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Chronicles of a fish: the days of surf and turf
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Wednesday, July 23rd, 2014
Swim
A lovely jubbly swim at high noon. Thank god I still have these, and it's not all hard work in the water all the time.
Actual swim: 2,000 super wonderful yards
Run plan: 15 miles easy
Weather: god awful hot to start with...that morphed into an insane electrical storm with piercing rain....that blew into a breezy yet humid end to the session. Wet and wild, baby...wet and wild!
This was a super run. Sometimes it just takes a reminder of what the definition of "easy" is to put you back on track. Thank you. It worked. And this was quite possibly the best and longest run I've had in all of 2014. It wasn't fast by any means, but I think I was spot on in my execution of it for the intention of this session. And I did this field style, of course.
Miles 1-8:
9:42, 9:25, 9:23, 9:20, 9:21, 9:19, 9:17, 9:27
This entire run was done by feel....the only time I would look at the watch was when it beeped at the end of each mile, but I never looked in between the miles as I did not want to be influenced by the displayed pace. I kept these 8 miles "easy minus one notch" purely because I was afraid my perception of "easy" might be just a smidge too fast. I could tell I was flagging a bit on mile 8, so I took a gel shortly after I saw my pace had dropped.
Miles 9-12:
9:25, 9:11, 9:09, 8:54
Again, just ran by feel...but knowing I was over halfway through this session I allowed myself to get in the happy zone. Took another gel at the end of mile 12 to ensure I finished in good shape.
Miles 13-15:
8:38, 8:34, 8:18
Feeling loads of joy, I let the legs take the stage and show some strength while humming Maroon5's song "Misery" over and over again in my head...which struck me as so funny since that title was such a contradiction of how I was feeling.
Actual run: 15 miles in 2:17:30 for an average pace of 9:10 min/mile
I had loads of time to think on this run.....about where I am right now with training, where I am in each of the three disciplines, and about how far I've come since my injury several months ago. Things sometimes happen for a reason, and maybe my injury was a blessing in disguise. If there's one thing in life I have learned, it's that you must turn every disadvantage into an advantage - whether it's a broken leg, broken collar bone, or torn hip flexor....or the wind pushing you back, or soul destroying heat, or a thigh exploding hill...use it all to make you stronger in some way. I've signed up for IM Maryland in September - I signed up in May when I was feeling sorry for myself knowing I had carelessly thrown Eagleman away - but I wasn't ready or confident enough to make this public...until now. I have no grand illusions about this event - it's my first IM, so I just want to enjoy it, pace it smart, and finish wanting to do another one. Simple. Right? 0 -
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You won't finish it wanting to do another one* At about 28k into the marathon you will have questioned your sanity, hated life, and just wanted to stop and sit down. The finish chute will be a blur of pain, elation, and relief.
*but an hour after the finish, when hopefully you have a beer in one hand and your medal round your neck, THEN you'll want to do another one.
Good luck with it. Enjoy!0 -
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Thursday, July 24th, 2014
Bike
Sneaky lunchtime bike ride on the Black Cat. I figured I'd just spin out the legs from last night's run with an easy ride, but apparently I put a little more effort into this than I realized as my overall speed was up from Tuesday's ride on the same bike and course. Happy camper. Perhaps I'm getting more comfortable on the Cat. Still not ready to eat or drink yet, but getting closer.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/548851866
Actual bike: 16.18 miles (actually started the Garmin a smidge late) in 52:42 for an average pace of 18.4 mph
Swim
1,000 yards warm up
8 x 400 yards on 5:30 - targeting 5:15-5:20
200 yards easy
It seems I'm in a cycle of few good sessions, then a so-so session. Is this normal? Is this how "serious" triathlon training goes? Is this what I can expect? Because it seems to be the pattern I'm in right now.
Any way....this was very hard to get my heart into. Probably in part because I got started about an hour later than normal - lots of stress, especially at work, and I think it's taking its toll on me. But I trotted myself out to the pool, pink cap and goggles and all...and did this best I could on this particular evening. Not much to say...all the 400s came in right around 5:20ish (not much faster than that!) except the second 400, and that came in at 5:25.
Actual swim: 4,400 yards0 -
Friday, July 25th, 2014
Run plan: 8 miles progression, ending @ MP
Because the weather was a bit deceiving today (only in the 80s with low humidity), I figured a sneaky lunchtime field run in the full sun would feel, um, refreshing. :rolleyes::o:confused::eek: What was I thinking!? Well, actually, the first half of this run (while the pace was still in the easy range) was fine...it wasn't until I upped the pace for the last 4 miles did the heat start to become an issue for me....and by the time I got to the last 2 miles, my tummy was doing back flips and I had visions of losing what remained of my breakfast and morning snacks right there in my grassy path. I tend not to do well running with effort in heat. I considered stopping for a moment to see if it would settle...but I knew stopping would negate some of the purpose of this session, and I figured if I was in a race I'd keep going and hope for the best, so that's exactly what I did. Barely made it into the house....and then was nauseated for the rest of the day.
But, on a positive note
this was a very disciplined session. !!! I guess one way to get Dory to follow directions is to tire her out with a hard week of training, and mix in a little vomit inducing heat. 
Paces as follows:
9:03, 8:44, 8:41, 8:30, 8:01, 7:51, 7:38, 7:24
Actual run: 8.01 miles in 1:05:57 for an average pace of 8:14 min/mile
I've got a 100 mile organized bike ride to do tomorrow....looking forward to it. It benefits a community kitchen, has some pretty good hills along the course, and I hear the lunch afterwards for the cyclists is pretty dang good! Whoop whoop! It's all about the food and the t-shirt! 0 -
Saturday, July 26th, 2014
Our Community Place Century Ride
Whew wee!!!! This was some ride! Wow.....this was only my second ever 100 mile ride (the first one being 3 weeks ago), and this was a beast, especially the final 20 miles. :eek: The first century may have had more total climbing in it, but today's was harder. The first ride's climbs were longer but at lower grades, and you were able to get into a rhythm. Today's ride's climbs were shorter, sharper, steeper, and never stopped coming. !!! And I even ran out of gears on the Mad One, but we managed together - misery loves company, and all that. The ride benefited a community kitchen that feeds the homeless and disadvantaged, and this is the biggest fundraiser the kitchen has every year. This is the 23rd year of the ride.
The ride started early - 7am - and the weather played ball. I noticed my Garmin states that it was 60 degrees but it most certainly was not 60 degrees - more like 80-something degrees with the sun beating down on you for the last 50 miles. But not bad.
Without further ado...things I learned, experienced and/or observed on today's ride:
- Gears are my friend.
- Black asphalt has less resistance than gray asphalt.
- Pedal in reverse about a quarter revolution when your chain up front gets stuck going from the big ring to the small ring.
- I am less afraid of downhills as I tire.
- I feel more ownership of the road and I care less about passing traffic as I tire.
- Vans that are moving at certain speeds with a ceramic mug left on its roof are not a cyclists friend. Let's just say it came within an inch of my life.
- Old, flabby people with pasty white jiggly midriffs should not hike their jersey up to air out that part of their body while cycling no matter how hot they are (think of the children!)....and they certainly should not lift their left cheek off the saddle as you pass and cut loose with the longest, loudest fart. Good god, just what have you been eating!!?? !!!
- It's not just about elevation gain, but rather it's about the placement, duration, frequency, and grade of the elevation gain.
- When you are a male cyclist wearing a PBS jersey and you happily ride my @ss letting me do all the work for the final 10 miles of soul destroying hills and never once offer to pull me along, do not pass me at a traffic light when we are within a few block of the finish line, thus beating me home. Very bad manners, and so I suppose I should not be surprised you never acknowledged the work I did as you were in my slipstream admiring the view.
All in good fun. It was a great day....and I also think my cycling benefited from today's experience. Lunch post-ride at the community kitchen was fab! Lots of good eats cooked by volunteers, and we got to share the space with some of the recipients of this kitchen's generosity, and that was nice. I'd like to think our smiles and upbeat chatter helped to make their day. I'll definitely look for this ride again next year.
Actual ride: 98.79 miles in 5:55:56 for an average speed of 16.7 mph and an elevation gain of 5,132 feet
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/5501944680 -
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At least yer man you towed home didnt snot rocket you as he went by. Did you grab his wheel for a tow to the finish?
Def no snot rockets from him (I'm assuming you've been the recipient? :eek:)....and I did not grab a tow home as we were back in the city at that point with traffic lights, parked cars, flat roads, and about 3 blocks to go. He shot around me like a bat out of hell when a light turned green and I was so amazed at his rudeness that I just didn't care. Does he not understand a gentleman's agreement...does he not watch the Tour??;) 0 -
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Kurt Godel wrote: »Agree with you 100%. Give me a course of rolling hills any day, over a few steep climbs in the granny ring.
Two very intereting revelations occurred while on yesterday's ride: 1) that different road surfaces have different drag due to the resistance of the material under your tire thus giving or taking speed to or from you (and making you work harder or not!).....and, 2) elevation cannot merely be quantified in feet or meters climbed. Perhaps both of these things are obvious to most of you here, but I am still a neophyte when it comes to cycling so I am still learning.Kurt Godel wrote: »Great week from you Dory. I know you are IM-focussed right now, but can your thoughts turn to the more-important 2014 SBR swim numbers. Specifically, Nov and Dec when your pool is cold... whats your plan for that?
Thanks! Was a challenging and full week of training, but I think most of it went fairly well. I'd like to have one of the swim sessions back for a redo, but I'm letting it go...
But to the more-important part of your post - SBR swim numbers. You haven't already glugged that bottle of France's finest, have you? My pool will be closed mid-October (boo hiss) so I'll have 2.5 months to figure out what I'm doing for swimming. More than likely I'll be heading up and down the mountain 3 times a week to my friend's endless pool. Not exactly blowing my skirt up at the moment, but at least I have that as an option. In the meantime, I'll try and bank as many yards as possible! 0 -
But to the more-important part of your post - SBR swim numbers. You haven't already glugged that bottle of France's finest, have you? My pool will be closed mid-October (boo hiss) so I'll have 2.5 months to figure out what I'm doing for swimming. More than likely I'll be heading up and down the mountain 3 times a week to my friend's endless pool. Not exactly blowing my skirt up at the moment, but at least I have that as an option. In the meantime, I'll try and bank as many yards as possible!
Excellent- the bottle remains corked in expectation until Dec 31st, and with the numbers you are currently doing, will remain on ice for a frantic final tally. I'll try and strike over the last 2.5 months, but all the smart betting money is on you buying a wetsuit;)0 -
Sunday, July 27th, 2014
Today was a planned day of rest after yesterday's adventures on the Mad One. So....after some industrial strength deep cleaning of the kitchen and great room :eek: it was a dose of much needed afternoon yoga, followed by a late evening dip in the pool. Funny, I put in 98.79 miles on the bike yesterday with some seriously challenging climbs, and the only thing sore on me today (which I noticed as I was swimming) are my shoulders. Huh! ?? Legs are fine, but I guess because I am still tense when I ride, this is the result. ?? I'll have to work on relaxing my upper body and arms, which I was told I needed to do when I was at tri camp by "coach" Nate.
Actual swim: 2,000 easy evening yards
Oh...one little item of self-indulgence I forgot to disclose yesterday. On my way home from the bike ride (and after I popped into my bike shop where they gave the Mad One a little post-century-ride love (those guys are the best!)) I stopped at an ice cream stand and treated myself to the most heavenly chocolate milkshake with whipped cream on top. And I got it in a size large. That baby was history in under 15 minutes. This may be my new recovery drink after all endurance events. 0 -
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Monday, July 28th, 2014
Run plan: 3 miles recovery, am.....6 miles easy, pm
The 3 miles were done sneaky lunchtime field style in breezy and cooler conditions....and the 6 miles were done field style post work in nearly chilly conditions. Rumor has it, the remainder of the summer may be cooler than usual...which I'm sort of mixed about....but I think overall I'm happy about it. ?? Maybe.
Actual run: 3.5 miles at high noon....6.3 miles in the early evening
I was going to put in a nice recovery swim, but as I was shimmying into my Speedo the alarm company rang me to tell me there was motion detected in the surgery room. False alarm, but by the time I got back from checking things out I was ready to call it a night - so no swim. I also had intended on chatting about elevation on my log tonight...and how inaccurate my Garmin Forerunner is in this regard....but I'll have to take a raincheck on that conversation - I'll beat that subject into the ground at a later date when I'm feeling a bit fresher and more loquacious. 0 -
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Okay, so Tunney comes for a visit on my log and I end up deathly ill.;) Kidding (Tunney, please stop by anytime you like as you are always welcome ), but seriously....Dory has been one sick little guppy these last few days, complete with a visit to the hospital early yesterday morning to have tests show I have a bacterial infection in the gut.
Death would be so much easier. But the good news is, after losing 4 pounds in 4 days and dealing with a fever, my body temperature is finally normal and I'm feeling a good bit better. Starting to eat a little and continuing to take on fluids. This is not where I wanted to be with basically 7 weeks to go before the big day, but this is what I've been handed, so I play the hand I'm dealt. Simple enough.
I've got one session from Tuesday I never posted, but I'll do that this evening.0 -
Okay, so Tunney comes for a visit on my log and I end up deathly ill.;) Kidding (Tunney, please stop by anytime you like as you are always welcome ), but seriously....Dory has been one sick little guppy these last few days, complete with a visit to the hospital early yesterday morning to have tests show I have a bacterial infection in the gut. Death would be so much easier. But the good news is, after losing 4 pounds in 4 days and dealing with a fever, my body temperature is finally normal and I'm feeling a good bit better. Starting to eat a little and continuing to take on fluids. This is not where I wanted to be with basically 7 weeks to go before the big day, but this is what I've been handed, so I play the hand I'm dealt. Simple enough.
I've got one session from Tuesday I never posted, but I'll do that this evening.
Yikes, I was thinking it had had gone very quiet over here. That really sucks ... do take the time to recover and don't worry too much about the race. There is always another race so see how it goes. Meanwhile, make your OH and Norris earn their keep!0 -
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Hi Dory, i really hope you are feeling better, the reason i am posting on your blog is, i have 3 weeks to my 1st IM, i came off my bike hard on wednesday and TBH it hurt, but when i arrived home with a few new lumps and a bit of blood flowing from my elbows,ankles and knees, and i whinged to my wife that i didnt think i was able for IM, she said "What would Dory do" and it was simple, Dory would have brushed off the tarmac and just gone back to training, so thats what i did today, i went for a run, which hurt, and i went for a cycle which TBH was scary as every turn i made i thought i was going to come off, but i kept saying "you have only 3 weeks to go SIU" i suppose what i am trying to say Dory, is you have 7 weeks to go, take your time, make sure your 100% before you go full on again, i know you were injured earlier in the season but in fairness you have a brilliant base built up.
thanks for the energy,
Pmaldini
Ah, thanks for sharing that with me. (Your wife knows about me? :eek: Sounds like a rumor! ) And your words came at a very good time for me - just as one of my local friends was reminding me what a crap year I've had and that I might want to consider rethinking doing the IM. Whah?? I mean, I do have 7 weeks to go....and I have put in 7 or 8 solid weeks of training prior to this illness...and I did have some fitness before that even. So thanks for the pep talk. And you mind those injuries!! As long as the bumps and bruises are relatively superficial, they'll heal in no time and will look uber sexy and super cool in the meantime. You'll be grand for your IM. And I personally think it was smart of you to get back on your horse again right away and prove to yourself that you can stay upright! It's all about where you are both mentally and physically, and hopefully this turned into a positive for you.
Tuesday, July 29th, 2014
Bike
Ehhh...not going to waste much time here - this was done while sick so it was not my best performance. It was done on the Black Cat....and I did a little bit longer of a route than I usually do at lunch (only 2 miles or so). But basically after this session things spiraled downhill...and I haven't trained since. HOWEVER, after 3 doses of antibiotics (getting ready to take dose 4), I am feeling OH-SO-MUCH better! Whoop whoop! My plan is to start back doing something light tomorrow and Sunday, then hopefully get back to the plan come Monday. Fingers crossed.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/554821916
Actual bike: 18.91 miles in 1:07:36 for an average speed of 16.8 mph and elevation gain of 1,053 feet
And that reminds me....the Garmin elevation discussion will commence in earnest this weekend!0 -
Saturday, August 2nd, 2014
Swim!!! Oh a lovelylovelyohsojubbly swim!!!
I think the title says it all.
Thank. God. I'm. Back.
This was a super easy swim that started even easier than super easy and morphed into, well, um, super easy. (duh!)
Whew. I think I'll just erase the last 3.5 days from memory and toss all the various and assorted partially consumed food and drink items sitting in my refrigerator and freezer that I secured through various means in my attempt to be able to get something in me (and stay in me!) away. !!! I have to tell you, this was awful. And I wasn't quite sure how tonight's swim would go, but I was more than ready to dive in by early evening....and I was honestly pleasantly surprised. Yes, the body knows it's been sick, but the "damage'" is minimal best I can tell. Tomorrow I will probably double the pool yardage, then get back to it on Monday assuming all systems are go.
Actual swim: 2,000 wonderful yards0 -
Sunday, August 3rd, 2014
Bike
I hadn't planned on hopping on a bike today as I wanted to make sure I played it smart with illness-recovery...but the sun was shining, I was feeling good enough, and there was no one around to tell me I couldn't...so I did. And because I was still a little unsteady on my feet, I decided to put my life in the hands of the Mad One. Right choice. I took this super easy and kept my body and breathing relaxed. My tummy was in bits for part of this ride (I would have been in misery on the Black Cat with the needed bend at the waist!), but discomfort will be part of my day in 7 weeks, so I figured I'd best just get over it! Which reminds me of something that popped in my head when I was pedaling up and down the hills - I have not used my iPod one single time this training cycle. I had made the decision when I embarked on this IM journey not to use the device, and I haven't....so when I was reading my Chrissie Wellington book last night and came across her discussion on repetitive activity and how we need to learn to handle it mentally to stay focused and not bored or wandering off in our minds during a race, I smiled.
"You should maintain the same level of concentration in training as you would in racing. It's no use imagining you will miraculously develop that focus on race day. It won't happen, and you will have neglected a fundamental part of your program. You wouldn't go into a race without any physical training, so why would you go in without any mental?"
I just thought I'd share that as it makes perfect sense to me.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/556307312
Actual bike: 19.05 miles in 1:11:45 for an average slow speed of 15.9 mph and an elevatioin gain of 979 feet
Swim
A bit of disturbing news - I had to fish out a dead bird from one of my scuppers today....and it was a big bird that startled the bejeezus out of me when I lifted off the scupper cover. I hate that!!! (meaning, I hate being startled, not the finding the bird thing....but I also don't want to imply that I don't hate finding dead birds in my scuppers, because I do....it's just in this case the "I hate that" was referring to me being startled and not to me finding a dead bird in my scupper)
Any way...two swims....easy.....2,000 yards each. The first done in the afternoon...the second done in the evening. They both felt good, but the second one felt the best...and I even did a bit of a progression swim on the second one to try and find some upper body strength. All good in the hood everything considered. And that's good enough for now.
Actual swims: 2,000 x 2 = 4,000 yards0 -
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Sunday, August 3rd, 2014
Bike
I hadn't planned on hopping on a bike today as I wanted to make sure I played it smart with illness-recovery...but the sun was shining, I was feeling good enough, and there was no one around to tell me I couldn't...so I did. And because I was still a little unsteady on my feet, I decided to put my life in the hands of the Mad One. Right choice. I took this super easy and kept my body and breathing relaxed. My tummy was in bits for part of this ride (I would have been in misery on the Black Cat with the needed bend at the waist!), but discomfort will be part of my day in 7 weeks, so I figured I'd best just get over it! Which reminds me of something that popped in my head when I was pedaling up and down the hills - I have not used my iPod one single time this training cycle. I had made the decision when I embarked on this IM journey not to use the device, and I haven't....so when I was reading my Chrissie Wellington book last night and came across her discussion on repetitive activity and how we need to learn to handle it mentally to stay focused and not bored or wandering off in our minds during a race, I smiled.
"You should maintain the same level of concentration in training as you would in racing. It's no use imagining you will miraculously develop that focus on race day. It won't happen, and you will have neglected a fundamental part of your program. You wouldn't go into a race without any physical training, so why would you go in without any mental?"
I just thought I'd share that as it makes perfect sense to me.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/556307312
Swim
A bit of disturbing news - I had to fish out a dead bird from one of my scuppers today....and it was a big bird that startled the bejeezus out of me when I lifted off the scupper cover. I hate that!!! (meaning, I hate being startled, not the finding the bird thing....but I also don't want to imply that I don't hate finding dead birds in my scuppers, because I do....it's just in this case the "I hate that" was referring to me being startled and not to me finding a dead bird in my scupper)
Any way...two swims....easy.....2,000 yards each. The first done in the afternoon...the second done in the evening. They both felt good, but the second one felt the best...and I even did a bit of a progression swim on the second one to try and find some upper body strength. All good in the hood everything considered. And that's good enough for now.
Actual swims: 2,000 x 2 = 4,000 yards
Good to see you back! A life without limits ? One of my favorite reads for many years.0
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