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Chronicles of a fish: the days of surf and turf
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Monday, May 4th, 2015
Today was supposed to be a total rest day, but with my outdoor lap pool already warmed to a perfect 80 degrees Fahrenheit, and with two very bold (and generously proportioned) bullfrogs basically thumbing their noses at me as they swam by as I stood on the deck in total disbelief that they beat me to the annual opening day cannonball punch - the nerve!!! - I had no choice but don my very best Speedo and show them how it's done.
And because I was now in the pool with two slippery friends for company, I decided I'd do a few laps to see how things felt in a conventional pool. Different. At first I felt like I was just gliding through the water with the greatest of ease, but then I rather quickly got the impression I was very, very slow...and with a very, very slow stroke. Even my arms felt a wee bit tired after a few laps. ?? But I'm not going to overthink this tonight for many reasons. Bottom line, the lap pool is now open and I have yet another tool for training at my disposal. All good.
Actual swim: 600 yards with two frogs giving me the ol' stink eye0 -
Tuesday, May 5th, 2015
Trainer - Big Gear/Hill Work :eek:
20 minutes warm up (done as: 12 min easy, 6 min single leg spinning, 2 min easy)
5 x (6 minutes big gear w/cadence 60-65 rpm, 3 minutes easy spin)
5 minutes easy
8 x (30 seconds very hard - watts over 200, 2 minutes super easy spin)
5 minutes cool down
I am loving these big gear sessions - they are tough and challenging, and they are all business. I did this over lunch (an extended lunch
) with some very loud music to drown out the misery I was certainly going to be feeling. I'll be honest, there was a lot of the "f" word being said over and over in my mind as I was pushing and grinding at a cadence in the 60s. What is it about that word that makes us feel better?
Looking at my stats I am pleased that my power increased with each 6 minute set, but I'm not sure if I conclude that I was too conservative at the start, or if I approached this session spot on. ?? Speaking of stats, here are some...
The 6 minute intervals, stated as "average cadence"..."normalized power":
64...134
63...136
64...139
64...142
66...151
The 8 x 30 second blasts of power went pretty well too. Looking at the stats, the average cadence ranged from 56 to 61...the average power ranged from 215 to 233...and max power ranged from 251 to 275. Normalized power was a different matter - that was a good bit lower than average power, and ranged from 163 to 226. I assume normalized power is lower due to the brevity of the interval. ?? (the 226 normalized power was during a "goofed" interval - forgot to hit the lap button so I was actually pushing hard for 45 seconds and not 30 seconds) No matter....all good in the hood!!!
Actual trainer: 95 sneaky lunchtime minutes on the Black Cat
Swim
1,000 yard buoy+band speed play warmup
12 x 200s, done as: 4 x (2 off 3:00, 1 off 3:30)
400 easy swim
200 easy kick
No sign of my slippery friends this evening. I guess they didn't appreciate me crashing their party last night.
This was my first proper swim in a "real" pool since last October, so I honestly had no earthly idea how this would go tonight since swimming in the endless pool is a different ball of wax. Was I pleased? Eh....it went okay. Nothing stellar....no PBs...nothing to write home about....but it wasn't horrible either. It was...okay. The faster 200s came in anywhere between 2:45 and 2:55....and I cruised the slower 200s at 3:15ish as they were meant to be an active recovery. I'm currently not where I was when I was at my best last summer, but I'm not in the gutter either. Sure, I did a hard trainer session just 5 hours earlier, however I am no dummy - I know my swimming isn't up to snuff at this moment. But, today was the first day in the real pool doing real swimming, so hopefully I'll get there.
Actual swim: 4,000 yards in the gentle rain0 -
Wednesday, May 6th, 2015
Run
This makes the second time in 3 days I've had running gear on. Woo hoo!! I did this sneaky lunchtime style in the grassy field. I think maybe, just maybe, this even felt a smidge better than Sunday's little run. Yay!!! No Garmin was worn, but I may throw it on the next time I'm in running shoes to get a feel for how much speed I've lost in these 11+ weeks. I always have a million conversations with myself while I'm running, and today I had an entire seminar in my head about how there is no substitute for specificity.
Actual run: 3.5 sunny-in-my-purple-shorts lunchtime field miles
Run
This second run of the day was done after work in the tub...however, it got cut a little short when one hell of an electrical storm rolled in and made me a bit uncomfortable running in a vat of water with two electrical motors humming their hearts out and powering my treadmill and wave current. :eek: Can anyone say, "electrofish"?
Actual run: 45 minutes in the fish tank at a 1:52 wave pace0 -
Thursday, May 7th, 2015
Trainer
30 minutes warmup, w/5 minutes of single leg spinning
30 x (1 min strong at race cadence, 30 second easy spin)
15 minutes easy
The 30 x 1 min strong were done in sets of ten, with increasing effort within each set of ten. The first set was all over the place - I started too hard and just got all discombobulated. I re-grouped on the second set and did a really nice job (my opinion) in this set and in the third set to up the effort gently through the ten.
For sh*ts and giggles, normalized power for those 3 sets of ten:
121, 118, 118, 130, 128, 130, 128, 126, 127, 140
111, 109, 117, 125, 126, 136, 140, 144, 157, 156
111, 120, 129, 134, 137, 138, 140, 146, 160, 168
I kept the cadence for these intervals as close to 90 rpm as possible, and it actually got easier to keep that pace as this session went on. I also fueled fairly well with my 2 homemade energy bars and bottle of sports drink because I didn't want to fade on my 30 minute run off the bike.
Actual trainer: 90 minutes of spinning and grinning on a purring Cat
Run
Originally this was intended to be done in the tub, but I opted to try it outside with the promise that I'd shut it down if it wasn't going well. Fueling was perfect. I felt great throughout this little jaunt. First lap around the field was good and slow, but the body was relaxed and fluid. I stopped for just a minute to say hello to Mr. Smith's gorgeous black cat and to give him a pat on the head - he was hunting wascally wabbits in my field. Second lap around was slightly faster and even more enjoyable. Third lap around I started to feel like I was high as a kite and floating on air...and my pace must've upped too much (still quite slow, mind you!) because at the end of this lap my knee started to complain a bit. I quickly debated whether or not to stop right then and there, but decided I'd slow it back down and see what happened. And thank my lucky stars, the slower pace and minimal impact did the trick. Knee pain stopped and it was all good times after that.
To complete my thought from last night about there being no substitute for specificity....
In this case I am referring to running and swimming, and my current lack of speed in both of these disciplines. There is no doubt my endless pool has been an incredible positive for me - it has kept me sane and appears to have preserved my general fitness, but it's obvious that it is not a longterm substitute for "real" running or swimming. I feel it is a great tool to use to enhance a training program, but used exclusively, it has its limitations. I've got loads of time to get some speed back in this body before the IM in October, but my HIM in 5 weeks is another story...not to mention my obvious concerns about my running/leg. Lots to think about/decide/solve in the next few weeks, good thing I'm starting to run outside again so I can figure this all out in my mind!
Actual run: 3.5 post-trainer in the field on a gorgeous evening miles0 -
Friday, May 8th, 2015
Run
This was a sneaky lunchtime field run under the hot, midday sun. There was no need for a Garmin to check my pace today - my legs were heavy from yesterday's trainer/run, plus I really needed to go gently based on yesterday's run/pain in my knee - so there was no reason to worry about pace. All went well....just sweated like a pig - good grief it's humid here!!! But, no complaints from me - I'm thankful to be doing anything in my running gear that resembles running at this point!!
Actual run: 3.5 hot and humid noontime field miles
Swim
1,000 yard warmup
3 x (15 x 20 yard band only, 200 yard swim all out, 100 yard swim easy)
This went much better than my first pool session did a few days ago. Whew! I actually did 16 x 20 yard band only, and this was good! I was slow as crap, but I didn't cheat (no sneaky butterfly kick to keep the legs higher in the water) and I put in respectable work.
The 200s got better with each passing 200, in large part because I upped my tempo and breathing - it's like I was waking up! I honestly think it's going to take me a few (several?) sessions to get my pool legs under me again, but it will come. The last 200 was by far the hardest as it was all business, and I was totally empty when I hit the wall. I've still a long way to go to get to where I should be, but tonight proved to me that there may still be a bit of speed in me after all. 200s were: 2:44, 2:40, 2:35. And I extended the easy 100s to 120, and then tacked on an extra few laps at the very end to make this session a nice, round number.
Actual swim: 3,000 happy yards under a beautiful evening sky0 -
Saturday, May 9th, 2015
Bike
The plan for today was to get 3.5 hours in on the bike, and to just ride how I felt.
Gorgeous day....nice and hot....sunscreen on....3 bottles of fluids containing various concoctions....baggie of super delicious homemade energy bars.....and one pouch of pizza margherita organic energy food by Clif (sounds yummy, doesn't it?). Aaaaand.....I was off! Through town....down a winding road....onto a highway....up some hills...down some hills....over some railroad tracks....hello to two cyclists heading my way....slowed for a wrecker moving a wrecked vehicle....back and forth on my 2.5 mile stretch of road that is the closest thing to flat I can find around here....down on my bars (I'm on the Mad One, so not quite the tt bars)....ate, drank and was merry (except warmed pizza margherita consumed out of a pouch on a very hot day is not exactly what I'd call a fine culinary experience :eek:)....back up a horrible hill.....back over some railroad tracks....chased by a #@%^$&* dog!!!....snaked through a fun S-curve....back up and down the hills I started with (m*ther f*cker!)...and then high tailed it back home. 
Good ride. I didn't worry about speed but had hoped it would average over 15 mph, and it did. I fueled and hydrated perfectly, so pleased with that as well. No complaints on this one!
Actual ride: 58 miles in 3:46:33 for an average slow-poke pace of 15.4 mph and an elevation gain of 2,958 feet
https://connect.garmin.com/activity/769580129
Swim
My only window to get this done today was immediately after the bike. Ugh. I managed to get just about an hour in between the two, but that's about all the time I could squeeze in. Needless to say, this was not my finest piece of work in the pool. In fact, it was pretty ugly. I didn't bother with dragging the deck clock out for this....and what was supposed to be 5 x 800s done as: (easy, moderate, buoy + band, buoy + band, cruise w/30 seconds in between sets) turned into 1600 swimming in mud, 1600 pulling in mud and muck, 800 swimming in mud, muck and nasty crap. My pace was shocking....but I will say this took some strength to get through, so not a complete waste of time.
Actual swim: 4,000 nasty, ugly yards in mud, muck and crap 0 -
Sunday, May 10th, 2015
Bike
The goal was to do 1.5 hours on the bike, including 5 x 5 minute intervals at HIM effort. With no real plan in mind, and not even quite sure what my HIM effort is or how to execute it on this training ride, I set off on my usual trek to the roads and hills I am most familiar with and comfortable (from a safety standpoint) on. About 6 miles into my ride, I made my normal right hand turn up Rocky Branch Road for the 1.25ish mile and 200 feet of steady ascending, and that's when it hit me - I could make this "little hill" my 5 minute HIM effort intervals! I timed myself up the hill, and yep, with honest effort it took me between 5 and 6 minutes to make my way to the end of the climb. Happy days! And how brilliant, because I could use the nice coast back down the hill as my recovery. Whoop whoop! I'm sure the residents who were out mowing their lawns and tending to their gardens thought I was teetotally nuts going up and down their road 5 times...and I believe I exasperated the turkey vulture who was having a massive feed on the stinky roadkill each time I passed, but I thought this was pure neat-and-tidy genius, truth be known.
The ride went without a hitch - there was a good bit of starting and stopping since I had to unclip each time I turned around at the bottom, but I because I love repetition, this was quite enjoyable. On my way back home, I made one unplanned stop on mile 20 to move a cute box turtle out of the road, however I'm not sure he appreciated the assistance. My speed was slow, but all things considered, I'm happy with this outing.....and I'm tickled I got two days in a row on the Mad One for a combined 5.5 hours, 84 miles (134 km) and 4500 feet of climbing.
Actual bike: 26.32 miles in 1:42:56 for an average pace of 15.3 mph and 1,572 feet of gain
Run
This was done 3 hours after hopping off the bike, and like yesterday's swim, this was a real slogging plod. But, I just kept it even and in forward motion. It was hot, and I was sweating....but the leg/knee held up and I had no serious issues. My goal was to add 2 more laps around the field, bringing the total up to 7, and goal met. I even unexpectedly let a little "speed" get into the legs on the last half of the last lap. All good. !!!
Actual run: ~4.9 miles in the field on a very hot day!0 -
Monday, May 11th, 2015
Rest day!!!
The Mad One and the Black Cat had a spa day at the bike shop - cables, bar tape, tires, housing, drivetrain inspection, cleaning, buffing and lubing. I even had Tim check my fit on the Cat, and he raised the seat just a smidge. It immediately felt that I had lost a teeny bit of power (and I don't have any to lose!), but he double checked my position, confirmed everything looked good, then suggested I try it out (and explained why) with the understanding that I can always put it back to where it was (he marked the height for me). It was an all day event, and the wallet took a bit of a dent - sure, I needed a few things like uber cool and summery bike shorts, a super nice rain coat (I didn't have one for cycling!), fingerless gloves (you can never had too many!), and a handy tool so I can play bike mechanic at home!
Tuesday, May 12th, 2015
Run
This was a sneaky hot-and-humid lunchtime field run. !!!! And I decided to wear the Garmin. :eek: I forced myself to only look at my pace when the watch beeped each mile - I really didn't want to be influenced by the reality of my pace, but rather I wanted to run this easily and honestly. Hmm. But in the end I feel I was influenced by the knowledge that my pace was being recorded, thus I think I put a little more effort into this than I should have...which makes the slow pace even worse than it seems.
Oh well. At least I'm running - and I have to start somewhere!!! Paces were: 9:43, 9:09, 9:18, 4:28 (8:56).
Actual run: 3.5 field miles in 32:38 for an average pace of 9:19 min/mile
Trainer
25 minutes warm up, w/5 minutes of single leg spinning
10 x (20 seconds @ 100+ rpm (low resistance), 40 seconds easy)
3 x (90 sec HARD, 90 sec easy, 60 sec HARD, 60 sec easy, 30 sec HARD, 30 sec easy)
7 minutes cool down
Gosh, this was a short but spiffy session. The cadence seemed to average ~120ish rpm for the 20 second low resistance spins, with the max cadence 135 rpm. And the power was actually pretty solid (for me) on the 3 x (90/60/30 seconds HARD) intervals as they looked to hover around 175 watts for those, with a brief (very brief!) max power of 274. I loved this hour on the Cat....and I think the feeling was mutual!!
Actual trainer: 60 lovely jubbly minutes on the Black Cat0 -
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Wednesday, May 13th, 2015
Okay...this is my third frickin' attempt at this post. For some strange reason, my posts are getting lost in space!
Swim
1,000 yard warmup
800 yard band only
200 yard easy swim
600 yard band only
200 yard easy swim
400 yard band only
200 yard easy swim
200 yard band only
200 yard easy swim
This was done under the midday sun in the chilly spring air. Call me crazy, but I'm loving dragging my feet behind me while I stroke, stroke, stroke.
Arms were properly worked....and the 200 easy swim segments were like a slice of heaven!
Actual swim: 3,800 yards done sneaky lunchtime style
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Trainer - FTP Test!! :eek:
:eek::eek::eek:
Deep breath in.....aaaand, exhale.
I tossed on my brand new bike shorts to give me a bit of mental attitude for this...and I grabbed an energy bar (actually, 2!), a sports drink and a bottle of water. And music. There was lots of very loud and noisy music to help drown out all the yucky stuff that might be happening in my body and mind. I wanted to give myself every edge to make this as painless as possible.
There's honestly not too much to say about this test. Chances are, if you are reading this log then you probably already know all you need to know about FTP tests. They suck. And the only thing worse than having to do this test tonight is the knowledge that I'll be doing another one again in the future that I'll be comparing to this one. Ugh and barf. Here's the session I did tonight:
20 minutes warm up
3 x 1 minute @ 100+ rpm w/ 1 minute rest in between
5 minutes easy
5 minutes all out
10 minutes easy
20 minutes time trial effort
15 minutes easy
Garmin results are here: https://connect.garmin.com/activity/773668979
I did this with my eyes closed....for the entire 20 minutes. Seriously. Well, I did peek at the Garmin after 2 songs...and then again after 2 more songs...and since that left less than 2 minutes to go, I peeked a few more times during the fifth and final song. My understanding is I take 95% of my average power for those 20 minutes to get my FTP, thus my FTP is 157 x 95%, or 149. The only saving grace is when you factor in my body weight, then my watts/kg number is ~2.98. Can we just call that 3 w/kg? Any way... Must. Get. Stronger.
Actual trainer: 80 minutes of yucky power testing while trying to be as strong as possible0 -
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Good that you got the first FTP test done Dory, first one is a real shock to the system, eh?!
Constructive criticism here- your easy parts of that workout are very low in both power (about 40W) and HR. I used to do similar until it was mentioned to me "easy" spinning with no effort wasn't much use on the turbo. My easy effort went up a bit, and the hard effort then went up too.
(I stand to be corrected though, and don't mean to nitpick!)0 -
Thursday, May 14th, 2015
Run
This was a sneaky lunchtime field run...with the Garmin. Gorgeous, gorgeous day here - in fact, perfect for a run, which no doubt assisted in the success of this little jaunt. Paces were: 9:14, 9:02, 8:44, 8:35, 8:24, 2:44 (9:05). Longest run since the fracture!!!
Actual run: 5.3 miles in 46:46 for an average pace of 8:49 min/mile
Swim
24 x 100 yards done as:
1 x 100 each off 1:40, 1:35, 1:30, 1:25
2 x 100 each off 1:40, 1:35, 1:30, 1:25
3 x 100 each off 1:40, 1:35, 1:30, 1:25
1,000 buoy-band
200 kick
This was so-so. Either last night's FTP test caught up to me, or my swimming is off. ?? All 100s came in between 1:20 and 1:25, but the very last three were definitely a stretch. I need to resolve this - I'm just not feeling good in the water.
Actual swim: 3,600 yucky yards0 -
Friday, May 15th, 2015
Swim
This was a little midday aquatic action under a full sun! I'm getting some pretty good Speedo tan lines on my back from all this sunshiny lunchtime swimming. !!
500 yard warm up
5 x 100 yards off 1:40
10 x 20 yards sprint/easy off 20 seconds
25 x 60 yards buoy-band off 60 seconds
300 yard cool down
This went pretty well and very manageable. The 5 x 100s all came in between 1:20 and 1:25, so I had a nice little rest in between intervals. I did the 20 x 20 yards sprint/easy as if I was doing 40 yard intervals (up hard, back easy without stopping), so I did them off 40 seconds and this worked perfectly. And speaking of perfect, the 25 x 60 yards buoy-band were brilliantly timed, allowing me a good 5+ seconds between all intervals. I was quite pleased with this set in particular.
Actual swim: 3,000 yards while tanning my back
Trainer
15 minutes warmup
5 minutes single leg spinning (30 second intervals each leg)
5 x 1 min each at 90 rpm, 100 rpm, 110 rpm, easy
10 minutes at 95 rpm and effort between 100 and 110 watts
5 x 1 min each at 90 rpm, 100 rpm, 110 rpm, easy
10 minutes at 95 rpm and effort between 110 and 125 watts
10 minutes cool down
This was done directly after work. I grabbed a few bites of various food items while I was warming up....then down on the bars and off I went. I "think" the single leg spinning is getting better, but I still struggle some with the left leg. I don't think the sets of increased spinning were the finest I have done, but the point of those sets is the cadence, and not the power, so I tried to focus on that only. And the targets for the two 10 minute sets were hit - 97 rpm and normalized power of 109 for the first set, and 97 rpm and normalized power of 126 for the second set. All good in Dory-hood!!
Actual trainer: 90 minutes of spinning on the Cat0 -
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You're really getting stuck into the turbo work Dory!
Glad to see you back and healthy.
I'm really trying to get stronger on the bike, so yes, trying to build strength with turbo work while trying to get in some decent proper (hilly?) weekend rides.
And I am getting back to good health. Still way behind where I'd love to be, but I'm hoping to stay smart this time around. Fingers crossed! Thanks! 0 -
Saturday, May 16th, 2015
Bike
Another hot and sunny day for this 3.5 hour ride on the Mad One....but it was honestly too hot and sunny for me in the end. Ugh. I did the same route as last Saturday's ride, and I basically repeated the total time and average pace of that ride today...however, I finished stronger last week than I did this week - I pretty much faded miserably in the last hour today, I suspect due in large part to two reasons: 1) I ran out of fluids by that point, and 2) my nutrition was off/down this week, as is my weight. These weekend rides are only going to get longer, and the summer is only going to get hotter, so I'm going to have to remedy this hydration issue - I may have to either stash water along my course, or I may have to consider wearing my camelbak. ?? As far as my nutrition goes, I know how to remedy that, it's just a matter of me actually doing it.
But the ride itself was going really well up to the point I became parched and sunburned (I had sunscreen on!!!). !!! My impression was that my average speed for the first 48 miles was up from over a week ago, and I was way, way, way comfortable sitting on the Mad One, using all bar surfaces available to me and eating and drinking with ease. The only other two issues I had today were a sore derriere after 2 hours of riding, and an uncomfortable sensation in my right leg. I'm not sure if the sensation started at my right cheek or at my right foot, but it basically encompassed the entire leg...and at times it reminded me of a body part that had fallen asleep, which (maybe?) could either be from my shoe being too tight (feet swelling?) or from the position/pressure point of the cheek on the seat. ?? I'll have to watch this as it was extremely annoying and fairly uncomfortable.
While the worst miles of this ride were miles 49 thru 58, the best mile was on mile 29 when I ended up behind a young black bear cub who was strolling on the road. Oh my gosh you should have seen how surprised he was when he realized I was behind him! :eek::D After some lumbered running, and after crashing into a fence trying to get off the road (good grief the racket bears make!), he finally scampered successfully into the woods and into safety.
Actual bike: 57.95 miles in 3:44:14 for an average speed of 15.5 mph and an elevation gain of 2,992 feet
Run
Good god this was awful. I'm not known for my ability to run well off the bike (just ask catweazle), but this set a new standard for ugly Dory runs off the bike. :eek::( The transition of bike to run was a bit long as I needed to get some fluids in me...then I had to put my shoes on....and I had to make a pitstop into the bathroom....then I checked my phone for messages ....but even all that didn't help the slog that was a mere 4 laps around the field. I was melting in the sun (nearly 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 C)), and I was truly hating life...and you honestly don't want to know the conversation I was having with myself. But I kept moving forward and wouldn't allow myself to walk a single step (yes, it was that bad). I intentionally didn't wear my Garmin, but my pace was shocking. If you forced me to guess, I'd say it was 12 minutes or slower per mile. I'm sure getting behind in my hydration while on the bike didn't help this little trot, but I also know running off the bike is an area I am weak in, so I'll keep working on it until (hopefully) the body adapts and embraces the concept!
Actual run: 2.8 ugly, horrid, awful and shocking field miles0 -
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RacoonQueen wrote: »Is 'the field' on your property?
Hop off the bike after your turbo sessions, put on your runners and run...even a half a mile at race pace...it's the first couple of miles off the bike that decide your pace for the rest of the race...get into a slow slog and it will be a slow slog.
Yep, it's my field here at home. I've been doing some post-turbo short runs already, and they've all gone fairly well.....of course those turbo sessions are in cool air with plenty of food and drink at hand - totally different conditions than what I was exposed to yesterday. However, yes, running off the turbo is a great idea, and I'll continue to do some of that. 0 -
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Sunday, May 16th, 2015
Run
This was to be 90 minutes of running, but because I am still easing into the run, I broke this up with 60 minutes of field running, and 30 minutes of tub trotting.
After yesterday's miserable run off the bike, and after being totally wiped out from the heat and dehydration last night, I wasn't sure how this was going to go...and I even considered just doing the whole 90 minutes in the tub....but, I was willing to give it a try and see what might happen. Long story short, the run went pretty well. I started out good and slow, then tried to keep the body nice and relaxed while seeing where the pace would settle. The third mile was way too fast way too early, and things just sort of naturally slowed down after that third mile...until I got to the last mile, on which I intentionally upped the pace to see what I could do.
I'm pleased with this run - pleased because the overall pace is "respectable" for where I am at the moment, and pleased considering the work I did yesterday. I'm not exactly flying, mind you (even if it is mid-May), but 7 miles is the new milestone post-fracture, so I think I'm starting to see some progress.
Paces for today's run:
9:25, 8:47, 8:27, 8:45, 8:54, 8:40, 8:17
Post field run, I hopped in the tub and did my 30 minutes with a wave pace of 1:57. It took me a few minutes to get in the groove, but before too long I was humming in harmony to both the hydro-treadmill and the music.
Actual run: 7.01 miles in 1:01:20 for an average pace of 8:45 min/mile....and 30 minutes in the tub!
Swim
This was a lovely little evening recovery swim.:):)
9 x 300s done as follows:
300 freestyle
300 free w/every third lap backstroke kick
300 band only
300 kick
3 x 300 buoy-band
300 kick
300 freestyle
I honestly can't remember the last time I kicked backstroke in a pool, but it was a nice memory for me to have my hands clasped with arms stretched out above my head while kicking on my back. I used to be deadly with the kick. Not so much anymore, but a really nice memory.
Wonderful easy session tonight - perfect in so many ways. Sessions like this can be worth their weight in gold for what they do. When I've put away my racing goggles, racing gloves, and racing shoes, there is no doubt you'll find me swimming in my pool for the shear joy I derive from being in water.
Actual swim: 2,700 of the best recovery yards ever0 -
Monday, May 18th, 2015
REST DAY!!!!
Seriously luvin' my rest days. And I won't apologize for it!
Tuesday, May 19th, 2015
Trainer
25 minutes warm up, including 5 minutes of 30 second single leg spinning
10 x (20 seconds spin @ 100+rpm, 40 seconds easy)
3 x (90 sec HARD, 90 sec easy, 60 sec HARD, 60 sec easy, 30 sec HARD, 30 sec easy)
7 minutes cool down
It's always amazing to me how long 90 measly seconds can seem when you're gritting your teeth and pushing the pedals as hard and as fast as you can. :eek: I did this same session last week, and I am pleased that it appears today's lunchtime session has slightly better numbers than last week's - I honestly wasn't sure as I was doing this.
Actual trainer: 60 minutes of noontime Kitty love
Swim
400 free
300 buoy-band
200 kick
100 IM
3 x (300 @ 5 min, 4 x 60 @ 60 sec, 300 @ 5 min)
200 easy cool down
Loved this session!! Loved the structure....loved the rest....loved the fact that I could swim strong. All the 60s came in on 50 seconds....and all the 300s came in between 4:20 and 4:25. This type of set is all about that second 300 as it is the toughest coming off 4 x 60s, but I managed to pace everything fairly evenly and managed to focus on the strength of my stroke....and I managed to have the very, very last 300 be one of those 4:20s I referenced above, so I'm very pleased with that.
Actual swim: 3,720 solid yards in my outdoor oasis0 -
Wednesday, May 20th, 2015
Treadmill/Run
The intention of this session was to try and get some turnover in the legs - to kickstart a little speed in super short bursts on the conventional/land treadmill.
20 minutes easy warmup
20 x (20 seconds on @ 8.5, 40 seconds off)
20 minutes easy cool down
I did this over lunch in the cool basement on the trusty treadie. Hello trusty treadie....it's been months since I've seen ye." Loud music to distract me, check. Bottle of cold water in case I need it, check. Pink adizeros that I haven't had on since my trip to Ireland, check.
This ended up being a really enjoyable session. I'm loving the newness to some of the stuff I am doing - fresh is good. I did the first 15 x 20 seconds at the 8.5 setting on the treadmill, and then because I was feeling so good, I upped the pace by .1 for each of the final 5 x 20 seconds, so I did the last five at 8.6, 8.7, 8.8, 8.9, 9.0. I decided to take it out to the sunny field for the 20 minute cool down since it is so amazingly gorgeous here today. The only negative thing I can say about this session is that I immediately could tell the treadmill surface is harder than my grassy field - my left leg seemed to ask me what the heck I was doing subjecting it to such rigidity. There was never "pain" as I was running, but it is something I will watch and consider in the coming weeks with training (and racing).
Actual treadmill/run: 40 minutes of some funky foot work on the land treadie, followed by 2 miles cool down in my sunny field0 -
Thursday, May 21st, 2015
Trainer
20 minutes warm up, including 6 minutes of single leg spinning (1 min each leg)
5 x (6 minutes big gear, 3 minutes easy)
5 minutes easy
8 x (30 seconds HARD (over 200 watts!), 2 minutes easy)
5 minutes easy
First of all.....single leg spinning sucks when having to do it for 1 minute each leg. :eek: Good god. Just when I was starting to sort of master the art of spinning for 30 seconds, now this!
Second of all.....my numbers are still seeming to improve. Yay! But I know this is the easy stuff - meaning, I'm so bad and weak on the bike that I'm bound to improve some just by sitting in the same room with my Black Cat! But, alas, grinding in the big gear while listening to some crunchy and raw music is a little patch of heaven when you're focused and in the mood. Which I was. My data from the 5 x 6 minutes of big gear work is sort of interesting in that I believe it shows a correlation between gear, cadence and power. I pushed the same gear for intervals 1 - 3, then upped it one gear for intervals 4 and 5. I very, very briefly tried to up the gear by one on the 5th interval, but it was immediately clear to me that I'd die a slow, miserable death if I was so bold, so I popped back down to where I was on the 4th interval post haste!!
Data stated as "average cadence...normalized power...max power"
#1 - 63...130...184
#2 - 65...145...183
#3 - 66...152...201
#4 - 62...159...201
#5 - 63...165...206
And all of the 8 x 30 seconds HARD were above 200 for average power (normalized power was way lower, but I assume that's due to the brevity of the intervals), and I had a max power of 301 on one of those pushes! Okay, so it was fleeting...really fleeting...but I still hit 300+ watts! Which is like...omg!...6+ w/kg!!! Whoop whoop!!
Actual trainer: 95 minutes of muscle building thigh work on the Cat
Swim
500 warmup
5 x 100 @ 1:40
10 x 20 sprint/easy @ 20 seconds
25 x 60 buoy-band @ 60 seconds
300 cool down
Ahhhhhh....finally. I'm starting to feel like my old self in the water again! I honestly think all that endless pool swimming got me off kilter a bit. ??? Don't get me wrong, that pool is the bomb and is so worthwhile...however, it is not the same as swimming in a "real" pool.
Briefly, the 100s all came in on a very comfy-cozy-breathing-every-3-steady-as-she-goes 1:25. I did the 20s sprint/easy as 40s off 40 seconds. And the 25 x 60 buoy-band was another comfy-cozy-breathing-every-3-and-loving-life set that was very evenly paced with a good 5 to 7 seconds rest between intervals. I'm luvin' the buoy-band. I could never see the value in using a band with the pull buoy before, and I'm still not 100% sure it does much at all (??) in the way of making you pull any harder than with the pull buoy alone, but I find that it totally relaxes my legs via the complete immobilization, and I really enjoy that.;)
Actual swim: 3,000 comfy-cozy rainy evening yards in my warm pool0 -
Friday, May 22nd, 2015
Swim
600 warmup
6 x 100 @ 1:40
6 x 40 (20 hard, 20 easy) @ :40
10 x 200 done as:
3 @ 3:20, 2 @ 3:15, 1 @ 3:10
2 @ 3:15, 1 @ 3:10
1 @ 3:10
320 cool down
Cool evening out, which makes the pool feel all that warmer. This was a session about even pacing, and I managed to do a decent job at it. The 100s all came in on 1:25, and they were comfortable and I was breathing on 3. The first five 200s were bang on 2:50, and were also comfortable and breathing was on 3. The last five 200s were a smidge more of a push as the arms were starting to feel the effort - these all came in between 2:50 and 2:55, and I was breathing on 3 throughout.
Actual swim: 3,760 yards in a toasty warm pool
Run
I hopped out of the pool and scurried up the stairs to transition out of my Speedo and into my running duds. Do you know how frickin' hard it is to squeeze into a tight fitting sports bra when you are still dripping wet?? :eek: Good god, that was ugly. But the run went pretty well - it was a gorgeous evening to be out in the field, and I just let the body dictate the pace.
And speaking of paces, they were: 9:16, 9:18, 9:06, 8:54, 8:56, 9:24, 8:52. I didn't look at my paces while I was running, but seeing them now I am surprised at mile 6 (9:24) as I had no idea I had slowed down, however I ran into some deer in the field on that mile and stopped briefly, then turned around and started running in the direction I had just come...so perhaps that's why it stands out like a sore thumb. But all in all this felt pretty good....however, I was glad I didn't have to go another mile as I was ready to be done with both a swim and a run in the body at that point.
Actual run: 7 miles in 1:03:51 for an average pace of 9:07 min/mile0 -
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Saturday, May 23rd, 2015
Bike
The weather has gotten cooler around here while the sun is in full swing, making for a perfect day for a bike ride! Whoop whoop!!!
I had intended on breaking out the Black Cat today, but circumstances conspired against me and the Mad One won out for this breath of fresh air. Right from the start this one felt pretty good. The speed is still mediocre, but comparing this ride to a nearly identical ride I did 3 weeks ago, it's up ever so slightly. Baby steps.
But, if you want to know the best thing about this ride....:D....I'd have to say it was when I met up with my dear old ankle-biting and tire-chasing friend, the dreaded Jack Russell terrier on Elgin Dr. All I've got to say is, fool me once, shame on you...fool me twice, shame on me. Yep, that's right, my trusty water bottle and I were ready for that yappy-snappy-four-legged hazard - he wasn't so bold with a stream of tri-berry energy drink aimed at his face. It's the little victories that make me so incredibly happy.
Actual bike: 44.12 miles in 2:38:15 for an average speed of 16.7 mph and an elevation gain of 2,050 feet
Swim
5 x 800 done as: easy, moderate, buoy-band, buoy-band, cruise
Seems anything done after a long-ish bike ride requires more effort than usual, and this swim was no different. It took about 1,000 yards before I started to get in the groove, and things definitely improved from that point on. The best section of this swim was by far the buoy-band - good upper body work there. And the final 800 was way beyond cruise effort - it was more like a relaxing-on-a-catamaran-while-sipping-on-a-fruity-drink-with-a-cute-little-umbrella-in-it effort. All good!
Actual swim: 4,000 yards of fruity effort0 -
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I wouldn't be too worried about your speed on the TT bike.
It's your first time riding it in ages, the position is different and you're using different muscle groups so it was probably just a small shock to your system and you'll be flying once you get used to it again.
^^^ True. And I also know the elevation profile of what I did yesterday doesn't exactly smack of tt-love. I think that profile is more made for a proper road bike. I think this coming weekend I'll have to ride my quasi-flatish 2.5 mile piece of road that I am fond of over and over again to get me aero and mentally/physically in the tt-grove. (I don't live in a flat county!)I like your log these days
I'm almost afraid to ask why.
(shhhh.....don't tell me!!!!)0 -
Monday, May 25th, 2015
Yep, another Monday rest day! Whoop whoop!!!
Tuesday, May 26th, 2015
Trainer
15 minutes warmup
30 x (1 minute @ race effort w/cadence 90+ rpm, 30 seconds easy)
15 minutes cool down
The 30 x 1 minute intervals were to be done with increasing effort through each set of 10.....however, I was feeling too big for my britches and started out way too hard on the very first few intervals and sort of struggled through the first 10. I improved my pacing of effort on the second set of 10....and did a pretty decent job on the third set of 10. It always amazes me how long 1 measly minute can seem when you're sweating like a pig and pushing your legs and lungs to the limit. And wouldn't you know, for some unknown reason I forgot to wear my headband for this one, so I had sweat rolling down my face and into my eyes the entire time. Not enjoyable, to be honest, and won't happen again if I can help it. Good session, and power still seems to be creeping slowly in the right direction.
Actual trainer: 75 minutes of sneaky lunchtime sweating on the Cat
~~~~~
Swim
400 swim
300 pull
200 kick
100 IM
200 @ 3:20
4 x 40 @ :45
300 @ 5:00
4 x 40 @ :45
400 @ 6:40
4 x 40 @ :45
500 @ 8:20
200 easy cool down
I approached this session as a pacing session - so my goal was to keep my pace as even as possible throughout the main set. The intervals were generous, but both the quality and success of this swim were high. I had decided I would target a sub 1:30/100 yard pace through out, and I was bang on the mark - didn't miss a one - and I did so by breathing every three, which means I was comfortable and controlled. Times/paces as follows:
All 40s came in between 30 and 33 seconds (1:15-1:23/100 yards)
200 in on 2:52 (1:26/100 yards)
300 in on 4:25 (1:28/100 yards)
400 in on 5:50 (1:28/100 yards)
500 in on 7:10 (1:26/100 yards)
I'm very pleased with this. My speed may be non-existant, but at least I have some ability to keep an even pace over a moderate distance.
Actual swim: 3,080 even evening-time yards0 -
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Have you got a big ass fan beside you on the turbo (the wind generating kind, not the foam finger waving and cheering kind)?
If not, well worth the investment, buy the biggest one you can.What pointer said, and even better a remote control one if you can so you can speed it up and slow it down depending on what your doing. If your going to be doing a lot of turbo it's something you really really need.
I do NOT have a fan by the turbo. In some ways I sort of thought a bit of sweaty suffering might build a smidge of cycling character. ;) And there are fans with remotes??? Good lord....the only fan I have in the house is from my childhood (certified antique, then ) that is quite substantial and like a piece of furniture! 0 -
Wednesday, May 27th, 2015
Run
20 minute warmup
8 x 400 best average @ 2:40
20 minute cool down
:eek:
This was going to be a track session, but our local track is under much needed repair so I opted to do this on the Greenway, which is fairly flat and made of a very black asphalt. And because I didn't have the simplicity of the already measured and very static track, I had to use my very imperfect Garmin to estimate 1/4 of a mile, and I had to mark Point A and Point B and run up and back between these two points 8 times to do this.
Honestly - Not. Much. Fun.
Give me the track any day of the week to do this. Heck, give me my trusty treadie to do this. For whatever reason, I did not enjoy this one little bit. Could it have been the fact that it was sweltering out there today at high noon and I was wilting under the sun? Could it have been that this was my first time running on asphalt since I trotted around Boston Common with our ultra-iron hoochie by my side and it felt very hard on my body? Could it have been that my splits today were beyond crap and it is quasi-discouraging for someone who used to be able to do a good bit better? But, I know I am rebuilding. And, I'm grateful to be running at all. It's just frustrating. However, I'll get there...slowly but surely, I'll get there. !!!
The odd numbered 400s (and I realize my measurement could have been slightly more or less than 400) were on a slight decline and with a slight tailwind, and the even numbered 400s were on a slight incline with a slight headwind - thus there is a corresponding slight discrepancy in splits/paces, up and back.
Splits:
1:41, 1:44, 1:41, 1:43, 1:40, 1:44, 1:39, 1:41
Glad. It's. Done.
Actual run: 6.65 yucky miles on the Greenway over lunch0 -
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Kurt_Godel wrote: »Hope you don't mind this question Dory-
Are 400's a good idea so soon, coming back from a broken leg? What benefit do they have in your program now, over slow runs gradually built up?
I don't mind the question at all. I guess the first thing is....is 14.5 weeks post-fracture too soon? Sports medicine gave me the green light with no restrictions (obviously, as long as I am experiencing no pain) to begin proper run training after 12 weeks. I've built up my slow runs to 9 miles, so that's going fairly well (even if I was dying on that 9th mile Sunday....but I had an accumulation of activities in those legs....and that was the point of doing that run as the last session of the week). I'd like to try and get a bit of turnover in the legs, and my body is telling me it's time to try. No ill effects from yesterday's Greenway 400s. And I'm even feeling a little better about my times and effort. Thanks for asking!!! 0 -
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I don't mind the question at all. I guess the first thing is....is 14.5 weeks post-fracture too soon? Sports medicine gave me the green light with no restrictions (obviously, as long as I am experiencing no pain) to begin proper run training after 12 weeks. I've built up my slow runs to 9 miles, so that's going fairly well (even if I was dying on that 9th mile Sunday....but I had an accumulation of activities in those legs....and that was the point of doing that run as the last session of the week). I'd like to try and get a bit of turnover in the legs, and my body is telling me it's time to try. No ill effects from yesterday's Greenway 400s. And I'm even feeling a little better about my times and effort. Thanks for asking!!!
Cheers Dory. I don't like questioning other's training (not qualified to), and n=1 is always going to be the best sample with which to judge what is good for each individual. But I've found it helpful when others have called me out for coming back from injury too fast rather than just back-slappin', so I'd query if the risk/reward from doing intervals so soon is worth it, over (say) continuing to increase your easy run volume or easy run days/week.
As above, just an uneducated 2c, but I'd be interested in your take on it, I could learn from your answer for my own injury comeback.0 -
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Except for that one time in The Merchant, eh?:)
Haha
Case in point, sometimes its better to question and be wrong; you end up learning more that way. I was pretty skeptical of your swim volume training, believed your time could be better used elsewhere. Looking at your results, I was wrong- but something learned along the way about how one discipline feeds into the others.0 -
Kurt_Godel wrote: »Cheers Dory. I don't like questioning other's training (not qualified to), and n=1 is always going to be the best sample with which to judge what is good for each individual. But I've found it helpful when others have called me out for coming back from injury too fast rather than just back-slappin', so I'd query if the risk/reward from doing intervals so soon is worth it, over (say) continuing to increase your easy run volume or easy run days/week.
As above, just an uneducated 2c, but I'd be interested in your take on it, I could learn from your answer for my own injury comeback.
I guess the best answer to your risk/reward query is that I honestly don't know, but time will tell.
As noted above, it's been 14.5 weeks since the break...however, I haven't exactly been sitting on my arse eating bonbons - instead, I've continued to train safely. Granted, my run training has been severely reduced and modified, yet it's not like I am coming back from anything that remotely looks like inactivity. Sooner or later I'm going to have to start doing intervals, so why not now? I've not had any pain in my femur for about 3 weeks, I was released from all restrictions after 12 weeks (obviously, assuming I was having no issues - which I wasn't at that point), and I can promise you if I had had the slightest hint of pain yesterday I would have put the ol' kibosh on the session immediately and not tried intervals again for another 2 weeks, per my sports medicine peep's instructions. And it wasn't like I was doing an hour of intervals - it was just ~20 minutes...or actually, 8 x 1:42 average split = 13 minutes and 36 seconds. As I mentioned above, time will tell if the timing is right to introduce a little speed work, but my gut says it is. I'll keep you posted. 0 -
Thursday, May 28th, 2015
Swim
800 band only
200 easy swim
600 band only
200 easy swim
400 band only
200 easy swim
200 band only
This was done over a very sunshiny lunch hour (you should see how tanned my back is getting!!!)....and all went very well. As I've mentioned before, I am luvin' the band. Okay, I sort of prefer it with the pull buoy, but the band alone isn't as horrible as it once was. Legs bound together, dragging behind you, wanting to pull your lower body towards the bottom of the pool - now there's some real upper body value in that! I honestly enjoy it. Gritty work!
Actual swim: 2,600 noontime yards
Trainer
20 minutes warm up, including 5 minutes of single leg spinning
5 x (1 minute each at a cadence of 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 90, 80, 70, 60...then 3 minutes easy)
10 minutes cool down
The goal for me was to keep my power for those 5 sets between 130 and 140. I find that I have more power on the lower cadence/bigger gear intervals, so my power graph is shaped like a "U" even though I was trying to keep it a straight line. As I kind of mentioned to zico on his log last week, think of the power I'd have if I could learn to stay in a bigger gear but spin faster! Gosh, if I could train myself to be in the 60 rpm gear yet spin at 70 rpm....or be in the 80 rpm gear yet spin at 90 rpm. But maybe that's exactly the point of this session. Oh, and my NP for those 5 sets was as follows: 133, 134, 137, 136, 139. Happy with that!
Actual trainer: 90 minutes of some good work on the Cat0 -
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Friday, May 29th, 2015
Swim
1,000 warmup
All 40s on 50 seconds:
1 x 40 Fast, 1 x 40 Easy
2 x 40 F, 1 x 40 E
3 x 40 F, 1 x 40 E
4 x 40 F, 1 x 40 E
400 easy
4 x 40 F, 1 x 40 E
3 x 40 F, 1 x 40 E
2 x 40 F, 1 x 40 E
1 x 40 F, 1 x 40 E
500 buoy-band
This felt good....not too much to elaborate about here...did this after a long day with no lunch. But, I did down a few of my homemade energy bars prior to this to give me my boost. All fast 40s came in 28/29ish....and all easy 40s came in 33-35. Fun session!!!
Actual swim: 3,040 good feeling fun yards
Run
Out of the pool and into my running duds....including that damn sports bra that is impossible to slip on when wet!!! You boys don't know how lucky you are!!!
This felt great. I kept things nice and relaxed and all loosey-goosey....and I let the body dictate pace. The only time I peeked at my watch was when it beeped each mile, but even then I had difficulty seeing the pace because I had taken my contacts out before the swim. !!! Paces as follows:
9:17, 8:43, 8:30, 8:30, 8:01, 8:17, 7:52, 1:42 (7:08)
Actual run: 7.24 miles in 1:00:56 for an average pace of 8:25 min/mile0
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