This week is another EZ Week. One more build cycle left! Well, OK, 1.5 build cycles. The last one leads right into the taper for race week. EZ Weeks are a bit of a mixed bag. On one hand it's nice to get a break and not worry how we are going to fit two long workouts in on certain days. On the other hand we've made so much progress that it's hard to dial it back in. Take today. We were scheduled for a 15' run after swim practice. 15 minutes! I was glad for those workouts 2 months ago, but now it seems like it's not enough. Since I know I can now I feel like I must keep training, go further! The rest is nice, though. I didn't feel that bad being out for only 15' (OK, 17.5').
Swim practice this morning was a bunch of fun drills designed to get us used to the open water and flailing limbs of race day. As we were swimming a 10' set the coaches removed the lane lines. I tell ya, it makes a huge difference. The water turned from nice and calm to really choppy without the baffles to kill waves. It forces you to change your breathing strategy so you don't get a mouthful of water. We also did a mass start with everybody in the water and swam around people positioned in a triangle in the pool as "bouys". It was not easy. I think everybody got kicked a few times.
The brick workout on Saturday sucked. It was still really cold. Even the great new gloves that I got for my birthday didn't do anything. I guess I'm cursed with cold fingers. The new booties we got worked fairly well, but not for the whole ride. We were scheduled for 110', but after 90' I had done two loops and jumped off to run. Running when you can't feel your toes is unpleasant. I don't think this is what training to run off the bike is all about. This Saturday we have a short ride at Hains Point and it should be above freezing at least.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Frozen in
Last week was tough for training for a number of reasons. The effects from the ice/snow storm on Tuesday are still lingering today; we only just got the car out of its parking spot this morning! We didn't swim on Thursday because we couldn't get to the pool; I was able to do about 45 minutes of the long run at lunch on the treadmill. Saturday's 100'/15' brick in Rock Creek was canceled because of the conditions. We went to gym instead and I did 60'/20'. Riding the spin bikes for that long is mentally tough; we tried to get into a 60' organized spin class but it was full (I guess everybody else had the same idea). Sunday was supposed to be a swim, but again the car was stuck behind the ice mound on 17th. It probably wouldn't have mattered anyway since Takoma was closed to lap swimming due to a big meet all weekend. There aren't many other pools to go to on Sunday. My workout for that day was the 40 minutes I spent breaking ice and shoveling to clear a path for the car!! Yesterday was supposed to be another bike but we ended up skipping that as well.
This morning we got back on track in the pool. The workout was 2400 yards (the most yet), but it didn't seem that bad simply because there weren't any drill sets. Just straight swimming. The main set was 2 x pyramids:
50 easy/100 build/150 race/200 cruise/150 race/100 build/50 easy
Aside from my shoulder really aching from the delayed shoveling soreness it felt like a good workout. The longer intervals were tough, but I never felt like I was struggling to keep up or to catch my breath. 35' run included a 6' AT ("at threshold") interval meaning an almost maximum effort that can be sustained without totally burning you out. I went out my on my regular Mass. Ave route up towards the Observatory and ended doing that interval on the way up the hill. I've got to find a flatter route! It was hard today given that most of the sidewalks are still complete ice unless they've been shoveled. My whole body feels run down now. Just 4 more workouts until another EZ week.
This morning we got back on track in the pool. The workout was 2400 yards (the most yet), but it didn't seem that bad simply because there weren't any drill sets. Just straight swimming. The main set was 2 x pyramids:
50 easy/100 build/150 race/200 cruise/150 race/100 build/50 easy
Aside from my shoulder really aching from the delayed shoveling soreness it felt like a good workout. The longer intervals were tough, but I never felt like I was struggling to keep up or to catch my breath. 35' run included a 6' AT ("at threshold") interval meaning an almost maximum effort that can be sustained without totally burning you out. I went out my on my regular Mass. Ave route up towards the Observatory and ended doing that interval on the way up the hill. I've got to find a flatter route! It was hard today given that most of the sidewalks are still complete ice unless they've been shoveled. My whole body feels run down now. Just 4 more workouts until another EZ week.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Commitment issues
We are now (almost) officially half way through the training. Just 10 short weeks until zero hour. Race day! Confidence from training is high, confidence from fundraising is getting there. It's hard to balance life, work, and training not to mention organizing fundraising. To that end I'm hosting a happy hour on 2/15. If you're reading this stop on by! I'm just glad Friday's are our "off" days now. I submitted my recommitment papers today which means that for better or worse this triathlon thing is locked in. It was harder to press "Send" on those documents than I thought it would be.
Despite the weather, or rather in spite of the weather, training pushes onwards. Build week #2 began with the 30' Sunday continuous swim. I was able to get in 1650 yards in just under 30 minutes. That's the 1.5K swim right there! I never would have thought I'd reach that sub-30' milestone, so it felt really good. Monday was a 40' bike (indoors, of course). Tuesday morning swim practice: 2300 yards; 35' minute run with a bunch of hill workouts. These hurt, but obviously I found a good hill. The embassy chauffeur that I ran past 6 times in 12 minutes gave me some weird looks, though. This morning we woke up to actual snow on the ground and another 60' on the trainer (OK, 50' for me because I was running late). Tomorrow is the evil day with another 2350 yards at the pool and then somehow making room for a 60' run and hosting a happy hour. Hopefully things will be melted and dried out in Rock Creek for Saturday morning, but I'm not holding out hope that it will be warm at all.
Despite the weather, or rather in spite of the weather, training pushes onwards. Build week #2 began with the 30' Sunday continuous swim. I was able to get in 1650 yards in just under 30 minutes. That's the 1.5K swim right there! I never would have thought I'd reach that sub-30' milestone, so it felt really good. Monday was a 40' bike (indoors, of course). Tuesday morning swim practice: 2300 yards; 35' minute run with a bunch of hill workouts. These hurt, but obviously I found a good hill. The embassy chauffeur that I ran past 6 times in 12 minutes gave me some weird looks, though. This morning we woke up to actual snow on the ground and another 60' on the trainer (OK, 50' for me because I was running late). Tomorrow is the evil day with another 2350 yards at the pool and then somehow making room for a 60' run and hosting a happy hour. Hopefully things will be melted and dried out in Rock Creek for Saturday morning, but I'm not holding out hope that it will be warm at all.
Friday, February 09, 2007
Easy as 1, 2, 3?
At the beginning of the training program we were supplied with three levels of workouts corresponding to beginner, intermediate, and advanced fitness levels for participants. The idea is that you should pick a program and stick with it. For the swim workouts there is usually 2-300 yards difference between each level; biking around 5-10'; running usually 5', but some of the Level 3 runs are significantly longer. I started out squarely in Level 1 based mostly on the run schedule (where I need the most work). Liz, Steph and I quickly moved to Level 2 in the water since we had started that on our own before Thanksgiving, and now the coach has pushed me into Level 3. Bike? I'm sticking with Level 2 now; an extra 5' on the bike is not as big of a deal as an extra 5' on the run. Running? I tried to do Level 2 for a bit but am very wary of pushing myself too hard too fast; sticking to Level 1 for now. Nothing would derail this whole training thing faster than a running injury. So basically I'm all over the place in each training plan!
I was pumped on Tuesday to jump into the Level 3 workout on a non-EZ week. Well, as pumped as I can be at 5:30 in the morning when the wind chill is below zero outside, which isn't all that much. The workout we were given was listed as 2350 yards (Level 2 was 2000). However, the math didn't add up. Total for the different parts of the workout gave us 1850 for #3 and 1800 for #2. Hmmm. Teen and I had a lane to ourselves and went about with the workout as written. My usual #2 lane was given an extra 100 yd interval by the coach so they ended up doing more than we did. So much for leveling up! It was a good workout, though. I'm really feeling strong in the water. On the 15 second walk out to the car Liz and Steph's exposed wet hair froze solid. Yikes.
Wednesday was a 50' ride (Level 2) on the trainer. Hooray for saved shows on DVR! The trainer is really mind-numbing without any distractions. We had also done a 40' bike on Monday with some hill intervals which I simulated by just shifting into a higher gear. Thursdays are gearing up to be the real killer days from now on, both in the workout itself and the challenge of actually fitting them in. To wit, yesterday was 2000 yards in the pool (Level 3) and a 50' run (Level 1). We got to the pool at 6:00 as normal, but getting back home a little after 8:00 doesn't leave room for the run. I didn't get home until after 7:00 by which time it was dark with wind chills in the low single digits. Ugh. Luckily I'm taking my birthday off today from work (kinda sorta not really) so was able to run for 50' after it had warmed up a little bit. A little bit; it was still damn cold. And I've continued my uncanny ability to come in at an almost exactly 10 minute mile pace for new routes I've never tried before. I guess consistency is something, but I'm not seeing much improvement there yet. I won't be able to do the split workout every week (and sacrifice our off day), so as these long runs start creeping up to 65' and 70' I'll need to figure out a schedule that fits into the work day. It was much easier when these long runs were on Sunday.
Tomorrow is the regular Saturday brick: 90' bike + 15' run. Again it is out in the middle of nowhere (from this D.C. resident's viewpoint). Matt and Andrew are coming down in the late morning so there is no way we'd be able to work out with the group and get back in time. I think we've accumulated enough warm bike gear to have a go at biking the canal trail or down to Hains Point for 90' and be back and dressed in time. We'll see how the birthday dinner goes tonight!
I was pumped on Tuesday to jump into the Level 3 workout on a non-EZ week. Well, as pumped as I can be at 5:30 in the morning when the wind chill is below zero outside, which isn't all that much. The workout we were given was listed as 2350 yards (Level 2 was 2000). However, the math didn't add up. Total for the different parts of the workout gave us 1850 for #3 and 1800 for #2. Hmmm. Teen and I had a lane to ourselves and went about with the workout as written. My usual #2 lane was given an extra 100 yd interval by the coach so they ended up doing more than we did. So much for leveling up! It was a good workout, though. I'm really feeling strong in the water. On the 15 second walk out to the car Liz and Steph's exposed wet hair froze solid. Yikes.
Wednesday was a 50' ride (Level 2) on the trainer. Hooray for saved shows on DVR! The trainer is really mind-numbing without any distractions. We had also done a 40' bike on Monday with some hill intervals which I simulated by just shifting into a higher gear. Thursdays are gearing up to be the real killer days from now on, both in the workout itself and the challenge of actually fitting them in. To wit, yesterday was 2000 yards in the pool (Level 3) and a 50' run (Level 1). We got to the pool at 6:00 as normal, but getting back home a little after 8:00 doesn't leave room for the run. I didn't get home until after 7:00 by which time it was dark with wind chills in the low single digits. Ugh. Luckily I'm taking my birthday off today from work (kinda sorta not really) so was able to run for 50' after it had warmed up a little bit. A little bit; it was still damn cold. And I've continued my uncanny ability to come in at an almost exactly 10 minute mile pace for new routes I've never tried before. I guess consistency is something, but I'm not seeing much improvement there yet. I won't be able to do the split workout every week (and sacrifice our off day), so as these long runs start creeping up to 65' and 70' I'll need to figure out a schedule that fits into the work day. It was much easier when these long runs were on Sunday.
Tomorrow is the regular Saturday brick: 90' bike + 15' run. Again it is out in the middle of nowhere (from this D.C. resident's viewpoint). Matt and Andrew are coming down in the late morning so there is no way we'd be able to work out with the group and get back in time. I think we've accumulated enough warm bike gear to have a go at biking the canal trail or down to Hains Point for 90' and be back and dressed in time. We'll see how the birthday dinner goes tonight!
Monday, February 05, 2007
Round two, fight!!
Today marks the beginning of our second main 3-week build cycle. Last week's relative rest and relaxation are behind us. It was a good week overall, as it should have been. The only big challenge I faced was doing the Level 3 swim workout for the first time on Thursday. I got through it without much of a problem; I have more confidence that I'll be able to hang at the back of the Level 3 pack tomorrow if coach Meghan makes me. 
I also got a new suit that's, um, a bit more streamlined than the one I was using before. I can't say I feel the difference in the water but my lap times have definitely improved. During the 30' swim on Sunday I was able to go 1600 yds, a pretty big increase over 1450 from 2 weeks ago.
Oh, and Teen seems to think I now am harnessing the spirit of the jaguar. Don't ask. Rawr!!
Saturday was a 25' run, and it was cold. Not as bad as the week before, but I'd bought new ski gloves and came prepared. They were a bit too warm, though. I had to take them off half way through. I'm determined to find a happy medium.
This week:
Monday: Bike 40', 6 x 1' hill repeats
Tuesday: Swim practice + 30' run, 6 x 1' repeats
Wednesday: Bike 50' EZ
Thursday: Swim + 55' long run (ugh)
Friday: OFF
Saturday: Brick workout, 90' bike + 15' run
Sunday: Swim
On top of all that? It was about 12 degrees (without wind chill) when I left the house this morning. That makes exercising outside dicey. It also means trying to do the workouts indoors on the trainer (meh) or the treadmill (terrible). I'm hoping it will warm up for Thursday a bit since 55' on a treadmill is like some sort of special personal hell. At least with the trainer at home it's easy to read or watch something interesting on TV. At the gym all you have is your music and whatever crap they have on TV.
I also got a new suit that's, um, a bit more streamlined than the one I was using before. I can't say I feel the difference in the water but my lap times have definitely improved. During the 30' swim on Sunday I was able to go 1600 yds, a pretty big increase over 1450 from 2 weeks ago.
Oh, and Teen seems to think I now am harnessing the spirit of the jaguar. Don't ask. Rawr!!Saturday was a 25' run, and it was cold. Not as bad as the week before, but I'd bought new ski gloves and came prepared. They were a bit too warm, though. I had to take them off half way through. I'm determined to find a happy medium.
This week:
Monday: Bike 40', 6 x 1' hill repeats
Tuesday: Swim practice + 30' run, 6 x 1' repeats
Wednesday: Bike 50' EZ
Thursday: Swim + 55' long run (ugh)
Friday: OFF
Saturday: Brick workout, 90' bike + 15' run
Sunday: Swim
On top of all that? It was about 12 degrees (without wind chill) when I left the house this morning. That makes exercising outside dicey. It also means trying to do the workouts indoors on the trainer (meh) or the treadmill (terrible). I'm hoping it will warm up for Thursday a bit since 55' on a treadmill is like some sort of special personal hell. At least with the trainer at home it's easy to read or watch something interesting on TV. At the gym all you have is your music and whatever crap they have on TV.
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