Track

Tonight was 2000 (3 min rest), 1600 (2:00 rest) , 1200 ,(1:30 rest) 800, (1 min rest) 400. I went 7:14 (5:47), 5:39 (5:39), 4:17 (5:43) , 2:48 (5:34), 1:18 (5:12). I had bad trotters (gas on the 1200 and 800 and a little on the 400) it was worst on the 1200 though.

Starting to feel like it is coming together bc even if I am not feeling it I can still get it done. The slower 1200 and coming back even though I was hurting and really tried to front load the begining means it is coming along. I am still a ways from going under 2:30 for the 800 repeats but I can see it maybe next year or 2 years from now.

The weather was snowing and nasty all day and then the big clouds rolled in so the guys in my group didn't show and the other guy did the easier workout option so I was all alone. Made it a little harder but still a good workout.

Tired Day

Tried to do the trainer bc the weather sucks so I was already in a bad mood. I get hot in the garage which is strange so I need to be prepared for that and not do any bricks until the weather gets better. At this point I feel like that is all I am waiting for and I am afraid it will never come. Just need to plan better and really hit just two bikes a week and hit those good. Only got in 30 minutes tonight bc I wanted to be outside and to do a birck but the weather sucks. Oh well, at least I learned something from it. I was also low weight and I hardly ever feel good when that happens. Sucks to try and loose weight for this reason and mostly this reason only. I could handle the hunger but the combo just sucks.

Long Run

Well, I wanted my gel by mile 2 and took it at mile 4 and surprisingly this was the lift I needed to make it. The trails were pretty soft and it was windy and cold depending on the direction so I was pretty happy with the pace and the level of difficulty. One big 300 ft hill of 1.4 miles at 4 percent grade that I took at pace Only got hard on the legs after 14 miles. Avg Hr was only 144 so that is also promising. I feel pretty good abotu this run since I worked today and the workout I had yesterday. Need to get a couple more bricks in and figure out a taper that works to be successful at KS.

3 Hours on the Trainer

I dropped my aero bars 2cm before this workout as I have been working towards this a while and I this workout would definately tell me if I can get this aero. Did 10 warmup, 4x30min w/5 min rest (56x14,13,12,11), 10 rest, 5 minutes at 10 mile TT power and then 20 minutes cool down. The 56x11 for 30 minutes after two hours on the trainer was really hard and I had to really focus on form to stay bet 50-55 rpm. I kept all the intervals in Zone 1 excpet this one I got to Zone 2.3 in. The 5 minute interval I avg 143 bpm with a high of only 152 but it was tougher then that would show. I also did 80rpm for this interval so that was good. This was my longest on the trainer ever so that is good too. Needed a good easy 20 minutes spinning to feel better from this one. Should also be feeling this on my 15-16 miles running tomorrow.

Swimming Again

Well, I found a better time to swim so that I don't have to circle swim in a 25 yard pool and it was so much better. 300 warm up, 5x100, 200, 300, 2x50, 100, 100 cool down. Not really anything inspired other then getting comfortable in the water, pretending to swim down river, focusing on an easy long distance stroke that I can hold, and trying to get over 1200 yards of which I did 1600. Gonna hit 2000 next time working up to twice and 3 times a week like that hopefully as the race nears. Gonna wait for a month out to really ramp up the swimming bc I at least know that is one thing that works for me at races so I might as well do that and be able to work on my cycling.

Track

Yesterday I did 30 minutes in a 56x12 on the trainer and alomst payed for it tonight. Tonight was 400 Hard, (6x800 at 10K or as fast as you can hold form), 400 hard. I was not feeling the strides at the beginning so knew it would be tough. Went out in 1:10 for the 400 bc it was supposed to simulate being fatigued. Then 2:47,2:45,2:44,2:44,2:45,2:43,1:24. Went out too hard on the last one. Had the usual 3 miles there and back as well. Felt good with the 16 miles and the bike workout still in my legs though. I was hitting 2:55-3:00 on these last year so I need to keep the longer stuff going and focus on the bike and the swim soon.

Rest Day/Weeks Preparations

Today I will rest or get on the trainer if I have time. Track tomorrow and a ride or run on Wednesday and a swim if Julie lets me. Thurs is the 4 hour ride which really needs to happen and then a 2 hour run again on friday. Gonna be pretty instense as I have full days on the weekend at work so Sat needs to be a rest day. I will decide about wednesday when I get up. It might be an early workout and easiest to hop on the trainer.

Long Run

Headed out for a 2 hour run today and made it 1:58 for 15.6 miles with 1500 ft elevation gain. A lot of it was on trail. The garmin says 2100 but I dont trust the flat parts so I had up and subtract the highs and lows and see where that leaves me and it is around 1500 so I did at least that much. Felt pretty good and my calves are definately tired. Threw in four 7 minute miles at the end just focusing on stride like I was on the track. Kept the HR in zone one for 40 minutes and Zone 2 for the rest so I was pretty pleased about that. Can't wait for the trails to clear up. Should be ready for a tues-fri blitzkreig of workouts since I have to work full days this weekend.

Don't go cheap on wheels and life reflections

Long post but important sometimes to reflect on reasons for things.

Well, got out on the road for an easy 4 hour ride but the rear wheel was not having it. Tried to true it TWICE to no avail as it needs rebuilt. Sulked home and pouted the rest of the day but took another wheel on my wifes bike and switched out the cassettes as she will only ride it on the trainer for the next year and the wheel is fine for that.

This gave me time to reflect on things. My nature and I need to be active bc it taxes my physical but even more importantly my mental side. I forget that being married to someone with bio and math degrees at the best Wildlife school in the world about to get her PhD at 27 requires me to get that mental struggle out on something as well. I don't think I could be married to someone like this if I wasn't needing a difficult mental challenge all the time. I checked some heller, rand, and huxley from the library and will use triathlon to fill that void that is working for 7.50 an hour and being theatened top be fired bc I answer the phone "downtown" instead of "trailhead" bc everyone knows where that Starbucks is.

It feels weird but I feel the need for the identity of being a triathlete or a biologist. I think it is the gratification as opposed to pleasure that I derive from doing either one of them. I would rather be suffering through an interval or sustained effort then sitting on the beach sipping a mai tai. The training provides a reward in its self that is outside of the normal pressures of life. I put it upon myself to succeed and I have my own rubric. It just happens to be that this rubric is pushed a little bit until I can start working on what are my dreams outside of triathlon of having a home that works to become sustainable (eco-village sustainable) or to work in wildlife or teaching so that I feel more rewarded then I currently do. I like the customers at work and can feel rewarded talking to them but management wants to to be able to work at 110 percent while doing so.

I will justify myself with this posting by completing a two hour run tomorow morning and enjoying every bit of it. (except the fisrt 1/2 mile, it is still cold and wet in Montana)

Swimming Woes

Tried to swim today and was going pretty well and then the 3 people in a lane thing started and I just couldn't handle it. To me it is like hiking on a crowded trail where there are super slow old people that you have to pass and runners that you have to let by and there are dogs and everything and it is just not a hike anymore. It would be like trying to run in a mall to me. Going to try and go again from 12-1 to see if it gets better. Can't wait to move to the midwest when I can get in open water again. I can't make it 20 minutes in a pool but I can do sets liek that in open water. Maybe why I have better times racing Iron distance then swimming 500 in a stupid pool. The only time I have ever had luck was in a not crowded 50 meter pool. Even the 5:30 am to 8 pool swim is super crowded too. Oh well. Good to know about myself at least.

Ironman 70.3 Kansas

All signed up. This means I can really plan. Going to let the 2 hour run do its thing along with the track workout and then a brick when the weather is good. May throw a run in or a bike in depending on the weather and then the 4 hour ride as well. Just gonna keep hitting these with some rest in there and hope for the best. At this point my run is developed pretty well and my bike is always not too far from getting back in shape so I will do some testing in the pool to see where I am at there. Just going to go at pace for a 500 at an effort level that I want to race at and test that about 4 times or more to see if I am improving. The bricks I may move the run down to 2 miles at pace just for the feel and so I can really focus on the bike portion and not trash myself too much.

Brick Time

Went out for an 18 mile ride with a headwind the way back. Had to fully stop twice but I paused the computer til I got back up to 16mph bc I wanted to do a better course then a safe out and back without the stops. Averaged 23.3 for 46 minutes staying in Zone 3 for 42 of those and only 17 seconds in Zone 4 so that was pretty sweet. The weather was even not to my liking so that was even better. The run is really where I stomped it. My GPS gave me a reading of 26774 miles so I had to go back and check it a couple different ways on Mapmyrun and came out with 6:17-6:21 for 4 miles so I called it a 6:19 bc my I didnt come down the last hill so that I could get a cool down. This workout tells me I am in a pretty good postion on the bike to run after and I need to get more biking in and let the running take a back seat once the weather gets a little better. As far as the TT I think I could go with lower bars and maybe move the seat back 1/2 a centimeter. Anyway Looking pretty good as I only spent 1:30 in Zone 4 on the run as well. Still going to sleep well tonight.

New Blog

I am hoping to get some more comments and keep up with the training by using this blog so feel free to comment and check back often. There will be a link to my usual website but Google is switching stuff at some point so this is a different way of doing things for a while.