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Chronicles of a fish: the days of surf and turf
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Monday, March 24th, 2014
Swim
I was gently reminded by my very wise running guru (hello ecoli! 
) that perhaps yesterday's exploits were not amongst my most brilliant of moves with Boston only 4 weeks away. In retrospect, and with Boston in mind, he's absolutely right. Sorry!! Further, I was forbidden to do any running today (no argument from me!), so I turned instead to the pool....where, according to one of our clients, "girls are more aerodynamic in water than guys". 
:rolleyes:;):D
This was a perfect two-cycle-of-wave-action swim. I fell into a really delicious rhythm and just relaxed, and I thought about how endurance sport is so much about picking the right pace to sustain the distance...and I thought about how good I felt for the first 2 hours of my field run last night and how it was definitely all about the pace and about relaxing.....and I thought about how much I don't mind repetition, in fact, I believe I actually find comfort in repetition. Funny what the mind thinks about when it's all alone in a fish tank going nowhere.
Actual: ~3,000 meters in two wave cycles which is 66 minutes0 -
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Glad I wasn't the only one that thought it was a bit nuts. Chasing sessions is generally not a good idea. If you miss it, forget about it and move on
Amazing how some people hate repetition and others can thrive on it. Be a boring old world if we were all the same Oh, I knew doing both sessions like that was a bit nuts, but I felt both sessions were important for different reasons and didn't want to let either go. Debated every angle in my head, then concluded I was indestructible and wiser than everyone on here *cough* 
, and proceeded to throw caution to the wind. And you're exactly right however, chasing sessions is usually not a good idea.
The funny thing is this - the bike "coach", aka tunney, gave me a little smiley face and asked what my run pace was when I told him what I did.....while the running "coach", aka ecoli, sent me a party pooper email. As you say, would be a boring old world if we were all the same.:) 0 -
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My thoughts also (while not spoiling the upcoming bike photos) is thats an awful nice set of wheels to be bringing out on winter cycles? Have you an ahem less bling set of wheels that you could stick a pair of Gatorskins on perhaps and use them instead and keep the race wheels for racing (I know Gatorskins arent everyones cup of tea but I would say at a pinch I have had 2 punctures in 5 years) *
Keep the smartarse comments about having to ride a bike first to get punctures to yourselves lads 0 -
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Hey DD, just wondering what kind of tyres and tubes you are using...
I've found Conti gp4000s tyres with conti tubes almost indestructible
This is the cheapest place I've found on the web to buy them- 2 tyres for 55 euro :eek:
http://www.bike-discount.de/en/buy/grand-prix-4000-s-23-622-mm-set-of-2-202125/wg_id-246
also..do you not bring 1 or 2 spare tubes when out for cycle?
Hi Trig! My tires are Bontrager R3, and my tubes are Bontrager 650 x 18c - 25c.
I do typically have a spare tube or two with me, but I have not set up my new bike's "on-the-bike tool box" yet with those sorts of thing. That was going to happen at my next bike shop visit - hopefully this coming Monday - so for now the tubes are on my kitchen island and the pump is in the garage.My thoughts also (while not spoiling the upcoming bike photos) is thats an awful nice set of wheels to be bringing out on winter cycles? Have you an ahem less bling set of wheels that you could stick a pair of Gatorskins on perhaps and use them instead and keep the race wheels for racing (I know Gatorskins arent everyones cup of tea but I would say at a pinch I have had 2 punctures in 5 years) *
Keep the smartarse comments about having to ride a bike first to get punctures to yourselves lads
Smartarse comments aside, I actually have had that exact conversation with my bike shop...so the plan is to have a training set, and a racing set. However.....Gatorskins can be real bastids to fit on a rim. I have gp4000s and *touch wood* theyve not been at all troublesome, and much easier to refit when they do go pop.
I also ride nice wheels all winter, but only cos I still havent sourced a dirt cheap set of good training wheels.
.....however, I do feel there is real value in training on what you will be racing on. I have to be confident in my equipment...I have to be comfortable with it....I have to know that I will not have a puncture in my tire/tube every blasted time I hop on my bike. So, yes I will secure a training set, but I will also train on the racing set.
AND....
I did a little tube sleuthing (thanks to a little help from Oryx and interested) and, after filling the most recent damaged tube with air and submerging it under water, I discovered the hole is on the inside of the tube near the valve, and it appears to be at the seam. So, perhaps this is a defect in the tube. ?? I will take the tube with me to the shop and show the fellas. I've one remaining tube that I will be using on this weekend's ride, so fingers are crossed there are no fatal tire-tube-theatrics!0 -
On the puncture issue are you sure you're inflating the tyres to the proper pressure before every ride? If the pressure is too low you'll be prone to pinch flats. Also if the tube is not fully seated into the tyre you'll also get punctures, especially around the valve as that's where it's hardest in my experience to get the tyre on properly. Of course it could be your racing tyre are just to fragile 0
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griffin100 wrote: »On the puncture issue are you sure you're inflating the tyres to the proper pressure before every ride? If the pressure is too low you'll be prone to pinch flats. Also if the tube is not fully seated into the tyre you'll also get punctures, especially around the valve as that's where it's hardest in my experience to get the tyre on properly. Of course it could be your racing tyre are just to fragile
I check/top off air before every ride, so I think I'm good on the pressure front....and I was warned about seating the valve properly, but because I am still learning it could certainly be just that - that these very fragile tubes are not fully seated. However, my bike shop fella told me it could also be a rim issue...so he'll be checking that for me! 0 -
I check/top off air before every ride, so I think I'm good on the pressure front....and I was warned about seating the valve properly, but because I am still learning it could certainly be just that - that these very fragile tubes are not fully seated. However, my bike shop fella told me it could also be a rim issue...so he'll be checking that for me!
I had repeated front wheel punctures when I got my race wheels and I couldn't figure it out. After a while I took off the tyre and used a torch to examine every inch of the rim. I found an innocuous looking blemish in the rim and I sanded it out - problem solved. It may well be your rims!!0 -
Tuesday, March 25th, 2014
Bike plan:
10 minutes easy
4 x (1 min high cadence, 30 sec easy)
4 x (30 sec build, 30 sec easy)
5 x (6 @ 150 watts, 2 min easy)
5 minutes easy
Triangulation. My love for ice hockey (watching the Caps vs. the LA Kings right now.....2-1, Caps favor) has conditioned my mind to think of things in terms of triangles. I see triangles. I see triangles on the bike when I have to hit targets...that's how I manage the targets. To me, cadence plus gear equals power. If I keep the gear static, I can then figure out what cadence I need to pedal at a particular power, or vise versa. Triangles.
When I saw what was on the plan for tonight I honestly thought to myself, no way this is happening! Based on my past power performances, I questioned my ability to hit and hold 150w for 6 minutes, five times. But a funny thing happened on the way to getting this done, I got it done.:) But I went beyond the required wattage, so I'm not sure if that's a good thing or an undisciplined thing. All I can say is I kept efficiency of energy in mind at all times, stayed relaxed, got into a rhythm, and worked as steady and as comfortably as I could. Overall, this was never out of my hard working "comfort" zone. Tonight was an improvement on the bike...power up a bit....maybe there is hope for me.
5 x 6 minutes at 150w what my legs wanted to do, stated as avg watts/max watts...avg HR/max HR:
#1 - 160w/227w...151/156
#2 - 160w/216w...155/160
#3 - 162w/204w...157/162
#4 - 163w/222w...157/161
#5 - 167w/226w...157/162
Actual: ~22 miles in 65 minutes0 -
Wednesday, March 26th, 2014
Run plan: 6 miles easy in da mornin', 6 miles steady in da evenin'
It snowed yesterday.
It snowed today. :mad:
My pool is supposed to be opened in 7 days. :eek:
And because of the above mentioned facts, I am officially boycotting all things winter...I am on winter strike from now until the day after the last day of fall 2014. Hats and gloves will be tucked away safely in a box marked "winter gear".....and boots and scarves will be stored on a shelf out of the way. It's time to get the shorts and tank tops out....bring on the bikinis....and dig out the flip flops, for Old Man Winter is dead. Dead, dead, dead. (note to self: hire Kurt and his kids to get rid of the body)
So, for very obvious reasons, I did both to these on my treadmill...in my shorts and tank top with my hair pulled back and sweating like a proper runner should this time of year. !!!! More tank top action on the trainer tomorrow night while I am pushed for even higher wattage....then back in the fish tank on Friday (will Dory bring out the bikini??) after a lunchtime run. Whoop whoop. The fun just never ends.
Actual: 6 miles easy early, 6 miles steady at 8 min/mile late....followed by stretching, core, and some really wonderful yoga0 -
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Thursday, March 27th, 2014
Bike plan:
10 minutes easy
5 x (1 min high cadence, 1 min easy)
5 x (3 min @ 200 watts, 2 min easy)
5 x (30 sec on, 30 sec off)
5 minutes easy
I didn't quite hit the targets on this one. I tried. I even got a little sick in my mouth - I think that's what you folks say around here. But I tried....I tried hitting the targets different ways: pushing a fairly hard gear while spinning a high cadence (#1 and #2), pushing a harder gear with a slightly lower cadence (#3), and then trying to repeat the "success" I had on #3 but instead found myself trying desperately to salvage the power that was slipping away by making a few gear/cadence adjustments (#4 and #5).
And speaking of power slipping away, I noticed from the results that the power was steadily decreasing within each of those 5 individual sets - I would start out good and strong, but then die a miserable death as the seconds ticked by. I actually "tried" to keep effort even (didn't work) in the hope that that approach would bring me wattage success (sort of like not being able bank time in a marathon....which led to a conversation with myself about what happens when you try and bank power), but I did not have total wattage success tonight. I also wondered as I was pedaling my little heart out if some cyclists are better at holding a slightly lower wattage for longer periods of time than they are at holding a higher wattage for shorter periods of time. Sort of like an endurance runner versus a sprinter. ???
This session has left me a bit hollow....it has taken the wind out of my sails from Tuesday's session, but I'm sure it was still very beneficial and high quality even if I didn't have absolute success. I notice that my heart rate slipped a little bit on the last set, so I'm obviously having a little debate in my head trying to decide if I didn't try hard enough on that one. Not really sure I could have tried harder, but the numbers make me wonder.
Session data for the 5 x 3 minutes stated as: avg HR/max HR...avg cadence/max cadence...avg watts/max watts.
#1 - 160 bpm/170 bpm...103/111...197w/338w
#2 - 164 bpm/172 bpm...97/100...197w/296w
#3 - 167 bpm/175 bpm...88/92...200w/294w (avg = 4.0 w/kg)
#4 - 167 bpm/174 bpm...87/94...192w/268w
#5 - 165 bpm/172 bpm...79/82...192w/264w
Actual: ~17 miles in 55 minutes0 -
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Saturday, March 29th, 2014
Bike plan:
30 minutes easy
3 x (45 minutes easy + 20 watts, 15 minutes easy)
Rain today, so I did this on the tt bike on the trainer in the warm, dry greater indoors. Fine session...I think I prefer these longer, lower intensity sessions over the shorter, higher intensity ones...which I assume is in keeping with what I think I'm better at in the running world...which is the exact opposite of what I was better at when competitively swimming. Ah, but perhaps that's what happens with time.
My goal was to hit 130 or higher for the 3 x 45 minutes segments, and I wanted to try and keep effort as even as possible to be as efficient as possible since I assume bursts in speed/power would consume energy unnecessarily without much/any benefit. Any spikes in power were the result of me squirming around on the saddle trying to get blood flow and feeling back to places that had gone numb.;)
Here's the link to my Garmin file....and yes, my right leg is dominant over my left. I was a bit surprised at this discrepancy the first time I saw it, but I'm trying to work on the left leg.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/469650200
Highlights of that file are the 3 x 45 minutes, stated as: avg HR/max HR...avg cadence/max cadence...avg watts/max watts.
#1 - 140 bpm/145 bpm...79/90...131w/183w
#2 - 141 bpm/148 bpm...79/82...133w/193w
#3 - 147 bpm/158 bpm...80/84...139w/201w
The third set's heart rate was the highest as I was working that one the hardest, but I had also taken a gel with 50mg of caffeine it, so I have to wonder if that didn't contribute as well as I pretty much stay away from caffeine due to its effects on me.
Actual: ~60 miles in 3.5 hours~~~~~~~~~
Swim
In the tank again.....just a girl and her pull buoy.
Actual: One wave cycle, ~1,500 meters on a Saturday night0 -
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Sunday, March 30th, 2014
Run plan: 3 hours easy with the last 15 minutes at MP
Today was yet another day of grey skies, rain, wind and generally speaking, crappy weather. So I decided if I was going to get spit on by the heaven's above, I'd at least have the last laugh by having some fun in the mud and muck in my field. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em! So off I went all bundled up in several layers of various types of clothing since it was just barely above freezing - hat, gloves, tights, wind pants (it's not what it sounds like!), soft-comfy base layer top, oversized-comfy sweatshirt, rain jacket, and a pair of very old running shoes so I could summon the kid in me and run guilt-free through all the puddles. And I did. 
Obviously the run was very slow in conditions like this, but once again it was about time on my feet. The first hour was actually the most uncomfortable - felt creaky and fatigued from the past two weeks of relatively high volume training with no total rest days....but by the second hour my body was warmed up and I had relaxed into a nice rhythm. The last hour was the sloppiest. By this time, the rain (mixed with snow) was coming down steadily and making a real slippy-sloppy-splishy-splashy-squishy-swishy mess of things. Footing uphill was a bit of a joke, and footing on the flats was like running on suction cups...but it was fun. The last two miles at MP were also a bit of a joke with the wind having also picked up (oh, and my iPod's volume took on a life of it's own in these last two miles as it kept increasing to eardrum popping decible levels without any prompt from me) - but I gave them a shot and only came up with 8:14 and 8:04 for these two miles. It's fine - the effort was there.
Actual: 19.4 miles in 3:03:55 for an average pace of 9:29 min/mile0 -
Monday, March 31st, 2014
Run plan: 4 miles recovery
Didn't happen.
BUT....this did -
I spent the day at the bike shop getting my second fitting on The Black Cat. What better way to spend the day than with a bike I love dearly in a shop that reminds me of my dad's workshop, surrounded by a bunch of super nice guys who treat me like royalty. (And they treated me like royalty WAY before I ever purchased The Cat.) A few adjustments were made, new decals installed, training tires secured (Continental Grand Prix 4000), water bottle configuration modified (this may need further modification), and the promise to do this again in a few weeks to make sure I'm 100% happy and feeling good on this amazing piece of workmanship.
I. Love. My. Bike. Shop.
So, training-wise.....I spent a lot of time warming up on the trainer....then there was measuring, spinning, chatting, spinning, questions, spinning, observing, spinning, adjustments....and then we'd start the process all over again. So...I'll guess I was on the trainer a good 90 minutes, but very easy spinning...so this was sort of my recovery "run" for today.
Bike actual: ~90 minutes of easy spinning, ~12 miles ??~~~~~~~~~
Swim
Stopped off at my friend's house on the way home to get a quick swim in....but to my shock and horror, I forgot to pack my pull buoy. Ugh. And, just like my very first swim in this fish tank, my legs just didn't want to stay a float. Either all this cycling has created a lower body that is no longer buoyant and able to kick properly :eek:, or the wave action of this endless pool is pushing my legs down. Fingers crossed it's the latter and not the former. I cut this session a little short as I was not enjoying the way I felt in the water.
Actual swim: ~1,000 yucky feeling meters in the tank0 -
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When do we get to see the lucky Black Cat??!!
Hey there! She's back on the trainer (with the rear wheel off), but she'll be off the rack after Thursday's session, so if you'd like I can snap a few glam shots this weekend. She's pretty much where I want her, except we installed a bottle cage in the front on the bars that I'm not sure I'm too keen about, but it's supposed to be aerodynamic...but that's probably my biggest question mark for many reasons, and would be the only thing that might change about her looks in a week or two after I decide.decals? go faster stripes?
if you are using gp4000's as your training tires, what are you using for racing?
Hello M. The decals are wheel decals. The Black Cat came with very bold white HED decals that I wasn't totally in love with, so after visiting a few colors in my mind, including pink, I settled on going with a clean stealth look....translation: black.
My racing tires (the ones who have had two punctures in two rides - the boys changed the rim tape for me yesterday) are Bontrager R3. I can certainly use the Continentals in a race if the Bontragers prove to be too delicate for these roads, but, among other more legitimate reasons to choose the Bontragers over the Continentals, the Continentals have orangey-yellow writing on them....and, well, personally I'd just never wear orangey-yellow anything with a little black dress and pumps. 0 -
I am glad you went with the black in the end of it all - I wouldn't have wanted it to turn out like this Ireland sporting legends ride
I hope you have now started to give some thought to the matching outfit and helmet - its of massive importance to any serious triathlete.
The TT helmet should be purchased next - mainly black I would think and the secondary color in the helmet will have to match the tri suit and footwear.......and don't forget the compression gear :cool:0 -
I am glad you went with the black in the end of it all - I wouldn't have wanted it to turn out like this Ireland sporting legends ride
I hope you have now started to give some thought to the matching outfit and helmet - its of massive importance to any serious triathlete.
The TT helmet should be purchased next - mainly black I would think and the secondary color in the helmet will have to match the tri suit and footwear.......and don't forget the compression gear :cool:
<gasp> Oh god, that's awful!
You know, it comes to my attention that not only do you have a good eye for things, but you also love to shop. Have you ever thought about becoming a personal shopper?? I could just hand my checkbook over to you.....and....well....;)0 -
I am glad you went with the black in the end of it all - I wouldn't have wanted it to turn out like this Ireland sporting legends ride
I hope you have now started to give some thought to the matching outfit and helmet - its of massive importance to any serious triathlete.
The TT helmet should be purchased next - mainly black I would think and the secondary color in the helmet will have to match the tri suit and footwear.......and don't forget the compression gear :cool:
Just looking at the byline for that picture... How does it take two people to take a photo? 0 -
My racing tires (the ones who have had two punctures in two rides - the boys changed the rim tape for me yesterday) are Bontrager R3. I can certainly use the Continentals in a race if the Bontragers prove to be too delicate for these roads, but, among other more legitimate reasons to choose the Bontragers over the Continentals, the Continentals have orangey-yellow writing on them....and, well, personally I'd just never wear orangey-yellow anything with a little black dress and pumps.
just curious, cause the 4000 would be the tire of choice for a lot of people, so i was wondering what your shop was ranking above that0 -
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Tuesday, April 1st, 2014
Swim
I was reunited with my trusty pull buoy for this session, and all was right with the world once again. I upped the wave speed a smidge and increased the upper body effort, which felt good, and I kept the mantra in my mind that was told to me by a wise, dear friend: slow is smooth, smooth is fast. One wave cycle done.
Actual swim: ~1,500 meters in the fish tank~~~~~~~~~
Bike plan: 1 hour easy with 6 x 15 second sprints with full recovery
With hair still dripping wet from the swim, I was pedaling away and getting used to the slightly new setup on the bike. The biggest change I worked on was utilizing the bottle cages - one on the bars, and two behind me. Big change. And with the body position being so low (compared to The Mad One), it's interesting drinking from the bottle. Perhaps I'm supposed to elevate my body a bit to drink?? Any one??
Not sure I did the 15 second sprints correctly, however. I didn't really review tonight's bike plan before I hopped on the Black Cat, so the sprints sort of turned into "how much power could I get up in 15 seconds?" And for some reason, when I uploaded the data via Bluetooth, the info never made it to my Garmin Connect account...and because I did not hit lap button on the Edge at the start and finish of the 15 second surges, I haven't a clue at this moment how much power I generated in those surges....but I can connect the device to my computer tomorrow (if I don't forget to take it to work) and have a look. But in the meantime...
Actual bike: 1 hour, ~16 miles done as prescribed above with a max power of 368 watts (ever so briefly, I'm sure)0
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