Week three of training for IMTX (ironman texas) was great. Not so much for the quality of my training performances, but more for what I'm learning each time I go out. I am learning to listen to my body. In fact, I'm learning that your body will speak loud and clear when you're doing something it's not quite ready for. Each week I look ahead and plan what my training week should look like. I try to consider what days the family will be home and what the weather is looking like to get the best combination of workouts. I don't want my cycling days to get rained out and force me to run every day of the week. From experience, I know that's the best way to get an injury that may sideline me for a few weeks. Week 3 looked like this:
Mon- rest day - (felt so good, however, decided to introduce my shoulder to a few easy pool laps)
Tue- 1 hr run
Wed- track workout
1 mile warm up jog, 1min sprint, 1min walk, 2min sprint, 2min walk, 3min run, 3min walk,
3min run, 3min walk, 2min sprint, 2min walk, 1min sprint, 1min walk, 1 mile cool down jog.
Thurs- Brick/Core- 1hr bike @ 18-20mph, 15 min run, then Weights: arms, legs, abs, back
Fri - Easy run - 30 mins 10 min/mile pace
Sat- Long Bike Ride - 50 miles at 19-20 mph pace
Sun - 1 hr long run planned - started running and pulled the plug after 18 mins.
The week went so well as far as being able to do the workouts I wanted to do on the days I had planned to do them, I did not feel bad at all about cutting Sunday's long run short. In fact, I didn't have much of a choice. My legs were mush after Saturday's bike ride. I had difficulty putting one foot in front of the other the entire time. I thought I might be able to stretch the soreness out when I stopped at the 4 min mark. Then I thought I might start to loosen up after the 8 min mark. Then finally, after stopping to catch my breath two more times before I had even logged 20 mins on the road, I turned the corner and took it to the house.
Overall, this week was a success. Or, more accurately, I believe the last few weeks have been a success. The sheer quantity of miles and hours accomplished is what I am most pleased with. it tells me that I am doing something right. I would not have been able to complete a week like that last month.
Things I've learned: 2 bottles of fluid & 1/2 a cliff bar per hour worked well on a 2 1/2 hr ride, and core strengthening makes a big difference on a bike ride, leg strengthening makes the knees hurt less on a run.
Now go push yourself and learn something about your body. Fall is coming, you won't have the heat as an excuse for much longer.
Soulrider.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Sunday, September 12, 2010
ironman and pit bulls
The second week of ironman training is now in the books and it gets packed away with quite the exclamation point. Today was to be my long run at the end of a very productive week that only saw one rest day. But instead of a 2-hour 12 miler, I had to settle for 9 miles in 1 1/2. The credit and blame for todays performance goes to my amazing new neighbors throughout the community. The reason I am able to pull off a long run without any hydration issues is the fact that I can stash a couple of water bottles in my mail box and loop back around by the house as soon as I need one. But who wants to carry a water bottle the whole time they're running? Not me. But I don't have to worry about that... whether trash day was yesterday, today, or tomorrow someone somewhere will have there trash cans at the corner. Hooray for no deed restrictions... (note the sarcasm.) But seriously, here's the bad part about training here. Today I was attacked by a loose pit bull. I saw him run into the street ahead of me and tried to stay behind. He turned around and saw me... stopped... and waited for me. I kept my pace and decided to assume the best about this innocent looking puppy. Maybe he was just taking in the sight of a 6'5" human running past him at such blazing fast speeds (again... sarcasm). The instant I passed him I see him out of the corner of my eye break into a sprint heard him bark like he just found his next meal. In a matter of two seconds the following thought process went through my head. One... "I'm going to die." Two... "He can run faster than me." Three... " I guess I better attack him." At that point I started barking and running toward the dog. He wasn't backing down. we got 6" away from each other ... both barking... before he finally backed off and ran away...
what away to end week two of training.
Here's the breakdown...
Monday - 2 hr bike ride
Tuesday - 1 hr run
Wednesday - rest day
Thursday - Strength training/Core workout & short fast run
Friday - 1 hr run
Saturday - 2 hr bike ride
Sunday - 1 & 1/2 hr run + a single canine fartlek (yes I just invented that)
Thursday, September 9, 2010
1 week down 35 to go
The thought of training for an Ironman can be a bit overwhelming. Eventually the soundtrack from last year's NBC coverage of Kona stops playing in your head and you actually have to lace up your shoes and go out for the first of your 100 or so upcoming hour-long training runs. The negative voice inside your head needs little encouragement, but nevertheless, continues to be fed. Whether it be through comparison with other more accomplished athletes who consistently perform better than you, non-athletes who insist that the distances you are attempting are unsafe (if not impossible), or setbacks when evaluating your own training expectations. I am quickly realizing the importance of racing your own personal race, and training accordingly.
One only need to visit slowtwitch.com and drop into the forum for a matter of minutes before getting a taste of training-geek-paradise. Anyone and everyone has an opinion about what YOU should be doing, and are more than willing to offer you their advise. If you have some serious questions, it's a great place to bounce some ideas around and hear some suggestions, but by no means should anyone automatically assume that what works for someone else will also work for them. At some point you must do the work for yourself and find out what will work for you. The good news is that there is a good little voice inside you as well, albeit much less boisterous at times than his evil twin, whispering a quiet truth.... "You CAN do it."
Here's a snapshot of the first week of training. I decided going up front that I did not want to miss out on my daughter being 3 yrs old, and I could not afford to miss out on sleep and have my job suffer, so my training needed to be the flexible variable in this IM equation. This was put to the test right at the beginning. My flexibility has never been an issue, or has it? The true test of an object's flexibility is the ability to bounce back. Otherwise the object is not really flexible is it? It's more malleable or pliable. So being willing to cancel my workouts for family events or other occasions is not the true test of my flexibility. The true test is my ability to re-arrange the rest of my week to achieve my training goals. My personal training goals for each week include 2 run days, 1 run/cross training/core strength day, two long multiple activity SBR workouts on the weekends. This would give me two rest days per week, which I have found that my larger frame responds quite well to when doing that much running. So what am I faced with the very first week of training? My favorite people in the world (my mom and dad) came into town on the very first day, and were able to spend two days with us. I am not going to miss out on quality family time like that for something as selfish in nature as Ironman. Nope, family comes first, and what an amazing time it was. My dad and I got to talk about the Bible, our faith in Christ, and all sorts of things more important (in the grand scheme of things) than triathlon. But nevertheless, I do have some training goals. If I am going to be truly flexible I needed to set a precedence in the first week of training and not simply cancel these two workouts, but fit them in somehow.
Day 1 Mon - rest
Day 2 Tue- rest
Day 3 Wed- 1 hour run
Day 4 Thur - Brick - 45 min bike - 15 min run
Day 5 Fri - 1 hour run
Day 6 Sat - 2 hr bike (40 miles) - 5 min run
Day 7 Sun - 30 min light run (easy day)
It was a little more difficult than i thought it would be to get motivated for each workout. I was a bit more sore than I expected. But it definitely started to prove itself worthwhile. On my two run days, i found out that i lose approximately 6 lbs. per hour running when it's hot and humid out at 10k pace. That's valuable information I did not know beforehand. This lets me know that I am on the high end as far as hydration needs are concerned in the IM. Gonna have to work on ways I can stayed fueled. This just might be the source of my cramping calf muscles.
Now go outside, exercise, and learn something about yourself, before it starts getting cold out there.
Soulrider
One only need to visit slowtwitch.com and drop into the forum for a matter of minutes before getting a taste of training-geek-paradise. Anyone and everyone has an opinion about what YOU should be doing, and are more than willing to offer you their advise. If you have some serious questions, it's a great place to bounce some ideas around and hear some suggestions, but by no means should anyone automatically assume that what works for someone else will also work for them. At some point you must do the work for yourself and find out what will work for you. The good news is that there is a good little voice inside you as well, albeit much less boisterous at times than his evil twin, whispering a quiet truth.... "You CAN do it."
Here's a snapshot of the first week of training. I decided going up front that I did not want to miss out on my daughter being 3 yrs old, and I could not afford to miss out on sleep and have my job suffer, so my training needed to be the flexible variable in this IM equation. This was put to the test right at the beginning. My flexibility has never been an issue, or has it? The true test of an object's flexibility is the ability to bounce back. Otherwise the object is not really flexible is it? It's more malleable or pliable. So being willing to cancel my workouts for family events or other occasions is not the true test of my flexibility. The true test is my ability to re-arrange the rest of my week to achieve my training goals. My personal training goals for each week include 2 run days, 1 run/cross training/core strength day, two long multiple activity SBR workouts on the weekends. This would give me two rest days per week, which I have found that my larger frame responds quite well to when doing that much running. So what am I faced with the very first week of training? My favorite people in the world (my mom and dad) came into town on the very first day, and were able to spend two days with us. I am not going to miss out on quality family time like that for something as selfish in nature as Ironman. Nope, family comes first, and what an amazing time it was. My dad and I got to talk about the Bible, our faith in Christ, and all sorts of things more important (in the grand scheme of things) than triathlon. But nevertheless, I do have some training goals. If I am going to be truly flexible I needed to set a precedence in the first week of training and not simply cancel these two workouts, but fit them in somehow.
Day 1 Mon - rest
Day 2 Tue- rest
Day 3 Wed- 1 hour run
Day 4 Thur - Brick - 45 min bike - 15 min run
Day 5 Fri - 1 hour run
Day 6 Sat - 2 hr bike (40 miles) - 5 min run
Day 7 Sun - 30 min light run (easy day)
It was a little more difficult than i thought it would be to get motivated for each workout. I was a bit more sore than I expected. But it definitely started to prove itself worthwhile. On my two run days, i found out that i lose approximately 6 lbs. per hour running when it's hot and humid out at 10k pace. That's valuable information I did not know beforehand. This lets me know that I am on the high end as far as hydration needs are concerned in the IM. Gonna have to work on ways I can stayed fueled. This just might be the source of my cramping calf muscles.
Now go outside, exercise, and learn something about yourself, before it starts getting cold out there.
Soulrider
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