One of the things I wanted to do this year was actually take vacation days during the year rather than save them up until December, forcing me to take half the month off in order to use up the days. I figured that since I'm doing all this exercise, these days off could be put to good use for long exercise sessions that I would not have otherwise been able to get in.
So today I took the day off from work, and got another good length bike ride in. I didn't want to wait until tomorrow, as I found last week after my bike ride that I was still recovering to some degree the following day. Not a big deal when the following days run is only 5 miles, but this weekends run is 15. Big difference.
In an attempt to find another good bike route, I decided to head north today towards the Chelmsford area. There is a place called Kimball's farm in that area that has malted moo crunch ice cream - which is only the absolute best ice cream ever. A quick look on mapquest showed that it is about 23 miles from the house. Since I was getting a little bit of a later start (around 2 pm), a total of 46 miles would be a good distance.
Once I got to Kimballs, I met up with a friend who lives in the area who usually works from home on Fridays. We chatted for about 45 minutes before I started heading back. While it was a decent enough ride, I was a little disappointed because it was a little too traffic heavy for my taste. I'd really like to find some nice wide shouldered country roads in this area, but I fear that E Mass offers no such luxuries. I may try that route again some weekend when the traffic is maybe a bit lighter.
Total Distance: 46 miles
Total Cycling Time: 3:02:47 (does not include 40 min @ Kimballs and about 8 min @ CVS to pick up water)
Avg HR: 153
Friday, May 22, 2009
Thursday, May 21, 2009
3.8 mile run - 5/21
The past few weeks, Thursday has been my interval day. However, I did intervals on Tuesday, and I thought today might be a good day to do hills, which I've neglected for a couple weeks. The normal 'hill' loop I do, which is only 3.4 miles, would be intense enough to be worthwhile, but not so intense that it should impact my ability to do the 15 miles that is coming up this weekend.
This time I did something a little different, though. Normally, when I do this hill loop I only end up with about 0.2 miles of warmup before the hill. Today I did about 0.4 miles extra in the beginning, to get things warmed up. Also - today was rather warm, and so it occured to me that I need to get myself prepared for my times to start backing off. With the extra heat and humidity to make the air less dense, and the extra effort required by the body for cooling, that all combines to make running more difficult and intense.
While running in the summer is not fun because of these factors, I'm trying a different perspective on it. I figure that if I can continue to work hard during the time of year when running is most laborious, that'll just make running in the fall that much more efficient. My theory is that it is kind of like doing intervals, where you are pushing back the boundaries of what your body can handle in terms of energy available for the exercise, but without the same type of intensity. My idea may be full of crap - but either way, I know enough from experience that I can expect my performance to seemingly suffer during the hot weather. It's just my hope that come fall when the weather starts to cool off again, I'll have a performance bounce that will be nice to see.
Total Distance: 3.8 miles
Total Time: 32:54 (28:56 for the 3.4 mile loop, for comparison purposes)
Avg HR: 159 (163 for the 3.4 mile loop)
This time I did something a little different, though. Normally, when I do this hill loop I only end up with about 0.2 miles of warmup before the hill. Today I did about 0.4 miles extra in the beginning, to get things warmed up. Also - today was rather warm, and so it occured to me that I need to get myself prepared for my times to start backing off. With the extra heat and humidity to make the air less dense, and the extra effort required by the body for cooling, that all combines to make running more difficult and intense.
While running in the summer is not fun because of these factors, I'm trying a different perspective on it. I figure that if I can continue to work hard during the time of year when running is most laborious, that'll just make running in the fall that much more efficient. My theory is that it is kind of like doing intervals, where you are pushing back the boundaries of what your body can handle in terms of energy available for the exercise, but without the same type of intensity. My idea may be full of crap - but either way, I know enough from experience that I can expect my performance to seemingly suffer during the hot weather. It's just my hope that come fall when the weather starts to cool off again, I'll have a performance bounce that will be nice to see.
Total Distance: 3.8 miles
Total Time: 32:54 (28:56 for the 3.4 mile loop, for comparison purposes)
Avg HR: 159 (163 for the 3.4 mile loop)
Swimming: intervals 5/21
I neglected to put an entry in for this swimming session, and before I remembered, I had already done the next days run which wiped out my timing info for number of intervals, etc.
Regardless, this day's swimming session started out with the ~3 minutes of warmup @ power setting of 40. I then did some intervals at a power setting of 70, with the same cycle - 2 minutes interval, 1 minute rest. I believe I did 6 of them. I then tried the power setting at 80, and was able to manage 1 minute before having to stop.
After that, I went back down to 70 - but the interval at 80 gassed me so much that I stopped. In retrospect, I probably should have just taken a couple minutes rest after the 1 minute at 80 in order to be able to continue - but at the time I was interested in stressing my arms out for the purpose of building strength.
Regardless, this day's swimming session started out with the ~3 minutes of warmup @ power setting of 40. I then did some intervals at a power setting of 70, with the same cycle - 2 minutes interval, 1 minute rest. I believe I did 6 of them. I then tried the power setting at 80, and was able to manage 1 minute before having to stop.
After that, I went back down to 70 - but the interval at 80 gassed me so much that I stopped. In retrospect, I probably should have just taken a couple minutes rest after the 1 minute at 80 in order to be able to continue - but at the time I was interested in stressing my arms out for the purpose of building strength.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
5 mile run (intervals) - 5/19
I decided to do this weeks interval workout today, as this coming weekends run is 15 miles, and I didn't want to exhaust myself late in the week and have my legs still be recovering for that long run.
When I initially started out, I felt like on the first interval that I was going to have a tough run. I think my first interval ended at around the same spot as it usually ends, but I felt much more winded and my legs felt more stressed. It occured to me that I may have started out a little more dehydrated, so maybe that was it.
After going through a few intervals, something definately felt off from the other interval workouts. It seemed like I was working harder, my legs were becoming more tired, and the spots at which my intervals ended were different. It seemed as though I had lost a step.
Lap 1: 9:06 (warm up)
Lap 2: 1:31 End HR: 179
Lap 3: 1:00 End HR: 149
Lap 4: 1:30 End HR: 181
Lap 5: 1:00 End HR: 147
Lap 6: 1:31 End HR: 180
Lap 7: 1:00 End HR: 145
Lap 8: 1:30 End HR: 182
Lap 9: 1:00 End HR: 149
Lap 10: 1:32 End HR: 175
Lap 11: 1:00 End HR: 142
Lap 12: 1:30 End HR: 180
Lap 13: 1:00 End HR: 146
Lap 14: 1:30 End HR: 179
Lap 15: 1:00 End HR: 147
Lap 16: 1:30 End HR: 178
Lap 17: 1:00 End HR: 147
Lap 18: 1:30 End HR: 174
Lap 19: 1:00 End HR: 144
Lap 20: 1:30 End HR: 175
Lap 21: 1:00 End HR: 140
Lap 22: 1:30 End HR: 179
Lap 23: 1:00 End HR: 147
Lap 24: 1:30 End HR: 179
Lap 25: 1:00 End HR: 137
Lap 26: 7:27 Avg HR: 158 (cooldown)
So here is where tracking progress can be helpful. I definately felt like I was working harder, and the end HR of the intervals (and even the rest intervals) show that. Whereas before, the end HR of the running intervals were in the mid 170's - this time around they tended to be closer to the high 170's and sometimes in the 180's. The rest intervals previously ended in the low 140's, and this time they tended to be closer to the mid/high 140's. I noticed a difference during the rest intervals as well - before I'd find that my HR would stay pretty high (> 170) for 20 seconds or so, and in the last 40 seconds it would start to plummet. This time, it stayed in the 170's for a solid 30 seconds, leaving less time for it to continue coming down before the next run interval.
In the end, the total time for this run was 46:48, whereas my other two interval runs were around 48 minutes. So, proof positive that even though I felt like I had lost a step and was working harder to accomplish less - I was actually just improving and pushing myself a bit harder.
When I initially started out, I felt like on the first interval that I was going to have a tough run. I think my first interval ended at around the same spot as it usually ends, but I felt much more winded and my legs felt more stressed. It occured to me that I may have started out a little more dehydrated, so maybe that was it.
After going through a few intervals, something definately felt off from the other interval workouts. It seemed like I was working harder, my legs were becoming more tired, and the spots at which my intervals ended were different. It seemed as though I had lost a step.
Lap 1: 9:06 (warm up)
Lap 2: 1:31 End HR: 179
Lap 3: 1:00 End HR: 149
Lap 4: 1:30 End HR: 181
Lap 5: 1:00 End HR: 147
Lap 6: 1:31 End HR: 180
Lap 7: 1:00 End HR: 145
Lap 8: 1:30 End HR: 182
Lap 9: 1:00 End HR: 149
Lap 10: 1:32 End HR: 175
Lap 11: 1:00 End HR: 142
Lap 12: 1:30 End HR: 180
Lap 13: 1:00 End HR: 146
Lap 14: 1:30 End HR: 179
Lap 15: 1:00 End HR: 147
Lap 16: 1:30 End HR: 178
Lap 17: 1:00 End HR: 147
Lap 18: 1:30 End HR: 174
Lap 19: 1:00 End HR: 144
Lap 20: 1:30 End HR: 175
Lap 21: 1:00 End HR: 140
Lap 22: 1:30 End HR: 179
Lap 23: 1:00 End HR: 147
Lap 24: 1:30 End HR: 179
Lap 25: 1:00 End HR: 137
Lap 26: 7:27 Avg HR: 158 (cooldown)
So here is where tracking progress can be helpful. I definately felt like I was working harder, and the end HR of the intervals (and even the rest intervals) show that. Whereas before, the end HR of the running intervals were in the mid 170's - this time around they tended to be closer to the high 170's and sometimes in the 180's. The rest intervals previously ended in the low 140's, and this time they tended to be closer to the mid/high 140's. I noticed a difference during the rest intervals as well - before I'd find that my HR would stay pretty high (> 170) for 20 seconds or so, and in the last 40 seconds it would start to plummet. This time, it stayed in the 170's for a solid 30 seconds, leaving less time for it to continue coming down before the next run interval.
In the end, the total time for this run was 46:48, whereas my other two interval runs were around 48 minutes. So, proof positive that even though I felt like I had lost a step and was working harder to accomplish less - I was actually just improving and pushing myself a bit harder.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Swimming: intervals 5/18
With the endless pool having been drained, refilled and retreated, I was finally able to get back in to do some swimming intervals.
Most of my swimming interval work has been at the 60 kPa setting, going for 2 minutes at that setting before resting for 1 minute. Feeling as though I had gotten to the point where I could step things up a bit, today I did just that.
Interval 1 - 2:01 (60)
Interval 2 - 2:02 (60)
Interval 3 - 1:59 (70)
Interval 4 - 2:05 (70)
Interval 5 - 2:03 (60)
Interval 6 - 2:00 (70)
Interval 7 - 2:02 (70)
Interval 8 - 1:30 (70)
Unfortunately I dont have very reliable HR information. My monitor showed avg rates of 96 and 117 for the first two intervals, which seems quite low, especially since my warm up avg HR was 103. Then, when the power setting was at 70, the chest strap didn't stay in place very well, and I ended up taking it off. Unless I get a swimming top, I think much of my swimming will have to be done without HR information.
Ultimately, this was a good session, as I found that I can handle the power setting of 70 for a couple minutes at a time with a 1 minute break in between. However, towards the end my arms were getting a bit too tired to continue on. Had I been in a different setting, where motivation is a bit higher, I'm sure I could have done the last 30 seconds. As it was, I ended up passing on my initial thought of having that last interval be at a power setting of 50. So 90 seconds at 70 is better than 120 seconds at 50.
Most of my swimming interval work has been at the 60 kPa setting, going for 2 minutes at that setting before resting for 1 minute. Feeling as though I had gotten to the point where I could step things up a bit, today I did just that.
Interval 1 - 2:01 (60)
Interval 2 - 2:02 (60)
Interval 3 - 1:59 (70)
Interval 4 - 2:05 (70)
Interval 5 - 2:03 (60)
Interval 6 - 2:00 (70)
Interval 7 - 2:02 (70)
Interval 8 - 1:30 (70)
Unfortunately I dont have very reliable HR information. My monitor showed avg rates of 96 and 117 for the first two intervals, which seems quite low, especially since my warm up avg HR was 103. Then, when the power setting was at 70, the chest strap didn't stay in place very well, and I ended up taking it off. Unless I get a swimming top, I think much of my swimming will have to be done without HR information.
Ultimately, this was a good session, as I found that I can handle the power setting of 70 for a couple minutes at a time with a 1 minute break in between. However, towards the end my arms were getting a bit too tired to continue on. Had I been in a different setting, where motivation is a bit higher, I'm sure I could have done the last 30 seconds. As it was, I ended up passing on my initial thought of having that last interval be at a power setting of 50. So 90 seconds at 70 is better than 120 seconds at 50.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
5 mile run - 5/17
Today's run was a short 5 miles, as last weekend was 13 miles, and next weekend the mileage increases to 15.
I still felt a bit gassed from yesterday's bike ride, even after a good solid sleep last night. So I kept the run today reasonably slow and easy.
Total Distance: 5.25 miles
Total Time: 49:11
Avg HR: 151
I was reasonably happy with the fact that I was able to maintain a HR in the low 150's for pretty much the whole run. I was intentionally going slow (9-9:30 min/miles), but sometimes the HR can creep up - especially after a solid workout like I had on the bike the day before. I'm sure that ride still accounted for a few extra bpm, as it seemed like my times increased from the 9 min/mile pace to 10 min/mile over the course of the 5 miles.
I still felt a bit gassed from yesterday's bike ride, even after a good solid sleep last night. So I kept the run today reasonably slow and easy.
Total Distance: 5.25 miles
Total Time: 49:11
Avg HR: 151
I was reasonably happy with the fact that I was able to maintain a HR in the low 150's for pretty much the whole run. I was intentionally going slow (9-9:30 min/miles), but sometimes the HR can creep up - especially after a solid workout like I had on the bike the day before. I'm sure that ride still accounted for a few extra bpm, as it seemed like my times increased from the 9 min/mile pace to 10 min/mile over the course of the 5 miles.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
47 mile bike ride - 5/16
I haven't done much in the way of exercise in the past few days. After Tuesdays hard run, I occasionally felt a little something in my shin that just wasn't quite right. So I skipped Thursdays interval day. With the endless pool being refreshed (the water was becoming opaque - so it was drained and refilled), which requires some time for the chemical treatment to calm down, I basically took Wed-Fri off.
Since this weekends run is relatively short at 5 miles, I decided to go on a decent length bike ride. I rode the same Wachusett reservoir trip I did a few weeks ago, where the hills really did a number on me and kicked my ass.
Not so, this time around. There were a couple minor differences between this time and last:
- a little cooler today
- not being the first long ride of the season
- raising the saddle up about 1/2 inches, which is still about 2 inches too low for optimum power. However, I've been willing to sacrifice some power for ability to put my feet on the ground while sitting on the saddle. At least until I get more used to the clipless pedals
- having had a good fast tempo run earlier in the week, sustaining a high heartrate.
While I'm sure all those factors had an effect in my improved speed this time, I'm actually thinking that it not being the first long ride of the season and doing the hard tempo run earlier in the week were the most beneficial. Today, I had much more power on each stroke while ascending the hills, whereas before it was just enough power to keep moving. I was actually able to accelerate in some instances while going uphill, and I was much more easily able to keep momentum.
It being cooler today also had the effect that I was able to do the whole trip with 2 x 24 oz bottles of gatorade. Although I brought mix with me in the event I needed to stop and get more water, as it turned out I didn't need to.
Total Distance: 47 miles
Total Time: 3:00:47
Avg HR: 152
Todays time was a good 20 minutes faster than the last time. My average speed last time was about 14.2 mph, and today it was about 15.6 - a 10% increase. Thats a fairly significant jump, so I'm pleased with the results.
Since this weekends run is relatively short at 5 miles, I decided to go on a decent length bike ride. I rode the same Wachusett reservoir trip I did a few weeks ago, where the hills really did a number on me and kicked my ass.
Not so, this time around. There were a couple minor differences between this time and last:
- a little cooler today
- not being the first long ride of the season
- raising the saddle up about 1/2 inches, which is still about 2 inches too low for optimum power. However, I've been willing to sacrifice some power for ability to put my feet on the ground while sitting on the saddle. At least until I get more used to the clipless pedals
- having had a good fast tempo run earlier in the week, sustaining a high heartrate.
While I'm sure all those factors had an effect in my improved speed this time, I'm actually thinking that it not being the first long ride of the season and doing the hard tempo run earlier in the week were the most beneficial. Today, I had much more power on each stroke while ascending the hills, whereas before it was just enough power to keep moving. I was actually able to accelerate in some instances while going uphill, and I was much more easily able to keep momentum.
It being cooler today also had the effect that I was able to do the whole trip with 2 x 24 oz bottles of gatorade. Although I brought mix with me in the event I needed to stop and get more water, as it turned out I didn't need to.
Total Distance: 47 miles
Total Time: 3:00:47
Avg HR: 152
Todays time was a good 20 minutes faster than the last time. My average speed last time was about 14.2 mph, and today it was about 15.6 - a 10% increase. Thats a fairly significant jump, so I'm pleased with the results.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
40 minutes run - 5/13
This morning I was still a little bit sore from Sundays events, so I initially thought that maybe I'd take an extra day of rest and not run this evening - especially since I am figuring on doing intervals later this week. By the time I got home though, I considered the concepts in a training program - the alternation of stress and rest. A hard day is followed by a day of rest, but later on in the program, hard weeks are followed by lighter weeks. So it occured to me that I could apply the same concept here - have a hard week this week(triathlon and long run on Sunday, fast tempo run today, intervals on Thursday), and then have an easier week next week, when Sundays run is 5 miles.
So thats what I did - today I ran the 5 mile loop at a fast pace, looking to see how I'd compare to the time I ran the loop last year when I did sub 8 min/miles for the entire 5 miles. As I passed the first mile, I was somewhere near the 8:10 min mark, but by the time I passed the 2 mile mark, I realized that I had run a sub 8 min/mile for that second mile. Whats more, while it was uncomfortable - I also realized that I could likely sustain that level of effort for the rest of the run. So as I passed each mile mark, I found I was maintaining around a 7:50 min/mile pace. It gradually got more difficult - but interestingly enough it wasn't quite as hard as the first time I ran the loop at a sub 8 min/mile pace, and not as hard as the hilly St Patricks day race earlier this year.
Total Distance: 5.25 miles
Total Time: 41:29
Avg HR: 168
The HR is not too much of a surprise - I would expect that it would be in the high 160 range for this pace. If anything, I'm a little surprised it actually wasn't more like 172 or 173 - especially because it was just about always > 170 whenever I looked. However, I'm positive that if the overall average were that high, I would have been much more fatigued and it would have been mentally much tougher. On the other hand, comparing to the time I ran this loop last fall, my HR was slightly lower then at 166.
So thats what I did - today I ran the 5 mile loop at a fast pace, looking to see how I'd compare to the time I ran the loop last year when I did sub 8 min/miles for the entire 5 miles. As I passed the first mile, I was somewhere near the 8:10 min mark, but by the time I passed the 2 mile mark, I realized that I had run a sub 8 min/mile for that second mile. Whats more, while it was uncomfortable - I also realized that I could likely sustain that level of effort for the rest of the run. So as I passed each mile mark, I found I was maintaining around a 7:50 min/mile pace. It gradually got more difficult - but interestingly enough it wasn't quite as hard as the first time I ran the loop at a sub 8 min/mile pace, and not as hard as the hilly St Patricks day race earlier this year.
Total Distance: 5.25 miles
Total Time: 41:29
Avg HR: 168
The HR is not too much of a surprise - I would expect that it would be in the high 160 range for this pace. If anything, I'm a little surprised it actually wasn't more like 172 or 173 - especially because it was just about always > 170 whenever I looked. However, I'm positive that if the overall average were that high, I would have been much more fatigued and it would have been mentally much tougher. On the other hand, comparing to the time I ran this loop last fall, my HR was slightly lower then at 166.
Monday, May 11, 2009
13 mile run - 5/10
This weekends run was to be 13 miles. Since I had already done 2 miles in the triathlon in the morning, I had a couple options. I could either put off the 13 miles until the next day, or I could run 11 miles on the same day. I didn't want to run an extra 13 miles (in addition to the 2 miles) because I didn't want to impose that much extra stress onto my knees. The program I'm following has an increase in mileage of 2 miles every other week, up until the long slow run is 15 miles, at which point it adds 3 miles every 3rd week.
As it turned out, doing the triathlon in the beginning part of the day helped keep me from going too fast on this run. My legs still a bit tired from the more anerobic exertion earlier in the day, and still feeling the awkwardness of a bike-run workout, it was pretty easy to do one of the major components of the Galloway running program - walk breaks.
Since the whole entire point of these long runs is to build aerobic capacity and inrease physical endurance (Galloway even says that you cannot go too slow on these runs - suggesting a speed 2 min/mile slower than a normal run pace), taking a walk break now and again is definately recommended. Having some degree of familiarity with taking walk breaks thanks to the interval runs, and todays run being pretty much the longest distance I've run (it IS a half marathon distance, afterall) - it made it easier for me to put any ego aside and just do the mileage.
So, from the start, I ran a pattern of running for 8-11 minutes, followed by a walk break for 1 minute. After finishing the first loop of 6 miles, I ended up taking an 8 minute break - most of it was walking back to the house to drop off my gatorade bottle and get a refill. I then set off again, doing my normal 5.25 mile loop. I kept the same pattern throughout, and I think I found the mental challenge of the run eased a bit with the walk breaks. Towards the end, knowing I just had to do 2-3 more running segments was a lot easier to swallow as opposed to knowing I still had an entire 20-30 minutes left.
Total Time: 2:02:11 (includes the 8 minute break)
Total Distance: 11.25 miles
Avg HR: 153 (average over the entire time)
My HR above is a little deceptive. Although the walk breaks helped bring my HR down, I think my body was already in somewhat of an anaerobic zone from earlier in the day. I think that kept the HR a bit higher (around 160) than usual for these runs. Compared to the last long run of 11 miles where my avg HR was 147, the numbers seem to support that idea.
As it turned out, doing the triathlon in the beginning part of the day helped keep me from going too fast on this run. My legs still a bit tired from the more anerobic exertion earlier in the day, and still feeling the awkwardness of a bike-run workout, it was pretty easy to do one of the major components of the Galloway running program - walk breaks.
Since the whole entire point of these long runs is to build aerobic capacity and inrease physical endurance (Galloway even says that you cannot go too slow on these runs - suggesting a speed 2 min/mile slower than a normal run pace), taking a walk break now and again is definately recommended. Having some degree of familiarity with taking walk breaks thanks to the interval runs, and todays run being pretty much the longest distance I've run (it IS a half marathon distance, afterall) - it made it easier for me to put any ego aside and just do the mileage.
So, from the start, I ran a pattern of running for 8-11 minutes, followed by a walk break for 1 minute. After finishing the first loop of 6 miles, I ended up taking an 8 minute break - most of it was walking back to the house to drop off my gatorade bottle and get a refill. I then set off again, doing my normal 5.25 mile loop. I kept the same pattern throughout, and I think I found the mental challenge of the run eased a bit with the walk breaks. Towards the end, knowing I just had to do 2-3 more running segments was a lot easier to swallow as opposed to knowing I still had an entire 20-30 minutes left.
Total Time: 2:02:11 (includes the 8 minute break)
Total Distance: 11.25 miles
Avg HR: 153 (average over the entire time)
My HR above is a little deceptive. Although the walk breaks helped bring my HR down, I think my body was already in somewhat of an anaerobic zone from earlier in the day. I think that kept the HR a bit higher (around 160) than usual for these runs. Compared to the last long run of 11 miles where my avg HR was 147, the numbers seem to support that idea.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Sudbury Spring Spring Tri - 5/10
So today was the day of the sprint tri I had registered for at the beginning of the year. My primary goal for this was absolutely not-at-all time based or anything - but simply to see what the transitions and logistics around them were like. I had originally figured that as time got closer, I'd be more and more concerned with my performance (in that I'd want to do everything possible to improve my times), but I was surprised over the past couple days how much I just did not care. For example, I never went to scope out the course (which I figured I'd do, since it was close by), I didn't pack things up and prepare the night before - all those little things that one does as sort of a nervous restless habit to get all ducks in a row, I didn't do. I actually thought 'hey, if I get DQ'd for any reason - no big deal. As long as I see what the transitions are like'.
There were about 500 participants in the event, numbered not by order of registration, but by order of estimated swim time. The swim portion was 400 yds, which meant 8 up-and-back laps of a 25 yd pool. So you'd enter on one side of the pool, go up and back, and then move over to the next lane. Rinse and repeat 7 more times, and you've got the 8 x 50 laps. By doing so, it was possible to start a participant every 15 seconds. However, with 500 people, that still took a while to go through. I submitted my estimated swim time of 8-9 minutes, based on the 400's I had done over the past couple weeks. I ended up with number 329 - so I had to wait about an hour and a half before I could get going. It actually turned out to be good - because during that time I could see what the earlier participants were doing in those transitions, and I could try to observe a couple tricks and tips.
I quickly realized why I hear people involved in triathlons always say they need work on their swimming portion. Although my estimated time put me at number 329, I really should have probably been in the low 200's or so - because I was seeing a lot of people in that range swimming and thinking to myself that they were swimming a similar, or slower, speed than I could do. I passed two people in the pool within the first 100 yds, passed three people total, and in the last 25 could have passed a fourth person. The only reason I didn't was because the swim portion was just about done, and it would have only gained me a few seconds.
So, it appears that although much of my swimming workouts have not been optimized for performance, and although the endless pool is quite a bit different than swimming laps in a pool - there is no doubt that it had a major effect on my swimming ability. Having free access to that endless pool is an advantage whose value cannot be denied.
After the swim was over, it was out of the pool and a run over to the transition area to get my biking socks, shoes, shirt, and helmet on. Once gathered together, you run your bike over to the bike start line and mount up. The bike course was a double 3.5 mile loop, with little in the way of hills. I kept it easy on the first loop, figuring I didn't want to gas myself right away, and that I could accelerate on the 2nd loop after I had seen the loop once already. Based on my cyclometer, I maintained a 15 mph pace - not too bad, but also not really any different then most rides I go on.
Once the second bike loop was done, you dismount the bike, run with the bike over the bike finish line, and bring the bike over to the transition area and put on running shoes, and jog over to the running start line.
The entire time, I thought that the run would be my sweet spot. I run more than cycle or swim, I'm training for a half marathon - the running phase should be my binky. I even knew about the transition to running, and how legs feel like lead after biking. I even purposely went through that experience the other week when I biked home from work, and then went out for a run.
This was different. I dont know whether it was the relative lack of rest (doing a brick workout before, I had some time in between - not much, but at least something like 10 minutes) - but it kinda kicked my ass this time. I didn't have my HR monitor on, so I couldn't see whether my body was exerting itself more than expected or not. I remember when I did a brick workout before that I felt like I was working hard and going slow, but my HR and pace were right on target. Basically, any internal tuning mechanism you develop to gauge yourself in intensity gets thrown out the window when you switch from biking to running. So I was kinda running blind. But there wasn't much that could be done about it, so I kept plodding along. Even after the 2.4 miles of the run, my legs never quite felt in running mode.
All in all, it was a fun experience. I wish I had remembered to start my stop watch at the various start and end times, but I didn't - so now I have to wait for the results to be posted online to see how I did.
EDIT: Turns out the run was more like 2.2 miles, not 2.4.
The results are in, and here is my line:
Bib: 329
Group: Males 30-34
Swimming category place: 11 (out of 14)
Swimming overall: 128
Swim time: 7:12
Bike category place: 10 (out of 14)
Bike overall: 168
Bike time: 27:07
Run category place: 12 (out of 14)
Run overall: 161
Run time: 19:11
Category overall place: 11 (out of 14)
Overall place: 145 (out of 412 people who finished)
Overall time: 53:31
As far as I always understood - the transition times are included in the overall timing. Totalling up the swim, bike and run times, though - it appears that is not the case. Had I known that, I would have rested for a couple minutes between each event!
There were about 500 participants in the event, numbered not by order of registration, but by order of estimated swim time. The swim portion was 400 yds, which meant 8 up-and-back laps of a 25 yd pool. So you'd enter on one side of the pool, go up and back, and then move over to the next lane. Rinse and repeat 7 more times, and you've got the 8 x 50 laps. By doing so, it was possible to start a participant every 15 seconds. However, with 500 people, that still took a while to go through. I submitted my estimated swim time of 8-9 minutes, based on the 400's I had done over the past couple weeks. I ended up with number 329 - so I had to wait about an hour and a half before I could get going. It actually turned out to be good - because during that time I could see what the earlier participants were doing in those transitions, and I could try to observe a couple tricks and tips.
I quickly realized why I hear people involved in triathlons always say they need work on their swimming portion. Although my estimated time put me at number 329, I really should have probably been in the low 200's or so - because I was seeing a lot of people in that range swimming and thinking to myself that they were swimming a similar, or slower, speed than I could do. I passed two people in the pool within the first 100 yds, passed three people total, and in the last 25 could have passed a fourth person. The only reason I didn't was because the swim portion was just about done, and it would have only gained me a few seconds.
So, it appears that although much of my swimming workouts have not been optimized for performance, and although the endless pool is quite a bit different than swimming laps in a pool - there is no doubt that it had a major effect on my swimming ability. Having free access to that endless pool is an advantage whose value cannot be denied.
After the swim was over, it was out of the pool and a run over to the transition area to get my biking socks, shoes, shirt, and helmet on. Once gathered together, you run your bike over to the bike start line and mount up. The bike course was a double 3.5 mile loop, with little in the way of hills. I kept it easy on the first loop, figuring I didn't want to gas myself right away, and that I could accelerate on the 2nd loop after I had seen the loop once already. Based on my cyclometer, I maintained a 15 mph pace - not too bad, but also not really any different then most rides I go on.
Once the second bike loop was done, you dismount the bike, run with the bike over the bike finish line, and bring the bike over to the transition area and put on running shoes, and jog over to the running start line.
The entire time, I thought that the run would be my sweet spot. I run more than cycle or swim, I'm training for a half marathon - the running phase should be my binky. I even knew about the transition to running, and how legs feel like lead after biking. I even purposely went through that experience the other week when I biked home from work, and then went out for a run.
This was different. I dont know whether it was the relative lack of rest (doing a brick workout before, I had some time in between - not much, but at least something like 10 minutes) - but it kinda kicked my ass this time. I didn't have my HR monitor on, so I couldn't see whether my body was exerting itself more than expected or not. I remember when I did a brick workout before that I felt like I was working hard and going slow, but my HR and pace were right on target. Basically, any internal tuning mechanism you develop to gauge yourself in intensity gets thrown out the window when you switch from biking to running. So I was kinda running blind. But there wasn't much that could be done about it, so I kept plodding along. Even after the 2.4 miles of the run, my legs never quite felt in running mode.
All in all, it was a fun experience. I wish I had remembered to start my stop watch at the various start and end times, but I didn't - so now I have to wait for the results to be posted online to see how I did.
EDIT: Turns out the run was more like 2.2 miles, not 2.4.
The results are in, and here is my line:
Bib: 329
Group: Males 30-34
Swimming category place: 11 (out of 14)
Swimming overall: 128
Swim time: 7:12
Bike category place: 10 (out of 14)
Bike overall: 168
Bike time: 27:07
Run category place: 12 (out of 14)
Run overall: 161
Run time: 19:11
Category overall place: 11 (out of 14)
Overall place: 145 (out of 412 people who finished)
Overall time: 53:31
As far as I always understood - the transition times are included in the overall timing. Totalling up the swim, bike and run times, though - it appears that is not the case. Had I known that, I would have rested for a couple minutes between each event!
Thursday, May 7, 2009
5 Miles (intervals) - 5/7
I was rather pleased with how the interval session went last week (1:30 running/1 minute walk rest) that I decided to do it again. I toyed with the idea of going up to 2 minutes run - but I'd have to slow down a bit in order to keep that up, and that seemed a little counter productive. I didn't want to go with a shorter time (like 1 minute) quite yet because after a rest, it takes time to get the HR up - so I didn't know if I'd have the stamina to go as fast as I'd need to go in order to get the HR up quickly enough, and still be able to finish out the full minute.
During the run, I found that I wasn't really any faster than I was last week. I'd look at my watch, see how long I'd have until the 90 seconds was up, look ahead and say to myself 'that looks like the telephone pole I stopped at last time'. That happened for probably 8-9 intervals worth. Then there were a couple that I wasn't quite as sure about, and then the last interval ended at just about the same exact spot. Since the intervals are time based, I knew that the time would be very similar to what I had done before, and thus not really any faster.
Lap 1: 9:04 (warm up)
Lap 2: 1:32 End HR: 176
Lap 3: 0:59 End HR: 139
Lap 4: 1:32 End HR: 173
Lap 5: 0:59 End HR: 140
Lap 6: 1:31 End HR: 173
Lap 7: 1:00 End HR: 136
Lap 8: 1:32 End HR: 181
Lap 9: 1:00 End HR: 147
Lap 10: 1:30 End HR: 178
Lap 11: 1:00 End HR: 136
Lap 12: 1:33 End HR: 173
Lap 13: 1:00 End HR: 138
Lap 14: 1:31 End HR: 179
Lap 15: 1:00 End HR: 141
Lap 16: 1:30 End HR: 177
Lap 17: 1:00 End HR: 147
Lap 18: 1:32 End HR: 175
Lap 19: 1:00 End HR: 146
Lap 20: 1:30 End HR: 177
Lap 21: 1:03 End HR: 141
Lap 22: 1:31 End HR: 176
Lap 23: 1:00 End HR: 142
Lap 24: 1:32 End HR: 176
Lap 25: 1:00 End HR: 140
Lap 26: 8:52 Avg HR: 157 (cooldown)
When putting in these numbers, many of them (I'd say close to 50%) were exactly the same, either in terms of time or HR. The biggest difference was the cooldown run, where I consciously slowed down a bit as compared to last week, because I wanted to get the HR down.
During the run, I found that I wasn't really any faster than I was last week. I'd look at my watch, see how long I'd have until the 90 seconds was up, look ahead and say to myself 'that looks like the telephone pole I stopped at last time'. That happened for probably 8-9 intervals worth. Then there were a couple that I wasn't quite as sure about, and then the last interval ended at just about the same exact spot. Since the intervals are time based, I knew that the time would be very similar to what I had done before, and thus not really any faster.
Lap 1: 9:04 (warm up)
Lap 2: 1:32 End HR: 176
Lap 3: 0:59 End HR: 139
Lap 4: 1:32 End HR: 173
Lap 5: 0:59 End HR: 140
Lap 6: 1:31 End HR: 173
Lap 7: 1:00 End HR: 136
Lap 8: 1:32 End HR: 181
Lap 9: 1:00 End HR: 147
Lap 10: 1:30 End HR: 178
Lap 11: 1:00 End HR: 136
Lap 12: 1:33 End HR: 173
Lap 13: 1:00 End HR: 138
Lap 14: 1:31 End HR: 179
Lap 15: 1:00 End HR: 141
Lap 16: 1:30 End HR: 177
Lap 17: 1:00 End HR: 147
Lap 18: 1:32 End HR: 175
Lap 19: 1:00 End HR: 146
Lap 20: 1:30 End HR: 177
Lap 21: 1:03 End HR: 141
Lap 22: 1:31 End HR: 176
Lap 23: 1:00 End HR: 142
Lap 24: 1:32 End HR: 176
Lap 25: 1:00 End HR: 140
Lap 26: 8:52 Avg HR: 157 (cooldown)
When putting in these numbers, many of them (I'd say close to 50%) were exactly the same, either in terms of time or HR. The biggest difference was the cooldown run, where I consciously slowed down a bit as compared to last week, because I wanted to get the HR down.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
30 minutes run - 5/5
Today was a day I had slotted for doing a hill workout. I want to have some hills in my normal routine to help build strength.
One of the things I was reading about in the Galloway plan is the idea that the ankle is a lever. In the past, when ascending hills, I've toyed around with using the calf muscles more, and relieving some of the load from the quads and hamstrings. The problem I came across was that the calf muscles would tire out somewhat quickly. So I decided that if I'm going to do these hill workouts, I might use them as an opportunity to strengthen the calves - time, for the most part, would be a secondary concern.
Thats what I did today. I tried to concentrate on generating a much larger percentage of my forward momentum by pushing off with my calves as opposed to the quads and hamstrings. It definately did slow my time down - but I figure that if I can train myself to use my calf muscles more, I might be a little more explosive with each step, which should theoretically (in my mind) improve speed. Since it was my first time really trying to isolate another muscle group more, there were certainly times that I slid back into old habits - but at least it was a start.
Total Distance: 3.4 Miles
Total Time: 30:05
Avg HR: 156
A bit slower than my previous run on this loop (which clocked in at 28:41) - but it was close to the post Holyoke 10K time around the loop (29:41), with a noticable drop in HR (156 vs 161).
One of the things I was reading about in the Galloway plan is the idea that the ankle is a lever. In the past, when ascending hills, I've toyed around with using the calf muscles more, and relieving some of the load from the quads and hamstrings. The problem I came across was that the calf muscles would tire out somewhat quickly. So I decided that if I'm going to do these hill workouts, I might use them as an opportunity to strengthen the calves - time, for the most part, would be a secondary concern.
Thats what I did today. I tried to concentrate on generating a much larger percentage of my forward momentum by pushing off with my calves as opposed to the quads and hamstrings. It definately did slow my time down - but I figure that if I can train myself to use my calf muscles more, I might be a little more explosive with each step, which should theoretically (in my mind) improve speed. Since it was my first time really trying to isolate another muscle group more, there were certainly times that I slid back into old habits - but at least it was a start.
Total Distance: 3.4 Miles
Total Time: 30:05
Avg HR: 156
A bit slower than my previous run on this loop (which clocked in at 28:41) - but it was close to the post Holyoke 10K time around the loop (29:41), with a noticable drop in HR (156 vs 161).
Monday, May 4, 2009
Swimming: intervals @ 60 - 5/4
Today I did a short swimming workout in the endless pool. Previously, I had been using a power setting of 50-55 for these intervals, and oftentimes felt like the two minutes was just about right before taking a break. After doing a couple real pool workouts, and getting the sense that a pool workout is a bit more intense (and thus more conducive to building strength), I decided to up the power on the endless pool to 60.
I noticed a difference almost immediately. I felt strong, and even after the end of the two minute interval, I felt pretty strong. Minimally fatigued - yes, but by no means exhausted. It was a bit confusing, as I've tired out at that speed pretty quickly before. Granted, it was a few months ago, but still - I dont know that I've gained THAT much strength in two pool sessions. After the workout was over, and I was closing up the pool, it occured to me that I was likely increasing my cadence to keep pace with the current, rather than increasing the power per stroke. If I'm going to use this endless pool during the week for interval workouts, I should probably concentrate on using strong strokes to keep pace, rather than more frequent and less powerful ones.
Not listed below are the 1 minute rests between intervals. Power setting of 60.
Warmup: 3:44
Interval 1: 2:12 End HR 153
Interval 2: 2:03 End HR 157
Interval 3: 1:59 End HR 157
Interval 4: 2:05 End HR 162
Interval 5: 2:10 End HR 159
Interval 6: 2:09 End HR 159
Interval 7: 2:06 End HR 160
I noticed a difference almost immediately. I felt strong, and even after the end of the two minute interval, I felt pretty strong. Minimally fatigued - yes, but by no means exhausted. It was a bit confusing, as I've tired out at that speed pretty quickly before. Granted, it was a few months ago, but still - I dont know that I've gained THAT much strength in two pool sessions. After the workout was over, and I was closing up the pool, it occured to me that I was likely increasing my cadence to keep pace with the current, rather than increasing the power per stroke. If I'm going to use this endless pool during the week for interval workouts, I should probably concentrate on using strong strokes to keep pace, rather than more frequent and less powerful ones.
Not listed below are the 1 minute rests between intervals. Power setting of 60.
Warmup: 3:44
Interval 1: 2:12 End HR 153
Interval 2: 2:03 End HR 157
Interval 3: 1:59 End HR 157
Interval 4: 2:05 End HR 162
Interval 5: 2:10 End HR 159
Interval 6: 2:09 End HR 159
Interval 7: 2:06 End HR 160
Sunday, May 3, 2009
5 Mile run - 5/3
Since last weeks weekend run was 11 miles, and next weeks weekend run is 13 miles - this week is a recovery week, of sorts.
I had done intervals the other day, so I didn't want to do two interval sessions in a row. Also, I have sort of designated Tuesday to be a hill workout day to build strength. So I didn't want to do hills today. In the end, I decided I'd just do my normal 5 mile loop at a decent pace - not a slow/recovery pace like 150 bpm, but not an interval/anaerobic pace like 170.
Total Time: 47:23
Total Distance: 5.25 miles
Avg HR: 157
What stuck out to me when I was putting this info in my spreadsheet was that the time of 47:23 was very similar to the time to cover the exact same distance and exact same course as the interval workout the other day. The time that day was 47:58. Also, the average HR's were very similar - 157 vs 158. Of course in todays run, I was consistently at a HR of between 155-160, whereas with intervals it was a much broader range (130's to 170's). I don't think the similarities of the times and overall avg HR is indicative of anything, but I do find it interesting - mostly because the interval run included 12 minutes of walking!
I had done intervals the other day, so I didn't want to do two interval sessions in a row. Also, I have sort of designated Tuesday to be a hill workout day to build strength. So I didn't want to do hills today. In the end, I decided I'd just do my normal 5 mile loop at a decent pace - not a slow/recovery pace like 150 bpm, but not an interval/anaerobic pace like 170.
Total Time: 47:23
Total Distance: 5.25 miles
Avg HR: 157
What stuck out to me when I was putting this info in my spreadsheet was that the time of 47:23 was very similar to the time to cover the exact same distance and exact same course as the interval workout the other day. The time that day was 47:58. Also, the average HR's were very similar - 157 vs 158. Of course in todays run, I was consistently at a HR of between 155-160, whereas with intervals it was a much broader range (130's to 170's). I don't think the similarities of the times and overall avg HR is indicative of anything, but I do find it interesting - mostly because the interval run included 12 minutes of walking!
Swimming: ~1800 yds - 5/3
Today I went back to the Atkinson pool in Sudbury to do some lap swimming. I wanted to get a couple more 400 yd swims in, get more practice in a lap pool, and practice flip turns so that I might be proficient enough to use them in the sprint tri next weekend.
Unfortunately, I had to share a lane with other people during most of the time I was there. That made it a bit more difficult to practice the flip turns, because I dont have the swimming aerobic capacity to do them time after time without needing to slow down a bit. So - practicing flip turns was thrown out.
The other consequence of sharing a lane is that I wasn't as good about timing laps and keep track of how far I had gone between periods of rest. So my overall distance swum is unknown.
So in the end, it became an opportunity to just get some long distance swim time in. I decided to stay for an hour, including rest breaks. I think that was around the same amount of time I was there the week before, where I know I logged about 38 minutes of actual swim time. I think an estimate of 1/3 rest to 2/3 swimming is reasonably accurate.
Total Time: 1 Hr
Distance: ~1800 yds
Unfortunately, I had to share a lane with other people during most of the time I was there. That made it a bit more difficult to practice the flip turns, because I dont have the swimming aerobic capacity to do them time after time without needing to slow down a bit. So - practicing flip turns was thrown out.
The other consequence of sharing a lane is that I wasn't as good about timing laps and keep track of how far I had gone between periods of rest. So my overall distance swum is unknown.
So in the end, it became an opportunity to just get some long distance swim time in. I decided to stay for an hour, including rest breaks. I think that was around the same amount of time I was there the week before, where I know I logged about 38 minutes of actual swim time. I think an estimate of 1/3 rest to 2/3 swimming is reasonably accurate.
Total Time: 1 Hr
Distance: ~1800 yds
Friday, May 1, 2009
5 Miles (intervals) - 5/1
I think I have decided that the latter mid-week run, at least for the next few weeks, will be an interval/speed workout. It seems like a speed workout session once per week works well for me - partially because it gives me a goal, of sorts, for these shorter mid-week runs.
This time I followed a more structured plan, as opposed to last time which started out with fartleks. After a 1 mile warm up, I ran at a fast pace for 1:30, which put me into the 170's for HR for a good 30-40 seconds. Then I'd slow down, doing an acceleration glider, and walk for 1 minute. This would generally put me in the 130's for HR. Rinse and repeat for about 3 miles, and then finish off with a easy 1 mile cool down.
Lap 1: 9:04 (warm up)
Lap 2: 1:30 End HR: 173
Lap 3: 1:00 End HR: 135
Lap 4: 1:32 End HR: 176
Lap 5: 1:00 End HR: 136
Lap 6: 1:30 End HR: 175
Lap 7: 1:00 End HR: 136
Lap 8: 1:32 End HR: 176
Lap 9: 1:02 End HR: 138
Lap 10: 1:31 End HR: 175
Lap 11: 1:00 End HR: 138
Lap 12: 1:31 End HR: 176
Lap 13: 1:02 End HR: 140
Lap 14: 1:30 End HR: 174
Lap 15: 1:00 End HR: 142
Lap 16: 1:30 End HR: 176
Lap 17: 1:02 End HR: 141
Lap 18: 1:31 End HR: 173
Lap 19: 1:00 End HR: 145
Lap 20: 1:32 End HR: 173
Lap 21: 1:00 End HR: 137
Lap 22: 1:31 End HR: 176
Lap 23: 1:00 End HR: 143
Lap 24: 1:30 End HR: 175
Lap 25: 1:00 End HR: 138
Lap 26: 8:27 Avg HR: 159 (cooldown)
Total Distance: 5.25 Miles
Total Time: 47:58
Avg HR: 158
This time I followed a more structured plan, as opposed to last time which started out with fartleks. After a 1 mile warm up, I ran at a fast pace for 1:30, which put me into the 170's for HR for a good 30-40 seconds. Then I'd slow down, doing an acceleration glider, and walk for 1 minute. This would generally put me in the 130's for HR. Rinse and repeat for about 3 miles, and then finish off with a easy 1 mile cool down.
Lap 1: 9:04 (warm up)
Lap 2: 1:30 End HR: 173
Lap 3: 1:00 End HR: 135
Lap 4: 1:32 End HR: 176
Lap 5: 1:00 End HR: 136
Lap 6: 1:30 End HR: 175
Lap 7: 1:00 End HR: 136
Lap 8: 1:32 End HR: 176
Lap 9: 1:02 End HR: 138
Lap 10: 1:31 End HR: 175
Lap 11: 1:00 End HR: 138
Lap 12: 1:31 End HR: 176
Lap 13: 1:02 End HR: 140
Lap 14: 1:30 End HR: 174
Lap 15: 1:00 End HR: 142
Lap 16: 1:30 End HR: 176
Lap 17: 1:02 End HR: 141
Lap 18: 1:31 End HR: 173
Lap 19: 1:00 End HR: 145
Lap 20: 1:32 End HR: 173
Lap 21: 1:00 End HR: 137
Lap 22: 1:31 End HR: 176
Lap 23: 1:00 End HR: 143
Lap 24: 1:30 End HR: 175
Lap 25: 1:00 End HR: 138
Lap 26: 8:27 Avg HR: 159 (cooldown)
Total Distance: 5.25 Miles
Total Time: 47:58
Avg HR: 158
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