Yesterday was my rest day. I spent it on my feet all day, in a hot glass shop, sweating about half as much as I do during spin class.
Today is normally my big bike and run workout, and I try to time it so the run is during the nice part of the day. However, it was the second day of the glassblowing workingshop, and I KNEW that I wouldn't want to get on the bike when I got home. So I got up at the regular time (5:15), dragged my tired legs downstairs and got started. Fortunately I'd had the wit to lay everything out the night before.
10 min warmup, gradually getting to 85 rpm
8 min @ 90 rpm concentrating on spin, 2 min rest at about 80 rpm
10 x 30 second hard, 1.5 min recovery, gradually harder gears
2x 8 min @ 95 rpm (or so) to drive heart rate to about 130, 2 min recovery
15 x gradually building cadence to between 110 and 115 over 45 seconds, rest 1 min
10 min cool down
3:30 transition
20 min run 2.8 K or so.
5 min walk
120 total.
Overall the bike felt pretty strong. The idea behind the gradual cadence build is to slowly accelerate, staying in control till I started bouncing, trying to control the bounce, dial it back to fastest non-bouncing cadense for a few seconds, then back to rest pace.
It was a beautiful dawn run, felt strong for most of it, but started to tire at 2 K mark. My calf started to complain aright at the 20 min mark, when I was only going to run maybe 200 m more at most, so I started walking. Left side felt weaker, minor twinges till calf started, seemed like I was favouring left side and running with a bit of a limp. I'd begun to dream of getting around the whole block in 20 min, and if I keep my calf under control, I think I can.
Avg heart rate over whole work out 113, peak HR 144, min HR 69.
bike 109 avg hr
94 hr during trans
132 hr during run.
Weekly Summary
Swim 2.5 hrs
Bike 4.5 hrs
Run 2 hrs
Total 9 (though some of the decimals rounded up, so if you want to be picky you could say 8.75 and I wouldn't argue too hard. And I had to hop off my bike today for a whole minute to put the chain back on.
Ironman Canada - DONE! What next?
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Friday, January 11, 2008
The end of a long week
As is usual the IGP called for a 60 minute swim.
500 m 9:45 warmup nice and easy
6 x 50 m in 45 sec on 1:15 start (working hard on the last one, and didn't quite make 45.)
200 m recover, thinking about stroke mechanics
500 m in 5 sets of 25 m hard 75 m easy.
250 m nice and easy to relax.
20 min core and flexibility work in dive tank
Total 1750 m about 40 min
Total 60 min.
I was so asleep when the alarm went off! I'm glad I had everything packed and ready to go because I was shambling around like a half slaughtered ox. The swim went really well, though I felt slow and tired and out of breath for what I was doing.
The big news is the result of going upstairs and facing the machine of truth. 243! I guess that's the result of non-holiday eating, and a big workout week. I've actually felt a little rolly-polly here the last couple days. I guess you never know. Last week I felt lighter and ended up staying the same. Today I felt heavy, and am down.
500 m 9:45 warmup nice and easy
6 x 50 m in 45 sec on 1:15 start (working hard on the last one, and didn't quite make 45.)
200 m recover, thinking about stroke mechanics
500 m in 5 sets of 25 m hard 75 m easy.
250 m nice and easy to relax.
20 min core and flexibility work in dive tank
Total 1750 m about 40 min
Total 60 min.
I was so asleep when the alarm went off! I'm glad I had everything packed and ready to go because I was shambling around like a half slaughtered ox. The swim went really well, though I felt slow and tired and out of breath for what I was doing.
The big news is the result of going upstairs and facing the machine of truth. 243! I guess that's the result of non-holiday eating, and a big workout week. I've actually felt a little rolly-polly here the last couple days. I guess you never know. Last week I felt lighter and ended up staying the same. Today I felt heavy, and am down.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Complaints complaints complaints
IGP™ plan called for a 60-70 min spin tonight.
20 min warm up
20 min main set
10 min cool down
The main set was finding a gear at 90 rpm that gradually pushed my heart rate up to mid 130's or so, then back down a few gears and slow to about 80 rpm till heart rate recovered to 120 or so. I don't know how many times I did this.
I hadn't been on the bike more than few minutes when I started getting complaints. I quickly got the idea this wasn't going to be a fun ride. I never did get comfy on the bike, and never settled into a nice groove. My butt hurt the entire ride. It seemed like my right leg was doing all the work, and the left all the complaining. For a few minutes during the warm up and cool down I concentrated on light feet going round and around, but that only lasted a few minutes while I concentrated on it. Even my balance felt really unsteady, and it seemed like I was rocking from side to side a lot. At one point in the cool down it seemed like my knees were coming up around my ears, and my elbows were drooping to my ankles. Very strange. I'd hoped to grind it out to the hour mark, but at 50 minutes my legs and butt said enough. I did about 10 minutes of stretching, particularly the hams. Time for bed.
20 min warm up
20 min main set
10 min cool down
The main set was finding a gear at 90 rpm that gradually pushed my heart rate up to mid 130's or so, then back down a few gears and slow to about 80 rpm till heart rate recovered to 120 or so. I don't know how many times I did this.
I hadn't been on the bike more than few minutes when I started getting complaints. I quickly got the idea this wasn't going to be a fun ride. I never did get comfy on the bike, and never settled into a nice groove. My butt hurt the entire ride. It seemed like my right leg was doing all the work, and the left all the complaining. For a few minutes during the warm up and cool down I concentrated on light feet going round and around, but that only lasted a few minutes while I concentrated on it. Even my balance felt really unsteady, and it seemed like I was rocking from side to side a lot. At one point in the cool down it seemed like my knees were coming up around my ears, and my elbows were drooping to my ankles. Very strange. I'd hoped to grind it out to the hour mark, but at 50 minutes my legs and butt said enough. I did about 10 minutes of stretching, particularly the hams. Time for bed.
calibration run
The IGP called for 50 min 5 r 1.5 w this morning. I decided to wear the heart rate monitor and run normally, to get an idea of how my legs feel, how my lungs feel, and what my heart rate looks like. I'm still a bit cautious about pushing too hard. I don't like owies.
7 min warmup, including a bit of easy running.
6 x 5r 1.5 w fairly good pace, but not really pushing it
7 min cool down.
I started my watch after the warm up, and stopped it before the cool down, with each cycle being one lap.
Average heart rate 128
Peak HR 145
Min HR 107
total calories 682 (Not sure if I believe this or not. It said I burned 1300 calories during the long spin session Tues night.)
1 avg HR 124
2 avg HR 127
3 avg HR 125
4 avg HR 132
5 avg HR 128
6 avg HR 134
Most of the run portions the HR was mid 130's, and typically drops 20-25 beats during the first minute of walking.
I parked my car underneath 8th Ave where it crosses Deerfot, in the parking lot for Bottomlands Park. Honest. The run went north along the path right to the 32nd Ave connector where it crosses Nose Creek. About 7.2 Km altogether, and the run walk portion was 5.7 Km if you believe Google maps. The run walk portion was about 8.5 Km per hour.
Overall, I think it's fair to say that my legs are weaker than my lungs and heart at the moment. Most of the time I'm breathing comfortably, and my legs are saying they don't want to go faster. They only really warmed up and felt stronger for the last two r/w cycles, and I pushed a bit harder then, getting heart rate into low 140's during the run. It seems that just a little bit faster pushes the heart rate up pretty dramatically.
Nice morning for a run, only -10 C or so, and it started snowing lightly.
7 min warmup, including a bit of easy running.
6 x 5r 1.5 w fairly good pace, but not really pushing it
7 min cool down.
I started my watch after the warm up, and stopped it before the cool down, with each cycle being one lap.
Average heart rate 128
Peak HR 145
Min HR 107
total calories 682 (Not sure if I believe this or not. It said I burned 1300 calories during the long spin session Tues night.)
1 avg HR 124
2 avg HR 127
3 avg HR 125
4 avg HR 132
5 avg HR 128
6 avg HR 134
Most of the run portions the HR was mid 130's, and typically drops 20-25 beats during the first minute of walking.
I parked my car underneath 8th Ave where it crosses Deerfot, in the parking lot for Bottomlands Park. Honest. The run went north along the path right to the 32nd Ave connector where it crosses Nose Creek. About 7.2 Km altogether, and the run walk portion was 5.7 Km if you believe Google maps. The run walk portion was about 8.5 Km per hour.
Overall, I think it's fair to say that my legs are weaker than my lungs and heart at the moment. Most of the time I'm breathing comfortably, and my legs are saying they don't want to go faster. They only really warmed up and felt stronger for the last two r/w cycles, and I pushed a bit harder then, getting heart rate into low 140's during the run. It seems that just a little bit faster pushes the heart rate up pretty dramatically.
Nice morning for a run, only -10 C or so, and it started snowing lightly.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Easy swim
After the big spin session last night I wanted a nice relaxing swim. And got it! My legs were a bit tired, but nothing unexpected. I really am going to have to learn to go to sleep after the evening spin sessions.
I shared the lane with only one other person, and he and I stayed out of each other's way. Oddly enough, even though FOMC is much more crowded than it was before the new year, the lanes I swim in haven't changed. Life is good.
1000 m 19:15, nice and easy.
25 min pool pilates, working on core and flexibility.
Total 45 min.
I shared the lane with only one other person, and he and I stayed out of each other's way. Oddly enough, even though FOMC is much more crowded than it was before the new year, the lanes I swim in haven't changed. Life is good.
1000 m 19:15, nice and easy.
25 min pool pilates, working on core and flexibility.
Total 45 min.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
2 hour spin session
This was my first 2 hour spin on this bike. It's taken a while to get comfy on the bike for longer periods. I guess the little bit less padding on the saddle makes a big difference.
So lets see. I did a longer warm up than usual to calm myself down after the frazzled traffic. There's times I seriously believe that half the drivers in Calgary shouldn't be allowed on the road. Ever. Idiots.
One legged drills. A cadence pyramid. Two long sets of high intensity effort. Maybe some other stuff that I've forgotten. A hill climb in honour of one of the regulars who is off climbing a mountain. Not sure which one. Kilimanjaro and Aconcagua were the two names I heard, but nobody seemed quite sure. Maybe something else. Cool down.
It all went quite well. Hams felt a bit tight, but not as bad as this morning. Hands, arms, and butt felt pretty good. Well, except for the time I sat down at a bit of an angle and caught a fold of bike shorts on some sensitive flesh. Lots of great Cha-cha-cha music that made me want to get off the bike and dance. For a while I thought my spin trainer was acting up, but then I realized it was the vibrations from 5'2" of snoring happening right next to me. I wouldn't have thought someone could fall asleep on their bike, but she sure enough was trying!
Oh, and I can actually pedal with my hands on the dropped part of the handlebars without my legs pummeling and churning my gut. They still touch, but it's not a slap slap slap anymore. Yahoo!
So lets see. I did a longer warm up than usual to calm myself down after the frazzled traffic. There's times I seriously believe that half the drivers in Calgary shouldn't be allowed on the road. Ever. Idiots.
One legged drills. A cadence pyramid. Two long sets of high intensity effort. Maybe some other stuff that I've forgotten. A hill climb in honour of one of the regulars who is off climbing a mountain. Not sure which one. Kilimanjaro and Aconcagua were the two names I heard, but nobody seemed quite sure. Maybe something else. Cool down.
It all went quite well. Hams felt a bit tight, but not as bad as this morning. Hands, arms, and butt felt pretty good. Well, except for the time I sat down at a bit of an angle and caught a fold of bike shorts on some sensitive flesh. Lots of great Cha-cha-cha music that made me want to get off the bike and dance. For a while I thought my spin trainer was acting up, but then I realized it was the vibrations from 5'2" of snoring happening right next to me. I wouldn't have thought someone could fall asleep on their bike, but she sure enough was trying!
Oh, and I can actually pedal with my hands on the dropped part of the handlebars without my legs pummeling and churning my gut. They still touch, but it's not a slap slap slap anymore. Yahoo!
slow cold run
I was just pulling into the FOMC parking lot when the radio guy said it was -17 C at the airport, which isn't all that far from where I was. That did not make it any easier to get out of the car.
Even before leaving the house this morning my legs felt tight. I did some stretches at home, and walked a bit extra for warm up. Still, my legs never warmed up for running. I wasn't cold, though my glasses were fogging up, and my moustache was growing walrus tusks. So I shuffled along, waiting for my legs to say they were ok with running faster, and they never did. The whole run felt like someone had taped a lead weight to the back of my legs, just below the knee. I could feel a slight version of the owie I got a couple weeks ago, so I kept it slow and easy. My lungs liked the break.
7 min warmup
6 x 4r 1w
5 min cooldown
total 42 min.
The route was along the Nose Creek path, but I didn't even get to the bridge. And yes, it got colder as I was going down the hill.
Looking forward to the spin session tonight!
Even before leaving the house this morning my legs felt tight. I did some stretches at home, and walked a bit extra for warm up. Still, my legs never warmed up for running. I wasn't cold, though my glasses were fogging up, and my moustache was growing walrus tusks. So I shuffled along, waiting for my legs to say they were ok with running faster, and they never did. The whole run felt like someone had taped a lead weight to the back of my legs, just below the knee. I could feel a slight version of the owie I got a couple weeks ago, so I kept it slow and easy. My lungs liked the break.
7 min warmup
6 x 4r 1w
5 min cooldown
total 42 min.
The route was along the Nose Creek path, but I didn't even get to the bridge. And yes, it got colder as I was going down the hill.
Looking forward to the spin session tonight!
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