Gainesville
No, I have not been neglecting the training blog. I just have a lot of extra days in my training schedule before the Ironman, and given my recent run of shitty workouts and my right forearm still missing some skin, I thought this would be a good time to use a bunch of them. Also didn't hurt I had the opportunity to go to the UM-Virginia Tech game in Blacksburg, which is a 10 hour drive from here. And I wasn't about to do my longest run ever on some strange course in the middle of nowhere where it was cold and they had hills. So I opted to do my long run Thursday before I left, and save the long bike for the day after Yom Kippur.
Run - 3 Hours
2 Lipodrene
1 Salt Tab
I know at some point I'm going to have to do a long run without the iPod, but today was not to be that day. I even made a new playlist called "Final Ironman Training Mix" that basically combines all the songs I don't skip on my other playlists. At any rate, I ran the campus loop in just over an hour. It was hot, but it was nice to see that even though I was feeling a little sub-par, the heat is still a source of energy, rather than kicking my ass as it had early on in training. First loop, went well, although I chopped steps up the hill. I still felt strong through most of it. I wasn't bounding, but again I realized this was going to be at least 18 miles, so I needed to pace myself.
Then I started the first of 3 and a half down-and-backs to the stadium. Some might think this gets a bit monotonous, but I vastly prefer it to being far away from an aid station, and it breaks the run up nicely. The first one I flew, getting it done in about 28 minutes. This was a faster pace than I was running on the loop, which I found encouraging. Although there are also no hills, which may have played a part. I got back to the Saturn aid station the second time, took another salt tab and another Lipodrene, downed some Gatorade and hit round 2.
My stomach was starting to hurt from all the gels and sugar in the sports drinks, but it went away within about a mile of each lap. I also think this is something I'm going to have to get used to, as I feel like a 12-hour day whose dies consists of only Cliff Bars, Gels, Powerade and Water may lead to some stomach discomfort. At any rate, lap 2 went a little slower, but I still felt like I could run more. I was taking my gels every 45 minutes, and wasn't lacking for energy.
Took my 3rd salt tab here. By round 3, my legs were starting to tire. I realized that this was a much shorter run than the Ironman run (I would have been at about the halfway point here) and I hadn't even biked. But I also realized that the race will be a different mental condition too. I still felt as if I could run, and really only got tired when I stopped. By iPod froze just before round 3 too, which I didn't even notice. Like I got pissed when it froze (2 hours seems to be all it can do without fucking up) but the last 5 miles went by fine without it. This was also encouraging, since I can't use it in the race.
At the end, my legs were tired, I was tired, but I wasn't flat out done. Partly because I started the run at 4, so by the time I hit about 2 hours the sun was going down and it had cooled off (also not unlike race day) but also because I paced myself. By my calculations I did about 18 miles in 3 hours, which is the pace I want to run. God knows if I'll do that race day (doubtful) but I was happy with the effort on this run. I didn't exactly crush it, but it didn't crush me either. I wasn't exactly up for more at the end, but I didn't collapse in a heap either.
After this run, I took 4 days off. I'm sitting here Monday and I feel basically 100%. So the 5.5 hour bike ride tomorrow should be a good test. The arm is healed up for the most part, and I'm ready to go for a solid final month.
Showing posts with label gatorade. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gatorade. Show all posts
Monday, September 28, 2009
Friday, August 7, 2009
T54 - Fucking Fartleks - Run (Treadmill)
Gainesville
R: 90 minute tempo workout
wu: 10 minutes RPE 2-3
main: 7 x (7t, 3r) (7minutes tempo at RPE 7, 3min recovery at RPE 2)
cd: 10 minutes RPE 3
2 Lipodrene
Despite the mildly-obscene sounding name, Fartleks are tempo intervals that were apparently devised by a guy named Fartlek. I'm not joking. Anyway, today's workout looked to be especially brutal because it involved 7 sets of these, where you run at tempo (slightly faster than your race pace, but not a sprint) and then recover for three minutes. And, as we know, I am not a fan of running fast. I tend to do these on a treadmill because it's the only way to ensure your pace stays at the appropriate level. Even when you you push it, your natural inclination is to slow. So I went over to GHFC and used their treadmills.
I started out using the iPod, because a Fartlek workout almost requires some sort of external motivation. I once again used my Summer Run 2009 mix, and did the warmup at 6.0 I managed to get through the first 3 Fartleks at 7.5, with a 5.0 recovery, which again is not impressing anyone, but was tough for me. By the time I got to the middle of set 4, I was already looking at the clock every 30 seconds to see if I was done yet, and I my breathing was getting really labored. So I dropped it to 6.5 for the next 2, with a walking recovery. By the time I got to the last one, since I knew it was the last one, I went back up to 7.5 and felt pretty good.
I would have liked to have kept the 7.5 pace the whole time, but 70 minutes of Fartleks is not easy. Try it. So I was pleased with how I did, going about 10 miles in the 90 minutes and burning around 1500 calories. The iPod music didn't exactly line up, as I found myself walking during the apex of some of the high-energy songs, and I think I need to give the iPod and the sumer run mix a little rest. The music isn't as firing-up as it has been. The workout left me as tired as I'd hoped. I went out to the parking lot and started to get into the wrong car I was so out of it. In my defnese, it was a baby blue Saturn parked 3 spots away from my car, with a Marine Corps sticker on the back and Florida plates.
But it was good to see I was so dizzy and dazed from the effort that I wasn't recognizing my own car. I also forgot to take a gel, which I'm getting in the habit of taking on any workout over 75 minutes. I also tok two bottles, one with water and one with Gatorade, both of which helped me prevent a dehydration headache.
R: 90 minute tempo workout
wu: 10 minutes RPE 2-3
main: 7 x (7t, 3r) (7minutes tempo at RPE 7, 3min recovery at RPE 2)
cd: 10 minutes RPE 3
2 Lipodrene
Despite the mildly-obscene sounding name, Fartleks are tempo intervals that were apparently devised by a guy named Fartlek. I'm not joking. Anyway, today's workout looked to be especially brutal because it involved 7 sets of these, where you run at tempo (slightly faster than your race pace, but not a sprint) and then recover for three minutes. And, as we know, I am not a fan of running fast. I tend to do these on a treadmill because it's the only way to ensure your pace stays at the appropriate level. Even when you you push it, your natural inclination is to slow. So I went over to GHFC and used their treadmills.
I started out using the iPod, because a Fartlek workout almost requires some sort of external motivation. I once again used my Summer Run 2009 mix, and did the warmup at 6.0 I managed to get through the first 3 Fartleks at 7.5, with a 5.0 recovery, which again is not impressing anyone, but was tough for me. By the time I got to the middle of set 4, I was already looking at the clock every 30 seconds to see if I was done yet, and I my breathing was getting really labored. So I dropped it to 6.5 for the next 2, with a walking recovery. By the time I got to the last one, since I knew it was the last one, I went back up to 7.5 and felt pretty good.
I would have liked to have kept the 7.5 pace the whole time, but 70 minutes of Fartleks is not easy. Try it. So I was pleased with how I did, going about 10 miles in the 90 minutes and burning around 1500 calories. The iPod music didn't exactly line up, as I found myself walking during the apex of some of the high-energy songs, and I think I need to give the iPod and the sumer run mix a little rest. The music isn't as firing-up as it has been. The workout left me as tired as I'd hoped. I went out to the parking lot and started to get into the wrong car I was so out of it. In my defnese, it was a baby blue Saturn parked 3 spots away from my car, with a Marine Corps sticker on the back and Florida plates.
But it was good to see I was so dizzy and dazed from the effort that I wasn't recognizing my own car. I also forgot to take a gel, which I'm getting in the habit of taking on any workout over 75 minutes. I also tok two bottles, one with water and one with Gatorade, both of which helped me prevent a dehydration headache.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
T36 - 2 Swim Workouts For the Low, Low Cost of 1!!! - Swim
Gainesville
S: long day
Swim:
warmup: 4 x 75
main: 500swim, 500kick, 500pull, 500swim, all RPE 4
15 x 100 (25Easy, 25Build, 25Easy, 25Hard)
2 Lipodrene
"Long Day" would be a bit of an understatement. This was essentially 2 long swim workouts combined into one, and I thought my eyes were fucking up again when I read the training card and saw this listed as a 90 minute swim. In week 14. Well, whatever.
The first 500 was a bit lazy, since I knew I was in for a long night. But by the 9th or 10th lap I started feeling warmed up. I did Pull next, actually, and did it in just over 13 minutes, which I thought wasn't bad for a pull. Then 10 laps of kick, which is pretty interminable, but boy does it make you haul ass on those last 500 yards. Seriously crushed those last 10 laps now that my arms were rested and I had been kicking. Did them in 10 minutes, which, again, for me is crushing it. I usually average about 1:07 a lap.
Because it was a loooong swimming day, I actually got out of the pool after the first 2000 meters and used the bathroom. Not sure why swimming always makes me have to piss, but as anyone who's ever been on a roadtrip with me will tell you I have the bladder of an 8-year-old girl (although my niece Emily seems to be able to hold it, so it may be more like the bladder of a 50-year-old woman. Anyway, I went to the bathroom, had some Gatorade and a gel, and started the 15 EBEH.
Crushed those too, much as one can crush EBEH. The easys were really more of a moderate tempo, and the Hards I swam like I was angry. I've never really used anger as a motivating force in training, but let me tell you it worked Tuesday night. And I was angry about all kinds of things, and nothing at all. Things I had no business being angry about and things I should have been angrier about before. But the point is I swam the last 25 of each one like somebody has just shit in my Gatorade bottle, and I liked it. I'm not one who can feign emotion to use as motivation (why I was such a terrible football player. What did that lineman ever do to me?) but occasionally it works. Anyway, I finished this workout in 86 minutes, UNDER time for once. I was very pleased.
Interestingly, also, I had eaten an entire large cheese pizza for lunch and when I went to weigh myself post-swim I was 2 pounds lighter than I had been during my Sunday swim. Although I think the pizza contributed to the nasty acid reflux I was getting during most of the swim. Never made me stop, but it's starting to become a concern. Had a little muscle milk after, need to buy some more.
S: long day
Swim:
warmup: 4 x 75
main: 500swim, 500kick, 500pull, 500swim, all RPE 4
15 x 100 (25Easy, 25Build, 25Easy, 25Hard)
2 Lipodrene
"Long Day" would be a bit of an understatement. This was essentially 2 long swim workouts combined into one, and I thought my eyes were fucking up again when I read the training card and saw this listed as a 90 minute swim. In week 14. Well, whatever.
The first 500 was a bit lazy, since I knew I was in for a long night. But by the 9th or 10th lap I started feeling warmed up. I did Pull next, actually, and did it in just over 13 minutes, which I thought wasn't bad for a pull. Then 10 laps of kick, which is pretty interminable, but boy does it make you haul ass on those last 500 yards. Seriously crushed those last 10 laps now that my arms were rested and I had been kicking. Did them in 10 minutes, which, again, for me is crushing it. I usually average about 1:07 a lap.
Because it was a loooong swimming day, I actually got out of the pool after the first 2000 meters and used the bathroom. Not sure why swimming always makes me have to piss, but as anyone who's ever been on a roadtrip with me will tell you I have the bladder of an 8-year-old girl (although my niece Emily seems to be able to hold it, so it may be more like the bladder of a 50-year-old woman. Anyway, I went to the bathroom, had some Gatorade and a gel, and started the 15 EBEH.
Crushed those too, much as one can crush EBEH. The easys were really more of a moderate tempo, and the Hards I swam like I was angry. I've never really used anger as a motivating force in training, but let me tell you it worked Tuesday night. And I was angry about all kinds of things, and nothing at all. Things I had no business being angry about and things I should have been angrier about before. But the point is I swam the last 25 of each one like somebody has just shit in my Gatorade bottle, and I liked it. I'm not one who can feign emotion to use as motivation (why I was such a terrible football player. What did that lineman ever do to me?) but occasionally it works. Anyway, I finished this workout in 86 minutes, UNDER time for once. I was very pleased.
Interestingly, also, I had eaten an entire large cheese pizza for lunch and when I went to weigh myself post-swim I was 2 pounds lighter than I had been during my Sunday swim. Although I think the pizza contributed to the nasty acid reflux I was getting during most of the swim. Never made me stop, but it's starting to become a concern. Had a little muscle milk after, need to buy some more.
Friday, July 3, 2009
T26 - Hit the Groun Biking - Bike/Swim
Sacramento
Going on about an hour and a half of sleep, I got to my dad's house in Sac around 1. I was informed that we were going to a baseball game at 6:30, and that my niece Emily was especially excited that I was going. Well, much as I hate little kids, Emily is the one on Earth I actually like, and I didn't want to disappoint her. So, I sacked up and took my Dad's bike out on the American River trail.
Bike: 120 Minutes
2 Lipodrene
Dads are funny sometimes. I asked my dad to use his bike, which is actually nicer than mine with Ultegra componentry and a lighter frame (carbon or aluminum or whatever the ligher one is that mine is not). It also has three rings, but fuck it, I'm not using it for a race. Anywhay, I had to pump up the tires and in the process I managed to snap a valve off one of them. No problem, I change out the tube and put in a new one. But I can't figure out how to use my dad's pump and use a hand pump instead. I made the mistake of telling this to my dad, who then says "No, I'll show you, it's easy to use the pump," and proceeds to let all the air out of the front tire so he can re-pump it showing me how to use the bigger pump. In the process, he snaps the valve stem off this tube, theoreticaly forcing me to change the tire AGAIN. Fortunately, he opted to just switch it out with the front tire on my step-mom's bike, a wheel that cost something like $300, and take this one to the bike shop. It was nice.
My dad's bike rode a a lot faster than mine, and the shifting on that compontentry makes my bike feel like a Carmenghia going up a hill. But the 3-ring setup made going up hills in the big ring harder for some reason. Or maybe it was just the 2 hours of sleep. Because he did not have a computer on it (I believe I was the last person to use it LAST summer) I had no idea how fast I was going or how long I'd been out there. Also, this trail doesn't offer a lot of shade, so the ride was fairly warm at 2:30 in the afternoon. Not so tough without my shade, I guess. I also was not a fan of not being able to drop into aero at all, as that path has some great spots for it. The change of scenery on the ride was nice, and even though I got a little lost, I remembered a lot of the path from last year. Also, without the humidity I can make it on a little less water, which is nice.
Swim: wu: 500
main: 15 x 100, RPE 4-5, concentrate on smooth and efficient rather than
all-out speed
Had a couple of Gatorades and another Lipodrene and headed over to the outdoor pool at Rio Del Oro (that's River of Gold for you non-Spanish speakers) Raquet and Tennis club. Its a fun spot to find upper-middle class Sacramento Milfs, and their daughters home from college for the summer. Sadly, none were in the outdoor pool. It was also really cool to swim outdoors on a cloudless, 86 degree evening rather than indoors in Gainesville.
I liked the instructions on this training day, since it said to focus on being steady rather than all out. I'm all about steady, moderate effort. It's sort of the theme of my life.
Anyway, I skipped the warmup for the sake of time, which I definitely noticed on the first 4 or 5 100s. But the rest went solid and I cactually took less recovery time at the end between sets than I was at the beginning. I'm starting to think I need to consider warmups part of the workout more. But whatever. The swim went well, and I made it to the ballgame.
Going on about an hour and a half of sleep, I got to my dad's house in Sac around 1. I was informed that we were going to a baseball game at 6:30, and that my niece Emily was especially excited that I was going. Well, much as I hate little kids, Emily is the one on Earth I actually like, and I didn't want to disappoint her. So, I sacked up and took my Dad's bike out on the American River trail.
Bike: 120 Minutes
2 Lipodrene
Dads are funny sometimes. I asked my dad to use his bike, which is actually nicer than mine with Ultegra componentry and a lighter frame (carbon or aluminum or whatever the ligher one is that mine is not). It also has three rings, but fuck it, I'm not using it for a race. Anywhay, I had to pump up the tires and in the process I managed to snap a valve off one of them. No problem, I change out the tube and put in a new one. But I can't figure out how to use my dad's pump and use a hand pump instead. I made the mistake of telling this to my dad, who then says "No, I'll show you, it's easy to use the pump," and proceeds to let all the air out of the front tire so he can re-pump it showing me how to use the bigger pump. In the process, he snaps the valve stem off this tube, theoreticaly forcing me to change the tire AGAIN. Fortunately, he opted to just switch it out with the front tire on my step-mom's bike, a wheel that cost something like $300, and take this one to the bike shop. It was nice.
My dad's bike rode a a lot faster than mine, and the shifting on that compontentry makes my bike feel like a Carmenghia going up a hill. But the 3-ring setup made going up hills in the big ring harder for some reason. Or maybe it was just the 2 hours of sleep. Because he did not have a computer on it (I believe I was the last person to use it LAST summer) I had no idea how fast I was going or how long I'd been out there. Also, this trail doesn't offer a lot of shade, so the ride was fairly warm at 2:30 in the afternoon. Not so tough without my shade, I guess. I also was not a fan of not being able to drop into aero at all, as that path has some great spots for it. The change of scenery on the ride was nice, and even though I got a little lost, I remembered a lot of the path from last year. Also, without the humidity I can make it on a little less water, which is nice.
Swim: wu: 500
main: 15 x 100, RPE 4-5, concentrate on smooth and efficient rather than
all-out speed
Had a couple of Gatorades and another Lipodrene and headed over to the outdoor pool at Rio Del Oro (that's River of Gold for you non-Spanish speakers) Raquet and Tennis club. Its a fun spot to find upper-middle class Sacramento Milfs, and their daughters home from college for the summer. Sadly, none were in the outdoor pool. It was also really cool to swim outdoors on a cloudless, 86 degree evening rather than indoors in Gainesville.
I liked the instructions on this training day, since it said to focus on being steady rather than all out. I'm all about steady, moderate effort. It's sort of the theme of my life.
Anyway, I skipped the warmup for the sake of time, which I definitely noticed on the first 4 or 5 100s. But the rest went solid and I cactually took less recovery time at the end between sets than I was at the beginning. I'm starting to think I need to consider warmups part of the workout more. But whatever. The swim went well, and I made it to the ballgame.
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