Riding Long

So I might as well just come out and admit my plans for next year: I’m planning on doing Ironman Arizona ‘09.  I’m so set on doing it that I’ve (a) volunteered at this year’s event so I can get priority registration the following morning, (b) booked my hotel, and (c) booked my flight.  Pretty much the only thing that will stop me from signing up to compete next year will be remote possibility that I’ll be unable to get the Monday following the event off so that I can stay in Arizona to register.  However, that’s a pretty remote possibility (thank you currently slow economy).  

The Ironman distance has always been my ultimate goal.  Just finishing one of these races seems amazing to me and I can’t wait for the challenge.  The other attraction of the Ironman distance is the increased possibilities of qualifying for Kona.  Based on previous years, this is essentially going to require a sub-10 hour time.  Yeah…admittedly, this is several years off (if at all), but in addition to the increased number of available spots at Ironman events (compared with 70.3 events), I also feel that I’m personally better suited for the Ironman distance than the shorter events since a strong aerobic engine is much more important to the race.  

I plan on restarting my training “year” shortly after the OC Tri this year.  I’ll essentially have just over a year to prepare for Ironman Arizona.  Along the way, strong finishes at Oceanside and my other events will still be a goal, but Arizona will be my new goal event.  Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been extending out the length of my rides (52 miles/3 hours last week and 63/3.5 yesterday).  

My plan is to stabilize my long rides at 4 hours as of the week after next (I have a recovery week scheduled for next week) and not extend out on that distance until I start my training for next season.  I already have ample endurance to complete both my olympic distance races in September so I’m going to be switching my focus to increasing my lactate threshold (where I really need the work).  

Well, that’s the plan for now…off to my masters swimming…

I’m Voting Republican! (well…not really…just watch the video)

OK…so admittedly this is a triathlon blog, but given everything that is going on in this country at the current point in time I feel the obligation to put this video out there to the twenty people who accidentally click on my blog every day.  This will be one of the very few departures I make from talking about, well, what really amounts to myself, so take a few minutes out of your day and watch the video….you’ll enjoy it!  Obama may not necessarily bring gas prices down below $4.50 a gallon, but if I was a betting man, I’d take that horse every time over the alternative.

My first masters swim

This morning I finally made it to my first masters swim.  I must admit, I’ve been putting off attending a masters swimming program because I felt a little bit intimidated.  My swimming isn’t where I want it to be and I didn’t want to be the guy holding up everyone in the lane.  

Most of the intimidation factor was wiped away when I saw the other swimmers in the program.  For some reason I had visions of what could probably only be described as a division one collegiate swimming team and that I was going to be the fattest guy within 500 yards of the pool area.  This, however, was not the case (thankfully).  I was easily the youngest person there by probably about a decade and it was quite clear that most of the people in the group were there for fitness swimming as opposed to part of a triathlon training program.  Now, this says nothing about their swimming ability, but the thought I had was “hey, if THEY can do this, then I can do it…no matter how hard it gets.”

The intimidation factor was completely erased once we got past the kick drills (which I forgot to bring my fins for…duh) and on to the main set.  There were four people, including me, in my lane (busy morning according to the regulars) of which one I knew was going to be slow but I didn’t know about the other two.  The guy in my lane seemed like he was going to be going pretty good, but I found myself constantly having to slow up and wait behind him despite the fact that I was giving him a 12 yard jump start on each 25.  This made me feel really good.  On the next set, I actually lapped both him and the faster female in my lane (who was wearing zommers…so she probably wasn’t that quick to begin with anyways).  

Turned out today (and every Friday) was a short day in which they cut it short and have coffee and treats afterwards.  In a way, I’m glad that my first time out didn’t kill me, but then again, I still don’t know how I’ll feel after 4000 yards in the pool.  Nonetheless, I know that if the other people in there can do it, so can I.

I enjoyed the environment.  There is a huge difference between telling yourself to do another set of 500’s compared to having a coach staring down on you and the peer pressure of the rest of the group doing it as well.  This is exactly what I needed for my swim training.  With my run training and biking, I never have a problem motivating myself to finish my workout so long as there is actually some gas left in my tank.  With swimming though, I find myself making little bargains and convincing myself that what I’ve already done is enough.  No longer though…I’ll be doing masters swimming at least three days a week and I’m looking forward to faster swim splits ahead.

Why masters swimming? Because I HATE the gym…

I think my hatred of the gym (24 hour fitness in particular) has finally boiled over this morning and I plan on joining a masters swimming program within the next few days.  Maybe it was the fact that I drove 15 minutes to the gym only to find a “pool closed for maintenance” sign posted on the front door, but more likely, I think it is the culmination of all the things I hate about going to the gym.  So, without further ado, reasons why I hate the gym:

1) Butt Naked People in Locker Room.  Yes, I know it’s a locker room, but that doesn’t mean you can’t wear a towel.  It’s 5:30 in the morning and I haven’t even had a cup of coffee yet, the LAST thing I want to see is a 70 year old butt naked fat guy drying his hair under the air dryer (this actually happened this morning…).  

2) Nasty happenings in the bathroom.  Again, I understand it, but some of y’all are just filthy.  I mean, seriously, you should go see a doctor.  Please do everyone a favor and either (a) hold it until you get to home/work, or (b) embrace the courtesy flush.  When I’m having to hold my nose just to take a leak, there’s something wrong.  

3) Waiting, waiting, and more waiting…then hurry.  Maybe I’m just too considerate.  Maybe I should just act like everyone else and take my sweet ass time when somebody else is waiting.  Maybe I should, but I don’t.  I hate waiting for what feels like forever to get into a lane, onto a machine, etc. and then feel rushed (and not get in my full workout) because somebody else is waiting to use it.  Ughh…just frustrating.

4) Gym Guys.  You know who you are.  You carry around that gallon of water and take up four machines at once while you wear a shirt that would embarrass most runway models so that you can look at yourself in the mirror while you grunt so loud that people in the next room don’t know whether to be annoyed or call for help.  Maybe it’s just me, but I really don’t understand the desire to get huge.  It really doesn’t look good.  I’d take a cut triathlete’s body any day of the week over what some of these muscle guys look like.  

5) Gym Women.  You’re almost as bad but in a whole different way.  You’ll spend an hour doing cardio boxing or stretch yoga or something of that sort and then walk next door into Starbucks and order a grande carmel something or another.  Here’s a quick hint for you: you’d need to spend another few hours punching air to burn off all the calories you just ingested with that “coffee”.  

6) Nasty Pools.  I don’t know why this one didn’t come to mind earlier, but this is actually near the top of my list.  Whether it’s improper chlorination or seeing clumps of hair pass by beneath you as you do a lap (check and check again this morning), gym pools are just nasty and leave me feeling dirty.  God forbid you get into the pool after a swim class put on by the gym where 90% of the participants likely wear depends in their day-to-day activities.  Ewww…I’ve said enough…I’m grossing myself out.

So, for all the reasons I’ve listed (and despite the fact that I’m paid up at 24 Hour Fitness through next March), I’m quitting the gym.  I might use it once a week, but primarily I plan on doing my swim workouts with the masters team.  I just can’t take it anymore (and yes, it was the old guy that pushed me over the edge this morning)…

Happy paddling…

 

Breakthrough Workouts

I used to wonder what Joe Friel meant when he referred to “breakthrough workouts” as those workouts that take you 48-72 hours to recover from.  After the longest ride of my training so far last Sunday (52 miles), I no longer have this same sense of wonder.  Just to prove that I’m following Friel’s advice, he advises in his ironman training book that “your butt should give out before your legs” when talking about long rides; well, Joe, I’m happy to report that my butt is still sore from my ride the other day (but I’m guessing that this isn’t what you meant).

So, this morning, I’m sitting here trying to study with a sore butt and a long run scheduled for this morning (probably in the neighborhood of 13 miles) and I’m a little torn about what I should do.  I’m guessing that I’m going to just go ahead and do the run since my schedule will be completely screwed if I don’t.  Plus, considering this is just a little lingering soreness from lactic acid build-up rather than an actual injury, I’m figuring I won’t feel a thing after the first mile or two.  

On another note, this soreness shows the importance of doing active recovery workouts.  I would have done a little spinning last night had it not been for the fact that my trainer has essentially crapped out on me.  The help desk for blackburn sent me back quite possibly the least useful advice I’ve ever seen (“try cleaning the roller with some rubbing alcohol”…gee thanks…I’m sure that will solve the problem of the trainer having no resistance whatsoever).  Oh well though…my Computrainer arrives today so I’ll be sure to post more on this later.

Special Delivery: Computrainer on the way…

So I hinted in a recent post that I might end up buying a Computrainer again and the prognostication has come to fruition.  I recently ordered another Computrainer and will have it early next week.  So the question one might be asking is, “WHY?”  After all, I sang the praises of the advantages of the Powertap in this post and have since loved training with it both indoors and outdoors.  

The answer to that question comes down to a couple of factors:

First, the actual replacement cost for me was only about $100 since I was able to sell my old one for just under $1500 and my replacement, with shipping, only cost me about $1575 with shipping.

Second, (the real reason) my current trainer was just not cutting it anymore.  I’m not sure what was going on with it, but it would have spouts where the rolling resistance felt almost like nothing at all and others where it felt like I was going into a 20 mph headwind.  I’m a little upset since I spent about $300 on this trainer when I got it (before my first Computrainer) and now it’s crapping out on me a little more than a year later.  

Third, some points that are relevant to everyone (i.e. the benefits of the computrainer over a standard trainer even with power)

• Ability to construct courses.  I love Joe Friel’s book, but I’ll be damned if I can find a long, slow gradual hill with no more than a 2% grade which takes me 6-12 minutes to climb in San Diego so that I can do hill cruise intervals.  I’m sorry…I’ve looked…it doesn’t exist.  Hell, for that matter, finding a road that goes more than 5K without a stoplights or stop signs is a challenge.  The Computrainer’s ability to construct courses will allow me to set up some of these workouts that I’ve been wanting to do from the comfort of my home.
• Spinscan.  One of the easiest ways to increase your average power output is to increase your efficiency on the bike.  Mine needs some tuning so I’ll be utilizing Spinscan like a madman.
• Course Simulation.  So you have that out-of-town triathlon coming up three months from now and you’re curious about the hills, etc?  Well if you have the right software (i.e. TopoUSA Racermate Edition) you’ll be able create that course and race on it as many times as you want prior to your event from the comfort of your home.
• Efficiency of time and workouts.  This one is big for me.  Currently I have more free time to get outside and ride than the average person but starting in a few months, this goes away for good.  Having the ability to get in a solid workout any time of the day and have every minute be spent efficiently is huge.  Additionally, even when I can make it outside, how productive is a ride when you’re constantly being stopped at stoplights, have to slow up for traffic, etc.?  A recent ride on Wednesday on a route that looked great in theory (good distance, good climb, etc) turned into a veritable nightmare on the road (horrible road conditions, worse-than-expected traffic, tons of stoplights, construction, etc.)  This experience pushed me over the edge.  

All of these are the reasons that led me back to the Computrainer.  The device still isn’t perfect.  In fact, it’s far from.  Still too many wires (for my taste) and the TopoUSA software hasn’t been updated since 2005 so often times you may find certain roads either do or do not currently exist (e.g. the most current edition shows a grid of streets across the street from my house where currently the only thing standing there is Petco Park).  

Once I start to get some good training in on it, I’ll post feedback of the ways I’ve used it and any results I’ve seen. 

What type of shoes should I buy?

With my runs getting longer and longer, I’ve been thinking about replacing my current shoes.  The question was, however, what type of shoes did I need?  I have a high arch and I’m a fairly big guy (175 or so), so I wanted something that would be able to support me and limit injuries.

With all of this in mind, I decided that it was about time for a new pair of running shoes, so I headed over to Road Runner Sports in San Diego to check it out.  I’d heard some good things about the store and I wanted to go to a specialty running store so that I could speak to somebody knowledgeable about what shoes would work best for me.  To be honest, having worked in retail for the better part of a decade during my undergraduate years, I wasn’t expecting much more than a slightly more knowledgeable version of somebody that works at a sporting goods store.

This expectation, however, was quickly dispelled of within minutes of entering the store.  A salesperson approached me within a few minutes and, after learning that it was my first time in the store, directed me towards a tech fitting area (I can’t remember what they call it).  Inside this area, I was immediately greeted, put through two tests (one to determine my arch and the other to determine my running style), sized up, and given a recommendation sheet with the type of shoes I should look at.  Wow.  I really wasn’t expecting that.

So back to the salesperson.  She brought out three different types of shoes that fit the style (neutral) that was recommended for me.  I tried all three on and tried them out on the treadmill.  I must say that the ability to try them out on the treadmill was probably my favorite part of the experience.  I’ve purchased shoes before based on the way they felt walking in them and was subsequently disappointed with the way they felt when I ran.  

I ended up with a pair of shoes that might possibly be the best fitting pair of running shoes I’ve ever owned.  The only bad part all of this is that I’m not scheduled for another run until Friday (I may sneak in some treadmill work tomorrow afternoon though…I really can’t wait to run in these things!).

I guess the point of this post is twofold.  First, you really should go to a specialty running store if for no other reason than the ability to try out the shoes on a treadmill before you leave the store.  Second, if you’re lucky enough to live within driving distance of a Road Runner Sports, I highly recommend you visit them.  

A Tale of Two Sundays

You know it is going to be a great Sunday when you almost fall out of your chair laughing at 8 in the morning.  Last night I didn’t take in any of the many activities my neighborhood in downtown San Diego has to offer; I had been in bar review class all day and I knew I had 8 hours of class on Sunday as well, so I decided to stay in, go to bed early, and get in a swim workout in the morning.  Everything so far this morning is right on track: I woke up at 5 and was able to drag my butt to the pool by 5:30, got in a decent workout, made it home and have been enjoying coffee the rest of the morning.  If all continues to go as planned, I’ll spend the next 8 hours in class and then come home to watch the remainder of the US Open while I do a workout on my trainer.

My roommate, on the other hand, is on the other end of the spectrum this morning.  First off, he’s NOT a morning person.  The mere thought of being up before 8 pains him.  Last night before he went to meet a few of his law school friends for dinner he professed that he wasn’t going to drink because he was still tired from being out late the night before on a date.  I’m not sure what time it was when he got home, but I know it was after 10:30 (when I went to bed) so I’m assuming he drank last night.  This was just confirmed about ten minutes ago where minutes after I heard his alarm go off I heard a groaning “fuck me” come bellowing from his room.  

Needless to say, I almost fell out of my chair.  I find his low tolerance for lack of sleep to be pretty funny, especially since I know he’s going to piss and moan about it all day.  In a weird way, I think he actually enjoys being able to complain about how bad he feels.  I find it even funnier that he chose to do this to himself on a night before we have to spend 8 hours listening to a lecture on civil procedure (a topic which may be one of the most painfully boring and rule-intensive subjects in the law).  

As for me, I’m going to knock down a few more cups of coffee and be really chipper around him all day just to annoy him.  Should be a fun day.  At least I’ll keep myself entertained in class.

There’s nothing like seeing results

I enjoy my training.  It gets me active, outside, and away from my bar study books that loom over my head like a dark cloud whenever I’m in my house (and more like a lightning storm when I try to ignore them).  With that said, sometimes it can be hard to keep focused on training when you don’t have a race in the immediate future.  With my nearest race three months out, this recovery/testing week has made things even more difficult for me because I haven’t been in a constant routine of training.

However, days like today make it all worth it.  This afternoon was my test run and it went rather well in my opinion.  I opted to do the 30 minute test to ensure that my threshold heart rate was still in the same ballpark from the last time I tested it.  Joe Friel describes this test perfectly when he says “it’s a simple test, but not an easy one.”  Running all out for 30 minutes is quite a task.  My pace started to fall a bit towards the end, but I was able to keep my pace fairly stable throughout the entire test and was able to finish it.

The results, however, are what have me happy.  I did this same test three weeks prior on a fairly similar day.  Today was a little bit windier outside, but I figure since I did an out and back any effect of the wind will be more or less cancelled out.  Three weeks ago I covered 3.7 miles in the 30 minutes, or a pace of 8:05 a mile (7.4 mph).  Today, I covered 4 miles in that same amount of time, or a 7:32 mile pace (8 mph).  

I am very happy with these results!  Not necessarily with the time itself (I’d definitely like to get it a bit quicker and then be able to hold that), but with the fact that in three weeks I’ve stripped 30 seconds off my mile time.  What’s even better is that I haven’t necessarily been focusing on my speed or race pace training.  My running over the past three weeks has been mainly endurance runs with a few hilly runs and a few speed work efforts on the treadmill mixed in.  Throughout all of these runs, however, I’ve been focusing on increasing my run efficiency by keeping my run cadence at about 90 right foot strikes per minute.  

I’m hoping to get my pace sub-7:00 over the course of a 10K prior to my first race.  I know this won’t be easy, but it will give me something to work towards.  I’m starting my Base 3 period tomorrow and will begin integrating cruise intervals into my training.  These workouts will not be easy…but I know they’ll work!

Smile.  It’s a great day…

Testing Protocols

If I was as fast as Dave Zabriskie, I wouldn’t worry too much about testing for my upcoming triathlons.  But since I’m not one of the world’s fastest time trialists, I guess I’ll stick to the testing protocols to measure my performance.

This past Wednesday I had my first such test.  Nothing too crazy, but a simple 8 mile time trial following a warmup.  It should be noted that the only reason it was 8 miles rather than say, a 10K, is because the road I was using doesn’t have a turnaround for four miles.  

Overall, my performance was decent considering it was my first such test and I haven’t really focused in on my threshold training on the bike yet.  I averaged 242 watts and 19.8 mph on the way down and 232 watts and 23.2 mph on the way back for an average of about 237 watts and 21.4 mph.  There was a slight headwind on the way down which subsequently transformed into a tailwind on the way back which explains the slightly faster speeds despite the lower wattage.

The point of all this nonsense is twofold.  First: I wish I was a faster cyclist.  Second, nothing comes without a little hard work.  At first I was discouraged by these results; I was starting to struggle towards the end of the test and the speed/wattage is still well below where I’d like to be.  

Then I realized something: my training is realistically only about two and a half months in and I spent the first half a month not really “training” but rather trying to get back into the routine of working out on a daily basis.  I started looking back to some of my earlier rides and runs to see the improvements.  The average speed on my endurance rides has gone up by about four miles an hour at the same heart rate over longer distances and the pace of my endurance runs has dropped by about 1:30 a mile at the same heart rate over longer distances.  Overall I’d say I’ve made pretty decent progress over the last two months.

Now, as the date for my first race is just under three months out and I’m about to enter my third base period, I’m going to start increasing the frequency with which I work at my threshold, especially on the bike.  I’ve already been including threshold work on some of my run workouts and I’ve seen the results come through on my other runs.  I’m hoping a focus on threshold work on the bike will yield similar results.  It’s one thing to average 21.4 mph over the course of 8 miles…doing it over the course of a 40K race is a whole different animal.  

On a side note…if I end up buying a computrainer again in the next month or two, don’t be too surprised.