't owned my own motorcycle for 15 years, and haven't ridden on the back of one for about 12, but I still had my helmet, and I hoped, my rainsuit. Luckily, I located the rainsuit in the garage and gave it a good wash (it smelled like who knows what from being in the garage for years) "just in case" it rained.

My coach, Rich Strauss, flew into Chicago on Thursday evening, and then he drove up to Madison on Friday morning to do some business and give a talk in the afternoon, while I put in another day of work. Rich picked up a loaner motorcycle in Albany, Wisconsin, for us to ride on. I was driving up early Saturday morning.

I had signed up to volunteer sometime in July, I think it was, and although I received a form confirmation email, I never received anything telling me where to meet or at what time. The volunteer website said to show up at 8AM on Saturday for a generic meeting, where all would be revealed. So I got up at 4AM on Saturday and left my house at 4:45 to drive 150 miles.

I left my car at the home of an athlete (whom I met at IM Brazil), Dino, and his wife Christine, both of whom were racing, and Rich picked me up on the motorcycle for transport to Monona Terrace. His meeting was to begin at 9AM.

I got to the volunteer hall and couldn’t find a specific meeting for the draft marshals, but did find a group of 3 who were trying to find it as well. Around 8:45AM we got the head of the bike course marshalls (pointers at intersections) to see if he could find out what we needed to do. He said he believed that we were going to have a meeting at 6PM! I wasn’t up for that, but that’s why I was there, but I figured I would show up at the moto meeting, hoping they would know something about us.

Well the moto meeting that was to begin at 9AM wasn’t on, but Paul Huddle was in the room, and he called Jimmy Riccitello and found out that us draft marshals were meeting at 10:30. Phew! At least we wouldn’t have to come back late in the day. Meanwhile, the moto meeting didn’t get rolling until about 10:00, and I hung out there until my meeting began.

Finally, about 10 of us got together and reviewed the rules and such—there was another group of about 10 that was coming up later in the day because they were officiating at other races in the morning—and around 12:30, I finally got on the bike with Rich and we took off to just do some riding. Other bikes were going to meet at a Culver’s in Mt. Horeb for lunch, but I knew of another place there that was better, so we went to the Grumpy Troll for lunch, and then we rode around a bit more and ran into Cave of the Mounds, and I had told Rich he needed to do something suitably cheesy in Wisconsin, so we went in and took the tour. I had done it years ago with my ex-husband and didn’t remember just how interesting it was. Sure, cheesy, but still, a cave. Nothing like going down into a cold, wet cave when you are cold and wet already!

By the time all that was done it turned into 5PM and Rich dropped me off at Dino’s, and he went back to the athlete’s home he was staying with. I was fed some pizza and a glass of wine, which was probably more than I needed, as I had sat on my butt all day, but oh well. Dino showed me some photos and videos he had taken from IM Brazil, and that was a nice step back in brief time. I hadn’t stayed at the pasta party for the drummers and dancers, so I got to see what all the fuss was about. 3 scantily-clad girls shakin’ it to a loud drum beat. It was sort of obvious why mostly the men stayed for the show.

4:30AM Sunday and I am up. My athletes are ready to go, and I just needed to get dressed and have a cup of coffee. We said our goodbyes and I said good luck to Dino, Christine, and another athlete who had come in from Milwaukee, Rob. I had until 5:30 before Rich picked me up on the bike to go and do our thing.

The morning was cool—it hadn’t really changed much since Saturday evening—mid-50’s. It wasn’t raining until I went outside to wait for Rich (Dino lives in a cul-de-sac in some woods and so I went out to the circle with the light), and then a light drip drip drip began. I was debating whether I would need the rainsuit for this, but I got on the bike with Rich, and then of course the rain picked up, and we stopped less than 1 mile later and I put it on.

I had looked at the Weather Channel to see the radar and it was hard to tell whether this would be just clouds, spray, sprinkles or out and out rain. By the time we got to Monona Terrace, it wasn’t really doing anything, and so I took the rainsuit off again. We went up top to watch the swim start. Although I heard later that the swim was “bad,” it didn’t look any worse than the 3 times I’ve been in it. The lake wasn’t any more or less choppy, and I’m sure the temperature was maybe low-70’s, and from my perspective, while there were more bodies in the water than last year, it really didn’t appear any more congested than last year.

At 7:30 we were to mount our bikes and go out on the course. I thought initially we were just going to ride out to the loop and stage ourselves, but we only went to Rimrock Road, which is where the athletes first get on “actual” road, and waited, and then we were to let various numbers of bikes go by and then 2 cycles would head out more or less after them. Oh yeah, it was kind of drizzly so I had put the rainsuit back on before we headed out. Good idea as it turned out!

It was interesting to see what the athletes were wearing—many were way underdressed based on what I would have had on for the temperatures, but I’m built like a greyhound. What was sad to see was people wearing virtual sails on their backs. You need all the help you can with aerodynamics on the IMWI course, and deliberately catching air is not a good idea. But then again, better warm and (relatively) dry, I suppose.

Another thing I found funny was the number of helmets that weren’t quite right on the rider’s head. I know one tries to get through T1 quickly, but still. This is probably normal, though, it was simply that I was getting a different perspective. Another thing that was interesting was that we were maybe 1.5 miles into the bike course and people were already eating. I mean EATING! I don’t touch anything for 15-30 min. once I’m on my bike—I may sip Gatorade, but here were people stuffing bananas and bagels into their mouths. Based on the temperatures, before I left Dino’s house, I postulated there would be 3 main problems today: 1) athletes not hydrating adequately due to the cool temperatures; 2) hypothermia; and 3) overeating. I later heard from some EMT’s that in fact, hypothermia was a problem, but the other 2 I am sure would just be reflected in slow racing times for some individuals. I saw one girl on the bike in just a bra top and shorts, and I couldn’t fathom her staying warm, but then I saw her running strongly without changing or adding clothes, so perhaps she’s used to this weather.

Now for the real marshall report. We were instructed to just get people spaced appropriately while traversing the out and back to the loop, and we were to be more of a “presence” than anything else. I would say that because of the constant rollers of the IMWI course, it is just not conducive to drafting. Sure, you had people who wanted to ride “near” others, and a few who were trying to pick their way through groups, but I only ended up issuing 1 drafting penalty (only drafting carried a time penalty of 4 minutes—all other penalties just required a stop into a Penalty Tent to report in and sign your name), 1 blocking penalty, and a handful of crossing the yellow line. There were many times when an athlete would be borderline drafting or failing to pass, and in most of those cases we would just advise them what was happening and go on our merry way.

The one guy I got for drafting was most likely not paying attention. He wasn’t a fast rider, so it wasn’t like he was taking away someone’s Kona slot, but still, he needs to understand the rules. I counted 20 seconds and that was once I decided to start counting, and he just stayed attached to the rider’s wheel. Note that when it would appear drafting was going on and then everyone began climbing, we let that sort things out. So this guy was on a short flat, and he just didn’t pay attention. What was funny was that everyone I gave a penalty to had a little story for me. I wasn’t too interested in the story, although maybe it will add some color to their race reports. The guy who was drafting just said, “Damn.” Good answer.

The rain wasn’t too bad until around 3PM. But the roads were all plenty wet, and this forced all the athletes to slow down for cornering and braking on downhills for safety. We didn’t witness any crashes, but we did come on a rider who had gone off into a ditch and broken his bars and was covered in grass and mud (he was OK), so it was game over for him. We saw another rather large woman who was being escorted by a police car while we were driving the loop for the second time, who we guessed might have been the last legal biker on the course? It wasn’t clear.

As the day wore on, I was surprised at how “not bad” many of the athletes looked. Since we would circle and then go back and retrace periodically, we saw many of the same athletes many times. I won’t name names, because some of them wore their last name bib number, and they would be recognizable. But the rain picked up around 3:00, and it felt like it was getting colder, although the bank in Verona said it was still 56 or something. But it wasn’t that comfortable on the motorcycle, either, but I knew the athletes had it worse.

When we got to the out and back to head in, we could see that people were tired and getting sloppy. They were just getting it done. I told Rich it would have been fun to have a loudspeaker blaring Larry the Cable Guy yelling, “Git ‘er Done.” I think on the Whalen Road stretch I gave out 3 penalties for crossing the double yellow. And it wasn’t just sliding on over. It was going clear over to the other side of the road. Since the roads weren’t closed to car traffic, this was just plain stupid. But, we also gave encouragement to people as we understood what they were doing.

I turned in my gear (penalty book and digital camera—I took a picture of each person who received a penalty), and we watched some athletes coming in off the bikes, and then we checked at some laptops for people we knew were racing to see how they were doing. I could tell from experienced athletes that many bike times were slow, one poor soul I know who was racing for the first time apparently didn’t finish the swim (hopefully I will know more later today), but I knew that if athletes warmed up just a bit, that slowing down on the bike might let them have a better than normal run.

We decided to head out on the run course, and since we had “go anywhere” rights, we rode right on the run course for awhile. Here there weren’t any penalties to give (at least I didn’t see anyone wearing headphones), so it was nice to just encourage runners. People looked strong, so I figured that anyone who made it out to the run course in one piece in <>

Rich and I were plenty tired at this point, and I had to drive back home, so he dropped me off at Dino’s, I finally took off the rainsuit and drove home. I felt sleepy and dehydrated, but I kept thinking about the people still racing and soldiered on.

It was a great way to give back to the athlete community, and I’d do it again in a heartbeat. Dino, Christine and Rob all finished with good times, as did a few others that I know. I was very happy to see that Pattie, my friend who I rode with in early August and who wasn’t going to attempt the run (she hasn’t run in many, many months), went on to finish the race! Kudos to all of them for maintaining in that weather!

If I were to compare this year’s weather to last year’s, I would take the rain and cold any day. I did see a few people who were wearing polypro head to toe, and they looked relatively comfortable on the bike. But still, every IM race presents its challenges, and the weather yesterday was about par for this time of year in Wisconsin.

Congratulations to everyone who made it in, and I am sure the race will fill up for 2007 as we speak!

Crap! I am stronger and faster on the bike and running

And you know what that means....I get to work HARDER. I want to give a big, heartfelt thank and f*** you to my coach (thanks are for results and the other is for making me work hard and he knows I mean that in the nicest way) for working with me on a crazy, frequently changing schedule of races and other events the past 3 months with the net result that I am stronger/faster biking and running than I was 3 months ago. Let's not talk about my swimming--I pretty much ignored it this past month, but plan to get back to it in a big way this winter.

Since IM Brazil, I've done (2) 200K rides (one with 15,000 ft. of climbing), 1 1/2 IM, 2 sprint tris and a lot of biking. I put up 835 miles of biking for August and 114 miles of running (run volume down somewhat, but very high quality running nonetheless).

I saw glimpses of strengh improvements about 2 months ago as I recovered from IM Brazil and my body was able to consolidate fitness gains from that training cycle, and I dropped down a bit in training volume (note: "bit" to me is like 30-45 min. per week) and upped the intensity via some shorter races, and then decided to not do another IM this year, but went ahead with my plan of putting in a lot of biking miles in August.

Today, the last day of August, the last day of meteorological summer, I was sort of scheduled to do a bike FT test. I didn't really have a full training schedule for this week, but figured I could wing it. My coach had sketched a few things out, and the bike test was on there.

Last weekend I rode 65 miles on Sat. at close to HIM pace, ran quite comfortably off the bike about 5 miles, and then rode 200K on Sunday at better than IM pace (which shocked the hell out of me as I didn't think I'd be able to go that pace being 4 weeks straight of heavy biking). Monday I took a rest day, and my legs felt pretty trashed. On Tuesday, I felt like lifting weights, so I did that (about an hour), and then went to run on the treadmill (to give my legs a break from road running) for 45'. I was going to do 10' of strides, but the run felt good and my HR was in the dumpster (it was 51 when I literally jumped onto the treadmill), so I blew off the strides and just increased my speed every 5'. Yesterday I figured I should run for an hour (still didn't feel like waking up at 5AM to go swim), and did that, and well the weather was just so beautiful that it ended up being a full 1 hour of tempo running. Now, my legs were a bit sore, but nothing to slow me down.

Today I thought, OK, I'll try the bike FT test. I had no idea if I could manage the effort. Since IM Brazil, the longest amount of time I have spent at FT (other than during the 2 sprint races I did) was 10' at a time. The test is 2x20' with 2' easy in between, and then get normalized power for the whole 42'. The most total time I've spent at FT since early July is 24' in a single workout. Wow. Back to the hard stuff, huh?

I got out on my bike and began the warmup. Legs still felt a little cooked from the prior week''s biking festival as well as from some good running the last 2 days. But I've learned that you have to give that warmup time; that's what it's for. So on I went, already preparing to negotiate with my legs if they decided not to cooperate today. I would just fire up the first FT interval and see how long I could go. I always do my weekday interval rides near home with the main set on a 3-mile loop which has one very short, steep rise, about 1 mile of steady rollers and the rest is mostly flat. Winds make it interesting, but it's the best I can do, and it works for me.

As soon as I get to the loop, my brain kicks into "It's time to work" mode. It almost doesn't matter how my legs feel--there is just this switch that is set to the ON position, and that is where it will stay until I am off the loop.

My SRM doesn't read me normalized power (the newer Ergomo does, though, but I am not converting until I get another bike, I still love the SRM), but I've learned to know about what it will be based on average power, which it does show. But I don't look at average power while I'm doing an interval--I just look at what are my watts NOW? And I know that I need to keep them at or above a certain level in order to achieve a certain average or normalized power. Based on the readings I had been seeing on my weekly interval ride (even though they were short intervals of 8-10'), I figured I should be able to maintain at least 180 watts. Or at least that would be enough. So, with the wind and terrain changes, I just zeroed in on at or over 180 watts. When I'd get the brief tailwind, I could easily go over 200, and so I did. When I was 10' into the first interval, my legs felt the effort, but I could tell they could keep going.

I finished the first interval with average watts of 181. I figured normalized would be higher, but if that's all I got today, hey, I'll take it. I wanted to know at least that I hadn't degraded my last FT measurement of 177 which was made on May 3. So it's good.

During my 2' of "rest," I soft-pedalled and drank a bunch of (yummy) mango Gatorade. I don't use my aerobottle on these short rides, so it's a nice break to sit up and yank the bottle from behind my saddle and take a big giant pull (FYI there will be big, giant pulls out of at least one beer bottle later today!).

Naturally, I wondered if I could keep up the same or better effort level for the next 20' interval. I fired it up, and thought about Ms. Ultratriathlete Leslie (a woman on a LISTSERV) and her thoughts that she sometimes has and I asked myself whether my legs hurt, and the answer was no, and I had those same questions rolling around in my head about why do I keep doing this and what's the point and why is this important to me and why don't I just give in to the discomfort and stop, and the only answer I had for them was KEEP PEDALLING, and so I did. I couldn't tell if the winds were different or had shifted for the second interval--I was just this rolling energy machine. I had to remind myself to look for cars and peds and such, as I was so focused that mostly I just wanted to look at the asphalt. Yes, there were many minutes of my tongue hanging out of my mouth like some half-crazed rabid dog. Whereas I had had a low HR on the treadmill 2 days ago, I had no trouble getting my HR up today, although it was still moderated due to the cool temperatures.

I finished the second interval, and average watts were 183. I figured my normalized would be higher, but I didn't get all happy just yet, however I had this giant grin for my "victory lap" and the entire way home.

I had remembered that on my half-finished training schedule it said I was supposed to run 30' off the bike, and now I had to decide whether I was going to or not. I didn't feel like I needed to; but then I remembered it was the last day of summer, so why not? But I decided that 25' would be enough, as I had already been gone long, and I have to leave work at 5 to go get a massage.

It had been, well, since May, that I had run off of one of these workouts. It is not a pretty sight! I ran, not my best pace, but I figured it was more due to not "practicing" running off of such a high intensity ride, and that it will come back (unfortunately--I will be doing this more often again this fall I am SURE). Besides, my run legs have been rather confused with all the biking I've been doing. Sure I can run, but some days the legs just aren't into it. Today was the slowest running I've done in several weeks! But I was happy to do it.

Oh, yeah--my running has improved the last 3 months, too. Not by leaps and bounds, but I am sustaining faster paces during my long runs and let's say anything 1 hour or longer. So my mid-range speed is picking up. I am just not a sprinter, so I really don't care how fast I am at 5K distance, but I have been doing lots of 5K intervals, and I guess they work! I may go run an open 1/2 mary in a few weeks just to see if I am right. But I have been very pleased to see my running improve AND my biking at the same time. It is like last winter when I had a huge run focus and I also worked hard on the bike, and voila, this spring I was better at both!

Well, after I got done with the brick, I had to shower and do a conference call for work, so I put off the ever-popular download of the SRM data to see what my normalized power would be. I downloaded, loaded the file into Cycling Peaks, and first looked at normalized watts for the 2 FT intervals--188 and 189. Yikes! OK, let's see what I get when I add in the 2' (actually I lost focus for a little bit there and went 2:30 for the rest period) rest: OMG 186!

So....what does all this mean? Well, that I get to reset my work ranges for both running and biking. I already run by time, so I have just been getting in more mileage in the same amount of time, so that's already underway. With the biking, I had been working towards the upper end of my prior ranges, but now I have new targets.

My FTP has gone up from 177 to 186 in 3 months. That's only a 5.1% increase, but hey, I'll take it (since a year ago my FTP is up by 18.5%). My power to weight ratio is now 3.65 (my weight has not changed in the last 3 months). I think I might even be OK with letting myself get a little out of shape this fall before I begin my ramp up for 2007 Goofy Challenge. Biking anyway--the funny thing is the faster I get at running, the more I like it. I suppose that's how it goes. And then I will be able to do some work on my lacksadaisical swimming. I just haven't been so motivated to work so hard in that area.

Someone on Slowtwitch.com forum made the "brilliant" statement that getting better is more about training volume than anything else. It was a gross generalization, but I do believe it's true. Combine that with consistency, a little speed work every now and then, a little focus on one sport for a period of time, and it's amazing what you can accomplish. Now, I am still not fast by a long shot, but I am still improving, and that is the coolest thing I will be thinking about when I turn the big 5-0 in 2 months.

I have really enjoyed my past 3 months where, although I haven't been training for an IM, I have kept up a pretty consistent weekly volume of almost 17 hours per week, had fun doing it, did not have the IM thing hanging over my head, and bonus, I got fitter! But I am looking forward now to reduced training volume and enjoying the fall a bit before the weather relegates me to the treadmill and trainer.

I still love this stuff!

For the curious amongst you, my last 4 weeks of training hours went like this:
7/31: 19.95
8/7: 17.29
8/14: 17.65
8/21: 18.80

This week I should drop down to about 13, and stay at probably 13-14 for the next 2 months. It's been a helluva post-IM ride, and I'm enjoying it. Hell, I may even go swim tomorrow!

Idling

I finally came up with the word to describe my state of mind the past few days. "Idling." I am taking it easy after 4 weeks in a row of heavy duty cycling (when I feel like it I'll actually post on it), and just letting my mind wander and my body rest.

My pool was closed last week, and in my laziness, I only swam once. It is closed this week, too, and I got my stuff all ready to drive somewhere else to swim this morning, but I just didn't feel like getting out of bed. I might swim tomorrow, I might not.

I did run and lift yesterday, and am about to go run today. Whenever it turns to fall, as is rapidly happening now, I find myself needing to make some changes with the seasons. I am undecided whether I will do my solo 1/2 Ironman next week. I probably will, but I am sure enjoying some major rest right now.

It is interesting to me to watch all the hype as Ironman races go on throughout the summer and I am not training for one. It is nice to see people all excited about finally bearing the fruits of their labors at IMCDA, IMLP, IMC and the upcoming IMWI and IMFL. But I am finding for myself that this mental break from Ironman is something I really needed. It is uncomfortable in spots, as I was so used to the hubbub of twice daily workouts and focusing everything on a goal far away, but that discomfort is something I know that I need for my mental and spiritual growth at least once a year.

So for the time being, I am idling. It is sort of like a taper, but I have none of the psychosis that is common to a taper. I am OK with exercising and eating less, and OK that there is not some big, huge production about to happen. Maybe I will regain a bit of excitement when I'm at IMWI next week, maybe not. It will be nice to see my coach in person and get some quality time with him. I think he already knew I was headed for an idle period when he said to me, "You are doing an awful lot of training for someone who is not training for anything." But hey, it's mission accomplished--time to settle down for a few months and recharge the mental and physical batteries. There should be some major fitness settling in here for a few weeks, and all I need to do is maintain it for a few months, and then I will shift gears again and go into marathon training mode.

Every time I do it, whether an actual taper or just a transitional period, I find that idling helps me to consolidate things. You know how when a car idles too fast it means there is a problem with the engine? I think that sometimes I want to idle at higher and higher speeds, but then my self-diagnostics kick in and I realize that that idle needs to be at a consistent level for my own peace of mind.

And boy, have I learned how to idle! I am sleeping a lot, and I am not committing myself to anything I don't need to do. It is uncomfortable mentally, but glorious physically and the mental side will come along in a few days, I am sure! It reminds me that there are many more things I can enjoy besides triathlon. In a way, idle mode is just being in the moment--you are prepared to either rev it up or shut it down completely, but you need to be OK with the idle speed.

I will check in when the RPM's increase. I did have to laugh yesterday when I finally got to the gym and onto the treadmill (albeit with a little bit of hurry in my step), my heart rate read a bounding 51, after literally running to the treadmill. It didn't go up very much even though I ran fairly hard. How nice!

Enjoy your week, whether you are idling or revving your engine!

Triathlete Magazine 2007 Swimsuit Issue

Well, kids, for the heck of it, I sent in some photos and a short bio. I honestly wouldn't expect them to want a 50-YO (airbrushed, of course!) in their swimsuit issue, but you never know.

If you are interested in submitting yourself, go here: http://www.triathletemag.com/story.cfm?story_id=12331&publicationID=92&pageID=1705

DSB

I have read many books by or about endurance athletes. Sure I have read the technical stuff about how to train, but the stuff I really enjoy reading and pondering about is what is going through our heads when we are training and racing. In the past few years, I have added to this readings of spiritual texts, since I find a lot of commonality between the two endeavors.

I'm not talking about people who run 2-3 miles 3-4 times per week. I am talking about people who routinely train 10+ hours per week. You know who you are. The reason I chose the number 10 is that before I began running seriously and then branched out into triathlon, I would log about 7-9 hours a week between weights, aerobics classes, and recreational running, and I found that to be an easy schedule--one where most workouts were over and done with in an hour, and where apparently I still had plenty of time to party regularly.

What I find interesting when reading about other endurance athletes in this category is how we go through similar thought processes at one point or another. If you keep this stuff up for long enough, you find out that the doing of the very thing becomes your path, and that the rest of your life gets fit into that framework. Sure, you hear different people with different life circumstances claim they are more balanced towards this or that outside of their athletics, but fundamentally, living the life of an athlete first is a very conscious choice. This is what makes the first time training for an Ironman such a wake-up call to many people. You need to become an athlete, even if you weren't before. Some people become the athlete much more quickly than others, as it can be all-consuming. But eventually, assuming a person wants to truly master a sport (or anything else for that matter), you need to become that which you seek.

"Being" an athlete doesn't mean just showing up and doing workouts. It means thinking about them before, during and after they occur. It means thinking about how everything else in your life is going to affect those workouts before, during and after they occur. It doesn't mean just thinking about the mechanics of the workouts (how many repeats at what intensity with what amount of rest) ; it means anticipating how the workout will feel, watching mindfully during the workout, and contemplating and evaluating the workout afterwards. At least that's how it goes for me.

But sometimes we have mental leaks during the anticipation, mindful watching and contemplation/evaluation processes that prevent us from doing each activity in the way for it to be most beneficial to our minds and bodies.

When we anticipate, we should anticipate with JOY and WONDER. Looking forward to our workout or race as an opportunity for new experience, becoming stronger, or conquering. But sometimes we fall prey, instead, to FEAR. Fear that we won't be able to complete it, fear of the sensations of discomfort or weather or even our own silly lack of planning. I have found that respect for a new distance or intensity is a good thing, although sometimes I talk about it as being "afraid." I have learned to channel this into more of a sense of excitement, even if I'm about to do a workout I've done many times, since it is never the same experience!

When we are in the workout or race, our ability to be mindful and watch ourselves and our reactions is something we come to only with focused practice. To the extent we anticipate with joy and wonder rather than fear, we are able to free ourselves to be mindful. When we are afraid, we are a victim of our own negative thoughts; when we are joyful and focused, negative thoughts are able to come and go and we can just watch them and let them be. But oh, the range of thoughts that come and go! It is the same as meditation, so if you're not comfortable just letting your thoughts come and go without evaluation, you are not going to enjoy really pushing yourself in training or in a race. Most thoughts that you have will come and go in a flash as long as you keep your mind relaxed and free. And your body! In order to go fast, you need to be relaxed. Sounds like an paradox, right? It isn't. Muscles need to be able to contract AND relax effectively in order to maximize their potential. This is the paradox of speed. You gotta relax to go fast! Sometimes I find that just by making myself smile when the heat is on and I'm putting out a good effort, that it induces me to relax my muscles, freeing them to do their thing as best they can!

The mindfulness we cultivate while training and racing is, I think, the hardest part of being an athlete. Why? Because it's easy to plan (look forward) and evaluate (look backwards), but it can be difficult to just be in the moment. If we aren't used to doing it in our daily lives (and face it, most people aren't, otherwise we'd all be happy, healthy and free of mental suffering, right?) but then we try and become an athlete, we are forced into a position where either we pay attention and "get it" or else we fail. It is difficult to ignore the sensations coming from your muscles when you are pushing them to go long or hard or both. They are screaming at you PAY ATTENTION NOW! Which is why many of us are attracted to endurance sports to begin with. We enjoy having everything boiled down to such a simple concept as paying attention to our muscles and breathing and technique. We think it is allowing our minds to go on autopilot--to tune out, or "veg," if you will. But in reality our minds are being given a gift care of our muscles. MOVE OR DIE AND LEARN TO DISPENSE WITH ANY UNPRODUCTIVE THOUGHTS OR ELSE WE WILL SLOW DOWN OR QUIT.

Think about someone you know who you consider a "successful" athlete. I'm not talking about professional athletes. I'm talking about Jane and John Doe. People who live the life of an athlete. Maybe they talk about it, maybe they don't. Maybe it seems like they care too much about the sport, maybe not. Sure it's fun to ask them about their workouts or training regimen, how they eat or how they stretch or whatever. But what's really neat is getting them to talk about what's inside their head as they do this. Or why they are so excited about their workouts or races. Or maybe sometimes you are surprised to hear what comes out of their mouths (or goes onto paper--real or virtual). Are those people successful because they are physically gifted? That certainly helps (especially the right parents). Are they successful because they train hard? Sure. But none of them are successful if they haven't gotten the mind thing down.

See, many people, I believe, waste their mental powers on the whole post-training/racing evaluation, or they spend far too much time at it. Sure it's good to do a little reflection and just state the facts: "I swam x:xx/100 yds., I biked xMPH and I ran x:xx per mile." It's also fun to correlate your speed to particulars of the day--weather, nutrition, etc. That stuff is pretty much determined for you ahead of time, right? You practice your pacing, you practice your nutrition, you learn how to make adjustments for the weather or other things that spin out of control in a race. But what about your ability to relax, focus and be in the moment? How did that go for you? What are you bringing back from that experience that will enhance your future training sessions and life in general? For if you are doing it in your "life," then so it will be easy to do it in your training/racing. But if you figured it out first in your training/racing, then hopefully you are trying to expand that to the rest of your life.

When you say you had fun, what is it that you were describing? For me, I don't think of fun so much as of being right there every moment and doing what I'm there to do. So I don't much think about training or racing as "fun things to do." They are challenges and opportunities for me to practice mindfulness. At one point yesterday, I thought, "I am here to put in a good effort and continue my streak of lots of biking." It was as simple as that. I wasn't there to pick off other riders or blab about how much riding I am doing. This is not to say I couldn't appreciate the beauty of nature or the gift of my health. But those things are best enjoyed in the moment, too :) Sure I had plenty of time to chat with people and thank all the volunteers and such, but it was simple to just be focused on the one thing, the thing that in unison with my heart, lungs and legs, kept driving me to keep going.

Now, I am like any other endurance athlete in that sometimes I have negative or catty thoughts about myself or others. Like people who wear Ironman stuff that haven't done an Ironman. Maybe the wearing gives them special feelings that help motivate them. Who cares? Or people who have and/or wear ANYTHING and EVERYTHING that says Ironman on it. Got an inferiority complex? Tattoos! I need to shout to the world that I do this! (OK, I am shouting I guess since I have a blog.) How about people who will spend thousands on gear that is not going to make them faster or that they don't know how to use effectively, but then "can't afford" a coach? What about people who race to a sexy bike split but then can't pull off a decent run afterwards? How about people who are constantly injured because they won't rest their body? Or who waggle their fingers at moi for my lack of rest days? Or who claim they are working on their body composition but just can't seem to make progress? Or who can't let go of whatever their past was (it's done, no?) and move forward? Or who live in the past (back when I did my one triathlon) and are experts to this day? Or who keep raising the stakes on the events they do (oops, that's me!)? Or who say "I am just having fun?" (maybe that is the definition of true Nirvana)? Or who post racy pics of their bodyparts as if to say, "Look at me I'm awesome!" (also me)? Or people with coaches who don't pay attention to them or think the coach will magically "fix" them? Or the people who think they can self-coach by reading blogs? Come on, I am interested to hear what rant categories I fall into. Throw it at me! Vent! Tell me all the negative thoughts you've had about me and other people. We deserve to know! Sometimes I think I'd rather read blogs where everyone openly talked about everyone else. The good with the bad. I was actually happy when Spandex-King told me to get a life. I thought, "Gee, this guy is brave and honest." Then he has to go and apologize. Dude, it wasn't necessary.

If I were perfectly free of judgment and 100% mindful then I would have achieved Nirvana, but that ain't happening anytime soon. I am merely using my time as an athlete to train myself for the larger objective which is to be a vibrant, energetic, compassionate body and mind of energy. I cannot control nor do I wish to what others think of me. I can only try to be present during what is happening right now. Most days it works beautifully, but occasionally I fall victim (remember, victim behavior is a direct result of fear) to judging others or thinking I suck or that the world is a terrible place. Sometimes I ask myself why do I do all of this? But then I realize it is just my way to seek excellence at whatever I attempt, and also that I happen to like moving around (and the subsequent tiredness afterwards!). Does it really need to be more than that? I don't think so.

We are all way more alike than we think, and it is our desire to think we are different and separate from others that gets us into trouble (can you say war?). Maybe we think we are DSB (different than, separate from and better than) because we are endurance athletes. Or that we are ultrarunners. Or that we are triathletes. Or that we are Ironman triathletes. Or that we have done X Ironman races. Or that our best Ironman time is whatever. Or that we are juggling more non-athletic stuff in our lives and yet we still do this. Or we are trying to prove that we aren't just (insert one): mothers, wives, husbands, fathers, providers, students. Or popular on podcasts. Or have Y number of people reading our blogs. Or have read literature or studied on a topic. When we try to quantify or qualify others' behaviors or actions, it is also an act of DSB.

I fall into DSB mode every so often, and I know I need to make some changes when that is happening. The first thing I do is refocus--I am not an athlete to be DSB--I just enjoy training. I enjoy the anticipation, the mindful watching and the necessary evaluation of my efforts. Doesn't make any difference to me whether it's a race or not. How do I reconcile that with a competitive nature? Being/getting faster is just that. FASTER. Fast is not a judgment. It just IS. At least that's my explanation today :)

DSB is the antithesis to humility. Sometimes we are even trying to DSB ourselves. Isn't that sad?

JFR

I'm tired from the last week of "training" and so I decided to postpone a 3800-yard swim workout. Why? Because my regular pool is closed for 2 weeks and I decided it would be better to sleep in this morning than to wake up at 5 to drive extra, knowing I'd still be fatigued.

Why am I tired? Been training a lot. A LOT. Trying to get in 1,000 miles of biking this month is doing it. I don't know how grand tour riders can ride so much. I just don't know how they do it. I know that I would sure want some "enhancement" if I was going to try that.

I must be getting stronger on the bike. Yesterday I rode 102 miles by myself (well, except for when I let 2 different groups of sorry-ass triathletes suck my wheel for about 5 miles at a time and then summarily dropped them), and averaged 18.3 MPH, where the last 40 miles of that were into a headwind. Needless to say, that is a little faster than what I would average on an Ironman ride, but still, that's a good clip for that distance. On very little sleep. A friend (whom I met at Ironman Brazil) was in town from Miami for the weekend, and we had a few cocktails Saturday night, and then I just couldn't get to sleep. Tequila tends to do that to me!

Just 4 weeks ago I rode at an average speed of 18.3 for 100 miles with 2 others in mostly drafting formation, so it was good to know I could hold that pace on my own yesterday. I don't know how I did it--my legs were dead on Saturday, and I mean DEAD--I wanted to ride a bit so my legs would be prepped for Sunday, so I decided on 2 hours. I threw in some intervals, but just did not have the power I was looking for, and tried to run off the bike, but felt so wiped that I bagged it. So I rested more or less the remainder of the day, and then went out for cocktails around 8:30 (I only had one Margarita, a big one, though), then couldn't get to sleep, decided to sleep in (until 6AM), since I was unsure of when I actually fell asleep (I'm sure it was after midnight, maybe more like 1AM), and figured I had some play in my plans.

Originally I had wanted to begin my ride yesterday at 7AM, but since I didn't wake up until 6:15, that was not in the cards. Still, I sucked down some coffee, ate a Power Bar Triple Threat, guzzled 400 calories of Glycoload (same thing as Ultrafuel, basically), pumped my tires and was on the road by 7:05. It was maybe a 35-minute drive to the ride start, and of course I had to pee when I got there, but there were too many people around in the bank parking lot to do a "metal tree pee" (my term for squatting next to an open car door--not too discreet--but remember I will pee just about anywhere), so I got my bike ready to go, rode to the start and there were porta-potties, did my thing, paid the money, declined the T-shirt (all they had were XXL), took the water bottle, and away I went.

I was riding by 7:50AM, and since I wanted to go to this bike race later in the day that started at 3PM, I figured I needed to keep about an 18MPH average, including my rest stop time, to finish in time to run 20-30 minutes, drive home, eat, shower and walk 1/2 mile to the bike race. We started out with a bit of a tailwind heading south (and I knew that meant headwind on the way back), and we were heading roughly towards the Illinois River, so that meant on a slight downward slope. I was hammering away blissfully by myself, and even though I typically take about 1 hour to warm up, I just started going. All thoughts of lack of sleep, the tiredness that had been in my legs the day before, the fact that I had shuffled my workouts this week and that I was only scheduled for a 4-hour ride this weekend, but had decided that if I felt recovered enough I would do 100 miles, were out the window. At the first aid station, in a split-second decision, I even had a doughnut! They had Dunkin' Donuts, and the custard-filled, chocolate-coated (my absolute favorite) called out to me. I joked that I hoped they had cheeseburgers at the next aid station! That doughnut was just what the doctor ordered--more sugar--and apparently I also needed a good dose of fat.

I focused back on why I was out here--because I wanted to put in a lot of bike miles this month. I think because I carbed up while cocktailing that I must have had enough in the tank, and man, it was just the most beautiful day ever--got me motivated to push the pace. I knew that because of the ride logistics that I could bail and only do 75 miles, and for the first 2 hours I was thinking about doing that, especially after eating a doughnut! I mean, what am I trying to prove? Well, I am not trying to prove anything--I am just trying to get stronger on the bike, and strength comes from toughness, both mental and physical, so this was a perfect opportunity for me to show myself what I got.

There weren't very many riders out on this ride, which was odd, but then again, there were bike races going on, the Chicago Air and Water Show was on, and I'm sure a lot of folks were just getting in their last blast of summer fun in other ways. I just like riding my bike!

Since I started late for a 100-mile rider, I figured I wouldn't see too many other 100-mile riders out there, but right about at 40 miles in, I started catching up to and passing people riding 100 miles (in retrospect the doughnut was just what the doctor ordered). First there was this group of 3 triathletes. For a bit, they acted all "faster than me" and such, but then I thought hey, I had caught up to them, so let's see what they got? I let them pull me for maybe 1 mile, and then since I wasn't sure of their paceline strategy, figured they were taking turns every .5 mile or so, and so I figured it was time for me to go up front. Which I gladly did. And I'm riding and riding, and I'm seeing 2...3...4 miles ticking off and nobody is coming up front. Finally I turn around and they are GONE. We were into a headwind, but that usually makes me push harder, and the peer pressure, you know. But they were gone. One of the girls in the group seemed pretty fast, and I had commented on her yellow bike, joking, "Yellow bikes are faster than others," and she seemed to want to prove it to me, but I guess she couldn't hold pace with MY yellow bike.

But then shortly after that I come up on another group of triathletes, 4 of them (3 girls and 1 guy), and have the usual banter "what are you training for?" and they were all training for IMFL. I hang with them (they were riding 2 abreast) for about .5 mile, and I'm looking at my power, and it's on the down low, if you know what I mean, and I'm getting a bit bored, thinking these folks should pick it up a bit (and let's face it, I DID catch up to them). So I go up front, thinking they will get a clue and we can take turns pulling to get in a decent workout, and I pull for like 5 miles and they all just sit back there! For a bit, I was thinking you lazy asses, but then I thought, what the heck, I am getting a great workout let's go! (Ironically, much later in the ride with about 15 miles to go I actually SAW an ass--er--a donkey, and had to yell at the little guy, "Hey, you ASS!") Then I just kept riding and get ahead of them, and take a little break myself and one of the girls comes up to my pace and goes past me, and I'm thinking she must be sick of their shit, too, so she motivates me to pick it up again, but then she slows down and "waits" for her group, and I can see they are all flagging, but I do get past them for a bit.

As we ride along the Illinois River it's totally beautiful and shady and curvy and really nice, and we all pull into the next aid station close together, and I hear one of the group asking about a gas station and I know why--they need some caffeine. So we sort of head out of there together, we get into a town (Seneca, I think), and there's the gas station, and we are saying our good byes (who knows maybe they will catch me back--NOT), and I say to them, "Cokes, huh?" And they say, "Yep." See I knew it. Maybe they were cocktailing more than me. Maybe they are training more than me, or maybe they do the stupid long-run-on-Saturday-long-ride-on-Sunday training which is guaranteed to fry your legs (like my legs weren't fried from all the biking I've been doing???). I'm not saying they were slow or slackers, but considering they were riding in a group, I thought they would be going faster. The girls in the group didn't seem too friendly to me--I really don't know why--I am pretty light and cordial, after all we are all just out trying to do our things--but whatever, when they stopped at that gas station, I knew 2 things for certain: 1) they are already toast (and we were only about 55 miles into the ride) and 2) I would not be seeing them for the next 45 miles if I could help it.

Right after that we started heading back north, and I knew this meant 2 things: 1) headwind and 2) climbing out of a river valley. Oh joy! Uphill into a headwind! No problems, I knew my average speed might start to go down here (I think I was close to 19MPH through 65 miles), and I wondered if I could hold effort and still make my goal time. There was one fairly long and sort of steep climb that I remember doing 4 or 5 years ago on some ride. Oh well, just keep turning over the pedals. Every few miles, especially after turns, I would look behind me to see if I saw any riders approaching, but nope!

It continued to be a gorgeous day--temps in the mid-70's, clear blue sky with puffy cumulous clouds, lots of really tall corn and soybeans, very little traffic, and my legs felt fine. At about 72 miles in, I stopped briefly and lo and behold another Griffen! Of course we both gushed about how much we love our bikes, and I said when I get a new road bike that's what I want. One more stop, and I'm done.

In a way, I still wasn't sure that I should be riding 100 miles, but then again, sometimes you don't know what you are capable of until you try it, and what's the worst that could happen? I become tired. Let's just say that when I got off the bike to run, it was not a pretty sight. I had to "run" up this rather large hill, and then another one, and I was getting all demoralized, but then I realized going back would be downhill and I made myself RUN. All I could think is that I have been going at things pretty hard lately, and that it was amazing that I was still moving!

I cut my run short to only :25, got in the car, drove home while drinking my Endurox and eating a pack of cheese/peanut butter crackers and guzzling a small bottle of Gatorade, unpacked my car in a hurry, put something in the microwave to eat, got in the shower (best shower ever--although crotch not too happy), wolfed down most of a Lean Cuisine, dumped a beer into a plastic cup, grabbed a bottle of water, made a baggie of chips in case I got hungry, and left to walk down to the bike races, which I made it to by 3:30. It was probably good for my legs to do some walking, although I'm guessing I looked like a war survivor, as I couldn't walk very fast. I watched bikes whooshing by for about 1:15, and realized I was so tired that I better go home and fix dinner before I passed out.

In case you were wondering, here's what I did last week:

Weekly Totals 08/14/2006-08/20/2006
Swim: 9100 yards (5.16 miles) in 3.08 hours; 17% of weekly workout time; approx. 1080 calories burned
Bike: Approx. 168 miles in 9.42 hours; 53% of weekly workout time; approx. 4518 calories burned
Run: Approx. 25.51 miles in 3.85 hours; 22% of weekly workout time; approx. 1898 calories burned
Strength: 1.3 hours; 7% of weekly workout time; approx. 325 calories burned
All Sports: Approx. 198.67 miles in 17.65 hours; approx. 7821 calories burned
Sleep: 8.64 hours avg./night
Stretching: 2.52 hours

Doesn't look like a lot on paper, does it? But my intensity has been right up there for weeks on end now, either racing with no taper or riding 9 hours straight or running freaking 5K races weekly, so that's plenty. Oh, and I crossed over the 700 training hours for the season this week!

OK, so maybe I won't make up that swim I missed today, or maybe I might. Now I am just focused on next weekend--and the plan is to do about 75 miles on Saturday and 125 on Sunday. That will be a first for me. So until then I am going to be watchful on my recovery and leg fatigue, with the goal of going into Saturday with relatively fresh legs. Ha ha, I will need to, as I'm doing the trifecta of 3 days straight of hard running again.

For the month of August, so far 591 miles on the bike. After I add it up, I don't think I'll hit 1,000 miles (more like 850), but it will still be a solid month of biking. And then a little non-race, and then I will switch modes into *actual* 1/2 Ironman training, OMG!!!

Ride on!