Warm up was slow going. I could feel the creakiness in my shoulders. 300 m free barely got things moving. 300 pull helped. Fin kick got my legs going a bit. The 50 m hard set wasn't particularly fast. Then the long set. After the first few laps I was looking for my hand on the clock. It took several laps to realize I was essentially swimming 2 minute 100's. I thought I was swimming 1:50's. Thats what it felt like, both in terms of effort and water flowing past my face. I pushed a bit harder and sped up a bit, but I was struggling. Here I was working way harder than normal, and swimming much slower, even while methodically going through a little swimming efficiency checklist. I was passing my neighbours regularly, but wasn't swimming at all like normal. I really slowed down near the end, and had to really push the last 150 to come in exactly on 50 m for 2500 m. That is firmly blah in terms of pace. I was breathing pretty hard and had tired arms and there was still more on the list. I struggled through. Stretched my arms thoroughly after. 4K and 1.5 hrs in the water.
Waited till mid day for the run. I wanted it to be hot, but I wanted to be done before the severe thunderstorm came rolling through. 10 min warmup, 40 min steady smooth comfortable pace, and 10 minute cool down for an hour total. It was quite well. My feet and legs felt just fine. Stretched after.
Ironman Canada - DONE! What next?
Friday, July 30, 2010
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Riding with Katie on RtN
That would be my buddie Katie. Not Kate my lawyer. Not Katie from Boulder. Not Kate from work, or Kat from an ex-work, or Kate from a different ex-work. Or Kate the massage therapist. Not Cath from Fernie.
Now that we've got that sorted out, we can tackle the next misconception. "with". We were together for a bit, then we started the long hill. I was rapidly left behind.
Still, I'm very pleased, riding hard trying to fall less behind. Pushing hard on the hills, trying to spin. Trying not to think about the long run last night. Trying to keep up meant getting to 22X in well under 17 minutes, which I think is a record for me. Normally I take it a bit easier, getting the legs warmed up. Zoomed down to the bottom of the Road in 57:xx minutes, which might be a record as well. It was hot. We were riding late morning. Going south it was pretty still, so there was a slight wind, I guess.
For once I had to come to a nearly complete stop at the 4 way stop. Pickup truck driver came to a complete and total stop. Then he made sure he had all his luggage from the under the seat in front of him and the overhead compartment. Then he folded his seatbelt neatly and who knows what else. Then he slooowwwwlllllyyyyyy turned the corner. Bastard geezer. If I'd know he was gonna do that I'd have gone around on the outside.
Going north again was a bit windier. Still hot. I'm working hard here, maybe not quite as hard as before, since I was beginning to feel it a bit. By the time I got to the right turn, Katie was already on her way back. I'd hoped to keep her in sight, but I'd have needed a telescope. She went back down to 549 again, while I pushed hard towards home. A new record was within reach. I got lucky at 22X, and again at the 37st lights.
Had to laugh as I was turning left at the lights. There was a guy wearing a bike jersey with a bike in the back of his car at the head of the line. I was up and accelerating hard. He kept looking at me, then looking at his speedometer. I think he was deliberately accelerating slowly enough that he could see where I got to. About 45 Kph was enough. Down the hill, across the bridge, up the hill into the neighbourhood, almost speeding through the school zone, and
1:58:12!! Pedaled another few minutes of easy spin to cool down. Last year I did it in 1:59:32 and it damn near killed me. Today was a strong training ride, and my legs still feel good.
Then into the (dun, dun, DAHHHH) core. I worked through it all, and only at the end of the list did I fully realized what the 4X at the top meant. That was a struggle. Failed on side planks pretty quick; my shoulders were not liking them at all. Then the front plank failed. But not the pushups; I got through all of those. The rows, and single leg squats (not too deep) and butt lift were all good. More stretching.
Then we had coffee and a very nice chat!
Now that we've got that sorted out, we can tackle the next misconception. "with". We were together for a bit, then we started the long hill. I was rapidly left behind.
Still, I'm very pleased, riding hard trying to fall less behind. Pushing hard on the hills, trying to spin. Trying not to think about the long run last night. Trying to keep up meant getting to 22X in well under 17 minutes, which I think is a record for me. Normally I take it a bit easier, getting the legs warmed up. Zoomed down to the bottom of the Road in 57:xx minutes, which might be a record as well. It was hot. We were riding late morning. Going south it was pretty still, so there was a slight wind, I guess.
For once I had to come to a nearly complete stop at the 4 way stop. Pickup truck driver came to a complete and total stop. Then he made sure he had all his luggage from the under the seat in front of him and the overhead compartment. Then he folded his seatbelt neatly and who knows what else. Then he slooowwwwlllllyyyyyy turned the corner. Bastard geezer. If I'd know he was gonna do that I'd have gone around on the outside.
Going north again was a bit windier. Still hot. I'm working hard here, maybe not quite as hard as before, since I was beginning to feel it a bit. By the time I got to the right turn, Katie was already on her way back. I'd hoped to keep her in sight, but I'd have needed a telescope. She went back down to 549 again, while I pushed hard towards home. A new record was within reach. I got lucky at 22X, and again at the 37st lights.
Had to laugh as I was turning left at the lights. There was a guy wearing a bike jersey with a bike in the back of his car at the head of the line. I was up and accelerating hard. He kept looking at me, then looking at his speedometer. I think he was deliberately accelerating slowly enough that he could see where I got to. About 45 Kph was enough. Down the hill, across the bridge, up the hill into the neighbourhood, almost speeding through the school zone, and
1:58:12!! Pedaled another few minutes of easy spin to cool down. Last year I did it in 1:59:32 and it damn near killed me. Today was a strong training ride, and my legs still feel good.
Then into the (dun, dun, DAHHHH) core. I worked through it all, and only at the end of the list did I fully realized what the 4X at the top meant. That was a struggle. Failed on side planks pretty quick; my shoulders were not liking them at all. Then the front plank failed. But not the pushups; I got through all of those. The rows, and single leg squats (not too deep) and butt lift were all good. More stretching.
Then we had coffee and a very nice chat!
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Tired and tireder
Today was long run. 2:15. Last long run I took two small flasks of water with Nuun in them, and that wasn't really quite enough. So I set up our front patio as an "aid station". I left a bottle of plain water, a bottle of Nuun water, and 2 gels. Then at the end of each 5K look I grabbed something and walked in a circle around the patio while drinking or slurpling the gel. Only had one, a Hammer Raspberry. Not bad.
First loop. 36:30 121 avg heart rate. Easy start, walking a bit first, then starting the clock. Lots of it felt clunky and heavy. Tried to run easy and light.
Second loop. 34:50 127 avg heart rate. Pushed a little harder, but trying to run smooth rather than trying to run faster. Mostly it was better than lap 1, but it still wasn't my normal pace. Feet are feeling heavy. Wheels started to come off near the end. Normally I'm pretty comfortable running at this pace. This is the pace I'd love to run Ironman at.
Third loop. 36:23 129 avg heart rate. The toughest lap. Wheels off the wagon, struggling to stay running, feet and legs very heavy. Pictured coach's disappointed look if I had to tell her I bailed, and that kept me going. Worked hard keeping the arms going, which helped keep the legs going.
Fourth loop. 27:16 128 avg heart rate. A short lap, maybe 3.5 or 4 K max. I knew there was no way I'd get 5 K done near the cut off time, and I wasn't running a second past 2:15. Nor did I want to have to walk too far for cool down. I wanted to walk a bit, get a drink, then walk more. The first part of this was ok again, with a good stride, but the last 15 minutes was brutal. I stumbled over sidewalk slabs twice because I wasn't picking my feet up enough.
Walked about 10 minutes after, with some good stretching. Feet are tired, but no blisters so far. It felt very good just standing on the cool concrete basement floor. Even though there was a thunderstorm warning, all we got was a very light, short rain shower. The rest of the run was sunny, warm, and muggy - by Calgary standards. Some people who read this blog would be turning off the air conditioning, happy they could save a bit of money, if this was happening where they were.
First loop. 36:30 121 avg heart rate. Easy start, walking a bit first, then starting the clock. Lots of it felt clunky and heavy. Tried to run easy and light.
Second loop. 34:50 127 avg heart rate. Pushed a little harder, but trying to run smooth rather than trying to run faster. Mostly it was better than lap 1, but it still wasn't my normal pace. Feet are feeling heavy. Wheels started to come off near the end. Normally I'm pretty comfortable running at this pace. This is the pace I'd love to run Ironman at.
Third loop. 36:23 129 avg heart rate. The toughest lap. Wheels off the wagon, struggling to stay running, feet and legs very heavy. Pictured coach's disappointed look if I had to tell her I bailed, and that kept me going. Worked hard keeping the arms going, which helped keep the legs going.
Fourth loop. 27:16 128 avg heart rate. A short lap, maybe 3.5 or 4 K max. I knew there was no way I'd get 5 K done near the cut off time, and I wasn't running a second past 2:15. Nor did I want to have to walk too far for cool down. I wanted to walk a bit, get a drink, then walk more. The first part of this was ok again, with a good stride, but the last 15 minutes was brutal. I stumbled over sidewalk slabs twice because I wasn't picking my feet up enough.
Walked about 10 minutes after, with some good stretching. Feet are tired, but no blisters so far. It felt very good just standing on the cool concrete basement floor. Even though there was a thunderstorm warning, all we got was a very light, short rain shower. The rest of the run was sunny, warm, and muggy - by Calgary standards. Some people who read this blog would be turning off the air conditioning, happy they could save a bit of money, if this was happening where they were.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Yet more crazy weather
After posting yesterday's blog the weather went insane here. See photos and story below.
Moved the Wed swim to Tuesday. There was no point getting to the office before 8:30. The new office. A window office, even. oooooh! (with a view of a parking lot.) My swim was just a little bit slower than normal. Maybe that's from swimming two days in a row. Or feeling just slightly off. No worries. The high point of the swim is finding out the girl I was sharing the lane with is actually Mrs. Elegant. 1.25 hrs.
The bike was a fun ride. Still nice, but windy, and a bit gusty. At one point I was riding about 30 Kph, and mostly dead calm with a few cross wind gusts. Just 2 hours with 6 x 5 hard then 4 easy and 1 build to the next hard. Hard was supposed to be Oly or sprint pace. I've never done a sprint. So I just went hard as I could go for 5 minutes. Heart rate typically into the 130's and breathing really hard. Easy warmup, good spin and cool down. 2 hours. The orange and citrus Nuun are ok, but not as good as the tri-berry.
And core. Let's not forget the core. A long list of stuff. All of it ok, except planking to failure multiple times. Not quite a half hour, some which was lying there on the mat in a pool of sweaty sunscreen.
It started nice. Very shortly later I happened to be looking out the window when it was raining hard across the green space. Not a drop on the driveway. Until a few seconds later. Then there was howling wind and really hard rain. Lots and lots of rain. All of a sudden there were waves of water, whitecaps and all rolling down the street from a strong west wind. Then the hail started but that didn't last long. Lots of rain, lots of wind. For a while the wind even reversed direction and blew just as strong towards the west. There's broken branches down all over the neighbourhood. If you want a cheap car or RV and don't mind some hail dents, several dealers have "A Hail of a Sale" on right now.
Here's some photos.
This last one is the storm drain in front of our house. The water is at least a foot deep there, and is starting to spill over the crown of the road. There is enough water running down the gutters to easily float a canoe.
Moved the Wed swim to Tuesday. There was no point getting to the office before 8:30. The new office. A window office, even. oooooh! (with a view of a parking lot.) My swim was just a little bit slower than normal. Maybe that's from swimming two days in a row. Or feeling just slightly off. No worries. The high point of the swim is finding out the girl I was sharing the lane with is actually Mrs. Elegant. 1.25 hrs.
The bike was a fun ride. Still nice, but windy, and a bit gusty. At one point I was riding about 30 Kph, and mostly dead calm with a few cross wind gusts. Just 2 hours with 6 x 5 hard then 4 easy and 1 build to the next hard. Hard was supposed to be Oly or sprint pace. I've never done a sprint. So I just went hard as I could go for 5 minutes. Heart rate typically into the 130's and breathing really hard. Easy warmup, good spin and cool down. 2 hours. The orange and citrus Nuun are ok, but not as good as the tri-berry.
And core. Let's not forget the core. A long list of stuff. All of it ok, except planking to failure multiple times. Not quite a half hour, some which was lying there on the mat in a pool of sweaty sunscreen.
It started nice. Very shortly later I happened to be looking out the window when it was raining hard across the green space. Not a drop on the driveway. Until a few seconds later. Then there was howling wind and really hard rain. Lots and lots of rain. All of a sudden there were waves of water, whitecaps and all rolling down the street from a strong west wind. Then the hail started but that didn't last long. Lots of rain, lots of wind. For a while the wind even reversed direction and blew just as strong towards the west. There's broken branches down all over the neighbourhood. If you want a cheap car or RV and don't mind some hail dents, several dealers have "A Hail of a Sale" on right now.
Here's some photos.
This last one is the storm drain in front of our house. The water is at least a foot deep there, and is starting to spill over the crown of the road. There is enough water running down the gutters to easily float a canoe.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Legs still there, still good
Sometimes the day after a workout is the hard one. Legs that got you through it, and a bit more give up for the next day. Or the next week as has been the case for me a few times. But after my long ride and T run my legs are still doing good. I'm not going up the stairs two at a time or anything, but I could if I had to.
My swim warmup included 200 m choice kick. I cheated by not doing all of it, all at once. 50 m front with board. 50 m back. (50 m pull extra) 50 m side. Later for cool down I added in the other 50 m front kick with board.
Lots of drill alternating with hard, 50 m each. Fist, catchup, one arm, FTD, butt in the air. The 50 hards weren't particularly hard. Then some other stuff. Then 3x300, Free, paddles, fins. Each was supposed to be 10 to 15 seconds faster. FAIL!!! Free was slow. Paddles were much slower. Fins were a minute faster than free. I am coming to hate paddles. Today I tried ones with a velcro wrist strap. I thought that would be more comfy. But the finger loop was the surgical cord and way too loose, and I couldn't tighten it. Plus, as I realized when I started, the paddle is beyond huge. I'm beginning to think it might be worth spending some money to buy paddles and adjust them for me. In the water 1.25 hrs.
Ate at the pool and went to what some people might call a job interview. It was clear within a few minutes that I was in if I wanted in. Given the advantages, I'm in, starting tomorrow. The big advantage is being able to work from home a great deal. I'm hoping to get my bikes and runs done during the heat of the day, before the thunderstorm rolls in. Like I did today. Not sure how long it will last, since it's a "till this defined problem is fixed"sort of thing, but they want it done sooner than yesterday, AND the fixes will be subjected to scrutiny under a microscope.
The massage was wonderful. I'd booked it back when I was spooked by the thought of a 180K ride. Still it was a good thing since there were lots of sore bits.
The run was 45 minutes of goodness. Just at the very end I was getting a bit tired, but I actually think it was a hydration issue. I'd drunk just before leaving, but it's hot out and I was sweating big time. Once I got back inside with something to drink, and do some stretches I was fine.
My swim warmup included 200 m choice kick. I cheated by not doing all of it, all at once. 50 m front with board. 50 m back. (50 m pull extra) 50 m side. Later for cool down I added in the other 50 m front kick with board.
Lots of drill alternating with hard, 50 m each. Fist, catchup, one arm, FTD, butt in the air. The 50 hards weren't particularly hard. Then some other stuff. Then 3x300, Free, paddles, fins. Each was supposed to be 10 to 15 seconds faster. FAIL!!! Free was slow. Paddles were much slower. Fins were a minute faster than free. I am coming to hate paddles. Today I tried ones with a velcro wrist strap. I thought that would be more comfy. But the finger loop was the surgical cord and way too loose, and I couldn't tighten it. Plus, as I realized when I started, the paddle is beyond huge. I'm beginning to think it might be worth spending some money to buy paddles and adjust them for me. In the water 1.25 hrs.
Ate at the pool and went to what some people might call a job interview. It was clear within a few minutes that I was in if I wanted in. Given the advantages, I'm in, starting tomorrow. The big advantage is being able to work from home a great deal. I'm hoping to get my bikes and runs done during the heat of the day, before the thunderstorm rolls in. Like I did today. Not sure how long it will last, since it's a "till this defined problem is fixed"sort of thing, but they want it done sooner than yesterday, AND the fixes will be subjected to scrutiny under a microscope.
The massage was wonderful. I'd booked it back when I was spooked by the thought of a 180K ride. Still it was a good thing since there were lots of sore bits.
The run was 45 minutes of goodness. Just at the very end I was getting a bit tired, but I actually think it was a hydration issue. I'd drunk just before leaving, but it's hot out and I was sweating big time. Once I got back inside with something to drink, and do some stretches I was fine.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
180+
So much for all the blog buddies that said people training for IM will have no social life at all. You'll forget you have friends. You will only see your family if they make the effort to appear between workouts. You will think of nothing but triathlon.
Pfft!!!! We had friends over for a BBQ yesterday, them and their little daughter. Everybody had a perfectly delightful time, except for Amelia the cat. She's suspicious of strange humans at the best of times and doubly so for miniature ones. We did nothing more ambitious than sit around and chat and get caught up. We've been trying to arrange a time to get together for a while now, but in the followup to a kidney transplant and pregnancy she has to be very, very careful about getting sick. I was sick a surprising amount this year and told them that if I had even a hint of a sniffle I wasn't going to risk being in the same house. Other than clarifying the date for IMC, we didn't talk triathlon stuff at all.
I'd already done some of the prep for today's ride, and once they were gone I finished up. The forecast for the weekend was clear and hot, so I wanted to get started early. I've been looking forward to this ride for a while. 7 hours, hoping for 180 K. It turns out the time was the harder part.
I was up early so there was lots of time for a good breakfast and a visit from the poop fairy. It was still a bit cool when I hit the road at 7:15. Still lots of shade and if it had been any cooler I'd have wanted arm warmers or something. Down to 22X in 20 minutes, still on the cool side. Met up with another guy and we stuck together till I turned south at 22. My time to here was a little on the slow side but there was a bit of a head wind and I wasn't pushing the pace.
Things warmed up to a great riding temperature on the way to Black Diamond. Hardly anyone moving in town. Got there in 1:50. That's 50 K done. Highway 7 to Okotoks is the shits. Lots of cracks across the road filled with tar and topped with that fine grit. That extends right across the road. Lots of bump bump bump. There was a lot of grit and gravel on the shoulder as well, and in the morning sun lots of it looked like glass.
Just as I turned the corner to go south at Okotoks I flatted. Tires are much easier to deal with when they're warm. I got it back on using just my hands without even trying. There's a cut in the tire rubber big enough to see the cording, so I think I'm going to go get a new tire. Maybe there is some compound I can seal it up again but tires on vehicles doesn't seem to me to be a good place to save money. At this point I'm still feeling strong and happy. I've been trying to ride steady and smooth and firmly in zone 2. South on 783 to 543 and turned right. You can't miss that intersection, there are 4 huge white gas storage spheres.
Then it was into a good headwind again. When 90 K clicked over I was about 3:20 riding time, so I went to 3:30 and turned around then. There have been lots of rides where I'm a wreck at 90 K or shortly after. At this point I felt great. I was exactly on plan for nutrition and a little ahead of plan for distance. Now it was back the same way. The whole course is gently rolling hills, and lots of long gradual inclines. I wasn't worried about being slow going up because I figured it would be balanced by going down.
Things got a bit harder just before Black Diamond on the last bit of uphill, about the 4:55 hr mark. There'd been a ton of motorbikes passing me and I was getting sick of the noise. One Harley passing me had my guts reverberating. Even with all the nutrition I was beginning to feel a bit weak and tired. Once I got past the geezer who tried to kill me I stopped at the gas station/food store in Black Diamond. I was happy to be standing up again, and picked up 1.5 L of water and some chocolate covered peanuts. Yes, I thought about a Snickers bar, but figured the sugar hit would drop me like a rock before I got home. I took the water bottle back in and asked where to recycle it. The clerks eyes were as big as saucers. "You drank the whole thing??" "Naw, just filled my bottles, I'd look pregnant if I'd drank that much water."
Once I made the left turn I was riding more carefully through town. It's small enough the locals don't think anything of crossing main street without looking for cars. There was some kind of vintage auto show taking up one street that looked pretty interesting, but I was focussed on getting home. I had about 2 hours to go. All the bikes that passed me on the way into Black Diamond passed me on the way to Turner Valley. Then they stopped at a mutual admiration society in Turner Valley. Then they all passed me again.
Going north wasn't bad. I was still feeling steady and was maintaining speed. But the last bit across 22X was into a brutal head wind. I was head down and trying to stay strong. At this point I had figured it would be a toss up as to what would hurt the most, my butt, my hands, my triceps, or my legs. The dark horse came up the middle and put them all into the shade. My feet. The balls of my feet and toes felt like they were on fire. At one point I pulled them out of the shoes for some coolish air. This was the toughest part of the ride. In a way, now, I'm glad it was. Often there is a stiff wind from the west that means you hardly have to pedal at all. But the wind helped build my confidence.
I ticked over 180 K in 6:43 bike time. From there I took it easy to fill out the 7 hours, ending up at 185 K. After a short transition I was out for my run. By now it was pretty warm, but not what I'd call hot. The first few steps had my hams screaming. I can easily walk quicker than that. Before I had a chance to get worried, I could feel things getting better, almost by the step. By the time a few hundred metres had passed I was in a steady chug. Not what I'd normally consider a good run, but I was moving and felt pretty good. Part way through the run I passed one of my neighbours spraying her garden. I got her to spray me down, front and back and that felt wonderful! By the end of the run my heart rate had settled down, my feet and legs were in the groove, and I could have gone on longer if water and nutrition had been arranged.
The weather was perfect! I was only hot for about 10 or 15 minutes when I happened to be riding with the wind at exactly the same speed. The rest of the time there was a breeze. Maybe wearing a white jersey helps.
After some of my shorter rides where I was a wreck at the 90 or 100K mark I was really nervous about going such a long way. But I felt great getting off the bike! I'm thrilled that I was over the 180 K mark within the 7 hours. That's the furthest I've ever ridden at once in my life. Ever. The actual elapsed time was 7:20 from leaving the house to getting back. That's counting a flat, 3 pee breaks, and a "special needs" stop in Black Diamond.
I could have gone on a little way further if I'd had to, though I'm sure my feet would have taken some convincing. I was going to call the run a success if I didn't walk, even if I was barely doing a loose limbed shamble, yet I actually had a good run. So as you can imagine I'm a happy puppy. Especially after the peanut butter chocolate cupcake our guests from last night left.
Weekly Summary
Swim 3.75 hrs
Bike 12.0 hrs
Run 3.33 hrs
Walk 1.0
Total Cardio 20.0 hrs. (Holy Crap!! and I actually missed a 70 minute run.)
Core 1.0
Total workout 21.0 hrs
Pfft!!!! We had friends over for a BBQ yesterday, them and their little daughter. Everybody had a perfectly delightful time, except for Amelia the cat. She's suspicious of strange humans at the best of times and doubly so for miniature ones. We did nothing more ambitious than sit around and chat and get caught up. We've been trying to arrange a time to get together for a while now, but in the followup to a kidney transplant and pregnancy she has to be very, very careful about getting sick. I was sick a surprising amount this year and told them that if I had even a hint of a sniffle I wasn't going to risk being in the same house. Other than clarifying the date for IMC, we didn't talk triathlon stuff at all.
I'd already done some of the prep for today's ride, and once they were gone I finished up. The forecast for the weekend was clear and hot, so I wanted to get started early. I've been looking forward to this ride for a while. 7 hours, hoping for 180 K. It turns out the time was the harder part.
I was up early so there was lots of time for a good breakfast and a visit from the poop fairy. It was still a bit cool when I hit the road at 7:15. Still lots of shade and if it had been any cooler I'd have wanted arm warmers or something. Down to 22X in 20 minutes, still on the cool side. Met up with another guy and we stuck together till I turned south at 22. My time to here was a little on the slow side but there was a bit of a head wind and I wasn't pushing the pace.
Things warmed up to a great riding temperature on the way to Black Diamond. Hardly anyone moving in town. Got there in 1:50. That's 50 K done. Highway 7 to Okotoks is the shits. Lots of cracks across the road filled with tar and topped with that fine grit. That extends right across the road. Lots of bump bump bump. There was a lot of grit and gravel on the shoulder as well, and in the morning sun lots of it looked like glass.
Just as I turned the corner to go south at Okotoks I flatted. Tires are much easier to deal with when they're warm. I got it back on using just my hands without even trying. There's a cut in the tire rubber big enough to see the cording, so I think I'm going to go get a new tire. Maybe there is some compound I can seal it up again but tires on vehicles doesn't seem to me to be a good place to save money. At this point I'm still feeling strong and happy. I've been trying to ride steady and smooth and firmly in zone 2. South on 783 to 543 and turned right. You can't miss that intersection, there are 4 huge white gas storage spheres.
Then it was into a good headwind again. When 90 K clicked over I was about 3:20 riding time, so I went to 3:30 and turned around then. There have been lots of rides where I'm a wreck at 90 K or shortly after. At this point I felt great. I was exactly on plan for nutrition and a little ahead of plan for distance. Now it was back the same way. The whole course is gently rolling hills, and lots of long gradual inclines. I wasn't worried about being slow going up because I figured it would be balanced by going down.
Things got a bit harder just before Black Diamond on the last bit of uphill, about the 4:55 hr mark. There'd been a ton of motorbikes passing me and I was getting sick of the noise. One Harley passing me had my guts reverberating. Even with all the nutrition I was beginning to feel a bit weak and tired. Once I got past the geezer who tried to kill me I stopped at the gas station/food store in Black Diamond. I was happy to be standing up again, and picked up 1.5 L of water and some chocolate covered peanuts. Yes, I thought about a Snickers bar, but figured the sugar hit would drop me like a rock before I got home. I took the water bottle back in and asked where to recycle it. The clerks eyes were as big as saucers. "You drank the whole thing??" "Naw, just filled my bottles, I'd look pregnant if I'd drank that much water."
Once I made the left turn I was riding more carefully through town. It's small enough the locals don't think anything of crossing main street without looking for cars. There was some kind of vintage auto show taking up one street that looked pretty interesting, but I was focussed on getting home. I had about 2 hours to go. All the bikes that passed me on the way into Black Diamond passed me on the way to Turner Valley. Then they stopped at a mutual admiration society in Turner Valley. Then they all passed me again.
Going north wasn't bad. I was still feeling steady and was maintaining speed. But the last bit across 22X was into a brutal head wind. I was head down and trying to stay strong. At this point I had figured it would be a toss up as to what would hurt the most, my butt, my hands, my triceps, or my legs. The dark horse came up the middle and put them all into the shade. My feet. The balls of my feet and toes felt like they were on fire. At one point I pulled them out of the shoes for some coolish air. This was the toughest part of the ride. In a way, now, I'm glad it was. Often there is a stiff wind from the west that means you hardly have to pedal at all. But the wind helped build my confidence.
I ticked over 180 K in 6:43 bike time. From there I took it easy to fill out the 7 hours, ending up at 185 K. After a short transition I was out for my run. By now it was pretty warm, but not what I'd call hot. The first few steps had my hams screaming. I can easily walk quicker than that. Before I had a chance to get worried, I could feel things getting better, almost by the step. By the time a few hundred metres had passed I was in a steady chug. Not what I'd normally consider a good run, but I was moving and felt pretty good. Part way through the run I passed one of my neighbours spraying her garden. I got her to spray me down, front and back and that felt wonderful! By the end of the run my heart rate had settled down, my feet and legs were in the groove, and I could have gone on longer if water and nutrition had been arranged.
The weather was perfect! I was only hot for about 10 or 15 minutes when I happened to be riding with the wind at exactly the same speed. The rest of the time there was a breeze. Maybe wearing a white jersey helps.
After some of my shorter rides where I was a wreck at the 90 or 100K mark I was really nervous about going such a long way. But I felt great getting off the bike! I'm thrilled that I was over the 180 K mark within the 7 hours. That's the furthest I've ever ridden at once in my life. Ever. The actual elapsed time was 7:20 from leaving the house to getting back. That's counting a flat, 3 pee breaks, and a "special needs" stop in Black Diamond.
I could have gone on a little way further if I'd had to, though I'm sure my feet would have taken some convincing. I was going to call the run a success if I didn't walk, even if I was barely doing a loose limbed shamble, yet I actually had a good run. So as you can imagine I'm a happy puppy. Especially after the peanut butter chocolate cupcake our guests from last night left.
Weekly Summary
Swim 3.75 hrs
Bike 12.0 hrs
Run 3.33 hrs
Walk 1.0
Total Cardio 20.0 hrs. (Holy Crap!! and I actually missed a 70 minute run.)
Core 1.0
Total workout 21.0 hrs
Friday, July 23, 2010
The weirdest head space ever for a ride. So far...
This was the first 4K swim since some time in 2006 when stuff happened that had me extremely upset. I attacked the swim that day and by the time I stopped thinking about it I was past 3 K and hadn't even noticed. So I went to 4 just to round it off to an even number. That was all in one go, no stops. My shoulders hurt the next day since that was about double my usual swim then.
Today was a warmup, then 6x500 of various stuff, and a cool down. It was fun, once I was past the shower. I would swear in court there is a decaying mammal down one of the drains it smells that disgusting. I've got to remember to put the nose clips on BEFORE showering. The new googles are perfect; it's so nice to be able to see again. One of the sets was a straight 500 m freestyle at 80% effort - 9:10. That's about right.
A couple of the swimmers in the lanes beside me were trying to keep up periodically, producing lots of splashing, bubbles, and waves, but not much speed. I was a bit nervous when a girl in a mostly blue bikini joined my lane and asked to split it with me rather than going in circles. That's good. I was a bit surprised at how fast she swam, since normally the serious swimmers wear a one piece. It was fun to go whooshing past people. I was in the water about an hour and 20 minutes, maybe a bit more.
Yesterdays ride was postponed till today, which is as nice as could be asked for. I was out and gone as soon as I could after getting home from work. Bear with me here. I've been getting prepped for the big ride on Sunday, so my head is partly in that space. I'm also a bit taken with my right knee lately. It's been a bit creaky and sore and sometimes tempermental about what it likes or not.
So I started off on the ride feeling pretty good. I got down to 22X in 20 minutes which is about normal. Knee is feeling a bit, something. I don't know how to describe it. Not painful, not sore, not tired. But not strong and smooth either. It's almost like the joint felt a bit rusty and didn't want to move or work very hard.
Like I said, I was a bit in the headspace for a long and steady ride, which isn't going to work on RtN. Too many hills. By the top of the first one I was pretty sure I wasn't going to make 3 hours. So I chugged along, trying to be smooth. It's hard to be smooth going up a steep hill pedaling slowly in your easiest gear. Lots of places I was 5 Kph slower than my last ride. I was beginning to get down on myself about it, feeling bad about the ride, and how slow I was, and how that could be after all my training. Which makes things even slower.
The positive about the ride is that I got to the bottom of the road in 1:11, and at first I felt bad about that. That's slow, even though I had a bit of a wind helping me, and I knew it would be slower going the other way. That first hill was a slog. I was in the easiest gear right from the start. Head down. Hands on the drops. Going about 7Kph. Trying not to stress the knee. Trying to spin. Then I got to thinking about what I was thinking about. I gave my rump a good kick, which is hard when you're riding.
I ate a bit more, and had a good slug of energy drink. Then I starting thinking about the positives of the ride. It was a perfect afternoon for a ride. I was spinning fairly well, and my knee was still coping. Oddly enough, as I pushed a bit harder, it felt better. That time was with me not breaking a sweat and barely getting my heart rate into triple digits. Going only a little bit faster used to be practically race pace. I was doing this ride on tired legs, since right now I'm more active than at any other time in my life, including being a teenager.
I thought about that number. You know, the one I mention every now and then. It was 221. That's the lowest it's been since some time in the very early 80's, when I had a physically demanding job and I had to eat my own cooking, such as it was.
Of course, it's not as easy as writing about it makes it look. My head was going around and around. I was an emotional rollercoaster to match the hills. I realized I wasn't really committed to this ride, I was just out putting in time. It's probably still good for me in the long run, but I'm tired enough that it's hard to be objective. I think I'm officially at the Irontard stage. Missy has the best explanation.
The whole ride ended up being 2.5 hrs. For a while I was entertaining the idea of doing the planned 70 minute run after the ride. Then I de-entertained it. My goals are to get to the start line healthy and ready for a big day. Yes I need to train hard, but most of all I need to train smart. This is a 50+ year old bod after all. It's done really well considering how fat and out of shape I was, but I'd feel really stupid if I pushed myself too hard trying to gain a little bit more fitness and injured myself now. It's going to be a fine balancing act to push myself harder and further than I've ever gone during this last bit of build, and yet know when to back off.
Today was a warmup, then 6x500 of various stuff, and a cool down. It was fun, once I was past the shower. I would swear in court there is a decaying mammal down one of the drains it smells that disgusting. I've got to remember to put the nose clips on BEFORE showering. The new googles are perfect; it's so nice to be able to see again. One of the sets was a straight 500 m freestyle at 80% effort - 9:10. That's about right.
A couple of the swimmers in the lanes beside me were trying to keep up periodically, producing lots of splashing, bubbles, and waves, but not much speed. I was a bit nervous when a girl in a mostly blue bikini joined my lane and asked to split it with me rather than going in circles. That's good. I was a bit surprised at how fast she swam, since normally the serious swimmers wear a one piece. It was fun to go whooshing past people. I was in the water about an hour and 20 minutes, maybe a bit more.
Yesterdays ride was postponed till today, which is as nice as could be asked for. I was out and gone as soon as I could after getting home from work. Bear with me here. I've been getting prepped for the big ride on Sunday, so my head is partly in that space. I'm also a bit taken with my right knee lately. It's been a bit creaky and sore and sometimes tempermental about what it likes or not.
So I started off on the ride feeling pretty good. I got down to 22X in 20 minutes which is about normal. Knee is feeling a bit, something. I don't know how to describe it. Not painful, not sore, not tired. But not strong and smooth either. It's almost like the joint felt a bit rusty and didn't want to move or work very hard.
Like I said, I was a bit in the headspace for a long and steady ride, which isn't going to work on RtN. Too many hills. By the top of the first one I was pretty sure I wasn't going to make 3 hours. So I chugged along, trying to be smooth. It's hard to be smooth going up a steep hill pedaling slowly in your easiest gear. Lots of places I was 5 Kph slower than my last ride. I was beginning to get down on myself about it, feeling bad about the ride, and how slow I was, and how that could be after all my training. Which makes things even slower.
The positive about the ride is that I got to the bottom of the road in 1:11, and at first I felt bad about that. That's slow, even though I had a bit of a wind helping me, and I knew it would be slower going the other way. That first hill was a slog. I was in the easiest gear right from the start. Head down. Hands on the drops. Going about 7Kph. Trying not to stress the knee. Trying to spin. Then I got to thinking about what I was thinking about. I gave my rump a good kick, which is hard when you're riding.
I ate a bit more, and had a good slug of energy drink. Then I starting thinking about the positives of the ride. It was a perfect afternoon for a ride. I was spinning fairly well, and my knee was still coping. Oddly enough, as I pushed a bit harder, it felt better. That time was with me not breaking a sweat and barely getting my heart rate into triple digits. Going only a little bit faster used to be practically race pace. I was doing this ride on tired legs, since right now I'm more active than at any other time in my life, including being a teenager.
I thought about that number. You know, the one I mention every now and then. It was 221. That's the lowest it's been since some time in the very early 80's, when I had a physically demanding job and I had to eat my own cooking, such as it was.
Of course, it's not as easy as writing about it makes it look. My head was going around and around. I was an emotional rollercoaster to match the hills. I realized I wasn't really committed to this ride, I was just out putting in time. It's probably still good for me in the long run, but I'm tired enough that it's hard to be objective. I think I'm officially at the Irontard stage. Missy has the best explanation.
The whole ride ended up being 2.5 hrs. For a while I was entertaining the idea of doing the planned 70 minute run after the ride. Then I de-entertained it. My goals are to get to the start line healthy and ready for a big day. Yes I need to train hard, but most of all I need to train smart. This is a 50+ year old bod after all. It's done really well considering how fat and out of shape I was, but I'd feel really stupid if I pushed myself too hard trying to gain a little bit more fitness and injured myself now. It's going to be a fine balancing act to push myself harder and further than I've ever gone during this last bit of build, and yet know when to back off.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)