I usually don’t blog about individual workouts since I track them in my workout logs already, and I certainly have enough of those. I track my workouts in 3 places, a hand-written log in my planner which is good for logging quickly while on the go since my planner is always with me, and two web-based logs. One is mapmyride.com, which is pretty general for a log, but it does calculate calories (roughly) and of course you can log the actual route you did by mapping it which is by far the best feature. The new mapping software with the road tracking option makes mapping a breeze for longer routes now, too. It’s a very visual log, showing you a calendar view of your month with little icons depicting your different entries, but it definitely has its limits. I also you triblogs.com, which is a British site I believe. That really only comes into play with the defaulting of units to km and time of day to somewhere in Europe, but both options can be changed in preferences. This log is designed for triathlon workout logs, so it is better in many ways than mapmyride. I don’t use enough of the tools on the site to really take advantage of it fully at this point, but should use it more. I like that it can give you a snapshot of your week broken down by percentage of each sport you are doing as well as allowing your comments on the workout to show up in your week view. It also has a plan section, where you can “log” your upcoming workouts and use it as your schedule as well. I should devote a future post to giving a full review of each of the logs…I’ll try and get on that.
Now, that was quite a tangent, wasn’t it? Let’s get back to my original opening…
I usually don’t blog about individual workouts…but today I’m making an exception. Yesterday was a speed workout run for my ½ marathon training plan. It was really only a middle distance run with 800m intervals worked in, but I surprised myself with how well it went, so wanted to share.
Here’s how I planned the run:
- 1 mile steady warm-up (7:50-8:00/mile)
- 4x800m w/ ~800m steady b/w (3:29, 3:24, 3:19, and 3:14 for the 800s respectively)
- Steady cool down until total run time = 40minutes (guessing ~5.2 miles)
The run was performed on a park path that circles a small lake. One loop is 2.6 miles and it is marked every ¼ mile (~800m). The path is uneven and worn at times, and does not include any large hills, but is constantly undulating. I figured this would be a challenging workout, and a good speed work exercise for my upcoming race (goal 7:15/mile for ½ Mary on last weekend of April). I’m not coached, so these workouts just come from my experiences, what I’ve read, and my availability.
Here’s the actual workout numbers:
- 4x800m @ 3:21, 3:14, 3:11, and 3:07 respectively
- Steady sections run b/w 7:35-8:00/mile
- Overall run 5.5 miles in 40 minutes
The best parts about it were the speed of my recovery sections and the relative ease at which I hit my splits. I was able to fully recover between each leg in only 3.5-4 minutes time and was still running a good pace. Also, for the first 3 intervals, I had to focus on holding back after verifying I was ahead of pace at the half-way point. My last interval was a struggle, since it’s a fast split and was performed on a section of the trail where the first portion is about the flattest section of the path, but the second part is constantly up and down, and more violent bumps than in other sections of the park with an uphill 150m finish. I had some issues with stitches on this last one, so didn’t push all-out at the end, just made sure I was safely under my goal time. I was in pain at the end, but it was a good pain.
I felt this was very good test of my fitness currently, and I feel well ahead of where I’ve been in the past, especially in regard to my steady run pace and my top end speed. Could be attributed to the nearly 20 lbs I am lighter right now, along with some other factors, but it’s exciting nonetheless.
To finish this post out, a little more excitement. It’s supposed to be mid 50’s and sunny when I get off work this evening, so I am going to try and get my first outdoor ride of the season. It won’t be on my new bike since I don’t have hydration on there yet, but it will still be fun to get outdoors again (fingers crossed).
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Mental Workout
I was a whimp this morning. The weather was fine, just a little cold, but there was a chance of wintry mix. I just kept picturing myself halfway through the run, getting pelted by freezing rain. It wasn't much for motivation, that's for sure. However, I couldn't miss my mini-marathon training weekly long run. I was scheduled to do 80minutes steady. So, I headed to the gym and hit the dreadmill.
I have done long runs on a treadmill before. I did 90 minutes in a hotel workout room once, but it was a battle and was also done about 2 years ago. Needless to say I was less than excited for this morning's endeavor. I started steady, but I was already sick of the "scenery" by about 20 minutes in. I kept looking out the window to verify I made a good choice in running indoors, but it never rained/snowed/anything. I was looking at the runners who were outside and was overcome with jealousy. The only good thing was that I had my iPod for the entirety of the run, where it normally dies after about 20 minutes in cold weather.
I finished the run...10.3 miles in 80 minutes, stopping once for less than a minute to refill my water bottle. My legs and body in general felt great, but mentally it was difficult. So, at least I'm done, and I can chalk it up to a workout for mental skills. I will run the remainder of my long runs outdoors though, that's for sure. Hopefully the weather will cooperate, but if not I will just have to push on through.
I have done long runs on a treadmill before. I did 90 minutes in a hotel workout room once, but it was a battle and was also done about 2 years ago. Needless to say I was less than excited for this morning's endeavor. I started steady, but I was already sick of the "scenery" by about 20 minutes in. I kept looking out the window to verify I made a good choice in running indoors, but it never rained/snowed/anything. I was looking at the runners who were outside and was overcome with jealousy. The only good thing was that I had my iPod for the entirety of the run, where it normally dies after about 20 minutes in cold weather.
I finished the run...10.3 miles in 80 minutes, stopping once for less than a minute to refill my water bottle. My legs and body in general felt great, but mentally it was difficult. So, at least I'm done, and I can chalk it up to a workout for mental skills. I will run the remainder of my long runs outdoors though, that's for sure. Hopefully the weather will cooperate, but if not I will just have to push on through.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Ready to Start
I feel like I’ve made great strides already this season, but technically the season hasn’t started yet. This coming Monday, I finally enter Base1 of my training plan. That puts me roughly 22 weeks away from my first A race of the season at the beginning of August. That seems like a long time. I know it will fly, especially when the B & C races start popping up, but at this point, I’m anxious to start. I get these feelings of excitement when I think of the races ahead, but at the same time I haven’t even taken my new bike out on the roads yet. Nor have I covered the individual leg distances of the bike or run of my A races yet this year (70.3s).
The good news is, even though I have been training pretty consistently through the winter, I still feel fresh. Whenever things start to get a little stale, there’s some subtle shift that makes me feel like I’m progressing toward something. For example, just after the beginning of the new year, I started running again after a month off to heal my hip. That added a new wrinkle to my weekly training. Not long after that, once I knew I was basically healed, I switched into a run focus since my first race is a ½ Mary and I’m going for a PR there. When riding on the trainer got boring, I got my new bike and changed my position with my new geometry. Obviously I can’t repeat that feat every year, though or I’d go broke fast. However, when I get tired of working on my new position on the trainer, it will be just about time to hit the roads again (Mother Nature permitting). Now, I approach the official beginning of my long-term training plan, which means increases in training time as well as some shifts in the focus of my strength training work. From one week to the next, these changes are pretty small, but it doesn’t take much for me to notice the progression.
Even though the season is not officially under way yet, I am steadily approaching one of my goals. My only non-race specific goal is to race the 2009 season below 190 lbs. Last season, I raced Clydesdale coming in at 205-210 for most of the year, so it’s a substantial drop. As of Sunday evening, I weighed in at 190.5, so I’m almost there. I’m planning on continuing to consciously diet down to 185. From there, I’ll still be eating healthy foods; I just won’t be actively attempting to lose weight. By that point, though I’ll be in the full swing of training, so the additional training hours and increased intensity should make it pretty easy to keep in the 180’s. I’ve been lifting throughout the diet as well (which has been going since November), so I don’t feel like I’ve lost any strength at my lower weight. That should net me plenty of free speed, and if nothing else will lower the strain on my leg joints.
Anyways, I guess the point of this is that I’m antsy. I want to see what I’m going to be capable of this season, only first I need for the season to actually start.
The good news is, even though I have been training pretty consistently through the winter, I still feel fresh. Whenever things start to get a little stale, there’s some subtle shift that makes me feel like I’m progressing toward something. For example, just after the beginning of the new year, I started running again after a month off to heal my hip. That added a new wrinkle to my weekly training. Not long after that, once I knew I was basically healed, I switched into a run focus since my first race is a ½ Mary and I’m going for a PR there. When riding on the trainer got boring, I got my new bike and changed my position with my new geometry. Obviously I can’t repeat that feat every year, though or I’d go broke fast. However, when I get tired of working on my new position on the trainer, it will be just about time to hit the roads again (Mother Nature permitting). Now, I approach the official beginning of my long-term training plan, which means increases in training time as well as some shifts in the focus of my strength training work. From one week to the next, these changes are pretty small, but it doesn’t take much for me to notice the progression.
Even though the season is not officially under way yet, I am steadily approaching one of my goals. My only non-race specific goal is to race the 2009 season below 190 lbs. Last season, I raced Clydesdale coming in at 205-210 for most of the year, so it’s a substantial drop. As of Sunday evening, I weighed in at 190.5, so I’m almost there. I’m planning on continuing to consciously diet down to 185. From there, I’ll still be eating healthy foods; I just won’t be actively attempting to lose weight. By that point, though I’ll be in the full swing of training, so the additional training hours and increased intensity should make it pretty easy to keep in the 180’s. I’ve been lifting throughout the diet as well (which has been going since November), so I don’t feel like I’ve lost any strength at my lower weight. That should net me plenty of free speed, and if nothing else will lower the strain on my leg joints.
Anyways, I guess the point of this is that I’m antsy. I want to see what I’m going to be capable of this season, only first I need for the season to actually start.
Monday, February 16, 2009
My First Yoga Class
Look at me, I’m on a roll with these posts.
Yesterday afternoon I had my first experience with yoga. Initially, I was planning on just going to the gym and maybe swimming while my wife did the yoga class, but she talked me into picking up a mat while we were out at lunch, and I decided to join her. I had done a hard trainer session in the AM, and had a very solid week of training, so decided missing the swim was no big thing, and probably better to prevent fatigue and overtraining. Here’s how the yoga went down…
Pre-class: I bought a mat, turns out it was a pilates mat (there’s a difference?), but oh well. I guess the difference is pilates mats are slightly thicker and have more bounce to them since your movements require more impact with the ground. However, they are not as “sticky” as yoga mats, so they require a little more effort to really dig in and hold ones self statically in a position. I only bought it b/c it was the most manly mat I could find, and I thought the added thickness would allow me to use it for doing core work at home…hardwood floors hurt. I then fretted over the fact that I’ll probably already stick out, being one of the only guys in the class to go along with not having an ideal mat and yoga clothes. After searching a few clothes options, I settled with the basic t-shirt and shorts look…yoga pants will have to come later.
Class time: As we arrived at the gym, I felt a sense of relief almost immediately as we were right behind 2 guys who looked dressed to play some basketball carrying yoga mats. We followed them to the classroom, and to my shock there were 3 more guys in there already. In the end, men were definitely outnumbered, but I’d guess it was probably only a 1.5:1 ratio. There ended up being about 10 guys of varying age and ability level spread around. Now, my only worry was not really having any idea what yoga was.
Class began and I found out I was one of about 4 beginners, but I just used the watch and mimic strategy and was able to keep up fairly well. The class lasted 75 minutes, but the time seemed to fly by. We got in all sorts of positions named for animals (penguin, cat, swan, tortoise), most of which I didn’t see the resemblance. During the meditation at the end, I nearly fell asleep I was so relaxed.
Thoughts: I survived my first yoga session, and here are my thoughts on it. I enjoyed the experience; the relaxation factor makes it a solid Sunday afternoon activity to reset in preparation for another week of work and training. Also, it challenges me to contort my body in ways I’m not flexible enough to do at this point. The added flexibility is what I was hoping I could get out of adding yoga in the first place, so that’s a plus. Also, the class was not intimidating at all, even as a guy who going in had no idea what to expect. I would recommend it as a supplemental activity if you have the time.
I’m going to try and add the Sunday class into my schedule along with another shorter time during the week to work on some poses on my own. We’ll see how it goes.
Yesterday afternoon I had my first experience with yoga. Initially, I was planning on just going to the gym and maybe swimming while my wife did the yoga class, but she talked me into picking up a mat while we were out at lunch, and I decided to join her. I had done a hard trainer session in the AM, and had a very solid week of training, so decided missing the swim was no big thing, and probably better to prevent fatigue and overtraining. Here’s how the yoga went down…
Pre-class: I bought a mat, turns out it was a pilates mat (there’s a difference?), but oh well. I guess the difference is pilates mats are slightly thicker and have more bounce to them since your movements require more impact with the ground. However, they are not as “sticky” as yoga mats, so they require a little more effort to really dig in and hold ones self statically in a position. I only bought it b/c it was the most manly mat I could find, and I thought the added thickness would allow me to use it for doing core work at home…hardwood floors hurt. I then fretted over the fact that I’ll probably already stick out, being one of the only guys in the class to go along with not having an ideal mat and yoga clothes. After searching a few clothes options, I settled with the basic t-shirt and shorts look…yoga pants will have to come later.
Class time: As we arrived at the gym, I felt a sense of relief almost immediately as we were right behind 2 guys who looked dressed to play some basketball carrying yoga mats. We followed them to the classroom, and to my shock there were 3 more guys in there already. In the end, men were definitely outnumbered, but I’d guess it was probably only a 1.5:1 ratio. There ended up being about 10 guys of varying age and ability level spread around. Now, my only worry was not really having any idea what yoga was.
Class began and I found out I was one of about 4 beginners, but I just used the watch and mimic strategy and was able to keep up fairly well. The class lasted 75 minutes, but the time seemed to fly by. We got in all sorts of positions named for animals (penguin, cat, swan, tortoise), most of which I didn’t see the resemblance. During the meditation at the end, I nearly fell asleep I was so relaxed.
Thoughts: I survived my first yoga session, and here are my thoughts on it. I enjoyed the experience; the relaxation factor makes it a solid Sunday afternoon activity to reset in preparation for another week of work and training. Also, it challenges me to contort my body in ways I’m not flexible enough to do at this point. The added flexibility is what I was hoping I could get out of adding yoga in the first place, so that’s a plus. Also, the class was not intimidating at all, even as a guy who going in had no idea what to expect. I would recommend it as a supplemental activity if you have the time.
I’m going to try and add the Sunday class into my schedule along with another shorter time during the week to work on some poses on my own. We’ll see how it goes.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
New bike, new position shots
I don't want to be considered a liar, so I figured I'd post pictures of my new bike (w/ me on them). For those who like to scrutinize, comment on my position, but don't be too hard on the scenery in our basement. We've only been in this house since August and haven't gotten to the basement yet...it makes a great area to ride the trainer and row on my erg.
Anyways, to the pics. The only thing changed in my position is I moved the armpads a little wider since my wrists felt twisted and my breathing constricted in the more narrow setup...I guess I'm not good enough to ride that aero yet...
Side angle at top of stroke
Side angle at the bottom of the stroke 
Front side angle (not sure what I'm looking at)
Almost front shot (rotated). I personally like this picture, which is why I included it.
Side angle shot with super fast legs (really just a different camera setting, but it made me feel fast)
So, they're they are. Isn't it a beautiful bike...I agree. And thanks to my lovely wife for taking all the pictures of me, even though I'm sure she thinks I'm crazy for wanting pictures of me on the trainer. And, regarding the headgear, it's an Under Armour skullcap which I wear to help reduce sweat indoors and out. It fits comfortably under my helmet for outdoor riding. I have 2, and am not sure I can ride without them at this point. Just FYI. That is all
Friday, February 13, 2009
Not Keeping Up...
I just can't keep up with this blog the way I'd like to. I need to start putting it as a task on my to do list, then I might get it done.
For a quick update, I have my new bike...have ridden it only on the trainer so far. I am adjusting to the new position, but did 1.5 hrs earlier this week, almost entirely in the aero tuck without any severe discomfort. I feel like the numbness sets in quicker with the more aero position, but if I shift a little on the seat relatively often (every 10 mins or so) it works itself out temporarily. Even while sitting stationary on the trainer, it feels fast...so that's exciting.
I will add pictures, I promise, and people can look at my position and make comments if they feel the need, although I would be hesitant to make changes right now, since I have a good deal of faith in the shop where I had my fitting done.
My diet is still coming along...I'm down about 12-15lbs (fluctuating) since November and can feel the difference, especially with my running. I've been in kind of a run focus since I'm going for a new PR 1/2 marathon at the end of April, and have been killing the runs. My speedwork days are fun, and I've gotten 5.1 miles done at sub-race pace (7:15/mile) already along with being up to 8(ish) miles for my long run, and I'm still over two months out. My slow, steady run days are much faster than they used to be. I'm usually around 7:45-7:50/mile for my long runs...which has been my race pace in the past. It's good to see progress, especially since I've been running for 8 years now.
That was a decent enough update on the fly. More soon (hopefully)
For a quick update, I have my new bike...have ridden it only on the trainer so far. I am adjusting to the new position, but did 1.5 hrs earlier this week, almost entirely in the aero tuck without any severe discomfort. I feel like the numbness sets in quicker with the more aero position, but if I shift a little on the seat relatively often (every 10 mins or so) it works itself out temporarily. Even while sitting stationary on the trainer, it feels fast...so that's exciting.
I will add pictures, I promise, and people can look at my position and make comments if they feel the need, although I would be hesitant to make changes right now, since I have a good deal of faith in the shop where I had my fitting done.
My diet is still coming along...I'm down about 12-15lbs (fluctuating) since November and can feel the difference, especially with my running. I've been in kind of a run focus since I'm going for a new PR 1/2 marathon at the end of April, and have been killing the runs. My speedwork days are fun, and I've gotten 5.1 miles done at sub-race pace (7:15/mile) already along with being up to 8(ish) miles for my long run, and I'm still over two months out. My slow, steady run days are much faster than they used to be. I'm usually around 7:45-7:50/mile for my long runs...which has been my race pace in the past. It's good to see progress, especially since I've been running for 8 years now.
That was a decent enough update on the fly. More soon (hopefully)
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